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The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

Local anti-assault group asks Student Senate to join its cause

Associated+Student+Government
James Von Essen

A group formed to help prevent sexual assault in Santa Barbara is urging City College students to apply for a position on its board.

Founded last Spring by a group of UCSB students, Students Against Sexual Assault is a non-profit organization based in Isla Vista that advocates for Title IX policy reform and educates the public about sexual consent. It has also worked with the Isla Vista Community Services District to help create a future rape crisis center in Isla Vista to provide counseling and medical services to sexual assault survivors.

UCSB student Emily Montalvo-Telford, president of Students Against Sexual Assault, spoke to the Student Senate Friday, calling on members of the senate and City College at large to join her organization.

“I would really like to see the organization grow and have the City College campus be involved,”  Montalvo-Telford said in an interview after the meeting. “The SBCC voice would be really valuable on our board.”

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This year, Montalvo-Telford would like the group to focus on encouraging conversations around sexual consent.

“I believe consent is fun and sexy, but the way it is talked about now makes it seem very foreign and uncomfortable.”

The positions open are SBCC coordinator, policy analyst, treasurer and publicity coordinator. Each position has a detailed description on the group’s online application.

The board appeared to be interested in her proposal and asked several follow-up questions after her presentation, but none of the senators made the commitment to sit on the board during the meeting with Senate President Josh Villanueva saying he could not make it due to an evening class.

The group meets weekly every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. Their first meeting as a non-profit will occur on Oct. 10 in the Isla Vista Community Room, 970 Embarcadero Del Mar.

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