- What is Beyond the Barriers?
- The Beyond the Barriers Initiative is a UC Davis campus-wide initiative to raise awareness of, acknowledge, and provide support for our system-impacted and formerly incarcerated students, faculty, and staff. BTB also supports and advances research on issues relating to California’s carceral state and its effects on youth and students.
- What does it mean to be system-impacted?
- System-impacted means a member of your immediate family (parents, guardians, siblings, children) have been incarcerated or otherwise involved in or affected by the carceral system. System-impacted as an umbrella term also includes formerly incarcerated people.
- Why is there a directory?
- To create community for system-impacted people on our campus.
- Is Beyond the Barriers related to the Beyond the Statistics student org?
- No. The student organization, Beyond the Stats, functions completely independently of Beyond the Barriers. BTB has no oversight over the club or its publications. The student organization came first and has helped the UC Davis administration and community to become aware of the presence and collective needs of our system-impacted students. We chose our name, Beyond the Barriers, to honor and echo the name "Beyond the Stats," while recognizing the many kinds of barriers our students, faculty, and staff face.
- Who does the Beyond the Barriers (system-impacted@ucdavis.edu) email go to?
- The email is managed by several Beyond the Barriers affiliates including Assistant Professor Ofelia Cuevas, UC Davis Director of Communications Sharon Knox, and Kerry Sherman, a King Hall law student.
- Who is in BTB?
- BTB is led by Assistant Professor Ofelia Cuevas. It has an advisory board comprised of professors, administrators, executives, and research directors across campus, as well as BTS student leaders. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Office of Undergraduate Education support the work of BTB in a variety of ways including advocacy, programmatic, and administrative work.
- I am a system impacted student. How do I get help?
- Check out the support list
Attend a BTS meeting to meet others
Email system-impacted@ucdavis.edu - What kind of support do system impacted students need?
- Needs range from safe spaces to share one's story to mental health support for PTSD and specialized academic advising.