Compass

Under the leadership of Carol Dreste, Director, the UCSB Campus Store has undergone a remarkable transformation, demonstrating that big changes can happen even with no budget. The Campus Store had been stuck in an outdated look for years, with old, tired textbook gondolas that no longer served our students or our space. We needed to address issues with theft and have implemented a higher standard of customer serve.

Here's how we turned things around and gave our store a fresh, modern look without spending a dime.

Through a series of stakeholder workshops during the 2023-24 academic year, SOM as the Architect of Record and Mithun as Programming lead and co-design partner have been working to develop Detailed Project Programs (DPPs) for both the San Benito and East Campus projects. These DPPs are comprehensive planning documents that include all the information necessary for campus to establish a project budget and for the design team to initiate schematic design.

At the end of the last academic year, the work groups concluded their immense efforts toward researching and working to improve the employee experience around Recognition & Appreciation, Work Life Balance, and Career Advancement. While their work has concluded, their efforts will continue to live on. Each work group identified that giving supervisors the proper tools to support their staff in these three areas is crucial. As a direct result of this recommendation, the AVC’s Office Learning & Development is currently developing a program to do just that.  

HDAE Staff on the Move

Welcome 

Raul Alvarez, Sr Custodian

Timothy Antonacci, Student Leadership Programs Advisor

Dahyana Arroyo, Assistant Resident Director

Christian Barrios, Personnel Supervisor

KC Buller, Marketing & Communications Specialist

Don't miss out on these upcoming HDAE-Wide Events!

As we arrive at graduation weekend, punctuated by the campus’ nine commencement ceremonies, it’s hard to believe the end of the academic year is upon us. As always, I am beyond grateful for the care, attention, and hard work each of you has put into this year – a year that marks a new strategic chapter in Housing, Dining & Auxiliary Enterprises with the launch of the student housing development projects and the leadership realignments that will strengthen our departments.

The Employee Engagement Work Groups orchestrated the inaugural “Meet HDAE” event held on May 14. This initiative stemmed from our employees' desire to gain insight into the diverse functions of HDAE departments beyond their own. Each unit appointed representatives to host informative tables, allowing attendees to engage directly with individuals from various departments. Beyond showcasing unit diversity, the event served as a platform to acquaint our staff with the myriad benefits offered by HDAE and our campus at large.