Based on the recent events surrounding Andres "Andy" Sanchez's death, the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department adopted the following statement:

"The Chicana and Chicano Studies Department was deeply saddened to hear about the recent death of Andres "Andy" Sanchez, a second-year student from Poway, California. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Sanchez family as they mourn and grieve for Andres. Published accounts indicate that first responders may not have acted in a timely manner once they arrived on scene. Such claims are serious and therefore warrant a full-fledged, substantial investigation. Andy's life matters and his family and the entire community deserves answers. We urge the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department to conduct a thorough review of this matter, along with the UCSB administration."

The statement will also be posted on our Department Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Chicana.o.Studies) and we may also release it to media outlets. This situation is fast-developing and we wanted to be timely and responsive. Justice must be done.