On Friday, June 18, just when people were bouncing off for the weekend, ITS announced a new update to the online campus directory, the web-based application used for looking up publicly available student and staff directory information. Depending on how much you care about the online directory, this update is either kinda nifty or really boring.

The new system sports a unified directory and search system for both students and faculty. The biggest change of all, though, is the ability to modify and add to your online entry using your CruzID and Gold password.

There’s a pretty extensive listing of biographical information you can add, including other email addresses, departments you’re affiliated with, your websites, awards, honors, and your personal interests. If you’re looking for a convenient way to control the publication of your academic life at UCSC, it’s a welcome feature.

For the privacy-minded out there (yes, I’m looking at all of you with your pitchforks still pointed at Facebook), you can get your information removed from the campus directory by changing your privacy settings in… uhh… MyUCSC? Well, that’s a weird jump between applications, but at least there’s an FAQ. You’ll want to look for “Release to Campus Directory” and set that option to “no” to opt out.

If, on the other hand, you’re interested in setting up your web profile, we’ve got a step-by-step walkthrough over this way.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at ITS Updates Online Campus Directory

So, you heard about the recent changes to the online campus directory and were totally like “Sweet, dude! I always wanted a UCSC profile! It’s like Facebook, but all academic and stuff!” then we’re here to help. This how-to tells you how to set up your Campus Directory page, as well as lets you know of a couple of pitfalls to look out for. Without adieu, here goes…

Setting Up Your CruzID Gold Password

A snapshot of the CruzID Manager.

Unless you’ve printed something in the library, you probably don’t have a CruzID Gold Password. The most common CruzID password is a Blue password, used with SlugMail, ResNet, CruzNet, and in the computer labs. Practical uses for your CruzID Gold Password (for now, at least) include printing in the library and… well… editing your campus directory entry. So, yeah….

But we’re not here to debate why on Earth there’s two passwords; we’re here to get you hooked up with a Gold password, because you’ll need it to access the campus directory.

Head on over to the CruzID Identity Manager at cruzid.ucsc.edu. You’ll be prompted to log in with your CruzID Blue password. Once you’ve logged, you’ll see a selection of options, but the one we’re looking for is “Set CruzID Gold Password.” Click that link, enter the last four digits of your SSN and your new password, and submit the form. Assuming all goes well, you’ll get a message saying your new password has been set. Huzzah!

If you’ve set up your CruzID Gold Password before, you’ll see a link that says “Change CruzID Gold Password.” As the link suggests, click that to change your Gold password. You’ll need to know your current Gold password to change it, though. If you forgot your password and didn’t set up security questions, you’re going to need to contact ITS to get that fixed.

Setting Up Your Directory Entry

The Edit Entry screen of the Campus Directory, featuring lots and lots and lots of fields.

Now that we’ve got our CruzID Gold Password, let’s go set up our campus directory profile. To begin, go to campusdirectory.ucsc.edu. You’ll see a link that’s labeled “Update Your Directory Information Online.” Click that link and log in with your CruzID Gold Password. If all goes well, you’ll see a long page with fields you can fill in with your information.

There are a couple of pitfalls worth noting that you’ll want to take into account when creating your profile. First, many fields in the form have length restrictions, some as tiny as 255 characters, with others as large as 5000 characters. The system won’t cut you off while you’re typing if you go over the limit, but if you attempt to submit the form with a given field over the character limit, it will reject your submitted information and ask you to edit the offending field. To give yourself some time to write your responses (and so you can have a convenient word count), try writing your responses in a word processing application first, then copy and paste it into the web form.

Arguably the more annoying pitfall is you can’t edit any information whatsoever without adding a department affiliation in your profile. The system will reject your entry if it doesn’t include a selection for “Department,” and once you add it, you’ll be able to change your department affiliation entry, but you won’t be able to remove it completely. Probably not a big deal (it’s not like it’s your SSN or anything like that), but it’s something you should be aware of going in.

Okay, so once you’ve entered all of your information, don’t forget to click “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page or your information won’t be saved.

And that’s it!

But Why Would I Want to Do This?

Of course, it’s always up to you to decide how much information you’d like to share on the internet, and the best rule of thumb I’ve followed is not to share anything online you wouldn’t want public. Or, at the very least, check a website’s Privacy Policy before submitting information to it. If you don’t want any trace of your enrollment at UCSC online, you’re best off restricting the publication of your info to the campus directory (here’s an FAQ on how to do that).

There is something to be said, though, about being active in controlling one’s web presence. With the new features, you can kinda think of the new campus directory as a mini-resume of your work at UCSC. Best of all, it’s now a public entry you can edit and control. If you don’t have a presence on the web already and want to create one, this could work well as a basic starting point. For the more adventurous, you can set up a small personal website for your academic work on your UCSC account, then link to it from your campus directory entry.

Ultimately, if you’re looking for a simple tool for creating a public academic profile, the new campus directory is here for you to use. And while it’s basic, it gets the job done.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at How-To: Set Up Your Campus Directory Page

Photo by Rowan Byers.

Despite opposite seasons, (two) different oceans, and a different way of life, Cape Town — known as the ‘Mother City’ of Africa — still bears a resemblance to my home in Santa Cruz.  This series chronicles one banana slug’s attempt to make sense of life at the University of Cape Town.

The previous entry in this series is available here.

~~~~~~

Euphoria.  Irritation.  Understanding.  Acceptance.   These are the four stages of culture shock.  As many an EAP participant could probably tell you, myself included, these four words seem pretty silly and irrelevant when you’re sitting in your pre-departure orientation two months before you leave.  At this point, all you want to do is get on the plane, start your whirlwind life-changing semester, meet an incredibly exotic foreign boy (or girl) with a sexy accent, indulge in all your Travel Channel street-food fantasies, and finally receive the ‘real’ education you aren’t receiving from your over-priced UC.

And yes, I fully admit to scoffing at the idea of being in over my head, particularly as I’ve traveled quite extensively in my 20 years on this planet.  But today, six weeks since I arrived in the beautiful, dynamic city of Cape Town, I type in frustration.  I have reached stage two.  However, I write not with the frustration of being a traveler in a foreign land, but more specifically, being a college student in one.

The University of Cape Town, where I am currently enrolled, is an interesting institution.  As a columnist in the campus’ student-run newspaper, Varsity, so aptly put it, “UCT’s situation as a university offering ostensibly first-world education in a third-world country is delicate.”

Let me tell you, an institution with beautiful neo-classical buildings designed to look like the ‘Oxford of Africa’ and a ranking in the top 200 universities worldwide definitely does not mean that the wireless network is going to work when you need it to.  And don’t expect to be able to check your online-only assignments when you get home either, because internet access in South Africa is kind of like a house party in Santa Cruz — hard to find and always getting broken up.

Then there’s the Jammie.  Essentially the campus shuttle, these cute little powder blue buses are loved and loathed by students for being overcrowded and never on schedule.  Trouble is though, that unlike when you miss the Metro bus in Santa Cruz, hitching a ride in Cape Town is not such an intelligent way to get home.

In all seriousness, safety concerns are a major part of campus life at UCT, and probably the biggest challenge to international students like myself. Recently, UCT students gathered on campus to mourn the death of a student who was stabbed after a robbery attempt in the early morning hours of the weekend, after attending a party with friends.  In what was the biggest campus protest in 10 years, students and UCT representatives were demanding a stop to the violence that plagues the community.

It sounds sinister, and at times it is.  Crime in Cape Town is rampant and exacerbated by the stark and highly visible contrast between rich and poor in post-apartheid South Africa.  In response to gross inequality, many people use opportunistic crime and theft as the go-to method to get out of poverty.  As an American student used to the relative freedom and safety I have at home, it comes down to accepting a loss of independence; of considering the necessity of carrying things around daily that make me vulnerable (i.e. laptop, blackberry, ipod); and of never, ever letting my street smarts falter.

The words I write are not meant to be complaints.  I didn’t travel thousands of miles to have everything be exactly the same as it is at home.  The challenges, fears, and obstacles of living in and adjusting to life in South Africa are why I will undoubtedly view the world differently when I return home.  So, for now, I’m ready to move onto to stage three and hopefully (fingers crossed) find a decent internet connection.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Culture Shock Confessions

Photo by Rowan Byers.

Despite opposite seasons, (two) different oceans, and a different way of life, Cape Town — known as the ‘Mother City’ of Africa — still bears a resemblance to my home in Santa Cruz.  This series chronicles one banana slug’s attempt to make sense of life at the University of Cape Town.

~~~~~~

Last month I traveled nearly 10,000 miles.  It took two flights totaling 22 hours, three crying babies, two viewings of “The Hangover,” and six sub-par meals to arrive in Cape Town, South Africa.  As my father reminded me before I left, I couldn’t have picked a further location to study abroad, even if I tried (EAP does not offer a program in Antarctica).

In preparing for my time abroad, I received many different responses when I divulged to friends, family, professors, and neighbors where I had chosen to study.  These reactions ranged from tones of envy to confusion, as well as concern for my well-being in crime-ridden Cape Town.  In fact, more than a few times during these conversations, I detected a look made up of equal parts skepticism and surprise.  A look that seemed to say, however silently, “they actually have universities in Africa?”

Indeed they do.  The University of Cape Town, where I am attending this semester, is the largest and most highly ranked university on the continent of Africa, with over 23,000 students.

Despite the odyssey-like journey it took to arrive, the similarities between UCSC and UCT are striking.  As is custom in the Redwood forest and beaches of Santa Cruz, shoes are entirely optional at UCT.  The hairstyles du-jour seem to include dreads as well as the “never have, never will own a hairbrush” look.  The weather can change faster than you can say “should I bring a sweater” and copious amounts of hills and stairs mean you’ll arrive to class looking like you just walked from Oakes to Merrill.

Lucky for me though, the panoramic view of the entire city of Cape Town serves as a more than adequate stand-in for Santa Cruz’s beautiful view of the Monterey bay.  And, just like at UCSC, laid-back students bypass the question of ‘should I go to class,’ and ask instead, ‘what beach should I go to instead of class?’

Despite these welcome similarities, there are a myriad of differences that I continue to negotiate.  Attempting to understand the many different kinds of accents and slang in South Africa — there are 11 official languages here — is no easy feat, and nothing makes you feel more like a ‘fresher’ (first year) than trying to decipher academic lingo.  Quick lesson: convener means professor, prac means lab, tut means section, meridian means lunch break, and Jammie can be loosely translated to the 16 Laurel bus route.

Interestingly though, some American students have even expressed disappointment that their experience and impression of Cape Town thus far has not measured up to the ‘authentic’ Africa they were expecting.  Well, if I’ve learned anything from past travel experiences and in the short time I’ve been here, it is that expectations will often lead you astray.  You can expect not to be mugged living in an all-white, affluent suburb, but you would be wrong.  You can expect that a major institution founded in 1829 would have implemented an online enrollment system by now, but three to five hours of ‘qeueing’ for paperwork to register for classes will tell you otherwise.  You can also expect to understand apartheid and the racial composition of Cape Town and South Africa by studying it before you arrive, but you will still be floored by the complexity of race relations demonstrated in all parts of life here.

As the University of California’s least diverse campus, UCSC could learn a thing or two from UCT, where diversity isn’t a concept or goal, but rather a way of life, good or bad.  This diversity certainly makes UCT and Cape Town as a whole a fascinating place.  A place where, each and every day, you’re sure to run into stark contrasts between rich and poor, black and white, incredibly friendly and frequently hostile.  My only expectation while I’m here is to learn more about it.

~~~~~~

Check out the SlugLife blog on Tuesday for Part 2 of Rosie’s Travel Log from Cape Town, South Africa.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Feeling Like a ‘Fresher’ in a Different Hemisphere

Starting today, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) has detoured the Day Core route due to construction on Steinheart Way (the road that goes through the middle of Science Hill) between the McHenry Library and Kerr Hall. The route will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until March 14th.

These stops aren’t being serviced by the Day Core bus during construction:

• Classroom Unit bus stop
• McHenry Library North bus stop

Instead, the Day Core will stop at these additional locations:

• Cowell/Stevenson bus stop
• Crown/Merrill bus stop
• College 9/College 10 bus stop
• Science Hill – School of Engineering bus stop

The Day Core bus will still stop at Kerr Hall North, but the stop has moved slightly across the street. The Day Core will continue to stop at Quarry Plaza on Westbound trips.

Remember, the early slug catches the best seat in lecture, so be sure to plan ahead!

Day Core Shuttle Route Detour – 3/1/2010 through 3/14/2010 [UCSC TAPS]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Day Core Route Detoured

The 2010 Global Game Jam, an annual indie game competition that challenges teams from across the nation to develop an innovative game in just 48 hours, is going on right now. Yes, like right now.

Even better, UC Santa Cruz has a delegation representing the good ol’ Banana Slugs. Yay! You can head over to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/global-game-jam-santa-cruz to watch them live. UCSC is just one of 138 locations across the globe participating in the event.

With so much competition, they need our support! So head on over and cheer ‘em on. The jam ends at 4 p.m. Sunday.

If you’re curious to learn more about the GGJ and to watch teams across the world live, check out the links below.

Global Game Jam at UCSC [UCSC SoE]
Global Site for the GGJ [IGDA]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Global Game Jam is Live… Like Now

When: Friday, January 8, 2010 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Where: Student Union in Quarry Plaza

The shots cost $15 (paid at the clinic or charged to your student account) and you should sign up in advance by following the hyperlink. Don’t forget that H1N1 shots are now open to all students, staff, and faculty.

So, do yourself a favor and make “not getting deathly ill” your new year’s resolution, eh? Probably easier than the one you came up with already.

Signup Form

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Celebrate Happy Flu Year With a H1N1 Shot This Friday

Illustration by Kenny Srivijittakar.

*sniffle* So, it seems some more shipments of seasonal and H1N1 vaccinations have made their way to UCSC. Which means it’s time for another flu shot clinic! Now if only they would have arrived a few days earlier… *sniffle*

The shots will be administered on Friday, December 4th, from 10am to 4pm at the Student Union building in Quarry Plaza. While seasonal flu shots are open to all UCSC affiliates on a walk-in basis, UCSC students under 25 (with UCSC ID) who are interested in getting an H1N1 shot must reserve a time online at http://www.maximhealthsystems.com/pickatime/?id=349. The cost for the shot is $25. *sniffle*

Now, if you’ll excuse me… *sniffle*… I’m off to make some tea. A… A.. ACHOOOOOOOO!

Re: H1N1 Flu and Seasonal Flu Shots this Friday 12/4/09 [UCSC]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at More Seasonal and H1N1 Flu Shots on Friday 12/4

From a UCOP post at the UC Newsroom site:

For the past two evenings, the University of California online application system has experienced a slowdown that has prevented some students from submitting their applications. Due to these unforeseen circumstances, we are extending the application period through 11:59 p.m. Dec. 2

“Unforseen circumstances.” Suuuure….

Anyways, for those that are still working to submit their app, UCOP will be operating a help line for applicants on Dec. 1st and 2nd from 1pm to midnight. You can reach them at (800) 914-8820 (in California) or (925) 808-2150 (outside California).

Just a friendly tip for our future slugs: you may not want to wait until 11:58pm on the 2nd to submit your application. You know, like everyone else.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at UCOP Extends App Deadline to Dec. 2nd

The UCSC Farm Apprentices who grow and harvest food found in dining halls, farmers markets, and community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes are now being honored by the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors who declared the month of June “Grow an Organic Farmer Month.”

Mark W. Stone, Fifth District Supervisor of the County of Santa Cruz, expressed appreciation for the Center of Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS) and the UCSC Farm Apprentices “who have planted roots all over the United States” with their work in producing and advocating for sustainable agriculture.

A first-year apprentice bunkers down his hand-built tent after some high winds. Photo by Alex Zamora.

This proclamation coincides with the UCSC Farm’s “Grow a Farmer” campaign to raise $250,000 by June to fund construction of tent-cabins to house 32 apprentices on-site as they learn about organic agriculture and horticulture. This year’s class of 38 apprentices will be the last to live in individual tents on campus due to building regulations enforced by the university.

The campaign, which started this past December, asked for the support of businesses, restaurants, foundations and individuals to donate money or pledge a percentage of their profits to help keep the apprentices on the UCSC Farm. Restaurants all over Santa Cruz and the Bay Area, including Chez Panisse in Berkeley and Mission Pie in San Francisco, threw benefit dinners to help support the next generation of organic farmers.

The last of these events will be sponsored by local restaurant, Gabriella Café, which will hold a benefit dinner on Sunday, June 7 at Pie Ranch, a farm in Pescadero started by graduates of the apprenticeship program. Tickets to the outdoor dinner sell for $75 per ticket, 100 percent of which will go toward the Grow a Farmer campaign.

Read more: Community-Supported Farmers [City on a Hill Press]

Links:

Grow a Farmer benefit dinner [Brown Paper Tickets]

Grow a Farmer campaign website [Center of Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at "Grow a Farmer" this June

Photos by Isaac Miller.

Amid the construction abundant on the changing UC Santa Cruz campus, there is one constant that remains: hungry students.

At the end of winter quarter, both the Porter/Kresge Dining Hall and the Hungry Slug Café closed for renovations. Despite the obvious inconvenience to students who frequent these dining spots, College University and Housing Services has done their best to accommodate students’ dining needs.

In addition to the expansion of the College Eight/Oakes Dining Hall, which includes a dual-sided cashier station, increased food service areas, additional beverage service in the dining room and extra outdoor seating, UCSC Dining Services has created an alternative dining option called Town Hall Subs for those students who are looking for substitute eating options.

According to Candy Berlin, program coordinator for UCSC Dining, Town Hall Subs is an affordable option, with sandwiches that cost only $4 and meals, including choice of beverage and chips, at $6.59. Even more important, Town Hall Subs offers service that is good for students who need to grab a bite quickly.

“Unlike the Owl’s Nest, Town Hall Subs makes your food right in front of you. You have the option of ordering what you want while you choose from ingredients that are right there,” Berlin said. “Hot or cold subs, you get in and out quickly.”

Although Town Hall Subs is only a temporary option, it has been widely utilized by many, serving around 100 students a day.

Tyler Gary and Ashley Tittle, first-year students from Kresge College, said Town Hall Subs has been a great alternative to the closed dining hall.

“It’s really nice because you can get the sandwiches toasted or not,” Tittle said. “We also really love the staff. They’re really friendly!”

The only downside, according to Gary, is their hours. “I wish they were open longer,” Gary said. “They close really early.”

Despite the limited hours, many students feel this fast and tasty sandwich shop is worth visiting. With vegetarian options, as well as options for block meal plan holders and Flexi dollars, Town Hall Subs is an ideal solution to the missing dining option for Kresge and Porter students.

So, what should you try? Operations director Kent Bailey recommends trying  a hot ham and cheese sub—a classic.

Town Hall Subs

Kresge College (Kresge Town Hall, next to Owl’s Nest Cafe)

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Accepts cash, Flexi dollars, Slug meal plans

Link:

To learn more information about the dining hall renovations, go here.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Subbing the Dining Hall

“It is impossibly hard to learn that someone you love is dying. It is a thousand times harder when you learn it is a child. It is ten million times harder when you learn it is your child.”

Thus begins the letter from the parents of Chelsea Gerber, a young woman suffering from the rare epileptic disease, Lafora. Her journey through the ravages of disease tell the story of a normal teenage girl thrown into a world she cannot escape. For UCSC first-year student Danielle Goldsmith, working toward finding a cure for her friend has become her highest priority.

“Lafora is a rare epilepsy that starts in the teenage years caused by a genetic mutation,” said Goldsmith. “From diagnosis the patient has about five to ten years to live. It’s horrible.”

Lafora disease is caused by the mutation of the EPM2A and EPM2B genes. During adolescence patients experience “tonic clonic” seizures – rapid, intense seizures, temporary blindness, hallucinations, depression and progressive debilitating dementia.

“When I first met Chelsea I knew she was sick but you couldn’t even tell. She seemed perfectly healthy,” said Goldsmith. “Her parents did not want us [her friends] to know what she had because they feared we would look Lafora up and learn the horrible truth. When her mom realized we would support and help her, she told us about Chelsea’s illness.”

The diesease is extremely uncommon; according to the Lafora Children Research Fund, just one hundred people worldwide are known to suffer from the disease. There is no cure, and little funding designated for finding one. To raise awareness for Chelsea’s and others’ struggle, Chelsea’s mother and doctor, as well as Danielle’s mother started Chelsea’s Hope, a foundation dedicated to spreading the word about Lafora and raising money to establish a fight for a cure.

Danielle is dedicated to helping Chelsea’s Hope. Goldsmith does her part by helping with the Chelsea’s Hope website, formatting web design and making updates to the foundation’s website. She attends various events benefiting the foundations, such as auctions and affairs to raise both funding and awareness. Additionally, she speaks out about Lafora to friends and peers in effort to make Chelsea’s cause heard.

Goldsmith balances her work with Chelsea’s Hope with a rigorous course load at UCSC and aspires to major in Health Sciences. While at home, Danielle visits with Chelsea and helps care for her friend, who is in such an advanced state of Lafora that she does not have the means to attend school herself. Because of this Goldsmith said she has realized her own good fortune. Helping Chelsea with her everyday life may not be enough, but the love and obvious care that Goldsmith shows for her friend would prove to more than suffice.

As Lafora is considered an orphan disease, one so rare that researchers deal infrequently with it, little funding has been devoted to finding a cure. Lafora researchers are working on two possible therapies for patients: gene therapy for Lafora patients and gentamicin treatment for those with nonsense mutations.

“Before Chelsea’s Hope there weren’t any other organizations out there for Lafora awareness and funding,” said Goldsmith. “I’m doing what I can to donate, and get others to do so as well. The lack of funding from the government is holding back the cause and making it too difficult to develop a cure.”

Chelsea’s Hope reaches out to students Chelsea’s age to help support the foundation. Lafora can affect anyone, anywhere. It is the Lafora researchers hope that one day someone with Lafora could walk into a doctor’s office and walk out with the necessary medication to prevent the spread of the disease.

“It’s hard to find people who know exactly what you’re going through,” said Goldsmith. “We get emails from all over the world from people so grateful to have an outlet for support and for the foundation. It makes me feel good that I’m helping to make a difference.”

“I’m doing what I can,” said Goldsmith. “Chelsea deserves more than this.”

Students and supporters alike can aid Chelsea’s Hope in raising awareness for Lafora and the effects on those who suffer from it. Donations are always accepted and welcomed by the Lafora Children’s Research Fund through the foundation’s website, www.chelseashope.org. Visit the website as well to learn more about Lafora and Chelsea’s story.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Fighting for Friendship and a Cure

Photos by Isaac Miller

According to Louise Chen, her art is a result of brain farts.

For the month of May, Chen, a third-year art student, will exhibit her collection titled “Cerebral Flatulence” on the walls of Caffé Pergolesi. She describes her illustrations of abstract plants, family portraits, and bikes as “uncontrollable byproducts” of her brain.

More Q&A and pictures after the jump.

Chen, who hails from Santa Monica, drew inspiration from Los Angeles’s bike culture and her experience with Midnight Ridazz, a monthly late-night bike ride party in Los Angeles. She brought her own version of the late night rides to Santa Cruz under the name of Crank Mob, inspired by a ride of a similar name in from Los Angeles. Chen recently sat down with CHP to talk about how Santa Cruz, Los Angeles, and the bike culture has influenced her art.

CHP: A lot of your work on the walls of Caffé Pergolesi’s has plant themes, what inspires you to include plants in your art?

I have always loved botanical illustrations because they’re just beautifully rendered and meticulously detailed. But none of my plants are actually realistic which is one thing that I like. I do not want to be labeled as a botanical illustrator because I consider myself more of a conceptual artist.

I really like blossoms because they insinuate so many different things. They are the female version of phallic. Plants are so much more evolved than humans in a way, even though they are just standing in one place all of the time. They know how to work around their environment and live so many more years than humans.

CHP: Do any of these pictures in the gallery have a story behind them?

All of them do. The portrait of my mom when she was young and my grandparents and my little brother I drew that because I thought that the gaze that my brother had was very interesting because my father was taking the picture and we sort of removed him from our family in a way. It’s funny because in that image it looks like my brother is glaring at him kind of in a foreboding way like “oh we do not want you here, you don’t belong in our family.” He lives in China, he kind of packed up a left a long time ago. It’s kind of a little bit of my family history.

CHP: A lot of you’re art has parts of bikes mixed into it. What motivates you to do this?

I am obsessed with bikes, I have so many bike drawings. I love drawing bikes all of the time. They are just amazing. They are a human powered vehicle and are the best way to get around. I love working on them. It is one of the only things that I understand and the culture, it pulled me in. The first time I really got obsessed with it was with the Midnight Ridazz and all those friends. It was such a community around it I kind of just fell in love with it and it was just a great part of my life.

CHP: Can you tell me how the Crank Mob bike rides started?

Crank Mob started in Los Angeles actually. I did not think of the name or the idea. There is a group of riders in L.A. called the Midnight Ridazz, which is thousands of people strong right now. The first Midnight Ridazz ride I went on was Crank Mob and I became friends with the person who initiated it and after that I kind of talked to people who rode their bikes in Santa Cruz and we decided to do a ride like Crank Mob because we didn’t have anything like it.

Critical Mass was pretty small in numbers at the time, it still it only like 30 people or less here and so we did Crank Mob just for the fun of it, so we could have an alternative way of partying–instead of drinking and driving, drinking and riding bikes.

But it sucks because people took it the wrong way here and thought it was more of a protest ride and so when people came on the ride who didn’t know much about it or didn’t look at the flyer, they thought Crank Mob was an aggressive bike ride. There were altercations with vehicles and people smashed one window and they were trying to deter the ride from its original meaning, which was just to have fun and to just play, party and dance.

After that I kind of decided that Santa Cruz wasn’t meant for Crank Mob and Crank Mob was not meant for Santa Cruz and it just kind of fizzled out. And organizing it by myself was really ridiculous, I did not have time to organize it by myself and pick the route and have to handle a hundred people during the night.

I am thinking of starting another ride perhaps, something that is not monthly, something that is special like a one time square dance ride or something like that. I still think bike rides are essential in the city, I think that everyone should have a bike in this city.

CHP: How did L.A. culture influence your art?

A whole lot of art galleries. All these museums that I had access to and I would always go and see art. My mom worked at a museum so I could get into any museum in the area for free because she was affiliated with them. I grew up with art.

The style that I have is not particularly L.A. I think it developed more when I came to school here in Santa Cruz. I do a lot of environmentally-based things. I grew so much when I came here and developed more as a visual artist. This is the only thing that I do here I draw and I ride bikes.

Photos by Issac Miller.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Louise Chen's "Cerebral Flatulence"

Thursday marked the third day in a week-long action to protest cuts to community studies, ethnic resource centers and Latin America and Latino Studies (LALS) professors.

At the base of campus, the crowd of protestors seemed have thinned, but those in attendance played guitar, listened to music, and exchanged ideas. Several students and community members spoke, and the NewUC Coalition made their mission statement to fight privatization loud and clear.

“Our goal is to fight against the corporatization of the University of California in general,” said Andy Miller a media representative for the NewUC coalition over the solar-powered stereo system to a crowded audience.

Nik Janos, a member of the NewUC, said their immediate goal was to fight the budget cuts at UC Santa Cruz and to eventually shift the university’s funding priorities “away from those that are going to generate money in the economy towards programs in the sciences and the social sciences that are going to better human society.” He said the coalition is fighting against “university corportization,” which refers to the increase of university funding from private corporations.

“When its left up to private funders to what they think is important then it means other departments aren’t going to get [money],” said Janos, a sociology graduate student. “They are turning the university into a system by which the allocation of resources is along the lines of what is going to be best for capitalism and corporations and not what’s going to be best for human development, education and community development.”

Along with the NewUC, organizers from a variety of causes found common ground at the rally. Students from the Coalition to Save Community Studies noted that while the administrative staff of their department has been preserved, the field study coordinators still run the risk of being cut.

Also in attendance were residents from Family Student Housing opposed rent hikes, while members from Students of Color Collective (SOCC) brought attention to the defunding of departments and resource centers that promote diversity. SOCC was also responsible for launching the week-long protest.

Ricky Quesnot, an SOCC member who spoke at the rally, was taking part in a hunger strike to raise awareness about the budget cuts affecting students of color. He appreciated the support from other organizations and students.

“Its just the beginning. There is a lot of work to be done,” Quesnot said. “Thank you for your presence thank you for being here. It’s helping me keep going as a hunger striker.”

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Three protests on third day of actions against budget cuts

Massive funding cuts and ineffectual communications with administrators have led to this recent bid for the university’s attention. The SOCC is fighting against the dwindling funding for resources for students of color and other cuts that they feel would impact campus diversity. The base of campus has been turned into ground zero for the duration of the protest and events and speakers are scheduled to run up to Friday.

Concerns brought up at the first event on Tuesday included the university’s refusal to replace the newly vacated position of American Indian resource director, recent cuts made to the community studies major and the impending dismissal of faculty involved with Latin American and Latino studies.

Fifth-year Latin American and Latino studies (LALS) student Ricky A. Quesnot said he feels a disparity between the university’s claims of supporting campus diversity and their subsequent actions.

“This university likes to talk about diversity, and how we have a commitment to diversity,” Quesnot said. “Then they make cuts to resources that directly affect the diversity of the campus. … I find it shameful that this is happening.”

Students have hashed out the subject of decreased diversity before, but hunger strikes have been few and far between. Its been 28 years since TWANAS staged a strike on behalf of underrepresented students and faculty, resulting in increased financial support for the Third World Teaching Resource Center and tenured track faculty member in both Asian American Studies and Native American Studies.

UCSC professor Bettina Aptheker praised the current action and compared their hunger strike to Ghandi’s nonviolent political actions, which resulted in India’s independence from Britain.

“[What makes it different is the] personal sacrifice,” said UCSC professor Bettina Aptheker. “… But the administration hears numbers. They have a couple hundred people here now, but if they had a couple thousand, it would make a big difference.”

Along with Quesnot and 25 to 35 other students, third-year community studies major Rebecca Roz0-Marsh ate her last meal Tuesday morning. An apple, avocado, and bread were all the breakfast she had and will be tiding her over until the conclusion of the protest. Rozo-Marsh noted her gradual preparation for the fast, which has no end date so far.

“First it’s cutting out those things that are really toxic, like dairy, meat and eggs,” Rozo-Marsh said. “Some of us did a 24-hour fast from Friday night to Saturday night to prepare our bodies. We’ve been getting closer to a raw foods diet.”

Rozo-Marsh and Quesnot stated their inability to speak for the group, but individually affirmed that they would consider prolonging the strike past the designated four-day period.

“Each person carries their own struggle,” Quesnot said. “We’re not making it mandatory for people to keep going, but if the university doesn’t meet our demands, I’m prepared to go past this week.”

According to Rozo-Marsh, the value of a hunger strike lies in the symbolism and stated that the effects of lacking food coincide with the lack of student diversity.

“Food affects us all the time, and it’s a good way to show how these cuts affect our community all the time,” Rozo-Marsh said. “This is our bodies and our food, this is the most that we as individuals can show what this means to us.”

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Students of Color Collective stage hunger strike

Children shyly approached the microphones adorned with rainbow scarves and talked about how much they loved their parents and how much it hurt to see rights denied to them. One woman grasped her chest saying, “It felt like the day Harvey [Milk] was killed. I just felt this stabbing pain in my heart.”

The California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Proposition 8, which amends the state constitution to only recognize marriages between a man and a woman, incited solid unity and intense emotions among Santa Cruz residents.The Equality Action Project of Santa Cruz County organized a protest at the Santa Cruz clock tower on Water Street for people to express the outrage and pain caused by the court’s 6-1 ruling.

At 5 p.m., the event’s set beginning time, the turnout seemed bleak with about 50 attendees. Thirty minutes later, the crowd doubled to about 100 people who filled the clocktower square and spilled onto Knight Street.

“This is a long struggle,” said Labris Willendorf, an organizer with the Equality Action Project. “We lost this battle, but we will win.”

First-year College Eight student Lanie Lien stood on the side of the street holding a sign that read, “1,138 rights denied,” which referred to the social benefits that come with a legally recognized marriage.

“We still have to fight for basic rights,” said Lien, an environmental studies major. “Marriage is a basic right that allows people to have social security benefits, medical benefits, and housing benefits. It’s appalling that the California Supreme Court rescinded their decision.”

Leaders in Santa Cruz’s faith communities, including many rabbis and reverends, spoke in support of marriage equality. In his speech, Kyle Lovett, the Interim Associate Minister of First Congregational Church of Santa Cruz, rallied the disappointed.

“We still lead, we still follow, and we still know the truth — that we are right,” he said. “Justice will prevail.”

The Equality Action Project will hold a community meeting on June 23 at 7 p.m. at the Live Oak Grange Hall, 1900 17^th Avenue.

Links:

Equality Action Project

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Santa Cruz Residents Protest Prop. 8 Decision

Photo by Phil Carter.

Who knew the next time you play beer pong it could be courtesy of City on a Hill Press?

On Thursdays, generally between 1-3 pm, CHP staffers will be in the Quarry Plaza tabling for the newspaper. CHP-stamped ping pong balls, pens, and copies of the new issue, which come out every Thursday, will be available for free at the table. Come say hello to the reporters, photographers, and business staff that puts the paper together every week.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at CHP Pong

For the two other disputed positions, Claudia Magana won for SUA Organizing Director with about 58 percent of the vote and Leda Hernandez ran a tight race with her opponent Omar Villa, winning with a little over 52 percent of votes.

A full breakdown of election results for SUA Officer and College Representatives after the jump.

Bold denotes winner of the election. The breakdown includes total number of student votes and percentage won.

SUA Officers

Student Union Assembly Chair
Kalwis Lo, 1033 votes, 52.01%
Scott Matsumoto, 719 votes, 36.20%
Timothy Lindvall, 234 votes, 11.78%

Internal Vice Chair
Tiffany Loftin, 1,772 votes, 100%

External Vice Chair
Victor Sanchez, 1,833 votes, 100%

Commissioner of Academic Affairs
Matthew Palm, 1,775, 100%

Organizing Director
Claudia Magana, 1,072 votes, 58.10%
Evelyn Lara-Lopez, 773 votes, 41.90%

Commissioner of Diversity
Leda Hernandez, 1,018 votes, 52.12%
Omar Villa, 935 votes, 48.88%

SUA College Representatives

Oakes College
Amanda Buchanan, 198 votes, 100%

Stevenson College
Ian Hunter, 190 votes, 100%

College Nine
Harneel Lally, 176 votes, 100%

Cowell College
Jennifer de la Torre, 153 votes, 100%

Kresge College
Nestor Rivera, 181 votes, 100%

College Ten
Michelle Romero, 149 votes, 100%

College Eight
Robert Singleton, 167 votes,65.49%
Brendan McNulty, 88 votes, 34.51%

Merrill College
Caitlin Grams, 253 votes, 100%

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Student Union Assembly Election Results

UC Santa Cruz is a nationwide leader when it comes to environmental causes on college campuses and now has a magazine to prove it.

The Environmental Media Project, a student media organization founded at the beginning of this year, has recently released Gaia magazine, the first publication to highlight sustainability efforts on campus. Created by four undergraduates, Gaia is comprised of solely student-submitted work, from original essays about consumerism and nature writing, to a seasonal eating guide and a full color photo essay.

Gretchen Engbring, one of the founders and editors of Gaia, said that the original idea for an environmental publication stemmed from the need to present the dozens of on-campus student environmental organizations in a cohesive manner.

“The environmental movement on campus can be appear very disjointed to someone who is new and trying to find a way to get involved,” Engbring explained. “From Student Environmental Center, to ESLP, to Green Campus, we wanted a publication that would highlight all these impressive efforts in a coherent way.”

An extensive section entitled “Student Action and Opportunities” is devoted to highlighting environmental organizations on campus that students can get involved in. Gaia also includes a 10-page resource guide, which is full of practical information on what individuals can do in their everyday lives to make a difference such as alternative transportation and conscious consumerism.

Gaia magazine will have a launch event on Wednesday, May 27th at the College Eight Red Room at 6:30 pm. The event will include readings from the magazine, raffle prizes, as well as delicious and organic food and drinks. For more information, email environmentalmediaproject@gmail.com.

Rosie Spinks is one of the founding editors of Gaia.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Gaia, UCSC's first green magazine

Soft Walk inserts model the brand's shoe comfort technology.

April showers are gone and the sun is shining. The ground is dry and the skies are a clear vibrant blue. It’s that time again: flip-flop season.

While footwear choices are as diverse as the student population at UC Santa Cruz, this summer staple is criticized as the cause of many health problems such as poor posture, joint aches and overall health. These consequences cause some students to reevaluate their sandal choices.

Some students embrace the stereotype of UCSC’s hippie style with tie-dye and Birkenstocks, while others step out in the latest sandal trends like the gladiator sandals, so flat they are simply a barrier between the sole of the foot and the ground.

Sonja Giordani, a first-year Stevenson student and anthropology major, chooses to wear gladiator sandals despite health concerns. Dancing ballet for seven years and running track for three, Giordani wore these strappy sandals while taking into consideration the hills on campus and the stress they put on her ankles and arches.

“[The sandals] are just another form of flip-flops, but more comfortable and unique,” Giordani said. “I’ll wear them probably only three a week or so, but I’m happier with cuter shoes.”

Incorporating fashion and comfort, the brand Acropedico's take on the gladiator shoe trend comes in red, silver, and black.

According to Eric McDougald, an employee at O’My Sole, a shoe store in downtown Santa Cruz, the best types of shoes are the ones with a wide toe-box, shaped more like a foot, so that it won’t put more pressure on the toes.

“Well technically, we were born without shoes so they aren’t really necessary,” McDougald said. “I get about a 50 percent split of the people who shop in here that need arch support for their high arches and those who can walk around with flip-flops all day without any problems.”

Wearing shoes that are too small can cause problems such as ingrown toenails or bunions, a painful bump at the joint of the big toe that angles toes outward. McDougald explained that a bunion is a build-up of calcium on joints due to nerves in the foot constantly being bumped and having no arch support.

Concept shoes, or orthopedic footwear technology that are designed to support high arches or cushion certain areas, are best for those who need extra care for their heel plates and toe joints.

A lack of arch support for people with high arches can result in plantar-fasciitis (deterioration of the arch) or Morton’s neuroma (pain in the heel and foot when removing footwear). Manufacturers such as Earth, Arcopedico and Birkenstocks are some of the more popular and recognized brands for arch-support care.

Birkenstocks welcome customers in the front display window at O' My Sole on Pacific Avenue in downtown Santa Cruz.

“Birkenstocks are popular with those who already a fan of them,” McDougald said. “Some people are afraid to try them, or they’ll tell me they have been looking for them for years. It’s a more of a style thing.”

Julie Kimball, a UCSC yoga instructor, said is usually confronted with questions about aches from injuries and stress in her classes explained that a lack of foot-care can affect our brain’s processing abilities to learn.

“We use our arches like architecture, we support and balance other parts of our body [with our feet] to support our brain,” said Kimball.

When asked what she thought were the best shoes, Kimball said it’s whatever makes you happy. “Fashion is a tool for confidence” she said. “If it helps you, go for it.”

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Finding Comfort and Fashion

When food choices fluctuate between the variety of supermarkets and the farmer’s market, who would think to eat weeds?

Native plants have been overshadowed by domesticated produce and have for the most part completely disappeared from the plates of industrial nations. But free food has gained an extra sparkle from the economic crunch and the city’s weeds never looked more tasty.

This re-emerging art is known as foraging and all it requires is a tramp through the woods and a precise knowledge of local flora to give dishes a wild touch.

“I would only caution people to know what they’re gathering,” said Stephen McCabe, director of education at the UCSC Arboretum. “Both so they won’t get poisoned and also so they won’t pull up something rare by mistake.”

McCabe went on to warn against the yellow Bermuda buttercup, or sourgrass, that took Santa Cruz by storm this spring and is commonly known to be edible. The plant also contains oxalic acid and should be eaten in small amounts to avoid calcium deficiencies. He described it as a frustrating weed accidentally imported from South Africa and advocated careful consumption.

“But as long as [people] are eating the invasive non-naturals, its also helping the environment,” McCabe said.

Awareness of poisonous plants is especially important when it comes to fungus and mushrooms should be carefully researched before consumption.

Mushrooms can be found throughout the Santa Cruz area, and in general, are endemic to the world. Third-year environmental biology major Christian Shwarz has done extensive research on fungus and stated that many eastern and southern European countries have strong mushrooming cultures, a pastime that is less prolific in the United States.

“Formerly Americans have had problems eating things they didn’t know about, though not so much anymore,” Shwarz said.  “Fungophobia is a documented phenomenon.”

Santa Cruz fields, forests, and even well trod paths can attract fungi such as the Bovista plumbea, a white puff-ball mushroom that has been found around the UCSC music center.

Edibles suggested by Shwarz included chanterelles, boletes, and candy caps. Candy caps are flat orange-brown mushrooms that taste and smell like maple syrup, and has been use to flavor ice cream. Boletes can be extremely variable, but usually have brownish to reddish caps, while chanterelles are golden and rippled.

Iso Rabins is a new generation hunter-gatherer who is capitalizing on wild foods. Rabins founded forageSF, where he sells Community-Supported Forage (CSF) boxes filled with a variety of wild fruits and vegetables from the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, his favorite foraged food is seaweed, gathered fresh from the oceans.

“Take a look at the tidal charts and look for the days where there’s a minus tide, when the water is below the normal low tide,” Rabins said. “There’s a lot of nori exposed and you can eat it raw or dry it out.”

Rabins went on to caution against gathering too much, stating that it is often illegal to harvest past a certain amount. He also said that wild foods are more nutritionally dense then their cultivated relatives and appreciated that the only energy used to harvest it is what the human body expends when picking it.

“[Eating wild] is a great introduction to plants not necessarily found in the grocery store,” Rabins said. “We’re used to food coming from farms and when you see food growing wild, it changes the way you look at the world.”

UC SANTA CRUZ GUIDE TO EDIBLES

Photos by Alex Zamora.

Miner’s Lettuce
Tastier then lettuce bought at the grocery store, miner’s lettuce was a favorite of the California forty-niners. This easily recognizable plant can be found growing under oak trees and other damp areas such as the woods around Oakes college, and the trees around Hahn Student Services.

Rumex

A member of the sorrel family, rumex’s sharp lemony flavor is also due to oxalic acid, and must be eaten in moderation. This herb can be delicious in soups, and has also been used to flavor certain kinds of cheeses.

Cactus

Secluded patches of prickly pears can provide one of the most historically sought after food. The red pears are sweet and juicy and once the skin is removed from the pads, they can be used in a variety of dishes. However, gatherers must forage and consume carefully, or wind up with hair-like spines lodged in tongues and fingers. Cactus can be found growing in clumps above the UCSC farm.

from top to bottom: gooseberries, blackberries, wild strawberries

Wild berries

Blackberries, gooseberries, and thimbleberries are possible to find in the wilder areas of campus and up into the Santa Cruz mountains, though animals often get to them before students. Wild strawberries often do not bear fruit, but the leaves can be boiled into a tea.

Wild fennel

If you don’t like black licorice, stay away from fennel. But if your tastes are otherwise, the leaves and seeds of this herb can provide a sweet treat on the way to class. It often grows in fields and meadows, and has also been spotted in front yards throughout Santa Cruz. Feathery and tall, fennel is edible from flowers to root, and is also thought to relieve indigestion, sore throats, and gas.

Yerba buena

The “good herb” is a low growing ground cover plant. Extremely fragrant, soaking the leaves can make a delicious wintergreen tea.

Wild mustard

This plant tastes somewhat like raw broccoli. Best eaten when tender and lush, wild mustard is extremely common and can be found in most UCSC meadows and fields.

Wild radish

Tall, with white to purple flowers, wild radish tastes similar to the radish root common to grocery stores. Frequently found alongside wild mustard.

Hazelnuts

These nuts do not ripen until around August, but if you keep your eyes open, the large shrub can be found throughout campus. The nuts themselves are hidden under serrated green leaves, but once discovered and cracked, can be used in anything from tea to cakes.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Foraging a Santa Cruz Harvest

Phil Carter - City on a Hill Press

CruzAlert received its first opportunity to alert students of a potential threat to campus safety on Thursday morning.

An automated voice message, multiple text messages and e-mails generated by the CruzAlert system were sent out to students, staff and faculty at about 9 a.m. Thursday. The alerts came in response to a “suspicious device off campus main gate,” found in a storm drain located at the main entrance.

Most who were trying to get to campus had to take alternative routes. Those on foot had to take a detour that brought them around the Women’s Center, while cars were redirected to the west entrance.

In a rush, third-year Doug Anderson was forced to speed-walk up Hagar Hill. Anderson was unable to get to his job on time.

“I got the CruzAlert that said to avoid the base,” Anderson said. “Now I am an hour late for work.”

Phil Carter - City on a Hill Press

The “suspicious device” that caused those to redirect was later identified as a geocache.

A geocache is a small container that is part of a treasure-hunting game. This device often holds hints needed to find the next geocache. Geocachers also use a global positioning system (GPS) to locate other geocaches that further advance them in the game.

According to Geocaching.com, there are over 300 geocaches hidden in Santa Cruz and 21 located on university grounds. The website confirmed that this specific geocache, called “de hole,” was planted in October 2008.

Users told those who wanted to find “de hole” to “crawl to the end of this tunnel until it opens up and intersects with two other tunnels. The cache is a decon container. Do not remove what is holding into place, just take the lid off.”

This is not the first time that a geocache has aroused suspicion. Last month the Colorado Daily News reported on a similar event when a geocache was mistaken for a bomb at Fair View High School in Boulder, Colo.

As in the Colorado case, the false alarm brought  inconvenience to students. Metro and university buses began the reroute at around about 9 a.m.

Even after it was identified as a geocache, the bomb squad treated the device with caution.

Members of the bomb squad set up a small water cannon and then chanted “Fire in the hole, fire in the hole,” before activating the water cannon.

Bomb squad members wearing blast-protective gear then picked up the geocache and the road was opened shortly after.

Toan Do - City on a Hill Press

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at "Suspicious package" on Bay and High St. a false alarm

He has two albums slated for release this year, one a collaboration project titled Sickology 101, which features guest appearances from the likes of Chino XL and Bay Area local Messy Marv. His solo album, K.O.D., is still obscure since the cryptic acronym is the only detail that’s been released,which has sparked a heated debate on his web forum, with fans desperately trying to figure out what it stands for.

CHP: Since it’s announcement, you’ve said that K.O.D. will be a departure from previous works. What sets it apart from your other albums?

All my other albums were about my life, you know, the shit that I do in my day to day. K.O.D. is about letting my imagination run wild. It’s gonna be hard to focus on writing, you know, I’m on the move every day, but when the tour winds down in June it should all be on paper and ready to record. I’ve only got about three songs worked out yet. I’m supposed to do the rest of the writing while I’m on the road.

What turn of events led you to start your own label, Strange Music?

As you know, I had a run on Perspective records in the nineties, but people didn’t know what to do with me, you know what I’m sizzlin’? I was talking backwards even then [demonstrates in a demonic tone and reversed speech].

Eventually I signed with Quincy Jones at his label Qwest, but that went poorly. He was too busy with Janet Jackson’s album so my projects fell by the wayside. I was just dealing with a lot of shit, major label shit.

I saw you playing with a Music Production Center in the “Slacker” video. How involved are you in the production process of your music?

Oh, not too much, man. I usually use in-house producers or my friends. I mean, sometimes I’ll get an idea for a song, like a beat or tone or something. But usually I leave it to the professionals in that department.

My favorite song of yours is “T9X.” The theme of self-destruction through substance use is a fascination I think a lot of people can relate to. What inspired you to write the lyrics?

That song’s just about gettin’ high til I almost die. I remember the first time I came out from Kansas City to California and meeting up with dudes who were taking half-pills and getting fucked up. I immediately said “fuck that, give me a triple stack.”

See, back then I was experiencing a lot of spiritual pain. I’d do anything, drinking, date-rape, acid, mushrooms, etcetera … whatever people around me had. I was experiencing financial woes, other emotional pain, usually not too much physical pain. Though I must say, when you’re on the road and meeting lots of beautiful women, you make quick friends with your ice pack, you know what I’m sizzlin’?

Do you have any opinions about drug enforcement or decriminalization?

I suppose it depends a lot on what drugs we’re talking about here. I remember getting dosed at a party with Special K once, you know ketamine? I’ve never wigged out like that before. I was actually scared! I looked in the mirror at one point and my face turned into a fucking panda bear.

And getting back to the hotel, I ran away from the women that were with me cause I was having a bad trip. You know me, you know my music. If something makes Tech N9ne run from the ladies then you know it’s bad.

I mean, let people have their weed and other shit that’s really harmless. Cops have better things to do with their time, and drugs can make for some beautiful music. Though, I’m really not doing much these days in that respect. I quit weed in ’97, [ecstasy] pills a couple years ago.

I actually even quit drinking for this tour. I’m not saying I’m straight-edge like a bitch, I still love to have fun, but I’m gonna try to focus on finishing K.O.D. while I’m on the road. It’s gonna be hard enough with all the distractions of a tour.

What’s the party look like when you get home to Kansas City in June?

I’m definitely going to spend some time with my wife and my children while I have the down-time, you know what I’m sizzlin’? It’s gonna be a short stay though. I think I only have about two weeks between this tour and the next and I’m supposed to do all the recording for K.O.D. during that time as well. I’m on tour this summer for Rock the Bells festival, so be on the lookout for that one.

Tech, it was a pleasure. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Do you have a parting message for your fans?

Just connect with your loved ones and celebrate life. Let your people know you appreciate them, cause when shit goes bad they’re gonna be the only ones there for you. Peace and much love.

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at Tech N9ne talks tours, upcoming projects, and substance abuse

Image by Tim Lindvall.

With 93 percent of precincts reporting statewide as of 12:55am, it seems the fate of Propositions 1A-1F have been sealed. The only proposition to obtain the approval of voters in the May 19 statewide special election is 1F, with an approval rate of 74 percent. Propositions 1A-1E failed with a disapproval rate of 60 percent or higher, which would’ve generated about 6 billion dollars in revenue.

In Santa Cruz County, voters approved Propositions 1B and 1F, the most decisive victory being Proposition 1F, with 82 percent of voters voting yes. The closest race was Prop 1B, which would provide supplemental funds to local school districts and community college, barely passing at 51 percent.

With the passing of Proposition 1F, many elected officials of the State of California will no longer be able to receive pay raises in years where the state is running a deficit. Proponents of the measure claimed that the measure will provide accountability and responsibility in the state’s budgeting process. Opponent Pete Stahl, on the other hand, called the measure “petty, vindictive, and childish” in the Official Voter’s Guide.

Now that Propositions 1A-1E have failed to received the approval of the voters, the question now becomes what solutions the legislature will turn to as they work to create a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year and how it will impact the University of California and California State University systems.

According to UC President Mark Yudof, things don’t look good for the University of California. In a recent email sent to the UC community before the election, Yudof commented on a set of proposed budgets from Governor Schwarzenegger, noting a “net budget reduction of $322 million, or 10%, in 2009-10″ should the propositions fail.

“Budget cuts of this magnitude would have a devastating effect on the students, faculty and staff of the University of California and ultimately on the service we provide to the state,” Yudof wrote in the email sent on Saturday, May 16th.

The next few weeks should prove telling for the future of the University of California, as it struggles to gather its foothold in these rough economic times.

Links:

Election Guide: Spring 2009 [City on a Hill Press]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at California Special Election Results

CHP: How long have you been involved with SUA?

This is the first year I got involved with SUA. Friends who participated in student governments on campus and were representatives for the Student Union Assembly informed me all about and what they were about; surely, this made me very interested and I started participating and attending their events, co-sponsored events and the conferences UCSC participates like the Students of Color Conference and the UCSA’s Lobby Conference.

This past year, I was an intern for the Chicano/Latino Resource Center and I became really involved with organizing, volunteering, and putting events together for the Chicano/Latino community.
The best part was networking with the other resource centers and uniting with them to co-sponsor events and bring awareness to the UCSC community of different diverse issues on campus. The position, Commissioner of Diversity, entails for the qualified candidate to keep a close communication with the resource centers and work with outreach/retention organizations on campus.

CHP: What is your stance on the campus election? Are there any measures you are particularly passionate about?

For this upcoming elections, I am for all the measures that are being put into the ballot because they will better the sustainability program, the sustainable food, health and wellness initiative, and to increase the time for the OPERS facilities; however, I do not believe it’s the right time to ask students to fund these specific programs and initiatives because we are undergoing a recession.

There are many students at this institution that keep on taking loans out to pay their education, students who do not qualify or cannot get financial aid and there are those who might even benefit from these measures. We should put them aside for a later time when our economy is more stable.

CHP: Any projections on how the students are going to vote?

I really hope students are going out there and voting for their next year’s officers. We are here to voice your thoughts, opinions, and needs to get them out there to the rest of the school. There are many qualified candidates running in this year’s elections, so I encourage all of you to read through our statements and choose wisely.

Links:

Omar for Commissioner of Diversity [Facebook]

Elections Guide: Spring 2009 [City on a Hill Press]

UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly [SUA]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at SUA Elections: Omar Villa

Second-year Porter student Timothy Lindvall II is running for the SUA Chair position. While he was growing up in San Diego, California and Lindvall began his strive for community involvement in fourth grade when he ran for his elementary school’s Associated Student Body president. Through high school, he became actively involved in Youth and Government and currently serves UC Santa Cruz as chair of Porter Senate and as a Porter representative for the SUA. Tim is studying to be a computer science major and currently works for City on a Hill Press as the webmaster.

CHP: What issues are you concerned about and how do you plan to address them?

I’ve outlined a bunch of them in my platform which is available online at www.timforchair.com. To be a little more specific there, the seven points I’ve outlined is structure for the SUA, helping to do a lot more for the community by fixing some of its inefficiencies, community involvement advocacy and improving university and student relations.

Another thing I want to do is help create the link between helping people get to college and once they’re in college, helping them get that link to life after college. College isn’t just an education, it’s a journey that prepares us for the rest of our lives, so it’s really something crucial in providing that link and that grounding for us to really make a difference in the world.

Another one is sustainability. UCSC does a lot of great things already in terms of sustainability and I think that’s something we need to keep pressing further on. One of the presentations I gave earlier this year was about reducing plastic bag use on campus, so I’d love to look into doing stuff like that.

I’d also like to look into a compost program and other green programs. One thing that was brought up to me recently was leaf blowers on campus. A woman came to visit my website and she posted something on my wall saying that she wanted me to look into leaf blowers and I looked it up and it turns out they burn through a lot of gas every year and throw a lot of pollutants into the air, so that’s something I’d like to look into.

Finally my slogan: “We are one, we are all.” Every voice is unique and special, contributing to the greater good of the community. We should never silence a voice because of who they are or because their viewpoint may differ from ours. I believe in making sure, regardless of what your viewpoint is or who you are, that your voice is heard. I believe that by working together through the power of each individual we can do a lot of good for not only our community, but the Santa cruz community and the world.

CHP: What projects have you worked on?

At Porter we’ve been working on a couple of infra-structural changes in terms of funding and financing. We recently initiated a couple bylaws into our Constitution that would add accountability over funding requests and we also reformed Creative and Innovative funding. We request it earlier in the quarter so that people can get going on their projects earlier.

Within SUA, I’ve introduced a couple of bills. One resolution was to create documentation stands for the SUA. Unfortunately in the past years SUA has been lacking in its documentation of its proceedings. As the student government we should have those standards in place. We should know what our governing documents are.

I introduced a bill that would require every year an assembly journal and an assembly ledger. The assembly journal would have all our minutes, all our roll calls, and all our fund requests packed into one little book. The ledger would be all our financial records packed into a book. One copy would stay in the SUA office and one would go to McHenry for public perusal.

That way, not only does the SUA have the documentation, but the public has the documentation too because ultimately it comes down to serving for the public good, so the public should know what we’re doing year-in and year-out.

I also proposed that we reduce plastic bag usage on campus. The points I hit on with that were reusable bag subsidy for students so that they could by a reusable bag for like 50 cents that they could use throughout the year. I also looked into having by Fall 2010 all plastic bags on campus be switched to compostable bags. And finally looking into a plastic bag recycling program.

The idea is that we are not only reducing our plastic bag use, but any use of plastic bags we have already gets put back into the resource market through recycling. Unfortunately that did not pass in the SUA in terms of what the SUA wanted to focus on. It’s still something that I want to focus on, though, and I’m still looking into how to go about introducing those in the SUA and the general public, possibly in collaboration with the Student Environmental Council and the UCSC Physical Plant.

CHP: How to you plan to address disconnect between the school and SUA?

I really believe in being open. One of my biggest focuses is making sure that campus members know that SUA is there to hear them and be there for them. I feel that in the past, and even sometimes this year, people feel intimidated to talk to the SUA because they may have a different opinion from what the standard opinion is.

I want to fix that. I want people to feel comfortable regardless of their opinions to either come and talk to me as chair or come to the SUA meetings and talk there. The point is making sure that they are empowered to have their voice heard. I’m also a strong believer of, even if you only have a few hours to spare every day, or not even that, even just a few minutes every day, you should be able to get involved with your government.

I’d love to look into public relations and web strategy so that even if you can’t become an SUA representative because of other responsibilities, which I know a lot of students have a lot of responsibilities on their plate, I know I do, that you can still keep up with what’s going on in the SUA.

I’d like to make it as easy as possible to make a comment on what is going on be heard. That’s one thing I’m doing on my website. All my blogs have a comment box and my “Your Opinions” page has a comment box. I even have a little chat box on my website where people can instant message me directly, assuming I’m in front of my computer at the time. I really want to hear these voices. I really want to hear what these people have to say, even if it’s a dissenting opinion. Every voice deserves the right to be heard.

CHP: Anything else you’d like to say?

I am the underdog. I am the little mouse in the corner coming into this election. The other candidates have a huge following behind them. I am reaching out to those that feel that student government hasn’t been listening to them.

I really encourage them to consider me as their candidate—someone who will take every voice and value it on this campus. I encourage people if they have anything they’d like to say to me to leave me a comment.

Links:
Tim Lindvall for SUA Chair [Tim Lindvall, Facebook]

Elections Guide: Spring 2009 [City on a Hill Press]

UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly [SUA]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at SUA Elections: Tim Lindvall

First-year Oakes student Claudia Magana is running for SUA Organizing Director. She is double majoring in sociology and politics, along with a minor in education. Currently, Magana is an Oakes representative for SUA.

CHP: How did you get involved in SUA?

I got a call in the summer from Victor Sanchez who was trying to recruit incoming freshmen to get involved with SUA. He asked me if I wanted to work on the Nov. 9th campaign to get people registered to vote. I just got really involved from there. I had always wanted be in the student government in high school but never really was handed the opportunity.
CHP: Why are you running for Organizing Director and what experience qualifies you for the position?

Since then I have been an intern for the External Vice Chair, I organize around issues that the External Vice Chair advocates like access and affordability for education. The reason why I am running for Organizing Director is because I realize while working as an intern that I love to organize and have a lot of new ideas on where to do it and how to do it.

CHP: What do you plan on doing if you’re elected?

I plan on organizing around the current student transportation issues on campus as well as working closely with student and worker relations. I am a big advocate for workers’ rights.

CHP: What projects do you have in mind?

I really want to establish a Student Labor Action Project (SLAP) chapter. This would allow for me to gain experience with workers and get other students involved.

CHP: What issues are you most concerned about?

Mainly, I would like to help create transparency and awareness around the budget cuts. What it comes down to is what needs the most advocacy at the time.

Links:

Claudia Magana for SUA Organizing Director [Facebook]

Elections Guide: Spring 2009 [City on a Hill Press]

UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly [SUA]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at SUA Elections: Claudia Magana

Third-year politics major Kalwis Lo is the current serving Chair of the Student Union Assembly and is running for re-election. He has been a part of SUA leadership since fall of 2006, and has been involved in multiple organizations including the University of California Student Association (UCSA) and the United States Student Association (USSA).

CHP: What are some of your goals for the office?

This year, my goal was to make sure SUA was a more inclusive space and that we actually talk about important issues around campus and also things going on at a local, state, and national level that directly affect students.

The officers and I work as a collective and deal with the issues. We all have our specific tasks, and I think compared to last year, when we spent almost half our meetings arguing and there were so much larger issues at hand. We’ve been doing really well.

There’s also an issue with our educational fees, how we don’t get the full amount back. We’re hosting the UC Students Association Congress, which represents all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. That’s one of the issues that we plan to introduce this summer.

We would be advocating at the system-wide and Regental level. The UC President has full authority on how to allocate those fees and we want to lobby him and talk to him about how these fees are really needed back on campus.

One of my goals this summer would be to dig out issues and find what is affecting the student body, so we can get straight to work when the year begins.

I do admit that the SUA has an issue with transparency, but it’s not that officers aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing. Officers are so swamped in work that it’s kind of hard to say “this is what I’m doing.”

CHP: Why are you the one for the job?

I think that my experience within the SUA and the results that we’ve achieved this year are really important and countless times I’ve had administrators tell me they couldn’t have achieved certain things without our support.

There has been progress created at the administrative level, building relationships and getting work done, for example, the changes that occurred with the general education requirements. That is going to affect UC students in the long run and attract students to our university.

It’s really hard to say why I’m qualified over another person, but I’d say with the experience of this year and with past experience in the SUA, I have enough experience to lead this organization to where it needs to be. All the candidates have their own ideas and will address things differently, but I feel that the experience I have will be able to move things at a faster pace and in a more productive way because I know how the SUA works.

CHP: What accomplishment are you most proud of?

We haven’t had an argument in the SUA space, obviously not the most important thing, but we’ve been talking about real issues now.

Also, the SUA name is getting out there more than in the past, we passed a resolution for the general education requirements unanimously the first time. I left class early to speak at the Academic Senate meeting because I’m one of the only representatives who has speaking privileges. Only faculty members were speaking up against it and students were defending the general education reforms. I think it was a huge success for us.

I always try to be fair and open and honest with everyone, and I’ve always made myself available to people if they have issues.

Links:

Kalwis Lo for SUA Chair [Facebook]

Elections Guide: Spring 2009 [City on a Hill Press]

UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly [SUA]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at SUA Elections: Kalwis Lo

Second-year Tiffany Loftin is the current SUA Internal Vice Chair running unopposed for re-election. As the Internal Vice Chair, Loftin is responsible for all the internal operations for SUA and also is the chair for Student Committee on Committees (SCOC).

Loftin, an Oakes Neighborhood Adviser (NA), grew up in North Hollywood, California and has been involved in student government since middle school. At her high school, she held her first elected position as vice-president of student government and also served as the president of the Black Student Union.

During her first year at UC Santa Cruz, Loftin became an intern for SUA and was convinced by friends to run for the position that she currently holds. Last year, she ran as a part of Student’s First, a political slate on campus.

CHP: What have you changed since you were first election as SUA Internal Vice Chair?

I definitely have brought a light to SUA as far as out reaching and students on campus because not many people are aware of what SUA is. I definitely stepped up to the plate as far as helping students on campus understand what SUA is and how they can use it. I brought school spirit to the campus with Slug Day.

CHP: What do you think about increasing wages for SUA officers?

I am for it, not because I am running again. One, this job I make about $2 an hour because I work 30 hours plus a week.

I can speak for myself and the officers. We are not asking for a raise that is not what it’s about. The question within the body is not like “oh we do not deserve it.” Like everybody knows we deserve it, it’s just like its not the right time because it’s a recession.

If you do not increase these stipends, only students that can afford to come to college can take these leadership positions.

It’s definitely time consuming taking this job. I cannot get a part time job, I am not allowed to. Because it takes so much time, it would definitely show on my work if I got two jobs. I have two jobs now—I am an NA, but they overlap but I can not get job that is 9-5pm or something like that and work in another space because I am always on call for this position.

CHP: How do you feel about the campus ballot measures?

The [SUA] officers and students are never in favor of increasing student fees because they already went up 9.5 percent this week. I am never in favor of our fees going up to support something. There are other resources on campus that we should be looking for to pay for things, so we could substitute it.

I strongly support those who take leadership positions in keeping their organizations going, [such as] OPERS. I know they came to get money and we were in support of it and we wanted to make sure that the money that they get was actually going to what they are advocating for.

CHP: What about supporting the “green” ballot measures such as Measure 38, 39 and 41?

I am in support of going green. Santa Cruz has a very unique, unique identity as far as like us being a green campus. When we go to conferences, every other school knows that we are a green campus.

It is really interesting to see us react to people throwing their trash away, people eating certain things and not finishing their food and people using too much electricity when it’s an important time to not.

I am in support of UCSC going green because that’s our identity, what we hold on to, what we are passionate about and what we are good at. But I do not know about student fees going up especially in a time like this.

CHP: What do you think about the community studies major being cut?

I went to go hang out for one of the strikes that they had. But I’m not the type of person that will go out and strike all of the time. I am more of a “let’s sit down and talk about, why you are not listening to what I am saying and why this is not going the way it needs to go,” but in the same context.

I am supportive of the students who take action for what they want. I really appreciate the campus taken the action and the students getting involved. They have definitely informed a lot of students on campus.

I am not in support of any academic cuts—that’s not fair, that’s not okay. We pay way to much money and our fees are going up. We are losing all of these classes, all of these resources and all of these classes and teachers.

Links:

Tiffany Loftin for SUA Internal Vice Chair [Facebook]

Elections Guide: Spring 2009 [City on a Hill Press]

UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly [SUA]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at SUA Elections: Tiffany Loftin

Third-year history major Matt Palm is running unopposed for SUA Commissioner of Academic Affairs, a position that represents the student body in the Academic Senate, which sets academic standards such as the generate education requirements.

The San Diego native has worked with various groups and campaigns, such as the Students for Trans-inclusive Healthcare, an effort by graduate and undergraduate students which gained student health insurance coverage for transgender medical needs. He is currently running on the Progressive Students slate.

CHP: What projects have you done as the SUA Commissioner of Academic Affairs?

A lot of the students are not being taught their perspectives and experiences at the institutional level. I held an event where I had people who were writing the [general education] requirements sit down with students of various student orgs. and colleges to tell the committee what they wanted the ethnicity and race requirement to be so that it was reflective of what students want.

The biggest point that came out of the meeting was when someone said, “I sit in a lot of classes about racism and society. The courses should also include histories of people of color resisting oppression and building movements of empowerment and have those stories and narratives included in the description of the requirement.”

In the fall I put on a teach-in on how to do a student-initiated class. I also held a dialogue between faculty and students on issues of classroom environment issues, so that students could feel safe enough to speak in their class and not feeling excluded because of their identity and ways for students and faculty can address those problems.

CHP: What kind of services do you offer students? What can students come to you for?

If there’s students who want to have a hand in crafting new academic policies, there’s a lot of committees like the Committee on Educational Policy where you can actually impact admissions and financial aid policies.

We are always looking for student representatives. If there’s something students want to see happen—the students that put on the Campus Earth Summit asked me to co-facilitate a dialogue within the campus earth sustainability curriculum and out of that came desire to more sustainability courses.

CHP: What are ways that students can be involved in the budget and academic planning process?

There are literally just dozens of committees and we cannot get enough people to sit on them and commit them on showing up. If we could pay people, we could pay people for showing up. There’s not enough money that was allocated to pay those people.

I want to create an Academic Senate fellowship where people serve on one or two Academic Senate committees and do something with the information that’s given—put on at town hall meeting or a policy change. I literally thought this up two weeks ago, that’s one of the things I want to do to fix the academic committees.

CHP: What projects are you working on?

Some students want a sustainability minor, some want to major in sustainability. I’ve talked with some professors who want to help them. Some feel really stalled—it’s very difficult to propose a new major or program during the budget cuts and that times that we’ve in.

I’m trying to organize around that, the reason being that this campus has signed on to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and a couple other sustainability commitments. They require us to commit to having each student that leaves UCSC learns about sustainability. The funny thing is, that’s an academic requirement and the only people are legally allowed to make academic policies is the faculty and the Academic Senate.

CHP: What is your main project right now?

I want to work on all the fellow officers to create transparency of the campus budget—how it’s being used, where it’s going, how it’s being spent—an itemized budget of the campus, where student fee dollars are going, how much are going to each department and people’s salaries.

It needs to be completely out there because students are paying more to get less. They have a right to know what they’re paying for, especially with $13 million cuts to the campus this year.

There’s a planning website that I encourage students to look at—planning.ucsc.edu. The real goal is for students a say in the process every step of the way, for us to be included.

CHP: What issues are you most concerned about?

The long term viability of academic programs at UCSC such as community studies, american studies, feminist studies—just to name a few. Small departments, or departments that don’t have a whole lot of faculty are asked to make a cut and it gets to a point where there’s so few faculty to keep the major going.

I’m really concerned and afraid that if and when there’s future cuts at UCSC, those cuts will come down to the campuses and the campuses will do the best they can to weather them and in the process departments may be merged and disbanded.

For me, its really, really important to tie in the threats to academic now with the state senate and the governor. It’s their budget that’s been forcing the cuts on us. The budget of the UC is why the students are fighting to save Mike Rotkin. The word is if the May 19 special elections fail, the state will enter a fiscal crisis and there’s going to be a round of cuts that’s going to be even worse.

I’m afraid of the issues that I want to do will be set aside because I’ll have to work with students to save their departments. I don’t mean to paint a doomsday picture, but unless the economy turns around and the funds don’t go around, this is only the second wave of cuts.

CHP: How have you addressed the issue of budget cuts?

I’ve been working with the Coalition to Save Community Studies, working with them to write letters to elected officials. I’ve been to a lot of their meetings with Social Sciences Dean Sheldon Kamieniecki. I will commit my resources to help educate people about what’s happening. I helped linked up their people to go to meet the Regents and meet [UC President] Mark Yudof.

I want to be someone who takes care of the bureaucratic stuff so they can go speak out and go meet with the administration or Academic Senate committee. I really want people to use me as a resource.

CHP: What’s your stance on increased wages for SUA officers?

I see myself not as an elected officer, but as an employee of the student body. For example, the SUA this year voted to pay officers minimum wage, an increase in our pay. I stepped out of the room because I could’ve voted to pay myself more, but I felt that it was wrong to vote on my own pay. It passed with a two-thirds vote. Right now if you take the pay of that I get, I think it’s 5.70 an hour, because I’m supposed to work 35 hours a week and I do.

CHP: What are some things you think would improve within SUA?

Making it run more smoothly, making the bylaws pass. As an organization, they need to push for more of a developed internal structure.

A lot of the representatives just show up to the two-hour meetings and that’s all they do. A lot of them don’t get involved in our campaigns. On our end, we get so involved in our campaigns, we don’t report back to the representatives.

Everybody could do more, to be honest. It’s not that we don’t do a lot of good work, we’ve done a lot of good work, we’ve advocated so much—we registered over 4,000 voters, we’ve done a lot, but we still need to work on improving on communication within SUA.

Links:

Elections Guide: Spring 2009 [City on a Hill Press]

UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly [SUA]

---- (C) 2011 City on a Hill Press. All Rights Reserved. View online at SUA Elections: Matt Palm