Photo courtesy of Michael Loik.

In this week’s Community Chest, City on a Hill Press spoke with environmental science professor and researcher Michael Loik. Loik explained his passion for natural values and his genuine concern for the health of our planet.

CHP: What is it like to be teaching environmental science at this very crucial time in terms of global warming?

Loik: Like you said, it’s crucial. I don’t think there is anything more important than understanding the complex interactions between population growth, global politics, environmental issues, economics and everything we hear on the news. All of these things are intertwined, and all of the impacts are coming down on our forest, grassland and agricultural land resources. Even if there wasn’t climate change occurring, those issues would be causing devastating impacts on our planet’s biodiversity. Multiplied on top of all of that is that we’re altering the characteristics of the atmosphere.

CHP: What is your best moment as an environmental educator so far in your career?

Loik: It’s hard to pin down the one “best moment.” When I was a grad student at UCLA, I moved from LA to rural Colorado — that was a monumental shift in the scientific approach for me. When I was at UCLA I was working on very small-scale, molecular cellular biology questions, and when I went to Colorado, my focus shifted to broader scales associated with global climate change. I was living in a highly urbanized environment and then I found myself in a research position at an incredibly beautiful location at 10,000 feet elevation … It broadened my horizons in many ways.

One of the outcomes of that transition is that now I am really excited year in and year out to teach … There have been so many wonderful students to work with. My former students are now teachers, farmers, activists and scientists. Each of them is doing their part to make sure we can move into a sustainable future. My goal is to inspire people to find the niche where they want to make a difference, and then help them to go and make their difference in that particular corner of the world.

CHP: If there was one thing you could reverse and undo for planet Earth, what would it be? 

Loik: I hate to say this, but it would have to be human population growth and industrialization. There are so many things that we all enjoy these days, but when we sum them all up and think about what it means for all the other species in the biodiversity crisis and the impact we have put on the atmosphere, we have a moral imperative to reverse these impacts. I don’t think there is a species that has affected the biosphere and atmosphere as much as we have. CO2 has gone up and down and temperatures have changed,  but never at the current rate compared to geologic time. “Business as usual” economic practices mean that billions of people are going to suffer remarkably in the near future.

Photo courtesy of Chris Silva

In this week’s Community Chest, City on a Hill Press sat down with Chris Silva, a third-year biology student at UCSC and the director of the Student Volunteer Center. Among his many past volunteer positions, Silva has worked for his hometown’s recreation department, Democratic club and high school rotary club. He has also worked with a non-profit organization in downtown Santa Cruz that provides free medical and legal services to low-income families around the area, as well as Global Medical Brigades, which provides free medical and dental services abroad to underprivileged people in Latin American countries.

CHP: When did you first start volunteering?

Silva: Back in high school, my dad
encouraged me to check it out. I used to work for my city as a day camp counselor and then I got involved with the Democratic club and the rotary club, so it’s kind of where I got my start. Originally he wanted me to get involved to diversify myself for college, but then it [turned] into, “Hey, I kind of like doing this.” … I think meeting different people and being able to communicate and have interesting conversations with people is crucial.

CHP: What was the most rewarding experience you’ve had?

Silva: I go to Central America every year through Global Medical Brigade — we do medical and dental volunteering. My dad is a dentist at UCSF and we go to a remote visit and set up shop at different stations where people can be checked out. There’s intake, a waiting room for small children, OBGYN and patient-doctor consultation. There’s also another station for dental cleaning and a pharmacy. We fundraise during the year through various fundraisers like Nite Owl [Cookies] or See’s Candies. I liked my second year [in Honduras] because I knew how the protocols went, so I was able to help other people with their tasks. It’s kind of scary being thrown in a station, especially if you don’t speak Spanish.

CHP: Why do you think volunteering is important?

Silva: I think most people aren’t fortunate [enough] to have an able body, whether they’re sick or they’re incapable of taking care of themselves. The fact that I’m able to do this — I think I should give back. It makes me feel really good, really productive. It’s a great outlet for when you’re studying and you’re stressed out. It just makes you feel good.

CHP: Is there a difference between volunteering and a job?

Silva: Volunteering is a job. And a job, to me, is to have responsibilities: You’re held accountable for completing certain tasks on time and conducting yourself in a certain professional manner. I guess the distinction is that with a job, you’re doing it because you want to get paid and you’re told to do so. Volunteerism, to me, is an outlet, like playing baseball or playing guitar. You do it because you like to.

CHP: What do you get out of volunteering?

Silva: Just knowing that I can put a smile on somebody’s face because I can. I think every time that I’m able to help somebody or they acknowledge that I will be able to help them in some way, it kind of reminds me of my mom. I remember the team of doctors that were responsible for performing the procedures on her and just how grateful I was to them, because they’re able-bodied surgeons. They’re professionals, they know what to do, and I was just extremely grateful for that. It just seems like they never ask for anything in return. The fact that they saved my mom, that was huge to me.

Photo by Sal Ingram.

In this week’s Community Chest, City on a Hill Press spoke with Carolyn Rodriguez and Michelle Neumann, the organizers for the upcoming American Indian Resource Center’s “Green Team” event, Heal the Earth. Heal the Earth looks at sustainability with an indigenous perspective. Rodriguez is affiliated with the Amah Mutsun tribe, local to Santa Cruz and the central coast, and Neumann is Lucieño of the Pala Reservation.

CHP: What is the Heal the Earth Event?

Carolyn: It’s all about sustainability through Native American traditions. We want everyone to come, not just Native Americans. We have a keynote speaker, Chris Peters, and he’s going to come do a presentation about his work with the Seventh Generation Fund — he’s the CEO. We’re going have workshops from an organization, Sustainable Works, [and] two representatives plan to hold workshop sessions. They’re going to teach everyone how to make zero-waste lunch and biodegradable cleaning products. After that, we plan on having a discussion panel so the students can talk about sustainability.

CHP: What is it like to look at sustainability through an indigenous lens?

Carolyn: I think one of our ideas at the beginning was that we wanted to show that we, Native Americans, are here on campus. And originally we lived sustainably, that’s how our culture was. Of course as time went on, we kind of lost that. So even us, the members of the green team, we’re just trying to find our culture. It’s something we’re learning about: Native Americans and how they keep sustainablity, and we’re taking that and putting it to today’s perspective.

CHP: What do you hope students take out of this event?

Michelle: I just want people to be more environmentally aware. We’re trying to revive traditional values within the indigenous communities.

CHP: What is the most important thing about sustainability?

Carolyn: I think that the most important thing is water and and zero waste, specifically water contamination and pollution.

Michelle: Especially within reservations, because a lot of indigenous people fish and they can’t the eat the fish [they catch] because it’s contaminated. That affects a lot of indigenous communities.

CHP: What does it mean to be indigenous today?

Michelle: I feel like I still need to discover who I am and what comes with my background, like traditions. Being Native American and being on campus, where I’m just crowded with different people of different ethnicities and backgrounds, you kind of feel like you’re this little voice. Especially with the small indigenous community on campus compared to the other [communities].

Carolyn: I know our community is small, but because I feel like I am who I am, my voice, a Native American voice, an indigenous voice, should be heard just because I’m like everyone else. And just like anyone we shouldn’t be ignored or hushed, especially about our whole history. We’re still here, we still have a voice and we should be heard.

Illustration by Louise Leong

This past week, City on a Hill Press held an interview with DT Amajoyi, commissioner of diversity for the Student Union Assembly (SUA) and College Nine third-year psychology and literature major.  

CHP: What exactly is the Student Union Assembly and what does it do for the students at UC Santa Cruz?

Amajoyi: The Student Union Assembly (SUA) is an organization that advocates for students on campus about issues that affect the students in the UCSC community, such as the budget, fee increases and student affairs. SUA deals with both external and internal issues, including diversity, which falls under my purview.

CHP: How long have you been involved with SUA?

Amajoyi: This is my first year as an officer, but I have been involved in SUA since my freshman year. During my freshman year, I interned under the internal vice chair. My second year, I was a volunteer helping with voter registration and outreach to the students. I was also the African/Black Student Alliance representative.

CHP: What is your position in SUA and what does this position entail?

Amajoyi: As the commissioner of diversity, most of my work falls with identity-based organizations and resource centers, such as the Ethnic Resource Centers, EOP and the Women’s Center.

CHP: Why did you choose to run for this position?

Amajoyi: My inspiration came from my work as a coordinator for Student Initiated Outreach, which provides outreach to students with different identities from disadvantaged communities.  I was on the board of directors for Destination Higher Education (DHE), which worked with students with African, Black, African-American and Caribbean identities. A Step Forward (ASF) worked with Asian and Pacific Islander identities and Oportunidades Rumbo A La Educacion (ORALE) worked with students with Latino identities. Some social stigmas from these communities may discourage the students to aspire for higher education. Through that program we show the students what higher education could be like. That was beautiful to me. I cannot speak for the other organizations, but during this weekend-long event, DHE doubled the student Intent to Register rate. I began to think this doesn’t just have to be a weekend-long thing. How cool would it be if this was a year-long thing?

CHP: So how did you get involved with SOAR? What’s it like?

Fujioka: I got involved in the work of student organizations first at UCSC and then at San Francisco State University. Being active in student organizations changed my life and gave me the motivation and ability to excel academically. I feel very fortunate to work with new generations of students as they engage in the opportunities offered by student organizations.

CHP: How has the year been for those organizations and SOAR?

Fujioka: SOAR supports the projects of organizations that produce over 200 campus-wide events each year, an average of 6,800 free publications each week and countless radio and television productions. Student groups and leaders had many successes this year, including the hosting of Dr. Cornel West, raising over $20,000 for cancer research and KZSC being named one of the top college radio stations in the country.

CHP: What was it like bringing Cornel West to UCSC?

Photo Courtesy of Sayo Fujioka

Fujioka: It was so inspiring to have Dr. West speak at UCSC — such an honor. The SUA and e2 [Engaging Education]students who organized the event worked hard to give the student body the experience of hearing Dr. West in person. He is indeed an icon, yet he was down-to-earth and connected with students by speaking to their experiences. I hope there will be more programs like this.

CHP: So, you’re essentially the head of a lot of student organizations and groups that all work extremely hard. Does it ever get stressful?

Fujioka: It is stressful, with the budget crisis looming over all of

us. But I love my job. UCSC student organizations are inspiring. Their leaders and members work hard to make a difference, whether through producing events, lobbying in Sacramento, or producing journals, newspapers or shows. These students gain and share an incredible spirit of generosity and love of learning. Working with them and seeing them continue on as alumni gives me hope for the future.

CHP: Where do you see the future of SOAR going?  Is there a lot of cooperation among the various student organizations, from what you’ve seen?

Fujioka: This is a very exciting time. UCSC’s student organizations are growing organizationally and developing more and more sophisticated programs — they are becoming crucibles of learning where students learn to work in teams, to listen to new perspectives, to collaborate effectively and be more self-directed and successful. And, yes, there is more cooperation between groups, which only adds to the breadth of experience available to those involved.

CHP: And do you have any advice for graduating students who aren’t quite sure where to go next?

Fujioka: Uncertainty can be uncomfortable, but give yourself time to explore. Talk with your faculty, staff, family and community mentors. Try things out and find what truly motivates you.

Photo by Toby Silverman.

On July 26, UCSC student Amanda Timoney will be embarking on a trip through the University of California Education Abroad Program to Ghana. While staying in Accra — Ghana’s capital — she plans to help the local refugees and villagers as best she can, meanwhile studying at the University of Ghana, which is 10 miles northeast of the capital.

City on a Hill Press: What organization(s) will you be working with while in Ghana?

Timoney: As of right now it’s my own project — I’ll be working with both fisheries in Accra and in rural villages. Ghana is very popular for digital dumping as well, mostly computers, but they come from all over the world.

CHP: What do you hope to bring back to UCSC?

Timoney: Well, at the moment I’m really active in College Ten’s core theme of social justice and community. I’m planning on making a blog while abroad to turn into a complementary documentary and share some of the things I learn as well as some of the culture I live through.

CHP: How prepared are you for the culture shock you’re about to experience?

Timoney: I’m excited for it. A lot of people get nervous about not being accepted — I like the idea of working on a clean slate and being challenged to live in that culture. Also I hear that American women get proposed to on the streets pretty often, so I’m excited for that — might just tie the knot there.

CHP: Where does the drive to connect with people come from?

Timoney: It’s like being a new kid at the first day in school. I was always that one kid that never really connected with the society around me but always seemed to have things figured out. When I see people who need my help, I just want to connect with them and help them however I can. I have a great life and everything I need. I just want to share that.

CHP: Why Ghana?

Timoney: I feel that the Congo is one of the most challenged places in the world right now. Ghana takes in a lot of refugees from the Congo, and since A: I’m a woman and B: I’m American, I feel as though I wouldn’t be able to do as much for the people in the Congo directly other than draw lots of attention to myself. This is the best place for me to go and help those people.

Photo courtesy of Mollie Murphy.

Mollie Murphy, co-president of the UC Santa Cruz chapter of STAND and a Crown College fourth-year majoring in sociology. She was one of a dozen students who participated in a die-in event on May 5 to bring awareness of the genocide around the world to the UCSC students.

City on a Hill Press: What is the die-in event and what is its significance?

Murphy: A die-in is a visual demonstration, similar to a protest but a little bit less. Our group dressed in all black and laid down on the ground, first on the College Nine and Ten lawn for an hour and [now] at the Quarry Plaza, with tombstones to symbolize all the deaths of the victims of genocidal crimes and mass atrocities. My tombstone said, “Hitler is alive in Darfur, in Sudan, and his name is Omar al-Bashir.” The idea behind that is that similar genocide crimes that happened during the Holocaust are happening in Sudan right now. [Sudan] is getting a lot less publicity and people are paying a lot less attention. It is meant to link that past, the Holocaust, to things that are going on today to raise awareness.

CHP: Why are you interested in spreading awareness about this issue?

Murphy: I want to find a career in human rights, and this is an important human rights issue. I’m concerned with how people across the globe are treated and respected. I think I chose this issue because it means the most to a huge amount of people. It’s a logistically complex issue, but an ethically simple issue. Nobody is for genocide. It’s hard to imagine that people would commit mass murders against each other. Eradicating the world of genocide is probably one of the most important steps to having global peace, global cooperation and respect between cultures.

CHP: Why do you think this is the best way to get people’s attention?

Murphy: I think when people have a more visual kind of cue it’s a little bit more shocking and can hit home a little bit more. The idea is not to be abrasive or to guilt people. It’s just a statement, a vigil to bring people close to something that is happening far away, especially for students who live on campus or who never have really heard about these issues. We are trying to make it easier to grasp in a lot of ways, and sometimes visual demonstrations help that.

CHP: How do you hope this will impact UCSC students?

Murphy: We are hoping to create an atmosphere of solidarity between people in all countries, and to raise awareness and create a compassionate energy towards people who have to face these crimes or these kinds of circumstances every day. The hope is to get students here interested and get them to care about stopping genocide on the planet.

It’s going to be a slow process, and we expect it to be years and years, but we hope to empower students to feel that they have connections with people across the world and to feel that they can actually take part. A lot of times, students hear what is going on and it’s really scary, which it is, and it is hard to understand how we can help people or help these kinds of situations because it’s such a big problem and it’s so drastic and tragic. The idea is to hopefully give students really easy ways they can make a difference and to advocate for those who need it.

CHP: How do you plan to impact this campus outside of STAND?

Murphy: We are now working on a coalition for conflict-free UC, so we are trying to reach out to the other UC campuses. There is a genocidal situation in the Congo and there is a lot of violence centered around mines. Tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold are minerals that are found in every single cellphone, computer and pretty much every electronic item in the world. It’s a large western demand that is fueling violent rebel groups that are controlling the mines, burning villages, kidnapping children to become child soldiers and murdering a lot of people so that they have access to these resources that we are creating demand for. What our campus is doing, and what our students are doing outside of STAND, is hopefully creating a coalition of student and faculty on all the UC campuses to ask the administration to start investing responsibly in electronic companies, so that they directly check their supply chain and do not supply the conflicted area and the specific mines that are a part of this. Stanford and Penn State have already passed this legislation, but the UC system is a little bit more complex because there are 10 campuses. There is no way to invest in it responsibly right now, so we are trying to create ways for consumers to do that.

CHP: Do you plan on going to Africa and helping with the issues there, or are you mostly interested in raising awareness here?

Murphy: I would love to go there but have not been able to because of a medical condition. I have had a heart transplant and my cardiologists get mad at me when I talk about going. Places that I might be at a high risk of infection I’m not recommended to go to. If I were to go, I think I would love to go somewhere with an open mind and get to know the people and then start trying to use resources that I have to do what they need. I would not necessarily know, standing here at UCSC in California, what they need as a community. I would love to go immerse myself in the culture, get to know the people and then do what I can to help. Invisible Children is inventing radio systems to alert people when the rebel groups are around, hopefully I can do some work with that — anything on the ground that engages people, I would love to do.

Photo by Michael Mott

In this week’s Community Chest, City on a Hill Press sat down with Shelby Donaldson, a UCSC student who performed at this year’s Queer Fashion Show (QFS).

CHP: How was Queer Fashion Show? Good crowd?

Donaldson: It was really fun! I danced all three nights — Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. I’ve been in shows before for dancing, and a lot of times the directors think they’re the shit and aren’t very personable to each person, but [in QFS] they were. They enjoyed putting it on, and that transfers to everyone else.

There were a lot of people there. We actually sold an extra 86 tickets. People really look forward to it. Everybody was super loud and they really liked everything. Lots of screaming, pretty sure I heard my name a few times, it was great.

CHP: Were you nervous? You guys do some pretty daring stuff up there.

Donaldson: Yeah I know, we have to strip onstage! I wasn’t nervous at all though, as a performer, just because everybody was so welcoming. We were all there to have fun, so it wasn’t like you’re going onstage [thinking], “Oh I have to be super good.” Everybody is super nice.

CHP: Can anybody participate? Was it empowering?

Donaldson: Anybody can participate. And I’d say it is empowering for everybody, just because the atmosphere is so loud and fun. I think people feel really comfortable there, whatever your color, race or sexual preference. I would think that if you’ve never been onstage, Queer Fashion Show would probably be the first place you should go to. You would definitely open yourself up there, of all shows, if you’re not comfortable onstage. And the girls in my jazz class who had never been onstage before really enjoyed it.

CHP: Would you recommend participating in Queer Fashion Show to others?

Donaldson: I would encourage anyone who is outgoing and has a sense of humor to get involved with QFS. Even if performing isn’t your thing, there are opportunities to help the directors or be a part of the light and tech team.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Tibbetts.

Originally, fighting to add a veteran-friendly class to UC Santa Cruz’s curriculum was difficult for lecturer Dennis Tibbetts. With the support of Rep. Sam Farr (D-Santa Cruz), Tibbetts was able to create a UCSC class that became a source of knowledge about veterans for students and a place for veterans to feel welcome, called American Combat Veterans.

City on a Hill Press: How did you decide to teach at UCSC? Do you enjoy teaching here?

Tibbetts: My family wanted to leave the cold in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the warmth of California. I approached a few different college campuses to include a veteran awareness class into their curriculum, but I wasn’t having any luck. Sam Farr was very interested in a class of this kind being provided in his district. He wrote a letter of recommendation for me to the UCSC campus and Merrill College was interested in the course. Teaching here is great! These are the best students I’ve had in a long, long time.

CHP: Do you think veterans awareness is important at college campuses? Why?

Tibbetts: I think it’s important to create a presence when there’s an absence. It needs to be incorporated into the curriculum. Vietnam veteran stories weren’t in the curriculum [at different colleges I have taught at], almost as if they weren’t welcome. We have been at war for the past 10 years. This takes a toll on our country and our psychology as a country. War is so brutal. It takes a toll on the people in uniform and their families.

CHP: Do you think UCSC has a high level of anti-war sentiment?

Tibbetts: I have been teaching on this campus since 2002, and believe that the atmosphere here has changed from being unsophisticated to a more sophisticated campus. Previously, the students here perceived the military as being against the gay community because of its “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. I am in favor of gay individuals serving openly, but the students went about it in a way that wasn’t very productive. It seemed like the students were using the DADT policy to attack the military in a way that didn’t have a lot of impact.

Recruiters on campus are trying to recruit educated individuals, contributing more good people to the military. And good people change the culture in the military. I didn’t understand the protest against this. Good people will only make the military better. The military has to have really good people to be leaders — otherwise changes don’t happen. Even the Dalai Lama says that we need ways to defend people and ourselves.

CHP: How do you think this affects veterans in our community?

Tibbetts: Veterans have offices and infrastructure here to make them feel welcome. But a place in the curriculum is very important. It gives them an avenue. They can come to the class and always know it’s there. Who are they? What do they do? This [American Combat Veterans] class can help answer these questions for the community.

CHP: How do you think that learning about veterans and active military members benefits the students on this campus?

Tibbets: If you are 18 or 19, we have been at war for half of your life. There’s a lot of tragedy and sacrifice going on, a lot of money being spent. Even though it’s been going on for 10 years, the subject remains pretty untouched. Our society makes it easy to disconnect, but I believe as a citizen of democracy it is our responsibility to know who we are fighting and why we are fighting them. We can’t be disconnected.

(Left) Roark and Kirk (right) campaign against the selling of bottled water on campus. Photo by Morgan Grana.

Third-year UC Santa Cruz students Gabi Kirk and Lindsey Roark are on a mission to bring plastic water bottle sales on campus to an end.

City on a Hill Press: Can you tell me about the project you are both a part of?

Kirk: Take Back the Tap is a campaign to end the sale of plastic water bottles on the UCSC campus, and eventually, the UC systemwide. We want to build long-lasting behavioral change. We want to be teaching the people who are going to lead our nation and our future that these are the social values that we hold dear, that water is a right for everyone.

CHP: Would you consider Take Back the Tap a green movement?

Roark: Our campaign is more about the fact that water is privatized, that water is commoditized, and it is something that should be available to everyone. It’s great that there will be less plastic consumption, but that’s not what our campaign is about. We’re trying to make this also a community-based marketing scheme, [instead] of an information-based marketing scheme …What we’re trying to do is find out exactly why people buy bottled water [and] how can we modify that behavior to be more sustainable.

CHP: How is the project going?

Roark: Hopefully by mid-May there will be two spigots, one in the foyer at OPERS and one in the upper floor of the Wellness Center. They’ll just be little push-back spigots where you can fill your water bottles. And if that goes well, then we are hoping to install spigots at all of the high-usage areas that we find around campus, so probably around 25 more spigots. We’re hoping to have the rest of the installation done next year [since] they don’t have the capacity [this year].

Kirk: We actually got grants from Measure 43 and Measure 44, which were passed last year on the ballot.

CHP: Any other future plans for the project?

Kirk: We want to identify the “deserts,” as we like to call them, areas without an accessible water source, and maybe make it into a map for a phone, where someone can ask, “Where is the water fountain near me?” and then later on, “Where is the recycling bin near me?” [or] “When does the next bus come?” And we want to build a website with a transparent budget, so that people can track it. If we’re going to be spending student fees, we want to make sure it’s in a way that’s going to engage the student body.

CHP: Have you received support from the administration?

Roark: What’s cool is that we’ve noticed in this project that every administration, staff [or] faculty [member] that we’ve approached about this has been so stoked, and so as far as administration support, I feel like the administration supports us full-heartedly.

Kirk: There’s a great sustainability community here and we’d love this to be a big part of it. Right now it’s a small group of people doing it, but we’re slowly getting more and more, so we really want people to come out to Earth Day and find out how they can get involved with this effort.

Photo by Morgan Grana.

Callan Hajosy is a recent UC Santa Cruz graduate and Merrill College affiliate who studied environmental studies and economics. Next month she will be embarking on a five-month open-ended trip to Tanzania as a representative of the non-profit organization One Heart Source, which helps educate people about HIV/AIDS.

CHP: Can you tell me a little bit about the organization you work for?
Hajosy: I work for One Heart Source (OHS), a non-profit NGO that is based in Arusha, Tanzania. We run educational programs trying to break the generational cycle of transmission of HIV/AIDS.

CHP: How did you get involved with the organization?
Hajosy: Forty-one schools nationwide are involved. I got involved because a good friend of mine from high school was one of the first volunteers to go over there. He worked there for two years, told me about it, and I went last year. I was a volunteer there for eight weeks and then they asked me to go back as a program manager. That was after I graduated.

CHP: What pulled you into it and made you interested?
Hajosy: I’ve always wanted to go to Africa. I was already going after school [to South Africa and Tanzania] and then I heard about [OHS], read their website and was just hooked on it. I thought it would be a really great way to travel and help and get involved.

CHP: Where will you be going in a month and what will you be doing there?
Hajosy: I will be going to the village of Mateves, which is in Arusha, Tanzania, and I will be there for five months just running the summer programs. We also have programs in Zanzibar, so I’ll be running back and forth. We [volunteers] teach classes about three times a week, or however long they want us, and we also do community outreach programs and community teachings. There’s an orphanage there, so we work there also. We teach about HIV/AIDS awareness, protection and empowerment.

CHP: Do you have any future plans?
Hajosy: I don’t know, I have a one-way ticket right now, so it could end up being a while. Hopefully I stay involved. What I do right now when I’m not in Tanzania is recruit UCSC students and help them go through the application process, and also help them with pre-fieldwork. Right now I have five volunteers. I am so excited — I had my first dream of being back in Tanzania last night and I was like, “It’s time! It’s coming!” It’s definitely an adventure.

Photo by Nick Paris.

In this series, City on a Hill Press will be interviewing community members who are currently making a mark on UC Santa Cruz’s campus.

Kicking off the series is Daniel Wirls, a professor of politics, who has published two books, “Irrational Security: The Politics of Defense from Reagan to Obama” and “The Invention of the United States Senate.” Currently he is teaching Politics 1, Politics: Power, Principle, Process, and Policy.

City on a Hill Press: What do you think of the level of political activism at UCSC?
Wirls: I’d say that I’m happy that there are a lot of students involved in a lot of things. That sometimes is a problem though — there isn’t so much a movement around a few focal causes, sort of a disadvantage when everybody is standing in the quarry soliciting their own individual causes. So I’d say that you certainly have more students involved in different things than you ever did. What this accomplishes is yet to be seen.

CHP: Teaching politics at UCSC, what are the challenges you face in interpreting the world of politics for your students?
Wirls: Current events sort of overwhelm the class — getting across certain concepts and making sure they relate to what’s going on in the world.

CHP: How would you compare teaching politics at UCSC with other schools?
Wirls: Well this has been really my one and only job teaching politics. I arrived on campus when I was 28, right out of graduate school, so aside from doing a little bit of teaching as a grad student for Cornell, my entire teaching experience has been at UCSC. In effect, I arrived here only seven or so years older than the people I was teaching. And of course I was younger than a few of the people I was teaching.

CHP: Did that factor disadvantage you in any way?
Wirls: No, I just thought it was fun. There were a couple times when the staff on campus would mistake me for a student, but that was just kind of funny.

CHP: You’ve often been described to me by other students as very passionate about what you teach — where does that passion come from?
Wirls: I care deeply about what goes on in the world and the problems within it, but I don’t intend to preach to everyone about how they should care about the world or stand on particular issues. My main goal is really to be passionate about the political process itself. Politics is rather difficult and unsightly, but you have to stick with it and learn how it works to organize your passion as an activist around it, using as a foundation that knowledge of how it works. In politics you’re not just a student, but also a citizen and active participant.