COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing no Longer Required at UCSC in-person Commencement
From a fully virtual commencement to the newly created Slug Crossing, UC Santa Cruz’s 2020 and 2021 graduating classes have watched as their end-of-year ceremonies take on new forms. Graduates are allowed to bring up to two guests for the celebrations, but vaccinations and prior…
UC Lecturers Reach Full Year Without a Contract, Bargaining Continues
The UC lecturers’ contract expired one year ago after they rejected a contract proposal from the UC Office of the President (UCOP) that failed to meet their core demands. Now, on the anniversary of their contract expiration, the UC American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) still…
Recreational and P.E. Instructors Face Permanent Layoffs
Cecilia Shin began her journey with UC Santa Cruz SCUBA in 1994 as an undergraduate. She continued with the program as a graduate student and became the program director in 2002. Eighteen years later, she will be permanently laid off on Dec. 15. “There is…
Job Security and Salary Increases Highlighted in New UC-AFT Contract Proposal from UCOP
Lecturers have been working under an expired contract since January, but after 33 bargaining sessions with the UC Office of the President (UCOP), union representatives feel optimistic about steps toward job security and proposed salary increases. “The proposal was the first one that had any…
Three Santa Cruz Hotels Contracted for Houseless Isolation
On April 3, Governor Gavin Newsom announced Project Roomkey, a statewide initiative aimed at securing up to 15,000 hotel rooms for houseless individuals. The state acquired 12,603 rooms and 1,200 trailers as of April 29. “This is something that’s going on all over the place,…
Despite Council Vote, Food Not Bombs Continues Providing Meals
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Food Not Bombs (FNB) only provided meals to the houseless community on weekends. Since Santa Cruz’s shelter in place order began on March 17, FNB has served about 100 houseless individuals for over 50 consecutive days. “The thing that’s very…
Fifteen Reports of Zoom Bombing at UCSC, 8 Open Investigations
Written by Hannah Finley and Haneen Zain As spring quarter kicked off, a number of UC Santa Cruz’s virtual classrooms were bombarded with racist, sexist and pornographic disruptions. These interruptions, known as “Zoom bombings,” have cropped up across the country, putting Zoom’s security into question. …
Weekly Briefing: Shelter in Place Order extended, UC eases admissions, UCSC launches COVID-19 Slug Support campaign, on-campus housing condensed
As of April 1 at 2 p.m., there are 54 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death resulting from the virus in Santa Cruz County. Santa Cruz Extends Shelter in Place Order Following the lead of other Bay Area counties, on March 31 Santa Cruz…
Santa Cruz County Confirms First Death due to COVID-19
As of 1 p.m. on March 29, there are 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and one death resulting from the virus in Santa Cruz County. The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency announced the county’s first COVID-19-related death on March 29. According to a county…
Food Not Bombs Provides Shelter to 180 Houseless Residents
As of March 26 at 3 p.m., there are 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Santa Cruz County. There are over 1,000 houseless residents in Santa Cruz. Unhoused and unprotected, they are some of the most vulnerable to COVID-19. The City of Santa Cruz cleared…