Michael Drake Announced New President of the UC
The UC Board of Regents has named Michael Drake, former president of Ohio State University, the new UC president on July 7. Drake started the new role on Aug. 1. Before his time at Ohio State, Drake was the chancellor of UC Irvine from 2005…
For Undocu Collective, UCSC Administration’s Words of Support Ring Hollow
*A pseudonym is used to protect the source’s identity. Six students were placed on interim probation after occupying the Academic Resources Center (ARC) in February. Some remain on probation following a July appeals process. And tensions between undocumented students and administrators remain after Undocu Collective…
Student Draws Attention to Racism Within Kappa Kappa Gamma
Sorority’s statement on Black Lives Matter indicates systemic problem
Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) member Nicole Afolabi took to social media on May 29 to denounce unchecked racism within the UC Santa Cruz sorority chapter. What started as a response to the sorority’s statement on the murder of George Floyd became a larger effort to…
Campus Referenda Voting Guide 2020
Campus elections are open until 11:59 p.m. May 20. Measure 74 — Sustainability Office Fee Amendment Students voted to fund the Sustainability Office in 2010 under Measure 45, which is scheduled to sunset in 2020. Measure 74 would extend this date to 2030. Funding for…
SUA Campaign Tactics Divide Candidates and Students
Mass emails introduce concerns over student privacy
Student Union Assembly (SUA) candidates Bella Bullock, Chase Hayes and Simelia Rogers emailed over 7,000 students on May 11 asking for their vote in campus elections. SUA president Davon Thomas compiled the email list by searching common names in the UC Santa Cruz campus directory….
New Lab Brings COVID-19 Test Processing to UCSC
The UC Santa Cruz Molecular Diagnostic Lab opened its doors on May 1, becoming one of four facilities in Santa Cruz County capable of processing tests for COVID-19. The lab has the theoretical capacity to process upward of 800 COVID-19 test samples per day, though…
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. …
‘The People’s University’
The UC graduate student-led cost of living adjustment (COLA) strikes have been equal parts protest and education. Strike University (SU), an educational space created to put pedagogy into practice, is taking that effort to the digital front. “Once we began engaging in the strike action,…
Wildcat Strikers Seek Union Support
The UC Santa Cruz graduate student wildcat strike had just seen its fifth week of picketing when UCSC decided to adopt remote instruction. Rather than viewing the pandemic as a reason to stop the strike, many organizers feel their movement for a cost of living…
Pandemic Highlights Job Precarity for Lecturers
The fight for increased job security is nothing new for UC lecturers. About 1,600 lecturers lose their jobs every year. Amid COVID-19, UCOP announced there would be no layoffs through June 30. But unless the UC makes these protections more permanent, lecturers will be left…