An Ode to my Girlhood
This past week I celebrated my birthday, and, like anyone confronted with the idea of aging, have spent the past few days restlessly excited for the person I’m going to become. As I find myself crawling toward womanhood, this feeling has intensified. All of my…
The OVO Has to Go
For many, an RV seems like the perfect choice for a weekend getaway or a cross-country road trip — that is, for those who have the privilege and status to enjoy those luxuries. For others, it’s the only way to keep the lights on at…
UCSC’s Footprint on Mauna Kea is a Lasting Legacy of Colonialism
Earth Mother and Sky Father meet at the summit of Mauna Kea on the main island of Hawai’i. In Hawaiian culture, Mauna Kea is the embodiment of ancestors and the sacred center of all life. It’s also where the University of California is fighting to…
As Students Travel for the Holidays — Remain Vigilant With COVID Safety
Some 30,000 feet in the air, you wait anxiously as flight attendants walk down the aisle offering snacks and drinks. Later, you sit at home celebrating with family and friends. With arms extended across the table, you clink glasses before taking a sip. If you…
The Sluggish Commute
I sit down in my afternoon class as the professor foregoes his usual icebreaker joke and dives straight into PowerPoint lecturing. A student rushes in from the back; out of breath, he sits down and announces, “My bus was 15 minutes late.” Slug commuters are…
I Am Not Your Professor
Lecturers teach a third of the credit hours at UC Santa Cruz, but we are chronically disrespected by UC, with devastating effects for undergraduate education. That’s why we are ready to strike. When my students call me “professor,” I feel like an imposter. See, I’m…
UC Lecturers are not Disposable
Dear UC, In your most recent contract proposal for lecturers of the UC-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT), you said that you listened “with an open mind” to the union, and provided them with “fair and equitable” proposals. However, many union members recall when your chief…
Beginning in the Middle: Making up for lost time as a Second Year
For everyone who graduated from high school before me, moving away for college and making new friends was the starting point of a new chapter in their lives and bookends the old chapter at home. I’ve been going to school there for a year now….
“The two-state solution is dead. Israel has killed it”: New Solutions Are Needed in Push Toward Israeli-Palestinian Peace
You’ve likely seen the videos by now: dozens of Palestinian families being forced out of their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Israeli riot police storming the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at Ramadan worshippers. Missiles fired by…
Take CDC Guidelines With A Grain Of Salt
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on May 13 that fully vaccinated people who are two weeks out from their last shot can now roam maskless in outdoor and most indoor settings. So, is the pandemic over? Not one bit. Less restrictive…