“What about future plans for the Trailer Park? Will I have time to voice my opinion before the eviction notice arrives?” -Adrian Wilson, “Oh What a Special Place: A Look at the Value of the UCSC Trailer Park” published in 2000.
UCSC “Parkies,” what Camper Park residents affectionately call each other, found out the answer would be no.
On July 10, by 8 a.m., trailers were being dragged to the front of the camp, hooked up to large pick-up trucks, and towed away.
Later that morning — after the trailer removal began — UC Santa Cruz emailed the Camper Park residents that it would be closing. Administration later released a statement that this was “due to the significant health and safety concerns.” This followed input from the campus Fire Marshal’s office, Environmental Health and Safety office, Campus Housing office, and the Office of the Ombuds — a dispute resolution service.
Despite UCSC officials involving Camper Park residents in discussions surrounding the trailers and their fate during spring quarter, many of its previous residents felt blind-sided by its removal.
“They didn’t tell us anything else in [the] email. They just told us [administration] made the decision to close it,” said UCSC student and Parkie Mery Ter-Avetisyan. “Immediately, I went there, and I had a midterm to do that day and so much homework, but I needed to say goodbye.
Do Parkies Fit into the Long-Range Development Plan?
This is not the first time Parkies have faced threats of the Camper Park closing down. As recently as Feb. 27, Dave Keller, the previous interim associate vice chancellor for colleges, housing and educational services, announced that the Camper Park would be closing for the remainder of the year. Inspections related to maintenance requests, the presence of mold, and potential fire risk were temporary closing.
The decision, which required all 41 residents to relocate by the end of spring break, was reversed only two days later. The new decision required maintenance to disconnect propane tanks, meaning residents could no longer cook in their trailers. Residents received a free meal plan for the remainder of the academic year. 
In the Camper Park Risk and Safety Assessment report released in June, the Fire Marshal’s assessment categorized the trailers as “camp trailers” and stated that “per the criteria of the definition, the camp trailers pose a significant risk due to the nature of their current use as long term student dwelling (greater than 30 consecutive days).”
When asked about the motivation for closing the Camper Park, UCSC spokesperson and assistant vice chancellor of communications and marketing Scott Hernandez-Jason wrote in an email to City on a Hill Press that, “recreational trailers are not designed for long-term habitation and their continued usage did not meet health and safety guidelines for our campus.”
At the time of publication, City on a Hill Press was unable to determine if UCSC administration was aware the campers were categorized as ‘camp trailers’ prior to the Fire Marshal’s report.
“The recreational trailers were taken off-site for recycling. We are evaluating how best to use this site in the near-term,” wrote Hernandez-Jason. “The land itself is designated for future colleges/housing development in our current Long Range Development Plan.”
The 2021-2040 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) is a guiding framework for UCSC’s physical and enrollment growth over the next two decades. The Camper Park’s location has been prime land for development due to the proximity of existing infrastructure, such as utilities, roads, and colleges.
According to the Camper Park Risk and Safety Assessment report and Hernandez-Jason, the former area of the Camper Park will be repurposed into a meditation garden area and a commuter lounge space for this upcoming year.
Matthew Waxman is an architect and former member of UCSC’s Alumni Council from 2014 to 2021. Regarding the Camper Park and its unique design, Waxman emphasized the importance of multi-dimensional community spaces.
“The idea of a meditation garden, a sequence of spaces where people wander through, contemplate, rest, and have chance encounters, that’s beautiful — but none of that is exclusive to not having academics, places where students live, and community,” Waxman said. “In fact, all those things can be brought together … and that’s what the trailer park was.”
Student Agency, Loss of Community
From student opposition to the West Remote Parking Lot’s construction in 2001 to the recent Camper Park demolition, UCSC students have been concerned about the lack of student perspective regarding campus developments for over 25 years.
The Camper Park began in the early ‘80s after a community of students created their own housing alternative they named “College Nine” in 1983. Without approval from the university, they parked their vans in the East Remote Parking lot, and were given an eviction notice by the university due to health, safety, and liability concerns.
The group of students, who called themselves “Niners,” went on to create a proposal for a permanent car camping spot between Kresge and Crown. Thus began the legacy of the Camper Park that officially opened Sept. 28, 1984.
The Camper Park has consistently been the cheapest housing on campus. For 32 years the trailers were student-owned, but starting in 2016 they were phased out for university-owned trailers instead. During the 2023-24 school year, rent to live in a trailer was $719.86 a month without a sewer line hooked up, and $802.35 a month with one.
From its inception, the Park was a physical embodiment of student agency. Students who could not find affordable housing created their own alternative living solutions, drawing from the original ethos of UCSC: Student agency and shared governance.
In the late ‘90s, rumors that the university was planning to close the Camper Park to develop housing concerned the residents. This sparked previous Parkie and UCSC alumnus Adrian Wilson to write the essay “Oh What a Special Place: A Look at the Value of the UCSC Trailer Park”, published in 2000.
“It was evident by viewing the trailers that an eclectic group of people formed this community. Each trailer was more than a dwelling place; it was an extension of the individual character who lived behind its walls,” Wilson wrote. “By visiting their trailers, I got to glimpse at who the owners are, and realized that I have the opportunity to share with them who I am.”
In an interview with City on a Hill Press 24 years after the essay’s publication, Wilson said the Camper park provided students with an opportunity to
“It’s hard to say goodbye and it’s hard to see really special creations disappear,” Wilson said. “You hope that something new is taking its place that holds that essence, and you hope that there’s some rebirth somewhere else that will be affordable, community-oriented, and free-thinking.”
Where Do the Parkies Go Now: Next Steps
The Camper Park’s abrupt closure raises concern over the lack of clear communication between the administration and students about its closure and future plans.
In an interview with City on a Hill Press, Parkie Natalie Twilegar said associate vice chancellor (AVC) Laura Arroyo has been in communication with her, but Arroyo has not been in communication with every Parkie that has reached out. Twilegar commented that serious communication with AVC Arroyo only began after she was featured in a Lookout Santa Cruz news article discussing the Camper Park and had threatened a lawsuit.
“We’re hopeful about Arroyo and, although we were not informed about the demolition in advance, she has been open to conversation surrounding next steps for the space,” Twilegar said.
On Aug. 26, some Parkies held a Hope4Housing meeting to discuss next steps forward. The newly formed student-run organization is centered around advocating for affordable, safe, and communal living in Santa Cruz. In the meeting they highlighted the importance of keeping the Camper Park community alive despite the absence of the trailers.
In the meeting, Twilegar said she met with AVC Arroyo on the morning of Aug. 26, where they had discussions on the proposal for a meditation garden and commuter lounge. They talked about how it could be more student-serving, such as using the space as a living lab for the upcoming Housing Solutions Reimagined class.
The class is three units each quarter, and housed under the sustainability minor as CRSN 152-04: Housing Solutions Reimagined. This nine-unit series focuses on housing principles and green design, and future classes may use the Camper Park space for field trips.
“Arroyo was like ‘this class will be a view into administrative decisions around housing and why we come to these conclusions, and how budget has a play into it,’” Twilegar said. “It’s more about creating this force of students that are dedicated to the space and that are dedicated to staying consistent and wanting to see a future of the space that serves the community, not in the same way that Camper Park did, but as inspiration.”
Twilegar also met with the Special Collections office earlier in the day with a Parkie alumnus to discuss contributing more archival photos of Camper Park.
“I pitched the idea of sourcing an old trailer and having that be where all the Camper Park photos and mementos are stored,” Twilegar said. “If the class goes well and student input is actually heard and implemented, that would be a great end to this exhibit … with the fall of this community, another one can arise.”
In the Hope4Housing meeting, the Parkies in attendance also discussed their next steps, which include registering as a UCSC student organization. Parkie Serena Dern mentioned how this could be a stepping stone for Hope4Housing to expand how they serve the community.
“We’re going to continue to have events and come use the Camper Park space and it’s open to everyone,” Dern said. “If we want Camper Park to continue to exist, it will look different, but the community is still there. We need that community and momentum to continue so we can create the next Camper Park.”
