The Quarry Plaza has served thousands of students throughout UC Santa Cruz’s 61 years of history. Countless UCSC campus tours have begun at the Quarry Plaza — guides ready to welcome prospective banana slugs to their future home.
But for the past several months, safety fencing and construction cones have overrun the Quarry Plaza due to a university-led renovation project, which isn’t slated for completion until the 2027-28 academic year. Many feel they are without a central campus location.
“The biggest [emotion] I heard from friends or classmates at first was just confusion,” said Peyton Marshall, a third-year UCSC student and Disability Resource Center (DRC) employee. “I still hear people talk about where the [Bay Tree] Bookstore is going. Everyone was waiting for these updates.”
Resource Center Relocation
Construction broke ground Jan. 8, forcing campus hubs housed in the Quarry Plaza such as the Bay Tree Bookstore and Slug Stop to relocate, now scattered across campus. Six resource centers also relocated, including El Centro, the African American Resource and Cultural Center and Services for Transfer, Re-entry and Resilient Scholars (STARRS). Information about their temporary or permanent relocation was first released in August 2025.
The DRC and STARRS have permanently moved and will not be returning to the Quarry Plaza. The DRC moved to the basement of Kerr Hall, while STARRS is now located in the Academic Resources Center building.
Although project development began in 2018, the campus community at large received varying levels of information about where the resource centers would be operating following relocation. 
A New Quarry: Scope and Impacts
The main office involved in the project is the Physical Planning, Development, and Operations office, which manages design contracts and UC construction guidelines. Additionally, the office received consultation from the Division of Student Affairs and Success (DSAS). The university communicated updates on the project via the weekly campus newsletter emailed to staff and students, Tuesday Newsday, back in August, allowing the larger campus community to weigh in on design plans.
According to Lucy Rojas, assistant vice chancellor and chief of staff for DSAS, goals of the project include increased circulation between floors of the Bay Tree Building as well as construction that allows for more natural light and a coffee shop portion of Slug Stop.
Rojas outlined several project elements confirmed so far: The left-hand side of the Bay Tree complex will be opened up into a “wellness center,” able to accommodate around 120 people. The entire second floor will be converted into a student lounge, complete with a community kitchen, reflection space and several conference rooms. Temporarily relocated resource centers will also be moved to the second floor.
When asked about the impacts of the project, Erin Elliott, the communications director for student success and campus climate, said the university is trying to mitigate the negative impact renovations could have on tabling by providing a “Spaces” website. Here, students can book numerous gathering places, such as study rooms or large club meeting locations.
“Students are encouraged to contact the respective department for details about making tabling reservations,” Elliott wrote in an email to City on a Hill Press. According to Elliott, public expression is supported throughout campus and is not limited to designated areas.
“Decisions about the temporary and permanent relocation of resource centers were guided by factors such as space availability, duration of need, departmental requirements and student wayfinding,” she continued.
Rojas emphasized that the university aims to add information about new tabling spots to the “Spaces” page in the near future.
Students Express Loss and Hope
In response to changes to the Quarry Plaza, students have expressed feelings of loss for a central meeting point on campus and a noticeable decrease in student protests.
“UCSC’s campus is set up pretty weird, and there’s not a main plaza or courtyard area,” Peyton Marshall expressed. “The Quarry [Plaza] was one of few spots on campus where clubs could come table or career fairs could happen. There was a lot of campus-based resources.”
She continued, “I have noticed that there’s been fewer demonstrations or walkouts that would normally take place in the Quarry [Plaza], so that’s been kind of a question mark.”
Aditya Kanteti, a fourth-year student and Student Union Assembly parliamentarian, added that many freshmen will go several years without ever experiencing the culture of UCSC’s Quarry Plaza.
“It’s one of those places on campus where it doesn’t matter what your major is or what you’re interested in,” Kanteti said. “I think a lot of [people] are going to really miss out on crucial things that add up to that core experience you get as a student.”
