Celebrating the Santa Cruz Warriors On and Off the Court
As the echoes of basketballs dribbling on the court synchronized, there were a million other tasks going on behind the scenes at the Kaiser Permanente Arena. The marketing team was overseeing ticket sales, the tech team was checking lights and setting cameras, operators were timing…
Through Our Lens: Friends in Low Places
If you are like me, you were drawn to Santa Cruz by the seemingly endless nature. But with an increasingly full schedule, my impromptu nature excursions have become less and less frequent. Trips to the tide pool have been the perfect solution. I can only…
Food, Funds, and Frustration: How the End of the COVID-19 State of Emergency is Impacting CalFresh Recipients on Campus
For fourth-year Meri Klingelhofer, the additional $95 she received per month from CalFresh’s COVID-19 emergency allotment funds made all the difference in her ability to maintain a nutritious diet. The comfort of cooking and eating fresh produce with reduced financial concern is something she will…
Why did UC Santa Cruz Students Create a New Dining Hall App?
Every student with a meal plan has a dining hall dish that they look forward to seeing, whether it be pasta or samosas. But knowing if or where it’s going to be served on any given day is always a gamble. Students at UC Santa…
Years of Work for 15 Minutes of Celebration
Graduation is a special day, full of jubilation and esteem. A prestigious ceremony, celebrated with the rest of your classmates in prolonged procession. The energy surrounding it is irreplicable. Unless you go to UC Santa Cruz, in which case you get 15 minutes. UCSC’s 2023…
Grounded in Community: Terra & Self takes on Pacific Avenue
Kenné Johnson-Scianna remembers not knowing how to take care of her skin at an early age. It wasn’t until she was hired by Lush that she learned personalized self-care. After seeing the rise of small businesses during the pandemic, she wanted to share that knowledge…
Through Our Lens: Stories Told on Skin
Having a piece of art on your body for the rest of your life is one of the biggest commitments you can make. Whether a tattoo has a deeper meaning, or just looks cool, it is always a reflection of who a person is, where…
Feeding Hungry Ghosts: a History of Santa Cruz Chinatowns
For every Chinatown still standing, there are dozens that have been bled dry and paved over. We move on from this history, because we’ve been told it doesn’t do anyone much good to dwell on ghosts. But the ghosts of Santa Cruz’s Chinatowns follow me…
Price Gouging of COVID Vaccines Prioritizes Corporate Greed over Public Health
Capitalist greed strikes again. As both President Biden and Governor Newsom plan to end their respective state of emergencies for the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11 and Feb. 28, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will nearly quadruple in cost as the shots transition to the commercial…
If It Feels Good, Wear It
I work at a not-so-conventional boutique in downtown Santa Cruz. Walk in, and you’ll find paper-white walls, a speckled tan linoleum? floor, and black metal racks filled with clothes curated from Oakland to Uruguay. It would be boring, if not for the bright clothing and…