“Cost is on the Ballot”: Former SUA President and Local Organizer Ayo Banjo on Measure Z
The time before election day shifts from days into hours, signaling the last opportunities to vote in the 2024 election. Ayo Banjo, former UC Santa Cruz Student Union Assembly President and current marketing director for the Resource Center for Nonviolence, is one of many community...
Conversations with SOMeCA Alumni
Being a college student can be difficult, especially in your first year. It’s normal to feel lost and overwhelmed, but those who have come before us know what it’s like to be in our shoes. So, their advice can help us take the steps necessary...
Campus Fees: Where Does Your Money Go?
When you look at your eBill each quarter, you might be more focused on the total instead of the particulars of where your money is going. So, let’s break it down. UC-Systemwide Fees These student fees are set by the University of California Board of...
How Implementing Practical Activism Inspires Communities
At 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday, most students are recovering from a night out or getting ready for a relaxing day indoors. However, last Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at College Nine and John R. Lewis Colleges to consider tangible ways to challenge and change...
The Comeback of Cowell Coffee Shop: For the Peoples
Through the bustle of warm smiles and good conversation, students could come into Cowell Coffee Shop: For the Peoples to settle in for a warm bagel, have a coffee or tea, or try a new cultural dish — all of which you could get for...
What the Closure of the Benchlands Means for its Residents
Steven Bailey has been living in the Benchlands, a city-sanctioned houseless encampment in San Lorenzo Park, for the past two years. Soon, that won’t be the case. In the eyes of the City of Santa Cruz, an eviction notice needs to be served. “They look...
Three Candidates, One Seat: The Battle for District 4
Santa Cruz’s fourth City Council District spans all the way from the bottom of the Upper West Side on High Street to the Beach Flats near the coast on Beach Street, and also encapsulates the city’s downtown area. Ensuring that community voices are heard is...
Con Amor, Para Mis Mejicas: 50 Years of Grupo Folkórico Los Mejicas
Colorful skirts swirl in the air, dancing shoes brazenly hit the wooden floor, and focused eyes light up with joy as the others let out gritos in support. Traditional Mexican music fills the room as the members of Grupo Folkórico Los Mejicas rehearse. For half...
What to Know About UCSC’s New Meal Plan
When students go to the dining hall, they are not bound by swipes or the amount of meals they eat per day, only by the days of the week they go. They have access to food as many times a day, week, month, or quarter...