Grammys: Still So White?
Last year’s Grammys left people so astounded that Adele’s “25” took album of the year over Beyoncé’s “Lemonade,” even Adele cracked her Grammy in half. “Lemonade,” a 12-track reclamation about being a Black woman in the American South, became the third best-selling album worldwide in...
W is for White Privilege
California’s legalization of marijuana, which took effect on Jan. 1, allowed thousands to rush to the nearest dispensary to pick up an eighth. What it did not do is offer adequate recompense for the countless Black and Brown people who were arrested, are serving, have...
Segregation in Education
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled public school segregation unconstitutional through the historic Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954, igniting a hard fought and unfinished battle toward national school desegregation. These steps taken toward social and educational equity are not shown in the classrooms...
California Must Support Students’ Reproductive Health
Should a UC Santa Cruz student need to obtain an abortion, they must schedule an appointment in between classes and work, and take the bus — which over two-thirds of students are limited to — to and from their appointment downtown. While Santa Cruz Planned...
Sorry, But You Can’t Be Woke and Go to Coachella
Coachella is the Woodstock of our generation. Advertised as a hub for peace and good vibes, in its most recent years it has drawn in upward of $700 million and crowds of over 70,000 people in per-day attendance. Unbeknownst to most festival attendees, money from...
Institutions Must No Longer Protect the Patriarchy
The silence is breaking across the country as sexual assault and harassment become more visible to the public. Change is on the horizon, but only if institutions develop concrete consequences for harassment and assault instead of letting perpetrators skate by. The UC system has been...
Resist the Threat to Net Neutrality
In just one week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) could bring an end to net neutrality with one vote, completely infringing upon our First Amendment rights and altering the way we as consumers access the internet. Net neutrality, a policy strengthened under the Obama administration,...
Dispose of the Tampon Tax
Periods cost about $7 a month. That’s $7 a month, 12 times a year, for approximately 40 years. This means that, on average, this basic bodily function ends up costing those who menstruate a few thousand dollars. Gov. Jerry Brown approved Assembly Bill (AB) 10...
System Fails to Address Housing Barriers
UC Santa Cruz students, while not alone, are facing an injustice that prevents students from reaching their full academic and personal potential. This injustice is the housing crisis — where students are struggling to find and keep homes with little to no support from the...
Community Not Commodity
Families, students and residents in Santa Cruz are left with few housing options in a city overrun with vacation rentals during a severe housing crisis. There are 372 Airbnb listings in Santa Cruz, 240 of which are entire homes for rent. These vacation rentals are...