Existential Crisis in the Dining Hall
“I’m just saying! ‘New Tea, New Me. Numi.’ It’s got rhymes, alliteration, and word play. I’d buy it just for that slogan.” This ingenious conversation is just one snippet of the many memories I have from my freshman year of college, seated with my friends...
#StopCopCity and Help Protect Weelaunee Forest
They say all the trees in a forest speak to one another. Root to root, a connection is made beyond each individual tree and between forests. The roots of the old-growth trees that touch us also connect to the roots of the trees in the...
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...
Love: What We’ve Got to Do With It
An orange sea washed over the steps of the California State Capitol. Students several years my junior, adorned in orange shirts, glasses, and hats, held up handmade signs as they rallied for proper relationship health education. This “Orange Day of Action,” named after the signature...
University, Pay Us More Than Fifteen-Fifty
Santa Cruz’s current minimum wage is $15.50. That’s $11.94 short of the minimum amount needed to cover living expenses for a resident of the country’s second most expensive place to live. Although California’s minimum wage was raised 50 cents to $15.50 as of Jan. 21,...
How Do We Learn Past the Letter?
At UC Santa Cruz, grades matter — but the process doesn’t. Universities seek to inspire change and educate the bright minds of the future by challenging young people to think critically. UCSC was founded with that mission in mind, offering a unique grade-less pedagogy. Students...
Traffic Jam on Heller Drive: How UC Santa Cruz is Failing Commuters
Between unpredictable buses, the infuriating parking pass lottery, and the limited number of ParkMobile spaces available around campus, the current transportation situation makes everyone’s lives harder. It’s only going to get worse if UC Santa Cruz carries out its expansion plan while not providing adequate...
Words Fail. Santa Cruz Needs More Than Presidential Acknowledgement.
For those struggling on the frontlines of natural disaster, the arrival of the nation’s president should mean that everything is going to be alright. But following President Joe Biden’s visit to the county on Jan. 19, few were left with an improved sense of support...
Slug Points Are Flawed. Here’s How We Can Fix Them.
First-year Beyoncé Retana says she’s a picky eater. It’s one of the reasons why she doesn’t go to the dining hall as often as her peers. As a dorm resident, she is required to buy a Slug Points meal plan from the university. With a...