CHP Now - City on a Hill Press

CHPNow

City on a Hill Press is produced by and for UC Santa Cruz students. Our primary goal is to report and analyze issues affecting the student population and the Santa Cruz community.

During the fall 2024 quarter, many students experienced delays in receiving their fall financial aid packages, forcing them to undergo an unexpected financial burden. According to Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships Lorena Rodriguez, on Nov. 12, seven weeks into the fall quarter, 84 students still had yet to receive their financial aid. This left some students scrambling to navigate the financial challenges caused by the delays while still managing their academic goals. While the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office (FASO) has expressed a willingness to address student concerns, many students feel unsupported due to long response times, limited transparency, and a lack of concrete answers. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Bella Counts, Lucas Sanchez, Matt Irwin, Maria Ralph, & Dave Ordoñez

FAFSA Delays: The Student-Admin Disconnect

On Jan. 20, students and community members joined together in downtown Santa Cruz for the 2025 MLK People’s March for the Dream. Facilitated by the Santa Cruz NAACP, the event honored MLK Day, concurrent to Donald Trump’s second inauguration. At 10 a.m., over a thousand attendees began their march through Pacific Ave, with notable organizations marching alongside. These organizations included the Santa Cruz Democratic Party, College Democrats at UC Santa Cruz, Unitarian Universalists Fellowship of Santa Cruz County, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, among many others. The march concluded around 11 a.m at the Civic Auditorium, with attendees filing into the space for a post-march event where five guest speakers delivered addresses. Senator John Laird, speaking to the crowd, voiced his reasoning for taking the stage. “My point in talking today was that everybody should pick something to really involve themselves, whether they have a special skill or a lot of time, and really make a difference.” Video by: Ashley Glancy, Bella Counts, Maria Ralph, and Matt Irwin

2025 MLK People's March for the Dream

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, every vote counts. Mobilizing Our Vote for Elections (M.O.V.E.), a student voting awareness group founded this year, organized an event with Vote Forward, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging Americans to vote. Those in attendance could write letters to swing states to encourage people to vote in this year’s race. Students came together in the Cervantes and Velasquez Conference Room on Oct. 8 to write letters and discuss what’s at stake in this year’s election. Students spoke of what's at stake, expressed their voices, and wrote with the future in mind — keeping community at the forefront of their collective. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Bella Counts, Lucas Sanchez, Matt Irwin, & Keith Gelderloos

Mobilizing the Vote, One Letter at a Time

On Oct. 7, Santa Cruz Revolutionary Student Organization (RSO), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and Jews Against White Supremacy (JAWS) held a Walk Out for Palestine, marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the brutal Israeli offensive in Gaza. For more information about the Oct. 7 Rally, read the rest of our coverage at cityonahillpress.com. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Bella Counts, Lucas Sanchez, & Matt Irwin

Students Walk Out for Palestine

On May 28, UCSC Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organized a demonstration in support of Gaza. An escalation of the month-old encampment, the rally lasted several hours. Students stood together, blocking the roads at both the base of campus and outside of Family Student Housing. Both entrances to campus remained blocked until 8:45 PM, with the main entrance remaining blocked into May 29. Video by: Gerardo Cordon, Bomi Choe, Colleen Barrett, Eva Stuewe, Keith Gelderloos, Caly Plowman, & Max Guerra

Shut It Down for Rafah: A Rally Fueled by Student Voices

Vote now at elections.ucsc.edu CHPNow is back to tell you more about this year’s campus election opinion polls and measures! Watch to learn more about Measure 81 and how you can voice your opinion about future funding for UCSC Climate Coalition and on-campus resource centers. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Lucas Sanchez, Sankritya Anand Rai, & Bella Counts

Campus Elections: What’s on the Ballot Part 2

Vote now at elections.ucsc.edu CHPNow is here to tell you about this year’s campus election opinion polls and measures! Watch to learn more about Measure 80 and how you can voice your thoughts on student participation in campus governance. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Lucas Sanchez, Sankritya Anand Rai, & Bella Counts

Campus Elections: What’s on the Ballot

Ready, set, vote! Vote now at elections.ucsc.edu Student Union Assembly (SUA) elections have officially begun, with online voting going until May 31. CHPNow spoke with several students who emphasized the importance of campus elections as a way to keep the administration accountable. For information on this year’s candidates, measures, and opinion polls, visit the SUA elections website at elections.ucsc.edu. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Bella Counts, Gerardo Cordon, & Lucas Sanchez
Illustrations & Graphics by: Yitong Lei, Mia Pabros, & Sankritya Anand Rai

SUA Elections: It's Time to Vote

On May 8, UCSC Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) held a rally for Rafah and the people of Palestine. Around 300 attendees filled the Quarry parking lot for the rally, which featured a guest appearance from artist and activist Redveil. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Gerardo Cordon, Eva Stuewe, & Sofia Ruster
Photo by: Keith Gelderloos

All Eyes on Rafah

Santa Cruz is a diverse coastal town, yet there is no local Asian market. With few Asian food options at chains such as Safeway, many Asian students feel disconnected from the Santa Cruz community. CHPNow spoke with students and businesses alike to learn more about how this lack of access to cultural foods affects the Asian community. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Gerardo Cordon, Bella Counts, Lucas Sanchez, Matt Irwin, & Nico Strickland

Santa Cruz: A Diverse College Town Without Diverse Food

UCSC has far more students than available beds. In 2023, the university enrolled roughly 300 more students than in the previous year. This, along with “a considerable increase in the number of students who would have been eligible for priority status” led the administration to implement a lottery system, thus eliminating priority groups. CHPNow spoke with students of all backgrounds to see how they have been affected by this change. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Gerardo Cordon, Matt Irwin, & Sankritya Anand Rai
Illustrations by: Lily Hooper

UCSC Housing Lottery Gambles with Students’ Futures

At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, UCSC Dining changed their Meal-To-Go Policy. These changes included making takeout only available on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. and revoking the option for students to grab to-go meals during finals week. These limits to meal accessibility, on top of increased prices, have left the student population frustrated. CHPNow spoke to students about their experiences following these dining policy changes. Their responses reflect the sweeping dissatisfaction found with UCSC Dining in recent years. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Gerardo Cordon, Matt Irwin, Sankritya Anand Rai, & Nico Strickland

Limited Takeout Hours Means Hungrier Students

TAPS Town Hall Part 2: Students Demand Answers On Friday, Feb. 2, the Student Union Assembly (SUA) hosted part 2 of its TAPS Town Hall. The Executive Director of TAPS, Dan Henderson, Associate Vice Chancellor for Risk and Safety, Clement Stokes, and Vice Chancellor for Finance, Operations and Administration, Ed Reiskin agreed to join via Zoom. A major talking point of the Town Hall was the report released by California Highway Patrol (CHP) that classified the loop bus system under “Imminent Danger to Public Safety”, as more than 50 percent of the regulated equipment sample was placed “Out-Of-Service.” Though CHP’s report clearly denotes a lack of efficiency, questions remain about concrete plans for remodeling the loop-bus system. Video by: Ashley Glancy, Gerardo Cordon, Nico Strickland, Bella Counts, Matt Irwin, & Sankritya Anand Rai

TAPS Town Hall Part 2: Students Demand Answers

Too many students, not enough bikes. BCycle began offering its services countywide and to the UCSC campus in 2023. Meant to encourage more sustainable forms of transportation, TAPS offered students a limited amount of $12 year-long BCycle memberships. Now that these subsidized memberships are sold out, students are asking for better safety precautions and more access to bikes and stations. Video by Ashley Glancy, Gerardo Cordon, Monique Willard, and Franny Trinidad.

Too Many Students, Not Enough Bikes

In the largest strike in the University of California History, 48,000 academic workers have withheld grades, instruction duties, and research until the UC offers them an acceptable contract. With major disruptions in operations caused at all undergraduate campuses, strikers hope that the university will address their urgent needs for improved wages, employment benefits, and housing security. CHPNow spoke with striking workers at UCSC about the importance of their demands, and the struggles they are faced with as academic employees of the university. Created by CHPNow team:
Keith Gelderloos
Carolyn Mock
Ashley Glancy
Jade Diones

48,000 Strong: Academic Workers' Strike for a Livable Wage