More than 80% of Santa Cruz’s graduate student workers voted against the December 2022 contract that ended a historic six-week UC-wide strike. The deal, which boosts wages and child care subsidies, exacerbated a rift between workers at prestige campuses such as UCLA and those at smaller schools. The union representing UCSC grad student workers says it’s continuing to find new ways to organize and push for better employment contracts to offset the region’s high cost of living.
Education
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Faculty diversity: Why do California community colleges struggle?
“Progress remains slow,” according to a recent report on faculty diversity at California’s community colleges. For Nikia Chaney, the sole full-time Black faculty member at Cabrillo College, the experience is personal.
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Santa Cruz County public schools projected to have steepest enrollment decline in California
Santa Cruz County’s public schools are set to see enrollment drop by more than 21% over the next decade, the steepest decline of any county in California, according to recent figures from the state. The dramatic projections are escalating concerns among education leaders across the county. Officials from at least one local district say they may have to start discussing whether or not to close schools.
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Driver in UC Santa Cruz bus crash dies
Dan Stevenson, the bus driver who was behind the wheel of a bus that crashed on UCSC’s campus on Dec. 12, has died from his injuries. The school’s investigation into the cause of the accident is still ongoing.
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UC Santa Cruz continues investigation into Dec. 12 campus bus crash
UC Santa Cruz officials say the cause of the Dec. 12 bus crash on campus remains under investigation. Two passengers were critically injured and four others suffered minor to moderate injuries.
Posted inLatest News
Former Santa Cruz High band employee charged in 2001 sexual assault
Santa Cruz police say a former Santa Cruz High School band employee assaulted a student in 2001. They’re asking anyone with information about the case or any other allegations to contact the police department.
Posted inFood & Drink
New Cabrillo Wine Studies degree raises profile of Santa Cruz’s wine industry
Starting in the 2024-25 academic year, Cabrillo College will offer a 60-unit associate degree in Wine Studies, plus two companion certificates. It’s one of two wine degrees offered at public institutions south of San Francisco, and its broad course of study has it poised to become one of the best in the state, drawing attention to the often-overlooked Santa Cruz Mountains wine region.
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Students, workers union say UCSC slow to address safety concerns ahead of bus crash
While the cause of Tuesday night’s UC Santa Cruz bus crash remains under investigation, some students and union reps say the university has not acted on their concerns surrounding bus conditions. Labor leader Rebecca Gilpas said that if a mechanical issue does end up being the cause of the accident, “somebody has to be held accountable.”
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UC Santa Cruz bus crash injures six, damages historic lime kiln
A UC Santa Cruz bus drove off the road Tuesday night and struck a lime kiln near the Cowell Ranch Hay Barn. In a campuswide email Wednesday, administrators confirmed that six people were injured, two critically; five are students and one is a university employee.
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Lookout Update: UCSC says it will start constructing Student Housing West in the spring
UC Santa Cruz officials say they plan to begin construction on the long-delayed Student Housing West project in the spring. Opponents of the project say legal challenges will likely prevent the school from breaking ground.