About 40% of California’s community college courses are online now, redefining education. These courses are more accessible, college officials say, but they come with serious drawbacks.
Higher Ed
Posted inEducation
California colleges are seeing a rise of conservative voices. Some classes are tense
Turning Point chapters continue to grow on California campuses months after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Campuses are seeing tensions rise as conservative students become more vocal both in and out of the classroom.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Shrinking UCSC’s college system means more than losing my provost position; students will lose access and mentorship
UC Santa Cruz says its college provost reorganization is about investment and efficiency. But UCSC professor and current provost of Oakes College Marcia Ochoa says the changes were made with little consultation, will weaken students’ sense of belonging on campus and might actually cost the university more money. Ochoa is being pushed out of their provost position in the restructuring, but says it’s the students who will lose the most.
Posted inEducation
California community colleges crack down on fake students stealing financial aid
After a spike in fraudulent applications to California’s community colleges, school officials say they are getting better at detecting and preventing fraud, though it still happens.
Posted inEducation
Group of UCSC faculty fights to restore language programs, prevent pending cuts
UC Santa Cruz faculty members are pushing back against planned cuts to the university’s languages department, including the elimination of all Arabic courses next year. Administrators say the reductions are necessary due to budget constraints and declining enrollment, while faculty argue that the cuts harm cultural learning and student community spaces.
Posted inEducation
UC, AFSCME 3299 reach tentative agreement and avert strike
The University of California and the union representing around 40,000 of its employees reached a tentative labor agreement early Thursday morning, averting a planned open-ended strike involving service and patient care workers across the UC system. The proposed contract includes wage increases, caps on healthcare premium hikes, expanded leave and workplace protections.
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College, UCSC among schools affected by nationwide cyberattack
Cabrillo College and UC Santa Cruz were among thousands of schools nationwide impacted last week after a cyberattack on Canvas parent company Instructure forced temporary shutdowns of the learning management platform just as students were preparing for finals. Officials at both campuses said Canvas has since been restored.
Posted inEducation
UC workers prepare for systemwide open-ended strike on Thursday, with local impacts to patients, buses, dining services
More than 40,000 University of California workers, including about 530 at UC Santa Cruz, are preparing for an open-ended strike beginning Thursday. Campus officials warned students and staff to expect disruptions to dining, transportation and health services.
Posted inEducation
Tribes want Cal State to return Native remains and artifacts. Here’s why it’s not so easy
California State University campuses have mixed records in returning Native remains and artifacts to tribes. Campus officials say they are working diligently to follow legal mandates but that the process can be arduous, especially for non-federally recognized tribes.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
UCSC researcher aims to fill gaps in Pajaro Valley air monitoring data, help farmworkers deal with pollution health impacts
Javier González-Rocha, an assistant professor of mathematics at UC Santa Cruz, has been working to identify air monitoring data gaps in the Pajaro Valley to better inform farmworkers and the local community.
