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.
Higher Ed
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.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
UCSC’s student success lies in the college system. Now the university is gouging it.
Two UC Santa Cruz students are concerned that university budget cuts are stripping resources from the beloved residential college system and weakening the student support networks that have benefited them and defined campus life since the campus’ inception. Alex Santiago and Isaac Belloso say staff layoffs and reductions in provost positions are eroding mentorship, belonging and academic success and implore university leaders to reconsider the cuts and include students in the decision-making process. These relationships, they say, shape opportunity – especially for first-generation and low-income students.
Posted inEducation
Cabrillo College board censures trustee Steve Trujillo after finding he violated board policy
The Cabrillo College governing board voted Monday night to censure trustee Steve Trujillo after determining he violated board policies on four occasions. The censure, which bars him from leadership roles and committee service for three years, follows prior disciplinary action in 2023.
