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.
UC Santa Cruz
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 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 inHealth & Wellness
Profesor de UCSC busca llenar vacíos en los datos de monitoreo del aire en el Valle de Pájaro para ayudar a trabajadores agrícolas a enfrentar posibles impactos de salud por la contaminación
Javier González-Rocha, profesor asistente de matemáticas en UC Santa Cruz, ha estado trabajando para identificar vacíos en los datos de monitoreo del aire en el Valle de Pájaro con el fin de informar mejor a los trabajadores agrícolas.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: Graniterock facing lawsuit over Pajaro River; housing development at former Outdoor World site moves forward
In her weekly look at local business, Jessica M. Pasko reports on a lawsuit filed by environmental groups against Watsonville’s Graniterock, development continuing in downtown Santa Cruz and plenty more names, numbers and dates to know.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
If there had been a stop sign at Bay and Meder, my UCSC friend would be safe; the city must fix this intersection
A UC Santa Cruz student was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident at Bay Drive and Meder Street on Jan. 30. His high school friend and fellow UCSC student Aidan Smith has struggled to cope with the crash and has come to see it as more than just a tragic accident. The risks at Bay and Meder were already known, he writes. He believes the intersection is dangerous and urges the city to change the traffic pattern by adding a stop sign or something to slow drivers down and permit easier crossing before another life is changed forever.
Posted inEducation
UCSC hires UC Berkeley administrator as new second-in-command
UC Santa Cruz has appointed UC Berkeley executive dean Jennifer Johnson-Hanks as its next campus provost, with a start date of Jan. 1, 2027, Chancellor Cindy Larive announced last week.
Posted inEducation
UCSC to reduce number of provosts by half, with each leading two of its 10 colleges instead of one
UC Santa Cruz will cut the number of college provosts in half next academic year, shifting to a model where five full-time provosts each oversee two colleges instead of one, a change administrators say will improve coordination and expand access to programs. The move has sparked concern among alumni who fear it could weaken college identity and student relationships, though university officials and current provosts say it will strengthen the system rather than diminish it.
