Community Voices editor Jody K. Biehl reflects on her three years editing columns by Mike Rotkin and the education he offered her about Santa Cruz County, UCSC and being human.
UC Santa Cruz
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Mike Rotkin, former mayor and an essential figure in Santa Cruz progressive activism, dies at 79
Mike Rotkin arrived in Santa Cruz in 1969, not long after the University of California, and soon not only became a pillar of UCSC’s Community Studies program but launched into the progressive politics that reshaped the city. He served a record five terms as mayor and in a variety of other positions. He passed away at his home Wednesday.
Posted inEducation
UCSC continues fighting judge’s ruling against enrollment growth plan
UC Santa Cruz remains entangled in a legal battle with the city and county of Santa Cruz over its long-term campus expansion plan, which a judge ruled failed to adequately address local housing and environmental impacts tied to an 8,500-student enrollment increase by 2040.
Posted inBusiness & Technology
This week in Santa Cruz County business: La Bahia now taking reservations, new hotel hires, rentals vs. condos
An opening date for the luxury beachfront La Bahia Hotel & Spa and more local hospitality updates, why Santa Cruz is building rentals instead of condos and funding for a UCSC-grown startup – all that and more are in Jessica M. Pasko’s weekly look at Santa Cruz County business.
Posted inEducation
UCSC students say school failing to keep them safe from voyeur targeting dorm showers
Two UC Santa Cruz students say the university has failed to adequately respond to a series of voyeurism incidents in a campus dorm, including reports of someone filming students while they showered and stealing their clothing. Despite requests, students say the school hasn’t made timely or meaningful security upgrades.
Posted inEducation
UCSC campus provost Lori Kletzer steps down, returns to faculty position
UC Santa Cruz Campus Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Kletzer will step down from her post on July 15 after six years in the role, returning to a faculty position. Earth and Planetary Sciences professor Paul Koch has been named interim provost as the university prepares a national search for Kletzer’s replacement.
Posted inWestside / Downtown
Seymour Center now open daily for summer visitors
To accommodate summer visitors, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center is now open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Aug. 4.
Posted inEducation
The science of saving Ms. Blue: Seymour Center’s 87-foot whale gets an eco-friendly makeover
Scientists at UC Santa Cruz and local entrepreneurs are collaborating on a $350,000 restoration of the Seymour Center’s blue whale skeleton using innovative, eco-friendly techniques like shrimp-shell putty and 3D-printed recycled plastic.
Posted inEducation
UC Santa Cruz international student who had visa revoked was told to leave ‘ASAP’
A UC Santa Cruz graduate student from China was abruptly ordered to leave the U.S. in April after his visa and work authorization were revoked without explanation, one of hundreds of cases affecting international students nationwide. His status was restored by the end of the month, but he says the ordeal cost him thousands in lost income and legal fees.
Posted inEducation
Trump’s research cuts drive young UCSC astronomers to leave U.S. in search of academic careers
Facing deep federal research funding cuts and a tightening academic job market under the Trump administration, several UC Santa Cruz astronomy Ph.D. graduates are heading abroad to pursue their careers — a shift that students and faculty say reflects growing fear and frustration within the U.S. scientific community.