Feature Archives

On February 8th, 2010, the UC Santa Cruz judicial affairs office sent approximately 45 emails to various undergraduate and graduate students. The emails present a list of ten of the university codes of student conduct that had been allegedly broken by these students; these emails were identical, all including allegations of theft, destruction of property, disorderly or lewd conduct, among other codes said to have been broken at the November 2009 occupation of Kerr Hall at UCSC. Then on April 7th, 36 students received a resolution stating that they were each responsible for breaking all ten codes and would need to pay restitution. Of the 36 students, seven are faced with not only a restitution of $944, but other sanctions as well, including being immediately barred from campus, at least one suspension, and an expulsion.

Earth Day 2010 will take place on Saturday, April 17th from 11am to 4pm, rain or shine, at the San Lorenzo Park in Santa Cruz. There will be activities for kids, educational information, live music, a river clean-up, a compost workshop, an earthen plaster demonstration, and much more.

On April 7th, UC Santa Cruz issued a statement that the undergraduate Community Studies major has been suspended. The suspension restricts new admission to the major for at least two years. Professor and Department Chair B. Ruby Rich notes that, "Community Studies has roots back to the early days of [UC Santa Cruz] and a devoted following among students, alumni, and community organizations." In an interview with campus radio station KZSC, Community Studies Lecturer & Field Study Coordinator Mike Rotkin stated, "I don't want to be cynical, but there's been a number of programs that have been put on suspension in the past, none of them have ever come back."

On March 29th, Teachers for Class War interviewed students and teachers marching up the Central Valley from Bakersfield to Sacramento. They are making their voices heard to protect funding for public education in California, from kindergarten through university. The Teachers spoke with Jenn, Manny, Clay, Naomi, and Jose about why they're marching.

Army Spc. Marc Hall, who had been jailed in Georgia county jails since December 12, 2009 for producing an angry hip-hop song about "stoploss" was placed on a military flight bound for Iraq on the night of February 26, 2010. The Army has made it clear that Marc will face a General Courts Martial that could result in years in prison and a dishonorable discharge. Local musicians, artists, and GI rights supporters are coming together in benefit of Marc Hall on Friday, March 26th in Scotts Valley.

On Wednesday morning, March 17th, the words “f**k black people” were found chalked on the sidewalk outside the Otter Express at CSU Monterey Bay. This follows an incident the night before where an African American student was called the N-word by a student she did not know who later claimed to be "joking." The hateful words of Wednesday morning underscore that racial insensitivity is never a joke. By Thursday night, members from all racial communities came together in solidarity with the African American community that was the target of this particular racist incident.

Homeless musicians Anna Richardson and Miguel de Leon faced jail for allegedly defying laws against sleeping in Santa Cruz. The city had tried to argue that the pair were in contempt of court as they had been seen by police with blankets and all their possessions. The pair had an injunction preventing them from camping. At a court hearing on March 19th, Judge Timothy Volkman disagreed that the reports showed the pair were intending to camp. For homeless people, taking a nap with your belongings during the afternoon is not the same as camping.