Student Experience
Slug Summer Send-Offs welcome new UC Santa Cruz students
The Slug Summer Send-Off Series, hosted by the UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association, helps incoming students and their families feel welcomed, supported, and connected before they arrive on campus.
Incoming students participate in meet-and-greets during a Slug Summer Send-Off in 2024.
Key takeaways
- Slug Summer Send-Offs are an opportunity for incoming first-year and transfer students, along with their families, to connect with fellow Slugs in their local communities before arriving on campus in the fall.
- The Alumni Association will host a total of 20 Summer Send-Off across 11 California counties, and two virtual options.
In just three months, a new class of UC Santa Cruz students will arrive on campus, many leaving home for the first time. The excitement of this next chapter often comes with questions, nerves, and uncertainty—for both students and their families. To help ease the transition and foster early connections, the UC Santa Cruz Alumni Association hosts its annual Slug Summer Send-Offs series.
Slug Summer Send-Offs are an opportunity for incoming first-year and transfer students, along with their families, to connect with fellow Slugs in their local communities before arriving on campus in the fall. The events feature meet-and-greets for incoming students and a Q&A session for family members with UC Santa Cruz staff from the Division of Student Affairs & Success, Admissions, Orientation, and University Advancement.
The series kicked off on June 24 with an all-virtual session. The Alumni Association will host more than 1,500 students and their families at 20 send-off events across 11 California counties, as well as two virtual options.
“The Slug Summer Send-Offs are such a special tradition,” said John D. Pine, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Alumni Engagement. “They give incoming students and their families a chance to feel connected, supported, and welcomed into the UC Santa Cruz community before the school year even begins. It’s a reminder that, from day one, they’re part of something bigger: a network of alumni, staff, and peers who are cheering them on.”
Send-Off locations are chosen by the areas with the greatest number of incoming students. This year’s locations include: Alameda, Contra Costa, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, Sacramento Valley, Salinas, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County.
The first in-person Send-Off takes place Saturday, June 28 in Santa Clara County.