Social Consciousness
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DSAS welcomes Ebonée Williams as new associate vice chancellor for student success and equity
Ebonée Williams joins the Division of Student Affairs and Success as the new associate vice chancellor for student success and equity.
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A public dedication in the name of civil rights
Hundreds of campus and regional community members gathered beneath the redwoods encircling Quarry Amphitheater to watch the former College Ten make history, rededicating itself as John R. Lewis College in memory of the legendary civil rights leader.
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A remarkable, first-time film course tackles the criminal justice system
UC Santa Cruz Film Professor Sharon Daniel’s two-quarter undergrad course, FILM 171S-02, is not your typical film school fare. This course, titled Reasonable Doubts: Making an Exoneree, aims for nothing less than to free wrongfully convicted persons currently incarcerated in American prisons.
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An advocate for menstrual equity
Student Amanda Safi helped get a new California law passed that requires public schools to stock restrooms with free menstrual products—a move activists say is a first step toward rectifying the discrimination, stigma, and financial, educational, and health consequences faced by those who menstruate.
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Bridging the educational divide on a global scale
Alumnus Fred Mednick, founder of two-time Peace Prize–winning NGO Teachers Without Borders, has worked to expand worldwide educational access for over two decades.
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Stepping up to fight food insecurity
UC Santa Cruz has expanded its annual Second Harvest Holiday Food and Fund Drive to help boost donations—needed now more than ever in the wake of the pandemic, wildfires, and economic turmoil.
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Reviving deep-rooted knowledge
The Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the Arboretum & Botanic Garden aims to assist the tribe’s efforts in cultural revitalization, recuperation and relearning of dormant cultural knowledge, and environmental justice.
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Engineer David Lee wins funding for public interest technology program
David Lee, assistant professor of computational media, has received funding through the Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) for a program to provide community-engaged experiential learning for students.
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UC Santa Cruz advances commitment to social justice with College 10 naming in honor of John R. Lewis
College Ten—an undergraduate residential learning community founded on principles of social justice and community—will be named in honor of the late congressman and civil rights icon John R. Lewis.
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New BBQueer Fest dance and arts festival co-produced by UCSC dance professor Gerald Casel
Beginning on September 30, Santa Cruz will host the first annual BBQueer Fest—a four-day dance and arts festival organized by and for QTBIPOC artists and community members.
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Felicity Schaeffer named Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies
Felicity Amaya Schaeffer, the new Peggy and Jack Baskin Foundation Presidential Chair for Feminist Studies, plans to address the most pressing issues of the department’s focus on social justice.
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Karen Tei Yamashita to receive 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters
UC Santa Cruz emerita professor of literature Karen Tei Yamashita will be awarded the 2021 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from The National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards.