Community Studies at UC Santa Cruz

06/18/2025

Community Studies alum - I just learned of former Field Study Coordinator Mike Rotkin's death. He was such an influence on generations of Community Studies students, and I had such respect for him. Here's the link to the Lookout article.

https://lookout.co/mike-rotkin-former-mayor-and-an-essential-figure-in-santa-cruz-progressive-activism-dies-at-79/story?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Mike%20Rotkin%20alert%20061825&utm_source=ActiveCampaign

-Joanie Peterson
Retired Community Studies Student Advisor

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 position...

06/15/2021

Community Studies Alums - spread the word! There's a new Community Studies Alumni Network on LinkedIn - click through to join!

Sign in or join now to see posts like this one and more.

04/02/2021

Hey Community Studies people past, present and future! Check out this webinar that will take up questions) of how to better connect the university with communities in which they are situated through research and pedagogy. The free event happens on Monday May 7 from 11am-1pm PST. Follow the link for more info and registration to get the golden ticket zoom link.

All-In All-Together We know that the turbulence of our time and places can only be navigated safely when we are ‘all-in’ ‘all-together’ to find creative ways to deploy our resources, …

02/09/2021

Friends, join us for the annual CMMU Poster Session - this year we're ONLINE! Visit our 2021 Poster Session website https://tinyurl.com/cmmupostersession and register for our LIVE virtual event 2/18/2021.

01/25/2021

From CMMU Director Mary Beth Pudup:

Thirty years ago and under orders from then President George H.W. Bush, the United States opened war on Iraq. That invasion lead to a second Gulf War ordered by the second President George Bush. Our lives--all of our lives--were irreversibly shaped by those two needless wars in ways both large (Muslim bans) and small (airport screenings).

Perhaps most shocking is how little discussion has take place about this fateful anniversary amid the cascading political turmoil of January 2021.

John Malkin was a Community Studies major (CMMU class of 1992) when Iraq was invaded and produced a documentary video of the campus response to it. It was my first year on campus I well remember being in class, teaching, when a student burst in and gave word came in that "the bombs have started falling in Baghdad." The classroom emptied immediately.

John sent me a digitized version of his documentary he has uploaded to You Tube, and we are sharing the link here. John is a currently Santa Cruz based journalist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h4wcdzG_Xw&feature=youtu.be

Yours in peace.

Mary Beth

“Santa Cruz Responds to the Gulf War” is a 25-minute documentary that highlights the rallies, marches, direct actions and teach-ins that took place in Santa ...

10/06/2020

The UC Berkeley Labor Center is hiring! Check out the two opportunities below:
https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/job-opening-coordinator-of-student-field-programs/
https://laborcenter.berkeley.edu/job-opening-communications-director/

08/25/2020

We write to express our grief over the fires that continue in northern California and specifically in Santa Cruz, which have caused profound loss for some, not only re-location but truly dis-location for many, and a terrible anxiety for many more. Today, as we write, the weather has cooled in Santa Cruz and the fire personnel fighting the CZU Lightning Complex fire are gaining some management over what only a day or two ago was completely uncontrollable. There was even a bit of rain yesterday at UCSC; it felt like a miracle.

Many, many alumni reached out from all over the country to connect with faculty and staff who live in town. Your kindness has meant the world to us. THANK YOU.

To both our current students and local alums – and by local, we really mean anywhere where the fires burn – we are here to offer not only solidarity but support. Here are some resources we suggest:

The campus has ongoing information about the fire, including additional resources for students, faculty, and staff, at https://www.ucsc.edu/fire/.

For students who are impacted and need assistance related to emergency housing, food or other support tonight or after business hours please call 831-459-7003. During regular business hours, please contact the on-call Slug Support Case Manager whose information is available at this website: https://deanofstudents.ucsc.edu/covid-19-operations.html

In addition to support services offered by staff in the UCSC colleges and resource centers, Counseling and Psychological Services provides assistance for current UCSC students: https://caps.ucsc.edu/

The Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County has put together a comprehensive webpage regarding their Fire Response Fund, including resources for evacuees and their loved ones, and ways to take action: https://www.cfscc.org/updates/fire-response-fund

With our love,
xoxoxo

Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) stands against oppression and violence in all forms, given that its impact is to harm and divide people because of their differences. We express our care and compassion for those who are directly or vicariously affected by the discrimination, violence, terr...

07/17/2020

Check out yesterday's MetroFocus featuring CMMU alumna Marilyn Hollinquest co-founder of Radical Monarchs in conversation with fellow co-founders and PBS's POV!

They are The Radical Monarchs- a bold experiment that rethinks what it means to be a Girl Scout. They are an alternative to the scouting movement- designed specifically for girls of color- by women of color.

07/17/2020

CMMU Alumna Marilyn Hollinquest is in the news! Check out PBS's POV, kicking off its new season with the story of Radical Monarchs, the Oakland-based org co-founded by Hollinquest CMMU Class of 2003!

Marilyn Hollinquest (left) and Anayvette Martinez founded the Radical Monarchs, of which Martinez’s daughter Lupita was a charter member. The Oakland nonprofit focuses on empowering girls…

06/12/2020

Hello everyone -- Temp Job Opportunity!

Mission Neighborhood Health Center is recruiting for 2 temporary, full-time Spanish/English bilingual COVID-19 Testing Assistant. We think the role will last through at least the summer, and unknown if after that-- depends on how this pandemic develops. The role is non-clinical and doesn't require previous health care experience (some knowledge of health care and customer service experience preferred), but involves working closely with our Nursing Team at our centralized COVID-19 Testing site in the Mission District. It's a good opportunity for students or recent grads interested in the health care field. The posting is here if you want to share with students or alumni:

Mission Neighborhood Health Center honors our Latino roots with a tradition of providing compassionate, patient-centered care. We advocate for health equity and deliver innovative, high quality services responsive to the neighborhoods and diverse communities we serve.

06/03/2020

Hello:

In the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd and the protests that have spread so quickly and intensely across the country, we want to reach out to you all. Some of you may have been or continue to be part of demonstrations or may know people who were/are taking a stand and marching in solidarity, all around the country and world.

Please let us know how you are or what the scene is like where you are. Send images if you can. And know that this is a time to take care of each other as a way of taking care of ourselves. The Community Studies motto is "We are everywhere." We want to add to that, wherever we are, we're together in spirit and commitment.

With eternal respect and affection,

CMMU Program Faculty & Staff

05/20/2020

CMMU 10 is being taught this summer by Feminist Studies PhD Candidate Lani Hanna -- it's going to be a great class, spread the word!

Seats still open in this Community Studies at UC Santa Cruz remote class. Survey different strategies of community activism including charity, volunteering, labor and community organizing, and recently emerging global activism.

Learn how certain strategies challenge existing social relations and arrangements while others typically (and often by design) reproduce them. Open to visiting and high school students. Learn more at https://summer.ucsc.edu/index.html