Nick Ibarra

Katharina Pierini first enrolled at UC Santa Cruz in 1994 before life drew her away from her studies. Now a groundskeeper at the university, she is earning her bachelor's degree.

Cabrillo is revamping its fall course schedule to more than double its offering of in-person courses. It also will require vaccinations for students and staff on campus.

Ross Piscitello is graduating next week. But first he's making a final tour of the campus, performing at each residential college in the order in which they were built.

Their project preserves the first-hand accounts of 22 students and staff at UC Santa Cruz who — from near or far — navigated the successive crises the campus faced in 2020.

A report found soaring rates of out-of-area recruitment had led to housing and food insecurity for athletes, as well as subpar transfer and academic completion rates. But former athletes also spoke glowingly of the doors it had opened.

A task force led by the Santa Cruz city and county governments is calling on UC Santa Cruz to make five binding commitments restricting how — and where — it builds.

Advocacy groups fighting the University of California at Santa Cruz's plans are raising concerns about costs and the campus commitment to affordable housing.

While plans remain tentative, campus leaders are looking at reopening on-campus housing to nearly full capacity and holding the majority of courses in person.