October Issue

Editor's Note

Much has been happening around Cabrillo lately--both good and bad. As we are all aware, this has been quite an eventful and turbulent year, politically, socially, economically, you name it. I doubt it is any coincidence that this semester has so far been the most eventful since I became a student here. The college continues to feel the effects of the new policies and funding changes made at the federal level. You can read Josephine Fahey's story about the latest funding cuts to impact Cabrillo in this issue.

Although things may seem dire as we venture further into a world where funding for education is not a guarantee, let's take a moment to appreciate and commend the progress Cabrillo is making. We are halfway through Hispanic Heritage Month and at the beginning of September, Cabrillo celebrated Hispanic Serving Institution Week with several events. Part of the celebration included the grand opening of the college's very first student multicultural center--no small feat in our current political climate. More information about the new campus resource can be found in this issue as well.

Despite funding challenges and obstacles, Cabrillo and UCSC's housing project has officially broken ground and is set to be finished within two years. Check out our story about the new project and groundbreaking ceremony in this month's issue. As our nation faces challenging times, it's successes like these that make all the difference.

-Isabella Blevins

Upcoming Events

“Harmless Halloween:” Harm Reduction Tabling Event

Presented by the Student Health Services, the Harmless Halloween tabling event provides students at both the Aptos and Watsonville campuses with the materials and knowledge to have a safe Halloween experience. These resources include information on partying safety, free Narcan, free drug test strips, free condoms, and a vaccine clinic where you can get your flu shot. There will also be snacks and goodie bags. The event will take place on October 22 from 11am-2pm in the Cafeteria at the Aptos Campus, and on October 23 from 10:00-12:00 in the Breezeway at the Watsonville Campus.

Cabrillo College Homecoming

Cabrillo’s third annual Homecoming is set for October 25. Show up with spirit for the tailgate party at 3:30pm in the Gym Parking Lot (Lot K), featuring live music, food, activities, prizes, and more, followed by a football game against Gavilan College at 6pm. This year's theme is “One Community, One Celebration - Seahawks United!” Students, staff, faculty, and their guests receive free entry. Use this link to RSVP: Cabrillo Homecoming RSVP 2025 Link. 

Ana Teresa Fernández: TransPollination of Eden Gallery Exhibit

On view now through October 23 is San Francisco-based, Mexican-American artist Ana Teresa Fernández’s exhibition, “TransPollination of Eden,” inside the Cabrillo Gallery. The exhibition depicts the forms of plants and animals with mirrored surfaces and neon plexiglass appendages and foliage. It is described as a “dazzling sculptural forest ecosystem populated with various pollinators and a large serpent.” Viewers are able to see themselves reflected in the art and are encouraged to consider the connection between humans and the natural world. Fernández’s exhibition is part of Cabrillo’s LatinXperiencia series of annual exhibitions. 

Cabrillo Bookworms Club Open Mic & Halloween Bash 

All students are invited to the Bookworms Club’s open mic event on October 29 at 4pm in the new Student Multicultural Center (located below the Welcome Center). This semester’s open mic has a Halloween theme, and guests are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite literary figure or character. Those who attend are welcome to participate or watch their fellow students perform. RSVP here.

Taco ‘Bout Your Financial Aid Fair 

On October 7th from 11am-3pm, students are encouraged to visit the SAC West Room 202 to complete their 2026-2027 financial aid application, experience hands-on financial aid workshops, play fun games, and enjoy complimentary tacos! The flavors are bold, the vibes are festive, and your future is waiting. Let’s make financial aid fun (and delicious)!

Cabrillo Faces Title V Budget Cuts

In 2024, Cabrillo Community College was nominated as the best community college in the state of California. In 2025, our status is in jeopardy because of the U.S. Department of Education. 

On September 10, 2025, a press release was issued on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education stating that it would no longer grant funds to several Minority Serving Institutions, including Hispanic Serving Institutions.

“To further our commitment to ending discrimination in all forms across federally supported programs, the Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. 

Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah, Vice President of Student Services at Cabrillo, says, “We disagree with the administration's interpretation of the law and the Constitution that led to this decision. We believe that it is possible to promote equitable attainment for all students while also upholding principles of equality.”

Cabrillo has been an HSI since 2007 and has been receiving Title V grants since 2010. These budget cuts have amounted to a 3-million-dollar deficit, and the Cabrillo administration is bracing for financial devastation. 

To mitigate the effects of the deficit, the Cabrillo administration has been reallocating funds to continue to support all of our programs. However, the entire college community feels the loss. 

The security of many campus programs are impacted by these cuts, including Title V grants Abriendo El Camino and Camino al Exito, the Learning Communities Cohorts, dual enrollment and early college high school pathways, and the First Year Experience. Not to mention the faculty hiring freeze and class cuts after Spring 2025. 

Title V grants aim to expand institutional capacity and have funded several groundbreaking programs, such as STARS First Year Experience (2010-2015), Closing the Completion Gap for online courses  (2015-2020), Transfer Pathways to CSUMB (2019-2024) and currently, Abriendo El Camino (2022-2027), an infrastructure grant  to develop early college and career pathways for high school and dual enrolled students, and Camino Al Exito (2023-2028) to launch Cabrillo’s FYE program

Ann Endris, HSI Project Director at Cabrillo, explains that Cabrillo is primarily funded by enrollment, so when robust programs, like ones funded from Title V, result in higher student enrollment, the programs can become self-sustainable even after the grant money stops. 

Endris says, “We are in full momentum. When you’re in year three of a five-year grant, that means you are fully operational.”

Since the grant was awarded in 2022,  CCAP Dual  Enrollment in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District has increased by 300% and Pajaro Valley High School has just launched an early college dual enrollment pathway program that allows students to take free college courses at their high school campus.

Title V funding has helped Cabrillo and the education community of Santa Cruz for the last 15 years. Not only cutting those funds, but to stop them abruptly in the middle of a contract threatens to derail the progress Cabrillo is making and negatively impact the students in these programs. 

“The damage is clear, but that's not going to stop us from serving our students,” declares Endris.

Lynn Culli, a teacher at Oasis High School who works with Cabrillo staff on high school graduate pathways, says, “...taking away opportunities hurts everybody.” The dispersion and stretching of funds this semester have halted resource accessibility for many students. Cabrillo Administration is working hard to redirect funding, but like Culli said, “30,000 is not going to make up for 3 million.”

The main savings come from a hiring freeze initiated after the completion of Spring 2025. So far, 11 teachers have retired. The loss included 3 English teachers, 3 math teachers, a philosophy teacher, a biology teacher, a history teacher, and an academic counselor. This equates to 70 of its 1,394 classes being cut before the Fall 2025 semester. Currently, there is no news on when the freeze will be lifted. 

Faculty Union President and Economics Professor Greg Hanle states, “It's unfortunate the operations of something like a public school get thrown around in the politics mix.”

On the bright side, news broke on September 25th that the Title III HSI STEM grant will be receiving an increase of $344,000. This addition in funding will support the college considerably.

In addition, Cabrillo College Administration aims to mitigate financial losses by increasing enrollment and retention rates of Full Time Equivalent students. Promise on the horizon is the 2026 Housing Project. 

 As the 2025-26 academic year moves forward, let us remember “La Lucha Sigue”, the fight continues. 

–Josephine Fahey

Cabrillo Housing Project Officially Breaks Ground

Cabrillo College’s and UCSC’s highly anticipated  $181 million joint student housing project, called Costa Vista, is now beginning construction with the intention of reaching completion by July or August of 2027. 

“We are not just moving dirt today, but we’re moving forward with one of the first-ever housing collaborations between a University of California campus and a California Community College,” said Cynthia Larive, UCSC Chancellor. 

The 257,000 square-foot housing development will occupy three buildings on the plot of land currently known as the Multipurpose Fields, near the football field and sheriff station. The project will make 624 beds available; 60% of them reserved for Cabrillo students and the other 40% for UCSC students. 

According to Larive, about 200 Cabrillo students annually seek admission to UCSC. The Costa Vista project will allow Cabrillo students living in the student housing who transfer to UCSC the opportunity to remain in the same residence after they transfer. 

“Affordable housing for students is critically important to support their success and long-term goals,” said Cabrillo Student Trustee Grace Goodhue. 

She said that according to a survey from the CEO Affordability, Food & Housing Access Task Force–created by the Community College League of California–about 54% of Cabrillo students are affected by housing insecurity. Goodhue said that students who are single parents are one of the most impacted groups and emphasized the importance of the childcare center that the new housing project will offer. 

The childcare center will be operated by Community Bridges, a local organization that provides resources for families, seniors, and children throughout the county. Cabrillo President Matt Wetstein said that $5 million is needed to fund the childcare center. So far, he said that almost $3 million has been raised. Additional funding for the center came from a $1.67 million congressional community grant. 

“From the start we made an ethical, moral decision to say that our students who have kids need affordable housing and we’re not going to build a project without it,” said Wetstein.

In addition to the childcare center, the project will feature a number of other services and amenities including a wellness center with a food pantry, a fitness center, outdoor patios, and community and study lounges (among others). The use of bikes will be encouraged, as there will also be bike racks and storage, and a repair stand. 

Several different floor plans were designed for the project that are meant to house Cabrillo and UCSC students as well as Cabrillo student families. For students, there are two four-bedroom/two-bathroom layouts–one with single-occupancy and a smaller one with two beds in each room. A two-bedroom/one-bedroom option is available to both students and Cabrillo families. Lastly, the one-bedroom/one-bathroom layout is meant to serve Cabrillo families and comes unfurnished. 

The project’s leasing office will open next spring and will begin accepting housing applications as soon as August 2026. 

–Isabella Blevins

Club Spotlight

The Bookworms English Club 

The Bookworms English Club is a space meant to foster community through a shared appreciation of literature, language, and writing. In Spring 2025, a group of students banded together to establish Cabrillo College's first-ever English Club. The club hosts a semesterly Open Mic event as an outlet for students to share their art and writing. This semester, they attended Santa Cruz Shakespeare’s production of Master Harold and the Boys and will take field trips to see Midnight Movies at Landmark’s Del Mar theater in Downtown Santa Cruz. Join them every Monday in the Global and Human Studies Lounge (Library) from 2:30-4:30. Their next Open Mic will double as a Halloween Party! On October 29th at 4:00 pm in the Multicultural Student Center, dress as your favorite literary figure to enjoy food, music, and student performances! RSVP here.

ASCC and Scuttle Collaboration

In an effort to keep the student body informed and educated, the Associated Students of Cabrillo College (ASCC) and The Scuttle have initiated a collaboration that aims to strengthen the bond between students and the executive functions of Cabrillo College. 

Before the start of the Fall 2025 semester, the ASCC drafted four goals to support students. 

1. Support students through increased awareness and visibility of the Student Senate. 

2. Foster a sense of community by promoting student engagement, connecting students with campus resources, and supporting programs that offer classroom presentations.

3. Participate in campus wide communication to ensure transparency between the Student Senate and its constituents. 

4. Increase holistic wellness by promoting Student Health Services, financial literacy, physical activities, food resources, and academic support programs.

The Student Senate is a council dedicated to the fair advocacy of all Cabrillo Students. Their goals are developed to not only support students academically but also holistically. 

“I wish students were more informed of what we do. Resources like Seahawks Take Flight, The NEST, and Career and Academic Pathway (CAP) lounges around campus are all because of the Student Senate. The main thing is awareness. If students were aware of these conversations happening, they would want to take a more active role in what is affecting their community.” ASCC President, Viviana Moreno, says.

The ASCC and Scuttle agree that community engagement and individual well-being are synonymous. Our partnership focuses on accessibility and conscience. Students can now find out what the ASCC is working on through our monthly publication.

Roise O’Connor, ASCC Treasurer, emphasizes the Senate's goals for student inclusivity. “We want students to know that we are their constituents.”

You can reach any of the ASCC Officers during their office hours, or you can attend the ASCC meetings every Thursday from 3:30pm to 4:30pm, locations vary.  

If you are interested in getting involved in student life and want to become an ASCC Officer, you can apply on the ASCC webpage. Select Officer positions are still available. 

–Josephine Fahey

Cabrillo Opens Student Multicultural Center

Cabrillo kicked off HSI Week and Hispanic Heritage Month with a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony for its first ever Multicultural Student Center on Monday, September 8. The MSC is located on the Aptos Campus below the Welcome Center, in the space previously occupied by the bookstore. An estimated 300 people attended the ceremony, where various Cabrillo students and faculty gave speeches. Many of them highlighted the importance and timeliness of the new multicultural center. 

“Many of our identities are under attack,” said Devin Walker, Director of Student Success and Equity. 

Walker explained that it was “difficult to move something like this ahead,” given the country’s current political climate and added that the new center is “embedded in love and community.” 

The initial idea to open a multicultural center at Cabrillo was conceived in 2015 by Former Student Body President, Martín Vargas-Vega. A combination of congressional funding and leftover money from the Student Equity and Achievement fund carried the project to realization 10 years later. 

“In this space where other companies or larger organizations run and hide when DEI and equity come in, Cabrillo is doubling down, and for that I am forever grateful,” Vargas-Vega said. 

The MSC does not yet have a website; they are still in “phase one,” according to Walker, which involves getting the center open and getting feedback from students about how this new resource can best serve them. Phase two, he said, will take place over the course of this academic year, the focus of which is to design and decorate. The multicultural center has partnered with the college’s Visual and Performing Arts department to showcase student artwork inside the center beginning in October. 

According to Vice President of Student Services, Blanca Baltazar-Sabbah, a main goal of the center is “building more partnerships with the community.”

She said the space will serve a variety of purposes, including studying, hosting events, playing games, and possibly even offering students free haircuts. Student Body President Vivianna Moreno reiterated this sentiment, saying that the center is “very much intentional” to make students feel comfortable. 

Baltazar-Sabbah said she wanted students to know “We see you. We value you. We’re here to support you.” 

 –Isabella Blevins 

HSI Week Celebration: Watsonville On Strike

As part of Cabrillo's month-long Hispanic Serving Institution celebration, Cabrillo hosted “A Powerful Evening of Film and Resistance,” where a screening of Watsonville on Strike was shown on September 9. 

Directed and produced by local filmmaker Jon Silver, the powerful documentary follows workers and union members of Watsonville Canning and Richard A. Shaw Frozen Foods as they fought for worker rights and representation in 1985. The 18th-month strike was provoked by radical cuts in wages and benefits, and executed by mostly Mexican migrant women.

During these months, workers struggled with unemployment, food disparity, and financial frustration. Described as one of the most culturally unifying boycotts in the history of Watsonville, the community braved the frontier of underrepresentation, fighting for equitable workers' compensation with tenacity and valor.

The strike resulted in a victory when a new owner stepped up in 1987 and renegotiated benefits and compensation. It was considered one of the only successful strikes of the 1980s and gained national attention and support from civil rights leaders such as Cesar Chavez and Jesse Jackson. 

Guillermina Ramirez, an activist in the strikes of ‘85, was one of the 6 panelists at the screening. Ramirez was a single mom saving up to buy a trailer for her family. During the strikes, she lost her money and was left to deal with the financial burdens of raising a family with no income. After the strikes, she was inspired to go to Cabrillo College for an education and worked for the County of Santa Cruz for 16 years. 

“Que no haya divisiones, que no haya ambiciones malas, que siempre haya ayuda cuando se necesite, y que nunca ver a otra persona inferior. Todos somos iguales y debemos estar unidos.” Ramirez declares. 

The event was intimate, and family and friends filled the Sampler Recital Hall as Ramirez and the other panelists shared their accounts of the strike. 

The Watsonville Cannery Strikes embody every essence of the labor rights movement. The strikers faced discrimination, language barriers, racism, and despite it all, emerged victorious. The solidarity within the community compounded and lingers generationally. 

May the Cabrillo College community mirror their resilience and continue to empower underrepresented voices as a Hispanic Serving Institution.  

–Josephine Fahey