Community and Resource Centers
UC Santa Cruz is home to a vibrant network of six campus resource centers open to all students. Each center offers its own mix of programming, events, and support services, while working together to foster connection and collaboration across communities. From academic support and leadership opportunities to comfortable spaces where you can relax, study, and hang out, the resource centers are here to help you feel at home. Rooted in student activism and cultural celebration, they’re part of a wider network of programs and spaces across campus where students can find community and thrive.
Resource Center:
African American Resource and Cultural Center (AARCC)
From the Welcome Black BBQ and elegant Black Love Gala to the 15-year tradition of Pachanga (celebrating Afro-Latine culture with El Centro), AARCC creates spaces for celebration, connection, and community building. Connect with mentors through the African American Mentorship Program, explore Santa Cruz through ABC Outings, stock up on culturally affirming essentials at The Black Shop (our on-site basic needs pantry), and celebrate achievements at Black Grad. Rooted in the wisdom that “if you want to go far, go together,” AARCC offers both vibrant programming and essential support services for academic and personal growth.
Resource Center:
American Indian Resource Center (AIRC)
Your home away from home, AIRC creates bridges between campus life and tribal communities while honoring traditions and empowering futures. Join the Fall Welcome celebration with games and food, experience the UCSC Pow Wow, or attend Indigethankx, an alternative Thanksgiving celebrating Indigenous foodways. Learn from Native leaders through the Amah Mutsun Speaker Series, and celebrate achievements at the Year End Celebration honoring Native graduates. Access Native-focused scholarships and resources, connect with mentors who understand your journey, and find both cultural grounding and leadership opportunities in a welcoming, supportive community.
Resource Center:
Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center (AA/PIRC)
AA/PIRC co-creates engagement opportunities that explore the complexities of Asian American, Pacific Islander, and Southwest Asian & North African experiences and identities. Through signature annual events like the vibrant Heritage Night Market (held at the Quarry Amphitheater) and Comedy Night, plus academic courses, leadership development programs, and cross-campus conferences like SWANA Con, students find pathways for both individual growth and collective celebration. Whether you’re connecting at Community Welcome, pursuing scholarships, or engaging in cultural education, AA/PIRC offers holistic development within a supportive diaspora community.
Resource Center:
El Centro: Chicanx Latinx Resource Center
Where cultura thrives and comunidad belongs. Build community at biweekly Pan Dulce Fridays, honor ancestors at the Día de los Muertos ceremonia held in the Quarry Amphitheater, and celebrate Afro-Latiné culture through the collaborative Pachanga tradition with AARCC. From La Bienvenida in the fall to the Chicane Latiné Year-End Celebration, El Centro creates many opportunities for connection throughout the year. Beyond vibrant programming, El Centro supports your academic journey with internship opportunities, affiliated student organizations, scholarships, and resources that promote critical understanding of Chicanx and Latinx communities both locally and internationally.
Resource Center:
Lionel Cantú Queer Center
Tucked behind Merrill and Crown Colleges, the cozy “Cantú Cabin” offers a treehouse-like space where students can connect, study, and find support. Explore the Cantú Clothing Closet for free gender-affirming gear, browse over 300 titles in the Queer & Trans Library, and join vibrant programming from the Trans & Queer Fall Mixer to the 20+ year tradition of Lavender Graduation. Attend the BAAITS Powwow with AIRC celebrating Two-Spirit identities, or check out the Mother Earth Drag Extravaganza. Whether you’re seeking study space, gender-affirming resources, or a community that challenges binaries and honors intersecting identities, the Cantú is here for you.
Resource Center:
Women’s Center
Affirming the dignity and diversity of all women since 1985, the Women’s Center creates community spaces for individual and social change. Located in Cardiff House alongside AIRC and PoCSC, the Center offers both vibrant programming and essential resources. Join the Welcome Fall Ball to kick off each year, browse student vendors at Makers’ Markets, celebrate women-identified leaders at the Women’s Award Gala, and engage with sexual assault awareness through Shatter the Stigma. Beyond events, you’ll find free basic needs supplies, free printing, a feminist library, and a fully-stocked community kitchen. Whether you’re seeking creative activities, supportive dialogue, practical resources, or ways to challenge and uphold feminist traditions, the Women’s Center welcomes all women and allies.
Community space:
People of Color Sustainability Collective (PoCSC)
PoCSC leads groundbreaking work in environmental justice by centering the voices and contributions of people of color. Through student discussion spaces, workshops, speaker presentations, and social media campaigns, the Collective reexamines sustainability to be truly inclusive of all communities. PoCSC coined the term “inclusive sustainability”—a framework that disrupts gatekeeping, acknowledges historical contributions of communities of color, and embraces different cultural approaches to caring for the environment. This collaboration between the Ethnic Resource Centers, College Nine, John R. Lewis College, and the Campus Sustainability Office creates critical dialogue about the intersections of race, class, gender, culture, and environmental justice.
Community space:
Student organizations
At UCSC, students don’t just join organizations—they lead them. Our hundreds of Registered Student Organizations span every interest area: academic, cultural & identity, environmental & sustainability, general interest, Greek letter, media, performing & visual arts, political & advocacy, professional, religious & spiritual, and service. These student-initiated, student-run groups offer real-world experience in leadership, collaboration, budgeting, advocacy, and event planning. Whether you’re ready to join an existing group, start your own organization, or apply for funding for your next big idea, there’s truly a place for everyone to build community and make an impact.
Meet our team
Nancy Kim, M.A. (She/Her)
Executive Director, Resource Centers
Email: ercadmin@ucsc.edu
Nancy Kim (Merrill ’94, American Studies) is the Executive Director of the UC Santa Cruz Resource Centers and a proud UCSC alumna. She returned to campus in 1999 to become the founding Director of the Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center, after earning her Master’s in Asian American Studies at UCLA.
For over 25 years, Nancy has been a guiding force in shaping UCSC’s student resource centers into spaces rooted in community, coalition, and collective care. Her work emphasizes intersectionality and collaboration across identities, creating environments where all students feel seen, supported, and empowered. One of her greatest joys is seeing students evolve—from quiet first-years into confident changemakers—and witnessing former team members carry forward the values of equity, community, and transformation.
Resource center directors
Autumn Johnson, M.A. (She/Her)
Director, African American Resource and Cultural Center
Email: aarcc@ucsc.edu
Caz Salamanca, M.A. (He/Him/Siya)
Director, Asian American/Pacific Islander Resource Center
Email: aapirc@ucsc.edu
delfín w. bautista, MSW, MDiv. (They/Them/Elle/Elles/delfín)
Director, Lionel Cantú Queer Resource Center
Email: queer@ucsc.edu
Xiomara Lopez, M.Ed. (She/Her/Ella)
Director, El Centro and Latiné Student Success
Email: elcentro@ucsc.edu
Our mission and vision
Our mission: UCSC Resource Centers are open to all students and offer counter-spaces for students who are queer, trans, nonbinary, womxn, and people of color, as well as impact institutional policies and campus climate. We engage the broader campus on issues and challenges facing our communities, and provide programs, physical spaces, and services to foster students’ academic, personal, and professional growth through community-based leadership development.
Our vision: All students feel fully affirmed in their diverse and intersecting identities, are empowered in their academic success, and graduate with a sense of belonging to UCSC.