ABC Themed Housing Communities

ABC themed living-learning communities are located at many of UCSC’s residential colleges, and are available to students of any college affiliation.

• ABC themed communities are directly connected to the Office of African, Black, Caribbean (ABC) Student Success and the African American Resource & Cultural Center.
• These communities are designed for students whose interests span historical, present-day, and future experiences of predominantly African, Black, and Caribbean peoples.
• ABC themed communities intentionally create space for students to feel connected, safer, and supported in a community centered on the experiences of African, Black, and Caribbean peoples.

Utilizing the community cultural wealth model, students develop cultural competence/cultural intelligence, aspirational capital, linguistic capital, resistance capital and ally development through organizing, living, studying, and socializing with peers passionate about political, cultural, popular, social, and economic issues of the African Diaspora.

Students who indicate an interest in living in ABC theme housing will be required to complete a supplemental application when applying for university housing. All students must agree to the principle that all members of ABC theme housing are expected to model behaviors that ensure a safer and supportive environment for African, Black, and Caribbean peoples.

The ABC themed housing communities include:

Rosa Parks African American Theme House (R.PAATH) and R.PAATH Apartments

Located at Stevenson College, the Rosa Parks African American Theme House is available to students of any college affiliation. There are residence hall spaces for first-year students (strongly encouraged for Black Academy participants) and apartment spaces for continuing students available to current and future R.PAATH residents. Students who have lived in R.PAATH previously have the ability to return to the community when they indicate it in their supplemental application. All students in R.PAATH are matched with a College Possible Coach who you will connect with on a monthly basis to assist Academic Success, Personal Development, and Financial Management. All students connected to a College Possible Coach also have a lifetime nationwide connection to Americorps beyond your participation in the program. More about R.PAATH »

ABC STEM @ Biko House (available to Oakes affiliates only)

Located at Oakes College, ABC STEM @ Biko house is only available to Oakes affiliates. Named after Steven Biko, anti-apartheid leader and founder of the Black Consciousness Movement (Black Consciousness began to be defined as “an attitude of mind” or “way of life” of Black people who believed in their potential and value as Black people and saw the need for Black people to work together for a holistic liberation), Biko house is connected to our ABC STEM community. Students develop and utilize strategies that assist them in communicating and building relationships across political, social, and cultural differences. Students benefit from:

• A strong connection with Oakes’ Scientist-in-Residence housed within the community
• Priority enrollment in Oakes 3L course (if enrolled in Pre-Calc or Calculus in their first year at UCSC)
• Experiential learning in the Black Lives Matter Garden
• Involvement with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
• A direct connection to faculty and staff committed to the progress and success of ABC students pursuing a degree in STEM

Shabazz Apartments

Located at Oakes College, Shabazz house is named after El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz (Malcolm X) & Dr. Betty El-Shabazz, and encourages independent thought and cultural pride, while advocating self defense in the face of oppression. These apartment spaces are for continuing students and available to students of any college affiliation. Students living in this community can anticipate: 

• Engaging in their community around Black Liberation and cultural pride
• Gaining the ability to explain the multiple dimensions of individual and social group identities (race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, etc.) and demonstrating analysis of their own identity, biases, and culture

ABC STARRS

Located at Rachel Carson College, the ABC STARRS community is specifically designed for incoming transfer students. As a cohort, ABC STARRS residents are connected to the Services for Transfer, Re-Entry, and Resilient Students (STARRS) Office. Residents of this community will have an opportunity to:

• Connect with other transfer or re-entry students around a shared experience of being continuing students in their first year at UCSC
• Participate in the extended orientation program known as Black Academy
• Gain practical experience engaging in the African American community on campus and in the local community
• Identify campus and community resources and activities that educate and support them on issues of the African Diaspora

ABC community @ NIJL

Located at the College Nine and John R. Lewis apartments, the ABC community @ NIJL aligns strongly to John R. Lewis College’s theme of Social Justice and Community as well as College Nine’s theme of International and Global perspectives. Residents of this community will:

• Be engaged in the Practical Activism Conference
• Articulate the need for social justice and/or service work
• Have the opportunity to learn and implement best practices and strategies on allyship to educate others and challenge incidents of bias and discrimination
• And more advanced students will actively participate and co-plan social justice and/or service work