Merrill College

Cultural Identities and Global Consciousness

Congratulations and Welcome

To help prepare you to apply for housing and to live on campus, we offer this housing guide containing important information about your college, housing options, and answers to many commonly asked questions about campus housing.

It is our goal to provide you with an academically and socially supportive environment that will help you build a strong connection with the campus and get the most out of your UCSC experience.

We look forward to having you as part of our campus community!

Your College

Merrill College is committed to connecting students to the academic resources and social activities of the larger university while having the support and security of our smaller scale community. Whether you are studying computer engineering, politics, or music, you will find your home at Merrill College.

Merrill College is a stimulating and innovative college where our students, faculty, and staff represent numerous cultural groups and nationalities. Merrill’s goal is to stimulate respect for all world cultures as well as the individual heritage of each Merrill student. Merrill students develop a sense of community, social consciousness and social responsibility—both locally and globally. They come to appreciate how people from the most diverse cultural backgrounds can work together. The social atmosphere at Merrill College is friendly, focused, engaging, and accepting.


The Merrill Mission

Merrill College is dedicated to helping students engage responsibly with the world. As a community, we strive to embrace formative practices — to learn what we don’t know and how to know it, and to take action on what we have learned — in order to create a more just and inclusive world. Merrill strives to help students understand and develop their positions. We intentionally make space for a diversity of perspectives and encourage community members to own their impact on others.

DJ at KZSC radio
 
Merrill students studying

Merrill Student Government

Merrill Student Government (MSG) is composed of approximately 12 students who organize college activities and support campus student organizations with their events. MSG serves as the voice for Merrill students' concerns or interests to the Merrill staff and other campus constituencies.

It allocates funding that supports social, cultural, and educational activities that benefit Merrill College and its students. The College Programs Coordinator acts as the staff adviser to the organization.

Merrill College Map

The Merrill Experience

Merrill College offers a variety of educational and extracurricular opportunities.

Classroom Connection links community experience to university education by placing students in internships for credit in area schools.

Merrill hosts KZSC radio station, Merrill Pottery Co-op, and the Lionel Cantú Queer resource center.

In addition to hosting welcome week events after move-in, the Merrill Activities Office provides programs and events throughout the year, including interactive pop-ups, movie nights, Moat Day (celebration of murals), workshops, performers, and dances.

 
 

Merrill College residence hall building
Happy Merrill students
Merrill College Program Coordinators
Students at Merrill mural wall