Crown College: A Hilltop Community Fostering Intellectual and Social Growth at UCSC
Crown College, one of the ten residential colleges at UC Santa Cruz, offers a unique living and learning environment focused on intellectual and social development. Founded in 1967, Crown has cultivated a reputation for academically focused students and a strong sense of community. This article delves into the various aspects of Crown College, from its location and residential life to its academic focus and student resources, providing a comprehensive overview for prospective students and current members of the UCSC community.
A Focus on Science, Technology, and Society
From the time of its founding in 1967, issues pertaining to the role of science and technology in society have been a focus of special interest at Crown College. Despite its thematic grounding in natural science and technology, like at all UCSC colleges, Crown students major in subjects across all disciplines. Several of the fellows of Crown College have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences or are otherwise notable for their academic work.
Notable Fellows
- Kenneth V. Thimann - Founding Provost notable for his research in biology; in 1934, obtained and isolated pure auxin, an important plant-growth hormone and, with several coworkers, proved that auxin promotes cell elongation, formation of roots, and growth of buds, discoveries that led to the development of a widely used synthetic auxin, 2,4-D. Use of this chemical prevents the premature falling of fruit and stimulates cut stems to grow abundant roots. Because high concentrations of auxins are toxic to most plants, synthetic auxins are effective weed killers.
- Sandra M. Faber
- Douglas N. C. Lin
- Stanford E. Woosley
Location and Residential Life
Located on the upper northern side of campus by Merrill College, Crown also borders the newly constructed Colleges Nine and Ten. Crown is located on a hilltop surrounded by a redwood forest. The award-winning architecture with its white walls and high-pitched tiled roofs suggests a hillside Mediterranean village. Crown is made up of eight three-floor residence halls as well as having about half of the Crown-Merrill apartment buildings. In the third week census of the fall of 2006, the 1,463 undergraduates affiliated with Crown included 449 new and 1,014 returning students.
Diversity and Inclusion
Their ethnic composition was 2.5% African American, 1.2% Native American, 22.8% Asian, 10.0% Latino, 4.0% Chicano, 4.4% Filipino, 45.7% Euro-American, 2.2% Other, and 7.2% Unidentified. The average gender representation during the 2005-06 academic year was 42% female and 58% male.
Housing Policies and Amenities
You may not stay in your room during the winter break period, however you may keep your possessions in your room during this period of absence. You may stay in your room during the Thanksgiving and Spring Break periods as they are covered by the housing contract. Please note that dining service is not available for either break period.
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The Campus Housing Office has compiled an excellent visual aid to help you get an idea of what you’ll need at college, and what is prohibited on campus. Check out What to Bring. Apartment-specific items: cooking pots and pans, dishes and other kitchen utensils; toilet paper, dish soap.
If you wish to hang items on the wall to decorate you room, you can do so. Please use pushpins or picture hangers. Using nails or screws is not permitted. Items may not be affixed to the ceiling or near smoke detectors or fire sprinklers. For fire safety reasons, hot plates, electric or gas grills, toaster ovens or other cooking appliances are not allowed.
Each pair of sister colleges shares a dining hall between them. The dining hall for Crown and Merrill Colleges is located near the academic buildings in Crown College.
There is a laundry room in each of the residence halls and two laundry rooms in the apartment complex. You will need laundry detergent since there are no dispensers in the laundry rooms. A laundry basket or bag is also a handy thing to have. Washers and dryers are operated using a laundry card, which is available for purchase from a machine located in the Crown Fireside Lounge and in some of the laundry rooms.
The ResNet program, which stands for RESidential NETwork, is a joint effort between The Colleges, Housing and Education Services and Information Technology Services (ITS). Rooms in the Upper Quad (Leonardo, Maxwell, Harvey, Galen) all are wireless. If you have a device that does not support wireless connections, we suggest you purchase a Wi-Fi adapter. If you will be living in the Crown apartments, you will have wireless internet access and therefore will not need a router.
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All college residences are connected to basic cable via telecommunications jacks in the rooms. Residents can connect to on-campus student programming or dozens of local and national broadcast channels. Established in 1973, KZSC Santa Cruz 88.1 FM is a listener-supported, commercial-free, educational radio station located at the University of California, Santa Cruz. KZSC broadcasts 10,000 watts to the Monterey Bay Area 18-24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Safety and Security
While the University community and the town of Santa Cruz are considered friendly and relatively safe communities, neither is immune to the realities of the world. The Campus Police Department maintains reported crime statistical information and community alerts. You will need to take precautions to secure your personal property and safety. Please keep your residence doors and windows locked and do not prop open any entry doors. Be aware of visitors and do not hold the door open for anyone to enter your residential building unless you know they live there. You must also consider your personal security and be aware of vulnerable situations. Keep your roommate and neighbors informed of your whereabouts and when you will be returning home. When possible, travel with a friend and check campus maps for the lighted paths and location of emergency Blue Phones. Report any suspicious activity immediately to your college staff or campus or city police. Your careful attention to security is in everyone’s best interest.
Residential Staff
Coordinators for Residential Education (CREs) are full-time professional staff, who along with student Residential Assistants (RAs), live on the halls and buildings along with students. They serve as the primary resource to residents and are trained to respond to emergencies, provide limited personal counseling and enforce campus policies. He or she is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of students, staff and guests; maintaining security and responding to emergencies; assisting residents who are locked out of their rooms; and enforcing campus policies and responding to noise complaints.
Visitor Policy
The housing contract allows a student to have a visitor stay in her/his room, with restrictions. Please talk to your roommate(s) about guests. Students may have a guest(s) for up to three (3) consecutive days and up to fifteen (15) days during one academic year. Residents are responsible for the actions of their guests at all times.
Academic Support and Programs
Crown College seeks to provide students with a living and learning environment in which they can positively develop intellectually and socially. Because of its strong academic roots, Crown College is regarded as one of the quieter colleges on the campus. We enjoy the strong support of generations of Crownies that have maintained alive the connection they formed when they were students here.
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Core Course: CRWN 1
All new frosh and transfer students who start fall quarter are required to enroll in one of two online orientation courses. Frosh enroll in CRWN 1A, Crown 1A: Introduction to University Life and Learning. Transfer students enroll in KRSG 1T, Kresge 1T: Introduction to Research Universities and the Liberal Arts. Crown College’s entering frosh enroll in our core course, CRWN 1, which explores Crown’s theme, Ethical and Societal Implications of Emerging Technologies. Students work individually, in small groups of four to five students, and in sections of 25 to 30 students, thereby modeling and embracing the diversity found across campus. CRWN 1 looks at technological revolutions and at their implications both locally and globally. CRWN 1 also explores issues of inequality and the ethical dilemmas involved and what we can do as responsible citizens to address the challenges facing our society. A central component of the course is a group research project, in which students study the impact of a technology of their choice, while learning strategies for effective group work. All students admitted as frosh are required to complete the core course.
Your core course is an introduction to university discourse, and it is designed to prepare you for the styles of critical reading, thinking, and engagement that you will encounter throughout your university experience. Students will work through the texts by responding to specific prompts on Canvas, which will launch discussions and debates in class, both in small-groups and with the entire class. Students will read actively as participants in a guided conversation between text and reader, empowered to find meaning in the texts they read-reading with or against the grain. Students will form an opinion on what a text is advocating-its point of view, key concepts, purpose, and perspective. Students will collaborate with peers from the very onset of the course. They will choose a research area and work on a research project within an affinity group of 5-6 students. This project will be scaffolded for topic selection and group members’ roles-with progress checkpoints and Group meetings with the Instructor.
Experiential Learning and Entrepreneurship
Complementing its focus on science and technology, Crown provides experiential learning opportunities and supports the development of transferable skills. This includes providing funding for materials needed for class projects (Crown Student Project Funds) and an extensive curriculum of elective classes. Crown offers three entrepreneurship classes: Start-up Entrepreneurship Academy (CRWN 90), Social and Creative Entrepreneurship (CRWN 92), and Fundamentals of Starting and Scaling an Organization (CRWN 100). Crown also offers two exciting opportunities for experiential learning in the area of entrepreneurship: GetVirtual Business Assistance (CRWN 95), and Marketing for Good (CRWN 91) and facilitates access to incubator space and to funding opportunities for student ventures through its partnership with the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Development.
Digital Literacy
Crown supports digital literacy through two classes: Computational Futurology: Use of Data Analysis for Predicting Human Behavior and Activity (CRWN 88), and Workshop in Computational Biology (CRWN 89). CRWN 88 covers statistical and computational approaches available to predict human activity, both at the individual and at the collective level, and culminates in a group project that integrates the concepts learned in the course. Crown also offers a variety of classes supporting multimodal communication and artistic expression. Finally, Crown has also established a collaboration with the departments of Mathematics and Statistics to develop a data science track.
College Scholars Program
Crown College participates in the UC Santa Cruz College Scholars Program (CSP), a stimulating home for highly motivated students to have community with like-minded peers during their first and second years as they explore research at a research university. The program recruits and supports a diverse cohort of college scholars across all five academic divisions and all 10 colleges who show potential to cultivate academic and non-academic strengths in a learning community. Between 20 and 25 students are housed in close proximity in each college and together participate in an enriched program of study designed to prepare them to take advantage of opportunities for undergraduate research at the upper division. Across four quarters, students have access to supplementary activities, special courses, small seminars, and a faculty research colloquium to explore what questions drive researchers and what forms research can take.
Student Resiliency
Crown offers a workshop series to promote student resiliency. Students explore their identity while managing and letting go of stress, anxiety, and depression. Crown a class to promote student resiliency (CRWN 81).
Summer Curriculum
Crown College will offer a great curriculum in Summer 2024!
Advising Resources
Crown Advising is located in the Crown Administration Building and is staffed by the college assistant, professional academic advisors, and a team of peer advisors. Crown Advising offers appointment advising (phone, in-person, or remotely via Zoom) every weekday in fall, winter, spring, and summer. To schedule an appointment, students should use Slug Success.
Mission and Values
The mission of Crown College is to promote intellectual, personal, social success, to provide an ethical and inclusive living and learning environment. Crown College is a diverse community of students, faculty, and staff dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge in an atmosphere of open discussion and mutual respect. In embracing this diversity, we find stimulation, freedom, and strength.
Student Life and Activities
Each college provides academic support, organizes student activities, and sponsors events that enhance the intellectual and social life of the campus, in addition to housing students in small-scale residential communities. Every college community includes students with diverse backgrounds and academic goals. Your college affiliation is independent of your choice of major.
Funding for Student Projects
The colleges offer funding to support undergraduate student projects, including academic research, creative or artistic work, and public events that benefit a college or the broader UC Santa Cruz community. Both individual and collaborative projects are encouraged. Open to all registered undergraduate students, awards may be full or partial, up to $500, and are based on merit and available resources.
Sustainability Initiatives
UCSC is dedicated to sustainability. We actively support recycling and waste reduction, and there is strong participation by students, faculty, and staff across campus. You can be part of the solution by bringing your own reusable plate, bowl, cup, and flatware when you move in. These can be used when you attend programs offered by your college. You can also live in the Outdoor and Sustainability themed housing at Crown.
Transportation and Getting Around
The UC Santa Cruz campus is located on a large hill overlooking Santa Cruz and the Monterey Bay, and the campus has many tall redwood trees and buildings that are situated within the trees. Service at UC Santa Cruz may be sporadic. Please consult with cell phone service providers before purchasing a cell phone to bring to campus.
Yes, bring your bike if you like to ride on hills. Biking is a popular pastime and transportation option for many UC Santa Cruz students. There are many trail options, both on and off-campus. Part of UCSC’s natural beauty is the hilly terrain, which means lots of steep climbs and exciting downhill rides. To protect our environment, mountain biking is only permitted on fire trails. Be sure to bring a high quality bike lock (u-lock) so that you can secure it at the bike racks located on campus. Some residence buildings may have bike storage available for use by residents who live there. The college assumes no responsibility for damage, theft or loss. When you arrive to campus you should contact UCSC Police Department to register your bike. Campus rules and state law requires you to license your bike; unlicensed bikes can be cited.
Parking regulations are strictly enforced, and all eligible students who bring a car to campus must purchase a permit in advance. First-year students and sophomores who live in University housing (including The Village, University Inn and University Town Center) are not eligible for a parking permit. Eligible students must apply for a parking permit through Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS). Contact the TAPS Sales Office at (831) 459-4543 if you have questions about parking.
Even without a car, movement around our spacious campus is made easier by the network of foot and bicycle paths, and an extensive intra-campus shuttle system. Both day and night shuttles provide wheelchair accessible services and are free of charge. TAPS also operates a Disability Van Service, which provides transportation to those with mobility impairments. Additionally, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (Metro) provides regular and convenient bus transportation to campus and to outlying areas around the Santa Cruz community. This service is funded by a mandatory student fee. You may ride any Metro bus without additional charge by showing your currently validated UCSC identification card to the driver. UC Santa Cruz is also among a growing list of college communities that support a new alternative to car ownership: Zipcar. Zipcar allows you to use a car when needed, while avoiding the costs and headaches of car ownership. Zipcar provides self-service access to safe, convenient, reliable cars located on campus.
UC Santa Cruz is located approximately 40 miles south of San Jose International Airport and about 70 miles south of San Francisco International and Oakland International Airports. There are a variety of transportation options available. Around Campus Day and Night Campus Shuttles: The campus operates shuttles with various routes both day and night. A fare is not required; the shuttle is supported by the Student Transit Fee. Disability Van Service: For those not able to access the day and night shuttles because of a permanent or temporary disability, there is a Disability Van Service. A currently validated UCSC Student ID serves as a bus pass. Bicycle Trailer and Shuttle: The campus operates a bike trailer and van shuttle from Mission Street to Campus.
Weather
Santa Cruz weather is variable, but mild overall. In the fall, the weather usually remains quite warm and comfortable up through November, at which point we begin to experience the lower temperatures and rain that winter brings to Santa Cruz.
Financial Services
Most major California banks have branches in Santa Cruz. Check with your local office for branch information. Bay Federal Credit Union (831) 479-6000, Bank of America (831) 457-3560, and Wells Fargo (831) 469-3525 have on-campus automatic teller machines at the Quarry Plaza near the Bay Tree Bookstore. Check Cashing is available at the Cashier’s Office and at the Bay Tree Bookstore for students, faculty, and staff with valid university ID. At the Cashier’s Office, the check cashing limit is $25.00 per day with a charge of twenty-five cents per check. At the Bay Tree Bookstore, the limit is $10.00, and there is no check cashing charge. Also, do not use “P.O. Box” for your mailing address.
Prohibited Items
No. The use of skateboards and roller blades is prohibited on all campus roadways, paths, bike paths, and in all areas of the college. You must carry, not ride, these items around campus.
Recent News and Initiatives
Greener Greenhouses
UC Santa Cruz professor Katia Obraczka’s Greener Greenhouses project uses energy-efficient IoT technology to precisely monitor greenhouse conditions, helping growers reduce water and energy use while improving crop production.
Three-Year Graduation Rates
Three-year graduation is becoming more common at UC Santa Cruz, where intentional planning and advising have helped raise the three-year graduation rate to 10.3 percent, the highest in the University of California system.
Science Division Awards
Science Division awards honor staff and faculty for outstanding work and dedication Alyssa Danielli, department manager in astronomy and astrophysics, and Carrie Partch, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, are the respective recipients of the division’s 2024-25 Outstanding Staff and Faculty Awards.
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