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Measure 43 Initiative

About Measure 43

In the spring of 2010, UC Santa Cruz undergraduate students voted to institute a new student fee to fund Measure 43, the Sustainable Food, Health and Wellness Initiative. The measure passed with a 69% majority in an election that saw more than 42% of undergraduate students turn out to vote, setting a new campus record for voter turnout!

The fee generates more than $100,000 a year, administered by the Center for Agroecology in conjunction with student and faculty representatives. Fees support a variety of activities, including Research and Education Grants and a Speakers Fund (see more information, below).  (Apply Now for annual student grants)

 *Some or all instruction for all or part of the Academic Year may be delivered remotely.  Tuition and fees have been set regardless of the method of instruction and will not be refunded in the event instruction occurs remotely for any part of the Academic Year.  Figures for tuition and fees represent currently approved amounts and may not be final.  Actual tuition and fees are subject to change by the University of California as determined to be necessary or appropriate.  Final approved tuition and fee levels may differ from the amounts presented.

How Will Measure 43 Funds Be Used?

Measure 43 will ensure that all undergraduate students have access to education and programs that enhance their understanding of the food system and their food choices, and that increase opportunities for classes, workshops, “learning journeys,” hands-on gardening experiences, and other campus activities.

Here are some examples of the types of activities supported by Measure 43 funds –

  • Student research grants and program development on issues of nutrition, health, sustainable food systems, and garden- and farm-based learning at UCSC.
  • Forums on campus featuring professionals, scholars, and youth leaders working towards a more just and sustainable food system
  • Student-centered, hands-on learning on campus farm and gardens, at Center for Agroecology, and in partnership with other campus-based classes and programs such as the Program in Community & Agroecology (PICA). See the Campus Food and Garden Guide for details.
  • The annual Strawberry & Justice Event, held at the Hay Barn, Fall Harvest Festival, held at the UCSC Farm, and the Sustainable Food Interactive tent that takes place at the Athletics & Recreation Cornucopia.
  • Support for Registered Student Organizations to sponsor special events and activities related to the food system.
  • Support and scholarships for field trips, classes, and student activities through the Food System Learning Journeys, featuring experiential and hands-on learning in partnership with the Recreation Department.
  • Low-cost entry to gardening workshops sponsored by Center for Agroecology and the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden.
  • Service learning opportunities in our community
  • Food system-based classes

Funded by Measure 43, the annual Campus Food and Garden Guide serves as a resource and educational tool for the student population at UCSC, on and off campus, and lists details of the various campus gardens and how students can get involved in gardening and other activities through volunteering, internships and classes.

Further, Measure 43 supports a team of student interns conducting research and analysis on campus food purchases to better understand how to increase local, organic, humane, fair, and socially just relationships with those who harvest, process, and distribute food we consume at UCSC.

How Can You Get Involved?

As a UCSC undergraduate, there are a variety of ways to get involved in activities funded by Measure 43.

  • Apply here annually in fall quarter with criteria for students and registered student organizations to apply for resources to support research, education, and outreach initiatives for the academic year. Calls for proposals are released Fall Quarter, and proposals are due by the end of Fall quarter and approved in Winter quarter. Awarded projects operate across a calendar year (from winter through end of fall quarter of that year) with a draw-off/rollback of unspent funds before new awards are made for the next year. 
  • Key dates in the process : Grant applications are due on Monday, January 9, 2023 by 5pm. Projects selected for funding will be announced by January 20, 2023. Timeline for project is from January 2023 till June 2023 or December 4, 2023.  
  • In addition, existing internship and program efforts noted in the measure will continue to provide exciting opportunities and pathways for you to grow and be engaged!

For more information please contact Francis Ge at fmge@ucsc.edu.

 

Education, Research, and Speaker Funding Supported by Measure 43

2020-2021  Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • Colleges Nine and Ten Garden Project
  • Colleges Nine and Ten: Alternative Spring Break
  • College Nine and College Ten: Promoting Food Justice through an After-School Garden-Based Education Program in Watsonville
  • College Nine and College Ten: UCSC/Calabasas Elementary School Community Garden in Watsonville: Promoting Food Justice and Valuing Latinx Cultural Knowledge

2019-2020 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • FSWG-PICA (Program in Community and Agroecology): PICA Summer Liaison position
  • Colleges Nine and Ten Garden Project
  • College Nine and College Ten: UCSC and Calabasas Elementary in Watsonville: Promoting Food Justice through an After-School Garden-Based Education 
  • Colleges Nine and Ten: Alternative Spring Break

2018-2019 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • Food Systems Working Group: The Demeter Seed Library
  • College Nine and College Ten: Alternative Spring Break 
  • College Nine and College Ten: UCSC and Calabasas Elementary in Watsonville: Promoting Food Justice through an After-School Garden-Based Education 
  • The Rachel Carson College Garden within Food Systems Working Group: Paid positions for student garden co-coordinators and small programming fee to support the events and activities of the co-coordinators. 

2017-2018 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • Kresge Garden Cooperative Speaker Event series and Garden Improvements 
  • Colleges Nine and Ten Cocurricular Programs Unit (“The Coco”) Food for Thought: Quarterly Faculty Speaker Series
  • Colleges Nine and Ten Cocurricular Programs Unit (“The Coco”) Gather in the Garden: Quarterly Food Justice Speaker Series
  • College Nine and College Ten Service-Learning: Fostering Food Justice Opportunities for UCSC Students during alternative Spring Break in Watsonville 2018.
  • Kresge Common Ground Center: UCSC World Cafe Program - Developing Conversational Leadership Capacity Within the Sustainable Food Systems Movement
  • Kresge Common Ground Center: 2018 Bioneers Conference
  • Colleges Nine and Ten Garden Project 
  • College Nine and College Ten: UCSC/Calabasas Elementary School Community Garden in Watsonville: Promoting Food Justice and Valuing Latinx Cultural Knowledge
  • Kresge Common Ground Center: Right Livelihood North American Regional Conference
  • College Nine and College Ten: UCSC and Calabasas Elementary in Watsonville: Promoting Food Justice Through After School Sister Garden Project
  • Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) Summer Liaison position
  • College Nine and College Ten: Dig In Food Justice Conference
  • Electrical Engineering Department: Water Lab 2.0
  • Food Systems Working Group: Rachel Carson College Garden Education Program

2016-2017 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • Engineering the Future of Sustainable Community Food Systems: A collaboration between UCSC & Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
  • Gaia Magazine
  • Kresge Common Ground Center: 2017 Bioneers Conference
  • College Nine and College Ten Service-Learning Fostering Food Justice Opportunities for UCSC Students during alternative Spring Break in Watsonville 2017.
  • Colleges Nine and Ten Fostering Educational Equity and Food Justice through Campus/ Community Collaboration between UCSC and Calabasas Elementary 
  • Colleges Nine and Ten Garden Project
  • Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) Summer Liaison position 

2015-2016 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded 

  • The Demeter Seed Project, providing free, heirloom, organically produced seeds to local gardeners and farmers, and sponsoring free seed exchanges and educational events. Read more about the project.
  • The Slug Support CARE Program Student Pantry, providing quarterly grants to supply the student pantry (located on the second floor of UCSC’s Hahn Student Services) with healthy and sustainable food options. For more info on the Pantry and how we can support you please contact our front office at 831-459-4446.
  • The Education for Sustainable Living (ESLP) Spring 2016 Speaker Series Dinners, providing local and organically grown food for Monday Night Spring Speaker dinners and supporting interactions amongst speakers and students. Funds were used to purchase ingredients from local farmers and document recipes. Read more about ESLP opportunities on pages 9 and 23.
  • Student-led Instruction and Peer Outreach at the Kresge Garden, designed by students with a space led through peer-facilitation providing garden internships and partner programs that are flourishing. To plug into the Kresge Garden check out kresgegardencoop.weebly.com or contact us through: garden-coop-core@googlegroups.com.
  • The Program In Community & Agroecology (PICA), PICA provides a unique approach to teaching students about sustainable food systems, as well as providing opportunities for students to gain garden-based skills. Measure 43 provides funding for PICA staff and students to connect campus gardens via collaborative meetings and sustainability events/programs, while also providing hands-on education to students in civic agriculture and the local food system during garden work groups. For more info check out: ucscpica.org.
  • Fostering Collaboration amongst UCSC, Calabasas Elementary School, and Watsonville Families. This project integrates garden-based education, undergraduate research, and community outreach to inspire UCSC students to help address food and educational inequity in the Watsonville community. Among other activities, UCSC  students worked with the staff, faculty, and youth of Calabasas Elementary School to implement hands-on, garden-based curricula for first through sixth graders in the after-school enrichment program.
  • College 8 Garden Course hosted by College 8 and the Student Environmental Center. M43 supported the student run garden course offered quarterly. For more information contact c8garden@ucsc.edu.

2014-2015 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • The CARE Program Student Pantry
  • The Education for Sustainable Living (ESLP) Spring 2015 Speaker Series Dinners
  • Student-led Instruction and Peer Outreach at the Kresge Garden
  • The Program In Community & Agroecology (PICA)
  • Fostering Collaboration amongst UCSC, Calabasas Elementary School, and Watsonville Families
  • UCSC Bioneers Conference, A Bioneers Resilient Communities Network Event 

2013-2014 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • The Demeter Seed Project
  • The Education for Sustainable Living (ESLP) Spring 2014 Speaker Series Dinners
  • Student-led Teaching of the College Eight Garden Class
  • The Program in Community & Agroecology (PICA) Student Transitional Liaison Project
  • The Farm to College Reusable Crates Student Project 
  • Healthy Mondays Even
  • Fostering Collaboration amongst UCSC, Calabasas Elementary School, and Watsonville Families.

2012-2013 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • Program in Community Agroecology (PICA) Summer Garden Internships and Site Positions 
  • College Eight Garden Greenhouse and Facilities
  • ESLP Speaker Series and Organic Dinners
  • Gaia Magazine
  • Demeter Seed Project
  • Gardeners Alliance Workshops and Trainings
  • World Cafe Food and Equipment for Certified Kitchen

2011-2012 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • Program in Community and Agroecology Chancellor's Undergraduate Intern Position: $5,000
  • College 8 Garden Expansion/Coordinator: $4,400
  • ESLP Dinners/Speakers: $600
  • CAN Scholarships for Food and Justice Spring Break Field Study to the Yucatan: $5,000
  • UCSC Demeter Seed Library: $2,100
  • Dining's UCSC Farm Fridays: $1,600
  • Green Chef Competition: $1,600
  • Kresge's World Café Team: $1,000

2010-2011 Measure 43 Research and Education Grant Funds Awarded

  • Family Student Housing Garden Project: $2,815
  • Student Environmental Media Project – Gaia Magazine: $1,000
  • Kresge Natural Food Cooperative Project: $925
  • Stevenson College Garden Project: $1,000
  • Calabasas School Garden Project: $2,275
  • Program in Community and Agroecology (PICA) Chancellor’s Undergraduate Intern Position: $5,000
  • College 8 Garden Coordinator: $2,000
  • Water Bottle Conservation Project – "Take Back the Tap”: $4,570
  • Education for Sustainable Living Project (ESLP) Food and Education Project: $1,000
  • UCSC Gardens Display Project: $2,200
  • Urban Agriculture and Aquaponics Project: $1,000