http://campuslife.ucsc.edu News from Office of Campus Life and Dean of Students at UC Santa Cruz - Student News http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/black-history-month-ucsc.html?utm_medium=rss A video of the recent Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, featuring a keynote presentation by acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, can now be viewed. A podcast of the event is also available. A number of other exciting events are taking place at UCSC during Black History Month. All of them are sponsored by UCSC's African American Resource and Cultural Center. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/best-value.html?utm_medium=rss The Princeton Review has named UC Santa Cruz as one of the top 75 best-value public undergraduate schools in the nation, according to a list published this week in the book "The Best Value Colleges: 2012 Edition." http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/history-organic-book.html?utm_medium=rss A new book published by the UCSC Library?s Regional History Project offers a window into the 40-year history of how UC Santa Cruz--and California?s Central Coast?became leaders in the organic farming and sustainable agriculture movement. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/hatchery-salmon.html?utm_medium=rss Only about 10 percent of the fall-run Chinook salmon spawning in the Mokelumne River are naturally produced wild salmon. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/smith-society.html?utm_medium=rss As the cost of a University of California education has tripled since 1999, a modest but unique program at UC Santa Cruz has shown remarkable success in helping retain and graduate independent students ? former foster youth, wards of the court, homeless youth, orphans, or others who are on their own. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/dwarf-galaxies.html?utm_medium=rss Images of a nearby dwarf galaxy show the remains of an even smaller companion galaxy in the process of merging with its host. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/banff-film-fest-2012.html?utm_medium=rss The world-renowned Banff Mountain Film Festival will make its 20th annual visit to Santa Cruz this February, hosted once again by UCSC's Recreation Department. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/sterry-180-days.html?utm_medium=rss UC Santa Cruz alumna Taren Sterry returns to Santa Cruz as Hospice of Santa Cruz County and the UCSC Community Studies department co-sponsor her one-woman show, 180 Days, Thursday, February 16, 7-9 p.m. at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/hammack-award.html?utm_medium=rss Phillip. L. Hammack, assistant professor of psychology at UC Santa Cruz, has been named recipient of the 2011 Early Career Award of the Society for the Study of Peace, Conflict, and Violence: Division of Peace Psychology, American Psychological Association (APA). http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/nikki-giovanni-fires-up-crowd.html?utm_medium=rss Poet, activist and distinguished professor Nikki Giovanni had a crowd of nearly 1,000 people clapping, shouting and busting up laughing at the 28th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation and 4th annual Tony Hill Awards. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/dead-conference.html?utm_medium=rss On February 8, UCSC?s Grateful Dead Archivist Nicholas Meriwether will head to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the "Southwest Texas Popular Culture and American Culture Conference." http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/habitable-planet.html?utm_medium=rss An international team of scientists has discovered a potentially habitable super-Earth orbiting a nearby star. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/shakespeare-season.html?utm_medium=rss Shakespeare Santa Cruz (SSC) artistic director Marco Barricelli today announced the line-up for the acclaimed UCSC theater company?s 31st season--including the premiere of a new play commissioned by SSC. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/02/ucsc-reception-honors-veteran-students.html?utm_medium=rss Fifty staff and faculty members turned out to support and honor UCSC?s veteran students at an afternoon reception last Thursday at the University House. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/01/stem-pipeline.html?utm_medium=rss A partnership between UCSC and Hartnell College strengthens the regional education pipeline for Hispanics and low-income students. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/01/community-bulletin-burglary.html?utm_medium=rss Residential burglary in Porter and Kresge. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/01/keeley-lecture.html?utm_medium=rss Legendary oceanographer, explorer, and author Sylvia Earle will present the sixth Fred Keeley Lecture on Environmental Policy Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at the UC Santa Cruz Music Recital Hall. Free and open to the public. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/01/kepler-planets.html?utm_medium=rss A UCSC astronomer is involved in the Kepler mission's discovery of 11 new planetary systems hosting 26 confirmed planets. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/01/deutron-kebebew-tony-hill-award-winner.html?utm_medium=rss Deutron Kebebew (Kresge, ?03, electrical engineering), former foster child and tireless advocate for teens and children, is this year?s winner of the fourth annual Tony Hill Memorial Award. Kebebew will receive the award as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Convocation on Feb. 2. http://news.ucsc.edu/2012/01/diversity-update-feb.html?utm_medium=rss UCSC?s hate/bias incident reporting system has expanded from being for students only to include faculty, academic employees and staff.