Student Life
Approximately 1,600 students currently live on campus in the Valley and Sierra Terraces, 4.2 miles (6.8 km) away from the city of Merced. The most recent additions to Residence Housing are the Tuolumne (opened Spring 2007) and Mariposa (opened Fall 2008) Halls, which make up the two sections of the Sierra Terraces. Student housing, as well as the dining commons, are closed during winter break. Much of the student life in the Residence Halls is run by the Resident Assistants (RAs)and Lead Resident Assistants (LRAs) through various programs and activities.
The campus diversity in 2007–2008 was:
- 33% Asian American
- 30% Hispanic American
- 24% White
- 6% African American
- 1% Native American
The remaining students were nonresident aliens or declined to specify their ethnicity.
Due to the United States housing bubble, and high costs of bond-funded student housing ($13,720 on-campus compared to $7,000 off campus), many students choose to live in new housing subdivisions and McMansions outside of campus. The Cattracks transit system serves student-dense developments.
The university attempts to engage students in on-campus activities like dances and movie nights. Additionally, many students go to Lake Yosemite which is near the main campus. Students can walk, jog, picnic, barbecue, and swim at the lake. Merced has several artistic venues which host plays, concerts, and art shows. They include The Mainzer Theater, The Partisan, Merced Multicultural Arts Center, and Playhouse Merced. Castle Air Museum is within close driving distance from Merced. Merced is known as the "Gateway to Yosemite" and it is common for students to take day trips to Yosemite National Park where they can hike, snowboard, rock climb, and camp overnight.
Student publications include the official student newspaper The Prodigy, official radio station Bobcat Radio, comedy newspaper The Other Child, the Democrats at UC Merced's newspaper The Donkey Press, the College Republicans' publication The Right Side and literary journals The Kumquat and Imagination Dead Imagine.
Read more about this topic: University Of California, Merced
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