2007-2008 Disorientation Guide

The Disorientation Guide was created by a small collective of folks. It has been produced for the past 5 years, although it first hit the scene in 1977, 1982, and 1984. Disorientation Guides have also emerged at UCSB, UCD, UC Berkeley, MIT, Yale, U of Texas at Austin, and many other campuses across the nation.

We are trying to write and share our own history of the university. In other words, this is an introduction to the side of this school that you might have heard about but won’t find in your glossy orientation materials. The guide is important to us because we realize that there are many difficult issues and challenges facing new UCSC students and we’d like to offer some information and inspiration. After all, we have experienced (and continue to experience) these same things.

This guide is designed as a resource, lubricant, and catalyst for you as you discover and get involved in the creative, radical communities and projects that thrive here in Santa Cruz.

So, this is the Disorientation Guide. What’s it all about, and why does it now occupy your hand, floor, bookshelf, or closet?

Well, that is an excellent question, so before you start using the guide as a coaster, let’s try to get some answers.

This Guide is:
- An introduction to issues that affect our campus and communities
- An attempt to strengthen local activists
- A call for direct action and radical change for social justice

It includes:
- Articles by students/activists
- Radical campus history
- Tools for rockin’ the boat
- And even sex advice!!!

Here are some things you might want to keep in mind while you read:

- Don’t feel overwhelmed. The guide is not meant to be read straight through.
There is simply too much in it to be able to process one article after another.
Take your time, flip to a section that sounds good, and really think about it for a few hours, days, or as long as it takes before starting another.

- The guide is not necessarily in the correct order because there isn’t one.
None of the issues discussed are self-contained. Ideas, problems, and philosophies all overlap.

- This is in no way a complete publication about the UC system or anything else we discuss. It is simply part of a much larger body of thoughts and ideas.