The transition to college is not simply a logistical process; it is a formative period in which students begin to understand whether they belong and what the community expects of them. Recent research on the student experience shows that early belonging, academic and social connection, access to support, and institutional context all shape how students navigate the first year. This session will explore how UC Santa Cruz is using the earliest student touchpoints to move required education from a compliance activity to a research-informed strategy for belonging, prevention, and student success.

Through We Are Slugs, UC Santa Cruz introduces incoming first-year students to the community values, expectations, resources, and responsibilities that define life as a Banana Slug. These initiatives address alcohol use, relationship violence, sexual assault, stalking, hazing, anti-discrimination, inclusive practice, consent, bystander intervention, student rights and responsibilities, and campus resources as part of a broader commitment to a safer, more respectful, and more connected campus community. This work aligns with UC Santa Cruz Student Affairs and Success priorities of student-centered decision-making, equity and inclusion, innovation, ongoing assessment, and continuous improvement.

Co-presented by UC Santa Cruz and Vector Solutions, this session will examine how a strong campus-partner relationship can support a more integrated and evidence-informed onboarding model. Vector Solutions will contribute national perspective, prevention expertise, and data-informed practices that help campuses use aggregate student learning data, completion trends, learner feedback, and impact reporting to strengthen communication, identify emerging needs, connect students with resources, and refine future prevention efforts.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Apply recent student-experience research to the design of new student onboarding, with attention to belonging, transition support, well-being, help-seeking, and the early formation of campus identity. 

2. Analyze UC Santa Cruz’s We Are Slugs initiative as a model for moving from compliance-based training to values-based culture building, connecting prevention education with belonging, safety, inclusion, and shared responsibility.

3. Identify ways to use aggregate learner data and impact reporting to support continuous improvement, including communication strategy, resource promotion, cross-campus collaboration, and assessment of student learning.