You will need to read the novel before you attend the conference to get the most out of the event. We recommend the following edition so that everyone can be “on the same page,” but if you already have an edition you enjoy, please bring it with you. 

The Old Curiosity Shop. Written by Charles Dickens, edited by Norman Page.
Penguin Classics, 2003. ISBN: 978-0140437423

Santa Cruz has a very mild climate, although it can sometimes be hot during the Universe week (temps in the 80’s, with low humidity). A perfect day starts out foggy and cool, turns sunny and warm about mid-morning, and cools down again in the evening. Fashion mavens will layer, layer, layer. Rain in July and August is an anomaly, although we often have some drizzle at night. Definitely bring a sweater, jacket, or sweatshirt (or buy one of ours!). 

Many folks used to warmer nighttime temperatures are surprised at how cold it feels at night here. The temperatures usually fall into the 50s at night but can feel colder due to the marine influence. Even if it’s 100°F degrees when packing to leave, do not forget your jacket!

The atmosphere at the Universe and Santa Cruz is very casual and comfortable. Do bring shoes that are comfortable for walking. UCSC is full of trails, both paved and not, and there are few flat areas.

We host a Victorian Dance on Friday night, and you’re welcome to dress in costume or show up in light, comfortable clothes. It can be very warm during the Dance.

Participants may use the recreational facilities on the east side of campus by purchasing a quarterly membership for $90. Memberships can be purchased from UCSC Recreation.

Important Note: Limited ground floor or disability-accessible apartments or rooms are available. If you require one, please email the office BEFORE registering. If you have registered but did not indicate a need, please email the office immediately.

You will be housed in shared apartments at College Nine and John R. Lewis College. The configuration of apartments varies but we try to accommodate your requests. Bedrooms have Ethernet hookups and the campus has wi-fi available to guests. Each apartment has a common living room, kitchen area, and shared bathroom. We will set out coffee in a central location each morning at 8:15 AM, but caffeine junkies should bring a small coffee maker.

This is a college, so the rooms are small and efficient. Each person is issued two towels and one washcloth. We also can provide some bathmats upon request. Your bed will have sheets, a pillow, and two blankets. There is a limited supply of extra blankets, and we have extra hangers. Apartments are heated, but there is no air-conditioning on campus.

If you’re driving and want to spend the week in relative luxury, bring your favorite pillow, an extra blanket (or down comforter), lots of hangers, and nice thick towels. The apartments do not have TVs, radios, or alarm clocks. There are no kitchen supplies in your apartment.

We endeavor to fulfill your housing requests to the extent we can, so please tell us how we can help. Most apartment buildings do not have elevators, but staff can help you with your luggage on arrival and departure. If you have other needs, such as a ground-floor apartment or grab bars in the bathroom, please see the Important Note above. SMOKING IS PROHIBITED EVERYWHERE ON CAMPUS, INDOORS AND OUT.

Anyone with mobility or breathing concerns should call the Project office at (831) 459-2103. There is a LOT of walking involved, and there are hills. The dining hall, several classrooms, and the lecture hall are located on the campuses of College Nine and John R. Lewis College. (Please check back before the conference for additional details.)

If you bring a laptop, it should either have an Ethernet port to take advantage of the Ethernet connection in the apartment, or you may connect to the UCSC Campus Guest Wi-Fi titled “UCSC-Guest”. Connecting to campus Wi-Fi will require you register a username and password which you will use each time you connect to the internet. Wi-fi and cell phone reception at College Nine and John R. Lewis College may be spotty. For any internet or charging please bring your own cables. For information on UCSC-Guest Wireless Service, please visit https://its.ucsc.edu/wireless/guest.html

The Project office has a Mac computer and printer available as well as a small photocopier, all of which are available by prior arrangement with Universe staff. Larger printing needs can be done through the UCSC campus printing, with printers available around campus.

You may give your family the Dickens Project office number (831) 459-2103 or the Central Conference Office number. The Project and the Central Conference Office will take messages and post them centrally. The Dickens Project no longer has a fax machine.

Campus Maps

• College Nine and John R. Lewis College Universe Venues
• Driving Map to C9/JRL Multipurpose Room
• Conference Parking Map 
• Central Conference Office Map
• Walking + Hiking Trails
  • Open Street Map – Santa Cruz: This map will show you many of the unpaved paths and trails in and around campus. Free to access.
  • AllTrails – Santa Cruz: You can find local walking and hiking paths mapped by other users. Free but requires a sign-up.

For more information about Navigating to Santa Cruz and the UCSC Campus see Transportation and Directions.

BCycle

BCycle is a dock-based bike share system for electric-assist bikes. Use the BCycle phone app to sign up for a pass and unlock a docked bike. A rack of BCycles are located near the Social Sciences 1 Building.

Ride-sharing to and from Airport

Shuttles and cars can be difficult to obtain during the summer tourist season. Please consider sharing and coordinating your rides to and from the airport (SJO and SFO).

• Coordinate a ride with other Universe participants
• Reserve a seat on the shuttle back to SFO, departing campus on Saturday, 7/26 at 10:00 AM
• Reserve a seat on the shuttle back to SJC, departing campus on Saturday, 7/26 at 9:00 AM

McHenry Library

UCSC’s McHenry Library houses more than a million volumes. Its strong collections in nineteenth-century British literature, criticism, and history complement the Dickens Project Library holdings, and it also has special strengths in its Grateful Dead archive and its holdings in twentieth and twenty-first-century Black literature, culture, and political movements. The library’s Special Collections department houses rich archives of first editions, documentary materials, and various ephemera in all of these areas. 

Gym Passes

To access the pool, indoor athletics facilities, and more, the UCSC Athletics and Recreation Center offers a Summer Membership for $90. This will give you full access to the included facilities and amenities outlined on their website. To learn more about hours and offerings, please visit: https://recreation.ucsc.edu/memberships/index.html

The Dickens Project recommends wearing KN95 or N95 masks during indoor events, regardless of vaccination status.

Required Actions in the Event of Respiratory Illness:

•  If a Universe participant develops symptoms of respiratory illness or is diagnosed with or tests positive for influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, or another respiratory illness, they are required to isolate for at least 24 hours. The purpose of this minimum 24-hour isolation period is to rest, obtain medical care if necessary, and see if their symptoms improve or worsen.
• For a participant to be permitted to resume participation in the program, they will have to complete the mandatory minimum 24-hour isolation period, no longer have acute symptoms of illness, and feel much better and well enough to participate fully in the program. In addition, as a safety precaution, participants who qualify to rejoin the program will be required to wear a face mask for no fewer than five days.

The Dickens Universe brings together scholars, teachers, students, and book-lovers of all backgrounds and experiences in order to create a vibrant community of intellectual collaboration and conversation. The conference provides a rare opportunity for this diverse group of people to spend a week learning, living and socializing together. We believe that intellectual excitement unfolds around dining tables and under redwood trees as much as it does in lecture halls and seminar rooms, and we want all participants in the Dickens Universe to feel welcomed, valued, and comfortable fostering productive professional and social bonds with one another. The friendships and mentoring relationships that form in this unique environment are valuable to all of us, and we rely on everyone to conduct themselves in ways that allow these connections to develop in healthy and mutually beneficial ways.

All members of the Dickens community have the right to participate in and enjoy the Dickens Universe without suffering or witnessing harassment, bullying, or intimidation directed toward any community member. Harassment includes, but is not limited to, sexual harassment, such as unwelcome sexual advances, other verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature, or the use of sexual language/images in professional conversations and settings.  Harassment also comprises activities/behaviors such as stalking, queer/trans bullying, or hostility, abuse, and/or violence (verbal or physical) related to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or citizenship.  Such conduct is harmful, disrespectful and unprofessional. No Universe participant should ever engage in harassment, bullying, or intimidation of other participants or community members either in person or online.  

By attending the Universe, all participants accept the obligation to uphold the rights of other community members and to treat everyone with respect. Universe participants who are found to be engaging in harassment, bullying, or intimidation will be held accountable and may be excused from participating in the Universe and future Dickens Project conferences. Anyone who experiences or witnesses any of these behaviors should contact the Dickens Project Best Practices Coordinators or any member of the Executive Committee. The UC Santa Cruz Title IX office is also available to receive reports and/or offer advice:

Phone: 831-459-2462
Online: https://titleix.ucsc.edu
In-Person: 105 Kerr Hall

Our conversations will be free of hate speech regarding race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ability, religion, national origin, and socio-economic class or background. The use of slurs and epithets by either speakers or participants will not be tolerated and will result in removal from the Universe.

This is our Universe. Let’s keep it a benevolent, thriving, and intellectually vital place.