Our History
The Underground Scholars Initiative (USI) began to support formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students across the state. Today, Bobcat Underground Scholars carries that legacy forward at UC Merced, fostering community and advocating for systemic change.
Foundational Roots: Berkeley & Beyond
The movement began at UC Berkeley in 2013, sparking a statewide network of support for system-impacted scholars.
The UC Merced Chapter
Fall 2021
Bobcat Underground Scholars was officially developed to support the academic and personal experiences of formerly incarcerated and/or system-impacted scholars and their families at UC Merced.
Building the Consortium
BUS established a consortium of campus partners to acknowledge and address the effects of incarceration, specifically targeting the social, emotional, and logistical obstacles that interfere with a scholar's pursuit of higher education.
Present Day
BUS works in collaboration with community-based and political entities to advocate for local, state, and national policies that shift away from the school-to-prison pipeline through focused recruitment, retention, and advocacy.
