CAPE at UC Merced

Featured News Thread!:

The CAPE Office will be closed for spring break from March 23–27. We hope everyone enjoys a restful week! If you need to reach us during the break, feel free to email cape@ucmerced.edu. #UCMerced #Break #UCMCAPE #CAPE

For their second training the CAPE Legislative Fellows spoke with UC Merced Political Science alumna Berenice Ballinas, Chief of Staff to the Mayor of Anaheim, about her experience navigating public‑service spaces. #CAPE #UCMerced #PoliSci #CAPELegislativeFellows

Thank you to @AsmSoria 's staff for leading an insightful conversation during our CAPE Civic Skills Workshop on engaging with local elected officials this past Wednesday. #CAPE #UCMerced #PoliticalEngagment #PoliSci

Enrollment for Summer 2026 Political Science courses is now open. Students are encouraged to review the online offerings in Sessions A and C and plan their schedules accordingly. #UCMerced #PoliticalScience #Summer2026

Associate Professor Aditya Dasgupta’s research explores how “bureaucratic overload,” when officials are given major responsibilities but too few resources, shapes the effectiveness of rural development in India. Read more here: cambridge.org/core/journals/…… #CAPE #UCMerced #PoliSci

We are proud to introduce the 2026 CAPE Legislative Fellows. This group of undergraduate students will spend the semester preparing for their summer legislative internships. #CAPE #UCMerced #UCMercedPoliticalScience #LegislativeFellows

Meet Liam, he is now in his first year at UC Merced, a Civic Scholar from Atwater, California, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Political Science. #CAPE #UCMerced #UCMercedPoliticalScience #StudentSuccess

Pi Sigma Alpha is now accepting eligible Political Science students! If you would like to join and believe that you meet the above requirements, please respond to this email and/or email Professor Marco Alcocer directly at marcoalcocer@ucmerced.edu. #CAPE #UCMerced #PiSigmaAlpha

Join CAPE for a civic skills workshop on engaging local elected officials on March 11, 2026, from 2:00–3:00 pm in COB2 390 to learn how to write informed letters, submitting public comments, and preparing for meetings with legislative staff. RSVP here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

Join UC Merced's Political Science Department and CAPE on Feb. 25 from 10:30AM–12PM in COB2 392, UC Davis Professor Lauren Young will present new research on how women’s group empowerment can increase non‑electoral political participation. #CAPE #UCMercedPoliticalScience

When asked about what losing local GOP endorsements could mean for Assemblymember Heath Flora, CAPE Director and UC Merced Political Science Professor Nate Monroe had much to say. Read more here: turlockjournal.com/news/governmen… #CAPE #UCMercedCAPE #CaliforniaPolitics

UCDC Flyer Fall 2026 applications are open for the UCDC program! Now’s your chance to live, study, and intern in Washington D.C.! Want more information? Tune into any of the upcoming info sessions on Zoom. Open to all majors! #ucmerced #ucdc #washingtondc #capeucmerced #intern

UCDC & UCCS Interested in interning in Sacramento or Washington, D.C.? Join us on February 18 at 2:00 PM in the CAPE Office (SSM 180) to learn about the UCCS and UCDC programs. #CAPE #UCMerced #CaliforniaPolitics #WashingtonDC

Civic Scholar Spotlight - Autumn Meet Autumn, a first-year Political Science major and Golden Valley High School alum. When asked about the Civic Scholar experience, Autumn shared: “CAPE has opened the door to so many new opportunities for me.” #CAPE #UCMercedPoliSci #UCMerced

This past weekend, our LLC members had the opportunity to visit Yosemite National Park for an up-close and personal experience with one of our nation’s most breathtaking natural landmarks. Special thank you to Bobcat Nature for making this trip possible. #UCMerced #CAPE #Yosemite

Congratulations to Political Science Professor Christopher Ojeda who was featured in the latest issue of Political Behavior for their article, "The Health-Representation Gap: We Don’t Know Much But What We Know Is Concerning." Read here: link.springer.com/article/10.100… #UCMerced #CAPE

Join us next Wednesday, February 11, for our next Understanding Politics Seminar featuring Sarah Gollust as she discusses narrative power and health care justice. The seminar will take place from 10:30 AM to 12 PM in COB2 392. #UCMerced #CAPE #UCMercedPoliticalScience

Thank you to everyone who joined CAPE last Wednesday for our screening of Into the Fire and the Q&A with Congressman Tony Cárdenas, Norma Cárdenas, and filmmaker Patrick Perez. Their story was deeply inspirational. #UCMerced #CAPE #PoliticalScience #TonyCardenas #IntoTheFire

Wondering how court rulings shape on‑the‑ground police behavior? Read more here: journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.108… #CAPE #UCMercedPoliticalScience #UCMerced #UCMercedCAPE

This past Saturday we had the honor of hosting an event in collaboration with Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria's office for the Young Legislator's Program 2026! Thank you to everyone to attended. #CAPE #TeamSoria #UCMercedCAPE #UCMercedPoliSci #YoungLegislators