UCSB's Crackdown

The Dark Side of UCSB.com wholeheartedly supports  the actions taken to evict students who repeatedly violate state law and the rules of the  UCSB dorms.   We think that the action sends the right message to that small minority of students who give  UCSB a bad name.  

After decades of turning a blind eye to criminal behavior in the dorms (and off campus) and letting students get away with multiple infractions for noise, vandalism, drinking, and intimidation, the administration has taken some effective action.  Let us hope that the recent evictions signal a change in the administration's policy and  attitude towards criminal behavior. 

In a less than humble moment, our immediate response was that we, The Dark Side, are making a difference!  UCSB is beginning to take action to discipline the undesirable conduct of the minority of students who damage the school's reputation.  So possibly because we had highlighted the problems and brought pressure to bear upon the administration, they were taking action.   Whatever the reason, UCSB did the right thing.  

We do agree with the historical perspective painted by the opening line of the Santa Barbara  News Press' article:  " For the first time in recent memory, UCSB housing officials on Wednesday handed out a slew of eviction notices to students living at the campus' Santa Cruz Hall for repeated violations of the school's housing contract, school officials said."   So although it took awhile for the Administration to act, we believe that UCSB should be given a full measure of credit for this action and  encouraged to continue to do the right thing.  

There is one dark cloud:  In proper UCSB patois, Mr. Desruisseaux, UCSB spokesperson said, "The evictions will not have any immediate effect on the students' academic standing."   Let us hope that UCSB does not believe that you can remain in school and behave like an animal as long as you do it in IV.    

So, here is how we see it:

• Kudos to UCSB for taking the action it did.

• A giant raspberry to the Administration  if it does not follow through and begin to universally enforce the rules.  

Our advice to the administration is put the Dark Side out of business.  Forget about the lost revenue, forget about the short-term negative publicity.  Do some more housekeeping now and start enforcing all the rules on the first day of the next quarter.   Throw the bums out immediately and not just from the dorms, from the school.    Provide some meaningful leadership in IV to stop the dangerous party scene and to improve the quality of life in IV.   In the long run, the school, the students, and the community as a whole will benefit immensely.

Assuming for the moment that the allegations are true, do you support UCSB's action to evict these dormitory hooligans? POLL CLOSED The results of our poll on this matter were: Yes: 50% No: 41% Undecided: 7% Number of votes: 842