Deltopia 2018: Keeping It Local

As in years past, and in continued partnership with Santa Barbara County, and the City of Goleta, UC Santa Barbara has put into place myriad regulations and policies for the first full weekend of April.

The restrictions are meant to ensure the safety of students and of the broader community during annual event known as Deltopia.

Alternative events are a central component to UCSB’s successful, student-driven push to refocus the weekend away from the street party and onto safe, locals-only activities. The Associated Students organization will host its fourth annual “The Warm Up,” an eagerly anticipated concert at the Thunderdome Saturday night. As a warm up to The Warm Up, another UCSB students-only event — SunFest — will take place Saturday afternoon. Friday night activities include pizza, music and roller skating at the RecCen.

“The students are really embracing keeping the event local,” said Katya Armistead, assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of student life. “We’re continuing to see signs of a real shift in student attitudes toward safety. We’re getting a lot of student cooperation — it’s not just an administration message. The UCSB student leadership are on the same page.”

A no-guest policy will be in effect for all UCSB residence halls and apartments, both on campus and in Isla Vista, from 12 p.m. Friday, April 6, through 12 p.m. Sunday, April 8. All halls and apartments will see increased staffing — and an increased presence by Community Service Organization officers. No visitor parking passes will be available in UCSB-run apartment communities.

Expanded parking lot patrols will include the ticketing and towing of all vehicles lacking an approved permit. Checkpoints will be in place Saturday, April 7, at various UCSB housing complexes to prevent unauthorized parking.

Parking on campus will be restricted Friday, April 6, to Sunday, April 8, from 5 p.m. each night to 7:30 a.m. each morning. Daytime parking is available only to vehicles displaying valid permits for authorized UCSB events. Permits purchased via dispensers will expire at 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 6, and 11:59 p.m. Saturday, April 7. Unauthorized vehicles parked on campus overnight are subject to a $300 citation fine and impound at the owner’s expense.

Some parking lots will be restricted or closed entirely to support campus events or law enforcement. The lots will reopen Sunday, April 8. Traffic in and around campus may also be impacted. At the discretion of law enforcement, access to El Colegio Road and/or Isla Vista may be closed for safety reasons and proof of residency may be required to enter. Some streets in Isla Vista will be barricaded and vehicular traffic prohibited.

Additional parking restrictions will be in place for certain blocks in Isla Vista and in Goleta neighborhoods around UCSB. Beaches in Isla Vista also will be closed.

The county festival music ordinance will be in effect Thursday, April 5, through Monday, April 9. Between the hours of 6 p.m. and 7 a.m., amplified music of any kind is prohibited at Isla Vista residences. Live or recorded music loud enough to be heard outside a residence can result in a fine of $500.

“It’s been a good collaborative effort all the way around,” Armistead said of the measures aimed at keeping Deltopia weekend locals-only. “That includes our partners in the City of Goleta, the Sheriff’s Department and Santa Barbara County.”