The Role of the University
During this era of Isla Vista's rapid development, the UCSB
Administration was not aggressively acting to create decent
living conditions for its students, faculty, and staff, either
on campus or in the area located entirely within the campus
boundaries (Isla Vista) that the Regents had decided to leave
for private development. Perhaps this was not entirely the fault
of local UC officials, but rather the result of too much pressure
from the statewide UC system. Indeed, at the request of some
Goleta Valley developers, the UC Regents at one point ordered
the halt of any new housing developments on campus for several
years.
Later, a report requested and paid for by the UC Regents, which
attempted to understand the causes of the 1970 civil disturbances
in Isla Vista, stated clearly that the UCSB Administration "failed
to protect the orderly development of a university community
in Isla Vista" (The Commission on Isla Vista, 1970).
Given the intertwining of public and private interests that
apparently occurred, this conclusion is probably not too surprising.
This chapter is an adaptation of JoAnne Yokota's "A
Short History of Isla Vista" (1971) and Abbie Haight's
"A Tragicall Historie of Isla Vista" (1972), both
published by the Isla Vista Community Council with funds from
the UC Regents.
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