In many ways, life at UC Santa Barbara in 1980 wasn’t all that different from the way it is today. Learning how to cross the hectic bike paths remains a rite of passage (hot tip for modern times: put your phones down before you dart across), and barefoot students are still a common sight. Coming to campus in pajamas is a decidedly 21st century trend, but wide-legged pants are having as much of a moment now as they did a half-century ago. So is the mullet, but we won’t get into that here. In short: everything old is new again, and Gaucho chill never goes out of style.


La Cumbre Yearbook

Fun in the sun

Students pose for the 1980 La Cumbre Yearbook, dressed in bell bottom jeans and soaking up the Santa Barbara sunshine. Who needs shoes when you’re this close to the beach?

 


Photo by Matt Perko

Mood: déjà vu

Laptops, tablets and iPhones may have supplanted spiral notebooks, Trapper Keepers and the original BIC ballpoint pens, but socializing around campus is au courant as ever.

 

Additional Stories

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On Campus

Short takes, lively stories and snapshot looks at the UC Santa Barbara campus and community open a window into our dynamic environment and diverse culture.

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Alumni

Alumni profiles, news bites and insights both from and about the UC Santa Barbara Alumni Association foster a strong sense of connection and Gaucho pride.

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Fall / Winter 2023

Features


illustration of an American Eagle by Michael Glenwood

Democracy is more fragile than you think

illustration of a skull

Altered States

Young black boy in juvenile detention

'I realized I was a conduit for their voices'