Editor, Daily Nexus,

I returned to campus this weekend for the first time since 1997 (residence on the East Coast and in the Midwest having prevented an earlier homecoming). Having been a reader of the online version of the Daily Nexus for some time now, I was already aware of some of the construction that has taken place on campus and in I.V. over the last eight years. I have been delighted in reading about the ever-increasing prominence of UCSB as an academic institution (as opposed to its superlative status as a party school, which has never been in doubt). Though I was somewhat saddened by the passing of I.V. “institutions” (e.g., Morninglory Music, the NY Hero House and the Smart Cookie), I was pleased to discover that Sands is still a fun place to surf and Freebirds still makes the best damned burrito on the planet. But what a former classmate of mine and I were most impressed by during our Saturday afternoon visit was how clean the community is now. Our memories of I.V. include there being an endless supply of used plastic cups lining our beloved enclave’s gutters. So it seems that I.V. is now a prettier city, and no doubt more pleasant for it.

So to the current students of UCSB and I.V. residents, I offer my congratulations on making UCSB a better school and I.V. a place that one is happy to return to after graduation.