BREAKING: UCSB Cancels Finals Week, Postpones Fall Quarter Due to Thomas Fire
By Maura Fox
December 10, 2017 at 2:07 pm
Finals week will be canceled and postponed to the week of Jan. 8 because of the effects of the Thomas Fire, Chancellor Henry T. Yang announced in an email to UC Santa Barbara students Sunday afternoon.
Winter Quarter will begin the week of Jan. 16, a week later than it was originally scheduled.
Yang said the schedule change is due to power outages across campus that have disrupted campus IT.
The UCSB campus and Isla Vista community lost power more than 10 times early Sunday morning after strong winds pushed the Thomas Fire into Santa Barbara County.
“Combined with confusion around Santa Barbara County’s false late-night evacuation notice and concerns regarding air quality issues and transportation, these concerns have only continued to raise the level of anxiety at an already stressful time,” Yang said in the email.
The campus and I.V. first lost power for approximately four hours on Monday, Dec. 4.
Thousands of I.V. residents rushed onto Del Playa Drive Monday night in response to the power outage while blasting music, setting off small fireworks and burning two couches, a mattress, one chair and a dumpster.
Faculty members’ alternative arrangements for final exams will remain in effect, Yang said.
“Some faculty have already made alternative arrangements instead of the previously scheduled exam, and these arrangements remain in effect,” Yang said in the email.
Yang said in the email that the university has been communicating with Santa Barbara County officials and said the UCSB “campus remains safely out of the path of this fire.”
The campus will remain open, including student housing, residence halls and apartments.
Yang’s announcement Sunday comes after students raised frustrations with the university’s response to the Thomas Fire and the poor air quality on campus and in I.V. The air quality in Santa Barbara and Goleta remains “unhealthy,” according to the Santa Barbara County Air Pollution Control District.
Yang announced that all classes would be cancelled Thursday and Friday after students expressed dissatisfaction with the university’s delayed response to the Ventura County fire.
He then said Friday that instructors would be open to “flexible” final exams.
President Donald J. Trump declared a state of emergency in California on Friday, and Governor Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County Thursday evening.
The Thomas Fire has burned approximately 230,000 acres, making it the fifth largest fire in California’s history. It burned into Santa Barbara County Saturday afternoon and began to burn into Carpinteria early Sunday morning.
The fire is currently 10 percent contained. UCSB converted its gym into an emergency evacuation center on Tuesday, Dec. 5, to accept up to 200 evacuees.
Updated 7:34 p.m.
In other words, until otherwise noted you should not assume your take-homes are canceled.
The campus may be safely out of the path of the fire, but the air quality has been declared unhealthy. Fall finals should have been canceled before this late hour.
Berkeley had unhealthy air quality during the NorCal fires and we still did our work. This is why you go to SB not Berkeley.
Imagine being elitist over college ranking lol. If you were from Harvard, you might have had a point. But UC Berkeley? Nah lol
Hahaha you sad excuse of a person. Go put it on your resume and touch yourself
Do you think we benefit in any way by having finals postponed? Now we all suffer through break needing to study for our finals and take our exams a month after we’ve finished learning the material. This decision wasn’t reached because of students’ laziness…
Berkeley had bad air quality for a few days and was nowhere near as close as UCSB is too the fires. I live in the East Bay too, with family in the North bay. My prayers to those affected by all these fires.
This whole ordeal has been straight bullshit! They should cancel everything, even the “alternative arrangements” some teachers made. I can’t focus on studying when it looks like the fucking apocalypse outside and I can’t get a fresh breath of air anywhere, and the power keeps randomly going out. How am I going to turn in my online final if the power goes out and I can’t get on the internet? This is such a stressful time for everyone in the community and the administration just keeps fucking with our emotions. I am so fucking pissed off right now.
Lol snowflake
At least you’re not living in other parts of the world with constant air pollution, nor in an active war zone where every day could be your last. And if you can’t handle a temporary problem like this without throwing a temper tantrum, then life after college is not going to go well for you.
Take it to the Chancellor believe me he is still on campus!
“…response to the power outage while blasting music, setting off small fireworks and burning two couches, a mattress, one chair and a dumpster.”
Might want to talk to your neighbors, sounds like they’re contributing to the apocalypse.
Where’s the petition from the AS president chastising students who were setting fires in IV thus diverting crucial emergency resources away from the Thomas Fire? When I was at UCSB the Zaca Fire burned for four months and you didn’t get this kind of outrage. We had ash raining down on campus and we still went to classes and took finals.
I went to a pansy school. “Thousands of I.V. residents rushed onto Del Playa Drive Monday night in response to the power outage while blasting music, setting off small fireworks and burning two couches, a mattress, one chair and a dumpster.” In other words, they proceeded to go nuts just like every other weekend. The fire’s over 20 miles away. My point is….No one is distraught,”stressed or anxious”………..or at least not any moreso than usual. A handful of students just yelled and stamped their feet with finals looming. It’s not unreasonable for students to hope finals get postponed. I certainly… Read more »