A week away from the first day of classes at UC Santa Barbara, Isla Vista lies in quiet anticipation, preparing for the arrival of thousands of students moving into their homes for the school year. 

As some students begin moving in and others enjoy the last days of summer, the Isla Vista Community Services District hosted its third annual Move-In Sale at the Isla Vista Community Center on Monday and Tuesday. 

The IVCSD had three storage containers full of furniture and home items for sale. The furniture and kitchenware comes from the remainder of the annual GIVE Benefit Sale this past June. The sale collected 29.5 tons of unwanted items according to Viviana Marsano, assistant dean of civic and community engagement. 

Shoppers had their pick of couches, dining room tables, desks, chairs, miscellaneous home and kitchen items. Items were priced based on appearance and functionality. Jenna Norton, Public Works and Sustainability director, said she priced items as low as $5 and as high as $80. 

“It’s priced kinda low but makes sense because some of this stuff is kind of a little more beat up, but it’s perfect for college kids,” second-year UCSB student Roan Beaupre said while shopping the sale on Monday.

But Norton said the funds collected is the least important thing.

“Our goal is not to make money, it is to keep these items off the street so we can enjoy a beautiful environment,” she said. 

In the past years, Norton said they have gotten close to having everything sold. The items that don’t get sold get offered for free before ultimately heading to the landfill.

“This is kind of like a last ditch effort to find the items a home before we have to throw them away,” she said. 

Fourth-year student Lucy Dixon shopped the sale for the first time and said she was pleased with the prices. As she walked through the community center, she envisioned how she could decorate her outdoor area. She was excited at the variety of chairs, many of them priced for $5. 

“It’s already so expensive just to pay rent here,” she said. 

Fourth-year student Katelyn Mihalko echoed Dixon’s pleasant surprise.

“I like that it is all in a central location, because I’ve been to the end of the year yard sales and it gets kind of tricky and you have to haggle more and I’m really bad at it,” she said. 

As the two prepare their homes and themselves for the academic year ahead of them, Dixon describes the feeling as dissonance while Mihalko describes it as trepidation. 

Yet, Dixon says she is trying to go into the year with a hopeful mindset.  

“When federal education is being attacked like literally every single day it is kind of disheartening to go to school and then look on your phone, ‘oh budget’s gone or federal research is cut’,” she said. 

Students are walking onto campus with newly appointed chancellor Dennis Assanis waiting for them. Dixon and Mihalko said they aren’t sure what to expect after having former Chancellor Henry T. Yang in the position for over three decades. 

UCSB’s first day of school is Sept. 25, but South Coast residents can expect seeing more students soon since Move-in Weekend for on-campus housing kicks off on Thursday.