Members of UC Santa Barbara’s student media outlets will return to the university in September — but this time, not to their beloved home under Storke Tower.

UCSB’s independent student-run newspaper the Daily Nexus, the radio station KCSB, and the Senior Book have begun moving to Embarcadero Hall in Isla Vista, with no return timeline. 

They are making way for maintenance on the iconic structure that has served as student journalists’ working hub for more than 50 years.

“There’s so much history on the walls,” said 2026-27 Daily Nexus Editor-in-Chief Iris Guo. “There’s pictures everywhere, people signing their names, chalk all over the walls.” (As a Nexus tradition, graduating students chalk their names onto the office’s walls.) 

“I think when everyone found out, we were all pretty disappointed,” she said. “This office is definitely the Nexus’ home. We’ve been here for decades.”

Long-Awaited Tower Maintenance

There were rumors for years about possible tower maintenance, but students and employees were officially told in January that they would have to move out of their offices in the summer before the 2026-27 school year.

Storke Tower, the university’s towering crown jewel at the center of campus since 1969, will undergo maintenance to address leaks, university spokesperson Kiki Reyes confirmed. 

No timeline has been set for when the refurbishments will start or be completed.

The tower is being assessed, according to Reyes. She could not share additional information about funding sources and other project elements. 

For years, students working in the tower said they’ve dealt with leaks when it rains and other issues. 

The Nexus’ longtime solution has been to place buckets around the office to catch the water to avoid a slippery floor, Guo said.

Parker Doti, this year’s general manager for KCSB, said the radio station lost one of its production studios around two years ago due to water damage. 

Orange cones also circle the base of the tower to block off a section where pieces of the structure may come crumbling down, students told Noozhawk.

The students themselves moved furniture and decor from their offices, which was no easy feat, according to Linda Meyer, the Daily Nexus adviser.

“I don’t think anyone has the answers right now,” Meyer said. “With everything that has to do with construction, it takes a lot of time and money to figure out the right solution.”

Guo added: “It’s a bit annoying that we don’t know any concrete news about when maintenance is actually going to start.”

For students, the temporary move means leaving behind spaces with decades of memories and mementos left behind by generations of reporters, DJs and other creatives.

Inside the Nexus are archives of every one of the paper’s physical copies, as well as jokes and chalk drawings left behind inside by alumni. 

At KCSB, there are old records, CDs and vintage posters sent to the station over the years, as well as relics and photos left behind by past DJs and other people who have worked at the station. 

“It’s definitely going to be a weird feeling having to move to a new space for the last year of my education and employment at KCSB,” Doti said. 

“Everyone who has passed through and had a show there or worked there has left their mark on the station, and I feel like that can really be felt when you walk through it.”

A Temporary Space in Isla Vista

Come mid-September, student media will operate in the heart of Isla Vista.

Embarcadero Hall is a lecture theater that functions as an event venue and classroom. It hosts about 30 classes a week. 

Being in a populated area comes with its own challenges for the radio station. 

When it comes to having bands perform at the studio, Doti said they will have to be more aware of classes and other activities happening at Embarcadero Hall than they would be at Storke Tower. 

“We’re working alongside the public as a bigger consideration than we’ve had for any other year,” Doti said. “And also just being considerate of the space we’re going to be operating out of.”

Their new space in the college town is smaller than the offices under Storke Tower but does have air-conditioning and heat systems, according to Meyer.

“This is our new home until we hear otherwise,” she said. 

She hopes to get in contact with Nexus alumni to get some old photos to put up on the new office’s walls to try and bring some of their original office’s charm.

Meyer said she hopes that the office stays similar to how it is, especially with decades of students’ chalk signatures.

While the move is bittersweet, students and employees said it could be nice to be headquartered in Isla Vista, but they are looking forward to the day they can return to the iconic university landmark.

“It’s kind of unfortunate to lose the space that we’ve been using for a very long time, but I am excited to make this new space work,” Doti said.

“It’s a historic performance hall, concert venue within Isla Vista, with lots of history in Isla Vista culture.”