Dear Class of 2029, as well as returning students, faculty, and staff,
From your walk of life to the newsprint you now hold, on the serif font you now read: my name is Ariana, and I’m really glad you are here.
If you haven’t read our stories before, welcome to the myriad of talented voices which operate The Bottom Line. We are a student-run newspaper at UC Santa Barbara, founded on the belief that journalism runs on accessibility, community engagement, and accountability. Our summer edition brings you news stories behind and beyond Henley Gate during this time of reckoning.
Many have found that the ideals they thought to be stable and constant instead face shocking disruption. Concepts like freedom of speech, citizenship, and human rights are being redefined by the powerful, even as the common deeply disagrees.
The motto of the UC is fiat lux, or “let there be light.” Light signifies investigation, education, hope, and so much more. We don’t claim to know it all, but we do claim to be on the search for it.
The Bottom Line’s not-so-eco-friendly gas lantern logo is that light. Since expanding coverage of the housing crisis in 2006, we’ve emphasized the importance of breaking multiple perspectives on campus and county news, encouraging students with varying levels of journalism experience to engage with the local community through advocacy and creativity. Chronicling another’s pride, protest, and testimony, is what inspires many to come to our newsroom on Tuesday nights to pick up story pitches.
Thank you to our editors, contributors, and those who believe in us—friends, family, professors, and readers who compel us to continue making students’ voices heard and making UCSB a more democratic institution.
See you in the search,
Ariana Isabel Duckett
The Bottom Line Editor-in-Chief ‘25-26