Senate Weighs Student Referendum on Academic Calendar
The Associated Students 77th Senate considered a nonbinding resolution to gauge student opinion on UCSB's quarter-based system.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in College Life
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The Associated Students 77th Senate considered a resolution proposing a nonbinding student referendum on UCSB's academic calendar at its Oct. 28 meeting. The measure would appear on the A.S. election ballot and gauge whether students prefer the current quarter system or a semester system.
Why it matters
The Senate does not have authority over the academic calendar, so the referendum would serve as a way to communicate student preferences to the University. Senator Alec GeoSimonian introduced the resolution because students have few formal avenues to voice opinions on the academic system.
The proposed referendum would appear on the A.S. election ballot and is explicitly nonbinding, with no authority over the academic calendar. The Senate has not yet determined whether it will advance beyond the Outreach Committee.
The players
Associated Students 77th Senate
The student governing body of UC Santa Barbara that represents undergraduate students in campus policy discussions.
Alec GeoSimonian
A UCSB student senator who introduced the resolution to address the lack of student input on the academic system.
The details
The Senate discussed the financial implications of a transition to semesters, including cost of attendance and time to graduate. The referendum would communicate student preferences to the University rather than set policy, and the resolution was referred to the Outreach Committee for further discussion.
Timeline
Oct. 28, 2026: Senate considered the referendum resolution at its meeting.
Fall 2027: Expanded dining hall meal plan implementation begins.
Campus Context
UC Santa Barbara operates on the quarter system that is common across the University of California campuses, and the proposed referendum asks students whether that structure should change. Student input on the calendar has historically been limited, which is the gap the resolution is designed to address.
Students interested in the calendar debate can follow the resolution as it moves to the Outreach Committee and check the A.S. election ballot for the referendum. Any change to the quarter system would affect course scheduling, cost of attendance, and time to graduate.
The takeaway
The proposed referendum gives students a formal way to express preferences on the academic calendar even though the Senate cannot change it directly. How students vote in the A.S. election could shape the conversation with the University.
Further reading
For more on campus student life, explore College Life coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Nexus.
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Should UC Santa Barbara switch from quarters to semesters?
