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We Didn’t Start the Fire: The Tradition of IV Couch-Burning

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Rachel Miller Student Contributor, University of California - Santa Barbara
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSB chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Isla Vista harbors various customs: getting too intoxicated, engaging in amorous activity, and lighting couches on fire. The vision of flames, smell of fire, and sound of ambulance sirens is all too familiar in IV. It is incredibly common to witness a traditional Isla Vista couch-burning whilst out on DP one night, especially in February during midterm-season. After a night of IV promiscuity, your pee is not the only thing that will burn–your couch will too.

The couch-burning tradition in Isla Vista was sparked after the Bank of America branch of IV was burned down in February of 1970. This fire was ignited as part of the Isla Vista Riots, student-protests held after multiple displays of police brutality, in protest of the Vietnam War.

Couch-burning is a tradition started by Santis Mora, a Polynesian and Trualse tribe member in 1974. Mora ignited this unceasing tradition on the anniversary of the fire and in celebration of America’s imminent withdrawal from Vietnam. The couch-burning signifies the students’ commemoration of the Vietnam War losses while simultaneously praying for successful midterms–which occur around the same time. This fiery UCSB tradition is in its fourth decade of existence and is still blazing. Police officials and Santa Barbara authorities have been trying to extinguish this Isla Vista tradition for years, imposing tremendous fines on those who participate or even observe. Although it is prohibited by law, couch-burning is really just a ceremony of the Trualse people and Vietnam War remembrance for the students of UCSB…as well as a prayer for passing grades on the midterms for which we have not studied!  

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Rachel Miller

UCSB

Rachel is a senior at UC Santa Barbara and studies Communication and Global Peace and Security. Rachel is from a small, beautiful town in southern California called Palos Verdes. However, Palos Verdes is just one of the many places Rachel has lived. Rachel spent her childhood moving and traveling all over the world, living in places such as Indianapolis, Indiana; Santiago, Chile; Vienna, Austria; and Orlando, Florida. Rachel has found her heart and her home in California, choosing to spend her college years in sunny Santa Barbara. However, Rachel continued her wanderlust when she studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain in Fall 2012. At UCSB, Rachel is an immensely dedicated and involved member of her sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma, where she held the positions of Panhellenic Delegate, Inter-Greek Counselor, Rho Gam, and a member of the Nominating Slate. Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is a passion of Rachel's, as she is their Social Media Coordinator as well as an active and proud member. As a member of the Lambda Pi Eta Communication Honors Society, Rachel is able to implement her prowess and affinity for communication and communication-related issues. When Rachel is not writing, participating in Kappa events, or volunteering, you can find her in the gym, on the soccer field, watching Modern Family, or cooking. Rachel's love for sports, food, and writing often times go hand-in-hand, as one may see in her weekly blogs. For the past two summers, Rachel has been freelance writing for the Los Angeles Times, and hopes to continue her career pursuit of journalism after she graduates. Rachel is elated to be a part of Her Campus's fabulous team and loves every moment of it!