Celebrations Abound at the UCen
Fall Quarter 2025 kicked off early for us with a full lineup of welcoming events, starting with the Student Leadership & Development Keynote and the Assistant Vice Chancellor Banquet. We also supported the AS Staff Retreat and several orientation events like the ASPB and RHA Movie Nights on the Lagoon Lawn. Our team also helped with the Campus Store’s Annual Poster Sale by providing table space and secure overnight storage throughout the duration of the sale.
One of the biggest highlights this quarter was supporting the UCSB Physics Department’s celebration of Nobel Prize Winners, Michel Devoret and John M. Martinis. They spoke to a packed house of over 600 students, faculty, and staff about their groundbreaking research. Another standout event was the Central Coast Sustainability Project, which brought the community together for engaging talks on renewable energy and EV technology.
Things are not slowing down anytime soon. We are getting ready to host Fania Davis, our Foundation Board members, and our HDAE partners in the coming weeks. At the same time student groups continue to take advantage of our meeting rooms for their weekly gatherings. Our student staff continues to go above and beyond to bring every event to life. We could not achieve our success without their dedication.
The UCen Game Room — Grand Opening
In the winter of 2022, students wanted something fun and free in the UCen and thought the Hub would be a perfect place for a Game Room. After some discussion with UCen Director, Louis Reynaud, they measured and diagrammed an old storage area adjacent to the Beer Garden. They surveyed UCSB students with a QR code to find out if it was a popular idea and received an overwhelmingly positive response for a UCen Game Room. The following games received the most votes: regulation pool, air hockey, pinball, video games, shuffle board, and bumper pool. After much hard work and dedication from Louis and the UCen Admin team, the game room is now completed and ready to open for fun and entertainment. The UCen hosted the grand opening on October 21, 2-4pm. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this happen. It looks like it will be a huge success.
Game Room hours will be Monday - Friday from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., and closed Sunday. The game room will be closed or on a flex schedule whenever there are concerts, dances, or other Hub activities.
Fall Quarter in the Hub.
This quarter has been off to a great start! We started off during WOW with Pre-Shock, which is a dance party co-sponsored by Sociedad Eterna and the Hub. This event has been happening for more than two decades and continues to be a highlight for new students. We had over 1,000 attendees throughout the night! We had a fabulous Drag Show with the Graduate Student DragmClub and the following week we held Drag Queen Bingo with Bingo Boy and Borgia Bloom. Our first ASPB concert is October 16 and sold out in less than 24 hours! We are getting ready for our first concert with a beer garden in November, which is very exciting. There is a training session on November 7 with all staff involved. The rest of the quarter is packed with POPS Orchestra, Open Mic, movie night in Corwin Pavilion, among many other events.
Thank you, Lou!
This fall also marks a significant transition for our department, as we say goodbye to our valued leader, Louis Reynaud, who will be retiring at the end of October. While we’re excited for him as he begins this new chapter, we’ll certainly miss his presence as the leader of our team. Louis joined UCSB in 2019 as Associate Director of the University Center and stepped into the role of Director of the UCen, ECen and DLS in 2022. Before his time at UCSB, he built a distinguished career in collegiate athletics, coaching basketball at UCSB, UC Berkeley, Rice, and the University of Houston. He also served as Dean of Students at St. Patrick-St. Vincent and De La Salle High School, and was twice named Bay Valley League Coach of the Year.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Louis brought heart, integrity, and a deep commitment to student development and service. His long-standing involvement with Catholic Charities and Caritas Youth Camp reflects his dedication to making a positive impact on the lives of others, a quality we’ve been lucky to experience firsthand. We’re grateful for Louis’s leadership, guidance, and many contributions over the years, and we wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.
