Storke Tower

It is engaged in making students safe for ideas" (Clark Kerr) and "These bells ring for the freedom of the press and in tribute to Editor-Publisher Thomas More Storke, whose affection for the University made this building possible.

The system also strikes a sequence at 10 minutes to every hour which spells out the university motto, "Let There Be Light" (with each of the 10 largest bells assigned a letter of the alphabet).

[9] The tower is named for Thomas M. Storke, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and U.S. senator who resided in Santa Barbara and helped found UCSB.

[11] The open-air area of the Plaza contains a large rectangular pond that functioned as a reflecting pool until 2003, when it was transformed into a cost-saving and partially self-sustaining aquatic ecosystem[12] including koi and water lilies.

This practice was discontinued by campus administrators for liability reasons citing student safety and ROTC policies prohibiting the physically disabled from participating in the exercise.

Storke Tower from the point of view of the UCen
Storke Plaza pond, with koi and water lilies in a partially self-sustaining aquatic ecosystem