General Questions
Tropicana Del Norte is a residence hall that is managed by Tropicana Student Living management company. To most students, life in their first-year dorm or residence hall is at the heart of the college experience. It’s where friends are made, learning habits are tested and lifelong memories are created. That’s why your first-year housing choice is so important. Tropicana Del Norte is committed to providing SBCC students with the ultimate first year experience. We work closely with SBCC faculty and staff to make that happen.
Tropicana Del Norte leases are designed exclusively for SBCC students, as it is based on their academic schedule.
Tropicana Del Norte is directly adjacent to campus across the street from UCSB’s San Clemente graduate student apartments and UCSB’s Westgate undergraduate apartments. We’re a leisurely 10-minute walk from the beach, a 5-minute bike ride to most classes, and on a direct bus route to nearby shopping and entertainment.
Street Address:
6525 El Colegio Road
Goleta, California 93117
Contact:
Phone (805) 968 – 0351
Email: info@tropicanastudentliving.com
Driving Directions to Tropicana Del Norte From the South:
1) Take the Ventura Freeway (101) north. Exit at Los Carneros (it is past the UCSB exit), turn left towards the ocean.
2) Follow Los Carneros until it dead-ends at a stoplight on the corner of Los Carneros and El Colegio Road. Turn left on El Colegio Road.
3) Continue past Embarcadero Del Norte and make a right into the Tropicana Del Norte parking lot just past the Tropicana Del Norte building.
From the North:
1) Take the Ventura Freeway (101) south. Exit at Los Carneros, turn right towards the ocean.
2) Follow Los Carneros until it dead-ends at a stoplight on the corner of Los Carneros and El Colegio Road. Turn left on El Colegio Road.
3) Continue past Embarcadero Del Norte and make a right into the Tropicana Del Norte parking lot just past the Tropicana Del Norte building.
Front Desk Hours:
Sunday – Monday 8AM – 10PM
Business Office Hours:
9AM – 5PM
A suite includes bedrooms, bathrooms and a living room — but no kitchen. It’s a combination of dorm and apartment living, giving you the best of both worlds. You will enjoy apartment-style living, while the Trop Cafe provides all of your meals for you!
At Tropicana Del Norte, you sign an individual contract for a bed space in a shared residence hall suite. The pricing is per person, so you are responsible for you and only you, not your roommates.
Isla Vista is a lively student community located adjacent to the University of California Santa Barbara. At Tropicana Del Norte, you are located far enough away from the noisiest areas of Isla Vista in a quiet environment; yet you are still close enough to join the fun anytime you wish. We’re a short bike ride to nearby shops, restaurants, ATMs and a leisurely 10-minute walk to the beach.
No! Many residents take the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) to and from school. With your activities chip on your SBCC Student ID card, it is free to ride any MTD bus. The 15X direct bus route to Santa Barbara City College stops right outside our building every 30 minutes during the school week, and takes approximately 25 minutes to get to City College. Students may also carpool with other City College students, which is another affordable way to get to and from school. For more information regarding the bus, please visit www.sbmtd.gov.
Resident Assistants are chosen in February-March for the following school year. We also hire students to work at our front desks. Check our website for other job postings. College Fresh, our food service provider, occasionally hires students as well.
Please call our front desk at (805) 968-0351, e-mail us at info@tropicanastudentliving.com. Our Director of Leasing, Director of Residence Life and Executive Director can all be contacted through the front desk.
Contact:
Phone: (805) 968-0351
Fax: (805) 968-5703 Email: info@tropicanastudentliving.com
- Bank of America ATM is located off of Embarcadero Del Norte, across the street from Woodstock’s.
- Chase Bank and ATM is located on the corner of Embarcadero Del Norte and Pardall.
- Montecito Bank & Trust branch is located at Hollister and Storke with drive-thru ATM and with ATMs on the UCSB campus inside the Coral Tree Café next to Cheadle Hall and inside the Courtyard Café.
- Santa Barbara Bank & Trust branch is located at the Camino Real Marketplace.
- Wells Fargo ATM is located off of Pardall near the Starbucks and Subway shopping center. Another one located near the UCEN on the UCSB campus.
Located on Storke Road, Camino Real Marketplace is your best bet for all basic shopping needs. The shopping center includes Home Depot, Staples, Costco, Best Buy, Home Goods and Ross. You can find this marketplace by going west on El Colegio and turning right onto Storke Road; it will be located a few blocks down on your left-hand side. Target is located on the corner of Storke Road and Hollister Road. Bed Bath and Beyond is located off of the Fairview exit.
You can find a couple of restaurants in Isla Vista like Freebirds (Mexican), The Habit (burgers), Woodstock’s Pizza, Wing Stop, Kyle’s Chicken House, Sam’s to Go (sandwiches), Dominos, and Sushiya (sushi).
In Camino Real Marketplace you can find an array of nice restaurants. They include: Anna’s Bakery, Chili’s, Mesa Burger, Los Agaves, Blenders in the Grass, Starbucks, Hollister Brewing Company, and McDonald’s.
Mailboxes are in the lobby, next to the office. Please use your suite number when using your
mailing address in the following manner:
(Your Name)
Suite # (Your Suite Number)
Tropicana Del Norte
6525 El Colegio Road
Goleta, CA 93117-4616
The Tropicana offices have a bin for outgoing mail. Mail is picked up and delivered all
throughout the day and will be processed as they arrive. Please be patient with our front office
personnel while they are processing your mail and packages. We sort the mail and place it in
the proper mailbox for each of our residents. Mail and packages will be processed as it arrives.
Packages are held for residents behind the front desk and require identification and a signature
for pick up.
USPS, UPS, and FedEx do not deliver or pick up on Sundays or National Holidays.
About Contracts
At Tropicana Del Norte, you sign an individual contract for a bed space in a shared residence hall suite. The pricing is per person, so you are responsible for you and only you, not your roommates. Your all-inclusive payments include:
- Rent for your bed space in a shared residence hall suite
- 10 meals a week with the ability to change it to 7, 14, 17 or 19 meals.
- All Utilities
- Light Housekeeping twice monthly
- Use of Tropicana Del Norte community amenities including heated pool, recreation room, fitness room, 27-seat movie theater, and study room
- Laundry and parking are not included.
Certain changes can be made. If a change is needed please email our Director of Leasing, Laura Versola, at lversola@tropicanastudentliving.com with your request.
We take check, cash, and Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit card payments in our office or through My Trop Account on our website (click on the Accounts tab, then select “Make A Payment” in the left column). Mail payments can be sent to our Tropicana Student Housing Business Office located in Tropicana Gardens at 6585 El Colegio Rd, Goleta, CA 93117. If you wish to make a contract payment with a credit card, you can do so in person at the front desk, or online.
Tropicana Del Norte offers 9-month academic year contracts as well as one semester (SBCC). If you are interested in any contract period other than the standard Academic Year or Semester, contact Laura Versola at lversola@tropicanastudentliving.com for more information. You may apply for the Spring semester during the academic year, as there may be vacancies available.
Tropicana Student Organization (TSO) is a group of residents that contributes ideas and votes on how to spend a budget of over $35,000. The activity fee that is paid at the beginning of the year goes towards this budget. TSO approves how this budget is spent. All residents are invited to participate in TSO and run for positions such as President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Quad Representatives at the beginning of the year.
By definition, a security deposit is money paid in advance of a transaction to protect the landlord against damage or non-payment. The $350 payment at the beginning of the year is refunded, less a $50 cleaning fee, if the room and its contents are in the exact condition as when the resident moved in. A Room Condition Report (RCR) is completed at the beginning of the year by our staff. Each resident, upon move-in, may document any damages in the room prior to moving in on the RCR. The amount refunded from the security deposit depends on the extent of damages caused throughout the year. Damage in any location of the suite is divided by the amount of residents that live in the suite. This is referred to in university environments as “community damage billing.” For example, in a 6-person suite, damage in the living room (a common area for all 6 residents) is divided by six, while any damage in the double bedroom is divided by 2 (amongst the people that live in that bedroom). Unless a resident takes responsibility for any damages, each person in the suite is charged from their security deposit for damages.
For current residents, please consult the Contract Termination section of your contract on your MyTropAccount.
Tropicana Student Living has a cancellation policy as follows:
- Cancellation within the first 72 hours of signing of the contract = $0 cancellation fee.
- Cancellation received through June 30 = $500.00 fee.
- Cancellation received July 1 – July 31 = $1,500.00 fee.
- Cancellation received August 1 through day before contract start date = $2,500.00.
- Cancellations are not allowed after the contract start date (Resident must find an acceptable replacement student to take over the contract and subsequent payments).
BEFORE THINKING OF CANCELLING – HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THE FOLLOWING:
- Try resolving any issues you may have with roommates that may be potentially causing conflict?
- Have you tried including a Resident Assistant or another Tropicana Staff member to help resolve any potential conflicts?
- Have you considered requesting a room change (Note: there is a $200 room move fee)?
- Have you considered placing an ad on Craigslist, UCSB’s Housing Site, to see if someone would be willing to take over your contract?
Notes about the Cancellation Policy:
- Student/Guarantor has the right to find an acceptable replacement that Tropicana Student Living agrees is a suitable replacement (must meet the same admissions criteria required for all residents) to avoid paying a cancellation fee. A $500.00 Administrative Fee will be assessed for lease replacements.
- You will continue to be responsible for your contract until a confirmed replacement is found. The replacement will be charged beginning the day they sign their contract through the end date of the contract. Similarly, you will be charged from your contract start date through the start date of the replacement contract. Any financial incentive arrangement between you and the replacement will be handled between the two of you. Your account will include charges for the pro-rated occupancy and the $500 lease takeover fee. The replacement account will be billed for the pro-rated period beginning with their contract start date and concluding at the end (or later) of the originally signed contract. All payments due on the account must be received and verified before the replacement is approved.
- Your Tropicana Student Organization Fee will be forfeited.
- Your security deposit will be returned less the $50.00 cleaning fee and any other damage charges and outstanding balances. (The $50.00 cleaning fee includes steam cleaning of the carpet and normal cleaning, but does not include removal of items, etc.)
Note: If you are a member of the United States Armed Forces on active duty and receive change-of-station orders to permanently leave the local area; are returned to active military duty; or are a national guard or reservist called to active duty, then you may terminate the Contract by giving written notice to us from the US Government.
Residence Halls traditionally close for the Thanksgiving holiday, Winter Break (includes Christmas and New Year’s) and Spring Break. If you are unable to go home during SBCC’s academic breaks because of school, athletic or work obligations, you may make arrangements to stay at Tropicana Del Norte. Requests must be made in advance at the front desk and are approved on a case by case basis. Please note that there is no food service during academic breaks. We are open Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day. Please see our Academic Year Calendar at (Under Resources tab). Please note that Academic Calendars are different for SBCC and UCSB.
We offer two types of early move-ins for Tropicana Del Norte. The first early move-in option is $200 to move in the Saturday before the scheduled move in day, or $400 to move in the Friday before the scheduled move in day. If you are interested in this option the form is available on the My Trop Account after the contract is complete.
The second option is TEMPO: Tropicana Early Move-in Program and Orientation. For $500, you are able to move in on the Tuesday before the scheduled move in day, and you can participate in fun-filled week of activities like bowling trips, ice skating, tours of SBCC, and many helpful workshops.
For questions regarding TEMPO, please email leasing@tropicanastudentliving.com
Trop Early Move-In Program and Orientation (TEMPO) starts Tuesday the week before SBCC move in. TEMPO is an orientation program that covers the top 10 important topics concerning incoming freshmen, including healthy eating, dealing with relationships, touring the campus, getting books, finding classes, field trips around the city and getting to know 50+ other Trop students. If you are interested in TEMPO, please email leasing@tropicanastudentliving.com
Suite Information
Each suite has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms
A bedroom – single
B bedroom – standard double (The A & B bedrooms share one bathroom)
C bedroom – triple or quad (The C bedroom has its own bathroom)
Tropicana is a co-ed building. The individual suites are assigned by gender. If you have any questions or special requests about your housing, please email lversola@tropicanastudentliving.com.
Residents will be able choose their suite or room though our online Roommate Matching and Room Selection service. Room choices will become available in late summer. Students who complete their contract by the time room selection takes place mid summer will have the opportunity to choose their own room.
Once your contract has been accepted, we will use your Profile to match you with compatible roommates or you can find your own roommates by comparing profiles with other Trop residents. To use this feature, log in to My Trop Account. Choose your Term under the Application Tab, then click on Roommate Profile in the left column. Set up your own Profile Screen Name (for privacy reasons, we recommend using a nickname). Enter a short description of yourself that will be viewable by potential roommates.
You may search for roommates in three ways:
1.Know who you want to room with? Search by first and last name, email and birth date.
2.Search by Profile, selecting which questions are most important to you.
3. Browse through other student profiles and see your compatibility score with them. Find someone interesting as a potential roommate? Send a message, using this feature as a sort of interview for each other. Only your screen name is used during this interaction, so if you decide not to room with that person, your privacy is still protected. Once you find a good match, you can choose to room together by clicking “Accept” or “Decline” on the Roommate Matching page. Please remember that roommate request must be mutual and accepted by both people for us to place two people together.
There are two bathrooms in each suite shared by 3-4 people. Bathrooms are not co-ed.
All bedrooms come with privacy locks installed.
Your 3-Bedroom suite comes furnished as follows:
LIVING ROOM
Sofa, 1 chair, coffee table, side table and large-screen TV
SINGLE IN A BEDROOM
Twin XL bedframe and mattress
1 large dresser
1 desk and 1 desk chair
SMALL DOUBLE IN A BEDROOM
2 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
(bunked due to space)
2 small dressers
1 shared desk and 1 desk chair*
DOUBLE IN B BEDROOM
2 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
2 large dressers
2 desks and 2 desk chairs
TRIPLE IN C BEDROOM
3 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
3 large dressers
2 desks and 2 desk chairs to share*
QUAD IN C BEDROOM
4 Twin XL bedframes and mattresses
(must be bunked due to space)
4 small dressers
2 desks and 2 desk chairs to share*
BATHROOMS
Shower curtain liners are provided
*Shared desks are at the request of the majority of students that have lived with us in the past, to allow as much space in the room as possible.
If you bring your own furniture, note that the furniture provided by Trop must stay in your suite.
Things that you should bring are sheets (extra long twin), blankets, pillows, pillowcases, bedspread, towels, washcloths, toilet paper, alarm clock, computer, beach towel, bicycle, lock, iron, non-halogen study lamp, and toiletries. You may also want to bring a TV, personal items, laundry soap, and a personal refrigerator which does not exceed 4.0 cu. ft. All rooms have blinds on the windows.
Pianos, organs, drums, electric guitars, hookahs, guns, weapons, dart boards, pets, candles, incense, water beds and fire arms/explosives are not allowed at Tropicana Del Norte. Cooking equipment is not needed.
All suites come furnished with a microwave and refrigerator. Please know that cooking is not permitted in the suites.
Cooking equipment, including but not limited to hot plates, toasters, George Foreman type grills, electric fry pans, toaster ovens, unattended cookers such as slow cookers or pressure cookers, rice cookers, hot oil popcorn poppers, open coil heating devices or anything with an exposed heating element, are not allowed in the residence hall.
Closed-element appliances, such as hot air popcorn poppers, single serving coffee makers (like a Keurig), blenders and refrigerators are allowed.
Yes, there is an Ethernet connection in each suite. Each resident may have several devices (laptop, smartphone) registered on our wireless connection.
There is a 24-quiet hour study lounge located on property. We also offer 2 private study rooms in the front lobby that residents can reserve for up to 3 hours at a time. In addition, there are other study buildings on the UCSB campus accessible to SBCC students. There are also numerous coffee shops with study areas in Isla Vista.
We have vehicle parking above ground and underground available for sale, and plenty of bike parking. For parking information please contact Laura Versola at lversola@tropicanastudentliving.com. Please note prices will not be available until early August with move-in information.
Tropicana Del Norte has an on-site laundry facility which is located adjacent to the cafeteria. One load of laundry will cost $2.25 to wash and $1.50 to dry. Our laundry machines are card operated only. You will receive a laundry card upon move-in and can add money to it throughout the year using cash or a credit/debit card; the credit card add value machine is located in the laundry room and the cash kiosk is at the front desk. Our washers and dryers will e – mail you a message when your laundry is done, if requested.
Yes, our housekeeping staff will provide light housekeeping services twice a month. Light housekeeping includes: vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning the bathroom. Students are responsible for emptying their own trash. If a suite is too messy, housekeeping reserves the right not to clean it.
We have staff that takes care of any maintenance problems residents may have, from a broken window to a faulty toilet. Just come down to the front desk and fill out a Maintenance Request. If the issue is an after-hours emergency, please contact the RA Duty cell phone at (805) 280-1653.
If you have any internet issues, we want to hear about them! We have worked hard with our Internet Management Provider, Pavlov Media, to enhance the quality and strength of our wireless networks over the past year, and if there are any issues, don’t hesitate to let us know immediately so we can investigate and resolve them quickly!
The first step you can take is to verify that you are connected to the PavlovMedia wireless network, and make sure your wireless card is turned on.
If you have internet but it is slow you can go to http://tropicanastudenthousing.com/internet and submit an Internet Issue to our technology department. They will investigate the issue and get back to you as quickly as they can with an update or solution.
Alternatively, if you don’t have internet, or prefer not to go to the website above, you can always call our front desk or speak with your RA, and we would be happy to submit the Internet Issue for you, so our technology department can begin investigating.
Additionally, you are welcome to call Pavlov Media’s tech support line and have them help you troubleshoot issues. You can call their 24/7 phone number at 1 (888) 4-PAVLOV, or 1 (888) 472-8568. If you decide to call the Pavlov Tech Support line, you can also inform our technology department at technology@tropicanastudentliving.com, so we can help follow up with Pavlov and you. If you choose to call Pavlov, it is important for you to call them as it is happening because they may ask you for specific information about your computer and connection.
Community Standards
Residents under 21 years of age may not consume alcohol at Tropicana Del Norte. Residents over 21 years of age may consume alcohol in their room but not in the presence of minors or in public areas.
Guests are welcome up to three days in a fourteen day period if all suite-mates are in agreement, with the exception of Halloween, when no guests are allowed on the property. You will find out more about this from your RA during a suite meeting during your first month here at Trop.
Tropicana Del Norte is a 100% smoke-free building. We do not offer any smoking areas on premises, and smoking must be done off property.
The Community Standards can be found in the Tropicana Student Housing Student Handbook, located online. Each resident will also receive an orientation to our community standards during the Town Hall meeting on move-in day and during a suite meeting with their RA during the first month of school.
The best place to start is with your Resident Assistant (RA), who is a student staff member living on your floor. The Director of Residence Life and the Executive Director are professional staff members who focus on the students’ concerns while living at Trop. There are also counseling services available on the SBCC campus.
Safety
Students must use their suite key to enter the building, or go through the front office when open. RAs perform community walks of the facility in the evenings on a regular basis. Many staff members live on site and are available 24-hours a day.
The Front Desk can assist if you are locked out, by providing a one-shot key that is active for 15 minutes. If the suite key is permanently lost, or if the one-shot key is not returned, there is a $10.00 key replacement fee.
If you are inside a building during an earthquake, stay inside.
Sit or crouch against an interior hallway or take cover under a desk or table.
Stay away from all glass areas such as windows and mirrors.
Leave the building when the shaking stops and remain outside.
Do not stand under overhangs on the outside of buildings. Move into the open and stay away from power lines.
Follow safety instructions given by staff.
Fire in the Building
Upon discovery of a fire, make sure that everyone is out of the room. Leave the room and close the door behind you. Break the nearest fire alarm box, pull the fire alarm, and dial 911 to report the fire. Contact the nearest staff member and evacuate the building. All fires must be reported, even those which were self-contained and were put out. According to state and federal law, the fire department needs to investigate every fire.
Fire Alarm Evacuation Procedure
- Test your door for heat or smoke before exiting.
- Should the door be warm or the hallway impassable.
- Place towels or a blanket at the base of the door.
- Telephone the fire dispatcher at 911, giving name, address and room number.
- Go to the window and make your presence known.
- If the door is cool, exit the building immediately by the route which is posted on the back of your front door.
- Grab your shoes, jacket, and keys before evacuating.
- If you are in your room, lock your door and take your key when leaving.
- Once outside in the designated area, maintain 100 feet of clearance from the building. Please wait for instruction from staff or a trained professional.
- Re-enter the building only after receiving instructions to do so.
Food/Meals
Tropicana Del Norte only offers different meal plan options to fit the needs of our residents. Residents can choose from 7, 10 (included in standard contract), 14, 17 or 19 meals a week for different rates. Please see our pricing page for the most up-to-date meal plan rates. Through our management company College Fresh we offer one of the finest university dining service programs available. Each meal is prepared daily with a strong emphasis on nutrition using fresh, grade-A ingredients. A variety of menu items are offered at each meal, including low-fat, vegetarian, and vegan options. A salad bar and fresh-baked desserts are offered daily. Our menu is listed and updated weekly in the café.
The café is located on the ground floor of Tropicana Del Norte, across from the swimming pool. When you enter the café you will scan a bar code from your phone that you access from your MyTropAccount.
We work hard to accommodate a wide variety of tastes and needs. Each meal is properly labeled and offers at least one vegetarian meal option. It is best to alert our management staff to your needs:
Andreza Holt
Food Service Manager
andreza.holt@collegefresh.net
Office: 805.869.1401
The Trop meal plan is only valid at our onsite café at Tropicana Del Norte and at Tropicana Gardens (2 blocks away).
Yes, your friend may purchase a meal for $15 at the Café.
Non-residents are welcome to purchase meal cards. Meal Card are: 10 meals for $135.00. Also, see our options for off-campus meal plans: https://tropvillas.com/off-campus-meal-plan/
International
No, pricing is the same for all students.
No, international students are welcome to stay at Tropicana Del Norte during all academic breaks as we realize it is much harder for international students to travel home or to arrange alternate housing.
All early arrival scheduling can be arranged through Laura Versola, the Director of Leasing, at lversola@tropicanastudentliving.com.
Tropicana has summer camps moving in immediately upon closing of the academic year, but we may be able to accommodate you. If you will be departing later than the closing date of Tropicana Del Norte please contact Laura Versola, the Director of Leasing, at lversola@tropicanastudentliving.com.
Every year we house more than 50 international students at Tropicana. We have welcomed residents from all over the world including Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and many more.
Most international residents choose to live with Americans, but depending on how late or early you apply for a contract, your housing situation may differ. In our three Tropicana communities we house around 1,000 students, so you will be surrounded by people from all around California, the United States, and other countries.
When you arrive at Tropicana, you will meet your Resident Assistant (RA) for the year. Your Resident Assistant is responsible for assisting you with any issues related to your suite or roommates.
Programs are held at Tropicana Del Norte every week. When you arrive, speak to your Resident Assistant for details about upcoming trips. Past programs include trips to Disneyland, Big Bear and Six Flags.
Yes. Many residents take the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (MTD) bus to and from downtown Santa Barbara and the nearby Camino Real Marketplace. With a SBCC student card, it is free to ride any MTD bus. The 24x bus line south takes you downtown and 24x heading north takes you to Camino Real Marketplace. The 15x will take you directly to and from SBCC campus.
