And the water has tar in it, as does the sand on the beach 
Every student has a bottle of baby oil by the door to remove it from their feet if they go for a walk on the beach. It’s not like stepping in a bucket of tar, but you’ll get several nickel-size spots of tar & sand on your feet.
UCSB is in a beautiful setting and a rarity among CA colleges, one where students live on/near campus in a college community. Perhaps Davis and Chico are similar, and a few others. I’ve never been to UW so no comments there.