HUB Print Issue: November 18

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HUB THE

In-Depth | Pages 10-11

November 18, 2011

Occupy Davis presses on By Linda Ge HUB Staff Writer

Despite the lack of firstworld comforts, Occupy Davis protesters stick to their vision. Not only does the one-month old Central Park camp maintain its numbers, but new people consistently join the movement. Protester Brandon James participated in Bay Area and Southern California protests. He had just arrived from Occupy Los Angeles at the beginning of November, and firmly believes in the Occupy vision. “Live the way you want to live,” is how James describes the Occupy vision. During his tour of different Occupy protests, he and his traveling companions have educated others about police tactics, treated those with wounds and bug bites, and shared cold-weather survival tips. These activists aren’t leaving any time soon. According to www.occupywallstreet. org, the plan is to inspire communities to speak out about the unfair distribution of wealth between the poorer 99 percent of citizens and the wealthier one percent. Currently, James estimates that there are 20 to 30 protesters camping out, though he says many more supporters stop by to chat and help in any way they can. The campsite has expanded from a circle of tents to a society of its own; there are general assembly meetings in the evenings, a kitchen area that meets health department guidelines, and a “Free Store” that resembles a rummage pile of odds and ends. Hand-drawn posters decorate the campsite, ranging from messages like “Support Local Farmers” to “Everything for Everyone.” One guy walks around with a kitten in his arms; other pets, like two German shepherds, spend their time in a chainlink enclosure. “It’s about living with each other and staying sustained. For example, I just started cleaning this kitchen and didn’t ask for any help at all. And now three, six, nine people are helping me,” James said as he placed pomegranates in a fruit basket. Others wash dishes with wet rags and dump dirty dishwater into a compost bucket. OCCUPY continued on 2

Davis Senior High School

Drama department musical “Anything Goes” delights audiences Entertainment | Page 16

Volume 86, Issue 4

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Student representatives from each social studies class attend the student forum meetings every other Wednesday to share their opinions on school policies with student school board representative Deniz Tumer.

Student school board representative Deniz Tumer relays the opinions he hears at the student forum to school board members Richard Harris, Susan Lovenburg, Tim Taylor, Gina Daleiden and Sheila Allen (clockwise from top left)

School Board Representative

School Board

CHARLOTTE CHEN & ANDERS YOUNG/HUB GRAPHIC

HUB reporters take an investigative dive into the lives of Bros

Student Forum

By Kelly Goss Editor-in-Chief

Senior Hannah Mazet wishes the adminstration would designate a parking area reserved for seniors. Junior Hannah Cole-Leathers feels that the new attendance policy makes it harder for students “to even have the time to catch a cold.” Senior Cynthia Ochoa hopes that new course descriptions are written so students have a a better idea of what they are committing to when they sign up for a class. Ochoa, Cole-Leathers and Mazet, along with 52 other students, gathered in social studies teacher Kristin Swanstrom’s classroom during lunch Nov. 2 to discuss school policy issues they felt needed to be brought to the attention of the school board. The event marked the first-ever meeting of the DHS student forum, a new group on campus with the goal of providing a space for students to voice their concerns and recommendations for school policy, according to student leader Deniz Tumer. The governing body is composed of 55 student representatives from each social studies class on campus. Swanstrom noted that it was “up to the individual teacher as to how they chose their representatives,” but the goal was to create a group of students who would reflect “the whole diversity of the student body.” The idea for the forum was inspired by both student school board representative Tumer and Race and Social Justice group Ali Holder, Ryan Gross, Nick Howell, Linnea Lagerstrom, Arjan Singh and Michael Romero. Both Tumer and the RSJ group were searching during the spring of 2011 for ways to increase student voice in decisions regarding school policy. Originally the RSJ group wanted to know what rights students had on and off campus. “But it evolved into the sense that we realized that students had absolutely no idea what [their rights] were and they were not informed on what they could do on campus, what they couldn’t and how they could make a complaint,” Holder said.

The group surveyed 400 students and asked them if they knew how to file a complaint on campus; only 12 percent knew how. “It really got us thinking: how are you going to make a difference in your school and get your voice heard if only 12 percent of the student body knows how to do that?” Holder said. That question sparked conversation between principal Jacquelyn Moore and the RSJ group who both agreed that students needed to be provided with the knowledge of their rights and a way for them to communicate any concerns they might have about school policy. Meanwhile, Tumer was working with Davis Joint Unified School District employee Mel Lewis to create the same communication outlet for students. Tumer wanted to receive more student body input that he could bring to school board meetings. Both efforts merged this school year with the creation of the student forum. Senior Cynthia Ochoa, who was nominated to be a representative for Mike Kanna’s third period U.S. Government class, felt that the first forum meeting was a success. “It was fun to see other people there who want to invest their time because they are passionate about changing certain aspects of the school just as much as me,” she said. Forum representatives discussed issues related to advanced placement contracts, homework policies and the new drop deadline for classes at the first forum meeting. These topics, as well as the relationships between students and their counselors and teachers, are at the top of senior representative Graham Linley’s list of issues he would like to see improvement on during the school year. Linley was chosen to represent Swanstrom’s second period AP U.S. Government class. “It’s important for policy to be created in a more democratic manner so that everyone’s voice can be heard, or at least represented,” Linley said. STUDENT FORUM continued on 2

Union protests construction wages

PETER LIN/HUB PHOTOS

By Kelsey Ewing HUB Staff Writer

Takenaka Corporation construction workers place a section of one of the walls for Mori Seiki factory. When finished, the factory will produce industrial tools. I heard it’s, like, totally fat-free.

It’s a good, honest, American dessert.

Some get “Schweddy” over new ice cream Features | Page 7

I heard it gives you super

It’s ‘cause I’m a schweddy

Four middle-aged men protest on the Dave Pelz bike overpass almost every frosty morning since early September. The men, one of whom is dressed as a grim reaper, stand on the overpass with a large sign reading: “Mori Seiki hurts our community. Shame on them!” The men are construction workers and members of Local Union 46, a carpenters’

Blue Devil teams win section titles Sports | Page 20

union that serves the Sacramento region. They are upset that Japanese machine tool manufacturing company Mori Seiki hired Takenaka Corporation for its construction work. Takenaka Corporation, which is also based in Japan, is not required to pay workers the prevailing wages and benefits that Local Union 46 has deemed adequate. And while Davis civic leaders have celebrated Mori Seiki for bringing at least

150 new jobs to Davis, Local Union 46 discredits this praise, arguing that Mori Seiki is “killing our economic recovery,” according to a flier the protesters offer. “This project got a lot of press about economic development and investment in the community. But we think it’s unfortunate that they didn’t give the standard pay,” Local Union 46 spokesman Paul Cohen said. WAGES continued on 3

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