serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915
www.theaggie.org
volume 130, number 97
thursday, october 13, 2011
Teen programs may settle down at Veterans’ Memorial Center
J Street death remains under investigation
Davis City Council approves $30,000 feasibility study
Davis police have suspect in custody “We don’t know how long it’ll be before the new court date, which is usually the prelimi Kevin Gerard Seery, 42, died nary hearing.” of asphyxiation in his College Mings has pleaded not guilty Square apartment at 945 J St. to the homicide in the reon Oct. 1. Davis police arrest- cent arraignment. He is being ed James Elron Mings, 36, of represented by Yolo County Davis, on suspicion of public defender, murder. He is being Daniel Hutchinson. held without bail at the Hutchinson deYolo County Jail. clined to give a “Upon arrival, officers comment on the found [Seery] deceased pending case. on his bedroom floor,” According stated the Davis police to Mings’s blog, press release. “Due to he is a poet, auobservations made at thor and a relationthe scene, officers began ship columnist for to investigate the case as James Elron Mings Examiner.com. He a homicide.” also worked at the suspect According to Davis Davis Food Co-Op police detectives, it is as a cashier. believed that Mings used his “[I am] doing and supporthands to strangle and kill the ing something I have always victim. The investigation of believed in, as a Cashier, and this case is still ongoing. getting my Life back on track “Essentially, there’s noth- for the first time in well over 2 ing new on it,” said Lt. Paul years!” said Mings in his blog. Doroshov of the Davis Police This is the first murder in Department. Davis since 2004. The last Doroshov said the Davis po- murder, a shooting, occurred lice believe they have the only on Cowell Blvd. The suspect suspect in custody responsi- in that case pleaded guilty to ble for the incident. voluntary manslaughter and “[Mings] has already been arraigned,” Doroshov said. See SUSPECT, page 6
By CLAIRE TAN Aggie News Writer
Evan Davis / Aggie
Teen programming has been displaced since the Bike Hall of Fame took its place in 2009.
By Einat Gilboa Aggie News Writer
The teen center may get a new home at the Davis Veterans’ Memorial Center after more than
two years without an established location. On Oct. 4, the Davis City Council approved a feasibility study to address the need for an additional meeting space. The city sold the original teen
See TEEN, page 2
Homecoming football PREVIEW
News iN Brief
Prospective first-years visit Davis This upcoming Saturday, students from around the country will be flooding to the UC Davis campus to participate in a series of events aimed at drawing high school seniors to Davis. Preview Day, an annual event to encourage seniors to apply to UC Davis, involves events such as tours, exposure to current students and professors, lunch at the dining commons, resident hall tours and, most importantly, information about admissions.
center, located on Third and B Street, in 2009; it now houses the Bike Hall of Fame. $1.5 million was made from this sale, $30,000 of
The day will begin at 7:30 a.m. and end around 2:30 p.m. The hopeful students are also invited to attend the Aggie Homecoming Football Game, the Zona Rose in the ARC Ballroom, and the Nada Brahma Music Ensemble after participating in Preview Day. More information on Preview Day can be found at http://admissions.ucdavis. edu/previewday — Charlotte Young
Teams: UC Davis vs. University of Texas, San Antonio Records: Aggies, 1-4; Roadrunners, 2-3 Where: Aggie Stadium When: Saturday at 2 p.m. Who to watch: Sophomore wide receiver Tom Hemmingsen is in the midst of a breakthrough season. A starter in only two games last year, the Danville, Calif. native had the opportunity this season to establish himself as a permanent starter. He has done that, and more. Hemmingsen currently leads the Aggies with 289 yards and five touchdowns, while also averaging 7.8 yards per punt return. Head Coach Bob Biggs likened his receiver to the New England Patriots’ Wes Welker, the NFL’s
leading receiver renowned for his scheduled to play each other this short stature. Listed at 5’10” on year at Aggie Stadium, and next year at the Alamodome in the teams official webSan Antonio, Texas. site, Hemmingsen adHowever, due to the mits that there may be Roadrunner’s recent ansome embellishment on nouncement that they will the part of the athletics join the Western Athletic staff. Conference, a Football He’s really 5’9”, but Bowl Subdivision confernobody seems to care. ence, next season’s meeting “Tom is a gutty comhas been cancelled. petitor and he’s got a It remains to be seen great pair of hands,” whether the Aggies and Biggs said. He’s a punt Tom Hemmingsen Roadrunners will ever face returner and he’s willing sophomore each other again after this to catch a ball over the Saturday. middle. “He’s just a tough competitive Preview: For the Aggies, the first guy. You can win with guys like five games of the season were a learning experience. Now, after that.” Did you know? UC Davis and Texas, San Antonio were originally See FOOTBALL, page 2
Fighting gamers and fans, start your consoles! Video game tournament to take place at Freeborn Hall Top 9 tips for superior gaming be a good player not only do you need execution but 1. To you also need to be psychologically strong. — Sammy Nguyen, senior mechanical engineering
Fighter is truth. The game is impartial. If your move 2. “Street doesn’t come out or your combo is dropped, you need to play better.” — Jenkins Mitchell, owner of Nerdy Video Game Stuff
“Learn everything about the games. The guy with the base3. ball cap or the red-haired mutant chick is a good place to start.” — Dennis Pham, senior human development major
got to yell a lot!” — Sterling Carlton, customer at 4. “You Nerdy Video Game Stuff a two-liter bottle of coke, a five-hour energy 5. “Cheetos, drink, a 40-inch monitor and a good finger workout routine!” — James Johnson, senior anthropology major
[slang for ‘practice a lot’]!” — Harris Sobottka, cus6. “Grind tomer at Nerdy Video Game Stuff Marvel vs. Capcom 3, play Sentinel. For Super Street 7. “For Fighter IV Arcade Edition, be Vance Wu.” — Collin Vaughn, customer at Nerdy Video Game Stuff
Dromstruction
By CLAIRE MALDARELLI Aggie Features Writer
In a matter of days, Freeborn Hall will be overtaken by video-
Today’s weather Sunny High 87 Low 59
courtesy
gamers in an epic two-day-long tournament. The event, called Dromstruction, is open to UC Davis students, Davis residents, and other video-game enthusiasts
from the surrounding area. On Oct. 22 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Oct. 23 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
Forecast Yesterday marked the day that I missed my first class of Senior Year. Not to chalk it up to senioritis but dang, it sure is nice out. Expect great weather to continue well into next week, where a change may be in the cards. Alex Neigher, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
able to recognize patterns in your opponents’ habits.” 8. “Be — Sammy Nguyen, senior mechanical engineering major you get angry when you play, figure out why it’s hap9. “If pening and improve on it.” — Marc Rodillion, senior mu-
See GAMES, page 6 Friday
Saturday
Sunny
Mostly sunny
High 87 Low 60
High 83 Low 55
sic major
— Text by Claire Maldarelli
“We won’t be screwed! We will come first!” Occupy Wall Street movement condoms have been created by Condomania to honor and protect the movement, also promising to be 99 percent effective. How punny. Amanda Nguyen
page two
2 thursday, october 13, 2011
daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org
TODAY Fall Internship and Career Fair 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ARC Pavilion Over 165 companies, including Cisco, Teach for America and the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, will provide information about career and internship opportunities for students.
Entertainment Council Free Concert: Writer Noon to 1 p.m. Quad ASUCD Entertainment Council presents the annual Fall Quad Show Series. Celebrate Fall quarter by enjoying live music on the Quad! Bring yourself, a blanket, lunch and a buddy or your whole posse. Let’s chill on the grass & enjoy some good music, yeah?
Shinkoskey Noon Concert 12:05 p.m. Yocha Dehe Grand Lobby, Mondavi Center This free recital by the Percussion Studio is titled “What I Did on My Summer Vacation.”
Women’s Soccer vs. Pacific 3 p.m. Aggie Soccer Field The first 250 students will receive free Homecoming shirts.
Transformative Travel Interactive Event 5:30 to 7 p.m. Zinfandel Lounge, South Silo Global health expert Elizabeth Emerson, M.A.’s, presentation will include sacred sites in California, tips for traveling in developing countries, avoiding common mistakes made by inexperienced travelers, Eco-Tourism and how to integrate one’s outer journey with one’s inner journey. Fee: $20 for Experimental College members, $30 for non-members. Pay in advance or at the door.
American Red Cross Club General Meeting 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. 118 Olson Missed the first general meeting? No worries! Just go to the second meeting
of the year and learn about volunteer opportunities around Davis and the Yolo community.
FRIDAY Ninety-ninth Annual Pajamarino 6 to 8 p.m. Amtrak Station, 840 2nd St. In 1912, pajama-clad students first sneaked out of their dorms to greet returning alumni at the train station the night before homecoming. Free food, fun and entertainment will be provided by the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh!, Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan Drummers, the Liquid Hotplates, the UC Davis Spirit Squad and more.
Davis Bicycles! Film Festival 7 p.m. Davis High School Brunelle Theater, 314 W. 14th St. The film festival features local filmmakers, local bicycle projects and a wide variety of national and international films celebrating bicycling and bike culture. Arrive early to purchase raffle tickets for great prizes donated by local businesses.
SATURDAY Arboretum Guided Tour: Knowing Our Native Plants
10 a.m. Wyatt Deck, UC Davis Arboretum Enjoy the crisp fall weather and learn about the diversity, adaptability, and beauty of California native plants during a free public tour. The tour leader will point out plants that stand out in the fall garden for glowing colors, ornamental seed pods or other special features.
Football vs. University of Texas 2 p.m. Aggie Stadium The first 4000 students will receive a free Homecoming shirt. To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, e-mail dailycal@theaggie. org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing, and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.
campus Judicial reports A little is still too much An undergraduate was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for submitting a lab report that contained plagiarized material. Inconsistencies in the lab report’s content led the professor to believe that a significant portion of the report had been copied and pasted from another source. In a meeting with a judicial officer, the student admitted to having copied only a small section of his lab report. Although the professor believed that the plagiarism in the report was considerably more extensive than the portion admitted to by the student, the fact is that any amount of plagiarism is considered a violation of the Code of Academic Conduct. As a result, the student agreed to be placed on Disciplinary Probation until graduation. Probation is a status imposed for a period of time during which any further misconduct will result in further disciplinary action, normally in the form of suspension or dismissal.
How far are you? A professor referred a student to SJA for looking at another student’s exam during a chemistry final. The student was witnessed to have looked at the exam of her neighbor for the duration of the exam. The student stated that while she had glanced over at her neighbor’s exam to “pace herself” she did not see any answers and did not copy any answers off the other student’s paper. However, looking at another student’s work
during an exam is considered a violation of the Code of Academic Conduct, whether or not the student who looks has the intention to cheat or not. The student was assigned a three to five page writing assignment in which she was required to explain her responsibility for upholding academic and social misconduct. She also agreed to a censure, which is a written warning stating that further violations will result in more serious disciplinary action.
Just don’t look An upperclassman was referred to SJA on suspicion of unauthorized collaboration during an exam. The student was seen looking at another student’s test by proctors, which coupled with anomalies discovered subsequently in the two exams, led to the student’s referral. The student admitted to checking answers with the other student but insisted that no answers were changed following the exchange. Nonetheless, comparing answers during an exam is a clear violation of the Code of Academic Conduct, whether or not any answers are changed as a result. The student agreed to be placed on Disciplinary Probation and to complete a specified number of community service hours. Campus Judicial Reports are compiled by members of STUDENT JUDICIAL AFFAIRS.
developed their own eccentric qualities. The brakes, for instance, squeal like a dying baby seal in even the slightest of mists; on this particular day, however, the unDylan earthly noise emitted by my Gallagher Trek Antelope as I slowed down to cross Russell was resonant enough to turn the heads of everyone at the intersection, inside and outside of vehicles. As I began to repeat the day’s catchphrase once more, I was joined at the crosswalk by another pedestrian: the man was said this to myself last hunched over in a lowWednesday morning to-the-ground wheelupon waking up and chair without an umbrelseeing the overcast weather. I said it again when, dur- la, leaving the backside of ing the process of choosing his sweatshirt noticeably darker than the front. He my outfit for said weather, I realized I had forgotten to sat on a bandana that must pack my warmest overcoat, have become too sodden leaving me with only an as- to wear, and was now dragging unnoticed along the sortment of relatively thin ground, cardigans. accumu The ... the daylong amassment of lating phrase made hateful sentiments reached its grime. His another aphair was pearance zenith dripping when I diswet and covered that he didn’t have any shoes on my only options for breakhis feet. I doubted he could fast were foods that would be happy, but his facial extake too long to prepare in pression was blank, as the given amount of time, though he had simply adand yet again when I rejusted to this additional mimembered halfway down nor hardship. As the light the staircase that my bike changed and the pedestrikeys were still in my desk an started to wheel himdrawer. I went back inside, self off into the downpour, retrieved the keys, locked I forgot momentarily about the front door again, and pedaling, about rain, and with a quick glance at my about “fuck my life;” in the watch and another “fuck face of what I had just witmy life” I was off. nessed, everything up un By the time I reached til that point seemed all at campus, I had developed a sort of palate for the saying, once very trivial. and began cursing my very The rest of the bike ride went without a single utterexistence for a variety of ance of self-pity, even when reasons — I was seeing the I recalled my lack of a fendworld through FML goggles. My classes were cover- er and felt the telltale mud ing what felt like the dullest stripe splattered along my material yet; my CoHo bur- spine. No big deal. This was rito was so large it bordered manageable — an annoyance at worst. on unwieldy; my Cargo Coffee Latte was slightly too As soon as I got home, I changed into a set of dry dry for my liking. clothes, shedding the pes “Fuck my life, fuck my simistic attitude along with life, fuck my life.” When the time for my de- the damp digs. I wandered parture from campus came, around the apartment, freshfaced and ready to perceive the daylong amassment of hateful sentiments reached the world anew, starting by its zenith; the absolute end- making a soothing mug of Tension Tamer tea. Entering all be-all culmination of a the kitchen to do so, howevstraight morning and afer, I inadvertently placed my ternoon full of “fuck my foot, along with one of the life” had snowballed into replacement dry socks, dia swirling vortex of selfpity, fated to implode like a rectly into a puddle of melted ice. Immediately and inblack hole in the face of an stinctively, my thought proinstance precisely such as the one I currently faced: it cess faltered. In that snapshot of time, I was raining. “Fuck … my … LIFE,” I re- had to will myself not to say peated to myself through grit- those words; to recall that self-pity was just anothted teeth in synchrony with er vessel for self-interest; to my pedaling, gutter water splashing my ankles. I hadn’t choose if I truly wanted to consider myself or others even biked past Segundo yet first. Slowly, I surveyed the when my hair was already empty apartment foyer — matted to my skull, rain was as though to check if there seeping through my cardiwas anyone watching — gan, and my jeans were twoand sighed a quiet, shametoned from the front side’s ful verdict: “fuck my life.” saturation. Since my bike has been making its rounds in the DYLAN GALLAGHER loves all of his fans and Gallagher family since the would love to respond to their equally-valued early ‘80s, its various meinquiries at dylaaaaan@gmail.com. But chanical components have please, attractive people only.
Fuck my life
I
teen
correction In the Wednesday, Oct. 12 issue of The Aggie, the caption for “Long-distance lovers make geography work” incorrectly implied the photo was of Tiffany Hsieh and her boyfriend. Though Hsieh is in the photo, the other person was a model. The Aggie regrets the error.
Jason Alpert Editor in Chief
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Jasna Hodzic Photography Editor
Hannah Strumwasser Campus Editor Angela Swartz City Editor Uyen Cao Arts Editor Erin Migdol Features Editor Trevor Cramer Sports Editor
Michelle Huey Design Director Tani Wong Asst. Design Director Mimi Vo Night Editor Amanda Nguyen Asst. Night Editor Irisa Tam Art Director
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Cont. from front page which will now go toward the feasibility study. According to Connie Foppiano, community services manager for the city, the study is part of the city’s Parks and Facilities Master Plan, which includes renovating and modernizing certain buildings, one being the Veterans’ Memorial Center. After the teen center was sold, Davis Community Services implemented the Youth Advisory Task Force (YATF), composed of Teen Activity Specialists (TAS), to research and address the needs of Davis teens. TAS were assigned to each junior and senior high school
FOOTBALL Cont. from front page
taking a few shots to the mouth, they’re ready to embrace the type of football team they are. “Sometimes it takes getting knocked down to realize what your true identity is,” Biggs said. “We haven’t shown the propensity to be a big-play offense or a big-play defense. We’re blue collar. We have to be good at the little details each and every week; that’s going to give us the edge.” Against an athlet-
The california Aggie
pected with a night out. If you accidentally make eye contact with someone across a bar, you are going to be pestered. For some reason, this is part of the Janelle European culture. Bitker Thus, the European dream is probably just a charming pig, well versed in American expectations of gentlemanliness and wearing a blazer. Does that mean the American in Europe can’t chase the dream? Absolutely not. The fantasy can still happen. It still hapet black hair. Scruff. pens every day. Pale blue eyes. Belgian. Yes! You too can have the Twenty-four. British enchanter who says Overtly cultured. Speaks “the loo” and “the lift” and five languages, including adorably accented English. you can giggle and giggle and giggle. Then you can Full-time job. Suavely dressed. Holds open doors. say something American, like, “soccer,” and he’ll Good with cats. laugh and laugh and laugh. Does this sound like the Just realize that this fanEuropean you’ve always tasy has dreamed tempoabout? The ... the European dream is probably ral restricone that just a charming pig, well versed in tions. As only lives you dream in silly American expectations ... for just one Mary-Kate night, the and Ashley real-life dream should only movies, but mature, grown up and unscripted? The one last one night, as well. You spend a beautiful that you’d fall in love with, evening together. There’s and eventually live in a probably dancing. There’s Tuscan villa with? probably champagne. It should. I don’t think I know a single American girl There’s probably a cozy who hasn’t fantasized about taxi ride. There’s probathe European, or who hasn’t bly an apartment furnished entirely by IKEA. If you’re at least internally fawned over international exchange lucky, there’s a kitten. And then the next day, you students. And now I will tell you that make your choice — give the dream is real. The dream him your phone number and try to make the Tuscan will charm the pants off you villa thing happen, or leave, — literally and figuratively. And then the dream will end, and let the dream live on. If you never see the because dreams have terriEuropean again, you can alble texting etiquette, or beways look back on the danccause the dream was never ing, the champagne and the the dream at all. “European men are pigs,” taxi ride. You can feel comforted knowing you expea British student plainly told me one night. “Italians rienced the pale blue eyes, are the worst. Forget about the adorable accent and the the French. British guys will scruff. You can convince yourself that you could have fuck anything that moves. Belgians only pretend to be fallen in love, if only you had more time! If only you better than that.” weren’t going back to the The topic came about when my roommate started states in a few months... If you see him again, you’ll complaining about all the find flaws. You might not find catcalls we get when frolhis accent quite so adorable icking through downtown after you’ve been surroundBrussels. One night, my roommate ed by similar accents for a few more days. You might realand I were followed for six ize he’s a boring working stiff, blocks downtown. In rapand there’s nothing overtid French, the guy fired off ly cultured about him. Or question after question. you might realize he’s just an What’s your name? Where are you from? Are you a stu- oversized kid who will never, ever own a Tuscan villa. dent? How old are you? We do it all the time. We Where are you going? lie to people, and to our Eventually, my roommate got so pissed that she selves, to try to make a situation better. We pretend screamed at him. But the in order to avoid ruining screaming was in English, something great. and he didn’t understand. Then she shoved him. That, Charming European prince plus average he understood. American girl has nev Is this situation normal? er existed. It’s average Absolutely. Our new European guy plus pragBritish friend confirmed it. matic American girl, who Our fellow Americans who knows that realistically, have also been followed playing make-believe is the home confirmed it — one best option. panicked girl even hid in a bush, which, shockingly, worked. JANELLE BITKER wants to hear about your Some degree of sexuforeign dreams, real or otherwise. She can al harassment is always ex- be reached at jlbitker@ucdavis.edu.
The foreign prince
J
to plan activities and serve as liaisons to their respective campus. The YATF helped draft the Strategic Teen Services Plan, which was reviewed on Oct. 4. Anne Marquez, Davis Community Services Supervisor, said Teen Services currently runs programs on school campuses and hosts several junior high dances at the Veterans’ Memorial Center. This summer it ran a drop-in summer program, The Vault, for Davis teens. “If the feasibility study was to come to fruition, then we could use that space but it would be open to many more uses than just teens,” Marquez said in an e-mail. Foppiano confirmed that even if the Veterans’ Center
were renovated, it would not be a designated teen center. It would, however, allow teen services to hold more after-school activities. Foppiano said Teen Services managed to run many programs without a central location and that it will continue to offer school site programming during late start and lunch. “It’s just a different way of doing business,” she said. Foppiano said she thinks the Veterans’ Center is a great option for space. “It’s right across the parking lot from Davis High School, is in the center of town and is on the bus lines,” she said. Councilmember DanWolk said the Veterans’ Center is a good choice for the move
because both would benefit: the teen center would get a permanent home and the Veterans’ Center would get a chance at restoration. He also said that teen programs have used the center successfully in the past. “Acme Theater Company is a successful, student-run teen program that used the Veterans’ Memorial Center,” Wolk said. “Fees for the center have doubled, hurting their program.” Wolk said that city council decided to section off $70,000 to go to teen programs, such as Acme. The council will discuss this matter further during the next meeting on Oct. 18.
ic University of Texas, San Antonio team, the UC Davis defense will have to prove that they’ve mastered those little details. “They run some options, they can throw the ball and they can run the power game,” Biggs said. “Trying to contain their speed with all of their misdirection and play action off the option is a real challenge for our defense.” Junior captain Bobby Erskine agreed with his coach’s assessment, while also shedding light on the Aggies’ defensive plans regarding San Antonio’s Eric Soza, a duel threat
quarterback who is the Roadrunner’s leading rusher as well as passer. “They have a lot deception,” Erskine said. “It’s going to be a challenge for the defensive ends. We have to be patient, (and) sit on the line. “(Soza) has put the ball on the deck a lot, so we’re gonna be trying to get the ball loose. If he wants to carry it, we’re ready to hit him.” While the San Antonio quarterback has had problems with ball security, the Aggies should not expect to face a poorly coached team come Saturday. The Roadrunners are led by
American Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year Award-winner Larry Coker, a national champion as head coach of the 2001 Miami Hurricanes. Still, details like that are of no interest to Coach Biggs. “It’s a mindset,” explained the coach. “You have to come out every day. You have to impose your will. “We’re at the point where we have to win. It doesn’t matter how, a win is a win.”
EINAT GILBOA can be reached city@ theaggie.org.
For all football news and updates, you can follow CAELUM SHOVE on twitter @ CaAggieFootball. He can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
OPINION
The california aggie
thursday, october 13, 2011 3
editorials
Financial aid
No longer just a DREAM On Oct. 8, Gov. Jerry Brown signed the second part of the DREAM Act bill, which qualifies undocumented students for financial aid at public universities. By signing this bill, Brown is heading in the right direction toward making public education truly open to all qualified students. For many undocumented students, being allowed access to financial aid could be a deciding factor when choosing to attend college. Every person living in California should have an opportunity to attend a UC or CSU, and the state should ensure that the cost of education does not deter prospective students from learning. The senate bill states that only those who are in the process of gaining U.S. citizenship can be eligible for financial aid. Gaining citizenship can take years, and many undocumented students cannot wait that long for their education. This bill will allow students who will clearly one day be a citizen access to privileges that all California residents currently receive. On the same day that Brown signed the DREAM Act bill, he took another step in the right direction as he vetoed an affirmative action-like bill. The legislation, which would have allowed public university admissions officers to consider race, gen-
der and ethnicity when accepting students, would have been unfair. In an ideal world, all races, ethnicities and genders would be equal; unfortunately we live in an imperfect society. The idea of an affirmative action-like bill perpetuates the idea that minorities need help getting into higher education institutions. Passing this bill would mean a broad generalization of minority students, and would merely give voice to the problem it is trying to fix. What universities should be addressing is economic inequality, an issue that can be addressed through financial aid and legislation like the DREAM Act. This is not to say we should discount the adversity that people face, just that these struggles are not always represented in race, gender and ethnicity. Students should be admitted to public universities because of their intelligence and experiences, not the color of the skin or their gender. Perhaps the real issue here is that the state of California places so little importance on education, that all students who want to learn cannot be accepted into public universities. Brown’s next move should be to send more funding to public universities, so all California students have access to low cost, high quality education.
courtesy newsday.com
Letters to the editor Do not increase sports funding
This last weekend, we witnessed our Division I UC Davis football team lose to one of its longstanding Division II opponents, Humboldt State. To compare the Aggies and the Jacks, one must first note that UCD paid Humboldt $100,000 for the game — it was supposed to be a body-bag game, a guaranteed win for UCD. Also, we spend over $1.5 million on football scholarships yearly, while HSU spends about one tenth that, and overall their program costs about one third what ours costs. Recently we’ve heard a lot of talk about football teams being competitive and the need to
Mark Ling
Editorial Board Jason Alpert Editor in Chief Becky Peterson Managing Editor Melissa Freeman Opinion Editor
Hannah Strumwasser Campus Editor Angela Swartz City Editor Erin Migdol Features Editor
Uyen Cao Arts Editor Trevor Cramer Sports Editor
Well played, Mr. President
Amy Stewart Science Editor Jasna Hodzic Photography Editor
Editorials represent the collective opinions of The California Aggie editorial board. The Opinion page appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
GUEST OPINIONS
The California Aggie welcomes letters from its readers. Letters must be typed and no longer than 200 words. As The Aggie attempts to represent a diversity of viewpoints on its letters page, we reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed, and letters become the property of The California Aggie. All correspondence must be signed with the author’s name and telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be considered for publication, although names may be withheld upon request.
The California Aggie welcomes guest opinions from its readers. Guest opinions must be typed with an approximate word count of 600 to 800, or character count around 3,000 to 4,000. The same standards of letters to the editor apply to guest opinions. Guest opinions may reflect a variety of viewpoints. Any member of the campus community is eligible and encouraged to highlight issues regarding UC Davis, regional or national issues. Address letters or guest opinions to the Opinion Editor, The California Aggie, 25 Lower Freeborn, UC Davis, CA 95616. Letters may also be faxed to (530) 752-0355 or sent via e-mail to opinion@theaggie.org.
O
n Tuesday night, the Senate officially rejected President Barack Obama’s proposed ‘jobs bill’. The $447 billion measure would have cut payroll taxes for businesses and workers in addition to spending $175 billion on infrastructure and unemployment assistance. To raise money for the bill, a 5.6 percent surcharge on income exceeding $1 million would have been implemented, likely raising more than $450 billion over a 10-year span. While creating jobs sounds nice, opponents of the bill cited Obama’s 2009 stimulus plan as something that also sounded nice and failed. They accused Obama of using the jobs bill as a campaign crutch for the impending 2012 election. The theory is that Obama created something called “the jobs bill” in a time of relatively high unemployment with no intention of it passing so that he could later cite a ‘do nothing congress’ as the reason for our country’s economic woes. The always eloquent Obama responded, “If Congress does something, then I can’t run against a do-nothing Congress. If Congress does nothing, I think the American people will run them out of town… With each vote, members of Congress can either explain to their constituents why they’re against common-sense, bipartisan
increase funding for our own. Cedric Dempsey, hired to consult on the future of our Aggies program and the search for a new Athletic Director, released a report in which he outlined a series of steps he believes are necessary to be successful in the so-called revenue producing sports, football and basketball, including investing significantly more money into them while reducing investment in the other sports. “What,” I ask, “is the benefit?” We lose to a DII team, while the NCAA’s own study shows that there isn’t more money to be made. In fact, the average loss for an athletic program with a DI Football Bowl Subdivision is $9 million. It seems that we have
proposals to create jobs, or they ic theories hold that, as the rich can listen to the overwhelming get richer, they will put that money majority of American people who back into the community by openare crying out for action.” ing more businesses and employing more people. The problem is Well played, Barack … well that, the rich are getting richer but played. they aren’t putting enough of the What those comments tell me is that Obama absolutely intends to use money back into the economy. Congress’ inactivity in his upcoming What we can’t do is just take the campaign. This bill is the ultimate money by force. In America, rich win-win situation for our President. = powerful. If you take a rich perIf Congress passed the bill, the public son’s money, they will retaliate. would have laudHowever, rich ed Obama for conpeople are still I’m not suggesting that Uncle vincing his oppopeople. They nents to see the Moneybags just hits the street and have hearts and light. they care about starts writing blank checks those less fortu Since Congress nate. There are shot down the even some rich people, howevproposal, Obama can pass the er rare they might be, who believe blame elsewhere and set himself that they should be taxed more. up for reelection next November. This level of political savvy is hard Since we can’t take the monfor the GOP to contend with, as ey without suffering the wrath of they simply had no choice but to Richie Rich, those with the cash turn down the proposed bill. need to be convinced that it is in their best interest to re-invest their A 5.6 percent income tax on earnings. those earning $1 million or more is the antitheses of what congres I’m not suggesting that Uncle sional Republicans spend their Moneybags just hits the street and lives trying to achieve. They say starts writing blank checks. But that such a tax will cripple small if Scrooge McDuck wants to add businesses owners who are baremore coin to his vault, he needs ly above that $1 million threshpeople to spend money in his old while their opponents accuse stores and buy stock in his comthem of protecting their rich conpany. By opening more stores and stituents. It’s the same old politiemploying more people, the rich cal jargon that has existed for deinject their money into our econcades. The real question is, how do omy and eventually earn it right we fix our economy? back. Unemployment sits just above The unfortunate truth is that, in 9 percent and the national debt is order for this plan to work, nearly $14.8 trillion and climbing. How all rich people would have to comdo we get people back to work mit to reinvesting their money, without throwing fuel on the which is a virtual impossibility. dumpster fire that is our national Obama is in a really tough spot. debt? He knows what needs to happen, but he’s fighting a losing bat There is no easy answer. All of tle. Fortunately for him, his politithe Robin Hoods out there would cal maneuvering likely bought him have us steal from the rich to give four more years in the Oval Office. to the poor. Others are content Only time will tell if he can parlay with sitting on their hands until some of his political genius into things blow over. In this humble undergraduate’s opinion, the only the tangible economic change he promised. viable solution is for those with cash to invest in the future. I know, I know. Some economMARK LING can be reached at mdling@ucdavis.edu.
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nothing to gain, and money to lose, the majority of which (per Dempsey 76.3 percent) comes from the students. Unlike at other institutions, that money comes from a self-tax of $600 to 700 per year that our students have agreed to pay. The largest shareholder of athletics at UC Davis are not the donors, the fans, nor the chancellor (she has only taken away institutional money), but the students. Our program already has ongoing fiscal problems — we cut four teams just a little over a year ago. Now, we’re being told we must pay more for a losing program. Do we really to pay need more? Zachary Hansen UC Davis class of 2011
The California Aggie’s Arts and Entertainment Magazine
4 volume 5, number 24
Uyen T. Cao
Davis is too clean
In 1971, French artist Ben Vautier
popularized the saying “L’art est inutile, rentrez chez vous,” which translated
means, art is useless, go home. Today, prejudices against certain forms of art
have been treated with just that kind of mentality.
I’m talking about a specific form
of art — one that is raw and exposes the human soul to find beauty in the
most unrecognizable places. Materials like cardboard, scraps of wood, cans
of paint, bare walls and found objects serve important functions in building the artwork itself.
If you haven’t guessed it yet, I am
Street art has been defined in
referring to graffiti and street art.
The Zona Rosa Project brings AIDS awareness to Davis The Zona Rosa Project
or perhaps in a much harsher note, defacement.
But despite all regulations to keep
them hidden from our eyes, these
“public” works continue to emerge in various locations in streets corners, overpasses and neighborhoods all around us. Why is that?
Well, you might say that some
people out there don’t have anything
better to do. For me, however, I like to think of it being art that was painted specifically for me — the passerby, the common citizen. It’s art that is
unglorified and stripped of the four-
walls of a gallery setting. And for this, I appreciate it.
In 2006, Dutch street artists Jeroen
Haas and Dre Hahn teamed up in Rio De Janiero’s (Brazil) most infamous slum
called Villa Cruzeiro to create the Favela Painting. The project turned 34 houses (7,000 square meters of property) into a vibrant spectrum of color. From a
distance, it looks as though the housing blocks are melding together like a mixture of colorful clay.
If only we could do this to every
But of course, it’s impossible to
town in the world.
talk about street art and not talk about England-based graffiti artist Banksy.
Ironically, in a lot of ways, Banksy has “popularized” urban art around the world.
Banksy has been known to stir up a
lot of controversy over his pieces. On a concrete wall in Deptford, London,
Banksy spray-painted the words “Eat
The Rich” and in small letters below it,
he stenciled:”*with our new 2 for 1 offer
Getting to know the artist behind the machine
Innovative art exhibit by artist Chico MacMurtrie currently showing at The Richard L. Nelson Gallery By MICHELLE RUAN Aggie Arts Writer
Ten pairs of long, thin, cone shaped inflated structures silently flap in the mostly darkened room. The only major light source in the room comes from the small, circular lights on the bottom of each of the pairs of inflated cones. The white fabric that makes up the cones shines slightly as they slowly bend and unbend in unison, like a flock of geese making their yearly winter trip south. Located within the Nelson Gallery, which is located next to the Wyatt Theatre, Birds: A Kinetic Installation is an inimitable art piece, captivating its viewers instantaneously. Chico MacMurtrie is the New York based artist and self-taught engineer behind Birds. MacMurtie has been creating robotic art performances and installations for nearly two decades. In addition, he has won copious awards
courtesy
UC Davis professor’s story finds its way to the stage
Birds: A Kinetic Installation
By SASHA SHARMA
our society as a form of vandalism,
Thursday, october 13, 2011
photos courtesy of Chico MacMurtrie and Lusie Kaunert
Aggie Arts Writer
“I basically spent the entire summer waiting for production to begin,” says recent University of California, Davis alumnus Michael Lutheran of the upcoming play The Zona Rosa Project. Michael plays the lead character in the play he describes as, “a little bit like Memento.” The Zona Rosa Project is based on the powerful and true story of UC Davis professor of the department of theatre and dance’s MFA design program, John Iacovelli. The production was in fact the brainchild of Iacovelli. “I brought the idea of this production to our department ... It is largely based on my letters and memories of when I lived in Mexico City in the late 1980s,” said Iacovelli, describing the production as an “emotional and cathartic” experience. Iacovelli’s story is set in Mexico City circa 1987-88. Iacovelli was then working on a Disney film in the foreign country. At the time, he was in a relationship with a man named Francisco Estrada Valle. Valle, who was a medical doctor and a renowned AIDS activist was murdered in an unsolved “homophobic hate crime” in the year 1992. Iacovelli, who had eventually returned to the United States sans Valle, discovered the tragedy that had transpired years later in 2008. Maggie Morgan, the costume designer for the play and part of UC Davis department of theatre and dance faculty said, “Despite the fact that it is far removed in time, John discovered the tragedy much later and it’s a many layered thing about a huge international issue.” The production brings attention to the stigma associated with AIDS and what Lutheran calls “the sense of innocent love.” Morgan agrees, “This is such a big story in so many ways and then it’s also just a very, very personal tragedy. It’s a little window into Francisco’s life through John.” The story unfolds in the form of flashbacks as we see Lutheran play both Johnny — the Iacovelli of the ‘80s and John — the 2008 Iacovelli who discovers the painful truth of Valle’s death. According to Morgan the play ignores some conventions utilized in a full production. Instead the production, directed by UC Davis’ artist in residence Michael Barakiva, a professional director from New York, required the actors to dig deeper within themselves as they collectively researched and wrote the script. “Working on this show was a lot of fun. There was always rewriting and editing, and we’ll keep changing things even when the show is running,” said actor Christopher Boyle, who plays an older version of John, describing the dynamic structure of the production. Barakiva, who is of Armenian/Israeli descent, is also gay and captured the themes of love, loss and homosexuality with a brilliant sensitivity and intuition. When asked what they wanted the audience to take away from the production, the entire cast agreed that AIDS awareness was the preeminent issue. In modern society, AIDS is often oversimplified with comparisons to diseases such as diabetes that are in fact treatable. “I started working in theater in early 1980s. So many friends died from AIDS in that time period — it’s like reliving that past,” Morgan said. “HIV and AIDS were directly thrown at the gay community as if it were their disease,” said Felix Cuma who plays a bartender in the play. The production is a soulful experience that promises to bring viewers a rather unexplored aspect of a contemporary social issue. The production opens at Wyatt Pavilion Theatre on tonight at 8 p.m. and plays through Sunday at 2 p.m.
for his innovative use of using machinery, which he specially designs to spotlight the natural world. “I’ve been building sculptures like these for about 25 years,” MacMurtrie said in a phone interview. It was around 2007-08 when MacMurtrie was in Adelaide, Australia that the idea for the Birds installation sprung from the image of Murray River that he was flying over at the moment. Sitting in the airplane, MacMurtrie felt like a bird flying over the river and felt an enormous connection. He immediately set to work and in the span of 10 days with the help of 10 workers, he had created the first version of the Birds piece. The first version of Birds toured the world; to places like China, Australia, Spain and so many different places that MacMurtrie has lost track of them all. However, the exhibit was recently showcased at UC Irvine. It was for the Vida festival in Madrid, Spain in 2009 that the second version of Birds was commissioned. And it is this version that is currently being displayed in the Nelson. There isn’t too much difference with the two. They are still made of the same materials but the one currently on display has heat sensors.
See CHICO, page 8
Passing by
Entertainment Council to host various concerts through October Aggie Arts Writer
With three weeks of this quarter already gone, students are heading into the busy weeks packed with midterms and essays. There’s hardly time to catch a break. Luckily, the Entertainment Council has found the perfect solution to help students relax, have fun and forget about studying for a while. Through the month of October, various bands will be playing in the Quad every week. Some are local Davis bands, but others are from out of town, and there are plenty of different genres and styles of music represented. Writer Today The band Writer is from San Diego. It consists of two brothers, James and Andy Ralph. They started playing music together as kids and have continued it since then. “Our style of music is like a garage rock style with a kind of heavy distorted style; we’re kind of limited with our instrumentation so we have to be creative in how we use them and make our sound louder, etc,” Andy said. They are getting ready to relocate to the East Coast so their concert at Davis is part of their tour up and down the coast of California. They are also playing at many other colleges this month. They have played in Davis before at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen and will be performing there again the same day as their concert on campus. “We’re playing with a pretty cool band named Waters. It should be a fun day. We’re excited to perform and see how it’s going to go down and how the crowd will be. Colleges are different than playing at a venue because
San Francisco Symphony Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center Tonight, 8 p.m., $50
The Jackson Hall has never failed in presenting the most perfect venue for the elegance of classical music. Tonight, San Francisco Symphony will present its internationally renowned repertoire of classical music. It’s a chance for students to get dressed up and experience music in a new light; sit down and let the sound of strings slowly sink in.
Evan Davis / Aggie
including a choice of wine”. The piece is very minimal. There’s nothing but
Music Spotlight: Waters
statement and serves a purpose. and is no longer there today.
An interview with Waters’ front man Van Pierszalowski
love with. If I was a romantic or Baroque
Aggie Arts Editor
Banksy’s piece was painted over
Davis is a place that I’ve fallen in
By UYEN CAO
Port O’ Brien, a project that lasted three albums and various EPs, reached its fatal end in spring of 2010. But there is sweetness to this bitter news. Founding member and front man Pierszalowski took retreat in Oslo, Norway where he let the change in seasons and environment inspire new music. And from that, Waters was born. The album, Out in the Light, reflects Pierszalowski’s journey of musical renewal and rebirth as Waters. Tonight at 8 p.m., Waters will perform in Davis for the first time at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen. MUSE had a chance to speak with Pierszalowski and here is what he had to say:
painter, I would have no trouble seeking out a scenic landscape to paint. But
once in a while, I wonder, why aren’t there more public art? When I see a blank wall, I think that it’s a missed opportunity for great art.
Maybe, one day, street art won’t be
an act of secrecy created in the hidden time of day. Perhaps, eventually cities around the world will provide more
conducive spaces for artists to express themselves.
These are some street artists that
have captured my eyes for quite some
time: Roa, Vhils, Esif, Phlegm, Blu and JR. They will they will blow your mind away.
UYEN CAO would like to know if you’ve seen any hidden art around campus that you like best. Let her know by e-mailing arts@theaggie.org.
Waters
“
courtesy
I always try to write during the middle of the day, but I usually can’t seem to get anything out of it. I either need to come off a night of sleeping and dreaming, or a day or Van Pierszalowski walking around and talking to people.
”
Need to get out of Davis? Harlows, a night club in Sacramento, is presenting Louis Prima Jr. Prima Jr. is known for carrying on his father’s (as you’ve guessed, Louis Prima Sr.) tradition of swing music. Prima Sr. was known as the “King of Swing”. As swing goes, there will be a fair share of dancing involved, most definitely.
Valle (1957-1992).
SASHA SHARMA can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
but very serious kind of way. It makes a
Louis Prima Jr. Saturday, 7 p.m., $35, (ages 21+) Harlows, 2708 J St #1, Sacramento
The Zona Rosa Project will be the first piece showcased by the UCD Department of Theatre and Dance this year. Devised and Directed by Michael Barakiva, The Zona Rosa Project explores gender and gay rights issues in Mexico’s history of combating the HIV virus. The devised work is inspired by the life of Dr. Francisco Estrada
See QUAD, page 7 The Souterrain will be one of the bands to perform in Entertainment Council’s Quad concert series this October.
so clearly to its viewers in a comical
There’s no doubt that Sophia’s Thai Kitchen has brought some of the most prominent bands from the indie circuit to this quaint town. And Friday night is no exception. Indie band Rogue Valley, along with Correatown and David William, will fit themselves nicely on the small ambient stage and present engaging sets. Stay warm to some chill music while you sip on a drink (or maybe two or three).
The Zona Rosa Project Wyatt Pavilion Theatre, Old Davis Road Tonight-Friday, 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m., free
By PAAYAL ZAVERI
those words on the walls. Yet, it speaks
Rogue Valley, Correatown and David William Friday, 9 p.m., $5 (ages 21+) Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, 129 E Street, Suite E
MUSE: You have quite a story as to the creation of Waters; can you let us in on how it was like to create music in a Norway? Were there specific landscapes or images in particular that inspired you? Pierszalowski: Norway provided the perfect sort of escape to refocus and re-energize after it became apparent to me that Port O’Brien was over. I spent the majority of my time in Oslo, which even though it’s the largest city in Norway, is quite small and quiet. It allowed me to focus on the music and the songs more than I’ve ever been able to. How would you describe Waters sound, as compared to Port O’Brien? Waters has a much more electric guitar-based sound.
It’s much louder and noisier at times than Port O’Brien. It still certainly has its quiet, more acoustic moments, but in general, it’s a much more rocking experience. Would you say that you have reinvented yourself? I’m not sure if I’d say I’ve reinvented myself, but I certainly feel like I’ve gained a new, fresh perspective on everything. I feel much better than I ever have about being on the road and playing music. What sources of musical inspirations do you go for now? In terms of production for this record, I was very inspired by Nirvana’s “In Utero.” I’ve always been attracted to its sense of urgency and intimacy, all against these huge rock drums. Guitar-wise, I think Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Husker Du, Pixies, those sorts of bands were very inspirational. In terms of the songs themselves, I think they’re rooted more in a pop-style of songwriting, as opposed to a more longverses folk-style songwriting. But, Neil Young will always be an influence as well. If you had only five words to paint a picture for your listeners of how you want your music to be perceived, what would those words be? Freedom kroner coho sun love, maybe?
See WATERS, page 8
Double Vision Today — Dec. 2, noon to 5 p.m., free CN Gorman Museum, Hart Hall
The Gorman Museum collaborates with Great Plains Art Museum to bring great works inspired by the Great Plains region. The collection of photographs reveals Native American landscapes and communities during the period of westward expansion. These photographs illustrate more than just images; they document deep emotion and beauty of a specific place in time.
The 5th Annual Davis Jazz Festival: Beyond the Beat Generation Today — Oct. 29, various locations downtown, free Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First St.
... And the movement continues. As a tribute to the Beat Generation, which was sparked by Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl” (1956), The Natsoulas Gallery continues the festivities incorporating art, music and poetry. Featured artists, live jazz and poetry readings will be taking place at various locations downtown. Check out natsoulas. com for more information.
UYEN CAO can be reached
6 thursday, october 13, 2011
The california Aggie
MEN’S SOCCER PREVIEW Teams: UC Davis at Cal State Northridge Records: Aggies 4-6-2(2-2-0); Matadors 5-5-1(2-1-0) Where: Matador Soccer Field — Northridge, Calif. When: Saturday at 7 p.m. Who to watch: Head Coach Dwayne Shaffer has been boasting about the ability of the team’s defense to shut down strong opponent offenses. Freshman Brian Ford is one factor that has bolstered the Aggies’ walllike back line. The freshman from Newport Beach, Calif. has started every game and has played almost ev- Brian Ford ery minute the freshman Aggies have been on the field. During last week’s match against Cal Poly, Ford tallied an assist on freshman Matt Wiesenfarth’s goal that propelled the Aggies the victory. He has also recorded three shots so far this year. Did you know? The Matador’s soccer facility was built back in 2002 with stadium lights, which they seem to enjoy playing under.
Thirteen of their 14 scheduled home games have this season have 7 p.m. kickoff times. Saturday’s contest with the Aggies is no exception. The lights don’t seem to be doing much to help Cal State Northridge, however. The Matadors have a 3-3 home record this season, and their only day game resulted in a victory. Last season, the Matadors held a 1-9-1 home record, with their sole victory coming in their only 11 a.m. game. Preview: With an extremely tough schedule looming for the remainder of the season, the game against CSU Northridge is almost a must-win situation for UC Davis if it plans to finish among the top four teams in the Big West Conference and make an appearance in the conference tournament. The Aggies hold a 2-2 league record and are right in the middle of the Big West standings. They hosted the Matadors at home back on Sept. 28, a game they
dropped by a 3-0 count. The Aggies also lost their most recent game to UC Santa Barbara in overtime. Yet, don’t let this be the basis by which you cast your bets. UC Davis has played each game close, seeing that the game against Northridge was the only game this season decided by more than a single goal. Further, two of the three Northridge goals were on penalty kicks — an anomaly unlikely to happen again. Still, the Aggies will have to tidy up their game and start strong if they want to come away victorious. One factor on their side is that the squad got some much needed rest this week, as they did not play a mid-week match. UC Davis has played 85 minutes of overtime this season, which has taken a toll on the team. Wiesenfarth, who has four goals in the past five games, left last Saturday’s game against UCSB due to heat exhaustion. “The good thing going into the Northridge game is we get a bye and hopefully some fresh legs,” Shaffer said. — Matthew Yuen
VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW Teams: UC Davis at Long Beach State; at team is excited to face them. Cal State Fullerton “If you asked our players which match Records: Aggies, 18-3 (4-2); 49ers 10-6 they’re most looking forward to, they’d say (4-2); Titans 8-9 (3-2) Long Beach [State],” she said. “I Where: Walter Pyramid — Long know they’re very focused and Beach, Calif.; Titan Gym — excited about it.” Fullerton, Calif. Coming away victorious will When: Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday be no easy task, however. at 7 p.m. Friday’s match represents the Who to watch: Freshman Valerie most difficult challenge remainBrain has provided a spark for the ing on UC Davis’ regular-season Aggies over the last several weeks. schedule. If the Aggies want to The Glendora, Calif. native has come away with a win, they need recorded 187 kills this year, into focus on three main areas of cluding 22 in last week’s match- Valerie Brain their game. es against UC Riverside and Cal freshman “If we want to have a chance State Northridge. against Long Beach [State], or Did you know? With a pair of [Cal State] Fullerton for that matwins this weekend the 2011 Aggies will be- ter, we need to be tough on the service line,” come the fastest team to reach 20 victo- Holmes said. “We need to serve tough, we ries in school history. The current mark is need to get into our system and we need to held by the 1991 and 1992 teams, which block balls.” each reached 20 wins in 24 games. Should Victories this weekend could be key for UC Davis go unbeaten this weekend, they UC Davis’ chances to win their conference. would tally their 20th win against Cal State Big West teams are just 7-17 in conference Fullerton in just their 23rd contest of the road games this season, and Holmes beseason. lieves the league champion will be deterPreview: Friday’s matchup with Long mined by which team can play well away Beach State is a game the UC Davis play- from home. ers have had circled on the calendar for “Our conference race will come down to awhile. who can win on the road,” she said. “We The 49ers have been the class of the have a solid weekend ahead of us, and we’ll Big West Conference over the past several have to play well.” — Trevor Cramer years, and coach Jamie Holmes knows her
WOMEN’S SOCCER PREVIEW Teams: UC Davis at Pacific; at Cal Poly know that,” Robinson said. “But we had Records: Aggies, 7-4-1 (1-1-1); Tigers, 8-8-3 a lot of success finishing chance against (1-1-1); Mustangs, 7-5-1 (1-1-0) Riverside last week and I think we’re in a Where: Aggie Stadium; Alex G. good place to grab a win.” Spanos Stadium Playing Pacific today also means When: Today at 3 p.m.; Sunday that UC Davis gets an extra day of at 1 p.m. rest before playing another conWho to watch: Sophomore deference rival, Cal Poly. fender Mary Beth Mazurek has “We get an extra day of rest afbeen a workhorse for the Aggie ter Pacific and that will give us a defense this season. chance to enter that game with fresh legs,” Robinson said. The Ventura, Calif. native has The Mustangs are currently played every single minute of ranked fourth in conference, a every single game and her hard spot that the Aggies are hoping work has not gone unnoticed by Mary Beth Mazurek sophomore to clinch this season. Coach MaryClaire Robinson. “Cal Poly is a good team. They “Mary’s been solid, calm and always seem to figure out how to confident for us this season,” Robinson said, “We’ve definitely benefit- win conference games,” Robinson said. “If we want to make the conference toured from having her out there for us.” Did you know? UC Davis has not beaten nament we’re going to have to find a way Pacific in three years. However, as evidenced to beat them.” by their recent win over UC Riverside and tie This is a huge weekend for the Aggies. against UC Irvine, this year’s squad should These two conference games will have not be underestimated. big implications in their conference “We haven’t had a win against Pacific in standing. three years,” Robinson said, “We want this “This is one of those big picture weekone back.” ends. The next two weeks will really start Preview: The Aggies are heading into to clear up the final conference standthe weekend fresh off their first confer- ings,” Robinson said. ence victory. They are hoping to leave the The Aggies kick off against the Tigers at weekend with two more. 3 p.m. on today at Aggie Stadium and the Currently fifth in the Big West, UC Davis team is hoping to have a large crowd to will open the week on Thursday afternoon cheer them to victory. against sixth-place Pacific. “We’re up against a good team in The Tigers will be a challenge for the Pacific,” Robinson said, “It will be nice to Aggies but Robinson is confident that her have our fans there to back us up.” team can walk away with a win. “There are no easy Big West games, we — Kim Carr
FIELD HOCKEY PREVIEW Teams: UC Davis at No. 12 California Records: Aggies, 3-8 (1-1); Golden Bears, 11-2 (2-1) Where: Edwards Soccer Stadium — Berkeley, Calif. When: Friday at 7p.m. Who to watch: Senior defender Kristen Lopez had two assists in the Aggies’ 3-1 victory over Penn. She leads the team with six, and has played and started in every game since her sophomore year in 2009. Did you know? Sophomore forward Cloey LemMon and junior goalkeeper Conley Craven were named NorPac Conference West Division Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. LemMon’s hat trick powered UC Davis to victory over Penn last Sunday, while Craven allowed just one goal over the final 109 minutes she played last weekend. Preview: The UC Davis Field Hockey squad is av-
Games Cont. from front page
suspect Cont. from front page first-degree robbery. Doroshov said in this case, Seery and Mings knew each other beforehand, making this homicide a nonrandom incident, unlike the previous case. “The investigation is still open so we are not releasing the motive [for the murder] right now because we don’t want danger on the
integrity of the court case,” Doroshov said. “We’re not releasing at this point because once this case goes to the District Attorney’s office for a prosecution, we don’t release anything new until it is clear with the District Attorney.” Davis is not known for its high crime rate, although there are fluctuations at times, according to Doroshov. “Our violent crime rate is picking up slightly,”
Doroshov said. “But we don’t have those underlying issues that are in most cities.” According to Doroshov, violent crimes sometimes will have a sudden increase for about two years and then sometimes there are none for four to six years. “It happens, but doesn’t happen often,” Doroshov said. CLAIRE TAN can be reached at city@ theaggie.org.
RECYCLE THE AGGIE . . . by making a pressman’s hat . . .
Begin with one full news sheet. Fold top corners down to join at center line. Then fold bottom area of top sheet up to meet lower edge of folded corners. Fold up again to form the band.
Flip to the other side. Fold side edges in to meet at center. Fold up lower corners, then fold bottom up and tuck into the band.
Fold top point down into the band. Open the hat, by pulling on the band, and flatten into a square. Fold top point down, and bottom point up, into the band. Reopen and you’ve got yourself a hat!
eraging 18 shots per game advantage, because they and has taken 28 more pen- scrimmaged against this alty corners than its oppo- very same Cal team earlier nents. Now the team must in the season. turn all those shots into “This is probably going goals and a good to be our toughresult against est match yet, but California. the scrimmage really helped us,” Coach Vianney Campos said. Campos is pleased “We know they with the way her are very good and team has played pass very well and and keeps fighting. we have adjusted “St a t i s t i c a l l y our structure and speaking, we are our mindset for hanging in and acthem. We’re excittually dominating Kristen Lopez ed to play a team most games. We’re senior that’s ranked averaging 18 shots 12th, we are goa game, which is fantastic,” she said. “The ing to go all out because we forwards must learn not have nothing to lose.” just taking shots, but plac- UC Davis currently sits in ing shots. It’s going to click third place in the NorPac. If and it’s going to work out the Aggies are able to pull eventually for us, I’m sure of off an upset however, they it.” would climb ahead of the Getting off quality shots Golden Bears in the standwill be a tough task this ings, with sole possession week, against a very fluid of second place. and very strong Cal squad. — Russell Eisenman But the Aggies may have an own way of doing it,” Nguyen said. Similar events that Mitchell has previously held at his Davis video game store have had anywhere from 20 to 60 entrants, who came from as far as Reno and San Jose. But for Dromstruction, Mitchell expects around 200 entrants, a few hundred more spectators and over 3000 online viewers. “This one will be the biggest event I’ve ever held,” Mitchell said. Outside of Davis, fighting games are still extremely popular. The largest fighting game tournament in the world, called Evolution, is held in Las Vegas. It takes place once a year and usually has about 3 million unique viewers from across the country. “Evolution is kind of like the world Olympics for fighting games. It’s pretty crazy — if you win first place, you make around $40,000,” Nguyen said. Nguyen, Hoang, and Mitchell all agreed that fighting games are just as much a social event as they are a video games tournament. “Typically, when people think of gamers they either think of a Halo junkie or a geek. But, the social aspect is a huge part. When playing, you get to meet people from every background — pre-law, English majors, college and high school students alike. It’s a pretty diverse group,” Hoang said. Mitchell said Dromstruction is more about bringing the street fighting community together and making it more popular than it is about making money from the tournament. “As long as I don’t lose money on this, then I will do it again next year. Hopefully, with this year’s success, it will be much easier to set up for next year,” Mitchell said. In addition to the games, Dromstruction’s sponsors will set up booths featuring food, specialty shirts as well as other merchandise, sample products from NEC Displays, NOS Energy Drinks and more. Further, donations can be made to “Chicks in Crisis,” a non-profit organization based in Sacramento that provides parenting and adoption resources to young mothers, new parents and children. Nguyen added that simply being a spectator is free. “It’s an open event too, so even if you are not competing you can just come by and watch, support, encourage or discourage. Whatever you want,” Nguyen said. Registration for Dromstruction costs $30 until Oct. 19 and $40 until the tournament. Visit www.dromstruction.com for more information and to register.
the tournament will feature seven of the most popular Street Fighting games. They include: Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat (2011), Tekken 6, BlazBlue Continuum Shift II, Super Street Fighter II Turbo & Street Fighter III: Third Strike and Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition. Thirty-two set-ups, consisting of a game console and a TV screen, will be located on the ground floor of Freeborn Hall. On the stage, there will be large screens streaming the event live for online viewers. Each stream is set up with a commentator. The tournament will consist of a double elimination bracket. The majority of the games will be played on the first day of the tournament, with second day reserved for the finals. Each game will have its own separate winners and there will be yet-tobe-determined prizes. The event is being organized by Jenkins Mitchell, owner of Nerdy Video Game Stuff in downtown Davis. Mitchell said he has wanted to have a tournament like this for a while. Although he has held similar tournaments before at his store, he anticipates this one will be much larger. “My goal is to get people involved who haven’t been really introduced to it. In Davis, fighting games used to be much bigger and the skill level used to be very high. With this tournament I am hoping to bring it back,” Mitchell said. The tournament will be geared toward the specific genre of video games known as “fighting games,” a popular type of video game where a player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. The ultimate goal is to beat the other player using their own character’s unique moves and weapons. “I think fighting games are a non-violent way to express your fighting behavior,” said senior English major and fighting game player Sean ‘Coopa’ Hoang. At Dromstruction, Hoang will be a commentator as well as a player. “It’s not always the players who become famous, it’s the commentators too. In terms of commentating, each region in America has their own type of style,” Hoang said. Sammy Nguyen, senior mechanical engineering major, a gamer who will be participating in the event, relates fighting games to a fast paced game of chess. “There are many elements of playing chess that happen about three times as fast in a fighting game. What makes it fun and interesting is that everybody has their CLAIRE MALDARELLI can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
thursday, october 13, 2011 7
The california aggie
quad Cont. from page 4 it’s usually outdoors and we’re playing as people are going to class and walking by; it’s more laid back,” said Ralph.
Sleepy Feet Monday Sleepy Feet is a band composed of college students from Pitzer College in L.A. They are mainly a folk, bluegrass, funk town band and have been together since the spring of 2009. They have about five
members now. They started playing in the L.A. area last winter and this summer we played all over New York. Davis is the furthest north in California they have played so far. “We played a lot on campus,” said Nick Morris, the guitarist for the band. “But when we play at other places we see all sorts of people and there’s plenty of older folk jamming along to the music.” Their sound draws from the country and rock tradition. “People have called us the retarded child of My Morning Jacket, I took that
as a compliment because I style. like that band,” Morris said. “Hopefully we’ll get some Davis sunshine and it’s early enough in the The Souterrain quarter that students will Oct. 20 The Souterrain is a local feel good about hanging Davis folk rock trio. They out with us for an hour,” did an international tour said lead singer, Lauren recently and are now back Norton. in Davis and performing They have a very unique locally again. At their show sound inspired by each oththey’ll perform some new er and many contemporary songs they’ve been work- artists such as Lisa Hannigan ing on since they finished and Mick Flannery. touring and a preview of “There’s a lot of listentheir album recorded in ing involved when we pracSacramento this summer. tice, maybe that’s where the They’ll even play a cover of ‘soul’ of the music is found, their favorite summer ra- in the relationship between dio pop song — Souterrain us as performers and the
level of patience it involves to wait for the appropriate moment to hit a symbol or strum a chord,” said Norton. Finish Ticket Oct. 27 Finish Ticket is an alternative, indie, pop band from Alameda, California. They are made up of five musicians and in September 2009 they released their EP, entitled “Life Underwater.” They’ve played with many popular bands before such as My Chemical Romance and Phoenix. “We don’t want to say
we sound like any other band, but we are heavily influenced by bands like The Killers, The Strokes, Manchester Orchestra and Coldplay. You will definitely hear some of those influences in our music but we have worked hard to make our own sound,” Finish Ticket said. Students can expect a lot of energy at their show and a lot of great music. So, don’t just pass by. Stop and listen. PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at arts@ theaggie.org.
Felonbook: Law enforcers use social media to catch criminals and prevent crime By Barrett House The Battalion (Texas A&M University)
With the recent explosion of social networks, namely Facebook, students are not the only ones utilizing its capabilities. Local authorities, as well as law enforcement departments across Texas, are using social networking technology to prevent crime as well as catch criminals. Bryan Police Department assistant chief of police, Peter Scheets, said Bryan PD uses Facebook to keep tabs on criminal activities. In one instance, the police department was able to apprehend a suspect that had evaded police twice, because he posted the details on Facebook. Detective Chris Loup, of the Bryan Police Department, who has received training for online
social networking security, said that he has also used Facebook to identify a suspect based on information the victim had given him. Another college town, Waco, has seen an increase in the use of Facebook as both an investigative tool and a way to get important information to the public. Jim Doak, chief of the Baylor U. Police Department, said Baylor UPD uses Facebook to identify individuals; however, he said he was unable to give details about specific cases. “[Facebook is] going to be with us as time goes on; we’re working on it and we will eventually get more involved,” Doak said. Local authorities are also using Facebook as a tool for crime prevention. Bryan PD and College Station PD post tips on how to deter car burglaries and be safe in the city at night, especially on campus.
“We put crime prevention tips on Facebook and it has been very beneficial for that use.” said Patrick Swanton, public information officer sergeant for Waco Police Department. “We do not have an official page, but eventually we will have a page.” Swanton said he was unable to comment on whether the Waco Police Department uses Facebook for investigations. Larger cities, such as San Antonio, are also using Facebook as a tool for investigations. “A detective that worked in the intelligence unit was looking for a suspect. He was able to track the suspect on Facebook, and, after the suspect posted that he was celebrating his birthday at a club, the detective was able to send officers to apprehend the suspect,” said Matthew Porter, San Antonio public information officer. “We’ll
monitor tips that come in, and we’ll use any social network to follow up on them.” Departments of law enforcement, according to federal statutes for surveillance, need a criminal predicate to search social networks for information on suspects, incidents or witnesses. “I completely agree with the fact that law enforcement should use any means of information to catch criminals,” said Blanca Guerrero, Texas A&M U. senior communication major. “Websites like Facebook and Twitter are free services. You’re free to put whatever information you want. If you don’t want people to know your business, don’t put it on there.” According to Facebook’s data policy, Facebook is allowed by law to share information that is posted on the website with law enforcement.
“We may share your information in response to a legal request (like a search warrant, court order or subpoena) if we have a good faith belief that the law requires us to do so,” Facebook’s data policy states. “We may also share information when we have a good faith belief it is necessary to: detect, prevent and address fraud and other illegal activity; to protect ourselves and you from violations of our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities; and to prevent death or imminent bodily harm.” When asked if she knew about Facebook’s data policy concerning requests of information, Guerrero said she agreed with the policy. “If [an officer] is trying to do the right thing and capture a criminal, they should do whatever it takes to put that person behind bars,” Guerrero said.
classifieds The Greener Side
by Kyle Green kygreen@ucdavis.edu 25 Lower Freeborn Hall, UCD One Shields Ave. Davis, CA 95616 Editorial: (530) 752-0208 Advertising: (530) 752-0365 Fax: (530) 752-0355 Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
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Wednesday’s puzzle solved
There are no refunds/credits for cancellations.
Lost & Found FOUND: Raleigh Bicycle on Sunday 10/09/2011. Contact (530) 218-5148 for more details.
Services Learn to play horse ball. More fun than polo. French trainer John Malbos. First lesson free. 415-613-8064
Sudoku
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Very Hard
Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.
RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE
SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES DO NOT WORK
8 thursday, october 13, 2011
The california Aggie
chico Cont. from page 4 “The fabric for the wings is a high tensile fabric, which is developed for wind sailing and can handle large forces of air. It looks like paper but isn’t — it can crumple for a long time and not break off, which is a lot better than paper,” MacMurtrie said. “It has special hard glue and a rolling press was used to harden the glue. I developed all of the techniques to assemble it in the Amorphic Robot workshop in Brooklyn. Many tools had to be custom made to create it.” MacMurtrie added the heat sensors to the second version so that
the viewers could see how their presence affected the “birds” rate of bending and unbending. He sees the new addition as a metaphor for how humans often invade natural life, often unconsciously and creating havoc. With Birds, one can not only see but also feel how their mere attendance can influence the mechanical creatures. “I want viewers to feel as if something was unfolding. I wanted them to feel like they were experiencing the coming to life as well as the loss of life,” MacMurtrie said. “It’s meant to be mysterious.” He advised future viewers to give the performance 15 minutes to truly experience what Birds is
meant to convey. It’s similar to bird watching; get too close and the birds begin to get nervous and flutter away. But, stay hidden away within the bushes and the birds in their natural environment as well as state will always be far more entertaining than an action film any day of the week. The exhibit will be ending on Dec. 11, 2011 so drop by for some bird watching while you still can. For more information on MacMurtrie’s work and how many mileage points the Birds have accumulated throughout the years, visit amorphicrobotworks.org. MICHELLE RUAN can be reached at arts@theaggie. org.
waters Cont. from page 4 What’s your favorite time of day and season of the year to write music? I either tend to write early in the morning or late at night. I always try to write during the middle of the day, but I usually can’t seem to get anything out of it. I either need to come off a night of sleeping and dreaming, or a day of walking around and talking to people. In terms of the season, I don’t have much of a preference, although I think the summer might be the best time. The California coast, of course, doesn’t have the seasons
in the way Oslo does, but I still think those longer summer days are better for the creative process. How does it feel to return back to the stage and performing your songs directly to fans? It really does feel so great. And my favorite kind of shows are the small, intimate ones like at Sophia’s [Thai Kitchen] in Davis. It presents a really great way to become interactive with the crowd and the sense of community is great. I’m really proud and excited about this new record, and I can’t wait to keep playing all these songs for people. UYEN CAO can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
Phones raise privacy fears By Jake Greenberg Daily Bruin (U. California-Los Angeles)
To conduct a small experiment, Tim Groeling turned off his iPhone’s GPS feature during a business trip to Canada. He wanted to see if he could travel in anonymity. After downloading an application on his phone, the UCLA professor of communication studies discovered that turning off the “location services” was not enough to go entirely “off the grid.” The faint signals his phone received from cellular towers within the U.S. allowed the application to pinpoint exactly where he had been and the route he had taken. Although many people demand uninterrupted telephone conversations and immediate access to social media and the Internet on their smartphones, some are less enthusiastic about the inevitable consequences that come with constant connectivity – namely, the ability for companies to view and record where a phone has traveled. The issue came to the public’s attention in 2010,
when Apple released iOS 4.0 for the iPhone. Independent researchers discovered a tracking file in the operating system that allowed the phone to store months’ worth of information about where it had been. Though there was no evidence that the information was being sent back to Apple, and Apple soon “fixed” the bug to record only one week’s worth of data, the trust many people felt for their phones had been tainted, Groeling said. Privacy is the main issue at stake, and the definition of the word may need to be amended to deal with a more interconnected world, Groeling said. These notions of privacy vary among different age groups, he said. “Students seem to be more comfortable with phones knowing their location, and they also seem to feel more capable of controlling it,” Groeling said. “Older generations, however, are put off by a technology they may not understand.” Nonetheless, some students say they are still wary about their phones acting as a tracking device. “Our generation is more
comfortable with sharing information with others, but companies shouldn’t be able to see any information that is private,” said Wahid Chowdhury, a UCLA fourth-year computer science student. Companies tracking phones can be useful, but phone users should be able to easily switch their phones’ privacy settings to eliminate unwanted tracking, Chowdhury said. One of the main purposes for companies tracking a phone’s location is to optimize advertisement opportunities, said Michael Curry, a UCLA professor of geography who teaches a class called “The Networked World.” “The desire to use the screen of a cellphone for targeted advertising is longstanding,” he said. “(Though) it does seem it is beginning to happen, the development has been far slower than many had predicted.” But the technology also has its benefits. Companies are creating applications that allow people to see who on their list of contacts is in close proximity to them, which has practical purposes for planning meetings or social interac-
tions, Groeling said. “If I’m downtown for a meeting and want to grab lunch with someone, it is much more convenient to see who is physically nearby than to go through my contacts, trying to see who is available to get a meal,” he said. Groeling pointed to companies such as Yelp that are already using this kind of technology. Yelp allows users to type in certain search criteria on their smartphones, such as “Italian food,” and the website then
comes up with a list of nearby restaurants based on the phone’s location. This kind of convenience, however, also comes with the price of possible abuses of the system. Groeling pointed out that stalking, blackmail and surveillance also become much easier using tracking technology. Part of the issue lies in the legal system’s inability to keep up with the pace of technological innovations, Curry said. “One very important impediment to control the
use of the data is the U.S. Supreme Court’s pretty strictly held view that what people do in public is open information,” he said. “(Thus,) locational information received from a cellphone should be treated, by inference, as public.” As the technology becomes more common, more cases are likely to make it to the Supreme Court for review, Curry said. He added that it is only the beginning of a long list of issues that the courts will face about tracking technology.