February 1, 2012 by The California Aggie

serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915

www.theaggie.org

volume 131, numbeR 13

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

“Animal RAs” care for resident cows, birds Students take care of animals in exchange for housing By CLAIRE MALDARELLI Aggie Staff Writer

It’s 4 a.m. on a weekday, the sun has not even begun to rise and the silent stillness of the night is still present. All students in Tercero dorms are asleep — except perhaps those doing some late night studying. But, just across the street, senior animal science major Vania Leonardes is about to begin her day. Leonardes is one of four students who lives at the UC Davis Dairy Teaching and Research Facility. In exchange for free housing, Leonardes works full time at the facility, taking care of the animals. At this 4 a.m. shift, just like at her 9 a.m., 4 and 11 p.m. shifts that she rotates with her fellow residents, she cleaned beds, fed cows and their young calves, and made sure no one was sick — a job many college students would not readily volunteer for. But Leonardes, who grew up on a dairy farm, said she couldn’t be happier with her job and living arrangement. “Honestly, I started working here because I was really homesick living in the dorms my freshman year. I truly missed the cows and taking care of them,” Leonardes said, as she fed one of the young calves her medicine through a syringe. The Dairy Facility is not the only animal facility on campus that offers this residency program — students have the opportunity to live at a number of different animal facilities on campus. In

March of every year, the animal science department posts an announcement on its website and advertises it throughout the department and in animal science classes. Any student interested in the program can apply and go through the interview process. Only a few students, usually up to four, are accepted into each facility. “It helps if you have experience working with that type of animal,” said Arielle Hines, also a senior year animal science major, who is a resident at the Hopkins Avian Facility, located a little off campus near the University Airport. Hines said she took a few animal science classes in avian science, one of which involved working at that facility, before applying for the job. Many of the students working at these facilities are also hoping to get experience working with animals for when they apply to veterinary school. Margaret Austin, a junior animal science major who is a resident at the swine center, said this was a driving factor for her. “I decided that living in one of the barns would be a good way to gain experience for [veterinary] school. I had previously raised pigs for 4-H and I took [a class on swine husbandry] before becoming a resident,” Austin said. Applying to one of these programs does require a lot experience with the animals you will work with as well as the ability to be responsible and diligent. “They are always looking to

Brian Nguyen / Aggie

All UC Davis students have the opportunity to apply for the residency programs offerred by the animal facilities on campus, where they can gain experience working with the different animals. make sure you have really good work ethic,” Hines said. She acknowledged that when she moved in at the end of the summer, she went through about 20 hours of training which included learning all the protocols and rules — especially how to minimize the spread of diseases. A typical day working at the avian facility is a little more flex-

ible than that of the dairy. Luckily she doesn’t have to wake up at 4 a.m., but throughout the day with the help of the other two residents living with her, has to attend to about 1000 birds that live at the facility, which includes sweeping all 17 rooms, checking and changing water, feeding and making sure they are all healthy. Hines said that she has learned

Incoming first-year students guaranteed student housing for two years

See ANIMALS, page 2

News iN Brief

Hate incident reported at Women’s Resource and Research Center

Existing residence halls expected to house over 200 sophomores By MUNA SADEK Aggie News Writer

Beginning in Fall 2012, all incoming first-year students will be guaranteed space in the residence halls for their first two years as a UC Davis student. This is due to an expected availability of beds in Fall 2012, which has not occurred for three years. Of the 4,300 freshman students that are usually housed in residence halls, about five percent (215 students) are expected to return. “Its not a significant number,” said Ramona Hernandez, business director at UC Davis student housing. “We’re still trying to determine, because we’re still a year out from this, what is the best way to accommodate their needs.” Before the second-year guarantee, students were given the option to indicate during Winter quarter an interest in returning to the residence halls for

a lot about bird behavior. Prior to working there, she admits she undermined the intelligence of birds. But working with them on a daily basis has changed her perspective. For example, she taught one of her favorite birds, Valentine, to check her automatic water dispenser herself as Hines

Evan Davis / Aggie

While no new construction will be made to accomodate any returning students, it is estimated See DORMS, page 2 that about five percent of sophomores will opt to remain in the on-campus housing.

On Monday, interns at the Women’s Resource and Research Center (WRRC) reported that a life-sized representation of a Barbie doll had been hung with a noose in North Hall. “This act comes at a time in which the Student Life Centers have been under attack and is a reminder of the acts of hate perpetrated on this campus,” stated a release by the WRRC. According to a representative from WRRC, the female figure that was hung had been built by students for a project to show the unrealistic expectations that society has for women. As of press time on Tuesday, no further information about the incident had been released. The UC Davis Police is investigating the incident. Anyone who has information about the incident is encouraged to call UC Davis Police at (530) 752-1727. — Hannah Strumwasser

Nugget Market ranks high nationwide Local chain scores 34th on Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For By Einat Gilboa Aggie News Writer

With only nine stores comprising this small chain, Nugget Market was ranked number 34 on Fortune’s 2012 list of 100 best companies to work for, making the cut with bigger companies such as Google (number one), number eight ranked Recreational Equipment (REI) and Zappos.com (number 11) from CNN’s website. The list is created by “the most extensive employee survey in corporate

Today’s weather Cloudy High 62 Low 39

America,” stated a press release from Nugget’s website. The survey asks the employees questions about the trustworthiness of management, job satisfaction and how well they get along with their fellow associates. This is the seventh year in a row that the company has made it on the list, stated the press release. The company shares that the secret of its success lies in the quality of its associates, of which there are around 1,200.

See NUGGET, page 2

Kristina Geddert / Aggie

Nugget has made it on the list for Fortune 100’s Best Companies to Work For seven years in a row.

Forecast I predict that our weather will be fairly uneventful this weekend. The sunshine will stick around for the next 10 days or so. Kenneth Doss, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team

Thursday

Friday

Sunny

High 64 Low 35

High 63 Low 36

Earn some karma and sign up for the bone marrow registry today and tomorrow from 10-2 at the MU and the Silo. www.BeTheMatch.org Michelle Huey and Mimi Vo

page two

2 wednesday, february 1, 2012

daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org

TODAY

service.

H.E.L.P. Club General Meeting

Winter Book Fair 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Women’s Resources and Research Center, first floor North Hall Each quarter the Joy Fergoda Library at the Women’s Resources and Research Center hosts a book fair where books can be purchased for under $3! Proceeds will be used to buy new books for the library. Nonfiction, fiction, poetry and more. Drop by and browse. The fair will continue through Thursday.

Bone Marrow Registry Drive 10 a.m. to 2 p.m Memorial Union and Silo Tables Sign up for the bone marrow registry and save a life. It only takes 10 minutes to register.

Summer Abroad Info Sessions Noon to 5 p.m. Education Abroad Center, Third and A Streets Learn about the program “Costan Rican Communities” at noon and “Sustainable Ecuador: From the Andes to the Amazon” at 4 p.m.

Eat Healthy, Live Well! Weight Management Series 12:10 to 1 p.m. Student Health and Wellness Center, third floor Learn how to eat well, live healthy and feel your best. This series covers cooking tips, physical activity, meal planning and more. Free to all UC Davis students. Must register to attend. Call the Appointment Desk at (530) 752-2349 or go to healthcenter. ucdavis.edu/services/nutrition.html.

Author Talk: Allison P. Coudert 1 to 2 p.m. Special Events Room, Memorial Union Bookstore UC Davis Religious Studies professor Allison P. Cudert will talk about her new book, Religion, Magic and Science in Early Modern Europe and America. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.

Workshop: How to Write an Abstract 3:10 to 4 p.m. Meeting Room D, Student Community Center The Undergraduate Research Center will be holding workshops on “How to Write an Abstract” in preparation for the upcoming Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Conference and President’s Undergraduate Fellowship (PUF) deadlines. The workshop will also be held on Thursday at 12:10 p.m.

Circle K International Meeting 6 p.m. 6 Olson Discover ways to participate in community

nugget

6 to 7 p.m. 146 Olson Learn about H.E.L.P.’s community service programs and find out how to get involved in the community. Food will be provided.

Minor Alcohol Preclusion Forum 7:30 p.m. 194 Young Get your questions about the Minor Alcohol Preclusion answered in a forum with the Davis police.

Cancer Awareness Week: 50/50 Screening 8 p.m. 123 Sciences Lecture Hall Cancer Awareness Week is presented by Camp Kesem, Relay For Life and Colleges Against Cancer. The screening is free.

THURSDAY Bone Marrow Registry Drive 10 a.m. to 2 p.m Memorial Union and Silo Tables Sign up for the bone marrow registry and save a life. It only takes 10 minutes to register.

Cancer Awareness Week: Stuff the Bra 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Quad See some lovely gentlemen rock their finest bras for donations on the Quad!

Cal Aggie Band Lamppost Fundraiser 4 to 9 p.m. Lamppost Pizza, 1260 Lake Blvd. Help support the Aggie Band while eating pizza! Mention the band’s name and they will donate 30 percent of their pizza profits from that night. Check out www.facebook. com/events/260234464042936/ for more information.

Poetry Night Reading Series: Alan Williamson 8 p.m John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First Street One of the most important poet-critics of his generation, Alan Williamson has received a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship and a Guggenheim fellowship. Williamson has taught for the UC Davis English Department since 1983, having previously taught at the University of Virginia, Harvard University and Brandeis University. 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.

Apart from the benefits the company offers, at the end of the day, it’s the family values that employees said keep them coming back to work. According to the press release, the company has never had a layoff in its 85 years. “I am proud and honored to be ranked among the best of America’s top ‘100 Companies to Work For,’” says Eric Stille, CEO and President of Nugget Market, Inc. “I credit the achievements of our leadership team and all associates who work hard every day to uphold the core values that make this company what it is today.”

Cont. from front page Nugget employees make more than workers from other grocery stores. Checkers earn an average of $17.71 per hour, well above the minimum wage. Nugget offers eligible full-time and part-time employees benefits such as comprehensive health, retirement and life insurance, stated the company’s website. It also offers up to five weeks of vacation days per year, which roll over to the subsequent year if left unused, as well as a flexible work schedule to promote a healthy work-life EINAT GILBOA can be reached city@ balance. theaggie.org.

accuracy The California Aggie strives to ensure that all of its facts and details are accurate. Please bring any corrections to our attention by calling (530) 752-0208.

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in drag participating in the phenomenon. As if to model divergent evolution, the original meme was redone and remixed with new groups Rajiv (including, but not limited Narayan to: hipsters, cats, vegans, college freshmen and Asian mothers) while two new sets of videos split off in different directions. This first line of videos did not feature members of an out-group parodying the stereotypes of an in-group, but less ichard Dawkins conventional groups combined the critiquing themselves. ancient Greek word In this vein we have for imitate, mimeme, Shit southern gay guys, with the sound of the black gay guys, Nashville word “gene” to coin the hipsters, web designers term “meme” in 1976. and gingers Say. Through To Dawkins, memes are self-effacing humor, the units of culture through meme becomes a vehicle the process of natural for raising awareness of selection. Just like genes, their invisibility. If no one cultural ideas else will and objects make fun ... these videos expose the tolerated of them, could be produced awkwardness (and sometimes, they will and abuse) of everyday interactions make reproduced fun of through the forces of variation, themselves. inheritance, mutation and The second divergent competition. line extended the title of If you are not a fan of the original meme to bring memes like NyanCat, a new critique forward. LolCat, Philosoraptor, Original to this category #hashtagsoffTwitter, might be the “Shit White planking and the like, Girls Say to Black Girls” then perhaps you could video. As a divergent find validation in the meme, this new line evolutionary model of marked a shift toward a memes. After all, it means sharper kind of resistance they’re not the product against dominant culture. of intelligent design. But In videos like “Shit White some memes, like the Shit Girls Say to Arab Girls,” People Say videos, deserve “Shit White Guys Say intelligent discussion. to Asian Girls,” “Shit What started as a People Say to Native montage of quick-takes by Americans” and as if this some guys in drag saying list wasn’t making you what are meant to be uncomfortable already, annoying things an octave “Shit Everybody Says to higher now has about 13.4 Rape Victims,” we see million views on YouTube. edgier satire. “Shit Girls Say” attracted But I guess that’s the an initial approval in the point. The popularity form of viral syndication behind this divergence is on Facebook newsfeeds that these videos expose and self-identifying the tolerated awkwardness comments from females. (and sometimes, abuse) of Then something interesting everyday interactions. None happened — the meme of these videos are about mutated. specific people. They’re all Suddenly, people began about what categories of posting variations of the people say (or say to other video. The first of these I categories). In one sense noticed was “Shit Black these videos help educate Girls Say.” With the added these categories about their nuance of race, this new discourse. In another sense, variation was clear in its they build communities of implicit indictment of the like-minded peoples, giving original video’s reductive YouTube catharsis to these humor. An interview encounters. with the original meme’s This meme, both in producers called this a its original form and reaction to “Shit A Certain subsequent divergences, Kind Of Woman Who Has is not actually about what Been Socialized To Behave anyone says. Some of the A Certain Way Says.” As best videos in this meme if to compete for viral excel in making you feel attention in this critique what it’s like to be on the of the original, new videos receiving end of the, well, in the form of “Shit Asian shit being said. These Girls Say” and “Shit Spanish videos are about what is Girls Say” appeared. Taking heard. the form of the meme, “Shit Guys Say” and “Shit Black You can respond to shit RAJIV NARAYAN Guys Say” featured women writes at rrnarayan@ucdavis.edu.

Shit memes say

Dorms Cont. from front page the next academic year. Due to the varying size of classes each year, Student Housing was not able to guarantee space for returning residents. Mike Sheehan, director of Facility Services at UC Davis Student Housing, said this will be important for those students who are not yet ready to move out into the City of Davis community. “It is a personal decision for each student and dependent on their needs and life situation,” Sheehan said. The UC Davis Student Housing Strategic Plan states the majority of students prefer living off-campus during their second year. Due to this reason, there has not been a demand from continuing students. In the 2004-05 UC Davis school year, a decrease in state funding pushed admissions to admit fewer applicants, which would have in

Animals Cont. from front page walks up to her cage. Leonardes also conceded that she has a favorite animal as well. “Everyone has one, even if they won’t admit it. My favorite is Lilo, who I showed in a livestock show my sophomore year. It’s also nice seeing calves you fed freshman year go through the whole process by the time you are a senior,” Leonardes said. Hines said by far her favorite part about working at the facility is having the privilege of being exposed to

means that just because a food does not say organic, doesn’t mean it isn’t. Your farmers market folk, for example, probably can’t afford certification, but may Theresa have organic standards. Richardson To find out, ask them in person. But when it comes to grocery stores, the only way to know is by calling the food producer. Luckily, there are easier ways to avoid these chemicals than asking around. The first is to know “the dirty dozen”: 12 foods f I were to give you ranked for the highest a food sprayed with pesticide content. These are poison, would you eat apples, celery, strawberries, it? Due to pesticide use, peaches, spinach, imported fruits and vegetables are nectarines and grapes, beginning to spark this very bell peppers, potatoes, question. Does that mean domestic blueberries, you should buy everything lettuce and kale. labeled organic? Not On a positive note, there necessarily. is also a list of foods known In truth, eating five as the “clean 15”. These or more include servings of onions, 40 percent of our most used sweet corn, fruits and vegetables pesticides are classified as likely pineapples, per day avocados, carcinogens ... greatly asparagus, lowers your sweet risk for major causes of peas, mangoes, eggplant, death including stroke, domestic cantaloupe, kiwi, diabetes and various cabbage, watermelon, cancers. Unfortunately, less sweet potatoes, grapefruit than one-third of American and mushrooms. college students consume Better yet, grow your the minimum servings. foods at home and you If you do, the last thing will know it’s organic. you want to hear is that Unless you’re like me –– I while fruits and vegetables like to water my apple tree prevent disease, the with laundry detergent. It pesticides used while they keeps the bugs away. grow may cause it, too. Of course, many students An agricultural pesticide don’t own a yard and most is any substance meant to of us still face this funny prevent, control or kill a problem where the grocery living organism, with the store is divided into the purpose of maximizing organic section, and what crop yield. The concern is we can afford. In this case, that, while the benefits of refrain from the dirty produce still far outweigh dozen, buy the clean 15 the cons of pesticide use, and consider these washing these chemicals are often tips. toxic and used in large It is true that pesticides quantities. 40 percent of can penetrate the peels of our most used pesticides many foods, but washing are classified as likely still helps. What you should carcinogens, many of which know is that most rinse can promote nervous off well with water and system and reproductive scrubbing. Don’t waste system damage, birth your money on antidefects and cancer. On top pesticide washes, a tiny bit of that, the U.S. accounts of detergent works just as for one-fourth of the well. And make sure the world’s weight in pesticides, detergent is gone! averaging 900 million Now, if you don’t grocery pounds used per year on shop, cook, go to the market crops. or garden, our very own As you are not a mold dining commons is a likely or rodent, these chemicals place to find produce with in trace amounts are safer farming practices and probably fine. On the other high in nutrients. In fact, hand, you also eat around with six sustainability interns 2,000 pounds of food each and another 10 for nutrition, year, increasing your total the dining commons may be exposure. a great stop for your health. One way to avoid Look out for next week’s these chemicals is to buy column, which will bust the organic foods, meaning freshman 15 myth and show those produced without you why the UC Davis food common pesticides. The programs can enhance your problem is that labeling nutrition, both on and off a food “organic”, whether campus. it is or not, is expensive. Certification alone for THERESA RICHARDSON posts all of her a grower can cost up to sources and articles on Facebook. Just google The Freshman Fifteen and her e-mail, $2,000 a year. terichardson@ucdavis.edu. To your benefit, this

Why organic?

turn lead to higher residence hall fees. Student Housing elected to offer the opportunity to return to residence halls as a sophomore. Of the 4,300 students given the option, 150 students gave affirmative responses and deposits and only 77 returned to the dorms as sophomores. Currently, residence hall fees average at over $4,000 per quarter. Dana Park, a first-year international relations major who currently lives in the residence halls, said if given the option she would not return as a sophomore. “I can’t wait to have an apartment of my own with a kitchen, my own bathroom ... I’ll miss some things, like the proximity to campus and the convenience of the [dining commons], but I wouldn’t consider coming back to the dorms for another year just for that,” she said. No new construction will take place to house returning students. “Student Housing will accommodate [sophomores] with the existing

the research done on campus. For example, one study involves seeing whether birds can recognize each other via Skype. Another is testing to see whether particular types of birds can smell a compound found in bombs. “I love working with the researchers when they come and being able to see these experiments first hand,” Hines said. For Austin, a typical day working at the swine center includes feeding all the pigs, housing out their pens, and processing new litters — ear notching, tail docking, teeth clipping, giving an antibiotic and

resident halls and master leased apartment spaces off campus,” Hernandez said. Also available are the many oncampus apartment options open to students, which are attributed to the ground lease with Tandem Properties that was agreed upon in the early 1980s, giving UC Davis over 1,200 apartment units and multiple buildings for fraternity groups. The leases are set to continue from 2035 to 2065. It is uncertain whether Phase III of the Tercero dorms will house sophomores or remain primarily for first-year students. According to Hernandez, construction will begin in the summer to replace the Pierce Thille buildings in Tercero, but new residence hall beds will be installed only to replace existing beds and add a small number for projected firstyear enrollment increases. Tercero Phase III is scheduled to open in Fall 2014. MUNA SADEK can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

iron injection and castrating. She also weighs and selects pigs for replacements in UC Davis’ herd or to be sent out to other facilities. Austin also said that being exposed to research projects is one of the best perks of the job. “I really enjoy getting to be a part of the various projects. I even got an internship at a lab through a professor who is doing research on the pigs at our facility,” Austin said. All agree that working at these facilities has exposed them to new and exciting experiences. Hines said she has even tried quail eggs for the first time this past

year. She said they are very small and round and taste a little different but actually have a little more protein than chicken eggs and are lower in cholesterol. Hines said if anyone wants to try them, they are sold on at the UC Davis Meat Lab every Friday. Leonardes encourages other students who are interested in caring for animals to take an animal science class and learn more about it. “Maybe they too can someday have this awesome job,” Leonardes said. CLAIRE MALDARELLI can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

wednesday, february 1, 2012 3

The california aggie

Women’s Basketball preview Teams: UC Davis at Cal State Fullerton Records: Aggies, 13-7 (5-3); Titans 9-11 (2-6) Where: Titan Gym –– Fullerton, Calif. When: Today at 7 p.m. Who to Watch: Though Head Coach Jennifer Gross and her team stress their collaborative effort, junior Hannah Stephens has certainly had the hot hand lately. Stephens has tallied a total of 46 points over the last three games, including 17 and 16 point efforts against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, respectively. She also put up 15 points in the Aggies’ matchup with the Titans earlier this season, and could be a serious spark for the UC Davis offense. Did you know? The Aggies have built up quite a pattern with this Cal State

Medical

Fullerton team. They have opened Big West Conference play with them since the 2008-09 season. The trend that has emerged shows UC Davis dropping the first matchup with the Titans then beating them later in the season. Seeing that UC Davis fell to CSU Fullerton already this season, it will look to continue the pattern with a win tonight. Preview: With eight games down and eight to go, the UC Davis women’s basketball program is at a crossroads. They stand in a three way tie for second place with UC Irvine and Cal Poly, all with identical 5-3 Big West records. The Aggies have the best overall record in the league at 13-7, but they look to make a second half surge in the tight race for the Big West regular season title. dent at the UC Davis School of Medicine, agrees with Robinson in the convenience the program provides. “Convenience is one of the biggest advantages,” Fierro said. “Sessions are only 30 minutes, which is nice because it’s a short period of time when compared to three-hour class discussions.” Fierro said that the topics the program touches on are interesting and important. “Generally, they are pretty difficult cases; it’s nice to see a video of somebody approaching a situation in a not-so effective way, and then in a better way,” Fierro said. “I think that it’s enjoyable, a good supplement, and I like that it’s part of our curriculum.” The eDoctoring program is seeing widespread adoption in medical schools throughout California; it is continuing to garner evermore attention nationally and internationally for its ability to provide students and doctors alike with a well-developed and engaging web tool, according to Robinson and Wilkes.

Cont. from page 6 Robinson believes the program is very beneficial. “It features enactment of real life drama. It draws students in and takes them through what is being done, and what can be done differently,” Robinson said. Robinson said that students are often concerned with asking about data, facts and diagnoses, but are sometimes not aware of the process of when it is a good time to talk with a patient. “Life and death situations are intense. If you reduce the situations to lab tests, acronyms and abbreviations, it doesn’t bring in the real difficulty of improving end of life care,” Robinson said. He also believes that the program is beneficial because it gives students the opportunity to critique the ways more experienced students and doctors approach a situation, in their own time. Liz Fierro, a third-year medical stu- ERIC C. LIPSKY can be reached science@theaggie.org.

Townes gives the following advice to the younger generation of scientists hoping to make discoveries in the fuCont. from page 6 ture: “Explore. Don’t be afraid to try new his colleagues are able to make inferences things. Don’t let other people stop you. about the sizes and shapes of stars using a Think about [what you do] carefully, but technique called “interferometry” that in- make your own decisions.” volves combining and comparing images of stars from two or more telescopes. BRIAN RILEY can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

satellite

All of UC Davis’ remaining match-ups Gross was very proud of the way the team are with Big West teams, with played against the Gauchos, and is four of them coming at home. putting the loss to the Mustangs in The Aggies will need to continthe past. ue their strong play at home “It’s fun to be able to get back out (They are currently 7-1 at the there and have something to prove Pavilion) and will try to snag now,” Gross said. “I’m glad we’re goa couple of the tough road ing to be getting back to focusing on games as well. ourselves. The Aggies are coming off The Titans currently are 2-6 in an up and down week, with a conference, tied for last place, but strong showing in the victory one of their victories was over the over UCSB and a disappoint- Hannah Stephens Aggies in a New Year’s eve matchup ing defeat at the hands of Cal junior that came down to the wire. Poly. Their shooting has re The Aggies will now be looking ally improved, as they have to avenge the 58-50 defeat at the drained around 40 percent of their shots Pavilion that opened conference play. since beating Cal State Northridge on Jan. 12. — Matthew Yuen

Walking while wearing headphones can be deadly, study finds By Josephine Woolington

Oregon Daily Emerald (University of Oregon)

Wearing headphones and walking to the beat of booming bass lines may be a relief after lectures, but has proven to be dangerous and, in some cases, deadly. A new study by researchers at the U. Maryland School of Medicine looked at pedestrian injury data from 2004 to 2011 and found 116 deaths or injuries that occurred nationwide to pedestrians walking while wearing headphones. “There’s a lot said about distracted drivers talking on phones and texting, but not much is said about pedestrians wearing headphones,” said Richard Lichenstein, the study’s leading author and director of pediatric emergency medicine research at the U. Maryland Hospital for Children. The study, which was published last week in the journal “Injury Prevention,” found that most of the crashes involved trains and that 90 percent were in urban areas. The study also found that 68 percent of victims were male, and 67 percent of victims were under the age of 30. While injuries and deaths from distract-

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ed walking are increasing, so are sales of music players. For example, iPod sales have increased rapidly in the last two decades, going from 600,000 in 2002, to 275 million in 2010. Lichenstein noted that 74 percent of teens own an MP3 player. The researchers think two factors may explain why pedestrian headphone use can be dangerous: multitasking and environmental isolation. Wearing headphones while walking is an example of what Lichenstein called “inattentional blindness,” where the brain cannot pay attention to other objects like traffic while listening to music. A warning sound, such as a horn, was sounded in 29 percent of the crashes. “You can enjoy your music, your podcast, but keep the volume low, and be aware that you can’t really multitask,” Lichenstein said. “Nothing is that important in the big scheme of things than getting to where you want to go safely.” Lichenstein pointed out that drivers involved in the crashes could have been distracted as well. He plans to continue researching the topic to get a better picture of the risks associated with pedestrian headphone use.

4 wednesday, february 1, 2012

The california Aggie

Obama loosens visa requirements By RACHEL GETZENBERG

The GW Hatchet(George Washington University)

International students will face fewer barriers to studying in the United States because of a recent effort by President Barack Obama to simplify visa applications. An executive order issued Jan. 19 is designed to encourage travel and tourism in the U.S. and spark economic growth for American businesses. “Every year, tens of millions of tourists from all over the world come and visit America. And the more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work,” Obama said. The changes – which aim to cut backend waiting time for visa

applicants – mark the easing of more stringent restrictions imposed on the student visa process after Sept. 11, 2001, director of George Washington U.’s International Services Office Greg Leonard said. “The more multicultural the GW student body, the better the University can prepare its students to live and thrive in an increasingly multicultural world,” he said. Universities nationwide, including GW, have ramped up efforts in recent years to attract more international students – who generally pay full tuition – while American students increasingly demonstrate higher need for financial aid in the face of the recession. International student enroll-

ment in the U.S. increased 5 percent to reach more than 723,000 students in the 2010 to 2011 academic year, according to the most recent Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education. Foreign students still make up less than 4 percent of all college enrollments – representing a largely untapped market for American universities. “Streamlining our processes and procedures and making them more user-friendly for students and visitors will save them time and money and encourage them to choose the United States as their higher education destination,” President and CEO of the Institute of International Education Allan Goodman said.

The executive order tasked the departments with interviewing 80 percent of non-immigrant visa applicants within three weeks of submission, expediting the overall process. Obama also charged the Departments of State and Homeland Security to expand the Visa Waiver Program, which allows travelers from 36 pre-approved countries, including the United Kingdom and Japan, to enter the U.S. without a visa for stays of fewer than 90 days. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton nominated Taiwan to join the waiver program in conjunction with Obama’s executive order, according to the White House release. Last semester, more than 2,500

international students were enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs at the University – a figure Leonard said he hopes to see grow. International students represent 12 percent of GW’s total student population, according to data from The Office of Institutional Research and Planning. “In many programs, the goal is to have an appropriate balance of U.S. and international students to best prepare all students to function professionally in an environment that is increasingly global in nature,” Leonard said. This academic year, the largest populations of international students at GW are from China, South Korea and India, internal data show.

classifieds YUANdWhatArmy!? by Angela Yuan

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wednesday, february 1, 2012 5

The california aggie

Pew study shows increase in tablet usage Americans who uses these devices has spiked since the end of 2011 By Mee Yang

Aggie News Writer

In a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 29 percent of Americans owned at least one tablet or e-reader in January. This is an increase of 18 percent since from just two months before in November 2011. In the 2000s, Microsoft attempted to create tablets for the purpose of having a portable computer on hand when doing field work in the business world. Now the purpose of these tablets has shifted to media consumption. One of the most well-known tablets is Apple’s iPad, selling its first version of the iPad at $499 for 16 gigabytes. Amazon created the e-reader known as the Kindle followed by the Kindle Fire, which functions similarly to the iPad, at a starting price of $199 for eight gigabytes. According to the study, those with a higher household income

and with a higher level of education are more likely to own a tablet. “My grandparents have one and when they saw that I didn’t have a laptop they bought me one as a belated high school graduation gift,” said Lisa Teixeira, a junior biochemistry major. The iPad has a storage space ranging from 16 to 64 gigabytes, which is no problem to Teixeira since she only uses her tablet for note-taking. In addition, the compatibility of the tablet allows her to easily carry it around. “I go home a lot,” Teixeira said, “so it is very easy to bring home all my notes as opposed to having to lug physical notebooks home.” The TechHub, located in the UC Davis Bookstore, provides iPads and the Asus tablets. “The iPads are definitely more popular since they came out with it first and Apple already has a good reputation with iPods and MacBooks,” said Sales Counselor Kee Vang. Teixeira noticed an increase

in the usage of tablets in the academic world during the Spring quarter of her sophomore year. “I would say about 10 percent of the people in my classes have tablets,” Teixeira said. Fifth-year psychology and economics major Joe Espena has also seen an increase in the number of students and professors using tablets in his classes. “The tablets seem pretty cool,” Espena said, “but I wouldn’t be able to afford them because everything is really expensive when they first come out.” He also said that he probably will not be able to get one for a very long time since it takes a while for the price of a new and mainstream technology to come down unless a lot of people are buying it. “At least two to five iPads are sold a day,” Vang said. “I have seen a lot of departments buy them because they like to bring it around since it is very light.” Vang added that the price of tab-

Shazib Haq / Aggie

A Pew study released on Jan. 23 shows that tablet devices such as the iPad, Nook and Kindle are becoming more popular. lets hinders students from buying, but if Apple were to give students a discount then students would be more likely to buy the tablets. Teixeira, Espena and Vang all

agree that the use of tablets will most likely increase because they are portable and very convenient. MEE YANG can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

campus CHIC.

By STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN Aggie News Writer

Danielle Mae Thanh, sophomore environmental toxicology major The Aggie: What are you wearing? Thanh: “A pair of thrifted patterned [harem] pants, a Target shirt and a Sway scarf. My watch is Nine West and the bag is from Forever 21. These shoes are Report. They’re really comfortable.” How did you decide what to wear today? “I wanted to wear something gold. I like gold accents so I wanted to play around with the color. Comfort is a big thing, especially when I go to class. Pants that

have a stretch to them or tights are good. It’s also a nice day so I didn’t want to wear something too heavy or warm.” Where do you find inspiration? “I like urban-y street style. I’m usually around artsy people so I’m inspired by them. I’m intrigued by shapes, colors and patterns.” What’s your advice for staying chic during the winter? “Play on color! I like color, so you can never go wrong with that. I also like layering. There are more options in winter than in summer since you can always layer more things on to look chic.” STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Danielle Mae Thanh

Stephanie Nguyen / Aggie

Study shows marijuana use declining, prescription drug abuse skyrocketing By DAVID LEFFLER

Daily Texan (University of Texas)

A recent U.S. government study has revealed a decrease in the use of marijuana and cocaine, in every generation since the 1960s, along with a large increase in the abuse of prescription medication by young people. Richard Miech, professor at U. Colorado at Denver, presented the statistics and analysis of his study in a lecture titled “Trends in Illegal Drug Use Over the Past 25 Years: A Cohort or Period Process?” Miech said his statistics were based on a survey of over 700,000 Americans between the ages of 15 and 64. “The results regarding marijuana and cocaine were what was expected. Marijuana and cocaine use has decreased dramatically over the past several decades,” Miech said. “Although roughly 20 percent of Americans between 20 and 24 have smoked marijuana in the past year, overall

drug use has declined generation by generation since the baby boomers.” However, Miech said, a problem that is beginning to reveal itself in today’s youth is the abuse of prescription medication. Miech said the usage of prescription drugs in a non-medical way has become the second-most common type of drug use among young people and has increased over the past two and a half decades. Miech said prescription medications are the leading cause of drug use overdose mortality. “It’s pretty scary. The chances of young people using prescription drugs non-medically has increased four-fold over the last 25 years,” Miech said “It’s a whole new beast.” U. Texas junior business major Andrew Bowen said he has been exposed to this emerging problem. “Xanax, Oxycontin, Vicodin, I hear of people doing it all the time,” Bowen said. “They’re even more open about abusing

medication than with marijuana use.” Bowen said he believes people abuse prescription medication because they think it is safer. “They think there’s no danger to it because it’s legal in some context,” Bowen said. Professional private practice counselor James Banks said he has worked with people with medication abuse problems. “[Some people] will reach for a substance to try to alleviate their pain,” Banks said. “But oftentimes, that makes their depression much more intense.” Banks said the best way to approach prescription medication abuse is from a psychological point of view. “There are healthier options to getting out unwanted feelings,” Banks said. “Drinking and consuming prescribed medication is a very dangerous combination. A lot of times people don’t realize how harmful that can be. When you do that, you’re playing with fire.”

Study shows 20 percent of Americans have a mental illness By AUTUMN ROBINSON

The Duke Chronicle (Duke University)

Mental illness is becoming more common, especially among young adults, according to a recent government study. Approximately 20 percent of American adults experience some sort of mental illness, and 5 percent suffer from a severe case, according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The study—which surveyed approximately 70,000 individuals— found that people who are young, female, unemployed or part of a lower socioeconomic bracket are the most susceptible to experiencing mental illness. “Psychiatric disorders are far more common than we thought in the past,” said Dr. Marvin Swartz, division head of social and community psychiatry at Duke Medicine. “College [and college-age] students do have higher

rates of mental disorder in general.” Nearly 30 percent of young adults ages 18 to 25 suffer from mental illness, but their symptoms range from mild to severe. People who suffer from a disorder are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol and are more susceptible to post-traumatic stress and anxiety disorders, according to the study, which was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The most troubling part of the study is that less than half of affected individuals seek treatment for their condition, said David Rabiner, Duke U. director of undergraduate studies and associate research professor of psychology and neuroscience. Rabiner added that a serious mental disorder constitutes any set of problems that significantly impairs a person’s ability to function socially, whether it is depression, anxiety or any other problem.

As such, defining what constitutes as an illness is debatable, said Allen Frances, a retired Duke professor of psychiatry. “There isn’t a clear, bright-line definition of ‘serious mental illness,’” said Frances, who was quoted in a Washington Post article about the study. “There’s no biological test that tells us who does and who does not have a mental disorder. The milder the condition, the more it borders on normality, and it’s a popular border.” Both Rabiner and Allen noted that the 5 percent of Americans who suffer from a severe case of mental illness may not capture the full extent of the issue. A larger number of people have disorders that are psychiatric in nature but are not included in the 5 percent estimate. “The 5 percent is substantially lower than [the percentage of those with a] psychiatric illness,” Rabiner said.

Banks said he believes the best way to combat this is to let people know there are counseling resources available. “Reaching out for help is a strength, not a weakness. It’s not a bad thing — it’s a smart thing,” Banks said. “Taking care of your psyche is just as important as taking care of your body.” Banks said doctors must be weary of these issues when prescribing medication. “Hopefully, doctors will begin gathering more information on people’s social history and family background,” Banks said. “That way they can avoid prescribing medication in instances when there may be better options.” Banks said prescription medications are not going away, so people must become better informed about the dangers of abusing them. “As a parent, the number one thing is to educate your child,” Banks said. “It’s challenging growing up, but there are people and resources available that can help.”

Science&Technology

6 wednesday, february 1, 2012

Nanoparticles deliver triple blow to tumors New chemo delivery system allows for more effective cancer treatment

By HUDSON LOFCHIE Aggie Science Writer

The fight against cancer has been long and arduous. Researchers have made the occasional advance in treatment, but as of yet, cancer is still at large. However, a group of researchers based at UC Davis has made a major advance in cancer treatment that will dramatically augment our ability to fight cancerous tumors. This advance is not a new drug or medication, but instead a new delivery method. Researchers created a nanoparticle, called a micelle, that holds cancer medications inside and will only release the drug once it is inside a tumor. Since the medications are only released within the tumor, doctors can administer far higher dosages of cancer drugs without having to worry about toxicity to the rest of the body. “We [could] only give 15mg [of chemo] per kilogram of weight, otherwise the subject dies because too much [medication] goes into their system and is toxic,” said Kit Lam, professor and chair of the department of biochemistry and molecular medicine at UC Davis. The micelles are con-

Micelle

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glomerations of smaller molecules that each have a hydrophobic (wateravoiding) and hydrophilic (water-attracted) end. The molecules are specifically designed by the researchers to have these properties and are constructed through a basic peptide chemistry process. When these small molecules are dispersed into a water-based solution, they automatically assemble into micelles. Depending on how the molecules are constructed, they can be “tuned” to respond to changes in pH (acidity). “The micelles ... are stable during blood circulation and release the [medication] quickly when triggered by the acidic microenvironment of a tumor,” said Yaunpei Li, a post-

doctoral fellow in Lam’a lab, and first author of the study. “Our micelle could prevent premature drug release [into the body].” While chemotherapy remains a very effective treatment for cancer, it is limited by its toxicity to the rest of the body. In high concentrations, it will not only kill cancer cells, but all of your healthy cells as well once it disperses throughout the body. Since these new micelles are tuned to the specific pH of a tumor, they ensure that nearly 100 percent of the drugs go directly to the tumor and not to the rest of the body. “With this micelle, we can deliver up to three times the dosage because all of it goes directly to the tumor,” Lam said.

Micelles have been used in the past as a drug delivery system, but until now, they were relatively unstable and bore the risk of prematurely releasing the medications. “We used cross-linking to improve over past micelles,” said Juntau Lau, an assistant professor of pharmacology at State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical University and one of the authors of the study. “The new micelles better maintain their chemical structure to prevent disassociation (breaking apart).” As of now, the micelles are only effective against solid tumors, and not against blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma. However, the researchers were confident that with a little more work, they can make micelles that will be effective against not only blood cancers, but against many other diseases and even inflammation. Perhaps the most important part of this advance is that since the micelles deliver most of the medication to the tumor, there is very little dispersed within your system to cause negative side effects such as nausea and hair loss. HUDSON LOFCHIE can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

Teaching compassionate medicine via a web-tool Medical students learn to deal with end of life situations

By ERIC C. LIPSKY Aggie Science Writer

Society continues to consume an increasing amount of its media in more interactive ways, in terms of music, videos and games. The medical community is also taking steps to provide its students with the tools to make learning more engaging and convenient. More specifically, medical students are gaining a new way to learn how to deal with end of life situations as a result of the eDoctoring program created by top medical professionals throughout California. The program aims to better prepare medical students for real end of life situations and increase learning by making the process more intuitive. “Doctors in California were doing poorly in issues pertaining to dying and end of life,” said Michael Wilkes, director of global health at the UC Davis School of Medicine. “The state advised med-

ical schools around the state to improve these things.” Wilkes, who is the program’s leading expert, said that the program approaches education in a different manner. “Education has always been here and now; at the end of your time, you’re done. This tool makes you take and apply the learning that you’ve gone through,” Wilkes said. The eDoctoring program features interactive videos and scenarios that help medical students get acclimated with situations they will face with patients approaching the ends of their lives. Along with presenting medical students with several aspects of problems a patient might be experiencing, it provides students with feedback on the exercises they partake in. “The program gives hyperlinks and ways to go back and see what you’ve done, and areas where you can improve,” Wilkes said. Wilkes said that the program instructs students in

eDoctoring video

three critical areas: knowledge, attitude and skills. “We know what patients die of, but what happens in the last few hours of their life? What do they want and feel?” Wilkes said. Wilkes said that students learn to develop an attitude that even though a patient is dying, there are many things that happen before dying; before just giving up on the patient. “In terms of skills, it’s knowing how to apply what has

courtesy

been learned and the attitudes you’ve developed,” Wilkes said. Mark A. Robinson, master social worker and campus planner at the UC Davis Academic Geriatric Resource Center — a center that advocates training aimed at improving the care provided for aging adults — used his 20 plus years of experience to tune and polish the program.

See MEDICAL, page 3

The california aggie

get back into the songbird. However, songbirds don’t eat snails. How do they get there? The answer is amazingAmy ly creative, though disturbStewart ing. The parasite forces its way into the snail’s eyestalks and begins pulsating. The eyestalk becomes enlarged from the parasite and makes the snail want to crawl toward sunlight. The songbird, thinking the snail’s eyestalks are a different creature it would like to eat, snatches the eyestalks. Point: leucochloridium. very now and then, Slave-Driving Ant: I like to take a break from looking at the Common names of animals are very helpful for underbeauty of nature to look at standing certain characthe weirder, more terrifying things. For all the beau- teristics of the animal. The most obvious is the slavetiful creativity that nature driving ant. The slave-drivshows in the world around ing ants, officially called us, a close look can also Anergates, invade the nests find creatures that we find of Tetramorium and steal horrifying. their pupae. When they The most likely kind of creature to inspire this feel- hatch, the slave-driving ants make the Tetramorium ing is the parasite. A parants work for them. asite is any organism that Anergates do not make lives at the expense of anworkers of other ortheir own ganism. If you were one of the unequal and cannot Within that huge conjoined twins, you were the even feed themselves definition strong one that absorbed the other without the are two slaves. categories: Unequal endoparConjoined Twin: In conasites and ectoparasites. Endoparasites are parasites trast to slave-driving ants, the official name of conthat live inside of the cells joined twins is much more of host organisms, such as viruses and some species of informative than the common name of Siamese bacteria. Ectoparasites, by twins. For reasons not comcontrast, are parasites that pletely understood, most live outside of the host orlikely incomplete splitting ganisms, such as ticks. of a fertilized egg, causes These definitions are all two individuals to share well and good, but let’s see one or more organs. They some real life examples of could be attached at the parasites. hips, head or any other vaCommon Cuckoo: At riety of locations. their worst times, perhaps An unequal conjoined after weeks of little sleep, a twin, also called a parasitparent may be forgiven for ic twin, is when one twin wanting someone else to is stronger and healthier take care of their children, than the other. The stronat least for a while. For huger twin eventually takes mans, that’s what grandparents or aunts and uncles all of the nutrition from the other twin, resulting in the are for. eventual death of the weakCuckoos, a species of er one. small bird, take this wish Why is this creepy? If quite a few steps further. you were one of the unCuckoos will take their equal conjoined twins, eggs to the nest of anothyou were the strong one er bird species, push the other bird’s eggs out of the that absorbed the othnest and replace them with er. Think of the episode of “The Simpsons” in which cuckoo eggs. When the Bart discovers that he had other bird returns to the an evil twin, only to disnest, they take care of the cover at the end of the epibaby cuckoos while some sode (spoiler alert) that he or all of their own eggs had been the evil twin all have vanished. along. Obviously, there’s There’s a connection no real good-evil binary in here to the old legends of fairies taking human babies this situation; the stronger twin isn’t trying to cause and replacing them with fairy look-alike children for harm, it’s just trying to survive. the human mother to take Why do parasites act care of. in the way that they do? Leucochloridium: Leucochloridium is a genus While it is tempting to asof flatworm that matures in sign the parasite an “evil” the intestines of songbirds. role, that’s not really telling the full story. Take the Well, that’s no fun for the cuckoo; the only reason songbird, but how is that any different from the myr- the adult cuckoo knows which bird species to iniad of parasites that infect vade is because it rememanimals in a similar way? bers what species raised it The Leucochloridium as a hatchling. has to take an indirect and While these are intereststrange path to get to the ing cases, and fun to assign intestine of the songbird. them horror movie plotThe worm lays its eggs in lines, keep in mind these the intestine, which the organisms are only trying songbird then passes out to do the same thing that in its feces. A snail then we are — to survive. makes its way to the feces and eats. The worm eggs are now inside the snail; AMY STEWART can be reached at science@ theaggie.org. they hatch, and now must

Scariest parasites

Astronomers detect faint satellite galaxy UC Davis professor co-authors paper in Nature magazine By BRIAN RILEY Aggie Science Writer

Chris Fassnacht, a professor in the UC Davis Physics department, has coauthored a paper appearing in Nature, which provides evidence to corroborate a theory of how galaxies form in a process that involves dark matter by detecting a faint satellite galaxy 10 billion light years away. Fassnacht is currently visiting his alma mater, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), while on sabbatical in Pasadena. It was Caltech astronomer Fritz Zwicky who noticed in 1933 that galaxies were “moving too fast and should have flown apart,” said Fassnacht, leading to the theory of dark matter. By using a larger, nearby galaxy as a “gravitational lens,” when a galaxy functions similar to an optical lens by bending light, Fassnacht and his co-researchers found a way to use sophisticated new

computational techniques to discover the smallest galaxy that was ever discovered at the distances they explored. “The preponderance of the evidence is consistent with General Relativity plus dark matter,” said Fassnacht, referring to Albert Einstein’s theory that space-time is curved, which altered scientists’ view of the structure of the universe. Since the 1920s, the larger Pasadena area, including the nearby Mount Wilson Observatory, has served as an important locus of activity in scientific circles. “Einstein was like a rock star when he was here,” said Loma Karklins, an archivist at Caltech whose son attends UC Davis. During one visit in the winter of 1931, Einstein met with astronomer Edwin Hubble at Mt. Wilson Observatory to reconsider his theories. Hubble had made discoveries regarding specific patterns in the way that light observed emanating from galaxies is shifted to the red side of the spectrum. Hubble “‘put ‘distance’ together with ‘recessional speed,’” said Dave Jurasevich, the superintendent of Mt. Wilson Observatory, explaining how Hubble showed that the universe has a

scale to its expansion. “From 1917 to 1948 the 100-inch [telescope on Mt. Wilson] was the biggest telescope on earth. Hubble had the big picture because he had the biggest telescope on earth,” Jurasevich said. “If your telescope is bigger,” Fassnacht said, “then you can get sharper images.” Fassnacht explained that Mt. Wilson is still an excellent place to do work in the infrared spectrum, but he and his colleagues are doing work in the visible spectrum and chose the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The telescopes at Keck each have a special, smaller mirror which can be continually adjusted to cancel out much of the “twinkling,” or fluctuation effect, that is caused by the light traveling through the earth’s atmosphere. Computers at Keck can interpret the signal variations in a beam of laser light that is reflected off the sodium layer 90 kilometers up in the atmosphere to make the compensating adjustments, Fassnacht said. The inventor of the laser, Charles Townes, coincidentally is the Chair of the Mount Wilson Institute Board of Trustees, which oversees the operation of the Mt. Wilson Observatory. Just as Fassnacht and his colleagues

Keck Observatory

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are able to make inferences about the sizes of distant galaxies by interpreting subtle geometric patterns of images in the visible spectrum, Townes and

See SATELLITE, page 3