May 16, 2012

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volume 131, number 66

wednesday, may 16, 2012

Student fees pay for different aspects of campus Select student fees face minor increases

By MUNA SADEK Aggie Associate Editor

Irisa Tam / Aggie

The total amount due of UC Davis undergraduates for student fees during the 2011-2012 school year was $15,123.36 ($5,041.12 per quarter), $11,220 ($3,740 per quarter) of which is for tuition. Fees increased by 15.6 percent since last fall.

With the exception of the tuition (educational fee), $3,903.36 annually ($1,301.12 per quarter) is used for services such as Unitrans ($6/quarter), student health ($44/quarter), facilities safety ($22/ quarter) and ASUCD ($35/quarter).

In 1940, though student fees were significantly lower, it was difficult to find exactly what the fees were paying for when the first study on incidental fees occurred. During that year, fees also increased

ASUCD senator aims to introduce A+s A+ could improve GPA or counteract a lower grade

By MAX GARRITY RUSSER Aggie News Writer

Senator Patrick Sheehan recently proposed to the UC Davis Academic Senate the idea of quantifying A+s so that students who receive the above average grade are rewarded for their efforts through an increase in their GPA. In his two proposals for a GPAcalculable A+, an A+ could either be weighted as 4.3 on the grading scale or it could be used to counteract a lower grade of a class in the same department. Academic Senate’s Committee on Elections, Rules and Regulations (CERJ) also assisted in organizing the proposal.

As a major theme of his argument, Senator Sheehan cited that the reward in achieving an A+ grade would serve as an incentive for students. These proposals have yet to be approved

by the UC Davis Academic Senate.

“Anything going through the Academic Senate is going to take a lot of time, especially if it’s a contentious issue,” said Sheehan, a sophomore political science major. “What did end up happening was that my intern and I drafted two separate proposals.”

Sheehan cited that the two Academic Senate committees that were in charge of reviewing his suggestions for an A+ system gave criticism on the complexity of the plans.

“They said the proposals we came up with were too complicated,” Sheehan said. “We were trying to combat discrepancies between majors and departments.”

Another qualm that the Academic Senate committees had with the plan was the possible negative effects on how graduate programs looked at the UC

Davis grading system.

“They said we don’t want to break the 4.0 grading scale,” Sheehan said, referring to the resistance he encountered from the Academic Senate’s Undergraduate Council.

One of the alternative solutions offered by the Academic Senate committees was to place the number of A+s a student receives at the very top of their transcript so they are more visible.

The Academic Senate’s role is unknown to most undergraduate students as most of their proceedings and rulings take place behind the scenes of everyday student life and the senate is primarily comprised of tenured professors.

“The Board of Regents has delegated to the Academic Senate control over academic matters

UC Davis Triathlon Team pushes to improve their national rankings

courtesy

By KIM CARR

Aggie Sports Writer

Completing a triathalon will leave you with a burning in your lungs, searing pain in your legs and that delightful crunch in your hair from too much chlo-

Today’s weather Sunny High 84 Low 52

rine exposure. In some ways, triathlons require the perfect athlete, someone who is talented in three areas of exercise and has the willpower to push themselves through such an arduous race.

Since its inception in 2002,

See FEES, page 2

Five-million-dollar project lends Jewish students a new home Davis Hillel House open to Jewish and non-Jewish students alike

See ASUCD, page X

Triathalon team takes full squad to Nationals for the first time ever

The UC Davis Triathlon Team sent their first full squad to Nationals this year.

from $13.50 to $20. It was suspected that the money went to library enhancement, sports facilities and health services.

The UC Davis Council on Student Fees (CSF) is organized to address systemwide matters about student registration and service fees and is an advocate for UC students and the services provided to them through student fees. CSF represents the Student Services and Fees Administrative Advisory Committee (SSFAAC).

SSFAAC is responsible for creating and directing sums of money that comprise the Student Service Fee (Registration Fee) which every student must pay each quarter, so that it is of the greatest benefit to students.

the UC Davis Triathlon Team has been full of Aggies who devote most of their year to training for these races.

The club is led by fourth-year coach John Hansen who has been a prominent figure in the sport for over 35 years. He is a former triathlete and a respected coach who has helped students complete triathlons of all levels, including the coveted IronMan World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

He started the UC Davis Tri Team about a decade ago, and UC Davis considers this team to be part of the program’s “first generation of triathletes” to compete in a collegiate triathlon division.

“My goal for every team, every year is for athletes to have the experience of being on the team, getting involved in a great sport and participate in at least one race per season,” Hansen said.

The Davis squad com-

See AGGIES, page X

Forecast Take a break from enjoying the warm weather and watch the solar eclipse this Sunday at 6:30 PM. My instincts tell me that you probably shouldn’t look directly at the sun if you want to see the next solar eclipse on the west coast which won’t happen until 2017.

Kenneth Doss, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team

Shazib Haq / Aggie

Construction on the newest $5,000,000 Davis Hillel House, located in Downtown Davis, was finished in 2012. It has a basement activity center, offices, meeting rooms, a kosher kitchen and a chapel.

By ANI UCAR

Aggie News Writer

Fifteen years of designing and 14 months of construction later, the sprawling 9,700-square-foot Davis Hillel House recently opened its doors to the community.

Located at 328 A St. in Downtown Davis, the Hillel House has been dedicated to leading donor Sam Len, who passed away in January.

The house offers students a convenient stop of comfort close to campus.

“It is exactly as I envisioned it to be,” said Capital Campaign Manager Raphael Moore. “It’s a home for students who need a warm place, a listening ear and a warm meal.”

Three levels are fully equipped with the only kosher kitchen in Yolo County, a café with wireless internet, a solar electric system, 14 toilets, an underground ballroom, religious spaces, meeting areas, elevators (making it wheelchair accessible), a den and a dumbwaiter.

“It really is a home away from home for students,” Moore said.

The café provides whiteboards, tables, chairs and a developing student-run bakery.

“The café is definitely my favorite room,” Moore said. “Café Hillel is a wonderful place for students; it’s a combination of everything: a place to eat, meet, chat and relax.”

As a UC Davis student 25 years ago, Moore was an involved mem-

Thursday

Friday

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ber of Hillel when it used to be a 1,100-square-foot bungalow with a single bathroom.

“I didn’t feel like it was a very good Jewish home; it didn’t meet the students’ needs that it had promised,” Moore said.

In an effort to revamp the house into a place where both Jewish students and non-Jewish students could interact, study and relax, Moore joined the board of directors 10 years later.

“After 15 years of designing what I dreamed to be the perfect house, I know where every outlet, every light switch and door should be,” Moore said.

The house was designed to be eco-friendly and is one of the first “green” Hillel buildings in the country.

“It is up to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards in terms of green technology and green building,” said Hillel’s Programming Director, Maiya Chard-Yaron.

The facility provides spaces that can be rented out to the community for a myriad of events.

“The 625-square-foot commercial kosher kitchen allows us to host Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, graduation parties, anything you want,” said Hunter Launer, one of four student members on the board of directors and a senior neurology, physiology

See HILLEL, page X

Something funny should go here.

Written By

page two

2 wednesday, may 16, 2012

daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org

TODAY Enhance Your Career Through Volunteerism

it has received from the James Irvine Foundation. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum. ucdavis.edu.

4:30 to 6 p.m.

Community Center Building 180, Center for Leadership Learning (housed at The Colleges at La Rue) Volunteerism and community service is a very effective way to enhance your career.

Discover the numerous career benefits of volunteering with facilitator, Andrea Weiss, M.S., National Certified Counselor.

Shinkoskey Noon Concert: Zofo Piano Duo

Citizenship: A leader’s duty and responsibility for the greater good

Noon to 2 p.m.

John Natsoulas Gallery The Poetry Night Reading Series is proud to welcome the renowned poet, critic and essayist Dana Gioia for a special reading.

6:15 to 7:45 p.m.

Community Center — Building 180, Center for Leadership Learning (housed at The Colleges at La Rue) Citizenship is the responsibility we have for others and the world around us.

Through discussion, reflection and small group activities, this session will help participants understand the meaning and behaviors of citizenship with facilitator Christie Navarro, Program Manager for the Center for Leadership Learning.

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Davis United Methodist Church, 1620 Anderson Road Free yourself from excess weight and/ or obsessional thoughts about food and body image. Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA) is a 12-step fellowship based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Meetings are open and free to the public. Go to foodaddicts.org for other meeting locations.

West of Eden: Communes and Utopia in Northern California Presentation 7 to 9 p.m.

The Yurt, Baggins End (The Domes) Join this presentation for the third installment of the “Critical Conversations in the Yurt” Spring Speaker Series at the Domes. There will be a presentation around 7:45 p.m., following a potluck dinner at 7. Jesse Drew, Associate Professor of Cinema and Technocultural Studies at UC Davis, will be speaking as a contributing author of the newly released book, West of Eden: Communes and Utopia in Northern California.

Why the Heck Didn’t Anyone Tell Me This Stuff When I was in College?!

7:10 to 8 p.m.

119 Wellman Why it’s OK not to know exactly what you want to do after you graduate — and how to use this uncertainty to your advantage, blowing your peers out of the water in terms of both career and life awesomeness. A talk and Q&A session with Therese Schwenkler, blogger, author and creator of TheUnlost.com

Noon to 1 p.m.

115 Music Attend this free concert as Keisuke Nakagoshi and Eva-Maria Zimmermann perform pieces on the piano.

Poetry Night Reading Series

Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series 4:10 to 5 p.m.

1005 GBSF Listen to this talk given by Dr. A. Hari Reddi, titled “Regeneration of bone and cartilage: A tale of two tissues.”

UC Davis’ LocalTones 2012 Showcase 7 to 9 p.m.

Freeborn This event features UC Davis’ a cappella groups The Spokes, The Afterglow, The Liquid Hotplates and The Lounge Lizards, and will be hosted by UCD’s Birdstrike Comedy Theatre. Tickets are $5 presale at the Freeborn Box Office or tickets.com and $10 at the door. For more info go to davisspokes.com.

American Red Cross Club (ARCC) General Meeting 7:10 to 8 p.m.

119 Wellman For more information, check out the website: arccdavis.co.cc or Facebook page: American Red Cross Club at UC Davis.

FRIDAY Master Class with Faith Prince and Natasha Burr 1 to 4 p.m.

Lab A, Wright Register for this class at minimoonproductions.com. It costs $35 in cash at the door.

Senior Recital 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

115 Music Watch this free senior recital for soprano Britney Haapanen.

Fabulous Campfires

Poetry in the Garden

7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

1970 Johnson Ranch Drive, Roseville, CA 95661 Enjoy an evening in the museum amphitheater with family and friends around a campfire. Listen to Native stories and songs under the stars and roast marshmallows for a sweet ending to the perfect family gathering. No reservations required. It costs $5 per person or $16 per family of four.

Noon to 1 p.m.

Wyatt Deck The UC Davis Arboretum invites fans of good writing and beautiful gardens to enjoy a reading by poet Justin Desmangles with musical accompaniment by Harley White Jr. The event is sponsored by the UC Davis Arboretum, Rebecca Morrison, and Poets & Writers, Inc., with support

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.

THURSDAY

ulation of financial institutions and the greed of Wall Street back to the surface.

The world of Wall Street and the essence of capitalPamela ism are comparable to the Nonga angsty teenager who just Ngue wants to live his or her life and doesn’t want to be told what to do. Regulations are like those “totally unfair” rules that parents impose on their children in an attempt to keep them safe, usually safe from their own bad decisions.

As college students, most couple of weeks ago, of us are no longer livI was walking around ing with our parents, so we campus, enjoying the have to make the rules for sun and blue skies between ourselves and be our own classes. My new Canon had regulators. We have autonarrived a few days prior, so omy, we have freedom and I thought I’d take it out for we have choices at our disa spin, playing with the fea- posal. It’s an awesome, tures and capturing mopowerful feeling. But with ments. I shot a couple of power comes responsibility. random video clips of differ- We have to be aware of our ent campus scenes and dechoices. cided to turn There’s them into a a misconAs college students, what project. ception So later should we keep in mind before out there that night, that the taking chances?

I sat before “real colmy laptop, lege expereviewing and editing the rience” is defined by risky the content, trying to probehavior. From the images duce some kind of cohesive we see in the media, we are storyline. I was watching a told to indulge freely. And clip I had taken of students in a case of life imitating art spilling out of Chem 194 imitating life, we see our when I heard something peers exhibiting the same that made me pause. In re- types of behavior that can sponse to her classmate, be found on our television a student had enthusiasscreens and in the music tically uttered the phrase, we listen to (TGIF by Katy “YOLO.” Perry, anyone?).

YOLO. It stands for “You While it’s easy to attribute only live once” and is a our choices to our youth term that was coined by re- and the transitory nature cording artist Drake and of life on earth, we must soon thereafter adopted by also remember that at the young people all over the end of the day we’re morEnglish-speaking world tal creatures and that every to justify a care-free life. action has a consequence.

Drake isn’t the first and I didn’t witness anything won’t be the last to celefirsthand, but I heard stobrate the live-in-the-mories my freshman year of ment lifestyle. Timon and students who got caught Pumba from The Lion King up, throwing their educaalready had that down with tion and potential away in “Hakuna Matata.” exchange for excessive un Emerging young adults savory behavior. are part of the age group This is not to say that that tends to push boundall risk-taking is bad. You aries and take risks, enjoyonly live once, so why ing today rather than wornot step out of your comrying about tomorrow. fort zone and try some Risks bring rewards, but thing new? Whether it’s in what context? As college studying abroad or engagstudents, what should we ing with people outside of keep in mind before taking your usual crowd, or gochances? ing against the grain in I was reminded this how you express yourself, week of risky behavthere are many positive ior as I followed the storisks that you can take as a ry of JPMorgan Chase & college student. These are Co.’s recent $2 billion trad- the types of risks that help ing loss. JPMorgan is the you grow and push you to largest bank in the United your full potential. Like States, and its operations the other kind, they make have a huge influence do- for great stories, but in mestically and globally. this case aren’t detrimenIt’s one of those too-bigtal to your health, reputato-fail kind of banks. It got tion and future. a little too confident and Go ahead and live life made some sketchy hedge to the fullest. You only live fund trades that resulted once, that’s the motto! in major losses.

The event brought deContact PAMELA NONGA NGUE at bate about government reg- pamnonga@ucdavis.edu.

That’s the motto

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fees Cont. from front page “The Committee may make recommendations to the Vice Chancellor — Student Affairs on Registration Fee funded units both within and outside of Student Affairs,” the Procedures of the SSFAAC stated.

Student Service Fee

COrrection The May 8 article titled “Campus cashes in on big music” incorrectly stated that the majority of Entertainment Council shows break even. The majority of the show do not break even. The Aggie regrets the error.

Jason Alpert Editor in Chief

Amy Stewart Science Editor

Becky Peterson Managing Editor

Melissa Freeman Opinion Editor

Alex Tervo Business Manager

Joey Chen Copy Chief

Grace Sprague Advertising Manager

Jasna Hodzic Photography Editor

Hannah Strumwasser Campus Editor Angela Swartz City Editor Elizabeth Orpina Arts Editor Erin Migdol Features Editor Trevor Cramer Sports Editor

Michelle Huey Design Director Janice Pang Asst. Design Director Mimi Vo Night Editor Amanda Nguyen Asst. Night Editor Irisa Tam Art Director

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Vice Chancellor’s Representative at the SSAAFC Nancy Flagg explained that the Student Service Fee ($324 per quarter) garnered a projected $25,300,000 this year, $1,800,000 of which is restricted for student mental health services.

“If there are changes, it’s the UC Regents who make that decision and we’re not aware of any changes at this time,” Flagg said.

The fee was broken into sums of varying values, including $3,960,000 for the Dutton Hall debt service, Memorial Union (MU) and student facility maintenance, $372,000 for Administration & Resource Management, $30,000 for the Campus Community Relations (Hate Free Initiative), $6,000 for peer advising, $260,000 for the Mondavi Center, $311,000 for University Relations (commencement, publications), $156,000 for ASUCD, $2,004,000 for campus athletics, $746,000 for campus recreation, $266,000 for Student Judicial Affairs, $206,000 for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center (LGBTRC) and $147,000 for the Women’s Resource & Research Center (WRRC).

Other services that are covered in the Student Service Fee are MU fees, Student Health and Counseling, Center for Child and Family Studies (CAES), the College of Engineering (Livermore Student Services), UC Sacramento Center, Graduate Student Association (GSA), Information Education Technology (IET), student

But after the NBA Finals?

There’s nothing. All summer I’m left lusting for fall.

Of course, I could focus this energy on becoming a fan of summer sports, but let’s Nolan be real. I’m too lazy to learn Sheldon about them and have too much pride in other sports’ seasons to even attempt it.

Because of that, summer and its sports’ fans will always be the target of my wrath.

I beg you, summer sports fans, to see the error in your ways and join us nonbey God, it’s coming. lievers. You can’t dedicate your lives to this summer It will be the best doctrine when more earthof times, it will be ly pleasures can be found the worst of times, an age elsewhere on the calenof wisdom, an age of foolishness, the season of light, dar. It’s illogical to believe in these teams, and you the season of darkness, a summer of hope, a summer shouldn’t need a clairvoyant disease to see it. of despair, we have everything before us, we have ev- Baseball, soccer and tennis are just a group of people erything behind us, we’re passing a ball around trying all going direct to heavnot to let the en, sports other team all going direct the oth- All that basketball and football touch it. If er way — in coverage just makes me greedy you want to watch short, the for more something period will that debe so unlike pressing, grab a cat, a ball of past periods, that its noisiest authority insists on you yarn and swing it in front of its face. The amount of times reading, for good or evil, you let the cat hit it depends this whole column. on what sport you’re simu Every year, just as we lating. wander into the heaven And let’s not pretend ly scenery that is summer those other things can be vacation, we’re also concalled sports. Golf, each demned to the ninth cirswing and its result takes cle of hell for sports fans. seconds, no need to watch As soon as the NBA and it intently. NASCAR and NHL hand out their champoker, people standing in pionship trophies, the a circle watching others do Four Horsemen of the Sportocalypse come charg- something in a circle, only ing in: golf, tennis, baseball exciting when someone crashes and loses. Horse and NASCAR. This unholy season becomes a seven- racing, only if you want a gambler’s high and a losheaded beast once we add er’s low. These are things soccer, horse racing and poker to the mix. My fellow you put on TV when you’re sports fans, this is torture of doing something more fun, like a pool party or … biblical proportions. anything.

Some of you don’t see Face it, summer is sports’ summer this way, Nike bless you, because you are Gehenna, the place our fanatic souls burn in an una fan of one of the seven heads mentioned above. It quenchable lake of fire.

Still, some don’t need a brotakes fortitude to love any mpton cocktail to endure of those sports. They’re them and even see enjoyfalling from the mainment in these sports. stream (if they haven’t al But for those of us left beready) and are hard to folhind by the rapture of our low, but you do your best favorite games, fear not. to do that sport justice.

This summer we are treatYou might hope ESPN will show a few matches or rac- ed to something special — a savior is in our midst: the es, and maybe a few journalists will cover the event. Summer Olympics. We will be flooded with basketball, But you’re too prudent to volleyball, track and field, expect too much and too temperate to make a scene swimming, gymnastics, the about it. You just have faith list goes on. Each event is epic, full of drama and the you’ll find enough coverwinners are adorned with age somewhere to make glory. We can’t predict who you happy. will prove to be the messiah I envy you. Fall, winter with necklaces of gold sitand spring turn me into a ting atop the holy podium, glutton. All that basketball but as a born-again sumand football coverage just makes me greedy for more. mer sports fan, it doesn’t matter as long as I’m saved.

I can handle the abrupt end of football season. The NBA, March Madness and NOLAN SHELDON can be reached at the lead-up to the NFL draft nosheldon@ucdavis.edu. are more than enough.

Sportocalypse

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activities and tutoring at the School of Law, Cross Cultural Center (CCC), Internship & Career Center, Student Academic Success Center, Registrar and Office of Technology, Student Disability Center, SSFAAC and Health Benefits and Retirement System.

“Student fees are critical for providing new student facilities and programs. State general funds cannot be used for student facilities and the Student Service Fee is not enough to finance major new initiatives or facilities,” Flagg said.

Campus Expansion Initiative

According to Flagg $15,300,000 is expected to be collected in the 2012-2013 school year for the Campus Expansion Initiative (CEI). The CEI fee is projected to increase 1.62 percent ($2.87 increase per quarter.) The new quarterly fee will break up $179.88 per student to cover athletic scholarships, the Coffee House (CoHo) expansion, Unitrans, Intramural activities, the Student Community Center (SCC), Student Health Center and Return-to-Aid. “Without the students having chosen to assess themselves the fees, there would be no Student Community Center, Student Recruitment & Retention Center, ARC or new Student Health Center,” Flagg said.

Clubs, the Student Recruitment and Retention Center (SRRC) and Returnto-Aid fees. For the FACE fee, $134.83 per student is allocated per quarter and $163.41 per semester is allocated for the LEEAP fee. In 2004, it was decided that a portion of funds that were allocated for the ARC would be redirected to the multi-use stadium. The initiatives have not been subjected to fee increases and are reviewed by SSFAAC before they are finalized.

“SSFAAC is a great opportunity for students to understand where their student fees are being used and to have an influence on the use of fees,” said Katrina Forrest, an Undergraduate SSFAAC Committee Chair. “It allows the committee members, made of undergraduates, graduates, law students, staff, and faculty, to view various departments and assess their budgets.

We are a diverse group of individuals that collectively voice the student body as a whole.”

Student Activities and Services Initiative Fee

Enacted in 1995, the Student Activities and Services Initiative Fee (SASI) is used for the same services as the FACE and LEEAP fees but is subject to a 2.60 percent increase ($2.82 increase per quarter) in 2012-2013.

The fee is $111.61 per quarter and is expected to collect $8,700,000 in the new school year.

Forrest said that it requires two quarters to review all the information and table members must then vote on proposed fee increases.

“Our decisions and advice are taken into account by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, Fred Wood. In the past he has always listened and followed our recommendations,” she said.

According to the 2011-2012 Student Fees Fact Sheet, most grants will pay for student fees for those who qualify.

Middle-income grants will cover all or a portion of any fee increases.

The Facilities and Campus Enhancements Initiative and the Legal Education Enhancement and Access Program The Facilities and Campus Enhancements (FACE) Initiative and the Legal Education Enhancement and Access Program (LEEAP) Initiative are projected to collect about $13,000,000 in 2012-2013. FACE and LEEAP fees are specifically intended to improve student activities, intercollegiate athletics and recreation.

These fees are used to pay for the multi-use stadium debt, Schaal Aquatic Center, Activities & Recreation Center (ARC), Equestrian Center, The Pavilion, Intramurals/Sports MUNA SADEK can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

The california aggie

Science &Technology

wednesday, may 16, 2012 3

Putting Mad Cow Disease in perspective Related health risks in the US are extremely small, experts say

By BRIAN RILEY Aggie Science Writer

A cow in central California was recently discovered to have a rare degenerative neurological disease.

Tests showed that the cow had a “sporadic” form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The discovery caused concern after the initial, unconfirmed tests were reported because there is a “classical” form of BSE, which has killed over 200 people worldwide since 1996. No human deaths have ever been linked to the sporadic form of BSE. Both forms of BSE are also called “Mad Cow Disease” by the general public, since cows that contract the disease lose normal neural functioning.

Sporadic BSE occurs seemingly at random, possibly by genetic mutation, but does not transmit between animals.

“It’s a single animal and they [the sporadic cases] happen in different places around the world in random events,” said James Cullor, who is a professor in the department of pop-

Brain with severe vCJD

courtesy

ulation health and reproduction in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Classical BSE is unique in that it is not transmitted by viruses or bacteria, but rather by proteins called

“prions.”

“The normal form of the protein in the brain loses its structural integrity and begins to take on a different

See COW, page X

Simple flash-heating method accessible in sub-Saharan Africa Aggie Science Writer

A simple but effective method of flash-heating breast milk can inactivate the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a new study led by UC Davis researchers.

The study looks at the feasibility of reducing the transmission of the AIDS-causing virus from HIV-infected mothers to their infants in sub-Saharan Africa, a limited-resource area. Though the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that these mothers flash-heat their breast milk, they do not outline any specific processes for a mother in a developing country to do so; this study is the first to examine feasible methods for mothers in low-resource areas.

“Flash-heat is a simple process for a mother to do in her home when she doesn’t have any equipment or a thermometer,” said Kiersten IsraelBallard, a former doctoral student at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health and part of the study’s research team.

Flash-heating, a type of pasteurization method, can be done using very little resources. It involves a mother manually expressing her milk into a glass jar, which is then placed into a pan filled with water.

The mother, using whatever means available to her, then heats the water in the pan to a boil. Once it boils, she removes the jar to cool.

“What that has done is brought the milk usually to around 70 degrees, which is enough to inactivate

Mother, Rukia, breastfeeding her son Hussein in Tanzania.

HIV,” Israel-Ballard said.

The study showed that women in resource-poor and urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania could follow this treatment protocol an average of 10 weeks.

According to the statistician on the study, Janet Peerson of the UC Davis Program in International

courtesy

and Community Nutrition, 100 women made up the sample size, with an estimated one-third willing to participate in flash-heating. “[In the study] 51.4 percent of HIV-infected mothers whose infants tested

See HIV, page X

Turn up the volume Start-up company from UC Davis ventures into the world of headphones

By ERIC C. LIPSKY Aggie Science Writer

A new start-up company has emerged from UC Davis and is looking to make a name for itself in the world of consumer technology. The company’s name is Dysonics, and it is the result of work done by a UC Davis professor and an alumnus of the College of Engineering.

The product the company is aiming to sell is one that most college students use daily: headphones.

“Everybody is now using headphones with mobile devices; their usage is exploding,” said Ralph Algazi, professor emeritus in the department of electrical and computer engineering and founder of Dysonics.

The company was founded in 2011 with the help of the Engineering Technology Transfer Center (ETTC) at UC Davis and is looking to provide a better experience for headphone users by providing a dynamic rather than static sound.

“Commonly, when wearing headphones the sound follows your head movements,” Algazi said. “This is not what happens without headphones, where the sound that was in front

Comics & physics

L

Reducing active HIV in breast milk feasible, according to new study

By RACHEL KUBICA

special about hitting pavement that will kill a person more than anything else that will take your speed from 100 mph to 0 mph.

Compare that to a scene Amy in the recent Avengers Stewart movie. Toward the end of the movie, the Incredible Hulk is hanging off the windows near the top of a building and must catch [name redacted], who is in a freefall toward the ground. The Hulk reaches up, grabs the person, then continues going down, but ast Saturday, I was one more slowly.

Why? Well, going from of the about 10 million 100 mph to 0 mph in less people who saw The than a second may be Avengers in theater in its second weekend. I won’t go deadly, but decelerating that same amount in into a review of the movie 10 seconds would impart here, though I will say that I thought it was a lot of fun a lower force (slower deceleration means smalland if you have the time er force). The Hulk and and money, go see it. [name redacted] still hit The thing about superthe ground fairly hard, but hero movies is that there much softer than if [name has to be a suspension of disbelief when it comes to redacted] had hit the ground without help. Thus, certain premises behind this impact the movwas actually ie — no, That’s fine, too. Everyone survivable. gamma This rays would has a different threshold for seems like not turn believability a lot of nita guy into picking for a huge a movie feagreen monster. We all know that; turing a genius in a flying metal suit and a World War let’s move on.

II super soldier being froOnce those premises zen for decades, but it’s acare set up and once the tually important to decide directors have a universe to work with, they need to which plot points have to have a suspension of disbestay with the reality and lief and at which points we physics of that universe. have to say, “That’s just riThe new Avengers movdiculous.” ie does this surprisingThe fact is that we can’t ly well, better than most other comic book movies suspend our disbelief for all of it. Maybe most peoI’ve seen. ple don’t think through That wasn’t always the the physics to the extent case. In the old Superman that I’ve written here, but movies, it was a relativethere’s still a subconscious ly common occurrence for love interest Lois Lane to go doubt in our mind. These doubts can distract from tumbling out the window the story, which can make of a high-rise building and Superman to swoop up and it less effective.

There were a few small catch her. things in The Avengers I From a physics standcould nitpick. For exampoint, there’s a very big ple, Scarlett Johansson’s problem with doing that.

Technically, it’s not the fall character (Black Widow) is tied to a chair and managthat kills you — it’s when es to break it apart by getyou hit the ground. That’s ting to her feet and bodybecause the force you feel slamming the chair into on your body is due to your speed changing from the ground. The only way for that to work is if either 120 miles per hour from Johansson actually weighed the fall to zero miles per the same as a wrestler or if hour in less than a second the chair was made of bal(deceleration). sa wood.

Now let’s go back to Then again, sometimes Superman and Lois Lane. the audience just wants to Lois Lane is hurtling toward the ground faster than watch an awesome fight a person today would drive scene and/or explosion.

That’s fine, too. Everyone their car on the freeway. has a different threshold for Superman flies up to her, believability. reaches out his arms and However, directors catches her just before she should keep in mind that splats into the pavement breaking the laws of physbelow. ics too much can distract The problem? Lois Lane not only from the story, is still decelerating from about 100 miles per hour to but even the best choreo0 miles per hour in about a graphed fight scene. Good second. Since he is the Man job on The Avengers for keeping this at least someof Steel and presumably doesn’t have huge mounds what in mind. of cushiony fat in his arms, this force would still proba- AMY STEWART can be reached at bly kill her. There’s nothing science@theaggie.org.

Typical earbuds college students might wear

of you will be behind you if you turn around.”

One of the problems that some headphones have is that they try to adapt sounds from loudspeakers over to headphones, leading to a product that is not creating a truly tailored experience. Algazi’s technology seeks to change that.

“The technology is not aimed at the reproduction of sound and music over loudspeakers and then adapted to headphones,” Algazi said. “It is designed specifically for presentation over headphones.”

According to Algazi, part of the reason why the headphones are good is due to new miniature sensors that have been made

courtesy

available by technological advancements.

What you experience with our technology is much closer to the sound you would hear when not wearing headphones,” Algazi said.

Algazi said the company has reached the point where it can operate on its own and is no longer dependent on the help of the ETTC. Dushyant Pathak, associate vice chancellor in the office of research, said that the ETTC is a crucial resource to companies in the early years.

“Dysonics is an interesting company incubated in the ETTC,” Pathak said. “A company is in its most vulnerable state in its forma-

tive years, where capital is of concern.”

According to Pathak, one of the main goals of the ETTC is to help take highquality research and bridge the gap between academics and commercialization through the University.

According to the government website for the Small Business Administration (SBA), small businesses in California totaled 3.4 million in 2009.

“They represent 99.2 percent of all employers and employ 51 percent of the private-sector workforce,” according to the SBA website.

According to the SBA, small businesses – like Dysonics – are crucial to California’s “health and well-being.”

“It [Dysonics] is a very good example of how you can shepherd and nurture a company in a fledgling state, when it hasn’t been established yet,” said Pathak. “I have every expectation based on the early founding team that it [Dysonics] will continue to grow and be successful.”

Dysonics is seeking to have the product prepared

by September and is targeting portable devices.

ERIC C. LIPSKY can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

Tech Tips

Free, easy-to-use website creator

By RACHEL KUBICA Aggie Science Writer

In need of an easyto-use, but professional-looking website? Look no further than Weebly, a free, online website creator. Weebly is perfect for student and business users who wish to create a streamlined website without being required to know HTML or other coding.

How does Weebly work?

When first visiting Weebly, a user must sign up using an e-mail address. From there, users can immediately begin creating their website, registering either a free subdomain (example.weebly.com) or a purchasable domain name (example. com). Weebly works using a “widget-based” creator, meaning users can easily drag and drop features onto their website.

Features include image slideshows, video players, polls and forums.

This makes Weebly a great choice for student projects, small businesses and others inexperienced with creating a website.

What else can Weebly do?

Weebly has three versions of website creation: standard website creation, a designer platform and education. The designer platform is a tool for designers to create websites for clients that the clients can then easily use. Weebly for Education is a mode for teachers to easily create websites for their classes that allow students to build their own sites, submit assignments online and keep their parents up-to-date.

RACHEL KUBICA can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

4 Wednesday, may 16, 2012

The california Aggie

Family-run Raja’s Tandoor serves food, friendship Owner Taranbir Chowdhury cares for customers for nine years

By DOMINICK COSTABILE Aggie Features Writer

If you have yet to meet Taranbir Chowdhury, now may be the time to get acquainted with him; in fact, many of his customers say that he is one of the most genuine and heartfelt people you will ever meet.

Chowdhury and his family are the owners of Raja’s Tandoor in Downtown Davis, which has been a local fixture for the past nine years.

It’s not only the prime location that makes the restaurant successful. After all, before Raja’s Tandoor, there was a restaurant called Rajas that served Indian cuisine at the same location.

For the first three years under the Chowdhury family ownership, the restaurant redeveloped everything from food to design and of course, customer service.

Chowdhury’s philosophy is to connect with each and every person that walks into the restaurant.

“My motto is to provide every person with kindness as soon as they step in,” Chowdhury said. “I was raised in India and I wanted to bring that culture of warmth and love for food and hospitality to this restaurant.”

Chowdhury, 64, works at the restaurant every day for 10 hours a day, serving the restaurant’s customers who for the most part eventually become some of his close friends, he said.

“This all comes from my heart and I really enjoy seeing my customers happy,” Chowdhury said.

Upon entering Raja’s Tandoor on a Tuesday afternoon, it was noticeably less crowded then it would be if it were a Friday

or Saturday night. But Chowdhury was still keeping busy, going to each table, patting the customers on the back and offering them generous servings of tandoor-baked, complimentary naan.

Chowdhury said that his connection with the community is just as important as the restaurant’s income.

“Everything he does is so heartfelt,” said one frequent customer. “I was here with a co-worker one time and we accidentally didn’t pay. She thought I paid and I thought she paid. I called him and he said ‘That’s okay dear, it’s no problem.

When you are free later, you can come back then.’”

It’s seems that roughly one out of every three people that go to Raja’s Tandoor are regulars and close friends of Chowdhury.

“Over the past year and a half I have become one of Chowdhury’s many close friends and was even invited to a Chowdhury family gathering,” said Boz Johnson, a fifth-year sociology major.

Chowdhury also has a clear understanding of the life of a college student.

“When students from the university are tired or stressed, I like to make them happy,” Chowdhury said. “They tell me about their tests and assignments and I always tell them that they did their best, encouraging them. This is not just an eat-and-go, this is a special home.”

Chowdhury and his family exemplify the spirit of family-run restaurants.

His wife of 34 years, Harmeet, works during the day as a teacher in the Davis School District, but on Wednesdays and throughout the weekend, she helps run the restaurant.

Nathan Chan / Aggie

Taranbir Chowdhury has run Raja’s Tandoor with his family for the past 9 years.

Chowdhury’s daughter, Avita, is a UC Davis alum, now working for the California Health and Human Services Agency, studying for her law degree and helping the restaurant by serving food at the Davis Farmers Market.

Chowdhury’s son makes sure that all of the food is delivered to the restaurant and runs the Farmers Market stand.

Raja’s Tandoor is consistently at the Davis Farmers Market and was also at this year’s Whole Earth Festival.

“We make nan-wiches using a variety of clay oven-baked naan, such as garlic, rosemary and spinach,” Chowdhury said.

Raja’s Tandoor is open every day and Chowdhury will most likely be there with a heartfelt welcome.

“I enjoy my work all the time. There is always so much to do — but being a host of my restaurant is not so much work, but my passion,” Chowdhury said.

DOMINICK COSTABILE can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Davis Food Co-op establishes free interest groups Store introduces new platforms for community discussion

Shazib Haq / Aggie

From left to right: Andrea Zanbuskirk, 2008 alumni mathematics major, and Alison Kent, publications coordinator for the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine department’s Wildlife Health Center, attend the Knitting and Crafting Circle at the Davis Food Co-op.

By KELLEY REES Aggie News Writer

Although the Davis Food Coop was first established in the living room of a city resident, the

AGGIES Cont. from front page race per season,” Hansen said.

The Davis squad competes as part of The West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference (WCCTC), alongside Stanford, Cal Poly Pomona and several other UC schools. Each school hosts a triathlon race every year.

“Athletes are not required to race but I think it’s important that everyone participates in at least one race,” Hansen said. “Races are a great chance for the athletes to see how their training has worked over the year.”

Collegiate triathlons are “sprint” triathlons, composed of a 500-yard swim, a 12-mile bike ride and a 5K (3.1-mile) run. The season lasts from February to May but the club starts training in September. The team’s workouts are drawn up by Hansen and he ensures that each triathlete spends enough time focusing on each aspect of the sport.

Workouts can be focused on swimming, running, biking or core strength. Hansen also develops “brick” workouts which consist of stacking two of the three segments into one workout, such as a bike-run workout.

“The hardest part of being on the team is managing the logistics of training and school, sometimes even a job as well,” Hansen said.

“In terms of actual training, I

grocery store now has quite the reputation as being high quality and sustainable. Since its origins as a seventies child — having been actualized in 1972 — the Co-op has come a long way think the hardest part is improving on a sport that you’re weak at.

It’s key to improve the technique and stamina for a sport that an athlete struggles with.”

The team works to develop a strong base of conditioning during Fall Quarter and uses Winter Quarter to ramp up the speed and intensity. Racing season lasts most of Spring Quarter so Hansen gives his team tempo workouts which are aimed at keeping them in shape without exhausting them during the season.

Hansen leads two workouts a week while student coordinators lead the others. He usually focuses on leading a swim workout during the week and a long distance bike or run workout during the weekend.

The team is an all-inclusive club that welcomes athletes of all levels to join. There are no tryouts and practice sessions are not mandatory. Some members joined the team for the exercise and the motivation that team members provide.

“The team is always looking for new people to join; new membership is really what perpetuates the team. It also helps build the cohesion and talent amongst our athletes,” Hansen said.

This year, UC Davis qualified a squad to the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships for the first time ever. The top seven men and top seven women shipped off to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to represent UC

now offering free monthly interest group classes.

The groups range from the very particular to the very obscure, but each and every topic has the common thread of being linked Davis in this year’s race. The women combined to score 23rd overall while the men ranked 25th overall out of 150 teams.

“This was our first year taking a full squad to Nationals and it’s our goal to do it again next year,” Hansen said. “We also want to place the men’s and women’s squads in the top 20 next year.”

Next year’s team president, third-year Sabrina Swift, has many of the same goals as Hansen.

“The main goal is increasing our membership. We’re always looking for new teammates to come work out and compete with us,” Swift said.

“Competitively, our main goal is to get back to Nationals. We want to take another squad and place higher so that’s our biggest goal.”

The team is also focused on the home race that they host as part of WCCTC competition. Hansen wants to see them improve their conference rankings, and performing well in Davis will help them achieve that. UC Davis was in 11th place in the WCCTC before they headed off to Nationals but after their performance in Tuscaloosa, they managed to finish in eighth overall on both the men’s and women’s sides.

“We have a good chance of placing top 20 next year. It will be a great season and everyone is welcome to come out and join us,” Hansen said.

KIM CARR can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

and likened to something the Coop feels could serve a community need.

The actual conception behind the formation of such groups was brought about in response to a UC Davis student who was frustrated with the lack of resources for new vegans. Since its implementation, Club Vegan has become the Co-op’s most popular congregation.

Davis Food Co-op Education Coordinator, Julie Cross, was the individual whom the Davis student reached out to with questions concerning the vegan community. “[The student] wondered if I knew of anything. I didn’t which struck me as a hole in the Co-op’s food education system,” Cross said.

“I did know exactly the right person to run a vegan group however.”

The right person ended up being Dani Lee, Sodexo worker by day, veteran Co-op volunteer in her spare time and, perhaps most importantly, a talented vegan cook.

“She was enthusiastic about the project, and we’d planned the first meeting, sent out press releases and established a Facebook group within 24 hours,” Cross said.

The group meets the first Wednesday of every month from 6 to 8 p.m. in the downtown store’s conference room — the gathering place for most of the interest assemblies.

“Club Vegan is a free gathering of friends who are interested

in a vegan diet,” according to the group’s official site. “We promise snacks, samples, prizes, treats — and, best of all, the opportunity to swap resources, stories and recipes.”

With the successful implementation of the Vegan group, a host of other Co-op assemblages were quick to follow. The Food Writer’s Group, Suburban SelfSufficiency Group, Gluten-Free Support Group and Craft Circle Group came to fruition this past January.

The groups’ influence does not dissipate when members step out the conference room doors.

Saskia Mills, who is part of the Suburban Self-Sufficiency Group, has taken its teachings to heart.

“In the spirit of continuing the local conversation,” she said, “I decided to start a blog with a practical focus on homesteading in Davis.”

All of the groups were originally constructed by the Co-op but are passed on to the capable hands of community members whenever possible. And with more groups in works — such as the Walking Group set to begin meeting in July — any extra assistance is greatly appreciated.

Each and every of the previously mentioned groups are free and open to the public with more information available upon liking the Davis Food Co-op’s Facebook account.

Cow

brain or cow spinal cord material.

Those who ate unprocessed cow flesh or drank milk were never at risk since BSE cannot be transmitted through muscle or milk.

Most of the human deaths caused by vCJD have occurred in the UK, where the public health problem was first discovered in 1996, with other deaths occurring elsewhere in Europe, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Canada and the U.S. Of the three U.S. deaths, none were likely due to the consumption of U.S. beef. All three had most likely contracted the disease while living overseas.

Strict regulatory controls have been instituted in the U.S. and other countries since the discovery of the disease. The short average lifespan of U.S. beef cattle is another reason that BSE is not spread in the U.S. “Most cattle consumed in the U.S. are less than two years of age and the prions in cattle with BSE take at least 30 months to develop,” Maas said.

Because of regulatory controls and the fact that BSE has never entered the U.S. food supply, Cullor stresses that there is less than one chance in one billion of getting the disease here.

“One part per billion is 1 inch on the circumference of the earth, so if you parachuted down and landed on the equator, what’s your chance of landing on that particular inch of the equator?” Cullor asked.

KELLEY REES can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Cont. from page 3 shape. This leads to changes in the brain and causes lesions,” said Terry Lehenbauer, the director of the UC Davis Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center, which is located in Tulare, Calif.

Veterinarians have concluded that prions are transmitted between cows when cows eat cow brains or cow spinal cord tissue — a type of cannibalistic feeding method which was banned in the United Kingdom in 1996 and in the U.S. in 1997.

When BSE crosses over to the human species, it becomes known as “variant CreutzfeldtJakob disease” (vCJD). There is also a sporadic form in humans (sCJD), which typically only occurs in older people and is often mistaken for Alzheimer’s disease. “[Sporadic CJD] occurs spontaneously in about one out of 1 million people around the world,” said John Maas, an extension veterinarian in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. On average, 37 people in California contract the sporadic form of CJD every year. Two reported cases received widespread media attention recently in Marin County.

During the prior international human epidemic of vCJD starting in 1996, BSE was typically transmitted to humans by the consumption of beef sausage or processed meats that included cow BRIAN RILEY can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

wednesday, may 16, 2012 5

The california aggie

HIV Cont. from page 3 HIV negative at five months were willing to express and flash-heat their breast milk,” Peerson said. “This was a greater proportion than the 33 percent that was anticipated.”

The researchers hope that flash-heating breast milk could be a more feasible method of reducing HIV transmission in resource-limited areas. However, in addition to flash-heating breast milk, the

WHO also encourages HIV-positive women or their infants to take antiretroviral medication (ARV ) while breast feeding.

“They [the WHO] recommend that the flash-heating be used if the antiretroviral is temporarily unavailable or if the transmission risk is increased because the baby has thrush or something like that,” said Caroline Chantry, professor of pediatrics at UC Davis Children’s Hospital and lead author of the study.

Unfortunately, recent surveys show that only about half of the women in resource-

poor areas have access to ARV. “Most women don’t have access to the extended treatment during breast feeding so that is why we think this [flash-heating] is particularly important,” Chantry said.

In addition to inactivating HIV, flashheating is also effective in helping infants thrive from a developmental standpoint, as keeping babies breast-fed rather than on formula can give them access to more nutrition and antibodies.

“Because you’re not boiling the milk di-

rectly and because we’re doing this fast, it retains the majority of the antibodies that’s so good in the milk,” said IsraelBallard. “You want to kill all the bad stuff but it’s so important to keep all the good.”

Chantry said that more research is needed to know how flash-heating breast milk could impact HIV transmission overall in sub-Saharan Africa and other resourcepoor areas.

RACHEL KUBICA can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

classifieds YUANdWhatArmy!?

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Notice to Readers 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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Further, the Publisher will not be responsible for any claim resulting from an agreement made between the consumer and advertiser.

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BY THE ADVERTISER following the first insertion. Errors in advertisements must be reported before 1 p.m. for correction in next issue. Credit for Publisher error(s) will only be given for the incorrect portion of the advertisement for the first publication date.

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Employment Career opportunities w/ Grassroots Campaigns making positive change by defending human & animal rights, protecting our natural environment, ending child poverty & more. Schedule an interview through the Career Center. All majors welcome. Summer jobs also available at www.grassrootscampaigns.com.

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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.

6 Wednesday, may 16, 2012

The california Aggie

ASUCD senators examine 2012-13 budget After 27 hours, senators finish discussing most units

By THE CAMPUS NEWS DESK This past weekend, ASUCD senators discussed the $11.1 million budget for the 2012-13 year.

The budget hearings lasted three days, and senators made decisions about the funding of the different ASUCD units.

Writers from The California Aggie attended the three-day meeting and compiled a summary of events.

Friday

Friday’s meeting was called to order at 5:16 p.m. The senate first discussed Unitrans.

“It’s going to be a very solid budget,” said ASUCD President Rebecca Sterling.

Unitrans has a $4.5 million budget, half of which comes from student fees, with the other coming from external sources.

Unitrans General Manager Anthony Palmere said that they are working on some big projects, including remodeling the Memorial Union (MU) bus terminal, adding a new west gate to control traffic and reconstructing the east side of Hutchinson Drive to have two lanes instead of one lane for buses to go through.

“We’re in excellent shape,” Palmere said. “The longer we can go without drawing from our fee reserve, the longer we can go without a fee increase.”

The ASUCD Coffee House, including the South Cafe and the CoHo to Go, was discussed next.

The budget passed without major changes.

“The cafe is doing very well; we’re very happy with the daily traffic,” said Darin Schluep, frontof-the-house manager of the CoHo. “Sales have been good.”

However, there was a long discussion about the role of Creative Media in promoting the CoHo. ASUCD previously decided that each unit would allocate a certain percentage of their advertising dollars to Creative Media.

However, the CoHo was not one of the units to do so. After going back and forth, it was decided that Coulson and the rest of the CoHo managing team would have more time to decide, since it was rude to put them on the spot to make a decision then and there. Some senators argued that the CoHo doesn’t need to advertise since it’s so well-known, but others argued that it would help to build a stronger social media platform to promote deals and specials for students.

Next, the meeting moved to discuss the Aggie ReStore. The Aggie ReStore, a new unit created earlier in the year, was allocated $1,140 more for next year so they could create the job of Donations Manager.

“We strongly believe that this unit can break even,” said undergraduate Creative Director Loni Coelho.

The senate then moved on to discuss the Creative Media budget. For next year, Creative Media added new graphic artist positions and computer programming positions, which increased their salary total from $88,203 to $121,088 for the 2012-13 year.

Sheehan suggested that they increase the amount of graphic designers further, but the motion did not pass in a 6-5-1 vote.

The table then opened the Cal Aggie Camp budget. The transportation line item was increased from $16,000 to $18,000 for the upcoming year. The budget was ultimately increased from last year, going from $67,262 to $69,212.

The table ended Friday night with a discussion of The Pantry’s budget. Most notably, The

Pantry’s budget received an increase in the telephone and computer budget, because the unit previously did not have either.

The budget closed at an approved $7,354.

The Campus Center for the Environment budget was opened and closed without any changes.

Project Compost’s budget was then opened. It closed with an expense total of $12,135.

The City/County Affairs budget was discussed.

Next, the Post Office budget was opened. The biggest change made was that the salary for assistant director was cut from $2,961 to $1,449, because they will not be having the assistant director work over the summer.

The Post Office budget was closed and the meeting was adjourned at 10:24 p.m.

Saturday

Budget hearings were called to order on Saturday morning at 11:15 a.m.

Budget hearings began on Saturday with a discussion of the Refrigerator Services budget.

The senate discussed the successes and importance of the unit. The biggest change was that the services rendered line item was increased from $5,000 to $7,750 for the upcoming year.

The budget closed with an expense total of $33,099.

The senate then moved on to discuss the AggieTV budget. No drastic changes were made from last year.

The KDVS budget was then opened. The senators had some issues with specific line items, but could not change them because the KDVS budget is approved by the Campus Media Board. After some discussion the budget was closed. According to multiple senators, this budget will likely be reopened at the senate meeting this Thursday, where it will probably be rejected and sent back to the Media Board.

Then, the Experimental College was discussed. In a reduction from last year’s budget of $128,888, the budget was closed at $110,876.

The director of Bike Barn explained that their spending would decrease after they digitize their workflow through Creative Media. They announced that with the start of Fall Quarter 2012, incoming students can buy and customize bicycles online.

The budget closed with an expense total of $515,066.

The California Aggie’s budget was then discussed. The California Aggie’s budget did not change much from the 2011-12 budget, and was closed quickly.

Senators then moved on to discuss the Entertainment Council.

The CoHo shows were cancelled due to the odd venue capacity.

A Cellphone Recharge line item was introduced as well, because the Entertainment Council no longer has phones. This way, students can use their cellphones to do Entertainment Council work, and be reimbursed.

Senate also voted to increase the Assistant Director’s salary to $2,600 in a 9-2-1 vote.

Entertainment Council’s expense budget was ultimately reduced in comparison to the 2011-12 year, decreasing from $71,148 to $66,982.

The STS/Tipsy Taxi budget was opened and closed without much discussion. The budget did not change drastically from the 2011-12 year.

The senate then moved on to discuss the budget of Aggie Threads. Aggie Threads, a new unit this year, will now have its own budget and no longer be connected to Campus Copies/

Classical notes.

“Aggie Threads has been wildly successful,” said ASUCD Controller Melanie Maemura.

Once again, there was discussion about the role that Creative Media would play in regard to publicity for the unit. Goss added a Creative Media Recharge line item to the budget, which would be adjusted when decisions about Creative Media were made in the future.

The Aggie Threads budget closed with an expense total of $40,325.

Next, the table discussed the Campus Copies/Classical Notes budget. The expense budget was reduced from $124,431 in the 2011-12 year to $86,176 for next year. Ryan Hagens, the director of Campus Copies/Classical Notes, said that part of the reason for the reduction is that they are moving many of their services online. He also said that it was important that ASUCD considered the fact that Campus Copies/ Classical Notes was no longer mainly a money-making unit, and it was turning into more of a service unit. Hagens said the reason for this is because more and more professors are podcasting and there is a change in students’ needs.

The Campus Copies/Classical Notes budget also had a Creative Media Recharge line item added.

The senate then discussed the budget for Picnic Day. Unit director Jennifer Mappus said that each Picnic Day director is different when it comes to deciding which line items to take money from for different purchases.

Overall, the Picnic Day expense budget was increased from the 2011-12 year, from $33,573 to $37,316. However, they also proposed a $3,000 increase in income. Mappus said that she thought the Picnic Day glasses would sell well next year, and she projected an increase in income because Mappus knows Picnic Day can do it.

The table also discussed staff development, and Goss said he doesn’t like the fact that staff development in many units gets so much money. Mappus explained that staff development is very important for Picnic Day, and it really does matter if volunteers and employees get along with the people they are working with.

The senate closed the Picnic Day budget and opened the Lobby Corps budget.

For next year, Lobby Corps cut two positions and added a new one titled Field Director.

There was some confusion about the new position, because originally City/County Affairs had said they would pay for half of their salary, but then they decided they didn’t need the position.

The budget for transportation was also increased from the 2011-12 year, so Lobby Corps could afford to send more students to the capitol to lobby.

After closing the Lobby Corps budget, the senators moved on to discuss the Whole Earth Festival (WEF) budget.

WEF Director Anne Litak said that Whole Earth always needs more money, but they have come to accept that they have to go to outside sources to get it.

Litak said that she was in talks with people to start re-doing the long-range plan for WEF so they could reorganize the way money was spent and make it more efficient.

After the Whole Earth Festival budget was closed, the senate then moved on to open University Affairs. For the 2012-13 year there was a decrease in the expenses of the unit, from $2,629 for the 2011-12 year, to $1,104. This was

due to the fact that the voter registration line item was moved to City/County Affairs. Goss increased the projected income to $1,200, as he said it was possible that they would be receiving that much money from CalPIRG for rent space.

University Affairs was closed and the senators continued on to talk about the Vice President’s budget.

Vice President Yena Bae was very passionate about her Campus Safety line item, and said she would be using it to increase different kinds of campus safety, including holding a campus safety forum.

Student Led Education (SLED) was cut, because Bae said that no one used that money last year.

The senate chose to cut $125 from the Campus Safety line item, as they felt that the line item was almost never used every year.

The senate closed the Vice President’s budget at $10,713.

The meeting adjourned at 10:31 p.m.

Sunday

Sunday’s meeting was called to order at 11:11 a.m.

The senators began Sunday with a discussion of the President’s budget.

Debate arose from the special projects budget.

Senator Goss defended the idea that the budget of $3,000 was too high for special projects, and that this money was “supercharged” by money taken away from cutting units and positions which he felt are the more important aspect of ASUCD. He proposed a $2,300 budget which he felt was a fair compromise.

Sterling argued that she wanted the President’s office to be a hub for action and should have the means to get things done, but Goss furthered his argument with “money does not translate into action.”

After an hour-long discussion, the senate made a motion for a $2,600 budget with the $400 going to Lobby Corps, which was passed.

The General Administration budget was opened and closed without much discussion.

The Elections Committee line item was cut from $6,500 to $6,000 and the extra $500 was split between the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission (ECAC) and the Gender and Sexualities Commission (GASC).

The Aggie Public Arts Committee budget was reduced to $0, and senators decided that the committee should come to the senate for funding for specific projects.

The Student Police Relations Chair salary was cut from $49/ week to $42/week in a 9-1-1 vote.

The senate then re-opened the Picnic Day budget. Some senators said they were concerned that they were being “over-cautious” with the budget for Picnic Day. Sheehan said that his goal was to cut $500 from Picnic Day so that they could give money to other units who needed it.

After the Picnic Day budget was closed, the senate opened the General Programs budget.

At this point, Maemura announced a surplus of $1,812, which she attributed to Aggie Threads.

The senate then discussed the Aggie Pack budget, which was set to suffer cuts. Anguiano argued that Aggie Pack was only facing cuts when it came to material goods such as T-shirts and tube socks. Furthermore, she said that they had misappropriated money in the past.

Senator Kabir Kapur also argued that Aggie pride should be

about spirit and not free things.

However, Han argued that Aggie Pack puts on homecoming, and would be able to have a better homecoming week if they didn’t have to deal with the $1,000 cut to the homecoming line item.

Padgett said that material goods have intrinsic value.

After a long discussion, the budget was not changed.

The table then opened the Grants budget, and began to discuss the Safe Boats line items.

Goss said that Safe Boats can be privately funded, that Houseboats is a special interest only benefiting a select few students and that Houseboats is not an educational experience. Kapur said he would like to see a reduction in funding to give Safe Boats a transitional period toward financial independence.

A representative from Student Health and Wellness said that they do not want to associate ASUCD with that type of activity.

Han said that they must provide safety for students regardless of what they do.

Gilbert said that ASUCD in principle does the same thing to “subsidize dangerous activity” when they provide condoms to students. He said that student safety must come first.

The Safe Boats discussion continued.

“I don’t think I should be funding temporary insurance for other students. I don’t think it’s my responsibility to fund that,” said a member of the audience.

Sterling said that the matter of Safe Boats funding isn’t about “owing” the greek system anything.

“The goal is to have a diverse budget and to reach out to everyone in our student budget in every way,” Sterling said.

Senator Paul Min said that he did not support funding Safe Boats.

“If we really do care about student safety we should be discouraging this practice. Funding Safe Boats is encouraging this practice,” Min said.

Many audience members were concerned about the idea that Houseboats was very exclusive, and mainly for the greek system.

“My money is not going to pay for students’ exclusive notions of safety,” said former ASUCD senator Miguel Espinoza.

Senator Bottoms said that he supported funding Safe Boats.

“I might not be a member of this event and I might not necessarily agree with it, but [I want to ensure their safety],” he said.

Multiple audience members said they believed that Houseboats promotes an environment of homophobia, racism, sexism and discrimination.

Ultimately Safe Boats funding was reduced to $370 for Safe Boats and $130 for Safe Boat education, from the original proposal of $1,120.

The senate then discussed the $500 surplus that they had, and decided to refund GASC and ECAC to their 2011-12 levels of funding.

Internal Affairs Commission chair Sergio Cano asked for a line item for an archiving job, so ASUCD could keep track of what happens in the association and be able to refer back to former years.

The Student Government History line item was added for $66.

The table discussed opening the Creative Media budget again, but ultimately decided to wait to discuss it at Thursday’s senate meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:56 p.m.

THE CAMPUS NEWS DESK can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Aggies Abroad Spotlight Junior psychology and French double major Lauren Menagh visited the Place de la Bourse and the Miroir D’eau reflective fountain while studying with the year-long UC Education Abroad Program: Bordeaux, France, which began in August.

— Photo by Lauren Menagh — Text by Erin Migdol

wednesDAY, may 16, 2012 7

The california aggie

Davis Farmers Market opens new summer location More vendors to join market as season progresses at Sutter Davis Hospital

Kristina Geddert / Aggie

This is the second summer that the Farmers Market will be hosted at Sutter Davis Hospital.

By EINAT GILBOA Aggie Staff Writer

Thursdays at Sutter Davis Hospital this summer will feature

the Davis Farmers Market for its second year running.

Sutter Davis Hospital and the Davis Farmers Market have been partners for several years.

“They wanted to bring the Farmers Market to people that work there, to physicians and to the neighborhood,” said Executive Director of the Davis Farmers

hillel

SHAWCing Tips: The brain Have you ever wondered how it is that our brains process so much information and yet it seems like it never has a mental jam? This is due to the fact that the brain runs different parts of itself at various different points; it all depends on what you are doing. According to a paper that was published by Nature Neuroscience, the brain networks work like the different processors a computer contains, but all at different occasions. Hence, these signals never interfere with one another. Singing a snippet of the lyrics of your favorite

song actually engages multiple regions of your brain to function. These regions start working independently but then work together so you can continue singing along to your favorite song.

This is all related to how we go day by day, learning so much information during our lectures and doing our favorite pastimes. It seems like we are always able to do these activities without getting them mixed up. Imagine if you were to start singing out loud in the middle of a lecture, thinking you were in the shower — not only would

Market Randii MacNear. “The whole nature of being healthy is eating good food, including fresh fruits and vegetables.”

The market opened on May 10 and will continue until Aug. 29, operating from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Opening day featured cooking demos and tastings, face time with Dinger and Sacramento River Cats players, health screenings and giveaways, in addition to an abundance of fresh produce.

“It was a great turnout,” MacNear said. “We were very impressed, because it was a little windy!”

Despite the wind, many market-goers were excited to see the market’s return.

“There were lots of neighborhood people and people from the hospital telling us how happy they were to have it back,” MacNear said. “We were sold out in cherries and apricots, so we had a great day.”

In the market’s press release, MacNear confirmed about a dozen sellers for this year’s Sutter Farmers Market, most of which arrived on opening day.

Nuefeld Farms in Kingsburg is vending stone fruits, including cherries, apricots, peaches and nectarines.

Loving Nature Farm of Clarksburg is providing Asian vegetables as well

you disturb the professor, but you would also have everyone laughing. Keep on studying, singing in the shower, playing basketball or simply keep on listening to your favorite artist and have confidence that your brain will correctly process everything you are doing.

The ASUCD Student Health and Wellness Committee (SHAWC) aims to promote and address important health-related issues on campus. We serve as a liaison between ASUCD and campus health organizations, clubs and resources. If you have SHAWCing suggestions, questions or tips, please e-mail us at shawcucd@gmail.com and like us on our Facebook page!

as lettuce and flowers.

Acampo’s Toledo Farms is selling vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, beets, onions and garlic as well as cherries and tomatoes.

Henry’s Bullfrog Bees is selling its signature honey.

Bouchon Plants of Suisun City is offering garden starts and plants.

Mehl’s Farm of Watsonville is providing strawberries.

Heavy Dirt Farm of Davis is selling greens, lettuces, green garlic, herbs and flowers.

Upper Crust Bakery, another Davis operation, is offering a variety of breads and baked goods.

Starting tomorrow, the market will also feature blueberries from Neilsen’s Berries in Dunnigan, as well as Muscovy duck, lamb and pork. Garden and vegetable starts from Creekside Ranch and Skelark Creek in Capay Valley will also be available.

Other sellers will join later in the season.

As far as payment goes, Sutter Davis Hospital Farmers Market accepts Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards and issues Scrip cards.

They also accept Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers Market nutrition coupons for WIC mothers and seniors.

EINAT GILBOA can be reached city@theaggie.org.

place to go, Hillel is free to students of any religious background. No membership is required and their doors are open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

“Obviously, there are a lot of Jewishoriented events. You do not have to be Jewish to get involved,” Launer said.

“Some of our most active members are not Jewish, such as Chris Brown – not the singer – a fourth-year student, who runs our bakery.”

“My goal here is to offer opportunities to students and to work with them on planning events and creating community,” Chard-Yaron said.

The Hillel House also offers students a paid internship program, and they are currently taking applications.

The deadline is Friday.

“My hope for the future is that it will be used the way it was built to be used,” Moore said.

Cont. from front page and biology major at UCD. “Because the Dining Commons are not kosher, this kitchen also accommodates religious students thinking about coming to Davis,” Launer said.

In an effort to provide students with the option of using their swipes at the new kosher kitchen, the board of directors is working with the university to develop a plausible system.

The house already provides what they claim to be their “famous kosher Tuesday lunches,” which are lunches free to any student of any faith.

“We have students from various religious backgrounds who attend our programs or help plan programs here,” Chard-Yaron said. “We do like to partner up with other organizations on campus as well.”

And for those who do not have a ANI UCAR can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

As crunch time hits, some students turn to dangerous study drug

By Quinn D. Hatoff Harvard Crimson (Harvard University)

In preparation for finals, some students stock up on Red Bull. Others reload their Starbucks cards in anticipation of coffeefueled nights. But for some students who sneak under the radar at Harvard, reading period entails a trip to the pharmacy or their entryway’s drug dealer.

Jessica, who asked that her named be changed for this article, takes an Adderall extended-release pill when she feels pressure to meet a deadline.

“I think of it as an escape route,” says the freshman.

“If I get really desperate I have something that can save me.”

Jessica, who has not been diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder— the condition that Adderall is officially prescribed to treat—only uses the pills when she has a paper due the next day or a big exam to study for. Since she does not have a prescription, Jessica buys Adderall XR— usually at a cost of $5 per 20-milligram pill—from her peers.

Adderall XR came onto the market in 2001 and quickly passed Ritalin to become the most popular “study drug,” according to a 2006 study by Northeastern University professor Christian Teter.

As an amphetamine, the drug is classified alongside cocaine and opium as a Schedule II controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Agency. But for harried students seeking improved concentra-

tion, alertness, and even a sense of euphoria, the threat of the law serves as little deterrent to taking the little orange pill.

A DARKER SHADE OF ORANGE Bianca, another freshman whose name has been changed, reflects on her first experience taking Adderall soon after she started high school.

“It just felt so, so good,” she says. “Even though I couldn’t sleep, it felt awesome. After that I started taking it a lot. During the next two months, I took it every day.”

Bianca started using the drug to help her with her schoolwork, then came to rely on it more when she realized it doubled as a weight loss method. But she soon learned first-hand why Schedule II drugs including Adderall are considered to have a high potential for abuse.

She found herself hospitalized in ninth grade. Two months of daily use had taken their toll: her weight had plummeted from 130 to 94 pounds, and she had not had a full night of sleep in weeks.

“By the time I was actually hospitalized, I was kind of fucked up,” she admits with a slight laugh. “I wanted more weight loss—that was one reason for taking it—but I also had become psychologically dependent on it. I really loved it.”

Though she obtained her Adderall legally—she was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder after her parents divorced when she was ten—Bianca had saved her first bottle of pills, only

turning to the drug in high school on the eve of a big paper deadline.

Before Bianca’s hospitalization, her concerned mother scheduled regular meetings for her daughter at an eating disorder clinic, but Bianca found ways to trick her doctors.

“I would stop taking the medicine two days before a meeting so that I would not have the amphetamine in my blood,” she recalls.

Bianca was able to quit Adderall after her stay in the hospital, but when college applications hit during her senior year she felt it was “really urgent” to finish everything in time. She returned to her doctor for a refill and was surprised by how easy it was to get the pills, given her history of abuse.

“He didn’t verify anything,” she says. “He gave me a ton of Adderall—over 90 capsules at a time. It was a really ridiculous amount, and I saved them all up.”

Soon Bianca found herself in a dangerous cycle: a pill in the morning would prevent her from sleeping at night, and she found the only way to avoid being tired the day after was to take more Adderall. When she came to Harvard, she brought a stash of more than 100 pills with her.

She stopped taking them after her boyfriend threatened to end their relationship if she continued.

“There are days when taking Adderall would be a smart choice for that day, when it really would make me so much more productive, but I think for me it has been a really good decision not to take it,” she

says now.

Bianca sold her remaining pills for $250 to a fellow freshman—Jessica.

“It’s not something I use all the time, but it’s there for me to fall back on,” Jessica says.

SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE “There is a prevailing notion that since doctors prescribe medications such as Adderall, that they must be safe,” University Health Services spokesperson Nanci Martin writes in an e-mailed statement. But despite this perception, Martin writes that stimulants like Adderall can cause cardiac problems.

Harvard Drug and Alcohol Peer Advisors outline further risks of stimulants like Adderall on their website—including addiction, stroke, psychosis, and schizophrenia.

But labels and doctor warnings fail to prevent some students from popping pills. Though statistics on Adderall misuse vary widely, studies show that prescription drug abuse occurs on campuses across the country.

The 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 6.4 percent of full-time college students age 18 to 22 misused Adderall that year.

The number did not include students diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder, even though experts claim that some students fake symptoms in order to get study pills.

Closer to home, a 2011 survey by the Boston Globe found that among an “informal sampling” of stu-

dents at four Boston-area colleges, 15 percent admitted to taking prescription drugs, most frequently Adderall, for stress relief, increased focus, and other unintended purposes.

Peter, a junior whose name has been changed, worries that doctors might discover long-term effects in the future, even though his occasional use of Adderall has not produced any immediate side effects.

“There is no way you can take a drug to make your brain work at twice the speed and intensity as normal without having some consequences,” he says.

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON ADDERALL Despite concerns about Adderall abuse, Stanford law professor Henry Greely argues that using prescription drugs to boost studying should be as commonly accepted as drinking caffeine.

Greely and his six coauthors said in a 2008 article in Nature that study pills like Adderall have “much to offer individuals and society.”

The article counters critics of study pills who charge that they are “unnatural” by pointing out that nearly every aspect of modern life—food, shelter, clothing, medical care—bears “little relation to our species’ ‘natural’ state.”

These drugs “should be viewed in the same general category as education, good health habits, and information technology—ways that our uniquely innovative species tries to improve itself,” says the article.

Peter disagrees. Even though he uses study pills to increase concentration, he admits that their use on college campuses gives students unfair advantages.

“Adderall is absolutely cheating,” he says. “Coffee and other natural stimulants keep you awake, but Adderall keeps you focused. I read an entire course’s assigned reading in a five-hour period. That is not natural. That was cheating.”

Jessica has a different take. “I don’t think it’s cheating to take study drugs,” she says. “But I do admit that I sometimes get annoyed with people who fake a prescription. They get extra time on tests, and I think a lot of people get prescribed Adderall knowing full well they do not have ADD.” As Jessica knows from first-hand experience, Adderall’s power to increase focus comes at a mental as well as physical cost. The drug is known to impair creativity and alter thought patterns.

“The papers I write on Adderall are nowhere near the same quality as the ones I write not on Adderall,” she says. “They are wordy and convoluted. It’s like I can’t step back and see the big picture, but at the time it feels like I’m writing smart stuff.”

Yet time-crunched students juggling competitive classes, leadership positions, job and graduate school applications, and social lives turn to study pills for an extra edge anyway.

As Jessica puts it, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”

8 Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The california Aggie

Whole Earth Festival Yash Nagda / Aggie

 The sound of music flooded the festival as

various performers took center stage on the Quad.

Yash Nagda / Aggie

 Fire dancers performed on the Promethean Fire

Stage on Saturday night.

Brian Nguyen / Aggie

Waterstrider performed on the Quad stage, entertaining the crowd with music featuring African guitar licks and percussive rhythms. 

Evan Davis / Aggie

A drum circle was maintained in front of Hart Hall throughout the festival. 

Evan Davis / Aggie

 Guests crowded around

the Quad stage, dancing to the beats of various musicians that performed during the festival.

ASUCD Cont. from front page on the campuses, including such matters as grading,” said G. J. Mattey, senior lecturer of philosophy and chair of the CERJ. When a matter such as a proposed change in the grading system is brought before the Academic Senate, it must go through multiple steps before it can be written into the university’s bylaws.

It first must be reviewed by a committee that pertains to the matter at hand such as the CERJ, then it is brought before the

Executive Council which decides whether or not to proceed with the proposal. If the proposal is approved by the Executive Council, a Representative Assembly from the university brings the proposal to the UC-wide Academic Senate which ultimately decides whether the legislation can be implemented or not.

“In general we don’t make judgment on the proposals,” Mattey said, referring to the first committees to hear the proposals.

Although there are concerns from various Academic Senate committees, it is likely that the proposal will be seriously reviewed by the Executive Council.

“I believe that it’s being moved forward to the Executive Council,” said Mark Grismer, professor of land, air and water resources and member of the Undergraduate Council.

Senator Sheehan is still trying to make his proposition clear to the Academic Senate, as no form of the proposed A+ rule has even been approved by the Executive Council.

One of Sheehan’s main arguments is that within a grading system, incentives are necessary.

“Some said that an A+ student gets an A+ simply because they’re an A+ student. Not for any sort of incentive,” said Sheehan.

“I feel that an argument against an A+ is an argument against a grading system entirely.”

Last quarter out of 1,442 courses, 41.1 percent (597 courses) had at least one A+ awarded. In all, 2,944 students Winter Quarter achieved at least one A+ with a combined average UC GPA of 3.55.

Sheehan says that based on these statistics nearly every student who received an A+ last quarter would have a quantifiable GPA benefit if the A+ rule were to be enacted.

“If an A+ has no weight, why should professors even give them out?” Sheehan said.

“It’s a measure of fairness.”

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!

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