serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915
www.theaggie.org
volume 132, number 13
Tuesday, january 29, 2013
The magic of the Central Park Gardens Volunteering never looked so good By RITIKA AYER
Aggie Features Writer
If you step onto the gravel-covered paths within the Davis Central Park Gardens, do note that there is a high probability of a sensory explosion. Split into seven parts by theme, the Central Park Gardens are located in the park parallel to B street and act as a place for Davis residents to relax and enjoy the sights and smells the garden offers. “We are providing a habitat for birds and insects, but it’s also a refreshing place for people to come to,” said Emily Griswold, Central Park Gardens steering committee chair and director of GATEways horticulture for the UC Davis Arboretum. “A lot of people enjoy sitting in the garden to just enjoy the setting.” The garden is run by a steering committee which is made up of people from the Davis community and “master gardeners” from the Yolo County Master Gardening Program, among other members. “The goal of the Yolo County Master Gardeners (YCMG) program is to promote adult education in horticulture,” said master gardener and steering committee member Peg Smith. “No site in Davis has a hands-on teaching experience for adults. [The garden] just seemed like an ideal opportunity [for the YCMG to help out with] for its beauty, but predominantly for an outdoor education classroom.” Smith said that even when there is no one from the steering committee present at the garden, it still serves as an educational spot because of how it is laid out. “We wanted to start with the bones of what was here already, and build off [of ] that foundation,” Griswold said. “[The signs in the garden] provide information about why the plants are here and about the basic themes of the garden.” Although the steering committee does
Zach Land-Miller / Aggie
The Central Park garden is run by a steering committee which is made up of people from the Davis community. The garden is maintained by members of the public. much of the administrative planning and garden layout, the public, including UC Davis students, are encouraged to participate in garden workdays and workshops
News iN Brief
Davis Rebekah Lodge’s second annual charitable crab feed will be on Feb. 2 at 5:30 p.m. at the Davis Odd Fellows Hall. Only 30 tickets are left and the event is open to the public. Tickets are $40 and are available at the Avid Reader bookstore at 605 Second St. Last year, the event sold out. The feed will feature fresh-cracked crab, pasta, salad, bread and butter. There will be a no-host bar as well as a silent auction and raffle. All the proceeds will go to the at-risk and foster youths in Davis. — Claire Tan
Man hit by Union Pacific freight On Monday morning, a man sitting on railroad tracks in Davis was killed by a Union Pacific freight train coming from Roseville. He was two miles from the nearest railroad crossing. The Davis Police responded to the area of Second Street and Pena Drive after a call at around 4:30 a.m. The incident delayed Capitol Corridor train commuters until Amtrak opened up a second track. Union Pacific said the incident is currently being investigated. — Claire Tan
Sexual assault and robbery on church property
Award honors individuals, businesses, nonprofits By MEREDITH STURMER Aggie News Writer
Feb. 8 is the deadline for Davis residents to submit nominations for the UCD City of Davis’ 19th annual Environmental Recognition Award. According to the city website, the awards are intended to recognize the environmental stewardship of Davis individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations. The winners of each category are selected by the city’s Natural Resources Commission. Nominees are judged on four criteria. The first criterion is that the nominee’s actions address a current environmental concern. The nominee must also have an established history of benefiting the environment. In addition, the nominee must show a commitment to environmental issues. Lastly, the nominee must be implementing environmentally sustainable practices in a creative or innovative manner.
To be considered, nominated individuals must be a resident of the City of Davis. Businesses and nonprofit organizations must be located in Davis.
James Kim / Aggie
Businesses must be licensed and nonprofit organizations must have a 501(c) or 23701d nonprofit certification. Past recipients include the Davis Cemetery District, which won the 2012
award in the nonprofit category. “It was an honor to win the award,” said Susan Finkleman, office manager for the Davis Cemetery District. “We were nominated by one of our office management interns from UC Davis. We have quite a lot of interns from UC Davis for horticulture and office management.” The 20-acre cemetery is a designated wildlife habitat and over 50 species of birds can be found there, according to Finkleman. “We have plantings deliberately intended for birds,” Finkleman said. “We also have integrative pest management, so we don’t have to use any chemicals to eradicate bugs.” The cemetery utilizes other environmentally sustainable practices such as solar power and water conservation. “We have our own well, and the well pump is powered by solar panels,” Finkleman said. “We use a lot of drip irrigation and native plantings. We’re very conscious of water use.” Other past award winners include the Davis Food Co-op, which has won twice in the business category, in 1997
See ENVIRONMENT, page 4
High scores and chili peppers By ALYSSA KUHLMAN Aggie Features Writer
— Claire Tan
High 60 Low 36
See GARDEN, page 5
Students rate professors on and offline
On Saturday at about 11:40 a.m., the Davis Police received a call that a sexual assault and robbery took place 20 minutes beforehand at the Davis Community Church at 412 C St. The victim was approached by a suspect who brandished a stabbing instrument while walking across the property. The suspect sexually assaulted her, as well as took the victim’s personal belongings. The suspect is described as an African American male, early 20’s, between 5’10” and 6’0” tall, heavyset and with a bad complexion. He was last seen wearing dark-colored clothing and red shoes.
Mostly Clear
only thing you need to bring with you is curiosity.”
City’s environmental award nomination period open
Thirty crab feed tickets left
Today’s weather
every month. “We provide the tools and the knowhow, and we teach people what needs to be done,” Smith said of the programs. “The
An un-illuminated chili pepper, a blue frowney face, low ratings on helpfulness or easiness and blunt comments about negative aspects of the professor dissuade Stephan de la Rosa, an undeclared second-year, from taking a particular professor’s course. He wants to find flaming hot chili peppers, smiley faces and numbers above 4.0 out of 5.0. UC Davis students fill out evaluation forms at the end of every quarter to assess the professor and the course, yet the students never see the results of their ratings. In order to judge a professor’s quality, students thus often turn to using infamous website rateForecast
You want to know what grinds my gears? This nice weather because we really need the rain! Besides, it’s fun to work rain into your life, it adds spice like cayenne or chipotle does to food, minus the burning sensation. Enjoy the unsalted weather for the remainder of the week. Tyson Tilmont, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
myprofessor.com. Rate My Professor has several categories in which a professor is ranked: overall quality, helpfulness, clarity, easiness and hotness. The first four are rated on a 1 to 5 scale while the hotness factor is indicated by an illuminated red hot chili pepper icon. If the professor is flaming hot, the pepper will appear with flames as if on fire. However, should opinions on ratemyprofessor.com and the ratings on course evaluations be allowed to affect a professor’s salary? “I think the course reviews we do in class at the end of the quarter should be looked at when they decide a professor’s salary,” said Andrew Zufall, a third-year psychology major. “[But]
See PROFESSOR, page 4
Tuesday
Wednesday
Mostly clear
Clear
High 63 Low 37
High 62 Low 37
James Kim / Aggie
Ashton Kutcher hospitalized after trying to follow Steve Jobs’ fruitarian diet (seeds, nuts and fruits) for an upcoming movie. It’s called ACTING, Ashton. Allison Ferrini
page two
2 Tuesday, january 29, 2013
daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org
TUESDAY FAHC Second General Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. 226 Wellman Join the Filipino Association for Health Careers’ second general meeting, featuring a career panel led by a dietician. The Bayanihan Clinic will be doing a presentation about their student-run free clinic. There will be other events and free food.
American Red Cross Club General Meeting 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. 146 Olson The ARCC is an on-campus organization dedicated to emergency preparedness and community service. Join them for their second general meeting.
FRIDAY Woodland Animal Shelter Adoption Sale
WEDNESDAY Breakthrough Collaborative’s Summer Job Information Session Noon to 1 p.m. 229 South Join Breakthrough Collaborative and find out how to be a competitive applicant for paid summer jobs teaching underserved middle school students. For more information, go to their website at breakthroughcollaborative.org. Applications are due on Feb. 25.
Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous 7 to 8:30 p.m. Davis United Methodist Church, 1620 Anderson Road Are you having trouble controlling the way you eat? Free yourself from excess weight and/or obsessional thoughts about food and body image. Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous is a 12-step fellowship based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Meetings are open and free to the public. Visit www.foodaddicts.org for other meeting locations.
Cultural Programmer Information Session 7 to 8 p.m. Regan Main Visit an informational meeting about the opportunities of being a cultural programmer for the 2013-14 school year. Primary responsibilities include providing culturally-based programming, support and mentorship for new students living in the Living Learning Community.
THURSDAY Technocultural Studies Club Introductory Workshop 6 to 7 p.m. TCS Mac Lab, Art Annex Join us for a workshop focusing on music composition for those who have little to no experience with music theory or music software. For further information, contact Steven Gordon at swgordon@ucdavis. edu.
Noon to 4 p.m. Woodland Animal Shelter Celebrate My Furry Valentine with discounted adoption rates for all dogs and cats from the Woodland Animal Shelter. Help save a life for the same price as buying a coffee — all adoptions are $5. For more information or to see pictures of the adoptable animals, go to their Facebook page at facebook.com/YCAS. Shelter.
The Art of Athletes 5 to 7 p.m. Basement Gallery, Art Building Join us for the fourth annual art show featuring the work of current intercollegiate student-athletes enrolled in all four undergraduate colleges at UC Davis. Exhibition is free and open to the public.
SATURDAY The Art of Athletes Noon to 6 p.m. Basement Gallery, Art Building Join us for the fourth annual art show featuring the work of current intercollegiate student-athletes enrolled in all four undergraduate colleges at UC Davis. Exhibition is free and open to the public.
SUNDAY The Art of Athletes 1 to 5 p.m. Basement Gallery, Art Building Join us for the fourth annual art show featuring the work of current intercollegiate student-athletes enrolled in all four undergraduate colleges at UC Davis. Exhibition is free and open to the public. To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, email 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.
Police Briefs THURSDAY
Best comeback ever
Mi casa no es su casa
An intoxicated female walked into someone’s house and refused to leave on N Street.
FRIDAY
A female subject was heard yelling, “Give me back my stuff!” to a male subject who responded with, “No!” at Central Park on C Street.
Raining on the parade
Bathing beauty
Someone was concerned with their neighbor’s mental state as the neighbor hadn’t bathed in years, forcing the person to drive past with their hand over their eyes on Fiesta Avenue.
Two people on the footbridge were throwing objects at vehicles on the freeway on Second Street.
Dynamite combination
Saw-spicious
Someone reported that her roommate, who has been having hallucinations and likely owns firearms, was harassing her through text messages on Fifth Street.
Somebody saw a person hiding in the bushes; upon visiting the spot a few minutes later, the hider was gone but left a bag with a saw in it on Snyder Drive.
Police briefs are compiled from the City of Davis daily crime bulletins. Contact EINAT GILBOA at city@theaggie.org.
SATURDAY
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.
Janelle Bitker Editor in Chief Hannah Strumwasser Managing Editor
Rebecca Peterson Opinion Editor Joey Chen Copy Chief
Jonathan Wester Business Manager
Brian Nguyen Photography Editor
Caelum Shove Advertising Manager
Janice Pang Design Director
Muna Sadek Campus Editor
James Kim Asst. Design Director
Claire Tan City Editor Elizabeth Orpina Arts Editor Adam Khan Features Editor Matthew Yuen Sports Editor
Amanda Nguyen Night Editor Allison Ferrini Asst. Night Editor Irisa Tam Art Director David Ou New Media Director
Hudson Lofchie Science Editor One Shields Ave. 25 Lower Freeborn, UCD Davis, CA 95616 Editorial (530) 752-0208 Advertising (530) 752-0365 Fax (530) 752-0355
The California Aggie is entered as first-class mail with the United States Post Office, Davis, Calif., 95616. Printed Monday through Thursday during the academic year and once a week during Summer Session II at The Davis Enterprise, Davis, Calif., 95616. Accounting services are provided by ASUCD. The Aggie is distributed free on the UC Davis campus and in the Davis community. Mail subscriptions are $100 per academic year, $35 per quarter and $25 for the summer. Views or opinions expressed in The Aggie by editors or columnists regarding legislation or candidates for political office or other matters are those of the editors or columnist alone. They are not those of the University of California or any department of UC. Advertisements appearing in The Aggie reflect the views of advertisers only; they are not an expression of editorial opinion by The Aggie. The Aggie shall not be liable for any error in published advertising unless an advertising proof is clearly marked for corrections by the advertiser. If the error is not corrected by The Aggie, its liability, if any, shall not exceed the value of the space occupied by the error. Further, The Aggie shall not be liable for any omission of an advertisement ordered published. All claims for adjustment must be made within 30 days of the date of publication. In no case shall The Aggie be liable for any general, special or consequential damages. © 2009 by The California Aggie. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form whatsoever is forbidden without the expressed written permission of the copyright owner.
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memories of sexual partners who were far less kind to them than you are. So it’s always a good idea to establish guideSam lines for dirty talk, just Wall to make sure everyone is Sex ED comfortable and happy during sex. Mind you, such a conversation does not only have to focus on the “do nots.” If you’re stuck on y now, many of you what to say when talkare probably woning dirty, they can help dering when I’m go- you figure out what toping to start writing about ics and words to use. For the “really” sexy stuff. instance, find out if your You know, the topics that partner has any fantawill help you become a sies that they don’t necnaughty sex kitten/super essarily want to act out stud/overlord of all bedbut would love to hear room activities. To which described, and go from I say, there can be no sex there. kitten (or sex anything Now, the main comelse) without consent and ponents of good sexy protection. You can be a talk are tone and consafe sex kitten. tent. And, as any public But, that being said, I speaker will tell you, it’s do think it’s time to move not what you say but how into some topics that you say it that often wins make the average perthe crowd. So, let’s focus son fan themselves like a on tone first. Tone can be Southern belle in a heat tricky, because you want wave. So today, I’ll be giv- to still sound natural and ing you a guide on how to like yourself, yet most talk “dirty.” people can’t imagine Now, I’m a big propothemselves saying anynent of dirty talk, but thing raunchier than, “oh that’s mostly due to the baby.” To solve this probfact that I’m pro-comlem, I’m going to borrow munication during sex. a piece of advice I usually Other people may be less recommend for roleplay. enthusiastic on the subWhen you are talking ject, or downright emdirty (or roleplaying) you barrassed at the idea of are still yourself. You’re anything resembling rojust heightening various mance novel dialog exitaspects of your personing their mouths. ality and using them to If this describes your put on a show. So, let the mindset, hear me out. side of you that growls, or Yes, I am calling it dirty, purrs, or begs for more be and I know that conjures your dominant voice for a up the image of somewhile. thing repetitive and un Once you’ve settled on inspired. But talking dirty a tone that fits the mocan encompass all types ment, you can move on to of speech during sex, the content. This is where from sweet to sultry. And adjectives become your this article is all about best friends. The more figuring how to do it in descriptive you can be, a way that the better. works for Describe For instance, the question of you. what you’re First who is whose daddy may not going to do of all, it’s bother some, but may really and how good to acyou’re gosquick others out. cept that ing to do dirty talk is it or, conprobably going to sound versely, what you’d like a little silly when you first done to you. Describe try it. Embrace that. If your partner, how they you get caught up in wor- look, how they feel in rying how ridiculous you your hands and what bemight sound to some ing with them is doing to faceless (and highly voyyour various body parts. euristic) outside observ Look, this isn’t English er, it will be hard to main- class. Lurid prose is entain confidence, and con- couraged. fidence is key. So forget If you’re still stuck, you about everything except can fall back on a clasyou and your partner. sic template such as, “Oh Before continuing, a honey, I am going to ‘verb’ word of caution: If you your ‘direct object’ so ‘adwant to bring more sexy jective’ you’re going to talk into your relation‘verb.’” Or, focus on sensaship, it’s best to check tions and wants. What are with your partner(s) to you feeling this very mosee if there are any areas ment? What do you want you need to avoid when to happen next? Use those talking dirty. things as your inspiration, For instance, the quesand I promise that you’ll tion of who is whose dad- find out that you have a dy may not bother some, lot more to say in bed that but may really squick you thought you did. others out. And words such as “bitch” or “slut” SAM WALL is pretty sure “safe sex kitten” may make some people is next year’s Halloween costume. Email uncomfortable, or trigger sewall@ucdavis.edu to find out why.
Talk to Me
B
I tried to make a burger the other day. Sounds simple enough, right? I mean, the fine folks over at Burger Andrew King can pop those bad Poh boys out in less than five Financial minutes, lickity split. I get fitness to it with a fine gusto, and I quickly realize that there’s a lot more prep work involved than I thought. For one thing, all my accoutrements are in their natural, Godgiven forms. My lettuce isn’t leafed, my onions aren’t sliced (let alone chopped) ou’ve just gotten back and my beef is just a pink, from a massive house unctuous paste. party, it’s 3:43 a.m., Not to mention the fact and you’re only now bethat after prepping my inginning to realize that you gredients, I’d still have to haven’t eaten since 3:43 put them together in a cop.m. Yeah, you drank mashesive manner. To top it all sive amounts of alcohol on off, after the 30 to 35 minan empty stomach, but that can’t be helped at this point. utes of preparing the food and the three to five minAt least you didn’t end up utes of frenzied, frantic eatpraying to the porcelain ing comes the most dreadgod tonight, right? Well, the ed part of the entire ordeal: night isn’t over yet. doing the dishes. Now your addled, hazy In my case, I’d have a cutmind is presented with anting board, knives, a plate, other make-or-break decia pan and miscellaneous sion. Should you haphazutensils that would need to ardly throw together a dibe cleaned afterward, and lapidated mish mosh of I’m not living under mama’s foodstuffs extracted from roof anymore so I can’t exthe nethermost regions of pect the dishes to be lovyour fridge? Or should you opt for the slightly easier, al- ingly cleaned and scrubbed of my disgusting detritus beit costlier, route of swingcome dawn. ing by the local McJack in the King for your “drunchie” The whole affair will run me about an hour in tofix — who the fuck inventtal, and if you take that and ed the word drunchies anymultiply by three for the way? One could argue that number of meals you’ve the food in your fridge cost got to eat in a day, and then you money, but those are by seven for the days in the simply sunk costs; as in you week, you’re going to get won’t get the money back a total of 21 hours spent regardless of whether you on eating/making food. eat that food or not, so you Quoting the late and great may as well eat it, if able. Benny Franklin himself, In the aforementioned “Time is money.” In ecocase, it’s probably a better nomics, we call it opportuidea to get yourself the fast nity cost. food, assuming you’re caSo how does one strike pable of getting your ass over there. If not, then you’ll the balance between saving time and saving monprobably end up making ey? My philosophy is that I something along the lines of raw broccoli florets with a don’t mind eating out once in a while, half cooked only runny egg My lettuce isn’t leafed, my but by keepon a soggy piece of onions aren’t sliced (let alone ing the folchopped) and my beef is just a lowing two toast garreasons in nished with pink, unctuous paste. mind: consome flavenience vorless ramen. and enjoyment. If I’ve got Alas, it probably isn’t the 30 minutes between now case that you’re out getting hammered every night, and my next class and my stomach is rumbling up a so there will be days when storm, then I’m going to it isn’t such a great idea to swing by the nearest foodbe eating out. As my venserving receptacle and sate erable father always put it, my hunger. Also, if I’ve got “You never know what they friends that want to eat out put in your food at restauand have a good time, then rants, so it’s always best to I’ll oblige and would also make your own food.” And be willing to splurge a litof course, you’ll probably tle more than I would on a save some dough. Even big solo meal. ballers like to save money And for anything and evwhere they can, right? erything else, just eat in! It When I cook, I just cook for myself. I know that some doesn’t have to be anything involved like a foie grasof you guys out there have stuffed steak tartare confit got some intricate roomwith braised figs and an elmate-meal-sharing type derberry aioli. It can just be deal going on. And others a simple sandwich or some have got dining hall swipes. cereal. Your wallet will apThat’s all fine and danpreciate it, and you can save dy. But for the rest of you, if up towards that Drake conyou’ve ever cooked a meal cert later in the year. for you to eat by yourself — not ramen or a fucking ANDREW POH would like to know what ham sandwich — then you your easiest to make/best/most affordable should know the struggles food options are, so please let him know that come along with it. at apoh@ucdavis.edu.
On your plate
Y
Nelson Gallery hosts design competition
The Richard L. Nelson Gallery is hosting an open call exhibition Feb. 8 to Mar. 17. The exhibition, titled “Design + Build,” is an architectural design contest for the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, that is estimated to open in 2016. The competition aims to result in three building designs, according to
the Nelson Gallery website. Members of the public can submit visual ideas for the museum as a whole or for more specific spaces within the building. All entries must be submitted by Friday at 4 p.m. to kliwong@ucdavis.edu. More information on project specifications can be found at nelsongallery.ucdavis.edu/design-
build.php. The event description also states that a $500 prize will be awarded to the entry that best showcases the future and history of art at UC Davis. An opening will be held on Feb. 8. An expert panel is scheduled to discuss the prospects of the museum site. — Muna Sadek
EndNote workshops scheduled on campus A workshop that teaches how to use the reference software EndNote for biological/agricultural sciences researchers will be held Wednesday, with biological/agricultural sciences librarians Ruth Gustafson and Laura Soito at 11:30 a.m.
Another event on using EndNote will be held Thursday at noon with instruction librarian Matt Conner. According to the event webpage, the workshop will address creating EndNote libraries, adding citations and exporting citations.
The event is free. Further information on the event and how to register can be found at calendar.ucdavis.edu. Both events will be held in Room 165 at the Shields Library Instruction Lab. — Muna Sadek
OPINION
The california aggie
tuesday, january 29, 2013 3
editorials
athletics
Resolve for transparency Many students have no idea that they’re funding sports programs on this campus. Whether or not this is an appropriate allocation of student fees is a big topic of debate, but here’s something we’re pretty sure most can agree on: If students are funding sports, students should have a voice in how major decisions are made in the athletics department. Rewind to earlier this month — ASUCD President Rebecca Sterling vetoed a resolution that would have called for increased transparency and greater student influence within the UC Davis Department of Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA). She said certain parts of the bill were inappropriate and she wished there had been more student-athletes involved in its creation. Senator Kabir Kapur plans to introduce a resolution with the same idea, making adjustments based on Sterling’s comments, later this quarter. We hope it passes. Why? Rewind further — four sports were cut in April 2010. The University cited campus wide budget cuts. Discontinuing women’s row-
ing, men’s wrestling, men’s swimming and diving and men’s track and field was set to save $2.4 million. For student-athletes, this was a tumultuous time. Some believed that these cuts were unnecessary, that there was foul play between the administration, ICA and the committees that made the decision. Some are still fighting for those four sports to be reinstated. Those people will point out select budgetary mysteries, like how ICA was supposed to absorb $400,000 in operational expenses once the sports were discontinued. But instead, those expenditures increased to $600,000. Student fees contribute about $18 million to ICA each year. Unwittingly, students fund 75 percent of the ICA’s total budget. When students are funding sports, it only seems reasonable to give students some access to the inner-workings of ICA. If there was a panel of students that was given a chance to comment on the cuts in April 2010 before they happened, could a sport — or two, or all four — have been saved? We’ll never know.
Off-Campus Housing
Know what you want As Winter Quarter midterms approach, so do the reminders of not having any idea of your living plans for the next school year. You are regretting spinning that wheel at The Buzz, because West Village just sent out its fifth email of the hour and shoved yet another frisbee in your face on the Quad. If you currently reside in a dormitory (lucky beyotches), chances are, you and your anxious fresh-from-the-nest floor mates are already discussing who to leave out of the apartment located three miles away from campus (“If we put three of us in a room, we’ll only pay $300! So much better than paying $400 to share a room with one person.”) And if you already regret choosing to live in the middle of nowhere (South Davis), now is your chance to give those tired legs a rest from the 20-minute bike ride you power through on a daily basis. As for the rest of the upperclassmen, time to find that single-room apartment downtown where you can be free of the clingy roommates you’ve had over the years. For some reason, students are under the impression that housing for 2013-14 needs to be solidified in the upcoming months. So, we’ll address a few things to keep in mind when touring complexes and scouring the internet for random roommates. 1. Sure, the complex may boast two pools, a hot tub, a movie theater and a gym. But can the customer service
provide you with adequate help with the amenities? Not in the slightest. (Hint, read DavisWiki comments.) 2. Two miles away, but ohso-cheap? Have you even factored in how much you’ll hate yourself when you have no friends that want to visit you? What about the amount of laundry and showers you’ll need after sweating through that 20-minute bike ride in the rain? Factor in your utility bills, y’all. 3. Choose your roommate wisely. Trust us, everyone deserves to have privacy. If you didn’t learn that with your psychotic roommate in the dorms, convince your parents of it now. You need it. You want it. An extra $100 a month to be able to leave your clothes on the ground, have intimate moments with your lovers and be able to sleep naked? Think about it. 4. Prime location downtown for a reasonably steep price? Do you realize the amount of money you’re going to spend at the Farmers Market, at the bars and at restaurants? 5. If you feel the need for a companion pet in the near future, first choose the first of the seven cats you plan to purchase. Second, eliminate all housing options that don’t allow pets. Easy as that. Ultimately, the decision to live next to Target is yours. Ignore our eye-rolling when you request Tipsy Taxi to transport you to your friend’s house for movie night, just because no buses run that late.
courtesy of Tribune Media Services
It is important to remember unemployment among low-skilled that wages are essentially no diflaborers, or both. ferent than any other price: the Minimum wage laws are immorTristan price of one’s labor. Furthermore, al insofar as they constitute a viothis price reflects certain facts: it lation of our rights — specifically, de Liege reflects facts about how much an our ability to trade freely in the laThe Tree of Liberty employer values your work (if they bor market. To be able to make the valued it less than your wage, they decisions to live the best possible would not hire you at that wage) lives we can, we need to be free to and whether, everything else being rely on our independent, rational equal, you find that work worth judgment. doing at that wage. A worker’s valSometimes, it will be advantaue to her employgeous for me to er depends on accept a low-payBut who are those whose work factors, such as ing job, if I need how much trainto build experimight be worth less than the ing she needs, her ence or I have minimum wage? employment hisother sources of tory and her abiliincome to supty to efficiently carry out tasks. plement it. Similarly, employers But if this is true, then surely in- will sometimes find it profitable to any people, especially libcreasing a minimum wage via leg- hire workers with less skills, and erals, still widely accept islation cannot alter these facts. the view that we need therefore will sensibly want to pay As 20th century economist Henry minimum wage laws to provide them less than other workers. This the working poor with a fair wage. Hazlitt once wrote, “You cannot does not constitute exploitation: make a man worth a given one could only reach that conA minimum wage is a legally manamount by making it ildated price floor for labor — for clusion by dropping the context legal for anyinstance, in California it is ilthat employers are offering a posone to offer him legal to hire a worker itive benefit to potential employanything less. for less than $8 ees, and that the relationship beYou merely dean hour. tween a worker and her employer prive him On the surface, is a trade. of the right this sounds perLaws that regulate economic acto earn the tivity, of which minimum wage fectly reaamount sonable. laws are merely one example, atthat his After all, it tack our ability to engage in trade abilities would be unwith others and force us to act and situafortunate to reagainst our rational judgment and tion would our values. ceive such low permit wages that In a laissez-faire system, wealth to him one would creation and productivity are unto earn, struggle fettered by government interwhile you to acquire baference, and everyone (includdeprive the com- ing the working poor) can benesic goods such munity even of the as food or health fit the most from the rational and Irisa Tam / Aggie moderate services that he is cacare. productive behavior of others. It This is just one example may be true, though, that even in a pable of rendering.” of how many who claim to free society, poverty will exist. And The attempt to change those support capitalism believe to the extent that people see it as facts creates unemployment, as it needs to be mitigated or a problem, we can help those in those whose work is worth less controlled in some way; othneed through private charities. than the minimum wage cannot erwise it leads to exploitaIn doing so we can recognize the be employed at a profitable wage. tion. fact that charity is and ought to be In other cases, where hiring Unfortunately, the voluntary decision to support fewer workers is too detrithese views are miscauses that we value, not the redismental, employers might taken; indeed, they tribution of wealth or regulation of simply increase the pricare flawed from both economic activity by force. es of their goods and services, an economic and a moral perspec- which in turn reduces the purchasIn conclusion, I would like to tive. Economically, because miniing power of lower-income people stress that the primary issue is not mum wage laws create unemploy- (who suffer more from price infla- “how to provide the working poor ment among some lower skilled la- tion than other groups). with a ‘fair’ wage,” (which is not borers (those very groups they are the province of a proper governBut who are those whose work designed to protect). Morally, bement) but rather how to achieve might be worth less than the mincause these laws attack people’s society governed by justice and a imum wage? It is inexperienced rights to negotiate their income rational economic policy, which or low-skilled people (such as stuand moreover imply that an emthemselves depend upon a foundents!). The wages of middle and ployer has a moral obligation to high-income workers are not direct- dation of political theory (indiprovide workers with a certain invidual rights) and ethics (rational ly affected by the minimum wage. come (she doesn’t). egoism). The answer, once again, We can see now why we cannot These two aspects are interrelat- eliminate poverty by simply dictat- is freedom. ed, of course, but I will start by first ing a minimum wage of, say, $50 discussing the economic flaws and an hour. This would likely result TRISTAN DE LIEGE can be reached at tflenaerts@ then move to the moral argument. in drastic price increases, massive ucdavis.edu.
Capitalism vs. minimum wage laws
M
tweets of the week Jan. 18 reclaim UC @reclaimuc yudof, birgeneau, celaya… what about katehi?
Jan. 20 Michael Ian Black @michaelianblack Preview of the kinds of football references I’ll
Editorial Board Janelle Bitker Editor in Chief Hannah Strumwasser Managing Editor Rebecca Peterson Opinion Editor
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Editorials represent the collective opinions of The California Aggie editorial board. The Opinion page appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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be making during the next two weeks: “Just made myself a super bowl of cereal!”
Jan. 23 Stephen Colbert @StephenAtHome I believe Ayn Rand’s first love poem went: Roses are red/ violets are blue/ finish this poem yourself / you dependent parasite
Jan. 24
Jerry Brown @JerryBrownGov California is back, its budget is balanced and we are on the move. Let’s go out and get it done.
Jan. 27 Andy Verderosa @Andyverderosa Ugh, someone send me some good articles on the human condition so I can turn off MSNBC.
Tweets of the week is a new recurring feature compiled by BECKY PETERSON. This week’s should be called “Tweets of the last two weeks.” We’re still working on the name and taking suggestions. To contribute to Tweets of the week, e-mail opinion@theaggie.org with the tweet, the tweeter and a link.
page four
4 tuesday, january 29 2013
ENVIRONMNT
PROFESSOR
Cont. from front page and 2001. “One of our goals is to achieve and maintain a more environmentally sustainable food system,” said Doug Walter, membership director for the Davis Food Co-op. “So there is a certain point of pride [from the award] in terms of our internal scorecarding and reporting.” According to Walter, the 1997 award was likely in recognition of the Co-op’s installation of photovoltaic materials on the roof to reduce their energy consumption and demonstrate the viability of solar energy. “We redid our roof in a material that was highly insulating, highly reflective of heat and it had solar panels integrated into the material itself,” Walter said. “You don’t have to run wires through it.” Nomination forms for the 2013 awards are available online at the city website and can be submitted online or dropped off as a CD, DVD or on a flash drive. Paper copies of the nomination form will not be accepted and nominations must be less than 25 pages. According to a City Council Staff Report regarding the 2013 Environmental Recognition Awards, a subcommittee of the Natural Resources Commission will be reviewing applications the week of Feb. 11. Winners will be selected on Feb. 25 and an awards ceremony will take place at a city council meeting on Apr. 23.
Cont. from front page it shouldn’t carry much weight, because a professor’s skill isn’t always reflected in how much they are liked by students. I’ve had professors who I liked a lot for their personality, yet I didn’t learn a lot from them.” Zufall considers Dr. Bryan Enderle, a chemistry lecturer, to be one of the best science lecturers he’s had since coming to UC Davis. “I enjoyed [his] class because he made the material easy to grasp while keeping it interesting. He has the very rare capability to teach a tough, potentially boring subject and make students laugh while they learn,” Zufall said. Out of 365 ratings, Enderle is mostly rated by his Chemistry 2A and Chemistry 2B students. He scores a 4.6 for overall quality, 4.6 for helpfulness, 4.5 for clarity and 2.9 easiness, and laughs when informed of the flaming hot chili pepper he has earned on ratemyprofessor.com. “No, [I don’t] really [read the reviews],” Enderle said. Animal science professor Thomas Famula, however, does admit to reading some of the reviews. “A bit ago, I did. They sent me an email that said I was one of the highest in the country or something. Normally I try not to look at that stuff; I don’t want to feel bad,” Famula said. With 154 ratings, and a majority of the students being from his Animal Science 1 class, Famula scores 4.9 for overall quality, 4.9 for helpfulness, 4.9 for clarity, 3.8 for easiness and has earned a flaming hot chili pepper. He considers his favorite part of teaching to be his Animal Science 1 course. “In the case of Animal Science 1, it’s most-
MEREDITH STURMER can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
ly fall quarter freshmen … there is a lot of energy in the room. Nobody has a GPA yet, everyone’s dreams are going to be fulfilled. They’re really happy. [Animal Science 1 students often] haven’t had the chance to have organic chemistry yet,” Famula said. Famula explains that because UC Davis is a research university, student ratings either on ratemyprofessor.com or on course evaluations do not affect professors’ salaries. “In theory, your salary, which is how we rank in the system, is geared [toward] your scholarship first, whether you’re publishing … In the humanities they have different criteria, but the same idea — it is mostly on your outside of classroom mark, not that it’s not important in the classroom,” Famula said. Unlike UC Davis, UC San Diego chooses to make the student course evaluations publicly accessible to students online. “I think it would be good [if UC Davis did this too]. Students [can] write things in there that are really helpful [or else] rude or cool. I’ve seen things over the years in mine: ‘Has a sexy voice’ … What am I supposed to do with that?” Famula said. “My colleagues see [the course evaluation results]; anybody in your department can see them. So why shouldn’t the students?” Famula explains how UC Davis used to implement a sort of public record of student ratings of the professors. “ASUCD used to put out Student View Point, and it was like Ratemyprofessor but on paper. Back when I first got hired, people could write comments, anyone could submit them and it was published in a little booklet not unlike the course schedule. And students could look at them,” Famula said. De la Rosa and Zufall both agree that publications of student ratings such as those on ratemyprofessor.com help sway
classifieds Going Nuts
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by Sara Mae Heady
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Websites/Internet Overpopulation is sexually transmitted. http://population.sierraclub.org/ population/
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them toward or away from a professor, but that if the results of the course evaluations were made public, they would find them more truthful. “All reviews must be taken with a grain of salt. Some people are extreme on niceness and criticalness,” De la Rosa said. Regardless of whether student reviews are on ratemyprofessor.com or simply on course evaluations, student opinions of professors matter and should be necessary. “The vet school, for example, won’t even give the grades to students until they’ve completed their evaluations. I think it’s a tricky balance between the privacy of the student writing it and somehow seeing [the result]. I think [that’s] useful,” Famula said. Overall, both professors and students agree that if the course evaluations were made public records online, students would not have to resort to the sometimes skewed views on ratemyprofessor.com. “If [the course evaluation results] were online they’d be a more accurate representation of those in the classroom,” Enderle said. Zufall agreed with Enderle. “It would be more reputable than Ratemyprofessor because it would have everyone’s opinions, not just those who take the time to go online and fill out Ratemyprofessor. In my experience the reviews on Ratemyprofessor are from those who did really well or really bad in the class, not from anyone in the middle (like a C or B-),” Zufall said. Ultimately, the publication of course evaluations for students to see would result in a more reliable source for reviewing professors, according to Zufall. “I would trust those records much more,” Zufall said. ALYSSA KUHLMAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org FOR RELEASE MARCH 20, 2010
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 “The West Wing” creator 12 1947 Oscar winner for Best Original Song 14 1988 Michelle Pfeiffer comedy 16 Record holder? 17 Battery alternative 18 Neural transmitter 19 Cat murmurs 21 Charmer who “walks like a woman and talks like a man,” in a 1970 hit 22 John of London 23 Old postal divisions 24 Pachelbel work 25 Oct. 1975 NBC debut 26 Cost to get in on the deal 27 Cunning 28 First queen of Carthage 29 For whom the bell tolls 30 Catkin bearers 33 Fast-growing pet 34 Half of CDX 37 Ad preceder? 38 Frighten 39 Last word of Shelley’s “Adonais” 40 Amplify 41 Smart-mouthed 42 Silly rabbit’s desire, in ads 43 Campus figure 45 One in a class by herself? 46 Without anything on 49 Most buses 50 ’80s NBC medical drama DOWN 1 Use a fan on
By Will Nediger
2 Kitchen protector 3 Delay cause, maybe 4 Dedicated work 5 Neighbor of Homer 6 Emancipated 7 Sussex scents 8 Dull drills 9 Cleopatra’s eyeliner 10 “My stars!” 11 “Give me a forinstance!” 12 Fighter craft game released by Sega in 1982 13 Empty 14 Board 15 Hardly spicy 19 Koi habitats 20 Golden rule word 23 Site of the 1974 fight known as “The Rumble in the Jungle” 24 Play badly? 27 Newly polished 28 Will writer, at a will reading
3/20/10
Monday’s puzzle solved Friday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
29 Consequently 30 Pro pitcher? 31 Pioneer 35mm cameras 32 Loser to Bush in 1988 33 Cataract 34 Bridgestone product 35 Old yellers 36 In a snit
3/20/10
38 Places for roasters and toasters? 41 Picayune 42 Yam, for one 44 Competitive advantage 45 Trike rider 47 Saul or Solomon 48 “Oh!” to Ohm
Sudoku
SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES DO NOT WORK
Medium 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.
Tuesday, january 29, 2013 5
The california aggie
Doin’ it at the Post Office Editor’s note: The Environmental Policy and Planning Commission (EPPC) is an ASUCD commission responsible for researching environmental issues affecting the campus and its surrounding area, and providing recommendations for improvement. Love the convenience of shipping but feel guilty about the environmental impacts? Don’t know what to do with the packaging that comes with mom’s care package or the clothes you ordered online? Never fear, EPPC is here with some tips on becoming a “green” mailer! The best thing to do with packaging products you receive is to reuse them for other mailing purposes. Bubble mailers or boxes are often in good enough condition to reuse — just peel off the labels and reseal with packaging tape. If you cannot remove prior writing on the package, tape a piece of paper with the new address over the writing. Flexible plastic packages can also be turned inside out to be used again. If you cannot find a use for pack-
ing peanuts, boxes or bubble wrap you receive, bring them to the UPS Store on 2nd Street or Pak Mail on E. Covell Blvd for recycling. When sending mail, use recycled materials. Save old newspapers and tissue paper to crumple up and use in place of packing peanuts. Brown bags from grocery stores can be turned inside out and used as brown wrapping/packing paper. You can even make your own envelopes out of any fun patterned scrap paper you come across. If ordering something online, opt out of overnight shipping, as ground delivery uses less fuel. In general, shipping produces quite a bit of transportationrelated emissions, so try to buy local as much as possible. It is also a good habit to consider other environmental impacts when purchasing a product, whether online or in-store. Was the product produced sustainably? Is it something that can be recycled after use? There are many options for greener shipping that can reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment, so do your part and start making smart shipping choices!
GARDEN Cont. from front page There are two free garden workdays every month, with the next two scheduled for Saturday and Feb. 16. Some activities include weeding, pruning, planting, path renovation and cleaning up debris. In addition to the workdays, there are various educational gardening workshops offered at the park as well. Classes range from the basics, like pruning, composting and viniculture, to more advanced topics like growing orchids at home or distilling lavender oil. “We try to range from basic gardening for the beginner to things that are more esoteric,” Smith said. “We are really cognizant of the fact that it’s a moveable population in Davis. There’s always new people coming in, so we try to do things that someone more advanced would be interested in as well.” These free workshops are usually offered on one Saturday every month for people of all ages to attend. The next two classes are scheduled for Saturday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. to noon. Smith said that many nonprofit organizations and UC Davis clubs participate in the programs, providing valuable community service time to the garden. “UC Davis students have contributed greatly to the garden,” Griswold said. “If there is a student who is really interested in garden education or horticulture, or even marketing or graphic design, we would love to have help from people in those areas.” One UC Davis-affiliated community service fraternity, Alpha Phi
Omega, has helped out in the garden on many occasions. “It was definitely one of my more enjoyable service events,” said UC Davis graduate and former Alpha Phi Omega president Aaron Manley. “It makes for a very close experience. [Emily] has proven time and again that she and the gardens are just great.” However, before the steering committee was established in 2006 and any volunteer efforts began, Griswold said the garden was deteriorating from lack of care. “In the early ’90s, when they expanded the park, they thought of having gardens,” Griswold said. “The idea from the beginning was to have volunteers take care of it, but there wasn’t really a good system or mechanism to have volunteers engaged for a long time.” Griswold thought it would be easy to get volunteers for the effort because of how many visitors Central Park gets every week. “The plantings were not being very well cared for and the garden just wasn’t being loved,” Griswold said. “You can’t just call a garden finished. Plants die, and if you don’t replant, the garden just starts to empty out.” After getting permission from the City of Davis for the creation of a volunteer group, the steering committee began to meet monthly to discuss changes to the garden, plant maintenance and budgeting. Since then, the garden has been flourishing. “Everything we teach is taught from an ecological point of view. Composting, irrigation and putting the right plant in the right place,” Smith said. “If people learn how to do this in one place, they can transport that knowledge wherever they go and be successful.”
Manley said he believes student community service work is important because it helps people connect to the community around them and see the places and things that bring people together. “Taking care of the garden is important for the idea of environmental stewardship and for keeping that public space open to people,” Manley said. “It may not seem like it directly affects something, but the very aspect of a person giving their time to the community is indicative of the culture that we live in.” For UC Davis students specifically, Griswold believes that volunteering at the garden can be a stress reliever amid school work. “Doing physical work in the garden and seeing a tangible result from your effort is a rewarding break from all the studying and brain work associated with being a student,” Griswold said. “Many people find gardening to be a meditative release from other stressors in their lives.” To Griswold and Smith, the reasons to be involved in the garden are endless, whether it be interacting with people of different ages and backgrounds or contributing to an environmentally-friendly project. “If you are growing anything, you are a custodian of the earth,” Smith said. “What students learn here, they can take to their own gardens, and if you can do that ecologically, then it’s a great thing to give someone to take with them for the rest of their lives.” For more information about the Central Park Gardens and for a detailed schedule of garden events, visit centralparkgardens.org. RITIKA IYER can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
Gatorade to remove oft-banned ingredient By Garrett Bruno
University of Florida (Independent Florida Alligator)
Meghan Burke, a 22-year-old U. Florida marketing senior, was shocked to learn that the Gatorade she was enjoying contained an ingredient banned in other countries for health reasons. “Wow,” she said. “It makes me wary. If they’re taking it out of their drinks in other countries, they should take it out of American drinks.” They listened. In a statement last Friday, Gatorade spokeswoman Molly Carter said that
the company has decided to remove the controversial ingredient from its sports drinks after “hearing rumblings” from its customers. UF, which developed Gatorade in 1965, receives 20 percent of the royalties from sales of the drink. Brominated vegetable oil is an ingredient in Gatorade Orange that allows the citrus flavor to be distributed evenly. Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, Fresca and Powerade also contain the ingredient. When consumed in excessive quantities, research has found that brominated vegetable oil can build up in the body and in breast milk. The chemical has also been linked to neurological im-
pairment, reduced fertility and changes in thyroid function, according to the New York Times. It is illegal as a food additive in the European Union, India, Brazil, Japan and Canada. It remains legal in the U.S. on an “interim basis pending additional study,” according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Its interim status has lasted 36 years. Renée Goodrich-Schneider, an associate professor in UF’s department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, said she is comfortable consuming the oil because it doesn’t harm people at the
levels at which it is typically consumed. “We all have access to the same data, but we all don’t make the same decisions based on that data,” she said. Keith Schneider, an associate professor in the same department, said the incidents of illness from the oil are extremely rare and caused by excessive consumption. “It is generally regarded as safe,” he said. “They were drinking four to eight liters a day of this stuff. If you drink that much of anything, you’ll be in the emergency room.” Read more here: http://www.alligator.org/news/local/ article_13a26a08-6908-11e2-bdad-001a4bcf887a.html
Student loans surpass credit card debt By Sarah Fluker
Florida State University (FSView and Florida Flambeau)
Florida State U. graduate student Ryan Bennett will have $20,000 in student loan debt. Senior Torie Nugent will accumulate $24,000. Junior Melia Orrell will surpass $70,000. These three Seminoles, though from different states and engaged in different fields of study, all share in the common struggle to finance their education through student loans. In 2012, Americans racked up over $1 trillion in student loans. It has become 35 percent of the federal government’s debt and now outpaces credit card debt as a leading source of household debt. As a college degree becomes more crucial to compete in today’s workforce, students are taking on more student loans to ensure a return on their educational investment. Marc Samardzija, an FSU doctoral student in Economics and teaching assistant, was trading stocks on Wall Street
in 2008 during the onset of the Great Recession. As he observed with the housing mortgage crisis, he foresees another bubble waiting to burst in student loan debt. “I think it’s already kind of burst a little bit,” said Samardzija. “This is kind of being swept under the rug. But if it’s not addressed, we could see in two or three years, if things haven’t improved and the economy hasn’t turned around enough where more jobs are created and these loan debt obligations aren’t able to be met, then you will see this become a forefront as an issue both in education and the finances of this country.” Samardzija believes that college has become an institution of business rather than education, creating a dangerous relationship with financial and banking industries. “You have all of these investment banks who depend on a very strong source of revenue of loans to basically be able to upkeep their business and schools the same thing they bring a
strong supply of students,” said Sarmardzija. “You mix two together and the cost of education is skyrocketing.” Ryan Bennett has dreamed of studying meteorology since he was in kindergarten. Now a graduate student, Bennett is closer to realizing his dream but deeper in student loan debt as he pursues it. “If I didn’t have these loans, I wouldn’t have made it through undergrad,” said Bennett. “I wouldn’t have even been able to come to graduate school because my tuition—there’s no way I would have been able to pay it off.” Bennett proposes that student loans be adjusted for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) majors to give them the financial means to succeed in these areas that are critical to our nation’s ability to compete in the international arena. International Affairs and Spanish student Melia Orrell considers her impending $70,000 student loan debt “out-
rageous” and challenges the nation to demand greater access to post-secondary education. “I could make anywhere from $20,000 a year to $200,000 a year and I have no way of knowing what I’ll end up making and therefore it causes me a lot of anxiety,” said Orrell. “I don’t know how I’m going to pay it back.” With financial uncertainty, Orrell also believes that Florida State should address the practical uncertainty associated with loans by educating students about the implications of student loan debt. “Honestly, I’m a junior and I still don’t know how its going to work after I graduate,” said Orrell. “I don’t when I’m going to have to start paying loans back, I don’t know how much I’m going to be paying a month or a year, I don’t know if it’s going to be based on my salary. I know it sounds irresponsible, but honestly I don’t really know where to go for the right information.” FSU acting major and Massachusetts native Torie
Nugent is paying out-of-state tuition, but says that the prestige of Florida State’s program outweighs what will become “just another bill.” Nonetheless, she said she believes that the government should play a role in helping students repay their loans. “I think that a deferment program would help a lot of people trying to make the transition from college to real life,” said Nugent. “It would allow them more economic freedom so they might be able to work and save more so that it would be easier to pay off those loans.” While companies like MassMutual Insurance are reaching out to students through social media to offer creative student loan debt solutions, it is clear that the future of college affordability will require input from the front lines of universities, the federal government and private industry alike. Read more here: http://www.fsunews.com/ article/20130128/FSVIEW/130127017
6
The california aggie
Tuesday, january 29, 2013
INSIDE
the game with...
By VEENA BANSAL Aggie Sports Writer
Junior two-time Olympic Trials competitor and former Golden Bear, Samantha Shellem, has proven time and time again that she is one of the most fierce and ambitious swimmers in California. From shattering the school’s 500-yard freestyle record at 4:48.69, to hitting NCAA “B” qualifying standards in the 200-free at Missouri, to being dubbed MPSF Female Athlete of the Week two times, Shellem has displayed that she can consistently perform at a high level. Shellem took several minutes out of her day after a grueling practice at Schaal Aquatics Center to speak with Aggie Sports Writer Veena Bansal about her experiences and goals heading into the future. How did you get into swimming? I just really liked water and stuck with it. How was your experience with the Olympic Trials? This was actually my second Olympic trials — I had one in 2008. I had an idea of what the meet was going to be like — well at least I thought I did — until I got
there and everything felt brand new. It’s just such a high level of swimming and I feel like sometimes you can cut the tension with a knife. There are people at their highest highs, lowest lows, there’s everything in between. It’s such a fun, [emotional] and big meet. It was cool getting to see my friends. I didn’t compete as well as I had liked, but it gave me some baselines to work on. Do you think anything changed in particular from your first trials to the second? Just that I got older! That I worked a little harder. It really just felt brand new all over again. In daily practices, what do you think is the most challenging part? Probably the morning workouts, just because you have to wake up at 5 in the morning. It’s pretty cold! Is there anything in particular you tell yourself when things aren’t going your way? I just tell myself it’s a new race. I’ve done all the preparation I could do. I’ve done it however many times. I just try to refocus and reframe it in a positive manner.
Samantha Shellem
What is your favorite stroke and why? I like freestyle because it’s not the other strokes.
to focus on this now.” I feel my greatest weakness is that something I get really discouraged in long sets during practice.
When you compete do you have a specific workout routine? I have to have coffee before I race. I drink coffee before prelims and finals and dual meets.
Do you have any personal goals related to swimming? I would like to make the NCAA meet.
What has been your most memorable moment this season so far? Probably in Missouri. I had to swim the 200 free three times in one day. I just remember getting to the third one and being like, “OK, it’s a relay, I’ve got to do it for my team.” It was a really exciting race for me. Apart from swimming, is there anything in particular you enjoy doing? I really like playing ultimate frisbee but I don’t get a chance to do it very afternoon. And the beach! Just relaxing activities, I suppose. What do you think is your biggest weakness and strength? I think my greatest strength would be the ability to refocus and think, “What happens, what happens. Good or bad, I have
Is there anything in particular you would like to get out of this season? Just really looking forward to Conference. It’s starting to get really close and everyone’s getting excited. I can just feel the energy picking up. What is it like being around your teammates? It’s definitely a great environment here. I always look forward to coming to practice. If I’m having a bad day, I know someone here will pick me up and help me through it and vice versa. If a set’s really hard, just a lot of encouragement — no negative feedback. Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to next season? We’ll just have to see! I haven’t thought that far ahead yet! VEENA BANSAL can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
Multiple school New concussion study indicates records broken required recovery time is longer than previously believed in Washington Successful weekend for the track and field Aggies By LUKE BAE
Aggie Sports Writer
The UC Davis Track and Field team competed over the weekend on Friday and Saturday at the University of Washington Invitational. The event is the first official meet of the season and included some of the best collegiate and professional athletes in the country. UC Davis had 14 competitors in events and performed solidly overall as a unit. Dempsey Indoor is one of the premier indoor tracks in the NCAA and it seems as if the athletes enjoy performing there. With this event being the first chance to compete in a national setting, the Aggies made the most of their opportunities. Senior Melanise Chapman set the school record in the 200-meter dash, breaking her own previous record of 24.93. She finished first in her heat and sixth overall with a mark of 24.80 seconds. Sophomore Cekarri Nixon finished second in their heat with a time of 25.07 seconds to round out a solid 1-2 punch for the Aggies in the race. Senior Sarah Sumpter won the 5,000-meter with a school record of 16:28.21, beating Kaitlin Gregg's previous record of 16:51.27 set in 2009. On Saturday, sophomore Ashley Marshall finished fifth overall in the 60-meter dash with another school record of 7.51 seconds. Entering the race, Marshall held the sec-
ond fastest 60-meter time in the school's history, running a 7.74. In the 800-meter, junior Shanie Landen placed fourth (2:10.30) and is now second all time in the school record books trailing senior teammate Lauren Wallace who ran a 2:07.48 last season. Coach Drew Wartenburg mentioned Wallace as one of the best female distance runners for the Aggies. Junior Alycia Cridebring finished 12th (9:26.13) in the 3,000-meter and is also second in the program's history. Nixon finished fourth (56.27) in the 400-meter and now holds the third fastest time in school history in the event. Under Wartenburg, the team has improved greatly and it is evident by all the school records having been broken. Coming into the season without any Aggies competing for the NCAA Division I championships, they want to make a lot of noise this season to accomplish such a feat. Hopefully, the team can use this successful weekend to build off of and become even more of a competitive force in the future. The UC Davis Track and Field team will return to the University of Washington again for the Husky Invitational on Feb. 8 to 9. An all-comers meet hosted by UC Davis will take place on Saturday at Woody Wilson Track with a variety of events scheduled. LUKE BAE can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
By Dana Macalanda
University of Oregon (Oregon Daily Emerald)
Nowadays, it’s not just a simple knock on the head. A new study led by U. Oregon graduate student David Howell and his advisors Dr. Li-Shan Chou and Dr. Louis “Lou” Osternig indicates that certain individuals may take longer to recover from concussions than previously thought. The study differentiated symptoms (e.g. headache, memory loss) from their ability to react and multitask, finding that while subjects usually recovered from symptoms between two weeks to a month, the latter left them milliseconds slower, even at the two-month mark. “Even though somebody feels better and they may say, ‘Okay, I’m ready to play, I feel 100 percent,’ there may be some effects to their response time based on filtering out extraneous information,” Howell said. Even so, what good is a millisecond? According to Osternig and Chou, the difference a millisecond can make extends beyond protecting yourself on the playing field and into situations like whether you’re able to focus in class, remember information or even hit the brakes in time while driving. Conducted in the Motion Analysis Laboratory — located in the depths of Gerlinger Annex — the study followed around 20 high school athletes from various sports like soccer and football over the course of two months. Volunteers were required to contact the lab within three days of experiencing a concussion
and were not allowed to participate if they had received another concussion within the previous year. According to Howell, a control group of students who had never been concussed was also assembled. This group consisted of students who matched the age, height, sport and sometimes even the position played by their concussed counterparts. Osternig and Chou — who have been researching both sports and non-sports related concussions since the early 2000s — have seen a recent increase in volunteers and attribute it to the increased media attentionother studies have been receiving. All three are happy with the increased coverage but are concerned with how their research will translate from the observational to the practical. Chou grabs a clear, half-full water bottle to explain. “From the outside or even if you did a very detailed scan, there may be no change in the structure of the brain,” Chou said. “But … if you look at our brain, the brain tissue is more like the water being contained in this bottle.” Chou shoves the bottle across the table to simulate a concussion. The water sloshes violently. “So, the outside of the bottle is still intact, but the water inside the bottle has been moved around big time,” Chou said. “Those kinds of sheer force, I mean, relative movement between the skull and brain tissue create a lot of stress and strain to the brain tissues and may affect their networking with each other, and that’s why it’s so difficult for us to diagnose, as well as
know what really goes wrong.” Dr. Greg Skaggs, Director of Athletic Medicine, shares similar sentiments. “It would make my job really easy if there was a scan, but it’s not,” Skaggs said. As of now, the best treatment for a concussion is complete rest (no class, no driving, no practice). Skaggs says that all of the varsity athletes he cares for are educated about concussions before playing and are highly discouraged from hiding injuries. “Let’s say you’re a 20-yearold and you’ve worked hard for a bowl game — you’re not going to want to be left out and miss that,” said Skaggs. “It’s our job to protect them from themselves.” Ultimately, the group’s goal is to provide people with the ability to make educated decisions about high contact sports rather than casting them in a negative light. “I think we’ll just become more educated about how exactly we engage in these types of sports,” Chou said. “I don’t think it’s going to affect individuals’ willingness to participate in this types of sports, but better prepare them to participate.” Hockey player Matthew Hanlon echoes this. He’s never been officially diagnosed with a concussion but has seen the effects they’ve had on his teammates. “I guess you know that that’s a part of the sport, and the positives — the joy of the sport, outweigh the negatives,” Hanlon said. Read more here: http://dailyemerald. com/2013/01/23/new-concussion-studyindicates-required-recovery-time-is-longer-thanpreviously-believed/
You’re probably ten feet from a bin right now.
Recycle the aggie.