THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915
VOLUME 132, ISSUE 47 | THURSDAY, May 23, 2013
Police investigating alleged hate crime on campus The UC Davis Police Department (UCDPD) is conducting an investigation concerning an alleged hate crime that took place on May 12 and occurred on campus near Putah Creek Drive. According to the police report, the victim was walking on Levee Road when a burgundy Jeep SUV slowed alongside the victim. The suspects allegedly exited the vehicle and began shouting “sexual-orientation bias slurs” and repeatedly assaulting the victim. The suspects then returned to the vehicle and drove down Brooks Road. According to UC Davis Police Chief Matthew Carmichael, neither the suspects nor the victim is affiliated with the University. Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, along with Davis Mayor Joe Krovoza, sent a campus community email May 17, addressing the crime. “While such behavior is inconsistent with our values, so, too, is silence or indifference in the face of such a crime,” the email stated. “Working together, we will do everything in our power to see that the perpetrators are identified and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.” Carmichael said that the police department has received some information regarding the assault, following the email. “We are fortunate that we do not see it too often. However, one crime is too many,” he said in an email interview. He said that if convicted, the suspects may be imprisoned in the Yolo County Jail not exceeding one year, or imprisoned in state prison for two to four years. “If convicted of a hate crime as well as the battery, an enhancement of one to four additional years could be added to the sentence,” Carmichael said. The Davis Police Department said they are not involved in the investigation, as the alleged assault occurred on campus. However, Carmichael said that the UCDPD often works closely with the Davis Police Department in crimes of this nature. The police report stated that both suspects were white male adults in their late teens to early 20s, about 5’10”, 150 pounds, medium build, with light complexions, brown eyes and short straight brown hair. Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact the UCDPD at (530) 752-1230. — Muna Sadek
BRIAN NGUYEN / AGGIE
Members of AFSCME 3299 picketed at the UC Regents meeting on May 15 to protest for patients’ rights.
UC medical workers participate in two-day strike Nearly 13,000 workers at all UC medical centers push for wage increases, retirement security By LAUREN MASCARENHAS Aggie News Writer
After many tumultuous months of stalled negotiations with the University of California, nearly 13,000 patient care technical workers went on strike at all five UC medical centers on May 20 and 21. UC has been in negotiations with AFSCME 3299 (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299) since last June. After failing to come to an agreement, the union members decided to strike for increased wages and retirement security. They were joined by sympathy strikers from the UC Hospital Service Unit represented by AFSCME as well as health care professionals under the
ASUCD Senate deliberates 2013-14 budget Budget hearings to continue at May 23 senate meeting By AGGIE NEWS WRITERS The ASUCD Senate table discussed the Association’s $11.7 million budget for the 2013-14 school year from May 17 to 19. The California Aggie reported on the three days of budget hearings. The remainder of budget hearings will be continued during the May 23 ASUCD Senate meeting in the Mee Room on the third floor of the M.U. Friday Meeting called to order at 6:28 p.m.
expressed their dedication to patient safety during the two-day strike. “We’re doing everything we can to continue to provide patients with high-quality care during the strike, and that includes hiring temporary workers to fill in,” said Shelly Meron, media specialist at the UC Office of the President. “We’ve also been pleased to see so many of our dedicated staff putting patients first and coming to work despite the strike.” AFSCME put together a Patient Protection Plan, which included keeping essential personnel at their posts to care for patients who urgently need care during the strike. Also created was a Patient Protection Task Force, a list of patient care workers, who in the case of an emergency would go to work, care for patients and then come back out to the picket line. UC also sought a restraining order against AFSCME and filed an injunction against the strike that would require approximately 13,000 UC patient
ASUCD Coffee House (CoHo) director Darin Schluep addressed the table about the changes the CoHo was undergoing. This included an increase in catering rates, a decrease in equipment purchases by 50 percent because of the CoHo renovation and an increase in labor payroll. He added that the CoHo will be seeing more hours and more student jobs. “Sales are strong enough to where they do not need to raise prices on products,” Schluep said. The table promptly closed the budget. The $4.5 million proposed Unitrans budget was discussed next. Director Teri
University of Professional and Technical Employees union (UPTE). “This has been a huge step for workers and it has been very successful. UC needs to get the picture that they need to treat their workers right,” said Jelger Kalmijn, UPTE president. A recurring theme in the conversations surrounding the strike is patient safety. “One of the things that can’t get lost in all of this is that these are devoted hospital workers who care about their patients,” said Todd Stenhouse of AFSCME 3299. “It speaks volumes about the commitment of these workers that as they have fought they have continued to serve their patients.” Both AFSCME 3299 and the UC
See STRIKE on 10
Sheets said that there aren’t many differences from last year’s budget. There are some changes being made to routes and night services have been extended. The unit is also working to help senior citizens use public transportation more often. However, the unit is facing a deficit situation, and explained that they are three to four years early in requesting student fees. This, they said, was partly due to 2009 bus purchases and terminal remodels. The budget was closed. Next, the budget for STS Tipsy Taxi was seen. “We’re projecting slightly lower income this year ... We sort of set a high target [before] and I think this is slightly more realistic,” said ASUCD Controller Eric Evans. They discussed increased expenses, as they are considering adding GPS on the buses. ASUCD President Carly Sandstrom said she appreciated that the unit saw an increase in income and a decrease in subsidy. The table considered a compromise
that would reduce the publicity budget from $1,000 to $750. A number of senators wanted the figure to decrease further, while the management team were friendly to a larger publicity allowance. The budget was closed with only slight adjustments. Bike Barn unit directors explained that they were able to consolidate certain line items in the budget and lower expenditures while hiring more people. The budget was promptly closed without many changes to the proposed budget. The Aggie Reuse budget was seen next. The unit plans to add three positions, including a summer store manager and two store managers to extend hours during the school year, as it is only open three hours a day currently. Thomas motioned to increase employee pay slightly. The motion failed. The table passed a motion to increase the publicity line item to $250. The budget closed. The meeting was adjourned at 10:16 p.m.
ever, the specific requirements for who may donate bring into question several responsibilities and whether this process translates into a procedure to create super babies — those with the genes for high intelligence, excellent health and physical attractiveness.
Colin Frederick, a third-year economics major, recently considered becoming a sperm donor.
See BUDGET on 10
College students donate gametes to earn money, help others Sperm, egg donors weigh in on pros and cons Aggie Features Writer
WHAT’S INSIDE?
OPINION 2 & 3
NEWS 4 & 5
MUSE 6 & 7
itz / Aggie
Scholarships and financial aid are among many traditional methods students use to fund their college educations. But there is one option that is becoming increasingly popular among college students that may pay much more than any scholarship would. You wouldn’t be competing with other appli-
cants by grades alone or with essays, but rather with your genetics. Many sperm and egg donation programs are recruiting college students, offering high monetary rewards for giving the gift of life to families who cannot conceive on their own. While a donation gives students an opportunity to change a family’s life, it also helps students pay their way through college. How-
Amiel Chanow
By ALYSSA KUHLMAN
See SPERM on 10
SCIENCE 8
2 | THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013
The california aggie
Opinion THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE Janelle Bitker Editor in Chief Hannah StrumwasseR Managing Editor Jonathan Wester Business Manager BEAUGART GERBER Advertising Manager Muna Sadek Campus Editor Claire Tan City Editor BECKY PETERSON Opinion Editor Elizabeth OrpinA Arts Editor ADAM KHAN Features Editor KENNETH LING Sports Editor Hudson Lofchie Science Editor RICHARD TRUONG Copy Chief Brian Nguyen Photography Editor Janice Pang Design Director James Kim Asst. Design Director Joyce BerthelsEn Night Editor Irisa Tam Art Director David Ou New Media Director
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EDITORIALS FROM THE BOARD
Hurry up
Budget hearings From May 17 to 19 , ASUCD senators, executive officers, unit directors and members of the public met to discuss the 2013-14 ASUCD budget. The group was unable to finalize the budget after they spent approximately 30 hours over the weekend discussing it. They will continue to deliberate at the May 23 senate meeting. While finalizing ASUCD’s $11.6 million budget is incredibly important, we feel that it could be done in a more efficient manner. Spending 30 hours debating issues that could be addressed before budget hearings is a waste of everyone’s time. If senators have questions about specific units’ budgets, they should discuss them with the controller and the unit directors in the weeks leading up to the budget hearings. Senators should not make unit directors and members of the public wait hours to discuss the topic they came for. This is unfair and does not encourage future cooperation. In 2012, budget hearings were
held during the Whole Earth Festival and this year it was held on the same weekend as KDVS’ Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom (Whole Earth Festival and KSVS are both ASUCD units). Black Family Day, which also receives funds from ASUCD, also took place on the Saturday of budget hearings. While it’s difficult to schedule a meeting with this many people in the busy month of May, the unit directors should be able to spend more time working on their units, not waiting for hours to be addressed and then listening to senators excessively debate the legitimacy of their budgetary needs. We acknowledge the controller and the senators meet with units in preparation for budget hearings, but perhaps not every senator is preparing as much as they should. It’s inexcusable to have to continue discussing the budget at the senate meeting, where any budget previously thought to be passed could be reopened. As seen at the end of many hours of discussion over the weekend, many
senators were tired and upset, and ended up making rash decisions — they voted to lower the controller’s pay, and then they immediately reversed the decision when someone pointed out it was a bad idea. The controller himself said that he doesn’t think he would be respected if he made less money than the unit directors he overlooks, which we think is ridiculous. We support lowering salaries for student government positions. While none of these motions passed in the end, we do think this option should be considered as the association struggles to find sufficient funds for all of its units. Decisions need to be made about the budget and everyone should get a chance to speak. However, if details are discussed earlier in the process and the communication between the senators, controller and the unit directors increases, budget hearings could be a much shorter and much less painful process for everyone.
Close it up
UC Med Centers strike Over 12,000 members of AFSCME 3299, patient care technical workers, participated in a planned two-day strike of UC Medical Centers due to conflicts regarding the union contract with the University of California. We urge the UC and the union to return to the bargaining table and reach a compromise that is financially responsible and respects both patients and the people that take care of them. For nearly a year, there have been negotiations over a new labor contract between UC officials and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299.
UC officials believe that the new plan regarding pensions is fair, with more than a dozen other units having agreed to the changes. The union disagrees, saying that the medical centers have unsafe staffing and that officials are more concerned with salaries than fair benefits. The union proposed a different plan that doesn’t cut new employee long-term benefits among many other compromises, but the UC rejected it. From 4 a.m. on May 21 to 4 a.m. on May 23, AFSCME 3299 went on strike at the five centers in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Irvine, San Francisco and San Diego. UPTE
(University Professional and Technical Employees) sent 3,400 more workers to participate in a one-day sympathy strike. The Sacramento County Superior Court has already ruled that about 450 employees cannot participate in the walkout, and the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center has already hired 400 temporary workers to cover the shifts of those striking. UC officials have prepared for the strike by canceling elective surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. This situation should not have escalated this far. It’s time for the UC to start compromising.
Reimagining equality CULTURE FIEND with KATELYN RINGROSE
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ontemporary discourse often emphasizes a life trajectory in which individuals are born queer, bullied as teens, then become same-sex married — resolving all past struggle. This view of a central queer narrative is problematic for many reasons. By saying that everyone is “born” with a certain sexuality, society is treating queerness as a biological certainty that “can’t be helped.” This assumption relies on the concept that only identities which cannot be repressed should be allowed to exist. Instead of embracing sexuality and gender variation, our language often frames us as begrudgingly “accepting it.” According to the Trevor Project, “LGB youth are four times more likely to commit suicide.” Because of this statistic, media campaigns trying to provide short-term comfort are sending out incomplete solutions. Within the “It Gets Better Project,” a dialogue is created that normalizes bullying. “It Gets Better” also directly implies that society treats older, more established, members of the community better, which simply isn’t true. By not taking a strong stance against LGBT violence, or hate crimes of any kind, society is allowing silence to dictate action. On May 17, Mayor Joe Krovoza and
Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi sent out leaders need to be the ones protecting a collaborative email about the posand informing us and, if they don’t, we sible campus hate crime that occurred need to break the silence ourselves. on May 12. The tone of the email was The struggle for change won’t end very formal and although they said that without this, and it certainly won’t end “silence or indifference” is inconsistent as soon as same-sex couples can wear with UC Davis values, they could not wedding bands. have been more taciturn. Promoting marriage as being the They gave no details about what had principal inequality existing between occurred and no way for informants to peoples of different sexualities isn’t identify the still unknown suspects. just incorrect, it’s also harmful. The They issued a existing dialogue plea to the student perpetuates the body, asking us to concept that the The existing dialogue treat each other norm is superior perpetuates the concept to the minority, with “civility” and “respect,” but not that the norm is superior and that marriage with understanding — an instituto the minority ... or compassion. tion that often These words are perpetuates hetimportant. They matter to the victims of eronormative and monogamous ideals hate crimes and they matter to people — is the only way to provide equality. who are frightened. Lane Lewis, a The supposed umbrella term “marriage 21–year–old international relations maequality” leaves any relationships that jor, says that hearing about each of the exist outside of the narrow definition of recent Davis crimes “refreshes a sense of a couple out in the rain. being unwelcome on this campus and in Marriage in the United States exthis community... (and) makes me feel ists as a static institution, tied down by scared and sad.” legislature and archaic social constructs. Violence won’t just disappear and the Having equal rights is important, but if future doesn’t just “get better.” Making those rights simply allow people to exist the future safe for sexual and gender exunder a faulty marital system, then no pression is hard work. Our community real progress is made.
According to Lane Lewis, we need to re-define equality. “There are lot more basic issues that marginalized communities have to worry about, like being able to walk down the street, being able to have their preferred names respected, being able to use the bathroom safely, being able to express affection in public, having housing, having jobs, having health care,” Lewis said. Society’s concentration on samesex marriage furthers the concept that assimilation is the key to progress, and that instead of challenging institutions, we must adapt to them — no matter how difficult that may be. We shouldn’t be propagating this type of language; we shouldn’t tell teens that it’s acceptable to be bullied, lovers that their relationships are only valid if they come with a marriage license, or that sexuality isn’t a choice — because sometimes it is, and that isn’t a bad thing. Right now, we are beginning to open a dialogue, in a society that is growing increasingly willing to listen. Let’s figure out how to create a future that doesn’t condone violence or ignore the importance of language. If you would like to share a dance with KATELYN RINGROSE at Queer Prom, please email her at knringrose@ucdavis.edu.
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 2013 | 3
The california aggie
Friends with benefits
Walking around
SEXPLANATIONS with MARISSA HERRERA
SOME SHAKE with LEO OCAMPO
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riends with benefits, friends with bens, bed buddies, or whatever you call it: this phrase has become quite the topic in popular culture these past few years. Did we not get two movies on the exploration of the topic a few summers ago? (One with the boldness to even use the nowpopular phrase as a title.) The entire subject matter and rules of this new casual dating trend are inescapable. Friends with benefits can spark many a debate regarding what is allowed and what isn’t in any group of friends, but what are the concrete rules of this weird, friendly–dating hybrid? To some it is literally just what it is
The entire thing falls apart when you wait for text messages and stalk their Facebook — a friend with a multitude of perks, or if you must, benefits. We aren’t talking health benefits or stock options. These benefits are of the more mature and primal nature. In the ideal of the trend, it is all about the sex or whichever physical (and let’s face it, emotional) benefit you have decided to trade. This version of the FWB relationship is the most common and probably the one most of us later justify by saying, “It was just really convenient.” The tricky thing about this favorite FWB version is the only thing that ever makes anything tricky — your emotions. As much as the typical romcom depicts this relationship as something fun, goofy, lighthearted and always involving a cast member from “That ’70s Show,” the majority of these relationships just end up being ridiculously uncomfortable and really awkward. It doesn’t matter what sex you are — if there aren’t clear and clean boundaries as to what is OK emotionally, then you are totally going to get the feelings stomped out of you. Most FWB relationships start with hooking up with a cute guy friend,
girl friend, or just a friend you think is cute, and so the relationship begins. Soon, one of you starts to question what the label on it should be, then there’s crying and attachment and soon you’re breaking up with someone who isn’t even your significant other and therefore really ending a friendship. That doesn’t sound too fun to me. I have been there though, using my favorite man friend as not only a sex object, but also an emotional crutch. To be fair, he was in a relationship and is six years older than I am. I, however, have kept that friendship intact, because I stopped shoving my emotion and desire to be in a relationship down his throat. There is no room for that in this quasi–casual dating trend. Only room for the less–used and much more efficient version of FWB that is physical fun with solidified boundaries. In this less rampant, but much more logical version, ground rules are set and boundaries are respected. The first thing you need to understand when entering FWB territory is that it is really a booty call without the whole aspect of anonymity and red-faced embarrassment with a stranger the next day. The next thing I highly stress and will continue to stress is that you are not dating this person unless you both say so. Do not — please, for the love of all things good — do not refer or even consider this person to be in an actual relationship with you. The entire thing falls apart when you wait for text messages and stalk their Facebook. FWB is no time or place to become that jealous green-faced monster that should be reserved for a year–long relationship. This all really boils down to separating friend from “friend” and leaving your baggage at the door. You’re in this for one reason! So for best results, keep the emotions and friendship out of the bedroom and don’t send your FWB three texts within an hour; if you want more ask for it, and if not, don’t expect him to turn into Justin Timberlake waiting for you at a bus stop with a flash mob. MARISSA HERRERA can be reached at mdherrera@ ucdavis.edu.
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ll quarter long I’ve been without a vehicle, and surprisingly, life’s not so bad. Unitrans gets me to class, the Yolobus gets me to work, and, since I don’t have a bike, I just walk everywhere else. Davis is pretty pedestrian-friendly, with plenty of bridges and bike paths and midnight joggers, but really it’s just flat. Walking everywhere can get pretty dull. Luckily, the weed helps. I notice all the nature that my sober self doesn’t usually find significant enough for some reason. Is the world always so peculiar?
Walk anywhere around town and it won’t be long before some squirrels get in your business This is a town full of trees (especially, fortunately, around my place in west Davis), and there is something so impressive and reassuring about their size and age. Trees know a lot about survival and stability. As a fellow living being who wants nothing other than a little peace and sanity, I can’t ignore the opportunity to learn from them. Davis is also full of bugs, especially at night, especially in the summer. Admittedly, they’re pretty cute. I imagine the world is a different place for something so small. There’s probably not much one can desire at that size. Except for some food and water and a little romantic humping every now and then, what else could bugs want? What else could anyone want? I’m sure there’s also a lot I can learn from them, which is why I feel so guilty when I invariably arrive home with spider guts and and bits of beetle skull all over the bottom of my shoe. Though bugs probably don’t have skulls. But then what makes them so crunchy? Walk anywhere around town and
it won’t be long before some squirrels get in your business. Davis squirrels are definitely not shy, and they even seem to get a thrill out of fucking with people. Who wouldn’t? There are snakes, too, and they also like to fuck with people. While they’re probably harmless, they always scare the shit out of me. One always crosses my path when I cross the bridge by the Domes. I’m sure it’s some sort of ongoing prank they’re all a part of. The rabbits are my favorite. I’ve always had this childlike excitement around them, probably because I grew up with Bugs Bunny on the TV. They’re quick and curious, and their nervous demeanor reminds me of my roommates on Adderall. But why would rabbits need Adderall? I can’t help but get a little jealous about how these animals don’t have bills or finals to worry about. They just sit in their holes and play all day. I’m not at all judging. In fact, that’s probably all that my life will consist of after I graduate this year. I should probably start digging up a hole of my own, but I guess I’m a little too high to worry about the future. Am I always so peculiar? Walk around town, but try not to get run over by the packs of bicyclists that wear bright matching spandex and pedal in unison. Walk around town and I’m sure that eventually a Unitrans bus will pass by, saying it’s headed “Nowhere in Particular.” It’s always disappointing that it doesn’t stop to let people on. I’m sure there’d be plenty of us who’d be willing to get a little lost. That’s the good thing about this town. Davis is pretty flat, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means everything is even and stable and in plain sight. It just means it’s pretty easy to get from one side of town to the other, and that it’s never too hard to find your way back home.
LEO OCAMPO can be reached at gocampo@ ucdavis.edu.
Taxation TREE OF LIBERTY with TRISTAN DE LIEGE
Editor’s note: For an opposing opinion on this issue, see BRIAN MOEN’s column “Tea Party whiners” on TheAggie.org.
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ecently, it was discovered that the IRS has been targeting conservative groups by arbitrarily delaying their application for tax-exemption because of their policy viewpoints. This is obviously unacceptable, as even President Obama will admit. But I think this raises a broader question about what the IRS really is and what they are doing. In my view, the IRS is guilty of theft. And it should come as no surprise that they adopt such nonobjective tactics to achieve their ends, since there is no justification for coercive taxation. In our society today, we do not
question the power that government up some freedoms for the sake of the has over us in taking our wealth protection and stability that governby force. This is something I think ment grants us. needs to change. But such a view is untenable — Of course, as I have stated in past there is no kind of consent except columns, taxation is only one means direct consent from individuals — no by which our government coerces one can consent to taxation “on my us — economic behalf.” regulations and If your life restrictions is yours — if In a truly and (such as antiyou alone have consistently free society, moral authority trust legislation and minimum over how you government would be wage) and wealth will expend your funded voluntarily ... redistribution energy, how (through welfare you will pursue programs and entitlement schemes) your values and how you will use the are the other primary ways. wealth that you have earned — then It might be thought that taxation is taxation is not justified. justified on the grounds that we have Do not mistake me for the conserentered into a “social contract” (of vatives or libertarians who are vaguethe sort suggested by Rousseau and ly skeptical of all government power Locke), whereby we implicitly give — I think government is a necessary
good, but we must remind ourselves why we need it. As Thomas Jefferson stated in his inaugural address: “A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government, and this is necessary to close the circle of our felicities.” In a truly and consistently free society, government would be funded voluntarily — according to the independent rational judgment of individuals who decide to contribute to it. As to how to implement this in practice, this is an interesting but not insurmountable challenge (there is a lot of good literature in the libertarian tradition on this topic).
4 | Thursday, MAY 23, 2013
DAILY CALENDAR dailycal@theaggie.org
23 / Thursday Shinkoskey Noon Concert: Eric Zivian, piano, and Tanya Tomkins, cello 12:05 to 1 p.m. | Yocha Dehe Grand Lobby, Mondavi Center An all-Beethoven program, including seven variations on “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen” from Mozart’s Magic Flute. The event is free and open to the general public.
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 fourth general meeting of the quarter.
UC Davis Film Festival 8:30 to 10 p.m. | The Davis Varsity Theatre
The california aggie
Students utilize startup business programs in Davis Davis Roots, Progressive Business Exchange provide connections, strategies By MELISSA GAHERTY Aggie News Writer
Students who are interested in starting a business and don’t know where to begin or how to execute their plans can seek help from various startup business programs in the City of Davis. Davis Roots, a nonprofit business accelerator, assists new businesses in gaining connections and meeting investors around the City of Davis. Their
only requirement for the application process is that the business must come from Davis. “For the ones [businesses] we see potential in after they apply, we do not provide funding off the bat. We give them office space as well as access to lawyers and marketing professionals,” said general manager at Davis Roots Alex Rossbach. “We help them build their business and connect them with investors from this area — the Bay Area. We also help them learn what to
The 13th annual UC Davis Film Festival will feature a wide variety of short student films. Tickets are available at the Varsity Theatre box office. For more information, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.
VANCEY LE | AGGIE
24 / Friday Seamoose album release, with Big Sticky Mess 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. | Our House Come one, come all for the return of Seamoose and the release of their new album! The event is free, open to the public and features Big Sticky Mess.
25 / Saturday Seamoose album release, with Tha Dirt Feelin 6:30 to 10 p.m. | Sudwerk Dock Store Seamoose continues to promote their grand return, and the release of their new album. The event is free, open to the public and features Tha Dirt Feelin.
26 / Sunday ITDP: ‘The Dogs of War’ 8 to 10 p.m. | Wyatt Pavilion Theatre This interpretation of the text by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Josy Miller, is free and open to the public, with suggested donations at the door. Seating is limited — first come, first served.
do, what not to do, how to connect to venture capitalists, how to get their foot in the door.” Keyan Kousha, a 2012 UC Davis computer science graduate, and his partner, Jason Wang, also a computer science graduate, started a social review utility called Stuffrage after they graduated. “Our website is a mix of social networking and a review site. We want to make it easy to find reviews and recommendations from friends. The reviews on the site can be of anything, not limited to location or product,” Kousha said. “We think all reviews should be in one place with a familiar format. I’ve been disappointed by reviews from Yelp and Amazon, so then I go to my friends for reviews. This site is for friendly, honest reviews from people you can trust.” Kousha and Wang will be seeking the assistance of Davis Roots with their social review website. “We will be pitching our idea to Davis Roots. For the future we hope to become more popular and change how people review as well as improve user confidence online with the help of Davis Roots,” Kousha said. Davis Roots said that they commonly receive social networking pitches. “Many who come to us are computer science people but do not have business experience and don’t know how to sell themselves,” Rossbach said. “They need a good delivering team, so we help them develop this team and help them pitch their product.” The Progressive Business Exchange (PBE) also has the potential to aid student startups. See STARTUP on 11
28 / Tuesday Teach for America’s Lead Now Virtual Speaker Series 5 to 6 p.m. | Student Community Center, Meeting Room E Join the conversation on leadership as we screen Teach For America’s LEAD NOW Speaker Series featuring Wendy Kopp, founder and chair of the board of Teach For America.
29 / Wednesday Book Talk: Pamela Demory 5 to 7 p.m. | 126 Voorhies Pamela Demory (continuing lecturer, University Writing Program, UC Davis), will be talking about her new book, Queer Love in Film and Television: Critical Essays and about the work of editing the collection. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A period, book signing and a reception.
30 / Thursday Event: Prized Writing Student-Author Event 4 to 6 p.m. | 126 Voorhies Three prize-winning undergraduate authors will discuss their work at the University Writing Program’s Spring Prized Writing Student Author Event. Prized Writing is an annual publication of the University Writing Program, featuring approximately 20 exceptional essays culled from hundreds of submissions.
POLICE BRIEFS city@theaggie.org
19 / SUNDAY What in carnation … Someone wanted the police to know that a flowerpot had been removed from their home on La Coruno Street and smashed two doors down, but did not want to file a report.
Online course evaluations being developed UC Davis among last of UC campuses to implement automated evaluation system By MUNA SADEK Campus News Editor
A new online course and faculty evaluation survey is being developed, similar to the current end-of-course Scantron evaluations that are currently in place. A limited release is expected at the start of 2013-14 school year, with widespread use expected in 2014-15. Already in place at UC Irvine, UCLA, UC Riverside, UC San Diego UC Santa Cruz, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara. UC Davis is the last major UC campus to implement online course evaluations. The survey program, Automated Course Evaluations (ACE), is being developed by programmers under the Administrative Application Development Initiative (AADI) at UC Davis. According to Jeff de Ropp, committee co-chair and department manager of the Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department, survey content and use will be at the discretion of individual departments. “We really wanted a flexible system so different departments can do what they want with it,” he said. The project began to gain traction when the Special Committee on Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET), suggested that online surveys be developed. AADI reviewed and evaluated the online surveys at various college campuses, including UC Irvine, UC Santa Cruz
and UCLA. The system is being developed to be compatible with the new student portal that will combine all existing portals (SISWeb, MyUCDavis, Class Search Tool) and MyInfoVault, which assists faculty in viewing evaluation results. “We wanted people to keep doing what they’re doing on paper evaluations and translate that online,” de Ropp said. “Hopefully students will think of it as a more enjoyable way to do evaluations. Doing [them] online is a little more attractive and appealing.” All survey-taker information will be confidential and any identifying information will be stripped from the survey before the instructor sees it. Additionally, faculty will not be able to view results before they have submitted course grades. According to de Ropp, the service is being funded by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) and will cost approximately $40 a month to host. It will not be mandated on students. “I think that people in CAES wanted to develop such a system for general use at UC Davis, basically to increase efficiency and reduce costs,” said Benjamin Shaw, AADI co-chair and mechanical and aerospace engineering professor, in an email interview. “Just like with the paper-based evaluations, most courses at UC Davis can be evaluated See SURVEY on 11
Brohemian A guy in a grey tank top, grey shorts, black kneehigh socks and black shoes called the police saying he smoked too much weed, had marijuana poisoning and needed their assistance getting home on First Street.
20 / MONDAY Bit of a bulldozer A neighbor threatened to run somebody’s kids over with his car on Grambling Court.
PERMIT TYPE
VP
A
C
CP2A
Boxer Rebellion
Quite the prick A realtor found evidence of a squatter in one of his homes on M Street. The squatter left behind a note saying when he would be back, as well as some hypodermic needles.
21 / TUESDAY Shtick by brick Someone reported that four kids between the ages of 4 to 9 were climbing on the fence and throwing bricks in their pool on Adrian Drive.
Police briefs are compiled from the City of Davis daily crime bulletins. Contact EINAT GILBOA at city@theaggie.org.
CP2C
CP3C
CARPOOL *COST IS PER PERSON
VI S I T O R Someone tried to walk through the drive-through at Jack in the Box on G Street, but got upset when he was refused service and punched out the window.
CP3A
DSA
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DISABLED
M OTORCYCLE
ANNUAL ( J U LY 1 - J U N E 3 0)
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JAMES KIM | AGGIE Beginning July 1, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) will implement rate increases on all monthly permits, with the exception of the “L” permit. The daily visitor rate will increase from $7 to $8, according to a TAPS news release. “The 2013-14 rate increases are necessary in order
to offset reduced revenues from permit sales over the past four years as well as the increased operating costs of TAPS programs and services. The last parking rate increase was implemented in 2011,” the release stated. — Muna Sadek
Thursday, MAY 23, 2013 | 5
The california aggie
California ranks low in small business friendliness, survey finds Davis small business owners voice their concerns
CAMPUS JUDICIAL REPORT Poolside Police Three students were referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for possessing alcohol in the pool area of the dorms. The students were approached by two Residential Advisors (RAs) who asked the students if their bottles contained alcohol. The students stated that their drink did in fact contain alcohol, which was against Student Housing Policy. The RAs documented the misconduct and also stated that the students would be referred to SJA. When the students met with the SJA officer, they took full responsibility for possessing alcohol when they were not allowed too. The students agreed upon a censure, or a warning, for breaking the Student Housing Policy.
Not off the hook-ah An RA referred two students to SJA for tampering with a fire alarm in their room. The two students were smoking hookah in their room when one of the floormates decided to tell an RA about the tobacco smell. The RA then proceeded to the students’ room where he found a hookah machine as well as a tampered fire alarm. The two students had been smoking, which is prohibited inside the dorms, and even removed their fire alarm to continue smoking. When the two students met with the Judicial Officer they admitted to tampering with the alarm to smoke the hookah. Both students took responsibility for breaking student housing rules and they both agreed to probation until 2014. This means that if the students break any other rules and are referred to SJA again they will most likely be suspended.
Rearranged Nathan Chan / Aggie
Armadillo Music is a locally owned small business in downtown Davis. By TAYLOR CUNNINGHAM Aggie News Writer
Thumbtack.com, in partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, released results from their second annual Small Business Friendliness Survey, and California was rated with a D grade, an improvement from last year’s F grade. Based in San Francisco, Thumbtack.com operates as an online marketplace for local service providers. According to its 2013 study, the Bay Area was rated as the top region in California for small businesses, and San Francisco was the state’s highest-ranked city. California is among the lowest-ranking states in the U.S. for its overall friendliness to small businesses, along with
Maine and Illinois. Some of the highest-ranking states are Idaho, Utah and New Hampshire. According to the U.S. Small Business Association website, a small business is defined as “a business that is organized for profit... makes a significant contribution to the U.S. economy through payment of taxes or use of American products, materials or labor; [and] is independently owned and operated.” Approximately 8,000 out of 275,000 small business owners nationwide who use Thumbtack.com were surveyed over a course of two months to come up with this year’s ranking. About 7,766 owners completed the survey. The D average grade was based on the separate grades See BUSINESS on 11
Tour de Cluck to celebrate chickens, bikes, local artists Event benefits Yolo Farm to Fork, Davis Art Center
A group of students was referred to SJA for possession of alcohol and inappropriate use of furniture in the dorms. Two RAs were walking around the floor to invite students to a floor social, when they heard ping pong balls bouncing and someone yelling “shots” from a nearby room. The RAs went to the suspected room where they found a group of students with alcohol. Also, the students had moved a closet door to the living room, which was against Student Housing policy. The students were compliant and respectful to the RAs and handed over their IDs to document the misconduct. When the student who lived in the dorm met with the SJA officer, they took full responsibility and agreed upon a censure.
WEEKLY WEATHER Short term forecast Cooler conditions will continue for the next three days. Highs will be in the mid to upper 70s on Thursday, May 23, and in the upper 70s on Friday, May 24, and Saturday, May 25. Lows will be in the upper 40s on Thursday and in the low 50s on Friday and Saturday. Enjoy the nice weather for the remainder of the week! Justin Tang, atmospheric science
Long term forecast As the quarter is winding down, we are in for some beautiful weather. Next week will stay consistently in the 80s with the coolest part of the week being Wednesday. We can expect partly cloudy skies in the beginning of the week but sunny conditions throughout. On a side note, Shasta Lake will be experiencing gorgeous weather in the high 70s over Memorial Day weekend. Expected Highs: mid 80s Expected Lows: mid/high 50s Megan Simone, atmospheric science
Climate Average temperatures for this time of year typically range in the low 80s. From May 24 through the weekend, we will be just a few degrees cooler than normal. On Memorial Day, we should start to see a stable trend of seasonal temperatures that will last throughout all of next week.
Almanac Last week’s observed temperatures (May 16-22) (Hi/Lo): Thursday:......78/56 Friday:..........75/48 Saturday:......81/46 Sunday:........85/59 Monday:........90/63 Tuesday:.......81/55 Wednesday:..74/48 Brian Nguyen / Aggie
Participants of the Tour de Cluck’s coop crawl will travel throughout Davis, to stop at chicken coops.
Tour de Cluck May 25 in Central Park Art Auction and Exhibit: Free Bicycle Chicken Coop Crawl: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Sold out
By MEREDITH STURMER
began in 2000 as Davis Farm to School, which is now a program within Yolo Farm to Fork. According to the Yolo Farm to Fork’s website, they support “the use of seasonal, locally-sourced produce in school lunches, nutrition education, school gardens, farm visits and tours, agriculturebased art in the classroom and comprehensive solid waste reduction programs featuring recycling and composting.” Davis Farm to School works directly with the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) to support these goals on a local level.
Aggie News Writer
With over a month left until the start of the 2013 Tour de France, Davis residents looking to get their fix of a tour de something are in luck — the fourth annual Tour de Cluck will take place on May 25. The two main components to Tour de Cluck include the Art Auction and Exhibit and the Bicycle Chicken Coop Crawl, although additional events are ongoing throughout the month of May, according to Neil Ruud, Tour de Cluck event coordinator. The proceeds from the art auction will go to the Davis Art Center, which offers support to local artists, sponsors art-related events and maintains a close relationship with the local arts community in Davis, Ruud said. Tickets for the event are sold out. Seven hundred people are expected to attend the coop crawl, according to Gilbride, and 17 coops are being showcased. “It’s a fundraiser for Yolo Farm to Fork’s Davis Farm to School, a farm-to-school organization,” Ruud said. “Their goal is to help children in schools be connected to the food they eat, making sure they’re connected to local farms and can draw the line between the food they eat and where it comes from.” Yolo Farm to Fork, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization,
“Eggucation” and art “I feel my job is to ‘artify’ the event,” said Shelly Gilbride, director of special projects at the Davis Art Center. “Davis is also an art town, and although that’s not always as evident in our town character as being a bike-town or an ag-town, more and more, it’s becoming a part of our identity.” According to Gilbride, the expansion of the event, the theme of which is “growing, crowing and cycling things,” reflects this multifaceted community identity. This is the first year the Davis Art Center is involved in the event, in part because of event founder Jake Clemens, who felt that more local organizations could benefit from such a large event. The event, according to Ruud, embodies the sustainable lifestyle that is possible in Davis. “Chickens are a big aspect of it,” Ruud said. “But we [also] wanted the art auction and exhibit in order to represent the varied interests this community has in healthy, high-quality lifestyles.” According to Gilbride, the art center will act as a “roost stop” during the coop crawl where people can stop and relax, but the center serves the community in other ways See CHICKENS on 11
Brian Rico, atmospheric science
6 | Thursday, MAY 23, 2013
The california aggie
MUSE Sophia’s Thai Kitchen 129 E St. Radiation City, now touring the country for the release of their new album, earned its reputation as one of the most promising acts coming from Portland, Ore. With influences like Beach House, Flaming Lips, The Beach Boys and Starfucker, this feel-good band’s expanding landscape of new romanticism has caught the attention of folks at NPR and Time.
FILM 13th Annual UC Davis Film Festival Thursday, May 23, 8:30 p.m., $7 per night The Varsity Theatre, 616 Second St. Student films selected by UC Davis faculty will be featured on the big screen during the second night of the annual festival. The short films include a broad range of subjects, styles and genres and celebrate the creativity and talent of undergraduates and graduates. While awards will be awarded to best films, audience members can participate in a free raffle held in the Varsity Theatre lobby.
MUSIC Michael Fabiano, tenor, and John Churchwell, piano Thursday, May 23, 8 p.m., $17.50/$29 student and $35/$58 regular Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center Considered one of the most important young voices in opera today, Fabiano has gained global critical acclaim for his commanding stage presence and captivating voice. With John Churchwell accompanying him on the piano, the pair will perform in the Mondavi Center’s Jackson Hall. Radiation City Friday, May 24, 9:30 p.m., $7, 21 and over
By ANTHONY LABELLA Aggie Arts Writer
The Masochist in Me As I write this week's Aggie Arcade column, Microsoft has yet to reveal its successor to the Xbox 360. My thoughts on the big event will have to wait until next week, but in the meantime, let's talk about difficult video games. The reason for such a topic? Well, not much else is going on outside of the Microsoft event. But more importantly, I've been spending the past few weeks play-
The Golden Ghosts Saturday, May 25, 9:30 p.m., $5, 21 and over Sophia’s Thai Kitchen 129 E St. This high-energy band brings a classical sensibility and fresh vitality to rock and roll, while drifting between different themes and musical landscapes. Having toured around the U.S., The Golden Ghosts gain musical influences from experiences on the road and the strange characters that they have encountered. The Golden Ghosts now make a stop in Davis, playing in the open patio of Sophia’s Thai Kitchen. Jordan’s Beard Wednesday, May 29, 12 p.m., free UC Davis Quad Come see Jordan’s Beard, a local Davis band playing a fusion of funk-rock, reggae and hiphop on the UC Davis Quad. This is the third in the ASUCD Entertainment Council’s series of music performances in the Quad; the series will continue with Alicia Murphy the first week of June. Drop by after class or during lunch to be entertained by these energetic musicians. Seamoose Friday, May 24, 10:30 p.m. Our House, 808 Second St. Saturday, May 25, 6:30 p.m. Sudwerk Brewery Dock Store, 2001 Second St. Enjoy two nights of grooving to this Davis funk band, a local favorite, for their reunion and album release shows. This is likely their last performance
ing Dark Souls, a notoriously difficult 2011 RPG that captured the hearts and minds of gamers around the world... and then proceeded to crush them into a fine powder. Death comes often in Dark Souls. That alone creates few issues — the consequences of those deaths are the real concern. Every death results in lost souls, which act as the game's currency. The player must return to that same spot without dying again, otherwise the souls are lost forever. Needless to say, souls are a hot commodity in Dark Souls. It's almost like the
CD: Random Access Memories Artist: Daft Punk By JOHN KESLER Aggie Arts Writer
Hype can be a painful thing. Daft Punk’s new album, Random Access Memories, was hyped up as though it were the “Second Coming of Music.” The advertising campaign included a massive unveiling of the album cover, billboards, TV commercials with 15 second clips of one song and a series of interviews with people who worked on the album. In addition, this was the first actual studio album done by the reclusive robots in eight years. All of this hype combined to create an imaginary album in my mind that nothing could match. The album doesn’t suck, but its inability to live up to the hype colored my opinion of the album. RAM abandons the electronic sound of the band’s previous three albums in favor of a disco sound. This results in an album that sounds more like something Daft Punk made for themselves than for an audience. The album also features a ton of artistically successful collaborations. Disco pioneer Nile Rodgers plays guitar on three songs, “Rainbow Connection” songwriter Paul Williams wrote and performed a song and dance music pioneer Giorgio Moroder
contributes his life story to a track. There are also appearances from contemporary musicians Pharrell, Julian Casablancas and Panda Bear. The sound quality of the album deserves special mention. RAM is one of the best sounding albums I’ve ever heard, even through low quality .mp3 files. The bass guitar on “The Game of Love” and “Lose Yourself to Dance” as well as the guitar on “Fragments of Time” wowed me with their nuance. It’s not entirely perfect, however. Some of the songs (with “Lose Yourself to Dance” in particular) go on for too long. In addition, the track sequencing could’ve been improved, as “The Game of Love” is too slow to be the second track. The biggest problem is that it was overhyped. Overall, the album is great. Daft Punk supposedly began working on this alongside the TRON: Legacy soundtrack, and the amount of time and dedication they spent on it really paid off. However, it is difficult to recommend to people unless they have an open mind about music. My family recently told me that disco sucks, so they would probably hate RAM. If you’re okay with that sound, go for it. JOHN KESLER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
in Davis for a long time, so don’t miss out. On Friday, May 24, they will be joined by Big Sticky Mess, a local funk band, and they will play with Tha Dirt Feelin’ at Sudwerk Brewery Dock Store on Saturday, May 25.
THEATER Dogs of War Thursday, May 23 to Sunday, May 26, 8 p.m., suggested $5 donation Wyatt Pavillion This adaptation of several of Shakespeare’s texts depicts the often cut scenes and characters to examine the representations of war. Directed by Ph.D. candidate in performance studies Josy Miller, the play draws from Shakespeare’s Wars of the Roses plays and uses Renaissance style in a contemporary framework for its production design. Bullshot Crummand Friday, May 24, 7 p.m., free The Davis Art Center Outdoor Stage, 1919 F St. Acme Theater Company presents a comedy involving a clash between two arch rivals — a tale that evolves into plot twists and mayhem. Enjoy free comedy in the park for the Memorial Day weekend.
OTHER Author Event: Sylvia’s Secret Friday, May 24, 7:30 p.m., free The Avid Reader, 617 Second St. Local author of the literary mystery novel Scott Evans discusses his latest work. This fictional murder mystery story weaves in historical information about Sylvia Plath’s schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and death to create a dark, intriguing plot.
title itself indicates that somehow... Anyway, imagine yourself walking along the street and then suddenly discovering pieces of gold worth thousands of dollars. Moments later you get back-stabbed by a bloodthirsty tower knight (I might be blurring the line between fiction and reality at this point). That pretty much sums up the Dark Souls experience. And yet I find myself coming back to the game again and again. It speaks to a larger trend in my gaming habits that has developed over the past few years. Sure, I scream at my television like it's a real human being every time a boss wipes the floor with me in Dark Souls. But when I finally conquer that towering foe, the sense of joy and elation is unparalleled by anything else. The first time I really felt that way about a video game was in 2010 with Super Meat Boy. I died thousands of times in that game (no, that's not a typo). But the feeling of accomplishment and triumph upon completing the game was so great that I wanted to tackle all the
{
— Cristina Fries
difficult video games in the world. Obviously I didn't do that because I'm not a crazy person, but the desire was still significant. Dark Souls taps into that same strange desire for punishing difficulty and seemingly impossible challenges. Perhaps these kinds of games speak to some unconscious competitive drive in me that stems from my general disinterest in multiplayer games. I put together some impressive Call of Duty 4 killstreaks back in 2007, but since then I haven't really enjoyed online competitive multiplayer games. So primarily single-player experiences like Dark Souls and Super Meat Boy allow me to accomplish great feats without the pressures of online competition. On the other hand, I could be some crazy video game masochist who enjoys punishment. We can't rule that out completely. ANTHONY LABELLA can be reached at arts@ theaggie.org.
}
FOR FANS OF: Chic, Kool & The Gang, Saturday Night Fever CHECK THESE TRACKS: “Fragments of Time,” “Get Lucky,” “Contact”
4.5 / 5
Thursday, MAY 23, 2013 | 7
The california aggie
UC Davis alumnus Ian James Walters sings a rendition of “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift as Gollum.
courtesy
1:05 / 4:04
Recent UC graduate gains fame as “Gollum Sings” web celebrity Ian James Walters launches series of popular viral videos By ANDREW RUSSELL Aggie Arts Writer
In mid-February, class of 2011 alumnus Ian James Walters uploaded a vocal rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” (from the musical Les Miserables) to the popular videohosting website YouTube. Despite having to contend with a near-infinite sea of covers, karaokes and lip-syncs, this modest four-minute cover quickly racked up a 1 millionview count, attracting the attention of online viral entertainment hub Buzzfeed along with countless other fans. Walters’ stroke of inspiration was to sing the emotionally charged number through the persona and vocal stylings of Gollum, the ghoulish hobbit-creature most wellknown from Peter Jackson’s film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings. While this odd combination may have made for a dubious comedy pitch, it was aimed straight at the
internet’s appetite for bizarre humor. “It isn’t often that I do something actually funny,” Walters said, explaining his frame of mind when stumbling across his talent a few months ago. “It started out as a joke between me and my friend.” After both singing along to the Les Mis soundtrack sung by Anne Hathaway in anticipation of the recent film, Walters broke into the unnerving style of Tolkien’s fantasy character, at which point his friend urged him to record it. The first video, which is now more than halfway to reaching 2 million views, started trending heavily while Walters was away on a climbing trip in Oregon. After returning a week later, he was surprised to find he’d become a verified internet celebrity. Soon after that, he was approached by Buzzfeed to make a similar but higher-quality spoof of a popular Top 40 song — in this case, “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift. Walters enlisted the help of a few of his friends, including fourth-year technocultural studies major Damien Verrett, to film the video on a rocky beach north of San Francisco. Verrett assisted with the shoot and provided the background music. He later filmed and scored a longer skit with Walters, in which Harry Potter (also portrayed
by Walters) encounters Gollum and mistakes him for a friendly elf. As of now, both are planning to work together on new skits as well as the pop music covers. “Right now we're working on an original skit,” Verret said. “I think the idea is to branch off from the whole Gollum thing and start making 100 percent original content. I'm excited. It's hilarious to me that these things are getting a million views when really they're just videos being made by my friends.” Daniella Devera, who graduated from UC Davis the same year as Walters, helped film and edit some of his videos. “It's just Ian being Ian, but I find it heartening that so many people enjoy that,” Devera said. “His energy can be infectious like that: through the screen, you get to feel like you're in on his joke, like you're part of the club, and it's cool.” Uninitiated viewers can also be cool and join the club by visiting the Ijameswalters YouTube account, the home of Walters’ creations. ANDREW RUSSELL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
NEWS IN B RI E F City of Davis, Armadillo Music and KDVS present multimedia music market June 2 On June 2, expect to find yourself surrounded by cassette tapes, vinyls, turntables and maybe even a gramophone or two. No, it’s not time travel or Urban Outfitters, it’s the third City of Davis, Armadillo Music and KDVS 90.3 FM Vinyl & Music Fair. With vendors coming from as far as Reno or Portland, the 50-plus tables offer all sorts of music paraphernalia, from classic rock records and CDs to collectible figurines. Items are sold by record-store owners and swap-meet collectors, with a diverse selection both within and between the booths. “We started this, I would say, maybe two years ago over at the Natsoulas Gallery downtown,” said Josh Chapman, owner of Armadillo Records. “It was just 15 small tables, and KDVS was always there and they did some DJing and stuff like that. It kind of morphed into what we have now, which is what I’d say [is] one of the premiere record events in Northern California.” The collaboration with the City of Davis not only provided more space for vendors, but also increased visibility for the city and the spaces that it has to offer, according to Chapman. Armadillo itself also notes increased visibility from the events, drawing in customers that are new to Davis or live in its
reuse.
UC Davis’ studio art MFA students host art show reception May 23
surrounding areas. The Vinyl & Music Fair has settled into a comfortable groove, enjoying its current location at the Davis Senior Center and position as a quarterly event. “It gives people time to regroup and grow their collection more if they’re selling,” Chapman said. “And then it becomes something desirable when people mark that date on their calendar two months in advance and they know this event is coming up. We’ve kind of grown this in an organic manner to the point where folks are buying tables for the next record sale.” The previous Vinyl & Music Fairs have consistently filled all available tables, but there are still spots available for this upcoming event. “If there’s anyone on the border going back and forth if they should get a table or not,” Chapman said, “They should give us a ring or stop on by and we can go from there.” The Vinyl & Music Fair is happening from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on June 2. For more information or to sign up for a table, stop by Armadillo Records on 205 F St. or call (530) 758-8058.
On May 23, UC Davis’ Master of Fine Arts studio art candidates will host the annual first-year studio art show reception. The event, which takes place in the old Nelson Gallery offices in the Art Building, launches the student-work exhibition that runs through June 4. MFA is a small and interdisciplinary art graduate program that is made up of artists working across mediums and topics. Every year, the MFA program puts on this exhibition in hopes that it will serve as a more official introduction to both the school and the surrounding community. For many of these students, the exhibition serves as the first opportunity to showcase work in the public eye. This year’s show is entitled “Past Reservations” and incorporates works by prospective Master of Fine Arts candidates Brett Davis, Jamie Dunn, Rachel Gelenius, Jacob Greenlund, Daniel Harano, Alyssa Lempesis and Joyce Nojima. Additionally, the showcase is the first step toward a Graduate Exhibition, which MFA students Charlotte Semmes and Christine Tao will present this year in a separate show that runs through June 6. “Past Reservations” will present research and creative projects that the candidates explored this year, documenting the theoretical framework and methodology that went into them. The reception takes place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the old Nelson Gallery offices in the Art Building with refreshments donated by Whole Foods. Gallery hours are from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
—Tanya Azari
— Larissa Murray
reduce.
recycle.
8 | Thursday, MAY 23, 2013
The california aggie
Science +Tech THIS WEEK IN SCIENCE Cancer How do we stop ovarian cancer? We bling the ovaries, obviously. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have recently discovered that gold (nano) particles can prove quite effective in killing cancerous ovarian cells. By limiting the uptake of calcium into the ovarian cells’ mitochondria, the gold particles become far more toxic than normal, killing the normally resistant cancer cells. Do not take this as an excuse to go stock up on Goldschlager.
Climate and Culture According to researchers at Cardiff University’s School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, the University of Barcelona and the London Natural History Museum, early human cultural innovation increased exponentially during the Middle Stone Age about 80,000 years ago — a period of massive climate change. By measuring the dates of these climatic events and correlating them with archaeological finds, the researchers found that there were major societal changes around the same time that rainfall dramatically increased and when rainfall dramatically decreased. This indicates that it is not just humans that affect the environment, but it is also the environment that affects human evolution.
Type 1 Diabetes Type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the body’s immune cells attack the body’s cells that produce insulin. The insulin cells, or islet cells, are killed by a specific immune cell. Researchers from the Hall Institute of Medical Research in Australia have found that the immune cells, or T-cells, that attack the islet cells are in turn regulated by a different immune cell, called a regulatory T-cell. By increasing the activity of these regulatory T-cells, the researchers limited the number of normal Tcells in the system, and in turn dramatically reduced the lost number of islet cells.
Alzheimer’s This prevalent disease is caused by neuron death in the brain. Researchers from Cambridge’s Chemistry Department have been able to identify the mechanism that causes this neuron death, which has brought them one step closer to a cure. The researchers are focusing on how proteins in the brain “misfold,” causing aberrations that cause many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s.
Regeneration Salamanders are fortunate in that when a predator takes a limb, or two, or three, or four, those limbs can grow back and be perfectly functional. Salamanders are the only vertebrate that can repair their heart, tail, spinal cord and brain. This ability is essentially the “holy grail” of human longevity. Researchers from Monash University in Australia have recently identified a “scavenging immune system cell” that helps salamanders accomplish this amazing feat. By identifying the cells and process responsible for regeneration, we are now closer to developing this ability for human medicine.
Never lose your keys
courtesy
Graphene has the potential to revolutionize technology.
Smart materials Advances in graphene technologies By ALAN LIN Aggie Science Writer
Editor’s note: This article is part two in a series on graphene. Part 1 was published April 18, 2013. When we last spoke about emergent technologies and their human side effects, we explored how nuances in advancement could affect the individual. Applied electric fields could theoretically manipulate systems of the very small: cells. However, increased understanding of things on the molecular level can have potential side effects for humanity on a much grander scale. Historically, there have been many human costs to emergent technologies. The widespread use of hydrocarbon combustion during the Industrial Revolution greatly increased the demand for coal. As a result, many found work in mines, and countless individuals suffered varying forms of cancer and lung damage from the inhaled substances. The synthesis of sulfurous dichlorides has led to the immeasurable poem-inspiring
agony of soldiers during World War I. On the other side of the coin, we owe almost the entirety of modern medicine to the advances made during the Industrial Revolution and throughout mankind’s wars. While some technologies like those described above have dramatic and sinister origins, some advances enter the world under more auspicious circumstances and change the planet for the better at conceivably little cost. Graphene is one such technology. From humble origins as a single layer of carbon molecules examined from a piece of cellophane tape peeled from graphite, the applications of this super-material have positive implications in many aspects of the human existence. The world is faced with a number of impending crises. The population is growing exponentially and sources of potable water and available energy are dwindling. Furthermore, the contamination of the surrounding See SMART on 13
Do you find yourself perpetually losing your keys and getting locked out of your house or apartment? It’s even more troublesome when your roommates are gone for the weekend and there is no one to let you in. You could spend the night making calls, or you could invest in a more convenient way to lock your door. Instead of keys, use your fingers. Biometric locks have been around for years, but are only just starting to enter the consumer market. Some people buy them for the added security, as it is nearly impossible to fool a fingerprint lock. Others just buy them for their helpfulness, choosing convenience over convention after misplacing their key ring too many times. Biometric locks work by reading your unique fingerprint on the lock’s touchpad. It takes a couple seconds to scan and confirm, and then the lock opens and you are in; it is that simple. Simply place your finger back on the scanner to re-lock the door. Most biometric locks even allow you to add multiple prints to the permission list, so that only the people you choose are able to enter. It seems too good to be true and far too sophisticated to be that simple. Although installation is fairly easy, it is recommended that a professional do it for you. You add your fingerprint to the system by allowing it to be scanned. It is then converted into a numerical algorithm and saved in the lock’s database. Now when you attempt to unlock the door, your fingerprint is scanned and compared with the data stored in the system. Trespassers or unknown fingerprints will not be able to open the door, especially since most fingerprint locks are deadbolts. Biometric door locks cost anywhere between $200 for a lower-end, standard deadbolt model, and up to $1,000 and above for more advanced, secure systems. NICOLE NOGA can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
Museum brings science, art and SO-IL UC Davis’ very own museum of the future
Tornados Back in the 1980s, tornado hotspots only had about five minutes of warning before the tornado struck. Nowadays, that alert time has increased to 13 minutes, giving people invaluable extra time to prepare or escape the tornado’s path. By analyzing weather and satellite data from hundreds of past tornados, meteorologists from the Severe Storms Research Center have developed prediction algorithms that compare current conditions to those that existed before other tornados, and can determine an accurate timeframe in which the tornado can occur. HUDSON LOFCHIE can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
courtesy
An artist’s rendition of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. By EMILY SEFEROVICH Aggie Science Writer
In the face of economic duress, a rather infamous topic of discussion for past years has been, and continues to be, the status of extracurricular programs for pre-collegiate students. Artistic education comprises a plurality of such public programs that have been at the forefront of such controversy. It is in times such as these, when an absolutely essential branch of education finds itself on the precipice of extinction, that those who face the reality of these struggles will inevitably look for reasons to continue fighting. And so, nestled comfortably between the Interstate 80 and the Robert Mondavi facilities on the face of the UC Davis campus, lies the freshly trodden ground of what will become the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art — a beacon of hope and inspiration for artistic communities and architectural enthusiasts nationwide. The design for this 50,000-square-foot building, which will champion existing UC Davis L.E.E.D. sustainability efforts, is an aesthetic intermarriage of scientific and architectural ingenuity and artistic prowess. L.E.E.D. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) is an internationally-recognized green building construction standards agency that measures the sustainability of materials used and overall structural design of a building. The UC Davis campus, which is an international leader in sustainable architecture, is home to a growing number of these L.E.E.D. certified structures. “The design for the new museum at UC Davis turns the traditional model of museum design inside out,” said UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi in a press release. “From its curved glass walls to its soaring canopy, it will draw people in, surprise them, and engage them. All who enter this museum will become students again.” The designs for the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, which have been deliberated upon for several months, have only recently been finalized. The Richard R. Nelson Gallery (located on campus, slightly past the Horticultural Science Center on Old Davis Road), was the temporary home of the three-dimensional models depicting the three potential museum designs. Students, community members and eminent decision-makers, all of whose input was pivotal in determining the final design, decided upon the M.C. Escher-esque structure entitled See SO-IL on 13
Thursday, MAY 23, 2013 | 9
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You’re Majoring in What? Editor’s note: You’re Majoring in What? is a new Aggie column that features students of UC Davis’ lesser-known majors. Tristan Leder is a third-year technocultural studies major. What is technocultural studies (TCS)? Technocultural studies sits at an interesting crossroads between media, art, humanities and, of course, technology. The major focuses on both the critical theory behind all of it, as well as the production side of things. Students are given the opportunity to make music, sound pieces, electronic art installations, documentaries, short films, 3D animations and many other forms of physical and digital art.
Walking a mile
IN HER FEET
UC Davis student leads a shoeless life By MARK BURNSIDE Aggie Features Writer
Elena Piotter may appear to be just another firstyear international relations major, but if you look closely, you can notice one noteworthy feature about her, and it happens to be her feet. Piotter lives her life without the comforts and benefits of shoes, and she does not regret it in the slightest. “To be completely honest, my number one reason for not wearing shoes is that it is more comfortable,” Piotter said. Piotter’s unusual journey started in high school when she participated in a national campaign for TOMS Shoes called One Day without Shoes. The annual event hopes to raise awareness and funds for children’s health and education. Piotter hoped to join the thousands around the globe hoping to stand on this important issue. When she arrived at school free of footwear, however, a campus security guard told her to put on shoes in compliance with state law. “After that, I had always wanted to go shoeless full time, so when I came to Davis, I thought it would be such a large institution that I could just do it and it wouldn’t be noticed by anyone,” Piotter said. In an email interview, assistant director for Student Judicial Affairs Colette Duño confirmed that there is no student conduct policy specific to wearing shoes on campus. This opens the door for Piotter and many other students to express themselves as they see fit. Her decision hasn’t come without resistance, however. Every time she enters the Cuarto Dining Commons, Piotter must join the remainder of society and put on shoes. Branden Petitt, the director of the Office of
Student-run publications emerge this year Davis Beat ceases printing, coincides with national trends BY SASHA COTTERELL and MUNA SADEK Aggie News Writer and Campus News Editor
This year alone, three independent, student-run publications have emerged. The Davis Beat, which made its debut Winter Quarter, the Davis Political Review (DPR), which circulated its first issue on May 1, and The Third World Forum, which resurfaced after years of inactivity. The Davis Beat and DPR utilized the Club Finance Council (CFC) on campus to receive grants for their projects. The Davis Beat received $1,675, but they have recently stopped printing due to a lack of advertising.
Student Development, ensures that the dining policy is not meant to stifle creativity or freedom of expression. “We use the policy to promote public safety and to maintain a certain level of decorum. We are very concerned that guests could possibly step on objects causing injury if stepped on by someone who is barefoot,” Petitt said. That didn’t stop Piotter earlier this year, however. “I was told it was a safety hazard and it wasn’t sanitary. I’ve gotten pretty close to getting written up,” she said. Nonetheless, other than a few incidents with Student Housing, she has experienced no problems from the campus. And Piotter assures any naysayers that the practice is completely safe. “You develop a sixth sense for seeing glass — I’ve only stepped in glass twice. You just adapt. I walk along the white lines on pavement and try not to get off my bike until I am as close as I can get to my destination,” Piotter said. Other concerns surrounding her decision stem from the possible sanitary complications. “A lot of people say it’s unsanitary, but if you think about it, you go into stores and touch things with your hands and pick up germs. But your feet don’t actually touch anything … it’s not like you are touching your face with your feet,” she said. Piotter also offers her advice for those considering her lifestyle. Whatever your motivation for trying it out, this unusual lifestyle can offer adventure, an ecological alternative or even a sense of rebellion to an otherwise humdrum life. “Definitely try it out; you’ll feel hardcore,” Piotter said. MARK BURNSIDE can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
“We’re thinking about going online, but we’ll see if we can make print work. It’s definitely a tough ad market out there. So we’re on hiatus until we figure out our finances … I hope we can keep it going,” said Adrian Glass-Moore, editor in chief of The Davis Beat and third-year East Asian studies major. To continue printing the publication, GlassMoore said he hopes to be able to seek out funds from a variety of sources. He cited a potential combination of advertisements, donations and other grants. DPR also received a grant from CFC, in the amount of $1,077, during Winter Quarter. DPR is currently UC Davis’ first and only commentary publication, created by Alex Tavlian, who said he felt that a campus in such close proximity to the Capitol should have a political magazine. “I transferred to UC Davis this fall and was surprised to discover that, for a campus so close to the State Capitol, there was no outlet for students to write about issues being discussed by the Governor and State Legislature,” Tavlian said, editor in chief of DPR and a third-year political science major. After reading political review magazines from Harvard and UC Berkeley, Tavlian asked his friends in the political science department about their opinions on a political commentary magazine and the process accelerated quickly from there. By December 2012, they elected an editorial and executive board for the magazine. The issue that was released at the beginning of this month included topics like California’s high-speed rail project, gun control laws and the DREAM Act. See PUBLICATIONS on 11
Why did you choose TCS as your major? I came into Davis with extreme interests in Web 2.0 and social media. Specifically, what it was, how it did what it did, and how I could better understand it. Over the past three years, my interests have changed, focusing more on community-based media and independently-developed video games. What jobs can you get with TCS? What do you plan to do? To be quite honest, I could not tell you. Most TCS majors have aspirations of going into either the film, television or music industries, from what I have gathered. The program definitely prepares you for the creation of these various media, but it’s really hard to find a job in those fields. I’ve considered going on to grad school and potential professorships, but who knows. I’d like to make video games too. That’d be chill. What has been your favorite TCS class that you have taken this far? Any you’d recommend? So there are three kinds of kids in TCS: the kids who like to make things, the kids who like to write about the kids who make things, and the kids who like to do a little of both. I’m a kid who likes to write about things, so you’ll have to take my response with a grain of salt. TCS courses are really split down the middle between production and critical studies. TCS 155: Documentary Studies provides a very interesting view at the history of documentary and all of its styles. TCS 151: Topics in Virtuality, is a course that fluctuates topics depending on professor. When I took it, it was called Ghost in the Machine, and focused on the trippy things that happen when humans interface with machines and media. If I see the world through the camera lens of someone’s phone, what does that mean both philosophically and practically? If anyone is interested in taking TCS I would highly recommend checking out TCS 1 or TCS 5. Intro to Technocultural Studies provides a good background on the off-beat topics you may encounter in your classes. Media Archaeology begins to get into the quirky historical and mechanical aspects of media that the upper division courses explore. Who is your favorite professor in TCS? I’m not exaggerating when I say they are literally all so cool. What other department can brag that one of their professors was a prominent journalist reporting on Central American political revolutions, while also being a major player in the experimental music scene? How about making a documentary about the politics of country music? The TCS department has such an interesting group of people teaching its courses that it’s really hard to say. As I mentioned before, I’m more of a studies guy, and I like to study indie games. The courses that I have taken from Kriss Ravetto-Biagioli have really allowed me to pursue my interest from a theoretical perspective. She’s a super smart woman who knows a lot about a lot. What have you learned as a TCS student? I think TCS forces its students to become selfstarters. Look at most humanities majors. Sure, you have this cool degree that you enjoyed getting, but what are you going to do with it? Compare that to a neurology, physiology and behavior, engineering, viticulture or animal science major. Sure, you may not want to go into that field, but at least you have a degree with some practicality. I’m not gonna get a job by telling someone about how they should apply the concept of diegesis to video games. However, the coursework in TCS really teaches students how to self-start and teach themselves the skills that they feel relevant. The teachers give students instructions on how to do certain things, but past a certain point, the students are forced to take the reins and direct their own studies. LILIANA NAVA OCHOA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
10 | Thursday, MAY 23, 2013
BUDGET Cont. from front page
Saturday The meeting was called to order at 10:12 a.m. The Creative Media budget was opened first. Director Alex Park stated that they have a larger need for expenses, but they also are experiencing an increase in income. Because they are creating new website designs, they have developed a way to “brand” the Association and increase reach across campus. Their publicity line item was increased to $1,550 and they have began to charge more for recharge services for other ASUCD units. The Memorial Union Post Office budget was opened next. Unit directors said they are seeing a decrease in income and expenses because they are no longer selling stamps to the Bookstore. They are also no longer receiving flat operating fees and are having trouble predicting sales based on a new contract. The unit is also increasing stipends and salaries because the work period has increased. Senators then moved on to the Picnic Day budget. The unit is spending more money in equipment purchases, and they are planning the Centennial Picnic Day. They are not marketing much because they do not want to draw an overabundance of people to the event. Senators voted to drop the advertising budget from $4,000 to $3,000. The budget was closed without much change. The Project Compost budget was then opened. The unit is seeing lower expenses and does not have a predictable way to forecast income. Unit Director Haley Proehl said they are doing well this year and are operating out of the Student Farm. The Lobby Corps budget was opened and closed promptly, without changes. The Whole Earth Festival budget was visited next. “We’re building our fiscal sustainability for the future for a sustainable event,” Evans said. This budget saw many small changes including a $200 decrease for equipment purchases, an increase in equipment rental from $960 to $1,000, a $400 decrease in the art line item and decreases in the compost and recycling, staff development, dish collection, food, transportation, publicity and parking line items. The hydration line item and replacement reserves saw increases as well. The budget closed with additional supplemental descriptions to the budget. The Campus Center for the Environment saw a decrease in the staff development line item and an increase in programming. The campus club and event coordinator pay was decreased to $35 a week as well. The Cal Aggie Camp budget was opened next. The directors of Cal Aggie Camp felt
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that they were operating on a “skeleton budget,” while some senators felt that they were receiving more money than they need to operate. In the end, the budget was altered in the storage and T-shirts line-items. The storage fee saw a large decrease to $75 from $828 and T-shirts were reduced from $2,500 to $1,525. “We need a critical dissection of these budgets because everyone is struggling right now,” Sagala said. The Pantry budget followed. During discussion of the budget, Unit Director Quincy Kayton said they wanted to increase publicity and awareness of The Pantry. She also discussed the amount for computer equipment, reduced from $420 to $180. The Aggie Threads budget was then opened. Director Dan Caldwell discussed how the printer has not been functioning properly, and for that reason, they did not meet their projected revenue. The budget closed. Vice President Bradley Bottom’s budget was then seen. Bottoms said he had to make small cuts with a tight budget. It closed quickly. Sandstrom pointed out that she had been using some of the vice president’s budget, as her budget was used up by the previous ASUCD president. The Entertainment Council budget was opened next. The table discussed making The Buzz, a campuswide fall welcome event, directed not just to first-year students. The unit said they are seeing higher maintenance costs and will attempt to bring more midsize shows, with new types of artists that would attract a variety of students. The City and County Affairs budget was then seen. Sandstrom wanted the table to motion to change the name to City and Community Relations to make it more attractive to prospective applicants. The table discussed first-year voter registration and the unit’s role in it. They said they can reach out to first-year students in Quarto, as they are able to vote in city elections, unlike residents of other residence halls. Meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Sunday Meeting called to order at 10:17 a.m. Senate started the day with the AggieTV budget. “I’m really happy to see a decrease in subsidy but an increase in operation,” Sagala said. The table discussed how increasing the income would make the unit more commercialized. Sagala said that she believed the unit is an outlet for students to be creative and should not be viewed as one chiefly for generating income. The Campus Copies/Classical Notes
SPERM Cont. from front page
“I thought [the concept] was interesting, especially because I don’t know what will be happening with the rest of my life — so it’d be cool to [say] I potentially had kids but without actually having personal kids,” Frederick said. Because one thawed sample may contain 20 million motile sperm, there may be concern for sperm donors fathering too many children. However, some programs, such as the Sperm Bank of California, limit sperm donors to 10 families. This ensures that there will not be too many children with the same DNA in the same geographic area. While eggs are produced over longer periods of time, the egg donation process looks quite different. One procedure generally involves removing six to eight eggs. This idea of passing on genes for future generations, without necessarily having to raise kids, gives some students a sense of accomplishment. It also appealed to Kaleigh Robinson, a fourth-year animal science major, who decided to register to become an egg donor. “I realized that … as a smart person and generally healthy person, I felt there was some sort of responsibility to pass those genes on, and if I didn’t want to do that myself I could still have my genes in the next generation,” Robinson said. Robinson initially felt attracted to the idea because of the monetary incentive, but in the end her primary desire to become an egg donor was to help families unable to conceive. “I think it’s really terrible for people who would be great parents to be unable to have their own children,” Robinson said. While Robinson registered with the Davis Fertility
STRIKE Cont. from front page
budget was then seen. The unit has received more printers and a new website by Creative Media. Unit Director Jessica Fitzhugh said she is looking to bring more readers on campus and buy better printers to remain competitive. The table discussed raising income, but Fitzhugh said she would rather maintain the same income goal at $84,300. The table motioned to open the KDVS budget. Unit Director Renner Burkle said the unit is in a transition period, as they are switching from their old tower to a newer one. The unit has to pay for both towers during the transition, but anticipates making more money once the unit expands. Burkle said they would be lowering their income line item, as they do not make as much as projected during fundraisers. He also said a lot of equipment is breaking that they have had to replace it. After Senate closed the budget, Business and Finance Commission chair Rylan Schaeffer said the Senate shouldn’t have given KDVS a subsidy increase when the unit already spent over $30,000 for the new tower and hasn’t seen a change in revenue. Senate moved on to the Refrigerator Services (RS) budget. Unit Director Eddie Truong said that while the budget implements stipend positions, he would rather pay the employees hourly due to the difference in working hours each quarter. Evans and other members of the table said the stipend model makes more sense and that that’s what most other ASUCD units do. “Going to stipend puts more accountability on expense,” Evans said. Truong said this pay does not motivate students to work. “Historically, this unit is always being punished. We make a lot of money for this association so I don’t understand why we are giving deference to individuals who don’t know what they’re talking about,” Truong said. After a break to open other budgets, the table passed a motion for hourly pay, in an 8-1-3 vote, changing pay to $8 per hour for 20 weeks, resulting in a total of $800. The California Aggie budget was opened. Evans said that the budget is going to be a realistic evaluation of the financial status of the paper. Because this is a Campus Media Board unit, the table could either accept or reject the whole budget, but no changes could be made to it without media board approval. “We are lowering our expenses in salaries. They’ve taken large cuts to make those changes happen... We are planning for a problem,” Evans said. Janelle Bitker, unit director and editor in chief of the California Aggie, said that printing costs are estimated to decrease from $80,000 to $35,000 by printing only once a week. The unit is anticipating a deficit of roughly $17,000.
Clinic, which offered a set price of $5,000 to egg donors, other programs offer up to $10,000 and others even compensate the donor for more than that. The fertility drugs that egg donors take cause about a dozen of the thousand recruited eggs to become ready for ovulation, instead of just one egg. Thus, the eggs donated are some of the eggs that would normally die during that menstrual cycle, not eggs that would be used in the future for a pregnancy. Sperm donors make more based on how often they go into the facility to donate. The Sperm Bank of California, for example, pays a minimum of $800 along with a bonus of $750 after a referred friend has been in the program for six months. Jezzie Zimbardo, who is a community counselor at the UC Davis Student Health and Counseling Services, has been an egg donor and surrogate herself, and has a partner who donated sperm. Zimbardo notes that very few donors ever regret their decision. “Most donors are screened pretty carefully up front, and have a very thorough understanding of what they are getting into. They are encouraged to think pretty hard up front about whether they will feel disturbed by having biological offspring they may never know,” Zimbardo said. Frederick decided not to become a sperm donor just yet because he did not feel ready to be a biological parent. “If I do make the decision [to become a sperm donor] I would want to be a potential support figure for that kid if something ended up happening, but am I prepared to do that? No, so I don’t think I want to donate yet,” Frederick said. Donors are given the option to either remain anonymous, to have their information available to the biologi-
Health Sciences and Services at the UC. Both the UC and AFSCME 3299 have expressed the desire to come to an agreement through bargaining. “This is certainly not the first time that we have engaged in this conversation and this struggle and of course we hope that it will be the last. We are prepared to continue in good-faith bargaining after the strike,” Stenhouse said. Frontline care workers returned to work May 22.
technical workers and 2,000 hospital service workers to abstain from the strike. On May 20, Sacramento Superior Court Judge David I. Brown ruled that about 100 patient care workers would be required to work during the strike. “In terms of the financial impact we estimate from the strike, the cost to our medical centers will be about $20 million,” said Dr. John Stobo, senior vice president for LAUREN MASCARENHAS can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
The Experimental College budget was opened. The unit lowered their income and expense projections. They are also looking to develop a cohesive marketing strategy. They passed the budget with ease at $55,000 in income. The ASUCD President’s budget was seen next. Senator Maxwell Kappes said he is appreciative of the cuts Sandstrom made, and he liked the idea of more collaboration between branches because that would lead to more accountability. The only change in this budget was an increase in equipment purchases from $407 to $820 and a reduction in the Chief of Staff pay by $10. Internal Affairs Commission budget was then opened. The unit saw small increases in certain line items. The Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission budget followed and saw a decrease from $2,500 to $1,800. The Presidents budget decreased all commissions’ budgets, as they previously gave money to ethnic graduations and opted to preemptively move those funds. Aaron Hsu, Elections Committee chair, said he wants to hire more interns. The table said he should try to divide work between current employees and volunteers. The Environmental Policy and Planning Commission saw an $800 cut last year, but they said they cannot cut anymore. Not many changes were made to the budget, The Gender and Sexuality Commission proposed a $190 cut to the unit. They said that the majority of their budget would be used for scholarships and events. They said that the amount of money corresponds to the amount of money being used for their work, and it would be hard to accept any more budget cuts. Senators motioned to cut dollars from various line items in small amounts. The table discussed adding a surplus to next year’s Educational Opportunity Program grants. They work with a rate of $2 per students at 25,260 student per quarter. The table reopened the Elections Committee budget, and opted to close the budget at $3,500 after discussing the importance of getting students out to vote. The ASUCD Controller’s budget was then opened. The table lowered the pay in a 9-3-0 vote, but immediately voted to raise pay back to its original amount after some senators suggested it was a bad idea. Thomas, who called for pay cuts throughout budget hearings, pointed out that it was necessary to consider all parts of the budget, even if it meant decreasing pay. “Budget hearings is not a personal thing, it’s to get the numbers right so we can make it a better association for the students,” Thomas said. Meeting adjourned at 11:30 p.m.
cal child upon the child’s 18th birthday or to have information always available to the family of the intended parents. Zimbardo believes that giving the intended family the option for contact is the best option. “It is generally best for offspring to have some information about their biological origins, as secrets in this area often lead to damaging fallout. However, whether there should be personal, ongoing contact with a donor is going to vary depending on the people and circumstances involved,” Zimbardo said. Unlike Frederick, Robinson opted to remain anonymous to any receiving family. “It’s not my kid,” Robinson said. “If I’m going to give this gift to someone, I want them to understand that this is their child, and they don’t have to worry about me butting into their lives.” Zimbardo states that the donors are not legally the parents, even if they share DNA with the offspring of the intended parents. Although donors are not held responsible for contact with their biological offspring, the question of eugenics and super babies still remains. Different programs vary on their specifications — some offer more compensation to donors with certain physical characteristics, such as being taller or having a rare eye color. Robinson approaches this argument with the idea of natural selection and said that in the end, donors give genes to families who may have weaker genes, specifically in the case of fertility. “I think that’s a really great way to approach it ethically, to keep the genetics of our species at a better level,” Robinson said. ALYSSA KUHLMAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
Thursday, MAY 23, 2013 | 11
The california aggie
survey Cont. from page 4
universities such as UC Riverside and Stanford University are known to give students incentives for completing them, such as making grades available to students earlier. He said that there are no current plans to implement this. Online course evaluations are not completely new to UC Davis, as The School of Veterinary Medicine and the School of Education have their own systems in place — the School of Veterinary Medicine has had one since 1997. Unless written consent is granted from a faculty member, survey results are only available to a limited group of individuals and not to the general public, due to privacy restrictions. Currently, a number of review cycles have been carried out and a sample survey has been sent to a handful of department listservs. According to de Ropp, a limited trial could be released in Summer Session II. “With something this big, there needs to be an extensive trial,” de Ropp said.
with ACE. Some exceptions are internships and research courses.” Scantron course evaluations are processed by one person, de Ropp said, and can take up to six months before results are tabulated. In time, he added, he believes that the online surveys might one day replace hardcopy course evaluations. Daniel Potter, former SET chair and professor of plant sciences, said his committee was asked by the Academic Senate to consider the implications of having an online survey system in 2010. He said that the teaching evaluations that students complete are the primary source of data on the quality of teaching. “They give instructors some information on what’s working, what isn’t working, what students like, students’ level of satisfaction,” he said. “It gives students a really important opportunity to express their input, and hopefully realize that it does make a difference.” De Ropp said that he has heard of some cases where response rates will decrease once paper evaluations MUNA SADEK can be reached at campus@ become available online, and some theaggie.org.
chickens Cont. from page 5
startup
store. “We sell smoke accessories, sex toys and party equipment on our site and offer delivery services. One of the reasons it’s all online is because we were concerned about customer anonymity,” the student said. “Some customers might not feel particularly comfortable browsing an actual store for some of our products, namely the sex toys, so we thought it was important to offer an online alternative to potentially make people feel more comfortable.” The student said that the company began because they saw a market in Davis for their product. “I just see a market for this kind of product in our town. It’s not fair to just have one shop monopolize the local market and be able to overcharge customers,” she said. Though students who start on their own may not have initially utilized programs such as Davis Roots or PBE, they can still access these programs if they are looking to gain experience. Bockwinkel said the goal of their meetings is to promote businesses and build connections. “We find and meet people who have similar needs and wants, and get to bond. It is a mix of business and friendship. There is a sense of community and camaraderie while also promoting businesses,” Bockwinkel said.
Cont. from page 4
Bob Bockwinkel, a sponsoring member and residential real estate agent with Lyon Real Estate, said the PBE is a network of business people in Davis who come together to share ideas and marketing strategies, to gain connections and to socialize. To join the group, a membership fee is required. However, Bockwinkel said that nonmembers or students looking for an opportunity are free to join the meetings. “We have not set up a program for student startup businesses specifically, but we do it spontaneously. Non-member students have dropped in before and are always welcome to come to our meetings if [they] are looking for more connections,” Bockwinkel said. “You simply should come early, introduce yourself and tell us what you do — talk about your passions or possible business idea.” The PBE meets from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. the first and third Wednesdays of each month, except for December, where they meet only the first Wednesday of the month. To be a sponsoring member, the dues are $105 per quarter and $10 per lunch. Some students choose to begin on their own. A second-year student, who wishes to remain anonymous, is a partner of SmokeDavis.com, an online smoke shop and sex toy MELISSA GAHERTY can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
“Roosters, however, are illegal within city limits,” Ruud said. According to section 5.01.020 of the Davis Municipal Code, it is also unlawful to keep more than six chickens. The structure the chickens are housed in must be sanitary, at least 40 feet away from any residence other than that of the chicken owner and “the keeping of such animals shall not create a health or nuisance problem.”
beyond this event. “Our mission is to be dynamically engaged with the arts in Davis,” Gilbride said. “We offer classes taught by amazing teaching artists, although we’re expanding. Not everyone can attend a class for four weeks, so we’ve started to offer more drop-in and take-home projects. We’re about connecting the values of the town and exploring what it is Sustainability and safety to be a local arts center.” According to Ruud, the bicycling element of the route incorporates another aspect of sustainability in Davis that Perks of the coops the event emphasizes beyond sustainable food: sustainable Collecting eggs in one’s own backyard is about as local transport. as one can get in regard to fowl-related food. The route, which is approximately 15 miles, is selfRuud said not only do backyard chickens allow people guided, although participants are provided with a map to to collect their own eggs, but between the time the chicken explore the various coops at their leisure. stops laying eggs and before it has died, many will opt to eat The event coordinators take great care to ensure there the chicken as well. Others may choose to give them away. is no cross-contamination from coop-to-coop. Participants Chickens are inexpensive and easy to care for compared are not allowed to touch the chickens or enter the coops, to most other pets, according to BackYardChickens.com, but according to Ruud, cross-contamination can occur a website which promotes the “green, self-sufficient and simply from walking through the backyard if there is pargrow local movements by educating people on how to ticulate matter present. raise chickens properly.” Other measures taken during the event, according to According to the website, eggs from backyard chickens a Tour de Cluck document titled “Chicken Health and are more nutritious than those bought in stores, contain- Safety,” include spray bottles of disinfectant at each coop ing higher levels of vitamin A, vitamin E and beta-carotene. for visitors to clean the bottom of their shoes, as recomChickens also provide a less synthetic method of control- mended by the American Poultry Association (APA). ling pests and providing fertilizer. Hand sanitizer will also be provided at each coop, and
BUSINESS Cont. from page 5
given in specific categories, such as “ease of starting a business,” “health and safety” and “regulations,” among other things. “In surveying thousands of small businesses across America, we found that clear and consistent regulations and relevant training programs are among the most important factors in determining how they view their region’s friendliness,” said Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack.com in a press release. “Given the enormous size and importance of California’s economy, it is particularly important that state and local officials listen to the concerns of the state’s small business owners and provide them with an environment conducive to growth and success.” In Davis, it appears that many small business owners share similar concerns. At least two business owners in the City of Davis said the Americans with Disabilities
PUBLICATIONS Cont. from page 9
Act (ADA) has caused problems for them in the past. Alzada Knickerbocker, who has owned The Avid Reader in downtown Davis for the past 26 years, was sued for non-compliance with the ADA’s parking lot regulations when she had just barely moved into the space. Knickerbocker’s main complaint was that she received no warning about the non-compliance before she was sued. “[With this kind of approach] you’re going to close businesses down, or drive them out of state,” Knickerbocker said. Another business owner in the area, Ken Bradford, owner of Ken’s Bike and Ski, was forced to weld a door closed in his shop years ago because it didn’t comply with the ADA’s standards of wheelchair accessibility. The welding made the door completely unusable to anyone. “We work on wheelchairs in my shop — it’s not that we don’t want to be accommodating, but sometimes the way that laws are
the document suggests that those with free-range chickens may want to isolate their birds in an enclosure for several days prior to the event and hose down the yard to reduce particulate matter. More events Other Tour de Cluck events include the Fowl Food Frolic, during which some local businesses such as the Davis Graduate and Dos Coyotes will be offering signature Tour de Cluck dishes benefiting Farm to Fork. The Frolic lasts through May 25. Any customer who orders a Fowl Food Frolic dish will also receive a free raffle ticket for the Fowl Food Finale at Sutter Davis Hospital on June 1, during which various prizes will be raffled off, ranging from wine to pet supplies. Ongoing Tour de Cluck events include Chicken Skool, free talks about various topics related to backyard chicken keeping, and Community Crowers on the Green, during which local nonprofits such as Cool Davis and the Center for Animal Welfare — based out of the UC Davis Animal Science Department — will be at Central Park during the event to answer questions. “So many more organizations are working together and more people are involved than ever before,” Ruud said. “It’s really about promoting the way we live in this town: healthy, sustainable and connected to agriculture. MEREDITH STURMER can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
enforced is ridiculous,” Bradford said. Effective Jan. 11, a California Senate bill was passed to keep lawyers from sending threatening letters before legal proceedings, and reduced the minimum fine for violations of ADA regulations. “Davis is a little easier to do business in than it used to be,” Bradford said. Others agree with Bradford’s sentiment, shown by the improvement of a D to an F grade in the past year. Additionally, business owners are concerned about minimum wage raises. Knickerbocker said she is worried about the effect proposed minimum wage raises in California could have on small businesses who are unable to absorb that sort of profit cut. “[An increase in minimum wage] means less hiring and fewer jobs. Legislators are not aware or appreciative of business needs,” Knickerbocker said. Another reason that small businesses struggle is because they sometimes have
dramatic drop-off in advertising revenue, in even the bigger, daily student papers, that he said he would consider the “A-list of student press.” Reimold said another emerging trend today is a reinvention of how one would come to define student papers. “A small group of papers [is] trying to reinvent what students think of when they think of the student paper, in terms of existing as more than just a news vehicle,” Reimold said. Reimold, who created and runs the leading student press blog in the U.S., College Media Matters, said that surveys are finding that people between the ages of 18 and 24 on campuses are not picking up their campus newspapers in print as often as they used to. There are also multiple mediums, and in the case of UC Davis, multiple student publications that are vying for the attention of the student body. The University of Wisconsin, Madison has been able to sustain two competing student publications, The Daily Cardinal and The Badger Herald, until most recently The Herald announced its decision to stop printing daily and opt to publish increasingly online, he added. “It depends on how you look at it in terms of who won — some would say The Daily Cardinal won because they are the long remaining print paper. Some would say The Daily Herald is going to be the ultimate winner because they’re trying to innovate first,” he said.
“The benefit DPR has, as a nonpartisan commentary magazine, is that each issue acts as a mosaic of opinions from all across the political spectrum on issues that Americans talk about regularly,” Tavlian said. Tavlian hopes that the magazine can eventually expand beyond the scope of the UC Davis campus and be distributed around the State Capitol. In addition to The Davis Beat and DPR, The Third World Forum has resurfaced this spring after not printing for several years. The independent, student-run political zine had its debut in 1971 and was once funded by ASUCD. The Third World Forum has a mission to stand against all forms of oppression, including racism, Zionism, sexism and heterosexism. “We believe that the University of California has been designed to promote and uphold the system of imperialism and racism, which dominated the United States,” the mission statement stated. According to Dan Reimold, college journalism scholar and assistant journalism professor at the University of Tampa, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain print publications on college campuses. “The sad reality is that the trend at the moment is toward less advertising, less readers and more trouble in print, which certainly is not good news for these startup publications,” Reimold said. SASHA COTTERELL and MUNA SADEK can be reached at camHe adds that there has been a very recent and pus@theaggie.org.
trouble competing with the prices that larger retailers can offer. “Customers like the idea of small businesses, but still expect small businesses to compare to bigger businesses, which isn’t always possible,” said Maia Sturges, the owner of The Paint Chip in downtown Davis. Parking can often be an issue in Davis, especially for stores that aren’t large enough to have their own parking lots. “Downtown Davis does put effort into keeping small businesses healthy, but it’s hard to compete with the convenience that larger businesses offer,” Sturges said. Knickerbocker believes that small businesses play a large role in Davis. “[Small businesses] are the essence of freedom and democracy; they’re where we began, with personal relationships that are involved in the community,” Knickerbocker said. TAYLOR CUNNINGHAM can be reached at city@ theaggie.org.
RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE THE AGGIE RECYCLE
SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES DO NOT WORK
12 | Thursday, MAY 23, 2013
The california aggie
FOR RELEASE JANUARY 8, 2013
Notice to Readers CONTACT US Address: 25 Lower Freeborn Hall, UCD One Shields Ave. Davis, CA 95616 Editorial: (530) 752-0208 Advertising: (530) 752-0365 Fax: (530) 752-0355 Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9 A.M.- 4 P.M.
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle CROSSWORD Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Allow in 6 Behind the times 11 Keg insert 14 Nasty 15 Idol whose fans are called Claymates 16 Acapulco article 17 Traditional Christmas dessert 19 ER personnel 20 Swings about 21 Crunchy snack 23 LeBron James, e.g. 26 Ruler in old St. Petersburg 27 __ Diamond 30 Sweet spread 32 More than vexation 33 Red Army leader Trotsky 34 Run-of-the-mill 35 Liquid-Plumr rival 37 Jamaican music genre 39 Something to skip at the beach 42 Bollywood dress 44 Face cream ingredient 46 Kenny G plays one 47 Fiber-rich cereal 50 Hung on to 51 “Show Boat” novelist Ferber 52 Roger with 17 Grand Slam wins 54 Shrinking Asian lake 56 Scary bacteria 59 Downturn 60 Coffee break treat 64 “Little Red Book” chairman 65 Chipped in a chip 66 Comics friend of Nancy 67 Windup 68 Dallied (with) 69 Helped with dinner cleanup— or, a hint to the relationship between the starts of 0-/17-Across and 47-/30Across
By C.C. Burnikel
DOWN 1 Dangerous reptile in the Nile delta 2 Pol. convention attendees 3 Rough up 4 Not susceptible 5 Laid-back sort 6 Push-up bra feature 7 It may be financial 8 Slopes headwear 9 Men of La Mancha 10 Career for a sci. major 11 Sets free 12 Once-a-year bloomer 13 60-Across, for one 18 Grammarian’s concern 22 Explosive experiment 24 Sellout signs, briefly 25 Big mug 27 Holed up 28 NHL legend Bobby 29 Well-matched pair 31 No-way man?
1/8/13 5/16/2013 - puzzle solved Monday’s Puzzle Solved
(c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
33 “Tank Girl” star Petty 36 Sounding stuffy 38 Winglike parts 40 Short rest 41 Office contact no. 43 Really hot spot 45 No right __: traffic sign 47 Software installation info file 48 Rocky’s love
1/8/13
49 Loveliness 50 Swedish currency 53 Digital greeting 55 Lovers’ clash 57 Taylor of “Mystic Pizza” 58 One of the Antilles 61 Alumna bio word 62 Teacher’s deg. 63 Coal carrier
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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.
Thursday, MAY 23, 2013 | 13
The california aggie
backstop Still the Kings with KENNETH LING • sports@theaggie.org
By KENNETH LING Aggie Sports Editor
The NBA has a history of favoring “large market” teams such as Los Angeles and Boston. As a business model, this makes sense. The larger the market, the higher the likelihood of selling more seats and making more money. But in an era where “small market” teams like the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers have had tremendous recent success, it seems as if these “small market” teams have validated their positions in the NBA. The NBA almost lost another up-andcoming “small market” team in the Sacramento Kings. A group of Seattle investors, led by Chris Hansen, approached the Sacramento Kings’ majority owners, the Maloof brothers, to purchase the Kings and relocate the team to Seattle. As most of you probably know, the NBA wisely stopped this plan. A move to Seattle would have caused lasting ramifications to not only Sacramento but the
Kings’ organization as well. everywhere. After all, no person wants The Maloof brothers sold their shares to support a losing team. However, in to billionaire Vivek Ranadive. Ranadive a smaller market, like Oklahoma City has no desire of moving the Kings from or Sacramento, there tend to be more Sacramento, and in fact, is trying to build serious and dedicated followers of teams a new arena for the Kings to play in. regardless of their records. A move to For example, Seattle would be a though Sacramento catastrophic disashas been near the A move to Seattle would bottom of attendance ter. Take the Oklahave caused lasting homa City Thunder, ratings in the past formerly the Seattle ramifications to not only few years, the hardSupersonics, who core fans still consisSacramento but the left Seattle for the tently attend games Kings’ organization ... smaller-market city in high percentages. after the 2007-08 The question season. The Thunis not if the Sacrader has attained great success and hasn’t mento market is large enough to sustain looked back. a professional basketball team, but how Why did Seattle fail while Oklahoma the Kings can attract the average fan. The City prevailed? Easy. Seattle, being the answer is winning. metropolis that it is, has an abundance of Winning draws the average sports fan other options for entertainment, which to events. The Golden State Warriors for breeds casual fans. years have been a team with intense fans The result is a disinterest in medioand a mediocre basketball team. When cre basketball. I realize that this occurs the Warriors finally got things clicking
Aggie football to start
Goulden era Coach Ron Gould hopes to bring UC Davis football to new heights By SHAUN MONCADA Aggie Sports Writer
As the Aggies took their celebratory kneel down in a 34-27 victory against Sacramento State in the 59th annual Causeway Classic, Bob Biggs could not have found a better way to end his 20-year run as UC Davis football head coach. “I do not really know when everything hit me,” said Biggs. “When we took a knee, the world seemed to go by so fast, but slow at the same time. I thought, ‘Wow, this is coming to an end,’ and I wanted to take it all in. It was emotional for the players as well. There are no words to say how much gratitude I have.” As coach Biggs ends his coaching career at Davis; leaving behind a career record of 144-85-1, finishing with a 16-4 record of the Causeway Classic, 2009 Great West Conference Coach of the Year, and coaching the Aggies from Division II to the Big Sky Conference, his legacy will be forever etched in Davis lore. Now, newly selected coach Ron Gould must take the reins of the football program. “We had three legendary coaches in Jim Sochor, Bob Foster and Bob Biggs,” said Gould. “Replacing those coaches, there is always pressure. But I have the expectation for myself. Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve always had high expectations. Regardless of who the coach is or who I am preceding, I need to make sure my standards are high for myself, for this team.” Gould will be stepping in to help guide a program which has big ambitions for the future. UC Davis hopes to continue the upward trend of improvement in its football program, maybe even one day being on the same level as some of the other UC schools. “This university is prestigious,” Gould said. “When you talk about UC’s, you think of some of the pre-eminent schools in the country. I fell in love with this school the first time I visited. I really felt this place has an opportunity to be special.” Signing a five-year deal, Gould is hopeful for the upcoming season. “I am very pleased with the team. We were able to implement a new offense as well as a new defense. The players responded well. I am very encouraged and optimistic about the upcoming season,” Gould said Ron Gould was a 16-year assistant head coach at California, and becomes just the 16th head coach in the nearly century-long history of the Aggie football program. Gould joins the Aggies after an impressive run at Berkeley, where he developed eventual NFL players such as Marshawn Lynch, Justin Forsett, Jahvid Best, Shane Vereen and Will Ta’ufo’ou, all of whom are contributing significantly to their football teams. Gould’s work as the running back coach throughout the 1997-2007 seasons produced impressive results for California. The Golden Bears enjoyed their best rushing seasons in more than half a century, averaging 256.8 yards per game, while scoring a schoolrecord 30 rushing touchdowns. Nine of the program’s top 11 individual rushing seasons, as well as six of Cal’s all time-top rushers, were under the direction of Gould. “What made those players at Cal special was that they trusted me on what to do,” Gould said. “They allowed me to coach them extremely hard, and help them develop their talent. When I told them something wasn’t good enough, there was [no ‘ifs, ands or buts].’ They understood they needed to get better.” Coach Gould also served NFL internships with the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers, and was a candidate for the 2010 American Football Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award. As head coach, Gould made his first recruiting class an impressive one, signing 15 outstanding student-athletes to letters of intent, which include eight on the offensive side of the ball. Have the Aggies struck coaching gold? Only time will tell, but they sure look to be heading in the right direction. SHAUN MONCADA can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
SMART Cont. from page 8
environment creates a need for science to be taken out of the lab and into the field. However, the tools taken to the field must be designed to leave a minimal impact on the environment and be durable enough to survive harsh conditions. Graphene represents a potential solution to many of these problems. The ultra-thin nature of graphene naturally lends itself to tasks like water filtration. With graphene’s strength, sheets of it could theoretically produce more clean water from the same amount of energy as a conventional, thicker, fibrous filtration system. Graphene’s applications extend farther into the everyday than water treatment. The material’s properties have many game-changing implications for the consumer industry as well. The fact that graphene is both lightweight and flexible provides new avenues in terms of both power storage and circuitry for another generation. Prototypes of flexible screens and computer chips have been developed by Samsung and IBM. These devices could revolutionize mobile technologies by decreasing weight and increasing durability. Tablets and smartphones could be revolutionized by future iterations of these technologies. If we’re talking about improving mobile technology, let’s talk about power. Any electronic device is essentially a completed circuit. In order for a circuit to function, there needs to be a difference in electrical potential at each end of the circuit. This has been traditionally accomplished with batteries and alternating current fixtures like wall sockets. Another mechanism capable of powering a circuit is a capacitor, two conductive surfaces separated by an insulator that can be used to maintain a charge gradient. While capacitors can be charged relatively quickly, they typically discharge too quickly to serve as the primary power source for consumer electronics. Researchers at UCLA have utilized graphene to provide new innovations in powering devices. A graphene supercapacitor, otherwise known as a “supercap” by UCLA chemist Ric Kaner, functions very much like a capacitor in the sense that it can maintain an electrical gradient and charge very quickly. However, due to the behavior of electrons in the material, the charge dissipates more slowly than in traditional capacitors. The result is a capacitor that has a much greater potential to power consumer devices. The technology is still in the developmental stages. As of now, the supercaps may be best used in
SO-IL Cont. from page 8
SO-IL, designed by Ivy-League architects Jing Liu and Florian Idenburg. “The Central Valley breathes a spirit of optimism,” the designers stated in a press release. “Whether one is influenced by the sweeping views over the flat plains beyond to the horizon, or the sense of empowerment one feels when being able to cultivate and grow freely, the spirit of this place is one of invention and imagination. It is precisely this spirit we capture in our architectural proposal for the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.” The designers see the museum as more than just a well-designed building. It represents a paradigm shift in the way humans interact with the environment. “We believe it will be the first platinum museum in the country, and we have various ambitious plans for the building,” said Gary Dahl, the UC Davis Department of Design and Construction Management project manager for SO-IL. “… We want the building to be a place for students to gather and spend time. Even though we are aware that the museum will be a little far from the core of campus, we want to ensure that it will become a part of the student experience.” The SO-IL structure features sustainable design and materials worthy of L.E.E.D. Platinum certification, the highest sustainability label attainable. These materials, which are still under consideration, will
this year, the average sports fans attended more games and the overall revenue for the team increased. The Warriors are a perfect model for the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have the atmosphere and the dedicated fans coming to games nightly. They simply need to win some games to attract the rest. I believe that the Kings have the talent to succeed and play winning basketball. With players like DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans, the team is missing only a few pieces and is most likely a coaching change away from playoff basketball. Clearly, the Sacramento community can offer the Kings much more than a city like Seattle. The dedicated fans are a resource that the NBA almost squandered, and once the team starts winning, it can become a feel-good story NBA should be proud of. KENNETH LING can be given Kings home game e-tickets at sports@theaggie.org.
conjunction with existing metal batteries. The quickcharging supercap could be used to slowly recharge the slower battery and keep a device like a phone or a car powered on with less time wasted on charging. “As forms of carbon improve, we’re hoping to encroach on the territory of traditional batteries,” Kaner said when describing how the technology isn’t quite ready to replace batteries altogether. Conventional batteries are utilized because there had been no prior alternative to compactly storing electric charge with a slow rate of discharge other than through the use of metals such as lithium. Since graphene technology is carbon-centric, the possibilities for metabolism of graphene products in nature are much more readily available. Despite the numerous advantages of systems dependent on graphene, the progress of the technology has been limited due to issues stemming from production limitations. The original approach to producing graphene was to treat graphite with acid and then purify the product. The process worked, but left a bit to be desired. The purification wasn’t cheap and kept graphene development costs prohibitively high. Fortunately, several new strategies have emerged for efficiently producing graphene. Terry Brookshire and his colleagues at Graphene Technologies are working to improve the efficiency of the process by forgoing graphite entirely. “Our process utilizes the combustion of carbon dioxide and metals like magnesium. The result is an almost exothermic reaction that leave[s] us with magnesium oxide and graphene sheets. Furthermore, different metals and techniques could be used to produce different forms of graphene with varied commercial applications,” Brookshire said. The Kaner Lab at UCLA is researching the effects of exposing liquid graphite oxide to light photons. The result is a thin sheet of graphene ready for use in industry. Ultimately, creative applications of graphene have the potential to dramatically change the way people interact with the world around them by making products more efficient, mobile and flexible. Despite all the research going into the medium, there are still many undiscovered possibilities. In the words of Konstantin Novoselov, applied physicist from the University of Manchester, “We still haven’t explored our imagination completely yet because it really has a combination of unique properties.” ALAN LIN can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
contribute to the architectural form of the building that appears to almost defy gravity. The entryway to the museum will feature a swooping lattice canopy that rises over and encases the museum body, and the interior, an optical illusion that will utilize advanced horticultural and interior design techniques in order to create an intermingling of outdoor and indoor environments. “It was very important to the architects to make it difficult for museum visitors to determine whether or not they are inside or outside — arboretum horticultural specialists have been consulted to make this possible,” mentioned museum director Rachel Teagle. “Determination of construction materials for SO-IL are nowhere near final, but the design is aspiring for the L.E.E.D. Platinum certification — a really important reason why this [SO-IL] design, in particular, rose to the top.” Ultimately, the design of the structure and the diversity within are meant to be reminiscent of the patch-worked Central Valley landscape — symbolism that both literary fanatics and scientific research wizards will, for once, simultaneously be able to appreciate. Developers hope the space will not only become an excellent, multi-purpose destination for students (past, current and prospective), it will also serve as an exciting venue for campus visitors, architectural enthusiasts and artistic aficionados. EMILY SEFEROVICH can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
14 | Thursday, MAY 23, 2013
The california aggie
backstop Davis baseball to end season finale against the Gauchos UC Davis attempts to end season on a high note Teams: UC Davis vs UC Santa
Women’s track and field are champions once again Aggies claim second straight Big West title
BIJAN AGAHI / AGGIE
Barbara Records: Aggies, 19-34
(5-19); Gauchos, 31-22 (14-10)
By KENNETH LING Aggie Sports Editor
Where: Dobbins Stadium —
Davis, Calif. When: May 23 at 2:30 p.m.;
May 24 at 2:30 p.m.; May 25 at 1 p.m.
Who to watch? Coming off their final road games of the season, the Aggies are stinging from the sweep from Hawai’i last weekend. The Aggies must rebound as they are headed back home to play their final games of the season against UC Santa Barbara. One significant contributor to the Aggies has been sophomore Tino Lipson. Lipson moved from shortstop to outfield at the beginning of the season, and his versatile offensive and defensive skill set have been a significant contribution to the team. In fact, Lipson has seen much playing time at many different positions, including shortstop, left field, designated hitter and second base. Over Lipson’s last 14 games, he has improved his batting average to .340 — second best on the team — and is hitting a team-best .407 in conference play. It has been all about getting on bases and wreaking havoc on the basepaths for Lipson, as 43 of his 48 at-bats have been singles, and he has recorded 10 hits in his last 16 at-bats. He also has a team-high nine stolen bases. Did you know: UC Davis leads the Big West with a .289 team batting average. The Aggies have been getting their hits featuring four players batting .300 or better, which include junior Nick Lynch, sophomore Tino Lipson, senior Austin Logan and junior Steven Patterson.
The Aggies also have three players hitting at over .280. Freshman pitcher Spencer Henderson has also been getting it done as a utility player, hitting .400 in his last 30 at-bats including a double, a triple, two RBI and seven runs scored. Preview: The Aggies are finally back home after completing their final road matchups against Hawai’i, and now hope to finish out the season with a series win against the Gauchos. UC Davis has been able to hold its own in the Big West offensively, posting a conference leading .289 batting average and totalling 512 hits over the last 50 games. With the Aggies heading back to Dobbins Stadium, they can look back at their seven-game road span with some positivity. Although winning only three of their seven games, the Aggies have shown flashes of brilliance. UC Davis wins have included a series victory at Pacific and an offensive slugfest at St. Mary’s, showing that the Aggies are still fighting until the end. A highlight of their last seven games was a 2-0 shutout of Pacific, which saw junior pitcher Harry Stanwyck pitching the Aggies’ first shutout of his career. While coach Vaughn saw this shutout as no surprise, it may remain quite a surprise for the rest of the conference, as Aggie pitching has a 5.25 team ERA. However, UC Davis has remained confident in its five freshmen arms throughout
the season. During the seven-game road span, freshman Dan Gallagher was able to pick up his first career victory over St. Mary’s in a 16-12 shootout. As the Gauchos head to Davis, a series win will not come easy for the Aggies. UCSB has several players the Aggies will need to watch out for, including freshman pitcher Robby Nesovic. Although maintaining an ERA of 5.48, Nesovic has been a source of offense for the Gauchos. Posting a team-leading batting average of .344 and boasting a .341 conference batting average, Nesovic has the potential to be a serious issue for the Aggies’ pitching staff. The Aggies’ offensive prowess will also be challenged against a very effective Gaucho pitching rotation which includes freshman Dylan Hecht, who, in 26 games pitched, has an ERA of just under 2.00, and sophomore Austin Pettibone, who currently has a 3.00 ERA and leads the pitching rotation with 51 strikeouts. With the Aggies concluding the season, this will be an emotional set of final games for seniors Seth Batty, Ben Burke, Patrick Hennessey, Paul Politi, Mike Mazzara, C.J. Blom and Austin Logan. As UC Davis baseball heads into these final three games of the 2012-13 season, the Aggies hope for a successful send-off for the seniors but also hope the game will be a stepping stone for next year. — Shaun Moncada
To nationals they go Women’s golf team heads to Georgia By SLOAN BOETTCHER Aggie Sports Writer
Once again, the 17th-ranked UC Davis women’s golf team has established their dominance out on the course, qualifying for the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. after finishing sixth at the NCAA Central Regionals. From top to bottom, this roster of eight has demonstrated what it takes to be one of the top-ranked teams in the nation. In particular, the seniors and freshmen have been essential in the team’s path to nationals in Georgia. “Two big things that the seniors have done are show the underclassmen what Davis golf is all about and are extremely passionate about the game,” said coach Anna Temple. In her last season as an Aggie, senior Demi Runas was named Big West Player of the Year for the third year in a row. Once again this season, Runas displayed why she deserved that honor, winning individual titles at the Big West Championships and the Golfweek Conference Challenge last September. To add to these accomplishments, she tied for second in four other tournaments and had eight top-10 finishes overall. With a 72.4 stroke average coming into this last tournament, there are high hopes for another outstanding performance when play opens May 21. “The level of competition on a daily basis is incredible and allowed for the entire team to get better,” Temple said about the team as a whole. Other standout players this year include upand-coming freshman Andrea Wong, who was named Freshman of the Year for the Big West. Multiple Aggies were also named to All-Big West first team: senior Amy Simanton, sopho-
more Beverly Vatananugulkit, Wong and Runas. To add to the already stacked team, freshmen Raegan Bremer and Betty Chen received honorable mentions at the ceremony. UC Davis women’s golf is one of the top performing athletic teams at UC Davis, winning the Big West Championships four years in a row. They hope to continue the success of this year in Georgia. The penultimate tournament for Division I women’s golf is the next step for a dominant Aggies team. The Aggies are ready to fight for the prized top honor of winning the NCAA Championship. Athletes will face off against a field of 24 teams and six individuals. May 21 to 24 will be a long week of golf for the entire UC Davis squad, but Temple has confidence in the girls’ abilities. “Confidence is high. We’re a long-hitting team and this is a long course; it suits us well,” coach Temple said. “With two of our players being seniors and this being their last tournament, they can play knowing they have nothing to lose.” Unlike most tournaments, the team is playing an extra round in Athens, adding up to 72 holes in all over the course of four days. “We’re taking it one day at a time,” coach Temple said. “With a long course like this you can make a bogey or two and have a lot of holes to recover and get it back. We just have to make sure we are present in each round.” The competition this week will be tough, but the Aggies know what they are up against, having already faced three of the top seeds at the tournament earlier this year. However, Temple and the girls know what a great opportunity this is to compete for the highest trophy in the sport. Play commences on May 21, with the first round of 18 holes being played at the University of Georgia Golf Course. SLOAN BOETTCHER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
The championship rounds of any event are usually when athletes either shine in the spotlight or wither under the heat of the moment. The tense nature and finality of the event lends itself to athletes who simply crack under the spotlight. This, however, was not the case for the UC Davis women’s track and field team, who recently claimed their second straight Big West conference title. The Aggies simply dominated the competition, finishing with a total team score of 172.50 points. This was a full 44 points ahead of secondplace finisher UC Santa Barbara. “Today’s championship outcome serves as a very satisfying conclusion to a year and season structured around the achievement of the highest team objective,” said Aggie coach Drew Wartenburg. “The goal for our women's team was to bring both a balanced and deep lineup to the conference meet, and event outcomes went as projected for the most part.” UC Davis did indeed manage to win many events in the championships. The 4x400 relay team reclaimed its title with a time of 3:37.89. The relay team consisted of seniors Lauren Wallace, Kayla Carter, Emily Bush and sophomore Raquel Lambdin. Wallace had a pretty good day overall, with the 4x400 relay victory and school recordbreaking 800-meter race. She ran an impressive 2:03.39 in the 800. Wallace was lengths ahead of the second-place finisher, also a UC Davis runner, junior Shanie Landen, who ran a personal best 2:07.41. Senior pole vaulter Emily Bush won the conference title and broke the school record, which she previously owned as well, on her way to victory. Bush cleared 4.05 meters, or roughly 13.29 feet, breaking her personal best of 3.80 meters or roughly 12.46 feet. Things simply fell into place for the Aggies as they dominated their opponents. One such example was sophomore sprinter Ashley Marshall,
who could do no wrong in the final heats. She set school records on her way to claiming two conference titles, in the 100- and 200-meter sprints. Marshall dominated the field in the 100-meter with a time of 11.34 seconds. This time was blazingly fast and tied the Big West conference record time. After a brief resting period of less than an hour, Marshall came back to race the 200-meter. She came into the race feeling confident, running a 23.33 in the 200-meter qualifying heats the day before the finals. She did not disappoint, as her time of 23.25 seconds broke the UC Davis record once again. Marshall claimed another conference title with this time. Not only did she claim the title for the women’s 100- and 200-meter, but her time qualified her for the International Association of Athletics Federation’s World Championship in Moscow. To cap off an amazing season, Marshall was also given the Big West female track Athlete of the Year award. Marshall becomes the second straight Aggie to win the award, joining senior Sarah Sumpter. UC Davis’ track and field success is not simply a result of having superior athletes, but the success is also a direct reflection of the hard work of the athletes and the guidance of coach Drew Wartenburg. Coach Wartenburg was acknowledged for his hard work as the conference bestowed upon him the Big West Coach of the Year award for the second year in a row. This joins the collection of awards he has earned, including two Big West Coach of the Year awards in cross-country. Overall, the Aggies have had a fantastic season. With the Big West team title and eight individual Big West titles, UC Davis’ women’s track and field athletes are champions as the season draws to a close. Fans hope that the Aggies will work hard and repeat next year, claiming a possible third straight Big West team title along the way. KENNETH LING can be reached at