THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915
VOLUME 133, ISSUE 10 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
ROSA FURNEAUX / AGGIE
The Folsom Lake Marina (seen in the foreground) is used to launch ships. Currently, the Marina sits on dry earth due to record low water levels. The water (seen in the background) is currently at one fifth of its capacity.
State asks citizens to conserve water GABRIELLA HAMLETT
city@theaggie.org
2013 has been declared the third consecutive dry year for California. Though Gov. Jerry Brown has not officially declared a drought, governmental entities such as the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the
State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), among others, are collaborating to come to consensus on solutions. The California Department of Water Resources is planning to draft emergency legislation to present to Gov. Brown within the next few weeks. While there is still a possibility we can get enough rain in the next three
months, many cities in the greater Sacramento area have already taken initiative in water conservation efforts. Folsom was the first to mandate a 20 percent water conservation effort from its citizens on Dec. 23, 2013. Sacramento County followed a few days later asking voluntary reductions in water use by 20 percent. Davis has already instilled a water conservation goal of 20 percent for 2020. The Water Advisory Committee has made efforts to give advice on how to conserve.
“Our citizens are already being asked to conserve. The City Council also will be discussing our ongoing Water Conservation Plan at an upcoming Council meeting. Initial concepts were introduced on Dec. 17,” said Dianna Jensen of the City of Davis Water Advisory Committee. Mayor Joe Krovoza ensures that the City of Davis is less at risk due to reliance on groundwater. “The City of Davis is still 100 perdrought on 4
New year, new DMV traffic laws Innovative, specific road rules affect motorists, cyclistslocal issues
Maureen Mai / Aggie
AB 1371
COURTESY / DESIGN FOR AMERICA - UC DAVIS
Three Feet for Safety Act states that a car or other motorized vehicle must leave three feet of space between itself and any bicycle.
SB 194 Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from reading, sending or using a text-based device while driving, even if the device is hands-free.
3’
Students brainstorm at Design for America’s “Understand Workshop”.
SB 266 and SB 286 Clean Air vehicles or vehicles with HOV stickers to operate in carpool lanes without meeting the minimum occupancy requirement.
Design for America comes to UC Davis Students, faculty, communities collaborate to address local issues
SEAN GUERRA features@theaggie.org
Thanks to the efforts of engineering and design students, UC Davis has become one of 17 universities nationwide to be part of Design for America (DFA). DFA is an interdisciplinary network of student-led teams that use the design process to solve problems in their communities, with the help of faculty, mentors and sponsors. Founded in 2009 by Dr. Liz Gerber of Northwestern University, DFA has spread coast to coast and to other UCs like Berkeley and UCLA. Following the national DFA design process, the organization advocates a three-step system: first understanding problems in their communities through interviews and research; then creating solutions and prototypes via collaboration, teamwork, and feedback from mentors; and finally implementing those solutions in trial-runs within the communities. “The general mission is to have students and people from the community
come together to solve problems using human-centered design,” said Max Bern, a fifth-year mechanical and aerospace engineering double major and co-founder of DFA-Davis. “Human-centered design is different than design from a business standpoint because you’re focused more on getting feedback from the specific user group during the entire design process instead of relying on how much money you’re going to get in a marketplace.” In order to become a campus studio of DFA, universities must first go through a competitive three-phase application process. The process is orchestrated and judged by DFA alumni and fellows who work at Northwestern University, the national DFA hub. Throughout the 2012-13 academic year, teams were required to compile signatures from the student body to determine campuswide interest in the organization. They then completed a four-week prototype development assignment to illustrate their design on 5
SHANNON SMITH city@theaggie.org
With the beginning of the new year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has implemented new road rules for 2014. “Many of these new laws are a combination of ideas by the state legislature and the DMV,” said Artemio Armenta, public information officer for the DMV. “New ideas are continually introduced and moved through the process.” Of the seven new rules, the most relevant to the City of Davis and UC Davis students is the updated law for Bicycle Passing Distance [AB 1371]. Alternatively named the Three Feet for Safety Act, effective Sept. 16, this rule states that a car or other motorized vehicle must leave three feet of space between itself and any bicycle. “Everyone is responsible for making sure that all who share the road [are] kept safe,” Armenta said. “The base fine for violating this law is $35, and can
range to $200. If someone is hurt, the fine can go up to $1,000, in addition to other legal issues.” This law has been established in hopes of creating a safer environment for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists and preventing dispute or injury. However, this law may affect motorists negatively because they would be the party responsible for keeping the three feet of distance, even if cyclists are performing the malpractice. “I think that’s ridiculous,” said Sally Sandoval, purchasing manager of the UC Davis Evolution and Ecology Department. “I don’t think I have time to pay attention to the road and judge the specific distance between myself and a biker. I have been on this campus for 29 years and sometimes, bikers just keep going and don’t look or stop.” There are six other new laws affecting roads on 5
2 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
DAILY CALENDAR dailycal@theaggie.org
9 / THURSDAY Active Older Adult Wisdom Circle 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. | Davis Public Library, 315 E. 14th St. Join a discussion group that meets regularly to explore aspects of the conscious aging movement, seeking to mine the wisdom of long lives and find effective ways to share and pass on legacies.
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
City of Davis faces $5 million dollar structural deficit City council deliberates over solutions
ABBY ALCALA / AGGIE
The City of Davis’ city hall is seen. The City of Davis faces a deficit of $5 million.
Finding as Making//Singing No Songs 6 to 8 p.m. | Lab A, Wright Hall, UC Davis Attend this improvised piece for voice and electronics composed by performance studies doctoral candidate Gretchen Jude. This anti-monumental and ambient work explores one person’s embodied relations to technology and the environment. Walking, listening, recording and vocalizing form the core of this piece. Trivia 10 to 11 p.m. | Woodstock’s Pizza, 219 G St. Attend KVIE’s first ever winter wine and food benefit — it includes gourmet cheese from Whole Foods, desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes, wine by Bogle and Terra d’Oro, beer by Ninkasi and Lagunitas and live music from Midtown Jazz. Tickets at $35 and include two drink tickets, food and entertainment.
10 / FRIDAY Orientation Leader and First Year Experience Information Session 2 to 2:45 p.m. | Thompson Main Lounge, Segundo Do you want to share your Aggie Pride? Then consider applying for Orientation or First-Year Experience Peer Advisor positions in Student Housing. This info session will outline the positions, selection process and application instructions. 2nd Friday AboutArt 5 to 11 p.m. | Downtown Davis Check out this monthly evening of art viewing and artists receptions at local galleries and businesses. This self-guided artwalk includes refreshments, opportunities to meet artists, live music and art demos. Finding as Making//Singing No Songs 7 to 9 p.m. | Lab A, Wright Hall, UC Davis Attend this improvised piece for voice and electronics composed by Performance Studies doctoral candidate Gretchen Jude. This anti-monumental and ambient work explores one person’s embodied relations to technology and the environment. Walking, listening, recording and vocalizing form the core of this piece.
11 / SATURDAY Farmers Market 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Central Park Support your local farmers and buy seasonal produce, baked goods, hot food-to-go and more. Animals from Around the World 2 to 3 p.m. | Davis Public Library, 315 E. 14th St. Attend this geographical journey from the classroom to the continents of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America and North America. Meet live animals (invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals) representing different parts of the world and learn what special contributions these animals make. The event is free. The Goodbye Year 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. | Avid Reader, 617 Second St. Join author and restaurateur Toni Piccinini as she discusses her new book which provides “Wisdom and Culinary Therapy to Survive Your Child’s Senior Year of High School (and Reclaim the You of You).” The event is free.
12 / SUNDAY Artist Reception 1 to 4 p.m. | Gallery 1855, 820 Pole Line Road Check out an exhibition of the artistic works of Sylvia Polotom, which will be on display throughout the month of December. The event is free. Snuggle Bugs 5 to 9 p.m. | UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology, 1124 Academic Surge Learn about the insects that like to live in close quarters with us like lice, fleas and bed bugs! This is a family friendly and free event. African-American Folktales 2 to 3 p.m. | International House, 10 College Park Journey to other times, places and worlds through stories, music and song. Kirk Waller will travel from the Bay Area to share his stories, and the event is free for I-House members. Non-members pay $2 per person or $5 per family.
13 / MONDAY Pub Quiz 7 to 9 p.m.. | DeVere’s Irish Pub Join Dr. Andy Quizmaster and he hosts his weekly celebration of knowledge, strategy and raucous company. Teams can have up to six players and are encouraged to arrive at 6 p.m. to secure a table.
14 / TUESDAY Salsa Tuesday 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. | The Graduate, 805 Russell Blvd. Attend dance lessons at the Grad. The event is $6. 18+ Cheese Platter 101 6 to 7:30 p.m. | Whole Foods Market, 500 First St. Learn from the cheese experts how to craft the perfect cheese platter for your next event. Cheese samples will be offered. Meet in the café, the event is free.
15 / WEDNESDAY Science Cafe 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. | Crepeville, 330 Third St. Attend a conversation with Professor Dean Tantillo. Science café aims to demystify scientific research for the general public and empower non-scientists to more comfortably and accurately assess science and technology issues, particularly those that impact social policy making. Scrabble 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | Crepeville, 330 Third St. Play Scrabble with the Unofficial Davis Scrabble Club. All players are welcome. Don Jon 8 to 10 p.m. | 123 Sciences Lecture Hall Join the ASUCD Entertainment Council as they present their first movie screening of Winter Quarter. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $2.
TAYLOR CUNNINGHAM
city@theaggie.org The City of Davis general fund faces a deficit of $5.1 million as it heads into the 2014-15 fiscal year. City council members are weighing options to increase the revenue of the City of Davis, which include a potential increase in sales tax, the institution of a parcel tax and other cuts. This deficit is attributed to an increase in expenditures: specifically, long-deferred maintenance, retiree medical costs and cost of living adjustments for employees. While the City of Davis is experiencing economic growth, it is still not enough to cover expenses. “We have projected roughly $1 million more in revenue coming in the year, but we have $6 million in additional expenses,” said Lucas Frerichs, a current member of Davis City Council, in an email. According to Frerichs, the proposed increase in sales tax is one-half of a percent, which would bring it up to 8.5 percent from the current rate, eight percent. If the increase were to pass, city council predicts that this would increase revenue by $3.5 million a year, which is still not enough to completely offset the deficit. The other option is to increase revenue is to institute a parcel tax of $135 per year, per piece of land. This would also increase revenue by approximately $3.5 million a year. However, even if one of these tax increases were to be voted in, additional changes still need to be made for the city to overcome its deficit. “Regardless of a tax increase, some amount of additional cuts need to be made,” Frerichs said. The city manager’s office is also looking for non-tax related ways to increase the revenue of the City of Davis. “Any city has to grow its economy,” said Yvonne Quiring, the assistant city manager of the City of Davis, in an email. “That’s why economic development is part of the discussion.” These proposed tax increases could also have an effect on students living in the City of Davis. If the city were to begin collecting a parcel tax, students’ rent may increase. Additionally, if students are landowners in the City of Davis, they will have to pay the parcel tax. “If the voters of Davis were to approve a parcel tax, landlords may increase rents to cover their costs of having
to pay the parcel tax,” Frerichs said. But, an increase in sales tax may have a more direct impact on students than the parcel tax. “When students make purchases in Davis, a small portion of the sales tax goes to the city,” Quiring said. While an increase in sales tax will provide funding to support the city’s infrastructure, students may not be in support of it in addition to their already expensive tuition. “I work hard enough to pay my bills to the University,” said Jon Radley, a third-year communication major. “I feel like I’m getting nickel and dimed.” Frerichs believes that an increase in taxes may be a small price to pay for the residents of the City of Davis to continue to enjoy the amenities that it offers. “I am hopeful that the voters will respond to the need for a short-term tax increase, in order to help the city continue its work of providing a myriad of excellent services to its citizens,” Frerichs said. Davis resident Donna Southwick, who recently moved from Los Angeles County, is surprised that the sales tax in Davis isn’t higher than eight percent. “Where I’m from, most of us were okay with [paying 9 percent sales tax] because we realized how much that the city did for us,” Southwick said. According to Frerichs, these increases in revenue will support open space, parks, libraries, public safety and education, as well as other public services. “I don’t like giving up my paycheck, but I want my kids to be able to attend public school,” Southwick said.“. . . and college students should appreciate [the] security the city offers.” As the city council continues to consider its options moving forward, Frerichs wants to ensure that it maintains a transparent relationship with the citizens of Davis. “I think it is imperative for us to help educate the public on the fiscal situation the city faces, and seek input from the community before we decide which direction we want to go,” Frerichs said. Whichever option that city council chooses to propose to the citizens of Davis will most likely be voted upon in the upcoming June 2014 election. Everyone that is registered to vote in Davis will be eligible to vote, according to Frerichs. Decisions made in June will continue for the city’s fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2014 through June 30, 2015. n
UC policy change results in shorter winter break for 2014-15 school year The three-week winter break that UC Davis has come to know will be changed to two weeks for the 2014-15 school year. Due to conflicts with religious holidays, Fall Quarter 2014 will begin a week later than before for all UC schools running on the quarter system.Winter break will be shortened from the regular three weeks to two weeks. “All UC quarter academic calendar campuses will have an Oct. 2, 2014 instruction start date for the Fall 2014 Quarter,” said Senior Associate Registrar at UC Davis, Barbara Noble. “This is to meet a UC system requirement for a common instruction start date across all similar academic calendar UC campuses.” The change in the schedule was done to comply to UC rules and policies. Noble also said that the schedules for the academic calendars are created by all of the UC campuses together and at one time. “The decision for the academic schedules are planned years in advance,” Noble said. “We have to make sure it fits with all of the UC restrictions.” The University Registrars, along with the Academic Senate and Office of the President staff plan the academic calendars every two to three years. Because the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashana falls on the same weekend as move-in weekend, the Fall Quarter 2014 schedule must be pushed back in order to not overlap with the holiday. Rosh Hashana is the Jewish New Year, and it, along with the day of atonement, Yom Kippur, normally occur in September and October respectively. UCLA University Registrar Frank Wada said that this specific change is due to a policy that addresses religious holidays during move-in weekend.
The Policy for Addressing Religious Holiday Conflicts with Residence Hall “Move-In” Days, which was created in 2007, states that, “in setting the common academic calendar after 2010, the responsible University bodies … shall choose calendars (semester and quarter) that avoid scheduling fall residence hall move-in days for students that conflict with the observance of a major religious holiday.” The academic calendar has not yet changed since the policy has been implemented. The 2014-15 school year will be the first time that the policy will create a change in the schedule. “This is the first time that this sort of change has been made since the policy went into effect in 2007,” Wada said. “The calendar will change again based on when Rosh Hashana is.” The policy was implemented because of a concern among the Jewish community regarding conflicts with move-in dates affecting students’ ability to celebrate these major holidays. According to a letter to the Chancellors by former UC President Dynes which clarifies the policy, “representatives of the Jewish community and members of the California Legislature have expressed a desire for the University to avoid the conflicts that have arisen between fall residence hall move-in days.” Future academic calendars, from years 2015-16 up to 2017-18 have been released. These calendars are tentative, but predict a normal start date for Fall Quarter during the last week of September and a three-week winter break. — Melissa Dittrich
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014 | 3
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
West Sacramento City Council votes on new medical marijuana ordinance Students speculate restrictions license holders encounter in Davis
Watts Legal with DANIEL WATTS
Question I’m worried about my job. I’m having surgery soon, and will be on light duty at work for four weeks. My employer wants to cut my pay in half while I’m on light duty.All the information I’ve found on the internet talks about workers compensation, but this isn’t a workers compensation problem - it’s a medical condition I was born with, and it requires periodic hospital visits like this one. Can employers cut your pay when you have to go on light duty due to a medical condition, especially a chronic one? — Morgan B Davis, CA
Vancey Le / Aggie
DANIELLE BROWN
city@theaggie.org West Sacramento’s police department has been receiving a large volume of complaints in regard to medical marijuana license holders. As a result, a new ordinance about medical marijuana cultivation is set to be reviewed by the West Sacramento City Council on Jan. 15. Since West Sacramento does not have dispensaries, license holders have to grow marijuana in their homes. “The current ordinance prohibits cultivation associated with a dispensary (three or more persons) but does not regulate cultivation for personal use. Over the last two years, staff has experienced a considerable rise in the number of complaints and incidents associated with the cultivation of medical marijuana,” the new ordinance states. This causes rifts between neighbors, as people claim that living next to a home that grows marijuana during picking season smells just as potent as being in a room with people who are smoking marijuana. Many West Sacramento citizens are families who enjoy cooking or letting their children play in their backyards, but feel uncomfortable doing so when they can smell marijuana in the air. The ordinance states,“The majority of complaints and incidents received by staff have been related to the outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana. The outdoor cultivation of medical marijuana is posing a nuisance in the City [of West Sacramento] as the plant has a distinct strong odor that permeates surrounding properties and in some cases, where easily visible, the plants and/or premises have become a target for burglaries and crime.”
If adopted, the new ordinance limits the areas in which card holders are permitted to grow marijuana indoors and outdoors. According to West Sacramento City Council member Oscar Villegas, although the problem has been recognized, it is challenging to find a solution. Marijuana is not recognized as legal by the federal government, but California state law states that it is acceptable in certain circumstances. This makes it difficult for officials in California to set limits and boundaries. “It’s confusing; the federal government says medical marijuana is still illegal but the proposition in California says that it’s generally legal in certain circumstances. At the end of the road, you have cities trying to manage this, trying to ensure that there is a compassionate element to it and that we aren’t overstepping the state proposition,”Villegas said. Michelle Rebuffatti, a second-year biology major, understands the reason for the new ordinance and believes it is reasonable. “It’s very rare that I smell pot; I’ve never had a problem going through campus or anything. I don’t think that Davis is one of the hubs for problem areas for that. I think it is reasonable to have restrictions on growing even with a medical marijuana license. It is a balance of trying to keep everyone happy,” Rebuffatti said. While growing marijuana seems to be a rising problem in West Sacramento, it has not become an issue in Davis. Davis’ demographic is significantly different than West Sacramento’s considering that Davis is a college town. However some students think that boundaries do need to be set. Laura McVey, a third-year sociology major, believes restrictions are neces-
sary, but also recognizes restrictions affect people who have licenses and can cause conflict. “A few people I know have had one or two pots that they have grown themselves. My roommate last year emailed our landlord and asked if he could grow in the garage, but it was denied because of the electricity needed. Most people I know have had just one or two plants. I have a friend who had a license and it is not honored on campus, so his freshman year, he actually moved off campus so he could use it.” When asking different officials and the Davis Police Department, it is difficult to discern what the restrictions are. Villegas said that most times when the city council tries to make adjustments to the restrictions on medical marijuana license holders, someone threatens to sue. It is hard to make progress when everyone has a different opinion on the subject and the federal government does not recognize marijuana as legal. “West Sac is a small city trying to keep up with progressive times and we are trying to find that balance and find a way to be compassionate without raising a flag to litigate it because it’s a controversial law,”Villegas said. Steve Rea, assistant deputy to Yolo County Supervisor Don Saylor, believes the medical marijuana is an avoided topic because there are so many different viewpoints on the subject. “There used to be a dispensary in downtown [Davis] but it got ran out of town. The problem is that it’s up to the locality and whether or not they want to put dispensaries and it’s such a controversial subject that people try to ignore it and hope that it goes away.
N EWS I N BR I E F From Dec. 13, 2013 to Jan. 1, Yolo County Police have arrested 60 individuals for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In 2012, the number of DUI arrests was only 47. “Why was it up? I do not have an answer for that,” said Sergeant Rod A. Rifredi, traffic supervisor and Avoid the 8 grant supervisor, which manages the DUI program. The Avoid campaign is a statewide program started in 2007 that is managed through the California Office of Traffic Safety and funded by both state and federal funds.The purpose is to fund for extra patrols, checkpoints and operations that allow departments to focus the enforcement of DUI and DUI-related laws. Initially, the Avoid campaign brought a sudden spike of DUI arrests. However, after over a year, it brought a significant reduction in the number of DUI arrests. “Historically, the numbers are steady. We enforce DUI laws strictly because of the dangers they present to the general public. A DUI driver is a dangerous person to all people on the streets,
reuse.
walking, driving and riding bikes,” Rifredi said. During this holiday season there were no fatal collisions.There were at least two reported injury collisions resulting in injury in which alcohol seems to have played in factor; both incidents are currently under investigation. “We are always strict on DUI laws. We would rather stop a suspected driver and take them to jail than to allow them to drive, get [in] a collision and seriously hurt or kill themselves or someone else,” Rifredi said. The law encourages citizens to report drunk drivers immediately by calling 911. Rifredi suggests that all citizens should be aware as this will ensure safety for all motorists on the road. “People should have a plan and designate a driver because people get into the mood while they are out with friends,” Rifredi said.“By then, the alcohol [has] taken effect and their judgment is inhibited.They do not make sound decisions to stop and not drive.” — Rohit Tigga
reduce.
Answer A couple laws protect workers who have to take a leave of absence for medical reasons.The first one is a federal statute signed by Bill Clinton called the Family and Medical Leave Act, or FMLA. Depending on the employer (small employers are exempt), the FMLA says that an employee can take unpaid time off for medical reasons without getting fired. However, there’s nothing in there that requires the employer to keep paying the employee during the time off. If this were a one-time problem rather than a chronic condition, your employer could give you unpaid time off while you recover.The employer might actually think they are being generous by letting you show up to work on “light” duty, especially if your duties are really, really light. Assuming your workload has been reduced so much that your employer needs to hire a whole other person to pick up the slack, it makes more financial sense for your employer to put you on unpaid leave until you recover. At least, that will be the employer’s argument. And they can do that, in most circumstances, under both the FMLA and its complementary California statute. On the other hand, since this is a chronic medical condition requiring repeated visits to the hospital, you could fall under the vastly more powerful Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”).The ADA requires an employer to make reasonable accommodations for disabled employees. “Disabled” persons are those who are substantially limited in one or more major life activity. A person without legs, for instance, would be limited in walking, which is definitely a major life activity. Someone with congestive heart failure, a condition that can make it impossible to walk more than a few yards without running out of breath, also would be “substantially limited” in their ability to walk. But a person with a stubbed toe who needs to hop around for a few minutes? Probably not. I don’t know what your condition is, but an ailment that prevents you from working sounds like it substantially limits a major life activity.You would qualify as disabled, which means under the ADA, your employer has to make reasonable accommodations for you.This could include putting you on light duty or making some allowances for you to help you do your job. Cutting your pay in half, though, more resembles discrimination against the disabled than an accommodation. There are exceptions to the ADA’s protections, however. If your disability absolutely prevents you from doing your job any more - even with reasonable accommodations - then your employer can, in some circumstances, fire you. A disabled employee who can still perform adequately (with just a little extra help) would have a good claim against his employer if he were terminated or his pay were reduced because of the disability.The employer cannot reduce a disabled employee’s wages just because giving that employee an accommodation costs a bit more money. Again, I do not know what “light duty” entails, and I do not know what you do for a living, so it’s hard to give you a perfect answer. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing can help you file a claim and let you know whether you’ve got a strong case against the employer.They’re slow to respond, but thorough when they get around to it. (They’re also free, unlike a lawyer.) The complaint process is described on their website: dfeh. ca.gov/Complaints_ComplaintProcess.htm Daniel is a Sacramento attorney, former Davis City Council candidate and graduate of UC Davis School of Law. He’ll answer questions sent to him at governorwatts@gmail.com or tweeted to @governorwatts.
recycle.
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
4 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
UC Davis alumna is Facebook’s “Hot Mom”
POLICE BRIEFS 31 / TUESDAY Window-shopping A man was walking through the neighborhood on Bella Casa Street offering to clean windowsills but was also looking through the windows.
Slow food movement
Maria Kang’s commitment to fitness grows from local job
COURTESY
A male was passed out in his vehicle in the drivethru on G Street.
UC Davis alumna Maria Kang poses with her children.
1 / WEDNESDAY This is not a drill Two males, one carrying a hand drill, claimed they were visiting a friend in an upstairs apartment on Cranbrook Court.
3 / FRIDAY So last season Two males were standing on Mace Boulevard, throwing pumpkins off the overpass into traffic.
It’s casual A bald man was wearing a tan-colored jacket with nothing else on Cowell Boulevard.
6 / MONDAY Stick to your guns On East Eighth Street, unknown subjects have been hitting someone’s sliding glass door and roof with a stick between the hours of 12:00 and 4:00 a.m. for the past year. Police briefs are compiled from the City of Davis daily crime bulletins. Contact EINAT GILBOA at city@theaggie.org.
WEEKLY WEATHER Short Term While the rest of the country has been freezing in a polar vortex, Davis and most of California are still just chilling. Our weather has been pretty consistent the past few days and seems it will stay fairly consistent in the short term. However, there is a slight chance of rain on Saturday afternoon, but don’t count on it. Today (1/9): High 59, Low 43, Light winds (47MPH), Partly cloudy Friday (1/10): High 61, Low 42, Light winds(26MPH), Partly cloudy Saturday (1/11): High 59, Low 45, Light winds(510MPH), Partly cloudy, Chance of rain
Long Term As you can see, we are in a terrible drought; and we are very excited for the sprinkles that could hopefully happen in the next few days. Afterwards, we expect sunny weather to continue and the drought conditions to persist. Well, welcome back to Davis! Sunday (1/12): High 63, Low 32, Cold at night, Sunny Monday (1/13): High 66, Low 32, Cold at night, Sunny Tuesday (1/14): High 66, Low 32, Cold at night, Sunny Wednesday (1/15): High 67, Low 32, Cold at night, Sunny — Aggie Forecast Team
NICK FREDERICI
features@theaggie.org Maria Kang said that she has always considered fitness a priority. One of her current goals is to motivate others to as well, and her work began in Davis. Kang sparked a controversial campaign in 2013 that garnered national attention when she posted a picture of herself looking fit after giving birth to three kids in three years. The photo’s caption read: “What’s Your Excuse?” In spite of negative responses, Kang has defended her photo and the message it represents. “I knew during the photoshoot that it would be a powerful image. I wanted to send out a clear message — that if I can do it, with three kids in three years, then so can you,” Kang said. The “it” she refers to doing is maintaining a healthy body while raising kids and working. Maria’s manager and husband, David Casler, pointed out her ability to multi-task effectively. “Maria is a tireless self-starter and super mom,” Casler said. Kang started her work locally, where in four years at UC Davis she earned degrees in international relations and history with a minor in political science.While in college, she worked part time as a trainer at 24 Hour Fitness. “My goal was to work for a global company and follow my passion — which at the time was fitness,” Kang said. Fitness has remained the primary focus of her career. After college, Kang sent out her resume and was contacted by someone higher in 24 Hour Fitness’ chain of command. “I was granted an interview with Mark
Mastrov, founder and former CEO, and was hired as the first female on his corporate team to launch a series of circuit training gyms in the Bay Area,” Kang said. Even beyond contributing to her financial success, Kang said her time at UC Davis had a great impact on her life. She studied in Beijing as part of the UC Study Abroad program, which inspired her to travel to other parts of the world — including Greece,Thailand, France and Italy — by herself. Her education also changed the way she looked at the world. “Education at UC Davis taught me how to ‘think.’ I started to problem solve, consider viewpoints, do research and question the status quo,” Kang said. Questioning the status quo is part of what put Kang in the spotlight. Her controversial photo was designed for exactly that. “I was targeting everyone who’s had an excuse for why they can’t make their health and exercise a priority,” Kang said. “Was it an unrealistic image? I don’t think so. I think we are facing a health crisis in America where the majority is overweight.” In terms of her goal, her photo was a success. “I wanted to create dialogue about a gamut of issues, and I did,” Kang said. Her husband believes people’s negative response was due to a misunderstanding of what the photo and caption meant. “Maria’s photo and question touched a nerve with a lot of people,” Casler said. “Most found it inspiring while others took it out of context. I watched people attack Maria, then read more about her, and it turned out they appreciated the message.”
He went on to say what that message was: to make health a priority. Kang’s other projects include opening residential care homes for the elderly and starting a fitness-focused nonprofit. “I founded Fitness Without Borders in 2007,” Kang said. “It is a nonprofit focusing on education and leadership in underserved communities.We’ve had several outreach and school programs. We have found the most successful program to be the ‘Family Transformation Boot Camp,’ which takes families through a 12-week effort to lose weight, learn about nutrition and exercise together. We are starting five new boot camps this spring in San Francisco and Sacramento.” Kang’s work and internet presence has inspired a project that reaches a larger audience through social media, which Kang has called the No Excuse Mom movement. At the core of the effort is Lori Hare who, after contacting Kang, created the No Excuse Mom Challenge group on Facebook. “The No Excuse Mom movement is a gathering of moms to offer free, no nonsense, no gimmicks exercise and nutrition guidance to help moms create balance in their lives and build a legacy of health in their families,” Hare said. Kang said she was excited to have inspired the movement and the commitment to fitness shown by those that join it. “I knew I wanted to be a fitness role model and I knew I wanted to make a difference,” Kang said. “If you believe in something so strongly, you will become what you believe. So be careful of your thoughts, be positive about your abilities and be faithful in your future.” n
recycle...
BAWK!
Th i s We e k I n s e nat e ASUCD President Carly Sandstrom presided over the final senate meeting of Fall Quarter on Dec. 5, 2013. The meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. Senator Ryan Wonders was elected as pro tempore of the senate. Justice Wooju Kim was sworn in as chief justice. The meeting focused on the finances of ASUCD units, with emphasis on the Bike Barn and Experi-
DROUGHT Cont. from front page
dependent on groundwater, so the drought doesn’t affect our supply at this time,” Krovoza said. Jensen discusses how the dry year might affect the surface water project, Measure I, that was passed last spring. “There are considerations of dry years taken into account with the new surface water project.The surface water treatment plant will be online in 2016, but we will maintain our deep water aquifer wells and will have the ability to supplement the surface water,” Jensen said. However, many towns throughout CA relying on deep water aquifer wells will have a great challenge, accessing sufficient clean drinking water.This is one of the major problems that the DWR has identified and will be addressing in the coming months. The U.S. Geological Survey expressed in
a released statement that various deep aquifers in the San Joaquin Valley are “increasing the rate of land subsidence.”They explain that this could lead to damage to the water transfer from Northern to Southern California — vital to the cities and crops throughout the Central Valley. The DWR’s Information Officer, Doug Carlson, expands on this issue. “[Cities using] deep aquifer wells will do what they’ve done in past. The allotments are reduced and they’ll use their groundwater. However, the use of groundwater [is] partially the cause of subsided aquifer wells,” Carlson said. “Land is subsiding up to a foot or two a year — a somewhat alarming statistic. Continued reliance on groundwater is problematic because those wells are dropping and it’s just not a sustainable way to supply your water.” According to a released statement, Director of the DWR, Mark Cowin has initiated a Drought Management Team to “prepare for and reduce potential impacts” of the dry year.
mental College. In terms of incoming and outgoing expenses, the Bike Barn is expected to break even this year. For the Experimental College, expenses are $1,600 above income. Individual programs such as the community gardens, the number of courses offered by the Experimental College and the pay of instructors was given much consideration during the discussion. A resolution to create a safe space
“Voluntary water transfers will be key to DWR’s drought response, as they hold the potential to alleviate critical shortages,” Cowin said. “We are making arrangements to bring additional resources with expertise in water transfers to advise the Drought Management Team to assure that the 2014 water transfers approval process is administered efficiently.” Cowin added in a news release that the DWR is working with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the SWRCB to ensure that water will be transferred to cities which have less access to water. Carlson explains how the collaborating agencies are working on the issues to come up with efficient solutions that address the issue as best as possible. “These agencies are meeting weekly with representatives to assess water supply and how to coordinate a response … We are ensuring water transfers can occur in one part of the state to other parts of state where the need is urgent. They will ensure
for undocumented UC Davis students to discuss the process of obtaining citizenship, a green card, etc. was called into motion.The resolution passed. Newly-elected Senators Gareth Smythe, Mariah Watson, Janeth Gupta, Katie Sherman, Jonathan Mitchell and Shehzad Lokhandwalla were officially sworn into their positions. — Atrin Toussi
[that] they will occur efficiently,” Carlson said. The greatest challenge for efficient water distribution, Carlson adds, is to the cropland throughout California. “There’s been a significant steady increase in the amount of acreage of crops that require constant water. While row crops can be taken out of production simply by not [planting] ... that year, orchards just don’t have that luxury,” Carlson said. “[It’s] a concern that many people share to ensure the agriculture sector of the Central Valley has access to water.” Though we may still get more rain in the coming months, it’s vital that Californians make an effort to conserve water. “Individuals can contribute in helping to conserve in many ways. They can wash their clothes only in full load, only run the dishwasher when it’s full and cut back on irrigation,”Carlson said. For additional water conservation tips, visit water.cityofdavis.org/water-conservation. n
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014 | 5
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
ROADS Cont. from front page
California drivers. They officially went into effect Jan. 1. SB 194 states that teenage drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from reading, sending or using a text-based device while operating a motor vehicle, even if the device is hands-free. “There have been cases of people using hands-free devices while driving and killing people,” said Nathan Sands, a UC Davis alumnus. “The media tends to pick these few cases and generalize them, especially to the under-18 demographic.” While this law prohibiting texting while driving is technically already in effect for drivers of all ages, SB 194 is specifically targeting teenagers and younger drivers. SB 266 and SB 286 are new laws regarding Clean Air vehicles or vehicles with HOV stickers enabling cars with the appropriate decals to operate in carpool lanes without meeting the minimum occupancy requirement. “HOV stickers benefit or help drivers of low emission or no emission,” Armenta said. “There are currently two decals — white meaning no emission and green meaning low emission.” These stickers allow the vehicle with one occupant to drive in carpool lanes at any time of day. SB 806 is a program aimed to explore more cost-effective or technologicallyoriented replacements for license plates. These methods may include utilizing electronic license plates and finding alternatives to metal plates, plastic registration stickers and paper registration cards. AB 443 prohibits vehicle ownership transfer between family members until
all traffic, parking or toll violations and penalties are paid off. The fines must be paid off by the family member receiving the vehicle transference. AB 244 states that the California Department of Veteran Affairs (CalVet) is required to fund the creation of veteran’s special interest license plates. The DMV is required to issue them if the aforementioned conditions are agreeable by CalVet regarding eligibility of the individual. In addition, there is an enhancement to the Honoring Veterans design of the Veteran’s Organization license plate available to all vehicle owners. AB 1047 allows drivers holding outof-state learner’s permits to take commercial driving tests through the DMV in the state of California. The information would then be transferred electronically to the driver’s state of residence. A secondary part of this law requires drivers of a bus weighing over 26,000 pounds to attain a Class B license, but a bus weighing less than 26,000 pounds requires the driver to have only a Class C license. These new laws will be implemented by the police departments, highway patrol and other law enforcements with the intention of creating a safer, more structured environment for the California public. “The legislative branch finishes the process and the laws usually go into effect at the beginning of the year,” said Officer Mike Harris of the California Highway Patrol. “Our designation is to save lives. We don’t write [these laws], we put them into effect.” According to Armenta, the DMV plans to update the driver handbook for 2014 as well as the guide and the DMV website with information regarding these new laws. n
DESIGN Cont. from front page
teamwork and problem solving abilities, and lastly participated in a Skype interview to assess team leadership. The team focused on bike safety at night by developing a prototype for motion sensored lights along bike lanes, using only flashlights, socks and cardboard boxes to simulate a moving visual indicator for bicyclists. DFA-Davis and three other campuses were officially selected in the spring of 2013 out of an estimated application pool of 60 universities. DFA-Davis co-founder and 2013 mechanical engineering alumnus Ben Geva discovered DFA through a “serendipitous” encounter with Dr. Gerber while visiting the graduate programs at Northwestern University. He spearheaded student involvement at UC Davis in the summer of 2012. After talking to his major advisor at the time, Pr. James A. Schaaf, and the chair of the Design Department, Tim McNeil, the Engineering and Design Departments became sponsors for DFA-Davis and have even given the organization their own space in Cruess Hall. According to Geva his DFA leadership role has exposed him to interdisciplinary skills he did not often encounter in the classroom. “DFA is all about teaching the whole design process and not just one part,” Geva said. “[In engineering classes] when you’re told to design something you’re designing it around math … whereas in the real world there is more to it than math. Math is an important part of [the process] but there’s an enormous gap in education where they don’t teach us about what we’re going to design. Before you even get to the math there are thousands of questions that you need to have answers to.” Starting as an official member in fall 2013, DFA-Davis has worked on projects concerning agriculture, food insecurity and disaster relief, which have already passed stage one: Understanding, and will soon enter the next stage: Creating Solutions. Project teams have also introduced two new projects beginning this quarter concerning Alzheimer’s and transportation, each with their own project teams and leaders who have considerable autonomy under DFA’s administrative studio leaders.
Part of the DFA design process is to connect with community partners that are willing to spend time mentoring the teams, like organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Red Cross of Sacramento, which have partnered with the disaster relief project. The Yolo County Food Bank and Seminis, a seed hybridizing sector of Monsanto, have partnered with the food insecurity project, while organizations like the National Center for Appropriate Technologies (NCAT) and an online forum for mechanical alternatives for small farmers, like Farm Hack, have partnered with the agriculture project. Another faculty member who has become very involved in DFA-Davis is Executive Assistant Dean for Administration and Finance of the College of Engineering Jeff Lefkoff, who sees the organization as an extension of the University’s purpose as an institution. “It’s a great opportunity for students who are interested in working on societal problems and having a positive impact through innovative mechanisms and solutions,” Lefkoff said. “UC Davis has a public service mission in addition to our teaching and research mission, so it is very important we create these opportunities for our students, faculty and staff to contribute to this larger community we are a part of.” Projects are scheduled to show results this coming Spring Quarter, however Bern has stated that there are still negative aspects of the design process. “A large problem for other studios and [DFA] as a whole is that sometimes the projects don’t work out, they’re hard to implement, they cost too much, people don’t use them and despite their best efforts they fail,” Bern said. This is why the studio leaders of DFA-Davis hope to expand their size to allow for more projects and designs, and a larger, diverse group of students. Nevertheless, according to Sydney Patterson, a second-year design major and co-founder of DFA-Davis, size is not important. “We really just want to impact the lives of people for the better. If we can design new processes or products that can help people through their daily lives in some way, then we have succeeded,” Patterson said. n
6 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
MUSE
BRIAN NGUYEN | AGGIE
in MUSE. She is able to play with the masculine and the feminine and incorporate menswear tailoring in her look to create her own sophisticated style.
JAMES KIM arts@theaggie.org New quarter, new fashion. In our first edition of Campus Chic for 2014, our muse of the week, third-year biochemistry and molecular biology major Seojung Kang, tells us all about her winter getaway in Seoul, Korea and what she bought as a little gift to herself during the holiday season. There’s something about Seojung that really caught my eye. Everything from the Karlie Kloss-inspired cropped hair to the oversized, tweed waistcoat was just so chic yet so effortless that I was immediately compelled to feature her look
1. If you could describe your personal style in three words, what would they be? Comfortable, classy and chic. Even though I say “comfortable” is one of my words, sometimes I just want to wear my heels. 2. What were you up to over the break? I actually went to Korea … for business reasons, but I had a
A
R
T
S
W
E
E
K
lot of fun, went shopping a lot and ate a lot of really good food. 3. Where did you go shopping in Korea? There’s actually a lot of really small stores and boutiques that are super cheap near Ewha Womans University in Seoul. I also went to Myungdong which is really great for nightlife, and they have a lot of really cool stores there too. There’s also a really great variety of these shops alongside the road where they set up stalls with all these different kinds of hats and accessories. CAM PUS CHI C O N PAGE 1 0
P U B L I C C U R AT E S D AV I S A R T S A L O N : VIVE LE PUBLIC The Nelson Gallery to host local art
COLEMAN SAWYER arts@theaggie.org
MUSIC SHAYLA NIKZAD arts@theaggie.org
FARA L LON QU INT E T JAN. 9, 12:05 P.M. , FR E E YOCHA DEHE GRA ND LO B BY, M O NDAV I C E N T E R
The Farallon Quintet will be performing Mozart’s Allegro in B-Flat Major, K. 91, Bernard Herrmann’s Souvenir de Voyage and Durwynne Hsieh’s Clarinet Quintet this Friday in the Grand Lobby of the Mondavi Center at 12:05 p.m. ERI C HO E P RI C H , B ASS E T C L A R INE T AND T H E LO N D ON - HAY DN ST R ING Q UART E T JAN. 10, 7 P.M., $8 STUDENTS AND CHILDREN, $12 ADULTS JAC KSON HA L L , M O NDAV I C E NT E R
Using period-correct bows and instruments, the London-Haydn String Quartet, which has received multiple invitations to perform concert series across Europe and North America, will be performing Haydn’s Quartet No. 36 in B-Flat Major, op. 50, no. 1, Beethoven’s Quartet No. 3 in D Major, op. 18, no. 3 and Mozart’s Quintet in A Major, K. 581 alongside Davis native and bass clarinetist, Eric Hoeprich.
T H EAT ER ACME THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS: THE K OF D A R TSW EEK O N PAG E 1 0
On Jan. 22 at 7 p.m., the Nelson Gallery on campus will host the Davis Art Salon:Vive Le Public. The event is an art show, which exhibits submitted artworks from individuals of the greater Davis community. During the event, those in attendance will be given an opportunity to vote, and the winning artist will win a two-week exhibition at the Nelson Gallery beginning on Jan. 25. The event will also feature refreshments and live music. The event is presented by the Nelson Gallery, in conjunction with the UC Davis Art History club. Vive Le Public translates to “long live the public,” and the event is based on the empowerment of the public. Art history and psychology double major, Ben Castle, is a member of the UC Davis Art History club and is also the organizer of the event. “The Davis Art Salon is defined by the fact that it is a collaborative effort of the community,” Castle said. “That is why the name of this iteration of the event is Vive Le Public.” In addition, Castle said the purpose of the event is to counter the traditional exhibition format. “It challenges the traditional concept of the salon, which is historically chosen by an elite group,” said Hillary Fong, a third-year religious studies major and member of the UC Davis Art History club. Castle hopes the event will be able to expand the definition of an art salon. “The purpose of this event is to challenge the current paradigm of an art exhibition as a show put on by a curator and to extend the definition to encompass open-source events such as this,” Castle said. Rachel Teagle, director of the Shrem Museum and Nelson Gallery on campus said that she ART SALO N O N PAGE 1 0
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014 | 7
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
COURTESY
AGGIE ARCADE ANTHONY LABELLA arts@theaggie.org Most Anticipated Games of 2014 A new year means new releases, and the schedule for 2014 is looking strong for last-gen and current-gen platforms alike. Here are five of the games I’m looking forward to most in 2014: Dark Souls II I spent years looking at Dark Souls from a distance, intimidated by its notorious difficulty and steep learning curve. I finally gave the game a shot in 2013 — 100+ hours later and I can now call it an all-time favorite. It certainly is a challenging game, but the feeling of triumph when I defeated a tough boss or finally made it to a bonfire was absolutely exhilarating. Dark Souls II looks to recapture that feeling in March, and somehow developer FromSoftware plans to ramp up the difficulty even more. Players can be invaded by other players at any time, and the help of a cooperative partner now comes with a strict time limit. That terrifies me, and yet I still find myself excited to explore Dark Souls II’s dark and desolate world.
rd S PAC E P R E S E N TS
STELTH ULVANG
MUSE gets in touch with The Lumineers multi-instrumentalist CHLOE CATAJAN arts@theaggie.org A taste of pure Colorado folk is soon to hit Davis. On Jan. 9, Stelth Ulvang of The Lumineers will be performing at Third Space with special guest Abe Abraham. On the road with The Lumineers, Ulvang is often found painting melodic memories through piano keys. His
Destiny I’ve mentioned in the past how I’m not a Halo fan, but I do have the utmost respect for developer Bungie. The company’s allegiance to the videogame community over the past 10+ years has been wonderful, so I want to like a Bungie product. It looks like Destiny, an upcoming sci-fi FPS for PlayStation 4/Xbox One, may fulfill that wish. From the footage I’ve seen it looks like a deeper and more complex version of Borderlands, and that’s a good thing in my book. Bungie has also described Destiny as a “shared-world shooter,” so players may randomly come across other players on their journey through the
MUSE: What influenced you to first get into music? SU: I played the woodwinds growing up in high school. I played the saxophone, clarinet and flute, but I started drifting away from the whole band-classroom thing; it turned me off from music. I didn’t plan on sticking with music, but then I got into piano on my own and taught myself from there, along with the accordion, guitar and other stringed instruments. So the woodwinds and music theory stuff definitely helped me pick up piano, which is probably my main instrument now.
musicianship, however, stretches over a spectrum of skill. The Denver native is also a singer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist. With a new album on the way, Ulvang is devoting his winter tour to showcasing his work, along with reminiscing the charm of playing intimate shows. MUSE had the opportunity to speak with Ulvang and discuss his musical journey thus far, as well as what is yet to come.
STE LTH O N PAGE 1 1
F St
E St
B St
C St
3rd St
D St
D AV I S A R T RESOURCES AND GROUPS
AGGI E ARCAD E O N PAGE 1 1
A St
2nd St 2nd St ane Rice L
A guide to local art groups on campus, in town
1st St
ane
Rice L
Ric
ha
rd
sB
1st St
lvd
e
liv
O
Dr
School of Education
JOHN KESLER arts@theaggie.org
Shields Library
Dr hison
Hutc
Sproul Hall
TCS Bldg
Music Bldg Wright Hall
PENCE G A L L E RY
TB 009
O
liv
r
tum D
re Arbo
d avis R Old D
F IG U R E D R AWIN G G R O UP
Olson Hall
Dr
Rocknasium
2 1 2 D ST. SECO ND A ND FOU RT H W E D NE SDAYS O F E ACH M O N T H ,
e
TRISHA KIETIKUL | AGGIE
A R T R ESOU R C ES O N PAG E 1 1
MICHELLE TRAN | AGGIE FILES
K D V S I N I T I AT E S NEW DJS New DJs to work late night time slot AKIRA OLIVIA KUMAMOTO arts@theaggie.org Each quarter KDVS, Davis’ student-run radio station, initiates a new batch of DJs into the KDVS family. The volunteers go through multiple weeks of training and are offered time slots between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m.The early morning work hours are considered a rite of passage for all KDVS DJs.
New DJs are placed in the early morning when the smallest audience tunes in to allow room for amateur mistakes. The time slot is meant for the new DJs to become comfortable with the station and get a feel for what music they wish to play. Third-year evolutionary anthropology major Emily Jones — aka DJ Feels — works the Friday 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. shift and has found the early KDVS O N PAGE 1 1
8 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
Opinion THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE ELIZABETH ORPINA Editor in Chief CLAIRE TAN Managing Editor ADAM KHAN Campus News Editor PAAYAL ZAVERI City News Editor NAOMI NISHIHARA Features Editor TANYA AZARI Opinion Editor KYLE SCROGGINS Science Editor KENNETH LING Sports Editor CRISTINA FRIES Arts Editor BIJAN AGAHI Photography Editor EMMA LUK Copy Chief JANICE PANG Design Director JAMES KIM Art Director BRIAN NGUYEN New Media Manager RYAN HANSEN-MAFFET Business Manager BEAUGART GERBER Advertisting Manager
One Shields Ave. 25 Lower Freeborn, UCD Davis, CA 95616 Editorial (530) 752-0208 Advertising (530) 752-0365 Fax (530) 752-0355 The California Aggie is printed on recycled
CONNECT WITH US @CaliforniaAggie facebook.com/CaliforniaAggie
editorial from the board Breathe Free
At What Cost? The Jan. 1 implementation of “Breathe Free UC Davis” carried a certain set of expectations from the University and from its citizens. Based on the pictures displayed on breathefree.ucdavis.edu, it seems the University expects their program to result in bright-eyed and bushytailed, smoke-free students. That’s not what we predict. We foresee post-apocalyptic trashcan fires from renegade smokers disposing of their butts in improper receptacles (like the Jan. 7 incident at Segundo Residence Halls) — no more ashtrays under the new policy. We foresee mid-quad confrontations between enforcers and unwilling participants. We foresee sass, snark and narcs. We don’t foresee any peaceful change at this juncture. We find it important to note that we’re not saying we support smoking — we just don’t support the policy. Breathe Free may have some good intentions, but for the most part it seems oppressive rather than educational, badly-planned, poorlyadvertised and unrealistic. What is the motivation behind this program? The website claims it is “for a healthier community and cleaner environment,” but it seems to be more skewed toward policing others’ rights. At its core, Breathe Free implies the University wishes to cut out people’s exposure to smoke. Then why are they also banning e-cigarettes? The University outwardly states, in an email from Vice Chancellor John Meyer, that they “hope this policy will provide positive motivation for tobacco users to quit,” a goal
based not on encouragement but on control. That isn’t their place. The control extends past the student body and their bodies — staff and faculty are no exception to the rule, not to mention the hundreds of guests the campus sees every year, what with major events such as Whole Earth Festival, Picnic Day, sports events and graduations. The no-smoke zone extends to “all indoor and outdoor spaces owned or leased by UC Davis,” as well as “housing buildings and facilities that are rented from the University” (such as the Residence Halls,West Village and the Colleges at La Rue).This means visiting or residential smokers would have to walk, bike or drive any distance across the 8.3 square miles of the largest UC campus for just one puff of a cigarette. The Breathe Free policy would be much more reasonable if it provided certain concessions, such as providing designated smoking spaces on our (rather large) campus and allowing reasonable alternatives like electronic cigarettes. Although it may be a common occurrence to see students hindered by biking through a cloud of smoke, we’ve never seen anyone at a loss for breath around an e-cig. Also, the alternatives provided by the University are not sufficient to facilitate a quitting smoker’s needs — “a free two-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy, smoking cessation classes and 24/7 telephone counseling.” Adding physical and psychological withdrawal from cigarettes to students’ already high levels of social and academic stress seems like an unfair
Mexico Chaos-Porn
So far
LATIN AMERICANISMS with JORGE JUAREZ
IN TRANSITION
There’s a rather famous anecdote frequently tossed around in Mexican literary circles.The story concerns famed French poet André Breton’s first visit to our country in 1938. On arrival — and presumably still reeling from the merrymaking on the Parisian party boat — he issued the following statement which, while fitting at the time, seems almost darkly prophetic some 70-odd years later:“I don’t know why I came here. Mexico is the most surrealist country in the world.” Mexico’s borderlands, which span 1,954
The bitter truth being that the reality on the ground is far starker and much more visceral... miles across the Mexico-U.S. border, approximate something of a nether realm for the average Mexican.We are aware of their existence amid the desert and the sun, a place “so far from God, yet so close to the U.S.” — as the oft-quoted saying by former Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz goes. At times we are even made aware — whether willingly or unwillingly — of the growing violence and bloodshed in these northern outposts. But something, something difficult to pinpoint, is always amiss about this carefully crafted image that is discretely shoved in our minds’ eye. In this case the image itself would seem to be the issue.The bitter truth being that the reality on the ground is far starker and much more visceral in its imme-
diacy than any news bulletin can possibly hope to capture. Since the tail end of 2006, residents of the border towns most ravaged by drug violence (among them: Ciudad Juarez, Reynosa, Matamoros) have had their lives encircled by a seemingly unending cycle of bloodshed and tragedy. Faced with the potential of all-consuming violence many in these cities have been fleeing in record numbers contributing to what some describe as a mass-scale refugee crisis. The numbers would seem to back such a claim, with an estimated 160,000 Mexicans having fled their homes (the vast majority to the United States) as a result of the drug violence, the general consensus is that Mexico has once again lost a sizable portion of its population forever. This is nothing new for modern Mexico.The most recent exodus resulted in something of a permanent expat outpost to the North (or El Norte as we call it). The impetus may be different (social and economic reasons vs. safety concerns amid the threat of violence) but the result has been the same: a fracturing of Mexican society. A fracturing which like its previous incarnation has had a number of unintended consequences, among them a growing drive to narrativize Mexico. The narrative attached to this fracturing — one which is increasingly pushed by Western media outlets — is quite easy to pinpoint, but is best described by a friend’s spontaneous word association when asked what she pictured when she thought of contemporary Mexico:“a post-apocalyptic vibe.” Indeed, while parts of Mexico are Juarez on 9
burden, and nicotine patches and gum won’t necessarily help you kick your addiction in two weeks or less. Asking students to shell out for these products after the “free trial” is over is impractical — we’re broke college kids who can barely afford to buy textbooks, let alone Nicorette. The policy’s website also states that “after an initial phase-in period, additional reinforcement measures may be considered.”This indeterminate introduction stage coupled with vague mention of prosecution (that borders on threatening) is uncomfortably cryptic. Based on UC Davis’ history of surprisingly violent enforcement of campus rules, it’s questionable at best that we aren’t told when and how smokers will be penalized. What will be their punishment? Who will be doling out said discipline? And, on top of packs of patches and gum, what’s this all going to cost us? According to UC Davis’ Strategic Communications Department, $77,000 has been allocated for the first year of advertising, including brochures, signs, promotional videos and a Great American Smokeout event. Another $15,000 is put aside for any signs and marketing that the University deems necessary in the next year. And to us, that doesn’t seem worth it. Breathe Free needs more work if UC Davis wants it to work. The University needs to be more lenient, and a little more transparent — if they don’t want our students to be obscured by smoke, their words shouldn’t be either.
with SARAH MARSHALL
T
hree years of full-time community college classes taught me a lot. I covered the first half of my formal education; I took classes on astronomical formulas, philosophical paradoxes, anatomy, women’s history and more. But that’s not what I learned. The community college system created an interesting paradigm for me. Students are fresh out of the high school bubble — late work with no repercussions, seemingly limitless excused absences and a lowered academic expectation.
The community college system created an interesting paradigm for me.
Additionally, community college isn’t really “college.”You don’t live there.You don’t even live with other students.You still live at home.You’re basically a glorified high school student — half as many hours of schooling and three times as many hours of homework. The California community college system was also undergoing some changes of its own when I first enrolled, adding to this weird dynamic. Fifteen years ago, community college classes were free and anyone could register for pottery, interpretive dance or the history of button making. But now, tuition is at an all-time high, rounding out to about $35 per unit. Classes are impacted because the com-
munity college system is trying to serve a diverse array of interests and needs, causing a heightened requirement of remedial classes and leaving less and less money for other classes. As an 18-year-old, the future looked dim. But for three years, I kept hearing good old Charles Darwin’s infamous phrase in the back of my mind: survival of the fittest. I had to be more fit than this institution. I had to outsmart it in order to graduate from it. So I did; and here’s what I learned. 1. How to be my own academic advisor.Where to begin? There was the instance when I asked the student registrar what I should do, because I needed to switch around some classes. He suggested that I drop all of the classes I was registered in, and then re-register for a new slate. After speaking to my academic counselor, I learned that that was the “most idiotic thing a student in this system could do,” emphasizing the uselessness of these advisors.This was only one of many similar occurrences. There were also the countless other times I desperately needed guidance on the IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) qualifications, but was instead directed to the two-hourlong drop-in appointment — the school’s policy for the first two weeks of instruction. So I learned how to figure it out on my own. 2. I was smarter than a lot of people. I don’t mean to sound conceited, but if I can navigate through an institution’s academic policies better than its own Marshall on 9
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014 | 9
Hmph. Nietzsche.
Fork Off
LITERARY LESSONS with EREN KAVVAS
SUSTAINABLE AG with ELLEN PEARSON
I
love the first day of school. I love seeing if someone cute is in the class, then hoping I have discussion with them. I also love how what I thought I knew about a subject is just completely different from what that subject actually is, and the approach the class is taking to learn it. That’s sort of like what reading Nietzsche is like. I read Thus Spake Zarathustra (Nietzsche’s portrayal of himself through the protagonist as a bearer of existentialism to man) over break because I am going through a hipster phase. Okay, maybe not exactly, but that’s how
Remember, knowledge is something that no one can take away from you.
I felt reading this book. To explain it concisely, Nietzsche made me feel like I needed one of those berets that mimes wear. In any case, that book was just full of so many surprises, and although (in my opinion) Nietzsche kind of seems like he thinks he’s really cool, I enjoyed it. Nietzsche seems like the guy at the party who walks around casually bringing up his GPA, which is actually not the highest one you have ever heard of, and expects all the ladies to swoon. “No. Go away, Nietzsche.” The book was also full of applicable life lessons, and the one I would like to share is how to approach the first day of school. Nietzsche is pretty germane to the struggle of figuring out what your quarter is going to be like when you walk into SocSci 1100 on the first day of class. First reaction, “Oh man, that guy who just walked in is really cute.” That’s how the book started. I was like, “Damn, Zarathustra, you seem pretty cool and rugged because you lived in the forest all these years. Teach me your ways.” Zarathustra is like the hot guy on the first day of class because he does things that make you think, “Aww, adorbs.” For example, I could not help myself from LOLing at some of the things Zarathustra said. “I teach you the Superman.” Hopefully kids these days will get the following reference, because all I could think of when I read that was the Soulja Boy song from 2007 where he goes, “Watch me crank that soulja
boy and superman that hoe!” Look up a picture of Nietzsche right now and imagine him in the club walking up to someone and being like, “I teach you the Superman.” Finally, after I was done, I realized that before starting the book, I literally had no idea whatsoever what Nietzsche’s philosophy really was. That’s sort of like comparing the last day of class to the first day of class. I remember when I heard another person wearing all black and a beret say, in a raspy cigarette-stained voice, to someone with a mustache that curled up on the sides with a faked British accent, “God is dead and we have killed him.” As a bystander in that moment I thought to myself, “Oh my, look how smart I am. I know that what he said is Nietzsche.” And then I read the book and realized that there was A LOT more going on. For some reason, I thought “Zarathustra” was going to be some nonfiction book explicitly lining out the absurdism of God and all that kind of stuff, that it was going to be in rigid academic writing, and that I was going to feel very serious the whole time. I imagined myself scoffing at things. I would be all, “Hmph.Yes. Well, I guess. Ugh.” That’s not what ended up happening at all. It’s sort of analogous to when you read the description of a class on SISWEB and you think, “I totally have a general idea about this class. Nothing is going to appall me.” And then you get to class and read the syllabus and realize, “Nope. Not at all.” So, on that note, I wish everyone great success in all their classes this quarter. It may be a slow journey, but in the end you will feel super proud that you did it. Remember, knowledge is something that no one can take away from you. At the end of reading Nietzsche, I felt like I accomplished something, even if that was just the ability to smirk when people talk about Nietzsche. Go on, friends, conquer your first day of school! Consume the knowledge! As Nietzsche wrote, “And this meaneth to me knowledge: all that is deep shall ascend — to my height! — Thus Spake Zarathustra” (135). Now, go find yourself a beret, conjugate “to speak” incorrectly and get on with your quarter. To wear berets and scoff at things with EREN KAVVAS email her at ebkavvas@ucdavis.edu.
letter to the editor
I
’m tired of the word “sustainability.” I’m equally tired of the words meant to supplant it such as “eco” and “earth-friendly.” As a fourth-year sustainable agriculture and food systems major, I am well aware of the novelty attached to the title of my degree.What exactly am I conveying to others? What value do the terms “sustainable” and “food systems” hold in our modern lexicon? The sustainability movement, in my experience, is fueled by good intention often punctuated by naiveté and ignorance. The latter often goes unnoticed. I arrived at Davis as a bright-eyed, affluent suburban
What if we stopped thinking of ourselves as consumers and started acting like citizens? youth wanting to save the environment. Food seemed the ideal pathway. Everyone eats. I delved into the study of the food system: its structure, its injustice and its solutions. As I was confronted by facts, figures and stories of the hands that touched the food products I eventually consumed, I was overwhelmed.“Organic,”“fair trade” and “local” all became terms that I strived for. I was attempting to participate in a more just food system through my individual, consumer choice. As the quarters rolled by, though, I was fortunate enough to take classes that deepened my understanding and comprehension of such complex issues.These classes, though, did not often focus on the “food system.”Women’s studies, community development and anthropology — the social sciences — exposed the flaws in my thinking. I learned to examine the structures around people as opposed to the individuals themselves in order to expose the root of the problems within the food system. In the U.S., we all too often are taught to not only act, but think, like consumers. By trying to be a “conscious consumer,” I was enacting a vote-with-your-fork mentality.Voting-with-your-fork can more accurately be described as voting-withyour-wallet. In short, I was attempting to exert power through my economic standing. One has to wonder, when put like that, if that isn’t the cause of the problem instead of the solution. Voting-with-your-fork or wallet means people with more money get more votes. Those that lack the same economic power are effectively silenced in this façade of
JUAREZ Cont. from page 8
Animal Welfare Legislation Needed Our state legislature reconvened on Jan. 6. Now’s the time to ask your representatives to introduce legislation to protect animals, both wild and domestic. A few suggestions: ban all “wildlife killing contests” of coyotes, rabbits, ground squirrels, crows, whatever; they are unethical, ecologically-unsound, and give all hunting a black eye. Ban the use of electronic duck decoys (“roboducks”) — unethical and unsporting. Ban the Mexican rodeo’s brutal “steer tailing” event (already banned in Alameda and Contra Costa counties). Amend current law (Penal Code 596.7) so as to require ON-SITE veterinary care at all rodeos. Ban the sale of non-native turtles and frogs for human consumption — all are
diseased. Released into local waters, they displace and prey upon our native wildlife. Ban elephant rides — dangerous for animals and public alike. Ban the cruel “farrowing crates” at state and county fairs. Ban the giving away of goldfish as “prizes,” and the sale of hermit crabs as “pets” (all taken from the wild) at fairs and carnivals. Most will die an early death. All legislators may be written c/o The State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. As the Lorax says, “If somebody like YOU doesn’t care a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to get better. It’s not.” Sincerely, Eric Mills Coordinator, ACTION FOR ANIMALS Humane Society
gripped by what might be described as dystopian lawlessness, and not faulting my graciously honest friend in any such way, her association would seem to illustrate the growing influence of what I call Mexico ChaosPorn.You can find it in the dark corners of the internet just the same as you can find it on the front page of The Sacramento Bee: gruesome
MARSHALL Cont. from page 8
staff, I think my point has been proven. I also found myself constantly correcting my teachers’ grammatical errors and inconsistent grading scales — perhaps more of a testament my type-A personality than a downfall of the system, but still. 3. I was dumber than a lot of people. This fact was made clear to me at my graduation. Our valedictorian gave an amazing and inspirational speech. I didn’t even know we had a valedictorian. I also found myself constantly
democracy.This is one reason why the sustainability movement has largely overlooked issues of inequality. The good intention inside us may be asking at this point, but my purchase must make some difference, right? Sure it does. Your purchase at the Farmer’s Market likely supports smaller, more ecologically sound farms and farmers.Your purchase of Fair Trade chocolate could support women in cooperatives of workers in other countries.Your purchases aren’t meaningless, but they won’t save the world. It’s also important to note that not everyone can afford a grocery bill from the Food Co-op or Whole Foods. Sustainability has caught on, because it has been adopted by capitalist ideals. Marketing terms, third party certifications and biodegradable packaging are sexy and make us feel like good consumers. We don’t have to question our consumer habits, just adopt the new consumer fad. We are told that our individual actions added to other people’s individual actions will amount to change. Consumers are championed for demanding that rbST be removed from their milk supply.“rbST” is a genetically modified dairy cow growth hormone manufactured by Monsanto that increases milk production.The European Union banned it citing questionable safety. Although consumers can buy “rbSTfree” milk (a label strongly fought against by the pharmaceutical companies), the synthetic hormone has not been banned. In fact, we unknowingly consume it through cheese quite often.With a critical eye, it is a shallow victory. What if we stopped thinking of ourselves as consumers and started acting like citizens? Citizens wouldn’t limit themselves to individual actions. Disrupting the link between change and purchasing power brings in the voices of those most disadvantaged within the food system. Our power as groups can amount to real change, like bans and regulations, that provide safer, more wholesome food for everyone — not just those with the luxury of free time devoted to researching healthy food and can afford to buy it. Our power as consumers is intrinsically limited by the relationship we have with food corporations.We are seen as wallets, not people. But I’m not a wallet, I’m a person.With a body that can get sick. With a mind that deserves to know what I’m eating. And a desire to help everyone, regardless of income, eat healthy food. To brainstorm other ways to be a citizen, contact ELLEN PEARSON at erpearson@ucdavis. edu.
videos of mass beheadings, Gonzostyle drug documentaries, editorials decrying Mexico as a failed state, the list goes on. This is the surreal standing of Mexico today. A media-driven narrative which does not fully coincide with the image an average Mexican twenty-something holds of her homeland. It is an unrecognizable home, one that I and fellow Mexican nationals are transported to whenever asked by a friend if we’ll be safe or not when we head down to visit fam-
ily for the holidays. How best to answer them? Yes? No? Hopefully? The answer I would readily give is yes. But it is a yes with the real Mexico in mind: a Mexico far too complex and maddeningly imperfect for grand narratives of any sort, a place where even surrealism has its limits. Como México no hay dos.
humbled at my peers’ intelligence. Again, my conceit may be showing, but the vast majority of my classmates were students from my own high school, a pool of students with an obvious lack of talent — or so I thought. I was always shocked at their insightful comments and high test scores, which brought me to my fourth realization 4. The real world is scary. If I don’t start making smart decisions now, I may just wind up back here in my 30s, 40s or 50s. I couldn’t allow myself to get caught up in the stigma of being a “community college student” — a sure indicator of my failures in high school,
and dismal future at a university. I had to keep my head down and just continue to work. 5. I’m incredibly sappy. Community college taught me how to deal with the devastation of being left behind by friends attending cool colleges and fleeting high school memories. I had to buck up. I had to do well in classes, get a job, keep up with all of it and grow up. After three years of that formula, I’m here and I’m so thankful. And so sappy.
If you would like to consult with JORGE JUAREZ regarding your upcoming trip to Mexico he can be reached at jnjuarez@ucdavis.edu.
To tell SARAH MARSHALL what she might learn at UC Davis, email her at smmarshall@ucdavis. edu.
10 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
Willkommen, Cabaret, Don’t Tell Mama and Two Ladies.
ARTSWEEK Cont. from page 6
Cont. from page 6
F ILM
JAN. 10, 11 AT 7:30 P. M . A ND JA N. 12 AT 2 P. M ., $ 12 GENERA L A D M ISSI O N
I NTO G RE AT S ILE NCE
272 0 DEL RIO PL AC E
JA N . 1 1 , 7 : 3 0 P.M ., $ 2 SUG G E ST E D DO N A-
Set in a small town in Ohio,The K of D is about a small group of teenagers coming to grips with the death of Jamie, a local boy. This mysterious dark comedy focuses on Charlotte, Jamie’s twin sister, and the rumored kiss death she gave Jamie before he died in her arms. The K of D explores death, grief and revenge complemented by compelling storytelling.
TION
DAVIS M USI C A L T H E AT E R CO MPANY PRE SE N TS: C A B AR E T
A RT
JAN. 3 TO 26, SATU R DAYS A ND SU NDAYS
STO RIE S O N STAG E
8:1 5 P.M. A ND SU NDAYS 2 :15 P. M . , $18
JA N . 1 1 , 7 : 3 0 P.M ., $ 5 ADM I SS I O N
G EN E RA L A DMISSION
PE N C E G AL L E RY, 2 1 2 D ST.
D M TC PERFORMING A RT S C E NT E R , 6 07
This Saturday at the Pence Gallery, authors will introduce short fiction, which will be followed by a dramatic interpretation by actors. Stories on Stage will feature work by Anthony Marra, author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and emerging author Maria Kuznetsova. Refreshments and books will be available for purchase at the performance. n
P E NA DRIVE
Set in a nightclub in Berlin after the devastating effects of World War I and the rise of the Third Reich, Davis Musical Theater Company entices you to enter a world of cabaret that includes musical numbers such as It Couldn’t Please Me More,
CAMPUS CHIC Cont. from page 6
4. What is your all-time favorite accessory? Shoes definitely, but I bought this ear cuff while I was in Korea and I saw Ke$ha wearing a similar one on the red carpet. I got it for a really great price and it has these crystals and this feather shape that I really like. 5. Tell us about your look. [This coat] is a long, boxy style that I saw a lot of people wearing, so I was
AGGIE ARCADE Cont. from page 7
game, adding a cooperative element that isn’t intrusive. Metal Gear Solid V:The Phantom Pain Metal Gear Solid is often silly, convoluted and too self-serious, and yet I can’t help but embrace the series’ special brand of lunacy. The trailers for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain show us that creator Hideo
ART SALON
YO LO P L E ASUR E DO M E , 1 4 01 P O L E L I N E ROA D, DAV I S
The Yolo County Film Society will be presenting an award-winning documentary by Director Philip Groning. The documentary is about life inside the Grande Chartreuse, the head monastery of the reclusive Carthusian Order in France.
feels that the event will help further some of the objectives of the gallery itself. “I really like their idea because it’s focused on generating dialogue about art, between artists and the public, between students and the public,” Teagle said. “I believe that the gallery’s highest purpose is to create community dialogue.” If successful, Teagle said she thinks the event has much in store for the fine arts community at UC Davis. Castle said that if the event goes as planned, they plan to hold another similar event during Spring Quarter. Additionally, the event has greater prospects for the UC Davis fine arts community, beyond the Nelson Gallery. “As the Director I’m excited by this experiment because it’s unlike anything we’ve done before at the Nelson Gallery,” Teagle said. “The
looking for a coat like this while I was in Korea. I didn’t want a solid color and I like the pattern and that it’s similar to Houndstooth. I mostly dress in neutral colors so I wanted something that could go along with a lot of the outfits that I already have. I love cold weather and scarves and sweaters. I always say that you could put on however many layers when it’s cold, but you can only take off so many layers when it’s hot. I got my shoes from ZARA and my shirt on sale at Mango. It’s a chambray two-toned shirt that goes well with skirts and a lot of different bottoms.
6. Who is your style icon? There’s actually a fashion blog that I follow called “Neon Blush” and she wears a lot of ZARA and a lot of clean-cut things that I really like. I try to find styles that are cheaper than ZARA, but similar in taste. [My interest in fashion] stems from my aunt who used to buy me a lot of clothes and send them to me from Korea. I used to live in Tennessee and I always preferred her style over the style in Tennessee where Aéropostale was a really big thing.
Kojima is not going to shy away from that narrative formula, but he does hope to elevate the core stealth gameplay. Kojima has promised that MGSV will be a more open experience in which players can better use stealth mechanics, and a downloadable prequel — Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes — will come out in March to help introduce fans to the new mechanics for the upcoming release.
2011, and Supergiant Games plans to follow that up with Transistor, a sci-fi action game. Like Bastion, Transistor uses an isometric view, but there are notable differences between the two games. Transistor will include a planning mode, in which players stop time and input a series of moves to be executed in super-speed. Meanwhile, the story will focus on protagonist Red and her powerful sword called Transistor. If it’s anything like Bastion, then it will be a narrative worth seeing through to the end.
Transistor Bastion was one of my favorite games of
7. What do most girls usually wear down South and how has your style evolved since living in Tennessee?
event might become a model of programming for the new Shrem Museum.” Castle said that he feels it is important for the event to thrive as it provides an unusual opportunity for artists in the Davis and Sacramento areas. “I think this event is especially important for UC Davis students because it provides a way for new artists in Davis to achieve acclaim without any sort of connections,” Castle said. “A new artist can submit her work and if it is well received by the community, they can get an in-depth exhibition.” Ultimately, the organizers of the event hope that it will unite the public after which it is named. “It can be a way for students and community members alike to get involved in shaping its future,” Castle said. The last day to submit artwork is Jan. 10. For more information on submitting art to The Davis Art Salon: Vive Le Public email davisartsalon@gmail.com. n
There’s always the stereotypical Southern college thing where all the girls wear Nike shorts and oversized t-shirts. Going back and forth between Korea [and the US] a lot has influenced me and, obviously, online shopping which led to looking around Topshop and websites like that. California has definitely affected [my style] a lot — not just weather-wise, but also being in an environment where people wear a lot of different things in a lot of different ways. Everyone wore pretty much the same thing everyday while I was in Tennessee; but coming here and going to San Francisco and L.A., it was just a big eyeopener for me. n
The Witness The Witness, right down to its simple name, exudes mystery. It’s a first-person puzzle game that takes place on a secluded island, but beyond that we don’t have much information to go on. But anyone who played 2008’s Braid knows that designer Jonathan Blow has a penchant for creating fresh, innovative and exciting games that push the boundaries of modern mechanics. Something tells me The Witness will be a very special game — heck, even if it’s a disaster, it will still probably be a fascinating experience. n
J O B P OSTING C O N T A C T
I N F O
CO M PA N Y N A M E
|
WOODSTOCK’S PIZZA
ROBERT MCLELLAN
FULL NAME
|
ADDRESS
|
2 1 9 G S T, DAV I S , C A 9 5 6 1 6
PHONE
(530) 757 - 2261
|
or
(323) 388 - 5524
P E R S O N A L A S S I S TA N T N E E D E D TO H E L P R E D U C E M Y WO R K LOA D.
C O M P U T E R S K I L L S N E E D E D G O O D W I T H O R G A N I Z AT I O N .
W E A R E W I L L I N G T O PAY $ 6 1 5 P E R W E E K .
I N T E R E S T E D P E R S O N ( S ) S H O U L D C O N TAC T:
W I L L E S D O U G L A S @ L I V E .C O M F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N .
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014 | 11
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
ARTSWEEK Cont. from page 8
mornings a worthy challenge. “Initially it was difficult because it puts a limit to the amount of sleep I have for that day full of work and classes,” Jones said. “However, after a couple of weeks I adjusted, and although it is never easy to go into a job at 3 a.m., it’s become less of a struggle; plus DJing is loads of fun, so that makes it more enjoyable.” Like many of the DJs, Emily co-hosts with a friend, allowing them to learn about the station together. The co-hosting arrangement cuts down the work for the new
STELTH
students so they aren’t too overwhelmed with having to get up early while simultaneously learning the ins and outs of DJing. One of the perks for the new DJs is getting to discover music in KDVS’s vinyl library. During training the students take classes in musicology where they learn about the variety of music KDVS has to offer. The music covered is mostly twentieth century and beyond. Fourth-year international relations major Adrian Glass-Moore was a new DJ Fall Quarter and enjoyed having KDVS’s vinyl library at his disposal. “The library we have of music is one of the biggest libraries of vinyl records around; as a new DJ you can really only play music
from the KDVS library,” Glass-Moore said. “You have to wait before you get to play your own music.” New DJs have the choice to experiment with genres of music before deciding the theme of their show. With early time slots and a small audience, the students can play mixes of music that might not go together in order to see what they like broadcasting most. They play everything from ’60s rock to Hawaiian music to modern R&B. Even though the audiences are smaller in the early morning than during other time slots, the DJs still have a fan base who calls in with requests and comments. “I loved when we got callers,” said fourth-year microbiology major Brittney
Anderson, who worked as an early morning DJ Fall Quarter. “You think people aren’t listening, but we usually got one or two calls a week. More people are listening than you think during that time.” Students who wish to DJ at KDVS are cautioned that the early mornings are a commitment they must be passionate about. “Know that it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s very rewarding to be a DJ. School should come first, so make sure it’s something you have time to do before you commit,” Anderson said. If you’d like to learn more about volunteering and/or DJing at KDVS, volunteer information meetings will be held Monday, Jan. 13 and Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Wellman 106. n
these old sounds and finding new ways to communicate them in songs I write.
Cont. from page 8
How has your experience in The Lumineers evolved you as an individual musician? It’s helped create a good balance, not necessarily in singing your own songs, but playing someone else’s songs. In some ways, it’s a lot easier. When you’re standing on stage and you’re putting your heart out there for songs that you wrote, it’s a different kind of pressure in communicating. Communicating as a backup musician is complementary to communicating as the main singer. Also, [Wesley Schultz, lead vocalist and guitarist] is inspiring to work with because he has a really strong stage presence. Something I value playing live is learning how to guide a crowd — not control a crowd, but guide a crowd. I look up to him for that. As a multi-instrumentalist, how do you connect with all these instruments, when many musicians focus on just one? Do you have a different creative experience with each instrument? I really admire and feel closely related to the term “jack of all trades, master of none.” I guess the difference is slowly starting to understand the relationship between all these instruments. You have a lot more options musically. It’s almost like a creative infinity. There’s still so much to learn. I’m not necessarily coming up with new ways to make music; I think I’m more of a fan of taking a lot of
What will fans anticipate to hear from your upcoming album? Right now, the album doesn’t have a certain direction yet, except I want it all to remain fairly honest. I want it to be a truthful documentation of what’s going on in the moment of the recording. It’s like getting a bad tattoo. I’ve had friends who’ve gotten bad tattoos and I’d say, “Do you regret getting that tattoo?” And they’d say, “Well, it’s a truthful documentation of how I was at 18.” Maybe they don’t even think about it as much anymore, but it’s like a scar — it can’t be denied. I would like that to be said about my album: that all the songs were completely truthful in how I decided to record them. What is in store for your winter 2014 tour? It’s just a nice little week of touring where I have the time off; I have a bus, and I’m trying to get it to California from Colorado. It’s basically a good way to keep my chops up; it’s a good way to start meeting new people. With The Lumineers, it’s kind of drifted away from small shows in small places. I think it’s always humiliating and fun to play smaller rooms where the show inevitably becomes more intimate. It will be a good reminder of where we all come from. I’m constantly writing new songs and now is just as good time as any to try out new things and to find out what my sound is and what people are into that I’m doing. n
HAVE YOU HAD YOUR DENTAL CHECK-UP YET? P R E V E N T I O N , E A R LY D E T E C T I O N , E A R LY T R E A T M E N T I S T H E K E Y ! H AV E H E A LT H Y T E E T H A N D A B E A U T I F U L S M I L E F O R L I F E .
D A V I S
S M I L E
C E N T E R ,
D R .
J .
A F K H A M
5 3 0 - 7 5 0 - 3 3 1 1
12 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
writing; monthly instruction costs $120. RBU also offers practice for playing in a band setting, which costs $140 a month.
ART RESOURCES Cont. from page 6
This group, active since 2009, lets amateurs and veterans alike draw from a nude model. The group uses dry materials for their work, such as graphite and pastels, and specifically requests that guests do not bring wet paint materials. While the group provides tabletops, they recommend bringing an easel.
MU SI C BU I LD I NG, ROOM 105 MONDAYS 6 TO 8 P. M. A ND FRI DAYS 5 TO 7 P. M.
The UC Davis Gospel Choir welcomes anyone interested in singing gospel, regardless of skill level. The group tours and has performed at churches all over California.
OPEN MI CS
$1 4
UC DAVI S GOSP EL CHOI R
DR. ANDY’ S PO E T RY NIG H T RE ADING S E RIE S
P E RF ORMANC E GROU P S
N AT SO UL AS G AL L E RY, 52 1 F I R ST ST.
M US I C I N ST R UC TIO N WATE RM ELO N M U S I C 2 07 E ST.
Watermelon Music has 41 instructors between their Davis and Woodland locations teaching a variety of classical instruments such as the violin, piano and flute; their rates vary between instructors. They also rent instruments.
F I R ST AN D T H I R D T H UR S DAYS , 8 P.M .
STUDI O 301
The Poetry Night Reading Series, sponsored by UWP professor Dr. Andy Jones, starts with a featured reader at 8 p.m. before the open mic segment, which begins at 9 p.m. There is a time limit of five minutes or two pieces, whichever is shorter. Only ten people are allowed to sign up, so participants are encouraged to show up early.
STU D I O301PROD U CTI ONS@GMA I L.COM
Studio 301 is a student-run theatre group on campus that puts on plays, and have recently put on shows such as “Bat Boy: The Musical” and “The Odd Couple.” Since they are entirely student run, they can also account for people who are more interested in the technical aspects of theatre than the performing aspects.
S ICK S PITS
ROC K BA N D UN I V E R S IT Y 72 0 O L IVE DRIVE, SU IT E H
Rock Band University (RBU) also provides music instruction, but with a focus on rock music. Two instructors teach guitar, bass, drums, piano, music theory and song-
TC S B UI L DI N G
DEAD ARTS SOCI ETY
F I R ST W E DN E S DAY O F T H E M O N T H , 7 P.M .
D EA DA RT SSOCI ETY @GMA I L.COM
The student-run Sick Spits Spoken Word Collective operate an open mic show during their performances, which are on the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. with sign ups beforehand. Sick Spits also runs a writer’s workshop, which is at 7 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month in the Fielder Room of the MU.
Dead Arts Society, a spin-off from Studio 301, puts on student-written pieces and focuses on a broader variety of performance art, including music and dance. They do a showcase of their work at the end of every quarter. In addition, Dead Arts Society is highly inclusive and will let anyone in regardless of experience.
CLASSIFIEDS 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.
AGGIE CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIED AD RATES Students: 20¢ per word/day General: 25¢ per word/day (Minimum 5 words) LOCAL OPEN AD RATES $10.00 per column inch DEADLINE Publication: Thursday Display Ads: Monday, 4 P.M. Classified Ads: Wednesday, 1 P.M.
The California Aggie reserves the right to, without notice, classify all advertisements, delete objectionable words and phrases, and edit or refuse advertisements. Categories will be strictly adhered to. The Aggie reserves the right to change, without notice, deadlines for advertising copy, rates, rules, and regulations. The advertiser will not hold The Aggie liable for any claims resulting from publication of the advertisement. Further, the Publisher will not be responsible for any claim resulting from an agreement made between the consumer and advertiser. Copy should be checked for errors
recycle...
BAWK!
WEBSITES/ INTERNET
Human Density Impacts Human Destiny. motherlode.population.sierraclub.org/ population
Global
tion is sexually transmotherlode.
There are no refunds/credits
C R O S S W Edited O RbyD Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis ACROSS 1 Diana’s companion 5 Off-the-wall play 10 “... baked in __” 14 An awfully long time 15 Meter reading 16 Without 17 Glowing sugar cube? 20 Electrical pioneer whose last known U.S. patent was for a helicopter-plane 21 A soprano one has short strings 22 Team competition 23 Ant who sings 25 Some film-book relationships 26 Campaign to raise mailing fees? 31 Arm bones 32 Cyclotron bits 33 Convenience store convenience 36 Clinches 37 Polynesian porch 39 Tennis coups 40 Cow or sow 41 Tax that funds Soc. Sec. 42 More patrician 44 Easy strikeout victim? 46 Field of plants? 49 Regarding 50 Somewhat inclined 51 Outback runner 53 Goof 57 Wedding song for Ivana or Marla? 60 Mall map word 61 Discourage 62 Cheeseboard choice 63 While lead-in 64 Spring for lunch 65 Lairs DOWN 1 Bonkers 2 People-watch inappropriately 3 __ ex machina
overpopula-
mitted.
BY THE ADVERTISER following the first insertion. Errors in advertisements must be reported before 1 p.m. for correction in next issue. Credit for Publisher error(s) will only be given for the incorrect portion of the advertisement for the first publication date. All phone numbers appearing in classifieds will be in the 530 area code. Only area codes outside the 530 area will be printed. For placement or questions e-mail classifieds@theaggie.org.
FOR RELEASE AUGUST 22, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
By Jeff Stillman
4 Cuts off 5 Stick for breaking, at times 6 Take for granted 7 Rooftop accessory 8 Decorative molding 9 “Eight __ Out”: 1988 baseball movie 10 In the arms of Morpheus 11 Eighth-century pope 12 Jude Law’s “Cold Mountain” role 13 July awards show, with “the” 18 Speed demon’s undoing 19 Cuts back 24 Gymnast’s asset 25 Open D and open G, for guitars 26 Frat letters 27 Smart remark? 28 Barrie buccaneer 29 Old Testament peak 30 __ fault
8/22/13
T H UWednesday’s R S DAY’ S PU ZZ LESolved S O LV E D Puzzle
(c)2013 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
33 Scopes Trial gp. 34 Swarm 35 Auto ad no. 38 Tread the boards 39 Couldn’t stomach 41 Slice competitor 43 Santa’s reindeer, e.g. 44 Balanchine’s field 45 Vertigo symptom 46 Get clean 47 Survey choice
8/22/13
48 Levels 51 Observer 52 Itty-bitty bug 54 Uncivil 55 Sultanate whose flag features two swords and a dagger 56 Tach nos. 58 Banned pesticide 59 Works in a gallery
SUDOKU
population.sierraclub. org/population
World’s fate is in your hands...and pants motherlode.sierraclub.org/ population
RECY CLE! RECYCLEE! ! RECYCL
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.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR AMAZING CAT-IN-CHIEF, ELIZABETH ORPINA! , T H E AGGI E
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
14 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014
BACKSTOP AGGIES BEGIN
BIG WEST PLAY
Where UC Davis at Cal State Northridge; at Long Beach State Records UC Davis, 5-10 (0-0); Cal State Northridge, 8-7 (0-0); Long Beach State, 4-10 (0-0)
STORY: RYAN REED sports@theaggie.org
PHOTO: COURTESY UC Davis Athletics Department
Who to watch Senior guard Ryan Sypkens is coming into the game against Cal State Northridge having notched a UC Davis record 10 three-pointers made against Simpson University. Sypkens scored a career-high 30 points in the win. He is scoring just 11.5 points per game on the season, his lowest total since his freshman year, but has averaged 20.6 points in the last three contests. It seems he has found his rhythm. “When he is patient, he is as dangerous a shooter as anyone in the country,” coach Jim Les said. Preview In the first game of their Southern California road trip, the UC Davis Aggies will face the Cal State Northridge Matadors. The Matadors are coming off of a comeback defeat by the South Dakota Coyotes, which saw an eight point lead dwindle in the last 3:30. Cal State Northridge is led by the trio of forward Stephan Hicks, forward Stephen Maxwell, and guard Josh Greene. Hicks averages a team high 17.6 points per game, on an efficient 55.3 percent shooting from the floor, while adding 7.4 rebounds per game. Maxwell has added an equally efficient 16.5 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. Finally, Greene has played the role of three point marksman, averaging 14.8 points while shooting 49.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Aggies, meanwhile, have struggled significantly rebounding the ball. They are averaging a lowly 30.9 rebounds per game and are led by senior forward Josh Ritchart with 6.6 rebounds each contest. This has been in part due to the significant struggles of forwards Iggy Nujic and Clint Bozner, who are averaging a combined 5.8 rebounds per game. If the Aggies want to win this game, they must accomplish a few things. First and foremost, they must crash the boards and not allow the Matadors to get many second chance points. UC Davis also has to score the ball efficiently. Cal State North-
Senior Ryan Sypkens drives past a Simpson defender.
ridge has shot the ball well thus far, with its top two scorers making over half of their shots. The Aggies, on the other hand, are rarely efficient beyond Ritchart. Both junior guard Corey Hawkins and Sypkens are shooting under 42 percent from the field, and the team only makes 34.4 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc. The Matadors will be a tough test for the Aggies as they have played well defensively. The Matadors have held three of their last four opponents to shooting under 42 percent from the field. Cal State Northridge has also benefited greatly from the play of center Tre Hale-Edmerson, who has averaged 1.9 blocks and 1.8 steals per game. As for the Long Beach State 49ers, do not be fooled by the poor record. These 49ers have seen four of their losses come against top 25 nationally-ranked opponents. They barely lost to then #10 VCU, falling by six points, and recently were defeated by the #25 Missouri Tigers by 10 points. Long Beach State is led by guard Tyler Lamb, who has only played in the last four games for the 49ers after sitting out due to transfer requirements. Lamb has struggled from the field, shooting only 35.7 percent thus far, but he has averaged
20.8 points per game and is getting to the free throw line over six times per game. Lamb will only continue to get better as he shakes off the rust from sitting out for over a year. Guard Mike Caffey has held down the point guard position well for Long Beach State, averaging 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists. The 49ers, meanwhile, have gotten much of their production down low from forward Dan Jennings, who has given them 11.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. As a whole, the Long Beach State 49ers have shot the ball very poorly this season, a weakness that the Aggies must capitalize on in order to score a victory. Through the first 14 games of the season, the 49ers have shot 39.6 percent from the field and a lackluster 27.6 percent from beyond the arc. If UC Davis wants to win, they will have to continue to limit the 49ers' efficiency and prevent Lamb from having his breakout game of the season. The Aggies will also have to play far more efficiently than they have, limit turnovers and second chance points and win the rebounding battle against a strong 49ers squad which pulls in 36 rebounds per game. n
Aggies ride hot-streak into
Big West play teams UC Davis vs. Cal State Northridge; vs. Long Beach State records Aggies, 5-8 (0-0); Matadors, 4-10 (0-0); 49ers, 8-6 (0-0) where The Pavilion — Davis, Calif. when Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m.
Who to watch? Sydnee Fipps has undoubtedly been the MVP for this Aggie team thus far, leading the team in scoring in 10 of its 13 games. The junior guard, averaging 17.8 points per game, has scored 20plus points in five straight games — the longest streak in team history in 21 years — in addition to notching back-to-back double-doubles in the team’s last two games, a loss to Sacramento State and a win versus Simpson. Fipps’s excellent play of late has coincided with the Aggies winning three of their last four games. Preview A grueling stretch of road games to open the season left the UC Davis women’s basketball team with a 2-7 record, but the Aggies, led by junior guard Sydnee Fipps, have been hot of late, winning three of their last four. Entering Big West play, the Aggies (5-8) take on the Cal State Northridge Matadors (4-10) at the Pavilion on Jan. 9. UC Davis is coming off a 78-46 drubbing of Simpson University on Jan. 2, which could be a significant confidence boost for the team heading into conference play. In the contest against Simpson University, Fipps led the team with 21 points and 11 rebounds and was one of four Aggies to score in double figures. Junior Kelsey Harris played a stellar allaround game, scoring 17 points, grabbing six boards and dishing out four assists. Sophomore Heidi Johnson scored 14 points and pulled down eight rebounds, and classmate Alyson Doherty scored 14 points, recorded five rebounds, and added two blocks and a pair of steals. “This was a great opportunity for us to look at somebody different,” head coach Jennifer Gross said. “We’ve had a couple really, really good practices with a focus on a couple of key areas. [This basketball on 13
I’M PURSUING MY
PASSION TO HELP IMPROVE THE HEALTH
OF MY COMMUNITY John Physician Assistant Student
As a student in Touro University’s Physician Assistant program, you’ll start working with patients right away. Make your work matter. Make your life matter. The journey starts at Touro.
Education & Health Sciences Osteopathic Medicine Pharmacy Physician Assistant Public Health
GOOD PEOPLE DOING GREAT THINGS
tu.edu
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2014 | 13
BACKSTOP Women’s diving swims to UCLA
Hawk down
event Bruin Diving Invitational
with KENNETH LING
I
t seems illogical to say that being an All-American can be detrimental for a player. After all, how could being named one of CBS Sports’ top 100 players in the nation and a Lou Henson MidMajor All American be a bad thing for a player? The answer is simple: pressure. After a fantastic sophomore season — in which Corey Hawkins averaged 20.3 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game and 3.3 assists per game — he came into this season with a whole lot of pressure and expectation. With the addition of freshmen Brynton Lemar and Georgi Funtarov along with the junior transfer Iggy Nujic, the Aggies seemed to have a lot of talent coming into this season. However, the Aggies stuttered out of the gate. With the early seasonending injury to J.T. Adenrele and Hawkins’ early season struggles from beyond the arc, the Aggies are limping into conference play. Adenrele’s injury has hurt the Aggies, but Hawkin’s struggles seem to be a primary concern for Aggie fans. While there is no empirical data that shows the accolades have hurt Hawkins’ game, there definitely has been an observable difference in the level of attention other teams have been placing on the junior guard. Hawkins’ shooting percentage has dropped from a solid 47.4 percent to a pedestrian 41.4 percent. Even more surprising is Hawkins’ drop in three-point shooting. He shot 40 percent from beyond the arc in the 2012-13 season. This number has dropped down to an abysmal 27.1 percent this season, showing that other teams are acutely aware of his talents. Yet, it’s unfair to say that the 5-10 record has been solely due to the struggles of Hawkins. UC Davis struggled early last season, as they went 4-7 before starting conference play, including a loss to a Oklahoma State team which started NBA lottery prospect Marcus Smart. The reasonably difficult schedule has seen the Aggies fall to Pac-12 teams Utah and Stanford, as well as San Jose State. In short, UC Davis tends to play tougher opponents in the beginning of the season, before conference play begins. Thus, while unpleasant, the tough stretch of games for the Ag-
BASKETBALL Cont. from page 14
game] was a chance to see, ‘how is our focus,’ ‘how is our effort?’ In a couple areas, it was great. In a couple areas it still needs to improve.” Cal State Northridge is coming off a narrow 74-73 loss to Cal State Bakersfield on Jan. 2. The Matadors have lost three straight and look to right the ship against UC Davis. The team is led by junior guard Cinnamon Lister, who has been anything
gies is not unexpected. But, the drop off in Hawkins’ production has been unexpected. Last season in the first 11 games, Hawkins led the Aggies in scoring five times and scored 20 or more points in each of these five games. In the first 15 games of this season, Hawkins has managed to lead all UC Davis scorers seven times but has only hit the 20 point mark three times. Clearly it isn’t coming as easy for Hawkins as it was last year. I’m not bashing Hawkins. I think what he has done for UC Davis has been phenomenal. All I’m saying is that maybe the attention he garnered for his outstanding play last season has gotten other teams a little more focused on containing him, and he has yet to adjust. But all is not lost for the season for both the Aggies and Hawkins, as the Aggies have had better success when playing against conference opponents. Also, Hawkins, while not as prolific in his scoring as in the past, has been constantly contributing in other ways. The loss of J.T. Adenrele, UC Davis’ best rebounder, has been crucial as coach Jim Les has resorted to “small ball,” often playing four-guard lineups. This has caused the Aggies to be destroyed on the boards, getting outrebounded by their opponents by an average of seven rebounds per game. However, Hawkins has been one of the better rebounders for UC Davis once again this season, averaging 5.1 rebounds per game. I want to present some hope at the light of the tunnel. Just as it took some time for Hawkins to settle in last season, it will probably take some time for him to get used to the attention he’s getting. Once he does, opponents should be wary, as he can put up points in a hurry. If Hawkins can get going offensively, the three-point loving Aggies should play some exciting basketball as they showed in their 93-69 win against Simpson, where senior guard Ryan Sypkens caught fire on his way to a 30-point game and Hawkins added 19 points on 54.5 percent shooting from the field. Maybe this was the jumpstart UC Davis needed to step up their game. Keep your head up Aggie fans, the season has just begun. n
but sweet to opponents this year, averaging just under 16 points per game. The Aggies will also have their hands full with junior guard Ashley Guay, who is scoring 14.3 points per game. Last year, Cal State Northridge tied for fifth in the Big West, compiling a 9-9 league record. UC Davis was one spot behind in the standings, and the Aggies went 7-11 in Big West competition. On Jan. 11, the Aggies play host to the Long Beach State 49ers in a 2 p.m. matinee. The 49ers (8-6) split the season series against the Aggies last year, finishing 9-9 in
Where Spieker Aquatic Center, Los Angeles, Calif. When Friday, Jan. 10; Saturday, Jan. 11; Sunday Jan. 12
The UC Davis diving team will make its way to Los Angeles on Jan. 10 to participate in the annual Bruin Diving Invitational on the UCLA campus. The swimming team has a meet on Jan. 11 against Fresno State in Davis, so only the diving portion of the Swimming and Diving (S&D) team will compete in Los Angeles. Competitions will include the one meter dive, three meter dive, as well as the platform dive.The women’s one meter dive and men’s three meter dive will be contested on Jan. 10, the women’s three meter and men’s one meter on Jan. 11, and both the men and women’s platform dives on Jan. 12. The S&D team is starting their spring schedule coming off an impressive show-
ing in the final fall meet at the Missouri Invitational. The Aggies placed fourth as a team in that tournament, which catapulted them to the highest ranking in school history, at number 24 overall. Sophomore Audrey Deneffe set a UC Davis school record for her score in the platform dive with a tally of 210.65. In the tournaments preceding the Missouri Invitational, the Aggies turned in great team performances as well. Together they defeated Nevada 151-149 on Nov. 9, and on Nov. 2 they succeeded against both University of San Diego (173.50-123.50) and Oregon State (176-120). Riding these results will provide a boost in confidence for the team, and expectations should be high for the dive team this weekend in Los Angeles. This past year sophomore Hannah Tears led the team in individual results for both the one meter and three meter dives with scores of 278.40 and 292.35, respectively. Tears also posted a score of 201.95 in the platform dive during the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championships, second only to Deneffe’s school record. The team will look to her as well as Deneffe to continue their success as the field of competition is top tier, including UCLA, Cal and USC. — Vic Anderson
UC Davis gymnasts open strong at NorCal Event Team finishes with fourth-place against tough competition
JORDANNA BADDELEY sports@theaggie.org
The UC Davis women’s gymnastics team opened strong at the five-team NorCal Preview in front of an audience of 924 at Sacramento State on Jan. 5. UC Davis finished fourth while posting its all-time high for a season opener with a total of 193.450 points. Stanford won the meet with a 194.825, followed by UC Berkeley, who came in a close second with 194.650, while the hosting Hornets placed third with a score of 194.400, a school record for an opening meet. San Jose State came in fifth place with 193.325. Sophomore Stephanie Stamates led UC Davis on both the floor and vault events. Stamates shared the individual win on floor exercise, matching a score of 9.850 with Alicia Asturias of UC Berkeley, Julia Greer of San Jose State and Taylor Rice of Stanford. The Alamo, Calif. native also headed UC Davis on vault with a 9.725 and added a 9.675 on beam. The Aggie gymnasts opened with a 48.625
conference play. In both games, the home team proved victorious. This year, the 49ers are coming off a 8868 victory at home against Denver on Jan. 5. Before travelling to Davis, the team faces UC Irvine on Jan. 9. Long Beach State is led by freshman sensation Raven Benton, who scored 26 points against USC on Dec. 28 and leads the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game. The Aggies will try to ride Fipps and Harris in continuing their winning ways of late.
on floor due to the efforts of junior Kala DeFrancesco, whose score of 9.750 was followed by Stamates’ 9.850 to close the rotation. The vault squad scored a total of 48.100, with senior Anna Shumaker putting up a score of 9.700 in the anchor spot. The uneven bars crew scored 48.425, due to the 9.700 point contribution from junior Lisa Wiktorski and a 9.800 from sophomore Dani Jundal, who led UC Davis on uneven bars. Junior Tiana Montell and senior Madeline Kennedy followed, opening with consecutive 9.775 scores to start off the beam crew and finish with a 48.300. This meet also marked several career debuts for Aggie gymnasts young and old. Taylor Baron scored a 9.825 on the balance beam, while also competing on floor for the first time since her junior year in high school. Katy Nogaki, after suffering from a knee injury, competed in her first meet in two years and scored a 9.625 on vault. Freshman Yonni Michovska scored a 9.625 on uneven bars. UC Davis faces Alaska Anchorage for its home opener on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. n
After the tough overtime loss to rival Sacramento State on Dec. 28, Gross was impressed with the play of her two stars, and she looks to keep them involved in the flow of the offense. “Kelsey is a tremendous player, she’s a lights-out shooter, and we were trying to find her whenever we could throughout the game,” Gross said. “... Sydnee is tough to stop, so we wanted to get her the ball in places where she could be close to the basket and attack for 2-on-1’s.” — Scott Dresser
