the California Aggie
SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915
VOLUME 135, ISSUE 2 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
LIVING IN THE DORMS: A HOW-TO GUIDE
LUCY KNOWLES / AGGIE
Resident advisors discuss residence hall resources BY AMANDA CRUZ features@theaggie.org Ice cream socials and movie nights at the rec pool are only a couple of the activities that UC Davis residence halls provide for first-year residents. But while social events are widely publicized on social media, there are many invaluable resources that students do not take advantage of which could set them ahead in their college career. “There are a lot of resources here at UC Davis — I think it is challenging for students sometimes to find all the resources and to put themselves out there and ask questions,” said Richard Ronquillo, assistant director of communications and student outreach for Student Housing. “I really encourage students to take the time to get to know what is available to them and to take advantage of them [their] first year.” In Ronquillo’s opinion, living on campus is beneficial for first-year students to transition into living a college lifestyle. It allows students to build new relationships and gives them access to helpful programs. One resource that Student Housing provides for residents living in the residence halls are Living Learning Communities (LLCs). These are shared interest communities for residents to participate in, including interests in culture, music and major. Programs and classes are offered through these communities in which any resident can participate, even if they do not live in that community. Residents also have the option to transfer into one. “We do additional programs and events based on that particular
theme,” Ronquillo said. “Some of the LLCs have class components to [them] that take place in the residence halls. It is a really good opportunity for students that have a shared interest to live together and experience college life together.” Rachel Le, a third-year evolution, ecology and biodiversity major, is taking on her second year as a resident advisor (RA) for the Segundo Residence Hall area. She said her job is to help incoming students easily transition from living at home to being on their own. “In the beginning, I would hear [residents] really struggle on how to study for certain classes or pass exams,” Le said. “They were surprised when the way they studied in high school did not transition the same coming into college. However, as time passed they would figure out ways to change that through forming study groups and going to tutoring offered in the services center.” The academic center in each housing area offers tutoring and advising that residents can access. Another resource is the Residence Hall Advising Team, which visits the dorms to offer advice about academic and professional topics ranging from resume building to class scheduling. Tanvi Chitre, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and Tercero resident advisor, emphasized the importance of utilizing these resources and the convenience of having them near the dorms. “When I first came here, chemistry was really hard for me, but going [to the Academic Advising Center] really helped […and] improved my grade by a lot,” Chitre said. “The tutors who are there
are really great! Make sure to take advantage of the resources that are there for you as a resident.” Although first-years are not limited to hanging out with fellow residents, the social events in each resident area serve as a way to bring students together in a “casual and relaxed atmosphere,” according to Le. “We always want residents to feel comfortable with where they are living since it is not the same as living at home,” Le said. “We want to help them find where they fit in on campus.” For Chitre, the best part about being an RA is getting to meet so many great people within Student Housing and the residence halls. “Another part of being an RA is doing rounds at night, making sure no one is in trouble […] and just being there for residents,” Chitre said. “Everyone is busy with classes, friends or other things, so even if we do not talk to residents often we want to make sure we see them once in awhile to make sure that everything is fine.” Other benefits of living on campus include easy access to various areas at UC Davis. While the Tercero residence hall area is closest to the Arboretum and Cuarto has direct access to the bus lines, Segundo’s centrality is often cited as beneficial for residents, located only a few minutes bike ride away from the ARC, Rite Aid and many main lecture halls. “When people leave the dorms they tend to miss the easy access to cooked food and tutoring — so really take advantage of it,” Le said. “Take a look at what your RA has prepared for you — it might be really fun. If you ever need help, our door is usually open, or you can always knock!”
VENOOS MOSHAYEDI / AGGIE ALEXA FONTANILLA / AGGIE
WEST VILLAGE, UC DAVIS BEGIN PROJECT TO BUILD 50 HOMES FOR FACULTY, STAFF
RECONSTRUCTING OUR CAMPUS
Project to provide energy-saving homes near campus for employees
An update on the construction in the Tercero residence hall area
BY DEMI CACERES campus@theaggie.org
BY FATI MA S IDDIQ U I features@theaggie.org
UC Davis announced over summer an upcoming project to build 50 single-family homes for faculty and staff at West Village by 2018. The homes, which are all walking or biking distance from campus, will be sold at about 80 percent of the cost of comparable Davis homes. These homes will meet West Village’s ambitious efficiency and sustainability goals. Jillian Ramsey, the assistant project manager, believes that this plan helps ease the issue of the expensive cost of living in Davis while continuing the pursuit for zero net energy housing. “It is solving one of our biggest recruitment challenges,” Ramsey said. “Everyone has a challenge finding affordable homes here in Davis, so we hope this will encourage new faculty and
staff to live close to campus. It will also model our sustainable growth progress, and that is really important to us.” The problem is not unique to Davis; schools across the nation are struggling to hire and retain faculty members in cities where the cost of living is high. Currently, the only university housing designed for faculty and staff is at Aggie Village, where there is an approximately 200-person waiting list for a complex that only sees a new vacancy every one or two years, on average. Andy Fell, associate director of news and media relations at UC Davis, believes that this new project will attract potential professors and faculty employees to the university. “What’s important is there is a need for housing in our area for faculty and staff,” Fell said. “Housing in Davis can be really expensive, so
In July 2015, demolition of Leach Hall in Tercero led to “Tercero Phase Four” (TP4), an ongoing effort to create new buildings in Tercero. Phase four will feature three new four-story buildings, one large community space building, a music room, a recreational room, a community kitchen, office spaces and a meeting room for future seminars. “We broke it up into three phases — first [was] the demolition of the existing buildings, second [was] installing all the underground utilities, so everything you don’t see when the project is completed [that] is in the ground [and third was when] they broke ground and started putting for the buildings themselves [in September 2015],” said Michael Head, project manager of
design and construction management. Head coordinates with his team, the architects and the contractor each week in order to make sure that the project remains on schedule. The construction of the buildings has been relatively smooth, Head said, so the team has dealt with few challenges along the way. In one area of construction, Head and his team faced the challenge of digging up pea gravel, which is small gravel that runs off the sides like sand. “That was a challenge,” Head said. “When [problems] arise it is [about] how everyone works together to get them resolved. Communication is key in a project like this.” The new residence halls are estimated to house around 500 new students, compared to the 175 students Leach Hall previously housed. “The campus growth plan is continuing to move forward based on the enrollment numbers
FACULTY HOMES on 11
TERCERO on 11
NOW OPEN DAVIS COMMONS HOTITALIAN.PIZZA
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