He’s Back!
Big West Conference Both men’s and women’s basketball have started conference play. Read all about it on the Backstop.
Dylan Gallagher has returned to page 2 — Prepare to be judged.
Backstop | Page 6
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volume 131, number 1
monday, JANUARY 9, 2012
Occupy UC Davis encampment to resume Thursday Teach-ins, lectures planned for this week
By MUNA SADEK Aggie News Writer
Evan Davis / Aggie
Occupy UC Davis members plan to set up tents and hold events on campus this week.
UC Berkeley initiates Middle-Class Access Plan Aggie News Writer
Student protests over the past three years have called for the University of California system to lower, freeze or cap tuition prices. UC Berkeley is the first UC to respond. In Fall 2012, UC Berkeley will implement the Middle-Class Access
Davis Police seek help finding a serial bank robber
Plan (MCAP). This plan will cap tuition costs for families who make between $80,000 and $140,000 annually at 15 percent of their household income. The MCAP is the first initiative of its kind to have taken place at a public university. Several private universities such as Harvard,
See UC, page 2
Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley
courtesy
UC Davis faculty, students double as ordained ministers Websites allow anyone to officiate a wedding
BY PRISCILLA WONG Aggie Features Writer
When two of veterinary pathology professor Stephen Barthold’s friends decided to get married, deciding who would officiate the ceremony became a dilemma. Hiring
an unknown local minster, rabbi or priest to marry them would be impersonal, they felt. So Barthold stepped in and did the job himself. “My own daughter was married outdoors several years ago, and they approached a clergy man in
the area. He refused to marry them unless they got married in God’s house. There was something wrong with that logic, and that the forest and mountains are a lot more fitting than a man-made structure.
See MINISTERS, page 4
News iN Brief
New Community Center open today The new Community Center, located at the corner of Hutchison Drive and California Avenue, opens its doors today. The Community Center houses the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and
Transgender Resource Center, the Cross Cultural Center, the Recruitment and Retention Center, a multi-purpose room, computer classrooms and the Undergraduate Research
Center. The building also has a cafe and a study room for students. Construction on the building began in 2010; the project ultimately cost $22 million.
Residents move back in to the Domes Residents have begun to move back into the Domes after a ground lease was signed with the University and the Solar Housing Community Association (SCHA). The Domes, a cooperative housing community, were closed last August due to safety and health concerns. The SCHA will be acting as a third party in the reno-
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vation and maintenance of the Domes. Seven of the 14 Domes have been approved to live in by university safety inspectors. The re-opening of the Domes comes in light of ongoing negotiations between administration and Domes residents regarding the closure of the community.
“The re-opening of the Domes demonstrates how community support and participation, open dialogue, and collaboration can make large projects happen, even in a time of austerity,” said Greta Lelea, a former Domes resident, in a press release. — Hannah Strumwasser
Forecast For all of you ski bums out there, I would like to personally apologize for the lack of snow. For everyone else, I will take full credit for the nice weather this week … welcome back to school! Alex Neigher, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
See OCCUPY, page 2
News iN Brief
Plan caps tuition for families based on annual income
By SARA ISLAS
As Winter quarter begins, participants of the UC Davis occupy movement have made plans to re-occupy the Quad on Thursday and continue their presence on campus. Following the recent 81 percent tuition increase proposal and demonstration of police brutality toward student protesters on West Quad the week of Nov. 14, encampments were established to represent student solidarity with the Occupy UC Davis movement. Similar encampments were seen on other University of California campuses, such as UC Berkeley and UC Los Angeles. According to the administration, tents that were erected did not comply with the university policy of obtaining a permit or reservation to camp overnight on the Quad grounds. After campus administration informed protesters of university policies
in writing, many elected to remain on the Quad. This resulted in 10 arrests. UC Davis campus spokesperson Claudia Morain said the administration has not received official word on whether the occupiers plan to re-establish the encampment. In the event of its re-establishment during the Winter quarter, university officials would assess the situation and proceed in the best interests of the university. If occupiers choose not to set up camp, Morain said, the first step would be to open an active dialogue with the protesters. “Further steps would depend on the facts of the situation, but every effort will be made to resolve issues collaboratively and peacefully,” Morain said. Geoffrey Wildanger, a secondyear art history graduate student, camped in the Quad and moved after the General Assembly elected to initiate protests in Dutton
The City of Davis Police Department (DPD) is investigating a Dec. 20 bank robbery at Davis’ U.S. Bank. Detectives believe the robbery is part of a series of eight U.S. Bank robberies spanning from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sacramento Valley that began in early September 2011. According to Lt. Paul Doroshov, U.S. Bank is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect in the case. The FBI, DPD and other affected local jurisdictions are all investigating these robberies. In each case, the suspect presented a note but did not display any actual weapons. The groups are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect and are encouraged to contact the following num-
Courtesy of Davis Police Department
bers: San Francisco FBI Field Office (415) 553-7400, Sacramento FBI Field Office (916) 481-9110, DPD (530) 747-5400 or US Bank Security Hotline 1-800-685-5515. Police arrested 29-yearold Paul Michael Schmeer of Humboldt on charges of robbing the 330 E St. Chase Bank last Thursday. It is unknown if this incident is related to the U.S. Bank robberies.
Police officer’s car rammed during chase Since December, there has been an increase of stolen vehicle activity in Davis, according to the City of Davis Police Department (DPD). Honda and Acura cars have been taken from Davis and recovered in the San Francisco Bay Area. During the same time period, DPD officers have recovered several vehicles, which had been stolen from the Bay Area. According to a press release from the DPD, last Friday around 1:53 a.m., Davis Patrol Officer Pheng Ly was working in the 1800 block of Cowell Boulevard when he saw an Acura with a matching license plate from a vehicle stolen from Oakland. When the officer attempted to stop the car, the driver accelerated to escape. Officers chased the vehicle around South Davis at high speeds. Ly chased the suspect vehicle into a dead-end at Benbow
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Court where he tried to block the suspect’s escape route with his patrol car. The suspect rammed the officer’s patrol vehicle with the stolen car and managed to get out of the cul-de-sac. The suspect subsequently left the stolen Acura in the parking lot of 3000 Lillard Drive and ran away on foot. He was located hiding in the backyard of 1225 Drummond Avenue and taken into custody. Police found methamphetamine in the vehicle. Teluluai Francis Lesui, 25, of Oakland was arrested. He was booked at the Yolo County Jail on charges of vehicle theft, evading police officers, assault with a deadly weapon, and possession/transportation of a controlled substance. Ly was not injured, but his patrol car sustained moderate damage. –– Angela Swartz
In anticipation of this Thursday’s new episode of 30 Rock, I’d like to remind my comrades at UC Davis to live every week like it’s Shark Week. I’ll be spending the next four days on fuckyeahlizlemon.tumblr.com. Written By Becky Peterson