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volume 131 number 11
thursday, january 26, 2012
Occupy UC Davis protesters repeatedly close down U.S. Bank
On Wednesday, the university released new guidelines for how it will approach Occupy UC Davis protests and future demonstrations. There were three main points in the new policy to note:
University could lose funding if bank leaves MU
Designated Senior Official: During major demonstrations, the university will dispatch a senior administration official to the site to coordinate with police. Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph Hexter and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Fred Wood have been designated to serve in this capacity.
By RICHARD CHANG Aggie News Writer
Blockades by Occupy UC Davis protesters have led to speculation that U.S. Bank may leave the Memorial Union (MU) if protests persist. In the past week, protesters have blockaded the door to the bank eight times, according to a protester. These blockades have resulted in the early closure of the bank and involvement of campus police. The closure of the bank could also mean the departure of funds for student activities. “The occupiers claim they are working for students, but they are actually disrupting funding for the same services they want to be improved,” said ASUCD Senator Justin Goss. Occupy protesters assert that the presence of U.S. Bank on campus is uniquely harmful because students may opt for the convenience of obtaining a high-interest loan there, rather than shop elsewhere. Ultimately, the protesters say that they want the bank closed. Critics like Goss have called that notion “ridiculous” and believe it is the student’s responsibility to find the best loan. Opened in 2010, the branch was part of a
Mutual Aid: The university and campus police department will ensure that other police departments called to assist with campus demonstrations are well versed in university policies. Additionally, the mutual aid units will be carefully supervised by campus police. Police Advisory Board: The university plans to form a police advisory board to assist the police department in its activities regarding campus demonstrations. Brian Nguyen / Aggie
See OCCUPY, page 2 The U.S. Bank on campus has been closed eight times in the past week due to blockading protesters.
Human brain adapts to minimize distractions
News iN Brief
First Davis Flea Market is this Sunday The first ever Davis Flea Market will be held Sunday in downtown. The E Street Plaza will host the new monthly market from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Davis residents can sell books, CDs, furniture, clothing, knick-knacks, toys, arts and crafts, and electronics. There will also be live music.
CSU Board of Trustees caps new presidents’ salaries The California State University Board of Trustees decided yesterday to cap new campus presidents’ pay to $325,000 a year. The salary ceiling comes as a result of outcry over a $400,000 pay package approved for a new president last year when tuition rose 12 percent. The new policy will also raise salaries by no more than 10 percent of the pay received by the outgoing president. The decision also follows two bills were introduced in the state Senate to limit presidents’ salaries after the San Diego State president was awarded a $400,000 salary. The board is currently looking to fill five spots for presidents in the 23-campus system. –– Angela Swartz
Rebuilding Haiti event tonight Tonight the UC Haiti Initiative and ASUCD are holding an event in honor of the two-year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. Students are encouraged to attend and learn about rebuilding higher education in Haiti. Speakers will include professor and physician Dr. Douglas Gross, law school professor Holly Cooper and the 2011-12 Humprey’s Fellow Hughes Jacques. There will be a discussion and Q & A session after the presentations. The event will be held tonight at 7 p.m. at Memorial Union’s Griffin Lounge. — Hannah Strumwasser
Today’s weather A.M. fog High 61 Low 42
— Richard Chang
New research on neuronal connections has potential to aid stroke recovery By HUDSON LOFCHIE Aggie Science Writer
Our brains are making a million decisions a minute, most of which we are only minimally aware of. But in order for us to function efficiently, our brains must also make decisions about what is most important at any particular moment. A study by UC Davis researchers has found that the brain determines importance based on our current situation and reconfigures the connections between neurons to minimize any distractions. “In order to behave efficiently, you want to process relevant sensory information as fast as possible,” said Joy Geng, an assistant professor of psychology at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain (CMB). “We have a limit in the number of things we can process at once. It is not useful to process everything in parallel with validity.” The research found that when we are concentrating on a specific task, it benefits us to reconfigure the network between neurons so that task-rel-
courtesy
How does your brain work around distractions while driving? evant information is processed more efficiently. This process, commonly thought of as ramping up your thought process, is in fact more similar to opening an instant chat window between two people; there are other ways to communicate like e-mail, texting or calling, but the instant chat allows two people to communicate immediately back and forth, faster than the other methods will al-
low. In effect, this process alters the path that signals take to and from different parts of the brain. For people suffering from localized brain damage, such as from a stroke, these pathways can be interrupted. Finding new pathways can help with rehabilitation for these patients. To discover this neural process, the researchers used
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure the changes in blood flow to certain parts of test subjects’ brains while they performed a test. Increased blood flow to a particular region indicated increased neuronal activity. Subjects were instructed to look at a screen and indicate whether the “T” that appeared on screen was oriented up or down. To test the ability to cope with distractions, a “salient” (distracting) object would be displayed along with the T. This salient object would be brighter or bigger. The researchers then tested the reaction time to indicate the orientation of the target object with and without the distraction object. “We displayed something that you would think would be distracting, but the brain was able to cope,” said Nick DiQuattro, a graduate student working with Geng at the CMB. “The brain was able to reject the distraction and focus on the target.”
See BRAIN, page 2
Pedi-Pints Club continues trial period Program will not be officially instated until spring By CLAIRE TAN Aggie Staff Writer
Davis Pedicab and Sudwerk collaborated to create the Pedi-Pints Club. People have to take the Davis Pedicab service to Sudwerk in order to receive discounts on beer. Sudwerk, located at 2001 Second St., is part restaurant, part brewery, with the Davis Pedicab working solely with the brewery. The Pedi-Pints program operates from Thursday to Saturday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. As of now, there are two different deals: the first is a one-time trial and the second is catered to the actual club, in which there is a membership card. “For the one-time trial, if you show up on a pedicab [to Sudwerk], you get a discount,” said Andrew Watters, owner of Davis Pedicab. A pint of beer is $2 and seasonal pints are $3 each. The club requires members to pay $50 to receive the yearly deal. According to the PediPints Facebook page, members will receive a Madison Dunitz / Aggie
See PINTS, page 2 Davis Pedicabs began its service in 2011 and is now expanding to also run a Pedi-Pints program. Forecast Dry weather is back except for the occasional fog in the morning. Expect temperatures to stay in the low to mid 60s. Get out and enjoy the weekend! Matthew Little, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
Friday
Saturday
Partly cloudy
Partly cloudy
High 62 Low 40
High 62 Low 38
Every day in the United States, an estimated 6,000 people need a bone marrow transplant. All it takes is ten minutes of your time and four cheek swaps. Find out how to save a life at www.beamatch.org. The Aggie Night Crew