January 26, 2012

serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915

www.theaggie.org

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

page two

2 Thursday, January 26, 2012

daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org

TODAY The House Peer Counseling Info Session 10 to 11 a.m. Moss Room, MU Third Floor Get information about becoming a peer counselor at The House and pick up an application. The last two info sessions will be held on Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. in the Moss Room and 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in 325 North Hall.

UC Davis Summer Abroad 2012 Info Sessions 1 to 5 p.m. Education Abroad Center, Third and A Streets The EAC will host info sessions for the following programs: Italy, “Renaissance Florence and the Birth of Modern Europe” at 1 p.m., Scotland, “Scottish Tales” at 2 p.m., Oaxaca, Mexico at 3 p.m. and Ghana, “Culture and Development in an African Nation” at 4 p.m.

Yoga/Meditation Class 2 to 3 p.m. TB-16, across from Regan Hall The House Peer Counseling Center offers a free class on yoga and meditation.

BME Distinguished Seminar Series: Dr. Cato Laurencin 4:10 p.m. Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility Auditorium Cato Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., University of Connecticut. Dr. Laurencin will discuss regenerative engineering of hard and soft musculoskeletal tissues.

Green Team Meeting 6 p.m. Memorial Union 43 (Campus Center for the Environment office) Green Team Volunteer Group, part of the Campus Center for the Environment, is active in Davis with events surrounding environmental awareness and protection. At the meeting, discuss the upcoming opportunities to help the environment and meet other students who are passionate about the environment.

Botany and Environmental Horticulture Club 6:15 to 7 p.m. 3090 Science Laboratory Building Enjoy free pizza and hear Botanical Conservatory director Ernesto Sandoval speak about garden projects.

Label GMOs Initiative Meeting 7 p.m. Community Room at Eleanor Roosevelt Apartments, 675 Cantrill Drive This meeting is for all those who are interested in learning about the initiative, how to get involved in this endeavor and organizing into a new cohesive group to further the goal of labeling genetically engineered foods.

UC Haiti Initiative: Rebuilding Haiti 7 to 9 p.m. Memorial Union, Griffin Lounge Dr. Holly Cooper from UC Davis School of Law, Dr. Gross from UC Davis School of Medicine, and UC Davis Haiti Humphrey’s Fellow will be speaking about Haiti after

the devastating 2010 earthquake. Learn how you can get involved to rebuild higher education in Haiti.

American Red Cross Club (ARCC) General Meeting 7:15 p.m. 230 Wellman Learn about what the ARCC offers, including volunteering, survival tips and CPR/first aid training.

FRIDAY UC Davis Summer Abroad 2012 Info Sessions Noon to 3 p.m. Education Abroad Center, Third and A Streets The EAC will host info sessions for the following programs: Ireland, “What’s in Your Water?” at noon, Egypt, “Cairo: Something Old, Something New” at 1 p.m. and Florence, Italy, “Renaissance Florence and the Birth of Modern Europe” at 2 p.m.

Plant and Environmental Science Building Salad Bowl Garden planting 3 to 5 p.m. Plant and Environmental Sciences Building Help with replanting and planting new greens at the Salad Bowl Garden in front of the Plant and Environmental Sciences Building.

The Art of Athletes Reception 5:30 to 7 p.m. Basement Gallery, Art Building Meet the artist-athletes whose work is displayed in the Basement Gallery’s The Art of Athletes.

Birdstrike Theatre First Improv Show of 2012 7:30 to 10 p.m. Kleiber 3 UC Davis Celebrity Morgan Woolf and the rest of the Birdstrike cannot wait to make you laugh. Join them for an unforgettable session of Comedy Improv. The laughs are cost-free!

SUNDAY Celebration of Abraham interfaith community event. 3 to 5 p.m. St. James Catholic Church, 1275 B Street Christians, Muslims and Jews will gather for speakers, discussion and community building activities. All are welcome.

Turkish & Taiwanese Dance 7 to 10 p.m. Davis Art Center, Studio E, 1919 F Street The Davis International Folkdancers will be teaching an easy Turkish dance and a fun Chinese New Year dance as part of their ongoing class. The first class is free to newcomers. Bring grit-free, nonmarking shoes. To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, e-mail dailycal@theaggie. org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing, and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.

campus Judicial report A first-year student (Student A) was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for possibly collaborating with or giving assistance to another student during an exam (Student B). Specifically, during the exam the proctor noticed that Student B was copying from the person sitting next to her, namely Student A. However, the proctor was unsure if Student A, the one being copied from, was intentionally allowing it, so both students were referred to SJA. In her meeting with a Judicial Officer, Student A stated that she had not known she was being copied from and did not in any way assist Student B. She said that she had been wholly focused on completing her own exam. Since there was no evidence of her having helped the other student, the university decided that Student A was innocent and no disciplinary sanctions were pursued against her. A student was referred to SJA on suspicion of providing unauthorized assistance to another student in connection with a lower division class. In particular, the student was observed to be answering questions on two clickers, one for himself and one for someone else. In his meeting with a Judicial Officer, the student admitted that he had been answering the questions for his friend, who couldn’t be in class, even though the instructor had expressly stated that this

is considered academic misconduct. The student agreed to accept a Censure, which is a formal warning that outlines the policies of the university, and to do some community service. If the student violates the Code of Academic Conduct again, he will face more serious disciplinary sanctions. A student was referred to SJA for possible unauthorized assistance on his homework assignments. Specifically, the instructor noticed that the wording of the homework and the generally high grades of the individual assignments were inconsistent with the student’s test scores. Furthermore, the instructor noticed that the homework assignments were almost identical to the solutions manual. In the meeting with a Judicial Officer, the student admitted to having the solutions manual but claimed he only used it to double check his work. However, the student eventually admitted that although he didn’t think he was copying as he completed the homework, it was likely that he had inadvertently copied due to the close similarity of his assignments with the manual. He agreed to the disciplinary sanction of Deferred Separation. CAMPUS JUDICIAL REPORTS are compiled by members of Student Judicial Affairs.

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tum-giving parents, how do we understand the new-age, Abercrombiewearing, alcohol-supplying ones who coolly accept the truths of our ever-corChelsea rupt society? Mehra Meant as a warning against Iran’s potential reactions to the imposed oil sanctions, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “For now, Iran continues to produce nuclear weapons without disturbance.” This sort of relaxed attiran is in a serious timetude would be reminiscent out, having just been of Regina George’s mom sent to the proverbial oil in Mean Girls walking in sanction corner on Monday on her daughter and her by Daddy and Mommy boyfriend about to, ahem, European Union. Iran’s consummate their love. punishment comes after Mrs. George talks over the growing threats that the smacking of lips, “Can I country is increasing fund- get you guys anything? ing for an already sizable Some snacks? A condom? nuclear program. Let me know! Oh God, love The language used in ya.” describing this world The parents who decry, news story “Kids will is really that be kids!” In our family, there are the of a parent and are alstrict parents who offer non- most too disciplining a naughnegotiable consequences ... scared, or ty child. in awe, of While foltheir chillowing the reporting, I al- dren to fathom disciplining most felt like the goodythem will receive morsels goody sister eavesdropof respect from their offping from the stair banis- spring. If they allow oil or ter, secretly reveling in my nuclear copulation to occur sibling’s sharp vicissitude. under their roof, America It felt uncomfortably self- and the EU will become righteous. these pushover types to Within two paragraphs, Iran. I’ve already grown fond Lastly, there is the of this familial metaphor pleasantly stern parent so I’m going to make it an team that sits decorousextended one. Entertain ly at the dining table, finus both and you’ll see that gers crossed and smiles my analogy does a fine half cracked. While the job of mashing up the adults speak in a calm, mystery that is internamonotone voice, the child tional relations by servfloods with hot tears to ing it into neat portions produce a reaction. of easily digestible, child“Today’s action demonproof information. strates the EU’s growing In our family, there are concern about Iran’s nuthe strict parents who ofclear programme and our fer non-negotiable consedetermination to increase quences: “Today’s sanction peaceful, legitimate presagainst Bank Tejarat will sure on Iran to return to deepen Iran’s financial iso- negotiations,” said British lation, make its access to Foreign Secretary William hard currency even more Hague. tenuous and further imThe European Union pair Iran’s ability to finance and U.S. seem to favor its illicit nuclear program,” this clenched-jaw apsaid David S. Cohen, U.S. proach to taming interTreasury undersecretary national disputes. As mofor terrorism and financial mentarily aggravating as intelligence. it is to be the object of anHis tone matches the oh- other’s discerning gaze, so-familiar “I’m taking away I can’t help but concede your allowance” defense. from experience that such “So what?” or “Pish posh!” scrutiny is in fact the best we rebelliously retort. There technique. are other ways to stay fiWithout the perspecnancially solvent, ways that tive of others — be it parneed not require the assisents or fellow countries — tance of a guardian. we wouldn’t have a way of The EU accounts for a knowing precisely where mere 18 percent (2.2 milwe fall on the human lion barrels a day) of Iran’s bell curve. As Iran wades oil export share. Iran could through these deep petroeasily call up its Eastern leum waters, I can only surfriends in India and China, mise that America and the who run a combined 35 EU will wish for Iran to end percent tab on the counup on the sweet side of the try’s exports, and negofunction. tiate a 10-15 percent discount to sell off the EU’s If you too have a knack for syllogisms, leftovers. contact CHELSEA MEHRA at cmehra@ ucdavis.edu for deductive reasoning While we may not be dependent on the ultima- worksheets.

Parenting Iran

I

pints Cont. from front page Pedi-Pints t-shirt, a growler with a free one-time fill and discounted refills, a Pedi-Pints mug that hangs on a rack in the Sudwerk Brewery Dock Store and a 10 percent discount at the restaurant. According to Watters, the idea of Pedi-Pints was organic. He said it started when the Team LIVESTRONG Challenge occurred in Davis at the beginning of summer 2011. “I talked to Trent Yackzan, [Sudwerk] brewery manager, during the event and we had a fundraiser where we would take people in pedicab rides to Sudwerk,” Watters said. “The proceeds went to the benefit, but it was done all

sometimes purely as an internship, to market the company’s brand and products directly towards his or her friends and peers. Now, what at first glance seems Victor like an evil scheme involvBeigelman ing the brainwashing of students for the use of further brainwashing is actually a pretty smart business move. The kinds of students companies target to fill these roles are very active socially. You know, your runof-the-mill 1,300 Facebook friends, greek life die-hard, t’s like people only sports fanatic student. do things because College-aged kids who fit they get paid, and this bill are essentially spithat’s just really sad.” ders threading an enormous Fans of Wayne’s World, networking web around and just comedy in generthemselves. In other words, al, might fondly recall this they’re mainstream. ironic line by Dana Carvey Don’t get offended if while portraying a ‘90s you meet the requirenerd/hippie/hard rock faments above and disagree natic dressed head to toe in with the “mainstream” laexclusively Reebok gear. bel. This isn’t Jock v. Hipster In the scene, network ca- or Mainstream v. Alt (casble stars es that could Garth hit the Big brand names have started soon Algar Supreme and bud- to capitalize on this tendency to Court). This dy Wayne is purely how generate more revenue Campbell large compa(one of nies identiMike Myers’s best charfy the best candidates for acters) cleverly use prodspreading their brand on a uct placement to mock ad- college campus. vertising and “selling out.” College-aged brand amWhile eating Doritos and bassadors have a much Pizza Hut and drinking stronger effect on their peers Pepsi (in a sincerely blathan any older representatant manner), they argue tive that works for a comwith their boss about mak- pany could ever achieve. ing time on the show for Students are more trusting the sponsor to promote his of their friends, and friends own products. of friends, that inhabit the While Wayne and Garth same campus, and are thus make fun of the practice of more likely to accept offers infiltrating creative work from them to buy a product. with commercial messagPart of human nature, no es in a lighthearted way, 20 matter how far off the mainyears later product placestream one may be, is to take ment has evolved into notice in what those close to forms that seem excessive, you are interested in. We’re if not a bit disturbing. far more likely to buy and The common view of drink Red Bull if our friends product placement is that it regularly champion and occurs strictly in the enter- drink it themselves. tainment industry — films, Big brand names have TV shows, etc. But there’s started to capitalize on another type of it growing this tendency to generate rapidly at schools all over more revenue. They believe the United States: college if they can find the “cool” brand ambassadors. kids on campus to market They walk amongst us in their products, others will plain view, blending seam- want to emulate them and lessly into the busy ecosys- achieve coolness by shelltem that is a college caming out cash for a product. pus. Some wear t-shirts And as awful as that may promoting a brand or prod- sound, it works. uct, some set up tables by Many of us would like the Quad. They all have one to think we’re impervious thing in common, however. to the ever-growing influThey are all students. ence of commercialism, but Companies like the truth is, unless you’re American Eagle, Microsoft ditching common society and Red Bull, like many to hitchhike up to Alaska others with products that and live in a deserted bus cater towards a younger à la Into the Wild, you can’t crowd, have always had ad- completely escape anyvertising campaigns geared more. Businesses are always towards college students. on the prowl for innovative Very recently, though, there methods of spreading brand has been a change in how awareness, and even if you these companies reach out do opt for the wilderness to one of their target demo- route, it’s possible they’ll graphics. Instead of marreach you there one day too. keting to students, they In conclusion, Red Bull have begun to market gives you wings. through students. A college brand ambasVICTOR BEIGELMAN isn’t trying to be a buzzkill; sador is hired by a compahe’s just bringing the facts. Harass him about it ny, sometimes for pay and anyway at vbeigelman@ucdavis.edu.

Place that product

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kind of last minute.” Watters said he and Yackzan decided they should do it regularly to create a program in town that would be a long-term part of the local identity. As of now, Pedi-Pints is official but the club is still loose and needs some refinement. “We’re trying to line up some bands,” Watters said. “Bands will play on the first Saturday of every month from 4 to 8 p.m.” In terms of advertising, Watters said Facebook will be the main outlet. He said he does not anticipate that many people will sign up for the club just yet. “We haven’t printed out cards yet but we have a logo ready to rock and information we need,” Watters said. “Once spring comes around, we’ll

probably be rolling in more fluidly, but right now it’s a trial period.” According to Watters, the point of Pedi-Pints is to have a safe ride to Sudwerk, have a good time and have a safe way home without having to think about it. Davis Pedicab was established in January 2011. It has no set rate, meaning customers can pay whatever they think is fair. Payments are also adjusted according to different quadrants in town. Although it is not officially confirmed, Watters said the local band Seamoose will be playing on the Feb. 4 weekend. “This is for the students, for the locals and for the culture,” Watters said. CLAIRE TAN can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

leased a statement. “We respect the protesters’ right to speak freely on public property. That said, our bank branch is private property and we seek to serve our customers safely and conveniently,” said U.S. Bank spokesperson Teri Charest. “They control the space they’re leasing, which is very much like any other landlord-tenant agreement,” said Morain. When asked to clarify whether U.S. Bank has plans to withdraw from UC Davis, Charest reiterated their goal “to find a way to continue to provide services to our campus customers.” “Our main concern is when customers are unable to access the branch,” she said.

brain

occupy

Cont. from front page “It is interesting because [we] can reshape the way we think about how we process information,” Geng said. “The brain is constantly being put into different contextual states.” An example of this phenomenon that we commonly experience is that while we are driving, flashing lights or signs alert us to stop, or that traffic is merging, or many other things. Our brain is thinking in the context of driving, so these “attention-getters” are processed quicker than they would be if we were in a different contextual state. It is important not to confuse this process with the fight-or-flight response, which deals with responding to surprising stimuli, rather than changing the reactions based on context. According to a National Institutes of Health study, there are close to 750,000 strokes every year, many of which lead to mild, or even extreme, brain damage. With this new understanding of the brain’s connection methods, researchers hope that patients in stroke recovery will have a much better chance of regaining much of their lost cognitive functions.

Cont. from front page broad partnership between UC Davis and U.S. Bank, which the university hoped would bring needed funds for student activities. “The university received a total of $167,500 from U.S. Bank last year. That is in addition to the $8,333 we receive every month in rent,” said UC Davis spokesperson Claudia Morain. The university also receives another cut of money depending on the number of bank accounts opened by UC Davis students. As a part of the 10-year agreement signed between the two parties, U.S. Bank will also provide financial education programs for students. In response to the blockade, RICHARD CHANG can be reached at campus@ U.S. Bank’s corporate office re- theaggie.org.

HUDSON LOFCHIE can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

OPINION

The california aggie

thursday, January 26, 2012 3

editorials

Regents meeting

More time for students On Jan. 15 and 16, the UC Regents held their first meeting of the year at UC Riverside. The regents meeting was once again interrupted by students protesting the increased cost of tuition. Protesters began a general assembly during the public comment session and the campus police cleared the room. This event makes it clear that students are looking for a better way to voice their opinions. It’s obvious that the students of the UC system have a lot to say to the regents, and the regents need to make time to listen. While each regent meeting has a public comment session, the tension that has arisen during these meetings has made it clear that the time provided is not sufficient. Students making their voices heard is important but interrupting the meeting should

not have to be their only avenue. The interruptions are effective in getting attention, but they often inhibit the regents’ ability to have necessary discussions about the future of the UC system. The regents have expressed feeling uncomfortable or unsafe at these meetings. While this is unfortunate, regents should aim to fix the root of the problem, which is that students don’t feel their ideas are being heard. The regents need to provide students with a chance to talk to the them outside of these meetings, so necessary agenda items can be completed, while students also have a chance to share their ideas. The UC system is made up of over 222,000 intelligent students who clearly have ideas they want to share. The regents should take advantage of this resource while searching for ways to fix the UC system.

Editorial Board Jason Alpert Editor in Chief Becky Peterson Managing Editor Melissa Freeman Opinion Editor

Hannah Strumwasser Campus Editor Angela Swartz City Editor Erin Migdol Features Editor

Uyen Cao Arts Editor Trevor Cramer Sports Editor

Amy Stewart Science Editor Jasna Hodzic Photography Editor

Editorials represent the collective opinions of The California Aggie editorial board. The Opinion page appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

GUEST OPINIONS

The California Aggie welcomes letters from its readers. Letters must be typed and no longer than 200 words. As The Aggie attempts to represent a diversity of viewpoints on its letters page, we reserve the right to edit letters for length and clarity. Publication is not guaranteed, and letters become the property of The California Aggie. All correspondence must be signed with the author’s name and telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be considered for publication, although names may be withheld upon request.

The California Aggie welcomes guest opinions from its readers. Guest opinions must be typed with an approximate word count of 600 to 800, or character count around 3,000 to 4,000. The same standards of letters to the editor apply to guest opinions. Guest opinions may reflect a variety of viewpoints. Any member of the campus community is eligible and encouraged to highlight issues regarding UC Davis, regional or national issues. Address letters or guest opinions to the Opinion Editor, The California Aggie, 25 Lower Freeborn, UC Davis, CA 95616. Letters may also be faxed to (530) 752-0355 or sent via e-mail to opinion@theaggie.org.

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editor@theaggie.org

courtesy newsday.com

average senior will leave owing ules when civil rights activists occu$4,100 on their cards. pied Woolworth’s in Greensboro, NC, Burdened with debt and facing or when Egyptians took back Tahrir grim job prospects, this generation Square. Luckily, protesters passed of students goes forth into a bleak over these minor concerns and dealt Jordan s. future. with more pressing matters. Carroll But, there’s money to be This tired complaint is usually made for the top one percent! followed by a bit of meta-criticism: Seeing our misery as a business How does this help get protesters’ opportunity, UC Davis struck a message across? If I don’t undersweet deal with U.S. Bank. Now stand what is happening, the arguUC Davis gets a royalty for every ment goes, then nobody will. new university It could very account the bank well be true that The only opinion that matters opens and, in reOccupy UC Davis turn, U.S. Bank needs more exto U.S. Bank is that of its n Bertolt Brecht’s Threepenny receives perks planatory literashareholders ... Opera, gangster Mack the like free advertisture for the unKnife pleads his case to the au- ing, exclusive acinformed. They dience, asking, “What is burgling cess to campus events and space have offered countless teach-ins a bank compared to founding a on our AggieCards. After 10 years, and discussions to explain their bank?” When weighed next to the UC Davis hopes to bring in nearly position, including at the initial massive expropriations perpetrat- $3 million from the program. U.S. Bank occupation, but they ed by the banking industry, Mack It’s a win-win for administrators might not have reached out to all suggests, a few pilfered cash boxand bankers, who both go home passersby. es are insignificant. with loads of cash from impoverNevertheless, this critique beYet, as we have seen time and ished students. trays a misunderstanding about time again, outrage stands in inSo, U.S. Bank exploits students the purpose of direct action. verse proportion to the scale of the through exorbitant interests on Occupying a bank is not a form of crime. their tuition payments and everyoutreach or a publicity stunt. The It should come as no surprise, day expenses, profiting off ecoprimary goal of the action isn’t to then, that when protesters staged nomic ruin, and that’s just ducky. raise awareness among students, sit-ins at U.S. Bank, bystanders im- But, if student protesters delay because students have no say in mediately complained they were a bank customer for an hour, by what U.S. Bank does. Even if caman awful inconvenience. By preGod, we should get our ire up. The pus opinion was squarely against venting people from accessing nerve of some people! the bank, it wouldn’t make a differtheir full range of financial servicIt’s a very old argument. Any ac- ence as long as no one acted. es, they argued, the protesters hor- tion a social movement underThe only opinion that matters ribly alienated the student body. takes will be criticized as annoyto U.S. Bank is that of its shareThese naysayers fail to see the ing, disruptive and rude. For many, holders and the only thing sharebigger picture. As tuition rises, stu- the right to go about one’s daily holders care about is their bottom dents are forced to supplement business speedily and undisturbed line. The occupation strikes at the their already massive student is more sacred than the right to bank’s profits, forcing them to pay loans (now over $1 trillion nation- economic security and justice. attention to the protest’s demand: wide) with additional debt. That’s Whenever there is a strike, banks off campus. where U.S. Bank steps in, with its we’re told it frustrates the public. Certainly, the Occupy movewide array of credit cards. Whenever there’s a demonstration, ment should hold every direct acAccording to a Sallie Mae study, it’s said to hinder traffic and comtion up to careful, collective scruone-third of undergraduates will merce. Whenever an activist detiny. Some forms of protest are put tuition on a credit card. And, livers an impassioned speech, the counterproductive or politically of course, student indebtedness critics demand they tone it down retrograde. But, when they do, they spiked after the financial crisis: so as not to offend the moderate would do well to ignore the idle In 2004, 69 percent of graduatand the apathetic. carping of complacent onlookers. ing seniors had paid off their credBut protests always bother someit cards but, by 2009, that number one. I imagine that many busy indiJORDAN S. CARROLL is a Ph.D. student in English. He dropped to a mere 15 percent. The viduals had to readjust their schedcan be reached at jscarroll@ucdavis.edu.

U.S. Bank direct action

I

Meet the new city staff Q&A with DDBA Director Stewart Savage and Davis City Manager Steve Pinkerton By EINAT GILBOA Aggie News Writer

Stewart Savage is the owner of Abaton Consulting, a small business in Davis. This month he became director of the Davis Downtown Business Association (DDBA). The Aggie sat down with Savage to talk about his new position and his plans for the City of Davis. The Aggie: Where are you from originally? Savage: I grew up in Southern California and moved to Davis in 1996. What is the nature of your business? I provide technology management services for small business and nonprofits such as web design, social media and professional development training. What made you decide to start a business in Davis? How did you start up? I was previously working as the director of technology services at the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District. I wanted to branch out on my own, have a job that is more flexible, and more interesting than what I was doing. Davis is convenient, close to Sacramento and could be the center point for a large region. What is it like owning a small

business in Davis? Owning a small business is hard work. There is a lot to know and understand to be successful. Davis is great; there’s lots of opportunity, and downtown is a really nice work environment. You get to know the community, and everything you need is downtown — the post office, meeting places.

ness requirements and changes in the economy. I can empathize with that being a small business owner.

What plans do you have for the DDBA? Do you have any goals you would like to accomplish? I want to support the mission of the DDBA, start relationships with business owners in downtown area, let them know we support them and we are doing our best to make Davis the best possible place to work and live. I’m excited to be in this position; it’s an opportunity for [deputy director of the DDBA Nina Gatewood] and I to help support business in the downtown area. Stewart Savage

What does your new position as director of the DDBA include? I do administrative and community outreach, paying bills, focusing on building relationship with members. I work with city and county organizations. DDBA director How will being a small business owner in Davis help you in your new position as director? Having a business here enabled me to build relationships with people downtown. I know a lot of people involved with DDBA and city. I tried to establish myself downtown. A lot of people that recognize me and I recognize them. Also, being a small business owner gives me perspective on what business owners have to work with downtown, such as parking. A lot of businesses are frustrated about parking, busi-

The Aggie also talked to Steve Pinkerton, the new City Manager of Davis, to discuss his position and plans. The Aggie: Where are you from originally? Pinkerton: I am from Columbia, Missouri. I’ve been in California for 30 years. I grew up in college towns, and I wanted a nice change of pace, so I came to Davis. What is your educational background? I attended undergraduate school at the University of Missouri, where I hold Bachelors’ in geog-

raphy and economics. I have a Master’s in urban planning and economics from the University of Southern California.

way to do that with less money and less people. We will focus on the priorities of the community with more volunteers, while reducing workforce and overall compensation.

What made you decide to go into city government? I thought I was going to be a city How will the dissolving of redeplanner; I was always interested velopment agencies affect projin how cities were built. My father ects going on in Davis such as was urban sociologist. Instead of the water project? going on family vacaThere will be no effect on tions, we would go visthe utility project. But will it cities that needed impact projects downhelp. I guess I’ve got it town, such as the hope for in my blood to be part new hotel, right at the enof that. In planning tryway of the city. It will you’re just a regulator, also affect other improveand you don’t get to ments, such as public implement anything, parking. Business attracso I got involved in retion and economic develdevelopment. I spent opment are paid for by rethe first 20 years of my Steve Pinkerton development. Business career in redevelop- Davis city manager creates revenue for city ment. I wanted to have services. There is less monmore impact, so I got ey to invest in businesses. into city management, where I We will work more closely with the could help the overall city oper- DDBA and downtown businesses, ate better. but there just aren’t the same resources we had in the past. What are some things you hope to change as the city manager of How will it affect the Davis econDavis? omy in general? We don’t have same revenues we We want to have a mix between used to. Property values and sales retail and restaurants, but it’s tax, which are our biggest mon- hard when we don’t have resourcey generators, are flat, while ex- es to do that, so we will probapenses keep going up. It’s a real bly allow more restaurants. We challenge to figure out how to do would like to have more true remore with less. We live in a com- tail downtown, but it’s harder. munity with a high expectation for service. We’ll have to find a Einat Gilboa can be reached city@theaggie.org.

4

The California Aggie’s Arts and Entertainment Section

volume 6, number 3

From the streets of Queens, New York, artist Sophia Chang is becoming an emerging graphic illustrator in the industry

Networking

Get out there In order for you to thrive in the art world, you need to make your work known. Also, just know that you will have to start from the bottom. This means that most of the jobs you get starting out (photographing headshots, making screen prints or interning at various design or art companies, etc.) will most likely give very little pay. But for the sake of expanding your portfolio, experience and exposure of your work, it’ll be worth every minute.

by JAMES O’HARA Aggie Arts Writer Sophia Chang is an artist from and living and working in New York City. As a recent graduate from Parson’s Design School, she’s young — very young. Certainly younger than one might expect when looking at the array of impressively high-profile clients accrued, and then shown off with artful style, on her website “esymai. com” — the likes of which include Anthony Bourdain, Talib Kaleb, and, on the corporate plane, Nike and Dr. Pepper, to name just two. Relatively fresh in the business, as far as distance from school goes, Chang’s skills have clearly elevated her far beyond the generalized post-grad sob story the world has become accustomed to. No moving home to the parents here. No existential crisis-defined decade of finding her feet. Her feet, as all appearances indicate, are planted firmly in the New York earth like one who seems to have grown out of the soil there. “Being born and raised in Queens has really influenced me as an adult. We were all heavily influenced by hip hop,” Chang said. “I spent most of my free time in high school playing handball at the local parks, watching music videos at my best friend’s house and stuff like that. I always drew, and everyone knew I was a good artist, but I didn’t do it 24/7. Only in class when I didn’t feel like paying attention to the teacher.” Obviously, Chang has come a long way from casual, in-class doodling. The art that now covers her website is stylish and pulses with a colored vibrancy associated with hip hop and New York street life. Chang, for example, has a number of portraits of Anthony Bourdain — a cynical, wizened and bemused face most of us are well

Sophia Chang

courtesy

familiar with from his Travel Channel show “No Reservations” — up on her website. Her depiction of Bourdain swerves far from any attempt at realism, and yet through the colored stylization is, quite clearly, a strong impression of Bourdain’s not unmemorable personality and feature. That is, through the lining and moderate abstraction is a very detectable and potent artistic interpretation of a man, and something about it is distinctly “cool,” to use the word vaguely. Her creating Bourdain portraits was no exercise in fandom, of course. She produced the pictures as a series of poster illustrations for

Sands, And And And & Death Songs

Saturday, 8:30 p.m., $6 (all ages) Luigi’s, 213 E St. Luigi’s, which had its grand opening in Davis this month, opens its doors for all ages on Saturday night. KDVS DJ and Crossbill Record manager Michael Leahy organized the event, as Cool As Folk presents Sands, And And And & Death Songs to perform the first show ever at Luigi’s.

Shinkoskey Noon Concert: Jolán Friedhoff (violin), Pete Nowlen (horn) and John Cozza (piano)

Today, noon, free Room 115, Music Building If you’re looking for an opportunity to experience classical music that is local and free, the UC Davis music department hosts free concert shows at noon. In today’s event, Jolán Friedhoff, Pete Nowlen and John Cozza will be leading the event with their performances of classical repertoire.

Sophia Chang’s illustration of a scene in Eddie Murphy’s film Coming to America.

Graeme Mitchell / New York Magazine

erformance and video art is quickly becoming a prominent medium in the art world. By manipulating theater, comedy, singing and various other kinds of visual references, artists can create a unique dialogue in digital form that speaks in a way that no other classical medium like painting or printmaking can do. Kalup Linzy is one of these video and performance artists that have emerged in the contemporary world to transform the way art is perceived. Today from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Linzy will give a lecture about his work at the technocultural studies (TCS) building. This is a continuation of the artist studio lecture series presented by the the UCD art department. The event is free and students are encouraged to attend. Darrin Martin, a video and animations professor at UC Davis, is a video artist himself. Martin believes that Linzy’s work is a great example of the kinds of artists who work with their materials in a multi-functional approach. “A lot of artists work with a variety of media, but Linzy’s medium is popular culture and through generating original material he ends up working through several genres,” Martin said. “Somehow, Linzy makes honesty meet artifice and manages to make art and entertainment not-sodistant relatives, while exposing a little something about both.” Linzy has been well-associated with famous actor James Franco for collaborations like their song “Turn It Up” and appearances in General Hospital. Though connected to the Hollywood star, Linzy has made a name for himself in the art industry by creating work that blurs boundaries and limitations of the medium and genre of art style itself. His other highly acclaimed works include

The Roots Undun The Island Def Jam Music Group

The Black Keys El Camino Nonesuch Records

An American muscle, flexing its engine in full reverie, the closer one draws near the more gasoline taints the air. The Black Key’s latest album El Camino serves a heavy hand numbering in a romp shaking expedition into the modern classicist school of blues rock and roll. Only a two-piece band, vocalist/ guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney pack the weighty licks, resonating with an equally bumping drumset, to make El Camino an impact on the ears. Granted this album seems to call on the dancing skills of the listeners, with each hook catchy enough to shimmy to. Danger Mouse produced, El Camino

The Root’s sound seems more muted and somber, such as in “Sleep” and “I Remember”, with some few tracks with more punch to them, such as “Kool On” and “The Otherside.” Guest spots are also very prevalent in this album. “Make My”, the album’s lead single, “Lighthouse” and “Stomp” are just a few that feature guest singers. There is not one song on the album that is unnecessary. Each is vital and adds to the overall mood and tone. Undun shows that the Roots are still at the top of their game and are continuing to push boundaries and forge ahead. This is one of their most ambitious and adventurous projects and their flawless execution shows they have succeeded. — Paayal Zaveri

deviates from previous releases in tempo, featuring a quicker guitar but never forgetting the heavy sound that recalls much of the I-5’s dark pavement. This is music that feels no shame in turning wives to pillars of salt and there is no remorse dealt for those who brush El Camino off as more of the same. Tracks such as “Sister” have Auerbach crooning “‘wake up, you’re gonna wake up to nothing” with a smooth beat underlaying much of the track. Danger Mouse has hands all over this one. Still the sound is of the iconic Black Keys, this time more riff heavy (not a bad thing of course). Then there is the slow fast composition of “Little Black Submarines” in a

The Community Poet

In review: Poet Rae Gouirand’s Jan. 19 reading at Natsoulas Gallery

“Melody Set Me Free” and “Guiding Light.” Although his work might seem obscure and experimental to some new viewers, Linzy’s body of work has strong cultural, gender and political messages revealed in the subtext of his visual and narrative dialogue. Linzy received both a Bachelors and Masters of Fine Arts from the University of South Florida in Tampa Bay. He currently lives and work in Brooklyn, New York. In a brief interview, Linzy answered MUSE’s questions:

How do you feel video and performance art are progressing as a medium in the art world? It is progressing rapidly. It will be interesting to see where things are 10 years from now. What should UC Davis students know about you before attending your lecture? I love giving lectures and discussing the creative process. UYEN CAO can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

music FLASHBACK

Neutral Milk Hotel

style similar to Nirvana’s attempt to capture The Pixies substance, the song crawls to halt, then accelerates firing up dust, racing off. The Black Keys does The Black Keys in more of a Black Keys way. For a band preparing to immortalize itself into the history of Coachella headliners among Jimi Christ and Led Zeppelin, it is apt that the source material is worthy to pose a minor dent in history. In all, El Camino will give its listener the patina of a shiny car, probably not that of a Chevrolet, but closer to that of the Chrysler minivan the duo used to tour in.

When I think of some of the greatest albums of all time, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, released in 1998, by Neutral Milk Hotel would be by far the easiest choice. Additionally, just last August, the band announced an exclusive vinyl release of their two albums In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and On Avery Island. It’s strange to consider a band’s entire body of work consists of less than 40 songs. A music critic once mentioned that no other album seems to closely affect and associate so personally with so many people yet feel still totally underexposed. It’s hard to articulate why this feels like the perfect

— Peter An

See NEUTRAL, page 7

The Aeroplane Over the Sea Domino

Today, 7:30 p.m., free Logos Books, 513 Second St. Currently teaching Native American Studies courses at UC Davis, Patricia Killelea is also a poet who has published her own poetry collection entitled Other Suns. Today at Logos Books, she will be sharing her own works in a public reading.

Finley Fryer

Today to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (today), 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Fri), noon to 5 p.m. (Sat), free John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First St. If you haven’t seen the large sculpture at the Natsoulas Gallery, it’s time you did. Finley Fryer is currently displaying his work at the gallery. His work is multi-medium and features stained glass and fragmented sculptural elements.

Today to Feb. 2, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Mon thru Thurs), 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Fri), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Saturday), free Davis Art Center The Davis Art Center is now showing the works of Susan Cohen Bryne and Rebecca Ryland. In a unique gallery set-up, Susan Cohen Byrne’s photography will be shown right next to Rebecca Rylan’s delicate landscape painting series.

What is your definition of performance art? Performing, understanding [and] being more aware of the space in between. What inspires you and your work? Soap operas, music, the search of understanding and healing.

Patricia Killelea

Interpretations of Place by Susan Cohen Bryne and Rebecca Ryland

MUSE: How did you discover your passion for art (particularly video and performance art)? Linzy: [I discovered it] in grad school working on my thesis, “Conversations wit de Churen II: All My Churen.”

MUSE’S WINTER PICKS The Roots 13th album, release in December 2011, doesn’t disappoint. It is a concept album about the fictional character Redford Stevens, from Sufjan Steven’s song “Redmond,” who lives his short life in urban poverty. The album expands on the sound of its 2010 release How I Got Over by utilizing the same snare-driven beats, keyboard, strings and indie influence. The album has something to offer everyone, whether you listen to it introspectively and catch the tragedy of narrative or just listen casually. Their lyrics have a seriousness to it that makes this album even more appealing. The Roots draw on the world of commercial rap but they understand and address the more far reaching associations on Undun. Instrumental pieces frame the album and the album follows a clear pattern and story.

courtesy

JAMES O’HARA can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

P

Get to know other artists It might be easy to think that you can get by on your own as an independent artist with a distinctive style. However, having a strong foundation of friends in the field is extremely helpful and reassuring. It’s always helpful to get a second opinion from someone who has a good eye for the basic components of what you’re interested in.

UYEN CAO would like to let you know what you have to say about her tips. Check out her website at uyencao. com or e-mail her at arts@theaggie. org.

the summer 2011 season of “No Reservations” (you can check them out on her site). When asked how it feels to have made it “big” in the industry at so young an age, despite her clear victories Chang politely declined to acknowledge any aggrandized sense of her own accomplishment. “I have not made it big at all. Look at all the other people who are giants in this industry, such as Jeffstaple, Lanie Alabanza, James Jean,” Chang said, referring to the design and illustration industry. “These are all people who worked hard to be doing what they’re doing. They lost hours of sleep, they did in-

ternships and studied under masters to get to where they are.” Still, Chang’s early success is undeniable. In a world of struggling artists and unemployed graduates, she is one success story among many less cheerful narratives. But naturally her success is no accident. She, too, worked hard. And more importantly, she has talent. “I started early. I did a lot of internships when I was in school. I commuted daily, I worked a part-time job at Journeys and Puma, did internships and worked on side freelance projects,” Chang said. “It wasn’t easy, but it helped to build a foundation for myself. Each of these internships were self-sought and worth more than any money I can make.” “Once I graduated,” Chang added, “I was already freelancing with jobs that were passed along by these guys, and I was able to get the ball rolling. So really, I’m not making it big at all. I hope to be on my way to ‘making it.’” Living in and being from New York has its advantages, but what Chang has achieved, as many aspiring artists and designers should note, she’s done through her own steely agency. As she said, in advice, “If you want to something, go for it.” So far, it’s working out for her.

today- Video and performance artist Kalup Linzy speaks in artist lecture series

Take advantage of every resource available Not everyone is fortunate enough to own a studio space or a computer with all of the necessary programs they need. Therefore, if you have access to a studio, you should embrace the opportunity. Additionally, there may be some courses you wish you could take that are not offered at this university. For instance, I wanted to learn how to use Adobe Suite (InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator), but noticed there weren’t any classes I could take to learn these skills. After doing some research, I found that Hart Hall Lab, which has now moved to the new Student Community Center, has all of the programs that I wanted to learn. I would spend my own time after classes to learn the programs myself.

Be open to social networking This is the most important tip: Use the internet and social networking sites as means to get exposure for your work. These days, you can purchase a domain on sites like GoDaddy, pairNIC, Register or iWantMyName for 10 dollars for a year’s subscription to have your own custom URL. By using templates offered by businesses like Cargo Collective or even Tumblr, you can establish a really professional-looking website to display your body of work. Trust me, this is extremely important. If you ever meet someone who is interested in your work, you can refer them directly to your own website.

5

Featured Artist: Sophia Chang

Uyen T. Cao After years of sitting in the dark about my paintings, I eventually discovered how important it is to get out there and network. Particularly in today’s art and media industry, the invention of the internet has expanded the artist’s venue for networking to imaginable capabilities. Here is a list of tips I’ve composed to help me prepare for Graduate School and the art world that might be of some use to you: Don’t be afraid to talk to your professors You’ll be surprised to see how willing your professors are to help you. It might be intimidating at first, but the feedback you get might make or break your piece for a dance choreography or composition to a painting, etc. At this university, we have professors who have firsthand experience working on Broadway or Hollywood films or have had their own body of work displayed at some extremely renowned museums. So you should definitely try to hear what they have to say.

Thursday, january 26, 2012

Rae Gouirand poetry reading at the Natsoulas Gallery.

By MICHELLE RUAN Aggie Arts Writer

The first and third Thursdays of every month are Poetry Nights at the John Natsoulas Gallery, located at 521 First St. Jan. 19’s poet of the moment was Rae Gouirand, whose first collection of poetry, titled “Open Winter,” was published in fall 2011. Gouirand has taught writing at UC Davis, UC Davis Extension and many private workshops she herself has founded for poets and writers since 2003. In addition, the Bryn Mawr graduate who received her MFA in creative writing at the University of Michigan has been the Writer-in-Residence at Cache Creek Nature Preserve since 2005. She is also the winner of many fellowships such as the Meijer Fellowship, the Hopwood Award and the Santa Fe Art Institute; a two-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize; and the recipient of a 2009 award from the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Foundation for outstanding work by emerging poets. By the time the reading started at 8 p.m., all of the chairs were already filled. The ages audience ranged widely; there were college students present as well as older members of the Davis community. All were obviously excited to hear Gouirand read her poems aloud in person. Melissa Bender, who teaches in the University Writing Program at UC Davis, affectionately introduced Gouirand. “We’ve known each other since 1994 when she was my instructor at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. We are now incredibly close friends,” said Gouirand of Bender. And then Gouirand took the stage. Admittedly a bit nervous, she had a

courtesy of Joseph Nijmeh

wide smile on her face and waved shyly to various audience members that she knew. Gouirand recounted the long process it took in order for “Open Winter” to be published. It was late in her undergraduate career that she began to focus on writing poems. In 2002, she started submitting her poems to journals. In 2008, she began to send her manuscript to potential publishers. Summing it up, Gouirand stated that the manuscript was a finalist for nearly 30 prizes for a first book of poetry before Elane Equi selected it for the 2011 Bellday Prize for Poetry, which eventually culminated in her revised manuscript’s publishing. After thanking everybody for coming to the reading, Gouirand started off with a passage from Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love. Her selection was much appreciated by the audience; it described how language developed throughout time from gestures to sounds and how miscommunication can happen with the smallest act. And then it was on to the poems. The first poem she read from her book was dedicated to her grandfather, who believed in her and that she “didn’t always have to be an Architect” when she was questioning what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. “I went to college intending to major in physics and music, and ended up completing an interdisciplinary urban studies major. Writing has always been a constant thread. It wasn’t until I sat down to try to work out the parameters of my senior thesis that I realized I wanted to apply to MFA programs: my writing workshops had always been my favorite courses,” said Gouirand. Much of the inspiration for the poems that she writes comes from

See POET, page 8

Alexander String Quartet

Sunday, 7 p.m., $25.50 (students) Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center Alexander String Quartet is performing two sets of shows at the Mondavi Center on Sunday, for which the afternoon show has already been sold out. Tickets are still available for the 7 p.m. show and can be purchased at the Mondavi Center Ticket Booth.

Tickets available for Spring concerts:

The Shins

April 23, 8 p.m., $35 Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center Tickets on sale now and can be purchased at the Mondavi Center Ticket Booth or on ticketmaster.com.

Drake

March 7, 8 p.m. UC Davis Pavilion $49.75 upper level student pre-sale discount (limited) | $79.75 Lower level general admission | $59.75 upper level general admission Tickets are available for purchase starting Thursday from Freeborn Box office (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). One ticket per student ID (maximum of 2 tickets with proof of second ID). Tickets on sale now (cash only).

DIM MAK’s Dead Meat Tour: Steve Aoki, Datsik & Special Guest

March 14, 6:30 p.m. Freeborn Hall Tickets are on sale now. $20 limited student pre-sale | $25 general admission.

Florence + the Machine

April 18, 7:30 p.m., $42.50 Jackson Hall (Mondavi Center) Tickets are available at the Mondavi Ticket booth starting Friday at 10 a.m. or now on ticketmaster.com. UYEN CAO can be reached at arts@ theaggie.org.

classifieds

6 thursday, january 26, 2012

iBooks for Dummies

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by J. Stanford-Carey

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Wednesday’s puzzle solved

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Notices Everyone on campus is getting cheap eats, movie-tickets, 2 for1 and free stuff. Get yours too. text GoAggies to 69302. Upper-Division Composition Examination sign-up at http://writing. ucdavis.edu/compexam/

Sudoku

Help Wanted STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid Survey Takers Needed in Davis. 100% FREE to join! Click on Surveys. Drivers: Tanker Work Based out of Vacaville Great Pay, Benefits, Hometime! CDL-A w/X End. 2 yrs Exp 866-339-0072 www.cryodrivers.com

Lost & Found Upper-Division Composition Examination sign-up at http://writing. ucdavis.edu/compexam

Employment EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS participants needed for easy 60-90 min. experiment. Perform group decisionmaking task. Must be 18 years or older to participate. Register: www.experimetrix2.com/ucdesp. One time participation only. You will be compensated $10-20. Payment determined in part by individual success in task.

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Very Hard

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

Thursday, January 26, 2012 7

The california aggie

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Teams: UC Davis at UC Santa Barbara; at Cal Poly Records: Aggies, 12-6 (4-2); Gauchos 8-9 (3-3); Mustangs 6-12 (3-3) Where: Thunderdome — Santa Barbara, Calif.; Mott Gym — San Luis Obispo, Calif. When: Thursday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. Who to Watch: It has been a season of milestones for UC Davis, and yet another Aggie is making a push for a historic mark. Junior Samantha Meggison tallied a steal against Pacific, which brought her career total to 150. She needs just six more to pen her name into UC Davis’s top 10 career steals list. Did you know? If the Aggies beat UCSB tonight, they will travel to San Luis Obispo to battle Cal Poly on Saturday with a four-game winning streak. Yet they will be looking to break a losing streak they have built over the past three years. The Aggies have not won at Mott Gym since the 2008-09 season. Preview: UC Davis has shot the ball well as of late, and they’ll be hoping this is a turning point for

them. They will need their 12. shots to fall in this week’s The Aggies now hold match-ups. a 4-2 league record, No doubt the Aggies’ good for third place in defense is working, as the Big West — locked they rank second in the in a three-way tie with 3-3 records are Big West UCSB, Pacific Conference and Cal Poly, who in scoring UC Davis plays defense, alon Saturday. lowing an average of only The Mustangs 61.4 points have lost three per game. games in a row UC Santa after starting Barbara leads out 3-0 in conthe conferference play this Samantha Meggison ence, how- junior season. But they ever, alloware a dangering just 50.7 ous team, rankpoints per contest. ing second in the Big The Gauchos, though, West with 71.4 points do not post big numbers per game. They closeon offense, as they are ly follow Pacific, which also ranked last in the averages 71.5 points per Big West with only 52.1 game. The Aggies’ game plan will be to keep the points per game. “We’re playing great Mustangs from putting teams as well, so it’s go- too many points on the ing to be really fun,” head board, as they kept the coach Jennifer Gross Tigers to just 51 points said. “Both teams heavi- last week. ly focus on the defensive “For us, we’ve focused side of the ball and I’m on our team and the excited to see who can strength of our team, so come out on top.” we don’t worry too much UCSB is coming off a about other teams and close victory over first- what’s going on with place California State them,” Gross said. “We University, Northridge, feel like the best way to which is 5-2 in the Big win is to win in a team West. UC Davis handed fashion.” the Matadors their first league defeat on Jan. — Matthew Yuen

neutral Cont. from page 5 album. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea feels dense and heavy but light and airy at the same time. It is an album of contradictions and paradoxes that never is in service of itself. When you listen to the album, you recognize it as single solid and solitary piece. Each time audiences listen to the album, they will be reminded that what they are experiencing is something different, or perhaps they are re-discovering something they had forgotten all over

again. It is an album that always feels like a mystery — something just barely out of reach of understanding, but you can feel it so close to your fingertips. No other album ever or since has taken on the ambition of trying to encapsulate what it’s like to live, breathe and think. Lead vocalist Jeff Mangum’s rapid-fire singing and lyrics is like someone trying to remember something really important and reminding you about it before the world ends. It’s an album that took to task the idea to remind us how strange it is to be anything at all. — Rudy Sanchez

Women’s Water Polo Preview Event: California Speedo Invitational Teams: No. 16 UC Davis, No. 5 San Jose State University, No. 1 Stanford University Records: Aggies (2-2); Spartans (3-0); Cardinal (0-0) Where: Spieker Aquatic Complex — Berkeley, California When: Saturday 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Who to watch: Senior center and co-captain Alicia Began. She recorded five goals and five assists for a team-high 10 points in last weekend’s season-opening tournament. Did you know? San Jose State sophomore 2-meter player Timi Molnar, a veteran of the Hungarian national team and returning All-American, scored seven goals in last weekend’s tournament but was held scoreless against UC Davis. Preview: The UC Davis women’s water polo team will have another crack at beating a top-five team in this weekend’s tournament in Berkeley,

with a rematch in the morning against No. 5 San Jose State and then a chance to upset the defending NCAA Champions No. 1 Stanford Cardinal in the afternoon. Head coach Jamey Wright used a number of combinations of players in last weekend’s tournament to get a better idea of the level of skill and depth of his team. “Most of our freshmen played a fair amount and did a really good job,” Wright said. Alicia Began “Our centers did senior a really good job holding position and our defenders did a good job at making it difficult for the other team’s center to obtain position.” Wright admitted that although the Aggies lost to the Spartans, he believes that was his team’s best effort of the tournament. Facing the defending national champions, however, is going to be

another challenge. “We need to focus on our front-court offense and not turning the ball over or taking wild, unpredictable shots,” said Wright. “An organized offense makes an easy transition to getting into a strong front-court defense. Stanford counters better than anybody and they’ll take advantage of mistakes you make on offense.” All-Americans Alyssa Lo and Kaley Dodson return for the Cardinal, but will be without first-team honorees Annika Dries and Melissa Seidemann, who are sitting out the year to train for the 2012 Olympics. The Aggies have an early start Saturday morning playing their rematch with the Spartans at 9 a.m. and then taking on the Cardinal at 4:30 p.m.

— Russell Eisenman

Gymnastics preview Teams: UC Davis vs. California, Seattle Pacific Records: Aggies, 1-4; Bears, 1-2; Falcons, 1-1 Where: The Pavilion When: Friday at 7 p.m. Who to watch: Sophomore Madeline Kennedy set or tied career bests in three events at Sunday’s home meet. Her scores were good for secondplace finishes on vault and floor and helped UC Davis to capture its first win of the season. Did you know? The last time that the Aggies hosted California, UC Davis posted its second-highest score of the 2011 season (194.050). Cal finished second in the dual with a score of 191.500. Preview: UC Davis will compete at home on Friday for the second time this week as it hosts Cal and Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rival Seattle Pacific. After a strong home opener on Sunday, the Aggies hope

to build upon their success as in the dual-meet. While the competition they once again perform with the support of a hometown promises to be intense, the Aggies are not intimidated. audience. “We’re really looking for “We’re really workward to the matching on increasup this weeking our level of end,” said Lavallee. p e r f o r m a n c e,” “Seattle Pacific has head coach John been one of UC Lavallee said. Davis’ biggest ri“We’re still workvals for [years]. And ing on being comany time we comfortable in meets pete against Cal it’s and being confia good day to go out dent that we can and compete well.” perform like we At one of only five do in practice. Madeline Kennedy home meets, the It’s a process, but sophomore team is eager to have we’re on the right a strong fanbase track.” Seattle Pacific will enter at the meet, similar to the the triangular coming off of crowd of more than 500 that a meet against San Jose State cheered the Aggies to victory University in which it im- over Air Force on Sunday. “We’re really hoping we can proved its initial season score draw a similar crowd,” conby nearly two points. Cal was defeated by Pac-12 firmed Lavallee. “It was realrival Arizona State in its last ly energetic.” meet, but the team notched a — Kaitlyn Zufall season-high score of 194.050

8 thursday, january 26, 2012

The california Aggie

Wellness Challenge motivates healthconscious individuals Adopt a new healthy habit this quarter

Irisa Tam / Aggie

By LANI CHAN

Aggie Features Writer

Had a New Year’s resolution but feel like it’s already losing steam? The fourth annual Mind Body Wellness Challenge, sponsored by the UC Davis Retiree Center, aims to re-motivate these individuals by inviting them to adopt a new healthy habit and keep it up for seven weeks. “The Challenge starts in late January because by that time most people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions,” said Sue Barnes, manager at the Retiree Center and director of the Mind Body Wellness Challenge. “The idea is to choose a healthy habit to work into your daily routine, and focus on keeping that habit until the end of the quarter.” If kept up for seven weeks, Barnes says, the healthy habit is more likely to stick after the Challenge ends and become a longterm lifestyle improvement. “We picked what we thought was a reasonable time period to establish a healthy habit and one that was convenient for students,” Barnes said. “It will run up until finals week. But hopefully the habit will stick well after the challenge is over.” Challenge participants can choose a particular habit to integrate into their routine from one of the areas on the wellness wheel, which breaks down general wellness into seven dimensions: physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, environmental and occupational. “We want to emphasize that health and wellness is more than just physical fitness,” Barnes said. For example, if one wanted to improve one’s intellectual wellness, the Challenge developers suggest learning a challenging skill or attending a lecture other than those required for class. If social wellness is the area of concern, participants could commit to calling friends or family located far away more often or becoming more involved in a club or organization. Pam Nardinelli, UC Davis staff assembly coordinator, acknowledged that even though the winter weather might make it hard to get out and be active, establishing

POET

a healthy habit when it is inconvenient to could further the long-term benefits of the Challenge. “Starting now means [the Challenge will end in the springtime],” Nardinelli said in an e-mail interview. “When it is over, the weather will be nice so it will be easier to stay committed.” Barnes, who is also a manager at the UC Davis Retiree center, aims to promote healthy habits starting at a young age because people won’t realize how those habits will affect their ability to lead an active lifestyle as they get older. “Most chronic illnesses take 30 to 40 years to develop, so the habits that you have in your 20s and 30s will definitely affect you in later life,” Barnes said. Fatima Falman, senior history and political science double major and student assistant at the Retiree Center, says she will definitely be participating in the Challenge this year. “I will be implementing walking at least one mile every day,” Falman said in an email interview. “I think this Challenge will appeal to a wide pool of participants because it hits home for everyone; it does not just focus on one aspect of health. Everyone can improve in at least one of [the seven] aspects, if not all of them.” To track their progress, participants can detach a small calendar on the bottom of the registration form that has a check box for each day that they complete their healthy activity. “But we do know that, realistically, people aren’t going to be perfect with it,” Barnes said. “So we say someone has completed the Challenge if they keep up their healthy habit for 80 percent of the days.” Three hundred people are currently signed up for the Challenge. As it is open to everybody in the Davis and surrounding communities, around a thousand people are expected to attend. “It’s easy to register and requires only your desire to make a change in your life,” Nardinelli said. Register for the Wellness Challenge at wellnesschallenge.ucdavis.edu. LANI CHAN can be reached at features@theaggie.com.

Gouirand. The poetry night featuring Gouirand ended with great success. Everybody in attendance enjoyed the numerous poems and Gouirand received many positive messages over e-mail and Facebook. “The Natsoulas Gallery is a great home for the Poetry Night series; its open and conducive to listening. I’ve been looking forward to having a book release here in Davis where I live my life and push my work forward. I wanted to share those snowflakes with my community and not have it all be a tremendously fancy big deal. No performance, just contact with real people,” said Gouirand.

Cont. from page 5 everyday life, as does her strong musical background. Gouirand is an accomplished musician who played in several orchestras in high school and college. “Part of what interests me about poetry is how it drives feeling back into its home in the body. I find inspiration wherever people find inspiration: in conversation, in the world, in great art and vitality and shifting light and passing time and connection and perspective and the way language always seems to lead me to the brink of inexpressible things. I discovered my feeling of voice through music,” said MICHELLE RUAN can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.