serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915
www.theaggie.org
volume 131, number 12
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012
Occupy moves out of Cross Cultural Center
Doin’ it green: In the gym
Space previously designated for Educational Opportunity Program
Brian Nguyen / Aggie
Occupy UC Davis vacated the Cross Cultural Center building early Monday to allow the Educational Opportunity Program to move in.
By DANIELLE HUDDLESTUN Aggie News Writer
Occupy UC Davis is no longer occupying the Cross Cultural Center building. For the past few weeks, Occupy UC Davis has been
occupying the empty building. However, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) had been set to move into the building this quarter. Occupiers seemed to have vacated the building by Monday morning, and in a
UC Davis considers collaboration with Museum of Tolerance Discussions revolve around hate incidents on campus, campus climate By ALICIA KINDRED Aggie News Writer
UC Davis representatives met with the Museum of Tolerance Jan. 18 in hopes of a collaboration to live in better accord with the campus’ principles of community. The Los Angeles-based multimedia museum, dedicated to the examination of racism and prejudice in the United States, was called upon by the university as a response to the series of hate crime incidents that have occurred on campus over the past two years. “The UC Davis-Museum of Tolerance discussions began almost two years ago following the incidents of hate and violence that were occurring at the university and other University of California campuses,” said Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor and leader of the Office of
Campus Community Relations. “As a result, Chancellor Katehi took a group of staff and student leaders in April 2010 to the museum and spent the day visiting and talking with their professional development and educational experts about implementing on our campus.” The initial meeting took place after a series of incidents that occurred on the campus, starting in 2010. These incidents included the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center (LGBTRC) vandalized with homophobic graffiti, swastikas spray painted on the sidewalk and a swastika carved on a Jewish student’s dorm, according to a press release. “We wanted to address these incidents to try to deal with and create a more welcoming environment for our students, faculty
See MUSEUM, page 6
general assembly outside U.S. Bank on Monday, the occupiers discussed issuing an apology to EOP. Currently in cramped quarters, the
See OCCUPY, page 5
As Davis’s brief rainy season finally seems to be descending upon us Aggies, the health-conscious among us head to the ARC en masse, seeking a warm and dry place in which to perform our cardio. However, while in the gym searching for my six-pack abs, all I found was a bit of an environmental disaster: scores of TVs blaring, the climatecontrolled warehouse-sized space, the whirring of electrically-generated running platforms. Despite this, green warriors need not give up their dreams of buns of steel! If you’re trying to ensure the most eco-friendly ARC workout, there are a few things to look out for. The ever-popular treadmill is a veritable energy suck, using about .75 kilowatt-hours to power your 30-minute workout. Do this every day, and you’ve emitted 110 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. For those of us who love the predictability of the treadmill, the ARC’s indoor track provides a similarly mind-numbing alternative without the associated energy costs. Not the running type? Sign up for a group fitness class and enjoy the health benefits while taking some time off the machines. If you’re emotionally attached to your machine workout, there’s no shame in the occasional jaunt with the elliptical or the stationary bikes; generally, these machines use magnets to generate resistance, meaning that the energy costs are a small fraction of those associated with the treadmill. Before I sign off, here’s one last tip: Avoid looking like a total n00b and don’t bring your tacky single-use water bottle to the gym. If you don’t have a reusable water bottle, allow me to shamelessly promote EPPC’s “Green Wheels” event Tuesday night at the CoHo from 6 to 7:30 p.m., where you can pick up a complementary REI water bottle while supplies last!
Dorm residents share the makings of a good roommate A quarter in, dorm mates have learned a thing or two
courtesy
High school friends Taylor Corey, left, and Bridget Herenda live together in Thoreau.
By DEVON BOHART Aggie Features Writer
First-years and many transfer students have lived in the dorms for a quarter now. Chances are the dorms haven’t been as magical as they originally imagined. If you
and a roommate are in a slump, your fellow dorm residents and resident advisors (RAs) have a few suggestions for resolving conflicts, to become better acquainted and have a less stressful relationship. Something to remember is communication. If your roommate doesn’t know that there is a problem, they can’t fix it. You don’t like that they leave toothpaste in the sink? Let them know. You don’t like when they wear your shirts? Just explain how you feel. Ian Han, a first-year biology major living in Thoreau in Cuarto, said that “talking things out” was a large part of dealing with roommate problems, especially with a random roommate. “It’s a bit challenging to get to know each other; we’re seeing each other for the first time and there are some challenges when we meet,” Han said. “If someone does something that you don’t like, you just talk it out.”
See DORM, page 2
Q&A with Digital Copy Davis Owner Usman Saeed details game plan for the copy shop By CLAIRE TAN Aggie Staff Writer
Usman Saeed, 26-yearold owner of Digital Copy Davis, spoke with The Aggie about the recent opening of his copy shop located on 920 Third St., Suite A. The Aggie: When did Digital Copy Davis officially open in Davis? We opened on Jan. 1 of this year. When and how was it founded? About 12 years ago, my dad started the company, Digital Copy. It started as a family-
Today’s weather Mostly sunny High 60 Low 40
owned business in Vallejo. We decided to start another store in Davis because it’s a small town and mainly because of the university. We could have opened one in Fairfield or Vacaville, but Davis looked like the perfect place because it’s not too small or too big. Who are your current employees? I’m the owner and there is a part-time employee who is a family member. We’re not looking for more employees at the moment because we’re still very brand new. When we start picking up business and more clients,
we will hire. How is business so far? Business is pretty slow since we just opened up. For some neighboring shops, we have done some business for them. We’ve also had a couple of students come in to print out their textbooks. We’ve been doing a lot of marketing and advertising through the Yellow Pages, Facebook, Twitter and Yelp. We’re also getting ready to do a [mass] mailing. What type of services do you provide? How we set up the Davis shop is very student-friendForecast
Expect sunny days this week with some clouds and a little breeze here and there. Good luck on midterms! Raymond Chan, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
ly. We do high-speed copies, color copies, black-andwhite copies, blueprints and business cards. We also do shipping for UPS and FedEx. It’s pretty much a very affordable Kinko’s. Whatever you can think of, we can do it. How does Digital Copy Davis operate? For big orders, we send it to the bigger shop in Vallejo and they ship it right back to us. For anything small, we can do it right in the store. Color copies are as low as 29 cents and go down to 19 cents.
Shazib Haq / Aggie
Digital Copy Davis, located by the SPCA Thrift Store on See DIGITAL, page 2 Third St., is the newest copy shop in town.
Wednesday
Thursday
Mostly sunny
Mostly sunny
High 58 Low 39
High 63 Low 37
There’s no humorous way to put this –– yesterday’s In Other News was inappropriate. Sorry for the offensive lyrics printed in Monday’s paper. Becky Peterson
PAGE TWO
2 TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012
DAILY CALENDAR dailycal@theaggie.org
TODAY Winter Book Fair 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Women’s Resources and Research Center, first floor North Hall Each quarter the Joy Fergoda Library at the Women’s Resources and Research Center hosts a book fair where books can be purchased for under $3! Proceeds will be used to buy new books for the library. Nonfiction, fiction, poetry and more. Drop by and browse. The fair will continue through Thursday.
Internship and Career Center Intern/Advisor Info Session Noon 229 South Hall Get information about applying to be a 2012-13 ICC Peer Advisor or Intern. The application deadline is Friday.
Summer Abroad Info Sessions Noon to 1 p.m., 4 to 5 p.m. Education Abroad Center, Third and A Street Learn about the Summer Abroad program “East Meets West in Germany: Berlin Culture Before and After the Wall” at noon and “Materials for Future Energy Needs” at 4 p.m.
Workshop: How to Write in the Abstract 4:10 to 5 p.m. Meeting Room D, Student Community Center The Undergraduate Research Center will be holding workshops on “How to Write an Abstract” in preparation for the upcoming Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Conference and President’s Undergraduate Fellowship (PUF) deadlines. The workshop will also be held on Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. and Thursday at 12:10 p.m.
Dead Arts Society Auditions 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Lab B, Wright Hall Dead Arts Society is holding auditions for its winter quarter showcase of original
student-written scenes. Everyone is welcome to audition; no prior experience or monologues are necessary. For more information, e-mail deadartssociety@ gmail.com.
WEDNESDAY Eat Healthy, Live Well! Weight Management Series 12:10 to 1 p.m. Student Health and Wellness Center, third floor Learn how to eat well, live healthy and feel your best. This series covers cooking tips, physical activity, meal planning and more. Free to all UC Davis students. Must register to attend. Call the Appointment Desk at (530) 752-2349 or go to healthcenter. ucdavis.edu/services/nutrition.html.
Author Talk: Allison P. Coudert 1 to 2 p.m. Special Events Room, Memorial Union Bookstore UC Davis Religious Studies professor Allison P. Cudert will talk about her new book, Religion, Magic and Science in Early Modern Europe and America. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Circle K International Meeting 6 p.m. 6 Olson Discover ways to participate in community service.
H.E.L.P. Club General Meeting 6 to 7 p.m. 146 Olson Learn about H.E.L.P.’s community service programs and find out how to get involved in the community. Food will be provided. 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.
POLICE BRIEFS THURSDAY
Team America A pickup truck covered in mud had a gun on the front seat on Hartley Street.
No more Ambien Someone was sleeping in the pharmacy section of CVS on East Covell Boulevard.
FRIDAY Pancakes with a side of arson Someone was talking about setting things on fire at IHOP on Cowell Boulevard.
SATURDAY The One per cent A driver in a Jaguar was throwing coins at cars on Richards Boulevard.
SUNDAY Unfair trade Someone stole several bikes and left a bike light in return on East Eighth Street.
Searching for Charlotte A small pig wandered into a backyard on Tulip Lane. Police Briefs are compiled by TRACY HARRIS from the City of Davis daily crime bulletins. Contact TRACY HARRIS at city@ theaggie.org.
DIGITAL
for students to come and check us out.
Cont. from front page Black-and-white copies are as low as 4 cents. Business cards are $35 for 500 cards in black-and-white and $40 for 500 cards in color.
What are your goals for Digital Copy Davis? We hope students will do a little business with us and compare prices to other copy shops in Davis. We plan to do readers for UC Davis beginning next quarter and we’ll have the best prices on readers. Students can even be offered deals, like buy two readers and get one free. We also do price matching, so if students find a better price, we can match it. Basically, we want to get it out there that we’re the most affordable [copy] shop in Davis.
What is the current business plan you are pursuing? Although there are other copy shops in Davis, we don’t want to put anyone out of business; we just want to help out in the community. We’d love to help out other copy shops. We’re promoting ourselves to be the most affordable shop in Davis since our goal is to serve the students and the school. We have the best prices in town and CLAIRE TAN can be reached at city@ I think it’ll be really good theaggie.org.
Microsoft, it was still able to maintain a monopoly. At the time, so many people were using Word and Windows that people buying a new computer needed to have the Danny same programs so that they Brawer could easily share documents and files. This was because the large consumer base already using Word and Windows made the value of the programs far greater than any of Microsoft’s competitors. Even with Apple computers becoming more and more popular today, a he most anticipated large majority of Mac users initial public offering still run Microsoft Word. (IPO) in more than a So what does that mean decade is upon us. for Facebook? If you watched If you happen to be one of The Social Network, you Facebook’s over 800 million heard Zuckerberg say it active users, there’s a good himself: “Even a few people chance you’ve heard that leaving would reverberate Facebook is going public. through the entire userbase. Facebook will be tradeable on The users are interconnected; the New York Stock Exchange that is the whole point. under the ticker symbol FB College kids are online and will likely because be offered for their Now that Facebook is going friends just under $40. Now the public, I personally doubt it will are online, question on if one be able to continue its success ... and everyone’s domino mind is: to goes, the buy or not to buy? Let’s take other dominoes go. Don’t you a look. get that?” Since its founding almost As users begin to leave exactly eight years ago by Facebook, I predict that Mark Zuckerberg, a fellow Zuckerberg’s prediction will AEPi from Harvard, Facebook come true. The question has fought to remain private then becomes when this will despite its huge public happen. Facebook’s biggest presence, so why is Facebook obstacle is the enormous going public now? Well, they challenge of keeping ahead don’t want to. However, there and maintaining its status is something called the 500 of being “cool.” So far it has shareholder rule in which been pretty successful at the Securities and Exchange this, aside from its recent Committee (SEC) requires release of the new Timeline that once a company has version of Facebook that has 500 shareholders, they must been met with a lot of user publicly disclose financial disapproval for a variety of data. This is not technically reasons. It remains to be a requirement to go public, seen whether the pressure but the requirements are so to remain ahead has finally similar that most companies caught up with Facebook or choose to do so once they if this was simply a bump in have reached that threshold, the road. which Facebook has now Facebook could also done. lose users in the face of By keeping private, continuing pressure to Zuckerberg has been able to address privacy concerns. maintain almost complete Bills such as SOPA and PIPA control over Facebook, could also prove trouble to avoiding governmental the company if they or some regulation as well the version of them eventually scrutiny Wall Street brings to become law. public companies. In other Another key question is words, Facebook was able what Facebook will do with to maintain its freedom and the billions the IPO will raise, independence, at least as especially considering that far as that’s possible with Facebook is an incredibly hundreds of millions of daily cheap company to run users. in comparison to other Now that Facebook is behemoths like Apple and going public, I personally Microsoft. While extra money doubt it will be able to is certainly an opportunity continue its success in the for good things, there is the absence of that freedom, chance of a potential Netflix especially with competitors disaster as well. Twitter and Google+ gaining There is also the momentum. concern that Zuckerberg Facebook is currently and company are simply a powerhouse because attempting to cash out and of the inherent network move on, as Zuckerberg is externality associated with poised to rake in $24 billion it. A network externality by going public. Or, investors exists when a product on Wall Street could damage becomes more valuable the stock by holding onto it to the user as more people until they make a profit and use it, potentially reaching then dumping it afterwards the point of becoming a to earn a quick buck. universal standard. One It certainly wouldn’t be the famous example of this first time. phenomenon is Windows and Microsoft Word. This If you would like to discuss Facebook’s IPO explains why as competitors with DANNY BRAWER you can contact him at eventually began to challenge dabrawer@ucdavis.edu.
Facebook goes public
T
DORM Cont. from front page
ACCURACY The California Aggie strives to ensure that all of its facts and details are accurate. Please bring any corrections to our attention by calling (530) 752-0208.
Jason Alpert Editor in Chief
Amy Stewart Science Editor
Becky Peterson Managing Editor
Melissa Freeman Opinion Editor
Alex Tervo Business Manager
Kamry Zhang Copy Chief
Grace Sprague Advertising Manager
Joey Chen Asst. Copy Chief
Hannah Strumwasser Campus Editor Angela Swartz City Editor Uyen Cao Arts Editor Erin Migdol Features Editor Trevor Cramer Sports Editor
Jasna Hodzic Photography Editor Michelle Huey Design Director Janice Pang Asst. Design Director Mimi Vo Night Editor Amanda Nguyen Asst. Night Editor Irisa Tam Art Director
One Shields Ave. 25 Lower Freeborn, UCD Davis, CA 95616 Editorial (530) 752-0208 Advertising (530) 752-0365 Fax (530) 752-0355
The California Aggie is entered as first-class mail with the United States Post Office, Davis, Calif., 95616. Printed Monday through Thursday during the academic year and once a week during Summer Session II at The Davis Enterprise, Davis, Calif., 95616. Accounting services are provided by ASUCD. The Aggie is distributed free on the UC Davis campus and in the Davis community. Mail subscriptions are $100 per academic year, $35 per quarter and $25 for the summer. Views or opinions expressed in The Aggie by editors or columnists regarding legislation or candidates for political office or other matters are those of the editors or columnist alone. They are not those of the University of California or any department of UC. Advertisements appearing in The Aggie reflect the views of advertisers only; they are not an expression of editorial opinion by The Aggie. The Aggie shall not be liable for any error in published advertising unless an advertising proof is clearly marked for corrections by the advertiser. If the error is not corrected by The Aggie, its liability, if any, shall not exceed the value of the space occupied by the error. Further, The Aggie shall not be liable for any omission of an advertisement ordered published. All claims for adjustment must be made within 30 days of the date of publication. In no case shall The Aggie be liable for any general, special or consequential damages. © 2009 by The California Aggie. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form whatsoever is forbidden without the expressed written permission of the copyright owner.
The California Aggie is printed on recycled paper
THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE
Something to aid this process is the roommate agreement, put into place in all UC Davis dorms with assistance from RAs. This document addresses the general issues that come up that cause turmoil between roommates, such as cleanliness, visitors and quiet hours. Tiffany Firestone, a junior biology major, has been an RA for two years, in Leach at Tercero last year and in Webster at Cuarto this year, and she lived in Ryerson at Segundo as a firstyear. After her extensive dorm life experience, she understands the importance of this document. “It’s a preventive sheet. Most people will think about or confront something throughout the year, but the roommate agreements make sure that people think about things from the beginning,” Firestone said. As seen with the roommate agreement, RAs are a main tool to help solve roommate problems. Emily August, a sophomore RA in Segundo, lived in Tercero as a firstyear and after a difficult situation with her random roommate, moved from Wall to Leach. She wanted to become an RA to help incoming firstyears avoid such issues. “I wanted other people’s experience to be different than my own because last year wasn’t the best year. I had a hard time with my roommate and that made everything else hard,”
massage or to get your lover off. They even make vibes that one partner can manipulate via remote control, which can be quite an exciting exercise. Sam In the non-vibe world of Wall couple’s play, there are toys such as strap-ons, which can be used for any type of intercourse as well as foreplay. As with vibrators, some prepurchase research and body exploration is wise. The standard view of sex toys assumes that a leshlights. man wouldn’t use them Battery-Operated and, if he does, he is Boyfriends. Vibes. frustrated and lonely. Whatever your type and This is unfair. Yes, due to whatever you call it, the mechanics involved, there’s no denying that male orgasm may be less sex toys are a flourishing complicated to achieve industry. But all the than a female one. And variety can make finding yes, I am aware that in the right toy for you quite many cases masturbating a chore. Not to mention for men is purely that some of you may find utilitarian (though this the thought is not an of some male-only The common image is of a of those phenoobjects candle-lit woman in the bath menon). near tender that using her Hitachi magic wand ... But parts of does not your body mean that quite terrifying. Have no men shouldn’t explore fear, grasshopper, for I am their sexuality to the same here to guide you. degree that many women First, some vibrator do. For men who would basics. Remember that like to explore, there are conversation about vibrators tailored to the masturbation? Well, here’s typical male anatomy, as an instance where the well as sleeve toys, like knowledge gained by that those made by Tenga, that activity comes in handy vary in texture and fit. (pun, as always, intended). A big component of Because many vibes are sex toy satisfaction is designed to focus on doing your research. I specific spots, you want advocate browsing sites to have a good sense of like babeland.com. When whether you prefer clitoral you see something you stimulation, G-spot action like, look closely at the or something else. That comments section or way you can narrow down search for reviews of the types you have to the product online. If choose from. the negative reviews Even with that mention qualities knowledge, many of you that would bother you may find vibrators a little (uncomfortable, difficult scary. To be fair, some of to get into a good them do resemble alien position), then that toy torture devices (although is not the right choice no their effect is anything matter how appealing it but painful). That’s why looks. if you’re even a little When it comes to curious about toys, I research, nothing beats recommend beginning going into a store and with a mini-vibrator (try talking to the people a small “bullet” type for behind the counter. the most straightforward Depending on where shape). Its size makes it you live, this tactic isn’t less intimidating for a always feasible. Luckily first-time user and easier for us, we live near that to store discreetly in den of sin and inequity small living spaces such commonly called San as dorms. Also, you can Fransisco. S.F., along with get a decent mini-vice Berkeley and Oakland, for about $20, so if you is home to several Good dislike it, it’s not a total Vibrations stores that waste of money. are clean, well lit and Increasingly, sex staffed by friendly and toys are thought of as a knowledgeable people. female-only area. The You can find all manner common image is of a of toys there, as well as candle-lit woman in the porn and informational bath using her Hitachi books. They are also very magic wand to have LGBTIQ friendly, so you exploding-petal orgasms should be able to find of joy. Not that there something fun no matter aren’t some women who who’s involved in your do this, but it leaves an relationship. Field trips awful lot out (other than are always a good time, the fact that Hitachi especially when toys are wands aren’t waterproof ). involved. Vibrators are not just for the solo girl. They can SAM WALL wants to help you pick up be an excellent addition some good vibrations so contact her to partner-play, whether at sewall@ucdavis.edu for product you use them to give a suggestions.
Good vibrations
F
August said. Both the RAs and the residents believe that being considerate of the other person in your living space is key to a thriving relationship with a roommate. One way to do this is assessing yourself and how what you do affects others. “The ability to reflect on your actions and being willing to listen to each other [is important],” Firestone said. Taylor Corey, a first-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major living in Thoreau, lives with her friend from high school, Bridget Herenda, a first-year math major. Whether roommates are random or not, being considerate of each other still applies to keeping a positive relationship. “We’re very cordial with each other; we try not to wake each other up and we’re nice with each other’s space,” Corey said. Things like maintaining cleanliness and respecting a roommate’s belongings are all examples of things to pay attention to. It’s also important to acknowledge a roommate’s feelings. Avery Campbell, a first-year music major living in Han’s suite, outlines a good roommate as someone who is attuned to his personality and habits. “Our lifestyles are much different — how they are raised versus how I am raised. [A good roommate is] someone who understands me and over time understands how I am different from them and how we can work things out,” Campbell said. It is also important to develop the
ability to be flexible. August sees this as a benefit of the dorms because it is an opportunity to learn how to compromise. “Just learning how to live with other people, cooperate and make agreements is really beneficial,” August said. Having a roommate can be difficult and some problems are unsolvable, such as August’s roommate as a firstyear, leading her to transfer dorms. However, August said that moving is a last resort and such situations are rare, even with random roommates. “It’s important to know that it’s not all going to be great,” Firestone said. “You may have that stereotypical horrible roommate that’s messy and you might have the most fantastic roommate ever, but most of the time, it’s a little bit in between and you have to work on compromising.” As Firestone said, some roommates find that problems are few and far between, like Corey and Herenda. They are close friends as well as roommates and enjoy each other’s company, saying that they have “roommate telepathy,” illustrating how having a roommate can be a very rewarding experience. “It’s never boring, ever, and it makes the transition [from high school] easier because you are less on your own,” Herenda said. “You know a person inside and out and you know someone is going to be there if you ever need them,” Corey said. “We’re here through thick and thin.” DEVON BOHART can be reached at features@theaggie. org.
OPINION
The california aggie
tuesday, january 31, 2012 3
editorials
Banks on campus
Not in our interest “Your AggieCard. Your ATM card. All in one.” This is the slogan put forth on the U.S. Bank website for their UC Davis partner branch, glorifying the combination of two entities that have no place occupying the same piece of plastic. In order to argue that a bank does not belong on a campus, we first need to agree on what a campus means to its students. A campus is not just a conglomerate of buildings, housing classrooms containing professors talking to students sitting in desks. For many students, campus is a home away from home. It is the source of their friends, activities and jobs and the place they spend the majority of their waking lives. Above all, a campus is a sacred place where education holds the highest priority for both students and the faculty and administration who have chosen to devote their lives to this cause. Having a bank on a public campus, and thus, public property, is an affront to the triumph of education as the highest value and first priority of a university. Having a bank on campus is a misappropriation of a space that is set aside for education to form a place that takes advantage of students for a profit. Banks don’t profit from or prioritize truth-telling. And while banks are not inherently a negative resource for students in need of loans, their function becomes problematic when they are given campus property to leverage their own gains against students’ losses. As a result, the U.S. Bank in the Memorial Union is an inefficient use of prime campus space that is meant
to be a central location for student activity and resources. Worse, the university has not upheld the principles under which it agreed to give UC Davis students access to bank operations. A November 2009 article on the UC Davis News and Information website stated, “In developing the bank partnership, Student Affairs adopted a set of guiding principles that require ‘a process that is open, fair and competitive, consultative, and readily available for scrutiny and discussion.’” It also stated that “Under the campus agreement, a student-majority committee will advise the vice chancellor about what services should be underwritten by the partnership and how funds should be used.” The spirit of both these statements released by the university have been completely undermined during attempts by students to question the place of U.S. Bank on campus. As opposed to being open to scrutiny and discussion, the university has offered no compelling response to calls to close the bank. Just as student ID cards should not double as debit cards, U.S. Bank, or any other bank, has no place on the UC Davis campus. If we agree to rent space to any company that will bring us slight revenue, the campus will cease to uphold the principles of an education free from private influence and competing interests. Signed: Melissa Freeman, Becky Peterson, Angela Swartz, Jasna Hodzic, Erin Migdol
Fair game Over the past few weeks, a group of protesters have stationed themselves in front of the U.S. Bank in the Memorial Union, protesting its placement on a public university. While the protesters’ concerns are valid, banks, and any private entity for that matter, can have a functional place on a public college campus. A bank’s primary function is to provide a safe place to keep and save money, and in turn, use that money to provide credit and investments to other people. The primary target of the campus branch is college students, so naturally it will offer student loans and low-limit credit cards to help students pay for tuition and other purchases. This in itself is not wrong. It’s safe to say that nearly every student at UC Davis keeps their money in a bank of some kind, and not under their mattress or behind the toilet. Therefore, whether a bank branch is on campus or 20 feet away, students will use it. There is a clear market for banks among college students, particularly ones that are conveniently located on campus. A lot of the contention over U.S. Bank and banks in public universities is that they are capitalizing on a desperate student population in need of loans to pay for rising tuition costs. Therefore, these oncampus banks can charge higher-than-market interest rates and the students will have no choice but to use that bank. This may be the case for a college town with only one bank in the city, but this isn’t the situation for Davis. A couple blocks off campus lay numerous other banks that can offer student loans and credit, some at lower interest rates than U.S. Bank. Therefore, students, acting as rational individuals, will find the best loan interest rate according to their needs. The U.S. Bank
in the MU does not have a monopoly on the market for credit and loans, despite its location. Another concern, especially this U.S. Bank branch, is that the university is profiting off every new account that is opened at that branch. Therefore, UC Davis would want as many students to use this U.S. Bank, even if the terms of the loan aren’t optimal. This is an unfortunate conflict of interest. On the one hand, with rising tuition costs, the administration should want students to find the cheapest way to pay for the fees. At the same time, the university wants to maximize the income it can receive from U.S. Bank to, in turn, reduce costs displaced onto students. The best way for the university to neutralize this issue is to provide students with transparent information about student loans and help students find optimal loans. With Financial Aid Awareness Week currently going on, UC Davis is providing students with information about loans in an effort to help them find the optimal ones. Nonetheless, banks can function at a public university. Students need the services provided by these financial institutions and, if the terms of the contract are right, universities can earn additional income at almost no expense to help offset rising tuition fees. All things considered, these issues don’t devalue the sanctity of public education. The university is attempting to find new sources of income that don’t come from the state, which seems to be the future of public education funding. What do you think about banks on a public university? Send in your opinion to opinion@theaggie.org.
courtesy Walt Handelsman
Letters to the editor UC Davis student resident program
I would like to encourage all eligible UC Davis students to apply for the Student Resident Program. As a student firefighter at UCD Fire Dept. for almost three years, I can say that it was one of the best experiences in my life. Beyond the firefighting and EMS skills I learned, I gained
Sam Hoel
Fast cars and freedom
T
here is perhaps nothing so quintessentially American as the automobile. For generations, cars have represented independence, the open road and the exhilarating freedom to drive into the sunset of your choice. The old Cadillac slogan sums it up perfectly. There’s nothing more American than “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit.” Unfortunately, for every good thing in life, there is a group of mirthless killjoys dedicated to ruining that good thing. In the case of the automobile, the opposition is a motley collection of budgetpadding bureaucrats, intellectual elites of the enviro-zealot persuasion, and well-intentioned but misguided believers in the benevolent power of social engineering. One is reminded of H.L. Mencken’s famous quip: “A Puritan is someone who is deathly afraid that someone, somewhere, is having fun.” The reasoning of these particular modern-day Puritans is simple: Cars are anathema because they pollute, are wasteful and are just too difficult to control. The solution as seen by motorphobes is equally simple. If local, state and federal governments make it hell on earth to drive, fewer people will do it. Take for instance a recent article in Time Magazine which blithely asserts, “It makes sense that if you make driving more inconvenient, fewer people will
I could never thank the firefighters and staff at the UC Davis Fire Dept. enough for the opportunities I was able to experience in my three years there. It was an eye-opening experience and I encourage all to apply. For more information, see the UCD Fire Dept. website or visit Station 34 on campus. CHELSEA JOHNSTONE
want to do so. After all, who doesn’t to-urban commuter myself, I detest searching for a parking already suffer from unavoidable spot?” The author sheds few tears commuting stresses that negatively for the inconvenience of the caraffect my quality of life. Should dependent hoi polloi, concluding, my government seek to increase “Basically, whether people are those stresses? That’s a pretty poor annoyed with parking due to lack of version of government by the available spots or due to outlandish people and for the people. prices doesn’t matter. As long as One of the biggest problems they are frustrated enough not with automobile restrictions to drive, the environment will be is that they penalize the poor better off.” disproportionately. For a And to ensure comfortably that drivers middle-class If local, state and federal will indeed environmental be frustrated, governments make it hell on earth studies professor automobile pay a VMT to drive, fewer people will do it to detractors have tax to drive a full toolbox of his Prius to coercive policy proposals. The the local farmer’s market, it’s a European model, implemented mild inconvenience. To a small selectively in some U.S. cities, contractor commuting two hours emphasizes blocking off city streets each way to remodel an old to vehicles, reducing the number of Victorian in San Francisco, it’s available parking spots, shortening a deal-breaker. It’s also a dealgreen lights while lengthening breaker for the traveling musician, reds, and hitting commuters with the migrating farm worker, congestion taxes, increased bridge the administrative assistant tolls and high parking fees. commuting to the city and Others have proposed higher countless others. gas taxes, which already place a Don’t get me wrong, I love bikes strain on millions of families but just about as much as anyone have the pleasing characteristic of else. Living in a small college town enhancing budget funds for the (like Davis) or a dense urban area, huge transportation bureaucracies. cars are relatively superfluous and One proposal, the Vehicle Miles incredibly inconvenient. But the Traveled (VMT) tax, would have vast majority of Americans, who drivers paying the Feds for each don’t have the luxury of living in mile traveled, as if every car was college towns or expensive urban a government taxicab with an centers, don’t have those options. unstoppable meter. This latter If you care about the environment, proposal was even included in the you should ride your own bike and President’s 2011 budget draft before persuade your neighbor to ride public outrage forced a hasty his. Using the coercive power of reassessment. government to penalize those who But wait, should our own don’t live as you do isn’t the answer. government be dedicating itself Unfortunately, the ruling to making our lives worse? The class seems to care little for the miseries of congestion, scarce convenience and sanity of the parking and long commutes harassed commuter or the joy of would seem to be disincentive the enthusiast. The formula is a enough without elected leaders standard one for government: more intentionally adding quicksand taxes, more tolls, less freedom and to the quagmire. And what about less fun. those living in rural areas or commuting long distances who SAM HOEL is a law student at the UC Davis School of cannot avoid driving? As a ruralLaw and can be reached at swhoel@ucdavis.edu.
feeling strongly about something? submit a letter to the editor to have your opinion printed in
The California Aggie.
editor@theaggie.org
Editorial Board Jason Alpert Editor in Chief Becky Peterson Managing Editor Melissa Freeman Opinion Editor
Signed by: Jason Alpert, Trevor Cramer, Amy Stewart, Hannah Strumwasser, Uyen Cao
Editor’s note: The California Aggie Editorial Board was split. What about you? If you have an opinion on U.S. Bank, or any other campus issues, let us know. Send your letter to opinion@ theaggie.org by Wednesday at noon to be published in Thursday’s Aggie.
valuable experience in leadership, communication skills and how to remain calm in stressful situations. Students in the Resident Firefighting Program work shifts at night and on weekends alongside some of the best career firefighters at UC Davis. In exchange for working shifts, students have the opportunity to live at the fire station to learn the everyday atmosphere of the fire service.
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
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.
GUEST OPINIONS
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@
4 tuesday, January 31, 2012
The california Aggie
Tough competition UC Davis can’t keep pace with top-five teams By RUSSELL EISENMAN Aggie Sports Writer
No. 15 UC Davis women’s water polo threw away a chance to upset No. 5 San Jose State and was later blown out by No. 1 Stanford at last weekend’s Speedo Invitational in Berkeley. The Aggies squandered chances in a 10-9 loss to the Spartans, and the Cardinal showed why they are the topranked team in the nation with a 19-7 romp in the afternoon match. With the losses, UC Davis falls to 2-4 this season. Saturday — No. 5 San Jose State 10, No. 15 UC Davis 9
UC Davis played a streaky game against San Jose State in the morning game of the weekend’s tournament. The Aggies opened with a 3-1 lead after the first quarter, but by halftime were down 6-4. Junior Jessica Dunn, who netted four goals in the morning match, helped UC Davis turn the deficit into an 8-7 lead with 1:18 remaining in the third period. With the score tied 8-8 going into the fourth, the Aggies misfired on the first of four 6-on-5 advantages, and the Spartans capitalized, scoring two straight goals. “It was a great game, but we couldn’t close it out,” head coach Jamey Wright said. “We just couldn’t execute; you have to convert the 6-on-5s, especially in the fourth quarter. It’s like making your free
throws down the stretch, but we didn’t capitalize.” Senior Ariel Feeney added two goals and goalkeeper Riane Woods posted 11 saves. Saturday — No. 1 Stanford 19, No. 15 UC Davis 7 In the afternoon, Stanford held an 8-4 lead at halftime before scoring seven unanswered goals in the third quarter, foiling any chance for a UC Davis upset. Sophomore Hannah Curran posted a hat trick in the setback to the defending national champions. “If you make ill-advised plays and turn the ball over against a fast and opportunistic team like Stanford, they’ll cash in
every time,” Coach Wright said. “They’re a really talented team, but playing against all the tough teams now will help with conference play and I look at this as good experience-building for us.” Wright played every player this weekend, and said he is very pleased with how balanced the group is, noting that the second unit played extremely well against San Jose State and kept the first unit well rested. Oddly enough, UC Davis will face both teams again in next weekend’s Stanford Invitational in Palo Alto on Saturday. There is no rest for the weary, as the Aggies will also play No. 3 USC on Sunday. RUSSELL EISENMAN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
Fractals, nature’s best-kept secret, could help solve energy crisis UC Davis professor wins collaborative grant, new ideas on solar energy conversion By CLAIRE MALDARELLI Aggie Staff Writer
Frank Osterloh, a UC Davis chemistry professor, is a major contributor of a national research team trying to find a more efficient and economical way to use solar energy. The team was recently awarded a national grant of $100,000 from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA). “I have been working on solar energy conversion for about six years now and it is one of the most important things one can work on as a scientist today. We need to find new energy carriers to power our society,” Osterloh said. Currently, solar energy devices that are able to convert sunlight into a usable energy source, such as electricity, are much more costly than the traditional methods of burning coal or natural gas. “Basically, at the present time, it is still more costly to use solar energy than fossil fuels,” said Richard Wiener, the program director at RCSA. But in the next couple of years, scientists hope to reach a point where solar energy is at
equal cost or, ideally, less expensive than fossil fuels so that it becomes plausible for solar energy to replace fossil fuels. Wiener said the approach that Osterloh and his colleagues are taking to solve this problem is unique and innovative. “[They] plan to come up with new geometry on the very small, nano scale,” Wiener said. The idea is to use fractal geometry to enhance solar energy conversion. Fractals are naturally repeating geometric patterns that can be split up into parts, with each part a smaller-sized copy of the whole. Fractals occur widely in nature, from features as large as seacoast lines, clouds and mountains to things as small as the veins that line the leaves of most plants. Osterloh’s project plans to use branching fractals, found in leaves and trees, to both optimize the collection of sunlight and simultaneously reduce the cost of doing so. Specifically, the branching pattern enhances the collection of sunlight. Osterloh and his team are trying to use this same branching scheme that nature has only on a very small scale in order to make the so-
lar cells more efficient at collecting sunlight, and more economical in price. As Osterloh explained, the tree has a special geometry because it needs to bring together sunlight from the sky and nutrients from the soil to produce energy the tree can use. The branched structure is optimized for this purpose, and thus should work within a photovoltaic cell (solar cell) as well, creating increased electrical power. “This approach seems like a very novel and promising method and we really want to give them a chance to try,” Wiener said. Osterloh and his team of researchers includes two physicists from the University of Denver and the University of Oregon, as well as a mathematician from UC Merced. Just as their approach to solar energy conversion is novel, so is the method RCSA employed to give out these grants. The research team met at a conference in Arizona, held by RCSA, this past year. About 50 scientists from different science fields, most of whom did not know each other prior to the event, attended the conference. They were first given the chance to talk about solar energy conversion. Then, they
formed teams based on whom they wanted to work with and came up with research proposals at the conference. The best proposals were awarded grant money. “This is a very unique and unusual process and we are experimenting with how effective this is going to be,” Wiener said. Osterloh agreed that in science, it is very important to have scientists from different specialties work together on a project such as this one. “Different scientists bring unique areas of expertise and viewpoints to the table. Sometimes you need different perspectives in order to describe and understand a concept,” Osterloh said. Wiener said that Osterloh, who has two grants with RCSA, has been particularly valuable at these conferences. “In speaking with other scientists [at these conferences], he has shown himself to be particularly creative and engaging and very supportive of this experiment on how to make new collaboration successful,” Wiener said. CLAIRE MALDARELLI can be reached at science@theaggie.org.
classifieds The Ag-gregate
vvle@ucdavis.edu
by Vancey Le
Notice to Readers 25 Lower Freeborn Hall, UCD One Shields Ave. Davis, CA 95616 Editorial: (530) 752-0208 Advertising: (530) 752-0365 Fax: (530) 752-0355 Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
CLASSIFIED AD RATES* Students: 20¢ per word/day General: 25¢ per word/day * Minimum 5 words LOCAL OPEN AD RATES $10.00 per column inch DEADLINES Publication Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
Display Ads 4 p.m. Wed 4 p.m. Thu 4 p.m. Fri 4 p.m. Mon
Classified Ads 1 p.m. Thurs 1 p.m. Mon 1 p.m. Tue 1 p.m. Wed
The California Aggie reserves the right to, without notice, classify all advertisements, delete objectionable words and phrases, and edit or refuse advertisements. Categories will be strictly adhered to. The Aggie reserves the right to change, without notice, deadlines for advertising copy, rates, rules, and regulations. The advertiser will not hold The Aggie liable for any claims resulting from publication of the advertisement. Further, the Publisher will not be responsible for any claim resulting from an agreement made between the consumer and advertiser. Copy should be checked for errors
BY THE ADVERTISER following the first insertion. Errors in advertisements must be reported before 1 p.m. for correction in next issue. Credit for Publisher error(s) will only be given for the incorrect portion of the advertisement for the first publication date. All phone numbers appearing in classifieds will be in the 530 area code. Only area codes outside the 530 area will be printed. For placement or questions e-mail classifieds@theaggie.org.
Monday’s puzzle solved
There are no refunds/credits for cancellations.
Lost & Found Book found 1/24 Olson Hall cwaggoner@ucdavis.edu Michelle Lam: A Boat
House For Rent
4bd/2bath house in Woodland seeking 2 roommates. $550/mo plus utilities. Quiet neighborhood 5-10 minutes from campus. Large landscaped backyard with a covered patio. Contact Patti at (916) 396-1432 or hwwirz@yahoo.com
Sudoku
Instruction Attention horse lovers, lessons from $26. Lease a horse $205/month. Board your horse from only $225/ month ptranch.com 530-756-2042
Notices Everyone on campus is getting cheap eats, movie-tickets, 2 for1 and free stuff. Get yours too. text GoAggies to 69302.
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.
Help Wanted STUDENTPAYOUTS.COM Paid Survey Takers Needed in Davis. 100% FREE to join! Click on Surveys.
Medium 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.
tuesday, january 31, 2012 5
The california aggie
Shawcing tip #5: Overcoming the chicken If the next person to come up to you asked you to sing and dance in front of the Coho tomorrow afternoon, would you do it? Do you think your future self would do it? Judging from a recent study, many people would agree, but chicken out at the last minute due to an “illusion of courage” resulting from the empathy gap, or the tendency for people to underestimate their own behavior and future actions when they are not emotionally aroused compared to when they are. The study involved two groups of university undergraduate students who were asked if they would participate in an embarrassing activity in the immediate and distant future. Students whose emotions were stimulated by a scary or angry movie and were more in touch with the emotions of social anxiety immediately declined. Those who were asked outright were more willing
occupy
to participate in the immediate future, but opted out within the next five days, suggesting an overestimation of their willingness to engage in embarrassing situations. However, we’re not all destined to be chickens. People who had just finished exercising were more willing to participate than those who had not begun their workout. The increase in confidence and reduction in anxiety through exercise demonstrated a reverse in the patterns scientists observed prior. Just going to show how exercise can give you the extra boost of confidence and self-awareness to overcome your “inner chicken.” The ASUCD Student Health and Wellness Committee (SHAWC) aims to promote and address important health-related issues on campus. We serve as the liaison between ASUCD and campus health organizations, clubs and resources. If you have SHAWCing suggestions, questions or tips, please e-mail us at shawcucd@ gmail.com and/or “Like” our Facebook page.
students, they can also address the students who have federal loans or grants,” Espinoza said. As a student movement, the occupiers felt that taking over the Cross Cultural Center would take that building from the administration. “The occupy movement is similar to EOP in that the students are trying to be change agents. They have some common goals,” said Arnette Bates, EOP Program Director. At a general assembly last week, some speakers claimed not to have known that EOP was planning to relocate in the Cross Cultural Center. Many occupiers agreed to leave within 10 days in order to allow the program to expand. “Occupy needs to remain conscious that it is first and foremost a student movement and they have to engage the differences. Ignoring how many ways there are to be involved will be detrimental,” Espinoza said. As of Monday afternoon, occupiers said they had no plan to re-occupy the building and would be cleaning up to allow EOP to move in.
Cont. from front page Educational Opportunity Program was planning to relocate to the old Cross Cultural Center, prior to the occupiers’ move. “We expressed need for the building, letting them know we would use it for academic advising, peer counseling and as a safe haven for under-represented students to come study. The new space would better allow us to do those things,” said Cameron Brown, a peer advising counselor for EOP. EOP remained in South Hall for the past few weeks, because they could not move into the Cross Cultural Center. According to Miguel Espinoza, an ASUCD senator, the occupation of the Cross Cultural building made the Occupy movement exclusive. “I believe there are so many kinds of activism. The occupiers are ignoring all other sides of the UC Davis community, by not engaging all types of students. EOP directs the most vulnerable students, who are under-represented in the universities. By addressing the needs of low income DANIELLE HUDDLESTUN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
6 tuesday, january 31, 2012
The california Aggie
Apocalypse now? Faculty and students discuss 2012 prophecy By PRISCILLA WONG Aggie Features Writer
The world is ending on Dec. 21, 2012. Well, at least that is what popular culture and the media say. The supposedly scientific facts circulating the upcoming cataclysmic event sound believable, but there are quite a few skeptics. “Generally, I think of it more academically, as an interesting cultural myth, rather than as a factual, imminent event. Consequently, I can’t say I really believe it. I’m a rather black-and-white person, and generally not given to much superstition or stories,” said senior English major Nicole Stark. Religious studies professor Naomi Janowitz said that some of the current interest in apocalyptic thinking comes from an odd Hollywood version of these ideas that were made famous in the movie 2012. An apocalypse is a revelation of secrets about a future cataclysmic change that will include widespread destruction, and these ideas have been seen in some ancient Near Eastern texts, Judaism and Christianity, she said. Professor of sociology John Hall said that there are multiple ways that people have derived a prediction about 2012. Some point to the Mayan calendar and others point to what they think will be dramatic events in the solar system. “I think that neither one of those is important as a predictive for the end of the world. The Mayan calendar served
Mayan civilization for as long as Mayan civilization lasted. The calendar has lasted longer than Mayan civilization as a civilization,” Hall said. “And so, they designed a calendar that worked perfectly well for them and the fact that the calendar ends a particular cycle is insignificant. I don’t think that events in the solar system or universe are significant for anticipating the end of the world. It seems to me sort of precious of us to think that the end of the world would happen just as we happen to be alive.” Junior genetics major Stephanie Logia finds the whole 2012 end-of-the-world hype pretty annoying. She thinks that many people don’t believe in it, and for the ones who say they do, she thinks that they are probably over-killing the joke. “I don’t believe it because it is the end of the Mayan calendar, not a prophecy. Plus, I’m not superstitious at all,” Logia said. Hall said that there has been a long history of people making predictions about the end of the world. He referenced a prediction in 1843, 1844 and the third or fourth prediction by Harold Camping last year. All of them were inaccurate. Instead of trying to set a date for an apocalypse, people should look to apocalyptic events that are taking place on earth that mean the end of the world as we know it, not the actual physical world, he said. “Some scholars argue these ideas grow up when people are feeling political-
ly and personally alienated from mainstream society, but sometimes readers encounter and revive textual traditions that highlight future change for their own reasons; the idea of major change, punishment of the wicked and rewards for the righteous can appeal to people for numerous reasons,” Janowitz said. First-year biological sciences major Anna Mah said she doesn’t care too much about the 2012 prophecy, and does not let it affect her life. For her, the prediction seems unlikely just as all other prophecies, up to this point, have turned out to be untrue. “People are afraid of the end-of-theworld prophecy because they fear not being able to complete all of their goals before they die, or they fear death itself,” Mah said. “I think people shouldn’t worry about the prophecy because there is a chance it might not come to pass; also, the present is just as important, if not more so, than the future and in building the future.” First-year genetics major Kayla Wigley agrees with Mah that fear of the future and the end of the world cannot be allowed to interfere with one’s current life. “It’s not that I agree or disagree; I just don’t understand why people worry about something that they can, in no way, affect. If it is real, nothing can be done and we are just wasting time by not enjoying life at this moment. If it is fake, joke well played,” Wigley said. For Hall, people have a right to believe
Irisa Tam / Aggie
anything they wish. However, he advises those who do believe that the world is going to come to a physical end on Dec. 21 to not base their lives on this, to be cautious about spending their money on it, and to have a backup plan if the world does not come to an end. Sophomore history and economics double major Chandler Hill said that he hasn’t heard any compelling scientific evidence that would make him believe that the end of the world is going to happen this year. Just like when 1999 turned into 2000 and nothing happened, this time will be the same, he said. “Personally, I think everybody is hyping it up because it’s like gossip,” Hill said. “Fuck it, I’ve got better things to do. For me, it’s going to be an excuse to have a shindig. Come this Dec. 21, I will be partying like it’s 1999 all over again.” PRISCILLA WONG can be reached at features@theaggie.org.
Student founds club T-shirt company Sociology major’s economic pitfalls lead to a family business By KELSEY SMOOT Aggie Features Writer
From diaper days to college dorm life, many students could not fathom a day in which they would become authority figures to their parents. For UC Davis senior sociology major Steven Zhang, this dynamic is a daily reality. Zhang turned the family business paradigm on its head in 2007 when he and his brother started a screen printing business called Simple and Creative Shirts (SacShirts) — a business which currently employs both of their parents. Zhang was originally inspired to start a business when he realized, despite his effort to cut college expenses by opting to attend a community college for two years, he and his family would not be able to afford his tuition without added income. Additionally, both of his parents were laid off from their jobs due to the economic recession. After meeting an acquaintance who sold inexpensive hats, Zhang was inspired to begin his own entrepreneurship: a hat-making business that would eventual-
ly evolve into his current T-shirtmaking business, SacShirts. After transferring to UC Davis in 2010, Zhang began extensive research on how he could maximize profit from his business. He soon realized that small, upand-coming clubs needed an inexpensive means of obtaining club T-shirts in order to increase member morale, without depleting all of the organization’s funds. “We specialize in small quantity orders,” Zhang said. “It really hits home for me. I remember trying to start clubs back in high school; we couldn’t do anything because we were so worried about money!” In order to keep company costs low, Steven works out of his home, in addition to ordering supplies in bulk online. He does most of the actual T-shirtmaking in the garage. Besides his parents, Steven’s staff consists of his brother and co-manager, a graphic artist, a few part-time interns and one full-time intern. Each T-shirt is handmade by either Zhang or one of his employees, and most of the designs are conceptualized by the
MUSEUM Cont. from front page and staff,” Reed said. Since the initial discussion in 2010, there have been continuing discussions between UC Davis and the Museum of Tolerance’s professional development trainers to create collaborative activities that can work jointly with the campus, Reed said. UC Davis met with the museum’s staff to create professional development and educational training activities for faculty and staff on Jan. 18. Several representatives from the university’s community and representatives from the UC Davis Police Department (UCDPD) met to continue previous discussions. “We are working together to make campus climate safer and more inviting
Steven Zhang
courtesy
organization placing the order. He does not charge extra for color prints, as he feels that creativity should not be limited by cost. Additionally, he helps to promote the clubs for which he makes shirts. The process of screen printing includes creating a stencil of a design on mesh material, and then forcing ink though the mesh onto the fabric. Though this may appear to be a simple process, Zhang must both create, advertise and sell his apparel to maintain the estimated $1,000 per month needed to keep the business running. Zhang uses a website to ad-
and a climate that does not disenfranchise, discriminate or harass people,” said Rabbi Aron Hier, director of campus outreach for the Simon Wiesenthal Resource Center. “It is very complicated because free speech is an inalienable right for all Americans; it is about a lasting and emerging relationship. We are constantly learning new things.” The Simon Wiesenthal Resource Center, a branch from the Museum of Tolerance, has discussed with the campus that a way to face hate speech is to increase the level of moral outreach and create new ways to leave free speech unchanged, but to use potent ways to “decontextualize” hate speech or elements of it even when those forms of speech are legally protected. One of the issues that has been in current discussion is the pepper spray inci-
vertise his T-shirt business. Contrary to the belief that maintaining a website can be costly, he said that running an online business is affordable. “Websites can range anywhere from $20 per month to thousands. It just depends on how intricate the website is,” Zhang said. Zhang describes the experience of having his parents work for him as both frustrating and rewarding. Originally a temporary arrangement, Zhang said his parents have stopped their search for employment and have taken on permanent roles in his company. While he is glad to provide his parents with a source of income, he said that it can be difficult to keep everyone on the same page. “When [my mom] agrees, everything is fine, but it’s like, as soon is there is a disagreement she goes right back to being a mom,” Zhang said. Senior cell biology major and co-director of Chicanos in Health Education Emmanuel Mendoza, one of Zhang’s customers, said that flexibility and affordable pricing of SacShirts prompted him to utilize the
dent in November and the deterioration of the relationship between UCDPD and the campus community, Reed said. Initial discussions with the museum did not include police relations, Hier said. “I thought the meeting was helpful because it gave us the opportunity to have a dialogue with police staff — it was helpful to listen to their feelings about that night. And that is always an important step in beginning constructive dialogue on how we work together as a campus community,” said Griselda Castro, associate vice chancellor for student affairs. The Simon Wiesenthal Resource Center recently received a grant for $125,000 over a two-year period from the Jewish Community Foundation in Los Angeles. Funds will be used to create a 20-minute film used in a 90-minute training program. The film will address issues such
company to purchase T-shirts for a conference that his organization attended. “We looked around before we purchased shirts. Steven was able to work around our schedule. He really helped us along the way,” Mendoza said. Angela Ng, Steven’s full time intern and recent UC Davis graduate, says that working for Steven can be confusing at times; however, she could see herself eventually making a career out of working for a small business similar to SacShirts. “As much as I’m his intern, I’m also his friend,” said the former community and regional development major. “I would advise anyone starting a business to think far, plan ahead and meet the right people to help you.” Since starting the business, Zhang said that he has learned a tremendous amount. “It changes you completely. Academia at UC Davis does not teach what it takes to run a small business. My recommendation is to just do it. That’s the best way to learn,” Zhang said. KELSEY SMOOT can be reached at features@ theaggie.org.
as what is considered hateful on campus, what the campus is doing about it and if there are new ways that hate is forming. UC Davis is one of the first campuses that the film will be shown at in 2012, Hier said. The UC Davis Principles of Community — which states that as an institution of learning, UC Davis is committed to the needs of society as a whole — have come into doubt as hateful incidents have occurred on the campus. “When aspiration principles are broken, it creates a sense of disappointment. We are trying to make sure we communicate to the campus that we remain strongly committed to this, and we think these activities with the museum will help reinforce our commitment to these principles,” Reed said. ALICIA KINDRED can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.