February 29, 2012

Page 1

serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915

www.theaggie.org

volume 131, number 29

Wednesday, february 29, 2012

UCTV partners with University to raise fees YouTube to form first on student groups for facility rentals original universitySome students question Occupy’s use of campus facilities run channel By RICHARD CHANG Aggie News Writer

UCTV Prime to launch March 1

A cut in state funding will soon force the university to charge student groups for using campus classrooms. “Because it used to be free, it makes a big difference,” said Lina Layiktez, director of Conference and Event Services at UC Davis. Under current guidelines, classrooms like Wellman 2 are free for student groups to use. But come March 18, a $10 “reservation fee” will be implemented. In addition, the fees for other facilities are also set to rise. Layiktez’s office is responsible for maintaining a reservation system for all facilities on campus. The department last year lost $460,000 in state funding, so she believes the new fees are necessary.

Mark G. Yudof

“The state money was previously used to offset the reservation system. Now that it’s gone, we’re going to have to start charging,” Layiktez said. The new fees will impact all student organizations on campus. But small clubs like the International Relations Student Association (IRSA) may bear the brunt. “It smacks of discrimination based on account figures,” said Josh Lovelace, president of the IRSA. Because small organizations tend to have less money, Lovelace is worried that many of them, including his own, may be forced to move off-campus. Anne Myler, associate director of the Center for Student Involvement, agrees the fees are problematic. “If you meet once a week, that’s $100

See FEES, page 2

Local program helps youth deal with grief

courtesy

By AKSHAYA RAMANUJAM

Stepping Stones will expand to include 18 to 25-year-olds

Aggie News Writer

UCTV will launch a new original YouTube channel, UCTV Prime, on March 1 as the first university-run channel to be a part of YouTube’s new production partnerships. “YouTube is investing millions in all kinds of original programming to make programming exclusive to YouTube as we shift how we view that [which] was traditionally on television,” said Lynn Burnstan, director of UCTV. “When YouTube began looking for partners and asked us if YouTube were to invest in some original programming, we pitched them an idea for what we could do.” According to a press release from the UC Office of the President, the channel will feature a collection of indepth 10-minute documentary mini-series. The channel will launch with the first of four installments of “Naked Art,” which will be exploring UC’s public art collections. The UCTV project has a year of investment funding from YouTube consisting of $300,000. However, Burnstan

said there was likely to be a shared cost structure for any additional funding required. A campus would bring some funding and UCTV could augment it, as it has been traditionally. Other programs planned so far include “UCTV Prime: Cuts,” a five-minute recurring series reporting on research development and entertaining events, “UCTV Prime: Vote”, another fiveminute recurring series offering election analysis and commentary by UC faculty and experts, and a threepart series examining the obesity epidemic and how UC San Francisco researchers are working to combat it. “We have potential to all kinds of different things,” Burnstan said . “We’re going to be in Davis’s Sacramento center, taping some com-

mentary for our [“UCTV Prime: Vote”] segment. This will give political scientists a say in the conversation on the election.” Burnstan hopes the programming will be from all over the University of California system. Different units from different campuses will contribute footage sometimes on their own, and sometimes with the help of UCTV centrally. “With technology and viewer habits changing so fast, the whole nature of ‘television’ is evolving,” Burnstan said in the press release. “We’re thrilled and honored to take part in YouTube’s ambitious effort to shape the future of the medium.” AKSHAYA RAMANUJAM can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

courtesy

Children who are part of the Yolo Hospice’s Stepping Stones grief support group work on art projects during a meeting, which takes place every other Thursday.

By CHLOE BREZSNY Aggie News Writer

Since its foundation in 2001, the Stepping Stones support program has helped children and teens that have experienced the death of a loved one face their grief and begin the healing process. Organized by the Yolo Hospice, program participants meet in a group setting twice a month to learn how to ac-

knowledge their loss and to develop coping skills. The program provides a supportive community of peers, all of whom have experienced some type of loss. Denise Rose, bereavement services manager for the Yolo Hospice, said that having grief in common makes it easier for the kids to open up about their thoughts and emotions. Rose said that right now the Stepping

See YOUTH, page 2

A kinetic experience of sound and texture Two art studio majors collaborate to present unique installation made of ice only on display today

Evan Davis / Aggie

Seniors Wray Morgan Herbert-King (left) and Thelonious Elliott (right) have been working together for the past five weeks.

By RUDY SANCHEZ Aggie Arts Writer

Today UC Davis students have the unique opportunity to witness a one-of-a-kind exhibit called “Melt” in the Basement

Today’s weather Rain High 50 Low 39

Gallery, located in the basement level of the art building. Senior art studio and environmental resource sciences major Thelonious Elliott and senior art studio and international relations double major Wray Morgan

Herbert-King have undertaken an ambitious project made of large blocks of ice and at least 500 liters of frozen water. After a planning and constructing stage of five weeks, the piece itself will only be on display for four hours (3 to 7 p.m.) today. Using the large space of the Basement Gallery, Elliott and Herbert-King will hang several blocks of ice from the ceiling over stretched tarps that converge to a center piece that will accurately hold the melted ice. Experimenting with sound and acoustics they will also have microphones and amplifiers picking up the sounds of drops of water as they hit the tarps. The project began with the proposed idea that if an artist was given a space for a week, what would they be able to do with it? Basement Gallery director Jennifer Urrutia elaborated on why Elliott and Herbert-King’s piece was chosen. “They’re the stand out,” Urrutia

Forecast I wouldn’t “leap” for joy just yet because it will be a cold and rainy day today. However, please feel free to jump, bound, or hop this weekend when spring-like conditions come back to our forecast. Kenneth Doss, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team

Thursday

said. “We ended up accepting only three out of seven proposals. We knew that they were going to use the space well, to elevate the art. That they were going to make the space whole, and use it differently. They take it seriously because they love what they do, they’re definitely admirable guys.” Additionally, Urrutia hopes that others artists find that Elliott and Herbert-King’s creative energy infectious. “What we’re hoping to do with this instillation to make more people confident to show their art,” Urrutia said. “With this sense of confidence students would hopefully get from showing their art, they’ll able to take the skills they learn with them later in life. Essentially that’s the goal of the Basement Gallery.” This is the first official collaboration between Elliott and Herbert-King. They have, for some time, been friends and helped each other with personal projects. To their surprise, the

See ICE, page 2

Friday

Chance of showers Partly cloudy High 54 Low 41

project has created a unique opportunity for creative energy between the two to grow. “I’ve enjoyed it more than I thought I would,” Elliott said. “I kind of anticipated like how when you’re on a road trip with your best friend but by the end you want to strangle them. But surprisingly we’ve kept it pretty civil and we work well together. You learn a lot and sort of start to absorb the other person’s sensibilities in a way, you’d start to pay attention to the details that they would.” “[Elliott] and I very clearly work well together,” HerbertKing said . “When it comes down to it, when we get the most done is when we’re working on something together, it’s good to have another person there to keep you in check. We don’t let ourselves or each other slide.” In regards to the chosen medium, viewers might ask: Why ice? Elliott and Herbert-King would respond: Well, why not?

High 59 Low 36

Fluffies de-stress dogs will be at the MU Patio from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today ! ♥ Kamry Zhang


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.