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volume 131, number 91
tuesday, october 9, 2012
Phone application records live reactions to presidential debate UC Davis professor unveils new app at Law School By DANIELLE HUDDLESTUN Aggie News Writer
Brian Nguyen / Aggie
Law student John Hollis uses the real-time application at the UC Davis law school last Wednesday. The app was developed in conjunction with multiple universities to provide researchers unprecedented data.
Davis/Berkeley Shuttle increases rates
A brand new, real-time smartphone application was unveiled last Wednesday night at the UC Davis Law School at King Hall. Seventy-five to 100 participants were hosted at a presidential debate viewing party and were invited to cast their live reactions to the debate via the app. Co-founder Amber Boydstun, an assistant professor of political science at UC Davis, drafted the idea for the app with others from UC Davis, the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Arkansas, Little Rock. “We have been working on it for over a year. It is really interesting to figure out how people respond to different cues and specific behaviors,” Boydstun said. This app provides research information as to how viewers respond to rhetoric, such as when candidates focus the conversation on issues that are advantageous solely to them, neglecting the real question. “The app allows instant polling
on a larger scale than has been possible in the past, and is envisioned as a way to help engage the Facebook generation in politics,” according to a press release on the app. The students who participated in the event were able to view their live results on a large television screen. According to the results, Obama received the most positive responses when he spoke on tax break elimination, but had a negative response overall on his fight for the middle class. Meanwhile, Romney was able to gain support with his energy and trading ideas to boost the economy, but fell short with his energy policy positions. Fifty-two percent claim that Romney won the debate; however, 60 percent say they plan on voting for Obama. Fifty-six percent of the students identified themselves as Democrats and 27 percent as Republicans. Some felt that the app could be improved. Student Gordon Ballingrud participated in the
See PHONE, page 2
Davis Neighbors’ Night Out deemed a success 110 block parties held, down from 123 in 2011
Students weigh pros and cons of transportation options
By PAAYAL ZAVERI Aggie News Writer
The Davis/Berkeley Shuttle recently increased its fare from $9 to $11. The change was effective starting Oct. 1. The intercampus bus provides transportation between the Davis and Berkeley campuses on weekdays, for students, faculty and staff. “We haven’t raised rates since 2009, so the increase is actually overdue to address the program deficit due to increased salary and benefit costs. Even with the increase — which is $1.35 over the current price — the Davis/Berkeley Shuttle is still the cheapest way to travel between Berkeley and Davis,” said Michelle Arnold, communications and training manager for facilities management, in an email interview. When comparing rates between the shuttle and an Amtrak ticket, the shuttle is the cheaper option. A oneway Amtrak ticket is between $14 and $23, according to a flyer distributed by Fleet Services at UC Davis. With the shuttle, there are fewer options regarding timing. It runs between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., making two round trips in that time. For Davis students traveling to Berkeley, they have the option of going at 7:30 a.m. or 4:30 p.m. There are still some students who prefer to use other modes of transportation over the shuttle. “I would rather take my car than the Berkeley shuttle because I haven’t had a good experience with them in the past. They have bad timings and I’ve found their customer service to be very poor. There was an instance when I needed to cancel a reser-
Today’s weather Partly cloudy High 75 Low 49
courtesy
Davis Neighbors’ Night Out was held across Davis last Sunday. Over 110 block parties were held.
By CLAIRE TAN Aggie City Editor
Lucas Bolster / Aggie
The Davis/Berkeley shuttle fare increased from $9.65 to $11.00, effective Oct. 1. vation due to a misunderstanding and was not able to get a refund for it,” said Stephanie Johnson, a thirdyear political science major. “However, it is a good option if the timings work for you because even with the fee increase it’s cheaper than Amtrak and it picks you up from campus.” Additionally, it is not a guarantee that rates won’t increase again in the future. “Since the drivers are represented employees, union agreements determine labor costs. Fuel and
maintenance costs are not within our control either, so it is hard to predict what will happen in the future,” Arnold said. “We have and will continue to take measures to increase business to cover our increased costs. Some examples include establishing an online waiting list to ‘rightsize’ the bus when ridership increases on certain routes. Additionally, we purchased a dedicated vehicle for the Davis/Berkeley Shuttle service to decrease the costs
See SHUTTLE, page 2 Forecast
It’s finally getting colder! Get ready for that jeans, sweater and boots weather. Written by Amanda Nguyen Weather report courtesy of www.weather.com
Sunday marked the seventh annual Davis Neighbors’ Night Out. Once afternoon peaked, neighborhoods around Davis began to host block parties ranging from various types of potlucks — dessert,
BBQ or dinner — to ice cream socials. About 110 block parties were held across the city. Students, Davis residents and members of the City Council of Davis were in attendance. “Highlights included visits from [the] UC
See NEIGHBOR, page 2
News iN Brief
Used vehicle auction Wednesday The California Department of General Services will be holding a vehicle auction Wednesday, Oct. 10. The auction will include used cars of various makes and models and will begin at 9 a.m. after viewing and registration. The auction will end after the last vehicle is auctioned and bid-
Wednesday
Thursday
Partly cloudy
Partly cloudy
High 74 Low 49
High 72 Low 49
ders will have until 4 p.m. to submit a complete payment to take the vehicle off the lot. All vehicles will be subject to additions and deletions, according to the California Department of General Services website. The vehicle auction will take place at 5950 Chiles Road in Davis. Viewing and registration begins at
7:30 a.m. and ends at 9:00 a.m. For more information and a list of vehicles that will be auctioned visit The office of Fleet and Asset Management page on the California Department of General Services website. —Muna Sadek
You’ll be happy to know, the quarter will already be a third way over after next week. ...wait, didn’t we just start school last week? Amanda Nguyen