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volume 132, number 2
tuesday, january 8, 2013
New downtown Davis route opens to traffic Safety voiced as key reason for new road By CLAIRE TAN Aggie City Editor
Abigail Alcala / Aggie
The former Old Davis Road is now called Arboretum Drive. The new route between south campus and Downtown Davis is now called Old Davis Road.
NAMI-Yolo’s potluck dinner tomorrow
U.S. News and World Report recognizes Davis program By LAUREN MASCARENHAS Aggie News Writer
From 6:30 to 9 p.m., NAMI-Yolo will host its monthly potluck dinner and meeting at the Church of St. Martin at 640 Hawthorn Lane. The event is free. NAMI-Yolo is a part of NAMI, the Nation’s Voice on Mental Illness. This organization educates and supports individuals with mental health issues. Sandra Sigrist, program director of Turning Point Community Programs, will lead a panel that will discuss housing options for people with mental illnesses. Those who wish to participate should bring a dish, but are still welcome without a dish. Last names A to H should bring dessert, I to P a main dish and Q to Z a salad. — Claire Tan
Tickets available for Chamber’s Installation Galadinner tomorrow The Davis Chamber of Commerce will host its 108th annual Installation Gala dinner on Jan. 18 at UC Davis’ Freeborn Hall. The theme is “Modern-Day USO” and is black-tie optional. Starting at 6 p.m., there will be no-host cocktails, followed by the dinner and program at 7 p.m. Dancing to live music will commence at 9 p.m. The event will celebrate Gregg Herrington of the Yackzan Group as the new chairman of the board of directors, in addition to celebrating several other new board members and retiring directors. Rick Gonzales and Janet Boulware, winners of the city of Davis’ top citizen honors, will be celebrated as well. Tickets are on sale for $100. Sponsorship levels start at $500, which include name recognition, prime table placement and reserved seating. Tickets can be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce office at 604 Third St. or by calling (530) 756-5160. — Claire Tan
Sunny High 61 Low 37
See ROUTE, page 5
UC Davis ranked nationally for Writing in the Disciplines program
News iN Brief
Today’s weather
Beginning Dec. 18, 2012, vehicles were the least of bicyclists’ and pedestrians’ worries as they traveled down what was once called Old Davis Road. Running along the Arboretum waterway and now officially known as Arboretum Drive, the road was previously open to cars as well. Instead, traffic can now travel along the “new” Old Davis Road, a more direct path between UC Davis’ south campus and downtown Davis. The project, constructed by Western Engineering Contractors, has been underway since late August 2012. The plan was to create a new south loop that would allow vehicles to travel on a new road and convert the old road to be accessible only to bikes and pedestrians. “Saying [Old Davis Road] is unsafe is an understatement — with all the bicycles and pedestrians trying to use that corridor, that very narrow road,” said Kurt Wengler, senior project manager of UC Davis’ Design and Construction Management. “Safety was a very big concern.” According to UC Davis’ sustainability website, Old Davis Road was extended from the east end of Hyatt Place to the southern end of A Street. The extension added about 1,100 feet of road, connecting the south side of Parking Lot 5 and providing a new route. The new road is a four-way intersection that allows vehicles to travel easily to Wyatt Pavilion and Nelson Hall. It also runs past the Mondavi Center and the south-entry parking garage.
As the University Writing Program (UWP) continues to gain momentum, U.S. News and World Report recently recognized UC Davis as one of the best colleges for Writing in the Disciplines for the fourth consecutive year. In the past four years, UC Davis has been listed as one of the 23 schools recognized in this category by U.S. News and World Report, alongside Harvard, Princeton, Yale and many other universities and one of 12 public institutions listed. A U.S. News and World Report introduction of the list stated that the colleges on the list hold the writing process a priority at all instruction levels and across the curriculum. “Students are encouraged to produce and refine various forms of writing for different audiences in different disciplines,” stated U.S. New and World Report. This achievement is due in great part to the overarching University Writing Program, which promotes written communication and emphasizes writing within both UC Davis and the larger community. Many students looking to secure a career involving writing flock to lower and upper division UWP courses. The program doesn’t just cater to eager future writers. UWP offers a wide
Shazib Haq / Aggie
range of courses that prepare students to write across many disciplines and professions. UWP designed the Writing Across the Curriculum Workshop Program to support integration of writing in courses across colleges. “We’re one of the top writing programs in the country in Writing in the Disciplines and professional writing be-
cause UWP brings together outstanding professional writers, researchers and teachers in a single academic unit. We also take our teaching and work with students very seriously,” said Carl Whithaus, director of UWP, in an email interview. In 2009, UWP introduced a new minor
See WRITING, page 2
University officials offer insight into violence prevention Campus Police Department to hold updated crime prevention presentations By MUNA SADEK Campus News Editor
In the wake of various shootings that have occurred within the past year, such as the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Conn. and the April 2 Oakland shooting at Oikos University, violence prevention and gun control have become prevalent topics of debate. As students return from a three-week holiday break for the start of Winter Quarter, UC Davis Police Department (UCDPD) Police Chief Matthew Carmichael said that
security and violence prevention protocols are constantly in review, along with crime prevention programs. UCDPD will be hosting updated presentations for both the Davis and Sacramento campuses later in the month. “Our goal through crime prevention is to provide our campus community with as much information as possible,” Carmichael said in an email interview. “We are continuously reviewing our protocols.” UCDPD has most recently reformatted the community crime prevention presen-
Forecast Welcome back! Now that your first day of classes is done, you should feel accomplished enough to not go to a single one of your classes the rest of the quarter — except exam days. It will be very chilly this week, with a chance of showers Wednesday afternoon. Tyson Tilmont, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
tation to be consistent with the Department of Homeland Security program, according to Carmichael. UCDPD has also offered routine Active Shooter Survival Workshops to help members of the campus community increase their chances of survival in the event of a shooting. Garen Wintemute, director of the Violence Prevention Research Program (VPRP) at the UC Davis Medical Center and professor of emergency medicine, said that he does not think that there are any deficiencies in the campus security plans but they should be
Wednesday
Thursday
Chance of rain
Mostly cloudy
High 56 Low 34
High 52 Low 30
reviewed routinely, as something new is learned after any event or tragedy. According to the Campus Security Report, UCDPD has various set protocols and precautions that are taken in the event of an emergency, including the campus WarnMe system. The system is programmed to send mass messages to students, faculty and staff during emergencies and undergoes a number of tests during the year. The report also states that there is an emergency operations
See VIOLENCE, page 4
A recent studies shows the following as the 7 most demanding areas of study (in this order): engineering, physical sciences, biological sciences, arts & humanities, education, social sciences, business. Surprised? Amanda Nguyen