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volume 132, number 12
Monday, January 28, 2013
Explosive materials detonated at Student Farm Chemicals retrieved from Russell Park explosion
By ROHIT RAVIKUMAR Aggie News Writer
On the night of Jan. 17, eight explosions were heard by residents of the on-campus living community the Domes and surrounding complexes. These explosions were the result of materials detonated at the site of the UC Davis Student Farm by police and other officials. The materials were among those recovered from 418 Russell Park, home of chemistry researcher David Snyder, earlier that day. Snyder, in police custody under charges of possession of explosives and firearms, was injured in a chemical explosion occurring in the early hours of Jan. 17. The Yolo County Bomb Squad, after searching and clearing his apartment, recovered multiple hazardous materials. “Experts on the scene decided that some substances were not safe to transport a long distance, so bomb technicians found a safe space, off of Orchard Park, where they could destroy the substances safely,” said UC Davis Chief of Police Matt Carmichael in a Jan. 19 press conference. The space they chose was the Student Farm, a plot of land for student use managed by the Agricultural Sustainability Institute (ASI). The Student Farm includes the Market Garden, where students can grow and sell crops, as well as other multiple areas serving educational purposes. Nearly 20 acres of the Student Farm is certified organic by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). The Market Garden is certified to grow multiple crops, including alfalfa, grapes, mixed vegetables, olives and popcorn, organically. Soil samples from the Student Farm were taken by the Yolo County Bomb Squad as standard procedure both before and after the chemical detonations. After the CCOF’s investigation of the land, the Student Farm remained certified organic, according to Patricia Bailey with the UC Davis News Service. The decision to move the materials from
Brian Nguyen / Aggie
Substances found in David Snyder’s home in Russell Park were destroyed in a controlled explosion at the Student Farm near the Domes. 418 Russell Park to the Student Farm was not an arbitrary one. “The field selected was the closest open area in which [the detonations] could be done safely,” Bailey said. The detonations themselves were loud enough to disrupt the sleep of some residents of the Domes, though they were giv-
en notice shortly before the explosives were detonated. “Residents of the Domes, if they were at home, were notified in person by police officers on the evening of Thursday, Jan. 17, prior to the supervised explosions,” Bailey said. However, Duskin Drum, resident of the Domes and cinema and technocultural
Congressman opens new Davis District Office Garamendi announces internship aimed at college students By PAAYAL ZAVERI Aggie Staff Writer
On Thursday, Congressman John Garamendi officially opened his new Davis District Office at 412 G St. About 200 constituents attended his open house to meet the congressman, his wife Patti and office staff.
courtesy
Congressman John Garamendi
Garamendi represents California's 3rd congressional district. He said that Davis is the geographic center of the district and a critical part of the community, so much of the work he will be doing is going to be centered on Davis and the university. “We are working to make sure constituents know what services are available to them from this office,” said Donald Lathbury, Garamendi’s
communications director. Garamendi’s constituent casework team was also present at the open house to talk to community members and get a sense of what issues people are concerned about. “Our team understands that our job first and foremost is service,” said Karen Tedford, Garamendi’s district director and constituent casework manager, in a press release. “It’s easy for someone who doesn’t know the lay of the land to get lost trying to resolve a problem with a federal agency. We do what we can to break through bureaucratic gridlock when it harms our constituents.” The open house was also a time for Garamendi’s office to announce
See OFFICE, page 2
Campus Climate study to be conducted at UC Davis Aggie News Writer
The University of California is conducting the largest university system climate study through the distribution of campus climate surveys. The results will be used to help create an atmosphere of inclusiveness and community on UC campuses. “There was a felt need on the part of the entire UC system to survey all of the university community: faculty, staff, undergrads, grads, professional students, folks over at the health center. They’re hoping to establish a baseline to be able to see whether interventions to improve campus climate were effective or not,” said Julia Ann Easley, senior public information representative at the UC Davis News Service. The project is being funded by the UC President's Initiative Fund, with-
Today’s weather Mostly Sunny High 56 Low 36
Courtesy
Rahim Reed
Forecast A little better than last week, especially if there’s no rain in the forecast. Dial Hoang, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
Tour de Cluck looking for coop submissions Submissions due by Feb. 15
Aaron Juarez Kong / Aggie
The Tour de Cluck is looking for coop submissions for this year’s coop crawl. The Tour de Cluck is a self-led bicycle tour of the chicken coops around Davis. Aggie Staff Writer
out the use of student tuition or outside sources. The surveys, which were first administered on Oct. 29, 2012 at other UC campuses and will continue through February 2013, contain questions addressing concerns of students, faculty and staff regarding how they feel about their community, with the hopes of identifying particular groups in the campus community who feel that they are not represented. “A lot of our survey is asking about the perceptions of our community over a lot of other stuff,” said Kirk McGregor, a graduate student representative involved in conducting the survey project. According to David Ritz, vocational rehabilitation counselor in the department of human resources, these
See CLIMATE, page 3
ROHIT RAVIKUMAR can be reached at campus@theaggie.org. XXX
By PAAYAL ZAVERI
Survey to promote campus inclusiveness across UC system By JESSICA GRILLI
studies teaching assistant, was not satisfied with the advance notice. “Why were we, the next door residents not briefed? We were told to stay in our domes and not ask questions, essentially,” Drum said through email.
Davis’ annual Tour de Cluck will be back on May 25 and is anticipated to be even better than previous years. Tour de Cluck started as a series of fundraisers for the Davis Farm to School Connection. As the event returned each year, it grew in size and importance, and now a number of different community organizations also benefit from the event. “The idea behind it is that we are trying to emphasize community organizations, but also how keeping chickens in your backyard is a sustainable practice, [and] how eating locally and healthy is important,” said Neil Ruud, Tour de Cluck event coordinator and UC Davis alumnus. The main event is a self-led bicycle tour of the different chicken coops around town. However, there are a number of other events throughout the day that involve the whole community. Events begin with the Davis Fowl Food Fair at the Davis Farmers’ Market and the Tour de Cluck kickoff celebration outside the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. Additionally, the Tour de Cluck Silent Auction and Art Exhibit will continue throughout the day. The only significant change this year is a change in leadership. Jacqueline Clemens now has the position of mother hen emeritus. “We have been planning for this transition since the first event in 2010. The incredibly surprising success put us on notice that we were on to something,” Clemens said in a statement. Davis has about 200 chicken coops spread across town. Community members who offer their coops for the bicycle
See CLUCK, page 2 Tuesday
Wednesday
Mostly sunny
Mostly sunny
High 59 Low 37
High 61 Low 39
So vitaminwater isn’t healthy...despite claims such as “vitamins + water = all you need.” You mean pink sugary fruit-drink won’t cure my mom’s cancer? I want my money back. Allison Ferrini