serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915
www.theaggie.org
volume 132, number 18
Concert lineup turns campus into “MiniChella”
Postal Service, Vampire Weekend and Phoenix to come to Davis
courtesy
By ANDREW RUSSELL Aggie Arts Writer
Fans of indie music (or music in general, for that matter) found reason to rejoice this week, following a series of announcements on ASUCD Entertainment Council’s Facebook page earlier in the week. The first concert will be Phoenix, playing with Mac Demarco at Freeborn Hall on Apr. 2. The second is The Postal Service, featuring all of the original members from their 2003 album Give Up, playing with electronic artist Baths at the Mondavi Center on Apr. 10. And the third is Vampire Weekend, playing with up-andcoming indie/electronic artist Tanlines, at Freeborn Hall on Apr. 16. “The Postal Service reuniting. And I get to live my middle school fantasy,” said fourth-year art history major Elizabeth Joelson.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2013
Surface water project campaign coming to a close Project to be voted on in March By CLAIRE TAN Aggie City Editor
Since the formation of the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency (WDCWA) in 2009, the surface water project has gone through multiple bumps in the road to finalization. The past three years have been a whirlwind of city council meetings, hashing out ways to decrease water rates as well as slash the cost of the project for the City of Davis. An indicator of the project progressing was a public forum held on Saturday at City Hall, in which the community was allowed to question opponents and proponents of the project. The proposed surface water project plans to replace the groundwater currently used with treated water from the Sacramento River. Pipelines would transport water from the river’s surface water to the water treatment plant in Woodland. From there, the water would be sent to Woodland, Davis and UC Davis. The project is also known as Measure I, which Davis residents will be able to vote on in the March 5 special election. Ballots were sent out on Monday. Measure I asks if residents approve of the city advancing the joint surface water project with Woodland. The measure requires a majority vote to pass, in which at least half of the estimated 16,500 property owners in Davis need to approve. “In addition, in accordance with Proposition 218, all property owners will be sent notices about the public hearing on March 19, during which they may offer testimony about the proposed new water rates,” said a City
Irisa Tam / Aggie
of Davis press release. Prop. 218 was passed in November 1996. A draft of the proposition on the California Secretary of State’s website said the proposition requires voter approval before any water, refuse or sewer rates are increased. Notice of a public hearing must be mailed out 45 days in advance. The public hearing will be on March 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Chambers at City Hall. “The water project proposed isn’t necessary,” said Pam Nieberg, a Davis
resident and a part of the No on Measure I campaign. “It’s costly and there are huge impacts on the people in Davis. According to the city, costs will triple by 2018 — a huge increase in five years.” In November 2012, Woodland and Davis came to an agreement to split the consumption-based costs 60-40. The overall project will cost roughly $245 million, a decrease from the estimated $325 million in 2009. The proposed
See CAMPAIGN, page 6
ObamaCare loophole has bearing on UC students Legislation mandates some form of health insurance
See CONCERT, page 7
News iN Brief
UC Davis places on Business Insider’s “Best Colleges in America” list UC Davis was ranked No. 49 of 50 on Business Insider’s “Best Colleges in America” list. This is the first time the university placed on the list in the four years since the start of the release of the rankings. UC Davis also received a rating of 2.75 of 5. According to the Business Insider website, the ratings are based on a survey that examined the degree at which a school will help students succeed after graduation. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., was ranked No. 1 for a third year, with a rating of 4.50 out of 5. — Muna Sadek
Police arrest 17-yearold near Birch Lane Elementary
Mark Allinder / Aggie
The Student Health and Wellness Center provides healthcare for UC Davis students.
By NATASHA QABAZARD Aggie News Writer
On Monday at around 1:55 p.m., Davis Police responded to a call about a pepper spray assault near Birch Lane Elementary School. The police notified the school of the assault. School officials decided to put the school on a lockdown as a precaution. The police investigated the area and walked through the school. The 17-year-old male suspect was found away from the school. He was arrested for the illegal use of pepper spray, possession of an illegal knife and brandishing. He was booked at Yolo County Juvenile Hall. — Claire Tan
Today’s weather Showers High 54 Low 37
ObamaCare, formally known as The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, will impose new legislation that mandates all citizens to have a form of health insurance and prohibits insurance companies from placing lifetime caps on insurance policies. However, this act exempts selffunded programs, like the one at the University of California, where the system takes on the financial risk of medical expenses. According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, thousands of UC students are demanding that the University lift its insurance caps through a petition drive. Universities have always offered student health coverage to ensure students have access to health care. In the Forecast
The bad news: it looks like rain today. The good news: we’re halfway through the quarter! That was fast. Good luck on midterms! Brian Rico, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team
fall 2012 term, more than 138,000 people were enrolled in the UC Student Health Insurance Plan (UC SHIP). The average premium for undergraduates is $1,275 per year and $2,172 for graduate students, according to Shelly Meron, media specialist at the UC Office of the President. “We're absolutely committed to providing our students with strong medical coverage and helping them ensure health care costs don't become a financial barrier to completing their education. In order to continue providing good coverage, we have to keep UC SHIP financially viable. That means balancing the benefit levels with the cost to all the students who are enrolled,” Meron said. “Making changes to benefits very likely would mean an increase in premiums and, again, we have to make sure those premiums don't become a financial barrier for
Friday
Saturday
Chance of rain
Sunny
High 53 Low 33
High 57 Low 33
those enrolled. We're continually evaluating the coverage we offer and looking at how to best serve our students.” The exact benefits and lifetime caps vary by campus. Most campuses have a lifetime benefits cap of $400,000, which includes UC Davis. The exceptions are UCLA graduate and undergraduate students, who have a $600,000 cap, and UC San Diego graduate students, who have a $750,000 cap. “As a plan it is best for us to get to an unlimited cap because it is what’s best for the students. When you think about it, $400,000 is not enough to cover medical expenses,” said Todd Atwood, insurance services supervisor at UC Davis. UC officials are weighing their options but are hesitant to lift the caps
See OBAMA, page 7
Who else is on that summer internship grind? Get ready, the career fair is just around the corner (meaning next Wednesday)! Amanda Nguyen