March 6, 2013

serving the uc davis campus and community since 1915

www.theaggie.org

volume 132, number 33

wednesday, march 6, 2013

ASUCD senators reflect on campaign platforms Former senators discuss learning experiences, accomplishments, regrets

Lawsuit claims city illegally charging residents more for water

Irisa Tam / Aggie

Six ASUCD senators said their farewells during last Thursday’s Senate meeting as six new senators took their place.

We asked former senators Beatriz Anguiano, Bradley Bottoms, Don Gilbert, Joyce Han, Kabir Kapur and Paul Min to provide statements reflecting on their terms.

Senators who did respond admitted to accomplishing few, if any, of their platforms. However, they still feel that they were successful leaders overall.

Ratepayers sue City of Davis over water rates

By LILIANA NAVA OCHOA Aggie News Writer

Beatriz Anguiano Platforms • Create more student financial aid advisors to help students • Create a resource guide on appealing dismissal decisions • Establish a textbook reserve in the Student Community Center • Grant funds to community-specific graduations

By PAAYAL ZAVERI Aggie Staff Writer

Accomplished?

Gilbert expressed interest in being included in the story but

A class action lawsuit was filed against the City of Davis on Jan. 30, alleging that the city does not charge itself for water used at cityowned facilities. As a result, ratepayers are paying for their water usage along with the city’s. The lawsuit also states that the city’s current and proposed water rates for ratepayers are illegal.

The plaintiffs are the Yolo Ratepayers for Affordable Public Utility Services and John Munn, the former president of the Yolo County Taxpayers Association.

They are represented by Michael Harrington, an aviation and maritime attorney who is a former Davis City Council of member.

“The lawsuit alleges that the current and two proposed water rates violate the proportionality requirement of Proposition 218,” Harrington said.

According to Harrington, the suit has not been served, but will be soon. The date is still undetermined.

Prop. 218, which was passed in 1996, states that a ratepayer cannot be charged more than the cost of supplying water to their property. The plaintiffs are asking the court to require the city to start paying its own water rates. Additionally, they want to dispose of the current and proposed rate structures and adopt a rate that is legal under Prop. 218.

See SENATE, page 5

See LAWSUIT, page 2

Accomplished?

Anguiano could not be reached to receive feedback on her term in office. More grants for community-specific graduations were secured, though.

Bradley Bottoms Platforms • Fight tuition hikes • Create a safer environment for bicyclists.

Lucas Bolster / The Aggie

Former Senators Joyce Han and Don Gilbert embrace at the Senate Farewells.

Accomplished?

“For my advocacy platform I said that I would engage leaders by bringing UC Davis students to the Capitol as well as bring leaders back to campus for direct conversations with students and to see the condition on campus. During my term, I lead the UC Davis delegation (although small) to the Capitol for the March in March. I also went with many other students to lobbying sessions with the Regents and hearings that pertained to higher education. As for bike safety, I was really fortunate to have a good working relationship with Student Housing to work on bike safety education during orientation. I was also able to work with campus grounds and facilities to ensure that the infrastructure of our campus is safer for cyclists through bringing more bike circles to campus and repaving roads. The police department was also an amazing partner in making sure that bike infractions are remedied through edu-

News iN Brief

California students march at state capitol As part of the March to Advocate and Reclaim California’s Higher Education (M.A.R.C.H.E) event, University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges students assembled for a rally at 10 a.m. on Monday at the Capitol building in Sacramento.

The rally was a push for adequate funding of higher education, according to a March 1 University of California Student Association (UCSA) news release.

The rally also aimed to demand that the state legislature reduce tuition by fully funding higher education and preserving the Cal Grant program, the release stated.

ASUCD Senator Felicia Ong said that she believes that students do not realize the true impact they can have on elected officials.

“Being in such close proximity to Sacramento, [UC Davis] students are at an advantage when it comes to advocating for higher education and voicing their concerns to our state legislators. I think the [M.A.R.C.H.E.] was a prime opportunity for students to participate in advocacy at the state level, not only because Sacramento is just a 20-minute drive away, but because it was an opportunity for students all across the state to come together, capture the spotlight, and demand reinvestment in higher education,” she said in an email interview.

Ong is working to educate UC Davis students on how the decisions of elected officials will impact them and the future of UC, with help from ASUCD advocacy units.

She said that events such as this are important for the future of higher education so that students feel empowered to advocate for quality education that is affordable.

“Although Prop 30 passed last fall, it doesn’t mean that we will no longer face cuts to higher education … In 2012, the average student debt after college was around $30,000. This is unacceptable considering that we are the leaders of our next generation that hold the potential to turn our economy around,” she said.

— Muna Sadek

Today’s weather Showers High 57 Low 39

cation rather than punishment. Unfortunately, I did not find the proper home for a bike skills class yet, as there are a lot of liability risks associated with that, but will continue exploring that in the next year.”

Don Gilbert Platforms • Increase the number of wireless hotspots on campus • Reach out to disadvantaged UC Davis students, making them aware of support systems available in UC Davis

Google Drive auditing feature removed for UC Davis emails Feature allowed administrators to see when documents were viewed, edited

courtesy

UC Davis administrators were able to see when Google Docs created with a UC Davis email were viewed and edited.

By LAUREN MASCARENHAS Aggie News Writer

Two weeks ago, some students began receiving a new notification when trying to access online documents on Google Drive through their UC Davis email accounts due to a new Google feature.

The new feature, introduced by Google, allowed administrators to see when a document was viewed or edited. A notification was displayed to students trying to access a document through their UC Davis email accounts. It has since been turned off for UC Davis account holders.

“You are about to access a document administered by the UC Davis domain. Your activity on that document will be logged and viewable to

Forecast Showers are back with chance of thunderstorms later in the week.

Along with cold weather so don’t put those winter jackets in the closet just yet!

Roberto Martinez, atmospheric science major Aggie Forecasting Team

the UC Davis administrator,” the notification stated.

Gabriel Youtsey, Interim Assistant CIO of the Office of the Vice Provost in the Information and Educational Technology (IET) department, said that the department investigated the feature.

“There was no intention of recording anyone's activity on Google Docs,” Youtsey said.

The feature only allowed administrators to see when someone viewed or edited a document. The actual content of the documents or files was not available to administrators.

The term “administrators” on the UC Davis campus refers to fewer than five technical system administrators in IET who manage the email service for the campus. They are the only peo-

Thursday

Friday

Chance of rain

Partly cloudy

High 54 Low 39

High 59 Low 34

ple who had access to the logs during the time the auditing feature was active for Davis accounts.

While some students were concerned about the notifications, others were not as worried when they found out that administrators could not actually see the documents.

“I don’t see a problem with it. It really wouldn’t make a difference to me if they could see when a document was viewed or accessed,” said undeclared first-year Hayley Heino.

Juiting Ling, a third-year chemical engineering major, agreed.

“I think it’s OK. I don’t really understand why anyone would need to know that information, but I don’t see any harm in it either,” Ling said.

See GOOGLE, page 2

What do you call a pony’s cough?

A little hoarse!

Here’s to hoping that all of you dying from sickness like me get better before finals ...

Amanda Nguyen

page two

2 wednesday, march 6, 2013

daily calendar dailycal@theaggie.org

WEDNESDAY (Un)heard: Transmasculine People of Color Speak!

10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

LGBT Resource Center The UC Davis LGBT Resource Center will host an audiovisual installation featuring photographs and stories of transmasculine people of color. From 6 to 7:30 p.m., there will be a special talk by the co-artist and creator, Asher Kolieboi. The event is free.

Idea Fair 5:30 to 7 p.m.

1127 Kemper Join the Computer Science Club for an opportunity to get together and brainstorm with people of different skill sets and experiences. Learn about project management and team building and join an idea/project/app/game spawned by fellow students. You do not need extensive coding skills to join this event. Open to the public.

THURSDAY Contested Politics of Knowledge in the Public University 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Student Community Center, Multi-purpose room Come for a symposium that invites leaders at the forefront of engaged scholarship to provoke a critical conversation about the prospects of the transformation of the public university through engaged scholarship, which seeks to build and apply knowledge in ways that both inform social change and reflect critically on the politics of knowledge itself.

2 to 4:30 p.m.

101 Wright Hall The ways in which we understand and interpret art and architecture made during the Middle Ages (ca. 300-1500 A.D.) have changed significantly over the past two decades as new methodologies have come into use and new archival information has been brought to light. Join scholars from institutions across Northern California, all of whom received their Ph.D.s within the past ten years, as they offer innovative perspectives on buildings and artworks from throughout medieval Europe and the Islamic world.

SATURDAY Fourth Annual Art of Painting Conference 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

John Natsoulas Gallery The Art of Painting in the 21st Century is an annual conference geared toward nurturing dialog on contemporary painting and the shared ideas that define current trends in the field. Many painters work alone, an isolated process that deprives the artist of thriving debate until the work is shown. The conference provides a unique venue for artists to participate in panel discussions and breakout groups and attend lectures by some of the most exciting visionaries in the field, including Glenn Brill, Kelly Detweiler, F. Scott Hess and John Seed. Five downtown Davis student exhibitions, curated by the instructors of Northern California universities and colleges, are meant to encourage youth participation and community involvement.

SUNDAY Sixth Annual Dog n’ Jog

Infectious Disease Seminar 12:10 to 1 p.m.

1005 GBSF Join Dr. Marie-Lise Gougeon for a talk on “mDCs, pDCs and HIV: What else?”

Dr. Gougeon is the head of the Antiviral Immunity, Biotherapy and Vaccine Unit, Infection and Epidemiology Department at Institut Pasteur, Paris, France. Her research aims to understand the interplay between innate and adaptive immunity in chronic viral infections, in order to identify mechanisms responsible for the lack of immune control of persistent viruses, such as HIV.

Faith and Eco-Feminism 7 to 8 p.m.

198 Young Join Dr. Rosemary Radford Reuther, author and professor, as she talks about faith and eco-feminism, sponsored by The Belfry.

Men’s Basketball vs. Long Beach State 8 to 9 p.m.

The Pavilion Join UC Davis men’s basketball as they host Long Beach State. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2! Be part of this historic game. Free shorts will be given out to the first arriving students.

FRIDAY New Directions in Medieval European and Islamic Art

GOOGLE

8 a.m. to Noon Davis Arboretum Join the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine for the Sixth Annual Dog n’ Jog race. Fitness-minded dogs and their two-legged running buddies will team up for a 3K, 5K or 10K run through the beautiful Davis Arboretum.

Register today at sites.google.com/site/ dognjog2013. For more information contact dog.n.jog@gmail.com.

The Myth of American Innocence: A Conversation with Barry Spector 3 to 4 p.m.

Davis Public Library Join author Barry Spector as he talks about his book, Madness at the Gates of the City: the Myth of American Innocence.

Spector looks at America through the lenses of Greek mythology, indigenous wisdom and archetypal psychology and traces the big stories by which we define ourselves as Americans back to our roots in the earliest days of the colonies, all the way to the social, political and economic crises we’re struggling with today.

Find more information on the book at madnessatthegates.com.

To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, email dailycal@theaggie. org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.

considering our process for reviewing, introducing and announcing new features in these applications.”

Students who are concerned about their online privacy or want more information about how to stay protected online can refer to IET’s Protecting Privacy Campaign at security.ucdavis.edu.

Cont. from front page IET staff is responsible for experimenting with and introducing different features like this one for UC Davis, according to Youtsey.

“IET staff regularly check for new features in products like Google Docs,” Youtsey said. “We have now disabled LAUREN MASCARENHAS can be reached this feature, and we will be at campus@theaggie.org.

but chalk them up as “perturbations,” an astronomical term.

Newton and Leibniz came up with calculus, which offers explanations for these Sean perturbations. They actuLenehan ally synthesized the idea of calculus around the same time and argued quite nastily about who was first.

More importantly, calculus could explain that functional relationships between planets of different mass influenced the complex movements of the unilike to say that my faverse. All bodies in the univorite class at UC Davis was Math 16A. I enjoyed verse are attracted to each other, not just to the sun. it so much that I took it As Newton stated, the twice. I managed to pass it gravitational attraction bethe second time. tween two bodies is directIt wasn’t just that I was ly proportional to the prodlazy. I was absolutely disuct of the masses of the two interested in calculus. I bodies and inversely procouldn’t see how it would portional to the square of be useful after college. the distance between them.

It was as if the doors of What we have then is a the lecture hall sealed off way to determine how the any connection to the real variables of the universe world. Attending class was interact with one another. like learning in a vacuum.

Calculus is a kind of music All context was erased. It that all the planets dance was simply calculus. It was to. Better poetry about calsimply suffocating. culus has been written, I’m My teacher never told us sure, but you won’t find it why we should drill ourin a math textbook. selves endlessly on derivSince calculus spends so atives. It seemed the sole much time talking about reason for the course was functional relationships, that it was required for an perhaps some time in class economics degree. could be spent on how the So I switched off durpast influences the presing lecture, bored by abent. Giving stract concalculus this cepts that Newton and Leibniz came context is inseemed dispensable applicable up with calculus, which to the equato nothoffers explanations for these tion. ing but the perturbations As dreaded Schechter midterm and final. I skated by with a suggests with his essay (and I suggested with my GPA), low grade my second time math and history should through, changed my major and vowed never to take not be separated. We should know already that a deep the subject again. understanding of the past Incidentally, the mathis necessary to learn in the ematician Eric Schechter present. voiced similar concerns in By remembering the his essay, “Why Do We Study Calculus?” Devoid of context, thinkers of the past, the beginnings of calculus, perof history, calculus can seem haps we can break the vacesoteric and purposeless.

A history class taught me uum seal on the doors of lecture halls. Students will more about calculus than breathe easier and be able I ever learned as an ecoto see why calculus is so nomics major. History 136 spanned the age of enlight- relevant to our society.

We use calculus to show enment, focusing on the what will happen in ecogreatest developments in nomic markets, to anaphysics and astronomy. lyze survey results, to deWe read about thinkers termine rates of bacteria like Ptolemy, Copernicus, growth, to construct sloped Galileo, Kepler, Newton structures like domes and Leibniz. and tunnels, to compute Tl; dr, Ptolemy thought the probability of meteor the center of the universe strikes and countless other was the earth, Copernicus said it was actually the sun, applications.

I accept that failing calcuGalileo agreed with him, lus was primarily my fault.

Kepler said the sun priI did not try hard enough. marily dictated planetary However, I think some movement, and Newton teachers would do better and Leibniz said it was to give background on why more complicated than their subject is so important. that. It always is.

In this way, they can proThough Kepler was right in stating that the sun plays mote better learning.

We can see that calculus a massive role in planeis a means for predicting tary orbits, it is not the the future, but that doesn’t only influence. He could mean it should ignore the not account for anomalous movements that didn’t past. fit his system of understanding. When planets If you don’t know what tl;dr means, or you think tl;dr applies to SEAN LENEHAN, please went temporarily off-path, email splenehan@ucdavis.edu.

Kepler could do nothing

Factoring history

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LAWSUIT Cont. from front page

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Amanda Nguyen Night Editor Joyce Berthelsen Asst. Night Editor Irisa Tam Art Director

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“It has come to our attention that the city has not been doing that [paying water rates] and we believe that it is important to take the necessary legal steps to ask the court for assistance, because so far the city government has not been responsive to our requests [to] protect the interests of all ratepayers,” Harrington said.

The lawsuit also asks for the city to establish a common fund from general fund money for people who have been overcharged and want refunds.

The city admitted in a statement that it does not pay for its water rates, but has not commented on the rest of the lawsuit.

According to the city statement, “the city does not separately account for water used at city facilities, [but] the city also does not charge the wa-

Another common effect of Salvia is unstoppable laughter. It feels as if your mouth forces itself into a smile, and there is a general tickling throughLeo out your body that makes Ocampo it impossible to open your mouth without laughing wholeheartedly.

The hallucinations are a lot harder to describe.

Liquids turn into solids, objects turn into onedimensional drawings, space-time moves unf you have ever been bearably slow and it gets curious about the hard to tell where the self mind-bending effects ends and where the rest of of hallucinogens, but have the universe begins. been scared by the fact Some people say they that most are illegal, then feel as if they have died you’re in luck. and their souls are just There are many overfloating around, and that the-counter hallucinoany source of light begens that are natural and comes a glorious, terrifysafe and that won’t make ing entrance into heaven. you fail your drug test.

Others compare it to The most intense and accidentally falling into exciting of these is defia black hole or to getting nitely a little sage plant trapped inside a mirror. known as Salvia. Native I’ve heard accounts of to the Sierra Mazateca in people who feel as if their Mexico, this plant is faworld turns into a colmous for its immediate oring book, and that the psychoactive effect. walls, which become giant It looks like sage, and book covers, constantly it is usually sold already feel as if they’re about to ground up and ready to close in on everything. smoke. If you’ve never Inanimate objects turn smoked anything in your into charming companlife, I would recommend ions, and the floor turns you use a bubbler. It’ll be into lava, except when it easier on your throat. turns into water.

I would Sounds also recand noisBut you are nonetheless left es freeze in ommend trying it shaken by all the horrible, midair and in a safe, become impossible things you comfortconcrete experienced able place and tanwhere you gible, and wouldn’t mind embarrassit becomes possible to ing yourself a little. It will count every single beam make you hallucinate, so of light as it slowly spins you shouldn’t try it on the and fills the room. roof or while driving or near There is sometimes a any fiery or sharp objects feeling of claustrophobia or that you might mistake as suffocation, and clothing talking pieces of candy. and jewelry feels extremely While everyone trips restricting and hot. out differently, the high There is also a feeling usually only lasts for that you have gotten yourabout 15 minutes. self permanently lost and However, it is a very inisolated, and even though tense high, and these 15 the rest of the room is minutes may feel like a within arm’s reach, you lifetime. feel as if you’ve slipped It is very difficult to deinto a different dimension scribe a salvia trip. It’s like where no one will ever be trying to describe a nightable to find you. mare. The longer you wait Again, everyone has difto tell it, the more you for- ferent reactions, but it’s usually the case that they only get, and no matter how last for about 15 minutes. So much you talk about it, you always feel as if you’re while you might think that you’ve died and gone to hell leaving something out.

But you are nonetheless or that you’ve gone completely crazy, I can assure left shaken by all the horyou everything will quickly rible, impossible things return to normal. you experienced.

There is not much of One of the first effects a risk for overdose or demost people experience pendency on Salvia, is what feels like a shift in which is probably due to gravity. It might be really the fact that most people slight, and you might simonly try it once and then ply find it a little difficult hate it. to stand without tipping So if your connect is out over. Or it might be realof town, or if you’ve nevly intense and you might er talked to flowers before, feel as if you are literally head on over to Illusions being pulled up out of the for a legal high that will earth. This usually leads to change everything about an intense fear that if you everything. don’t hold on to the floor or to the bed or to others, you will uncontrollably fly LEO OCAMPO can somewhat be reached away into outer space. at gocampo@ucdavis.edu.

How to stop time

I

ter division rent for its use of city park space where some wells are located, and the reimbursement of other city services and facilities is overdue for reconciliation and an update.”

It also said that over the past few years, the city council has been trying to find a way to fund water used at city facilities and determine what is a reasonable rate to charge the water division of city park space and other city services and facilities.

Harriet Steiner, the city attorney, said that she believes the city’s rates are legal and comply with Prop. 218.

Steiner said the city is working to make sure that the water the city uses is attributed fairly.

The city statement also said that the city consumed $778,000 worth of water in 2012, mostly for irrigation.

However, only 85 percent of city facilities tracked their water usage with water meters.

Davis city officials said that since 2010 they have been in the process

of tracking their water consumption, but Bob Clarke, the city’s interim public works director, said that the process has slowed recently. He also said that the city has allotted money for the 2013-14 fiscal year to pay for its water consumption.

“The majority of meters have been addressed, but there are still some of the larger, more labor-intensive connections to be done,” Clarke said.

Harrington based his lawsuit on a similar case in Sacramento in 2010, in which the city had been charging itself for only 15 percent of its overall water consumption. After the suit was filed, Sacramento city officials admitted to this, and it took three years to get the city to comply and pay for its total water usage.

“I think the city’s explanation is flat-out unbelievable and false, and the case will demonstrate that,” Harrington said.

PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

The california aggie

Science &Technology

wednesday, march 6, 2013 3

Smarter robots and you New algorithm allows robots to learn from human actions

Things that eat

By ALLEN GUAN Aggie Science Writer

Robots. They’re everywhere around us. We work with them in factories and use them in conditions unsuitable for humans. As ubiquitous as they are, relatively few people actually understand the underpinnings and complexities of these man-made creations.

Programming a robot to perform multivariable tasks is a difficult job, and overcoming these issues takes quite a bit of time and effort.

“Any typos ruin your entire program. Any misplaced brackets, any code that takes up too much processing power, becomes a liability. Your code has to be documented for others to use; it has to use variables that others can understand,” said Max Le Merle, a computer science major with an emphasis in robotics from Trinity College.

These are just some of the issues a programmer often faces when developing software required to instruct robots.

“The most common way [to control a robot] is to write a computer program, and the program can transfer to [the] robotic systems, where [it] can perform autonomously,” said Harry Cheng, a professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at UC Davis. “[Another] way to program robots is to use a graphic user interface, [like] a screen. That has advantages especially for beginners ... but there are limitations.”

Another method of programming robots is to use what are called “teach pendants.” Teach pendants have the same ease of a graphic user interface, but can allow for more complex instructions.

“Basically you guide the robot at different locations and you record the posi-

a challenge to get nutrients for all the parts within. This limited how big and how successful these organisms could be. These organisms developed a system, called Hudson the cytoskeletal system, Lofchie that transported nutrients to where they were needed. Translation: the big thing could not adequately feed all of the small guest things. It needed its small guests to survive, so the big thing invested in a feeding and transport system to *Editor’s note: I realize that get all of the things it ate, I have drastically oversimto all of its honored guests. plified many of these conWithin the cellular soup, cepts, but there is just too there was not enough food. much information to adIronic. equately express it all. You Now that the large orcould easily fill 500 singanisms were powerful, efgle-spaced pages explainfective and numerous, they ing just the first paragraph. needed to be able to move For you organic chemison to greener pastures … try people, the size of this or puddles. Some of these column is limited by steric large organisms developed hinderance. For the non-omethods of quickly moving chem people, the number of through their watery enthings is too damn high. vironment, such as flagella, pseudopodia and cilia. n the beginning, bilBasically, the large things lions of years ago, there needed to get to placwas a soup of free floates where there were more ing nucleotides that, through small things to eat. The molecular interaction, large things built crazy tailgrouped together into the like things that they would first self-replicating entiwhip around quickly to ty. Translation: once upon a move from A to B. time, there were a bunch of Some of these larger or“almost-things” that grouped ganisms began to group together into the first thing. together. They were more This is generally considered successful operating as a to be a good thing. collective unit than they The groups of nuclewere by themselves. At otides needfirst, these ed to repligroups cate themIn digestible terms, the small consistselves, and to of relathings did a lot of work for the ed do so, needtively simbig things they lived inside ilar organed to assimilate more isms with free-floating no spenucleotides as raw material cialization. The big things for growth. Translation: to grouped together, because make more of themselves, as we said earlier, cooperathe things ate more almost- tion is a good thing. things. The problem is that These groups began to the things were unstable; specialize; individuals would they would break all the perform different tasks, time. This is generally conmaking the community sidered to be a bad thing. more efficient. Some would The good thing is that the eat, others would convert things were in water. the food to energy, others The groups of nuclewould protect the group, otides that ended up in hyand still others would help drophobic membranes the group move. Coloniality were more successful at is a bunch of the same thing, replicating. They were able doing the same thing, toto protect themselves from gether. Polymorphism is a the harmful environment bunch of similar things, doand gather nutrients at the ing different things really same time. In other words, well, together. the things that could pro Once again, the probtect themselves made more lem arose of how to get nuof themselves. This allowed trients to all the different the things to eat in peace. members of the colony. A Needless to say, memvascular system was develbranes became all the rage. oped that could effectively The organisms that besend food and energy to all gan to specialize within members. This allowed orthemselves were far more ganisms to grow even largsuccessful at surviving. er and further specialize.

Some of these membraned Basically, not all the things organisms were smaller were getting food … evoluthan others and were abtion fixed that. sorbed by these larger in This went on for some dividuals. Instead of being time, and even though killed, the smaller organthe form of these organism and the larger organisms changed, the way they ism began to work togethdealt with problems stayed er, becoming more sucpretty constant. New parts cessful than they would of the organism began to have been on their own. further specialize, allowTranslation: small things ing the organism to beand big things teamed up. come ever more efficient at These thing teams were surviving. These new parts very good at surviving needed energy, and thus and eating more things. the cycle continues.

Teaming up is a good thing. Some more time passes, Some of these smalland we get to humans, and er organisms, once inthe human brain. The brain side the larger organisms, is so specialized that it newere able to generate engates the need for most of ergy from food (mitochonthe other specializations dria) or light (chloroplasts), we have developed over or even repair broken parts the year. We have motors of the larger organism. This to replace our motor conspecialization allowed the trol and delivery to replace larger organism to focus its hunting. Hell, we even have energies on replication and IVs to replace eating. growth. In digestible terms, Things need to eat, and it the small things did a lot of is amazing what things will work for the big things they do to get the things they lived inside. This allowed need. the big things to be better hosts to the small things.

If science had been explained using the When things cooperate, it’s word “things”, it might have been a lot easier to understand. Use your computer a win-win. thing to reach HUDSON LOFCHIE at As the larger organisms grew even larger, it became science@theaggie.org.

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courtesy

Julie Shah and her team at MIT have developed an algorithm that allows for robots and humans to work together effectively. tion. The robot then follows this pattern it’s been [programmed with],” Cheng said in reference to the teach pendants.

These are the more common techniques used in programming robots, but there are several issues with using these methods, especially when it comes to higher-domain tasks.

Firstly, quick adaptations are difficult to perform; if there needs to be a quick fix in the coding, the codes must either be rewritten or the robot must be retaught.

Secondly, a human touch may be needed. A robot could be unable to perform tasks because of the complexity of the coding, or even have its range of abilities limited by the mechanical aspects, such as mimicking the dexterity of the human hand. Julie Shah, leader of a robotics lab at MIT, along with her team, have helped develop an algorithm that helps humans and robots work together more easily.

The technique involves

a process called “crosstraining,” where human and machine learn off of each other’s movements and actions to perform tasks accordingly.

“All of the work we’re doing is aimed at integrating robots into ‘high-intensity domains.’ For example, in manufacturing, military and search and rescue field operations ... This is where we generally see people doing the work. They have to perform some complex task, usually under some time pressure, and the situation tends to be safetycritical,” Shah said.

While a byproduct of the algorithm is to help improve the efficiency of a robot’s learning ability, Shah’s primary purpose of the algorithm is to understand and emulate the way humans learn, so it can be incorporated into machines.

“We made small changes to the prior state-of-theart algorithm. We changed the computational model just a little so the robot would receive ‘rewards’

tion of free eBooks, containing material on thousands of topics.

What is it?

Project Gutenberg was founded in 1971 by Michael S. Hart, the inventor of the eBook. It gets its name from the famed Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. Project Gutenberg is the oldest online library of eBooks, containing over 42,000 titles.

PG prides itself on having the best free versions of eBooks available. Project Gutenberg also offers a platform for authors to electronically publish their book.

from the person while the person was doing the robot’s job ... we changed the way the rewards were input so they would arrive when the person was demonstrating the robot’s job. It’s really more of a hybrid: teaching through reward and teaching through demonstration.”

Through actions such as verbal encouragement, the robot can learn from watching humans with a boost from positive reinforcement. So far, the objective and subjective data shows there are improvements in the robots’ ability to perform with fewer errors.

This new method of programing robots could simplify the process so even people with little programming skill can instruct a robot to do certain tasks. The ability to easily program robots could lead to dramatically increased productivity and efficiency in the working environment.

ALLEN GUAN can be reached at science@ theaggie.org.

for free. These books have been published in print, then digitized and proofread to keep them as close to the original publication as possible.

Readers can search the book catalogs by name or category to find their desired title. EBooks are available in different formats including HTML, plain text, Plucker, EPUB and Kindle. Available eBooks range from the sciences to language and literature to children’s books.

In the case of those retrieving eBooks for a class, make sure your professor or teacher approves of the version since sometimes they prefer newer editions. Students should also be aware that Project Gutenberg closely monitors its internet traffic, and anyone suspected of using automated tools to mass-download material runs the risk of having their IP address banned permanently from the site.

Cheap books? How about free?

Cheap books? How about free?

With the ever-rising costs of textbooks, many students are looking for cheaper, or even free, alternatives to help alleviate the financial burden. Amazon and other used book sources can provide many of the required books at a much cheaper rate than the campus bookstore, but some web-savvy students have started scouring the web for free (and legal) versions of their required texts. Without a doubt, Project Gutenberg (PG) is the biggest and best online collec-

How much does it cost?

Access to Project Gutenberg is free.

However, you can donate money, volunteer to proofread their eBooks or host fundraisers.

How does it work?

Project Gutenberg collects texts with expired copyrights, and texts whose authors have allowed Project Gutenberg to distribute their work

VICTORIA TRANG can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

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SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES DO NOT WORK

You’re probably ten feet from a bin right now.

Recycle the aggie.

classifieds

4 wednesday, march 6, 2013

YUANdWhatArmy!?

25 Lower Freeborn Hall, UCD One Shields Ave. Davis, CA 95616 Editorial: (530) 752-0208 Advertising: (530) 752-0365 Fax: (530) 752-0355 Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Employment Looking for a flexible, friendly employee who can wait, do food prep and work the cash register. Cafe Mediterranee, 113 D Street EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS. Get paid $10-20 for completing easy 6090 min. experiment. Perform group decision-making task. Payment determined in part by individual success.

Register: www.experimetrix2.com/ ucdesp. One time participation only.

You must be at least 18 years old.

Seeking PAYMENT REPRESENTATIVE SALES/ BOOKKEEPER, If you are interested or just need more information please contact: benish1888@gmail.com

Meetings Are you interested in a health related field? Join C.H.E. and learn more about our pre-health organization!

Meetings every Tuesday at 7:10pm to 8:00pm. For more information, contact Fabiola Sanchez at fsanchezmartinez@ucdavis.edu. See you soon!

angela.yuan@me.com

by Angela Yuan

CLASSIFIED AD RATES* Students: 20¢ per word/day General: 25¢ per word/day * Minimum 5 words LOCAL OPEN AD RATES $10.00 per column inch DEADLINES Publication Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Display Ads 4 p.m. Wed 4 p.m. Thu 4 p.m. Fri 4 p.m. Mon

Classified Ads 1 p.m. Thurs 1 p.m. Mon 1 p.m. Tue 1 p.m. Wed

Websites/ Internet 3 bedroom 2 bath. House for rent next to campus; $1,600/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info.

5 Bedroom 2 Bath House for Rent on Menlo Drive; $2,550/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info.

SPACIOUS 2 BEDROOM 2 BATH, HOUSE FOR RENT NEXT TO CAMPUS TO CAMPUS: $1400/MO. PLEASE CALL 415-948-8278 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Notice to Readers The California Aggie reserves the right to, without notice, classify all advertisements, delete objectionable words and phrases, and edit or refuse advertisements. Categories will be strictly adhered to. The Aggie reserves the right to change, without notice, deadlines for advertising copy, rates, rules, and regulations. The advertiser will not hold The Aggie liable for any claims resulting from publication of the advertisement.

Further, the Publisher will not be responsible for any claim resulting from an agreement made between the consumer and advertiser.

Copy should be checked for errors BY THE ADVERTISER following the first insertion. Errors

Websites/ Internet Overpopulation is sexually transmitted. http://population.sierraclub.org/ population/

in advertisements must be reported before 1 p.m. for correction in next issue. Credit for Publisher error(s) will only be given for the incorrect portion of the advertisement for the first publication date.

All phone numbers appearing in classifieds will be in the 530 area code. Only area codes outside the 530 area will be printed.

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FOR RELEASE APRIL12, 2010

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle The california Aggie Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 A dog may pull on one during a walk 6 __ Hari 10 Engrave with acid 14 Navel type 15 Medical suffix 16 Rise sky-high 17 Loose-hanging trousers 19 Soaks (up) 20 Coiled hair style 21 Slanted type style: Abbr.

22 Buddies 23 Most sickly 25 1957 hit for Buddy Holly and the Crickets 28 Sharpshooter 30 Painting props 31 Tight as __ 32 Hired thug 35 4:00 London social 36 Coin collector?

40 Not prem., as gas 43 Chewy Hershey’s candy 44 “__ my case” 48 Beethoven symphony originally dedicated to Napoleon 51 Erode gradually, as savings 53 Gershwin song set in London, with “A” 56 Coast Guard operation 57 Do bar duty 58 Wander 60 Like two peas in a __ 61 Cylindrical pasta 62 Carriage outings 65 Grammy co-winner for the rap song “Back on the Block” 66 Theater award 67 “__ evil ...”

68 Super Bowl, e.g.

69 Avoid flunking 70 Admin. aides DOWN 1 Ad-__: improvise

4/12/10

By John Lampkin

2 Made possible 3 Lean and bony 4 Enrolled 5 Attention-getter 6 Castle protector 7 “Easy!”

8 Lancelot’s was “Sir” 9 Barnyard brayer 10 Some exam answers 11 Handyman’s must-have 12 Word after time or timed-release 13 Time measures: Abbr.

18 Feel sorry for 22 Links org.

23 Snake River st.

24 Big road rig 26 Actress Rowlands 27 That, in Tijuana 29 “Leggo my ___!”

33 Popeye’s Olive 34 Woodwind quintet member 37 Alum 38 Evening, commercially 39 Crunchy cereal brand word 40 Foul caller

Thursday’s puzzleSolved solved Saturday’s Puzzle

New Crossword Series

(c)2010 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

41 Art of a sexual nature 42 Rah-rah encouragement 45 Scrambles to keep secret 46 Pupil 47 Corn site 49 Set ablaze 50 Charisse of “Singin’ in the Rain”

4/12/10

52 Military force 54 Vacation isle near Venezuela 55 Bear and Berra 59 Ripens, as cheese 61 Sharp turn 62 Jazz style 63 Pretoria’s nation: Abbr.

64 “H-E-L-P!”

Sudoku

4 Bedroom 2 Bath House for Rent on Sycamore Lane. $2300/mo. Please call 415-948-8278 for more info.

Instruction Attn: Pre-Meds and All Undergrads!

Welcome to the Annual “Health Care to Underserved Populations” Lecture Series (FAP 195) sponsored by the UCD School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine. Offered on Wednesdays during Spring Quarter, from 12:101:00, in MS1-C, Lecture Hall 180, Davis campus. First class is April 3, 2013. One unit of credit available. P/ NP grading. CRN 44507. For more information, call (916)734-2063.

Hard Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit.

So must every column, as must every 3x3 square. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

wednesday, march 6, 2013 5

The california aggie

Aggie Digest The UC Davis women’s water polo did some early spring cleaning as they swept their opponents in the 33rd annual Aggie Shootout.

The 14th-ranked Aggies beat Concordia, Santa Clara and Colorado State as they improved their record to 10-7 on the season.

The weekend heroes were seniors Carmen Eggert and Jessica Dunn, who scored a combined 17 goals in the tripleheader. The duo also had a hand in most of the other Aggie goals, as Eggert had two assists and Dunn had seven assists total.

In the first game on Saturday, Concordia struck first, scoring with an early goal to surge ahead by

one. However, from there the Aggies took control. Eggert scored five of her nine goals against the Eagles. Her highscoring performance paved the way for an easy UC Davis victory by the score of 14-9.

Dunn’s four goals in the Aggies’ second game against Santa Clara proved to be vital in the closest match of the day. She started off firing as she added two goals in the first quarter, to lead UC Davis to a 3-1 lead. She sealed of her scoring performance with a 6-on-5 goal and a natural goal, which helped seal the game.

Another key performer against the Broncos was senior Riane Woods. Her 14 saves against the Broncos, which in-

cluded a penalty save, was critical in shutting down the Broncos’ offense. The clutch scoring of Dunn and the automatic defense of Woods helped the Aggies win the game by the score of 8-4.

In the final game of the night, UC Davis maintained their momentum and finished off their weekend by beating Colorado State, 13-6. The Aggies were led in scoring by Eggert and sophomore Keelia Houston, who scored four and three goals, respectively. The Aggies cruised through this game and were never behind at any point.

This dominant performance over the weekend should help UC Davis as they head into Big West competition. The Aggies open up conference play against Cal State Northridge on March 8 and UC Santa Barbara on March 9.

— Kenneth Ling

legal Cont. from page 6 for it, you’d know about.”

Students are not timed or strictly limited to their 15 minutes. If further help is needed, they can schedule another 15 minutes at another time. Sometimes, depending on her schedule, Landers said she consults with the student for as long as an hour.

But not all students find the service helpful.

Garrett sought legal advice regarding adoption issues, and ultimately called it no more than a referral service.

“You put your name down, and then you have to wait for the person to call you back. The person who called me back was in a hurry. So she was rushed, and she was like, ‘Well, what do you need?’ It was pointless,” Garrett recounted. “She just pretty much said, ‘My recommendation of course is to get a lawyer.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I already knew that.’

There was no advice given basically.

It was just 15 minutes of me explaining what my situation was.”

Garrett only used the service once.

“Many law firms in Sacramento offer free consultations,” Garrett said. “You are probably better off looking there.”

Still, Wilton maintains that the service is underutilized, and students don’t realize that not many people can get the opportunity to ask legal questions with a professional attorney for free.

“I think [students] do feel it’s helpful,” Wilton said. “When she’s able to contact them, she does answer their questions. I know that sometimes they’ll come back and make another appointment for a follow up.”

For students looking to get their free 15-minute consultation, bring your student ID and make an appointment at 347 Memorial Union.

JOYCE BERTHELSEN can be reached at features@ theaggie.org.

Lucas Bolster / Aggie

From left to right: Beatriz Anguiano, Bradley Bottoms, Don Gilbert, Joyce Han, Kabir Kapur and Paul Min

SENATE Cont. from front page

did not provide a response.

It’s tough to objectively say whether or not Gilbert reached out to disadvantaged students without any documented proof.

There were no bills passed, however, to increase wireless hotspots on campus during his term.

Kabir Kapur Platforms • Work to make syllabi for classes available online during registration • Fight tuition hikes by strengthening ASUCD’s lobby units and student involvement and empowering student advocacy Accomplished?

“I think I have had a very successful term mainly because I made ASUCD my number one priority during this past year. As far as my platforms go, I did not get very far during my term with my first one which was having course syllabi available to students

before class registration but I did have a very productive meeting with Carolyn de la Pena, the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies, and Elias Lopez, the University Registrar, [earlier] to discuss the topic and I still plan on working on accomplishing it even though my term is over. My second platform is tougher to determine if I accomplished it or not because it was very broad based but I do believe my work on voter registration, actively supporting and advocating for Prop. 30 on campus and attending Lobby Corps weekly, as well as going on multiple lobby visits to the Capitol in Sacramento to advocate for student issues did ‘empower student advocacy’ to a certain degree.”

Joyce Han Platforms • Create a mentorship between first-year students and upperclassmen in which upperclassmen can inform first-year students about resources available on campus with the benefit of earning free dining commons swipes • Make Griffin Lounge available to students 24/7 • Improve campus escort services

Accomplished?

“I think my term as a Senator was successful. If anything, it was a continuous learning process … It was a great opportunity for me to back what I thought was important especially during budget hearings for things such as Safeboats and AggiePack. I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to accomplish any of my platforms, however, I don’t think that speaks to how I did as a senator. A lot of people come unprepared with their platforms when running for Senate and I was one of them. I failed to realize how much effort, money and time my platforms would take. I didn’t realize the complications I would run into. For example, although this wasn’t my platform, my project of beautifying the 24 hour study room took [over four] months of work to accomplish with constant emails and deliberation.”

Paul Min Platforms • Increase lighting on campus • Maintain the roads on campus to create safer roads for bicyclists • Create a space where Christian and inter-

faith organizations can unite “to fight for social justice” Accomplished?

“I was able to accomplish the first platform by working with the police department and partaking in the Campus Safety Lighting Walk. We went around and took note of lights that were broken or covered by foliage and submitted requests to the power and lights department … The second platform of maintaining/improving roads on campus was something that I wasn’t able to really work on during my term. For the third platform of ‘uniting interfaith groups to work on campus to fight for social justice issues’ I was able to work behind the scenes and help publicize for the ‘knockout slavery’ event ... hosted by Catalyst, an on-campus Christian ministry … However, looking back, I could have done more to work on this platform ... In conclusion, I felt I had a pretty successful term because I was able to empower students by accomplishing some of my platforms, and because I actively engaged with my constituents through office hours.”

LILIANA NAVA OCHOA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Networking the heart: students, dating and technology

By Alexandria Scott

Mustang Daily (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)

It all started with a Cal Poly hashtag.

A few months ago, anthropology and geology senior Paige Hernandez uploaded a picture of the beach to Instagram with “#calpoly” in the description. Among the likes and comments from local friends, a Cal Poly alumnus living abroad had commented on her photo and said he was jealous of her and missed going to his alma mater, she said.

During the next several months, the two would comment on and like each other’s photos. Then they began to message online, and eventually got each other’s phone numbers and now text and occasionally Skype from across the Atlantic Ocean.

“I definitely still have a guard up when I talk to him because basically I’m still talking to a stranger, because we have never met,” she said. “He’s not being creepy or aggressive like most college guys are. He’s trying to be a good friend to me and he wants to keep finding out who I am, and maybe meet up one day.”

Hernandez’s connection, sparked via Web communication, is not an unprecedented case.

Millennials often converse through screens rather than face-to-face. A recent New York Times article examined how most of the initial stages in relationships of getting to know one another are developed within some kind of technology. In fact, a survey of young people in America found that 38 percent would cancel a date because of something found during online research, 28 percent said they’d dated someone they met online and 48 percent of women and 38 percent of men had researched a date on Facebook before meeting.

Hernandez said Web interactions are an OK way to start making a connection with somebody, but she personally wouldn’t rely solely on technology, the Internet, Instagram or Facebook to foster a relationship.

“It’s a good start to provide common ground and a safe way to talk to someone, but eventually you’re going to have to meet and develop a relationship in person,” Hernandez said.

Mostly, interacting through technology allows people to circumvent conflict. Hernandez said texting becomes a crutch to say things when she’s upset, or for other people to send her messages that share emotions and feelings, she said. It’s easy to be guarded when texting somebody because emotions aren’t exchanged face-to-face.

“When I’m upset with someone and tell them my feelings in a text message, that person has the ability to not respond, or they can send a message saying we can talk once I cool down,” she said. “Essentially, you are just getting out of the situation because you know you can; the conversation is just swept under the rug.”

Assistant psychology professor Jason Williams said there are two reasons why people like communication via text message versus face-to-face: first, it reduces anxiety, and second, it allows for time to craft exactly what the user wants to say.

Conversations through technology allow for a low level of risk, he said. It deflects anxiety and gives people the opportunity to write with a lot of ambiguity. For instance, someone can invite another person on a date, but bury the invitation in the message so much so that the person on the other end isn’t sure if they have really been asked out, he said.

“You can craft a persona more easily to what you think someone will be attracted to,” Williams said. “If you have time to think of a lie, you’re going to do it.”

Williams said it is interesting that the tools used to help people communicate more actually result in people communicating less. Messages are direct and to the point, so impromptu conversations rarely evolve during non face-to-face interactions, he said.

“They limit the scope of interactions to get what information people want,” Williams said. “We lose incidental interactions to talk about real things. Efficiency may not be the best for interactions.”

Cell phones and the Internet are not just a common place to socialize once a person has met someone, but are also frequently used to meet for the first time.

Business administration senior Tyler Prone uses the dating app Tinder. Tinder is a flirtatious app that connects user profiles through Facebook. Tinder profiles have a capacity of up to five pictures, along with a short written profile. The simple interface allows users to view other users’ profiles. If the user finds that profile unappealing, a quick swipe to the left and the words “Nope” are splatted onto the picture. A swipe to the right means a profile is liked. If both users end up liking each others’ profiles, a chat room is opened where the two can message and meet up.

Prone was showing the app to some friends at a party when he came across the profile of a girl who was standing in the same room.

“I knew of her and I thought it was hilarious, and her pictures were kind of revealing, so I walked over and said I liked her Tinder pics,” Prone said. “She laughed, but at the same time she seemed kind of embarrassed.”

However, Prone did not feel a spark with the woman when they met in person, he said. Generally, Prone dislikes using social media to meet people because they are devices to make people look cooler than they really are, he said.

“It’s a great way to break the ice, but it’s a little odd,” he said. “It’s all very superficial and for aesthetics, especially for dating and looks. And because I know this, it’s hard for me to take social media seriously.”

While it’s easy to whip a phone out of the pocket and fire off messages to serenade a potential lover, some students still thrive on human interaction.

Economics senior David Silveira said he has no excuse to not meet women in a traditional, in-person way.

Face-to-face introductions are a lost art, he said. People rely heavily on social media and electronic communication and no one knows how to approach someone and engage in a conversation and look people in the eye.

“Everyone is hesitant to say things or afraid to look and sound stupid, but you can send a text message to say whatever you want,” Silveira said. “It’s kind of like

taking advantage of the system.”

Anxiety and stress are normal feelings when trying to get to know someone, Silveira said. People should be feeling these emotions and need to deal with them, but people want to rely on social media, drugs or alcohol, he said.

“College in itself is a real life social networking site,” Silveira said. “You have so much opportunity to meet people, the classrooms, house parties and the downtown scene — take advantage of what’s in front of your face.”

Women’s and gender studies professor Jane Lehr argues that exchanging messages through technology allows people to take preemptive steps before initiating conversations, but pre-meditated actions prior to meeting a potential suitor are not a new thing. Someone can be very conscious of the clothes they are wearing and the things they will say before meeting someone in person to convey a certain identity, she said.

“It’s inaccurate to think face-to-face is pure interaction,” Lehr said. “We are always trying to position ourselves and constructing different pathways for people to get to know us.”

Lehr said people can fall in love over email exchanges or video chatting through Skype, but finding a potential long-term relationship is not the norm of how technology is used today.

“Managing what you want to know, the types of material and information people end up exposing, it changes disclosure,” she said. “Basically, you are fully disclosed when you add somebody as a friend. But it’s also a really fantastic opportunity to be playful and to explore and engage with people.”

Facebook allows a person who’s been accepted as a friend to delve into all of the personal information someone presents on their profile, Lehr said. This amount of unexposed and free information about a person is a unique attribution to dating in the 21st century.

“The meditation isn’t different, but rather the levels of information and the amount of control,” Lehr said. “We are losing control.”

6

the california aggie

wednesday, march 6, 2013

Pre-health organizations gear-up undergraduates for future Nursing Club, Foresight Pre-Optometry Club help students focus on interests

By ALICE LEE

Aggie Features Writer

Students who wish to be in the prehealth field at UC Davis may have different majors, but many strive for one goal: to pursue their fields of study after graduating and ultimately help others.

Both the Nursing Club and the Foresight Pre-Optometry Club help students interested in pursuing nursing or optometry careers beyond their UC Davis education.

The Foresight Pre-Optometry Club aims to provide both academic and social support to students who are willing to learn more about the profession of optometry. Members are mainly given all the information needed about the process of applying to optometry school.

“I decided to join fall of my sophomore year after having spent my first year at Davis as an undeclared major and exploring various career options,” said Teresa Nguyen, a fourth-year psychology major. “Optometry was the path that made the most sense to me. It’s clean, comfortable and fits my personality.”

For member Ece Turhal, a fourth-year biochemistry major, the most important

Irisa Tam / Aggie

part is the screening process for children in the community. Students administer a basic acuity test and refer them to a professional if they notice anything is wrong with the child’s vision.

“It is a very rewarding feeling.

Considering about 80 percent of the information we learn comes through our eyes, vision is very important for a developing child. Children don’t know how clear they’re supposed to see, so they may not complain about not being able to see to their parents and teachers. So, our job is to make sure they can indeed see the board and learn,” Turhal said.

Aside from screenings, the club also helps students become more competitive applicants by having them participate in the club’s various activities throughout the year. With the help of their health sciences advising pre-optometry peer advisor Tiffany Phan, the club has guest speakers from optometry schools and students are able to meet with optometry school recruiters and visit optometry schools in California.

“We work closely with Prevent Blindness Northern California and participate in many of their events. We also have many optometry schools come

and talk to us about their programs and talk about the admissions processes. We have seminars where we learn about the OAT and how to use OptomCAS to make applying in the future simpler. Also, the meetings are a great opportunity to talk with peers about classes — which classes to take, when and with who,” Turhal said.

This quarter, the Vision Service Plan, one of the largest eye care providers in America, came to talk to the students about their company and what they have to offer students who are interested in private practice. The club also holds social events, including a Thanksgiving potluck, and game nights. During spring break for the past couple years, the club has planned a trip to SoCal to see optometry schools such as the Southern California College of Optometry and Western University of Health Sciences.

“This is a great opportunity to not only bond with fellow members but to get a feel for the schools we visit. There are so many helpful people in the club, it would be silly not to come talk and get to know them. I feel more comfortable with the application process and I got to hear presentations from the schools I was interested in. I made friends, improved my grades, got experience and solidified my decision of becoming an optometrist,” Turhal said.

For those who are interested, the Foresight Pre-Optometry Club meets every other Wednesday from 6:10 to 7 p.m. in Wellman 26.

Similar to the Foresight Pre-Optometry Club, the Nursing Club educates many students who are interested in pursuing nursing after graduating from UC Davis.

The main purpose of the club is to inform pre-nursing students about the different graduate and accelerated programs in nursing. It also provides stu-

dents with information about prerequisites for nursing schools, along with information about internships and volunteer experiences relevant to the nursing field.

“I wanted to meet other like-minded people with [the] same long-term career goals. I think it’s [a] great resource in learning more about nursing, especially at a school like UC Davis that doesn’t have an undergraduate nursing program yet,” said Amanda Jones, a thirdyear psychology major.

The students aid each other in pursuing their goal of becoming nurses, whether it be in picking classes, choosing what programs to apply for or informing each other about research or internship opportunities. They also have many guest speakers from different nursing universities’ admissions committees come and talk at the meetings as well as current UC Davis students or alumni who have been accepted to nursing school.

Students in the club volunteer at Sutter Oaks Nursing Center in by helping with holiday card delivery, helping at themed parties and spending time with patients.

Aside from learning about nursing, students have the time to enjoy each other’s company through pizza socials or bracelet-making at the Atria Covell Gardens.

“It has really opened my eyes to the different specialties in nursing and what it takes to get into a nursing program. It has enabled me to meet a ton of awesome people. It’s a great place to hear inspirational people too, and has really solidified my decision to pursue nursing as a career,” Jones said.

For those who are interested, the Nursing Club meets about twice a month on either Wednesday or Thursday in Olson 118 at 7 or 8 p.m.

ALICE LEE can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Free legal consultation available through ASUCD Most students seek advice over landlord, roommate issues

By JOYCE BERTHELSEN Aggie Features Writer

Attorney Ava Landers browses through the list of students seeking legal advice. Next up: a student wanting legal consultation, because their roommate ate their cookie.

ASUCD contracts with an attorney to offer registered undergraduate students free legal phone consultation, a service that seems unknown to many students. Every quarter, each student can get up to 15 minutes of free consultation. In some cases, students may schedule another 15 minutes in the same quarter if needed.

Paid for out of ASUCD student fees, the service has been around as far back as the 1980s. Students can go to the ASUCD office at 347 Memorial Union, show their student ID card and make an appointment for their free consultation.

The issues students want advice for vary, with about 85 percent pertain-

ing to tenant-landlord issues, according to Landers.

“A lot of the time, it’s roommate issues and housing issues,” said Kathy Wilton, ASUCD Student Services Office Manager. “Those are the most prominent things. Every once in a while, you have someone who got a DUI or they got into a fight with somebody.”

Of course, occasionally, Landers said that students want to consult with her about their roommates eating their food.

“It’s a real waste of time, but you’d be surprised,” she said.

However, Landers has also dealt with more serious issues.

“I had a student who had gotten into a physical altercation with his roommate,” Landers said. “He was charged with a very serious felony.

For something like that, I would always meet with them in person.”

Landers has been working with ASUCD since the late 1990s, conduct-

ing phone consultations three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

After students make their appointment, the list is sent to Landers on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights.

“Because I’m in court all the time, sometimes I can’t call them at the appointed time, but by the end of the day, I get to everybody on the list,” Landers said.

Few students either use or know about the legal consultation service, with only around six 15-minute consultations scheduled per week during a school year. During the summer, business is even slower. The list rarely fills up, according to Landers.

“It’s not really advertised,” said Kimberly Garrett, a fourth-year evolution, ecology and biodiversity major, who has used the service. “It’s not something that if you didn’t go looking

See LEGAL, page 5