THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE IS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
the California Aggie
SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915
THEAGGIE.ORG
VOLUME 136, ISSUE 7 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017
MICHELLE GORE / AGGIE
IAN JONES / AGGIE
Theta Xi placed on conditional registration for two years after disturbance of peace over summer Probationary period for fraternity follows appeal of revocation of registration BY AARON L I SS campus@theaggie.org
Over the summer, the Theta Xi fraternity was cited for a disturbance of the peace complaint regarding fireworks being set off from its lawn. Initially, Theta Xi faced revocation of its UC Davis chapter’s registration, however, the members decided to undertake a judicial and student housing appeals process. As a result of the successful appeal, there will be two years of conditional registration — essentially a probationary period. Donald Dudley, the director of Student Judicial Affairs (SJA), spoke about how the appeals trial of Theta Xi was handled, explaining how conditional registration restricts the fraternity. “The appeal process has been completed,” Dudley said. “The appeals committee reduced the revocation to two years of conditional registration. The conditional registration means if they violate campus policy, or local codes [and] state laws during that period, then registration would likely be revoked.” With regard to what initially sparked the revocation, Dudley confirmed that it was based on an “incident related to disturbance of the peace conduct that raised concerns for health and safety.” Jonathan Montes, a fourth-year psychology major and the president of Theta Xi as well as their Interfraternity Council representative, stated that the incident in question involved three individuals setting
off “illegal fireworks” in the backyard of Theta Xi’s Chapter House. One of the individuals was a former member of the Theta Xi chapter. Montes said he was “disappointed at the outcome” of the appeal. “The real perpetrators of the incident involving fireworks escaped without being charged while the chapter as a whole was punished for something it had nothing to do with,” Montes said. “The appropriate action for the University would have been to dismiss the original decision in its entirety.” Courtney O’Connor, the assistant director of policy and conduct at the Student Housing Office, confirmed another incident involving a Theta Xi president reportedly trespassing onto the fraternity house’s neighboring funeral home in the fall of 2016. O’Connor said that this event was unrelated to this conditional registration enforcement. “From what I heard, it was that noise complaints violate university policies,” Bull said. “If they break rules, then it goes to university trials. Why it was so strict, I don’t know, because I feel like two years is a long time.” Bull said that she heard firsthand from Theta Xi members attending Panhellenic meetings that no members were living in the house over the summer when the firework incident is said to have occurred. “Theta Xi came into one of our meetings for Panhellenic,” Bull said. “They said that it was an alumni, that no one in Theta Xi lives in the chapter house over summer. It was an alumni that came in and THETA XI on 9
ROSA FURNEAUX / AGGIE FILE
Internal wage audits reveal inconsistency in uC system
Inspections across UC campuses show little compliance with UCOP’s pledge to increase minimum wage BY EL I Z A BE T H M E R C A DO campus@theaggie.org
A recent review of audits conducted across UC campuses and medical centers has revealed that the UC system has shown inconsistent compliance with the Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan announced in 2015 by UC President Janet Napolitano. The plan was announced to the Board of Regents through the UC Office of the President in July of 2015 and pledged “that the minimum wage for its workers — both direct and service contract employees — will be raised to $15 an hour over the next three years.” Part of the criteria to successfully implement this policy is mandatory audits independently performed on UC contractors employed for services exceeding $100,000. Contracts are required to contain language of the policy stated within and audits must be paid for and conducted by an independent auditor the supplier hires. Afterward, the contractor provides a certificate signed by the independent auditor to their respective campus proving their annual audit was performed. Each UC campus’ Audit and Management Advisory Services reviewed its university’s processes, contracts and compliance with the
Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan. The audits revealed that the systems in place to monitor universtiy agreements related to independent contracting were lacking. The purpose of a monitoring system is to ensure that contracts fall under the criteria relating to the Fair Wage/Fair Work Plan; however, the review showed that parts of the system were flawed. The review also found a recurring failure to conduct audits among service contractors and vendors who were plainly violating the Fair Wage/Fair Work policy with no repercussions. “What these audits expose is [that the] UC has not been enforcing this Wage/Work plan,” said John de los Angeles, the communications director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest UC employee labor union. “Contractors are skating under the radar and they themselves are not even sure which contractors need to be following this policy.” UC Davis’ review showed that since the plan’s announcement two years ago, the campus and UC Davis Health are still trying to create effective systems to track independent contracting agreements. UC Davis is also trying to become stricter when it comes to certifying WAGE on 9
Chamber of Commerce's homelessness meeting sparks debate Search continues for solution to end homelessness BY DY LAN SVOBODA city@theaggie.org
On Oct. 24, the Davis Chamber of Commerce held a panel discussion at the Veterans Memorial Theater to address the growing homelessness issue in Davis. The discussion was free and open to the public. The panel was made up of 10 local leaders, including a number of social workers, downtown Davis business owners and government officials. Guests were encouraged to share their input on the issue. Darren Pytel, the City of Davis’ chief of police, opened the discussion by touching on the challenges of panhandling. “From a constitutional standpoint, panhandling in a nonaggressive way is protected speech,” Pytel said. Pytel also indicated that the City of Davis’ police department recently hired a social worker whose sole purpose is to reach out to the homeless community. Davis resident Jack Armstrong, the co-host of the Armstrong & Getty radio show, told a chilling story about an expletive-filled interaction he, his wife and two young children had with a disheveled man at Dos Coyotes in Davis. “I would like [Davis] to stop being a magnet for those people,” Armstrong said. Pytel commented on the severe drug and mental health issues these individuals are dealing with and how low drug prices are leading to more rampant drug use. Pytel also attributed the rise in car burglaries to drug use. Many guests, most of them residents of Davis, expressed their concerns over such actions and the number of homeless people in town. Jon Adler from Harm Reduction Services in Sacramento attended the meeting as a guest and shared his thoughts from his unique perspective as a former “unhoused” individual. “Living on the street is a traumatic experience,” Adler said. “Until there is compassion, there won’t be any progress. There are people who go to Davis High School who commit crimes.” Davis Mayor Pro Tempore Brett Lee stressed the importance of behavior when describing the homeless. He pointed out the parallels between his fraternity-row neighbors with their “non-neighborly” actions and the homeless population. Lee also noted the necessity of cooperation between Yolo County and the City of Davis in solving the crisis. Adler, who lived on the streets of Davis for five years and has 20 years of experience working with the homeless in the Sacramento area, stressed the importance of compassion and understanding. “People don’t want to live outside,” Adler said. “That is a myth in itself. It’s not something you choose. When you hear the term ‘homeless,’ you hear ‘drug addict,’ ‘criminal,’ ‘mentally ill.’ The fact is there are more drug addicts, criminals and mentally ill that live in houses.” Adler also touched on why Davis is an attractive place for the unhoused. “This is a f--king great town,” Adler said. “Community Gardens. I can eat like a king. Everybody recycles. I can make $20 an hour recycling here. I can go to sleep and not worry about getting my head kicked in. That’s going to be attractive to everyone.” Bill Pride, the director of the Community Meals program in Davis, believes the cause of the issue is a lack of affordable housing in the region. He noted the increase in students living in his hometown of Woodland, which is 15 minutes north of Davis. According to the Yolo County Homeless and Poverty Action Coalition, homelessness is slowly on the rise in Davis. Homelessness is up 11.4 percent from 2015 and 28 percent since 2009. In 2016, the State of California’s homeless rate was 30.1 people for every 10,000 people, according to the most recent study on homelessness conducted by the U.S. Interagency Council. In Yolo County’s most recent homeless count in 2017, Davis’ homeless rate was 21.4 people for every 10,000.
Open 7am—10pm 620 G Street