The state senate recently passed Senate Bill 1168 in order to aid sick college students. The bill, known as “Michelle’s Law,” will allow dependent college students to take up to 12 months medical leave with a physician’s signed consent. This even includes students who are covered by their parents’ health insurance plans. In addition, this effectively means that students can be absent from school or reduce course load to part-time and still be covered. This is important to students who, due to a medical condition, can no longer be full-time students. UC Davis students are covered by the Student Health Insurance Plan unless they opt to use another plan. Under SHIP, students who have to leave school or reduce their load are covered until the end of the quarter, at which point they can opt to extend their health coverage – at non-student rates.

TODAY Ice cream eating showdown Noon to 1 p.m. Memorial Union Patio Go cheer on your fellow students in the fastest ice cream showdown ever! This is a Picnic Day pre-week event. Davis Police Department planning meeting 3 p.m. 2124 Wickson The Davis Police Department is preparing to develop its new three year Strategic Plan. Help them brainstorm and prioritize community issues and problem statements. Information about this process and notes from previous forums can be found at www.city.davis.ca.us/police.

The fifth-annual Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event Celebrate Davis will take place May 15, as a means of informing the community of different businesses, nonprofits and services Davis has to offer. Between 4:30 and 9 p.m. at Community Park located at 14th and F streets, there will be approximately 150 business booths where the expected 8,000 community members will have the opportunity to speak to business owners about their services. “It gives Davis business a chance to get out in the community and talk to Davis residents and consumers,” said Celebrate Davis coordinator Nancy Cole. “Booths will have information on what they do, and it’s just for visibility so people can get to know what services and shops are available in Davis.”

It’s official. The Aggies can hit. UC Davis showed off its Big West Conference-leading offense at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium this past weekend in its first conference road series with UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos (22-11, 6-3) entered the three-game series with the top overall record in the Big West, but the Aggies (22-11, 5-1) leapfrogged them atop the standings as their white-hot bats ignited a second-straight league series win. Friday – UCSB 9, UC Davis 2 The Aggies aren’t used to losing this season, especially when their ace is on the mound. Opening up his team’s Big West road schedule, senior right-hander Eddie Gamboa lost for the first time this season as UCSB powered past UC Davis, 9-2. Gamboa (5-1, 2.64) gave up a season-high seven runs and 10 hits over five innings. The Merced, Calif. native struck out four and only walked one, but his defense committed four errors behind him. “That just wasn’t the Aggies out there,” said head coach Rex Peters. “Eddie wasn’t himself on the mound, we didn’t play well defensively and our bats were slow. We were just a tired team on Friday.” Three of the Gaucho runs came courtesy of senior outfielder Mike Zuanich, who homered twice. Sophomore right-hander Mike Ford pitched eight strong innings for UCSB, holding the Aggies to just two runs despite four walks. “He pitched well, no question,” said Peters of Ford. “But we were just asleep at the wheel and needed a good night’s rest to come back on Saturday.”