A public hearing will take place May 6 regarding Davis Proposition 218, a proposed utility rate change that would take effect Aug. 1. “The staff will present why the increase in utility rates is necessary,” said Davis city clerk Margaret Roberts. “They will open a public hearing, and they can speak for or against the hearing. They make their decisions based on the information.” Whenever there is a rate increase, a public hearing is one of the specific steps required by state law, said operations administrator Sue Gedestad.

The Cancer Survivors Network and UC Davis Colleges Against Cancer will hold the first cancer survivors panel in 194 Chemistry from 7 to 9 p.m. There will be six to eight UC Davis student survivors on the panel as well as an American Cancer Society funded researcher and clinical social worker at the UCD Cancer Center, John Linder. The event was inspired by UC Davis junior Brett Fontaine, a neurology, physiology and biology major, and senior Liz Creger, his UC Davis Cancer Survivors Network co-chair.

Plagiarism A student of senior standing was referred to Student Judicial Affairs for failing to cite sources properly for a take-home final exam. The student included information from the class reader in the final essay, word-for-word. The student claimed to have misunderstood the professor, but the professor stated that he had clearly indicated that all passages should be quoted with the proper citations. The student agreed to disciplinary probation in which he completed 10 hours of community service in conjunction with the Learning Skills Center until graduation.

Headline: Beyond the Small Talk Name: Ayn Reyes Year: Senior Major: Human development What influenced you to choose your major? I was originally a genetics major, but I realized if I went on that path, I would probably end up going into research. I’m interested more in the human interaction aspects of genetics, and I want to go into genetic counseling, so I can do that with human development instead.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation awarded $8.2 million in fellowships last week to 190 artists, scholars and scientists in the United States and Canada. Out of more than 2,600 applicants, 18 of the selected few are University of California faculty, greater than any other system with just under a whopping 10 percent of the winners. “[The UC system is] very pleased that 18 members of our faculty have been honored by this very prestigious award. The broad range of faculty recognized and their specialties highlights the tremendous strength of our faculty in a diverse set of fields,” said Chris Harrington, spokesperson for the UC system.

A small plane whizzes by, hovering low to the ground. One might think that the pilot is trying to have some fun, but in reality the airplane is ejecting certain chemicals to try to eliminate a pest. This pest is the light brown apple moth, epiphyas postvittana, a non-native insect to North America. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It is an invasive pest of California’s environment, natural habitat and agriculture. Because the Department of Food and Agriculture is fearful that the moth is capable of devastating California’s agriculture, an aerial spraying program has been set up to eradicate the moth.

Being in college, our metaphorical springboard into a vocational world with options, the following question is all too pertinent for each of us: What is my calling? “Vocation,” which comes from Latinvocare, meaning “to call,” is a word that we don’t hear too often nowadays. In American culture it has been deemed equivalent and synonymous with words and phrases such as “career” or “successful life.” Certainly Americans assume too much. In a discussion about priesthood, a student of mine asked a series of questions like, “Do priests get paid? How much? Where do they live? Do they have houses?” All of them were questions a person might ask about a doctor, an offshore fisherman or a firefighter. The questions went on like this until I had said, “Priesthood is not a career. It is a vocation. It is a lifelong commitment to service in a community that is not taken up for its pay but for the job itself.”

Teams: UC Davis vs. No. 3 Stanford Records: Aggies, 11-8; Cardinal, 15-4 Where: Taube Family Tennis Stadium, Palo Alto, Calif. When: Today at 3 p.m. Who to watch: Desiree Stone lost Mar. 7. Ever since then, she has done nothing but win. The sophomore from North Hollywood, Calif. has captured a victory in seven straight singles matches to improve her individual record to 14-4. Did you know? The Aggies have matched up with the Cardinal twice in the past three seasons, both resulting in UC Davis losses. Most recently, the Aggies fell 0-7 to the Cardinal in Palo Alto on Jan. 25, 2007.

With Picnic Day Parade just a few days away, staff members at the Education Abroad Center are making final preparations for their group’s float. But they will have to march without their prized centerpiece: a giant papier-mâché globe, which vandals destroyed. EAC Outreach Coordinator Jake Hosier said he lives close to the EAC, located on the corner of Third and A streets, and was driving by the office on the morning of Apr. 5 when he noticed shreds of papier-mâché throughout the street. Vandals had apparently detached the four-foot diameter globe from its base and rolled it around the street, Hosier said. One side of the globe, whose structure was made out of wood and chicken wire, was completely collapsed, he said. The globe cannot be repaired in time for the parade, Hosier said. “It’s one of those things that you don’t expect … to happen in Davis,” Hosier said. “We can’t even have a float in the parade because someone goes and does this kind of stuff. It’s really frustrating and disheartening.”

Despite protests all over the world, China is keeping the Olympic torch burning as it embarks on a turbulent journey toward Beijing. From London to San Francisco and to Buenos Aires, protesters are strongly demonstrating against China’s crackdown on dissidents and the violations of human rights in Tibet. With world leaders divided on the issue of boycotting the Olympic Games, now is the best time for the United States to take a stand and show its condemnation against the oppressive Chinese rule in Tibet. Through times, the Olympics have been a symbol of peace and unity in the world. It serves as an avenue for more than 200 countries, which share the same ideals and goals, to come together in harmony to celebrate their aspirations and dreams. But how can the 2008 Olympics be a representation of peace and unity if China itself does not believe in the values of democracy and freedom?

Wednesday’s Rail Jam event, hosted by ASUCD and the Ski or Snowboard Club (SOS), has been postponed due to a breached agreement between the Rail Jam promotion company and the equipment provider. The event was scheduled for Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Aggie Stadium and was intended to showcase winter sports in a competition setup. ASUCD planned to bring snow to campus from Lake Tahoe and allow students to attend free of charge. According to ASUCD Senator and event coordinator Jesse Rosales, the equipment provider previously owed the promoting company money and planned to compensate by providing UC Davis the equipment for the event. The equipment provider then backed out of the agreement, asking instead for $12,000, which ASUCD funds could not provide.

FRIDAY Fight Club Part II An intoxicated subject was reported outside wanting to fight on Bidwell Street. Natural born killer? Individual had two shotguns, a pistol and ammunition to turn in for destruction on Fifth Street. I wanna be like Jewel Individual believes people are living out of a vehicle on West Covell Boulevard. Leave the bottles to the carnies A report was made about bottles thrown at an apartment on Drew Circle. What about the hunchback? Pitbulls in area keep getting out on Notre Dame Drive. SATURDAY Wanna take this outside? Subjects were heard fighting near the bike path on Secret Bay Street. Brotherly love A group of intoxicated males were seen on Colgate Drive. Don’t burn your bridges Individual reported receiving harassing phone calls from a former friend on East Eighth Street. Hope that’s not my boyfriend A male with a dark suit and light colored shirt was seen at the entrance of a lot watching employees enter on E Street. Talk about a tantrum Individual reported an unhappy customer in the store that was throwing things on West Covell Boulevard.