There is a first time for everything. Unfortunately for the Aggies, this is the first time all season they have owned a record below .500. UC Davis saw its season record fall to 8-10 after suffering two weekend defeats to Big West Conference foes UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. More significantly, the losses dropped the team’s conference record to 1-3.

The Native American Student Union (NASU) held the 36th annual Davis Powwow on Saturday in the ARC Pavilion to kick off Native American Culture Week. “A powwow is a social gathering of the tribes,” explained April Negrette, co-chair of the event and a first-year undeclared major. Powwows are seasonal events beginning in March and ending in October, taking place across the nation. The festivities began at 10 a.m. with the Pomo dancers and ended shortly after 11 p.m. following the switch dancers. The Powwow, which has been absent from Davis for two yearsdue to an unusually low Native American population in the student body, was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Powwow Committee, chaired by members of NASU, and a rise in Native American population. “There was a big boom in the Native American student population this year,” said DJ Worley, a Davis graduate and current graduate student in Native American studies, and long standing member of NASU.

Eighteen individuals were arrested at D-Q University Mar. 31 for trespassing. Two more were arrested Wednesday when police were on a regular route patrol. This is the second round of arrests this year since three students were arrested Feb. 20 on the same charges at the state’s only tribal college. Students are fighting to continue classes and programs after the college lost its accreditation in 2005 as part of an ongoing struggle involving the D-Q Board of Trustees. Michele Wallace, public information officer for Yolo County Sheriff Department, said the individuals were booked and cited under a misdemeanor charge. Unless they had other warrants, they were released to see a judge. “There was one female up in a tree who refused to come down,” Wallace said. “We checked with the fire department. They deemed it was best not to seek action for us to climb the tree and get her.”

With tuition fees expected to double in the next five years for California schools, students wonder if the rise will ever simply stop. Hope comes from state Assembly Bill 2372, or the College Affordability Act, which would “freeze” the tuition amount at University of California and California State University schools for the next five years. Revenue for such a bill would draw from a 1 percent income tax from millionaires, raising $2 billion a year. Funds would be monitored by an accountability panel, and after five years, tuition would not be allowed to increase more than inflation. “It should be a right for students to have access to public higher action,” said Valeria Fike-Rosales, lead organizer of Tuition Relief Now’s statewide ballot initiative. “The fees keep increasing and the fact that students don’t have the political power to do anything isn’t fair for them.”

Though having a full course load and a job is daunting for most people, three UC Davis students have taken the challenge in stride. In fact, their supervisors say these students have excelled. Jacob Mauney, Huy Nguyen and Melisa De Leon each received the “Student Employee of the Year Award” at a ceremony Friday afternoon at the Memorial Union. Last month, a committee of two employers, two UC Davis Student Employment Center staff members and one student chose the winners from a pool of 37 students nominated by their employers. Each winner was recognized for a specific achievement: Mauney, who works UC Davis Distribution Services & Material Management (the Mail Division), for exemplifying the Principles of Community; Nguyen, a business systems analyst for UC Davis InnovationAccess, for contributing to UC Davis; and De Leon, a site coordinator for Davis Bridge, for contributing to the community.

La Raza Law Students Association sponsored events throughout the week in honor of César Chávez. Monday through Friday, events were held on campus under the theme “Progress and Prosperity for our Community.” Monday’s breakfast kicked off the week’s festivities while Tuesday, Cara Jobson – a partner of Wiley & Jobson San Francisco immigration law firm – led a discussion on people persecuted on account of sexual orientation and identity. Wednesday’s events caused people to ask questions.

Elected officials’ attendance ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at 6:10 p.m. Times listed are according to the clock at the Apr. 3 meeting location, the Memorial Union’s Mee Room.

It’s midnight and I want out. The party’s been going, been “raging, dude,” for two hours now. Music is bumping. People are drinking their “dranks,” a few of them say, which is a reference to a song, an awful song, or so I’ve heard. The alcohol is wearing off, leaving me humorless and weary in a room full of laughing people. Offers come in from all directions. No, I don’t want a cigarette. No, I don’t want to finish your drink, nor your “drank,” which, yes, I will continue to put in quotes. No, I don’t want to take a shot, not even with you, my best of new acquaintances, who will be my friend forever if I pound just one.

Event: Wyoming Cowboy Classic Where: North Course at Talking Stick Golf Club – Scottsdale, Ariz. When: Today and Tuesday, all day Who to watch: Closing in on the final chapter of his senior season, Matt Marshall will look to lead the Aggies this weekend at the Cowboy Classic. In his freshman season with UCLA, Marshall posted a 68 at the same tournament, and with any luck the Saratoga, Calif. native will have a repeat performance for UC Davis.

The American Cancer Society says “cancer never sleeps,” and for 24 hours, neither did the participants of Relay for Life. Approximately 1,700 participants took part in the American Cancer Society’s 24-hour relay-style marathon and fundraiser Saturday at Toomey Field, organized by the UC Davis Colleges Against Cancer chapter. By press time, Relay for Life had raised at least $123,685 for the ACS for cancer research and advocacy, though Ashley Stark, Relay for Life co-chair, anticipates the number will be higher after final counts have been made. UC Davis’ Relay for Life has been the top college relay in California for three years, Stark said.

Dear Math, It’s me, Rachel. I know it’s been a while since we last talked. I blame you. Seriously, Math, you’ve been a really big jerk to me throughout most of our relationship. I don’t know why it had to be like that, especially since our first years together were so good. We used to understand each other. Counting. Addition. Subtraction. Multiplication. You used to make so much sense. But then you had to get all long division up on me. Since fourth grade, I never knew what you wanted. I don’t know how I got through those rough times, but I managed to pass Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II (I didn’t understand why Algebra needed a part two), and Pre-Calculus. It was four years of hell. After that, I couldn’t even stand looking at you anymore.

Jamie Holmes had the house set up just the way she envisioned. Purchased in 2005, it was finally fully renovated. The flooring was of fine bamboo hardwood. The kitchen and bathrooms were all brand new. It was urban loft living in an older Ohio neighborhood, Holmes says proudly. And now she is leaving it all behind. One week from today, the former top assistant at Ohio State will begin her tenure as UC Davis’ ninth women’s volleyball head coach. “I’m very excited, without question,” Holmes said in a phone interview from her residence in Columbus. “I find myself every day getting more and more anxious to get started.”