It’s hard not to get twitchy when all your jackass friends from high school are using theInternetto brag about the fact that they’re a final away from escaping the tyrannical government/heathens/potato famine of academia and making it across to the sweet statue of summer liberty,but if you want to look on the flipside,once you finish your midterms you can use the final weeks of school to enjoy Davis at its peak.Those pretty water polo boys are cruisin‘ on their cruisers,so it must be springtime.

After watching his team struggle to a5-7finish last season and lose a handful of close games,coach Bob Biggs knew he wanted to make changes on defense. Not long into the off-season,he found his man. New defensive coordinator Mark Johnson comes to the Aggies after spending four years in the same position at Utah State.While he has strong ties to UC Davis (Johnson played linebacker for the Aggies from1985-1989,and spent eight years on the UC Davis coaching staff between1990-2004),Biggs said he hired Johnson for the defensive package he employs.

Event:Big West Conference Championships Where:Anteater Stadium – Irvine,Calif. When:Friday andSaturday; all day Who to watch:To say that junior Alex Wilright has been tearing up the track this season would be an understatement. He has broken his own school record in the400m hurdles,a27-year-old record in the open400m and ran a leg on the record-setting4x400m relay team.That relay is ranked No.2in the conference.He’s ranked No.1in both the400m and the400m hurdles. “I want to win conference in the400m hurdles,” said Wilright. “As a team,I want us to go in and put in the best effort that we can.Hopefully,it will just happen to be enough to win conference.“

Event:NCAA West Region Championships Where:Lake Merced Golf Club – Daly City,Calif. When:Today through Saturday; all day Who to watch:Austin Graham has had about a good a year as anyone could have. Graham has won three tournaments – including the Big West Conference Championships – and was named first-team All-Big West.The sophomore leads the team with a72.0scoring average. Most recently,Graham qualified for the U.S.Open Sections by shootinga5-under67at Yolo Fliers Club in Woodland. “He’s playing amazing golf right now and deserves to advance,” coach Cy Williams said. The San Clemente,Calif.native’s next goal,though,will be to lead UC Davis past the regional round of the NCAA Championships.

The Ellen Hansen Memorial Prize is a mixed-media exhibit of photography,performance art,painting,sculpture,poetry,fiction,comics and film produced by female UC Davis students. The exhibit is currently being featured at Pence Gallery in Downtown Davis and will continue until May21. “This is the first year that the exhibit has been hosted by the Pence Gallery,” said Margaret Swain,director of the Women’s Resources and Research Center. “The Women’s Center is very excited for this collaboration.“

To the average Californian,the package of propositions on the May19special election ballot may seem like a jumbled messof convoluted budget proposals. That’s because it is. The propositions are the result of months of intricate negotiations betweenthe governor andRepublicans and Democrats in the legislature.They are an attempt to address the state’s dire fiscal situation,and confusing as they may be,only the voters have the constitutional authority to approve these proposals. At this point,California’s future rests in the hands of voters.It is extremely important that voters not only vote,but take the time to research the potential impact of each of these proposals passing or failing.

As the number of highway fatalities overall decline,a trend has emerged in the data:Motorcycles are becoming increasingly dangerous. The California Highway Patrol last month released preliminary data suggesting that the number of fatal motorcycle accidents has sharply increased over the past few years,roughly124percent since2003. So far numbers for2008show that over500riders were killed last year in motorcycle collisions.

TODAY East Quad Farmers Market 10a.m.to2:30p.m. East Quad Support local farmers and buy some fresh produce,nuts,flowers and more! Pick up some tasty treats for a fun springtime dinner or a nice afternoon snack.

Teams:UC Davis at No.1UC Irvine Records:Aggies,10-36 (3-15); Anteaters31-11 (17-1) Where:Anteater Ballpark – Irvine,Calif. When:Friday at6p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at1p.m. Who to watch? Infielder Justin Schafer has been on a tear as of late. The Los Gatos,Calif.native has eight hits in his past four games,pushing his average to a team-leading.345.He also leads the club with a.415on base percentage.

After helping kids safely cross Davis streets for six years, crossing guard Heather Weinberg was shocked when she got a phone call telling her not to show up for work.

MUSIC Search Party2009:Grandmother Ham,Boxes,Order of the Golden Mirror,Captions Today,8p.m.,free ASUCD Coffee House Support your classmates and local music! Presented by The California Aggie,KDVS90.3FM and ASUCD Entertainment Council,this annual student musician search brings in up-and-coming bands of UC Davis to you.Check out page4for the scoop on this year’s winners! Not An Airplane,Travis Vick,Ally Hasche Today,10p.m.,$3,21 Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Oh Travis Vick,I’d totally have a crush on you if I just were a couple of years younger.His airy,atmospheric acoustic folk – think Sufjan Stevens meets The Dodos with a hint of Elliot Smith – is perfect for a warm spring night on the patio.Ladies and gentleman under21,get your arses out on Balcony B for this show.