Predominantly sunny weather and diverse campus dining options are two of the reasons UC Davis students are generally satisfied with their quality of life. The Daily Best, an online news website, ranked UC Davis at No. 26 on a list of the 100 Happiest Colleges.

It’s noon at the Bargain Barn and a group of employees gather in the break room as Noor Ramy receives her plaque for Student Employee of the Year. Standing next to her co-workers and friends, Ramy, a senior English major, smiles and holds back tears as her supervisor, Katie Jaramillo, takes the floor. “We’ve never had a student employee like Noor … I just wish you could stay forever,” Jaramillo said.

With California’s $20 billion deficit, additional fees are not only being imposed on schools, but on traffic fines as well. SB 1407 was signed into law in 2008 through the California State Legislature, raising the fees for court filings statewide, which includes parking tickets, traffic violations and attending traffic school. Since January 2010, new fines on traffic violations took effect through SB 1407. For instance, one added change is a $35 “conviction assessment” on traffic fines.

Rebecca Skloot, journalist and author, will be speaking and signing copies of her new book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” on Friday at 4 p.m. Held in the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom, her bestselling book discusses the life of Henrietta Lacks, a Southern tobacco farmer who died more than 50 years ago, and how cells taken from her body proved to be the first human cells grown in a culture to be “immortal.”

UC Davis researchers have affirmed an essential hypothesis in a 26-year-old DNA repair model – new evidence paving the way for further study into the molecular mechanisms that can affect cancer predisposition and developmental defects. Before this work, the 1983 double-strand-break repair model’s key hypothesis had not been physically demonstrated in cells, said Wolf-Dietrich Heyer, professor of microbiology. “This research is a really big step,” Heyer said.

After a student drops $150 for one textbook, it may be frustrating to see the front cover author match the professor’s name on the class syllabus. Yet, faculty are not picking up a big tab from book purchases. A USA Today article from earlier this month highlighted George Mason University in Washington, D.C. as a school where students are upset professors are cashing in on students through published texts. Though at UC Davis – and nationwide – there is myth surrounding professor-authored textbooks and the money they make.

Local police have been attending ASUCD committee meetings since 2007 in order to communicate with students and residents about issues they may be having. But the real issue, committee members say, is getting students and residents to show up. Problems from the start

Eyjafjallajokull volcano ash causes more airline uncertainty A new cloud of ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland is continuing to add air traffic issues to parts of Europe, particularly to the United Kingdom.

A survey released dismal results for college professors’ pay, showing that salaries increased 1.2 percent for this academic year. The American Association of University Professors’ data reported the smallest increase in its 50 years of conducting the surveys.

Researchers at UC Davis are developing new ways to aid those that are disabled. New studies are bringing forth revelations that could potentially make transportation and social independence much easier for both disabled children and adults. These studies could prove vital in convenience, reliability and affordability for the disabled. If successfully implemented, researchers Sanjay Joshi and Anthony Wexler feel that it could drastically help the severely disabled – generally quadriplegics – operate wheelchairs, be more independent and allow for them to be more comfortable with their required machinery.

UC Davis and other University of California schools turned the heat on applicants as first-year student admissions have reached record lows this year. According to recently released data, UC Davis’ first-year student admissions rate dipped to 44.5 percent this year, down from 52.4 percent two years ago. Other campuses, with the exception of UC Riverside and UC Merced, also witnessed admissions declines of 1 to 9 percent.

I know it’s Wednesday, but I still have Picnic Day on my mind. Who doesn’t? There are still traces of it left behind everywhere you look. The random red cups on lawns, the beer cans in the street and the guy who’s still passed out in your bed. (You should check his pulse). I hope you enjoyed your day. And if it was your last as an undergrad, I’m right there with you. Don’t worry – you can always come back when you’re 40 and the beer bong will still be waiting.