Best place to work on campus
1. ASUCD Coffee House
Memorial Union
2.Activities and Recreation Center
3. Unitrans
Sick and tired of trying to find a seat at the bustling and newly renovated ASUCD Coffee House (CoHo) during rush hour?
If you’re an employee for the CoHo, you’re one of the lucky few. For this year’s best place to work on campus, you always have a seat at the employees’ table, a dollar off of food items for every hour you work and free coffee refills.
“You can get a full meal for free if you work four or five hours,” said Joe Chung, an employee and senior environmental policy, analysis and planning major.
The CoHo currently employs over 200 students and staff in out-front, kitchen and supervisory positions.
A friendly rivalry has existed between out-front and kitchen staff for many years now. Students can recognize the out-front supervisors in the red aprons and the kitchen supervisors in blue.
“The rivalry brings everyone together during social events,” said Jason Druyan, kitchen supervisor and senior American studies major.
Marissa Ward, kitchen student manager and senior sociology major, said the CoHo hired 80 to 90 new employees in the kitchen alone for this year.
With so many employees, people splinter off into smaller groups but are able to interact with everyone during social gatherings, such as watching the Super Bowl, Chung said.
Regardless, all the staff can agree that the CoHo is the place to form lasting friendships, eat good food and make some money.
“The coworkers, food and social events are the reasons why we love working for the CoHo.” Chung said.
The second and third place winners, ARC and Unitrans respectively, remain unchanged in their standings.
– Kamry Zhang
Best place to people watch
1. UC Davis Quad
2. ASUCD Coffee House
3. ARC
This is for the nappers and the sunbathers, for the bros who play frisbee and the relentless CalPIRG volunteers. This is for you, Miss “I make out on the quad and I don’t care who’s watching.” Because it is you who has made the UC Davis Quad the best place to people-watch in Davis.
This beacon of social-experimentation was not always so exciting. In its early years, the Quad functioned as farmland and a parking lot for Picnic Day. In 1932, grass was installed and it has expanded in size and cultural significance ever since.
“It’s the greatest American past time,” said Navreet Dhaliwal, a junior women and gender studies major, while people-watching from behind his laptop. “I do take amusement in people who walk in the wrong direction and then realize they’ve walked in the wrong direction.”
Dhaliwal said the best observations occur at lunchtime, when the Quad fills up with people. Others agreed.
“My friends and I have a joke about hipster watching. They come out at lunchtime when it’s warm out,” said Christie Higgins, a sophomore political science and philosophy major.
In addition to hipsters, the Quad is home to slack liners, hula hoopers and barefooted people playing guitar. Sometimes there are even puppies.
But Quad lurkers are not alone. A special shout out to the manic studiers that take up four-person booths, and the ironic sweatband-wearing racquetball players. Your hangouts of the ASUCD Coffee House and the ARC came in second and third place, respectively.
– Becky Peterson
Best public art
1. The Egghead Series
UC Davis Campus
2. Bicycle Statue
Russell Blvd.
3. Domino Effect II
North Davis Greenbelt
Legend has it that if you rub the Egghead in front of Peter J. Shields Library before a test, you will acquire good luck. It’s a good thing for them they don’t need luck to win this year’s best public art.
Seven statues at five locations comprise the collection of smooth, white eggheads: “Bookhead” in front of Shields Library, “Eye on Mrak” in front of Mrak Hall, “See No Evil Hear No Evil” east of King Hall, “Stargazer” behind North Hall and “Yin and Yang” in front of the Art Building.
Robert Arneson, a UC Davis professor from 1962 to 1991, designed the Eggheads. Since the completion of the series in 1992, they have been a memorable part of UC Davis life.
“I think the Eggheads add a unique feel to the campus,” said Ashley Lee, a senior managerial economics major. “They’ll always remind me of Davis and I think that is special in itself.”
Sara Kewin, a junior political science and communication double major, said she likes the Eggheads because of their light humor.
“I like the Eggheads because they have an academic theme [to them], but they don’t take it too seriously and I think that reflects the UC Davis campus,” she said.
The Bicycle Statue on Russell Blvd. between Anderson Avenue and Sycamore Lane came in second. A Davis High School shop class created the statue, according to Daviswiki.org.
Coming in third place, “Domino Effect II,” created by Eddy Hood in 1994, displays four giant dominoes leaning on each other.
– Nick Markwith
Best place to meet a mate
1. In class
2. House parties
3. Residence halls
Next time you wake up, hit the snooze button and try to convince yourself that going to class isn’t all that important, don’t. Your future boyfriend/girlfriend/make-out buddy could be there.
Students agree that class is the best place to meet that special someone. Being squeezed into a crowded lecture hall for hours on end apparently has its benefits.
“You see [these people] every day, so it’s easier to get to know them,” said first-year civil engineering major Olivia Olmos.
Assistant professor of communication Laramie Taylor said it’s all about the numbers. Not only are you surrounded by tons of people your own age, but most of them don’t already know you – and that’s a plus when it comes to finding a mate.
“If you’ve known someone since you were young, you can’t see them as a romantic partner,” Taylor said. “Or, if you hang out with a small group a lot, you also lose the ability to see any of them romantically.”
Though he hasn’t known any of his students to hook up after meeting in his class, Taylor said he has heard of students meeting in a freshman seminar and then getting married.
He includes himself in that category.
“I met my wife in class,” Taylor said. “I heard her say something, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to meet whoever has that voice.'”
In second place was the very sexy, classically collegiate world of house parties while the residence halls took third – because everyone knows bumping into your hot dormmate on the way to the bathroom is, like, the cutest story you could tell your grandchildren ever.
– Erin Migdol
Best place to take a date
1. The UC Davis Arboretum
2. Davis Farmers Market
Central Park
3. $5 Movies at Regal Cinema:
Davis Holiday 6, 101 F St.
Davis Stadium 5, 420 G St.
Lovebirds looking for the perfect place to take their special someone needn’t look further than their own backyard.
The UC Davis Arboretum was named the best place to take a date. With 22,000 trees and plants in 100 acres, it’s easy to see why this oasis in the middle of the bustling UC Davis campus stands out above the rest.
“The Arboretum provides beauty and a place to relax that’s low-key,” said Carmia Feldman, assistant director of the Arboretum. “It’s a great place for a romantic getaway on campus.”
The Arboretum was founded in 1936 and has since become a horticultural hub of the Central Valley. Couples can meander along the 3.5-mile-long main path next to Putah Creek or tour the many themed gardens. Wildlife consisting of dozens of species of fish, amphibians and reptiles also share the park, which is open all day, every day.
“There are areas that are more tucked away, or for a first date, you can stroll around,” Feldman said.
Visitors can take advantage of events such as the Folk Music Jam Session on Wyatt Deck or simply pack a picnic and watch the ducks.
“We hear from people who aren’t students but say, ‘Oh, we had our first date at the Arboretum’ or ‘we just had our anniversary there,'” Feldman said.
Junior biochemistry major Ilse Argueta cited the Arboretum’s peaceful atmosphere as a reason why it is the perfect place to take a date.
“It looks pretty and is a good place to talk peacefully. That’s why I come here,” Argueta said.
The Davis Farmers Market won second place with its extensive selection of fresh food and people-watching. For movie buffs out there, the third place $5 movies at Regal Cinemas offer an affordable night watching the latest blockbusters.
– Erin Migdol
