Campus News

Senator Leland Yee andRepresentativeAnthony Portantino took the podium during last week’s ASUCD Senate meeting,accepting awards given by Lobby Corps for their contributions to higher education. “Senator Yee andRepresentativePortantino have fought tirelessly to ensure funding for the UC,accountability within the system and an end to excessive pay for top administrators,” said Lobby Corps director Talia MacMath in her introduction of the legislators. “They are much needed and appreciated allies in the capitol.“

From lab assistant to Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef, the salaries of all UC Davis employees in 2008 are now on reserve at Shields Library. The UC Office of the President (UCOP) has disclosed employee pay for four years now in an attempt to make the university transparent to the student body and public. The university is required to release its employees’ pay under the California Public Records Act. “As a public institution I believe we have a responsibility to share such information and would rather put it out proactively than wait for folks to ask for it,” said Stan Nosek, vice chancellor of administration in an e-mailinterview. “[Even though] this is standard operating procedure, I believe it is very appropriate.”

George R. Mangun, professor of psychology and neurology and former founding director of the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, has been selected out of 65 applicants and nominations as the new dean of the UC Davis Department of Social Sciences, replacing former dean of 10 years Steven M. Sheffrin. The social science division, which includes a diverse group of majors including philosophy, linguistics and economics among others, is responsible for the education of approximately 6,000 undergraduate students according to their website, more then any other division on campus.

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef spoke in his final brownbag chat on Monday in the Silo’s cabernet room where conversation focused primarily on the university’s looming budget challenges and transition to a new chancellor in the upcoming school year. Vanderhoef began his talk with a brief discussion about the origins and purpose of the chancellor’s quarterly brownbag chat.

Tonight the UC Davis Sustainable Transportation Center and the student chapter for the Institute of Transportation Engineers will hold “Preparing for the New Paradigm: Implementing California’s Climate Change Goals,” a career panel for students interested in pursuing careers in climate change.

Students might just be a bit safer this Memorial Day weekend when houseboating on Lake Shasta thanks to a program called Safeboats. The Safeboatsprogram,headed by ASUCD Senator Erin Lebe,will provide a dedicated boat with medical aid through EMTsand willpass out water,condoms and sunscreen to students during the weekend’s festivities.This will be the second consecutive year that a Safeboat will be present on the lake.

Tragedy struck for two junior UC Davis students on Friday May 8. Eunice Park, a junior communication major, died in a car crash while driving home to Los Angeles to surprise her parents for Mother’sDay. She brought along friend and roommate Jackie Garayar. In Nees, Calif. just outside of Fresno, at around 4p.m on I-5, Park lost control of her vehicle white changing lanes, flipping over into incoming traffic. It took paramedics roughly 30 minutes to get to the scene, where she was pronounced brain dead. Park was then air-lifted to the Fresno Community Hospital and put on life support.

In a given quarter, 1,500 to 2,000 UC Davis students do not pay their fees on time. Beginning in the fall, those students will be in for a rude surprise when the fee payment deadline passes. Traditionally, students could pay their fees as late as ten days into the quarter without being dropped from their classes and were just assessed a $50 late fee. But beginning in the fall, students who fail to pay their fees by the deadline will be dropped from their classes. The existing system is unfair to students who pay their fees on time and prevents students from moving from the waitlists and into classes, said Barbara Noble, senior associate registrar.

ASUCD Senate meetingsare scheduled to begin Thursdays at6:10p.m.Times listed are according to the clock at the May14meeting location,theMemorial Union’s Mee Room.

Tired of the University of California failing to “bargain in good faith,” theUniversity Professional and Technical Employees(UPTE) unionheld a one-day strike at the Berkeley campus and University Office of the President on May6. “It was very exciting,the enthusiasm about standing up for their rights and letting the university know that we’re unhappy about not getting raises and that the bargaining hasn’t been going well,” said Colette Williams,a senior research associate at UC Davis who attended the demonstrations.

Though some students have been able to receive refunds for last month’s cancelled E-40concert at Theta Xi fraternity,tensions are still high with the promoting company used to plan the concert. The concert,which was scheduled to occur onApr.25,was organized by6trees Production Company,doing business as Dallas Imbimbo’s company,Twyce Incorporated Promotions.

UC Davis researchers received a$7million grant for stem cell research onApr.29,allowing labs to conduct groundbreaking research on Huntington’s Disease and in utero treatments for inherited blood cell disorders.The grant is one of fifteen provided by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine tomultiple research centers across California.The overall package totals to just over$67million and is meant to spur development in the relatively new field of embryonic stem cell therapy.