Campus News

For thefirsttime since the inception of the National Student Employee of the Year Program in2006,a UC Davis Student has advanced to become recognized as the Northern California2009Student Employee of the Year. Kyle Dubs,aseniorcommunication major,has been working as a resident student firefighter on campus since September2006,logging an average of80hours per month split between four14hour shifts and one24hour shift.

The expansion of the United States‘ government and growth of secret agencies has fueled its population’s belief in conspiracy theories,said Kathy Olmsted,a professor in the department of history and author of recently publishedReal Enemies:Conspiracy Theories and American Democracy,World War I to9/11.

Tony Simon,a neuroscientist with the UC Davis M.I.N.D.Institute,was recently awarded a five-year$2.6million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue his research on the gene linked to autism,schizophrenia and ADHD. Simon,who has found that the deletion of the gene leads to various disorders,has been conducting research to discover how the brain changes when the deletion takes place.

Over1000people gathered around drum circles and traditional dancers in the Pavilion on Saturday for the37th annual UC Davis Powwow.The event,presented by the Native American Student Union (NASU) attracted an estimated1,300guests during the course of the daylong event.

ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at6:10p.m.Times listed are according to the clock at theApr.9meeting location,the Memorial Union’s Mee Room.

UC Davis has accepted fewer than one in two freshman applicants for fall2009. The university considered39,288applicants,admitting only18,146,or46.2percent.In comparison,last year the university received37,747freshmen applications and accepted19,762students,a52.4percent admissions rate.

In theApr.7issue of The California Aggie,the article “New eligibility requirement could mean fewer Asians at UC” incorrectly spelled Susan Hsieh,spokesperson for Chinese for Affirmative Action,as Hseih.The Aggie regrets the error.

Nearly half of graduate students in the U.S.leave without finishing their degrees,but UC Davis officials are looking to change this statistic with the creation of a new task force aimed at identifying the barriers students face.

The fairness of last quarter’s ASUCD elections will have to wait at least another week to be decided, as the court delayed hearing the complaint made by student Chris Ambriz. The court was scheduled to hear the case tonight, but cancelled the hearing late yesterday because Ambriz was late turning in his brief. The court has not yet rescheduled the hearing date.

UC Davis geneticist Neil Hunter was recently chosen by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute as one of the nation’s best and most creative early career scientists for his research on chromosome repair.Hunter,associate professor of microbiology and molecular cell biology,is one of50scientists whoreceived a$1.5million award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for research purposes.

The new UC eligibility requirements have sparked an uproar with some Asian American community leaders,who say the change will cause a decline in the university’s Asian American population. Chinese for Affirmative Action is among several national advocacy organizations that have expressed concern over the eligibility changes.The organization has suggested that the new eligibility requirements could cause “unintentional whitening” of UC.

Two parts carbon,one part nitrogen and two chickens roaming about. That was the equation for backyard composting at Project Compost’s educational workshop on Saturday in the Tri Co-ops. “Compost is what I like to call black gold,” said Liz Fitzgerald,ajuniorAmerican studies major and education and outreach coordinator for PC. “It’s just this nutrient rich soil that you can make with waste that would otherwise just sit in a landfill.“