Campus News

With Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration less than a week away,and an economic collapse seemingly even closer,students are nervous to hear what challenges Obama must face and hopefully defeat.On Tuesday,over100students and community members filled the Activities and Recreation Center ballroom to attend “Challenges for the President,” where a panel of UC Davis professors discussed the social,economic,legaland foreign policy issues facing the future administration.

The wheels on the Unitrans buses may go round and round,but a different set of wheelsoncampus has slowed down lately.Adam Shapiro,a third-year clinical nutrition major,is in a wheelchair,and when he wants to get to class in Everson Hall,the uneven pathways are sometimes so rugged that he worries that his chair might tip over.

As of spring2010,UC Davisstudentswill no longer turn to the CowellStudentHealthCenter for their medical needs.Instead,theywill be able togoto the Health and Wellness Center that iscurrentlyunder construction on the west side of La Rue Road,just opposite from theActivities and Recreation Center and adjacent to The Colleges at La Rue.

In fall2009,new students will enter UC Irvine’s School of Law for the first time – all with free three-year tuition. Set to open in August,the school will let in roughly60students and has plans to accept up to200students in years to come,said Rex Bossert,communications and public affairs director for UCI’s School of Law. VictoriaOrtiz,dean of students and director of admissions for UCI School of Law,said that she expects roughly over1,000prospective students to apply by the Mar.1deadline.

For many students,getting to and from campus meansbeing uncomfortably close to strangers.Unitrans officials say they have not recorded a significant increase in ridership over the past couple of years,but many students are complaining that the buses are packed.

When they’re not in the classroom, UC Davis professors engage in cutting-edge research that expands scientific knowledge in their field of study. Some of the discoveries are small, but many have a far-reaching impact, attracting attention from national scientific organizations. Six professors at UC Davis have been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science for achievements like furthering the understanding of weight management and generating images of atomic molecules.

With President-elect Obama’s inauguration just a week away, a panel of UC Davis professors will gather tonight to discuss the various challenges facing the new president. The event will consist of individual presentations by four different professors who will discuss the economic, constitutional, social and foreign policy issues that Obama will confront when he takes office on January 20. Following the presentations, audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists.

In protest of what they claim to be steadily decreasing levels of staffing at University of California Medical Centers and Student Health Centers,UC registered nurses at five medical centers have voted to authorize bargainers to call a strike if necessary. This decision is in the midst of extended contract negotiations,which began in July2008in concern of staffing,wages and benefits.

A former UC Davis nutrition department employee was sentenced to 12months in prison for stealing$160,000of federal program funds for personal use over the course of six years.

Louis Sachs’ winter break ended early this year. He spent his break in Golan,a city in Northern Israel,with10other students on an all-Jewish educational trip.Halfway through his time abroad,on Dec.25,five Israeli soldiers from his group were called to duty.The soldiers left for Gaza the next day,beginning what officials in the Middle East are calling the most deadly attack in the on-going Israeli-Palestinian conflict.To date,the campaign has claimed the lives of880Palestinians and13Israelis,according to BBC reports.

In times where the state budget is tight and student fees are on the rise, University of California officials are debating how to account for reduced funding.One option being considered is accepting a greater percentage of out-of-stateand internationalstudents,whoseheightened tuition fees will increase revenue.

For students,as well as the administration,the concept of waitlisting is a guessing game. Barbara J.Noble,a senior associate at the Office of the University Registrar,says waitlisting is “a lot of forecasting,” where the registrar never knows exactly how many students will choose a certain class,but they try to make the best guess.