Campus News

California's academic researchers now have a reason to breathe a little easier at night.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 2296 - The Researcher Protection Act of 2008 - into law on Sept. 28. The new law will enhance the ability of local law enforcement and prosecutors to protect academic researchers and their families from threatening and destructive tactics employed by extremist protesters.

UC Davis, renowned for its strength in the environmental sciences, is guilty of polluting Putah Creek.

The Central Valley Water Board fined the university $78,000 for 34 violations over an eight-year period dating back to 2000. The violations were for excessive levels of aluminum, chlorine, copper, cyanide, coliform, salinity, sediment and acidity.

ASUCD Senate meetings are scheduled to begin Thursdays at 6:10 p.m. Times listed are according to the clock at the Oct. 2 meeting location, the Memorial Union's Mee Room.

University of California President Mark Yudof expressed tentative support for a faculty-originated plan to restructure the freshman admissions process at the regents' September meeting at UC Irvine.

The plan, which would take effect in fall 2012, aims to expand the number of applications entitled to review by eliminating the SAT II subject test scores requirement. Supporters say this would allow a pool of otherwise qualified applicants who failed to take the test to be visible to UC.

Graduate School of Management Dean Nicole Woolsey Biggart has announced her intention to resign from her post in July and return to full time teaching and research in the fall of 2010 after a year-long sabbatical.

"I had several projects that I wanted to see put in place," Biggart said in an e-mail interview. "When I saw that these were all coming to fruition I thought it was a good time to step down and to attract my successor."

Schools are used to giving grades - not receiving them. But when the tables are turned, the truth about a university's real desire to "go green" comes out - at greenreportcard.org.

The College Sustainability Report Card, found at greenreportcard.org, evaluates 300 schools in the United States and Canada across nine categories before assigning them a letter grade -aiming to identify colleges and universities leading in their commitment to sustainability.

The Friends of the Arboretum will celebrate the grand opening of the new teaching nursery this Saturday by holding its 34th annual Plant Faire.

The sale features over 10,000 plants - mostly "All-Star plants" - Californian natives that have been hand selected by horticulturists on staff that will prosper in Davis' Mediterranean-type climate.

California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi will speak at a rally on campus today at noon in Freeborn Plaza, between the UC Davis Bookstore and Freeborn Hall.

Garamendi, who announced his bid for governor in 2010 over the summer, will speak about what it means to be a Democrat as well as his support for Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Prominent University of California scientists formally presented plans for a School of Global Health to the regents last month.

The proposed school would be the first of its kind, spanning all 10 UC campuses in a collaborative, interdisciplinary effort to solve issues that threaten the health and vitality of society.

The Middle East/South Asia Studies program has come a long way in its evolution.

Thanks to ME/SA, UC Davis offers more courses about the region in comparative literature, political science, history, art history, music and languages - including Hebrew, Arabic and Hindi/Urdu - than ever before.

UC Davis students who want to eat healthy without spending hours in the kitchen can achieve this at the Memorial Union.

The Coffee House recently announced the removal of trans-fats from its menu - a process that began last year.

Students now have another option for computing on campus.

The Department of Information & Educational Technology services recently opened their latest of eight open access computer labs on campus at 182 Shields Library, replacing the IT express help desk.

In a few months, you'll be able grab an iced venti mocha or a cold sandwich right after working out.

The ARC will open a fully-licensed, Sodexo-operated Starbucks - with genuine Starbucks drinks, architecture and merchandise - on Jan. 5. ARC officials have been planning to introduce Starbucks for some time, though the move happens to come in a year when the 5-year-old facility has made several cost-cutting moves.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the California 2008-2009 state budget Tuesday - an action that meant mixed news for the University of California, which faces numerous budget challenges in the upcoming year.

While the finalized budget included the $100 million in UC funding that was on the chopping block earlier this year, state funding for UC remains essentially flat. The budget does not provide for increased costs due to inflation or growing enrollment. As a result, the UC system will still face a net shortfall of $100 million in state funding, according to a press release from the UC newsroom.

2007-2008 Summary

The number of referrals to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs decreased in the 2007-2008 year, but this by no means implies that any less emphasis should be placed upon the issues of academic honesty and social responsibility. SJA handled 618 different academic cases. Sixty-eight different departments referred students for academic misconduct. English, math, psychology, chemistry, and history had the highest number of cases referred.