Features

A lack of funding and resources in America’s public education system has made a large impact on public schools in low-income areas. The absence of properly trained teachers is one reason why children in those areas receive poor levels of education. Teach For America seeks to eliminate this problem. In an effort to close the country’s achievement gap, the nationwide TFA program recruits and trains highly motivated individuals to teach in these disadvantaged regions. “By the time children in low-income levels are nine, they are back three grade levels. I had fourth graders who couldn’t read [the] Harry Potter [series],” said Amber Saloner, Pacific Coastal Senior Recruitment Director for TFA. “We want to equip them. We want you to empower the students,” she said.

TODAY Sunrise ceremony 6:15 a.m. Putah Creek fire pit This early morning ceremony opens Native American Culture Days. Refreshments will be provided. Math Café 5 to 7 p.m. 104 North Hall Get a good serving of mathematics at this weekly tutoring session with the Women’s Resources and Research Center. Women and men are both welcome. Native American film festival 5 to 8:30 p.m. Silo Café and Pub When do you ever get to go to a triple feature for free? There will also be a two-spirit program and a presentation on D-Q University. Free refreshments provided at this Native American Culture Days event! Biotech talk 5:30 to 7 p.m. 2005 Plant and Environmental Sciences Join the Biotech Club for a guest lecture on vegetable oils and commercialization!

The American Cancer Society says “cancer never sleeps,” and for 24 hours, neither did the participants of Relay for Life. Approximately 1,700 participants took part in the American Cancer Society’s 24-hour relay-style marathon and fundraiser Saturday at Toomey Field, organized by the UC Davis Colleges Against Cancer chapter. By press time, Relay for Life had raised at least $123,685 for the ACS for cancer research and advocacy, though Ashley Stark, Relay for Life co-chair, anticipates the number will be higher after final counts have been made. UC Davis’ Relay for Life has been the top college relay in California for three years, Stark said.

080404_fe_arboretum.CHeadline: Bonjour Paris, Ni Hao Shanghai and Hello Study AbroadLayercake: Deadline to apply for UC Davis Summer Abroad next FridayBy JACKSON YANAggie Staff Writer Go south and greet Buenos Aires with an Hola. Head north and say Hello to Ireland. Venture west and say Bonjour to Paris or go east to say Ni Hao to […]

TODAY Try Before You Buy week 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Activities and Recreation Center Want to shake it up with belly dance or spin class? See what the ARC has to offer by taking its recreation classes for free this week. Folk music session Noon to 1 p.m. UC Davis Arboretum Wyatt Deck Settle in for lunchtime folk, blues and old time music, or bring your banjo and join in.

Fancy capes, tight spandex and weird sidekicks are optional for the UC Davis Human Corps’ annual Week of Service. Instead, altruism, selflessness and a willingness to get a little dirty for the community will suffice for anyone who wants to be a hero. Community service is an act of heroism, said Courtney Millhoff, Human Corps student manager. [Volunteer and] be a community service hero. Located in South Hall, Human Corps strives to establish volunteer opportunities between the campus community and organizations in the Davis and Sacramento areas.

TODAY Try Before You Buy week 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Activities and Recreation Center Want to shake it up with belly dance or spin class? See what the ARC has to offer by taking its recreation classes for free this week. Free concert 12:05 p.m. 115 Music This concert features Bharati Soman, soprano, with Margaret Kapasi, pianoand Rachel Howerton, horn. Works by Rachmaninoff, Scarlatti, Reger, Brahms and Schubert.

TODAY Try Before You Buy week 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Activities and Recreation Center Want to shake it up with a belly dance or spin class? See what the ARC has to offer by taking its recreation classes for free this week. Farmers Market 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. East Quad Get fresh fruits, veggies and snacks at this convenient farmers market.

In a town full of bicycles and environmental friendliness, it’s refreshing to remember that there are still red-blooded, meat-eating, beer-drinking, sports-loving Americans out there. For people suffering from this nostalgia, the recently inaugurated Davis Motorsports Club is proof that not everything has been lost to this organic-solar-powered-renewable-new-age California nonsense. DMC’s official mission statement is to maintain motorsport enthusiasm in the Davis community. How do these patriots carry out their stated goal? Try waking up at 6 a.m. on weekends to attend autocross rallies – autox for short – all over the state of California.

TODAY Math Café 5 to 7 p.m. 104 North Hall Get a good serving of mathematics at this weekly tutoring session with the Women’s Resources and Research Center. Women and men are both welcome. Linux Users’ Group of Davis meeting 6:30 to 9 p.m. Blanchard Room, Davis Branch Public Library, 315 E. 14th St. Celebrate LUGOD’s birthday and learn about the Open Source Security Information Management project at this meeting.

TODAY Math Café 5 to 7 p.m. 104 North Hall Get a good serving of mathematics at this weekly tutoring session with the Women’s Resources and Research Center. Women and men are both welcome. Linux Users’ Group of Davis meeting 6:30 to 9 p.m. Blanchard Room, Davis Branch Public Library, 315 E. 14th St. Celebrate LUGOD’s birthday and learn about the Open Source Security Information Management project at this meeting.

There are a number of ways a 20-year-old could use $30,000. A new car, for instance, or maybe a college fund. However, Tanner Bixler, a junior economics major, has been raising $30,000 for a different cause – to climb Mount Everest. On Mar. 27, Bixler will be embarking on a journey he has been dreaming about since he summited Alaska’s Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, at the age of 16. At that time, the San Diego, Calif. native was invited to climb Everest, but his high school had no intention of allowing him to skip school and ruin his chances of attending college.