A new proposal was drafted by the Preparatory Education Committee (PEC) which outlines how to better integrate foreign and international students while attending UC Davis.

Recent statistics from the UC Davis Services for International Students and Scholars (SISS) on international students show that there are 967 at the undergraduate level, 223 in master programs, 804 in doctorate programs and 131 in exchange programs, which totals 2,125 new international students.

According to Moira Delgado, outreach coordinator for SISS, the recent lack of funding for English classes for international students has been one of the major detriments to this sector of the student body. Many are placed in English classes that have bilingual and/or native speakers. Some international students who are not native-English speakers require an intensive English program prior to starting at UC Davis.

“We are very concerned about the number of international students that are dismissed every quarter and we are currently compiling statistics as well as working with other campus units to determine the primary factors leading to dismissal. It is quite challenging for me, not to mention an international student, to understand the very de-centralized way the university operates, from admissions, financial aid, deans’ offices, student housing to SISS,” Delgado said.

This fall, the Student Academic Success Center (SASC) launched “American Cultural Values and the University Experience,” a course specifically designed for new international students. SISS is developing a mentorship program that will begin next quarter, and mentors, both U.S. and international students, will provide social connections and referrals to academic resources, according to Delgado.

Some students agree it is a challenge to adapt to a new environment but, on the whole, they are happy with the academics.

“So far it’s been slightly uphill. Finding other people on the same page, even in the same book, is tricky; it’s easy to forget that the people you know from your home university are people you’ve known for years, that it needs a while,” said Alex Clark, a third-year sociology and anthropology double major on the exchange program from England. “Luckily the academics in UC Davis have been great for me, just because they’ve allowed me to focus more in on my research work, which is why I came in the first place.”

International students often come to the SISS office when they encounter difficulties and are experiencing a heavier workload with the increasing population. The campus has responded with funds for two new positions in the office and it’s predicted that more student advisor positions will be created in the next few years.

According to Julia Menard-Warwick, an associate professor in the linguistics department and chair of the PEC, the International Advisory Committee asked PEC to write a response to a report that they drafted, outlining ways to better integrate international students.

“In our response, we strongly endorse their call for more support services for international students and give some specifics of the kind of services we consider optimal. All of this is just a recommendation, and it will be up to the administration to decide when or if to implement these ideas. Recommendations include enhanced English instruction for those who need it, specialized advising and counseling services and an intensive summer program,” Menard-Warwick said.

According to Delgado, the issues the report outlines concern the entire campus, as UC Davis is recruiting and admitting more international students with increasing budget cuts. Many believe that there should be a support system to assist international students in their adjustment to life in the United States and academics.

The Staff Development Professional Services (SDPS) is offering courses that address international student and scholar needs.

“I wish there had been more integration and immersion,” said Amy Fitzpatrick, a third-year food science major on the exchange program from Ireland. “I mean it’s great to meet the international students and have friends who understand the difficulties of being a foreigner in an American university, but at the same time I wish I had the opportunity to meet more Americans.”

The staff at SDPS is currently teaching two to three courses per quarter and will be teaching an introductory two-hour course on international students, as well as an advising course that focuses on intercultural communication, according to Delgado.

NATASHA QABAZARD can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

A study session during finals week will be hosted at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts lobby on Dec. 10, from noon to 5 p.m.

Free coffee will be offered all day, along with tables and power outlets. A ticket raffle will also be held.

This will be the first time the Mondavi Center has hosted an event like this.

According to Aggie Arts intern Maizy Enck, the idea came about at the summer orientation for interns.

“We have worked to create an event that caters to students’ study needs by providing free coffee and a comfortable study space,” Enck said in an email interview.

Enck said that classical music will also be played, because it has been shown to help maintain focus while studying.

“We know that finals weeks is an especially stressful time for UC Davis students, and as a part of the UC Davis campus, we here at the Mondavi Center feel it is our duty to help ease this stress any way we can. We hope that by providing an additional study space students will experiences less stress and have a more pleasant finals experience,” she said.

This event also offers UC Davis students the chance to interact with the Mondavi Center in a new way, according to Enck.

The Fusion Fresh Café, a food truck located right outside the Mondavi Center, will also be available to students.

— Muna Sadek

Question: My car got towed while I was parked next to a coffee shop. From my seat inside, I saw the tow truck drive up and hitch itself to my car. I ran outside and told the driver I’d move the car. He said he wouldn’t stop, since he already started the tow. I started opening my car door, and he said I could get my stuff out, but only if I “moved faster than him”. Now my car is sitting in an impound lot, accumulating $80 per day in ransom fees. As a student, I can’t afford to pay the fee, and I’m worried I’ll lose my car. Is it legal for a tow truck to tow my car when I’m practically sitting inside of it?

— Melinda A., UC Davis student living in San Francisco, CA

Answer:

It depends on whether you were on private property or public property. You’ve got a lot more rights when parked in a private parking lot that’s open to the public and free to park.

In a free, private lot open to the public, if you or your agent (a friend or family member) tell the driver to stop towing the car, the driver must immediately and unconditionally release your vehicle as long as it hasn’t been removed from the property yet. It’s against the law for them to refuse to release it when you’re standing right there in the parking lot, telling them to stop.

Also relevant: How long had you been parked there?

Because regardless of what the posted signs say, a private property owner can’t tow your car from a private lot open to the public unless it’s been sitting there for at least one hour.

There are a few exceptions. Among them, the lot must be free to park in. For example, the lots behind Jamba Juice, in front of the Vietnamese restaurant on First Street, or next to Bank of America in Davis are free to park in.

The lot near Baskin Robbins is not.

You could get towed from the Baskin Robbins lot immediately (if the signs say so), but you cannot be legally towed from the others unless you’ve been there for an hour. However, if you park in a disabled space, within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, in a fire lane or block the property’s entrance or exit, they don’t have to wait an hour to tow you.

But if you were parked in the parking lot of a residential apartment complex or in a hotel parking lot (in a space marked for a specific hotel room), you can be towed immediately.

And finally, the property owner cannot tow you unless a sign is posted saying that unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner’s expense. This sign, by the way, must measure at least 17 inches by 22 inches.

Penalties against the property owner are severe. Potentially, you can get a lot of money if you sue them for violations.

For towing your car when it’s been parked less than an hour, the property owner is liable for twice the towing and storage charges, under California Vehicle Code Section 22953(e). The towing company itself may be liable for four times the towing and storage charges if they don’t try to determine whether the property owner has complied with the one-hour requirement [according to] CVC Section 22658(l)(5). The company also owes you quadruple damages for failing to accept Visa, Discover, Mastercard or American Express cards as payment for the towing and storage.

You can sue either the tow company or the property owner in small claims court, which isn’t too difficult. (Avid Reader in downtown Davis has a great section on legal self-help books by a company called Nolo).

But if your car was parked on the public street and towed for having more than five parking tickets, you’re mostly screwed. But even then, you still have rights against the towing company if they damage your car, charge more than one day’s storage fees if you pick it up within 24 hours, fail to accept American Express or commit a half-dozen other common violations.

Check the California Vehicle Code on the DMV’s website for more information.

Question: I read your last column about Facebook’s Terms of Service, and it got me thinking. What’s to stop Facebook from making you agree to give them your first-born child?
— Carl R., Santa Clara, CA

A: The Thirteenth Amendment.

Seriously, though, slavery is unconstitutional. You cannot sell yourself into slavery, and you cannot sell other people into slavery. And not all contracts are valid, regardless of whether both parties agree to their terms. The courts will not enforce unconscionable contracts or contracts that violate state or federal law.

This applies to all contracts, not just online terms of service.

For example, though your landlord might think otherwise, that lease you signed cannot waive your right to a habitable apartment, which California courts have defined as one that includes a deadbolt lock and a functioning heater, among other things. If your apartment does not have a deadbolt or if the heater is broken, there’s a good argument you don’t owe rent until the problem is fixed.

You can check out caltenantlaw.com for more examples of unenforceable provisions in lease agreements.

Daniel is a Sacramento attorney, former Davis City Council candidate, and graduate of UC Davis School of Law. He’ll answer questions sent to him at governorwatts@gmail.com or tweeted to @governorwatts.