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MUSE speaks with Good Old War’s Tim Arnold

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

October 25, 2012

Philadelphia-based folk trio Good Old War has been making waves in the indie music scene ever since their 2008 debut album Only Way To Be Alone. Formed from the breakup of the rock band Days Away, Good Old War has been described as having “captivated countless audiences with their acoustic-driven, sing-along inspiring live performances,” according to their website. Their newest CD, titled Come Back as Rain, was recorded in 2011 and released to rave reviews, being stated as having “a rousing intensity that will certainly be familiar to anyone who’s witnessed their live show.” MUSE got the chance to interview Tim Arnold, drummer and vocalist for Good Old War. Good Old War will be performing at Freeborn Hall along with NeedToBreathe on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

MUSE: How did you first get involved with Good Old War?

Arnold: Keith and I were in a band before Good Old War called Days Away. That didn’t really work out, but we met Dan in Philly and we decided to do something simpler with acoustic guitars.

Which musicians or bands would you say have inspired you and the rest of the band?

I think everything inspires us in a good way and a bad way. Everything we’ve ever listened to is an inspiration. Of course, The Beatles, we can agree on that.

How does Good Old War’s creative process work?

Someone comes in with a song; it’s usually Keith or Dan. They’ll come in with a demo, and then we’ll sit down and make it a Good Old War song. It’s a very collaborative process. It all starts as a seed in someone’s brain, and then it grows.

How does the experience of playing live differ from the recording studio?

There’s more energy, and you’re put on the spot. It’s more of a calm setting in the studio; when it’s live, it’s being presented and you’ve got one chance to do it. They’re both fulfilling experiences, in my opinion.

In addition to the drums, you also play the accordion. What do you feel this unique instrument brings to the band’s sound?

Well, I try to play the accordion; I’m not a virtuoso in any sense of the word. But it’s a new color to add to your painting.

The band’s music has been described as “sing-along inspiring.” What part does the audience play during a live performance?

A huge part. We want it to be a party situation, where everyone is having fun and [is] involved. It’s not necessarily us just putting on a show, it’s us hosting a party.

What can we expect from Good Old War in the future?

We’re probably going to start our new record in the winter. We’re also going to tour as much as we can, but anything can happen.

To hear some of Good Old War’s music, visit goodoldwar.com. Tickets are available at the Freeborn box office for the Oct. 30 concert.

BRETT BUNGE can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Former campus police officer sues University for alleged discrimination

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 25, 2012

Nearly 10 years ago, Calvin Chang, the first openly gay and Asian American officer on his force, allegedly faced racist and homophobic slurs during his time with the UC Davis Police Department. He filed a discrimination lawsuit in 2009. The case is still active.

“Chang’s lawsuit seeks a reinstatement to his position as a UC Davis Police Officer, and damages for the loss of his career and retirement benefits,” stated a press release from the Luti Law Firm.

According to Chang, there will be a civil jury trial in Sacramento County that is expected to last about a month. They plan to summon UC Davis police as witnesses, including former police chief Annette Spicuzza.

“They do not have to produce her since she is no longer employed, but we plan to look for her,” Chang said.

In 2002, when Chang was first employed with the UC Davis police force, he was excited to be working for his alma mater after working on the City of Davis police force.

Chang said he is most frustrated with the University’s inability to take action.

“This is a continuous pattern. They have policies, but do not follow them,” Chang said.

Over 300 documents were filed with the court and there were six denied attempts by the University to have the case dismissed. Ultimately, there has been a jury trial date set for Nov. 5.

“I’ve been asking for reinstatement. I have not been hired since 2008. My only option is to [be reinstated] as a police officer for UC Davis. I want individuals to be held accountable,” Chang said.

According to Claudia Morain, news service manager at University Communications, Chang resigned from his position in 2009.

“This month the court threw out those claims, with prejudice. ‘With prejudice’ means that these complaints cannot be brought back to the courts,” Morain said. “With this latest victory for the university, 90 percent of Mr. Chang’s complaints have now been dismissed. Only two minor complaints related to the handling of his personnel file remain. He will now have to persuade a jury that he was wronged.”

Chang said that shortly after the lawsuit was filed in February of 2009, an officer and sergeant posted degrading comments on the internet. The internet access was traced to a UC Davis computer. Spicuzza was confronted, but no action was taken, Chang said.

For the Nov. 5 court date, the witness list states, “1. Annette Spicuzza (Defendant previously agreed that they would produce this person for trial).; 2. Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef.; 3. Chancellor Linda Katehi.”

This list also includes current Police Chief Matthew Carmichael and former UC Davis Police Lieutenant John Pike.

Chang is being represented by Hollywood Civil Rights Attorneys Anthony Luti and Dennis P. Wilson.

DANIELLE HUDDLESTUN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Women’s soccer preview

Sports Editor

October 25, 2012

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Fullerton; UC Riverside

Records: Aggies, 7-8-2 (2-4-1); Titans, 8-8-0 (5-2-0); Highlanders, 6-9-3 (1-5-1)
Where: Aggie Soccer Stadium
When: Friday at 2 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.
Who to watch: The women’s soccer team’s offense has been plagued with sluggish first halves lately. UC Davis has been falling behind early and playing catch up for most of their games. In order to be first on the scoreboard the Aggies will need senior Allison Kelly to connect early and often.

The Sacramento, Calif. native was the Aggies’ most productive offensive player last year. This season she’s still among the top scorers for UC Davis. These two home games could be her last as an Aggie and she will need to utilize her speed and footwork to ensure a pair of victories.

Did you know? UC Davis kicks off the weekend against Cal State Fullerton. The TItans are fresh off their big win over top-ranked Cal Poly. The Mustangs were undefeated until their trip to Southern California resulted in a 0-4 loss to Fullerton.

Preview: UC Davis is playing for pride. Their seventh place ranking means they will most likely not be invited to play in the Big West Conference championship tournament. However, this is a young squad and these games are crucial for setting the tone for next season.

Kicking off against Fullerton will be a challenge. The Titans are ranked fourth in the conference and they will be desperate to hold their top-four ranking so they can make the conference championship.

Fullerton’s offense had a field day against Cal Poly last Sunday and it will prove to be a challenge for the Aggie defense.

The Aggie offense also needs to find their legs early. They have struggled to produce in the first half, which has dug them into some holes they could not score their way out of later on.

Head Coach MaryClaire Robinson is aware of the consequences of these slow starts.

“[In past games] it took us a bit to get our legs and we found ourselves in [holes] early.”

UC Riverside will also be a tough game to win. Highlander goalkeeper Jessica White was named conference Defensive

Player of the Week for her incredible performances in last week’s tie against Cal Poly and 1-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara.

The Highlanders are also playing for pride as they close out the season. Sunday’s match against the Aggies will likely be both teams’ last game of the season and neither will want to close it out on a loss.

These games will be determined by which team is willing to fight harder. The Aggies have plenty of resiliency and hopefully the home crowd will give them the extra boost of energy they will need to close out the weekend with two wins.

— Kim Carr

Guest Opinion

Opinion

Opinion

October 25, 2012

Last week, I, along with many members of the ASUCD Senate and The Aggie, received word from Yara Zokaie that she would be officially resigning her post as a member of the Senate.

I appreciate the fact that Miss Zokaie has decided to move on, as greater endeavors await her during and after law school. Finally, ASUCD can close the book on this sideshow and continue working for our fellow Aggies.

While overinflated theatrics and rhetoric are part of Miss Zokaie’s repertoire as a disgruntled and long-distance Senator, there are a few charges that she leveled in her resignation that I believe ought to be set straight:

Zokaie stated that I refused to appoint an impartial replacement for the seat she vacated when leaving for law school.

I would have been more than happy to include Zokaie in the hiring and appointment process of the new senator who would have filled her position.

Unfortunately, she told to me that she would not question whether I would include her, or take her opinions into consideration, because she did not trust me. Her trust is her decision, but I did not refuse any measure of cooperation and never did we discuss even what an “impartial replacement” would mean.

Zokaie stated that I made policy decisions that were catastrophic for ASUCD.

I have never put the Association in a catastrophic situation. Rather, I have worked throughout my term to counter the threat of situations that indeed could have been catastrophic for the Association. These include writing a fiscally responsible budget, negotiating down the Association’s Direct Cost Agreement, preventing the Association from joining the Shared Service Center, negotiating down the amount of the UC Office of the President Tax on our units and negotiating beneficial MOUs for ASUCD with other campus departments.

Zokaie stated that I refused to cooperate with the legislative branch.

This is simply inaccurate. I attended every Senate meeting during Spring Quarter 2012 to update the Senate on the goings on of the executive office, the progress of the Association’s taxes and the writing of the annual budget, among other issues.

Our ASUCD Executive Office has, and will continue to, focus on advocating for UC Davis students while the state continues divesting in the UC, and the UC Regents continue proposing tuition increases and shrinking class offerings.

Column: TV’s best character

Opinion

Opinion

October 25, 2012

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Don’t teach a man to fish, and you feed yourself. He’s a grown man. Fishing’s not that hard.”

The world is cutthroat. The pursuit of independence naturally lends itself to a more self-centered existence, and as life goes on, we have less and less time for other people. There will always be people who can theoretically help us, but social economics makes it increasingly difficult to justify going out of our way for other people.

“Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”

Pretty straightforward.

“Friends: one to three is sufficient.”

Also straightforward.

“The important thing is the dam is never happening, and your dream has been crushed.”

Human instinct is to go for self-preservation, but it’s often best to be direct with unpleasant news, or to be honest with yourself if you think you’re wasting your time. Resolutely finishing a plate of shit just because you bought it helps absolutely nobody.

If you’re in a shitty relationship, don’t hesitate to say “I’m not romantically attracted to you anymore, and there are other people I’d rather be boning.” People are stronger, more capable and more adaptable than they often seem. Nobody likes getting jerked around by the bureaucracy of life.

“I enjoy government functions like I enjoy getting kicked in the nuggets with a steel-toed boot. But this hotel always served bacon-wrapped shrimp. That’s my favorite food wrapped around my third favorite food. I’d go to a banquet in honor of those Somali pirates if they served bacon-wrapped shrimp.”

It’s impossible to be 100 percent true to your convictions. Compromise and concessions are the only way to get things done, and you just have to take the bad (government functions) with the good (bacon-wrapped shrimp, holy shit).

“You’re on a desert island. What’s the one thing you bring with you?”

“Silence.”

Small talk is one of the most important smokescreens in life, but it’s also one of the most irritating. We’ve all been on that awkward car ride where the driver/passenger refuses to shut up, and you lose out on two hours of sleep and introspection. Silence is golden, and more people should understand that. The stars never shine brighter and the world never seems more poignantly wondrous than when the sound of silence settles in.

When silence falls over a large group and that one guy ruins it by chuckling “Tee hee, this sure is an awkward silence,” my first instinct is to rip his intestines out and snarl with savage fury, because silence has come and gone and left humdrum reality in its wake. Former President Lyndon Johnson said it best: “Only talk when it improves the silence.”

“When I walked in this morning and saw the flag was at half-mast I thought, ‘Alright, another bureaucrat ate it.’ But then I saw it was Li’l Sebastian. Half-mast is too high. Show some damn respect.”

For those who aren’t familiar with Parks and Rec, Li’l Sebastian is a miniature pony who embodies the underdog spirit of Pawnee. His death sends shockwaves reverberating through the community, and Ron Swanson is visibly affected by his passing.

Even emotional tanks like Ron Swanson have things they care deeply about and truly believe in, and it’s that implicit compassion and tenderness that keeps humanity from collapsing in on itself. After spending most of this column asserting the shittiness of humanity, it’s only fair to acknowledge the inherent goodness that most people not named Mitt Romney have.

BEN CHANG will engage you in awkward conversation at bcchang@ucdavis.edu.

News in Brief: Pumpkin Smash Bash, Monster Bash on Oct. 27

City News

City Editor

October 25, 2012

The First Annual Pumpkin Smash Bash, hosted by the Heidrick Ag History Center, will be on Saturday, Oct. 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at 1962 Hays Lane in Woodland.

The fundraising event will feature adult trick-or-treating (beer tasting), a pumpkin smashing contest, costume contest, a raffle and other festivities.

The winner of the raffle will get to take a helicopter ride donated by Joe Heidrick and smash a pumpkin 100 feet in the air.

Included in the price of admission are four complimentary beer tastings, a free pumpkin and one food serving.

The Heidrick Ag History Center contains over 300 farming and transportation implements and vehicles.

Tickets for the event are $30 for members and $35 for the general public.

— Claire Tan

Football Preview

Sports Editor

October 25, 2012

Teams: UC Davis vs. Portland State
Records: Aggies, 3-5 (2-3); Vikings, 2-5 (1-3)
Where: Aggie Stadium – Davis, California
When: Saturday at 2 p.m.
Who to Watch: This week the defensive line will be asked to do a lot to set the tone for the defense. The Aggies will face a team that has only given up three sacks this entire year in.

Junior defensive tackle Andrew Benjamin and sophomore defensive end Nick King who share the team lead in sacks (4.5), will face the issue of getting pressure on the quarterback while staying gap sound to prevent big holes for the opposition.

Did you know? The Aggies have played Portland State several times throughout the years. The series record leans toward Portland State 7-4. However, UC Davis has won three out of the last four meetings between the two teams.

The last three games have been offensive showcases, with each game accumulating over 60 points between the two teams. This week may turn out to be no different, as many expect another high-scoring game between these two teams.

Preview: This week the Aggies return home to play the Portland State Vikings after playing two consecutive weeks on the road. Both teams are coming off tough losses last week and are seeking redemption.

The Aggies are coming off a 21-7 loss to Northern Arizona where they had a tough time capitalizing on their drives. The offense was able to move the ball down the field, however they crumbled close to the end zone.

“We moved the ball consistently against Northern Arizona, the best defense in the Big Sky. It’s just about capitalizing on those opportunities. Last week we missed a chip shot field goal and we were stopped at the five yard line on the last drive,” said head coach Bob Biggs. “We just have to do a better job, maybe mix in some play action and screens. We have to make the plays that we couldn’t last week.”

Quarterback Randy Wright and the passing game will be looked upon to have a huge game, as Portland State’s passing defense ranks amongst the bottom in the Big Sky.

Wright will seek to return to a performance similar to two weeks prior when he threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns compared to last week, throwing for under 200 yards and two interceptions.

As mentioned before, the UC Davis offense will go up against Portland State’s formidable pistol offense. Currently, Portland State is third in total offense in the Big Sky, averaging 442.3 total yards and 34.6 points per game.

“Portland State runs a pistol offense which is very deceptive so we have to be aware of a lot of misdirection plays and counters. Their deception puts a lot more pressure on our defense,” Biggs said. “We just need to stay at home and make sure we are gap sound.”

However, the records show that it is always a shootout when these two teams meet up. The Aggies will focus on stopping Portland State’s running back DJ Adams, who is currently ranked third in the Big Sky in rushing. They will also have their hands full with true freshman quarterback Kieran McDonagh.

This week the Aggies will be playing at home during Parent and Family weekend. The Aggies are currently 2-1 at home while Portland State is 0-4 on the road.

“So far the students have been fantastic and have left their marks on the games,” Biggs said. “Like we always say, we don’t play for ourselves but for the student body as well. Seeing a big crowd out there will definitely motivate our players to hopefully get back on the winning track.”

— Jason Min

Campus Judicial Report

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 25, 2012

Hard-knock life
A first-year student was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) by the police for an alcohol violation in the dorms. The student had multiple previous offenses of the same type, and this time, the drinking resulted in hospitalization. After talking with a judicial officer, she agreed to deferred separation status and was removed from the dorms along with being referred to Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Intervention Services (ATODIS). Deferred separation is an agreement whereby the student waives their right to a formal hearing should they be referred again, knowing that they will be suspended if found in violation once more.

Liar, liar
A student was sent to SJA after furnishing fabricated information to his dean’s office in an attempt to retroactively drop a class. He claimed that a friend had died, but it was uncovered that this was not the case. It was not the student’s first violation, so after meeting with a judicial officer, he was suspended and received community service.

Time’s up!
A graduate student was sent to SJA after continuing to work on an exam after time was called and even after being asked to stop. He claimed that there were others who also worked past the time limit but understood that this was still a violation. He received a censure due to the fact that this was his first violation of the Code of Academic Conduct. A censure is a strong warning whereby the student is notified of the University policy he violated and advised that if referred again, he would receive more serious sanctions.

Aggie Digest

Sports Editor

October 25, 2012

The UC Davis cross country teams have had a couple weeks of rest after an intense fall season, but will need all the energy they can get at this year’s Big West Championships.

The meet will take place on Saturday in Riverside for the fifth year in a row, with both the men and the women competing at the UC Riverside Ags/Ops Course.

The Aggie women took the championship last year, averaging a 20:59 through their top five runners.

Current junior Sarah Sumpter placed second with a 20:33.7 time and is the top returner from last year’s field.

Sumpter was followed by juniors Alycia Cridebring in eighth place and Shannon Harcus, who placed 28th.

Sumpter and Cridebring have been consistently pacing the Aggies and will almost definitely be some of the top performers in the field.

With a 12th-place finish at the Pre-Nationals meet in Louisville, Ky. Sumpter secured her place as one of the elite runners in the nation and will be a strong force for UC Davis at the Big West Championships.

UC Davis is the sixth-ranked team in the west region and even received votes for the national rankings after their 10th-place finish at the NCAA Pre-Nationals.

The UC Davis men will be competing with a lot of first-timers at the Big West meet. The Aggie men placed sixth last year at the meet, with Jon Peterson (class of 2012) placing fifth as an individual.

Current junior Nathan Strum was the highest finisher for UC Davis that is returning this year. The San Jose, Calif. native finished 36th overall.

The Aggies have been led by sophomore Trevor Halsted at most of the meets this year, and are looking to make a push to surprise the conference with their young roster.

The women’s 6K run will start off the day and the men will race afterwards.

— Matthew Yuen

Program offers students and staff chance to create productions

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

October 25, 2012

Institute for Exploration in Theatre, Dance and Performance (ITDP), a program aimed at helping develop research in the aforementioned fields for Aggie students, faculty and staff, is brand new to the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance this year.

According to the ITDP website, the main goal is to “further research through practical exploration and application.” This allows ITDP applicants to put on a wide range of productions, whether it be dance performances or comedic plays.

The ITDP department supplies applicants with rehearsal space, costumes, furniture and other basic necessities in order to produce a production.

In addition, an effort is made to promote each new production with the help of Facebook posts, placements on the ITDP website, newsletters and flyers. Beyond that, each project is handled according to the respective scale and format — no tickets are sold and spaces for each performance are not delegated in advance.

Undergraduate student Kevin Adamski has looked to ITDP to help with the upcoming December production of Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a comedy by playwright Sarah Ruhl that deals with a technology-obsessed world. Adamski commented on ITDP’s helpfulness and how it’s allowed him to put more effort into his directorial duties.

“As I’m still learning and honing my craft, I greatly appreciated the assistance and learning opportunities from working with a faculty adviser,” Adamski said. “I also appreciate the resources the department generously provides to the project, something I would struggle to find outside of the university environment. Without having to worry extensively about resources, I can focus on directing and research.”

Adamski also talked about how ITDP handles its main goal of furthering research in a particular field. In this case, the program helped develop his honors project on directing.

“I’m using my ITDP project to help inform my honors project on the craft of directing,” Adamski said. “Having already taken both directing classes offered through the department and directing short works through The Dead Arts Society and the department’s Edge festival, developing my craft through working on a full-length show was the next logical step.”

Although Dead Man’s Cell Phone is one of many intriguing performances scheduled this quarter for ITDP, there have already been successful productions with the help of the program. Among them is Today I Live, a play written by MFA candidate Susan-Jane Harrison. It’s a tale of an isolated Persian woman and an Irish mapmaker from another era and their emotional struggles as themes of foreign culture and displacement are tackled.

Harrison highlighted ITDP’s assistance in the promotion of Today I Live as a bright spot in her collaboration with the program.

“One of the most helpful things we received was publicity support which was undertaken by the publicist in the department,” Harrison said. “They did a really nice flyer and an email blast which ensured that we had a good-sized audience.”

The production of Today I Live, which took place earlier this month, was cited as an overall positive experience by Harrison.

“I was very happy to have had the opportunity to share my work and receive feedback from professors and fellow students, professionals in the theater world,” Harrison said. “Their input was invaluable, as well as what I gained through performing and experiencing the play from the inside.”

Although the season for Fall quarter is lined up at this point, ITDP is still accepting submissions for Winter quarter from anyone on campus through Nov. 19. The submission forms can be found at theatredance.ucdavis.edu.

ANTHONY LABELLA can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Men’s soccer preview

Sports Editor

October 24, 2012

Teams: UC Davis (7-5-4, 5-2) at UC Santa Barbara (9-3-3, 3-3-1)

Where: Harder Stadium — Santa Barbara, California

When: Sunday at 2 p.m.

Who to watch: Junior forward Alex Henry’s game-winning goal and assist led the UC Davis men’s soccer team to back-to-back wins over UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton and led to his selection as the Big West Conference Offensive Player of the Week two weeks in a row. Henry scored a clearance past the Titan defense in the 79th minute that skipped into the lower right corner of the goal.

In addition, Henry was named to the Soccer America Men’s Team of the Week this past week after the two wins. We expect nothing less than a solid and exciting performance from Alex Henry in the upcoming match against UCSB.

Did you know? Two years ago, the Aggies lost to UC Santa Barbara 2-1 in double overtime. The Gauchos took a 1-0 lead with a goal only nine minutes in as James Kiffe’s cross found Michael Nonni for a header shot into the right corner of the net.

UC Davis countered with a goal in the 33rd minute from Lance Patterson, his fifth of the season. The teams remained even through the first overtime period, before McGlynn’s gamewinner in the 102nd minute gave UC Santa Barbara the 2-1 win.

Preview: Coming off a 3-1 win over Sacramento State to capture the top spot in the Big West Championships, the Aggies are in a prime position at this moment.

After months of hard work and practice, the UC Davis men’s soccer team has been able to achieve the peak of their potential thus far and will strive to repeat these efforts as the end of the regular season nears.

This upcoming Sunday, the Aggies will face the Gauchos for the second time this season. UC Davis came away with an impressive 1-0 victory against UCSB, due to Alex Henry’s goal in the 85th minute of play. Henry’s free kick from the right wing soared past the hands of Gaucho goalkeeper Austin Mansker.

The Aggies have continued to put the pressure on their opponents in the subsequent matches, while the Gauchos have sustained a tumultuous season.

This past game, the Gauchos lost to Cal Poly 2-1 at home. Currently, UCSB is fourth in the Big West Championships with 13 points, trailing Cal Poly, Sacramento State and UC Davis.

With these past performances in mind and the prospect of an exciting and fulfilling finish to come, the Aggies are tremendously eager for the upcoming matchup.

“It’s a great place to play and I know that they’re going to be fired up to play against us. Any time you get to play at Santa Barbara, in that facility in that kind of a crowd, I think it’s just an exciting game for anybody,” said head coach Dwayne Shaffer. “My players are going to be as excited as I am to go down there. It’s just a great place to play.”

— Veena Bansal

Organic community in Davis fights for Prop. 37

City Editor

October 24, 2012

Organic community in Davis fights for Prop. 37

The small crowd at Monticello at 630 G St. was vocal during the discussion about Proposition 37 on Oct. 21. Earlier that day Monticello hosted a small Food Day event, in which various farms showed up and sold organic food.

The Prop. 37 campaign advocates “The Right to Know.” The proposition was drafted in order to label genetically-modified foods, or GMOs. It gained support from a number of organic food growers, who would be exempt from the proposition, but the opposition ranges from Pepsi Co. to DuPont.

Many people seemed to have made up their minds already about the initiative.

“I have a strong hate for GMOs,” said Robert Winiecki, owner of High Grade Harvest, an organic plant supply store.

Becky Winters, owner of Bliss Creations, a local raw dessert business, had a similar opinion.

“I think people have the right to make an informed decision,” she said.

This was Monticello’s first Food Day event after the announcement of “National Food Day” last year. The event was a small precursor to the discussion, starting at 4 p.m. and lasting over two hours.

The panel discussion, hosted by UC Davis Slow Food, was there to increase awareness about GMOs. The panelists included two organic farmers, Sally Fox and Jim Eldon; Tom Fendley, who is the political director for Prop. 37; and Dr. Kent Bradford, director of the Seed Biotechnology Center and a professor at UC Davis. Desmond Jolly, a UC Davis agricultural economist, moderated the discussion.

Many of the panelists discussed reasons for wanting foods labeled, including not knowing what was in such foods, and the ability of genetically-modified crops to have adverse affects on the environment.

The proponents of Prop. 37 state that this labeling process would not be as difficult as some might say.

“Indeed, in spite of the efforts of the opponent to present the issue as incredibly complicated, it actually is not,” Fendley said. “When you set aside the question of if these foods are ‘safe’ or [the question of cost], when you set all that aside it really is rather simple. At the end of the day it is about giving consumers the right to choose.”

However, Dr. Bradford came back to Fendley’s point by saying that the system for enforcing the proposition would be through legal action and civil suits.

“[The proposition would require] a string of affidavits all the way back to the farmer,” Dr. Bradford said.

Some of the audience members were concerned that the initiative did not go far enough in labeling dairy, meat or alcohol.

“We can’t legally cover those, they are governed under different laws,” Fendley said.

Dr. Bradford, on the other hand, pointed out some key issues with the proposition itself.

“Mandated labeling is very important, but now we’re talking about labeling food that ‘may have been’ produced using genetic engineering. I don’t know how you could be any more vague to a consumer,” Dr. Bradford said. “Every fruit tree in the state is often two different species. I personally don’t think it’s so strange that we can graft a small piece of a chromosome to another species.”

Monsanto was invited to the event, but did not attend.

Fendley listed agricultural businesses Monsanto, Dupont, Bayer and BASF as the main contributors against Prop. 37.

“They have a grip on political power in this country,” Fendley said. “That’s why it is such a great opportunity not to count on elected officials who are heavily influenced by these companies.”

Monsanto and others have contributed over $30 million to the No on Prop. 37 campaign, while the support for Prop. 37 has raised a little under $10 million.

JULIE WEBB can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Column: Wirelessly bound

Opinion

Opinion

October 24, 2012

So you’re at your favorite, fervently frequented, friendly neighborhood café, whittling away at your 10-page thesis on “Why banana peels turn from yellow to brown,” which you’ve totally had the past six weeks to work on, but that dastardly charlatan known as “life” got in your way.

Between every painstakingly pecked-out line, you stop to check your emails, your text messages and of course, to browse Facebook and post a status along the lines of “Stressed out to the max! Why does this paper have to be due on the same day as my Intermediate Symbolic Logic midterm?”

All of this is done on your wonderful little smartphone. Chances are it’s an iPhone, America’s little darling.

Once exhausted of your immediate go-tos for “recharging your mental battery,” you decide to take a look around the café and see what your fellow patrons are up to.

You observe a young couple at an adjacent table, and your eyes begin to mist over in awe and admiration.

They’re sitting, facing each other, eyes cast downward, engrossed in their phones. Ah, how sweet love can be! Their mutual fixation to their phones is symbolic of their adoration for each other.

Blessed is the day when two people can have sincere human interaction between one another without even speaking!

Everywhere you go, people will have their phones whipped out; they may genuinely be busy in important matters like getting their next high score on Temple Run, or they may be passing the time in some inane manner like reading the news or checking up on the weather.

They also make excellent social commas. We all know the maneuver where you’re with a friend and they suddenly bump into someone they know, or need to excuse themselves to the restroom: the cell phone gets pulled out automatically, as if it were the most natural response. One swift, fluid hand motion into your pocket and out comes the cell phone.

“Oh would you look at that! The moment I lost your attention I suddenly have very urgent matters to attend to on my phone. How serendipitous!”

But beside being a merciless, ruthless, cold-blooded killer of time and a fantastic way to look preoccupied, our phones serve as our ever-present and ever-faithful social Swiss army knives.

They really do everything!

Even vibrate.

Therein lies the conundrum. With our phones being so “essential” to our lives, there is a level of disconnect that comes with them. It’s hard to define what genuine human interaction is. But my gut is telling me that two people who are sitting face to face, yet simultaneously transfixed by a 4.7 inch active-matrix organic light-emitting diode screen, wouldn’t fit that bill.

And it doesn’t stop there. You can now legitimately end relationships with a few words sent via your amazing little screen. You don’t have to talk to said person personally. In fact, you don’t even need to hear their voice.

It’s your friend’s birthday? Who ever heard about sending them birthday cards or baking a cake? A quick “happy bday” via text will suffice. Spelling out the word birthday is just too unnecessary. You’ve got to save your manual dexterity for Angry Birds after all.

Don’t get me wrong, with the advent of smartphones, the world has become a vastly different place — in many ways a better one. But it seems that some of us have forgotten what it was like before Apple’s wondrous black rectangles descended from heaven and into our pockets.

Should we even bother going back to the simpler days where two people could chat over a coffee without fear or want of checking their phone? When the preferred mean of passing time was a yo-yo? Back to the days where you would check to see if you had your pocket watch and handkerchief in your pockets before leaving rather than your cell phone, wallet and keys. Or are those days as dead and gone as the dinosaurs and vampires?

It honestly doesn’t matter either way. How people choose to spend their time together is entirely up to them. I, for one, would like to put a little more attention into my relations with people. So if you ever see me fidgeting with my cell phone while I’m in the presence of others, you have full permission to swat it out of my hands.

ANDREW POH is always checking his email on his smartphone, so don’t hesitate to get in touch with him at apoh@ucdavis.edu.

Wheeling in a new sustainable building

Features

Features Editor

October 24, 2012

Davis emanates eco-friendliness. We ride bicycles and use public transportation. We eat local foods and drink free-trade coffee. The UC Davis School of Education, which is in the planning stages of a new sustainable building, is joining the trend.

The School of Education once held classes in the Academic Surge and offices in its own building. The new building, which will be next door to the current one, will unite the the school.

And sustainability is something that the school will be actively thinking about as the building plans go forward.

“We’re going to do our best to make it a really sustainable building, but I just don’t know what factors will go into that,” said Harold Levine, the dean of the School of Education. “It’s way too early; we just started this process a few months ago.”

With preliminary drawings in the works, students are preparing for the new facilities by evaluating the recycled swivel chairs. These chairs, called Nodes, are one example of the new building’s sustainable mission.

The Node is a recycled-plastic chair for students that Eugen Dunlap, computer resource specialist at the School of Education, first saw at an all-campus sustainability meeting. It acts as a cornerstone for the sustainable building’s blueprints.

The chair is manufactured by Steelcase, the designer for most furniture on the UC Davis campus, and for about two months, an example Node has been situated in the School of Education’s current building.

“They put [the Node] in [so we could] get student feedback to see if it’s even worth it,” Dunlap said. “Sometimes you see something and you love it, but it’s not that practical.”

But the Node has a lot to love. After being on the market for about two years, it has already received many environmental recognitions. It is SCS Indoor Advantage Gold certified, level 2 certified to the BIFMA e3 sustainability standard and MBDC Cradle to Cradle certified.

“A lot of these are very high acclaims that are given to us from the industry. We’re very proud,” said Gary Reed, senior accountant manager for United Corporate Furnishings, the dealership that represents Steelcase in the Sacramento area.

According to the Product Environmental Profile, the chair is 16 percent recycled, 75 percent recyclable and is made of low-emitting materials. Though this chair is a possibility for the new building, the planning committee has yet to decide exactly how sustainable the building will be.

“The campus will want to weigh in,” Levine said. “The architects will plan it. There are different levels of LEED certification, and all of that will have to be balanced by not only just me but also the other campus authorities who will help us design the building.”

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an organization that certifies buildings, ranking their sustainability and environmental levels. The UC Davis campus already has multiple LEED-certified buildings, and the School of Education has the goal of achieving LEED-certified status as well.

The Node will cost more than the most student chairs on campus.

“I have found that typically you’re probably looking at somewhere between a 10 and 15 percent difference in cost with the recycled content,” Reed said.

Along the same lines, the new building’s level of sustainability will depend on cost. Levine also emphasized that it will be several years before the building is finished, as they’ll need to raise funds.

NAOMI NISHIHARA can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Campus Community Book Project promotes diversity and awareness through books

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 24, 2012

After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Campus Community Book Project was developed to spread diversity and encourage conversation among students, faculty and the surrounding community. A book is selected each year and events that correspond to the reading are planned to coincide with the theme of the book.

The project is a sector of the Office of Campus Community Relations. The office hopes to promote diversity and inclusiveness on campus, as well as within the community.

There are two committees involved in the book project: a selection committee to select multiple book possibilities, and a planning committee to plan corresponding events after the book has been chosen. The selection committee goes through a strenuous selection process to select books. To reach a consensus in time, they begin in the summer and have all the events planned by fall quarter.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson was selected this year. The selection focuses on the migration of millions of African-Americans from the South to the North.

Though the topics can seem weighty, many who participate in the program believe it to be a worthwhile experience.

“The most important objective of the Campus Community Book Project is to engage the campus community in dialogue about issues related to diversity and cross-cultural issues,” said Mikael Villalobos, chair of the program and administrator of Diversity Education with the Office of Campus Community Relations.

The project aims to overcome adversity and promote multiculturalism by having participants talk openly and honestly about race and culture. To ignite this dialogue, the planning committee has created a variety of events to engage people of all backgrounds.

“There are art exhibits, library exhibits, films — many different ways to get involved and join in on the discussion. It’s a way for everyone to be on the same page and discuss certain things and just learn from each other,” said Samantha Huynh, fourth-year history and political science double major.

There are a number of students who attend because the book is being used in their class. According to Villalobos, they gain an entirely different perspective from attending the events that correspond with the book.

“The program brings together subgroups who may not see themselves as having something in common. It cuts across all of the different groups, can be integrated as material for students, is a springboard for diversity of the campus and reaches out to people in the community,” said Cynthia Goldberg, a member of the planning committee.

In an effort to involve the whole community, all the events are available to the public and almost all of them are free. Moreover, the events do not only take place on the UC Davis campus, but there are programs planned at Davis Senior High School and in Sacramento.

Villalobos said that to get involved people just need to attend the events.

The Campus Community Book Project will have two more events this month, on Oct. 24

from noon to 1 p.m. at Lecture Hall 1222 at the UC Davis Health System in Sacramento, as well
as another on Oct. 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Underground Bookstore in Sacramento.

A full list of upcoming events can be found at the Office of Campus Community Relations website or on their Facebook page.

SASHA COTTERELL can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

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