Beginning on Nov. 5, the Veteran’s Center, along with student veterans, will be tying yellow ribbons around the trees on the quad in honor of men and women currently serving.

“Last year Veteran’s Day fell on a Saturday, so the week prior one of the student veterans put up yellow ribbons. Instead of doing it just around one tree, we decided to do it all around the quad, as a way to educate the UC Davis community about veterans. It lets the community members know that there are service members of all ages doing things we couldn’t imagine,” said Victor Garcia, the Transfer/Reentry Adviser in the Transfer Reentry and Veteran (TRV)  Center which is located in Dutton Hall.

Last year, it was one of the student veterans who decided to begin this project, with the help of his fraternity.  According to the TRV Center, many assume the ribbons are for Cancer, especially because it is also Breast Cancer Awareness month.

With roots in the song about “The Yellow Ribbon,” the yellow ribbons around the tree are intended to honor those who are currently serving.

“Around her hair she wore a yellow ribbon/ She wore it in the springtime/ In the merry month of May/ And if you ask her why the heck she wore it/ She wore it for her soldier who was far far away,” the song states.

The yellow ribbons are also intended as a symbol of hope for a safe return and a gesture of gratitude.

“These are not for veterans, but for service members who are still in harm’s way,” Garcia said.

The Service Flag design is also tied into the concept, with stars either yellow, gold or blue.

“When a star is blue, it means that someone is currently serving and if they die, the star becomes gold,” Garcia said.

According to a student employee of Veteran’s affairs, the main goal of the TRV Center is to provide educational benefits to veterans and eventually transfer them to UC Davis.

“We act as a liaison between veteran’s affairs at the school. We serve all branches, and are a neutral place for other veterans from other departments.”

Ribbons will be tied around trees on the quad during the week of Nov. 5.

“It is a very sombrous and sobering realism that sets in. That is what we are trying to do with the yellow ribbons,” Garcia said.

– Danielle Huddlestun

Boutique-style classes offer specialized coursework and a smaller classroom experience for those interested in specific subject matters.

Classes such as Introduction to Beer Brewing (FST 3), Field Equipment Operation (ABT 49) or Introduction to Butchering (ANS 49G) are considered boutique-style classes because they are highly focused on a certain skill set and are typically smaller in class size.

However, some critics are opposed to such classes because they believe they are a waste of time and money and don’t offer a real-life skill set.

“It definitely offered me a life skill because for anyone who enjoys hunting, there’s a lot of useful information on trimming meat. Unlike most classes, it offers a concrete work skill. It also makes UC Davis more attractive when it tries to compete with other UCs that are located on the beach,” said Colby Anderson, fourth-year international relations major who took the introduction to butchering class.

Students are also invited to start their own special-interest class. Such classes have to get approval from the Academic Senate. The Committee on Courses of Instruction is responsible for authorization and supervision of courses of instruction. It must go through a 12-step process that includes proposal, approval, organization and proper description.

Many students find the merit in these specific classes.

“I don’t think it significantly taught me any life skills, but I definitely do not think it was a waste of time or money. I do believe the class was very useful in helping me understand industry basics and the many career opportunities it has to offer,” said Joaquin Viramontes, a fourth-year managerial economics major who took the Introduction to Beer Brewing class.

These same sentiments are shared with Nate Kane, a third-year viticulture and enology student and TA for Field Equipment Operation.

“Skilled labor is something the government is seeking because there has been a slow decline in that sector,” Kane said.

ABT 49, otherwise known as “that tractor driving class”, has been at UC Davis for over seventy years. It has grown so much in popularity that even a Saturday lab class is now being offered.

Mir Shafii, instructor of ABT 49, has been teaching the course since 2009 and said that he often receives emails from alumni that recall the class as being their favorite during their time at UC Davis. The class now hosts a full enrollment of 96 students.

“This is no boutique-style class. It’s a type of course that gets you hands-on experience. Tractors are different; it’s not like driving a car. You actually need to operate a piece of machinery. This course is also directly geared toward a career in agriculture,” he said.

Shafii explained that the tractors used in his course are lent to the school by various tractor companies in exchange for using UC Davis land.

ABT 49 is being offered this fall quarter and spring quarter 2013.

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

Elizabeth Godkin, first-year pre-landscape architecture major

The Aggie: What are you wearing?
Godkin: “Lace-up ballet flats from Urban Outfitters, a skirt and lace biker shorts from American Apparel, a crop top from The Orphan’s Arms, a scarf from World Market, a red knit cardigan from Urban Outfitters and a bag from Wasteland in San Francisco.”

How did you decide what to wear today?
“I looked up the weather and picked something that I’d still be able to bike in.”

Where do you find inspiration?
“I guess when I see guys wearing lots of black. I don’t know why. And Free People.”

What pieces are you looking forward to wearing this autumn?
“Buying a nice, giant, oversized red coat and wearing it all the time.”

STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.