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Editorial: Let’s move forward

Opinion
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Settlement plans between the University of California and the students pepper sprayed on November 18 were submitted for court approval last week, where the university is to pay $1 million to the plaintiffs, attorneys and the American Civil Liberties Union.

We are happy that a settlement has been reached, but we feel that the focus should be put on new policies to avoid the possibility of repeat incidents. One million dollars is a lot of money, but people should keep in mind that the money used in this case was set aside for the University’s self-insured General Liability Risk Program, and it would have been used in another university lawsuit anyway.

On April 30, the University of California published the Robinson-Edley Report, which contained 50 recommendations to ensure that protests will be handled in a manner that does not result in undue violence and injury.

However, these recommendations mean nothing if they are not enacted and enforced. Lack of communication was a primary factor that led to the incident in the first place, and it will be good communication that ensures the future safety of students and the accountability of those in charge.

It should be the responsibility of students and faculty to hold the administration to their policies, and it should be the responsibility of the administration to provide adequate lines of communication, making sure that the student body is informed of the rules regarding protests.

While students receiving compensation is a good thing, it is even more promising that Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi is issuing personal apologies to each student. We hope that within these apologies, Katehi will take responsibility for her actions, as well as the university’s.

ASUCD to host congressional candidate forum

City Editor
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On Oct. 8, Rep. John Garamendi will join the Associated Students of the University of California, Davis (ASUCD) in a congressional candidate forum from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Student Community Center.

Students are encouraged to attend and ask questions at the forum as the City of Davis readies itself to vote for a new congressperson in November.

— Claire Tan

$1 million pepper spray settlement calls for collaborative university reform

Campus Editor
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$1 million pepper spray settlement calls for collaborative university reform

Students, alumni and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorneys gathered on the UC Davis Quad Sept. 26 to discuss a recent settlement between the University and the plaintiffs of last November’s pepper spray incident.

The settlement, approved by the UC Board of Regents in a mid-September meeting, would distribute $1 million: $630,000 to the 21 plaintiffs, $250,000 to be split between their attorneys, $100,000 to be put aside for individuals who were pepper sprayed but have yet to come forward and $20,000 to the ACLU in exchange for collaborative work on university reform.

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi will also issue personal apologies to each person who was pepper sprayed.

At the conference, plaintiffs gathered to share their experiences from last November.

“Nightmares, waking up screaming, anxiety [and] panic attacks all came, and it just wasn’t with me,” said UC Davis alumna Fatima Sbeih, who was a student last November.

In addition, the settlement will bring collaboration between UC Davis and the ACLU on a series of reforms.

“I know the $1 million figure got a lot of attention, but we think it’s important that the community see that our reforms and policies will have the benefit of a very respected organization, the ACLU,” said Barry Shiller, executive director of strategic communications at UC Davis.

The first reform is a complete internal reorganization of the police department, a process which began with Police Chief Annette Spicuzza’s resignation on April 18 and her replacement by Matthew Carmichael. The university’s aims are to make the police, specifically bicycle police, appear more approachable and part of the community, while also improving training that teaches how to handle student protest.

The second is a clarification and adjustment of the roles of students, faculty and staff in managing incidents on campus and moving the three groups to the fore while minimizing the role of police for nonvolatile incidents.

The third in the series of reforms is a complete reexamination of the UC Davis guidelines for freedom of expression, a process led by the Academic Senate. This step is ongoing, and there has been much talk of the final outcome of the discussion.

Finally, the University plans to address aftereffects from the pepper spray incident, making efforts to keep the community involved in police policy. This process has just begun and will move forward more quickly starting in October, according to Shiller.

“We’re not just doing this alone,” Shiller said. “In addition to what we’re doing, there is a UC system-wide review of campus police guidelines and practices.”

The University Office of the President  (UCOP) will coordinate and run the reform recommendations for all 10 UC police departments.

The ACLU, contacted by individuals who were pepper sprayed, now plans to work closely with UC Davis officials to ensure that the events of last November do not happen again.

“This happened because Davis simply did not have the types of policies to ensure that when there are demonstrations, the administration and police act in a certain way,” said Michael Risher, an ACLU staff attorney who attended the Sept. 26 press conference. “We want to make sure free speech is not just tolerated, but encouraged.”

The importance of the reforms is not lost on some of the plaintiffs, such as Ian Lee, a second-year environmental policy analysis and planning major, who was pepper sprayed and in attendance at the press conference.

“I think the settlement is a step in the right direction, but we need to do more,” he said. “If campus police are to exist, they must be accountable to the students.”

The settlement is still awaiting court approval.

ROHIT RAVIKUMAR can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

ASUCD and CALPIRG hold voter registration drive on campus

Campus Editor
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ASUCD and CALPIRG hold voter registration drive on campus

Registering to vote is now easier than ever with the launch of online voter registration in California that began Sept. 19.

With the national presidential elections in November quickly approaching, ASUCD and California Public Interest Group (CALPIRG) have joined forces to promote and facilitate voter registration among UC Davis undergraduates with AggiesVote.

The students behind AggiesVote hope to register as many students as possible, and in recent weeks AggiesVote has been a widespread force around campus, tabling at the dining commons, on the Quad and at various welcome week events. The coalition also hopes to expand their reach by partnering with student groups and Greek organizations in the coming weeks.

“College students are some of the most politically active and well-informed participants in our democracy, but they’re also very busy and occasionally let things like registration slip through the cracks,” said ASUCD senator and fifth-year political science and philosophy double major Justin Goss. “We’re ensuring this doesn’t happen by making registration as convenient as possible for them so we can usher these savvy political voices into the voting booth where they belong.”

In order for the drive to have a campus-wide effect, ASUCD has formed a coalition with CALPIRG, whose lead campaign this year is the New Voters Project, a continuous effort to register undergraduate students to vote.

In addition, AggiesVote will hold a forum where students can learn about Rep. John Garamendi’s platforms on Oct. 8, as well as co-sponsor a screening of the presidential debate. Students can register to vote before, during and after any of these events.

“The goal is to not only get students involved in democracy, but also to have them be informed and educated voters,” said New Voters Project campaign coordinator Donna Farvard, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavioral studies major.

ASUCD senators Bradley Bottoms and Kabir Kapur, who have played a key role in organizing the drive, agreed.

“Recently, there have been many bills and propositions going through the state government that directly affect students — most notably Proposition 30,” said Bottoms, a third-year political science and sociology double major.

Kapur also discussed the possibility of Proposition 30 not passing in the November elections.

“Proposition 30 is an important issue on this November’s ballot for students because if it fails tuition will go up 20 percent in January,” said Kapur, a third-year political science and philosophy double major.

Goss continued to address the big picture.

“The state of California education is still in decline,” Goss said.  “Increasing undergraduate participation in the voting process allows the student voice to more overtly dominate the political sphere and forces legislators to cater to the preferences of students if they want to get reelected.  Therefore, we believe registering more students to vote could facilitate better treatment for California education by the legislature.”

AggiesVote will continue until the voter registration deadline on Monday, Oct. 22.

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

UC Davis ties Big West Conference record at 1-1

Sports Editor
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UC Davis men’s soccer (3-4-4 and 1-1 in conference play) opened their run in the Big West Conference with a shaky start against Cal State Northridge, but immediately bounced back against UC Irvine.

Junior Alex Aguiar led the UC Davis offense with four shots while junior Omar Zeenni made five saves, but CSU Northridge scored twice in the opening 15 minutes and held on for a 2-0 win on Friday at Matador Soccer Field in Northridge, Calif.

The first half featured four of Zeenni’s five saves, but the Matadors struck early, scoring in the sixth minute of play. David Turcios, the CSU Northridge forward, drove into the box and fired a shot, which Zeenni deflected, but Turcios collected the rebound and put it away into the lower left corner.

Later in the half, junior Alex Henry’s corner kick found junior Pat Reese but Reese’s header in the middle of the box was blocked out for a second Aggie corner kick. Freshman Eric Budniewski took the corner, but it was cleared out by the CSU Northridge defense.

Despite the setback, the Aggie defense held strong, allowing just three second-half shots, preventing the Matadors from scoring again.

The Aggies faced UC Irvine on Sunday and put them away 3-1. Aguiar and Reese scored goals in the first half to put the game out of reach, snapping the team’s three-game losing streak.

Reese then scored his second goal of the year in the 28th minute with an impressive show of offense. His first shot was deflected by UC Irvine goalkeeper Michael Breslin, but Reese collected his own rebound and shot past Breslin to give UC Davis a 2-0 lead.

Junior Kevin Schulte also knocked in a goal two minutes into the second half to put the Aggies up by three.

With the 3-0 lead, the UC Davis defense held on, thanks to a strong performance by Zeenni in the goal. Zeenni made two more saves in the closing minutes of the second half to help preserve the win.

Next, the Aggies will face Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara at Davis.

— Veena Bansal

‘Get Some Jerky,’ because Aggies do business too

Features Editor
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When one hears about UC Davis, one thinks about its world-class agriculture program or the extensive research facilities and faculty that have made it one of the greatest public universities in the nation. However, one recent grad and two seniors have committed themselves to create a new reason to be proud to be called an Aggie.

Founded and spearheaded by senior political science major Alex Lane, Get Some Jerky is “what freedom tastes like”: an all-American, high-quality beef jerky company located in Davis. Lane, as an unsatisfied jerky lover, decided to create a company that would offer a meat lover-worthy, preservative-free jerky because he said people deserve better.

With only two and a half months since the company launched, Lane and his fellow founders, 2011 graduate Sarah Hellesen and senior history major James Panabaker, have artfully crafted their way to produce four distinct flavors of jerky – hot beef, sweet and spicy, homestyle pepper and a sweet teriyaki turkey jerky – and interest three investors. But Lane said these achievements have not come easy to Get Some Jerky.

Lane tells of the sacrifices the company has demanded from him and his co-founders in order to grow as entrepreneurs, including the almost complete eradication of their social lives, stress and extra time invested in learning small business management due to working 100-hour weeks.

“To sum it up in one sentence: The company is my life,” Lane said.

UC Davis prestige is not particularly associated with business and entrepreneurship; a company like Get Some Jerky, however, proves that Aggies can do business as well. It is vital to notice that Get Some Jerky is not the first company to arise from innovative students from this university.

Companies such as Aseptia, a food processing technology company, and Solera, a company created to develop small electricity-generating systems, were founded by Aggie impresarios with a true spirit of innovation.

Evidently, the entrepreneurial interest of UC Davis students is increasing. Lane has been attending meetings of a Davis startup club focused on mentoring and helping new entrepreneurs in the city. Davis in general has been truly helpful for Get Some Jerky’s success.

“We’ve been receiving much support from local Davis citizens; our investors are actually local as well,” Panabaker said.

Panabaker said that Davis locals encourage and care for students’ business ambitions.

Appealing to Davisites is one of Get Some Jerky’s primary goals; thus, what better way to attract locals’ attention than by having a bear meander around the town’s biggest events?

Get Some Jerky’s mascot is, indeed, a bear by the name of Jerk. Co-founder and handyman Panabaker wears the bear costume to the farmers market, on-campus activities and occasionally to downtown Davis to take pictures with locals.

But Get Some Jerky has other priorities as well. The three founders, a CPA, a lawyer and informal support by Chase bank in Davis are the only influences and minds in the corporation. Although Lane is the “mastermind” behind Get Some Jerky, Hellesen said she realizes that an addition of other professionals into the business will increase the efficiency and growth of the company.

“As we grow, we’re planning to bring in somebody from marketing, because while it’s something we can do by ourselves, it could be much better done by a professional,” Panabaker said.

However, a low budget and the relative freshness of the company have not made this possible just yet, exposing Lane, Panabaker and Hellesen to more responsibilities and situations they said they are not entirely savvy and well-versed for.

Lane plans to start selling the jerky at the Coffee House in the Memorial Union soon. After that, he plans to expand to other campuses like UC Berkeley, where he expects that Get Some Jerky’s mascot bear will become popular and widely accepted by the locals.

Ultimately, Get Some Jerky – and in essence Aggie pride – should be available in store counters throughout the nation.

As of now, Lane must continue to exploit his intellect, innovative talent and unique charisma to attract new investors to the company and thus slowly grow as an entrepreneur.

“Starting the company is like having a baby,” Lane said. “You’re always stressed, broke [and] too busy, but it’s worth it.”

DANIEL RIESGO can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Guest Opinion

Opinion
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As the people who cook, clean and care for you and your campus, the work we do is essential to UC’s ability to provide you with a world-class education. Our work isn’t glamorous, but the purpose of our work is to support you – our future – and we take real pride in that. Today, we are engaged in a struggle with the UC administration over issues that affect us and our families deeply: retirement with dignity, wages and jobs that sustain us, and the ability to advocate for ourselves and the people we serve — like all of you.

At age 60, after 20-plus years of hard work, we will retire with permanent injuries, unaffordable
healthcare and an average retirement income of $18,000/year. By contrast, UC President Mark Yudof can retire after just seven years of service to UC on more than $350,000/year, with decreased health insurance costs.

We pay for our retirement benefit each month of our working lives so that we can afford to stop working when we are old, and we have foregone hefty raises for the promise of healthcare when our bodies are too broken to work. The UC Regents, however, have proposed changes to these benefits that will leave us impoverished: We would retire at age 65, well past the point of physical ability, and for some of us, the increased cost of our health insurance would exceed our monthly retirement income. Yet our risk of work-related injury is only increasing.

UC now hires fewer custodians, maintenance workers and gardeners to clean your restrooms, fix the lights in your classrooms and make your campus clean and safe. Increasingly, this work is being done by people who work for outside contractors, make poverty wages with no benefits and have no rights at work. This creates unsafe working conditions for us, and poor conditions for your education.

For this, you are paying higher fees, yet the training and research you do while at UC is the foundation for what is a highly profitable university system. We think that UC can and should do better.

The UC system is the third-largest employer in the state, impacts one out of 46 jobs in the state and reported an increase of $414 million in net assets last year. The University of California is an economic engine that can either help drive the state’s economy forward our help drag it down, but the administration is making further and deeper cuts to your education and our livelihoods. How will workers be able to retire if the UC continues to cut our pensions? How will you be able to earn your degree if the UC continues to raise fees and cut classes? How will California recover and grow if UC’s workers and graduates are living in debt?

As you see us on the picket line this month, please understand that we are putting our greatest effort into reaching a fair agreement with the UC administration — one that honors our dignity, safety and livelihoods, and that can help to restore the excellence that you deserve and should expect from the University of California.

Women’s Volleyball 2-1 in conference

Sports Editor
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The UC Davis women’s volleyball team has opened their run at the Big West championship on a strong note.

Although the Aggies endured a rocky start at the beginning of the season, they have come away with strong wins against powerful teams, yielding a boost of confidence and energy in the team’s dynamic performance.

UC Davis (8-8) opened its season with three matches at the Blue Raider Bash tournament in Tennessee, losing two against Furman and Alabama-Birmingham and winning one against Middle Tennessee State. Subsequently, in the next four games, the Aggies went 2-2 in matchups with Utah, Middle Tennessee State, UAB and Furman.

“During non-conference, we played with a lot of different lineups,” said coach Jamie Holmes. “We tried a lot of different personalities to figure out the best group for the Big West conference play.”

The results of the variance and experimentation in lineups shone through in the Aggies’ first Big West Conference match against fierce competitor Pacific. Junior outside hitter Devon Damelio tallied 15 kills while sophomore middle blocker Victoria Lee posted a career-high 10 blocks, resulting in a four-set upset.

As the progression toward the optimal lineup for Big West competition continues, the women have focused their attention on core elements of their game. One of the Aggies’ focuses is to improve their serve and receive and first-ball contact.  An improvement in the reception line and being able to receive serves would boost the women’s overall performance and allow the top players to take control of the plays.

Last week, the women focused on the defensive side of the game, the results of which were displayed in the strong defensive success against Pacific on Saturday night with five blocks.

Although the Aggies’ overall record currently stands at 8-8, the team showed no signs of weakness against Pacific. Damelio tallied 15 kills while sophomore middle blocker Victoria Lee hit 0.500 and posted a career-high 10 blocks to lead UC Davis to a four-set upset over Pacific in a match at the Pavilion last Saturday night.

Subsequently, the Aggies improved their conference record to 2-0 in a thriller against UC Riverside. Damelio tallied a team-leading 18 kills while senior Allison Whitson added 15 kills and a career-high 23 digs to help UC Davis hold onto a five-set win over the Highlanders on Friday night.

Unfortunately, the women fell to Cal State Fullerton in yet another gripping five-setter. Although they maintained a 2-1 match lead, the Aggies struggled in the fourth set with a 0.062 average. Whitson and sophomores Valerie Rain and Victoria Lee each tied or set career highs in kills.

Next, the Aggies will embark on a two-game road trip against Long Beach State and UC Irvine this weekend. UC Davis faces off with the 49ers on Friday and then the Anteaters on Saturday. Both games are at 7 p.m.

“There are no teams in the conference that we will be able to take lightly. It’s really going to be about us continuing to improve and find our personality on the court,” Holmes said.

One of Holmes’ primary goals for the season is very simple and fundamental to her idea of success of the women’s volleyball team.

“My goal for this season is for us to play to our potential,” she said. “If we play a tremendous game and leave with a loss, that’s still a victory in my book.”

VEENA BANSAL can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Aggies split weekend

Sports Editor
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The UC Davis women’s soccer team kicked off Big West conference play with two games on the road this weekend.  The Aggies took down UC Santa Barbara in overtime, but could not pull out a victory over Cal Poly and split the weekend matchups.

Friday — UC Davis 2, UC Santa Barbara 1 (OT)

The Aggies headed down to Santa Barbara on Friday and managed to earn a 2-1 OT victory against the Gauchos.

The first half was scoreless but it was certainly not due to a lack of action. UC Davis tallied 13 attempts on the goal during the first half but the offense was unable to find the back of the net until the 76th minute when senior Allison Kelly booted one in for a goal.

UC Santa Barbara struck back 10 minutes later when sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Jern was unable to block a header shot by Gaucho sophomore Madison Beckley. Junior Hannah Hicks took another shot on the goal during regulation but was unable to get past UCSB’s goalkeeper.

The Aggie offense continued to attack during the extra frame and eventually freshman Sienna Drizin was able to send one past the Gaucho goalie for the game winner at the 98-minute mark.

Head coach MaryClaire Robinson was happy with her team’s performance during Friday’s game. She praised their youth and their continued determination to improve the offensive attack.

“We’re young and we’ve got a lot of spunk,” Robinson said. “We’ve also got a lot of fresh faces in new roles this year which is something refreshing.”

Sunday — UC Davis 0, Cal Poly 1

The win over UCSB moved UC Davis to 6-4-1 overall with a 1-0 conference record. They traveled to Cal Poly on Sunday to face their conference rival Mustangs.

Cal Poly’s offense struck first when the Mustang’s lead scorer, Elise Krieghoff, managed to put one past Jern during the 12th minute.

Jern and the Aggie defense managed to prevent Cal Poly from earning more goals but UC Davis’ offense was unable to even the score.

The Mustangs held a 14-7 shot advantage during the match and Cal Poly’s defense managed to hold off UC Davis’ late offensive rally to give the Aggies their first conference loss of the season.

Despite the loss, Robinson remains encouraged about the trajectory of her team.

“Our legs were a little heavy from Friday night but we rallied late …  we’re on the right path.”

The Aggies have one more road match to complete before they can return to Aggie Soccer Field to enjoy home field advantage. UC Davis holds a 6-5-1 overall record and is 1-1 in the Big West.

The Aggies will head down to Stockton on Friday to face off against another conference rival, Pacific.

KIM CARR can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Inside the Game with Terrance Tumey

Sports Editor
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Terrance Tumey is a business man. That much is clear. He’ll ask calculated questions to further his understanding of any situation. Tumey seems to comprehend relational dynamics and is the sort of person that will spend the time doing his research to get things right in the long run. But the model he will be working on is that of UC Davis athletics, a task that will require all of his years of experience.

He has spent considerable time getting to know the Davis community since he assumed his post in August, attending UC Davis sporting events and taking the extra steps to understand the ecosystem here in Davis. He has a history in academics and athletics in the UC system, as well as coaching and managing football.

Tumey has been asking a lot of questions, as he is still adjusting and getting to know the unique environment we have here at UC Davis. He played a little role reversal and took the time to answer questions from Aggie Sports Editor Matthew Yuen, to let the Davis community familiarize itself with the new head of Aggie Athletics.

What attracted you to UC Davis when you first heard of the Athletic Director job opening and what has been your first impression of the school and community thus far?

Anybody who looks at Davis can say it’s a “Sleeping Giant.” It could be great but why has it been a sleeping giant for so long? What are the issues, the obstacles, the things that are stopping it from growing as an athletic entity? That 2005 year was a tremendous year, but after that there hasn’t been [a] lot of press coverage.

Academically, UC Davis has never wavered but it isn’t really recognized for that and we need to push that. It led me to look at Davis as an institution and not just as an athletic entity. And that made me look at how it all relates to athletics.

Did the incidents that took place in November, amidst all the budget cuts, etc. affect your desire to pursue this position?

I felt as though it was typical of an institution that has very progressive people that understand rights and want to express them.

Everyone here is so student-athlete-oriented, that when you do things that affect student-athletes everyone gets concerned. It did not dissuade me one bit.

I was happy to see people were so passionate about athletics. In an elimination situation, nobody wins. One of my goals here is to never have to experience the elimination of sports.

What are some goals you have for the near future for UC Davis athletics?

In terms of athletics and the community my first goal is to listen and embrace what the mission of this institution is, and how we can support it through the conduit of athletics. Athletics is just a mirror image of the institution.

Davis is a strong academic entity and a strong athletic entity that needs to grow in concert and move forward.

Understanding what foundation that is and how to get that working is what I need to do in my first year.

At your last position as the Athletic Director for Dominican University, you headed their transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II. How will that experience help you here at UC Davis, which recently completed the switch from Division II to Division I?

Every position I’ve been in has been in a transition-type role and every institution has benefited from it. Even when I was with the 49ers, they went through a development curve when they were on a non-salary capped environment; then it dipped because of the salary cap issue.

Dominican was mostly known for its nuns and the penguins but they wanted to move past that and become a select institution of choice in that region. Athletics was going to help them do that, and it wasn’t just an NCAA transition, but it was a transition of the institution.

There are a lot of elements on this campus that are doing that and I’m going to be looking out to learn from them as I’m hoping they’ll be learning from me as we try to move this institution forward.

One thing you’ve stressed is that athletes and coaches must fit into the framework we have here at UC Davis. As for yourself, how do you fit into the UC Davis mold?

One of the greatest compliments I received in this process is when people said, ‘Terry, even though you did not go to UC Davis, you feel like an Aggie already.’

That meant to me that the principles and the things I hold dear in terms of academic integrity, striving for athletic excellence and putting the business and academic principles into place to make us flourish, all those aspects lead into what people see as the Aggie athletic experience.

I think it is from being a student-athlete in the UC System, playing football down at UCLA and going to school there. Then I struggled through business school, but having the opportunity to be around that surrounded me with excellence.

What does Aggie Pride mean to you?

Constantly moving forward is what we want to see in Aggie Athletics. And that’s what people talk about when they’re saying Aggie Pride, they mean moving forward, which is what always happened at the Division II level.

We need to do that in Division I. Just like you do it on the academic side, that’s what we need to do on the athletic side.  And we’re all going to get it done; we have great people here.

— Matthew Yuen

Letter to the Editor

Opinion
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The inflated budget of the California Department of Corrections is at least indirectly related to the lack of funds available to higher education. The exorbitantly expensive death penalty is one of the reasons why there isn’t more taxpayer money for the University of California. Students and their parents end up paying for higher tuitions because funds are not allocated to the university yet it is to programs such as the death penalty.

By voting YES on Proposition 34 UC students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to replace the death penalty with life without the possibility of parole. The California death penalty has cost more than $4 billion since 1978 and there have been only 13 executions. Just the expense of death row housing is $100,000 more per year per death row inmate than for those serving life sentences.

And just in case you think that the death penalty makes us safer, please know that 46% of murders and 56% of rapes go unsolved each year in California. Wouldn’t it make you feel safer if we spent our hard-earned money on crime detection and prevention as well as on education?

Please register to vote if you are not registered. And when you vote, vote as if your education or job depends upon it, because it just might. Please start by voting YES on Proposition 34.

Carol Crabill
UC Davis Alumna
Business Officer of UC Davis Mathematics

Police Briefs

City Editor
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THURSDAY
Wedding crashers
Someone had friends and family stay over after their wedding at their residence on Clemson Drive, only to discover that once their guests had left, much of their belongings were gone.

SATURDAY
Not-so-silent treatment
A male and female were heard having a loud verbal disagreement in a treatment room on West Covell Boulevard.

Office party
Someone drank two bottles of champagne in the bathroom at OfficeMax and then was suspected of taking a few items on Cowell Boulevard.

No Nudz Plz
Someone was seen walking naked toward Safeway on Cowell Boulevard.

Totally fried
Somebody was passed out in the drive-thru at In-N-Out on Olive Drive.

SUNDAY
Fowl play
A suspicious person was spotted sitting in the middle of a plot with a shopping cart full of junk and two very expensive birds on Research Park Drive.

Police briefs are compiled from the City of Davis daily crime bulletins. Contact EINAT GILBOA at city@theaggie.org.

Absurd Publications pushes full steam ahead

City Editor
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In May, the new student-run press Absurd Publications had yet to print a book. Four months later, it’s sitting on a monthly reading series at The Avid Reader, a self-printed anthology titled “All the Vegetarians in Texas Have Been Shot,” two prints of a small creative journal titled “The Oddity” and radio airtime on Capital Public Radio’s “Insight.”
“When we first began, we had grand plans: a final printed book to be sold in bookstores, a place in which to host our own readings, a connection enough with the community to publish a monthly journal — a sort of ‘mini-anthology,’” said Evan White, co-founder of Absurd Publications. “And, in every case, we’ve been successful. I don’t pretend to know how any of it happened.”
Other co-founder of Absurd Publications Corey La Rue said the press was conceived at UC Davis.
“It was a community project really — born in the hot halls of Voorhies last year in a poetry class taught by Dr. [Andy] Jones,” La Rue said. “That class really changed everything, and we took away a lot with us. One day I approached Evan after class at a Starbucks and was like, ‘Hey you wanna start a press?’ and the rest is history.”

The entire process has not been an easy one, according to White and La Rue. They realized early on that making the books would be taxing, both mentally and financially. In fact, after all the equipment had been bought, the company only had $20 left of their seed money.

Absurd Publications is currently run entirely in the apartment that La Rue and White share together, with a steady stream of friends helping to smooth out any bumps they may encounter along the way.

Though White and La Rue had come into the business imagining that they wouldn’t turn any profit, time has shown that there may just be a little gold in it after all.
“In the beginning we told ourselves, ‘We’re making a book of short fiction, which there’s almost no money in. We’re also going to include poetry too, which there is no money in,’” White said.
Much of the money is going toward continuing the publication.

“[We] haven’t made enough to pay rent,” La Rue said. “Rather, we’re using all resources to re-invest and to continue to publish and cause some chaos.”

La Rue and White haven’t been doing it alone, however. In terms of staffing, Absurd Publications also has Valerie Palomo as secretary and CFO, Joe Nijmeh as an official photographer and Eric Crowl as outreach. Another source that has been helping them every step of the way has been Dr. Andy Jones, whom White calls his mentor and La Rue looks to as his therapist.

“Obviously, as a doting uncle, I’m really proud of them and impressed with how much that they’ve done,” Jones said. “And they may call me a source of mentorship or therapy or whatever the case may be, but largely it comes out of the drive of these two folks.”

Jones goes on to credit Davis’ unique climate in which student’s are endowed with a greater degree of autonomy to pursue their own goals.

“There’s an important sort of self-reliance that we really expect from our students at UC Davis,” Jones said.

The final surprise is how well the books are doing themselves. The anthology “All the Vegetarians in Texas Have Been Shot” has sold 40 prints in less than a month. There are currently 10 prints left.

In the future, Absurd Publications is looking toward expansion. Their book is available at The Avid Reader and has recently been added to permanent stock. White and La Rue are also looking into selling it at broader outlets like Amazon, iTunes and Barnes & Noble.

The third edition of their creative journal, “The Oddity,” has been printed and is available free of charge on their website www.absurdword.com.

“In the case of ‘The Oddity,’ we didn’t want to put a price tag on it,” La Rue said. “It limits the audience because some people may not be willing to fork over a dollar and others may not even have a dollar.”

ANDREW POH can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

UC Davis Cross Country gaining experience

Sports Editor
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UC Davis has developed into quite a prominent front-runner in cross country.

As the season enters full bloom, both the men and women runners have been gaining experience that will help them in the upcoming months of competition.

At the Pac-12 preview hosted by UCLA, the Aggies tested their might by sending down their more experienced runners.

Sarah Sumpter led the women by placing second overall and junior Alycia Cridebring finished fifth in the women’s 5k race.

Four other UC Davis runners finished in the top 30 of a strong field.

As for this past weekend, the Aggies put other runners to the test at the Stanford Invitational.

The women’s cross country team threw a handful of younger runners into the mix to gain some experience. The Aggies sent four freshmen, which included Venus Shabgahi who placed 30th, the highest of the UC Davis women.

Sophomore Melinda Zavala followed Shabgahi’s performance with a 22:21 in the 6k and junior Hilary Teaford finished three seconds after Zavala.

The women’s runners placed 10th overall on Saturday.

The UC Davis men’s cross country team showed considerable promise, despite sporting a less-experienced roster.

Sophomore Trevor Halsted led the Aggies with a 24:37 that was good for a 12th-place finish on the 8k course.

“On a day that saw the men’s course run considerably slower than in previous years, Halsted cemented himself as this team’s front-runner with his race,” said head coach Drew Wartenburg.

The men’s team, which finished eighth at the Stanford Invite, is comprised entirely of freshmen and sophomores (10 and three, respectively) as well as two lone juniors in Grayson Hough and Nathan Strum.

UC Davis will enter the season as underdogs in most races, seeing that the freshmen have not yet established themselves on a collegiate level, but they show no signs of backing off.

“Grayson did what we needed him to do, and it was good to see two freshmen step into scoring roles,” Wartenburg said.

Both the men and women’s cross country teams have much to prove as they continue to plow through the year. The women will be defending their first ever Big West Conference title, while the men must make a name for themselves on the NCAA Division I level.

The Aggies will split their squad into two groups on Oct. 13, one to go to the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet in Louisville, Ky. and the other much closer at the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif.

MATTHEW YUEN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

An afternoon tea for two

Features Editor
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222 D St. Suite 3, behind Pence Gallery

Hours:

Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Friday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Closed Mondays

Food: ****

Ambiance: ***

Cost: $$$

Key

Food and ambiance quality

**** I’m dining here every day

*** Almost like eating at home

** Better than my roommate’s cooking

* Only if I’m starving

Budget

$$$$ chancellor $20+

$$$ professor $15-20

$$ graduate student/alum $10-15

$ undergraduate $5-10

The weather was quite pleasant in downtown Davis as my friend and I strolled down a small path that led us to Tea List. Nestled behind Pence Gallery and surrounded by other local shops and plenty of trees, Tea List is a tea room, a café with a large selection of teas. Tea List also offers tea services as well which is basically drinking tea whilst snacking on an assortment of sandwiches, fruits and pastries.

My friend and I had called ahead to make reservations for an afternoon tea service for noon. By the time we arrived, there was a small number of people sitting outside enjoying good conversation and fresh tea. Our table inside was already set with chinaware and a vase with fresh flowers in the center of the table. Our friendly and very helpful server handed us the tea menu. I ordered the Persian black tea and my friend ordered the Strawberry Long Island iced tea. The tea came in miniature teapots. Since I had ordered hot tea, it arrived with a tiny sand timer, which would let me know when to take the tea leaves out.

The wait for the food was a bit long — around 25 minutes, even though I had called ahead to make reservations. However, the owner makes everything fresh and by hand. Fifteen minutes into our wait, more customers arrived and ordered the afternoon tea service as well. The other customers were older professionals and local Davis residents. Some of the customers even personally greeted the owner with a hug and kiss on the cheek.

The atmosphere within the café was quite amiable and cozy, especially with the sunlight streaming through the windows. When our food arrived, it was on a silver three-tier plate. Our server explained what everything was and their ingredients as well.

On the top was an assortment of fresh fruits and berries. The second tier held scones, napoleons and cookies with a chocolate swirl on top. The third tier had an assortment of sandwiches. There were four different types of sandwiches cut into bite-sized pieces: smoked turkey, chicken salad, garden sandwich and cucumber. There were also small pots of strawberry jam and Devonshire cream to go with the scones. Out of all the sandwiches, I enjoyed the chicken salad most. It is a blend of chicken with walnuts and grapes inside savory bread. I’m not a meat person, but I couldn’t help scarfing down as much of the sandwiches as I could.

The Persian black tea was full of vibrant flavor and had a refreshing aroma. My friend liked her Strawberry Long Island iced tea as well, saying it tasted very natural. The blueberry scones were alright, as I prefer my scones less dry. The soft and powdery napoleon practically melted in my mouth. Time flew by really fast as my friend and I kept popping sandwiches and drinking tea while we discussed important topics of the day.

At first glance, there didn’t seem to be a lot of food since everything was bite-sized, but somehow both of us ended up being extremely full before finishing everything. The bill came out to around $20 per person. The afternoon service really isn’t for one who’s low on cash, which is why I only have it once a year. However, the other items on Tea List’s menu are a bit nicer to a lean wallet.

The lunch items, which are usually a sandwich of your choice and a side salad, is around $8 and the tea menu includes teas from around the world. I definitely recommend this as a great spot for couples as well as a place students should go to at least once before they leave Davis. Since the café is secluded, it gives off a completely different atmosphere. There is even French music playing inside, which will make even the most dedicated Francophiles swoon with delight. Go to Tea List once and you’ll definitely leave singing of its sophistication and great food.

MICHELLE RUAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

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