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Campus News Summer Digest

Features Editor
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Proposition 30 promises to address UC budget deficits

Aug. 6 — Proposed by Governor Jerry Brown, Proposition 30 or The Schools and Local Public Safety Protection Act of 2012, aims to collect between $6.8 billion to $9 billion in revenue in 2012-2013. The University of California Board of Regents recently voted to endorse the proposition. If voters choose not to pass the initiative this November, the University of California System will be charged with a $250 million “trigger” cut, which could lead to an approximately 20 percent fee increase at the UCs.
— Originally reported by Gheed Saeed

UC Davis Police Lt. John Pike fired by newly appointed police chief

Aug. 6 — According to documents obtained by the Sacramento Bee, newly appointed UC Davis Police Chief Matt Carmichael fired Lt. John Pike, a former campus police officer who was involved in the Nov. 18 pepper spray incident, rejecting findings by an internal affairs investigation conducted last November. The findings declared that Pike acted reasonably in his decision to employ pepper spray.

“The needs of the department do not justify your continued employment,” the letter from Carmichael to Pike stated.

— Originally reported by Muna Sadek

Case against UC for failing to address alleged anti-Semitism dismissed, Yudof assembles Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion

Aug. 6 — UC Berkeley announced that on July 11, alumni Brian Maissy and Jessica Felber dropped their lawsuit accusing UC Berkeley and the UC system of failing to address anti-Semitism on campus during protests in 2010.

UC president Mark Yudof assembled a group of 17 people to comprise the Advisory Council on Campus Climate, Culture and Inclusion in June. The council includes students, faculty and administrators from UC campuses and leaders from various racial and religious groups. The group was tasked with identifying, evaluating and sharing “promising practices” at various institutions across the state and nation, according to a press release from the University of California Office of the President (UCOP). Many of the factors that were evaluated dealt with race and religion.

— Originally reported by Liliana Nava Ochoa

Vice Provost Patricia Turner to leave UC Davis for UCLA

Aug. 6 — After 22 years of working at UC Davis, UC Davis’ Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, Patricia Turner, will be leaving for UCLA to begin as Dean and Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education.

Turner first began work at UC Davis as a faculty member in African American and African studies in 1990.

“I’m delighted that the next chapter of my career will be at a UC campus. I’ll be keeping all my Aggie T-shirts, just adding some Bruin shirts to the mix,” she said in a release by UC Davis’ Dateline News for Faculty and Staff.

— Originally reported by Gheed Saeed

New parking payment option for students

Aug. 20 — UC Davis Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) released their new parking permit option in June.  The EasyPark Personal Parking Meter (PPM) is a small device that is used like a parking meter; it deducts funds at the rate of $1.50 per hour to a maximum of $7, the cost of a one-day permit. Funds can be added to it with a minimum of $25 to a maximum of $300 at a time. The permit allows people to park in any “C” permit parking space or parking meter.
— Originally reported by Liliana Nava Ochoa

UC submits ‘friend of the court brief’ in support of affirmative action

Aug. 20 — University of California President Mark Yudof and 10 University of California chancellors submitted an amicus curiae brief or “friend of the court brief,” to the Supreme Court in support of the University of Texas in Fisher v. The University of Texas at Austin, Aug.13.

The case, which is to be revisited in October, was filed by Abigail Fisher who graduated at the top 12 percent of her high school class and was denied acceptance to the university, due to its selection of students not admitted under the Top Ten Percent Plan. The plan aims to increase diversity of the student body.

Fisher sued the UT Austin for allegedly violating her 14th Amendment rights by denying her equal protection of the law, as applicants less academically qualified than Fisher were admitted.

— Originally reported by Gheed Saeed

Middle Class Scholarship fails to pass Senate

Sep. 10 — The Middle Class Scholarship Act (AB 1501) died on the Senate floor, Aug. 31, with a final vote of 22-15, five votes less than was required for passage. The scholarship guaranteed a two-thirds deduction in school fees for students of middle-class families (families with a household income of $150,000 or less.)
“We’re not finished yet and we’re going to work together to get it done,” California Governor Jerry Brown stated in a release the following day.

— Originally reported by Muna Sadek

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER DIGEST was compiled by MUNA SADEK. She can be reached at campus@theaggie.com.

CD Review: Grizzly Bear

Arts Editor
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Artist: Grizzly Bear
Album: Shields

With their last two albums, Grizzly Bear found a happy medium between catchy hooks and more emotional songwriting. That formula hasn’t changed much with the band’s newest record, Shields, but this time around they make a genuine effort to branch out even more with varied instrumentation and complex song structures. Now the band’s characteristically great vocal melodies are paired with keyboard flourishes, horn sections and a general sense of bombast that seems more in line with a group like Arcade Fire. Whether it’s the sudden shift from electric to acoustic in the album opener “Sleeping Ute,” or the jazzy drum/piano interplay in the final moments of “What’s Wrong,” every track on this LP has that one special moment that keeps the listener coming back for more. It makes for an exciting album that only increases in appeal with repeated spins, resulting in a serious contender for album of the year.

Rating: 4.5
Give these tracks a listen: “Sleeping Ute,” “Yet Again,” “A Simple Answer”
For fans of: Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, Radiohead

— ANTHONY LABELLA

‘Enrolled-No Work Submitted’ grade eliminated

Campus Editor
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Beginning this fall, students will no longer be able to use the Enrolled-No Work Submitted (ENWS) grade option, after the UC Davis division of Academic Senate decided to eliminate it on June 8.
“I was disappointed to hear that the ENWS grade will be eliminated as an option, since it has also functioned as a useful alternative to giving students ‘F’ grades when they enrolled in a course but could not attend or submit the assignments, for varied reasons, from illness to personal or family emergencies,” said professor and University Writing Program (UWP) minor advisor Gary Sue Goodman.
The ENWS grade was used by students who had not attended class or submitted work but missed the deadline to drop the course. The instructor would enter “ENWS” on the end-of-term report of the student.

Now, students will receive an “F” instead of an ENWS notation which they will be able to petition to the Grade Changes Committee for removal, if the failure to complete the work is due to circumstances outside the student’s control.

“I think that the primary positive effect would be to allow some students to take classes that would otherwise be closed, given that students who would otherwise opt for ENWS in a class drop it instead,” said Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy Department and former chair of the Davis Division Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction, George Mattey. “From the standpoint of the campus, the change would increase to some extent efficiency in the use of teaching resources.  Further, the change should allow better advising, especially earlier recognition of academic difficulties, and help some students meet their minimum progress requirement by requiring that they finish the courses in which they are enrolled.”
The ENWS grade was adopted in 1983 in hopes of discouraging students from enrolling in impacted courses since the ENWS notation remained on the transcript.
“Approximately 3,000 ENWS notations are given every academic year, so the practice is widespread. It is therefore very important that every reasonable effort be made to inform students and instructional staff of this important change and its consequences,”  Mattey said.
Later in 1998, the Grade Change Committee made the decision to remove the ENWS notation from students’ final transcript but retain it on the internal one for advising purposes after students complained that the ENWS notation gave them a disadvantage when applying for internships and professional and graduate schools.
“Some of the problems created by ENWS include student athletes receiving the grade, which is a red flag for the NCAA (an ‘F’ is fine if the student retains overall eligibility, but this grade looked suspicious) and students deliberately trying out impacted classes and taking up precious seats.  While no student should be penalized for failing to do work in a class for which they were unaware they were enrolled in, any ‘F’ given for that reason could be dealt with by the grade change committee,” said Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, Jon Rossini.

Rossini was also the chair of Undergraduate Council when the decision was made on eliminating the ENWS grade.

Another reason for elimination was that according to anecdotal evidence, students have used ENWS to meet the required number of units to qualify for financial aid without real intentions to take the course and it has been used as a strategy rather than a mistaken registration, according to the minutes of the Representative Assembly of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate meeting.
UC Davis is the only UC campus that instead of placing an “F” to indicate the status of a student enrolled in a course that does not complete any work, continued to offered ENWS according to the minutes of the Representative Assembly of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate meeting.
“After the drop deadline, students may petition their colleges for late drops, but sometimes in the past those petitions were not granted and students reported being advised to request an ENWS instead.  I hope that the colleges will clarify the criteria for granting late drops and perhaps broaden them to cover most of the students to whom I might have given ENWS grades in the past,” Goodman said.

LILIANA NAVA OCHOA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Putting the bite back in the bark

Science Editor
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In medicine, the road from laboratory research to clinical application is often a long and complicated route. But sometimes, it’s no farther than a five-minute walk.

Such is the unique advantage enjoyed by doctors at UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital, nestled among a complex of biomedical research facilities on the southwestern edge of campus that includes the Musculoskeletal Bioengineering lab of Kyriacos Athanasiou. The partnership between the lab and the hospital has produced a successful new treatment for regenerating bones that have been fractured or surgically removed in the jaws of dogs, a technique that may eventually be applied to human patients.

“This kind of work exemplifies the collaboration that happens at UC Davis,” said Boaz Arzi, a veterinary surgeon who is also a member of the Athanasiou lab. “Basically, magic can be done.”

The new surgical technique was put to its most challenging test in the case of Whiskey, a 10-year-old Munsterlander dog who needed almost half his lower right jawbone removed because of a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of oral cancer in humans.

After surgically removing the infected portion of Whiskey’s jaw, Arzi, along with a team that included the hospital’s Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service Head Frank Verstraete and Athanasiou lab tissue engineer Dan Huey, attached a titanium rod shaped to match the jaw line to the remaining bone, bridging the 6-centimeter gap.

“Formerly, when we had to remove a portion of the bone we were forced to leave the defect in the jaw because there was no better alternative,” Verstraete said.

A specially constructed sponge-like scaffold composed of collagen and the mineral hydroxyapatite, both constituents of normal bone tissue, and infused with a precise dose of a growth-promoting protein, was then inserted into the gap and attached to the titanium rod. Bone morphogenetic protein – first purified for clinical use in the 1980s by UC Davis orthopedic surgeon A. Hari Redi – is responsible for helping to recruit stem cells in the surrounding bone and tissue to differentiate into new bone cells.

“It’s not very difficult to regenerate bone,” Arzi said. “It’s difficult to regenerate bone over a large, critical-sized defect. And it’s more difficult to try to get it right without side effects.”

After three months, the scaffolding in Whiskey’s jaw had been almost entirely replaced by new bone growth, marking a triumph of the delicate refinements needed to coordinate scaffolding and protein for the specific requirements of a dog’s jawbone.

“The thing with bone morphogenetic protein is that it’s dose dependent, scaffold dependent and species dependent,” said Arzi. “So, for example, the same doses we use for dogs is different from the dose we would use for humans. So it really needs to be tailored per animal, per procedure, per bone event. It’s finding the right recipe which makes this [procedure] unique.”

With eight out of eight successful surgeries, the team is now publishing its results. Arzi sees great promise in similar collaboration for future projects, including ongoing work on disorders of the temporomandibular joint connecting the jaw to the skull, which are common in both dogs and humans.

“Taking people like those at the Athanasiou lab, with their knowledge base and understanding of the material, and combining it with our surgical expertise makes it really fertile ground,” Arzi said.  “It’s exciting; it’s definitely changed the way we think. I think that the team approach, with easy access to each other’s expertise, is what makes it successful.”

OYANG TENG can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

New Music

Arts Editor
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ALBUMS
How to Dress Well – Total Loss
A moody, off-shore weather system of an album consisting of early ‘90s R&B melodies and atmospheric, washed-out effects, this is the sophomore effort of How to Dress Well, a.k.a. Tom Krell. At times, the vocals are tenuous, but for the most part they do a good job at evoking a myriad of artists and groups — TLC, Aaliyah and even Dangerous-era Michael Jackson. Here, they collide with a very contemporary style of Indie R&B — characterized by organic-sounding beats and ethereal reverb effects.
Standout Tracks: “Running Back,” “It Was U”
For Fans Of: Michael Jackson, SALEM, P.M. Dawn

Sam Flax – Age Waves
One of the cool things about our nostalgia-addicted culture is how many fresh, innovative sounds are now being created by combining different influences from each decade. In just the first few tracks of Sam Flax’s debut album, one hears ’80s new wave filtered through ’60s garage rock scuzziness, ’70s power pop revamped through early ’80s funk. What you get with this album sounds simultaneously like a worn record and a document from the future. It is perfect for adventurous minds that don’t mind a bit of space and time travel along with their pop sensibilities.
Standout Tracks: “Fire Doesn’t Burn Itself,” “Another Day”
For Fans Of: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, The Cars, Fleetwood Mac

SINGLES

Tame Impala – “Elephant”
A relentless glam-rock stomper from this Aussie rock outfit of recent years whose brand of pop psychedelia and pitch-perfect John Lennon-style vocals has earned them a steadily increasing following.

Lost Midas – “Love Undone”
At three minutes, this sparkling gem of instrumental hip-hop and layered vocals feels far too brief. It would fit well with any taste and belongs on every iPod this late September, and although similar tunes seem to be flooding the music universe at the moment, one can’t help but be taken in by this track amidst the falling leaves and good vibes of early fall.

ANDREW RUSSELL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Coach Biggs set to leave program in “best shape possible”

Sports Editor
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No one could see it coming, not even UC Davis’ head football coach Bob Biggs himself. Heading into his 20th year as the head coach, Biggs is ranked second all-time in UC Davis history with a 140-78-1 record trailing only his mentor Jim Sochor.

When asked if he ever knew if he wanted to coach he replied, “No, I thought I was going to law school; I took the LSAT. Although I didn’t apply to any schools because I was playing pro ball in Canada, I thought that was what I was going to do.”

Fast forward over 40 years later, including his time at UC Davis as a quarterback and assistant coach, Biggs announced that he would step down from his position as head coach after this year.
“Last year I was disappointed and down at end of season and the first thing you do is look yourself in mirror and ask am I doing the best job that I can be doing preparing this team and making sure we do all the right things,” he said. “After taking a good look in the mirror I thought I did, but I didn’t want last year to be my last year.”

Biggs started his coaching tenure when he was offered a coaching position with the freshman team by his coach, Jim Sochor.

“One of my best friends, an old teammate of mine, a guy named Mike Bellotti, who went on to coach at Oregon, was coaching the freshman team, so the two of us ended up coaching the freshman team together that year,” Biggs said. “Then I started working for the department of water resources and then a position came open as the head men’s tennis coach and assistant football coach.”
While Biggs was assistant football coach he also led the tennis team to five NCAA Division II championships. Biggs’ success on the football field, as a player and a coach, was more publicized. During his senior year as the quarterback for the Aggies, Biggs averaged 272.8 yards per game in total offense and was the leading passer in the nation at the Division II level. That year he became the first player in Aggie history to throw for over 2,000 yards in a season.
Biggs also coached some well known quarterbacks himself during his tenure, sending four of his signal callers into the professional ranks. Mark Grieb, Khari Jones, Kevin Daft and J.T. O’Sullivan all went on to professional careers after their tutelage with Biggs.

Players today still appreciate coach Biggs for the legend he has become in Davis football and what he has done for the program.

“He knows what he is doing,” said senior safety Kevyn Lewis. “The easiest thing to do is when you have a leader who knows what he is doing and you can just hop on his coattail.”
It also provides more motivation for the players to send their coach out as a winner this year.

“Coach Biggs is the guy that gave us a chance. He’s the guy who allowed us to go to school, play ball and live a dream. So this is my last chance and his last chance too so I want to make sure he comes out of football on a good note,” said senior Ray Wilburn.

“We’re just not playing for ourselves, we’re playing for a person and this is how he is going to remember his last year. This is what he is going to hold on to last and we have a part in deciding how that feels for him,” Lewis said.

When asked what he would miss most about coaching football, Biggs said it was the team itself.

“Unquestionably, the players and relationships and just feeling you’re having some impact on some people’s lives and trying to find ways to help them complete their goals both personally and as a football player,” he said.

JASON MIN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Editorial: In support of a free press

Opinion
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In August, student journalists around the country were riveted by a Twitter feed hailing from Athens, Georgia. The student newspaper’s staff walked out after the nonstudent advisers threatened to take control.

The newspaper — The Red and Black — saw a memo draft about the hierarchical changes. The non-student editorial adviser would be elevated to editorial director, overseeing all content before it would be published. The memo listed other guidelines, most disturbingly a mandate to lessen the paper’s “bad” content. According to the memo’s author, “bad” content is “content that catches people or organizations doing bad things. I guess this is ‘journalism.’ If in question, have more GOOD than BAD.”

Needless to say, we find this to be all kinds of “bad.”

A student publication should provide unbiased news for the greater community, creating a better campus by informing it. This spread of information would be vastly limited under university censorship — a newspaper potentially turned into a sockpuppet.

The California Aggie, like The Red and Black, is a student-run newspaper. We have an advisory board and a professional journalist who critiques our work, but their influence only comes after we publish. If we saw a list of changes similar to The Red and Black memo, we’d strongly consider walking out too.

We’re proud to be part of The Aggie. We are financially independent, with our own students selling advertisements and managing circulation. Many student newspapers require student fees to stay afloat, or have professional, non-student staff handling the business side of publication. Not us.

Of course, having over 100 students creating a newspaper four days a week means there are going to be some mistakes. We’re all learning. Since UC Davis doesn’t have a journalism program, The Aggie truly is the best way for students curious about the field to gain experience. We take the job of training brand new journalists very seriously.

Fortunately, the former editors at The Red and Black and its board resolved things after a few days. The students were hired back and the employee with final say is still the student editor in chief.

We intend to continue informing the public and fostering UC Davis’ young journalists as we have since The California Aggie gained independence in the 1970’s. If you’d like to join our team, we’d like to have you on board — email managing@theaggie.org.

Undeclared? Try a new interdisciplinary field

Features Editor
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Over the years, a new field of study is emerging to combine various areas of expertise together to help understand one main topic: the human mind.

When cognitive science graduate Joshua Peterson and fourth-year cognitive science major Antonio Dominiguez transferred to UC Davis, neither could choose a single major they were interested in.

“There wasn’t a major that seemed like it fit for us because we are interested in many different things,” Dominiguez said. “The main reason the major interested me is that it brings together a whole scope of fields to study what we are all curious about: the way our minds work.”

After being friends for nearly two decades, Peterson and Dominiguez came together in 2010 and had the cognitive science major approved under the independent major program at UC Davis in 2011.

“They didn’t have [a cognitive science program] at Davis and I was sad about that,” Peterson said. “So I used the individual major option to try and copy Berkeley’s plan and I tried to go class through class and add a few extra things and make it a bit more rigorous.”

Since the program has been approved, two additional cognitive science majors, with differing emphases, have also been approved so that the major may appeal to a wider variety of students.

Other than Peterson and Dominiguez, two other students have declared cognitive science majors at UC Davis, one of whom is Tanya Singh, a fourth-year cognitive science major with an emphasis on neuroscience and Cognitive Science Club president.

“[Cognitive science] is a multidisciplinary approach; it involves a necessary variety of perspectives,” Singh said.

After being unsure of what she wanted to major in early in her college career, she said it was satisfying to discover cognitive science.

“It was like that feeling when you are craving something, but you don’t know what you are craving until you eat it and feel satisfied,” Singh said. “Having so many questions left over is not a good feeling and I feel like just one field [of study] wouldn’t do it for me.”

Each week, the Cognitive Science Club has guest speakers to inform members about the field and help foster further interest in the major.

[Cognitive science] was born out of pure curiosity,” Singh said. “People may not want to change their majors because they are too far along, but they would like to learn about it because it’s new and upcoming and that’s the purpose of our club.”

The main draw to the cognitive science major is the opportunity to learn about varied perspectives on the way the human mind works, combining empirical and theoretical approaches from six, seven and even eight different fields, Peterson said.

The multidisciplinary nature is one of the reasons that this major can be made possible at UC Davis, because of the various departments already established.

“I think UC Davis has all the resources it needs to have cognitive science [become] a major program but we just aren’t there yet, so we’re giving it a little push,” Dominiguez said. “Cognitive science fits for a lot of people, not just me. There are a lot of people that this major is interesting to and fitting for so I am looking forward to having the next generation of cognitive science majors.”

Dr. Bernard Molyneux, UC Davis philosophy professor and cognitive science major adviser, said that the various fields of study all built into one major is what sets this major apart from others.

“In psychology you aren’t going to be asked how to build something. The emphasis is going to be on how it will behave. The idea of being a cognitive science is you learn from a variety of different angles,” he said. “What’s unique is the variety of approaches you bring to the task.”

Molyneux does not have a degree in cognitive science; however, his background in philosophy and artificial intelligence set him up perfectly to take on the role of the major’s adviser.

“I guess I have always been a cognitive scientist at heart,” Molyneux said. “When some students came to me to advise cognitive science, I was delighted.”

Peterson said that multiple fields of study within one major provides an advantage not only when studying for an undergraduate degree, but also afterwards, when applying to grad school and getting a job.

“If you major in cognitive science, you are going to have a background to get into a psychology grad program, a linguistics grad program, a computer science grad program [and more]. It’s a good pre-med major too,” Peterson said. “It prepares you not only for different majors but it gives you all of these extra skills that set you apart. I think it opens a lot of doors.”

Peterson currently works in two labs, and he said his unique major and varied skill set is the reason he had the opportunity to work in them as they required both psychology and computer science knowledge.

“Psychology majors don’t have [a] computer science background so the cognitive science major gave me the unique ability to go and do research there on that level,” Peterson said. “Both of the labs were made possible by the multidisciplinary nature of the major. It’s one of the only majors that ties in the theoretical and the empirical.”

If you are interested in majoring in cognitive science or joining the Cognitive Science Club, visit cogsci.ucdavis.edu or e-mail tansingh@ucdavis.edu.

DEVON BOHART can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Column: Please give a shit

Features Editor
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It’s 11 p.m. on a Sunday night in July, and there’s an unusual amount of activity at a nondescript restaurant in San Francisco’s otherwise dead-quiet financial district.
The place is packed with socialites, congregating around the warm brick and rustic open bar. On the other side, porchetta roasts in a wood-burning oven, the salty smokiness on everyone’s lips. The spread is magnificent: ricotta-stuffed, deep-fried squash blossoms, handmade pastas drenched in butter, thin pizzas with freshly shaved truffles.
With a small plate of goodies in one hand and a glass of Pinot Noir in the other, I am feeling pretty fucking good.
I take in the sights.
There’s Cecilia Chiang, the woman who first brought Chinese food to California. And there’s Thomas Keller, arguably the best chef in America and owner of arguably the best restaurant in America, The French Laundry. And of course, there’s Michael Bauer, The San Francisco Chronicle’s food critic and nationally revered. And did he just walk in with Tyler Florence’s wife?
I should be very used to seeing Michael, as I had seen him countless times as The Chronicle’s Food & Wine intern. But still, in this setting, he is clearly a star.
I huddle in a group of Food & Wine staff, gossiping about who is who and trying to blend in. Then the writer whom I share a cubicle with says something brilliant.
“Just when I think I’ve really made it, I see half the room is younger than me.”
We look around. Yep. The vast majority of the socialites appear to be in their mid-20s. I take comfort knowing that it’s highly unlikely anyone else is a fresh 21, like me.
There were a few exclusive events this summer where I felt as falsely important. A media pass can do wonders for a girl’s self-esteem.
At my final moment of exclusivity – a launch party of Top Chef Desserts winner Yigit Pura’s patisserie, while I cut into a passionfruit-yuzu tart and received yet another glass of champagne – I was saddened to think that I will probably never eat this well again. My life may never be this swell again!
But that’s a silly thing to think at this age. I frequently forget how young I am — how young we all are as college students. Twenty-one is nothing. Yet, in just three years at UC Davis, I’ve managed to accomplish far more than I ever would have expected.
When I moved into the Segundo dorms three years ago, I was pretty insecure. I hardly partied at all during Welcome Week, too frightened of potentially belligerent social interaction. I stalked the people I wanted to befriend, and then, shockingly, actually befriended them. My long-term goals were probably to graduate on time, spend some time abroad – a quarter, or something – and be an editor at The California Aggie by my senior year.
Instead?
I clinched that first editor gig by the end of the first year. I’m set to graduate on time, even with going abroad for a summer and a full year. I had crazy adventures in Europe – couchsurfing, hitchhiking and farming – that I could have never imagined myself originally doing, but now can’t imagine not doing them. And I had internships. Multiple internships, including my dream internship at The San Francisco Chronicle. Now I’m embarking on the challenge of a lifetime: running this campus newspaper as editor in chief.
There have been a lot of questions lately as to the value of a college education. Students are dropping out all the time because they can’t afford these horrifying prices, and others because they’re disenfranchised by the whole institution.
It’s true — what you learn in the classroom may not be worth those tuition fees. But going to college, going to a top-tier university like UC Davis, can do so much for you. There are tons of resources, endless opportunities.
But, only if you choose to give a shit.
I would not be where I am now if I decided to work at the ASUCD Coffee House — a “normal” job — instead of slaving as an unpaid writer for eternity. As cliché as it sounds, these sacrifices do pay off.
So, UC Davis class of 2016! Congratulations on getting into this fine university. Your parents must be proud. Hell, I’m proud. Now, please, don’t waste it.
JANELLE BITKER has one idea for you: Apply to work at The Aggie! Request instruction at editor@theaggie.org.

DEVO and Blondie Live

Arts Editor
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Friday, Sept. 14, 2012: There is no prevailing archetype of concertgoer here at the Sunrise Mall in Sacramento. In the enclosed concert venue in the parking lot, old couples sit near the stage, tapping their toes; young punk girls with ripped leggings sway back and forth in the bleachers; parents bounce toddlers on their shoulders; and new wavers young and old headbang and gyrate with frightening intensity.

These people are here to see two acts who stand out as giants from new wave’s storied past. One is a strange group of humanoids who bridged the gap between three-chord punk rock and futuristic synth-pop, and the other is a flagship act for the New York underground of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, bringing sweeping romantic melodies to new wave rock with their charismatic frontwoman.

On the stage, the first of these bands formed some 40 years ago is unleashing a sonic and visual assault of synthesizers, guitars and music video clips from their storied past. These bizarre invaders are none other than DEVO. Although they are known to most people for their smash hit “Whip It” and their jaunt into the mainstream for much of the early ‘80s, the truth, as always, is far stranger: DEVO began as an early art-rock band who burst from the college scene of Eastern Ohio in the ‘70s with a mad theory of “De-Evolution.”

This prophecy of a downwardly mobile human race is reflected to this day in their performance — the group begins by making an entrance in their new and improved gear (Orwellian gray jumpsuits with strangely molded facemasks), and as the set continues, periodic costume changes take us on a retrograde journey through their various incarnations over the years, from the famous red “energy dome” hats to the yellow nuke-plant suits they wore in 1978 (notably seen on the band at our campus’ own ASUCD Coffee House that year). At the conclusion, the members of DEVO strip down to underclothes and dump what appears to be several bags of pita chips onto the front row.

Musically, DEVO still packs quite a punch, and although “Whip It” remained the crowd favorite, each song continued to raise the energy to danger level, from the more punk-oriented “Uncontrollable Urge” from their first album to the fantastic opening song “Don’t Shoot! I’m a Man!” from their latest release, 2010’s Something for Everyone. On another note, although this was the first release in over two decades from DEVO, similarly quirky work can be heard in the countless soundtracks for film, video games and television that frontman Mark Mothersbaugh has composed over the years.

For the second act, Blondie arrived onstage with the fanfare-ish opener “Dreaming.” Admittedly, the crowd was star-struck as Debbie Harry began to sing old favorites such as “Call Me” and “Rapture,” but what was even more surprising was the fact that, at 67 years old, her vocals sound as if they’re fresh off the record from 30 years prior.

Much of the set made for a satisfyingly nostalgic ride, although Blondie, like their tourmates, played several new songs from their recent album. The album, 2011’s Panic of Girls, has a contemporary dance-rock sound that would not be too uncomfortable among the top charting records today, and the new tracks, such as “Mother” and “D-Day,” settled quite nicely along with the classics.

Other standout moments included the sprinkling of cover songs played, some interesting choices among them being the currently popular Ellie Goulding song “Lights,” Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax,” and an out-of-the-blue rendition of the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn.”

The show ended on the always mesmerizing song “Heart of Glass,” and as the crowd began to shuffle out, the general mood was that of a trance-like state of bliss, sated with all the new-wave nostalgia they could handle.

As the “Whip it to Shreds” tour is ending soon, and as it is uncertain when you will get another chance to see either of these great artists, I propose the moral of this review: Keep your finger to the wind for “bands from the past,” their latest albums and performance dates; much of the time you’ll find that their ability to put on a show has gotten stronger with age.

ANDREW RUSSELL can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

News in Brief: University of California pays $1 million for pepper spray settlement

Campus Editor
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News in Brief: University of California pays $1 million for pepper spray settlement
The University of California will pay approximately $1 million to settle the pepper spray lawsuit, according to the settlement that was submitted yesterday for court approval.
Plaintiffs of the case will be paid $630,000 ($30,000 each) and $250,000 will be paid to attorney and legal fees. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) will be paid $20,000 for the organization’s future work with the University to promote freedom of speech and expression. UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi will also issue a formal apology to each plaintiff who was pepper sprayed or arrested, according to a press release by ACLU.

$100,000 will be awarded to non-plaintiffs who were pepper sprayed or arrested Nov. 18, as the case was just developed as a class-action lawsuit.

The terms of the settlement were agreed upon in a closed session by the UC Board of Regents at a UC Regents meeting Sept. 13 at the UCSF Mission Bay campus.

“I want the University and the police to understand what they did wrong. Police should be accountable to students … I felt like the University silenced me,” said sophomore Ian Lee in the press release.

Before the settlement is finalized,  it will be reviewed by a federal court judge for possible approval.

— Muna Sadek

UC and CSU research assistants to be granted bargaining rights

City Editor
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Senate Bill 259 was recently approved by the Senate with a vote of 46-27. The bill, if approved by Gov. Jerry Brown, will affect 14,000 research assistants in the University of California (UC) system, as well as 2,000 at the California State University (CSU) system.
The bill was created by Sen. Loni Hancock with the intent to allow graduate student researchers to organize and advocate for issues relating to child care, wages, hours and workplace safety.
According to caperb.com, SB 259 would amend the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA) by covering student employees whose employment depends on their status as students, without any other conditions.
Also, because graduate students are prone to frequently switching jobs between being a researcher and being a teaching assistant, they will now not lose their union benefits in the interim of the change.
The flip side is that this measure will further exhaust funding at both UC and CSU campuses. UC has come out against the bill.
A letter issued by UC President Mark Yudof to Brown, outlined reasons for the UC’s opposition to the bill. The cost to the UC system is estimated to be roughly between $10 million to $18 million. In addition, the letter goes on to theorize that the bill may prolong the time it takes for a graduate student to complete their degree.
“UC requests that you [Brown] veto SB 259 on the grounds that it would undermine the University’s competitiveness as a world-renowned research university,” Yudof said in the letter. “Neither the State of California nor UC can afford to fund these additional costs.”
Yudof also argues that the bill will change the relationship between faculty and student researchers from mentor-mentee to employer-employee, which could prove to be detrimental.
In the wake of the release of the UC statement by Yudof, responses to the arguments highlighted in the letter were released.

“We would add that while the ‘special faculty-student relationship’ is indubitably an important part of academic culture, it is also precisely what makes GSRs occasionally vulnerable to being overworked, underpaid or arbitrarily treated,” said the Berkeley Faculty Association in a letter issued to California Assembly Member Felipe Fuentes.

Various other arguments both for and against the bill have been issued, but the decision rests solely in the governor’s hands. He has until the end of September to reach his decision.

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

CD Review: Beams

Arts Editor
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Artist: Matthew Dear

Album: Beams

Rating: 4.5

Detroit Electronic producer Matthew Dear’s latest album Beams is the perfect complement to the late summer state of mind. Its eleven lush, highly danceable songs add up to a guilt-free, enjoyable experience; yet each track is laced with an underlying nervousness — a twitchy experimentation aspect that reminds one of the worries that arise from being so close to the stress of the coming school year.

From the opening track, “Her Fantasy,” the listener is treated to an experience more thoughtful than the average dance record, with wildly different sounds such as wooden percussion and bird whistles playing off each other to a driving dance-floor rhythm. This is thinker’s disco, replete with anxious, arty new wave tunings reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, the Talking Heads and even Beck. It is the hard-hitting, bass-heavy grooves, however, which will bring you back for the fourth or fifth listen. Try Beams for an unearthly, inventive album that could hold its own at any house party.

Give these tracks a listen: “Up & Out,” “Her Fantasy,” “Ribcage”

For fans of: Peter Gabriel, Tom Tom Club, Four Tet, Flying Lotus

— Andrew Russell

Sleeping Dogs

Arts Editor
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What a long, strange trip it’s been for Sleeping Dogs. Once thought to be dead in the water, this sandbox game miraculously came back from development hell, overcame cancellations and even changed owners.

Now that Square Enix officially released the game, it can be said Sleeping Dogs is worth all the trouble. Developer United Front Games delivers an impressive open-world experience that distinguishes itself from the crowd with an emphasis on melee combat and the beautifully realized streets of Hong Kong.

Sleeping Dogs tells the tale of Wei Shen, an undercover detective who visits his old stomping grounds in Hong Kong to help take down the deadly Triad gang.

There’s something admirable about the game’s unflinching look at violence, which includes the opening moments, but ultimately the deadpan tone ends up working against it. Whereas contemporary releases such as Grand Theft Auto IV or Red Dead Redemption include moments of witty social commentary and genuine humor, Sleeping Dogs rarely takes time to delve into lighthearted storytelling.

Those moments could have offered much needed relief from the relentlessly serious subject matter, but in the end the story all starts to wear thin. Even voice work from A-list celebrities such as Tom Wilkinson and Emma Stone can’t save the modest and unremarkable tale of deception and revenge.

Luckily the game more than makes up for its narrative shortcomings by delivering of the core mechanics that make for a successful open-world experience. At the heart of it all is Hong Kong, beaming with neon-lit marketplaces, colorful personalities and its fair share of clothing stores.

One of Sleeping Dogs’ greatest strengths is how it presents Hong Kong as a living, breathing environment where the world doesn’t necessarily revolve around one individual. Instead, the player traverses the seedy underground of Hong Kong while the rest of the population goes on about its business. It’s a subtle trick that few games manage to truly master, but Sleeping Dogs belongs on the shortlist.

Hong Kong also feels like an appropriately large place given the numerous side activities available to players in the game. These include shopping, drug busts, mahjong and gambling — even betting on cock fights (it’s all for the sake of authenticity). There are also cars to buy, statues to discover, upgrades to unlock … the list goes on and on.

Though every side mission or momentary diversion may not be the most engaging, the sheer number and variety of activities go a long way in creating the illusion of limitless replay value.

Side activities pale in comparison to the game’s primary mechanic: melee combat. Think Batman: Arkham City with a touch of cinematic flare. The former comparison shines through with a simple yet robust combo system full of counterattacks, while the action-movie panache comes from visceral takedowns.

Throwing someone into a dumpster honestly never gets old, and eventually the moves become more effective and much more violent. Also helping matters is the increasing difficulty due to more enemies and the weapons they begin to wield.

Best of all, the fights don’t feel repetitive or tedious because of how strong all of those elements are. The downfall ends up being that there isn’t quite enough of it.

It’s a shame that Wei Shen eventually discovers guns about halfway through the game, because at that point Sleeping Dogs starts to transform into a mediocre third-person shooter. The gunplay is standard point-and-shoot fare with a severe lack of weapon variety that feels completely tacked on.

Luckily melee combat sections don’t disappear completely, but the balance shifts quite a bit and the single-player campaign suffers because of it.

Nevertheless, it feels good to say Sleeping Dogs is a success on any level. It went from being a game that looked like it would never come out to being one of the most pleasant surprises of 2012.

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

Police Briefs

City Editor
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WEDNESDAY

Oh Lord, not again

Extra patrol was requested because of a large party at a church on C Street last weekend, and someone was concerned it would reoccur.

 

THURSDAY

Ding dong, the witch is dead

Someone woke up to the sound of a thud to find an unknown person on their doorstep on Amador Avenue.

D-flowered

Someone stole the copper flower pots from in front of a business on D Street.

Mamma Mia

A brother and sister got into a fight over pizza, so heated that she kicked her stepfather and went to her room.

 

SATURDAY

Hit me baby, one more time

Someone was standing in the traffic lanes at Sycamore and Wake Forest asking people to kill her.

Hello, boys

A female woke up to find three men inside her residence on Fiesta Avenue.

Happy ending

Someone found cash at the plot of the Grocery Outlet and requested that an officer come pick it up on East Eighth Street.

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

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