Dear Senior Campus Administrators,

It’s clear you’re being put in the difficult position of having to live up to the Principles of Community. I personally think that’s an unreasonable expectation. If you were capable of that it would’ve happened already.  Instead, I have a suggestion for you — from your very own playbook. Why not try the old “Lower the Bar” play and revise the Principles themselves? It’d be just like what you’ve been trying to do for the past two and a half years with the Core Principles of Intercollegiate Athletics.  You know, make the hammer shape the hand.

Paul Medved
Class of ’78

Team Obama is probably beginning to sweat by now (assuming they haven’t already been doing so for months). The president needs strong job growth reports from now until Election Day, and the latest numbers on newly created jobs (115,000 for the month of April) are simply not going to cut it.

Regardless of whether it is his fault, voters are tired of waiting for the economy to return to normalcy. The man who four years ago attracted swooning crowds, a commanding electoral victory and a 70 percent approval rating upon taking office is headed toward a loss this November. Worse, it would be a loss to Mitt Romney, the say-anything Republican nominee who has flipped, flopped and rolled his way into the Republican nomination on the back of a nominating process filled with pathetically inept and shockingly backward competition (cough Rick Perry cough).

Yet Romney might not be the only person on the ballot who has been willing to say anything to get elected. Obama wanted to win in 2008, and if it took a field of broken promises to do so, then so be it. Remember closing Guantanamo Bay? Or his promise to raise the federal minimum wage? Apparently that was change he forgot about.

If Team O is going to score a deuce, then they are going to need the full coalition that propelled Obama to victory last time. This includes young voters, minorities and gays. Well, it seems like Obama and Co. assumed that these groups would vote for him again, regardless of what went down. So they were ignored. Sure, work was done on the margins, and occasionally it was even significant. The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is a good example.

There are, however, some gaping broken promises that could end up derailing the president’s dream of a second term. Take the issue of immigration. He specifically promised a comprehensive immigration bill during his first year. What happened? Nothing. Needless to say, minority advocates were outraged.

Another big promise broken was his pledge to extend the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to include discrimination against sexual orientation and gender identity. This was a very big issue in the gay community — a community that also happened to be one of his biggest fundraisers last round. Yeah, that did not happen. Whoops.

You do not have to go far to find stories about groups who were made promises by Obama in 2008, only to be disappointed and let down. They can be found right here on this campus.

Last Monday, the Armenian Student Association held a several-hours-long demonstration in front of the MU to commemorate the Armenian genocide. As much as 75 percent of the population was massacred between 1915 to 1923. It was and is horrific to contemplate. Nearly 100 years later, the genocide still stands as the pivotal event in Armenian consciousness.

I spoke with Raffi Dadain, one of the students involved with the demonstration. He pointed out that most nations still do not recognize the genocide for what it was — genocide. This includes our country. Yet he and other Armenians held hope that this would change under Obama. Why? Because he promised to do so.

Yet the president has reneged on this promise. This has prompted a furious response from the Armenian community. Raffi said that he worked as a volunteer for the Obama campaign last time. But this time, he is going to sit it out. The letdown from Obama’s broken promise is too much.

Worse, the White House releases a letter each year to commemorate the genocide, except that they never actually use the word “genocide.” It is a slap in the face to the Armenian community, and it is going to cost him desperately needed votes.

If the President does indeed lose on Nov. 4, post-mortem analysis will revolve around several issues. Yes, the economy will be the main issue. But the anger and letdown of Obama’s old coalition will also be a big factor. It remains to be seen whether the pain of a broken promise is greater than the notion of what would be akin to the second coming of Bush. The choice will be between a candidate who lied and a candidate who is probably listed in the dictionary under the word “flip-flopper.”

Regardless, this year’s election is shaping up to be an ugly, depressing affair. What an Obummer.

It’s surprisingly enjoyable making puns off of Obama’s name. Send JONATHAN NELSON yours at jdnelson@ucdavis.edu.

If new legislation is not passed, this July the interest rate for Federal Direct Stafford Loans for 7.4 million students will rise from 3.4 to 6.8 percent.
Doubling the college loan interest rate places a greater burden on the shoulders of students already struggling to carry debt at existing loan rates. It is difficult enough as it is to find a job post-grad to pay off these loans, while at the same time there are few other financial aid options. This is unacceptable in a country that prides itself in having such an educated population.

Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Finaid.com, told The San Francisco Chronicle that if a student took out $9,000 of unsubsidized loans over four years at 6.8 percent instead of 3.4 percent, it would cost an additional $1,800 over 10 years. It would cost an extra $4,075 over a 20-year repayment period.

Though it is true that these rates are lower than getting loans from a bank, the government should not be making students pay more. As the future contributors to the economy, students should not have to be in debt longer.

It is very likely that there will be some sort of bill passed to keep the rates at 3.4 percent since it would be inconvenient for a hike to come with elections coming up this November.

There are Republican and Democrat versions of a bill to keep the interest rate at 3.4 percent for at least a year. The Senate is voting today on whether to start debating the Democratic plan. Though each measure uses different means to finance the around $6 million funds needed to cover keeping the interest rates at the lower percentage, they both would keep the rate the same. It is vital that Congress makes a bipartisan effort to ensure that students can afford to pay off loans.

Astute readers will recall that I am not from here. I was born and raised and went to college on the East Coast (double-plus points if you remember where). I’d say coming to California was a culture shock for me, but I honestly haven’t seen the alleged differences between the coasts. People on both sides tend to vote blue, call their college towns “The People’s Republic of X” and love sushi. I guess the weirdos must live in that wide expanse in between.

That’s not to say this particular campus hasn’t surprised me. For example, the smell of manure isn’t nearly as pervasive as I expected, so that’s one stereotype proven wrong. Bike friendliness? Check. Picnic Day? Awesome. Whole Earth Festival? Cool. The nation’s best Farmers Market? The Student Farm? The Meat Lab? The Bike Church? The Craft Center? Icing on the gluten-free, vegan hemp cake. These boons are unique, so take advantage of them while you can! Of course, there are elements of this area I could do without, and things about the East I miss. If only I had a forum by which my rants could reach a wide audience. Oh wait, I do! Excellent …

I loved the first snow in college, because all the Californian and Floridian freshmen would run outside with eyes beaming, joyfully trying to catch snowflakes on their tongues and making snow angels. The honeymoon period ended the next day, when they saw that the snow hadn’t melted and realized they would be living with this for a long time. I certainly don’t miss the winter, but I do miss the indoor pools open all year round. The Rec Pool closes in the fall? Really? That I swam more in Boston than I do here in Davis is blasphemous!

Another peeve: between the warm winters and the stereotype of sexually liberated California, I expected there to be a lot more streaking here! I’m not asking for UCSB levels of licentiousness, but I’m disappointed. All you have is the recently developed “Undie Run.” I witnessed it this year. Less than 50 students participated, all in speedos or undergarments. Pathetic! Why, when I was in college, I and hundreds of students would run around our Quad twice a year, completely naked, in the freezing snow, uphill both ways and watched by dozens of tourists with cameras while a band played in their boxers. Maybe it’s an East Coast thing? Still, I’ll say this about the Undie Run: The few of you who ran are in terrific shape! Let’s just say the streaking student body at my alma mater tended to be less Natalie Portman and more John Lithgow.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment for me is how political this campus is, or at least has become since you-know-when. What happened to the supposed apathy of Davis-ites? If I wanted to go to a school wracked with protests and ethnic tension, I would have gone to Berkeley. As exciting as it is to have witnessed the Birth of a Meme, I liked this school better when the students cared more about their classes than their criminal records.

I’ll end this by holding up a mirror to this campus’ vaunted “diversity.” Honky, please! I’m not saying Davis isn’t diverse, but there’s a reason why we have nine Thai restaurants and nine sushi bars while the only Ethiopian place shut down. Granted, I’m a bit biased: I’m a New Yorker. My standards for a “diverse campus” –  like my standards for “big city,” “high rent,” and “edible bagel” – are a bit higher than yours. Also, I think “Seinfeld” is hilarious. I had to travel 3,000 miles before I met people who didn’t.

The minority group I miss the most here in the West is my own: Jews. There don’t seem to be a lot of us here, though there are some on this campus who don’t like our kind and are quite vocal about it. Nuts to that! I’m Jewish and Israeli and proud of both, and if you don’t like it you can bite my Hebrew National Kosher Frank. All Beef. Foot long.

Aw crap, this became a sex column again.

MATAN SHELOMI is also a Yankee fan; deal with it! Send hate mail to mshelomi@ucdavis.edu.