Last Tuesday, students, government representatives and business and education leaders gathered to discuss the California job market and economy. The event, called the UC Davis California Jobs Summit, was proposed by ASUCD President Adam Thongsavat and was the first UC Davis student-led jobs forum.

The event should be applauded for its efforts to provide real, tangible advice for students facing an uncertain economy after graduation. No matter what the job outlook is in a given year, most students feel some degree of uncertainty as graduation looms and the prospect of living, jobless, in a box (or worse, their parents’ house) becomes more of a possibility. In light of the current economy, concerns about recent grads’ job prospects are higher than ever before.

Universities should make providing useful, practical job-seeking advice a priority, and we are glad that students stepped up and filled this need. It would be great to see student-led initiatives such as this happen more often.

Students themselves were asked to contribute their own solutions for preparing for the school-to-work transition, and this, too, is a positive step forward. UC Davis needs to find ways to incorporate students’ opinions into as many facets of their education as possible. When it comes to finding a job, students know what they would find most helpful, and it is refreshing to see the university devote a portion of the summit to addressing these ideas.

After last fall’s pepper-spraying, UC Davis has racked up a considerable amount of bad publicity in the last few months. Events like the Job Summit, which boasted appearances by State Senator Lois Wolk and State Rep. Mariko Yamada, serve as important reminders to the community that UC Davis is still committed to education and preparing students for their future careers. The fact that the event was prompted by a student demonstrates that we are not just angry protesters; ultimately, we all want to graduate and find a job that pays the bills.

We hope that this will not be the last jobs summit held on the UC Davis campus. The university needs to continue the dialogue between students and professionals about the economy and job market, and keep students involved in preparing for their own futures and the future of our state.

Full Class

A student was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for allegedly disrupting a lower-division science lab.  The student attempted to get into a lab other than the one she was enrolled in by writing her name on an attendance sheet for the lab.  When the class TA took roll, the student did not tell the TA that her name was not called and was not formally enrolled.  In her meeting with an SJA officer, the student stated that she thought writing her name on the sign in sheet would enroll her in the lab, and was not paying attention when the TA took roll. The student acknowledged that she should have talked to the TA and asked if there was room in the class for her. The student agreed to an administrative notice, a letter notifying the student that she failed to identify herself when asked and subsequently disrupted class.

Old-fashioned Copying

A student was referred to SJA for supposed copying during an exam for an upper-division class.  The student’s exam contained similar work to that of her friend seated next to her.  In her meeting with an SJA officer, the student first attributed the similar work to the fact that she and her friend studied for the exam together.  Later, the student admitted that she was having difficulty with the problem and looked at her friend’s work.  The student agreed to probation for one year in addition to completing community service hours.

Help from Wikipedia

A student was referred to SJA for allegedly plagiarizing a paper for a history class.  The student cited sources she found referenced in a Wikipedia article, though the paper prompt specified that the students should draw from the primary sources students were required to read for the class.  In her meeting with an SJA officer, the student said that when writing the paper, she referenced Wikipedia to double check her information and find additional sources.  The student stated that she cited the articles Wikipedia referenced because she believed that these sources were more reliable than Wikipedia.  The student agreed to probation for one quarter in addition to completing a plagiarism tutorial.

CAMPUS JUDICIAL REPORTS are compiled by members of Student Judicial Affairs.

As the quarter draws to a close, most of us are finding ourselves enveloped by a wave of tests, papers and review sessions. What I give you today is a review session of sorts. But not the stressful kind. The sexy kind. I present, for your future use and current pleasure, Sam’s Six Sex Commandments.

1) Communicate: If there is one theme that this column has beaten half to death, it’s that you need to communicate with your partner. The reason I’ve stressed this point is that I’ve heard and read many statistics from both reliable and questionable sources that claim that people in their college years are uncomfortable talking about things like consent with their partners. So, with this in mind, please start having the sex-based conversations with your partner that you’ve been putting off (if you have already done this, I have a merit badge for you). These conversations take time to get the hang of and they can be awkward. But a little awkwardness now is better than someone getting hurt or feeling unhappy later on.

2) Know thyself: This point may come off sounding like something from an Oprah book-of-the-month pick, and for that I apologize. But the fact of the matter is that having a satisfying sex life is simpler if you feel comfortable in your own skin. Take a tip from those books about puberty you read as a teenager and get acquainted with the shape, size and color of your sexy bits. Use masturbation to explore your body and your fantasies so that when you’re with your partner you can show them exactly what gets you off.

3) Be safe: As fun as sex can be, there are still some pretty nasty consequences from not doing it safely. For that reason, you need to use some type of protection during your sexy times. Remember, you need to be protecting against both STIs and, depending on the anatomies present in the relationship, pregnancy. And, as far as I’m concerned, the responsibility for making sex safe lies equally on all partners. So, no matter what your role in the relationship, go into an interaction with the supplies you need to be safe.

If, for whatever reason, your sex has not always been as safe as it should have been, then it’s to the benefit of you and any current/future partners to go and get tested. If you’re a student here in Davis, the Student Health Center offers testing for various STIs. While I don’t recommend it as a first-date idea, getting tested as a couple means that you can lend support and ease each others’ nerves.

4) Be adventurous: Most of you reading this are sitting firmly in your twenties, meaning that you have many, many years left in your sex lives. While there is nothing wrong with having favorite positions that you use all the time, you’re only dipping your toe into the waters of a vast and sexy sea. Don’t be afraid to try something that you’ve never heard of before because you are afraid it makes you “freaky,” “deviant,” or “bad.” Remember, sex is like food. As long as it doesn’t conflict with your deeply held morals, be willing to try anything once.

5) Get educated: If you’re a regular reader of this column, you’ve already been doing this. But I am only one voice and I only have so much space to convey information. If something I’ve talked about or something you’ve heard about elsewhere has piqued your interest, go learn more. That’s why we have libraries and the internet. If you’re looking for info on the basics, check out Health Education and Promotion’s website. If you’re looking for some more hardcore advice, check out websites like Good Vibrations and Sex-Nerd Sandra.

6) Have fun: Sex, in its ideal version, is an earth-shattering, pleasurable experience shared by two people who deeply love one another. The reality of sex is much different. It’s messy, silly and occasionally awkward. But even when it’s a little bit silly and a little bit strange, as long as you’re with someone you want and who wants you, it’s pretty damn awesome. So enjoy it.

SAM WALL would like to thank you all for reading. Send your tearful goodbyes to sewall@ucdavis.edu.