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Meet the Regents

Campus News

Campus Editor

January 19, 2012

The University of California Regents met Wednesday and are reconvening today at UC Riverside for their first of six yearly meetings.

Topics for discussion include the regents’ yearly diversity report and the amount of private fiscal support the UC system brought in last year, which totaled $1.6 billion, a $250 million increase from last year.

“A big topic we will be talking about is how the UC system fared in Gov. Brown’s budget proposal,” said UC Student Regent Alfredo Mireles.

A 26-member board comprises the UC Regents. Eighteen members are appointed by the governor for 12-year terms, one student regent is appointed by the sitting board members for a single-year term and seven are ex-officio members, which include UC President Mark Yudof.

The regents come from a variety of backgrounds. For example, Chair Sherry Lansing is the CEO of Paramount Pictures, Eddie Island is a retired attorney and Odessa Johnson is Dean Emerita of Community Education at Modesto Junior College.

Two UC faculty members sit as non-voting members as chair and vice-chair of the Academic Council.

“Each Regent serves on four out of the ten committees and their work is primarily in the context of the committees they’re in, with the chair of each committee naturally being the leader, who helps shape the direction of the work that the committee does,” Mireles said.

When it comes to UC budgetary issues, UC Davis Budget Director Chris Carter said in an e-mail interview that most budget-related issues that come before the board are university-wide issues.

“The Regents directly approve tuition and student services fee levels charged to all UC students. They also approve some additional fees charged across the UC system: e.g. Nonresident Supplemental Tuition and Supplemental Professional Degree Tuition,” said Carter.

“Campus-based student fees are generally handled at the campus level. As state support for the UC has declined in recent years and student fees have increased, the importance of student fees to the campus budget has increased. The current year marks the first at UC Davis in which student fee revenues exceed the state support coming to the campus,” Carter said.

Mireles said that the regents support individual campuses’ making many of their own day-to-day decisions.

“You won’t find the Regents telling, for example, UC Davis really specific things that should be handled by UC Davis administrators. We work on things that affect the entire UC community,” he said.

Only the President of the UC Regents, Gov. Jerry Brown, receives pay for being a member of the board. A student regent’s UC tuition and fees are waived during their time on the board.

“For a lot of Regents, it costs them money to serve,” Mireles said.

Spokeswoman for the University of California Dianne Klein said that the next meeting of the regents is set for Mar. 27 to 29 at UC San Francisco and is expected to have large UC student involvement.

MAX GARRITY RUSSER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

House bill could restrict access to scientific journals

Science & Technology

Science Editor

January 19, 2012

The Research Works Act, a bill introduced to the House of Representatives by Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-49), proposes to keep federal agencies from distributing privately or publicly funded scientific research without the consent of the publishers.

The bill, formally called HR-3699, states, “No Federal agency may adopt, implement, maintain, continue, or otherwise engage in any policy, program, or other activity that causes, permits, or authorizes network dissemination of any private-sector research work without the prior consent of the publisher of such work.”

The bill further defines “private-sector research work” as research that could be funded by taxpayers, as long as a publisher includes a “value-added contribution, including peer review and editing.”

The Research Works Act could put more control over access and fees of papers to publishers of scientific journals, an idea opposed by open access advocates.

“The bill is a disgrace,” said Jonathan Eisen, a professor in the departments of evolution and ecology, microbiology and immunology and the Genome Center at UC Davis. “It should be trashed entirely.”

Eisen is an advocate of open access publishing in the scientific community. Open access to scientific research involves unrestricted access and unrestricted reuse.

“Right now not only do taxpayers pay for the research, they also pay the salaries of the scientists/doctors to do the work, and they pay for scientists and others to review and edit publications,” Eisen said. “It is ludicrous that then some publishers take those publications and restrict access to them.”

According to Eisen, if this bill passes, it could increase costs to individuals and to institutions such as UC Davis to access these papers. UC Davis currently subscribes to about 52,000 journals, which gives students and faculty access to electronic copies of the papers published within them. However, the high cost of some journals keeps those publications from the UC Davis subscription list.

“This new law basically means that they [the publishers] will have full control over everything that’s been published and they can raise the prices to whatever they want, which will mean only the wealthiest institutions can have the luxury of buying all of those journals in order to read it,” said Daniёl Melters, a senior biochemical, molecular, cellular and developmental biology graduate student.

Melters also supports open access publishing, but is mostly concerned with taxpayers’ ability to access scientific research that was paid for with public money.

“I am all in favor of private companies making money in relation to scientific publishing, but they cannot be allowed to make money simply by co-opting work done via government funds and then charging for it,” Melters said.

Issa introduced the Research Works Act to the House of Representatives, with the help of cosponsor Representative Carolyn Maloney (NY-14), on Dec. 16. The Research Works Act, for which the official full purpose is “To ensure the continued publication and integrity of peer-reviewed research works by the private sector,” was then referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where it has been since.

AMY STEWART can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

Guest Opinion: The positive side of SOPA

Opinion

Opinion

January 19, 2012

Imagine there’s a student at UCD who plays guitar. He starts performing around town and builds up a pretty good following. Upon graduation, instead of going to law school as planned, he decides to take a break to pursue his first love, music.

One year becomes two, then five. His band extends its reach beyond Davis to Sacramento, then to all of Northern California. They are a typical DIY (do it yourself) band, using all the latest technology to connect with and expand their fanbase. They tour incessantly. They start their own record label, sell recordings and merchandise from the stage, do radio tours and promote themselves through any medium available.

The year? 1977. The more the music business changes, the more it stays the same.

That guitar player, as you’ve probably guessed by now, was me. I never made it to law school, and my band, The Skins, never officially “made it,” although we had a great run, which I will always treasure.

I pushed on alone to L.A., signed a major label record deal, got dropped, moved to Nashville, played guitar in bars, studios and on the Grand Ole Opry, then found my real calling: songwriting. I eventually wrote one hit, then another, then several more for some of the biggest acts in Country Music. I now made my living solely from licensed, legal uses of my songs.

I bet it all on Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, which gives authors the “exclusive right to their respective writings.”

What does this have to do with the Stop Online Piracy Act?

Glad you asked. Today, when I Google any of those hit songs followed by “mp3” or “download,” here’s what comes up: thousands of sites, seven out of 10 illegal, mostly foreign, showcasing ads for anything from Princess Cruises to Lysol to AT&T. Everyone involved in this scenario — the sites, search engines, advertisers, payment processors — makes money with every click, while I, and everyone else who brought the song to life, get zip.

To me, legislation to shut down these foreign rogue sites should be a no-brainer, but to many in the tech and academic communities, it’s anything but. There, copyright owners are routinely portrayed as villains, while pirates are hailed as heroes. Cyberspace is deemed virtually above governance.

Back to the top. Often, when discussing this issue, I am told that I should adapt to “free.” I am lectured about the success of some DIYer, and I am chastised for not emulating him or her. Hmmm. Thought I’d already been there, done that.

The music business I know is largely inhabited by former DIYers who took their experience and talents — playing, engineering, programming, writing — behind the scenes to succeed in an incredibly competitive industry. Their efforts can be heard on 90 percent-plus of all music downloads, legal or otherwise. They are astounded that anyone would dismiss the value of their life’s work or consider them mere roadkill on the Information Superhighway.

If no one wants the songs I write, fair enough, I’ll pack it in. But it seems they do. My copyrights are everywhere in the Cyber-Somalia that is the internet today, making money for pirates and their enablers. Let me compete in a free — not black — market, and I’ll do fine.

Don’t buy into the hyperbole and self-serving rhetoric surrounding SOPA. Read it, see what it actually does and then make up your own mind. I’d love to come back to UCD and have this discussion in person. I’ll even bring my guitar.

Bob Regan
UC Davis, class of 1972

Column: STOP SOPA and PIPA

Arts Editor

January 19, 2012

With the need for the human race to explore every depth of the unknown, the internet is indeed the last frontier. On Jan. 24, the U.S. Senate will begin voting on legislation that will compromise and restructure the way our internet works.

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) do not allow for due process. As a form of censorship, if a site is reported to be infringing upon copyrighted material, service providers have to do everything in their power to prevent users from getting there by, for instance, taking down the content.

SOPA and PIPA are gaining a surprisingly large number of supporters including the American Society of Composers (ASC), Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Directors Guild of America (DGA), Go Daddy, etc.

Luckily, there is also a large following in opposition to the two bills. Yesterday, Wikipedia, WordPress, Craigslist, Reddit and many more websites joined in on a 24-hour blackout.

Wikipedia stated boldly on its only accessible page: “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge.”

If these bills were to pass, they would be, by far, the most damaging piece of legislation to come out of Congress for some time.

First of all, SOPA and PIPA will make it nearly impossible for entrepreneurs to start up their businesses if their websites were taken down for hosting any copyrighted material. Keep in mind that this could be for something as small as a reference. More importantly, these bills will greatly throttle innovation.

The Washington Post asked back in November: Will SOPA protect artists’ work or hinder their creativity?

From a very personal stance, it would destroy every source of inspiration of every piece of artwork I have made up until today.

Like many others, I use the internet daily to gain inspiration for all of my work. In fact, it is a part of my creative process to search the web for inspiration. If it weren’t for the circulation of information on the World Wide Web, I would have never discovered Edward Burtynsky or Leslie Shows — two major sources and muses to my paintings. This goes for every other aspect of my life. I learned how to play guitar and piano via YouTube, how to use Photoshop and Illustrator through seminars posted on blogging websites like Tumblr.com, how to sample songs via SoundCloud, etc.

All of these websites promote creativity and a visual language that transpires from sources passed along through normal individuals like you and me. It’s an invaluable network that promotes innovation and creativity.

And it’s not just me. If you ask any living artist today, there will always be someone else’s artwork that stimulates their own. That’s what artists do: we recycle and appropriate ideas in ways that are new and exciting. That was the basis of Andy Warhol’s work. That was the basis of Jeff Buckley’s thinking when he covered Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” or when Eric Clapton covered Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads.” Or look at hip-hop as a genre; the sampling of beats and songs has been a huge part of its history. Some of the greatest musicians today have made their career from sampling songs. Pogo, for instance, has made a name for himself by editing Disney and Pixar films to create hypnotic songs.

If SOPA and PIPA go through, these types of material will be censored or taken down. There would be no room for artistic freedom.

I rarely like to mix politics with music or art. But in this case, there’s something that goes beyond the apparent tactic of stopping piracy. If these two bills pass, the livelihood of many artists will be jeopardized. We are a generation that relies heavily on the technologies and advances of the internet. If the government begins to censor and regulate our right to the free internet, it could be fatal.

Whether or not SOPA or PIPA go through, this will not be the end of attempted censorship of the internet. Go to house.gov/htbin/findrep, find your representative, and let them know where you stand. Call or e-mail them to STOP SOPA and PIPA.

UYEN CAO can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Technology in art

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

January 19, 2012

It goes without saying that the role of technology in everyday life is virtually ubiquitous for most students here at UC Davis. From the perpetually hooked-in smartphone user to the casual Facebooker, engagement with technological venues — the internet, phone, television, computer — is inescapable. It is, simply, the nature of contemporary college life.

So is art any different? In an age where we can check our e-mail in the bathroom on a device smaller than a child’s hand, have creative endeavors managed to stay detached? The fast and simple answer is no, they have not. That is, most have not.

Obviously, film and photography are art forms built on the foundation of technology. But with the advent and popularization of software like Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut, and Adobe After Effects, to list a few, those mediums are subject to substantial influence if not downright alteration.

The inevitable question, then, is: Does the introduction of software into art work toward the betterment of the creative result?

Kaila Joye, a senior art studio and English major, uses Photoshop, a comprehensive photo editing software, in her post-production photography. As she describes it, it is a convenient tool for enhancement, for achieving the generally unachievable and pushing the camera beyond its real-time limitations. To her, it is far from a crutch for laziness or a backup mechanic, as some view it.

“When it comes to using Photoshop, I try to only use it for techniques that I can’t actually accomplish while I am actually taking the picture,” Joye said. “But I think that one of the problems with having the kind of editing software we have is that people are less concerned with getting a technically great picture since they can just go in and fix all the things they messed up.”

Photoshop is essentially a household name. It gives users the tools that, until recently, were reserved for professionals and zealous amateurs. Something that once required the isolation of a dark room can now be done in Photoshop in minutes. Some view this as a degradation of the form.

“It makes art more accessible. Anyone can try and Photoshop a picture, but it doesn’t mean it’s original,” said Christina Deniz, a senior sociology and film studies double major with a minor in dramatic art. “It can either help a photo or not. Just like there are paintings that grasp your attention and some that don’t. There are pictures that can capture true emotion and interest and some that don’t.”

Other programs like Final Cut and Adobe Premiere, film editing software, are also changing the nature of the game for aspiring college filmmakers. Like photographers who have more control over their photos than ever in post-production, amateur filmmakers are able to work like the professionals.

Senior film studies major and Aggie TV tech editor Spencer Harris uses Final Cut for things like color correction, audio normalization and chroma keying (green screen). The mastery of such techniques, Harris said, while not terribly difficult, is essential in his efforts.

“Completing just about any project can be more of a challenge if you’re not particularly comfortable with whatever programs you’re working with,” Harris said. “I think mastering a program is invaluable. You can typically work quicker and more efficiently than you would otherwise.”

What artists may come to realize, for those who have not already, is that those who do not know the software may be left behind. Filmmakers, photographers, graphic designers, musicians and more all need to be well acquainted with the software that has weaved its way deeply into our lives. Like anything, there are degrees of mastery.

Not unlike the modern internet blog that has enabled amateur writers a venue for self-publication, more people than ever have access to advanced artistic tools of today. Professional editing software, even special effects, is now possible given the investment of time and resources.

In other words, more people than ever are delving into digital music production with music-producing software like FP player and Abelton Live. And more than ever, given the digitalization of photography and film and increasing access to High Definition (HD) and high-quality post-production, people are delving into visual arts.

But again, not unlike the modern internet blog, the increased accessibility to these forms likely means the increased output of mediocrity — amateurs producing amateur work. But it also means the discovery of more talent, and more great art. It’s a near statistical certainty.

JAMES O’HARA can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Letter to the Editor: Apology for last week’s religious demonstrators

Opinion

Opinion

January 19, 2012

I want to apologize for what happened last week. I’m referring to the yelling preachers that preached condemnation for three hours on the Quad. I am asking for forgiveness on behalf of Christians who don’t portray God’s love accurately. I hope you will not attribute a lack of love from humans for a lack of love from God.

Last week, I felt so aggravated that Jesus was being portrayed as someone who hates. I love Jesus more than anyone or anything and when I saw other Christians yelling at people and telling them that God hates liars, idolaters, homosexuals, etc., I felt incredibly frustrated. I do not support the ways in which they tried to get the “message” across.

Let me be clear: The God that I love does not hate people in the slightest bit; he only hates their selfishness. There is a big difference between the two and unfortunately the line became blurred last week. If Jesus hated those people as the preachers claimed, there is no chance I would be a friend of that God.

No one likes being yelled at and told God hates them. The Jesus I know loves us more than anyone can imagine, even if, at times, it seems hard to believe. The Bible says that love is patient and kind and does not insist on its own way; screaming condemnation is certainly not love.

I am not saying that I love in a perfect way, but I try. Jesus had real relationships with people and cared for them genuinely. In fact, one time when Jesus expressed intense anger and yelled was against those who were exploiting people who were seeking a genuine relationship with God.

Again, I am so sorry for what happened. Please forgive us for the ways we don’t represent the loving God we claim to follow.

Timothy Honeycutt
Senior, political science

Arts Week

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

January 19, 2012

MUSIC
The Shins
Apr. 23, 8 p.m., $35
Tickets on sale now
Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center
The Shins have become a major household name in the Indie music category. For the first time, they will come to Davis. This will be a unique opportunity, as the concert will be held at Jackson Hall, indisputably one of the greatest acoustic spaces in Northern California. Buy your tickets today; there’s no doubt that tickets will be sold out soon.

Wilco: Ticket giveaway
Feb. 1, 8 p.m., sold out
Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center
The Aggie Arts Committee (a program created by Mondavi) is hosting a competition for a pair of tickets to the SOLD OUT Wilco concert. For a chance to win, go to the Aggie Arts Facebook page, “like” it, change your status to your favorite Wilco song and title (tagging @Aggie Arts to the message), and then send an email to mondaviinterns@ucdavis.edu with your full name. The competition ends Friday Jan. 27 at 6 p.m.

DIM MAK’s Dead Meat Tour: Steve Aoki, Datsik & Special Guest
Mar. 14, 6:30 p.m., $20 limited student pre-sale | $25 general admission
Tickets on sale now
Freeborn Hall
Entertainment Council is doing it big this year.

AT THE MOVIES
A Lull (with deleted scenes and Ravenna Woods)
Tuesday, 7:20 p.m., $8 pre-sale | $10 at the door
Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St.
Brought to you by Entertainment Council, A Lull is a film.

ART/GALLERY
Three Painters: Works by Peter Edlund, Leslie Shows and Fred Tomaselli
Today to Mar. 18, 11 to 5 p.m. daily (closed on Fridays), free
Nelson Gallery
Peter Edlund, Leslie Shows and Fred Tomaselli are three unique painters bound by a fascination with nature. However, each artist interprets the landscape through various mediums and conventions of composition and space. See their work in person to be the judge of how nature is perceived through each artist’s work.

The Artery: Emma Luna
Today to Feb. 7, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Monday through Friday) | 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, free
The Artery, 207 G St.
Emma Luna’s work features monotypes and mix-media that evoke childhood memories of her native Dominican Republic and Latin American roots. She utilizes personal touches to create depth within her work, such as the layering of representational images of her past onto the canvas.

THEATRE
Spring Dance Auditions
Today, 6:30 p.m.
Hickey Gym
Are you passionate about dancing? Each year, the Spring Dance showcases chosen student-made dance choreographs. With the preliminary choreographs created, dancers are now needed. You don’t have to be a dancer or dance major to audition. Warm-ups begin today at 6:30 p.m.

LITERATURE
Rae Gouirand
Today, 8 p.m., free
John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 First St.
Rae Gouirand, a resident in Davis who has taught classes at the University and whose works have been featured nationwide in acclaimed sources like the American Poetry Review, Boston Review and Columbia. Tonight, she will read her poems and essays at the Natsoulas Gallery. Be sure to arrive early to secure a seat.

Column: Labeling “The Man”

Opinion

Opinion

January 19, 2012

Question. Well, a few questions. Who is “The Man”? What makes a man part of “The Man”? Can we get a new name for this dubious Man that doesn’t make me feel like I’m a cog in the Iron Giant?

Although the occurrence of phrases like “sticking it to The Man” and “The Man is keeping me down” in today’s society is uttered roughly 90 percent of the time by Hyde on reruns of “That ‘70s Show” and 10 percent of the time by people who think it’s still the ‘70s, the theme of the The Man is still relevant in other forms all around us.

Working as an advertising sales representative for The California Aggie, I experienced the current prevalence of The Man in our world. Despite working in a relatively small local environment while gathering clients and selling them ad space in the paper, I still ran into plenty of people who wouldn’t even give me the time of day. People who thought I was part of The Man.

Me? The Man? How do I get out of that one?

The hard-knock life of an ad man is that he gets a bad name for literally “selling out.” What I realized during my time as an ad rep is that different ads may have different approaches, but the message is always the same: BE/BUY/DO THIS. And unfortunately, many of the people who recognize this fact don’t take too kindly to either the subtle brainwashing or blatant swindling that ends with their purchase of something as ridiculous as a set of dog stairs for the bed (come on, let’s all just agree to stay away from Sky Mall).

To be fair, advertising agents have brought this negativity upon themselves — any person who actively manipulates people into shelling out cash for something they wouldn’t have decided they needed on their own is undoubtedly going to get a bit of heat from the hippies, purists or what have you.

Ads are ads, though, and the truth is many companies and industries would fail without the exposure and revenue successful advertising brings in. That being said, there is a line, and unfortunately, when it comes to how much advertising is too much, that line isn’t exactly clear.

Recent attempts to commercialize public schools by allowing advertising onto campuses have sparked a fierce debate over this potential example of advertising overload. Is littering the schools of our nation’s children with display ads perverse and unjust, or is it a smart strategic move to help these schools recover from increasing budget cuts?

Due to substantial financial reductions in education, many public schools are turning to advertising to bridge the gap. Some schools are featuring the ads on students’ report cards, while others are opting for much larger ads on school buses, cafeteria benches and lockers.

Naturally, the Helen Lovejoys of our fair nation have cried foul at this growing trend and pleaded for everyone to think of the children. Their concerns are warranted too, at least on behalf of the little ones. Doctors have found that kids under the age of 8 haven’t developed enough cognitively to understand the intent to sell always hiding behind an advertisement. As such, they’re defenseless against most ads.

You can almost sense Kraft lurking in the shadows, plotting to unleash a terrifying wave of Lunchables locker ads.

This is why advertisers, ad agents and advertising in general are viewed as part of The Man. Most people understand the value of advertising and can appreciate that without it our society wouldn’t be able to function the same. Play on the impressionable minds of our future, though, and you’re in for a shit storm.

Advertising firms have to be careful when dealing with a demographic of people as dangerous and volatile as protective mothers. Selling a product or service is fine and all that, but it’s important to know where it’s okay to display what. Put college investment, food pyramid and fire safety ads in schools if you must, but keep the Jimmy Neutron action figure ads out. The kid has a freakishly large head and, frankly, he’s a pretentious little prick.

Bottom line is, The Man should know his place. If he plays by the rules, the Helen Lovejoys don’t initiate WWIII, and every cog in the machine makes its money. Everybody wins.

VICTOR BEIGELMAN likes to think he’s a Hyde, but let’s be real: He’s more of an Eric. Contact him with questions at vbeigelman@ucdavis.edu.

A rare look at UC Davis art faculty work

Arts Editor

January 19, 2012

A rare look at UC Davis art faculty work

The latest exhibition at the Pence Gallery in downtown Davis, Between the Quotes, is a rare treat for many art students. They will have an opportunity to see work from their professors. It is a unique look at the types of work the art department faculty produces.

“It gives the community a chance to see what is going on in our studios,” said Hearne Pardee, art studio department chair. “Students are always curious about what we do. I don’t show my work in class because I don’t want them to try and model themselves after what I do. This can give them a perspective on what their teachers are talking about and help them learn some new ideas.”

One of the most intriguing aspects of the show is being able to see the diversity and variety of work the faculty produces. There is almost every type of medium imaginable, from painting to sculpture to photography, and each artist has their own style and perspective in their work.

“The whole focus of the show is really sharing the talent of the faculty with the community, showing what is normally only seen in their studios or galleries across the U.S., to the people in Davis,” said Natalie Nelson, Pence Gallery curator.

Nelson started the show and approached the faculty about displaying their work in the gallery. They responded with enthusiastic agreement.

“There’s going to be some really interesting, challenging work that makes students think and talk. There’s some things that are quite funny in the show, some things that are really intriguing. So there’s really different forms of artwork that they might not get a chance to see regularly,” Nelson said.

Another surprise of the show is that many professors will be doing work outside of what is considered to be their field of expertise or what they teach.

Professor Robin Hill normally works with sculpture, but her piece in the show is a large picture of a digital snowflake derived from a mathematical algorithm.

“I have taken a mathematical algorithm of a UC Davis mathematics professor who works on probability and snowflake crystal growth,” Hill said. “I work with ideas of chance and encounters with found materials and situations and when I saw a visualization of his data we started to collaborate. I took his data and made it into art.”

Another faculty member, Darrin Martin, has created two unique works. The first is a video of images of various ancient ruins in Europe from places like Rome and the South of France juxtaposed with images of a sculpture he created. Additionally, he has created a series of sculptures from plastic foam.

Yet another artist is Matthias Geiger. “He’s originally from Germany,” Nelson said. “He’s working right now with a series of portraits of artists from San Francisco area and these are mostly performing artists and he’s photographed them basically where they work. He’s captured people who are kind of on the cutting edge of doing very advanced type of work; choreographers who do very different types of dance forms. He captures something so interesting about the environment in which the artist works and well as the character of the person.”

Despite the diverse artwork displayed at the exhibit, there is something that ties it all together. That is the name of the exhibit: Between the Quotes. Each artist was asked to choose a quote to display next to their work. This can represent the pieces on display, the artist’s inspiration for those pieces or their work in general. It is to help the audience understand the creativity and inspiration behind the artist’s work and their studio practices.

“I definitely read other artists’ [work]; I read fiction and there are certain texts that have kind of haunted me in my work. Out of those I tried to think of what would be most relevant to my work in the exhibit,” Martin said.

There will be a panel discussion with selected members of the faculty on Feb. 7. It is open to everyone.

“There’s such a one-way conversation between the students and teachers most of the time,” Hill said. “They don’t get many opportunities to respond to our work. I want to encourage students to come with questions and even if they don’t ask questions to leave the exhibition with a question and to engage their peers in discussion about the work and determine the goal of the work.”

The exhibit will run until Feb. 29 and is open during gallery hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Campus Chic

Campus News

Campus Editor

January 19, 2012

Josephine Pearl Lee, sophomore year design major

The Aggie: What are you wearing?
Lee: “A thrifted men’s jacket, thrifted grandpa cardigan, American Apparel cropped long sleeve and American Apparel disco pants. My black loafers are from Nordstrom Rack. My necklaces are from the Melrose Trading Post, and this ring is made from a spoon I got in San Francisco. I got my bag last winter on sale at Urban Outfitters.”

How did you decide what to wear today?
“These pants I always wear when it’s cold outside since I don’t like wearing jeans. I always like to have turquoise on me. I’m dressing for the weather but I still want to have my style.”

Where do you find inspiration?

“I find inspiration in other people I see on the street and online — like on Tumblr.”

What’s your advice for staying chic during the winter?

“Try layering. I go to thrift stores and get outerwear that’s cheap and warm and mix and match!”

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

Undergraduate course offers free textbook

Campus News

Campus Editor

January 19, 2012

Undergraduate class Music 10 (MUS 10) is offering course readings, including an e-book, for free via SmartSite.

Readings for the music appreciation course were previously offered in textbook form and are now available electronically through SmartSite for students enrolled in the class.

“I was never in it for the money to begin with; everything has gone wrong for the undergraduates financially,” said D. Kern Holoman, professor of music and author of the Music 10 textbook. “This is something I could do that is a win-win for everybody. It can teach me as an author what an e-book is and how it works.”

The e-book is printable for students who want to bring sections of the text to class. There is also a lending library for those who want to have a physical text in hand, Holoman said.

The box set for Music 10, which includes the text, three CDs and a CD-ROM, costs around $75. The “compact edition,” which includes the text and a CD, costs around $35, Holoman said.

This is not the first time that Music 10 offered an e-book in replacement of the textbook. The e-book debuted Fall 2010.

“Many people have observed that there are a lot of e-books out there and not a lot of e-textbooks out there. I think the fairer priced textbook companies and music companies can make their materials, then more students will want to take the courses,” said Philip Daley, events and publicity manager for the music department. “I think it is a move in the right direction and hope it continues that way.”

The cost of textbooks in relation to tuition increases has been a burning issue for students and faculty, Holoman said.

In the 2011-12 academic year, California resident undergraduate tuition was expected to cost $15,123.36. For non-California residents, undergraduate tuition was projected at $38,001.36, according to a UC Davis “facts and figures” sheet.

This does not include the price of textbooks.

“I would like to see a world where the basic factual content that you learn as an undergraduate is already available. The material that reaches the students through the college professor should be available at a very fair price,” Holoman said.

Music 10 will continue to teach the course with the e-book format in Spring 2012, Holoman said.

“In the music department, where students have to pay for lessons, we have a lot of double majors, and oftentimes their textbooks expenses are in the hundreds of dollars. The music students that I have talked to are very grateful for having a free option. Overall, it has been positive,” Daley said.

In a time where students can use websites such as Amazon.com or Slugbooks.com instead of college bookstores to find lower prices on textbooks, the e-book offers a new perspective on how students can obtain course material.

“This is part of a much bigger package of what it means to be a college student and how that is changing,” Holoman said.

ALICIA KINDRED can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Women’s Basketball preview

Sports Editor

January 19, 2012

Teams: UC Davis vs. Pacific
Records: Aggies 11-6 (3-2); Tigers 9-7 (3-2)
Where: The Pavilion
When: Saturday at 2 p.m.

Who to watch: Junior Hannah Stephens did not break the assists record or score her 1,000th point as some of her teammates did recently. She has, however, provided the Aggies with the steadfast and consistent level of basketball that UC Davis needs.

Stephens drained two early threes in the game against Long Beach State, providing the spark that set the Aggies’ offense on fire in their best shooting game of the season. She finished with 10 points in the game.

But where the Aggies have struggled, Stephens has stepped up. Though she is not the tallest of players, Stephens grabbed 10 rebounds against Cal State Northridge and collected six more against the 49ers.

The San Mateo, Calif. native still ranks fourth on the team with 54 rebounds.

Did you know? In the game against Long Beach State, senior Kasey Riecks contributed to the victory with 15 points. This strong performance is one of many on the path that has led to Riecks’s 1,000 career points.

The game against the 49ers propelled Riecks to 1,006 on her career, putting her in 15th on the UC Davis all-time scoring list.

The Auburn, Calif. native is chasing another one of her fellow Aggies. Current head coach Jennifer Gross is the eighth-highest scorer in UC Davis history, having 1,143 points over her career with the Aggies from 1993-97.

Preview: UC Davis is coming off its best shooting game of the season, and Gross is optimistic that this will be a turning point for the year.

“I’m just hoping this is a jumping-off point for us,” she said.

After the Aggies’ two wins this past week, they stand at 11-6 with a 3-2 Big West Conference record. The Tigers also have a 3-2 record in the league, tied with UC Davis for fourth in the Big West.

Games between Pacific and UC Davis have developed a rivalry-type intensity over recent years.

Last year, the Aggies toppled the Tigers in a close game in Stockton. Pacific got its revenge later in the season when it upended UC Davis at the Pavilion.

“It’s become sort of a rivalry with them. We love playing them,” Gross said.

“We get to do a little preparation and we get to focus on our game,” Gross said, regarding the break until Saturday’s game.

The Aggies hold a 6-1 record at the Pavilion, while the Tigers have a 3-5 record in away games this season.

Gross likes her team’s chances and hopes the Aggies can continue to shoot well.

“With conference play you get a lot of teams who know what you do because they’ve played you a lot,” she said. “We’ll be preparing for the Tigers.”

Roving Reporter: Do you think students should continue to occupy the Quad?

Features

Features Editor

January 19, 2012

Roving Reporter: Do you think students should continue to occupy the Quad?

1. “No, I think the movement has lost its focus and no longer achieves its original goal, which was to stop tuition increases.”
Michaela Lee, sophomore international relations and economics double major

2. “No, I feel that it distracts from the real purpose of the protest. We need to come up with a way to protest tuition increases that is more effective.”
Matthew Brody, senior biochemistry major

3. “No, they are not getting anywhere. A lot of people are protesting, but they are not really involved. It’s just a bandwagon thing.”
Colson Hoxie, junior physics major

4.“I don’t understand what they are trying to achieve. But I love seeing tents out here, so yes, bring more tents.”
Chadwick Bigglesworth, junior physics major

5. “Wherever people occupy, we should come together as long as we have a community and safe place.”
Maxx Bartko, junior political science major

6. “The Quad is the most obvious place to go. The tact of occupation still has its usefulness. We are one of the last ones standing, so it’s not a good idea for us to to leave.”
Artem Raskin, junior political science major

7. “No, I don’t see how occupying the Quad is going to do anything for the cause. The rally was a success, but the movement has died out.”
Kiho Song, senior biochemistry and molecular biology double major

8. “I don’t think it is hurting anyone, but I also don’t think it is going to accomplish anything, either. It doesn’t seem like the most effective way to protest.”
Dana Furuyama, senior English major

Text by CLAIRE MALDARELLI
Photos by MELODY TAN

Editorial: Fix UC

Opinion

Opinion

January 19, 2012

During the UC Regents meeting this week a group of students from UC Riverside under the name “Fix UC” are proposing the UC Student Investment Proposal, a model aimed at reforming the current financial system of the University of California.

The plan proposes that students defer their tuition until they get a steady job, when they will give five percent of their income, interest-free, to the UC for 20 years. Originally developed by the editorial board at UC Riverside’s campus paper, The Highlander, and their student government, the conceptual basis of the proposal as well as its subsequent development has been entirely student-led.

The need for a complete reform of the UC system is obvious. The disinvestment of the state in higher education and the severe tuition hikes that have resulted over the past several years have affected all students.

Begrudgingly bearing the load of these fee hikes, many have held on to the hope that tuition increases would be temporary and that the UC Regents would take the necessary measures to improve the UC financial system.

While it is unfortunate that the regents have so far failed us in this regard, it is encouraging to see students take measures into their own hands and think creatively about how to restructure the current UC system.

The plan is the first major and comprehensive plan that has come entirely from UC students and can become a catalyst for the creation of other student-developed ideas. Proposals for reform that come directly from those invested in higher education rather than from a group of seemingly detached businesspeople is certainly a step in the right direction for the future of the UC system.

For the most part students have largely used protests and rallies as tactics to express concern over the current financial state of the UC and rally support for their cause. While movements of these types are certainly important, it is imperative that students demonstrate to the state and to the regents not only their anger, but also their determination and ability to enact real change.

We applaud the students at UC Riverside for being among the first to develop an alternate tuition system. Now it is time for UC Davis students to come up with a plan of their own. We are looking for more localized plans. Submit your ideas to opinion@theaggie.org.

Redevelopment agencies to be dissolved by Feb. 1

City Editor

January 18, 2012

The California Supreme Court recently ruled on two state assembly bills regarding the status of the state’s redevelopment agencies.

The California Supreme Court decided on Dec. 29 to uphold Assembly Bill 26 (AB1X 26) and to strike down Assembly Bill 27 (AB1X 27).

AB1X 26 eliminates redevelopment agencies while AB1X 27 would have allowed redevelopment agencies to continue operating, provided they make payments to schools and special districts every year, that is, $1.7 billion this fiscal year and $400 million onward.

“If a political entity has been created by the legislature, it can be dissolved by the legislature, barring some specific constitutional obstacle,” said the Supreme Court in a statement.

According to the California Redevelopment Association (CRA), under state law, redevelopment agencies have the specific goal of revitalizing deteriorated areas in cities and counties. The agencies replace and upgrade infrastructure such as streets, water lines and sewers, fund affordable housing, provide community facilities and clean-up contaminated properties.

In response to AB1X 26, the CRA has called out to its members to take immediate action to reestablish redevelopment.

“Without immediate legislative action to fix this disaster, this ruling is a tremendous blow to local job creation and economic advancement,” said CRA Board President Julio Fuentes in a statement.

The CRA said the ruling of AB1X 26 will result in hundreds of thousands of jobs lost.

“We have ideas for ways to restore redevelopment while also providing the state budgetary relief,” said CRA’s Interim Executive Director Jim Kennedy in a statement.

The Davis City Council has promptly reacted to the dissolution of redevelopment agencies by deciding at its Jan. 10 meeting to become the successor to the Davis Redevelopment Agency. In other words, the city council will take over the role of the soon-to-be dissolved local redevelopment agency.

“Becoming a successor agency makes the most sense,” said Davis Councilmember Dan Wolk in an e-mail. “Although there are some risks in doing so, this would give the city a greater level of control over how the redevelopment agency’s obligations and assets are handled as it dissolves.”

The staff report states the council believes the legislature’s decision to dissolve redevelopment agencies and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold this legislation does not serve the council’s goals of fiscal stability, community strength and effectiveness and economic development.

“In Davis, redevelopment has done a lot of good, particularly with respect to affordable housing, limiting growth on our periphery and infrastructure,” Wolk said. “I hope that all the parties in Sacramento are able to work together to fashion a solution that preserves some of the benefits of redevelopment.”

Most recently, new legislation has been proposed to postpone the Feb. 1 deadline to April 15, allowing for agencies to negotiate with Gov. Jerry Brown and the legislature to keep reconfigured redevelopment agencies.

“I understand where the legislature and governor are coming from on redevelopment,” Wolk said. “In a time of budget crisis, redevelopment agencies are a prime target.”

CLAIRE TAN can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

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