UC Davis athletes of every skill level looking for some healthy competition need not try out for official Aggie teams to get involved in their favorite sports. Intramural (IM) sports have you covered.

Campus Recreation offers men’s, women’s and coed sports ranging from basketball to floor hockey to inner tube water polo.

All UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to play, and UC Davis faculty, staff, alumni and university affiliates must purchase an IM card to participate. In the 2010-11 school year, 20,000 UC Davis affiliates participated in 27 different sport activities.

This year, UC Davis Student Housing is implementing a new program, the Res Hall Cup, for students living in the residence halls.

“We got feedback from students last year who were asking for a better way to participate in not only intramural sports, but also within their resident community,” said Richard Ronquillo, assistant director for Student Housing.

For students living in Segundo, Tercero and Cuarto, Student Housing will pay the entry fee for one team per sport for 65 housing communities. A housing community might consist of a single floor or an entire building, depending on the number of residents.

Each intramural team must register with a resident advisor and participate in the Res Hall league to earn points.

“It’s almost like a decathlon, where you can earn points for how you do in a variety of sports,” said Ben Dao, Campus Recreation intramural sports coordinator.

The housing community with the most points over all of the intramural sports wins the Res Hall Cup, a trophy that will have the community’s name and year engraved. Team members will receive free IM T-shirts and a group photograph that will join other winners lining the Wall of Fame in the entrance of the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC).

“The goal of the program is to get students involved in intramurals for the rest of their time here,” Ronquillo said.

Campus Recreation hosts various intramural games on Sundays from 1 to 11 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 6 to 10 p.m. They are also planning for Thursday and Friday Res Hall league games.

Besides the intramural sports that run throughout the quarter, there are also tournaments on select weekends. This quarter, there will be cornhole, badminton and futsal tournaments. This is the first year futsal, a version of indoor soccer, will be offered.

“We don’t really have space or resource to offer [the tournaments] for 10 weeks, but you still have the same incentives to participate in those programs,” Dao said.

IM league play is typically five weeks long, with each team playing one game per week. Based on record, fair play and rating score, teams are seeded in a playoff bracket, which lasts one to three weeks.

The “B” division is the most popular, with “A” being the more competitive of the two.

“[The divisions] are just an opportunity for those teams to play against teams of similar ability and skill,” Dao said.

The entry fee for non-officiated or officiated team sports is $30 or $50 per team, respectively. Individual or dual sports cost $10 per team. Campus Recreation trains and hires referees at the beginning of every quarter.

League winners earn free t-shirts and a group photograph on the Wall of Fame.

“It’s fun to have a free t-shirt and to know that you were the best out of everyone that you played, and it’s cool to have your picture in the ARC,” said Michelle Sims, junior international relations and Spanish double major.

According to Dao, participating in intramural sports not only benefits players’ health, but it can also create a sense of community and belonging.

“You have the opportunity to network and socialize with your friends in a fun and competitive environment,” Dao said.

Dao also said most teams typically do not practice between games.

“The beauty of IM is it’s pretty informal. It’s just a chance for people to take a break.”

Sims said intramurals are a good way to meet people and enjoy the sport without as much pressure.

“It’s also a good way to play a sport that you like without having to dedicate as much time as would be required if you were on a club,” she said.

GRACE BENEFIELD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Dr. Bai-Yin Chen, psychologist with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and coordinator of peer counseling group The House, spoke with The California Aggie about typical dilemmas students experience at the start of Fall quarter and the keys to having a successful 2011-12 year.

The Aggie: What are some of the most common problems students have at the beginning of the year?

Chen: Usually at the beginning of the year for [first-year] or transfer students we see students coming in with adjustment issues, from coming to campus, being away from families for the first time, being in a new environment and the social or academic adjustment. In general, whether it’s the beginning of the year or throughout the year some of the issues we see at CAPS are stress or depression. With the economic issues in the country right now, we see a lot of students with stress particularly due to financial stress or they have to work and study. It becomes more challenging for them to balance school demands and work, so we have seen increasing stress that relates to financial situation.

How do you recommend students deal with these issues?

I would suggest students, first of all, need to learn to recognize that they are stressed and also develop stress management skills – how to manage and balance their time and have a healthy lifestyle, which means get sleep, eat healthy, maintain some level of physical activity and become more active. And utilizing resources and support that is available here on campus, or from home or other social networks. Homesickness or being away from friends or family is one of the common issues we see among [first-year] students. Building a new social support network here on campus is very important, while continuing to utilize the existing social support they have from their own community. But I think it’s very important that students establish social support system here by making new friends.

And getting involved on campus will help them adjust to the new environment.

How can students make a long-distance relationship survive?

I think long distance relationships are not always easy to maintain; however, I think it’s possible. But it requires conscious effort from both parties. Communication is one of the most critical aspects to maintain healthy relationship. [They should] talk to their partner about what [long distance] means to them or how long distance might impact their relationship. Make use of technology now, like Facebook or Skype — don’t become addicted to it, but make good use of it to help maintain the connection. Every couple is different, but identify ways for both of them to maintain the connection and to continue to involve their partner in their life. It’s possible but it’s not always easy.

What advice do you have for students who are having trouble making new friends or connecting with their roommates and floormates?

Some students struggle with social skills or social confidence. For those students I would encourage utilizing our Building Social Confidence group at CAPS. It can help them build social skills and social confidence. But there are some students who have the social confidence, who have good social skills, but maybe they don’t connect with their roommates or people around them for different reasons, and I would encourage them to have an open mind. Help the people around them to learn more about them, but also show interest in learning more about people around them. UC Davis is such a diverse campus. There are a lot of people who are not always the same as us. Have an open mind, learn about them and get involved in student organizations because that’s one of the ways that provides some structure for students to make a friend. Often times the students who are in the same organization may share something in common and that can be a good start for them to build some connection.

What’s your take on going home on weekends – should students go home whenever they want, or try to avoid it?

I would suggest finding a balance between using their existing social support network and also establishing a new social support network. Maybe they can go home the first weekend if they really feel homesick and miss their family and friends, but maybe don’t stay all weekend at home. Maybe visit for a day, but also spend time on campus. When students don’t spend time on campus it makes it difficult for them to make a friend. During the week everyone is very busy going to classes and may not have as much time to hang out. The weekend is a time when they can hang out, make friends or go to a campus event.

What’s your number one piece of advice for students at the start of the year?

I would say keep your mind open and utilize the resources here on campus and take advantage of the tremendous opportunity that this campus offers. Whether it’s other students here or things provided by the campus, learn about those things and utilize them. And also learn to understand more about their health, which will help them grow and have a more satisfying college experience. At CAPS, we provide group and individual counseling, the Stress and Wellness Clinic and peer counseling at The House.

ERIN MIGDOL can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

While textbooks are a necessary

–
albeit expensive

– cost of attending college, students at UC Davis have many choices for prices, book conditions and booksellers.

According to the United States Government Accountability Office, first time, full-time students at a four-year university spend an average of $900 per year in textbook costs. Buying used, rented or electronic books are common options for students to reduce costs.

Many students opt to purchase through the UC Davis campus Bookstore. Last year, the store sold nearly 100,000 new books, 91,000 used books and rented 24,000 new/used books.

Jason Lorgan, associate director for the campus bookstore, said an advantage of purchasing through UC Davis is the convenient one-stop shopping.

“We have all the course materials for all of the courses available at UC Davis,” Lorgan said.

Additionally, the Bookstore offers the opportunity for students to charge textbooks to their student accounts. It also accepts refunds during the first week of school, with a 10 percent restocking fee.

Renting textbooks often has a lower upfront cost. Lorgan said the Bookstore expanded its rental program 400 percent from last year due to increased student demand. He also said renting textbooks reduces student risk of devaluation if a new edition is published.

Professors switch editions every few years, so buying a brand new book is sometimes unavoidable. After the quarter is over, however, students can sell back their gently used books online or on-campus.

Because new editions will pay back more than older editions, many students opt to sell books immediately once classes are completed.

Despite a smaller selection than the campus bookstore, Davis Textbooks, an off-campus used and rental bookstore located at 236 A St., is an alternative to the UC Davis Bookstore. Similar to the campus bookstore, textbooks are organized by course name and number.

Shawn Sherali, owner of Davis Textbooks, suggests customers check Davis Textbooks’s prices before buying used at the on-campus bookstore.

“Often, we can beat their prices by [10] to 12 percent and my selling price is cheaper than the rental price [at the campus bookstore], so they can own the book instead of renting,” Sherali said.

Also, unlike the campus bookstore, customers can return books for store credit – without a restocking fee.

Another alternative for students looking to buy textbooks in a mobile way is Amazon Student, a new, free Amazon.com application for iPads and iPhones. Through the app, users can scan the textbook’s barcode to compare Amazon’s price. Students can also sell books back to Amazon.com in exchange for gift cards to the website.

Students looking to simultaneously compare multiple online booksellers beyond Amazon.com may also visit SwoopThat.com, a free online textbook comparison site. SwoopThat.com is now serving over 2,300 universities, colleges and private high schools with over 13 million students.

“I hated buying books. The issue that I felt was that the bookstore was always so expensive, and when we bought them online, we had to price-hunt them one at a time,” said Jonathan Simkin, CEO and co-founder of SwoopThat.

Simkin’s purpose of creating SwoopThat was to automate the entire process of buying textbooks.

“Other sites save you money, we save you money and time,” Simkin said.

To see all required textbooks for a student’s classes, he or she needs only to select UC Davis as their school, the quarter and the name/number of each course the student is taking.

The results will display a comparison of prices from over 1,500 online retailers including Half.com, Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. The comparison includes prices and shipping costs of new, used, rented and electronic books.

SwoopThat.com earns its profits directly from the retailer’s portion of each book sold. Due to price transparency, the website boasts up to 75 percent savings compared to buying new books.

SwoopThat.com also has a textbook exchange section for students wanting to trade directly books with others.

“The book exchange is free, because it’s the right thing to do and it’s better for students,” Simkin said.

Sherali, however, cautioned students about buying online due to time constraints under the quarter system.

“If you buy online it may take a while to ship and if the book is not right, then the quarter is almost over,” Sherali said.

GRACE BENEFIELD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Typical sources for greeting and grubbing on a budget include fraternity parties for alcohol and pizza at club meetings. Read on to discover more unique Davis institutions that provide both food and fun your wallet will thank you for later.

Hillel House Free Tuesday Lunch328 A StreetTuesday noon to 1 p.m.

Every Tuesday of the school year, Hillel House cooks and serves Kosher food for all to enjoy. The food offered varies from week to week, but popular dishes include pasta, salads and barbeque. Students are welcomed to join in on the cooking, which begins at 10 a.m. and is led by a head chef.

“It’s all home-cooked food,” said Maiya Chard-Yaron, Hillel program director. “We switch it up according to what the students want during the year.”

As a Jewish resource center, Hillel has been opening its doors to the public since 1965. Hillel boasts that they possess the only commercial kosher kitchen in the entire Yolo County, with separate ovens, cookware, dishes and utensils for meat and dairy.

International House Davis Connections Coffee Klatch 10 College Park

Wednesday 10 a.m. to noon

Every Wednesday, International House Davis (I-House) hosts a coffee klatch, also known as “Connections,” where women and children can gather over coffee and cake. The weekly meeting welcomes women from all over the world and one does not have to be a mother to join the conservation.

I-House will also hosting a clothing swap on Sunday, where participants can bring old clothing and exchange it with other swappers. There is a suggested donation of $5 for this event; appetizers will be served. The swap will began at 1 p.m. and conclude at 3 p.m.

I-House is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to welcoming foreign students and scholars. “We try to serve food at most of our events,” said Elisabeth Sherwin, executive director at I-House. “Anyone is welcome to I-House. You don’t have to be an international student. Anyone and everyone is welcome.”

The Pantry21 Lower FreebornMonday through Friday, 8 to 10 a.m.

Monday through Wednesday, 5 to 6 p.m. (tentative)

Students that find themselves short on cash for groceries can look to The Pantry for a selection of non-perishable food. With a valid student ID, partakers can choose up to three different meal items a day.

The available foods are listed online, with the meal points noted next to each item. For example, a loaf of bread is worth two points out of the daily maximum of three. The food options range from granola bars to boxed cereals to canned soups. Many of the items are donations from companies like Campbell’s Soup, Kashi and Malt-O-Meal. The Pantry also accepts community members’ donations of canned goods, non-perishable food, toiletries and money.

“The Pantry is there if you need it,” said Rosa Gonzalez, a senior human development major and the new director at The Pantry. “It was created by the students for the students.”

The Pantry, a campus-wide collaboration between ASUCD, the Community Advising Network under the department of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, came to fruition last year as a direct response to the economic state, coupled with the increasing cost of education for students. By the end of Spring 2011, close to 300 students a week utilized The Pantry.

“We definitely saw an increase in students at the end of the [last] school year, when students were lacking on financial aid,” Gonzalez said.

Tri Co-ops Potlucks

Reagan Hall CircleMonday through Thursday, 7 p.m.

Students interested in meeting the residents of the Tri Co-ops can join their nightly potlucks at 7 p.m. Cooking begins at 5 p.m. and non-residents are welcomed to contribute to the kitchen or the dinner table.

“It’s a way for the community to get to know people that are interested in what we do,” said Anna Ruth Crittenden, a junior sustainable agriculture major and resident of Pierce Co-op. Crittenden applied to live at the Tri Co-ops after attending potlucks herself.

In addition to meeting new people, the meals also allow the residents of the three houses to gather over food. Moreover, potlucks during the early school year are held outside.

The Tri Co-ops are known for their strong sense of community and education about real ife. “Living at the Tri Co-ops is a learning experience, since residents must learn how to operate on consensus,” Crittenden said. “It’s a really unique opportunity for autonomy.”

EVA TAN can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

The days of paperback writers may soon give way to e-book writers. Culpepper Books and the Davis branch of Borders Books, Music and Cafe closed up shop this summer. Local bookstore owners said the closures seem to be on par with the trend away from reading paper versions of books to online or computer based reading.

Culpepper, which inhabited the University Mall (UMall) for five years, closed on June 30. It’s location is currently empty and up for lease.

Similarly, Borders, which originally opened in Davis in 1997 and was situated next to Jamba Juice at the University Commons, announced it would be liquidating and closing all of its stores in mid-July. There is no official word on what will become of the space.

Shawn Sherali, owner of Davis Textbooks on A Street, said business has been slow in general because of an increase in textbook rentals and digital books. He said that currently his business is at 20 percent of what it was when it peaked in 2008 and that business has been declining since 2004.

“It’s been negative for all mama and papa stores,” Sherali said. “We started rentals to boost business. Any off-campus bookstore can’t rent books out at higher rates than on-campus stores. Off-campus bookstores are struggling in general. We’re all worried because it’s highly expensive to rent next to colleges and there’s a limited cushion.”

Sherali said he advises students to check the price before they rent and look into buying and buying back to save money.

“Students are ripped off by rentals from the campus bookstore. We can’t compete with them though; they get all the business,” Sherali said. “Also, they should consider that there’s a 10 percent reshelving fee at the UC Davis Bookstore for returns, whereas we don’t have that charge.”

The UCD Bookstore began textbook rentals in the Fall 2010.

Alzada Knickerbocker, who has owned Avid Reader on Second Street for the past 25 years, said when Borders first opened she lost half of her business. She said she’s seen a 15 to 20 percent increase in business since Borders began liquidating.

“People have been discovering we have a good selection of books,” Knickerbocker said. “It’s been encouraging and we’d like to go back to pre-Borders sales. We anticipate losing some business because of the shift to online readership, but we do believe we’ll stay competitive.”

Knickerbocker said to “cover the waterfront” of the reading industry, the store now also sells e-books through their website, which are identically priced to their physical books. She said she also has the ability to order books quickly if her store doesn’t carry them and that she does out-of-print book searches for customers as well.

Alex Lisowy, a junior international relations major, said while he found the store closures disappointing, he anticipated them.

“Online readership seems to be blowing up,” Lisowy said. “It seems to be a form of dealing with text-based knowledge. I’ve also found that renting books is more convenient and cheaper.”

The UCD Bookstore Director Charles Kratochvil said sales for the on-campus bookstore have only gone up marginally since Culpepper and Borders’ closures.

“There was not much of any impact,” Kratochvil said. “The trade industry is pretty depressed right now for books. Our sales are more focused toward UCD students though, so the city of Davis would be impacted more by these bookstores closing than us. We are keeping books alive.”

Sherali said he believes his store survived over Culpepper because Off-Campus Books is less dependent on buybacks and is open for more hours.

Kratochvil agreed with Sherali that Culpepper probably closed because of their reliance on book buybacks.

“Culpepper didn’t have much of the book business,” Sherali said. “They were often times selling to us and they had low book sales.”

The Aggie Express in UMall, located next to the space Culpepper formally housed, began doing textbook buybacks – through a separate company – at the beginning of August. The store is also taking readers and other books that aren’t accepted in their catalogue as donations.

Brett Anderson, a two-year employee of Aggie Express, said the store’s new venture has been going well.

“We’re new to the buyback business, so we’re getting to learn the ways of the market,” Anderson said. “It’s a challenge because a lot of books are very specific to UCD.”

Among other Davis bookstores still in business are Logos (a used and out-of-print bookstore on Second Street), Sweet Briar Books (an independent new and used bookstore on G Street), and the Davis Christian Bookroom on Lake Boulevard.

ANGELA SWARTZ can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Once college students leave the dorms, they become modern versions of hunter-gatherers. Whether they are content with keeping their kitchen cupboards full of easy, boxed meals of the instant variety, or prefer to have them stocked with essentials to create Food Network-worthy creations, every meal starts at the grocery store.

For those who can no longer enjoy the everyday comfort of the campus dining commons, or those who just wish to add some variety (or complexity) to their at-home meals, here is a breakdown of the grocery options available in the Davis community.

Davis Food Co-op

620 G St.

Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

This locally and cooperatively owned store located north of downtown Davis offers a wide range of natural and organic foods while also providing a vast selection of products to serve the general community. It even accepts Aggie Cash. The majority of fresh produce is grown within 100 miles of Davis and can be expensive, but cheaper, conventionally grown produce is available as well.

“If you shop seasonally, it makes a big difference,” said Melanie Madden, marketing coordinator at the Food Co-op. “When food is seasonal, it can be cheaper. You won’t have to get your tomatoes from Chile.”

Local, fresh produce is clearly a highlight of shopping for many at the co-op, but it also has a section for on-the-go lunches, a salad bar, sandwich counter, hot food bar, a sample-friendly olive bar, and a self-serve bulk food aisle which includes items such as candies, almond butter and coffee grounds. It also has a gourmet cheese section, featuring products that comply with the Food Co-op’s highest values: local, made by small producers, or made by other co-ops.

“We’re so proud of our cheese department,” Madden said, adding that one vendor even knows her goats by name.

Product for comparison: Clover Stornetta 2% milk: $4.39/gal.

Random product: Rising Moon Organics Butternut Squash Ravioli, $3.99/package.

Trader Joe’s

885 Russell Blvd.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Relatively new to the Davis area, many students flock to this location in the University Mall for the unique items distributed under the Trader Joe’s brand name. The store is a famously pleasant place to shop, and while lines can be long during peak hours, the welcoming atmosphere and sample table located at the back of the store easily pull in customers from all over Davis.

“All the workers are super friendly; they always make my day,” said Ani Ucar, a senior psychology and communication double major. “I fall for the samples every time. They are to die for.”

Ucar also appreciates that Trader Joe’s carries a large amount of healthy products.

“There’s no junk food aisle to be tempted by at Trader Joes,” she said. “Also, the prices are lower even though the food is healthier.”

Most students are enthused by the amount of different snacks the place seems to have, which can provide a refreshing change from the usual grocery offerings.

“There’s a ton of options for such cheap and good food,” said Nick Brown, a University of San Diego student doing post-baccalaureate work in Davis for the summer. “I really love those peanut butter-stuffed pretzels.”

Product for comparison: Trader Joe’s 2% milk: $3.49/gal.

Random product: Wild Mushroom & Black Truffle Flatbread with Mozzarella Cheese for $4.99

Safeway

1431 West Covell Blvd. and 2121 Cowell Blvd.

Hours: 24 hours

With two convenient locations, this supermarket is as popular in Davis as it is around the country. Prices are competitive, especially after the Safeway Club Card Member discount (only a phone number is needed to get into the ‘club’ and receive discounts), making it a good choice to buy a large amount of groceries.

“I like shopping at Safeway with a Club Card. It makes me feel like I’m not spending a ton of money because everything is discounted,” Ucar said. “Even if the items aren’t actually cheaper than they would be elsewhere, I feel better spending more here.”

Because Safeway is a chain and carries mostly mass-distributed products, shoppers can usually recognize all the brands on the shelves, making shopping simpler for some cooks.

“It’s nice to see name-brand things on the shelves,” said Eddie Hackett, a senior animal biology major. “You’re already familiar with the flavors and you have a better idea of how things will turn out. You can put a meal together more easily.”

Safeway offers made-to-order sushi, sandwiches and a full range of hot and cold deli options Additionally, they have at least 15 or more available choices for packaged deli soup.

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, quite a few shoppers roam Safeway’s aisles even at three in the morning. There is also a Wells Fargo branch inside both stores.

Product for comparison: Lucerne 2% milk: $4.19/gal.

Random product: Skippy peanut butter for $2.50.

Save Mart

1900 Anderson Rd.

Hours: 6 a.m. to midnight daily

Even though this store flies lower on the radar than other grocery stores in town, Save Mart is still a popular stop for those living in central and north Davis. It features fresh, local produce (while also offering cheaper, conventionally grown options) that can sometimes be found at a fraction of competitors’ prices. For example, avocados are 79 cents each.

Save Mart also has two Redbox movie rental kiosks inside the store and is also one of the only grocery store in the area to offer a self-checkout option, meaning lines are short and, at times, non-existent.

Product for comparison: Sunnyside 2% milk: $3.99/gal.

Random product: Fresh deli jalapeño corn bread for $2.99.

Nugget Markets

1414 East Covell Blvd. and 409 Mace Blvd.

Hours: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

This family-owned business has nine locations in the greater Sacramento area, two of which are in Davis. The stores are not small, but still have the ambience of a local market and features organic, fresh produce from nearby farms. Although the Nugget has a reputation among Davis students for being a more high-end and expensive grocery store option, their prices seem to fall consistently lower than those of Safeway, its top competitor.

“I love the Nugget for its wide selection of healthy food,” said Megan Maurano, a senior animal biology and Italian double major. “I especially love the arugula.”

The Nugget, like the Davis Food Co-op, caters to a healthy and sustainability-conscious population. Many are aware that choosing to purchase these sorts of products can be more costly, but the price difference is less significant at the Nugget.

“I like that I can find all that organic food that the Food Co-op sells, but cheaper,” Maurano said.

And while the store has a wide range of raw products that allow cooking enthusiasts whip up delicious creations from scratch, it also carries items that require less preparation.

“I love the Nugget’s chicken that you can get already marinated,” Hackett said. “I hate cooking. This way, 90 percent of the work is already done for me.”

The store also has a deli, sandwich counter, and salad and olive bar. It also has a reasonably priced grain bar ($7.49/lb) and a variety of unusual to-go items, such as flank steak burritos ($4.99).

Product for comparison: Clover 2% milk: $4.99

Random product: Earth & Wine Provisions’ Chipotle Honey Lime Mustard for $5.99.

LANI CHAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

There’s a first for everything, and today is not quite one of them. Sure it’s my first fifth Fall quarter as an Aggie which means I usually don’t get lost trying to find my classes at this point.

After four plus years at UC Davis, I could tell you all the wisdom with stories of all the misshapen corners I halfheartedly, unknowingly ran full force into. But that’s not what I’m here for.

The last time I was in school with the class of 2015, I was in fifth grade and the freshmen were in first. The kids barely seemed to exist then, but now that the dorm residents have moved in, their presence screams, “I’m ready, excited, and eager! … Wait, how do you do this? Where do I go?” Those of us who have been here a while are still asking those same questions – we’ve just gotten better at looking like we know what we’re doing.

In no particular order, these are things you should know. It’d make day-to-day living easier.

Bring a pen everywhere. Memorize your ID number; it’s just nine digits. Make friends of many disciplines; they’re quite useful if for borrowing a clicker for a fun class such as HDE 12: Human Sexuality. The above statement does not apply to kids in the biological sciences who toke around their clickers everywhere.

If you ever need a fax machine, the Student Recruitment & Retention Center offers free usage to students. Look up the hours yourself; I’ve heard that there’s this thing called the internet.

Utilize your resources. First find out what they are. I’ve been telling people for years that there is a massage chair at The House, across from Regan residence halls. Bring your ID. There are two more chairs at the Student Health and Wellness Center. That gorgeous new building is a one stop for all: sleeping masks, highlighters, magnets, doctor’s appointment, anonymous HIV testing and free safer sex products are for your taking.

On the topic of health, if you have SHIP, the plan works with Anthem Blue Cross – if you’re out of town during breaks and need new glasses, you can find a health practitioner who accepts Blue Cross.

Now from the ones who’ve gone on to the real world: stay in school forever and ever, the real world can be pretty scary. Make your college experience be meaningful and long lasting because once you leave the college bubble, opportunities to socialize with people in your age bracket come much more infrequently.

Study abroad: as cheesy as it sounds, it really does change your life, or so I’ve heard. Financial aid will adjust your package for studying abroad. It definitely seems worth getting in debt for.

So what have we done by sticking ourselves with the ’90s kids? They may think they’re cool, but no one is really as cool as they think they are. Don’t worry, you’ll get there.

Things don’t really go according to plan, remember to breathe and make a new one.

College is better than high school, if you’re doing it right. Think of college as a bigger crayon box; the 64-with a built-in sharpener was what every kid wanted. And there’s more of every color with UC Davis’ student population of more than 30,000.

One of the real banes of being an older kid is when you see delectable eye candy, you immediately hope that the someone is older than your kid sibling.

KAMRY ZHANG doesn’t really want to be reached. Send your regards to her boss at editor@theaggie.org. Just make sure you use your apostrophes correctly.

UC Davis class of 2015 – dump your high school girlfriend. If there is one thing that I have learned about the world in my two years at a top university, it’s that committed relationships are bad. If there is one thing I have learned about myself, it’s that I will work very hard to de-commit any monogamous soul whose fate has crossed with my own.

If you were looking for a sign, this is it. This is your call to make out indiscriminately at frat parties.

This is your excuse to make your entire dorm floor feel uncomfortable after your roommate walks in on you and that guy from down the hall. (Him? Really?)

This is your chance, more or less, to figure out whom you would like to be. You have to believe me. I edit your school newspaper.

I mean this metaphorically, of course. High school girlfriends can be anything you’re holding on to. Maybe it’s your preconceived notions about underage drinking. Maybe it’s the illusive dream of calling yourself pre-med. Hell, maybe your high school girlfriend is really your mom.

I, myself, moved to Davis with a crippling attachment to J. Crew sweaters and alone time. On holiday breaks, I can still be found locked in my high school bedroom, wearing nothing but cashmere and noise cancelling headphones.

But now, in College Land, I write my first article of the year at Delta of Venus on B Street, wearing a pair of flower printed shorts I found on a bench near the arboretum. It’s reggae night.

While the used shorts and name-dropping of coffee shops makes me seem pretty settled, it took a lot of promiscuity.

This brings me to my second point of advice – ride anything you can.

This is not a metaphor.

Many of you have already bought the bicycle you hope to carry you through the next four years of higher education. I can tell you now that it won’t. It will be stolen and/or unrecognizably disfigured by an embarrassing crash at the intersection of North and West Quad. And that’s the good news.

For those who have come with a beach cruiser, you are going to look forward to Chemistry 2A. From now on, leave that clunker unlocked in public places. Take a long, scenic bike ride over a bed of nails. Do anything you can to need a new bicycle, and then get something that is a little less difficult to ride.

Now I will make it a metaphor: Stick your hands up and ride the roller coaster that is the emotional and experiential trippiness of becoming an adult. And another one: Save a horse, ride a cowboy.

My final point is one of fact. The most important thing you can do as a college freshman is apply to work at The California Aggie. We are, after all, really important. A bastion of fact-finding, grammatically-correct cool, 25 Lower Freeborn gushes out internship credit and smells like good times.

You too could someday write an ill-advised editorial to the freshman class … after, of course, a lot of sleeping around.

BECKY PETERSON really would like to hire you. She can be reached at managing@theaggie.org.

For me, these past few summer vacations have been almost too much of a break from the stress of the academic year. The amount of idle time I’m left with typically leaves me to sit, pondering my life, thinking about what I’m doing with it and where it could go in the next year. By the time fall comes around, I’m always bordering on neurotic and more than happy to start classes and have something to occupy my mind again.

This summer was different in that there was no such downtime to slow down and reflect. The day after I finished my finals, I took off with my family to China for a 17-day tour of the cities of Beijing and Shanghai.

If anything brought my attention to what a basket case this summer turned me into, it was my trip to China. I left one crazy situation in Davis only to arrive in the gigantic city of Beijing, where the people were downright nuts.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved my trip and all the opportunities it gave me to run around with my mom, dad, uncle and brother in a completely foreign land. But it heightened my appreciation, to a ridiculous degree, for the calm.

People ran around the streets in dense quantities as if their lives depended on completing their errands in five minutes, pushing others out of their way and never stopping to apologize. Every day on the subway I took elbows to the ribs, and eventually had to get used to being squashed into each car like a sardine.

Even though the average person’s attire suggested they were only in the city to shop, the sense of urgency in the air at any given time was almost palpable.

Once I got over the insanity that ensued in the streets, however, I was able to see the myriad of things there were to appreciate about China.

We saw the gilded palaces and hallways of the Forbidden City, visited Tiananmen Square – emblazoned with a giant hammer and sickle sign, in case you might have forgotten where you were – ate upward of 50 dumplings and several pounds of noodles, and hiked the Great Wall all in the first three days. I met a friend in the city who took me to the bar district, packed with sweaty club-goers and street vendors serving kebabs of meat of a terrible quality, which I found out after I had eaten several.

Then we moved to Shanghai.

In hindsight, this would be the city to go back and visit again. The style of the place was incredible in itself – it had more skyscrapers than all the cities in the States combined, and had several fashion and art districts reminiscent of New York City.

The food was incredible. I will never look at a CoHo pizza dough ball the same way again when I know that there’s a guy in Shanghai who can pull the dough apart with just his fingers and turn it into a steaming bowl of delicious noodles in two minutes. There were places that I just wanted to stay to sit and look at. I’m still regretting not just perching by myself at the end of one of the seven bars on a single street that was featuring a live jazz band.

It would have taken a year without destinations, itineraries, deadlines or early morning wake-up calls to experience Shanghai alone. The never-ending fast pace of the Chinese seemed to mirror exactly what I’d been doing in Davis; while it maximizes efficiency, everyone needs to slow down once in awhile and appreciate the good things.

LANI CHAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Water gun fights, food truck Fridays, parties with chimpanzees, celebrity sightings and a lot of time spent with a certain talking sponge. This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, CA as an animation development intern.

I’ve always been passionate about animation, and I previously interned at animation studios such as DreamWorks Animation and PDI/DreamWorks, where I took my first steps into this industry. I grew up watching many of the shows on Nickelodeon, so working at the studio was a childhood dream come true.

The department I interned for is in charge of handling pitches and helping develop ideas into successful shows. This means that almost every show that has been on Nickelodeon has gone through our department. As an intern, I got a firsthand look at the development process and saw how a successful show idea comes into fruition. I even got to learn the principles of how to pitch a show.

My favorite thing about the internship program was the emphasis on learning. I got to take figure drawing and character design classes, attend screenings of new episodes, sit in on storyboard pitches and voice recording sessions and meet executives from various departments who offered advice on how to succeed in the industry. The studio operates on an open door policy so anyone can essentially meet with anyone and get advice from them. There are even posters sent to the employees with all the “Nicktern” faces on them so that they can get to know us better.

During the internship, I met many creative individuals and developed friendships with both fellow interns and industry professionals. Our intern class got very close, and we even created a yearorbook and had a chicken nugget eating contest at the studio (I won second place). We also made activity books comprised of fun activities that each of us created and distributed them to children around the area. I’ll never forget how excited the kids at the local Boys & Girls Club were to meet us ? they even painted us a Nickelodeon poster!

The company culture of Nickelodeon is amazing, and the studio houses some of the most talented individuals in the industry. It was an amazing experience being able to work in the studio that has created some of the most beloved characters and shows enjoyed by people all over the world.

How did I spend my summer 2011? I taught swimming lessons by day and explored Japan by night. My summer was filled with beautiful beaches, hot sun, and enticing new cultures and customs – all thanks to a program run through UC Davis called Camp Adventure Youth Services.

Camp Adventure is a program that sends college students to American military bases throughout the world to run day camps and teach swim lessons to military children living abroad. From June 11 to August 20, I lifeguarded and taught swimming lessons on Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.

Okinawa is a 463 square mile wide tropical island about 400 miles off the southern coast of mainland Japan. It houses more than 10 American military bases from all branches of the Armed Forces. During my 10-week stay on Okinawa Island I met amazing people, swam in beautiful beaches, and tried some unique Japanese cuisine. Although even the entire California Aggie is not enough space to tell of all my adventures, I’ll highlight my top few.

The beaches on Okinawa were some of the most gorgeous I have ever seen. The water is a mix of greens and blues and is as warm as bath water. All the beaches are coral and are thus home to some amazing marine life. While there, I snorkeled many times and became scuba diving certified. I was able to swim with tropical fish, sea snakes, starfish and even some poisonous Habu jellyfish. Luckily I didn’t get stung!

The food on Okinawa was so delicious. My favorite dishes were Okinawan soba and sushi. Soba is a thick Japanese noodle made of buckwheat and and most often served as a noodle soup. As for the sushi, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I actually enjoyed raw fish! At first I stuck with some generic crab, shrimp and sticky white rice but as the summer progressed I moved on to salmon, squid and even octopus.

The sushi and soba were great but when it comes to food, the Japanese really know their sweets. My roommate and I fell in love with every type of Japanese candy. The nutritional information was of course in Japanese and thus unreadable due to my limited Japanese vocabulary, so as far as I was concerned, the calories didn’t count.

After my first week of work, I quickly learned that even SPF 100 was no match for the brutality of the tropical Okinawan sun. On day three of swim lessons, an Air Force dad came up to my sunburned, lobster-status self with a bottle of sunscreen wrapped in a bow. With a sarcastic grin he exclaimed, “Welcome to Oki!” Needless to say, I have some wicked tan lines that will last me well into winter.

By far, my favorite part about Okinawa was the amazing views. I felt like anywhere I stood I could see some gorgeous site, whether it was a stunning sunset, a beach or some beautiful terrain. Okinawa was, without a doubt, the most outstanding place I have visited thus far and I hope someday I will be able to return. But for now, as I bury my head into the books rather than my feet into the sand I am thankful for all the memories I have of the gorgeous tropical paradise that is Okinawa. Sayonara!

CLAIRE MALDARELLI can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Aug. 8, 2011

Eh?

Someone reported a lost Canadian passport to the Davis Police Department on Chiles Road.

Free car wash

Two subjects in a teal BMW Sedan squirted a woman’s car with a water gun and threw water from a water bottle at a stoplight at Russell Boulevard and La Rue Road.

No Service

On Donato Lane a woman in shorts, with no shirt and shoes, was ringing a doorbell, knocking on the door and trying to open the windows.

Aug. 15, 2011

People in glass houses

A rock was thrown through the window of a home on Gauguin Place.

Drive ‘n dash

A couple was pulled over at Second and Mace Boulevard and a female got out of the car and ran away.

What phone did she call on?

A subject on J Street called police for advice about what to do with a phone purchased on Craigslist that didn’t work.

Aug. 22, 2011

He just has a lot of feelings

A male subject in a park on N Street was making loud noises. The reporter was concerned he was unable to care for himself.

Don’t get the door

Two women on Oyster Bay Avenue were going door to door in Domino’s Pizza uniforms putting flyers on residences.

Charge it on the cell

A subject at Thai Nakorn on G Street was using an outlet to charge his cell phone and the restaurant asked him to order food. He did, and then refused it.

Aug. 29, 2011

Chippendales: Davis

A male subject was ripping his clothes off and pushing bouncers on G Street.

BEST OF SUMMER POLICE BRIEFS was compiled by ANGELA SWARTZ. She can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

UC Regents vote for 9.6 percent fee increase

Aug. 1 ? In a UC Regents meeting on July 14, the regents voted to increase tuition by 9.6 percent in order to offset the recent $650 million cut to University of California funding from the state. The 9.6 percent increase, along with the 8 percent increase already signed into law for this fall, will mean that the total tuition will increase by about $1,890 ? from $10,302 to $12,192 a year. This does not include individual campus student fees.

At UC Davis, the fee increase coupled with UC Davis student fees will mean that students will be paying approximately $16,094.86.

“Faced with enormous financial cuts forced on us by political leaders, we only have a handful of options open to us, and all are horrible options. As much as I hate voting for this increase, I hate even more letting this institution slide into mediocrity,” said Regent Bonny Reiss.

? Originally reported by Hannah Strumwasser

Judge finds UC Davis not guilty of sex discrimination

Aug. 8 ? A federal judge ruled in regard to a 2003 case that UC Davis did not discriminate against women wrestlers. However, the judge found that UC Davis violated certain parts of Title IX, a set of guidelines created to provide equal opportunity in athletics for both men and women.

The case, Mansourian v. Regents of the University of California, was based on complaints made in 2001 by four women wrestlers who said that they were denied the right to join the UC Davis wrestling team due to their sex.

While the judge found UC Davis not guilty of gender discrimination, when it came to “Prong 2,” a specific part of Title IX, the judge also decided that UC Davis was not completely complying with the rule. Specifically, he said that UC Davis should have provided more options for women athletes when two women’s junior varsity teams were cut in the 2000-01 school year. The mixed results of the ruling led both sides of the lawsuit to claim victory.

? Originally reported by Hannah Strumwasser

UC Davis approves sustainable agriculture major

Aug. 15 ? UC Davis approved a new major called sustainable agriculture and food systems for the upcoming Fall quarter.

The student-inspired major, in the college of agricultural and environmental science, will encompass all sustainable skills needed to develop work and food in a more ecological and socially viable manner for farmers, officials said.

“There is a rapidly growing need for graduates that are well prepared to deal with the different challenges in agriculture,” said Mark Van Horn, director of the plant sciences department. “The new major demonstrates a broad understanding of agriculture and its diverse roles in society and its new opportunities.”

? Originally reported by Alicia Kindred

Budget cuts cause reduced mail delivery on campus

Aug. 22 ? Recent budget cuts at UC Davis have reduced mail delivery provided by the Mail Division on campus.

“It is one of the many areas where funding has gone away, we cannot afford to do business as usual,” said Phillip Lacey, assistant director of the material management office. “There were very few options; one cannot cover the same amount of territory daily with reduced people and vehicles.” ?The mail service was one of various departments that faced budget reductions. Beginning Aug. 1, funding was reduced by 33 percent, a total of $180,000, Lacey said. Student Housing, the Chancellor’s Office and the Tri Co-ops are among the groups that face mail delivery reduction.

Due to this reduction, several new collection boxes will be installed on campus. Outgoing interoffice mail and U.S. mail in the new boxes will be collected on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 2 p.m. for same business day processing.

? Originally reported by Alicia Kindred

UC announces faculty pay raises

Aug. 22 ? UC President Mark Yudof announced that UC faculty would be receiving their first pay raises in over 4 years.

In a letter to the UC Chancellors, Yudof explained the raises could only be given to faculty who make less than $200,000 a year. The pay raises will be given based on merit, and professors will be evaluated this coming fall. The UC system will spend $140 million on these raises. These raises will also apply to non-represented faculty.

“One purpose of this pool is to give you a tool in your efforts to recruit, and most importantly, retain leading faculty members, who increasingly are being courted by competing institutions,” Yudof wrote.

According to Steve Montiel, UC spokesperson, money for these raises will come from recent student fee hikes, general fund money and other sources from the university, such as medical centers and grants.

? Originally reported by Hannah Strumwasser

UC Davis ranked in top 50 best colleges

Aug. 22 ? UC Davis was ranked 27 in a ranking of the 50 best universities in the United States, published by The Best Colleges on Aug. 8.

The Best Colleges board of editors decides the methodology and criteria. For the 2011-12 year, the rankings were based on the economic value of a school and the quality of life offered.

“We decided this in light of the current economic situation of the country, in which people are especially budget conscious as well as the present state of higher education, in which tuition costs are on the rise and students are taking longer than ever to graduate,” said Jeremy Alder, managing editor of The Best Colleges, in an e-mail interview. “With the school’s generous financial aid policy, UC Davis students end up with a really good deal, especially in light of the school’s track record of producing graduates who go on to well-paying careers.”

? Originally reported by Akshaya Ramanujam

CAMPUS NEWS SUMMER DIGEST was compiled by HANNAH STRUMWASSER. She can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.