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Editorial: Picnic Day

Opinion
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The excitement is building as the Davis community prepares for what is both the biggest celebration of the year and one of UC Davis’ most cherished traditions: Picnic Day.

Over 100,000 students, alumni, friends and family will come to campus Saturday to enjoy the parade, live entertainment, educational presentations and more.

Unfortunately, violence and disorderly behavior at last year’s festivities left a stain on Picnic Day’s reputation, leading campus officials to threaten to cancel the event.

Canceling Picnic Day would be extremely foolish. It would damage the sense of community and purpose that Picnic Day fosters. In addition, it would reveal a severe lack of creativity and perspective in addressing what, ultimately, are fairly minor problems at an event of this size.

Nonetheless, Picnic Day should not be a place for violence or lawlessness. It should not be a day for out-of-control drinking and wild behavior. Families should feel comfortable bringing Grandma and the kids to campus. Hippies should be able to walk around barefoot without stepping on broken glass. Everyone should be able to enjoy the event without fear of being harassed or assaulted. 

Picnic Day is a time for us to show what makes us great. By all means, celebration is in order, but we ought to be presenting our best selves – not our blacked-out, vomiting, belligerent selves. 

Already, many Davis businesses have voluntarily committed to limiting their alcohol sales. The city of Davis has instituted a safety enhancement zone downtown and along Russell Boulevard that sets fines at $395 for open container violations, public urination and drunk in public infractions. These are steps in the right direction that we hope will encourage people to limit their alcohol intake and reign in their behavior. 

Picnic Day revelers need to remember that not everyone is here for the party. Drink if you want to, but obey the law and be respectful of others’ experiences. Have fun, and remember that it is up to all of us to preserve the spirit and joy of Picnic Day for future generations.

Guest Opinion: Dialogue is not possible with propagandists

Opinion
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“All we want is to talk. All we want is dialogue.”

Everywhere one turns today this is the cant of the powerful. Gaddafi wants to talk to the rebels, to negotiate a ceasefire that allows him to continue to rule Libya uncontested. The Tea Party wants to dialogue with the Democrats so they can negotiate how many elderly people will be forced into poverty and denied health care, how many poor people will no longer have access to Food Stamps, how many unemployed people will have no unemployment insurance and how many young people will have no access to public education.

Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict these calls for dialogue are nothing new. Israeli politicians and Palestinian politicians have been flying to the United States to negotiate peace since the 1970s. As everyone knows 40 years of negotiation has not brought peace.

What has it brought? In Gaza it has brought, most recently, a siege, one which cuts off access to basic medical supplies and even food. It also brought a war in which around 1400 people were killed, at least 400 of them children. In the West Bank it brought the construction of large networks of settlements, connected by Jewish only roads that cut off Palestinians’ access from their community. It also brought the Wall, dubbed a separation fence. This is a mainly concrete wall 26 feet high that, according to the World Bank, will de facto annex 38.8 percent of the land in the West Bank.

All this has occurred at the same time as dialogue.

With a history like this, one can understand being resistant to dialogue.

The headlines recently are filled with great stories of people around the Middle East rebelling against dictatorships, and with horrifying stories of the continuing aftermath of the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. It is only toward the back of the newspaper where one will read that 18 Palestinians in Gaza, 9 of whom are confirmed civilians, have been killed by Israeli bombs recently.

This was the immediate cause of the protest of Akiva Tor’s visit to UC Davis. But this was not the only cause. Tor is a professional shill for Israel – that is the job of a Consul General. He is a propagandist. He is not a scholar, a policy analyst or even someone interested in a good debate. His job, pure and simple, is to propagandize for Israel. To have a debate with him would have been dishonest. We made our position clear on fact sheets handed out both before and after the event. We are more than willing to talk with anyone who wishes to engage with us as equals and to have an honest conversation. We have no wish, however, to be condescended to by propagandists.

The past 40 years of failed negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians – a time in which the Palestinians have made tremendous sacrifices in the failed hope of co-existence, as made apparent due to recently leaked diplomatic documents – shows that, in pursuing peace, a new tactic is necessary. For this reason I, and many of my friends and colleagues in the movement toward a just solution for Israel-Palestine, have signed on to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (www.pacbi.org), whose mission is to copy the same tactics that helped bring about a solution to Apartheid in South Africa.

Only together can we pursue a just peace for all, but we can only truly work together when we stop letting propaganda stand in for facts, and when we stop believing that people in power speaking down to students constitutes a dialogue.

– Geoffrey Wildanger

Graduate student, art history

Editorial: UCSA

Opinion
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The University of California Student Association (UCSA) wants UC Davis. Their executive director, Matt Haney, said that having every UC campus as members of UCSA except UC Davis presents a fundamental problem, as the public takes UCSA’s opinion as that of all UC students.

But, UC Davis disassociated itself from UCSA in 2006 for a reason. UCSA costs a minimum of $32,050 per year at $1.30 per student annually. UCSA “expects” a contribution of $1.50 per student, according to its website. This would put the cost up to $37,000, and that’s only for undergraduates. This expense is unnecessary given the existence of ASUCD’s Lobby Corps.

Lobby Corps currently runs on a budget of $28,577. The unit goes to the capitol and advocates for students, as does UCSA. But the advantage to Lobby Corps – other than its friendly price tag – is that it can advocate specifically for UC Davis students. As a result, it can represent us far better than UCSA can.

Furthermore, Lobby Corps offers UC Davis students a chance to become politically active and receive actual lobbying experience – UCSA employs one full-time lobbyist in Sacramento.

So far, ASUCD is playing its cards right by opening up communication with UCSA without committing to rejoin. UC Davis students can only benefit from having student leaders across the UC system understand one another.

It is possible for ASUCD to rejoin UCSA and keep its Lobby Corps. That way, UC Davis students could be represented in every way. However, this would cost over $70,000 per year, and the money to pay for the UCSA membership would have to be taken from other ASUCD units. There just isn’t that kind of money to spare in the budget.

And let’s face it. Undergraduate residents paid $9,496 to attend UC Davis in 2008-2009. Next year, tuition is estimated to be $14,055.36. Meanwhile, programs have been cut and faculty and staff have been laid off. The university is suffering, and while the student voice is important, how effective could any student lobbying organization possibly be?

Women’s Water Polo Preview

Sports Editor
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Teams: No. 17 UC Davis vs. No. 19 Pacific

Records: Aggies, 17-10 (1-3); Tigers, 17-11 (1-3)

Where: Schaal Aquatics Center

When: Saturday at noon

Who to watch: Though she did not have a standout performance last weekend, junior Alicia Began has quietly become a reliable threat for the Aggies.

The last time UC Davis played Pacific, Began netted three goals and has been improving since. The Camarillo, Calif. native has led the team in scoring in six games, including a pair of hat tricks at the Aggie Shootout earlier this season.

Did you know? All six of the teams in the Big West Conference are ranked nationally in the top-20.

Preview: Despite topping the Tigers earlier in the year, coach Jamey Wright knows not to underestimate the Aggies’ opponents.

“[The Tigers] have been getting better this past month,” he said. “They’re a different team than they were back then.”

If UC Davis wants to close out conference play strong, Wright believes his team will need to utilize its speed to slow down Pacific.

“We have a very fit and fast team,” Wright said. “Most teams like Pacific have a couple kids who score most of their goals, so if we shut them down, we’ll be in good shape.”

The Aggies want to set the tone early in order to take full advantage of their deep roster.

“We want to go fast paced to wear them out and keep the intensity up,” Wright said. “We need to be smart and not force shots to keep pressure on them.”

To wear down the Tigers, the Aggies will look to sophomore Carmen Eggert and her outside shot. Last weekend, Eggert took advantage of open water and scored seven of the team’s 16 goals.

Pacific will be UC Davis’ final conference opponent before the league tournament. Despite the Aggies’ sub-.500 Big West record, Wright believes his team is better than the current 1-3 record would indicate.

“It’s a dogfight conference. Nobody is easy,” Wright said. “On any given day, anyone can beat anyone. We have to come in focused.

– Matthew Yuen

Women’s Tennis Preview

Sports Editor
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Teams: No. 56 UC Davis vs. No. 42 Long Beach State; vs. Santa Clara

Records: Aggies, 16-4 (6-1); 49ers, 15-5 (5-1); Broncos, 14-4

Where: Marya Welch Tennis Center

When: Saturday at 2:00 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Who to watch: The Aggies will need strong play from everyone this weekend, especially freshman Nicole Koehly.

The Santa Ana, Calif. native won her last three matches in straight sets.

A victory for her in singles competition on Saturday could go a long way towards securing a number one or two seed for UC Davis in the Big West Conference tournament.

Did you know? Long Beach State has won three straight Big West regular season titles.

Preview: A win against Long Beach State could give the UC Davis women’s tennis team a chance to do something that’s never been done before – win the regular season Big West title.

More important than the regular season title, however, is the final seeding for the post-season tournament. By upsetting the 49ers this weekend, the Aggies can earn at least a number two seed, a goal coach Bill Maze set at the beginning of the season.

Saturday’s match will not be an easy one for UC Davis, however. Long Beach State is a perennial powerhouse, and until they lost last year, they had won six-straight conference tournament titles.

“Long Beach State is the team to beat,” Maze said. “I think Long Beach State is definitely the best team in the conference.”

One key to the match will be the doubles competition, an area where the Aggies have not always been the strongest.

“I think we have a shot, but we would have to play incredibly well,” Maze said. “We’re definitely up to the challenge.”

In a collegiate tennis match that is decided by the best of seven points, earning the doubles point provides a large psychological advantage, Maze explained.

“Against a quality team, if you lose the doubles point, it’s going to be tough,” said Maze.

On Sunday the Aggies will be in action again against non-conference opponent and local rival Santa Clara.

– Caelum Shove

Women’s Lacrosse Preview

Sports Editor
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Teams: UC Davis at Oregon

Records: Aggies 10-3 (2-2); Ducks 6-6 (3-0)

Where: Pape Field – Eugene, Ore.

When: Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Defense has been one of the key reasons for the Aggies’ success this season, and the anchor to the UC Davis back line has been freshman goalkeeper Jordan Majka.

The Lake Forest, Ill. local recorded six saves in the Aggies’ heartbreaking loss to Denver last week, and is allowing an average of just over 10 goals per-game.

Did you know? Sophomore Hannah Mirza is on the verge of making history for UC Davis.

Mirza is just two draw controls away from breaking the school’s single-season mark for that statistic.

The current record is held by Megan O’Connor, who set the bar in 2006.

Mirza’s average of 4.23 draw controls per-game ranks her eighth in the nation.

Preview: The time for the Aggies to make a playoff push is now.

UC Davis sits in fifth place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, just half a game outside of the final playoff spot.

While the Aggies may be close in the standings, two major hurdles stand between them and a postseason birth.

The first of those hurdles comes this weekend, in the form of a match-up with Oregon.

The Ducks are currently undefeated in conference play, and UC Davis will need to do all the little things right to come away victorious.

“It’s things as simple as passing and catching and protecting your stick,” said coach Elaine Jones. “Just little things like that that we won’t be able to get away with this week.”

If there’s one thing the Aggies have learned over the past week, it’s that even if they fall behind, they are never out of a game.

UC Davis found itself trailing at halftime in both of last week’s contests, only to ultimately come back and take the lead.

While the Aggies will hope to lead throughout this weekend’s game, if they fall behind they know they are not done.

“This team is resilient,” Jones said. “They knew what they were facing [when we fell behind], and once they scored that first goal they came back.”

– Trevor Cramer

Track and Field Preview

Sports Editor
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Event: Woody Wilson Classic

Where: Toomey Field

When: Saturday, all day

Who to watch: Senior Chidinma Onyewuenyi was named Big West Conference Women’s Field Athlete of the Week for the second time this season after setting the school record for shot put with a mark of 50 feet, 4.5 inches.

“Chidinma is experiencing the best season of her career,” interim director Byron Talley said. “She’s a student of her sport. She is incredibly strong. She’s really bought into the training that’s brought her to be successful. She has focus and passion to improve.”

Did you know? The Woody Wilson Classic is held on Picnic Day each year. A former chancellor requested that a track meet be held on that day to provide wholesome entertainment for visitors of UC Davis.

Preview: Byron Talley, interim director of track and field, has big plans for the team this season.

Though this is his first year leading the squad, Talley is not new to UC Davis athletics. From 2000 to 2002, he ran track for the Aggies, and from 2004 to 2010 he worked as an assistant coach.

Now he is taking over the program with his own vision.

“I’m excited to take this opportunity,” Talley said. “I learned from wonderful mentors. They taught me what UC Davis is about. But I also want to make this team strong in the Division I ranks.”

Talley plans to recruit strong student athletes and develop their talents.

“Every year UC Davis has a larger and larger presence at the NCAA preliminaries,” Talley said. “My goal is to qualify as many athletes as possible to championships. I also want to see the team at the top ranks at the Big West Conference.”

So far this season, the Aggies have been breaking school records and setting up for that successful championship.

This weekend at the Woody Wilson Classic, Talley hopes that the team will continue to produce powerful results on the track and field. He said that the best part about the meet is the fact that the athletes are able to compete in front of their friends and family.

Talley encourages students to stop by the track on Picnic Day to cheer for their fellow Aggies.

– Caleigh Guoynes

Softball Preview

Sports Editor
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Teams: UC Davis at Long Beach State

Records: Aggies 18-6 (3-3); 49ers 25-13 (3-3)

Where: 49er Softball Complex – Long Beach, Calif.

When: Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Junior Kylie Fan came up big for the Aggies last week.

The San Ramon, Calif. native’s two-run homer last Saturday helped UC Davis secure its lone victory of the weekend – a 3-1 win over Pacific.

The long ball was Fan’s first career home run.

Did you know? Senior Alex Holmes has more triples (7) than any other player in the nation.

Holmes is also currently ranked second nationally with .21 triples per-game.

Preview: The Aggies may be coming off a slow weekend, but their confidence is not down.

After dropping three of four over a six-day span and being shutout twice, it would be easy for the team to lose its poise.

Coach Katherine Yoder, however, does not expect this to be the case with her team.

“My players are capable of handling adversity,” she said. “I’m not worried at all about them getting down on themselves. They have great mental toughness.”

The Aggies will look to translate mental strength into offensive power, which will be no easy task.

The Long Beach State pitching staff has been the best in the Big West so far, holding a team ERA of 2.11.

Freshman pitcher Erin Jones-Wesley currently leads the conference with 14 wins and a 1.32 ERA.

Long Beach State has also been difficult to beat at home this season.

The 49ers are 13-4 on their own field, and have posted six wins in their past seven home contests, including four shutouts.

“It’s a great challenge for our program,” Yoder said. “The girls are really pumped-up for this series. It’s going to be a great battle and we’re excited.”

While it is still relatively early in the season, this series could have significant implications on the conference standings come the end of the year.

UC Davis and Long Beach State are currently tied for fourth in the Big West at 3-3 – just a single game behind first place Cal Poly.

Although this weekend could be significant in the long run, the Aggies know their success will ultimately be determined by execution.

“It’s pretty simple,” Yoder said. “We need to play good defense, pitch well, and get timely hits with runners in scoring position. If we focus on ourselves, we’ll be fine.”

– Trevor Cramer

Men’s Tennis Preview

Sports Editor
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Teams: UC Davis at No. 49 UC Irvine; at UC Riverside

Records: Aggies, 4-9; Anteaters, 14-5; Highlanders, 2-17

Where: Tennis Stadium – Irvine, Calif.; Student Recreation Center Tennis Complex – Riverside, Calif.

When: Saturday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at noon

Who to watch: Senior Nic Lopez is one half of a nationally ranked doubles team.

The Orinda, Calif. native, along with sophomore Conner Coates, rank 46th in the nation for all Division I doubles teams. The duo has lost just once in their last seven matches.

Did you know? The UC Davis men’s tennis squad holds a 3-0 record in contests decided by a single match.

“In really close matches we always seem to be able to come through,” said coach Daryl Lee.

Preview: The Aggies will look for their first Big West Conference win this weekend as they face league opponents UC Irvine and UC Riverside.

The Aggies face a tough opponent on Saturday in the No. 49 Anteaters. The Highlanders, on the other hand, are winless in conference play.

As the team travels to Southern California this weekend, Lee hopes his players simply stay relaxed as they look for their first conference win.

“The effort is there and the commitment is there,” Lee said, “I think sometimes we want it too much and try too hard. Hopefully we can trust ourselves more and let things happen.”

UC Davis snapped a two-match losing streak on Saturday, beating Gonzaga 4-3 at home. The Aggies lost the following day against San Francisco despite Kyle Miller winning his singles match and Lopez and Coates defeating San Francisco’s No. 1 doubles team.

The Aggies are only 1-3 in the month of April, but some of their best players are trending upwards. Freshman Kyle Miller has won four of his last five singles matches, while Coates is 4-2 over his past six singles contests.

One area Coach Lee shows no concern is his top doubles team. Lopez and Coates are nationally ranked, putting them on par with some of the NCAA’s best teams.

“Just to be able to say Lopez and Coates in the same breath with top-10 teams like Virginia is really impressive” Lee said.

The Aggies will look to put together two strong performances before they return home to face non-conference opponent Hawaii-Hilo next Tuesday.

– Zachary D’Amato

Men’s Golf Preview

Sports Editor
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Event: BYU Cougar Classic

Where: Riverside Country Club – Provo, Utah.

When: Friday through Saturday, all day

Who to watch: Senior Austin Graham has been playing up to par this season.

The San Clemente, Calif. local finished 4th overall at the Cowboy Classic last week.

Did you know? This is the last regular season event for the Aggies before the Big West Championship.

Preview: The last event of the regular season is the time to fine-tune a competitor’s work and is often the litmus test for how one will do in the post-season.

The UC Davis men’s golf team will be doing just that at the BYU Cougar Classic this weekend.

The Aggies are coming in hot after a fourth-place finish at the Cowboy Classic a week ago. Coach Cy Williams believes his team is eager to mix it up again.

“Team morale is great,” Williams said. “We are working very hard to get ready for the Cougar Classic and I think we will be.”

The Aggie lineup will consist of senior Austin Graham, junior Tyler Raber, sophomore Andrew Haggen and freshmen Matt Hansen and Daniel Covrig.

“Everyone has been great in preparing for each event and have been great competitors,” Williams said.

The Aggies are currently ranked 55th in the nation according to Golfweek rankings, making them a high-caliber team in this event. Williams is confident that the weekend will be successful.

“It’s all about the Aggies,” Williams said. “I don’t really even know who else is playing other than a couple of teams.”

After this, the Aggies will participate in the Big West Conference Championship then hopefully the NCAA Regional.

The Aggies will make it to the regional event in one of two ways. They could either be voted in by a committee, or they could win the conference title. The Aggies are currently 81-62 on the season, making them eligible for voting by the committee, but Williams has his eye on the conference title.

– Ron Hooper

Baseball Preview

Sports Editor
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Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Bakersfield

Records: Aggies, 7-19; Roadrunners, 22-8

Where: Dobbins Baseball Complex

When: Friday at 2:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m.

Who to watch: Shortstop Scott Heylman was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week for the week ending April 10. The award was his first.

The senior from San Diego, Calif. recorded seven RBI on the week, with three doubles and a triple.

Against Long Beach State on Friday, Heylman’s two-RBI double in the third inning proved to be the game-winner as UC Davis snagged a 2-1 advantage in what would be an 8-1 victory.

In driving the Aggie offense throughout the weekend, Heylman raised his overall season batting average from .315 to a team-leading .349.

Did you know? In last year’s win over Cal State Bakersfield, UC Davis scored nine runs in the ninth inning to get the final 12-11 edge.

In that game, then-sophomore Eric Johnson recorded a team-leading four RBI.

Preview: Last weekend, the Aggies were ready.

Coach Rex Peters was impressed by his team’s ability to follow the game plan for its series win at Long Beach State. He hopes that momentum continues.

“We have some tough games coming up, but if we can just take that same attitude and approach into these games that we have this week, I think we can be competitive and get the job done,” Peters said.

After Tuesday’s 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Saint Mary’s, the Aggies will take on Cal State Bakersfield in a three-game series at home.

“[Cal State] Bakersfield is a good team and they’ve had a good season,” Peters said.

The Roadrunners boast a 22-8 record on the 2011 campaign, which includes road wins over No. 10 Arizona State and No. 3 South Carolina in March.

At the time of the latter victory, Cal State Bakersfield sat at the No. 30 spot in the nation. The Roadrunners are currently receiving votes, according to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

While the Aggies will have their work cut out for them against another high-caliber squad, Peters said a couple of recent wins in Long Beach were enough to prove their potential as a program.

“I think we learned a lot about ourselves as a team [last] weekend,” Peters said. “We swung the bat and got some big hits when we needed to, and we got some pretty good starts out of our starting pitchers.”

– Grace Sprague

Violation fines will double this weekend

City Editor
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The theme for this year’s Picnic Day is “Rewind” and after a record number of arrests last year, organizers of the event are striving to bring the day back to its roots.

A Davis city council ordinance, “Safety Enhancement Zone,” has designated areas of enhanced penalties for violations of municipal code provisions. Essentially, the safety zones cover the areas of Davis that tend to have the most violations on Picnic Day: downtown and frat row on Russell Boulevard.

Though the 97th annual day is not until Saturday, the safety zones will be effective from tomorrow at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 6 a.m. Violations include: general noise, urinating in public, open containers of alcohol and smoking violations. Violators will be charged $395 per offense. In addition, noise citations will be $235, minimum, anywhere in Davis.

The city posted 28 large signs at major entry points of these zones this week, informing community members of the increased fines and these locations.

Gary Sandy, director of local government relations for UC Davis, said he thinks the prospect of receiving any fine is compelling.

“I’m hoping people will keep in mind the importance of Picnic Day and that a repeat of last year could jeopardize the day,” Sandy said. “Students did a good job coming up with the rewind theme. This doubled violation, no pun intended, is a sobering one.”

According to Don Dudley, interim director of Student Judicial Affairs (SJA), campus and city police understand that any reported misconduct by students will be sent to SJA, in addition to any police response. Police will refer these cases to SJA, regardless of whether they occur on or off campus, in the enhanced safety zone or elsewhere in the city. 

Any student conduct that interferes or obstructs a police officer in the performance of their duties – noncooperation, combativeness – will be a factor in choosing a disciplinary sanction. Suspension from school is one possible disciplinary measure.

“Picnic Day is a co-operative venture between the city and UC Davis,” Dudley said. “Students need to follow the University Standards of Conduct whether they are on or off campus, on and around Picnic Day.”

The city police will not have increased patrols in these areas, but Lt. Glen Glasgow of the Davis Police Department (DPD) said the ordinance was born out of similar ordinances from other college towns with large events like in San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz and Chico.

“These safety zones just give us an additional tool in our tool box to deter crime in the downtown core,” Glasgow said. “We hope a change in culture will allow Picnic Day to continue for years to come.”

Mac Walker, senior communications major and entertainment director of Picnic Day, said he believes the safety zones will result in a lot less parties this year.

“Students will naturally have to observe the ordinance,” Walker said. “Landlords won’t be allowing as many parties this year. Without the zones the tradition of Picnic Day could be jeopardized.”

ANGELA SWARTZ can be reached city@theaggie.org. 

Musical masters of the next generation compete in Young Artists Competition

Arts Editor
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Young, talented musicians gathered from across the country last month to participate in the Mondavi Center’s annual Young Artists Competition.

The competition is one of the most prestigious in the country for young musicians. In its six years, it has showcased many talented musicians who have gone on to do greater things and perform in impressive venues, such as Carnegie Hall in New York.

The final round of this year’s competition was held on March 26, when the 16 finalists, whittled down from 135, competed for prizes.

The competition was curated by pianist Lara Downes, who performs frequently at the Mondavi Center.

This year, for the first time, the competition was opened to musicians outside of California.

In addition, there were three rounds of auditions, including taped performances and a live semifinal round in January.

Ryan Brown, a Bay Area composer, created a required piece for the competition, which may become an annual tradition. In addition, past winners will be featured in the Mondavi Center’s Debut Series.

Although most of the winners were from California, Alison Chiang, who tied for first in the piano section of the Senior Division with Carrie Chen of Sunnyvale, was from Plano, Texas.

Los Altos, Calif. resident Will Chow won for Cello. In the vocals category, Julia Heron Metzler, a mezzo soprano from San Francisco won Grand Prize, and UCLA voice major Brian Vu won the Founder’s prize. Honorable mention went to the Mondo Trio and Nicole Shorts, soprano.

Jeremy Tai, a cellist hailing from Cupertino, Calif., won grand prize in the Junior Division of the competition and then proceeded to donate his $1,000 scholarship prize to earthquake relief efforts in Japan.

“I was practicing the Elgar Cello Concerto and it was hard for me to get the emotions I wanted for the piece. Then I remembered the disaster in Japan and it helped me create the right interpretation. This moved me to donate,” Tai said in a Mondavi Center press release. “I’m glad to have a chance to help people with my talent.”

Tai has played the cello for five years and although he loves playing, he isn’t sure if he wants to make a career out of it.

“I’ve still got a lot of time to decide what I want to do,” Tai said.

Either way, Jeremy’s mother Tiffany is proud of her son.

“We are very glad Jeremy could participate. It motivated Jeremy to win the top prize and to do something with the money besides buy an iPad. We are very proud of his compassion and passion,” she said.

Another winner was Grace Zhou, an 8-year-old pianist from Irvine, Calif., who won the piano award in the Junior division. According to her father, Josh, Grace started playing piano when she was five and quickly took to it like a Davis student to biking.

“Within a couple of months, the teacher told us we should be serious about her piano playing. We thought she was just being nice but then we heard her piano recital and it was just amazing,” Zhou said.

Zhou was encouraged by his daughter’s piano teachers to enter Mondavi’s Young Artists Competition.

“We did a lot of research. We were worried about her young age but everybody assured us it was fine. Everybody was so nice. We loved the Mondavi Center and we loved the staff, Zhou said. “It was a good experience and we’ll definitely come back if Grace wants to enter the Senior category.”

Although this year’s competition just ended, the applications will be open soon for next year’s competition. If you know anybody who is musically endowed, encourage him or her to apply. Or if you want to support young talent, keep a look out for news of when the finals will take place at the Mondavi Center.

MICHELLE RUAN can be reached at arts@theaggie.org

Sixth annual Davis Feminist Film Festival “the best yet”

Arts Editor
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It’s that time of the year again! The sixth annual Davis Feminist Film Festival is approaching. The event will be held tonight and Friday at 5 p.m. at the Veteran’s Memorial Theater at 203 East 14th St. The festival is a grassroots event put on by the Consortium for Women and Research.

The festival will showcase independent films that highlight issues of gender and its intersections with class, race and sexuality. It will also provide an inclusive public space for underrepresented artists to showcase issues that are not normally addressed in media and culture.

The festival also aims to foster campus and community partnerships and awareness through the different community organizations.

The DFFF was started in 2005, by the Gender and Global issues program in the Women and Gender studies department. All proceeds go toward operating costs and internship experience for student organizers.

In addition, to help generate more revenue, the festival will hold a silent auction this year. People can bid on items from businesses such as Armadillo Music, Davis Food Co-op, The Paint Chip, Urban Body and Woodstock’s Pizza.

“We do our best to design the festival to appeal not only to the UC Davis community, students and faculty but to the wider city of Davis,” said festival co-director Andrew Ventimiglia.

The festival will kick off with an hour-long opening reception, which will include food and drinks. The profits from beer sales will go to save the Baggins End Cooperative Community, more commonly known as the Domes.

Curation for the festival took place through a winter quarter undergraduate class called “Feminism, Film and Curation.” In the course students had the opportunity to have hands-on experience curating a film festival. The class was crucial in planning the festival and deciding which films were selected.

One of the interns for the festival, Rachel Aquino, was also in the curation class. She explained that the preliminary screening process included a committee composed of faculty, local artists and graduate students.

“We watched and screened films and evaluated them based on how they would contribute to the festival,” Aquino said.

They received over 100 submissions this year from various locations. Some films are local from the city of Davis or California, and many others are from foreign countries, including Argentina, China, Ghana, India, Ireland, the UK, Spain and Sweden. Filmmakers include film students and faculty, independent artists and activists.

The films fall into three genres: documentary, narrative and experimental.

“There are very different films so people will be able to relate to them,” Aquino said.

Ventimiglia added that the films address a wide range of issues, including social and political commentary.

“This is a range of issues that people don’t often get to see, so the festival is a chance for the community of Davis to see a range of interesting material,” Ventimiglia said.

One film is a documentary called The Witches of Gambaga, about women in Ghana who are accused of witchcraft. It will be followed by a question and answer session with the film’s co-producer, UC Davis professor of women and gender studies Amina Mama.

Another film is Long Haul, a documentary that takes an ethnographic look at three female truck drivers in the U.S.

“It contains some very charismatic and interesting characters and is one of the strongest documentaries I’ve seen submitted so far,” Ventimiglia said.

Festival director Michelle Yates said the films at this year’s festival are thought-provoking, hilarious and entertaining.

“I think this year’s program is the best yet,” Yates said.

Tickets are available at the Women’s Resources and Research Center for $5 to 15, on a sliding scale, at Armadillo Music for $7 (students) and $10 (general), and at the Veteran’s Memorial Theatre on the nights of the festival for $10 (students) and $15 (general). For more information, go to femfilmfest.ucdavis.edu.

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

UCD dancers and actors take center stage in first-ever Edge Performance Festival 

Arts Editor
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For the first time, the UC Davis department of theatre and dance presents The Edge Performance Festival, which will feature a large range of dance and theatrical events under one roof. Main Stage Dance, Solo Explorations, Undergraduate One Acts, Festival Cabaret and The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sing-Along will each take the spotlight during this two-week festival.

Main Stage Dance

Main Stage Dance features six choreographies by undergraduate students and Master of Fine Arts candidates. The choreographies include Evolution by Kristi Kilpatrick, Epicene by Kevin Moriarty, Flash: Dinamicas de Familia by Daniela Leal, A Murder at the Tyburn Tree by Sandra A. Lopez and Habitat by Kevin O’Connor. Each dance will infuse the Main Stage with its own unique exploration and vision of its choreographer.

Moriarty’s piece, Epicene, will explore the relationship between gender and movement through the manipulation of lines, symmetry and asymmetry. It’s a personal piece which investigates his questions as to why societal norms and perceptions are they way they are today.

“When I was younger I felt different from other boys,” Moriarty said. “I’ve now come to realize that feeling is pretty universal and nobody feels like they fit in with everybody. I felt very self-conscious about whether or not I came off as being masculine enough. Using gender as my topic, I explored how movements and gestures have codified meaning and implied gender while creating expectations for spectators.”

Lopez’s piece A Murder at the Tyburn Tree highlights and explores the struggles of life on the daily basis. Lopez challenges questions through the boundaries of dance and its limitation with and without the figurative presence of music.

“Do you stop dancing because the music doesn’t sound right or do you keep going anyway?” said Lopez. “Do you give up on life just because it’s not going in the direction you thought it to be or do you struggle through that and prevail no matter what? My piece is about prevailing no matter [what]; it’s a struggle, it’s a pain in the ass, it’s negotiable but it’s about moving on.”

Solo Explorations

Four solo performances will be featured in an intimate setting by graduating Master of Fine Arts candidates. Stripped of fancy lighting or costumes, each devised body of work emphasizes the writing and acting of the actor and performer.

Michael Davison’s piece, entitled Baking and Bowling, offers an unsettling take on humor that treads the delicate lines of sanity and insanity. For Davison, his piece took on a transformation that brought him back to the basics of storytelling.

“I consider myself a highly psychological actor and I tend to gravitate toward serious subject matter, but with a touch of humor,” Davison said. “I brought it all back to basics – I wanted to simply explore the actor as a storyteller. I would do this by challenging myself to step out of my comfort zone, but to also utilize my strength as an actor deeply invested in the human mind and the psychological struggles that we endure or attempt to escape from.”

Other solo performances will include the quest of a French madman and visionary in Fragments of Artaud’s Desk by Brian Livingston, the struggles and unlucky tune of a salesman in The Plot of Ratchet by Barry Hubbard and the heartbroken realities of an abandoned lover in Something like Enlightenment by Avila Reese.

Undergraduate One Acts

Three pieces of work, written and directed by undergraduate students, will be staged. These works include Brother(s) at War, written by Michael Lutheran and directed by Sarah Birdsall, How to Grieve, written by Ashley Chandler and directed by Sabba Rahbar and The Ballad of a Tangerine, written by Karen Baldomero and directed by Jennifer Adler.

Last year, the one act plays were performed in a festival called Third Eye. This will be the first year that the undergraduate written pieces will be working as collective pieces in the context of a larger festival.

“The Edge Festival has shifted the focus to the ‘process’ of written-work rather than focusing on the final ‘product’,” Lutheran said. “Working through the Edge, not only as a playwright but as a participant within the festival, I have noticed the shift of attention toward the writing of each of these plays, and it is nice to know that there won’t be any distractions from our stories.”

Birdsall, who worked with Lutheran to direct the piece Brother(s) at War, has high hopes for this portion of the festival.

“Audiences can expect an evening of thought-provoking and deep performances from our extremely talented undergraduates,” Birdsall said. “With Brother(s) at War specifically, they will take part in one man’s journey through loss, pain and the depths of despair, to a greater understanding of his role in life, and part of what his existence means, especially to those who care about him.”

Other festivities to look out for include a cabaret, which showcases students’ unique talents through performances of devised pieces of poetry, music, etc. Also, there will be a sing-along to the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Costumes can be rented through The Enchanted Cellar. For information regarding costume rentals, go to theatredance.ucdavis.edu/costumes or visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu for more information regarding The Edge Performance Festival.

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

The Edge Performance Festival

Friday April 15, 2011

Solo Explorations, Arena Theatre, Wright Hall, 7pm

Main Stage Dance, Main Theatre, 8pm

Saturday April 16, 2011

Main Stage Dance (Picnic Day), Main Theatre, 2pm & 4pm

Solo Explorations, Arena Theatre, Wright Hall, 7pm

Undergraduate One Act Plays, Lab A, Wright Hall, 9:30pm

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sing-Along (movie), Main Theatre, Wright Hall, 12 Midnight (Rated R)

Sunday April 17, 2011

Main Stage Dance, Main Theatre, Wright Hall, 2pm

Undergraduate One Act Plays, Lab A, Wright Hall, 7pm

Thursday April 21, 2011

Main Stage Dance, Main Theatre, Wright Hall, 8pm

Friday April 22, 2011

Undergraduate One Act Plays, Lab A, Wright Hall, 8pm

Festival Cabaret, Arena Theatre, Wright Hall, 11pm

Saturday April 23, 2011

Undergraduate One Act Plays, Lab A, Wright Hall, 8pm

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sing-Along (movie), Main Theatre, Wright Hall, 12 Midnight (Rated R)

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