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Column: Opportunity, R.I.P?

Opinion

Opinion

November 16, 2010

Last week The Aggie ran a front-page story on another fee increase to hit the 40 percent mark set by the UC Regents. Amid all these fee increases, the incomes of middle-class Americans and those further south on the economic ladder, have flat-lined or shrunk. As Washington starts a path toward fiscal responsibility, reining in on so-called entitlement spending and cutting the deficit, we are going to see opportunity hurt, seriously. One phrase you are going to hear a lot in the coming weeks is “class warfare.”

Before I launch into this piece proper, let me send a shout out to all our veterans, belatedly. It is never too late to thank people who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in protecting the American Dream, our liberty and the creature comforts we enjoy.

Back to Washington. As the Republicans and the Tea Party freshmen legislators take their new “mandate” on a test drive, expect to see a steep inclination, or at least the agitation, toward broad rhetorical, ideological stipulations such as “small government,” “less taxes,” “less spending” and the like. Specifics will be elusive. Democrats will still be fighting to save the “soul” of liberalism: they will be looking to do a purging of the leadership (Pelosi and company) that led to a shellacking result at the midterms. “Kentucky Derby” (horse racing) politics and the constant focus on one-uppers continue to preclude adult discourse on the country’s challenges in D.C.

The long-term trajectory of deficit spending has to be tackled. No doubt. We have to be very careful though, not to do so at the expense of opportunity and the American Dream for many of the have-nots, less well-off among us. Gunnar Mydral in his 1944 book An American Dilemma addresses caste and class and in a way that speaks to the pending dilemma brewing in Washington. Mydral indicates that the very bases of the forming of the United States – dissenting church and royal hierarchy, mode of independence from England and adoption of a democratic constitution – spurned the formation of “rigid class distinctions.” Mydral notes that while the American Creed “does not demand equality of economic and social rewards independent of an individuals luck, ability and push. It merely demands equality of opportunity.”

Elsewhere in An American Dilemma, Mydral invokes the evocative words of Abraham Lincoln that capture the American Dream concept: “I take it that it is best to leave each man free to acquire property as fast as he can. Some will get wealthy. I don’t believe the law should prevent them from getting rich; it would do more harm than good. So while we don’t purpose any war on capital, we do wish to allow the humblest man to get rich with everybody else.” Precisely. That is the balance Washington has to strike, between free enterprise and opportunity.

I have chosen the historical context and time in the run up to the New Deal, because most of the entitlement programs about to be mounted on the chopping block were products of the Roosevelt New Deal era of liberalism. It must be stated that big business – the Trusts had to be busted, face on. The New Deal engendered our most enduring infrastructure and safety net programs like Social Security, which seniors enjoy today. It is debatably the New Deal also ensured a sustained middle class over the past half century. We don’t need market speculators to tell us that investment in education and research, infrastructure and particularly renewable energy is the only way we can stay competitive with what CNN’s Fareed Zakaria calls “The Rise of the Rest.”

We have had eight (a decade if you add Obama’s two years of Wall Street bailouts) years of “trickle down” economics that justified tax cuts for the rich. How is that working for ya, readers? Now, Obama’s bipartisan deficit commission has released a report that calls for a lot of sacrifice, of course more on the side of the working class. And all we are going to hear in the lame duck session of Congress is the voodoo economics of tax cuts and simultaneous deficit reduction to balance the budget. I guess “we” need to make sacrifices, huh? Just not at the top 2 percent whose incomes have markedly increased during these tough times.

Prospective Speaker Boehner touts his “humble beginnings” as evidence of the American Dream at work. Well, there are other even “humbler” Americans growing up in apartments and projects who want that exact same dream. The Statue of Liberty beckons the “wretched of all mankind” to come and seek opportunity and lift themselves by their bootstraps. Think of your education, readers, as those boots. No?

Reach FAYIA SELLU at fmsellu@ucdavis.edu.

What’s in a major?

Features

Features Editor

November 16, 2010

So you came to Davis with big dreams of becoming a doctor, but all of those general chemistry classes made you seriously rethink this plan. Luckily, changing your major can be a simple process – all you need is a little preparation and the right paperwork.

Before beginning the process of declaring a new major, it is important to make sure you are still allowed to switch. If you have attained senior status and have 135 or more units, you may not be so lucky. The registrar’s website states that students of senior standing cannot change majors, unless it is under special circumstances. If you are below 135 units, however, there is nothing stopping you from petitioning for a new major.

The first step toward declaring a new area of study is to start learning facts about the new major.

“It’s good to shop around first,” said Susie Johnson, academic program advisor for undergraduate education and advising in the College of Letters and Science. “Besides, some programs may have specific prerequisites or GPA requirements to switch into.”

Once you have decided on a new major, you have to fill out a change of major form. This form is available in the undergraduate advising center at each college, in most major departments and can also be found online.

After filling out your general information, the form must be signed by your new academic adviser. This is the undergraduate adviser for your new major.

Lynda Jones, undergraduate counselor for the department of English said that she looks at a student’s academic history before signing them into the new major.

“A student must be in good standing,” Jones said in an e-mail interview. “English is not an impacted major, so I can accept them without any prerequisites. However, depending on the situation, I may advise them to take a couple of English literature courses before formally declaring the major.”

“We really want to make sure you talk to the new adviser,” Johnson said. “This is why we require their signature on the form.”

Once you are approved to switch into the new major, you need to bring the form to the department you are switching out of. There, your former academic adviser will sign you out. If you are switching into a major within your current college, the process ends here. However, if you are switching to a different college, another round of signatures must be obtained.

To switch colleges, signatures from both the new and old college’s dean need to be collected. To do this, bring the change of major petition to the undergraduate advising center of your old and new college. According to Johnson, it does not matter which college you go to first, as long as you get both signatures.

“If you’re switching from one college to another, you need to be in good academic standing,” she said. “This is qualitatively and quantitatively, meaning you need to be making minimum progress and maintaining a 2.0 GPA.”

The completed change of major form is submitted to the undergraduate advising center for whichever college your new major is located in. The actual form takes one to two weeks to process, so it is important to get the petition in before your pass one registration.

Instead of just changing your major, maybe you want to declare multiple majors. A multiple major approval form can be picked up from any undergraduate advising center or downloaded from the department’s web site. While the process can sound complicated, it is similar to that of switching majors.

“It was easy to figure out how to declare a double major once I took the time to ask someone who knows how,” said Hailey Harrell, a junior English and plant biology double major. “The actual thought process in deciding to double major can be scary, though. You have to prepare yourself for somewhat grueling classes and schedule planning.”

All the information needed to declare a second major is located on the form itself. You must fill out the form then get signatures from each individual major’s adviser. For each major, 80 percent of the upper division units must be unique. This means that only 20 percent of upper division units can be used toward both majors at the same time. The rest must be applied only to each individual major.

“Before I double majored, I went to my current major adviser. She told me I needed to fulfill all of my requirements to get to upper division, then take two upper-division classes from each subject in order to declare a second major,” Harrell said.

This completion of upper division units before declaring the second major ensures that the process will be doable. A double major program must be completed in 225 units or less, or a petition to a dean is required to continue. The deadline to petition for a double major is the fifth week of every quarter. It is important to note that you cannot declare a second major during the quarter you graduate.

Students can find more information about changing their major or declaring a second major in the UC Davis general catalog. Information is also available online at the registrar’s web site at registrar.ucdavis.edu.

For more questions, students should consult their major adviser, old or new, or the undergraduate education and advising center in their respective college.

JENNIFER SCOFIELD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Aggie Police Briefs

City News

City Editor

November 16, 2010

FRIDAY

A fairly conspicuous get-away

A tricycle was stolen on Cantrill Drive.

O.D. Street

A male was hallucinating on D Street.

SATURDAY

How cliché

Four subjects were seen wearing hoodies with their hoods up. One of the subjects was carrying a baseball bat on Drew Circle.

Square.

A loud party spilled over to someone else’s apartment and they called to request that it be broken up on B Street.

SUNDAY

No, her refrigerator is not running

A female called 911 saying, “don’t joke around” on Eureka Avenue.

Committing Of-fence

Someone was home alone and could hear what sounded like someone trying to climb her fence, on L Street.

BECKY PETERSON can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Column: This is your brain on food

Opinion

Opinion

November 16, 2010

We know food has a dominating effect on our body. This is why we talk of stomachs exploding, cookies going to thighs and beers expanding bellies. But for some reason, we don’t connect the same sort of food effect to our mind.

While you might feel guilty that the In-N-Out animal style fries you had for dinner will make you feel sick later, you still assume there’s a barrier between our food and our thought process. Those fries will make you feel sick, but they won’t alter your mind. Compare this to how you might think about alcohol. It’s pretty clear that drinking will temporarily change the way you think and behave. It might be that the buzz you get from drinking is fast acting.

Whatever the reason, it’s easy to forget that food has an effect. Our mind is a product of our brain, itself beholden to chemical reactions and input. For example, our mood is influenced, in part, by the function of three neurotransmitters: serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Each of the three is related to what we eat.

Norepinephrine and dopamine induce alertness in the brain. Serotonin levels, which increase with the consumption of foods high in carbs (pasta, candy and cereal, to name a few) has the opposite effect. Higher levels of serotonin lower anxiety, lead to drowsiness, and improve mood. Calm, sleepy and happy? This is the driving force behind that food coma you had this weekend. In other words, avoid meals dense with carbs if you need your brain running at full capacity.

Eating large meals that are high (the two usually go hand in hand) in fat also have the ability to induce sleepiness and sluggishness. Large meals call more blood to the stomach region and away from the brain. With less blood to your brain, your mind tends to move slower until the meal has been fully digested.

Dopamine and norepinephrine, which give you increased focus and concentration, are a little trickier. Scientists know that eating foods rich in protein somehow relates to our alertness. Either proteins work to block the production of serotonin, or something within protein directly produces dopamine and norepinephrine. Whatever the cause, consuming a protein source an hour or so before a study session or midterm helps.

Some foods have a more sinister effect on your mind. Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute designed a study to understand how junk food affects the brain. They took two groups of rats and offered the control group a relatively healthy diet rich in nutrients, but low in calories. The other rats ate as much processed food as they wanted -bacon, cheesecake, Ho Hos, etc. The second group quickly developed compulsive eating behaviors, and soon they ate twice as much food as the control group.

Five days into the study, the pleasure centers of the brain were less sensitive for the latter lab rats. They needed significantly more junk food to achieve the same level of pleasure they were reaching just five days earlier. The scientists noted the parallels between junk food and previous research on drug abuse. This reaction was no different from the heroin abuser who constantly requires a bigger hit to reach the same high.

Upon making this connection, the scientists upped the stakes by introducing an electrical shock. Both groups of rats would receive a tiny foot shock each time they consumed food. Rats in the control group who were not exposed to much junk food stopped eating. They did not enjoy food as much as they disliked the shock. Rats in the junk food group hardly stopped a beat. They continued to eat more and more junk food despite the shocks. At this point, pain was a distant concern compared to reaching their habituated high. The rats were addicts.

Food cannot just influence your mind; food can take over your mind. That’s a scary thought, isn’t it? Food can be responsible for a sour mood in the afternoon. Maybe your breakfast (or lack thereof) directly affected your performance on a midterm today. Hopefully, it’s a thought that changes the way you look at food. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, late night runs – these aren’t just things we put in our body for energy. There’s a popular saying: we are what we eat. I think it’s more specific than that. We think what we eat.

Eat a good meal an hour before contacting RAJIV NARAYAN at rrnarayan@ucdavis.edu so the message is decidedly positive.

Column: Let me play with you

Opinion

Opinion

November 16, 2010

Intrigue begins to slither down your spine. Their smile, their eyes, their laugh, their sexy ass in those jeans – all too tempting. Your heart begins to pound, your body is on fire, and your mouth is watering. Your only chance at quenching this insatiable thirst lies in their kiss, their touch, their body touching yours – no shoes, no shirt, all you need is just skin.

They come toward you in a sultry stride. As they get closer, you tremble in anticipation. They wrap their arms around your neck and caress the side of your face with theirs. After a slight lick on your ear that sends chills all over your body, they whisper what you’ve been waiting to hear this whole time: “Let’s just make out tonight, OK? I don’t really feel like having sex.”

Okay, maybe that’s not exactly what you wanted to hear. But as ridiculous as this sounds, people just don’t feel like having sex all the time. (And I’m sorry I got you all steamed up and let you down. Ladies, consider that Blue Balls 101.)

Take this lovely honeybee whothat recently sent me this e-mail:

Dear Mario,

My boyfriend is really pushing it with sex. He doesn’t seem to be happy unless I’m riding him cowgirl, just how he likes. I’m getting tired of it. Foreplay isn’t my strong suit, so my question: What kinds of things besides actual sex could my boyfriend and I do?

Done Saddling Up

Before I share some titillating substitutes for sex, let’s talk about foreplay. For starters, there is no clear-cut definition of the word. Trusty Wikipedia describes it as a “set of intimate psychological and physical acts between two or more people meant to create desire for sexual activity and sexual arousal.” I define it as anything I do to the hot dog before I decide to put it in my hot pair of buns.

Looking at the big picture, foreplay is sometimes regarded as a prime first step that stimulates and preps the body and mind to move through the phases of the sexual cycle. But if all you’re looking to do is get off, foreplay really doesn’t affect your ability to do so.

In a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2008, over 2,300 women were asked to detail their sex lives from duration of foreplay to likelihood of orgasm. Researchers examined the frequency of orgasm among these women in relation to foreplay and actual sex, discovering that the average length of foreplay and intercourse was 15.4 and 16.2 minutes, respectively. This evidence indicated that links between foreplay and orgasm were insignificant. Instead, longer intercourse is suggested for greater probability of orgasm for women.

Think of it this way: A lot of us skip the prologues to books we read. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to enjoy the ending, right? (And just so you know, those numbers are for European couples – we Americans only last about seven minutes. Doesn’t sound like heaven now that you know the Euros can do it longer, huh?)

But just because foreplay isn’t necessary to your climax, doesn’t mean it can’t be alluring and fun. In all honesty, when time permits, I tend to want to indulge more in the prologue before cracking open the novel that is raunchy sex. Sure, it may take longer to get to the epilogue, but I like getting creative during the waiting period.

Some ways to get creative are simple. Foreplay is about stumbling upon different things that feel good, figuring out new ways to make your partner squirm with pleasure and simply practicing more safe and relaxed sexual deeds.

Touching is big part of foreplay – whether you’re touching yourself (masturbation), touching each other (mutual masturbation), you name it! You can go for the obvious sexy parts or you can linger around elsewhere on the body. Massages are the perfect example.

Kissing also plays a hefty role. Deep, tongue kissing is powerful, but smooching on other parts of the body like your partner’s ears, neck, eyelids, shoulders, breasts, stomach, back and inner thighs can be extremely relaxing and pleasurable, too. And don’t be afraid to revisit a time of innocence – you know, PG-13 make-out sessions.

But in the end, foreplay is all about fun. It’s called foreplay, honeybees. So do just that – play around. Games are perfect in the bedroom, perhaps some role-playing or X-rated card games. If you’re not afraid of light S&M, blindfolds and handcuffs are the perfect knick-knacks. For your sweet tooth, use some chocolate or grab a can of whipped cream and have some fun licking it off your favorite part of your lover’s body. After all, as long as it’s okay with the both of you, no one ever said you can’t have sex and eat it, too.

MARIO LUGO was inspired by a song off Rihanna’s new album to write this column. If you wish to gab incessantly about how great of a record it was, or if you’ve got more sex questions, e-mail him at mlugo@ucdavis.edu.

Aggie Daily Calendar

Features

Features Editor

November 16, 2010

WEDNESDAY

Flu Vaccination Clinic

10 a.m. to noon

Second Floor, Student Health and Wellness Center

Protect yourself from getting sick this flu season at this vaccination clinic.

SIE Budgeting and Financial Management Workshop

7 to 8:30 p.m.

1130 Hart

Student Investors and Entrepreneur’s Club would like to invite you to join them for their workshop on financial management.

UC Davis Global Dental Brigades Info Meeting

7 and 8 p.m.

233 Wellman

Interested in becoming involved in an amazing volunteer and hands-on experience in the dental field? Attend one of their info meetings.

Last Lecture Series: Professor Susan Keen

7:10 p.m.

Griffin Lounge, Memorial Union

Professor Susan Keen will present a lecture on “The Rich Mind.” Free refreshments and pizza will be provided.

THURSDAY

American Red Cross Club Meeting

6:10 to 7 p.m.

166 Chemistry

Join this fourth and very special general meeting and find out how you can help.

Nameless Magazine Print Issue Release Party

8 to 10 p.m.

Nastoulas Gallery, 521 First Street

Celebrate with Nameless Magazine for their print release party with an evening of fiction, poetry, music and other arts.

FRIDAY

Challah for Hunger: Baking a Difference

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Quad

Try some delicious challah bread. All proceeds go to relief efforts in Darfur and Yolo County Food Bank.

To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, e-mail dailycal@theaggie.org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing, and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.

Women’s basketball: This ain’t a Cougar-town

Sports

Sports Editor

November 16, 2010

UC Davis could not have asked for a better start to the 2010 season.

The Aggies relied on aggressive defense and hot shooting as they won their first two games by a combined 63 points. UC Davis gave up just 28 combined points in the first half of both matches.

Friday – UC Davis 69, San Francisco 45

Defensive intensity was the name of the game as UC Davis opened its season on the road against a young San Francisco team.

The Aggies held the Dons to 14 points and 17 percent shooting in the first half.

Coach Sandy Simpson believed San Francisco’s lack of experience came into play as the Aggies dominated defensively.

“They’re a young team,” he said, “and if you haven’t seen the way we play before, it’s tough. Our zone traps and defensive pressure are hard to simulate in practice.”

The Dons improved in the second half, but the Aggies were too strong as they cruised to the 69-45 win.

One of the keys for the Aggies was how they crashed the glass – UC Davis out-rebounded San Francisco 46-27 for the game. Simpson knows grabbing boards has not been a characteristic of UC Davis teams in recent years.

“[Rebounding] has been an Achilles heel for us in the past,” he said. “We out-rebounded them by a significant margin and we were able to get a lot of offensive boards.”

Leading the way for the Aggies offensively was senior Paige Mintun, who scored 20 points, shooting 50 percent from the field.

All 12 UC Davis players that checked in scored.

Sunday – UC Davis 77, Washington State 38

Simpson expected the Aggies to be evenly matched with the Cougars.

He was wrong.

“If we played Washington State five more times, they will probably all be close games,” Simpson said. “Fortunately we only have to play them once.”

The Aggies obliterated the Cougars in a game where the only tie was at zero.

The Aggies again started strong on defense, holding their opponent to just 14 first-half points for the second straight game.

Mintun believes the team’s success was largely due to the play of the backcourt.

“The guards in our zone played really well early,” she said. “[Hana] Asano and [Samantha] Meggison really set the tone for the game.”

Asano and Meggison each had six steals and the Aggies forced 28 turnovers – 20 of which came in the first half.

Those steals created transition opportunities for UC Davis, and the Aggies converted with 22 points off turnovers in the first half.

“Our defense was creating our offense,” Mintun said. “It created a new pace for the game. We’re capable of playing at a fast speed.”

UC Davis controlled the tempo for the majority of the contest, and the Aggies cruised to a 39-point victory over the Pac-10 squad.

The Cougars finished the game shooting just 25.5 percent from the field – 0 for 19 from three-point range.

Senior Heidi Heintz led UC Davis with 14 points. Heintz believes her success stemmed from the overall team attitude.

“We went out there with the mentality of wanting to hit open shots,” Heintz said. “I wanted to be aggressive and I felt really confident.”

Mintun and junior Vicky Deely both finished in double digits in scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Aggies had 11 different players score in the game. The contest went even better than Simpson could have imagined.

“I don’t know if I expected us to play as well as we did,” he said. “We caught them on a poor shooting day and we were really playing well defensively. Those two factors conspired to create a blowout situation.”

TREVOR CRAMER can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

New graduate program mentors faculty

Campus News

Campus Editor

November 16, 2010

Instead of a program merely to mentor students, Graduate Studies has established Mentoring at Critical Transitions (MET) – a program to help faculty help students.

Though UC Davis has a higher graduate student completion rate than the national average, the program aims to help faculty better counsel graduate students past three critical transitions. Transition one involves helping students get through the coursework. Transition two concerns getting past the oral doctoral qualifying exam, where students are required to appear before a panel of five faculty members to present their research. Finally, transition three involves researching and writing the dissertation.

“Most mentoring programs you see on campuses are focused on grad students and how to be good [graduate] students,” said Lenora Timm, associate dean of Graduate Studies. “We turned that on its head and said, ‘why don’t we start with the faculty to teach them how to be good mentors?'”

UC Davis Graduate Studies won a grant for the yearlong program from the Council of Graduate Schools and Education Testing Services, umbrella organizations in Washington D.C. UC Davis Graduate Studies is matching the funds the grant provided.

The program seeks to help 35 faculty members in four programs (science, technology, engineering and math) learn how to better help their students through a two-day retreat last summer, followed by monthly seminars by guest speakers on a variety of topics throughout this academic year. Christopher Thaiss, director of the University Writing Program, hosted one such seminar.

Thaiss said the goal of his presentation was to make the faculty aware of the resources available through the University Writing Program.

“[We] offer workshops on demystifying the dissertation and procedures for writing professional articles in graduate fields and also a peer writing fellows program [where] a few [graduate] students work as tutors to help other students with writing,” Thaiss said.

Thaiss said that the main difficulty for graduate students comes from the fact that the writing that is expected of them is very different from what is expected of undergraduate students.

“They are expected to very quickly become professionals, write for publication and do different kids of writing such as dissertations and literature reviews,” he said.

Another guest speaker, Margaret Swain, director of Gender and Global Issues, presented on outreach programs through the women’s center. According to Swain, the women’s center is actively working with other student centers to develop a graduate ally coalition, which offers training programs for graduate students to be allies for people in the program or department.

“[The ally] would be a person to turn to with particular life or mental issues or how to negotiate advisers,” she said. “It’s a support network of people who are trained to know how to find resources.”

Timm hopes that the program can continue in the future though she’s unsure of the degree to which it will be the same as the current program.

“Because it was externally funded, there was lot more money than generally will be available,” she said. “It’s very successful so we’re going to offer something similar in the following years, though maybe not a year-long program.”

AKSHAYA RAMANUJAM can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Google sued for alleged privacy violations

City News

City Editor

November 16, 2010

As a user of a UC Davis Gmail account, you likely received an e-mail on Nov. 2 regarding the class action lawsuit filed against Google Inc. for its social networking program, Google Buzz.

The plaintiffs allege that Google automatically enrolled Gmail users in Google Buzz, publicly exposing data without permission. One immediate concern was the inclusion of users’ most commonly used contacts in a list of “users to follow”. As many users noted, however, the people you communicate with over e-mail the most are often not the ones you desire to be included in a social networking website.

A preliminary settlement was reached at an Oct. 7 hearing, under which Google agreed to establish an $8.5 million common fund to support organizations focused on internet privacy policy or privacy education. The money will also be used to cover lawyers’ fees and other expenses accrued by the plaintiffs.

Though Google refutes the accuracy of the allegations and denies having broken any laws, they are accepting the terms of the settlement.

“We are satisfied with the agreement and are glad to move forward,” said a Google spokesperson. “We have always been committed to offering users transparency and choice in Buzz and all our products, and will continue to work together with users to provide the best experience possible.”

Google notified Gmail users of the agreement via e-mail, addressing the fact that it made changes to Google Buzz following its February 2010 launch.

“The settlement acknowledges that we quickly changed the service to address users’ concerns … We will also do more to educate people about privacy controls specific to Buzz. The more people know about privacy online, the better their online experience will be.”

The e-mail also stated that Gmail account holders would not be able to file for compensation under the settlement.

Rather, users in the United States who had the opportunity to use Google Buzz before Nov. 2 have four options: exclude yourself, object, go to a hearing or do nothing. Only by excluding yourself will you be able to file your own lawsuit against Google. Users are given until Dec. 6 to file a request for exclusion.

As residents of northern California, UC Davis students have fairly easy access to the fairness hearing, which will take place Jan. 31 in San Jose. It has been noted that the hearing may be moved to a different date without additional notice. Any written objections or a notice of Intent to Appear must be received no later than Jan. 10.

The Google Buzz lawsuit brings to the surface other issues of Internet privacy, especially when it comes to social networking websites.

“Basically when you put information on the Internet, except for with banks, assume people will see it,” said computer science professor Matt Bishop. “For example, Facebook.com regularly changes what its privacy settings means. So what is private today may not be private tomorrow. That goes for e-mail too.”

Bishop also noted a problem particular to university internet security.

“The security that’s there can’t block people outside from looking in,” he said. I shouldn’t say the security is lax, but it’s a different kind of security. If this was a bank, a lot of things that are done wouldn’t be allowed.”

Bishop’s final word of advice: “Basically, if it would embarrass you to be on the cover of the New York Times, don’t put it on the Internet.”

MELISSA FREEMAN can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

New Love Lab rolls onto campus

Campus News

Campus Editor

November 16, 2010

On Monday, the Health Education and Promotion (HEP) department unveiled an all-new Love Lab cart. The cart will be touring around campus until Thursday at the Activities and Recreation Center and Memorial Union.

Donated by the Capital City AIDS fund, a non-profit organization that raises money in support of HIV/AIDS services in the Sacramento area, the new Love Lab is bigger and more modern looking.

“It’s definitely more inviting, and that’s why we want to promote it as much as possible,” said Jason Spitzer, a sexual, social and stress health educator at HEP. “We’re excited to get out on campus and engage with the students. Our volunteers are trained and ready to answer any questions you may have. There are no wrong questions.”

The new Love Lab also plans on giving demonstrations and playing games for prizes. Spitzer said he is excited about the educational skill-building the Love Lab will bring.

“We will be having students watch how to properly use condoms and other products and then ask them to teach it back to our volunteers for prizes,” he said. “The last thing we would want is for a student to receive products from the Love Lab and not know how to properly use them. That would defeat the purpose.”

The American Social Health Association reported that there are over 19 million new cases of STDs/STIs every year, only some of which are curable.

As in recent years, the Love Lab will be handing out 10 free condoms and packets of lubrication per student.

“We encourage everyone to stop by, check out the new Love Lab and ask questions,” Spitzer said. “The more questions and the more dialogue we can have around these products, the more comfortable people are with using them and using them correctly.”

Students agree that a new Love Lab will definitely help increase awareness of safe sex and better engage with the campus.

“They do a good job getting the message out to [first-year students] by coming to the DC and passing out condoms,” said Mike Manas, a first-year economics major. “I can imagine a new Love Lab would only increase their presence on campus, and to [first-year students] in particular, as it’s hard to ignore when you walk in and out of the DC.”

Olivia Henry, a junior anthropology major has never visited the cart before but admitted a flashier cart would probably attract more people.

“If I remember correctly, the one they had before was kind of janky,” she said.

The Capital City AIDS fund donated the new Love Lab cart. The organization is governed by an all-volunteer board made up of community leaders, and annually donates to various Sacramento area non-profit HIV/Aids Services.

“Someone there saw our cart and brainstormed a few ways to make it look sleeker and more inviting,” Spitzer said. “I think we’ve definitely succeeded in doing so. We’re very thankful for their help.”

Access to links about STDs/STIs and other statistics and information can be found at the Student Health Services website or by visiting the Love Lab this week.

ANDY VERDEROSA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

CSU increases tuition

City News

City Editor

November 16, 2010

The California State University (CSU) board of trustees approved a two-step tuition increase last Wednesday. This is the fifth time in the past three academic years that CSU students will experience a fee hike.

Student fees will increase by 5 percent effective January 2011. Undergraduate students will be paying an additional $105 for the winter/spring term, bringing the total semester fee to $2,220. The Trustees voted 14 to 2 to establish this mid-year tuition hike.

With votes 13 to 3, the Trustees also approved an additional 10 percent increase for the 2011-2012 school year. Full-time undergraduate students will pay an additional $444, for a total of $4,884, effective Fall 2011.

“We need to raise tuition not only to adequately serve the students we have, but also to serve the students we have coming on board in the spring and fall,” said spokesperson Mike Uhlenkamp, to the Ventura County Star.

There are 23 CSU campuses in the state, with an enrollment of 433,000 students annually. This year, the universities received a one-time federal stimulus of $106 million to increase enrollment by 30,000 students system wide.

“While we appreciate the funding that we did receive in this year’s budget, the reality is our state support is roughly the same as it was five years ago and we have 25,000 more students,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Quillian, CSU executive vice chancellor for business and finance, in a press release.

“In addition, part of the funding we received…is being used at the state’s direction to admit 30,000 more students. These students will be on our campuses long after this one-time funding has been exhausted, and we have to ensure that we have the ongoing resources to support them.”

In the state’s 2010-11 budget plan, the state assumes that CSU will increase their tuition by 10 percent. This leaves CSU resources about $64 million short in its present budget.

The fee increase will support 3,000 new classes for the winter/spring term to accommodate incoming students. Graduate students and credential program participants will also experience an increase in tuition. Graduate students will pay an additional $129 and credential program participants $123.

For the 2011-12 school year, graduate student fees will increase by $546 and credential programs by $516. Combined with the undergraduate tuition hike, this will generate approximately $121.5 million. The revenue will support an increase of about 6,000 new classes for Fall 2011.

“We will need additional course sections for those students, and we are already working on accommodating this larger enrollment,” Sacramento State president Alexander Gonzalez said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The University Budget Advisory Committee will be part of the discussions on using the additional funds from the tuition increase and the funding restored in the state budget. Most likely, we will look at a combination of one-time spending and an augmentation for all campus divisions.”

The board plans to ask the governor and state legislature to “buy out” the 2011-2012 tuition increase in next year’s budget. If the state agrees, the board will rescind this 10 percent increase.

SARAHNI PECSON can be reached at city@theaggie.org

Video Game Addiction

Science & Technology

Science Editor

November 15, 2010

On Aug. 5, 2005, Lee Seung Sop, a middleaged South Korean man, went into cardiac arrest due to exhaustion after playing the computer real-time-strategy game, Star Craft for nearly 50 hours straight. On Oct. 20, 2007, Ohio teen Daniel Petric shot both of his parents in the head after they took away his copy of Halo 3.

Although not yet officially recognized as an addiction by the American Medical Association, video game dependence is as real as any drug addiction, and often just as harmful. Regular gamers can often spiral down into compulsive and addictive behavior such as skipping school and work to play, stealing from friends and parents to buy more games and behaving aggressively when confronted about their gaming. Gamers’ responses to psychiatrist’s questions even mirror those from alcoholics and drug addicts.

Steve Pope, a therapist in the England was interviewed for popular gaming magazine 1up.

“Two hours of gaming equals a line of cocaine in the high that it produces,” Pope said.

The mother of one of Pope’s patients said that buying her son his first video game was like buying him a first shot of whiskey.

Peter Yellowlees is a clinical psychiatrist at the UC Davis Mind Institute. He said that video games are designed on a task-reward system. This means that the player is given a task (a mission, a quest, a level, course, etc), and once the task is completed, the gamer is rewarded, usually with an upgrade, a new item, a new level, etc. Being rewarded stimulates the reward center of the brain by releasing large amounts of endorphins. It is this natural high of accomplishment that addicts gamers.

UC Davis junior Jason Wu enjoys playing Street Fighter III: First Strike at the MU arcade. To an inexperienced player, the game looks like a bunch of glorified button-mashing.

“This is one of the most popular games here. There is always someone playing,” Wu said. “The game is really deep. You have to be thinking 100 percent.”

Despite the simplicity of the controls, just a joystick and two buttons, the speed of the game requires intense concentration and well developed hand-eye coordination.

Video games contain “hooks” that keep players playing for hours. The most notable hooks are the High Score and “Beating the Game.” The High Score is the most powerful hook, and players will spend hours trying to beat old high scores, even if that score is their own. The desire to “beat the game” is exacerbated as the gamer unlocks more and more features within the game. MMORPGs (Massive Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games) are often the most addictive of all game types because there is no end to the game.

Yellowlees said the amount of time spent gaming is the real problem, not the video games themselves.

“[People] spend far too much time playing,” Yellowlees said. “This leads to problems in their home lives, social lives and academic lives.”

Addiction is a diagnosis that is given on an individual basis by not only the behavior indicative of addiction, but also the patient’s past history. According to data from the Smith and Jones Center in Amsterdam, a clinic that treats video game addiction, nearly eight in 10 gaming addicts were bullied in school and used gaming as an escape. For socially maladjusted youth, video games provide a level of control unavailable to them in the real world.

Children who play sports or take part in other extracurricular social activities are at less risk than children who have little to no group interaction. Many children who play online games are uncomfortable talking with real people in real time. Online, there is time to edit what you say and no risk if you say the wrong thing.

Yellowlees said it is always important to maintain a diverse lifestyle that has a healthy portion of interactions with real people. Social skills are harder to develop as you get older. Forgoing those skills is not worth the time spent building a level 70 Paladin.

For more information on video game addiction, visit video-game-addiction.org.

HUDSON LOFCHIE can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

Swim and dive: Aggies lose Big West Tourney opener

Sports

Sports Editor

November 15, 2010

With wind whipping against her back, sophomore Jennifer Meyer stands at the edge of the diving board ready to plunge.

Despite the testy weather, the Santa Rosa, Calif. native won her 3 Meter match against Fresno State last Saturday in the diving event.

“It was not ideal conditions at all,” said coach Barbara Jahn, “and Fresno State has some really good divers [to compete against.]”

As a team, the Aggies won 14 of 16 events and came away with definite win to add to their tally. Nine swimmers had season records in the meet against Fresno State.

“I didn’t expect fast swimming at this point in the season,” Jahn said. “They just got the job done.”

Even though Fresno State was strong at the top, the Aggies made their mark with depth.

Freshman Maya Sprinsock won the 500 Freestyle with a blow-out finish.

“This was her first college race that she won,” Jahn said. “She was really excited.”

Other standouts include junior Kayleigh Foley and senior Heidi Kucera.

Foley narrowly lost the 50 freestyle to Bulldog opponent, but came back 15 minutes later to beat the same Fresno State swimmer in the 100 freestyle.

Jahn was impressed by Foley’s ability to comeback despite the earlier loss.

Kucera won the 200 IM with her best time of the young season.

Jahn said the results from this weekend show the Aggies are headed in the right direction.

“I look not so much at the wins but at season best times,” Jahn said. “The work we’ve been doing in the weight room and pool is going to help us at the Arena Cup [next weekend]. “

Jahn believes the teams the Aggies have matched up against will only help them down the road.

“The competition we’ve had has been good preparation,” Jahn said. “Now we know what to do differently or improve upon and we can go from there.”

CALEIGH GUOYNES can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Men’s water polo: UC Davis finishes season-sweep over Santa Clara

Sports

Sports Editor

November 15, 2010

There are more important things than winning.

Despite losing on Friday to Stanford, men’s water polo coach Steve Doten said honoring the seniors with playing time in their last home game was more important than the win.

“It was senior night and I wanted to show them respect and give them their time,” Doten said. “I think they’ve earned the right to get some minutes in the game.”

The Aggies split their weekend set, losing to Stanford on Friday and toping Santa Clara on Saturday. With the split, UC Davis moves to 16-8 overall and 13-1 in Western Water Polo Association matches.

Friday – No. 3 Stanford 12, No. 14 UC Davis 4

The stands were packed Friday night as the Aggies faced the Cardinal on senior night.

Before the match, Erik Quinn, Mattie Stone, Carlos Martinez, Cory Lyle and Matt Richardson were honored.

After the seniors were recognized, UC Davis opened the game playing with inspiration.

In the first half the Aggie defense kept the potent Stanford offense from running away with the game.

Senior Erik Quinn refused to allow any easy goals and would tally a total of seven saves.

“Quinn did a great job in the cage for us,” Doten said. “As a senior, I wanted to give him his time.”

Goals from Aaron Salit and Ryan Hagens cut the Stanford lead to three by the end of the first half.

The game would get even closer in the third quarter as Walter Eggert scored on an outside shot to bring the score to within two.

“Walter is one of our better outside shooters,” Doten said. “If he can hit a shot like he did, he can open up the middle. We needed more of that.”

Though Stanford responded with a goal of their own, Colin Hicks would bring the Aggies back to within striking distance as he converted on a five-meter penalty shot.

The game got out of hand in the fourth period as the Cardinal utilized their strength to score five goals and put the game away.

“They’re talented and have great physical conditioning,” Doten said. “The beauty about Stanford is they use similar tactics [to us]. The tactics I’m teaching work. Hopefully we can take something away from [the game].”

Saturday – UC Davis 6, No. 12 Santa Clara 4

The Aggies were able to finish the regular season on a high note with a win over favored Santa Clara.

UC Davis showed defensive tenacity and clutch scoring to close out the mild upset.

Martinez and Colin Hicks netted early goals for the Aggies, giving them a 2-1 lead. Lyle and Matt Vowell each added goals of their own to send the game into halftime tied at four.

Richardson scored the only two goals in the second frame, and UC Davis would never look back. The Aggie defense continued to stymie the Broncos as goalie Kevin Peat tallied ten saves.

With the win, the Aggies are now 3-0 on the season against the Broncos.

With its conference record, UC Davis is almost guaranteed a high seed as the Aggies for the WWPA Championship starting on Nov. 19.

MATT WANG can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Women’s volleyball: Women’s volleyball struggles to put away matches

Sports

Sports Editor

November 15, 2010

It’s been two years since the Aggies had a losing streak of four games or more.

So, needless to say, UC Davis is treading in unfamiliar waters.

The Aggies dropped both of their matches this weekend to UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly to slip to 16-12 on the season and 7-8 in Big West Conference play.

Three of the losses came in five-set matches. Coach Jamie Holmes said some could be attributed to the equality of the teams in the Big West.

“There is a lot of parity within the conference,” Holmes said. “The teams are equally matched and have similar styles of play. I think it’s one of those deals where teams battle and there can be only one winner.”

Friday – UCSB 3, UC Davis 2

When the Gauchos and Aggies match up, you’re practically guaranteed a five-set thriller.

The last two matches between the squads went five sets with UC Davis battling back from a 2-0 deficit to win.

On Friday, however, the tables turned and it was UCSB battling back from a two set deficit to take the match.

“I think we played fantastic against UCSB,” Holmes said. “We put ourselves in a position to win and we just didn’t. It was disappointing not to win, but it was still a fantastic match. I’m really proud of the way we played.”

UC Davis jumped out to the quick lead behind the hot swing of senior Kayla Varney. Seven of Varney’s 15 kills came in the first two sets.

A late rally helped the Gauchos take the third set. The Aggies were one point from taking the fourth game and match, but UCSB rallied for three-straight points to tie it at two sets apiece.

The Aggies were unable to overcome an early deficit in the deciding fifth set as the Gauchos took the match.

Junior Betsy Sedlak had 15 kills and had a hitting percentage of .480 to lead UC Davis.

Holmes said the Aggies’ breakdown was partially due to the youth on the roster.

“We are very young and at the end of matches when the game is on the line they tend to tighten up,” Holmes said. “Sometimes we think ahead and don’t play in the moment. We just need to take a deep breath and execute.”

Saturday – Cal Poly 3, UC Davis 1

There was only enough magic in San Luis Obispo Saturday night for one late Aggie rally against the Mustangs.

The same night the Aggie football team pulled off a thrilling comeback over the Mustangs, the UC Davis volleyball team was unable to muster up a comeback of their own.

The Aggies fell in four sets to the rival Mustangs for their fifth straight loss.

UC Davis played the match without Varney who suffered a season-ending injury the night before. Holmes believes the absence of Varney hurt the Aggies.

“We had to put in a new lineup and it took some time to adjust,” Holmes said. “We played tough but we had some ball control issues. Cal Poly is a very tough team.”

After dropping the opening set, the Aggies rallied back to tie it up at one set apiece.

UC Davis struggled to find consistency in the third and fourth games and eventually lost the match three sets to one.

Senior Melanie Adams led UC Davis with 11 kills on the night. Sophomore Allison Whitson and freshman Morgan Borch each added 10 kills of their own.

The Aggies will close out the season at home next Saturday when they take on rival Pacific. The game will be special on many levels as UC Davis will honor seniors Adams and Varney for their four years of dedication to Aggie volleyball.

JASON ALPERT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

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