It is beyond me why many conservative thinkers still give Arizona’s SB 1070 a free pass. The Republican Party is so terrified of the specter of brown immigrants, and so deluded as to the superiority of state power over federal, that its members are willing to support the legalization of racist and totalitarian measures.

Joining the rank and file, Debra K. Saunders of the San Francisco Chronicle condemns the actions of student activists at UC Berkeley who demanded, among other things, the condemnation of the Arizona law from Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. In her column “Starving for Attention at UC Berkeley,” Saunders questions the dynamic efforts of students, staff, faculty and allies who held a hunger strike to not only improve the UC system, but raise awareness about those citizens of Arizona whose constitutional rights are already being violated.

Saunders’ belief that the administration should not “kowtow” to the collective activism of the students – for what other reason the administration is there, I have no idea – is one thing. I don’t understand how she arrived at her opinion that students deserve anything less than to “behave as if their demands merited serious consideration,” but that’s not my problem. My issue is this: Saunders writes that students have no right to force the university administration to “parrot” their beliefs, even if these beliefs have to do with human dignity and the rights of citizens because she says it limits a “free exchange of ideas.”

Saunders does not understand that a “free exchange of ideas” cannot exist when the government, state or federal, has the power to stop people on the street and demand identification on pain of arrest. A few days prior to the signing of SB 1070, an Arizona truck driver (who just happened to be a brown guy) was arrested because his driver’s license and Social Security number were not enough to establish his identity for ICE officials; his wife had to bring his birth certificate to jail so he could be released. The text of SB 1070, by the way, which was signed AFTER this offensive state of affairs, specifies that a valid Arizona driver’s license is enough to establish that a person is not “an alien unlawfully present in the United States.” (Sorry about the oppressive language, but I’m quoting directly from the bill.)

A “free exchange of ideas” necessarily implies the option of activism. That includes students holding protests and hunger strikes in the name of reducing fees and returning jobs to laid-off staff. That includes students peacefully protesting to force an administration built around their existence to acknowledge the evil of SB 1070.

Leaving “reasonable suspicion” of citizenship status undefined, even if SB 1070 reinforces federal immigration law, is a dangerous precedent. It is the responsibility of lawmakers to predict how a law will be carried out based on its language. Even if SB 1070 is intended to be carried out “in a manner … protecting the civil rights of all persons and respecting the privileges and immunities of United States citizens,” as the law states, Saunders and other conservatives have to acknowledge the limitations of people who only have visual cues – such as skin color or clothing – on which to apprehend suspected undocumented immigrants.

Student protesters at Berkeley understand and condemn the use of these visual cues, otherwise known as racism and classism, and are entirely within their rights to demand the university administration to do the same.

HALEY DAVIS can be reached at hrdavis@ucdavis.edu.

I was maliciously tackled with a by-the-day graduation countdown recently. As you can imagine, this severely annihilated my ability to pretend this isn’t my antepenultimate. But it ain’t mourning time yet, so sit the hell down.

A lot can happen in three weeks. I could lose a tooth in a bar fight or figure out how to make boozy pop rocks (that would be totally fetch). Maybe I’ll witness another KY jelly wrestling fight. The first time I saw one, I was sure I had seen everything there was to see in college. Bikini tops were falling off left and right and since I’ve never been able to afford a ritzy spring break trip, I imagined it being something like Miami in April. TITTIES!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I figure it’s time to do that super cliché, the bucket list, filled with even more clichés of all that stuff you oughta put on your agenda before the ghost of John “Bluto” Blutarsky comes to whisk you away. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you to do anything illegal, so this list will have to suffice.

Break it down to “Shout.” Animal House reference. See it. You’re not a proper college student until you’ve heard that chant, “Toga! Toga! Toga!” Also, there are boobs.

Anyway, every once in awhile someone at a party will take a break from playing songs about bed rocks or whatever and spin that Isley Brothers classic. And that’s when magic filters in and you can pretend you’re Bluto himself. I’ve been fortunate enough to live this experience – we threw our hands up in the air, we got low, we did everything but the seizure part.

Catch some tube. I’m talking about the socks, and it involves attendance of a sporting event. For much of my first year, I staked out sporting events on my mission for a sweet set of those knee-high bad boys. I endured being pelted with candy and beads, but I was relentless. One sweet day, my dream came true. I successfully swooped in on a pair that some kid had dropped and tore up the racquetball court in my new tube socks the next day. It’s too bad I have no idea how to properly play racquetball.

Golf cart it. I’ve always been jealous of those kids who get to zip around on campus in golf carts. Apparently some of them get paid to do it. I once had a friend pull over and give me a ride to class; that was pretty sweet. And then there was the time my friend and I hijacked one from the ASUCD elections committee and it took it for a spin. Ghost riding not recommended.

Play a strip game. The great thing about strip games is that you can turn just about any game into one. There are even car strip games for road trips, but those are best played at night. Consider them a crutch for overcoming stupid fears and hang-ups you may have about taking it off in front of a bunch of random people. Honestly, you’ll probably never look better than you do now.

Once you’ve jumped this barrier, public nudity becomes a favorite pastime. It’s the gateway to streaking, when you think about it. In fact, if you ever venture on down to The Aggie you’ll realize that the only reason we even keep that piece of crap foosball table around is because it gives us an excuse to strip.

21. Turning 21 should go without saying, but there’s always the idiot who insists on going abroad and doing it in a country where there’s no drinking age anyway. It’s all fun and games until someone buys you a liquid cocaine. I was actually fired earlier this year when I bought stoplight shots for The Boss (the Loberstein, not the Springsteen) and he was not particularly happy about it. But that’s the great thing about 21sts, anyway – no one remembers a thing.

Go out in style. As much as I loved the blissful immaturity that came with dorm life, there were a couple things I was ready to move on from when it came time to bounce. I don’t remember much of the pizza party at the end of the year, but someone told me “Your body was there. Your mind was outside in the street getting hit by cars.” Allegedly, I yelled, “Whoot! Thompson 3,” did a little pirouette, and shoved open the door as I swaggered out. I’m not saying you have to do this, but give the people something neat to remember you by.

MICHELLE RICK had a dream that you e-mailed marick@ucdavis.edu. Make it come true.

Watering holes fascinate me. They’d probably fascinate you too, if you ever found yourself out of your gourd at some odd hour of the morning listening to David Attenborough break down the balances of life on Earth. Funny that these delicate inter-species relationships often involve some reptilian colossus crushing and drowning the weakest animal it can find. That’s what it looks like to me, anyway. But I’m an English major, so what do I know.

I bring up watering holes for two reasons. One, I feel I’ve missed out on the whole experience. When I’m thirsty, I get a glass of water from the sink. It’s easy, because crocodile attack is improbable. Two, this past Sunday two friends and I visited the closest thing to a watering hole (besides a pond or whatever) we have nearby: The Woodland taco truck, El Paisano.

For me, Sundays have historically been a day of recovery, seeing as I spend my Saturday nights celebrating as if Bacchus were in my company. Well, I’ve said in the past that my column can be a place for learning, a place where I divest some of my knowledge to you, the faithful reader. Well, friends, read on.

The next time you awake on a Sunday afternoon after a night of revelry, you must seek out El Paisano. This taco truck verges on divine. They make some of the best tacos I’ve ever had, and they charge only a dollar to boot. I’ve seen people order as many as sixteen of these tacos and devour them all in one sitting. Truth be told, you’re a fool if you order less than three.

But I’m in a bit of a quandary. I’m sitting here trying to transfer my collective memories of El Paisano from mind to newspaper, and I fear I can’t do the place justice. The tacos are fantastic, but it’s really one of those things you’ll have to experience for yourself. A drive to Woodland, good company, six steak tacos and a can of Coke is really the best way I’ve spent a Sunday afternoon in a long time. (One Sunday I saw Inglourious Basterds.)

Anyway, I bring up the idea of El Paisano being akin to a watering hole because it’s a place where all manner of people go to resuscitate themselves. Just as a watering hole equates to survival for wandering beasts, (unless there are crocodiles lurking about) the taco truck is a place for man to stop so he may eat, rest and continue with life.

I’ve seen hung-over college kids, regular college kids, construction workers, cigarette-smoking high schoolers, white collar business men, police, bare-footed hippies in painted vans and – dare I say it – inked gang members all waiting in line for the same tacos. There will never be such a thing as world peace as long as humans breathe and breed, but at least we are all equal in the line for the taco truck.

The drive back from dollar taco Shangri-la is always restorative. I like to watch the farmland roll by under the wide sky as hawks wheel over silos and straight, flat highway looking for prey. I wonder if a hawk likes a field mouse as much as I like a taco.

How fantastic would it be if I had to swoop down from the wild blue yonder and snatch an unsuspecting taco in my talons, instead of waiting in line for it? I’d love the tacos even more.

I spent the remnants of last Sunday afternoon slowly digesting on my friends’ front yard, listening to Led Zeppelin, playing snappa and watching the sun set. As night drew upon us, I was warmed not only by a smooth pilsner with all-natural ingredients, but by the comforting discomfort of having eaten as many steak tacos as I possibly could have. There are few better feelings.

As I’ve mentioned on Thursdays prior, I don’t have much time left in Davis. I’ve stopped at the taco truck after many a camping trip, a river-floating session, or a whiskey-veiled Saturday night. I’ll try to return one last time, but the taco truck and I have had a good run and if I never make it back, at least I’ll have gone as many times as I have.

Yes my friends, El Paisano really is that good. It is a taco truck parked in the parking lot of an abandoned flooring company that, despite all odds, comforts the stomach, the mind, the soul and the wallet. If only I could find a woman with a similar resume, I could die a happy man.

WILL LONG realizes he never actually said where El Paisano is. The taco truck is not a place you can be told the location of, you must be taken there by one who has already been. But if you really need to know, Will might reveal the secret. Hit him up at wclong@ucdavis.edu.

On Wednesday afternoon, we witnessed the rally that was held at the Vanderhoef Quad and Conference Center. And why not? With the recent, sudden and unannounced cutting of four lesser sports, the committee in charge failed miserably in every way – including the use of faulty guidelines, and an even more faulty interpretation of these guidelines.

As so far as student numbers and character building are concerned, lesser sports trump major sports. The committee has allowed an ethical and moral lapse that is hurtful to a large number of deserving athletes. If the budget truly needed to be cut by targeting sports, then all sports should have been included, causing spread-out, minimal damage.

The sports committee met in private and made its announcement without warning. They did not confer with the athletes or coaches or anyone else.

Here are the facts as I know them.

1. California now has no place in the entire University of California system for its high school wrestlers to attend and compete. Due to the ravages of Title IX and off and on budget problems, over half of the college and university wrestling programs in the nation have disappeared. Why is everybody picking on wrestling? It’s a truly great sport for conditioning, discipline and character building, with many devoted followers, committed to fundraising.

2. UC Davis wrestling is the last program standing out of all the California universities. Here’s the knockout count, one after another: Chico State, Fresno State, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton and Cal State Bakersfield.

3. California has the largest number of high school wrestlers of any state in the nation. There are between 28,000 and 30,000 high school male and female wrestlers presently competing at hundreds of schools; the numbers increase each year. Now they have no university to go to in California. (Interestingly, there are more female wrestlers in California high schools than female gymnasts, and 88 colleges and universities have women’s wrestling teams). Men’s wrestling ranks No. 6 in high school sport participation. Cutting it from UC Davis makes no sense.

4. Wrestling is almost the only sport where people of small stature can excel. It has the highest minority percentage of any sport (currently, 55 percent at UC Davis). This is because of structured different weight divisions, which begin at 125 pounds and give a chance for smaller athletes to become elite performers.

Was our sports committee aware of any of these facts? If so, they should be ashamed of themselves. It appears that a small group of poorly informed people made a horrible mistake.

Twenty years ago, UC Davis tried to cut wrestling, gymnastics and another lesser sport, and the students voted to increase their tuition by $25 to prevent the cuts. There was also great pressure from powerful politicians, who were ex-wrestlers and knew of the sport’s unusual athletic importance in building, as Benjamin Franklin once said, a “strong body and mind.” Benjamin Franklin also insisted that wrestling be the first sport at the University of Pennsylvania. Subsequently reinstated, the wrestling program at UC Davis became the school’s first team to have a Division I national champion, when Derrick Moore was named the Most Valuable Wrestler at the NCAA Wrestling Tournament in St. Louis in 2007.

Our request to the committee and to Chancellor Linda Katehi is to please rescind this decision to remove the wrestling program at UC Davis. There is other university fat to cut instead. This time, the California wrestling communities have reached the end of any willingness to be further tormented. We are fighting for our life in California and have nothing more to lose. You can only tease the tiger so long before he bites. This great American and worldwide Olympic sport is too grand and too strong to be so mistreated anymore.

EDWARD DAWKINS is the original City of Davis and UC Davis orthopedic surgeon and a sports medicine physician.

In the wake of budget shortfalls on campus, UC Davis recently received the good news that the English as a Second Language program will not be outsourced to community colleges or a University Extension.

UC Davis did a good job keeping this program on campus. UC Davis is a research institution and regarded highly on an international scale. The retention of this program is advantageous to the university.

However, the ESL program isn’t quite safe yet. It will still feel the brutal axe of universitywide budget cuts.

Undergraduate and graduate sections for classes next school year may be dropped. ESL may also lose several courses for which there are no alternatives leaving many students without the extra help they need. Some teaching assistants and lecturers might go with them as well.

Worse yet, the program may no longer be able to function as a tool for international students. One such course that may be eliminated is Linguistics 26, a class designed for international graduate students who require additional support.

The ESL program already requires international students to be proficient in English before they attend UC Davis. However, the loss of these tools will have a negative impact on those international students who may no longer receive assistance from those trained to work with ESL students.

This is why an alternative for these international students must be proposed such as a mentoring program. There is no guarantee, though, that a program of this nature will be effective as it has never been tried before.

Nevertheless, the ESL program will have to solidify any alternatives that may be considered as international students serve as important members of the UC Davis community.

Last weekend’s ASUCD budget hearings allowed members of the student government to discuss and close the budgets of over 25 units and commissions.

The discussion time yielded many positive changes, including increased funding to the Gender and Sexualities Commission and a 15 to 20 percent cut to the president’s budget. The senate also added two additional paid positions to the Campus Center for the Environment – a unit that surely needs all the help it can get, as UC Davis becomes the hub of environmental research and its students look for ways to participate.

Management ensured that the meetings were kept public and transparent at all times, and in general, senate reserves were cut to the bare minimum. The nearly-finalized budget is something to be proud of.

However, the process of discussing the budget showed a general lack of efficiency and focus of members of the ASUCD Senate. Their behavior suggested to their units that they are unprepared and unprofessional, with many showing up late and admitting to being uninformed about the budget process.

Over the course of the weekend, the senate was typically no less than two hours behind schedule, forcing unit directors to sit through hours of debate over issues that should have been discussed prior to hearings. They were repetitive in their comments when they could have simply yielded to the next speaker. In future meetings, senators should consider whether their comments will lead to a productive decision or merely prolong an argument.

In addition, senators were given the budget one week before the hearings and were encouraged to become familiar with it prior to the weekend. Yet it appeared that they hadn’t done this, as the majority of discussions of the budgets were centered on questions within the budget, such as the function of certain positions.

Considering they manage a $10.5 million budget, senators ought to take more care in the discussion process to adhere to professionalism. ASUCD should demonstrate to its units and students that its members have control over the government and can balance an otherwise proficient budget with succinct discussion.