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Survey aims to improve UC education

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 27, 2010

In 2008, 16 percent of students in the UC system said they chose their major because it was easy.

Twenty-two percent were swayed by parental desire, while close to 50 percent were tempted by the pay and prestige associated with the future profession. Ninety-six percent were interested in the major subject area.

This data was among the results acquired by the University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) in 2008. Students received this year’s survey in their inbox last month, along with an e-mail from Chancellor Linda Katehi.

“As Chancellor, I am concerned that all undergraduates at UC Davis have an opportunity for the best educational experience possible,” the email read. “The UCUES is [students’] opportunity to provide the campus with critical information about [their] undergraduate experience.”

The biannual survey, conducted by UC faculty and research professionals, helps researchers discover everything from UC academic atmospheres to student behaviors and attitudes, such as study habits and goals. The UCUES amended its survey this year to include demographic information. Researchers hope the new information will reveal how the economy has affected student lives and retention rates.

When conducted in spring 2008, the UCUES was administered electronically to all 162,259 undergraduates across the nine general UC campuses. Of those undergraduates who received the survey, 31.4 percent campus responded, said Sabrina Sencil, the student affairs research analyst and UC Davis UCUES coordinator in an e-mail interview.

In an attempt to recruit more students to take the survey this year, the UCUES is being administered earlier in the quarter. Upon participating in the survey, students also become eligible to win prizes. The sooner the student participates, the better, because drawings are made after each survey announcement e-mail. Among the larger prizes is a $500 gift card for Amazon and a Kaplan preparatory test of the individual’s choice.

The response rate seven days after the first email alert was 22 percent.

Various academic programs use the data to review the education they provide. The data will be sent to units such as the Office of the Vice Chancellor, Campus Community Relations, the Academic Senate Committee and student support services like the Women’s Resource and Research Center. With regard to mental health, some information is sent to Counseling and Psychological Services.

“The research ultimately benefits the students,” Sencil said. “All of these [units] are interested in the wellness and success of UC Davis’ students.”

This survey also aids in the decision-making process on student services as well as long-term planning for the UC system.

The information gathered from UCUES may prove especially useful as the UC system adjusts to the waves of budget cuts. A recent New York Times article highlighted research conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, which claims that in 2025, California will have a million fewer graduates than the economy will require.

The report calls for a 1.6 billion dollar expansion annually in order to meet the future needs of the state, as well as larger incoming classes.

“The UC system should welcome the top 15 percent of the state’s high school graduates … Currently, the top 12.5 percent of high school graduates are eligible for a UC,” the article states.

SHAWNA ALPDEMIR can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Davis listed as university with high college tuition risk

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 27, 2010

Forbes has ranked UC Davis and four other UCs among the top ten universities with the highest “college tuition risk,” or those that may offer less bang for your buck.

The study warns high school seniors and parents that high state debt may result in public universities to dig deeper into families’ pocketbooks while reducing services.

“At some schools more than others, tuition could rise dramatically in coming years,” the Forbes ranking states. “Services like tutoring programs, free meals and low-cost entertainment events could fall by the wayside as administrators look to save money.”

In forming their list, Forbes studied the economic condition of 170 public colleges and universities and used three factors based on their methodology: deficit pressure, the bargain element and fiscal slide.

Forbes determined deficit pressure by using state appropriations numbers from 2007-08 to create a per-student dollar figure, which was multiplied by the state’s July 2009 budget deficit. Forbes, however, did not list their deficit pressure number.

The ranking defined the bargain element with lower in-state student tuition equating to higher risk for fiscal cuts. And fiscal slide utilized various economic factors, such as state debt and tax revenue shifts, to evaluate state health for the institutions.

UC Davis’s in-state tuition for 2009 to 2010 stood at $9,358 and Forbes calculated California’s budget deficit to be 49 percent.

“Despite the recent approval of a 32 percent tuition increase that will force many UC in-state students to pay roughly $10,000 in tuition and fees for the next school year,” the Forbes ranking stated, “we predict still more pain for a system that’s supported by a state with a 49 percent budget gap and has a ways to go before it charges its in-state students as much as, say, the University of Vermont ($13,554).”

Response from the university has been mixed. While officials have agreed that falling state revenues have led to budget reductions and fee increases, they have not seen the situation as entirely gloomy.

“The factors employed by Forbes to generate this ranking list capture well the perfect storm that has enveloped the University of California system,” wrote Peter King, Director of Media Relations for the University Office of the President.

However King also said that a third of fee increases were spent on financial aid.

UC Davis’ response echoed the theme that the availability of financial aid mitigates the impact of fee hikes and cuts on students.

“UC’s Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan ensures in 2009-10 that all needy students with household incomes below $60,000 receive gift aid covering systemwide fees up to their need level,” wrote Claudia Morain, UC Davis News Service Director in an e-mail interview.

Morain also stated that the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan will increase its limit to $70,000 in 2010-11.

Officials close to budget planning also questioned Forbes’ methodology in compiling the ranking.

According to Robert Agee, director of academic budgets and institutional analysis, Forbes did not differentiate between undergraduates and graduate and professional students in their student totals.

Agee added that the state appropriation total of $470 million for UC Davis included the medical school, which he said may be not applicable for prospective undergraduates.

“It makes for provocative reading but I’m not sure what it does for undergraduates,” Agee said.

Agee, who compiles financial budget totals for campus units, said his office is preserving services with an eye toward declining state support. He placed the focus on budgetary process in Sacramento with Gov. Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget and the May Revision.

Although the governor’s budget has only allocated $371 million of the $913 million UC has requested, Agee sees the Legislature’s revision of the budget as a better indicator of the system’s financial straits.

“We’re waiting for May revision to see whether the hole would get shallower or deeper,” Agee said. “How that will be affected by what happens in Sacramento is hard to tell.”

LESLIE TSAN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

ID tags modernize lost and found

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 27, 2010

School spirit will soon become a physical reality.

Thirty-two thousand students and faculty will be given four free Aggie Pride tags equipped with “2ReturnMe,” a loss and identity theft protection service that is the simple and modern solution to “Finders Keepers, Loser Weepers,” according to its website.

“If somebody finds a lost item, they follow the instructions on the tag and dial 2ReturnMe and enter the individual’s PIN, and within 30 seconds they’re talking to the person,” explained Michael Salit, CEO of EM8 Corporation, which markets 2ReturnMe.

The product is available in a combo package featuring six tags and labels, and in a promotional package containing three key tags and a luggage tag, for $20, and $10, respectfully. After the first year of service, 2ReturnMe can be renewed for $10 – eight of which will be allocated to the UCD program of the customer’s choice.

“If you lose your keys once, it becomes a good investment,” Salit said. “Incoming freshmen will learn about how to give back, and graduating people will take it with them into the world – and the second you lose something and get it back, the first thing you’ll say is ‘thank you, Davis.'”

The goal is for each recipient of the original 32,000 2ReturnMe cards donated to sell two – which would result in an additional 64,000 units.

“UC Davis receives eight dollars from each unit sold – so that’s 480,000 dollars generated after the first wave,” Salit said.

Helping Aggies be good samaritans by providing them a way to return the iPod that fell out of their classmates’ backpack is only the tip of the iceberg that is 2ReturnMe’s capability. A compounding and continuous revenue stream will then be created through renewals and new customers, eventually resulting in a self-sustaining program.

A concept that will contribute to financing UC Davis programs, further principles of community, and protect people and their belongings might sound like the administration’s daydream – but Salit has been imagining such an impact ever since his son Max began to consider playing for UC Davis’ water polo team.

“Coach Doten had said that he’d love to have him come, but he wasn’t sure if there was going to be a program because of the massive financial cuts throughout the UC system,” Salit said.

Then came the revelation that 2ReturnMe technology was even more applicable when placed in a fishbowl of a community, like a college campus.

“When you leave high school, you start to develop your life and hold an ID card, a bank card, a Costco card,” Salit said. “And all of a sudden you’re not under the thumb of mom and dad and you lose things.”

Many incoming freshmen are under the supervision of their coaches, noted head water polo coach Steve Doten.

“When I’m recruiting kids and answering why they should come to Davis, I tell them we’re a small town where everyone knows and looks out for each other,” Doten said. “This product validates that.”

When Salit shared his vision of using 2ReturnMe for fundraising with Doten, it was the light at the end of the tunnel for a financially struggling athletic program.

“I’m trying to reduce the cost of everything and at the same time increase revenue,” Doten said. “If I sell you a t-shirt though, that’s a one-time thing. The fundraising process for me is annual, and it’s tough to get ahead of the wave.”

Now, after Salit redesigned 2ReturnMe specifically for UC Davis, the athletics department and EM8 Corporation are getting their names out together.

“I want UC Davis everywhere, want the brand out there, and everything I have turns into an Aggie phone or backpack,” Doten said.

The product has even transcended a rivalry.

“My good friend and college teammate coaches water polo at Cal, and I told him about this, and now he, the Cal water polo coach, has UC Davis on his keychain.”

Word-of-mouth growth is essential for Salit’s other goal for 2ReturnMe – to build a UC Davis community that extends beyond campus while teaching about not judging and giving back.

Salit emphasized that it takes a village to bring each student to UC Davis, and that forging a bond through a small donation to a program of choice for a practical tool is all one must do to ensure that following students are afforded the same opportunities.

Currently, only three percent of UC Davis alumni give back, according to Doten – a number that would multiply through circulation of 2ReturnMe tags.

The official launch of 2ReturnMe product will be at the Aggie Auction on Saturday. EM8 Corportation’s 32,000-card donation will be passed out to students in the ARC lobby the following week.

MIKE DORSEY can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Aggies finish season with a win

Sports

Sports Editor

April 27, 2010

It was a bittersweet end to the Aggies season.

After falling to UC Irvine on day one of the Big West Conference Championships, UC Davis turned around and defeated Long Beach State to earn fifth place for the conference.

Despite ending the season on a win, coach Jamey Wright wanted more.

“We were all disappointed with the [UC] Irvine result,” Wright said. “The team did do a good job rebounding for the Long Beach [State] game, however.”

With the weekend split, the Aggies finished 16-17 on the season. Freshmen Jessica Dunn led UC Davis with 44 goals on the year. Senior Casey Hines finished her UC Davis career on a high note, stopping 20 shots for the weekend and 257 for the season.

Friday – No. 16 UC Irvine 9, No. 17 UC Davis 3

For UC Davis, the third time wasn’t the charm.

The Aggies were unable to top the eventual tournament champion Anteaters, falling to UC Irvine for the third time this season.

“We came into this one pretty confident,” Wright said. “We had a good week of practice, but we didn’t execute the game plan.”

Dunn scored within the opening minute, to give the Aggies a quick 1-0 lead. This, however, would be UC Davis’ only lead of the game.

UC Irvine tacked on three in the first period and two in the second to gain a commanding lead it would not lose. The Anteaters added four more after the break en route to the victory.

Sophomore Carey Faber and freshman Carmen Eggert netted one a piece in the loss.

Wright attributed the loss to poor defensive play and allowing the Anteater shooters to get too many good shots off.

“Irvine was on their game and a couple of our mistakes were compounded by their good shooting,” Wright said. “If you’re going to lose, might as well lose to the champions.”

Sunday – UC Davis 12, Long Beach State 7

Wright didn’t consider this game to be the last of the 2010 season.

He thought of it as the first of the 2011 season.

“We approached this as the first game of next year for the returners,” Wright said. “We wanted go into next season with some positive karma from this game.”

The Aggies were able to finish the season on a positive note, thanks to strong first and third quarters.

UC Davis never trailed, as it jumped out to a three-goal lead in the opening minutes.

Dunn’s five goals led seven different Aggie scorers. Junior Michelle Hook and sophomore Kaylee Miller each added two in the season finale.

“We got a lot of positive contributions from everyone,” Wright said. “Our bench really played well.”

Wright also noted how physical the game was. He was glad to see some of the younger players still performing well against a more physical team.

The Aggies will only lose two seniors this season, so experience will be the strength of the team as it moves forward.

“I’m very optimistic about where this team can go in the future,” Wright said. “We had a couple key players red-shirt this year and a majority of our scoring came from underclassmen. This team has potential.”

Not only does Wright see the Aggies’ potential, but the team noticed this as well.

“This team feels like they played well this year, but nowhere near their potential,” Wright said. “They know they’re young but talented at the same time. Next year should be very exciting.”

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

UC Davis splits weekend set

Sports

Sports Editor

April 27, 2010

UC Davis wanted to enter the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on a hot streak.

While they lost their final regular season game, the Aggies might have gained something more important than a win – confidence.

“It’s important to enter the MPSF tournament with a win,” said coach Elaine Jones. “It’s also very important to enter the tournament with some confidence.”

With the weekend split against MPSF opponents, the Aggies finished the regular season at 10-5 and 3-3 in conference play. UC Davis will enter the MPSF championships as the 5th seed and face Oregon in the opening round.

Junior Gina Hoffmire finished the regular season as the Aggies’ leading scorer, netting 44 goals over the 15 games.

Friday – UC Davis 17, Fresno State 1

From the opening to closing whistles, this one was all Aggies.

UC Davis held Fresno State scoreless in the first half, jumping out to a commanding 10-0 lead in the opening period.

The Bulldogs finally tallied a goal in the opening minutes of the second half, but were unable to mount a comeback. Seven more Aggie scores in the second half sealed the deal for UC Davis.

“Everyone played well in this one,” Jones said. “We were able to play a lot of different people and they all contributed.”

Junior Christina Corsa and freshmen Hannah Mirza were two of the 10 Aggies that scored, as both netted three.

Sunday – No. 14 Stanford 17, UC Davis 14

For Jones, winning is everything – most of the time.

UC Davis was three goals away from upsetting MPSF rival Stanford, but despite the loss, Jones was proud of the way her team played.

“We did a great job executing the game plan in the second half,” Jones said. “I’m proud of the way the team fought back and persevered.”

This was a game of two opposite halves, one dominated by the Cardinal, the other by the Aggies.

Stanford jumped out to a commanding 7-0 lead after the opening whistle. Senior Britt Farquharson netted the Aggies’ first goal, 15 minutes into the match. UC Davis and Stanford traded goals to close out the half 13-5 in favor of the Cardinal.

The second half, on the other hand, belonged to the Aggies. With the Stanford lead at eight and only 10 minutes left in the game, the Aggies went on a five-goal run. Unfortunately, time wasn’t in UC Davis’ favor as it was unable to complete the comeback.

Farquharson led the Aggies with six goals. Senior Molly Lapolla and Hoffmire each netted three as well.

“Stanford looked very beatable,” Jones said. “If we had just a couple more minutes and a couple more shots bounce our way, I’m sure we could have beaten them.”

Jones was proud of the way the team persevered, something she thinks will only help them at next weekend’s MPSF championships.

“This was a good confidence boost for the team,” Jones said. “To put on the performance we did against a top program like Stanford was a good job.”

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

Aggies fall in regular season finale

Sports

Sports Editor

April 27, 2010

It’s been more than six months since the Aggies broke ground on their season at the Bulldog Classic in October.

On Sunday, their regular season came to an end with a disappointing finish.

UC Davis traveled to face Nevada in a contest that would come out in the Wolf Pack’s favor.

The Aggies’ doubles play once again showed their inconsistency as they were swept in the No. 1 through the No. 3 matches. With Toki Sherbakov out, freshman Connor Coates teamed up with sophomore Nick Hallchurch in the No. 3 match, but came up unsuccessful.

The Aggies moved into singles play looking for a more positive outcome, but could not match up to the Wolf Pack’s talent as they lost five of six singles matches.

Coates was the only victorious Aggie of the day in the No. 6 match, as he defeated Gabe Kanzelmeyer in straight sets.

“[Coates] has shown considerable ability,” said coach Daryl Lee. “It takes a lot to close out sets.”

Among the Aggies who didn’t claim victory in the last regular season contest were seniors Nic Amaroli, Tyler Lee and Hunter Lee.

The Lee twins both fell in straight sets while Amaroli came up empty in the third set.

“I thought they did a good job,” coach Lee said. “Hopefully it was something they can build on.”

At the end of the day, the Aggies fell 6-1, but coach Lee thought they had a good fighting spirit, something that may be necessary as they head into the Big West Conference Tournament this weekend.

The Aggies are scheduled to face UC Santa Barbara on Friday to start off the tournament. They will need to show improvement from their last matchup with the Gauchos, a 6-1 loss on March 1.

Coach Lee sees preparation off the court and working smartly on the court as keys to success for the Aggies at the Big West Tournament.

“A hard and smart work ethic will give us a better chance to win close sets and matches,” Lee said.

The Aggies will have the week to prepare and reflect on the long season before heading to Indian Wells, Calif. for the conference championships.

UC Davis enters this weekend’s play as the No. 5 seed and will face the No. 4 Gauchos for the right to move into the semifinals on Saturday. If the Aggies do advance, they will play either Cal Poly or Pacific, each of which received first-round byes.

ZANDER WOLD can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Baseball Preview

Sports

Sports Editor

April 27, 2010

Teams: UC Davis vs. No. 15 California

Records: Aggies, 16-19; Golden Bears, 23-14

Where: Dobbins Stadium

When: Today at 2:30 p.m.

Who to watch: When the Aggies need a spark on offense, they look to one of their speedy outfielders.

One of those weapons is Daniel Cepin.

The junior who hails from Coronado, Calif. torched Cal the last time the two teams faced each other. While going 5-for-5 from the plate, Cepin also delivered three RBI and scored a run.

The outfielder lends his success against the Bears to a change in approach at the plate.

“Our coaches have been talking to us a lot about discipline,” Cepin said. “You just need to wait for a good pitch and put a good swing on it.”

Did you know? Sophomore southpaw Antony Kupbens will miss the remainder of the 2010 season due to injury.

The San Jose, Calif. local finishes the season with a 6.98 ERA and 21 strikeouts in seven appearances.

Preview: No. 15 Cal will be looking for revenge.

In the fourth game of the season, the Aggies traveled to Berkeley and trounced the Golden Bears by a score of 8-0.

At the time, the win was big for UC Davis as it had defeated a tough opponent on the road to set the tone for the season.

“Everything went right against Cal,” said coach Rex Peters. “To beat a formidable Pac-10 opponent like that is big.”

In the win, the Aggies relied upon timely hitting and a strong pitching performance from Nathan Slater. This time around, UC Davis will have to battle out of their midseason funk if they hope to repeat against a Cal team that has improved since the beginning of the year.

This time around, the Aggies will give the ball to freshman CJ Blom who will be making just the third start of his young career. Charged with the task of holding the Golden Bear bats at bay, Blom will need to do what he does best – throw strikes.

One huge roadblock to success for the Aggies will be Golden Bear slugger Mark Canha. The junior outfielder sports a tremendous .379 batting average to go along with a .473 on base percentage and a .586 slugging percentage.

The Aggies will look to give it their all to sweep this season series today at Dobbins Stadium.

– Mark Ling

Column: Courage under the knife

Opinion

Opinion

April 27, 2010

The foundation and principles required for a functioning democracy have been discussed by a philosophers and thinkers since the times of ancient Athens. They often espoused the values of justice, tolerance and freedom that are so cherished today in our own society.

The Greek historian named Thucydides once exclaimed, “The secret to happiness is freedom and the secret to freedom is courage.” If people truly value freedom and the well-being of other free people, then we have an obligation to take risks that will put our reputations and perhaps even our lives at risk.

A story that has captured national headlines is the censorship of a South Park episode by its parent network, Comedy Central. The producers of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, have skewered, satirized, ridiculed and offended nearly every national figure, organization and religious group. In the last two episodes South Park rehashed many past episode topics and Comedy Central’s past attempt to censor a picture of Muhammad.

Stone and Parker broached a topic that they knew would cause controversy and that would put their own lives at a higher level of risk. For this act Comedy Central heavily censored the cartoon and wouldn’t let them air the lesson that South Parks’ creators wanted to draw from the situation.

It’s apparent that Comedy Central didn’t censor South Park out of respect for people’s beliefs or feelings. Had that been the case, then the network would have gone off the air years ago for lack of programming.

What made Comedy Central back down were the veiled threats of violence from a radical group that issues messages from the blog, revolutionmuslim.com. Comedy Central feared that there might be some real and potentially violent repercussions for what they aired. It’s interesting that they bleeped out about thirty seconds of speech that, according to Stone and Parker, discussed fear and intimidation. Apparently Comedy Central was even afraid to receive criticism.

The executives at Comedy Central should be ashamed of themselves as their actions undermine the most fundamental aspects of our society. By backing down to thugs and so completely capitulating to these threats, the precedent has been set that we as free people are both unwilling and unable to defend the very principles that we claim are so important.

Comedy Central failed to support both their own right to exist and abandoned the few people who had the courage to speak out against intimidation. They showed through their actions that they are more interested in short-term prosperity and safety rather than the very principles that made them successful.

Far worse than a sad display of unprincipled self-preservation, was how quickly and totally Comedy Central abandoned its own employees.

This situation reminds me of a recent video that was filmed by a surveillance camera in New York City. As a woman is seen walking on the sidewalk, a man runs up from behind and assaults her. From the corner of the screen appears a man who comes running to save her from the attacker. The man’s name was Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax, and he was an immigrant homeless man who decided to risk his only possession, which was his own life, to save the life of an innocent victim.

For his heroism, Hugo was stabbed and he collapsed on the sidewalk while pursuing the mugger. As he lay facedown on the cement bleeding out, pedestrians walked past him either paying no heed to his distress or simply not wanting to take the responsibility of helping him. One man quickly pulled out his phone, not to call for help, but to take a few pictures with his camera.

Hugo died because of the failure of others to even show a sliver of the courage and responsibility that he so clearly demonstrated with his actions.

By neglecting those who have demonstrated courage on our behalf and by hiding from their actions we do a great disservice to both ourselves and to the rest of society. Comedy Central should have known better and so should those who abandoned Mr. Tale-Yax.

JARRETT STEPMAN thinks Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax is a hero along with all of those that defend the lives and rights of innocent people. You can reach him at jstepman@ucdavis.edu.

Editorial: Picnic Day

Opinion

Opinion

April 27, 2010

An April 21 Sacramento Bee article titled “Weekend rowdiness may bring an end to UC Davis’ 96 year-old Picnic Day” sparked worry among many students and alumni that Picnic Day may end.

Gary Sandy, UC Davis director of government relations, said in the article, “All options are on the table.”

The article described a rise in arrests, incidents of public vomiting, fighting and littering.

However, 33 arrests is a relatively low number considering that 75,000 people attended Picnic Day. Many of those arrested were not even from Davis. For example, two individuals from El Cerrito allegedly attempted to fight an officer and were arrested.

Ending Picnic Day would mean ending a unique opportunity for the university to show off its accomplishments for the community. It is an important means of building goodwill and support for the university, especially at a time of such budget-related tension.

One of the biggest complaints is that alcohol is the major problem of this event. Letters have been sent to these establishments over the past years, encouraging them to not have drink specials on Picnic Day. Some have proposed limiting the sale of alcohol on Picnic Day. Although this solution is aimed at root of the problem, its impact will probably be minimal. Partygoers will drink regardless of location or when they buy their alcohol.

The fact is that Picnic Day is a celebration, and college students are bound to celebrate with alcohol. We are by no means encouraging under-age drinking or carrying open containers of alcohol.

Everyone involved recognizes that there are problems associated with Picnic Day. Most of those problems occur off-campus, however, and there are ways to deal with them without doing something as drastic as fundamentally altering a 96-year-old campus tradition.

The city of Davis and the campus community can team up for better clean-up efforts at future Picnic Days; either through student volunteers as demonstrated by the Greek community this year, or through a designated clean-up crew. Additionally, more police and more security will help maintain order and safety on Picnic Day.

Steps like these are a much better alternative than doing away with one of the events that makes UC Davis special.

Experts converge in Davis to discuss energy saving options

City News

City Editor

April 26, 2010

The city of Davis is working to save the world, one loan at a time.

On Earth Day, the city hosted one of many climate action forums sponsored by the Valley Climate Action Center and the city of Davis Climate Action Team.

Financing, tax breaks and utility rebates for energy saving that become available in 2010 were the main points of discussion at the Community Chambers at City Hall last Thursday night.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), a state initiative approved in January, allows property owners to pay off loans over a period of up to 20 years as part of their property tax bills. New buyers of the property will assume the loan if the original owner moves.

Last week, the California Energy Commission approved $16.5 million in renewable energy funding for statewide PACE pilot projects in late summer. Funding will go toward local education, outreach and additional services, as well as an interest rate buy-down for early program participants.

Annie Henderson of RenewableFunding said the main goals of PACE are to lower green house gas emissions, raise awareness about environmentalism, centralize administrative activities and create new jobs.

“It’s an interesting time in history,” Henderson said. “There’s an awful lot of stimulus money right now and we can really utilize the money to forward the programs.”

Mayor Pro Tempore Don Saylor led the forum.

“For a small amount of money we can identify problems and fix them with simple actions,” Saylor said. “We’re not slackers in Davis either. Five percent of Davis homes already have solar panels.”

Paul Navazio, Davis assistant city manager for finance, said funding is an issue facing energy innovations.

“The hurdles lie less in concept and more in the nuances of financing it with an economic crisis and many lenders unwilling to loan money for these projects,” Navazio said. “The challenge is going to be how to structure the program so that lenders have interest in helping to finance these programs.”

Bank of America is currently the only bank that offers this type of loan.

Davis and Yolo County are among 122 local governments that are planning to inaugurate the new programs.

For homebuyers, green mortgages allow larger loans for buyers willing to invest in improvements that make home energy use more efficient.

Rebates from the federal Home Star program, now making its way through Congress, could cover half of the investment; rebates from utility companies (such as PG&E) could cover one-fourth; and the balance would be financed by a PACE loan at 7 to 8 percent.

A California Energy Commission is also scheduled to approve a $3.5 million to provide a subsidy to buy down loan rates. Tax breaks and solar initiative rebates will also be available.

Most of these programs will require property owners to invest in energy efficiency before solar because they are more cost-effective. Applicants must reduce their energy use by 10-20 percent before they can apply funds to solar.

Reed Richardson of Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) Solar said an alternative method of financing solar panels is through a power purchase agreement (PPA). PPAs allow for third party ownership of panels, introducing solar as a service. The majority of panels are now financed through PPAs.

The next forum on May 5 will cover reducing carbon footprints through urban forestry, sustainable agriculture and low-impact landscaping.

ANGELA SWARTZ can be reached city@theaggie.org.

Aggies render Titans powerless

Sports

Sports Editor

April 26, 2010

After sweeping a doubleheader to open the series, the Aggies had to expect the Titans to come hungry to game three.

“They’re an offensively attacking team and they did a good job battling us,” said coach Karen Yoder. “You can’t get complacent with them because they fight. Offensively, they really challenged our pitchers. It was an excellent battle.”

Runs were hard to come by for UC Davis on Sunday as the Aggies fell to the Titans. Still, UC Davis took the series by winning two out of three.

Saturday – Game 1: UC Davis 5, Cal State Fullerton 2

Elizabeth Santana got the ball rolling in the top of the third with a double down the left field line.

Alex Holmes then hit a single to drive in Santana for the first run of the game.

Holmes scored on a double to right center by Sarah Axelson, and Kylie Fan capped off the big inning with a single to bring Axelson across the plate for the 3-0 lead.

The Aggies took advantage of two more singles and a Titan fielding error in the fourth as Santana and JJ Wagoner came in to make the score 5-0.

The Titans were quiet until the bottom of the fifth when they scored twice, the only runs they could muster all day.

“[The Titans] were hitting the ball right at our defenders,” Yoder said. “Also, Waldusky did a great job of keeping their good hitters off balance.”

From the circle, Dana Waldusky struck out two batters in her six innings of work before Holmes relieved her in the seventh.

“Dana had a great command of her pitches,” Yoder said.

Saturday – Game 2: UC Davis 7, Cal State Fullerton 4

A solo shot by Marissa Araujo in the top of the second frame started the Aggies off strong with another early lead.

“Anytime you can have an early lead, it definitely gives your pitcher an opportunity to really settle in,” Yoder said.

The Aggies didn’t hold the lead long, though. In the bottom of the next inning, Titan center fielder Torrie Anderson responded with a homer over the left field wall to tie the game.

Cal State Fullerton’s Gabby Aragon and Krystal Heinle delivered back-to-back RBI in the fifth frame to put the Titans ahead 3-1.

But the lead wouldn’t last long as UC Davis came alive at the plate in the top of the sixth inning.

Three consecutive RBI gave the Aggies a 4-3 lead before Fan singled to left to bring in two more runs.

“The girls really stepped up,” Yoder said. “We had runners in scoring position, which is something we really focused on. We wanted to be sure and capitalize in that scenario and it’s something our girls really did a good job with today.”

Hurlers Holmes and Waldusky combined for six strikeouts in the circle.

“They compliment each other very well,” Yoder said. “They have two different styles of pitching so anytime the two of them can throw in one game it really keeps the hitters off balance.”

Sunday- Cal State Fullerton 6, UC Davis 3

Two victories on Saturday moved the Aggies into second place in the Big West Conference.

As a result, Yoder knew what to expect from the Titans going into game three.

“We have to realize that they’re probably going to attack our weaknesses,” Yoder said after Saturday’s wins. “We have to be prepared to adjust our weaknesses offensively and to have a stellar defense.”

The Aggies didn’t heed their coach’s words as four Titan hits and two Aggie errors in the second inning would allow Cal State Fullerton to jump ahead 4-0.

A two-RBI single by Heinle in the sixth increased the lead to 6-0 before UC Davis had its last chance to close the gap.

The Aggies posted five hits in a solid effort in the top of the seventh frame, but could only manage to bring in three runs for the final 6-3 score.

UC Davis is next in action on Wednesday when it travels to Stockton to take on Pacific at 3:30 p.m.

GRACE SPRAGUE can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Track and field post high Caliber times

Sports

Sports Editor

April 26, 2010

The Aggies can walk with a little bounce in their step.

On Friday and Saturday, the track and field squads took to Berkeley, Calif. for the Brutus Hamilton Invitational and came back with some great scores and times.

“It was one of our better meets,” said men’s coach Jon Vochatzer. “It felt good to get into a rhythm.”

UC Davis set the pace on Friday, as Jonathan Sees ran a career best time in the 800, finishing at 1:51.82 in a prelim heat. He followed up with an even faster time, taking second in the final with a time of 1:51.44.

Lauren Radke took first place in the pole vault by nearly six inches, clearing 12-6.25. With her performance, she launches herself to the third spot on the all-time school list.

Teammate Kaitlin Gregg took 12th overall at 9:30.94 in the 3,000, and is now No. 2 on the all-time school list, mere seconds off the record set by Patti Gray in 1985.

“[Gregg] was the only collegiate runner in the field of professional runners,” women’s coach Deanne Vochatzer said. “It was another good performance.”

Lauren Wallace had yet another impressive performance in the 800, cutting two seconds off her personal best. She won first place with a time of 2:08.73 and is now second behind Rose Criss on the all-time list by less than two seconds.

“[Wallace] led wire to wire and had no help,” Deanne Vochatzer said. “There was no one to pace her. It was all on her own.”

The Aggies didn’t waste their solid start as they continued to put the hammer down.

Ashley Hearn continued the trend of posting career-highs, as she took third in the discus with a distance of 163-3. She shattered her previous record of 159-8 and now has the third spot in program history.

Sees continued to have a spectacular weekend as he finished the 1,500 in 3:48.41 on Saturday and propelled himself towards the fifth spot on the UC Davis lists.

“He was great in both the 1,500 and the 800,” Jon Vochatzer said. “He just had a stellar meet!”

Hurdler Polly Gnepa continued to show talent on the track, finishing the 110 high hurdles with a career-best time of 13.87.

“We were in a lot of events with a lot of professional runners,” Jon Vochatzer said. “It was great for him to [achieve a] personal record and go 13.87 and compete against the best.”

The women’s relay teams hit the ground running, too. The 4×100 squad composed of Stephanie Eckels, Melanise Chapman, Shanie Landen and Mina Mohamadi took third in the event and catapulted to No. 3 spot on the all-time list.

“They’re the third best time in school history,” Deanne Vochatzer said. “We needed that because May is going to be a big month. We need them to keep running faster.”

The 4×400 relay composed of Wallace, Landen, Eckels and Kiara Reed shaved four seconds off their previous season-best time to finish third at 3:44.45.

“We finished the event out with a great time in the 4×400,” Deanne Vochatzer said. “It felt good to take four seconds off.”

The Aggies will compete at Stanford for the Payton Jordan Invitational on Saturday.

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

Column: Simply dominant

Sports

Sports Editor

April 26, 2010

That’s six for those of you counting at home.

Six Aggie teams have won either their regular season or postseason conference championship this year.

The football team secured its first Great West Conference trophy by beating North Dakota in the 10th game of the year.

The women’s basketball team claimed the Big West Conference title on the last day of the regular season with a big win over Cal State Fullerton.

Gymnastics cruised to a championship in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation as no conference team was within 19 spots of the Aggies in the national rankings.

And of course, the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams each took home Big West titles with incredible performances on the last day of the league championships in Long Beach.

However, none of these conference championships came in as dominating fashion as won by the women’s golf team.

On Tuesday, UC Davis finished the three-day Big West Tournament in San Luis Obispo with a 19-stroke lead over the next best team.

The Aggies were the only team to shoot under a 300 on any day (they did it twice) and placed four of the top five individual finishers.

This simply dominant performance doesn’t surprise Chelsea Stelzmiller[cq], though, who went to a third playoff hole with teammate Amy Simanton to determine the conference’s top player.

“We came into the tournament pretty confident,” Stelzmiller said. “The question wasn’t whether we were going to win, but how much we were going to win by.”

That certainty allowed UC Davis to cruise past the competition as it built the insurmountable lead from eight strokes after the first day to 14 the next day and to 19 to end the tournament.

The Aggies were, hands down, the favorite to win the Big West going in. Still, coach Anne Walker was pleased to see her team increase the lead, saying it would’ve been easy to just protect the lead as opposed to increasing and improving over the course of the tournament.

Stelzmiller also attributes the championship performance to the increased practice regiment her coach instituted in the weeks before the tournament.

Instead of a normal once-per-day afternoon practice, the Aggies hit balls in the morning before class and then worked on their short game in the afternoon.

The product showed.

As a result, the practice routine won’t change when the Aggies, who automatically qualified for the NCAA West Region Championships, prepare to head to their most likely destination in Stanford on May 6.

UC Davis played at the same course in Stanford two months ago where they finished fifth out of a field of 11 teams.

Other teams in UC Davis’ regional will most likely have some knowledge of the course, too. However, it’s the Aggies’ familiarity with it that might prove to be just the extra edge they need heading into regional tournament.

“We played there in February,” Walker said. “We will visualize it in our heads. We know the greens will be fast, the fairways will be narrow and the rough will be long.”

Stelzmiller didn’t play when the Aggies hit the links at Stanford in February. She has played the course plenty of times before though, and feels the greens are going to be a big factor in deciding the team’s performance.

The good thing for UC Davis is it will be able to rely on incredible depth heading into the tournament. Four Aggies are in the running for conference player of the year while two freshmen are up for freshman of the year honors, Walker said.

The Aggies won’t be able to lean solely on increased practice and solid depth, though.

Many of the teams expected to show up in Stanford in two weeks will provide a greater level of competition than the Aggies’ most recent tournament.

This is why the Aggies will look to have an increased mental focus to be able to advance out of the regional and qualify for national tournament.

“We need to put in the mental effort, too,” Stelzmiller said. “[We need to] just keep replaying the holes in our heads.”

MAX ROSENBLUM honestly thinks this was the most dominant conference championship performance by an Aggie team this year. Agree with him [or not] at sports@theaggie.org.

Aggie Digest

Sports

Sports Editor

April 26, 2010

Men’s soccer

Former UC Davis standout Quincy Amarikwa and 2009 third-round draft pick of the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer, was traded to the Colorado Rapids on April 7.

In exchange, the Earthquakes received a natural second-round pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.

The 5-foot-9 forward from Bakersfield, Calif. scored one goal and registered two assists in 25 games for San Jose last season.

So far, Amarikwa has seen 30 minutes of action in two games with the Rapids.

Women’s volleyball

Darren Buckner joins the staff of Jamie Holmes, Co-Big West Conference Coach of the Year, as the newest assistant coach of the women’s volleyball team.

Buckner, who replaces interim assistant Kip Yoshimura, brings coaching experience from Jacksonville and Regis.

He will pair up with assistant Addie Hauschild and Holmes to make a three-person staff aimed at improving on the Aggies’ 20-10 (11-5) record and second-place Big West finish last season.

It was the highest win total the program has had since UC Davis went 21-11 in 1996.

Women’s gymnastics

The National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women recently named coach John Lavallee as the Division I West Region Coach of the Year.

This is the fourth postseason coaching honor Lavallee has received in as many years as the coach of the Aggies.

UC Davis’ regional qualifying score of 193.885 – a program best – allowed the team to finish the year ranked 39th in the country, just three spots away from an NCAA regional berth.

Additionally, Lavallee led the Aggies to a 13-4 dual meet record and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship.

Column: What’s your binky?

Opinion

Opinion

April 26, 2010

I have a confession to make. I still use a binky.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” some of you are saying. “Are you kidding me? That’s strange, shocking and slightly grotesque!” The rest of you are scanning Wikipedia and trying to figure out if I’m talking about Death’s horse in the Discworld books or a funny jump executed by frisky rabbits.

I’m talking about pacifiers, those rubber things moms pop in their babies’ mouths to stop their crying. It’s a highly effective device for soothing kids and giving everyone else’s ears a break. Sometimes they’re more trouble than they’re worth, though – like in my brother’s case. When he decided he was done with his, he’d make like a potato gun and launch the thing across the room with an audible foom of air. When he wanted one later, we’d hunt for one behind the couch, brush off the hair and mystery crumbs and pop it in his mouth. Yes, this is a binky, and I still have one.

Okay, so it’s not a literal binky. It’s my iPhone. And I don’t actually suck on it, unless I have a very compelling reason. Hey, sometimes an unwrapped Snickers bar comes to cuddle my phone on a hot day, and it’s wrong to waste chocolate.

My iPhone is my go-to device when I need soothing or entertaining. Waiting for the bus, walking across campus, resisting schoolwork – whenever I have three free seconds, I whip out my phone. Check Facebook. Check for new texts. Look at my e-mail. Check Facebook. Find new backgrounds. Check Facebook. Look up the weather in Davis while I’m standing outside. Look up the weather in France while I’m standing in America. Switch it on. Switch it off. Check Facebook.

I will do this two dozen times an hour. It’s a compulsion.

It’s not the only binky I’ve had. Early in high school, I was diagnosed with depression. I called my boyfriend every night. On the really bad nights, I’d cry and beg him not to hang up. I couldn’t fall asleep unless I knew he was there on the line. It was unhealthy dependency at its finest. He was my binky.

We’ve all got binkies. They’re the things we turn to for comfort or a sense of control. Some binkies are intrinsically evil, like meth or eating disorders. They’re obviously bad news.

But sometimes an okay or even good thing turns bad in virtue of our binkifying it. Don’t we all know someone (or have been someone) who made their girlfriend or boyfriend their whole world? Ever known someone in danger of flunking out due to an obsession with WoW or chilling with friends or marching band? Come to think of it, school can become an object of worship. If I get an A on this assignment … if I get a 3.5 GPA … if I get my degree … then I’ll be ok. We rely on these things to get us through the day.

But here’s the thing about binkies: They can’t save you. They won’t give you lasting peace or real power over your life. Instead of adding to your life, they suck the life out of you. (In Soviet Russia, binky sucks YOU.)

I’ve identified some binkies in my life. Sometimes, like my brother, I get sick of them and pop them across the room, out of my sight. But then I get agitated, and I want soothing. So I scrounge around under the sofa cushions, pull out that sticky, crunchy binky and pop it back in my mouth. I know it’s disgusting. I know it’s destructive. But man, it feels good for a few seconds.

So think about it: What is it that you keep going back to, over and over again? What’s the thing you always turn to when your soul’s not as quiet as you’d like?

What’s your binky?

BETH SEKISHIRO is looking for a pineapple-flavored iPhone cover. If you know where to find one, contact her at blseki@ucdavis.edu.

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