The Aggie | Student-run, independent newspaper at UC Davis 🗞️ – 📍New issue out every Thursday!

Women’s soccer preview

Sports

Sports Editor

August 27, 2009

Teams: UC Davis vs. Marist

Records: Aggies, 0-0-1; Red Foxes, 1-0-0

Where: Aggie Soccer Stadium

When: Sunday at noon

Who to watch: The Aggies only averaged one goal per game on offense in 2008.

That is why the play of junior goalkeeper Sarah Peters is important to the Aggies‘ success this season.

The Petaluma, Calif. native had 57 saves and four shutouts last season en route to an all-Big West Conference second team selection.

Starting in all 17 of UC Davis‘ matches, Peters had a 1.12 goals against average and did not allow more than two goals in any game.

Coach MaryClaire Robinson says that last year’s experience in net is going to help Peters this season and adds that her huge punt will help lead to counter attacks on offense.

Did you know: Marist completed only its second double-digit winning season in 2007 as they compiled 11 victories on the year. The Red Foxes followed up the best season in program history by only managing five wins last season. They return 10 starters from that five-win squad.

Preview: The Aggies continue their double-dip of home games to start the season as they play host to Marist College of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. on Sunday.

The Red Foxes come in on the heels of a 2-0 home-opening victory over Youngstown State.

Junior Amy Tillotson and freshman Jackie Frey each notched goals for Marist in the shutout victory.

The Aggies are recently coming off of a home opener themselves.

UC Davis tied 1-1 against rival Sacramento State to begin both teams‘ seasons.

The Hornets drew first blood as sophomore Elece McBride booted the ball through the posts on a feed from junior Cori Shreve in the 71st minute.

The Aggies came back 12 minutes later to even the score back up. Junior Samantha Faber snuck the ball inside the left post off the assist of junior Marisa Boge.

The teams battled it out for two scoreless overtimes before the game was settled in a tie.

Marist will visit San Francisco State on Friday before making its way into Aggie Soccer Stadium.

–Max Rosenblum

Women’s volleyball preview

Sports

Sports Editor

August 27, 2009

Headline: Women‘s volleyball preview

Event: Cougar Challenge

Teams: UC Davis vs. Washington State; Portland; Montana State

Records: Aggies, 0-0; Cougars, 0-0; Pilots, 0-0; Bobcats, 0-0

Where: Bohler Gym – Pullman, Wash.

When: Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 10 a.m., 4:30 p.m.

Who to watch: Senior Libero Avreeta Singh finished her junior season on a high note as she earned All-Big West Conference honorable mention recognition.

Her 1,417 career digs are just 29 behind the school‘s all-time leader, Mary McClelland.

The Fresno, Calif. native is destined to become the all-time digs leader, but first is hoping to lead the Aggies to their first-ever Big West title.

Did you know? In her first full year as head coach, Jamie Holmes tripled the Aggies‘ win total from the previous year. The Aggies improved their record to 12-17 in 2008 after posting a 4-24 mark in 2007.

Preview: The UC Davis volleyball program has high expectations this year. Holmes is looking to Singh as well as senior setter Carson Lowden and senior middle blocker Tori Hooper to lead the team this year and keep morale high.

“My expectations of the seniors are high,“ Holmes said. “Carson, Avreeta and Tori have competed in the conference for as long as we’ve been in it. They’ve been around the block.“

Holmes isn‘t shy about speaking highly of the trio.

“So far, they’re doing an excellent job of nurturing the team and setting the bar high,“ Holmes said. “In terms of that internal leadership, they’ve come a long, long way. They’re really hungry to do something.“

UC Davis will look to its seniors to get them going in the right direction as the Aggies open play this weekend at the Cougar Challenge in Washington.

–Kyle Hyland

Football Preview

Sports

Sports Editor

August 27, 2009

Teams: Blue vs. Gold

Where: Aggie Stadium

When: Friday at 7 p.m.

Who to watch: Senior linebacker Mike Morales, who led the team with 72 total tackles last season, looks to be one of the beneficiaries of a new 4-3 zone-blitzing scheme.

The Los Altos, Calif. native had nine tackles for a loss in 2008 and also recorded two interceptions.

Did you know: UC Davis returns its four leading rushers at running back from last season.

The combination of juniors Joe Trombetta and Brandon Tucker and sophomores Corbin Cutshaw and Josh Reese netted the Aggies 1,365 yards last season.

The group scored 11 rushing touchdowns and gained an average 4.6 yards per rush.

Preview: UC Davis takes to the field one last time before the start of the regular season in the annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage. It will be the 17th time the team has done so under coach Bob Biggs, who enters the season with a career record of 121-61-1.

Biggs welcomes new defensive coordinator Mark Johnson to the coaching staff. Johnson is introducing a new style that should minimize the problems that come with having an undersized defensive line.

The new aggressive attitude should also take pressure off of the cornerbacks by reducing the amount of time they have to be in man-to-man coverage.

The new scheme will attempt to improve upon last year‘s numbers. The Aggies gave up 27.2 points per game and forced just 14 turnovers.

The scrimmage, which is expected to be between 50-70 plays and imitate a variety of game situations, is open to the public and admission is free.

Regular season action begins Sept. 5 against Fresno State. The home opener is Sept. 12 against Montana.

–Richard Procter

Let the sticks fly, and bring home the gold

Features

Features Editor

August 27, 2009

Metal rod sticks, intense coordination and choreographed dance routines injected with artistic grace are all things that Aryn Bigler deals with in the sport of baton twirling.

In early August, she returned from the International Cup in Sydney, Australia with three gold medals in Adult Solo, Freestyle and 3-Batons.

Bigler, a senior economics major, has been baton twirling ever since elementary school. The sport fits into the criteria of any other competitive sport: It involves intense training, heavy conditioning, precise hand and eye coordination and an impressive background in dance.

“It stands out because you combine so many great sports and skills into one,” Bigler said, who has taken gymnastics and is now taking dance lessons in her spare time.

One may have the misconception that this sport is only seen at parades; Bigler thinks this is not the case.

“I’ve talked to older people who used to do it, and it’s definitely changed,” Bigler said. “It’s not just something you do at a marching band.“

Baton twirling requires the ability to balance and twirl metal rod sticks using the hands and body. As a result of this, a visual pattern of pictures is created – all the while dancing.

The sport has now gone international with the help of the World Baton Twirling Federation to standardize this sport.

Bigler’s experience in baton twirling has not only helped her physically, but she said there are also psychological and mental benefits. It has helped her to manage her time, and dissolve her fears about self-image.

“It’s definitely helped me gain confidence,” Bigler said. “When you’re out there and everyone is watching you, you can get really nervous, or forget your routine.“

Getting nervous and forgetting a routine has happened to Bigler before, which she said was one of the worst and craziest experiences in competing.

So what’s her way of curing this universal fear? Before she steps out, the key, she said, is to calm herself down by thinking positively and imagining all the things that can go right with her performance.

Eventually, she steps into the “zone,” and she feels just like she is at practice again.

After the three gold wins, Bigler said has no regrets – and neither do her parents.

Bigler’s parents have been highly supportive of her ever since she became interested in the sport, cheering her on from the stands. Unfortunately, they were unable to attend her competitions this year in Sydney.

But that did not keep Bigler from keeping positive and going for the gold.

“You get a natural high from being out there, and you make a lot of other friends from other countries,” Bigler said. “It’s just an amazing experience.“

In the future, this talented young twirler hopes to continue her passions in this sport by coaching kids, and possibly making it a full time job.

VANNA LE can be reached at features@theaggie.org. XXX

Average college student borrowing slowly increases

City News

City Editor

August 27, 2009

Student borrowing is, slowly but surely, on the rise.

While the amount of debt accumulated by graduates of public and private four-year colleges grew relatively slowly, the amount of debt by certain groups in higher education grew rapidly between 2003 and 2008, according to a recent study by the College Board.

A growing minority of students, however, still graduate with excessive debt.

“The analyses in ‘How Much Are College Students Borrowing?’ examine the borrowing decisions students and families are making,” College Board President Gaston Caperton said in the College Board’s press release on the brief.

“We are committed to working with our member colleges and universities and policymakers to create a financial aid system that will help a new generation of students, especially low-and-middle income students, pay for college without unmanageable debt,” he said.

The brief analyzes information in the U.S. Department of Education’s National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, which reveals that among all students who completed a degree – Associate, Bachelor’s or a certificate – in the 2007 to 2008 academic year, 41 percent graduated with no debt.

Among all students, those completing any undergraduate degree with education debt increased from 54 percent in 2003 to 2004 to 59 percent in 2007 to 2008.

Most of the growth in borrowing that occurred between 2007 and 2008 occurred in the for-profit sector, or the private nonfederal loan market, as well as students earning certificates and two-year degrees. Unlike federal loans, private loans do not have limited interest rates or provisions for economic hardship.

“The big increase in borrowing was in the for-profit sector, (which is a relatively small sector as a percentage of all postsecondary students), from 85 percent to 95 percent,” said Patricia Steele, an author of the brief, in an e-mail interview.

Steele advises students to try to borrow from the Stafford loan program and to avoid most private loans. Steele said students should make sure they understand the debt they decide to take on and what the monthly payments will be on each loan they sign.

Forty-seven percent of the 2008 UCD graduating class borrowed money, and the average indebtedness of students was $15,155, said Joyce Cleaver at the UC Davis Financial Aid Office.

Although the College Board brief indicated that student debt is slowly increasing, Steele said that as long as students do not borrow in excess, debt can be manageable.

“Some borrow an extraordinary amount and this is a real concern,” Steele said in an e-mail interview. “Others borrow only a little, but still struggle with repayment because of the debt to income ratio upon graduation (or if they don’t complete a degree).“

Students in financial hardship due to loans are still in the minority, at least in the class of 2008.

In this economic climate, one issue with borrowing is the fact that students can no longer count on getting a job after they graduate.

“Whether or not you can pay back your loans really depends on the kind of job you get,” said Vanessa Guzman, junior at UC Davis. “Some people can quickly pay back their loans if they get a good job.“

Steele said it is best to plan ahead.

“It’s important to consider that your future salary is no longer a guarantee immediately after graduation, so it’s best to think about ways to keep the cost down and borrow the absolute minimum that you have to borrow,” she said.

SARAH HANSEL can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Cash for Clunkers fails environmentally

Campus News

Campus Editor

August 27, 2009

The Cash for Clunkers program, which ended earlier this week, was touted by many as both an economic stimulus and a boon for the environment.

But at least one expert – UC Davis professor Charles Knittel – didn’t think so.

Knittel released an 11-page research paper last week arguing that the Cash for Clunkers program wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“Cash for Clunkers is an ineffective environmental policy,” he said in a phone interview. “It might be an effective and efficient stimulus policy, but not an environmental one.“

Knittel uses numbers from a CNN report about the average mileage and miles per gallon of the clunkers and their replacement vehicles in order to set up his calculations. Assuming 12,000 miles driven for each vehicle at 16 mpg and 25 mpg respectively, the Cash for Clunkers program saves approximately 270 gallons of fuel per year per car – a minimal reduction at best.

But even that figure could be generous.

“It’s possible there can actually be no gain,” Knittel said. “I don’t think that’s the case, but it’s possible. The savings are reduced if you think the new car will be driven more than the old car.“

The environmental benefits of the program do not improve even if the numbers widen to include other pollutants.

“Even if you credit the program for [reducing] those emissions, it’s still an expensive program,“ he said.

Knittel is not alone in his questioning of the program’s environmental benefits. Harvard economist Edward Glaeser argued publicly that assisting consumers in acquiring more fuel-efficient vehicles would increase rather than decrease the amount of pollution.

“If the amount of cookie consumption was constant, then a lower-calorie cookie would lead to thinner waistlines,” he wrote. “But if someone makes a less fattening, delicious cookie, I’ll want to eat plenty of them.“

Despite the programs‘ shortcomings in terms of environmental protection, many agreed that it was effective in accomplishing its other objective – selling more cars.

“It has been successful beyond anyone’s imagination,” said President Obama last week during a radio interview with host Mike Smerconish.

The Cash for Clunkers program will be followed in the fall by the Cash for Refrigerators program, which would allow consumers to trade in outdated appliances for a rebate that would ideally be used to purchase a more environmentally conscious version of the same appliance.

RICHARD PROCTER can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Title

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

August 27, 2009

090827_ar_basterds.c

Headline: An Inglourious movie

Layercake: Director Tarantino‘s latest release lacks consistency, fun

By LAURA KROEGER

Aggie Arts Writer

Quentin Tarantino, director darling of critics and fan boys alike, created a real mess of a movie. Inglourious Basterds is his seventh film in 22 years, and after spending more than a decade working on the script, he‘s been publicly touting this one as his masterpiece. Unfortunately, his lengthy involvement in the project caused him to lose touch with what audiences find cohesive or entertaining.

Austrian actor Christoph Waltz plagues the film‘s protagonists as the charismatic (and often strangely likable) Nazi Colonel Hans Landa. Nicknamed “The Jew Hunter,“ he and his men are known for seeking out and killing Jews in World War II‘s Nazi-occupied France, including the family of young Shosanna (Mélanie Laurent).

Years after her escape from Landa, Shosanna lives under a new name and runs a small cinema. A young and influential German soldier (Daniel Brühl) takes a liking to Shosanna, and in a misguided attempt to woo her, arranges for a Nazi propaganda film to premiere at her theater. Shosanna plots to take down the prominent Nazi guests in a fire, but unbeknownst to her the Basterds and the British army are hatching a similar plan.

The film that the previews portray as an action-revenge film in the vein of Tarantino‘s epic Kill Bill is actually saturated with useless, redundant dialogue. If you‘ve seen the trailers, you‘ve likely seen the most exciting parts of the film.

Though the film is named after the Basterds, their screen time is small, their influence arguable and their presence unassertive. They have as much depth as the guns they carry. In fact, viewers meet the less celebrated characters long before encountering the Basterds.

Inglourious Basterds is devoid of the energy that typically makes his films entertaining. Tarantino tends to either leap into violence with unyielding vigor, à la Kill Bill, or builds tension in the scene until the room seems ready to crack, like in Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction.

Here the film neither delights nor shocks with its violence. It instead shows only gunfire and some gross-out scalpings that take up little time and leave little impact. Most of the scenes in Inglourious Basterds are so long and overdrawn that by the time there‘s a violent payoff (if there is one at all), the results are disappointing and expected.

Quirky Tarantino trademarks are inserted so impulsively that they become a sloppy patchwork for the film‘s shortcomings. Instead of a consistent visual style, Tarantino includes one instance of Shaft-style superimposed text, a montage set to David Bowie‘s “Cat People (Putting Out Fire),“ an all too brief scene of violence with a baseball bat and a voice-over by Samuel Jackson that condescends audience‘s intelligence.

However, the film has its moments. The camera found a way to truly inhabit the setting – depth, angles, framing and movement create memorable places you can mentally wander around in long after viewing the film. Actress Laurent is clearly talented and brings a great air of mystery to Shosanna. The eel-like Waltz easily steals the show.

Tarantino‘s exceptional knowledge of film allows him to innovate, but just because a film is unique doesn‘t guarantee quality. He took what should have been two or three decent movies and shoved them together into two and a half hours of unrecognizable mediocrity.

LAURA KROEGER can be reached at arts@theaggie.org. XXX

CD Review: Arctic Monkeys

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

August 27, 2009

Arctic Monkeys

Humbug

Domino

Rating: 4

It’s hard to believe that this British punk band – who was once a teenage garage experiment — turned to the guise of a darker follow-up to their previous album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. Undeniably, Arctic Monkeys seeped into a heavier style that is much of an extension from frontman Alex Turner’s side project, The Last Shadow Puppets.

Dripping with melodic elocution and Black Sabbath-esque inspiration, Monkeys shows depth in their latest release. Marking the quartet‘s third album, Humbug concedes into a culmination of colliding rhythms and melodies riffed with Turner’s lyrical ingenuity. Monkeys‘ identity has traveled far from their first release of Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not and has Humbug brooding with stews of aggression, sexual undertone and allure.

Though the mellow tempo and Turner’s deep hushed voice in the first song of the 10-track album (a small amount for the band), “My Propeller” makes for a purposeful transition from Monkeys‘ latter albums. Co-producer Josh Homme (Queens of The Stone Age) has them singing a slightly different tune than what we are all used to.

Upon further listening, Homme’s influence on the production of Humbug is even more evident in songs like “Secret Door” and “Dangerous Animals” – taking Arctic Monkeys into a direction that is portentous and too polished. Though Humbug is hands down one of the best albums of the year, it misses the raw musicality and energy from the once teenage band that Monkeys used to be.

Despite the different sound that permeates throughout the album, Humbug is nevertheless Monkeys‘ best and most mature album to date. Humbug’s orchestration of minor progressions from guitarist Jamie Cook and bass guitarist Nick O’Malley creates a haunting muse for Alex Turner’s dark and poetic lyrics.

Give these tracks a listen: “Cornerstone,” “Dance Little Liar“

For fans of: Friendly Fires, Franz Ferdinand

– Karen Song

Women football fans take the field

Features

Features Editor

August 24, 2009

I have to admit, I don’t know much about football. I do know, however, that I enjoy watching Aggie football and cheering myself hoarse with Aggie pride.

This past Friday night, I got the opportunity to bleed that blue and gold pride at the third annual UC Davis Women’s Huddle. The huddle is an opportunity for female Aggie football fans to learn the basics of football and see what it feels like to be an Aggie football player by participating in drills.

With the fresh Aggie Stadium “grass” (read: turf) beneath our sneakers, Head Coach Bob Biggs briefed his new team for the night of activities.

“This is an interactive clinic, so we expect you to be out there, jogging around, throwing footballs,” Biggs said.

Meanwhile, the newest addition to the Aggie family sat in the nearby bleachers – Chancellor Linda Katehi.

“Today is my first time being here,” Katehi said. “I think it’s a very, very nice structure. I will be coming to the football games here.”

Katehi participated in the night’s events. She said this was her first time playing football.

After the football players that would be running the drill stations introduced themselves, we ladies headed over to the tunnel for our big entrance.

Lift up your voices

From above we could see people waiting for us to take the field, music blasting and the football team forming a gauntlet to cheer us on. Around me, close to 100 women of all ages began to chant, jump up and down and laugh. The anticipation was addicting: I myself jumped and chanted “UC Davis” with them.

Teresa Dias, a nearby football fan came all the way from Danville, Calif. with her daughter for the huddle.

“I am really excited for this, are you kidding?” Dias said. “I’m here to support the team.”

Dias said she grew up with three older brothers and knows a bit about football, but never played before. Her enthusiasm was magnified as the bright lights of Aggie Stadium shone on us as we charged the field.

At the center of the stadium, with the Gunrock logo below us, we made an actual huddle with Coach Biggs. Katehi was by my side as we put in our hands and shouted “Go Ags!”

Loyal Aggies, all for one

Season ticket holder, Laurel Gainolle, 55, from Chico, Calif. said that she is a loyal Aggie fan excited for the first game against Fresno State.

“We go to all the home games, the one in Sacramento, and even San Jose and Fresno,” she said.

This is her first time at the huddle but she thinks it is a great idea for women.

“I think this helps women to understand a little more what it feels like to play football, and what each of the positions does,” Gainolle said. “I think it will make the game a little more interesting and more understandable.”

Never stopping ’till we’re won

After our huddle, we divided into our designated teams of about seven people per team. I was on the Jets (Katehi was a 49er). We would have seven minutes at each station, and at the sound of the buzzer, we were to rotate to the next one until we finished all 13.

Earlier that day, I sprained my ankle. This made participating in drills that much more interesting, not to mention painful. One drill I could participate in was at the quarterback station. They patiently taught my team how to correctly hold a football, throw it and stand correctly. My hand-eye coordination is extremely sub-par compared to these guys, but after some practice, I was playing catch with my partner with much more ease. I definitely forgot the pain in my right ankle as I focused on catching and throwing.

Charging the enemy with all [her] might

At the linebacker’s station, we put on our meanest faces … literally. My team practiced our game face and our growl – a must for anyone on defense we were told. Then, we got into a line and practiced tackling the football players. It was a good chance for us to practice our new growls and for us to take out any frustration we had during a long week. They also taught us how to make an opposing player fumble and its importance during a game.

Today’s the day the Aggies will fight! Fight! Fight!

Coach Biggs was at a very popular station throughout the night – the refreshment station. He handed us water bottles, beer and wine, meeting the women Aggie fans.

“There’s a large part of the female population that watches football but they don’t know what they’re watching,” Biggs said. “So the intent is to teach them a little bit about the game so that it’s more enjoyable for them.”

His favorite part, he said, was to see the players and loyal fans interact.

“It always makes the game more interesting when you can match a number to a face,” Biggs said. “I like to watch our players interact with the women.”

What can Aggie football fans expect this season? Nothing but the best from the players.

“We have a very close football team with good chemistry. I found that over the years that wins more games than just pure talent,” said Biggs. “That lends me to believe that we have a chance to be pretty competitive football team.”

Aggie football season begins Sept. 5 at Fresno State.

ANGELA RUGGIERO can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Budget cuts close Physical Science and Engineering Library

Campus News

Campus Editor

August 24, 2009

Over 400,000 collections will be moved out of the Physical Sciences and Engineering Library in the next two years, as the library will close by 2011.

Faced with a 3.5 percent budget cut, librarians collaborated on how to cut the cost of maintaining their campus libraries. Following a recommendation from the Office of Resource Management and Planning to downsize the library, administrators announced that they will close the PSEL and move the majority of the books to Shields Library and the Carlson Health Sciences Library.

“Closing the PSEL wouldn’t be our choice, but given the reality of budget cuts something has to go,” said Karen Andrews, head librarian at the PSEL. “We think this is the best possible option and it will allow us to come out of this budget cut with the least amount of damage.”

Library administrators are confident that they will not lay off any library staff, given some employees will retire or leave their positions in the next two years. The remaining staff members will be relocated to different campus libraries.

The majority of the collection in the PSEL library will move to Shields Library. Some or all of the biological and agricultural sciences collections and librarians will be relocated to the Carlson Health Sciences Library. The remaining books will be recycled to other institutions, such as the Northern Regional Library Facility in Richmond, CA.

Many administrators are optimistic that the closure will in fact benefit the library and its patrons. Mainly, the books that will not stay within the UC Davis system are duplicates or have been moved online. The removal of these collections will free space and allow staff to be better positioned, Andrews said.

“This is actually going to preserve our resources,” she said. “The amount of money we will save will allow us to provide much better service in the end.”

Many students who use the PSEL facility to research or study do not believe the closure will debilitate their work, as most of the resources are available electronically in Shields as well as the PSEL.

“It is marginally more convenient to go from the Engineering buildings to the PSEL, so I don’t think that going to Shields is really that much further,” said Frank Maker. “Most of the other students in my lab rarely use the library anyway since the vast majority of the information available in our field is online.”

Several librarians involved in the budget cutting decision, however, have expressed concern that the closure will not serve the interests of the students and researchers on campus, as the Carlson Health Sciences Library is located far from the science buildings on campus, next to the new football stadium.

“This is one of the worst decisions I have ever seen a library make,” said Axel Borg, librarian subject specialist and librarian of over 25 years. “Library administrators want people to use the Carlson Health Science Library because it’s not getting a lot of use. One of the ways you do this is by putting the books a lot of students use out there. But now they’re going to have to walk over a mile to do their research. The deans are not thinking about the students and that’s just wrong.”

Borg also felt that he and his fellow librarians were not consulted as thoroughly as they should have been in the decision of making cuts.

“Most of us were unaware of this decision until they announced it last week,” he said. “We had to hear it from other faculty. But we’re the ones who work with these books and with the students who work with these books. We have a better sense of how things work best and they ignored us.”

In response, acting co-university librarians Gail Yokote and Helen Henry admitted that although the staff deliberated quite intensively on how to manage the library’s 3.5 percent target budget cut, there was still a minority who disagreed with the closure.

“There’s probably a perception that we haven’t communicated with our librarians,” Henry said. “The important thing to do is to look at the big picture here, which is that this is a standard response to a budget cut.”

Henry and Yokote also expressed optimism in the PSEL closure in that vacating the current building, located between the physics and chemistry buildings, would free space for campus usage.

“One less building allows us to really garner our resources,” Henry said. “We have gathered to identify the specifics of this relocation and now we’re going to see what the ripple effect will be.” Planners have not yet decided what the empty building will be used for. Administrators will begin examining the space in the coming years as the current library books and staff move to the new locations.

LAUREN STEUSSY can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Lunchtime Folk

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

August 24, 2009

Friday, 11:52 a.m.: as the sun begins its daily dose of punishment, I find myself on the Wyatt Deck, engulfed in shade. Surrounding me is a diverse crowd of mostly middle-aged strangers; some busy tuning their guitars or mandolins, others reenacting the Bob Dylan New Jersey incident. Thankfully, they think enough of me to assume that I know who Bob Dylan is. I am at the Arboretum Folk Music Jam Session.

Created and organized by Elaine Fingerett almost three years ago, these meetings serve as an opportunity for folk musicians of the Davis/Yolo community to come together and simply play. The sessions take place every other Friday from noon to 1 p.m. on the Wyatt Deck in the Arboretum.

In reference to these jam sessions, the term folk would best describe the instrumentation rather than a specific musical genre. During the brief hour, the group covered everything from Appalachian Folk and Irish Standards to Desmond Dekker’s “Israelites” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe.”

“These meetings are in no way formal,” said Gary Lee Wilson, who travels from Sacramento to attend the jams. “Last time, I brought in a Creedence [Clearwater Revival] song, and someone else brought in “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” I couldn’t get it out of my head for days.”

Patrick Foley, a Davis resident and professor who came with his son, Colin, revealed his motivation for attending the jam sessions.

“Between lecturing at Sac State and doing research at the Vet School, I don’t really have time to play anymore,” Foley said. “And when I do play at home, it tends to be electric. These jam sessions are a healthy departure. I don’t have any expectations. I don’t expect world peace, but you never can tell.”

By 12:30 p.m., a small crowd began to gather around the Deck, applauding, singing along and interacting with the performers. One audience member inquired about guitar lessons, while others shyly asked whether it was possible to join along in future sessions.

Elaine Fingerett illuminated the intent and nature of the folk jams.

“It’s a wonderful community, and is always changing,” Fingerett said. “We are very inclusive. We invite musicians at whatever level, a pick up session that is pretty much open to anybody. During the school year, we have a much more varied crowd, with students, professors and community members all participating.”

Aside from hosting the biweekly folk jams, Fingerett also performs in two Klezmer ensembles. A musician from a young age, she is adept at the accordion and ukulele, among other instruments.

To Fingerett, who also works as the Youth and Family Outreach Coordinator in the Arboretum, the actual location of the Wyatt Deck serves an important purpose.

“These Folk jams are an integral part of the UC Davis Arboretum GATEways Project, which aims to integrate Art and Music into the Arboretum setting.”

The purpose of the UC Davis Arboretum GATEways (Gardens, Arts and the Environment) Project is to use the setting of the gardens to “inform visitors about the important ideas and complex issues UC Davis scientists and scholars are tackling.”

The next Folk Music Jam will take place Friday, Sept. 4. For more information as well as directions and details, visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

BORIS FREYMAN can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Arts Week

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

August 24, 2009

MUSIC

Monsters of Accordion

Today, 8 p.m., $10

Luigi’s Fun Garden in Sacramento

Their title is appropriately fitting – Monsters of Accordion is an eclectic group of accordion-playing musicians with a knack for low, almost spoken singing. Think Cake, with a soundtrack-like feeling and without the trumpet. As terrible as an accordion-based band might sound, their ironic waltzes and creative lyrics simply work. Check them out on Myspace if you don’t believe me (“Dance While the Sky Crashes” is definitely worth a full-length listen).

Guidance Counselor; Fleshtone; Wreck & Reference; Eliseo

Today, 9 p.m., free

1034 Olive Dr.

KDVS is presenting a four-band house show tonight. Guidance Counselor is a Portland trio currently on tour with electronic duo Fleshtone, and Wreck & Reference is nothing short of a Davis legend – check them out for an electronic set. Visit the show’s Facebook event page for more information and samples of each band’s music.

Chrome Wings; ASSS; Pregnant; Mucky the Ducky

Wednesday, 7 p.m., free

802 Villanova Dr.

Portland bands are in season, apparently. Chrome Wings and ASSS both come from the classy, rainy city, and are currently on tour throughout California. Mucky the Ducky is apparently ending a national tour, and Pregnant likely isn’t pregnant.

The Reed Sea

Friday, 7 p.m., free

R5 Records at 2500 16th St. in Sacramento

The Reed Sea is a Portland-based four-piece group on tour throughout the Bay Area this week. They enjoy clean electric guitar and relatively complex drum tracks. Check them out on Myspace for a preview.

Synchronized Swimming Annual Water Show

Friday, 7 p.m., $6

Davis Community Pool

The Davis AquaStarz synchronized swimming team is putting on their annual show at the community pool. Is it art? Is it exercise? Is it the most ridiculous event in the Olympics? You decide.

Instagon; Blood Into Water; Liver Cancer; Smite

Friday, 8 p.m., $6

Luna’s Café in Sacramento

As indigestible as noise music might seem, it’s not unreasonable to say that music is dead. Norcal Noisefest is presenting the first performance of their season in Sacramento, and more noisemakers are scheduled to likely to add on. If you miss the show, check the Noisefest out in the upcoming weeks throughout Sacramento and Davis. For more information, visit norcalnoisefest.com.

The Red River; Eskimo and Sons; The Old Believers

Friday, 10 p.m.,

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Portland continues its Davis invasion with The Old Believers, who will be joined by Long Beach’s The Red River. The two bands are touring to promote an upcoming double-seven inch record, set for release on Sept.13. The Old Believers and The Red River will also perform at Dimple Records earlier in the day. Check out our August 31 issue for a review of the show.

Six Organs of Admittance; Master Musicians of Bukkake; Dead Western

Saturday, 8 p.m., $8-10

John Natsoulas Gallery

The John Natsoulas Gallery is pumping out some impressive shows this summer, so let’s see how this weekend’s show holds up. Guitarist Ben Chasny’s Six Organs of Admittance will join Seattle’s Master Musicians of Bukkake (look them up on Myspace, not Google images) and the folky Dead Western from Sacramento.

ART / GALLERY

Art Auction and Exhibition

Begins Tuesday through Sept.19, 11:30 a.m., $35

Pence Art Gallery

The Pence Art Gallery is holding their annual art auction on Tuesday, followed by a month-long exhibition running from Aug. 25 to Sept. 19. Read our featured article on the event for more information.

Melissa Chandon & Donna Billick – Swimmers

Begins Wednesday through Sept. 20

John Natsoulas Gallery

Davis resident Melissa Chandon and UC Davis alumna Donna Billick’s work will be presented at the Natsoulas starting this week on Wednedsay. An opening reception will be held on Sept.12. Visit natsoulas.com for more information.

One-Person Show: Mary Louise DeLonge

Begins Thursday through Dec. 6

Buehler Alumni Center

This week marks the opening of an exhibition by Davis resident Mary Louise DeLonge. The exhibition is organized by UC Davis alum Bruce Gutten, and is held in recognition of National Disability Awareness Month in October.

JUSTIN T. HO can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

Daily Calendar

Features

Features Editor

August 24, 2009

MONDAY

Arboretum Tour: Planning your garden to conserve water

10 to 11 a.m.

Gazebo, Garrod Drive

Sponsored by the Friends of the Arboretum, this event will give you a chance to tour the Ruth Risdon Storer Garden to learn the best watering approaches and plant choices for your garden.

FRIDAY

Synchronized swimming water show

7 p.m.

Community Pool (201 West 14th St.)

Join the Davis AquaStarz for their “Hooray for Hollywood” water show. Swimmers will perform great routines from famous movie songs. $6 at the door or go to aquastarz.org.

MONDAY, Aug. 31

Iranian Women Speak

7 p.m.

I-House Community Room (10 College Park)

Iranian women will speak about various aspects of Iranian culture. UCD visiting scholar Dr. Sara Ruebelt, Ph.D. will talk about multiculturalism in Iran, and Sac State religious studies grad student Leva Zand will discuss the 2009 election’s effects on Iranian women’s roles.

To place an event 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.

Former Davis resident sentenced to 378 years

City News

City Editor

August 24, 2009

One of the longest sentences in Yolo County history belongs to former Davis resident Ajay Kumar Dev. Dev was sentenced on Aug. 7 to 378 years and four months in state prison at the Yolo County Superior Court.

Dev was found guilty of repeatedly molesting and raping his 15-year-old adopted daughter between January 1999 and December 2004. He was convicted of 76 felony counts, including 23 counts of forcible rape, 23 counts of sexual assault, 27 counts of lewd acts with a minor, and three counts of attempting to dissuade a witness.

Superior Court Judge Timothy L. Fall sentenced Dev to 8 years for each separate count of sexual assault and two years per attempt to dissuade a witness. He determined that certain factors in the case, such as Dev’s violation of a position of trust, outweighed the defendant’s lack of a prior record.

According to the victim’s testimony, Dev assaulted and raped her on a weekly basis. She said he eventually threatened to get a gun and shoot himself and her if she did not allow him to continue abusing her.

A search warrant that was served on the Dev home in Davis found child pornography on the computers, which according to a press release by the Yolo County District Attorney’s office confirms the victim’s story that Dev had shown her such pornography prior to some of the assaults.

Dev’s friends and family and members of the local Nepali community have voiced adamant opposition to Dev’s sentence, claiming that no physical evidence exists to prove he is guilty. Nearly 100 supporters gathered two weeks ago outside the Yolo County District Attorney’s office to protest Dev’s sentence.

“The evidence clearly demonstrates Ajay’s innocence, fortifies his character and supports our unwavering conviction and belief in his innocence,” friends and family said in a statement on Dev’s sentencing day.

The friends and family argue that the accuser is not credible since they say she had previously committed passport fraud. They cite several witnesses trained to recognize signs of trauma who saw no signs of abuse or even an unhealthy relationship between Dev and the accuser.

Family members also said they had never seen any signs of rape or abuse, despite that Dev allegedly violated his adopted daughter approximately 550 to 750 times over a five year period.

A recorded phone call between Dev and the accuser was used by the prosecution as a confession of Dev’s guilt, but friends and family say that his statements were taken out of context.

“Any misunderstanding is due to language and cultural issues which are often times lost in the translation process. Ajay was trying to explain to the accuser how our legal system works demonstrating that if a statement like this was made it could possibly ruin both her life and his. He was NOT admitting to rape,” the family said in a statement their website advocatesforajay.com.

Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Mount said that the jury heard the entire 20 minute phone call. The transcript of the conversation given to the jury was prepared by the defense and Dev’s own translator translated the sentence that ultimately proved Dev’s guilt.

Many of Dev’s supporters have since accused District Attorney Jeff Reisig of racism, saying there has been a significant rise in the number of minorities that have been arrested for sexual crimes in Yolo County.

Mount, however, stands by the jury’s verdict.

“The controversy in this case is only coming from Dev’s friends and family,” said Mount. “The jurors were all steadfast in their decision. They were well reasoned and actually gave Dev the benefit of the doubt in several cases. They acquitted him on some counts and were hung on others.”

SARAH HANSEL can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Davis Library closed for renovations

City News

City Editor

August 24, 2009

Staring on Sept. 8, the Mary L. Stephens Branch Library will have a temporary home.

The building on E. 14th Street will undergo renovations that are expected to be completed by mid-2010. In the meantime, the library will be located at 2801 Second St.

The branch closed – and will remain so until Sept. 8 – on Aug. 15 to transfer collections to the temporary location, which also houses the Explorit Science Center.

The renovations will include enhanced services such as added staff, furniture, technology, more space for children, a new meeting room, four additional self-check machines and more materials. The building will feature environmental efforts, such as more efficient use of day lighting.

An automated return handling system will relieve staff of having to process the one million circulating and returned items by hand.

The improvements will be paid for by Measure P, which increased a library parcel tax from $42 to $88 annually. Multiple families will be taxed at a $44 per unit rate. This is the first library parcel tax increase since 1989.

“Even though we’re in an economic slump right how, there was an overwhelming majority that voted to pass this measure,” said Jack Karolewski, substitute reference librarian of the Davis Public Library. “Even though we only needed a two-thirds majority, 70 percent of the community voted to allot funds.“

Tony Cantrell, a library visitor, supports Measure P and looks forward to the completed improvements.

“Although [the library] functions well now and the staff has been very helpful to me, the place is due for some new furniture,” Cantrell said. “It’s also usually very crowded when I go, so an additional number of self-check machines will be helpful.“

Before Sept. 8, library materials will not be available in the catalog system. When the temporary site on Second Street opens, the materials will be listed again in the online catalogs and visitors can continue to place holds.

Karolewski, who works for several branches of Davis public school libraries and one in Dixon, said the Explorit Science Center was kind enough to share both the building and parking spaces.

The entrance to the new location is on Pena Drive and is on the Unitrans A-Line bus route.

Wireless Internet access will continue, while furniture, computers and other library materials will also move to the new location.

The temporary location will not contain public meeting rooms but will offer a room for children’s story time presented by the Davis Fencing Academy.

“It will be a good place for a temporary location since now parents who are bringing their children to the library can expose them not only to books, but science as well. It’s a good fusion of two essential intellectual ingredients,” Cantrell said.

The last expansion to the library doubled its size in the early 1990‘s. Until 2006, the branch was known as the Davis Branch, then was renamed the Mary L. Stephens Branch to honor the former Yolo County librarian. Over the years, the library has held book sales and speaking events for local authors, like Eva Rutland.

It is one branch of many in the Yolo County library system. Others include Esparato, Knights Landing, Clarksburg and Winters.

Karolewski and staff are already anticipating the grand re-opening and there has been talk of a community party taking place to celebrate the occasion.

“We are grateful to the Davis community for their ever-present support of our library services,” said Yolo County Librarian Patty Wong.

Hours will remain the same: Mon. from 1 to 9 p.m., Tues. through Thurs. from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fri. and Sat. from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sun. from 1 to 5 p.m.

ELENI STEPHANIDES can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Sections

Resources

Best of Davis

Projects