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Otherwise, they’ll kill you

Opinion

Opinion

February 24, 2009

Ah, the commitment-phobe. Seems like every girl is getting herself one these days. Not only is dating hard enough in this world, but there are guys out there who are afraid of the dreaded “label.”

A lot of my female friends are in these pseudo-relationships that seem to be so up in the air, all they can see is grey clouds to come. Never mind the fact that they are incessantly wondering where the relationship is going, the boys they’re dating are more than happy to string them along indefinitely.

Some might ask, “Why do you people always need to know?” Why is it so important to know if you’re dating, together, or just “talking”? It’s even worse when exes hook back up again; riding the midnight sexy time for however long before anyone stops to ask what’s up.

If you don’t need labels yourself, that’s fine. If you’re buying the illusion that not labeling things “really takes the pressure off,” that’s cool too. It’s only when people use it as a cop-out to not take any responsibility for one another’s feelings that I see a problem. All too often a guy can keep a girl in the palm of his hands, telling her that yes, we’re dating – but no, he’s free to flirt with that hot bartender from Sophia’s and you’re supposed to be okay with it.

If you’re in a similar situation and wondering whether or not waiting will make it worth all this turmoil, the answer is yes. He’s just that great. In the meantime, you can cope by following my advice.

Don’t ask any questions. Remember, you don’t want to scare him. His feelings about this relationship is what matters most, so you’re not allowed to ask, “Where is this going?” or “What are we?” because you don’t want to push your luck. You should be honored that he did you a favor by even “seeing” you (whatever that means), so walk on eggshells. It’s a sign of a future healthy relationship.

If you do make the mistake of asking one of your inane questions and he gives you a hard time about it, that’s when you’re being naggy. How dare you think you have the right to know where all your time is going? Just because he’s looking for better options doesn’t mean you have the liberty to question it. I mean, we get it: you feel like you’re wasting your time and trust me, you probably are. Just don’t make a huge fuss about it because it’s so unattractive.

Put his needs first. The best excuse I’ve heard a guy use to not be with a girl he was seeing for a year was that he needed time to “discover himself.” Although it was true that he hadn’t graduated college yet and he “just” got out of a relationship (more than a year ago), he was perfectly capable of seeing, having sex and talking on the phone every night with this girl.

So what did he do to discover himself? Did he work day and night to resolve this one obstacle that hindered from being with the love of his life? Unsurprisingly, he did absolutely nothing – our little Siddhartha here was buying time and excuses. When the poor girl finally saw she was being tricked and ended it, he didn’t come running after her. He let her go, which proved he had no real intentions of being with her anyway.

Never make it seem like you care. So it’s been five months of dinners, hand holding and maybe even a few sleepovers (now with more heavy petting) here and there. And he still hasn’t asked you to be official yet? Who cares right? Besides, asking and wondering to be official sounds too high school, this is college now. Isn’t it all about free roaming and being commitment free? If it applies to pay-as-you-go-phone plans tailored for drug dealers, of course it would work for you.

The way girls should see it is that they’re all crazy clingy. And when a guy tells you that you’re being needy, you have to believe him. Maybe you are demanding too much, maybe you should just enjoy the ride, maybe you should just act like you don’t care.

The one small problem here is that you do. You care and you can’t help it because this is your life being toyed with, after all. Sure you can keep up the façade that you’re not bothered by the fact that he doesn’t call you his girlfriend after months of seeing you, but it still irks you. So you’re going to trudge through all this pain and mind games even though it should be simpler than this. And I don’t want to sound like a bad movie here but when you’re good and the guy is good, being together is actually supposed to be that easy.

LYNN LA thinks she wrote this column about two years too late. She also doesn’t like it when people string along her friends. If you know where she’s coming from, e-mail her at ldla@ucdavis.edu.

The Sterling Compass

Opinion

Opinion

February 24, 2009

Fifty years of economic sanctions and political ostracism has made North Korea a starving bulldog, snarling and rarely biting, but nonetheless dangerous. The United States‘ stubborn policy of non-engagement needs to change. North Korea poses a threat not only to the United States, but also to global stability and the U.S. is in the best position to help create a long term solution to the longstanding Korean question.

But, why should we care about what‘s happening in a country led by a man whose name we know only because he was the bad guy in Team America?

Well, I will give you a few good reasons.

Nuclear weapons; they are bad. And believe it or not, North Korea has them; it exploded its first nuclear device in October 2006. The movie Team America was not so farfetched; a desperate North Korea would have few qualms over providing nuclear weapons to terrorists in hopes they would be unleashed.

Another thing to worry about is ballistic missiles; they are to the nuclear warhead what a Unitrans bus is to the UC Davis student. Although both the Unitrans bus and the ballistic missile are inherently dangerous, ballistic missiles can deliver their ordinance to targets anywhere on the planet. North Korea is preparing a long-range ballistic missile test that, if successful, will threaten the West Coast, and yes, even Davis, California.

Human rights violations; these should bother you. Well, North Korea treats its citizens even worse than China does. Public executions are commonplace and young girls are often forced into prostitution to service the political elite. Children born with disabilities are routinely murdered and discarded like garbage. North Korean civilians are prisoners within their own country.

So, what does the U.S. need to do to amend these problems?

Don‘t underestimate the power of economics to change a nation.

The United States needs to lift or reduce its economic sanctions against North Korea. As the political elite squanders what little wealth remains, sanctions only strengthen the despotic regime‘s grip over the desperate and poor populace by making them dependent on handouts. Sanctions also give substance to the regime‘s anti-American rhetoric, as it blames the United States for the country‘s problems.

Economic sanctions are designed to encourage rebellion against an unpopular regime by making the people miserable. Well in North Korea, the military, the guys with all the guns, are also the ones who benefit from the oppressive regime, thus the people are miserable with no chance to challenge their oppressors.

If the U.S. lifted its economic sanctions against North Korea, then the rest of the world would follow suit. South Korea would likely become the North‘s biggest trade partner, encouraging Korean cooperation. Once capitalism began to take root, political liberalization would inevitably follow. Finally integrated with the global economy, North Korea would be less inclined to pursue a nuclear program and more prone to listening to the international community.

The U.S. tried this with China in the 70‘s and it worked wonders. After normalizing relations with China and reestablishing trade, China came out of its cave and became a productive member of the international community. Of course, China is not the perfect example, as it has a less than ideal human rights record. But China‘s economic codependence with the United States makes it more willing to partake in international cooperation and less likely to engage in hostilities.

An opportunity to normalize relations with North Korea looms on the horizon.

When North Korean leader Kim Jung-Il bites the dust, whoever assumes power will suffer from a lack of simply not being Kim Jung-Il. The new leader will look for a way to assert his authority, most likely by clamping down on political dissidents and renewing vigor for North Korea‘s nuclear weapons program.

The only thing worse than a starving bulldog is a starving bulldog armed with nuclear weapons.

But if the U.S. acts quickly by strategically lifting economic sanctions while simultaneously opening a direct dialogue with North Korea, then the first steps towards normalizing relations will be achieved.

MIKE HOWER apologizes if he offended anyone affiliated with Unitrans. But seriously… oh never mind. Contact him at mahower@ucdavis.edu.

POLICE BRIEFS

City News

City Editor

February 24, 2009

THURSDAY

Too secure

On University Avenue, an individual could not unlock their U-lock because it was jammed.

Monkey business

An individual heard loud yelling and banging noises for two to three minutes on Lake Boulevard.

FRIDAY

Oh, freshmen …

Two intoxicated subjects were passed out on the sidewalk on Russell Boulevard.

Bike bandit sighting

A white pickup was seen cruising around the area of Bree Lane with a large number of bikes in the back of the truck.

SATURDAY

Home improvement, the cheap way

A paint bucket was thrown through a window on Cousteau Place.

That’s a lot of alcohol

Fifty people were seen going into an apartment on F Street. They were all carrying alcohol.

Davis “Farmers“ Market

An individual on Chestnut Lane made a complaint of approximately 10 subjects dealing drugs.

SUNDAY

$1,500 for a leather bustier?!

An unknown suspect took an individual’s wallet and has used their credit cards.

Pandemonium!

The signal lights were out in all directions at the intersection of First Street and E Street.

So he called the police?

An individual’s mother-in-law was threatening him with arrest on El Cemonte Avenue.

You want fries with that vodka?

Customers waiting for their order at a business on Research Park Drive had open containers of alcohol.

JEREMY OGUL compiles POLICE BRIEFS from the public logs of the Davis Police Department, which are the official version of what happened. The crime blotter is online at cityofdavis.org/police/logs. This segment appears Tuesdays.

Facebook terms of use causes uproar

City News

City Editor

February 24, 2009

After an outpouring of privacy concerns from many of its users, popular social networking site Facebook scrapped its new terms of service agreement.

Facebook allows users to store and share personal information and photographs on its site. The Palo Alto-based company posted a new agreement in early February that granted the company “irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide” rights to material posted by its 175 million users, even if they deactivate their memberships.

The agreement contract was highlighted by The Consumerist website, after initially going mostly unnoticed. A storm of complaints, including over 80,000 who formed a Facebook group in protest, led the company to backtrack and revert to its original terms of use while they draft a version more amenable to its users.

Facebook’s initial response was to post a statement titled “Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.“

“You own your information, Facebook does not. This includes your photos and all other content,” the statement said.

The statement made clear that Facebook’s ownership would only be over messages and information sent from one user to another, which may remain there long after the first user deactivated their account. “We never intended to claim ownership over people’s content even though that’s what it seems like to many people.“

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his blog that the company would never use any users‘ personal information inappropriately.

“The trust you place in us as a safe place to share information is the most important part of what makes Facebook work,” Zuckerberg wrote.

A few UC Davis students expressed worry.

“I don’t really use Facebook much, but I would feel uncomfortable putting up my personal information if they could do what they wanted with it,” said sophomore Laura Trimble, an undeclared physical sciences major.

Since Facebook is a website whose business it is to help users share personal information with each other, experts say the privacy issues are more complex.

Anupam Chander, a professor specializes in cyberlaw at the UC Davis School of Law, said that in situations such as these ones, there are two things on the users‘ side.

“First, you need to see whether the terms are enforceable, whether the third party [Facebook] could claim ownership over these things in court,” Chander said. “But the best way to fight this was exactly what the users did – protest the terms until they were dropped, or change.“

On a site such as Facebook, where personal information is constantly shared every day, it remains to be seen just how much ownership one has over personal information.

TOM MORRIS can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Students to receive tax credit for textbooks

City News

City Editor

February 24, 2009

It‘s no secret that textbooks are expensive.

Financial help is on the way for middle to low-income students and families who have a harder time paying for the hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks needed for class each term.

The new American Opportunity Tax Credit, part of the American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009, was signed into action by President Barack Obama on Feb. 17.

It is the first of its kind because it recognizes textbooks and course materials as allowable expenses that can be written off under higher education tax credits, according to a press release from National Association of College Stores (NACS).

Many students will now be able to write off big chunks of textbook costs, if not the entire cost.

The new tax credit is worth up to $2,500 and is accessible for all four years of education, as opposed to the current Hope and Lifetime Learning Credits, which is worth only $1,800 and covers the only first two years of education.

The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that the new tax credit will support an additional 522,000 California students for refundable checks than currently today.

Organizations such as NACS and the California Association of College Stores approve of this new tax credit as an opportunity for more complete financing of the cost of higher education.

Richard Hershman, director of government relations of the NACS, said that though textbooks are vital for a student‘s success, they‘re not often covered by traditional financial aid.

A study done by the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance found that textbook prices have risen 186 percent between 1986 and 2004. This is an average increase of about six percent each year. More recent data from the NACS Financial Survey shows that cost of textbooks has risen from $763 per student in 2005 to 2006 to $921 to $988 per student in 2007 to 2008.

Tina Hu, a UC Davis sophomore international relations major, feels the high cost of textbooks on her wallet.

“It depends on the quarter and how many classes I take, but generally speaking, I usually spend somewhere between $200 to $300 a quarter,“ Hu said. “The highest it‘s ever been was probably in fall quarter where I had to get all new books because there were no used copies in the bookstore. I spent probably more than $300 last quarter.“

For many science students, textbook prices may soar even higher.

“For science majors, their books are usually more expensive,“ said Megan Cheung, a cashier at the UC Davis Bookstore. “Liberal arts majors‘ books can go as low as $100, but for chemistry textbooks, because it‘s in a package, it can go as high as $600.“

The American Opportunity Tax Credit is a part of the new federal stimulus plan President Obama signed into law on Feb. 17.

HELEN ZOU can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Climate change puts bird populations in jeopardy, report says

City News

City Editor

February 24, 2009

A group of scientists released a report last week claiming that climate change will have a dramatic effect on future bird populations. The authors of the study are calling on lawmakers to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and improve conservation efforts to protect the birds.

The study, sponsored by Audubon California, paints a bleak picture of dwindling potential habitat, or ranges, for birds.

A majority of U.S. birds have moved farther north and inland over the last 40 years, according to data in the report. The authors found a correlation between this movement and the temperature fluctuations related to global warming.

Audubon scientists predict as many as 110 of California’s 310 bird species will experience “significant reductions” in their geographic range in the coming decades due to climate change.

Using known climate information and bird distributions from more than 40 years of data, Audubon scientists created spatial models for how birds would move as greenhouse gases increase.

Bill Monahan, senior geographic information scientist at Audubon California, said the models showed lower emissions in the future correlated with a smaller loss of birds.

“[This suggests] that there’s this opportunity, if we can curb our greenhouse gas emissions, to help conserve birds,” Monahan said.

For example, the Bay Area native Chestnut-backed Chickadee could lose as little as 16 percent or as much as 49 percent of its range. The Yellow-billed Magpie, which lives in California’s Central Valley and Coast ranges, could lose from 9 to 75 percent of its range.

Audubon California’s report proposes policies to limit the impact of climate change, including reducing dependence on oil and supporting alternative energy.

Yet controlling emissions won’t completely stop climate change, Monahan said.

“We have to think about taking steps to help species adapt to that change.“

Locally, the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area provides a full and protected habitat for nearly 200 bird species. The area consists of 25 square miles of wetland between Davis and Sacramento.

Wildlife area manager Dave Feliz said protecting habitat is one of the most important steps toward maintaining bird populations.

Loss of habitat affects wildlife populations most adversely – approximately 10 percent of the wetlands that existed in the Valley prior to 1850 have been developed or destroyed, and effective habitats must remain free from urban impacts, Feliz said.

“As more and more land becomes developed, the wildlife populations continue to suffer,” he said. “Other factors such as pollution and human disturbance pale in comparison to the massive loss of habitat.“

In general, the effects of habitat alterations on bird ranges are poorly understood.

The complexity of ecosystems makes it difficult to predict what will happen to bird populations in the future, said Andrew Engilis, Jr., curator of UC Davis‘ Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology.

For example, even minimal human intrusion such as the use of bird feeders can impact ranges significantly, Engilis said.

Hummingbirds, Wood Worblers and several species of Orioles have been known to remain in California throughout the winter season by feeding from bird feeders and ornamental landscape plantings such as Eucalyptus trees, which flower on a southern hemisphere cycle, Engilis said.

Though Engilis believes in habitat and maintenance restoration particularly in California, “where habitat fragmentation is reaching a critical level,” recent studies have suggested that behavior cues, such as the presence of singing male birds, are as important as the habitat’s structure in attracting populations, he said.

“In a human managed world … to expect that we can return systems to ‘normal‘ or even historic conditions may not be realistic,” Engilis said. “What is realistic is to try to stem the tide of biodiversity decline.“

Conservation, habitat restoration and continued research are vital to preserve ecosystem diversity in California, which is considered North America’s biodiversity hotspot due to its abundance of unique bird species, he said.

“There are more endemic [bird] species present in California than anywhere else in North America,” Engilis said. “If we lose California’s endemic species, then they cannot be recovered – ever.“

Regarding the importance of conservation, Engilis compared the ecosystem to an airplane, and the rivets of the wing to the species which inhabit the ecosystem.

“If one rivet is lost, maybe it’s no big deal. Maybe even a few others could be lost with no perceivable impact,” he said. “But how many rivets must be lost before the wing falls off and the ecosystem crashes?”

AARON BRUNER can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Former UCD student creates organic vodka brand

Campus News

Campus Editor

February 24, 2009

Few college students turn their love for partying into anything more than a hangover.

Except for Ann Marie Barnett, the owner, creator and distiller of Shadow Spirits Organic Vodka.

“I love how partying brings people together,” said Barnett, a 24 year-old Santa Cruz resident. “That’s why I went into the business of alcohol. People tend to have a good time when they get together and drink.”

Barnett attended the UC Davis Master Brewers program in 2007, while also leading her own independent study in distillery. Before coming to UC Davis, she used her environmental chemistry degree from the Colorado School of Minds as a chemistry lab assistant at Coors Brewery. There, she tested the air emissions in the brewery, as well as the freshness of the beer – in other words, she taste-tested beer for a living.

However the job didn’t give her freedom to fulfill her passion for the art of distilling. So she quit her job and moved to Davis.

“I figured if I was going to be working so hard, I should be working hard doing something I really liked,” she said. “And that all started in Davis.”

The Master Brewers program is part of the UC Davis Extension, a school designed to offer professional training at a university level. This type of university-level training makes the Master Brewer’s program one of only three of its kind in the world, said Emma Finley, editor of the marketing department at the UC Davis Extension.

“There’s nothing else like [the Master Brewer’s program in the country,” Finley said.

Professors Michael Lewis and Charlie Bamforth teach the courses in the intensive program, which lasts 18 weeks. Both have been internationally recognized for their work and research in the brewing industry.

Also during her enrollment in the program, she met Jay Prahl, master brewer at Sudwerk Microbrewery in Davis. Some of her classes were held at Sudwerk so the two bonded over their love of brewing and distilling. Prahl told of his years brewing in places like Peru and Mexico, and Barnett told of her dream to one day operate her own distillery.

Coincidently, Prahl knew a friend who happened to be vacating his distillery in Santa Cruz. The chance to take over the still was an opportunity Barnett could not resist.

“It takes a lot of time and money to get licensing to operate your own still,” Barnett said. “I was able to obtain that at [the distillery in Santa Cruz,] Sarticious Distillery.”

Barnett spent about a year and a half perfecting the recipe for what she envisioned from the start to be artisan-quality, organic and environmentally friendly vodka.

What she ended up with was a unique blend of tapioca and pinot noir wine, which added what she described as a subtle floral taste, much like a nice brandy. She added green aspects to her company, like a 35 percent post-consumer waste bottle and recyclable water practices.

However before the vodka can be bottled, it goes through a lengthy and complex process starting in Idaho, where organic corn and rye are processed at 95 percent alcohol content.

“Having the corn and rye condensed at such a high percentage minimizes our carbon footprint in shipping,” Barnett said. “It would take so much more energy to distill that in California, so we feel like this process really minimizes our carbon footprint.”

Next, Barnett combines the corn, rye, wine and tapioca in their copper, low-emissions still from Germany. After boiling the ingredients the vapor is collected, recondensed and diluted with water.

The outcome of this process, Shadow Vodka – named after her dog, a husky – was born in the summer of 2008. Since then, Barnett has sold approximately 360 bottles of her Vodka to local bars and patrons. She also brings Shadow to work with her every day.

“It’s definitely like watching my baby take off and grow,” Barnett said. “And I love how I can oversee every aspect of this company, from the marketing to the taste.”

Barnett said that the vodka tastes great in a martini, or in what she calls a “Lemon Lifter,” with half a lemon, ice, club soda and of course a shot of Shadow Vodka.

“Like so many products these days, but especially alcohol, there is growing interest in small boutique brands,” Prahl said. “Also, like a lot of trends, they tend to start in California.”

For more information on Shadow Vodka, visit Barnett’s website at shadowvodka.com.

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

Transfer student enrollment to increase

Campus News

Campus Editor

February 24, 2009

UC Davis is growing in some places and shrinking in others.

The University of California Board of Regents announced this month that while 8 percent fewer freshmen will be admitted into UC Davis for fall 2009, the number of transfer students accepted will increase by 2.8 percent.

More transfer students – 50 more than last year for a total of 1,820 – means an increased need for transfer-friendly resources on campus.

“UC Davis transfer students have a limited amount of services in comparison to other UC campuses,” said senior Ivan Carrillo, outgoing ASUCD president who transferred from community college in 2007. “The university needs to follow the trend of every other UC and offer guaranteed housing for all incoming transfers and a full scaled transfer student center.“

The need to better integrate transfer students into the campus community is a reoccurring issue, as many transfer students experience a rough transition when first arriving at UC Davis.

“My transition was a bit nerve-wracking,” said Jonathen Duran, a senior who works as a Transfer Student Orientation Leader for Advising Services. “When I transferred to Davis, I was inundated with a deluge of papers and pamphlets advertising this or that program. The fact is that you have to be pretty methodical and driven to sit and read through all of that and create some semblance of understanding.“

To combat this, Advising Services offers a Transfer Student Services department located in South Hall that coordinates workshops, social events and academic advising to aid transfer students in getting better connected on campus.

“Advising Services has spent a lot of time trying to help incoming and current students by holding seminars that aim to address many transfer issues,” said Allyson Markey, a senior transfer student, and Transfer Student Coordinator for student services. “As the coordinator, I use “Transfer Students Unite!!!” on Facebook to create and advertise events. These events are both social and academic and help the transfer community come together as a group.“

In addition, many campus departments such as the Cross Cultural Center, Women’s Resource and Research Center and Student Recruitment and Retention Center offer programs that specifically target transfer students, and offer mixers, leadership seminars and a number of opportunities to get more involved on campus.

“Anytime you have an increase of non-traditional students it is a benefit to the entire campus,” Carillo said. “Transfer students (non-traditional) increase the diversity of experiences and knowledge from which all students can gain.“

According to Advising Services, one in every four students currently attending UC Davis is considered a transfer student. Within this population, many represent diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and socioeconomic demographics that are traditionally underrepresented within the university system.

“Most transfer students are from underrepresented groups who have not had the historical ability to go to a four year institution,” Markey said. “As a transfer student myself, I know that we add a certain ‘flavor‘ to campus – we are highly motivated and ready to take on any challenges the university throws at us.“

MICHELLE IMMEL can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Stimulus package lends a hand to low-income students

Campus News

Campus Editor

February 24, 2009

The federal government is helping out higher education.

Among aiming to create and save millions of jobs over the next couple years, infrastructure improvements, energy plans and an examination of the health care system, the Senate-approved stimulus package accounts for students in colleges and universities.

President Obama signed the $787 billion bill last Tuesday in Denver, Colorado. The recovery plan targets lowest-income students through new college tuition credit and Pell Grant increases.

Seventeen billion dollars in the stimulus will increase Pell Grant funding from $4,731 to $5,350 on July 1 and $5,550 in 2010, covering about three-fourths of the average cost of a four-year college. Eight hundred thousand more students – 7 million total – will receive funding.

Tuition tax credits will get a $13.8 billion boost raising them from $1800 to $2500 for families earning up to $180,000 per year.

“It’s an investment that will create a new $2,500 annual tax credit to put the dream of a college degree within reach for middle class families and make college affordable for seven million students, helping more of our sons and daughters aim higher, reach farther and fulfill their God-given potential,“ said President Obama in his remarks at the bill signing.

With a $150 billion, two-year investment in the nation’s school districts, childcare centers and universities, Congress doubled the Department of Education’s current budget. Last year, the Department’s budget was $60 billion. It will be $135 billion this year, and $146 billion in 2010.

Education has traditionally been the responsibility of state and local government, particularly for K-12 education. In higher education, the federal government has a bigger role.

In an economic crisis, when people seek shelter in education as a way to enhance their skills for a tight job market as well as to wait out the recession, Pell Grants can be a great help to students from low-income backgrounds.

Edward Kealy, executive director of the Committee for Education Funding, a coalition of 90 education groups, says the grants are “the right thing at the right time.“

“As a national priority they have agreed that increasing spending on education is an essential way to get out of this recession,” Kealy said. “It’s a [new] era in the rationale of federal funding in education.“

For the first time, the federal government will take part in the construction and renovation of schools, which is also traditionally the state and local governments‘ responsibility. The stimulus package includes $6 billion for higher education’s renovation and modernization building on college campuses.

A part – about $15 billion – will go toward scientific research at universities.

Critics of the bill are concerned with the federal government’s expanded role in education and the consequences of two years of vast spending.

Frederick Hess, an education policy analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, criticized whether money spent this quickly will be wisely spent.

“The bill is fundamentally flawed, in that it shovels out vast amounts of borrowed money to help subsidized states which have opted to spend funds they are unwilling to raise through taxation,” he said in an e-mail interview.

“The only responsible justification, to my mind, would be the assurance that states are using this as a one-time get out of jail free card and are assiduously revisiting outlays and revenues so that they will have their fiscal houses in order when the stimulus has played out,” Hess said. “That, of course, is entirely absent in this legislation.“

In a New York Times article, Hess said, “It’s like an alcoholic at the end of the night when the bars close, and the solution is to open the bar for another hour.“

POOJA KUMAR can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Correction

Campus News

Campus Editor

February 24, 2009

In the Feb. 22 issue of The California Aggie, the article “Election results announced Friday” incorrectly stated the elections website was down between 8 and 11 p.m. on Thursday when in fact it was down from 6:30 to 10 p.m. The Aggie regrets the error.

Women’s golf preview

Sports

Sports Editor

February 23, 2009

Event: Fresno State Lexus Classic

Where: Copper River Country Club – Fresno, Calif.

When: Today and tomorrow; all day

Who to watch: Sophomore Alice Kim showed great potential while leading the Aggies during the fall season.

The Diamond Bar High School graduate paced UC Davis with a 72.5 stroke average in 15 rounds this fall, including her team-best 67 during the Heather Farr Memorial Invitational in September.

Did you know? The women’s golf team is under new direction this season. Coach Anne Walker is in her first season at the helm following the emotional retirement of Aggies legend Kathy DeYoung last year.

“Kathy has built a strong foundation for the program to be successful and I look forward to continuing those efforts,“ Walker said. “I‘d like to build a program around character. I want to build a program that is recognized both on campus and in the community.“

Walker served as the associate coach at California and was a three-time captain for the Golden Bears during her playing career.

Preview: After a run at the NCAA Division I Championships last season, the UC Davis women’s golf team will dust off its clubs, grab its umbrellas and hit the greens for the start of a new season.

This fall, the Aggies participated in five tournaments in preparation for the season’s start, racking up four top-10 finishes.

But now, UC Davis will be forced to play much tougher competition as the stakes are increased heading into the start of their spring season.

The new season begins today at Copper River Country Club, a par-72, 6,262-yard course which will host 14 teams this week.

Over 60 athletes will be participating from various leagues, including the Big West, Western Athletic, Big Sky and Mountain West Conferences.

The Aggies won’t be too worried about the level of competition, as they have an imposing lineup of their own.

Like Kim, sophomore Chelsea Stelzmiller also had an impressive fall showing, averaging a 73.2 over 18 rounds with two top 10 finishes.

Senior Brittany Smith has offered experience and leadership to a young UC Davis team, as she is one of the only Aggies on the roster that has been with the program since its inception in 2005.

– Matt Miller

Aggies fall to Mustangs, Gauchos

Sports

Sports Editor

February 23, 2009

UC Davis was hot after putting up dominating efforts on the road last weekend against UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton.

Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara extinguished that fire.

The Mustangs and Gauchos, who sit in third and first place in the Big West Conference, respectively, took care of the Aggies handily. The losses drop UC Davis to 9-16 overall and 5-9 in conference, good for fifth place.

Thursday – Cal Poly 62, UC Davis 47

The Aggies were out to avenge a four-point loss to the Mustangs earlier this season.

It looked as if UC Davis was on its way to doing so, as the game stayed close for the first 16 minutes of the contest. Tied 14-14 at that point, Cal Poly went on a 10-3 run to give them a 24-17 advantage at the half en route to a 62-47 win over UC Davis on Thursday night.

“The first 16 minutes of the game we played terrific,” said coach Sandy Simpson. “They hit a three eight seconds into the game and then they only scored 11 points the next 15 and a half minutes.“

The Mustangs then came out strong in the second period of play, as they went on a 21-4 run midway through the half to put the Aggies away.

“I thought Cal Poly was really aggressive in the second half and moved the ball extremely well,” Simpson said. “They got it out to double figures early in the second half and we didn’t respond.“

UC Davis had a tough time with Cal Poly senior forward Megan Harrison, who had a game-high 28 points on 11-for-23 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds.

The Aggies were led offensively by freshman Kasey Riecks, who scored 16 points on 6-for-10 shooting.

Saturday – UC Santa Barbara 69, UC Davis 50

There was the No. 1 team in conference in UCSB. There was a season-high 1,815 in attendance. It was the first game of a double-header, as the UC Davis men were set to take on Fresno State in an ESPNU BracketBusters contest following the completion of the women’s game.

UC Davis lived up to the hype of the night for the first 24 minutes of play, but UCSB was too much for the Aggies to handle down the stretch. The Gauchos took a 26-25 lead into the break before outscoring the Aggies 43-25 in the second half to pick up the win.

“The second half showed you tonight why Santa Barbara is a championship contender,” Simpson said. “I thought we came out and played with a lot of energy early on. I was pleased, especially with the defense in the first half. We challenged most of what they did.“

With 16:31 remaining in the game, freshman Hana Asano’s baseline fall-away jumper tied things up at 34-34. UCSB then began to pull away with an 11-0 run.

“[The run] was a combination of us missing shots and them making shots,” Simpson said. “Sometimes the game is crystallized down to a pretty simple formula. If you don’t make shots and the other team makes shots, you are going to lose. Period.“

UC Davis struggled on the boards, as UCSB outrebounded the Aggies 37-19 – 12-4 on the offensive glass.

“When we got position, we allowed them to move us under,” Simpson said. “There were other times where we had one player spectating on the boards and that is where we got hurt.

“The stats will show 12 offensive boards, but I thought the damage was worse than that. Their offensive rebounding set the tone. It is hard to play defense for between 20 and 25 seconds, force a tough shot and then have to go and play defense again.“

UCSB senior Sha’Rae Gibbons paced the Gauchos from beyond the arc, as she hit all five of her shots from long range for a game-high 17 points.

Senior Lauren Pedersen also turned in a solid game for UCSB, recording a double-double of 11 points and 10 assists.

The Aggies were led offensively by freshman Lauren Juric who went 4-for-9 from the field for 12 points.

Despite the pair of losses this weekend, UC Davis has much to be positive about with three regular-season contests remaining before the conference tournament.

“We are doing enough good things,” Simpson said. “I’m actually still really encouraged.“

MAX ROSENBLUM can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Aggies Anaheim-bound after win over Cal Poly

Sports

Sports Editor

February 23, 2009

Team tied for third in Big West with Pacific

Now, years removed from when their careers ended, look at what they helped create.

With its Wednesday win over Cal Poly, UC Davis clinched a berth to next month’s Big West Conference Tournament in Anaheim. It will be the program’s first postseason appearance since the university began a four-year transition from Division II to Division I in 2003.

“Four years of parking the car on the street, looking at all the guys go through the gates and now we get our opportunity,” Stewart said. “For the first time in school history, we’re on our way to Anaheim, and there’s nothing anybody can do about it.“

The only thing left to decide is their tournament seed.

At 7-6, the Aggies are tied for third place in the Big West with Pacific, whom they face Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Stockton. Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge are tied for first at 8-4.

After Pacific, UC Davis will play at UC Santa Barbara before its regular season finale on Mar. 5 against Northridge at the Pavilion.

“We’ve got three games left in conference – three big games,” Dominic Calegari said. “If we win them, we have a strong chance of coming out first in the league. We’ve just got to stay positive. … Keep moving forward.“

Wednesday – UC Davis 75, Cal Poly 73

One by one, Chaz Thomas let every opportunity to beat the Aggies pass him by.

With the ball in his hands, Vince Oliver wasn’t about to return the favor.

Oliver hit the game-winning three-pointer from the left corner with four seconds remaining, lifting UC Davis to a 75-73 win at Mott Gym. The senior’s clutch shot capped the Aggies‘ comeback from a 14-point second-half deficit.

“He hit a big shot – what a huge shot,” Stewart said. “He was clearly the best player on the floor the last five minutes of the game, and who better than to put the ball in his hands at the end?”

After playing the hero in Cal Poly’s win over UC Davis last month, Thomas was anything but the second time around.

The senior guard’s only basket came in the second half on a breakaway layup. Other than that, Thomas was 0-for-5 from the floor and 0-for-6 from the free throw line, including two misses inside the final second and four misses in the final 1:01. Thomas entered the game as a 72.7 free throw shooter.

Oliver finished with a team-high 19 points. The figure boosted his career total to 1,446 points, surpassing Mark Olson (1,440) for third all-time on the school’s scoring list.

Saturday – Fresno State 71, UC Davis 70

Gary Stewart knows his team’s defense is still a work in progress, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to turn his back on it.

Rather than send the Bulldogs‘ struggling free throw shooters to the line in the final minutes, Stewart chose to play it out.

Sylvester Seay made a three-pointer with 1:09 to tie the game at 69-69, and Bryce Cartwright scored the decisive bucket in transition off a Seay steal, as Fresno State pulled off a 71-70 nonconference win over UC Davis on Saturday.

“I think you do a disservice to your defense when you preach defense for months upon months, and you’re teaching defense and you’re coaching defense, and then, at the time you need a stop, you say, ‘No, I don’t believe you can get a stop, so let’s foul,‘” Stewart said. “I’m of the mindset that if you’re going to be a good defensive team, then we need to get stops at the most crucial part of the game. Tonight, it didn’t work out for us.“

Fighting the flu, Joe Harden made his first eight shots en route to a career-high 25 points. Dominic Calegari scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and had six rebounds.

Seay led Fresno State with 20 points, and Mychal Ladd had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. The Bulldogs shot 8-for-19 from the free throw line.

The contest was part of the ESPNU BracketBusters, an annual event that pits nonconference competition against each other. The Aggies have competed in it each of the past two years.

MICHAEL GEHLKEN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Aggies dominate rival Seattle Pacific at home

Sports

Sports Editor

February 23, 2009

Everyone knows that a good matchup between rivals should be close. Someone should have reminded the Aggies. Again.

After handling Seattle Pacific with ease on Feb. 6, the Aggies had no trouble defeating the Falcons once again, posting a season-high score en route to a convincing 192.350-186.975 win at the Pavilion on Friday night.

“Our performance today was very, very good,” said coach John Lavallee. “By far our best so far. When you have a good team performance, everyone has to have a good day. We had everybody on today, and it took everybody.“

Arguably the most impressive performer of the night was junior Kendal McCann. McCann tied for the win on bars with junior Lida Gehlan (9.700) and won the all-around competition – the fourth of her career – with a career-high score of 38.300.

“I definitely did not expect this at the start of this season,” McCann said. “Looking back to freshman year when I competed in only one event, I would have never imagined being a consistent all-arounder in a million years. When John first told me I was [doing all-around], I literally thought he was joking.“

Sophomore Stacey Nicolini also put forth quite the performance, winning the beam and taking second to Tanya Ho (9.750) in the vault. She scored season-high 9.725‘s on both events. These were huge improvements over her previous season-highs of 9.650 (beam) and 9.575 (vault).

“I think what made the difference was being confident and really thinking about my landings,” Nicolini said. “Also, being at home and having the fans‘ support and also the team support. It felt really good to be at home again, having all the parents there and friends.“

As a whole, the Aggies scored over 48 points on three events, the first time they’ve done so all season. The highest score came on floor – always the Aggies‘ final event at home – with a total of 48.425. Senior co-captain Andi Dolinsky took the win with a score of 9.750 and was followed by freshman Erika Van Dyke at 9.725 to tie for second.

The vault saw a total score of 48.300, which tied a season-high for the Aggies. Ho led a five-deep sweep in that event, followed by Nicolini, senior co-captain Adee Schoffman (9.650), sophomore Marcy Miller (9.625) and sophomore Ashley Lachman (9.550).

“We really pulled together as a team and fixed many of our mistakes that we had in previous meets,” Nicolini said. “We were all supporting each other and we had a really good performance.“

This was the first of three consecutive home meets for the Aggies, who will next be hosting a tough quadrangular with Stanford, San Jose State and fellow Mountain Pacific Sports Federation member Alaska-Anchorage on Friday at the Pavilion.

“We are finally stepping it up and going big,” McCann said. “Aggie fans should just know that we really appreciate the support each week, and that they should expect some pretty amazing things from this team from here on out.“

ALEX WOLF-ROOT can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Wild West

Sports

Sports Editor

February 23, 2009

The UC Davis faithful have had a chance to see the kind of excitement that can come with competing in the Big West Conference.

In the fall, it was the nationally ranked men’s soccer team advancing through a competitive conference schedule to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Now, the men’s basketball team is trying to follow in men’s soccer’s footsteps, gunning for the NCAA Tournament berth that would come with a Big West championship.

Big West baseball, however, always brings something different.

In baseball, it’s not about making the NCAA Tournament – it’s about winning it.

What sports like men’s soccer and basketball do for the Big West regionally, baseball is doing for the conference nationally. Year in and year out, the Big West produces some of the greatest baseball clubs in the country.

If you’re good enough to compete in the Big West, you’re automatically vying for a national championship. Individually, it means you’ll get a shot to play professionally, as close to 50 players were drafted out of the Big West in 2008.

“This isn’t a regional thing,” said UC Davis coach Rex Peters. “If you’re competing well in this conference, you can go anywhere in the country and compete. …You’ve got to be a top-40 team nationally to even finish in the top half of this conference. That’s how competitive it is.“

That competitiveness extends out of the Big West across the West Coast as a whole.

UC Davis, which opened its 2009 campaign at No. 12 UCLA over the weekend, plays the 13th-most difficult schedule in the country this season.

The Aggies‘ strength of schedule serves as evidence of collegiate baseball’s prominence out West. All 55 of their games this season will be played against West Coast clubs, including contests with defending national champion Fresno State and conference rivals No. 10 Cal State Fullerton and No. 15 UC Irvine.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of schedule you put together on the West Coast,” Peters said. “It’s going to be tough. West Coast college baseball is the best in the nation as far as I’m concerned. Anybody can beat anybody.“

While they’re not expected to be a frontline Big West contender this season, the Aggies know they’re capable of beating anybody on their schedule.

UC Davis was picked to finish seventh in the conference’s preseason coaches‘ poll.

The Aggies, however, aren’t placing much stock – if any – in their preseason rank. They were picked to finish dead last in 2008, but went on to take home sixth-place honors en route to their NCAA Tournament showing.

“I don’t put too much merit into the preseason polls,” Peters said. “There is so much parody in baseball on the West Coast. We kind of beat up on each other out here. Any one of probably 15 teams out here on the West Coast could come out of here and go to [the College World Series in] Omaha.“

For the Aggies to have success this season, they’ll need a youthful pitching staff to mature quickly, as they’ve lost 85 percent of their total innings pitched from last season’s club to the Major League Baseball Draft or graduation.

“It’s going to be a young, inexperienced staff,” Peters said. “We lost over 450 innings from last year and our entire weekend rotation. We’ve got a lot of learning and growing up to do.“

With this youth comes a world of talent, as UC Davis‘ run to the NCAA Tournament attracted a national-level recruiting class to Dobbins Stadium.

Peters said that youngsters Scotty Walker and Tom Briner – who entered 2009 having tossed just 11.1 collegiate innings, all by Briner – will be looked at to play a key role on this season’s staff.

Senior Jeremy McChesney and Andy Suiter give the Aggies a bit of experience at the front of their rotation. Suiter was drafted by the New York Yankees in June before deciding to return to UC Davis for his junior season.

UC Davis hopes whatever growing pains may come the pitchers‘ way will be relieved by an offense that could be as potent as last season’s.

Pacing the offensive attack will be junior third baseman Ty Kelly. A Tracy, Calif. native, Kelly hit .397 last season – good for second-best in UC Davis history – to go along with an impressive .448 on base percentage. Kelly projects to be an early-round selection in the 2009 MLB Draft.

Outfielders Ryan Scoma and Kyle Mihaylo should give Kelly all the protection he’ll need in the heart of the UC Davis lineup. Scoma hit .358 last season, while Mihaylo slugged .516.

“We have a chance to be a pretty good offensive club,” Peters said. “Kelly, Scoma, Mihaylo – those are the three big ones right there.“

If UC Davis‘ offense can carry the club until its young pitchers get some experience under their belts, a season that may look like a rebuilding year on paper could turn into something more.

After all, this is Big West baseball we’re talking about.

“I will say this: We are a young team and we might be going through a little bit of a rebuilding phase,” Peters said, “but a schedule like this is only going to make us better.“

Better now. Better in the future.

ADAM LOBERSTEIN will be at the UC Davis baseball home opener against San Francisco on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. You should be, too. He can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

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