57 F
Davis

Davis, California

Monday, December 22, 2025
type here...
Home Blog Page 1624

Otherwise, they’ll kill you

Opinion
-
0

Is it just me or are a lot of people breaking up everywhere? And I mean everywhere: On the bus, in front of Olson, even over the phone on the sidewalk at two in the morning. A couple once broke up right in front of my apartment. My roommate and I crouched down, popped some popcorn and put our ears against the door as the girl from apartment 124 took two hours to break up with Joe-shmoe because she caught him cheating. Oh man, it was so golden, I peed in my pants a little.

 

About 98.99 percent of the couples I knew in high school broke up by college (and those who are still gripping onto each other rigor mortis style should be calling it quits soon anyway). Throughout the years, I’ve come to learn that boys and girls handle breakups entirely differently (except drinking, everyone drinks – it seems to be the one solution that knows no gender roles). So here are some suggestions, starting with the boys, on how to execute proper breakup protocol.

 

Like I said, a lot of my guy friends like to drink themselves stupid. But they do a lot of stupid things sober too, like getting a “makeover“ (not in the What Not to Wear way, but the “I’m going to lift weights until I get a hernia” sort of way). Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the whole self-betterment spiel. But why is it that whenever guys reinvent themselves, they manage to do something detrimental or just plain weird? You know, when girls want to revamp themselves, we just cut our hair, buy a new pair of boots and call it day.

 

Guys on the other hand want to remake themselves in a big way and fast. They take protein shakes to gain water-weight even though it makes them shit bricks; grow out some child-molesting looking mustache just to “try something new,” despite scaring away all their friends; or they buy that leather vest that they always wanted (the one with the fringes) because their ex forbade it before (for reasons that escape me).

 

All I’m saying is baby steps, people. Start flossing, change your underwear to stop the chafing, or get that rash that’s on your nether-region checked out that you’ve been neglecting. I mean, the only thing better than looking good to an ex is also having the opportunity to say, “Oh by the way – that syphilis you got, that ain’t from me.“

 

Spend a ton of money on yourself. One of my male friends, whom I shall inappropriately name “Stacy,” spent a lot of money on his girlfriend. What’s more, Stacy was spending it on things he deemed completely worthless (i.e.: a piss-ant contact-lens case from, you guessed it, the Louis Vuitton). After they broke up, Stacy basically went apeshit and blew a kajillion dollars (that’s just a rough estimate by the way) on every game console he could get his hands on. At first I thought he was crazy, but his friends told me that it was money well spent. Stacy still gets his ass kicked, but now it’s from a little thing he’d like to call “Metal Gear Solid” instead of his girlfriend. The end.

 

I guess you can also … masturbate? The only reason why I’m so hesitant and put a question mark there is because I’ve gotten a lot of mixed reviews about this. Some of my male friends are fine slapping the ham all day, everyday, starting from the moment she uttered, “We need to talk.” They look forward to reconnecting with their buddy again. As the old saying goes, “Girls come and go, but the right hand will always be there for you” (and by “old saying” I mean “a saying I just made up right now.“) I remember my friend said he might as well put it to some good use anyway; during the years he spent with his girlfriend he mainly used his hand for flipping the middle finger behind her back.

 

Other guys have told me that masturbating is probably the most depressing thing you can experience after a break up, next to just offing yourself. Because of this, some guys go without flying solo for a while, at least until they are in a “better place.” I don’t know what this “place” is exactly, but it sort of creeps me out to think that it’s a place guys can go where they can emotionally handle watching a porno without somehow bursting into tears.

 

Don’t hookup with the ex-girlfriend that went before your current ex. I don’t have any amusing commentary to back up this suggestion, but just trust me. It’s disrespectful and insulting and if your recent ex isn’t completely brain-dead and has her head on straight, she’ll throw away any hopes of reconciliation out the window, around the corner and up your colon.

 

LYNN LA is busy writing the lady version of this column for next week. If anyone would like to hollatchagirl, e-mail her at ldla@ucdavis.edu.

The Sterling Compass

Opinion
-
0

Private Joseph Dwyer entered Iraq in 2003 as part of the American spear heading for the heart of Baghdad. He became an instant celebrity when a photographer captured him carrying a helpless child to safety during a battle near the Euphrates. The photo was widely circulated, as it represented the ideal of the heroic American soldier risking life and limb to save innocents.

And the photo didn’t lie; Dwyer was undoubtedly a hero.

I wish I could tell you Dwyer, after receiving a hero’s welcome, settled down and lived happily ever after.

But there isn’t a happy ending to his story.

Although the bullets and the bombs spared him, he did not return home unscathed.

Back home in El Paso, Dwyer was a shadow of the good man he once was. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to an extreme psychologically traumatic event. Shortly after returning home, Dwyer got in a car accident when he swerved to dodge an imaginary bomb. Whereas before the war he had been an outgoing, amiable person, he was now antisocial and paranoid.

He stopped going to therapy sessions paid for by the government. His friends and family tried everything they could to help, but to no avail. Nothing seemed to be capable of erasing the memory of the horrific things he had witnessed.

Dwyer may have left Iraq, but Iraq hadn’t left him.

So he turned to drugs to help ease the pain. He lost weight and became violent. Dwyer shot up his apartment complex, certain the enemy had followed him home.

Last June, authorities found Private Dwyer in his apartment dying of an apparent drug overdose. He was just one of thousands of the war’s invisible casualties.

Last week, the Army reported that 128 soldiers committed suicide in 2008. Some of these suicides occurred while the troops were deployed, but a vast majority of them took place, like with Dwyer, after they returned home. The army claims many of these suicides were caused by stress unrelated to war, such as financial and relationship issues. This is a cop out.

Hardened soldiers do not kill themselves over a difficult girlfriend or not being able to pay their bills. If anything, these events were the final straw afflicting a more serious underlying issue. That is, most of these 128 suicides were caused by post-traumatic stress disorder.

Clearly, something needs to be done. Here’s what needs to happen:

First, the government needs to invest in programs to better mentally prepare soldiers for the trauma they will endure in a war zone. This includes more thorough psychological background checks for all new recruits to better identify which soldiers will need special attention not only when they are deployed, but when they return home.

Second, military officers should be trained to be more conscious of their men’s psychological well being. This will allow them to help psychologically strained soldiers find assistance when the need arises. This won’t cure post-traumatic stress disorder, but it will go a long way to helping prevent it.

Third, the grossly under-funded Department of Veterans Affairs needs more money to implement more effective psychological treatment programs. Alternatives to standard therapy must be explored, such as the successful peer-counseling program (where war veterans discuss their troubling experiences with other war veterans).

Fourth, increased public support for organizations like the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The Fund has provided over $65 million to soldiers suffering from unconventional injuries like post-traumatic stress disorder. Every dime goes directly to the Fund’s programs to help wounded soldiers.

Fifth, donate to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. This means you. It takes less than five minutes. Every little bit, even $1, helps. To donate online, go to fallenheroesfund.org.

Our men and women in uniform lay their lives on the line every day to protect us and we must do whatever is within our power to protect them. Although it is too late to save Private Dwyer, we still have a chance to ensure that every American soldier has the happy ending they deserve.

 

MIKE HOWER just donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. He hopes you will do the same. Contact him at mahower@ucdavis.edu.

POLICE BRIEFS

City Editor
-
0

TUESDAY

 

But it wasn’t a hot day?

A homeless person was cooking something on the sidewalk on C Street.

 

Creepy bush man

Two people were walking dogs on Danbury Street when a subject jumped out of the bushes and started following them.

 

WEDNESDAY

 

Entertainment in Davis

Juveniles were gathered in the underpass on East Covell Boulevard for some unknown reason, but an individual heard objects being thrown at the wall.

 

THURSDAY

 

Door-to-door oregano salesman

An individual was banging on doors attempting to sell “something green” on Greene Terrace.

 

SATURDAY

 

You know you’re a redneck when…

A vehicle was parked on a lawn on Linden Lane.

 

Possum. It’s what’s for dinner.

A raccoon or opossum was stuck in an attic on Drew Circle.

 

To infinity, and beyond!

A subject was using laser beams and pointing them into windows on Lake Boulevard.

 

SUNDAY

 

Drill here, drill now!

An unknown suspect was siphoning gas from a vehicle during the night on Whittier Drive.

 

It’s those violent video games

A 12-year-old girl had a knife on Moore Boulevard.

 

Davis Window Washers, Inc.

Juveniles were urinating on a building on Sycamore Lane.

 

POLICE BRIEFS are compiled by JEREMY OGUL from the public logs of the Davis Police Department and represent the official version of what happened. The crime blotter can is online at cityofdavis.org/police/log. This segment appears every Tuesday.

Global warming will continue for a millennium, study says

City Editor
-
0

The fight against global warming will not be brief. While scientists weren’t expecting Earth to reenter equilibrium tomorrow, new research shows the ecosystem will not cool for another 1,000 years.

A report published in last week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences examines carbon dioxide emissions and its effects on the climate system. Susan Solomon, one of the article’s four authors and a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said they hoped to see what effect carbon dioxide buildup has on temperature, as well as rainfall and sea level.

“We were surprised to realize that the climate changes turn out to be irreversible once the carbon buildup has occurred,” Solomon said. “That makes it different from most other pollution problems like haze. In those problems you can stop emitting if you choose to and watch the improvement happen.“

Even if emissions stop right now, the effects of carbon particles already in the atmosphere will continue to be felt because of the connectedness of the system. The study showed that the way the ocean retains carbon dioxide will keep the globe warm longer than expected.

Howard Spero, a UC Davis professor in geology and paleoceanography, said various climate processes interact to stabilize the climate. Because of these feedbacks, the climate system will stay stable for a long time.

“The climate system changes relatively slowly compared to the average human life span,” Spero said. “It’s like a big chugging engine.“

He said a big engine pushed onto another track will stay on that new track for a long time.

Because emissions aren’t going anywhere, it is especially important to limit the impact we have. Spero said the potential levels mentioned in the report have not been seen in human history, leading to an analog problem. The effects are unknown because there is nothing to compare it to, but the report made some predictions.

Currently, atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations are near 385 parts per million by volume. Spero said pre-Industrial Revolution equilibrium was about 300 ppmv. If concentration reaches 450-600 ppmv over the coming century, the report predicted less rainfall will lead to drought similar to the “dust bowl,” and melting grounded polar ice will raise sea level.

“The less we put in, the less irreversible change we will be locking into,” Solomon said. “Or if we choose to emit even more, we’ll be locking in to big changes for future generations; I’m not saying what to choose but I am saying we should be aware of our choices.“

The study’s findings regarding sea level rise and drought are sound, but could be controversial since they rely on climate models, said atmospheric science professor Bryan Weare.

While the conclusion sounds dire, Solomon said she is optimistic. She said existing technology, research and development hold a lot of promise.

Spero said the United States leads the world in per capita carbon emissions. He said we all need to help solve this problem.

“We have to do a lot more in this country to come up with much more fuel efficiency,” Spero said. “It takes citizens in this country to take a deep breath and say, ‘I’m going to change.‘”

 

ELYSSA THOME can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Former UCD police officer alleges discrimination

Campus Editor
-
1

Former UC Davis Police officer Calvin Chang filed a lawsuit yesterday against the University of California Regents and UC Davis Police Chief Annette Spicuzza alleging racial and sexual orientation discrimination, retaliation, fraud and breach of contract. He is seeking $3 million in damages.

Chang, an openly gay Asian American, alleges he was subjected to harassment including homophobic slurs, a death threat and retaliation by his superiors after filing complaints.

Chang, a UC Davis alumnus from 1992, has a long history of difficulties with the UCDPD. First hired in 2002, Chang was terminated during his probationary period in 2003 and termed a “high risk” officer for his involvement in three traffic accidents at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.

However, Sacramento police records show only two accidents, both of which were determined not to be Chang’s fault. After Chang filed a complaint with Vice Chancellor of Administration Stan Nosek for discrimination, UCDPD reinstated him in Nov. 2003, citing “some confusion” on the matter.

Chang alleged that after the department discovered his sexual orientation, his supervisor referred to him as “fucking fag” – a claim that was confirmed by two other officers present at the time, Chang said. That supervisor was later promoted to internal affairs.

Immediately after his reinstatement, Chang claims he was the victim of further harassment and discrimination.

“Internal Affairs launched an investigation against me my first day back on the job in 2003 alleging I was insubordinate for talking about my discrimination complaint,” Chang said.

Chang also received a handwritten death threat after returning to work. Police Chief Annette Spicuzza said she “could not identify” which officer wrote the note and in response to complaints of discrimination, Chang alleges she asked him “Why don’t you leave?,” according to a press release sent out by Chang’s attorney.

Chang filed a civil suit against the UC regents in 2005 for discrimination and harassment. In April 2008, he agreed to leave the department as part of a $240,000 settlement in which the university promised to stop all internal affairs investigations and remove various entries in his personnel file, Chang said.

“I agreed because the city of Davis [Police Department] was doing my background investigation,” Chang said. “But after they looked over my personnel file they decided not to hire me.“

Chang alleges that in a breach of the settlement contract, UCDPD put over 100 pages of content in his file without telling him.

“That is illegal to do without giving the officer time to respond,” he said. “They ruined my career.“

The current lawsuit names Police Chief Annette Spicuzza specifically in addition to the regents due to her role in crafting the allegedly breached contract.

“The university has not yet been served with that lawsuit,” said Julia Ann Easley, UC Davis spokesperson.

Chief Spicuzza and the UCDPD did return requests for comment by press time.

“The misrepresentations that were made were primarily by [Spicuzza],” said Anthony Luti, Chang’s attorney of the Luti Law Firm in Los Angeles. “She sat in the settlement meeting and knew exactly what was supposed to happen.“

While the money has already been paid out, Chang is seeking to rescind that agreement.

“He agreed to it because he thought he would be able to continue living his life as a police officer,” Luti said. “What he didn’t realize is that the things that were not disclosed to him in his file were basically career suicide.“

The settlement was reported to the Board of Regents‘ Committee on Finance, but university policy dictates that settlements below $250,000 don’t need board approval.

“You don’t pay someone that kind of money if your case is meritless,” Luti said.

 

Two weeks after the settlement, the university notified Chang it would be purchasing back his home of 10 years in Aggie Village, for which he holds a 99-year lot lease.

“I started looking for an attorney the moment they started to take my house,” Chang said. “They wanted to buy it at half the value and I never would have sold that house, it’s priceless to me.“

After Chang filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the university agreed to cease the action. In a letter to Chang, Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef explained the incident as “a result of administrative error” and that there was “no evidence these actions were intended to be retaliatory,” according to Chang’s press release.

“Between 2006 and 2007 I wrote at least three e-mail complaints to [Chancellor Vanderhoef] asking him to stop the retaliation but he never did,” Chang said. “I got the e-mail read receipts from him but he never sent back a reply.“

Chang said that over the course of his employment, he filed several written complaints with the university.

UC Davis has a set process for dealing with employee complaints beginning with a departmental review, followed by a step two appeal done outside the department, said Dawn Capp, assistant director of employee and labor relations for UC Davis.

“Some allegations are eligible for a step three and discrimination usually is one that is,” Capp said. “Step three is often at the Office of the President level. Step four is binding arbitration.“

Out of over 20 acts of alleged retaliation, Chang took several to step two and one to step three, which could have gone to final arbitration but was resolved by the settlement, Chang said.

“The university denied each and every act of harassment,” Chang said.

Chang claims that following his reinstatement, he was put under surveillance and routinely followed by a supervisor while on duty. Chang, who says in 22 years as an officer he has never had a citizen complaint, also contends that the department unsuccessfully solicited citizens to file complaints against him.

Chang is seeking upwards of $3 million in damages for loss of his career, emotional distress, his public safety pension as well as reinstatement to his position with UCDPD.

“I’ve spent my entire life at Davis,” Chang said. “There’s nothing as great as being in my dream career, patrolling where I was a student, driving by the tree where I studied.

“On top of that, no other police department will hire me because I made a complaint.“

Luti said the next step is to serve the defendants, after which they will have 30 days to respond. The parties will then go to a case management conference. Luti predicts a trial date in one to one and a half years.

ALYSOUN BONDE can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

ASUCD Senate elections kick off

Campus Editor
-
0

Barack Obama may already be president, but in less than three weeks, UC Davis students have another important vote to cast.

ASUCD elections will take place beginning at 8 a.m. on Feb. 18 and 19 online and at the Memorial Union. Students will vote to replace half of the senate’s twelve members whose terms expire winter quarter, as well as for the ASUCD president and vice president. In addition, students will approve or defeat three ballot measures: The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) and two constitutional amendment measures.

 

The Basics

 

Sixteen senate candidates and two candidates each for ASUCD president and vice president have submitted petitions by last week’s deadline with the required 125 valid signatures, bringing the total number of senate candidates to twenty for the winter quarter election cycle.

In addition to petitions, candidates also submit candidate statements and information on their platform issues. The ASUCD Elections Committee provides each with 500 copies of platform fliers, and arranges for 30-second commercials on AGTV as well as KDVS Radio to air the week of elections.

Each candidate will be held to a $250 spending limit, must disclose all donations and provide the Elections Committee with receipts for all expenditures.

Students will select candidates through a choice-voting system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. If a student’s first choice candidate wins with votes to spare or fails to meet a minimum vote threshold, that student’s vote goes toward their next choice candidate.

 

A competitive season

 

The L.E.A.D. slate-the oldest remaining student slate-is fielding six senate candidates and an executive ticket. Two newly formed slates, ACT and HEAD, will field three and two candidates, respectively, while an additional five senate candidates will run as independents. The current Senate is composed of ten L.E.A.D. and two independent senators.

Independent presidential and vice presidential candidates Joseph Chatham and Chris Dietrich will compete against L.E.A.D candidates Rebecca Schwartz and Lula Ahmed-Falol. All executive ticket candidates are current or former senators.

Dietrich, a former member of the now-defunct GO slate, said he is running as an independent because of the slate system’s failure to represent all students.

“Over my time in ASUCD, I sort of felt that the slate system has gone by the wayside…competition had gotten to an unhealthy point that didn’t bring anything positive,” Dietrich said. “I felt enough viewpoints weren’t being brought in. With L.E.A.D. being so powerful, I sort of felt that enough viewpoints weren’t being brought in.“

Dietrich’s viewpoint was echoed by other independent candidates. But Lula Ahmed-Falol, L.E.A.D.‘s vice presidential candidate, believes that the slate system still brings important experience and support.

“As far as student government goes, I think it’s important to have more than one slate and independents. [But] the reason I choose L.E.A.D. is that it provides a solid foundation; an institutional memory, because people who have been around, who have made mistakes, are there so that we don’t make them again…It’s much more efficient to get things done when I’m part of an organization that shares the same goals as me,“ Ahmed-Falol said.

Regardless of party, observers are excited at the prospects of a twenty-candidate competition.

“What’s cool this time around is that we have three slates, and a host of independent candidates who are going to be competitive,” said Elections Committee chair Adam Thongsavat. “This election coming up is really important…TGIF is going to be hugely controversial since it’s a four dollar student fee increase (it’s around forty dollars right now) and they’re going to argue that it’s a really big amount to charge students.“

ASUCD Senators are responsible for approving the budget that funds student-run organizations, most noticeably Unitrans and the ASUCD Coffee House, and work to initiate new projects and legislation. Overall, they function as the liaison between students and the administration.

“As a senator, you have more of an ability to contact important people and make sure that student interests, not business or other interests, are first to the administration,” said Arielle “Elle” Segal, a L.E.A.D. senate candidate.

 

Ballot Measures

 

The Green Initiative Fund, or TGIF, proposes a four dollar increase on student fees in order to “involve and educate students by empowering them to develop, propose, and enact sustainable projects,” according to the initiative‘s mission statement.

“Student government can do more [about the environment]; the university can follow the students‘ lead in doing that,” said ACT senatorial candidate Will Klein.

The measure is supported enthusiastically by the independent executive ticket, while others are more reluctant to lend their support.

“I don’t support it. The difficult thing with not supporting TGIF is, how do you say no without looking like someone who is anti-environment? I’m against it because there is a student fee increase, which is very fiscally irresponsible. Also it was very rushed,” said Ahmed-Falol.

But supporters say that TGIF is an opportunity for student leadership.

“It lets students apply for grants to work on sustainable projects. They get experience in project management … [and] take an active role in improving our campus,“ Dietrich said.

The ballot measure requires at least 20 percent of students to vote, with 60 percent plus one voting yes.

Students will also be voting on the external representation amendment, which will, according to its language, “protect ASUCD from external organizations seeking to collect membership dues through fee referendums.” In addition, a student government advisor amendment seeks to remove the position of advisor from the constitution and bylaws.

 

Debates and Forums

 

The California Aggie and the Elections Committee will again joint-sponsor a senate candidates‘ debate, which will take place at the Coho, beginning at noon on Feb. 11. A dorm forum will follow at 7 p.m. in the Thompson lounge in Segundo North.

The presidential/vice presidential ticket debates, as well as debates over proposed ballot measures, will take place on Feb. 12 at the Coho, while the accompanying dorm forum will be held on Feb. 17 at Tercero main lounge at 7 p.m.

The debates will follow a new format introduced by Thongsavat and the Elections Committee last election cycle.

“In the past, our debates have been way too general. [This time] if they give us the run-around, we have follow-up questions to get substantive answers,” Thongsavat said.

The debates will begin with a question and answer period in which candidates will be asked general questions as well as ones related to their specific platform issues. This will be followed by a “show of hands” portion in which candidates will agree or disagree with questions fielded by the moderator, and will finish with candidates taking questions from the audience.

Students can view candidate statements, platform fliers, TGIF and the proposed constitutional amendments at the Student Government Accountability Office (SGAO) located on the third floor of Memorial Union. Students can vote online at elections.ucdavis.edu.

 

ANDRE LEE can be reached at campus@theaggie.org. 

 

Local journalists discuss reporting in Latin America

Campus Editor
-
0

Susan Ferriss and Ricardo Sandoval usually ask the questions. This time UC Davis students, staff and faculty interviewed them.

As foreign correspondents in Latin America, the married journalists have interviewed powerful people including Vicente Fox and Hugo Chavez. They spent decades living and working in Latin America and now work for The Sacramento Bee.

Ferriss and Sandoval were on campus for the most recent brown bag lunch presented by the Hemispheric Institute on the Americas. HIA brings in speakers from various fields to discuss Latin America in its lunchtime meetings.

“We hope to spark interest in Latin America and link people who are interested,” said Chuck Walker, director of HIA.

The couple discussed their experiences in Mexico, Columbia and Venezuela, as well as journalism itself. Sandoval said they enjoyed a full spectrum of experiences, from talking to townspeople to hosting diplomats.

“It’s important to do that to get that added perspective,” Sandoval said. “The main thing that really sold the experience for me though, that made it life changing, was that we got to go out and talk to a lot of average people.“

Sandoval and Ferris both said being a part of the community and spending time in the country they were covering helped them to find interesting stories editors back in the states wouldn’t know about. They discussed stories about the funeral of a U.S. Marine in Mexico and a man who became an archeologist despite humble origins selling trinkets to tourists near ancient ruins.

“These are dream jobs for reporters because you are on your own and it’s pure journalism,” Ferriss said. “You go out and get the stories.“

As Ferriss and Sandoval described the interesting and exciting places they’ve lived and covered, they also talked about the state of print journalism now. Ferriss recited a long list of positions for foreign correspondents that have disappeared.

“There are still reporters obviously covering the region, but what we consider professional journalists, there are fewer and fewer,” she said. “The vast majority of those jobs are gone.“

When the couple opened the floor to questions, the audience asked more about journalism in Latin America than the region itself.

“Ten years ago this would have been more on Mexico per se,” Walker said. “Today it was more on journalism.“

Ferriss and Sandoval currently live in Davis, making for an easy commute. Walker said the university community should take advantage of the valuable resources in the city of Davis.

In addition to writing for the Bee, Sandoval and Ferriss also recently co-authored the book, The Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the Farmworker’s Movement. Ferriss covers immigration and Sandoval is an assistant editor at The Sacramento Bee.

HIA’s next brown bag lunch will be Feb. 11. Jesus de Loera, a professor of mathematics at UC Davis, will talk on the topic “Practicing Math and Science in Latin America.“

 

ELYSSA THOME can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

Aggies impress indoors

Sports Editor
-
0

Abbreviations are big in track and field. There’s the typical W (win), there’s PR (personal record) and its relatives MR (meet record), NR (national record), and WR (world record) and the less pleasant DQ (disqualified) and DNF (did not finish).

For senior Kaitlin Gregg, what mattered after her 3,000m race was just a simple P – for provisional national qualifier.

“The race was a good birthday present,” said the now 22-year-old Gregg. “It was a really fast heat. There was an Olympian in the race, so they went out hard from the front. I was sitting in the middle to back and just went along for the ride and tried to keep moving up. I was really happy with it. It was a good PR, a good way to open.”

Gregg will now have to wait to see if her provisional mark of 9:32.87 – the No. 2 mark in school history – holds up to qualify her for nationals. She will shoot for a qualifier in the 5,000m – an event more suited to her – when the team returns to Washington in two weeks.

Just before Gregg hit the track, senior Lorin Scott had her own heat of the 3,000m. She put on a dominating performance to PR in 9:46.13, which is now third on the all-time list.

“Lorin did all the work,” said coach Deanne Vochatzer. “She lead wire to wire, except about 200m when a BYU girl passed her and then Lorin passed her right back. It’s been a while since she’s raced, so that’s really exciting.”

Off the track, throwers Chid Onyewuenyi and Ashley Hearn doubled in the shot put and weight throw, with the duo moving to No. 2 and No. 3 on the all-time list.

In her first time in the event, Hearn dominated her flight with a 16.83m throw (and had another at just 10cm back). The veteran Onyewuenyi let loose a 17.11m after two opening fouls, placing fourth in a flight won by another Olympian.

The Aggies notched two heat wins in the sprints, one of which impacted the all-time list. Senior Nicole Theus clocked 25.74 in the 200m to solidify her No. 3 spot, and junior Ugo Eke won her two-woman heat of the 400m in 57.41.

“For our first meet,” Vochatzer said, “being back in school three weeks and all that good stuff, we are way ahead of where we were last year at this time by far. We’re coming back in two weeks; we’ll add Kimmy Conley – add a really good 5,000m – and move Kaitlin and Lorin up as well.

“We didn’t run our 4x400m relay because, again, we’re just coming back in off break. We’ll come up in two weeks and run it. This really tells us where we are and gives everyone some good focus on where they are and what they need to do.”

 

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

Aggies put the ‘stand’ in homestand

Sports Editor
-
0

Entering this weekend’s matches, the Aggies weren’t sure what direction the rest of their season would go.

On Wednesday, the UC Davis women’s tennis team fell 7-0 to No. 10 Stanford, pushing their overall record under .500 for the first time this season.

But as Friday rolled around, the Aggies knew exactly where they were headed, knocking off Santa Clara, 5-2, before blanking UC Santa Cruz on Sunday, 7-0.

Friday – UC Davis 5, Santa Clara 2

It was a perfect home opener for the Aggies on Friday.

The sun was out, fans were in the stands and at the end of the day, a W on the scoreboard.

In the early going, the Aggies were split at 1-1 in doubles play, with the final deciding point still up for grabs.

The No. 2 Aggie duo of Herzyl Legaspi and Dahra Zamudio were squaring off with Broncos Myra Davoudi and Courtney Hull. The Aggies fell behind 6-5 early, but grabbed three out of four games to earn the 8-6 victory and give UC Davis a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.

As the first singles finished play, the victory was already sealed up for Aggies.

Zamudio was the first single to check in, as the freshman cruised with a pair of 6-0 wins. About five minutes later, Randi Schuler checked in at No. 1 with a 6-2, 6-1 finish. Desiree Stone then took care of business at the No. 2, earning a two set win, 6-2, 6-3.

At 4-0, the trio had guaranteed the Aggies a win, with a final victory coming at the No. 6 with Jessica Harris.

“We have a pretty good rivalry with UC Davis,” said Broncos coach Ben Cabell. “We’re pretty even with them so we knew we’re going to have to play our best.”

 

Schuler, Stone and Zamudio each earned a pair of victories for UC Davis. The lone two-win performance for the Broncos came from Carmen Pham.

 

Saturday – UC Davis 7, UC Santa Cruz 0

After Friday’s convincing win, momentum helped the Aggies cruise past the Banana Slugs in shutout fashion.

UC Davis outscored UC Santa Cruz in singles play 72-8 and 24-4 in doubles.

Schuler led the way for the Aggies, going 6-0, 6-0 over No. 1 Taylor Mannix.

“Our No. 1 is very tough,” said coach Bill Maze. “She had a good year last year, and I’m looking at her to be very strong for us this year.”

 

With the win, the Aggies improved to 4-3 overall. The loss keeps the Slugs winless, dropping them to 0-2.

The women’s tennis team will return to the court on Thursday as they travel to San Francisco to take on the Dons. San Francisco won its opening match of the season over Cal Baptist on Friday.

 

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

Tiger-bitten: Women’s basketball falls to Pacific

Sports Editor
-
0

Coach Sandy Simpson stressed one major point after his team’s 63-60 loss to Pacific on Saturday night: rebounding.

“The second half came down to rebounding,” Simpson said. “They got too many second chances.”

Pacific dominated UC Davis on the boards, outrebounding the Aggies 17-9 on the offensive glass and 37-27 overall as the Tigers proved to be too much.

“I thought we controlled the tempo early on,” Simpson said, whose Aggies led for much of the first half. “But they came back. It was a combination of three bad luck turnovers and a couple of regular turnovers.”

The Aggies (7-12, 3-5) and the Tigers (11-9, 5-3) played close throughout the first period of play, as there were nine lead changes and three ties. Pacific took a 31-30 advantage into the locker room.

Pacific came out strong in the second half, but UC Davis came back to hold a three-point lead with 8:40 remaining.

Thirty-five seconds later, senior Whitney Price scored on a fast break lay-up to give the Tigers a lead that they would not let go.

The Aggies had possession down three with 16 seconds to play, but the Tigers’ defense clamped down, as the Aggies were not able to get a shot off in the final seconds.

“We had the ball down three,” Simpson said. “Genevieve [Costello] had a look early but passed it up trying to run the set. Kasey [Riecks] had a slight opening but she wasn’t sure if she could [get the shot off]. With three or four seconds left, they closed down and denied the shot.”

Sophomore Paige Mintun led all scorers with 17 points. She also contributed six rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

Riecks also played well for the Aggies, scoring 14 points in a team-high 37 minutes.

Pacific was led offensively by senior Janae Young’s 15 points. She also contributed on the defensive side of the ball with six steals.

UC Davis shot 44.9 percent from the floor while Pacific was at 41.1 percent. The Aggies went 8-for-17 (47.1 percent) from beyond the arc.

The Aggies are half way through their conference schedule, and roster-wise, are still where they were a couple of weeks ago. They will go with only eight or nine players every night.

Freshman Lisa Peterson is working her way back into the mix after returning from injury. She played one minute against the Tigers.

“Lisa is coming back from injury,” Simpson said. “She is working on getting her timing back.”

Despite the loss, the Aggies showed resiliency in losing by only three points at the Alex G. Spanos Center – a place where the Tigers were 9-0 prior to Saturday’s contest, beating their opponents by an average of over 10 points per game.

“There is frustration in the sense that we are all competitive,” Simpson said. “We all want to win. The players need to understand that the only way we fail is if we get beaten down by tough losses. I don’t see this team giving up.

“If we had been discouraged after the losses at Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, I would be concerned. But we worked hard this week. We are getting stronger and stronger with the passing weeks, and I think we will continue to get better as we head to March.”

 

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

Swimming knocks off Cal State Bakersfield

Sports Editor
-
0

Men’s coach Pete Motekaitis said Saturday’s dual with Cal State Bakersfield made for a good day at the Schaal Aquatics Center.

That could be called an understatement.

Both UC Davis‘ men’s and women’s teams posted decisive victories, knocking off the Roadrunners 160-117 and 162-123, respectively.

The men’s dual record improved to 8-3 with the win, while the women moved to 8-10. UC Davis swept the first nine events of the day before racing the remaining events in exhibition.

This marks the third straight Aggies sweep the ‘Runners, and the sixth consecutive season that the women have overpowered Bakersfield in duals.

“We were better then we were at Pacific, which means we are heading in a positive direction,” Motekaitis said.

Sophomore Linda Hermann and junior Ross Underwood each won multiple individual events.

Hermann won the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard freestyle in times of 1:00.57 and 54.29, respectively.

Underwood dominated the sprint events, winning the 50- (21.23), 100- (46.44), and 200-yard freestyles (1:42.88).

The women were able to showcase some of their young talent, as four freshmen won individual events. Kayleigh Foley won the 200 free and Jodi Hanson took the 200 fly while Katelyn Griffin and Buffy Ajimura claimed the 50 free and 500 free, respectively.

Seniors Emily Medved and Mary Struempf also won individual events, taking first place in the 200 IM and the 100 breast, respectively.

As did freshmen, Keegan Groot in the 200 breast, and and Reid Hartz 200 fly.

Other winners for the men’s were Scott Weltz in the 200 back, Kyle Anderson in the 200 breast and BJ Scoogan in the 200 IM.

The men also swept the competitive 100-yard freestyle, with Underwood winning the race and Scoogan just out-touching teammates Trent Richardson and Derek Baldwin to claim the second spot.

Also making an impact in the pool was the diving team. The meet marked the return of the squad after a two-month hiatus. Sophomore Paul Navo won multiple events, claiming victory in the low board and high board with scores of 246.90 and 263.18.

The Aggies will hit the water at the Schaal Aquatics Center once again on Saturday, as they host Big West Conference rival UC Irvine. The dual begins at noon, and will pay tribute to the UC Davis seniors.

“Irvine will be good,” Motekaitis said. “They have a fantastic dual team, and will definitely keep our hands full. Going against them will hopefully end our [regular] season on a positive note.“

ANDREA GUTIERREZ can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Second half woes cost UC Davis another win

Sports Editor
-
0

The UC Davis men’s basketball team closed the first half of its conference schedule with a second half it’d rather soon forget.

Pacific responded from a 30-26 halftime deficit to shoot 67.9 percent from floor out of the break, outscoring the Aggies 26-4 in the paint to roll to an 80-65 win at the Pavilion on Saturday night.

“I thought they were far more aggressive than us in the second half,” said coach Gary Stewart. “We didn’t stop them. That was the difference in the game.”

It was the second straight outing in which UC Davis saw a second-half home lead unfold for a loss.

With 16:33 remaining, Vince Oliver hit a three-pointer to give the Aggies their biggest lead of the night, 37-31. Pacific then went on a 16-0 run over the next 4:23 to take a controlling 10-point lead.

Ryan Silva and Oliver answered with back-to-back three-pointers to start an 8-2 run, but the Tigers staved off the Aggies by turning it on defensively, allowing only two field goals in the final 10:39 of the game.

“It hurts,” Mark Payne said of the loss, which took place one week after the team saw Cal Poly come back from a 16-point second-half hole. “To be up at halftime and just let it go – it seems like it’s happening too much. It just hurts.”

Oliver continued his standout senior season, tying a career high with six 3-pointers on eight attempts to lead all scorers with 20 points. Payne had 13 points, and Dominic Calegari and David Carter added 11 and 10, respectively.

Chad Troyer scored a team-high 16 points for Pacific (12-7, 5-3), which moved to third place in the Big West behind Cal State Northridge (9-10, 6-3).

The loss dropped the Aggies to 9-12 overall and 4-4 in Big West play, two games behind league leader Long Beach State (11-9, 6-2). UC Davis opens up the second half of its conference schedule when it meets the 49ers on Thursday in Long Beach.

“I’m confident that we will do better in the second half,” Stewart said. “I’m excited. …We’re looking forward to next week. We’ve got a lot of basketball left.”

 

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

Still waiting

Sports Editor
-
0

Vince Oliver threw it up. Mark Payne slammed it down.

That was only the beginning.

Payne stole the ball from Pacific’s Brian LeDuc on the next possession, running the length of the floor to fight his way to the free throw stripe for a chance to give UC Davis the lead late in the first half.

An already rowdy Pavilion crowd was on its feet. Payne was high-fiving every fan in sight. And with that, after hitting both free throws, it looked as if the Stockton, Calif. native was on his way to helping the Aggies to their first win over his hometown Pacific Tigers since 1940.

Then things changed.

A 30-26 halftime lead quickly went awry, as Pacific shot 67.9 percent in the second session and held UC Davis to six field goals en route to handing the Aggies their 46th straight loss to the Tigers, 80-65.

“It hurts,” Payne said. “To be up at halftime and let it go – it just hurts.“

There was plenty of hurting to go around, as the Aggies had a tough time making the necessary adjustments to slow down the Tigers.

This was particularly evident inside the paint. UC Davis didn’t have an answer for Pacific’s entry passes into the post, as the Tigers built a 40-16 advantage inside (26-4 in the second half).

“They kept us off balance, and then we got tentative,” said coach Gary Stewart. “They were able to put the ball in the paint with the dribble [in the second half], where in the first half, they were coming off the on-ball and passing it into the paint.

“The guy coming off the on-ball in the second half put it in himself in the paint. That was the adjustment they made.“

UC Davis had no such luck making adjustments, losing its intensity in the second half for the second straight game. The Aggies also saw a first-half advantage turn into second-half disappointment last Saturday against Cal Poly.

Last week’s loss to the Mustangs, however, didn’t keep a 68-year losing streak alive. Saturday’s defeat did.

“Tonight, Pacific was better, and you’ve got to give credit to a team that was better,” Stewart said. “But tomorrow’s another day. …Our program is not measured by one game. We’re trying to get the upper echelon of the conference. We’re trying to win the conference. We’re going to have to beat a lot of people to meet those goals.“

Beating a lot of people would include the Tigers, but not solely the Tigers.

“If we were to win the Pacific game and lose the rest of our games, that’s not a very good conference season for us,” Stewart said. “Conversely, if we win all of our games except the two Pacific games and win the conference championship, we’d sign up for that every single time.“

That said, making some adjustments to put the wraps on a 46-game losing streak to Pacific would be nice, too.

“In league, you’ve got to make adjustments from game to game,” Oliver said. “We’ve got to adjust to go out and win.“

What does UC Davis need to do to win the Big West Conference? What does it have to do differently to beat Pacific when the two schools meet again on Feb. 25 in Stockton?

“A lot of things,” Stewart said.

Like maintaining the aggressiveness and toughness necessary to handle the Tigers for 40 minutes? Making adjustments on the fly to prevent Pacific from dominating inside once again?

“We’ve got to be more consistent,” Stewart said, “but it’s one game. …Until they tell me something different, I think if we win the rest of our games, we play in the NCAA Tournament. That was the same way it was before I came in the building tonight. Nothing has changed.“

 

ADAM LOBERSTEIN doesn’t use this space to make shout-outs – until now, because someone shouted at him (and everyone else in attendance on Saturday for that matter). Here’s to the dude who sat across from the Aggie Pack wearing “The Heckler” t-shirt for single handedly out-yelling the entire west side of the Pavilion. Loberstein can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Aggies start strong in Washington

Sports Editor
-
0

The Aggie men brought one distance runner up to Washington for Saturday’s season debut. They returned home with one school record.

After redshirting the cross country season due to injury, sophomore Jonathan Peterson returned to action in style, clocking 8:16.99 to take third in his heat of the 3,000m. Already No. 2 in the outdoor 3,000m, his time crushed the old indoor mark held by former Aggie great Chris Ferren-Cirino (2007).

“It was great getting back into competition,” Peterson said. “It’s been a while since I put the jersey on, so I was excited from the get-go. To come out and perform like that is a pretty good way to start the season.”

The 60m hurdles, unsurprisingly, saw two strong efforts from junior Jazz Trice and senior Poly Gnepa. Both advanced to the finals, where they placed third and fourth, respectively, losing only to athletes who competed at the 2008 Olympic Trials. Trice set a PR in the heats before setting another PR in the finals, clocking 8.04 to move to just .01 behind Gnepa’s school record from 2007.

The field event highlight came from junior Ben Nelson in the high jump. In his first competition in over a year, Nelson cleared 2.00m (6-6.75) on his first attempt to tie for seventh.

“Ben was off last year,” said coach Jon Vochatzer. “He went 6-11 for us two years ago. He was going to go on a church mission outside the U.S. [after that] but things didn’t work out.

“He returned to school this year, after not jumping for over a year, not even getting to a pad. So he came out for the first time jumping in a year and pops 6-8. Once he gets his timing down – once he has that – I think he’ll go seven-plus feet. He’s a talented athlete.”

Though forgoing the 4x400m, the relay core saw four Aggies – Nolan Frazier, Thomas Phillips, Alex Wilright and Micah Grant – contest the open 400m, though all in separate heats. Phillips led the group with a 49.43 for third in his heat, and Wilright was second in his with a 49.48

“For our first indoor meet since last year,” Vochatzer said, “I wasn’t sure what we were going to go after, but we had a really good meet overall. I’m really pleased. I think the kids are really pleased. It’s nice to come back to this spot and really do something.

“We were always in the shadow of the big schools, and it’s really nice to be a part of the action and be a part of all the heavy hitters, and have all the other coaches recognize that. That’s what really nice.”

 

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

Students Rally Around SOLD Project

Features Editor
-
0

According to the Thai Red Cross Society, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 children are sold into the sex trade in Thailand. Half as many are estimated to be trafficked into the United States. Even in our very own country, children as young as two years old are exploited, and coerced into performing sex and oral sex acts well beyond their years. Now, the question remains – what can we do to stop it?

On Thursday evening, over 450 students packed into 194 Chemistry in support of the SOLD movement, a grassroots awareness and prevention program which is gaining national steam. Composed of several short film clips and an interactive discussion, the movement is simple in design but clear in purpose: to empower individuals to stop child prostitution before it begins.

“The film’s goal is to raise awareness,” said Rachel Goble, the project’s 25-year-old executive director and associate producer, who works alongside founder Rachel Sparks to personally spearhead the movement.

“We chose Thailand as the first film project because it is known as a sex tourism destination; there are literally cities in Thailand where you don’t go there except to have sex,” she said.

The program began with several performances from students and local artists who contributed their music, poetry, and words of hope for the cause, and continued with series of film clips, including one which introduces eleven year old “Cat,” a young girl from Thailand who sparked the inspiration for the projects beginnings.

“The nonprofit was established in reaction to a young girl’s story, her name is Cat, and Cat showed us the hope that exists in prevention,” Goble said. “She really was the inspiration for our scholarship program, and so we founded our nonprofit to be able to provide scholarships to children in Thailand.”

In light of the country’s desolate poverty, most Thai villagers cannot afford to send their children to school. As a young, at-risk child, Cat’s dreams of getting an education and becoming a national athlete inspired the SOLD movement’s hope that education is the key to preventing children from being sold into prostitution.

The campus project was funded with the help of a grant from ASUCD’s Ethnic and Cultural Affairs commission, and currently seven on campus organizations are directly involved with the SOLD project, including the International Justice Foundation and Intervarsity Christian Fellowship that co-hosted the event.

“We had an overwhelming number of volunteers helping out, and were one of the first schools to request this project,” said Nicki Sun, a junior communication major and publicity coordinator for the event.

“A lot of the volunteers were from Intervarsity, or International Justice Mission. Then we had volunteers from Alpha Phi Omega, Amnesty International, I Heart Justice, and…people like me who weren’t part of a certain organization that just heard about it and wanted to help out,” she said.

Sun was one of many to herald the success of the event, and encourage more students to continue getting involved in the cause.

“Even being involved in a tour like this, it just shows that UC Davis is compassionate about social justice issues,” she said.

Sparks emphasized the importance of getting the word out.

“Just continue talking about it,” Sparks said. “What gets us through this is just telling their stories – that there is hope in this. It’s a real gift to be a college student, and education is so important in what you learn, what you choose to learn, and what you care about. Take advantage of it. Make yourself aware. The more eyes there are to see this, the more chance we have of stopping it from happening.”

To find out more about the SOLD project and what you can do to help, visit www.thesoldproject.com.

 

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

1...1,6231,6241,625...1,787Page 1,624 of 1,787

Sections

Campus News
City News
Opinion
Features
Español
Arts & Culture
Science & Tech

Resources

Advertising
Classifieds
Contact

Best of Davis

2023
2022
2021
2020
2019

Projects

Diversity Report
Senior Issue

©2021, ASUCD. Designed by Creative Media.