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Adam Loberstein

Sports Editor
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You’re sitting at the dining room table with your family on Thanksgiving, waiting for your turn to rattle off that list of things you’ll be giving thanks to so you can eat.

You have that list down cold.

Family, friends, being in good health – same story, different year. To make matters more exciting, everyone in your family has the same list as you. Every year. Go figure.

I’m changing things up with a sequel to the usual Thanksgiving list – UC Davis Aggies style.

Given the memorable fall quarter that was for UC Davis athletics, there’s plenty more to be thankful for this year.

Men’s soccer: First team to qualify for the NCAA Division I Tournament, check. First to make back-to-back tournaments and host – then win- a home playoff game, check and check.

The things the UC Davis men’s soccer team has done in just two years on the Division I scene is nothing short of remarkable.

The Aggies, ranked as high as No. 7 nationally, advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finished their campaign at an impressive 13-5-4.

Seniors Quincy Amarikwa and Dylan Curtis were named the Big West Conference’s Offensive Player and Midfielder of the Year, respectively.

The season the men’s soccer team had was one to be remembered. Expect the accolades to keep rolling this program’s way for years to come.

Women’s volleyball: It isn’t easy to step into a bad situation and turn it into a good one all at once.

Jamie Holmes sure tried to.

In her first year as UC Davis’ women’s volleyball coach, Holmes led the Aggies to 12 wins – as many as they had in their previous three years combined.

Men’s golf: Saying the UC Davis men’s golf team dominated its fall schedule would be an understatement.

The Aggies finished in the top two in five of their six tournaments, including a second-place showing against a loaded Prestige at PGA West field to push their way to No. 20 in the nation.

Three different individuals – sophomore Austin Graham and seniors Nate Pistacchio and Ramie Sprinkling – picked up individual victories.

No need to wait till next fall to watch this team build on the success it had; the Aggies resume their 2008-2009 season on Feb. 4 at Hawaii-Hilo’s Waikoloa Invitational.

Kim Conley and Kaitlin Gregg: As far as Conley and Gregg went this season, so did the UC Davis women’s cross country team.

The duo placed 12th and 16th, respectively, at the NCAA Division I West Region Championships, earning them the first UC Davis berths to the NCAA Division I Championships since 1983.

The seniors leave some large – and fast – shoes for the Aggies to fill next season.

Kevin Peat: Peat wants to be the best goalie in UC Davis men’s water polo history.

He’s well on his way.

Peat came up big when the Aggies needed him most, recording a ridiculous 14 saves against No. 2 Stanford on Oct. 30 before notching 10 stops against No. 15 Santa Clara to lead UC Davis to a third-place finish at the Western Water Polo Association Championship.

The keeper accomplished these feats as a redshirt freshman. If he continues at this pace, chances are he’ll accomplish his goal of being the best UC Davis ever had.

Greg Denham: Denham came out firing and he never stopped. The sophomore quarterback completed a school-record 296 passes en route to 3,478 yards and 27 touchdowns – as a first-year starter.

The Auburn, Calif. native wants to take the UC Davis football team to the playoffs next season.

Given Denham’s talents and a solid core of returning players, that dream could become a reality.

Joe Harden: So what if the UC Davis men’s basketball team has played just seven of its 30 regular season games? Be thankful for Harden anyway.

The 6-foot-8, 210-pounder brought a world of expectations with him when he transferred from Notre Dame to UC Davis, and he’s had little trouble living up to them.

Harden is averaging 15.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, pacing the Aggies in both categories. He also leads the team in minutes played, having sat out just 32 minutes this season.

In short, Harden is really, really good. So is the men’s basketball team; don’t let its 2-5 start fool you. More to come on this team and its star next quarter.

 

ADAM LOBERSTEIN is thankful we’re less than two weeks away from a three-week winter vacation. Have a good [insert holiday(s) of your choosing here], everyone. He can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

Aggie Digest

Sports Editor
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Football

UC Davis defensive tackle John Faletoese was named the Great West Conference Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday while joining offensive lineman Jonathan Compas as a three-time All-GWC first-team honoree and headlining 16 Aggies recognized by the league.

The Aggies, who finished second in the Great West Conference, placed six players on the first team and 10 on the second. Besides Faletoese and Compas, other first-team honorees included wide receiver Chris Carter, tight end Dean Rogers, center Tommy Hernandez and linebacker Tyler Pringle.

Earning recognition on the second team were wide receivers Bakari Grant and Brandon Rice, offensive linemen Mario Gonzalez and Mark Tos, quarterback Greg Denham, running back Joe Trombetta, placekicker Sean Kelley, defensive end Pat Michelier, linebacker Mike Morales and cornerback Jeremy Scott.

 

Men’s soccer

UC Davis junior forward Chris Leer was named in the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for the period ending Nov. 23. It marks the first weekly honor in Leer’s career.

Leer, a native of Danville, Calif., scored a career-high two goals in the Aggies’ 4-0 win over Denver during last Saturday’s NCAA Championship first round game at Aggie Soccer Stadium.

He also scored the lone UC Davis goal in a 2-1 second-round loss at No. 13 Michigan on Tuesday.

 

Women’s volleyball

UC Davis senior Renee Ibekwe earned a first-team nod on the All-Big West Conference women’s volleyball squad; it was announced Tuesday. Freshman Keala Peterson was selected to the All-Freshman team.

Both student-athletes are the first in Aggie volleyball history to win such awards in the Big West. Libero Avreeta Singh captured All-Big West honorable mention in 2007, the school’s first year as an official member.

Ibekwe, an outside hitter from Carson, Calif., led UC Davis in kills (380) and total attempts (1,162) while adding 15 aces, 326 digs and 31 total blocks.

Peterson, an outside hitter from Sebastopol, Calif., started eight of her 22 total matches in 2008, delivering 241 kills, 48 digs and 25 blocks.

 

Wrestling

UC Davis head wrestling coach Lennie Zalesky announced recently that Oak Ridge High School standout Kyle West has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete for the Aggies beginning in the 2009-2010 season.

West is currently ranked third nationally at 140 pounds among high school wrestlers by WIN-Magazine.

“I believe Kyle is the highest nationally-ranked wrestler to sign with UC Davis,” Zalesky said.

West, who enters his senior season with an overall record of 144-14, has placed no lower than fourth at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Championships during his prep career.

His highest finish came last year as a junior when he was runner-up while battling through an injury. His junior year also featured a Sac-Joaquin Master’s title and a second Division II Sac-Joaquin Section and Sierra Valley Conference title.

Aggie Digest is compiled by the California Aggie sports staff with briefs from the UC Davis athletics website, ucdavisaggies.com.

Aggie Trivia

Features Editor
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The UC Davis Health System operates the state’s largest program for family nurse practitioners and physician assistants. It has graduated more than 1,600 professionals since 1972, many of whom provide primary care in underserved areas.

Alumni Corner: David Bainbridge

Features Editor
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Editor’s note:

To give you a taste of life after the university, The California Aggie will profile UC Davis alums in various career fields. First up is David Bainbridge who has worked in the economic sustainability field and is currently an associate professor at the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management.

 

Energy costs are rising, oil prices were recently at record highs and hybrid vehicle sales are skyrocketing. The world is changing, and America is starting to embrace environmental sustainability.

David Bainbridge, a UC Davis graduate who currently resides in San Diego, has made an impact in this growing industry.

Since graduating from Davis with an M.A. in ecology in 1973, Bainbridge has made strides in the economic sustainability field and is now an associate professor teaching sustainability at the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management.

Bainbridge has worked in a variety of sustainability fields, beginning with a career in environmental planning at Davis that soon turned into solar design and development. He then switched to environmental restoration where he focused on returning damaged deserts to their previous condition. Bainbridge then developed an interest in straw bale construction, a new type of construction utilizing straw to build structures to save money and energy. His work with straw bale earned him a spot in the World’s Top 40 Socially Conscious Designers according to International Design Magazine.

He also recently won the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management Outstanding Scholar-Practitioner Faculty award for his work in increasing the MBA program’s focus on the Green Business and sustainability.

Bainbridge credits UC Davis to sparking his interest in environmental sustainability.

“I got the bug while at Davis,” he said. “Teachers and classmates were interested in these issues even back in the ’70s, and now we’re seeing change in educational systems across the world. [People are] starting to think about sustainability.”

UC Davis has been a leader in environmental sustainability for decades. Bainbridge said that the mix of people in different disciplines, the professors, the research opportunities and the interesting and smart students are what give UC Davis strength in the field.

“Some of the advantages were the classes that introduced the broader view of the world, not just the environment because you have to think about [things such as] people and money as well,” Bainbridge said. “This wasn’t thought about so much back then.”

The environmental sustainability industry has been rapidly growing since the 1970s when Bainbridge entered it and he says there will be many opportunities for graduates in the next decade.

The new presidential administration expects to create up to 5 million new green collar jobs in the next decade as a part of a plan to invest in clean energy and technology according to BarackObama.com.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website also says that it expects this industry to grow up to 25 percent in the next decade and expects green collar jobs to grow “much faster than average for all occupations.”

Paul Hannam, who has worked with Bainbridge on sustainability issues, has experienced the opportunities of the rapid growth of this industry.

Nine years ago, after reading a book about the damage humans are doing to the earth, Hannam made the decision to switch from a career in technology in England to the green business in San Diego.

“I realized the extraordinary damage business is doing and [that] we have limited time,” Hannam said. “It seemed insane that we were destroying our planet just because of fossil fuels and the craziness of the lifestyle we’ve built.”

Since making the career change Hannam has started two green businesses and is developing an MBA program with Bainbridge.

Hannam attributes his success to the incredible expansion of the field. “This is one of the fastest growing areas despite the recession,” he said.

So what is Bainbridge’s and Hannam’s advice for students and new grads looking to break into the field?

“There are two ways to go. One is to look for a green job. Most jobs are for specialists and that’s going to be no different than any other job, you have to prove yourself,” Hannam said.

Another piece of advice is to try to make an already existing job green, such as human resources or public relations, he said.

“Think, ‘How can I turn this into a green job, how can we reduce energy?’ Many job opportunities are out there, you just have to be creative,” Hannam said.

Bainbridge had similar advice, but suggested that students look into getting their foot in the door at NGO’s.

“Anyone can contribute, even when you are in school. You might not get paid but you can get a lot of experience,” he said. “It’s going to be a big job market and there is a shortage of people. The ticket to a good job is a sustainability career.”

 

KELLY KRAG-ARNOLD can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daily Calendar

Features Editor
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TODAY

World AIDS Day rally

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Quad

Join the fight against HIV by rallying with Health Education and Promotion to enhance HIV awareness on campus and the surrounding community.

 

World AIDS Day prayer service

3 p.m.

Newman Center Chapel, Fifth and C streets

The Newman Catholic student community will be having a prayer service for World AIDS Day.

 

Project Compost

6 p.m.

Project Compost Office, MU Basement

Learn about radical composting on campus and how to get involved.

 

Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament

6 to 8 p.m.

Griffin Lounge, MU

Get there early; seats fill up quickly. Must be there by 6 p.m. If you’re one of the top 30 players, you could end up in the tournament of champions!

 

TUESDAY

UWP workshop

4:30 to 6 p.m.

126 Voorhies

William Langewiesche, former Atlantic Monthly correspondent and current chief international correspondent for Vanity Fair, will discuss the craft of writing and pushing the boundaries of traditional journalism.

 

Coho Live

5 to 7 p.m.

Coho II

Hear Rob Roy, Richard N. Chia and Zeno and Amy Anne perform.

 

Tzu Ching meeting

7 to 8 p.m.

ARC Meeting Room 3

TCCA’s general meeting; come to learn about compassionate community service.

 

Open Mic Night with SickSpits

7 to 10 p.m.

Griffin Lounge, MU

This open mic night is open to all; poets, singers, guitarists and anyone else is welcome!

 

WEDNESDAY

Bin Laden’s Tapes

7 p.m.

University Club

Professor Flagg Miller will discuss the contents of the audio tape collection, how they were acquired and what insight they offer for Bin Laden and al-Qaida in the years before the 9/11 attacks.

 

THURSDAY

Thursday Trivia Nights

6 to 7:30 p.m.

Silo Union

Test your knowledge of random facts and potentially win fabulous prizes along the way!

 

FRIDAY

Was America Attacked by Muslims on 9/11?

7 p.m.

1100 Social Sciences

Professor David Ray Griffin calls for a new investigation of 9/11 in this talk.

 

 

To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, e-mail dailycal@theaggie.org or stop by 25 Lower Freeborn by noon the day prior to your event. Due to space constraints, all event descriptions are subject to editing, and priority will be given to events that are free of charge and geared toward the campus community.

 

 

Obama cabinet spot possible for local state representative

City Editor
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Although he was reelected for a sixth term last month, State Representative Mike Thompson may be leaving the U.S. House of Representatives when the new administration takes over on Jan. 20.

Davis’s congressional representative is being considered for the post of Secretary of the Interior in President-elect Barack Obama’s cabinet.

As Secretary of the Interior, Thompson would be responsible for overseeing agencies like the Bureau of Land Management, which manages 258 million acres of government-owned land in the U.S. The Secretary also oversees departments like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Parks Service.

UC Davis junior Ryan Loney, the Northern California regional director of Students for Barack Obama, said Thompson’s ability to represent the diverse interests of California’s First Congressional District make him a great candidate for the position.

“I think he would do a great job because he has cross-over appeal for interest groups that don’t usually get along,” Loney said. “We’re not going to need someone who can reach across party lines, but someone who can reach across interests.”

Loney said these interest groups include conservation groups as well as the hunting and fishing constituency. In representing the First Congressional District, Thompson has been responsible for the interests of the area’s logging industry, Napa’s wine making industry and a variety of other groups. Loney also said Obama has expressed interest in having a sportsman or sportswoman as the Secretary of the Interior, which Thompson is.

Thompson was put on the short list thanks to endorsements from interest groups including Ducks Unlimited, as well as colleagues in the House. There are three other candidates for the position, and Thompson has not received any definite offer.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the many groups I’ve worked with over the years, but no one associated with President-elect Obama has contacted me,” Thompson said in a statement.

Former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, former Alaska Governor Tony Knowles and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson are also being considered for the position.

According to Mark Lubell, a UCD professor in the department of environmental science and policy, Thompson is qualified for the position but may not be as likely a choice as some of the other candidates.

“Thompson has gotten some support from the hook and bullet crowd, but there are some other groups that are more important,” Lubell said. “I’m not sure it’s a big enough difference in comparison to the others.”

No matter who fills the spot, Lubell said he expects the next Secretary of the Interior to make some dramatic changes according to Obama’s policy line.

“There will be more focus on conservation and less on mineral extraction,” Lubell said. “I expect Thompson or whoever’s in there to take that sort of line.”

If Thompson is appointed to the position, it will leave a vacancy in Congress. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would have to call an emergency election, and the First Congressional District would elect a new representative to Congress.

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

San Francisco researches congestion charge

City Editor
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San Francisco is currently studying a congestion pricing plan which could generate $35 to $65 million annually and reduce transportation-related greenhouse gases by 15 percent.

Such a system would impose a toll on downtown drivers. Proceeds from the toll would most likely be reinvested directly into comprehensive transportation improvements for public transit users, drivers, bikers and pedestrians in and around San Francisco.

The toll system would follow the successful plans used in such cities as London, Stockholm, Singapore and Rome.

Funded by a $1 million study grant from the Federal Highway Administration, the study will assess whether implementing such a toll in San Francisco is both technically and economically feasible.

As the second most congested region in the nation, Bay Area businesses sacrificed over $2 billion to congestion in 2005, while transportation remains responsible for almost half of the greenhouse emissions in San Francisco, said Zabe Bent, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s principal planner.

In fact, Bay Area commuters account for 4.6 million daily trips to, from and within San Francisco, about half of which are made by regional travelers, according to 2006 SFCTA figures.

“This is something we need to think about today in the middle of warnings of a recession,” said executive director of the SFCTA José Luis Moscovich. “When we come out of it we will have the [transportation] problem upon us and if we do not have some idea of how to solve it, it will be too late to deal with it then.”

Last week’s presentation to the SFCTA board of directors discussed some specific options for the congestion pricing plan, including fair toll boundaries, prices and times.

For example, low-income families, commercial fleets and residents who live in toll zones may receive discounts or exemptions, while tolls would more than likely be implemented only during peak weekday hours.

Payment schemes would most likely rely on a system of cameras that would photograph car license plates and bill drivers, instead of using unsightly and inefficient tollbooths.

Another payment option is the automated FasTrak system, which many California residents already use. Similar to the London system, drivers would also be able to pay several ways, including phone, e-mail, text message or at retail outlets around town.

While exact costs for commuters remain uncertain, price is estimated at $3 each way from 6 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Those not driving during peak hours would not be charged.

A final, optimized report will be made in February 2009.

Opposition to the congestion pricing plan claim traffic should be addressed at a regional level, including measures such as the existing 25 percent parking tax placed on commuter parking in San Francisco.

Currently 60 percent of the workforce downtown travels in something other than a single occupancy vehicle, while further taxing of a specific area downtown could lead to an economically and geographically fragmented San Francisco, said Rob Black, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce vice president of public policy in an e-mail.

“The best way to reduce congestion in the Bay Area, as well as San Francisco, would be to charge for parking in these suburban malls and office parks,” he said. “We are concerned that a congestion pricing model will be expensive to implement and manage, and bring with it many consequences and market distortions.”

San Francisco already has one of the highest parking tax rates in the country, second only to Philadelphia, said Ken Cleaveland, director of government and public affairs for the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco.

“The impact of charging drivers to enter San Francisco would have an immediate and negative effect on San Francisco businesses,” he said.

If the toll were implemented, a vast majority of shoppers would opt to shop elsewhere due to the nuisance of public transportation, Cleaveland said.

“We need to reduce our costs of coming into San Francisco, not increase them,” he said. “With better citywide traffic management and education programs, coupled with much higher fines for breaking traffic rules, we would radically reduce or eliminate our traffic congestion problem and its concomitant air pollution without the need for such a civic disincentive.”

Yet with 25-year projections set at 150,000 for new residents and 230,000 for new jobs in San Francisco, increased efficiency and availability of public transit made possible by toll revenues could ease out-of-pocket fuel expenses for daily commuters as gasoline prices continue to increase.

Added benefits are a safer, quieter and more easily reachable downtown for residents, pedestrians and bikers.

The congestion pricing plan is founded upon reports coming from cities where similar programs have already been implemented, where an enhancement of the business environment occurs parallel to the decongestion of a city, said SFCTA Authority Board chair Jake McGoldrick.

“We have models around the world where we see that this is actually saving the congested urban core areas of many cities around the world, as opposed to their dying off,” he said. “That’s what this program is all about. It’s actually enhancing all the aspects of life in urban areas, including the business and commercial interests,”

Although businesses have fears about the plan, McGoldrick said he thinks the program would benefit the city as a whole.

More information is available at sfmobility.org.

 

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

: City Council meeting preview: Dec. 2

City Editor
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The Davis City Council will meet Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers at 23 Russell Blvd. The following are brief descriptions of selected topics that will be discussed at the meeting. The full agenda can be viewed online at cityofdavis.org/meetings.

 

Cannery Park

 

Lewis Planned Communities, the owner of the roughly 100 acre property on Covell Boulevard, is attempting to get approval for a mixed-use development at the site. The plans have already been presented at a number of public meetings, including the Planning Commission. Now it is time for City Council input.

In a report to be presented Tuesday night, city manager Bill Emlen laid out the key questions and issues the council will have to address in order for the project to proceed.

The primary issue is whether the city should consider changing the plan for that area from a business park to a mixed-use residential, which is what Lewis Planned Communities is proposing.

The land has been zoned as a business park site since the 1950s, but the surrounding area has changed dramatically since then, the report said. The site is one of the last large undeveloped areas within the city limits, and traditionally the plan has been to locate office space for high-tech industrial employers. The need for jobs in the city is discussed frequently at City Council meetings.

City staff is making a number of recommendations on how to proceed with the project:

First, change the current zoning and land use designation to mixed use, since there is not enough information at this time to find that the site should remain in the business park category.

Second, find that there are enough questions to merit a comprehensive review of the impacts of different options for the site. This would include an analysis of the current Lewis proposal as well as a look at a business park.

The strategy for the review would include outreach to community members and UC Davis representatives. It would also include asking Lewis to present a business park proposal for the site for comparison. Additionally, an environmental impact report would be commissioned for both the mixed-use residential and the business park plans.

 

Downtown business tax

 

The Downtown Davis Business Association is allowed to levy a tax on businesses that operate downtown, but the tax must be approved by the City Council every year as part of a state-mandated public approval process. The funds from the tax can be used for public events, improving parking facilities, furnishing music and decorating public places, according to a staff report.

Three downtown business owners wrote letters opposing an increase in the tax, saying they did not derive any benefit from it.

 

Integrated pest management policy

 

The city’s Public Works department developed an integrated pest management plan in 2005, with the goal of reducing the city’s reliance on chemical controls for dealing with pests and weeds while not exceeding each department’s budgetary constraints. The plan also included a focus on maintaining relationships between the public, city departments and regulatory agencies.

An integrated pest management specialist was hired in 2007, and an updated policy is now being developed.

 

JEREMY OGUL can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

Silo goes ‘bagless’

Campus Editor
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In an attempt to move toward a more sustainable system, the Silo Union will no longer give the option of paper or plastic bags to its customers.

Instead, University Dining Services of Sodexo is now offering reusable, biodegradable bags for $5 as a more environment-friendly option.

The bags are made of 100 percent, unbleached cotton and other raw materials from the United States, said James Boushka, the director of marketing of University Dining Services.

“The [$5] cost of the reusable bag is merely an option,” Boushka said.

“Folks do not have to purchase one of our reusable bags – and even to a greater extent, I would encourage existing customers to use their current reusable bags, including their backpacks, or even any reusable bags they may have purchased from another venue,” he said.

By eliminating the use of paper and plastic bags, Sodexo will save approximately $60 per day. More than the financial aspect, the decision will have a significant impact on the environment and save a great amount of energy, Boushka said.

“While $60 doesn’t sound like a lot, it saves more than 60,000 watts of energy to produce those bags – and not to mention deforestation,” Boushka said.

All of the dining facilities that Sodexo operates will no longer offer plastic or paper bags. University Dining Services is not making a profit off the sales, Boushka said.

Eliminating paper and plastic bags is just one of the ways University Dining Services is working to meet the university’s goal of having a 100 percent zero-waste campus by 2020. The University Dining Services is also now providing the Silo staff reusable plastic mugs instead of paper cups for drinks from the fountain or coffee machines to encourage recycling as much as possible, Boushka said.

“[University Dining Services] tells us to be really careful about wasting stuff,” said Laila Salem, a cashier at the Silo.

Last spring, University Dining Services ran an educational awareness campaign within the resident dining commons to alert customers about the amount of energy and chemicals that go into washing 6,000 trays per day. The dining commons did trail runs of going “trayless” and realized that by doing this, it dramatically cut down on water, energy and chemical usage. That realization led to the absence of trays in the dining commons starting this year.

So, when confronted with the “paper or plastic” questions, what is the best answer?

“As a result of going “bagless” and through all of the research that [University Dining Services] has conducted through the sustainability committees here on campus, neither [paper nor plastic] is the best option,” Boushka said.

“It does have to be reminded that [both types] do consume quite a bit of natural resources and both are a significant cause of pollution,” he said.

“I think it’s a good step forward because it’s increasing sustainability in the school which is always good,” said Carlie Whitehouse, a senior biological sciences major. “I mean, it’s not like I ever use the bags anyway, so I don’t think cutting them back will have a negative effect.”

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

 

 

 

Sacramento Emergency Rooms First in State to counsel underage drinkers

Campus Editor
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In the last three years, the UC Davis Medical Center has seen a 60 percent increase in the number of 12- to 17-year-olds who end up in the ER as a result of alcohol related injuries. While the average adolescent drinking age is decreasing – currently at 15.8 years old – the dangers are increasing, as more youth are at risk for severe post-adolescent drinking disorders and alcohol related motor vehicle fatalities.

To combat this frightening statistic, the UC Davis Medical Center has teamed up with three hospitals in Sacramento County to implement a two-year pilot project titled the Adolescent Screening and Brief Prevention Program, which will start in January 2009. It is funded by a $500,000 grant from the State of California Office of Traffic Safety.

Dana Covington, a 20-year UC Davis Medical Center emergency room nurse and project coordinator for the program, describes the program as a concerted effort to “decrease underage drinking in the county as a whole.”

According to Covington, intoxicated adolescents who arrive in the ER “would be given a series of questions that ask them about their drinking behaviors, and then they’re measured against norms. Then, a nurse goes in and talks with the kid to see where they’re at, what their drinking is about, and they try and plant a seed of change to discourage this behavior in the future.”

The program’s methodology follows an established practice of screening and brief intervention, which, according to the Davis Medical Center, is already used to educate intoxicated adults who are seen in emergency departments in California and throughout the country.

The screening and brief intervention model has also been used effectively in the UC Davis Cowell Student Health Center to assist students who take part in the BASIC program, which stands for Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students.

“I think we’ve seen good successes with the program for adolescents and adult college students, so it could be successful for teenagers as well,” said Michelle Johnston, the Health Promotion Supervisor for the UC Davis Cowell Student Health Center.

In addition to the in-hospital screenings, Covington has developed a take-home resource guide for patients that provides a number of websites, counseling hotlines and resources for alcohol abuse. An online version of the guide is available to the public on the UC Davis Medical Center’s website at ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/injuryprevention.

The Cowell Student Heath Center also offers a number of alcohol abuse prevention resources, which are free and easily accessible on their website at healthcenter.ucdavis.edu/hep/ or in person at the Health Education and Promotion Center located near the Reagan Dorm Complex behind the Cowell Student Health Center.

 

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

 

 

 

Book project author Tracy Kidder to speak tonight

Campus Editor
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This year’s Campus Community Book Project will reach its culmination today with appearances by the book’s featured author, Tracy Kidder. Kidder will participate in a panel discussion and conduct a lecture.

Michael Wilkes from the UC Davis School of Medicine will moderate the panel “No Boundaries – Globalizing Health Care from Haiti to California and Beyond.”

“[Kidder’s] focus will be the [discussion’s] title, which is really the backbone of the book,” said Mikael Villalobos, administrator of diversity education for the Office of Campus Community Relations and book project coordinator. “In the lecture he will specifically talk about his experience in writing the book and his interaction with Paul Farmer, who is the central character of the book.”

Mountains Beyond Mountains details the efforts of Boston physician Dr. Paul Farmer in Haiti, where people suffer from high rates of tuberculosis, AIDS and HIV. This book marks the seventh year of the Campus Community Book Project, which was started in response to 9/11 and aims to bring people together by promoting dialogue about complex issues.

Panelist Amira Zaid, a fourth year genetics major, will discuss the many barriers to health care and means of repairing our broken health care system.

“Mountains Beyond Mountains details Dr. Paul Farmer’s efforts to promote health care to Haiti’s medically underserved,” Zaid said. “In the discussion, I hope to bring the fight home and highlight the many disparities and efforts in our local area.”

Zaid is a volunteer at Clinica Tepati, a student-run, nonprofit clinic affiliated with the UC Davis School of Medicine, which provides free primary health care to Sacramento’s uninsured patient populations.

“We will certainly discuss global health care issues, but I hope to use my experience to discuss domestic health policy, educate the audience, advocate on behalf of those in our local area lacking critical health services,” Zaid said.

David Bunn, project manager at the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, is also a panelist and will be speaking about a project he has been managing in rural communities of Tanzania. His focus is how to improve poultry health and respond to diseases like the Avian flu and Newcastle disease.

“In our situation, you discover other priorities that affect the design of how you deal with Avian flu,” Bunn said. “You need to deal with all major diseases of poultry. So we needed to test that theory and designed a program to improve poultry health generally.”

Poultry is a singular approach, but animal health has many parallels to human and ecological health, Bunn said. Working with a community must be multi-disciplinary, he said.

“[Paul] Farmer is a doctor but also an anthropologist,” Bunn said. “His skill set is one not all doctors have – how to work with communities, working to identify what their major needs are. All are not singular in discipline. They require broader approach.”

Jean Jacques Elissaint, Human and Community Development graduate student, will also be a panelist.

The conclusion to the Campus Community Book Project traditionally ends with the author’s visit and this year coincides with World AIDS Day. There will be a World AIDS Day Rally on the MU Patio today at 11:30 a.m. featuring speaker Dennis Fleming, AIDS survivor and activist.

The Center of AIDS Research, Education and Services along with the Yolo County Health Department will also be sponsoring rapid confidential HIV testing. The AIDS memorial quilt will be on display in the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts until tomorrow.

“The series of events really [is] bringing awareness to both HIV and AIDS and Paul Farmer’s work and addressing the HIV issue in Haiti,” Villalobos said.

The panel discussion will be from 4 to 5 p.m. and the Author’s Talk will be from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Both events will be at Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center. The panel is free to the public. Student tickets for the lecture are $10 to $17.50 and regular prices are $20 to $35.

Following the lecture is a book signing with Kidder in the Main Lobby of the Mondavi Center.

For more information on the book project or times and locations for related events and exhibits visit the CCBP’s website at occr.ucdavis.edu/ccbp2008.

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

 

Behind the scenes with …

Arts Editor
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Next time you head out to the bars or to the clubs, give second thought to the person checking your ID.

With an insider’s view from the outside, they’re an integral part of the bar scene – working as bouncers at various bars in downtown Davis, fifth year senior English major Matthew Nickerson and junior biochemistry and molecular biology major Andrew Del Real witness another side of Davis nightlife.

Scott Rea, owner of Froggy’s, delineated the duties of a bouncer.

“[Bouncers] make the place comfortable for anyone that wants to come in and to make sure that laws are [abided] by,” he said.

In a volatile workplace surrounded by college students and alcohol, the job requirements of a bouncer call for more than just sheer physical size. Though size is helpful, attitude is the most important thing, Del Real said.

“It takes a lot of patience and a really clear and level head in order to do the job – it’s really difficult because you’re in an establishment that promotes people going wild and crazy,” said Del Real, who currently works as a bouncer at The G Street Pub and Froggy’s. “There really is a fine legal line that you walk in this work.”

As Nickerson – a former bouncer at Soga’s – demonstrated, foresight and an assertive personality are other important qualities bouncers must have. Bouncers have to play the adult in the situation, he said.

“Our main job as bouncers is to be smart enough to see something happening before it does,” he said. “After a while, you become pretty adept, it’s pretty generic about how it starts, but some people [don’t] know how to tell people what to do or jump into a heated situation. You need people to do that and not just sit there with their foot in their mouth.”

The pay varies depending on the establishment – Del Real said that each bar has different ways of compensating their security staff and that it adjusts with things like base pay, hazard pay and tips. Rea said that bouncers at Froggy’s make a range of $8 to $14 an hour.

Nickerson and Del Real attested to the “bad guy” stereotype that goes along with their line of work.

“Bouncers get a rough kind of [image] just because the stereotype is that we just like to bully people or [are] jerks in general,” Del Real said. “That’s really not the case. We’re there to do a job, we’re there to look out for the job and make sure that everyone’s safe and having a good time.”

Nickerson added that some people don’t realize that most bouncers are simply taking advantage of their physique to get a job in a town where it’s hard to get hired in the first place. For Nickerson – who participates in strength athletic sports such as Strongman – personality also played a part in his role as an authoritative figure.

“I’ve always been kind of a father figure, a papa bear, when I go out,” he said.

From the occasional bar fight to especially hectic events such as Picnic Day weekend and graduation week, the job of a bouncer has been a learning experience.

“Aside from getting to know people in the industry, it really gives you a newfound respect to everyone who has that same job,” Del Real said. “You definitely conduct yourself a little better when you go out because you know how it is and how rough it can be.”

For any people new to the bar scene, Nickerson gave a piece of advice. Have fun, but carry yourself responsibly, he said.

“Of course, have a great time when you go out – that’s why the bars are there,” he said. “But be responsible for your actions, don’t treat the bar like it’s some place to let everything go or tear the place apart.

“Everyone thinks that they’re immortal when they go to bars, especially when they’ve been drinking. Every guy thinks that they’re Superman.”

 

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.

 

Hail to the Chief

Opinion
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Maybe it’s just my mom’s sensibilities being passed on to me, but I’m a firm believer that not only is there a bit of good in everyone, but everyone is good at something. Nobody’s stupid or useless.

Maybe that’s the reason some recent McDonald’s ads have gotten under my skin. If you watch TV regularly (or watched any football on Thanksgiving) you’ve probably seen the ads I’m talking about. There’s one for men and one for women.

In each commercial there are two characters in a coffee shop, ostensibly the local place that’s just a bit classier than Starbucks (think Central Perk from “Friends”). One of the characters brings up the fact that McDonald’s now serves cappuccinos, seems on the verge of mocking it, then they both realize how much they like this development.

In the male version of the commercial, the characters note that they “can finally shave this thing” off (a soul patch), can talk about football and will no longer “have to call movies ‘films.'”

The commercial, at first glance, is amusing. Right up until you start thinking about it. The advertisement is a clear, obvious attempt to marginalize a stereotype, in this case the “intellectual-coffee-shop-going-snob.” I feel like one of the first things I was taught in school was that stereotypes are inherently inaccurate as it’s impossible to lump people into one group and make blanket generalizations that will apply to everyone, which makes it irksome that these advertisers have done so right here.

Great job, guys, you got a cheap laugh. Meanwhile, everybody that has negative stereotypes about people with glasses who drink coffee and wear scarves just got all their dumbass ideas reinforced. Nice.

Let us take a step back though. What if, instead of the label “intellectual snob” we replace it with a sizeable minority? Is it going to be funny reinforcing those stereotypes? Or is it going to be called racism? Or sexism?

McDonald’s was kind enough to provide us an example of this! The female version of this ad is much the same, only these characters are happy that, because they can now go to Mickey D’s for their coffee, they can now watch reality TV, wear heels and read gossip magazines again (this last realization is accompanied with the novel being read by the woman being tossed aside, much like her dignity).

But the fun doesn’t end there! The two women engage in a series of admissions, revealing that one of them can’t speak French and doesn’t know where Paraguay is, while her companion doesn’t know what Paraguay is.

Dismissing for the moment the question of how geography is tied to one’s coffee shop patronage, let’s ask some other questions: why is fashion (regarding either facial hair or shoes) being linked to coffee? For that matter, why are television choices being linked to coffee? Is McDonald’s really advertising here that their establishment serves better food because their clientele can’t locate a country on the globe?

The tone of these commercials brings to mind a veritable celebration of ignorance. The characters are initially happy about McDonald’s having coffee, but this jubilation swiftly morphs into the men and women tearing down the façade of intelligence they have been keeping up for who knows how long.

The real problem here is that the advertisers, rather than show off their product or extol its virtues, sucker punched two stereotypes when they really didn’t need to. More troubling than this backslide into moral mediocrity is the fact that nothing will likely be done about it.

I don’t think the multifaceted individuals of America have an organization to stand up for them. Who’s going to stick up for the men who watch football and enjoy high-priced coffee or the women who want to read books and magazines? Or are we saying as a society that it’s okay, that people should be one-dimensional (and geographically crippled)?

To leave you on a somewhat happier note, someone did send in a poem for the challetunity I issued two weeks ago:

 

Please don’t run me over as you speed by on your bike

I simply love to walk and dream about anything I like

For slowing down and walking but a few times a day

Is I how I keep from going insane in every little way

So when you rush by, in your frantic race, be polite

Don’t yell or cuss or moan, and please don’t hit me with your bike.

 

 

RICHARD PROCTER wants to read more poems! Send them to rhprocter@ucdavis.edu, he might publish them.

 

Conley, Gregg end season at National Championships

Sports Editor
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The gun sounded at 9:08 a.m. Monday morning.

It signaled the start of the NCAA National Cross Country Championships in Terra Haute, Ind. and marked the first time that an Aggie duo – seniors Kim Conley and Kaitlin Gregg – had ever competed in the biggest meet in the country.

Racing in freezing temperatures – a race high of 32 degrees – with a strong wind, Conley placed 80th with a time of 21:02.2. Gregg finished only 18 seconds back with her 118th place finish.

The race featured the top 31 teams in the nation. Thirty-eight individuals not on those teams were awarded at-large berths.

The competition was the stiffest Conley and Gregg have had to face in their careers by far, leading them to race or to start much faster than they were used to.

“Unlike any big invite,” said head coach Drew Wartenburg, “on the line you have the seven runners from the 31 best teams in the nation, and then the individuals. You add actually make the field even stronger.

“The race is so top heavy with talent, and there were teams and individuals who knew they had to get out from the gun because this was for all the marbles.“

Conley and Gregg stayed together for the early portion of the race before Conley started to pull away at around 3k.

Gregg passed the 2k mark in 6:40 with Conley right behind. Conley came through 4k in 13:46 with Gregg at 13:57. Both were able to pass others in the last 2k who had gone out too quickly, though they themselves may have benefited from starting out a bit faster than usual.

“It was one where you ended up racing in the position you got out in,” said Wartenburg. “We didn’t put ourselves in the top 50 at the start of the race, and in a race like this where everybody is good, it’s hard to get there. You’re not gonna pass half the field in the course of six kilometers.“

Though not doing as well as they had hoped, the performances were quite respectable.

“Both Kimmy and Kaitlin would have ideally liked to have been higher up,” said Wartenburg, “but at the same time, … for both to be the top half of this field, there’s absolutely no shame in that.“

A total of 252 individuals competed in the race.

“It was a great experience to compete at the national meet,” said Gregg. “I’m really pleased to finish out my cross country career here.“

Conley and Gregg have enjoyed impressive senior campaigns, as they went 1-2 for the Aggies in every race in which they competed.

“I’m really happy that I had the opportunity to compete at the national level,” said Conley. “Everyone who raced stepped it up to another level and overall it was a really good experience that I needed to have. I will definitely use what I learned from this race when I am taking a stab at competing on the national level in track.“

“It was really great to be here with Kimmy,” said Gregg. “We’ve been training partners, teammates and good friends for four years and have shared this goal for a while now. I’m happy we got to share this together.“

 

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

Men’s soccer season comes to a close

Sports Editor
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It took a 2,200-mile road trip and a strong dose of inclement weather, but the book has been closed on the UC Davis men’s soccer team’s historic season.

Three days after winning its first-ever NCAA Division I Tournament game in a 4-0 drubbing of Denver at Aggie Soccer Stadium, UC Davis was knocked out of tournament contention by No. 12 Michigan on Tuesday, 2-1.

The game was played in freezing temperatures with snow showers present.

“I don’t feel that the cold got to us,” head coach Dwayne Shaffer said, “but the wind had an impact on the game. We had the wind in the first half and [Michigan] had the wind in the second half.“

The loss, however, can’t take away from one of the best campaigns any UC Davis team has had in the Division I era.

“We’re all upset that we lost,” said Shaffer. “The most important thing is that we had a great run over the last two seasons. We achieved good things this season.“

The Aggies and Wolverines were in the midst of a scoreless tie at halftime, thanks to four saves by sophomore keeper Ryan McCowan.

But in the second half, the Michigan offense came through, netting two goals in a span of 15 minutes to build a 2-0 advantage.

UC Davis scored its goal in the 87th minute, as junior forward Chris Leer sent one home off an assist from senior co-captain Dylan Curtis.

Michigan outshot UC Davis by a 16-6 margin, but Shaffer doesn’t feel that margin was a telling one.

“We were playing really well,” said Shaffer. “We had some dangerous chances in the first half from Dylan Curtis and Quincy Amarikwa. I didn’t walk away from the game thinking Michigan was better than we are. They just had the better of the play today.“

The Aggies finish their historic season with an impressive 13-5-4 record, having been ranked as high as No. 7 in the national polls.

The team became UC Davis‘ first to host a Division I playoff game and qualify for multiple NCAA Tournaments.

“It was a pleasure to be around this group of athletes,” said Shaffer. “They represent UC Davis in every way possible. They helped us establish a reputation … two years removed from Division II. It shows how far we have come.“

 

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

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