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POLICE BRIEFS

City News

City Editor

October 10, 2008

MONDAY

Those shoes are mine, betch!

An individual on Shasta Drive called the police, hysterically stating that his mother took his shoes.

Richard Simmons sighting

A shirtless male wearing small shorts was seen sitting by the restrooms at the top of the hill on East Fourteenth Street.

TUESDAY

Thanksgiving came early

Three turkeys were in the middle of the intersection of Loyola Drive and Pole Line Road.

Sleepwalker

An individual saw a confused-looking resident walking around outside in his underwear on K Street.

Stuck truck

A large white truck was stuck under the bridge at Richards Boulevard and Olive Drive.

WEDNESDAY

Flaming shopping spree

A grocery cart was set on fire behind a store on East Eighth Street.

A thirst for knowledge

A newspaper rack was broken into on Chiles Road

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 be viewed online at cityofdavis.org/police/log. This segment appears Tuesdays and Fridays.

Campus clarifies political advocacy rules

City News

City Editor

October 10, 2008

Political advocacy among staff and faculty is not only common but also encouraged, as long as certain policies concerning the university are followed. Faculty and staff just have to be mindful of a few rules.

UC Davis Government and Community Relations encourages active political participation, as long as political activity is not performed on university time and no university resources are used.

“We can’t use university resources for political purposes,” said Marjorie Dickinson, assistant vice chancellor for Government and Community Relations. “How that manifests itself and what it means depends. For a university e-mail account, I always tell people that part of the e-mail policy allows for incidental use for non-UC purpose. I generally recommend that if they get an invitation to a political fundraiser I recommend they either forward to their home e-mail or at minimum respond after hours.“

“We strongly encourage faculty, staff and students to be involved in the political process,” said director of Local Government Relations Gary Sandy. “We think it’s important people take part in the system of governance – part in campus and election cycles. We strongly encourage active participation.“

Sandy said that violations of campus policies tend to be accidents. The most frequent violations are political endorsements where people use their official university title to endorse a candidate or a ballot measure.

“It seems to convey an impression that the university is also behind that candidate or measure,” he said.

Even then, faculty and staff members may use their official title as long as it is used in conjunction with the disclaimer “for identification purposes only.“

“Most often there is no need to use title at all,” Sandy said. “You could identify yourself as John Smith, professor of biology, Davis, Calif. and that is not a problem. Using the ‘University of California‘ is a problem.“

Using university resources or engaging in political activities on university time is against campus policy. Government and Community Relations sent out a letter this year through the deans‘ offices to let them know the rules and to notify their staff. They also offer support and guidance to faculty, students and staff who interact with government officials.

“Any way they need help if they have questions about what they can and can’t do we can advise them on how to be most effective,” said Dickinson. “When elected officials come to campaign and if they are hosted by students we will offer advice to students with the logistics. We try to balance offering advice and help and making sure students are in the lead.“

Wearing a button to class or making a political utterance in a lecture is a gray area.

“Campaigning is more of an effort over a significant period of time that is visible to the public rather than incidental acts of saying you support a measure,” Sandy said. “Intellectual freedom is one of the values of the community. There is a difference between having a bumper sticker in the inside of a locker door versus posting a huge ‘vote for me‘ political poster in the lobby of a building where public has access.“

This year, prominent issues have included Proposition 2, a measure that would change standards for confining farm animals by prohibiting restrictive confinement of animals like chickens and pigs.

“That issue has deeply divided the veterinarian community so we have had instances where official titles have appeared – mostly on websites,” Sandy said. “We had very good success with websites not including references to the university or using disclaimers.“

Frequently, violations of using an official title tend to have a “casual, off-the-cuff” nature of political interaction where staff and faculty identify themselves simply because they are used to be being identified this way.

The UC Regents support Proposition 3, a California children’s hospital bond issue that will give $980,000,000 in bonds to enhance facilities in children’s hospitals.

“The Regents of the University of California, the policy-making body for the UC system, have the ability to endorse measures,” said Sandy. “They endorsed the children’s hospital funding measure because we operate a number of hospitals in the UC system.“

Student and political organizations have different policies, whereas staff and faculty are actual employees of the university. Similarly, they cannot say they are representing the views of UC Davis or that they are representing more than their own views. Student Affairs handles direct assistance with those who are registering voters, and Government and Community Relations work closely with them, said Dickinson.

“Student organization and as an individual, students have their first amendment right and their rights under the constitution to assemble and state their views and be involved in political process,” said Donald J. Dudley, associate director of Student Judicial Affairs.

POOJA KUMAR can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com

California calls for menus detailing nutrition info

City News

City Editor

October 10, 2008

Californians have gained 360 million pounds over the last decade, while one in three children and one in four teens are overweight or at risk, according to the California Department of Public Health.

In one of the latest efforts to deal with this issue, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last week signed Senate Bill 1420, authored by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), which will require restaurant chains with 20 or more locations in California to post nutrition information on menus and indoor menu boards by Jan. 1, 2011. This will affect over 17,000 restaurants statewide.

SB 1420 preempts local ordinances of a similar bent, such as one in San Francisco, in order to create a uniform state standard for displaying nutritional information rather than a mélange of local ordinances.

As of July 1, 2009, restaurants must provide brochures with either caloric content information or other nutritional information, such as grams of saturated fat, grams of carbohydrates and milligrams of sodium at the point of sale, including drive-thrus.

“The legislation will help Californians make more informed, healthier choices by making calorie information easily accessible at thousands of restaurants throughout our state,” Schwarzenegger said in a written statement. “By being the first state to provide this information to consumers, California is continuing to lead the nation with programs and policies that promote health and nutrition.“

Nationwide restaurant chain Chipotle is already on the ball in regard to providing nutrition information, which has been available online for several years now, and plans to comply with California’s new requirements, said Chipotle’s director of public relations Chris Arnold in an e-mail.

“We were among the first restaurants in New York to comply with the menu labeling law there,” Arnold said. “It has been business as usual since making that change and we expect the same going forward. And we offer a service model that allows customers to choose exactly what goes into their individual order and make dietary choices that fit their lifestyles.“

Starbucks is another company concerned with nutrition, and already makes nutritional information available both online and in brochures carried in Starbucks stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, said Starbucks marketing manager Alan Richardson in an e-mail.

“At Starbucks, we believe that nutrition is a very important consumer issue and recognize our significant responsibility to provide nutrition information about our [products] to customers,” Richardson said. “One of our business objectives is to proactively address nutrition in our products and we continue to take steps in this direction.“

Specifically, in 2007 Starbucks removed artificial trans fats from all food and beverages, switched milk used in beverages to 2 percent milk and continues to offer a consumer-adapted product line including non-fat or soy milk, sugar-free syrups, fresh fruit and reduced-fat baked items, he said.

The California Restaurant Association, which both promotes and protects the restaurant industry through lobbying and grass roots campaigns, is in favor of SB 1420 because it provides a uniform state law in place of a loose patchwork of local ordinances.

“[We] came to the table with Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Padilla to help shape this bill to recognize the needs and concerns of our members,” said Jot Condie, president and CEO of the California Restaurant Association. “SB 1420 creates a single statewide standard with the flexibility and phased-in implementation that our members requested, and does so without creating any new opportunities for lawsuits against California’s restaurateurs.“

SB 1420 is just the latest in a series of nutritional standard reforms California has made in recent years.

Since 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger has signed a multitude of bills aimed at improving the nutritional health of Californians, such as SB 441 last year by Senator Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), which requires 35 percent of the food and one third of the beverages in vending machines on state property to meet nutritional guidelines by Jan. 1, 2011.

In 2005, SB 12, SB 281 and SB 965 were signed in an attempt to battle childhood obesity by taking junk food and sodas off of K-12 campuses, setting higher nutrition standards for cafeteria food and providing $18.2 million toward more fruits and vegetables for school meals.

In 2008, Assembly Bill 97 began to phase out the use of trans fats, due to their link with coronary heart disease, in all California restaurants beginning in 2010 and in all baked goods by 2011.

AARON BRUNER can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com.

New major in the works for next year

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 10, 2008

UC Davis has always been known as a farm school, and now with faculty and staff working towards establishing a sustainable agriculture undergraduate major, it can further that reputation.

“There is a big need to have a major that educates students broadly about agriculture,” said Mark Van Horn, director of Student Farm. “The major will combine the natural sciences and technology as well as the economic and social issues and how those combine to make the totality of agriculture.“

Van Horn plans on teaching an introductory course in the sustainable agriculture department. He and other professors from the College of Agriculture have been working on the program for five years and predict a full scale major to be implemented by 2009.

The major would encompass all areas of sustainable agriculture; from using environmentally friendly practices to ensuring that today’s farmers are making a fair living.

But before the actual major is sanctioned, the courses offered must also be approved by the university to ensure they are not repetitive. After all of the courses are approved, the university will decide whether or not to approve the major as a whole.

“I sure hope [the major] will be approved,” said Maggie Lickter, a sophomore individual studies major. “There’s been a lot of work by a lot of really great people and it’s something that the community really wants.“

Currently, three out of the five courses developed have been approved. The remaining two are being reviewed.

Prior to making the major, the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences conducted a Delphi study to determine the curriculum of the major. They surveyed practitioners, academics, alumni and students, asking what content knowledge, skills and experiences should be required of sustainable agriculture majors.

“One of the most interesting of the findings was that there were four different populations and there was a considerable degree of agreement between these four different groups,” said Damian Parr, a graduate student in the School of Education and contributor to the study. “It presented a strong case for a number of characteristics that the major ought to consider having.“

Those characteristics, he said, fall into three categories. The first is knowledge of both natural and social issues surrounding agriculture. Second, field trips should be provided for experience-driven learning. Lastly, the major should teach students how to communicate with the business and political realm, in addition to the agricultural realm.

Prior to the creation of the major, students interested in sustainable agriculture would study through the Student Farm. However, many students, such as Lickter, found the program to be lacking in many areas.

“Sustainability is a much broader thing than just going out and working on the production side,” Lickter said. “[The major] focuses on the social side and covers social justice issues. I think that we really need a much more enhanced program.“

The sustainable agriculture administration is already offering a course in food systems and hopes to offer an introductory sustainable agriculture course in the spring.

“The major is fairly unique in how interdisciplinary it’s going to be and its focus on skill building,” Van Horn said. “There are a number of schools that in recent years have started offering courses in sustainable agriculture, but they aren’t as comprehensive and broad based as ours will be.“

LAUREN STEUSSY can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.edu.

Budweiser horses visit campus

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 10, 2008

The iconic Budweiser Clydesdale team and wagon are on campus this week for an appearance at the grand opening of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science today between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Ground will be broken during the ceremony on the institute’s second phase, which will house a small teaching winery and the Anheuser-Busch Brewing and Food Science Laboratory. The Anheuser-Busch Foundation is among the top private contributors to the second phase of construction.

Chancellor holds quarterly brown bag chat

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 10, 2008

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef held his first quarterly brown bag chat for the 2008-2009 academic year on Wednesday in the Memorial Union to discuss the budget, the campus community book project and UC Davis‘ search for a new chancellor.

“To say [the budget’s] sobering is probably an understatement,” Vanderhoef said.

Despite increasing costs from inflation and growing enrollment, the UC system was given a budget identical to what it received the previous year.

A major focus of the budget discussion concerned the likelihood of a mid-year cut.

“I’m pretty sure the president won’t do anything general across the campuses,” Vanderhoef said. “He’ll let each campus deal with this on an individual basis.“

UCD began the 2008-2009 year with a shortfall of $29 million, which has been addressed in the budget through cuts and a variety of “short-term” solutions. However, given the possibility of a mid-year cut, it is likely that this shortfall will be extended by $14- to $15 million for the Davis campus, said Barbara Horwitz, interim provost and executive vice chancellor.

Vanderhoef cited factors influencing the shortfall as a rising student population, rising health care costs, an underfunded retirement system and the state of the economy in the nation at large.

“Right now we’re trying to establish committees to look at how we can proceed with the budget in the long term and how to deal with the expected shortfall,” Horwitz said. “These are permanent cuts in the budget, the campus is in for tough times and when the cuts are done they will affect everybody,” she said.

The chancellor also announced that for the first time in 18 years it will be necessary for UC campuses to contribute money to the pension fund for UC employees, which is currently underfunded due to market setbacks.

“[The pension fund status] is dependant in large part on the stock market,” Vanderhoef said. “It’s been a gift that ours has been doing well enough to manage without any additional contributions for so long.“

Vanderhoef discussed the possibility of putting forth a proposal to the president to extend the management of the pension fund to faculty and staff, which currently is completely controlled by the regents.

He expressed optimism for UCD’s ability to overcome the fiscal challenges.

“In the early ’90s we had the same kinds of meetings and bit by bit, piece by piece, we worked it out,” Vanderhoef said. “It was agony, but I’m convinced by what we’ve done in the past that we can work [the budget] out.“

Vanderhoef also praised the community service of the campus, citing specifically the campus community book project and the emerging school of global health. In the upcoming quarter there will be 19 talks and seven film and book discussions addressing issues of global health and poverty across the campus.

Members of the advisory committee to choose a new chancellor will be announced next week, he said. A date will be set for an all campus meeting to address concerns about the search for a new chancellor.

“The nominee should be selected sometime in the spring, April or March, and take over either July 1 or Aug. 1,” Vanderhoef said.

AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) issues largely dominated the open discussion that comprised the second half of the brown bag chat. A member of the audience requested that in order for the open forum to be more accessible to the entire university workforce, the public discussion period should be held at the beginning. Vanderhoef agreed to look into this request

Concerns over the conduct of the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh!’s recent activities were addressed by Janet Gong, associate vice chancellor of student affairs.

“We take these matters seriously and don’t condone the behaviors cited in the article,” Gong said. “The band has set policies and they have been reviewing these with our assistance.“

CHARLES HINRIKSSON can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com

UC Davis Bike Auction to be held Saturday

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 10, 2008

Transportation and Parking Services is holding its biannual bike auction Saturday morning at the new West Entry Parking Structure at the intersection of Hutchison and Dairy.

Bicycles may be viewed from 8 to 9 a.m. The bidding will commence at 9 a.m. and last until each of the over 425 bikes are sold.

“It’s important to get there early and look through the inventory, because once they’re up on stage you might not be able to get a good look at it,” said David Takemoto-Weerts, coordinator of TAPS‘ bicycle program.

All bikes are sold “as is, where is” – there are no refunds. Once you’ve won the bike it’s yours, Takemoto-Weerts said.

“If you look at a bike in preview time and really like it and end up the winning bidder on it and then discover a crack in the frame or the wheel is bent more than you thought – well you bought it.“

Kathryn Jovino, a junior human development major, found that out with her roommate at a bike auction last year.

“My roommate and I went last year and ended up with a bike with crooked bars,” she said. “But I learned my lesson and will be sure to make it for the preview this year.“

Jovino is seeking a basic mountain bike to commute to campus, for as cheap as possible, she said.

“The average winning price on these bikes is between $20 and $30,” he said. “We’ve got an awful lot of bikes to choose from – with over 425 there are bound to be plenty of people bringing one home.“

Bicycles up for bid are those than have been abandoned for at least three months. TAPS and the University Police are authorized to impound abandoned bikes according to the UC Davis Traffic and Parking Code.

Impounding is a last resort after multiple notices have been left and if the owner can be contacted via bike license information. TAPS will first try to reconnect the two.

“A lot of the time we get no response, or someone will reply and say they don’t want it, for example if they’ve replaced it with another or graduated – and we classify this as a bike donation,” Takemoto-Weerts said.

Donated bikes are a catch, Takemoto-Weerts said. They usually function with just some air in the tires while others are fixer-uppers and might not come perfectly ready to ride.

“The downside is that these are abandoned bikes; we don’t do anything to fix them up,” he said. “You may buy one for a few dollars that just needs air in the tires, while another for the same money might need a hundred dollars of repairs.“

All proceeds go to the Bicycle Program at TAPS, a self-supporting auxiliary unit that relies on these biannual auctions for revenue.

Purchases may be made with cash, check, Visa or Mastercard. For further information, visit taps.ucdavis.edu/bicycle/auctions/.

MIKE DORSEY can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

Food, Fun and Compost

Features

Features Editor

October 10, 2008

Events:

Open Fashion and Stage Show by UC Davis students: 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Fashion Stage at E Street

Ceremony and Cake Cutting: 12:30 p.m., PG&E Main Solar Stage at Central Park

Lounge Lizards: 1:45 p.m., UC Davis Stage on A Street Field

Breakdancers @ UC Davis: 2:45 p.m., UC Davis Stage on A Street Field

Leaving Stressville (Reggae Band): 3:10 p.m., Historic City Hall Stage at Bistro 3

Desperate for an excuse to take an afternoon break from reviewing lecture slides for that first midterm? Well, Sunday’s Celebrate UC Davis may be the only opportunity you will ever have to see 100 birthday cakes in the same place.

The Davis Chamber of Commerce has organized an array of festivities in celebration of the university’s centennial. The events, geared toward people of all ages, will take place from noon to 4 p.m. throughout the downtown area and the UC Davis campus.

The Chamber and the university have a long history together.

Formed 105 years ago, the Chamber’s original intention was bringing the university farm to Davis, said project director Kendle Pope. At the time, six or seven other communities were vying for that honor.

“In honor of the Centennial anniversary, the university asked the Chamber if we would host a community celebration,” Pope said. “It seems fitting that the very group that was formed to get the university here is throwing it a birthday party.

“Part of Third Street, from campus to about G, will be blocked off for food vendors, info booths for university departments and organizations, and alumni companies,” Pope said. “And, for this event we will experiment with this food area being open-container.”

Attractions include an alternative-energy vehicle exposition at Central Park and the grand opening of the California Bicycle Museum in the lower floor of Third and B Teen Center.

Live music and performances will be held in four different locations. The “Mad Cow String Band” and “Boca do Rio” band will be performing on the PG&E Solar Main Stage in Central Park, and there will be a DJ and fashion show at the Fashion Stage on E Street.

You can also take the opportunity to indulge in wine tasting at the Vintage Aggie Alumni Wine Club’s wine garden, or if you so choose, relieve some stress by having a bounce in the bounce house.

Celebrate UC Davis will distribute numerous prizes, ranging from Woodstock’s gift certificates to an electric bike from Davis Electric Cars. To enter the drawing, pick up an entry form from the Chamber booth at Third and C Streets and spell “Happy Birthday UC Davis” by collecting letter stamps from various vendors.

The university has also been excited about getting involved with the event.

“UC Davis is truly honored by this enthusiastic outpouring of support from the Davis community,” said Mabel Salon, director of community relations at UC Davis and program director of the UC Davis Centennial in an e-mail.

“The campus is excited about the opportunity to showcase many of our innovations of the past, present and future at Celebrate UC Davis,” she added.

Campus units represented at the event include the Mondavi Center, UC Davis Olive Oil, the Center for Biophotonic Science and Technology and UC Davis athletics.

Celebrate UC Davis is also aiming to be eco-friendly.

“Another interesting part of the event is that we’re trying to be zero waste, so we have a consultant who is helping us achieve this goal,” Pope said.

Michael Siminitus, a Davis local and founder of the company “Wastebusters” is the zero-waste coordinator for the event.

Siminitus said that, as events are frequently huge generators of waste products, food and beverage vendors have been asked to use compostable cups, plates, and utensils.

The cups and silverware are made with corn and potato-based plastics, and the plates are made with recycled, tree-free paper.

Seminitus and his crew will collaborate with the Davis Waste Removal (DWR) and Jepson Prairie Organics from Dixon to collect, transport and compost the accrued materials.

“Landfilling compostable organics produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.” Seminitus said. “By greening up events, we can reduce global warming impact.”

Along with the Centennial theme of sustainability, UC Davis has made a commitment to go zero-waste. By 2012, the university hopes to achieve a 75 percent diversion rate, and 100 percent by the year 2020.

For a schedule of times and locations for the various events, or if you are interested in volunteering, visit the event website at celebrateucdavis.com.

DARCEY LEWIS can be reached at features@californiaaggie.com.

Centennial Fall Festival

Campus News

Campus Editor

October 9, 2008

Robert Mondavi Institute Opening

Friday Oct. 10

10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The formal grand opening of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science kicks off centennial week. The $73 million complex near Interstate-80 houses labs, classrooms and offices. Speakers at the event include members of the Mondavi family, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi and Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook.

Classes Without Quizzes

Friday Oct. 10

11:15 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.

Sensory Theater, Mondavi Institute

Listen to three 20-minute lectures at the brand new Mondavi Institute. Professor Charlie Bamforth of malting and brewing science will give a lecture titled “Bountiful Beer“ while Ann Noble, professor emerita of viticulture and enology, will give a speech titled “The Wonders of Wine Flavors.“ Chef Martin Yan, TV personality and author of Yan Can Cook, will also give a presentation.

College Centennial Celebrations

Friday Oct. 10

4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Several UC Davis colleges will host their very own centennial celebrations. The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will celebrate in Freeborn Hall; Biological Sciences in the Life Sciences Building Courtyard; the School of Education at Putah Creek Lodge and the College of Letters and Science at the University Club. Beginning and ending times vary by college.

Law School Open House

Friday Oct. 10

4 to 6 p.m.

King Hall

Tour the UC Davis King School of Law facilities and meet current and former students at the Founding Faculty Celebration.

Pajamarino and Bonfire

Friday Oct. 10

6 to 9 p.m.

Amtrak Station

Join The California Aggie Marching Band-uh! in greeting returning alumni at the train station followed by a homecoming bonfire rally. The tradition originated in 1912 when pajama-clad students snuck out of their dorms to meet returning Aggies at the train station.

Homecoming Football Game

Saturday Oct. 11

6 to 9 p.m.

Aggie Stadium

Watch the Aggies battle the Southern Utah Thunderbirds under the lights at Aggie Stadium. Go Ags!

Celebrate UC Davis

Sunday Oct. 12

Noon to 4 p.m.

Third Street

The Davis Chamber of Commerce and the city of Davis are throwing UC Davis a birthday party complete with 100 birthday cakes. There will also be a wine and beer garden, entertainment, children’s area, a fashion show and an alternative-energy vehicle expo. Police will close down Third Street for local businesses and food vendors to set up booths.

Undergraduate Research Center Open House

Monday Oct. 13

3 to 5 p.m.

Surge IV, Suite 409

Go tour the new Undergraduate Research Center and see what opportunities are available for research both on and off campus. The center has programs and services available to all majors and all class levels.

Sale of the Century

Wednesday Oct. 15

8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

UC Davis Bookstore

Take advantage of 25 percent discounts on clothing and gifts and 20 percent discounts on general books.

Activities Faire and Chamber Day on the Quad

Wednesday Oct. 15

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Quad

The annual Activities Faire features exhibits, club sign-ups, demonstrations, entertainment and information from more than 150 student organizations, ASUCD activities, sports clubs and campus departments. Chamber Day, sponsored by the Davis Chamber of Commerce, brings over 100 local businesses to campus.

Centennial Walk Dedication

Wednesday Oct 15

Noon to 1 p.m.

Quad

Go see the formal unveiling of the new and improved central walkway through campus in honor of the centennial.

Letter to the Editor: Starbucks’ fair trade policies

Opinion

Opinion

October 9, 2008

Letter to the editor

Starbucks’ fair trade policies

I recently read the Letter to the Editor dated Oct. 2, 2008, “Starbucks on campus not OK” and would like to provide some information regarding our ethical sourcing practices for coffee and cocoa.

As North America’s largest purchaser of Fair Trade Certified™ coffee and among the largest worldwide, we share common goals with the Fair Trade movement. In 2007, we purchased almost a third of the Fair Trade Certified™ coffee imported into the U.S.

However, the Fair Trade system only allows small farms who belong to cooperatives to participate. Due to our heritage, we have many long-standing relationships with farms that do not fit into the Fair Trade model. Because we agree with the principles of Fair Trade, we have been working with Conservation International since 1998 to design the most comprehensive, socially and environmentally responsible sourcing program called Coffee and Farmer Equity (CAFE) Practices. CAFE Practices is open to all farms regardless of size and includes our high quality standards.

In 2004, we began developing a set of guidelines built on the foundation of CAFE Practices for our cocoa suppliers. We formally launched Cocoa Practices in 2007 to provide guidelines for the cultivation and processing of cocoa in a manner that is environmentally and socially responsible, and promotes equitable relationships with farmers, workers and communities. CAFE Practices and Cocoa Practices are verified by independent, third parties.

Starbucks coffee and tea products are not genetically modified. For everything else, we are committed to ensuring the safety of the food we offer for sale to our customer and will continue to monitor our products.

Thank you for raising these critical issues that we take very seriously. We invite you to stop by our table at the Open House at Silo Union this week on Oct. 8 and 9 and talk with us more about coffee and the environment. We will also be signing up interested students to join Starbucks in community service projects to support local non-profit environmental organizations.

If you can’t stop by our table, you can read more about our global responsibility initiatives online at www.starbucks.com/csr.

Sincerely,

Ben Packard,

Vice president, global responsibility

Starbucks Coffee Company

Students take advantage of special sale

Features

Features Editor

October 9, 2008

Dozens of undergraduate and graduate students lined up for hours in order to take advantage of the Mondavi Center’s student ticket sale.

In an effort to promote student attendance at Mondavi Center concert events, 10 percent of the total tickets available for each performance were reserved for UC Davis students at reduced prices.

Students towards the front of the line arrived at 9 a.m., three hours before the box office opened, in order to ensure they got a ticket to one of the major events due in the coming year. Some of the more popular performers who will be appearing at the Mondavi Center include Yo-Yo Ma and Ihtzak Perlman.

The sale will end on Oct. 29 or when tickets are sold out.

— Richard Procter

Daily Calendar

Features

Features Editor

October 9, 2008

TODAY

Student volunteer program

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Garrison Room, MU

Go to this event, every hour on the hour, to learn about international student volunteer positions that allow for two to three months of travel.

Native American studies

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

3201 Hart

Everyone is invited to the Native American studies fall welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Comparing futures for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta

4:10 to 5 p.m.

3001 Plant and Environmental Sciences

This talk is free and open to the public. The speaker will be engineering professor Jay Lund.

MCB club welcome meeting

6 p.m.

122 Briggs

Does the world of molecular and cellular biology intrigue you? Come to the first general meeting for the MCB club!

Pre-Dental Society

7 p.m.

2205 Haring

Check out the first general meeting of the year! Upcoming events will be discussed, and T-shirts will be distributed. Free pizza will be provided!

Sigma Mu Delta event

7 p.m.

Chautauqua Lounge, 717 Alvarado Ave.

Head over to Chautauqua to meet the brothers.

Jazz/contemporary dance

9 to 11 p.m.

5 Lower Freeborn

UCD Toofan will be hosting a dance workshop with well-known Bollywood choreographers.

FRIDAY

Activities Faire signup deadline

Noon

447 MU

The deadline for groups to sign up for the Activities Faire is Oct. 10 at noon!

SATURDAY

Bike auction

9 a.m.

West Entry Parking Structure

There will be over 400 bikes available to the highest bidders. Bike viewing starts at 8 a.m., and the auction starts at 9 a.m. The event lasts until all bikes are sold. Cash, check, Visa and Mastercard are accepted.

SUNDAY

League of Women Voters registration drive

Noon to 4 p.m.

Baskin-Robbins, 236 E St.

Free ice cream will be given away to encourage people to register to vote.

MONDAY

Kickoff for Pride Week 2008

Noon to 1 p.m.

East Quad

Join the event organizers on the Quad and hang out while eating your lunch. Pumpkin decorating will also be available!

Project Compost

6 p.m.

Project Compost Office, MU Basement

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

Girls audition

9 to 11 p.m.

5 Lower Freeborn

UCD Toofan, a Hindi film dance team, is holding auditions. For information, visit ucdtoofan.com

TUESDAY

GLBT Intersections of Identities

2 to 3 p.m.

Smith Room, MU

The presentation, sponsored by CAPS and Multicultural Immersion Program, will focus on GLBT global identities.

Teach for America info session

5:10 p.m.

229 South Hall

This program welcomes college graduates from all majors to commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools. Full salary and benefits are provided to the teachers.

Boys audition

9 to 11 p.m.

5 Lower Freeborn

UCD Toofan, a Hindi film dance team, is holding auditions. For information, visit ucdtoofan.com

To receive placement in the AGGIE DAILY CALENDAR, e-mail dailycal@californiaaggie.com 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.

Editorial: Putah Creek

Opinion

Opinion

October 9, 2008

UC Davis is known for its advancements in environmental science.

Now, it’s faced with cleaning up its own mess.

The university has been fined $78,000 by the Central Valley Water Board for 34 violations of polluting Putah Creek since 2000. UC Davis spokesperson Andy Fell said the university would not contest the fines.

While UC Davis interim director of utilities David Phillips said the violations are minor, their impact on the university’s image may not be.

Being found guilty of these violations makes the university look like “sanctimonious hypocrites,” said Bill Casey, UC Davis professor of hydrology and soil science, in an e-mail interview.

“UCD has been smugly claiming a special voice in environmental matter across the state,” he said, “but treats Putah Creek as a dumping ground.“

Putah Creek covers an area of 70 miles, spanning from Cobb Mountain at the Sonoma-Lake County border to the community of El Macero just outside Davis city limits. It serves as a one of the region’s prominent fishing and boating destinations.

It isn’t UC Davis‘ dump. The fact the university has treated it as such – filling it with excess levels of aluminum, chlorine, copper, cyanide, coliform, salinity, sediment and acidity – isn’t helping the campus‘ sustainability plans, either.

Almost as troubling as the violations is the fact their causes cannot be accounted for.

Fell said the chemicals found in the creek may be the product of campus labs disposing waste incorrectly, but added “there is no explanation” for what resulted in the pollution in other cases.

This fact is troubling given the university’s reputation among environmental circles – especially when the campus invested $20 million in its wastewater treatment plan last year.

UC Davis helped write the book on environmental science. Maybe it could take a look inside.

Editorial: UC tuition fees

Opinion

Opinion

October 9, 2008

It’s time for students to take action.

The governor, legislature and Regents have shown year after year that they are not interested in stopping fee increases any time soon.

As Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi said in his interview with The Aggie last week, students must “rise up and raise hell” if they want to see results.

Although it is commendable that approximately 3,000 students marched on the state capitol last year to protest rising fees, this number needs to be higher. More students need to get involved in the effort.

Higher education needs to thrive for the state to prosper. If Californians cannot afford to attend our public institutions, our state will pay the price in the end.

The only way for California’s economy to remain strong is to keep higher education accessible for all. Currently, the legislature is not making this a priority. Now it’s up to the students.

This was not always the case. In 1960, the Master Plan for Higher Education in California stated “The two governing boards reaffirm the long-established principle that state colleges and the University of California shall be tuition-free to all residents of the state.”

Well, not anymore.

What in years past used to be a free education now costs approximately $8,100 per year in the UC system and $3,048 per year in the CSU system.

The increase in cost of attending UC is especially dramatic if one considers how much fees have been raised recently. In 2001, UC fees were approximately $3,429.

There is no reason to doubt that fees will continue to rise. This means more student loans and more young people in debt.

The only way for these fee increases to stop is for students to stand up for themselves and show that they’re mad as hell and not going to take this anymore.

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