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UC Davis breaks student voter registration record

City Editor
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Student political advocacy groups are taking campus voter registration records to new heights as Election Day approaches.

As of Tuesday, 2,000 students registered to vote since the quarter began thanks to the combined efforts of the UC Davis chapter of Students for Barack Obama (SFBO) along with Davis College Democrats.

In the first eight days, UC Davis not only broke the previous California student registration record – held by Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo – but doubled it. Davis registered 1,447 students in eight days, surpassing Cal Poly’s record of 450 in a week.

SFBO, a nationwide organization, along with DCD hopes to reach its goal of 5,000 registered students by the Oct. 20 deadline.

Volunteers are out on the Quad from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Although many students are already registered to vote, some of them are registered in their hometown instead of Yolo County.

“Instead of asking, ‘Are you registered to vote?’ we ask, ‘Are you registered to vote locally?'” said Elicia Fox, international relations major and media coordinator for UC Davis SFBO. “We try to get them registered in Davis – then they can vote in Yolo County.“

DCD president Don Gibson said the group is focusing on having students register in Davis so they can vote early at the Memorial Union during the week of Oct. 27 to 31 – one week before the election.

“Also we suggest people vote by mail even if they are registered in Davis,” said Gibson, junior biotechnology major. “This allows voters 30 days to vote as opposed to one. If someone has a midterm or work all day, it allows them to do their research ahead of time and turn it in when they are free before Election Day.”

SFBO also organizes door-to-door apartment campaigning and Nevada trips.

On Sept. 27, SFBO traveled to Nevada, a swing state, with 63 students from UC Davis and UC Berkeley in 12 cars to spread voting information and increase voter participation.

“We made contact with 3,000 people in some form or another,” Fox said. “We’ve been told by Nevada operators that we’ve practically saturated the state of Nevada. They have greatly exceeded the number of participants they expected.”

There is another trip to Nevada scheduled for Saturday.

Yolo United, a project of the Yolo Democratic Central Committee, has been involved with both SFBO and DCD for voter registration and canvassing. Yolo United also contributed funding for the SFBO Nevada trips in the form of gas cards.

“We came up with this name for this presidential election season because we wanted to be united with all groups in the county to see how we can not duplicate efforts and harness all energy to make sure it’s going out in a targeting way,” said Barbara Archer, Yolo United communications chair. “That’s what we are doing with Students For Barack Obama.”

Ryan Loney, junior environmental policy major and Northern California SFBO regional coordinator, works with college campuses outside the Bay Area in Northern California, and is currently focusing on UC Davis, which he says has 30,000 students worth of potential.

“The main focus is getting students on campus,” he said. “We just had more than 5,000 freshmen move to Davis and they just have four weeks to get their registration updated.“

Loney is also on the Yolo United Board, which started working on their activities for election season in early June. SFBO was established in January during the primaries when it became an official group on campus and registered as a student organization.

The countywide Yolo United campaign has registered up to 4,000 voters.

“New voters are so important this time,” said Archer.

UC Davis also has the highest number of students registered for SFBO’s text messaging campaign, which uses messages to notify students of events, meetings, dorm storming and voter registration. Since the first SFBO meeting on Oct. 1, registration for the text campaign grew from 16 students to 116.

 

POOJA KUMAR can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com. 

 

California DREAM Act vetoed

City Editor
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Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the California DREAM Act on Sept. 30 for the second time in two years. The act, authored by state senator Gilbert Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), was aiming to allow illegal immigrants access to financial aid at the University of California, California State University and California’s community colleges.

“I share the author’s goal of making affordable education available to all California students,” wrote Governor Schwarzenegger in a letter to the state senate, “but given the precarious fiscal condition the state faces at this time, it would not be prudent to place additional demands on our limited financial aid resources as specified in this bill.“

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act would have allowed illegal immigrants access to the Board of Governors Fee Waiver, scholarship disbursements, and the High School Graduate Cal Grant A and B.

If Cedillo continues to try to pass the bill he can either seek to override the veto or amend the current bill and present it in the next fiscal year.

“The bill was amended in order to address the governor’s concerns, yet he still vetoed it,” said Yuliana Mendez, spokesperson for Cedillo. “We will more than likely be introducing another DREAM Act with another amendment.“

“Things like this bill may be well-intentioned but are going to come at a tremendous cost and are probably not going to be the best for California at this time, in the daunting fiscal condition we are in,” said Sam Cannon, chief of staff for state Representative Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley), who voted against the bill.

Every year an estimated 65,000 students graduate from U.S. high schools as illegal immigrants, and 24,000 of those students are in California, according to the Urban Institute.

If these students attend California colleges, they are ineligible for government aid.

“Because undocumented students don’t have a social security number, they can’t take out a loan or apply for federal aid,” said Mendez. “They have to pay out of pocket, and they can’t get a job because they don’t have a social security number.“

If the California DREAM Act were passed, the aid that students would receive would also include the private funding of each institution, said Mendez.

“Our bill gives students access to that money,” said Mendez. “If Senator Cedillo donated $5,000 to UC Davis for undocumented students, the money would go to them.“

There are two ways in which the California DREAM Act would affect the financial aid systems, according to a statement from state Representative Mike Villines‘ office. Either the number of financial aid awards would be increased, or the same amount of awards would be dispersed among more students.

“[This bill] could create General Fund cost pressures, possibly in excess of $2 million,” said the statement. “[Or] it would have the affect of bumping some students who are currently eligible for institutional financial aid and replacing them with [undocumented] students.”

The California DREAM Act is not the same as the federal DREAM Act, which would grant permanent resident status to illegal immigrants who plan to go to college or serve in the military.

Illegal immigrants have been able to pay in-state tuition fees since AB 540 was passed in 2001. UC Davis tuition for a California resident is currently $9,496.60. Nonresidents will be paying $30,104.60 for the school year.

AB 540 students must attend high school in California for three or more years, graduate or pass the GED, and promise to apply for lawful immigration status.

The California DREAM Act states that only documented and AB 540 students would be eligible for financial aid.

A lawsuit against AB 540 was filed in 2006 and is still pending in the court system.

The case alleged that AB 540 discriminates against documented students from out of state and that it goes against federal law. The case was dismissed, granted an appeal and will now be brought back before the Yolo County Superior Court.

If AB 540 is abolished, the California DREAM Act may need further amending in order to account for the increase in cost of tuition for undocumented students.

“It sends the wrong message when California passes bills without any anticipated revenue,” said Cannon. “People have to tighten their belts right now, and [the California DREAM Act] does the exact opposite.“

The AB 540 case is ongoing and Cedillo has not made an official announcement that he is going to present the bill again next year.

“We don’t know what is going to happen, and it is all going to take a long time,” said Mendez.

Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) told the Sacramento Bee Wednesday that this year’s budget situation is already in peril. Perata said that if the current state budget is not revised California could face a deficit of $3 to $5 billion this fiscal year.

 

ALI EDNEY can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

State budget takes away local funding

City Editor
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It’s not as bad as some feared, but the state budget signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last month will have a negative impact on the city’s budget.

The state budget for fiscal year 2009 will impact redevelopment funds, transportation money and grant funding for Davis law enforcement. The total impact on the city’s budget will be $760,000.

Assistant city manager Paul Navazio gave a presentation to the Davis City Council on Tuesday night outlining the local impacts of the state budget.

By far the biggest hit is with the Davis Redevelopment Agency, which will be required to pay the state $662,000 over the next year.

The Redevelopment Agency, which is governed by the Davis City Council, exists to improve struggling areas within the city by investing tax dollars into new development there. The idea behind redevelopment is that better land use results in more tax dollars, which are used to pay for more redevelopment elsewhere.

According to the Davis Enterprise, the city receives almost $10 million per year in redevelopment revenues.

Navazio told the council that the city may be able to mitigate a short-term loss of redevelopment funding, but it wouldn’t be so easy if it became a consistent takeaway.

“While the current budget largely spares local government from some of the significant direct impacts that had been contemplated … cities and local governments in general remain concerned,“ he said.

The reason for this is that the state still has significant structural problems that were not resolved this year.

“It just buys them time until they get back to working on it,“ he said.

There are also concerns about what will happen to state and local budgets as a result of this fall’s economic downturn.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the other area that we’re looking at very closely is our own local tax revenues in terms of property and sales tax,“ he said.

Though high, the $760,000 is significantly less than what the city was preparing for. When the budget was being developed, city officials warned that government takeaways could result in as much as a $3 million impact on the city’s budget.

The question is whether the cuts will continue into the future.

“We’re already seeing signs that the state budget is falling out of balance,” said city manager Bill Emlen.

The city will also be losing $31,555 in law enforcement funding due to cuts in grant programs and booking fee reductions. Prop 42 funding for local streets and roads is also being cut, resulting in an ongoing $67,724 loss to the city.

The redevelopment funding grab is affecting many other cities as well as Davis.

The West Sacramento Redevelopment Agency will lose over $1.3 million. The Fairfield Redevelopment Agency will lose $2.5 million and in Vacaville the number is $1.9 million, according to documents from the California Redevelopment Association.

The League of California Cities issued a release criticizing the state budget, saying, “we strongly oppose the fact that part of the legislature’s final budget effectively steals $350 million of local redevelopment funds that are so essential to the vital community infrastructure investments that generate both high-paying construction jobs and substantial state and local revenue.“

Navazio will be back before the council in November to give a budget update on the first quarter of the fiscal year.

 

JEREMY OGUL can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com. 

Construction begins on new stem cell center

Campus Editor
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UC Davis formally broke ground on the $62 million Institute for Regenerative Cures on its Sacramento campus late September – the first such facility funded by the state in Northern California.

The project is supported by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and will focus on team-oriented projects with the goal of discovering new methods to treat chronic diseases and injuries.

“This institute fits perfectly with our research traditions and unique dedication to solving real-world problems,” said Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef at the groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 26, “That interdisciplinary, collaborative approach has thrived as one of UC Davis’ enduring values.”

The institute will be housed in a 92,000-square-foot facility and will include primary laboratories and support space, microscopy and researcher cell sorters, a shared-vector core as well as office space for academic, administrative and postdoctoral affairs. A portion of the facilities is scheduled to be completed and certified in late 2009.

“We have the good fortune of renovating an existing building, which allows us to complete the project quickly,” said Vice Chancellor for Human Health Sciences Claire Pomeroy. “We expect to have an initial portion of the facility to be completed in fall, with additional sections by May 2010. There still will be remaining space in the building after that to further expand our program.”

The institute will also host a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility, which allows cellular therapies to be moved safely into critical trials

“The facility is vital to our research,” said Gerhard Bauer, Good Manufacturing Practice laboratory director. “It would be difficult to perform the research we want to do without the money.”

The institute’s primary goal is to convert laboratory research into clinically tested methods of medical treatment. Scientists will use adult stem cells to target retinal occlusion, heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease and Huntington’s disease, although researchers plan to use both adult and embryonic stem cells.

“The facility will be home for more than 125 scientists at work on various aspects of regenerative medicine research,” Pomeroy said. “The range of scientific investigation is breathtaking.”

Other research areas include liver disease, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, skin disorders and retina damage, among other conditions.

“UC Davis’ Institute of Regenerative Cures is well positioned for success because it arises from a tradition dedicated to improving life and advancing health,” Vanderhoef said.

UC Davis already holds a substantial reputation for genetic research, but this institute will prove to be a unique addition to the university’s already prestigious position, Vanderhoef said.

“From my perspective, UC Davis offers a unique combination of research, clinical care, education and community engagement in the stem cell research field,” Pomeroy said. “For patients and families suffering from chronic diseases or injuries, our stem cell work offers great promise and hope.”

 

RITA SIMERLY can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dispute between Band-uh!, faculty director goes public

Campus Editor
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The California Aggie Marching Band-uh! is on the defensive after details of a complaint filed by its faculty director were leaked to the media Monday.

The Band-uh!’s faculty director, Thomas Slabaugh II, filed a sexual harassment complaint with the university in May after a series of “ridiculous, disturbing, and offensive” incidents, he wrote in a complaint published by The San Francisco Chronicle. Slabaugh, who is pursuing a doctorate in musical arts from the University of Washington, is on stress-leave from September through Nov. 8.

“Never an ideal situation”

Public urination, removal of clothing, destruction of university property and “sexualized” messages directed at the director are among the incidents cited in the complaint, The Chronicle reported.

Slabaugh’s attorney, Chad Carlock, said that while he believes all of the culpable parties were referred to Students Judicial Affairs, the Band-uh! director was left in the dark.

“I don’t know what SJA did with any of [the incidents],” Carlock said. “That’s partly why, in my view, things need to be more streamlined. It makes more sense for discipline to be internal.”

According to the organization’s constitution, the Band-uh!’s officers have the sole authority to expel unruly members. Carlock said he believes such a system has an inherent conflict of interest and the director should have ultimate authority.

While the Band-uh! is infamous for its quirky, offbeat style – “fast, furious, and foaming at the mouth, bold, blue and bitchin'” is a common introduction at UC Davis home games – Carlock said there needs to be a line between a “culture of free-spiritedness and violation of university policy.”

Members of the Band-uh! were privately stunned and upset by the allegations in The Chronicle, but publicly announced that it responds to behavior in violation of university policy in a “timely and appropriate manner.”

“The Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh is a student organization with a proud tradition of performing a broad repertoire of music, developing student leaders, fostering community spirit and supporting UC Davis,” the statement reads. “We are always concerned with representing ourselves in a responsible and professional manner.”

The Band-uh! was without a faculty director for four years prior to hiring Slabaugh last year.

Without the guidance of a faculty director, the “culture continued on its own,” Carlock said. While the relationship between the Band-uh! and Slabaugh was never harmonious, Carlock said it’s “unfair to say that there weren’t conflicts with prior directors.”

The university told Slabaugh there were “concerns” about ongoing behavioral problems in the band, which he interpreted as a go-ahead to “minimize incidents and deal with them as they arose,” Carlock said.

Slabaugh understood the culture of the Band-uh! prior to accepting the position, as his wife was a member in the 1980s. However, he did not understand the “severity of particular instances,” Carlock said.

When the trombone section sent a lewd Christmas card to Slabaugh’s home – “I saw you masturbating,” the note read – Carlock said the director was especially upset because “his family members were targeted.”

Though the Christmas cards went out to the entire Band-uh!, such messages sent to the director are “inappropriate and unacceptable,” his attorney said.

However, there was no single incident that was the last straw for Slabaugh, Carlock said. He said the situation was “probably never ideal” and “in some cases, escalated.” As a result, Slabaugh decided to file a complaint, he said.

“Emphasis on student leadership”

Janet Gong, the associate vice chancellor of student affairs, said she could not comment directly on the complaint due to privacy laws. However, she noted that all student organizations are expected to comply with both UC-wide and UC Davis-specific codes of conduct.

But student-led organizations – such as the Band-uh! – have more “flexibility and responsibility,” she said.

“In the band and in all student organizations, there is a significant emphasis on student leadership and development and that is very important to students to be able to have the abilities to learn and grow as leaders and peers,” she said.

Gong said the role of the Band-uh! director is to “work with student leaders to help support their efforts, to provide advice and council about music and choreography, to provide coordination with other departments on campus and to ensure the band is operating with good and appropriate actions.”

“Kid-friendly”

The individual Band-uh! members testified to the good intentions and welcoming atmosphere of the organization.

Beth Sekishiro, a junior English major and clarinet player in the Band-uh!, described the group as “kid-friendly.”

“The Davis community loves Band-Uh!,” she said. “When parents find out that we’ll be playing at a festival or at the farmers market, they bring their kids to see us. We’re asked to play at children’s birthday parties, preschools, elementary schools.”

Sean Morrow, a senior biochemistry major who is in his fifth year in the band, said his experience “has been one of the most positive” aspects of his time at UC Davis.

“You won’t find another organization on campus whose members are more loyal and dedicated to the university than the band, and we have an absolute blast at the same time,” he said.

Morrow said incidents that would be considered sexual harassment in an office environment, such as people removing their shirts, are in his opinion “entirely appropriate on the practice field.” No one was obligated to participate in every Band-uh! exploit, he said.

“It was made abundantly clear to me from the day I joined that I was under no obligation to participate in anything I didn’t want to and that if at any point I was not having a great time, I was encouraged to speak with an officer or section leader who could rectify the situation,” he said.

The Band-uh!, founded as “The Cal Aggie Band” in 1929, has been a university institution for 79 years and currently has 230 members.

Determining “the appropriate response”

Despite the public escalation of his dispute with the university, Slabaugh hopes to return to his job as director, Carlock said.

However, if his complaint is not addressed, Carlock said he will “have to decide what the appropriate response is.”

“At this point, I wouldn’t rule anything out. We’re still hoping to work with the university and with the band,” said Carlock who is currently trying to organize a meeting with university officials.

Meanwhile, Gong said the university recognizes the role of the Band-uh! in fostering Aggie spirit and ensures it fosters “positive, respectful and appropriate conduct.”

“The band, like many of our student groups, makes significant contributions to support the university,” she said. “By and large, over the years, they have done so with great commitment.”

PATRICK McCARTNEY can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.

Report finds Shields Library under-financed

Campus Editor
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A severe lack of funding may soon render Shields Library obsolete, according to a recent report by the UC Davis Library Task Force.

The library is currently on a flat budget – it receives the same funding on a yearly basis despite economic inflation and rising book costs.

Long considered the most diverse campus in the UC system, Davis is in danger of losing that distinction, said Axel Borg, a UCD librarian of 25 years and president of the union representing UC Davis librarians and lecturers.

“You see people talk in the newspaper about how they’re coping with the economic recession, maybe by dining out less – well the way UCD is coping with it is by taking out what makes us unique,” he said in reference to the funding problems that could result in the loss of unique library materials.

The budget has three main areas: electronic serials, print serials and continuations. These are either online, in print journals or databases that the library re-subscribes to every year regardless of cost – “locked money” Borg called it – and make up almost 80 percent of the library’s budget.

Fourteen percent is tied up in approval monographs – general texts that the library purchases. This money isn’t necessarily locked, but is a slightly variable yearly investment to keep pace with competitors.

The fixed order category is where Shields Library stands out. It’s the portion of the money that allows university librarians to buy unique materials, and is especially important to the powerhouse departments of UCD, like food science or viticulture and enology.

Costs increase yearly for the four largest chunks – the library’s budget stays the same while book prices rise and inflation occurs.

Since the 1990s, every UC library except Davis’ has either maintained or improved their status in the American Research Library’s rankings, according to the Task Force report. Davis was once as high as 24th in 1986, and between 1993 and 2001 ranked consistently between 35th and 38th – but since has dropped to 60th.

The ranking today is based only on funding, Borg said, and is not indicative of a library’s ability to function.

Helen Henry, associate university librarian for administrative services, said that while this decline in ranking is a fact, its use in the report is misleading. Henry is concerned about what she believes to be inaccuracies in the report and declined to comment on the document. She is in the process of sending comments back to the Academic Senate.

Kelly Ratliff, UCD associate vice chancellor for Budget and Resource Management, said she also had not seen the report, but cited some positive budgetary news regarding the library.

“During the spring, when we were planning for budget reductions, the library was assigned a 7 percent general fund budget target cut, which was reduced to 3 percent in the Provost’s final decisions,” she said.

Ratliff said she hasn’t seen the library treated differently in terms of funding from anything else involved in the campus budget process.

However, Borg believes UCD treats its library much differently than its main competitor UCSD does.

“The library uses UCSD as its comparable school – and that’s only because of how far we’ve slipped,” he said. “We did a case study over the last 15 years to see what kind of funding we were missing out on as our rankings dropped, and the UCSD library has received $65 million more than UCD over that time.”

The library does what it can to cope with these budget cuts by trimming staff, Henry said. The Task Force report shows 17 fewer librarians and 71 fewer total staff employed by Shields Library in 2006-2007 than in 1991-1992.

“We’re helping to support and augment our material budgets with salary savings, and we’ve had to use some of that salary saving for collections,” Henry said.

Borg said this puts more work on the backs of already overworked and underpaid librarians.

Both the number of librarians and their pay is dropping, Borg said. UC librarians make 30 percent less than their CSU counterparts, and are even further outdistanced by California Community College librarians – despite being more qualified across the board, according to the report.

“It’s a backwards world, where people are paid less to work with the most talented public school faculty and students,” said Karen Sawislak, executive director of the union representing UC librarians and lecturers, who said the disparity is most troubling at the starting level.

“A starting assistant librarian in the CSU can come around $57,000, whereas a starting salary for an assistant librarian is around $46,000. It’s a big difference,” she said. “People have to be very high up in the range for associate librarian before they even reach the starting salary for a CSU librarian.”

The report concludes with three recommendations – to increase funding, reinvigorate the university library committee and establish scholarly communication.

“There is so much talent here, but it has to cope with less money, more kids and higher costs – the only reason we survive is because of our talent,” Borg said.

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

“Performance: Reading, Writing and Technology” conference held today

Arts Editor
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The UC Davis graduate department of performance studies will host the “Performance: Reading, Writing and Technology” symposium today at noon in the Technocultural Studies Building.

Part of a year-long series on electronic media and writing, the all-day event features talks by several multidisciplinary artists and multimedia installations by UCD students. The event is free.

Theatre and dance professor Lynette Hunter and Ph.D. student in performance studies Praba Pilar created the conference to discuss how electronic media is changing the interaction between artists and audiences.

“A lot of artwork that’s done with electronic media doesn’t really address the audience,” Pilar said.

To help foster the dialogue, there will be a Q&A session after the presentations.

The conference has drawn individuals from throughout California to discuss topics about reading and technology. Los Angeles-based artist René Garcia, who is speaking at the event, sees reading as a complex, culturally shaped act. He plans to discuss how artists are looking at the act of reading as a concept.

“Certain symbols mean certain things to certain people,” he said, using the symbol of a red octagon on the side of a road as an example. “I hope that participants will enjoy the interesting angle that artists take on text and reading.”

Part of the all-day event will include a service lead by Pilar, an ordained minister in the Church of Nano Bio Info Cogno, an organization that celebrates nanotechnology, biotechnology, informational technology and cognitive neuroscience. For more information about the church, visit churchofnbic.com.

The service will present the church’s unique perspective on technological development through religious rituals common to Catholicism, such as singing holy songs, confessions and taking communion.

“People sin against technology,” Pilar said. “When you Google yourself, that is a form of masturbation. When you curse your computer, that is a serious sin. We are able to absolve them of their guilt.”

The service is a celebration of technological saviors like Steve Jobs and Raymond Kurzweil, according to Pilar. The church expresses ideas that highlight the changing relationship of technology and society, which she will cover in her sermon.

“The sermon is about understanding the new age is dawning and the rapture of 2012 is coming,” Pilar said. “We have to upload our consciousness on silicon chips. We have to celebrate our post-human future and get rid of our cognitive memory banks that we’re relying on now.”

Throughout the day, the event will be open to view the installations, which were created by UCD students. Studio arts M.F.A. candidate and trained bookbinder Julia Elsas will display two installations of hand-bound books as an antithesis to the new media-themed event.

“The book becomes a physical representation of time and labor,” she said in an e-mail interview. “The experience of working on the project became a performance of time – a contemplation of and a homage to a lost art.”

The symposium, which also features keynote speaker and UCSD associate professor Adriene Jenick as well as video artist Jesus Aguilar, is the first of several events planned to appear throughout other UC campuses. By continuing the discourse of reading and technology through future meetings, the performances are aimed to add to the cultural dialogue in the UC community.

The next conference will be held Nov. 6 and 7 at UC Irvine and will focus on the future of writing.

 

CHRIS RUE can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

 

KDVS festival targets music lovers

Arts Editor
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Transportation: Since Plainfield Station is only about six miles from downtown Davis, attendees are encouraged to ride their bikes to the festival. KDVS has arranged two group bike rides to the festival leaving at 1 and 4 p.m. from Delta of Venus in downtown Davis. A free shuttle to the festival will also be available on Saturday and will leave from the Memorial Union bus terminal at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m.

 

Tickets: Tickets are $7 presale or $10 at the door. Presale tickets are being sold at Armadillo Music, at all KDVS organized concerts, and through the festival’s MySpace.

 

Bands Performing:

LSD and the Search for God

Traditional Fools

Blackblack

Hexlove

Ohioan

Inca Ore

Beware of the Knight

The Countless Others

Religious Girls

San Francisco Water Cooler

Davisites thirsty for live music should be well satiated when KDVS’s 8-hour outdoor music festival Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom returns this Saturday.

The festival – which includes performances by 10 bands and an afternoon DJ set – takes place in the grassy backyard of Plainfield Station, a bar and restaurant nestled in the fields between Davis and Woodland. Scheduled bands include Davis locals San Francisco Water Cooler – who will get the live music started at 2 p.m. – and Sacramento acts Hexlove and Beware of the Knight. Headliners LSD And The Search For God will finish their closing set by 10 p.m.

This Saturday’s festival is the sixth incarnation of Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom since its birth in May 2005. Elisa Hough, one of the festival’s organizers and the publicity director for KDVS 90.3 FM, said in an e-mail that the festival began three years ago as a crazy idea to have 20 bands play in one day.

With 10 bands scheduled for Saturday’s operation, this year’s O:RMF will be noticeably more streamlined, Hough said.

Craig Fergus, a KDVS DJ and O:RMF organizer, said in an e-mail that besides a few recent UC Davis graduates, current students organized the entire festival.

“[The students] brought a fresh enthusiasm to the planning,” he said. “And it resulted in a lineup with some talented newcomers that may have been overlooked by other eyes.”

Fergus said he is excited to see East Bay experimental group Religious Girls – who he described as a “rhythmically varied group in the vein of Health and Liars.” Fergus also mentioned Hexlove and Inca Ore as acts that should prove interesting to watch at an outdoor festival.

“O:RMF sort of epitomizes KDVS’ mission to expose underground music to an audience with a very open mind,” Hough said. “Chances are no one has heard of all the bands on this lineup, or even most of them – I definitely did not – but people still come because they know O:RMF only features quality music.”

Hough said that the event has helped make Davis a desirable location for bands to play. Past O:RMF festivals have included bands from Europe and Japan.

“People think they have to drive to San Francisco to see a good live concert, but as long as KDVS is putting on events like this, you never even need to get in your car.”

Saturday’s opening act, San Francisco Water Cooler – whose debut album is now available through KDVS Recordings – said in an e-mail that playing the festival was an easy choice.

“Plainfield Station is a great place to see all these [acts],” said band member David Novick. “KDVS has been nothing less than stellar in helping out our band.”

Inca Ore, a one-woman keyboard act led by Eva Inca Ore, said the unique nature of the Davis student body encouraged her to perform.

“I want to play because the music-loving by Davis students is unparalleled,” Ore said in an e-mail. “I just spent a month traveling around the country to colleges and universities, and I am so glad the students of Davis are true exceptions to the zombie culture I witnessed around the U.S.”

With increasing gas prices and an American economy that continues to look bleak, Portland-based act Ohioan encouraged potential attendees to take advantage of an opportunity like O:RMF.

“The luxury of having out-of-town bands come to you is going to diminish in the very near future. Get in on it while you still can.”

ZACK FREDERICK can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

 

Variations on a Theme

Arts Editor
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On Oct. 2, the Palin-Biden vice presidential debate drew in 69.9 million viewers – the most viewed debate since 1992, when Bill Clinton, Ross Perot and George Bush went head to head (to head).

Two days later, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” ran their own version of the VP debate with comedian Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and SNL cast member Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden. It helped earn NBC its highest overnight rating in seven years, according to a press release from the network. As of Tuesday night, the video of the skit posted on NBC’s website received over 3.6 million hits.

Fake newscast programs like Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report” have become many young people’s main source of current events. According to the New York Star, “The Daily Show” averaged nearly 2 million viewers a night during its first week of original shows in September – numbers that compare to real (and significantly more somber) cable news programs such as Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” and CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.”

Baltimore Sun critic David Zurawik summed it up best in his commentary about the debate: “SNL and [Tina] Fey beat the press on Palin, Biden and Ifill,” read Zurawik’s headline in his column.

His column went on to say, “But the point of this post is how socially relevant comedians of today are doing what the press isn’t…. Is the level of socially conscious comedy that great today, or is the press that bad in recognizing and acknowledging its own sins?”

Satires work to highlight and exaggerate any weaknesses – and in the aftermath of the VP debate, there were many that were poked upon.

Obvious flaws in the actual debate were only put in an even harsher light, as well as the more superficial ones. Of course, there were the easy targets: Fey’s eerily accurate take on Palin’s accent (who knew raised diphthongal vowels could be so funny – hooray for linguistics!), her evasive nature toward certain questions and the references to “maverick” were all present – don’t even get me started on the winking.

The “victims” of the spoof weren’t limited to the Grand Old Party: Queen Latifah, portraying debate moderator Gwen Ifill, brought attention to Ifill’s compromised position as neutral moderator as she plugged her book The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama. The writers capitalized on Biden’s personal friendship with John McCain.

It’s not difficult to see why shows like “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report“ are popular. Actors in skits as well as simulated news hosts like Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do what they’re supposed to do: entertain and engage their audience. Especially in a political and economic climate as confusing and action-packed as this one, it’s understandable why people would turn to Stewart and Colbert. They present the main issues in one easy-to-process, knee-slappingly funny package.

Our generation is one that likes to be entertained – and, on some level, even expects to be entertained. I’ll admit it: I could probably sit through hours of “The Daily Show,” but my threshold of complete, undivided attention for most shows on CNN probably stands at 15 minutes maximum.

Though programs like “The Daily Show” get credible interviewees – Obama has been the subject of Jon Stewart’s inquiries three times, most recently this past April, and wife Michelle Obama appeared as a guest yesterday – we should remember that these programs typically only skim the surface of the issues. They shouldn’t serve as our main source of information in terms of current affairs. Rather, they should act as a supplement of sorts, something to encourage viewers to find out the facts behind the humor. Otherwise, it’s just another empty joke.

 

RACHEL FILIPINAS read somewhere that Heidi Montag from MTV’s “The Hills” is a supporter of John McCain. Send your thoughts about this to rmfilipinas@ucdavis.edu. 

Movie Review:Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Arts Editor
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Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Directed by Raja Gosnell

Walt Disney Pictures

 

Rating: 1

 

When I first went to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua, I was expecting a children’s Snakes on a Plane. This is to say, a movie that was so self-aware of its ridiculousness that it became a parody of the genre – a feat still possible in a PG-rated movie (see: Young Frankenstein). Sadly, this was not the case.

I can honestly say that Chihuahua is one of the most foul, racist and unentertaining films I have seen. Why must the producers teach children that white-furred dogs are voiced by Drew Barrymore, brown-furred dogs are voiced by an array of Hispanic celebrities, and that the dog with the darkest brown fur has a stereotypically black accent? Why can’t the two romantically involved characters, of different races, share one simple kiss instead of awkward hugs? Why does the white lead character assume that the gardener only speaks Spanish, and why must she refer to his dog as a “puppy-o?”

Putting aside these offensive situations, the quality of the movie is still remarkably poor. The basic plot is that Rachel (Piper Perabo) is entrusted with Aunt Viv’s (Jamie Lee Curtis) pet chihuahua. When Rachel comes back drunk from the clubs and discovers the dog is missing, she goes on a hunt across Mexico for it. She meets up with Aunt Viv’s gardener, Sam Cortez (Manolo Cardona), who helps her search for the chihuahua. They find the dog, the dog learns about chihuahua power (they’re tiny, but mighty!), Rachel learns Spanish, then Rachel and Sam decide to go on a date.

There is really not much else to say about this movie. Obviously not targeted toward the college-age crowd, this is something to be avoided at all costs. Don’t take younger siblings to see it (they’ll hate you) and don’t rent it on DVD if the video store doesn’t have anything else (you’ll hate yourself). Avoid this movie like the plague.

 

– Jon Gold

 

CD Review: House With No Home

Arts Editor
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Horse Feathers

House With No Name

Kill Rock Stars

 

Rating: 5

 

The air is becoming cooler. For many, nostalgia emerges from its slumber. Before disinterring the albums you listen to every winter, try out Horse Feather’s House With No Home.

Released Sept. 9 by Kill Rock Stars (Deerhoof, Elliott Smith, The Decemberists), House With No Home can best be described as a somber folk record that draws from roots, Southern and mountain influences. Its strength is its undeniable cohesiveness and the satisfaction of a start-to-finish listen.

The use of violin works like a string of strings pulled throughout the record. Especially in the second number, “Rude to Rile,” it is easy to imagine a violin track always lingering, only being turned up and down on the soundboard. The arrangement of the song is remarkable – loudening cymbal crashes lead in to clickity-clack percussion for the final 30 seconds – a build-up to die for on a record so delicate.

Most of the album includes the vocals of cellist Heather Broderick and violin from her brother Peter. Some songs feature the violin more sparingly than others, as if it should pulse every so often to breathe life into the songs.

Lyrically, Horse Feather’s sophomore album is personal and poetic comparable to the veracity of songwriter John K. Samson (The Weakerthans, Propaghandi). “The Working Poor” is a catchy anthem about all that “live and work in the red.” Lead singer and songwriter Justin Ringle truthfully writes: Because “there’s no court for our case / what failure gave us suits our taste.“

Hailing from a strong community of PDXers works to Horse Feathers‘ advantage. Ringle is able to rotate musicians for the live show in the absence of multi-instrumentalist Broderick (Efterklang), who is currently residing in Europe. According to a VIRB* interview with Ringle, the band intends to perform as a 3-piece for its upcoming shows.

Horse Feathers has toured with Thao Nguyen and Blitzen Trapper. The band will set out to the United Kingdom with Jose Gonzalez later in October. For more on the band, visit myspace.com/horsefeathersmusic or killrockstars.com.

 

Give these tracks a listen: “Rude to Rile,” “Working Poor“

For fans of: Bon Iver, Will Oldham, Vetiver

 

– Nicole L. Browner

CD Review: Paper Trails

Arts Editor
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T.I.

Paper Trails

Grand Hustle / Atlantic

 

Rating: 4

Few modern works have successfully tackled the complexities of an urban American life bent on survival in a morally gray culture. T.I.‘s sixth major release, Paper Trails, is an investigation of the emcee’s neurosis as a rags-to-riches success story, as he is subject to the violence and fear upon which he built his kingdom.

The title Paper Trails refers to T.I.‘s lyrics he wrote down on paper for the tracks on this album, as opposed to memorizing his spontaneous flows as done on previous releases. If his intent was to lay out his struggles, insecurities, failings and excuses in moments of brutal honesty, the album definitely succeeds.

T.I. established his kingdom on his credibility as a street banger and his infectious southern swagger. His greatest moments were when he was magnified in past songs like “What You Know” and “My Love;” moments that the introspective Paper Trails never achieves. In Atlanta, a city saturated with talented emcees vying for the title of king, T.I.‘s reign seems to be ending.

Paper Trails isn’t a collection of party bangers, but revealing psalms that expose this self-proclaimed king in irreversible ways. With T.I. revealing his fears about his fame and insecurities about his past, he would be hard-pressed to turn around and reestablish the street credibility that is foundational to his success.

Tracks like “Ready for Whatever” and “You Ain’t Missing Nothing” are too honest to be disregarded as melodramatic or cheesy, but I think it’s safe to say that this is his last quality release.

Paper Trails is a recap of T.I.‘s career and his life as a budding entrepreneur, family man – and an ex-gangster rapper.

 

Give these tracks a listen: 56 Bars, Ready For Whatever

For fans of: DJ Toomp, Kanye West

 

 

 

 

– Chris Rue

 

Shields Library acts as Muse for student film

Arts Editor
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Student filmmaking may not appeal to everyone, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of a familiar on-campus setting – even such an infamous structure as Shields Library.

At Whim’s End, a short independent film created by senior English major Randall Wilson, is scheduled to premiere on Friday in the Technocultural Studies Building.

The film, shot solely in Shields Library and surrounding areas like the Quad, involves a quiet correspondence between a boy and a girl through a medium of library books. A trailer to the film, available on the film’s MySpace page, suggests a curious development between the characters as they search for and find out more about each other.

The film is the first of the Serendipity Series, a set of three films written and directed by Wilson. The series, funded completely out-of-pocket, is a project of Wilson’s Culthouse Productions – a nonprofit production company aimed at bringing together filmmakers in the Davis community to create independent films.

Finding actors and crewmembers for the film didn’t prove to be a difficult task for Wilson, who primarily asked friends and people she had met in previous film classes to join the production. Production assistant Andrea Manners, a senior technocultural studies and film studies double major, credited the ease of this process to what she perceives as a tight-knit community of student and local filmmakers.

“Because Davis has a pretty good following of students interested in film and producing film, all of us pretty much know each other at this point,” she said.

Senior film studies major David Vasquez, who had taken a film studies class with Wilson, played the part of the boy in At Whim’s End.

“I have never acted before, so it was more than a bit daunting to imagine myself as an actor,” he said in an e-mail interview. “But I would have regretted letting this opportunity pass me by. It was fun.”

Wilson, whose influences include directors such as Michel Gondry, Baz Luhrman and Stanley Kubrick, drew the story idea from a quote she found placed in book in Shields Library. Soon after, she began writing the script with the library as the main setting.

Shooting in the library required significant preparation and clearance. Amy Kautzman, associate university librarian for the humanities and social sciences, worked with Wilson in allowing the library to be used. She explained in an e-mail that the library “asks that all nascent and professional directors work through [the library] to ensure the students are not interrupted as they study and that UCD is not used for commercial purposes.”

“[Wilson’s] professionalism (a well written script, great presentation, and plan for a shooting schedule) and excitement made this film a very easy decision for the Library,” Kautzman said.

Students studying in the library signed waivers if they were included in the shot. According to Wilson, many showed excitement toward the film and cooperated with the crew.

“I thought [the library] would be an interesting place to have the film take place. Everybody thinks of different places for different films,” Wilson said. “[The library] had so many interesting settings, whether it was windows to sit at, giant windows, tables … [and] bookshelves. We found gorgeous places where on film it looked beautiful.”

The premiere of At Whim’s End will be held Friday at 7 p.m. in the main room of the Technocultural Studies Building. More information is available at myspace.com/atwhimsend.

 

JUSTIN T. HO can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

ARTSWEEK

Arts Editor
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MUSIC

New Kids on the Block, Lady GaGa

Today, 7 p.m., $57.50

Arco Arena in Sacramento

Oh, NKOTB. You may not be the cool duders you once were back in the day, but you still got it (the right stuff) and I’ll be loving you (forever). Opening for New Kids will be platinum-tressed dance-pop princess Lady GaGa.

Clutch, The Sword, Graveyard

Today, 8 p.m., $24

Harlow’s in Sacramento

If West Virginian group Clutch are devout followers of rock, then lead singer’s Neil Fallon’s bellowing vocals and a blues-rock emphasis on the guitar makes for one raging religious experience.

Shayna and the Bulldog, The Overdubs

Friday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

The Overdubs have the homegrown indie sound down pat: Lo-fi production and a home recording lend themselves to an intimate living room vibe. Meanwhile, local band Shayna and the Bulldog will bring all the alt-country indie pop pleasantries anyone could ever ask for.

Operation: Restore Maximum Freedom

Saturday, 1 p.m., $7 for students and presale, $10 at the door

Plainfield Station in Woodland

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Support local music! For more information about the festival, check out page __.

Brightblack Morning Light, Avocet

Saturday, 8 p.m., $10

Delta of Venus

They may have the shaggy-haired-Thrift-Town-wardrobe working for them, but it’s that certain mix of chill attitude and the ethereal quality of West Coast dream folk makes for the epitome of effortless cool from the duo behind Brightblack Morning Light.

Fancie, Alas, alak, Alaska!

Saturday, 8 p.m.

John Natsoulas Gallery on 1st Street

I’m usually against the whole oddly punctuated band name, but I can make exceptions. The creative core behind Alas, alak, Alaska! is Jocelyn Noir, who crafts a dreamy, poetic approach to music with intricate melodic layering and haunting vocals.

Mad Cow String Band

Saturday, 10 p.m., $3-5, 21

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen

Nothing confirms the end of the summer season more than the end of Sophia’s outdoor music concerts. Mad Cow String Band have been plucking strings with zest since 2003, and the group’s energetic brand of bluegrass will surely set the mood right for Sophia’s last balcony show of the year.

Unearth, Protest the Hero, The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel, Gwen Stacy

Sunday, 7 p.m., $18 in advance, $20 day of show

The Boardwalk in Orangevale

Prog-metal prodigies Protest the Hero first hit the scene in 2005 with their full length debut Kezia. Three years later, the band’s paces remain as dizzying as ever and breakdowns and gang-shouts are still present, but now on an even heavier and grander scale.

Rock Band Live

Sunday, 7 p.m., $36,95

Arco Arena in Sacramento

Guilty pleasures all around: First, there’s Rock Band – everyone’s favorite video game, even if they’re too ashamed to admit it. Next, catchy pop-punk boy band Panic at the Disco teams up with Dashboard Confessional.

AT THE MOVIES

At Whim’s End

Friday at 7 p.m. in the Technoculture Studies Building

“One boy. One girl. Two million books.” Sounds like a page from my kind of fairy tale. Check out page __ for an exclusive look at the film and its cast and crew!

Religulous

Opens Friday at the Varsity Theatre on Second Street

Bill Maher is bound to amuse and offend in this documentary that explores the concept of religion.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua

Now playing at the Regal Davis Holiday 6 on F Street

I’m absolutely dumbfounded at the concept of this film. Maybe the review on page __ can provide readers with a better evaluation. Or maybe not.

ART / POETRY

Aggie Scrapbook: 100 Years of Student Life

Open now at The Art Lounge

In celebration of UC Davis’ Centennial, take a moment to explore student life through pictures, sans any embarrassing photos tagged on Facebook.

One of a Kind: Monotypes and Monoprints

Open now at the Tsao Gallery on F Street

One of a Kind explores the medium of monotypes and monoprints with pieces by artists from around Northern California. An ArtAbout reception featuring local artist Sara Post and Petaluma-based artist Diana Crain will take place Friday at 7 p.m.

UC Davis Centennial Creative Writing Faculty Reading

Friday, 7 p.m

Wyatt Deck in the Arboretum

Wordsmiths from our own Creative Writing faculty – including Joshua Clover, Lucy Corin and Yiyun Li – will be reading personal works.

RACHEL FILIPINAS can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

A history in photographs

Arts Editor
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One hundred years ago, a handful of people ate a meal outdoors and talked about their plans for the University Farm. A photograph of this event – the event that would later be known as UC Davis’ first annual Picnic Day – is the first of many thought-provoking images from the Art Lounge’s inaugural collection.

In The Aggie Scrapbook: A Glimpse of Student Life – The Last 100 Years, students are treated to representations of classes from years past. The exhibit was organized by senior Italian and communication double major Sarah Mendelsohn and senior art history student Nicki Rousseva. They designed it with the intention that students would take part in the university’s Centennial celebration.

“Much of the planning regarding the Centennial revolves around the very important achievements in the areas of research, academic excellence and more,” said Theresa Montemayor, the assistant director of Campus Unions, in an e-mail interview. “We wanted something fun, and my staff from last year thought doing something like this would resonate with students.”

At the grand opening on Monday, students responded positively to the photographs.

“It’s important to see the history, to see where [UC Davis] has come from as a university,” said junior animal biology major Bridget Griffin.

The exhibit chronicles day-to-day occurrences, historical campus events and annual celebrations since 1908.

“We took the timeline from the Centennial webpage and identified more student-related events,” Montemayor said.

Images of sparsely furnished dorm rooms from 1925 easily draw comparison to those inhabited by today’s freshmen. With the exception of the bare skyline and swimmers donning frilly suits, photos from 1948 show Hickey Pool to be relatively unchanged. Even young men from Sigma Alpha Epsilon can be seen pulling pranks on fellow brothers as far back as the ’50s.

Mendelsohn, who is also assistant student manager of the Art Lounge, credited the community’s involvement for the exhibit’s flavor and heart. Once the project had a direction, she said that it “grew a mind of its own.”

The photographs were collected from library and newspaper archives, as well as personal submissions from alumni and professional photographers. The collection also includes pieces from UC Davis’ exhibit at this summer’s California State Fair.

Located on the second floor of the Memorial Union, the space was previously called The Gallery before closing in mid-June to begin its transformation to The Art Lounge.

Campus Unions combined the artistic ambience of The Gallery with the casual atmosphere of a study room to create the new Art Lounge. Students are expected to take initiative in using, maintaining and contributing to the Art Lounge.

The Aggie Scrapbook is currently on display at The Art Lounge, which is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Admission is free. For more information, visit campusunions.ucdavis.edu/thegallery.

 

LAURA KROEGER can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

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