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Community set to Celebrate Davis on May 15

City News

City Editor

April 15, 2008

The fifth-annual Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event Celebrate Davis will take place May 15, as a means of informing the community of different businesses, nonprofits and services Davis has to offer.

Between 4:30 and 9 p.m. at Community Park located at 14th and F streets, there will be approximately 150 business booths where the expected 8,000 community members will have the opportunity to speak to business owners about their services.

“It gives Davis business a chance to get out in the community and talk to Davis residents and consumers,” said Celebrate Davis coordinator Nancy Cole. “Booths will have information on what they do, and it’s just for visibility so people can get to know what services and shops are available in Davis.”

“I think [Celebrate Davis] translates into a relationship with customers,” said owner of Davis Ace Hardware and past organizer of Celebrate Davis Jennifer Anderson. “Customers get to know stores exist, and with well-known stores, customers can see them in a different perspective…. It’s a way of businesses of saying that we’re part of the community.”

In addition to the informational aspect of Celebrate Davis, the event also features a variety of Davis musical guests, including Cal Aggie Marching Band-Uh! There will also be prizes and activities for both children and adults with gift bags for the first 1,200 attendees. In addition, there will be purchasable refreshments, including “adult beverages,” from Davis establishments such as Caffé Italia and The Hotdogger. The evening of information and entertainment will come to a close with a fireworks show at 9 p.m.

Coordinating the different activities required a great deal of planning.

“The planning really begins the day the last one ends,” Cole said. “We have meetings on what went well and what we can do to make the next year better.”

In order to figure out logistics for the event, Bob Bowen, the Public Relations manager for the city of Davis, got involved in event planning for Celebrate Davis.

“[I was brought in] to help envision how this whole event would work in the venue that wasn’t designed for easy loading and unloading,” he said.

“It takes a lot of planning committees that size up the responsibilities [finding food vendors, sponsors, raising funds, business registration],” Bowen said. “All the planning goes on so that on the day of the event, you don’t have any surprises or at least keep them to a minimum.… You can’t control the weather, but the things you can control you try to.”

Not only is Celebrate Davis a forum to become informed about Davis’ businesses and services, but it also affords a place for UC Davis students to experience the community.

“UCD students in general get to see there is a wonderful community and a lot more outside the boundaries of the university, and the students should see how cool the town and community of Davis really is,” Bowen said.

Staying in accordance with the “all that is Davis” theme, the Chamber of Commerce urges people to ride their bikes to the event and will have free, secure bike valet parking.

ALEX BULLER can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com.

Rail Jam postponed until January 2009

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 15, 2008

Wednesday’s Rail Jam event, hosted by ASUCD and the Ski or Snowboard Club (SOS), has been postponed due to a breached agreement between the Rail Jam promotion company and the equipment provider.

The event was scheduled for Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at Aggie Stadium and was intended to showcase winter sports in a competition setup. ASUCD planned to bring snow to campus from Lake Tahoe and allow students to attend free of charge.

According to ASUCD Senator and event coordinator Jesse Rosales, the equipment provider previously owed the promoting company money and planned to compensate by providing UC Davis the equipment for the event. The equipment provider then backed out of the agreement, asking instead for $12,000, which ASUCD funds could not provide.

“We would have to be pulling too many things together at last minute,” Rosales said. “It wouldn’t be safe, and the quality of the show wouldn’t be up to our standards.”

As a result of the postponement, ASUCD owes Campus Events and Visitor Services (CEVS) $275 for labor already performed for the event. ASUCD does not expect any other financial impacts from various other service units.

To compensate for this “unfortunate circumstance,” Rosales said that Dan Jenco, co-manager of Galvanic Designs Promotion Company, assured UC Davis “a show that’s better than other schools next year,” and free publicity for the event.

“If we wait until the fall, the company will incorporate us on the next tour and it will be better for the student body. We felt it was a better solution,” said Casey Hauser, student brand manager of Red Bull and senior political science major. Red Bull works nationally with the Rail Jam tour.

All representatives helping with the event expressed disappointment at the breached agreement, although they look forward to providing a better show for students with more free apparel, features and time to plan the future event.

SOS President and junior managerial economicsmajor Ben Kugel was also optimistic for the athletic aspect of holding the competition in January.

“It’ll be a good event to get everyone excited about the winter season and the [SOS] team, as opposed to at the end of the season,” Kugel said. “It will be a more interesting event.”

Planning has already begun for next year’s Rail Jam and appears to be on its way to a quality show, Rosales said.

“It will be a great opportunity to see some professional talent at a local event,” Rosales said. “Not many college campuses have this kind of event, so [UC Davis] students can be proud of their school.”

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

Vandals destroy Education Abroad Center’s parade float

Campus News

Campus Editor

April 15, 2008

With Picnic Day Parade just a few days away, staff members at the Education Abroad Center are making final preparations for their group’s float. But they will have to march without their prized centerpiece: a giant papier-mâché globe, which vandals destroyed.

EAC Outreach Coordinator Jake Hosier said he lives close to the EAC, located on the corner of Third and A streets, and was driving by the office on the morning of Apr. 5 when he noticed shreds of papier-mâché throughout the street.

Vandals had apparently detached the four-foot diameter globe from its base and rolled it around the street, Hosier said. One side of the globe, whose structure was made out of wood and chicken wire, was completely collapsed, he said.

The globe cannot be repaired in time for the parade, Hosier said.

“It’s one of those things that you don’t expect … to happen in Davis,” Hosier said. “We can’t even have a float in the parade because someone goes and does this kind of stuff. It’s really frustrating and disheartening.”

But this month’s incident is not the first time the globe has been attacked. After making its debut in last year’s Picnic Day Parade, the EAC staff left the globe in front of their office. It remained there without incident until Halloween, when vandals ripped off half of the papier-mâché, Hosier said.

EAC students and staff spent days repairing the globe, only to see it destroyed beyond repair this month, said Education Abroad program coordinator Rosana Avila. Seven people dedicated an entire weekend to build the globe structure, another day to papier-mâchéand two more days to paint the globe.

Avila said EAC staff did not report this month’s incident to campus police but may look into other measures to prevent vandalism in the future.

The culprits were probably intoxicated and did not consider the ramifications of their acts, Hosier said.

“Our actions have an impact,” he said. “What may have seemed to them like a night of fun, seems to us like a destruction of a week’s worth of time, energy, fun and excitement.”

Avila said EAC partnered with Services for International Students and Scholars for the parade. The globe was going to open the parade with international students marching behind it while waving their native flags.

Last year’s parade was the first in which the EAC participated. EAC staff decided to participate in the parade to remind students that studying abroad is an option, Hosier said.

“So many people come back from Davis that were studying abroad, [and] we love to show them we’re still doing it,” he said. “Many students say that studying abroad was the most important thing they did as an undergrad.”

Approximately 75 organizations will participate in this year’s parade, said Picnic Day vice chair Joey Almario. Eligible organizations include campus departments, nonprofitsand marching bands from other universities. The ceremonies begin Saturday at 9:30 a.m. with the parade following at 10:10 a.m.

Despite losing their globe, EAC staff members are resolutely making final preparations for altered parade plans. They’ll even have a globe – albeit a slightly different one.

“We’re going to decorate a truck,” Hosier said. “One of my students has volunteered to dress up as a globe, and we will have that globe and we will be in the parade.”

However, the papier-mâché globe isn’t permanently out of work, Hosier said.

“We’re going to rebuild that thing,” he said. “We’ll be in it next year.”

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

Music department faculty member awarded for music composition

Arts & Culture

Arts Editor

April 15, 2008

Kurt Rohde, assistant professor and resident composer in the department of music, was awarded a prestigious fellowship for music composition from the American Academy in Rome on Apr. 10.

Rohde also serves as the co-director of the Empyrean Ensemble. He will be conducting research in the Italian capital on the Venetian Puppet Orchestra for 11 months beginning this September.

The Academy, known primarily as a research and arts institution, houses American scholars and artists to whom they have awarded fellowships. Rohde, who has just joined the music faculty in fall 2008, is the first UC Davis composer to win the Rome prize.

“This is a hugely prestigious and well-merited award to a distinguished young composer of apparently limitless promise,” said UC Davis music professor D. Kern Holoman.

UC Davis department of music chair Anna Maria Busse Berger expressed similar sentiments about Rohde, calling him one of the most promising composers in the United States as well as “very imaginative, sensitive and thoughtful.”

Rohde’s research in Rome predominantly involves a study of the Venetian Puppet Orchestra, a genre prominent from the 1650s to the 1680s that uses nearly life-size human puppets in performances. While in residence, he plans to compose his own puppet orchestra modeled after the traditions in the genre, but with dancers standing in for the puppets and costumed instrumentalists to interact with singers and dancers.

“The point of this project is to do something I have never done,” Rohde said in an e-mail. “To just go into a new realm without preconceptions and just compose the piece. It may be quite dramatic, wacky, eclectic and hopefully good!”

Rohde’s musical love affair began when he stumbled across an LP in his mother’s collection. Inspired by a college course in musical theory, Rohde’s mother had built up an assortment of classical tunes, and Rohde soon found himself listening to the Philadelphia Orchestra on repeat – particularly Beethoven’s Symphony #3 as conducted by Eugene Ormandy.

“I put it on and it was the most outrageous thing I’d ever heard,” he said. “Listening to it transformed everything. I must have listened to the record 10,000 times. To this day, I cannot hear that piece without having the history of my life and of music come flooding back.”

Now a violist, composer, co-director and teacher, Rohde’s inspiration comes from a combination of these sources. With teaching being his most recent endeavor, he said that it has done much to revive and increase the joy he finds in music.

“I love my students. They have such varied and fresh perspectives, and they keep me on my toes. They make me want to be as good an inspired guide and informant as I am able to be.”

Fortunately for both the students and the department, Rohde will resume his post as assistant professor of music composition and theory, as well as Empyrean Ensemble duties, in September 2009.

For aspiring musicians and composers, Rohde provides his pearls of wisdom: “Find the part of the music world you are drawn to, work like gangbusters to grow and excel in it and see what happens. There is not a clear path: the best things about a life in music are the unexpected.”

JAYNE WILSON can be reached at arts@californiaaggie.com.

Aggies extend winning streak to nine against Broncos

Sports

Sports Editor

April 14, 2008

The UC Davis women’s water polo team finished off conference play in true Aggie fashion.

Eight different UC Davis players scored and Santa Clara was held scoreless for 29 minutes in an 8-3 victory at the Schaal Aquatics Center.

The contest was the last conference test for UC Davis before it travels to Loyola Marymount to compete as the likely top seed at the Western Water Polo Association Championships.

“I’m glad for the one-seed because it’s a reflection that we’ve been playing well, and that’s a good thing,” said head coach Jamie Wright. “You want to play well going into conference.”

The Aggies have won seven straight conference games, including big wins over the defending conference champion Loyola Marymount, Cal State Bakersfield and Santa Clara. Overall, they have won nine straight and 13 out of their last 15.

UC Davis’ success this weekend and past month has been spearheaded by its defense.

Sophomore goalie Casey Hines, who shutout Santa Clara this weekend, started this year unsure of her position as the starting goalie, but she has since earned the minutes in the cage.

“I know it’s a cliché, but talk about stepping up and filling a void,” Wright said. “She has really asserted herself.”

Hines attributes her success this year solely to the Aggies’ defense.

“Every week before a game we tune the defense to the strengths of whatever team we’re playing so we know what to expect,” Hines said. “I think that really helps us to watch film and to know what is really coming so that when these teams come, we know how to defend against whatever their strongest points are.”

Hines stopped all three shots she faced before being subbed out of the game in the fourth quarter with UC Davis leading 7-0. For the season, she has tallied 156 saves against 132 goals while recording 19 steals.

Junior Lindsay Kiyama tallied four steals Saturday to take her team-high total to 46.

Senior Jessica Soza was her usual terror on defense, earning praise from Hines after the game.

“Soza is one of the best defenders in all of water polo, in my opinion,” Hines said. “It just helps to have her there. I’m a little less nervous whenever she’s in, so it’s nice.”

UC Davis will conclude its regular season Friday at 4 p.m. against Pacific at the Schaal Aquatics Center.

SAMMY BRASCH can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.

Women’s lacrosse preview

Sports

Sports Editor

April 14, 2008

Teams: UC Davis vs. Louisville

Records: Aggies, 5-8; Cardinals, 8-4

Where: U of L Lacrosse Stadium – Louisville, Ky.

When: Today at noon

Who to watch: After posting a measly .351 save percentage and allowing 37 goals during the team’s last two matches, senior goalkeeper Hilary Harkins looks to be back on track as the Aggies hit the final stretch of their season.

A native of Orinda, Calif., the program’s all-time saves leader recently stopped 14 of 25 shots to lead UC Davis to a victory over Cincinnati on Saturday, 12-11.

Did you know? With 12 assists on the season, senior midfielder Katie McMahon has three games remaining to get 10 more in order to become the school’s all-time assists leader.

McMahon currently holds Aggie career marks for goals (235), points (297), shots (553) and caused turnovers (121).

Preview: The Aggies are back in the winning circle after late-game heroics from senior midfielder Katie McGovern propelled UC Davis to a victory over first-year program Cincinnati.

Down 8-5 with 20 minutes left in the game, McMahon and McGovern each scored twice to get the Aggies the lead at 9-8.

After much back and forth play for the remainder of the match, Harkins’ season-high 14th save led to McGovern’s goal in the final seconds.

McMahon and McGovern each found the back of the net four times while sophomore Olivia Jarem, freshmen Jacklyn Taylor, Laura Martin and Gina Hoffmire each scored a goal for the Aggies.

Now the Aggies will make their way to Kentucky to take on another rookie program in Louisville.

Louisville is fresh off of an impressive 15-8 victory over Big East foe Connecticut.

The Cardinals are powered offensively by freshman attacker Bergan Foley, who scored a school-record seven goals in Louisville’s win over UConn.

The Huntingdon Valley, Pa. native leads her team with 56 goals and 113 shots

Roughton fires season-best 71, Aggies take fifth at Peg Bernard

Sports

Sports Editor

April 14, 2008

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Headline: Roughton fires season-best 71, Aggies take fifth at Peg Bernard

Layercake: Big West Conference Championships on the horizon

MATT MILLER

Aggie Staff Writer

Entering the final day of tournament play, senior Sydney Roughton was ready to go.

After carding a middling 77 on the first day, Roughton responded by knocking off six strokes to lead the UC Davis women’s golf team to a fifth-place tie with California at the Stanford-hosted Peg Barnard Invitational.

“Sydney played really well,” said head coach Kathy DeYoung. “She went after it for us but it was a battle all tournament long.”

Roughton finished in sixth place for the tournament with a final score of 148 over the 6,117-yard layout at the Stanford Golf Course. The sixth place finish was the first time this season that the Davis High School graduate broke into the top 20.

After the first day of play, the Aggies saw themselves 23 strokes behind the leader with their team score of 318. Three golfers finished with 80-plus scores in senior Bryana Gregory (83) and freshmen Alice Kim (81) and Chelsea Stelzmiller (82).

“We didn’t start off too well,” DeYoung said. “But I’m really proud of how we responded and adjusted. The greens were really fast and I think, speaking for the players, we adjusted well to the conditions and improved our putting tremendously.”

The Aggies worked off of the strong play of Roughton on the second day and jumped five positions by taking off 27 strokes from their previous score.

Freshman Katie Sisler posted a solid showing at the tournament with a score of 152, good for 21st place.

Both Kim and Stelzmiller improved upon their previous scores, carding 72 and 74, respectively.

Stanford won the tournament with a team score of 591, and only four strokes behind was the University of Washington, who featured the top golfer of the weekend, Karinn Dickinson. Dickinson shot a couple 71s to edge out the competition by one stroke.

Out of a pool of 13, the Invitational featured four teams in the top 50 according to Golfweek magazine – UC Davis just-in as number 49.

“It was a really tough field of play,” DeYoung said. “Not only was the field tough but so was the course. Really long par-4s and fast greens.”

The Aggies will take the tee again in a couple weeks when they enter the Big West Conference Championships in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. on Apr. 21.

“We look pretty good,” DeYoung said of the team’s chances entering the tournament. “All we can do is take care of what we can control. If we keep playing the way we’re playing, I think good things will happen.”

MATT MILLER can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com. XXX

Game of the year?

Sports

Sports Editor

April 14, 2008

UC Davis and Loyola Marymount are used to sharing pool time – they have competed against each other on 11 different occasions over the past four years.

On Saturday at noon, the two women’s water polo rivals were again in the water at the same time – only this time they were 400 miles apart.

At the Schaal Aquatics Center in Davis, the No. 10 Aggies faced No. 19 Santa Clara. Meanwhile, at the Burns Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, the No. 11 Lions hosted No. 17 UC San Diego.

Two rivals in two different places at one time, and what happened next changed the look of the upcoming Women’s Water Polo Association Championships.

In Davis, the Aggies (22-8, 12-1) continued their run as the WWPA’s hottest team, winning their ninth straight game, 8-3. With the victory, they clinched the top seed of the league championships, to be held Apr. 25 to 27 at LMU.

“It was a great way to finish out conference play before conference championships,” said sophomore goalie Casey Hines, who didn’t allow a goal in her three-plus quarters of work.

In Los Angeles, the Lions (17-10, 8-3) saw their Senior Day spoiled, 9-7. With the defeat, they registered their first 10-loss season since 2000 and lost grasp of the conference’s second seed. The Tritons improved their WWPA record to 9-3 with the win.

Based on Saturday’s results, it might appear that while UC Davis is surging, LMU is slipping. It might appear as though the Lions – after winning the WWPA title six of the last seven years – are primed for an early exit in the conference playoffs, and that UC Davis can waltz to the league crown.

Don’t be fooled.

LMU’s loss to UCSD was less a sign of weakness and more a testament to how competitive the WWPA is – as many as five teams have a realistic shot to win the conference tournament.

That said, regardless of seeding, UC Davis and LMU are still the hands-down favorites to win it all. And if history is any indicator, the two teams will match up in the finals in an epic showdown.

After all, they did in 2006 when the Aggies won 8-7, and in 2007 when the Lions won in overtime, 7-6.

“We would expect if we made it to the championship to see LMU,” Hines said. “Last year was disappointing and really a tough loss in the championship. I didn’t play, but it was just as hard. And now we have eight seniors this year and it’s just going to be different. Nobody is ready to finish at the end of April. We want to go into NCAAs, so that’s the goal right now. It has been all year.”

UC Davis is fully capable of reaching that goal.

It has arguably the best depth and offensive balance in the league, as showcased Saturday when its eight goals were scored by eight different players. Most notably, the team possesses a formidable defense led by senior Jessica Soza, who Hines has called “one of the best defenders in all of water polo.”

But as the tournament host and defending champion, LMU would prove to be a worthy adversary.

“They’ve got some big players – some really, really strong players who will get into you, and they just have a lot of strength so they can get separation,” Hines said. “They’ll shoot it hard with only an inch of space to shoot it.

“But we’re really fast, and we’ve got some strong players, too. We’re smart and I think we work really well together. We have no one who’s just trying to do it all by themselves and no one who slacks off.”

Added head coach Jamie Walker: “If we end up in this game, regardless of the one-seed, we’re playing in their pool, and with the history, we’re definitely going to go in as the underdog, which is fine by me. It’s fine by me. I want to go in with a chip on our shoulder.”

Two rivals in two different places. If they clash in two weeks, watch out.

MICHAEL GEHLKEN wrote this column now instead of next week so fans can plan out their road trips well in advance. He will be at the Aggies’ home finale Friday at 4 p.m. at the Schaal Aquatics Center and can be reached at sports@californiaaggie.com.

Aggie Digest

Sports

Sports Editor

April 14, 2008

Men’s and women’s track & field

After breaking three school records at the Stanford Invitational the week before, UC Davis set yet another at the Rafer Johnson/Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational at UCLA this past weekend.

Junior Sirena Williams recorded a 14.06 in the 100-meter hurdle to establish a new Aggie record. The Fresno, Calif. native finished second in the event.

On the men’s side, freshman Ray Green qualified for the NCAA Division I West Region Track and Field Championships next month with a 15.04-meter performance in the triple jump Saturday in Los Angeles.

Green will join hurdler Polly Gnepa and discus thrower Matt Swarbrick at the program’s first-ever Division I regional event.

Women’s gymnastics

The UC Davis women’s gymnastics season ended on a positive note this past weekend at the NCAA West Region meet at Oregon State’s Gill Coliseum.

Sophomore Lida Gehlen posted the highest-ever Region finish by an Aggie gymnast Saturday by tying for third with a 9.850 on the uneven parallel bars.

Senior Michelle Kulovitz and sophomore Tanya Ho also joined Gehlen at the event. Kulovitz finished with a 9.600 on the floor exercise, good for a 33rd-place tie, while Ho placed 11th with a 38.525 score in the all-around.

The finish to the Aggies’ 2008 season included two of the three highest team scores in school history, including a 194.700 at home Mar. 28 that clinched the team’s first Mountain Pacific Sports Federation title.

Women’s tennis

The Aggies (11-9, 3-5) took on a pair of Big West Conference opponents Saturday and Sunday and fell, 5-2, both days.

On Saturday, UC Davis dropped a match to UC Santa Barbara for just its third loss since mid-February. Sophomore Desiree Stone and senior Robin Guier supplied the two Aggie wins in singles.

Stone claimed a 6-3, 6-3 victory at No. 2 over Gaucho freshman Jill Damion while Guier won 6-2, 6-1 over UCSB sophomore Asagi Onaga. On the other side, the Aggies were swept in three doubles matches.

In UC Davis’ 5-2 loss to Cal Poly on Sunday, Stone stayed red-hot with her seventh straight and 17th overall win. The North Hollywood, Calif. native prevailed over Mustangs sophomore Steffi Wong in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7).

She also teamed up with sophomore Anita Athavale to take the Aggies’ lone doubles match of the weekend, 8-7 (1).

Accounting for the team’s other point, sophomore Herzyl Legaspi defeated Shannon Brady at No. 4 singles, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

Picnic Day!

Opinion

Opinion

April 14, 2008

I’m sure you already know, UC Davisites, that Picnic Day is just around the corner! Time to get your flasks, your bota bags and your Nalgene bottles ready. But before you get too drunk on that hallowed day, I suggest you go to the ARC Pavilion to see the Doxie Derby.

The Doxie Derby is pretty much the greatest sporting event of the entire year (even better than the Super Bowl or whatever the final game for basketball is called, I really don’t know). The Doxie Derby pits dachshunds against each other in an all-out, free-for-all race. Hundreds of humans cheer in the stands. The event features big screen instant replays and commemorative t-shirts. I’m pretty sure the Doxie Derby is one of the few sporting events in the world that offers dachshunds the chance to achieve TOTAL DOMINATION (ation-ation-ation).

I think the reason I have such a great appreciation for the Doxie Derby is due to the fact that it is currently the closest we’ve come to having real-life Pokémon battles. Think about it, the Doxie Derby is all about cute little animals battling to become “the very best, the best there ever was.” Unfortunately, Doxie Derby dachshunds do not yet possess amazing Pokémon powers. If only there were a way to give dachshunds some sort of fire breathing capability or the ability to do razor leaf. I’m looking at you, UC Davis scientists.

Every time I read a science article in the newspaper or in National Geographic, some scientist from UC Davis is quoted. This leads me to conclude that UC Davis scientists possess awesome animal science power. DavisWiki told me that UC Davis is one of the few places where cats can have kidney transplants. I’ve also heard that UC Davis also performs canine blood transfusions. We have the power. We have the ability. Do you really want to impress the world, UC Davis scientists? Use your scientific powers for good. Make me a Pokémon.

Sure, I’ve heard that there are some arguments against genetic engineering. I know people freaked out when scientists made that mouse with what appeared to be a human ear on its little mouse back. I don’t want scientists to make freakish mutated animals; I want some kind of Pokémon that can protect me while I walk back to my car late at night. These genetically engineered Poké-animals would have a real purpose. Just think how much more effective Pokémon would be than pepper spray or tasers. Watch out attempted rapists, I’m going to sic my powerfully trained Pokémon on you.

Maybe some of you aren’t convinced. Just wait, I’ll convince you yet. The creation of genetically engineered Pokémon would also aid our flagging economy. Argument: people make money off of cockfighting. Conclusion: people could also make money from fighting Pokémon.

I do think it is important to know when to draw the line. I will tell you now that I am not an advocate of engineering old school mythological animals. I think that is far too dangerous. If some scientist makes a unicorn, every person in America will want to ride on these now real animals at least once. But think of the consequences. If that unicorn trips, riders are going to get their eyes poked out. Everyone in America will be half-blind. That is just not practical. And it’s bad for the economy.

I am also against the development of dragons. I think that dragons are too similar to dinosaurs and we don’t need a Jurassic Park: UC Davis situation on our hands. Again, that would be bad for the economy.

I have a feeling that it will be quite some time until scientists start making anything close to a Pokémon. I guess I’ll just have to settle for regular dachshunds. Even if they don’t have lightning powers.

If you’re into non-dachshund related Picnic Day activities, RACHEL SKYTT recommends going to Battle of the Bands. Go, Band-uh! Send your Picnic Day recommendations to raskytt@ucdavis.edu.

Just for fun

Opinion

Opinion

April 14, 2008

After seeing a poodle-golden-wiener-dog in the park, I got this great idea: Let’s domesticate penguins and hippopotamuses. It’ll be fun. You can keep them in your backyard (which, I’m sure, is close enough to their natural habitat that they won’t even notice) and leave out a bowl of the same kibble year after year while you’re at work or at school. They’ll be jumping at the door by the time you get home, and of course, what else could that mean but, “I love you?” It couldn’t mean anything else – not, “thank goodness, I’m going to get my one walk of the day.” Or, “thank goodness, finally some stimulation. I have no friends or family.” Or, “please, please, kill me.” I think it’s safe to assume they love you wholeheartedly.

To make things even more fun, we can breed them so that we have ridiculously small hippos the size of shoes and penguins which can do tricks for us. You can name your penguin Tuxedo, dress him up in a mini-tux and have him waddle around and spin on the floor during dinner parties. I’m sure he loves wearing clothes. Why wouldn’t he? I like to wear clothes, and humans know everything, so I’m sure a stupid penguin loves it. Besides, he looks so gosh-darn cute. As for the tiny hippo, you can name him Walter and put him in a fish bowl near the television. Once in a while you can take him out and put him on the floor, or tap on the glass, or just prod him with your fingers, which is so much fun for everyone. He loves being prodded.

It’s unfortunate that most of the time you’re too busy to play with them – but that’s okay. I’m sure Walter loves being in his fish tank, and it’s obvious that Tuxedo loves spending most of the day in an empty house. It’s not like animals are capable of feeling boredom or loneliness. No, of course not. The only thing pets are capable of feeling is unadulterated love for their owners. Just look at dogs and cats. They love humans. Look at the way Sparky runs to you when you open the door, the way he licks your face. It’s obvious he prefers you over his own species. It’s obvious he doesn’t associate you with food and safety and comfort. Of course not – it’s genuine love at its purest. Nothing like Stockholm syndrome.

At the end of the day, what’s so great about animals is how stupid they are. Around here, aside from guide dogs, pets are just for fun. Pets are purchasable, retarded friends who can never complain. Play with them when you feel like it, but don’t worry about them the rest of the time. Go to lunch, go to class and I’m sure Tuxedo and Walter won’t even realize you were gone. Even if they could feel bored, they will amuse each other. That’s why having multiple pets is great: When you’re not playing with them, they’re playing together. It’s a flawless setup.

What’s also great about pets is that you can kill and eat them if you get bored of them. After Tuxedo loses his novelty, why tolerate his presence? Why let Walter live after he stinks up the house and stops being fun? An unloved pet is no better than an unloved slaughterhouse pig, and we eat pigs by the bushel, so why treat pets any different? It’s not like all dog owners are vegetarians, so what’s the big whoop? Just because you were once emotionally attached to Walter doesn’t give him a bigger claim to life than a cow at a slaughterhouse. And it’s not like Tuxedo is smarter or more loveable than a pig. Have you seen a piglet? They’re adorable. I’m sure I could love a piglet were I to live with one, but the thing is that pet pigs aren’t nearly as available as pork chops.

So let’s do it. Let the freak breeding begin. I want a manatee who will sing to me in the shower while a purple skunk ass-sprays cologne into my face. It isn’t necessary. I don’t have time to treat these animals like sentient beings. But so what? It’ll be fun.

There was this T-shirt I saw in Las Vegas in a buffet line, and it said, “I didn’t claw my way to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables!” That is so true. I toiled long and hard to get to where I am, killed thousands of vicious animals with my bare fists. I deserve this. I don’t need to change. I do what I want. And I do what I want because I can.

Isn’t that the best justification for anything?

KOJI FRAHM treats his pets like retarded human siblings – not like babies, not like creatures, not like toys. Address your love to kcfrahm@ucdavis.edu.

A taste of tradition

Features

Features Editor

April 14, 2008

During a weeklong celebration of Native American culture, UC Davis’ Native American Culture Days group offered several educational and entertaining opportunities for students to learn about the traditions of indigenous peoples inter-continentally.

Easily the tastiest of these tutorials was the Native Foods Demonstration and Tasting at the Silo Union on Apr. 9.

Chef Robert Faris of the Blackfeet Tribe from Redding, Mont. taught students and Davis residents alike how to make three different dishes that utilize Native American recipes. Attendees of the Native American cooking class were served American Indian tacos, buffalo stew, blackberry cobbler and a generous helping of breathtaking music.

Paul Stone, a full-blooded Native American of the Paiute and Washoe tribes, treated the students with several stories and a fabulous flute performance. Using a small maypole wood flute, Stone opened the cooking class with “Amazing Grace.” He also brought two larger flutes made of cedar wood, both of which Stone used to play a song he called, “Two Flutes At Once.”

The title of the song says it all. Stone was able to play two flutes at once, one flute per fist. However, a cautionary tale came with this song. Stone had been telling observers that he liked to practice playing the flute with one hand – while driving.

“So if you ever hear the [‘Two Flutes at Once’] song on the highway, look out,” Stone said. “I’m driving with no hands.”

After sampling the beautiful Native American music, it was time to eat dinner.

The first dish of the evening was American Indian tacos, which are simply tacos minus the tortilla. Instead of a crunchy shell or flour tortilla, Faris used Indian frybread. Frybread is made of flour, water – or milk, which is Faris’ preference – and salt. Faris gave observers instructions on how to make the frybread, saying that you roll the dough into meatball-sized balls and cook them for two-and-a-half minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in oil.

After the frybread is ready, you put refried beans, ground beef, lettuce, salsa and cheese on top and voila, you have made Indian tacos.

Full recipes of all of the food prepared at the Native American Cooking Lesson are available at spac.ucdavis.edu.

When asked where he learned to cook, Chef Faris said, “Well, growing up, everyone knew how to make Indian tacos. I enjoy eating more than cooking, but you have to cook for yourself eventually.”

While the buffalo stew was being served, a trivia game on Native American culture was played. Four questions were asked, and each of the winners received beautifully-woven, wallet-sized bags.

After the games, co-coordinators June-June Shih and D.J. Worley talked about the importance of celebrating your culture.

Shih, a senior, was very proud of the turn out and graciously thanked Stone, Faris, the Campus Union Programs, Sodexho and the University Dining Services for their participation in the evening’s events.

Worley, a graduate student of Native American studies, is a full-blooded Native American of the Dine and Mescalero tribes. He told students not to dissect their blood, but to be proud of each distinct culture that they come from. He introduced himself as a “full-blooded German, full-blooded Irish, full-blooded Dine and a full-blooded Mescalero.”

An encore performance by Stone concluded the evening, as if the schedule was designed in a full circle. Stone’s songs, which seemed to have cast a sort of musical spell on students earlier that evening, are available on his first CD, From the Forest. Those interested in Stone’s music can visit his website at paulstone.us. There, you can also view his artwork, which includes everything from sketches to wood burnings.

Students walked away from the Silo filled with an appreciation for the music, cuisine and history of Native American culture. So students, if you’re contemplating eating Ramen noodles for the 10th night in a row, go to spac.ucdavis.edu and learn how to make an Indian taco. Like Chef Faris said, you have to cook for yourselves eventually.

MEGAN ELLIS can be reached at features@californiaggie.com.

Title

Features

Features Editor

April 14, 2008

080414_fe_dailycal.C

TODAY

Cooking Club meeting

5:10 to 6 p.m.

Fielder Room, second floor of Memorial Union

Come to the Cooking Club’s first meeting of the spring!

Western University College of Veterinary Medicine

5 to 6 p.m.

1150 Hart

Go hear about the first College of Veterinary Medicine to open with a strictly problem-based learning curriculum, a female dean and a serious reverence-for-life philosophy. Dr. Carlos Crocker, professor of physiology, will also present information on the admissions criteria at WU and on the application process.

Math Café

5 to 7 p.m.

104 North Hall

Get a good serving of mathematics at this weekly tutoring session with the Women’s Resources and Research Center. Women and men are both welcome.

Tzu Ching Collegiate Association info meeting

6 p.m.

ARC Meeting Room 1

Go attend a general meeting where you’ll learn what you can be doing to help your community this weekend.

TUESDAY

Ice Cream Eating Showdown

Noon to 1 p.m.

MU Patio

Go cheer on your fellow students in the fastest ice cream showdown ever! This is a Picnic Day pre-week event.

WEDNESDAY

East Quad Farmers Market

11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

East Quad

Support local farmers and get fresh produce, nuts, flowers and more!

Annual Cow Milking Contest

Noon to 1 p.m.

West Quad

Join in on cheering for our contestants in this fun-filled event celebrating the anticipation of even more events to come on Picnic Day!

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous Meeting

7 to 8:30 p.m.

United Methodist Church, 1620 Anderson Road

Program for individuals recovering from addictive eating, bulimia and under-eating based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are no dues, fees or weigh-ins. For more information, go to foodaddicts.org.

THURSDAY

Project HEAL

6 p.m.

Wellman 2

Come to the first Project HEAL Meeting of the quarter. Project HEAL is a UC Davis club that works with the Yolo County SPCA and Animal Shelter. Project HEAL helps students to get involved with SPCA and Animal Shelter through volunteer opportunities and animal related events.

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.

Silent no more

Features

Features Editor

April 14, 2008

080414_fe_bandanaproject.C

Headline: Silent no more

Layercake: Bandana Project gives voice to sexual harassment victims

By JACKSON YAN

Aggie Staff Writer

For fear of sexual harassment, farm workers drape bandanas across their faces to avoid unwanted sexual advances. To Juanita Ontiveros of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, it represents a self-imposed gag order to victims of these crimes.

“Symbolically, by keeping the bandana on their face, they cannot talk,” said Ontiveros, who is a community education outreach and special project coordinator for the foundation.

During April, which is also National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Monica Ramirez Guerrero of the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center hopes to take the muzzle off these women with her exhibit, the Bandana Project. The exhibit features a collection of bandanas designed by female farm workers etched with messages decrying sexual harassment.

“The bandana is a strong image of women in the United States,” Guerrero said. “Bandanas are used at work as a symbol to protect themselves. It is the right symbol.”

Guerrero had originally planned on the Bandana Project being exhibited in less than 10 cities. However, over 50 cities, including Sacramento, have taken part in exhibiting the bandanas.

Inspired by the bandana-wearing Rosie the Riveter, she had women write messages on their bandanas. Guerrero remembers several bandanas that said what many women felt, but are too afraid to say.

“Two were decorated by women in Salinas and the women wrote, ‘I shouldn’t have to cover my face for you to respect me’ and ‘I don’t go to work other than to feed my family,'” Guerrero said.

Women in the fields face pressure to work under these conditions, and are handcuffed with few options to protest sexual assault. Many of those harvesting in the fields are immigrants and do not know their rights.

“Immigrants just want to stay to themselves,” Guerrero said. “They don’t want to cause any trouble. They don’t want any attention.”

Many women tolerate the sexual innuendos out of necessity to support their family. According to Ontiveros, women are degraded by supervisors, crew leaders and others in positions of power.

“They say, ‘I’ll hire anybody you want if you go out with me,'” Ontiveros says. “They pay them more, give them better positions and offer to give their family jobs.”

Sometimes the insults are more direct, preying on the defenseless.

“‘Move your ass like you did last night,'” Ontiveros said women have told her. “That is very degrading. They say, ‘You go tell your husband and I’ll fire all of them.’ They’re trying to keep women in their place.”

The problem persists as more women migrate into the fields, and the situation grows dire as few are willing to speak out against sexual harassment.

“Sexual assault is big problem,” said Julie Montgomery of the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation. “The federal government is paying attention to this widespread problem. Farm workers are more vulnerable because they are the lowest paid.”

Victims of sexual harassment and abuse often lack the resources to get help, and Guerrero hopes the bandanas will give a voice to these victims.

“It is difficult to talk about sexual harassment,” Guerrero said. “This is a real great outlet without talking to a room. They can participate, be anonymous and make a big statement through art in their own terms. It’s positive and it opens the dialogue.”

In May, thebandanas will return to the offices of the Southern Poverty Law Center where they will be cataloged. Eventually, the center hopes to loan out the bandanas to other participating organizations.

“It is already hard enough,” said Guerrero. “It is [a] really oppressive environment. Unfortunately, they have to face threats of sexual harassment. We are trying to let people know, and we are not going to tolerate it anymore. There is a real movement. Whole groups of advocates are saying, ‘This is enough.'”

To see the Bandana Project, visit the Familia Counseling Center in Sacramento. It is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The displays will be available to the general public until the end of April.

JACKSON YAN can be reached at features@californiaaggie.com.

Wolk introduces oil spill reform bills

City News

City Editor

April 14, 2008

Although as much as 75 percent of the total oil spills in the state occur on inland waters, there are currently no penalties and a severely limited response structure.

California State Representative Lois Wolk is working to change this with two bills she has introduced to the state assembly.

“Right now no agency is responsible for command authority,” Wolk said. “There are civil and criminal penalties for marine spills, but they don’t apply to inland spills, which are more common.”

Josh Basofin, a California representative of Defenders of Wildlife, a cosponsor of the bills, also said there is no command structure for inland oil spill response.

“There’s a major gap in the authority of the oil spill prevention and response, in that they have an authority structure and penalties for marine spills but not inland spills,” Basofin said.

The new legislation stems from the Cosco Busan spill in the San Francisco Bay in November 2007, which resulted when a freighter struck the Bay Bridge and began leaking fuel.

“One of the reactions to this most recent oil spill was that people realized there’s not a comprehensive response to the needs of the wildlife,” Basofin said.

The two bills are only part of a flurry of oil spill reform bills introduced by the Assembly Democrats.

“It’s a packet of legislation about oil spill response that came out of the Cosco Busan spill,” Wolk said. “But when we set about this, what we learned was that there are more inland spills and that there isn’t a good system to respond to this in place yet.”

If the bills become law, they will allocate more funding to inland oil spill response from existing oil taxes and create training and staffing opportunities at response agencies. The bills will also affirm inland spill response under the purview of the State Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response, a branch of the California Department of Fish and Game, and create legal penalties for inland spills equal to those for marine spills.

“Right now we have a lack of personnel and lack of resources,” said Carol Singleton, spokesperson for the OSPR. “We don’t have the people that can be committed to stay on the scene and see the cleanup go through.”

There are hundreds of spills every year and not all of them are oil spills. The spills can be many things, including milk, wine, shampoo and construction sediment, Singleton said.

“There’s so many that we can’t respond to all of them,” she said.

In January, a tanker truck spilled 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel on Highway 199. The fuel leaked into nearby Smith River and OSPR personnel were called on to set aside their other work to oversee cleanup efforts.

Singleton said if Wolk’s bill were in place, there would have been enough resources so that all needs could be met.

“One of the obstacles with the Cosco Busan spill was that a lot of volunteers hadn’t received hazardous materials training, which is a state requirement for oil spill response. It’s really necessary to have a comprehensive rescue program of oiled wildlife,” Basofin said.

He cited the Oiled Wildlife Care Network, a part of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, as an organization that could gain an increased capacity as a result of the legislation.

However, Basofin said he was concerned that the new legislation might not be enough.

“The new bills will help, but there are fundamental problems that still exist. One of them is the infrastructure problem. We need to fix our pipelines and work on better technology to prevent and respond to spills,” Basofin said. “These two bills help, but to get to the root of the problem we need better facilities and better transportation and eventually get to a point where we’re not using oil.”

As for where the bills stand now, Wolk said they are still being passed through committees.

“One needs to be heard by the Assembly, Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee, and the other will be going before the Assembly Judiciary Committee next,” Wolk said. “They have to go through the Appropriations Committee, and then they will go to the floor of the Assembly, and all of this must happen before August.”

Aggie Staff Writer JEREMY OGUL contributed to this article.

J. DANA STUSTER can be reached at city@californiaaggie.com.

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