The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which took effect on Aug. 15, 2012, continues to be implemented while Congress mulls over immigration reform. As stated in the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidelines, the initiative offers two years of protection from deportation along with work authorization for unauthorized youth, who are eligible if they “are between the ages of 15 and 30 (as of June 15, 2012); entered the United States before the age of 16; were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012; have lived in the United States continuously for at least five years; are currently in school, have graduated from high school or earned a GED, or are honorably discharged veterans of the US armed forces or Coast Guard; and have not been convicted of a felony or significant misdemeanor; and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security.”

Although DACA offers merely a glimpse of true integration, applying is undoubtedly beneficial for those eligible. The most notable reason revolves around the conceivable passing of a new immigration law in the near future. As the most recent bill on the house table indicates, legalization will most likely be expedited for DACA recipients. However, regardless of whether this proposal is soon passed, DACA offers other significant and immediate benefits.

Beyond protection from deportation, the program not only provides increased economic opportunities, but also social incorporation for young adult immigrants. As stated in the preliminary findings from the National UnDACAmented Research Project, “approximately 61% of DACA recipients surveyed have obtained a new job since receiving DACA.  Meanwhile, over half have opened their first bank account, and 38% have obtained their first credit card. Additionally, 61% have obtained a driver’s license.” In more liberal states such as California, financial aid for university students is also being offered through AB540 and the California Dream Act.

One primary concern with DACA is whether submitting an application will make those applying a target for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and put their immediate family in danger. DACA recipients are among the lowest priority cases for deportation. As affirmed by E4FC (Educators for Fair Consideration) in “Ten Reasons to Consider Applying for DACA Now,” those who maintain their eligibility will be among the safest from ICE even if there is a change in administration.

However, applicants should still seek prior legal counsel, which is not as difficult as one might think. UC Davis’ King Hall Immigration Law Clinic and other organizations around the country are offering low-cost assistance and workshops.

Register for a free DACA Workshop on October 26, 2013 by calling the DACA Hotline at (530) 752-8045. Also, the E4FC  offers a free intake service online at E4FC.org, which helps those interested in applying better understand their potential eligibility.

Another great resource to consider is the free smartphone app called “Pocket DACA.” It’s a self-screening tool that can also provide useful referrals to nearby legal service providers.

Nonetheless, immigration fraud is prevalent so be wary. “Notarios,” for example, take advantage of the duplicitous meaning of the title in Spanish to fool unsuspecting immigrants into thinking they offer real legal assistance.

Despite the relative safety in applying, DACA yields other notable concerns and frustrations. The exclusion from health care under the Affordable Healthcare Act practically contradicts DACA’s main intentions and the application fee of $465 is exorbitant. Fortunately, certain states are finding ways around flaws in the legislation. In California, for example, DACA recipients can apply for emergency state-funded Medi-Cal. As for the fee, many organizations have lending circles specifically for DREAMers and the USCIS (the department in charge of approving DACA requests) offers fee exemptions in particular cases. E4FC offers more information on loans and fee exemption on their website.

Although DACA reflects the frustrating yet seemingly inevitable status of immigration reform, the prospect of immediately helping young immigrants in need and pressuring Congress into passing legislation long overdue still makes it significant. As only about half of those estimated to be eligible have applied, there are still not enough applicants. DACA may be far from real immigration reform, but it is not to be ignored. For the DREAMer movement and countless other student immigrant movements around the country, spreading the word on DACA is an integral first step in pushing for more significant immigration reform and helping deserving immigrants achieve the American dream.

Joe Epstein, DACA intern, is a recent UC Davis graduate in international relations and Spanish, and can be reached at jnepstein@ucdavis.edu.

For some, walking into one of the dining commons (DC) is the equivalent of walking into a candy shop as a young child: a delightful journey full of a plethora of possibilities. For others, it simply means a meal.

Getting to experience the DC on a daily basis can be overwhelming for some newcomers, which is probably why I see people feasting off of six different plates every day. What makes me curious is whether or not this bliss will start to wear off. Will the constant joy of having buffet-style meals start to disintegrate or will this trend last all year?

All I know is that it will be one fun ride as I sit back and creepily observe people in the habitat that is the DC.

For me, the DC is a mystery. I hadn’t been officially diagnosed until approximately a week of eating at the DC, but apparently I’m a “flavor hater.” I score the driest, blandest, most un-flavorful food on a daily basis and you know what? It tastes delicious.

So, when I walk into the DC, I’m always unsure of exactly how much bland food they’ll be serving. Sometimes, and this hurts to say, there is none. On one occasion, I resorted to eating Lucky Charms for dinner. The thing you need to know is that I have Frosted Flakes (the king of cereal) in my dorm … and I ate Lucky Charms? There was nothing else that interested me and the people I ate with that night looked at me like I was crazy. Even though I technically am, for reasons unrelated to food, they just couldn’t fathom that not one other thing looked appealing.

As someone who can’t stand anything spicy, I’ve noticed that a great deal of food served in the dining commons is heavily spiced. It’s heaven for those like my roommate, but for me it’s a struggle to find flavorless food.

When I do manage to find such highly delectable dishes, the DC Gods rain on my parade, forcing my freakishly slippery utensils to casually slide off my plate and crash on the floor with a noticeable bang. The heavy plates are a worthy opponent for my rather weak phalanges, and have won many a battle against me, ending with something dropping on the floor.

However, I’m not the only one who this happens to. I’ve been enlightened with many embarrassing stories, with one common factor: they all occurred in the DC.

It’s really just one big, hungry clumsy family in there.

Cuarto’s DC, unlike Segundo’s and Tercero’s, has an obstacle that some people must face: the stairs. Walking up that long flight of stairs with extremely heavy plates and a full glass of liquid is a challenge that some are not bold enough to face. One time, I fell up the stairs and proceeded to spill my drink everywhere. The yellow cleaning cone remained on the stairs for the next hour to remind me and everyone else of the incident.

Then there are the people who balance three plates of food and a bowl in one hand while carrying a drink in the other, like they’re practicing for their circus act. It still shocks me when they successfully make it to the second floor. After my first graceless spectacle on the stairs, I never know if the food I put on my plate will safely make it to the table.

The suspense is hard to handle but the feeling of sheer talent and skill I get when my plate lands on a table unscathed is like nothing else, forcing my fist up in the air into a victorious fist pump.

When dinner rolls around, people go HAM. We all know that UC Davis is an extremely sustainable campus when it comes to the food that’s grown and served on campus, so naturally many healthy plates are prepared in the dining commons. But oftentimes, people head straight for the pizza and burgers. Personally, I wish dragon would be served once in a while because think about it — it would be fairly epic to feast on dragon.

The purpose of this isn’t for you to question my sanity; it’s for you to question the overall sanity of all who eat in the DC, and for that matter, all humans in general.

The DCs provide students with an array of meal options and it looks like the plate balancers and spicy food lovers are enjoying themselves.

If you want to be publicly embarrassed at one of the DCs, SAVANNAH HOLMES can be reached at skholmes@ucdavis.edu and can easily make that a reality for you.

In many lower division classes, we are asked not to take the facts we have learned and apply them to a new situation, but only to regurgitate memorized information. We are not asked to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of opposing theories, but only to know them. Our education often does not teach or ask us to think critically, missing the point of schooling.

For example, every lab course I know provides step by step instructions for each “experiment.” This does not foster critical thinking, only following memorized directions. Instead, the lab manual should tell us what we are to measure and give an overview of the materials and equipment available to us. It could provide general guidance and useful facts, but should not reduce us to machines executing commands. If we are stuck and cannot think of what to do, the teaching assistants are there to give advice.

I understand that one reason for step by step instructions is safety and liability issues, but those could mostly be bypassed by not using dangerous chemicals, which is likely possible at least in the lower division labs. In addition, at the start of each lab, the teaching assistant could identify common hazards or mistakes and how to avoid them. In effect, teaching laboratories would simulate research laboratories; we would have a goal and decide, mostly on our own, an experiment to achieve it. This method would foster synthesis of learned facts into a working experimental procedure.

While the goal of any class, or education in general, is to help us think critically, many of us do not study with that aim. Many of us study by spending countless hours and sleepless nights memorizing the professor’s slides and lectures. When we do this, we think we know all of the material, and we are right! We do know all of the material covered, but we can only regurgitate it, not synthesize it to solve new problems; we cannot think critically about it.

For some classes, often lower division science classes, this approach is sufficient, even encouraged, to do well in the class. However, when we move on to upper division classes, where we learn facts more rapidly and are asked to synthesize what we have learned on exam questions, this approach is disastrous, resulting in studying for seven to 10 hours yet failing the exam. However, as we did not learn how to approach material without brute force memorization in earlier classes, we cannot adapt, so we struggle and stress.

To address this problem, lower division exams should not consist of questions that lend themselves to memorization, such as definitions, matching, or pure calculations. Instead, questions should address novel systems not covered in lecture but that can be figured out based on material in lecture. We should be asked not just to know facts but also to be able to use those facts.

However, memorizing facts should not be abandoned. Rather, it should be seen as a means to the end of being able to use those facts to analyze a new situation, i.e. to think critically. If we do not know something, we cannot think critically about the implications of that knowledge.

Unfortunately, in many classes, especially lower division classes, memorization of facts is not a means to an end but an end in itself. This approach leaves us unprepared and struggling when we pass the point where memorization is sufficient.

WILLIAM CONNER is a fourth-year biochemistry major. He can be reached at wrconner@ucdavis.edu.