serving the uc davis campus and communit y since 1915www.theaggie.orgvolume 130, number 123 wednesday, november 30, 2011

Today’s weatherMostly cloudyHigh 58Low 38

ForecastThe winds today and Thursday will bring us some weather that isn’t nearly as glum for Friday. At least this weather make you want to

stay inside so you can study for you finals next week.

Tyson Tilmont, atmospheric science majorAggie Forecasting Team

Mosty cloudy Partly cloudy

Friday

High 60Low 39

Thursday

High 58Low 40

Another quarter, another layout artist gone. Congratulations, Tani Wong! We wish you the best

of luck and hope you never find a crew better than us.

Aggie Night Crew

“Have some SWAG, bring your own BAG”

Dogs, cats, snakes find homes with students

John Ortiz-Hutson says goodbye to UC DavisAfrican American and African studies advisor retires this week

Companionship, costs among pros and cons of pet ownership

UC Davis Bookstore to implement new plastic bag policy in January

By STEPHANIE B. NGUYENAggie News Writer

A new campaign advocating for a plastic bag-free campus will potential-ly make UC Davis the first campus in the nation to ban plastic bags entirely.

The “Have some SWAG, bring your own BAG” campaign, launching Jan. 2, will encourage students to use re-usable bags at all UC Davis stores as opposed to wasting a single-use plas-tic or paper bag with every purchase. A fee of 25 cents will be charged for sin-gle-use bags and reusable bags will be sold for 75 cents. Students are encour-aged to bring their own bags, free of charge. The policy will be effective at all campus store locations, including the Memorial Union, The Corral, ARC Pro Shop, the Silo and the Veterinary Bookstore.

The policy comes in the wake of ef-forts in sustainability to make UC Davis a zero-waste campus by 2020. A working group consisting of mem-bers of ASUCD, CalPIRG, the UC Davis Bookstore and the Bookstore Advisory Council was created this past year un-der the Campus Unions Recreation Board (CURB) to discuss and draft a proposal and to implement the cam-paign. The ASUCD/CURB group hopes to eliminate the use of plastic bags on campus by Fall 2012.

California State University, Long Beach has plans to reduce and elimi-nate plastic bags, as well.

“We hope to see a drastic reduction in the number of plastic and paper bags wasted at the Bookstore, since the

25-cent charge will make people stop and think if they really need that bag or not,” said senior Darwin Moosavi, for-mer ASUCD senator.

Moosavi started the project two years ago and continued to push for the ini-tiative when he became a senator last year.

“This project has been a long time coming. My hopes are that by the end of the year when we review the pro-posal, a decision can be made to end the supply of plastic bags entirely,” Moosavi said.

A portion of the money collected from the fee will go toward the cost of the plastic bags themselves, which will be 100-percent biodegradable.

“Sustainability is very important and limiting the use of plastics is a good idea,” said Chuck Kratochvil, the Bookstore director. “The best thing is for students to use what they already have, which in this case is their backpack.”

Cash operations manager Chris Dal Porto is also concerned with the envi-ronmental footprint.

“A large amount of non-renewable resources are used to create single-use plastic bags which live a very short life span, and soon after end up in our landfills for thousands of years,” Dal Porto said.

According to Dal Porto, as an incen-tive to use reusable bags, ASUCD will offer customers a choice of a free scan-tron or blue book each time they use a reusable bag, for a limited time.

STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

By ERIN MIGDOLAggie Features Editor

Upon walking into the nearly-emp-ty ASUCD Coffee House at 8:15 a.m., it takes approximately 30 seconds for John Ortiz-Hutson to begin wav-ing friendly “hellos” to colleagues and friends.

“I don’t know if ‘famous’ is the right word,” Ortiz-Hutson said, at the sug-gestion that he appears to be a celeb-rity of sorts on campus. A young wom-an has just smiled and greeted him, the third in a span of 45 minutes. “I’ve just been around, and I’m visible.”

For the past 23 years, Ortiz-Hutson has indeed been a fixture on the UC Davis campus, first as a senior learning skills officer at the Student Academic Success Center and then as the student affairs officer of the African American and African studies program. He will officially retire this week, culminat-ing in a career that has allowed him to mentor and advise hundreds of stu-dents, as well as collaborate with doz-ens of campus departments.

“I feel fortunate. I know that UC Davis has been, for the most part, good to me and good for me, and I’ve worked with some marvelous, fasci-nating people who I’ve learned a great deal from,” Ortiz-Hutson said. “It’s been a blessing to do the work that I do. I think I’ve stayed in my current

position a bit too long, because I love it so much. But it’s been rewarding and I’m thankful and I feel blessed.”

Born in Boston and a gradu-ate of Vallejo High School, Solano Community College and San Jose State University, Ortiz-Hutson began his career as a counseling assistant at Los Angeles City College.

Five years later, he returned to Northern California to be closer to his two sons, and landed a job as a learn-ing skills officer at UC Davis in 1988. There, he worked closely with the African American student popula-tion through the Special Transitional Education Program, monitoring stu-dents’ academic progress and teach-ing study skills courses.

Ten years ago, Ortiz-Hutson be-came the student affairs officer for the African American and African stud-ies program. In addition to advising students majoring and minoring in African American and African studies, as well as in other majors, he also co-ordinated the African American theme program in the Campbell Hall dorm. This fall, he helped launch the Linda Frances Alexander Scholars program, which provides academic and cultur-al enrichment for African and African American students.

Ortiz-Hutson hesitated to describe his work as a “strategy” for advising the many students that stop by his of-

fice in Hart Hall. He said he is simply curious.

“[Students] think they can navigate a major research institute in isolation, which they should never do,” Ortiz-Hutson said. “My number-one goal is to see to it that students feel better when they leave my office than when they came in. So I consider myself a holistic advisor. I like to know who the student is. And I don’t pry. We just talk.”

Though each student comes in with unique challenges, certain pieces of Ortiz-Hutson’s advice remain con-stant: take advantage of university re-sources, explore different majors and, perhaps most importantly, connect with your cultural background.

“If this were my university, I would see to it that every student was grounded in their culture first, what-ever their culture is,” Ortiz-Hutson said. “Find out more about who you are as an individual and find out more about the history and culture and sig-nificant contributions of your people. Ground yourself in yourself, and then move forward.”

Senior sociology and African American studies double major David Thompson first met Ortiz-Hutson as a member of the African American res-idence hall theme program and then

After a general strike on Monday, students have continued to occupy Dutton Hall, which houses university services such as the Cashier’s Office and the Financial Aid Office. Over 15 tents were set up outside and inside Dutton Hall Tuesday night. According to the Cashier’s Office,

it was still open on Tuesday, and let people in at the emergency door if they knocked. The Financial Aid Office said that the windows were closed Tuesday, but it was available by phone or e-mail. It said that it may offer an off-site for limited services in the near

future, but no decisions had been made yet. Protesters decided Monday night that they would be occupying Dutton Hall for two weeks.

— Text by Hannah Strumwasser— Photo by Jasna Hodzic

StUDentS ContinUe oCCUpy DUtton HAll, BUSineSS DiSrUpteD

Jasna Hodzic / Aggie

In order to reduce plastic bag use, the UC Davis bookstore will be charging customers 25 cents for each plastic bag they use starting next quarter.

BY MICHELLE STAUFFERAggie Features Writer

Some college students’ best friends come in many different forms — from large and four-legged to small and feathered, all the way down to creepy and crawly. Many students have taken in pets to keep them company on those cold, lonely nights of studying. The pets that students adopt can have a major impact on their lives financial-ly, but can also offer a sense of security along with companionship. Fifth-year senior civ-il engineering major Jacqueline Morino said while her dog, a Shiba Inu named Boogie, changed her life, she can’t imagine it now without him. “I probably put more time aside to play with him

or give him attention than I would have if I didn’t have him, but I can’t imagine it with-out him now. Whether he’s sleeping, playing with his toy, eating or even just chilling with me, I love the company,” Morino said. While going through school at UC Davis, alumna Barbara Thayer, who earned her de-gree in mathematics in 2010, had two cats, two rats and some fish. She said having pets in college presents both positive and nega-tive challenges. “When you split your attention between a part-time job and full-time school, hav-ing enough time to play with animals can be difficult. On the other hand they are amaz-ing stress relief,” Thayer said. Senior English major Brittany Horrell agreed with Thayer, and admitted she

doesn’t always have the time her Chihuahua and kitten deserve.

“I have to take my dog, Phoebe, for walks so she can go to the bathroom, and sometimes it’s frustrating that she

Madison Dunitz / Aggie

African American and African studies advisor, John Ortiz-Hutson, celebrates his retirement after 23 years at UC Davis.

See PETS, page 2

See ORTIZ, page 3

Rand

all H

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Agg

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Finals week pres-ents students with a chance to redeem

themselves. While some students would gladly sell their souls, arms, legs and firstborn children for a set of perfect As, most are just hoping to slide by un-scathed. So as an act of self-less generos-ity and com-passion for your suffer-ing, I have decided to share with you the following secrets for success. Firstly, if you still have a social life, you must ex-terminate it immediate-ly. Social events and gath-erings are like hot pota-toes — the longer you hold them, the more likely they are to gradually and pain-fully burn everything you have worked for to ashes. In order to rid yourself of distractions, you must not only put your relation-ships on hiatus, but also learn to spend all of your time at home, slaving over a hot computer. The 10-min-ute breaks between classes should be more than suffi-cient as your sole sources of fun and entertainment. When you get home, grab a pot of coffee from the kitchen, then lock your-self in your room and work. For every two hours of do-ing homework, remember to spend one hour studying for future exams. Continue until finished with every-thing due tomorrow. If it is still before mid-night, that means you did not put in enough effort, will ultimately fail at life and will have a career of selling organs and donat-ing blood multiple times a week, earning just enough money to buy a mea-ger month’s supply of Top Ramen. If it is after mid-night, then congrats; you are one step closer to your 4.0. So what now? Though there are various ways to waste time, sleeping is by far the worst. In order to get your As, you must learn to sacrifice. At midnight it is crucial you reread your notes (to ensure maximum retention) and begin read-ing chapters that profes-sors have not yet assigned, so that you may strut

ahead of everyone else and slowly tear them apart in fiery classroom debates, watching them squirm un-der the iron pressure of your overachieving thumb (this is an extra reward for being studious). What more? I have two words for you: teacher’s pet. Go to PetCo and buy yourself a collar. Everybody loves self-righteous and if-I-have-to-kill-to-get-my-A-I-would-students, especial-ly educators. They will en-joy your dedication, ambi-tion, knowledge and con-sistent participation in class. Make sure to wave your hand in the air repeat-edly (mimicking air traffic controllers) and elaborate on what others are saying, or interrupt them before they can say anything that might impress the teacher.

Always pay at-tention in class. Write your notes in no less than sev-

en colors and bring high-lighters to categorize your information and make your books look like they were attacked by Care Bears. Also, have a stapler, rul-er, protractor, eraser, tub of paperclips, laptop comput-er, bottle of Prozac and a crucifix with you at all time. Readiness and organization is key! If you have problems fit-ting all of your resourc-es in a traditional back-pack, opt for a rolling one. Alternatively, you can buy a large, yet easy-to-ma-neuver suitcase, preferably one with 360-degree swivel wheels. If all else fails, how-ever, and you are willing to augment your budget, a dolly or personal UPS truck would be ideal. (Or you can become BFFs with a proc-tor and beg him or her to drive your stuff around.) Remember, self-harm is not the answer. Sleep de-privation, though peril-ous in excess, is perfectly okay! All this work will pay off. Someday you will wake up in grad school or med school. When you do, feel free to use my methods for another exciting four-plus years. If you live through that, you will score a job and at last be able to live your life in the freedom and happiness of the confines of a cubicle regulated by a most soulless boss. Not. Don’t sweat it. Study for a few minutes every day and you’ll be fine. Finals do not have to be the bane of your existence. Happy test-ing! Also, I’d like to thank all my readers and skimmers for spending their valuable time on my column(s). It was a pleasure!

If you ever need to talk, ZENITA SINGH will always be there for you at zensingh@ucdavis.edu!

Two winters ago, I be-lieved that love last-ed an eternity and

that goodbyes were never forever. I also had a boy-friend back then — first and only love, like some-thing straight out of a Hollywood movie. But love is never like it is in the movies. Love is so widely writ-ten and talked about that it would be gratuitous for me to add to the massive heap. Yet, I feel it is im-portant for you to have a story to relate to and for you to know that, he and I, we really did love each other. Our relationship was filled with pure and un-conditional devotion, but nothing else aside from that. In fact, I don’t re-member ever doing any-thing fun together. The happiest memory I have is of waiting for him to visit me each night. He used to come and knock on my window at exact-ly 11:20 p.m. after he had gotten off from work, just to see me. So, when the visits sud-denly stopped and the last words I heard from him were, “I don’t love you anymore,” I felt a million stabs to the heart. All I did the night of the break-up was lie motionless on my bed, suffering silently. I lied there waiting for my body to shut down and for life to slowly escape me. Around me, the world had fallen and shattered into countless pieces, but I didn’t want to pick them up. At the time, I didn’t want anything. I just want-ed to die. As with most break-up stories, family and friends came to comfort me. They would say things to me like, “He doesn’t know what he’s losing,” and “You can do so much better,” and so forth. But I still felt worthless. The thoughts running through my mind were typical of most girls who experience heartbreak. There were times when I would miss him and blamed myself for what happened, and other times when I would hate him for hurting me so severely. I also asked myself a

multitude of questions that, until this day, have gone unanswered. Why did it happen? How did it happen? What is he do-ing now? What is he feel-ing? But questioning only served to cause frustration and anger. While all these things were stirring inside me, my mom forced me to eat. Once I was able to regain my appetite and my sleep, I set out to do what most girls do after the depres-sion stage is over. I busied myself (like the articles in women’s maga-zines advised) with look-ing good so that I could feel good. I bought new clothes and make-up, got a new haircut, hit the gym and went out with my girls. I even picked up new hobbies and got in touch

with my spiritual side. The activ-ities kept me happi-ly occupied

and I felt good during the daytime. But none of that mattered because at the end of the day I was still alone. Sadly, when it comes to this sort of thing, only time can heal. During the interim, the only thing you can do is try to eat proper-ly and keep busy. Don’t worry if you feel like life is not worth liv-ing or like you mean abso-lutely nothing. Time will also help regain your confi-dence and self-worth. And if you feel like you’re stuck in the past, that’s normal, too. I used to lie awake in bed each night, wait-ing for him to come back and knock on my window again. At some point, af-ter almost a year of wait-ing for his return, I had to accept reality and finally said goodbye. Today, I find myself say-ing goodbye yet again; this time to you, my readers. Thank you for supporting me through my beginning trials as a novice writer. Your weekly e-mails and loyal following have flat-tered me, and it is with re-gret that our journey togeth-er must end here this day. But, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this (and Semisonic sings it best in “Closing Time”), it’s that every new beginning must come from some oth-er beginning’s end. I believe that if it was meant to be, then it will be. If it was truly love, then it will last an eternity. And if all this may be the case, then goodbyes aren’t al-ways forever. Hope we meet again soon!

MICHELLE NGUYEN can be reached at michellen1990@yahoo.com.

page two The california aggie2 wednesday, november 30, 2011

daily calendardailycal@theaggie.org

accuracyThe California Aggie strives to ensure that all of its facts and details are accurate. Please bring any corrections to our attention by calling (530) 752-0208.

Though there are various ways to waste time, sleeping is by far

the worst

Around me, the world had fallen and shattered into countless

pieces ...

campus Judicial reports

Goodbye

One Shields Ave.25 Lower Freeborn, UCD

Davis, CA 95616Editorial (530) 752-0208

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The California Aggie is entered as first-class mail with the United States Post Office, Davis, Calif., 95616. Printed Monday through Thursday during the academic year and once a week during Summer Session II at The Davis Enterprise, Davis, Calif., 95616. Accounting services are provided by ASUCD. The Aggie is distributed free on the UC Davis campus and in the Davis community. Mail subscriptions are $100 per academic year, $35 per quarter and $25 for the summer. Views or opinions expressed in The Aggie by editors or columnists regarding legislation or candidates for political office or other matters are those of the editors or columnist alone. They are not those of the University of California or any department of UC. Advertisements appearing in The Aggie reflect the views of advertisers only; they are not an expression of editorial opinion by The Aggie. The Aggie shall not be liable for any error in published advertising unless an advertising proof is clearly marked for corrections by the advertiser. If the error is not corrected by The Aggie, its liability, if any, shall not exceed the value of the space occupied by the error. Further, The Aggie shall not be liable for any omission of an advertisement ordered published. All claims for adjustment must be made within 30 days of the date of publication. In no case shall The Aggie be liable for any general, special or consequential damages.© 2009 by The California Aggie. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form whatsoever is forbidden without the expressed written permission of the copyright owner.

The California Aggie is printed on

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Jason AlpertEditor in Chief

Becky PetersonManaging Editor

Alex TervoBusiness Manager

Grace SpragueAdvertising Manager

Hannah StrumwasserCampus Editor

Angela SwartzCity Editor

Uyen CaoArts Editor

Erin MigdolFeatures Editor

Trevor CramerSports Editor

Amy StewartScience Editor

Melissa FreemanOpinion Editor

Kamry ZhangCopy Chief

Jasna HodzicPhotography Editor

Michelle HueyDesign Director

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Mimi VoNight Editor

Amanda NguyenAsst. Night Editor

Irisa TamArt Director

today

Japanese american student association FundraiserAll dayRostini Italian Kitchen, 1411 West Covell Blvd. #111, in The MarketplaceThe Japanese American Student Society will be hosting a fundraising event to support the Soran Bushi dance group. Twenty percent of each purchase will be donated to Soran Bushi with the presentation of a flyer with the order. To receive a digital copy of the flyer, e-mail cmlu@ucdavis.edu.

de-stress for 30 minutesSession 1: 11 to 11:30 a.m., Session 2: 1 to 1:30 p.m.South Hall, Basement Conference RoomCounseling and Psychological Services counselor Paul Kim will show useful ways to de-stress with breathing exercises to help students keep it cool during finals week.

summer abroad info session: irelandNoon to 1 p.m.Education Abroad Center, 207 Third St. Suite 120Join the “What’s in Your Water?” information session to learn how to spend this summer taking upper division civil engineering courses in Galway, Ireland. Meet the professor and talk with advisors about logistics like financial aid.

Junior recitals: milena schaller and stephen Hudson3 p.m. Milena Schaller, 5 p.m. Stephen Hudson115 MusicMilena Schaller, on cello, will play works by Haydn and Bach. Stephen Hudson, also on cello, will play works by Beethoven, Bach and Brahms.

Vet aide club general meeting7:30 p.m.Everson 176This will be the last meeting of the quarter. Special guest speaker Tom Hueller, associate director of admissions at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, will give an informative presentation, as well as a Q&A session. The VAC apparel will be available for pick-up at this

meeting.

tHursday

exchange an unhealthy snack for a Brubar11 a.m. to 1 p.m.Memorial Union Quad tablesExchange a snack for a local, vegan and healthy Brubar.

Biomedical engineering distinguished alumni seminar4:10 p.m.Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility AuditoriumDr. Tracy Richmond McKnight will discus investigating glioma growth and metabolism with MR methods.

downtown davis Holiday celebration6 p.m.Downtown Davis, various locationsThe annual celebration will feature a children’s parade, holiday tree lighting, musical performances and appearances by Santa and Mrs. Claus. Visit davisdowntown.com for a complete list of events.

american red cross club meeting6:15 to 7:30 p.m.118 OlsonFor more information, check out the ARCC website at arccdavis.co.cc and the Facebook page: American Red Cross Club at UC Davis.

Friday

social Justice yoga2 to 3 p.m.3001 Plant and Environmental SciencesParticipate in a all-level class for yoga right before finals with Moira Delgado to clear your mind and de-stress. No experience necessary.

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

MichelleNguyen

Freaky finals

ZenitaSingh

roommate issuesAn upperclassman was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) by the UC Davis Police for assault and battery. Specifically, the police were called to the student’s residency where he was found to have been hitting his roommate. In his meeting with a Judicial Officer, the student admitted that he had been intoxicated during the encounter, and said that the two had gotten into altercations in the past. The student agreed to accept Deferred Separation status, and to attend both the Batterers Program and the Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) program.

drunk driving is still not a good idea A student was referred to SJA by the police for driving while under the influence. The officer observed the student skid, swerve in and out of traffic, and come close to hitting pedestrians. When the driver was pulled over, the officer smelled alcohol, and wrote the student up. The Judicial Officer that handled the case spoke with the student and found that she was on her way to

pick up some friends. She said that she had not seen any people in the road. The student agreed to Disciplinary Probation and to meet with ATOD, but no charges were filed.

Health issuesA student was picked up by the UC Davis police and referred to SJA for drug possession after the student’s manager smelled marijuana on her at work. Upon being searched, the student was found to be in possession of a baggie of marijuana, and was written up. When the student met with a judicial officer, she admitted that she had been carrying marijuana but claimed that it was for medical purposes. However, although it may be legal in the state to possess marijuana for medicinal purposes, it is a violation of University of California policy to possess or partake in marijuana on any of the campuses, even with a prescription. With that in mind, the student agreed to accept Disciplinary Probation and to meet with the people at ATOD.

CAMPUS JUDICIAL REPORTS are compiled by members of Student Judicial Affairs.

wants to play and I’m late for work or have to study. It isn’t fair to her, though; it isn’t her fault,” Horrell said.

Senior animal science major Cali Nguyen, who owns two cats, one Colombian Boa and a few fire-bellied newts said there can sometimes be another challenge attached to her beloved pets.

“The biggest challenge would be my previous roommates being afraid of my snakes,” Nguyen said.

These challenges, however, don’t allude to the financial challenges that may be presented by owning a pet.

For Thayer, it isn’t the maintenance, but the start-up cost that can cause some trouble for pet owners.

“Depending on where you get your pet, you have to pay for the pet, their shots and to get them fixed for an initial cost. Their upkeep is spaced evenly throughout the month except for yearly checkups and a pet deposit,” Thayer said.

Morino agreed with Thayer that the monthly financial obligation is nothing compared to the initial costs.

“In the beginning it was hard because that’s when he needed all these shots and heart worm pills and stuff, plus all the initial necessities like food, treats and toys,” Morino said.

“But now it’s fine, not too bad. Just a couple bucks here and there.”

Thayer also added that you may come across some unexpected expenses that can be difficult for students to manage.

“I’ve been extremely lucky with my cats because I have had very little problems with them financially. My roommate’s cat broke his leg and she had to pay $2,000 to have it fixed. Ok, her parents paid $2,000 and she paid them back,” Thayer said.

Then, there are the commitments many students don’t think about when adopting a four-legged friend, like potty-training. Morino said one of her biggest challenges is her dog having accidents in the apartment when she’s not there.

“Also, he’ll rip up cardboard and get into the garbage. This has happened about six times and coming home and having to clean it gets annoying,” Morino said.

Then comes the challenge of finding an apartment to house all of your pets. While some gladly accept your furry friends, others aren’t so kind.

The 2011-12 Residence Hall Contract states that students living in on-campus residence halls are not allowed to bring pets of any kind, except a fish tank that does not exceed 10 gallons. Requests to bring a fish tank must be approved by UC Davis Student Housing and all roommates

prior to set-up.According to Nguyen, finding a

place that allows pets isn’t difficult, but most will ask pet owners to pay a special fee.

Many of the Tandem properties in Davis differ in their pet policies, and may leave students less than satisfied when trying to find a place to live with their pets. According to the Tandem properties website, many of the complexes, including Adobe, Cranbrook and the Willows, don’t allow dogs.

These complexes do, however, allow cats, fish, and small caged animals. Cranbrook also has a “no snake” policy in place and limits aquariums to 25 pounds.

Students could also encounter extra fees for these apartments if they want to bring their pets along to college. Davis Wiki has a list of many apartments’ pet policies and deposit amounts.

Ellington, for example, charges a $200 deposit for the first pet, and $100 deposit for the second pet, along with $35 a month per dog and $15 a month per cat.

The Arbors, on the other hand, allows cats with a pet deposit of $250 and dogs with a deposit of $500, and charge no monthly rent for pets.

MICHELLE STAUFFER can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

petscont. from front page

Picture yourself as you were when you were 14. You wake up

one morning and you are a pound lighter. The next morning you are another pound lighter. And again the next morning, and so on. The doctors don’t think there is anything wrong; you’re supposed to hit puberty and lose that baby fat around now anyway.

Flash forward six months. Thirty pounds lighter, constantly lethargic, tired for no reason and always thirsty. Another six months, another 20 pounds lighter, you are sleeping 14 hours a day and it is a struggle to even get out of bed in the morning. You are drinking two gallons of water and consuming 5000 calories daily, but you are always hungry and always thirsty. You hear your family whispering what you have been thinking for a long time; something is very, very wrong.

Eighteen months from day zero and you are in a doctor’s office, being told that in another few days you would have been in a coma you may not have awoken from. Instead of being afraid, you are relieved. The doctor caught it. They know what is wrong. They can fix it.

This was my life for the 18 months before I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 14, which is relatively old for a diagnosis. I consider myself lucky, though. I was old enough to comprehend what was happening, old enough to understand what I had to do.

There is a common misconception that diabetes means you are overweight. Obesity is generally characteristic of type 2 diabetes, a condition brought about by poor nutrition and lack of physical activity. Type 1 diabetes is a genetic condition in which the pancreas stops making the hormone insulin, the hormone required for your cells to absorb glucose, and has little to do with lifestyle.

A diabetes diagnosis can cripple some people. The fear and doubt are often overwhelming. Simply accepting that you have this disease is often the highest hurdle to clear. With the support of family and friends — which, sadly, not everyone has — recently diagnosed diabetics can not only survive, but thrive.

Diabetes requires structure. Even with a highly-structured life, maintaining the clarity

of mind to handle debilitating low blood sugars is a lot to handle. It becomes even more complicated when you move away from the structure of home and into the chaos of college.

College life takes any semblance of structure you may have and casts it asunder. Frat parties, dorm socials, class at all hours of the day, all-nighters and pizza delivery all conspire to throw you off balance. There is the added difficulty of doing what needs to be done — shots of insulin, finger pricks to check blood sugar, etc. — in front of people you have just met. It takes a special breed to maintain composure when those situations arise.

Type 1 diabetics often live in a shroud of “can’t.” Can’t eat candy, can’t compete in sports, can’t do what “normal” people can

do. This is false. Did Gary Hall, Jr. let diabetes stop him from winning

10 Olympic swimming medals? Did Sonia Sotomayor let diabetes stop her from becoming the first Hispanic United States Supreme Court justice? I think you get the point.

In my eyes, there are two kinds of diabetics: those who let diabetes control them, and those who take control of their diabetes. Members of the second group, myself included, see diabetes as a challenge to do everything that people tell us we can’t do.

My outlet for that challenge was competitive swimming. I can swim three miles without stopping and can do a one-hundred-yard sprint in 49 seconds. A very close diabetic friend of mine here at UC Davis took the challenge to run a marathon. She trained hard, finished the Nike Women’s Marathon and is thirsting to tackle many more.

Type 1 diabetics take better care of ourselves than most other people. By setting and surpassing our goals, we have made ourselves healthier and more fit than 90 percent of our friends. Diabetes has made me comfortable and confident in my ability to take care of myself.

What I want you to take away from this is that I can do everything I want, and diabetes will never hold me back. A newspaper column is not nearly enough room for me to say all I want to say, or mention all the amazing people I want to mention. In a strange way, diabetes is one of the best things to have happened to me. It is what made me who I am. I am not saying I wouldn’t take a cure if it was available, but I would never go back and prevent it from happening.

HUDSON LOFCHIE is an athlete, nerd, and type 1 diabetic. Have diabetes and want to meet others? Search “UC Davis Diabetes” on Facebook. He can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

Hudson Lofchie

Pricks and sticks

I was old enough to comprehend what was happening, old enough to understand what I had to do

By ERIC C. LIPSKYAggie Science Writer

A new partnership formed by scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Liquid Robotics could yield a substantial advancement for scientists and people throughout the world through the creation of an unmanned sea craft with attached seismometers.

The device they will be using, which looks like a surfboard with solar panels mounted on it, could provide earlier detection and warnings for earthquakes and tsunamis.

“The Wave Glider is a little surfboard-sized device connected by an umbilical that provides motor power through the conversion of wave power,” said Jonathan Berger, lead geophysicist in the Scripps team at UC San Diego.

The Wave Glider floats on the surface of the water. Meanwhile, the seismometer it is attached to, via the umbilical, stays deep down in the ocean getting vital measurements for scientists.

“The plan is to use the device as a gateway between seismic data and land,” Berger said.

Along with the solar panels on the Wave Glider, which are there to provide energy to keep the flow of data going, is an acoustic modem that is used to receive information the seismometers collect. The modem is then able to send the data up to a satellite, which can then be received by scientists within minutes for analysis.

“It’s critical for detecting earthquakes; we need data to be

transmitted without delay,” Berger said.

The Wave Glider allows for the placement of seismometers in places not feasible before, allowing data to be available to scientists within minutes. Due to these new possibilities, people could experience impactful differences in the timeliness of tsunami warnings.

“It’s important with tsunamis to be able to make a measurement of the wave as it passes overhead,” Berger said. “That’s why we’re adding pressure measurements, to be able to transmit data back to shore quickly.”

According to Berger, another positive for the technology is the fact that it is much more cost-effective than previous methods of data collection. He said that with older technology scientists would have to hire ships to go out to a buoy’s location and perform maintenance, which is something that is not necessary with the unmanned Wave Glider.

“Ships cost about $50,000 per day, which amounts to about $250,000 for an entire trip. The Wave Glider will make it more affordable, bringing costs down to somewhere around $50,000 [total],” Berger said.

John Orcutt, co-principal investigator in the Scripps team at UC San Diego, said that the device is great because it could mean even coverage of the Earth for seismologists.

“It is important that every part of the Earth be sampled. It is important for us to have even coverage,” Orcutt said.

He said that one of the current problems with collecting data is that it is difficult to get any data in parts with little landmass nearby. According to Orcutt, many islands are used today as stations; these stations in turn are where data collected from seismometers goes before it is available via the internet for scientists.

“This is an inexpensive way to get the data we want without land,” Orcutt said.

He said that another possible use for the Wave Glider is the ability to have it monitor for nuclear tests. Places that today may be inaccessible could potentially be monitored with the help of the Wave Glider.

Orcutt believes that the Wave Glider is a sustainable way — especially since it does not use any fuel — to get better data from places where there is not much data currently.

“It doesn’t take up too much energy, only a few watts, and is a good way to fill in the bulk of the earth with good seismic stations,” Orcutt said.

According to the official website of Liquid Robotics, Wave Gliders have numerous applications beyond oceanography and tsunami warnings; national defense, transportation safety, fisheries management and offshore renewable energy are just a few of the possibilities of this new technology.

With events such as this year’s devastating tsunami in Japan showing the importance of earlier tsunami warnings, it is possible that in the future Wave Gliders could help save lives.

ERIC C. LIPSKY can be reached science@theaggie.org.

True or False

Unmanned sea craft could help with natural disaster warnings

By AMY STEWARTAggie Science Editor

Cold and flu season is just starting to take off, and if you scroll down your Facebook news feed, chances are that one or more of your friends will have a cold. I’ve had three friends complain about it just this week alone. It’s also likely that when you or your friend posts a status about the mis-ery of the common cold, someone will chime in, “Make sure you drink lots of orange juice and stay in bed!” But why orange juice in particular? Proponents say that the vitamin C in the orange juice helps treat and even prevent colds. This remedy was first pro-moted around the 1970s; since then, however, the claim has not survived sci-entific scrutiny. Let’s back up a bit. The common cold is caused by a virus, most often a rhi-novirus but could also be a coronavirus or a respira-tory syncytial virus (RSV). More than 200 viruses

have been identified that cause common cold symp-toms; about 110 of those belong to the rhinovirus group. This diverse array of causes is why no one has yet found a single vaccine or cure for the common cold. What about vitamin C? Vitamin C, found in a great deal of fruits and vegeta-bles but especially orang-es and other citrus fruit, is a vital nutrient. The vi-tamin maintains bone, muscle and blood vessels, as well as forms collagen and helps the body absorb iron. The recommend-ed daily allowance (RDA) is about 90 milligrams for men and about 75 milli-grams for women, which can be easily achieved through eating fruits and vegetables. Despite the many gen-eral benefits of vitamin C, however, fighting off colds isn’t one of them. The ma-jority of studies done on the subject have found vi-tamin C to be no better than a placebo in the ma-jority of patients. The only group that showed a sig-

nificant decrease in colds from taking vitamin C were people in “extreme condi-tions,” such as marathon runners. For most adults and children, there was no real difference. So, what should you do to fight a cold? First of all, don’t take antibiot-ics. Antibiotics kill bacte-ria but do nothing against viruses; the best-case sce-nario is that you’re wast-ing money, and the worst-case scenario is that you’re increasing antibi-otic resistance among the bacteria.

The only thing to do for a cold is to simply wait out the symptoms. Most symptoms last five to sev-en days, so get plenty of rest and drink plenty of water in that time. Wash your hands often, espe-cially during the first three days, as that is when you are most contagious. If you develop a fever or you start vomiting, it’s proba-bly the flu or another ill-ness and you should see your doctor.

AMY STEWART can be reached at science@theaggie.org.

Does drinking orange juice help a cold?

courtesy

Oranges are delicious, but can they kill viruses?

courtesy

Roger Hine, CEO of Liquid Robotics and Mike Utsler discuss the Wave Glider at a press conference.

worked with him as a resident advisor for the program. Ortiz-Hutson helped him survive a system that he warned would “chew him up and spit him out.”

“As college students, we think we’ve seen it all. So he appeals to our college student-ness and lets us find our own way, but guides us to our way,” Thompson said.

On UC Davis School of Education student Lorraine Wilkins’ first day at UC Davis as an undergraduate math major, she was told to find Ortiz-Hutson.

She took her four children, then aged three to nine, straight to his office.

“We went to see him at about 5 p.m., and we were there until 7 p.m. He gave my kids crayons, and asked

about my goals,” Wilkins said. “He’s like a social worker within the school.”

After leaving UC Davis, Ortiz-Hutson’s future plans include spending time with his grandchildren, finishing his Master’s thesis and possibly joining the Peace Corps. Throughout his time at this university, he hopes students understood that they have an obligation to complete their education, in honor of those who have fought for this right.

“I like to help students realize, truly, their greatness. You have to realize you’re in the right place. Get on with your life, do this thing and do it well,” Ortiz-Hutson said. “What else are you going to do with your time? If you weren’t here you’d be asking someone if they wanted fries with their hamburger.”

ERIN MIGDOL can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

oRTIzCont. from front page

&Science TechnologywedneSdAY, nOVeMBeR 30, 2011 3The cAlifORniA Aggie

Oceanography catches a new wave

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Tuesday’s puzzle solved

By STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN

Aggie News Writer

Callie Heyer, sophomore drama major

The Aggie: What are you wearing? Heyer: “A skirt I got at Marshalls for $3, a Forever 21 top, and a Macy’s trench coat. My purse is from a street vendor and my boots are Old Navy.”

Where do you find inspiration? “I get a lot of inspiration from magazines like Vogue.

I like retro styles, so I’m inspired by old movies and stuff like that.”

How did you decide what to wear today?“It was mostly based on the weather. I really wanted to wear my boots and socks, so my outfit is centered around that.”

What are you looking forward to wearing this season?“I’m excited about wearing my leather gloves.”

STEPHANIE B. NGUYEN can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.

campus CHIC.

The california aggie 4 wednesday, november 30, 2011

stephanie Nguyen / aggiecallie Heyer

wednesday, november 30, 2011 5The california aggie

By LANI CHANAggie Features Writer

Rarely does a new restaurant come into Davis that lives up to its hype. Generally, when a new bar/eatery opens after much anticipation, one or two visits will likely suffice for the appeal to wear off.

De Vere’s Irish Pub, which opened to the public two weeks ago, is an exception to this trend. Besides today, when I’m here at the crack of dawn en-joying their bottomless cof-fee, there have only been a few empty seats in the whole place each time I’ve visited.

For me, it was easy during the first experience to find rea-sons to come back again — the beer selection was great, half the food items were slath-ered in bacon and cheese, for-ever raising my standards for bar snacks, and everyone in-side seemed genuinely relaxed and happy. What was there not to love?

The reason I feel De Vere’s is a place to return to time and time again is that it is not just a bar, at least in terms of what Davis is used to — it’s much more than just a stop on an average Friday or Saturday night downtown.

De Vere’s is open more hours than it is closed, from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. during the week, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on the week-ends. It has a packed schedule of events and activities, includ-ing Trivia Night on Mondays with Dr. Andy Jones, Whiskey Dinners and Burger Thursdays. They hold an early-morn-ing study hall every Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with free Wi-Fi, bottom-less coffee for $1.95 and a grow-ing selection of breakfast items. Obviously, I don’t know the owners personally, but they de-serve a ton of credit for open-ing a venue that offers some-thing that literally every person in Davis can fully appreciate.

The pub’s appearance is no-table itself. It has an intriguing green exterior, iron-like letters

above the doorway and stained glass windows that make it a unique addition to the streets of downtown Davis. Inside, the wooden furniture is a warm, rich espresso color and there’s soft lighting throughout the en-tire place. The Irish family that owns the pub imported all the fixtures, including the massive bar, directly from Ireland.

There’s more that puts De Vere’s in a category of its own. There are squashy couches and Irish-themed art completely covering the walls. The book-shelves in the back, stocked with leather-bound books and board games, give me a feel-ing of contentedness like I am hanging out in, say, my grand-father’s old house with my en-tire family. Needless to say, it’s definitely a comfortable atmo-sphere, with a bold feeling of authenticity that can’t be found much around Davis.

On my most recent visit, we arrived during happy hour, around 5:30 p.m. De Veres has pretty generous happy hour specials every weeknight from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., offering dis-counted appetizers, such as chicken strips for $5, and small-

er portions of dinner items, such as a half-order of fish and chips for $6. They have a small selection of beer for $3 a glass (or $12 a pitcher — we went for this option, twice) and some wines and spirits for $4.

The hearty food and drink in the cold weather seemed to have a wide appeal, as there was hardly an unoccupied seat in the house. We ordered a pitcher of Smithwicks while waiting for a table and enjoyed it around a square foot of empty bar space until a waitress ushered us to a table around only five minutes later. The table was crammed slightly in a corner, but even with my mild claustrophobia I felt contentedly cozy and not cramped.

The three of us sat enjoying our deliciously-dark beer un-til our food appeared in front of us — Newport Nachos, $5 for a huge pile of potato fries cov-

ered in cheese, bacon, chili, to-matoes and sour cream, and three fresh fish tacos, which were $2 each.

The food was great for sever-al reasons. First, it came to us quickly, and the bartender was able to scout us even after we were herded into the corner. Second, the tacos came with a hefty piece of crispy cornmeal-fried fish inside each, accom-panied by a delicious guacamo-le-like spread that had a perfect amount of kick to it.

Third, the portion of Irish ‘nachos’ was enormous and easily enough for an early din-ner. The spiciness of the chil-ies was complemented well by the cheese and sour cream, and easily neutralized with our sec-ond pitcher of beer.

There was absolutely nothing better than taking a break that day and devouring food and beer that hearty for such a good

price. Likewise, there was noth-ing like waking up and com-ing to De Vere’s first thing in the morning today. I’m contentedly finishing this review while seat-ed on their luxurious couches, listening to the Beatles and en-joying a stress-free start to the day with my roommate.

Generally, these reviews should focus on food, but De Vere’s stands apart from the rest because it has so much else to offer that is worth noting. The food is incredible — that’s a giv-en. But people will find some-thing extra if they come in just expecting a meal. The atmo-sphere, hospitality and whole idea of the place will surely make it a popular location for months and years to come. I can definitely say that I will be returning.

LANI CHAN can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

Dining in Davis: De Vere’s Irish PubNew downtown location offers something for everyone

In review:

De Vere’s Irish PubHours: Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.

Food: ****Ambience: ****Cost: $$

Key

Food and ambience quality

**** I’m dining here every day

*** Almost like eating at home

** Better than my roommate’s cooking

* Only if I’m starving

Budget$$$$ chancellor $20+$$$ professor $15-20$$ graduate student/alum $10-15$ undergraduate $5-10

Evan Davis / Aggie

De Vere’s Irish Pub, located at 217 E St., offers authentic pub food and drink in a unique, cozy environment.

By NICoLe SANSeverINo Daily Texan (University of Texas)

Europa, one of Jupiter’s at least 63 moons, is about 500 million miles away from earth, but comes closer to resembling our planet and providing potential for life than anything else in the solar system, researchers said.

U. Texas researchers discovered what they said appears to be a body of liquid water the volume of the North American Great Lakes locked inside the icy shell of Europa.

The “lake” holds potential as a habitat for life, and there may be many more such lakes throughout the shallower regions of Europa’s shell, said lead author Britney Scmhidt, postdoctoral fellow at the Institute for Geophysics, in the article.

The idea of liquid water beneath Europa’s surface is nothing new, said Robert Pappalardo, senior research scientist for NASA.

“For a while now, since the first Galileo pictures in the mid-90s, there has been mounting evidence that there is a liquid water ocean under the icy shell of Europa,” Pappalardo said. “Although how far down has been a topic of debate.”

Researchers focused on images from Galileo, the first satellite to orbit Jupiter, which showed two roughly circular, bumpy features on Europa’s surface called “chaos terrains.”

The chaos terrains look like an ice-covered puddle all broken up and full of little ice pieces, said Don Blankenship, co-author and senior research scientist at the Institute for Geophysics.

Pappalardo said according to Blankenship and Schmidt’s model, these chaos terrains are formed by blobs of warm ice, which are heated as Europa orbits Jupiter.

“[Europa] is squeezed,” Pappalardo said. “It flexes in and out, and that creates heat like bending a paper clip back and forth.”

The squeezed blobs of warm ice, like a lava lamp, float to the surface, pushing the surface up, Pappalardo said.

As the ice melts, the water takes up less room causing the surface to cave in, forming fractures near the surface.

The lake of water, which exists beneath the sinking ice shelf, may provide a mechanism for transferring nutrients and energy between the surface and the vast ocean which is thought to exist beneath, according to their research.

Interaction between the surface and the ocean beneath could make Europa and its ocean more habitable, Schmidt said.

Pappalardo said the model is a step forward in understanding the potentially habitable moon, but that further exploration is necessary. Pappalardo and his team of scientists are planning a six-year space mission, which he estimates will start in 2020.

The federal government cut nearly $240 million to NASA’s 2011 budget, consequently cutting funds to many of NASA’s programs. However, Pappalardo said Washington continues to see the value in the space mission and have called Europa a top-priority.

Pappalardo said sending a satellite to Europa would cost around $1.5 to $2 billion, “a large amount,” but a worthwhile one, he said.

“It comes out to a dollar a person, kind of a candy bar or a can of soda per person per year to fund a planetary mission like this,” Pappalardo said. “That is not too bad to understand whether there are habitable regions elsewhere in the solar system.”

Study shows genes may indicate an individual’s trustworthiness

By ABBy LorANgerThe Student Printz (University

of Southern Mississippi)

If you’re one of the 800 million Facebook users worldwide, you’ve probably encountered the wave of graphic spam posts during the past week.

Among the spam were pornographic images that included PhotoShopped images of celebrities and photos depicting graphic and gory violence, causing millions of Facebook users to ask how the virus infiltrated the social networking site so quickly.

According to CNN, the spam was a result of a “hack that exploited security flaws in some Web browsers.”

The most common way that the viruses are spreading come in the form of links that make some sort of promise to the user – redirection to a new video or song, answers to a quiz or free plane tickets, for example.

According to USA Today, social networking sites are easy targets for spammers because “people are more likely to trust and share content that comes from people they know. This makes spam, scams and viruses easy to spread.”

Andrew Noyes, a Facebook spokesperson, said that the spam perpetrators have been caught and the company is currently “working with

our legal team to ensure appropriate consequences follow.”

What is odd is that the spam “doesn’t seem to be generating any sort of benefit for the scammers other than generating outrage from Facebook users.”

However, the vivid pornographic and violent images have offended some users, even causing some to close their accounts.

Jenna Shaffer, a freshman at U. Southern Mississippi, shared her disgust about the recent wave of spam.

“I’m friends on Facebook with my little brother and my grandmother, and my account got hacked,” Shaffer said. “I didn’t realize, but I had been sharing those images with them. I am embarrassed beyond words and horrified that I was responsible for my little brother being exposed to such graphic content.”

Ian Goodnow, a USM sophomore, had a lighter take on the recent spam wave.

“It doesn’t really bother me,” Goodnow said. “I just laugh it off. It’s not something I would delete my account over.”

According to Facebook and security firm Symantec, less than 4% of the site’s content is spam. Compare that to email, where a whopping 89% of content is spam.

In a press release statement, Facebook described “educational checkpoints” they are going to set up around the site. These checkpoints will teach users how to identify spam.

In order to stay safe and virus free, Facebook users should abide by the following tips:

• Don’t click on links that look suspicious, especially if you are being asked to copy and paste a code into your browser.

• Don’t click on links sent in messages, even if they are from a friend. Double check with that friend to make sure they sent it before you open.

• Consider turning https browsing on in your Facebook settings.

• Change your password every so often.

Facebook isn’t the only social networking site to be hit with spam outbreaks; Google+ and Twitter have encountered the viruses as well.

Facebook has now gotten rid of the majority of the offensive images.

“Our team responded quickly and we have eliminated most of the spam caused by this attack,” Facebook said in its statement. “We are now working to improve our systems to better defend against similar attacks in the future.”

By Mary SusmanMinnesota Daily (University of Minnesota)

People may be able to judge if someone is trustworthy and empathetic within seconds of seeing them, according to a U. California Berkeley study published Nov. 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The research, which shows a link between biology and empathetic behavior, reveals that people with the guanine-guanine genotypic configuration more often display behaviors that indicate empathy — such as head nodding, eye contact and an open body posture — allowing people to determine if they trust a stranger in a matter of seconds, according to the researchers.

“We know that you can’t see a person’s physiology — it has to manifest in some sort of behavior,” said co-author Christopher Oveis, assistant professor of management

at UC San Diego. “You can accurately tell something about a person from very little behavior.”

For the study, the researchers video recorded Berkeley couples talking with each other about times of suffering, said Aleksandr Kogan, lead author of the study and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto at Mississauga. The researchers then deleted the audio and showed strangers 20-second clips of the partner who was listening during the interaction.

When they asked the viewers to rate the listeners on how trustworthy and compassionate they were, the genotype mostly predicted the ratings, Kogan said, although there was some variation. Of the 10 people rated the most trustworthy, six had the guanine-guanine genotypic variation on a receptor related to pro-social behavior, while the other four had a different variation. Of the least trustworthy, one person had the guanine-guanine

genotype, he said.“I think this is just another way to color

a person’s personality,” said Sarina Saturn, co-author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Oregon State University. “(Guanine-guanine) people tend to be a little more social — looking at other people’s eyes, reading others’ behavior. It’s not for better or worse.”

Saturn compared the study’s findings on the oxytocin receptor to scientists’ understandings of seratonin’s relation to moodiness and dopamine’s relations to thrill-seeking.

The researchers said they are cautious not to over-interpret the study’s results, calling it “preliminary” research.

“There’s a huge interaction between biology, experiences, psychology and all of these things work together to create the person,” Kogan said. “People don’t need to worry about their genotypes and whether they have the good or bad version.”

Although the study found the genotype to be a powerful predictor of people who display trustworthy and caring behavior, Kogan said there are other factors that make it difficult to predict how certain individuals will be perceived. He added that this genotype variation is one of “a ton of other factors” that go together to affect a person’s behavior.

The researchers said they did not know what actually causes the biology to translate to certain behavior.

“Exactly what’s going on is a pretty big mystery,” Kogan said. “We think this gene is involved in a broader system.”

While she said more research is needed, Saturn said she hopes this information can be used to help people who may struggle socially.

“I really believe this is just to inform us,” she said. “We’re all born into different shoes, and some of us are really social. We’re all a little different.”

Facebook slams porn spam Europa might be most habitable after Earth

The california aggie6 wednesday, november 30, 2011

By MATTHEW YUENAggie Sports Writer

The streak was bound to end sometime.

The UC Davis women’s basketball program finally recorded its first loss six games into the season. The Aggies were taken down 81-78 by the Santa Clara Broncos, falling to 5-1 on the season.

“We try really hard not to focus on the winning and losing, but on really improving,” Head Coach Jennifer Gross said. “There are many areas we improved, but we still have a lot of places that we have to work on.”

UC Davis built a 36-32 lead over the Broncos by the end of the first half. Senior Kasey Riecks drained a three at the buzzer to give the Aggies a four-point advantage going into the break. Ten of Riecks’ 15 points came in the first half.

Yet, the momentum generated by Riecks’ three did not carry into the second half, as the Broncos came out firing on all cylinders. They quickly gained the 43-42 advantage five minutes into the second frame, snatching their first lead since the five-minute mark in the first period.

From there the teams would battle back and forth for the lead, but Santa Clara would eventually pull ahead for good at the 10-minute mark when it got a steal and scored on the ensuing fast break to make the score 60-59.

This lead would grow to 12 points, but the Aggies never relented and fought back to bring the game within reach. They clawed back to bring the game to within three, but the Broncos stayed just out of reach, matching each UC Davis basket with one of their own.

“Everyone played so hard. I was pleased from contributions across the board, but defensively we gave up too many points,” Gross said. “We scored enough points to win — we just needed some more stops, but they hit some tough shots and shot really well.”

UC Davis chipped away at the lead but could not get rid of the deficit. The Broncos closed the game with a three-point victory, handing the Aggies their first loss of the season –– a heartbreaker on several fronts.

Still, Gross let it be known that a 5-1

start is nothing to panic about, nor is it a reason to get comfortable.

“When you’re winning, certain things you need to improve get minimized, whereas if you lose, those things stare at you more,” Gross said. “Our focus has been defense and rebounding, and we aren’t where we need to be in March, but we’re improving everyday.”

In its last game before winter break, UC Davis will travel to No. 3 Stanford today for a rematch of last year’s NCAA first-round match-up. Not intimidated in the least, Gross and the team look forward to the opportunity.

“We know what to expect, the talent they have, and we feel like we can step up to the challenge,” Gross said. “We won’t make excuses, we have to battle and stick to our game plan and if we do, I feel confident that we can compete. We have nothing to lose.”

MATTHEW YUEN can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.

By DEVON BOHARTAggie Features Writer

Ten green felt-topped tables and cue balls constitute the environment for 15 Davis students every Friday night. These students make up the UC Davis Billiards Club.

The Billiards Club, established two years ago, brings together pool players to compete against each other and other schools in tournaments. They get together every Friday night for an intra-club tournament in the Memorial Union games area.

“Our biggest goal is to learn it, to learn the physics behind the game and not just hit balls, but understand what’s going on,” said Anhad Singh, a UC Davis graduate student in computer science and co-president of the club.

Singh helped to start the club, along with other UC Davis students, after noticing many regular billiards players at the MU. But the idea wasn’t finalized until they found out that Sacramento State has a billiards team.

“We thought that we should go ahead with this because we had a school to play against and we had many people in our school who were really fond of the game,” Singh said.

Other than the goal to bring together fellow pool players and delve into the finer details of billiards, the club also strives to turn what is considered a “hustler’s” game into a competitive sport. They do this with the many tournaments they compete in, and are continuing to expand their competition.

“If we can reach out to other schools, that would be really satisfying,” Singh said. “It’s just that we want numbers.”

The fact that billiards has such a widespread fan base around the world is another incentive to increase club involvement. Singh, originally from India, describes it as a sport with global appeal.

“There is not a country where you can go and not find a pool table,” Singh said.

Clinton Ngan, a junior music major playing on the club team for his second year, proved this to be true. Originally from Hong Kong, Ngan played a game similar to pool, called “snooker.”

As a first-year student, Ngan saw the team playing, saw similarities to snooker and decided to try out. While snooker and billiards are different games, the thinking processes overlap.

“There are a lot of factors you have to put in,” Ngan said. “You have to know where to hit the cue ball for certain spins, which creates different shots. It’s a lot of brainpower and I’m a thinker. I like strategizing.”

While Ngan plays for the strategy of the game, Chris Fullington, the club’s co-president and a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major, said he prefers to play to get his mind off of things.

“I am taking a lot of science courses so sometimes it’s kind of nice to relax and play a game of pool with some close friends, take my mind off of it,” Fullington said.

Fullington used to play with his dad when he was a kid, and after a gap in playing, he rejoined the competitive billiards arena last year.

“At first I wasn’t nearly good enough to keep up with most of these people, but after a while, I made new friends with a lot of them helped me become the player I am today,” Fullington said. “I definitely wouldn’t have gotten this far without them.”

To give back to the club that helped him so much, Fullington and others take Friday nights to coach and give tips to the newer players, such as Daniel Torres, a sophomore biological sciences major who joined this year.

“The people are really friendly and they know the game really well,” Torres said. “Whenever

amateurs like me don’t know the rules or techniques, they’ll show us and teach us.”

Along with coaching from other players, Singh and Fullington said that playing and even watching are ways to become a better player. Singh said that this drive to make their players better stems from their biannual tournaments against Sac state.

“Our tournaments with Sac state are going to happen twice every year so we don’t want to come to a point where don’t have any good people,” Singh said. “All of our senior members try and share as much knowledge as we can with newer members because we want to make them good. I have seen

so many people who couldn’t hold the cue properly and now they compete at a really high level. You only need love for the game and passion to play. And a little bit of competitiveness doesn’t hurt anyone, as long as it’s healthy.”

To ensure that they continue to improve and maintain their competitive spirit, the team can always be found in the billiards hall in the MU. Gary Hom, student manager of the MU games area, has been working in the MU since the billiards club began.

“They are here every day,” Hom said. “They are here until we close at midnight or 1 a.m. They have breaks to get food, but they come right back to play

pool.”This determination

exemplified by the players can be seen in the club’s future as well.

“We have a lot of juniors and new members coming in and they are really passionate,” Singh said. “They spend a lot of time practicing so I see a good future for the club. I know Sac State billiards club is going to be there for a while. So as long as they are here, we are here, and this tournament is going to keep happening twice every year. I think we have a lot of talent, without a shadow of a doubt.”

DEVON BOHART can be reached at features@theaggie.org.

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