In an abandoned gold mine inSouth Dakota,physicists are building a way to test for dark matter– invisible particles that affect theexpansion of the universe. The Large Underground Xenon Apparatus (LUX) is a collaboration of seven universities,including UC Davis.Physics professors Mani Tripathi and Robert Svoboda are designing part of the experiment that will be transported fromDavis toSouth Dakota. “Our role is that we are helping to build part of the instrument itself,” Svobodasaid. Dark matter got its name because though it has a gravitational force,it is not visible to humans.The name is also a pun,because the particles are a mystery to physicists,said Hitoshi Murayama,professor of physics at the Lawrence National Laboratory at UC Berkeley.

Head coachBill Mazefelt it,too. Sophomore Herzyl Legaspi told assistant coach Sara Morenc she felt like she had just wonafterthe UC Davis women’s tennis teamlostFridayin the first round of the Big West Conference Championships. “It’s funny because it kind of felt that way,” Maze said. “It was such a great experience,to be legit,to play such a gutsy match in the conference tournament.The result wasn’t that important,believe it or not.It was almost like the experience was bigger than the score.I know it may sound a little cheesy,but it did kind of feel that way.

A date with conference-leading Cal State Fullerton at Goodwin Field this weekend gave UC Davis a chance to make a good impression against the four-time national champions. The Aggies (26-15,7-5) played threeclosely-decided contests with the15th-ranked Titans (26-15,11-4) and managed to take oneof three in the weekend set. “We knew going in thatwe could compete with them,“ saidhead coach Rex Peters. “We would’ve loved to win a series on the road against a quality program likeFullerton, [but] we did get one.We felt like we had to at least do that.“

In the past weeks, I’ve been dishing out a fair amount of criticism regarding our elected and appointed educational administrators without providing a whole lot of possible solutions. This is because, for the most part, I have tried to focus mainly on pointing out the problems, rather than turning people off with a solution that caters to a specific political ideology. For example, if I were to propose a solution of raising taxes across the state to make up for the $4.8 million deficit in educational funding, I would probably cause a couple of people to ignore me, and my views on the education system, completely. However, this week I have decided to break away from my standard mode of operations and provide my readers with an opportunity to make a small, but valuable, difference in our current educational crisis.

FRIDAY Backpack brigade A window was reported smashed and a backpack was stolen onF Street. Lethal weapon An assault with a deadly weapon was reportedatSycamore Lane andWake Forest Drive.

Changing diapers,picking up toys and checking an8-year-old’s homeworkaren’t the typicalresponsibilities ofan undergraduate. But forsome UC Davis students,that’sjust part of an average day. From morning to night Cedric Papa’s day starts at5:45a.m.The27-year-oldsenior exercise biology major – and father of three – usually starts his morning at the gym,andthen studies before his kids wake up. Papa then goes to campus at7a.m.,where he attends classes and studies until6p.m.on weekdays. “Bysix I’m ready for a change– be with the kids and to forget about the books,” he said.

Two Mixtec migrant activists from Oaxaca, Mexico will be speaking today in an event titled “Indigenous Mexican Migration to the U.S. and its Impact on the Communities of Origin,” from noon to 2 p.m. at the HIA Conference Room, located at 5211 Social Sciences and Humanities. Bernardo Ramírez Bautista is an indigenous lawyer, and the other, Centolia Maldonado Vásquez, is an activist. They will be talking about the situation of indigenous migrants in California and Mexico, and sharing their own stories of struggle. Both have been very active in looking intoissues of social justice and the legal issue of migration. Stefano Varese, professor of Native American Studies, said it is a great opportunity to hear them share their own experience.

The Lions are no longer the king of the jungle. In what hasarguably becomethe biggest rivalry incollegiatewater polo,UC Davis and LoyolaMarymount have met in the Western Water Polo Association championship game the last four years,with the Lions winning two out of threecoming into Sunday afternoon‘s contest. The Lions had won seven of the last nine WWPA titles.Factoring in having homepool advantage and the challenge the Aggies hadwith their first two tournament opponents,it waslooking like LMU might repeat.

Monday marked the beginning of La Raza Cultural Days,a weeklong series of events that celebrate the traditions of Chicano and Latino culture while educating the UC Davis community about social and political issues facing Chicanos and Latinos today. “It is very important for the Chicano and Latino student population to come together,” said La Raza coordinator Gretel Quintero,ajuniorsociology and Spanish major. “We can’t forget our culture.“ The weeklong series kicked off in the main Quad with live music and activities fair at noon and an art exhibit featuring work from Magdalena Mora,a Chicana and labor union activist during the late1970s in the Memorial Union MU II room.

UCDavis is regarded as among the superior institutions of public higher education nationally,if not globally.According to the2008U.S.News and World Report survey,UC Davis ranks as the11th best public university inAmerica in terms of learning excellence.However,the presence of some incompetent and ineffective faculty members is an imminent threat that undermines suchreputable standing. Having finished six arduous quarters here at UC Davis,I have always heard students complaining acrimoniously about how their respective professors inefficiently taught their classes.I,myself,have experienced going through suchapredicament in several of my general education and upper division classes in which the professors were terribly lackingtheability to make the concepts of the courses comprehensible to students.Having no means of determining the degree of competence of their professors,studentssuffer the consequences oftaking classes with such instructors.

Californians will likely be able to vote on a $10 billion bond measure to build a high speed rail line stretching from Northern California to San Diego in November. The state legislature has removed the bond from the ballot on two previous occasions, but proponents are optimistic that a bill currently in committee will increase the measure’s chances of staying on the ballot. Assembly Bill 3034 – scheduled to be heard in Appropriations on May 7 – amends and updates some of the language in the original 2002 bond measure to address some concerns of Governor Schwarzenegger as well as those of environmental and business groups.

UC Davis is now beginning to see the first rounds of cuts, which will eventually result in a universitywide budget decrease of $1.4 million for campus units. The Cross Cultural Center (CCC), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center (LGBTRC) and Women’s Research and Resources Center (WRRC) will be the first to experience the 7 percent cuts. Budget reductions must come from somewhere, but it is important to recognize how vital these campus units are to students at UCD. Back when budget cuts were being proposed, Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef told the campus the student experience would not be compromised. However, protecting Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at the expense of valuable ASUCD units such as CCC, LGBTRC and WRRC is questionable. This year, CAPS will have a net loss of $0 while the CCC will experience a net loss of $2,211, the WRRC a net loss of $8,750 and the LGBTRC a net loss of $996.