Pepper spray task force results may be released in early April

Written by Hannah Strumwasser
Campus New Editor
Published on March 20, 2012
Filed under Campus News, Front page story, Top Stories

On Tuesday, California Supreme Court Associate Justice Cruz Reynoso and chair of the pepper spray task force, sent a letter to UC President Mark Yudof suggesting the task force results be released in early April. “… We want to move as expeditiously as possible for the public release of the Task Force report; however, considering the Court’s actions I am proposing to release the Task Force report the first week of April, subject to any further legal action,” Reynoso wrote in the letter. On March 16, a judge ruled that some of the results were to be sealed, while the rest of the report could be released to the public. However, Reynoso said that releasing the report in pieces would not be idea. “Releasing portions of the Task Force report in piecemeal fashion would provide a skewed view of our findings and undercut the rationale behind our recommendations. In effect, it would provide the campus a distorted view of our work and undermine our efforts with an incomprehensive account of... ...

Aggies extend winning streak to five

The No. 15 UC Davis women’s water polo team defeated No. 10 Maryland and later handled Fresno Pacific Saturday to extend their winning streak to five games, improving their record to 10-11. Saturday — UC Davis 8, Maryland 6 The Aggies entered their match-up with the Terrapins not sure what would be coming. “We haven’t really seen them in a while so we were a bit apprehensive as to what to expect,” Coach Jamey Wright said . UC Davis was able to settle in, however, led by the standout performance of junior goalkeeper Riane Woods who had a career high of 18 saves. “I thought [Woods] played a great game. All our goalies played well throughout but she was really solid throughout the game,” Wright said. The meet was very tight and low scoring throughout until the Aggies pulled away near the end. Freshmen Elsie Fullerton and junior Jessica Dunn had two goals each to help spur the UC Davis against their highly ranked opponent.... ...

U.S. Bank announces closure of on-campus branch

Bowing to pressure from the campus Occupy movement, U.S. Bank is closing the doors to its Memorial Union (MU) branch for good. Since January, the branch had been the site of daily sit-ins by Occupy UC Davis protesters, who said they wanted the bank closed. “It was all worth it at the end,” said Artem Raskin, a junior political science major and active occupier. For those involved, the blockade became a daily ritual. Protesters — typically numbering around 15 — would arrive around noon, followed by an officer from the campus police department. Thirty minutes later, bank employees would leave and the entire process would be repeated the next day. University officials contend protesters were in violation of California Penal Code Section 647C, which makes it a misdemeanor to “willfully and maliciously” obstruct the free movement of any person on any street, sidewalk or other public place. However, demonstrators were not arrested. For their part, protesters asserted that a private bank had no place on a public university. “Days like... ...

‘Tis the season for finals

We are arriving upon the week that everyone dreads: finals week, also known as seven days of perpetual studying. Luckily, Davis provides various places to go, whether you like background noise or silence. Most people know the usual spots, such as Peter J. Shields Library, ASUCD Coffee House, King Lounge and Griffin Lounge. There are also the less populated spots like Wellman and Olson and even the Activities and Recreational Center, which offers extra study space in the meeting rooms during finals. But it’s time to look past campus for something a little bit less cliché than studying in a lecture hall or lounge. Some UC Davis students have gotten a bit more creative with their study spots and have found places that are more conveniently located and more unique. Coffeehouses are a very popular place for students to plop down for a few hours, sip a coffee and cram for their next exam. Starbucks and Peet’s are two of the more obvious places to go, mainly because they are... ...

Honorable Mention

Consistency is the word that embodies the decorated career of senior Kasey Riecks. Ever since she broke through as the only true freshman to start every game back in 2008-09, Riecks has been a mainstay in the UC Davis roster. Riecks dropped her 1000th career point midway through this season and stands 14th all-time on the Aggies all-time scoring list. Riecks was named to the all-tournament team at the Rainbow Wahine shootout this year, where her 21 point performance against Denver proved to be the highest scoring game for any UC Davis player this season. Two days later, Riecks would contribute 16 points as the Aggies captured the tournament title. Riecks’ statistics in every category at each stage in her career are impressive, but her contributions to the UC Davis women’s basketball program, as it made the tough transition to Division I, are truly immeasurable. — Matthew Yuen ...

Honorable Mention

Six-foot-nine sophomore Josh Ritchart developed tremendously in his first season under coach Jim Les. Always a great three-point shooter, this season Ritchart learned to get into the paint and find other ways to score; including getting the free throw line, something he rarely did last year. Ritchart averaged a team-high 11.3 points per-game and 27.7 minutes per-game while starting in 26 contests. Ritchart was the only Aggie to score 20 or more points in a game three times this season, with his season high 24 coming against Long Beach State in February. The sophomore recorded two double-doubles this year, the only Aggie to record more than one. As part of a core group of returning players for UC Davis, Ritchart will continue to develop under coach Les and will be a key scorer and defender for the Aggies next season. — Caelum Shove ...

Aggies bounced by Beavers in WNIT

March Madness is in full bloom, but the Aggies have been knocked out of their respective bracket. The UC Davis women’s basketball program traveled to Oregon State for their first round matchup in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament but could not get the victory that would keep their season alive. The Aggies fell for the final time in the 2011-12 campaign by a score of 66-48 to end with a 17-13 overall record. “We had some really remarkable wins and a lot of great moments that we can take with us,” said Head Coach Jennifer Gross. “I really enjoyed coaching this team — this group of players stayed together all year.” UC Davis continued its streak of slow starts that stretches back over four games. The Aggies came out and were unable to breakdown the Beavers’ defense. UC Davis held tight, though, kept afloat by its three-point shooting. The Aggies put up a 3-0 lead when senior Kasey Riecks drained one from behind the arc less than a minute into... ...

Deceased Californians help advance the future of medicine

Since its establishment in 1968, the Body Donation Program at the UC Davis Medical Center has promoted the education of medical students and research. “Of the bodies donated, about half go toward anatomical education and the other half go toward research,” said Charlotte Wacker, the director of the Body Donation Program. Donated cadavers are used at the Medical Center, the Medical School, other UC institutions and for surgical development. On the UC Davis campus, the cadavers are used primarily for graduate classes in medical gross anatomy and graduate human anatomy, but are also used in undergraduate human anatomy. Outside of the classroom, medical residents and advanced students use the cadavers to better hone their understanding of anatomy. Similarly, surgeons learn and practice new surgical techniques that help to save lives. “A colleague once described not using cadavers to teach anatomy to be like teaching a mechanic how to fix a car without ever looking under the hood,” said Richard Tucker, a UC Davis professor and faculty advisor for the program.... ...

New green option set to replace blue books

Just in time for finals, students now have another environmentally friendly option at the UC Davis Bookstore with the arrival of new green books, a green replacement for blue books. The new testing material alternative is made from 100 percent recycled material and costs only three cents more than the regular blue books. Soon green books will be at equal price with the current option. “The Bookstore here at Davis said it’s something that was talked about, but never really looked into,” said ASUCD Senator Anni Kimball, who spearheaded the effort to get green books into the Bookstore. During Kimball’s election campaign for senator she was asked by a UC Davis transfer student from Sonoma State University to look into the green option that was available at Sonoma. Kimball contacted Sonoma State and UC Berkeley to see how they had switched to green books. “The bookstore at Berkeley was really helpful, they actually sent us 100 green book samples,” Kimball said. After getting support from the UC Davis Bookstore, Kimball went to see how students and professors would react to the... ...

Athlete of the Quarter

Senior Kayleigh Foley has been more than just a standout performer over the past four years — she has been a program-defining swimmer for UC Davis. This season, Foley won Mountain Pacific Sports Federation titles in four events — including the 200-yard freestyle where she set a school record at the MPSF Championship meet with a time of 1:47.29. Her performances this season netted Foley MPSF first-team honors in four events, along with second team honors in three more. Overall, Foley won multiple individual events at six meets this season, including a three-win performance at Fresno State and San Jose State. “She is so strong and powerful and has a sheer determination,” said swimming and diving coach Barbara Jahn. But Foley was far more than just a one-year-wonder for the UC Davis program. The Pleasanton, Calif. native won five MPSF titles in the 2010-11 season. She also netted three Big West Conference titles as a sophomore in 2009-10 and another as a freshman in 2008-09 before the Aggies made the... ...

Column: Winter seesaw

It’s been a bizarre winter when it comes to UC Davis sports. It is hard to remember a time in my short few years in Davis that there have been so many ups and downs over just a few short months. Just when you thought you knew what you had with one team, it seemed like you got something completely unexpected. Let’s start with men’s basketball. The year was characterized by an unprecedented losing streak that spanned multiple months and brought UC Davis into dead last in the national RPI. But when the streak finally ended, it seemed truly possible that the team would turn things around. The Aggies followed their first win of the year with two more wins in the next three, and it looked like the Aggies had finally figured things out. And then, just when we thought they had turned the corner, UC Davis reminded us that it still had a long way to go. The Aggies dropped their final three games, including an inexcusable 47-point... ...

Aggies extend winning streak to five

The No. 15 UC Davis women’s water polo team defeated No. 10 Maryland and later handled Fresno Pacific Saturday to extend their winning streak to five games, improving their record to 10-11. Saturday — UC Davis 8, Maryland 6 The Aggies entered their match-up with the Terrapins not sure what would be coming. “We haven’t really seen them in a while so we were a bit apprehensive as to what to expect,” said Coach Jamey Wright . UC Davis was able to settle in, however, led by the standout performance of junior goalkeeper Riane Woods who had a career high of 18 saves. “I thought [Woods] played a great game. All our goalies played well throughout but she was really solid throughout the game,” Wright said. The meet was very tight and low scoring throughout until the Aggies pulled away near the end. Freshmen Elsie Fullerton and junior Jessica Dunn had two goals each to help spur the UC Davis against their highly ranked opponent. The game was tight until... ...

Guest Opinion

Dear Aggie Basketball Fans, Friends, Administrators and Supporters, As we conclude my first season as Head Basketball Coach, I wanted to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for your unbelievable energy, enthusiasm and support for our program this past season. We endured a lot of adversity in many different forms, but have continued to focus on building a foundation for Aggie Hoops that embodies work ethic, teamwork, character and pride in UC Davis. I am encouraged by the potential of UC Davis Basketball, and my vision of a packed Pavilion. Competing for a Big West Championship, and our first-ever NCAA bid while representing this university in a first-class manner continues to be our goal. There is excellence displayed all across this campus and with your continued help, support and commitment I believe excellence WILL happen for our basketball program also. Jim Les UC Davis men’s basketball coach ...

Aggies set season-high

After struggling early on in the year, the Aggies closed out the regular season strong, setting a season-high score for the second consecutive week on Saturday in San Jose. The Aggies’ 194.150 was a more than 0.100 point increase on their previous high set at Sacramento State. The Spartans won the meet with a score of 195.850, while the Hornets took second with 195.275. Both scores were also season-highs for their respective teams. The most dramatic sign of UC Davis’ improvement was the squad’s combined score of 48.775 on beam. After struggling on the apparatus for most of the season, the score was not only a season-high, but the second highest recorded score in school history. “I’m absolutely amazed and impressed at how resilient this group is,” Head Coach John Lavallee said. “We’ve had some very rough performances this year, but they keep battling back and continue to learn how to get stronger and better.” Junior Anna Shumaker led the Aggies on the event with a score of 9.850, a... ...

Honorable Mention

Sophomore Liliana Alvarez has already become a key part of the UC Davis swimming and diving team in just two years with the program. The San Anselmo, Calif. native qualified for the NCAA Championships for the second year in a row this season, finishing her year with a 36th place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke. Alvarez also took first in the 100 breast at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Finals last month. The sophomore hit season best times of 1:00.71 in the 100 breast and 2:12.72 in the 200 breast at the Mizzou Invitational in December. Alvarez was also named last season’s MPSF Freshman of the Year and was given Mid-Major All American honors by CollegeSwimming.com. With two more years of collegiate swimming still ahead of her, UC Davis fans can expect Alvarez to continue providing the team with strong performances. — TREVOR CRAMER ...