Do Not Disturb A student was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) for resisting police officer orders while under the influence. Two officers were called to the student’s apartment to address loud music after several neighbors complained. The officers approached the apartment and ordered the student to open the door. The student refused and cursed at the officer. She kept resisting the officer’s orders while other students in the apartment pleaded with her to open the door. Finally, after a few minutes, the student unlocked the door and confronted one of the police officers. She pushed the officer and told him to get out of her apartment. The officer handcuffed the student and took her into custody. When the student met with a Judicial Officer, she agreed to be placed on Deferred Separation status, which means that she waives her right to a formal hearing if she is again referred to SJA for any similar conduct. Since the student’s behavior involved serious misconduct (pushing a police officer), the student was... ...

Currently only available as a minor, students may be able to pursue a major in professional writing as early as fall 2014. Formerly the expository writing minor, the three-year-old professional writing minor will garner nearly 180 graduates by the end of this summer. Given the successful acceptance of the minor, the University Writing Program (UWP) faculty is looking into the possibility of offering a major in professional writing — this would be the first of its kind in the UC system, according to a June 4 press release. Requiring about 64 units, the major would be designed to accommodate double majors and would offer three concentration tracks, including scientific and technical communication, journalism and digital communication and writing in communities and organizations. Gary Sue Goodman, writing minor and internships faculty advisor, said that the proposal is in the process of being developed. “As you might expect, many writing minors enjoy writing and feel confident about their communications skills. However, a large number have elected the minor for the opposite reason:... ...

Editor’s note: You’re Majoring in What? is a new Aggie column that features students of UC Davis’ lesser-known majors. Alicia Berg is a fourth-year hydrology major from San Pedro, Calif. What is hydrology? Hydrology is the study of water in all aspects. This includes the physical, biological and chemical elements of water and its distribution around the planet. Why did you choose it as your major? Is it something you’ve always wanted to study? When I was in high school I traveled to Kenya many times. I saw firsthand how people regarded water. It is the ultimate life source and is beyond precious. I was raised in LA and my personal water supply was never an issue that I had to deal with. Once I became aware of the value of water, it was like a switch I couldn’t turn off. After that I knew what I wanted to study, and I actively pursued it. There are different concentrations in hydrology. What is yours? I focus on surface water and... ...

Karen Strack, a former UC Davis employee with the Department of Food Science and Technology, is currently battling her health maintenance organization (HMO) to retain funding for medical rehabilitation after being diagnosed with a rare neuropathy known as Guillain–Barré syndrome. Health Net, the insurance company utilized by the University of California for its retirees, is threatening to cancel Strack’s coverage due to insufficient progress with her illness. Although she is still receiving treatment after an appeal, Strack states that Health Net is actively trying to cancel her coverage. A document warning of her impending payment termination was issued on May 23, just 21 days after she checked into the Woodland Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for nursing services and physical therapy. Strack had also been receiving IV injections of immunoglobulin at Sutter Health in Sacramento for almost a month. “Your Medicare provider and/or health plan have determined that Medicare probably will not pay for your current skilled nursing services,” the document stated. “Patient is working with Physical and Occupational Therapy and... ...

“It would have been nice if the UC Davis administrators driving this case had had such support rather than spending [students’] funds on a petty and ill-fated prosecution. For obvious reasons, they did not.” — The Davis Dozen in an email interview on reaching a plea deal. “Imagine a world where the free exercise clause allowed people to get out of laws by claiming their religion made them do it. Rastafarians could smoke pot. Jonestown cultists could murder people. And I’d sign up as the first Pope of the new religion, ‘Destroy-all-leaf-blowers-ism.’” — Daniel Watts in his column Watts Legal? on the First Amendment. “When we did the discussion about this, what we found is that a lot of the constituent groups have the same basic concerns: How safe am I to reveal my sexual orientation, learning disability, industrial or personal injury, etc.? [These] concerns were common across all constituent groups. It was interesting to see how cohesive the questions were because we literally just went, ‘How safe are you... ...

ASUCD Senator Yara Zokaie steps down Oct. 30 — Following pressure from within the Association, ASUCD Senator Yara Zokaie, who is currently attending law school at the University of San Diego, stepped down from her position. — Originally reported by Adam Khan Tuition to increase by $2,400 should Prop. 30 fail, Student Regent says Nov. 5 — Students faced a tuition increase of up to $2,400 if Proposition 30 failed during the November presidential elections. The proposition passed. — Originally reported by Natasha Qabazard KDVS receives $36,000 loan from ASUCD for new radio tower Nov. 20 — KDVS received a $36,000 loan from ASUCD Capital Reserves to fund the radio station’s new radio tower. — Originally reported by Mengshi Shao UC suspends new logo in face of system-wide opposition Jan. 7 — Following a 54,000-signature petition opposing a new logo, UC made a decision to suspend its use. — Originally reported by Stephanie B. Nguyen Pepper spray settlement finalized Jan. 10 — The Nov. 18 pepper spray lawsuit was finalized,... ...

Question: Can my roommates force me to pay the rent for a subleaser who’s replacing me? I’m moving out of my apartment early, and I found a subleaser to take over my room for the summer. The subleaser signed an agreement to take over the remainder of my lease, so she’s on the lease now — not me. But my roommates made me sign a second agreement making me responsible for the new girl’s rent in case the new girl doesn’t pay. Can they go after me for rent if the subleaser doesn’t pay her rent? — Jennifer W., Davis, Calif. Answer: Yes, if you sign an agreement to guarantee the new girl’s rent, you’re probably stuck with it. Landlords and tenants have some flexibility in designing the terms of a rental agreement. Even though almost every landlord in Davis uses the Davis Model Lease, they don’t have to use it. (I wish landlords wouldn’t use it at all, actually. The Davis Model Lease is a monster of a document,... ...

On May 23, about 100 people gathered to honor Aggies who lost their lives at war during a Memorial Day event. The names of the Gold Star Aggies — 135 fallen soldiers from World War I through the Iraq War — were read aloud as part of the ceremony outside the Memorial Union (MU), the building that was originally dedicated to student service members in 1955. “The department of Campus Recreation and Unions, under leadership of Executive Director John Campbell, has been preparing for the renewal project of the building. Through research into the history of the facility, they felt that bringing the meaning of the Memorial Union back to the attention of the campus was very important,” said Amy Shuman, HR analyst and executive assistant at Campus Recreation and Unions. Victor Garcia, a veteran of the Iraq War and a transfer/reentry advisor in the Veteran Affairs office, said that the MU is a major part of the campus community, but unfortunately most people do not know the meaning behind... ...

Caught in the act During an exam, a TA noticed that a student was looking for extended periods of time in the directions of the students sitting around him. It was made clear that this was not simply a case of wandering eyes when the student was observed clearly trying to discern what was on his neighbors’ exams. Furthermore, he did not simply look once, but the cheating was noticed again at least 15 minutes after the TA first noticed his actions. On one occasion, the student was looking both directly at his neighbor’s paper when he realized the professor was standing no more than 10 feet away. Upon noticing the professor, he quickly turned his head and looked as if he had been caught doing something. Because it is explicitly against the rules to look at another student’s exam, he accepted probation through graduation and 20 hours of community service. Similar solutions A student was referred to Student Judicial Affairs (SJA) when a TA grading lab reports recognized answers... ...

Question: Who owns my Gmail account after I die? And who can access my Gmail account after I die? There’s some stuff in there I’d prefer my family can’t read, but I don’t know if they’ll be able to. — David M., Davis, Calif. Answer: Nobody owns it. You yourself don’t even own it. You own the intellectual property rights in the content in your accounts (and those rights would pass to your heirs, just like any other property rights), but your use of Gmail, Yahoo! or any other web-based email service is subject to a contract you signed when you opened your account. Remember scrolling through those “terms of service” and then clicking on a box that said “Dude, I totally read this?” (I’m paraphrasing here). Those terms of service still apply. And those terms don’t specifically explain what happens to your account after you die. But they do say that Google can “suspend or stop a service” like Gmail at any time. They also say Google can change... ...

The ASUCD Senate table considered the remainder of the 2013-14 budget during the May 23 senate meeting. The budget for General Programs was seen. Controller Eric Evans said audit fees are increasing to cover taxes. The executive team, ASUCD President Carly Sandstrom, Vice President Bradley Bottoms and Evans spoke about Aggie Pack and its branding. Evans said more jobs will be created, and funding for tube socks was cut — the money for them will come from elsewhere. Aggie Pack representatives explained that they need money for outreach, as they measure their success through outreach. The table discussed lowering Aggie Pack personnel stipend from $49 to $42. The executive team was not friendly to lowering the pay and the motion failed. Armando Figueroa opened the budget for Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). He discussed fundraising, as this year they will fund the Special Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP) for low-income students. Steven Baissa addressed funding for the Cross Cultural Center (CCC). He said that UC Davis is the only UC campus with... ...