May 23, 2013

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Picnic Day revenue pays police service, student employees

Picnic Day revenue pays police service, student employees

On-campus businesses see little rise in profit

Written by MUNA SADEK
Aggie Campus Editor
Published on April 25, 2013
Filed under Campus News, Front page story

Picnic Day is one of the busiest days of the year for campus dining and Unitrans transportation services. According to Darin Schluep, food service director for Associated Students Dining Services, the ASUCD Coffee House (CoHo) garnered about $28,000 in revenue on Picnic Day — an increase in overall sales of about three percent. During the day, on April 20, the CoHo was open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Swirlz Bakery opened at 7 a.m.) and employees were paid time-and-a-half. “The thing that makes Picnic Day so crazy for us … is our services are focused in a four- or five-hour timespan,” he said. The Coffee House earns an average of about $27,000 in sales Mondays through Thursdays. According to Schluep, though about 5,400 transactions were made on Picnic Day — as opposed to the daily average of 7,500 to 8,000 transactions — close to the same amount of revenue was made on Picnic Day because the average price paid per transaction was higher; indicating that most customers purchased meals... ...

Annual KDVS Fundraiser runs through April 28

Annual KDVS Fundraiser runs through April 28

KDVS needs your help and support more than ever before. The student-run, free-form campus radio station depends on community donations to account for about $60,000, or two-thirds, of its operating budget. The remaining money, which is about $30,000 needed to run the station, comes from the student government. However, ASUCD reduced its support last year, and it’s uncertain whether there will be future decreases for this ASUCD unit. Although this annual fundraiser has the same goal every year, additional money is required with this year’s additional expenses due to the addition of a radio tower, which increases the station’s broadcasting range to Sacramento, Woodland, Dixon, Winters and other nearby areas. Core staff members and volunteers work 24/7 this week to promote the station, ask for help and do anything they can to raise money. “My freshman year, I did not sleep for an entire week. I was really gung-ho about the station, so I would work on papers, be sick and actually lose my voice halfway through my second show... ...

Softball Preview

Softball Preview

Teams: UC Davis vs. Cal State Fullerton Records: Aggies, 19-23 (6-9) ; Titans, 21-25 (6-8) Where: La Rue Field — Davis, Calif. When: Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.; Sunday at noon Who to Watch: The Aggies recently won the weekend series against UC Riverside, with a recent 1-0 shutout victory in the weekend finale that showcased some fantastic pitching. The shutout was pitched by sophomore standout Justine Vela, who held the Highlanders to only two hits in seven innings. She got the win, improving her record to an outstanding 12-7. Her stellar pitching has resulted in a 2.18 ERA. Vela has not only allowed very few runs this season, she has also completely dominated the batters. Vela has struck out 155 batters this season and only allowed 52 walks. This is gives her a respectable 2.98 strikeouts per walk. UC Davis relies on solid pitching to win games, and Vela is definitely the ace of the pitching staff. Her ERA is currently fifth lowest in the Big West and... ...

Double homicide in South Davis incurs shock, sadness

Double homicide in South Davis incurs shock, sadness

Davis Police are continuing their investigation of the double homicide of an elderly couple in South Davis. On April 14, police were called to the 4000 block of Cowell Boulevard around 9:20 p.m. after receiving a call for a welfare check. The Yolo County Coroner’s Office released the names of the victims on April 16, and neighbors and family members confirmed them as longtime Davis residents Oliver “Chip” Northup, 87, and Claudia Marie Maupin, 76. Northup was a local attorney and was part of a local band called the Putah Creek Crawdads, which often plays at the Davis Farmers Market. Maupin was involved with the local theater. The couple had six children and were married for 15 years. “We are deeply saddened and in shock over the sudden and tragic deaths of two members of the extended Crawdad family,” said a statement on the Crawdads’ Facebook page. “The warmth in Chip Northup’s singing voice matched the warmth in his heart and spirit; he and his wife (and our dear friend)... ...

Trajectories change in aftermath of athletic cuts

Editor’s note: Three years ago, four sports were discontinued. While most of those 153 athletes are long gone, a handful of seniors remain. We caught up with them — and seniors who transferred schools — before the last directly affected class graduates. Josef Stitts was 8 years old when his older sister brought home an Olympic gold medal. After that, his chief goal in life became to get to the Olympics and make his family of swimmers proud. Everything seemed to be in place. He had already been swimming competitively since the age of 4. He went undefeated in high school and was recruited to swim at UC Davis — a Division 1 school. In his first quarter as a college athlete, he was swimming 20 hours a week and still made the Dean’s List. He fell in love with the university and the town. He got a scholarship. He was having a great season. He was even getting faster. Then April 16, 2010 happened. Citing a financial crisis, UC... ...

New MU venue expected in summer 2015

New MU venue expected in summer 2015

The Memorial Union (MU) is scheduled to receive a new venue in July 2015. During the renewal project of the MU, the space that is currently occupied by the post office will feature an entertainment venue which will also function as a pub. The addition of this venue to the MU will be a component of the $19 million east wing renewal project. The east wing renewal project consists of renovating the outdoor spaces on the Quad, the first two floors of the MU and the bookstore. The money for the renewal will also go toward renovations of the Bike Barn, third floor of the Memorial Union and South Silo. The east wing renewal project will begin in January 2014 with the first phase being the renovation of the bookstore, according to John Campbell, executive director for Campus Recreations and Unions. The east wing renewal project is scheduled to be completed in July of 2015, as well. According to ASUCD president Carly Sandstrom, since the venue will be located where the post office... ...

Studio 301 Productions presents ‘Batboy: The Musical’

Studio 301 Productions presents ‘Batboy: The Musical’

This month, Studio 301 Productions presents a comedic musical with themes of social acceptance, gothic overtones and a half-man, half-bat protagonist. Batboy: The Musical tells the story of Batboy, a monster who is found in a cave in West Virginia. Batboy is adopted and educated by a local veterinarian. However, a cattle plague kills the town’s livestock, causing the locals to scapegoat Batboy, kicking off the plot. “The musical is based in gothic literature and horror films and it gets bloody and gory, but in a fun way,” said Christopher McCoy, a performance studies Ph.D. candidate and the show’s director. McCoy saw the original off-Broadway production in 2001 and loved it. “At the time it was so fresh and new to see a musical that was a parody of other musicals, but now we’re very used to this type of humor. I felt like it would be fun to return to one of the originals and reinvent it for our time,” he said. McCoy showed the musical to Alexander Stalarow,... ...

Memorial Union renewal to begin next year

Memorial Union renewal to begin next year

Next year, the Bookstore and the Memorial Union (MU) will undergo a renovation process, altering the existing space but not actually constructing new buildings. “We are taking the existing footprint of the facility and basically renewing the interior and modernizing it,” said John Campbell, Executive Director for Campus Recreations and Unions, who is overseeing the project. According to Campbell, the cost of the renovation is around $19 million. However, there will be no additional fees charged to students. He said all funds are coming from current reserves, and bonds will be used for extra costs. ASUCD Senator Miles Thomas said he is concerned about the amount of money that will be taken from student government, and therefore student fees. The figure being discussed is $500,000, he said, though student leaders haven’t determined where exactly that money would come from. The renovation project will consist of two phases. Phase one will begin in January 2014, with the renovation and renewal of the Bookstore. Phase two is scheduled to begin May 2014... ...

Students seek Adderall for academic boost

Students seek Adderall for academic boost

With the pressure of financial and social success riding on academic performance, a growing trend has emerged: Students seeking an upper hand are turning to a little orange pill. Beating the deadlines “I needed to read 250 pages of my political science textbook before a test and I ended up doing it in two hours,” said Matt, a first-year biochemistry major. “It just was such a desire to study. I’ve never read that fast in my life. I took the test the next day, and got an A. There was no way I could have caught up without Adderall.” According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Adderall and other amphetamine salts are stimulants normally prescribed to patients who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). When taken as directed, the medications remove symptoms of these conditions and have a calming, focusing effect. Those who do not require the drug for medical purposes experience intense focus, inability to sleep and jitteriness. “I had to write a big paper Fall Quarter,”... ...

Aggies earn mixed results against tough competition

Aggies earn mixed results against tough competition

The women’s lacrosse team (3-8, 0-4) went 1-2 over spring break, despite facing the toughest back-to-back combination of opponents thus far this season. After demolishing Howard by a final score of 23-6, the Aggies squared off against Navy and Drexel, which are ranked 16th and 12th, respectively. Senior Elizabeth Datino garnered MPSF Offensive Player of the Week honors, totaling 13 goals with four assists in the three games. In addition, she posted a career-high seven goals at Howard. She then went on to score hat tricks against both the Mids and Dragons. Against Navy, the Aggies rallied to within deficits of 5-3 and 8-5 early on before Navy pulled away in the middle-third of the contest. The Aggies held a 5-3 lead late in the first half before a Drexel goal with only eight seconds left in the half. This ignited what became a 6-2 Dragon finish. Sophomore Kai Murphy accomplished her best game thus far, tallying eight sixes throughout the course of the game. Senior Hannah Mirza scored a... ...

AggieTV grows student interest, ASUCD segments

AggieTV grows student interest, ASUCD segments

ASUCD unit AggieTV is aiming to keep up with what students are interested in, and is introducing new segments to its lineup. “Our main audience is students. We’ve done that in the past with large projects, such as the UC Davis LipDub, or the Harlem Shake video. We’re always about the students, and we hope that this message is apparent in the content that we produce,” said AggieTV’s Executive Director Anna Oh. Presided over by ASUCD, AggieTV has a total income of $1,000 annually, as well as an ASUCD subsidy of $14,461 for their total expenses for the 2012-13 academic year. Income stems from promotional videos, equipment rental fees, business contracts, content licensing, and products and services, according to an ASUCD budget summary. New shows AggieTV is currently producing several different video series, including “Word On The Street,” or WOTS, in which reporters move around campus and ask students to talk about relevant events coming up or interesting topics. The unit also began producing “How To” videos in the fall.... ...

Aggie Reuse Store proves to be viable new unit

Aggie Reuse Store proves to be viable new unit

Since its grand opening in January 2012, the Aggie Reuse Store has been functioning successfully as a new unit on campus by exceeding projected sales and meeting the necessary sales quota to remain open to the student community. Formerly known as Aggie ReStore, the Aggie Reuse Store is located in Room 163 in the east wing of the Memorial Union, across from Classical Notes and Campus Copies. The store sells donated, used items at a low cost as a means of keeping reusable items out of landfills. Through the low-price items they offer, the store is also a helpful resource for low-income students. According to design professor Ann Savageau, who assisted in the unit’s development, the Aggie Reuse Store is the first of its kind in California and perhaps in the nation in terms of being a reuse boutique, with attractive merchandising and educational endeavors. According to unit staff, Aggie Reuse, though still young, is functioning successfully. “You have to remember that the store is completely outside the usual bureaucratic... ...

Picnic Day celebrates its 99th year in Davis

Picnic Day celebrates its 99th year in Davis

When advisor to Picnic Day Paul Cody welcomes students, faculty, alumni and the city community to the UC Davis campus on April 20, his advice is to get lost. “Picnic Day is like the homecoming for the university; it’s when a lot of families and alumni come back to celebrate UC Davis,” said Cody, who also serves as the interim director at the Center for Student Involvement. “It just brings back a lot of those fond memories that people have. It’s really like a catalyst that brings people together to celebrate what they’ve learned and what they can learn from UC Davis.” Rather than reaching C Street while on your way to the Arboretum from the Memorial Union, Cody wishes for people to get figuratively “lost” in what UC Davis has to offer to the community. “It’s a showcase of what Davis has to offer; all the departments have a showcase,” said second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major Rock Liu, who is currently serving as a volunteer assistant parade director... ...

Beating suspect charged with hate crime

Beating suspect charged with hate crime

Twenty-year-old Davis resident Clayton Daniel Garzon was released from Yolo County Jail last Thursday on a $520,000 bail. Garzon is suspected in the March 10 beating of 31-year-old Lawrence “Mikey” Partida, also a Davis resident. Garzon pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of assault, battery and criminal threats. The day before his release, Garzon’s bail increased from $75,000 to $520,000 at the urging of the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, who charged that the incident was a hate crime and that Partida was targeted because of his sexual orientation. The beating is being investigated as a hate crime due to the anti-gay slurs allegedly said by Garzon before, during and after the early-morning attack outside a house party on Third and I Streets, which left Partida bleeding, unconscious and in need of hospitalization for a fractured skull, brain hemorrhaging and a broken eye socket. The bail increase was also supported by the local Sikh community as stated in a press release issued by the American Sikh Political Action Committee... ...

‘Jersey Boys’ returns to San Francisco

‘Jersey Boys’ returns to San Francisco

More than 14 million people worldwide have experienced the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning Best Musical Jersey Boys. Jersey Boys showcases the music and the story of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi and how four blue-collar kids made pop music history. Nick Cosgrove, John Dardiner, Miles Jacoby and Michael Lomenda are the stars of the show, performing daily and traveling across the continent to entertain audiences and live their dreams. The Aggie was invited to the first-ever SHN cocktail hour with the Jersey Boys that took place the weekend before opening night in San Francisco. The crowd, made up of a few lucky SHN subscribers, reporters and photographers, got to view the loading-in of the stage, take pictures inside of the theatre (a rare opportunity, as photography is never allowed before, during or after a show) and interact with the main men of Jersey Boys. The hour and a half was filled with hilarious inappropriate questions, personal... ...