The UC Office of the President (UCOP) sent out a press release on Monday boasting that 82 percent of current UC students are satisfied with their college education, despite the decline in state funding and rise in tuition costs. The number comes from the 2012 UC Undergraduate Experience Survey. We were surprised, and upon further examination, found the figure to be highly misleading. About 36 percent, or 63,500 students, of the UC undergraduate population participated in the survey, which asked a variety of questions, including level of overall satisfaction. The 82 percent figure includes students who selected “very satisfied,” “satisfied” and “somewhat satisfied.” In our opinion, “satisfied” is quite different from “somewhat satisfied,” and not that different from “somewhat unsatisfied.” And if we took out the 30 percent of students who marked “somewhat satisfied,” we are left with an actual 52 percent of students who are satisfied with their educations. This means about half of the UC undergraduate population feel their education is lacking, and this should be distressing to... ...

If we ask people what they think about political rhetoric, they will likely respond that it is baloney and that we shouldn’t buy it. But I think those same people do buy it very frequently. I want to dissect a few recent and pertinent examples. In dissecting them, I think patterns emerge that can inform us about what drives the dominant political discourse — contempt toward the politically disempowered. To start right in on a relevant case: Fox News Business columnist Steve Tobak recently published a piece which brilliantly displays the moronic and childish misunderstanding of terms that conservative rhetoric thrives upon. His piece “The Real Impact of Political Correctness” attempts to explain why political correctness is a form of collectivism and then provides a straw man version of political correctness, claiming that political correctness necessarily entails praising peoples’ failures. Why the crusade against political correctness? Well, there’s a great little trick that they can pull. By claiming that political correctness is really just a method of trying to make... ...

My name is Stephanie Lake and I’m the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) Intervention Services Coordinator at Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) here on campus. I am responding to the article in the April 11, Aggie titled “Students seek Adderall for academic boost.” There were some good points made in this article and some points that I wish to expand upon. First and foremost, Adderall is a drug, and even with intermittent use it can become addictive. In fact, it is a Schedule II drug, and that means it has a strong addiction liability. Only individuals who are prescribed this drug by a healthcare provider should use Adderall, because people using the drug when use is not clinically indicated — and usually that means a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) — can and often do experience some serious negative effects that include tolerance, mania and psychosis. We also want to mention that if a student is not sure if he or... ...

Boiling down the college experience to a few words is hard to do. How does one capture the freedom and self-discovery? My “101 Greatest Movie Quotes” poster, as often is the case, has the answer: “Toga! Toga!” Movies like Animal House and Old School instill high school graduates with a picture of what college should be. More importantly, they introduce institutions now synonymous with campus life: fraternities and sororities. Greek organizations serve their communities in many ways. Here at Davis, Delta Delta Delta collected over $30,000 for philanthropy. Tri Delt? More like Tri-hard. That’s a lot of cash. Greeks also perform community service. Last year, they performed 25,000 hours’ worth. The ladies of Delta Xi Phi averaged 113 hours of service per member. Fourteen more and James Franco would cut off his arm in a movie for them. And then there are organizations like the University of Maryland’s chapter of Delta Gamma that promote proactive leadership. In a recent e-mail, one of their officers encourages her sisters to be more... ...

I think the Mondavi Center is one of the most beautiful buildings on campus. I love that it exists specifically as a venue for people to share their passion, whether that is dancing, music, singing or some other art form. Lately I realized that I have my own mini-Mondavi right in my apartment. I call it my shower. My shower provides some nice acoustics, so I’ve chosen it as a place to exhibit my singing talents. In that small space I pour out passion and Pantene. The only issue I have is that I prefer to keep my singing to myself, but have a roommate. I figure that even when I really think I’m having the performance of my life, my roommate probably doesn’t share my artistic vision. There are also those few, very few times when I try to hit a high note and end up cracking my voice like a teenage boy going through puberty. Well, one afternoon I was relishing in the fact that my roommate was... ...

Each year, May brings us spring flowers, Whole Earth, Mother’s Day — and lots of self-love. National Masturbation Month was created by the San Francisco-based sex shop Good Vibrations, but their goal wasn’t merely to boost vibrator sales. In 1994, U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders attended a United Nations AIDS conference, where she suggested that masturbation “is a part of human sexuality, and perhaps it should be taught [in schools].” President Clinton fired her because of the resulting controversy. Not long after, the sex-positive folks at Good Vibrations decided to use the month of May to fight the centuries-old social stigma surrounding masturbation. And even though this has been going on for nearly two decades, we still have a long way to go. A few weeks ago, for example, high school science teacher Tim McDaniel was under investigation for saying “vagina” in a lesson on the human reproductive system. Sex education has such great potential — not only for improving students’ future or current sex lives, but also for improving... ...

We as Student Assistants at Health Education and Promotion (HEP) at Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) would like to address some of the concerns presented in the May 2 guest opinion piece regarding Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing accessibility and the climate of sex positivity on campus. Firstly, we would like to say that we are concerned that the student had what they felt to be a negative experience when trying to get tested. From our time working here we know that the professional staff at SHCS strive to create a safe and non-judgemental atmosphere. We strongly encourage students to utilize the resources available at SHCS. We believe that sexual health is crucial to overall well-being, and we try to make it as easy as possible for students to get tested. In fact, we just ended our “Are You Positive You’re Negative?” campaign that informs students about our chlamydia testing resources. We also support students taking control of their sexual health by having multiple ways to schedule STI-testing appointments... ...

Whole Earth Festival is coming up, and this is a good time to think about environmental issues. We frequently encounter people praising “sustainability,” “eco-friendliness,” and being “green.” But what do these terms really mean? Often these terms are associated with taking care of the environment or “minimizing our impact” on the environment. The environment is really just our surroundings — not just the complex biological and physical relationships in nature, but also the human environment. But if we care about living long and healthy lives and getting access to the most efficient and reliable sources of energy to promote the human environment, we have to exploit nature. That is the means by which humans have always conquered the problem of survival. It was capitalism (the political-economic system that protects individual rights and leaves people to pursue their values and act on their judgment free of government coercion), and the industrial progress that followed its establishment, that allowed men and women to continually improve our human environment. We developed systems to... ...

Editor’s note: A proposed ASUCD Senate Resolution supporting divestment was moving through commission meetings last week and was rejected by the Business & Finance Commission on May 7. The Editorial Board had split views on divestment. This editorial represents one of those views. To divest or not to divest. That is the question. At least, that’s the question that faces the UC system currently. The University of California is being pressured by various student groups on different campuses to withdraw its investments from several companies that profit from the occupation of Palestine. These companies include General Electric (GE), Raytheon, Caterpillar, Cement Roadstones Holdings and Lockheed Martin. While it is true that these companies have a significant presence in these war-torn areas, is it really worth taking our investments away just to show support for one ideal or another? The answer is no. Divestments are meant to make a statement. In this case, the divestment would show that the UC system does not support these American companies profiting from conflict in... ...

Despite overwhelming public opposition, the California State Fair (July 12 to 28) again plans to display the cruel “farrowing crates” in the fair’s animal nursery. Pregnant sows will be imprisoned for three straight weeks, unable to turn around, barely able to move and forced to give birth on a bare metal grid: a true “crime against nature.” CalEXPO’s new boss, Rick Pickering, was CEO at the 2012 Alameda County Fair, which allowed no farrowing crates. Instead, a mother sow and her piglets (born offsite) enjoyed a large pen, in deep sawdust: Happy pigs, happy public. Our State Fair could (and should) do likewise. All veterinary studies recommend against transporting expectant animals about to give birth. UC Davis Vet School (which oversees the nursery) should practice what it preaches. This is a true “no-brainer.” Nor should the fair’s vendors be allowed to give away goldfish as prizes, or sell hermit crabs as “pets.” Most will die within weeks, or be flushed down the toilet. Please contact Rick Pickering, CEO, and the... ...

Editor’s note: A proposed ASUCD Senate Resolution supporting divestment was moving through commission meetings last week and was rejected by the Business & Finance Commission on May 7. The Editorial Board had split views on divestment. This editorial represents one of those views. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of students were engaged in discussions about whether or not ASUCD should urge the University of California to divest from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestine. If it had been passed, the non-binding resolution would likely have been of little consequence to Israel, Palestine or the UC Regents, but the suggestion has brought up an important concern about the University irresponsibly investing student and state money in contentious and potentially unethical companies whose goals are incongruous with the University’s values. The University of California should, we believe, divest from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation of the Gaza strip. As a public entity, the UC should divest from all companies whose political allegiances take a side in divisive... ...

If you think you have a drug test coming up, you should stop smoking now. The cheapest and most common type of screening is the classic piss test. It is also the easiest one to pass. If you’re a heavy smoker, you should take about a three week break before a urine test. During this time, drink as much water as you can. And of course, you should not ingest marijuana in any shape or form, including edibles, concentrates, or shakes. Instead, drink tea. And go on runs and get sweaty. Avoid other smokers. Second hand smoke is not only mischievously alluring, it can also get into your system and make you fail your drug test. Sometimes, it is the act of smoking that people get used to, not particularly the weed itself. These people find it pretty easy to give up getting high so long as they have cigarettes or hookahs or Spice to turn to. It is true that these alternatives are legal and won’t fuck up your... ...

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. My stockings are falling,” declared the woman wearing seven-inch platform heels and enough fake hair to comfortably nest dozens of baby birds. Her false eyelashes threatened to abandon her face and the same birds would have loved her impressively arched blue eyeliner and shadow, as it was reminiscent of the blue daytime sky. She couldn’t adjust her hose, because the ropes holding her to the iron St. Andrew’s cross barred free movement, but she could wiggle around and look helpless — to the satisfaction of her dominant. He was behind her, a lopsided smirk above a body clad in black pleather, flicking a small rubber whip at her ass. “Nasty slut,” he would occasionally whisper up the curves of her hips and past the channels of her back. Curled into the fetal position, on a couch opposite their scene, I looked down at my own outfit. My stockings didn’t have any runs and were holding up fairly well, but I was far from classy: my filthy black... ...

As a single girl in college, living in a small college town, recycling is important to me. I put my bottles and papers in the designated bins and also scroll through my contact list late at night when I need to scratch my proverbial itch. I recycle exes, hookups, friends with benefits and really any sex partner that I’ve deemed worthy enough to have an afterlife. To recycle your favorite sex partner is doing your part to save energy so that you can focus on the more important factors in your life. It is difficult enough without the constant worry of how you are going to handle your human desire. And to have a contact list full of potential bed buddies is a luxury that must be explored. It is a massive waste of a perfect, untapped resource. I like to reuse the hookups I enjoyed the most — the carefree and spontaneous hookups that ended without any malice or spite, the ones that rank on my top 10 adult... ...

With a facility intended to accommodate the thousands of students that pay for its services in fees, and only about 500 bike parking spots, it’s safe to say that the ARC needs more bike parking. If you’ve been to the ARC in the last few weeks, odds are you’ve seen the signs that warn you against locking your bike to anything other than the designated parking spots. Under this new policy, bikes are locked with boots if they are locked to themselves or a surrounding object, and students are required to pay for removal. Students pay for the ARC. How are they supposed to take advantage of it if Davis’ preferred mode of transportation is being discouraged? It’s nearly impossible to find an empty spot to lock a bike during any hour of the day. Campus construction officials should account for the number of ARC guests that use the building and add parking spots accordingly. Suspiciously enough, ARC officials refused to disclose the facility’s capacity. We can only assume they... ...