Over 100 Teaching assistants of the UAW Local 2865 union attended the first statewide meeting under newly elected leadership. Photo by Sal Ingram

Heavy applause erupted as the 10 newly elected Executive Board members of the teaching assistants’ union, UAW Local 2865, were introduced at the first statewide membership meeting on Saturday.

Following a contentious election, all 10 Executive Board members come from the Academic Workers for a Democratic Union (AWDU) slate.

“This was probably twice as big as any meeting we’ve had in the past,” said Executive Board president and UC Irvine graduate student Cheryl Deutsch. “It’s the only venue where members get to make decisions.”

In order to make any decisions, meetings need to have quorum, over 100 members in attendance. Deutsch said they have never before achieved quorum in their local’s history.

Holding at least one statewide meeting a year is mandatory, according to the UAW bylaws. Executive Board members want to hold them twice a year, alternating campuses.

As excited TAs hit the tables in the UC Berkeley Boalt Law school classroom to cheer for their new officials, members of the opposing party, United for Social and Economic Justice (USEJ), did not share the same level of enthusiasm.

UC Davis head steward and USEJ member Xochitl Lopez said organizers gave only two weeks’ notice for the meeting, and violated by-laws. UCB is no longer in session, even though all campuses are supposed to be when the statewide meetings are held.

“The meeting was problematic,” Lopez said. “It was called to disenfranchise people from our slate [USEJ] specifically.”

An estimated 130 members attended. Around eight were USEJ members, and the rest were from AWDU. Northern UC campuses are known to have a higher AWDU membership and southern campuses tend to have higher USEJ memberships. Deutsch said members from the north were over-represented, as the meeting was held at UC Berkeley.

Soon-to-be UCLA graduate student and USEJ member Sayil Camacho won the most votes for the UCLA head steward position, but was voted out of office at the meeting because she was not an enrolled student. Camacho was accepted by UCLA in January and is starting class in fall 2011.

“I’m not just going to hand over my position because … they say I can’t participate,” Camacho said.

Camacho received emails she said were accidentally forwarded by elections committee member and UC Santa Cruz graduate student Adam Hefty. She said elections committee members are supposed to remain unbiased, but in the emails Hefty discussed her elegibility to run with AWDU members.

“It’s clear if I had been on the AWDU slate my eligibility wouldn’t have been questioned,” Camacho said.

UCLA AWDU members initially approached Hefty regarding Camacho’s eligibility and he said he intentionally made that information public by putting it on a blog and on Facebook.

“I encouraged people to get back to me with feedback and concerns,” Hefty said. “I had easier access to AWDU perspectives, being from UCSC.”

Hefty acknowledged his sympathies for AWDU and said the majority of the elections committee are aligned with USEJ.

Executive Board president Cheryl Deutsch said she told attending USEJ members that as difficult as it may have been, she hopes they were not intimidated by parliamentary procedure.

The next statewide meeting will be held at a Southern California campus and Deutsch said she thinks attendance will increase.

“It was a great feeling to achieve that quorum,” said Brian Malone, UCSC graduate student and former campus head steward. “It’s just something that [hasn’t happened] … Even though statewide meetings are required, they weren’t taken seriously.”

Despite Camacho’s situation, she appreciates the interest of union members.

“Having two slates is a good thing,” Camacho said. “It means people are interested.”

Students gathered at the 2011 Multicultural Festival on Saturday, May 21. The festival featured performances from groups throughout campus.

At any given moment last Saturday, Oakes Lower Lawn was packed. Sixteen fraternities and campus organizations were serving up lunch to attendees from 12 to 6 p.m., and nine different dance troupes performed on stage. Members of the campus community all came together to celebrate diversity within UC Santa Cruz.

This year’s Multicultural Festival, “Rhymes, Rhythms and Roots: Solidarity Through Action,” was the 32nd annual event, and according the UCSC Campus Events Calendar, 1500 were estimated to attend.

Event organizer Diana Gamez, a first-year psychology and Latin American and Latino studies major, said she was happy with the way the event turned out.

“We had a very good turnout this year,” she said. “I had no idea what to expect. It was definitely a learning experience.”

Coordinated by Student Organization Advising and Resources, the festival sought to bring together and promote awareness among all different races, ethnicities and cultures through the best ways possible: food, music and dance.

Members of one of the largest student ethnic organizations on campus, the Indian Student Organization (ISO), danced in Bollywood, East Indian hip-hop and Bhangrā styles.

Harbir Mahal, a second-year proposed sociology and global economics major and ISO member, danced Bhangrā, a traditional folk dance from Punjab, India.

Mahal said that dancing in the style of Bhangrā helps her hold on to her culture.

“It helps me with connecting to my roots,” she said. “It keeps my culture going. When I hear the music, I can’t help but move.”

Students walked across the field, some tasting and trying out different dishes while others sat in front of the trussed-up stage and watched the myriad of dances presented throughout the day.

Third-year sociology major Nancy Chai said the audience this year was much more pumped to be there.

“All the food to share and experiences to learn about,” she said, “I like them all. It’s sad that its only a one day cultural experience when it should be year ‘round.”

Some members of the Chinese Student Association (CSA) danced hip-hop under the group name “No Access Allowed.” Performer and third-year psychology major Kelvin Chu explained they were so named because with all the dance groups, it was often hard to find a place to practice.

“We practice anywhere we can,” he said. “It’s fun and it’s a good way to relieve stress. Whenever you’re on stage, all your problems just melt away.”

Anyone can participate in their group, he said.

“It’s mainly Chinese students, but it’s open for anyone,” he said. “We just want to promote Chinese culture around campus.”

Los Mejicas performed Mexican folk dance, with the female performers dressed in traditional nayarit costas, large flowing multi-colored dresses. Members of Sabrosura danced to salsa, bachata, merengue and modern American rap and pop, and those in traditional Chinese dance wore cheongsams, one-piece dresses that fused Chinese styles and modern influences.

The event ended with a performance by Carne Cruda, a post-Latin rock and reggae band featuring Damdara, a singer touring from Brazil. By the end of the concert, the crowd of students had made a conga line, danced on stage and raucously sang about bananas.

“I’m probably going to roll my ankle today,” laughs a man wearing sweatpants and a track jacket. He is obviously enthused about the prospect, and so is everyone around him.

The crowd is mixed — teenagers who look like they’ll be back in their high school classes the next day stretch alongside men with stubble and women in North Face jackets. Beginners warm up next to seasoned veterans. Everyone is jubilant, and they show their enthusiasm by leaping from parking bulkhead to parking bulkhead.

After a few minutes of creatively using small concrete barriers to stretch and get ready, the crowd — hailing from Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento and of course Santa Cruz — looks around for a leader to show them what to do next. Calls of “Where’s Nico?” begin to replace the staccato rapport of sneakers on pavement.

Artem Chelovechkov vaults over a wall, preparing himself for impact.

Nico Moe, a recent UC Santa Cruz graduate, doesn’t disappoint, bounding down the Oakes steps only seconds after his name is called. Laughing and wearing a lemon-yellow T-shirt that reads “parkour connections,” Nico shepherds the crowd through Oakes and up the string of stairs that lead to the College Eight plaza.

Although most students complain their way up these steps, these people are different — they run up the concrete stairs on their hands and knees or vault over the handrails just for the challenge. These people are parkour artists, or traceurs, and they see the structure of the UCSC campus differently.

Parkour, simply put, is the physical discipline of moving from one point to another with the most efficient movements possible. The challenge is that things tend to be in the way. Though it’s difficult to pin down when parkour started, most agree that it was popularized immensely in the ‘80s and ‘90s by David Belle in France. The institutionalization of parkour is on the rise, with gyms popping up around the state and organized groups gaining prominence. Some practitioners think that swapping out concrete walls and rusty handrails for trampolines and gym mats can only help the sport, while others swear by the sport’s urban roots.

These meet-ups, known as parkour “jams,” take place once a month at varying locales and draw parkour clubs from around the Bay Area and Central Coast. Events like these are representative of the explosive growth of organized parkour, and parkour websites like Worldwide Jam and Planet Parkour act as congregating points for a sport that is truly global in its appeal. Parkour Planet, for example, uses Google Maps to help isolated parkour artists find one another and practice together.

Michelle Huffman, a representative for the Santa Cruz Sports Central Gymnastics Learning Center, thinks parkour is on its way to becoming a more recognized sport and acknowledges the usefulness of parkour gyms in that process.

“They [parkour artists] must develop a system of rules and skills that can be used internationally — their own language, if you will, just like any sport,” she said. “It has been a while since we have been able to watch a fledgling sport emerge, like the amazing rise of snowboarding. I’m really enjoying watching the process.”

As far as the Santa Cruz “jam” goes, the rules are fairly loose: More experienced parkour artists attempt difficult moves, and others take the initiative to try to copy them. It’s a little bit like the basketball game Horse, but with no penalties.

Tiphanie Gardner, seemingly frozen in time, leaps across two metal railings.

Though gyms may be useful for beginner parkour artists, perhaps part of the appeal of parkour lies in its “everyman” aesthetic — there’s no special gear required, and you don’t have to be a member of any special club to participate. Few things are easier on the wallet than a concrete wall and some enthusiasm.

“There’s no specific clothing. It’s all up to you,” said fourth-year Reno Nims, one of the founding members of the Santa Cruz Parkour Team.

Nims, who started the team about two years ago with UCSC graduate Moe, said there’s something about parkour that appeals to a wide variety of people.

“A lot of the time, it’s people who have this childish ambition to just play,” Nims said. “People are walking to classes, going to work. They don’t see the world around them as this place to play — they’ve grown up. The world around me is a playground. Santa Cruz is really good for that. There are a lot of people who are children at heart, and it’s really good for them [to do parkour].”

Though onlookers might be confused as they watch parkour artists haphazardly navigate urban landscapes, practitioners say there is a great deal of skill and training involved.

“Parkour is very much like a martial art — it’s about 30 percent physical and 70 percent mental. Parkour isn’t just about being able to do cool moves and jump over stuff. It’s about the mindset you have when doing it, about keeping the flow and moving efficiently with as little wasted energy as possible,” said Jacob Pernell, fourth-year student and Santa Cruz Parkour Team member.

Pernell said parkour is as much a state of mind as a sport.

“It’s about encountering challenges, obstacles and fears, and then being strong in yourself so that you can work through and conquer these things,” he said. “There’s definitely a huge philosophy behind the art of parkour, and this philosophy can be applied to every other aspect of life.”

Parkour is not a simple sport — there are multiple sub-categories within the sport, with parkour and “free-running” often being mistaken for the same thing. The nebulous history of how exactly parkour originated doesn’t help, either. However, some practitioners say the distinction between the two is unnecessary.

“There’s the internet definition that parkour is efficiency, and free-running is ‘tricking’ (showing off elaborate acrobatic moves), but I like the definition that the founders have gone out with recently — that there is no difference,” Nims said. “In each of them, the goal is to have complete mastery over your body’s motion. We’re all trying to do the same thing. We’re all after the same goal.”

Though a YouTube search for parkour tends to bring up images of European teenagers navigating the burned-out husks of Soviet bloc apartments with wild abandon, the sport is definitely evolving to fit more regimented practices. The UCSC campus is perfectly suited for cooperative creative movement and the members of the Santa Cruz Parkour Team know it.

Artem Chelovechkov, a member of the Santa Cruz Parkour Team, said there are definite benefits to training with others.

“The main reason to train with others is the creativity that comes out of it and you can help motivate each other,” he said. “Parkour is about self-improvement and growth, and working with others makes it an efficient and fun kind of self-discovery. Working in a group can help you measure your own improvement and learn from others, see the grey walls, rails, trees and stairs in a new way.”

Though there may be more structure to the group today, with organized groups coming from miles away to participate in monthly “jams,” Nims’ experience with parkour was less regimented.

“Most of my friends had done [parkour] for a while — they also loved this [wpNSC][video][/wpNSC] game, Mirror’s Edge,” Nims said. “I got sick one day and decided to play it. I got this sense of freedom from it, and I thought, ‘My friends do this. I want to do this in real life.’”

The representation of parkour-like activities in popular media is on the rise. In Electronic Arts’ Mirror’s Edge (released in late 2008), players control a character who is forced to navigate a dystopian urban landscape using only her acrobatic skills while evading police state forces. Reality shows like G4’s American Ninja Warrior, which is currently filming in Los Angeles, also bring this once-obscure sport to the forefront in popular youth culture.

This increased visibility may also have something to do with the growth of gyms that offer parkour classes and clubs that meet regularly to train, like the Santa Cruz Parkour Team. Vargas Academy in Scotts Valley now offers parkour classes for all ages, with videos on their site showing children ricocheting off foam-padded parkour bulkheads. Gone are the days when a search for “parkour” on YouTube only brought up grainy handheld-camera shots of urban decay and European teenagers.

Tempest Freerunning Academy, another parkour gym in Los Angeles, released a video of its Mario-themed practice area — complete with ball pit and brick-patterned foam blocks — set to a dubstep soundtrack, snagging almost 3 million views on YouTube from the time of publication.

In Santa Cruz, parkour has become much more organized than when Nims and Moe founded the team two years ago.

“I’ve actually started teaching a gym class in Santa Cruz,” Nims said. “I don’t want to be elitist, but I think the best way to learn is to be outside. Training solely in the gym, you get this sense of comfort, that you’re indestructible. Training in the gym and outside, you’ll see progress.”

Nims’ opinion of gym training is mixed.

“Out here, you can’t change anything. Out here, you need to adapt to the environment. In a gym, you’re creating your own challenges and moving stuff around,” he said. “It’s not a worse way to train, but it’s a different reality. If you want to use parkour usefully in a world where you can’t change the facts, you need to adapt to the reality of, ‘I can’t move that wall.’”

Despite the growth of organized parkour facilities, Nims said the future of parkour lies in a personalized blend of organized group training and solo experimentation.

“It’s all very individual,” he said. “People I teach can do moves that took a year to learn in just a lesson or two. I would suggest that people find a community that they can train with, but match that with their personal training. You want to learn your own style and what your body is capable of.”

Michelle Huffman of Santa Cruz Sports Central Gymnastics Learning Center said she looks forward to watching parkour grow as a sport, but people engaging in parkour aren’t necessarily competitive.

“I look at their practice the same way anyone would ‘practice’ the things they love to do,” Huffman said. “People ‘practice’ chess, poker, weight lifting, reading, riding bicycles, et cetera, for the pure enjoyment of the activity. Others train to compete.”

The Santa Cruz Sports Central Gymnastics Learning Center is where Nims currently teaches parkour, and is also where the UCSC gymnastics team trains. Huffman thinks training in a group environment is helpful for developing parkour skills.

“There is support and usually a grounding energy when engaging in an activity with a group as opposed to simply being ‘on your own,’” Huffman said. “As with any physical activity, there has to be a respect for the danger involved. Practice allows for the body and mind to develop that understanding of movement and its limits. When you practice with others — especially regularly — the collective reasoning power brings in new ideas for ‘old’ problems and can offer the ‘voice of reason’ if someone is not quite ready for a new skill.”

In the College Eight plaza, Moe tries to be that voice of reason, jokingly admonishing the gathered crowd for not warming up properly.

“I know no one likes to run, so we’ll do some non-running warm-ups,” Moe shouts from a crab-walking position. Laughter rises from the crowd. They had already been running and vaulting for close to 20 minutes, and Moe’s call to stretch comes off as a little after-the-fact.

Photo by Morgan Grana.

As members of the collected parkour teams do jumping push-ups down the College Eight steps and ramps, an older parkour artist who introduced himself briefly as James coaches a younger boy in proper warm-up form. After a few minutes of this, the boy gets distracted and asks if he can look at James’ iPhone.

“We’re watching reality — it’s cooler,” James replies.

People passing by seem to agree.

“Everyone who sees you is jealous of you,” yells a bearded passerby.

The parkour team laughs, shrugs and nods — none of them seem inclined to disagree.

The 2011 Irwin Scholarship exhibition features artwork from 13 art students who received the award. Ranging from video installations to paintings housed in a makeshift alien spaceship, the exhibition can be viewed at the Sesnon Gallery at Porter College until June 11. Photos by Nick Paris.

For Luis Flores, art is more than just pretty pictures.

“Art has become my voice and I don’t plan on ever silencing myself,” said Flores in an email to City on a Hill Press.

Flores is one of 13 students recognized with the 2011 Irwin Scholarship for their artistic excellence.

Each student awarded the William Hyde and Susan Benteen Irwin Scholarship receives a $2,500 prize. The scholarship has been awarded to exceptional artists to represent UCSC’s art department since 1986. This year’s recipients’ work draws from numerous media, including painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, installation and digital media.

“What really is special about working with these [students] is when they show me something or give me a perspective that enlightens me to a way of seeing that I never would have experienced on my own,” said Elliot Anderson, faculty advisor and associate professor of electronic media. “These are engaged, creative and intelligent students who have something to tell all of us.”

UCSC art student Luis Flores accepts the Irwin Scholarship at Porter College.

Flores said the scholarship spurred him to reexamine his work.

“When I first found out I had gotten the scholarship, I was ecstatic and, more so, appreciative. It wasn’t until I started getting my work together for the exhibition that I started feeling a bit self-conscious,” Flores said. “But after talking with the people closest to me, I realized that I needed to produce work that was important to me and that I felt strongly about.”

Luke Wilson, who focuses on sculpture, was also recognized for the award.

“Winning the Irwin was moving, exciting and motivating, but most of all I interpreted it as an obligation to step up the scale and intensity of my work,” Wilson said. “I feel supported and validated by the faculty and administration, and there is a new pride behind everything I’ve been doing for the show.”

Each artist drew connections to the world around them and created their work in context to their environment. Flores’ focus is photography, and his artwork touches on issues surrounding immigration, fear and most recently, concealment.

“Getting the opportunity to show my work in this exhibition has made me really consider how my work and art in general affects our society,” Flores said. “I have had to deeply question what it is that I want my work to say about myself and about our society.”

Each artist drew inspiration from somewhere different, from both internal and external factors.

“What inspires me the most is my inability to explain myself verbally, at least not well. I have a lot to say and when I can’t say it, I make it,” Flores said. “If an image doesn’t evoke an emotion, I start over.”

For Wilson, excitement over the honor boiled down to a simple love for creating and experiencing art.

“I love making art because there are people who love to look at it,” he said, “and I am one of those people too.”

That is precisely the situation the United States may face if current trends and statistics continue to show fewer and fewer college students have the ability to read and write effectively by the time they graduate.

Illustration by Matt Boblet

The New York Times recently reported that in one semester, 32 percent of students selected for a study did not take classes that required more than 40 pages of reading per week, and 50 percent of them did not take classes that required 20 pages of writing over the entire semester. They also reported that the students they followed studied less than half the amount of time full-time students in the 1960s spent studying.

It has become apparent that secondary institutions are less rigorous — but why?  Secondary institutions have become the new high school equivalent. Many students cannot get a good job straight out of high school anymore. This means there is more of an emphasis on students getting through college solely to earn a degree instead of on the educational opportunity college can provide.

Even students who are interested in coming to college to get a stellar education are implicitly encouraged to get through college as quickly as possible, as fees and tuition continue to rise. It has become harder for the average family to afford to send their aspiring student to college, at a time when it is absolutely necessary to get a college education to be competitive in the job market.

This leads to increased class sizes and even less emphasis on each student’s learning experience. Teachers aren’t capable of teaching such large classes effectively, and some have switched from papers to multiple-choice tests to maintain their workload. This doesn’t only mean overwhelming work for the teachers. It also means that students get less out of their education today than they did 50 years ago.

We should commend the UC Santa Cruz administration, however, for changing the school’s GE system to make sure every discipline includes a writing-intensive requirement. This will ensure that students graduate with the skills they need to be confident in the job market. However, this change comes in the wake of the demise of narrative evaluations, an element of a UCSC education that has set the school apart since its founding. No longer do students receive direct feedback and explanation to supplement the grades they’ve earned, further shifting priority from the learning experience to a grade and GPA.

At commencement, it would be deplorable to see students who look back on their years at college and say, “That flew by too quickly,” or “What did I learn while I was here?” Instead of regretting their choice to attend college, students should look back on their experience and know they learned everything they imagined they wanted to when they started college, and the system they paid into was worth the money they spent.

Emphasis on education at secondary institutions should be the highest priority, instead of the degree students are awarded at the end of their decreasingly rigorous years at college. Students will come to college and know they will attend, learn and eventually graduate with something more valuable than a piece of paper: an education.

As I write this, I’m just three weeks shy of my college graduation. My inevitable existential crisis, having started sometime in April, has been in a state of flux for weeks now — am I excited, nervous, nostalgic or just over it? One thing, though, is certain. For the remaining days of my collegiate career (and for as long as I can hold on thereafter), I am putting up a mental blockade.

I have erected these walls to keep out a specific, but very insidious, enemy: the onslaught of New York Times op-eds, Huffington Post blogs and USA Today or CNN polls saying that I, a soon-to-be college graduate, am doomed. Doomed to a new life of mediocre Craigslist job postings, minimum wage work and a humiliating drive home from college with a Volvo full of the same stuff I drove north with four years ago.

According to a source that I am not particularly fond of right now — a consulting firm called Twentysomething Inc. — 85 percent of this year’s college graduates will move back in with their parents due to a sub-par job market. By this measure, it seems like I should forget about hearing the traditional “Pomp and Circumstance” tune on graduation weekend and expect something a little more depressing as I walk down the aisle. Perhaps Radiohead or Jeff Buckley would be more appropriate. At least that’s what I feel I’m supposed to believe.

My purposeful rejection of this media-induced malaise isn’t a state of denial, but rather a declaration of independence. I’m distancing myself from the idea that I am a member of this supposed “lost generation.” The one who checked all the boxes to get into college (SAT tutoring, athletics, volunteering), fulfilled all the requirements once they arrived (general ed, choosing a minor, writing a thesis), and yet has emerged on the other side empty-handed.

The problem, to me, is that this view of college as an assembly line — where you take classes, build your resume and reach June with a job offer and an engraved invitation to middle-class life — is entirely outdated. What about the part where you find out what you’re passionate about doing? Where you decide not just what you want to see change in the world, but also figure out a way to make it happen. That kind of thing, it would seem, is limited to freshman year idealism.

In my time at UC Santa Cruz, I have met countless individuals who are indeed qualified enough to be hired by any number of companies, agencies or firms. But more importantly, I have met people whose ingenuity, passions, unique talents and problem-solving skills make them qualified for a number of jobs that don’t exist right now, because the class of 2011 has yet to create them.

Now, I am fully aware that in six months to a year, I may be proved utterly wrong with a healthy serving of humble pie. It’s exceedingly obvious that things out there are tough. I have spent the past five months interning alongside college graduates who, let’s face it, are ready to move from the intern cubicle to the payroll. But those same people are also building a skill set and developing a passion for something that is more than just a paycheck. It may take us all a while to get to where we’re going, but when we do, I’m confident what we will find will be less of a career and more of a calling.

In addition, moving in with one’s parents, while not ideal, is also not the end of the world. It may mean you’re not making enough money to rent an apartment, but it doesn’t mean you’re an utter failure. Did you miss that minor event in 2008 when all those wealthy investment bankers and Wall Street executives — who no doubt had a great job the day they graduated from their Ivy League establishment — crashed and burned and took the whole world down with them? The whole idea of an income bracket as the ultimate barometer of success is on shaky ground these days.

While money is certainly not insignificant when it comes to our post-collegiate success, it’s just not the bottom line. Irritatingly, the aforementioned New York Times and Huffington Post articles’ familiar story of graduates being forced to move home seems to end there. Nowhere does it say what these individuals are doing. Public service and non-profit jobs are on the rise, applications for programs like Americorps and Peace Corps have increased, and laptop-fueled entrepreneurship can be observed in many a coffee shop. I’ll give you one guess as to who is doing that meaningful, albeit less lucrative, work. And it’s not those investment bankers.

So while my pre-graduation status may mean I’m not be entirely qualified to give it, here is my advice to the class of 2011: Boeing, Goldman Sachs and Aetna are probably not going to call you, but that’s not necessarily a setback. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned in college, it’s that this world has plenty of problems, many of which were caused by the former generation. Don’t let the fact that you might have to live with your parents take away your resolve to fix those things, to pursue your passion and to stake out a meaningful life that resembles the one you’ve always wanted.

Illustration by Rachel Edelstein

The Playboy Club and Pan Am airplanes. These are the habitats women will soon occupy on television. The new shows start this fall, but they’re both set in the 1960s.

Hollywood knows how to work a decade. Just look at “Mad Men,” AMC’s award-winning drama about the Madison Avenue advertising culture.

The show’s set and costumes are meticulous — most of the props actually come from the time period they are meant to recreate, and the dress is impeccable, from men’s skinny ties to women’s corsets.

And the attitudes towards gender match the scenery. The men on the show have the upper hand in every regard. They can sleep with whomever they want, strive for any job they want and generally treat women however they want, just so long as they keep up a certain appearance. The show’s women, on the other hand, face many more obstacles and find struggles even in their victories, such as when “Mad Men” character Peggy — advertising firm Sterling Cooper’s first female copy writer — faces unabashed sexism while trying to do her hard-won job.

But that’s not to say “Mad Men” leaves its female characters out in the cold. In fact, many fans and critics alike agree that the women’s stories are what make the show. They’re all vastly different, compelling, dynamic characters whose plot lines show the difficulties women faced in the 1960s and still face today. The show is a testimonial to a history too often overlooked. The world “Mad Men” depicts is horribly sexist, but the show itself is remarkably equal and possibly even feminist.

And unfortunately, that’s still something worth noting. Because while not many shows are overtly sexist, true female perspective and character development are hard to find on primetime television. For every “Mad Men,” there are shows like “House,” which focuses on a primarily male cast and viewpoint. For every “30 Rock,” there is a “Two and a Half Men.” Yes, both of the latter shows feature women in the cast, but they fail to delve into what those women go through in their lives. They serve as romantic interests for the men, and not much else.

And a lot of the shows that do attempt or claim to represent women don’t do much better. What does it say that the program with the highest number of female characters on television right now is the “Real Housewives” franchise?

There are some shows with great roles for women — “The Good Wife” and “Bones” come to mind, among a few others — but they’re still few and far between.

This lack of representation is no surprise, given the statistics. Women made up only 17 percent of all writers in the entertainment industry in 2009, according to the Writers Guild of America. It’s futile to expect a team of mostly male writers to be especially competent at coming up with complex female characters. To the credit of “Mad Men,” a number of women have won Emmys for their work writing on the show.

Hollywood has taken note of this success. The major networks announced their new pilots for the fall season a couple of weeks ago, and a few shows stood out as trying to cash in on Mad Men’s nostalgia-fueled hype. NBC’s “Playboy Club” and ABC’s “Pan Am” focus on the lives of Playboy bunnies and flight attendants in the 1960s.

One cannot judge a book by its cover or a TV show by its promotional poster. That being said, it’s worth noting that still shots from “Playboy Club” focus pretty heavily on particular female anatomical parts. The bunnies’ faces — when they’re shown at all — reveal no emotion more complex than sexual desire and a willingness to serve men. The flight attendants of “Pan Am” are more conservatively dressed, but the portrayed power structure remains the same, with the women literally standing a few feet behind the male pilots.

Still, it remains to be seen whether the writers for these shows intend to only rip off the “Mad Men” aesthetic or if they’re looking to go deeper than that. It’s easy to recreate a ’60s-themed world of sexism and inequality, but people who actually watch “Mad Men” know loving the show means loving (and loving to hate) the characters, and seeing what they go through.

Yes, “Mad Men” star Christina Hendricks is nice to look at. But seeing her character, secretary-of-steel Joan, dealing with an incredibly sexist cartoon of her posted in the office by male coworkers is what makes her — and the show — nice to watch.

So let’s hope Hollywood doesn’t simply recreate “Mad Men” in the visual sense. Here’s hoping that Playboy’s bunnies and Pan Am’s attendants can join the ranks of Sterling Cooper’s secretaries.

Photo by Morgan Grana

Third-year transfer student Brittney Bevelaqua wants to be a philosophy and history professor, run for Senate and own her own coffee shop.

However, she can’t teach philosophy if she can’t even learn about it herself.

As a transfer, she has scrambled to make contacts with professors and get major requirements out of the way.

The philosophy department’s loss of three professors at the beginning of the quarter threatens her love for the subject. Her passion for learning and broadening her philosophical perspectives is not limited to her own education. She is concerned for the education of her fellow students and the quality of the philosophy department.

“It complicates students’ [education] because they’re not getting what they’re paying for,” Bevelaqua said. “It complicates professors’ [work] because they can’t teach the youth who want to be the future.”

Bevelaqua discussed why she wants philosophy to be a part of her own future.

“I want to teach philosophy because it can explain not only events, but inner monologues people toil with,” Bevelaqua said.

The dwindling exposure to different professors’ viewpoints and interpretations leaves Bevelaqua worried for the educational quality of the philosophy program.

“When you’re stifling education, you’re stifling a person’s future and what they love,” she said.

While her own educational experience is threatened, she maintains enthusiasm for the subject. She appreciates the diverse responses to philosophical questions, compared to those in math and science.

“You can approach [philosophy] with so many different answers,” Bevelaqua said. “That’s why I love it.”

Bevelaqua exudes adoration for the subject as she explains how her opinions on the English philosopher John Locke changed after what she was exposed to at UCSC. It is experiences like these that make her appreciate the quality of education she has received and the relationships she has developed with professors.

Bevelaqua is taking two upper-division classes in fall quarter of 2011. She noticed the upper-division classes offered in the fall were cut in half, from six to three, and fears the courses offered in the following quarters will be classes she has already taken.

Bevelaqua says the major is a cycle where fourth-years are always rushing until the very end of their academic careers to enroll in philosophy upper-division courses. Younger students are then left with a limited course variety to choose from.

Now scarce resources also threaten the learning experiences of philosophy majors.

“When you only have three professors teaching, you don’t have a full depth of perspective,” Bevelaqua said.

When she is unable to register for classes through regular enrollment, Bevelaqua said she must utilize her personal skills to get the courses she needs.

“I make lasting and positive impressions so I can create some kind of clout with them so I … can be granted with their grace of letting me take the classes I love,” she said.

She recognizes faculty members are doing everything they can to help their students, such as giving out permission codes. Unfortunately there’s only so much professors and lecturers can do, Bevelaqua said.

Philosophy’s limited course offerings leave Bevelaqua questioning her ability to double-major. She said she wonders if she will have to drop her history major in order to graduate with a degree in philosophy.

“It’s like pulling teeth to get an increase in units,” Bevelaqua said. “Maybe I’m an education masochist trying to do all these things at once.”

While Bevelaqua is doing anything to help her cause, she wonders if the administration is doing the same.

“Would they add another teacher if they could?” Bevelaqua asked. “Or would they just take the cut there?”

HAVC students prepare displays for an exhibition of Santa Cruz’s World War II memorabilia. The exhibition is taking place at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History, located in downtown Santa Cruz. Photo Courtesy of Brendan Arenas.

While it may be difficult to envision a time when the notoriously liberal town of Santa Cruz actively supported a war, it is precisely this sentiment that the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History (MAH) will be remembering. The MAH, along with the McPherson Center and the UC Santa Cruz History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC) department, will be presenting “Our Threads of Allegiance: World War II in Santa Cruz & Abroad.” The student-created exhibition will run from May 28 to July 17, and First Friday on June 3 offers free admission along with complementary live music and refreshments.

The MAH is providing a space for UCSC students enrolled in a three-part Museum Exhibitions HAVC class series to utilize the skills they’ve developed in their classes to create an exhibition.

“This is our chance to show off all the hard work we have done throughout the year, and we would like you to enjoy it as well!” reads the student-created “Our Threads of Allegiance” Facebook page.

As young Santa Cruzans enlisted and were shipped overseas to fight in World War II, the families they left behind rationed food and materials, using coupon books displayed in the exhibit. Different uniforms, photographs and other World War II memorabilia will all be on display as “Our Threads of Allegiance” holds tribute to the war effort that brought Santa Cruz together decades ago.

Carol Wilson, a third-year Stevenson student, discussed the relevance of the subject.

“What our exhibit hopes to accomplish is showing the interconnection of the community,” Wilson said. “World War II was a time when everyone worked as one to help the war effort — everyone was a part of it. The quilt and the different uniforms are iconic.”

Students enrolled in the Museum Exhibitions class series investigated several prominent local World War II families for the exhibit. The Trenbeth family was especially generous, donating both the uniform Wilson mentioned and a journal detailing the families’ experiences during the war. As part of the classes’ efforts to make the exhibit more interactive, excerpts from the journal will also be available as audio recordings.

“We want people to be engaged and have things to do,” said fourth-year Porter student Brendan Arenas. “So some of the pieces incorporate audio, and in other parts people will use their hands. We incorporated a lot of interactive elements into the exhibit.”

The HAVC students also acquired a large quilt. The multicolored quilt, composed of embroidered squares, was a small token of home on the battleship where it was eventually taken. Rachael Torres, a fourth-year Stevenson affiliate, found special significance in the quilt.

“Mothers and wives embroidered their names on this quilt to send overseas,” Torres said. “The dates really connect the exhibit to the time period for me. When you see 1942 on the quilt you know you’re looking back into history.”

The project itself is an interesting glimpse into an important part of our nation’s past, but the HAVC students who worked on the exhibit also gained valuable experience.

“This is exactly what I want to do with my life,” Wilson said. “I want to be a registrar at a museum.”

But Porter fourth-year Arenas pointed out that working in museums isn’t for everyone, and this is why the HAVC program provides such a meaningful experiences.

“There are very high requirements to become a curator,” Arenas said. “You need a Ph.D., and might not make enough money to pay back the investment. It’s not something I’m sure I’ll be able to do, so this might be the only time I can reasonably curate an exhibit. I’ll always remember it.”

Illustration Louise Leong

Do you ever head downtown on Friday nights? Work late? These options began to look dim for UC Santa Cruz students living on campus when cuts to the Night Owl service were decided on by city bus service Santa Cruz Metro, effectively ending all public transportation after midnight. But with a recent pledge from TAPS, the Night Owl services might still have a chance.

In September, the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (SCMTD) board of directors decided that altering and eliminating several bus routes was necessary to counter the Metro’s growing deficit, which currently numbers over $3.8 million. Such cuts include reducing trips on routes 3 and 4, as well as terminating route 13 entirely. The Night Owl service, buses 16N and 19N, which stop on the UCSC campus, have received cuts as well.

The Metro’s financial situation is no joke. From 2007 to 2010, the Metro has lost over $4 million in operating revenue, and by 2012 it anticipates a service reduction of 12 percent through these cuts.

While the campus community certainly understands feeling the strain of the poor economy, eliminating public transportation past midnight in a college town like Santa Cruz would have a different kind of cost. The Night Owl Service is used by many students and residents of the city alike, who need to get home safely. Without a safe, sober ride home, travelers in the city will be put in dangerous and potentially life-threatening situations. The Night Owl Service is currently the only form of public transportation available past midnight in Santa Cruz, and if the Metro discontinues service to those who need it, riders will have to find other ways home — either calling a cab, walking home or driving drunk.

An unexpected savior has been revealed in the last few days, however. Larry Pageler of UCSC’s Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) has put out a statement pledging TAPS’ commitment to take over the Night Owl Service.

Only students would be allowed to ride, and TAPS would have to cut the majority of their Day Core routes for the program to work. However, this plan  should be fully supported. Both the 16 and 19 cater primarily to students anyway, and this would be a great step forward in keeping students safe.

If students are forced to walk home past midnight, these risks are likely to increase. According to the Santa Cruz Police Department website, which partnered with CrimeMapping.com, there were 272 cases of assault in the last six months — assaults in and around Laurel Street, a street on several bus routes, numbered over 13. Without a bus, many will choose not to go downtown, which would also reduce much revenue for Pacific Avenue businesses.

To not have a fully operational bus service after dark in a college town is absurd. Of students’ fees, $334.98 goes toward city bus transportation. Hopefully, with TAPS’ help, this important service will be maintained.

Friday, “B” Basketball League, Div III

May 27: Team Bageera (2-3) vs. Triple-E (3-2) (East Gym Ct1) at 4:00 p.m.

May 27: Which Way Did They Go? (2-3) vs. 3-Peat (5-0) (East Gym Ct1) at 5:00 p.m.

May 27: asdf (3-2) vs. Monstars (2-3) (East Gym Ct1) at 6:00 p.m.

Friday, “B” Basketball League, Div IV

May 27: Pound Town (5-0) vs. The Abusement Park (3-2) (East Gym Ct2) at 4:00 p.m.

May 27: The Air Ballers (1-4) vs. Heavy Hitters (3-2) (East Gym Ct2) at 5:00 p.m.

May 27: Stop it! (3-2) vs. Sausage Monster (1-4) (East Gym Ct2) at 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, “COED” Softball League, Div V

May 26: Manitees (1-3) vs. The Miller Lowlifes (3-1-1) (East Field F1) at 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, “COED” Softball League, Div VI

May 26: The Flying J’s (1-4) vs. Wounded Soldiers (2-3) (East Field F1) at 6:30 p.m.

May 26: The Bombers (2-3) vs. The Backyard Bangers (5-0) (East Field F2) at 6:30 p.m.

May 26: Where my pitches at? (4-1) vs. The D Squad (0-5) (East Field F3) at 6:30 p.m.

Friday, “COED” Softball League, Div VII

May 27: Big Bangers (2-3) vs. “Winning” (3-2) (East Field F1) at 4:00 p.m.

May 27: Thunder Cats (2-3) vs. Team Sausage Monster (3-2) (East Field F2) at 4:00 p.m.

May 27: Smang it! (1-4) vs. The Sea Cow Annihilators (1-4) (East Field F3) at 4:00 p.m.

Friday, “COED” Softball League, Div VIII

May 27: SASS (2-3) vs. Wrecked’em (3-2) (East Field F1) at 5:30 p.m.

May 27: California Highway Patrol (0-5) vs. JUICED UP (4-1) (East Field F2) at 5:30 p.m.

May 27: Cup Check (5-0) vs. Thunder Threats (2-3) (East Field F3) at 5:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, MAY 26

Art: Irwin Scholars Gallery. Porter College Sesnon Gallery. Free. Irwin Scholar display up through 6/11.

Performance: Chautauqua Festival of Student Theater. Theater Arts Second Stage. 7 to 9 p.m. Free. Event continues through Sunday. For additional showtimes, visit arts.ucsc.edu.

Performance: Orestes Terrorist. Theater Arts Mainstage. 7 to 9 p.m. $12 students, $15 seniors & general. Event continues through Sunday. For additional showtimes, visit
arts.ucsc.edu.

FRIDAY, MAY 27

Workshop: Writing Effective Resumes and Cover Letters. Bay Tree Amah Mutsun Room. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Free.

Meeting: Academic Senate. Stevenson Event Center. 2:30 to 5 p.m. Free.

SATURDAY, MAY 28

Film: “Paranormals,” directed by Spencer Fortin, written by Sam Trillo. Media Theater M110. 5:30 p.m. Free.

Discussion: “Music and Greek Drama: History, Theory, and Practice.” 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Free.

Benefit: Dance for Japan. Cowell/Stevenson Dining Hall. 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. $5.

SUNDAY, MAY 29

Discussion: “Music and Greek Drama: History, Theory, and Practice.” 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free.

TUESDAY, MAY 31

Humanities Undergraduate Research Awards. Humanities 1, Room 210. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free.

City

THURSDAY, MAY 26

Concert/Benefit: Brenda Wong Aoki’s Kabuki Cabaret — A Japan Relief Benefit. Kuumbwa Jazz Center. 7 p.m. $20 in advance, $23 at door.

Film: “Christine.” Regal Cinemas 9. 8 p.m. $5.

Concert: Indian Giver, Glitter Wizard, Moccretro. The Catalyst. 8:30 p.m. $8 in advance, $10 at door. 21 and up.

Concert: Blammos, The Groggs, The Atom Age. The Crêpe Place. 9 p.m. $8.

FRIDAY, MAY 27

Performance: The Imagine-a-Nation of Lalachild. Pacific Cultural Center. 8 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 at door.

Concert: Kraddy, Mochipet, Rastatronics, Selector Science, Drop Bear. The Catalyst. 8:30 p.m. $20 in advance, $25 at door.

Concert: Lydia Loveless, Steven Griswold. The CrêpePlace. 9 p.m. $8.

Film: “Jurassic Park.” Del Mar Theatre. 11:59 p.m. $6.50. Event repeats Saturday.

SATURDAY, MAY 28

Concert: Santa Cruz Blues Festival. Aptos Village Park. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. $65 general, $25 children. Event repeats Sunday.

Performance: The Education of Lala Girl. Pacific Cultural Center. 2 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 at door.

Pink Prom 3-D — A Benefit Dance for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Santa Cruz Moose Lodge. 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. $10 in advance, $15 at door.

Performance: The Emancipation of Lala. Pacific Cultural Center. 8 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 at door.

Concert: AZA. Kuumbwa Jazz Center. 8:30 pm. $18 in advance, $25 reserved.

SUNDAY, MAY 29

Performance: Cabrillo College Spring Dance Concert. Cabrillo Crocker Theater. 3 p.m. $7–12.

MONDAY, MAY 30

Film: “The Big Lebowski.” The Crêpe Place. 9 p.m.

TUESDAY, MAY 31

Concert: 7 Come 11. The Crêpe Place. 8 p.m. Free.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1

American Red Cross Public Blood Drive. Capitola Community Center. 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Presentation: “Eyewitness Reports from Egypt and Palestine: Peoples’ Movements and Popular Resistance in the Middle East.” Live Oak Green Grange. 7 to 9 p.m. $5–15 sliding scale.

Concert: The Album Leaf, Liquid Indian. The Crêpe Place. 9 p.m. $12 advance, $15 door.

Contact us at production@cityonahillpress.com.

In the May 19 article “Food Systems Week at UCSC,” UCSC student and attendee of the Fair Trade Marketplace Elizabeth Scudero’s quote referred to fair trade, not free trade, as was printed.

(from left to right)

“Two eyes on my eyelids so that I can trick people into thinking that I’m paying attention when I’m actually sleeping.”
Zoë Galle
First-year, Kresge
Community studies

“Cat whiskers. What can I say? I love cats!”
Tyler Wallcek
Second-year, Porter
Art

“I’m too busy thinking of tattoos for my butt.”
Tom Pazo
Fourth-year, College Eight
Politics

“A tribal dragon.”
Sehra Bae
Fourth-year, College Eight
Politics

On Friday night, 35 pitches were made, which were later narrowed down to eight demos with multiple members, including UCSC students. These demos formed teams to meet their objective: to create a portion of a larger idea by the end of the weekend and present it to colleagues at the symposium on Sunday.

“We were overwhelmed,” said Margaret Rosas, a member of TechRaising’s founding group. “[The event] exceeded our expectations.”

The teams had help from expert entrepreneurs who provided consultation on startup law, user experience, management, publicity and several other subject areas, according to the website. Then on Sunday, all the teams regrouped and presented their innovations.

Rosas said she spoke with many people at the event about expanding further on the student population from UCSC’s relationship with mentors in the Santa Cruz area.

“That’s definitely what we want to see more of in the future,” Rosas said. “There were students who were able to take advantage of our mentors and that’s the kind of thing that we want to promote and encourage.”

The eight pitches presented on Sunday included a “client and website project management tool” called “All Together Now,” an “augmented reality shooting game” called “blam — Boys Like Augmented Mayhem,” and a “clothing brand sizing app for Facebook” called “Sizemyc.”

Rosas said she was pleasantly surprised with the success of the event.

Stow is currently at San Francisco General Hospital where he was transferred from LAC-USC on May 17. Community support for Stow and his family has been strong since the assault.

Many following the case were relieved this week to hear an arrest has been made.

On Sunday, Los Angeles police arrested 31-year-old suspect Giovanni Ramirez, who is currently booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.

The Stow family expressed gratitude to the LAPD for its “hard work on this case,” on a website devoted to supporting Stow. The LAPD had more than 20 detectives serve over 6,000 hours on the case, considering more than 630 leads, according to the Los Angeles Times. The LAPD has been publicizing a $250,000 reward for information, leading to the arrest of the two men responsible for Stow’s injuries.

However, the Stow family showed dissatisfaction with the response at Dodger Stadium when they filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Dodgers team for negligence, premises liability and false imprisonment, among other things.

At least two others are believed to have been involved in the attack, including another male perpetrator and female driving the car in which they fled.

(from left to right)

“I think it’s inconvenient for people that live on and off campus, who now have to walk at night on campus when it’s pretty creepy.”
Brittany Boyd
Fourth-year, College Eight
Marine biology

“Students have very different schedules and a lot of different students and organizations have late-night meetings. Not having the Night Owl service would be an obstacle in terms of transportation [and] availability.”
Eugene Negrete
Third-year, Oakes
Latin American & Latino studies/Theater arts

“I’m actually visually impaired, so public transportation is a big way that people like myself get around. There really aren’t any alternatives.”
Nile Russell
Third-year, Oakes
Sociology

“A lot of students rely on the bus to get home after parties, so it might result in more accidents, or students may be compelled to engage in more dangerous alternatives. Walking home is not safe.”
Angela Yu
Third-year, Cowell
Psychology