Student Life Updates

Aggie Stadium Dedication

Formal dedication ceremonies for the new Aggie Stadium are scheduled for October 12 and 13, 2007. On Friday evening, October 12, an invitation-only dedication gala is planned for all donors to the Stadium Campaign. On Saturday, October 13, a public, formal dedication program will be held at 10:00 a.m. in Aggie Stadium and everyone in Student Affairs is invited! The ceremony will be hosted by Greg Warzecka, athletics director; invited speakers include Chancellor Vanderhoef, Student Affairs Vice Chancellor Fred Wood, student FACE initiative leaders Scott Reed, ASUCD past president, and Brian Rocca, former Aggie Pack leader. Other highlights include a special presentation to legendary, retired coaches Jim Sochor and Bob Foster, the Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh!, and presentations on the new video board housed within the Aggie Stadium scoreboard.

Following the formal dedication, a pre-game festival will be held adjacent to the stadium: Gunrock's Gridiron Festival! Many activities are planned for guests of all ages. The Cal Aggie Marching Band-uh!, along with another live band, will provide music to accompany vendors, contests, races, games and fun for the whole family. The festival will be held until 1:00 p.m. so guests may attend the UC Davis vs. Cal Poly football game that kicks off at 1:30 p.m.

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Student Mental Health and Wellness

A University of California Office of the President (UCOP) committee charged with studying the mental health needs of UC students, and the availability of campus mental-health services, found that increasing numbers of students were seeking campus mental health services. In addition, students seeking services were experiencing increasingly complex problems, issues and disorders. The UCOP committee concluded that in light of these findings, services were inadequate. The UC Regents consequently approved a registration-fee increase to fund additional mental health services on all UC campuses. The Regents have also designed a multi-year plan to implement all the UCOP committee recommendations.

Emil Rodolfa, director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and member of the campus mental health initiatives committee, reports that At UC Davis, the first round of funding augmentation will be used to hire an additional psychiatrist and four psychologists for CAPS, a half-time psychologist for the Disability Resource Center, to develop an after-hours crisis response for students in distress and to hire a part-time staff member to assist with gathering data for reports to UCOP and the UC System Mental Health Oversight Committee.

With this staffing augmentation, CAPS will be able to develop a liaison system for campus units and departments as well as provide additional counseling and crisis response services.

It is anticipated that this first step will be enhanced by future staffing increases to improve the learning environment for all students and eventually create a healthier campus community.

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2007-2008 Student Assistants to the Chancellor

Ann Marie Sanchez and Jaspreet Gill have both accepted the position of student assistant to the chancellor for 2007-2008.

A senior who will graduate in June 2008, Sanchez is majoring in international relations and French. She served as a community intern at the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center during the 2006-2007 academic year and was the president of the UC Davis women's horse polo team. Sanchez currently serves as a student representative on the Student Transition and Retention Committee and the planning committee for the Student Resource Center. She has held several leadership and volunteer positions in various departments and student organizations including: the Women's Research and Resource Center, Cross Cultural Center and Learning Skills Center. Sanchez has also worked as a peer advising counselor with the Educational Opportunity Program Information Office and was an assistant to ASUCD Presidents Caliph Assagai in 2005 and Darnell Holloway in 2006.

Gill is a junior majoring in psychology and sociology with an emphasis on law and society. She is currently a peer advising counselor for the Educational Opportunity Program and was a student co-coordinator for orientation—formerly Summer Advising—this summer through Advising Services. In addition, she is also the president of the Sikh Student Association.

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Look Who's Coming To College

As of September 6, 2007:

• Expected fall 2007 enrollment is 4,950 first-year students
• 18% of first-year students are from underrepresented groups (African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Latino/Other Spanish, Mexican American/Chicano)
• 19.8 % of first-year students indicated English as their second language
• 42% of first-year students self-identify as Asian
• 33.4% of first-year students are first-generation college students
• 58.6% of first-year students are women
• 41.4% of first-year students are men

• Expected fall 2007 enrollment is 1,900 transfer students
• 18% of transfers are from underrepresented groups
• 19.2 % of transfer students indicated English as their second language
• 30% of transfers self-identify as Asian
• 53.7% of transfers are women
• 46.3% of transfers are men

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