Volume 30 · Number 4 · Summer 2013
End Notes
Bucket list
“Before I graduate I want to _____.” Henry Lam asked fellow students to fill in that blank on an 8-foot-by-12-foot chalkboard he erected this spring on the Memorial Union patio.
Some said, “I want to find myself.” One wanted to find “bacon on an asiago bagel.” Another said, “Be a student leader.”
Video: Students talk about they wrote on a "Before I Graduate" chalkboard.
No matter the answer, students arrived in droves to make their mark on the board during the two-day event. Lam was inspired by artist Cindy Chang’s “Before I Die” chalkboard on the walls of an abandoned building in New Orleans.
With the support of the campus community, local businesses, friends and family, Lam’s project catapulted. “When I created the Facebook event for this, over 500 students clicked ‘going’ within the first four days, so I knew that this project was gaining momentum within the Davis community and I became excited to see everyone’s response,” he said.
Lam, from Union City, is a junior majoring in managerial economics. What does he hope to do before graduating? “I want to experience as much as I can. It’s obvious that every student wants to learn, but I don’t want to learn by reading textbooks or listening to lectures. I want to learn outside through hands-on experience like how to become a better leader, organize events, experience failure and develop true friendships.”
The clothing and hairstyles have changed, but the stairway in Olson Hall is still a busy thoroughfare as students and faculty change classes.
Same place, different time
UC Davis’ Facebook page is bridging the gap between then and now with an album, “Looking Back, Moving Forward,” that features side-by-side photos of campus scenes past and present, like Olson Hall, shown left.
The images, updated weekly on “Throwback Thursday” since early April, have sparked lively conversations among students and alumni of all ages about their experiences at iconic places and events. Some of the images and comments:
- The Coffee House: “Can you still get a cup of coffee and a bagel for $1?” “I saw this crazy band from OKC called the Flaming Lips there in 1989. And my hearing has never been the same!” And good news for fans of CoHo recipes: an announcement that a new cookbook is due out this fall.
- Mrak Hall (or the Administration Building to 1960s alums): “The ducks here don’t quack, they ‘mrak.’” “Aw, good times sleeping there . . . ”
- The Whole Earth Festival, circa 1972: “I didn’t know there was a WEF in 1972. I would have thought back then, such a scene was simply known as ‘Friday.’” “I had my natal horoscope drawn at the WEF in 1974. Still waiting for the results.” “Mom, you know these people?”
View the photos and add your own comments.
Getting around
Old Davis Road is new again, providing a more direct link from the south campus to downtown Davis. The new road, which opened in mid-December, skirts south of the Conference Center and the Hyatt Place hotel, crosses Solano Field and connects with First Street.
The old road, which hugs the arboretum waterway, is now a path for pedestrians and bicyclists, who formerly vied with cars for a piece of the narrow pavement. And it has a new name: Arboretum Drive.
The project also included arboretum improvements: an entry plaza off Mrak Hall Drive and a pedestrian path made from pavers — a path with a slope that meets the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Search the Campus map.