University of California , Davis The University of California , Davis ( also referred to as UCD , UC Davis , or Davis ) is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis , California . The campus was originally established as the University Farm , the agricultural extension of UC Berkeley , and is the second campus of the University of California system . The campus covers , making it the largest within the University of California system and the second largest in California ( behind California Polytechnic State University ) . UC Davis also has the third largest enrollment in the UC System after UC Berkeley and UCLA at 32 , 290 . While UC Davis ' agricultural heritage remains strong , the campus has expanded over the past century to include graduate and professional programs in medicine ( which includes the UC Davis Medical Center ) , law , veterinary medicine , education , nursing , and business management , in addition to 90 research programs offered by UC Davis Graduate Studies . UC Davis ' School of Veterinary Medicine is the largest in the United States and is ranked second in the nation . The Carnegie Foundation classifies UC Davis as a comprehensive doctoral research university with a medical program , veterinary program , and very high research activity . UC Davis faculty includes 21 members of the National Academy of Sciences , 21 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , 17 members of the American Law Institute , 12 members of the Institute of Medicine , and 13 members of the National Academy of Engineering . Among other honors , university faculty , alumni , and researchers have won the Nobel Peace Prize , Presidential Medal of Freedom , Pulitzer Prize , MacArthur Fellowship , National Medal of Science , and Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering . The UC Davis Aggies athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division I level , primarily in the Big West Conference as well as the Big Sky Conference ( Football only ) and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . In its first year of full Division I status , 11 UC Davis teams qualified for NCAA post - season competition . History . In 1905 , Governor George Pardee signed into law an act to establish a university farm school for the University of California ( at the time , Berkeley was the sole campus of the University ) . It would be more than a year before that commission selected a tiny town , then known as Davisville , as the site . What was to become the third UC Campus opened its doors to 40 degree students ( all male ) from UC Berkeley in January 1909 as the " University Farm . " ( The farm had begun accepting non - degree farmers ' short courses in October 1908 ; there were initially around 115 such attendees . ) The establishment of the Farm was largely the result of the vision and perseverance of Peter J . Shields , secretary of the State Agricultural Society , and the Peter J . Shields Library at UC Davis was named in his honor . Shields began to champion the cause of a University Farm to teach agriculture in a more applied fashion after hearing about California students who chose to go to out - of - state universities due to the lack of such programs in the University of California at that time . He later stated : There was a College of Agriculture at Berkeley in connection with the University of California , but it was purely academic . It was largely confined to the study of botany and chemistry ; it had no farm and little prestige ; it was apt to be thought of as a snap curriculum , attracting students who wanted to go to college but wanted to avoid its more difficult work . After two failed bills , a law authorizing the creation of a University Farm was passed on March 18 , 1905 , and Yolo County , home to some of California ' s prime farmland , was chosen as the site . The Farm accepted its first female students in 1914 from Berkeley . Renamed in 1922 the " Northern Branch of the College of Agriculture " , it continued growing at a breakneck pace : in 1916 the Farm ' s 314 students occupied the original campus , but by 1951 it had already expanded to a size of . In 1959 , the campus was declared by the Regents of the University of California as the seventh general campus in the University of California system . 2011 Pepper Spray Incident . During a November 18 , 2011 protest against tuition hikes , campus police Lieutenant John Pike used pepper spray on seated students . The incident drew international attention and led to further demonstrations , a formal investigation , and Pike ' s departure in July 2012 . Campus . Size and Location . The University of California , Davis campus is the largest campus in the UC system by land area , spanning across two counties : Yolo and Solano . Though named after the City of Davis , the campus is technically located adjacent to the City of Davis in an unincorporated part of Yolo and Solano counties . The main campus is located west of Sacramento in the Sacramento Valley , part of California ' s Central Valley , and is adjacent to Interstate Highway 80 . The Davis campus is the only school within the UC system with an airport , just west of main campus , and is one of two UC schools with its own fire department ; the other being UCSC . The campus is also conveniently located approximately an hour away from both San Francisco and the Napa Valley and two hours from Lake Tahoe . It is also one of only two schools in the University of California system , the other being UC Berkeley , with a nuclear lab . The city of Davis , CA is a college town , with the ratio of students to long term residents estimated at 1 : 4 . Also contributing to the college - town environment is the close proximity of downtown Davis to the campus ' main quad — a matter of a few blocks , and 5 - 10 minute walk or bike ride . Davis ' 15 minute distance from Sacramento provides it with both the isolation critical to fostering a college - town environment while also providing a lively and large metropolitan area nearby . Though the campus itself is vast , the entire community of Davis is relatively small and is easily traversable on bike utilizing Davis ' extensive bicycle trails . Campus Core / Quad . Towards the northeast end of campus is the Quad , a large rectangular field , which was the historic geographic center of campus . Earlier in the campus ' history , the few campus buildings surrounded the four sides of the Quad . Today , though the campus has grown significantly and the geographic center of campus has shifted , the Quad remains the center of campus life , anchored to the north by the Memorial Union ( student union ) , to the south by Shields Library and to the West and Southeast by Wellman and Olson Halls respectively . The Memorial Union Complex houses Freeborn Hall and the Memorial Union , which houses various establishments such as the UC Davis Bookstore , ASUCD Coffee House ( Coho ) , ASUCD student government offices , Post Office , the MU Games Area ( video games and bowling alley ) , KDVS student radio station , study lounges , Campus Copies , Picnic Day Office , the Center for Student Involvement Office , and AggieTV Student Television . The northeast side of campus holds more of the core buildings that were built earlier in UC Davis ' s history , such as Wellman Hall , Shields Library , Mrak Hall , and Hutchison Hall , as well as the North Entry Parking Structure . Also notable in this northeastern corner is the labyrinthine Social Sciences and Humanities building designed by Antoine Predock , known to students as the " Death Star " for its angular , metallic design . South Main Campus & South Campus . The majority of Equestrian Center , and Animal Sciences buildings are located near the Arboretum Waterway , away from the core campus ; the West Entry Parking Complex , the Silo Union , and the newly constructed Science Lecture Hall and the Science Laboratory Building are located nearer to the Tercero residence halls and the core of campus . The Mondavi Center , home of the University Symphony Orchestra and other cultural events , is also located near the Tercero complex . West Campus . For most of UC Davis ' history , West Campus has served primarily as agricultural research land . Recently , portions were developed through a $ 300 million public - private partnership to form the largest zero net energy community in the United States , known as UC Davis West Village . West Village will provide housing for 3 , 000 students , faculty and staff and will help the university recruit and retain top faculty . The project will include 662 apartments , 343 single - family homes , 42 , 500 square feet of commercial space , a recreation center and study facilities . West Village will also host the first community college on a UC campus . The classes held in this area mainly involve plant sciences . Students in the classes maintain gardens as part of the PLS 5 lab . Arboretum . To the south side of the campus core is the 100 acre UC Davis Arboretum " , which includes 3 . 5 miles of paved paths , 4 , 000 tree specimens , Putah Creek and Lake Spafford . Artwork . There are five public art statues found around campus , collectively called The Egghead Series , sculpted by former art professor Robert Arneson who taught at Davis from 1962 - 1991 before his death in 1992 . Additional pieces of Arneson ' s work are part of the Fine Arts Collection maintained by the Richard L . Nelson Gallery located in the Art Building . " Bookhead " is located at the Shields Library plaza , " Yin & Yang " is located at the Fine Arts Complex , " See No Evil / Hear No Evil " is at the east lawn of King Hall ( the main building for UC Davis ' School of Law ) , " Eye on Mrak ( FatalLaff ) " is outside Mrak Hall ( housing the registrar office and other administrative offices ) , and " Stargazer " is located between North Hall and Young Hall . The " Yin & Yang " egg heads have been recast and duplicated for installation near the Port of San Francisco Ferry Building in San Francisco . Student Housing . The northwest end of campus holds the majority of the Segundo undergraduate housing complex and various alternative non - undergraduate housing such as Orchard Park , Russell Park , and The Colleges at LaRue Apartments . The Activities and Recreation Center , or the ARC , is also located near the Segundo complex . Adjacent to the northwest corner of campus is the Cuarto undergraduate housing complex , which has one dining common . The Tercero undergraduate housing complex is located near the true geographic center of the UC Davis campus , to the north of the Arboretum Waterway , which stretches longitudinally through almost the entirety of the south end of campus . The Davis Arboretum is a public botanic garden with over 4 , 000 kinds of trees and plants , including many California native plants , that stretches for over along The Waterway . The Cuarto undergraduate ( freshmen and transfer students ) housing complex is located just one block off - campus , across Russell Boulevard . Unlike the other undergraduate housing complexes , Cuarto is located within city limits qualifying its residents to vote in city elections ( other on - campus students can only vote in county elections ) . Demographics . In 2010 , the United States Census Bureau made UC Davis its own separate census - designated place for statistical purposes . Most of the campus lies outside the Davis city limit . However , mail to the campus is still addressed , " Davis , CA " . The 2010 United States Census reported that University of California Davis had a population of 5 , 786 . The population density was 3 , 966 . 8 people per square mile ( 1 , 531 . 6 / km² ) . The racial makeup of University of California Davis was 2 , 443 ( 42 . 2 % ) White , 144 ( 2 . 5 % ) African American , 22 ( 0 . 4 % ) Native American , 2 , 443 ( 42 . 2 % ) Asian , 7 ( 0 . 1 % ) Pacific Islander , 364 ( 6 . 3 % ) from other races , and 363 ( 6 . 3 % ) from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 728 persons ( 12 . 6 % ) . The Census reported that 2 , 561 people ( 44 . 3 % of the population ) lived in households , 3 , 225 ( 55 . 7 % ) lived in non - institutionalized group quarters , and 0 ( 0 % ) were institutionalized . There were 1 , 096 households , out of which 203 ( 18 . 5 % ) had children under the age of 18 living in them , 292 ( 26 . 6 % ) were opposite - sex married couples living together , 59 ( 5 . 4 % ) had a female householder with no husband present , 16 ( 1 . 5 % ) had a male householder with no wife present . There were 34 ( 3 . 1 % ) unmarried opposite - sex partnerships , and 5 ( 0 . 5 % ) same - sex married couples or partnerships . 245 households ( 22 . 4 % ) were made up of individuals and 1 ( 0 . 1 % ) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 2 . 34 . There were 367 families ( 33 . 5 % of all households ) ; the average family size was 2 . 75 . The population was spread out with 310 people ( 5 . 4 % ) under the age of 18 , 4 , 298 people ( 74 . 3 % ) aged 18 to 24 , 1 , 124 people ( 19 . 4 % ) aged 25 to 44 , 41 people ( 0 . 7 % ) aged 45 to 64 , and 13 people ( 0 . 2 % ) who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 19 . 6 years . For every 100 females there were 82 . 2 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 80 . 5 males . There were 1 , 125 housing units at an average density of 771 . 3 per square mile ( 297 . 8 / km² ) , of which 1 ( 0 . 1 % ) were owner - occupied , and 1 , 095 ( 99 . 9 % ) were occupied by renters . The homeowner vacancy rate was 0 % ; the rental vacancy rate was 0 . 6 % . 1 people ( 0 % of the population ) lived in owner - occupied housing units and 2 , 560 people ( 44 . 2 % ) lived in rental housing units . Organization and administration . The entire University of California system is governed by The Regents , a 26 - member board , as established under Article IX , Section 9 of the California Constitution . The board appoints the University ' s principal officers including the system - wide president and UC Davis Chancellor . " The UC Davis Chancellor is the Chief Executive Officer of an institution with a $ 3 billion annual budget , a $ 678 million research enterprise , central campus , 32 , 000 students and 28 , 000 employees . The current and sixth chancellor is Linda Katehi . The Chancellor has overall responsibility for the leadership , management , and administration of the campus and reports " as an equal " to the President of the University of California system , a position currently held by Mark Yudof . The Offices of the Chancellor and Provost is headed by the Executive Vice - Chancellor and Provost ( EVCP ) . In their capacity as Executive Vice - Chancellor , the EVCP shares with the Chancellor in the overall leadership and management of campus administration and operations , whereas as Provost , the EVCP is UC Davis ' chief academic officer . The Senior Staff provides executive support to the Offices of the Chancellor and Provost . The Council of Deans and Vice - Chancellor consists of the heads of the university ' s major academic and administrative units . Students are most likely to interact with or be directly affected by the Office of Student Affairs , which is run by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs , currently Fred Wood , and by a variety of associate and assistant vice - chancellors . This office oversees many campus units including : Admissions , Athletics , Campus Recreation , Campus Unions , Counseling and Psychological Services , Financial Aid , Student Housing and others . Academics . The University of California system was considered by Richard Moll to be among America ' s Public Ivy universities . The university has 102 undergraduate majors and 87 graduate programs . It has a Department of Viticulture and Enology ( concerning the scientific study of grape - growing and winemaking ) that has been and continues to be responsible for significant advancements in winemaking utilized by many Californian wineries . The campus is noted for its top - rated Agricultural and Resource Economics programs and the large Department of Animal Science through which students can study at the university ' s own on - campus dairy , meat - processing plant , equestrian facility , and experimental farm . Students of Environmental Horticulture and other botanical sciences have many acres of campus farmland and the University of California , Davis , Arboretum at their disposal . The Department of Applied Science was founded and formerly chaired by physicist Edward Teller . The arts are also studied extensively on campus with subjects such as studio art , design , music , theater and dance . The Design Department at UC Davis is the only comprehensive academic design unit of the University of California system . There is also the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts which features artists from all over the globe . UC Davis undergraduate majors are divided into four colleges : UC Davis has the following graduate and professional schools , the most in the entire UC system : The university is host to the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps ( ROTC ) program , with more than 120 cadets . With more than sixty years in existence , it currently commissions roughly 30 to 40 graduating seniors as second lieutenants every year . Rankings . UC Davis is considered as a Public Ivy . In 2013 , " U . S . News and World Report " ranked UC Davis as the 8th best public university in the United States , 38th nationally , and the 3rd best of the UC schools , after UC Berkeley ( 21st ) , UCLA ( 24th ) , and tied with UCSD ( 38th ) . " Washington Monthly " ranked UC Davis 17th in its 2012 National College Ranking based on the school ' s contributions to society . Also in 2012 , " Forbes " ranked UC Davis as 128th overall in the nation , 15th among public institutions , 39th among national research universities , and 3rd in the University of California , after UCLA and UC Berkeley . In 2013 " Kiplinger " ranked UC Davis 23rd out of the top 100 best - value public colleges and universities in the nation , and 6th in California . According to the 2011 - 2012 Top 50 Colleges and Universities in America published by " The Best Colleges " , UC Davis is ranked 27th nationally and 2nd among the UCs after UC Berkeley . The university has several distinguished graduate programs ranked in the top 10 in their fields by the United States National Research Council ; most notable are its programs in agricultural economics , entomology , evolutionary biology , plant biology , and ecology . Additionally , the NRC placed more than a third of UC Davis graduate programs in the top 25 % of their respective fields . " U . S . News & World Report " placed UC Davis 2nd nationally in Veterinary Medicine , 3rd in Ecology / Evolutionary Biology , 7th in Biological / Agricultural Engineering , 11th in Environmental Engineering , 13th in Topology , 14th in U . S . Colonial History , 15th in International Economics , and 19th in American Politics in 2013 . The " Academic Ranking of World Universities " placed UC Davis 33rd nationally and 47th globally for 2012 . In 2011 , " Times Higher Education World University Rankings " ranked it 38th in the world , while the " QS World University Rankings " ranked it 101st . In 2012 , " Sierra Magazine " ranked UC Davis as 1st for " Coolest School " in America due to the school ' s sustainability and climate change efforts . " Newsweek " ' s " College Rankings 2011 " placed UC Davis 10th for " Happiest Schools in America " and 11th among the " Greenest Schools " in the United States . UC Davis was awarded an A - from the " 2010 College Sustainability Report Card " , which grades schools on their level of environmental sustainability across nine categories . In 2011 , UC Davis was also ranked 8th in " Sierra " magazine ' s national " Cool Schools " rankings which center on environmental goals and achievements . The city of Davis have been ranked as the 2nd Best College Town in America and the Best College Downtown in California . Admissions . Admission to UC Davis is rated as " most selective " by " U . S . News and World Report " . UC Davis received 49 , 826 applications for admission to the Fall 2012 incoming freshman class ; 22 , 596 were admitted ( 45 . 3 % ) . Admitted applicants had an average high school GPA of 4 . 03 , an average ACT Composite score of 28 , and an average combined SAT score of 1901 ( average SAT scores of 611 for Critical Reading , 658 for Mathematics , and 632 for Writing ) . For Fall 2012 , 13 , 164 transfer applications were received ; 7 , 649 were admitted ( 58 . 1 % ) . 93 . 2 % of admitted transfer students were from California community colleges . Library . UC Davis ' libraries include the Peter J . Shields Library , the Physical Sciences & Engineering Library , the Carlson Health Sciences Library , and the Medical Center Library in Sacramento , contain more than 3 . 5 million volumes and offers a number of special collections and services . The Peter J . Shields Library has three different architectural styles due to various construction and extensions being added ; it is the main library where students study on - campus , with a 24 - hour reading room , open computer labs , and unique furniture . Faculty and research . UC Davis is also one of 62 members in the prestigious Association of American Universities ( as of 1996 ) . The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education . It consists of sixty universities in the United States ( both public and private ) and two universities in Canada . Research Expenditures . According to the National Science Foundation , UC Davis spent $ 456 , 653 , 000 on research and development in the fiscal year 2002 - 2003 , ranking it 14th in the nation . Specifically , UC Davis ' s expenditures nationally ranked first in agricultural research ( $ 25 , 683 , 000 ) , seventh in biological research ( $ 118 , 477 , 000 ) , and 13th in the life sciences ( $ 336 , 796 , 000 ) . Faculty Honors . Its faculty includes 20 members of the National Academy of Sciences , 11 members of the National Academy of Engineering , 21 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences , 2 Pulitzer Prize winners , 2 MacArthur Fellows and one member of the Royal Society . Research Centers and Laboratories . The campus supports a number of research centers and laboratories including : The Crocker Nuclear Laboratory on campus has had a nuclear accelerator since 1966 . The laboratory is used by scientists and engineers from private industry , universities and government to research topics including nuclear physics , applied solid state physics , radiation effects , and planetary geology and cosmogenics UC Davis is the only UC campus , besides Berkeley , that has a nuclear laboratory . Agilent Technologies will also work with the university in establishing a Davis Millimeter Wave Research Center to conduct research on millimeter wave and THz systems . Student life . The undergraduate student government of UC Davis is the Associated Students of UC Davis ( ASUCD ) , and has an annual operating budget of 11 . 1 million dollars , making it one of the largest - funded student government in the United States . ASUCD includes an Executive , Legislative , and Judicial branch . Other than representing the student body on campus , the task of ASUCD is to lobby student interests to local and state government . Also under the purview of ASUCD are the student - run Coffee House is an ASUCD unit and Unitrans , the Davis public bus system . ASUCD employs thousands of students annually across its many units . Picnic Day , UC Davis ' s annual Open House , is the largest student - run event in the United States . It attracts thousands of visitors each year with its many attractions . These include a parade , a magic show performed by the chemistry department , the Doxie Derby ( dachshund races ) , film screenings , and a Battle of the Bands between the Band and other college bands including the Cal Band , the Stanford Band , and the Humboldt State Marching Band . Another highlight of UC Davis is its student - run freeform radio station , KDVS . The station began operations on February 1 , 1964 from the laundry room of the all - male dormitory Beckett Hall . The station soon gained a reputation by airing interviews with Angela Davis and a live call - in show with then California Governor Ronald Reagan in 1969 . The station can now be heard on 90 . 3 FM and online at its website . UC Davis has some 400 registered student organizations , ranging from political clubs to professional societies to language clubs . Student clubs are managed through the Student Programs and Activities Center ( SPAC ) . The academic Graduate Students and management students are represented by the Graduate Student Association ( GSA ) . The Law Students are represented by Law Students Association . Students are also encouraged to wear Aggie Blue on game days to show their Aggie Pride . If spotted wearing Aggie Blue by the Aggie Pack , students may have UC Davis paraphernalia thrown at them as a reward . Students also participate in intramural sports such as basketball , ultimate frisbee , soccer and many more . The ARC contains a basketball gym , work out room , rock climbing wall , and other studio rooms for group exercise . One less - known student tradition occurs during the commencement ceremonies , where students toss tortillas into the air at the beginning of the ceremony . Tortillas are smuggled into the building under graduation gowns and released into the air after all the graduates have taken their seats . Other student activities Transportation . Bicyclists are ubiquitous around campus as well as the city , and thus a lot of bike - only infrastructure exists , such as bike circles , large bike lanes , and traffic signals exclusively for bikes and the UC Davis cycling team has won several national championship titles . The campus police department also has some of its officers patrol on bicycles and take bicycling under the influence ( " BUI " ) and bicycling without a headlight at night very seriously . All bikes on the UC Davis campus must be registered with a California Bicycle license or they risk being sold at the on campus bike auction . UC Davis is also well known for its bus service , Unitrans , and its trademark London double decker buses . It has been in operation since 1968 and is believed to be the only general purpose ( non - sightseeing ) transit system in the U . S . to operate vintage double deck buses in daily service . The system is operated and managed entirely by students and offers fixed - route transportation throughout the city . There is also an inter - campus bus service that ferries back and forth between UC Davis and UC Berkeley twice daily , from Monday to Friday . The central campus is bounded by freeways on two sides ( Highway 113 and Interstate 80 ) . All other UC campuses are either somewhat distant from the closest freeway or are directly adjacent to only one freeway . Two freeway exits are entirely within UCD ' s boundaries . One , off Highway 113 , is signed " UC Davis / Hutchison Drive " and the other , off Interstate 80 , is signed exclusively as " UC Davis . " Easy freeway access , coupled with increasing housing costs in the city of Davis , have led to increased numbers of students commuting via automobile . Some students choose to live in the neighboring communities of Sacramento , Dixon or Woodland , and use their own cars or the county - wide Yolobus to get to UC Davis . " The California Aggie " . UC Davis also publishes a daily student newspaper , " The California Aggie " . The " Aggie " was first published in 1915 as the " Weekly Agricola " after its approval by the Associated Student Executive Committee . At this point , UC Davis was considered the University Farm , an extension of UC Berkeley . Initially , the " Weekly Agricola " was focused on both student news and farming - related topics . Novelist Jack London was one of the first readers of the " Weekly Agricola " . In 1922 , it was renamed to match the school ' s athletic name . Today , the " Aggie " has the largest print distribution in Yolo County , at around 12 , 000 copies distributed daily . Greek life . Social fraternities and sororities have been a part of the University of California at Davis since 1913 . Approximately 8 % of the university ' s undergraduate students are involved in the school ' s fraternities and sororities . One sorority , Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi , was featured during the first season of the MTV reality show " Sorority Life . " There are currently 16 fraternities that are a part of the Interfraternity Council ( IFC ) in Davis . The IFC representatives attend weekly meetings to guarantee that all UC Davis rules and regulations are followed . The meetings are also used to inform the fraternities about all upcoming activities throughout the week . The 16 fraternities are : Alpha Epsilon Pi , Alpha Gamma Omega , Alpha Sigma Phi , Chi Phi , Delta Chi , Delta Sigma Phi , Lambda Chi Alpha , Pi Kappa Alpha , Phi Kappa Psi , Sigma Alpha Mu , Sigma Chi , Sigma Nu , Sigma Phi Epsilon , Tau Kappa Epsilon , Theta Chi , and Theta Xi . The Panehellenic Council is similar to the Interfraternity Council , but is the governing council for several sororities at UC Davis . They are responsible for organizing recruitment , and overseeing that all regulations are upheld . There are currently 8 sororities that are a part of the Panhellenic Council . The 8 sororities are : Alpha Chi Omega , Alpha Phi , Chi Omega , Delta Delta Delta , Delta Gamma , Kappa Alpha Theta , Kappa Kappa Gamma , and Pi Beta Phi . The Phi Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho was locally established May 1 of 1923 at UC Davis making it the first continuously running national fraternity on campus . They started as the Kappa Tau Fraternity , which was the first Agricultural Fraternity on campus . Many campus buildings are named after alumni of Alpha Gamma Rho such as Emil Mrak ( Mrak Hall , Registrar ' s office ) , Orville Thompson ( Thompson Hall , Segundo student housing ) , and Dean De Carli ( the De Carli room , 2nd floor MU ) , Mel Olson Scoreboard ( Aggie Stadium ) , and many more . The AGR Hall is an event space located inside the Buehler Alumni / Visitor ' s Center and is commonly rented out as a conference room or banquet hall . There are both national and local fraternities and sororities at UCD with diverse backgrounds and histories . Athletics . The UC Davis Aggies ( or Ags ) compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference . For football , the Aggies compete in Division I FCS ( formerly known as Division I - AA ) , and are members of the Big Sky Conference , granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team ( Cal and UCLA being the other two ) . The Aggies are also members of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation in gymnastics and lacrosse , the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Association and Davis Men ' s Crew Club for rowing . The UC Davis Men ' s Crew Club is one of the more successful clubs both on campus and in the West . In 2008 the JV boat won first in nationals at the ACRA Championships in Tennessee and in 2009 the Varsity boat got second place in nationals at the ACRA Championships . They consistently compete against teams such as Stanford , the University of Washington and UC Berkeley . The Aggies finished first in NCAA Division II six times in 2003 and won the NACDA Directors ' Cup 4 years in a row from 1999 to 2003 . In 1998 , the UC Davis men ' s basketball team won the NCAA Division II national championship despite being one of the few non - scholarship institutions in Division II at that time . They have also won NCAA Division II championships in Softball ( 2003 ) , Men ' s Tennis ( 1992 ) , and Women ' s Tennis ( 1990 , 1993 ) . These and other achievements motivated a decision ( following a year of heavy discussion by campus administrators , faculty , staff , students , alumni and the local community ) in 2003 for the athletics program to re - classify to Division I . The highlight of the recent 4 - year transition to Division I occurred on September 17 , 2005 , when the Aggies defeated the heavily favored Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium by a score of 20 - 17 on a TD pass with 8 seconds left in the game . The Aggies also pulled off an upset against Stanford in basketball just months later , beating the Cardinal 64 - 58 with a late rally at home on December 4 , 2005 . The win in these two major sports and the addition of the Aggies beating the Cardinal in soccer earlier in 2005 as well as a win in wrestling and two wins in baseball pulled the Aggies ' win loss record with Stanford to 5 - 1 for men ' s sports the 05 - 06 year . The Aggie football team plays Sacramento State in the annual Causeway Classic for the Causeway Carriage . The team also plays Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the annual Battle for the Golden Horseshoe . UC Davis students gather at sporting events to rally as the Aggie Pack , the largest student - run school spirit organization in the United States . The Aggie Pack cheers on the sports team along with the Spirit Squad to the music of the Cal Aggie Marching Band - uh ! and its alumni band . Aggie Stadium is the home of the UC Davis football and lacrosse teams . UC Davis also had a noteworthy wrestling program , which competed in the Pac - 10 at the Division I level . In 2007 , UC Davis wrestler Derek Moore gained All - American status , as well as won the NCAA Division I Championships for his weight class . Moore also received the " Most Outstanding Wrestler " award of the NCAA tournament . In doing so , Derek Moore became the first UC Davis student - athlete to become a NCAA champion at the Division I level . That same year , UC Davis finished within the top 25 for Division I collegiate wrestling programs in the country . Wrestling was cut from the athletic department in April 2010 . Other cuts included men ' s swimming , men ' s indoor track , and women ' s rowing . The athletic ' s department had to cut $ 1 . 79 million out of the budget . 14 women ' s teams and 9 men ' s teams were funded for the 2010 - 2011 school year . The official school colors are blue and gold . The blue is due to the UC ' s early connection to Yale and as a result is often referred to as " Yale Blue " ( e . g . , see ) , and although UCD ' s official blue , usually called " Aggie Blue " , Pantone 295 differs from Yale Blue ( approximately Pantone 289 ) The official school mascot is the mustang . Students at UC Davis are referred to as Aggies in honor of the school ' s agricultural heritage . Unlike most colleges , there is a distinction between the name for students and the mascot . There was a movement to change the school ' s mascot from the mustang to the cow , but despite student support this was turned down after opposition from alumni . Many people will call the mustang mascot of UC Davis an Aggie , but this is not its proper name ; the mustang mascot is named Gunrock . The name dates to 1921 when the US Army brought a thoroughbred horse named Gunrock to UC Davis to supply high - quality breeding stock for the US Cavalry remount program . The mustang mascot was selected to honor that cavalry horse . Sustainability . UC Davis has implemented many environmentally sustainable features on campus . In the Fall of 2010 , UCD opened a renovated Dining Commons in the Cuarto living area . The dining hall prides itself on its sustainability and use of local produce . Currently there are two LEED - certified buildings operated by the university — the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science , which is the first brewery , winery or food - processing facilities in the world to achieve Platinum - level certification , and the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences at Lake Tahoe , one of only five laboratories in the world to achieve Platinum - level certification . Plans call for additional campus buildings to meet standards equivalent to LEED Silver , and for the development of UC Davis West Village as a " zero net energy " community . The university was given two Best Practice Awards at the 2009 annual Sustainability Conference , held by the University of California , California State University and the California Community Colleges , for the campus ' s lighting retrofit project and sustainable design in new construction . UC Davis has used the olives from the old trees on campus to produce olive oil and table olives , and the school uses drought - tolerant landscaping on and around campus . The campus also operates its own landfill , where it converts landfill ( methane ) gas to energy . For its efforts in campus sustainability , UC Davis earned an A - on the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card , one of 27 schools to achieve the highest grade awarded . UC Davis became the first University to implement a fee on all single - use bags distributed on campus and is working towards becoming the first university campus to ban plastic bags entirely . UC Davis is also home to the Agricultural Sustainability Institute ( ASI ) , which is part of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences ( CAES ) . ASI provides leadership for research , teaching , outreach , and extension efforts in agricultural and food systems sustainability at the Davis campus and throughout the UC system . UC Davis , introduced by Arnold Schwarzenegger as the " environmental capital of the world " , hosted Governors ' Global Climate Summit 3 ( GGCS3 ) which is an international climate forum for the top leaders of local , regional , national and international entities , as well as those from academia , business and nonprofit . The summit featured talks that promised to broaden national partnerships through an increased understanding of unique environmental and economic challenges in the continuation to grow a clean , green economy . The summit included more than 1 , 500 attendees from more than 80 countries .