January 19, 2023

Cleanup begins on campus after an onslaught of heavy storms

BY SYDNEY AMESTOY campus@theaggie.org

The UC Davis campus and surrounding area sustained damage as a result of heavy storms in Northern California throughout the rst two weeks of the new year, and cleanup e orts are now underway.

Seventy-four trees had fallen on campus as of Jan. 9, according to Katie Hetrick, the communications director for UC Davis Grounds and Landscape services. A large eucalyptus tree fell and caused damage to Kemper Hall, and three cork oaks came down on Mrak Hall.

“Winds came through the campus from the east, a direction unusual in this area,” Hetrick said. “Our winds usually come from the south, a condition our trees have grown up experiencing and preparing their roots for.”

UC Davis Grounds and Landscape Services, in collaboration with groundskeepers for the Arboretum and Putah Creek Riparian Reserve, are currently leading the cleanup e orts across campus. According to Hetrick, this e ort will likely take months to complete.

“Clearing e orts are happening simultaneously [with the storms],” Hetrick said. “Before the majority of students arrived back on campus, downed trees and large messes of debris were cleared from student housing areas, major pathways and storm drains. But the overall cleanup e ort is going to take months and will include irrigation system restoration where uprooted trees have damaged infrastructure and

landscape renovations.”

Minor ooding in parts of the Arboretum did occur, according to Hetrick, but there was not any signi cant damage to the area because groundskeeping teams prioritized clearing storm drains of debris during and after storms.

According to a recent UC Davis press release, many student residence halls lost power sporadically during the rst couple weeks of January, including all of the Cuarto buildings. e Green also experienced power outages and some smaller downed trees, but no other major damage, according to e Green’s Director Marshall Walters.

“One of our buildings lost power on two separate occasions, for about 15 hours each occurrence,” Walters said. “ e electricity outage, in turn, caused residents to lose hot water, WiFi and power to the exterior doors.”

Power has since been restored to all residence halls as well as at e Green, according to the release. Hetrick said that campus facilities largely retained power throughout the storms because their power lines run underground and are therefore protected from the risk of falling trees.

Despite not losing power at any point during the storms, the Memorial Union (MU) did experience some water damage as a result of the rain.

“We did have spots of isolated leaking in the east hallway, the Co ee House dining [area] and by the door leading to the MU South Patio,” Janna

Tolla, the director of the MU, said. “[We] will therefore need ceiling tiles replaced and likely some patches sealed up on the roof.”

According to Tolla, the MU weathered the storm well in part due to preventative measures taken to clear leaves from its drains and gutters during fall quarter by Facilities Management.

“I can’t emphasize how much we rely on them and how thankful I am that they were here in between storms to care for campus and the Memorial Union,” Tolla said.

Over the past few years, the UC Davis Campus Planning o ce and the Arboretum and Public Garden team have jointly created a long-term plan known as the UC Davis Living Landscape Adaptation Plan (LLAP) to help prepare campus landscaping for extreme weather events and environmental changes in the future, according to Hetrick.

“Students in the Arboretum and Public Garden’s Learning by Leading program are already at the center for many of these e orts, including helping with the planting of 200 trees last year,” Hetrick said.

According to the Arboretum website, the LLAP includes “strategies to transition our tree canopy, enhance the biodiversity of our landscapes [and] secure sustainable water sources.” Hetrick said that this plan was created with storms like the ones the past few weeks in mind.

What Davis’s new city council plans to achieve after November election

BY MADELEINE YOUNG city@theaggie.org

On Dec. 1, the Davis City Council election results were released, with Bapu Vaitla and Gloria Partida winning districts one and four with 59.7% and 62.4% of the total votes, respectively.

Both Vaitla and Partida shared similar platforms advocating for a ordable housing, as well as addressing homelessness and climate change. Vaitla spoke about his goals for the city, which include building new housing units to address housing issues in the district.

“What I hope to achieve is [that] we have a target for a ordable housing,” Vaitla said. “By the end of the decade, we need to build this housing unit. So over the next four years, I want us to get at least halfway toward that target. I also want to arrive at zero functional homelessness by the end of four years.”

Jackson Mills, a third-year student and the director of political a airs for the Davis College Democrats talked about his experience working for Partida.

“It was a pleasure to work with Councilmember Partida this past election cycle,” Mills said. “She was facing a challenger, so we really tried to go all-in with our support. Even though the atmosphere surrounding the election was often quite tense, Ms. Partida and her campaign did their best to foster a positive environment for everyone involved in her reelection e orts, and I think it clearly paid o .”

Similarly to Vaitla, Partida campaigned with a strong emphasis on housing policies. Mills talked about how he believes Partida is prepared to address the housing issue in Davis.

“Her policy beliefs and actions on housing and homelessness demonstrate her compassion for the community, particularly for its most vulnerable

and marginalized groups,” Mills said. “She understands that these problems are linked and must be dealt with as such. e cries of a vocal group of Davis residents trying constantly to stymie necessary homelessness prevention measures and a ordable housing development are no match for Ms. Partida’s commitment to building a more inclusive, a ordable and restorative community.”

Siyona Roychourdhury, a rst-year political science major who interns at the Davis Journal of Legal Studies, also shared her excitement to have Partida reelected.

e city of Davis, California may seem small or insigni cant sometimes,” Roychourdhury said. “ erefore, we may not believe that its politics are important to the grand scheme of things. However, Gloria Partida, the rst Latina mayor of Davis, has had more of an impact than most know. She represents the advancement of women of color in modern politics; she has paved the way for more to come after her.”

Medication abortions are now available through UC Davis Student Health

BY MARIA MARTINEZ CASTRO features@theaggie.org

e new year has brought a new wave of laws to California, some of them pertaining to reproductive rights.

As of Jan. 1, in conjunction with Senate Bill (SB) 24, which passed in 2019 and went into e ect at the start of 2023, University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses are required to provide medication abortion to students in their student health centers.

Medication abortion is a safe and e ective way to terminate an early pregnancy by taking two pills less than 11 weeks into a pregnancy.

Indira D’Souza, a fourth-year global disease biology major and president of Students for Reproductive Freedom (SRF) at UC Davis, said SB 24 is impactful on students’

reproductive rights.

“SB 24 [is] a really awesome bill [that] passed in 2019, requiring CSU and UC campuses to provide medication abortion or abortion pills for students at their student health centers,” D’Souza said. “ ere was a study at UCSF that found that implementing this bill will impact about 6,000 students. So, I think that makes a huge di erence across all of our campuses.”

Stephanie Ha, a fourth-year human development major and sexual wellbeing student coordinator at the UC Davis LoveLab, said that SB 24 allows students to make decisions about their bodies and reproductive health.

“We think it’s very important to be inclusive and credible resources for all UC Davis students so that they can make decisions that are best for themselves in their own bodies and in their own lives,” Ha said. “For Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) to provide medication abortion allows students to make these decisions for themselves.”

e LoveLab, a mobile cart located on the third oor of the Student Health and Wellness Center, provides safer sex products such as condoms and dental dams. Additionally, the LoveLab focuses on sharing educational information, as well as promoting reproductive health services, such as those in the SHCS center.

Students can access long-acting reversible contraceptives such as the ring and IUDs at the SHCS center, according to Blake Flaugher, a sexual well-being specialist in health education and promotion within student health and counseling. ere is an additional cost to contraceptives for students not insured by SHIP.

Both the LoveLab and SRF acknowledge that conversations around sexual health and reproductive rights are often deemed taboo. However, as supporters of bodily autonomy and sexual well-being, both entities understand that having these conversations is crucial in creating a safe environment for students, according to Alison Khan, a fourthyear human development major and LoveLab sexual well-being student coordinator.

“We say to just talk about it,” Khan said. “Everyone can learn about sexual and reproductive health and the barriers and stigmas surrounding these topics through reliable sources such as the LoveLab. By learning more

and talking about these [topics], we can bring awareness to reproductive rights issues and support students and reproductive rights.”

SRF starts these conversations in weekly meetings and at tabling events.

“We de nitely want to make people not just aware but feel comfortable talking about abortion and sexual health in their everyday life,” D’Souza said. “It doesn’t have to be like this taboo, forbidden thing that someone has to be ashamed about.”

In light of the overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, people have started to wonder about the future of reproductive rights across the country, as it is changing state by state.

“We have seen an increase in the

number of students who reach out with questions about birth control and abortion access,” Ha said.

D’Souza says having medical abortion access on campuses for students is highly bene cial. While at universities, many students face more responsibilities and restrictions than they are used to. Some students might have multiple jobs or have unreliable access to transportation that could prevent them from accessing abortion services outside campus boundaries.

“ e rst [bene t] is that students get access,” D’Souza said. “Many students at universities, especially at UC Davis, don’t have cars. We bike everywhere [...] so, [SB 24] creates access within really close distance. While people are going about their lives, they can also go to the health center and receive abortion and necessary healthcare if they need it.”

SB 24 implementation also creates a bene t for individuals that have been denied access to abortion services in other states.

“[Medication abortion on campuses] also frees up some of those appointments for people who are coming from out of state,” D’Souza said. “Because of the fall of Roe v. Wade, we’re seeing an in ux of people coming from other states into California, Oregon and Washington. It’s really important that we expand access, like on UC campuses, so that we are accessing abortions here.”

While SB 24 does make medical abortion more available to students at UC Davis, D’Souza explained that given the university’s resources, UC Davis could do even more to expand their abortion services.

Newcomer Vaitla and incumbent Partida sworn into office on Jan. 15

City Council Elections are held in the Davis City Hall. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

California Senate Bill 24 further protects students’ reproductive rights amid the overturn of Roe v. Wade

Flooding, downed trees affect UC Davis campus as storms continue

A tree fell on the egghead outside Mrak Hall during the New Years Eve storm. (Gregory Urquiaga / Courtesy)

NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE

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UC Davis Women’s Basketball Team Cruises Past CSU Northridge

e Aggies’ three-point shooting and bench were integral to the team’s success.

On-campus COVID-19 testing officially ends, updated booster compliance rate drops

Nearly three years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, UC Davis has ended on-campus PCR testing, although the city of Davis continues to track the virus through wastewater testing

BY LEV FERRIS GOLDBERG campus@theaggie.org

As winter quarter begins, the COVID-19 landscape at UC Davis looks very di erent than it did a year ago.

The university has scaled back many pandemic responses — as of Dec. 14, 2022, Healthy Davis Together’s saliva-based testing on campus has come to an end.

Reported COVID-19 cases on campus reached their lowest point in several months during December, according to the Campus Ready website. e drop in cases comes after UC Davis eliminated the campus testing requirement prior to fall

quarter, meaning that some cases may have gone unreported.

UC Davis reached nearly a 100% vaccination rate last year, but as of Jan. 17, only 26% of students and 29% of campus employees have made the decision to receive all of the boosters currently approved, according to the UC Davis COVID-19 Dashboard.

Last fall, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved the most recent booster, known as the “bivalent booster,” for ages ve and older. e CDC updated eligibility to include everyone six months and older in December.

Boosters and third doses can be scheduled through UC Davis Health, and vaccination status can be updated on the Health-e-Messaging portal.

Antigen tests are available for pickup through March at the Memorial Union, Student Health and Wellness Center and the front desks at the ARC and Shields Library. In addition, according to the Campus Ready website, students in residence halls can nd antigen test kits at their respective Area Service desk, which are located in each residence hall area and operated by student sta who are trained to help assist students with questions about the

residence halls.

For community saliva testing, Yolo County testing sites have availability.

Since Healthy Davis Together shut down testing locations on campus, data on COVID-19 levels in the community now comes primarily from wastewater testing.

According to Dr. Aimee Sisson, Yolo County’s health o cer, the level of COVID-19 virus found in Davis wastewater has reached an all-time high. Sisson reported the rise to the Yolo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Jan. 10. Sisson said that she credits the

increase to the new Omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5. And while recorded campus and community case rates remain low, that could in part be due to the end of Healthy Davis Together’s PCR testing. e county’s case rate of 7.9 cases per 100,000 residents per day is likely a signi cant underestimation, according to Sisson.

“I continue to recommend four actions,” Sisson told the Board of Supervisors. “Vaccination against u and COVID; wearing a mask indoors; regular hand washing; and staying home when you’re sick.”

Natalie Corona Committee holds tabling event at Davis Farmers Market

BY LA RISSA VASQUEZ city@theaggie.org

On Jan. 21, the Natalie Corona Committee will be tabling at the Davis Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. to share design and construction updates about the memorial splash pad, Natalie’s Corner, in Central Park.

e Natalie Corona Committee is a community-based organization formed by Davis City Council to discuss, plan and build a memorial for O cer Natalie Corona who was shot and killed on duty on Jan. 10, 2019.

Brett Lee, a former city council member and liaison for the committee for three years, explained how the splash pad idea came about.

“The idea was [to] make sure whatever’s proposed to remember O cer Corona is kind of in sync with what the community is interested in,” Lee said. “ ere were a variety of di erent ideas that came forward and the one that seemed to be the most

popular, both a few years ago [and then] the committee recon rmed, was [to plan a] splash pad feature in Central Park.”

e splash pad will be the latest design in water e ciency and sanitation by UC Davis Civil and Environmental Engineer Dr. Bassam Younis. Younis explained how his design works to clean the water that will be in the splash pad.

“I provide the technology for disinfecting the water produced by this splash band before it is applied on landscaping,” Younis said. “ e water produced in this splash pad contains pathogens; these pathogens have to be inactivated before the water can be safely reused. ere are many technologies to inactivate pathogens.

One of them is using ultraviolet light and I have a new system developed with my graduate students at UC Davis in order to inactivate pathogens using UV

light. It’s a unique design feature of how to treat water with ultraviolet light and it will be installed at the splash pad.”

Younis will be showing a model of the system at the tabling event.

Jenny Tan, the community engagement director for the city of Davis, oversees all public communications about construction activities for the installation of the splash pad. She said that as of now, the construction of Natalie’s Corner is set to begin in Oct. 2023.

“The committee is looking for monetary donations and construction materials [and] services related to the project,” Tan said. “We recommend that residents stop [by] the Farmers Market table to learn more about the e ort.”

Lois Wolk, a retired state senator and former Davis mayor, is now the chair of the committee. He explained

how the project is being funded and carried out.

“We were very fortunate in that we got a state grant for $2.7 million, and that was really a wonderful thing, so [the city is] obligated by the state grant [to] participate with some funding,” Wolk said. “One of our jobs is to get volunteers and to get in-kind contributions and monetary contributions from the city, from people in the city [and] ordinary citizens who want to help.”

According to Wolk, community input into the development of Natalie’s Corner is an opportunity for the design of the splash pad to re ect O cer Corona’s personality and legacy of service to the Davis community.

“Right now we’re in the process [of talking] about design and fundraising, like the benches or the tables or the ceramic tiles where people can put

their names,” Wolk said.“The idea was that the splash pad [should be] something that would re ect families, would be free to the community, it would highlight friendship, and […] be open to the community. It should re ect [O cer Corona’s] personality. For example, she loved sun owers, and with the splash pad, there’s a real opportunity for a design that re ects sun owers.”

e community can learn more about the project at www.cityofdavis. org/r/splash-pad or by contacting Committee Chair Lois Wolk at lgwolk@dcn.org or Committee Member Brett Lee at brett2001@ gmail.com. To donate to the Corona remembrance feature, visit sacregcf. org/nataliescorner.

The committee will share updates about the design and construction of Corona’s memorial splash pad

/ AGGIE

NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE

UC Davis on-campus COVID-19 testing site officially closed at the end of 2022. (Aggie File)

Debate over free speech versus hate speech on college campuses raises censorship concerns

Self-censorship and fear of social retribution may be hindering conversations in the classroom

BY REBEKA ZELJKO features@theaggie.org

On Oct. 25, 2022, Turning Point USA, a student-led conservative group, organized an event hosting speaker Stephen Davis on the UC Davis campus. However, the event was canceled before it started after protests and counterprotests outside turned violent.

Protestors “fought among themselves, used pepper spray, knocked over barricades […] and beat on the glass of the UC Davis Conference Center,” according to a statement released by UC Davis.

The university’s statement also emphasized its commitment to upholding free speech on campus, saying, “We a rm the right of our students — in this instance, Turning Point USA at UC Davis — to invite speakers to our campus, just as we a rm the right of others to protest speakers whose views they nd upsetting or o ensive.”

A 2022 study from the Knight Foundation published findings regarding college students’ views on free speech on campus. “A growing majority believe their school’s climate sti es free expression,” according to the study. In 2021, 65% of students “strongly [or] somewhat agree that the climate at their school or on their campus prevents some people from saying things they believe because others might nd it o ensive.”

Joel Landis, Ph.D., a lecturer for the UC Davis Political Science Department, has been paying close attention to this issue.

“It does not feel like these are isolated incidents,” Landis said. “It does feel as if, particularly during the Trump administration, passions ran high, and things got worse. At the same time, violence against conversations we don’t like is something we have always seen. Toleration for the ideas we hate is an unnatural virtue that must be developed in every generation.”

Many students feel the virtue of toleration is hard to come by.

Megan Acarregui, a fourth-year civil engineering major and chair of the UC Davis College Republicans, noted her experience at UC Davis with ideological intolerance.

“I was afraid I wouldn’t have acceptance from my peers because of my political beliefs,” Acarregui said. “I lost friends over it even though I didn’t really do anything. I mean, if someone asks my opinion I’m not going to lie about it, but it feels like they didn’t even try to understand my point of view.”

e growing concern is that this attitude of intolerance for dissenting views is trickling into the classroom.

Jonathan Dahlsten, a third-year graduate student in political science, said that he believes intolerance negatively impacts the quality of education on college campuses.

ere is an amount of freedom of speech that is required to have these discussions imperative for a robust, liberal education,” Dahlsten said. “If

we can’t have these discussions here, we cannot have them anywhere. at doesn’t mean putting up with direct hate speech, but we should have discussions about hate speech and consider the arguments on both sides.”

Some students call for the regulation of “hate speech,” de ned by the American Library Association as “any form of expression through which speakers intend to vilify, humiliate, or incite hatred against a group or a class of persons on the basis of race, religion, skin color sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, disability, or national origin.”

Maximilian Isensee, a fourthyear political science major, said that the presence of hate speech and the negatives that come with it outweigh the positives of having diverse views in the classroom.

“Schools are a place for learning, and every student should be given the same level of safety and comfortability in that environment,” Isensee said. “But hate speech deters the learning process, and does a disservice to the students a ected by it, so universities should make a point to prevent and punish those who participate in any speech that harms fellow students.”

On the other hand, some students think that labeling dissenting views as hate speech can diminish productive conversation and reduce the quality of education.

“You are here to learn how to think and speak e ectively and how to think critically,” Acarregui said. “If people say you can’t even talk about it because you will spread a hateful message, you are silencing opinions and history that could be repeated.”

Acarregui said she feels that the polarized nature of our conversations is damaging and fosters more extremism.

“If you’re not allowed to talk about these things, it can become reactionary,” Acarregui said. “People should learn why we don’t tolerate certain things, not just that we shouldn’t.”

e subjectivity of the term hate speech and its varying de nitions are a point of concern for some students.

“Just because someone doesn’t agree with the majority opinion on campus doesn’t mean they are spreading hate speech,” Dahlsten said. “Deeming something as hate speech states that that’s the end of the conversation. It’s a condemnation, and it can be wellwarranted, but you need to be very careful about what you deem as hate speech.”

Landis argues that the utility of hate speech laws necessarily varies from one context to the other.

“I would not apply the same rules for the classroom that I would the quad or the street corner,” Landis said. “One of the ideas behind hate speech codes is to foster an environment in which everyone can feel equal in the community. Minorities and majorities

can be equal participants in discovering the truth. I don’t think the classroom is the appropriate place to say we cannot discuss the idea because it’s controversial. Every idea is subject to inquiry.”

However, these stigmatized conversations that many think ought to take place in a university have been stunted in recent years, according to a Campus Expression Survey from Heterodox Academy. Student hesitancy to express political perspectives for fear of retribution has been increasing.

According to the survey, “60% of college students expressed reluctance to discuss at least one controversial topic,” the category with the highest reluctance being politics. Additionally, “Republican and Independent students were more reluctant to discuss controversial topics compared with Democrat students.” is self-censorship is undercutting the educational process and hindering productive conversation in appropriate settings, according to Landis. But not all students believe forms of censorship are okay.

“In my opinion, hate speech should be shunned by the general public,” Isensee said. “But it is still within a person’s right to use those words if they so choose. We cannot as a society completely ban and silence people just because we disagree with them and what they are saying.”

e social consequences of being part of an ideological minority have a ected the behavior of students, both on and o campus. Acarregui said her personal experiences caused her to feel socially isolated.

“I lived in a sorority house full of girls who thought completely the opposite of me politically, which I was used to,” Acarregui said. “But it was really frustrating when they didn’t reciprocate the respect I gave them.”

Acarregui said that she felt like she was experiencing constant social retribution for her beliefs, which ultimately led to her leaving the sorority.

Landis said that self-censorship and censorship should be di erentiated and that self-censorship is the “problem” we are seeing more and more in social and academic institutions.

“I would say that it has become increasingly apparent that students are self-censoring in the classroom and the ‘spiral of silence’ has gotten worse,” Landis said.

Landis suggests that the quality of classroom conversation is reduced because of this hesitancy to be a part of the dissent.

e perceived majority becomes more and more entrenched and becomes more popular, and it’s particularly fatal for the classroom,” Landis said. “When the only students speaking are the ones speaking the orthodox opinions of the day, you destroy the classroom.”

“I think o ering medication abortion on campus is good […] but if you’re not providing transportation to students, if you’re not providing small grants to students to cover costs, I don’t think that’s doing enough,” D’Souza said. “It’s up to organizations like us to o er the rides and o er cost support.”

D’Souza says o ering surgical abortion could be a further improvement on the part of the UC.

“We’re connected to a worldclass health system,” D’Souza said. “UC Davis Health de nitely has the resources. It just needs to be more

inclusive of the UC Davis community as a whole.”

Groups and resources such as SRF and the LoveLab are central in the e orts to provide students with information and access to safe sex and reproductive rights and services on campus. According to student activists and educators, universities should continue the path of fully protecting students’ reproductive rights as well as making abortion and sexual health education more equitable and accessible for all.

Vaitla, who won his election against incumbent Councilmember Dan Carson, shared what he’s looking forward to while in o ce.

“You’re working together to show people that no matter how chilled with despair we might be about the state of

our world or our country, that we can make powerful change here at home and be a model for innovation,” Vaitla said. at kind of cooperative work with folks in the community that I haven’t even met yet. I think is what I’m most excited about.”

UC Davis students and staff participate in numerous strikes and protests to voice their opinions. Students marched in 2019 for climate change. (Aggie File)

Think before you buy

Clever marketing tactics and how to avoid them

It may be time to ditch your New Year’s resolutions

BY CLAIRE SCHAD cfschad@ucdavis.edu

Eat healthier, lose weight, minimize your screen time — these are all goals that tend to be shoved in our faces sometime in late December or early January. Whether it is through TV commercials, social media posts or annoying spam emails, people are obsessed with the idea that the new year must be a time of change and intense self-betterment.

While I understand the bene t of setting goals and wanting to make this year better than the last, too often these resolutions only serve to create more stress heading into the new year.

make you anxious, try setting your goals separate from any unnatural schedule. If you do want to set some goals in the new year, however, consider making smaller resolutions that are less daunting. Maybe this looks like setting more time aside for self-care this quarter or trying a few new recipes that look exciting to you this month. One of the common reasons that New Year’s resolutions add stress is that they are too drastic and its easy to fail to achieve them.

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Over the course of your life, you’ve probably made a few — or maybe more than a few — regrettable purchases. Perhaps it was a pair of jeans that were trending that just didn’t t or something you bought on sale and never touched again.

Often, money slips through our ngers before we have a chance to consider what we are spending it on.

Impulsive purchases are becoming increasingly common for college students and are especially problematic for those of us who want to save money or don’t have a lot to begin with. If you’re growing more worried about protecting yourself from clever marketing schemes, fear not: I am here to explain exactly how to navigate and successfully avoid the traps of a salesperson.

First, it is important to be aware of how much human psychology plays a role in what you decide to buy. Companies tend to appeal to emotion, specifically our natural desire for comfort and our pursuit of happiness. In my experience, people generally respond well to kindness, and many sales are made based on human connections, not statistics.

is is why the concept of “customer connections” is such a crucial part of customer service. Having worked at Starbucks for nearly two years, this idea of connecting and reconnecting with regular customers has been drilled into my daily routine — each shift I say “Hello” as someone walks through the door, “ ank you” as they leave and inquire about their day when taking an order.

True, I do this mainly to be friendly and to hopefully make someone’s day.

But the fact still remains that Starbucks continues to prioritize this type of customer interaction because getting personal with a customer is the single most e ective way to secure a sale. is draws from the idea that you’re likely to revisit that location and make another purchase, if only to catch up with your favorite barista.

us, when a salesperson asks for your name or encourages you to share information about your day or personal life, they are likely searching for a piece of information to create a relationship that they can use to their advantage. Behold, the psychological concept of reciprocity — you give what you get.

Another key aspect of selling a product comes from streamlining a buyer’s train of thought in order to keep a given product or service at the top of their minds. Priming, or the careful introduction of speci c words or images, creates a lter through which a consumer unconsciously examines another concept or product. For example, a car advertisement featuring a red background and words like “ re” and “speed” can direct a customer to check the safety ratings, while a groovy, colorful background can have the buyer browsing car models and styles.

Selective attention, or con rmation bias, is another way marketers strategically in uence your thoughts.

e Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, coined in 1994, illustrates how discovering a new thing, word or idea causes you to notice it more frequently, and each time you see it you begin to treat it as additional proof that the product or service is everywhere.

But wait, there’s more. Free trials are a common and very e ective method to hook a customer on a product, for fear of losing access to what they quickly grew accustomed to using. e

reason links back to the ndings from a 1990 study conducted by Nobel Prizewinning Psychologist and Behavioral Economist Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues. e group ultimately found that people are more likely to act when they have something to lose, rather than when they have something to gain.

Finally, humans are social animals. However introverted some of us may be, we crave the company of others and regularly conform to social norms and expectations. When choosing to purchase something, the rst thing many of us do is check the ratings: “What did other people think? Did they like it? Did they not like it? What were the issues with the product, and would I have issues with it as well?” We rely constantly on the recommendation and criticism of others, so when we see people readily purchasing something, we purchase it too.

On the other hand, it is important to keep in mind that people can also be unreliable. Often, companies overexaggerate or misrepresent data in order to convince buyers of a product’s scarcity or excellence. Some stretch the numbers on their graphs, falsify comparisons or don’t add units altogether. Critically examining any data a company presents is crucial.

With knowledge of these psychological tricks in your back pocket, you can, at the very least, recognize when a salesperson is trying to manipulate you and avoid purchases you haven’t fully decided on. All you need is some practice!

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by e California Aggie.

So how should we combat this? Should we stop crafting new year’s resolutions altogether? Should we set more modest goals? For me, the answers to these questions are still unclear and something that I struggle with. However, one thing I have found to be helpful is taking o the pressure that Jan. 1 is the day that everything must shift.

After all, we all have lives, many of which don’t heavily revolve around the rst of the year. As a college student, I nd it easier to break up my year with the academic schedule and view each quarter as a time for new opportunities and experiences.

However, this idea isn’t only useful for those of us involved in academics. Maybe you’re a working professional that schedules your year around your annual family vacation, or a parent whose child’s schedule largely dictates your life or maybe your life changes with the seasons. Whatever the case may be, for a lot of us, the Jan. 1 deadline is largely arbitrary.

So if New Year’s resolutions tend to add to the stress of the season and

Try adding new things to your life that spark joy, but don’t force yourself to do something a set number of times. Focus on adding things that enrich your life, not cutting out or xing things that you feel are “bad.” If you leave out the frequency parameters from your goals, you may feel more inclined to achieve them because you actually want to rather than because you have a fear of failing.

No matter how hard you try, you won’t be a di erent person on Jan. 1, so don’t expect yourself to be able to instantly ip a switch and adopt a new lifestyle. Free yourself from the unrealistic goals society tells us we need to set and don’t feel bad doing it.

We have all been through a lot in the past few years and we must give ourselves grace. If New year’s resolutions cause you stress, ditch them. Find new, better ways to craft goals that add to your life, focusing on joy, not restriction.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by e California Aggie.

Why are eggs so expensive now?

The cause of our “egg-flation” and what we can do about it

BY MICHELLE MENDOZA mimendoza@ucdavis.edu

I never expected to struggle to find eggs. On average, Americans consume roughly 285.7 eggs per year, and per capita consumption of eggs has increased by 15% in the past 20 years, totaling 96.9 billion eggs in 2020. Eggs are a staple in Americans’ diets due to their low cost, their “egg-cellent” protein content and their versatility. It did not seem too long ago when I could pick up a pack of a dozen eggs for roughly $2 or $3, but it seems that, overnight, prices skyrocketed to more than $10.

In early 2022, a flu outbreak infected an immense amount of chickens across America. is disease, which is causing the current “eggation,” is called avian in uenza. is Highly Pathogenic Avian In uenza (HPAI) virus can infect poultry such as turkeys, quail, domestic ducks and, in this case, chickens.

Avian u is very contagious among birds. Birds can shed avian in uenza A viruses in their saliva, nasal secretion and feces, and chickens become infected through contact with contaminated

waterfowl or surfaces. e virus can cause respiratory and digestive problems that result in swelling, which can be fatal. Due to its highly contagious and deadly nature, any possible ock contamination must be stamped out quickly, or it can be detrimental to the community. In just the last year, HPAI has killed roughly 60 million birds.

Even though this event has been considered one of the deadliest U.S. bird u outbreaks in history, similar outbreaks have been frequent over the past 10 years. e virus has been

detected in many places around the world, including ailand, Europe and Canada. In this case, the rapid spread of the bird u may be due to the cramped conditions many chickens live in due to factory farming.

Factory farming is the primary method that the United States and other countries use to raise animals and produce food products. Farmers sometimes go to extreme lengths to make a pro t, including con ning a large number of chickens in the smallest of cages, debeaking them to

prevent natural behavior and physically manipulating them to produce more eggs, either through genetic mutation or arti cial daylight.

People are becoming more aware of their food’s living conditions. As of Jan. 1, the state of California passed Proposition 12, also known as the Farm Animal Con nement Initiative, which requires that animals sold and produced must be held in cage-free housing.

“Cage-free” refers to farm environments where chickens that produce eggs live in open indoor spaces that can increase their quality of life. Even in these environments though, many animals are still con ned in windowless buildings that are overcrowded. ey still endure harsh and cruel lives.

But what can we do? Even if the chicken’s treatment may not matter to some, the environmental impact of factory farming may concern you. Gas emissions from chickens make up a considerable chunk of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture sector. Chicken farms can also a ect local ecosystems; drinking water, air and soil are all impacted by the overfarming of chickens. As long as factory farming remains popular, “eggation” will still be an issue.

It is hard to dismantle the systems in place for us, but we can still do our part by showing that the food we eat matters to us. e best and most di cult resolution is cutting down or cutting out chicken or meat options. However, another resolution is to buy locally and get to know your farmers. Some locally-sourced and raised eggs can be found at our local Davis Farmers Market. e next time you can’t nd any eggs at the store, try to think of the bigger picture.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by e California Aggie.

If you find New Year’s resolutions stressful, try setting goals in a different way

MAYA KORNYEYEVA / AGGIE

JOANNE SUN / AGGIE

MIRANDA LEE / AGGIE

Has academic censorship gone too far?

The recent firing of Adjunct Professor Erika López Prater at Hamline University points to a lack of support for educators’ autonomy over their curriculum

Last week, e New York Times released an article about Adjunct Professor Erika López Prater, who lost her job after showing an image of the Prophet Muhammad in her art history course at Hamline University this past fall. After giving both written and verbal warnings and explaining why she chose to include this image in her course, no students expressed concerns. But after the class, a student complained to the university’s administration, which ultimately resulted in López Prater losing her job.

e article states that this particular image is “shown regularly in art history classes,” and similar images have been displayed in the Museum of Modern Art and even the Supreme Court. Although there is a precedent for these images being publicly displayed, they have also sparked controversy in the past, which seems to indicate that the situation has a degree of nuance and warrants a conversation. The circumstances surrounding the professor’s termination could have been used as a moment for learning instead of discipline.

Freedom of speech in education has been central in the news in recent years — from Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill to the banning of various books. Many scholars have suggested that students’ (and parents’) censorship is getting in the way of quality education and hurting educators who often have good intentions. A lot of this may be explained by the lack of support for educators when controversies arise, both from students and the administration, as we can see in López Prater’s case. at said, there are times when educators do need to be reported to administration and held accountable for their actions, but it’s important to consider these situations on a case-by-

case basis. Often, they could actually be used to teach the educator how to make students feel more comfortable in class, and many times, professors will be receptive and open to learning.

Arguably, most educators are not in the field for money or prestige — both of which are sparse — but because of passion. And while this, of course, doesn’t mean they are exempt from making mistakes or behaving o ensively, assuming good will of your teachers can be helpful, both for you and for them.

e discourse that has followed López Prater’s dismissal from Hamline has been divisive, even among the Muslim community. Some Muslims said that they nd showing images of the Prophet Muhammad Islamophobic, while others believe that it is simply “unIslamic” and even others say that they don’t subscribe to the image restrictions at all. But all of this nuance was lost when the university’s administration held a forum on Islamophobia in response to the event, at which they shut down questions or comments alluding to López Prater’s intentions and their legitimacy, saying it “wasn’t the time” for that conversation.

When administrators shut down discussions like this, maybe because they legitimately believe it doesn’t belong in the conversation, or, perhaps more likely, to avoid backlash on the internet, incidents like this continue to happen. And on the ip side, some educators stay on the side of caution, censoring their material because they don’t feel they can make a mistake or controversial decision, since they aren’t sure they’ll get support from their administration.

Administrations’ lack of support for their educators is a larger issue in higher education, and one we have seen here at

Students, university must be proactive in the face of extreme weather events

From ooded roads and homes to downed trees to extended power outages to sinkholes and landslides, California can’t seem to catch a break from the barrage of storms that began after Christmas and is only now letting up. According to CNN, several areas across the state have registered more than half of their average annual rainfall just in the past month, and more locally, Davis has received nine inches of rain in January alone, compared to less than one inch in January of last year.

Californians have experienced heavy rain in the past, but lately, every weather-related headline seems to include the word “historic,” and that’s not likely to change any time soon. One of the e ects of climate change warming the atmosphere is that the warmer air can hold more moisture, leading to wetter and more intense storms.

In the long run, of course, we urge you to support climate protection legislation and sustainable initiatives — but in the short run, all that we can do is adapt to the weather coming our way. Being prepared is something that happens on both the large and small scale, from the university prioritizing durable infrastructure and keeping up with maintenance to individual students gathering the supplies necessary to stay safe during a power outage.

Although more than 70 trees fell on campus and various buildings sustained water damage, much of the potential for ooding and power outages was mitigated by pre-storm preparation and hard work by facilities and grounds crews.

e Editorial Board extends their gratitude to Grounds and Landscape Services workers for clearing green waste and trimming dangerous tree branches, Building Maintenance Services workers for keeping roofs and gutters working, Utilities workers for clearing storm drains and PG&E workers for doing their best to restore power as soon as possible.

e city of Davis and many residents experienced sporadic power outages during the storms, but central campus retained power due to underground lines that are more protected from weather. Because of this, campus facilities were able to remain open for students. However, much of Davis still employs above-ground power lines that are a ected by falling trees, which led to tra c lights being out for days on end and prevented some businesses downtown from opening their doors.

While UC Davis is working on long-term plans such as the Living Landscape Adaptation Plan to adapt to a warmer, drier climate, it would also be

bene cial to implement infrastructure that would protect the campus and surrounding areas from heavy rainfall, which is also a result of climate change. Students and Davis residents can also individually prepare for extreme weather events by creating an emergency plan and staying up to date on the latest information through trusted Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts. If a power outage is likely to occur sometime soon, make sure to fully charge your cell phone and any other devices you might need, and think about building a small emergency kit with items like candles, power charging banks, water, canned food and batteries. For a comprehensive list of ways you can prepare for heavy storms, see the Davis City Facebook page.

During an outage, disconnect electronics in case of damage from electrical surges, keep your refrigerator closed as much as possible and don’t use a gas stove to heat your apartment. Because central campus tends to retain power during widespread outages, UC Davis generally opens up areas like the ARC Ballroom, Shields Library and the Memorial Union as warming and charging centers.

If you are without power for more than 48 hours due to storms, according to the PG&E website, you may be eligible to receive automatic compensation through the Safety Net Program in accordance with the length of the outage.

Long-term sustainable policies are making a di erence, and there is hope that the state of the world isn’t just going to be getting worse and worse for the remainder of human existence. Recent news con rms that the ozone layer is healing and is on track to be restored to 1980 levels in the next two to four decades, England is banning some single-use plastics and the new president of Brazil plans to end deforestation in his country. Additionally, scientists recently created a nuclear reaction that generates more energy than it consumes for the rst time, research that could eventually create a huge source of clean energy.

But even so, two to four decades is a long time, and it’s a time in which we will most likely be dealing with extreme weather events like the heavy rainstorms that the beginning of this year brought to Davis. We’re going to have to learn to adapt and be prepared, and the university will have to do the same in order to keep students safe and allow our education to continue.

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

UC Davis. When teaching assistants and other academic workers went on strike in the fall, much of students’ frustration fell on professors — whether they chose to take over grading and lecturing for their striking sta members, or chose to “not cross the picket line” in solidarity. And while students criticized professors for either putting in grades or not, holding lectures or canceling them, the administration did little to support them.

While this situation is of course very di erent, it seems to stem from a similar place. Students are often quick to jump on their professors when they feel they’ve made a mistake, and administrators can be slow and hesitant to support them. is is especially true for younger or adjunct professors, who are members of “higher education’s underclass of teachers, working for little pay and receiving few of the workplace protections enjoyed by tenured faculty members,” according to the article. While tenured professors aren’t likely to be removed, newer, less experienced ones seem not worth the backlash the administration would get if they defended them.

All in all, it is important to remember that our professors are just people, and for the most part, they really do want to do the right thing. In many cases, our education could be made better by having conversations about what to include in the curriculum to ensure that academia is not overly censored. Trying to assume good will of those educating you and having respect for them can go a long way toward actually learning from nuanced situations like the one at Hamline.

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The many benefits of fostering animals

Having a kitten can improve your life — who knew!

BY JENA TUFAIL jjtufail@ucdavis.edu

In college, it can be hard to nd fun experiences outside of school when most of your time is lled with attending classes and studying. Last summer especially, I felt it di cult to nd things I enjoyed while taking summer classes.

You can imagine my surprise, then, when I found a random box of kittens sitting in my backyard three weeks into the summer quarter. My family and I were used to the many cats roaming around our neighborhood but had never seen kittens left alone for so long. at day was the beginning of my family’s experience fostering kittens over the last year.

At rst, it was di cult getting used to the whirlwind of fostering animals. While most people foster only a few animals at a time, our total kept increasing, from ve to 10 to 15 to 20 kittens over the span of a few months. But the one thing never changed was the feeling of ful llment that came along with helping these kittens adapt to their new world and nd their forever homes.

Getting to know each kitten individually, helping them become adjusted to life indoors and supplying

them with the love and care they needed ultimately helped relieve a lot of the stress in my life, and the compassion and ful llment that I felt always made it worth it.

If you ever have the opportunity to foster an animal, I highly recommend it. Even as a college student, I think it is a great opportunity to make a di erence. Not only are you having a huge positive in uence on the foster’s life, but they can help you too. Since fostering animals, I feel as though my stress levels have gone down, and I feel grateful to be able to be a part of their lives, even if it is only for a short amount of time until they get adopted.

I also think fostering animals is a great way to “test-run” what it would be like to have a pet if you have not had one before. It gives you the ability to completely understand the responsibility of caring for an animal, gain the experience that comes along with it and also potentially adopt a pet that needs a home in the future.

Not everyone has the ability to adopt a pet long-term, so helping a shelter animal adjust to living with

others until they nd their forever home is a great alternative. Fostering allows you to feel both ful lled and excited that you’re helping these pets by fostering an environment of love and happiness for them.

Although fostering has many bene ts, there can be some downsides, including getting too attached. I’ve experienced rsthand how di cult it is to know that you cannot keep your foster forever. However, the happiness that you feel when seeing your foster animal thrive is worth all the sadness of having to give them away.

I recognize that fostering is also not always a walk in the park, but if you feel passionate about wanting to help animals, I think it is a great opportunity and experience. And who knows? You might just nd a new best friend.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by e California Aggie.

Recent winter storms spark important conversations around climate change preparedness

JOANNE SUN / AGGIE

ARTS & CULTURE

The origin and traditions of the Lunar New Year

How the holiday is traditionally celebrated in different countries

Crocheting can allow you to expand your closet in a sustainable way

The historically-lucrative activity has experienced a resurgence in popularity

BY ANA BACH arts@theaggie.org

Crocheting has risen in popularity over recent years, with Pinterest boards and TikTok tutorials alike highlighting the wonderful products crocheters produce. I myself have attempted to pick up the activity and, with a couple of YouTube tutorials as well as assistance from friends, I can con dently say that it is a great way to create items that match your own personal style.

Similar to thrifting, crocheting has given a younger demographic the opportunity to express their styles, and can also be an outlet for old trends to resurface. Leg warmers are just one example of an outdated trend that has been modernized through a di erent medium, thereby catering to the younger generation.

On the surface level, crocheting is a perfect activity that balances productivity with leisure — all for the reward of a new item in one’s wardrobe. If we take a deeper look, we can see the mechanics of what exactly makes the hobby sustainable.

In addition to the breakdown of materials, the article sheds light on how crocheting has bene ted people in times of crisis. During the Irish Potato Famine, the Ursuline sisters established crocheting centers all over Ireland to provide jobs for citizens out of work. e textiles made in these factories were then sold to wealthy English aristocrats, helping many families stay a oat with the pro ts they generated.

Now, crocheting remains a costefficient activity, since it requires minimal additional materials. ere are also countless tutorials on YouTube to get you started free of charge. Instead of pouring tons of time and money into nding a perfect piece of clothing, you now have the tools necessary to envision and bring it to life yourself.

BY VIVI KIM arts@theaggie.org

Although in western culture, we are accustomed to celebrating the new year on Jan. 1, several countries celebrate the Lunar New Year instead, according to the lunisolar calendar. It is not just a day that marks the start of another year, but a holiday lled with unique customs and rich history.

Lunar New Year is a holiday marking the rst day of the lunar calendar. e standard Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, is a solar calendar. is means that the dates are based on the Earth’s position relative to its proximity to the Sun and point to the seasonal year of 365 days. Many western cultures operate on this calendar and celebrate New Year’s on the rst of January.

e Lunar Calendar is based on the monthly moon cycles. Lunar New Year begins on the rst new moon and ends on the rst full moon of the year, thereby lasting 15 days and completing half of a full moon cycle. e o cial date of the holiday varies, but it typically falls somewhere between Jan. 21 and Feb. 20. In 2023, Lunar New Year happens to fall on Jan. 22.

This holiday is also commonly referred to as Chinese New Year due to its origins in ancient China, with the earliest Chinese lunar calendar dating back to the 14th century B.C. Chinese people are the largest population that celebrates Lunar New Year and it is

considered the most important holiday in China.

ough the names are often used interchangeably, it is important to note that the two are not the same. Lunar New Year is celebrated by several other East Asian and Southeast Asian countries including Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam, all of which hold their own traditions and festivities.

Chinese New Year, also commonly referred to as the Spring Festival, is the Chinese celebration of the Lunar New Year.

ere are several Chinese myths and legends tied to the origin of the Lunar New Year festival, one of the most famous being the legend of Nian. Derived from the name “Nianshou” meaning “the yearly beast,” Nian was a mythical beast that would cause destruction every new year by eating humans and their livestock. Its fear of loud noises and the color red is what inspired the tradition of using red paper decorations, lanterns and recrackers.

ere are several traditions marking both the beginning and end of the Chinese celebration. Many families like to clean their houses before the start of the new year to remove “huiqi” or bad luck. e reunion dinner (Tuan Nian) is the family celebration dinner that takes place on New Year’s Eve. It is lled with many symbolic dishes including a sh that symbolizes abundance and

long noodles that symbolize a long life. Taking place on the nal day, the Lantern Festival is celebrated by decorating houses with lanterns and eating traditional foods. Some of the most popular foods include tangyuan, a dessert made of glutinous rice our, and fagao, a steamed sponge-like pastry that is also known as the “prosperity cake.”

Traditionally, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, or Tet, can last between three days to a week. During the one or two weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve, the streets are bustling with shoppers and adorned with red and yellow, the colors of good fortune. Many families also decorate their houses with peach blossoms and kumquat trees to bring prosperity and wealth into the new year.

Similarly, Korean New Year, or Seolnal, lasts three days. e celebration starts a day before New Year’s Day and ends the day after. e most common tradition of Seolnal is playing a game called Yut Nori, which consists of four marked sticks and dice. People also eat rice cake soup, as it is believed that a person grows one year older only after eating the soup. ough there are many similarities between Asian celebrations of the Lunar New Year, such as having family dinners, receiving money and o ering respects to ancestors, there are also many cultural traditions that are uniquely celebrated by each.

An article written by Team Wearing goes into great detail about crocheting from an in uencer’s perspective. e wool and yarn that crocheters use are generally considered sustainable, as the animal is not harmed when extracting the necessary wool. Furthermore, wool and yarn biodegrade faster than polyester and nylon. Yarn can also be made up of old or recycled materials.

e craft welcomes creativity and creates a community around building something uniquely your own. Plus, the internet o ers a ton of ideas, tips and tricks for strengthening your skills, while also giving other people the opportunity to try something that is right at their ngertips.

Through crocheting, we have the ability to consider the impact of the materials used in the production of clothing, and also to develop an appreciation for the creativity, labor and time that goes into the design of something that often goes overlooked in our everyday lives.

Commentary: Why you don’t need to wait for the New Year to change your life

Use your ever-growing nature for self-improvement throughout the year, not just in January

BY RUMA POUDELL arts@theaggie.org

e New Year has started and a new chapter has begun to unfold for all of us. It’s that time for setting and following through with New Year’s resolutions. While New Year’s resolutions are a great way to bring about change in your life, remember that as the year goes on, the opportunity to facilitate growth is always available to you.

When people set their New Year’s resolutions, it usually goes a couple of ways: they lose commitment within two weeks, quit altogether or see results by maintaining intention. If you’ve already folded on your goals, don’t quit. And if you haven’t set any goals yet, set them now.

Whether it’s over the course of a year, a month, weeks, a day or mere moments, we are constantly transforming in some kind of way. Your hair is ever-so-slightly growing. Your layers of skin are rebuilding themselves. Your height may still be increasing. Changes are occurring right before your eyes even if you can’t see it — and those are just physical attributes.

Now, think of when you were six years old. You were, without a doubt, a completely di erent person. Every interaction, every thought and every action you have is playing a part in who you become tomorrow, whether it has a big bang or the smallest ripple e ect.

Transformation is constantly underway, so how much of an agent of change do you want to be? In order to make actual progress toward your goals, set small intentions monthly, weekly or even daily if you have to.

Depending on the types of goals you have, it’ll take di erent amounts of time and resources to accomplish. Write

down what it takes to accomplish your goals and what you will do to ensure that you meet them. e second part is key — that is what you will have to focus on to elicit progress.

Another thing to keep in mind is consistency. Even if you nd that you are not seeing progress, continue putting in e ort and you will see the fruits of your labor in one way or another.

Let’s say your goal is to go to the gym consistently. Missing two weeks of gym sessions won’t diminish all of your progress. But will you get back to work, or will you stop going entirely because of those two missed weeks?

Or even if you miss gym sessions for a longer period of time and do see your gains regress, are you going to stop altogether or are you going to work for them to come back? It’s more e ective to consistently take active action toward your own improvement throughout the year than only at the start of it.

One lesson we were taught in school was to never give up. at can apply to goals too.

When growing a seed, you have to rst put it into the soil and water it for days before you even see it sprout. And once the sprout has sprung up, it is only with consistent soil, sun and water that it will continue to grow and eventually reap nectar.

Setting forth on the journey to conscious self-improvement can be daunting when your dreams are large.

But just as the snake’s skin sheds, the ower blooms and the caterpillar becomes a butter y, you too will grow and transform. Transformation is inevitable.

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

Commentary: Create your own story with tabletop roleplaying games

BY ADHITHI ANJALI arts@theaggie.org

The Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) resurgence has just begun to taper o after capturing the interests of mainstream culture in 2016.

There aren’t many new sources of media concerning the topic rising in popularity, but the ones that already exploded into fame have since become staples of the genre — shows like “Critical Role,” “Not Another D&D Podcast,” “ e Adventure Zone” and “Dimension 20” all crop up as the best D&D live-play shows to watch. According to ScreenRant, D&D saw sales jump by 33% in 2020.

However, though few new shows of the like are surging into the mainstream and sales have not hit quite as high since their peak, it is worthwhile to note that the reasons for its popularity remain. Even further, these reasons show how other tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) might provide a better platform for unique storytelling.

TTRPGs are, essentially, live-action games in which players take on the role of a character and act as such. eir

appeal seems to stem from the amassing of friends around a table to participate in creating a wholly unique experience.

Looking to D&D as a popular example, another one of the draws of TTRPGs is the friendly side conversations and antics that usually ensue while playing, leading to uproarious laughter and a sense of community bonding.

However, on an individual level, TTRPGs have allowed people a new sense of agency over storytelling. In comparison to mediums like film, books or traditional video games — all of which have varied, but more static, senses of closeness with the audience — TTRPGs allow for more audience in uence on their plot, as they step into the roles of writer and player.

e players are the rst and nal decision makers, exempli ed by the idea of “homebrewed” rules and items.

“Homebrewing” is the addition of anything not from the original source material that is added into an individual game, allowing for even more creative control.

e unique level of player agency in TTRPGs allows you to design stories you desire to see within the con nes of a game system that prompts development.

is di ers from other media, such as video games, where the advertised player agency can feel too fabricated or meaningless. For example, games by prominent company Telltale have often succumbed to a singular ending, despite promoting themselves as dependent on player choice. Ultimately, many of these game designers had a complete story to tell that would exist with or without player in uence.

On the other hand, because the story of a TTRPG cannot exist without active player participation, they can be the perfect medium for those of us who feel the stories around us are lacking; whether it be in diverse representations of race, gender and sexuality — or simply not featuring enough dragons.

BY CLARA FISCHER arts@theaggie.org

Song: “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding (1982)

I rst heard this song in high school, and it has stayed with me as a reliable piece of music that I can listen to when I’m stressed and in need of some relaxation. Redding’s smooth, soulful vocals combine beautifully with the lyrics, prompting inner re ection and a peaceful state of mind. I love listening to this song when I’m actually near water, but since that can be hard to come by in Davis, I would highly recommend listening to this song on a long walk, preferably in the arb at golden hour.

TV Show: “Phineas and Ferb” (20082015)

Arguably one of the best-animated series in recent years (if not one of the best series altogether), “Phineas and Ferb” excels in combining wit, intelligence and childish antics masterfully. e writing is top-notch and truly holds up with age; if anything, I can appreciate some of the more complex cultural references more now that I’m older. On top of that, the soundtrack is superb and still sometimes pops up in my head at random times.

Album: “To Pimp a Butter y” by Kendrick Lamar (2015)

One of the greatest albums of all time, “To Pimp a Butter y,” is a stunning example of true artistry in music. roughout the album, Lamar is essentially crafting a poem with each progressing song, which gives listeners something to think about as they are internalizing his message. is unique concept combined with his expertly crafted rhythmic prose makes “To Pimp a Butter y” an album with immense in uence and, hopefully, even greater longevity.

Movie: “Bullet Train” dir. by David Leitch (2022)

A star-studded cast takes viewers for a ride on a high-speed train in Japan, where tensions run high as passengers’ paths collide in unexpected ways. At the center of the intersecting plotlines is an unlikely assassin who’s gotten in over his head, played by none other than Brad Pitt. e action and engaging plot make for an easy but thrilling watch that’s perfect to take your mind o of real-life tensions.

Itzhak Perlman brings wit and brilliance to the Mondavi stage

BY SARAH HAN arts@theaggie.org

On Jan. 14, world-class violinist Itzhak Perlman and distinguished pianist Rohan De Silva performed at Jackson Hall, located in the Mondavi Center on UC Davis’s campus. From Beethoven to John Williams, Perlman and De Silva played phenomenally and entertained the audience throughout the show.

is concert wasn’t Perlman’s rst appearance at the Mondavi Center. He rst performed in 2003 and has been a regular since.

“We always get a big turnout for him. Tonight, we lled 1,800 seats, so [we] pretty much sold out,” said Don Roth, the executive director of the Mondavi Center. “It’s great to see a high turnout — de nitely more than average.”

e performance began with Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 9, No. 3 by Jean-Marie Leclair. roughout the piece, Perlman played a consecutive set of double-stops followed by a handful of trills. The “Un poco andante” and “Sarabande: Largo” movements established a sorrowful tone, which contrasted nicely with the “Allegro” and “Tambourin: Presto” movements.

Minami Kato, a fourth-year philosophy student at UC Davis, o ered remarks on Perlman’s performance, particularly noting his skills.

“I just thought the way that he plays is beautiful, [especially with] the dexterity of his hands,” Kato said. “My favorite moment was Leclair’s [violin sonata].

Following the Leclair piece, Perlman and De Silva performed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer.” e piece consisted of three movements: the “Adagio sostenuto — Presto,” “Andante con variazioni” and “Presto.”

e “Adagio Sostenuto” movement highlighted both the violin and piano, with both instruments having solo moments sprinkled throughout. Mimicry, playing in unison and buildups all brought the piece to life as many people in the audience found themselves moving their heads to the beat of the music.

e peak of audience engagement, though, was in the third movement,

fast, short notes. Perlman also played a fair amount of glissandos, which are continuous glides between two pitches, and are a distinguishing feature of the piece.

“I’m only playing this piece because I like it,” he said. “I made a point to play songs I like, so hopefully you like it.”

e song he was referring to was “From my Homeland” by Bed ř ich Smetana. Perlman and De Silva played a sweet but prominent melody, and as he played, Perlman made eye contact with the audience here and there, which created an overall proud but humorous

tone.

e

The

“a

by ‘Brahm’” since it’s a “single dance.”

Overall,

a

The renowned violinist joined forces with pianist Rohan De Silva for the center’s first performance of 2023

“Presto.” During this movement, Perlman made momentary eye contact with the audience, mostly when he played fast, springy notes. After the piece by Beethoven, Fantasiesücke, Op. 73 by Robert Schumann was next on the setlist. Interestingly, De Silva closed the lid of the piano before playing; nonetheless, the piece was brilliantly performed, beginning with a melancholic but passionate melody and ending with a rampage of

e next section of the concert featured additional works not listed on the program. During this time, Perlman talked with the audience, communicating his dry yet witty sense of humor.

highlight of the concert was John Williams’s “Schindler’s List.” e song is Perlman’s “go-to piece,” and his extensive experience was evident in his playing. e notes were crystal clear, and Perlman played delicately and so emotionally. Even the bow changes were subtle and meticulously controlled, certainly making this piece an audience favorite.

concert ended with two additional pieces, including Johannes Brahms’s Hungarian Dance No. 1, or, as Perlman likes to call it,

piece

Following this witty remark, Perlman remained playful while performing, jolting here and there when playing accented notes.

the performance was lighthearted and engaging. Perlman masterfully balances showing off his capabilities while maintaining a lighthearted environment for the audience to enjoy. De Silva was

respectful accompaniment, allowing Perlman to shine but also displaying his own immense skills.

If its recent resurgence has not convinced you to try out Dungeons and Dragons, there are still plenty of reasons to explore the role-play genre

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

TTRPG on 8

Itzhak Perlman and Rohan De Silva receiving a standing ovation at their Jan. 14 Mondavi Center performance. (Sarah Han / Aggie)

The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for music, movies and more

New year, new transportation updates

Some of this quarter’s changes include month-to-month selection for employee parking passe options and a reminder notification system for drivers through ParkMobile

BY RACHEL GAUER campus@theaggie.org

As of Jan. 1, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) at UC Davis has implemented several new changes for winter quarter. According to a recent press release, the changes include a new option for employees to choose each month between daily parking fees from ParkMobile or a monthly parking permit.

Previously, employees had to choose between paying on a monthly or daily basis at the beginning of the scal year and were then locked into a year-long commitment to their choice. Now, employees can choose at the beginning of each month whether they want to pay for parking for the whole month or pay only on the days they come to campus.

Perry Eggleston, the executive director of TAPS, discussed the potential bene ts of allowing employees to choose between these options monthly instead of annually.

“Our team is hoping to provide more exibility so a liates can choose the commute that works best for them,” Eggleston said. “Now, those who have a monthly permit are not locked into buying a monthly permit for the entire scal year. Instead, they can look at their commuting needs in the month ahead and decide whether a monthly permit or daily permits best meet their needs.”

ASUCD Senator Jacob Klein, a rst-year political science major, gave his opinion on the bene ts of this new system.

“I think that switching to monthto-month permits would give greater exibility to anyone using the parking lots in that they will not be tied into anything,” Klein said. “ is will enable them to ultimately save money in the long run.”

e other signi cant update is a new ParkMobile noti cation system

that will alert drivers when they are located in a parking zone to help them remember to pay. e system will rely on GPS technology to send a noti cation to a driver as soon as they enter a parking area. As of now, the introduction of these reminders has been delayed, but they are set to begin this quarter. Eggleston explained why the new system is delayed as well as why it is so important that it becomes available.

“ParkMobile just needs to turn [the noti cations] on,” Eggleston said. “We’re pushing for these alerts to go live as soon as possible because we know it will help customers remember to pay for parking when they come on campus and possibly avoid a citation.”

ASUCD Vice President JT Eden, a second-year environmental science and policy major, discussed how he thinks these noti cations can assist those who may need an extra reminder.

“[ e system] will de nitely be of use to students — and me personally,” Eden said. “It won’t be a perfect x, but it could certainly help forgetful people, like me, to avoid citations.”

According to the update, other changes that are set to be implemented this month include price reductions in event-parking fees for employees as well as several improvements to the TAPS website. Later in the year, Eggleston said the team hopes to introduce even more parking improvements.

“[One] of the biggest changes we expect to roll out this quarter [is] a new parking-availability app called Just Another Parking App (JAPA),” Eggleston said. “ is will allow drivers to see in real-time where parking spots are available on campus, so they can make a more informed decision about where to park or whether to drive at all.”

The gender gap in STEM

Why women are underrepresented in STEM and how we can start to close the gap

BY EMILIE BROWN emrbrown@ucdavis.edu

If you are a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) major, I’m willing to bet that at some point during your time in college, you have found yourself in a classroom or lecture hall with an alarming gender imbalance. As a woman and a physics major (one of the most maledominated majors), I have experienced this countless times. e truth is that gender gaps exist in almost every STEM subject today, mostly due to the negative stereotypes and lack of support for women in these elds.

While, statistically, men and women are equally quali ed to enroll as STEM majors out of high school, a gap begins to appear in college. Women are far less likely to declare a STEM major once in college than men and they are 23% more likely to drop out of STEM elds than their male counterparts. When it comes to entering the workforce, the gender gap becomes even more apparent. Around 44% of STEM jobs are taken by women, but in some elds, that number is signi cantly less. Only 28% of computer science jobs, 16% of engineering jobs and 16% of physics jobs are held by women.

So why is there such a gap between men and women employed in these fields, and what changes during college that makes women want to leave STEM? When I started asking questions like these in high school, my teachers told me that women just aren’t cut out for or smart enough to pursue these careers. Although many women have been told at some point in their lives that men are just better at math, more cut out for STEM or just smarter, this isn’t the case.

In reality, the gap is a product of the di erent ways that women and men in STEM are treated and portrayed. e elds of arts and humanities are often linked to women, while science and math are more often linked to men. This creates an implicit bias

against women in STEM elds that is common, even among individuals who claim to actively reject that stereotype. Many people assume women are less competent and less likable in their STEM jobs than their male counterparts unless their success in that eld is abundantly clear. ese biases lead to fewer women studying STEM topics and moving into STEM careers.

As any woman in a STEM eld knows, being outnumbered can be discouraging. Gender diversity in

STEM elds has been proven to lead to increased productivity, creativity and innovation. Women have unique views that should not be overlooked in any workplace.

One thing we can do to diversify the eld is expose girls to STEM in middle and high school, as well as encouraging them to take science and math classes. is can lead to higher rates of girls choosing to pursue STEM majors after high school and lessen the gender bias in those groups.

Women in STEM are also much less prevalent in books, media and pop culture. is means that young girls often don’t have role models to inspire and interest them. Introducing young girls to female characters in STEM at a young age can encourage and motivate them to continue studies in those elds.

While the gender gap in STEM fields remains prevalent today, the amount of women entering STEM elds is slowly on the rise. Programs that work to inspire middle and high

AGGIE

school girls are starting to change the statistics. For now, though, the biggest change we can make to lessen the gender gap is to stop assuming women are less capable than men in STEM.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by e California Aggie.

New ParkMobile feature reminds visitors to pay when parking on campus. (Aggie File)

JOANNE SUN /

SCIENCE AND TECH

UC Davis’s McClellan Nuclear Research Center helps send NASA spacecraft beyond the moon

BY LILLY ACKERMAN science@theaggie.org

UC Davis’s McClellan Nuclear Research Center (MNRC) played an important role in NASA’s recent Artemis I mission, which launched the unmanned Orion spacecraft into space to test its safety. In part, it will serve as the foundation for future human deepspace travel and moon exploration.

e MNRC, located in Sacramento, is capable of neutron radiography, a type of non-destructive imaging that utilizes a neutron beam to generate images. Neutron radiography is particularly useful for imaging explosives and looking for elements that might clog jet engines.

According to Sandra Warren, a research and development engineer for the MNRC, this center is unique in its capability to image objects of very large size — even as large as rocket parts — which is why it was a good choice for NASA.

The MNRC imaged separation joint assemblies for NASA’s new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which launched the Orion spacecraft. ese elements use precise explosives to “kick o ” the initial boosters for the rocket, leaving the Orion spacecraft to begin its journey to orbit Earth and eventually to venture to the far side of the moon.

“[ e separation joint assemblies] are sent into space attached to di erent segments that are later on going to separate,” Warren said. “It’s very important that they work at the moment they’re supposed to work.”

e explosion needed to be perfectly timed both for the sake of the Artemis I mission and the human crew that will be manning the spacecraft during future missions.

After extensive testing at the MNRC and many other research centers throughout its development, the SLS rocket was launched, and the Orion

spacecraft

Wesley Frey, director of the MNRC, explained the importance of the mission for the public.

“An enormous amount of our

computer technology, communication technology, energy technology — a lot of it has its roots in the Apollo program, and [the] Gemini and Mercury [programs] before that,” Frey explained. “ ey are very expensive, but the bene t to the public is often very substantial, and it ends up being a good investment.”

This is only the beginning for NASA’s Artemis program; the next steps include sending humans back to the moon and establishing a base camp to allow for further exploration and research, as well as working toward sending the rst humans to Mars.

UC Davis’ MNRC will likely remain in collaboration with NASA,

as it is uniquely able to image the large parts that they use to build spacecrafts. “To see the progress of the program is really exciting,” Warren said. “And I hope that there will be more excitement when we actually land on the moon again.”

Northern California repeatedly struck by intense storms and power outages

BY BRANDON NGUYEN science@theaggie.org

To begin the new year, highimpact rainstorms have struck the northern coasts of California, leading to seemingly endless precipitation in the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the Institute of Environment and Sustainability at UCLA and a UC Davis alum, highlighted the unanticipated intensity of the storm despite the weather forecasts on news media in a recent blog post.

“A strong storm on New Year’s eve brought very heavy 24-hr precipitation accumulations to a relatively narrow but highly populated swath of NorCal, from around San Francisco in the central Bay Area eastward to the Central Sierra foothills,” the blog read. “Here, some locations actually came close to (or even exceeded) all-time 24-hour precipitation records. is was pretty unexpected.”

Dr. Matthew Igel, an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at

UC Davis, discussed the cause for the forecasted heavy rainfalls and ood warnings issued this past week.

“ e storm from a couple of days ago, forecasted for this past Wednesday [Jan. 4], was the one that was referred to as a ‘bomb cyclone’ in popular media,” Igel said. “ is was, itself, a very strong storm, but I think the really interesting thing meteorologically right now is the fact that we’ve been getting repeated storms hitting California; the expectation is that we would be getting about three weeks of essentially continuous rain here in Northern California. And although we’ve had some exceptionally strong storms associated with this [rainfall], the story really is just the fact that it’s just been storm after storm after storm.”

A “Bomb cyclone,” also known as an extratropical storm, is a low-pressure system that intensi es rapidly, according to Igel. e center of the storm must meet a specific metric where its

atmospheric pressure decreases at a speci c rate to be classi ed as a “bomb cyclone,’’ and this type of storm typically occurs just outside of the tropics during the winter season.

Dr. Ian Faloona, an associate professor and bio-micrometerologist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at UC Davis, explained how the bomb cyclone facilitated the heavy precipitation observed the past few days.

“What these cyclones, or these storm systems, are doing is they’re pulling air from the warm, humid tropics, where most of the water vapor on Earth lies,” Faloona said. “And so I think of it [the bomb cyclone] like a paddle wheel that’s coming along, and they [the storm systems] move generally from west to east because of how the winds generally move in our latitudes, and a lot of times they hit the coast, bank up along it and move poleward.” e movement of water vapor in the atmosphere is also known as an

“atmospheric river,” and the circular motion of winds created by the storm systems recently have helped direct these atmospheric rivers toward the coasts of Northern California. According to Igel, California’s unique topography also plays a role in the heavy precipitation observed. e mountain ranges like the Sierra Nevada mountains cool and condense the warm water vapor into rainfall due to the higher altitude of the landscape.

“Atmospheric rivers are essentially long regions of water vapor in the air,” Igel said. “ ey tend to be just above your head, in the first one mile of the atmosphere, so the term ‘Pineapple Express,’ speci cally, is used to describe an atmospheric river that draws its moisture from the area around Hawaii. But an atmospheric river in general is just really tapping into all of that moisture in the warm, moist tropics and bringing it up here to the west coast of California, or really, the west coast of

any continent.” Both Faloona and Igel said that they could not pinpoint just one single causal factor as to why the severe weather patterns observed and forecasted are occurring.

“You see a lot of things that you’ve never seen before in weather, and it’s just kind of luck,” Igel said. “It’s tempting as a scientist to try to go back and really nd root causes, and I’m sure that there will be some assessment in the coming years on this sequence of storms. It’s unlikely that the storms are directly due to climate change. At this point, it’s hard to describe a proximate cause other than that weather just happens, and sometimes it doesn’t happen. Winter storms are more intense to begin with, and we just happen to be at the peak intensity of storms at this time of year.”

The center’s large-scale imaging abilities at the facility contributed to rocket testing and completion of the Artemis I mission

UC Davis professors and alumnus explain the weather pattern hitting the Bay Area and Central Valley

NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE

Several low pressure storm systems move atmospheric rivers to the right towards the coasts of Northern California. (Dr. Ian Faloona / Courtesy)

successfully made a nearly 26day trip into space. It returned to Earth with a splash into the Paci c Ocean on Dec. 11, 2022, after traveling around the far side of the moon.

Senate finalizes unit adoptions, debates naming legislation at Jan. 12 meeting

The Senate also heard quarterly reports from R&DC, HAUS, SSCF and Aggie Mentors

BY SONORA SLATER campus@theaggie.org

On ursday, Jan. 12, at 6:14 p.m., Vice President JT Eden called the rst Senate meeting of the year to order. He then called roll and recited the UC Davis Land Acknowledgement.

First on the agenda was swearing in International Student Representative Keven Zhou, a third-year managerial economics major, and Judicial Council member Gustavo Pichardo Villasenor, a fourth-year political science major.

The Senate then moved on to the election of the Senate President Pro Tempore for winter quarter. e President Pro Tempore, elected by members of the Senate at the beginning of each quarter, serves as the presiding o cer in Senate meetings if the vice president is absent.

Senator Zeph Schnelbach nominated Senator Gaius Ilupeju for the role, and Senator Stephen Fujimoto then nominated Senator Priya Talreja in the spirit of encouraging competitive elections.

Fujimoto said that he nominated Talreja for her “passion and emphasis on fostering collaboration among table members and building relationships within the Senate and the student body.”

e Senate then voted, ending with a 7-5 vote in Ilupeju’s favor. Ilupeju was thus elected and took his new seat beside Eden.

ey then moved into senators’ unit and committee adoptions. At the start of each quarter, senators choose a few of each to work with more closely throughout the term.

Fujimoto asked to be assigned to the Election Reform Committee in order to share his ideas on how to make elections more competitive and increase voter turnout.

Moving into public comments, Schnelbach reminded the table to check in with their assigned committees regularly and establish connections with them.

Next, Chairperson Jahanvi Narwal gave the quarterly report for the Research and Data Committee (R&DC). e committee is currently working on building a website and administering a survey to allow students to help choose the name and design of the new ASUCD cow mascot.

Looking forward to the rest of the quarter, Narwhal said that the committee is planning to create data visualizations and infographics from past research in order to make their research “more digestible and shareable.”

Annette Gutierrez, a second-year gender, sexuality and women’s studies major, then gave the quarterly report for Housing Advising for Undergraduate Students (HAUS). This quarter, Gutierrez said their main goal is to host a successful Housing Fair in February.

Student Health and Wellness Committee (SHAWC) chairperson Hibah Sha then recommended thirdyear political science major Sergio Bocardo-Aguilar, second-year human development major Julia Miller, fourthyear psychology and sociology double major Emily Gavidia and rst-year biological sciences major Simone Subedi to be SHAWC members. ey were all con rmed.

Fifth-year environmental policy and planning major Alana Webre gave

the Student Sustainability Career Fair (SSCF) quarterly report, after being con rmed as the chairperson of the committee.

SSCF aims to highlight career paths within the environmental eld, and according to Webre, they plan to hold a career panel during week seven of the quarter featuring three to ve professionals who will share their experiences in environmental careers. e committee is also considering holding a professional headshot photoshoot opportunity in collaboration with Aggie Studios and a professional clothing drive in collaboration with Aggie Reuse.

Next, Brooke Isrow, a fourthyear psychology major, gave the quarterly report for the Aggie Mentors Committee, of which she is the founder and current chairperson. e committee is meant to provide freshmen and transfer students with supplementary mentors to help them nd resources and navigate UC Davis.

is year, the committee, which was created as a fully-remote program in 2020, switched to more in-person programming. However, according to Isrow, many people still seem more receptive to remote mentoring. In addition to this potential complication, Isrow said that the committee’s main challenge this year has been attracting members. Several senators suggested ideas for advertising.

Eden then gave a short presentation about how bills pass to help new members of the Senate better understand the ASUCD legislative process.

After taking a short break, the Senate table moved into elected o cer reports, during which Eden mentioned that they are making progress toward

cultures.”

Here we see the e ect of the merging audience-creator relationship, where the function of the game itself has been altered in order to cater to the stories of marginalized communities. e popular dynamics of a D&D game can still fail to allow your story to ourish, but hopefully, its resurgence has opened the space for exploration into the world beyond D&D.

getting microphones for the Senate room.

There was no new legislation, so they next moved into passing the legislation on the consent calendar unanimously, including SB #43, SB #44 and SB #45. e consent calendar includes legislation that is considered uncontroversial and therefore doesn’t require discussion at Senate meetings before voting.

SB #43 o ers funding for three onetime stipends of $1,000 plus $88.80 in fringe bene t costs to three UC Davis undergraduate students upon completion of a new ASUCD Senate Fellowship pilot program.

SB #44 allocates $11,988 to the creation of an Inclusive Fellowship.

SB #45 allocates $5,220.59 to a social event called ‘Destination: Wakanda (A Celebration of Blackness brought to you by ASUCD),’ that will be held in the ASUCD Co ee House on Jan. 27.

The Senate then moved into consideration of old legislation, beginning with SB #37, which sought to change the Advisory Board on Engagement and Outreach into a committee.

Fujimoto expressed concern about the creation of a new committee, citing the historic di culty of fully sta ng committees, and the unreliability of su cient return on their goals. However, Schnelbach said that they “don’t think that sta ng [the] committee will be an issue,” given that an outreach-centric committee would tackle “one of [their] biggest issues as a Senate table,” as they currently are facing historically-low voter turnout and low engagement.

After further discussion, SB #37 passed unanimously.

sided die to tell the story of the eternal con ict between human and beast. For a short rulebook, “Honey Heist” is a fun alternative where you play as bears vying for the ultimate prize: honey. For fans of “Redwall” as a child, “Mouse Guard” provides a fantastical backdrop of wondrously tiny proportion.

SB #41 was tabled by the Internal A airs Commission, and SB #40 was withdrawn.

Constitutional Amendment (CA) #79, also known as the “Fujimoto Amendment,” sought to create an improved recall process to allow the student body to vote for a replacement candidate in conjunction with a recall vote.

The constitutional amendment was reintroduced after initially being up for discussion in the fall. The amendment now includes an exemption for the recall of the ASUCD President or Internal Vice President, in which case the replacement for the position will be lled through the typical line of succession, and an added turnout requirement for the recall election results to take e ect.

The changes to CA #79 were adopted, and it passed unanimously; it will be on the ballot in the spring election. While the document for the legislation was being modi ed, several members of the Senate table discussed the pros and cons of naming legislation such as the “Fujimoto Amendment.”

“A small gripe,” President Radhika Gawde said. “Why are we naming bills? And why are we naming amendments?”

Schnelbach said that he somewhat agreed with Gawde’s concerns when it came to internal legislation, but thought that public-facing legislation such as constitutional amendments could bene t from being named, as it makes them more digestible.

“Naming legislation that we see on the table that’s a little more internal kind of takes away from the integrity of what it’s doing, in my humble opinion,” Schnelbach said. “I just think that legislation that we see, internal bills,

should be straight, to the point, and silly names aren’t really needed. But I’m all in favor of said names for constitutional amendments to make them more digestible for the general public.”

Fujimoto said that he understood the concerns and appreciated the feedback, but noted that naming legislation is aligned with the bylaws. Senator Aarushi Raghunathan said that she also supports tnaming legislation in order to engage the public in what the Senate is doing.

“If I told my friends about ‘ASUCD Constitutional Amendment #79,’ they would tell me to shut up,” Raghunathan said. “If I tell them what it speci cally is and have a fun name, they’re actually going to pay attention and possibly vote for it.”

The Senate then moved into approving past three meetings’ minutes after having adjourned early in the agenda during the last meeting of fall quarter because, according to Fujimoto, “it was getting late, and people were getting weird.”

Then, they moved into open forum, during which Gawde suggested continuing the tradition of passing a resolution asking UC Berkeley’s student government to change their name from “ASUC” to “ASUCB,” and Fujimoto requested that all quarterly reports be made public. Schnelbach suggested each senator additionally create “bitesized” reports of their weekly activities to share publicly on social media in a more digestible format.

Eden adjourned the meeting at 9:47 p.m.

telling stories around a table speaks across all

D&D has made it seem as if all TTRPGs require seven di erent dice and a hankering for strict rules and mechanics, but not all subscribe to this method of play. If the barrier to entry seems a little daunting, another popular game is the gothic “Vampire: The Masquerade,” which only uses one ten-

With Perlman and De Silva kicking o the new year at the Mondavi Center, many other renowned artists are on the way to entertain the Davis and greater Sacramento community.

“Next, we have the Cécile McLorin

If you still cannot nd a play style that suits you, the world of TTRPGs is no stranger to mixing and matching rulebooks as you and your party see t. e con nes of the system only rule the game as long as you let them; truthfully, there are an incredible amount of ways for all of us to take advantage of our creativity at our own dining tables.

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

For “Coyote & Crow” creator Conner Alexander, the medium allows for a sandbox-like approach to a highly unique and futuristic Indigenous world. In an interview with Mojo Nation, Alexander sees a shift in the way people interact with TTRPGs today, saying “People don’t just want mechanics anymore; they want theme [...] it’s bringing people closer to [roleplaying games] in a way that they’re comfortable with and the idea of

TTRPG

FROM

UC Davis women’s basketball team cruises past CSU Northridge for second straight conference win

BY MARLON ROLON sports@theaggie.org

e Aggies continue winning streak

Graduate student forward Tess Sussman and third-year guard Evanne Turner proved to be too much for Northridge to handle on Wednesday night, as the duo combined for 28 points en route to an 83-73 victory at the University Credit Union Center.

e Aggies, who have now won two straight conference games, started the season 0-2 in conference play, losing to the top two ranked teams in the Big West — Hawaii and UC Irvine. With the win against the Matadors, UC Davis moves into sixth place in the conference.

“We’re just trying to focus on getting back to the things that we can control, which is the e ort and the mindset of having fun and staying con dent,” UC Davis Head Coach Jennifer Gross said. “ at’s how we want to be all the time and it’s not always gonna go our way — we know that — but if we can stay together, stay bought into our improvement and keep having fun we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”

Sussman was on re, with a career high of 19 points along with 10 rebounds — her second ‘doubledouble’ of the season. Sussman was also nearly perfect from the threepoint line, going 4-for-4, until late in the third quarter, and nishing the game 5-for-7 from beyond the arc.

“Her leadership has been so consistent,” Gross said of Sussman. “It’s been great the last two games just to see her having fun and taking the pressure o . We have a team where everybody believes in each other.’”

Turner matched Sussman’s scoring total, tagging 19 points along with ve three-pointers. e Aggies made a season-high 14 of 26 three-pointers in the game, which proved to be one of the contributing factors to the win.

“We’re really a pretty good threepoint shooting team,” Gross said. “It’s been really frustrating that we haven’t seen the ball go into the basket. We’ve been talking about this last week, about playing a little bit more freely, having fun and being con dent. I was really happy to see our team step up and be ready to shoot the open shots. It was nice to see them go down.”

Another contributing factor was strong o ensive performance from the bench. e team’s second unit scored 42 points, including 11 points with

FOOTBALL

ve assists from redshirt rst-year center Megan Norris, who had 19 minutes of play.

How it happened CSU Northridge opened the game with a ve-point run, surprising the home team. at lead wouldn’t last though, as Turner scored ve straight points to tie the contest. Sussman and second-year point guard Sydney Burns each added three-pointers to that run, giving UC Davis the lead. e home team outscored the Matadors 17-13 in the rst quarter.

e Aggies extended that lead in the second quarter with an o ensive barrage. Sussman continued to make her presence known, knocking down a three-point shot that put UC Davis up

by ve points. A few plays later, rstyear guard Nya Epps added another three-pointer to put the Aggies up by eight. Epps made the most out of her minutes on the oor, scoring ve points in six minutes in the quarter.

e home team went into cruise control late in the second quarter, leading by 18 points at the end of the half.

e Aggies shot 8-for-13 from the three-point line, compared to the Matadors’ 1-for-8. Davis also outrebounded the visitors 21-14, and the bench proved to be pivotal, scoring 20 points compared to Northridge’s four.

e Aggies’ one downfall was that they were sloppy with the ball, leading to seven turnovers.

Sussman opened the third quarter

NFL Playoff Preview

BY PATRICK FIGUEROA sports@theaggie.org

With the 2022 NFL regular season nished, the playo picture is set with 14 teams ready to compete. ere are seven teams from each of the respective conferences, the AFC and NFC. ey will compete among conference opponents, and the last two remaining teams from each conference are set to face o against one another for the Lombardi trophy.

AFC No. 1 Seed: Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)

Finishing with the best record in the AFC, thus granting them a rstround bye week, are the Chiefs. Led by MVP-favorite quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have one of the best o enses in the league, despite trading away star wide receiver Tyreek Hill this past o season. With a team that features tight end Travis Kelce and defensive lineman Chris Jones, they have the talent to win their second Super Bowl in ve years.

AFC No. 2 Seed: Bu alo Bills (13-3)

e Bills lived up to their preseason expectations, nishing with one of the best records in the NFL. Quarterback Josh Allen accounted for over 5,000 scrimmage yards, while wide receiver Stefon Diggs had over 1,400 receiving yards. ey are a must-watch duo for this postseason as the Bills look for their rst Super Bowl appearance since 1993.

AFC No. 3 Seed: Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)

e Bengals won the AFC championship last season and will now have a chance to repeat this year. Quarterback Joe Burrow has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, throwing for 4,475 yards and 35 touchdowns this season. e Bengals also have two wide receivers who account for over 1,000 receiving yards — Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

e well-rounded team is de nitely in the running for another Super Bowl appearance.

MIRANDA LEE / AGGIE

AFC No. 4 Seed: Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)

After having the rst overall pick in the NFL draft last o season, the Jaguars went from worst to rst this season as they won their rst division title since 2017. eir young quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, bounced back in his second season as he threw for 4,113 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. e Jaguars will need Lawrence to play at a high level if they want to win games this postseason.

AFC No. 5 Seed: Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)

Even thought the Chargers lost several key players to injury this season, they still managed to make the playo s for the rst time since 2018.

Quarterback Justin Herbert will make his playo debut after having the second-most passing yards in the NFL (4,739) this season. e Chargers will also get players back from injury, including as edge rusher Joey Bosa and potentially o ensive tackle Rashawn Slater.

AFC No. 6 Seed: Baltimore Ravens (10-7) e Ravens made the playo s after a one-year hiatus, but it is questionable whether quarterback Lamar Jackson will play. Jackson su ered a knee

injury in week 13, and has not played a game since then. e Ravens have a great defense that features linebacker Roquan Smith, but they will need Jackson to play if they want to make it to the Super Bowl.

AFC No. 7 Seed: Miami Dolphins (9-8)

e Dolphins are another team whose quarterback situation is up in the air. It was an impressive season for rst-year head coach Mike McDaniel, but quarterback Tua Tagovailoa su ered three concussions this season.

With rookie-quarterback Skylar ompson preparing to start, it will be di cult to win a playo game — even with star wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

NFC No. 1 Seed: Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)

With a roster full of star talent, the Eagles clinched a rst-round bye and home- eld advantage for the postseason. eir quarterback, Jalen Hurts, is one of the top MVP candidates, despite missing two games this season due to a shoulder injury. With many talented players, such as center Jason Kelce, wide receiver A.J. Brown and cornerback Darius Slay, the Eagles have an opportunity to win their second Super Bowl since 2017.

scoring from beyond the three-point line; however, Northridge got hot and traded baskets with the Aggies. By this point, Sussman had 14 points, but cooled o and didn’t score for the rest of the quarter. In some instances, the Matadors doubled-teamed Sussman, which left Turner open. is was costly for the visitors, as Turner buried two three-pointers. Northridge outscored the Aggies 21-20 in the third quarter, but the visitors still trailed by 17.

In the fourth quarter, Northridge rallied back with a 27-point outburst, which cut the de cit to 10 points. But UC Davis kept their opponent at bay with Sussman, Turner and Norris leading the way. In the end, the home team’s o ense proved to be too strong to defeat.

“Credit Evanne Turner, because every time they were about to cut [the lead] to single digits, she seemed to hit a big shot,” Gross said. “And we really needed that.”

Gross’s bench was also integral to the win at home, adding 22 points in the second half.

UC Davis lost to Cal State Fullerton on the road last Saturday (1/14) and WON?LOST to UC San Diego at home on Monday (1/16). e Aggies will then be back on the road to take on UC Irvine on ursday (1/19) and Cal Poly on Saturday (1/21).

“Anytime you go on the road, you have to bring that chip-on-yourshoulder mentality,” Gross said of the upcoming away games.

NFC No. 2 Seed: San Francisco 49ers (13-4) Despite two of their starting quarterbacks — Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo — su ering season-ending injuries, the Niners still had one of the best records in the NFL. Seventhround rookie quarterback Brock Purdy helped out by throwing for 1,374 yards and 13 touchdowns in seven regular season games. Defensive end Nick Bosa was also a key contributor for the team, as he led one of the best defenses in the NFL with 18.5 sacks.

NFC No. 3 Seed: Minnesota Vikings (13-4)

In a season where the Vikings had the greatest comeback in NFL history, they also won their rst division title since 2017. In addition, star wide receiver Justin Je erson broke the Minnesota Vikings’ single-season receiving yards record, previously held by Randy Moss. e Vikings look to carry this momentum throughout the postseason.

NFC No. 4 Seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9) ere are three inevitable things in life: death, taxes and quarterback Tom Brady making it to the postseason. e Buccaneers are the only team with a below 0.500 winning percentage to make it to the playo s, likely due to

their weak division, the NFC South. However, with Brady and other talented players like wide receiver Chris Godwin, defensive tackle Vita Vea and safety Antoine Win eld Jr., they can make some noise in the postseason.

NFC No. 5 Seed: Dallas Cowboys (12-5)

e Cowboys have returned to the postseason after losing in the wild-card round last year against the 49ers. Despite some injuries earlier in the season, such as losing quarterback Dak Prescott from week two through six with a nger injury, they still nished with one of the best records in the NFL. With star linebacker Micah Parsons and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys have a chance to make a run.

NFC No. 6 Seed: New York Giants (9-7-1)

Despite hiring a new head coach and general manager earlier this year, the Giants made it to the postseason for the rst time since 2016. Running back Saquon Barkley, who had over 1,600 scrimmage yards this year, is one of the reasons why they reached the playo s. Even if the Giants do not win a playo game this year, the organization is moving in the right direction with their new sta

NFC No. 7 Seed: Seattle Seahawks (9-8)

e Seahawks snuck into the playo s after winning their week 18 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers losing to the Detroit Lions. is season, longtime NFL backup quarterback Geno Smith stepped in as the starting quarterback and played the best football of his career. In a season where he threw for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns, Smith and the Seahawks are fan favorites this postseason.

The Aggies’ three-point shooting and bench were integral to the team’s success

The NFL’s best teams are set to compete for a chance to win the Super Bowl

The Aggies take on CSU Northridge. (Aggie File)