February 23, 2023

The Davis community shows support for transgender children following local author event

Davis Parent University hosted an online event that received protest and backlash; the community responds with support for gender expansive people

BY CHRIS PONCE campus@theaggie.org

Content Warning: this article contains discussions of transphobia.

On Jan. 11, Davis Parent University (DPU) hosted an event featuring the co-author of “ e Transgender Child,” Rachel Pepper. e book was written as a guide for parents, families and educators who are trying to support and understand children who are transgender, non-binary and/ or gender expansive. e event was originally scheduled to be held in person but was moved online due to safety concerns.

Jenny Can eld is the cochair of Davis Parent University. She said that the organization, which was founded 14 years ago, aims to protect all children and their education.

“DPU’s mission is to provide high-caliber lectures and programming to the Davis community parents, caregivers, teachers and administrators,” Can eld said. “We strive to

assist [Parent Teacher Associations] and [Parent Teacher Organizations] in their mission, inspiring and educating parents and advocating for the well-being of every child.”

Co-chair of Davis Parent University, Abby Koenig, discussed how the event featuring Rachel Pepper has an

important message for parents. She also talked about the backlash the event received and how the community responded. “We were expecting that this would be a controversial topic, because anyone who’s reading the news knows that gender is a sensitive issue, and there’s

Congressperson Adam Schiff hosts first Northern California campaign event at the International House

After his recent Senate campaign announcement, Representative Schiff spoke at a meet-and-greet hosted by the Davis College Democrats on Feb. 14

BY ANTHONY W. ZAMMIKIEL city@theaggie.org

Adam Schiff, the Democratic congressperson who represents California’s 30th District (CA-30), attended a meet-and-greet hosted by the Davis College Democrats at the International House (I-House) on Feb. 14. Rep. Schi will be running to represent California in the Senate, vying for the seat that has been held by Senator Dianne Feinstein for more than 30 years. e event came a day after Rep. Feinstein announced her retirement after her term concludes in 2025.

Schiff, the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee during the two impeachment trials for former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6. insurrection at the Capitol, talked about how fragile democracy in the U.S. has become.

“It may seem self-evident now, but at the time it was a shocking conclusion to reach,” Schi said. “ at the predominant threat to our country, for the rst time, came from within. Why we have been vulnerable to a demagogue in this country and why we have seen a rise in autocracy in other parts of the world is that there has been a real revolution in the nature of our economy, and the global economy. e workplace is being transformed, and millions of people are feeling a profound sense of economic anxiety, people in the middle class are desperately worried, and so many working-class families are worried whether they will ever come up.” e meet-and-greet happened two days after a mass shooting at the East Lansing campus of Michigan State University. Emily Ault, a volunteer with Moms Demand Action in Davis, attended the event to show her support for Schi , who she said has demonstrated that he is a ‘strong gun sense’ candidate.

“With him being elected, I hope he revisits H.R.8 — that is the law that

requires new background checks to be established —and that he continues to advocate for stronger gun laws to prevent easy access,” Ault said. “He has shown that he wants to consider banning AR-15s, banning assault weapons and he has been such a strong supporter of common-sense gun legislation.”

Nancy Simpon, another event attendee, shared a similar sentiment. Simpson said Schi should continue to advocate for gun control reform, following in Sen. Feinstein’s footsteps of implementing federal gun control.

“With the mass shooting on the 13th, I am hoping with him being in the Senate, that the Senate becomes involved in regulating guns,” Simpson said. “Especially with him taking Senator Feinstein’s place, who was really a great pioneer in the area of gun control.”

Steven am, a student at UC Davis, said that after receiving a ier for the meet-and-greet event, they were curious to see what Schi would have to say. “If he was elected, I would like for him to invest in all the undergraduate talent and to strengthen freedom of speech,” am said. “And I would say that another one would be to support and update hate-crime legislation.”

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been a lot of discomforts and a lot of conversation nationally,” Koenig said. ere was a small group of parents, some of whom are not from our school district, who protested Rachel Pepper’s event. But overall, we’re very grateful that the Davis community has expressed overwhelming support for Rachel and

her core message of love and acceptance for all children regardless of gender identity.”

Koenig said she wasn’t present to witness the protest rst-hand, but heard of the backlash and how these protests a ected students and parents.

“It was very poignant as a community member, as a DJUSD [Davis Joint Uni ed School District] parent, to read about the impact that the protesters had on students at DHS [Davis Senior High School],” Koenig said. “I think I can speak for all of the DJUSD community members, our hearts really went out to any of the students who felt targeted.”

In spite of these protests, Koenig wanted to highlight the support parents and the community have demonstrated for transgender children and talked about how people’s responses have inspired her.

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Suspension extended for UC Davis Men’s Basketball Coach

Assistant coach Jonathan MetzgerJones will face a week-long suspension

UC Davis Men’s Basketball assistant coach Jonathan Metzger-Jones is facing an extended suspension following his involvement in an altercation during the Feb. 11 game against UC Santa Barbara.

e event took place late in the game, and the two players involved were ejected from the game for the remainder of the second half and were both suspended from the following game. During the event, two elderly fans sitting on the sidelines were knocked over.

After further review, Metzger-Jones was also suspended from the next game for his actions during the altercation, a penalty that was later increased to one week of suspension.

“After additional review and

consultation, I have decided to extend assistant men’s basketball coach Jonathan Metzger-Jones’ suspension from all team activities for one week including the two upcoming contests,” UC Davis athletic director Rocko DeLuca said in a Feb. 15 press release. “Coach Metzger-Jones has acknowledged his conduct fell way short of our expectations and has accepted full responsibility for his actions.”

Metzger-Jones was the only coach suspended, alongside the two players, Ty Johnson of UC Davis and Andre Kelly of UC Santa Barbara. Johnson did not face further suspension and played in the team’s victorious Feb. 20 game against UC San Diego.

As of Feb. 21, Metzger-Jones had not responded to a request for comment.

Turkish American Association of California holds candlelight vigil in downtown Davis

In a response to the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, CalTurks hosts fundraiser and vigil on Feb. 19

BY MADELEINE YOUNG city@theaggie.org

On Feb. 19, the Sacramento chapter of the Turkish American Association of California (CalTurks) held a candlelight vigil and fundraiser in Davis Central Park to mourn and raise funds for the victims of the earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria that killed more than 40,000 people earlier this month.

Volunteers and organizers set up tables with Turkish cookies, cakes, art and lemonade as part of a fundraiser to support the victims of the earthquakes. Demet Candas-Green, President of the CalTurk Sacramento chapter, organized the event.

“We’re here to raise funds for the earthquake victims,” Candas-Green said. “We wanted to bring the Turkish community together since Turkish people like to gather and mourn together, so that’s what we’re doing here.

Everyone was so eager to come and help bake stu and make lemonade.”

After the fundraiser concluded, viewers gathered around candles that were lit in the formation of the crescent

moon and star, featured on Turkey’s ag, and the speakers shared their words of condolence.

Professor, author and founder of the Middle East/South Asia Studies Program at UC Davis Baki Tezcan spoke.

“It’s very di cult to nd anything to say really when we are talking about as many people as almost there are in Davis disappearing at once,” Tezcan said. “But it’s so great that so many people showed up here. It’s wonderful to be part of a community like this in Davis.”

Alongside Tezcan, City Councilmember Gloria Partida also shared thoughts on the tragedy and how it a ects the Turkish community in Davis.

“On behalf of the city of Davis, we extend our condolences to your country,” Partida said. “ ere are many things about the city of Davis that I love and one of those is its great diversity. We have a number of people who come

from all over the world and they add so greatly to the fabric of our community and so we know that the people that are here are sharing their lives with us. ey have a great deal of their heart in the country they come from, so I understand the deep pain that you are feeling right now and so it is very special for me to be able to share this moment with you as we hold each other and we comfort each other.”

Melissa Kucukdemirci, a fourthyear psychology major, attended the event after seeing a ier promoting it on campus.

“I’m Turkish and my family wasn’t a ected, but everybody knows somebody who has been a ected by the earthquakes,” Kucukdemirci said. “It was so nice seeing everybody come out to support the victims.”

Partida shared what people in Davis can do to show their support for the a ected communities.

“If there’s any way we can assist, we should be sending funds because

Hosted by the Davis Democratic Club, Rep. Adam Schiff visits UCD—the first stop on his campaign trail for Senator. (Maia Zhu / Aggie)

“The Transgender Child” is available at the Avid Reader. (Alexis Perez / Aggie)

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

Donna Neville announces candidacy for vacated city council seat

Neville wants to address climate change, fiscal responsibility and housing crisis

BY CHRIS PONCE city@theaggie.org

On Jan. 26, Davis Planning Commission member Donna Neville announced her candidacy to represent Davis City Council’s District 3. As the May 2 special election is on the horizon, Neville spoke about what she wants Davis residents and voters to know about her.

“First and foremost that I will listen to them,” Neville said. “I will listen to all voices, and I’ll make myself very available and very accessible so I can really hear from everyone and make sure I understand their concerns.”

Neville has longtime ties to UC Davis, as she graduated from law school at King Hall at UC Davis and her husband Ted Grosholz is a professor in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy. In her professional life, Neville has served as a lawyer, was the board president for National Alliance on Mental Illness Yolo County (NAMI) and is a member of the Davis Planning Commission.

“I really do my homework before I make a decision,” Neville said. “So I read up on the issue. I talk to city sta if I need to. I consult with experts, and I really work hard to make decisions that are very informed and that would be in the best interest of everyone in the community. As I make the decisions, I’m always thinking about it from the

perspective of ‘How does this a ect everyone, especially those who might be the least able to have the time or resources to come forward?’”

Neville said that the issues that come up for local leaders can be unpredictable, like the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s important to hear from the community about what is impacting them directly. Some major issues that she has seen voiced on the campaign trail are a ordable housing, city services for those experiencing homelessness and climate change.

“I know some people think there is only so much you can do on the local level, but my philosophy is always to do whatever you can at whatever level you are at,” Neville said. “We know that in Davis, we can have a real impact by changing some of our transportation patterns. I mean, that’s where 75% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from in Davis. And if we can really make our community more bike-friendly, more walker-friendly [and] use more non-fossil fuel forms of transportation, we can make a dent, and I think that’s really important.”

Neville said that, if elected, one of her priorities is to make sure the Davis Climate Action and Adaptation Plan becomes more than “just a plan that sits on a shelf.”

UC Davis and Chile leaders sign agreement for collaborative agricultural research

e bottom line is that we, the city, simply don’t have enough money to provide all the services and things that people want,” Neville said. “We just have a cash shortfall and need to nd some good ways of bringing in more revenue to our city. And that’s one of the things that I think city council and the university can really work together more e ectively on is keeping some more of this amazing talent, technical talent and other talent that the university is producing.”

While it hasn’t been long since Neville’s campaign started, Neville has already been on the campaign trail so far, since she believes it’s important to really know the community.

“It’s all about knocking on doors and meeting people,” Neville said. “It’s grassroots; it’s out there talking to neighbors. I told people I was going to every door in the district twice, and then people working with me said, ‘ at was a little ambitious.’ But you do have to get out there.”

Students can register to vote on the Yolo County Elections O ce website or by visiting registertovote.ca.gov. e special election on May 2 will be determined by mail-in voting.

The agreement seeks to strengthen the academic collaboration between the two through the exchange of research findings

The city of Davis adopts second housing element while students camp overnight in an attempt to secure housing

Amidst the housing crisis, UC Davis students camped overnight at Almondwood apartments to secure a lease

BY MADELEINE YOUNG city@theaggie.org

On Jan. 31, Davis City Council adopted the second version of its proposed Housing Element. The previous proposal was adopted last August but had to be updated as the element was not compliant with a State Housing Law. On Feb. 2, the updated version of the element was sent to the California State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and is now awaiting approval.

But as new leasing contracts begin opening up for next fall, UC Davis students are experiencing the e ects of the city’s housing crisis. e price of rent has even caused some students to camp overnight to secure a lease, including Breanna Colonese-Dibello, a rst-year environmental science and management major.

“We were looking for a threebedroom apartment at Almondwood,” Colonese-Dibello said. “It was one of the few that was in our budget and close enough to campus to bike. We heard that people were going to camp out because spots ll up fast so we got there at 7:30 p.m. the night before leasing. We were able to get the last three-bedroom apartment available, but camping out was not ideal. We had one sleeping bag for the three of us and it got to 35 degrees. I had a midterm the next day and the two girls who camped out with me had to skip most, if not all, of their classes the next day.”

According to the Davis Vanguard, there were another 30 to 40 students camping in hopes of securing a lease for the 2023-2024 school year. ColoneseDibello shared how urgent this problem is for students like her.

“Before coming to Davis, I had no idea this would be an issue and our experience goes to show how big of a problem it is,” said Colonese-Dibello. “It almost seems like getting housing off campus second year is like an unsaid gift. e school should be more

transparent and guarantee housing for rst- and second-year students.”

To accommodate students, UC Davis has partnered with e Michaels Organization to develop Orchard Park — which is comprised of 11 four-story residential buildings for graduatestudent and family housing according to a survey report from Jan. 31.

“While the vacancy rate is lower than we hoped, we remain positive that our recent additions to student housing are having an impact,” Michael Sheehan, the associate vice chancellor for housing in student a airs, said in the report. “Lending to our optimism are the 1,500 new beds coming available

this fall at the Orchard Park apartment community and plans for a new 400600-bed residence hall.”

While these plans seem promising, the housing crisis is being felt by many students already, including third-year transfer student Samantha Li, who fears that she might not be able to nd housing.

“We’ve been trying to nd a house for months, but every one we’ve looked at has been taken o the market within a week, were out of our budget or they are only leasing for immediate occupancy,” Li said. “It’s been really stressful not knowing if we’re even going to be able to nd housing.”

BY SYDNEY AMESTOY campus@theaggie.org

UC Davis and the Chilean Ministry of Agriculture signed an agreement on Jan. 26 that seeks to strengthen the collaboration between the school and the Republic of Chile in terms of agricultural development and research, according to a press release.

The agreement was signed by Chancellor Gary May and the Minister of Agriculture of Chile Esteban Valenzuela in Santiago, Chile at a conference put on by the UC Davis Chile Life Sciences Innovation Center (UC Davis Chile), according to the release. e agreement seeks to encourage collaboration between the entities through the exchange of research ndings.

Executive Director of UC Davis

Chile Dario Cantu said that he currently works closely on the research conducted through the center and believes the agreement will only strengthen the connection between UC Davis and Chile. “ e agreement signed [...] is meant to strengthen and formalize the already close collaboration with the Chilean government in areas that are of priority for both UC Davis and Chile, such as climate change, drought, development of rural areas and farmers’ wellbeing, sustainability and technological innovation, among others,” Cantu said.

This is not the first time an agreement of this nature has been

signed between UC Davis and a Chilean entity. In 2017, UC Davis Chile signed a collaborative agreement with the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile.

“[UC Davis Chile] facilitates the exchange of knowledge and expertise from California, which is highly relevant to Chile due to their similarities in terms of geography, climate, industries and universities,” Cantu said. “We work closely with Chilean government agencies, universities and industry partners on a range of projects, such as, for example, pest and disease control, development of bioproducts to improve plant health and productivity, improved water management practices, environmental quality monitoring and conservation and development of extension programs in viticulture, fruit production [and] irrigation management.”

UC Davis Chile opened in 2015 with the sponsorship of the Chilean government, after a long history of previous collaboration, according to Cantu.

“UC Davis has a long tradition of working closely with institutions in Chile, which probably started in as early as in the 1960s when several Chilean students studied agronomy and related elds enrolled in UC Davis and later made signi cant contributions to the modernization of Chilean agriculture,” Cantu said.

Push for ASUCD antisemitism training discussed at Feb. 16 meeting

The Senate also covered how to increase voter turnout, a new app to help students find roommates, a survey to gather information about students’ use of equitable access and more

BY LILY FREEMAN campus@theaggie.org

Vice President JT Eden called the Feb. 16 Senate meeting to order at 6:11 p.m. After roll call, he read the UC Davis Land Acknowledgement.

Next, e Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) spoke to the Senate, noting that continued funding for their organization will be on the ballot as a student referendum fee during the spring 2023 ASUCD election. ey utilized their presentation time to ask the Senate how they can work together to raise voter turnout, as the fee referendum will only go through if there is at least 20% voter turnout, regardless of the referendum’s popularity.

In response, Eden talked about one way ASUCD is seeking to improve voter turnout, which was about 5.5% in the fall, in the spring.

“We just recently appointed an elections o cer who runs all of our elections and manages outreach,” Eden said. “He has a pretty robust plan in place to address election engagement and turnout.”

Eden went on to explain the recent addition of an elections committee under the Senate, which was created to improve election turnout.

Following TGIF, Aggie Works gave a presentation discussing a potential partnership with ASUCD in the future. Aggie Works is a student-run organization of product designers, software engineers and product managers building software products for UC Davis students.

During the presentation, Aggie Works product manager Michelle Tran, a fourth-year economics and cognitive

science double major, explained their latest project, RoomMe.

“RoomMe is essentially Tinder for roommates,” Tran said. “It is a modern mobile roommate search solution built for college students, by college students.”

Tran said that the app has features including dating app-style matching, a similarity quiz, search lters to nd roommates with similar interests and a one-on-one chat room.

Aggie Works concluded their presentation by discussing how they can work with the Senate to ensure that this app reaches as many UC Davis students as possible. ey said that the app is set to o cially launch during the upcoming spring quarter.

Next, the Senate moved to public comments. First, Senator Jacob Klein talked about the need for antisemitism training in ASUCD.

“In recent years, UC Davis has had an extensive amount of antisemitic incidents occurring on campus,” Klein said. “ASUCD speci cally needs antisemitism training not only because it represents Jewish students, but because they have a pattern of subjecting Jewish representatives to common stereotypes.”

Senator Stephen Fujimoto spoke next. Fujimoto said that the Research and Data Committee is doing a survey on Equitable Access and physical textbook access to help Aggie Reuse collect data for a potential textbook rental program. He encouraged the Senate and all students to take the survey.

Following public comments, Unitrans General Manager Je Flynn gave the unit’s quarterly report.

Davis City Council Chambers is located on Russell Blvd. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

Donna Neville announces candidacy for district 3 Council Seat. (Donna Neville / Courtesy)

Vice Provost and Associate Chancellor of Global Affairs Joanna Regulska (left) and Rector Ignacio Sánchez from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (right) sign the Agreement of Cooperation. (UC Davis / Courtesy)

Congressperson Mike Thompson speaks to the Davis community

As part of a larger listening tour, Representative Thompson and his staff held two events in Davis last week

BY CHRIS PONCE city@theaggie.org

On Feb. 14, Rep. Mike ompson and both his California- and Washington-based sta hosted two events in Davis to connect with the local community. e rst event was held on campus and the second was at the Davis Veterans Memorial Center. Neither of the events was open for the general public to attend, but university leaders, community members and members of the press were invited. These events were a part of Rep. Thompson’s “listening tour” during which the congressperson visited communities throughout the district, including Dixon, Vacaville and Woodland. ompson previously represented California’s 5th Congressional District, which did not include Davis and these surrounding areas, but now represents California’s newly drawn 4th Congressional District following the 2020 census which includes the city of Davis and Yolo County. At the start of the second Davis event, ompson expressed the purpose of the event and how he hoped it would help build bridges throughout the community.

“It’s been fantastic, all of the communities we’ve visited are extremely participatory, they’re glad we’re doing this,” ompson said. “You can see right here how people are meeting with the sta , they gured out which sta er works on their issue [...] [and are] introducing themselves. I think it’s going to be very bene cial to their district and to my o ce.”

During the event on campus, ompson said that he was grateful to meet so many new people and reconnect with some people he has worked with before in the UC Davis community. ere were professors and deans that I had worked with over the course of the last 10 years,” ompson said. “Even though Davis wasn’t in my district, we worked on issues like tax policy, [agricultural] issues and things of that nature.”

Representative Mike Thompson introduces himself to Davis community members. (Christine Minarik / Aggie) process easier for students by eliminating certain procedures that cause students to drop their applications.

Jack Stelzner, the communications director for ompson’s Washington o ce, described the e ort that was put into the events, which took “nonstop” work from the sta . Moreover, he described the events and addressed common questions and concerns.

“I would say that [for] the rst half we’ve been in the new areas, so the Northern Solano County and Yolo [County], both of which are more agricultural focused,” Stelzner said.

“Water’s been a huge topic. Same thing with just disaster relief — so wild res, droughts, oods [and] the work we’re able to do with that. In general, we’ve been hearing about people interested in D.C., so we’ve had some questions

about how we’re going to get stu done under the Republican majority.”

Sergio Bocardo, a third-year student and the assistant director of the Pantry at UC Davis, inquired about ompson’s ideas regarding the issue of food insecurity and CalFresh during the event.

“At the Pantry, we work a lot in serving students and making sure they have food on the table. Particularly there’s a bill coming up called the ‘Farm Bill.’ And the Farm Bill’s a bill where they focus a lot on agriculture [and] CalFresh,” Bocardo said. Bocardo also asked ompson if he would support legislation that would help make the CalFresh application

Are TikTok challenges to blame for increases in vehicle theft throughout Yolo County?

Davis law enforcement cites a TikTok challenge as the reason for increase in vehicle theft, but students are divided over whether the social media app is responsible

BY ANTHONY W. ZAMMIKIEL city@theaggie.org

Law enforcement authorities in Yolo County have cited a TikTok challenge from the summer of 2022 as a possible reason for the increase in thefts targeting Kia and Hyundai vehicles. is comes as law enforcement nationwide has reported increases in vehicle theft, with similar comments being made about how this trend originated from the TikTok content creator, Kia Boyz.

Videos on the popular social media app showcase how speci c models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles are more vulnerable to vehicle theft. e original videos published by Kia Boyz, which are now unavailable, feature the content creator teaching viewers how to easily break into cars or steal their parts.

However, despite local law enforcement agencies citing the TikTok challenge as being the inspiration for some of these thefts, Davis students remain divided over whether the increase in theft can be attributed to the challenge.

Fourth-year student Will Roberts said that considering how many videos

are still publicly available on the social media app, those content creators could be responsible for providing inspiration for the criminal activities being committed here in Davis.

“You just have to type Kia Boyz into your TikTok feed, and there you go, you have all of these videos which pop up of people doing the same thing,” Roberts said. “And there aren’t any restrictions on these videos at all. [...] at information being publicly available is really a big problem.”

However, other students disagree.

Mia Kim, a third-year student, said that there are other factors law enforcement should consider when investigating the crimes and what their motivations were. ere may have been a few incidents that you could rightly attribute to this ‘TikTok challenge’ from last summer,”

Kim said. “However, it is not likely that the police could sit down and say, ‘Hey, with all the evidence we have on these thefts, we can unequivocally say that this challenge was to blame.’ I think there should be some restraint in all the news about how TikTok challenges are responsible for all these things going on across the country, and instead really wait and see what are the reasons behind

all the thefts that have been going on.”

The Davis Police Department operates an online feature called Citizens RIMS that shows the latest reports on criminal activities in the city. On the website, the Davis Police Department has a section dedicated to stolen vehicles, which lists important information about the vehicles that have been stolen, including the date when the vehicle was stolen.

“If you see any of the stolen vehicles listed on this page DO NOT TAKE ACTION YOURSELF,” the Police Department states on the website.

“Contact the Davis Police Department at 530-747-5400. If the vehicle is occupied, call 9-1-1.”

If you have information concerning Yolo County car thefts, the Yolo County Sheri ’s O ce recommends calling 530-668-5248 to report any suspicious or criminal activity that you witness and 911 if there is an emergency.

Any individual in the Davis community who has information on any incident of vehicle theft is encouraged to contact local law enforcement with the information provided above.

“I think his answer was mediocre at best,” Bocardo said. “He talked about supporting those things but the big issue is, a lot of people have been talking about supporting these things all the time but it’s whether he’s going to get the members of Congress to do it. at’s the real thing: how much in uence is he going to have to make these changes?”

Oliver Snow, a recent UC Davis alumna and assistant deputy for the Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza talked about his impression of the event at Davis Veterans Memorial Center..

“I thought it was great,” Snow said.

DAVISPARENTUNIVERSITY FROM THE COVER

“We’ve been so inspired by our community standing shoulder to shoulder with gender-expansive young people who are so often marginalized,” Koenig said. “It’s been very moving to see so many Davis parents and educators just embodying DJUSD’s beautiful statement, that quote, ‘We all belong.’”

At the Jan. 19 DJUSD meeting, parents, families and members of the community came to show their support for transgender, non-binary and gender expansive children. According to a video posted by the Davis Phoenix Coalition on Facebook, those in attendance held signs that read “Davis says no to transphobia, no hate in our town” and “school for all means all.” Other signs included ones painted in the colors of the transgender ag (blue, white and pink) that read the words, “we exist.”

Koenig talked about how she hopes transgender and non-binary children in the community feel support from those around them.

“I hope that every transgender or non-binary young person from the community that did feel targeted by any of the protest experience the really profound a rmation and outpouring

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Both Democratic and Republican candidates for the 2024 election have already declared candidacy for Feinstein’s seat, or at least begun lling out the necessary paperwork to do so. Aside from Rep. Schi , Democrat Rep. Katie Porter (CA-47) has declared

SENATE

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Flynn highlighted the additions of new sweeper buses on the weekdays to reduce overcrowding and bypass and the six new electric buses that were added in the fall, He also noted a large sta ng shortage at Unitran and discussed said the safety concerns at the Silo bus terminal, which Unitrans has been focusing their e orts on resolving.

Next, ASUCD Creative Media presented their creative report. Creative Media discussed recent accomplishments, such as completing designs for the ASUCD HAUS Housing Week and working with e Pantry and the Mental Health Initiative to create merchandise and various vinyl projects in collaboration with ASUCD. ey also outlined its design plans for spring 2023 ASUCD elections with the goal of increasing voter turnout. e Internal A airs Commission (IAC) then went on to provide its quarterly report. uyAnh Truong, the

“I appreciate how much [ ompson] was invested in the district and visiting the district, so I’m excited to have him here and [am] excited to work with him.”

At both events, ompson also discussed the divisive tensions in the federal government following the recent State of the Union address. He said that despite these polarized times, he has a lot of hope.

“We’ve had divisive times in the past and we’ve got through all of them,” ompson said. “America is very resilient and the American people are incredible. We’re going to get through this tough spot too.”

of love and support at the school board meeting,” Koenig said. Local businesses have also demonstrated their support for the transgender community and children in Davis. The Avid Reader held a three-week fundraiser for e Trevor Project that ended after Feb. 14. Holly ompson, the outreach and event manager for e Avid Reader, explained via email how the DPU event inspired the fundraiser.

“We partner with Davis Parent University to sell books onsite at their events,” ompson said. “But because the January Rachel Pepper event needed to be moved to a virtual event (due to protests and community safety) we wanted to make the best of the situation by donating proceeds of the book’s sales to e Trevor Project.”

“The Transgender Child” encourages readers to take steps to nurture transgender, non-binary and gender expansive children and to deconstruct previously held notions in order to better protect all children. “ e rst [step] is to thoroughly explore what is currently known and understood about gender,” the book reads. “Once we become educated about the current thinking around gender itself, the next big step is to release ourselves from our inherited beliefs, and thus allow ourselves to see the beautiful spectrum that gender really is.”

her candidacy and Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12) is expected to announce her bid this month. Republican Denice Gary-Pandol has announced her candidacy, and both Peter Leiu and Barack Mandela are expected to nish the necessary paperwork to announce shortly as well. e 2024 United States Senate election is scheduled for Nov. 5, 2024, and will be the second open Senate race in the state of California in more than 30 years.

chair of the commission, explained what the commission has done this quarter.

Truong said that the IAC resumed working with the Judicial Council Advisory and worked on the creation of their website. IAC also introduced 13 pieces of legislation over the course of fall quarter, and Truong said that they have reviewed and considered quite a bit more than that.

Following quarterly reports, the Senate moved on to consider legislation.

SB #60, which introduces a motion for round-robin discussion and creates guidelines for the duration of speaking periods when it is being proposed, was tabled until the Feb. 23 Senate meeting.

SB #65, which would dissolve the ASUCD Donation Drive Committee, was tabled until the March 9 Senate meeting.

SB #69, which amends the Senate bylaws to raise the threshold for establishing a new unit or committee anord to pass emergency legislation to a three-fourths vote, e senators approved past meeting minutes, and Eden adjourned the meeting at 10:24 p.m.

Amid political chaos, Biden stood strong

Five key takeaways from the 2023 State of the Union Address

BY CLAIRE SCHAD cfschad@ucdavis.edu

As the house chamber lled on Feb. 7, many were unsure of how President Joe Biden would perform in his second State of the Union address. Amid political chaos, would he be able to stand out and make a case for his reelection campaign or would he fall at? Here is a list of what I found to be most important in this year’s address.

President Biden’s focus on workingclass issues could help him in 2024

In its entirety, the State of the Union address provides a platform for the current president to tout the accomplishments of their administration. Often, they will highlight areas that they know are relatable to the American public and avoid other, larger — or more controversial — issues.

is is especially true for presidents seeking reelection in upcoming years and was exactly the case in Biden’s 2023 address, where a majority of the speech was spent on topics that a ect the everyday American. Some of these issues included “junk fees” tacked onto airline tickets, credit card late fees and access to broadband internet. After all, these are all issues that are di cult to argue against, which could help Biden’s approval ratings.

America rst was a constant theme

It was clear that Biden was targeting working-class Americans. Much of the speech was spent discussing e orts to reduce the dependence on foreign nations in the manufacturing industry. “Made in America” was a recurring theme throughout the speech. is targeted approach was a clear attempt to gain votes in a region critical for his reelection.

So, was this e ective? I think so. By including topics that many Americans have some experience and knowledge about, he was able to appeal to a broader audience. Often, many Americans can be put o by politics because it feels like elite-level issues are prioritized over those of the common working class. I am not saying that Biden was fully successful in this, but he did a fairly good job of speaking to the American people about issues they care about.

Per usual, guests were used as political props is brings us to the next issue of the State of the Union that I think myself and many others nd somewhat awkward — the use of presidential guests as talking points throughout the speech. Each year, the president and their administration carefully select individuals to invite to the address. ese people have ranged from the family members of shooting victims to widows of army sergeants to cancer survivors. While not all of the guests are explicitly brought up during the speech, many of them receive the spotlight as the president o ers remarks on relevant policy issues. is year, some of the notable guests included the parents of Tyre Nichols, an unarmed Black man who died at the hands of multiple Memphis police o cers, Brandon Tsay, the man who courageously disarmed the shooter in the Monterey Park mass shooting and Paul Pelosi, who was violently attacked in his home by a politically motivated intruder. While I see how it can be e ective to humanize some of America’s worst problems and highlight proposed solutions, the use of guests felt super cial and unnatural.

Biden handled hecklers better than expected Despite the previously mentioned awkward use of guests throughout the speech, Biden was able to e ectively touch on some more controversial topics. With the mention of issues such as divestment from big oil, Medicare and Social Security, the president received large waves of “boos” and heckling from GOP members.

To tip or not to tip

However, he didn’t let these outbursts derail his speech, instead responding in a way that encouraged unanimous agreement on the protections of Medicare and Social Security — two issues that were under attack from some GOP members. Biden’s ability to go o script and engage with his opponents was a refreshing and very successful addition to his address.

Additionally, he used restraint amid chants and loud outbursts from members of Congress and kept the spotlight on himself. is ensured that members from the opposing party received minimal airtime, maximizing the impact of the president’s words.

Biden made a strong case for his reelection

Despite frequent criticisms from members of both parties, Biden took advantage of the platform and demonstrated why he remains a viable candidate for reelection. e phrase nish the job” was repeated nine times throughout the address, all but explicitly con rming the president’s intentions to run for reelection in 2024.

Biden is preparing to ask voters to keep him in o ce until he is 86 years old, so it was crucial that he came in with energy that proved he was capable of continuing in this role. He accomplished this by handling heckling from his opponents, engaging at the appropriate moments and showing up with vigor and a sense of relatability.

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.

The social phenomena that has people doubting their own morality

Go check out the Saturday Art Market

The 3rd Street market is a wonderful display of Davis’s artistic community

BY YASMEEN O’BRIEN yjobrien@ucdavis.edu

A stroll through the Saturday Art Market is a feast for your eyes, ears and soul. Jewelry glistens in the early sunlight and intricate art pieces adorn tables and boards. Vendors smile warmly at the passersby, hoping their items will be intriguing enough to warrant a sale. e crowded sidewalk is lled with sounds of inviting conversations, laughter and music.

e Art Market is communityorganized and self-sustaining. It runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at the corner of 3rd and B St., where UC Davis students and community members alike come together to sell a large variety of items, usually created or sourced by the vendors themselves. is includes things like clothing, jewelry, pottery, prints, knitwear, shoes, tote bags and much more. You can even have your future told in a tarot card reading.

It started out with just a few friends selling their art on the street and has grown to be an important part of our town’s Saturdays. Depending on the day — and weather — it spans anywhere from one to three blocks of vendors’ tables. is informal setting allows Davis students and community members to meet fellow artists, make some money and support their passions.

What makes it stand out from similar markets, such as Sunday’s Vintage Fair, is that there’s no one to ask permission from: the vendors are not

required to pay or sign up in advance.

No matter who you are or what you’re selling, the art market welcomes you with open arms.

This has, unfortunately, led to some controversy. e Davis Business Association threatened the market due to complaints from the local businesses and Saturday’s Farmers Market, which concerned many Art Market artists and vendors. However, California State Senate Bill 946 (SB-946) protects vendors selling on sidewalks, which means that the city does not have a right to shut down the market. e Art Market is about nding a creative community that will support you. Its vibrancy comes from the lack of formal organization and the fact that it happens simply because people decide to come. It is not about the pro t; it’s about celebrating creativity and building community.

So go check it out this Saturday!

You won’t regret it. I’m sure that the experience will encourage you to meet new friends and local artists and learn more about the Davis community. You might even nd that one-of-a-kind piece you’ll cherish forever.

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.

Print vs. digital

Is

BY EMILIE BROWN emrbrown@ucdavis.edu

The debate between print and digital format in books and textbooks has been a hot topic for quite some time, especially among academic circles. While some students prefer to stick with traditional print, others nd the convenience and accessibility of a digital format to be a better t for their needs. So which format is better? Should we be heading to Shields Library or praising Top Hat and Canvas Bookshelf?

e argument for print:

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

You’re standing at a counter, waiting to pay for your large iced chai. e price totals to $5.50, and you shrug o the nagging voice telling you to go make your own chai to save money. e barista smiles at you, prompting you to insert your credit card. You do so and wait, only to realize your payment isn’t going through… there’s a question on the screen. It asks, “Add a tip?”

Suddenly, your world implodes.

You can’t gure out what to do. On the one hand, you’ve got to look out for yourself: there’s no denying you’re broke. On the other hand, what’s an extra dollar if it helps the barista earn a liveable wage? You sigh, knowing that you would feel guilty the rest of the day for not leaving a tip, and click the suggested 15%.

is social concept of tipping is an immense part of the restaurant and service industry. ere’s something morally ambiguous about tipping; it is not technically mandatory, but many companies structure their wage systems in such a way that not tipping would essentially be taking money from the servers. Many restaurant sta have hourly wages of just $2.13, relying on luck and generous tippers to make ends meet. us, it seems to me that the very convention of tipping raises ethical questions and is, in itself, exploitative. Relying on a customer’s kindness is a stressful and unstable situation for

a minimum wage worker to be in, since multiple factors a ect tipping, including the customer’s mood, the server’s behavior, the atmosphere in the restaurant and even the weather.

It is also important to consider the nancial situations of buyers — many are already stretched thin and can’t a ord to tip, leaving them feeling as though they committed an immoral action when unable to.

As a minimum-wage barista myself, tips are de nitely a substantial part of my income. However, I sympathize with the pressure that is felt by customers. Online and credit card tipping in particular is a relatively new development and is harder to avoid than simply leaving a few coins in the tip jar. Moreover, there’s an added psychological weight of the barista or server watching you “skip the tip.”

In our current economic climate, prices for consumer goods are steadily rising, and with it, the inability of many individuals to tip. I argue that now, more than ever, we need to re ne or completely eliminate the tipping system, modifying wages to remove workers’ dependence on freely given bonuses. It is a reality that there exists a “tipping bias;” men are generally tipped more than women, and white individuals more than minorities.

ere’s also a bias in terms of beauty and aesthetic appeal.

Removing the tipping practice can also hold employers accountable. Rather than depending on the customer to pay their sta — a concept that is neither fair to the customer nor to the employee

— restaurant management should pay a liveable wage from the get-go.

Many other countries have successfully achieved this standard; in fact, there is quite a culture shock for many foreigners who visit the U.S. and are asked to leave a large tip. For example, a customary tip of just 5-10% is all that is necessary in the Netherlands and Portugal. Other countries like Singapore and Japan include gratuity costs in the bill, with a tip considered unnecessary and even impolite.

At the end of the day, there’s a lot to be explored within the tipping practice. Tipping a ects us in innumerable ways, making us question the philosophical concepts of duty and obligation and feel a form of psychological dissonance created by being put on the spot. I rmly argue that tipping has negative consequences on consumers and employees and only a few positives that can easily be replicated through the installation of a fair wage.

So when you’re at the counter waiting for your iced chai or thanking a restaurant worker, keep in mind that, while tipping is currently customary, it doesn’t have to be. Large-scale reform and a joint e ort from both minimum wage earners and consumers is necessary to create a more equitable compensation system.

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.

I’ve noticed two main arguments come up when discussing the bene ts of print. One: a print textbook makes it much easier to write in the margins, highlight, mark and review the information. And two: studies have shown that we are able to focus better when reading print. When you sit down at a laptop to read a textbook, you’re ghting with email noti cations, Discord messages, Net ix temptations and more. But if you are looking at the book in front of you, for the most part, you’ll only be focusing on the reading. Additionally, print textbooks save us the eye strain of staring at a computer for hours.

e argument against print:

Print books are cumbersome and expensive. No one wants to carry around a hefty 1,000-page textbook all day while walking and riding between classes. Printed textbooks are usually expensive to buy new, and when you’re taking three to four classes in a quarter, textbook costs can add up fast. It’s true that we can borrow our textbooks from the library or rent them instead, but I’ve noticed that in most cases, those options are still more expensive than their digital alternatives.

e argument for digital:

Digital-format textbooks offer

accessibility. With e-books, you can read anywhere and at any time, as long as you have a laptop or smartphone. And with UC Davis’s Equitable Access option, you don’t even have to download or nd books; they are already uploaded on your Canvas. Digital textbooks are also more sustainable because they do not require all the paper, ink, tools and shipping resources that print textbooks need.

e argument against digital: Some e-books can be hard to interact with, making it di cult to review the material and understand it. Studies have shown that reading digitalformat textbooks can lead to increased eye strain, headaches and sleep issues, and students usually end up distracted, multitasking and scanning the material rather than reading it. According to the same study, 85% of the tested students were more likely to multitask when reading in an online environment. In comparison, only 26% of students multitasked when reading print. From this, it seems that it can be harder for students to focus when they use digitalformat textbooks.

In the end, using print textbooks or digital ones really comes down to individual preference. Personally, I love ipping through the old pages of textbooks and being able to focus on what I’m reading without being distracted by my laptop. However, both sides have convincing arguments, and students should weigh the pros and cons of each format before choosing which best suits their learning needs.

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.

MAYA KORNYEYEVA / AGGIE

NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

The Editorial Board urges you to support transgender and nonbinary youth in your community

In response to the wave of anti-trans sentiment and legislation, it’s important to be an ally in any way you can

Content warning: this article contains discussions of transphobia. Editor’s note: is article re ects the views held by the majority of the Editorial Board.

Recent backlash from a Davis Parent University event that featured a co-author of the book “ e Transgender Child,” Rachel Pepper, has sparked local conversations about trans-youth. e event was moved online due to concerns for the safety of the speakers and those in attendance because of public pushback. ese kinds of protests, regardless of the intent, make trans-youth feel unwelcome and endangered and serve as a stark reminder of the prevalence of transphobia, even in a predominantly liberal community like Davis.

Beyond our community, there has been a recent wave of anti-trans bills across the U.S. Florida is one of many states that is trying to ban gendera rming healthcare for children. While Gov. Ron DeSantis has expressed his support for these regulations, the state is speci cally restricting the use of puberty blockers, which delay physical changes that do not align with an individual’s gender, through a decision from the state’s medical board.

And while there haven’t been many large-scale studies done on puberty blockers yet, many U.S. medical associations, including the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association, support the use of puberty blockers. Based on the studies we do have, gender-a rming healthcare like puberty blockers has been found to be not only safe but also effective in combating gender

dysphoria, which has been linked to depression and anxiety.

While it’s understandable that people have questions or concerns about the use of hormone blockers for younger children, it is important to educate yourself on gender-a rming care so that you can identify when information is being used to justify transphobia and violence, rather than to raise a genuine medical concern. The Editorial Board stands with transgender and non-binary communities and especially the young people a ected by anti-trans legislation; we a rm their right to express who they are, and we urge you to do the same. And to the transgender and non-binary communities at Davis, we see you and we stand with you.

While we in California have little to no impact on other states’ legislation, there are still ways we can better support transgender and non-binary youth in our community. It might seem like the bare minimum (because it is), but studies show the bene t of using someone’s preferred pronouns and name. Allowing all children to explore and express themselves is vital to their development.

We also encourage you to have conversations with your friends or family who might not know as much about it as you. It can be overwhelming to talk to others who may think di erently from you; but if we don’t have these important conversations, those who hold transphobic viewpoints will continue to perpetuate harm against trans communities. An aspect to point out to them is the di erence between sex and gender. While this distinction

Seat stealing

BY LIDYA SHCHERBAKOVA lvshcherbakova@ucdavis.edu

might be very clear to us, it might not be to everyone. And if you aren’t very knowledgeable about how to be an ally to trans people, we encourage you to learn more about transition care and anti-trans legislation.

And when it comes to policy, it might be easier to stay informed about national legislation and news, but it is just as important, if not more so, to keep up to date with local politics, especially school board meetings. School boards are responsible for protecting children’s education and well-being, so it is crucial to be aware of the environment they are fostering.

In Davis, there are local organizations that you can support that are actively advocating for transgender and non-binary youth and attempting to make Davis a more inclusive town.

Yolo Rainbow Families is a community organization that is composed of parents and caregivers advocating for LGBTQIA+ kids in Davis as well as Yolo County. ey also host the “Davis Queer Teen Group,” a safe space for LGBTQIA+ teens in the community.

ese groups are projects by the Davis Phoenix Coalition, which you can donate to on their website as well as volunteer.

Transgender and non-binary youth are actively being discriminated against and need not just our love and support, but our actions, too; while we can’t singlehandedly solve everything, we can always do something, even if that simply means being the best ally you can be.

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

AARON POTTER

What the type of TA you have a crush on says about you

BY CARMEL RAVIV craviv@ucdavis.edu

its content is purely fictional. The story and names of “sources” are fictionalized.

Brought to you by students against eScooters

BY SANDHYA PFILE sbpfile@ucdavis.edu

LU / AGGIE

Some of us have dget toys to pass the time in class. Others online shop. Others have Google Docs open so they can call themselves an academic weapon and then play 2048 the whole time. However, an unhinged population out there is getting through the school day by forcing themselves to have a crush on their TA.

An inexplicable crush that will go nowhere: if you just ignore their armpit sweat stains and your paper that they were supposed to grade a month ago, seeing your TA in action can really be the highlight of your day. But seriously, our TAs are great and deserve some appreciation. Here is a list of the types of TA crushes and what they say about you, ya weirdo.

1. The TA that couldn’t care less about the discussion and reads o the textbook If this low-e ort TA tickles your fancy, then you need to reevaluate your standards. Every time you put yourself out there and ask a question about the material, and they say “Oh I’ll ask the professor and get back to you,” give up right there. ey are not getting back to you. ey already forgot your question. And your name. You thought that icebreaker from the rst discussion section was because they care? Get a grip.

2. e TA that gives everyone an A on every assignment

You love princess treatment. Who needs to apply themselves in college and expect constructive criticism when you can just focus on wearing cute out ts for the two 50-minute classes you have that day?

3. e TA that makes everyone share what they did last weekend and their holiday plans

You love communication. You love the little things, and the small details matter to you. You probably give really thoughtful gifts and insist on decorating for every holiday. You talk on the phone for hours, and your freshman-year roommates hated you. When the TA shares what they did over the weekend, though, you just can’t imagine them in any social setting or existing outside your discussion. Maybe they’re just lying about having friends to impress you.

4. e TA that is just as confused by the course material as you are, and admits it Relatability is important to you, but maybe you accept people’s aws a little too quickly. You get it, Introduction to Linguistics can be hard to grasp sometimes.

5. e TA that really breaks out of their shell in o ce hours and becomes actually helpful

You like the chase. e guessing game. Getting left on “delivered” for four hours doesn’t faze you. You feel like you really see your TA’s true self in o ce hours, as you try to remember how old grad students actually are. ey made eye contact with you for two seconds while going over the study guide and you called your mom about it.

Disclaimer: is article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely ctional. e story and the names of “sources” are ctionalized.

Disclaimer: This cartoon is humor

KELLIE

ARTS & CULTURE

Alix Earle showcases a lavish lifestyle while maintaining a brand reliant on relatability

The influencer strikes a chord with many, despite her visible affluence

BY ANA BACH arts@theaggie.org

Alix Earle, a fourth-year University of Miami student, has taken the internet by storm with her short videos on TikTok over the past few months. Her content shows her getting ready to go out, going to class and other experiences shared by many college students. Her social media presence has grown rapidly in a short time though, with her Instagram following now standing at over 2 million and an even bigger following of 4.6 million followers on TikTok. How did she get to this level of success so quickly and what is it that followers love about her content?

e videos of hers that gain the most attention are “Get Ready With Me” (“GRWM”) style, where Earle does her makeup and picks an out t while talking about her plans or a speci c topic. Due to the traction gained from this kind of content, she has been able to partner with a number of companies ranging from makeup to nutrition brands. These partnerships enable Earle to introduce her viewers to new products, with links easily available on her Amazon storefront page.

Her day-to-day stories usually consist of her going to class, going out to di erent clubs in Miami and now, sometimes jetting cross country to make appearances for notable brands.

One specific video Earle made documented her trip to Dubai sponsored by Tarte Cosmetics with several other influencers going to fancy dinners, jeep excursions and massages — all paid for and planned by the brand. Another video showed Earle ying to New York City for an event hosted by Rare Beauty, a makeup brand founded by Selena Gomez. She and Gomez even made a video together, trying out new products for the brand in Earle’s signature “GRWM” fashion as they chatted and laughed.

Despite all of the luxurious experiences that Earle highlights on her social pro les, her transparency and relatability are what fans appreciate most. In previous videos, she has talked candidly about her breast augmentation,

her struggles with acne and her negative experiences during sorority recruitment. She receives positive feedback from her audience and interacts with them both in person and via social media.

Joan Marie Walsh, a second-year psychology major at Tulane University, recently had the opportunity to meet Earle during Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

“Alix was literally the nicest person and was more than welcoming,” Walsh said when asked about meeting the public gure. “I told her my sisters and I love her and she was like let’s take a sel e! She was super polite, making the time to talk to me and my friends, and wished us a happy Mardi Gras.”

Her videos’ casual style of short clips and candid editing on TikTok has a relatability component that people really connect with. Not to mention, the dichotomy of Earle’s videos, switching between fancy yacht parties to getting ready for an 8 a.m. lecture, has followers enamored.

Another in uencer that similarly tries to produce relatable college content is Olivia Jade, the daughter of actress Lori Loughlin. Jade is most active on Youtube, where she makes videos including makeup tutorials, clothing hauls, paid partnerships with brands and even recorded video diaries of high school days.

Much like Earle, Jade’s content feels

Highlighting some of New York City’s underrated museums

The cultural hotspot houses a diverse plethora of museums — not just MoMA and the MET

personable, giving viewers a deeper look into her entrancing lifestyle in Los Angeles while still showing universal teenage experiences. Through her videos, internet presence and meet and greets, Jade established her own community of supporters similar to Earle.

However, after becoming involved in the infamous Varsity Blues scandal of 2019, Jade experienced a fall from grace. Her content, which previously walked the line between relatable and unattainable, took a hit as Jade was under major public scrutiny.

Both Earle and Jade allow viewers an insider view of their objectively glamorous lives, giving viewers the

illusion that they really can have “the best of both worlds.” eir platforms are personable to the point where people that subscribe to their content are under the impression that they have a personal connection to the in uencers. However, as seen with Jade’s fall from grace, these parasocial relationships aren’t indestructible. is “Alix Earle phenomenon,” where online gures are able to maintain relatability despite their a uence, o ers viewers a new perspective on analyzing people in the public eye — but how long that positive view will last is a di erent matter entirely.

New York City is known as a melting pot of art from around the world, making it home to many renowned museums. Although the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) are two of the most famous ones, there are other underrated institutions that certainly live up to the hype. Here is a list of some other museums to check out in NYC.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (a.k.a. e Guggenheim) e Guggenheim was founded in 1937 and opened on Oct. 21, 1959. The museum showcases a diverse range of art types, including ones from the impressionist, modern and contemporary periods. e most notable feature is the building’s design: the entire structure is open, and the oors swirl all the way to the top oor. Designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the building is de nitely exciting to look at. I recommend checking this museum out if you want to see artwork in addition to unique architecture.

Neue Galerie New York

Founded on Nov. 16, 2001, the Neue Galerie is one of the youngest museums on this list. It specializes in German and Austrian art created between 1890 to 1940, showcasing paintings, sculptures, portraits, photographs and more. In addition to being one of the youngest, it’s also a smaller museum, so it takes no more than thirty minutes to tour. Located near the MET, the Neue Galerie is perfect for those who want a cozier experience.

Brooklyn Museum

e Brooklyn Museum is considered the second-largest museum in New York City, just behind the MET. Located in Brooklyn, the museum is home to more than 1.5 million pieces, including paintings, sculptures, portraits and more. Moreover, the museum showcases artworks from different countries, including Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Islamic World. If you’re looking for a big museum to diversify your art knowledge, I de nitely recommend checking out the Brooklyn Museum.

New York Transit Museum

Probably the most modern and eccentric museum on this list is the New York Transit Museum. It sheds light on the history of New York subways, buses and other transit by showcasing the ordinary artifacts of these transportation methods. e museum focuses on the “history, sociology, and technology” of New York’s urban transportation system, making it one of the most unique and educational museums in New York City.

e National Museum of Mathematics

(a.k.a. MoMath) Last but not least, the National Museum of Mathematics, also known as MoMath, showcases mathematical exhibits. Arguably the most specialized museum on our list, MoMath aims to educate the public about mathematics and, hopefully, change the public’s perception of the eld. Whether you’re a math fanatic or interested in learning about the history and intricacies of mathematics, I de nitely recommend visiting here at least once.

BY SARAH HAN arts@theaggie.org

Influencer Alix Earle. (Courtesy of Alix Earle / TikTok)

AGGIE FILE

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

BY VIVI KIM arts@theaggie.org

Album: “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L” by Panchiko (2020)

Contrary to its name, which suggests something close to heavy metal or noise pop, this album is a perfect collection of shoegaze tracks that combines loaesthetics with Radiohead-esque rock sounds. Although it was originally released as a four-track EP in 2000, it wasn’t until 2016 when someone found a CD copy of the album in a thrift store that the band started to gain recognition. e remastered album, released in 2020, even includes “rotted” tracks — versions of songs from their old CD that had deteriorated over time. e album not only contains an incredible set of tracks for its genre but has a unique history tied to its origin. e songs themselves are a perfect blend of distorted instrumentals and soft vocals.

Book: “ e Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams (1979) is sci- comedy novel is the rst in a ve-part book series that was originally based on a radio broadcast from the 1970s. e novel is an adaptation of the rst four parts of the radio series and depicts the adventures of a man exploring outer space after surviving the destruction of planet Earth. Due to the popularity of the original series, the story itself has also been adapted into other forms of media, including television and lm. e novel is a classic sci- read and has contributed many notable references to pop culture, making it a must-read for anyone versed in the zeitgeist.

Artist: David Fullarton

David Fullarton is a San Francisco-based artist known for his mixed-media work that combines art with written text. His main mediums are prints, paintings and sketchbooks, tied together by a unique combination of scribbles, sketches and random memorabilia. His art most closely resembles something you would nd in a carefully pieced scrapbook. Fullarton receives inspiration from the smallest details of daily life; as a result, his art emulates the theme of nding “meaning in the minutiae.” His series of paper works is especially fascinating — these artworks combine di erent colors and types of media that force the viewer to make sense of a sea of details.

Movie: “La La Land” dir. Damien Chazelle (2016)

ough I speculate that many people have already seen it, Damien Chazelle’s dazzling romantic musical “La La Land” remains a must-watch even seven years after its release. It is a colorful, alluring and sentimental lm that pays homage to modern romance in the city of Los Angeles. e lm is abundant with beautiful landscapes, vibrant color palettes and bold musical sequences that present a dreamlike and theatrical feel. Apart from its stunning visual quality, the lm itself is an endearing and classic tale about pursuing love and individual passion.

Review: ‘Severance’ is an interesting thought experiment from the mind of Dan Erickson

The show provides an example of how avoiding problems can backfire

BY RUMA POUDELL arts@theaggie.org

Content Warning: this article mentions suicide, which some readers may nd distressing.

Dan Erickson’s 2022 sciencection and psychological-thriller TV series follows the lives of people who have surgically divided their brains into parts to separate professional work from personal life. “Severed” individuals essentially lead two lives — that within work and that outside of work.

Balancing life is the main driver behind the idea of severing oneself. Once individuals undergo the surgery, they no longer have to recollect what goes on in their work life when they are o duty, or, when working, who they are outside of work. is creative thought experiment poses an interesting question: would you want to be completely oblivious to parts of your life if it meant possibly enjoying each part more in the moment?

Personally, since work takes up such a big chunk of our lives, I wouldn’t want to remain unaware of what goes on there — especially if I don’t know what exactly it is that I’m doing. On the other hand, if you despise work or have a troubled home life, there may be a logical reason to become severed. For example, the series’ main character, Mark, became a severed worker in order to get a break from grieving the loss of his wife while on the job. e series begins with Mark training a newly hired and severed employee named Helly. She wakes up on a table discombobulated and soon realizes she doesn’t know who she is or what her name is. is is the beginning of her “innie’s” life — “innie” refers to the individual she is within work.

Upon realizing that she is stuck at work for life, Helly’s innie immediately looks for a way out. She writes letters to her “outie” (the version of herself outside of work), relentlessly looks for an escape out of her job’s buildings and even attempts suicide. What I loved most about this show was its absolute eeriness — from the intro video, shots of characters trapped in buildings and experiencing their world melting, to an alarmingly bizarre dance of animal-headed strippers toward the end of the rst season. As the show unfolds, we gain insight into each of the main severed employees as they slowly realize their lack of personal autonomy. This realization results in a struggle between boss and employees, but the struggle isn’t necessarily a physical, violent war. Instead, the severed employees devise a plan to connect with their outies, and viewers are left on the edge of their seats by the end of the season as they learn more about the lives of each character outside of their work.

I remember the moment my jaw rst dropped while watching the series — when Ms. Cobel, another prominent character on the show, realizes Mark’s innie has taken over. If you haven’t watched the series yet, there are plenty of jaw-dropping moments like this to digest in its short, nine-episode runtime. e most important takeaway from the show is that severing one area of life from another won’t necessarily serve as a repellent for problems that arise in each respective area. “Severance” has been con rmed for a second season, so now is a good time to begin watching if you haven’t already.

Commentary: On the virtues of buying your music again

Why we should consider options beyond streaming services in support of your favorite artists

BY ADHITHI ANJALI arts@theaggie.org

e days of compact discs and physical music are undoubtedly coming to an end. Today, over 50% of the music we listen to is through streaming, a practice that has truly revolutionized the music industry. Whether through Youtube, Spotify or Amazon, subscription services and advertisements have become integral to our listening habits.

Professionals in the industry now think about how to get more streams than CD or vinyl sales, what will clip well on social media and which sounds will gain traction on largely visual mediums. e newest and most popular laptops, such as the MacBook Air or Chromebook, are no longer even equipped with a CD player. e goal of our devices. as well as our media, has become to be more compact and less physically involved.

e loss of physical media and drastic growth of streaming has become associated with a disregard for the rights and incomes of musicians, though. We have all heard it thrown around that artists are paid less than a cent — more accurately, less than half a cent — per stream.

e disproportionate market share of streaming services and this measly profit for artists instigated a 2021 report from the UN through the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The report discussed the failings of streaming services to establish a fair method of payment to artists.

A massive discrepancy is apparent. Spotify tripled in value during the pandemic, but artist revenue stalled at the half-dollar mark. Last year, these economic challenges even brought about global protests against Spotify. ese were organized by the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW) and demanded not only fair compensation but also increased transparency of their royalty revenues per stream.

So, if streaming comes with this economic baggage, what can we do

about it? We won’t be getting our

CD players back anytime soon, but purchasing music is still an option for those artists you really want to directly support. UMAW lists some resources, such as pay-as-you-play co-op services like Resonate and Ampled, which are owned by artists and ditch the subscription price.

One of the most popular downloading services is Bandcamp. e company is very transparent with their payment, with 80-to-85% going directly to artists and the rest being collected as Bandcamp’s revenue share. However, if you want to bypass that share and send your dollar directly to

the artist, look out for “Bandcamp Fridays,” where Bandcamp waives its revenue share and sends more to the artists instead. e next one is on March 3, so if you have a favorite artist or just want to support a friend in the music industry, make sure to nd them on Bandcamp.

Both Bandcamp and Resonate have clear paths for you to also own the music you pay for — another lost relic of physical media. Of course, the biggest di erence between Bandcamp and Spotify is that you are no longer renting out your favorite songs for nearly $10 a month. Additionally, if data privacy is a

concern for you, buying your music leaves a smaller trace than streaming. Spotify, for example, collects more than just your listening habits. It can collect your name, email address, phone number, date of birth, gender, address, GPS location and more. Services like Resonate do not need this data and are not attempting to curate a chamber of ads and music that will keep you in an app. Disconnecting from streaming services has also personally pushed me to engage with journalism and blogs to expand my music taste. Relying less on algorithms and curated spaces of my favorite genres has led me to more

exploration and experimentation. It brings back the sense of browsing a bookstore with no intention involved, just looking for that overwhelming feeling of discovery. Streaming is undoubtedly here to stay and provides bene ts of its own that consumers have grown to love. But while artists attempt to renegotiate the playing eld, consumers can also look for ways to directly reach the art that impacts them instead of allowing streaming services to dictate where their money goes.

Release poster for Severance. (Courtesy of Apple TV+ / fair use)

SCIENCE AND TECH

UC Davis announces launch of Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics

The research center will be a hub for the UC Davis neuroscience community to propel knowledge on the mechanisms of psychedelics and create effective therapeutics

BY KATIE HELLMAN AND KAYA DO-KHANH science@theaggie.org

On Feb. 2, UC Davis announced the launch of the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics. e center will provide a space for researchers to learn more about psychedelics, which are drugs that can be used to treat neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Major Depressive Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and addiction, according to a recent press release.

David E. Olson, an associate professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at UC Davis, will be the founding director of the institution, and John A. Gray, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology at UC Davis, will be the associate director. In 2018, Olson and Gray published an article in Cell Reports, a life sciences publication, discussing how the use of psychedelics can help neurons grow and form connections through a process called neuroplasticity.

“Psychedelics bind to a particular serotonin receptor in the brain that causes the neurons to sprout new branches and start to make new connections with their neighbors,” Olson said. “They don’t do this indiscriminately — it’s not everywhere in the brain — it’s in very speci c cells in key circuits.”

e institute’s impact will allow the nearly 300 faculty members in UC Davis’s neuroscience community to study psychedelics and analyze their e ects through human clinical trials. ese scientists will be able to conduct groundbreaking research in a setting designed speci cally to facilitate collaboration and researchers will be able to interrogate multiple aspects of psychedelic science from a molecular level to as big picture as human clinical trials.

“Part of this institute is to provide incentive and funding to labs who are interested in starting to do some research on the mechanisms of psychedelic action and to capitalize on the very broad expertise that UC Davis brings,” Gray said.

e institution intends to create compounds called psychoplastogens, which perform like psychedelics and promote neuroplasticity but mitigate

the potential for substance abuse.

“The ultimate goal is to create molecules that have this rapid sustained e ect like psychedelics do but that are signi cantly safer and more scalable,” Olson said. “One thing that we have been doing is developing non-hallucinogenic variants of these compounds that still produce neuroplasticity but don’t have the abuse potential of psychedelics. We call these psychoplastogens because of their neuroplasticity-promoting properties.”

About $5 million of the funding for the new institution will come from a joint contribution by the deans of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science, the UC Davis School of Medicine, the Vice Chancellor for Research and the O ce of the Provost. e center is distinguishable from others across the country in this way. It is receiving considerable support from university funds, including philanthropic donations, grants, sponsored research agreements from the federal government, private foundations and industry partners to support its launch.

In addition, this new institute will also collaborate with pharmaceutical partners through sponsored research agreements and licensing, which will help tackle the challenges associated with translating academic discoveries and lead compounds into drug candidates for clinical use. For example, a company called Delix erapeutics, co-founded by Olson, has licensed UC Davis’s technology and supported campus research projects relating to psychoplastogens and neuroplasticity.

Susan Murin, the dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, discussed how the collaborative launch of the institution can advance treatments for patients with neurological conditions.

“We believe we have the potential to be leaders in this eld by virtue of our broad institutional expertise and to thus make substantial contributions to human health,” Murin said via email. “The combination of Dr. Olson’s chemistry expertise and our ability to conduct trials on the animal to human continuum is very powerful. Ultimately, our goal is to advance science and health for the bene t of society and we see this institute as contributing to that goal.”

California’s roads are consistent source of mountain lion mortality

Report from UC Davis calls for more wildlife crossings and mountain lion-safe road projects

BY LILLY ACKERMAN science@theaggie.org

A recently published California Wildlife-Vehicle Con ict Report from the UC Davis Road Ecology Center showed that vehicles kill mountain lions at least one to two times per week in California.

Unlike previous wildlife-vehicle con ict reports from the center that covered all California wildlife, this year’s report focused speci cally on mountain lions. It includes maps of mountain lion mortality across the state’s highways and explores regional issues that might make some areas more dangerous than others.

According to Winston Vickers, a veterinarian with UC Davis’s Wildlife Health Center, Orange County’s mountain lions for example are most at risk for being struck on mediumsized roads, rather than large freeways or small country roads, due to the county’s infrastructure.

“We have some toll roads in Orange County that were the dominant area where mountain lions would get killed,” Vickers said. “[T]he toll roads were in that bad place where they were not so busy that the mountain lions didn’t try to cross [at all], but they were just busy enough.”

Roadkill has consistently been a cause of death for mountain lions and other California wildlife. However, according to Vickers, significant mountain lion mortalities also come from livestock owners, who obtain permits to shoot mountain lions to prevent them from killing other animals.

“Vehicle strikes have always been — at least in part of our study area, the Santa Ana Mountains — the No. 1 cause of death, causing around half of all the mortalities of collared mountain lions,” Vickers said. “Also, a

lot of mountain lions there were lost to depredation permits — when mountain lions would kill livestock. So the two together were pretty substantial causes of death.”

e report’s ve main talking points explain the frequency of mountain lion fatalities via collisions with vehicles, as well as the threats to mountain lion populations that these killings pose, especially in hotspots like Southern California and the Bay Area.

“Southern California has deservedly received the lion’s share of focus for conservation of the puma [mountain lion],” the report reads. “Despite the recent ground-breaking for the WallisAnnenberg wildlife over-crossing, many other highways in the region need similar structures and, as importantly, fencing to prevent mortality and increase connectivity.”

Besides mountain lion mortalities caused directly by vehicle collisions, roads also pose threats to populations’ genetic diversity. Busy, loud freeways usually deter mountain lions from even attempting to cross, keeping small populations separate from one another.

“Quite a few [populations of mountain lions] are [isolated] in California,” Vickers said. “There are 10 documented separate genetic populations, and several of them […] are de nitely isolated enough to be su ering potentially from some inbreeding e ects.”

Consistent killings from vehicle collisions, coupled with reproductive isolation caused by roads, pose a signi cant risk for California’s mountain lion populations into the future. More research is needed to encourage funding of mountain lion-safe road projects and

wildlife crossings that address both of these obstacles.

“For those projects proposed or under construction in mountain lion habitat, wildlife crossings and fencing should be included in project planning and implementation, or the projects should be avoided,” the report reads.

Vickers hopes that continued research and reports on mountain lions will raise awareness to the public that substantial action needs to be taken to protect these animals.

“I think the biggest impact is increasing the realization on the part of the public that these animals […] are not okay,” Vickers said. “And we actually could lose some of these groups, especially in the smaller mountain ranges.”

An image of nerve cells, which the UC Davis’ Institute of Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics will study as a target for newly developed psychoplastogens. (Lindsay Cameron / Courtesy)

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

Elijah Pepper’s 32 points

help UC Davis triumph over

CSU Northridge

With five games remaining on the schedule, the Aggies look to close out the season strong as they eye the Big West postseason

BY MARLON ROLON sports@theaggie.org

e Aggies struggled against Big West Conference foe CSU Northridge but ultimately tamed the Matadors late in the game (73-62) in front of the home crowd Wednesday night at the University Credit Union Center. e team struggled in part because they were without second-year starting point guard Ty Johnson due to a one-game suspension, but Head Coach Jim Les said that a lackluster performance by the team’s defense also contributed.

“I wasn’t pleased overall,” said Les.

“Our defensive e ort just wasn’t there. At the end of the day, you have to show some pride and some desire. We had some spurts, but we have to get better.” e Matadors (6-20 overall, 3-12 in conference play) threatened the Aggies’ defense with their scoring abilities, particularly from second-year guard Atin Wright, who set a division one scoring record for CSU Northridge’s basketball program. Wright scored 28 points in the rst half, shooting 6-for-8 from the three-point line. He nished with 42 points, shooting 14-for-25 from the eld and 7-for-11 outside of the paint.

“Atin shot the ball well, he was e cient,” said CSU Northridge Head Coach Trent Johnson. “For us, we had a great opportunity, two of their best players, Beasley and Johnson, didn’t play. As a team, we didn’t defend very well.”

Wright wasn’t the only player who had the hot hand though. UC Davis third-year Elijah Pepper recorded his third consecutive game with more than 30 points. Two other Aggies nished the game with double gures — third-year guard Kane Milling scored 15 points, and fourth-year forward Christian Anigwe had a nice night with a doubledouble, 15 points and 10 rebounds. Subbing in in place of Johnson, secondyear point guard Leo DeBruhl added eight points and six rebounds in a strong e ort that helped the o ensive ow.

“I thought he did a really nice job,” Les said of DeBruhl. “We have a lot of con dence in him.”

UC Davis opened the rst half with a 6-0 run within the rst three minutes, but Wright immediately got going, scoring two three-pointers to tie the game at sixes.

“We gave him two wide-open looks, and that got him going,” Les said.

A few plays later, the Matadors took the lead, capitalizing on a ve-point run. Wright added to that run with another three-pointer as Northridge took command of the game with an 11-8 lead.

After a jumper from Pepper that cut the de cit to one, Wright hit another three-pointer which added to their 14-4 run. Wright was responsible for hitting four three-pointers within the rst six minutes of the game, and just like that, Northridge led 14-10.

The Aggies did not expect the outburst from Wright, who seemed to

BASKETBALL

score every ball he shot. is prompted the Big West’s leading scorer — Pepper, who is averaging 22.1 points per game — to respond.

Pepper is known for his threepoint shooting abilities, but uncharacteristically bull-rushed his way inside the paint, scoring over Northridge’s big men in the rst quarter. en, a few plays later, the Aggies took the lead with three-pointers from Milling and Pepper that put the home

team up 21-8.

But of course, Wright would not let o the gas, scoring a pair of free-throws and a jumper that cut the de cit to one with just over four minutes remaining in the rst half. Both o enses traded buckets, giving the UC Davis fans a spectacle. Milling once again pulled up from downtown and splashed a three-pointer that energized the home crowd as Milling put his team up by four points. e

Aggie defense held o the Matadors in the following play and rebounded the ball, allowing Pepper another shot. He was fouled in the process and converted both free-throw attempts, helping the Aggies quickly build a six-point lead, 30-24. With two-and-a-half minutes remaining on the clock, Wright quickly hit a three-pointer that kept his team within striking distance, but Pepper seemed to be motivated by Wright’s

o ensive onslaught, hitting two threepointers, one of which was a four-point play, as he was fouled during the shot. e Aggies appeared to run away with the game at this point, as they were up 37-29 with over a minute remaining in the rst half, but Wright would go on a 5-0 run himself. Luckily for e Aggies, who did not have a strong defense, Anigwe closed the half with a monstrous dunk that got the crowd on their feet and brought UC Davis into the second half with a 39-34 advantage.

Astonishingly, Wright scored 28 of the 34 points scored for the Matadors in the rst half. Pepper scored 20 of UC Davis’s points in the half, while Anigwe scored 10 points. e di erence in the rst half was the Aggies’ ability to control the paint, grabbing 20 rebounds compared to Northridge’s 13. Another eye-opening stat: UC Davis’s bench produced 18 points while Northridge’s only produced four.

UC Davis opened the second half with a 9-4 run, and they nally seemed to have an answer for Wright, who didn’t score a bucket within the rst six minutes of the second half. However, the Matadors were able to produce a 6-0 run that cut the Aggie lead 48-44.

e Aggies immediately responded, scoring 11 straight points that put them up by 15 points as they pulled away 5944. UC Davis tightened up their defense and Wright stopped scoring. Without him, Northridge lacked offensive rhythm and could not hit any shots.

With just eight minutes left on the clock, Wright broke through the Aggie defense when the Matadors needed him most. e visiting team went on a 14-2 run, bringing them within three points of the lead.. Wright contributed to 12 of those 14 points scored.

e swing in momentum seemed to favor Northridge, and Pepper’s rhythm appeared to be o , but Milling and DeBruhl kept the Aggies’ o ense going. Both players combined for 11 straight points and once again the Aggies were in control, 70-58 with only two-anda-half minutes remaining in regulation. e Matadors could not recover with such little time on the clock and Pepper put the game to rest, scoring the last six points for UC Davis and closing the show, 73-62.

A few days later, on Feb. 18, the Aggies traveled to Southern California to face o against the top team in the conference, UC Irvine, and lost in a closely contested battle, 78-76. Once again, Pepper shined with 32 points, making it his fourth consecutive game with at least 30 points. Anigwe contributed with 17 points, as he continues to impress in his best season under the UC Davis logo.

On Monday, Feb. 20 UC Davis hosted UC San Diego and defeated the Tritons, 76-66. e Aggies now improve to 16-2 overall and 9-7 in conference play. In their next outing, they will travel to Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 23.

LeBron James breaks the NBA all-time scoring record

Recapping a historic night and fans’ reactions to one of the biggest milestones in professional sports history

BY PATRICK FIGUEROA sports@theaggie.org

On Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, LeBron “King” James and his Los Angeles Lakers were set to play against the Oklahoma City under at the Crypto. com Arena. James needed 36 points to break the NBA all-time scoring record held by Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387 points. It would take a great performance from James if he wanted to break the record that night. Fortunately, it was a special night for the 38-year old small forward from Akron, Ohio.

James scored eight points in the rst quarter, but he picked up the tempo as he scored 12 points in the second quarter. He needed 16 points in the second half to break the all-time scoring record. e third quarter was his best — he scored 15 points with 30 seconds still remaining in the quarter. With the crowd screaming his name and 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter, LeBron shot his signature post fadeaway 14 feet away from the basket and made history.

After 20 years in the NBA, James accomplished a feat that many thought was impossible. Upon doing so, the o cials stopped the game for a ceremony to honor the historical moment. During this ceremony, AbdulJabbar handed James the basketball that James had broken the record with to symbolize a passing of the torch. James also took a moment to speak to the Staples Center crowd and the national audience on television.

“I just want to say thank you to the Laker faithful,” James said. “You guys

are one of a kind. To be able to be in the presence of such a legend and great as Kareem, it means so much to me. It’s very humbling.” He took the time to thank his family, friends and anyone who had been on the journey with him for the past twenty-years. He also thanked the NBA, its commissioner Adam Silver and the previous commissioner, the late David Stern. He ended his speech by acknowledging how unreal the moment was.

“I would never ever in a million years dreamt this even better than what is tonight so, f— man, thank you guys,” James said before he handed the microphone away.

Since James entered the league in 2004, he was expected to be the heir to Michael Jordan as the greatest player of all time. e pressure and high expectations to be the best ever began in St. Vincent-St. Mary High School where he was dubbed “ e Chosen One.” While the debate about who the greatest basketball player continues, there is no doubt that LeBron has surpassed the expectations set for him when he was drafted by his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers 2004. ere are many impressive accolades that LeBron has accomplished. Speaking with basketball fans, they each mentioned di erent things.

“My favorite LeBron moment is ‘ e Witness’ buzzer beater over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 Eastern [Conference] nals,” said basketball

enthusiast Myles Roach. “ at’s one of my earliest basketball memories, and I remember screaming when his threepointer went down.”

“ e easy answer is the 2016 Finals; that was historic, but I would go with game one of the 2018 Finals against the Warriors,” Omar Navarro, an NBA fan, said. “ e game gets overshadowed because of what happened with JR Smith at the end of regulation and because the Cavs lost, but that might

be the best game I’ve ever seen any basketball player play.”

James already broke the NBA record for most combined points in the regular season and playo s, as well as the alltime playo scoring record. However, the incredible performances in playo games de ne his career. For instance, he averaged 34 points, 9.1 rebounds and nine assists per game during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 2018 playoff campaign. He also has one of the most iconic plays in NBA Finals history — a chase down block in game seven of the 2016 NBA nals that propelled the Cavaliers to win the game and complete an unfathomable 3-1 series comeback.

James has also made a signi cant impact o the basketball court. He is an activist that speaks out about social issues. He also founded the ‘I Promise School’ in his hometown, Akron, Ohio, to serve at-risk, inner-city children. Fans also acknowledged LeBron’s impact o the court.

“I think his impact o the court is something that will also be talked about a lot by the time he retires,” Navarro said. “Whether it’s his foundation or just how outspoken he is, he’s been as involved as any athlete we’ve seen. We’ve seen him make such an impact, and I think that’s something we can’t take for granted either.”

“LeBron’s ‘I Promise School’ is probably the best thing I’ve seen a professional athlete do outside of their profession,” Roach said. “LeBron is using his immense wealth to help

children from the community have access to a fully funded school education with support for families in need.”

When LeBron broke the scoring record, NBA fans began discussing whether it would be broken again. e answer is uncertain, but there is speculation that if LeBron can continue playing for a few more years, the record might be untouchable.

“I think as close as I can get to 100% without fully guaranteeing it,” Navarro said. “[ e] only reason I’m not saying it’s a certainty is because I’m sure when Kareem retired they felt that it was never going to get broken. But I feel con dent saying, by the time LeBron retires, he’s going to get it high enough that it’ll take something incredible to ever break the record again.”

“I think the record will be broken but it will take a player that matches at least some of LeBron’s longevity with a shot pro le centered around threes and free throws,” Roach said. “However, I think it’s also very possible LeBron de es father time and plays ve more years making his scoring record unimpeachable.”

Even if the scoring record is broken again, James reminded everyone that he is a generational talent. With unprecedented longevity, he has the opportunity to continue adding to his legacy during this season and beyond. One can only wonder what he will accomplish next as the “King” continues to solidify his legacy as the best ever.

Kane Milling and the Aggie basketball team beat the Matadors in a home game at the University Credit Union Center. (Jersain Medina / Aggie)

Christian Anigwe dunks the basketball against California State University Northridge. (Jersain Medina / Aggie)

JOANNE SUN / AGGIE