March 2, 2017

the California Aggie SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915

NICKI PADAR / AGGIE

THEAGGIE.ORG

VOLUME 135, ISSUE 18 | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

100 YEARS OF DAVIS G Street makeover, centennial celebration take over downtown Davis VENOOS MOSHAYEDI / AGGIE

SELF-PROCLAIMED PODCAST GEEK DORKS OUT ABOUT CRIME, SUPREME COURT, PEPE THE FROG

BY CAROLI NE RUT T E N arts@theaggie.org

Podcasts are not a new concept by any means, but their rise to popularity has ushered in the emergence of high quality and stellar programs. And I, a lover of various media, have quickly jumped on the bandwagon of podcast listening; I have found an appreciation for the intimate connection between listener and host. It is uncommon to hear a person’s tone of voice firsthand — a hint of their excitement or confusion — when covering a subject. The best podcast hosts today capitalize on the connection they make with their viewers, find new angles in everyday topics and mundane ideas and present them in a relatable and humble way.

It’s a little ironic, then, that I’m conveying my sentiments about the masterful connection with the audience via print. Maybe there’s another podcast in the making; I’ll put a pin in that idea for now. In the meantime, here are the podcasts I’ve been listening to.

3. “More Perfect” from WNYC A spin-off of the popular podcast “Radiolab,” “More Perfect” analyzes the Supreme Court: hot topics, specific cases and the complicated authority of the nine justices. With a debut episode about the death penalty, it’s clear from the get-go that the show doesn’t hold back.

I remember listening to that episode while I was on an airplane coming back to Davis during winter break, and how uncomfortable I felt hearing multiple interviews about the best way to kill a prisoner. While morbid, dePODCASTS on 13

BY KAE LYN TUE RME R-LE E city@theaggie.org

The area in Northern California previously referred to as “Davisville” officially became the City of Davis on March 28, 1917.

Within the subsequent few years, the City Council, commissions, roads and infrastructures were established. Since UC Davis opened to students in 1908, the city’s population has grown from around 900 to over 66,000 residents.

For its centennial, the City of Davis is designating the southeast corner of 2nd and G Streets as “Centennial Plaza.” New landscaping will be installed, along with hardscape, artwork, interpretive historical signage, a time capsule and a public plaza.

Other annual community events and gatherings will be held with the centennial in mind, including a Fourth of July county fair, taking place in Community Park, Davis Neighbors’ Night Out and Picnic Day. On Apr. 4, current City Council members will recreate some of first ordinances introduced in 1917, which included keeping wildlife off streets.

“The city was created in 1917 to create a pressurized water system, purchase firefighting equipment and start providing services for the 977 residents for the Davisville at that point,” said Bob Bowen, the public relations manager for the city of Davis.

After the city had incorporated its infrastructure and laid the

groundwork for building the community, the next step was expanding its population. The UC System then incorporated Davis.

“Certainly the coming of the university –– that’s probably the single biggest thing that has happened,” said Mayor Robb Davis. “It was a commitment on the university and the city to make a bikefriendly city –– to create a campus that’s walkable and bikeable with a unique transit. One of the things that makes Davis unique is really strong commitments to aggressively conserving farmland and open spaces in our community.”

100 years later, Davis is still continuing to expand. The number of Davis residents has rapidly increased since the college brings in both students and community members. As a college and town, Davis is renowned for its bike culture.

“Today, [Davis] is most well known for UC Davis and bicycling,” Bowen said. “Around the world, our so-called brand is as a college town and the most bicycle friendly town in the U.S.” Bowen, who is the longest employed City of Davis worker with 40 years of service, is presenting a historical slideshow on the city’s birthday, March 28. This will consist of images from Special Collections at the UC Davis Shields Library, including some photos from Harry Hazen, a student who studied at the University Farm, now known as UC Davis, from 1916-18. Hazen’s photos also show the aftermath of the November 1916 fire in Davis. The slideshow will CENTENNIAL on 10

ASHLEY LUGO / AGGIE

Freeborn Hall to be renovated FREEBORN TO BECOME CONFERENCE, EVENT VENUE

BY YVONNE LEO N G campus@theaggie.org

Freeborn Hall, which closed in fall 2014 due to its need for an extensive seismic retrofit, will soon be renovated and used as a conference and event venue. The project also includes seismic fixes, accessibility improvements, renovations and a slight increase in space.

The new hall’s main room will seat 1,000 people for speaking events, and 500 people with chairs and tables, setting the record in Yolo County as the largest capacity of any indoor space. Smaller conference rooms and a prep kitchen will be added as well, and all bleacher seating will be removed.

Greg Secor, the project manager for the Freeborn renovation, said the project is beginning its programming phase.

“We are about to begin programming, which is the first step in the design process, where we will work with representatives of students, faculty and staff to determine the needs of the building,” Secor said via email.

Martin Marquez, a third-year statistics major, questions the validity of Freeborn’s renovation into a conference hall and venue, especially considering the lack of lecture room space available on campus.

“I feel like we already have a shortage of lecture hall space, so I don’t understand why we need another huge conference room,” Marquez said. “Especially since we are taking more and more students because of the 2020 Initiative. We need to be able to accommodate [everyone].”

All classes previously held in Freeborn were moved to Activities and Recreation Center 138. However, Secor and his team are examining the possibility of making Freeborn both a conference venue and lecture hall.

“The building has always been an assembly and event space,” Secor said via email. “In the last few years before it closed it also shared use as classroom because lecture hall space was in such high demand. During programming, we will examine the feasibility of continuing share use between events and class.”

There are also plans to renovate Lower Freeborn, which is currently being used by student organizations such as KDVS, The California Aggie, Entertainment Council and The Pantry.

“Some renovation will occur in the basement too,” Secor said via email. “No plans have been made yet on whether ASUCD units like the Pantry and KDVS will have to be temporarily relocated. The needs for the maintaining a radio station are complex and we will have to study carefully what is in the best interests of the station during construction.”

Although never having entered Freeborn Hall while it was open, Christina Chu, a first-year biotechnology major, thinks that the the hall’s evolution into a conference venue is a good idea for the campus.

“I think it’d be cool because then we’d have a lot more speakers come and have TedTalk-esque conferences,” Chu said. “Also I think it’s pretty convenient because there is a parking lot around the area.”

2 | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Community participates in search for new police chief

ASHLEY LUGO / AGGIE

Faculty, students, staff voice concerns at town hall meetings

BY L INDSAY F LOY D c a mpu s @ th ea ggi e .o r g

Three town hall meetings were held at the Student Community Center (SCC) on Feb. 15 to discuss what the Davis community would like to see in its new police chief.

Five individuals representing the entire police chief search team led open discussions that took place at 10 a.m.,

2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Faculty, staff and students were encouraged to attend to voice their opinions and ask the team questions.

According to Gary Peterson, a representative from executive search firm Ralph Andersen & Associates, this process is very important to the overall search. The feedback received at the town hall meeting will shape the candidates pursued, as well as influence potential in-

terview questions.

“I think this type of forum with not only faculty and staff and of course the students is essential for the search process,” Peterson said. “Getting everyone’s inputs on the traits and characteristics of the next police chief will help shape the recruitment. When we go out and recruit for the next chief, we want the person [who’s] going to fit here at UC Davis.

Getting the thoughts and ideas from the constituents and groups is the way to go.”

At the first town hall meeting, fewer than 10 people were in attendance; they consisted mainly of UC Davis staff and faculty. Those in attendance responded to questions posed by the search committee and spoke openly about what they would like in the candidate. Many audience members expressed the desire to have a police chief who integrated into the community of Davis. One individual noted that they enjoyed seeing former police chief Matt Carmichael around town and participating in the Picnic Day floats.

One of the facilitators of the town hall, Paul Cody, the assistant director of the Center for Student Involvement, agreed with the attendants at the town hall and offered his own take on the future chief ’s

integration into the community.

“This campus is really about relationships,” Cody said. “There are many times where a person in that position of power doesn’t necessarily interact with a lot of constituents on campus. This is a great opportunity to be a part of the community where often times people have a voice, which could also be a challenge.”

An open discussion was held toward the end of the the town hall meeting.

One attendee mentioned that there was a lack of involvement from the police force at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. This individual hoped for a leader that would show more support to the center and help bridge the divide they felt existed.

The meeting adjourned at 10:50 a.m. after there were no more comments during an open floor discussion.

The committee hosted its third town hall meeting of the day at 5:30 p.m., one that was specifically for students.

The meeting initially had no students show up to participate, so Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Life Milton Lang asked students in the nearby vicinity at the SCC to enjoy some free pizza and offer their feedback. Students then entered the multipurpose room and engaged with

UC Davis then and now

BRIAN LANDRY / AGGIE

Second-generation student compares, contrasts parents’ college experiences to her own

BY ELI Z A BET H M AR I N featu res@th e a ggi e .o r g

While most UC Davis alumni have a sense of pride for the university, some students have a deeper connection to campus as the second-generation members of their families to attend the university.

The ASUCD Coffee House, cows and bicycles are all aspects of campus that have followed members of the Tristant family through their time at UC Davis. Dominique Tristant, a fourth-year psychology major, followed in her parents’ footsteps by attending UC Davis. Her mother, Joanie Tristant, was an art studio major and her father, Steve Tristant, was a physiology major in the class of 1982.

Many of the extracurricular activities students enjoy today have been popular for generations.

According to the UC Davis General Catalog from 1980-1981, more than 50 intramural sports were available for students to participate in during the time when Steve and Joanie attended UC Davis. “[I participated in] ultimate frisbee as a club team [called] ‘the Davis Dogs,’ [and] all kinds of different IM teams,” Steve said.

According to Dominique, intramural sports continue to play a large role in many students’ involvement on campus.

“My first year, I did a lot of IM sports with my dorm,” Dominique said. “My second year, I joined Greek life, and ever since then that has kind of been my main thing other than school.”

According to the Tristants, many other extracurriculars that students were involved in back in the day are the same activities and clubs that are popular today.

“I had to work to pay for myself, and I worked at The Aggie at the time,” Joanie said. “I worked about 20 hours a week, sometimes until 2 a.m. [...] Since I was a transfer and working, I was not too involved in other campus activities.”

Joanie recalled the campus as being “not as diverse as it is now.”

“I’d characterize the vibe [on campus] as preppy,” Joanie said. “Pretty much middle and upper-middle-class [demographics].”

The current student body makeup at UC Da-

vis has changed quite a bit from when Steve and Joanie attended. “[I] remember quite the contrast, [between the] Birks-granola crowd and the prissy Greek crowd,” Steve said. “[Then there were the] hardcore studious [students] and hardcore partiers.”

Regardless of her parents’ input, Dominique reported that UC Davis has continued to be an academically-driven environment that also values time for socializing.

“Right now, it’s kind of intense because of midterms season,” Dominique said. “I’ve seen a lot of people studying [but] I still see a lot of socializing going on as well. People meet up to get food or to study and talk, but [...] it’s kind of intensive right now.”

According to Steve, UC Davis was not known for its party scene when he attended school here.

“Nightlife was kind of weak,” Steve said.

“There was The Grad, and some bar downtown that I can’t remember name of. The night scene was mainly frat and house parties with kegs and local bands.”

According to Dominique, downtown Davis is now a popular place for students to socialize. “[Davis] is really low-key [...] compared to other bars [in] other places,” Dominique said.

“Everyone knows each other. That’s the thing, [...] I feel like I can go there and run into a lot of people I haven’t seen for a while, and so it’s a really friendly vibe.”

In this way, according to Dominique, Davis nightlife has grown significantly since the time her parents attended.

“Everyone [at the bars] is having a really good time, and there’s dancing and drinking, obviously,” Dominique said. “It depends where you go.

If you go to G Street [Wunderbar], you can play pool. Blondie’s [has] more dancing. Honestly at any bar you go to you can talk and get to know someone, or if you want to just have fun with your friends, it works.”

The restaurant scene has also grown in Davis as the city has expanded over the years. “[There were] not very many restaurants then — but I didn’t have money to go out anyway,” GENERATION on 6

BY KAI T LYN C HEU N G ca mpu s @ th e a ggi e .o r g

In lieu of its regular weekly meeting, ASUCD Senate members held a resolution meeting on Thursday, Feb. 16 in solidarity with the “A Day Without Immigrants” movement. The alternative meeting was held in the Moss Room of the Memorial Union from 6 to 7 p.m and was attended by members of the public as well as the majority of ASUCD Senate members, excluding three unnamed Senate members who had signed the statement but were absent due to illness, interim

Interim Chancellor Hexter hosts student town hall meeting, opens up debate surrounding Yiannopoulos’ visit

Hexter accommodates questions, concerns from students

BY AARON LISS ca m pus @thea g g ie . org

The student town hall hosted on Feb. 14 from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Student Community Center provided a public forum and an open dialogue with interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter to discuss student concerns and questions. Hexter was joined by vice chancellors, faculty, administration members — to whom he deferred some of the more specific questions — and students.

“This event is an opportunity for the students to hear from the chancellor, hear our vision, our goal as the institution and how we’re moving forward with support services for our students but also to talk about campus climate concerns and opportunities to hear back from the students about campus climate,” said Rahim Reed, the associate executive vice chancellor of Campus for Community Relations. ”We want to engage in a dialogue, a sharing of information, and continue moving forward together.”

During the town hall, students brought up concerns including student housing, increased advocacy for students with disabilities and sexual assault prevention.

Many questions from students were also focused on the recent Milo Yiannopoulos event cancellation and protest. Hexter said that he was ashamed by the community and student’s protest of Yiannopoulos’ talk.

“I was very disappointed he wasn’t able to speak,” Hexter said. “We don’t have to agree with things, but in preventing a speech from taking place, I personally think what happened was a dark mark on our campus, and I’ve heard that from a lot of people.”

Hexter opened up to the audience about his personal life and his own relationship to the current debate with regard to free speech and sexuality.

“Just so everyone knows, I am a gay man,” Hexter said. ”It has never occurred to me to stop the Westboro Baptist Church from speaking on our campus, even though they are quite homophobic and aggressive. I would never inhibit their ability to come onto campus, but it gives me great pride that we have stu-

ASUCD Senate members opt out of meeting in solidarity with “A Day Without Immigrants”

NICHOLAS CHAN / AGGIE

the committee representative in an informal discussion.

Students were asked what would make a new police chief successful at Davis. Many students voiced a desire for transparency in the new chief, citing the 2011 pepper spray incident. Additionally, students noted that they hoped the next chief would be visible in the community and understand the way of life within a college town. Lang noted that the committee was currently using this criteria in its search.

“We have been talking about this as a committee that whoever is hired has a higher level of tolerance when students are protesting and are able to work with students who are doing protests,” Lang said. “We are looking for somebody who can really understand a college campus culture and the diversity that comes with that.”

Students also commented that they hoped the chief would be approachable and not quick to resort to using force.

ASUCD President Alex Lee commented that he liked that Carmichael was tolerant of student parties on weekends and instead focused on student safety.

The student town hall adjourned at 6 p.m.

Senators gather informally to discuss how ASUCD can better support immigrant rights Senator Michael Chan (who did not sign the statement but was briefly in attendance) and Senator Matt Yamaguchi (who did not sign and did not attend).

According to a statement issued by ASUCD on Thursday, the nationwide movement, which originated from the nonprofit organization Voces de la Frontera’s “A Day without Latinxs, Immigrants, and Refugees,” led to the cancellation of classes within UC Davis’ ethnic studies departments. Samantha Chiang, ASUCD senator IMMIGRANT on 6

dents who would protest them.”

Hexter repeatedly defended Yiannopoulos’ right to speak on campus and explained how this fit into his educational philosophy.

“It is not the role of the University to prohibit speech, but rather to explain and study why it’s contrary to what we believe,” Hexter said. “The season of Milo’s tour has stressed us all, but I made it very clear that the group who invited Milo had the right to do so. We do not restrain speech in advance, and we accommodate the constitutional right of free speech, even if Milo has said elsewhere and in his published writing things that we find obnoxious and even quite hateful.”

Multiple questions centered around the boundary between free speech and discrimination, President Donald Trump’s administration and the recent executive order restricting immigration. Many students wanted to know what types of speech would be protected by the University, with one student questioning if neo-Nazis would be allowed on campus if they were nonviolent. Students cited how Yiannopoulos had publically outed transgender students, undocumented immigrants and others.

In the packed room, various students were emotional, mentioning how they were hurt by Hexter’s disappointment in the Yiannopoulos protests and allowing Yiannopoulos to come onto campus in the first place.

Hexter continued his educationally-contexted philosophy on free speech and democracy.

“Our university’s Principles of Community aren’t enforced, they’re aspirational — I know that some people will take that as a very weak stance,” Hexter said. “When people say to prevent, I’m going to take the position that we are not here to prevent. I am here to educate through Principles of Community. I would be certainly willing to meet with students.”

Connor Gorman, a physics graduate student and a UC Student Workers union organizer, said that Hexter has, in the past, proved an inability to discuss prev TOWN HALL on 6

Police Logs: This was a slow week...

BY SAM SOLOMON c it y@t he aggie . org

Feb. 20 plex on purpose and proceeded “RP hearing ‘scir’ noises from to perform some type of dance near the front door area.” when RP saw him.”

“White four-door Sedan drivFeb. 21 ing around with an airhorn.”

“Two juveniles on the roof of the school.”

Feb. 24 “Business has been receiving Feb. 22 multiple prank calls from juSubject “using an unauthorized veniles, RP would like to know driveway entrance to apt com- what to do.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 | 3

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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4 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Students reminded of their rights post-immigration ban AB540 and Undocumented Student Center, Muslim Student Association host Know Your Rights presentation

BY JE ANNA TOTAH cam pus @thea g g ie.org

NICOLE WASHINGTON / AGGIE

The AB540 and Undocumented Student Center hosted a Know Your Rights (KYR) presentation at 8 p.m. on Feb. 15 in collaboration with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) in hopes of educating members of the UC Davis community about their rights amidst concerns of student immigrant deportation.

Amy Barnett, a UC Davis attorney fellow, and Saad Sweilem, a member of the Council on American Islamic Relations, led the presentation for approximately 30 attendees. Though the center has been hosting KYR presentations since last quarter, this workshop had a special emphasis on the recent executive order passed by President Donald Trump regarding restrictions on immigration.

The 90-day immigration ban took effect on Jan. 28 and prevents visa holders from entering the United States from seven majority Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Su-

dan and Libya. Though the ban does not affect DACA students, Barnett said that there are still many students on campus who are undocumented and have higher chances of being impacted by the order.

Barnett and Sweilem provided tips on how to interact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if confronted by an officer. They stressed the importance of remaining silent and refraining from signing any documents since officers often deceive uninformed people into authorizing their own deportation agreement.

“The biggest issue is people providing evidence against themselves,” Barnett said.

Barnett added that UC Davis will remain a sanctuary campus, meaning that it will maintain the confidentiality of its students by not sharing any information with ICE. Nonetheless, the most advantageous approach is to prepare for any situation, according to Barnett.

“It remains incredibly important for everyone to learn their rights,” Bar-

NADIA DORIS / AGGIE

Last resort assistance provided to low income residents

The Short-Term Emergency Aid Committee (STEAC), a volunteer-oriented organization based in Yolo County, has been providing immediate, short-term aid to families and individuals at or below the poverty level since 1967.

This assistance comes in various forms, including food, rent, utilities and job preparedness aid. STEAC provides a safety net for those on the brink of a downturn and is often a last resort for those in need.

STEAC attributes its success through the years to unwavering support from donors and volunteers who work tirelessly to collect and distribute food, complete clerical work, assist with holiday programs and raise funds.

“We have 100 volunteers at STEAC, and we only have three part-time staff, so there is a huge outpouring of support within the community,” said Katy Zane, the executive director of STEAC. “Part of the reason why we are successful is because there are so many dedicated, civic-minded people in Davis, and they are also generous with their financial donations that help fund the [programs].”

STEAC’s Helping Hand Program helps food-insecure families or individuals by providing them with meals they may not have otherwise received.

Within the Helping Hand Program is a fairly new project called Food Packs for Kids at Montgomery Elementary School in Davis. The project aims to support elementary school students who participate in the school lunch program, sending them home with a weekend bag of food to ensure that their nutritional needs are met until they can return to school on Monday morning.

While STEAC does not necessarily help the homeless population directly, it takes preventative measures to keep low income residents from eviction through

portant for students to respond peacefully to the recent hate crimes in Davis by channeling their emotions into standing up for each other.

“MSA community members [...] have taken initiative and transferred fear and anger into something proactive,” Abdel-Ghaffar said.

Barnett noted that every student at UC Davis deserves to feel secure in their everyday environment, both physically and mentally.

“Knowing your rights is a great way to feel empowered and to be able to protect yourself and to just feel safer in your own space,” Barnett said.

Sweilem hopes students will apply the tools they learned from the presentation in any encounter with ICE or other law enforcement officers.

“If you take one thing away from [here] today, I want it to be this: no matter what situation you are in with law enforcement, no matter how bad it is, [...] you always have the right to remain silent,” Sweilem said. “They can never take it away from you and they can never use it against you.”

De Vere’s Irish Pub to host annual St. Baldrick’s event

Continued success with Short-Term Emergency Aid Committee Programs

BY B I A N C A A N T U N E Z ci ty@ th ea ggi e .o r g

nett said via email. “Even if you are a green card holder or a US Citizen, we encourage you to learn your rights so that you can invoke them in order to protect yourself and your loved ones if necessary.”

Barnett and Sweilem also provided attendees with constitutional amendments booklets, cards declaring the right to remain silent and tip sheets explaining what to do if approached by an ICE officer.

Recognizing the value of the KYR workshop, MSA cancelled its protest from earlier that day, instead encouraging its members to attend the presentation.

“We wanted to do something proactive,” said Nida Ahmed, the MSA internal vice president and a fourth-year global disease biology major. “You’re most powerful when you have the right tools, and you have the right tools when you’re knowledgeable about what your rights are. [...] Knowledge is power.”

Omar Abdel-Ghaffar, the MSA’s external vice president and a fourth-year political science major, believes it is im-

NICKI PADAR / AGGIE

rental assistance (up to $600) or utility assistance (up to $200). In addition, the organization helps people move into long-term housing with first-month rent aid. These services are typically only provided once every two years.

For those seeking employment, STEAC provides appropriate clothing for job interviews and access to various documentation, including food handler certificates, identification cards and driver’s licenses.

Kim Eichorn, a real estate agent in Davis, sits on the board of STEAC and also volunteers for the committee’s Food Project, one of its Helping Hand Programs.

The Food Project began in June 2015 with nearly 2,000 pounds of food for its first donation. Since then, the program has grown to over 35,000 pounds of food collectively.

The Food Project is a simple system of donations occurring six times a year, every two months. Volunteer neighborhood coordinators even pick up the donations at donors’ homes. A list of what the food closet needs, along with pickup dates, is available on the STEAC website.

“I am enthusiastic about the project,” said Darlene Boyce, a Food Project donor, in an interview with The Davis Enterprise. “We are restocking the STEAC food bank with things they need! In the end, it’s whatever works for our community and those who need a bit of help now.”

When compiling her donation bag, Boyce refers to the list given out by STEAC, which notes specific food items that the Food Project needs. STEAC often asks for cooking oil, canned fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, rice and pasta; this helps avoid problems such as an overabundance of ramen noodles or tomato soup.

“They’ve really won the hearts of people in Davis,” Eichorn said. “They get a lot of volunteers. I just have a lot of people who really enjoy the commitment […]

Most people in Davis, if you say STEAC, they know exactly what it is [...] People seem to really want to give and contribute and help.”

NICKI PADAR / AGGIE

Funds to go to childhood cancer research

BY ANYA R EHON cit y@t he aggie . org

De Vere’s Irish Pub is hosting its annual St. Baldrick’s event from 5 to 9 p.m. on March 9 at 217 E Street to raise money for childhood cancer research.

“It’s an event where everyone comes together to show their support by fundraising for childhood cancer,” said Danielle Brown, the general manager of the pub. “A lot of our staff shave their heads.”

Volunteers raise money by collecting donations from family and friends; they also shave their heads in solidarity with childhood cancer patients.

To get involved, participants can assemble teams to help fundraise for the event or they can join the de Vere’s Davis Pub team. This is the 5th year that the staff at the Davis pub has held the event for cancer research. The restaurant’s Sacramento location has featured the event every year since 2010.

“The Sacramento location has been doing it for several years since they opened, Brown said. “It’s been a tradition for them.”

According to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, over 460,000 heads have been shaved in support of childhood cancer research since the foundation’s establishment in 2000. This year, over 800 head-shaving events have been registered.

Volunteer-run events like these help fundraise millions of dollars toward pediatric cancer research every year. St. Baldrick’s is the largest non-government funder of child-

hood cancer research grants. The foundation has funded more than $200 million dollars in research grants since its establishment.

According to a worldwide report released in 2016 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, approximately 215,000 cancer cases are diagnosed per year in individuals younger than 15 years old, and about 85,000 cancers cases are diagnosed in individuals ages 15 to 19 years old. Although significant progress has been made in the fight against cancer, it is volunteer events and volunteer-raised funds that help protect the futures of children who are affected by cancer.

It is showing support for children battling cancer that prompted Mikayla Hartford, a second-year civil engineering student at UC Davis, to participate for the first time at the Davis event by shaving her head in solidarity.

“I’m participating because supporting cancer research is extremely important, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to support cancer patients,” Hartford said.

While she is nervous to shave her head this year, Hartford won’t let that stop her from taking part in the event. For those who might be on the fence about shaving their heads, Hartford argued that participation is valuable.

“It’s important to set aside any preconceived notions of beauty or any pride because bald is beautiful,” Hartford said.

For more information about participating in the Davis de Vere’s Irish Pub event and donating to the cause, please visit the St. Baldrick’s Foundation webpage.

THE KEY TO UNINTERRUPTED FOCUS: The long-term effects of multitasking

BY G ILL I A N A L L EN featu res@ th e a ggi e .o r g

Professor Gloria Mark of the Department of Informatics at UC Irvine reported that it takes an average of 25 minutes for a mind to fully return to focusing on a task after an interruption.

This means that, if students check their phones twice in one hour of studying, they have already wasted another 50 minutes trying to regain focus on their academic studies.

It may be difficult for students to pay attention in lecture or finish homework when they are constantly thinking about their busy to-do lists or anticipating the “ding” of a text message.

Robert Mangun, a professor of psychology and neurology and Interim Chair of the Department of Psychology, conducts research to better understand the mechanisms of maintaining attention.

“Part of the basic principles of the attention system is that it has limited capacity,” Mangun said.

“It is possible to do a few simple tasks simultaneously, but at some point the attention system runs out of capacity and that’s why you start paying attention to some things and ignoring others.”

While the current generation of college students is highly influenced by innovative technology and social media, it is easy to let these distractions infiltrate our focus by multitasking in an attempt to maintain social media interactions and academic success simultaneously. However, multitasking can work against students because it can result in lower performance on tasks and can even affect long term memory.

“When you overload the system with information, there is a cost between switching between different tasks,” Mangun said.

“It’s not for free that your brain can switch from one thing to an-

other and switch it back again.

There is a switching cost because this leads to more distraction, and can result in information being lost down the line.”

Working memory, which Mangun defined as the ability to hold data in mind while completing a task, works with memory to help the brain keep track of information and refer back to it later.

However, the human brain is a very simple system when it comes to managing several tasks at once, so it becomes easier to lose track of priorities and have a weaker memory in the long run. This can be seen when students decide to scroll on Facebook instead of paying attention to lecture, and then miss key information because their brains are focused elsewhere. “‘Deep processing’ leads to information being better retained in the long run,” Mangun said. “If

you have a lot of things going on and you’re not really engaged in each of the topics fully, you are not ‘deep processing’. Your brain cannot fully code all of the information properly, and this is the cost we see when we attempt to multitask.”

Mangun said that the best way to overcome this is for students to be aware of and analyze their weaknesses and strengths when it comes to how effectively they focus.

“It’s like when you’re on a diet, it’s a lot easier not to eat the cookies if you don’t buy them in the first place,” Mangun said. “If people could learn what environment helps them focus the best and manage their lives properly, this will have a much larger impact than training oneself to focus in a distracting environment.”

Nicholas Barber, a second-year

cognitive science major, understands his personal strengths and limitations when it comes to performing his best academically. He has tried several different studying tactics and has stuck with an efficient method of focusing. Barber takes location into account when it comes to efficient studying; he feels more comfortable and productive in specific places and gravitates to these locations when he knows it’s time to get work done.

“I don’t really focus that well when I study at home so I like to go to the library or even find empty classrooms in Olson Hall because it’s pretty quiet,” Barber said. “I prefer to study with music as well as chew gum when I study because I am a jittery person so this helps take that distraction away and stay productive.”

FOCUS on 10

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 | 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THE #NODAPL FIGHT CONTINUES

D IA N A L I / AG G I E

Davis candlelight vigil draws crowd of unwavering supporters for Standing Rock

BY SAM A N T HA SO LO MO N city@theaggie.org

After President Donald Trump signed an executive order to advance the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipeline in January, #NoDAPL activists realized the fight for Native American rights was not over.

The 40-to-50 Davis residents, with more gathering every minute, who stood with candles to hold vigil on Feb. 26, proved that #NoDAPL is still a relevant cause.

“This is a very important issue because in the future, there’s going to be a lot more pipelines that we have to protest,” said Francisco Dominguez, a resident of Davis and an organizer of the event.

People of all ages participated in the vigil. As Dominguez spoke, another demonstrator walked

the circle, letting the smoke of a lighted bushel of sage swim around the attendees as a way to cleanse the spirit.

“I called for this vigil last week, after the events at Standing Rock as a way of giving recognition for the people that have sacrificed themselves there, for all the people that have donated money for the cause there, and also to recognize what we have done here in Davis, specifically with the City Council passing the resolution in support of the water protectors at Standing Rock,” Dominguez said.

Davis was one of the first cities in the country to pass a resolution stating it was in solidarity with Standing Rock on Oct. 4.

Since then, Davis has also divested from Wells Fargo, one of the main financiers of the Dakota Access pipeline. Davis and Seattle were the first cities to do so, filing the paperwork on the same day as a

M OR G A N T I E U / AG G I E

display of continued support for water protectors in North Dakota.

“This river belongs to all of us, but it also is the lifeblood of our people and the heartland of this country,” said Carol Standing Elk, a NoDAPL activist.

Both Standing Rock and the Cheyenne River Sioux tribes have submitted court filings in an effort to stop the pipeline, with the vigil strategically planned the day before the court case.

“Many hearts were broken during this struggle, tears were shed and blood was split on the same lands that Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull spilled blood, many years ago,” said Francisco Ferreyra, a NoDAPL activist. “We had many setbacks, but also celebrated victories, including the nurturing and the coming of age of the Seventh Generation, the young people whose hope for a better future overshadowed

DIA N A LI / AGGIE

their fear.”

Both Ferreyra and Dominguez called on young people to take a stand against the current power structure.

“The stakes have never been higher and so our actions must be bolder than ever,” Ferreyra said.

Despite the violence and chaos that has permeated the #NoDAPL movement, Davis residents in attendance were hopeful that those who stand against the Standing Rock tribe will see the error of their ways.

“I went to Standing Rock and while I was there, and especially after I came back, I thought about bad people,” said Stewart Pettigrew, a resident of Davis.

“But, my Quaker faith has taught me, and also the Prayer of Sacred Fire at Standing Rock, helped me realize that every person, even people who do bad things, have the capacity to do God’s work.”

Building communities and mentorship:

FIRST-YEAR AGGIE CONNECTIONS CLASSES OFFERED IN DAVIS

DAVIS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH LAUNCHES SERIES OF SALSA CLASSES

BY RAUL C AST EL L A N OS J R city@theaggie.org

Salsa dancing, a popular style of dance known around the world for its lively rhythms and complex moves, has a large following in Davis. The Davis Graduate on Russell Boulevard, commonly referred to as "The Grad," hosts salsa dancing three nights a week.

For Davis students and residents curious about salsa dancing but not quite ready to dance at The Grad, the Davis United Methodist Church is offering an introduction to the world of salsa dancing. Beginning Sunday, Feb. 26, the church will offer a progressive series of salsa dance classes called “Club Ready Salsa.” The classes meet every Sunday afternoon from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and will run through April 9.

The church encourages anyone to attend, and no partner is necessary.

“Those who make each of the 7 classes can expect to enter any area salsa dance club comfortably and with a joy for dancing salsa,” a statement on the church website said.

The classes will be led by Pastor Brandon Austin, a salsero (male salsa dancer) with 15 years of experience.

“I’ve been a salsa dancer for 15 years, and salsa teacher for about 12 — largely in the Sacramento area,” Austin said. “I like [salsa dancing] because of the friendships it creates; it is a great way to meet people.”

Austin explained that through teaching salsa classes, he hopes to build an inclusive and affirming community of dance.

“In these challenging political times, I’m hoping we can use events like this to keep us joyful,” Austin said.

Danny Mejach, a third-year communication major and member of the ‘Baile de Fuego’ club at UC Davis, loves social dancing.

“Any type of dancing is a stress reliever and a good workout,” Mejach said. “You meet a lot of people and it’s a really healthy way to distract yourself from school or anything that you are stressed about […]

It’s this really cool energy between the people once you get into it.”

Mejach believes that dance lessons are supportive environments for beginning dancers.

“Nobody is going to be judging you, we all started somewhere,” Mejach said. “Just try, give it a chance, hang out with people who will help you improve, and don’t give up if you like it. Once you get into it you’re going to love it, you’re going to feel free like you’re flying.”

Juan Carrero, a third-year environmental design major, enjoys the cultural aspect of salsa dancing.

“I think it’s the embodiment of Latino culture and dancing.”

Carrero said. “It’s probably the most reflective form of dancing. The classes sound interesting.”

The church asks for $5 donations from attendees. Proceeds will be divided evenly between two or three causes which have yet to be determined, but so far include the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE THE AGGIE

The transformation of Wyatt Pavilion Theatre: 110 years of history THEATRE IS UC DAVIS’ OLDEST BUILDING ON CAMPUS

BY H ANNAH H O LZ E R features@theaggie.org

G EN ESIA T IN G / AGG IE

PROGRAM PROVIDES INCOMING STUDENTS WITH SUPPORT, ROLE MODELS

BY FATI MA SI DDI QUI features@theaggie.org

The closing song from The Band Wagon echoed across the Arboretum from inside Wyatt Pavilion Theatre. Students in Design on Screen (DRA 116) were inside watching the 1953 movie-musical which was released almost five decades after the theater inside of which they were sitting was built.

“If we had to represent Davis as a building, I think Wyatt is a great choice,” said Teresa Gonzalez, a fourth-year biological sciences major.

“There’s nothing more ‘UC Davis’ than a converted barn.”

At 110 years old, Wyatt Theatre is the oldest building on the UC Davis campus. It was originally established as the Judging Pavilion in 1907 and used to judge livestock at the east end of the Quad. In the 1930s, it was moved to where Rock Hall is today. Fred S. Wyatt, the theater’s namesake and special assistant to former chancellor Emil Mrak, provided the funds needed for the building’s updated interior design and transformation into a theater in 1963, as well as for the structure’s third and final move to its present location near Old Davis Road.

Now, Wyatt Theatre is managed by the Department of Theatre and Dance and is mainly used for theatrical performances; the inaugural performance was Shakespeare’s King Richard II on the quadricentennial of Shakespeare’s birth. Studio 301, a student-run theater company on campus, occasionally uses Wyatt Theatre for its productions, including Seussical the Musical, Gone Missing, Urinetown and Once Upon a Dream. According to Gonzalez, who is the president of Studio 301, the theater is “a very special place.”

“It’s probably the only space in the theater department that [has] its own backstage area,” Gonzalez said. “Sometimes a director will prefer to use this space because it’s a ‘thrust’ stage, and it’s the only thrust we have here [at UC Davis].”

The thrust in Wyatt Theatre is the portion of the stage that extends out into the audience. Wyatt Theatre itself seats about 200 people and is one of the smaller and more intimate theater settings on campus. Mindy Cooper, the Department of Theatre and Dance’s current Granada artist-in-residence, will use the thrust for her production of 39 Steps.

“What appealed to me about the Wyatt is [its] thrust,” Cooper said. “The stage [is] in the audience’s lap. I sort of envisioned the piece playing in a 360 degree way, [where] you don’t just look at the stage, [...but] the play happens all around.”

Cooper said the characteristics of the space itself will add to the play.

“The Wyatt definitely has a personality [and] that personality will be a factor in this play,” Cooper said. “I’m inspired by the building’s whole story. It just has so much great history in it and you can feel that when you walk in.”

Between 1991 and 2010, the space was used for the Integrated Studies Program’s (IST) annual Shakespeare production. James Shackelford, a current professor and former director of the University Honors Program that had absorbed the IST, has fond memories of this specific IST course that used the Wyatt Theatre.

“I went to the spring performance before I took over the program, just as a spectator, and was so impressed by [the building],” Shackelford said. “The talent that these young people had was amazing.”

Shackelford hired now-retired Eric Schroeder, a former UC Davis lecturer, every Spring Quarter to teach the course and stage the production with IST students, the majority of whom were science and math oriented. Schroeder noticed that many of the students had musical talents and sought permission to stage Twelfth Night, which was so impressive that he continued to teach and stage Shakespeare WYATT on 10

This past fall, Jessica Chalfin, a second-year animal science major, was matched to mentor a group named #Flawless, comprised of students with a common interest in Beyoncé. This group was a part of First Year Aggie Connections (FYAC), a program that launched during Fall Quarter of 2016 to provide an inclusive environment for students to bond over shared interests and discuss pop culture with one another.

FYAC supports new students, both freshman and transfer, as they transition into life at UC Davis.

“Because UC Davis is this big research university, it is really hard to transition,” said Julianne Smith, the FYAC coordinator. “[UC Davis] is very different from any community college [and] is very different from high school, so FYAC is really here to help support students academically and socially as they adjust.”

At their summer orientation, incoming students learn about the program and are then able to register for a connection — a themed group of 25 students. During Fall Quarter, FYAC offered about 150 connections with different themes. Some previous connections offered include the “Get Your Board Game On” connection, the “How to Adult” connection, the “Social Justice” connection and many more.

“Each connection has a different theme or shared interest,” Smith said. “Some themes are academic and some themes are more co-curricular.”

Some connections are offered for credit and can be registered for through Schedule Builder. Most other connections are not for credit and can be registered for through the Student Academic Success Center website. Usually, each connection meets weekly for one quarter to hold discussions and activities related to their theme. Connections for credit account for attendance while connections that are not for credit are completely voluntary.

All connections hold discussions about topics like transitioning to the campus, advising resources, exploring majors and careers, health and wellness and more.

“No matter if you’re in a for-credit or not-for-credit connection, no matter what your theme is, you talk about these key important topics that we know as staff members [are] really important for students to understand as they adjust to life here,” Smith said.

Each connection is facilitated by a professional staff or faculty member and is focused heavily on student life, which makes it different from other programs or clubs on campus.

“You’re really talking about how to balance your academic life with your social life with other things going on and how to be a successful student here — that’s the point of all these meetings,” Smith said.

“Being in a connection means talking a lot about campus culture and talking about the transition in that setting.”

The staff and faculty members that facilitate connections propose the theme for their specific connection.

“They propose a theme — so [it’s] something they feel is missing or needed, or something they just feel passionate about,” Smith said.

FYAC also hires peer mentors for each connection. Though they may not participate in all of the connection activities, peer mentors focus on planning events to connect the students outside the program.

“Based off the big group of peer mentors that we’re hiring now, we do a matching process that kind of looks like an NFL draft or something,” Smith said. “We try to match a peer mentor to a connection that we think will be a good fit based on interest or major or anything FIRST YEAR on 10

6 | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

GENERATION

IMMIGRATION

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

Joanie said. “I recall Togo’s [sandwiches] being a thing then, and there was a great frozen yogurt place not far from campus.”

Currently, Davis is full of places to grab a bite to eat, even late at night. According to Dominique, there is a lot more variety in what type of food you can find in Davis. She enjoys 3rd and U, various sushi places around Davis as well as Taco Tuesday at El Toro Bravo.

Dominique’s parents’ experience at Davis was not dominated by sports games and Aggie Pack T-shirts.

According to Steve, students were not highly involved with athletics in the early 1980s.

“NCAA sports were pretty weakly supported at Davis, except football, maybe,” Steve said. “It was Division II, and they won a lot.”

In 2003, the UC Davis Athletic Department began the transition from competing in Division II to Division I. Even though sports teams’ records have improved over the years, Dominique believes that students could still be more involved with student athletics on campus.

“I don’t think there’s enough involvement,” Dominique said. “I’m not really one to talk, because I could probably be more involved, too, but I think that a lot of people hate on Davis athletics.”

The Tristants agreed that, no matter what decade, the UC Davis campus and its surrounding areas

has always provided areas to unwind from class and studying.

“I loved Friday afternoons at the campus pub and music at the Coffee House in the evenings,” Joanie said. “I ran and I biked a lot and I used the rec pool for my swimming workouts. The ARC was new and went there sometimes too.”

From the time when Joanie attended to now, Davis has remained a place where students like her daughter are encouraged to stay active and spend time outdoors.

“Last Spring Quarter, [my friends and I] went on a picnic on the weekend,” Dominique said. “[We want to] just go find a park and have lunch, go downtown and eat during the day or go on runs.”

Davis’ location has always given students easy access to the mountains or one of the larger neighboring cities.

“Sometimes [my friends and I] go to Sacramento, Berkeley, Napa or surrounding areas,” Dominique said. “There’s not a whole lot to do in Davis, and it’s nice to get out.”

Just like Dominique, Steve also enjoyed getting out of town for an occasional weekend trip during his time at UC Davis. “[We went on] weekend road trips for ultimate [frisbee], [and] weekday powder skiing in Tahoe,” Steve said. “The main reason I was at Davis was easy access to Tahoe for skiing.”

TOWN HALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

alent student issues on students’ terms, rather than just his own.

“Hexter claimed at this town hall that he’s open to discussing things with students, but when students emailed him multiple times to try to get a meeting about Milo, he didn’t respond,” Gorman said. “However, he was tweeting throughout that whole time, so it’s not like he was disengaged from things, he just didn’t respond to the emails to meet with him. [The administration] are at the front of the room here, in a tower, with a speaking ability and can leave whenever they want. We tried the official channels and [they] unsurprisingly, didn’t work, so here we are.”

In a response to a statement saying that people have been shot, bullied and outed over Yiannopoulos’ words and that self-defense is needed to prevent these incidents, Hexter replied firmly that he was committed to allowing all nonviolent guests on campus under free speech.

“I think the fair thing to say is that we have very different views,” Hexter said, “I only condemned the point at which various protesters acted physically. I think we’ll have to agree to disagree on a fundamental issue.”

During the student’s response to Hexter’s stance, Hexter replied, “We disagree. Thank you,” wrapping up the hourlong town hall.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

and a third-year English major, directed the meeting for a resolution on how ASUCD could potentially support the campus’ immigrant community in light of President Trump’s immigration bans.

According to Chiang, the idea to call for the meeting was inspired by professor Robyn Rodriguez of the Asian American Studies Department, who cancelled class and encouraged her students to conduct research and get their organizations involved in the movement. During the meeting, concerns were raised regarding the co-opting of immigrant safe spaces as well as defining the members and scope of the movement.

“There are several issues in this movement,” Chiang said. “One, it doesn’t clearly delineate who we’re talking about per se. Two, there’s an issue of whether outliers can and should participate. We need to define who we are supporting, in terms of immigrants. It’s been very unclear from the organizers of the movement. I think the way our associated student body is set up, we would like this to be as intersectional as possible without still not detracting from the original purpose. We have to remember that this came originally from a Latinx and Chicano perspective in order to uplift those voices, but then it expanded into a movement for immigrants as a whole.”

Sarah Shemery, a fourth-year gender, sexuality and women’s studies major and the deputy director of the Office of Advocacy and Student Representation, voiced her opinion that the resolution should de-emphasize the economic value that immigrants bring to American society and instead underscore universal human rights.

“In regard to immigrants and refugees, I don’t want to hear [we support immigrants and refugees] because XYZ,” Shemery said. “I want to hear ‘because they are human.’ [We support immigrants and refugees] not because of what they economically contribute but because they are human beings too.”

A general consensus was reached that ASUCD should work directly with on campus community-based organizations to establish the vocabulary to be used in the public resolution statement. Sara Williams, ASUCD external affairs commission chairperson and a fourth-year history and political science double major, spoke on additional services that ASUCD could provide.

“It’s important that the 20 of us in here educate ourselves, but there are also 27,000 undergraduates who need to know these things,” Williams said. “If we could get law students to come on campus and hold ‘Know Your Rights’ workshops, these are things that are open to the public but forums that we could provide. In this way we could reach out to community organizations to ask if this would be something they’re interested in co-hosting, or something they want to host themselves and have us help out.”

To resolve these issues, the meeting concluded by establishing an immigrant community outreach agenda for the following week, during which members of the Senate and the public will reach out to community organizations on behalf of ASUCD, asking specifically if there is anything ASUCD can do to help immigrant, refugee and undocumented students.

Organizations planned to be contacted in the resolution include the departments located within Hart Hall, the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center, Asian Pacific Islander organizations, Filipino American groups, the International Student Association, Middle East/South Asia Studies, the Student Recruitment and Retention Center and Black Family Week.

reduce. reuse. recycle.

The aggie

ETHICS. LAW. FOOD. KARMA. SUFFERING. Religious studies courses are more relevant than ever.

Classes for Spring are filling quick. Get in now.

You can major in Religious Studies. You can minor in Religious Studies. Or you can just take a class or two that will make you think, learn and question everything you thought you had the answer to.

No prereqs other than curiousity.

RST 1: INTRO TO RELIGIOUS STUDIES CRN# 91145–48 Exploration of creation, history, law, prophecy, suffering, mysticism, karma, reincarnation, the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Koran, early Buddhist and Plato writings.

RST 162: INTRO TO ISLAMIC LAW CRN# 91170 Development of Islamic law and its adaptation to changing economic, social, and political conditions. Plus legal theory, the Shari’a, reformist movements and human rights.

RST 30: RELIGIONS OF SOUTH ASIA LECTURE CRN# 91149–50 Introduction to South Asian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism and Sikhism and their relationship to our global present.

RST 010: CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES LECTURE CRN# 88455 Review of contemporary ethical issues from a multicultural perspective including ethical eating, capital punishment, euthanasia, poverty and animal rights.

religions.ucdavis.edu

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 | 7

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SCIENCE+TECH ANH TRAM BUI / AGGIE

UC Davis museums highlights groundbreaking research Biodiversity Museum Day showcases nematodes, yeast cultures, wildlife conservation

BY EMM A ASKEA s ci en ce@ th e a ggi e .o r g

The UC Davis campus swarmed with guests of all ages on Feb. 19 as they examined the cutting-edge research done at the university. Among the research displayed were collections of nematodes, fish biology and yeast and wildlife.

The small but mighty nematode fanfare at the

Biodiversity Museum Day featured a dynamic microscope in which visitors could see the small worms up close, as well as several jars full of nematodes relevant to daily life, such as a preserved dog heart in a jar with heartworms, a species of nematode, and also a preserved peach root that had root-knot nematodes, one of the organisms most economically damaging to agriculture.

According to Chris Pagan, Ph.D. student in the Department of Entomology and Nematology graduate group at UC Davis, nematodes make up about 80 percent of all multicellular animals on earth.

“Most people don’t know they exist, and not many species have been described,” Pagan said.

“Only about 27,000 species of nematodes have been described [...] [Nematodes] are everywhere life exists, obviously they are doing something and we’ve just begun the scratch the surface of that.”

The two small table displays generated a big crowd when they opened; children flocked to the microscopes and examined jars of nematodes eagerly. Pagan stressed that events like Biodiversity Museum Day are important to science but also important to generate “nematode appreciation.”

“These [events] are really gateways to science [...] and generating interest in science in general,” Pagan said.

The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection had a tworoom exhibition complete with microscopes and taste tests. There were several tables with displays explaining the institute’s research and its yeast collection.

Kyria Boundy Mills, the curator of the Phaff Yeast Culture Collection, has been with the collection since 1998.

Mills maintains over 800 different species of yeast. Mills’ job includes sending yeast out to people who are doing research while also conducting her own research and expanding the collection. The Phaff Yeast Culture Collection is one of only four collections in the world that holds this much variety and volume of yeast species.

The research that Mills conducts has led to the discovery of a new kind of glycolipid, a molecule that contains a sugar component and a fat component.

“We’ve got some publications on the structure of

GENESIA TING / AGGIE

World Food Center tackles the root of climate related agricultural issues UC Davis focuses on challenges in soil management, agriculture in relation to climate change

BY MOLI NA HAU V s ci en c e @ th e a ggi e .o r g

Since everyone eats food, everyone has a stake in agriculture, and there is one thing that all foods have in common: they start in the soil.

Climate-Smart is an ongoing project at UC Davis’ World Food Center (WFC) which researches science-related solutions for sustainable agriculture, especially in terms of climate change. WFC interacts with multiple organizations around the world to learn more about agricultural issues. In a recent webinar, UC Davis highlighted sustainable agricultural methods that relate to soil management.

Soils are a complex environment that help support a plant and provide the nutrients it needs to grow. Soil is composed of various rocks and living matter, such as microorganisms, which contribute to the growth of a plant through symbiotic processes.

“Soils are a heterogeneous mixture of minerals, organic matter, air and water,” said Sanjai Parikh, an associate professor of soil chemistry. “There is also a lot of life in soils and microorganisms are distributed throughout.”

Components in soil, such as minerals and rocks, can come from a variety of sources, interacting with one another to form a specific soil chemistry that is unique across different soils.

“Soils are the resulting product of the interaction of parent material (rock), climate, topography, biotic factors (organic matter formation and decomposition) and time (weathering),” said Jorge Rodrigues, an associate professor in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources (LAWR).

With the issue of climate change growing, the need to sustainably grow food has increased as well. Agriculture is easily affected by climate because it is dependent on climate to grow correctly, and due to climate change, recent temperatures have been inconsistent compared to temperatures in the past. This makes it more difficult to farm since plants that would normally be in prime growing season are now facing a deficit. This, in turn, affects the food that the world’s general population eat everyday.

“Agriculture is both a contributor of greenhouse gases as well as source of carbon sequestration,” said Josette Lewis, the associate director of WFC. “Agriculture is one of the most vulnerable to climate change because agriculture is so dependent on weather.”

A holistic approach is used to tackle this agricultural issue. With regard to sustainable agriculture, the root of the problem is in relation to preserving soil quality while also dealing with climate issues.

While soil provides multiple services to the ecosystem, the major service that soil provides is its control of greenhouse gases. According to Randy Southard, a professor of soil science and the chair of the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, soil acts as a sink, or holding ground, for greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.

With these greenhouse gases stored in the ground, instead of in the atmosphere, greenhouse gas levels can be controlled.

“Your life depends on the services soils provide, not only the ability to provide food,” said Toby O’Geen, a soil resource specialist at LAWR. “Soils regulate the water supply, recycle waste materials, store carbon and control greenhouse gas emissions.”

UC Davis has brought forth ideas and techniques in sustainable agriculture that relate to soils on farms, the basis of these techniques sharing the common goal of ensuring soil absorbs more greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. The more soil that is covered in plants, the more organic material will be present and the more carbon will be absorbed.

One tactic that UC Davis proposed is intercropping. Intercropping involves planting multiple types of crops in alternating strips and maximizing the agricultural space that is available. A second tactic is agroforestry, the inclusion of trees and shrubs into cropland. By planting more trees and shrubs in our soils, more carbon sinks will be present to control the greenhouse gas levels. With the current increase in greenhouse gas levels in mind, WFC has recently pushed forward these ideas.

“We depend on soils for healthful food and clean water,” Southard said. “Sustainable Agricultural practices strive to preserve and improve soil properties that are critical for food production and clean water.”

FOOD AG on 10

Matters of the heart: Insulin increases cardiovascular risk in diabetics UCD researchers reveal that insulin is associated with heart failure

BY H ARNOOR GILL s cience@thea g g ie.org

At least 1 out of 3 people in the United States will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. Though a significant portion of our population is diabetic and uses supplementary insulin, new findings show that this medication may come with potentially fatal side effects. Research conducted by UC Davis biochemist and cell biologist Yang Kevin Xiang and University of Iowa professor Dave E. Abel have recently unearthed the startling discovery that insulin is associated with cardiovascular problems such as heart failure.

Prehistoric climates revealed in Stable Isotope Lab

these weird glycolipids,” Mills said “It’s a new class of molecules. Working with the metabolomic center, we were able to identify the chemical structure.”

According to Mills, the molecule’s nature makes it a natural detergent that is both biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

The Museum of Wildlife and Fish showed off an impressive collection of the animal kingdom. The display included primate skulls, touchable reptiles, a lion skin and bird dissections. The museum holds 55,000 vertebrates and is one of campus’ “best kept secrets,” according to Andrew Engilis, the museum’s curator.

Research done at the museum includes projects such as the Putah Creek Nestbox Highway, which involves setting up nest boxes for cavernous nesting birds while a team monitors them.

“The museum is very dynamic: it’s not just specimens in drawers and cases; it’s the focal point for teaching in our department,” Engilis said. “The specimens are a way for the students to connect to the natural world from the textbook.”

Nematodes, yeast cultures and wildlife conservation are just a small portion of what Biodiversity Museum Day had to offer. “[Events like Biodiversity Museum Day] pave the way for a brighter future for our collections here on campus and across this campus our some of California’s most important collections,” Engilis said.

Insulin, a hormone that controls the level of glucose, in the blood, is not used properly in those with type 2 diabetes who use the drug to manage their condition. In individuals with type 2 diabetes, the pancreas eventually stops creating insulin, initiating the need for additional dosages.

Once insulin is injected into the body from an external source, it enters the bloodstream and sends a signal to the brain that tells the body to use the sugar in food as an energy source, thereby controlling glucose levels.

Xiang and Abel found that the insulin receptor activates a different receptor called the beta-2 adrenergic receptor that sends a signal to the brain to inhibit the heart’s pumping of blood.

“When insulin levels are high, the interaction between the insulin receptor and the beta-2 receptor is increased, which then leads to the activation of the particular function of the beta receptor that then impairs the ability of the heart to pump,” Abel said.

The beta-1 receptor is the main receptor traditionally linked to heart disease. However, a previous experiment conducted by Xiang shed light on the possibility that the beta-2 receptor, which is relatively minor, needed to be targeted. In this experiment, Xiang noticed that if he pre-treated cardiac muscle cells with insulin and gave them isoproterenol, a drug that increases cardiac contractility, there was a regression in heart function compared to heart cells that had had no insulin.

“Even if [Xiang] blocked the beta-1 receptor, he could still see the reduction in heart function,” Abel said, “This really suggested that there was an interaction with the beta-2 receptor.”

The researchers found that using the beta-blocker carvedilol or the antidepressant paroxetine could manage the treatment of heart damage caused by the beta-2 receptor. In the mouse model, these drugs were able to block the inhibition of the blood-pumping INSULIN on 10

IAN JONES / AGGIE

UC Davis Stable Isotope Lab houses climate reconstruction of the past

BY SHIVANI KAMAL s cience@thea g g ie.org

Due to the recent unpredictable weather, students have to face the tough decision of whether or not to lug a jacket around campus all day in case it suddenly rains or gets cold. Surprisingly more accurate than our current everyday weather predictions are climate conditions of the past.

Scientists can determine what the climate was like in the month of August 100,000 years ago. These incredibly detailed reconstructions of past climate information occur at the UC Davis Stable Isotope Laboratory (SIL) in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

One research method at the SIL includes using a highly specific laser to shave off miniscule particles of a fossil material in order to analyze its composition and determine the type of environment it was in.

Daily sampling through laser analysis is used on coral because it grows so quickly. Essentially, information can be gained on what coral did on a day-to-day basis all the way back to 100,000 years ago.

“We are very interested in the ocean temperature of the arctic right now, and looking at data regarding how arctic sea ice melted over last 10,000 years and when the arctic was ice-free,” said Howard Spero, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the director of the SIL. Additional research includes looking at the effects of ocean acidification in the past and present.

Inquiries into developing and calibrating new geochemical tools to reconstruct past environments also occur at this lab. Researchers seek to extract novel climate information from the geologic record.

The research lab in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences was founded in 1993 and will celebrate 25 years of research next year.

The goal of the lab is to have the analytic capabilities to measure carbon, oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen isotope ratios on collected fossil material.

Through analysis of rocks and deep sea sediments, scientists are able to reconstruct the environment from when a fossilized organism was alive.

“We do a lot of research and collaborations with graduate students and researchers all over the world interested in looking at records of environmental change through changes in stable isotope geochemistry contained within skeletons, shells and minerals,” Spero said.

Types of samples that are often analyzed at the lab include: microfossils; corals; foraminifera, or sand-sized marine protists; diatoms, a type of phytoplankton; and radiolaria, tiny protozoa, or single-celled organisms.

When these organisms die, the remains and shells accumulate on the seafloor and become part of the sediment. Over time, more layers of sediment build up on top.

Scientists are able to deduce the age of sample sediments collected based on the composition and how deeply buried the layer is. A sample collected near the top of the seafloor will be younger than a sample taken at a meter into the seafloor.

“Trace amounts of other elements are incorporated into a shell ISOTOPE on 10

8 | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Opinion the California Aggie

editorial board

EDITORIAL BOARD

Protect trans students Gender-inclusive restrooms are a basic human right

SCOTT DRESSER Editor in Chief ELLIE DIERKING Managing Editor ALYSSA VANDENBERG Campus News Editor SAMANTHA SOLOMON City News Editor ELI FLESCH Opinion Editor EMILIE DEFAZIO Features Editor AMANDA ONG Arts & Culture Editor BRYAN SYKES Sports Editor ARIEL ROBBINS Science & Tech Editor

CHIARA ALVES New Media Manager JAY GELVEZON Photo Director HANNAH LEE Design Director EMILY STACK Copy Chief OLIVIA ROCKEMAN Copy Chief VERONICA VARGO Website Manager

Signs on single-stall bathrooms with girls in triangle skirts and boys in plastic pants are to be removed all over the UC Davis campus and replaced by gender-inclusive triangles by the end of this month. The single act of transforming gendered or unisex bathrooms into inclusive bathrooms signals an effort on campus to make restrooms a safe space for those who identify as transgender, genderqueer and gender nonconforming.

The idea is not necessarily new — the Obama administration issued statements on the subject, calling on the nation’s public schools to provide gender-inclusive bathrooms for students. To deny students this right, the statements declared, would be against federal anti-discrimination laws.

The Trump administration plans to actively change these new policies regarding bathrooms, starting with rolling back protections for transgender students. In a two-page letter, the Trump administration explains the need to withdraw previous memos on gender-inclusive bathrooms because the memos did not contain “extensive legal analysis,” nor did they “go through any formal public process.” The Editorial Board vehemently denounces this regression in public policy.

Much like previous actions of the Trump administration, this revokes the rights of a marginalized community in the US and is not only detrimental to the progress UC Davis has made in creating a safe space for transgender students, it is also a violation of anti-discrimination laws and alienates the students that the Obama administration aimed to protect. This step brings us as a country back to the absurd notion that genitalia dictates how one should use the bathroom, regardless if a trans person has already transitioned.

Overturning gender-inclusive bathrooms in public schools is in part a response to several state bills, such as House Bill 2 from North Carolina, calling for separate bathrooms with no distinction for trans people. The bill mainly focused on male to female transitioning adults, with the fear of sexual predators.

Proponents of the bill cited cases that occurred in the past, before gender-inclusive bathrooms came to fruition, in which males would put on feminine clothes and go into the female bathroom to engage in non-consensual sexual behavior.

However, comparing, in any way, trans people to sexual predators is deeply offensive. It conjures previously held stigmas against gay men and the antiquated idea that men of homosexual orientation were pedophiles, an idea that has long been held as utterly bigoted.

In fact, the people who seem to be overwhelmingly targeted in public restrooms are, in fact, trans people.

According to an NPR article, that cited a recent survey of 93 gender-nonconforming individuals in the Washington, D.C. area, about of 70 percent of the sample reported experiencing being denied access to restrooms, being harassed while using restrooms and even experiencing some forms of physical assault.

This Editorial Board calls on the administration of UC Davis to first and foremost uphold the value that genderinclusive bathrooms are not only safe spaces for gender-nonconforming individuals, they but are also a human right.

We hope that other public schools at every grade level will follow this example and resist the bigoted claims against gender-inclusive bathrooms.

ALEX GUZMÁN Social Media Mangager

reduce. reuse. recycle.

MADELINE ONG Newsletter Manager

The aggie

LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

Environmentalists should renew message and appeal to states THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ITS LOST POLITICAL POWER

BY SID BAGGA sidobagga@gmail.com Environmentalists have good reason to be sullen these days. This dear planet is tumbling unimpeded toward phosphorous depletion, ocean acidification, a warmer climate and mass extinction. Developing countries are unable to tackle high birth rates and inefficient resource use. Our country, with the world's largest economy and most influential power, is now governed by a political party with parochial views on the environment.

Environmental interests have no voice in Washington except the Senate filibuster. Until this Republican-dominated political cycle runs its course, demands for new federal action will be fruitless. Legal organizations like Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Foundation will be on the defensive to protect the country’s existing, barely adequate anti-emission policy from Republican assault instead of on the offensive trying to tackle ever more threatening problems. In this woeful political situation, what can conscientious environmentalists do to effect positive change?

Environmentalists should take an intermission from power to strengthen their movement’s foundations. Thanks to internal weaknesses, the environmental movement whittled away its last major opportunity to influence legislative policy when Obama and the Democrats swept Washington in 2008. To avoid a repeat, the movement should prepare itself before the next liberal administration provides it another romp with power.

First, the environmental movement should shift its focus to encouraging state government action. One inadvertent bright point of the divided political climate is that many Democratic localities have stayed blue in the face of 2016’s Republican upset. As the Constitution leaves powers not granted to the federal government to state governments, states like Hawaii and California have already implemented sweeping environmental agendas. Our Golden State has sustained strong economic growth while implementing cap-and-trade policy, clean water rules and electric vehicle incentives — defying conservative warnings of dampered productivity.

Environmental groups should urge such sympathetic administrations to forge ahead with regulation. In particular, they should target Pennsylvania, a large producer of oil and coal led by a Democratic governor. Not only do state actions shift large populations within our country toward sustainable energy, but they also serve as trial and error to discover the most effective environmental legislation. Courageous states, in the words of Justice Louis Brandeis, can “serve as [laboratories]” for innovative solutions to excess greenhouse emissions.

As with our historical progresses towards slavery abolition, women's suffrage and civil rights, future federal policy is bound to draw from the successes of the states.

Second, the environmental movement should work its hardest to depoliticize the issue of climate change. Fossil fuel special interests have been remarkably successful at lumping climate change with issues like abortion and immigration into the public’s perception of a “liberal agenda.” They have seized upon a tiny contingent of skepti-

cal scientists to hinder “anti-business” environmental policy and undermine public faith in scientific consensus. These groups have also incentivized military-friendly Republicans to ignore the Pentagon’s warnings that climate change is a “significant risk” to national security.

Environmentalists should assert the factual higher ground by pivoting toward neutrality. They should strive for the bipartisanship of the late ‘60s, when laws like the Clean Air Act and National Environmental Policy Act enjoyed broad, bipartisan congressional support. The movement should keep climate change as far above the partisan fray as possible. When climate change is raised in political discussion, climate supporters should frame it in terms of national security, which both the left and right have a stake in. Ecological organizations ought to avoid commentary on unrelated social and economic issues, and emphasize their political neutrality by giving voice to climate-conscious conservatives. And above all, advocacy groups like Greenpeace and Ecowatch must purge themselves of malignant fringe groups, like the anti-vaccine and anti-GMO movements, for the sake of their scientific credibility.

The 2016 election was a blow to the already dismal prospects of environmentalists. But this new political order is also a great opportunity. By coalescing support and perfecting policy in sympathetic states, and reasserting its non-partisan objectivity, the environmental movement can make a great comeback as a lean, mean, green political machine.

Maybe the global thermometer is half-empty after all.

GUEST Make mental health services more accessible PROVIDE ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE RESOURCES TO HELP THOSE STRUGGLING

BY MICHELLE WANG As a third-year student at UC Davis who considers mental health of the utmost importance because it affects how we handle stress and the way we relate to one another in society, I want to express my concerns regarding the lack of mental health services in the United States.

According to the Association for Psychological Science, over 60 million Americans experience mental illness in a year, and 40 percent of individuals with serious mental illness do not receive care. This suggests a lack of access to mental health services and alludes to possible barriers to treatment for such issues.

These barriers are particularly concerning when you consider that Basic Needs, a non-governmental organization that provides care

to countries around the world, says that without accessible mental health services and the ability to seek treatment, individuals can experience a dramatic loss of income and their family members will increasingly deal with stressful living conditions. Stress can impede other individuals from progressing. Kids may need to work to provide for their families instead of going to school.

I urge you all to spread awareness of mental health and access to mental health services to communities through partnerships. It’s important to recognize that mental health is a prevalent issue in communities across the nation. Mental health services can help individuals receive support and care which can bring positive life changes in the long run. This will be done through collaborating with residents, community advocates, schools and public health specialists. We can

build strong partnerships with public health agencies, board members, public health organizations and mental therapists. For example, many public health organizations, including Active Minds, which has a branch here on campus, could provide services such as health and wellness workshops and mental health awareness campaigns.

There could certainly be more discussions of mental health and research to improve evidence databases about mental health in the United States and mental health services with specialized care. Public health organizations could create databases in order to help and find the nearest mental health resources and clinics.

The strong partnerships and collaboration bring a greater awareness of mental health and accessible mental health services for individuals seeking help.

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 The California Aggie . Letters to the editor can be addressed to opinion@theaggie.org.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 | 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

What an awards show can say about our country THE ACADEMY AWARDS REFLECTED THIS YEAR’S CULTURE IN A TYPICAL POLITICAL FASHION

BY JAZMIN GARCIA msjgarcia@ucdavis.edu Following the results of the presidential election, this year’s awards season saw many celebrities taking advantage of the spotlight to speak out against America’s divided political climate and its leader, President Trump. In early January, Meryl Streep made headlines when she used her Golden Globes acceptance speech to call out the then-president-elect’s misuse of power to subjugate others. In addition to condemning his ridicule of a disabled reporter, she urged the Hollywood Foreign Press to protect journalists.

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards, actor David Harbour (Stranger Things) delivered an impassioned acceptance speech in which he called out Trump’s prejudice against marginalized communities.

The Grammy Awards followed suit in February. In his opening monologue, host James Corden invoked the beast by name. He rapped: “Live it all up because this is the best and with President Trump we don’t know what comes next.” The ceremony saw politically-charged performances from A Tribe Called Quest and Katy Perry, and spirited similar commentary from Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez.

These events’ appeal to politics created momentum going into the most watched awards shows, the Academy Awards — which, historically, is the most political. Tensions and pointed commentary were expected, to say the least.

2016’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy seemed to have been noted by the Academy, as this year’s nominees posed some historic possibilities for diverse narratives and storytellers. This year, all four acting categories had non-white nominees for the first time in ten years and three of the nine films nominated for Best Picture grappled with Black history and identity.

Despite this, many still felt the need to defend the value of diverse narratives and storytellers during this year’s ceremony. As was the case with the previous awards shows, this commentary was directed at a certain political force who also had his start in Hollywood.

Not even a minute into his monologue, host Jimmy Kimmel quipped, “This broadcast is being watched live by millions of Americans and around the world in more than 225 countries that now hate us.” He continued, “I don't have to tell anybody [that] the country is divided right now.” He eventually rounded out the political seriousness with a joke: “Some of you will get to come up here on this stage tonight and give a speech that the president of the United States will tweet about in all caps during his 5 a.m. bowel movement tomorrow.”

The political commentary didn’t stop there. During a performance

by Sting, the screen behind him displayed a timely quote by James Foley: "If I don't have the moral courage to challenge authority... we don't have journalism." When actor Gael García Bernal went on stage to present an award, he spoke against the president’s proposed border wall. And when Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s The Sales-

man won the Best Foreign Language Film category, it was revealed that he decided to skip the ceremony to protest the president’s travel ban of seven Muslim-majority countries — which included his own.

It would be naïve to say that this form of political protest is unprecedented. But in any case, it’s fair to say that the rise of Trumpist politics inspired the near-unanimous dissent we see in Hollywood.

And while it’s easy to reduce the industry to an abstraction of glamour and wealth, it’s important to remember that it is one of the most influential, society-shaping platforms in the country — for better or worse. Regardless of what the word “Hollywood” connotes, the industry is, most fundamentally, a generator of art. And the Oscars is a celebration of art.

In the most basic sense, art is created to tell a story, and the films in the Best Picture category represent the most compellingly structured and performed narratives. In one way or another, this year’s contenders nuance what it means to be human, our unifying identity.

It’s an identity we invoke when we protest against legislative measures and incendiary rhetoric that attempt to divide us.

When Moonlight beat out La La Land in that shocking twist, it was difficult not to applaud the moment with anything less than delighted surprise.

If La La Land producer Jordan Horowitz’s graceful handing off of the Oscar shows us anything, it’s that when it comes to recognizing diverse narratives, a greater win sometimes comes at the expense of a loss — or in this case, a nationally televised snafu.

How the Constitution can check Trump CHECKS AND BALANCES HELP ENSURE ONE BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT NOT TOO POWERFUL

BY SHOHINI MAITRA samaitra@ucdavis.edu Since it was ratified in 1788, the United States Constitution has served as the bedrock of our nation’s democracy. As the supreme law of the land, it’s what our country turns to in times of turbulence when the way ahead seems unclear. As we move into a new era of politics, and our existence as a democracy is questioned, the power of the people reminds us exactly why democracy is so vitally important.

It’s been just over a month since President Trump was elected, and he’s kept himself busy. Going in, there was a lot of speculation that his large business empire, now helmed by his children, might provide a strong conflict of interest with his duties as president and his oath to the Constitution. He’s only proved us right.

Kellyanne Conway, a counselor to the president, recently misused the powers of her public office by promoting Ivanka Trump’s fashion line on-air. In her libel lawsuit against a tabloid, Melania Trump charges that she lost the opportunity to use her status as First Lady to promote her products in the fashion industry. The Trump family is obviously more interested in using Trump’s presidency for their own profits rather than for the good of the nation.

In a break from tradition, Trump has been the only president to not release his tax returns despite being repeatedly asked to do so.

Reports suggest that he may not have paid his taxes for the last 18

years. Coupled with his delay in relinquishing ownership and resigning from his organization, his actions raise questions about his real motives. A lawsuit filed against him alleged that he violated the Constitution by allowing his business operations to receive payments from foreign governments.

The most alarming news may be the FBI and CIA's confirmation of what many had suspected all along — that Russian hackers may have tampered with the 2016 elections, and Trump may have received their aid when running for president. If the reports are true, the implications would be disastrous for both the United States and the world. The fact that our own president could be allied with one of our biggest enemies is a grave concern.

If we needed further proof that our current president has no regard for the Constitution, we need only look at the most controversial law he has passed in office so far — the immigration ban. With one hasty stroke, Trump immediately banned all travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from coming into the United States, but excluded the countries where his organization maintains business ties, such as Saudi Arabia. He has also temporarily banned all refugees from Syria, leading to mass protests and panic at airports across the country. Although it doesn’t state so clearly, the law is intended to target Muslims — a clear violation of the Constitution.

Perhaps Trump didn’t think this through — the same Constitution that he has ignored has also made sure that America continues

to uphold the values that it was built on. A few weeks after President Trump issued the travel ban, a panel of judges for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco found the ban unconstitutional and struck down most of its key elements.

The president can also face opposition from not just Democrats, but also his own party. John McCain’s outspokenness against many of Trump’s policies may have cost him some standing among Republicans, but he has gotten his underlying message across — Trump is unfit to be president.

The Constitution grants us rights and liberties that cannot be taken away, and protects us from those in positions of power. The fundamental principle of a democracy is that the people make decisions about who makes their laws and how they are implemented.

This also means that the people’s responsibility doesn’t end after voting. Citizens are equally responsible for the actions of the people they elected. To keep a democracy alive, the people of a country need to play an active part in all aspects of decision making.

Our founding fathers had many checks and balances put into place so the power to rule the country would ultimately be in the hands of the people. The governmental power would be distributed among many branches — executive, legislative and judicial — rather than concentrated in just one place. But these branches are nothing without the people, and the Constitution is just a piece of paper unless the common man rises to enforce it.

HUMOR Prospective tour guide absolutely killing it with invisible crowd HOW INVISIBLE PEOPLE ARE HELPING PREPARE THE TOUR GUIDES OF TOMORROW

BY BRIAN L AN DRY bjlandry@ucdavis.edu Many tour guide hopefuls have been practicing giving tours around campus for the past few weeks. It’s a great way for them to test out jokes and practice scripts without criticism in case they bomb.

The California Aggie talked to a prospective tour guide about how these practice runs help him prepare.

“I like to use my practice tours as an opportunity to try out some fun jokes,” said Ram Slip-Taker, a second-year psychology major and

professional howler. “Sometimes I’ll even just start howling in the middle of a tour. It’s unusual, but it really does grab people’s attention. And the people on my tours love it. I mean, I haven’t actually given a tour to any ‘real’ people yet, but the people whom I imagine I’m giving a tour to absolutely love my comedy. One time, one of these fake people laughed so hard she just straight-up died. It was horrible to be honest, or ‘tbh’ as I sometimes say if I’m feeling edgy.

The funeral was so sad. I spoke and tried out some more of my jokes, but nobody laughed, which I thought was a little rude. Lovely service, though.”

Slip-Taker is not the only one who has found immense success

with invisible tour guide crowds.

“My imaginary groups love when I tell them fun facts about UC Davis,” said Kimberly Drought, a third-year theater major and dirt farmer. “Like how there are cadavers in Haring, or how my son has been missing since before I was born. Sometimes I’ll even make things up if I don’t particularly like the attitude of a particular group.

Once I told a tour that we’ve had rabies-infected bats before and that there has been a killer clown sighting in West Village. Obviously those things would never happen; they’re way too good to be true.

But I was really just trying to lighten up the mood — these guys can get a little on-edge sometimes.”

UC Davis Bookstore set to replace Whole Foods POP-UP SHOP FINDS NEW LOCATION

BY ETHAN VIC TOR ejvictor@ucdavis.edu Whole Foods, the popular health food store in Davis, closed its doors on Feb. 12. The store, which opened in October 2012, became a staple of the Davis community by promoting local business and alternative food options.

Stocked to the ceiling with copious gluten-free and vegan options, Whole Foods became a popular spot for those with dietary restrictions.

Despite receiving three dollar signs on various platforms all over the internet, indicating the store’s expensive products, Whole Foods was popular for both students and lifetime residents of the city. The

ISSUE DESIGNED BY

departure has left a gaping hole at Davis Commons.

Various businesses looked to pick up the spot. Located in the southernmost part of downtown, the plot of land is seen as a top location for a store on campus. The UC Davis bookstore, however, was the first to lay its claim.

“Honestly, I’m pretty surprised. The bookstore has been in two different places the past six months,” said Art Wall, a fourth-year English major. “I figured a Target City would go there.”

After renovations moved the bookstore to the Pavilion for a year, its home was restored to its original location at Memorial Union.

However, new construction has left the campus feeling stale, so the school has decided to shift locations once again.

“We hope to have new students going downtown to see what the

city has to offer,” said Michael Patterson. “There’s a Habit nearby.

And a Gap. Davis has so much. This forces students to get acclimated with local business.”

The bookstore’s constant change of location has left much of the campus frustrated, but it has provided a new option for the Memorial Union to put in a store of its liking that isn’t too helpful to students. A calculated move like that means more revenue for the school while also making the lives of students more difficult.

The change in location also means that the school is taking a spot in downtown where a local business could potentially move in. So while the change means more revenue for the school’s pocketbooks, the happiness of students, who now have to shlep to an inconvenient new location, is greatly at stake.

HANNAH LEE | AMY YE | CHRISTIE NEO | CINDY CHEUNG | JONATHAN CHEN

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CENTENNIAL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

be shown on March 28, the 100 year mark of Davis, at noon in the Davis Varsity Theater. “[The City of Davis is most well-known for] the university, bicycles, and community atmosphere,” said Stacey Winton, a media and communications officer for the City of Davis.

The community atmosphere has been positive and full of energy, one of the many traits that the people of Davis admire.

“Davisites care, and that really speaks to a lot of things,” Bowen said. “They care about the environment, programs for kids for education, coordinating with the university and helping those who can’t help themselves.”

FOCUS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Though Barber has a strict study plan, it can be easy for students like him to gravitate toward unproductive study spaces because of potential social interactions.

While it may come naturally for some students to avoid going on social media websites or checking networking apps on their phones, other students must take extreme measures like blocking sites or deleting social media apps in order to stay focused.

“I am an easily distracted person especially with social media, so I use a site blocker extension of Google Chrome,” Barber said. “[It] literally blocks me from accessing certain sites for an amount of time set on a timer.”

Annalisa Teixeira, coordinator of the study skills workshops and graduate adviser of the Student Academic Success Center (SASC), specializes in helping students discover and harness their focus.

“I see students who are scrambling or multitasking because they’ve let time throughout the day slip by and have to play catch up,” Teixeira said. “In the overcoming procrastination study skills workshop, we discuss tools like planners that encourage accountability and set up boundaries between tasks so they’re not overlapping.”

Focusing is not the only necessity for students to become academically successful. Lack of organization can cause stress to bleed into students social and personal lives. However, when students are caught up with their priorities by managing their time efficiently, they are able to be present in the moment.

“When you don’t have some unknown assignment or deadline hanging over you, you prevent this stress from affecting the time you’ve set aside for socializing or self-care,” Teixeira said. “Productivity means we can carve out time for other pieces in our lives and get the most out of our relationships and self care. Time management and organization actually helps us maximize relationships and academic performance.”

Working at the SASC, Teixeira has observed that students who are deeply focused are able to verbalize short term and long term goals.

“Finding focus is deepening the meaning of what you’re studying because a lot of times it’s because we’re going outside of the classroom in some way, connecting the theory to practice,” Teixeira said. “There’s real power in finding the things that motivate you and give you focus, and putting that on your wall as something you can look at and meditate on.”

INSULIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

function and reverse the heart damage.

The experiments’ successes are a matter of great solace and encouragement in the scientific community, for it proposes the idea that these drugs could potentially prevent or treat heart failure associated with type 2 diabetes.

Because insulin manages to spread to other areas of the body, the drug could potentially affect a multitude of other diabetic complications.

“The insulin receptor and the beta-2 adrenergic receptor are attached to each other in several different tissues,” said Toni West, a Ph.D. student who is currently studying in Xiang’s lab. “So it is a possibility that insulin could have effects on other diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in diabetics.”

Still, there remains much research to be done to firmly conclude the link between heart disease and insulin, as well as treatment options that can be made available to the general public.

“We need to learn how to control glucose without damaging cardiac conditions,” Xiang said. “It may be better to use substitutes for insulin, such as GLT [glutamate transporter] drugs, which work in a different way to improve glucose conditions. This requires a lot more experimentation, and, also, changes observed in animals do not always translate very well to humans, so there needs to be human models as well.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

FIRST YEAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

like that.”

Chaflin applied to be a peer mentor after she spent her first year in a career discovery connection. Chaflin was also matched to mentor a freshman cohort connection in the College of Biological Sciences during Winter and Spring Quarters.

“It’s really great to be a peer mentor because we’re kind of the ones setting up all the activities [and trying] to get people together,” Chaflin said. “There’s been good and bad — it’s kind of hard to get people to go out to events, but [...] our goal [is] to get people oriented with the school and meet more people.”

Emmanuela Cao, a third-year human development major, is also a peer mentor for a the freshman cohort connection in the College of Biological Sciences. Cao didn’t have a smooth transition into college during her freshman year as a first-generation college student. After hearing about this program through Facebook, Cao applied to become a peer mentor.

“This program has been a learning process for myself,” Cao said. “Being a mentor has enhanced my communication skills with peers and faculty and has helped me develop as a leader. It’s been rewarding getting to know these students on a personal level and having some sort of positive impact on them, even if it’s the slightest one.”

Cao usually plans around two to three events per quarter that take place without a facilitator. Past events for her connection students have included trips to the Arboretum, the Davis Farmers’ Market and the Manetti-Shrem Museum.

Like Chaflin, Kiara Cuevas, a second-year animal science major, was in the Creative Discovery connection her freshman year. However, Cuevas also joined another club in which she had the opportunity to meet older students and ask them questions about campus life. These relationships inspired her to become a peer mentor.

“I thought being able to be that person for freshman is really important because that’s what I wanted and what I got when I was a freshman,” Cuevas said.

According to Smith, a lot of students who were in connections their freshman year are coming back and applying to be peer mentors. From these students and other participants, FYAC has received a lot of positive feedback.

“We wanted to create this small group environment for every student who wants it,” Smith said. “[We want them] to be able to have a community, to have a staff member they can ask questions to [and] to have a peer they can ask questions [to] and have fun with.”

WYATT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

plays in Wyatt Theatre for over a decade. Each year, on the first day of the course, Schroeder would identify his students’ unique talents that could possibly be used for the production.

“I had one person one year who was really good at roller-skating, so we had a roller-skating character in the play,” Schroeder said. “I actually had [a student] bring his bow and arrow to class and [give] us a demo and he was pretty good. We were doing Much Ado About Nothing and I [staged] them [as if ] they were supposed to be out at the archery range.”

According to arts marketing specialist Michael French, the Department of Theatre and Dance plans to capitalize on the space to a greater extent in the future.

“There’s a move for us to use [Wyatt Theatre] more, because a lot of people really like the space,” French said. “The Wyatt is pivotal. It is the oldest building [and] it has a unique history [... so] we want to maximize it to its fullest potential.”

Coming up next at Wyatt Threatre is The Pillowman, a dark comedy produced by Studio 301, which will run from March 2 through March 5. Cooper’s 39 Steps, a production based on the film

by Alfred Hitchcock, will run in May. The play is a murder mystery in which only four actors play a myriad of characters in the intimate space of the theater.

“It’s funny [...] that we’re doing a Hitchcock play [because] Hitchcock was misquoted [as saying] ‘actors are cattle,’” French said. “He actually said ‘actors should be treated like cattle’ – meaning they have to be herded and they have to be directed. We actually are putting actors in a place that used to house cattle.”

Special UC Davis student tickets

AG FOOD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Since UC Davis was ranked first in the world for education and research in the area of agriculture and forestry in 2015, the university continue to bring to light the issue of climate change and agriculture through sustainable agricultural practices, such as the preservation of soil. “[Agriculture] offers an opportunity to understand the complexity of how [it] intersects with our environment and our social values in order to be able to meet our desires towards more sustainable and healthy eating,” Lewis said.

$10!

Mucca Pazza ISOTOPE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

when [an organism like foraminifera] grows,” said Jennifer Fehrenbacher, former post-doctorate and research scientist at the SIL via email. “The composition of the trace elements varies with growth conditions like temperature and pH. This makes them useful as ‘proxies’ for environmental conditions in the past.”

Extremely precise lasers and probes enable analysis of collected samples. Housed in this lab is an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICPMS). This machine fires laser at a sample to ablate, or remove thin layers, of about 100 nanometers. To give some context, a dime is approximately 1 millimeter thick, and fits 1 million nanometers.

“The laser is an amazing analytical tool because it is minimally destructive so you don’t consume the entire specimen during analysis,” Fehrenbacher said via email. “That means that you can quantify the elemental composition of the specimen you are studying using the laser and the remaining part of the specimen can be analyzed using other instruments.”

The shaved off surface sample material goes into a mass spectrometer that then gives information about the stable isotopic composition.

Tessa Hill, an associate professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and a researcher at the SIL, seeks to understand climate change impacts on the ocean in the past and present.

By studying the chemistry of the shells of foraminifera, clues can be given to how the environments have changed in the past.

“In this project, we are interested in whether the chemical fingerprint of the shells (elements like Mg [Magnesium] and Ca [Calcium]) changes under particular future climate scenarios,” Hill said via email. “So, we raised foraminifera in the lab, under controlled temperature and water chemistry, and then we analyzed the shells in the Stable Isotope Lab.” Hill, along with student researchers, utilized the ICPMS to remove a thin layer of the shell to determine its composition.

There are currently two stable isotope labs on campus which each serve a different function.

“The SIL is purely a research lab that conducts and analyzes primarily different types of calcium carbonate, silica and water samples for reconstructing climate history, as well as environmental change on earth today,” Spero said.

The second lab is a service lab, called the Stable Isotope Facility in the Plant Sciences Department. This lab accepts samples to analyze from researchers both on campus and worldwide.

Once analyzed, the lab sends the data back, and no longer takes part in that research. This facility has a far larger range of analytical capabilities with hundreds of thousands of organic and water samples cycling through.

The SIL collaborates with many institutions, and encourages graduate and undergraduate students who are able to operate instruments in the lab to collect data for their senior thesis projects.

“UC Davis gives students the opportunity to work with world-class researchers in their labs and learn techniques that will propel [their] career in the future,” Spero said. “Take advantage of this because if not, you are missing out on an incredible opportunity.”

Get ready to get rowdy! Combining marching band traditions, street theater spectacle, rock and roll sensibilities and a high level of musicianship, Mucca Pazza draws inspiration from Esquivel to Zappa.

SAT, APRIL 1 • 8PM

UC Davis student tickets price special: $10

upNEXT:

José González & The String Theory Artful Swedish singer-songwriter whose reflective work is intense, emotive and compelling.

FRI, MAR 3 • 8PM

Dr. Raj Patel Activist and academic whose book Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System is this year’s Campus Community Book Project feature.

MON, MAR 13 • 8PM

Shane Koyczan Spoken Word Artist

THU–SAT, MAR 16–18 • 8PM

mondaviarts.org/uc-davis-students

Your first ticket is FREE!*

50% off tickets all the time!*

All UC Davis students.

Limit one per student.

Full-time students enrolled in current academic year.

* Mondavi Center presents and UC Davis Department of Music events only.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 | 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

STUDIO 301

WBB UCSB

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

wasn’t one of the characters that I specifically want to be.”

Despite the thrilling and unnerving scenes, Gerberding reminded the audience that “it is a comedy, so they [the audience] won’t come in thinking, ‘oh, it’s a play about child murders and [I’m] gonna cry.’ I would like them to laugh at it.”

The Pillowman will open on Thursday, March 2 with an 8 p.m. showing, and additional 8 p.m. showings on March 3-4. The final show will be a matinee on Sunday, March 5 at 2 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the door for $10 for the general public and $8 for UC Davis students.

For more information about the show, check out the event on Facebook and make sure to like the Studio 301 Facebook page.

17-point deficit at the end of the third was too much for UC Santa Barbara to make up. The Aggies’ lead was never less than seven points in the fourth, and they won 70-61.

“It was a big win for us,” Gross said. “Santa Barbara has a lot of different weapons and they pressure the ball. I thought to start the game we were very focused defensively and I feel the stops we got won us the game.”

Overall, UC Davis shot 49 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three-point line, going 10-20 on the night. After scoring 25 points earlier in the week, junior forward Pele Gianotti scored 19 points, nine of which came from three-pointers and four rebounds. Sophomore forward Morgan Bertsch finished the game with 15 points, four assists and a game-high seven rebounds.

“I think that we have been putting up the reps in practice,” Gianotti said. “Everyone has been really confident coming off of these wins and we all know that we are great shooters. The whole team worked together and that’s what gave us the confidence to win.”

Junior guard Dani Nafekh made her mark in the record books on Saturday, after three assists in the game gave her 277 career assists, placing her at number 10 on the UC Davis all-time career assist leaders.

“It was awesome,” Nafekh said. “I love being a part of this team and I love the way we play. It is a great testament to how great everyone is to help each other out, make shots when we need to make shots […] I just love it.”

This win marked the eighth in a row for the UC Davis women’s basketball team, the best winning streak since the start of Division I play for the Aggies. Their current home record of 12-3 is also a tie for the best home record during the Division I era, after the 2010-2011 team finished its season with the same record. The Aggies’ overall record sits at 21-6, and this game marked the third out of the last five seasons that the UC Davis women’s basketball team has had at least 100 blocks in a season, showing its strong defensive ability “I think we are a versatile group,” Gross said. “When we need to rely on our defense to win we can do that and the same for our offense. I didn’t know that about our team before this year. They work so hard and to know exactly what you are gonna get on game day is awesome.”

UC Davis has two more games left in conference play, one at UC Riverside on March 2 and the other at Cal State Northridge on March 4.

“We are going down and playing two really quality teams but right now we are focused on Riverside,” Gross said. “If we come out and play with great intensity and urgency, we have a good chance to win the game.”

MAGIC MANAGEMENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

ousted her brother, Jim, and let longtime GM Mitch Kupchak go as well. In their place, Jeanie has decided to give the reigns to Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations; he has now hired Kobe Bryant’s former agent, Rob Pelinka, to be his general manager.

To call myself cautiously optimistic about the return of Magic would be an overstatement.

The fan base is viewing his return like he is going to be a savior of the franchise, but I find myself skeptical. I love Magic, just as any other Laker fan loves him and appreciates him for all that he accomplished during his time as a player, but a gigantic factor in the Lakers’ failures has been the lack of forward thinking. They have yet to catch up to the modern-day NBA characterized by analytics, and Magic will not solve this. I worry that, with Magic on board, the front office will eagerly try to expedite the development of the core of the team while mortgaging the Lakers’ future in the process, though they have avoided this thus far.

I only hope that Magic surrounds himself with the right people that have a better understanding of the modern NBA than both he and his predecessors have, and take the right steps to build a sustainable foundation for the future.

Multifaith Living Community at CA House SINGLE ROOMS Available Immediately!

Also accepting applications for Fall 2017.

On Russell Blvd across from UCD Campus Faith * Community * Social Justice * Sustainable Living People of all faith traditions / world views welcome. http://cahouse.org/community jake@cahouse.org (530) 400-6737

Come check us out: Christian worship Mondays at 6:15 p.m.

Multifaith Program Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m.

The data are in:

D DATA.

O UNDERSTAN H W S D A R G S RT A L A ER B LI TOP COMPANIES WANT

So supercharge your skills (and your resume) by taking your major and applying it to the world of data.

Register now!

Data Sense and Exploration: Critical Storytelling with Data using R, CRN: 89744 Instructor: Matthew Espe MW 2:10-4:00pm. Young 194

(Limited seats. Course is listed as STS.198 “Directed Group Study.” Students must register for 4 units. Class will be graded.)

Increase your value to employers by learning data insights and skills the hands-on way.

• Work with data to pose interesting questions and tell meaningful stories.

• Learn how 15 basic commands in R can allow you to explore data and visualize insights.

• Gain intuition about confounding variables.

• Contextualize data analysis historically and socially and assess its power through storytelling.

Gain confidence in exploring data and identifying potential insights and issues. All while getting a gentle, non-technical introduction to the R computing environment for data analysis, a very widely used system in industry and academia.

The course will cover: 1. Using data to reason about and answer socially important questions 2. Skeptically framing and evaluating questions and answers 3. Presenting results to different audiences and stakeholders 4. Manipulating data with a high-level programming language No previous programming experience or prerequisites are necessary.

For more information, email: datastudies@ucdavis.edu

iss.ucdavis.edu/datastudies

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

12 | THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

ARTS & Culture LU CY K N OW L E S / AGGIE

THE LOUNGE LIZARDS PRESENT: NO INSTRUMENTS ATTACHED UC Davis’ winter a cappella showcase

BY MYA H DA N I E L S arts@theaggie.org

Need a break from the Davis rain and studying?

Come watch UC Davis’ longest-standing a cappella group, The Lounge Lizards, perform at its annual concert, No Instruments Attached.

The event, which is on Friday, March 10 in Sciences Lecture Hall 123, will feature other UC a cappella groups such as The Spokes and The Liquid Hotplates from Davis, along with Acquire and Cloud 9 from UC Santa Cruz.

“It is going to be a sonic mind boom,” said Jake Greenshields, a fourth-year computer science major and second-year member of The Lounge Lizards.

“It is going to sound absolutely amazing. All of the PODCASTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ciding how to to kill someone emerged as a controversial topic.

Ultimately, the show discussed the ironic nature of a firing squad: is the death penalty any less humane than the actions of a firing squad?

The ability to discuss controversial topics — to examine them in a different scope — is what makes this podcast important. With the current political climate, this podcast sheds light on the omnipotent entity that is the Supreme Court.

2. “Criminal” — hosted by Phoebe Judge I was an avid fan of “Serial” season one when the wildly-popular podcast aired in 2014. The opening song is still one of my favorite scores, and I stand

groups are incredibly talented. It’s going to be a lot of fun musically. I’m sure there will be some groups that are going to incorporate choreography, so it’ll be one big performance.”

The Lounge Lizards connect with several other choirs across California.

“We reach out to the other groups,” said Patrick Tierney, a third-year forensic chemistry major and treasurer for the group. “A lot of a cappella groups in NorCal have connections with other groups. We especially work a lot with Santa Cruz. We have been friends for a while.”

It remains a mystery as to what the other groups will perform, but audiences can expect a wide variety of song genres from the Lizards.

“We carry over a lot of our repertoire,” said Kel-

lina Doerr, a third-year food science major who has been singing in the group for three years. “We will sing some new songs, as well as some old ones that we have been doing since the group existed. We have a special song for one of our members. It is going to be a really emotional and special performance. People should come just to see that.”

The Lounge Lizards have been recruiting and maintaining members for over 20 years. Founded in 1995 in the Tercero dorms, this group shows what it is like to work as a successful and passionate team.

“After I auditioned, they came to my door,” said Brendan Caskey, a second-year genetics major and member. “I was excitedly confused and shirtless [...]

That was the moment I knew I didn’t want to go to any other callbacks.”

The group rehearses two times per week on top of whatever events they are booked for.

“There is something about the Lounge Lizards, where you feel something,” Doerr said. “We have been through a lot. Even if we have the worst rehearsal ever, we are all there together. It is really special.”

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. The public can purchase presale tickets online, or from a member for $5. Tickets will be $7 at the door, cash or Venmo. For more details, please visit the Facebook event.

The Lounge Lizards will be holding auditions for new members in Spring Quarter. If interested, please find and contact them on Facebook, Orgsync and Instagram.

by my claim that it is some of the best investigative journalism I have witnessed in awhile. But “Serial” is outdated and has not produced new episodes since 2015. Nonetheless, it sparked my interest in true crime podcasts.

“Criminal” is now a favorite alongside “Serial” because it shares the same mastery of investigation, as well as a creativeness of topics. It doesn’t only share information about specific crimes, but also concepts about crime. The last episode I listened to was about the process of faking your own death. Another was about a family of coroners which, as you can imagine, has quite interesting dinner table conversations. This podcast acknowledges the bizarre nature of crime with a rational perspective, but also in a haunting way that draws in listeners.

Goldman I’ll start with this: the three-episode story “On the Inside” was beyond incredible. I don’t even want to discuss the plot — I want you to experience the totality of it by yourself — but the last fifteen minutes have stayed with me since I heard it last summer. “Reply All” masters the dynamic I mentioned previously: finding interesting concepts and creating an intimacy between the viewer, story and hosts.

Vogt and Goldman, specifically, are able to execute this connection well. There is a dorky relatability that coexists with their eloquence and their ability to ask thoughtful questions. On the surface this show is about technology; as a cognitive science major, I find that interesting in itself. What I didn’t expect was the show’s unforeseen turns. Yes, the show can be random, and I will disclose that one episode was about the popular meme Pepe the

Frog. However, the hosts always seem to turn the conversation around to something bigger. It starts with an idea about technology, something random and strange that happened, and then the story turns human.

A prime example is the episode “Quit Already!” which started with the idea of “that guy on Facebook” who annoyingly involves him or herself in political debates. The same episode quickly turned into the story of a women who got the corrupt Vice President of Honduras to step down, while discussing what it means to be patriotic to one’s country.

Whether discussing grotesque meme frogs or political revolutions, “Reply All” is utter genius. It’s not just about technology; it serves the greater scope of our daily lives on a silver platter — the humanistic side of technology and its integral part in our contemporary culture.

1.“Reply All” — hosted by PJ Vogt and Alex

YOU AND YOUR T H G WAS THOU Y L I M FA Y… CRAZ

DA N I EL TA K / AGGIE

Three Generations of Rockers: A review of The Hendrix Experience

Buddy Guy, Billy Cox, Johnny Lang among others at the Mondavi Center

BY ALLY OVER BAY ar ts @the aggi e. org

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With its roots grounded in slavery, blues music is the basis of the modern American sound. Braided deep under the soil, the history of blues music stabilizes all that grows forth: the hefty trunk of rock and roll; the sprawling branches of soul; the leaves of punk; the blossoms of EDM. My own love of music has a similar lineage. My grandpa was a native San Franciscan during the 1960s, a firsthand witness to the burgeoning rock scene, and my dad was a self-proclaimed teenage metalhead and spectator of 1990s grunge.

So when the three of us arrived at the Mondavi Center on Feb. 23 holding tickets to The Hendrix Experience, the night had an overwhelming sense of heritage.

“From fruits to roots,” explained Janie Hendrix, the CEO of Experience Hendrix and the sister of Jimi Hendrix. Featuring a variety of musicians such as the legendary Buddy Guy and Johnny Lang, the show was memorable in its explicit homage to Hendrix and his diverse sound.

In fact, as Zakk Wylde thrashed his guitar against his teeth (“strummed” is too soft a word to describe the cacophony of twanging guitar), my grandpa assured me: “That’s a Hendrix move.” He added, with a grin, “I’ve seen him do it.”

Jimi Hendrix wasn’t the only highlight of my grandpa’s concert-going experiences. While the three of us slurped eggplant at Sophia’s Thai Kitchen before the show, we wrote down all the shows my grandpa could recall attending: B.B. King, Cream, The Doors, Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Chuck Berry, Miles Davis, Jeff Beck and Janis Joplin, among others. Either from jealousy or the spicy eggplant, my eyes were hot with tears when he added that each concert included three performers a night — at the low, low price of $5.

So of course, my dad’s first concert was with his dad: the Rolling Stones’ “Tattoo You” tour. Together they’ve seen Tom Petty, Foreigner and even met Judas Priest backstage. I, too, have been to shows with my dad, albeit less legendary in scope: cellist Ben Sollee and bluegrass group Punch Brothers.

“Three generations of rockers,” my grandpa called us — and that we are.

Watching the two consume music was in itself an educational experience. I observed how to “rock” and how to “roll” without their uttering a single word. When your head bounces and the music is messy, and the guitarists are coloring outside the lines — this is rock. When you feel a lateral sway, a sort of sideways gravity yanking your gut — this is roll.

Though the audience at the Mondavi Center was diverse in age, it was predominantly made up of older fans who, like my grandpa, were reliving the renaissance of rock music. But among these fans, few had an excitement that matched the tone of the show.

My dad and grandpa, on the other hand, were as engaged as the musicians themselves. From melodic oohs and ahs to girlish squeals to grunts, they were easily the most authentic fans in the grand tier of the Mondavi Center.

When Keb’ Mo’ uttered his first growl, or when Kenny Wayne Shepherd absolutely wrecked on guitar (alternatively, he “slathered the Mondavi Center in gasoline and set it on fire,” according to my dad), there was a uniformity to our movement.

Like dominoes, the three of us leaned forward, heads bobbing, approaching the edge of our seats as if the extra two inches would improve our hearing.

When I turned to my grandpa, his eyes wide with excitement, hands thrashing around as he further analyzed the night’s wonders, I understood that my own fervor for music was merely a reflection of his own — he the roots, and I the fruit.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017 | 13

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

B R IA N A N GO / AGGIE

M ORGA N T IEU / AG GIE

SURVIVING THE WINTER

AGGIE STYLE WATCH

The queen of mixing and matching

BY CA RA JOY KL E INR O C K arts@theaggie.org

Kexin Zhao, a second-year materials science engineering major, believes in the practice of mismatching. She is an advocate of wearing comfortable clothes and stepping outside one’s pattern comfort zone. Zhao combines different aspects of her life into her style, such as making her old high school choir jacket chic again.

ASW: What is your style inspiration?

Zhao: I follow a lot of bloggers on YouTube and Instagram. Most times I just try to mix and match. I don’t have that much time to pick my outfit everyday in the morning so I just go with what I feel comfortable with. I recently found a new blogger on YouTube, she’s from the Netherlands and she’s also Asian, which helps me visualize her outfits on me. It’s very hard to look at the European fashion bloggers because their look and style doesn’t match me.

ASW: What is your go-to outfit?

Zhao: Probably sneakers, ripped jeans and v-neck tshirt.

ASW: Where do you usually buy your clothes? What’s your favorite store?

Zhao: Asos is one of the main places I shop but I also find random places online. Urban Outfitters is my favorite store because they always have the nicest model pictures and even though you may not like the item, you see it on the model and have to try it, although it never turns out to be the case that you actually like it.

ASW: Where did you buy what you are wearing?

Zhao: The jacket is actually from my high school choir, the sweater is from Gap, the shoes from Doc Martens, the jeans are from Abercrombie & Fitch and I don’t know where the scarf is from because it was a gift.

MARCH EVENTS CALENDAR What to look forward to in the coming month

BY SYDNEY ODMAN arts@theaggie.org

José Gonzalez & The String Theory Where? Mondavi Center When? Friday March 3, 8 p.m What is it? José Gonzalez, a Swedish-born singer-songwriter, is an artist well-known for his emotional and captivating performances.

Acclaimed for his popular cover of the song Heartbeats by The Knife, Gonzalez is likely to feature his newest album Vestiges and Claws, accompanied by The String Theory, a powerful 20-piece orchestra ensemble. It’s sure to be a night filled with beautiful melodies and powerful performances. Tickets can be purchased at the Mondavi Center website or at the Mondavi Center box office.

ASW: When did you start getting interested in fashion?

Zhao: In freshman year of high school people don’t really care what they are wearing to be honest, but once in college, there are so many people around who dress nice.

It makes me want to dress the nicest.

Contra Dance to Benefit Refugees Where? Davis Community Church, Fellowship Hall, 421 D St. When? Saturday March 4, 7-10 p.m.

What is it? Dance for a cause you believe in! Opening Doors, a Sacramento-based refugee resettlement agency, will be hosting a fun night of live music and entertainment to benefit refugees from all over the world. Tickets can be purchased for $10 online or at The Avid Reader at 617 2nd Street.

ASW: What is your biggest fashion regret?

Zhao: I used to have the really chubby sweatpants with the flared legs and a extremely chunky jacket that I would wear together. People used to say, “I don’t know why she is wearing that” and “those pants are only to worn at home.” Looking back I don’t know what I was thinking except that it was really comfortable!

Food and Wine Pairing Class Where? Cork It Again, 820 4th St. When? Sunday March 12, 3-5 p.m.

What is it? Cork It Again, a local Davis wine seller dedicated to environmental conservation, will be hosting a Food and Wine Pairing workshop to be taught by Krystina

N IC HO L AS C H A N / AGGI E

At first glance, the UC Davis Baroque Ensemble might look like a smaller version of a symphony orchestra. The Baroque Ensemble recreates music dating back to the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries using string instruments like the cello, viola and violin.

To play in this ensemble, one needs prior experience with string instruments. But unlike modern string instruments, baroque instruments lack certain modifications that are commonly used today, meaning that the musician will need to learn how to adjust to play using old techniques.

Phebe Craig, the co-director of the ensemble, said that one of the biggest challenges students may face upon joining the ensemble is learning how to adapt to these instruments and alter the way that they are used to playing.

“People usually need to have a number of years of experience just so they can get around on the instrument, but once they’re a part of our group, we hand them an instrument that isn’t exactly like the ones they’re used to,” Craig said. “We hand them baroque instruments with different strings and the bows are very different. They harken back to the instruments that were being used in the seventeenth and eighteenth century, making everything a little more authentic when we’re discovering how people played back then.”

The materials of baroque instruments also create entirely different sounds from their modern counterparts, particularly the strings and the bow.

“Violins nowadays have these fine tuners on them so you can get close to the right pitch with your pegs,” Craig said. “Baroque instruments don’t have that. These strings are made of very organic material and the humidity or heat might change it a little bit and it can go out of tune, so students have to figure out how to keep the instru-

Abstractions of Nature art exhibit Where? Gallery 1855, located at the Davis Cemetery, 820 Pole Line Rd. When? The entire month of March What is it? Gallery 1855 will be featuring the latest works of artist Thelma Weatherford.

Weatherford’s show will consist of a variety of different abstract paintings depicting beautiful flowers, gardens, water and more. According to its website, Weatherford’s inspiration and creativity is drawn from her “observation of the world around [her]” in nature. Celebrate the coming of spring, and check out Abstractions of Nature for a vibrant art-loving experience.

a funny musical about a twisted past

Students in baroque ensemble play instruments quintessential to seventeenth, eighteenth century

ments tuned.”

Michael Sands, another co-director of the Baroque Ensemble, agreed that playing an instrument much different from ones a musician is used to can be difficult, but not impossible.

“The players really have to put themselves out,” Sands said. “To get the sound right, a lot of people have to adjust the way they’re used to playing.”

According to Craig, this group is much different from the symphony orchestra since it is much more personal and participation-based.

“Usually Baroque orchestras are a little smaller,” Craig said. “A lot of the music-making is kind of creating conversations. Baroque music is more comfortable and you can have a little more of yourself in the music. Since we’re smaller and don’t make that loud of a sound, it’s the participation that’s so nice.”

Sands also emphasized the importance of playing as a group and being part of the ensemble as co-director of the Baroque Ensemble.

“We have a very relaxed atmosphere,” Sands said. “[Craig] plays the harpsichord and I play the violin. We’re playing with the students, not staying back directing, which makes us very different.”

The UC Davis Baroque Ensemble also serves as a great way for music majors to receive their required hours of performance. Victor Karadi, a third-year music major, has been a part of this ensemble for two quarters and believes it helps him expand his perception on music.

“It’s a really different vibe than being in a forty or sixty-person ensemble,” Karadi said. “You’re also a lot closer to the people around you. The music also feels fresh because you’re getting this other perspective on something you’ve done before.”

For more information about the Baroque Ensemble and for upcoming performance dates, please visit http:// arts.ucdavis.edu/baroque-ensemble.

STRFKR Where? Ace of Spades, 1417 R Street, Sacramento When? Wednesday March 29, 9 p.m What is it? An indie rock band based in Portland, Oregon, STRFKR provides a unique sound that’s also catchy and easy to dance to. With their newest album having just been released in early February, you won’t want to miss a night of fun and entertainment from this talented group. Tickets can be purchased online.

THE PILLOWMAN:

GOING BAROQUE

BY B E C KY L EE arts@theaggie.org

Kalapothakos for $45 per person. Immerse yourself in Greek culture and enjoy three traditional Greek appetizers from Kalapohtakos’ cookbook, Back To My Roots. After the cooking portion of the class, all dishes will be paired with wine to complete the experience.

For more information, please visit the Cork It Again website.

REB ECCA RIDGE / AG GIE

BY BETTY WU arts@theaggie.org

The Pillowman is a strange, horrendous comedy, one that focuses on a totalitarian society, two suspects of child murder and two policemen. The musical, presented by Studio 301 at the Wyatt Theater, is a dark comedy about two policemen, Ariel and Tupolski, investigating recent child murder cases and interrogating a pair of siblings, Katurian and Michal, in the police station. As the plot develops, the audience learns more about the dreadful childhood in which Katurian and Michal grew up and how this has shaped them. The cast members described the play as “dark, gruesome, unique” but, most importantly, “funny.”

Alicia Coca, a second-year theater and dance major, plays Katurian, a writer who is arrested because her gruesome stories closely resemble the recent murders. Coca finds the character interesting in how she deals with her troubled life. “[Katurian] is described by Martin McDonagh, [the playwright], as pretty ‘normal.’

In the way she talks and her dialogues, you wouldn’t know necessarily just by talking to her that she had that type of past,” Coca said.

“It shows me that everybody deals with negative circumstances differently. This is how she deals with it: she writes her horrible gruesome stories that are beautiful, but the content is just awful.”

Michal, Katurian’s brother, who is de-

Studio 301 presents dark comedy scribed by other characters as “slow,” is interrogated along with his sibling. According to Kasey Brockelsby, a second-year evolution, ecology and biodiversity major who plays Michal, despite the fact that he is a grown man, his “childlike” nature adds a unique perspective to the play. The contrast between Michal’s “childlike” behaviors and the sadistic plotline is intriguing.

“Michal is a character like none others I’ve ever played before,” Brockelsby said. “He sees the world a lot differently than everyone else in the play does and every character I played.

There are some serious and intense things going on and Michal just doesn’t necessarily get the full grasp of everything. So, it’s a really interesting experience trying to embody [him].”

Ryan Gerberding, a third-year theater and dance major and the director of the show, thinks the show is worth seeing not only because of the horrendous plots but also the amusing dialogues.

“The play is very much my kind of play,” Gerberding said. “It’s dark subject matter, but it’s also really funny, very interesting use of language, really great characters.”

Although Gerberding mainly acts, he explained why he chose to direct the play.

“The main reason, if I’m being honest, I’m an actor mainly, so it’s hard for me to direct shows where I want to be one of the characters,” Gerberding said. “So this worked out, because I love the show overall, but there STUDIO 301 on 11

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with three innings of relief.

With Loar keeping the Aggies in the game, the offense soon followed suit, and the Aggie bats exploded for a three-run eighth-inning rally to tie the game at 6-6. Senior right hander Zach Stone got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth to set the Aggies up for a shot at the win. Sophomore third baseman Ryan Anderson delivered the comeback as he crushed a fastball into left field, driving freshman

pinch runner Colton Evans home.

Senior designated hitter Mark Cardinalli finished the day with three hits out of four at-bats, an RBI and a run. His leadoff single in the eighth inning sparked the UC Davis rally.

“I just try to keep it simple, low line drives, ground balls like we’ve been working on in BP,” Cardinalli said. “The wind’s blowing in today so obviously the weather was a factor so we wanted to keep it simple and just drive balls through the infield.”

Anderson was looking for one thing when he came to bat in the ninth.

“I was just looking [for a] fastball first pitch,” Anderson said. “[The pitcher] threw one right out over the plate, and I swung.”

Head coach Matt Vaughn was excited about his team’s fight.

“Through five games we’ve come back from two three-run deficits and a four-run deficit today,” Vaughn said. “Through five games, that’s pretty good. I’m really happy that we showed no signs of giving up, no matter how much were down or no matter what point in the game it is.”

The Aggies hit the road Tuesday as they prepare for a stretch of games against nationally-ranked Stanford and Oregon State.

Vaughn stressed to his team that they can’t get caught up in prestige or rankings.

“It’s five games against quality opponents and for us that’s the whole Big West schedule, so we don’t look at the Pac-12 any different than we look at the Big West,” Vaughn said. “Our focus is to play the game one pitch at a time, be present, and take care of this pitch.”

UC Davis returns home on March 8 to face Penn State at 2:30 p.m.

Despite struggling from beyond the three-point line, shooting just 2-10, Lemar shot 6-9 from inside the arc on his way to 25 points. Moneke had his 11th double-double of the season with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Graham finished with 13 points of his own. The team also responded on defense, as no 49er scored more than 13 points.

The final 3 minutes of the game saw the Aggies both trailing by four and leading by four after Graham was fouled on a made two, sunk the free throw, and scored a late three-pointer to beat the shot clock. Unfortunately for the Aggies, a pair of fouls and an ill-timed turnover tied the game back up before Moneke tipped in a buzzer-beater at the end of regulation. However, after replay review, the referees determined that the shot was too late, sending the game into overtime. Moneke knew that he had to stay in the right mindset, despite the fact that he did not know whether the shot would count or not.

“Basketball is a game of runs, and you’ve seen some crazy stuff happen,” Moneke said. “So, the game isn’t over until it’s zero. [I said] ‘They’re going to review it, it’s not over.’”

For Graham, the crowd and the atmosphere played a huge part in securing this victory for the Aggies, and the players had it marked on their calendars.

“It’s funny, I was being dropped off by Mikey [Henn] last night,” Graham said. “And I told him, I said, ‘You’ve never experienced anything like this, that you’re about to experience tomorrow.’ This is last night, and I was like, ‘This is going to be crazy.’

And it was definitely that, and more.”

Despite the hard-fought victory on national television, Les knows that the team has to move forward if it wants to finish the last two games strongly.

“I don’t know where this one ranks, I just know that it was a heck of a win,” Les said. “It was a win that we absolutely needed, and this team has great pride playing here in the Pavilion, and a refuse-tolose attitude, and any way we can get it done, we get it done. Other than that, it’s kind of, we’ll enjoy this for 24 hours and get back to work, because we have a big senior night coming up on Thursday.”

The Aggies will play one last game at home on Thursday, March 2 at 7 p.m. before closing out the regular season on the road at Irvine.

I A N J O N E S / AGGI E

UC DAVIS BASEBALL TEAM TRIUMPHS IN WALKOFF FASHION Aggies win 7-6, clinching series against Utah Valley

BY R OWAN O’CON N E L L- G AT E S sports@theaggie.org

The UC Davis baseball team concluded its first three-game home series of the 2017 season. After splitting the first two games against Utah Valley — a 4-3 loss the first day and a 9-4 win the second — the Aggies looked to close out the homestand with a win. UC Davis rallied from a four-run deficit to stun Utah Valley

with a walkoff hit in the ninth inning to end it at 7-6.

The Aggies spent the first half of Sunday’s game struggling to get anything going against the Utah Valley starting pitcher. After five innings, the Aggies found themselves down 6-2. Senior right hander Justin Mullins battled against a tough Utah Valley lineup for four innings and a third. In his collegiate debut, junior right hander Connor Loar picked up where Mullins left off and shut the door on the potent Wolverines offense

JAY G E LV E ZO N / AG G I E

Aggies strike gold against 49ers Men’s basketball team triumphs behind Moneke’s double-double, Graham’s heroics

BY B RAD LEY G EI S E R sports@theaggie.org

With a national TV audience and a packed Pavillion, the UC Davis men’s basketball team came into the game on Saturday, Feb. 25 knowing that it was not only expected to put on a show for its fans and its family, but also to win a game on the big stage. With Long Beach State, a team that had recently beaten the Aggies on Feb. 16, the challenge was tough.

After a hard-fought game that included 12 lead changes, 11 ties and a waved-off game-winner by junior forward Chima Moneke, the game was finally settled in overtime, in which the Aggies cut away toward a 75-71 victory over the 49ers, further securing their current spot atop the Big West Conference standings.

It was not an easy win for the Aggies. Despite leading for a majority of the game, the Aggies were never able to go ahead by more than six points, and the 49ers never led by more than four. With Long Beach’s 6’7”, 255-pound sophomore forward Temidayo Yussuf below the basket, Moneke and senior forward J.T. Adenrele were tasked with keeping the 49ers out of the paint, and head coach Jim Les applauded them for taking the task, which eventually led to Yussuf fouling out.

“I thought [Adenrele] and [Moneke] ran to the fight tonight,” Les said. “I thought they stuck their nose in, and they battled. Their aggressiveness fouled him out, so I really liked their approach.”

The Aggies knew that they needed to call upon their leaders and their two leading scorers, Moneke and senior guard Brynton Lemar.

What to look forward to during the football offseason The Combine, Free Agency, NFL Draft

BY DAV I D F LO R E S sports@theaggie.org

The 2016-2017 NFL season has come and gone. For some fans, the thrill and excitement of an overall successful season made the weeks fly by. For others, the season couldn’t end fast enough — sorry, San Francisco and Cleveland.

We witnessed another, yes, another Patriots Super Bowl victory that proved once again that Tom Brady, aside from being one of the greatest signal callers in football history, is also getting much better at magic.

As fans adapt to their football hibernation, there are some essential dates to keep on notice in the upcoming months. Here are a few events that football fans will want to mark in their calendars: · Scouting Combine (Feb. 28 to March 6) · Start of Free Agency (March 9) · NFL Draft (April 27 to 29) Teams like the aforementioned Browns and 49ers, along with many of the below .500 teams, will look to the combine, free agency and the

draft to restructure their weak rosters. As for the other teams, this is a time to build upon the success from last season and address some areas of concern. For fans, choosing what to pay attention to involves many variables ranging from investments in money pools to die-hard fantasy aficionados or just simply possessing a passion for the game.

This year’s crop of collegiate-to-pro hopefuls is filled with talent. Defensive end Myles Garrett from Texas A&M had a solid junior year where he amassed 8.5 sacks in which only appearing in 11 games due to a lingering knee injury — Garrett is projected in several mock drafts to go number one to the Browns. According to NFL. com, before the draft as many as 335 total collegiate players, including Garrett, will get the chance to showcase their skills and distinguish themselves from the herd.

Watching the scouting combine can be daunting. Most fans will only catch a few players rather than sit through the entirety of the combine — but, of course, there are those who pay close

attention to every player and every drill to feel like they are part of and well-informed of the decision-making process.

Free agency can be an exciting time for those fans who are more equipped to catch the occasional news clip on their favorite sports channel or notification on their phones. This is a chance for teams to fill glaring holes in their rosters and, for some, to appeal to the fan base by bringing in a big-name free agent.

This offseason’s possible free agents are sure to make a splash with whichever team is willing to offer a king’s ransom for their services. Names like Le’Veon Bell, Eric Berry and Kirk Cousins are the headliners of the list, although some NFL experts are predicting that many of the big-name players will get the franchise tag.

While some teams will be looking for a reason to blow their money, others will focus on bringing in veteran leadership and adding depth to an already talented roster. Players like converted quarterback-to-wide receiver Terrell Pryor, who’s coming off his second season at his new position and his first where he eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving, should get some attention and would be a nice addition as a solid number-two receiver.

Some of the most exciting signings are the ones that go under the radar and don’t really bring attention until they start producing on the field — one of the better examples of this would be

last year’s signing of longtime journeyman and special teamer Lorenzo Alexander, who recorded 12.5 sacks last season for the Bills.

The NFL Draft is by far the most exciting event among the bunch, and has become one of the most-watched sports-related programs in America. ESPN reported that its viewership stood around six million for the first round of the 2016 Draft with a high of over seven million.

With the possibilities of big trades and shocking draft choices, the NFL Draft makes for an entertaining event for parties with friends.

Some prefer the comfort and solitude of sitting in a favorite recliner at home with a cold beverage — this also has the added bonus of privacy so that when friends want to harass you when your team chooses, say, the fastest player in the draft instead of the future face of the franchise (disclaimer: bitter Raiders fan) you can only be reached via telephone, and there’s a simple fix for that.

Fans are faithful to their teams, so much so that it has become a part of their family. Traditions are built around the sport and lives are brought up in it. Football has become America’s pastime, and when the season comes to an end, many of us search for some form of comfort to alleviate the need for the gridiron.

Luckily, the offseason offers some relief. If you’re a fan, you won’t want to miss it.

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IA N J ON ES / AGG IE

Magic’s Back

Why Lakers fans should be cautiously (very cautiously) optimistic about hiring of Magic Johnson as President of Basketball Operations

BY MI C HAEL W E X L E R sports@theaggie.org

Growing up as a diehard Los Angeles Lakers fan, I’ve been accustomed to a certain standard of success that not many other basketball fans have had the luxury of grasping. My very first memories as a fan of the purple and gold began during the absolute peak of a 27-year-old Shaquille O’Neal.

The 7’1”, 325-pound freight train ate the Indiana Pacers for breakfast during the 2000 NBA Finals in which he averaged 38 points, 16.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in six games to bring the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Los Angeles for the first time in twelve years. That would be the beginning of a three-peat for the Lakeshow, and, seven years after the trifecta, they repeated again. I had the luxury of watching five championships by the time I was 15 years old.

For this generation of Lakers fans, this is a form of affluenza of sorts. Championships have become the expectation, and anything less is unacceptable. We whine and complain when the Lakers

falter, and in the last six or seven years, they have pretty much only faltered. It has been the worst rough pitch in the history of our franchise. David Stern nixing the Chris Paul trade “for basketball reasons” in 2011 still makes the fanbase livid. The acquisitions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard during the summer of 2012 turned out to be an utter disaster. The death of longtime owner Jerry Buss broke our hearts. The erosion of Kobe Bryant following his ruptured achilles was not only hard to watch, but definitely set our progress back a few years. The Lakers’ brass has had made a slew of horrible decisions during this window, and when they haven’t been downright wrong, misfortune has instead lent a hand.

Jim Buss, the son of the late and legendary Jerry Buss, has long had his fingerprints all over the team despite a low profile, but when his father passed away, all eyes were directly on him. “[I]f this doesn’t work in three to four years, if we’re not back on the top — and the definition of top means contending for the Western Conference, contending for a championship — then I will step down because that means I have failed,” Buss told the Los Angeles Times in April 2014.

The last thing you want to do when you’re being scapegoated by a notoriously impatient fan base is give yourself a self-imposed deadline. Not a single member of Laker nation ever forgot about this declaration.

On Tuesday, Feb. 21, the clock expired, and Jeanie Buss, the President, MAGIC MANAGEMENT on 11

Aggies edge out Hornets in Causeway Classic UC Davis men’s tennis team takes down Sacramento State, 5-2, in classic rivalry

BY NICOLE TTE SARMIENTO sports@theaggie.org

After originally postponing the match due to weather, the UC Davis men’s tennis team took down the Sacramento State Hornets in a Causeway Classic showdown this past Saturday.

With this victory, the Aggies kept their homecourt win streak alive, pushing it to 20 consecutive wins at the Marya Welch Tennis Center.

“The Causeway Cup is a big win, a big deal,” said head coach Eric Steidlmayer. “Anytime you beat Sac State at UC Davis, it’s a big win.”

The Aggies started out strong in doubles play, sweeping the Hornets 3-0. Freshman David Goulak and junior Tommy Lam led the way, posting a 6-4 victory. Senior Alec Adamson and freshman Max Pham then clinched the doubles point and consequential lead for the Aggies in a 7-5 win to continue their domination on the doubles court.

To complete the sweep, seniors Bryce McKelvie and James Wade won their match in a 7-6 tiebreak.

Women’s gymnastics springs ahead of competition

M E E NA RUGH / AGGI E

The Aggies started slow at first in their singles matches, with Wade and Adamson falling in two sets 6-2, 6-4 and 7-6, 7-5, respectively. Junior Everett Maltby put UC Davis back on top with a 6-3, 6-3, win of his own. McKelvie posted a singles win in three sets, 7-5, 3-6, 6-0 to put the Aggies up 3-2, and Lam clinched the victory point for UC Davis with a comeback victory of 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Freshman Max Pham finished up the singles matches with his close tiebreak match 7-6, 5-7, 10-8. “[The weather] has been a little spotty sometimes with practice, sometimes with matches so it makes it a little harder to get a consistent feel, but I feel like the guys are doing good,” Steidlmayer said.

For Pham, the team hasn’t been brought down, and this was an especially great win for his first match at home.

“The Causeway Classic has a lot of history here and I think we did pretty well as a team,” Pham said.

With this win, the Aggies advance to 5-3 on the season.

The men’s tennis team heads on the road for a slew of away matches and will return home for the Golden State Invitational on March 10.

JAY G ELVEZON / AG GIE

Aggies achieve seventh-straight win, gain momentum for upcoming MPSF Championships

BY ALEX ARECHIGA sports@theaggie.org

Women’s basketball team defeats UCSB in final home game UC Davis women’s basketball team defeats UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 70-61, remains atop Big West Conference

BY RYAN BUG S C H sports@theaggie.org

Last Saturday was the UC Davis women’s basketball team’s final home game at the Pavilion as the Aggies prepared to face the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. Coming into the matchup, the Gauchos had lost their last two games on the road and sat in fifth place in the Big West Conference.

It was before the game, however, that the Aggies showed their closeness as a team as they paid tribute to their lone senior forward, Lauren Beyer, in a Senior Night ceremony.

“She has been so special for our program,” said head coach Jennifer Gross.

“She’s the most selfless kid I have ever coached and she is a special young woman who is going to be very successful in life.”

After the ceremony, the game commenced and would determine if UC Davis remained alone in the first-place

position in the Big West.

Going on an 8-0 run in the first quarter, the Aggies were able to close a small deficit early on. Continuing their runs into the second quarter, a 10-2 run gave the Aggies the largest lead of the game at 28-15, with 5:19 left to play until the half. By the time that the half rolled around for UC Davis, they were leading 39-27.

In the third quarter, the Aggie defense was the big factor, as the Gauchos only scored eight points in the period, limiting their shots to just three of 16. The UC Davis offense took off, as a three-pointer by sophomore guard Kourtney Eaton gave the Aggies a 17-point lead at the end of the third, bringing the score to 52-35. UC Davis scored 10 of their last 12 points in the third quarter with only 4:57 left.

The Gauchos outscored the Aggies 26-18 in the fourth quarter, but the WBB UCSB on 11

UPCOMING GAMES Men’s basketball (The ARC Pavilion)

Thursday, March 2 vs. Hawai’i at 7 p.m.

Women’s tennis (Marya Welch Tennis Center)

Friday, March 3 vs. University of Montana at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 4 vs. Cal Poly at 11 a.m.

Sunday, March 5 vs. Montana State at 11 a.m.

Women’s lacrosse (Aggie Stadium)

Monday, March 6 vs. Coastal Carolina at 2 p.m.

Baseball (Dobbins Baseball Complex)

Wednesday, March 8 vs. Penn State at 2:30 p.m.

The UC Davis women’s gymnastics team hosted a fourway meet on Friday, Feb. 24 from which they emerged triumphant after taking first-place honors in three of four events plus the all-around title. The meet featured four Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference competitors and could be considered a preview of the imminent championship meet on March 18, sans only two of the participating teams. The Aggies came out on top after scoring a collective 194.650 with San Jose State behind them at 193.900, followed by Sacramento State’s 193.250 and Seattle Pacific University’s 192.550.

The home team maintained an air of calmness and consistency throughout the meet; though the slightest of slipups occurred occasionally, the Aggies reigned for a majority of the meet. An unexpected fall on balance beam put the Aggies in second place for the first time in the meet after the third rotation, but a thrilling fourth rotation of high marks in the floor exercise enabled the team to take it all.

“Our mantra is never give up, never give in and work as hard as you can until the end until you get what you want, and that’s exactly what [the team] did today,” said head coach John Lavallee. “When you see everybody’s star rise, it is just reinforcement that Aggie gymnastics is on the right track and they’re doing the right things.”

The meet, which was the seventh consecutive victory for the Aggies, upheld the team’s continuing trend of remarkable individual performances. For the second time in just two weeks, junior Alexis Brown hit a 9.900 on balance beam, landing her in a five-way tie for the school’s all-time record. Additionally, Brown acquired the allaround crown with her score of 39.300 and emerged as the conference’s MPSF Gymnast of the Week for the second week in a row.

“You just have to hit for your team and I think that has really changed our whole dynamic this year,” Brown said.

“We’re so much happier, so much more positive now that we do this for each other. I know my 9.900 [on bars] is helping the team get to where we want to go, which ultimately is [NCAA] Regionals.”

Solid performances delivered across the team also contributed to the near-sweep of events for the Aggies, allowing them to capture the wins in uneven bars, vault, floor exercise and the aforementioned overall title.

Sophomores Yasmine Yektaparast and Kara Jones both landed 9.875 on the floor exercise, qualifying them for a five-way tie for first place in the event. Senior Katy Nogaki tied for first in vault with a 9.800, while senior Yonni

Michovska shared the top spot on bars with a score of 9.825. Like Brown, Michovska championed a career best in bars in the previous meet, an accomplishment that has contributed both to her and the team’s morale.

“To me personally, it is the greatest joy in the world, especially since I’ve been working for years to hit that exact score,” Michovska said. “It’s amazing because [the team] needs those five scores to come together and that is one of the highest scores you can get.”

Though the Aggies have been making quick work of their recent contestants, it is imperative that they remain focused and prepared for the intense competition looming in the near future. The coming championship week is just two meets away.

“We are making sure to get enough rest, mentally and physically […] we are staying in the zone every single day in practice,” Brown said. “Right now, it’s less about the numbers […] it’s just about really being there for each other at every moment and making each turn count.”

The Aggies hit the road for their next meet against Sacramento State University on Saturday, March 4, and will return for their final home meet against Air Force on Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m.

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