June 8, 2023

Davis community celebrates Pride Month with ninth

annual

festival

Davis Pride Festival featured vendors and live performances

BY ZOE SMITH city@theaggie.org

Content Warning: This article contains discussions of transphobia.

On Sunday, June 4, Davis held its ninth annual Pride Festival, which is the largest event hosted in the city to celebrate Pride Month.

The event was kicked off with the annual “Run for Equality” at 8 a.m. and followed by a community fair from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and music festival from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. There were 125 exhibitors and vendors at the fair this year and a large turnout of families, students and Davis residents. According to Wendy Weitzel, the event’s public relations contact, an organizer estimated that more than 5,000 people attended this year’s Pride Festival.

A local band from Davis, Noise Violation, was one of the opening performances. Amirah Tulloch, one of the bass drummers for the band, talked about the festival.

“It’s amazing, I had no idea it was this big,” Tulloch said. “I was never able to go to Pride before.

This was my first one in Davis and I think it’s so beautiful, there are so many people, so many things. I had no idea there was a race — just the amount of activity is so overwhelming and so cool. It’s exciting to see. It’s so cool to see we have such a vibrant

community here.”

Mayor Will Arnold spoke at the welcome portion of the festival, thanking the Davis Phoenix Coalition (DPC) for its work organizing the event.

“On behalf of the city of Davis, we are so pleased at this incredible turnout, so thankful for the work that the Phoenix Coalition does and so proud that the city of Davis is a co-sponsor of this event,” Arnold said. “That this is an event we support not just as a community, but officially as a city.”

Arnold also noted the recent stabbings in Davis and asked those in attendance to take a moment of silence to honor the lives lost in the community. He then

addressed recent anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric.

“We don’t need permission [...] because we all belong and we all deserve love,” Arnold said. “So for those who continue to work against that idea, who continue to protest that simple concept. While yes, those folks deserve love too because we all deserve love, I want to ask this question rhetorically. If anyone has any discomfort with this beautiful event we’re having today, who do they think doesn’t deserve love? And more importantly, what the hell gives them the right to be the judge of that?”

Allie Synder, an organizer in Davis who has been advocating for “detransitioning,” attended the festival with a small group

Child safeguarding initiative by local anti-trans activists attempts to remove books about gender and sexuality from schools and public libraries

BY ZOE SMITH city@theaggie.org

Content Warning: This article contains discussions of transphobia.

On May 21, a local group called the Yolo County Moms for Liberty hosted a “child safeguarding meeting” at Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library. The meeting was open to the public and was advertised as a discussion about what books are age appropriate for children to have public access to.

All of the books discussed had to do with gender identity, sexuality and mental illness. Some of the titles include “ABC’s of Gender Ideology,”

“Introducing Teddy,” “What Are Your Words?,” “If You’re a Kid Like Gavin,”

“This Book is Gay,” “Too Bright to See,” “Flamer,” “Let’s Talk About It” and “Thirteen Reasons Why.” All of these books can be currently found at the Davis Yolo County Library, or various Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) libraries.

One concerned parent, Catie Hembrow, attended the event and spoke out against the group’s advocacy. “I trust that the librarians and the administrators at the school are putting material out that is age appropriate for our kids,” Hembrow said. “I think what [Yolo County Moms for Liberty] want is censorship. I think what they want to do is be comfortable. And the presence of trans people in our community particularly is discomforting for them. I feel like they’re trying to erase a segment of our community.” Allie Snyder was one of the parents

who organized the event. Snyder has been a vocal member at school board meetings over the last year and has been involved in advocating for “detransitioning,” which is the belief that trans individuals should stop or reverse gender transition.

“We really wanted to have a community discussion and explore some of the books that are offered to our children in our school libraries, and evaluate whether or not as a community we thought that these books were appropriate,” Snyder said.

Snyder disagrees with calling the safeguarding project “book banning” and prefers the term “curation.”

“Curation is organizing and maintaining a collection of books, so librarians get to make a determination on what books they will carry in their library,” Snyder said. “Playboy is not offered in any of our school or county libraries. That’s a decision on the part of the librarians. Playboy is not banned [...] book banning is more a question of a publisher, no longer offering a book. I believe that that’s the distinction.”

Attendees of the meeting were initially encouraged to ask questions to foster a group discussion. However, throughout the meeting, attendees began to shout over one another to ask questions and give answers. Three women hosted the event and about 25 community members attended. Adrian Beth is another Davis resident in attendance who was not in support of the project.

of the ashes of hate,” Partida said. “This organization was started because of a hate crime that happened to my family. My son was a victim of a very brutal hate crime 10 years ago, and this is what has come of that. And so today we are still battling many of the issues that we’ve been battling for a long time for the LGBT community, and they seem to have risen again. There’s a lot of anti-trans sentiment going around right now, but looking at everybody here, I know that we’re going to overcome that.”

One of the booths at the festival was “Free Mom Hugs.” a group of moms who attend Pride to give hugs and affection to LGBTQIA+ individuals. Terri Schneider, a member of the group from Vacaville, talked about her experience at Pride.

of other individuals. The group held a small demonstration called “Celebrate DeTrans Courage” during this year’s Pride event at which they told the stories of individuals who have “detransioned.”

Synder claimed on Twitter that members of Antifa were present at the event and that they allegedly slashed her friend’s tires. Synder also shared photographs of individuals at the event who she believes are members of Antifa.

DPC founder and City Councilmember Gloria Partida spoke about recent anti-trans events held in Davis.

“We are on our 10th year and the reason that we are the Davis Phoenix Coalition is because we are rising out

“We’re just here to support the community,” Schneider said. “I mean literally there’s so many people that have been exiled from their families at such a horrible level that we felt, and the people who started this, moms give us hugs, why not just have a mom stand there and hug people? I mean we miss mom hugs, even dad hugs, we have free dad hugs as well. [...] You’re hugging someone that you don’t know and it doesn’t matter, we’re humans and everybody needs that now and then.”

UC Davis hosts Day of Reflection on June 1

Community members were invited to walk the Davis Reflection Route and reflect on hope, process loss and connect with the community

BY KAYA DO-KHANH campus@theaggie.org

On June 1, UC Davis hosted a Davis Day of Reflection, during which the university invited community members to remember and reflect on those lost to recent tragedies and encourage reconnection with the community. There was a Davis Reflection Route through campus and downtown Davis that people could walk along at any time throughout the day, with opportunities to pause and reflect by writing messages to add to public art installations along the way. Participants could also tie yellow ribbons throughout the Arboretum’s Redwood Grove in memory of a loved one and scan QR codes along the route that allowed them to share messages online and find mental health resources.

“We’ve all experienced our fair share of trials recently, and this past year has brought numerous challenges our way,” Chancellor Gary May stated in a letter to the UC Davis community shortly before the event. “I want you to know, first and foremost, that whatever you’re feeling right now — it’s okay. It’s okay to grieve. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed. It’s okay to feel joyful. It’s okay to still be seeking answers and clarity.”

The Davis Reflection Route was made to be 100% mobility friendly and accessible from the main areas of campus, as parts of the route were along the south side of Walker Hall between Shields Library and the Student Community Center. Other stops along the route extended into the city of Davis. like the Compassion Bench at the corner of Third and C Streets, and Sycamore Park.

According to event lead BreAnda Northcutt, campus leaders have been considering holding an annual memorial event in future years to honor students, faculty and staff who have lost their lives. Although some aspects of the idea are still in the planning stage, they

are hoping to make a portion of the Davis Reflection Route permanent with permanent markers.

“The Davis community has faced multiple tragedies in recent times,” Northcutt said. “But if there’s one thing the Davis community has learned from the pandemic, it’s that coming together and supporting each other can help ease our burdens. The Davis Day of Reflection invited us to mourn our losses together, to share the many ways we care about and uplift each other and to envision ways we can move forward. Unfortunately, as a community, we endured many tragedies over the last year, and the purpose of the reflection day was to come together for hope and healing.”

There were tables at reflection points along the path that were staffed by professionals and students, including members of the Health 34 initiative, Aggie Mental Health Ambassadors, Yolo County Mental Health employees and UC Davis Wellness Ambassadors. The teams facilitated safe spaces for participants to reflect on questions publicly or privately, offered support and provided resources, according to Northcutt.

On the Day of Reflection website, participants could also submit online reflections and thoughts anonymously in response to three prompts about hope, loss and community. People shared reflections about what or who they were missing and what they felt hopeful about. Under the prompt, “I can help to make people feel safe in our community by…,” anonymous submissions included “Offering a friendly face, kind word or helping hand when I see a chance. Little moments matter!” and “Being perceptive that others may need support.”

‘They’re trying to erase a segment of our community’: Controversial book curation event causes Davis community to clash

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

One of many performers at Davis Pride 2023. (Alexis Perez / Aggie)

National Gun Violence Awareness Day commemorated by student organizations

Students Demand Action at UC Davis and the ASUCD Senate encouraged advocacy to mark the day on June 2

BY LILY FREEMAN campus@theaggie.org

June 2 marked National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and many students at UC Davis recognized the day by taking action in support of the cause. The day is dedicated to the “Wear Orange” movement, which has a mission to honor survivors and build communities focused on ending gun violence, according to its website.

Wear Orange is a national movement created in memory of Hadiya Pendleton, who was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago on Jan. 21, 2013, one week after marching in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. After this tragedy, Pendleton’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange — the color that hunters wear to protect themselves and others in the woods — throughout the month of June. This annual tribute is now nationally recognized as a period to raise awareness for gun violence.

Roan Thibault, a first-year political science major and the co-lead of Students Demand Action at UC Davis, spoke about the purpose of the day.

“National Gun Violence Awareness Day is a time for us to uplift victims and survivors of gun violence and highlight the types of gun violence that don’t make the headlines,” Thibault said. “Although we are all too familiar with mass shootings and gun violence in schools, it’s also important to shine a light on the fact that six out of ten gun deaths are suicides. Calls to domestic hotlines are on the rise and city gun

violence continues to happen on a daily basis.”

Advocating for National Gun Violence Awareness Day, according to Thibault, Students Demand Action at UC Davis partnered with local governments and the Yolo County Moms Demand Action group to reach as many people in the community as possible with the message of gun violence prevention.

“We hosted events including food distribution at the Yolo Food Bank to give back to our community, and tabled at the Davis Farmers Market to answer questions about gun safety from locals and gave out orange popsicles,” Thibault said. “We also held a peace walk across the Tower Bridge in Sacramento to honor survivors and recommit ourselves to honoring victims’ lives with action.”

The ASUCD Senate also recognized National Gun Violence Awareness Day with the creation and passage of Senate Resolution (SR) #7 on May 25. According to the language of the bill, SR #7 was established to encourage the UC Davis community to spend the first Friday in June honoring and remembering all victims and survivors of gun violence.

Senator Jacob Klein co-authored the bill with Thibault.

“The goal with SR #7 was for ASUCD to do everything in its capacity to speak out and raise awareness to the gun violence epidemic,” Klein said.

“While we as senators do not have the

After over a decade in business, Aggie

Ace Hardware closed at the end of May

The Express Ace Hardware store in Davis ceases operations, leaving Davis with one Ace Hardware location

power to single-handedly make the changes necessary to shape solutions in our state and country, we do have the power to speak up and advocate for these solutions.”

“This is so critical because gun violence statistically targets lowincome communities of color,” Klein said. “Solutions to gun violence require intentional strategies that solve the issue in the areas most in need.”

ASUCD Senator Francisco Ojeda, who sponsored SR #7, discussed his hopes for the passage of the bill.

“I hope this resolution helps us to be informed,” Ojeda said. “It is unfortunate how guns have brought fatal events. Hopefully, students understand that environments with no guns are safer for people in our community. I hope it helps non-students to reflect on how this fatal event affects us and our academic performance.”

Thibault concluded with why he believes that students should come together in support of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

“Take a look around your average lecture hall,” Thibault said. “It represents the human toll of just one day of gun violence in America, with over 120 people shot and killed every day. We cannot end gun violence in our country without focusing on every facet of the crisis. It takes all of us to come together and speak out.”

Friends and family honor David Henry Breaux at community memorial

Memorial organized by Maria Breaux and the city remembers the “Compassion Guy”

BY MADELEINE YOUNG

city@theaggie.org

On Saturday, June 3, members of the community gathered by the Compassion Bench in honor of the late David Henry Breaux. The memorial was organized by the city of Davis and his sister, Maria Breaux, and featured multiple speakers including Mayor Will Arnold, former Mayor Rob Davis and former UC Davis professor Marina Oshana, among others. When asked about the turnout, Maria stated her gratitude for the community.

“I still haven’t registered it yet, but it’s beautiful,” Maria said. “People loved him and he loved Davis. He made such an impact on people from all walks of life. It’s very special.”

Maria introduced the first speaker, Mayor Will Arnold, who talked about

David’s impact on the community and the Compassion Bench.

“David could have chosen a lot of places in the world or even in Davis, but this is the crossroad he chose,” Arnold said. “That’s why we’re here today, to carry on a mission that he began in earnest and has spread throughout our community”

Former Mayor Rob Davis followed Arnold by sharing his memories of David, which date back to 2009.

“I learned to listen to people and realized what David’s secret was at the bench — it was that he was willing to listen,” Davis said. “He was willing to validate the fears and anger and was not going to just sit there, but he was going to provide a space where people could deal with the challenges they were facing. David transformed my practice.

I can’t think of another person in my life who transformed the way I was more

than David.” Davis then followed up with his hopes for community action in honor and remembrance of David’s commitment to compassion.

“As we think about how we’re going to remember David, I don’t want us to put a plaque by a bench,” Davis said. “That’s good, but we need to develop a set of practices, because David was always about practice. We need spaces where we community members are actively listening as David listened. We need community navigators, who will help orient people towards the help they need in the community. As we remember him today, there is a challenge that we do not leave this place with a memorial in mind, but we leave this place with a commitment to act in the ways that David would have wanted us to.”

Oshana then introduced a new scholarship fund, David Breaux Memorial Scholarship, that has been put together by the Yolo Community Foundation and will be open to high school seniors and first-year college students who demonstrate financial need.

“You all know who David was, you all know what he did for us,” Oshana said. “This scholarship will be for those demonstrating an abiding commitment to social justice as compassionate service. David’s life mission was to spread awareness of compassion. This scholarship continues this goal and will allow a young person to help cultivate, in their own ways, a world where everyone treats each other with kindness, empathy and unconditional love.”

The community mourns the loss of David Henry Breaux and is hopeful for the legacy he has left in Davis. To donate to the memorial scholarship, you can visit this website: https:// srcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/ fund?funit_id=4069&sorg_id=1000.

BY HANNAH SCHRADER city@theaggie.org

The Aggie Ace Hardware located at 606 West Covell Blvd. in the Anderson Plaza shopping center shut its doors on May 31, almost 11 years after its opening on July 30, 2012. The closure was a result of multiple factors, according to the CEO of Crown Ace Hardware, Mark Schulein.

“A number of key factors came into play,” Schulein said via email. “First, small stores like this cannot carry as wide of a selection of products as larger stores. While it was full of products, it still could not be as complete as many customers may have needed or wanted.

[...] Ultimately, for a number of reasons including the one above, this store just did not perform well enough which frankly means that we did not have enough customers shopping there. We have had a great team, we have reinvested in the store, inventory and our folks; and yet it still never hit levels needed to support this location.”

Schulein also addressed the possibility of future Ace Hardware closures.

“I don’t think that is the case,” Schulein said. “The reason for any store closing is generally similar to the reasons that Aggie Ace is closing, but in total the total number of Ace stores in the U.S. has been growing annually for years. From my experience, success in retail stores first comes down to the old adage of ‘location, location, location.’ A great store on the wrong corner of the right intersection may still not survive. Great products and great people may not be enough to overcome such issues. Fortunately, downtown Davis Ace has been serving Davis customers for over 100 years and we expect it to do so for another 100.”

ROOMU FROM PAGE 3

Kent Williams, a fourth-year computer science and engineering major and the director of engineering for AggieWorks, said that he wanted to highlight the “by students for students” mentality of the group.

“Not only was this built with the UC Davis campus in mind, but all of this was built by UC Davis students; all of our engineers and designers and the leadership in AggieWorks are all Davis students,” Williams said. “We’re

NIGHTMARKET FROM PAGE 14

“A lot of the people who volunteer here are also food insecure, but the beauty of our system is they don’t have to out themselves as food insecure,” Morgan said. “Everyone is encouraged to take food for that reason too.”

The Market has grown from one day a week to five days a week and is still in need of volunteers.

“The philosophy I really like is for someone to show up,” Morgan said, “because as a relatively non-hierarchical organization, you have to be pretty autonomous to be successful. So we aren’t gonna go completely after you to help out, but anyone who comes, we love that.”

As a long-time volunteer, Morgan has witnessed the Market change and how the community has been affected by the recent violent crimes.

“Compassion Guy, David, came here almost every night,” Morgan said. “So there are several volunteers who are still spooked out to even do distribution again.”

Stephenson said that the Night Market has become a place for

Ace Hardware published a report about the first fiscal quarter of 2023, which notes that there was a decrease in company-wide revenue.

“Ace Hardware Corporation (“Ace” or the “Company”) today reported first quarter 2023 revenues of $2.1 billion, a decrease of $127.4 million, or 5.8 percent, from the first quarter of 2022,” read the report.

Schulein also touched on how the closure of the store was handled.

“Our team was brought into the loop a few months ago, shortly after the final determination was made,” Schulein said. “However, all of our current team members in Aggie Ace will be relocating to our other stores in the area including downtown Davis Ace and Dixon Ace Hardware. These stores will benefit from having our great Aggie folks joining the teams in these locations.”

Schulein also commented on the future of the property in the Anderson Plaza. “I am unclear what the landlord will do with this space but I do know that they have been actively working on it and striving to provide a tenant that will be a benefit to the community and the [shopping] center,” Schulein said.

Schulein took a moment to thank the customers of Ace Hardware in Davis for supporting the company.

“Finally, let me say thank you to our customers in Aggie and downtown Davis Ace,” Schulein said. “We are grateful for your ongoing support and we really try to be a valuable resource to the community. We are sorry if the closing of Aggie Ace impacts you but hope you’ll find that downtown Davis Ace, which has a full nursery, rockyard, and a store that is 5x larger than Aggie Ace, has everything you need for your home or business; and we have an awesome team waiting there to serve you.”

trying to do something to serve our Davis community.”

Tran expressed that she is looking forward to seeing RoomU being used by students in the coming month and said that she hopes this is just the start of a bigger change to the way roommate matching is done.

“We really think that this is the future of how roommate searching should be,” Tran said. “We don’t think it should be that difficult, or take 20+ messages to future roommates. We’re really excited to see this come alive on campus.”

RoomU is currently available on the Google Play Store for Android users and the App Store for iPhone users.

community members to lean on each other in difficult times.

“We’ve been through a lot here in Davis recently, and the truth of the matter is a lot of our community members have been going through a lot before we noticed,” Stephenson said. “There’s been more attention drawn to the unhoused community because of the serial killings, but they have always had to deal with police raids and food insecurity. While we are not a food bank, we recognize there are a lot of community members who are not seen, and we want to see them and bring them into [the] community.”

Before the suspect was brought into custody, Stephenson said that volunteers made a game plan to make sure everyone was cared for. While operations were temporarily suspended, plans were made to check on community members, drop off food and even provide temporary housing.

“That’s been one cool thing about the Market — over time getting to know our community members. And whether you have a house or not, you are a community member and a friend,” Stephenson said.

For more information about how to get involved in Night Market, you can join their Discord server or follow them on their Facebook or Instagram @ davisnightmarket.

Anniversary event of David Breaux’s writings on compassion happens in downtown Davis. David Breaux, Compassion Guy, helped spread positivity throughout the Davis community. (Cruz Martinez / Aggie)

The Aggie Ace located in Anderson Plaza is permanently closed. (Christine Minarik / Aggie)

Students Demand Action at UC Davis walk for a demonstration during gun violence awareness day.

(Roan Thibault / Courtesy)

Stuffed toys are for everyone, according to Davis locals

Stuffed animals often have nostalgic meaning to adults and are beneficial for relieving stress

BY KACEY CHAN features@theaggie.org

Through all its ups and downs, adulthood is certainly filled with stressors. At times, individuals may want to revisit the nostalgic simplicity of childhood. Many achieve this through collecting plush toys. On social media, a variety of childlike, stuffed toy lines including Squishmallows, Build-aBear and Jellycats have been trending recently. Whether students are dealing with anxiety and academic stress or are just in need of a little cheering up, stuffed toys provide a great deal of comfort for adults as well as children.

Janis Lott, who co-owns the local business Newsbeat with her husband Terence, can certainly attest to the popularity of Jellycats in particular amongst students in Davis.

“A lot of [Jellycat toys] go to adults,” Lott said. “A lot of students buy them for themselves, and I have heard so many stories of adults buying a toy for their loved ones.”

When someone enters Newsbeat, they are welcomed with a great selection of lovable plushes, from vegetables to quintessential bears. Lott recalled a myriad of stories, including one where someone bought a plush toy resembling a beet for their husband, which still hangs in his lab today. In another instance, a Ph.D. student bought stuffed vegetables resembling the actual ones he was studying, including a pumpkin to a strawberry.

Lott said she first started small when stocking the Jellycats plush line, not thinking the England-based brand’s product would reach the popularity it has today in the store.

“I didn’t know at first and thought I could do it very basic, but turns out there’s a very rich demand,” Lott said.

“We have a very international campus and they are very excited to see it. It had this life that sort of blossomed over time.”

Jellycat markets itself as a brand providing a “lovable combination of soft squidginess and quirk[iness],” according to their website, which Lott said contributes to the brand’s appeal for college students.

“It’s just charming,” Lott said.

“I think people like the comfort and cuteness they provide. So many people have bought the toys for someone else only to keep it and have to buy another toy again. They have a wide variety, so there’s just something for everyone.” An Vuong, a third-year biotechnology major, has accumulated a collection of stuffed toys over time.

“I think what makes me attached to my stuffed animals is mainly what

UC Davis women’s ultimate frisbee club team, Rogue, is a ‘home away from home’ for teammates

An unconventional sports club upholds athleticism, community and sportsmanship

BY LYNN CHEN features@theaggie.org

When discussing sports, basketball, soccer or football might pop into many peoples’ heads first. While not mainstream, ultimate frisbee is still a sport that prides itself on energetic athleticism, a passionate fanbase and steadfast sportsmanship. One such team that demonstrates these values is Rogue, the UC Davis women’s club ultimate frisbee team.

Rogue comprises two teams, A and B, with the main difference being that A is more competitive while B is developmental. Recently, Rogue’s A team competed in the District 1 regionals in Santa Barbara, where the top three teams would qualify for nationals. Rogue did not qualify, but Margo Donahue, a fourth-year psychology and philosophy double major and one of the A-team captains, said that the team “played really well” nonetheless.

The sport itself is a competition involving frisbee with elements from other sports. According to Donahue, ultimate frisbee is “a mix between soccer, basketball and football.” Both teams aim to score by passing the frisbee into end zones. While one team is on offense, the other team plays defense by assigning guards to each person on the offensive team. Players also have to keep in mind rules about passing discs within a certain time frame and keeping in bounds.

What’s special about frisbee is that it’s “self-officiated,” Donahue said. “Players are the ones calling fouls and turnovers, points — everything.”

Emily Denio, one of the A-team captains and second-year environmental policy analysis and planning major, said that it is on players to make sure games are “fair.”

As an ultimate frisbee team, Rogue

also requires time commitment from its members. Every week, the A team spends nine hours practicing and one hour doing workout training, while the B team spends six hours practicing. Members also attend regular tournaments.

According to Donahue, workout training for the A team includes running and strength building, as well as exercises focused on defensive and offensive strategies. Denio said that Rogue makes sure to build skills for the two offense positions: handlers, who pass the discs downfield, and cutters, who perform certain running routes to catch the disc. These positions work together to maneuver the disc through the other team’s defense.

Rogue members also often study together and attend social events outside of practice, such as formals, barbecues and “Socks and Mugs” during winter quarter — Rogue’s version of white elephant.

“I would say we are a very close team,” Donahue said. “We definitely do a lot outside of practice to help build chemistry and become closer as a team. A lot of people say that Rogue is like their ‘home away from home.’ We’re a really close community that is super supportive.”

Denio furthered that Rogue facilitates a “welcoming and supportive environment,” especially to newer players.

“We make buddy groups,” Denio said. “Normally, we try to match returning players with rookies or older players with younger players. It’s really cool because younger players can have someone they go to for advice. They can ask them about classes or if they just need help in some other way.”

Karly Thomas, a fifth-year sustainable agriculture and food systems major and captain of the B team, said the club is welcoming to all players of different skill levels and ages.

“I’ve played with 30-year-old postdoc students and 18-year-old freshmen,” Thomas said.

Despite ultimate frisbee’s current niche nature, Donahue and Denio believe that it is an “up-and-coming sport” in the athletic community. Donahue explained that the sport is growing in popularity among college, high school and even middle school communities.

“Very recently, pro-leagues were created,” Donahue said. “The AUDL is the American Ultimate Disc League, which is a professional men’s ultimate league [...] while the WUL, Western Ultimate League, and PUL, Premier Ultimate League, are two professional women’s leagues.” According to Denio, the sport is growing across the globe.

“My first three years of college, I lived with a roommate from China who had been playing ultimate since high school,” Denio said.

Even as ultimate frisbee’s popularity spreads, it occupies a unique space in the athletic world.

“Frisbee is unlike any sport I’ve ever played,” Donahue said. “One aspect of frisbee is called ‘spirit of the game,’ which is the idea that everybody plays with honesty, integrity and respect. I think the frisbee community honors that all over the world. We still are going to play very competitively, and we’re gonna try our best but not at the expense of our dignity and our respect for others.”

memories and emotional attachments surrounding the plushies I was around,” Vuong wrote. “My favorite one is still my Yoshi one that I still have [from] when I was about nine.”

Lott also said that the tactile feeling of the toys is a big factor in the childlike comfort the toys provide for her customers.

“Virtually all [Jellycat] plushies are suited for birth,” Lott said. “The quality of the fabric is so high, you could give one to a newborn and it’d be safe for them.”

Furthermore, multiple studies have revealed benefits for adults owning stuffed toys. In one study conducted in 2016, it was found that hugging a stuffed animal during group therapy sessions improved college students’ ability to comfort themselves. According to an article from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, this action can release the hormone oxytocin, which can be helpful in reducing reactivity to stress.

Lott noticed stuffed animals become more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown when Newsbeat was one of few businesses in downtown Davis that remained open.

they mean to me personally and the physical touch of them,” Vuong wrote in a direct message on Discord. “I like to be around my plushes and hold them because it gives me a sense of peace. It feels like home with them in my room or on my bed.”

The student pointed to childhood nostalgia and stress relief as key reasons for why adults still collect stuffed toys.

“For me at least, there’s a lot of

“Jellycats were especially good for us during COVID because they helped us make the bottom line,” Lott said. “A lot of people were seeking comfort during those times and they were essential for us in making ends meet.”

When school or work gets overwhelming, finding an adorable stuffed companion to hug is one option to relieve stress.

“If I could, I would stop the world to catch up on my work,” Lott said. “But in the meantime, I’ve got my stuffed

Student-run software development group

AggieWorks launches roommate-search app

The app, RoomU, is “like Tinder for roommates,” meant to help Aggies find their perfect roommate match

BY SONORA SLATER campus@theaggie.org

“I like to go out, but I’m also always down for a chill movie night in. I love the outdoors, and I would love to make some memories with my friends this year by going for hikes, watching the sunset and swimming underneath waterfalls. I’m looking for someone who matches my extroverted personality, listens to Taylor Swift and believes in basic personal hygiene.”

We’ve all read Facebook posts on forums where freshmen search for a roommate that sound more or less like this — or maybe we’ve posted one ourselves. It can be a hard task to find someone to share a living space with when, often, first-year students have to choose a roommate before ever meeting anyone on campus, other than maybe a tour guide. Michelle Tran, a fourthyear economics and cognitive science double major and the product manager of UC Davis software development student group AggieWorks, said that she and others in the organization saw this problem, and wanted to create a solution.

“We all are college students, and we all have personal experience with how difficult it can be to find a roommate,” Tran said. “It’s time-consuming, it’s awkward to reach out and [...] even after you find a roommate, there can be compatibility issues. So we wanted to combat that to help students save time, save energy and save effort in a way that leads to successful roommate searches.”

Tran noted that in the past, incoming students have used a variety of platforms to connect — in addition to Facebook, there’s also Discord, the UC Davis Student Housing Portal and college roommate search app Roomsurf. These all have various benefits and downsides, according to Tran, including the quality of one-on-one chat functions, ability to verify potential roommates’ identities, gathering information about peoples’ personalities and so on. The AggieWorks team took these varying factors into consideration as they began to plan their own roommate-search solution.

“We wanted to incorporate all the best aspects of Facebook, Discord, UC

Davis Housing and so on and put it all in one app so that students can have the best experience possible,” Tran said.

So, after months of brainstorming, planning and designing, they launched RoomU. The app’s unofficial tagline, according to Tran, is that it’s “like Tinder for roommates.”

“Similar to Tinder, we have a matching system where [...] you can swipe through to look at other users, and you match if you both say yes to each other,” Tran said. “There’s [also] personality quizzes to hopefully lead to more compatible matches.”

Users can fill out their profile with personal information like their name, major, year pronouns, hometown, Instagram handle, interests and more. There are also options to answer logistical questions like whether they have an apartment secured or not, whether they want a single, double or triple room, what their budget for housing is, if they’re going to be living in a freshman Living-Learning or SharedInterest Community and so on. There’s also a personality quiz where users can say how clean they are, how often they plan to be home, how close they want to be with their roommate, if they snore, if they smoke, if they drink, what their study/party preferences are and so on.

Matches can message each other in-app, and the log-in process is built to verify that users are UC Davis students.

According to Sadeed Adnan, a fourth-year computer science and economics double major and the director of product at AggieWorks, RoomU isn’t actually the only technology project that AggieWorks has designed this year. They have designed three different platforms, all geared toward addressing students’ needs.

“The first is [RoomU…],” Adnan said. “The second is Club Finder, which is a personalized platform where students can discover, organize and manage club information. The third app is a marketplace app which allows students to buy and sell products.”

UC Davis women’s ultimate frisbee club team, Rogue, passes discs downfield to score points against the opposing team. (Courtesy / Margo Donahue)

MIRANDA LEE / AGGIE

Letter from the editor

Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

Dear readers,

As I write this, I am in my last few weeks of college and my last few weeks of working at The Aggie. It’s hard to believe a year has passed since I wrote my first letter from the editor, excitedly detailing my plans for the year. And while I’ve learned from this position that much of leading an organization is simply maintenance, I am proud of the new projects I was able to either personally start or oversee this year.

My main project has been implementing a Spanish translation program. What started as one article translated into Spanish (by the incredible UC Davis student José Hernandez) has grown to up to five articles a week, thanks to the participation of Agustina Carando, a faculty member of the Spanish department, who has had her students translate articles from English to Spanish as a part of their course assignments. As I will be graduating, Signing off,

Sophie Dewees Editor-in-Chief

I have budgeted for a translation director to join our managing staff and take over this translation project next year.

Beyond this project, Katie DeBenedetti, our current managing editor, and I also prioritized refining our print and digital products to make them more visually appealing and more stylistically consistent with other UC publications. Other changes The Aggie has seen include increasing our printing numbers, with plans for further increases in the future, the creation of an “Onion”-inspired humor Instagram known as @thecaliforniagaggie for content from our humor desk and a new podcast entitled “The Aggie’s Weekly Roundup” in which our new media manager discusses top headlines from a given week. In my senior column, I discuss how much The Aggie has given me. I feel that

through these projects over the past year, I have been able to give something back to this organization that I’ve come to love so much.

At the risk of repeating myself, I would like to express my appreciation for the truly incredible people I’ve been able to work and become friends with. It has been such a pleasure to sit on Editorial Boards with Anjini, Margo, Sabrina, Calvin, Eden, Maddie, Allie, Katie, Michelle, Omar, Marlon, Brandon, Sonora, Clara, Owen, Levi and Chris. You have all taught me so much and have truly made my experience working for The Aggie worthwhile. And Katie, thank you so much for all of your work this past year. You made this job so much easier with your dedication and positivity, and I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish my goals for the paper without you. To quote Leslie Knope from “Parks and Recreation,” “No one achieves

Farewell to the 2023–24 school year, from the opinion desk

We have accomplished a lot this year, and the future is exciting

BY OWEN RUDERMAN opinion@theaggie.org

Well, here we are: Week 10. Not only is the quarter over, but the entire academic year is coming to a close. Many students are celebrating a successful finish to their first year, while others, like myself, are celebrating their last. And since I’m graduating, I thought I would be remiss to not reflect on my time as the opinion editor here at The California Aggie.

When I initially considered applying for the position of opinion editor, I had a lot of doubts. I didn’t know if I had time in my schedule for such a commitment, I didn’t know if I would be a good leader and I didn’t even know if I could pull it off. But after encouragement from my peers, friends and family, I decided to take the leap. I can assure you that it was, hands down, the best decision I’ve made during my time at UC Davis.

In my first-ever editorial, I expressed my excitement about “delivering the hottest takes, wittiest satire and most relatable cartoons I can.” And thanks to all the incredible student writers and artists on my desk, we were able to fulfill that goal. I’m extremely proud of the content we were able to put out over the course of this academic year, from columns about Harry Potter’s colonialist fantasy to humor pieces about hunting freshmen and cartoons about Canvas-related anxiety. However, the

opinion desk has responsibilities beyond producing entertaining and thoughtprovoking content. An opinion desk is an integral part to any good publication, as it allows hearty and healthy discourse; something that UC Davis never seems to lack. Throughout the year, we spotlighted numerous guest writers — students, professors and more — as they spoke out on issues close to them.

As the Editorial Board, we also produced two editorials every week that dealt with pressing issues that needed to be addressed, but also sometimes highlighted our favorite recipes or songs. I’m forever grateful for my fellow Editorial Board members, who brought so much energy, laughter and journalistic skill to our many heavily opinionated meetings. It was the variety of our personal opinions that brought nuance and life to our articles this year.

I’d also like to mention the launch of our new humor Instagram, @ thecaliforniagaggie, which posts satirical “Onion”-like content a couple times a week. I want to thank Annabel Marshall for getting me in gear and helping make that account a reality. Running the account has been one of my most cherished responsibilities, even though it has only existed in my final quarter. I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of the account’s potential.

During winter quarter, I was too focused on school and keeping the opinion desk running to write. But for

In defense of AI art

anything alone.”

Going forward, I cannot wait to see the work of our future editor-in-chief and managing editor Sonora Slater and Clara Fischer. They have both shown their commitment to The Aggie over the past year on the Editorial Board, and I am confident that they will make changes for the better. This organization, which I applied to on somewhat of a whim, has become one of the best parts of my college experience. I am so honored to have served as editor-in-chief this past year, and although it is somewhat of a cliché to say, I will value the memories I’ve made, whether they be tedious threehour layout sessions or goofing off during Ed Board, forever.

Five trips everyone should take in their lifetime

Trip recommendations based on your company, not your destination

BY YASMEEN O’BRIEN yjobrien@ucdavis.edu

AGGIE FILE

my last quarter, I challenged myself to produce an article for every single issue of The Aggie. I hit my goal, and then some. This feat really gave my final quarter a sense of completeness and connected me with The Aggie more than ever before. As editors, it’s easy to lose sight of what I think is the core aspect of journalism — writing. I challenge all of next year’s editors, new and old, to continue practicing writing and to continue producing original content for this publication that we all love so much.

My time as the opinion editor for The California Aggie has been a magical, life-changing experience. I only hope that some of that magic has come through in our articles and I can’t wait to see my successors infuse the opinion desk with their own magic. Get ready, Davis — opinion is just getting started.

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.

AI has always been discussed as a far-off future concept, but it’s quickly becoming a part of our reality

BY GEETIKA MAHAJAN giamahajan@ucdavis.edu

For a long time, artificial intelligence (AI) was a nebulous concept reserved for science-fiction authors and futurists to ponder over. This all changed when ChatGPT, an online AI chatbot, was introduced to the global public at the end of 2022. Since then, discussions of artificial intelligence and the implications of using such programs have increased exponentially as our access to it has grown. Chatbots are not the only AI seeing vast advances — AI art generators have also been rapidly gaining exposure. Already, AI art is being distributed commercially. In a move that has enraged readers, the newest edition of popular young-adult author Sarah J. Maas’s “House of Earth and Blood” features an AI-generated image on the cover. Many fans of the series claimed that they would not purchase the new edition, citing a “need to protect artists.” This begs the question: protect them from what, exactly?

I believe that there is nothing inherently wrong with AI art; the only thing AI does is create something that is derivative of the thousands of pieces of work that already exist. Similar to existing work, however, does not mean unoriginal — in fact, most prominent artists, if not all, are influenced by their contemporaries in some way. There is also an argument that AI art is not “real art”; these claims are often presented without any metric for what constitutes “real art” and what is “fake art.” Artificial intelligence systems are not just spontaneously generating these works of art or literature.

Creating something that is not generic or uninspired requires specific and personalized input from the user. It is true that the end result is produced by

a “machine” — but so are photographs and films, and nobody denies creative photographers or filmmakers their right to be included in the art world.

One of the biggest fears surrounding AI is that it will steal jobs from actual creatives in film, literature and art. However, if jobs are lost because of AI’s increasing ubiquity, it will not be due to the AIs themselves, but because corporations have chosen to replace the available source of labor with a cheaper form of production. This is not a new phenomenon — the same thing happened when companies began to outsource labor abroad or replace assembly lines with machines. Critiques regarding the implications of AIgenerated art and writing are, inherently, a critique of capitalism and corporations’ relentless “race-to-the-bottom.” Artificial intelligence is just their newest tool. Broadly categorizing all AI as bad just because of one of its potential consequences is already negatively impacting how the population perceives it. There is an assumption that robots are going to start writing screenplays and making paintings sometime in the future — but this disregards the very real benefits that artificial intelligence can provide right now. It is unique in its ability to provide assistance to people in a variety of career fields, from writing rudimentary lines of code to being able

to edit essays or papers. Tech companies have already begun to take advantage of this to prevent burnout amongst their employees, allocating administrative work or automating data collection, for instance. Even creatives can take advantage of this — for instance, using AI-generated images as backgrounds. Artificial intelligence, like all technology, is not inherently evil. Currently, the entertainment industry is mainly concerned with its negative implications. It’s true that artificial intelligence will change our reality and how we interact with it — but this is true of all technological advancements. The current attitude towards artificial intelligence is no different from how computers or smartphones were viewed when they first came out; we fear new technology, simply because it’s new and unknown. We can see how much easier life became after letters that could take weeks to deliver turned into emails and emails turned into Facetime calls; artificial intelligence, too, is just the newest development in a centuries-long saga.

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.

1. Somewhere with friends

Traveling is a bonding experience, and doing it with friends will give you the opportunity to get closer and spend quality time together without everyday stressors. You’ll learn new things about each other throughout your travels. I don’t necessarily mean taking a long — and expensive — trip abroad; it could be a weekend camping trip or a few days by the beach. You and your friends will share moments that you’ll talk about for years to come.

2. Somewhere meaningful to your family

Going somewhere that is meaningful to your family will connect you to your roots, where you came from and your identity. This could mean traveling with or without your family, depending on the kind of experience you want to have. However, I think being able to share the experience with family would enhance the experience. One of the most profound ways I have found a piece of my identity was traveling with my family to a small town in Tanzania where my grandfather is from. But so was taking a day trip to the Central Valley to see the house and town my paternal grandmother grew up in.

3. Somewhere with a lover

This is a kind of fun I think everyone should experience. You get to see the world through the eyes of the one you love and create memories you’ll cherish for a long time. Experiences tend to be a lot rosier when you are with a lover, and this will make your trip a very special one. Also, according to the U.S. Travel Association, couples in romantic relationships reported that traveling together made them significantly more likely to be satisfied in their relationships, communicate well with their partners, have a better sex life and more. It’s a winwin situation!

4. Somewhere alone I think everyone should spend an extended amount of time alone at least once in their life. It’s important to make time to sit with your thoughts so that you can get to know yourself better. I think that nature is a great place to do this because it gives you the space, clarity and quiet to really hear yourself think. The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself. Traveling alone also means you’ll have to make your own decisions, which will help you become more assertive and confident in yourself. It will make you feel strong to overcome obstacles knowing you did so on your own.

5. Somewhere for no reason at all… …Other than the fact that you’ve always wanted to go — make your little self’s dreams come true. I am a big believer in doing things because they sound fun. If a place has always called to you, go! You don’t have to have a different reason than that. You are in control of your own choices, life and destiny. Taking a trip that feels like you’re accomplishing something you’ve always wanted to accomplish will make you feel strong in yourself. This trip can be big or small, with a group of people or alone — it can be anything you want. A couple of these places for me are New Orleans, the Cascade Mountains, South Africa, Tahiti and Peru. I don’t have a fancy reason for wanting to go to these places other than I’d love to go, and I think that’s reason enough.

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.

ALLISON VO / AGGIE

EDITORIAL

Moo-ving out and moo-ving on

Our tips for saving money and reducing stress during the moving process

Yes, it’s that time of year again in Davis. We’re at the tail end of the last quarter in the academic calendar, seniors are preparing for graduation, others are planning for summer and it seems like everyone on campus is packing up their stuff and getting ready to move.

College students are part of a cycle; they often pack their dorms or apartments with items that they received from graduating friends or other people in the area, and when their time comes to move out, they continue to pass those tables, couches or beanbags on to the next set of underclassmen. To make moving out less overwhelming and financially stressful, students can earn some extra cash by selling items they’ll no longer need or that may be too difficult to transport.

Using social media and reselling sites such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are great ways to sell your belongings. Many students and locals who are in need of or interested in home essentials shop on these sites in search

of great deals. For these strategies to be effective, remember to give yourself a few weeks to list items before your move out date.

However, those who have sufficient space in a lawn, garage or driveway and want to unload their belongings quickly can always host a yard sale. In addition to catching the attention of locals in need, this method has proven to be an efficient way to sell furniture, kitchen appliances, home decor and clothes.

Renting a U-Haul or hiring people to help you move can be expensive, especially for a college student on a tight budget. Moving is always a hassle, and having less to pack is the best way to make the transition easier and cheaper for you and your family.

In addition to ridding yourself of unneeded belongings, don’t forget to maximize your meal plan and use up remaining Aggie Cash and funds on laundry cards. There is no way of withdrawing that money and whatever goes unused will be lost.

HUMOR

Finally, don’t forget about the food you have left in your fridge and on your shelves. If you have no use for particular items, instead of letting that food go to waste, donating it to The Pantry or a Freedge on campus or downtown helps people in need.

Of course, just because it’s June, that doesn’t mean that everyone will be leaving Davis or transitioning to a new apartment or house. For students who will continue living in the same location but want a new set of home appliances or furniture, be sure to check the reselling sites we mentioned for especially good deals. Enjoy the time you have to drive around town with your roommates looking to score on deals in yard sales. Take it from some soon-to-be graduates, you’ll miss these experiences when you’re moving out for good.

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

What I will miss about freshman year

Nothing. Just kidding. But…

AARON POTTER

I’m inventing a new religion

BY ANNABEL MARSHALL almarshall@ucdavis.edu

A slice of Key Lime pie was left in the refrigerator by my lovely and soon-to-be-dead housemate. It’s unclear how long, but I would estimate that it’s between four weeks and a month.

BY CARMEL RAVIV craviv@ucdavis.edu

What felt like a year that would last a lifetime is now coming to an end. My unique first-year experience has passed me by as I move on to bigger, better and more private things. That said, I must reminisce and pay gratitude to some things that made my first year so memorable, and say goodbye to them, once and for all.

Goodbye to the hairballs in my communal showers.

Goodbye to the laundry machines that were out of order and the laundry room that smelled like my grandma.

Goodbye to swimming in Putah Creek and then getting a really weird

MARCHINGBAND

FROM PAGE 14

Newman said that the environment was more welcoming than her high school band.

“I was also a little worried because I’m a percussionist,” Newman said, “and that culture surrounding Battery [drums] in certain marching bands is kind of toxic, [...] but I thought I would give it a try and I ended up really liking it because the way this band’s drum section functions is completely different than the way I could have expected.”

Newman has found that the drumming section is welcoming, but can feel slightly disconnected from the rest of the marching band at times.

“For us as drummers, I feel like our experience is a little unique,” Newman said. “It’s better this year, but my freshman year, and still a little this year, our section feels a little more separate from the rest of the band, which isn’t really a good or a bad thing, it’s just interesting. Even in between the sections in the rest of the band, it’s not like people stay only to their section, but […] your section is your group. And then there’s dynamics between those groups, which is just kind of an interesting thing to navigate.”

Alana Faria, a second-year history

rash after.

Goodbye to non-fresh fruits and vegetables in the DC (I thought this was an agricultural school, c’mon.)

Goodbye to the Pozole Verde from the DC (What the hell was that you guys?)

Goodbye to DC shrimp (no comment).

Goodbye to Smirnoff handles.

Goodbye to weekly visits from fire trucks to Tercero.

Goodbye to the ugliest building in Segundo (Malcolm Hall).

Goodbye to the TA that showed up 30 minutes late to their own discussion.

Goodbye to my TA who had a man

major, joined at the beginning of the year with no previous marching band experience. She said she has seen improvements in her performance throughout the year.

“It was hard to adjust because [my cymbals are] really heavy; it was hard to get used to that, but it wasn’t too difficult to learn how to march,” Faria said. “[Now] it’s a big part of my life, and I’m glad that it is.”

The marching band is open to newcomers, accepting members of all experience levels, even those with no musical background, and offers lessons and mentorship to first-timers.

“Everything is taught, assuming you have no experience,” Feigelman said.

First-year civil engineering major Josh Feil said students who don’t have experience should not be dissuaded from joining.

“You don’t have to play an instrument; we will teach you,” Feil said. “We will take literally anyone; it’s open no matter what your experience level is.”

The marching band is a good space for students to pick up a new hobby, according to Newman.

“You’ll learn it in a supportive environment because none of us are judging the rest of us based on our musical skill,” Newman said. “We’re more focused on who you are as a person. If we have fun together, we’ll have fun playing together.” Feil believes future students will

bun (I love you.)

Goodbye to the RA that would never get us in trouble for pregaming or partying in the dorms but wrote up five people for bouncing a basketball.

Goodbye to the airpods my friend lost when he was drunk.

Goodbye to the AirPods I lost when I was sober.

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.

have fun in the marching band and is proud to be a part of the Davis spirit.

“Here at Davis, specifically, it is what you make it,” Feil said. “We are, I’d say, one of the more spirited organizations on campus. People know the band; they see the band [and] we’re proud to be the band. We’re involved in a lot of facets. We’re getting asked to play at university gigs, at community gigs, at athletic events. So I feel like we’re really well-known.”

Newman also finds identity in being part of the marching band.

“You obviously want to perform well, but it really is community-based,” Newman said. “It’s more about what you do together,”

Elgourt said that some of the band’s most impressive performances are their rallies after football and basketball games. Participation in rallies and games can come with a large time commitment, according to first-year genetics major Nirvana Nejad. During football season, performances require frequent practice. Members learn the music and steps for a show four days a week, according to Feigelman.

Newman believes that, while marching band can take a lot of time in a student’s busy schedule, it is worth it.

“I have a lot of fun here,” Newman said. “It’s definitely the activity at Davis that I put most of my energy into.”

It quickly became clear that no benevolent God would allow such an affront. For days, I stood with my entire face in the cold white abyss, like those circus performers who continually put their head in the mouth of a lion for no real reason. When the mold began breathing like the surface of the ocean, I felt a drastic choice was necessary. I have vowed to worship this beast (lay down in front of the refrigerator) for the rest of my days (until finals week).

Now, it may be true that, throughout history, religion has been used as a tool to mobilize emotional and physical violence against others, especially minority groups. But this new religion is different. This one is for sure not a cult.

Besides, religion has done a lot for us. Santa Claus. Stained glass. Tourism in Mecca. Many breads and bread-like foods. Whatever is going on in Utah. Need I say more?

I am not anti-religion. In fact, I am pro-religion. And, like many religious people, I am mostly pro-my religion, because the other ones are interesting but — let’s face it — wrong. My one true religion has seven tenets, because seven feels like a good stopping point.

1. Thou shalt not kill. I won’t beat around the bush, I kind of ripped that one off of the ol’ Christ-loving folk. Not everything has to be original. Besides, they had a head start. I feel like I would have come up with that one too if I was around in the time of regular crucifixion.

2. Thou shall wash thy hands. It’s just good practice.

3. The Golden Rule. This is a different Golden Rule than you may be used to. It states: Laws are the promise of harm against those who disrupt the social order designed and perpetuated by the ruling class and have no inherent moral value.

4. Bird watching is the closest you can get to God in this lifetime. Do with that what you will.

5. Sex is fine, but only in certain positions. And never on the Lord’s day (St. Patrick’s Day).

6. God’s real name is Ked. Historians have speculated that it is short for Skedaddles.

7. If someone you know suffers, it is Ked’s will. This is what I told my housemate as I forced him to eat the Key Lime pie.

Disclaimer: This article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and the names of “sources” are fictionalized.

MARY ANN LEM

KELLIE LU

JOANNE SUN

Donations are accepted and also required

ALLISON VO / AGGIE

ARTS & CULTURE

Simple ways to help you get out of a creative funk

How to find inspiration in small, daily rituals

BY CORALIE LOON arts@theaggie.org

The benefits of creativity are numerous — bringing creativity into your day-to-day life can boost your mood, alleviate stress and anxiety and even increase cognitive function. Whether you’re an artist, a poet, a student or just someone who enjoys the catharsis of creative expression, we all know what it’s like to feel stuck creatively.

Rather than staring at a blank page (literal or metaphorical) and trying to think yourself out of a creative funk, sometimes it’s best to tap into the subconscious, emotion-driven aspects of creativity. Here are some tricks to help make creativity feel like a process that happens to you, rather than something you must achieve.

1. Create stress-reducing rituals

One of the best ways to make yourself the most receptive to creative inspiration is to relax your mind and body. Stress-reducing rituals can include any of the prompts on this list, or they could be simple moments of pleasure: drinking a hot cup of tea, burning a favorite candle, taking a walk or doing a five-minute meditation.

Doing creative work under pressure can hinder the brain’s ability to create original thoughts, so making relaxing habits and rituals and reducing overall stress can do wonders to enhance creativity.

2. Write morning pages Julia Cameron, the author of “The Artist’s Way,” defines morning pages as “three pages of longhand, streamof-consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning.” The idea here is that writing for three pages without thinking about what you’re writing or its worth is a powerful way to tap into the subconscious mind, the place that Cameron argues is where creativity

comes from.

Three pages may sound daunting, but when I tried it myself, I was surprised to find myself looking forward to it every morning. Each morning felt a little easier, and soon I was uncovering things about my life that I’d never been able to put into words before.

3. Foster the poetic mind For me, the poetic mind is a way of looking at the world as detailed and sensory-oriented. One of the best ways for developing this mindset is to write down glimmers, which author and UC Davis professor Pam Houston defines as “moments that capture her

attention, details from the physical world that brought up some resonance in her.” Glimmers can be words or short paragraphs about almost anything: a flower growing in a strange place, an overheard conversation or the feeling of being at a specific place at a specific time. Try keeping a notebook (physical or not) of daily glimmers, and capture them as you go about your life. There doesn’t have to be a reason to write them down or a purpose to them — they can just be moments that stand out. Glimmers can serve as their own form of inspiration and are a great way to develop ideas for poems, stories or other art pieces.

4. Listen to music

Music is a widely available and popular source of inspiration. One way to use music as creative inspiration is by making playlists of songs that give you specific, tangible feelings, rather than just songs that sound good. The more intense the associations that arise when listening to a song, the better. Then, create something (like a drawing or a poem) while listening to each song to capture the associations that come up.

5. Make an art date with a friend

When I’m in a creative funk, sometimes collaboration feels like the only way to get out of it. Seeing what

other people create gives me ideas and helps me think outside the box. One of my favorite things to do with a friend is to create art side by side, which is sometimes called parallel play. But a more engaging alternative is to work on one thing together, like a collaborative mural. The less pressure there is to do things “right” in order to achieve a certain outcome, the better. The emphasis should be on spending time together and having fun, and less on what you actually create.

6. Consume more (weird) art

They say that if you want to be a writer, one of the best things to do besides writing more is to read as much as possible, and this is probably true for all types of creativity.

Following artists on social media who you admire, reading poetry and surrounding yourself with forms of art that give you that creative rush are excellent ways to gain inspiration, even if you aren’t creating anything. I’ve found that the weirder the art I consume, the more I feel pushed to imagine alternatives and look at things in ways I normally wouldn’t.

7. Let your mind wander

This tip is possibly the hardest on this list for me, but one of the most important. The best ideas usually come unprompted when your mind is uncluttered and free to roam.

Things that hinder a wandering mind include overstimulation, multitasking, doom-scrolling on social media and binge-watching TV. alternatively, things that promote a wandering mind include long walks or drives, frequent breaks, occasional boredom and slowing down. By doing less of the former and more of the latter, I’ve found I automatically feel more receptive to inspiration and more creatively available.

Couch Concert: Agraria, Godfuck!, Mom Cars

Local bands entertained an energetic crowd at Turtle House

BY ANA BACH arts@theaggie.org

On June 2, The California Aggie collaborated with Turtle House, a longstanding hub of the Davis music scene, to host a Couch Concert — a house show bringing together community members to enjoy local music. Each of the acts featured spoke with The Aggie to provide readers and music enthusiasts a glimpse into their sounds.

The first band in the lineup, Agraria, is a Davis-based group composed of lead singer/guitarist Clariss Bolanos, lead guitarist Morgan Henry, drummer Zelalem Bernhanu and bassist Isaiah Heidrick.

Morgan Henry, a fourth-year environmental science and management major, discussed balancing the weight of schoolwork with band commitments. The soon-to-be alum is currently taking 21 units whilst performing, writing and developing Agraria’s music along with his bandmates.

“It’s a lot, but it’s worth it in the end,” Henry said. “It’s a lot of fun and it brings me a lot of joy to perform. Amidst all the stress of school, there is still a passion and need to create music that perseveres.”

When asked about the Davis music scene and the group’s integration into the environment, Clariss Bolanos, a thirdyear psychology and linguistics double major, spoke about her appreciation for the quaint environment.

“I really like the Davis music scene,” Bolanos said. “Compared to where I grew up in, this is my first time being in an environment where there is a thriving music scene. Everyone kinda of knows each other and it’s very welcoming.”

Henry describes Agraria’s sound as “surf indie rock” with a touch of “dream pop.”

“I get a lot of my influence from artists that I can learn from but also where I feel like I could write something similar,” Henry said. “My favorite band[s] — Her’s and Mac Demarco — [are] where I would say I take most of my inspiration from.”

In addition to The Aggie’s Couch Concerts, Davis is home to a thriving arts scene. One of the other events held here is the much-loved Eclectic Collective, which took place at the Tri Co-operatives on June 3. Agraria discussed their experience playing the event, which Henry described as “an absolute blast.”

“Clariss lives at the Tris and we all know each other,” Henry said. “It’s a large group of friends and a blast to just feel everyone’s presence in that way.”

The next band to perform, Godfuck!, is an alternative rock group made up of three UC Davis students who are down to “jam,” as they would say. “If you’re just playing music and having fun with it, not necessarily working to create something, it makes

it feel fresh. It makes it fun while making new songs,” said Zain Taylor, a third-year environmental science and management major and the band’s drummer.

Jonah Calmar, a second-year environmental science and management major, describes the band’s sound as “all over the place.”

“I like how it’s our personalities in instruments,” Calmar said. “We are always just trying to jam and have a good time. We aren’t following a strict procedure or anything trying to make music.”

Evan Sandler, a third-year cinema and digital media major and guitarist/ singer for the band, offered a unique description of Godfuck!’s sound.

“I like colors with songs, especially [in regards to] album covers — it changes how I see a song,” Sandler said.

“I feel like our colors are purple. I think that’s because when we play shows here, we have this light and it’s purple, which I think defines our sound to me.”

The band members also touched on the controversial nature of their name — which, true to the band’s easygoing nature, has no real significant meaning. “One of us stubbed our toe and said something like [Godfuck!],” Sandler said. “There is no meaning really except that it kinda stuck and we all really liked it. We also needed a name for the upcoming show.”

When asked about the balance between the commitments of the band and being a full-time student, Sandler mentioned the powerful nature of having a creative outlet.

“Music is funny,” he said. “It’s kinda like drugs except it doesn’t deteriorate your mental health. It’s really addicting and it can really make other things matter less.”

Closing out the show was Mom Cars, a band made up of four members who went to high school together in Auburn, a town outside of Sacramento. The group is composed of lead vocalist/ rhythm guitarist Brendon Le, lead

guitarist Cole Winters, bassist/vocalist

AJ Derise and drummer Jacob Thrasher.

The band was formed through a last-minute act put on for their school’s talent show, where they mainly performed songs by the British Modern Rock group Catfish and the Bottleman.

Due to the limited number of musically inclined individuals in their small hometown, the band members were aware of everyone who was in the music scene there, which ultimately led to the formation of Mom Cars.

“I knew that these guys played music, but I never thought we would be in a band or anything,” Derise said.

“But there weren’t that many people at our school who played music to begin with.”

They also mentioned that the name came about because each member drove a car that fits into the trope of a typical “mom car,” such as a minivan.

After experiencing success at the talent show, Mom Cars began more seriously figuring out their sound,

which they described as similar to Backseat Lovers. Eventually, the group was booked to play at a bigger show.

“A year later, we got offered a show in Santa Cruz, and then after we played that show, there was a realization that we could reach out to bands from everywhere and get shows going,” Le stated. “It’s really cool that we can do that kind of stuff.”

Their start in Davis came about through a connection with Decent Action, another Davis-based band, who reached out to the group asking if they wanted to do a show at The Domes.

All of the bands featured at the Couch Concert have new music coming that will be announced and made available through their social media platforms. Even if you can’t make it to a live event, there are still plenty of ways to support these local artists, such as by listening to their music, interacting with their social media or even spreading the word about future concerts they do play at.

Mom Cars perform at the Spring California Aggie Couch Concert hosted by Turtle House. (Quinn Henderson / Courtesy)

AGGIE FILE

‘The Little Mermaid’ is a magical, inclusive reimaging of a classic film

ACE at UC Davis hosted a premiere watch party for students and community members

BY LORENA ALVAREZ arts@theaggie.org

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

BY CHRIS PONCE arts@theaggie.org

Movie: “Missing” (2023)

“Missing” is a Jan. movie that would typically get swept under the rug. However, the spiritual sequel to “Searching” (2018) is just as thrilling and engaging as its popular predecessor. Also, the protagonist in the movie is an incoming UC Davis student, which can be seen from her notes app and open tabs on her computer. The computer-foundfootage-style film follows a daughter attempting to locate her mother who mysteriously vanishes after a vacation. Similar to “Searching,” this movie kept me guessing as to what the next twist would be. If it feels like all movies are becoming predictable and repetitive, I recommend something like “Missing.” What might seem like an obvious twist is just another false lead in the story. Now that it’s on Netflix, this movie is definitely worth a watch.

Album: “Psychopomp” by Japanese Breakfast (2016)

Zauner is not only a popular author but also an acclaimed musical artist. Her band’s debut album, “Psychopomp,” also deals with the emotional journey Zauner experienced with the death of her mother. According to an interview with Zauner, the album name comes from the feeling she had of guiding her mother through the journey of her illness and how she would see her mother in her dreams following her death. “Psychopomp” is beautiful and each song flows straight into the next. I know nothing about music theory, but this album is an emotional journey and is worth a listen.

TV Show: “Parks and Recreation” (2009-2015)

The release of the official teaser for the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid” last year was met with mixed reactions. Some fans were excited to see actress and singer Halle Bailey step into the role of Ariel, while others voiced their disappointment that their beloved Disney princess would not have the same appearance as she did in the animated classic from 1989. This “transparently racist” backlash about Bailey being chosen for the starring role sparked a conversation about the continued need to celebrate and advocate for Black representation in the media.

UC Davis African Diaspora

Cultivating Education (ACE), a community program under the Student Recruitment & Retention Center, did just that. The program invited community members to join them for the movie’s premiere on May 26.

ACE aims to “create a supportive environment that encourages Black students’ mental, physical and academic successes through programming, retreats, and conferences that aim to empower students in the African Diaspora,” according to the program’s website.

Arriyon White, ACE’s academic achievement coordinator and a political science and sociology double major, commented on the importance of the event.

“‘The Little Mermaid’ premiere provided an opportunity to build community connection, expand Black students’ network and provided the space to observe one of the first

representations of a Black female lead in a Disney movie,” White said. “[A] role where a young Black girl who is a princess, seeking love and adventure, [gets] to live the ‘happily ever after’ that is usually represented as white.”

She stated the deep value inherent in representation without stereotyping, especially from entertainment produced by Disney, which ranked high on Fortune’s list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies.”

“Many of us as young Black children didn’t grow up seeing people who looked and sounded like us as Disney princesses, and I felt that […] watching ‘The Little Mermaid’ would inspire and mean a lot to members of my community,” White said. “Especially since most of the Black students at Davis will be either the first or one of the few Black people in their careers or workplaces.”

The event was met with positive responses. Melanie Madrigal, a thirdyear environmental toxicology major, commented on her experience attending the event.

“I liked that ACE was able to host a premiere because it allowed me to see the movie on the big screen and made the movie experience more fun,” Madrigal said. “Halle has such a wonderful voice and I feel like she really captures what a princess is in my mind. [The production team] showcased Eric’s crush or infatuation with Ariel a bit better [than the original movie]. They built their relationship nicely and it made us root for them.”

Aside from the positive reception

in regard to Bailey’s performance, some viewers did have some critiques about the movie’s effects. Alexandra Navarro, a second-year animal biology major, noted the movie’s CGI and depiction of Flounder.

“I particularly enjoyed the scenes in which Ariel rescues Prince Eric from drowning and when Ursula became a giant,” Navarro said. “I think they did a good job with the CGI there, [but] it was quite sad [seeing Flounder] compared to the loveable character I grew up watching. I feel as if the way he was depicted didn’t capture the true essence of the original Flounder’s personality.” Like Navarro, I felt that the characterizations of Flounder, Sebastian and Scuttle did not mirror their portrayal in the original movie. That said, Bailey’s performance of Ariel touched many people, myself included. Her voice reminded me of the iconic mermaid who I wished I could be as a child. I especially enjoyed the lyric changes in “Kiss the Girl” because they foster consent: “It don’t take a word, not a single word/Go on and kiss the girl” to “use your words, boy, and ask her.”

While the movie’s CGI had some mixed reactions, ACE reminded community members of the importance of representation by bringing people together to see the first Black Disney live-action princess. ACE empower[ed] students by hosting this premiere, while little girls around the world now have the opportunity to see themselves as princesses because of Bailey’s magical performance.

This show has been recommended to me by many great friends, including Editor-in-Chief of The Aggie Sophie Dewees. And even though everyone told me to “skip the first season” — something I consider to be a huge red flag in TV shows — Parks and Rec has quickly become one of my favorite sitcoms. The show develops all of its main cast throughout the seasons and while the show is a goofy portrayal of local government bureaucracy, it is also a beautiful story about friendship and how people unexpectedly come into our lives and change them forever. So before you think it is just another knock-off of “The Office,” give it a chance — once the show finds its footing, it’s truly something special.

Book: “Crying in H Mart” by Michelle Zauner (2021)

If you read my last Culture Corner, you won’t be surprised by the fact that I love memoirs. Whether you’ve heard the news of its coming movie adaptation or open casting call, or maybe just seen it displayed at a bookstore — I’m sure you’ve heard of Michelle Zauner’s “Crying in H Mart.” This book is as powerful as it is popular. Throughout, Zauner writes about finding her place in life, her identity as a half-Korean/half-white woman and the grief she experiences after the death of her mother. The heart of the story is the relationship between Zauner and her mother, which explores themes of family and cultural identity in America. A powerful motif in the book is Zauner’s highly detailed descriptions of the food and meals she prepares, as she describes food as a way of staying connected to her mother and culture. A good friend of mine recommended it to me, and now I hope I can do the same for you.

WWATERPOLO SEASONREVIEW

FROM PAGE 16

universally spoken language

Commentary: Music serves as a

Examining the cross-cultural significances of tunes

BY RUMA POUDELL arts@theaggie.org

Music transcends language. Every living thing has a rhythm, whether it’s a heartbeat or a certain stride in running. You can experience it through your senses — not just by hearing but by feeling, too; for example, the bass vibrations from a drum.

Whatever form it takes, you don’t need to learn music to understand it. The universal nature of music manifests across different cultures.

Recently, I made a friend through our love for the same instrument. I was playing the dhol during Punjabi Week’s kick-off event in the UC Davis Quad, and someone walked by, heard the sound, asked to play and busted out his own skills. Together, we improved our skills through collaboration. Despite our differences in nationality, gender and age, the act of playing an instrument brought us two strangers together.

Apart from being an encompassing means of connecting people, music serves many purposes. One of these is that rhythms, hymns and the utterance

of specific words come together to form an integral part of spiritual practices.

Take, for example, Hindu bhajans and meditations, which place significance on music and its effect on the mind, body and spirit. One aspect of Hindu bhajans is the repetitiveness of verses, oftentimes in dedication to a deity. The idea is that through this repetition, devotees can merge with the divine presence in a meditative process.

Combined with a science dedicated to the frequencies of different utterances, this aims to align spiritual seekers to a higher plane of consciousness and a more relaxed physiological state.

Practically all major religions use music to praise the essence of creation and elicit an uplifting sense of unity and reverence. Christianity has worship.

Islam has nasheed. Buddhism has mantras and sutras. Sikhism has kirtan.

The cross-cultural significance of music can be boiled down to expression of experience and the passage of values. Music serves to carry heritage and a

piece of history — whether it’s through religious and spiritual means or more modern forms of music.

Today, the burst in technology and the ability to connect with others easily via the internet has led to an era of musical diversity and increased access to said media.

Previously, music was shared through very physical means such as record vinyl, walkman players, CDs, cassettes and more. Now, we have apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, Youtube Premium and even Tiktok for discovering and enjoying songs.

As we increase our access to music, naturally, its significance in our lives increases too. There are many genres of music that you can connect and identify with. Whether it’s folk, salsa, punk rock, indie alternative, pop or country, music has the ability to decorate your time, connect you to similar shared experiences and immerse you into a subculture.

Their next two games were against the University of Michigan and UC Irvine; The Aggies lost both games by less than three points. Eventually, UC Irvine went on to win the Big West Conference Tournament.

“Obviously losing is defeating, but that was a really big game for us,” second-year utility Samantha Yoo said. “Nobody was disappointed after the game because knowing they were ranked sixth and we were 11th, we felt we were all able to come together at that game and play at a high level.”

At this point in the season, UC Davis had only five more games to play before the conference tournament.

Two of those games, against Santa Clara University and CSU Fullerton, were easy wins, as the Aggies won by more than 10 points in each game.

The three games they lost were close games. In the first game — a redemption game against UC San Diego — the Aggies lost by only one point. The Aggies were up by two in the first quarter of the game, but could not hang on to the lead in the last couple minutes of the fourth quarter.

Another close loss came against Long Beach State when the Aggies lost

in overtime. The game was up in the air until the last couple of minutes of the fourth quarter.

The last game before the conference championship was against the University of Hawaii, which was held at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex in Hawaii. The Aggies lost by four points but were within reach until the last quarter.

“We played well in these games, and we came together well as a team, which made us feel confident for conference [games],” Yoo said. “Those three losses fired us up even more for the first conference game and made us collectively want to win that first game.”

The Big West Conference Tournament was held in Santa Barbara in a single-elimination format starting on April 28. The Aggies opened the tournament against their conference rival UC San Diego. The Aggies suffered another close loss, only losing by one point. The loss eliminated the Aggies from the tournament and their season came to an end.

“We honestly had a bit of a rough start with our comradery and coming together as a team, but we noticed those weaknesses and that helped us come together as a team toward the end of the season,” said Yoo. The team is looking forward to next season and building on the camaraderie that was built toward the end of the season.

Poster for The Little Mermaid, 2023. (Rob Marshall / Courtesy)

Time makes you bolder

A farewell to my four years at The Aggie

BY SOPHIE DEWEES

At this point in my career as a California Aggie journalist, I’ve told my Aggie origin story so many times. I could detail the sweaty bike ride to Lower Freeborn, my panic when I couldn’t find the office, eventually finding it and being a good 25 minutes early and the wonderful greeting that the then managing editor gave me, instantly making me feel at home. And while I could repeat this story in depth one last time, I would instead like to focus on the moments I’ve come to cherish since becoming part of this organization; the shared laughs and pure silliness as well as the more difficult conversations that we’ve had.

I’ve had the privilege of sitting on the Editorial Board of The Aggie for three years in different capacities, and it’s hard to express how much that time has meant to me. Each year has brought in a new group of passionate, intelligent and kind individuals who have not only been incredible co-workers but have also become some of my closest friends. This year, we’ve written editorials on a wide spectrum of topics, some as lighthearted as describing our favorite songs to listen to in the spring and others addressing heartbreaking events in our city.

One meeting that stands out to me from this past year is when we discussed how to address the recent stabbings in Davis. When local tragedy strikes, it can be easy to feel like there is little you can personally do. We were in the unique position to have a platform to share our opinions with our community members, and that, in a way, was reassuring. I think it speaks to our ability as journalists that we continued to write and hold calm discussions about difficult topics during that Ed Board meeting, even under challenging circumstances.

And in addition to our editorials, many members of Ed Board put in extra hours to make sure we were quickly providing updates that were well-written and informative. I’ve never been more proud to lead The Aggie than during those few weeks when I observed our staffers continuing to serve the community during a nearly unprecedented time of fear and uncertainty. We have a little tradition at The Aggie that we refer to as “wall quotes”

— we collect them throughout the year whenever a staffer says something funny or something that would sound silly taken out of context and cover our walls with them at the end of spring quarter.

My love for the people I’ve worked with on Ed Board can be best contextualized with a quote from our current features editor: “If I didn’t actually like you guys, these sessions would be unbearable.”

Though we often got hung up on one paragraph (or even one sentence) for a perhaps unreasonable amount of time, I never failed to enjoy lengthier editing sessions (who wouldn’t want an excuse to continue hanging out with their friends?)

The friendships that I’ve developed and the friendly, open-minded community at The Aggie have given

me so much. In this welcoming setting, I’ve become more knowledgeable about my local community and have learned how to better express myself in both my written work and in conversations with my peers. Additionally, as the title of this column suggests, I’ve become more confident in myself. Stevie Nicks had it right; time truly does make you bolder, as does the support and encouragement of those in your community. I’ve been able to grow and learn how to be bold through my work and those I’ve worked with at The Aggie.

In addition to Ed Board, my time at The Aggie has been defined by my work as a writer and as a member of managing staff. I’ve written articles about a disability rights campaign, interviewed our chancellor and the UC

president and edited more features and campus news articles than I can count.

I’ve had late-night conversations while heaving hefty stacks of papers during distribution and chatted with interested community members while tabling on the Quad. I do feel, however, that my time on Ed Board will be what I remember most fondly. Working with and gently arguing with my peers and then later becoming their manager has given me invaluable skills. It might seem difficult to navigate managing your friends, while also collaborating with them on written pieces (and outside of newspaper duties, losing to them at pickleball), but somehow, it always seemed to work. To all of the brilliant student journalists I’ve sat with on Ed

A long-winded love letter to stories

That’s all she wrote (not actually I’ve just always wanted to say that)

BY KATIE DEBENEDETTI

At some point, someone has probably lied to you and told you that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. This definitely isn’t true. But I will admit, I have spent the last four years telling everyone I talk to that I would work for The Aggie for free. That probably is true. Because as cliché as it sounds, doing work that’s really a hobby, with coworkers who are more like friends, in a place that has come to feel like home, is pretty ideal.

Over the past four years, I’ve fallen in love with The Aggie — its publication, its people, and, yes, its free parking spot (thank you A Street office).

At my high school graduation, my mom gave me a piece of advice in the form of her favorite quote, which reads: “Fall in Love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” And while I can’t say I agree with her use of the Oxford comma, I do wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of the message.

Over the past four years, I’ve fallen in love with The Aggie — its publication, its people, and, yes, its free parking spot (thank you A Street office). While I’m not sure this is exactly what the quote — or my mom — meant, I can say that my Aggie experience truly has decided everything.

Through covering local events and stories, I’ve seen parts of Davis’s city and campus I never would have ventured to, like the STEM facilities

and the ARC. On managing staff, I’ve met some of the best friends I could have asked for, like Sophie, my partner in crime, Anjini and Margo, the dynamic duo that set a great example for us, and two amazingly curious, funny and kind Editorial Boards. While sending Slack messages and Doodle Polls definitely does feel like work, spending upwards of five hours a week at Ed Board deciding what contexts we should use “where” in and whether “which” is a better-fitting transition never does. I feel so grateful for getting to serve on the Editorial Board for the past two years, and can honestly say that I don’t think there’s

ever been a meeting I’ve dreaded going to or left feeling unhappy. And while I am certainly going to miss long days in the office, even when there’s no working light and the alarm system we don’t have is beeping every 10 seconds, I know that The Aggie is in very capable hands. I also know that even though I won’t get to write for The Aggie for much longer, I’ll stay in love with what it has given me long after I graduate. Let me explain. My favorite part of journalism is getting to hear and tell stories about what people love, what makes them tick so to speak. Whether it’s climate activism or tea, stand-up comedy or bike repairs, when someone is really passionate about

Board, thank you. Since you are reading this (and you made it this far), I’m guessing you are most likely my parents, my friends or a random Davis student or community member who happened to glance through the senior column spread on their way to the humor section. (Or perhaps you’re a diehard Aggie reader. If so, you’re the best, thank you!)

If you are the former, thank you for supporting me over the years. Thank you to my parents for teaching me how to

a thing, it shows, and it allows the rest of us to understand that thing, and maybe more importantly, that person, in a different way.

For a while, I think I thought about writing for The Aggie as the way I would find my thing. Like, one day, I would be writing a story and hear about an oncampus club or someone’s super niche major (like my amazing Freshman year roommate who literally studied global diseases during the whole pandemic) and decide, ‘here it is!’” But as time went on, no matter how much I enjoyed learning from my sources and listening to their stories, that moment never came. I’m a bit embarrassed to say, it wasn’t

navigate tough situations and approach new challenges with compassion and for always encouraging me to explore my passions. To my friends, thank you for helping me come into myself as an adult and giving me some of the best memories I could have asked for in college.

And if you are a stranger, simply reading this out of interest, thank you for supporting The Aggie. Whether you read our paper every week or just grab a copy every once in a while, you are why we, as student journalists, do what we do. I have worked over my four years at The Aggie to serve you, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have done so.

Sophie Dewees is The California Aggie’s current editor-in-chief. She joined The Aggie in January 2020 as a features staff writer and took on the role of assistant features editor in the spring of that same year. The following two years, she sat on the Editorial Board, first as the features editor and then the campus news editor. She became editor-in-chief in June 2022. She is graduating with highest honors with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a double minor in Spanish and history.

until earlier this year when I took an introductory fiction writing class that I really realized that storytelling was that thing for me — and that I had said ‘this is it’ a looooong time ago. When I wandered down to the basement of Lower Freeborn on my first Friday of college ever, desperately looking for something to be a part of on a huge campus — and for the office where my interview was, because Lower Freeborn is a maze I’m still not sure I can navigate — I was asked to write a fake news story about the new prices of Unitrans bus fares. This probably sounds like the most boring assignment ever, but I loved it.

Since then, I’ve gotten to tell some objectively more exciting stories — like those of teachers navigating online and hybrid learning during the pandemic, the all-female Friday crew at the Bike Barn and a group of researchers and study participants involved in a a first-ofits-kind male contraceptive trial — but I’ll always remember writing about that $0.10 increase of the L line fare (which is thankfully entirely fictional by the way).

I’m known for being long-winded, so I think it’s best if I end this column before it gets completely off course, but not before a few final thanks. Thank you, The Aggie, for all of the boring and exciting stories, the amazing friendships and all of the experiences along the way. Even though my time writing and editing these stories might be done, I always said I would do this work for free, so be careful Sonora, you might catch me lurking in Google Drive for years to come.

Katie DeBenedetti is The California Aggie’s current managing editor. She joined The Aggie in September 2019 as a features staff writer and took on the role of assistant features editor in the spring of 2021. In June of 2021, she joined the Editorial Board as the features editor. She became the managing editor in June 2022. She is graduating with honors with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a double minor in environmental policy analysis and planning and professional writing.

“

I’ve been able to grow and learn how to be bold through my work and those I’ve worked with at The Aggie.

Sophie Dewees, editor-in-chief. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

Katie DeBenedetti, managing editor. (Kayla / Bruckman)

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

Celebrating the gift of the present

On reconciling a time gone too fast and living by the words of a wise turtle

The big squeeze

Lessons from a transfer student short on time

BY OWEN RUDERMAN

Finding time to sit down to write this has been difficult. You might think that’s because we’re dangerously close to finals, or because the senioritis is really kicking in. And while those are both true, the actual reason I’ve put off my final column is because I dread saying goodbye.

I fondly remember transferring to UC Davis — the shocking heat, the thrill of a new town, the seemingly endless possibilities at my fingertips. And yet, I was acutely aware that my stay in Davis was limited; I only had two years instead of four. I knew that I would have to use my time wisely.

And even though I had no form of journalistic experience, I was determined to get involved. And what a wise decision getting involved with The Aggie ended up being. I started out as a humble opinion writer (despite wanting to be a humorist or write on the features desk), and fell in love with writing hot takes and silly columns. Then I took the leap and applied for opinion editor — a responsibility I wasn’t sure I could handle. But I’m so glad I took the chance because the people I’ve met, the work I’ve done and the experience I’ve gained are invaluable to me. This is it for me now — journalism, for better or worse. During my time at Davis, I’ve generated my fair share of regrets. I regret not getting more involved in club sports. I regret starting some papers too late, I regret taking certain classes. But

I’ve never regretted any of my time at The Aggie. Every moment has been so incredibly loaded with purpose. I guess what I’m trying to say is squeeze every last drop of opportunity out of your time here in Davis. Take those chances, apply for those positions,

state your opinion loud and clear and trust your gut. Even if you have no idea what you’re doing, you can take comfort in the fact that everything will work itself out. Trust me. I’ve been there.

I’m not one to get overly sappy and, as you know, I dread saying goodbye. The good news is, I don’t have to. Graduation isn’t the end — it’s really the beginning. So instead of saying goodbye, I’ll say hello. Hello, degree. Hello, people who made this possible. Hello, next opinion editor. Hello, friends I made along the way. Hello, bright future. Hello, everyone who loves me. Hello, Davis. And hello, reader. I look forward to getting to spend my time, wisely, with you.

Owen Ruderman is The California Aggie’s current opinion editor. He transferred to UC Davis from Santa Rosa Junior College in 2021. He joined The Aggie in November of the same year as an opinion columnist, and then became opinion editor the year after. He is graduating with highest honors with a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in both Creative Writing and Literature, and a minor in Professional Writing.

BY BRANDON NGUYEN

On my car rides home from high school, my dad often told me that time is valuable, to which I would respond with an indifferent “Okay,” thinking it was just another one of his urges to spontaneously provide me with his words of wisdom to fill the silence in traffic. I had an arbitrary sense of time, being flooded with the usual assignment deadlines, application due dates, daily alarm rings to wake me up for school. And the list goes on. Surges of anxiety would plague my mind thinking about the uncertain future as well as feelings of regret when thinking about atoning my past. Naturally, two questions often came to my mind, and they were always “What should I do?” or “What could I have done differently?”

Now an undergraduate senior suddenly preparing to graduate in a few weeks, that question has surfaced yet again. Upon reflection, my time here at UC Davis has taught me more about time than I could have imagined. For one, the unforeseen pandemic abruptly ended my freshman year in the dorms, suddenly forcing me to pack up and socially detach from the new friends I had just made. Then, the world seemed like it had to race against the clock. Time, for me, felt like an uncertain state of stasis, stagnant yet unforgivably still moving. Classes quickly adapted to Zoom, and I, like billions of others, was stuck at home.

It was at this time I started a scrappy online blog on my own website, documenting my days as they passed by. I didn’t think too much of my writing, imperfect at best and a means for my introverted self to decompress after my dense STEM classes each day.

Then, in January during my sophomore year, I decided to apply for a volunteer position for the science and technology desk at The Aggie, hoping that my writing could be more impactful by having an audience of readers. I had no background experience in journalism, but little did I know that I would learn and grow alongside the best group of mentors, friends and fellow writers that I could ever ask for over the next two-and-a-half years.

And I know that a pre-med biochemistry and molecular biology student working in journalism at a student-run newspaper may seem like an

anomaly or unusual pairing (I know this because my friends have commented on how different journalism is from medicine), but trust me when I say that I would not have done it differently.

I remember my initial experiences at The Aggie being virtual, seeing unfamiliar faces on Zoom and worrying that I would not be able to fit in. But shoutout to Maddie, the science and tech editor when I first joined the desk, for being so welcoming and responsive to all of us writers with any troubling questions we might have had. I remember having difficulty with setting up one of my interviews, and you walked me through my doubts and questions no matter how small or nonsensical I thought they were. You reassured me that things would turn out fine, and they did. But the confidence and encouragement that I received from you is something I could not thank you enough for.

From then, the skills I have honed as a journalist, networking with and interviewing researchers and healthcare workers, discussing difficult scientific topics, meeting weekly hard deadlines and condensing complex information into a comprehensible page-and-a-half article for readers, are irreplaceable. While I never thought I would step foot into journalism, the field has allowed me to still pursue my passions in science, responsibly reporting on new technology, new findings from research and clinical trials or new transformative stories of patients, all of which were entrusted to me in my writing.

But aside from the cool skills I can now take with me for a lifetime, this school year has been especially special, being able to meet and be a part of the “Big Dawgs” of The Aggie. To my fellow Editorial Board members, Sophie, Katie, Sonora, Chris, Levi, Clara, Owen and Marlon, thank you for making Ed Board meetings something for me to always look forward to, a place for me to learn and laugh. While I may have been the quiet one, I really do appreciate all of you for helping me stay in the present and to step back for a little bit from whatever was going on in my life.

Time spent in journalism with all of you taught me to keep up with the present and to live in the moment. While it has flown by fast, I’ve learned that the present is how we make memories of a past that will live on for eternity and is the base from which a future may unfold. Without it, there would be no past or future. That is why the present is a present, as a wise turtle once said, before disappearing behind a random peach blossom tree. So to celebrate the gift of the present, I say cheers to The Aggie — to all the wonderful people I have had the privilege to meet and to learn from. And of course, cheers to a time valuably spent.

Brandon Nguyen is The California Aggie’s current science and technology editor. He joined The Aggie in winter 2021 as a science and technology staff writer. In winter of 2022, he took on the role of assistant science and technology editor, serving in that role until becoming the science and technology editor in June 2022. He is graduating with highest honors with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology.

Most of the three years I spent at community college was not spent wisely. I was floundering around, trying desperately to find what it was I cared about, what it was I wanted to do. I tried everything under the sun — computer science, design, education, philosophy, chemistry. Even when I finally settled on English and transferred to UC Davis, I wasn’t fully sold. But it was The Aggie that changed that. When I arrived in Davis, I immediately started searching for a way to get involved in journalism. Something I’m unable to put my finger on just drew me in that direction. Maybe it was all that time I spent reading terrible articles and thinking, “I could do better.” Maybe I just thought I had something to say. Either way, journalism interested me.

So much meaning packed inside a cookie

To every ending, there is always a new beginning

BY MARLON ROLON

It was a cold January night in Reno, Nevada — my family and I were eating dinner inside Panda Express after a long three-hour drive to the Silver State. At that moment, I was feeling unsettled, as I felt that my life had no direction. After all, I was working a dead-end job in Berkeley after putting my education on hold; after two years in community college, I elected to take a year off to make some sort of income to help pay the bills (as they say, money doesn’t grow on trees). A year turned into three years and by this point, I felt stuck, I had to pay rent and it’s not like I could just quit my job. Life doesn’t work that way, or does it?

Anyway, as I was sitting on the slightly uncomfortable red chair inside Panda Express, I came across those traditional fortune cookies that come with your meal. I for one don’t like the taste of them but my curiosity to find out what sort of message awaited me led me to break the stale cookie in half — or perhaps I was just desperate for a glimmer of hope.

Suddenly, I felt paralyzed by the resonating message that read “Avoid unchallenging occupations — they waste your talents.” Was this simple message conveyed by the universe during a time when I desperately needed some guidance? I took the message to heart, and from this point on, I learned to understand

the unspoken language of the universe which completely changed the trajectory of my life.

Three months later, the pandemic hit and put the world on pause. Classes became remote and as bad as it sounds, it couldn’t have happened at a better time. This meant that I could continue working while taking online classes that I needed to transfer. I took this as another sign from the universe, it was now or never. I registered at Contra Costa City College in the summer of 2020 and completed the required courses that I needed by the end of the fall semester (I had no idea that I had two semesters left of CC). Finally, the dominos were starting to fall into place and for the first time in a long time, I felt a jubilant relief.

A few months went by and I finally heard back from the colleges that I applied to. Ultimately, UC Davis wasn’t a difficult choice to make. The proximity provided comfort, the rural town fit perfectly with my personality and best of all, I could pursue sports journalism through The Aggie. As soon as I arrived in Davis, I received an email for an interview from one of the nicest people I’ve ever met (this still rings true today), Margo Rosenbaum, who at the time was the managing editor. A few days later I was hired as a staff writer on the sports desk and was quickly

introduced to the sports editor — the most knowledgeable sports enthusiast I’ve ever come across, Omar Novarro. I had no trouble settling in due to my previous journalism experience — I was a sports photographer, photo editor and writer at Chabot College. That experience definitely gave me the confidence to excel as a student journalist. However, The Aggie would challenge me in ways that I never imagined. Naturally, I’m a shy, quiet person and interviewing coaches and student-athletes in Division 1 programs was an entirely new experience, but I loved it. Being under the bright lights of UC Davis Health Stadium during the cold nights in the fall made me feel at home, where I belonged.

“

While it makes me sad to know that I’m nearing the end of my journey here at UC Davis, I also feel accomplished because I poured my heart and soul into every article. I can honestly look back and say I left it all on the field, I have no regrets during my time here.

Through The Aggie, I rediscovered my love for storytelling after it was dormant for so many years. Covering sports and creating narratives about games and players fulfilled me and filled a void that I so deeply desired. As the year went on, my passion grew by each game and each article and before I knew it, my first academic year in Davis (and my third year as a transfer student) was coming to an end. Before the year closed though, I transitioned into the assistant editor role, which was short-lived.

In my senior year, I took on the role and responsibilities of the sports editor. I embraced the new challenges that came attached to that role, and if I’m being honest it was overwhelming at first. But I kept in mind the subliminal message inside that fortune cookie that led me to Davis — I had to face a new challenge to test my talents. Then again, Omar left some big shoes to fill, and I questioned whether I could fit into them.

But aside from the cool skills I can now take with me for a lifetime, this school year has been especially special, being able to meet and be a part of the “Big Dawgs” of The Aggie.

Brandon Nguyen, science editor. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

Marlon Rolon, sports editor. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

Owen Ruderman, opinion editor. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

“

I guess what I’m trying to say is squeeze every last drop of opportunity out of your time here in Davis. Take those chances, apply for those positions, state your opinion loud and clear and trust your gut.

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

Who gives a f*** about an Oxford Comma?

I do, Vampire Weekend. I do.

BY ANNE THISELTON-DYER

Here’s a secret they won’t tell you: When you are hired as a copy editor at The Aggie, they blindfold you, lead you into the darkened office basement and force you to swear a blood oath agreeing to join the anti-Oxford comma movement. At that moment, you must abandon whatever high-minded ideals you’ve held about clarifying the meaning of serialized lists by separating the last two items. You must leave what you thought you knew behind in the name of consistency, journalistic integrity and AP Style, plunging into the deep, dark and comma-less unknown. Be warned – after they took me, nothing was the same.

As just exhibited, I have struggled to find profound reflective merit in my college experience, instead resorting to humor. For one, I’m not even a senior; I’m just graduating early. Also, my job on The Aggie primarily consisted of copy editing, which I loved enough to do for three years, but for some crazy reason, I am struggling to romanticize. What could possibly be nostalgic about spending three years converting your brain into a portable writing style guide? you may ask. Also, Anne, why were you so worked up about the Oxford comma a minute ago? (Sit tight, we’ll get to that.) Really, though, I think the main reason I am struggling is because it is much, much easier to joke than to say goodbye.

Through the crazy, terrifying and world-altering events that have happened since I received my UC Davis acceptance letter, The Aggie has been my home base. I was immediately drawn toward working on a newspaper in college. As

a die-hard member of my high school publication, student journalism was familiar to me in a time when both my life and the world were wrought with radical change; I slowly settled into the routine of editing The Aggie while attending meetings on Zoom from my childhood bedroom.

Later that year, when Sabine and I were promoted to copy chiefs, I entered what would grow into an amazing partnership. We had the privilege of leading an even more amazing copy desk.

To our copy readers, thank you for your constant dedication and expertise. And

Sabine, if you’re reading this, thank you for always having my back. I’m going to miss our super awkward interviews and distribution antics.

From “Thursday Thoughts” to tabling to Woodstocks Trivia, along with other things that don’t start with a T, The Aggie has come to define my time at UC Davis, and I am so incredibly grateful to have been a part of it. It grounded me through a college experience that I can only compare to a joyride in a washing machine set to maximum spin. I apologized a lot. I dropped school for a quarter. I dyed my hair to mark the

passage of time. I failed some classes. I made friends and lost them. I wrote a poem that a girl in my workshop described as “baller.” But through it all, I could depend on The Aggie. So really, I could lecture on the importance of accuracy in journalism, or of upholding correct names and pronouns and fact-checking. I could

reminisce about desk meetings, parties and the friends I made. But all I can think about is the Oxford comma. In typical 18-year-old nerd fashion, I was so mad during training when current copy chiefs Kaitlyn and Alex told us that The Aggie didn’t use it. I planned to stay upset, to rise to the top just to bring this nonsense to an end. I would

Finding joy through gratitude

Embracing each moment as it is and trusting the path ahead

BY SABINE LLOYD

Sabine Lloyd, copy chief. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

Dear Davis,

Thank you for allowing me to find the flaws and be okay with them. Thank you for giving me room to learn, forgive and trust. Thank you for showing me that no matter where you are or who you are surrounded by, you have yourself to lean on. Coming into UC Davis, I was uncertain about the path I’d take and overwhelmed with the course ahead of me. Now, graduating, I still feel uncertain but at peace with the ambiguity.

I’ve learned that it’s all about the moments in between. Sometimes, it’s important to just remember how lovely it was to be able to bike to class (speaking from the perspective of someone who’s had a bad concussion), get a vanilla latte from the campus Peet’s or chat with someone at an Aggie meeting ;).

Being an Aggie has shown me that every day is an opportunity to feel joy. As a college student, or a student in general, it feels almost unavoidable to experience stress. During the times when schoolwork felt never-ending, the winter quarter blues kicked in or things just felt heavy, I was faced with the decision that I think represents one we all make on a daily basis. “Will I wait for tomorrow to start working toward my goals or get up today and make the smallest step forward?”

Remembering the privilege of receiving an education, the privilege of being able to move my body and the privilege of being able to work toward future goals has always helped me persist. Even during the most difficult moments, when my wall was plastered in chemistry sticky notes, or I struggled to analyze middle English or I felt flooded by

anxiety, I tried to remember that the difficult moments make the beautiful moments hold such great meaning.

I’ve learned that perfection will never exist. No matter how hard I try to check all the boxes of whatever ideal image I hold of myself in whatever roles I take on, there will always be things to work on. I’ve learned that trying my best, in all domains, is all I can do to feel content. I strive to improve, learn and grow, and being a Davis student has taught me to give myself credit for what I have achieved and not overanalyze what I haven’t.

Being a UC Davis student has not only offered me the chance to self-reflect and do internal work but also to branch out and make new connections. Specifically, being a part of The California Aggie has provided me with the opportunity to meet so many interesting individuals who share a similar passion of spreading awareness to the Davis community and building a sense of togetherness. Through Thursday tabling, quarterly distribution around campus and countless “Thursday Thoughts,” I have been able to connect with some of the most kind, hardworking individuals I’ve met at UC Davis. And through helping lead a team of copyreaders, I have learned valuable leadership skills that I know will help me in the future. I want to give a special thank you to Anne for fixing Oxford commas and em dashes with me! Also, I would like to thank the wonderful copy editors on the copy desk! We couldn’t do it without you! Finally, I want to thank the amazing Editor-in-Chief Sophie and Managing Editor Katie for keeping The California Aggie afloat and fostering such a strong sense of community! Farewell Davis! :) I feel grateful to have learned here!

Sincerely, Sabine Sabine

become Editor-in-Chief for this reason and this reason only! But not much went according to plan. There was so much to learn, and like all good things, it was over before I knew it.

And now that I’m (nearly) released from my contract, I’ll say it: thank you to my spectacular, talented, and hardworking friends at The Aggie. The Oxford Comma lives!!!

Anne Thiselton-Dyer is one of The California Aggie’s current Copy Chiefs. She joined The Aggie in October 2020 as a copy reader. The following year in June 2021, she took on the role of Copy Chief, where she has remained ever since. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in economics.

A Farewell to The Aggie but not to photography

My eyes have snapped the best photos

BY KAYLA BRUCKMAN

My time at the Aggie has consisted of 98% picture taking and about 2% caption writing. In other words, this is my small writing debut for The California Aggie!

Although I write countless essays as a sociology major, this column was embarrassingly hard to start. My time at The Aggie has consisted of 98% picture taking and about 2% caption writing. In other words, this is my small writing debut for The California Aggie!

I remember back in 2019 as a freshman being told over and over that I needed to join The California Aggie because of my love for photojournalism. Well, instead I joined a sorority and got a tad busy — good busy though! Then COVID-19 hit and I felt especially lost and disassociated with my college. It was not until 2021, during my junior year, that I realized my time at Davis was not as gratifying as it could be. Although nothing could have prepared me or any of us for the terrible effect the pandemic had on undergraduate life, I realized I needed to be involved in Davis the same way I was during high school.

At my high school, I thrived in yearbook throughout all four years. I began as a photographer, moved to photography director and then took on the role of Editor-in-Chief. My experience brought me closer to the students, faculty and campus as a whole. Davis is nevertheless an even bigger and more daunting university that I felt compelled to explore. I wanted to feel the satisfaction of taking pictures again and insert myself into corners of campus that I would never have stepped on.

The two years I spent at The California Aggie were everything and more. I met kind and brilliant peers who inspired me greatly. I got to lead a team of talented photographers whose

“pictures were so good I questioned my position sometimes. With all that said, The California Aggie patched the hole that I needed fixed in order to find true fulfillment in my college experience. I can now leave UC Davis knowing that I have left a small but gratifying mark on campus. As the photo director for The California Aggie, I realized that cameras can only capture so much. No matter how many phone and camera pictures I have, the memories and emotions will never fully be realized in the photos. In other words, I have learned to put my camera down at times, embrace the beauty away from the lens, and watch as the world unfolds around me. Life should not be lived by watching it solely through a camera lens. So my one word of advice is to go to that concert, fly to Hawaii and graduate from UC Davis, but only take a few special pictures or videos. Your eyes will be your best lens and capture the power of life, as well as true memories, so use them! As I enter the real world, I will carry myself high and embrace all the leadership skills and knowledge that The California Aggie and UC Davis have taught me.

Kayla Bruckman is The California Aggie’s current photo director. She joined The Aggie in October 2021 as a photographer. The following year, she joined the managing staff as the photo director in June 2022. She is graduating with honors with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in human development.

From “Thursday Thoughts” to tabling to Woodstocks Trivia, along with other things that don’t start with a T, The Aggie has come to define my time at UC Davis, and I am so incredibly grateful to have been a part of it.

Kayla Bruckman, photo director. (Christine Minarik / Aggie)

Anne Thiselton-Dyer, copy chief. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

I’ve learned that trying my best, in all domains, is all I can do to feel content. I strive to improve, learn and grow, and being a Davis student has taught me to give myself credit for what I have achieved and not overanalyze what I haven’t.

“

Finding my purpose in eight months

Science writing is the future

BY LILLY ACKERMAN

The gift of storytelling and the power of words

La lengua no tiene hueso, pero corta lo más grueso

BY DANIELA DULA MEJIA

When I was younger, my mom would tell me cuentos (fairy tales) to help me fall asleep. My family is from Honduras in Central America, and my mom’s stories always centered around our homeland.

It felt like I was being transported to another world when she told me her stories. I loved to hear them growing up because they made me feel connected to my culture and my family.

When I transferred from community college to UC Davis in 2020, I did not expect that I would become a storyteller myself. In all honesty, I aspired to be a lawyer, a professional truth seeker, not a writer.

During what I thought would be my last quarter at Davis, I took an American political thought class as part of my major coursework. I was also questioning what I wanted to do with my life after college and if law school was my path. In that class, we read works from historical figures all throughout American history, but most importantly, we read from contemporary author James Baldwin.

Baldwin was a Black gay author from the civil rights era. He had this way of writing that transported me into his world and made me see things through his lens, just like my mom’s stories did when I was a kid. I was so inspired by his style of writing.

literary journey. Just as they connected me to their worlds through their stories, I have had the honor to do the same for readers in Davis.

The stories I have been able to report on have been life-changing experiences. I had the chance to meet civil rights activists like Bobby Seale and report on anti-fascism in Davis (in the face of actual fascists) and the mental health crisis occurring throughout the UC system. While my time is coming to an

end at UC Davis, I leave with a sense of fulfillment that I would not have otherwise had if I did not work at The Aggie. Thank you to the Davis community for your kindness and support these past years and for sharing your stories with me.

Daniela Dula Mejia joined the features desk as a staff writer in February 2023. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science — public service.

Why did I wait until I was a senior to start writing for The Aggie?

I ask myself that a lot lately, even though I already know the answer. Long story short, it came down to the pandemic, anxiety and a lack of confidence in myself. I try not to beat myself up over it since it’s not like I can turn back time.

I keep asking myself, though, because I can’t believe how much my experience as a staff writer has done for me since just last October, and I wish I could have had more time.

I always wanted to put myself out there more on campus, especially postCOVID after spending a year and a half behind a Zoom camera. I also knew that I liked to write. When I finally found it within myself to take the plunge and apply for The Aggie, writing for the science desk was a no-brainer, as it aligned well with my ecology, evolution and biodiversity major and my general

“passions.

I was overjoyed to hear that I was hired and had earned a spot on the science desk. I could combine my enjoyment of writing with scientific topics I am interested in while also earning internship units for the professional writing minor I’d been working toward. I felt like things were falling into place. There was just one problem: suddenly I was a journalist! I had zero experience with journalism before coming to The Aggie, so I had to find my footing right away. I learned a lot in a very short time as I produced my first few articles; namely, how to navigate the article process from start to finish but also how to overcome the anxiety that followed me to the job. Before I knew it, I had a routine that would get me through the rest of fall pretty seamlessly and carry over into my winter and spring quarters.

LILLYACKERMAN on 12

Reading Baldwin’s work made me realize that writing was something I wanted to do. I didn’t know how I was going to start writing or even what I would write, but I decided that I was going to stay another year to figure it out.

A year after taking that class, I am just starting to figure it out. Working at The California Aggie has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had at Davis. I realize that I am not super great about keeping up with deadlines (sorry Levi for being chronically late), but with each article, I get a little bit better. I learned through a lot of trial and error the best and worst ways to do an interview. Most importantly, I was given an opportunity to do something that I love, which is storytelling.

In many ways, journalism is a form of truth seeking. We have a moral obligation to report facts, but also to tell a story.

My mom and James Baldwin might not have a lot in common, but they both inspired me to also take my readers on a

The path meant for you is not without its challenges

A guide to the lessons my unexpected college journey taught me

BY JADE BELL

I couldn’t do it anymore. I stared at the screen full of computer science word problems in agony. This would be the third time I cried this week. I researched on forums; I spent hours being tutored. Nothing assuaged the pit in my stomach, never mind not helping my GPA. I was stuck and tired of it.

That was during my junior year of college when I was declared as an astrophysics major. It was a time when many life lessons about what it means to listen to your gut became most clear — and I hope they can be of help to anyone reading this today.

So, here are a couple of lessons I’ve learned as a soon-to-be college grad:

It’s Never Too Late To Change Your Mind

I think it’s drilled into us as students

to always get the “right” answer. Sure, this can be helpful and necessary in fields like mathematics or science, but even then, trial and error is a must. Having this way of thinking made me paralyzed and unsure of myself that I missed out on doing things I loved, like writing. I stayed in my STEM major for three years, but I could not ignore the call within.

I made the decision then to change my major to English to see what happened. It’s one of the best decisions

I’ve made in my life so far. I was forced to reconnect with my younger self, a five-year-old me who enjoyed scribbling in her Winnie the Pooh notepad.

Not only did my grades improve dramatically, but my spirit did too.

I felt so happy and passionate about my classes. I’ve learned a variety of interesting literary topics from studying the works of Stephen Sondheim to learning about the historical significance of common themes like the “marriage plot” in 19th and 20th-century literature. I was on a roll. In the summer before my fifth year of college, I took another leap of faith — I applied to be a staff writer for The California Aggie. I only had so much time left before my college career ended, so I decided it was time to jump in and keep going toward what made me feel excited. I went through the application and interview process, and I remember saying that just being able to explore my love for writing in some capacity would make me happy. I received an offer for the volunteer staff position that May, about a year ago today.

The Path Meant for You Is Not

Without Its Challenges

I’ve learned that once you accept

Jade Bell, staff writer. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

your path, certain expectations must be let go of. Changing from a physics major to an English major meant that it took me five years to graduate instead of four. I had to grieve the fact that I would no longer be graduating from my original class.

In addition, since I was on academic probation for a couple of quarters, I could not officially declare a new major until my academic standing was upto-par. So before making the official major switch, I had to take a chance and enroll in English courses, and hope that I liked them.

I’m grateful that my path took some unconventional turns because it helped me to appreciate the entirety of my college experience and learn some life lessons along the way. I have made many friends and connections who have helped support me in this process, along with my family members. It all turned out fine in the end.

For the Next Chapter…

I encourage all of you — freshmen and upperclassmen alike — to keep trying new things. Your perspective will continue to change and you’ll get a better idea of who you are and who you want to become. With that, I say goodbye and good luck!

From a fellow senior (now alumni), Jade Bell

Jade Bell is a staff writer for The California Aggie. She joined The Aggie in June 2022, as a volunteer staff writer, went on a brief hiatus to focus solely on academics, and returned to write as a staff writer on the campus news desk in March 2023. She is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English.

Daniela Dula Mejia, staff writer. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

“

In many ways, journalism is a form of truth seeking. We have a moral obligation to report facts, but also to tell a story.

“

I’m grateful that my path took some unconventional turns because it helped me to appreciate the entirety of my college experience and learn some life lessons along the way.

Lilly Ackerman, staff writer. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

I know that I am leaving UC Davis as a self-assured, confident woman, in large part thanks to putting myself out there at The Aggie.

FAMILY RECIPE

BY OWEN RUDERMAN

My grandfather has roots in Czechoslovakia. His father immigrated from there years and years ago for reasons that have been lost to time. One of the still life paintings that hangs in my grandfather’s house, one of the still lifes that he has painted, is of these horseshoe cookies that have been passed down through the generations. In the painting, he has included the ingredients needed to make the recipe; flour, walnuts, egg wash, as well as the final product and the ancient piece of paper containing the original recipe.

Every year around Christmas time, my two sisters and me go over to my grandparents house, put on an apron, and spend hours making over 300 of the family cookies. We knead huge globs of dough, grind bags and bags of walnuts, and paint the cookies with the egg wash before throwing batch after batch of them into the oven. I usually get sick from eating too much of the ground up walnut mash that we use as the filling.

When the cookies are all baked, we put them into what looks like hundreds of metal tins lined with parchment paper and send them off to nearly every single person in my grandparents address book. My grandfather, as he’s gotten older,

STOP SIGNS

BY SONORA SLATER

has become more and more interested in his own mortality. When he was my age, he was a big surfer. He would go out to the beach and surf for hours and hours every day. These days, he’s constantly visiting the hospital to get the skin cancer cut out of his face and arms. When he was my age, he was in a band. He would play the bass real loud in venues all around Los Angeles. These days, he wears hearing aids.

For a while, he was writing a book about his life. He signed up on some website that gives you prompts that get you thinking about your past.

If you finish a certain amount of prompts, they publish the book for you and send copies to you and your family. To my knowledge, he never completed that.

A few years back, he gave me and both my sisters our own meat grinders; the same kind he uses to grind the walnuts for the walnut filling in the horseshoe cookies. He also printed out and then (as a safeguard against time and accidents) laminated his handwritten recipe for the cookies. The grinder and the laminated recipe sits, unused, in the bottom of the cabinets in my kitchen. I figure the first time I use it will be when he’s gone.

INTIMACY CHOKEHOLD

BY ANA BACH

Today I choose to pause my fear of touch

Hoping palms meet without resist to warmth

I wish that they would get the pulsing hunch

And most of all to keep our hands up north

It is difficult to see others pleased

Why do I face a spar to feel the same?

Trusting that I will never be intrigued

MARLONROLON

FROM PAGE 9

The best advice Omar gave me was

“Just trust yourself.” It took some time for me to develop that inner trust, but when I did, I realized that I didn’t have to be like my previous editor, I could be myself. As time went on, I adapted to my responsibilities and I couldn’t be happier to work in this position. Working with so many talented writers during Editorial Board meetings, reading and editing the amazing content produced by The Aggie’s writers at the sports desk and all the incredible stories from my peers on the editorial staff helped me become a better writer.

My two years at The Aggie have been amazing and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world. I’m extremely grateful for the opportunities this job has provided, from covering collegiate sports to professional sports and from interviewing talented college athletes to some of my favorite professional soccer players. These experiences wouldn’t have been possible without The Aggie, but that’s not even the best part. Meeting new people and establishing friendships is what I’ll take away as the best experience. It is true what they say about Davis, the nicest people you’ll ever meet go here.

Looking back at my time here, I realize how much I’m going to miss this town. From the lingering smell of cows that I’ve grown used to, to the warm weather, beautiful campus, the small cozy office located on 116 A Street, the long studying sessions that I spent at Shields Library during my first year, the many nights I spent inside The University Union Credit Center and UC Davis Health Stadium, to the many afternoons I spent at La Rue Field. If I had a choice to do it all over again, I wouldn’t think twice about it, I’d choose UC Davis in a heartbeat. They say home is where the heart is and this place holds a special place in my heart.

I dislike goodbyes because goodbye means we won’t ever see each other again and that’s not true so with that being said, I’ll stick to see you later. Omar, thank you for everything you ever did for me during my first year in Davis. Without your guidance, I would have never been able to manage through interviews or even write articles. You instilled the confidence in me to trust myself and to trust the process.

Whenever I had a question or needed help you were always kind enough to point me in the right direction, even ‘to this day you remain a great friend. From poking fun at each other about our favorite teams’ results

something about four-way stop signs. something about them — makes me think maybe I’ll be friends with her again someday. we have to decide it’s worth it, to follow a rule, or that we don’t care enough to break it that it benefits us, or that it benefits someone we care about and we have to trust that others will decide the same.

but we don’t trust anyone anymore I’d explain, but you get it we don’t trust them... yet we trust they’ll wait their turn (at a four-way stop sign). don’t we?

and — we trust they were paying attention, that they know who got there first, and second, and if we got there at the same time, well, more or less, they’ll wave us through, or we’ll wave them through, and one of us will sacrifice five seconds of our time to the other and that might not seem like much but our time is precious and we hoard it. but at a stop sign we give it away it’s self preservation, of course, and just society functioning like a society (a rare occurrence) it’s silly, I know, and there’s probably

IN COMPASSION LIES OUR STRENGTH

BY ANTHONY ZAMMIKIEL

Shall rainbows fall on a barren land once more?

Shall the blood on the black branch flow once more?

Shall the miscarriages of justice enslave once more?

O, I do so declare, to our dear most Lady Justice, how can you be o’so blind?

Blind to the fires that burn deep within the soul of those forever damned to the depths of hatred?

Blind to the waters poisoned, the running rapids which roam and wander?

Blind to the Earth tortured and tormented, twisted by iron and steel, subjugated to starve its children the fruits of their labor?

Blind to all those who must stand and shout from the mountains that tower above all, “ We are human beings, and whatever you do to the least of thee will forever be a testament within time eternal!

not this much meaning buried beneath car etiquette (no matter how many lyrics taylor swift has written about traffic lights) but I don’t know.

she might not want to talk to me, but she’d give me her time, at a fourway stop sign, if we got to the same place at the same time, and somehow that feels like maybe we’re all just human and I’m getting coffee with her on sunday and sometimes things can be fixed instead of broken How dare you defile the perfections of the heavens pure, how dare you usurp all that we are and will become! Look upon your marble halls, your venerated fortresses, your eternal thrones, and the tombs nestled within your own very hearts! IN

But what if that leads me to being seized?

Struggling to find the words to explain No person to find comfort in this sea

The ones I hold close understand my pain

If only my mind would just let me be

I still have yet to meet my fear of touch

Begging to break out from what is too much

to just talking about sports, you’ve been someone I can always count on.

Thank you to everyone on the Editorial Board, aka the grammar patrol.

Sophie, Katie, Sonora, Clara (Fischer), Owen, Levi, Chris, and Brandon, I’ve enjoyed working with all of you so much. Each of you is an extremely talented writer but an even better person and friend. Our time together was short-lived but I truly appreciate all the time we spent together in Ed Board meetings that came with all the laughs during our editing sessions. I especially love how united we were as a collective and how much we supported one another.

Lastly, to my lifelong best friend

Martiza from back home, thank you for playing an instrumental role in my life.

You’ve inspired me to reach for the stars and imprinted my mind with the belief that dreams don’t just happen while you’re asleep, they happen while you’re awake if you act on them. I’ll never forget the first time I came home from Davis after failing my first exam, I felt like it was the end of the world and you were the first one there for support. Before every exam, you would text me “Good luck, you’ll do great,” and those times when I was overwhelmed you would push me to stay up all night to write my articles and essays and study. These little things meant the world to me. Thank you, because I couldn’t have done this without you.

While it makes me sad to know that I’m nearing the end of my journey here at UC Davis, I also feel accomplished because I poured my heart and soul into every article. I can honestly look back and say I left it all on the field, I have no regrets during my time here. It’s been quite the journey to get to this point, but even when times looked bleak, I worked hard to climb over the hurdles that life presented along the way. After two short years, I’ll walk away knowing how to understand the unspoken language of the universe which has guided me throughout my time here: life works in mysterious ways sometimes.

In my case, who would’ve known that a simple innocent cookie would change my life forever? Just because I’m done writing this article doesn’t mean I’m done writing my story. Just flip the page and read my next chapter, wherever that may be.

Marlon Rolon is The California Aggie’s current sports editor. He joined The Aggie in September 2021 as a sports staff writer and took on the role of assistant sports editor in the spring 2022, serving in that role until becoming sports editor in June of that same year. He is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communication and a minor in Chicana/ Chicano Studies.

LILLYACKERMAN

FROM PAGE 11

In these last eight months, I have grown so much both personally and professionally. I have realized how rewarding it is to be able to spread the word about research, clinical trials and other breakthroughs that are happening every day at UC Davis. In this role, I have learned about so many scientific fields that I never would have heard of before this job.

More importantly, I have discovered the significance of science communication — specifically, bridging the gap between researchers and the public. After all, in order to make any impact on a community-wide level,

SPIRITUALITY

FROM PAGE 14

“Last quarter, I took a first-year seminar, it’s like a meditation seminar, so once a week we would get together and do readings on different topics like compassion or love […] and then you have the guided practice of the techniques that they were teaching as well,” Jerusalem said. She recommends that students who are able should take advantage of these courses. For those that qualify, there are a couple of first-year seminar courses offered throughout the school year that center around mindfulness and personal spirituality. A few of these include “Sufism: The Art and Science of Self-Knowledge,” and “Introduction to Buddhist Meditation.”

Although some UC Davis students find that the campus community is lacking in outlets for conscious awareness, groups focused on presence and reflection have arisen on other college campuses. Chloe Yip, Aiden Guzman, Lior Kishinevsky, Sean Hinson and Eva Pfefferkorn are the co-founders of Mindfulness Club at UC Santa Barbara, which amassed over 300 members on their first day of signups, and now has over 800 Instagram followers on their account @ucsbmindfulnessclub. Their mission aims to bring “mindful practices into the UCSB community to serve as a catalyst for healing, presence and peace,” according to their Shoreline profile, UCSB’s organization platform. With weekly events such as outdoor

science needs to be communicated in a way that can be understood by everyone, or else it can be cast aside and ignored. In my work, I’ve realized I want to make sure that science can’t be ignored.

On a personal level, I have also transformed completely as a person since the fall. I’ve overcome the social anxiety of holding interviews and talking to professors, doctors and other professionals. I’ve learned about a huge variety of research going on in scientific fields that I didn’t even know existed before. Most importantly, I have become a more confident writer and person, which I will carry with me into the future.

I don’t exactly know what the future holds for me, but I am content with that fact. I know that I am leaving UC Davis as a self-assured, confident woman, in large part thanks to putting myself

yoga, meditations and weekend nature retreats, Mindfulness Club has opened doors for hundreds of UCSB students to find a deeper connection with likeminded individuals.

“I was pretty lonely, so in my interest in mindfulness and meditation, I feel like people didn’t share my values and my commitment to trying to find myself,” Guzman, who is a fourth-year philosophy major, said. “Everyone does that in their own way, but without the club I would have never found such a community of people understanding me.”

The five co-founders all agree that their mission would be beneficial for any college community.

“The concept of mindfulness and intentional love and conscious creation, of something greater than one’s self, is sort of lost through the cracks [in college culture],” Kishinevsky, a second-year psychological and brain sciences major at UC Santa Barbara, said. “But just with our breath, and our minds, we can create things way more powerful.”

The immediate and growing success of the club indicates that many students want to explore the more immaterial aspects of life. But many members lacked the support prior to the group’s formation.

“The sheer amount of events we have […] whether it’s breathwork, or more recently inviting guest speakers, or really just inviting people to the idea [of] developing their own practice […] and helping people find it themselves — that’s huge.” Hinson, a fourth-year biology major, said. “To say that it’s needed here is an understatement. To say it’s been well received — I can confidently say that.”

out there at The Aggie. I don’t think my seventeen-year-old self would have ever expected the college experience I ended up having, but I think she’d be proud of what I was able to overcome and accomplish. All I know for sure is that I want to continue writing about science, in whatever way that may be, because sharing science with the public in an understandable way has proven to be rewarding for me and critical for all of our futures.

Lilly Ackerman is a staff writer on the science and technology desk at The California Aggie. She joined in October of 2022 and has enjoyed contributing science articles each week throughout her senior year. She is graduating with honors with a Bachelor of Science in evolution, ecology, and biodiversity and a minor in professional writing.

Whether it be tapping into longestablished faiths to exploring nontraditional forms of spirituality, students are seekers. Finding meaning and purpose is an integral part of the college experience. Fourth-year chemistry major Lucian Sonsuz reflects back on his experience at UC Davis as someone who incorporates mindfulness into his everyday life.

“I’ve had some great teachers that have set aside some time in class to do stretching or breathing exercises,” Sonsuz said. “These are just the beginning of being able to practice some form of self reflection and mindfulness, but also directing students’ attention to analyze where they are in life and where they want to be, and not just themselves, but also how they interact with others.”

Sonsuz suggests an addition to the UC Davis Principles of Community, the goal-oriented statement written to embody the university’s ideals on inclusion and equity.

“In order to truly address a lot of the division among people is to ask them to look within themselves, because selfawareness and self reflection are honestly the best way to understand yourself,” Sonsuz said. “In order to create a community of strong individuals, you need to create a strong individual first. Including some sort of principle that aims to create a stronger individual through self-understanding and selfawareness is one of the best ways to create a community that not only works well with each other, but also works well within themselves.”

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

Sudoku

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row, column and 3x3 square must contain each digit. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

Crossword

Community organization combats food insecurity while fostering social interaction

The Davis Night Market shares food with the community every weekday in Central Park

BY MIA BALTIERRA features@theaggie.org

Founded in May 2019, the Davis Night Market is an operation powered by the community, for the community. Volunteers gather at C and Fourth Streets in downtown Davis from 9-11 p.m. each weeknight to share food with the public.

Volunteer Emmet Stephenson, a fourth-year global disease biology major, said the organization focuses on helping those who need food through a mutualaid process.

“One big thing about Night Market is we are trying to destigmatize getting food,” Stephenson said. “So we aren’t a food bank. We aren’t trying to hand food out. We are all sharing it as a community, which is very akin to the principle of mutual aid, where we are all helping each other.”

Each evening, volunteers pick up food from local businesses that are willing to help and have a surplus of food.

“One of our big goals is to reduce food waste,” Stephenson said. “So everything we serve at Night Market is stuff that is going to go to the trash otherwise. It’s perfectly good food, so that’s why we go by restaurants as they are closing at the end of the day and we pick up the stuff that they don’t sell.”

According to the Night Market website, some partners include Sophia’s Thai Kitchen, Panera Bread, Village Bakery and Noah’s Bagels. It has also partnered with the ASUCD Pantry on

campus and occasionally receives food from residence halls’ dining commons.

“I describe the Night Market as the vulture of the food system — I say that in the best way possible,” volunteer Max Morgan said. “If someone needs a way to move food, they will let us know and the way we move food is creating this warm, welcoming environment that makes people want to come.”

Donated food is sometimes dropped off, but most often, volunteers pick up items by bike or car, bring them back to an area of tables in Central Park and lay them out for anyone to take, according to third-year biotechnology major and volunteer Ian Matthews.

“I think there’s a misconception,” Matthews said. “When I say we hand out free food, people are like, ‘Oh, you’re giving it purely to homeless people.’ Nope. It’s [for] the unhoused, but it’s also definitely [for] students or people in the area.”

At the end of each evening, leftovers are placed in Freedges across town, which provides people even more opportunities to access free food and the Night Market an additional way to reduce food waste.

Another key theme of the market is social interaction. The market was founded on the principles of helping people by providing them with the opportunity to receive food without judgment and engage in real human connection.

“The basic idea was, as much as food insecurity is a food problem, one of the more fundamental problems is the stigma around food insecurity,”

Students seek mindfulness and spiritual connection on the UC Davis campus

Many practice mindfulness on their own,

Morgan said. “So anything we can do to try to create this warm, welcoming atmosphere will help people who are maybe too afraid to go to other places to come here.”

Stephenson said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, interaction with the community is more important than ever, and the desire for that connection is what led him to join the Market.

“I wanted to get involved in that community because we had just been only meeting people through computers for two years,” Stephenson said, “And I was like, ‘I want to get involved in the community — plug into [the] Davisspecific community.’”

Matthews said that in his time with the Market, he’s picked up and dispersed food but also just shared in conversation with attendees.

“You just kind of end up talking to community members who need to talk to someone,” Matthews said. “You become the community’s listening ear.” The ideals of friendliness and community-building extend to the organizational structure of the Market as well, as it is self-described as “nonhierarchical.” Every volunteer helps in different ways, but there are no distinct roles. Moreover, volunteers are also invited to share in food, according to Morgan.

“A lot of the people who volunteer here are also food insecure, but the beauty of our system is they don’t have to ‘out’ themselves as food insecure,” Morgan said. “Everyone is encouraged to take food for that reason, too.”

NIGHTMARKET on 2

are looking for community centered around spirituality

City of Davis and California Raptor Center work together to protect Great Horned Owlets

The city is partnering with the California Raptor Center to help return a baby owl to its nest

BY ALMA CULVERWELL city@theaggie.org

The city and California Raptor Center recently helped with the renesting of an injured Great Horned Owlet who was displaced from its family by installing a wicker basket to serve as a more stable nest and new habitat for the owls in the area. The city of Davis has been assisting with the rehabilitation of bird species in collaboration with the California Raptor Center for the past 20 years. They assist with a wide range of species from Red-Tailed Hawks to Burrowing Owls.

Julie Cotton, the Raptor Center’s operations supervisor, described the rehabilitation process for the owlet that the center recently helped back to safety.

“This particular owlet was found by a local family along the Putah Creek bike path in South Davis,” Cotton said. “It appeared to have taken a fall from its

nest before it was ready to fledge. That is, before it was ready to leave the nest and fly. The family realized the owlet could be injured and was in danger in an area with so much foot traffic, so they brought it to the California Raptor Center.”

Cotton talked about the importance of owlets being raised by their parents and the process of reuniting them.

“We found that the owlet was uninjured, and our goal immediately became to reunite it with its family,” Cotton said. “Years of our own experiences and the experiences of other wildlife rehabilitators have shown that Great Horned Owl chicks do best when raised by their own parents or foster parents of the same species. One way to reunite them is to ‘renest’ them, which means returning them to their original nest or providing a substitute nest nearby.”

OWLBASKETS on 2

BY LILI ARMSTRONG features@theaggie.org

In the pursuit of knowledge and personal growth, college campuses have long been revered as hubs for intellectual exploration and self-discovery. However, some students say there is a lack of spiritual spaces on the UC Davis campus. Despite its significance in the lives of many, a lack of access to personal and communal mindfulness practices is not lost on Davis students.

Spirituality, regardless of religious affiliation, encompasses the exploration of one’s values, meaning, purpose and connection to something greater than oneself. It plays a crucial role in many individuals’ lives, providing a sense of fulfillment, resilience and emotional well-being.

Shreya Voonna, a second-year biological systems engineering major, does not affiliate herself with any particular religion but considers herself spiritual in many ways. For Voonna, spirituality feels slightly out of reach at UC Davis, especially in relation to mental health services.

“I think that [UC Davis] gives a lot of importance to mental health resources, but that’s after a mental health calamity happens,” Voonna said. “I don’t think that’s very sustainable, or a good way of maintaining a good mental health status for a lot of people. It’s also nice when the college community introduces meditation or other natural ways of stimulation. I think the university should have resources around campus that help students naturally resolve issues from the beginning.”

UC Davis administration provides various mental health services such as answering common questions about anxiety, depression and how to talk to a licensed professional in case of emergency on the Aggie Mental Health website. But according to Voona, UC Davis resources lack “spiritual selfcare,” which is defined as “activities that deepen your ability to integrate meaning and purpose in life,” such as meditation, communing with nature and attending religious services — but without specific integration with the university environment.

Voonna is not the only student at UC Davis who would welcome increased spiritual wellness awareness in the campus community. Lisa Jerusalem, a post-grad exchange student from Germany studying viticulture and enology at UC Davis, was on the lookout for a higher connection within the campus community when she first arrived in the fall.

“It was mostly about finding accountability for my own practice to some degree, as well as finding people with similar interests to me,” Jerusalem said. “In general, I’ve found it’s easier for me to meditate in a group setting and not having to worry about setting your own alarm and all that. Also, I like the chance to reflect.”

Despite her dissatisfaction with the lack of mindfulness-based clubs at UC Davis, Jerusalem found other options around campus that allowed her to connect.

SPIRITUALITY on 15

UC Davis Marching Band members reflect on how the organization has impacted their college experiences

Students say that the marching band has helped them adjust to college and make friends

BY AMBER WARNKE features@theaggie.org

The UC Davis Marching Band, known as the “Spirit of the Davis Campus,” performs at on- and offcampus events throughout the year with over 175 members. The Aggie Band was formed in 1929 and was restructured in 2019 from being a student-led organization to being directed by the university, which gives students creative and social opportunities to engage with the school.

David Elgourt, a first-year computer engineering major, appreciates the ways being a member of the Aggie Band has helped him adjust to moving to college.

“It was kind of scary at first being like, ‘Oh I don’t have any friends,’ but being in band forces you to meet new

people and become friends [...] within your specific instrument section,” Elgourt said.

Rebecca Newman, a secondyear English and cinema and digital media double major, also said that the marching band has helped with making friends.

“Beyond just playing my instrument, the band is a really nice social circle,” Newman said. “It’s full of a lot of people that are always willing to talk to you and help you out. It’s also a really strong support group. I trust the people in my section more than most people on this Earth.”

Newman especially appreciates the marching band retreat, a week-long intensive series of meetings for band members to hone their skills that takes place during orientation.

“It’s like band camp,” Newman said.

ALEJANDRO VARGAS / AGGIE

“It’s a week before classes actually start, and you kind of learn the basics of being in the band and meet all the people that you’re going to be spending your time with.”

First-year sustainable environmental design major Sam Feigelman said that retreat can be tiring, but that it’s a good way to get introduced to Davis.

“That was a wild week,” Feigelman said. “I came into Davis [...] juggling orientation and this [retreat], and I barely [knew] anybody, and I’m just meeting my roommates, so that whole week there was a lot going on, but it was really fun just doing band eight hours a day. That’s a highlight for a lot of kids. You’re meeting all these new people, you’re doing a lot of work on your instrument, but you’re also having a lot of fun doing it.”

but

The Davis Night Market recovers food from around Davis and then redistributes it to the community. (The Davis Night Market / Courtesy)

AGGIE FILE

SCIENCE AND TECH

UC Davis launches E. coli vaccine trial

The clinical trial aims to reduce the occurrence of Invasive E. coli disease in patients who are 60 and older

BY KATIE HELLMAN science@theaggie..org

According to a recent study by UC Davis, a vaccine trial has been launched to prevent Invasive Escherichia coli disease (IED), caused by a bacterial disease commonly known as E. coli. The efficacy of the new ExPEC9V vaccine will be assessed in patients 60 years and older, which is the age group that is associated the most strongly with complications from urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are almost always a result of E. coli bacteria infections.

“The E. coli bacteria may spread from the urinary tract to the bloodstream and other locations in the body and cause an infection called an invasive [also known as systemic] infection,” the study reads. “Although IED affects all ages, adults aged 60 years and older have an increased risk of developing IED. The risk of developing an IED is further increased in elderly, who had a UTI in the past.” The clinical trial is double-blind and placebo-controlled, which means that both the researchers and the participants won’t know who is receiving the actual vaccine and who is receiving the placebo. This prevents bias when the researchers are collecting data from the clinical trial.

According to a 2021 study, the University of Texas at Dallas developed a vaccine specifically designed to prevent UTIs that showed promising results in mice. Nicole De Nisco, an assistant professor of biological sciences at UT Dallas, discussed the necessity of this medical advancement in an article on the university’s website.

“Vaccination as a therapeutic route for recurrent UTIs is being explored because antibiotics aren’t working anymore,” De Nisco said. “Patients are losing their bladders to save their lives because the bacteria cannot be killed by antibiotics or because of an extreme allergy to antibiotics, which is more common in the older population than people may realize.”

Almost 20,000 participants aged 60 or older who have had a UTI in the past two years will take part in the UC Davis study, and they will be monitored

by researchers over the course of three years. The main goals of the clinical trial include testing the vaccine’s safety and efficacy in addition to its potential side effects and how long its immunity will last.

Stuart Cohen, chief of infectious diseases at UC Davis and principal investigator of the study, commented on the effects of E. coli bacteria and the implications of the vaccine.

“This vaccine targets nine strains of E. coli,” Cohen said. “E. coli, as many people know, is part of the normal bacteria in the intestines, but it can also cause sepsis and it is the most common cause of urinary tract infections.”

Sepsis is a severe condition of blood poisoning that arises from an uncontrolled infection. In this case, if an E. coli infection spreads throughout the bloodstream and is left untreated,

it can lead to symptoms like fatigue, vomiting, nausea and a low fever. The ExPEC9V vaccine, which will ideally prevent these issues from occurring, belongs to a group of conjugate vaccines characterized by their use of bacteria to generate an immune response. This specific vaccine will trigger the body’s immune system to produce antibodies, which will then neutralize any potential E. coli strains.

“Once the whole immune cascade of sepsis starts, it’s hard to stop,” Cohen said. “The mortality rate is still high even with aggressive antibiotics, and even the people who survive may have organ damage. The idea [of the vaccine] is to get this immune response going so people either don’t get an infection or they end up getting a modified infection.”

Study researching lung cancer in non-smoking

Asian American females expands

to Sacramento

The expansion enables greater inclusivity and opportunity to uncover the mystery behind the disease disparity in this population

BY LILLY ACKERMAN science@theaggie..org

The Female Asian Never Smoker (FANS) study, led by researchers at UC Davis, UC San Francisco and Stanford University, is expanding from the Bay Area to Sacramento. The study is ongoing and looks to determine factors that contribute to lung cancer in Asian American females who have never smoked.

The researchers are looking to raise awareness about the burden of lung cancer for Asian American females who have never smoked and encourage volunteers to participate to help understand this complex issue.

Moon Chen Jr., one of the study’s principal investigators and the associate director for community outreach and engagement at the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, said that the most prominent cancer disparity for Asian Americans is lung cancer among females with no smoking history.

A recent study found that 57% of Asian American females with lung cancer have never smoked — compared to an average of around 15% for all other females with lung cancer.

“Lung cancer typically is associated with smoking, but for Asian American women, never smoking is the predominant mode,” Chen said. “In fact, the majority of lung cancer cases among Asian Americans are among never-smoking Asian women.”

Chen noted that not only is it unusual that more non-smoking Asian American females are getting lung cancer than those who do smoke, but also that Asian Americans in general are the top U.S. demographic group to experience more predisposed to cancer as the leading cause of death as opposed to heart disease.

The FANS study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is the first and largest study comparing cases of lung cancer in Asian American females who have never smoked with a control population made up of other Asian American females in similar age ranges who don’t have cancer. The study uses questionnaire data, saliva and blood testing from participants.

Iona Cheng, a principal investigator for the study and professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF, said that previous work in understanding this cancer has used studies from Asia. The FANS study is an opportunity to look at Asian American females specifically to better understand

the disease burdening this demographic.

“This will be the first study conducted in the U.S. of Asian American females, and that is really a unique opportunity for us to evaluate those risk factors that we learned from our studies in Asia,” Cheng said. “[We are] able to investigate them here among Asian American populations, and also identify other risk factors that we think could be candidates to place Asian American women at a higher risk of disease.”

Gomez, Ph.D., and Moon Chen, Jr., Ph.D., the three principle investigators of the study (Moon Chen Jr., P.hD / Courtesy)

Scarlett Lin Gomez, a principal investigator and professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at UCSF, noted that expanding into the Sacramento area will allow the study to be more inclusive of the variety of ethnicities that make up the Asian American population in California.

“I think that the expansion really provides an important opportunity to be more inclusive of Asian American populations who live in different parts of California,” Gomez said. “We know

that the composition of the Asian American population is different in the Bay Area than it is in the Sacramento area.”

Ultimately, the researchers hope to understand what factors lead to this high rate of cancer in Asian American females, and expansion into Sacramento will help enable the study to reach more participants and raise further awareness of this disparity. “I’m thrilled because it gives us an opportunity to expand and reap the

benefits of this in our population,” Chen said. “It means that we are able to contribute to the knowledge base of what’s involved in understanding this disease.”

The researchers are encouraging all eligible females to volunteer as participants, which will help contribute to the understanding of the enigmatic and devastating burden of lung cancer among never-smoking Asian American females.

NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE

SPORTS

WOMEN’S WATER POLO

Women’s water polo season recap

The Aggies’ up-and-down season ended in a last-second loss against UC San Diego in the Big West Conference quarterfinals

BY ELOISE ENGS sports@theaggie.org

The UC Davis women’s water polo team wrapped up their 2023 season at the Big West Conference Tournament on April 28. They finished with an overall record of 15-14 with a national ranking of 11th. Their preseason games played a lot into their competitiveness going into the regular season. Let’s recap their progress throughout the season game by game. Their first tournament of the season was the Cal Cup hosted by UC Berkeley, where the Aggies competed in four games against a variety of non-conference opponents. Tournaments like these are set up to prepare teams for the regular season.

The Aggies went 1-3 in the Cal Cup; they lost to Fresno State (12-14), UCLA (7-21) and UC Berkeley (714) but defeated San Jose State (12-8). Tournament leaders for these games were fifth-year whole set Noëlle Wijnbelt, third-year utility Grace Pelkey, thirdyear utility Tess Fundter and fifth-year attacker Alyssa Lengtat.

The Aggies’ next invitational was hosted by UC San Diego in La Jolla, California. They played a total of four games across the three-day Triton Invite, where they performed better than at the Cal Cup, going 2-2. In close games, the Aggies lost to UC San Diego (7-8) and UC Santa Barbara (5-6). They beat Cal State Northridge (15-6) and San Diego State (11-5).

water polo season comes to a close after

The Aggies hosted their first invitational in Davis on Feb. 11-12. They went 2-2 again, losing to Cal (5-15) and Stanford (3-16) and defeating San Jose State (9-7) and California Baptist University (11-9).

They also attended two more minor preseason tournaments hosted in Fresno and Irvine.

“These invitationals really helped us

get prepared for the main part of the season because we got the opportunity to discover our team’s strengths and weaknesses,” first-year attacker Sarah Ellis-Keeler said. “Not only did we get to improve as a team, but we got a good lay of the ground for the teams we played against. We got a good gauge of how our most competitive teams play so we can have a better understanding of how to

BASKETBALL FOOTBALL

NBA Finals preview: Denver Nuggets versus Miami Heat

Two of the biggest stars in the NBA, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jokic, will go head-to-head in the series

beat them next time around.”

UC Davis’s first regular season game was on the road in Northridge on March 10 against CSUN. They won this game (11-7) and strung together a three-game win streak by winning the next two games to start off the regular season.

“I remember feeling confident in the first few games of the season because of all the practice we did in preseason,” first-year

center Liberty Massman said. “Because I am a freshman, I think those preseason games really helped us at the beginning of the season because I did not know how my new teammates played, and that gave me the experience I needed playing with my new team and at the collegiate level.”

WWATERPOLOSEASON

REVIEW on 7

The NFL offseason awards

NFL teams acknowledged for their offseason efforts in free agency and the draft

BY MEGAN JOSEPH sports@theaggie.org

The NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat opened last Thursday night. The Nuggets took game one with a dominant display of offense and strong defense that held Jimmy Butler, who averaged 22.9 points per game in the regular season and 27.6 in the postseason so far, to just 13 points. In game two, the Heat impressively responded with a win to tie the series at 1-1. Being down by eight going into the fourth quarter, the Heat couldn’t miss from the three-point line and walked out of Denver with high hopes. With five games remaining, the first team to win four games wins the coveted NBA Championship.

Since 2003, the NBA playoffs have been set up to a total of four rounds. Each round is organized in a best-ofseven-games series format. This means each round will be between four and seven games, depending on how many games each team wins. Teams are seeded within their conferences, the Western and Eastern Conferences. The top six seeded teams in each conference automatically qualify for the playoffs and the remaining two spots are decided by a play-in tournament. The teams that are seeded seventh through 10th in the regular season in their conferences compete in the tournament.

How they got here

The Nuggets, representing the Western Conference, displayed an outstanding performance this season, which explains why they are the favored team to win the championship. In the first round of the playoffs, the Nuggets defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games. In the second round, they defeated the Phoenix Suns in six games. In the Western Conference semi-finals, the Nuggets swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games. Their performance in the postseason put the Nuggets in the NBA Finals for the first time in history, in large part thanks to their two-time MVP, Nikola Jokić.

Jokić has put up impressive stats all season and in the postseason with his impressive performances against the Suns and the Lakers. In the first game

of the finals, Jokić joined Lebron James as the second player in the last 25 years that put up 10 points and have 10 assists in the first half of an NBA Finals game. In the upcoming games, it is safe to say that fans are waiting on the edge of their seats to see what Jokić has in store.

The road to the finals wasn’t as easy and clean for the opposing team, the Miami Heat. As depicted by Fox News and many other media outlets, the Heat is considered to be huge underdogs in the finals. Miami became the second team in NBA history to reach the NBA Finals as an eighth-seeded team. Led by Jimmy (“Buckets”) Butler, the Heat fought through every round’s challenges to earn their spot in the finals. The Heat started off the play-in tournament on the wrong foot, as they lost to the Atlanta Hawks in a close game. However, the Heat rebounded with a win against the Chicago Bulls that placed them as the No. 8 seed in their conference, meaning they would get the last remaining spot to play in the playoffs. From there, the Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks in five games and the New York Knicks in six games. Everything was looking good for the Heat until their toughest series came against the Boston Celtics.

Miami started the series 3-0, needing just one win to advance to the NBA Finals. However, the Celtics turned things around to win three straight games, tying the series 3-3. With both teams needing the final win to advance to the finals, game seven was “winner takes all.” The Celtics put up a strong defensive performance against the Heat’s offense, but ultimately, the Heat was too hot for the Celtics and won with a final score of 103-84. Butler had an impressive game, putting up 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists, earning him the 2023 Eastern Conference finals MVP title for his efforts.

Overall, the remaining games of the finals should be a powerful showdown between two of the best teams in the NBA this season. Though one team has been considered the favorite as the No. 1 seed, while the other is a huge underdog as the No. 8 seed, this series should be one of the most entertaining finals in a long time, with arguably two of the best players in the NBA today going headto-head. Game three will take place on Wednesday, June 7, in Miami.

BY PATRICK FIGUEROA sports@theaggie.org

The offseason marks the beginning of the 2023-2024 NFL season. The two most notable events during the offseason are the free agency period and the NFL Draft, both of which offer teams opportunities to add players to their rosters and improve from last season. Some teams in particular have taken advantage of the opportunity to improve their roster and future outlook.

Best free-agency signings

With the desire to improve their secondary, the Detroit Lions signed versatile cornerback Cameron Sutton to a three-year deal worth $33 million. During his time as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sutton played as an outside cornerback and slot cornerback, accumulating eight interceptions and 38 passes defended. The 49ers, who already have a defensive line that includes a Defensive Player of the Year Award winner, edge rusher Nick Bosa, signed former Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to a four-year, $84-million contract. In the past two seasons, Hargrave has 18.5 sacks and was a Pro Bowler. He will bolster the 49ers’ interior defensive line, which struggled at times last season.

Best draft classes

The Pittsburgh Steelers front office shined, drafting players that filled their roster’s biggest gaps. They drafted University of Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones, who possesses rare agility and movement skills at a monstrous size. They also got University of Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr., whose father had 60 sacks as an edge rusher for the Steelers from 1999 to 2006. University of Wisconsin defensive tackle Keeanu Benton, University of Georgia tight end Darnell Washington and linebacker Nick Herbig were other notable picks who will likely contribute to the team as well.

The 2022-2023 NFC champs, the Eagles, continued to add to an already talented roster. They drafted two talented pass rushers from the University of Georgia in the first

round, defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith. They also added depth to their offensive line and secondary, drafting University of Alabama offensive lineman Tyler Steen and University of Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo. Continuing on the trend of drafting former bulldogs, the team also traded for a University of Georgia alum, Lions’ running back D’Andre Swift.

Most improved offense

The Baltimore Ravens’ offense was in jeopardy when quarterback Lamar Jackson appeared to be discontent with contract negotiations. The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, granting him the ability to negotiate with other teams as a free agent. However, Jackson and the Ravens resolved their conflicts, and Jackson agreed to a five-year contract worth $260 million, allowing the Ravens to keep the 2019 Most Valuable Player Award winner and current top quarterback.

The Ravens also added new players to bolster their offense. They hired the University of Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new offensive coordinator. Monken and the Bulldogs won back-to-back National Championships in the previous two college football seasons and averaged over 500 yards per game in 2022. The team also signed free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers in the first round.

Most improved defense

The Seattle Seahawks’ defense ranked among the bottom of the league in total yards allowed during the 2022 season. While rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen emerged as a franchise cornerback, there were not many other players who stood out. With an opportunity to compete for a division title this upcoming season, the Seahawks decided to add some talent to their defense during the offseason.

One of the Seahawks’ most notable defensive acquisitions was drafting physical cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick in the draft. They also signed stud defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones to

a three-year, $51.5-million contract, reinforcing their defensive line. The Seahawks are also bringing back some previous players. They re-signed linebacker Bobby Wagner after releasing him in the previous offseason, and safety Jamal Adams will also return this year after suffering a season-ending injury in the first game of last season.

Most underrated acquisitions

The Dallas Cowboys had two glaring weaknesses on their roster last season: an explosive second wide receiver to pair with receiver CeeDee Lamb and a second cornerback to pair with cornerback Trevon Diggs. They decided to address these areas of weakness through the veteran trade market.

First, they traded their 2023 fifthround pick to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the former Defensive Player of the Year Award winner, cornerback Stephon Gilmore. Then, they traded their other 2023 fifth-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for six-time 1,000yard wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Trading for reliable veteran players paid dividends for other teams in the past, and the Cowboys will hope for the same.

The Arizona Cardinals are also amid a rebuild, hiring Eagles’ Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon as their new head coach and Titans’ Director of Player Personnel Monti Ossenfort as their general manager this offseason. With several holes on their roster, the Cardinals would make several trades in the draft to acquire more draft capital, including a trade with the Texans to acquire multiple first- and second-round picks. In the 2024 NFL Draft, they will have six picks in the first three rounds to replenish their roster.

The NFL offseason is nearly complete and all teams’ mandatory minicamps are slated to begin in June. Teams laid their foundations and fans got a glimpse of their expectations for the upcoming regular season during the draft and free agency period. Now, with summer quickly approaching, players will get back to work in preparation for another exciting NFL season.

UC Davis women’s

their final Big West games. (Courtesy of UC Davis Athletics / Leroy Yau)

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