October 13, 2016

the California Aggie

SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915

VOLUME 135, ISSUE 4 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016

LUCY KNOWLES / AGGIE

How we booked Chance the Rapper: a look inside Entertainment Council EC TACKLES TICKETING CONFUSION, RACIAL TENSION WHILE BOOKING MAJOR HIP-HOP ARTIST

BY A L LY OVE R BAY arts@theaggie.org

the applications and sees that the qualifications meet their standards and such.”

Having undergone the hiring process himself, Carmichael offered his ideal qualities for a new chief, which include being caring, compassionate and demonstrating the philosophy of true “community policing.”

According to Kelsey McDonald, student assistant to the chief at the UC Davis Police Department, this concept of “community policing” is one of Carmichael’s defining characteristics.

“Having a strong sense of community I think is number one [when looking for a new chief ],” McDonald said. “Something that I loved about Chief Carmichael was that the community was his priority — both the safety of the community and interacting with the community.”

Garcia believes the most important quality a university police chief should possess is good communication.

“We need to have interaction between our community, which is mostly students, and make sure we are open to having those conversations about what good police work

“EC’s back!” laughed Jessie Wong, fourth-year psychology major and promotions director of ASUCD Entertainment Council (EC). “Even though we never really left.”

Wong makes a point. For years, EC has drawn ire from students for the lack of big-name artists performing on campus. And, in comparison to past acts like Drake, Passion Pit and Muse, it’s easy to understand why students feel dissatisfied. However, EC points to recent budget cuts as the reason for their inability to book larger scale artists.

Wong noted, however, the importance of student involvement.

She joined EC in the hopes of bringing back popular acts, and she encourages students to volunteer for EC to make the changes they want to see.

“Instead of just talking about us, join us,” Wong said.

But such an absence of standout performances has only amplified the hype regarding Chance the Rapper’s appearance at the ARC Pavilion on Oct. 30, according to Rachel Myers, EC’s director and fourth-year global disease biology major.

“It was really rewarding to see the reactions of students, especially as someone who knows that we don’t get to bring a lot of artists to Davis. Our budget keeps getting cut, so it’s cool that we [get] to put on shows like this,” Myers said.

The days leading up to the announcement were similarly energetic; EC alluded to the performance by posting a picture of this year’s Outside Lands lineup, declaring that one of those artists would be the headliner for a UC Davis Fall Quarter show. “[It’s] never too hard to hype up the student body,” Wong said.

“All you need to do is really have people guessing.”

But the question of who was to perform quickly transformed into something more investigative: how exactly did EC recruit hip-hop icon Chance the Rapper to our quirky little cowtown?

As it turns out, it had more to do with Chance and his promotion group, Another Planet Entertainment (APE), than it did with UC Davis.

“One of the promoters at APE was a former director of [UC Davis’] EC, and with the budget cuts over the last few years, he was pretty aware that we don’t have as much entertainment coming through as possible,” Myers said.

The actual booking process was more grueling than meets the eye.

POLICE on 5

EC on 10

uc davis police chief resigns, moves to the university of oregon

Jennifer Garcia named interim chief during search for new police chief

BY KENTON GOLDSBY campus@theaggie.org After 14 years at the UC Davis Police Department, UC Davis Police Chief Matthew Carmichael resigned from his position at the end of August in order to move to the University of Oregon. Jennifer Garcia will serve as the interim police chief before a new chief is hired.

“I have some big shoes to fill because of Matt Carmichael,” Garcia said. “I have been at the university for almost 22 years and I am personally dedicated to UC Davis — that’s why I accepted this position even though I knew it would be temporary.”

Garcia has what it takes to be the intermediary between Carmichael and his successor, according to Carmichael himself.

“Chief Garcia is definitely prepared to be your chief,” Carmichael said via e-mail. “She rocked it as a lieutenant and I am confident will do the same as chief [...] Having a police department that understands the needs of our students and applies a true community policing philosophy to how we approach

safety and security on campus was always my goal. Chief Garcia truly understands and adheres to [that] in everything she does.”

Carmichael, who has already begun his new job at the University of Oregon, believes that he can use his experiences from UC Davis to help him move forward in his career.

“My experiences at UC Davis [...] have prepared me to be a better chief and, quite frankly, a better person,” Carmichael said via e-mail. “I had my share of mistakes and when I was successful it was only because of the support of many amazing people on campus. I wish I could send each and every one a thank you card but hopefully they know who they are.”

With Garcia serving only temporarily, the search is already underway permanent chief. “[The] Chief selection processes usually take about six months,” Garcia said. “[The administration has] a search committee — they have a company they hire, basically a head hunter. [The company] does a nationwide search and that company vets through

BRIAN LANDRY / AGGIE

AMAR SHERGILL / COURTESY

GANDHI STATUE IGNITES CONTROVERSY IN DOWNTOWN DAVIS

NEW KINDS OF NEIGHBORS

Protests erupt at statue unveiling on International Day of Non-Violence

Students find alternate housing options in co-ops, animal barns

BY SAMANTHA SOLOMON city@theaggie.org During a weekly excursion into downtown Davis — whether for the farmers market or to get some much-needed shopping — passersby might notice a notable new addition to Central Park: a bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi.

The statue, which showcases Gandhi midstep and covered with a shawl, has garnered significant controversy both before and after the completion of its construction. Proponents of the new addition to Downtown Davis, including Madhavi Sunder, senior associate dean of UC Davis Law School and president of the Davis School Board, commend it as a physical representation of harmony.

“Gandhi is the international symbol for peace and nonviolence,” Sunder said. “The United Nations even decreed Gandhi’s birthday, [Oct. 2], as the International Day of Non-Violence. His face is synonymous with the peace symbol.”

As for its Davis location, Sunder connects Gandhi to Davis’ history as a nonviolent city committed to maintaining a safe and peaceful space for residents.

“In fact, members of the Gandhi Statue for Peace Committee from the Davis community have lived here for decades and were even among the protesters during the Vietnam War stopping trains here in Davis,” Sunder said.

However, leading up to and at the unveiling ceremony of the statue, members of the public spoke out against the installation, citing Gandhi’s past as a reason to keep him from encroaching on the present Davis landscape.

“At a time when scholars in California, at Harvard, in Europe, Africa and India are publishing articles regarding the government of India’s propaganda campaign, which uplifts the bigotry, racism and pedophilia of Gandhi, in order to obscure their own ongoing brutalization of minorities in India, it is very curious that the city of Davis, and in particular, scholars and professors from UC Davis, would chose to ignore the repugnant history of Gandhi and to erect this statue instead,” said Amar Shergill, Sacramento attorney and opponent of the Gandhi statue.

There are some who believe this controversy is largely unwarranted. Sham Goyal, a UC Davis professor who proposed the installation of the statue to the City of Davis, believes that a statue

BY ALLYSO N T S UJ I features@theaggie.org Not many students can say they’ve lived with real-life sheep. Isabel Olaes, a second-year animal science and management major, has become accustomed to waking up to the “baa-ing” of her neighbors.

“I was apprehensive [to live in the sheep barn] because it is the complete opposite [...] of the dorms,” Olaes said. “It’s funny [...] you’re sleeping and you wake up and you can hear baa-ing. It’s fun having sheep as roommates.”

While many UC Davis students move out of the dorms and into off-campus apartments or houses after their first years are over, there are some students who choose alternate places of dwelling, such as the sheep barn located in West Davis.

Olaes lives in the sheep barn with two other roommates, both of whom also care for the sheep.

The three students together are responsible for feeding the 300 sheep in the mornings, putting them away at night and moving them from one pen to another when needed.

According to Olaes, the textbook experience differs greatly from the reality of the work. With

84 pregnant ewes currently occupying the barn, breeding has become an entirely new form of education for Olaes.

“You think it’s easy to stick a tube down a premature lamb’s throat? It’s not.” Olaes said. “This morning we woke up and there were [...] six [newborn] lambs on the ground. You have to take action. You can’t procrastinate with animals, because it’s a life.”

The sheep barn is just one of the alternate living arrangements available for students with interests in animal science — other places, such as the horse barn, dairy barn, feedlot, beef barn, goat barn and swine facility, offer similar housing situations.

The Solar Community Housing Association (SCHA) is an organization that was founded on providing low-income housing for students interested in sustainability and diverse environments.

One branch of SCHA contains the Tri-Cooperatives, which are located on campus near the Segundo Residence Halls.

“We basically want to have people here who can create a safe space, that are interested in doing things that are more sustainable for the Earth and for the campus,” said Scott Bowden, a third-year English major and member of the Pierce House in

GHANDI on 5

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

NICKI PADAR / AGGIE

You can have it all, and more

UC DAVIS COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCE CAMPAIGNS FOR DOUBLE MAJORING

BY AU ST I N C ARRO L L feautu re s@th e a ggi e .o r g

College is a time for exploration — when students can consider all their interests instead of pursuing just one.

However, many students are too afraid to consider studying multiple fields because they don’t understand the benefits.

The “Have it All” campaign of the College of Letters and Science is a program focused on encouraging students to consider double majoring or taking on a minor in a humanities or social science in order to meet the standards of increasingly competitive workplaces.

“We are really trying to encourage students to not think of their education

as just vocational training,” said Milmon Harrison, associate professor of African American and African Studies. “Whatever field you are in, [majoring in another study] can only aid you in [...] what it is hat you do.”

The idea for the campaign came from student testimonials in Harrison’s African American studies class. His students who

ccame from science backgrounds noted that they only took his classes to meet general education (GE) requirements, but that in the end they found a deep interest in the topic.

Harrison hopes the campaign will encourage students that are studying science, engineering or math to broaden their horizons for the work world and to encourage anyone interested in liberal arts to pursue that field.

“Questioning what someone will do with an English literature major is becoming an old-fashioned way of thinking about our education,” Harrison said.

“The world of work is changing so much these days that for most of us we can’t afford to just be a specialist in just our own very narrow field of expertise. It is a very different world now and students are finding that when they have technical backgrounds [and a] background in the liberal arts [...] that it does make them a bit more competitive.”

Another goal of the campaign is to get students to start thinking about double majoring earlier in their academic career.

According to second-year philosophy and neurobiology, physiology and behavior double major Amanda Blake, pursuing both her majors was a choice made based on her current interests and future career. She took her first philosophy class during Fall Quarter of her freshman year.

“[Deciding to double major] was actually kind of on a whim,” Blake said.

“Philosophy 15: [Introduction to] Bioethics [...] is probably the best class I’ve taken at UC Davis. I really enjoyed the content and the class, so I decided to pursue philosophy classes to see if I liked them, and I did. I’ve been taking major requirements ever since.”

Beth Floyd, director of undergraduate education and advising for the College of Letters and Science, said that in the last five years, about 23 percent of graduates in the College of Letters and Science have graduated with two or more majors.

“In our college, Bachelor of Arts degrees don’t require a lot of units on top of GE units,” Floyd said. “Some students don’t decide to [double] it until their junior year when developing a passion [but] they can still graduate on time.”

Floyd highlighted the benefits of double majoring, as it could help students who have a smaller course load fulfill more of the 180-unit graduation requirement and allow students in more intensive majors to fulfill GE requirements.

“It’s a lot easier than people realize — [Philosophy] is only a 52-unit major and it’s filling in those social science and arts and humanities GEs [I] would have to take anyway,” Blake said. “The two majors pretty much fill all my requirements.” DOUBLEMAJOR on PAGE 4

Various grants support Kids’ Farmers Market in Yolo County Schools Yolo Food Bank after-school program provides produce to food-insecure children in schools across the county

BY B IANC A ANT UN E Z ci ty@th e a ggi e .o r g

The Yolo Food Bank (YBF) received various grants from Walmart, Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Community Fund, Genentech Foundation, Sutter Health, Monsanto, PG&E, Sierra Health and Nugget Markets, totaling upwards of $75,000, which will fund Kids’ Farmers Markets (KFM) for the 2016 to 2017 school year.

This pseudo-farmer’s market is held after school once a week, during which the children are given fake money to “purchase” fruits and vegetables from the farmer’s market.

The markets started in 2012 through a similar grant by Walmart; the free pilot-program was held at only one school then. However, the kids farmers markets have grown to serve two preschools and

five elementary schools.

With consistent success and an increase in funding, YBF hopes to eventually expand to all of the 17 schools that qualify for the kids farmers market.

Schools that can join the program must have over 50 percent of students who qualify to receive free or reduced lunch.

There are about 200 to 275 kids at each school, with a total of about 1,000 children.

Jeanée Natov, program coordinator, discussed the mission and goals of KFM for this year: increasing year-round access to fresh fruit and vegetables among low-income Yolo County children, increasing food literacy and physical activity of KFM participants, increasing students’ attitudes and behaviors related to fruit and vegetable intake, expanding KFM to all elementary school sites in Yolo County — in which at least 50 percent of students qualify for the free or re-

duced lunch program — and increasing public awareness of the KFM program.

Stephanie Villegas, director of programs at YBF, is excited to bring the program back for another year of educating even more students.

“It helps kids get exposed to produce they’ve never eaten before and also encourages them to take it home and encourages their families to eat along with them,” Villegas said. “We also do nutrition education at each site through recipe cards and educational programs with the help of interns and nutrition based community organizations.”

YBF gains access to the produce through a program created by California Association of Food Banks called Farm to Family (FTF). FTF works with farmers, ranchers, pickers and shippers to donate produce to food banks. FTF provides basic produce kids are accustomed to

UC Davis ranks in top ten public universities

YOLO FOOD BANK / COURTESY

seeing, like oranges or apples, and varies considerably, depending what time of the year it is.

The children also gain exposure to other foods through the help of various grants the program receives.

Each week, a few kids are able act as vendors behind the food stands, selling produce to their peers. The interns and volunteers ensure that everything operates smoothly, even with the farmers market being predominantly “run” by the kids.

Surprisingly, the kids are often open to trying a variety of fruits and veggies.

The program also plans to incorporate samples of the produce in select recipes

UC Davis mourns loss of Margrit Mondavi Mondavi’s legacy lives on through contributions to Mondavi Center, UC Davis ZHEN LU / AGGIE

CHARLES MIIN / AGGIE

UC Davis in top ten public universities for the U.S. News and World Report and Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings

BY DEM I C AC ERES ca mpu s @ th e a ggi e .o r g

UC Davis ranked tenth in U.S. News & World Report annual rankings of the top public universities in the nation, released on Sept. 12. The university tied with UC San Diego among national public universities and was 44th in a six-way tie among all national universities. On Sept. 28, UC Davis took sixth place in the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Ranking.

According to Ralph J. Hexter, Interim Chancellor of UC Davis, the university high ranking is due to the high level of education it provides students.

“UC Davis is one of the world’s preeminent universities, and we’re proud to be recognized for our leadership in educating the next generation of thinkers, doers and leaders,” Hexter said in a statement for the UC Davis website.

This year, Davis also ranked 28th among undergraduate engineering programs whose highest degree is a doctorate in a four-way tie with Harvard University, The Ohio State University and the University of Southern California. It placed 42nd for best undergraduate education by high school guidance counselors in a seven-way tie with universities such as Fordham University in New York City, Purdue University in West Lafayette and Indiana and Tulane Universities in New Orleans.

UC Davis also remained in the top ten “Cool

Schools” in Sierra Magazine’s ranking of more than 150 of America’s greenest colleges and universities in 2015, coming in at eighth place and making this its fifth appearance in the top ten within the last six years.

It also maintained its place as 85th overall in the QS World University Rankings for 2016-17 and first in the subject of veterinary science. QS rankings are based on six factors which include academic reputation, employer reputation and student-to-faculty ratio.

UC Davis is also among 381 schools in The Princeton Review’s 2017 edition of “Best Colleges” for undergraduate education, putting it in roughly the top 15 percent of the nearly 2,500 four-year colleges in the United States.

Academics is the main reason for each school’s ranking on the list, but it also considers surveys in which students rate everything from financial aid to on-campus food. UC Davis earned a seventh place ranking for “best health services” and 40th for “green colleges.”

Earlier in the year, UC Davis was also recognized

by Washington Monthly magazine as a top-10 national university based on contributions to the “public good” in rankings published in its September to October issue, coming in 10th place out of of 303 national universities, public and private.

RANKINGS on PAGE 5

to try at the market.

“We are implementing a lot more nutrition education in the program,” Notov said. “We are also taking UC Davis interns that are nutrition or public health majors.”

The interns help promote the produce and educate the students about the fruits and vegetables. Jennifer Tong, a fourthyear nutrition in public health major, has interned with KFM since last summer.

She enjoys working with the kids and teaching them about food nutrition.

“It’s a cool thing because we’re teaching them to be able choose and pick nutritious examples of things they can have [...] at home,” Tong said.

BY LINDSAY FLOYD ca m pus @theaggie . org

UC Davis felt a tremendous loss with the passing of Margrit Biever Mondavi on Sept. 2.

“Margrit and her husband Robert were early philanthropists at UC Davis,” said Shaun Keister, Vice Chancellor for Development and Alumni Relations. “They got so engaged and believed so much in UC Davis that they continued to give. I really believe there was probably no other advocate in the history of UC Davis who everywhere she went she talked so positively about Davis.”

Margrit and her husband Robert donated over $30 million to UC Davis to help fund the construction of both the The Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Sciences.

Margrit was also an early contributor to the new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art that is set to open Nov. 14.

Margrit was born in Switzerland in 1925, and moved to the United States when her then-husband, Captain Philip Biever, was stationed in South Dakota. After settling in Napa in 1960, Margrit became involved in the wine and arts scene and eventually worked for Robert Mondavi beginning in 1967 at his winery as director of public relations.

In 1969, Margrit founded the now-acclaimed Summer Music Festival, held annually in Napa.

This event has drawn big names in music such as Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald. Margrit and Robert Mondavi wed in 1980. Together they infused Napa and Northern California with several philan

thropic donations that helped promote the arts.

“She was down to earth, she was very elegant and had a wonderful way about her,” said Dr. Don Roth, Executive Director for The Mondavi Center.

“She was always warm to everyone in her sight. She wasn’t up on a pedestal even though she could’ve been because she had done so much in her life.”

Margrit and her husband were huge contributors in making Northern California, in particular Davis, a renowned hub for culture, wine and the arts.

“Their gifts to this campus have no equal and completely changed the access to performing arts for students, Davis and the surrounding region of Northern California,” said Dr. Roger Boulton, professor of viticulture and enology, via e-mail. “The Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science transformed our research and teaching environments and provided the philanthropic leadership that has inspired others to follow.”

Although not a UC Davis alumni, Margrit became heavily involved with campus affairs. She actively participated in fundraising campaigns and frequented shows at the Mondavi Center with UC Davis faculty.

The Mondavis also established scholarships for students in both the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and the College of Letters and Science. Margrit would often hold dinners for these students to talk about their ongoing studies.

“Margrit continued to be very involved with the campus,” Roth said. “She was on the campaign cabinet for the last billion dollar campaign we completed and she herself made a gift to the Manetti Shrem [Museum of Art]. She really felt connected to the students, [and] she regularly came to [The Mondavi Center] for performances.”

Margrit and her generous contributions to UC Davis will leave a legacy for future students to enjoy.

“Margrit’s lasting impact on UC Davis is multifaceted,” Keister said. “She is the matriarch of philanthropy for this campus. She really got this university to think differently about fundraising and she’s inspired a generation of philanthropists.”

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 | 3

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

UC Davis launches 2017-2027 Long Range Development Plan

VENOOS MOSHAYEDI / AGGIE

Rice Cooker closes down Vacaville entrance to I-80 BOMB SQUAD INVESTIGATES ABANDONED RICE COOKER AS POSSIBLE BOMB THREAT

BY JUNO BHARDWAJ-SHAH city@the aggie . org

ALEXA FONTANILLA / AGGIE

Plan includes potential of building student housing on Russell field

BY YVONNE LEON G ca mpu a @ th e a ggi e .o r g

UC Davis held three open houses in the first week of October to ask community members their opinions on the revised 2017 to 2027 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). This revised LRDP is an updated version of the 2017 to 2027 LRDP which was released in August.

The LRDP is a land-use plan and an all-inclusive policy that spots potential enrollment and employment growth while taking into consideration the physical development needed to accommodate these changes. The 2017 to 2027 LRDP update will take into account the sizeable growth in UC Davis’ student, faculty and staff campus population.

Under the 2020 Initiative, the campus expects to have an additional 6,200 potential students and 4,200 employees in future years. Forty percent of those enrolled will be able to live on campus.

Lucas Griffith, a UC Davis campus planner, said the LRDP is more of a guideline than a set-in-stone plan.

“The LRDP does not necessarily compel development or investment — it’s more of a capacity document,” Griffith said. “So that if we do increase enrollment and if we do have the funds, either from the state or from a donor, we could then look to the LRDP and say, ‘Where would we put it?’”

Lucas explained that the biggest factor of the new LRDP is the expected increase in enrollment. Jovita Widjaja, a fourth-year landscape architecture major, voiced her concern that the campus is already overpopulated.

“I feel like our campus is already crowded, people

aren’t getting the classes they need and people are having to stay a fifth-year because they weren’t able to get their classes,” Widjaja said. “So I’m interested in what they will do.”

Under the LRDP, UC Davis will convert two million acres into an academic space which will include two veterinary hospitals and a Chemistry Discovery Complex.

The plan also includes an increase in first-year housing through redeveloping Webster and Emerson Halls in Cuarto as well as the Regan Hall complex in Segundo. The planners want to build student housing on Russell Field, as well as renovate Walker Hall, Cruess Hall and Haring Hall.

“We are at a point in time where the campus has inherited a lot of buildings from the 1950s and the 1960s and those buildings are reaching a breaking point where we need to either renovate and invest a significant amount of money, or we redevelop into something brand new,” Griffith said.

The plan also includes the possibility of using Russell Field for housing. Many community members, including Davis residents and intramural sports players, have expressed their concern with the development of buildings on the field.

Merline Williams, Davis resident, alumni and retired faculty member, hopes that UC Davis will avoid developing housing on Russell Field.

“I see Russell Field as a huge positive for the students of UC Davis to stay healthy and active,” Williams said. “It’s a great positive that counters the negativity [...] At all times of the day if you live in Davis there are kids playing there having fun. Taking away DEVELOPMENT on PAGE 5 NADIA DORIS / AGGIE

Vacaville police received a call at 10 a.m. on Sept. 22 about a suspicious object lying on an underpass leading onto Interstate 80. The call led to the closure of the Mason Street underpass from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., while the Napa County Bomb Squad were called in to investigate. After using a robot to x-ray the object, it was determined to be an abandoned rice cooker.

With recent events in New York, where a pressure cooker was used as a makeshift bomb, suspicion of unidentified objects is an understandable fear. While a rice cooker is distinctly different from a pressure cooker, Lieutenant Matt Lydon at the Vacaville Police Department urged anyone who sees anything suspicious to report it to their local law enforcement agency. “[If ] somebody thought it was suspicious enough to give us a call, then we get out there because we have information and there are pressure cookers that have been used as explosive devices such as in the Boston Marathon. So we always ere on the side of caution,” Lydon said.

“We looked at it from a distance, and then we called the Office of Emergency Service and [...] they sent a bomb squad out.”

In light of attacks across the globe, the importance of reporting suspicious activity has seemed to be increasing. However, many are still unsure of whether to call law enforcement until they are confident that an object could pose a threat.

Sriteja Chavva, a second-year engineering major at UC Davis, emphasized that he would always report something if he thinks it could be a danger to the public. However, he’s unsure of how he would have reacted if he saw the abandoned rice cooker on the road.

Sudoku

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

“I don’t go out of my way to look for suspicious objects, but if there’s things that are very blatant and I’m suspicious, then I’d probably call the authorities,” Chavva said. “If there was a rice cooker in the middle of the road, that’s kind of difficult because I know a lot of the bombs that were detonated were pressure cookers [...] If it was just lying in the middle of the road, I’d see if there was a chance for me to go close to it and see if it looks suspicious, and if it does, I’d call the police.”

Although Lydon admitted that it appeared there was no malintent in the placement of the abandoned rice cooker, it is always best to be wary when dealing with objects such as this.

While Chavva’s willingness to investigate seems admirable, Lydon stressed that one should never approach a suspicious object and should instead call law enforcement, even if it’s unclear whether the object poses a threat to the public.

“If they see something suspicious, do not go up and investigate. They’re supposed to report to us and then we have some specific training […] Do not touch, do not try to manipulate it,” Lydon said. “Any description to the police that would be helpful, a level of detail there so we can pass that along to the bomb squad, so they can make a determination moving forward.”

Shahzeb Khan, a third-year computer science major at UC Davis, pointed out that dismissiveness is never the best policy.

“I would think that someone just threw it away, so I would just not tell the police about it,” Khan said. “But I probably should [tell the police], thinking about it.”

While it may be exasperating for a main road to be closed off because someone thought an old rice cooker could be dangerous, Lydon assured that it’s better to be safe than sorry.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DEBT REACHES $17.2 BILLION UC Board of Regents discusses debt management policy amid rising borrowing concerns

BY IVA N VA L E N Z U E L A ca mpu s @ th e a ggi e .o r g

The Board of Regents of the University of California (UC) held a meeting on Sept. 14 to discuss a proposal for a new management policy to address UC’s increasing debt, which now sits at $17.2 billion.

The debt, which has more than doubled since the recession, has become an increasing concern since two bond rating services, Moody’s and Fitch, downgraded the University’s credit rating in 2014, citing continuous operating deficits.

“The portfolio has grown from $6.79 billion of debt outstanding as of fiscal year end 2008,” said the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) in its discussion agenda for the meeting in September. “During this time of contracted fiscal conditions that have continued since the Great Recession, the debt portfolio has been one of the tools the [UC] has used to invest in its teaching, research, and public service mission, and to support the future financial health of the [UC]. With the growth in size of the debt portfolio, a debt policy to guide capital markets activities and govern the use, structuring and management of debt has become even more critical.”

The University has three primary lenders that it currently owes the sum of its debt to: the General Revenue Bond (GRB), the Limited Project Revenue Bond (LPRB) and the Medical Center Pooled Revenue Bond (MCPRB).

The GRB serves as the UC’s primary source of credit, which, according to the UCOP discussion agenda, is used to “finance

projects that are integral to the UC’s core mission of education and research.”

The LPRB is used for projects such as student housing, parking, recreational facilities and athletics while the MCPRB is the main financing system for the UC’s five medical centers.

The University owes $10.3 billion, $3.8 billion and $3.1 billion to the GRB, LPRB and MCPRB respectively.

In 2014, Moody’s and Fitch bond-rating services downgraded the University’s credit rating after concerns regarding the UC’s operating deficits. The University’s credit ratings for the GRB currently sit at Aa2, AA and AA from Moody’s, Fitch and Standard and Poor’s.

“The downgrade to Aa2 reflects the University’s multiple years of operating deficits, rising fixed costs and revenue constraints,” said Moody’s Investor Services in its 2014 statement. “The rating also incorporates the University’s substantial and growing debt burden, increasing the importance of stronger cash flow to absorb rising debt service obligations. The University’s ability to improve operations will be further limited by public policy and faculty and staff that are 40 percent unionized.”

Despite criticism from legislators concerned about its borrowing habits, the University insists that its debt remains manageable at this point.

“The debt policy was drafted by UCOP in conjunction with campus leadership and advised by external experts,” said Claire Doan, a representative for UCOP, via e-mail. “Debt DEBT on PAGE 5

CHELBERT DAI / AGGIE

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS PUZZLES

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UC DAVIS: THE COOLEST SCHOOL AROUND UC DAVIS MAKES TOP 10 IN SIERRA CLUB’S “COOL SCHOOL” RANKINGS FOR FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW

BY FATI MA SI D D I Q U I featu res@ th e a ggi e .o r g

UC Davis has once again ranked in the top 10 of Sierra Magazine’s “cool school” rankings for sustainable universities and colleges. Out of 202 national competitors, UC Davis ranked number eight.

The Sierra Club, a nonprofit environmental organization, ranks schools as “cool schools” based on their total sustainability with a specific focus on areas including campus energy use, transportation and fossil fuel divestment. For the past five years, UC

Davis has consistently ranked in the top 10.

“We’re getting public recognition for the work that we are doing to make our operations more sustainable [and] to conduct research that provides solutions and opportunities to make the world more sustainable,” said Camille Kirk, assistant director of sustainability at UC Davis.

This year, applicants participated by completing an extensive questionnaire through The Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), which measured their sustainability performance. According to the Sierra Club, UC Davis

LOCAL PRODUCE FOR LOCAL PEOPLE

BECCA RIDGE / AGGIE

THE YOLO FRUIT STAND: MORE THAN JUST AN AVERAGE PRODUCE MARKET

BY GILL I AN ALL EN fea tures @ th e a ggi e .o r g

Nestled in the farmlands surrounding Interstate 80 stands a true California landmark. The Yolo Fruit Stand not only serves as a local vendor for Yolo County citizens and passersby alike, but also represents the importance of providing healthy and affordable food.

Maria Tsousis and her husband, Gus, have owned the fruit stand since they bought it from a family friend. They promised to keep the store in good hands, and years later, their promise still holds true.

“My husband has been in the produce business for 35 years so we have a lot of experience with the area,” Mrs. Tsousis said. “The business grows more and more every day and more people are coming because we carry specific things that they ask for.”

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“[We let parents] try on the EEG cap, see the electrodes and touch the electrode gel long before we attempt to put them on the children,” Lawyer said.

The researchers seek to have a better understanding of brain development after cochlear implantation.

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For students who are unsure of how to manage a double major, the campaign encourages them to seek advising or pursue a minor.

ranked high in part to “how its students live,” since 83 percent of Aggies commute to class sustainably by walking, biking or using public transit.

Many students are also involved in environmental clubs on campus. Campus Center for the Environment (CCE) is an ASUCD unit that promotes student involvement in campus sustainability efforts. Located in the EcoHub, the CCE holds projects throughout the year to encourage involvement.

“For Project Compost, we pick up compost from different locations on campus, and we [...] drive it to our Windrows compost pile by the student farm,” said Mia Kawamoto, third-year environmental science and management major and CCE pile maintenance and compost education director.

The CCE also hosts “Project ART,” in which volunteers pitch and develop “green” ideas to promote change in the community and composting workshops to aid in waste reduction.

“We’re a resource for people who are interested in sustainability and want to learn more about compost and ways to get involved on campus,” Kawamoto said.

UC Davis has also undertaken various projects in water reduction, waste reduction, transportation, academics and energy efficiency. In 2015, the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability worked with SunPower Corp. to build a 16-megawatt solar power plant on campus. “[The solar plant] is the largest known of any university campus,” Kirk said. “It’s going to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 14,000 [which] is a huge bite out of our emissions portfolio.”

UC Davis achieved 27 percent in water reduction in the fiscal year 2015 to 2016. Placing recycled

wastewater in campus cooling towers, a closed system, chills and heats that water to provide heating and air conditioning for buildings on campus.

Along with water reduction, campus efforts to reduce waste have been ongoing. The UC system has a goal of getting to zero waste by 2020.

“Last year, we reported [to the UC of the President] a 73 percent diversion rate [from landfill], and that means we’ve still got a ways to go,” said Sue Vang, waste reduction and recycling program manager. “The campus did an audit of its waste stream in 2013 and found that 40 to 60 percent of what was being thrown in the landfills was actually food or organic waste that could be composted.”

In terms of academics, the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability works with staff and faculty to create projects that students can work on in class. UC Davis offers approximately 300 courses on sustainability in various departments. “[The cool school ranking] helps create more learning opportunities for students, and helps us get more ideas from faculty,” Kirk said. “Whether or not that translates into a better ranking is not why we do it. We do it because we’re here to deliver education, and the staff wants to be a part of that where it’s appropriate and possible.”

The variety of environmental and sustainability projects and contributions happening on campus all help make UC Davis a “cool school.”

“It takes a lot of people doing a lot of work everyday to move us towards our performance targets,” Kirk said. “Having these kinds of rankings helps us [...in] making the case for why pursuing sustainable actions can be helpful to the campus, and can be important to students and faculty.”

According to Mr. Tsousis, the quality of the produce is key to attracting returning customers. Because of the stand’s unusual location, they have to remain distinct from stores that are more readily available to the Davis community.

“A lot of produce is different from what [is] in the stores,” Mr. Tsousis said. “For example, the tomatoes we sell are homegrown by farmers in local fields.”

The stores often sell green and unripe produce that ripens in gas, but all of the fruit sold at the stand is straight from local farms and orchards. People can normally buy berries and grapes that have been processed and placed into plastic containers from grocery stores, but the Yolo Fruit Stand sells these items loose and unprocessed, which emphasizes the Tsousis’ mission of preserving the integrity and natural qualities of food. Because of the high demand for local, fresh and organic food in Davis and nearby communities, students, faculty and community members alike will make the 12-minute drive out to support the vendor that provides this kind of produce.

Tim Shquti, the stand’s manager, has witnessed the business’ growth since it was purchased, and is dedicated to ensuring that the fruit stand stays prevalent within the Yolo community.

“The establishment has created a lot of returning customers even though the economy has dropped over the past few years,” Shquti said. “[Because] the fruit stand is open all year round […] we have grown as a business and established a good relationship with the customers.

I have definitely seen a lot of students stop by and shop because they will save [more] money when they shop here [when] compared to the big-name stores.”

While it may seem counterintuitive to keep the business out on the side of a main interstate highway, the fruit stand’s unusual location has

actually enhanced its popularity and clientele. The Yolo Fruit Stand is easily accessed off of the freeway and is a convenient stop for travellers on their way to or from Davis.

“When people drive from place to place, they stop by the stand because of our location,” Mrs. Tsousis said. “People stop just for snacks and even this little bit helps business. We appreciate everybody coming here even just to buy a bottle of water.”

The Yolo Fruit Stand is also a cultural market that provides diverse products to many community members, such as dried fruits and nuts.

“We have food items from several cultures [including] Iranian, Indian, Russian, Greek and Turkish [specialties],” Mrs. Tsousis said.

“Sometimes someone comes to the store and says that they miss a certain food item that they had in a different place. So I will look around and try to get these different foods and order them for the store. By doing that I create a good selection for the store.”

Besides the emphasis on selling local and fresh products, the fruit stand also prides itself on its individuality. The in-season produce — which is currently corn, honeydew, kiwi and grapes — is always grown locally and collected from and around Davis. The quality, unique environment and affordable prices contribute to the individuality and popularity of the Yolo Fruit Stand.

Just as a celebrity’s popularity depends on the fans’ loyalty, the Yolo Fruit Stand depends on the loyalty of its customers. Without the regulars who make the trip out and give their feedback to the employees, the business would not thrive as it does.

“The customers are what motivate us,” Mrs. Tsousis said. “We try very hard to succeed in this business and the customers always help us do that. We appreciate the people who tell their friends and spread the word, because that is how we get better and better every time.”

The participants range from 1 8 years old, because data collected occurs from CI patients that are still developing their brain after the implantation of a CI. “The goal of our current research is to characterize the relationship between visual and auditory processing in deaf children with cochlear implants, to track whether this relationship changes over time and to relate each child’s auditory and visual processing abilities to language and other behavioral outcomes,” Lawyer said.

The CI project is a five-year longitudinal study that encourages the families and participants to return for more data collection.

It gives participants and their families hope via better learning and developmental communication strategies necessary for the children to succeed.

“Getting to interact with the families reminds me of why we do this kind of work, because ultimately, we’re all trying to give these children the best possible chances for success,” Lawyer said.

Floyd said that it can be easier to take on a double major for students coming in with high school AP credits.

For Stephanie Chavez, second-year biological sciences and Spanish double major, taking Spanish in high school helped her start at higher division classes

at UC Davis.

Sometimes it gets complicated because it’s a heavy workload, but it isn’t something I haven’t been able to handle,” Chavez said.

The benefits of double majoring lie in the pursual of other academic interests, to better oneself both

academically and individualistically.

“Adding a second major is not difficult at all especially for those who plan early,” Floyd said. “This is the perfect time in your life to do this exploration in finding what you’re passionate about and you should take advantage of it.”

FREE ADMISSION

GRADUATE AND LAW SCHOOL

INFORMATION DAY

Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016 noon–4 p.m.

The Quad Law and graduate school representatives from UC Davis and all over the United States will be on hand to answer your questions about the admissions process and the law and graduate school experience. Many law schools will

STU D E NT AC A D E M I C SUCCESS C E NTE R

success.ucdavis.edu/grad-prof

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 | 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

DEVELOPMENT

GANDHI

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of Gandhi in a college town will help inspire future generations, and hopes that the protests will be put to rest.

“Gandhi died 68 years ago and none of this controversy ever existed while he was alive, or even after many decades after his death,” Goyal said via e-mail.

Davis isn’t the only city facing backlash over the installation of a Gandhi statue. Academics and students at the University of Ghana are calling for the removal of a Gandhi statue that was placed on campus.

An online petition, which began circulating online as early as September, is seeking signatures to remove the statue from campus grounds.

The petition cites Gandhi’s allegedly racist remarks — his

letters written during his time in South Africa as suggestive of his racism — as reasoning to remove the statue. The petition has received 1,765 signatures to date.

“I think that a better option would have been to put a statue or some other piece of art in the Davis Art Center, where you can have a more complex discussion of the positive aspects of Gandhi, and also his repugnant history,” Shergill said.

Those in favor are prepared to stand by the statue of Gandhi and his message of peace, despite the negative outcry.

“Davis has always been a peace-loving town,” Goyal said via e-mail. “[...] We are a nuke-free zone. By having a Gandhi statue here, it’s making a very loud and bold statement that this city is committed to peaceful and nonviolent ways of life.”

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the Tri-Cooperative branch. “I love being a part of a community that’s like-minded, [yet] we all have so many differences.”

The three houses, Davis Student Cooperative (DSC), Pierce House and Agrarian Efforts House, all strive to maintain a community in which students feel safe and athome on a low budget. All of the houses have gardens to grow their own produce, and together they plan weekly shopping trips to the Davis Co-op.

“It’s really nice to have a family to come back to; it’s a good support system,” said Shannon Ferguson, a fourth-year cognitive science major and member of the DSC house. “We cook as a house, we also buy food together as a house. The goal is to grow our own food so we don’t have to put as much resources towards buying things.”

Each house meets once a week to discuss chores and issues regarding the Tri Co-op community. The houses also have committees responsible for specific tasks; the social justice committee, for example, ensures respect within the community, and the pollinator committee holds people accountable for growing ecology-healthy crops that draw in pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Another goal of the Tri-Cooperatives is to create a community filled with diversity.

According to Ferguson, the houses “want to be a safe space for oppressed groups.”

With 12 to 15 people living in one house, however, things do get complicated.

“It definitely takes a certain type of person to live in a community like this, because there’s always people around,” said Peter Varas, a third-year sustainable agriculture and food systems major and member of the Pierce House. “[There are] two bathrooms [for] 12 people, [and] some of the other houses only have one bathroom, so coordinating time schedules can be difficult sometimes, but it’s been pretty good.

[So far] we haven’t really had any challenges.”

Another branch of the SCHA is the Baggins End Domes, located at the west edge of campus. The Domes, similar to the Tri-Cooperatives, house students interested in agriculture via an alternative place of living.

“We have an intentional community where we try to be there for each other and [...] emphasize sustainability but also social justice,” said Laura Losmozos, a fourth-year geology major and member of the Domes community. “If I need an ingredient for food or if I just need someone to hang out with, I feel like I always have someone to rely on.”

Like the Tri-Cooperatives, the Domes host weekly meetings as well as community dinners four times a week. Students living in the Domes are expected to uphold their responsibilities to the community, which include gardening, cooking and cleaning.

“If any conflict comes up between two community members, I can’t help feeling like it’s kind of my responsibility to make everything work,” Losmozos said. “Communication and accountability can be a struggle sometimes, just because everyone is a busy student, and we still have [other] stuff to do.”

Though living in the Domes can be a lot of work, the sense of community makes up for these challenges according to residents.

“My second year I lived at an apartment complex, which was fine [...] but I felt a little isolated,” Losmozos said. “[I wanted] something to connect with, and I liked this idea of having a community.”

UC Davis students agree that living in alternative housing such as the Tri-Cooperatives, the Domes or the animal barns is a learning experience worthwhile.

“You’ll learn how to cook, you’ll learn how to take care of bees, you’ll learn so much stuff,” Bowden said. “[We] live together and thrive.”

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behind. Kyle Hendricks just accumulated the lowest ERA in baseball among qualified starters while also being the third-best pitcher on his own staff, and the defense may be the best in history. This team really has no holes; their 103-58 record reflects that. Theo Epstein, the young yet already legendary president of baseball operations, has created a monster of a team.

Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Jake Arrieta are capable of keeping any offense in check as their big bats provide the offensive punch on the other end. Additionally, the acquisition of the flame-throwing Aroldis Chapman has fueled an incredible second half from the Cubs’ bullpen.

I’m usually not the superstitious type, but if they don’t win the World Series this year, I may start to believe in predetermination. If the Giants had somehow rattled off three straight

to beat them, I would have definitely bought in and conceded that the Giants would win every other year for the entire existence of the MLB while Chicago’s “Lovable Losers” enviously watched at home.

The beauty in baseball lies in its unpredictability. Of the 16 teams to have won 100 plus games since 2000, only one has won the World Series in that same year. Despite this, something feels different about the 2016 Cubs. They are a complete team through-and-through. They have grit, experience, youth and talent. If they don’t win in 2016, we may have to accept the fact that it was just not meant to be, and that Billy Sianis and his pet goat have supernatural powers.

To be the G.O.A.T., the Chicago Cubs have to beat the goat.

IRVIN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

the background. There were only a few intelligible words between us: soccer, America, Syria. Our communication lapse was nullified by our mutual passion for “the beautiful game.” The joy and persistence he displayed in showing me the results of his latest hand-held match helped me consider my own methods of bliss. It’s comforting to know that even a simulated soccer game can create optimism when none seems warranted.

One man knew only a few English words when we first met for class. One, two, three, four, five. But he practiced. His motivation was unparalleled by anything I’d seen in high school or university. By the end of the week, he could say and understand all of the basic greetings. By the end of the month, he could hold a basic conversation. When we split ways his words

were, “Thank you, sir.” That’s the last time I ever saw him. Those are the words I cherish most.

Families welcomed me into their homes with open arms and drinks. One couple gave me Arabian coffee, hand-packed from Jordan and the most delicious blend I have ever tasted. With the coffee came the photos of a past life — a good life. I saw a large home and a happy family.

Everything was peaceful. Trees, perhaps symbolizing what might have been, adorned the background. But now the home stands empty. There are hardly any trees left. The planes and bombs took them away.

Another couple invited me into their home and offered me the last remnants of juice from the fridge. Food is a precious commodity in these families. But the

couple didn’t care about what they had or didn’t have. What mattered to them was the codex of hospitality, that extra sliver of warmth and kindness that bonds people of different cultures like nothing else can.

With a comical role reversal, the couple taught me Arabic numerals as we sipped our drinks, water and juice. In the end we toasted to a new beginning.

The refugees came from all over, from Syria and Burma, Congo and Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq. Each had a story to share. Some stories were told only through closed lips and tired eyes. Often the tales were more open and the trust more evident. But the effects on my perspective were the same. Never should we try to bar those fleeing death and persecution. Never will we as a nation have a better chance to make things right again.

DEBT

Griffith said. “It would be bigger than The Quad and still serve a really active IM field. And it can still have all that energy that people can experience while driving along Russell Boulevard with positive interaction with students.”

Griffith wants to prioritize student housing before IM and club sports, but trusts that there will still be space for recreation with the LRDP. “Is it our mission to host a state ultimate frisbee tournament? No,” Griffith said. “It’s a great thing. My wife plays all the time. But if I could choose, I would choose to build sustainable housing for the students, have housing for students so they don’t have to commute from West Sac, therefore they can participate in campus life more, while there are still plenty of open spaces for them to still recreate.”

After the 2017 to 2027 LRDP draft planning scenario, there will be 30 days for initial study this fall and 45 days for public comment in the spring. Campus planners will then respond and take into consideration all comments made before revising the draft plan and submitting it to the UC Regents next fall.

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is and what bad police work is,” Garcia said.

McDonald looks forward to other students having the chance to experience his policing skills.

“He was wonderful,” McDonald said. “I really, really enjoyed working with him. As sad as I am to see him go, I am really happy that he will be able to get his really great police mindset out to other university campuses. I know that the University of Oregon is really lucky to have him.”

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This was based off social mobility, how many low-income students are recruited and graduate, educational research that produced Ph.Ds and scholarships and service that encourages students to give something back to their country.

Carina Tejada, a fourth-year community and regional development major, believes that UC Davis ranks well because of its constant effort to improve in all aspects, such as betting the environment and building and housing-structure developments.

“I think UC Davis ranked well in the U.S. News and World Report due to its improvement and work within sustainability such as solar panels and its friendly community,” Tejada said.

“Through this, with having a campus focused upon the improvement of the environment as well as the education of students, I can see why it ranked within the top 10. It continues to rank well because of its continuous improvements upon helping the university grow by building new buildings and welcoming more students.”

Mirelle Sandoval, a second-year psychology, Italian and Spanish tri-

ple major, thinks UC Davis excels because of its various programs and continuous effort to offer different opportunities for students.

“We have top-notch programs in the sciences [and] if you’re interested in agriculture or vet medicine, then we are number one for sure,” Sandoval said. “We have many new facilities, and many professors who have published a lot of important research or won many awards in their respective fields. This has helped us top other schools and offer the education and college experience.”

Fabiola Perez, a second-year biochemistry major, appreciates that UC Davis has offered so many opportunities and resources for her and other students.

“My education experience here has been great so far,” Perez said.

“There are so many resources for me to succeed and take advantage of, no wonder it is ranked so well amongst so many other public schools. [...]

I know I made the right choice by choosing to come to Davis, and it’s nice to hear I’m at one of the best schools in the country.”

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these robots is answering a question that’s long been contemplated,” Maloney said. “We have an understanding that the connectivity of protected areas in terrestrial settings is very important. The connectivity of our marine protected areas with places where [...] breeding is occurring and the larvae are starting out is also an important component of how effective our network of 124 marine protected areas is performing.”

In general, Maloney said that research in aim of understanding ocean interconnectedness will become increasingly important, especially for dealing with problems that have yet to arise from global warming and ocean acidification.

ROCHA

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service remains at a manageable portion of the University’s budget and the University does not use tuition to pay for debt service.

Auxiliary revenues, medical center revenues and investment income are among some of the sources which help pay for debt service.”

The main objectives of the debt policy, as detailed by UCOP, would be to outline the University’s actions for debt management; provide guidelines for approving, structuring and managing debt and define roles for approving and monitoring debt after borrowing and provide reporting standards for University’s debt capital program.

The Regents will revisit the debt policy during their November meetings at UC San Francisco.

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working hard and always on task, trying to ensure maximum efficiency. And as soon as people come back from their lunch break, it was back to work to make sure that they made the most of their time in the office.

The fact that the workers who surround me for 18 hours a week do not even glance at their phones or find other ways to distract themselves at work is quite impressive and serves as a testament to the personal pride that people take in their work here.

I also learned that it’s not necessary to tip here in Australia,

this positive and leaving only the negative isn’t very wise.”

Other concerns about Russell Field include the loss of intramural (IM) sports space and an increased population that could cause a potential traffic problem.

A petition has been circulating to oppose the development on Russell Field and several other fields on Russell Boulevard and A Street.

Williams is not against student housing, but suggests that UC Davis find equally viable alternatives.

“If [Russell Field] is all we had, and we needed student housing, I’d be in total support even though it would be a tragedy to have that happen,” Williams said. “But, we have tons of choices and that’s not necessary. To do it is offensive.”

Her suggestions include moving the cow facility across from Tercero to a new location in order to use that land for housing, as well as using the planned faculty housing in West Village for student housing instead.

However, Griffith does believe that Russell Field is a good option for student housing. “[Russell Field is] a gracious open space along the edge of campus,”

because everyone is able to live off of the minimum wage. But it’s also because many individuals hold it as point of pride to not be tipped. They feel that tipping is akin to a customer potentially looking down upon their job as being insufficient to live comfortably. Despite this negative view of tipping, however, tipping is allowed in exceptional cases where a worker provided extremely helpful services.

Just these differences in work attitudes really hammered home to me that I’m not in California anymore.

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where are the animals? Don’t they play an important part in reaching sustainability?

The three Ps above were designed with animals in mind. They consider the environmental, social and economic impact of livestock — which all make up essential pieces of attaining sustainable animal agriculture. So much research today is driven by the environmental impacts of livestock.

When considering livestock, humans must also be taken into account. People constantly encroach upon agricultural regions and cause a lot of auditory, olfactory and particle pollution. This also includes the prices producers can charge, which are controlled by consumer demand, says Frank M. Mitloehner of the UC Da-

vis Department of Animal Science.

Another aspect that many might disregard is animal welfare. Animals perform better when they live in safer and healthier environments — for both themselves and the people who handle them.

This includes knowing how to properly care for these animals in order to minimize stress. When a dairy cow isn’t stressed, for example, it is able to produce more milk.

It’s all about making the animals happier and more comfortable. The better they’re treated, the more efficient they are in production. Their overall carbon footprint is also reduced — essential if livestock agriculture is to meet the three Ps of sustainability.

6 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Opinion FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD

the California Aggie

Make ride-sharing services safe for students

EDITORIAL BOARD

BY THE EDITORIAL BOA R D SCOTT DRESSER Editor in Chief

Two female students were sexually assaulted in February, near Michigan State University (MSU) while using rideshare services to try to get home safely. A few months later, a Drexel University student revealed that she had been sexually assaulted by her Uber driver in July. On Sept. 16, an Uber and Lyft driver was arrested for the sexual assault of at least three women during the last few weeks of his employment.

Unfortunately, last week’s campus crime alert proved that UC Davis is not exempt from this alarming trend.

In the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 2, an unknown male who claimed to be an Uber driver picked up three female UC Davis students to drop them off at their on-campus locations. The last student was taken to her residence in West Village around 1 a.m. and was urged by the driver to give him a kiss as payment for the ride before escaping the vehicle.

At the end of the police report that was sent to students, the UC Davis Police Department provided a list of safety tips. One of the tips was to “verify the identity of the driver and their car before you get in.” This is only one of many problems that may arise when using ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft.

Whether the culprit was a registered Uber driver or not is besides the point; there are both cases in which assailants are pretending to be drivers and cases in which registered drivers turn out to be assailants. Both of these situations put passengers and drivers in dangerous situations.

Instances such as the ones at MSU, Drexel and here at UC Davis reveal how modern, trusted modes of transportation have failed college students — and young women in particular.

Ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft constantly employ cautionary measures. They pride themselves on the rigorous screening and background checks each of their drivers are required to go through, yet both companies continue to resist legislation which would make ride-sharing

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

CHIARA ALVES New Media Manager JAY GELVEZON Photo Director HANNAH LEE Design Director EMILY STACK Copy Chief OLIVIA ROCKEMAN Copy Chief VERONICA VARGO Website Manager ELISABETH MCALLISTER Social Media Mangager MADELINE ONG Newsletter Manager DANIELLA TUTINO Advertising Manager

apps’ employees undergo background checks as intense as those of traditional taxis.

This could explains why, from December 2012 to August 2015, Uber had five claims of rape and "less than 170" cases of sexual assault reported to its customer service.

Not to mention that during an investigation on Uber’s safety conducted by BuzzFeed, a database search for the phrase “sexual assault” was shown on 6,160 Uber customer support tickets, “rape” was on 5,827 tickets and “assaulted” was on 3,524 ticket results.

These numbers are unacceptable for any topic having to do with sexual assault and rape. Add the fact that Uber is a $68 billion corporation, has coverage in approximately 240 cities in the U.S. and mainly operates through the smartphone app (meaning young adults are the app’s most likely user demographic), and the numbers become even more concerning.

This is why all-female ride-sharing apps, such as SafeHer, Chariot for Women and See Jane Go, have come into existence over the past few years.

For UC Davis students, there are alternate modes of transportation such as Tipsy Taxi and UC Davis Safe Rides.

These services have their flaws: limited number of vehicles, narrow geographic coverage, as well as slow ride-request processes — all of which can put students at risk by leaving students at night without a timely method of getting home.

Despite this, they are reliable, free resources that the Editorial Board urges students to utilize when trying to transport somewhere on-and-off-campus at night.

In the meantime, steps should be taken in the interim to ensure more stringent background checks for Uber and Lyft drivers.

The Editorial Board wants to remind students to always plan ahead when going out. Avoid traveling alone at all costs, don’t blindly trust Uber and Lyft driver’s ratings and don’t discount Tipsy Taxi and Safe Rides as dependable ways of getting home. Ultimately, though, it is the duty of society to create a culture in which assaulting others is unacceptable and inexcusable.

Michael Clogston Abroad THE AUSTRALIAN WORK ATTITUDE

BY MICHAEL CLOGSTON mlclogston@ucdavis.edu After a mere week of interning at a law firm in Sydney, Australia, I have realized a few neat things about the land “down under.”

Not only does it have superior public transportation and temperate SoCal weather combined with the winds of San Francisco, but its people also have radically different attitudes about work than their American counterparts.

One of the other participants in my program put it rather bluntly (and I paraphrase) when he said, “They don’t look miserable, you know? Even the fast food workers and waiters and cashiers don’t look

like they’ve lost hope [in their future] like they do back in America.”

And he’s right. From what I’ve seen in Sydney, everyone greets you far more pleasantly and seems a lot more eager to ensure that you leave as a satisfied customer. I suppose this can be attributed to two main factors that I have managed to identify after talking to both UC Davis students in my program and to a few native Australians.

First, the minimum wage in Australia — roughly three and a half dollars above California’s minimum wage — gives residents a little extra cushion in their pocketbooks. Admittedly, the cost of living is quite high in Sydney — it’s probably one of the most expensive cities in the world to live in today — but the cost of things like groceries is

comparable. And aside from these expenses, cheap public transportation and frequent sales at grocery stores make it easier to live on the minimum wage here, even if it requires some number-crunching.

While the minimum wage surely factors into the overall satisfaction of the workforce here, the general attitude Australians have about work is far more influential on their lifestyles. Many Australians have taken a certain phrase to heart: “Eight hours of work, eight hours of play, and eight hours of rest” — together that makes one day. Obviously they do not literally micromanage their time so that each category falls to exactly eight hours, but the rough application of this mantra seems quite apparent. I noticed this motto hard at work in my internship as well: during work time, everyone was CLOGSTON on 5

Sustainable Animal Agriculture HOW PEOPLE, PLANTS, THE PLANET WORK TOGETHER

BY ALICE ROCHA asrocha@ucdavis.edu Sustainability can be tricky to define — especially as it relates to sustainable animal agriculture.

Capital Public Radio recently conducted a study in which they asked grocery shoppers what sustainability meant to them. Although the answers varied greatly, one common trend among the answers was the lack of consistency. The people queried had difficulty defining sustainability — in no small part because they didn’t know what it actually meant.

The UN defines sustainability as “meeting the needs

of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This is one of the biggest issues scientists face as they strive to attain sustainability. But without universal consensus as to what the word even means, how can a solution be found?

Unfortunately, there is no one solution to sustainability. H.C. Petersen of Michigan State University claims it fits into the 1970s definition of a “wicked problem.” This means no definitive answer to the problem exists, there is no one solution and the cause and effect relationships involved are highly complex. In order to simplify an otherwise

complicated problem, scientists across the United States, including UC Davis animal science professor Ermias Kebreab, have come together to cultivate a simplified and understandable definition for this large problem. The result: a view of sustainability that consists of a triple bottom line — three categories that must be taken into account in order for something, whether it be design or agriculture, to be considered sustainable.

The first category is the planet. In order for something to be sustainable, it must be environmentally viable. The UN is right to say the present environment cannot be compromised in order for

future generations to maintain the same quality of life seen today. The second category is people.

Sustainability must be socially viable, in relation to food affordability and changes that would directly impact the human population. Finally, sustainability must have profit. If something is not economically viable, there is no point. Wasting money will only have detrimental effects on future generations, so it must be taken into account. It can be easy to remember the three Ps: planet, profit, people.

Seems easy, right?

But there still seems to be a vital piece missing. If we’re talking about sustainable animal agriculture, ROCHA on 5

Refugee Reflections MY EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH THE MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US

BY NICK IRVIN ntirvin@ucdavis.edu Omar Daqneesh. Yusra Mardini. Their names and origins might sound familiar. Both Syrians, witnesses to the devastating civil war. Both media icons: the first a symbol of the devastation in Aleppo, the other of swimming glory at the Rio Olympics. Both faces of a generation that now knows what it means to lose a homeland.

Sadly, not all who wish to get out are able.

Some, like Mardini, can. Others like Omar

Daqneesh are stuck. But of the ones who do make it out, the true test is just beginning. Some islandhop across the Mediterranean toward the heart of Europe. Others are lucky enough to be admitted to the United States. Of those, a few are hosted by the International Rescue Committee, a non-profit refugee resettlement agency.

I was hired as cultural intern at the IRC last summer, and I assisted my supervisor with tasks ranging from helping refugees of many nations learn the bus system, develop their English and job skills in a classroom. I picked up refugees from

their homes and drove them around my city — our city — of Tucson. Sometimes we talked about the city. Often we were silent. Even so, I connected with the refugees on a level few could dream of.

My stories reflect the power of their humanity, humility and hospitality.

On my second day of work, a man from Central Africa hailed me as I waited on a family outside their apartment. He said he was a friend, a former refugee himself, and was helping the mother and children settle in. While we waited, he told me his story. How, because he was educated, he had to flee

his own home or risk facing the government’s guns.

How he never saw his family again after escaping his country almost half a century ago. The man told me he recently became a U.S. citizen and was quite proud — his smile blossomed as he recalled the long process of naturalization. I wondered, in turn, how I could have coped with a similar situation. Would I have been as strong as this man in spirit and soul?

During a bus training segment, I joked with a small boy over soccer video games outside his bus stop. His mother was a benevolent shadow in IRVIN on 5

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.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 | 7

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At The Crossroads PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER WITH CHARLES DARWIN

BY TARYN DEOILERS tldeoilers@ucdavis.edu Some of my favorite childhood memories involve sitting at the table with my mom, chipping away at a massive, complicated jigsaw puzzle with fewer notable and unique pieces than BuzzFeed (no small feat). But to my horror, my mom often insisted on solving the puzzle without constantly studying the picture on the box.

But, to be fair, her torturous method actually made fitting the correct pieces together all the more satisfying. As we slowly assembled our masterpieces, I’d grow increasingly eager to find the special piece that would reveal the picture’s subject and help arrange the remaining pieces. And even though my cat always turned our puzzles into hairball-splattered Jackson Pollock paintings, the pride of blindly piecing together an entire puzzle forgave any of my cat’s unsolicited contributions.

With his 1859 magnum opus, On the Origins of Species, Charles Darwin similarly pieced together fundamental scientific elements and constructed a more complete image of the world. Although he didn’t invent the concept of evolution — the process by which species change over long periods of time — Darwin verified its existence by outlining its driving force: natural selection.

In environments rich in variation among organisms, natural se-

lection operates to eliminate the species least suitable for their surroundings — an idea that spurred the creation of an entire branch of evolutionary biology and revolutionized many aspects of science.

Deemed the essential unifying theory for the life sciences, evolutionary theory has allowed scientists to understand the links between all species on Earth. Evolution also dismissed supernatural notions supported by natural theologians, instigating a culture shift toward stricter scientific and secular explanations of the natural world.

Darwin’s work has also served as a bridge between science and various fields of humanities. Like other physical sciences, certain principles of evolutionary biology require universal laws to be fully explained. Yet evolutionary biology mainly focuses on past events to uncover new information, rendering experiments and other standard scientific methods futile. Therefore, by pioneering evolutionary biology, Darwin married the two previously distinct fields of biology and history.

When mixed with psychology, evolution also provides significant insight into ethical questions about human nature. From a purely scientific viewpoint, evolution suggests that humans are intrinsically selfish due to their innate drive for self-preservation. But human beings, in reality, often express altruism and are willing to sacrifice their lives for loved ones or even complete strangers.

While this level of selflessness sounds irrational, psychology

maintains that humans are social creatures who depend upon one another to survive, providing them with a strong incentive to sustain healthy relationships and preserve the lives of other group members.

As a result, psychology and biology work together to provide a scientific basis for morality.

Our universe is intricately composed of a countless number of pieces, both near, like the endless amount of cells in the human body, and far, like the estimated billions of solar systems sailing through the cosmos.

As scientists, humanists and other scholars strive to understand their own fields of interest, they build a more comprehensive understanding of our universe piece by piece. Like Darwin’s discoveries demonstrate, all pieces — whether scientific, philosophical, mathematical or otherwise — are ultimately connected, collectively comprising the entire universe.

When a crucial piece, like the theory of evolution, is placed into the puzzle, our world instantly becomes clearer, making all other missing pieces slightly easier to locate.

Future pivotal discoveries in both science and the humanities will further clarify the puzzling complexities of our universe, piecing together a picture that more accurately depicts the world in which we live.

We just need to keep my cat away.

The Minority Report CHANGE THE NARRATIVE ON VIOLENCE AGAINST LGBT COMMUNITY

BY JEANETTE YUE jyyue@ucdavis.edu As our country remains as socially divided as ever, the hate and violence stemming from these divisions seems to become more frequent and pervasive, especially in the communities that are most often overlooked.

The LGBT community knows the consequences of this violence all too well. Crimes committed against this community are often hate-driven or bias-motivated — meaning the perpetrator harbors a prejudice against someone based on the victim’s identity.

For nearly all forms of violence, including sexual violence, LGBT people are attacked at much higher rates than heterosexual people. And transgender women of color suffer the most at the hands of assailants.

A Human Rights Campaign (HRC) analysis of violence against transgender individuals showed that between 2013 and 2015, there were 53 recorded victims. Of these, 46 were people of color and 46 were transgender women.

This data only accounts for transgender victims that the HRC was able to identify. Due to discrep-

ancies like underreporting and misgendering, it is more than likely that there are other unknown victims.

In addition to this data, HRC provides a story for every transgender person who was targeted and murdered in 2015. There are a total of 21 stories, and I encourage you to read all of them. It’s much easier to look at the data and think 21 isn’t a big number, but even one murder is too many. These victims are human beings who were brutally attacked and killed just for being themselves. They deserve justice and they deserve to be heard.

But often, an array of factors conspire against the process of getting that justice. First, victims are often misgendered in investigations. The bodies of many transgender people cannot be identified by family or friends because police use their birth names rather than their real names — the ones they go by on a day-to-day basis. This is disrespectful in many ways, but above all because it takes away a crucial part of that person’s identity.

Furthermore, hate-crime laws do not fully protect the LGBT community. A large swath of victims never receive justice because the rules can vary from state to state. Of the 53 recorded victims between 2013 and 2015, only 16 were killed in

states with hate crime laws that protect transgender people.

This is the tragic reality: perpetrators of violence are largely not held accountable for their actions. Even if hate crime laws are written to include the LGBT community, they may not account for transgender people.

In 2014, HRC reported that 30 states have laws that cover sexual orientation, though only 15 of those states include gender identity or expression.

Less than a third of U.S. states protect transgender people from being targeted. 20 states do not even have hate crime laws to begin with.

This is a serious issue. In almost all the cases, perpetrators, even those who receive sentences, walk away without serious repercussions for committing crimes motivated by hate. This sends the message that there are no real consequences for bias-motivated crimes, and that the LGBT community isn’t important.

Transgender people need to know that if violence is committed against them, they will be protected. All victims of sexual violence already have a difficult time coming forward. For the LGBT community, there is an added fear because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and the dis-

crimination they may face as a result. According to the HRC, these fears prevent transgender people from reaching out to the police, hospitals and even crisis centers for help because sometimes, awfully, these authorities also contribute to the abuse and assault.

But one’s identity should not determine whether or not they seek help, nor should it determine whether or not they are targets.

While changing laws won’t resolve ignorance, prejudice or hatred against transgender people, it isn’t enough to preach acceptance if a majority of our state laws don’t reflect an egalitarian justice system.

Beyond the criminal justice system, it’s time that the narratives of sexual violence extend beyond what media and television condition us to see. Rather than always portraying victims of sexual violence as white and cisgender, we need to remember that other communities are heavily affected by similar types of violence.

There is no traditional victim or perpetrator. The only consistency in the atrocious crimes against the LGBT community is the detrimental consequences for the victims, whose lives are never the same.

The motivations of gun-rights advocates versus those of gun-control proponents GUN-RIGHTS ADVOCATES NOT ALL REDNECK REPUBLICANS; GUN-CONTROL PROPONENTS NOT ALL PEACE-PROMOTING HIPPIES

BY TAMANNA AHLUWALIA tahluwalia@ucdavis.edu Contrary to popular belief, not all gun-rights enthusiasts are white-trash, redneck extremist Republicans who only care about their latest hunting adrenaline rush. Rather, advocates of gun rights are subconsciously motivated by a multitude of underlying factors that have little to do with personal vendettas against victims of gun violence and everything to do with an advocate’s race, socioeconomic status and level of education.

A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center showed that 54 percent of white Americans strive to protect gun rights. This stands in marked comparison to the 30 percent of black Americans who hold similar attitudes toward guns. That 54 percent of white people support the rights of gun owners shows gun violence simply does not apply to them in the same way that it does to black people. This is not to say that all white gun-rights activists are racist, but it does point to a disregard

for black people that many white people hold. Interestingly, proponents of gun-ownership cite selfprotection and safety as their primary argument for owning guns and resisting gun reform. However, this is counterintuitive and slightly paradoxical, as white people are considerably more likely to commit suicide with firearms than to die from firearm homicides. This implies that gun-rights advocates’ motivations extends beyond their alleged personal protection and — harsh as it seems — into a subtle disregard for problems that do not apply to them.

We are all guilty of this subconscious indifference toward people whose problems are not our own. It’s human nature. And in psychological terms, it relates to psychological egoism, or the theory that we are always motivated by what is in our own self-interest. And although it is always important to maintain a sense of self-preservation, it is equally vital to be compassionate, genuinely sympathetic people. This change is hard to manifest in a legislative or even quantifiable sense, but it remains up to the individual to look at the issue

of gun control objectively rather than through the lens of one’s personal interests.

In the same Pew study, researchers found that 53 percent of college-educated people would prefer more gun control, implying that the more educated the person, the more inclined they are to lean in favor of gun control. This may be because those who go to college have a more diverse and socially-aware perspective of the world as a result of thought-provoking courses and contact with the myriad viewpoints a college experience provides.

According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the role of colleges and universities in fostering global learning has never been more crucial. The college environment, which can be characterized as a cultural melting pot, provides students proximity to individuals who represent numerous cultural, social and religious identities.

This, in turn, fosters an understanding and empathy for people whose situations may differ from our own. For example, hearing the story of the first-generation student in your chemistry class

who attends college during the day and works an eight-hour shift after class forces you to put yourself in their shoes and expand your own perspective. In the same way, a college education may explain why gun-control proponents advocate for curbing gun ownership — they have a deeper compassion for differences and, despite their race or personal prejudice, are able to look beyond their own self-interest and gain insight into the lives of others.

Ultimately, the gun debate is far more complex than simply race or level of education. There are a multitude of factors that influence a person’s affinity for gun control or gun-rights activism — a personal tragic experience, a vehement belief in adhering strictly to the Constitution or an unexplainable, irrational desire to go one way or the other, to name a few. However, considering the relationship between racism and a college education as they relate to gun violence is vital if we hope to understand the nuanced attitudes toward firearm ownership.

R e d u ce . R e u se . R e c yc l e Th e Aggie .

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Opinion HUMOR FRATERNITY THROWN OFF CAMPUS FOR DOING GOOD DEED

BY ETHAN VICTOR ejvictor@ucdavis.edu Fraternity Sigma Heta Iota Tau will be expelled from UC Davis following a two-month investigation into its philanthropy this fall.

The Heta event, which was called “Giant Killers,” involved an orange and black themed affair that had participants purchase a ticket to throw baseballs as far as possible.

Members of the fraternity reached out to the San Francisco Giants, whom the event was modeled after, for the purpose of getting team memorabilia to sell for charity.

All of the event’s proceeds went to trash collection in the Atlantic Ocean.

The university felt that Heta’s revenue was too high for the school and gave the fraternity the boot from campus. After raising $125,000, UC Davis asked for money to rent out Russell Field, usually a free space. The university went back on its word once it saw the opportunity to make money and the amount that Heta had raised.

Members of the fraternity are disgusted with the approach that

the school has taken.

“I would think that we should be rewarded for involving students on campus. All we wanted to do was strike out Ocean pollution. We have the support from Heta’s nationals, which truly does mean a lot,” said Sam Mark, the president of the UC Davis chapter.

“This is just another example of the school wanting nothing to do with Greek organizations. We do the right thing and we get in trouble for it.”

The administration, however, has a different feeling towards what constitutes bad behavior.

It believes the use of the university’s facilities should merit some pay, despite the initial agreement that the use of Russell Field would require no cost at all.

“We applaud everything that Heta did to raise money, but this is UC Davis property. We want to be reimbursed for clean up and we want to be paid what we deem as an appropriate rate,” said Richard Fish, the head of recreational facilities. “All we ask is for 10 percent. Heta’s lack of compliance with school policy leaves us with no choice but to terminate the chapter from our campus.”

Even though Heta’s event was only two hours, the school is de-

manding $3,500, less than the 10 percent that Fish initially put a claim in for. UC Davis did not state where it planned on spending the money it received from the fraternity, although there are rumors that the money will go towards polishing the seal on the ground at the Memorial Union.

But, in the interim, Heta will be removed from campus immediately after failure to abide by the school’s rules that were seemingly created for only this instance.

This is another attempt by the university to raise money at the expense of students.

Given the failed tuition hikes of two years ago, the school has been doing everything it can do make as much money as possible off of its students. The university needs to stop frivolously spending elsewhere like on new housing developments and instead salute the brothers of Heta’s fraternity who nobly raised thousands of dollars for charity.

Questioning the credibility of ETHAN VICTOR? You can reach him at ejvictor@ucdavis.edu. Feel free to help with his followers-tofollowing ratio on Twitter @thejvictor, because it is pathetic right now.

UC DAVIS TO TRIPLE SIZE OF STUDENT BODY, DECREASE SIZE OF CAMPUS

BY BRIAN LANDRY bjlandry@ucdavis.edu It’s been evident lately that there are more bodies on campus this fall than in years past. Bike circles are terrifyingly crowded, the CoHo is constantly packed and all the construction certainly has not helped alleviate the crowds. But wait, there's more.

Acting Chancellor Ralph “I'm gonna wreck it” Hexter announced a plan recently to not only triple the size of the student body over the next year, but also to cut down on the amount of space on campus for getting around.

“We’re going for a very minimalist look for our campus,” Hexter said. “So we’ve decided to shrink all the bike paths and take away all the sidewalks on campus, just to really make sure our students

are getting well-acquainted with each other when getting to class.

Also, since we’re admitting so many more students and building no new classrooms, we are going to initiate a policy of lap-sitting in classes! If you thought double-decker buses were exciting, now we have double-decker lecture seating! The only way to truly absorb information these days is to have someone sitting on top of you while you learn. And the best part of it is that it won’t affect me at all!”

Other changes that the administration will be making include uninstalling half of all bike parking to reduce “clutter,” firing most, if not all, professors in all departments, putting every single building on campus under construction and reducing Unitrans to a single bus to drive all routes at the same time in an effort to cut down on air pollution.

The Aggie asked some students what they thought of the new

“improvements” coming to UC Davis.

“I’ve really been wanting a way to feel more connected with my peers, and I think sitting right on top of them while we learn will create a real sense of community, so I’m looking forward to it,” said Karina Thompson, a second-year communications major and semipro basket weaver.

But not everyone was as thrilled to hear about with the new changes.

“To be honest I was expecting a bit more,” said Ryan Flannigan, a third-year landscape design major and former elementary school mathlete. “I think they could have also decided to tear down the library, the student center and every on-campus restaurant. They could also cover the quad in tons of manure. But that would mean that they cared about students which they obviously don’t.”

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016 | 9

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SCIENCE+TECH ANDREW KESSLER / COURTESY

UC DAVIS RESEARCHERS STUDY BRAIN ACTIVITY IN DEAF CHILDREN UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain launches the Cochlear Implant Project, seeks advancement in auditory, linguistic communications

BY S H I VA N I KA M A L s ci e n c e @ th e a ggi e . o r g

Two out of 1,000 children born in the United States every year have detectable hearing loss in one or both ears, according to the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Researchers at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain are collecting data for the Cochlear Implant Project to observe the development of the brain after children receive medical devices for auditory improvement.

The cochlear implant (CI), an electronic device that helps deaf or severely hearing-impaired persons to hear, uses electrical signals to directly trigger the auditory nerve. The inner-ear functions that relay sound pressures into electrical signals are often dysfunctional in deaf patients due to a wide variety of reasons, such as fusion of inner-ear bones or trauma.

CIs deviate the inner ear pathway, making them extremely helpful for patients who are hearing-impaired.

“Most children are implanted [with a CI] by 1 or 2 years of age,” said David Corina, professor of linguistics and psychology and researcher at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain.

The Cochlear Implant Project at UC Davis researches the impact these medical devices have on the hearing and language development of deaf children.

“More and more children are getting CIs and the technology is getting better,” Corina said.

“What is the role of sign language now with children with a CI? Is it beneficial or distracting?”

Parents of the study’s participants also ask this pressing question. Families are very engaged in this project and often look to the researchers to help them find the best strategies of communi-

cation treatment and development for their children. “[Finding the best strategy for each participant] can be challenging, as many parents are quite busy and some travel significant distances to get quality services for their children,” said Laurie Lawyer, postdoctoral scholar in the Cognitive Neurolinguistics Laboratory at the Center for Mind and Brain.

The researchers work with families to obtain background knowledge of their children, including previous medical conditions, as well as their home and school situations.The researchers also orchestrate programs that support the transition of deaf and hearing-impaired children into mainstream schools. These programs help students succeed in communication and functional learning The young participants involved in this CI study come from multilingual backgrounds both at home and at school, with sign language as one of their fluencies.

Variations of sign languages exist depending on factors like geographic location.

“Britain has its own sign language, and so do other areas like Turkey and Hong Kong,” Corina said.

The CI project looks at linguistic competence by comparing the different types of languages; this includes both verbal and sign languages.

The technology used in this project includes electroencephalograms (EEG) to look at the electrical activity of the brain. Diagnostic exams involve eye-tracking tests, as well as standardized language and intelligence tests.

“In our lab we give children and parents a tour of the testing facilities and equipment prior to their participation,” Lawyer said.

COCHLEAR on PAGE 4

ROBOTIC LARVAE RELEASED IN OCEAN

JENS BUURGAARD NIELSEN [CC BY-SA 3.0] / FLICKR

UC Davis researchers identify genes essential to life in mouse study UC Davis plays major role in global genome project

BY EMMA SADLOWSKI s cie nc e @t he aggie . org

Approximately 600 genes have been identified as essential to life with the help of 3-D phenotype imaging, according to a recent publication in the journal Nature. UC Davis, along with 18 international institutions, are leading the efforts to determine gene functionality through this project.

In the study, researchers are manipulating mouse genes and their phenotypes (physical characteristics) and viability rates to determine which genes are considered essential for survival.

“The purpose of this project is to assign function to genes for which we have little to no understanding of what they do,” said K.C. Kent Lloyd, co-author and director of the UC Davis Mouse Biology Program. “It’s necessary to understand how genes function in order to have a better understanding of how they act in normal biology and in disease processes.”

In a process called gene knockout, scientists manipulate or remove a specific gene from a genome and observe its subsequent effect on the organism’s phenotype. Researchers involved in this study are “knocking out” single mouse embryo genes and recording the embryonic and postpartum viabilities. If a knockout mouse dies while in utero, the manipulated genes of that mouse are considered essential for life.

Using gene knockout, researchers have been able to identify 600 genes in the mouse genome that cause death or disease if manipulated.

According to Lloyd, these findings can be reflected onto the human genome.

JOE PROUDMAN AND KAT KERLIN / UC DAVIS

UC Davis researcher tracks movements of microscopic larvae using programmable robots; provides insight on habitat restoration, global warming

BY M ERAL BASI T s ci en ce@ th e a ggi e .o r g

Marine larvae are early-stage marine organisms that turn into recognizable species like sea stars, crustaceans and fish.

They can be as big as the head of a pin or as small as the tip of one, a combination that makes them extremely hard to track.

That is until recently, when UC Davis researchers deployed robot larvae into the open ocean.

Dr. Steven Morgan is a professor of environmental science and policy at UC Davis and works primarily at Bodega Marine Lab. Morgan recognized that larvae have seven primary behaviors, and that those behaviors could be programed into robots, put into the ocean and tracked.

These robot larvae, made by professors Donna and Tom Wolcott at North Carolina State University, are not small animatronic robots, but instead are repurposed fire extinguishers each outfitted with a

GPS, various sensors and a fan-like swimming apparatus. Unlike marine larvae, they are more than a foot long, bright yellow and easy to track.

“We have now 50 of these robots made,” Morgan said. “And at any time I might take three of them with the same behavior and another three with a different behavior [...] put them all out [in the ocean] at the same place at the same time and see where they wind up going. We do that over and over under different wind

“Because close to 98 percent of the genes in mice are homologous to those of humans, it can be inferred that the same genes are highly likely to be essential to life in humans,” Lloyd said.

Along with gene knockout, 3-D imaging has been crucial to understanding and visualizing the mouse phenotypes.

Douglas Rowland, another co-author and the principal research scientist at the UC Davis Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging, emphasized how 3-D imaging has positively impacted the project by providing detailed imagery of the embryos.

“The 3-D imaging of embryos will help us understand a particular gene’s influence on embryonic development that doesn’t allow some of the embryos to survive,” Rowland said.

The researchers are performing detailed 3-D imaging at various embryonic stages to be representative of the disease process at each stage.

“The 3-D imaging techniques we are using are really good at revealing embryonic malformations we would not be able normally to see,” said Louise Lanoue, another co-author and project scientist in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition.

This is the first of several publications from this project.

As the study continues to examine gene phenotypes, the researchers hope to provide a database for the provision of medicine.

“We need to continue to finish the genome and identify those genes that are essential to life,” Lloyd said. “It’s also helpful because as we look to the future of provision medicine, we’re going to need a basic, fundamental understanding of the function of all our genes.”

and tide conditions and in different places, and we can figure out how effective the behaviors are.”

Morgan’s results are surprising.

Amidst all of the oceanic noise, 60 percent of the 45 species of marine larvae studied fully develop within 3 kilometers of the coast where they were born. Morgan attributes this to the fact that most marine larvae follow diel, or day-long, vertical migration.

Ocean currents commonly flow in opposing directions. Because larval locomotion is limited to vertical swimming, they often pass through opposing currents that push them away from and then back toward the same spots. Morgan attributes the reason larvae expend the energy to move through the water to hiding from predators.

“They come up to surface waters at night to feed when they can’t be seen,” Morgan said. “During the daytime they go deeper and so by going up and down, that kind of keeps them in one place.”

One of the implications for this research lies heavily in habitat restoration. Rick Grosberg, director of the UC Davis Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute and a professor of evolution and ecology at UC Davis, spoke about the importance of larval movement in restoring damaged habitats, especially with regards to establishing a marine protected environment.

“One response [to a damaged habitat] is ‘let’s stop fishing there and hope the population restores itself,’” Grosberg said. “Let’s say the larvae go a long way; then a population that’s healthy might be supplying babies that can reestablish the population you wiped out. But let’s say that the larvae from a population don’t go very far, they basically return to where they were born. Then relying on another population to get you started again isn’t going to work.”

Restoration of marine ecosystems is instrumental to maintaining California’s struggling fishing industries, according to Grosberg.

“The question is: do babies — larvae — move out of areas that are protected and into areas that aren’t protected to subsidize the fisheries in those [locations]? And in general, we don’t have really good answers to those questions,” Grosberg said.

In total, marine protected areas cover a little over 16 percent of all coastal waters in California.

Tom Maloney is the executive director of the California Ocean Science Trust (COST), an organization created by California legislation to bridge the gap between government, new scientific research and local communities. COST is also involved in monitoring and evaluating California’s protected marine areas.

“What [Morgan] is doing with LARVAE on PAGE 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

10 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016

MU SE

SPOOKED AN ELECTRONIC MUSIC REVIEW THE STORY OF MY FIRST EDM CONCERT DA N I E L TA K / AGGIE

BY BET T Y W U a rts@ th e ag g i e . o rg

This past Saturday, I attended Spooked, a Halloween-themed EDM concert which also happened to be my first EDM concert ever. I went in not knowing what to expect but the loud and energetic music was surprisingly effective at releasing stress and I actually ended up having an enjoyable night.

I arrived early, so I took a tour inside Odd Fellows Hall, the concert venue. It was not a grand or large place, and the art in the hallway seemed classic and historical, with elegant chandeliers hanging from the wooden ceiling. It seemed a little odd to

host an electronic music concert in such a classiclooking place.

The show started with XAEBOR, a San Diegobased DJ, and, because it was a Halloween themed event, I was surrounded by EDM fans dressed in costumes and wearing heavy gothic makeup. As the set continued, the audience got more and more energized; they started dancing, laughing and enjoying themselves. Even though the EDM concert setting was a new experience for me, it was hard not to have a good time when I looked around and saw everyone dancing along.

XAEBOR’s music was explosive and fast-paced.

He used lots of low bass pitches which made the

sound wave so strong that I could feel my bones shaking. His strong beats had everyone in the room, including me, dancing along.

At first I felt self-conscious, but gradually I discovered an incredible benefit to dancing: it helps you relieve stress. For the rest of the set, I forgot about my problems as I moved my body to the beat of those bass notes.

The next DJ was Chris The Junglist (CTJ), an Oakland-based DJ. In general, his set was slower in tempo, but more complex and layered. He used fewer bass pitches compared to XAEBOR, which made it possible for me to hear and appreciate all the intricate details of his tracks.

For one song, he sampled the sound of wild animals, and, although I am definitely not an expert in electronic music, I could tell that CTJ’s music was more varied in style and the transitions between each song were smoother. The audience seemed similarly engaged in his performance.

Overall, the sound quality of the concert was excellent and the crowds were energetic and having a fun time.

As for me, after two hours of exploring the world of electronic music, I decided to call it a night. As I closed the door behind me and walked into the quiet night of downtown Davis, I felt content.

Not bad for my first EDM concert.

ENTERTAINMENT COUNCIL ANNA H U RST / CO U RT E SY

UC DAVIS ALUMNA RECEIVES

FLANNERY O’CONNOR

AWARD FOR SHORT FICTION Becky Mandelbaum wins prize for her collection, Bad Kansas

BY JEN N I F E R D UO N G art s @ th e ag g i e . o rg

UC Davis creative writing master’s student Becky Mandelbaum was recently awarded the prestigious Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction, a prize that has helped launch the careers of many renowned writers.

“My collection, Bad Kansas, is a book of stories primarily set in Kansas,” Mandelbaum said. “The stories aren’t necessarily ‘about’ anything, although they deal with themes of place and what it means to live in an area often overlooked by the rest of the country.”

The stories in the collection are largely inspired by the 23 years Mandelbaum lived in Kansas, and center on the people she knew there and the stories that she grew up with.

Mandelbaum’s talent was nurtured by the UC Davis creative writing faculty, particularly her mentor Pam Houston, a creative writing professor and short-story author.

“I liked [Mandelbaum’s] work even before I ever met her,” Houston said. “Once we met, we found we had a lot of things beyond the work in common — our love of the mountains, hiking and camping, dogs and all animals.”

Houston stated that of all the applicants she screened for the master’s program at UC Davis, Mandelbaum was the one she was most eager to work with.

“What made [Mandelbaum’s] writing stand out

for me is her clear and sharp eye for detail combined with a slightly canted and ultimately compassionate world view,” Houston said. “[Mandelbaum] is wise way beyond her 25 years — she has more emotional intelligence than many people I know who are twice her age — and as a result her characters are complex, utterly authentic and capable of generating deep empathy in her readers.”

The English Department is thrilled that Mandelbaum received the award, according to UC Davis English Department chair John Marx.

“The fact that she recently graduated from the creative writing program in June and already knows where her first book will appear is a big deal in and of itself,” Marx said. “That the book will be published with such an elite company is even more impressive. We all join her mentor Professor Pam Houston in being extremely proud.”

In addition to the Flannery O’Connor award, Mandelbaum has received the Lawrence Art Center’s Langston Hughes Award for Fiction and the Davis Stories on Stage Award for 2015 and 2016.

“I’ve always loved writing, which is really just to say I’ve always loved reading. Books have always been there for me, and writing is just a natural extension of my love for books and language,” Mandelbaum said. “Publishing and submitting work is a tricky business, especially for young writers […]

Rather than sell myself short, I decided a few years ago I would let my work speak for itself in the world.

I would let the readers and editors decide whether my work was worthy of publication.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Since [booking Chance] it has been a process of getting the artist approved with the school and doing background checks on the performance,” Myers said. “It’s a pretty tedious process and it probably ended up taking about a month, but in the end everything is necessary.”

Even more challenging for Wong and Myers, however, was the task of responding to tensions on the Facebook event page regarding ticketing.

Students, upset at the confusion over upper versus lower level tickets, complained the process should have been explained prior to the pre-sale.

Wong emphasized that, because APE was selfticketing, the process of generating tickets was out of their hands.

“On the website, when you first choose to buy tickets, everyone automatically — according to the website — clicked ‘Best Available.’ After all the [general admission] tickets were sold out, it immediately went to upper level,” Wong explained.

But because APE was the middleman between EC and Ticketmaster, communicating with the student body became difficult. EC was essentially unable to release a statement until clarity with APE and Ticketmaster was reached.

“As soon as that happened, Rachel was in contact with APE,” Wong said.

Fortunately, EC was able to provide students with a presale code, giving UC Davis students priority for purchasing tickets.

“Since the time of being an ASUCD Senator, I’ve worked very closely with [EC],” said Alex Lee, ASUCD president. “This time for the Chance concert, I worked with EC on the student presale and got a student-wide email sent out to make sure students had first access to the presale tickets.”

Wong and Myers were faced with further conflict when racially-charged commentary surfaced on the Facebook event page. After students expressed frustration over EC’s silence in the matter, EC posted a status apologizing for their delayed response and declared that they would ultimately be removing the event page.

“We just don’t support those comments, at all.

And as much as [the comments were] freedom of speech, people were getting attacked, people were

being personally messaged and people were feeling unsafe. And when our student body begins to feel unsafe, that’s when we need to take a step in,” Wong said.

This sentiment is what ultimately led to the removal of the event page; Lee agreed with this decision.

“Instances of racism, antiblackness, transphobia, sexism and other forms of hate that spread were upsetting and honestly out of line with the character of [the] UC Davis community,” Lee said. “People have the right to disagree with each other, but attacking each other’s identities was unacceptable.”

Myers felt the decision was a difficult one, but necessary.

“The environment on the page had gotten really toxic. We really wanted to keep the focus on the show at the end of the day, because there were still questions about ticketing, and [we] didn’t want to allow this to grow any further,” Myers said.

Both Lee and Myers expressed regret for their delayed response on the Facebook page, wishing they had addressed student concerns sooner. They hope to use this experience — regarding both racial tensions and ticketing — as stepping stones for improving future event planning.

“Since then we have started working with ASUCD to figure out how we can better deal with this stuff in the future. At the end of the day, it’s just something we have to use to move forward,” Myers said.

Lee agreed that the Chance situation was a good step in improving the way events on campus are handled.

“As [is] everything at UC Davis, this can be an educational experience too. If the controversy shows us anything, it’s that we have a lot of learning to do,” Lee said.

The Chance concert is now sold out and EC still has a lot planned for the future: Monthly open-mic nights, an upcoming fee referendum (in hopes of funding an on-campus festival) and Lawntopia.

But the most anticipated of questions — who will they book next? — was answered by Myers with a slight grin.

“We’ll have to wait and see.”

ALEXA FONTANI LLA / AGGI E

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016| 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

GAGE S K IDMO RE [CC BY-SA 2.0] / FLICK R

GEORGE TAKEI TO VISIT MONDAVI CENTER Star Trek actor to give talk on LGBT activism, experience as Japanese American

BY PA RI SAG A F I a rts @ th e ag g i e . o rg

George Takei is known to many as Captain Sulu from the original “Star Trek,” but in the past few years, he has found a new source of fame as a social media phenomenon.

Takei has garnered more than 1.8 million followers on Twitter and almost 10 million fans on his Facebook page, where he posts everything from puns and silly memes to uplifting articles and political commentary. And despite growing up long before the age of the hashtag (Takei is 79 years old), he’s become an icon for a younger generation thanks to his blending of Internet humor and serious social activism.

He is a vocal champion for the LGBT community, advocating for equal rights, and he has made it his mission to shine a light on the shameful events of the Japanese American internment camps of World War II, where he and his family were confined for

approximately three years during his childhood.

His talk for the upcoming Mondavi Center event “An Evening with George Takei” is sure to inform and inspire all who attend.

Amy Fink, a fourth-year English major, commissioner for the ASUCD Gender and Sexuality Commission and president of the Star Trek Club at UC Davis, is eager to attend the event. As a member of the LGBT community, she believes that Takei has significantly advocated for better treatment of members of the community.

“I think he’s done a lot! He really carries Star Trek’s vision of a better future, and he plays with that in his everyday life,” Fink said. “He’s very outspoken about his past in the internment camps, and his experiences with being LGBT — during such a hard time — so I think he plays that role really well.”

Reyna Selga-Eaton, a fourth-year community and regional development major who is also a member of the LGBT community, comes from a family of “avid trekkies.”

B E CCA RIDG E / AG G IE

The Grand Opening of the

MANETTI SHREM MUSEUM Verge Center of the Arts to host workshops in month leading up to museum opening

BY KRI SHA N M I T H A L art s@ th e ag g i e . o rg

The Jan and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum, in conjunction with the Verge Center for the Arts, will host a series of workshops throughout the month of October leading up to the museum’s grand opening on Nov. 13.

The Manetti Shrem Museum, named for the philanthropist couple who donated $10 million to the university for the museum, features special exhibitions of the work of first-generation faculty as well as exhibitions of contemporary artists who exemplify the artistic and innovative culture of UC Davis.

In order to maintain this tradition, the museum has commissioned artist Lisa Rybovich to create a 1,500-foot-long sculpture composed of hundreds of individual fabric links. The local community will be able to make its mark on the sculpture by helping to hand-paint links at a series of workshops that will be held throughout the month of October.

Susanna Tu, deputy director of the Verge Center for the Arts, described why the Manetti Shrem is so significant.

“I think the opening of this museum is important because it continues the university’s legacy of interdisciplinary practice and experimentation in art-making, with

a strong commitment to contemporary art and inclusiveness,” Tu said.

Katie Bryant, a second-year Italian major, tabled at the Involvement Fair on behalf of the museum.

“It’s so important to have museums like this one on campus because it shows the importance of integrating arts with academia,” Bryant said.

According to Bryant, the museum intends to display exhibitions that cover many different fields of study, from programming to architecture. The primary goal of the museum is to bring to light the innovation and creativity that UC Davis is known for.

The museum is located adjacent to the Mondavi Center, another campus institution which fuses academia and the arts.

Cesi Lopez, a third-year design major, works at the Mondavi Center, and has witnessed the progress of the museum since the beginning of its construction.

“It’s so great to see [the museum] here because it really adds to the campus. It displays everything that UC Davis has accomplished and strives for,” Lopez said.

Every week until the end of the month, there will be free public workshops organized by the Manetti Shrem Museum staff.

For more information, please visit the Facebook event page and the museum’s website.

“[George Takei has been] an advocate for LGBTQIA persons of color, and for Asian Americans, and the very fact that [he] is from a different generation is what makes him such an effective advocate,” Selga-Eaton said. “He reaches a different audience, connects multiple generations and has started many conversations. And with the resurgence of the new ‘Star Trek’ movies, Takei’s influence inspired Sulu’s character in the newer movies; in the latest film, Sulu is shown having a male partner and child. That kind of influence and representation is extremely important.”

A great part of Takei’s appeal is the fact that he has lived through times where just being himself — a gay Japanese American — was often socially unacceptable and sometimes dangerous. He has managed to be an outspoken and effective activist for a variety of civil-rights causes due to his genuine desire for change.

Jeremy Ganter, associate executive director and director of programming for the Mondavi Center,

touched on why Takei is an excellent choice for a speaker event.

“In his case, it’s about the breadth and unique depth of his own life experience, which goes far beyond his relationship to ‘Star Trek,’ interesting as that is,” Ganter said. “In this tumultuous time in the history of American politics and activism, he has so much to offer about LGBT rights, social media and the Japanese American experience in California.”

The event will no doubt be incredibly interesting, as Takei will bring his usual wit, humor and sincerity to personal stories that address important issues.

“He’s really funny, and really smart, so I’m expecting to be very wildly entertained and inspired at the same time, and I’m sure that it’ll be a great evening,” Fink said.

“An Evening with George Takei” will take place on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. at the Mondavi Center in Jackson Hall. For more information, please visit the Mondavi Center website.

A MIX OF EVERYTHING BURTON Review of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

BY CARAJOY K LE INR OCK ar ts @the aggie .org

This story is a match made in heaven for Tim Burton: spooky powers, eerie villains and everything peculiar with a star-studded cast to boot. With a release just in time for Halloween, this is one film I definitely recommend for anyone wanting a little adventure.

This movie is about a young boy, Jake (Asa Butterfield), whose normal life is flipped upside down when he discovers Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Peculiars are people with special powers and Miss Peregrine’s is a home where they can live safe from the outside world. They live in a time loop, which means that everyone experiences the same 24 hours over and over again as long as they stay in the house. When Jake finds their loop, trouble ensues. But the more he stays with the children, the more he becomes part of their family and learns that he himself has a power.

The cast includes Eva Green as Miss Peregrine — a pipesmoking caretaker for orphaned children — and Samuel L. Jackson as a funny yet terrifying villain who attempts to interrupt the peace of Miss Peregrine’s home. But despite Jackson’s cleverness and Green’s control, it’s the kids who are the real scene-stealers. This seems to be a common trend currently, with the success of the adorable and talented Stranger Things kids taking over the world. The character of Emma, played by Ella Purnell, is the emotional center of the film and steals everyone’s hearts.

But besides the plot line, the cinematography is also breathtaking. The story takes place in a small town in Wales where the grass is green and the ocean is rocky, but even the shots in Florida are aesthetically pleasing. The relaxed feel of the Florida suburbs and long highways gives the audience a feeling of comfort, albeit a short-lived one.

The title sequence is very Tim Burton-esque, but when the movie itself begins, there is a harsh contrast: it shows a bright beach with the Florida state sign in the corner of the screen. This is uncharacteristic of a Tim Burton film, as his work tends towards dark colors and low light. However, he often takes dark concepts and somehow turns them into light-hearted films. This movie is no different. In fact, there are many deaths in the movie, but they somehow seemed to wash over me. I realized they were a part of a bigger story,

CI NDY CHEUNG / AGGI E

and there was no need to dwell on the excessive death, or I might have missed something integral to the story.

Half of the movie occurs in the present day, but the other half is set in 1943 during World War II. Despite this, the contrast of time was not shoved in your face, and I often forgot about it. Given the time period, designer Colleen Atwood’s costumes are almost fairytale-like for the peculiars.

One of Miss Peregrine’s peculiarities is her ability to turn into a blue bird, which is reflected in her costume. She wears a blue dress, keeps her hair in an updo that looks like a bird’s nest and rocks some intense black winged eyeliner. The rest of the children wear bright, tailored clothing well-suited to the 1940s.

The creepy monsters, called hollowgasts, look like scarier versions of Jack from Burton’s earlier film The Nightmare Before Christmas. The movie plays like a combination of all of Burton’s most recognized work: the Victorian home is similar to the one in Dark Shadows, freaks are separated from society as in Edward Scissorhands and there is even a resemblance of characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

But this Tim Burton film is unlike his others; there is a more human aspect present despite its supernatural essence.

More importantly, the idea that there are endless opportunities for exploration only further excited me, and I hope it leaves others with the same feeling.

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12 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016

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BACKSTOP WILL 2016 BREAK THE BILLY GOAT CURSE?

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

The mythical Billy Goat curse has plagued the Chicago Cubs since 1945, when Billy Sianis, the owner of the local Billy Goat Tavern, was denied entry to his paidfor box seats during Game Four of the World Series at Wrigley Field due to the wretched smell of his pet goat, Murphy, whom he had brought along for good luck. Sianis, outraged, allegedly exclaimed, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” You would think that

someone crazy enough to waste an expensive box-seat ticket on a goat would probably be incorrect in his declarations about the fate of an organization for the next 71 years, but Sianis’ curse has held true: the Cubs haven’t made it to the World Series since 1945.

With an enigmatic history and a resilient fan base, the Cubs are long overdue for another World Series; it’s been awhile since their last win, in 1908. Heartbreak has seemed to consume this organization since before any living baseball fan can remember, but this should be their year. They deserve it. Abandon your belief in the San Francisco Giants even-year magic — the Cubbies are definitely the best team in baseball in 2016. Kris Bryant is the probable National League MVP with teammate Anthony Rizzo not too far WEXLER on PAGE 5

DANIEL TAK / AG G I E

KEEP YO U R E Y E O N TH ES E U C DAV IS T E A M S A preview of upcoming games

BY BRYAN SYK E S sports@theaggie.org

Women’s soccer (Aggie Soccer Field) Thursday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m. vs.

UC Irvine Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. vs. UC Riverside Today’s Oct. 13 game is the first of the final three back-to-back home games for the UC Davis women’s soccer team. The last home matchup against CSU Fullerton a week ago was an exciting game played before a packed crowd, in which the Aggies came back from a two-goal deficit in the final moments to win 3-2. They traveled to Honolulu a few days later to face the University of Hawai’i, and despite the competitive nature of the game, UC Davis lost 2-0.

With UC Irvine, UC Davis will face a tough team. In more than a decade, the UC Davis women’s soccer team has only defeated the Anteaters in 2015 and 2009. With the home field advantage and Fullerton’s match fresh in their minds, this could lead to a thrilling showdown.

Field hockey (Aggie Field Hockey Facility) Friday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. vs. Pacific The previous home game for the Aggies nearly two weeks ago ended in a close loss in double overtime to Stanford. This week, the UC Davis women’s field hockey team returns to the Aggie Field Hockey Facility to play University of the Pacific, the first of four final conference matches.

Pacific is a dominant team — they lost the first three matches of the season and then came back to win nine straight games. But Stanford shut down Pacific 3-0 while the Aggies lost to them by a single goal; their comparable gameplay could lead to an interesting game.

Friday’s game is the second-to-last home game at UC Davis, so check out a good match before the end of the season rolls around.

Softball (La Rue Field) Saturday, Oct. 15 at 11 a.m. vs.

Alumnae Sunday, Oct. 16 at 12 p.m. vs.

Academy of Art The UC Davis softball team begins its fall season this weekend with a fun alumnae game on Saturday, right before starting its non-conference play against Academy of Art University on Sunday. The alumnae game will be a great place to see the newcomers, veterans and alums in a friendly match before the real competition commences.

There are some new additions to the coaching staff, so it will be interesting to see how that change reflects in the team’s performance.

The fall season continues through mid-November and is an opportunity for the Aggies to work out any kinks that may not be wholly apparent during preseason practice. This will give fans a taster on what team they can expect to see during the 2017 season.

Football (Aggie Stadium) Saturday, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. vs.

Northern Colorado It’s Homecoming weekend, meaning the UC Davis football team will meet Northern Colorado in an effort to snap a four-game losing streak. The Aggies gave a good defensive game last week against Southern Utah and were able to sack the opposing quarterback five times, but it wasn’t enough to stop a 24-3 loss.

To put these sacks in perspective, there were 14 sacks total last year, so this might mean a good omen for the defensive future of the team.

Injuries, however, are beginning to plague the Aggies, with six starters not playing in the Southern Utah game.

It’ll be an entertaining game this weekend with Homecoming day celebrations and a tailgate party before kickoff, and, if the Aggies are able to field some of their injured starters, they are well-positioned to deal out some serious competition against Northern Colorado.

UC DAVIS MEN’S WATER POLO SCORES EARLY, BUT FALLS SHORT

DANI E L TAK / AG G I E

BY RYAN BUGSCH sports@theaggie.org

It was a beautiful day at Schaal Aquatics Center last Sunday as the UC Davis men’s water polo team snatched two early goals from the UCLA Bruins in a non-conference match.

However, the two early goals were not enough to give the Aggies the victory and UC Davis went on to lose a hardfought game, giving UCLA its 52nd win in a row, breaking the NCAA record for most consecutive wins. The Collegiate Water Polo Association and NCAA rank UC Davis at No. 11, while UCLA stands at No. 1.

“You always learn that there is a low margin for error in terms of mistakes,” said head coach Daniel Leyson. “As soon as you make a mistake, you get punished by the other team.”

The Aggies lose to UCLA 15-8 in nonconference match last Sunday Senior center Tennyson May scored the Aggies’ first goal at the 6:24 mark and junior attacker Spencer Galli repeated the action only seventy-five seconds later to give UC Davis an early 2-0 lead.

UCLA reacted strongly by scoring three unanswered goals to end the first quarter and hit five more straight goals before the Aggies found the net again.

They made two more goals, one from sophomore attacker Marcus Anderson and the other from sophomore utility Nick Coufal, for an 8-4 score at the half.

When the final whistle sounded, the Aggies took the loss 15-8.

“We got a quick start today and that’s good. We’ve got a good team and we are capable of a lot, so I am not surprised we were able to give UCLA a strong game,” Leyson said. “I think the positives are the amount of energy that we brought to the game. We didn’t roll over just be-

cause they were UCLA. I wouldn’t call mistakes negatives, but [instead] points that we can learn from, and those are the opportunities we let get away this game.

We didn’t execute under the level we would like.”

Leyson also spoke about what to expect from UC Davis men’s water polo this season.

“We are looking to get better in every performance and today I think we got better by coming out faster,” Leyson said. “There are a lot of things we can improve on, and our motto this year is try to get better every single practice and every single performance.”

UC Davis men’s water polo is now 12-4 overall for the year and will continue conference play, in which they are currently 2-0, this Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. when they travel to play Fresno Pacific.

BR I ANA NGO / AGGI E

A LATE COMEBACK LEADS TO A 3-2 VICTORY FOR THE AGGIE’S HOME OPENER

UC DAVIS WOMEN’S SOCCER: A STRONG CONTENDER IN THE “WILD, WILD WEST”

BY NICOLE TTE SARMIE NTO sports@theaggie.org

Hundreds of people crowded the bleachers on the windy night of Thursday, Oct. 6 at Aggie Soccer Field to support the UC Davis women’s soccer team’s Big West Conference home opener against the CSU Fullerton Titans.

Coming off of a tie in double overtime on the road against CSU Northridge, the Aggies wanted a win for their campaign toward a Big West Championship title.

“It’s our year,” said Andi Damian, senior forward. “That’s what we’ve been saying and we’re going with that.”

A vibrant buzz filled the air as players took the field, but that elation slowly faded as the Titans scored back-to-back goals in the first half.

The bleachers were not as packed by halftime, and it looked pretty bad for UC Davis as the second half wound down.

But in the 71st minute, with a quick cross from freshman forward Nicole Carson off the endline, junior forward Zuzu Romano kicked it into the Titans’ goal and the Aggies were finally in on the board.

UC Davis took over from there. The Titans fouled one of the Aggies inside the 18-yard line, sending Damian to take the penalty kick. Though the CSU Fullerton goalie deflected it, the ball inched passed the end line, tying it up 2-2 in the 75th minute. The energy at the field was electric once more as fans got on their feet.

The Aggies kept pressing, getting 14 shots and seven corner kicks in the second

half.

Junior midfielder Sydney Burger sent the ball inside to freshman midfielder Alicia Sloss, who had only seen about five minutes of preseason action after recovering from an ACL injury. Sloss didn’t let that stop her as she evaded her defender with a spin move before taking the game-winning shot that just slipped by the Titans’ goalie.

The Titans made one final attempt as the clock expired, but the shot was wide right, and the Aggies secured their first conference victory 3-2.

Head coach Twila Kaufman said that the team needed this victory if it was going to win the Big West Championship.

“The thing is not to play like you’re two goals back, but to play with that childlike faith, just encouragement and joy, and to go out and score five goals. And they found a way to score three,” Kaufman said.

The UC Davis women have never won a Big West Championship, but they’re confident that this is their year to do so. After watching their match against CSU Fullerton, it’s easy to believe them.

With 22 underclassmen, four juniors and four seniors, the Aggies still have some growing to do. The coaching style of playing the ball in the middle and backfield has remained the same and the youth of the team hasn’t been a setback for them, according to Kaufman.

“When we got here, our staff said we’re not trying to flip a program, we’re trying to build a program and so we’ve been layering stuff in,” Kaufman said. “It just takes time. They’re still learning and growing

and we’re very proud of them.”

This year’s team helped make up Sloss’ mind to play despite having the option to redshirt for the season, meaning that she could have sat out a year of competition so as not to impact her four-season eligibility of college competition.

“I’m so glad I didn’t redshirt because I wanted to play with the seniors,” Sloss said. “This is their last year and I feel like it’s going to be a great year for them.”

The women’s team has the potential to go all the way this year. The Aggies went undefeated in the spring season with this year’s freshmen and without last year’s senior players.

They had a rocky preseason, staying below .500 in non-conference play this fall, but with their win against the Titans, the Aggies have something to prove for themselves.

“Up until about two days ago, we called this the Wild, Wild West and that’s just because when you have this many young people, you might have to go out and win a game 3-2 instead of 1-0,” Kaufman said.

With this win, the Aggies then traveled to face the University of Hawai’i Rainbow Wahine in Oahu last Saturday and fell 2-0 after outshooting Hawai’i 13-12 in the Big West Conference showdown.

UC Davis women’s soccer heads back to compete in its final three back-to-back home matches, beginning with UC Irvine on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m., UC Riverside on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. and Long Beach State on Friday, Oct. 21 at 3 p.m.