October 27, 2016

SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915

VOLUME 135, ISSUE 6 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016

UC DAVIS MOURNS LOSS OF PLANT BIOLOGIST SHARON GRAY

GRAY STRUCK, KILLED BY ROCK WHILE IN EAST AFRICA FOR PLANT BIOLOGY RESEARCH PROJECT COURTESY

BY DEMI CACERES campus@theaggie.org UC Davis plant scientist Sharon Gray was struck and killed on Oct. 4 by a rock that crashed through the window of the vehicle in which she was riding near the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. She was 30.

Gray was in the East African nation to attend a meeting regarding the commencement of a plant biology research project.

According to the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, which was also involved in the research project, Gray’s death was not a direct consequence of the large-scale protests currently occurring in Ethiopia, but rather the result of a random act by a few individuals who were throwing stones at passing vehicles.

Gray was a postdoctoral student at UC Davis who studied the im-

pact of climate change on plant life. Her graduate work focused on the response of soybean plants to high carbon dioxide levels in the presence of drought and showed that plants did not respond as the scientific community had anticipated.

At the time of her passing, Gray had just completed her National Science Foundation-funded postdoc project, which characterized the responses of a drought-tolerant wild species of tomato and a droughtsensitive domesticated species of tomato.

Siobhan Brady, associate professor in the Department of Plant Biology and the Genome Center at UC Davis, travelled with Gray on the trip to Ethiopia, and the two worked closely together at UC Davis.

Brady said that Gray was a charismatic and wonderful person to work with and was very knowledgeable about her topic of research.

“She worked so hard, was patient, funny [and] incredibly smart,” Siobhan said.

MARGRIT MONDAVI: PIONEER AND FRIEND

“She had an extensive background in physiology and statistics, which was so useful not only to my lab, but to several departments.

Her smile lit up a room. In a room where there were ‘big voices,’ that is, people who speak loudly and can sometimes dominate, she would persevere and ask critical, thoughtful questions. I really admired this about her.”

Gray was born in Carbondale, Ill. and grew up in Lindenhurst, Ill. with her parents, three brothers and two sisters. She earned her undergraduate and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois UrbanaChampaign before joining the Department of Plant Biology at UC Davis in 2013.

In 2014, she married R.J. Cody Markelz, a postdoctoral researcher in plant biology at UC Davis who was also from Illinois. They met as freshmen at Urbana-Champaign in an introductory biology class.

GRAY on 9

ART AFTER DARK

CHELBERT DAI / AGGIE

CAT TAYLOR / AGGIE

PASSING OF UC DAVIS PHILANTHROPIST INVOKES FRIENDS TO REFLECT

BY AMANDA CRUZ features@theaggie.org The gateway to UC Davis, just off the Interstate 80 exit, holds one of the most prominent surnames at UC Davis: the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts and the Robert Mondavi Institute (RMI) for Wine and Food Sciences.

Margrit Mondavi (née Kellenberger), lover of the arts and generous philanthropist passed away on Sept. 2, and the UC Davis community lost a great friend. Her presence on campus is visible in the many contributions she made and in the relationships she established within the community.

Mondavi emigrated to the U.S. from Switzer-

land, travelling around the world as an army wife before settling in Napa in 1960. In Napa, she began working at the Robert Mondavi Winery and was active in bringing together wine and the arts.

She married Robert — a Northern California native, Stanford graduate and advocate for the upand-coming Napa wine region — in 1980.

“She was an immensely well-read and very sophisticated person,” said Jessie Ann Owens, professor of music and close friend to Mondavi. “There was a kind of simplicity and directness about her.

She connected with anyone around her and was just a real nice and genuine person.”

Part of what made Mondavi’s impact on the campus unique was the connection she forged with MONDAVI on 9

PENCE GALLERY HOSTS INTERACTIVE ART PROGRAM

BY JENNIFER DUONG arts@theaggie.org Art museums can often be seen as stuffy or intimidating. Rarely are they associated with bustling atmospheres, live performances, or even food and drinks. The Pence Gallery is different. The gallery, located on D St. in Downtown Davis, aims to defy these norms with its Art After Dark events, a series of interactive art programs hosted on the first Friday of each month.

The series, which is the brainchild of Natalie Nelson, the Pence Gallery director and curator, mixes live music, performance and hands-on art. Each program has a theme based on the current exhibits and also tries to connect the public with working artists.

“It started as an idea in my head, based on some fun times that I had in museums,” Nelson said. “The gallery was the location for collaboration with others, and learning without a capital ‘L.’ We try to keep it inexpensive for students — [admission] is $8 for live music, all the activities and free food.”

Themes are chosen in relation to downstairs exhibits that visitors would find interesting. Currently, the gallery is working with Third Space Art Collective and other organizations to host exhibits with free food and live music.

“Our coordinator Stephanie does most of the planning in terms of activities — I guide her to people in the community who I think are great artists and good with the public,” Nelson said. “I’ve done art for over

NOW OPEN DAVIS COMMONS HOTITALIAN.PIZZA

ARTAFTERDARK on 9

2 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Marriott Residence Inn Proposal Moves to City Council for Final Vote

AMY YE / AGGIE

Hotel extends options for Davis visitors

BY SAMANT HA SO LO M O N ci ty@th e a ggi e .o r g

After the promising Hyatt House proposal was quashed by Davis Planning Commission, Davis may finally be getting the extended-stay hotel it so greatly deserves. Look out for the new Marriott Residence Inn near Mace Ranch, which the Davis Planning Commission recently voted unanimously in favor of.

According to the plan, proposed at a public hearing for the Residence Inn Hotel, the new hotel will have four stories with 120 rooms and suites, all with kitchens. The hotel also plans to include an outdoor pool, bicycle accommodations and sustainability components such as solar water heating and storm water treatment. “[Davis needs an extended stay hotel]

primarily because one doesn’t exist now, and extended stay hotels address […] a unique niche within the hospitality or hotel industry,” said Eric J. Edelmayer, vice president of development with Jackson Properties, the agency that proposed the hotel.

Edelmayer hopes that the hotel will address the rising need in Davis for a hotel that allows travelers to stay more than a couple of nights. With Davis’ growing economy and UC Davis itself receiving more attention as of late, those involved with the project anticipate that the Marriott Residence Inn will not only be utilized, but will also bring business to the surrounding neighborhood.

“With the nature of some of the companies and businesses currently operating in Davis […] that have clients who travel from around the country, from outside of

the area, from around the world, who are often visiting for training and meetings, we think this type of hotel would certainly benefit their type of clients, and also the UC Davis Aggie community as well,” Edelmayer said. “[You] can have professors, parents and what have you traveling to an area, who might attempt to stay for longer than just a couple of nights, and would appreciate having the additional amenities that an extended-stay hotel offers.”

Despite the quick approval from the Planning Commission and little backlash from nearby neighbors — as Davis residents experienced with the Hyatt House proposal — the Marriott Residence Inn is still receiving some criticism. Some residents think that the environmental impact — which would involve relocating one of the last breeding pairs of burrowing owls — is too substantial, despite the efforts of project managers to create a sustainable hotel.

“Their sustainability plan is non-existent,” said Alan Pryor, a local resident, in a previous interview. “I think this is the right product, the right location […] but I respectfully request the applicant up their game to a minimum of LEED gold.”

The hotel currently reaches a CALGreen Tier 1 certification, which is Davis’ basic requirement for developments. This issue is expected to be brought up again when the proposal makes its way to the City Council in late October.

The next step for the project? Get the green light from Davis City Council.

Then, Davis can finally relish in its first extended-stay hotel.

HANNAH LEE / AGGIE

BY IVAN VALENZUELA c ampus@t he aggie . org

On Oct. 13, ASUCD Senate convened for its weekly meeting. All senators were present, although Adam Xu and Josh Dalavai were late to the meeting. Vice President Abhay Sandhu called the meeting to order at 6:11 p.m.

Campus planner Lucas Griffith started off the meeting with a presentation about the Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) for 2017 to 2027. The last LRDP was carried out in 2013. Although there are numerous potential issues with the plan, the senators felt most concerned about the student housing units planned to be built on Russell Field, a space used by many UC Davis athletic teams. Griffith was asked by the senate to relay their concerns to campus planning and keep the senators updated on further developments.

Later in the meeting, ASUCD

made a number of appointments and confirmations to different branches, including Business and Finance, the External Affairs Commision and the Elections Committee.

After a recess, Sandhu called the meeting back to order at 8:45 p.m.

The first legislative item on the agenda was constitutional amendment #49, which would move to dissolve the Judicial Branch of ASUCD. Senators discussed the effectiveness of the Judicial Branch, noting that most of the responsibilities go to the Internal Affairs Commission (IAC). IAC chairperson Nick Flores said that a bill would be written to give powers of the court to the IAC if the amendment passed.

With a roll call vote, the senate moved to pass constitutional amendment #49 and place it on the fall 2016 ballot with a 10-1-0 vote, with Senator Sofia Molodanof voting against the amendment.

Sandhu adjourned the meeting at 10:38 p.m.

UC Davis releases 2015 Clery crime statistics University received reports of 28 rape cases, 15 cases of domestic violence, 54 burglaries

LUCY KNOWLES / AGGIE

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

In late September, UC Davis released the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report to the UC Davis community via e-mail. Under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, otherwise known as the Clery Act, this report is required to be publicly released. The data includes information on campus safety programs and summary statistics of crimes in 2015 on or around UC Davis property, which include the campus, medical center and the Sacramento branch.

The goal of the Clery Act is to ensure students, prospective students, parents and employees have access to accurate information about crimes committed on campus and campus security procedures.

UC Davis received reports of 28 cases of rape,

20 cases of fondling and one case of statutory rape in 2015. The university’s statistics also included five cases of dating violence, 15 cases of domestic violence and 22 cases of stalking.

The Clery statistics additionally reported 62 arrests for liquor offenses, 38 for drug offenses and eight for weapons misdemeanors.

In 2015, UC Davis received nine cases of hate crimes: four cases of vandalism, three cases of intimidation and two assault cases.

The university also received reports on 22 cases of aggravated assault, 54 burglaries and nine auto thefts. These statistics do not include simple theft cases such as bike theft or unattended backpacks being stolen.

Compared to the 2014 Clery report, the statistics have risen in most categories of crime, including rape, domestic violence and hate crimes. Andy Fell, UC Davis associate director of media and news re-

Four new university leaders hired

IAN JONES / AGGIE

Leaders to implement changes to curriculum, research practices

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

Interim chancellor Ralph Hexter has hired four new leaders for UC Davis: Graduate School of Management Dean Rao Unnava, College of Biological Sciences Dean Mark Winey, interim vice chancellor of the Office of Research Cameron Carter and interim dean of the School of Education Paul Hastings.

Unnava previously served The Ohio State University for 32 years, where he held positions as associate dean of Students and Programs, associate dean for Undergraduate Programs and director of Doctoral Programs. “[Unnava] has been voted Outstanding Professor by the American Marketing Association Student Chapter seven times, was presented [with] the Westerbeck Undergraduate Teaching Award twice and LEADERS on PAGE 9

lations, attributes the crime increase to a higher frequency of reporting in 2015.

Reported crime can be received by police and campus security authorities, which include university employees like deans, coaches, resident assistants and faculty advisors for student clubs. UC Davis has more than 900 campus security authorities surveyed by the 2015 Clery report.

The Center for Advocacy, Resources and Education (CARE) also provides aggregate data for disclosures on sexual violence, but only with permission from the victims with their identities not disclosed.

Sarah Meredith, director of CARE, said the limitations of the Clery statistics makes the reporting inaccurate and not fully representative of the UC Davis community. “[The Clery report] is based on geography and not on affiliation to the campus,” Meredith said.

“For example, if we have a student experience a Clery crime, if they experience the crime not on a UC Davis owned or leased property, then the crime will not be on it.”

Although CARE statistics can be included in the Clery report if the victim approves, Meredith also said reporting to confidential resources, like the counseling services and harassment and assistant prevention program, are not counted in the Clery report.

Safety initiatives set in place on campus that have improved in 2015 include an expansion of the Safe Ride services and the installation of the emergency call stations on campus.

Fell said that the UC Davis Safe Ride services are the largest in the nation. The expansion extends Safe Rides into downtown and includes service after Uni-

trans stops running.

Many of the new blue light emergency call station installations are located in the arboretum. “[Blue light phones] give people security and [are] a presence to discourage people,” Fell said. “It is a useful psychological tool to discourage crime and gain safety.”

Meredith said CARE is building a peer education program to do outreach to other students. In addition, CARE employees want to make programs that shift culture to support healthy relationships and communication and to eliminate victim blaming. “[If victims] feel more supported, then they will feel more supported to go report [abuse],” Meredith said.

Martin Marquez, a third-year statistics major, said the statistics he read about did not make him feel unsafe on campus.

“I think these numbers are pretty low compared to places where I grew up,” Marquez said. “I think crime is inevitable unfortunately, but I think the university overall does a good job of responding to crime and of preventing it. Not to say it’s a utopia, but there’s only so much that can be done.”

Marquez believes increased surveillance and further extension of Safe Rides on campus will improve UC Davis crime rates.

“Many people don’t like it, but surveillance can be an effective tool for deterring crime, and for responding to it,” Marquez said. “Usually crimes happen more at night because they are easier to get away with, since it is easier to avoid witnesses. Surveillance can be that witness that helps deter crimes before they happen [...] Current programs such as Safe Rides are effective and helpful, and if anything should be expanded further.”

WRRC hosts community forum to discuss new location ALEXA FONTANILLA / AGGIE

Community asks for transparency during moving process

BY ALYSSA VANDENBERG ca m pus @thea g g ie.org

On Oct. 12, staff members from the Women’s Resources and Research Center (WRRC) hosted a community forum at the LGBTQIA Resource Center so that the community could discuss the WRRC’s upcoming move from North Hall to a new, undecided location.

The WRRC, which has been located in North Hall for 40 years, first publicly announced that it would be moving in a Facebook post at the start of the academic year. According to the post, the WRRC is moving to accommodate the expansion of Counseling Services (CS), which is hiring more counselors to meet student demand for mental health services on campus.

However, many members of the WRRC and the UC Davis community feel that Student Affairs has not been transparent enough throughout the WRRC’s moving process. Many questioned

why the WRRC was not informed earlier that it would need to move, as well as why Student Affairs did not have a new WRRC location already confirmed. WRRC employees informed attendees that several locations are currently being considered for the WRRC’s new home, including the Student Community Center (SCC). While the WRRC staff believes that moving to the SCC would increase the visibility of the center, they also acknowledged that moving to the SCC would mean a decrease in square footage.

When asked about the timeline for the move, WRRC employees had few details available, but said they had requested that Student Affairs not move the WRRC until the summer.

Community members in attendance had the opportunity to share their thoughts about the WRRC’s move. Many questioned if the WRRC’s location change would be sustainable; as UC Davis continues to expand, centers like the WRRC and CS will need to continue expanding as well.

Other students felt concerned that, by forcing the WRRC to leave North Hall, the UC Davis administration had pitted the WRRC against CS. The second part of the forum consisted of a panel discussion, in which students could ask vice chancellor of student affairs Adela de la Torre, executive director of the Community Resource and Retention Centers Sheri Atkinson, Assistant Vice Chancellor and chief of staff to the vice chan-

cellor of student affairs Emily Prieto-Tseregounis and CS director Sarah Hahn questions regarding the move.

Many students expressed the need for more transparency from Student Affairs during this process.

“We will do better,” Hahn said.”We have heard that communication has been a problem [...] we’re working on it, and we’ll do better.”

Students also questioned why Student Affairs did not inform the WRRC sooner that it would need to move.

“There’s a number of things looking back at this that we could have done differently,” Hahn said. “We didn’t think it would come to this.”

De la Torre added that Student Affairs wanted to find another option, but ultimately, there was none.

“Student Affairs has limited control [over space],” de la Torre said. “When I asked about options [...] it was clear that there are no other options.”

Those on the panel stressed that open communication would be important going forward.

“I will be in constant communication with you and others throughout the process,” Atkinson said. “You all will be driving that process and I’ll be doing whatever I can to help ease the organizing of that off of you [...] I’ll share as much information as soon as I have it in a timely manner and will continue to do that going forward.”

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016 | 3

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Bringing Davis art history to life

VENOOS MOSHAYEDI / AGGIE

The stories behind the numerous art pieces found in the Peter J. Shields Library

BY J E NNI E C HANG featu res@ th e a ggi e .o r g

It’s the night before a midterm and dozens of students are hard at work, reviewing their textbook and lecture notes at the library. After studying for a solid five hours straight, one student decides it’s time for a break. They stand up, take a relaxing walk around the first floor, and are suddenly greeted by a group of ducks swimming toward them on a splash of water.

With a 24-hour study room, two computer rooms and five floors of desks, chairs and books, it’s no wonder that the Peter J. Shields Library was voted the “Best Place to Study” by readers of The California Aggie last spring.

Aside from providing a quiet study environment, Shields Library is also home to a wide array of gifted, donated and loaned artwork for the community to enjoy. Most pieces were created by alumni or artists who were once part of the UC Davis faculty, many of whom have gone on to become celebrated artists

with pieces displayed throughout the world.

“We’re really excited to [...] have such a vast collection of art to help enhance the experience of anybody that comes and visits the library,” said Jean Korinke, director of development for the Shields Library and UC Davis alumna. “[The pieces are] a main focal point for tours that we give [...] and one of the more popular things [the visitors] see and hear about.”

Upon stepping into the library lobby from the main entrance, visitors see two sculptures near the main staircase. The sculptures were created in 1991

by David Gilhooly, who attended UC Davis as both an undergraduate and graduate student in the 1960s. Gilhooly’s ceramic works significantly contributed to the Bay Area’s Funk Ceramic Movement.

“The Funk art movement of California [...] was born during this period in the ‘60s and early ‘70s,” said Jessica Nusbaum, associate director of communications and marketing for Shields Library. “The core art faculty [and students] who were [at Davis]

at that time were [...] a community of artists who were constantly challenging each other, building off of each other’s work, providing creative inspiration and really pushing the frontiers of their art to new places.”

Correlating to the library’s staircase beside them, Gilhooly’s sculptures explore a common motif of stairs: one of them features a flock of ducks swimming down a staircase; the other displays food spilling down a flight of stairs.

Other notable artists whose work can be found in the library are George Longfish and Wayne Thiebaud. Longfish taught as a Native American studies professor at UC Davis for 30 years until 2003, and much of his art centers around Native American identities, history and heritage.

His artwork can be seen on the right side of the library from the main lobby, including the vibrant mural near the computer lab. Longfish’s personal painting style includes bright colors and incorporation of text.

Thiebaud, a world-renowned northern California artist whose work can also be seen at Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum, began as a UC Davis assistant professor in 1960 and taught for almost 40 years. In 1994, he was presented the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton.

Thiebaud is known for his paintings of everyday items, from lipsticks to diner desserts — one of his works portraying a candy counter can be found by the elevators on the first floor of Shields Library.

“It’s really impressive how important the artists and the teachers at UC Davis were during that period of time,” Korinke said. “When we were primarily still thought of and focused on agriculture, the art department that was here was phenomenal, and they really made an impact [on California art].”

The artwork in Shields Library affects the UC Davis community in various ways, creating a more

maneuvering through the maze

Davis hosts 7th annual Neighbors’ Night Out | Gunrock,

A closer look at the Social Sciences and Humanities building

double decker bus join Davis residents in festivities

CITY OF DAVIS / COURTESY

BY J UNO BHARDWA J - S H A H ci ty@th e a ggi e .o r g

On Oct. 16, the City of Davis participated in its annual Neighbors’ Night Out. The event, which started in 2005, aims to help community members get to know each other better by encouraging residents to host parties for their neighbors.

Stacey Winton, media and communications officer at the city manager’s office, who created the event, emphasized that one of the main goals of the event is that long-term Davis residents and UC Davis students get to know each other.

“It’s funny, a lot of it had to do with [concerns over students not] bringing out their garbage cans. It just kind of came out of conversations of [how] it be nice if [students and long-term residents] just met each other at the beginning of the school year and felt comfortable with each other to talk about little things in the neighborhoods. It grew out of this grassroots idea of bettering communication in neighbors,” Winton said.

Carrie Dyer, who is in charge of community engagement and cultural services at the city manager’s office, also helped plan the event. She highlighted that the city plays an

important role in getting residents to host parties in their neighborhoods by helping send out invitations and providing balloons and glow sticks. Furthermore, people who signed up to a host an early party were entered in a raffle to get Gunrock, the Fire Department, the Police Department or a Davis-famous double-decker bus to show up at their event.

All of this work on the part of the city manager’s office has been successful in past years in getting more people to participate.

According to Dyer, this year was no exception, with record numbers of participants at each party.

“This year we had 130 parties, which is more than last year, but less than the year before; however, our projected number of participants went up to about 6,000 this year,” Dyer said.

While the event was not heavily advertised on the UC Davis campus, it clearly has an impact on those who attend, and the city manager’s office encourages more students to participate in future Davis Neighbors’ Night Out events.

Munir Sayani, a third-year computer science major, hasn’t participated in an official Neighbors’ Night Out event but says that he participated in community get-togethers at the beginning of the quarter.

“I think a Neighbor’s Night Out is a good idea for people to meet each other and make new friends. I went to a similar event in [my apartment complex] to meet the some of my neighbors,” Sayani said. “It was great making new friends and meeting new contacts that I know from the Davis area and even my own classes.”

DIANNE MADISON / COURTESY

For Love and Olives Yolo Press family farm provides quality products for more than 20 years

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

Just 20 minutes west of Davis is a thriving grove of olive trees that symbolizes one family’s agricultural and professional success. Davis native Mike Madison and his wife Dianne originally bought the land for their farming operation in 1984 and now sell homemade and organic jams, soaps, skincare products and olive oil at the Davis Farmers Market and Davis Food Co-op.

The Madison family wanted to grow something that did not require bees for pollination, was drought-tolerant and was resistant to pests. They decided on

olive trees, and now Mike hand-harvests all 1,700 of these olive trees himself.

“We have olive varieties from Spain, Italy, Greece, France and California which all produce different flavors of oil,” Mike said. “I’ll harvest less-ripe olives around this time to make a very pungent, strong robust oil, like Italians prefer, [but] the French like theirs to taste like butter so they wait [to harvest] until January — it’s just a question of style.”

Immediately after the harvest, Mike brings the olives into a processing room where they get washed and ground up.

This olive “mash” then goes into a bigger machine and is stirred very slowly so that the microscopic drops of oil start to

relaxed, pleasant atmosphere in a studious environment.

“I really like that [the art pieces] are vibrant,” said Ivan Munkres, third-year biochemistry major and Shields library employee. “They bring life into the library in a place where everybody’s just studying.

[The art is] something nice to look at when you look up from your math homework.”

The artwork has also proven to be a way for alumni to emotionally reconnect with the campus.

A few months ago, a campus organization formed in 1964 called the Art, Garden and Literary Society hosted a reunion at UC Davis.

As the alumni toured Shields Library and viewed the artwork together, many of them told personal anecdotes about the artists themselves, having taken classes with the artists while they were students at UC Davis. “[The tour] was really a nice way to re-engage alumni, [and] they remembered [the artists] very fondly,” Korinke said. “Many of them had pieces [...] by the artists because [...] before [the artists] were overly successful, a lot of the people that worked with them collected their art or bought their art.”

Shields Library is also home to the Department of Special Collections, which gathers and preserves historical documents owned by UC Davis, and is closely linked to the University Archives. Both Special Collections and the library artwork make Shields Library an area carrying much of UC Davis’ history and legacy.

Students who wish to learn more about the these art pieces can go on one of the library’s tours. The next opportunity will be on Nov. 5 for Parents’ Weekend.

“The library [has a] role [of ] being historian and storyteller for the university,” Nusbaum said. “The art in the library is another way that [the] history of this university comes to life.”

NICKI PADAR / AGGIE

BY FATIMA SIDDIQUI f ea tures @thea g g ie.org

Looking at campus from 3rd Street, a tall gray building looms over everything else. Designed by architect Antoine Predock, the Social Sciences and Humanities building’s dark grey concrete and glass walls contrast the colors and symmetry of the rest of campus. Built in 1994, this building’s distinct architecture easily draws people to the programs it houses and stands out to all who pass by.

“The architecture is really nice,” said Melinda House, a fourth-year human development major. “People say you get lost in here but it’s really cool once you explore it.”

Otherwise referred to as the “Death Star,” the Social Science and Humanities building is a constant maze for students. Students can often be seen wandering the halls, trying to find a way through this perplexing building. Students on campus often get lost trying to get to class or to different offices, as the building houses the Economics, History, Philosophy, and Sociology departments as well as the East Asian Studies, Hemispheric Institute on the Americas, Jewish Studies, Middle East and South Asia Studies and the Science and Technology Studies programs.

“It’s the same with everybody else, the first time you come here you get lost,” managerial economics peer advisor and fourth-year Kevin Tran said. “The first time I was starting this job, I made myself come and look for [the office] at least once or twice so I wouldn’t be late on the first day of training.”

clump together and is heated so that the fats completely liquify. A centrifuge then separates the material into three parts: water, solid and oil. Mike then transports the oil to a separate settling tank and leaves it alone for about three days.

The process of turning the fruit into oil is detailed and time consuming, but it is meticulous for a reason.

“We package in dark green glass from Italy [...] because olive oil has high sensitivity to light,” Mike said. “If you go to Safeway and see [cheap] olive oil in a clear, plastic bottle [...] it’s probably just 10-year-old rancid oil [that was] distilled with solvents to remove the rancid taste.”

Dianne explained that because of the oil’s sensitivity, Mike mills everything within 24 hours of harvesting so that the oil does not go rancid. The Madisons are not only concerned with producing quality olive oil, but also keeping their environmental impact as low as possible by implementing sustainable practices.

“The water and solids from the olive processing get pumped out of the building and I spread them back into the orchard to be reincorporated into the soil,” Mike said. “All of the nutrients are in the waste, so by putting them back we’re basically maintaining soil fertility in the orchard.”

According to Predock’s website, the building resembles the geology of the Great Central Valley of California. The building was also purposely designed to encourage social interaction, as it is the building constructed for social sciences. Its confusing hallways and floors force people to talk to each other and ask for directions. Fourth-year psychology major Janis Ho has had several classes in the Death Star and has experienced this confusion first-hand. ”I’ve had a lot of people come and ask me ‘Oh, do you know where this place is?’ so I think it definitely encourages social interactions,” Ho said.

In addition to peer encounters during passing periods, the building also serves as a bigger platform of social interaction to several clubs on campus, including the Davis Nerf Club. Every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m., the Davis Nerf Club hosts some type of Nerf gun related game, including those like Team Deathmatch and Human vs. Zombies.

The games take place on the first and second floors of the building. “[The building’s] complex design with lots of corners, turns and hallways gives plenty of cover for Nerf games and it’s just about the right size for our player turnout,” said Tyler Eigenhuis, second-year cognitive science major and treasurer of the Davis Nerf Club. “It’s kind of the only place on campus that fits our needs. Due to its significance to the club, I think [the Death Star] is perfect and we wouldn’t have a good Nerf club [...] at all without [it].”

First-year biomedical engineering major Max Neal frequently eats lunch in the intriguing building.

“When I first came here I did just wander everywhere, seeing what it was like,” said Neal. “I really like the courtyard feel where it’s surrounded and there are high walls — I like the aesthetic of that.”

Students navigating through the Death Star will notice several “LOST” posters next to iPads scattered throughout different hallways throughout the building. With a plug-in called Wayfinding, these iPads provide maps and directions to different departments, rooms and people in the building.

In addition to what Dianne calls their “liquid fertilizer,” Yolo Press is constantly exploring ways to be as environmentally sound as possible, such as using recyclable packaging. The Madisons do not grow plants that require large amounts of tractor work, decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide the farm releases into the atmosphere. The farm also has solar panels that power the irrigation system in the orchard, and Mike and Dianne give customers rebates for bringing back their empty bottles after use.

“We use no pesticides and no commercial fertilizers, and as a crop, olives are much more benign than others because they require less water,” Mike said. “We proudly irrigate less than most people in the Sacramento Valley [and since] we have our own processing plant, we’re not having to haul olives 200 miles [away] to get them processed [off the farm].”

In addition to the heart-healthy perks of olives, Yolo Press also uses its unique oils in its soaps and skin products for the antioxidant qualities and benefits as a soothing skin conditioner.

Dianne and the couple’s two daughters also started D. Madison & Daughters, the label under which they sell about 20 different types of jam. When the farm had too much tree fruit that they could

DEATHSTAR on PAGE 9

not sell, Dianne continued her family’s tradition of canning fig, apricot and blackberry jams.

“People really like the olive oil the best, but I think the fact that that we have a very diverse line of products on our table [at the farmers market in Davis] appeals to a wide customer base,” Dianne said.

Despite the fact that Yolo Press does not advertise or have their own shop, their popularity with the Davis community does not falter. The business is favored among a handful of university faculty members, especially professor of English Frances Dolan. Dolan stops by the Yolo Press table every Saturday morning at the market to pick up olive oil and skincare products for herself and friends.

“Buying food from a supermarket doesn’t require the same thinking about where your food comes from or how sustainably it’s grown,” Dolan said. “Because of relationships like the one I have with the Madisons, there’s a responsibility to go out to the market and keep those [vendors] coming.”

Dolan and her husband are more than just customers of Yolo Press. They have developed a close friendship with the YOLO PRESS on PAGE 9

4 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SCIENCE+TECH LAU RA H ACKETT / COURTESY

UC DAVIS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING LAUNCHES SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAM FOR FIRST GENERATION STUDENTS How building a community in engineering is keeping students in college, providing resources, networks

BY M ERAL BAS I T s ci e n c e @ th e a ggi e . o r g

UC Davis prides itself in keeping students in school, and with a 90 percent first-year and 86 percent transfer-student retention rate, it’s earned the right to be proud.

One of the ways that UC Davis keeps students from dropping out is through specialized retention programs like Leadership in Engineering Advancement, Diversity and Retention (LEADR), a group specifically designed for first-generation engineering students. “[LEADR] was actually a request from our then College of Engineering dean, Enrique Lavernia, who wanted our college to have a diversity program,” said Tanya Whitlow, the director and founder of LEADR. Whitlow clarified the difference between LEADR and a similar summer program called Special Transitional Enrichment Program (STEP), meant for first-generation students of all majors.

“We work closely with STEP [...] We advise [their engineering students] and also have workshops for them during their [summer program],” Whitlow said. “That’s what prompted us to think about creating our own summer bridge program, because we realized that with STEP, we were working with an average of 35 students a year.

We don’t know [which populations we weren’t

reaching]. We just knew that there weren’t just 35 first-generation engineering students.”

The pilot LEADR summer program launched the week before the start of the 2016 to 2017 academic year. A central goal of the program was to expose students to successful professional engineers for advice and inspiration.

“We wanted to concentrate on information that would help them both professionally and academically to give them some early exposure to professional development. Both AT&T and Chevron, [who] fund our program, held professional development workshops,” Whitlow said. “They talked about things like building your resume, interview tips, information about their companies and what engineering positions are available at their companies.”

In addition to offering practical advice, Whitlow wanted the program to encourage student unity within LEADR. “We wanted them to be able to build communit[ies], like they could in the STEP program [and] have a peer network [...] that you can go to class with or study with, and be familiar with the resources both on campus and in the college, so you know where to go if you need assistance,” Whitlow said.

The groundwork for networking seems to be successful, as students have become incredibly attached to the program.

“I remember when the program was about to end, it got kind of quiet because no one was really ready for it to end [...] In fact, a student said, ‘can it be for another week?’” Whitlow said.

Maricella Miramontes, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major at UC Davis, was a Resident Mentor (RM) for the LEADR summer bridge program. Miramontes said that the RMs were with the students essentially 24 hours a day.

“We helped them move in the very first day [and got] them settled into the dorms,” Miramontes said. “We were [also] living there overnight.”

In addition to spending time with students at the workshops, held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the RMs ate meals, went to the ARC and played board games with the students. These informal interactions were key in creating a sense of community, which is especially helpful for first-generation students.

“There’s a lot of pressure to graduate [for first-generation students],” Miramontes said.

“And [frequently], parents don’t even know what engineering is, and you have to explain to them why you’re going into a very difficult field which sometimes takes more than four years, and it’s hard for them to understand that.”

Although the bridge program was just launched this past summer, LEADR has offered continued support during the academic year for a much longer period. Laura Hackett is the LEADR pro-

MAXIMIZING THE CAPABILITY OF THE HUMAN BODY

DAVID HAWKINS / COURTESY

The Human Performance Lab at Hickey Gym researches musculoskeletal structure to minimize risk of injury

BY SH I VA N I KA M A L s ci ence@ th e a ggi e .o r g

The Human Performance Lab (HPL), located in UC Davis’ Hickey Gym, aims to understand the mechanisms of the human body in order to improve both quality of life and physical capability in the limbs, bones and muscles.

David Hawkins, professor in the Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior and head of the research group, seeks to provide the public with tools to improve their physical activities.

The HPL was originally founded in 1963, and the Hawkins Research Group (HRG) branch at UC Davis has performed some incredible research.

“The research done in the HPL has direct clinical applications, and I was excited to pursue research efforts that

could potentially decrease injury incidence among active populations in the future,” said Erica Stevens, alumni class of 2016 and former student-researcher in HPL. Current research is focused on knee ligament ruptures resulting from previous traumas and how small build-ups of damage over a long period of time may be the cause of these ruptures.

Hawkins has proposed a knee-laxity test, which detects small damages in ligaments before rupture and reflects changes in ligaments’ mechanical properties. According to Hawkins, the data from the tests supports the hypothesis that micro-damages can be detected prior to ligament rupture.

There are a variety of students researching in the HPL under Professor Hawkins, including alumni Erica Stevens who had her own specified project which studied a possible correlation between noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and Patellar Tendon Insertion (PTTI) angles among UC Davis athletes.

The ACL is a major tissue that connects the thigh bone to the shin bone at the knee and helps stabilize the knee joint. The PTTI angle is the angle at which the patellar tendon, the tissue connecting the kneecap to the shin, in-

gram advisor. In addition to facilitating weekly group meetings, Hackett meets one-on-one with students on a weekly, bi-weekly or quarterly basis. Hackett was recently awarded the 2016-17 Campus Outstanding New Advisor Award for her work in LEADR. “I like to think of [these meetings] as getting to know the student better so the program can support them in the best way possible,” Hackett said. “I advise in a very goal-oriented manner, so I like to know what their goals are, and I like to help them achieve those goals.”

According to Hackett, when the program started, they had 31 students. Now, their listserv is just shy of 300 people.

Although some are inactive, Hackett says that they have gotten to know most of the people in the program fairly well and that they are adding new students every year.

Despite the increase in students in LEADR, Hackett said she hopes that students feel free to ask for individual help.

“I hope that every student feels welcome. I hope that they feel welcome in my office, I hope that they feel comfortable in the college of engineering,” Hackett said. “Just know that there are people on campus that want to help, and that the main thing for students is just to ask for help when you need it, because there are [...] people who [will] pick you up.”

serts into the tibial tuberosity located at the top of the lower leg.

“We hypothesized that a greater PTTI angle would lead to increased anterior translation — [the kinetics of knee movement] — of the tibia [a bone in the lower leg], subsequently leading to increased ACL force,” Stevens said.

In order to determine the PTTI angle directly from the athletes, 10 plastic markers were placed on the lateral surfaces of their legs. Each leg was photographed in full extension and then digitized via MaxTRAQ, a motion analysis software.

The coordinates were later inputted into Microsoft Excel to finally determine the PTTI angle of each knee.

The data collected from this pilot study supported the hypothesis that there was a correlation between ACL injuries and the PTTI angle. However, due to the small sample size, the hypothesis must be expanded by a larger research group.

“It could prompt physicians, physical therapists and/or coaches in the future to screen for athletes with larger PTTI angles and provide them with preventative strengthening exercises to decrease their relative risk for noncontact ACL injuries,” Stevens said.

Another student working under Professor Hawkins is Shonit Nair Sharma, third-year biomedical engineering major, who has his own project analyzing acceleration data from runners to identify those at risk for injury.

Originally researching under the Mathematics Department on an exercise biology lab, Sharma became interested in the Human Performance Lab after reaching out to Professor Hawkins as a collaborative reference.

“My research project involved writing a MATLAB code to process and analyze workbooks of data collected during a study of collegiate distance runners,” Sharma said.

MATLAB is software that is used for technical computing, allowing the implementation of algorithms, plotting of functional data and easy visualization of complex problems and their solutions.

The data was collected from UC Davis runners via physical monitors. The acceleration data for the left side of the hip was often lower due to human error because the device was worn specifically on the right hip. Much of this project’s research was centered around solving this problem.

“It was necessary that the [MATLAB]

code accounted for the discrepancy between left and right hip acceleration values, for the physical activity monitors worn by the athletes were unable to do so,” Sharma said.

The data was then analyzed to identify runners who were at risk for injury.

Past research projects include muscle-tendon lengthening, in which muscle performance was measured after being lengthened by one of two alternative procedures.

Another research project studied athletes’ athletic performances while doing rowing motions on dry land, stimulating water training.

The quantitative information of the athletes’ kinematics and forms provided great feedback for both the coach and the athletes to improve their respective performances.

This information included different techniques ability to change power output of the muscles and identify how techniques change with muscle fatigue.

HPL has investigated many effective studies, such as The Backpack Load Carriage Project, which evaluated the productivity of hip belts for reducing skin pressure and muscle exertion while one wears a backpack.

There is seemingly no limit to the creativity of the human-performance studies under the HPL. “My research group is also exploring wearable technology to provide remote health-monitoring and physical activity prescription,” Hawkins said.

Collaborations with colleagues from different departments is common, especially when human and animal models are used.

“I have collaborated with colleagues in the Veterinary Medical School to conduct similar types of human and horse anatomical modeling and movement simulations to explore potential mechanisms of injury,” Hawkins said.

Other projects include partnering with the College of Biological Sciences to explore signaling pathways that contribute to skeletal muscle hypertrophy, as well as with the [UC Davis] Medical School to investigate the healing response following various muscle-tendon release techniques.

“Professor Hawkins encourages all of his students to critically question the information they’re presented with [...] so the last two years of my undergraduate career really helped me to become the inquisitive student I am today,” Stevens said.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016 | 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Sudoku

Chess

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

In this setup, the player is black. It’s black’s turn, and the player should be able to checkmate the white player in two moves.

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS PUZZLES

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6 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Opinion the California Aggie

from the editorial board

EDITORIAL BOARD ENDORSES HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT

EDITORIAL BOARD

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

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

If there's any solace to be taken from Wednesday’s third and final presidential debate — in which Donald Trump, content to put his fascist and demagogic tendencies on full display, recklessly threatened American democracy — it's that there was one more person on stage: an eternally patient and experienced woman. Hillary Clinton proved for the umpteenth time that she is the most capable candidate to ever seek the office of President of the United States.

The Aggie Editorial Board enthusiastically endorsed Clinton in June for the Democratic nomination, and for many of the same reasons — including her sensible position on student loans and a history of fighting for civil rights — we do so again for president.

Her progressive plan to eventually make public colleges free for families making less than $125,000 will ensure that students from low-income and middle-class households can experience upward mobility. She has also committed to creating a $25 billion fund devoted to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).

Such a fund would have a direct and positive impact on UC Davis, which is close to meeting all the requirements that would make it an HSI eligible for federal funding. But it would also mean that historically underserved minorities across the country are more fairly represented in higher education — a guaranteed vehicle for expanded economic opportunity.

The belief that underlies Clinton’s positions on education is one of equity — that nobody should be left behind because of the circumstances into which he or she was born. Trump couldn’t understand this because when something doesn’t go his way, it’s because the system is rigged — not because of his own irredeemably flawed intelligence and childish lack of self-control.

The system is rigged — just not against the billionaires to whom his tax plan would provide a windfall at the expense of the middle class. His worldview stinks of hypocrisy in a way that is more fundamental and dangerous than any other presidential candidate in the modern era. Her world view, reflected in promises to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation, is infinitely more positive and centered around a message of unity, not divisiveness.

It would be a grave mistake to compare Clinton’s policy shifts to the con-man tactics of a bully who praises dictators and denigrates American leadership.

On issues that Clinton’s trustworthiness is most called to question, like her refusal to release transcripts of paid Wall Street speeches, she has not demonstrated the tendency to spew bald-faced lies like Trump and his crony surrogates have. The big takeaway from these speeches is that Clinton values holding separate public and private beliefs. This doesn’t suggest dishonesty so much as political prudence and the ne-

cessity to work with people who may be beholden to different interests — a trait required of all effective leaders.

The next president will face enormous challenges at home and abroad. Trump’s characterization of Clinton as weak and feckless does a disservice to her 30-plus years of experience, as an attorney, state senator and Secretary of State. She was not weak to go to China and say, “human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights.” She was not weak to oppose President Obama when he reneged on his promise to order U.S. military action after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad crossed Obama’s so-called “red line” by using chemical weapons on his people.

Clinton has a deep understanding of the challenges this country faces because she has been working to solve them for virtually all of her professional life. Despite what her opponent says, her years as a public servant have not been wasted. She supported legislation in the senate to protect victims of domestic abuse and used her platform to provide easier emergency contraception for women.

And though gender or sex should not be a consideration when electing a president, a Clinton presidency would strongly affirm the struggle of millions of women who have worked tirelessly for the simple dignity of being treated the same as their male counterparts.

The Editorial Board recognizes that many students hold reservations about Clinton that stem largely from the well-founded belief that bias in the Democratic National Committee harmed Bernie Sanders’ inspiring and insurgent candidacy.

But students who are upset that Sanders didn’t win his party’s nomination can take comfort in knowing that the grassroots movement he fostered can help Clinton institute the most progressive Democratic platform in decades. Sanders’ political revolution can live on through her, but only if his supporters come to the conclusion that a vote for Clinton is not a vote wasted, nor is it a vote for the lesser of two evils.

Sanders’ endorsement was never a given. Clinton’s concessions to him, and primarily to his supporters and the American people, reflect the ethic of compromise that she will need to make progress in a Congress mired in unsustainable deadlock. With the Supreme Court in the balance, the refusal of senators to give Obama’s nominee fair consideration has been one example of utter abdications of responsibility that can only be remedied by a strong and steadfast leader like Clinton.

The solution is simple: vote. Tired of this election? Vote. Have an exam on election day? Vote.

Clinton needs to win in a landslide so her vision of an America that uplifts the poor and struggling can overwhelm Trump’s dark outlook on this nation’s prospects. And she can only win in a landslide if you, the student and citizen, exercise your right and obligation to vote.

Make the essay great again WHY I CHOSE TO WRITE AN ENGLISH PAPER IN TRUMP’S VOICE

BY ELI FLESCH ekflesch@ucdavis.edu Two important things happened to me in middle school: I was accepted into honors English and President Obama was inaugurated after an election season that sparked my deep interest in politics.

And while this country has changed profoundly in those eight years since President Obama took office, the way I wrote my English essays stubbornly remained the same: formulaic and utterly predictable.

So a couple of weeks ago I staged a little protest and chose to examine the fallibility of leadership in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland with the voice of perhaps the most fallible, unqualified and just plain stupid leader alive: Donald J. Trump.

It never really hit me that this might have been a bad idea.

I wasn’t particularly hell-bent on making a statement or being funny. My goal, first and foremost, was to make an original argument on a seminal piece of children’s literature. I just didn’t want to write another essay that would begin to collect dust the second I turned it in.

As the number of English majors declines across the country and students’ interest in literature becomes a second thought to the prospect of a betterpaying job, it’s especially important that students are making academic decisions in step with what makes them happiest.

For me, that meant combining the thrill of the political process with the thrill of good writing.

Writing in Trump’s voice helped me engage with Wonderland more actively than I would have otherwise. Each year it seems I have more difficulty really sitting down and getting in between the lines, so to speak. Forcing myself to look at a text with

a fresh perspective seemed like a worthwhile challenge — one that would serve my goal of providing interesting literary analysis.

Of course, the space between good intentions and a final product is often vast, and that’s exactly the space my professor occupied when she busted out the red pen to grade my paper. But her comment that my essay “doesn’t represent (ahem) standard academic discourse. (To say the least!)” was a point of pride.

Her criticism also confirmed what I feared the most: that writing in Trump’s voice — an idiosyncratic mix of discursivity, lack of focus and brashness — would detract from my first priority to write an essay that fully delved into an argument.

In a way, my essay turned out to be a metaphor for Trump’s entire campaign: dotted with holes and unclear explanations — but, at least to me, entertaining as hell.

The writing process itself was a difficult exercise in balancing the speech patterns of a whiny fifthgrader with the elevated prose expected from a college essay. Add the fact that I was writing my essay well into the morning it was due and you have a recipe for some sentences that were… less than excellent. Sad, even. The challenge of composing this essay blocked off the part of my brain that would normally tell me: hey, are you really putting 25 percent of your grade on the line so you can get in a joke about Marco Rubio being little? Are you really risking your credibility to imitate a man Fareed Zakaria unpretentiously called a “bullshit artist?”

Does that give new meaning to BS-ing an essay?

But, in the end, it was an essay that I couldn’t have written earlier in my academic career. For most students, I would hope there’s a realization sometime in their schooling when it becomes clear FLESCH on 9

The hot mamas of humor AMY POEHLER, TINA FEY AND THE FIGHT FOR WORK-LIFE BALANCE

BY STELL A SAPPINGTON sasappington@ucdavis.edu Not just anyone can create, produce and star in a show, be a part of the cast of "Saturday Night Live" and write a memoir before the age of 50. But Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, two amazing female comics, have accomplished all three. They have achieved great professional success without forsaking their personal lives — both women have had children in the midst of their fast-paced comedy careers.

Not only have they maintained professional lives while building families, but their work itself has accomplished larger goals than simply garnering laughs. In their time on SNL, both wrote and played politicians, crude characters, promiscuous

girls and Weekend Update stars.

Poehler was known for her Hillary Clinton impression and Fey for her Sarah Palin.

“I was aware that I had dropped in [to SNL] at a really special time,” Poehler told Terri Gross in an interview on “Fresh Air.” “The women were so powerful and talented and in control of the show…”

Her point is reinforced by Fey, one of the powerful women in this era of SNL’s history.

In Fey’s memoir Bossypants, in a chapter entitled “I Don’t Care if You Like It,” she recounts an interaction between Jimmy Fallon and Poehler. Poehler was making a crude, obscene joke paired with an action and Fallon reacted negatively: “Stop that! It’s not cute. I don’t like it,” he said. Poehler shot back, “I don’t f***ing care if you like it.”

Fey and Poehler are not in comedy simply to please and be liked, especially not if it constrains them to “ladylike” behavior. They aim to make people laugh as provocatively as their male counterparts, like Fallon, whether through clever or crude means.

Both Fey and Poehler ran into challenges stemming from their authority as women in their field.

They felt pressure to be “cute” and also struggled to claim power as showrunners of their own programs. Fey believes that “you’re no one until someone calls you bossy,” inspiring the title of her book Bossypants.

One episode of Fey’s show "30 Rock" specifically focuses on overcoming the challenges of being a female boss.

After criticizing her staff for their lack of initia-

tive in the writers room, she overhears one of her employees referring to her with the unprintable cword. She is infuriated at his use of the slur and, at first, tries to win back her staff ’s approval through positive incentives.

After they ultimately take advantage of her new attitude by leaving work early, she’s inspired by an episode of "Designing Women" and demands respect from her crew. She insists that because she’s the boss, it “will sometimes make me unpopular,” but she also makes clear she will fire anyone who calls her names in retaliation.

Poehler has her own take on workplace sexism rooted in her personal experience.

On constantly being asked “Where are your kids?” in meetings with powerful men, she muses: SAPPINGTON on 9

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 27, 2016 | 7

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

A Clogston Abroad THE JOB HUNT ABROAD

BY MICHAEL CLOGSTON mlclogston@ucdavis.edu Graduation takes a lot of work. Some students will leave their undergraduate universities, apply to graduate schools and sign up for GREs, MCATs or LSATs — three of the most popular tests required for professions like medicine and law. Others enter the workforce directly after applying for jobs or internships. And some do neither.

All are viable options in today’s society.

I will be applying to the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program, also known as the JET program, for 2017. I will be applying for an assistant language teacher position, which will entail helping English teachers in Japanese schools with lesson plans, grading and homework, among other duties.

This particular job has a lot of required documents, and yet, I can’t say that they were unexpected. They want college transcripts, an application essay and two letters of recommendation, all pretty standard stuff.

But I’m writing this article not because it’s extremely difficult to get these materials, but because it takes a lot more preparation and forethought while abroad.

You first need to make sure that you have people back home who are aware of your specific job interests. You need a reliable person who is aware of your goals and is capable of helping you get information to and from the right places. In addition, it is best to have someone nearby or at at your university to secure the correct documents needed for the application.

While this next step may seem obvious, I cannot stress how essential it is, especially while abroad: start the application early. On a study abroad program, you are in all likelihood going to be busy with class, an internship or two and trying to have fun in a new environment. Not to mention you may feel really exhausted trying to keep up with everything going on around you.

Starting early will allow you to make any calls necessary to arrange document pick-up or to make sure someone else can pick something up for you while you’re abroad.

Next, make a checklist of the required documents. This is a really helpful way to stay organized and guarantee that you are not missing any deadlines during this arduous process. Finally, do not forget to file for graduation and the degrees that you worked so hard for in college.

I’ve managed to finish almost everything in my application process with a month to spare, but I still have quite a bit to do. I have to ensure that all my documents get to the consulate in Washington D.C. by mid-November. After I print out my answers from the online application, I get the pleasure of sending my physical application to my apartment in Davis where my housemate will then send that packet off to D.C. I can’t say that the process will be fun, but I believe that with strong communication, applying for a job while studying abroad is definitely possible and should not deter anyone from going abroad their final year of school.

Just be sure that you communicate well with people back home and keep track of time.

What HomeBoy Industries can teach us about combatting gang, gun violence NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE A ROLE IN SOLVING THE PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS OF GUN VIOLENCE

BY TAMANNA AHLUWALIA tahluwalia@ucdavis.edu There’s a mixed sense of eye-opening wonder and clarification when you learn about something that you’ve never been exposed to before.

Coming from an ethnocentric, relatively sheltered bubble in my hometown, I was frankly stupefied when I attended a conference called “Carry the Vision” a few years ago. Led by Father Greg Boyle and facilitated by many fascinating and passionate individuals, the conference centered around building a bridge between the poor and marginalized and those with more privilege and opportunities.

Father Boyle, an unbelievably kind-hearted man whom I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with, is the founder of HomeBoy Industries.

HomeBoy Industries strives to provide rehabilitation and support systems to formerly ganginvolved and previously incarcerated men and

women with the aim of redirecting their lives in a more positive and safe direction.

It was through this conference and Father Boyle’s inspiring work that my interest in gang violence and the inevitable gun violence that comes with it was piqued.

The hopelessness that accompanies dealing with an abusive family or a poverty-riddled lifestyle is what puts guns into the hands of youth who aren’t even old enough to understand their power.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 92 to 96 percent of gang-related homicides involved firearms, compared to 57 to 86 percent in non-gang related homicides. Although gang violence does not account for the majority of gunrelated deaths, it does contribute to a portion of it, so finding ways to combat the root of the gun-related gang violence problem is absolutely relevant to a larger discussion of the topic.

HomeBoy Industries aims to do just this by reducing the effects of gun violence in large cities

like Los Angeles and Chicago. The non-profit organization provides a means of education and job training for previously gang-involved individuals as alternatives to the devastating violence present in their lives.

HomeBoy offers 50 different classes for young and old people alike, giving those without highschool degrees the tools to go on and obtain their GED. Mental health, domestic violence and substance abuse support groups, as well as small but meaningful things like tattoo removal, are other powerful rehabilitation methods that HomeBoy Industries provides to those who are committed to making a change in their life.

The best part is that it’s all free. Volunteer clinicians give their time to provide psychotherapy to those traumatized at an early age by violence and loss. Substance abuse specialists engage in one-onone meetings and counseling free of charge. Conferences, such as the one I attended, were available on a first-come, first-serve basis to those who wanted to attend.

The problem is actually getting people there.

Be it fear of retribution or a fear of the unknown, many individuals often shy away from making that first step toward a better life. The only solution is to provide the means of change to these gang-involved individuals and let them make the choice of whether or not they want a more positive future.

The questions we ask are vitally important, because questions are what lead to potentially transformative answers. And the important question that HomeBoy Industries asks isn’t about gun control or legislation to help suppress gang-related crimes. The question that they ask has more to do with how we, as individual members of society, can improve the public safety and health of our country.

Gang-related gun violence is not truly a matter of the actual weapon in use. It’s really a matter of public health and an epidemic that, though easier said than done, can be cured by techniques that foster a sense of hope for the future in the form of education and work.

last spring? Their preaching was often extreme to the common ear, which many felt warranted harsh sanctioning. I saw a couple of Davis students confront the evangelists intellectually and civilly –– the proper choice. They went “high” instead of “low.” But most didn’t get Michelle’s memo.

Many students abusively belittled and harangued the preachers. Others demanded their forced removal from campus.

One student wrote that not only are “open” campuses “a fundamentally flawed idea,” but they also create an atmosphere that is unsafe to students.

It’s this idea of ‘safety’ that is so harmful to the young minds universities are supposed to cultivate.

Where is the excitement surrounding controversy?

What happened to intellectually-curious students meeting the other side head-to-head? It’s certainly absent where I look.

Calls to silence controversial speech also undermine the community standards UC Davis strives to uphold.

“We must understand and value both our individual differences and our common ground,” reads the official UC Davis Principles of Community.

“We further recognize the right of every individual to think, speak, express and debate any idea…”

Previous generations relished opportunities for such open and honest dialogue in their classrooms.

Today, universities are hotbeds of grassroots trigger warnings, safe spaces and ironic protests against “hostile” speech.

To be fair, the barebones idea of trigger warnings and safe spaces are not without merit. In practice, however, these phrases can morph from benign warning systems (originally for rape victims) to tools used for burying divergent opinions.

They began as shields against trauma –– now they’re used to demonize and subvert intellectual freedom.

This is the crux of Napolitano’s message. There’s a right way to handle diverse opinions, and it certainly doesn’t include censorship. Let’s all agree on that.

Please Don’t Censor This EXPOSING THE WAR ON CAMPUS SPEECH

BY NICK IRVIN ntirvin@ucdavis.edu Janet Napolitano’s recent editorial on the merits of preserving free speech at universities is becoming increasingly necessary in the current political age. She observes the recent trend of college students suppressing views that even marginally sound marginalizing.

Her most striking point: “If it hurts, if it’s controversial, if it articulates an extreme point of view, then speech has become the new bête noire of the academy. Speakers are disinvited, faculty are vilified, and administrators like me are constantly asked to intervene.”

It’s an interesting turn of events when Janet Napolitano offers up a searing indictment of the repressive tendencies that litter contemporary college culture. Take note, because Napolitano is not your typical demagogue whining about the rise of political correctness.

She was a rock-solid pillar of the Obama ad-

ministration and the groundbreaking Arizona governor who vetoed 180 bills against a Republican-dominated state legislature. Her track record suggests she might be in favor of the “safe space” –– but her editorial says otherwise.

Napolitano’s words have been echoed in all corners of academia and government. We all know the firestorm surrounding the University of Chicago’s dean of students and his freshmen welcome letter. His words reflect the sentiments burgeoning among journalists and leaders in defense of free discussion.

Even Barack Obama recently lambasted the rising tide of censored speech, saying that students shouldn’t “have to be coddled or protected from different points of view.”

Instead of censoring antithetical opinions, he said, students should be making arguments that affirm the theory-clashing ideal of universities.

I’ve encountered some adherents and quite a few more dissidents to this sage advice. Remember the evangelical preachers who roamed the quad

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8 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Opinion HUMOR ASUCD PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL RATINGS DOWN AFTER AGGIECARD REDESIGN

BY ETHAN VICTOR ejvictor@ucdavis.edu A new study released by the Davis Polling Society (DPS) on Wednesday revealed that the ASUCD president’s numbers appear to be “less favorable” given the new design of the Aggiecard.

Last Winter Quarter, the school’s new commander-in-chief ran on the platform of designing a new card, which is now a mix of blue, green and yellow, with Gunrock on the left next to the student’s photo.

Given that the president ran on this platform, the new logo’s flop has led to the drop of the president’s approval ratings, from 46 percent at the beginning of the school year to 19 percent three

weeks into the year, per DPS reports. According to official school rules, elected officials need to have a 20 percent approval rating by week five in order to be considered legitimate. If the president does not reach this benchmark, there will be a recall election.

“Using that ID card makes me look like a stupid freshman,” said Steve Dexler, a fourth-year political science major. “I am not a stupid freshman, but nobody can tell because now I have a target on my back.”

All new students were given the redesigned ID card, setting them apart from students of previous years. It became clear to them that they were being set apart, resulting in a 7 percent favorable rating among first-year and transfer students.

“I just don’t understand the reason for the change or why it

would be used as a platform to do anything,” said Michael Franks, a first-year viticulture and enology major. “I’ve been here for four weeks and I can tell you that I would rather have internet in the ARC over a new piece of plastic.”

For someone to hold as much power as the ASUCD president, there seems to be some flaws in the executive branch. Either the president does not have as much authority as the students have been led to believe, or he has had a serious lapse in judgement in terms of what students truly care about.

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

STUDENT SHOUTS OUT ANSWER A SPLIT SECOND BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE TO SHOW HIS BRILLIANCE

BY BRIAN L ANDRY bjlandry@ucdavis.edu UC Davis is such a large institution with so many brilliant students that it’s probably impossible to say there’s a single one who outsmarts the others — until now.

Eric Dukakis, second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and Albert Einstein impersonator, showed that he is indeed better than all of us in every possible way during his organic chemistry lecture last Tuesday. A classmate of Dukakis described the event that took place.

“It was really a sight to behold,” said Emily Strangler, secondyear chemistry major and star of TLC’s "I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant". “Our professor asked us what element is represented by a ‘C’

and Eric shouted the answer out at an unnecessarily loud volume a fraction of a second before everyone else said the answer. It was incredible. Everyone burst into applause. The girl sitting next to me started crying. I mean sure, everybody knew the correct answer, but Eric said it first, which makes him better than all of us by miles.”

It’s rumored that the professor teaching the class stopped lecturing, offered Dukakis a research position in her lab, a new car and $100,000 cash for his unprecedented achievement.

“In that moment I just had such a rush of emotions; I'm not even really sure what came over me,” said professor Michelle Rodriguez. “I realized that Eric was so much better than all of my other students and that his courage to speak up when everyone else was also willing to speak up made me really like him and want to give him an A in my class.”

Dukakis has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize, nominated for an Oscar and a Grammy and might even be made the new chancellor of UC Davis because of the courage he showed in organic chemistry that day.

“I guess I was just having a moment of pure genius,” Dukakis told The Aggie. “I’m thinking about running for President of the United States in a few years. I think this nation — the United States, that is — could really use someone who is a leader like I am and isn’t afraid to take risks, also as I am. We could also use someone who is really well-spoken and cool and a genius like me.”

Possibly the most important message that we should take from this inspiring story is that we will simply never be as good as Eric Dukakis. And if that doesn’t inspire you, then I’m not sure what will.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016 | 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

GRAY

LEADERS

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According to Markelz, Gray met a young Ethiopian scientist who had access to a wide range of molecular equipment and tools, but who needed training in how to use them. “[Gray] really wanted to bring her to UC Davis for training and was so motivated to remove this barrier to learning when the resources were already in place,” Markelz said in a statement for UC Davis Dateline.

Gray also mentored undergraduates at Urbana-Champaign and UC Davis, as well as high school students from Davis High and Pioneer High in Woodland.

UC Davis alumna An Nguyen had Gray as a mentor for two years before graduating recently with a degree in biotechnology.

“Sharon meant a lot to me and was a big part in the success of my undergraduate career,” Nguyen said in a statement for UC Davis Dateline. “I couldn’t have done it without her support. Even now, I aspire to be able to give the same valuable mentorship to someone else as she had done for me.”

To honor Gray and her work, Gray’s family is

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raising money via GoFundMe to mentor women in science.

“The mission of this current campaign is to make something positive out of this tragedy,” Markelz stated on the GoFundMe site.

Savithramma Dinesh-Kumar, professor and chair of the Department of Plant Biology, believes Gray was a woman who was truly cherished and destined for great things.

“Sharon was liked by everyone in the Plant Biology Department at UC Davis,” Dinesh-Kumar said. “It is a great loss to the Plant Biology Department, UC Davis and the scientific community.”

Acting Provost Ken Burtis and the dean of the College of Biological Sciences Mark Winey released a statement expressing their condolences and honoring Gray’s work and her commitment to UC Davis.

“On behalf of the entire UC Davis campus, our hearts and condolences go out to Sharon’s husband and extended family,” Burtis said. “Even in tragedy, we hope that we all can find some comfort in the wonderful work [Gray] was engaged in that will better the lives of so many around the world.”

MONDAVI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

campus unique was the connection she forged with the community of students, faculty and staff.

“She was special because she cared [and] was infinitely curious about individuals,” Owens said. “When she went into a room [it] lit up, because she would put all her attention in talking to people. So, in making these gifts to UC Davis she was helping students in generations to come.”

The Napa Valley Register credits Mondavi as one of the people to put Napa Valley on the map as a world renowned wine region. Her multiple ventures in bringing art, wine and cuisine together included founding the Summer Concert Series at the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa.

“We talk about pairing wine with food, arts, and music but she really put that idea on the map,” said Sarah Colwell, senior manager of marketing and development communications for development and alumni relations at the Cal Aggie Alumni Association. “She saw this opportunity to easily connect the things that she enjoyed to elevate them and make them more enjoyable for everyone and then she shared that.

She was very generous in sharing that life perspective with others.”

The Mondavi family gifted the school with funds to build the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and the Mondavi Center for Performing Arts. Mondavi’s final contribution to the school was the initial $2 million gift that began the construction of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, which opens next month.

“There is a whole corridor of our campus that would not exist if it were not for her and Robert’s philanthropy,” said Shaun Keister, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations. “She brought countless opportunities through the [Mondavi Center for Performing Arts] and through the Robert Mondavi Institute to our whole community. We have benefits to the community that would not be available if it were not for their generosity.”

Mondavi’s devotion to the university stemmed from her and her husband’s interest in improving winemaking, and continued as she found the opportunity to bring together wine and the arts. “[UC Davis’] values and priorities matched [hers],” Keister said. “First and foremost [...]

wine and our program helped them as winemakers over the years. In some ways that gift [of the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science] was about appreciation. I think the Mondavi Center gift was much more tied to a personal passion for the arts and wanting to bring that to life here for our [...] community.”

Mondavi continued to support and give gifts to UC Davis after her and her husband’s initial donation for the RMI and the Mondavi Center, including scholarships for students in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.

Her support was indicative of her dedication to furthering the opportunities that students had for progressing their education.

“One of the most amazing things to me about Margrit was how much she cared about the students,” Owens said. “She enjoyed meeting them and hearing about their lives and about their projects and so it was absolutely significant that she and Robert wanted to make a commitment to UC Davis.”

Mondavi was also involved in a fundraising campaign for the school in which she served as a co-chair of the volunteer campaign committee.

At its inception in 2010, the campaign aimed to raise a $1 billion through donations made to the school over a span of the next few years. When that goal was reached in 2013, Mondavi went as far as making an appearance for a media event that recognized the achievement.

“Neither [she nor her husband were alumni] of the school, but they could see the good work that UC Davis was doing in so many different areas,” Owens said. “They just believed in UC Davis. It is remarkable that the campus has friends like Robert and Margrit, and it speaks well to the campus.”

Mondavi paved the way for art, wine and cuisine to come together across different venues.

Her dedication to the university helped foster cultural interest and provided many opportunities for students and faculty to continue in these fields.

“She really gave us a chance to dream big,” Colwell said. “She helped us dream [...and gave] us the support and the vision that we needed.

The gateway is such beautiful place on campus, and now the art museum is opening. It is beautiful space now that everyone can be proud of and I really do not think we would have that if it were not for Margrit.”

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Madisons and appreciate their dedication to fresh, local olive oil. By coming to the market every week and sharing stories with Dianne, Dolan feels that she knows much more about where she lives and what she eats. “[Mike and Dianne] are always thinking about [sustainability] issues and [...] I’m constantly learning from them,” Dolan said. ”It’s wonderful to buy their olive oil, but I’m getting a lot more from them

than that; I’m getting an education and a relationship.”

For the Madison family, customers like Dolan make the labor and dedication to the science of making quality olive oil worth the effort.

“Our business plan is [to] make our local product here and sell it in the town we’ve been in forever,” Mike said. “We’re embedded in this particular community and that’s how it works for us.”

won the Outstanding Service Award at Fisher College of Business in 2014,” Hexter said in a press release.

While serving as dean, Unnava plans to implement the flipped classroom teaching method and make the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program more reflective of the strengths of UC Davis, including having it be more industry-focused. He also wants to create a more engaging communication system between the program and alumni.

“We are trying to reposition [the MBA program] based off the strengths of UC Davis,” Unnava said.

“We will be incorporating professors from UC Davis as well as top industry experts. There are also programs called flipped classrooms which [are] being discussed at UC Davis. The reason it’s called a flipped classroom is because in the past, the [material] that is homework was what was lectured [on] in the class, and the application was given as homework. Now [...] they are doing more enriched kinds of things in the class.”

Winey came to UC Davis following 25 years at University of Colorado, Boulder. Previously, he held a chair position in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Boulder. His background includes research in genetics and microtubule organizing centers, which include cancer development and miscarriages. “[Winey] has the distinction of having been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Pew Scholar, and he was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2014,” Hexter said in a press release.

Interim Research Vice Chancellor Carter has been involved in UC Davis throughout much of his career.

Carter pursued his residency in psychiatry at UC Davis in 1985, then became a professor at the university

in 1989. In 2003 he was appointed director of the Imaging Research Center and in 2009 he was elected director of the Center for Neuroscience.

Carter is well decorated in his field, receiving the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Community Engagement in 2008, the Dean’s Excellence in Mentoring Award in 2006 and Endowed Professorship in Schizophrenia Research. He also served as director of the Schizophrenia Research and Education Program.

While serving as interim research vice chancellor, Carter plans to take control of animal care and use under the Office of Research in order to raise standards for animal-related experiments. Carter also hopes to develop research partnerships with universities abroad.

“One of the things we will be doing in the coming year is we will take responsibility of animal care and use at Davis,” Carter said. “We are developing some partnerships with other universities including one with the University of Sydney that will probably lead to joint research projects in the areas of vet med, agriculture and the environment and possibly neuroscience and mental health.”

Hastings has been part of the UC Davis faculty since 2008, holding positions as professor and chair in the Department of Psychology. His research includes the emotional development of children and adolescents with a focus on the contributions of social environment and neurobiology. Hastings is also a member of the Center for Mind and Brain, Center for Poverty Research and the Psychology and Human Development graduate group.

In addition to these new leaders, the university continues its search for replacements for chancellor, vice provost of academic affairs and police chief.

DEATHSTAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

“I think [the building] is a nice bit of trivia and something that makes UC Davis a little bit more unique,” Eigenhuis said.

The building is one of the closest on campus to Downtown Davis. People coming from downtown hoping to get a glimpse of the campus will get a view of The Death Star instead.

“I guess [using the Death Star as a point of direction] is probably a bad thing if you’re not familiar with campus and you plan on coming to this building,” Ho said. “Other than that I see no problem

with [the building].”

Some faculty and staff film video tutorials for students to show students how to get to certain areas in the building. Despite this, however, many appreciate the building for what it adds to the campus.

“I think it’s somewhat symbolic at UC Davis because everybody just knows what it is and what to expect when they come here,” Tran said. “I think it’s iconic because this is the only building of its kind on campus.”

PUNJABIS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

success of many other Punjabi farmers, has greatly impacted the agriculture industry in California’s Central Valley.

Today, many Punjabi Americans are making strides in engineering, technology and medicine. The archive presents physicians, like Jasbir Singh Kang and Harban Sekhon, who have dedicated their lives to medicine and championing for rights concerning Punjabi Americans.

Harjot Gill, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, has a family with a long history in medicine.

“Back in India, my grandfather was a doctor and my parents are also both in the health field [...] I think many [Punjabi] families have these histories that they want to maintain [...] that’s part of the reason why I

want to do something in medicine,” Gill said.

The archive not only draws attention to the history of Punjabi Americans but also brings awareness to the issues many of them face. After 9/11 and in the wake of recent terror attacks around the world, many Punjabi Sikhs bear the brunt of racist attacks. Sikhism is one of the most prominent religions amongst Punjabis; followers wear turbans and do not cut their hair.

“This often leads to hate being targeted at them solely because of their appearance [...] even though Punjabis have a long history in America, their culture is still widely unknown and misunderstood,” Deol said.

To learn more about the impact of Punjabi Americans through UC Davis’ digital archive, visit pioneeringpunjabis.ucdavis.edu.

BASEMENT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Gallery are open to everyone in the community, and anyone can volunteer to help or learn how to curate the events in the process.

“One of the big goals for this space is to give people access to get the experience with the gallery preparations, to see how set up works and what exhibits entail. We want to provide that experience for students, because there aren’t many places —

unless you get an internship — where you can casually walk in and help out,” Griggs said.

The Basement Gallery is eager to welcome anyone to submit their artwork to be shown, and to volunteer in the curating process. Those interested can reach out to the Basement Gallery via e-mail at student.art.gallery@gmail.com and visit its Facebook page.

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SAPPINGTON CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

“It’s such a weird question. Never in a million years do I ask guys where their kids are. It would be comparable to me going to a guy, ‘Do you feel like you see your kids enough?’”

Poehler and Fey have done more than just run their respective shows — they’re also the stars. Both portray characters who are placed in major leadership positions.

Poehler plays a city councilwoman and Fey a writer and creator of her fictional show. Within their roles, they are challenged with the proposition of balancing personal and professional

spheres. But in real life, too, they struggle to simultaneously be high-power professionals, moms and women.

Many women, like Poehler and Fey, will likely never entirely evade the struggle for balance between work and family, authority and likeability. Their roles in comedy merit attention for the model they serve to fill — women doing intelligent and funny things under the pressures and expectations of their gender.

In the words of Beyoncé, “I’m not bossy. I’m the boss.”

@THECALIFORNIAAGGIE @CALIFORNIAAGGIE

FLESCH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

clear that a poor mark on a test or an essay isn’t going to be the thing that wrecks them later on in life.

That isn’t an excuse to go out the night before a test, but rather to start taking academic risks. Not all the time — it’s good practice to hedge risk by taking safe bets that might include, for example, following the prompt. But enough so that a student can reaffirm to themselves that they ultimately determine what they learn — not a teacher, class or tutor.

It was a small consolation, this Trump essay, but it reflected a long period of frustration with

my work. And though I won’t be writing anything similar for a while, it’s not because of the threat to my grade. It’s because there are tried and true methods of learning — that do require the active participation of the student — that are fulfilling when taken seriously. This is also why I didn’t feel as excellent about the Trump essay as I thought I would. It was just an alternative.

But, if you are so inclined to take a risk, do it with gusto. Do it bigly. Do it huge. Yuuuge.

And, if you’re lucky as me, you might get a more-than-generous ‘B’ for your work.

@CALIFORNIAAGGIE

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10 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016

ARTS & Culture

BR I ANA NGO / AGGI E

Treasure Island Music Festival: More than just music in the forecasT FESTIVAL ENDURES STORM - SETS DELAYED AND CANCELLED

BY ALLY OV ERBAY a rts @ th e ag g i e . o rg

Treasure Island Music Festival — the brainchild of Another Planet Entertainment and Noise Pop’s collaboration— held its 10th anniversary (and very last) festival last weekend, Oct. 15 to 16.

For a Bay Area festival held each October for over a decade, I really can’t help but wonder how TIMF had never previously experienced rain. That is, until last weekend.

But describing the festival’s climate as “rainy” would be a drastic understatement. It was more of an ongoing battle between dangerous, set-cancelling winds, torrential downpours, confiscated umbrellas (you think festival hats are an impediment on your view) and mud — lots and lots of mud.

In fact, by day two, festival fashion had been entirely abandoned, and anyone not wearing ponchos and knee-high rainboots was cast off to the Wells Fargo prize booth to take shelter.

It didn’t help, either, that the festival planners continuously delayed sets due to the wind, causing huge gaps in which there were no performances for hours at a time. This left many festival-goers standing around, sinking in mud and eating delicious Filipino-fusion burritos (a rare bright spot in the otherwise-gloomy atmosphere, I discovered).

On Saturday, the worst day of the weekend in terms of weather, many attendees left early to escape the conditions, despite the festival’s determination to persevere through inclement weather. The festival coordinators sent out a mass e-mail Saturday night claiming the festival would be extended until mid-

night rather than its originally scheduled 10:30 p.m. conclusion.

Sunday-goers were less fortunate; James Blake’s set was cancelled, and this was only announced after we had already sunk two inches deep in mud during the hour-long wait.

But I’ll get to that later. So here’s the best of Sunday, which was the only day I chose to endure the storm: Most Anticipated Set James Blake, the experimental electronic artist whose eerie falsetto resembles that of Bon Iver, was the most obviously anticipated set of the weekend.

But his set was postponed by an hour due to “dangerous winds” (it’s still unclear why those winds were more dangerous than any we had previously experienced that weekend) and was eventually cancelled; it’s difficult not to anticipate something continuously being taken from you.

In an attempt to console festival attendees, Blake tweeted after the announced cancellation that he would try to put on a substitute show for the following night. Fortunately, more than a substitute show was procured; any TIMF ticket holder had free entrance to Blake’s Monday night show at Oakland’s Fox Theater (a much drier location, in addition to being a premiere venue).

Best Stage Design What electronic duo Purity Ring lacked in sound, they made up for in extravagant stage design. With hundreds of strung lights hanging from the top of the stage onto the performers’ knees, it was hard not

LIGHT THE BASEMENT M EEN A RUG H / AGGIE

STUDENT-RUN GALLERY SERVES AS WELCOMING SPACE FOR VISITORS

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

“It’ll be almost like an in-person, live tweeting session!” said Kaitlyn Griggs, the lead director of the Art Studio Basement Gallery, about the Nov. 8 election-day event that will take place in the gallery.

Writing and painting utensils will be supplied, and anyone is welcome to share their opinions on the gallery’s wall, whether that be visually or through words. Griggs, a fourth-year art studio and communication double major, was eager to mention how the event will incorporate politics with art.

“We want to provide a forum, but still have it be civil, still have it be a place where people can voice their opinion and have it be anonymous by writing it on

the wall instead of their Facebook wall,” Griggs said.

That’s just one of the many exciting upcoming events that will take place at the Basement Gallery, which exhibits student artwork.

The “Light the Basement” exhibition, which runs from Oct. 22 to 29, will display student art that incorporates its own lighting in order to draw attention to the outdated and poorly-functioning lighting fixtures in the gallery. The lighting was originally donated by the CoHo when it was being renovated in the 1990s and has recently become a major issue for the Basement Gallery, as Griggs notes that they “literally aren’t able to shed light on people’s artwork in order to display it properly.”

As of the beginning of this school

to be mesmerized by the color-coordinated rain of light.

Lead singer Megan James often walked through the lights, pushing them to either side of her as she swam through their color. Her DJ companion, Corin Roddick, had drum pads atop what looked like lampshades, and each one pulsed pink with every tap.

However, these aesthetic choices could only be replicated so many times before the audience became numb to their awe. It was obvious that after a few songs, the audience — including myself — had become unamused. And yes, James’ voice sounds exactly as timid and squeaky in speech as it does in song.

Most Skillful Behind-the-Head-Guitar-Playing “Oh, Andy” was probably the most frequently used phrase during the set of alternative psychedelic rock group Mac DeMarco. Although I was unaware of the off-the-wall humor Andy the Guitarist is so well known for, it came as no surprise. With aviators straight from 1973 and a ‘stache that took up about half of his face, his attempts to gain the audience’s sympathy regarding his “recently deceased horse,” Buckles, and his adamance that Halloween was in two months — no more and no less — unphased me by the end of the show.

Though their solos and skillful behind-the-head guitar playing were surprisingly adept, DeMarco’s blunt proclamation of his tequila drinking from the night prior was pretty indicative of the show’s sound.

Their set was, in retrospect, the musical equivalent of a hangover: discordant and blurry, but better with

year, the Basement Gallery has officially become a student organization, meaning that the process of accruing funds has become more complicated.

Michael Cole, a second-year graduate student in the studio art program, is the Basement Gallery’s graduate director, acting as liaison between the Basement Gallery and the Art Department.

Cole’s job is to manage resources and reach out to students. Cole would like to see the gallery thrive, and for him, that means community members’ participation in the gallery’s exhibitions.

“The issue of not having proper lights for our gallery is indicative of an art department in a large institution having its budget stretched thin,” Cole said. “I’m not at liberty to speculate on why this is, but we are doing all we can in the Basement Gallery to bring about the changes necessary to stay afloat and flourish.”

Still, the team of undergraduate students that runs the exhibitions are hopeful and enthusiastic about the upcoming events and the many benefits that the gallery can provide for the student body.

Helena Zittel, a third-year English and art history double major and director of public relations and marketing for the gallery, believes that being a studentrun organization gives them more freedom and a sense of ownership for not only people on campus, but for the people in Davis as well. “[I want] people to know that we are on campus, and that we have a space that’s trying to host a lot of intriguing events for this upcoming year,” Zittel said.

And there are plenty of opportunities for just that, whether or not you are a student of the arts. Submissions to have artwork displayed in the Basement BASEMENT on PAGE 9

time.

Best Surprise Christine and the Queens is, plainly put, some of today’s best new music — well, new to me at least, as well as for most of the U.S. Inspired by the support of a few drag queens, Héloïse Letissier’s French art pop inspires in ways I knew not possible.

As a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community, Letissier attributes her stage confidence to the drag queens she encountered in London who not only inspired her artistic endeavors, but took her under their wing at a time when she struggled with suicide and a bad breakup.

What made her set so incredible was not her sound, but rather the complementary nature of her music and choreography. Her hit single, Tilted, is straight from a Michael Jackson music video, with choreography that more closely resembles an eloquent series of everyday movements than it does dance.

But it’s more than her hypnotic dances that resemble the pop of Michael Jackson (yes, such choreography was present on the festival stage, too); Christine and the Queens boast catchy melodies that hold profound messages of self-confidence and identity — components uncharacteristic of today’s pop.

The festival, to no one’s surprise, will no longer be held on Treasure Island, inevitably resulting in a new title as well. And, after this year’s festival, such an identity change certainly won’t harm future promotions.

R.I.P. Treasure Island Music Festival — you certainly left kicking up a storm.

CALI FOR NI A STATE LI BR ARY, SACR AMENTO / COURTESY

PIONEERING PUNJABIS New digital archive commemorates Punjabi impact on American history, society

BY KR I SHAN MI THAL arts@theaggie.org

The accomplishments of Punjabi Americans, who have made tremendous contributions in all aspects of American society, will now be recognized in a digital archive thanks to UC Davis’ Middle Eastern/South Asian (ME/SA) Studies Program and the Punjabi American Heritage Society.

The archive chronicles the history of Punjabi Americans, from their first arrivals at Angel Island to more recent struggles against discrimination.

“It is important to save and share the rich history of the South Asian pioneers in California [...] it is a vital part of California history that is virtually unknown,” said Nicole Ranganath, a lecturer in the UC Davis ME/SA Studies Program, in a UC Davis news article.

UC Davis is a fitting place to house the archive, considering its close prox-

imity to Yuba City, which is where many Punjabi immigrants first made their living in the agriculture industry.

Puneet Deol, a third-year managerial economics major, contributed to the development of the archive and believes the archive is important to the Punjabi community at UC Davis.

“We, [Punjabi Americans], have never been acknowledged in textbooks or history classes or anywhere really, but this [the archive] gives us a chance to present the impact we have made and are still making,” Deol said.

Deol explained that the first immigrants came to California by way of Hong Kong as farmers. One figure in particular, Didar Singh Bains, is renowned in the Sacramento Area as being one of the largest peach farmers in the world. Bains’ success, as well as the

PUNJABIS on PAGE 9

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016| 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

P HOTOS: JAY GELVEZON / AGGI E

fall edition

AggIE STYLE WATCH

A MAN’S BEST FRIEND IS HIS GREATEST ACCESSORY

BY CARA JOY KL EI NR O C K arts @ th e ag g i e . o rg

Farnsworth: I tend to shop at places like REI, Patagonia and sometimes Marshalls because of their great deals. I love being outdoors so I need stores that will accommodate that.

This week’s Aggie Style Watch is all about Josh Farnsworth, a fifth-year sociology major whose favorite accessory is his dog, Wallace.

Farnsworth is a member of the rugby team, so his uniform and rugby merchandise take up a majority of his closest. When he isn’t in rugby clothes, though, he tends to lean toward the effortless classics.

ASW: What is your go-to outfit?

Farnsworth: My go-to outfit usually consists of my high-top Chucks, cargo shorts, a North Face long sleeve shirt and a Patagonia hat. I’m normally wearing something rugby-related, like hats, shirts or beanies.

ASW: What is your style inspiration?

Farnsworth: My inspiration is a modern-type look, which is flannels, leather boots, plain t-shirts, and jeans. When I get dressed up, I tend to look at celebrities like Ryan Gosling for inspiration.

ASW: How would you describe your style?

Farnsworth: I would describe my style as active. I wear clothes that allow me to go from class to taking Wallace out to play to rugby practice. When it gets colder, I tend to just wear jeans, a flannel and a beanie.

ASW: Do you have any advice for someone who wants to be more fashionable?

Farnsworth: Just to be comfortable in your clothes and wear what you like.

ASW: Where do you shop?

HOT ITALIAN — A HEALTHY TYPE OF PIZZA

JAY G E LV EZO N / AG G I E

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Restaurant offers variety of pizza made from local, organic ingredients

BY B ET T Y W U art s@ th e ag g i e . o rg

As an international student studying in the United States, I must admit that I have mixed feelings about American cuisine. Juicy hamburgers, cheesy pizzas and extra-large Cokes are all part of my U.S. guilty-pleasures list. I always feel satisfied when eating these foods, and I feast like there’s no tomorrow.

But the pleasure comes at a price; after eating, I need to spend a solid two-hour session at the gym. Luckily, I recently discovered a healthier alternative which satiates all of these guilty pleasures and saves me from a sweaty workout.

I first spotted Hot Italian — the newly-opened Italian pizza restaurant located in Davis Commons, downtown at 500 1st St. — at the end of Spring Quarter 2016. Last Saturday, I finally had the opportunity to try out this new restaurant and learned about the owner’s endeavor to uphold the Davis community’s healthy and environmentallyfriendly lifestyle.

Hot Italian is a REAL-certified restaurant, which is a “nationally recognized mark of excellence for food and foodservice operators committed to holistic nutrition and environmental stew-

ardship,” according to the United States Healthful Food Council (USHFC).

Hot Italian is the first pizzeria in the United States that has been REAL certified by the USHFC. Not only does the restaurant use fresh, organic ingredients, but its furniture is also made from mostly repurposed materials, such as recycled paper and bamboo.

Hot Italian changes its menu depending on the season and is currently on its fall and winter menu. Customers have about 15 different choices of pizza, including a vegan option, and several choices of salad and desserts. They also serve beer and wine, either produced locally or imported from Italy.

Since it was a chilly Saturday morning, I ordered “Sozzani,” a salad with locally-produced baby spinach and pear; “Materazzi,” Hot Italian’s take on pepperoni pizza; “Gattuso,” a fall special pizza featuring pumpkin; and “Zucchero,” a dessert with Italian hazelnut cream and pear.

Fun fact about the menu: each dish is named after a “hot Italian.” For example, “Sozzani” is named after Franca Sozzani, an Italian journalist and editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia since 1988; “Materazzi” is named after Marco Materazzi, an Italian soccer star.

“Customers sometimes have fun

ARTAFTERDARK

guessing whose names are on the menu,” said Andrea Lepore, a 1992 UC Davis alum and owner of Hot Italian.

All of the dishes I ordered had colorful and aesthetically-pleasing combinations of different fresh ingredients, which made for a perfect Instagram post for all my friends to envy as they studied for midterms. Pepperoni has always been my favorite pizza, and I noticed that they added pitted olives on “Materazzi,” which is a great revamp of the greasy cheese and pepperoni that you’d normally find at other pizza restaurants.

My personal favorite would be “Zucchero.” Fresh out the oven, the warm dessert made me forget the cold rain showering outside. The sweetness was perfect for me, as I find most American desserts are too sweet, and I absolutely loved the smooth texture of the hazelnut cream mixed with chocolate powder.

The pizzas are about $15 each. For UC Davis students, the restaurant offers a lunch special: $5 per slice on weekdays. You can pre-order pizza from Hot Italian by phone or by downloading the Hot Italian app. Hot Italian also provides delivery service via the Joyrun app. For more information and to view the menu, please visit the Hot Italian website at www.hotitalian.net.

20 years in museums so hands-on learning is what I love. So far, we have gotten some local businesses such as Hot Italian and Lagunitas to donate foods and drinks to us, and we’d like to see more working with the local business community.”

Art After Dark is a difficult program to plan, according to Stephanie Kocsik, Pence Gallery special events and social media coordinator. Because the event is so unique, many exhibits are planned from scratch.

“I sit down with the calendar of exhibitions for the year and brainstorm ways to integrate the concepts found on the walls into a Friday night party,” Kocsik said.

“I have to think about what’s happening tomorrow and what’s happening months from now and attempt to coordinate these events by finding sponsors, seeking out donations, managing the finances of the Art After Dark grant, designing posters, recruiting live music performances, planning a bar man and making sure all of our permits with the city have been approved.”

The aim for Art After Dark is to bring art to a relaxed and fun environment for everyone in the community. Unlike events that focus solely on art, Art After Dark is focused on getting people inside the gallery and presenting the gallery as an accessible space.

“In proposing Art After Dark, one of our main aims was to bring more Millennials into the gallery,” Kocsik said. “To the younger generation, art galleries seem like a stoic, pristine and aloof atmosphere and art itself seems like a world that is incomprehensible without an MFA in fine art.”

Christopher Tran, third-year art studio major, is interested in Art After Dark, and hopes to attend the next event.

“It’s cool that art is being displayed in a relaxed environment,” Tran said. “I think the live music and the welcoming atmosphere are also good reasons to go.”

The next Art After Dark event will take place at the Pence Gallery on Nov. 4 from 7 to 10 p.m.

For tickets and more information, please visit the Pence Gallery’s website at www.pencegallery.org/.

CHELBERT DAI / AGGI E

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BR I ANA NGO / AGGI E E R I K DR OST [CC BY 2.0] / FLICK R

UC DAVIS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL ENTERS SECOND HALF OF SEASON WITH A VICTORY Aggies come away with 3-1 win against Cal State Fullerton

NBA SEASON PREDICTIONS

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

Here we go! The NBA season is underway and I’m incredibly excited for what we’ve got in store.

Who knows what’s going to happen this year? Will the Warriors win by an average margin of 20 or 25 points a game during the regular season? Will they take home the Larry O’Brien trophy in 17 or 18 games?

Will Kevin Durant win the Finals MVP? Or will it be Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green or even Zaza Pachulia? The suspense is killing me!

Yup, I’m a bitter Lakers fan, and while I’m bitter that the Lakers are going to have another sub-.500 season, I’m exponentially more bitter about the lack of competitive balance in this upcoming season. Warriors fans will obviously rejoice, but it’s not going to be any fun for the rest of us.

Here are my predictions for the upcoming season.

NBA Championship: Golden State Warriors (4) - Cleveland Cavaliers (1) Are you excited for the trilogy? I’m not. This pick doesn’t need much explanation. If you’re looking for something competitive to watch, I’d suggest you go to G St. Wunderbar on their famous Wednesday Funk Nights and observe awkward grad students playing an intensive game of billiards as intoxicated college students stumble on by and accidentally bump the pool stick mid shot.

“Do you mind getting out of my way please?” “Nah man, it’s Funk Night, you have plenty of time to play pool in a dimly lit room when you’re in your forties with your three other friends, sipping on Pabst Blue Ribbon. Let me have my fun… I’m graduating.”

NBA MVP: Kawhi Leonard If Kevin Durant wasn’t a Golden State Warrior, I’d go Steph. If Steph wasn’t a Golden State Warrior, I’d go Kev. Unfortunately for these inevitable victors at the end of the year, they play for the same team. Their numbers will go down. Barring sig-

nificant injury to the other, neither of these two will win MVP. While a majority of NBA followers believe LeBron will reclaim the MVP trophy, I’m going to choose Kawhi.

Ka-why do you ask? Well, Charles Barkley said he’s the best player in the NBA. He’s not, but Chuck said it and he boldly guaranteed the Warriors would not win the Championship last year, so his word is law.

Most Improved Player: Devin Booker Devin Booker is going to be a star.

This pick is definitely not safe with guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dennis Schroder and Victor Oladipo lurking, but hey, neither is allowing your Aggie article about the Blue Jays winning the World Series this year to get printed the same day they got eliminated by the Indians. We all make mistakes, right fellow Aggie sports writer George McConnell?

Rookie of the Year: Kris Dunn Ben Simmons, the first overall pick, was probably going to earn this one before injuring his foot, but unfortunately it looks like the injury will keep him out until January, which will harm his campaign for Rookie of the Year.

In his place I will go with Kris Dunn, the Rookie out of Providence who has seemingly won the position battle over Ricky Rubio for starting point guard. While I haven’t followed Dunn particularly closely, I like him over Joel Embiid, who’s going to have a season of distraction as his quest to earn the love of Kim Kardashian continues.

BY ALE X ARE CH IGA sports@theaggie.org

The second half of Big West Conference gameplay commenced on Saturday, Oct. 22, and the fourth-in-leagueranked Aggies arrived at their home court determined to remain contenders for a postseason playoff position by defending their turf.

Though the game wasn’t without its obstacles, the UC Davis women’s volleyball team fended off the Cal State Fullerton Titans and emerged from the match victorious with set scores of 25-20, 2520, 26-28 and 25-21.

The Aggies played with a “slow and steady wins the race” style; their consistently accurate serve-receive, evident communication and domination at the net allowing them to cruise through the first two sets with ease.

The Aggies looked to their outside hitters to deliver the heat, with senior Kendall Walbrecht spiking ten kills and sophomore Emily Allen adding an additional seven kills to the scoreboard in the opening two sets.

The Aggies’ defense also impressed, as sophomore libero Malia Bolko easily picked up nine digs to start a trend of reliable defense during the game.

At the beginning of the third set, the atmosphere in the arena was electric with

INSIDE THE GAME: LAUREN M ATI AS Lauren Matias Height: 6’2” Year: Freshman Position: Outside Hitter Major: Undeclared/Exploratory Program Hometown: Santa Cruz, California High School: Harbor High School ‘16 History: Played with Main Beach VBC, played for Jan Furman, former legendary Davis volleyball club mentor.

Accolades: Two time Big West Freshman Player of the week, most kills in a match in the Big West in 2016, tied for third at UC Davis for most kills in a match.

Sixth Man of the Year: Brandon Knight Wait, what? He’s still around? I thought he retired after Kyrie Irving broke his ankles in the 2013 Rising Stars Challenge. If that were me, I would sever ties with my aspirations of becoming a professional basketball player. Fortunately enough, that has never happened to me and I’m still trying. I’ll get there one day — I haven’t peaked yet, and neither has Brandon Knight.

Sportsmanship Award: Nick Young Are him and D’Angelo chill? I mean, Young hasn’t been released or traded, so probably. Good for you for not holding grudges, Swaggy P, good for you.

CHECK OUT THIS WEEKʼS HOME GAMES Women’s field hockey (Aggie Field Hockey Facility): Friday, Oct. 28 vs. UC Berkeley at 3 p.m.

Swimming and diving (Schaal Aquatics Center): Friday, Oct. 28 vs. BYU at 4 p.m.

Softball (La Rue Field): Saturday, Oct. 29 vs. Dominican University of California at 10 a.m.

Saturday, Oct. 29 vs. College of San Mateo at 2:30 p.m.

Men’s water polo (Schaal Aquatics Center): Saturday, Oct. 29 vs. Pepperdine at 12:30 p.m.

Women’s basketball (The ARC Pavilion): Saturday, Oct. 29 vs. Oregon Tech at 2 p.m.

the promise of a quick triumph, but it was quickly muted when back-to-back receiving errors and a service error by the Aggies gave the Titans their first lead in the entire match at 6-5.

The Aggies tried to brush off the mistakes and regroup in order to maintain control of the game, but lack of communication on the court and shaky ball handling offered the Titans a growing cushion of points.

Dynamic plays emerged from both sides of the net, but it became clear that the Titans’ confidence was growing while the UC Davis women’s volleyball team’s stamina was dwindling; at 24 points each, the teams exchanged marks until a service error gave the Titans the third set at 28-26.

Head coach Dan Conners credited the disheartening third-set loss to indecisiveness and unforced errors on UC Davis’ end. “[Last game, on Oct. 20] we were looking to make plays instead of looking for a teammate to make plays,” Conners said. “[I] just sat them down and said we need to change the energy we are playing with, and I can’t do that for them.”

Though the nail-biting third-set loss left the crowd dejected, the Aggies recognized their mishaps and returned to the fourth set with a new approach to wrap up the match with a win.

ANH -T RAM B U I / AG G IE

Women’s volleyball’s Lauren Matias earns collegiate accolades, looks forward to her years at UC Davis.

BY RYAN BUGSCH sports@theaggie.org

The pressure is on for everyone in his or her first year of college. However, the pressure is especially intense for student athletes, who juggle academics and the anxieties of freshman year, as well as the discipline required to excel in collegiate sports.

Some say it’s impossible, but not for the rising star of UC Davis women’s volleyball, freshman outside hitter Lauren Matias.

After sitting out senior year in high school to focus on competing in the club season, Matias soon accepted an invitation to come play for the UC Davis women’s volleyball team and took collegiate play by storm.

The California Aggie’s Ryan Bugsch had the chance to sit down with Lauren Matias to discuss and analyze her accomplishments as an Aggie athlete, her transition to Davis and about the team moving forward.

How long have you been playing volleyball? What got you into the sport?

I have an older sister, so I started tossing the ball around third grade with her. She really inspired me to get started playing around sixth grade [and] I started playing club in ninth grade. It was a lot of fun to get to [play] because I was watching my sister do it.

What was the process like to play for UC Davis? Were you recruited, did you go to open tryouts?

It was a recruiting opportunity. I committed pretty young in my sophomore year [of high school]. I came on campus for a few unofficial visits and I really enjoyed the campus and the team and what we wanted to create out of Davis volleyball. I committed super young because I knew this was the place for me and I was going to do it sooner or later.

How does it feel when you see that over a short two-month time period, you receive the Big West Freshman of the Week twice?

It is super gratifying. Coming here, I didn’t know any of this would come out of it. The team is instilling so much confidence in me. Being a freshman, I didn’t know the system coming in and so it was a huge change for me. The team behind

In spite of a net violation which allowed the Titans to inch forward for an early lead, the Aggies’ gameplay intensified both offensively and defensively as the set progressed. Trailing at 9-11, a well-placed tip by junior middle blocker Aima Eichie, plus an explosive block

by Eichie and sophomore middle blocker Kelechi Ohiri revived the energy in the arena, and started the comeback for the UC Davis women’s volleyball team, which was pushed into the lead at 12-11.

The Aggies then began scoring consecutive points through an ace by freshman outside hitter Lauren Matias and a kill by sophomore outside hitter Brianna Karsseboom, respectively, putting pressure on the opposing Titans, who began to make unforced errors.

Though the set didn’t end swiftly, with the Titans occasionally getting a few smartly placed looks, the audience roared as the Aggies pursued victory, ending the match at 25-21 with a kill from Matias.

The win over the Titans marked the first victory in the second half of league play, setting a good tone for the Aggies’ postseason rankings.

“I think in that fourth set the seniors really banded together to motivate the team as much as possible,” Walbrecht said. “We were excited to go into the fourth set and just change our energy and have fun.”

me has been great and I couldn’t do it without them.

You recorded 34 kills in the conference game against Cal State Fullerton and realized it was the most kills recorded in Big West 2016 play, and you tied for the third-most kills in a match in school history.

That was a lot of fun. I didn’t know how many kills I was getting but it all comes back to my team and being able to have those opportunities they helped me create. It was awesome at the end to see how many kills I got.

How does the team react to all of the records you have been breaking and the accolades you have received? What is the level of support from them?

They keep instilling confidence in me and getting me used to new situations so I can continue to attack at a high level, so they have been super supportive.

How do you feel the team is doing right now?

We are trying to take it one game at a time. We are working harder every day in practice and we still feel like we can still compete at a higher level. Having that kind of family mentality with the team is great and I think we can still continue to succeed.

What does the team need to focus on moving forward?

We talk a lot about playing that “Davis volleyball” and we have talked about that being us attacking at a high and aggressive mentality. Also just instilling confidence in one another and controlling what we can control.

What is the ultimate goal for you to achieve athletically at UC Davis during your next few years?

I haven’t really thought about that yet.

I think just contributing to the team as much as I can and trying to win that Big West title. Just take it one season and one game at a time because it is an awesome opportunity and it has been my dream for so many years.