April 18, 2019

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VOLUME 137, ISSUE 23 | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

UC DAVIS’ MORGAN BERTSCH DRAFTED TO WNBA

Bertsch capitalizes on historic season, becomes first Aggie drafted to WNBA

J U ST IN HA N / AGG IE

BY CA RSO N PAROD I sports@theaggie.org The story begins with a Santa Rosa High School basketball player back in 2014, who, even at 6 foot 4 inches, was flying under the radar of most college scouts. She’s discovered, more or less on accident, by UC Davis Head Coach Jennifer Gross and is offered a division one scholarship. But there’s a catch: she wants to run track too. So she competes in the high jump for three seasons. She also wants to major in biomedical engineering — no problem.

“You do you,” she said.

Five years later, the senior UC Davis women’s basketball forward Morgan Bertsch is continuing to engineer a path of her own. On Thursday, she was selected 29th overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA draft, becoming one of 36 women in the world to be chosen to play at the sport’s highest level.

“I could sit here and tell you that of course I knew this was going to be what happened, but I think it was at the start of this year I kind of set [the WNBA] as a possibility for myself and kind of as a little goal,” Bertsch said. “I’m not going to say it’s something that I’ve been striving for forever […] It still blows my mind. It doesn’t really seem real that it actually happened.”

There’s a thread of relatability in Bertsch’s voice, that encapsulates the dream all athletes have but only rarely actualize. Thursday’s WNBA draft marks the first time ever that a player from the UC Davis women’s program has realized that dream. But really it should come as no surprise, over the past five years Bertsch has had many ‘firsts.’

In November, she surpassed the Aggie great Carol Rische to become the all-time leading basketball scorer in women’s program history. In December, she surpassed the men’s mark.

Now, with 2,422 career points, Bertsch stands alone as the sin-

gle greatest basketball scorer in UC Davis history.

“The second she arrived on campus and started practicing and we saw the efficiency that she played with — we knew she was going to be special,” Gross said.

In her first year, she scored 13.9 points per game at a 58.2% shooting clip and continued to dominate the low post for the Aggies well into her third season. But Gross and Bertsch still weren’t satisfied.

“We saw the vision of her playing the three, playing a stretch four,” Gross said. “This year, as a staff we basically said, ‘She’s pretty good down there

[playing in the post],’ and Matt Klemen works with the guards and we said, ‘Alright, Matt, you’re gonna take her every day and basically do the pre-practice guard workout and start to develop those skills.’ We saw that whole skill set start to evolve.”

And soon the staff had unlocked an entirely new part of the same beast. Bertsch began launching threes.

In her first three seasons, Bertsch only attempted a combined 11 three-pointers and made just four. During her final season, the senior shot 48 and made 23. Her near 50% shooting from beyond the arc

immediately made Bertsch reach that stretch Gross and the coaching staff dreamed of and helped catapult the Aggies to a Big West conference title.

With the 6-foot-4-inch forward now a threat from the perimeter, opposing defenses were stretched thin. Leave her open from deep, and she stripes a three. Take away the outside shot and force her into the paint. Let her work one-onone, and she’s getting a bucket.

Double team her in the low post to take away the one-onone game, and she’s dishing the ball back out to one of her sharpshooting teammates for an open shot.

For senior backcourt duo Karly and Kourtney Eaton, Bertsch’s ability to spread the floor and expand the offense helped their games grow, too.

The pair shot 43% and 44.5% from deep, respectively.

“I knew I’d be able to get outside shots because of the threat Morgan creates inside,” Kourtney said. “So I worked all year at being consistent and feeling really confident, so I could knock down shots for my team. I wanted to score more this year, so I knew I needed to shoot a good percentage from three to do that. I think it was important because it created an outside threat and created more space for Morgan to go to work.”

How to beat the UC Davis women’s basketball team quickly became a question void of answer. Teams in the Big West Conference are still scratching their heads over that one, because they certainly didn’t. The Aggies dominated the conference for a third straight season, finishing with a 15-1 record in the Big West and 25-7 overall.

But with the presence of a few veteran seniors, the Aggies were eyeing the tournament title from the start.

“We had a new core and, as expected, it took a month or two to really gel and play well together,” Karley said. “After everyone settled into their role[s] and utilized our individual strengths, we really came together and became a great team.”

UC Davis won the Big West Tournament for the second time in program history and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the

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NATIVE AMERICAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT, NATIVE AMERICAN ELDERS EXPRESS DISMAY WITH MANETTI SHREM EXHIBIT Certain items removed from exhibition

BY R EBE CC A BIHN-WA L L AC E campus@theaggie.org The Native American Studies (NAS) department at UC Davis, as well as Native American elders in the Davis community, have expressed concern about the use of ceremonial objects in the Xicanx Futurity exhibition at the Manetti Shrem Museum on campus.

The NAS department alleged that it was not aware of the exhibition’s content until it opened in January of 2019.

They objected to the use of ceremonial indigenous objects.

These sacred objects included eagle feathers and tobacco ties.

The NAS letter cited the American Indian Religious Freedom Act, the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as evidence of Native American cultural protocols which forbid the use of ceremonial objects as art.

“The main thrust of our concern is that [the artists in the exhibition] are using our sacred objects as art,” said Susan Reece, a Native American elder who lives in Davis. “Our religion is not art. It never has been.”

Reece alleged that the NAS department wasn’t consulted about the exhibition.

LUI S LO P E Z / AGGI E

“You have a world-recognized NAS department at UC Davis,” Reece said. “The experts are there, so there’s absolutely no excuse for them not to know.”

Rachel Teagle, the founding director of the Manetti Shrem, responded to the NAS allegations in an email.

“Our purpose at the Manetti Shrem Museum is to cultivate transformational art experiences to inspire new thinking and the open exchange of ideas,” Teagle said via email. “Xicanx Futurity’s guest curatorial team has helped us deliver our mission. It is not our intention nor purpose to offend and we regret when it happens. We honor the important and difficult concerns that have arisen around the exhibition. This is our work and we endeavor to deliver it with care.”

She also said that the museum does not plan on releasing a public statement about the issue. According to Teagle, a

symposium is being planned to address the concerns raised.

The Xicanx Futurity exhibition was curated by Carlos Jackson, an associate professor and chair of the Chicano/a Studies department at UCD; Susy Zepeda, an assistant professor of Chicano/a Studies at UCD; and Maria Esther Fernandez, the chief curator at the Triton Museum of Art. The artists featured in Xicanx Futurity are Margaret “Quica” Alarcon, Gina Aparicio, Melanie Cervantes, Felicia “Fe” Montes, Gilda Posada and Celia Herrera Rodríguez.

“As the co-curators, we want to assure our communities that deep prayers were offered by the six featured artists,” the guest curators said in a letter. “In collaboration with the curators, the museum worked thoughtfully to support the fulfillment of the artists’ intentions [...] The tensions that have arisen demonstrate the need for greater dialogue so as

to encourage healing and solidarity.”

The curators objected to the characterization that the artists featured in the exhibition misrepresented indigenous identity, noting that many of their practices are rooted in ceremonial teaching from elders. “[The artists] never misrepresented their identities,” the curators said. “Direct and indirect feedback that the curators have received from some critics of the exhibition reflects a belief that UNDRIP does not provide protection to detribalized indigenous people of the Americas (as defined by settler colonial governments), Xicanxs included.”

They also emphasized the political nature of Xicanx art and the importance of the dialogues that it can elicit, stating that, “for diasporic communities, it is a political act to affirm the right to self-determination through embodied practice.”

The NAS department said

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that the eagle feathers used in the exhibition are protected by both the Bald and Golden Eagle Protections Act and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. NAS alleged that these acts stipulate that only members of federally recognized tribes can own eagle feathers.

“According to these protocols, eagle feathers are sacred, and for use in prayer and ceremony; they are not for display in a museum,” the letter said.

According to Teagle, the artist Celia Herrera Rodríguez requested the release of the eagle feathers in her mixed media installation on March 25. The feathers have since been removed.

“The most difficult thing for me at this moment is to reckon with how [my] installation has been stripped down to its elements and objectified and that then my piece [...] has been isolated from the entire exhibition [...] I feel kind of taken apart and censored, at the end

of it all,” Herrera Rodriguez said in an interview, referring to her installation, “Grandfather Earth”, in which the eagle feathers were previously featured.

“In an installation, all of the parts become a whole, [but here] only half is being focused on,” she added.

Herrera Rodriguez said that she had never been in direct communication with any of the people who made complaints about the exhibition.

The director of the Manetti Shrem was the first to contact her regarding the accusations, she said. She also said that she later received an email from university lawyers asking her to provide the provenance of the eagle feathers used in the exhibit.

To her, the indirect nature of the accusations leveled also indicated that the curators of the exhibition had not been formally contacted by the complainants.

“As an artist, there should have been a point A, a conversation,” Herrera Rodriguez said. “A dialogue, a question directed my way if I was being discussed. My work was being discussed as an element in a museum and everything got taken apart—me, the production of my work, the piece itself, the whole exhibit.”

Herrera Rodriguez, an Oakland-based artist born in Sacramento, identifies with the Tephuanes community in Durango, Mexico. She stressed the complexity of Chicana/o

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

2 | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

CAITLYN SAMPLEY / AGGIE

BY D E A N A M E D I N A campus@theaggie.org The April 4 ASUCD Senate meeting was called to order at 6:13 p.m. by Vice President Shreya Deshpande.

The meeting began with senate pro-tempore

elections, with senator Noah Pearl being elected as the only nomination. Next was the farewell from former Internal Affairs Commission (IAC) chair Jacob Ganz. Ganz thanked friends in the crowd, fellow IAC members and other commission heads while reminiscing on his first senate meeting in June 2017, where he felt “so inspired and intimidated” by the senators. He remarked

that now, two years later, he is “still really inspired by everyone.”

After his farewell speech, Ganz said a few words about Henry Nibellin, who was confirmed as the new IAC chair, stating that “[Henry] has been amazing and has worked really hard [...] He knows the bylaws as well as I do.” Nibellin said he enjoys the “cool work” and “constant changes” IAC brings, hoping his new position as chair will provide “a great opportunity to grow.”

Next on the agenda was to appoint a new chair for the Business and Finance Commission.

The recommendation for the position was Noam Marcus, who was described by Senator Andre Spignolio as someone with a deep “understanding of finances that’s required.” They also stated Marcus provides a bright future, as they could “fill a role that [Spignolio] lacked.” Marcus described being chair as “the logical next step” since he and Spignolio joined BFC at the same time and have seen the commission grow together.

The agenda was amended to continue with appointments, next on the list being a new director for the Entertainment Council. Current Director Liz O’Neill stated she is nominating Kimya Khayat due to her being “one of our most dedicated members.” Due to her being part of the council since her freshman year, Khayat said she has seen both “ups and downs,” leading her to confidently know “what [she] wants to implement in order to enhance the student experience.”

The Senate then moved to Unit and Committee adoption for any more senator additions, as the table originally chose which units and committees to be a part of during week 10 of Winter Quarter.

Old legislation was scheduled to be considered, but the author of SB#62, SB#64, SB#66 and SB #67, Senator Mohammad Qayum, was not present and so it was pushed to next week’s meeting. Instead, a new resolution (SR#9) from the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission (ECAC) called “Punjabi Classes Resolution” was brought forth to the table.

The author of the resolution said that having Punjabi classes are long overdue, as students have been asking “for over 10 years” for these courses, but “UC Davis administration has not been listening to these demands.” The administration’s response was to tell the Punjabi community to raise money on their own for the courses since the university claimed it had no way of doing so, leading to a quarter of a million dollars being raised by Fall 2017. Despite raising the money, “it’s been two years that administration has not offered a plan of action. Nothing. Not even meetings. It’s just wrong.” The resolution passed with no objections.

Discussions on the status of previously passed legislation were tabled for next week. Senator reports, ex-officio reports and announcements followed.

The meeting adjourned at 8:13 p.m.

UC Davis honors survivors, hosts safe-space events to participate in Sexual Assault Awareness Month JULIA PEREZ / AGGIE

Seven campus organizations come together to boost stories and voices of survivors

BY AL LY RUSSEL L campus@theaggie.org Nearly 30 events throughout the month of April will be held to educate students, raise awareness and honor survivors during Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The events

will take place almost every day throughout the month in hopes of getting different groups of students involved, including survivors of sexual assault, Chicanx and Latinx community members, the male student body, children and allies.

The Sexual Assault Awareness Advocacy Committee (SAAAC), the Cross Cultural Center (CCC), UC Davis Student Health and Coun-

seling Services, the Women’s Resources and Research Center (WRRC), the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life, the UC Davis LGTBQIA Resource Center and the Center for Advocacy, Resources and Education (CARE) are all working together to host different intersectional events throughout the month.

SAAM is an annual monthlong tradition that works to spread awareness about the global epidemic of sexual assault and sexual violence, provide resources for survivors and educating community members. 20 to 25% of college women and 15% of college men will experience sexual assault or rape during their time at university, according to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website. Of those impacted, more than 90% of victims will not report their assault.

Beyond their time as college students, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men will experience sexual assault in their lifetimes. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community, racial minorities and other marginalized individuals also are more at risk of being victims of sexual violence than heterosexual, cisgender and white individuals.

Gursimran Kaur is a second-year political science and sexuality and women’s studies double major and works as an outreach assistant at CARE. Kaur helped organize different events for SAAM. “A lot of what I did to organize was communicate with people at different centers to make sure everything ran smoothly,” Kaur said.

This is the first time all seven centers on campus have collaborated on events during SAAM, working to incorporate each center’s focus and provide resources for the larger campus community.

Events include different crafting opportuni-

ties throughout the month to destress and participate in safe spaces, a workshop about healthy masculinity and male organizations (April 11), a consent for kids workshop (April 12), Denim Day information session and tabling (April 17 and April 23), Love Labs (April 4, 11, 18 and 25), Take Back the Night as well as others.

One of SAAM’s largest events hosted is Take Back the Night. Take Back the Night goes back to the 1960’s when women in Europe publicly protested not feeling safe walking alone at night.

In 2001, the event came to America when Katie Koestner spoke out about the national issue of college “date rape” and the dangers women face walking around their own college campuses at night.

Take Back the Night aims to eliminate sexual assault, domestic violence, sexual abuse and other forms of dating violence, according to the event’s website. On April 10, students attended a workshop to help uplift the voices of survivors, create a space of solidarity and work toward empowering attendants to take back the night.

Allyanna Pittman, a UC-Davis alumna and education outreach specialist at CARE, worked with her team to organize this year’s Take Back the Night event.

“One of my biggest goals is really engaging the whole community and getting people to understand this is not just a survivor issue, this is not a women’s issue, everyone has a stake in this,” Pittman said. “I don’t want the burden of raising awareness and educating people and preventing this to be solely on survivors.”

Take Back the Night hosted different keynote speakers and empowered survivors to name their own experiences of sexual assault.

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Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement opens at UC Davis

TREVOR GOODMAN / AGGIE SHEREEN LEE / AGGIE

New office aims to connect university, non-university groups together

Dance like nobody’s watching April 3 “Across the street, male in tan truck and transient male pushing each other around.”

April 4 “Man in intersection dancing, yelling.”

April 5 “Transient male laying on ground, requested be moved along.”

April 6 “BB gun found in room.”

April 7 “Reporting party’s son overdue from church meeting which ended.”

April 8 “Subject playing a keyboard at very loud volume in the courtyard of the building and requested they be advised to turn it down.”

April 9 “Male versus female yelling, walking together.”

April 10 “Two subjects banging on unknown object with large stick.”

OFFICE OF PUBLIC SCHOLARSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT / COURTESY

BY ALE X IS LO PE Z campus@theaggie.org About six months ago, UC Davis unveiled the Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement (OPSE). It aims to continue and embody the mission of public service and outreach that UC Davis emphasizes.

The idea of such an office has existed for a long time, but because of the recession during the late 2000’s, the creation of the office was stalled because of severe budget cuts to outreach, according to the OPSE’s website.

Nonetheless, this idea of public engagement continued to gain traction. In the beginning of 2015, UC Davis received a community engagement classification and became the host institution for Imagining America the following year.

Then in 2017, the Office of the Provost appointed Michael Rios as the faculty advisor and gave him the mission of developing a strategy plan for the envisioned office.

OPSE came into being in 2018.

Michael Rios, the OPSE director, gave further reasoning as to why the new office was created.

“There is a need to create a more coordinated approach to sharing this [research] work as well as providing entry points to non-university groups that want to access this information connecting with expertise on campus,” Rios said.

Rios also acknowledged that one of the

reasons why the office was created was to bring all communities and their respective talents together to improve research and learning experiences.

Not only is the office working to help various communities, but it is also listening to them. When work began in 2017, it came with a listening phase that included various activities to understand what those in the surrounding communities were interested in.

“We’ve spent the past year and a half listening to faculty, staff, students and community partners,” said Hanna Adamy, a graduate student researcher who has been with the project since it began, via email.

“We held focus groups and workshops to better understand where each group was coming from, what they needed and how an office could help.”

As stated on its website, the OPSE fits in with the mission of UC Davis greatly.

As a land grant institution, UC Davis has expectations to serve the community, and OPSE is looking to work with university and non-university personnel to facilitate access to university resources by all types of different communities.

There are multiple goals that are in sight for the office. It aims to have a network of communication that promotes public scholarship, shares resources and allows new relationships to build. The OPSE is also looking to facilitate a multitude of activities across various institutions. The office wants to encourage scholarship and

learning through various methods such as grants, awards, training and acknowledgement of merit and promotion.

Recently the OPSE released an action plan for the office called “Public Scholarship for the Public Good: An Implementation Framework for UC Davis”. The plan lays out the vision and objectives to further support public scholarship of UC Davis.

The action plan’s goals are to: “Cultivate and foster a culture of engagement that rewards and recognizes public scholarship in research, teaching, and service that upholds UC Davis’ land-grant-mission to serve the public good, builds the collective capacity and scholarly excellence of the UC Davis community, and increases the university’s impact and visibility through mutually-beneficial relationships that have local, regional, statewide, and global reach.”

Adamy emphasized what she sees in the document.

“Our primary goals in creating this framework was identifying the amazing work that is already happening at UC Davis and provide an open ended guide for building on that amazing work,” Adamy said.

The OPSE still continues to listen to the Davis community. According to Adamy, they are currently asking for feedback on their new plan through their website.

“We hope to receive all comments by April 22 so we can integrate that feedback into the final iteration of the framework,

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THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 | 3

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Davis Police Department increases traffic enforcement on Mace Boulevard, Cowell Boulevard Traffic enforcement part of city’s solution to improve Mace Boulevard

JORDAN CHOW / AGGIE

BY H A N N A N WA LIU L L A H city@theaggie.org There will be increased traffic enforcement on Mace Boulevard and Cowell Boulevard each Thursday and Friday from 3 to 8 p.m., according to a March 26 statement by the Davis Police Department. The increase in traffic is related to the city’s Mace Boulevard Improvement project.

“The traffic in this area is an ongoing issue that has resulted in many concern for our Davis residents,” the statement said.

“The main goal will be to increase visibility, perform selective enforcement, (specifically gridlock violations), and monitor other unsafe behavioral driving.”

The Mace Boulevard Improvement project began in 2013 when the Davis Joint Unified School District completed

a survey among its students about their transportation to school. They found that students who commuted through Mace Boulevard had the lowest rates of walking or biking in the district.

“The cars kind of go kind of fast on there, and there’s like an overpass and people are merging onto the freeway and coming out of that street so it can get kind of dangerous,” said Michelle Acoba, a second-year electrical engineer major and Davis resident of 19 years. “There can be a lot of traffic if people are trying to merge in and out of the freeway.”

Today, the project is still ongoing. A report released by the City of Davis Public Works department in January stated that the work should have done by March.

“In order to perform the final paving and striping, dry weather with temperatures in the high 50 to 60 degree range will be necessary,” the report said. “It is

presently estimated all of the work will be done by late February, or early March pending acceptable weather.”

According to Acoba, while the majority of Mace Boulevard is fine to navigate through, the intersection of Mace Boulevard and Cowell Boulevard has had a lot of traffic.

“It’s really irritating because there’s a lot of restaurants there like [Taqueria] Guadalajara and Wok of Flame, and when when I’m trying to get food or hang out with friends it’s really annoying,” Acoba said. “The streets are kind of weird — like where to turn left or right — like you don’t really know where you’re supposed to go.”

According to Idan Shemy, a second-year computer science major and former Unitrans trainee, the area of traffic enforcement — Mace and Cowell — has a very difficult intersection to navigate through.

“We call it the Mace curve, which is the curve from Mace to Cowell or Cowell to Mace,” Shemy said. “It’s a school zone, for a really long time, but there’s reason a student would run out into the street anyways, and the school is so far away from the street, so maybe it shouldn’t be a school zone for so long.”

According to a different Facebook post released by the Davis PD on April 2, there is still some work to be done. Paving and striping on Mace were done on April 3 and 4.

“We are in the process of working on urgent and long-term solutions to the Mace traffic problem,” the report said. “[...] Paving must be completed now and temporary striping will be added immediately with final striping will be added immediately with final striping to follow.”

Russell Boulevard Green Street Demonstration Project City to promote sustainable landscaping with City Hall frontage redesign LUIZ LOPEZ / AGGIE

BY AN N E F E Y city@theaggie.org The Russell Boulevard Green Demonstration Project will redesign the Russell Boulevard frontage of City Hall, converting nearly 25,000 square feet of turf to drought tolerant landscaping. The grant-funded project will also create seven new gardens and planters, new permeable paved seating areas and walkways and a vegetated swale — all of which is intended to capture, filter and control stormwater and runoff.

Landscape irrigation accounts for up to 65% of water use in the Sacramento Valley, according to the City of Davis website. The site goes on to encourage residents to implement sustainable landscaping that will reduce water use and

runoff, improve wildlife habitat and foster healthy soils. With the Russell Boulevard Green Street Demonstration Project — which must be completed no later than May 1, 2020 — the city aims to go beyond only encouraging sustainable practices by demonstrating these practices in action.

Candidate plants for the project include native and adaptive drought tolerant plants such as “island pink,” baccharis pilularis and “blonde ambition,” as well as stormwater plants like “elk blue” and accent and street trees.

Mayor Brett Lee commented on these plant type changes.

“We’re expecting that it’ll actually be a good example of sort of native plants and things that typically use less water,” Lee said.

Showcasing these sustainable tech-

niques specifically at City Hall is a strategic move. Mike Webb, the city manager, said that the city hopes to lead by example in offering these examples of green redesign.

“The idea of doing it at City Hall really arose out of the idea that we have a lot of people that visit us and visit City Hall that are local architects [and] contractors that could benefit from seeing first-hand some of these techniques put into practice,” Webb said. “We as a city often find ourselves in a position of requesting — or in some cases even requiring — that certain drought tolerant features and runoff control features be integrated into private development projects. What better way to help sort of encapsulate that or to sort of promulgate those ideas by us as the city doing as we say?”

Stephen Wheeler, a landscape architecture and environmental design professor at UC Davis, said that the project seemed like a good idea and highlighted the importance of sustainable practices like stormwater control.

“There’s no reason why not all stormwater runoff should be handled onsite by streets and parking lots,” Wheeler said.

“That’s better for the ecology of the water table, and it avoids runoff into local waterways, which tends to erode and to have negative effects, and just takes the water out to the Pacific Ocean.”

The project is funded by a California Natural Resources Agency Urban Rivers grant, which was awarded to Davis in December 2017.

The 2014 Proposition 1 Water Bond funds the Urban Rivers grant program

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Amping up: Armadillo Music to sell beer, install turntables Local music store approved for alcohol license

JUSTIN HAN / AGGIE

BY R ENEE HOH city@theaggie.org Downtown record store Armadillo Music is looking to introduce beer to its wide array of novelties including vinyl, CDs, DVDs and music-related merchandise.

Owner Joshua Chapman applied for a Type 40 License, allowing specifically the sale of beer for consumption on site. On April 10, City of Davis’ Planning Commission unanimously approved the Public Convenience and Necessity Determination for Armadillo Music.

Chapman has plans to build a nine-foot-long bar in the store, complete with six beer taps –– four of which will feature local breweries and two that will be rotated through. Alongside the taps, the owners hope to provide non-alcoholic drinks such as sodas, waters and juices, as well as snack options. The presence of alcohol on site will not prohibit underage customers from entering the store due to this particular type of license.

“One of our goals from the very beginning, back in 1996, was to bring music and the community together, and we definitely embraced the college students as part of our community,” Chapman said. “The good thing about the Type 40 beer license is that it doesn’t exclude anybody. It doesn’t matter how old the person is, they can still come into the store and shop and buy music. We’re trying to include all the demographics across the board.”

Back in 2014, Armadillo Music moved into its current location at 207 F St. for the larger space and ability to build a small stage to host local bands, touring artists or even first-time performers. Davis and East Bay-based band Busy Lighthouse has performed multiple times at the downtown music hub. Jesús Rico, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major and lead vocalist and guitarist of the band, expressed how the Armadillo Music stage serves as a platform for growing artists to find a larger fanbase and how beer would add to the experience of performing.

“Of course I’m speaking for the people I know, but [most people] just drink for the atmosphere,” Rico said. “They’re not drinking to cause a ruckus or be obnoxious. It’s about trusting your community.”

The inspiration to pair live music with locally-brewed beers came from Chapman’s experiences at different record stores across the country. In addition to the bar, four listening stations will be set up for customers to sample music.

“We’ll have listening stations along the windows with turntables,” Chapman said. “People can sit down, grab a record, listen to music on headphones and have a beer. It’s just a way to have people come in and spend more time in here, interact and engage with a medium of music maybe they’re not used to.”

Aside from performing gigs, Josh Zucker, the Busy Lighthouse drummer and a third-year atmospheric sciences major, would find more incentive to visit the store if listening stations are available.

“I’ll just look at the records, but I don’t buy them because I don’t have a record player at home,” Zucker said, noting that the in-store turntables “would be great.”

The store’s application necessitated action from local jurisdiction to host a public hearing meeting due to the nature of the license, the high concentration of existing alcohol licenses and high level of crime in the downtown area.

“This request for Armadillo Music is a little bit novel because it’s for a music store,” said Tom Callinan, the City of Davis planning technician. “It is supportable because they have limited amount of square footage, and it’s going to remain in the store, which primarily sells music.”

Callinan noted that the City’s main concern was any law enforcement-related issues proposed by the police department. Consultation with the police department showed no law enforcement concerns with this particular license request.

“Eventually, if there’s something that’s going to increase crime to cause more offenses, or if there’s already existing problems with crime involving that establishment or area of town, the police are going to be the ones aware of that, and also the ones that are going to have to deal with any ramifications,” Callinan said.

Armadillo Music now awaits more approval from the building and health departments regarding its construction plans and inspections. The project is estimated to be complete before early June in time to support the Davis Music Fest in mid-June.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

4 | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

JOSHUA’S HOUSE: HELPING THOSE IN NEED FIND A HOME

AL LYS O N KO/ AG G I E

The importance of providing hospice for those in need, no matter their circumstances

BY VINCENT SANCHEZ features@theaggie.org What started out as a small group of friends wanting to make a difference in their community is blossoming into a larger movement dedicated to improving conditions for the homeless and terminally ill. Joshua’s House is a student-run UC Davis club, approaching its third year in existence, with the admirable goal of helping those in need. Through therapy services and hospice

treatment, the members of Joshua’s House create a safe space and community for patients who are nearing the conclusion of their life.

Daisy Corona, a third-year political science and Spanish double major and current vice president of Joshua’s House, explained the origins of the organization and how a visit from the founder of the organization sparked an interest that would last for years to come.

“A friend in my sorority started the student club here on campus,” Corona said. “She had Dr. Marlene [von Friederichs-Fitzwater], the founder

of Joshua’s House, speak in one of her classes, and she really wanted to get involved. She reached out to me and asked for help, and it all started from there.”

Although the house itself, where most of the terminally ill can be properly treated, remains under construction in Sacramento, Corona explained that members are able to provide support in different ways that have a lasting impact.

“We’ve been doing local homeless outreach events, fundraising and trying to spread the word as much as possible,” Corona said.

Corona noted some of the specific services students and volunteers will be able to provide once the house finally opens, which is scheduled for the Fall of 2019.

“Our volunteers can visit Joshua’s House and help the patients through therapy, music and talking with them to make them feel comfortable,” Corona said. “We also plan on doing journalism projects where we talk to the patients and tell their story, so they can leave behind a legacy.”

As an active board member since her freshman year, Corona has seen the club’s year-to-year changes. She finds joy in knowing the club’s exposure and membership is steadily increasing.

“At first, it just started with a few friends joining and us all talking about the different things we could do,” Corona said. “The club gets bigger every year. Last year, we were part of the involvement fair, and we had a huge benefit concert, so I feel like we just keep adding more events and more people that want to be involved.”

In terms of other events offered through Joshua’s House, Corona mentioned an art auction held last summer that helped raise funds for the organization. Another benefit concert was held April 14, featuring local bands and performances.

Corona’s personal goals for the future of the club includes raising more funds to continue construction for the house and increasing interest for potential members.

“I want to raise awareness about the circumstances that the homeless population suffers through,” Corona said. “A lot of students can benefit from hearing about that and being involved in making a change.”

Elizabeth Stenton, a fourth-year sustainable environmental design major and current president of Joshua’s House, explained the intricacies of Joshua’s House and how students can become active members of the organization.

“Most of our members have to become certified to be a part of the organization,” Stenton said. “To be certified, students spend five dollars that goes toward the club overall, then we have them go through End of Life certification, which are essentially videos covering what we do and how we handle the different situations.”

Stenton also spoke about her involvement since the club’s inception, and how she found inspiration to become President of the club.

“It was really inspiring to watch the woman who was president before me,” Stenton said. “She created a lot of the events that we still hold and participate in. It was really cool watching a student make a lot of what we do now possible on a larger scale.”

Stenton noted the hopefulness she holds for the club and anticipates a larger growth of membership once construction for the house has been completed.

“I’m very interested to see the dynamic of the club once things really get going,” Stenton said.

“I think there will be a larger connection with the club and its members because I feel like, right now, people are sitting and waiting until we can really move forward. We don’t have weekly club meetings or anything like that.”

For students looking to be part of nursing or medical fields, Stenton noted the benefits of learning proper bedside manner for working with J OSHUA’SHOUSE on 1 1

APPLE-A-DAY: A STAPLE OF UC DAVIS CULTURE AND A FAMILY-RUN PROJECT Behind the scenes of the juice-making process and why students buy so much of the apple products

BY SIERRA BURGUENO features@theaggie.org

The famous Apple-A-Day apple cider, sold at the Davis Farmers Market, has been one of the most popular stands for years. Buyers have been amazed by how tasty the cider is and have returned to the farmers market specifically for the stand. If you ask almost anyone in Davis, chances are they have something positive to say about this refreshing beverage. Which is why individual bottles sell out so quickly week after week.

The cider comes from Sebastopol, a county in Sonoma, where the owner of the stand travels to pick up a van full of produce to bring back to Davis for everyone to enjoy. Melinda Garcia, the granddaughter of the owner, said the process of pressing the apples into cider is done in Sebastopol as well. Although she has only seen the process once, she recalled seeing the apples go in and out of tubes and into a presser in a big warehouse.

“That’s all I can remember,” Garcia said, “I’ve only seen it once but anyone can go up there and see it. They’re operational, I think, seven days a week.”

Garcia also noted that she believes there may be different distributors going up and down California to sell the cider. A customer once told her that they saw the apple cider being sold at a farmers market in the Bay Area, so in reality, the apple juice can be purchased in many places outside of Davis.

Garcia’s grandmother, the owner of the stand, has delivered to the Co-Op in downtown Sacramento, to Pedricks and to all the Dos Coyotes restaurants.

The apple cider does not include any added sugars or preservatives and remains unfiltered. It is purely pressed apples, with the exception of an ultraviolet light screening that is included in the pressing process to eliminate any bacteria.

“People cannot believe that it is just apples,” Garcia said. “And that it’s so minimally processed. People aren’t used to that. Most other things aren’t minimally processed.”

Nadia Barboza, a second-year community and regional development major, loves going to the farmers market for the environment, food and of course the apple cider.

“It’s the first and only time I’ve ever had like, fresh apple juice that is literally only apples,” Barboza said. “And I think that’s really cool, and it’s really good.”

The apple cider is sold in the biggest quantities during the summer: a time when the sun is out, the days are hot and the crowds rush to get to the cider stand first. In fact, Garcia mentioned that they have begun to completely sell out on Saturdays. They will bring anywhere between 40 and 60 cases of juice, which fills up an entire van, and will end up selling out by the end of the day.

You can buy the cider in various sizes ranging from gallons to individual bottles so that you can drink it on-the-go or store it in your fridge.

“I like the sizing,” Barboza said. “It’s great for

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college students and, like, little kids.”

Other uses for the apple cider have been popsicles, smoothies, vinaigrettes, stews and even mimosas. There are so many uses for cider besides just drinking it, which contributes to its popularity.

While most of Garcia’s family and friends help run the stand, she recalled a time when it was just her grandfather working by himself.

“I’ve been helping him since my sister and I were like five years old and we would hang out with him during the summer, come out to these things and go get some juice and what not,” Garcia said.

Now, Garcia has expressed her interest in taking over if her grandmother doesn’t want to do it anymore. If she does end up taking over the

STUDENTS JUMP ON OPPORTUNITIES FOR INEXPENSIVE, BIKE SHARE RIDING

Students, faculty and members of the UC Davis community ride electric JUMP bikes around campus and the city of Davis

MA R KU S KA EPELLI/ AGGIE

BY MARGO ROSENBAUM features@theaggie.org Bright red with sturdy seats and practical baskets, these electric bikes can be seen zooming past the rainbow of regular bikes owned by students.

JUMP bikes have made their mark on the UC Davis campus during the 2018-19 school year.

The Uber-owned company launched its bicycle sharing program in Sacramento, West Sacramento and Davis in June 2018, according to the transportation demand manager Ramon Zavala.

The program started with only 15 bikes in Davis,

but now, there can be anywhere from 130-150 bikes in the city. The initial bicycle sharing program includes 900 bikes, and the vast majority are in Sacramento in the downtown area.

“JUMP creates on-demand electric bikes and scooters that allow you to go farther, get there faster and have more fun,” according to the JUMP website.

In Davis, a majority of the use for JUMP bikes includes small trips and commuting, as well as getting around campus itself, according to Zavala.

“Everyone knew that Davis was ripe for bikeshare,” Zavala said. “We would rather have peo-

ple ride an automatically maintained JUMP bike than their own rust bucket.”

According to Zavala, JUMP bikes are a good alternative for people instead of leaving a bike on campus. Many bikes that are left on campus rot, get parted, partially stolen or end up being impounded by the UC Davis Transportation Services (TAPS).

“Going from the bus to your office or to your first class, that’s perfect for JUMP,” Zavala said.

“My team thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to just have a lot of bikes on campus for people to use and they all just pay more into the system?’”

First-year undeclared social sciences major Kylie Crisostomo-Rickman said that she has used JUMP bikes five or six times this year.

“I use it mostly when I lose my bike key or my bike isn’t working for some reason and I have to get to class,” Crisostomo-Rickman said. “I hate walking and the JUMP bike is a nice alternative, especially because it’s pretty cheap.”

To use a JUMP bike, an individual needs to use either the JUMP or Uber app to create a regular account and put raw cash in it, or sign up for a membership. To just use the bike regularly, an individual can pay as they go, $1 per 15 minutes and then $0.07 per minute after that.

Students who create an account can receive a discount, where they pay $30 for a 12-month membership. You get an hour a day of use included in the membership and any minute you go after that is $0.07 per minute, according to Zavala.

Other than the low cost, a benefit of JUMP bikes is their electric quality. The bikes are pedal-assist, which means the bike multiplies the power a rider puts into it. Zavala said that riding a JUMP bike is as simple as riding any other bike.

“A lot of people find it very easy to go up hills, carry more cargo, go longer distances, and you can get to work in work clothes and barely break a sweat,” Zavala said.

Riding JUMP bikes is good exercise, since

stand, however, there isn’t anything she’d want to change.

“If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it,” she said with a laugh.

Garcia hopes that the business will continue on through the family, especially since her sevenyear-old daughter has already expressed a great interest in the stand.

“She asks me every time if she can come down to the market with me, but it’s a little too much for her right now,” Garcia said. “She does enjoy herself when she does get to come. She likes actually selling and talking to people.”

It’s safe to say that the future of the Apple-ADay stand here at the Davis farmers market is in good hands and will continue to be available for future UC Davis students, allowing the tradition to continue.

riders still burn calories, but not as much as riding a regular bike. Also, JUMP bikes are unlike other electric bikes where riders can stop pedaling and keep moving, since riders still need to pedal to move.

“It’s just like a little boost,” Crisostomo-Rickman said. “Since it’s in the pedaling, if you pedal faster, there’s more power, so it’s not super fast and not fully electric, but it’s still a little bit faster than a regular bike.”

Even though there are many benefits to the bicycle sharing system, an issue Zavala has found involves parking. According to him, the best places to park the bikes are on a bike rack or near where other bikes are parked.

“There are some bikes that do not have docks, like Lime Bikes, so it creates the expectation that you can leave them anywhere,” Zavala said. “JUMP bikes have their own locking system, but because they are a part of this culture, people will just leave them wherever. And that is sometimes fine if they are left within bike parking area[s] and there are no free bike racks.”

JUMP bikes have their own locking system, and due to the culture of dockless communal vehicles, people have been leaving them in inappropriate places, which can result in individuals receiving fines.

“It becomes an issue when you leave it on a sidewalk, preventing people from walking through, or on roads or handrails,” Zavala said.

Due to the overall benefits they bring to campus, in the future, Zavala hopes to see more JUMP bikes on campus.

He thinks it is a better solution financially, personally and logistically than leaving an extra bike on campus.

“I have an explicit hope that people won’t feel the need to leave a junk bike near a parking lot or near one of the bus depots because there will be sufficient JUMP bikes to use once they park their car or get off the bus,” Zavala said.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 | 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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Taxes: They’ll be lower Students face the problem of tax illiteracy in their first tax seasons as adults

BY LI N H N G UYE N features@theaggie.org Millions of Americans rushed to file their taxes before April 15. For many students, filing taxes is a new adventure that they’ll have to embark

on for the rest of their lives. Many students don’t have experience with doing taxes and don’t know anything about the filing process or even understand taxes in general. Even adults struggle with questions like “what is a 1040?” or “am I filing joint taxes or separate taxes?” and hire accoun-

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Students respond to recent college admissions scandal Current students were asked by The Aggie whether or not the parents in the recent scandal should serve time for their cheating ISABEL L A BERI STAIN features@theaggie.org Last month, the nation was shocked by the findings of corruption in the admissions process of many colleges and universities across the country. The scandal known as “Operation Varsity Blues,” includes parents from well-to-do families such as actress Lori Loughlin from the hit sitcom series “Full House” and Felicity Huffman from the popular TV drama “Desperate Housewives.” Suspects were recently indicted for their crimes of bribery and fraud, and now the question is if they should be punished for their crimes. Students at UC Davis were asked if the parents implicated in the college admissions scandal should serve time for helping their kids cheat to get into college:

Third-year American studies and English double major Chau Dang Nguien: “F*** yes, higher education, especially within the UC system, is dominated by white and Asian groups and underrepresented by other racial groups, and so that scandal just shows how much privilege is associated with accessing higher education. So they should definitely f***ing go to prison.”

Third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major Ania Kossakowski: “I don’t want to say go to jail, maybe do something but I feel like there should be more rules and regulations because the fact that they were able to get away with it and no one said anything before, it’s so under the table, there should be more of a background check to see how this person got into school. Whenever I see someone rich or famous, you think of the ste-

CAITLYN SAMPLEY / AGGIE

Put your “Endgame” face on Students share theories and expectations for thefinal film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s third phase ANJIN I V E N UG OPAL features@theaggie.org It’s been nearly a year since “Avengers: Infinity War” came out, but on the off chance that you haven’t heard about what happens in it, be warned: there are spoilers ahead.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the shared universe that is most known for its superhero movies based on characters from comics published by Marvel Comics. The first MCU movie released was “Iron Man” in 2008, and it began the first “phase” of films, which ended with 2012’s “Avengers.” The second phase was from 2013’s “Iron Man 3” to 2015’s “AntMan.” The much-anticipated “Avengers: Endgame,” which releases on April 26 will bring an end to the third phase, which started with 2016’s “Captain America: Civil War.” The ending of “Infinity War” left fans shocked, as half of all life in the universe was turned into dust. Fans were reminded of which characters survived Thanos’ snap with a series of character posters released by Marvel. Those who are still alive are displayed in color, and those

who succumbed are in black and white, and all the posters read “Avenge the fallen.”

“The first time I saw ‘Infinity War,’ I was floored,” said second-year physics major Haitch Martinez. “I loved it all the way to the end. I didn’t expect that ending and I really want to know what happens next because of it.”

But not all fans loved “Infinity War” at first.

First-year cell biology major Mehrab Hussain was “more than excited” to see the movie, but found himself not as attached as he expected to be. He says that it had to do with the fact that one of his favorite characters — Hawkeye — wasn’t in the movie.

“I’m an archer myself, which is why I have a special place in my heart for Hawkeye,” Hussain said. “Even though he’s more of minor character and a lot of people view him as irrelevant or insignificant, I still think he’s an integral part of the team. I also think he’s just so cool, and I’m still envious of his archery skills.”

Hussain has watched “Infinity War” many times since that first time and said that he’s gotten

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tants to help them file for them.

“Not much, not going to lie,” says Navreen Randhawa, a fourth-year sociology major, in response to how much she knows about taxes.

“Taxes […] if you’re working, you have to pay every year and there is an IRS form that goes out.

I know more about taxes in the sense of, like, whether we should raise them or lower them depending on what programs you qualify for.”

Aside from what students know about the reasoning and procedures behind taxes, there are also negative feelings toward taxes that adults express which the younger generation picks up on.

“It’s a b**** to fill out all the forms,” said Daniel Painter, a second-year biochemistry and molecular biology major. Painter continued, listing what he knows about the use of taxes in our economy and government. “I know that it’s extremely paperwork heavy […] lots of bureaucracy, mainly the IRS. [They’re] used by the government to pay for public works, roads, fire and emergency services, military, NASA, fund the government.”

This uncharted territory of filing taxes can be quite daunting for students who have never done it before. It can still be quite stressful for students who have been doing their taxes for many years.

It is common for many people to not know they had to fill out taxes until the year they have to do it.

“I started working when I was 15, so I wasn’t aware that I had to file taxes until I was 16, which was when the next tax season was,” Randhawa said.

“I’ve never filled out taxes before; this will be my first year doing it,” Painter said. “I only found out I had to do it a month ago.”

While some high schools educate their students about taxes in general, many high schools do not teach students how to file taxes.

“My parents were going to teach me [how to file taxes],” said Sean Hoffman, a first-year environmental policy analysis and planning major. “I didn’t learn anything about how to do taxes in high school.”

The fact that many students aren’t taught how to do taxes is arguably a flaw in the public education system, as most feel unprepared for the tax season. Even something as simple as knowing what a W-2 form is (the most common form) before doing taxes can alleviate a lot of stress.

“I think there are enough ways to learn about the tax process outside of public education,” Hoffman said. “But it would still be helpful [to learn about it in school].”

Programs like Turbotax or IRS Easy Taxes exist to help people easily file taxes with low stress.

Students who just stressfully navigated their first tax form might want to look to tools like these in their next tax season.

reotype that they got into school because they are rich and that shouldn’t be the case.”

Second-year women and gender studies major Aliya Hunter: “Yeah, because anyone convicted of fraud should be sent to jail. If that is the legal punishment for that crime then yeah they should, but they probably won’t because they can bribe their way out of it.”

dren but ultimately in doing so they took that opportunity away from other kids. And if you think the college admissions process is supposed to be this great equalizer for people and that all backgrounds are able to obtain education, then in breaking that, it is kind of breaking an important American ideal. It was distressing to me for those reasons, and that is why I feel that justice should be served and there should be some sort of repercussions for their actions.”

Second-year neurobiology physiology and behavior major Samantha Stratton: “I do think so, it is bribery, so it is not good, not legal. I understand wanting to help your child but actually committing a crime and making it harder for other students who very well could have gotten in on their own merit, it’s not fair for them because they deserved to get in while others cheated.”

Second-year cognitive studies major Maya Villareal: “I feel like that should be a part of the charges to go to jail. You are taking away the opportunity for other people, especially for people who need higher education to get a step higher in their lives, and then they are just using their privilege and their money to take away those opportunities from others.”

Second-year civil engineering major Saman Lavasani: “I would say so, I understand their intentions that they think they are helping out their chil-

Second-year English major Drew Watson: “Yes I think so, because technically that is thievery and it is kind of disappointing to hear

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

6 | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

Opinion THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE EDITO R I A L B OA R D

Trump’s tweet about Ilhan Omar has life-threatening consequences for millions of Americans It’s time to see Trump’s online hate speech as a danger to civil rights

EMILY STACK Editor-in-Chief OLIVIA ROCKEMAN Managing Editor KENTON GOLDSBY Campus News Editor KAELYN TUERMER-LEE City News Editor TARYN DEOILERS Opinion Editor OLIVIA LUCHINI Features Editor LIZ JACOBSON Arts & Culture Editor DOMINIC FARIA Sports Editor HARNOOR GILL Science & Tech Editor

SYDNEY ODMAN New Media Manager BRIAN LANDRY Photo Director TREVOR GOODMAN Video Production Manager OLIVIA KOTLAREK Design Director JONATHAN CHEN Layout Director HANNA BAUBLITZ Copy Chief CECILIA MORALES Copy Chief ZOË REINHARDT Website Manager HALI ZWEIGORDON Social Media Manager GRACE SIMMONS Newsletter Manager LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

Last Friday, President Donald Trump tweeted an edited video that cut between images of 9/11 and clips of Representative Ilhan Omar speaking at a Council on American-Islamic Relations event. Omar, a freshman member of the House of Representatives, was one of the first female Muslims elected to Congress.

The intent of Trump’s message was self-interested — he used Omar as a political weapon to equate Muslims with terrorism, a clear tool to elevate his 2020 re-election campaign. After all, this strategy worked for him in 2016, when he stigmatized Muslims by discussing the creation of a Muslim registry in the U.S. and claiming that thousands of Muslims supported 9/11. While this language proved polarizing for many voters, it also attracted some of his most supportive backers. In the South Carolina Republican primary in February 2016, for example, exit polls showed that 75% of voters favored his proposed Muslim ban, according to The New York Times.

In the tweeted video, Omar is quoted multiple times saying that “some people did something” in reference to the 9/11 attacks — an attempt to make it appear that she was minimizing the severity of the attacks during her speech. In reality, Omar said that Muslims had “lived with the discomfort of being second-class [citizens]” and that “every single Muslim in this country should be tired of it.” She added that the council was created after 9/11 “because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.”

(The Council on American-Islamic Relations was actually founded in 1994.)

The consequences of this kind of message from the president go far beyond the confines of online hate speech. Placing images of a tragic terrorist attack next to a Muslim individual perpetuates Islamaphobia. Anti-Muslim sentiment in America increased after 9/11, but the fact that this ideology is now being explicitly expressed by the president has real consequences for the safety and civil liberties of America’s 3.45 million Muslims.

“Since the president’s tweet Friday evening, I have experienced an increase in direct threats on my life — many directly referencing or replying to the president’s video,” Omar said on Sunday. “This is endangering lives. It has to stop.”

With Trump tweeting constantly, many Americans have become desensitized to his hateful language online, assuming that his tweets won’t have a real effect on people’s ideologies or actions.

Throughout Trump’s presidency, however, messages that began on Twitter have become tragic realities.

Take his hateful messages about journalists, for example. Five journalists were killed at the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md. last June, and bombs were mailed to the CNN offices in New York and notable Democrats in November. Hateful, incendiary messages from the most powerful man in America don’t do anything to promote safety and equality.

The way we interpret what’s on the internet has real-life consequences. The Editorial Board urges readers to take online messages — both from Trump and other outlets — more seriously and to look into the context in which those messages are being produced.

Amazon’s new police state AMAZON’S REKOGNITION COULD BE THE PATH TOWARD AUTHORITARIANISM

BY HA N A D I J O R DA N hajordan@ucdavis.edu George Orwell’s “Big Brother” has arrived, courtesy of Amazon. The e-commerce tech giant is selling facial recognition technology to police departments — something not well known, and for good reason. This image analysis service, called Rekognition, is deeply flawed and deeply dangerous.

While Rekognition has been used for harmless indulgence in celebrity culture, like identifying celebrity wedding guests as they arrived at Windsor castle for the royal wedding, the program has several functions and can be adjusted by developers for a given company’s need. Some functions, aside from facial recognition, include pathing (tracking an object), facial analysis (familiarization with emotions) and deciphering text in images otherwise illegible to the naked eye. This technology’s adaptability and absent government regulation means companies and law enforcement can use Rekognition however they choose.

A study published in August by MIT

found that Rekognition identified white men with 100 % accuracy, which dropped to 68.6 percent when identifying women of color.

In January, another study was conducted by researchers at MIT, which found that Rekognition mistook women for men 19 % of the time and misidentified darker-skinned women for men 31 % of the time. A study conducted by the ACLU of Northern California found Rekognition incorrectly matched the faces of 28 members of Congress with individuals arrested for a crime; among the misidentified were six members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In the face of these studies and numerous calls from prominent artificial-intelligence researchers, civil rights groups and its own shareholders, Amazon simply chose to brush the findings off as “false” and “misleading” while refusing to present its own studies or to submit the system to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for evaluation.

Rekognition has the capacity to automate the identification and tracking of any individual; if outfitted for body camera usage, police could effectively become walking surveillance

cameras. But you don’t have to take my word for it: one need only look to Orlando’s Rekognition pilot program, which has installed cameras that scan hundreds of thousands of faces daily across the city. More concerning, we don’t know how this technology is being used.

Although Orlando may be testing the pilot program on its own officers for now, the city will eventually broaden its functions while remaining free from legal restrictions. Other law enforcement departments implementing Rekognition haven’t been detailed about the way they employ the software, and the absence of laws in this area may mean they’re not obliged to disclose anything.

While a deputy for the Washington County Sheriff’s office stated officers were trained not to rely solely on the software, misidentifying persons of color as a threat has long been an issue, even without the racial biases of Rekognition. This technology risks the false imprisonment of minorities and women while simultaneously violating our right to privacy.

Amazon insists there have been no reports of misuse, but one wouldn’t expect law enforcement agencies to self-report on their civil

rights violations, especially regarding laws governing facial-recognition technology. When requested by the ACLU, neither Orlando nor Washington County could produce records showing their communities were provided a forum to discuss Rekognition before its implementation or rules outlining how Rekognition could be used while ensuring the protection of rights.

In accordance with its business model — sell cheap and eliminate competitors — Amazon is pushing Rekognition, expanding its marketing of the product to organizations from police departments to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

Considering the current administration’s approach to migrants at the southern border, it’s not far-fetched to say Rekognition may be utilized by ICE for nefarious purposes.

Without government regulation, we won’t know how Rekognition is being used, when we’re being watched or when our privacy is being violated. The ambiguity of it all makes it increasingly likely that these things are already happening. Big Brother could already be, and likely is, watching.

Probably not the (Trumpian-ish) argument you were expecting for sex ed YOU SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO TAKE SEX ED AT THE UCS BEFORE YOU GRADUATE

BY L AUREN FR AU STO lrfrausto@ucdavis.edu There are plenty of scary statistics — I think they are terrifying — depicting how more states than not in our fine country do not require sexual education, which they may or may not even require in their public schools, to be medically accurate. Sperm? What are sperm? The only “S” words that states like Alabama and Mississippi are interested in when in comes to sex are words like SHAME and...

STORK. Thankfully, California, God bless us all, leads the way with some of the most comprehensive sex ed in the country, under The California Healthy Youth Act passed in 2016.

California even cares enough to codify that it wants its kids to be able to talk to each other about sex — at least enough to avoid legal trouble (more about that later).

Similar scary statistics tell us that sex ed of the non-abstinence based variety, unlike what is so popular in conservative states (well, most states), does wonderful things like prevent teen pregnancy and reduce rates of STIs (and how curious, that those who are so pushy with their views on abortion can’t grasp the notion that empowering women with the choice to not get pregnant in the first place would take the deci-

sion whether or not to have an abortion right off the table).

California’s present leadership concerning sex ed is a step in the right direction, albeit an inadequate one. Sex ed should not be about simply mitigating the life-altering consequences of infection or an unplanned child. Sex ed should be about opening up unforeseen, amazing potential facets of life. No, I’m not talking about anything specific like discovering tantra, though of course, whatever floats your boat.

What I’m talking about are communication skills.

Sex education cannot simply be comprehensive and science-based at the K-12 level; it needs to be truly sex positive and at the college level too. The California Healthy Youth Act promotes, “Healthy relationships for youth,” and California students grades 7 through 12 are taught, “Knowledge and skills related to recognizing, building, and maintaining healthy relationships that are based on mutual affection and free from violence, coercion and intimidation.” Except the happiness of an adult is predicated on so much more than being free from violence, coercion and intimidation.

Sex ed needs to be more than birth control and STIs; it needs to be elevated into the college classroom where messy, explicit, uncomfortable and delicate conversations can happen

about how to communicate sexually in intimate situations, empowering young adults for a lifetime of optimized intimate relationships — conversations we don’t know how to have in this country. Ever been to Europe? Their attitudes toward sex are kilometers different than our own.

What is almost all the art we consume about? The entire music industry? The books we read? Love and its close synonym/culmination, sex, drive our economy. The we’reso-desperate-for-mediocre-erotica-it-grossedover-one-billion-dollars franchise is also the best-selling novel of all time (I hate “Fifty Shades”). The history of hundreds of years of poetry irrefutably demonstrates the importance of love and sex. Sex is the crux of our existence — and not simply because it’s our rote biological imperative. The pleasure we can gift one another is humankind’s most powerful common denominator and Americans need to do it better.

We are severely truncating the potential joy of the human experience if we limit the desired result of sex ed to the avoidance of trauma at the expense of prioritizing the responsible appreciation of pleasure. Better communication around sex leads to more fulfilled humans.

People are not born knowing how to communicate in this way. High school probably isn’t

the proper or most efficient venue, which is why I propose comprehensive, science-based, sex positive sex ed be a required class at the UCs. Let California lead the way once again.

It’s tragic that there are people who die having gone their whole lives wanting to be touched a certain way by their partners but not being able to articulate it to them. I also thought it was tragic when, a few years ago, my roommate told me she had never had an orgasm with a partner because she didn’t know how to talk to her partners. She is nowhere near the only instance of this I’ve encountered.

I know too many people tied up in shame and silence when it comes to their bodies and unachievable pleasure, and it’s all avoidable with a little knowledge.

Hell, call required college sex ed a tool for capitalism if you have to. Happier people make for better workers… more robust GDP for our fine state… a larger budget surplus better insulates us from Trump. Or, you might go so far as to say that if the Trumps of the world received decent sex ed and were living their most fulfilled, blissed-out, shame-free sexual lives (ew) (I’m a hypocrite), then there would be no Trumps. He’d be too busy being happy and wouldn’t need the rapt attention of an entire nation to fill the hole in his soul. All from sex ed. You’re welcome.

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 | 7

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

HUMOR

Why you should make Trader Joe’s your next romantic date spot A LOVE LETTER TO THE (ORGANIC) APPLE OF MY EYE

BY M A D E L I N E KU MAGA I mskumagai@ucdavis.edu This is it. You and the man of your dreams are hanging out together. The lights are low, and tensions are running high. He says your name, and your breath catches in your throat.

He leans in close and whispers in your ear: “Let’s go to Trader Joe’s.”

Your search can stop here. You’ve found The One. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” you reply, tears of joy streaming down your cheeks as you hop into his Kia and vamoose for some dried mango slices.

Truly, inviting a fellow human being to peruse the produce aisles of Trader Joe’s is how we express our affection in this day and age.

If you’re a millennial, and your friend offers to take you to TJ’s for some Mandarin orange chicken, know that you are one quinoa sample away from a marriage proposal.

One’s love for Trader Joe’s is always deep.

To share that love for Trader Joe’s is to share the most vulnerable version of one’s self, the version that “ugly-eats” an entire bag of TJ’s peanut butter pretzels on a tattered living room couch on a Friday night.

Side note: if your significant other has witnessed you wolf down these pretzels like a killer whale eating a seal in a BBC nature documentary and they’re still by your side, put a ring on it immediately.

If you’re still unsure about the romanticism of good ol’ TJ’s, allow me to take you on a journey: You’re standing in front of Trader Joe’s, re-

Ag Major

BY ROSE Y M O R E ART Y rosey@morearty.org

usable shopping bags in your hand dancing in the caresses of the late April breeze. You check your phone one more time and think, Where is she?

You hear your name in the distance, and you turn to see her half-jogging through the parking lot. She, too, has her reusable bags.

She hugs you, and you grab crimson shopping carts together.

Walking in, you start in the flower aisle and snag a bouquet of daisies and sunflowers.

You hand it to her, and she beams. She’s happy because she thinks you remembered what her favorite flower is, but you really chose this bouquet for the ladybug wrapping paper (you think ladybugs are hella rad).

Now you’re in the pasta aisle. Your hands touch as you reach for the last package of cheese tortellini, and you both blush. You tell her she can have it because that’s how much you love her (but you’re dying inside because you were craving those lil’ cheesy bois).

Then you find yourselves in the frozen foods aisle. She pauses, right hand hovering delicately above the chicken fried rice. She instead reaches for the Japanese-style fried rice.

Now, this is a woman of culture.

When you’ve had enough romantic tension, you both head to the privacy of the alcohol corner and just go at it. In the midst of making out, a bottle of cheap Pinot Grigio falls off the shelf and into your hand. Perfect for date night dinner!

That night, you two bond over a delicious meal from the sexiest grocery store in town (suck it, Safeway). You two have never felt more in love with each other, or with tortellini.

[Actor] is a tour de force in [movie] AN UNDERSTATED MASTERCLASS IN ACTING AND FILMMAKING, FULL OF [ADJECTIVE]

BY B E NJAMIN PO RTER bbporter@ucdavis.edu Bonjour, it’s [pretentious film critic], and it’s great to be back with you, my devoted and [patronizing qualifier] readers. I’m back from the [Cannes/Sundance/Telluride/Toronto] Film Festival, where I sipped [expensive sounding name] wine excessively and screened dozens of films that you won’t actually be able to see in theatres for yourselves for [long time period] because I’m a prestigious, award-winning, widely-respected, universally-acclaimed, highly-educated, highly-paid film critic and you aren’t.

Anyway, I’m now back home in [city], and my primary task has been catching up on what’s playing locally. After grabbing a delicately-crafted artisan triple dry cappuccino with [nonfat/soy/almond/cashew] milk from [environmentally-sustainable cafe], I meandered next door to the [historic local independent arthouse theatre], where I bought a ticket for the new, critically-acclaimed picture from [name of obscure writer/director] for the [obscure {aesthetic/political/cultural/subcultural/ sexual(?)} niche], cleverly-titled [movie].

While I’d heard fantastic things about [movie title], I remained apprehensive, given my previous impressions of films in [writer/ director]’s oeuvre, many of which have brief flashes of divine inspiration, but as a whole, tepidly teeter on the precipitous precipice of middling mediocrity. Luckily, by the end of [movie title], I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had not wasted [opportunity cost of seeing movie]. Rather, I felt compelled to spend an additional few [units of time] in my seat to reflect on the tour de force in [filmmaking and/or acting] that I just had the privilege of experiencing.

I just witnessed a freshly-minted, now-fully-matured auteur at the peak of their powers and in complete command of their craft, deftly dealing with the weighty themes of [social theme], [religious theme] and [political theme] in a highly sophisticated and confident manner, proving that [one to three of:

experimental/stylized/avant garde/dynamic/ expressionist/surreal] filmmaking is their raison d’etre. In contrast to their previous uninspired works, [auteur] successfully conjured a refreshing, unique, personal story about their time as an [approximate stage of life] living in [third world country].

[Auteur’s name] manages to shed the hollow action sequences of [action movie], the kenspeckle Bardolatry of [their every movie except actual Shakespeare adaptation] and their excessive reliance on the [deus ex machina/ red herring/MacGuffin/character shield/Chekhov’s Gun/flash forward/flashback/foreshadowing/in medias res/dream sequence/anagnorisis] plot device that plagued the [exposition/rising action/climax/falling action/denouement] of their last [insert large number] directorial efforts. In this strikingly original screenplay, [auteur] avoids the numerous mind-numbing nugacities that I previously wrote “could only be the inner reflections of a mumpsimus full of blatherskite,” and instead, finally finds their [exciting/daring/youthful/subversive] voice.

Another [qualifier not used in previous sentence] voice in [movie title] is that of [name of actor]. After starring in several [bombs/duds/ critical and commercial calamities], [name of actor] delivers a monumental performance in the semi-autobiographical role as a humble but troubled colporteur who moonlights as a bootless biblioklept on the streets of [capital of third world country], demonstrating great versatility by engaging in logomachy and coprolalia that run the emotional gamut, enhancing the already-apparent Pantagruelian quality of [auteur name]’s witty yet [de-bourgeoisified/ de-ideologized/dehistoricized/de-Americanized] script by Brobdingnagian proportions.

Despite my preconceived notions about [name of auteur] and [name of actor], [movie title] provided me with a timely reminder of why it is incumbent upon me and my fellow pretentious film critics, such as my unimpeachable inspiration and role model, [pretentious film critic] at The New Yorker, to resist the tantalizing temptation of engaging in the unhealthy critical practice of floccinaucinihilipilification.

D ISC L A I M ER: Th e v iews a n d o p i ni o ns ex p re ss e d by i nd i vidu al colu mn ists be lon g to th e colu mn ists alon e and do no t necessari l y i ndi cate the vi ews and opi n i o n s h eld by The C al i fo rni a Ag g i e. P l e as e addre ss le tte r s to th e e ditor to opin ion @ th eaggi e.o rg.

ISSUE DESIGNED BY JONATHAN CHEN | PATTIE CHEN | CINDY CHEUNG | ADAN JUNAID | OLIVIA KOTLAREK | SHEREEN NIKZAD | YOON RHA | SYDNEE RODRIGUEZ | AMY YE

8 | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SCIENCE+TECH STEM Majors teach the next generation

Does DNA code for identity?

A UC Davis program helps STEM majors become K-12 Teachers

DNA testing may promise new understandings of health and ancestry

MEL IN DA CHEN / AG GIE

BY FOXY RO B INS O N science@theaggie.org

PU B LIC DOMA IN

BY P ET E R SM I T H science@theaggie.org While some UC Davis students who earn technical degrees in majors such as physics or computer science go on to become engineers and scientists, others decide to pursue careers in education. Some STEM majors decide to become K-12 teachers, and a program called CalTeach Mathematics and Science Teaching Program helps support their ambitions.

CalTeach/MAST is designed to expose UC Davis STEM students to the K-12 teacher career path. The program offers courses where interested students can learn about teaching and volunteer in local math or science classrooms. In addition, the intern hours students earn through the program can help them get into a teaching credential program after graduation.

CalTeach/MAST is organized by the Department of Earth and Planetary Science and is focused on helping students who are completing STEM degrees. The program is also open to non-STEM students, who can speak with the administrators. Students can get involved by enrolling in the beginner GEL EDU 81 course.

The program has helped many former UC

Davis students decide on their career paths. Elizabeth Broughton is a high school math teacher who graduated from UC Davis in 2015 with a major in psychology and a minor in mathematics. According to Broughton, she knew she wanted to be a teacher but did not consider teaching math because she had a bad experience with the subject in high school. However, after getting involved in the CalTeach/MAST program as a freshman, she changed her mind.

“They were showing me a different way of teaching math that was not the way I learned in high school,” Broughton said. “They were showing that math could be really fun and interesting if you teach it in a particular way, and I wanted to be that kind of teacher.”

Although Broughton knew she wanted to be a teacher when she came to college, many students enroll in CalTeach/MAST while they are still unsure of their career path. According to Sandy Carlson, the faculty director of the program, that is one of the great advantages of CalTeach/MAST. “It’s a service for students to be able to explore something that may not have been on their radar initially in terms of a career, without

CAL TEACH on 12

The Boiling Frog Effect: When Abnormal Weather Becomes Normal

How studying 2 billion tweets led UC Davis researchers to understand when remarkable weather turns unremarkable

FRA N CES C. MOOR E / COU RTESY

JO H A N N A T UR N E R / CO URTESY

Potential local extinction looms over mountain lions Isolation and low genetic diversity threatens Southern California mountain lion populations

BY MI C HE L L E WO NG science@theaggie.org Although it is commonly accepted that mountain lions are dangerous, humans may be more of a threat to these predators than they are to us. A recent study of two mountain lion populations in the Santa Ana and Santa Monica Mountains revealed the potential extinction of

these two populations over a period of 50 years.

According to Winston Vickers, a wildlife veterinarian at the Wildlife Health Center at UC Davis, the study began by examining the impact of these mountain lions on endangered bighorn sheep in Southern California.

As the researchers began to accumulate data on the mountain lion populations, however, they began to discover aspects of this species that were previously unknown. In addition, John Benson,

On April 24, the UC Davis Humanities Insitute will host a “Who are you?” campus conversation at the Davis Odd Fellows, 415 Second Street from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., about the pitfalls, social risks and promises involved in DNA testing on campus and in Davis communities.

“Campus conversations are a publically-oriented event series with informal forums and open conversations where faculty and graduate students can directly engage with undergraduates, non-humanities majors and wider communities across Davis,” said Jaimey Fisher, the director of the UC Davis Humanities Institute and professor in the German and Russian department and Cinema and Digital Media department. “The public gets to hear interdisciplinary conversations between STEM and humanities and arts.”

As commercial DNA testing draws more attention from the general public, interdisciplinary conversations are needed to identify its implications.

“Before taking the test, talk to your family,” said Graham Coop, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology.

“By taking a DNA test, you have the potential to find out stuff about your family that affects them too.”

For one tube of saliva, people can have a million different regions of their own genome analyzed and learn about their own risks for chronic diseases. For those who are adopted, they may also identify new family members, such as cousins, ancestors or biological families.

After submitting DNA samples, genetic test-

BY K RIT I VARG H E S E science@theaggie.org Frances C. Moore, an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy, has been interested in the phenomenon in which extreme weather, after becoming increasingly frequent, is no longer considered extreme. This led to a study examining 2 billion geolocated tweets in the United States.

“I was thinking to myself, what would be the ideal dataset to actually measure it,” Moore said.

“Twitter would be great because there are a lot of people on it, all over the country, talking about stuff continuously.”

The researchers studied tweets posted between March 2014 and November 2016 to understand which temperature changes caused the most tweets about the weather. Tweets about unusual weather for a particular time period in a specific area would decrease if the weather persisted year after year. The study found that on average, people normalize unusual weather within two to eight years.

“We didn’t actually conduct any new experiments but used existing social media data, weathan assistant professor of vertebrate ecology at the University of Nebraska, stated that the team was concerned about the low genetic diversity and isolated nature of these populations, which motivated them to further study possibilities of extinction.

“Specifically, we wanted to contribute information to local conservation efforts and, more generally, to a greater understanding of the dynamics of small, isolated wildlife populations,” Benson said.

The two populations share various similarities, such as being small in size due to the factors of isolation and low genetic diversity, leading to the threat of local extinction. However, Benson explained that the Santa Monica Mountains population showed a higher mortality rate and greater population abundance along with a greater risk for local extinction.

Vickers explained that a surprising find within their research was the discovery that the freeways, such as Interstate 15, and statewide developments have created various genetic divisions throughout California.

“Mountain lions are highly mobile animals and one would expect them to have a pretty good chance to get across highways or find ways to cross,” Vickers said. “But it turns out these big freeways are more of a barrier, either because they get killed trying to cross or the crossing structures that are there are not adequate for them to use or there’s something about freeway environment that tends to turn them back.”

In order to mitigate this barrier and increase landscape connectivity, the number of safe path-

ing companies enter the samples onto profiles in a database, which can be compared and matched for criminal investigations or family matching.

“Police and law enforcement use genetic testing to find individuals by looking at certain positions of the genome,” Coop said. “In the case of the Golden State Killer, the DNA from the crime scene was extracted and uploaded to GedMatch, a public DNA profile database.

They uploaded the sample, found a match and created a genealogy to identify family trees and the serial killer.”

These genetic records remain private, but matches can lead individuals to one another.

“One major concern is the availability of counseling available for people receiving potentially distressing information,” said Meaghan O’Keefe, an assistant professor in the UC Davis Department of Religious Studies. “Companies, like 23andMe, emphasize that people should talk to their healthcare providers about their results, but this isn’t always a possibility for people with less than great health insurance.”

Genetic testing regulation varies across countries.

“23andMe is US-based and must comply with FDA regulations,” O’Keefe said. “They are currently allowed to test for only 10 conditions they have demonstrated a certain level of accuracy in terms of testing. Other companies based outside of the US aren’t bound by the FDA, so there’s less control over accuracy and often very little support for those receiving distressing results.”

People also buy DNA testing kits to validate racial and ethnic identities through ancestry.

“Your DNA does not reflect you,” Coop said. “The community you grew up with is more important than what a DNA kit says.”

er data, climate model output and a sentiment database. However, acquiring, processing and combining all the data was a massive undertaking,” said Flavio Lehner, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. “In a sense, the most novel part of this research is that we combined these very different datasets to answer a unique question that none of us could have answered by themselves.”

The study noted that this phenomenon is a classic example of the boiling frog metaphor, in which a frog is put in a pot filled with water which is slowly warmed to a boiling temperature.

The frog is eventually cooked because it doesn’t notice the increasing temperature change over time. If the frog were suddenly put in a pot of boiling water, it would hop out instantly. The boiling frog metaphor serves to warn against the normalization of climate change “Our research suggests that our psychological adaptability, a great strength to our species historically, may enable us to quickly normalize weather patterns that are historically unusual,” said Nick Obradovich, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab. “The findings aren’t exactly encouraging for those of us concerned about climate change.” ways across Interstate 15 could be increased or existing passages could be improved upon. Benson added that this would also serve other wildlife populations with low genetic diversity.

The team is currently collaborating with engineering students and faculty at Cal Poly Pomona to design these new crossing structures.

Vickers also proposed moving the mountain lion populations to the other side of the freeway, although the challenge is deciding which specific groups should be moved within the population concerning age and sex. However, he did explain that younger animals would be less likely to have previously established territories that they would migrate back to if moved, which would make them a good potential candidate.

The model they developed using demographic and genetic data on these populations illustrated an increase in immigration to a greater effect in the Santa Monica Mountains population in terms of reducing the extinction. This proves to be an optimistic result, as it can have implications towards other populations as well.

“If we can conserve the largest cat species in the United States within our second largest metropolitan area, this bodes well for our ability to conserve large carnivores just about anywhere,” Benson said. “Large carnivores are notoriously difficult to conserve in human-dominated landscapes, so if we can do it in LA, this provides a compelling example that humans and carnivores can coexist.”

MOUNTAIN LION on 12

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 | 9

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AGGIE CLASSIFIEDS Unitrans Hiring Now

JOBS Tutor Coordinator The Academic Assistance & Tutoring Centers is recruiting for a Tutor Coordinator. Please distribute this announcement widely to share this position opening at UC Davis.

Here is a link to the position: https://www.employment.ucdavis.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/position/JobDetails_css.jsp?postingId=3977 37 UC Davis Staff jobs Requisition Number: 03023579

We're trying to hire as many people as we can to train during summer to get ready. If you have students who need summer jobs and work next academic year, please let them know we're hiring!

Training starts at $12/hour and then goes to $14.25/hour when you get your license. Wage increases to $15.25/hour on January 1, 2020. We offer very flexible work hours, supervisory and management opportunities, and it’s FUN to drive the buses!

Apply at vacancy.ucdavis.edu or go to https://vacancy.ucdavis.edu/listings/3170/

University of California, Davis http://tutoring.ucdavis.edu

ANNOUNCEMENTS Restaurant / Bar All Positions

Chamber Players in Davis

Hello everyone!

The Davis Graduate is hiring for All Positions.

Apply in Person: The Davis Graduate 805 Russell Blvd Davis CA Email dannycee@davisgrad.com

Davis Food Co-op is hiring!

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

The first "Chamber Players" Spring concert will be held on April 20th, 2019, 7:30 p.m., at Congregation Bet Haverim @ 1715 Anderson Road in Davis.

Online ticket purchase is now available through Brown Paper Tickets.

Please access the following website for ticket purchase: https://www.brownpapertickets. com/event/4102526.

WANT TO BE PART OF OUR TEAM? The Co-op is one of the friendliest places to work in Davis!

Kids, 12 years old and under are Free!

Tickets at the door are $10.00 (general audience) and $8.50 for seniors and students (cash only please).

Join our team! Applications available here:

Email chamberplayersindavis @gmail.com

https://davisfood.coop/sustainability/employment

FREE CLASSIFIED ADS FOR STUDENTS! theaggie.org/classifieds

Place YOUR Aggie classified ad (print or online) at: theaggie.org/classifieds

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

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10 | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

NATA L I E M E V I S E S / CO URTESY

BY ALYSSA I LSLEY arts@theaggie.org

Television: “Shrill”

EC Presents: Battle of the Bands

Watch, judge seven local bands competing for time slots in upcoming music events

BY ITZ ELT H G AM BOA arts@theaggie.org ASUCD Entertainment Council is set to host a “Battle of the Bands” competition on April 27. Fifteen bands applied, but only seven made the final cut. Each band will perform a 20-minute set. The competition will feature The Sleeps, Dylans, Loose Threads, Autopilot, The Mutilations, Sugarbeast and Mossburns.

It will be up to the audience to decide the winner. The competition’s top three bands will get their choice of playing at one of three festivals in the future: the Davis Whole Earth Festival, Operation Restore Maximum Freedom and an EC Local Limelight.

The inspiration to host a Battle of the Bands struck during an EC staff meeting.

When it was second-year political science major and EC special events coordinator Adrian Lopez’s turn to speak, he said the first thing that came to mind. “[Our director Liz O’Neill] wanted everybody on staff to take projects,” Lopez said. “She wanted to create a self-sufficient team. And I just saw it on the wall. And it was a little paper that said “Battle of the Bands?

2017-2018.” So it was before I had even joined the Entertainment Council. And I looked at it and I had figured, why not?

Let’s give it a shot.”

With a range of genres be-

ing performed, this battle is not only giving bands an opportunity to play for a bigger audience, but it’s giving the audience an opportunity to listen to music they may have never heard before.

“We actually call ourselves big wave,” said Jonah Lounds, bass player for The Sleeps.

“We made it up as a genre, but the fact that it’s totally our construction gives us a lot of freedom. So I think the main aspect of it is that we’ve pieced together a lot of post-punk and new wave elements. But we use kind of rock stuff to just get it beefier and bigger. And maybe even a little bit of glam. Big wave is kind of like hand-medown sound. So we take our whole style and just like grabbing whatever. You know, who knows if it’s gonna work out?

But we just take what we like from older generations and older styles and just kind of piece it together.”

While some bands are more on the pop punk side, Loose Threads aim for a more deepbluesy vibe in their music.

“I have always wanted to play [for] bands that make you feel like you could conjure a spirit whether for evil or good when you hear the song,” said Gabriel Gipe, the bass player for Loose Threads. “I imagine that it’s music that can be played in front of an audience of 1500 or an audience of five on a porch. And I think that being able to do both is a pretty good sign that you know what

you’re doing.”

With such a variety of music for the event, potential audience members may wonder whether the music will appeal to them.

“Shoot through with an open mind,” Lopez said. “You know, that’s what you should expect. You should expect to find acts that are interesting, acts that are good. Just don’t come with expectations, come with an open mind.”

While the Battle of the bands is considered a competition, John Bologni, the singer and guitar player for Loose Threads, said an event like this does not feel like a competition at all.

“I think that overall, it’s just exciting to go ahead and bring the music to people who haven’t heard what we’re doing,” Bologni said. “And I’ve played in some battles of the bands before and to me at least, it’s not really like competition. It’s really just like an exposé of talented musicians in the area that get to bring their music to a crowd that is going to receive them well. And you get to hear such a great variety of musicians when you play battles of bands. It’s more of like a form of building camaraderie with other local musicians.”

However, for The Sleeps, this competition is just a stepping stone. Because the winners get to decide on what event they’d like to perform at, the sense of competition for them is high.

“We’ve never done a battle of the band type of thing,” Lounds said. “So we were kind of apprehensive about it. But we were trying to get ourselves booked for ORMF this year.

And because we played last year, they don’t like repeating acts. So we figured the only way that we can get back to ORMF is if we win this competition.”

Putting aside the level of competition and the ranking of the bands, Battle of the Bands still gives every music group an opportunity to widen their fanbase.

And for some of the bands, that is all what playing music is about.

“I don’t really like playing music for money,” said Antonio Villegas, the bass player for The Mutilations. “It’s just more towards the experience, having a good time.”

While the bands are all ready to go for the competition, Lopez admits that the road to getting this far has not always been a smooth one for EC. “It’s hard,” Lopez said. “But I’m happy to do this. And I know because of that, because I’m nervous and because I’m scared[…] I’m learning something, and I’m going to come out a more experienced person because of it. Good or bad.”

Battle of the Bands will take place from 5:30 to 11 p.m. in the CoHo. Tickets are $5 presale and $7 at the door. EC will be tabling at the Memorial Union the week prior to the event.

This Hulu series premiered on March 15 and has been praised for its stark honesty and diverse, talented cast.

Based on Lindy West’s novel “Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman,” the series follows self-described fat woman Annie as she seeks to overcome her insecurities and improve her quality of life (in aspects unrelated to her weight). Saturday Night Live cast member Aidy Bryant stars in the role and gives a raw and nuanced performance in each episode. The series includes sharp social commentary about navigating the world as a plus-sized woman and does not reduce its characters to tropes or stereotypes. The series is poignant with some heartbreaking moments; overall it’s an uplifting and inspiring watch.

Movie: “Matilda” “Matilda” was and always will be my favorite movie.

Based on Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novel of the same name, the film maintains the book’s inventive narrative voice and simply adds Danny Devito into the mix — apparently the secret ingredient for a successful children’s movie. Maura Wilson stars as the adorably precocious Matilda, a character whom I always looked up to as a child. The film is held dear by bookworms everywhere, who learned from Matilda that reading is not just a useful escape but also a superpower.

Novel: “The Book Thief” Markus Zusak’s 2005 novel follows Liesel Meminger, a young girl in Nazi Germany who has a penchant for stealing books and a Jewish fist-fighter hiding in her basement.

The story is told from the perspective of Death, which creates a fascinating and perplexing perspective for both the story and the novel’s historical period. Zusak’s writing is inventive, weaving dark themes with endearing characters and plot lines. Although it’s a young-adult novel, “The Book Thief ” has an enduring quality that readers of any age can appreciate as a modern classic.

Album: “Make My Bed” by King Princess On June 15, 2018, singer-songwriter Mikaela Straus, also known as King Princess, released her debut EP “Make My Bed.” The EP followed the release of singles “Play 1950” and “Talia,” two ballads dedicated to the LGBTQ community and queer love. Straus’ soft, airy voice contrasts with the explicit nature of the lyrics as she sings frankly about love and sex. Straus’ unique voice and lyrics make her pop songs feel fresh and exciting. Of the three new tracks introduced on the album, “Holy” is the standout hit and showcases Straus’ incredible falsetto.

Jordan Peele’s “Us” through the scope of W.E.B. Du Bois

Student Book Clubs

Du Bois’s social theory weaves itself in and out of Peele’s sophomore film

BY ROS IE S CH WARZ arts@theaggie.org

BY C L AY A L L EN ROG E RS arts@theaggie.org Jordan Peele’s “Us” is internationally applauded as an uncanny horror film that deals as much with identity dissociation as it does with America’s disturbing past. In his sophomore release to the film “Get Out,” Peele once again proves to be a master of the genre — inadvertently breaking the mold of horror and setting a precedent for future filmmakers.

Coming in at a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, thereby certifiably “fresh,” it’s obvious that those who disliked the film may not have understood it. From the high-quality performances by its actors to its bone-chilling score, there is so much to marvel at within the reel. More so, there is much to be learned from the film by way of its blatant metaphors and social allegories. Specifically, but not limited to, the embodied social theory from the first African-American doctorate recipient: W.E.B Du Bois.

There have been numerous articles written on the subject of Peele’s “Us” and Du Bois’s theories; many of them go much deeper than simply analyzing the facts that marry the two together, and instead highlight Peele’s entire career as a filmmaker and social activist. But it is imperative to focus in on the idiosyncratic details that go into Peele’s

J EREMY DA N G / AG GIE

Reading can be fun

KATH E RI NE FRANKS / AGGIE

latest film. They not only highlight Du Bois’s theories, but bring audience members to craft their own theories about the satirical movie they live in— the United States of America: where a political climate can still exist that seemingly functions through racial colorblindness.

Even before the start of the film, movie-goers will know that “Us” deals with double consciousness, even if they can’t say exactly what double consciousness is. The movie poster that features Lupita Nyong’o holding a smiling mask of her face halfway off of her actual, petrified face offers a brief look at the duality that subsists within the film.

Before starting to pick apart key details of the film and splaying them out amidst the backdrop of Du Bois’s theory, it’s vital to first hear a quote from his most famous works, “The Souls of Black Folks.”

“It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity.

One ever feels his twoness, — an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder.”

Though I tread lightly in explaining Du Bois for fear of botching this immortal-omniscient philos-

ophy, the theory of “the double” goes something like this. The double consciousness is the phenomenon of having one’s consciousness divided into several parts, making it impossible to have one unified identity.

Du Bois primed this theory within the context of race relations in the United States. Since black Americans have lived in a society that has historically oppressed and devalued bodies of color, it is difficult for them to unify their black identity with their American identity. Therefore, “the double” asserts that the black community is forced to cultivate their own unique perspectives — their African heritage — while also having to visualize themselves through a lens of how they might be perceived from the outside world (i.e., America). This creates a psychological struggle to reconcile their identity as a person of color and as an American citizen — “two warring ideals in one dark body.”

Now, look to Peele’s film and see the endless symbolism that embodies Du Bois’s theory. Look deeper at the poster, besides the obvious duality of the mask. Nyong’o’s character, Adelaide Wilson, holds a pair of scissors: two knives conjoined together by one thin metal peg.

Then there is the Michael Jackson glove on Wilson’s right hand, which Peele, himself, mentions as a tribute

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For college students, reading books is so much a part of the academic routine that it sometimes becomes associated with stress and deadlines instead of pleasure. While everyone has a different relationship with literature, most people have expressed facing a challenge with trying to read books for fun during the busy school year.

Davis offers several book club opportunities and communities to get in touch with the pleasurable side of reading, such as the UC Davis English Department’s official Beyond the Book Club. Beyond the Book Club meets in Olson 151 from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.

The club’s mission is to “foster our members’ literary creativity by creating a space that is safe and welcoming for all.

As an organization, we will strive to share our love of literature with the community, and as a group we will aspire to make lasting connections with our fellow literature lovers.”

Raul Castellanos, a recent graduate of UC Davis with a degree in English and a current

graduate student at the UC Davis School of Education, facilitated Beyond the Book Club last year.

“I really liked meeting other English majors through it,” Castellanos said. “It really made me feel like I was part of the community and it made the campus feel like home. I would prep by coming up with a lesson plan, usually just something to read and some discussion questions for it.”

Even though the English major curriculum is based around reading books, discussing novels outside of the classroom provides a casual and comfortable atmosphere for people to meet each other while discussing literature. The club is open to all majors and welcomes anyone who is interested.

Third-year international relations major Maya Barak hosted a book club event at her house where those who attended discussed “The Catcher in the Rye.” “I was really thinking about an article that [the Aggie] wrote about books we read in high school and how they impacted us then versus now,” Barak said. “I really wanted to read ‘Catcher in the Rye’ because that

book really impacted me in high school and I thought what better way to read it than with my friends and analyze it together. The first meeting was really exciting, we got through a fair amount of it but more importantly it was a really fun activity to do with friends.”

Sena Soleimannejad, a third-year human development major, attended Barak’s book club because he wanted a second chance to revisit a book that he had not read since high school.

“I read on my spare time, but getting the chance to discuss it with friends and hearing their thoughts too really heightens the experience and pleasure of reading a book,” Soleimannejad said. “I think it would be really fun to discuss a short story or poem next time because there is so much to analyze in such a small amount of writing.”

Because many people have such busy schedules and opinions, it can often be hard to find a time when everyone can meet or choose a book to focus on.

Some people host book clubs at their houses and others have chosen spots downtown such as 3rd & U to grab a beer and discuss with friends.

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first time since 2011. For many of the elder Aggies, the victory was the culmination of four plus years of hard work. For Bertsch, it was another rung on the ladder toward greatness.

“She not only talks about wanting to be great, but she puts the work into that,” Gross said. “And the exciting thing is she still has an incredibly high ceiling; we feel like she can continue to get better and better and that’s why the future is so exciting for her.”

The future is equally exciting for the Aggies.

Bertsch will graduate from Davis in June, but the message she sends to young hoopers, and the legacy she leaves within this program and at this university will extend far beyond her days at The Pavilion.

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“I had set some goals for myself at the start of the season, and to be honest, I think I achieved every one of them,” Bertsch said.

Goals of being the best scorer in program history? Ask the unscouted senior from Santa Rosa High School, the redshirt freshman. Goals of joining the WNBA? Ask the biomedical engineer and UC Davis high jump record holder.

Her new goal, she admits, is adjusting to her role in the WNBA. How she fits within the Wings scheme is still unknown to her, but anyone who knows Bertsch knows she’ll make it work —she’ll make the adjustment.

When she was asked about leaving Northern California for the first time and moving to Texas, Bertsch answered, “Just another adjustment.”

NAS SHREM

Other events throughout the month work to highlight the experiences of traditionally marginalized communities.

Anamaria Rizo, a third-year English and cognitive science double major, is chairperson of ASUCD’s SAAAC. Last year, Rizo, along with a coalition of other students, worked to organize an event that brought attention to sexual assault within Black and Brown communities.

Inspired by the event, Rizo is helping facilitate a discussion-centered event this year that is organized around the subject of sexual violence in chicanx and latinx communities. The event was held on April 16 at the Center for Chicanx and Latinx Academic Student Success (CCLASS.) “There are a lot of barriers that are culturally specific and contribute to the issues surround-

ing the perpetuation of rape culture, which is something we see universally,” Rizo said. “It’s extremely important to cater events pertaining to this topic towards specific communities because while sexual violence and sexual assault affect[s] all groups, individuals and identities, marginalized communities are often targeted.

They experience sexual violence in higher numbers.”

All the events throughout the month aim to engage the larger campus community in education opportunities for allies, prevention efforts and safer spaces to empower survivors.

“No individual should ever have to feel alone through their experience,” Rizo said.

“Providing allyship and support to ensure that no one ever feels silenced, unheard or blamed for their experience is always the goal and why we want to promote SAAM.”

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identity, noting that indigenous Mexican tribes may not necessarily be federally recognized but are still provided protection by UNDRIP. “[Chicano/as] are many people and we are affected by many different political perspectives,” she said. “And it’s a rather short conversation--we’ve only been having it for forty-five or fifty years. This is a momentous time and we deserve compassion and room amongst ourselves and within the scope of the international indigenous movement [...] I get frustrated with this idea of federal identity being the only identity possible.”

Herrera Rodriguez also said that her work on the “Grandfather Earth” installation had been a meticulous collaborative effort, in which all of the pieces were handmade. She stressed that the decision to use eagle feathers had been done in good faith, and that the feathers had been given to her son, who is well-versed in ceremonial practices, by other indigenous individuals.

Native American elders in the Davis community have expressed anger about the use of the ceremonial objects.

Reece is a member of the Haudenosaunee tribe and the Odowa tribe and has been an active participant in the native community in California since the 1970’s.

“Those prayer ties originated with the Lakota people and the purpose of them is to offer tobacco when someone is sick or hurt,” Reece said. “But that practice is still ongoing and to tell people before you leave the exhibit that ‘you can make a prayer offering when [you’re] leaving,’ [that’s] not telling you [what the prayer ties] mean.”

Concerns have also been raised about the use of ceremonial practices in artist Gina Aparicio’s installation Caught Between Worlds, Praying for a Better Future. According to Reece, the installation depicted a sweat lodge, which mimics the shape of a womb and is designed to be a place of healing in a spiritual context.

“I was shocked, and I stopped in my tracks,” said Carole Standing Elk, a Native American community member in Davis. “[Aparicio] did this knowing it was controversial and that meant she sees it only as art. She didn’t see it as a practice of something spiritual or religious.”

Aparicio was unable to provide comment before this article went to press.

Standing Elk is a member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton tribe. She defines her membership of the tribe, and her citizenship in the United States, as being integral to her identity.

Raised in South Dakota, she moved to Los Angeles as a high school student under the auspices of the Indian Relocation Act, and since then has been an outspoken activist for Native American rights.

“The university needs to take care of this,” Standing Elk said. “I’m not so interested in an apology as in change, as in something happening on paper, as in something being done.”

According to Reece, this is not the first time UC Davis has been involved in controversies surrounding the use of Native American objects in its campus museums.

“Two years ago there was a potlach installation, [which is] a tradition of about five or six

different northwestern nations that extends right into Canada,” she said. “It’s a thanksgiving tradition and [the Manetti Shrem] made an art installation of it.”

But this lack of cultural oversight isn’t just a problem at UCD. “In the seventies, new agers, white people, would misuse our ways,” Standing Elk said. “We would protest that and speak against it. Now what happens [is that] it’s these people [that] we allowed into [our community] use it for art and they don’t know what it is.”

Standing Elk likened the religious practices with eagle feathers and with tobacco ties as being similar to how people might feel about other places of worship, saying that, “It’s how Caucasians feel about their churches.”

“It’s like putting the holy eucharist of the Catholic Church, putting it in a museum, and calling it art,” Reece said.

“Our beef is where does the buck stop [with this]? Who is the master? Who is the university?”

Standing Elk asked.

Both Reece and Standing Elk voiced their concerns about the exhibition to the Chancellor’s Office. According to Reece, they have also consulted with tribal justice specialists at King Hall, the UC Davis law school, and with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Reece and Standing Elk are also working with an attorney.

Reece and Standing Elk said that they were referred to Wendi Delmendo, the UC Davis chief compliance officer, to address their concerns. Delmendo declined to confirm whether or not this had taken place, citing privacy policies.

Reece said that they were informed about a whistleblower policy, but they found that no university policies in place that address the issues they brought up.

“It really should be in the hands of the general council of lawyers [at the university] and they should have been involved from the very beginning—we should have been dealing with them initially,” Reece said. “The decision making has been relegated to a compliance officer.”

Both were dismayed to find that the Manetti Shrem does not currently have an in-house curator, but typically uses guest curators for the exhibitions.

“The university has been reckless and negligent about their responsibility, even to themselves,” Reece said. “I would never build a museum and not have a resident recognized curator. If they had a curator, there’d be less of an excuse for the university. They’d know the legal protections that we have and they’d be duty-bound to them.”

Rachel Teagle said the Manetti Shrem is currently in the process of hiring an assistant curator, as the previous one did not return from maternity leave.

“We hope that our demands are very simple,” Reece said. “We want the installation taken down. We want the university and the artists themselves to publicly apologize to the Native American community. The third request is to initiate written policies within the UC system so that this does not happen again. [The UC system] needs to [recognize] and [enforce] the Indian Religious Freedom Act.”

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which will be finished in June,” Adamy said.

With the feedback that OPSE is looking to receive for its plan, OPSE has acknowledged the fact that the flow of ideas is changing and that there is not just one approach to this idea of university and community outreach.

“The document is living. it will be revisited and refined, and it’s meant to be a living document,” Rios said.

In its early stages, OPSE has had no issues of

a lack of support.

As the office keeps moving toward its goals, there is a positive environment surrounding it that is culminated by the faculty and the community.

“There has been an overwhelming amount of interest and support from the UC Davis administration and the student body; we are honored to be doing this work for and with the UC Davis community” said Adamy via email.

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patients and how compassion and empathy can have profound impacts in the workforce.

“I think what a lot of hospitals are looking for are people who understand bedside manners, so with hospice training, you really are exposed to a lot of that,” Stenton said. “You’re learning how to listen, how to talk to someone about some of the hard things we go through.

Having this certification shows employers you’re

compassionate and that you know how to work with all different types of people.”

With Stenton, Corona and the rest of the members of Joshua’s House working to break the stigma surrounding the homeless population, the club is poised to become a bright spot for the community of Davis and Sacramento. Following three years of success, time will tell how much further Joshua’s House will go.

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in order to support green infrastructure projects that “conserve water; improve water quality; buffer climate change impacts; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and restore as well as protect rivers, creeks and streams,” according to the city’s calendar event of a Russell Boulevard Green Demonstration Project community input session.

In addition to its greening efforts, the project may also make City Hall more inviting to visitors, incorporating two plazas with permeable paving, shaded seating and interpretive signs, as well as new sand pedestrian pathways and an ADA-accessible boardwalk.

Dale Sumersille, the parks and community services director and lead on the project, said signage will be educational, referencing hopes for QR codes on the signs.

“Our goal is also with this project is to make this an opportunity for education,” Sumersille said.

Sumersille acknowledged the limits of Davis’ current green infrastructure teaching. “[What] we need to do a better job of is in educating the public of what green infrastructure looks like,” Sumersille said. “Sometimes they’re very overwhelmed by some of the things, so if we can show them this is what we mean, then they have a better understanding of it.”

The project as a whole also features a public art opportunity. The civic arts commission is seeking an artist or collaborative team to design artwork that will adorn the faces of six planned concrete seat cubes, each measuring 2 feet by 2

feet. The city’s request for proposals said the artwork should “reflect sustainability, greening-related themes, local flora and fauna, history of place, and/or the architectural themes of City Hall,” and suggested using mosaic glass, tile or stone panels, ceramic tile squares or “artfully arranged items encased in weather-resistant resin.”

The artwork element is planned to be unveiled in November of 2019.

Currently, the city is still in the bidding process. Sumersille said that the city had to go out to bid a second time, as bids received for construction the first time around were incomplete.

Cunningham Engineering has been developing the project design, and Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps will help with the demo.

The city has sought to involve the public both with community outreach meetings for the project and with a volunteer opportunity that will be announced toward the project’s completion in which community members can help with landscaping.

Wheeler said that this project leaves opportunity for more implementation of green streets and sustainable landscaping practices.

“The biggest story might be simply that maybe we’re entering a new era of street and parking area design in Davis that many of whose strategies will be illustrated by this,” Wheeler said. “Green streets are a movement which is relatively recent, which hopefully will expand quite a lot.”

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that someone who a lot of people liked to watch on TV would do this because they are supposed to set an example as someone famous because they have that privilege. They took advantage of this and they should pay for that.”

Fourth-year computer science major Dolly Ye: “I think they should serve time, they committed a wrong doing so they should serve the time.

I can totally see why they would do that because otherwise their kids might end up at community college or not even going to college, so they are just using their resources to do what is best for their children. However, this says something about the system, that colleges in the US would allow this to happen.”

Third-year biological psychology major Chaonk Kumar: “I think that serving time is not enough of a punishment, after they leave jail they still have what they unfairly earned [speaking also about the children’s college degrees], in comparison to college students who actually put in the time.”

Third-year clinical nutrition major Sofie Thompson: “I don’t know if they should serve time but their kids should not be able to get into that university. They should have to wait another year and have to apply by themselves. I think that there should be a punishment but I am not sure what it should be, serving time seems a little intense, but both parties should be punished.”

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Peter Mahoney, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington, said that finding a way to promote genetic diversity through population connectivity may allow populations of mountain lions to persist for years to come.

Although mountain lions are highly sensitive to human activities as apex predators, he stated that there is a vigorous population documented that is isolated by one of the largest metropolitan areas in North America.

“There is still hope for many species currently threatened or endangered by human activities,” Mahoney said. “Many species, or populations in the case of the Santa Monica mountain lions, exhibit remarkable resilience to human disturbance provided certain basic needs are met.”

Moving forward, the team plans to continue studying the behavior, population dynamics

and genetics of the mountain lion populations along with determining whether their low genetic diversity is causing increased mortality or reduced reproduction. Vickers explained that these mountain lion populations serve as representatives for less mobile populations, which may also be broken up due to human activity. He believes that more resources should be dedicated to helping these populations and that they should be put at a higher priority.

“I think drawing that lesson that we, humans in California that are rapidly developing states, have to be cognizant that we are alternating these habitats significantly and breaking them into islands of a sort and that that’s avoidable if we have proper planning and proper instruction to highway agencies to make sure that they develop crossing that are of adequate size and type for wildlife,” Vickers said.

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Magic Although the Raptors parted ways with superstar DeMar DeRozan and Coach Dwane Casey, the Raptors did not lose a step this year and could have possibly even gained one. New Head Coach Nick Nurse led the Raptors and all pro Kawhi Leonard to a league second-best record of 59-24. The Raptors will face a red-hot Magic team who earned its playoff spot by winning 11 of the last 13 games behind all-star center Nikola Vucevic. The Raptors and the Magic’s season series was split 2-2, but that was with Leonard and other key players from the Raptors out with ailments. Although the Magic are hot, their play has been nowhere near the caliber of the Raptors.

No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers vs. No. 6 Brooklyn Nets The intriguing storyline of this matchup is whether Sixers center Joel Embiid will play. Embiid has struggled heavily with injuries throughout his career, and it appears they have returned.

After missing five of the last seven games, it seems more likely Embiid will not be starting the series, which would make that the second year in a row he misses the opening round. The Sixers still have three all stars in Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, who will square off against one of this year’s top breakout players: D’Angelo Russell. The Nets certainly have the role players to pull off the upset, featured by sharp shooter Joe Harris, who shot an astounding 47.4 percent from behind the arc this year.

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Indiana Pacers Both of these teams had rather unfortunate ends to the year, especially compared to that of last season. After leading the East last year, the Celtics slid all the way down to the four spot, while the Pacers lost team leader Victor Oladipo. The Celtics haven’t suffered any tumultuous injuries but have played abysmal defense. Even without Oladipo, the Pacers own the number three defense in the league, giving them a chance to overpower any team in a seven games series, especially one as inconsistent as this year’s Celtics.

Western Conference: No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers The Clippers were the surprise of the season, finishing as a playoff team without an all star,

or previous all star, on their roster. This feat has only been done four other times in NBA history, which is why the Clippers should give themselves a big pat on the back. However, it would take more than a miracle for veteran Head Coach Doc Rivers and the Clippers to take down the defending champs. Having a starting five consisting of five all pro players is normally the roster for an all star game, not the playoffs. Any team having to face this year’s Warriors, with likely the most impressive roster they’ve had yet, will likely need a herculean performance to prevail.

No. 2 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs While the Spurs are back in the playoffs for the 22nd straight year, the Nuggets are in for the first time in six years. Despite the Spurs having a lot of experience with all star DeMar DeRozan and Head Coach Gregg Popovich, the Nuggets are a force to be reckoned within all aspects of the game. Denver’s Nikola Jokic has commandeered the Nuggets into the two seed, proving big name players aren’t necessarily needed to dominate a conference.

No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder When Jusuf Nurkic went down with a season-ending injury, it was obvious the Trail Blazers wouldn’t be quite the same team. This might not necessarily be a bad sentiment however, as the Blazers went 0-4 against the Thunder in regular season play. Having been dominated that badly, but having done well in the regular season, it is evident the Blazers might benefit from taking a different approach this time around. This series is shrouded in mystery and uncertainty, almost guaranteeing an exciting matchup.

No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz Both teams have won their last eight out of 10 games, while also going splitting the regular season series against each other. The first two games went in the Jazz’s favor, while the latter two fell to the Rockets. The Rockets surged defensively at the end of the season, while the Jazz flourished offensively, both having been weak spots for each team throughout the season. This matchup is as even as even gets and has the perfect making for a seven-game series.

over the disappointment and enjoys itnow.

Hussain has heard multiple theories and has some of his own predictions for what will happen in “Endgame.” He thinks that Captain America will die and that “something very unfortunate” is going to happen to Iron Man or someone Iron Man loves. There are a few things that Hussain is looking forward to for the movie, such as major confrontations, but he is clear about one thing that he wants in particular.

“Honestly, I just want Hawkeye to avenge his absence from ‘Infinity War,’” Hussain said.

“They did him so dirty in the past Marvel movies, and if you think about it, the movie that didn’t have him, ‘Infinity War,’ resulted in the Avengers losing, but all the other ones with him, the first “Avengers” and “Civil War”, they were able to win. So I’m excited for his return.”

First-year psychology major Jacob Diaz was first introduced to the MCU when he watched “Avengers”, but he didn’t really get into it until watching “Captain America: Civil War.” Diaz considers “Infinity War” to be his favorite MCU movie due to the years of build-up combined with its execution.

“It had humorous moments and also shocking moments which I was not expecting from a Marvel film,” Diaz said. “It also stood out to me because it was the first superhero movie I had seen in which the villain won.”

In “Endgame,” Diaz expects that there will be loss, and although he loves the original six Avengers, he thinks that Thanos might kill some of them. By the end, though, he believes Thanos will be dead, and he would particularly like to see Captain America and Iron Man work together to take out Thanos.

Both Hussain and Martinez talked about a particularly popular theory: time travel. Hussain says that he’s heard that the remaining Avengers are going to use the same equipment that Ant-Man used to travel subatomically in order to travel back in time, which makes sense given that the new suits look like Ant-Man’s suit. Martinez says that if he were to guess, the team would go back in time and take the stones before Thanos.

“My expectation for ‘Endgame’ is that I

have no clue what [will] happen,” Martinez said. “One thing I learned from the last movie [“Infinity War”] is that we can’t expect anything, and nobody in the film is ‘safe.’”

On Picnic Day, the Physics Club put on a production of a parody play they wrote called “Infinity Wire.” Martinez worked with the writing team and played Spider-Man. Martinez says that he believes that the club’s choice to use “Infinity War” as inspiration reflects how excited he and a lot of other people are for what happens next.

Expectations are high for the movie, and fans are rushing to find clues. But the stars are trying their best to avoid revealing any spoilers. Chadwick Boseman, who plays T’Challa, repeated “I’m dead” in an interview to avoid revealing spoilers. Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk, is known for revealing spoilers. He famously live streamed the first 20 minutes of “Thor: Ragnarok” at its premiere and said “Wait until you see this next one, everybody dies” before the premiere of “Infinity War.” This time, Ruffalo said that he shot different endings for “Endgame” and was given a script with dummy scenes so he couldn’t reveal anything.

People even say that Benedict Cumberbatch was intentionally selected to be interviewed with Tom Holland so the younger actor would be stopped from revealing any spoilers.

With all of the hype surrounding it, tickets for the premiere are being resold on eBay for up to $15,000.

“I think it’s so ridiculous but so expected,” Hussain said. “I think [for] a movie on such a scale as ‘Endgame,’ there’s going to be people who take advantage of really desperate fans. I just think it’s pretty dumb and [that] people should just wait and be patient.”

Hussain plans to see the movie (probably multiple times) with friends from home, whom he has watched every MCU movie with. Martinez hasn’t made plans to watch the movie yet, but hopes to soon.

“I want to see the film ASAP,” Martinez said. “I just got to make sure I avoid the internet entirely until I see it in theaters.”

With any luck Hawkeye and the rest of the Avengers will not disappoint these fans.

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to his influence. Later in the movie, the audience will see another shout-out to Jackson by way of Adelaide’s “Thriller” shirt in an ‘80s flashback, which is certainly not a coincidence.

“Everything in this movie is deliberate, that is one thing I can guarantee you.” Peele said in an interview, “Michael Jackson is probably the patron saint of duality [...] the duality with which I experienced him [Jackson] in that time was both as the guy that presented this outward positivity, but also the ‘Thriller’ video, which scared me to death” Evidently, there is more to the duality of Jackson that expands beyond the context with which Peele explains— one that exemplifies the racial backdrop of Du Bois’s theory.

Further into the heart of the film, the audience meets the antagonists: a group of doppelgangers who are required to live beneath the earth’s surface in hidden tunnels. The “Tethered,” as they are called, claim to be shadows of the bodies that function in the light of the American dream. Adelaide’s family, a group of middle class Americans enjoying a family vacation at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, are psychologically tortured by their shadows and are forced to fight for their lives as the murderous Tethered attempt to replace them above ground.

This all seems to be evidence enough of Peele’s desire to highlight the themes of duality in his film, but the story takes a turn somewhere in the middle that would surely leave sociologists enthralled by the on-screen magic that ensues. When the Tethered corner Adelaide’s family in their summer home, they sit them down and explain who they are— “We are Americans” as Red, Adelaide’s doppelganger, says through a guttural voice. From there, Red forces Adelaide into handcuffs for the rest of the movie, causing her to fight off hordes of Tethered bodies while being partially handi-

capped.

Here we have it: Americans attempting to stamp out Adelaide’s family through the agency of a Tethered revolution that Red herself insighted in the shadow army. But the twists do not end there.

Turns out that Red is actually Adelaide, and when the two first met each as children in a carnival attraction, The House of Mirrors, Red forced Adelaide into her shoes and into the tunnels where she spent the majority of her life while Red grew up in the comfort of Adelaide’s home. Therefore, who are the Americans and who are the oppressed? Which form of Adelaide started the revolution to retake the above ground? Is it the Americans who are attempting to stamp out the other, or the other attempting to take back what’s been stolen from them by the Americans?

Such answers can only be found by watching, and rewatching the film. Catching up on Du Bois’s theories will only help the viewer crack the code of Peele’s complex genius. As Adelaide still persists despite her oppressed stature by breaking free from the chains placed on her by Red and overcoming the American onslaught, she is forced into a position where she can only function through the confines in which “America” has placed her. Although she overcomes this bloody nightmare, she will never be the same. She can never forget the nightmare she was forced to endure.

Peele’s film is layered throughout. Even the title has a layer— is it only about the oppressed, or does “Us” include the oppressor? One thing is for certain, the statements made in this film will influence legions of moviegoers to think beyond the moving images on-screen. And with Peele becoming more active as a writer and director, all we have to do now is remain in the dark until he decides to once again shine a light.

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any strings attached,” Carlson said.

Many students choose to take CalTeach/ MAST courses so they can do meaningful volunteer work in the community.

“It’s a really great way for students to experience more than just the university while they are here” said Carlson.

The program is especially important in elementary schools. Many elementary school teachers do not have a background in science or technology, so the CalTeach/MAST interns bring a lot of valuable knowledge to the classrooms they help.

According to Susan Pinter, the CalTeach Academic coordinator and lecturer, the student interns are in high demand. Last year they helped 171 teachers in the area.

“The elementary school teachers really love our students,” Pinter said. “Every year they come and ask, ‘Can you please put me on the list again?’”

Beyond providing direct service to the local community, CalTeach/MAST also produces desperately needed K-12 science and math teachers for California. The UC Davis program is part of a larger statewide effort that began in 2005 to address the massive shortage in math and science teachers.

In addition to producing a greater number of math and science teachers, CalTeach/MAST produces quality math and science teachers.

UC Davis degrees in math and science give CalTeach/MAST alumni strong background knowledge in the subject matter they teach.

Jeffrey Harvey is a CalTeach/MAST alumni who is currently earning his teaching credential through the school of education at UC Davis while teaching high school science classes.

Harvey came to UC Davis to get a Ph.D. in physics, but after his experiences as a teaching assistant, he decided that his calling was teaching. According to Harvey, his advanced degree is helpful in his classroom.

“I think that the more depth you have in that knowledge the better job you can do in turning students on to that topic,” Harvey said.

“That’s what gives you flexibility to be creative in the classroom. You have to have that depth to draw from.”

According to Harvey, he could have made more money in the business world with his degree, but he likes the direct impact he has as a teacher.

“I’d get paid more doing something else, but for me, I think teaching is an amazing opportunity to make an impact,” Harvey said.

“It’s a great place for people with higher degrees to end up because you get to expose one hundred human beings every year to your science knowledge. It’s kind of like a knowledge multiplier; that’s how I imagine it.”

When The California Aggie interviewed Harvey, he was excitedly preparing a demonstration of angular momentum for his A.P. Physics class.

“That blew my mind when I was a kid, and I’m super excited to be the guy to show somebody that for the first time.”

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019 | 13

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

DIFFERENT STORY, SAME ENDING The AAF becomes another football league added to the list of failures

BY B REN DA N O GB U R N sports@theaggie.org On April 3, the owner of the Alliance of American Football, Tom Dundon, suspended all operations of the league, just two weeks before the end of the season. It is all but confirmed that the league will shut down its inaugural season. The final two weeks of games, in addition to the playoffs, will not be played. Players were informed a day before the official announcement that everything was being suspended, and now many players are left without jobs, places to live and any hope of playing professional football.

There is no clear answer as to why exactly the league shut down, but there is speculation about what happened. After starting off its first week of action with satisfactory ratings and decent attendance, the AAF’s first bump in the road came in just its second week, when reports alleged that players had not yet been paid.

The AAF claims that there was a glitch in its payroll system, leading to players not getting their money. Aat the same time that the issue was resolved, however, Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon committed $250 million to the league, leading many to believe that the AAF was already in financial trouble.

Although many league officials publicly denied any financial struggles, speculation remained. After all, the co-founder Charlie Ebersol told Variety in March of 2018 that the league would not disclose how much funding it had but was confident that it would “have the right team and long-term financial resources in place to ensure fans will experience high-quality professional football for many seasons to come.”

It seems differing views between co-founder Bill Polian and investor Tom Dundon ultimately led to the suspension of the league. When Dundon committed his $250 million to the league, he was given a chairman position in the league and had power over the ultimate direction it would take.

As the season went on, the football improved, and the talent was on display. The league seemed to be ahead of schedule, but Dundon was looking for a big move. The AAF and NFL Players Association began discussing the possibility of using NFL teams’ practice squad players in the league and developing them in the spring so that they were prepared for NFL training camp. Although this deal could have worked, players’ collective bargaining agreement needed to be reviewed,

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which takes time. Dundon, however, did not want to wait. He pressured the NFLPA to get the deal done. After all, Dundon did give the league 70 million dollars upfront, and he felt like his investment would burn up rapidly at the league’s current pace. When the deal was not completed, Dundon suspended league operations, catching everybody off-guard.

The sudden suspension of the league left not only players without jobs but all AAF staff members without jobs as well. Reports surfaced of players not being given flights back home, players being charged for hotel rooms the team should have been covering and possible pending lawsuits.

Sports Illustrated’s Robert Klemko reported that players were forced to buy their own flights back home. Memphis Express tight end Adrien Robinson tweeted out that he and a teammate

COUCH CONCERT: PLATONIC DUETS FOR LOVERS

had been charged $2,500 from a team hotel at which they stayed. Although this issue and many other similar cases were eventually resolved (the players were eligible for reimbursement), the AAF faced much bigger challenges.

Since the league did have two more weeks left and the playoffs scheduled in the season, it had rented out stadiums, hotels and transportation ahead of time. The sudden disbanding of the league left many of these sites and businesses wondering if they would even get their money.

A report from Yahoo showed that the AAF owed the University of Central Florida over $300,000 in unpaid rent and could be faced with a lawsuit.

Additionally, a “significant number” of hotels in San Antonio were still left unpaid according to a statement given to the San Antonio Express-News.

How the league will manage to pay all of the

debts is currently unknown.

While the AAF’s sudden end left many searching for answers, there was something that showed the league had, to a point, worked. According to Yahoo Sports, 44 players from the AAF were signed onto NFL training camp rosters. Regardless of whether they end up making an active roster or not, the fact that these players were immediately signed shows that the league did have talent and likely allowed these players to get another legitimate shot at either returning to the NFL or going pro for the first time.

Despite the league’s prematurely ended season, there is still a possibility that it can be back next year.

If the league somehow manages to restructure itself and gain new capital, the AAF could continue and prove it is not like every other failed football league.

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Best friends sing love songs to each other

BY C A ROL I N E RU T T E N arts@theaggie.org Emma Ryan, a third-year political science major, and Matthew Gilbert, a third-year musicology major at UCLA, are best friends. And it’s quite obvious. They tell the story of how they met with clear fondness, not afraid of banter while describing its possibly embarrassing elements.

“You can tell the story, but I will simply correct you,” Gilbert said.

“You can correct me, but you’re going to correct me incorrectly,” Ryan said.

“I knew of Matt back in sixth grade, but he didn’t know me then — our best friends grinded together at a Catholic sixth grade dance,” Ryan said. “I had seen him before because he was tall, had a mop of hair and was awkward. But so was I.” Eventually, the two sat next to each other in homeroom their freshman year of high school in Oceanside, California. While Gilbert asked Ryan to be his girlfriend on multiple occasions — Ryan said no each time — a solid friendship emerged as a result. They bonded over friends moving away, hating the same people and empathizing with the annoyances of high school dating.

“I have so much that I like about Matt. I adore Matt,” Ryan said. “I talk about him a lot.

He’s so intelligent, creative and really funny. He’s been around so long that he really gets me, and he’s one of the only people that can make me feel genuinely understood and appreciated.”

Gilbert has similar words of admiration to say about Ryan.

“She’s very earnest,” Gilbert said. “She is very honest with herself, what she wants with herself and the world. She works really hard to be that person that she wants to be. People are not perfect, and Emma is no exception to that, but she works really hard to transform herself. She’s really aspirational to be the person she wants to be.”

While also in high school, Gilbert began the early stages of his musical career. During his junior year, Gilbert got in the habit of songwriting, writing music that he was “proud of and [he] thought represented [himself ].” Of course, Ryan had to be included in Gilbert’s emerging passion.

“Matt and I went to Guitar Center my junior year, and on a sporadic decision, he bullied me into buying a ukulele,” Ryan said. “I didn’t learn to play it for a year. I don’t even want to claim I know how to play it now.”

While Ryan does not hold the same passion for music in comparison to Gilbert, who claims he will be singing and making music for the rest of his life, she participates in Gilbert’s music creations as method of introspection and an embodiment of their friendship.

“I want to preface that I don’t think I’m a good musician or a good singer, but I do it because it’s fun to push myself out of my comfort zones,” Ryan said. “Singing with Matt and in general is so terrifying to me, but the gratification in being uncomfortable makes me proud. It’s not about me expressing my creativity, but doing

something that makes me proud to be me.”

Despite the different motivations to perform, the best friends began singing together their senior year in a school talent show. Last year, the two released a four-song ukulele EP titled “Platonic Duets for Lovers” in their sophomore years of college as part of Gilbert’s music project titled “Social Art Project.”

“The idea of the project was to remove myself from my music, not calling my music ‘by Matthew Gilbert,’” Gilbert said. “I don’t want to know the one associated with these songs. I want to the songs to be the purpose, and I want my friends and the people the songs are about to be the purpose. The name itself removes me, the male singer and songwriter living through the glory of everyone knowing their name. And it is ironic that is really is a social art project, where people are involved in the making of the art.”

The concept of the project is simple in theory, complex in practice: capture the essence of Gilbert’s friends, loved ones and things he cares about in a song. Whether the lyrics pertain to the person who the song is written about or said person participates in the recording process, Social Art Project celebrates who and what Gilbert loves.

“I write songs to one person, and that song can only be addressed to them,” Gilbert said.

“I’m trying to preserve that person. I think what gets lost in history is the common person. I want to give that person a name and identity in a song.

I want to work with them and record them. Emma’s voice is always going to preserved, maybe not in 400 years when we don’t use MP3s anymore, but it will last longer than her life. There is a song written about her, for her and it’s her voice. Part of it is love. Right now I’m working on this project where I’m cataloging this guy’s old collection of recordings. A lot of is worthless trash that he recorded one day, like a TV. commercial that he found funny. But he found it important. Who is to decide who is talented and who is important?”

It begs the question then if Gilbert is writing love songs, or redefining the musical tropes that are common in love songs.

“You could sing about the ‘touch of her hair’ and use it for everyone,” Gilbert said. “I don’t think my songs are only love songs, but I only want to write about the people I love and care about. Sometimes I want to challenge them. I want them to feel like I love them, but I also want them to think of something different I think they are love songs, but maybe that’s a little too romantic.”

To prove this point, Ryan mentioned songs separate from that album that Gilbert wrote for her in high school with the first line reading, “Emma doesn’t wear a bra sometimes, Emma gets what she wants.”

“It cracked me up,” Ryan said. “It was love and it was challenging because the rest of the song made me think about my relationships with men. It made me feel recognized because I can get kinda simpy, and Matt reminded me through the song that I shouldn’t let people treat me in a

bad way.”

As the first recordings on Spotify for “Social Art Project,” “Platonic Duets for Lovers” follows the same music ideology. Gilbert wrote the songs to capture his friendship with Ryan as well as their platonic love for each other.

“It wasn’t a project that I started, but it eventually formalized,” Gilbert said. “They are duets and they are love songs and they are for lovers, but me and Emma are very much platonic. But the overall idea and feeling that I love and appreciate Emma can carry through. I’m writing to Emma, but I think a lot of these themes are universal.”

The first song “Intro” is a back-and-forth between Ryan and Gilbert. Gilbert asks Ryan to sing a song with him, telling her “the words are on the table, it’s a very simple melody.”

“I wanted to introduce the idea of platonic songs for lovers to people, what they are supposed to listen for,” Gilbert said. “It was a fun, cute idea of saying ‘hey, sing a song with me,’ and literally the lyrics were right in front of us because Emma didn’t know the words.”

“Cute Song #1” role plays between Ryan and Gilbert as the lyrics describe them taking a road trip through California and eventually settling down in San Diego together. Intimate memories can be made and genuine love can be expressed without romanticism.

“Are you trying to foreshadow something, Matt?” asked Ryan.

“Yeah, you wish,” said Gilbert.

The next cute song, named “Cute Song #2,” plays with the idea of doing anything for the people we love in a simultaneous sentimental and tongue-and-cheek way. Followed by innuendos only Gilbert and Ryan know the full meaning of, the song begins with the lyrics “this song is

for Jodie Foster, I would shoot the President for you.”

“There was a guy who tried to kill Ronald Reagan, and then he went to jail and started writing all these letters to Jodie Foster telling her that he loved her and tried to kill the president for her,” Gilbert said. “So that’s where it started — I would do anything for you. I am writing from the perspective of someone who is crazy, but you would literally do anything for the people we love.”

The EP ends with the song “Wash” performed solely by Ryan. With the most abstract lyrics of the EP, Gilbert wanted to write Ryan an empowerment song for her to reflect on when she needs it most.

“I wanted Emma specifically to sing it,” Gilbert said. “It’s a song about feeling like you don’t have to feel tied to a person or tied to what the world thinks of you. You can let it wash over you like the tide and you can still be standing there.

I wanted Emma to have something to sing if she feels powerless.”

“Platonic Duets for Lovers” is rooted in a real friendship and gives the listener an insight into that friendship. Despite its ability to speak to the various humans and things people love, it is simply a manifestation of Ryan and Gilbert as a unit and their love for each other.

“In all my times singing with Matt, there is a fond memory attached to Matt,” Ryan said. “As long as Matt is in contact with me, we will continue to record more songs. Music isn’t my career or primary passion, but it is something I love as a shared experience. It is one of my favorite things to do with Matt.”

“Platonic Duets for Lovers” will be performed in an upcoming Couch Concert for The California Aggie.

14 | THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2019

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Mustangs sweep Aggies on Picnic Day Weekend UC Davis baseball loses 6-5 in final game of Picnic Day weekend series

BY RYAN B U G S CH sports@theaggie.org

QU IN N SPOON ER / AGGIE

Yanez fires no-hitter to lead Aggies

In the final of the three game series on Picnic Day weekend at home, the UC Davis Aggies were defeated by the Cal Poly Mustangs 6-5.

The weekend series began on Friday, when the Aggies suffered a 5-1 opening series loss to the Mustangs. Cal Poly led the entire game, putting two runs on the board in the first, and solidifying its lead with three runs in the fourth. Sophomore pitcher Brett Erwin started on the mound for UC Davis and was charged with all five earned runs to move his ERA to 2.79 on the year.

On Picnic Day, UC Davis took an early two run lead, which shrunk to one by the fourth inning. The Mustangs put on the pressure then, scoring three in the top of the fifth, and another three in the next two innings, giving the Aggies an 8-5 loss. UC Davis looked to use this final series game to prevent the sweep from the Mustangs and keep its record in good standing.

On Sunday, senior left hander Chris Brown started on the mound for UC Davis. Brown started his seventh game this season, coming in with a 3.24 ERA. The Aggies entered this final series game sporting a 10-17 overall and a 3-5 conference record compared to the Mustang’s 1517 overall and 6-2 conference record. Cal Poly ranked second in the Big West Conference, with UC Davis placed seventh.

It wasn’t until the third inning that either

BY B RE NDAN O G B U RN sports@theaggie.org

Sophomore pitcher continues historic run for UC Davis softball

QU IN N SPOON ER / AGGIE FILE

Sophomore pitcher Brooke Yanez fired a no-hitter for the UC Davis softball team in Sunday’s series-winning victory over Cal Poly, striking out seven batters and walking just two.

Yanez’s sensational performance comes just 33 days removed from the perfect game she tossed against Sacramento State on March 12.

Ever since she stepped foot on campus in the Fall of 2017, Yanez has done nothing but shatter numerous program records and thoroughly dominate opposing hitters every step of the way. With a record of 20-3 so far, she has already reached the 20-win mark to go along with seven shutouts, 201 strikeouts and a 0.93 earned run average.

Despite the center field scoreboard displaying a noticeable goose egg under Cal Poly’s hit column, none of the Aggies made a point to acknowledge the no-hitter as the game progressed.

Many players and coaches were so locked in to each pitch that they didn’t even realize the significance of what was unfolding in front of their eyes.

“A lot of people on my team didn’t know, but it was probably better because they’d get a little nervous,” Yanez said after the game.

“We try not to think about it and I didn’t even realize it until after the first out in the seventh inning,” added UC Davis Head Coach Erin Thorpe. “Obviously, the team kind of knows what’s going on, but we always know she’s capable of it.”

Yanez’s no-hitter was rarely in doubt on Sunday afternoon, thanks in part to a rock-solid defense behind her. Junior shortstop Isabella Leon made the defensive play of the game in the fourth inning, diving headlong to snag a bloop pop fly up the middle. The only other play that evoked any relative sense of panic was a flyout to deep center field to end the sixth inning, which was calmly handled by junior Marissa Jauregui.

“It’s so fun to be behind her, and I know she’s always out there competing,” said junior right fielder Marisa Given. “It just makes us want to go all out and do everything we can to back her up.

When she’s in that zone, there’s nothing that can stop her, and so our job is to just catch the ball.”

Given provided all the offense to help the Aggies jump out to an early lead, on her way to tying a program record for most doubles in a game, with three.

“I’m seeing the ball really well right now and covering both sides of the plate, so hopefully I can just keep it up,” Given said.

Given, who leads the team with a .390 bat-

2019 NBA Playoff Preview

BY AJ S E YMO U R sports@theaggie.org

Recapping the 2018-19 NBA regular season, looking to the postseason

When two-time all pro DeMarcus Cousins joined the Golden State Warriors in free agency this past summer, many NBA fans wrote off the season entirely, claiming that this year’s title was already won. Having a starting lineup consisting of five all stars has only been done five other times in league history and hasn’t been done since the 1975-76 Boston Celtics, who went on to win the title.

As the regular season is now in the books and playoffs are just getting started, the Warrior’s competition looks to be drastically more difficult than thought to start the season. Surprising to most, the Milwaukee Bucks earned the best record in the NBA this season, leading the Eastern Conference with a record of 60-22. Team leader and MVP front-runner Giannis Antetokounmpo anchored the Bucks this season, averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.

One of the other captivating storylines this season was superstar Lebron James moving to the west coast to play for the Los Angeles Lakers and whether or not he could instantly turn them into a playoff team. Having been pegged as one of the most dangerous teams to start the season with an over/under win total of 48 games, the Lakers and LeBron fell flat and missed the playoffs with a record of 37-45.

On the other hand, the Warriors met expec-

JA MIE CHEN / AGGIE

team revved up its offense when the Aggies loaded the bases with zero outs on the board. Sophomore shortstop Tanner Murray stepped up to the plate with bases loaded and a .427 average on the year. Murray took a hard pitch to the shoulder, bringing in the Aggies’ first run. Senior second baseman Caleb Van Blake drove in two more with a soaring double into left field that dropped just shy of the foul line. Continuing the high offensive performance, junior catcher Logan Denholm added one with a double into right field, and a sac fly to center field brought the Aggies’ lead to 5-0 at the end of the third.

Cal Poly cut the deficit in the fifth, bringing in two runs over the plate due to an error by Murray, shortening the Aggies lead to three. And in the eighth after Brown was taken off of the mound, the Mustangs began a hit parade on senior reliever Chase Lyford, driving in three more runs to tie the game at five.

The bullpen continued to suffer for UC Davis in the ninth, when a single to left field drove in a run for the Mustangs, giving them the 6-5 lead.

Overall, Brown had a solid outing for the Aggies on the mound, going seven innings with only one earned run, but the Aggie bullpen could not hang on. Brown’s current ERA now sits at 2.90.

UC Davis players and coaches declined all interviews after the game.

The Aggies continue their Big West Conference play today beginning a three game series against UC Santa Barbara. ting average and 41 hits, opened the scoring with an opposite field RBI double to left center in the bottom of the first inning. She later capped off a two-out rally in the second inning with another double to the same part of the outfield, driving home two more runs and pushing the lead to 3-0.

“My first at-bat, I was sitting on a changeup and got it,” Given said. “I knew the second at-bat that they probably weren’t going to give it to me, so I was just looking for a good strike away and got it on the first pitch.”

Junior first baseman Maddie Rojas drove home the fourth run of the game with an RBI groundout in the fifth, before her younger sister and sophomore outfielder Alyse Rojas finished off the scoring on an infield single in the sixth.

Alyse Rojas has been an extremely reliable presence out of the leadoff spot in the lineup this season and ended the day with three hits and two runs scored.

Sunday’s victory clinched the series win over Cal Poly, after the Aggies split a doubleheader on Picnic Day. In the first game, Yanez went the distance, giving up just four hits and a run, but UC Davis fell by a final of 1-0.

“As we’re learning how to be a winning program and we’re still fairly young, we’re going to hit those bumps and bruises where we have to teach ourselves lessons in ways we don’t want to,” Thorpe explained. “These ladies work really hard and have been able to bounce. That’s part of the resiliency we’re trying to learn, but now we have to get a little better at bringing our consistency every time we get an opportunity.”

Overall, with a record of 31-8, UC Davis has already surpassed its record win total in the program’s Division I era. With Yanez and junior pitcher Katie Kibby providing a lethal 1-2 punch on the mound, there’s no telling how far this team can go as the stretch run of the season proceeds.

“We have 14 games left and are trying focus on playing it one game at a time,” Thorpe said.

“Regardless of [the] win or loss, can we bring our best game to the field? Do we feel good about how we play the game at the end of the day?

When you don’t focus on how many wins and losses you have, it tends to be kind of shocking when look at it every once in a while.”

UC Davis has only made one prior appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament in 2010, but that could change this season.

“As a whole, we haven’t really realized how great we can be,” Given admitted. “It’s just going to be a matter of us taking the next step and staying consistent because we know as a group we can do it.”

tations and finished as the top seed in the West, continuing their surge toward the franchise’s first ever three-peat, which would be the sixth in league history. For the third straight year, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook averaged a triple double, a feat which, three years ago, was absolutely unheard of. In Houston, MVP-candidate James Harden became the first player in NBA history to average 35 points and seven rebounds. Unsurprisingly, these juggernauts all made the playoffs, making for an unusually competitive first round and playoff bracket overall. The Aggie takes a look at this year’s playoff matchups.

Eastern Conference: No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Detroit PistonsThe Detroit Pistons will have their work cut out for them, given the Bucks boasted the league’s fourth ranked offense along with the top ranked defense. The Pistons were able to snag the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 41-41 record, beating the New York Knicks in the season finale. In the regular season, the Bucks beat the Pistons in all four of their meetings, a fate that is not unlikely to reoccur. Unless Detroit’s Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond have the series of their lives and are able to somehow shut down Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks should sail right over them pretty swiftly.

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Orlando

NBA PLAYOFF on 12