February 7, 2019

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VOLUME 137, ISSUE 15 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019

CA IT LY N SA MPL EY / AG GIE

TE SSA KO G A / AG GI E

LUNAR NEW YEAR: How students are celebrating the year of the pig

Free college tuition: the pros and cons How students feel about a proposed free college system

Students of different backgrounds share how they celebrate the Lunar New Year

BY LI N H N G UYE N features@theaggie.org

Every year, millions of East Asians welcome the new year of the lunar calendar with a number of traditions. This year, falling on the first new moon of the lunar calendar, Feb. 5, those who celebrate this holiday welcome the year of the pig. Also known as Chinese New Year, the Lunar New Year is generally celebrated by those of Chinese, Vietnamese, Lao, Singaporean and Korean cultures. Lanterns, cherry blossoms and red envelopes are generally associated with Lunar New Year. Traditional gowns are worn, families come together to celebrate, firecrackers pop and smiles beam on the faces of the young and old.

For most students who would normally celebrate, however, being away from home and family during Winter Quarter means that celebrating might not be exactly how it used to be before college.

Enoch Fu, a first-year electrical engineering major from San Jose, Calif., noted that he may or may not be going home for the holiday. He said that he usually celebrates with family and will only celebrate this year if he goes home to be with them. Fu used to celebrate with family by coming together, eating and receiving red envelopes. Being

of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, Fu associates the holiday with eating traditional, home-cooked Chinese and Taiwanese food and receiving hong baos (red envelopes filled with money), which he noted is his favorite part of the Lunar New Year.

Thanh Le, a Vietnamese fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major from Clovis, Calif., said that she and her family have already established a yearly routine.

“I usually celebrate Lunar New Year at my grandma’s house,” Le said.

She stated that because this is how she has always celebrated, it hasn’t made much of a difference now that she has moved away from home. She also noted that because her grandma lives in Fairfield, Calif., a 30-minute drive from Davis, it is not hard for her to gather with family.

“All of my family and extended family gather there for traditional religious rituals with a special lunch or dinner afterwards,” Le said.

Raised in a Buddhist household, Le said that the “religious rituals” her family practices include paying respects to the deceased family members at the altar as well as the Buddhist deities.

“There’s also a part of the celebration where all of the kids in the family give their

LU IS LOPEZ / AGGIE

Former employee of Osteria Fasulo claims she was fired for speaking Spanish Owner of the upscale Davis restaurant denies allegations of discrimination, racist comments through attorney

BY T I M L A LON D E city@theaggie.org

High-end Davis restaurant Osteria Fasulo made national headlines this month when a former employee filed an official complaint alleging that the owner subjected her to a racist tirade, before telling her she needed to leave the restaurant if she didn’t “learn English.” The restaurant owner, Leonardo Fasulo, has disputed the complaint through legal representation.

The Center for Workers’ Rights in Sacramento announced it was filing an official complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on behalf of former Osteria Fasulo employee Francisca Perez. The workers’ rights organization forwarded to The California Aggie an unofficial

copy of the complaint that was submitted.

The alleged incident occurred around dinner time on May 31, 2018, when Fasulo allegedly overheard Perez discussing a food order in Spanish with another co-worker, according to the document.

“Mr. Fasulo got upset that we were speaking Spanish and interrupted our conversation by telling my coworker ‘we do not speak Spanish here,’” Perez said in the complaint. “He kept yelling and arguing with my coworker while I walked back to the kitchen to continuing preparing the food.”

Perez claimed that Fasulo continued to argue with her coworker before following Perez into the kitchen and asking her why she was speaking Spanish, saying, “This is America” and “We only speak English here.”

The complaint alleges that Fasulo then told

well wishes to the elders. In return, red envelopes are handed out,” Le said.

In Vietnamese, these red envelopes are called li xi, which are also filled with money.

Le’s favorite part of the holiday is that it is a very “family centric” holiday.

“With all of our busy schedules, it can be hard to make time for family. But with an event like this, we get a chance to catch up,” Le said.

While many students who would usually celebrate might not find the time to gather with family for the holiday due to classes and distance from home, Le noted that it is always nice to take time away from school to reunite with family for a tradition.

“Another thing with celebrating Lunar New Year is that it allows us to keep a family tradition as well as our heritage alive,” Le said, emphasizing how important it is for younger generations to uphold family values and carry on traditions that have been present for many, many years.

For students looking to celebrate locally, the city of San Francisco will host its annual Chinese New Year parade on Feb. 23. The event will also be streamed for viewing on TV. On Feb. 9, the Chinese New Year Cultural Association in Sacramento will have a program celebrating the holiday. her he might as well start serving Mexican food and change the menu to Spanish since she and her coworker liked to speak Spanish.

Perez clarified Fasulo’s purported comments in an interview with The Sacramento Bee. “[Perez alleged] Fasulo screamed at her, pounded a table, mockingly asked if she wanted him to add burritos to the menu and told her she needed to learn English to keep her job,” The Bee reported.

Perez claims she then told Fasulo that he was discriminating against Mexicans, who are “the very people making your food.” At this, Perez alleged, Fasulo became even angrier and told her to leave the restaurant and that she could no longer work there if she didn’t learn English. Perez alleged that Fasulo refused her request for her final paycheck.

“I asked him if he was going to pay me my final paycheck and he replied that he was going to pay me whenever he felt like it,” Perez said in the complaint.

The Bee reported that the altercation allegedly occurred in front of Perez’s 11-yearold son, who had just walked into the restaurant to wait for his mother to finish her shift.

Daniela Urban, an attorney at the Center for Workers’ Rights, said that Perez did eventually receive her final paycheck, but is seeking financial compensation for the delay — under the California labor code, wages earned and unpaid must be paid at the time that an employee is discharged, or the employee may be entitled to compensation from a “waiting time penalty.” “[There is a] waiting time penalty for

BY VI NCENT SANCHEZ features@theaggie.org

Perhaps the one thing unifying all college students is tuition. Some receive scholarships to help alleviate the pressure of tuition costs, but most students find themselves taking out loans or emptying bank accounts to pay the hefty price tag that comes with college. The idea of making college tuition free has seen its fair share of traction, but is it really a solution or would more problems emerge? Students across campus weighed in on this illustrious topic.

Noah Dickman, a third-year political science and economics double major, spoke about the pros that would accompany a free college system.

“One positive would be that college would be more accessible to more students,” Dickman said. “You’d have a more skilled workforce as a result.”

Dickman noted that private universities would be put on the hot seat, since more students would flock to public universities if tuition was free. Dickman believes the economic ramifications of free tuition would need to be investigated more to find a possible compromise.

COLLEGE TUITION on 11 failing to issue it immediately, which is required,” Urban said. “The damages from that, as well as her missed rest breaks, are part of our claim for wages, [as well as] compensatory damages for the time she was out of work that we also feel she would be entitled to.”

Urban said that Perez is also seeking an apology from Fasulo and assurance that the restaurant will implement a system to ensure that incidents like this don’t occur in the future. Urban said that such incidents were more common than one might think.

“We see national-origin discrimination happen far more frequently than the Davis community or the Greater Sacramento community [...] would expect,” Urban said.

“We think of our communities as more progressive, being in California, but there is this blatant discrimination — it often happens in places like kitchens and laundries where customers aren’t seeing the discussions that are happening between the employees and the boss.”

Fasulo’s lawyer, Matthew Smith, disputed Perez’s account of the incident. On Jan. 18, he said that he and Fasulo had not received any official notice from the state or Perez’s legal representation. Urban also said the request was submitted to the Department of Fair Employment and Housing on Jan. 8 and that the official complaint would be filed either that week or the next.

Smith alleges that Perez was never fired but quit by leaving her shift early that day.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

2 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019

CAITLYN SAMPLEY / AGGIE

BY D E A N A M E D I NA campus@theaggie.org

The Jan. 24 ASUCD Senate meeting was called to order at 6:11 p.m. by Vice President Shaniah Branson. President Michael Gofman and Senator Brandon Clemons were absent.

The Senate began by confirming Mohammad Qayum as an interim senator. Qayum fills the Senate seat left open following Ko Ser Lu Htoo’s resignation.

Before his confirmation, Qayum answered questions from other senators. Senator Ricky Zapardiel asked how Qayum would try to foster a better relationship with law enforcement.

Qayum, who said that “wounds can be healed” between students and law enforcement, authored Senate Resolution #8 which honors fallen police officer Natalie Corona alongside Zapardiel and five others. SR #8 is the subject of controversy and was debated extensively later in the meeting.

Senator Alexis Ramirez asked Qayum about his hopes for his role in the Senate, given that he is serving in an interim position and not a full, yearlong Senate term. In response, Qayum said he hopes to “spread the name” and inform more people on campus about what ASUCD does.

The Senate then moved on to hear a quarterly unit update from Unitrans’ Unit Director Jeffrey Flynn. As previously report-

ed, due to a growing budget deficit, Unitrans has proposed a fee referendum that will be on the upcoming ASUCD Winter Election ballot and, if passed, would increase the current $34.50 fee students pay to fund the transportation service by $13.50.

Unitrans is currently adding more advertising on its buses, reducing overtime and signing new fuel contracts, but these efforts are not generating a sufficient amount of revenue to allow the service to continuing operating as it is.

“If this referendum fails, prepare for 15 to 20 percent budget cuts,” Flynn said.

“Some lines will just go away.”

In order for the referendum to pass successfully, 20 percent of the student body needs to vote in the elections and the referendum must receive a 60 percent ‘yes’ vote.

Due to historically-low voter turnout rates, Flynn enlisted the help of Aggie Studios to create an informative animated video encouraging students to vote.

If graduate students are willing to pay for Unitrans, there is a possibility the fee increase could fall by $8. Whether or not students will pay for the service will be decided after a vote held on Feb. 6 determines if this proposal will be put on the ballot.

Senators asked Flynn why students should shoulder the burden of an increased student fee instead of getting additional funds from the City of Davis or the university. Flynn said the unit attempted to do a city tax in the past, but it failed.

“President Gofman is working with the Vice Chancellor and Chancellor on [getting university funding],” Flynn said. “We had that task force convene right now of city, university and ASUCD stakeholders. It’s up to that group to come up with recommendations that will go to the chancellor for approval at the end of March.”

Following the Unitrans report, the Sen-

SHEREEN LEE / AGGIE

ate confirmed three members to the External Affairs Committee.

Next, the Senate began what turned out to be a two-hour discussion between members of the table and the public on SR #8, the resolution to honor Natalie Corona.

“This a resolution to honor fallen officer Natalie Corona whose end of watch was on January 10, 2019,” Qayum said. “From all the descriptions we have, [...] she was quite an inspirational human being. This thanks her for her service [...and] thanks the departments that she served in and that work to protect us.”

Ramirez, one of the co-authors, also added his belief that it’s important for the student body to be “united with the local community in expressing our sorrow for Natalie Corona.”

Discussion was then opened to the public with no shortage of speakers.

The consensus among those members of the public in attendance was that lines 55 to 62 — in which the association expresses its gratitude to local law enforcement agencies and appreciation for their work to ensure the safety of Davis residents — was seen as problematic because it showed support for police when certain students and members of the table feel otherwise.

Senator Simranjit Kaur stood behind this sentiment expressed by members of the public.

“We are here to represent students, and it’s very clear where the student body is at,” Kaur said. “If the authors will continue with this resolution, I ask them to add a clause that acknowledges that there is police brutality and racial discrimination.”

Qayum and other co-authors stayed firm on their position and support of the resolution, leading Senator Jumoke Maraiyesa to motion to divide the house to remove lines 55-62 in an attempt to move the discussion

forward. A majority of senators present were in favor of removing the lines.

Ultimately, the lines were removed.

Members of the public, however, were still dissatisfied.

Tianna Taylor, an African American and African studies major, directly called out Qayum.

“How does it sit with you that you’re hearing our point of view and still won’t change it?,” Taylor asked Qayum. “Aren’t you supposed to be our [students’] voice?”

The authors were unwilling to budge and were also not receptive to the idea of dropping the resolution for a letter or public statement. With neither side willing to back down, a roll call vote was held to decide whether or not to pass SR #8 as amended.

The vote reached the last senator to vote, Noah Pearl, with a five to five tie. Pearl abstained, leaving Branson with the final decision. Finally, Branson voted against SR #8, so the resolution did not pass.

Branson urged “Senator Qayum and all the other co-authors on this resolution to work with the community to put out a statement.”

“Work with them, be proactive,” Branson said. “Just because this resolution did not pass, it does not mean that you cannot put out a statement backing up what you believe in.”

Next, the Senate discussed Senate Bill #31 which would place the aforementioned Unitrans Undergraduate Fee Referendum on the ASUCD Winter Election ballot. The bill passed after amendments were made.

A series of previously planned items on the agenda, including the introduction of new legislation, public discussion, public announcements and ex-officio and elected officer reports were moved to the following week’s Senate meeting. This meeting adjourned at 11:40 p.m.

ASUCD appoints Mohammad Qayum as interim senator MACLEAN HARTFORD / AGGIE

Watering the plants January 23 “Unoccupied vehicle with trunk open and several Amazon packages inside.”

January 24 “Misdial/ Testing new phone.”

January 25 “Subject carrying a wheelchair. Subject in roadway.”

January 26 “Male advised he pressed the wrong button.”

January 27 “Transients associated to camp are using city electricity via a light pole.”

“Party and females urinating on reporting party’s flower bed.”

January 28 “Sometime in early morning unknown left behind a metal sharp object on the porch and may have used it to tear up a sweatshirt that was left outside.”

January 29 “Bag of lacrosse equipment.”

Qayum focuses on ways to better connect Senate to students, plans to improve bylaws

BY CLAIRE DO DD campus@theaggie.org

Fourth-year political science major Mohammad Qayum was confirmed as an interim senator at the Jan. 24 Senate meeting. Qayum is taking the spot of former Senator Ko Ser Lu Htoo, who resigned in early January.

Qayum isn’t new to the political arena — he had an unsuccessful Senate campaign in last year’s ASUCD Winter Election with the Unite! slate. He also held intern positions at the California State Assembly and the California State Senate and is the current president of the Model United Nations club on campus.

Qayum described his relationship with his predecessor as “close” and re-

ported that the news of Htoo’s departure traveled quickly.

Qayum already authored several bills and is eagerly waiting for them to be heard.

“One of my goals is to fix some of the bylaws and rules-of-order problems we have [within ASUCD] especially with regard to confirmation processes,” Qayum said. “I also plan on fixing Senate outreach hours, to see if we can get a better, more efficient way of Senators connected to the community and at the same time make ASUCD more popular.”

Qayum is joining ASUCD Senate at an eventful time. The most recent controversy over ASUCD’s Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission (ECAC) and the “Blue Lives Matter” movement

has made the transition an interesting one, he said.

Additionally, Qayum was able to play a fairly large role in the Senate’s response to Davis Police Officer Natalie Corona’s death, co-authoring a piece of legislation that later went unpassed due to the aforementioned dispute.

In order to help the Senate gain perspective on how students feel, Qayum has proposed connecting registered student organizations (RSOs) and their leaders with members of the Senate.

“Creating a committee of RSO leaders would help advise us [ASUCD Senate] on how to move forward when working with the campus community,” he said. “I feel like a lot of times, we make decisions without the proper guidance or knowledge.”

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After delays, construction on Third Street is finally wrapping up Project predicted to finish by February, within budget ZACHARY LACSON / AGGIE

BY R E N EE HO H city@theaggie.org

Originally projected to be completed in November of 2018, the construction on Third Street will finish in February, if weather permits. The project is in Phase V, the final stage of the Third Street Improvements Project, which centers around increasing pedestrian access and bike safety, upgrading infrastructure and overall beautifying of the area.

The initial four phases emphasized underground improvements, such as the continuation of a storm main pipe in Phase IV, while the latter phase primarily focuses on above ground beautification of the Third Street section located between A and B Streets.

“This week, the contractor is setting the street lights and installing landscaping,” said Michael Mitchell, the city project manager for the Third Street project, via email. “After that, the major items of work is paving B and Third intersection and University and Third, and installation of the art piece at University/Third.”

Planning began in 2006, and Phase I initiated in 2012 when the project secured $3.3 million in Federal STIP grant funds, totalling the budget to approximately $11.4 million. Despite the delays, the project will not go over the designated budget.

“The budget was sufficient and a significant portion was obtained from grant funding,” Mitchell said. “We will not experience any cost overruns.”

Ali Moghaddam, the owner of Ali Baba and a member of the planning committee for the project since 2009, noted that more efficiency and attention to deadlines could have prevented the three-month delay.

“I’m just honestly excited for [construction] to be done so I don’t have to worry about this [any]more,” Moghaddam said. “A lot of attention was paid to this, but even with all the money and attention, there’s still places that could’ve been done more efficiently.”

Some obstacles that proved to be challenging included providing parking to Third Street residents and maneuvering machinery in and out of the small area. The one-way car crossing and limited access to Third Street near the Quad District of UC Davis

also proved problematic. Aside from the pedestrian sidewalks, much of the street under construction was fenced off, creating narrow walkways for pedestrians.

“Traffic control was a major issue,” Mitchell said. “Third Street is a gateway to the University with many bicycles and pedestrians. These had to be controlled around the construction site in a safe and efficient way.”

Fences and uneven surfaces also lined the storefronts and restaurants of Third Street The city notified passerbyers that businesses were still open and how to safely access them.

“Another challenge was keeping the businesses opened the entire time,” Mitchell said. “Bridges were built for customers to get to the entries when the area beneath the bridges were in construction.”

Signs were posted directing people toward restaurants, their entrances and parking lots for automobiles. Moghaddam was pleased with the provided signage around his restaurant on Third St. “When they were excavating and doing all the digging and fences were everywhere, they did a pretty good job of creating those white bridges, and they got us those signs for the restaurants and businesses so people could maneuver through it,” Moghaddam said.

However, the construction still impacted the amount of foot traffic for Moghaddam’s eatery, which saw a decrease in sales.

“People still came, but it definitely affected it,” Moghaddam said. “I used a Square Register, and everyday it gives you sales and compares it to last year’s sale on this day. On average, it was 3 to 4 percent down from last year.”

Mason Short, a second-year communication major at UC Davis, lived on University Ave. during the summer of 2018 and frequently passed by Third Street to get to campus. Short noted the early construction hours were a disturbance to shops and residents since Phase IV. Despite the additional signage, Short also expressed that the area was still difficult to maneuver.

“I got used to just because I was walking through it everyday, but definitely when I first started walking through it, everything was confusing,” Short said. “I had to go around certain ways that would take you a lot longer to get places. For certain stores, it was kind of confusing on how to actually get into them.”

Following the tedious construction, Davis residents can anticipate street improvements such as the installation of an art piece, patterned pavers, new bike locks and street lighting, among others.

Paid parking spaces added in Downtown Davis JAMIE CHEN / AGGIE

Implementation of paid parking as effort to reduce traffic congestion

BY ST E LLA T RAN city@theaggie.org

The City of Davis will add paid parking spaces in the downtown area to alleviate traffic issues. At the time of publication, the City Council was scheduled to finalize the plan to proceed with increasing metered parking options on Feb. 5.

Discussions about paid parking started in 2012, when the City of Davis considered that demand for parking increased during lunch hours and in the evenings, creating traffic congestion, noise, air pollution, aggressive driving across intersections, and an uncomfortable environment for pedestrians, according to a press release.

Meanwhile, downtowndavis.org, an online organization composed of small businesses, has congregated together in solidarity against paid parking.

According to the website, this DowntownDavis group is “a loose association of small businesses and others who are invested financially and emotionally in downtown Davis that have joined together to advocate for the benefit of downtown Davis […] formed, in particular, to stop paid parking from being put in throughout downtown [… believing] that paid parking will drive customers away from the downtown [they] have all put so much effort into making welcoming.”

Despite lack of approval from the businesses, Brian Abbanat, the senior transportation planner for the Transportation Division, confirmed that the paid parking plan will still move forward as specific details are finalized for the City Council’s review.

“In November of 2017, [City Council] gave broad policy direction supporting paid parking in the southeast quadrant and asked us to come back to them for specific policies and ordinances that would enable them to take the next step forward,” Abbanat said. “We have been working on a paid parking implementation plan for the last 10 or 11 months. And so now that it’s complete, we have more details related to paid parking and how we plan to actually implement it — that’s what they’re taking

action on in February.”

Brett Lee, the mayor of Davis, understood the concerns people may have with paid parking. However, he urged others to think about the context of the problem.

“When you ask someone whether they’re in favor of paid parking, people say, ‘No,’” Lee said, according to The Davis Enterprise. “Why would they be in favor of paid parking? The problem with that is the context. Ask them if they are happy with the current parking situation downtown and they say, ‘No, absolutely not.’

Am I in favor of paid parking to address the terrible parking situation that we have downtown? Yeah, absolutely.”

Abbanat noted that there are some positives to implementing paid parking.

“We are expecting it to improve traffic in Downtown,” Abbanat said. “One of the problems we have right now — particularly during our peak — is that we have high occupancy rates. Most people driving around downtown are actually looking for parking space. What paid parking will do will ensure that parking space is available because we intend to price it at rates at which we will achieve about 1 to 2 parking spaces available.”

Abbanat expects the paid parking modifications to cover a chunk of Downtown Davis.

“This is primarily the southeast quadrant which is roughly First Street to Third Street and D Street to H Street, but not including H Street itself,” Abbanat said.

He also noted that that the process has taken a very long time, in part due to concerns from the Davis community.

“This has been a topic of discussion for a really long time,” Abbanat said. “We understand that there are some community concerns about it. We’re hoping that this sorts out higher priority users from lower priority, and we hope to ensure that parking is prioritized for customers.”

Furthermore, Abbanat said that although paid parking is just a small part of the recommendations, it plays an essential part so that other recommendations could be implemented.

“Paid parking is one of the recommendations,” Abbanat said. “We have been trying to implement other recommendations from that plan, as paid parking is a critical component of the plan for other recommendations to be effective. We are asking our City Council on Feb. 5th to make some final parking policy decisions related to paid parking so we can start to work towards installation of the meters themselves. That process will take quite some time, so I wouldn’t expect to see any meters on the ground before fall of this year.”

UC warns students, staff against using messaging apps in China JAMIE CHEN / AGGIE

Email alerted UC travelers about potential risks in using applications like WeChat, WhatsApp in China Sundays Feb. 3 – Mar. 17 11a – 1pm 500 1st Street Davis Commons S IDE A 3 3 ⅓ RPM

HIGH FIDELITY STEREO

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BY SABRI N A HA B C H I campus@theaggie.org

An email sent by an individual from the UC Office of the President’s Office of Liability and Property Programs warned staff members to refrain from using certain messaging applications, such as WeChat and Whatsapp, while travelling in China.

“The Office of Risk Services of the University of California headquarters internally relayed the guidance from WorldAware (a security and risk management company with whom we consult) to risk managers on our campuses and medical centers,” said Claire Doan, the UCOP director of

media relations, via email. “We sent the email following a recent Department of State travel advisory for China; it is meant for consideration by staff involved in ensuring the safety and security of international travel by individuals in the UC community.”

Joanna Regulska, the vice provost and associate chancellor of Global Affairs at UC Davis, also mentioned the UC’s partnership with WorldAware and said the university sends information and instructions to travelers about possible risks via the campuses they attend.

“Given the mobility of UC Davis students, faculty and staff, we’re

committed to providing travel security tips and resources, aiming to ensure safe and productive trips for travelers,” Regulska said via email.

While none of the individuals contacted provided context on why the warning was issued, according to CNN, the UC’s warning is a result of the fear that travelers’ messages could be used against them.

The warning was issued amid U.S. universities throwing out or replacing technology purchased from Huawei Technologies, a Chinese company, in order to avoid “losing federal funding under a new national security law backed by the Trump administration,” according to Reuters.

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STUDENTS BRING THEIR HOOVED FRIENDS TO COLLEGE Students’ equine partners accompany them to college to be stabled at the UC Davis Equestrian Center

BY MARGO ROSENBAUM features@theaggie.org

Hiding at the south edge of the Arboretum, just a short walk or bike ride from the heart of campus, sits One Equestrian Lane, where student and university-owned horses live together. Certain horse-loving students choose not to leave everything behind when they move away to college. On move-in day, along with their backpacks and books, they bring their thousand pound animals to live

at the UC Davis Equestrian Center (EQC).

Many students choose UC Davis because they can continue riding and owning a horse here, according to fourth-year animal science major Kathlene Cotti, who keeps her horse Osiris at the EQC. “I had a better chance of owning [a horse] if I went to UC Davis than somewhere else,” said Clarissa Sunderland, a first-year animal science major, who keeps her horse Madison at the EQC. Clarissa shares Madison with her twin sister Katherine Sunderland, who

is also a first-year animal science major. “I read that they had a barn on campus, and you don’t really need a car.”

The EQC is located right on campus, so many students are drawn to its convenience, since it is close to student housing and classes. The demand for students to bring their horses to college is high, so if students want to bring their horses to the EQC, they must put their horse on a waitlist.

For many, the price of keeping boarding one’s horse at the EQC is less expensive than what they paid at home, or what they would pay at other places in the area. For the 20182019 school year, boarding a horse in a pasture is $275 a month, and boarding a horse in a stall is $450 a month.

“It is really cool that we have a facility here that you can have your horse, is easily accessible, right on campus and is cheaper than most facilities,” Cotti said.

Students want to keep riding their horses in college for a number of reasons. For Katherine Sunderland, she said it helped her not feel homesick. For her sister Clarissa, she said it was nice to have an activity to do besides her schoolwork.

“It’s nice, if you have a good ride, then you have a good day even if your classes stunk,” Clarissa Sunderland said. “It’s good for me to have a break from studying. I don’t have as much time to do other things. I can’t join any other clubs or anything at least for now, but it’s worth it.”

For first-year animal science major Kylee Rush, bringing her horse Flicka was a pri-

ority.

“She is my baby,” Rush said. “She is sort of my ride or die, so she is coming everywhere with me.”

According to Rush, she also wanted to bring her horse to be a distraction from school and studying, as well as a way to meet other people.

“She is great for getting out of the dorm, getting involved,” Rush said. “She is the reason why I joined the eventing team, which has helped me create a community in the horse world. I have made good friends on the team and has bettered my college experience.”

For Cotti, the reason she brought her horse to college was to boost her mental health.

“I don’t think I would be the same person without a horse,” Cotti said. “When things go bad in your life, your horse is always constant. [For] some people that comes from working out or a sport, and I think that for us, your horse is your sanity plug and that has really helped me.”

When Cotti first brought Osiris to the EQC her freshman year, she said it was difficult to learn how to balance taking care of him with her school work. Over the last two years, Cotti has figured out how to better manage and plan her time.

“I feel like when you come to college you get involved in other things,” Cotti said. “As time went on, I feel like I came back to HORSEBOARDING on 11

STATEWIDE INITIATIVE AIMS TO INCREASE FINANCIAL AID APPLICATIONS

California student aid commission motivates high school seniors to submit FAFSA, Cal Grant applications for the 2019-2020 school year

BY LAUREN TROPIO city@theaggie.org

As high school seniors begin to choose a university to attend after graduation, one of the factors in committing tends to be tuition and fees. A lot needs to be taken into consideration when choosing which school to attend, so the California Student Aid Commission decided to use this as a motivating factor for students to apply for financial aid.

The Race to Submit is a program run by the CSAC to inspire and give high school seniors that extra push to apply for Cal Grants and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. On its website, the CSAC exhibits a chart mapping how many students at every California public school have completed the forms. It uses the California Department of Education’s October 2017 census of senior enrollment to offer viewers a percentage and comparison mark to other schools in their area, including its own.

“Coming from a college-prep, private high school, we were very prepared for FAFSA applications when they came around,” said Caroline Crawford, a second-year de-

sign major at UC Davis and a former private school attendee. “I wish they would chart private high schools and their percentages because the majority of my high school is on scholarship and relies on these grants or forms of financial aid. It would be cool to see how we do in comparison to other schools in California, public or private.”

The site also incorporates a leaderboard with levels based on how many students attend a specific high school. As the levels get higher, the high schools shown possess a larger student body so that the leaderboard can compare institutions with similar populations. Within each level, the top 10 high schools are recognized for their respective number of applicants.

“We recognize the top five schools at the governor’s office, which allows high schools to reach out and be able to find those resources they may need to increase their number of applicants,” said Catalina Mistler, the deputy director of the program administration and services division. “Some schools do not have the resources to assist their students apply for FAFSA or Cal Grants, and with a leaderboard stating schools that excel in ap-

JA MIE CHEN / AG GIE

plying, it can help them get those resources.

We want to help schools that do not have the funding to help their boys and girls apply, illustrating how helpful it may be for a student to look up their very own school.”

Mistler explained how the program originated in Riverside County and was such a success that they continued to expand in order to incorporate all the public schools in California.

“We used to always have high schools call us to pull out reports for FAFSA completion, so we built out this dashboard,” Mistler said.

The CSAC aims to increase the number of seniors applying for FAFSA and Cal Grants and recognize that first generation students may not be as well informed as

others about these types of financial aid.

The costs of attending college can add up and become very expensive, even for instate students; therefore, the commission is reinforcing the benefits of simply submitting an application.

“Pretty much financial aid is based on the college you’re attending — it would not have to do with your admissions until you are admitted,” said Ailen Cornjo, a student administrator for the UC Davis admissions office. “It just reflects how much you’ll receive when attending.”

The Race to Submit will run until March 2 with weekly post updates. The program also offers support for other higher education outreach organizations that aim to provide more financial assistance opportunities.

“SWIPE RIGHT” INTO DATING APPS

Students talk about dating apps in relation to the Valentine’s season

BY SIERRA BURGUENO features@theaggie.org

For those meeting up with their Bumble or Tinder dates for the first time, butterflies often flit around in the stomach and there are worries around whether or not the date will actually go well in-person. After establishing strong friendships and romantic feelings, however, Bumble dates can turn into relationships that many would not expect from a college dating app.

Angelica Nemani, a second-year international relations major, started using Tinder last summer as a fun way to meet guys for more than just hook-ups. When she didn’t find anything serious or interesting on Tinder, she moved to Bumble, where she met her boyfriend.

There are many different kinds of expectations for college students who use dating apps. While some are looking for more serious relationships, others just want to find a way to have fun and hook-up. With the

Valentine’s Day season in full-swing, many students are in the market for some sort of romantic relationship.

“I don’t think there’s a general consensus among college students regarding why they use dating apps,” Nemani said, “I will say that many of the Davis students that I found on these apps seemed to be interested in hook-ups, but I can’t generalize and say that it’s true for every college user.”

In this sense, dating apps can have various outcomes that result in happy endings, bad endings and even awkward endings.

The latter of two of these possible outcomes turns many students away.

Second-year sociology major Catherine Amaya doesn’t suggest using dating apps since she believes that people have the ability to put on different faces. She has only used dating applications twice, and the first time was because her friends pushed her into it. After her experiences, she decided that she was not interested in meeting anyone through that medium.

CA ITLYN SA MPLEY / AGGIE

“I think they’re weird and people can have different personalities over text than in person,” Amaya said. “I also think they are mainly used for finding something fun and not serious.”

Since February is the month of candy hearts and stuffed teddy bears, dating apps have the potential to be used in the spirit of the season. A 2018 article in the Business of Apps reported that, “40% of US college students say ‘Tinder is for hookups, and Bumble is for dating’, though 54% of claim that there is no difference.”

“The only warning I have about dating apps is that there are a lot of different people

out there and some have different expectations than others,” Nemani said, “If a guy or girl messages you just because they want to hook up, I don’t think it’s fair to get offended by them because a lot of people have different expectations when they start using these apps.”

To Nemani, dating apps can be a positive thing if you know what you’re looking for.

“Ultimately, I learned that you have to really get to know a person before you can jump into anything with them and even give them a chance before you actually reject them, because you might get lucky and realize that they’re perfect for you,” Nemani said.

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A LEXA FON TA N I LLA / AGGI E

CAFE WALTER OPENS INSIDE THE MONDAVI CENTER New cafe named after the late “Chief Executive Cat” of the center

DENA BEARD LECTURES AT THE MANETTI SHREM Visiting Artist Lecture Series invites The Lab executive director

BY ALYSSA ILSLEY arts@theaggie.org

On Jan. 31, the Department of Art and Art History invited Dena Beard to the Manetti Shrem Museum as a part of the Visiting Artist Lecture Series, which holds events throughout the year. Beard is the executive director of The Lab, a nonprofit experimental music and art space in San Francisco.

Beard began the lecture by explaining the origins of her personal philosophy and how it affects the way she experiences and works with art.

“I’m an anarchist,” Beard told the audience within the first few moments of her lecture. She explained how she’s interested in “dismantling systems of oppression” through the art she helps produce with The Lab. “My work hinges on the idea that great art dismantles these norms,” Beard said.

She also explained her interest in the “subjectile,” which she defines as the support structure for any artistic work. In particular, her interest lies in subjectiles that “bite back” and force the artist to struggle a bit. She believes that there should be conflict between what an artists wants their piece to be and what it ends up becoming.

When The Lab hosts an artist, Beard opens up the space completely in order for it to become a subjectile space that the artist can quarrel with.

Ariana Shevchuk, a third-year design major and studio art minor, said that Beard’s opinions on the subjectile resonated with her own personal work. Shevchuk said that as an artist, she wants to let go of the pursuit of perfection and “let the work do what it wants to do.”

“It’s about letting your art be what it wants to be, as opposed to designing something and having it come out how you envisioned it originally,” Shevchuk said.

Before Beard began working at The Lab, she earned a master’s degree in art history, theory and criticism from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She also worked as an assistant curator at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive for six years.

Her work as a curator, however, did not stimulate her creatively or intellectually. She felt like a “cog in the machine” and yearned

STUDENTS REACT TO COACHELLA'S 2019 LINEUP

This year’s Coachella lineup disappoints some but most are still excited for the experience

BY ALYSSA HADA features@theaggie.org

Every year, people frantically attempt to purchase tickets in preparation for one of the biggest music festivals in the country, Coachella. Tickets go on sale for a few

short hours in June and again in January before they completely sell out. Groups of friends mob to Airbnb hoping to book an apartment in Indio that will fit all of their attending friends. People endlessly browse shops in order to find the most Instagram

BY ANJINI VE NU G O PAL features@theaggie.org

Inside the Yocha Dehe Grand Lobby of the Mondavi Center is a new site — Cafe Walter — named after the center’s “favorite cat” who used to wander around the Arboretum and near the Mondavi Center before his death in September. According to Walter’s Instagram page, he was the “Mondavi Center Chief Executive Cat.” Gia Hellwig, the director of operations for the cafe, has been a member of the Davis community for over 15 years. She graduated from UC Davis in 2007 with a degree in human development, and during her undergraduate studies, she saw the development of the south end of campus, including the Mondavi Center and the development of the new King Hall. After graduating, she interned in Oregon before moving to San Francisco. She returned to Davis in 2009 as

events manager at the law school. In Hellwig’s nine years as events manager, she encountered Walter quite a few times.

“When we would have events over here, Walter would be hanging out by the back or in one of the Mondavi staff’s offices,” Hellwig said. “He was here for two or three years before they found him in the Arboretum.

They think he had a heart attack, I believe.”

The cafe had a soft opening on Jan. 14, and the Mondavi staff practiced making espresso drinks and ensured that all the machines were working. The next day, the cafe was open, offering special drinks, snacks and baked goods. New items have been rolling out since, and two weeks after opening, oatmeal and scones were added to the menu.

The cafe hopes to add breakfast burritos, salads and paninis soon.

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for more meaning in her life. This is why when she was offered a position at The Lab in 2014, she decided to jump straight in.

The Lab is a space that has existed for 35 years but had been severely struggling when Beard was brought in. The space was poorly run, $150,000 in debt and lacked a cohesive purpose. It was a massive undertaking, but Beard knew she was the person for the job.

As Executive Director, Beard decided to “wipe the slate clean” and reconstruct the entire space. She had hardly any money to work with and utilized fundraisers and a Kickstarter campaign in order to get the organization out of debt and back on its feet.

While she wanted to maintain the punk edge that the space had cultivated over the worthy Coachella-ready outfit. Despite all of the stress, planning and fees that go into attending Coachella, attendees are always extremely excited to flock to the dessert and enjoy the festival every year.

The lineup for Coachella doesn’t come out until after all of the general admission tickets have already been sold out, so festival goers blindly buy their tickets every year.

This 2019, headliners for Coachella include Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande, which to some feels somewhat disappointing after last year’s headliners (The Weeknd, Beyonce and Eminem).

Beyond the headliners, the general 2019 lineup appears to be much less stacked with large and notable performers than in previous years.

Aeron Yim, a fourth-year managerial economics major, debated attending Coachella for the first time, noting the possible pros and cons of this year’s lineup.

CO ACHELLA o n 13

last 35 years, she wanted to add a level of professionalism that would turn the space into a respected and financially solvent business. This would benefit the space and the artists they work to support as well.

Since taking over, Beard has made The Lab a successful non-profit that brings in around $360,000 a year. This money then goes right back to the artists. The Lab gives out four grants to underrepresented artists each year, ranging from $25,000 to $100,00. When considering the recipients of the grants, Beard works to find artists and pieces that challenge systems and forms found in everyday life. She is interested in DENA BEAR D o n 1 1

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

6 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Opinion THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

E DI TO R I AL B OAR D

NFL exploits civil rights leaders for PR gain Super Bowl highlights league’s hypocrisy in addressing racial issues

EMILY STACK Editor-in-Chief OLIVIA ROCKEMAN Managing Editor HANNAH HOLZER 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 Sunday, about 100 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl LIII and witnessed the New England Patriots defeat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3, in the lowest scoring Super Bowl in history. While the game itself was rather uneventful, the National Football League nevertheless used its biggest day of the year to stage a massive public relations effort amid ongoing controversy.

It has been less than three years since former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the “Star-Spangled Banner” in protest of racial injustice and police brutality. To this day, Kaepernick is a free agent and hasn’t played a down in the NFL since 2017, even as other less-talented quarterbacks continue to make professional rosters. This prompted Kaepernick to file an ongoing lawsuit against the NFL, claiming that the league and its team owners colluded to keep him from signing with a team following his protests.

While Kaepernick has spent the last two years effectively ostracised from the NFL, players and personnel have continued to emulate the demonstrations that Kaepernick started. Faced with criticism from President Donald Trump and others who disapproved of the protests, the NFL approved a policy in May of 2018 that required players to either stand during the national anthem or remain inside the locker room while it’s played. The change was never actually implemented, however, after it was put on hold following backlash from the NFL Players Association.

Before the 53rd Super Bowl kicked off, the NFL proceeded to open the game in ironic fashion. First, legendary soul singer Gladys Knight sang the national anthem after telling Variety that she aimed to “free” the song from its association with Kaepernick’s divisive protests. The NFL then ran a video featuring

images of and speeches from civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr. His daughter and CEO of The King Center, Dr. Bernice A. King, was accompanied on the field by civil rights leader Andrew Young and Congressman John Lewis as she conducted the game’s official coin toss. Even though King’s explanation as to why she chose to participate alongside Young and Lewis was rooted in the admirable mission of justice for all and building bridges, it’s obvious that the NFL lobbied the services of King and others to give the appearance of an entity sympathetic to issues facing people of color.

Just a mile away, meanwhile, a local artist’s mural depicting Kaepernick lay in a pile of rubble after it was destroyed days prior to kickoff. As of now, there is no evidence to suggest that the NFL was responsible for the destruction of the mural, but the hypocrisy of the league in regards to its treatment of social justice advocates is clear. For a league that has tried so hard to distance itself from a player who peacefully protested against racial inequality, the NFL’s attempt at honoring the legacies of those who have dedicated their lives to combating injustice is completely disingenuous. It’s doubtful that the NFL has learned its lesson and now suddenly wants to right the wrongs of its recent hostile treatment of politically outspoken players.

If the NFL sincerely desires to honor the legacy of the civil rights leaders it chose to recognize on Sunday, it must address its suppressive actions in response to player expression and promote equality for people of all backgrounds. The Super Bowl’s opening spectacle will remain an empty and inadequate gesture unless Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s cohort of owners can make tangible changes to put player dignity over profit.

The problem with “woke capitalism” HOW THE MARRIAGE OF MARKET CAPITALISM WITH SOCIAL PROGRESSIVISM TRADES THE INTERESTS OF THE WORKER IN FAVOR OF PROFIT

BY BRA N D O N J E T T E R brjetter@ucdavis.edu

While it may have already fallen out of relevance in our ever-accelerating news cycle, Procter and Gamble Co.’s Gillette ad targeting so-called toxic masculinity stirred up yet another culture war frenzy last month. The commercial, praised by some and the target of scorn for many more, was yet another entry in a growing list of corporate adverts aimed at promoting social justice. Yet the main takeaway from the ad may be just how hypocritical and exploitative the relentless force of “woke capitalism” is.

In an era when a burgeoning populist right has grown increasingly hostile to the free market and an anti-capitalist left is emerging as a legitimate electoral force, major corporations have found themselves facing increased scrutiny. In turn,

these companies have found a winning formula in the adoption of socially progressive branding. By co-opting social justice movements, major corporations have been able to largely absolve themselves of the responsibilities they owe their workers while simultaneously adopting a type of broadcasting with increased appeal to millenials. You can now get away with wage suppression and union-busting, so long as you adopt the right corporate messaging.

In decades prior, the relationship between major corporations and their workers was largely dominated by collective bargaining. Trade unions, long a bastion of economic leftism, represented workers’ common interests against the powerful onslaught of corporate elites.

This was especially true in the era succeeding the New Deal, when unions had accumulated significant political capital.

This in turn forced companies to come to the bargaining table by making them pay breadwinners and their families living wages.

As de-industrialization has diminished the political influence of unions, however corporations have no longer found themselves obligated to answer the needs of their workers. Furthermore, the decline of economic leftism and the increased focus on identity issues borne out of the culture revolutions of the 1960s and 70s has allowed corporate America to rebrand itself through performative wokeness.

Accordingly, capitalism has become entirely compatible with left-wing identity politics. Therefore it should come as no surprise that the president of the Women’s March Alliance is an ex-Goldman Sachs banker, or that defense contractor Raytheon — which has profited extensively from the ongoing slaughter in

Yemen — is lauded by the Human Rights Campaign for making efforts toward LGBTQ inclusivity in the workplace.

Workers in developing countries are similarly exploited and hidden behind the curtain of corporate social progressivism.

Consider ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, whose Pecan Resist flavor won over the hearts and minds of those who felt disaffected by the Trump administration. Nevermind that Ben & Jerry’s is a subsidiary of the multinational mega-corporation Unilever, an organization that, alongside none other than Procter & Gamble, has been indicted by Amnesty International for its use of child labor in Indonesia.

Similarly, Nike’s Colin Kaepernick-inspired advert earlier this year became a rallying cry for progressives in the culture war, paying the company dividends

off of the land and carry that sediment to structure the habitats in rivers. Once the sediments reach the coast, beaches and other offshore environments are born.

Anything that disrupts the flow of a river is detrimental to the ecosystem.

According to the organization International Rivers, dams disrupt and slow the free-flowing river ecosystem to an artificial, slack-water reservoir habitat.

This disruption affects the temperature, chemical composition, oxygen levels and physical properties of the upstream habitat. As a result, many aquatic plants and animals that evolved with the river are no longer optimally suited for their environment. Some dams have even led to the extinction of many fish and aquatic species, the disappearance of birds in floodplains, huge losses of forests and wetlands and

the erosion of coastal deltas.

The Oroville Dam is no stranger to these impacts: it reduces the streamflow of the Feather River from 5,834 cubic feet per second to an average of 1,086 cubic feet per second. This negatively affects the river habitat in many ways and limits fish migration up the Feather River.

Current environmental impacts might not be the worst or most costly yet. Climate change reports predict more severe weather extremes, but these predictions might already be coming true. In 2017, California experienced unusually high rainfall in a short amount of time. This lead to the Oroville Dam overflowing and the evacuation of 188,000 Sacramento Valley residents, costing $1.1 billion in

JETTER on 12

It’s time to let go of this dam technology THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF DAMS

BY DA N I E L O R O P E ZA daoropeza@ucdavis.edu

Once called the Ninth Wonder of the World, the Oroville Dam is the tallest dam in the United States. Standing at 770 feet — 40 feet taller than the Hoover Dam — the Oroville Dam was built in 1967 in response to major floodings of the Sacramento Valley in the 1950s.

The Oroville Dam now stores water for agricultural use downstream from Lake Oroville, including the San Joaquin Valley, during the dry seasons. The Oroville Dam also generates hydroelectricity for municipal and industrial water supplies all the way in Southern California.

The only “wonder” I have is when we’re going to phase out this ancient technology.

Since their invention in ancient times, dams have been instrumental in suppressing floods and directing water for irrigation. They’ve also provided water for industries, aquaculture and hydropower.

Hydropower generates electricity in 48 states and is the biggest source of “clean” energy in the country. It accounts for 52 percent of the nation’s renewable electricity generation and 7 percent of the total electricity generated.

We’ve all benefited from dams in some way. But at what cost?

As environmentalist David Brower once said, “If you are against a dam, you are for a river.” To ignore the impacts of dams is to turn a blind eye to the importance of rivers for the environment.

Rivers function as a circulatory system in a landscape; they drain waste products

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019 | 7

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

HUMOR

People may have their different political parties, but everybody hates Tomi Lahren EVERYBODY HATES TOMI LAHREN!

BY HI L A RY OJ I NNAKA hiojinnaka@ucdavis.edu

So if you guys haven’t heard, the bold and suburban political commentator and former Fox News host Tomi Lahren emerged from the fiery pits of white privilege to tweet “5 billion spent on a wall will be the BEST $5 billion taxpayers EVER spent!”

After the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, you might be wondering why the republic isn’t more focused on repairing what Cheeto-in-Chief Donald Trump has once again damaged beyond recognition. It seems, however, that everyone has redirected their anger and attention to Tomi Lahren’s furious idiocy.

‘Twas the night after future-politician Cardi B’s popular government shutdown Instagram speech went viral, concerning the thousands of federal employees who are forced to go to work without pay, when Tomi Lahren scrolled through her Twitter feed on her MAGA laptop only to find positive comments about the Bronx rapper’s rant.

Enraged with white rage, Lahren weighed in on the situation by tweeting, “Looks like @iamcardib is the latest genius political mind to endorse the Democrats. HA! Keep it up guys #MAGA2020.” Lahren, whose lack of knowledge is made obnoxiously obvious every time she opens her overused mouth or sends out a tweet, was soon met with a legendary rebuttal.

What your Smash main says about you THE LIST IS JUST AS UNORGANIZED AS THE CHARACTER SELECT MENU

BY CO N N E R S H AW cjshaw@ucdavis.edu

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is unquestionably the most inclusive Smash game yet, possibly even the best Smash game released (apart from their menus — literally why did they decide to make the most irritating changes they could?).

All of us who like to settle our problems through Smash know that there’s one character we each hold dear — our favorite, best or most troll-worthy. Our main.

As your premiere authority on Smash in Yolo County, I’ve written a little list that I hope you will enjoy and will not get me sued by Nintendo: What your Smash main says about you.

Ice Climbers — Let’s just say the Lannisters approve Piranha Plant — Most of your YouTube comments consist of “first” Inkling — You’re either a squid or a kid Sheik — You’re still holding on to the past when there are so many newer opportunities Megaman — After you’re jumpin’, you’re probably gonna do some shootin’ Donkey Kong — The eyes… just don’t look him in the eyes!

Kirby — Constantly in need of that gud succ Mii Brawler/Gunner/Swordfighter — You need to show your art to the world, but maybe you shouldn’t Wii Fit Trainer — You’re compensating for your own lack of stretching Sonic — Be honest: How much do you browse DeviantArt? Ryu — You still just button mash until the bad man goes away Ken — The hipster version of Ryu, except you swear your button-mashing is better Rosalina and Luma — Refer to The Weeknd’s “Starboy” Zero Suit Samus — You had your sexual awakening through video games Samus — You enjoy screwing people (out of the win) Dark Samus — What did I just say?

Villager — You enjoy being Satan incarnate Isabelle — You enjoy being Satan’s little pet Cerberus Fox — Your movement consists of mostly barrel rolls to the right Falco — Your movement consists of mostly barrel rolls to the left Wolf — You try to do a barrel roll, but just end up helpless off the stage Pikachu — You’ve been that one down-B spammer guy for too long Pichu — Just the tryhard version of Pikachu

Meta Knight — Edgelord supreme since 2008 King K. Rool — Edgeguard supreme since 2018 Lucario — You’ve finally come to terms with your breakup with Mewtwo Mewtwo — You never gave up on your first love Yoshi — Most friends have a lovehate relationship with you Ness — You wish you could juggle in real life as well as you do in the game Lucas — You gave up on juggling and prefer to just float around Jigglypuff — You need to calm down and get some rest Mario — The OG, tried and true is the only thing for you Dr. Mario — The same as Mario, except you wasted your time on a useless Ph.D Marth — People call you straight edge and to the point Roy — Loud and proud Lucina — Constantly trying to prove how good you actually are Chrom — Same as Lucina, except you don’t want to try as hard Robin — You still need to ask friends for help all the time Ike — You used to fight for your friends, but now you just fight with your friends Link — You name all your Legend of Zelda Characters Lonk Young Link — You’re convinced the Gamecube controller should be used for every game Toon Link — In a constant state of middle child syndrome Mr. Game & Watch — You’re constantly hammered and throwing your meat around Cloud — You still think trench coats and sleeveless turtlenecks are fashion statements Pokemon Trainer — The most indecisive person Snake — The concept of object permanence is lost on you Wario — WAAAAAAHAAAAA (also, you’re very gassy) King Dedede — Human trollface Greninja — You have a constant oral fixation Pac-Man — You’re constantly losing your keys S H AW on 11

Cardi “the people’s champ” B hit back with, “Leave me alone I will dog walk you.” She then landed a Tekken-style TKO by tweeting, “You’re so blinded with racism that you don’t even realize the decisions the president you root for is destroying the country you claim to love so much. You are a perfect example on no matter how educated or smart you think you are you still a SHEEP!” If you know who Cardi B is, I hope you read that in her nasally voice for the 4D all-around experience.

The tweets of Chun-Li “the street fighter’s” nemesis alone racked up more than 1.6 million likes, thus showing how people will come together to defeat what they hate most. No, not Donald Trump but Tomi Lahren — that is, the same

white lady who admitted to benefiting from Obamacare while in fact slandering Obamacare. The same lady who is anti-black and pro-black, anti-choice and pro-choice, anti-NFL and pro-NFL, even though she can’t tell the difference between a goal and touchdown. Just like her orange father, Lahren says whatever she can come up with to garner retweets and likes.

JEREMY DANG / AGGIE

Trump appoints head of West Village to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development THE WEST WING GOES TO WEST VILLAGE

BY MADE LINE KU MAGAI mskumagai@ucdavis.edu

This past weekend, President Donald Trump was told by his horoscope that he needed to make some changes, so he decided that Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson was Ben CarsDONE. After kicking the House man out of the White House, Trump needed a new Secretary of HUD. “I thought very long and very hard about this,” Trump said. “I did online research for two days to find the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Devilmen. I started at 11:55 p.m. on Monday night and finished at 12:05 a.m. on Tuesday. I finally found the right guy for the job.”

Trump continued: “I went to this dinky town that smelled like cow turds outside of Sacramento. I had the heebie-jeebies the whole time because that’s pretty close to Nancy Pelosi-ville. But I heard about this apartment complex called ‘West Village’ that sounded right up my alley.

I went there, and when I saw college kids stepping off the buses in Gucci sweatshirts, I knew I had come to the right place. I felt right at home ‘cause there were a lot of young men who reminded me of myself: blond, very handsome and living off of their daddies’ money.

Anyway, I was interested in this place because it’s basically the Mar-a-Lago of apartment complexes. And just like me, this apartment complex has a lot of money but doesn’t know how to use it. I talked to a young woman who lives there, and she told me that they’re giving away a year’s tuition at basketball games.

Why make people’s rent cheaper when you can raise it and give that money away to someone else? It’s a very stable, genius plan.

Another resident told me they changed the outdoor furniture from green to orange, my favorite color. If you got the money, why not make changes nobody asked for? Definitely something I would do. They also make their people pay $90 a month for parking but won’t let them buy campus parking passes.

What a foolproof way to make money!

Restaurants that are only open three hours a day and not on the weekends?

Incredible.

KUMAGAI on 1 1 ANDREA GONZALEZ / AGGIE

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SCIENCE+TECH

DAV ID B U N N / CO URTE SY

NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR FARMING FAMILIES Gender-inclusive, agricultural, nutrition extension programs lead to healthier international farming communities

BY FOXY ROBI N S O N science@theaggie.org

Nutrition is not the same across all farming communities. Some farming communities encounter mixed nutritional messages, which challenges their health and agricultural development. Extension programs, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, find solutions that match country and culture-specific realities for international farming communities.

“In most countries, like Zambia, women are doing most of the farming work,” said Amanda Crump, a lecturer in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences. “However, women have not benefited from previous

agricultural extension practices.”

Crump partnered with USAID’s Integrating Gender and Nutrition within Agricultural Extension Services, an initiative that promotes women empowerment in household incomes, to improve agricultural productivity and nutrition outcomes for farming families. INGENAES operated within several USAID Feed the Future countries, such as Honduras, Nepal, Uganda and Zambia.

INGENAES was completed in 2018.

UC Davis, along with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Florida and other partners, collaborated with USAID missions, government officials and farmer organizations in write-shops.

All together, they created focused, cultural-

ly-sensitive and relevant messages for men and women.

“INGENAES’ predecessor relied on country-level extension programs, missing women’s involvement to improve the way they farmed,” Crump said. “Women are treated differently in each country, we need to adjust our nutrition tools for each experience. In Zambia, we worked with local partners who created a plate game, asking women to put the foods they ate on a plate.

It told us a lot of information, we could assess which nutrients they were getting in their regular diet and which nutrients were missing.”

The UC Davis team produced five consistent nutrition messages for Zambian families embedded in keychain rings. In Uganda, calendars worked well to determine which foods were accessible based on the harvest season, along with messages printed on grain sacks describing agricultural food loss.

Changing nutrition habits also involves changing the people’s mindset of farming communities.

“A lot of people were not receptive when you mentioned one gender or the other,” said Nikki Grey Rutamu, the assistant director of the UC Davis Global Affairs Humphrey Fellowship Program and the UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences International Training Programs. “They respond to whole family approaches.”

The UC Davis team reviewed agricultural technologies for gender inclusivity.

“We reviewed the treadle pump— a hand pump lifting water from wells for irrigation — and interviewed women, asking them how they accessed it, financed it and whether it alleviated their workloads,” Grey

N ATION A L IN STITU TE OF A LLER GY A N D IN FECTIOU S DISEASES / COU RTE SY

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Rutamu said. “If she did save time, what did she do with that time?”

In Zambia, the post-harvest season brings problems with drying crops. When crops were not dried enough, aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen, was stored inside crops.

“People use the Perdue Improved Crop Storage bags and wicks away the moisture preventing aflatoxin from settling into the crops, but we found it was an expensive technology for some farmers,” Grey Rutamu said.

In poor, rural communities in East African countries, such as Tanzania, chickens serve as a reliable income and nutrition source for women.

“10 to 35 percent of women’s income in these communities is from chicken,” said David Bunn, an assistant adjunct professor in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science. “85 percent of chicken production in these areas is by small scale production.”

The chicken market is easily accessible.

A woman can borrow a hen from a neighbor, start a flock of 24 hens in 18 months and therefore, create a constant source of income. Women were then able to use their income on health, education and food for the members of their families.

“Egg, chicken and meat are considered a luxury,” Bunn said. “Women would sell all of their chicken, meat and eggs to build income, buying starches for their families to eat. We found that it would [be] effective to couple nutrition education with the chicken business. In Ghana, we educated women farmers about consuming eggs and the nutrition benefits for their families. We found they will make that shift with family education, NUTRITION on 12

UC DAVIS-DEVELOPED DRUG COULD IMPROVE OUTCOMES FOR CHEMOTHERAPY PATIENTS Researchers have found a drug that can help prevent cancer from returning after chemotherapy

HUMMINGBIRDS OF A FEATHER FEED TOGETHER UC Davis researchers use tiny transponders and urban feeders to study hummingbird behavior

BY KRI T I VA RG HE S E science@theaggie.org

Researchers at UC Davis studied the habits and visits of Anna’s hummingbirds and Allen’s hummingbirds to urban feeders in an effort to further understand their behavior and health.

The feeders were equipped to beep every time a hummingbird visited, giving researchers information about the frequency and duration of the visits without disturbing the hummingbirds’ natural routines.

“We used Passive Integrated Transponders, which is basically a transponder in a tiny 8mm glass bead,” said Ruta Bandivadekar, a visiting research scholar in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “The challenge is the weight of the transponder as you cannot exceed 3% percent of the body weight of the bird while marking it by any method. These tags were 0.01gms in weight so well within the limit. Because the tags were inserted subcutaneously, understanding the anatomy is very important so as to not puncture any air sacs or not injure the backbone of the bird.”

Passive Integrated Transponders, or PIT tags, transmit the unique tag number when in the range of the receiver antenna. The antenna picks up the unique tag number and stores the corresponding information.

There was data corresponding to

approximately 65,500 feeder visits.

Combing through that data proved to be a challenge, but the researchers developed a method to quantify the duration of each visit and detect if multiple hummingbirds were using the feeder at concurrent times. This allowed the researchers to find out which hummingbirds visited the feeder at the same time and which ones avoided each other. This new feeder system could lead to better analysis of other behavioral patterns.

“Implementation of our new feeder system on a larger scale in a region could help us understand the seasonal dynamics of [the] hummingbird population,” said Pranav Pandit, a researcher at the UC Davis EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics. “The system will be able to give us a closer look at our questions related to the ecology of these tiny wonders from the avian world.”

These transponders are expected to help improve future research on hummingbirds as well.

“There is a lot to learn about hummingbirds, and by using miniaturized technology, we can really expand our understanding of what these avian pollinators are doing,” said Lisa Tell, a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “Establishing methods for gathering baseline data is really important and could potentially help conserve and protect these amazing birds in the future.”

reduce. reuse. recycle.

The aggie

BY PE T E R S MIT H science@theaggie.org

Chemotherapy is a paradox. It kills cancer cells but once the treatment is completed, it makes it easier for tumors to re-grow. Researchers at Harvard and UC Davis demonstrated in a paper published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that the leftover cell debris from chemotherapy can encourage tumor growth. The good news is that a novel drug developed at UC Davis might help mitigate the pro-tumor environment and improve health outcomes for chemotherapy patients.

Today, doctors have many tools to kill tumors, but it is almost impossible to eliminate every single cancer cell. In 70 percent of ovarian cancer patients treated with chemotherapy, cancer returns after treatment. The researchers found that cancer cells can more easily regrow after chemotherapy by taking advantage of the body’s response to the increased cell debris.

“The chemotherapy will kill the ovarian cancer, which is good news, but the bad news is that the leftover dead cells can stimulate the leftover living cells.” said Dipak Paigraphy, a professor at Harvard University and an author of the paper.

Special cells called macrophages clean up debris in the human body when cells die. After chemotherapy, there is so much debris that the macrophages call for help by releasing signaling molecules called cytokines. These cytokine signaling molecules initiate inflammation, a common biological response where increased immune system resources are sent to a damaged part of the body to help clean up and promote regrowth.

“The body says, ‘something is dreadfully wrong, I’m going to turn on a bunch of chemicals that I make in my body and try to survive the insult,’” said Bruce Hammock, a professor of Entomology and Nematology at UC Davis and an author of the paper.

In cancer patients, however, this inflammation can promote the re-growth of remaining cancer cells instead of normal cells.

The research team realized that if they could modulate or control the release of the signaling

molecules that promote inflammation, they could reduce the chance of cancer returning after chemotherapy.

The researchers used drugs that block the creation of the signaling molecules. In the body, special proteins called enzymes facilitate chemical reactions. A special enzyme called Cyclooxygenase-2, also known as COX-2, is responsible for producing many of the components of the signaling molecules, including the cytokines that the researchers wanted to control. Many off-the-shelf drugs like aspirin and motrin work by inhibiting this enzyme. In this project the researchers turned to a novel drug called PTUPB, which was developed at UC Davis by Sung Hee Hwang.

According to Jun Yang, a researcher in the Hammock Lab at UC Davis, the PTUPB drug blocks the COX-2 enzyme as well as another enzyme called sEH that also produces the components of signal molecules.

“The PTUPB is blocking the COX-2 enzyme and the sEH enzyme,” Yang said. “It’s blocking the way to transfer from the substrate to the product for both enzymes.”

PTUPB is a molecule that physically interrupts both enzymes and prevents them from producing the lipids that are the building blocks of the cytokine signalling molecules. Without the signal molecules, there are no messengers to raise the alarm and cause the inflammation that promotes the growth of tumor cells after chemotherapy.

The research team, led by Alison Gartung at Harvard, studied the effects of PTUPB on mice in the laboratory. They found that mice with cancer that were given PTUPB before chemotherapy had substantially better outcomes than mice who were just treated with chemotherapy.

According to Bruce Hammock, the PTUPB treatment looks promising.

“Ovarian cancer is particularly difficult because it’s so hard to get rid of. So the data from these studies in mice look really good,” Hammock said.

The researchers plan to continue testing the drug and eventually bring the drug to the public to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

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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.

LAST WEEK’S ANSWERS

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019 | 9

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10 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Feminist Research Institute to Host Art Exhibit UC Davis Feminist Research Institute looking for artists to showcase their artwork

BY ITZ E LT H G A M B OA arts@theaggie.org

The Feminist Research Institute is looking for UC Davis students to submit their artwork for an upcoming exhibition.

The exhibition calls for 2D and 3D artwork that reflects the theme of feminism, justice and transformation. Applications for the exhibit can be found on the Feminist Research Institute website. The application includes an artistic statement of 300 words or less and a short response on how the submitted piece reflects the theme of the exhibition.

The Research Institute wanted to create an artistic environment that would embody their beliefs. The exhibition is looking for art rooted in feminism.

“There isn’t one definition for [feminism],” said Jessica Lam, a fifth-year design student and events and sustainability designer at the Feminist Research Institute.

C A IT LY N SA M P L E Y / AGGI E

JESSICA LA M / COU RTESY

“And there’s a lot of debates going on throughout the world as to what that means because feminism is a western invention and so we want works that talk about marginalized experiences whether that is race or gender or sexuality. If there’s a justice-oriented side to it, we love that. If it’s transformative, it’s pretty much in line with what our research institute tries to do, that’s pretty much what we’re trying to do through hosting this exhibition.”

The Feminist Research Institute awards grants and hosts workshops for graduate students and UC Davis faculty. Grant recipients speak about their experience and the research they are doing with the grant provided by the Institute.

“It feels like really important work in the sense that I really believe in the importance and the power of feminism,” said Sarah McCullough, the associate director at the Feminist Research Institute at UC Davis.

“But feminist research in particular and

particularly as a sort of an intersectional project so thinking about gender as it relates and as it intersects with other systems of power such as race and class and ability, religion [and] sexuality.”

With this exhibition, the institute is hoping to stray away from its usual target population and focus their attention on undergraduate students, encouraging them to send in their work.

“We wanted to engage the undergraduate community a little bit more,” Lam said.

“So this exhibition is meant to showcase undergraduate students who have done artwork that is feminist-inspired and this is our attempt to not only reach out to undergrad communities but also to start supporting it a lot more than we have been.”

Along with focusing on undergraduates, the Feminist Research Institute aims to bring in more STEM students to the program. The institute’s mission is to support feminist research on campus and spread the information to different areas.

“Traditionally feminist research has really had a strong hold in the social sciences and humanities,” McCullough said. “But there is a real recognition that those sort of insights could really benefit STEM fields and so part of what we are doing is making more bridges work with STEM faculty and graduate students and undergrads to help them understand how some of the training that comes from feminist research could help them to do their research better.”

The exhibition will be held in the gender, sexuality and women’s studies office in Hart Hall. The office shares similar values

The Boys (minus one) are back: Vampire Weekend

as the Feminist Research Institute so the two complement each other. Though the exhibition will have an opening reception, the institute will keep the art pieces up for a month in order to give students the opportunity to appreciate the artwork on their own time.

“The exhibition was the idea of Rebecca Bihn-Wallace,” McCullough said. “One of the members of our creative undergrad research team, a studio arts major and a practicing artist. [She was] really enthralled by the idea of creating a student art exhibit that featured work that fosters some of our core values.”

The exhibition is optimistic about seeing artwork that engages in the possibility of transformation and creativity to make change in the world.

The deadline to submit artwork is Thursday, March 21. Students have all of Winter Quarter to create new pieces that could represent the values the Feminist Research Institute aims to embody.

When submitting work for the exhibition, Lam has a piece of advice for the creative undergraduates.

“Be confident with your work and your intention,” Lam said. “A part of our Google Form involves a personal statement involving your work but while that helps us interpret your work a little easier, we do have a great respect for art that speaks for itself and we are looking for as many voices and perspectives and expressions as possible.”

The date of the exhibition is to be determined, but updates can be found on the Feminist Research Institute website.

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Grab your Sperrys, Vampire Weekend is dropping a new album

BY C A ROL I N E RU T T E N arts@theaggie.org

Do you remember your first breakup? That feeling of confusion? It came out of left field, you thought everything was going well. You felt embarrassed and shocked knowing that, to the other person, it was not as dreamy and cohesive as you viewed it. But you loved that person, and you had to trust and respect their decision. That’s how I felt when Ivy-League educated, indie-rock band Vampire Weekend broke up.

The 2016 absence of Rostam Batmanglij, once the mastermind of Vampire Weekend’s sound, left unanswered questions concerning the future of the band. After all, the band was tight and seemingly stable. Fellow Columbia University students Ezra Koenig, Chris Tomson, Chris Baio and Batmanglij met in 2006 at Columbia and first performed on-campus in Lerner Hall. With the release of their first album in 2008, their dynamic instrumental sound waves reached popularity. The band differentiated itself from the repetitious sounds often criticized of the indie rock genre by combining Afro-pop and New England groove.

Vampire Weekend’s wicked smart lyrics, written by Koenig, spoke of their New York City lifestyle. Yet, their lyrics juxtaposed humbling narratives of romantic partners and their own personal history and growth. They advanced in increasing complexity and musical command with the release of each album. Pitchfork even declared “Hannah Hunt,” from their latest release “Modern Vampires of the City,” a pinnacle moment in the band’s career. Indeed, “Modern Vampires of the City” made the band “a primary source in their own right.” There was an essence of invincibility with the band, an entity so perfect with no conclusion in sight.

They may have hinted at the breakup of the original band membership with “Modern Vampires of the City,” an album overwhelmingly concerned with death. They touched on sentiments of accepting the inevitable in both getting older and the unavoidable end. They also emphasized taking your time throughout the process and the joy found in the process. The al-

bum left the band in a place of high musical and lyrical maturity and therefore at a crossroads: where does one go from the top?

A drastic change in the band may have been the most strategic move, like knowing to end a T.V. series at a high point. They reached their peak within that band dynamic, and it was time for something new to unfold.

Batmanglij has since begun his solo career, one that’s equally creative as his musical feats in Vampire Weekend.

He is, in a way, starting from square one but with the experience of a master to guide him.

The remaining original members of Vampire Weekend are doing the same. After six years of waiting, they are releasing their fourth album “Father Of The Bride,” teased for months on Instagram as “FOTB” and previously titled “Mitsubishi Macchiato.”

Just two weeks ago, they released two singles from the album: “Harmony Hall” and “2021.” To further build up fanbase anticipation, they will drop four more songs before the release of their 18-track album scheduled for spring.

At first listen, “Harmony Hall” and “2021” were much simpler than expected. For the first taste of Vampire weekend in six years, I was expecting a bang: complicated chords found in “Campus” and the playfulness of “Diane Young.” Fan anxiety was instead met with upbeat guitar chords in “Harmony Hall” and Koenig’s soft hums within the 1:38 run time of “2021.” Moreover, “Harmony Hall” recycles lyrics “I don’t wanna live like this, but I don’t wanna die” from “Finger Back” in “Modern Vampire of the City.” Using repeated lyrics and simple sounds, did Vampire Weekend take 10 steps backward?

Of course not. It’s Vampire Weekend — they’re intentional, well thought out and precise in their actions. Koenig is once again teasing the listener, using these two singles to set the stage for what is to come when the full album releases. The singles are a platform to confront the changes and newness of the band head on.

“2021” looks to the future, asking the upcoming years to be kind to both us and Vampire Weekend. Koenig asks time, “will you think about me” and

“will you think about us?” The motifs of passing time and development is a continuation from “Modern Vampires of the City.” Yet, what’s different is the quasi-materialist approach taken in this second attempt: Vampire Weekend is not simply thinking about the concept of change, but are now enduring it. Koenig admits he doesn’t “wanna be (boy)” or the young collegiate image that the old membership represented. In this way, the revived lyrics from “Finger Back” in “Harmony Hall” are appropriate — comforting the fan base that they are still the same Vampire Weekend at heart, but the different use and meaning of the lyrics illustrate that they too are changing with the flow of time.

“Harmony Hall” also takes on a greater scope of analysis than the narration Vampire Weekend has previously done. The image of Harmony Hall could be seen as an echo chamber witnessing the horrifyingly polar opinions in our political climate — “anybody with a worried mind could never forgive the sight.” The “wicked snakes” mentioned in the chorus could be a classic Vampire Weekend biblical allusion or a manifestation of divisiveness. Another perspective would view the “snakes inside a place you thought was dignified” as a nod to their Columbia University education. Koenig criticizes the anti-semitic occurrences at Columbia, casting off the prestige of the university and the connection it held to the band. These twisted snakes may take the shape of a problematic symbol on Harmony Hall walls.

Vampire Weekend is becoming more conscious in what they represent as a band, simultaneously keeping certain aspects from their old dynamic and ridding themselves of others.

They may become less lofty, trying to bring themselves down to earth. Vampire Weekend is now entering into a phase of juxtaposition, remaining timeless yet forward-thinking.

Vampire Weekend is onto something new, something bigger, something better. Time will tell how it unfolds.

Vampire Weekend will kick off their “Father of the Bride” tour in May. Tickets can be found on Ticketmaster.

Review: T-Kumi Ramen New ramen restaurant hits the spot

BY CHEY ENNE WI SEMAN arts@theaggie.org

T-Kumi Ramen had its soft opening in mid-January in West Davis. Located on the second floor of the Westlake Plaza shopping center, T-Kumi Ramen offers quick-service ramen, rice bowls, snacks and boba tea.

The restaurant’s ramen is customizable: there are four different types of broth to choose from and ten choices for protein including chashu, crispy tofu, garlic prawn and soft shell crab. Other additions are available as well.

The serving sizes are big and this extends to the protein as well, with a generous amount of tofu, seafood or meat given. The broth is rich and flavorful, and the noodles are satisfyingly firm. The crispy tofu is well-seasoned and tastes delicious on its own or added to the ramen.

T-Kumi Ramen also offers rice bowls and a variety of other snacks, such as the T-Kumi Green Onion Pancake, takoyaki, bacon cheese sticks, french fries and several others. Along with classic milk teas, T-Kumi offers popular toppings for boba tea, as well as frozen tea, coffee and fruit drinks.

The food is decently priced, ideal for college students and community members alike. Ramen with tofu costs $9.75, and ramen with seafood costs a few dollars more.

T-Kumi currently offers three combo deals, providing a discounted price for food and drinks purchased together.

While located far from the bustle of downtown, T-Kumi Ramen is close to many apartment complexes that are popular with students. Westlake Plaza is also home to a grocery store and several other restaurants and businesses, including the popular boba cafe Mandro Teahouse.

T-Kumi Ramen, with its large seating area and casual environment, seems to be in competition with Mandro Teahouse as a hangout spot for students. T-Kumi Ramen is emerging as a friendly place to study, with customers ordering and paying upfront, where the WiFi password is displayed at the register.

Though it has not yet had its grand opening, T-Kumi Ramen has received predominantly positive reviews on Yelp and Yahoo rating websites.

T-Kumi Ramen is great for a quick bite at a reasonable price. Though it’s a 10- to 15-minute drive from campus, Westlake Plaza has its own parking lot, making T-Kumi Ramen an attractive alternative to the traffic and parking mess of downtown Davis. Soft-opening hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019 | 11

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Trivia Night

C A I TLYN SAM P LEY/ AGGI E

BY R OSI E SC HWA R Z arts@theaggie.org

When people picture the bar scene at Davis, it’s filled with memories of G Street Wunderbar’s “funk night” or Froggy’s karaoke. While many still attend the famous Tuesday trivia night at Sophia’s Thai Bar and Kitchen, this bar activity seems to be in a different category of socializing than others.

The appeal of trivia night is its perfect synthesis of energetic and relaxed atmosphere, as users turn off their phones, sit with their selected teams and try to recall all of the necessary knowledge that they have accumulated over the years.

Different than other bar games, trivia night requires strict teams of smaller numbers. Attendees must choose the group they want to play with in a friendly and collaborative manner. Because of this, trivia is often more intimate than the large social scene of other bars, as players sit in silence and anticipation for the pubmaster’s question instead of talking loudly or dancing to music. While attendees might find friends on other teams, those friends will be their friendly competition that they can talk to during breaks in the game, but for the most part will stay with their team.

Davis students test their smarts at various trivia nights

Popular trivia nights in Davis are offered almost every night of the week: on Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at de Vere’s Irish Pub, on Tuesday from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. at Sophia’s Thai Bar and Kitchen, on Wednesday from 8 to 10 p.m. at University of Beer, on Thursday from 9 to 11 p.m. at Woodstocks and on Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. at Davis’ new brewery, Three Mile Brewing.

While trivia night at Sophia’s and other bars are for ages 21 and up, Woodstocks and de Veres offer trivia for all ages. Each location has specific rules for the game regarding team numbers, drink minimums, difficulty and prizes. Usually, the teams range between five and eight members with prizes that include gift cards to use at the location or a bottle of wine. Although different locations range in enforcement of their phone policy, most attendants respect the rules and don’t think twice about putting their phone away for two hours of questions, contributing to the comfortable and intimate atmosphere of the game.

Sophia’s Thai Restaurant was the first bar in Davis to begin the beloved trivia night tradition in 2005 and almost always reaches its limit of forty teams during the summer and spring, according to Davis Wiki’s page on trivia nights. With a range of un-

FASULO CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

He claims Fasulo attempted to provide her final paycheck by mailing it to her home address as registered with the company.

“We don’t know why she left, she didn’t explain the reasoning for leaving, but she never returned,” Smith said. “When she didn’t return, Mr. Fasulo cut her final check [...] and when she didn’t come for it, he mailed it to her last known address.”

Smith claimed that Fasulo never made the alleged racist comments and that his restaurant does not have an “English-only” policy. Policies prohibiting other languages in the workplace are considered unlawful national-origin discrimination by the federal Equal Opportunity Commision and the California DFEH, unless the owner can prove it is justified by “business necessity.”

According to Smith, the only altercation that day occurred with another employee, contradicting Perez’s account of events.

“He didn’t make any comments to Ms. Perez,” Smith said. “There was an altercation between a waitress and Mr. Fasulo. Ms. Perez was not a party to that conversation. Mr. Fasulo doesn’t even know if she was in earshot of that conversation.”

Smith alleged that Fasulo was training the waitress at the time, when he heard the waitress-in-training speaking Spanish loudly in the dining room.

“Mr. Fasulo said to this waitress, ‘Look,

we need to speak English in the dining room, because when guests are present, they feel uncomfortable with people speaking languages they don’t understand,’” Smith said. “We don’t believe that was taken as a statement of policy, because it’s not a policy.

It’s courtesy, and Mr. Fasulo was trying to teach this young lady about courtesy when she is serving.”

Smith said that he believed that the waitress in question was Janet Ruelas-Nava, a third-year nutrition science major at UC Davis, who was also formerly employed at Osteria Fasulo. The alleged complaint from the Center for Workers’ Rights includes a declaration from Ruelas-Nava corroborating Perez’s account of events.

According to Smith, Fasulo is an Italian immigrant who is fluent in five languages — including Spanish — and not a native English speaker himself. Fasulo was close with Perez throughout her off-and-on employment spanning over a decade at Osteria Fasulo, Smith said, and was hurt by her accusations. He expressed some skepticism that Perez was the sole party behind the accusations.

“Mr. Fasulo would babysit Ms. Perez’s children as they were growing up,” Smith said. “They were very, very close, and he’s very hurt by the actions that are being taken.

He feels they are only being taken because

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

“It is the same community as people in my animal science classes but in a different way, which is a really cool thing,” Cotti said.

“Some of my best friends are people who have horses, so I always have someone to look after him. I see them on campus, and I have people I can talk about weird horse girl things with, which I think is fun.”

DENA BEARD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

tackling systems in life that she sees as oppressive or detrimental to the good of the world.

“I choose people who will change me,” Beard said. These chosen artists then get to completely take over the space during their allotted time with The Lab. Kayla Sabella-Sandhagen, a second-year art studio major, found the lecture and Beard’s words inspiring.

“I’m ready to go create,” Sabello-Sandhagen said.

backgrounds,” Smith said. “The best rounded teams perform the best, and I love that it encourages a well-rounded friend group.”

For Smith and many others, the variety of knowledge present on all trivia teams is not a result of pulling together random people to create a versatile team, but the opposite. It’s a testament to how everyone’s interests and passions can come together for two hours and pass a clipboard around to their friends that might know more about literature, science or pop culture.

Camron Clifton, a fourth-year food science major, explained where his knowledge for trivia often comes from, and the most rewarding part of knowing an answer.

“My favorite part of trivia is getting a group of my friends out there and trying to remember as much random stuff we’ve learned in our 20 years of going to school or random pop culture knowledge,” Clifton said. “Sometimes you forget something and it makes you irrationally angry, other times you remember some random fact from your random GE you took freshman year. Trivia is a great night at the bars because it’s all about getting a small group of friends together, having a couple drinks and testing your wits. Especially when you know other teams and can talk trash. Overall it’s very wholesome and super laid back.”

For most bargoers, trivia night is a tradition that cannot be replaced by any other bar activity because of its unique ability to bring friends together and give them an activity to test their intellect, put their phones away and flaunt their knowledge all while having fun.

Tell them you care...

Valentine’s Day is coming February 14th, and the Aggie can help you proclaim your love and state your devotion with a special message in our Valentine’s Day issue!

Free Classified Ads

Go to https://theaggie.org/classifieds and click on ‘Place Advertisement - Online’, under the category of Announcements. We will include the text only ad in the printed newspaper at no charge as well.

Display Ads only $5 per column inch 1x1 = $5 1x2 = $10 1x3 = $15 2x2 = $20 2x3 = $30 2x4 = $40 Etc...

Hey Jake, YOU ROCK! xoxo 1 col x 1 inch

Dear Katelin,

HORSE BOARDING [riding], as I really need this. I should go every day, see him, love him, spend time with him, and just growing as a person has helped that.”

According to Cotti, she said she has really enjoyed the overall experience of keeping her horse on campus with her and joining the UC Davis horse community.

dergraduates, graduate students and other professionals in Davis, trivia night offers a chance for teams to share their diversity of knowledge and information amassed over the years.

Jacob Ganz, a fourth-year history and political science double major and regular first place winner at Sofia’s trivia night, expressed his love for trivia night as one rooted in friendship and the cult following of trivia night’s pubmaster Kevin.

“My favorite thing about trivia night is the camaraderie,” Ganz said. “It is so much fun to get together with your friends for a couple of hours during a busy week and not think about school. I love that the trivia is challenging and that Kevin is so much fun with all of [his] inside jokes and quirks.

From the team names to the bartenders knowing more of the answers than the teams playing, I love Sofia’s trivia. The most satisfying feeling is winning trivia and taking a photo with Kevin which is truly the highest level of achievement possible in Davis.”

For many trivia night goers, planning teams includes choosing different fields of knowledge that individual people have in order to make a well-balanced team. As friends go through and decide which of their teammates have expertise in what subject, team members grow in intellectual validation and confidence as they realize that the random knowledge they might know is actually applicable and appreciated.

For fourth-year sociology major Nicole Smith, seeing the range in knowledge of her team is her favorite part.

“I love that trivia night brings people together of different skill sets and of different

Amanda Flowers, a fourth-year English major, said that Beard’s philosophy and what she does with The Lab is inventive.

“It is an interesting use of theory that was applied to art in a way I haven’t seen it,” Flowers said.

More lectures will be held throughout the year for this series. Public lectures are held at 4:30 p.m. in the Manetti Shrem Museum in the Community Education Room. Lectures are free and open to the public. A schedule can be found at the Manetti Shrem website.

Will you be my valentine?

Yours, Amy

Mom & Dad, You’re the best! I love you so much!

Thank you for being there for me :) Love, Liv

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12 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

CAFE WALTER

COLLEGE TUITION

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The cafe’s food and beverage offerings are through a partnership with Capitol Garage, a Sacramento restaurant. Once a week biscuits with honey butter from Porch, Capitol Garage’s sister restaurant, are brought to the cafe. According to Hellwig, the scones are “delicious” when warmed up.

Capitol Garage manages concessions and a full-bar for night-time shows, in both Jackson Hall, with a capacity for 1,800, and the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre, with a capacity for 250. Café Walter plans to offer a limited coffee menu for smaller nighttime shows.

“We will use the espresso machine [...] usually just for the shows that are going to be in the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre,” Hellwig said. “Otherwise, it backs up the line when you have 1,200 or 1,500 people.”

The Mondavi Center houses Jackson Hall, where undergraduate classes are taught throughout the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and once a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. According to Hellwig, traffic at Cafe Walter has being slowly picking up, and it already sees visits from students, staff and faculty who aren’t already inside the Mondavi Center and are nearby on campus.

Lisa Illes, a fourth-year biological systems engineering major, has a class across from the Mondavi Center in the Graduate School of Management once a week. Illes said that it makes sense to have an addi-

tional coffee shop there, as it’s easier to access, specifically for people at the Manetti Shrem Museum, the Welcome Center, the Alumni Center, the Conference Center and the Graduate School of Management.

“It’s really convenient to get to just hop across the quad and grab some coffee during the lunch hour,” Illes said.

Illes never interacted with Walter, but she thinks that it’s “cute” that the café is named after him, and that there’s a framed picture of him.

Third-year economics and statistics major Stephanie Lu went to Cafe Walter for the first time because she had an interview in the Conference Center. Lu thinks that the cafe will attract people who are willing to go out of their way to get there. She described it as less crowded than the Coffee House in the Memorial Union, where many students gather to meet or study. Lu thinks she will go to Cafe Walter maybe once a quarter.

“I live in downtown, so it’s kind of far for me to come here, but maybe if I want to [go] to the Arboretum or somewhere around here, I might come,” Lu said.

Despite Lu describing it as not too crowded, Hellwig thinks that might change soon.

“We’re pretty steady throughout the day,” Hellwig said. “But I think once we get our full food menu up and going, we’re going to be pretty busy all day long.”

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saving some of their eggs and meat for their family and improving their nutrition.”

Another extension strategy incorporated chicken production lessons into primary school curriculum. Women attend school at lower rates than men, creating language barriers and preventing access to information.

Their children, however, can learn to manage chickens and build chicken coops at school, translating their skills to their mothers, families, neighbors and the chicken businesses.

“We’ve had interviews about inequities in intrahousehold food distribution,” Grey Rutamu said. “The order of who got what may adversely impact members of the family. A woman would feed her husband and children before herself, leaving her with a diet of limited nutrients.”

By empowering women with agricultural and nutritional knowledge, women are more adept at making decisions that shape their families’ well-being and their own, improving the nutrition and economic development of their communities.

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The value of the college degree was also discussed as being caught in the crossfire of a free tuition system.

“I think, for undergraduate students, what [free tuition] would do is make a bachelor’s degree essentially the equivalent of a high school diploma,” Dickman said.

“That would mean people would have to get a master’s degree, which, unless that is made free as well, it would really only be accessible to the upper class.”

Dickman also said that admitting international students may become more prevalent if tuition was free because public universities would still need to find a way to make money.

“The UC system accepts a lot of international students because they’re able to charge nearly twice as much,” Dickman said. “If tuition is suddenly free for Americans, there may be a problem where colleges would start admitting more international students as opposed to local residents.”

Aidan Pelle, a second-year chemical engineering major, shared Dickman’s sentiments, believing that free college tuition would encourage more students to attend college. He explained how, in his own family, it’s been difficult to support himself and his siblings all going to college. Pelle stated he may end up graduating with nearly $60,000 in debt.

Pelle described how free tuition would allow students greater opportunities to explore their interests instead of trying to graduate as quickly as possible.

“Personally, I like the idea of having one or two years to test out GE’s and see what major you’d actually like to go into,” Pelle said. “At the same time, I could see a lot more people just spending time in college to get away from their own personal issues.”

In addition to having students enroll in college simply to find a safe haven, Pelle also feared that free tuition would mean colleges would remove several aspects of college life he finds enjoyable.

“I would be concerned that colleges might cut out a lot of extracurriculars and classes, since cuts would have to happen somewhere,” Pelle said. “I really like the campus here and everything that is offered with it, so it would be sad to see a lot of extra classes go if college was free.”

Pelle also commented on the value of the college degree and how, if we moved to a free system, emphasis on grades and performance would mean more than sim-

ply getting a degree in a specific field. This would put an immense amount of pressure on students to do well and maintain a high GPA since the college degree would not tell the full story of a student’s individual success.

Andrew Lewis, a fourth-year civil engineering major, believes that, for societal good, a free college tuition system would be a great step in the right direction. Lewis agreed with Pelle that encouraging students to take more time to explore their interests may actually prove to be a hindrance.

“In my opinion, if we shifted to a free system, it would have to take more of a directed and focused approach,” Lewis said.

“If taxpayers are supporting people’s education, then that system should get the most utility out of it. It’s difficult because a lot of people aren’t sure what they want to do, but we can’t have people staying in college for eight years because they don’t know what they’re going to do.”

Lewis also mentioned the contrast between trade schools and colleges, and how colleges should take more time in providing students with the necessary skills to enter the real world. While trade schools are an excellent avenue to learn specialized skills, Lewis stressed how important it is for public colleges to equip students with the abilities needed for their desired field.

A free system may hinder that progress, but the real costs of college now may be offset by these larger goals.

When considering the effect free tuition would have on overall college admissions, Lewis described the conflict he believes could arise when deciding how to handle accepting students.

“I think there would have to be some kind of regulations about how colleges admit applicants,” Lewis said. “The states would probably get to determine their own twists on it, and polytechnic schools would probably require higher math standards.”

While the question of a free college tuition system may not have the clearest answer, it is a polarizing topic that should be considered carefully moving forward.

Students from all backgrounds know the cumbersome issues of paying for college, but these costs include more than just classes or a college experience. Time will only tell how college costs will be addressed, but one thing is clear: students are willing to compromise with both sides to find a viable solution.

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war, paying the company dividends — Nike sales increased 31 percent after the ad campaign. Missing from the national debate was the fact that it came out at the same time Nike was fending off allegations from United Students Against Sweatshops over worker exploitation. Ironically, Nike did little to reciprocate the political action of their consumers — they immediately proceeded to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to congressional Republicans during the 2018

midterms.

Ultimately, the appropriation of social justice by major corporations has done little to benefit these movements themselves.

Instead, it has traded the interests of the worker in favor of the shareholder, allowing corporate giants to pursue relentless capitalism. But as corporate exploitation becomes increasingly apparent, it is debatable just how long this tactic can last. Unfortunately for now, it is a winning strategy.

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Luigi — People who bullied you in high school should watch out now Peach — You act like a damsel in distress to get what you want Daisy — Did I stutter?

Captain Falcon — You’re always the designated driver Bowser — Anytime you’re losing, you make sure no one else is having fun anymore Bowser Jr. — You’re just. Like. Your father!

Zelda — You were never the damsel in distress, just the artsy one who drew doodles and cosplayed Ganondorf — There is no 100 percent around you Pit — She tells you not to worry about other guys Dark Pit — She tells guys not to worry about you Diddy Kong — The MacGyver of the group, but you still can’t manage to pick up your trash

Olimar — You microdose LSD and have just accepted your role as The Plant King R.O.B. — You make sure everyone knows you’re the real Nintendo fanboy Little Mac — Getting gimped is your kink Palutena — Not as innocent as you look Shulk — Your accent only comes out when you’re angry Duck Hunt — Constantly confused as to why you’re even here, but fun at parties Corrin — You can’t do anything but be counter to what other people do Bayonetta — Everything’s up in the air for you Ridley — Most likely to “YEET” in any given situation Simon — Moderator of Dank Christian Memes Richter — Moderator of Dank Christian Memes for Devout Christian Teens Incineroar — Always throwing shit around

reduce. reuse. recycle.

The aggie

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019 | 13

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

COACHELLA

OROPEZA

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“Now that I know the set list, I have to admit that the headliners are a little disappointing,” Yim said. “Ariana Grande is great but I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to see her. There are a few smaller artists attending who are the ones that I’m more excited about. At the end of the day, I feel like it’s still worth it to go and it would still be really fun.”

Yim noted that for attendees returning to Coachella this year, it may be a less exciting experience than for those attending for the first time.

While the lineup for this coming year may be somewhat disappointing in comparison to previous years, the actual experience of attending Coachella is what many people look forward to.

“If I went last year, I might be less inclined to go right now,” Yim said. “But sometimes it’s more fun to be in the crowd for the smaller artists just because there’s less hype for them. All in all, Coachella would still be great for the Instagram and the experience itself would be really fun to have with friends. Since it’s something that I haven’t done before, I think it would be a really cool bucket list experience to have. I’ve always had a good time at music festivals, and I’ve always taken away fun memories with my friends at those events. Despite the lineup, music festivals are always going to be fun.”

Individuals returning to Coachella this year noted that there are both pros and

cons to this year’s more relaxed lineup. Wesley Yu, a UC Davis alumnus, plans on attending Coachella for the second time, and shares his excitement for this year’s different Coachella experience.

“I’m excited to keep an eye out for the food and the art installations that are going to be there,” Yu said. “Last year the lineup was really good, but it meant that we were always rushing around to find the stage for the next artist. This year, because there are less artists that I actually want to see, I have more time to walk around and just take my time in experiencing the festival. I think last year was both good and bad in that I couldn’t really get the full Coachella experience with the additional art installations. This year, I can do all of that while still attending the performances that I want to see.”

Yu emphasized that while the music at Coachella is a huge component to the festival, a large part of the experience is the ability to take advantage of everything that Coachella has to offer, from its food stalls to the various art installations to simply relaxing and catching up with friends.

“You can’t have Coachella without the music, and Coachella without all of the art installations would be pretty bland,” Yu said. “It wouldn’t be Coachella without one or the other. Both the music and the art leads to the overall experience that makes Coachella so iconic. Either way, I’m excited for this year’s festival.”

reconstruction repairs. Unfortunately, dam problems don’t stop there.

Human-induced reservoirs have been linked to more earthquakes, and the Oroville Dam is no exception. A few years after the dam was built in 1967— creating California’s second largest reservoir — the area was struck by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. A U.S. Geological Survey investigation into the recent Oroville Dam crisis proved that using spillways to prevent overflow can also trigger earthquakes.

We don’t think of the environmental impacts we cause until the ground under our feet starts shaking. We have been using the environment to our benefit without regard for the cost since before the first dam was created. It’s time to rethink the idea of dams as a “clean” renewable energy source. It’s time to look back at history and learn from our mistakes. It is not sustainable to live by creating personal benefits at the expense of the environment.

Just as we’re rethinking our use of coal and nuclear power, we must also question our use of hydropower from dams. If we sit too comfortably with this historic technology, we rob ourselves of the opportunity for innovation.

If we can learn to shop for our food in-season because it’s a more sustainable way of living, why can’t we act similarly when we build our communities or acquire our energy?

It might take years to get out of the hole we’ve dug; we’ve built our homes and businesses along the depleted rivers that these dams block.

We might have wed ourselves to dams but divorce is imminent.

KUMAGAI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Won’t fix residents’ microwaves that have been broken for a year? Tremendous. This place has their priorities straighter than my d- [Editor’s note: the rest of this sentence was redacted for your safety.]

And then I met the guy in charge of the whole thing. He was really, really terrific. His name’s Wesley Villiger. He gave me a smile with eyes that screamed ‘end my suffering,’ which seems to be a common theme around here. He smiled more bigly when I told him I was thinking of making him my secretary, so he’s all aboard the Trump train. He also gave me what the kids call a ‘swag bag.’ I’m a yuuuuuge fan of West Village.”

WEQ VS DELAWARE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

dynamics going on between a horse and its rider as well as the passion for horses that all riders share.

“In this sport we have a teammate with us at all times,” Russell said, referring to what it’s like to compete in a sport where another species has an equal role in success.

“But this teammate has a mind of it’s own, we can’t talk, so we have to find a middle ground to talk to them.”

The victory over Delaware State has flushed away much of the building anxiety the Aggies had about entering the fray of Division I equestrian competition.

“We’re so fresh and we’re just the underdogs anywhere,” Russell said. “We all said, ‘we don’t want to be looked down on, we have to prove ourselves.’ We were able to prove that we’re here to make a statement.”

The Aggies will travel to Texas later this

month for a three game road campaign against some premiere equestrian colleges.

“This month is going to be fast and furious,” said Weisinger.

The Aggies will take on No. 4 Texas A&M on Feb. 16, before going into a grueling two day stretch the week after, against No. 6 TCU and ending against No. 2 SMU. Weisinger got her start in college equestrian at Texas A&M, her alma mater, where she was a student athlete and later began a four year stint as assistant horsemanship coach, “Obviously there’s a lot of emotions going back home, my family and friends will be there. But they’ll be wearing navy blue and gold and they’ll be cheering for the UC Davis Aggies.”

“It’ll be good to see everybody, all the A&M girls,” Weisinger said. “It’ll be tough, but it’ll be good.”

MAHALIA WHITE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

think about my future a lot more,” White said. “I want to work in sports, but I want to work with nonprofit organizations that worked with injured athletes or athletes who are going through treatment because that is what really helped me to stay positive. I just want to see how far I can go with volleyball and how far that takes me.”

As far as the biggest life lesson that she took away from the process, White believes she came away with a realization about her

mental strength.

“I definitely learned how to be mentally strong,” White said. “For a long time, I lost all my weight and lost my strength to do a lot of things, so being mentally strong will take you further than physical strength.”

If one thing is for sure, it’s that White will never stop pushing. Fans and community members alike are waiting for the day when she will step back onto the court and continue to show everyone her fighting spirit.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

14 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2019

backstop JU ST I N H A N / AG G I E

EQUESTRIAN WINS FIRST EVER COMPETITION AGAINST NO. 9 DELAWARE STATE Aggies top Hornets 10-5 in inaugural meet

BY BOBBY JO HN sports@theaggie.org

UC Davis Equestrian took down No. 9 Delaware State 10-5 in its first ever National Collegiate Equestrian Association meet at the UC Davis Equestrian Center last Thursday. Two UC Davis riders also earned Most Outstanding Player awards for their performances.

The equestrian program has come a long way in a very short time. The UC Davis athletics department announced the addition of equestrian to its Division I offering last March.

“We’re ecstatic, I couldn’t have asked for a better day,” said Head Coach Jessie Weisinger.

It was no small feat for UC Davis to host ME E N A R U G H / AG G I E

an event of this caliber given the considerable preparation involved in NCEA competitions.

“To host our first event and for it to go as smooth as it did, it’s just icing on the cake to walk away with the [win],” said Weisinger.

Assistant Coach Jill Humphrey, a 2004 UC Davis alumna, said it was exciting to see the program’s first meet on Thursday. She participated on the equestrian club team back when she was an undergraduate.

“I think it makes it extra special to be back at UC Davis and see all the constant improvements and developments,” Humphrey said.

The UC Davis-hosted competition included three events: equitation over fences, equitation on the flat and horsemanship.

Reining was not included but will be fea-

tured in UC Davis’ next home competition against Fresno State in March.

The host school provides the horses for the competition. This means that competitors from the visiting team are typically not familiar with these horses, giving the home team a slight edge in terms of familiarity with the animals.

Five horses are randomly assigned to a pair of riders, one from each team. Riders are allowed a warm up before their event starts to feel out the horse, then one rider from each school gets a chance to run the pattern with the horse.

In equitation over fences, senior hunter seat rider Lily Ulrich snagged one of the two UC Davis MOP awards with a score of 87.0, the highest of the 10 riders competing in the event. Riders are judged based on how smoothly they complete the course, including the consistency of the jumps. UC Davis took four of the available five points in this event.

For the horsemanship event, senior horsemanship riders Olivia Russell and Katrina Macalello secured two points for the Aggies. Horsemanship is one of two western events where the rider must maintain a flawless composure and strive for elegance within a preordained pattern. The more effortlessly the rider can execute the pattern, the higher the judges will score them. This is the only event that Delaware State edged out UC Davis, taking three points out of five.

Going into the equitation on the flat event, UC Davis led 6-4. Freshman hunter seat rider Keely Laughlin took the top spot and the second MOP award with a score of 85.0. This event requires that the rider guide the horse through a pattern, and the judges

then determine how well the horse executed the pattern. UC Davis secured four of the available five points in this event.

“We tried our best, and I’m so happy because we are literally 20 people and I know a lot of teams are 60 people, so it’s pretty impressive,” Laughlin said. “I’ve showed for a long time so I wasn’t nervous, I focused and wanted to perform my best for the team.”

To the untrained eye, it could be difficult to distinguish casual riding from the nuances of collegiate equestrian. There are patterns and intricate moves that the rider must execute. Riders from each team are paired with a horse and both riders go headto-head with each other. This format shows the judges what each rider has in her arsenal.

Some riders could make certain mistakes in a pattern, while other riders execute that same pattern flawlessly, revealing skill gaps while also evening the playing field.

Russell explained how she competed that day in horsemanship.

“I drew a horse that I’ve ridden before, I got to watch the girl I went head-to-head with ride,” Russell said, noting that it could potentially be a disadvantage to draw the second ride because the horse might get tired of doing the same pattern.

“That’s something that Coach [Weisinger] tells us when we go in for our four minutes is to get the horse back on your side.

If the rider behind you was doing spins or flying lead changes over and over again, just get the horse back on your side.”

The NCEA refers to horses as “living piece[s] of equipment.” While this is technically correct, it doesn’t fully explain the WEQ VS DELAWARE on 13

VOLLEYBALL’S MAHALIA WHITE BATTLES BACK

A L LYSON KO / AG GIE

Sophomore outside hitter discusses her cancer journey and gradual return to the court

BY RYA N BUG SCH sports@theaggie.org

After a spectacular freshman year performance in which she led the UC Davis volleyball team in number of kills, Mahalia White, now sophomore outside hitter, was named Big West Freshman Player of the Week six times and became the first player in program history to be awarded Big West Conference Freshman of the Year. It seemed as if White could not be slowed down.

That was until she received a diagnosis that changed her life.

Dealing with constant back pain near the end of the 2017-18 season, White assumed it was simply an injury resulting from her hours of hard work and training throughout the season. After the season was over, however, an MRI revealed cancer, specifically stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“When I first had my diagnosis I was very naive about it and thought we were going to get this [treatment] done very fast,” White said. “Also when I first heard, I thought that was going to be the end of my career because at first they didn’t know what kind of cancer it was. When they told me it was curable I knew it would be a long process, but now it feels like I never went through it. I know I have to be patient with recovery. It’s a blessing I can still do what I love to do.”

According to the American Cancer Society, people diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma have around a 65 percent five-year survival rate. It would take time off of the court, a significantly lightened course load and numerous rounds of chemotherapy, but White was told she would eventually be able to return back to the sport she loves.

For White, it was about being optimistic throughout her chemo treatment as well as in her current remission process.

“Now I know that I can get through anything,” White stated. “I experienced the worst thing I’ve ever been through. The little soreness I have now is worth it compared to all the time I was sick. I think to be optimistic is just that I worked so hard to get to where I am now, so I have to keep going.”

With her support system consisting of her

parents, her two brothers, her teammates and other UC Davis athletes, White was able to stay strong throughout the treatment process. UC Davis volleyball Head Coach Dan Conners and 40 UC Davis athletes from other sports shaved their heads in support of White and raised money for children’s cancer research during a St. Baldricks Foundation fundraiser. White’s mother, a breast cancer survivor who finished her treatment five months before White’s diagnosis, was one of the outside hitter’s biggest supporters, always reminding her to keep fighting.

“My family are all very close and we have a very close bond,” White said. “My mom would come visit me every couple weeks, and my brothers and dad would always check up on me to see how I was. My friends in Davis and at home did the most for me and that kind of stuff, like calling me to see how I was [...was] the most sentimental to me. At that time, I just needed people to keep my mind off things, so it was good to have people be around.”

Now, just over a year since her first diagnosis, White is in remission. Recent tests and scans look nothing other than promising for the volleyball star. The sophomore is back with a full class schedule, biking to classes and slowly beginning to get back onto the court. Her current training regimen includes daily conditioning and minor technical skills practice to slowly ease her way back in before the beach volleyball season begins in early March.

“Now that I am back into it, it feels good to have things keep me occupied throughout the day,” White said. “It feels good to exercise and continue to play volleyball with my friends and just have stuff going on.”

While her first goal is still to pursue a professional volleyball career, her experience and help from nonprofit organizations such as Keaton’s Child Cancer Alliance and St. Baldrick’s opened her eyes to a possible future career that she had never considered.

“For a long time I was just thinking about the right now, and now I actually MAHALIA WHITE on 13

PATRIOTS DYNASTY ROLLS ON WITH SIXTH TITLE Defense dominates in lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever

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

The 2018 NFL season was undoubtedly the greatest offensive showcase in league history. A record 1,371 touchdowns were scored in the regular season and quarterbacks absolutely feasted on opposing defenses, setting records for touchdown passes, completion percentage and passer rating.

With all of that said, Sunday’s Super Bowl proved that the old adage “defense wins championships” still rings true in the game of football. In the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history, the New England Patriots captured their sixth Lombardi Trophy with a 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

It was a rather dull affair for fans, relative to some of the heart-stopping games witnessed all year long and throughout the playoffs. But that didn’t stop the Patriots from further cementing themselves in the history books and extending one of the greatest dynasties ever seen in professional sports.

New England is now tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowls won ever. In addition, Head Coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady stand alone with the most Super Bowl titles of any single coach or player in NFL history.

Sunday’s game got off to a rough start for the Patriots, as Brady threw an interception on the opening drive and kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 46-yard field goal on the team’s second drive.

Meanwhile, the high-flying Rams offense was completely stifled by New England, as the team’s first eight possessions resulted in punts. Los Angeles never ran a single play

from inside the red zone the entire night.

A 42-yard field goal by Gostkowski in the second quarter was the only scoring play in a completely uneventful first half.

Following a halftime show that featured the likes of Maroon 5, Travis Scott and Big Boi, the second half got underway and Los Angeles finally put points on the board with a field goal late in the third quarter.

The action didn’t start to heat up until midway through the fourth quarter. New England quickly drove down the field in five plays, on the strength of two key receptions by tight end Rob Gronkowski, and scored on a two-yard touchdown run to make it 10-3 with seven minutes left on the clock.

The Rams responded with a pass-heavy attack and threatened to tie the game, but quarterback Jared Goff was picked off on an errant throw at the New England four-yard line.

The Patriots effectively sealed the victory with a pair of 26-yard runs that set them up in field goal range. With just over one minute remaining, Gostkowski nailed a 41-yard attempt to wrap things up.

New England wide receiver Julian Edelman received the Super Bowl MVP award after a 10-catch, 141-yard performance.

On the defensive side, cornerback Stephon Gilmore was equally as deserving with five tackles, three passes defended, one forced fumble and the game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter.

Looking ahead to next season, the Kansas City Chiefs are the early favorites to win the 2020 Super Bowl, per the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas, followed closely by the Patriots, Rams and New Orleans Saints.