January 10, 2019

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VOLUME 137, ISSUE 11 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

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A L LYSON KO / AGG IE

ACADEMIC RESEARCHERS VOTE TO UNIONIZE UC academic researchers vote to join Union of Postdocs UAW 5810, form new Academic Researchers United

BY AAR ON LI SS campus@theaggie.org

chancellor’s office at Mrak Hall. The protesters delivered a set of demands regarding the Oct. 25 incident and the union’s ongoing contract negotiation.

The workers gathered into a circle in the office and an opening in the center allowed union representatives to speak with a university official who came out to meet them.

The official later called Chancellor Gary May via cell phone and he spoke on speakerphone with the protesters. The chancellor, the official and the protesters later agreed to a follow-up meeting on Dec. 18 to discuss the demands.

Melissa Blouin, the director of news and media relations at UC Davis, did not respond to requests for the name of the specific administration official who met with the protesters on Dec. 13, a statement regarding the Dec. 13 meeting or the results of the Dec. 18 meeting.

Blouin did provide The California Aggie with an email from Chancellor May in response to the incident addressed to the Cross Cultural Center.

For the first time in UC history, over 5,000 UC academic researchers in the UC system from Academic Researchers United have voted in favor of unionizing and joining the pre-existing Union of Postdocs UAW 5810.

The Union of Postdocs currently represents over 6,500 UC postdoctoral students. The newly-formed Academic Researchers Union, also under UAW 5810, now awaits its first collective bargaining session with the UC for a contract that better fits the needs of ARs, according to members.

The UAW 5810 website explains how the UC has allegedly avoided salary increases for academic researchers — the annual increase has averaged only 1.7 percent over the past 10 years. In comparison, UC lecturers received a contractually-guaranteed 6.2 percent salary increase in 2016 and a 4 percent increase to Senate Faculty pay scales, effective July 2018.

The website also mentioned how the UC appoints “ARs to lower titles that do not reflect their experience.”

In 2018, the UC announced a 3 percent scale increase for ARs and a 3.5 percent increase for junior specialists.

The Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), a state agency, certified a majority of UC’s academic researchers voted to unionize after 5,000 UC academic researchers and scientists signed a petition in favor of joining UAW 5810. In addition,

STRIKE VAN on 11

UNIONIZATION on 11

VIDEO SHOWS ALLEGED UC DAVIS EMPLOYEE ATTACK AFSCME 3299 STRIKERS IN OCTOBER Pressure placed on administration to act decisively following release of video

BY GE ORG E L I AO campus@theaggie.org

During the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299’s three-day strike last fall, a truck drove close to the picket line and an altercation ensued between an alleged UC Davis managerial worker and picketers near the Tercero Dining Commons, according to video footage. The altercation took place at approximately 6:25 a.m. on Oct. 25, 2018.

A video of the incident was released on Facebook by The United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) on Dec. 5 alongside a demand letter that requested action by the UC Davis administration. The letter emphasized the need to preserve safety for strikers and students who support union efforts.

The letter reported that “an individual aggressively attempted to drive his truck through the picket line as he repeatedly honked to scare the picketers.” The individual was apparently seen making a phone call and a short while later a second car, a UC Davis pick-up truck, arrived.

JA M I E CH E N / AGGI E

“The individual driving the UC Davis pickup truck came driving full speed towards the picket line with his truck,” the letter stated. “This UC Davis pickup driver nearly ran us over, using his vehicle as a weapon which forced us to scramble and run to avoid being severely injured.”

The driver exited his vehicle, according to the letter, “to attack and assault students, workers, and AFSCME Local 3299 representatives.” When a student called 911, the pick-up truck driver returned to his vehicle and left the area.

The video shows the alleged attacker, a middle-aged male, wearing what appears to be an official work shirt with “Facilities Management, Utilities” printed on the back. The man argued and wrestled with the picketers in the video. An angry exchange ensued between the man and the group and, at one point, the alleged attacker picked up a wooden stake from a broken picket sign and threatened the strikers.

On Dec. 13 at 3:30 p.m., in response to the incident and the USAS demand letter, an estimated 40 AFSCME 3299 members and UC Davis students held a protest in the

STATE SENATOR RE-INTRODUCES BILL REQUIRING PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES TO OFFER ABORTION PILL Abortion pill bill previously vetoed

by Gov. Jerry Brown re-introduced

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

State Senator Connie Leyva reintroduced a bill to the California legislature that would require the health centers of public universities in California to offer abortion-inducing medication.

After Governor Brown previously vetoed the bill, Levya became committed to its reintroduction.

“According to a study sponsored by supporters of this legislation, the average distance to abortion providers in campus communities varies from five to seven miles, not an unreasonable distance,” Brown wrote in

his veto message for the bill. “Because the services required by this bill are widely available off-campus, this bill is not necessary.”

Shabira Rogers, a third-year political science and Chinese double major and the event coordinator for the California Women’s List chapter at UC Davis, however, said that this is not always the case.

Rogers described a number of factors which often prevent access to abortion services.

“You can’t get any abortion care in Davis,” Rogers said. “The closest place you could go is Woodland. The problem is [that] getting there is an issue. If you don’t have a car, you have to take the bus. If you’re a

low-income student especially, you might not be able to afford to take time off work to go to Woodland.”

A statement from Leyva’s office pointed to research done by UCSF that found students at public universities in California obtain 1,038 abortions every month. Medication abortions account for 519 of the 1,038.

“This bill will ensure that once a student has decided to end a pregnancy, they will not be forced to go off campus and face barriers such as additional cost, traveling long distances, or even missing class or work to get the care they need,” Leyva said in the statement.

The California Women’s List is an organization which supports and fundraises for pro-choice Democratic women who are seeking election, and the chapter at UC Davis sponsored the original bill when it was first introduced. According to Rogers, the chapter supports the reintroduction of the bill.

Rogers said the chapter believes this bill is important because it supports the right for individuals to choose want they want to do with their bodies.

“We just believe that everyone should

have a right to choose [...] whether they want to have children or not and when they want to have children,” Rogers said. “We think that public universities with health centers should be like any other health center or hospital — they should provide access to safe abortion medication, especially first trimester. We think it’s a human right to be able to do what you want to do with your body and take care of yourself however you would like to.”

The bill, according to Rogers, would ease the stress students and Davis residents face regarding reproductive care and support for women’s right to abortions.

“For students, you could just go to a health center and hopefully you’ll be covered by the insurance you’re on or the UC Davis insurance,” Rogers said. “It would be pretty easy to go to it if you do require to take the abortion pill, so it’s simpler and less complicated if it is given in Davis. As women, it will entrench the fact that women will have the right to choose, and if the bill is passed, it will be concrete, and people will hopefully continue to make sure women’s reproductive rights and women’s health in general isn’t attacked.”

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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CAITLYN SAMPLEY / AGGIE

Following anti-Semitic incident, plans to host workshops, town hall still on hold After ASUCD-sponsored ADL workshop, Students for Justice in Palestine condemn ADL, send petition to chancellor

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

Following the posting of anti-Semitic fliers on campus in early October, Jewish student leaders and UC Davis administrators, including Chancellor Gary May, met and agreed to a number of tangible commitments to improve the campus climate and combat anti-Semitism. This included hosting a town hall and having the Anti-Defamation League conduct a series of workshops.

Following the submission of a petition from Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) against the ADL workshops, however, none of the planned ADL-hosted workshops have presently been scheduled, according to Associate Vice Chancellor Sheri Atkinson.

In early December, Chancellor May mentioned in an interview with The California Aggie the mutually-agreed upon commitments made with Jewish students and administrators.

“We came up with a series of things we were going to do, including a town hall and

some training from the ADL to improve the campus climate,” he said at the time.

“I think after that meeting, everyone came away feeling like we were in a partnership mode rather than an adversarial mode.”

It is now unclear whether the university plans to follow through on this commitment in the near future.

SJP’s petition, which circulated on social media and received 149 signatures from UC Davis undergraduates, graduates and faculty members, condemned and criticized actions by the ADL. In a statement sent from SJP officials to The California Aggie, the group said that it “support[s] the implementation of diversity trainings and we firmly oppose anti-Semitism.”

The petition called for the workshops to instead be conducted by Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) instead of ADL. The ADL is one of the oldest civil rights groups in the country and the specific group which Jewish student leaders requested during the meeting with administrators.

“ADL [...] is a pro-Israeli, anti-BDS group who work to conflate anti-Semitism

and anti-Zionism,” the statement from SJP reads. “Implying that criticism and protest of Israel and Zionism always contains anti-Semitic undertones serves as a justification for the repression of people, mainly Palestinians, who protest Israel.”

A workshop, titled “Combating Anti-Semitism as Student Leaders Workshop with the ADL,” did take place on Nov. 29 in the Memorial Union aimed specifically at students and student leaders.

After SJP sent its petition to Chancellor May, he made it clear — in an email responding to the petition that was sent to him, which was subsequently forwarded to The California Aggie by Atkinson — that the ADL workshop on Nov. 29 was independently hosted by ASUCD. “This engagement was not sponsored by the university administration,” May wrote in his email in response to the petition. “At this time, there are no workshops scheduled by the campus administration. I can assure you that your perspectives will be considered by the administration as we develop future campus activities related to discussions of hate and diversity.”

Vlad Khaykin, the associate director of the central Pacific region for the ADL, led the event which presented attendees with information about intolerance and bigotry toward various groups, including Jewish individuals. Khaykin referenced the anti-Semitic fliers that were posted around campus as the catalyst to his presentation.

The event was co-hosted by the ASUCD Executive Office and the Jewish interest sorority Sigma Alpha Epsilon Pi. Arielle Zoken, a third-year economics major, the vice president of SAEPi and one of the event’s organizers, addressed concerns over the invitation of ADL to campus.

“I know there were concerns with ADL coming, but I had meetings with students who were concerned and really tried to explain what their role is here and what their work is really trying to do, which is to give a presentation,” Zoken said.

Later in his response to SJP’s petition, May wrote that UC Davis received support

from myriad organizations, including both JVP and the ADL. “Although we appreciate being reminded that there are other issues, other injustices, and other oppressions in the world, as an institution of higher education, I believe it is important for us to hear from and involve many different organizations in our efforts to promote diversity and combat hate, racism, prejudice, and persecution,” May wrote.

The Nov. 29 workshop, attended by an estimated 30 people, focused, in part, on the spike of white supremacist activity on college campuses.

Zoken said Jewish students continue to face discrimination on the UC Davis campus from both students and professors.

“On a personal level, there’s a student in my religious studies class who asked where my horns were because in the Bible it says that Moshe had rays of light and that gets confused for horns,” Zoken said. “I’ve had professors say not great things about Jews and money and making the stereotype and reinforcing it. I was speaking Hebrew on the phone with my mom, and this girl — I don’t know if it was serious or not — asked if I was speaking ‘terrorist.’”

Khayken introduced a thorough definition of anti-Semitism during his presentation in the MU. “Anti-Semitism is a form of prejudice and/or discrimination directed toward Jews as individuals or a group,” Khayken said.

“Anti-Semitism is hatred of Jews because of their religious beliefs, their group membership and sometimes the erroneous belief that Jews are a race. Anti-Semitism is based on age-old stereotypes and myths that target Jews as a people, their religious practices and beliefs or the Jewish state of Israel.”

Pointing to recently released hate crime statistics by the FBI, Khayken noted a 17 percent rise in hate crimes since 2016. Khaykin also pointed out the overrepresentation of Jews in hate crime statistics in relation to their percentage of the global population.

ANTISEMITISM on 11

DAVIS COLLEGE DEMOCRATS / COURTESY

SHEREEN LEE / AGGIE

UC Davis students take action to combat sexual assault

Holiday mishaps December 20 “Female wandering in the area and standing close to the roadway, reporting party concerned she may get hit.”

“Reporting party requested officer’s advice replying her granddaughter’s ex boyfriend sending her a threatening text message.”

“Two subjects inside the store, acting suspicious have five bags full of merchandise. Reporting party has already retrieved several bags from the subjects and are holding those items, the subjects are still inside the store and reporting party thinks they are gathering more items to take.”

December 22 “Son’s mother refusing to drop off son for child custody exchange.”

“Previous theft suspect currently in clothing department. Reporting party saw person conceal underwear in her purse.”

December 23 “Reporting party thinks she heard a noise coming from the kitchen/living room area. Reporting party is home alone in her bedroom. Reporting party’s son was recently arrest is concerned it may be one of his friends.”

“Female bit by squirrel.”

December 24 “Two transient looking subjects pulling a flat wagon filled with Amazon packages.”

“Reporting party hearing loud noises coming from the dumpster area at the school. Sounds like someone is throwing items around and breaking things.”

December 25 “Reporting party was following vehicle on the freeway which exited and still unable to maintain lane or possibly sleeping at the wheel.”

“Dog was running in the roadway and was feeding on roadkill, reporting party now has dog contained.”

DCD drafts resolution in support of survivors, Title IX Advisory Board responds to proposed sexual misconduct guidelines from DOE

BY RE B E CCA B IH N-WALLACE campus@theaggie.org

From on-campus political groups, including the Davis College Democrats (DCD), to student representatives of the official UC Title IX Advisory Board, UC Davis students are taking action to combat and address sexual assault and violence.

The DCD drafted a public resolution in support of sexual assault survivors on Dec. 5, in large part due to recent revelations about the California Democratic Party Chair Eric Bauman.

According to the DCD, Bauman “is the subject of multiple allegations of sexual harassment, including inappropriate comments and unwanted touching.”

Bauman resigned from his position, according to a Nov. 29 article in The Sacramento Bee. In response to the allegations, Bauman praised those who came forward and has said that he will be taking time off to address medical issues as well as “a problem with alcohol.”

The DCD’s stance is that the structure of the state Democratic party has “failed to create a safe and inclusive environment.”

“This resolution was jointly drafted by DCD’s LGBTQ+ and Womxn Caucuses in response to the inability of the California Democratic Party leadership to stand up for survivors of sexual misconduct at the highest level of our state party,” a statement released by the DCD to The California Aggie read.

The resolution effectively creates a new committee — the Bylaw Drafting Committee — which aims to update the bylaws to allow for the removal of members in instances of sexual misconduct.

“I feel that our bylaws do not currently have an adequate system in place to handle sexual miscon-

duct,” said Daniel Tillman, the DCD LGBTQ+ Caucus chair, via email. “The allegations against the former CDP [chair] have served as a reminder that we can improve and that we must adapt our responses in the wake of the #MeToo movement.”

Tillman added that it was important for DCD members to reaffirm their commitment to sexual assault survivors.

“We felt that we needed to make it clear that sexual misconduct and those who participate in it hold no place in our organization,” Tillman said.

The revelations about Bauman’s actions have reverberated throughout the California Democratic Party.

According to the LA Times, Allan Acevedo, LGBTQ Caucus chair for the Young Democrats and a “political consultant for the youth arm of the party”, was directly affected by Bauman’s behavior.

The Young Democrats are “the official youth arm of the Democratic Party made up of Democrats age 14-35 committed to activating the youth vote, empowering Young Democrats in their community, electing Democrats to office and building a new generation of progressive leadership,” according to their website.

Acevedo spoke to The California Aggie via email about the allegations made regarding Bauman.

“The first people to complain were younger activists, just 21 and getting their start in politics,” Acevedo said. “They saw some behavior on a bus and complained about it. That lead others to sort of say, ‘Oh that? Do you know what else he does?’ And then other people came forward. There is strength in numbers.”

Bauman’s behavior also impacted Acevedo perDCD RESOLUTION on 11

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 | 3

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Camp Fire victims gauging their rights, losses Lawsuits against PG&E for misleading ads

Davis, community partners receive three competitive transportation grants Sacramento Area Council of Governments awards $8.1 million to Davis projects

JEREMY DANG / AGGIE

BY ANNE FE Y city@theaggie.org

JEREMY DANG / AGGIE

BY ST E L L A T RA N city@theaggie.org

Lawsuits have been filed against The Pacific Gas and Electric Company for misleading the public about their claim of safety as a priority due to recent fires. So far, four California law firms have filed lawsuits on behalf of campfire victims to challenge PG&E’s false ads concerning customer safety.

One of the law firms involved in the cases, Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, represents some of those victims. Khaldoun Baghdadi, a shareholder and partner of the law firm in San Francisco, explained how they got involved.

“We are one of the lead counsels in the north bay fires,” Baghdadi said. “A lot of clients also have friends or relatives in the campfire litigation or tragedy, and given that we were already actively involved with the fire cases, felt that it was natural to get more involved.”

Frank Pitre of Cotchett, Pitre, & McCarthy suggested that PG&E could have prevented threats to safety if they spent their profits on prevention rather than promoting ads.

“If PG&E had spent their monopolistic profits on infrastructure upgrades instead of promoting a false image of safety, this incident would never have happened,” Pitre said to Business Wire.

One of the complaints considers more than just damages to victims, according to a Camp Fire press conference. The complainant also seeks to “stop PG&E officers and directors from spending the company’s monopolistic profits and ratepayer assessments on advertising to promote a false and misleading picture of safety,” and to “recoup all monies spent by PG&E for advertising to promote their false image of safety since September 9, 2010.”

Baghdadi elaborated on how much loss people faced due to these fires.

“It depends on the circumstance, some people were severely injured [and] some peo-

ple were killed — others lost their homes and property value,” Baghdadi said. “The typical measure of what the damages are would be the difference from the amount of whatever their insurance company pays them for property damage along with whatever emotional distress they could recover if they actually leave the fire. It’s a pretty broad category of damages depending on the specific person and their specific circumstances. It’s an enormous amount of harms and losses.”

People didn’t just lose their lives or their property. Another claim in the lawsuit was that PG&E had misleading advertising without considering public safety.

“One of the claims in our lawsuit was that while PG&E was engaged in an advertising campaign to convince people, but in reality little has changed in terms of the culture of safety,” Baghdadi said. “The culture requires real change — that’s still in effect until this day, as shown through the current federal prosecution of PG&E.” The California Public Utilities Commission assessed PG&E’s adequate safety resources starting in Aug. 27, 2015, with an open investigation.

“While PG&E is committed to safety and efforts have been made to reduce incidents and increase the organizational focus on safety, these efforts have been somewhat reactionary — driven by immediate needs and an understandable sense of urgency, rather than a comprehensive enterprise-wide approach to addressing safety,” the assessment reads. “PG&E moved quickly to address the issues with its gas system surfaced by San Bruno, but was slower in addressing its safety culture.”

Baghdadi noted that PG&E cannot gloss over its past any longer because people are getting hurt.

“I think the bottom line here is that there is a number of people who paid their bills, tried to raise a family and did nothing wrong, and are now displaced or injured because a company chose to ignore the lessons of the past,” Baghdadi said.

On Dec. 6, the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) announced that three Davis transportation and green energy projects won grants totaling $8.1 million. The projects awarded include the I-80/Richards Boulevard Interchange Improvement Project, the Electrify Yolo Project and the County Road 32A Railroad Crossing Relocation Study.

The I-80/Richards Boulevard Interchange Improvement Project will receive $5 million through SACOG’s Regional Program, which is SACOG’s largest competitive program.

According to Mayor Brett Lee, the I-80/Richards Boulevard Interchange Improvement Project should bring welcome change for both drivers and cyclists. As the interchange operates now, traffic can at times back up onto the interstate.

“There is planned to be a small redesign in how cars exit and there will be a light there,” Lee said. “So, the traffic flow off [of ] the exit should be a little better.”

City Manager Mike Webb explained that the city has been working with Caltrans in the project’s design phase for the last year and a half, meaning the changes are well on their way. Construction is expected to begin in 2020.

“The next stage really is to complete construction drawings and get the remainder of the funds and funding package in place for going out to bid,” Webb said.

“We [will] be going out for construction bids at the end of this year, 2019.”

In addition to reconfiguring the Richards Boulevard westbound I-80 ramps, the city and Caltrans will work to add a pathway beneath the onramp to promote bicyclist and pedestrian safety and will close the Olive Drive exit to improve safety in the Olive Drive neighborhood. Changes will affect students and faculty who commute from outside of Davis as well as those who ride their bikes and drive to the UC Davis campus from South Davis.

“The redesign is really important because it will make [the interchange] a much safer way for people from South Davis to ride their bikes to the downtown or campus,” Lee said. “[The project] actually

should improve the traffic flow as well.”

The other safety project, the County Road 32A Railroad Crossing Relocation Study, is a joint proposal between the City of Davis and Yolo County and will receive $200,000 through the community design program.

The study will consist of “developing a project scope and cost estimate for a potential crossing enhancement and/or relocation,” and “reviewing alternatives and identifying the preferred option,”according to a city press release. Presently, the road’s current sharp turns near the railroad crossing affect cyclists on their way to the Yolo Causeway bike path, cyclists commuting between Sacramento and Davis and vehicles, including trucks, driving to the landfill.

Accidents have occured, prompting relocation disputes and subsequently a memorandum of understanding between the Union Pacific Railroad and the city, wherein parties agreed to pursue a long-term solution to the railroad crossing problems.

Lee sees redesign as necessary for the crossing.

“The visibility is not ideal, and then also, cars try and go a little too fast for the turn,” Lee said. “Ideally, we would have a better way of slowing people down and having them stay in their lane.”

The Electrify Yolo Project will receive $2.9 million as a green region program grant. Valley Clean Energy — with the City of Davis, the City of Woodland and the County of Yolo — will use the grant funding for this project to add electric vehicle charging stations throughout Yolo County as well as an electric shuttle service in Davis.

The Grant project lead and Director of customer care and marketing, Jim Parks, anticipates that the project will promote green energy in the region.

“If people can see that there’s charging infrastructure around … [and] as more chargers become available in public locations, people will reduce the range anxiety and be more open to purchasing electric vehicles,” Parks said. “We want to lay the foundation for future growth, which we expect will then facilitate more people adopting electric vehicles.”

Electrify Yolo will install approximately 20 level two charging stations, up to 10 mobile, solar-powered chargers and two to five direct current fast chargers in Davis. The charging infrastructure in Davis, Woodland and Yolo County will be publicly available, networked and credit card enabled, although functionality details have not yet been decided.

GRANT FUNDS on 11

UCD employee says the handling of her sexual harassment case indicative of UC-wide issues TESSA KOGA / AGGIE

UC Regents accused of negligence, failure to act

BY D E A N A M ED I N A city@theaggie.org

A case involving a UC Davis employee of 31 years who was allegedly subject to sexual harassment by a male supervisor and coworker during a two-year period is working toward a jury trial in which the UC Regents are accused of being negligent and failing to act properly when made aware of the issue.

The complainant in this case — who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the matter — and her legal team are waiting to get a formal response from both the defendant and UC Davis, who are expected to either file a motion

challenging the legality of the civil complaint or answer the complaint, according to the complainant’s legal representative, John D. Winer.

PR Account Manager Joe Marchelewski from Juris Productions Inc., a media strategy and consultation agency which represents trial lawyers including Winer, wrote in an email sent to The California Aggie that the complainant was “subjected to unwanted touching, unwanted hugging, having her chest area touched and having her privacy violated.”

The complainant said she attempted to deal with the alleged harassment herself, which began in July of 2015, until she final-

ly reached out to the university for support and made a formal complaint in December of 2016.

No action was allegedly taken by the university until Jan. 23, 2017, when an investigation was opened into the case. At this point, the complainant said she was no longer supervised by the defendant, but continued to see him as the university decided to place the defendant in a nearby building without offering the complainant any form of paid leave.

The complainant believes the alleged harasser should have been placed on leave — “although they could have assigned other experienced staff in the interim,” she said, “they allowed him to continue working.”

“I dreaded going to work every day,” the complainant said. “I didn’t and never want to see his face again; I didn’t want to walk through campus or go anywhere in Davis to meetings, training, celebrations. So I would avoid any chances of running into him or seeing him. I now have to continue working with some male individuals who keep in touch with him, and as a result I have experienced dirty looks and, at times, being ignored.”

Dana Topousis, UC Davis’ chief marketing and communications officer, acknowledged the university’s awareness of a longterm employee whose allegations of sexual harassment were investigated.

“When the investigation determined that policy violations had occurred, the Universi-

ty pursued disciplinary action against the respondent, who resigned before the discipline could take effect,” Topousis said. “UC Davis investigates all reported claims of harassment and other abuse. Our investigations are thorough and we take due process seriously. We seek a campus climate that is safe for everyone.”

The complainant, however, said the university’s decision not to place the alleged perpetrator on leave in the interim was disappointing.

“White male individuals in high level positions have been getting away with their inappropriate behavior,” the complainant said. “Since I am a female minority, it was degrading to me. I felt that I was not valued as an individual as well as an employee who has given so much to this institution through 30-plus years of dedication and hard work.”

The stress felt by the complainant did not end there, however, as the defendant later attempted to illegally sue her for participating in the legal investigation against him. Winer described the situation as “fundamentally wrong.”

“It really was outrageous and a clear violation of her First Amendment rights and law that protects people who bring sexual abuse complaints from being sued for making a complaint,” Winer said. “This caused an enormous amount of additional stress, when plaintiff believed she was going to lose her SEXUAL HARRASSMENT on 12

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4 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

OLIVIA KOTLAREK / AGGIE

Best Buddies Club builds bonds between students and people with disabilities Club pairs students with individuals in Yolo County who have intellectual, developmental disabilities, creating new friendships

BY MA RG O ROSE N B AU M features@theaggie.org

A friend with whom one may not be able to fully communicate. A friend that looks different from one’s other peers. A friend that does not attend UC Davis, is still a friend indeed.

“Best Buddies is a nonprofit, international organization with chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges that aims to promote self advocacy, provide job opportunities and normalize friendships between students and people with intellectual or developmental dis-

abilities,” said Brittany Black, a thirdyear human development major and president of the Best Buddies Club.

At UC Davis, Black said that the club focuses on the aspect of normalizing friendships by pairing college students with “buddies,” people in Yolo county with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“The misconception is that we are helping people with disabilities, which in a way we are, since we are promoting inclusion and helping people,” Black said.

“But it is friendship.”

At the beginning of the school year,

How to keep smiling throughout Winter Quarter Ideas for remaining active, having fun during an often discouraging quarter

BY O L I V I A LUC H INI features@theaggie.org

With now-rested Aggies returning to Davis after a three-week holiday break, winter quarter is about to start swinging. Commonly called the “winter blues,” seasonal mood changes exist and manifest in many different ways including seasonal depression and seasonal affective disorder. Plain and simple, people can be affected by the gray skies, rain and chilled weather, so finding activities that encourage happiness can be important for those feeling quite literally under the weather. Here are five activities that UC Davis students can do in order to add moments of fun to their agenda during this quarter: 1. Break a sweat at the ARC By investing in CRU and Group Exercise passes at the ARC, students are able to

take classes offered all throughout the day, seven days a week. For early birds, there is a “Sunrise Cycle” course offered from 6:15 a.m., while those who prefer to work out after class can find plenty of options that begin at around 6:00 p.m., including Zumba, cycling and core strength classes. Taking a class offers a sense of routine and potential accountability to those who struggle with following through on their exercise schedules.

2. Regal Value Days For students on a budget who enjoy treating themselves to a blockbuster film while unwinding with a bucket of popcorn, Regal Cinemas offers a deal every Tuesday for $6.95 movie tickets. This is a source of entertainment that is accessible even in the rain, with parking attached to both the Regal Holiday 6 and Regal Stadium 5 theaters.

Later showings can offer a fun night out for

Flying high: A student’s lifelong passion for planes expands in the classroom Muhannad Mohammad finds passion for flight in and out of the classroom OLIVIA KOTLAREK / AGGIE

BY V I N C EN T SA N C H E Z features@theaggie.org

While most students find themselves in their dorm rooms or apartments enjoying video games or other online entertainment, some students choose to participate in activities specific to their career interests, academic interests or cultural interests as well as certain and sometimes obscure hobbies.

These activities help students find a place in some of the many distinct backgrounds that make up the large campus. By honing in on what they know and what is familiar to

them, students find a more enjoyable college experience that is tailored to their needs.

Muhannad Mohammad, a second-year aerospace engineer major, enjoys flying planes in his free time. His interest in planes began when he was five, captivated by the flying objects he saw in the sky.

“Another thing that really got me into considering studying [flying] was my uncle,” Mohammad said. “He was always on these flight simulators back in the day, and one time I walked in and he showed me a few things. I was like, ‘I need to do this.’”

Mohammad began experimenting with his own flight simulators, gaining experience he would eventually need to fly planes himself. Upon entering high school, he had come to the decision that he wanted to dedicate his time to learning the intricacies behind flight.

“From then on, I started building a simulator at home and flying it,” Mohammad said. “Then I worked on getting my flight license.”

the club sent out information via email to recruit members. They then interviewed each interested student one-onone to find out their experience working with people with disabilities and what their interests were. This helped the club pair up students and buddies with similar interests, Black said.

“It’s a year-long commitment from the time we match people in November through June 15,” Black said.

Buddies have varying abilities, and some are more social and verbal than others. Buddies are not UC Davis students, but they are all members of the Davis, Woodland or Dixon community.

“Most buddies are older than the students,” said Katherine Provost, a thirdyear neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and activities coordinator for Best Buddies. “Many participated in Best Buddies programs in high school and moved to the UC Davis program once they graduated.”

“The club plans about two or three events each month for members to come together and socialize,” said third-year human development major and historian and publicity officer of Best Buddies Sarah Moore.

Event examples include a holiday party, a match party, a talent show, a craft day, a scavenger hunt, Valentines and Halloween dances, sport days and various fundraisers.

“I love going out and hanging out with everyone, a lot of the people in the club are my closest friends,” Provost said.

“UC Davis students and their buddies are encouraged to get together on their own in addition to attending the events,” Moore said.

Examples of activities members do

include biking around the Arboretum, watching movies, going to the farmers market, going on picnics or out to dinner or playing sports together.

“It is not much different than any other friendship,” Moore said.

Approximately 120 people participate in Best Buddies at UC Davis.

“About 106 people are matched in friendships and 15 members are associate members, which means they attend events and have similar requirements, but they do not have matches,” Moore said.

“We recommend [becoming an associate member] for people who aren’t sure how much time they will have or they are not sure about the club,” Moore said. “It still is a commitment because we have requirements for the members.”

Provost said that being a member of the club has helped her learn how to communicate with people in different ways, such as without speaking, since some buddies are non-verbal.

“It seems like it would be different or intimidating, and people might be worried what to say to someone with Down syndrome, but it is really like hanging out with any other friend,” Black said.

The Best Buddies club accepts members all year round. Even though most matches are made at the beginning of the year, it is still possible to get paired with a buddy in the middle of the year if people graduate or study abroad.

“I’ve met some really awesome friends through the club,” Moore said. “Everyone is so positive and a joy to be around.

I am always greeted with smiles and [by] people who genuinely ask how you are doing and care about you.”

students who are too tired for the ARC but who still would like to get out of their room for two hours or so.

3. Get crafty With a range of craft classes offered during the quarter, the Craft Center has courses in arts and crafts, ceramics, flameworking, glass, jewelry, photography, screen printing, textiles, welding and woodworking available this winter. These classes offer students the opportunity to learn new skills in an encouraging environment that can cater to any schedule, whether students want a one-day workshop or a seven-week course.

4. Join a new club With the club fair being highly advertised in the fall with its large event in the quad, it is easy to imagine that the opportunity to join a new group passed with the previous quarter. However, with social media and advertised meetings all over the bulletin boards in lecture halls, students are able to peruse clubs and join them at any time. Finding a new group of peers or a new hobby can be as easy as a Facebook message for those who are looking to a join a club that might have caught their eye last quarter.

5. Take up a new hobby

Recreational reading. Embroidery. Playing the guitar. Journaling. Yoga. A new TV series. For many, there seems to be a laundry list of things they would like to do, but never manage to get to. Winter quarter, with the new year kicking it off, can be a time for personal development. Excess alone time does not necessarily mean time wasted so long as it has offered a chance for exploration. Sampling new hobbies offers students a novel chance for joy as well as valuable time for reflection as an individual outside of group settings.

Winter Quarter, though often teased on meme pages and in conversation, can be a time of opportunity if students choose to look for activities to partake in around themselves.

This license process is not the same as the typical driving test. Mohammad had to prove he could maneuver several different types of planes before being permitted to fly. His instructor created specific situations for him to handle safely. Mastering landings was an additional challenge, but hours of practice and learning helped Mohammad achieve his goal. With the necessary tools in hand, he was ready to fly his own plane, something he was eager to do.

“The first time flying, I was nervous,” Mohammad said. “It was the best feeling in the world. After [flying simulations] for so long and then getting into the real thing, it was crazy. It felt like pure peace. I was in the moment; nothing else mattered, and I was just doing it.”

Since amassing nearly 900 hours of training, Mohammad has flown over 30 times in California. While the butterflies may have been present in his stomach the first few times, now flying has become somewhat of second nature for Mohammad.

“From the first flight to the last, it becomes almost like driving a car,” Mohammad said. “Of course you’re following a lot of things, like checklists and procedures, but it becomes so much easier. It’s like a normal thing: you get in, do this, do that and you’re flying. You don’t want to lose yourself in that, though. If you do, you can mess up

and actually hurt yourself and people with you, so it’s not a joke.”

Here at UC Davis, Mohammad has enjoyed the aerospace engineering major and gained much more valuable knowledge about how planes fly and interact with other elements.

“When I was doing my flying course, I had some knowledge of ideas like lift, but looking at the math behind it and the intricacies of how things worked, that was definitely something I learned through courses here,” Mohammad said. “It’s crazy because, when you fly with this knowledge, you start to trust things even more. You know the science. It changed my whole view on flying.”

With a few more years of schooling left, Mohammad remains committed to learning everything he can about flying. Currently he wishes to obtain an Air Transport pilot license to fly other aircrafts, such as jets. His other goals involve his great admiration for the aerospace engineering field.

“I want to work with other aerospace engineers and really on the space side of things,” Mohammad said. “I want to take my flight experience into something like a space agency and fly research airplanes. I would also like use my engineering experience to work as an engineer for one of those companies. Hopefully, I want to one day build my way up to become an astronaut.”

CAITLYN SAMPLEY / AGGIE

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 | 5

COURTESY

THE ARTIST: PETE SCULLY DISCUSSES URBAN SKETCHING Pete Scully talks about his life as an artist

BY AN JI N I V EN UG O P A L features@theaggie.org

Ever since urban sketch artist Pete Scully was able to pick up a pen in his self-proclaimed “funny way,” he remembers draw-

CROCKER ART MUSEUM IN REVIEW

Upcoming exhibits, events at the Crocker Art Museum

BY ROSIE SCHWARZ arts@theaggie.org

Located less than 30 minutes from Davis, the Crocker Museum in Sacramento offers a number of events, activities and exhibits. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with later hours until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. While museum tickets are regularly $12 for adults, the museum offers an $8 price for college students and hosts a “Pay As You Wish” day every third Sunday of the month. Currently the museum offers an array of different art exhibits ranging in paintings, sculpture, photography and a blend of many other mediums.

From Sept. 16 to Jan. 6, the museum exhibited the photographs of Duane Michals, a portraitist famous for capturing and documenting influential figures such as actors, musicians and writers. Within this exhibit were many different interactive mirrors and pieces that allowed the viewer to take their

ing. The earliest drawings Scully remembers creating depict America through skyscrapers in New York. When Scully was around five years old in Burnt Oak of North London, his idea of a skyscraper was slightly different from what they are: he drew extreme-

own portraits and experiment with the art of capturing themself or someone else on camera.

Upcoming exhibits at the museum include “History, Labor, Life” featuring the prints of Jacob Lawrence in which “Lawrence’s recording and recollection of African American and larger African diasporic histories are featured, as well as his vivid observations of the dynamic city life in his native Harlem.” The exhibit will be open from Jan. 27 to April 7. In addition, the museum will also be introducing “The Roaming Eye: International Street Photography from the Ramer Collection,” and “A Passionate Muse: the Art of Leonard Baskin.”

While the museum offers many changing exhibits, it also contains many collections.

“The Crocker hosts one of California’s premier collections of art, dating from the Gold Rush to the present day, a collection of master drawings, European paintings, one of the largest international ceramics collections in the U.S. and collections of Asian, African, and Oceanic art,” according to their website.

In regards to Film and Music, the museum offers frequent lessons, concerts and viewings that range in price but often offer great discounts for students. Upcoming events include “Global Rhythms: Brasil Brazil,” a rhythms music series from “Brazilian natives Ana Gazzola and Sonia Santos [who] create invigorating musical experiences full of the fervor and excitement” on Jan. 27.

ly tall buildings with broomsticks sticking out from the top in order to scrape the sky.

Scully’s fascination with drawing and with drawing cities, started from this young age — despite the slight confusion regarding skyscrapers.

Scully, who previously worked as a graduate programs coordinator, is currently in the Department of Statistics as the management services officer. He left North London and has lived in Davis for the past 13 years, providing him ample opportunity to draw locations all over the city. His sketches started as a way to document and remember everything exciting and novel about the new place in which he lived and worked.

“It doesn’t feel so exciting now after 13 years of drawing the same buildings,” Scully said. “However, I haven’t stopped drawing Davis. I’m still finding things to draw […] When I’m drawing the same thing for several years, I’m drawing it differently. I’m drawing a different stage in its existence — it might look different. I’m also drawing it at a different stage in my existence.”

Take the Davis Farmers’ Market. When Scully first saw it, he sketched it to reflect his excitement at how it was bursting with color. In a recent sketch from 2018, only the people are in color.

In 2007, Urban Sketchers was found-

In addition, inspired by the upcoming Jacob Lawrence event, the museum will host viewings of a four-part film series titled “Work, Struggle, and Emancipation,” on Feb. 7, Mar. 7 and Apr. 4. This series “bring[s] into focus the issues faced by working-class people seeking to live the American dream.”

Upcoming classes at the Crocker museum include “Clay and Chardonnay” on Jan. 19, that offers attendants a chance to drink wine while learning various sculpting techniques; “Bubbles and Brushes” on Feb. 3, another opportunity to drink wine while learning and experimenting with painting and “Mimosas and Mixed Media” a month later on Mar. 3.

Delta of Venus This Davis coffee shop, set up like a scene from a movie, is the perfect spot to take in some culture. While they don’t host events as frequently as other venues, the experience is unlike any other. Delta of Venus encourages its customers to dance and let loose on the patio while the artist plays.

They most recently hosted Funky Serenity and scrublovecrew. Information about upcoming shows can be found on its Facebook page. Delta of Venus is located at 122 B Street in Davis.

za, including salads, sandwiches and vegan options. Woodstock’s is located at 219 G Street.

G Street Wunderbar G Street Wunderbar hosts karaoke nights, DJs and live music, all of which make for a fun night out. In case the music isn’t enough to entice you, the bar has arcade games, pool and darts. This bar is 21 and up, so first years will need to wait a while before enjoying Wednesday Funk Night and Faded Fridays. G Street Wunderbar is located at 228 G Street.

Armadillo Music Armadillo Music is a small shop filled with classic records, CDs and some books on the second floor. Their in-store shows give off an indie vibe. Local bands or musicians play in a small corner, allowing customers to peruse the $1 vinyl bins and shop as they please. Recent musicians featured at Armadillo Music include pop-punk band The Crash Car Hearts and indie-folk band Melissa Schiller and the Baker-Miller Pinks.

Upcoming concerts can be found on their Facebook page and website. Armadillo Music is located at 207 F Street in Davis.

The Palms Playhouse When it’s time to wind down and get away from Davis, take a 20-minute drive to Winters. The Palms Playhouse hosts live music events and provides a nice getaway for students who have an ear for country blues or vibrant jazz. It’s a venue for all ages, and everyone is welcome to enjoy the music.

However, unlike most venues in Davis, the Playhouse focuses more on the music than on the venue itself. Therefore, it does charge to hear the entertainment and price depends on who’s performing. The schedule and ticket prices can be found on its website.

Where to experience live music in and around Davis

BY ILZETH GAMBOA arts@theaggie.org

After a hard week of trudging through the mud to 8 a.m. organic chemistry, taking in live music can be the perfect weekend stress reliever. Below is a list of venues in and around Davis where you can get your live music fix.

Woodstock’s Pizza Every Friday at 11 p.m., Woodstock’s Pizza hosts a “Friday Night Alive” session.

Patrons can bring their own equipment and play for the restaurant. On Saturdays, local bands take the stage and start performing at 10 p.m. Woodstock’s has a wide range of decently-priced food options that aren’t piz-

P ETE SCULLY o n 1 2

MACL EA N HA RT FORD / AGG IE

V I N C E W ILCOX / F LIC K R

TAKE A BREAK AND JAM OUT

ed and Scully was selected to be a Davis correspondent. The group was small in its inception, about 20 to 25 correspondents around the globe, and was set up to encourage on-location drawing. He has quite a few urban sketching heroes whose work has inspired him greatly, including Portland-based UC Davis alumna Rita Sabler, whose work he described as “vibrant and energetic with lots of storytelling.” Despite the name, urban sketching doesn’t necessarily need to be in an “urban” setting, which Davis definitely isn’t.

“I joked at the time, ‘it’s going to be more urbane sketching than urban sketching,’” Scully said. “It’s not exactly gritty here.”

Scully described urban sketching as “the art of going out and drawing your world,” something he tries to do on an almost daily basis during his lunch hour. Close to his office in the Mathematical Sciences Building is the Silo, where he enjoys eating the “gorgeous” food from the Shah’s Halal food truck. The Silo also houses his favorite spot to sketch — the Bike Barn.

“I think I’ve probably sketched the Bike Barn more than any other building on campus,” Scully said.

“I have watched as that’s changed over

The museum also offers crash courses in Art History and other modern day educational events, such as “Licensing in the Digital Age” on Feb. 7 and “Comic Books: Beyond Heroes and Capes” on Feb. 12, that do not include creating art itself.

Crocker Art Museum is welcoming and entertaining enough to occupy a day of activity whether it be solo or with a group of friends. The museum offers art for all interests and preferences, with contemporary collections exploring modern day political issues as well as modern and pastoral depictions of California landscape and daily life.

With affordable prices, accessible hours CR OCKER MUSEUM o n 1 2

The Palms Playhouse is located at 13 Main Street in Winters.

Ace of Spades Another 20-minute drive away from Davis is Ace of Spades, a concert hall which hosts artists from every genre. Nothing takes your mind off those four chapters that you need to read by Monday like fist-pumping with 1,000 of your closest friends. Upcoming concerts include Papa Roach, Ella Mai and Big Wild. The line-up schedule and tickets can be found on their website. Ace of Spades is located at 1417 R Street in Sacramento.

Golden 1 Center The Golden 1 Center, home to the Sacramento Kings and major headliners, is also located in Sacramento. While not usually the most frugal option for live music, nothing can beat a major concert. Upcoming artists include Elton John (who is on his Farewell tour), A$AP Rocky, KISS, Panic!

At The Disco and Justin Timberlake. Tickets and information can be found on their website. The Golden 1 Center is located at 500 David J Stern Walk in Sacramento.

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium requires the farthest trek on this list, but makes for a perfect excuse to spend some time in San Francisco. Head to the city early to take in the sights before seeing your favorite artist. Upcoming concerts include A$AP Rocky, Gryffin and YG. Tickets and information can be found on their website.

The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is located at 99 Grove Street.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

6 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

Opinion THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

E DI TO R I AL B OAR D EMILY STACK Editor-in-Chief

Proposed Title IX changes put victims second Public comment period open until Jan. 28

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

One of the jobs of the U.S. Department of Education, led by Betsy DeVos, is to enforce a pivotal statute in the Education Amendments of 1972 called Title IX. This statute was established to protect people from sex-based discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. Title IX mandates that educational institutions fulfill their legal obligation to protect victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape, and provide an educational environment that is free of sexual misconduct and hostility.

Recently, however, the Trump administration has chosen to interpret this statute in a different light — one that disempowers accusers and aggressively asserts the due process rights of the accused.

The proposed changes uproot the years of progress made under former President Barack Obama, who attempted to respond to sexual harassment claims in schools with swiftness, vigor and fairness for all parties involved.

The Department of Education issued a set of policy changes to Title IX in November under the guise of “encouraging more students to turn to their schools for support in the wake of sexual harassment.” But it is apparent that the proposed changes reek of a heavy and persistent bias, and the sympathy and support lies unmistakably on the side of the accused.

Under the proposed regulations, sexual harassment is defined as “unwelcome conduct on the basis of sex that is so severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive that it effectively denies a person equal access to the recipient’s education program or activity.” This narrow and lax definition thoroughly undermines the spectrum of sexual offenses that ranges from verbal to physical abuse. It also presumes that there is a univer-

sal standard of suffering that must be felt by the victim before sexual misconduct is deemed “objectively offensive” and therefore punishable by law.

Perhaps one of the more blatantly egregious requirements by the Department of Education states that live hearings with cross examinations must be held by schools. This form of interrogation is unnecessary, inherently intimidating, and can further traumatize a victim. Most universities, including the University of California, already ensure due process by having the accused question complainants and witnesses through a non-threatening neutral intermediary.

A mere 15.8 to 35 percent of all sexual assaults are reported to the police, and only 3 percent of rapists spend a day in prison. While there are a multitude of reasons for these staggering statistics, one reasonable explanation is that victims may feel re-victimized and invalidated by the same legal process that is supposed to give them uncompromised justice. Prioritizing the accused in fear of false accusations has damaging consequences for the mental health of victims and sets a precarious precedent for the effective administration of justice in all cases.

The law shouldn’t serve as another assailant. Those who suffer the emotional and physical distress of sexual trauma should not be subjected to unnecessary legal wrangling by the justice system. If these policy changes are implemented, they will completely stifle the voice of victims who may already be reluctant to come forward.

The Editorial Board urges students, faculty and staff to provide feedback on the proposed changes at Regulations.gov by Jan. 28.

Eulogy for The California Aggie Newsroom A FORMER AGGIE OPINION EDITOR MOURNS HIS COLLEGE NEWSROOM

BY EL I F L ESC H Guest

The California Aggie newsroom is a nostalgia machine.

Anybody who’s spent any real time in 25 Lower Freeborn knows it, but to an outside observer, the place might feel like the headquarters of an unusually bookish cult.

Then again, maybe that’s not so far off.

Get together a bunch of half-formed but dangerously smart adults. A little cynical these kids, but they’re reporters, and they’ve got the perspective for a sense of humor. Stick them in a basement for hours on end. You’ll come up with the Aggie’s newsroom.

Unfortunately, that newsroom will soon be demolished.

UC Davis said last month that it had decided to tear down Freeborn Hall rather than spend extra money for renovations and seismic retrofitting. Other offices in Lower Freeborn, like the KDVS radio station and the Food Pantry, will also be destroyed.

I was the Aggie’s opinion editor from 2015 to 2017. The news devastated me, and many other alums of the Aggie who had spent so much time working in the basement.

You can see the characters of those al-

ums literally written on the walls. Tapedup quotes include musings on hostile workplaces, murder, North Korea and Disneyland.

Staffers long graduated maintain a presence in the newsroom through these quotes. They’re the thing visitors point out the most and find the most entertaining.

That, or the Orgasmatron.

The Aggie newsroom will turn you on.

So go ahead: Take a whirl through the Orgasmatron. Check out the half-dozen Mark Ruffalo pictures. This place leaves an impression.

I won’t miss Upper Freeborn. I only took one class in its auditorium, a several hundred student strong “Introduction to Psychology” type class. That was to please Mom, the psychology Ph.D. But I understand the Grateful Dead played in Freeborn. I’m a fan (which also pleases Mom, the Deadhead). So maybe losing the auditorium will also be a tragedy.

But let’s go back downstairs.

Here’s a trivia question: How much of the Aggie office was taken up by oversized PC monitors in the early 90s?

a.) 70%

b.) 35%

c.) 15%

d.) What’s a PC monitor?

The answer is D, but I wouldn’t knock you for picking any of the other options.

Let’s see. What else?

A stale bagel has sat for years atop one of our ventilation tubes. We call it “The Bagel.”

There was also the actual newspapering. Working with columnists, reporters and editors was the highlight of my college experience. It led to my current career in journalism.

The newsroom I knew was active, serious about covering issues like sexual violence, the resignation of Linda Katehi as chancellor, the hiring of Gary May to replace her and one of the most consequential presidential elections in United States history.

These concerns breed the kind of discussions that shape half-formed adults.

It’s always painful to lose a place where you see so much intellectual and personal development.

Of course I argued in the newsroom.

Had unpleasant meetings and sharp disagreements about editorial decisions. But those get lost quick in the mythology of the place. (Right, Scott? We’re good? I think Scott and I are good.)

A college newsroom is a place where people think with integrity about hard topics and respect different opinions.

Leave the 280-byte Twitter disagreements

to the grown-ups.

I guess this was inevitable. Time passes. Newsrooms change.

I’m sad to see this office go. But I’m excited to see what future staffs make of the next basement they get shoved into.

It’ll be great, because college reporters are great people.

A few closing words: Many of you reading this probably have never visited the Aggie newsroom.

You should. Pop your head in before these school administrators get the unique satisfaction of bulldozing a newspaper. Some of the best (and weirdest) conversations I had in the Aggie were with strangers who popped in unannounced.

I also would love to hear from former Aggie staff members, or anybody who has spent any time in the Aggie newsroom.

Do you have a fond memory to share?

Health problems from breathing basement air? Find my contact information below.

And finally, a request for the current staff: Save the quotes. Now. Don’t wait. After all, what are journalists without their quotes?

The writer is a reporter based in New York City. Reach him at elikafton@gmail. com.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019 | 7

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Anxiety

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

HUMOR

UC Davis Love Lab unveils Shah’sflavored condoms DELICIOUS CHICKEN-OVER-RICE FLAVORED CONTRACEPTIVES PROMOTE SAFE SEX AMONG STUDENTS

BY MADE LINE KUMAGAI mskumagai@ucdavis.edu

With STI transmission rates climbing among college students, UC Davis’ Love Lab has taken on the task of promoting safe sex among Aggies. The solution? A partnership with the condom brand Trojan.

“We’ve been trying for months, but we’ve finally conceived the perfect way to get students to use contraceptives,” said Love Lab scientist Richard Dixon. “What do Aggies love even more than cows and bikes? Shah’s chickenover-rice. We’ve incorporated every ounce of flavor that can be found in that beloved combo meal into one little latex condom. It’s like that scene in ‘Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory’ when Violet chews that stick of gum and can taste a three-course meal.

But instead of blueberry pie, you can taste the succulent, Sriracha-drenched chicken and that white sauce that they put a little too much of on the salad.”

If you’re vegan or allergic to latex, the Love Lab will even offer a falafel

polyurethane edition to suit your dietary restrictions.

The condoms come in a compostable take-out box, just how Aggies like it. The packaging has the following description on the front: “When it’s getting hot and heavy, wrap it up with your favorite hot and heavy flavor. Spice up your love life, if you’re not too chicken.”

If this business venture proves to be a success, the Love Lab and Trojan plan on expanding their selection to include other Aggie-favorite flavors.

CoHo taco salad and bubble tea-flavored condoms are already in development.

“The possibilities are endless,” Dixon said. “We had a great time working with our brand reps from Trojan. As for this project, I am looking forward to wrapping it up and seeing the results!”

Starting next quarter, students can go to the Love Lab or the Wellness To Go vending machine in the ARC to pick up the Trojan: Fire and Rice condom.

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

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

TAMARA SHOUBBER | SYDNEE RODRIGUEZ | AMY YE

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

8 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

SCIENCE+TECH AN DR E A G O N Z A L E Z / AGGI E

CANCER ON A CHIP The George Lab aims to model tumor microenvironments and physiological networks for cancer patients three-dimensionally

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

Though two-dimensional animal modeling has provided valuable information for human cellular interactions and disease mechanisms, it faces limitations. Human cells adopt different behaviors across two-dimensional and three-dimensional models.

In the human body, cells are surrounded by other cells from all sides in a dynamic environment. These interactions are difficult to capture in a two-dimensional cell model, such as cell culture, which produces flat layers of human cells in media. In animal modeling, promising cancer and cardiovascular therapy treatments identified in mouse models have led to toxic effects in humans.

Consequently, the George Lab, part of the UC Davis biomedical engineering department, uses “organ-on-a-chip” technology to model complex cellular interactions and behaviors across human tissue and organ systems with cancer.

Organ-on-a-chip technology models intricate human organs inside a palm-sized, clear and flexible chip, complete with a vascular network and cell culture media to nourish cells three-dimensionally.

“It’s the same process of design that you would see on a circuit in a computer chip, except in this case, it’s microfluidics,” said Steven George, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering.

“You’re actually passing fluids, cells and other components into these chips.”

UC DAVIS’ FIRST ANIMAL WELFARE JUDGING TEAM SUCCESSFUL AT CONTEST

The George Lab seeks to model breast cancer among physiological networks inside these chips.

Breast cancer is the second most frequent cancer diagnosis for women in the United States. Additionally, it is the second leading cause of cancer death.

“20 percent of women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer will develop the recurrent disease,” George said. “Breast cancer recurrence drops the five-year survival rates among patients from over 80 to 20 percent.”

The George Lab aims to understand breast cancer dormancy and recurrence, along with the early steps in cancer metastasis that allows these processes to occur. In turn, organ-on-a-chip technology can be used as a clinical tool to develop personalized medicine. For breast cancer patients, chips could be generated to grow samples of tumors, administer chemotherapy trials and determine optimal chemotherapy strategies for each patient.

“Breast cancer tumors manipulate the bone marrow environment,” said Drew Glaser, a postdoctoral scholar in the George Lab. “The bone marrow is a space for white blood cells that work to remove cancers.”

Breast cancer recruits normal immunosuppressive cells and redefines the bone marrow environments.

“If you think about bone marrow, most of the time you think about the soft, squishy tissue,” Glaser said. “There is also hard pieces of bone interspersed among the soft, squishy tissue.”

Breast cancer can metastasize in either of these bone marrow microenvironments.

Bones constantly and gradually remodel their environments, maintaining a balance between bone growth and clearance. Breast

cancer tumors disrupt this balance, preferring active osteoclast cells, bone-clearing cells, over osteoblasts, bone-forming cells.

By preferring bone clearance, the remodeled bone environment leads to bone destruction and creates a challenge for cancer treatment.

“The remodeled bone environment becomes difficult to treat,” Glaser said. “These cancers become chemorefractive, meaning they do not respond to chemotherapy. Patients can be exposed to radiation to remove the tumor, but this is when patients are at risk for developing fractures and pain, which can lead to morbid secondary outcomes.”

Glaser investigated the morphology and vessel network interactions between the two bone marrow environments through cancer migration assays, which involves physically separating the two environments inside of the chip while maintaining a small connection that links them. Glaser hopes to determine how each bone marrow environment shapes breast cancer metastasis and tumor aggression.

“Our current goal is to fabricate a representative bone marrow model of healthy patients, then we can see how cancer cells navigate in this environment,” said Aravind Anand, a fourth-year biomedical engineering major.

Organ-on-a-chip technology shows promise for mapping complex relationships between human organ environments and breast cancer cells, which could eventually lead to more ideal medical treatment for patients.

“While bone metastasis is the intended application of this project, this device may ultimately be able to model many other diseases or provide a platform to study hematopoiesis,” Anand said.

U C DAVIS A N IMA L WELFA RE J U DGIN G T EA M / COU RT ESY

The team’s process in preparing for the competition

BY M I C HEL L E WO N G science@theaggie.org

After months of reading through articles, touring various farms and listening to experts, the UC Davis Animal Welfare Judging team’s efforts paid off when it performed well at the Animal Welfare Judging Contest held by the American Veterinary Medical Association at Colorado State University. The undergraduate team placed fourth for the overall team category, while the graduate team placed second and fifth in individual categories and third in the overall team category.

Prior to this success, UC Davis didn’t even have a team to compete. Allison Pullin, a Ph.D. student in the animal behavior graduate group, was asked by her advisor, Maja Makaton, to coach UC Davis’ first team due to her prior experience in these competitions. Pullin decided to compete in this contest while working toward her Bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University in her senior year and served as a coach while working on her Master’s at OSU. “I think that this contest is really cool because I think it really challenges students to apply a really holistic view of animal welfare and animal management,” Pullin said.

“Because animal welfare isn’t just about health. It’s not just about behavior. It’s not just about nutrition. It’s really all of these factors coming together and taking this really holistic view of what actually promotes good animal welfare and gives the animal a good life.”

Pullin also added that while it may be easy to anthropomorphize animals when thinking about animal welfare, the contest reminds students that objective and scientific perspectives on animal welfare may be more beneficial to the animal than what our human points of view may assume.

Karli Chudeau, a second year Ph.D. student in the animal behavior graduate group, stated that the preparation process for the competition was more than the majority of the team had expected since none of them

had prior experience in such a competition.

Starting in June, the team began to review scientific articles concerning the four species that the competition would focus on: dairy goats, egg-laying ducks, green iguanas and polo ponies. Dividing up the readings, the students and coaches scourged the articles for topics important to the animals’ welfare, such as health promotion, normal and abnormal behaviors and housing and disease prevention, before coming together every week to discuss their findings. The students also listened to various experts on each of the species talk about animal welfare and toured facilities such as the UC Davis dairy goat facility.

Transitioning into the quarter, the team compiled the information they had retrieved into resource packets that would be used during the competition, as the students are required to give oral reasonings on the prompts given using scientific evidence.

Once all of the information was organized, coaches Pullin and Kaleiah Schiller tested the students with mock scenarios that they would have to assess, such as being given information on two barns and having to determine which one is better for animal welfare.

These mock scenarios were similar to how the contest itself is structured.

Chudeau described the atmosphere at the contest as crazy and intense, especially during the individual scenarios when the room was silent and the tension palpable as students flipped through their resource packets. The students were required to sit at large ballroom tables and assess different scenarios presented through a slideshow.

As a competitive swimmer during her undergraduate years, Chudeau found the difference between athletic competitions and intellectual competitions to be very interesting. While the atmosphere was competitive, Chudeau enjoyed how everyone was working as a team.

“I get the feeling that welfare tends to be on the outskirts of animal sciences, and so it was just really nice to have the comradery

of everyone who feels the same way as you do about how we should be caring for and managing animals,” Chudeau said.

According to Sabrina Mederos, who competed on the undergraduate team, the competition was nerve-wracking at times since they were surrounded by experts and competitors from other schools, but the consistency of their training during the summer led to their success. Through the training process, she believes that she not only broadened her knowledge but also improved her presentation and collaboration skills.

“To do well, we really had to hone our public speaking skills, our ability to work under pressure and really expand our knowledge of animal welfare assessment and concepts,” Mederos said.

In addition to the immense commitment and passion of the students leading up to the competition, Pullin believes that the resources the team had to their disposal contributed greatly to the team’s success. With four animal experts within the Animal Welfare Center guiding the team, the students were given access to farms and experts on the species. Furthermore, the undergraduate and graduate team also collaborated with the veterinary team coached by UC Davis’ veterinary school. This allowed the undergraduate and graduate teams to view animal welfare from a more health-centered focus, as they came from a background that was more focused on behavior. Pullin believes that all of these resources allowed the students to grasp a more holistic view on ani-

mal welfare in both the academic world and in the real world.

Mederos found it to refreshing to learn about unique species that aren’t commonly studied in general animal science courses and interact with people who are passionate in the field. She believes that the competition brings awareness to all different components of animal welfare.

“I think one thing that I learned from this whole experience is that because animal welfare is so multi-facilitated, people from different areas of specialization can contribute in their own way,” Mederos said. “Animal welfare encompasses so many different factors such as physical health, affective state and natural conditions. Depending on a person’s background, they can identify things others may not have noticed.”

Pullin hopes that people interested in improving the lives of animals can become educated on the scientific field of objectively and scientifically judging animal welfare, as it is often difficult to know where to start when trying to do what is best for animals.

In addition, Chudeau believes that animal welfare applies to all animals and that everyone has a responsibility to care for the animals in our surrounding environment.

“I think welfare is something that once you start thinking about it, I think it’s very hard to not think about it,” Chudeau said.

“If everyone can get in that mindset of how we can provide the best lives possible for animals that are around us, I think the better off our whole world would be.”

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Review: Welcome to Marwen Zemeckis drama leaves too much unexplored

BY A LYSSA I L SL E Y arts@theaggie.org

The well-intentioned but ultimately disappointing “Welcome to Marwen” was released on Dec. 21. The film is based on the life of artist Mark Hogancamp, who was brutally beaten outside of a bar after revealing to a group of men that he enjoys crossdressing.

The assault leaves Hogancamp comatose for nine days and erases almost all of his memories before the attack. Hogancamp was an illustrator, but after recovery, his brain injuries left him unable to draw. In order to cope with the trauma, Hogancamp created a 1:6 scale world in his backyard where he narrates and photographs images of dolls in a fictional World War II town called Marwencol.

The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, takes place during the trial of Hogancamp’s abusers, while Hogancamp is still mentally and physically struggling to grapple with what has happened to him. A major theme in the film is the use of art as therapy. Hogancamp uses his dolls and the world of Marwencol to try to overcome his trauma.

Throughout the film, however, he struggles with integrating himself back into the real world and often conflates the events occurring in Marwencol with reality. Hogancamp bases his dolls on people in his life. The film splits the narrative between Hogancamp’s real life and that of his alter ego, Hogie of Marwencol. His attackers take the form of Nazis, who frequently attack Hogie. A band of women, based on supportive influences in Hogancamp’s life, always come to his rescue.

Meanwhile, the real Hogancamp, played by Steve Carell, battles the effects of PTSD and a growing addiction to pain medication.

The film truly had potential for greatness. The combination of live action and animation in the film, which highlighted Hogancamp’s suffering, could have been poignant and exciting. The expertise of director Robert Zemeckis, who created critically-acclaimed films such as “Forrest Gump” and “Back to the Future” should have led the film in the right direction. Seasoned actors Steve Carell and Leslie Mann in leading roles should have carried the film on performance alone. Mark Hogancamp’s

life and story are inspiring and powerful, but the film simply never gets off its feet in order to do the real Hogancamp any justice. With many great elements, the film fails to come together cohesively, leaving the viewer dissatisfied and a bit confused.

The film’s weakest point, by far, is the writing. While the duality of live action and animation as a vehicle for narration is intriguing at first, the film struggles to balance the two and make them equally compelling.

Just as the viewer starts to feel connected to Hogancamp, the narrative shifts to the animated Hogie and his gratuitously violent battles with the Nazis in Marwencol.

There are certain times when this tactic is effective, such as when Hogancamp’s PTSD is triggered and he immediately resorts to Marwencol as a coping mechanism. However, more often than not, the transitions are too jarring and ill-timed for the viewer to appreciate. These animated scenes mostly occur when the viewer would rather learn more about the real world in the film. This also leaves less time for either world or the characters in them to feel fully developed or fleshed out. In the end, the film is simply doing too much, leaving both Hogancamp and Hogie’s journey in a state of incompletion.

The writers were also lacking in subtlety.

Every theme of the film is basically spelled

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ALLYSON KO / AGGIE

out for the viewer in either direct dialogue or conspicuous metaphors. One of Hogancamp’s dolls, a blue-haired witch, appears to be the main villain of the film. Named Deja, the doll is constantly looming over both the characters in Marwencol and Hogancamp himself, who keeps the doll propped up in his living room. Within the first few encounters with Deja, the doll’s symbolism for Hogancamp’s addiction to pain pills and his struggles with PTSD is made clear. Deja’s hair color exactly matches the color of the pills Hogancamp is addicted to. In the climax of the animated narrative, Hogie MARWEN on 12 CAITLYN SAMPLEY / AGGIE

No, reading for class doesn’t count

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

An oft-quoted complaint during the school year is the limited amount of time for pleasure reading. This interest tends to battle with the demands of being a young adult and student and ultimately loses the fight. Yet sometimes all it takes is a little motivation and a reading list to rediscover that love of reading. Allocate the time; it’s rewarding and it’s important. Below is a list of engaging, intellectual and worthwhile literature to get you started.

“Reincarnation Blues” by Michael Poore While reading “Reincarnation Blues,” the reader must accept the following reality: humans have 10,000 lives. Ten thousand do-overs and chances to reach a perfect life.

Yet what does that perfection entail? Living through the final five lives of Milo, the main character, he and the reader explore this concept, as well as the complications of being in a 100,000-year love affair with Death (talk about commitment). Featuring witty, creative and masterful character descriptions, “Reincarnation Blues” explores what is important about being alive.

Indulge in your existential angst.

“Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim” by David Sedaris To be quite honest, any Sedaris book is perfect for this list — his work is entertaining, lighthearted and digestible. Specifically in this collection of personal essays, his sharp humor and satire concerns the trials and tribulations of his own upbringing in upstate New York and during modern early-adult life. Yet beyond the comic relief, Sedaris embeds his conceptions of the

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human experience; how our childhood impacts our future self, how significant the relationships with our siblings are, how complicated romantic relationships can be. He finds a unique way for the reader to delve into the bigger picture. Sedaris makes you think without even realizing it.

“South and West” by Joan Didion Joan Didion is notorious for her ability to observe and describe her surroundings, and more precisely, her ability to observe and describe California and its lifestyle.

Born in the Sacramento Valley and a student at UC Berkeley, her works are centered around California living — her feeling of home is simultaneous with her feeling as a stranger in the state. Yet I find “South and West” so intriguing because she moves her location of interest to the Deep South.

The first part (and majority) of the book is simply her observations, notes and interviews during an extended road trip to the South with her husband in the 1970s.

Coupled with her shorter essay and the remaining portion of the book on California (the West), along portion of the book on California (the West), along with her various other works, the reader finds Didion in a vulnerable state. She knows just as little about the South as many of her readers do. Although written almost 50 years ago, EASY READS on 12

Book vs. Netflix Series: The Haunting of Hill House Review How the show relates to, differs from the book

BY CH E YE NNE W IS EMAN arts@theaggie.org

“The Haunting of Hill House” is a new Netflix original series loosely based on Shirley Jackson’s novel of the same name.

The novel, published in 1959, follows a woman named Eleanor “Nell” Vance, who lives unhappily with her sister and brotherin-law after the death of her mother, whom she took care of for many miserable years.

Eleanor is excited for a new start when she is invited to live in Hill House along with the future heir Luke Sanderson and the psychic Theodora. The three are lead by researcher Dr. Montague to observe the house and make note of any supernatural occurrences.

The 10-hour Netflix series follows a different plot. Set in the present day, the series features the Crain family as it deals with painful memories of the brief summer they lived at Hill House. Told through flashbacks, the story of the family begins when they move into the house with the goal of renovating and reselling it. Hugh Crain and his wife Olivia raise five young children: Steven, Shirley, Theo, Luke and Nell.

As in Shirley Jackson’s novel, Hill House is undeniably evil, a fact that becomes apparent to some of the Crains faster than

others. Though as adults they live far away from one another and Hill House, the house’s malice continues to haunt the Crain family with both literal manifestations and dealings of grief, mental illness and addiction.

While the story of the series diverges greatly from that of the novel, there are several similarities that pay homage to Jackson’s novel. Mike Flanagan, the director of the series, based several of the Crain children on characters from the novel. Like Jackson’s Nell, Nell Crain is the family member mostaffected by Hill House’s ghosts and madness, and both struggle with intense feelings of isolation from the rest of their respective worlds. The Luke in Jackson’s novel is a liar and thief, reflected in the tendency of Flanagan’s Luke to steal money for drugs as an adult.

In her novel, Jackson depicts Theo as selfish, telepathic and possibly lesbian.

Flanagan’s Theo wears gloves at all times to thwart her ability to feel the trauma of others through touch and is openly lesbian, though she has issues allowing others to get close.

Dr. Montague also makes an appearance in the series, and the character Shirley Crain HAUNTED HILL on 12

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ANTISEMITISM

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“Our campus has launched investigations into the incident described in your email,” May wrote. “We have turned video footage over to the Yolo County District Attorney for their review and consideration of legal actions that could be taken.”

May also added that the UC Davis Compliance Office is managing an official administrative investigation of the matter.

“We will update the campus on these as appropriate,” May wrote.

It was unclear, however, whether the statement was in direct response to the USAS’ set of demands or in response to a separate demand regarding an investigation of the incident.

Yeimi Lopez, an AFSCME 3299 organizer and union member, was involved in the incident. She spoke specifically about the Dec. 13 organized action.

“We had a supervisor attack the picket line violently,” Lopez said. “He assaulted and injured staff and students and myself. He put his hands around my neck. And then I was able to break the chokehold with my hands. Some of the workers blocked him and just blocked him away from me.”

When asked how she was doing, Lopez said she was “doing better.”

Regarding the status of the alleged attacker from the video, Blouin said via email that “the matter is still under investigation, so we have nothing further to say at this time, other than what the chancellor said in the message that we shared with you.”

Following the organized protest on Dec. 13 in the chancellor’s office, protesters assembled outside of Mrak Hall.

Refilwe Gqajela, an organizer with AFSCME 3299, spoke about what she saw as the result of the meeting.

“We got an acknowledgement of the incident, an acknowledgement of our statement and acknowledgement of the demands and what happened,” Gqajela said. “For a very long time, the isolation and the continued violence from the incident was the silence of the university, and the silencing that students and workers have felt.”

Gqajela discussed how the protest was associated with the picket line in-

cident and the contract negotiation.

“The visit today [is due to] the incident that happened in Oct. 25, it is now Dec. 13,” she said. “Students released their statement and the demand over a week ago now. Before that, there was a larger system-wide student demand that spoke to the incident here and also to larger student worker issues.”

Gqajela then spoke about a statement the chancellor made regarding the incident.

“The chancellor, prior to today, released a statement acknowledging the student statement,” Gqajela said.

“But it was an empty statement — an empty statement that did very little for the students and workers who feel unsafe to feel safe. It did very little to address the incident in and of itself and the violence that happened.”

Zach Freels, the lead organizer for AFSCME 3299 for UC Davis’ campus and medical center, said the alleged attacker from the video has resumed work.

“We know that two weeks ago this individual was working, he was seen on site at the wastewater treatment center continuing to work as if nothing happened,” Freels said. “We have had employees who were terminated for as little as dirty looks, and this guy engaged in an assault of students, employees of the university and AFSCME staff. The university has failed its obligation to hold people accountable for acts of workplace violence.”

According to Freels, the video was released as an act of direct action to “escalate the situation” after “the university failed to hold him accountable” and “failed to meaningfully respond to student demands.”

Though the incident has been referred to the Yolo County district attorney’s office, Freels believes there is more the university can do regarding the incident.

“Not every instance of workplace violence involves a district attorney,” Freels said.

“When it does arise to that level, in every instance that I am aware of in the time I have been here with this organization, the university has placed that person on administrative leave and almost always, they ended up with a termination.”

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over 3,000 researchers signed unionization authorization cards.

Kimberly Hale, from UC Davis news and media relations, unpacked the unionization process.

“Under California law, this is one of several legally required steps regarding union representation,” Hale said. “UC is working with […] PERB and the union regarding the composition of the proposed unit. Once PERB certifies the UAW as the exclusive representative for the unit, then contract negotiations would begin.”

Fred S. Bauman, a UC Berkeley project scientist for the Center for the Built Environment, believes that ARs deserve similar salaries and benefits as faculty and that unionizing will improve their chances of having a say in this matter.

“Academic researchers form an integral part of research here at the university, and make significant contributions to the world class reputation that UC Berkeley and the UC system enjoy,” Bauman said via email. “The formation of a union is important because it will provide a much greater opportunity for us to achieve improved recognition as academic researchers (within the UC system), who are often more experienced, more skilled, and make equal or greater contributions to many research projects across campus than many faculty members.”

Bauman described how the “the current system treats all ARs regardless of their knowledge, experience and skills as if they are automatically placed at a lower level than all facul-

ty.”

He believes that they should maintain a more equal position.

“Many ARs have advanced degrees similar to faculty and often play leadership roles in obtaining major research grant funding that not only pays for the ARs salaries, but also covers grad students, post docs, and benefits the university through overhead charges,” Bauman said.

Leah Hartman, a UC Davis junior specialist in plant science research and a member of the Academic Researchers Union, spoke about the gains that unionizing brings to researchers, such as collective bargaining and a more democratized system.

“Unionizing typically improves workers’ lives and other groups of workers within the UC system have seen significant gains from union efforts, including things like paid parental leave — which we currently don’t have except via disability insurance — and better treatment for people who report sexual harassment,” Hartman said via email.

Hartman added that there are hurdles specific to AR positions.

“Academic researchers in particular face high job insecurity because of the way our positions are funded, which may manifest for some people as gaps in health insurance coverage, difficulty gaining US citizenship or uncertainty about whether our jobs will continue at the end of each research grant,” Hartman said. “These are just a few of the things we hope to address by coming together to speak to the university as a unit.”

“For the decades the FBI has been tracking hate crimes, Jews have counted amongst the most frequently targeted categories for hate crimes in the country,” Khaykin said. “60 percent of all hate crimes where the motivation is the religion or the perceived religion of the victims are against Jews. When we look across all hate crimes on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, national origin, although Jews are less than 2 percent of the population, they account for 13 percent of all hate crime victims, so we’re overrepresented among hate crime victims by a factor of more than six.”

Additionally, the ADL’s own statistics show that anti-Semitic incidents have increased in recent years. Khaykin said there was a 57 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2017, “the highest single-year increase on record.”

Khaykin then introduced statistics that showed the perception of Jews worldwide. According to these statistics, 26 percent of the global population was found to have anti-Semitic beliefs, which means they answered six out of 11 anti-Semitic stereotypes in the affirmative.

Describing anti-Semitism as “lethal,” Khaykin also referred to anti-Semitism as a conspiracy theory and a political tool used by powerful individuals who want to prevent progressive reforms.

This idea of scapegoating Jews for societal problems is still evident today, Khaykin said.

“Two days before Robert Bowers, a white nationalist, entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and murdered 11 people during the Sabbath prayer services, […] the cover of the largest Russian language weekly in Northern

California basically paints a picture of George Soros, who’s a prominent Jewish philanthropist, and blames him for being behind bringing all these immigrants into our country and crushing Uncle Sam,” Khaykin said.

While discussing anti-Semites, Khaykin noted that the justifications given for anti-Semitism are often contradictory.

“Jews are hated for being too weak and for being too powerful,” Khaykin said. “They’re hated for being too rich and ostentatious and for being too poor and penny-pinching. Jews are hated for being pacifists and for being unwilling to defend the country against its enemies and for being too militaristic, for being warmongers. They’re hated for being too nationalistic and for being rootless cosmopolitans without any allegiances. They’re hated for being too insular — sticking to their own kind — and for being a threat to our racial purity by assimilation and mixing among us.”

For Zoken, one of the reasons she immediately called the ADL to report the anti-Semitic fliers on campus was because she wants Jewish students to feel more comfortable speaking up in the face of discrimination.

“These things happen and we need to make sure that there are actions in place, that Jewish students feel comfortable even voicing the fact that this isn’t okay,” Zoken said. “Part of the reason we’re making such a push here is because we want to set an example in the future [that] it’s okay to speak up when these things happen. It’s okay to say, ‘I’m being discriminated against and I want my voice to be heard.’”

Hannah Holzer contributed reporting.

DCD RESOLUTION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

sonally.

“For me, it was knowing Eric engaged in this behavior before and was now doing it in front of a new generation of activists,” Acevedo said. “I knew I should have said something sooner and it was better now than never.”

Acevedo believes that the allegations, and Bauman’s subsequent response, will have a profound impact on the way that the CDP operates.

“Indelibly, the Party will be changed,” Acevedo said. “How and in what way will depend on the members that will vote for a new Chair in May 2019. The previous race saw candidates compete for the youth vote. I expect that will happen again.”

Acevedo also expressed hope that those who have remained silent about their experiences with Bauman will come to the CDP — “we need all of our time and talents working together to advance our values,” he said.

When asked about what advice he would give to individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct at the hands of those in positions of political power, Acevedo said, ultimately, he hopes survivors remember that any incident of sexual harassment is not their fault.

“You, not anyone else, can define experiences for yourself,” he said. “Telling someone about an incident might seem scarier than the actual incident but will free you from holding on.”

This advice comes at a time of upheaval regarding sexual harassment and assault policies in the U.S. educational system.

The United States Department of Education is considering changes to Title IX-based rules, specifically in the way universities handle cases of sexual harassment, assault and other sexual misconduct.

The UC Davis Chief Compliance Officer and Title IX Officer, Wendi Delmendo, took a firm stance against the proposed changes, expressing concern that the new guidelines would undermine due process procedures already has in place.

Further, the policies could potentially impose harsher regulations about how universities are able to constructively address sexual harassment claims.

Claire Chevallier, a UC Davis undergraduate representative for the UC Title IX Advisory Board, said via email that the ASUCD Sexual Assault Awareness Advocacy Committee will host two workshops in January aimed at educating students about the proposed policy changes.

The Department of Education has allowed for a 60-day public comment period, which is currently open, allowing for feedback regarding the proposed changes. Chevallier referred to this comment period, saying the workshops will allow participants to craft responses to the controversial new rules that Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is seeking to put in place.

“The workshop is something we’d like to have as many students as possible join in,” she said, adding that the goal is for attendees to submit comments and thus delay the implementation of the proposed changes for at least a year.

Chevallier noted that the proposed changes may seem “intimidating,” but that the controversial proposal has also contributed to increased mobilization regarding the issue of sexual assault and harassment in the United States.

“Students can write [their comments] as individuals or can write on behalf of their organization and have their constituents sign it electronically,” Chevallier said. “Parents and alums can also participate.”

GRANT FUNDS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

The grant gives Electrify Yolo four years for completion, and has an 11.6 percent cost-share.

“It’s exciting for us to get a grant of this magnitude in our county,” Parks said. “Now that the grant has been approved, now the rubber meets the road.”

Webb added that he feels very positive about the success of the three approved grant proposals as a whole.

“This recent round of grants — of grant funding we’ve received from SACOG — is a real testament to our commitment to leveraging our local dollars and stretching them and making them go as far as we can,” Webb said. “I’m really proud of the work that our staff and our supporters put into making these grants’ applications successful, really pleased to see the work result in a very positive [outcome.]”

PREVIEW CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

battling conference foes as early as February — they host big matches against Cal Poly on Feb. 23 and UC Santa Barbara on March 3.

Women’s Lacrosse After a disappointing overtime defeat at the hands of San Diego State in the MPSF title game last April, the Aggies look to begin the road to re-

demption this winter under head coach Suzanne Isidor’s second season at the helm.

The Aggies will kick things off Feb. 8 when they host UMass Lowell and begin a season schedule that includes games against Michigan, Cal, Stanford, Oregon, Georgetown and a rematch against the Aztecs.

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12 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

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lifetime savings.”

Winer represents several women throughout the state who are in similar situations. He also disagrees with the way the university handled this case, referring to the alleged harasser as “a convicted sexual harasser” based on what he says were the university’s findings.

“He should have been fired,” Winer said via email. “Instead he was emboldened to drive an hour away where he obtained a prime job in the UCOP, University of California’s Office of the President, until someone there had to inform UCOP that the perpetrator was a convicted sexual harasser, at which point he was finally fired.”

Along with his client, Winer believes this case is indicative of a larger pattern of issues within the UC system. He questioned how the alleged harasser was able to obtain a job working for the UC system following UC Davis’ findings and points to “a major failure on part of the whole system.”

The complainant in the case said she hopes the manner in which her case was handled will never be repeated with any future cases.

“The university should place the defendant under investigatory leave, preferably with compensation and protect the victim until the investigation is finalized,” the complainant said.

From his experiences with these types of cases, Winer argued that there must be a major shake-up in the system in order to ensure future changes.

“The only way it will be fixed is if the highest-up administrators begin to take the sexual harassment complaints seriously, and send a statewide message that sexual harassment will not be tolerated,” Winer said. “It seems like every time we bring a new sexual harassment case against yet another UC, we have to start from the bottom up to attempt to educate school officials on how they can stop sexual harassment.

Winer described necessary steps he feels should be taken in order to protest those who report cases of sexual misconduct, beginning with protecting the victim, opening an investigation into the matter and severely disciplining the perpetrator “if there is a finding of sexual harassment.”

“Finally, the message will get out that sexual harassment will not be tolerated,” Winer said.

the years. It’s still got its classic Bike Barn element look to it [...] that’s one of the first buildings I drew on campus. I wasn’t drawing as much back then but it was my very first fall quarter here on campus after I was working here for a few months [...] it was a good stress reliever. I went to the Bike Barn [...] I still hate drawing bikes, to be honest, I’ve never liked drawing bikes, but I’ve found myself drawn to that building more than any other.”

Scully generally uses pen for his sketches, his current favorite being the brown black uni-ball Signo DX. His backpack holds sketchbooks and a pencil case, full of a variety of materials including his pencils, pens, water brushes, brushes and a small watercolor set.

“I always carry a sketchbook with me,” Scully said.

“Whenever I feel the need, I whip it out and draw stuff.”

Scully has worked on multiple large-scale projects; he has documented the redevelopment of the Boiler Building into what is now the Pitzer Center, the construction of the Manetti Shrem Museum and currently the renovation of Walker Hall. The Boiler Building was one of Scully’s favorite buildings on campus, and he sketched it from a variety of different angles and was there almost every day of construction.

“Now I’ve got this record of this old building going down and a new building coming up on the same spot,” Scully said. “It’s recording a period of Davis’, specifically UC Davis’, history. I was just really proud of that.”

Ten years of Scully’s sketchbooks were featured in “Conversations with the City” in 2016 through the UC Davis Design Museum, which interestingly enough was previously housed in Walker Hall. His Walker Hall sketch series started as a personal project, but Graduate Studies has requested that he continue it for them.

With the Walker Hall construction, Scully gets to see parts of the building’s history that will never be seen again, just as he noted when he worked on sketching the construction of the Manetti Shrem Museum.

“I wouldn’t get an opportunity to see that building [mid-construction] again,” Scully said. “It will never

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and a cafe area with tables for eating, relaxing and doing work, the museum maintains its positive reputation as the first public art museum founded in the Western United States.

While the Manetti Shrem in Davis is an excellent museum, for those hoping to spend hours wandering through and reading about a wide range of exhibits, the Crocker offers just that. In addition, the Crocker features local and youth art competition winners who showcase the next generation of creative minds and thinkers. Many of these art pieces explore human rights through various lenses, and showcase the emotion, passion, depth and urge for change that children as young as seven are depicting in their art.

As winter approaches, with the rain and cold driving students to stay indoors and in the area, the Crocker Art Museum offers a warm and comfortable atmosphere to take advantage of. Why not have a fun, affordable and thought-provoking time at a place that truly attempts to present a wide array of voices, minds and artistic expression?

MARWEN

look like that again. It will look like the finished product for a long while, but it’ll never look like that again [...] so that was really exciting. I really wanted to make sure I drew that. It was important [to me] to draw it rather than just take photos because then I’ve got my personal view of it. When you draw something, you’re having a relationship with it.”

In 2010, Scully started a monthly sketchcrawl called Let’s Draw Davis. Through it, he’s been able to reach out to the local art community and meet other sketchers and artists. By offering monthly meetings, he believes it allows people who can’t attend every session to remain involved whenever they have the time.

“I want to encourage people to draw,” Scully said, “I want to encourage kids to draw, encourage adults to draw [… ] it’s nice because we have a regular group of people that come most months and we’ll go somewhere in Davis and sketch around.”

Scully says his attitude toward sketching has changed since he first came to Davis and was urban sketching, in his words, “all the time.”

“It was about recording the world I lived in,” Scully said. “I want[ed] to record this place, I want[ed] to record it so I [would] remember it, and 13 years later, I remember it because I’m passing by it every day. It hasn’t gone anywhere.”

Scully has been in Davis long enough to see significant changes in and around the city of Davis, particularly on the UC Davis campus. More than drawing for the sake of remembrance, he hopes to capture a moment in time. Though similar, he considers his new goal to be subtly different.

“The point is that it [is] personal,” Scully said. “I was trying to draw things as I was experiencing them, but my experiences are going to be different from the next person […] I’m trying to create a record, but it’s really a record from my perspective.”

Beyond the mechanics of perspective, Scully concluded with his thoughts on the intimate relationship he has with drawing.

“I’m just obsessed with drawing,” Scully said. “It’s something I have to do.”

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her analyses reign true today. I will say she could have written with a greater amount of empathy — she is rather judgmental of southern life and its citizens. Perhaps this flaw can be excused due to the personal and observational nature of the book itself. Nonetheless, the reader can prescribe empathy on their own, and her work stands as a valuable effort to grasp a region of our country with some of the greatest anxiety and judgement. In a time of turbulent political partisanship, considering the other side is of serious importance.

“The Flick” by Annie Baker Plays can serve as a quick read, and I often find them most enjoyable to read in a single sitting as if viewing it on stage. This play won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and follows the working lives of three movie ushers in an old-school, run-down New England mov-

ie theater. The beauty of this play is in the simplicity of its plot and the the characters, who are frequently overlooked as viable persons of interest. The first scene, in fact, opens on two of the ushers sweeping spilled soda and popcorn after a movie has ended, allowing the reader to realize they have possibly never heard such conversations or been in said social dynamic.

Despite the quirks of simplicity, there is a level of tragedy in the play. With a cast of three, the reader intimately gathers the personal history of each usher.

While one employee is the young movie buff, the others are adults whose career aspirations seem confined to the movie theater.

Questions of practicality versus passion, old versus new therefore arise — ideas worthy of reflection for the college reader.

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realizes that it is Deja who continues to bring back the Nazis, even after the other dolls defeat them. Actually, Hogie does not just realize this but announces it for the entire audience. Hogie basically tells the viewer exactly how Deja represents Hogancamp’s inner demons and explains how vanquishing her (pouring out his pills) will stop his psychosis and control his flashbacks when triggered.

Not only does this oversimplify the mental effects of PTSD, but it also underestimates the viewer by explaining what has been so obvious throughout the film.

The film also lacks focus and a clear point of view. While it is ultimately the story of Hogancamp rediscovering his place in the world outside of Marwencol and overcoming his demons, this resolution takes an excessive, complex route to come to over the course of the film.

Besides Hogancamp, every character feels underdeveloped and one-dimensional. While Marwencol is filled with strong, empowered women who help Hogie, it would have been nice to see who the women were in real life as well. Leslie Mann’s character, Nicol, moves into the house next to Hogancamp. She is introduced as having a tumultuous relationship with a former partner, who appears twice in the film. However, that is the extent of her personal biography in the film. She mainly exists as a puppet to react to Hogancamp and what he is going through. Her past with her ex is never truly explored, and the character is left underdeveloped.

Carell and Mann have great chemistry, and their sweet friendship is believable. The film would have been better off exploring more of what these actors could have done with their characters.

That being said, the severe criticism that the film is facing may be a bit extreme. The movie may not be award-winning, but it has its merits. It is endearing and imaginative, and Carell gives a poignant performance. The film also handles Hogancamp’s passion for wearing women’s shoes with elegance and respect. The final scene of Carell dragging his dolls along the road, wearing his war cap and a pair of heels, is triumphant and heartwarming. Hogancamp is an inspiring character, and Carell does an excellent job getting the viewer to root for him.

The film has its moments and manages to tug on heartstrings with its undeniable quirks and charm. While the film may be a bit disappointing in that it fails to live up to its potential, it is still a creative movie that entertains and informs through a fascinating story of triumph and art.

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is a nod to Shirley Jackson herself.

Some aspects of the adaptation remain more faithful. The form and general appearance of Hill House is left largely unchanged by Flanagan’s series. The house retains its gothic darkness and chaotic design.

“Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more,” begins Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House.” “Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”

The same lines are narrated in the Netflix adaptation. Other direct quotes are scattered throughout the series, though sometimes repurposed into new contexts. For example, on her way to Hill House, Jackson’s Crain observes a young girl’s tantrum at a restaurant, silently willing the girl to withstand her parents’ commands.

“Insist on your cup of stars; once they have trapped you into being like everyone else you will never see your cup of stars again; don’t do it,” Eleanor said in “The Haunting of Hill House.”

The same quote is reassigned to Mrs. Dudley in Flanagan’s adaptation, when young Nell discovers the cup and tea set among the old things of Hill House and asks Mrs. Dudley if she can have it.

The Dudleys remain mostly unchanged across the novel and adaptation. In both, the Dudleys clean Hill House, cook for guests and maintain the property, refusing to stay in the house past dark for fear of its pernicious spirits. Interestingly, the Netflix series expands the characters, providing them with their own backstories.

Like Jackson’s novel, Flanagan’s Hill House is haunted in similar ways. There are cold spots scattered throughout the house, violent knocking afflicts the walls and doors and ghostly dogs besiege the property.

Though the series utilizes Jackson’s acclaimed psychological terror, ultimately the series relies on jump-scares and graphic depictions of the ghosts themselves.

The ghosts of Flanagan’s Hill House have names, faces and traceable backstories. Jackson’s Hill House is so terrifying because whatever terrorizes its inhabitants is never seen. Jackson’s poetic, intelligent prose sets the haunted house story apart from the rest. Her descriptions and characters offer frightening insight into the darkness of the human condition and evil itself.

The sources of horror in her writing often derive from the internal conflicts and personalities of Jackson’s characters.

In “The Haunting of Hill House,” Eleanor is indecisive, unfulfilled and haunted by the years she spent caring for her mother. She also is subject to anxiety — she constantly worries about being liked by Theodora, Luke and Dr. Montague, and the novel is full of hateful self-deprecation and internal judgement. The increasingly ambiguous distinction between Hill House’s hauntedness and Eleanor’s neuroses contribute to the deeply unsettling quality of Jackson’s novel.

Jackson herself suffered from anxiety and agoraphobia. She had a poor relationship with her mother, who considered her daughter a disappointment and constantly criticized her appearance, weight and writing. Because of her life experiences, it’s no surprise that Jackson’s writing often features women struggling with loneliness, alienation and anxiety that seek to escape from oppressive family situations.

“The Haunting of Hill House” is considered one of the best horror novels ever written and was a finalist for the 1960 National Book Awards. Though it cannot compete with the terror of Shirley Jackson’s novel, the Netflix adaptation is still a riveting series about ghosts and the bonds of family. While Flanagan’s take offers a message of hope and healing, Shirley’s novel provides no such thing, rightfully reveling in its tragedy and despair. Both are worth exploring.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE C AITLY N SA M P L E Y / AGGI E

BAY AREA BECOMES CENTER OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL WORLD Levi’s Stadium plays host to Monday’s national championship

BY BREN DA N O GB U R N sports@theaggie.org

The College Football Playoff National Championship took place on Monday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, marking the first time the game has been held in Northern California. Monday night’s game was also significant for this geographical region in another way, as it comes on the heels of Super Bowl 50 which was also played at the home of the San Francisco 49ers back in early 2016.

The University of Alabama and Clemson University squared off for the fourth year in a row, with last season being the only non-National Championship game in the sequence, and put their undefeated records to the test.

Clemson ran away with a 44-16 victory, securing its second national championship in three years and becoming the first team in FBS history to finish with a record of 15-0.

The loss was also a notable one for legendary Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban, who had never previously lost a game by more than 14 points since taking over the Crimson Tide in 2007.

The Tigers and Crimson Tide lit up the scoreboard in the opening nine minutes of play, combining to score 27 points.

Clemson began to pull away in the second quarter and took a 15-point lead into the locker room at halftime, before pitching a shutout in the second half and adding two more touchdowns. They took advantage of two costly interceptions thrown by Alabama sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and also torched the Crimson Tide secondary, as freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence completed five passes of over 25 yards and threw for a total of 347 yards.

Levi’s Stadium and the Bay Area came under a large amount of criticism from the national media in the days leading up to the game, due to the perceived lack of enthusiasm for the game and historically-low ticket prices on the secondary market. Nonetheless, the atmosphere in Santa Clara was lively on Monday night, with visiting fans from Alabama and South Carolina and locals showing out for a historic night of football.

In total, over 74,000 fans packed the home of the 49ers.

Despite having three FBS college football programs — San Jose State, Stanford

University and the University of California, Berkeley — in its footprint, the Bay Area has never hosted this monumental event before.

While none of these teams has any experience playing for a national championship in about three quarters of a century, there’s still a rich history of the sport in this area. Cal claimed five national championships from 1920-1940, with Stanford also winning two during that same period. While neither program has reached the mountaintop of the college football world since then, each has groomed countless players and coaches into successful individuals at the NFL level.

Similar to the Super Bowl in 2016, this year’s game had a plethora of festivities for fans leading up to the main event. Over the weekend, downtown San Jose was transformed into the “Championship Campus”, offering many attractions for the visiting Alabama and Clemson fans and Northern California residents alike.

The main attraction of the weekend was undoubtedly a two-day lineup of free concerts, where fans packed Discovery Meadow Park in the heart of downtown to enjoy the likes of Alessia Cara, Brynn Elliott, Leon Bridges, Logic and others. Heavy rainfall in the region was not enough to deter the thousands of people that showed up, many of which camped out several hours early to reserve their spot.

Another big attraction was “Playoff Fan Central”, a 100,000 square-foot interactive museum of sorts, offering many different games and drills for young fans, historic exhibits of famous college football moments over the years, autograph signings and performances from each school’s marching band. A similar event was held in San Francisco for Super Bowl 50, which welcomed tens of thousands of fans over a three-day period.

Both teams arrived on their charter flights on Friday evening and were greeted by fans and members of the media at San Jose International Airport. Players and coaches from

each squad participated in Media Day the following morning, hosted at SAP Center in San Jose — the home arena of the San Jose Sharks. Over 1,000 credentialed members of the media gathered to interview the teams, while the public were allowed to watch for free.

Instead of holding a live halftime show on the field of Levi’s Stadium, event planners opted for a concert by “Imagine Dragons” on Treasure Island, situated between the Oakland and San Francisco spans of the Bay Bridge. The concert was televised live on ESPN for viewers around the globe, while the Clemson and Alabama marching bands performed for fans inside the stadium.

The main motive behind this decision was to preserve the playing surface for the second half of the game. Ever since its inception in 2014, Levi’s Stadium has struggled to provide an adequate playing surface, making it difficult for players to keep their footing and change direction when running. This has drawn a lot of complaints from players and coaches, as the field conditions have had a definite impact on the outcome of many football games. The stadium has replaced the turf dozens of times, including early last week, and experimented with a few different types of grass. None of these measures have changed the slippery nature of the surface or prevented divots from forming so easily.

Fortunately, there weren’t any noticeable issues with the field during Monday night’s contest, as the surface seemed to hold up quite well.

Overall, the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship was an unforgettable experience for football fans in Northern California, who got to witness two of the most dominant college football programs of this generation. Many years from now, fans will look back on this game and admire all of the great individual players from each school that will likely go on to have fantastic careers at the professional level.

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HOW CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALTERING WINTER SPORTS

OLIVIA KOTLA R EK / AGG IE F IL E

Shorter season leads to less opportunities for ski and snowboard enthusiasts

New year brings new seasons, new program into the fold

BY B O BBY JOHN sports@theaggie.org

Those waiting to scratch that snow itch can finally get some relief now that winter is here. But despite healthy early season winter storms, the Sierra Nevada snowpack got off to a below average start this winter in the year’s first snow survey conducted by the Department of Water Resources.

The survey showed that the statewide average for the Sierra Nevada snowpack is at 67 percent of its normal average for this time of year.

It wasn’t too long ago that a five-year drought devastated California, which left ski resorts in Northern California reeling.

Many had no choice but to make snow to fill in for the detrimental lack of water.

This dramatic decline in the Sierra Nevada snowpack has been linked to climate change. The window of time that skiers and snowboarders get to spend on the slopes will get progressively smaller, said Paul Ullrich an assistant professor in the UC Davis Climate and Global Change Group.

Part of Ullrich’s work focuses on modeling future climate change scenarios for the Sierra Nevada snowpack.

This year’s snowpack level doesn’t alarm Ullrich and he stated that the current level of precipitation, which sits at about 70 percent of its normal level, translates to a pretty healthy snowpack compared to some of California’s drier years on record.

“Over the past decade what we’ve been seeing is these anomalously warm temperatures that have just persisted through the

winter season,” Ullrich said.

He has two key takeaways from the arrival of these warm temperatures.

“The snowpack just melts faster,” Ullrich said. “And it usually starts off later in the season because you are waiting for that rain to snow transition. Even during the season, you get more rain episodes than snow episodes and when the rain hits snowpack it causes a more rapid melt.”

This isn’t just a problem in California, however, nationwide ski resorts are projected to have their seasons clipped with slopes at 3,000 feet and below to be hit the hardest, according to a 2017 study. Ski bums will delight in the fact that a good chunk of the resorts in Northern California are situated anywhere from 7,000 to 9,000 feet and are more resilient in the face of temperature increase due to climate change.

But those resorts at higher elevations will still lose anywhere from 10 to 40 percent of their snowpack by 2050 based on Ullrich’s research.

This range comes from both the variability of the environment and human activity.

Ullrich believes there isn’t really much we can do to alter our path. “On our current trajectory we are pretty much locked in,” he said.

Current assessments paint a stark view for the Sierra Nevada snowpack. This will affect not only the ski industry but also water management issues. At this point, experts believe it is not so much a problem that can be solved and is only a matter of time before weather patterns more drastically alter our way of life.

WINTER QUARTER ATHLETICS PREVIEW

BY DO MINIC FARIA sports@theaggie.org

After a fall season that saw success from several UC Davis athletics programs, the new year and Winter Quarter will be packed with sports action from a number of different teams. Some programs will be continuing seasons that began late last quarter while others will be competing for the first time since last winter. With new faces and fresh storylines ahead, the first few months of 2019 are sure to bring more excitement to the UC Davis campus. Here are the teams to watch: Women’s Equestrian Head Coach Jessie Weisinger will be leading this brand-new UC Davis athletics program in its inaugural season when the team takes on Delaware State on Jan. 31. A Texas A&M alum, Weisinger brings a rich coaching and horse training background to UC Davis. She hopes to have her team of 19 student-athletes ready to compete against a number of talented programs this winter, including TCU, SMU, Fresno State and her own alma mater in College Station on Feb. 16.

Women’s Basketball Senior forward Morgan Bertsch is the program’s all-time leading scorer and recently became only the eighth player in Big West Conference history to reach 2,000 career points. Needless to say, seeing this Aggie play is certainly worth the price of admission. After starting the season with three straight losses back in November, the Aggies have won nine of their last 11 contests and

are currently on a six-game winning streak.

Bertsch has played a huge part in the team’s success so far and the Aggies will look to keep the streak alive as they continue conference play.

Men’s Basketball Despite a 4-10 start after persevering through a brutal non-conference slate, the Aggies have shown that they can hang tough against high-caliber teams. Battling the likes of Arkansas, Indiana, Arizona and USC has hopefully given the Aggies the necessary experience and confidence to succeed going into conference play, which starts Thursday night when they take on UC Irvine in Southern California. Head Coach Jim Les will look to get his team back on track and defend his program’s title as Big West Conference champions.

Women’s Gymnastics The Aggies opened their season with a 194.950 combined score on Sunday, the highest score in program history for an opening meet. With a talented group of gymnasts on the roster this Winter, the Aggies will look to build upon previous seasons of success with several home meets throughout this quarter, including an intriguing four-way meet in March when UC Davis hosts Washington, Illinois and Yale. But first the Aggies will head down to Anaheim this weekend to compete in the Collegiate Challenge meet alongside UCLA, Cal and Michigan State.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis Both UC Davis tennis programs will be PREVIEW on 11

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