February 14, 2019

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VOLUME 137, ISSUE 16 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

PETA FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST UC DAVIS OVER TREATMENT OF PRIMATES

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GOV. NEWSOM’S PROPOSED INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR UC CONDITIONAL ON TUITION FREEZE

In wake of multiple violations in last six years, lawsuit could force release of footage recorded within Primate Center

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

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) filed a lawsuit against UC Davis in an effort to force the university to release videos cited in researchers’ published papers on studies conducted at the UC Davis Primate Center. UC Davis has refused to do so, despite PETA’s filing of a California Public Records Act (CPRA).

Andy Fell, the associate director of news and media relations at UC Davis, said in an email that the CPRA request made by PETA in December of 2017 was only partially fulfilled in May of 2018 because the “requested material concerns ongoing research, or because the records do not exist.”

“Animal research benefits human health, is conducted humanely and is strictly regulated,” Fell said. “We strive to take the best possible care of these animals.”

The lawsuit filed by PETA, however, points to several instances in which UC Davis failed to comply with laws regarding laboratory animals. In the past six years, UC Davis hasn’t reached the minimum standards of care outlined in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) at least 24 times, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit indicates several citations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the department that oversees the implementation of the AWA, including an instance in which a monkey suffered kidney damage and internal bleeding after an attempted escape led to use of a tranquilizer dart gun.

Jeremy Beckham, a researcher associate in PETA’s laboratory investigation department, has been working on issues related to animal experimentation for 15 years. Of the 4,500 monkeys at the primate center, some are kept outdoors for breeding pur-

poses, but many of them are used for experimentation indoors and away from the public eye, according to Beckham.

Beckham listed common issues of monkey treatment in primate centers like the one at UC Davis, including monkeys being subjected to invasive brain experiments, psychological experiments which have included forcing the monkeys to inhale toxic substances and isolation. Since monkeys are social and emotional animals, isolation in cages causes them to pace, swing and potentially self-mutilate, Beckham said.

Primate centers generally don’t allow the public to see what is occurring within their facilities. A photographer from The California Aggie, who attempted to photograph the center from behind the fence surrounding the building, was told by a public safety officer from the UC Davis Police Department to delete the photos he had taken. UC Davis officials said this is done to ensure the safety and privacy of the employees who work at the center.

Due to restrictions of this nature at both this and similar facilities, PETA utilized other ways to gain documented insight into the centers’ daily operations. One way PETA receives information on monkey treatment in these centers is through public records request laws, like the CPRA. Beckham said that a UC Davis research psychologist has been running an infant behavioral assessment program for the last 15 years — a program that is funded by federal tax dollars and a program the majority of the monkeys born at UC Davis have gone through.

“Shortly after the monkeys are born, they’re separated from their mothers, which we’ve known for a long time is extremely stressful for both baby and mom, and then they’re subjected to a variety of stressful situations,” Beckham said.

The infant monkeys may be put through

NEW DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES APPOINTED Delplanque comes with support of students, chancellor, administrators

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

After serving as interim vice provost and dean of graduate studies for five months, Jean-Pierre Delplanque was formally appointed to the position by Chancellor Gary May, effective Jan 1.

Campus administrators shared high

praise for Delplanque, as they believe he will be “a strong advocate for graduate students and postdocs,” said Executive Vice Chancellor Ken Burtis.

For Delplanque, that advocacy starts with improved mentoring.

“I wanted to identify two things we could work on right now that had immediate impact on student’s well-beings,” Delplanque said. “In terms of student of well-being and

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UC system does not expect tuition increase in near future

a screen showing an image of an aggressive monkey after being isolated in a cage, according to Beckham.

“Obviously, baby monkeys separated from the security of their mom seeing this image of this larger monkey stresses them out and scares them,” Beckham said. “They videotape the reactions of these baby monkeys and look at which monkeys act more stressed out than others.”

Fell, on the other hand, said that the monkeys studied are “being assessed for how they react to stimuli such as a person looking at them or a person in profile, or to other stimuli such as food rewards.” The research shows that the behavior traits the monkeys exhibit relate to group behavior and varied disease responses.

Beckham argued that, as a public institution with research funded with federal tax dollars, UC Davis should release the tapes from this study in addition to tapes from other experiments.

“What better way to cut to the heart of what’s happening in this laboratory than to simply release the videos that the experimenters took themselves?” Beckham asked.

“Let the public decide for themselves if they think that’s worth subsidizing. We’ve already supported these experiments for 15 years, over $5 million have gone towards these experiments.”

While Fell defended UC Davis’ partial release of records, Beckham said that UC Davis has argued against releasing the full records, claiming doing so would be a threat to academic freedom.

“I think especially because they’re a public agency and these experiments are funded by tax dollars, we have a right to look over [academics’] shoulders,” Beckham said.

“We should not blind ourselves to academic institutions’ biases. People in academia are

BY CLAI R E DODD campus@theaggie.org

On Jan. 10, 2019, newly-elected California Gov. Gavin Newsom released his state budget proposal for the 2019-20 year.

In the $209 billion budget, he included a funding increase for California public school systems — as long as tuition costs remain frozen at their current levels.

But first, what does this mean for the UC system? In his budget breakdown for higher education, he proposed to increase total funding to the University of California by $274.6 million, reflecting a 3 percent increase from the 2018-19 budget.

This raise comes with several expectations for the institution.

“These investments are provided with the expectation that tuition will remain flat, access will be increased, and time to degree will improve,” Newsom’s budget summary stated. “The significant investments proposed for the UC should begin an in-depth conversation between the Administration and the Regents regarding the short- and long-term goals and expectations of the state and the UC.” Back in April of 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that the UC Regents were holding off on voting for a tuition increase in the hopes that the state government would come through with increased funding.

It is still unclear if this 3 percent boost for the UC system will be enough to hold tuition steady for the next few years. Claire Doan, the director of media relations for the UC Office of the President, said the institution is fairly certain on how much tuition will cost for the coming school year.

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graduate student’s mental health, two of the main factors that have the best potential to mitigate these types of issues have to do with good mentoring and career prospects.”

For Delplanque, paying attention to funding comes second — “that remains something to work on, but that’s clearly something that takes more time to put in place.”

“Whereas developing mentoring, for instance, can be improved and we can provide faculty members and grad students with the tools they need for a good mentoring experience,” he said. “A better mentee and mentor experience — all of that can be done relatively fast.”

Delplanque recognized that administrators must involve graduate students in any attempts to better their educational experiences. He meets with leaders from the Graduate Student Association regularly.

“When we deal with student matters, ask the students — don’t imagine you know,” he said. “To have the dialogue and say, ‘What

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do you think about this?’ I think that’s intrinsic to the role.”

GSA President Jonathan Minnick echoed Delplanque’s belief in the need for dialogue between graduate students and the dean.

“The two other candidates were also very good and strong graduate student advocates, but Dean Delplanque has been in the position as interim dean and he is well aware of the current and future issues that often trouble graduate students,” Minnick said. “Since we have a generally strong rapport with him, it can allow us to push our objectives a bit harder and make significant progress for our students.”

The GSA was directly involved in the selection process, providing direct feedback to the chancellor from interview sessions the association’s executive council held with the final candidates.

Minnick is hopeful for the future under Delplanque, and said “there was consensus amongst us in the executive council that he was the right choice for this position.”

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What’s a union?

Here’s what you need to know.

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BY A L E X I S LO P E Z- P E R E Z campus@theaggie.org

Better working conditions, higher pay, health insurance, job security and a voice in the employment process — these are some of the benefits that unions aim to secure for the employees they represent.

There are a myriad of unions across the country that look out for the best interests of their members. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 (AFSCME), which represents over 25,000 UC employees, is one such union.

John de Los Angeles, a public relations representative for AFSCME 3299, said that a union is “working people standing together for the purposes of ensuring that their best interests are being represented.” This is achieved through collective bargaining with employers.

Last October, AFSCME 3299-represent-

General functions, benefits of a labor union ed employees participated in their second three-day strike after over a year and a half of negotiations with the UC failed to result in a mutually-agreeable contract. Strikes are a last-ditch effort by unions in which employees withhold labor and forego pay to place pressure on employers in hopes that their demands will be met.

“In [regard] to the UC situation, one of the biggest issues is job security itself: what good is a wage or a benefit if your job is outsourced?” de Los Angeles said. “We want to make sure that the university is committed to equal opportunity standards and address outsourcing.”

AFSCME 3299 in particular is fighting for job security and against outsourcing.

When the UC outsources labor, “they push the average market wage down outside,” de Los Angeles explained. He added that when jobs are outsourced, the individuals who obtain these jobs without representation are negatively affected as well.

“When we are advocating for represented workers, we are fighting for underrepresented workers; when we get a good deal, they get a good deal,” he said.

When asked about the benefits that come with being unionized, John Rundin, a classics lecturer and a site representative coordinator for University Council-American Federation of Teachers Unit 17 (UC-AFT), which represents UC librarians, said that “without unions it’s just up to the whim of the boss” and workers have no say in how they are treated.

“If you don’t have a union and if your boss doesn’t violate a law, the boss can do whatever they want,” Rundin said. “There is no recourse if they don’t break the law.”

Labor unions have a simple structure in that they function like a democracy. Workers hold elections and vote for officers who will make decisions on their behalf. Many unions also engage in lobbying efforts and participate in local or even national elections.

The work that union officers do as part of their positions, as well as other union expenditures, are typically covered by union fees — monthly fees that all members of the union are required to pay.

Rundin explained that although there are certain employees who choose not to be involved in a union’s activities, they might still benefit from the union’s work because, “by law, unions typically must represent everyone who is in a given job.”

No matter the size of the union, the rights of the union members and the responsibilities of the union officers are protected and outlined by the Labor Management Reporting Disclosure Act (LMDRA). These rights include freedom of speech, a say in the rates of dues and fees and the right to elect officers and representatives as well as remove them.

Even if an employee has the option to join a union, they might not choose to do so or may have hesitations. Lucy Joseph, the vice president of UC Davis’ local University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) CWA 9119, said an individual might be hesitant to join because they are ideologically opposed to the mission of a union.

In response, Joseph said that “everyone should have a say in what happens in their workplace.”

“Relying on the good will of your employer doesn’t always work,” she said.

Rundin, however, had a different approach.

“If you are in a position and you choose not to be in a union, you tell the people that are doing the work in the union [that] their work is worthless,” he said.

Employees might also be hesitant about participating in strikes, but strikes “are always a last resort for unions,” Joseph said.

“When our voices are not being heard, all we can do is withhold our labor,” she explained. “That is our last bargaining chip.”

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Pizza weaponry January 30 “Subject sleeping in front of main entrance to civic center.”

“Yolobus nearly hit reporting party while she was riding her bike. Reporting party confronted the driver who refused

to apologize. Bus stopped at bus stop in area.

February 1 “Male transient sitting on a bench near the playground with an empty bottle of vodka next to him. Reporting party attempted to provide an umbrella to him and he didn’t respond, but is awake.”

“Reporting party is in her vehicle, watching a male subject take other bike tires off bikes and putting them on his bike wearing a hat, black jacket, baggy pants, bike with red with basket on the front.”

“Transient walking around

inside playing music, reporting party asked the subject to stop and the subject opened a frozen pizza and threw it.”

February 3 “Roommate entered room and started punching him, broke his glasses and other property — roommate angry with him over having a party last week no medical attention, roommate back in his own room.”

February 6 “Male subject refusing to leave the bathroom, has been locked inside for over 30 minutes.”

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Required sensitivity training not yet completed by senators KDVS’ general manager asks Senate to fight for units located in Freeborn ahead of planned demolition

BY A LLY R USSELL campus@theaggie.org

ASUCD Vice President Shaniah Branson called the Jan. 31 Senate meeting to order at 6:10 p.m. in the Mee Room of the Memorial Union.

President Michael Gofman, Senator Alisha Hacker and Senator Mohammad Qayum were absent. Internal Affairs Commision Chair Jacob Ganz arrived late and Senator Simranjit Kaur left half-way through the meeting due to illness.

Senator Noah Pearl was elected as pro tempore for the meeting.

KDVS’ General Manager Jacob Engel gave a quarterly report, speaking about the 24-hour radio station’s recent achievements. He concluded his report by discussing the future of KDVS once it is no longer located in lower Freeborn Hall.

“I urge ya’ll to fight for the units based in Freeborn Hall,” Engel said.

KDVS, along with The California Aggie, Entertainment Council, Project Compost and Aggie TV, are located in lower Freeborn Hall and will have to relocate after the planned demolition of the building.

A quarterly report from Specialized Transportation Services and Tipsy Taxi followed. This year, ridership has doubled and Tipsy Taxi hopes to expand the amount of drivers that are available during peak hours.

Branson transitioned the meeting into unit and committee adoption. Each ASUCD unit is “adopted” by a senator. KDVS, the Coffee House and other units were given adopted senators.

The Senate then began a cultural humility training led by Rina Singh, the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission chair. A poll by Singh revealed that none of the senators had completed the LGBT training, allyship training or CARE training, all of which are required under the ASUCD Bylaws.

After a short break, Senate reconvened. Kaur and Ganz as well as Senator Brandon Clemens and Singh were late returning.

Senate turned to discussion of old legislature. Senate Bill #29 was taken up by the table. The bill, which was originally seen on Oct. 11, 2018, would remove references in the Bylaws to the position of speaker of the assembly. The position was abolished by the Senate in the fall of 2018. The bill passed with no objections.

Senate Bill #30, which clarifies and simplifies the process of closed sessions, then passed without objections.

Finally, Senate Bill #33 was addressed. The bill introduced the student advocate position into the association’s bylaws. Ganz authored the bill and it was passed unanimously by the Internal Affairs Commission.

The position will provide aid for any UC Davis student “charged with University or campus violations, experiencing Financial Aid difficulties, disputing grades, and/or filing grievances against members of the campus community.”

Additionally, “the position will represent ASUCD in meetings with campus or university administration in regards to student rights, campus rules, and/or other areas of student conduct.” The student advisor will be an advocate for the entire UC Davis student body in regards to “student rights, university policies, laws, regulations, and procedures.”

Senators amended the bill to include a two-year term limit on the person holding the student advocate position. SB #32 passed with amendments without objections.

Public discussion and announcements were made. Ex-officio reports and elected officer reports were given.

The Senate meeting adjourned at 10:13 p.m.

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | 3

Civil rights lawsuit against West Davis Active Adult Community dismissed Developer of Davis senior housing project questions whether campaign finance laws were violated

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

A lawsuit levied against the City of Davis and developers of the West Davis Active Adult Community that accused the two parties of housing discrimination was dismissed without prejudice in January. WDAAC developer David Taormino is now questioning whether the lawsuit constituted a violation of campaign finance laws, and is considering pursuing legal action.

According to a news bulletin on the City of Davis website, the case was dismissed on Jan. 18 by U.S. District Court Judge Morrison England, Jr. The defendants, including the City of Davis and Taormino, filed a motion to dismiss the case in response to the suit, and the plaintiff agreed to a dismissal without prejudice — meaning that the plaintiff or other interested parties could still file a similar case in the future if they so choose.

Councilmembers celebrated the dismiss-

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Black History and Multicultural Event celebrates diverse culture, perspectives 18th annual Black History and Multicultural Event hosted in Guigna Guange Hall

BY JO HN REG I D O R city@theaggie.org

On Feb. 6, the Guigna Guange Hall hosted its 18th Annual Black History and Multicultural Event. The event was filled with music, free food and inspirational speeches and

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stories from all perspectives of life. The thought of the event thrilled Vicky Ma, a first-year mechanical engineering student at UC Davis.

“It’s a good introduction to the rich and diverse culture for people who know nothing ‘bout it,” Ma said. “[The event] really brings awareness to something undermined in the past. It gives an opportunity to learn more about it and its connections to part of our community.”

The event, which took place on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., attracted people who came for the musical performances, exhibits, speeches and free lunch provided by Cache Creek Casino. Many guests also brought in their own side dishes to share.

Musical performances were conducted by Clarence Van Hook, one of the events founders, along with a local mariachi band. There were also cultural dance performances by the groups Praise Dance and Native American Pomo Dances.

Guest speakers included UC Davis’ Chancellor Gary May. His talks were titled “Price of being Born Black in America” and “Why.” Other speeches made by other guest speakers included “The Multicultural History of Capay Valley.”

Along with the many festivities, the multicultural event included an essay contest for high school seniors. The prompt this year was “Cultural History in Yolo County.”

The winner of the contest was announced and awarded $500 at the event.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance supplies Davis community with free tax assistance IRS-certified student organization looks to expand tax services

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

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) is a nonprofit student organization that provides free tax assistance to the Davis community, including students, who need their

al in the Jan. 25 post, expressing satisfaction that construction of the WDAAC can now go ahead as planned.

“Our city has acted on numerous proposals that enhance the local economy, and help increase housing opportunities for our community,” said Councilmember Dan Carson. “Unfortunately, several of these projects have had lawsuits filed against them delaying their benefit to the greater community. I am pleased to see that this lawsuit was dismissed by the court.”

Mayor Brett Lee also expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the case.

“This project went through a very thorough public process inclusive of a Measure R vote — I am pleased to see the will of City Council and the majority of Davis voters is being upheld without unnecessary delay,” Lee said.

The suit, Ignacio v. The City of Davis, et al. was initially brought against the city in the run-up to the November 2018 election, when voters approved the project under ballot Measure L. Civil rights attorney Mark Merin filed the case on behalf of Samuel Ignacio, a Sacramento resident of Filipino and Hispanic heritage. Merin’s case argued

taxes filed. It is IRS-certified and centered in the city.

Carrie Cho, a fourth-year managerial economics major, is a part of VITA as one of its marketing directors. Cho elaborated on how the program started.

“It started as this IRS-sponsored pro-

that one of the WDAAC’s provisions — informally called “Taking Care of Our Own” — constituted de facto housing discrimination under the Federal Fair Housing Act. Under the Taking Care of Our Own provision, 90 percent of the new homes proposed by the project would be reserved for Davis residents, those with close relationships to Davis residents or those who have worked in Davis. Because the Davis community is “predominately white,” Merin argued, the policy was inherently discriminatory against non-white buyers.

“The result of this ‘local resident’ restriction, as alleged in the civil rights complaint, is the continuation of a racially imbalanced community and the exclusion of minority would-be purchasers in violation of the Federal Fair Housing Act,” Merin said in a press release posted by the Davisite, a blog run by Davis community members.

But judging from court documents, Taormino said, it appears Merin dropped Ignacio as a client on Dec. 6 without offering explanation. A second lawyer, John F. McIntyre of San Jose, took up Ignacio’s WDAAC on 11

Exhibits also dotted the event area, sponsored by Yolo County Historical Society and the Yolo County Archives.

Following a long tradition, the 18th annual celebration is organized by Van Hook, Judge Dave Reed and a group of dedicated community volunteers.

The event started about 17 years ago as a black history celebration. Since then, the event has gained more popularity and evolved into a multicultural celebration recognizing other cultures and their contributions to the region. The event is always celebrated on the second Saturday of February.

The Greater Capay Valley Historical Society has extensively documented and recorded African American history in the region. In 1890, Green Berry Logan, the first African American to homestead in the region, blazed the trail for the small, growing community. Since the Logan family’s arrival, many other African Americans from across the country came to the frontier, and the once small, unknown town became rich with diversity. The location soon became known as “The Hill, The Heaven or the Summit.”

“California also did not encourage Blacks to settle here — but things were different in the Capay Valley. Our schools were never segregated,” according to the website.

Eui Hyung, a first-year economics major at UC Davis, emphasized the importance of the event for the greater community, as well as on rich cultural diversity.

gram,” Cho said. “We partner with them, and they provide us with all the materials to certify all the interns to make sure that we’re doing everything correctly so that we are qualified to file tax returns for clients.”

Second-year managerial economics major Noah Bassi is VITA’s marketing director.

Bassi explained that its members are interns who must pass an exam in order to help with the process.

“As an intern, you will be paired with someone in the community who is filing for their tax return,” Bassi said. “Through Fall Quarter, we train interns to be ready for the tax season. We tell them all about types of credit and how much they’re allowed to claim, as well as deductions. We basically teach them everything about how to do a tax return, and that allows for the interns to be prepared for their examinations for IRS certification to pass with an 80 percent or more. Every intern will be IRS-certified so that when they start doing tax returns, they

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will be fluent in taxes and accounting.”

“The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $55,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals,” according to the IRS’s description of the program.

Since the student organization has successfully filed under the IRS, it has been able to attain sponsorships.

“I think that because we were successfully filed, we were able to get sponsorships from other companies like [PricewaterhouseCoopers] that see the girth that we do and want to expand on VITA,” Cho said.

Cho also mentioned that the organization has been recognized for their impact on VITA on 11

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FIRST-YEAR STUDENT ATHLETES BALANCE PRACTICES, GAMES, CLASSES

NCAA Division 1 athletes must learn to manage practices, games, classes and homework in addition to adjusting to college life.

BY MARGO ROSENBAUM features@theaggie.org

In addition to moving away from home, becoming accustomed to the college experience and having practices and games up to seven days a week, first-year NCAA Division 1 (D1) student athletes must also find the time to go to class, finish their homework and study for exams.

According to Eline Van Den Bosch, a

first-year undeclared major and field hockey player, when her team is in season in the fall, they practice six days a week for three hours each day. Practices are held during the day, which she prefers instead of night practices like she had in high school.

“I just go to class, have practice, then go back to class,” Van Den Bosch said. “I invest a lot of time definitely during season into field hockey. It’s a good combination.”

Due to student athletes’ busy schedules,

DESIGNING A MAJOR JUST FOR YOU

learning to manage one’s time is important.

According to first-year communication major and softball player Megan Bower, learning this balance was difficult in the beginning.

“Having the motivation to want to do my best in my classes, do my best in softball, make new friends and sleep was hard,” Bower said. “It was hard to jump right in at the beginning, but I took it one day at a time, so I didn’t get so overwhelmed.”

For Bower, Fall Quarter was an adjustment period, but she thinks in Winter Quarter she has been more on top of her academics and has learned how to balance her busy schedule better.

Christopher Venable, a first-year human development major and football player, took a summer class to balance his schedule, which helped him learn how to manage his time and create an outline of his weekly schedule. He creates a schedule week-byweek and fills in the information to help him stay on top of his work.

“In my free time, I’ll do extra tutoring and try not to miss out on academics because the coaches are big on that,” Venable said. “During finals, we are in playoffs, so studying football and studying school was hard to balance since we wanted to perform our best in both.”

Student athletes receive extra support to help them with their academics and balance their busy schedules, as they must keep a 2.0 GPA in order to stay in UC Davis’s NCAA athletic programs. According to Venable,

Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA) tutoring is mandatory for specific classes for athletes.

Drop-in tutoring with academic advisors is also available and many teams have study halls together.

“We have a really supportive team and school system that makes sure we stay on top of our studies and prioritize that over athletics,” said first-year communication major and cross-country and track runner Alexa Bolanos. “They make sure we put in the time we need in both areas, and it’s nice to have that support because without it, it would be really hard to manage.”

Venable’s advice for other athletes is to not get behind in their schoolwork while also constantly communicating with professors and TAs to keep them updated on when their team is traveling and when they’ll miss class.

“If you approach them in the right and respectful way, they are very understanding and will help you be proactive about making a plan,” Bower said. “You can tell them a day you could make the work up.”

Because of the extra support student athletes receive and due to the athletic recruitment that brings many of them to UC Davis, other students may see athletes as having a more privileged collegiate experience, according to Bower. However, she thinks there is a misunderstanding since student athletes work very hard and sometimes need that extra support due to their busy schedules.

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Academic Advisor Kate Creveling questions the benefits of individual majors

BY MIKI WAYNE features@theaggie.org

Creating an individual major might sound like a good idea, allowing for total autonomy over your studies and a finite understanding of subject matter that inspires you. That being said, Kate Creveling, an academic advisor from the College of Letters and Science, cautions that constructing a major is not for the faint of heart. The process of designing a major takes extensive time and energy that Creveling believes may be better spent pursuing other advancement options.

Because the major designing process is a long and grueling one, students are often unwilling to pursue this option.

“It is a lot of work for students” Creveling said. “It is almost as if they are creating their own masters course work.”

Creveling believes that students who are interested in pursuing this option often don’t know what they are getting themselves into when beginning the process. There are many negatives that coincide with a creating an individual major, one of which is its limiting nature. Students trying to create individual majors often run into the issue that the College of Letters and Science is the

only college that offers the create-your-own major option, therefore the coursework chosen must be mostly offered by this particular college. Creveling believes this can be a hindering factor for students hoping to create a major which combines very different disciplines.

“We could not support a music engineering major, for example, because they would be required to take at least half of the classes in a different college” Creveling said.

According to Creveling, however, if a student can make it through the process, they will likely come out of it with new skills and opportunities. In order to design an individual major, a student must research extensively about the classes they plan to take, giving them an understanding of their subject matter and total control over their own path.

A comprehensive action plan and consistent communication are essential for success. These are skills that Creveling believes students can put to good use in future projects and careers.

“In order to do this you have to engage, think critically and come up with curriculum” Creveling said.

Designing a major is also a way to make personal relationships connections with faculty. While many students aim to avoid in-

teraction with professors altogether, individual major students do not have this option.

The key to designing a major is obtaining faculty support and finding professors who will take the steps with the student to reach the final result.

“Finding a faculty member on our campus who can support a student’s endeavor is the most important” Creveling said. “At the end of the day, it is a faculty committee that is going to vote on the major’s approval.”

Through this process, students develop personal relationships with professors which may provide opportunities that they may not have otherwise gotten.

“By making relationships with faculty they are setting themselves up for success” Creveling said.

15-YEAR-OLD ALUMNUS GIVEN PRESTIGIOUS AWARD AT VATICAN

One reservation students have in pursuing an individual major is that their diploma won’t state the name of their designed major, but rather it will say “individual major.”

For students, this provokes concern about whether or not they will be taken seriously when applying for graduate school or jobs.

“The diploma is going to say ‘individual major’,” Creveling said. “So what I often tell students is that their time may be better used applying for masters programs that has the type of program they are looking for.”

On the other hand, having ‘individual major’ on your diploma has its benefits when applying for graduate school. In a graduate school interview, a student may be INDIVIDUAL MAJOR on 12 B IJ OU A B RA HA M/ COU RT ESY

Tanishq Abraham awarded for outstanding achievement in STEM fields

BY SNEHA RAMACHANDRAN features@theaggie.org

In 2001, the International Association of Culture and Voluntary Work created the International Giuseppe Sciacca award sponsored by the Vatican, which distinguishes individuals who have contributed in the fields of science, arts, technology and humanitarian work. In addition to individual awards given out to individuals that excel in their specialties, an overall winner, Vincitore Assoluto, is chosen by the association. Over the past 17 years, the winner of the Vincitore Assoluto has been someone who has exemplified educational and moral excellence.

On Oct. 27, 2018 15 year-old UC Davis alumnus Tanishq Abraham was awarded the Vincitore Assoluto award. Abraham, along with his parents and his 12-year-old sister, Tiara Abraham (who also won an award), took a trip to the Vatican to receive their honors.

“There were many different categories

for the awards like science, math and music and my sister actually also won an award for music,” Abraham said. “The absolute award is chosen from different categories, which is what I was nominated for and won.”

Each year, the ceremony takes place at Pontifical Urbaniana University and is attended by over 550 guest including awardees and their families, government and military officials, dignitaries and press from around the world.

Last spring, Abraham graduated from Davis with a degree in biomedical engineering. In the fall of 2018, Abraham began his higher education studies and is now pursuing a Ph.D. at UC Davis. During his two years at Davis as an undergraduate, Abraham participated in the annual make-athon, researched artificial cells in a campus laboratory, presented his research at multiple conference and published a literature paper. Abraham was honored as the Absolute Winner due to his inspiring determination to contribute to scientific advancement at

such a young age. Abraham has influenced people around the world with his passion for science and humility.

“After graduating Davis and [having] summer break I was rotating in labs and this past fall, I completed my first quarter as a grad student at Davis and its been going really well [...] it’s been exciting to get to work on projects again,” Abraham said. “I received an email in April notifying me that I had gotten a reward called the Giuseppe Sciacca award [...] I was honored to receive the award, and my family and I were invited to receive the award at the Vatican in late October. It was super exciting because it was

my first time visiting the Vatican, and I got to meet a lot of distinguished people at the ceremony.”

Also awarded in the youth category was Abraham’s younger sister, Tiara, a 12-yearold music prodigy. Tiara started her musical career at the age of five and has performed in multiple world-renowned concert halls such as Carnegie Hall and Musikverein (Vienna, Austria). Tiara is the youngest member of the UC Davis University Chorus and hopes to follow in her brother’s footsteps and pursue higher education at Davis.

Following the award ceremony, the TANISHQ on 12

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | 5

MANETTI SHREM MUSEUM HOLDS “MAKE YOUR OWN TEA BLEND” EVENT On Feb. 1, students and community members gathered for “Xicanx Futurity” exhibition

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

As part of the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art’s “Xicanx Futurity” exhibit, a rolling cart known as Botanica del Barrio can be found between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. on the first Friday of February, March, April and May, nestled in a corner beside a wall of the artist’s work. On these days, the museum offers an interactive “Make Your Own Tea Blend” event with information about the effects of different types of herbal tea blends. On Feb. 1, two serpentine lines trailed from each side of the cart — one line of people waiting to try the tea and another line waiting to make

their own blend.

The exhibit offered four different herbs, each with different calming and relaxing benefits which were presented on a flier and by museum employees. According to the flier, chamomile is “a mild sedative and good gastric anti-inflammatory” that soothes the nerves, and skullcap is a relaxing nervine that is helpful for “nerve tremors, stress, menstrual tension or cramps and nervous exhaustion.” Lemon balm is used for digestive problems, pain, anxiety and sleep problems, and lavender is used for relaxation and to promote restful sleep. In the blend served at the Feb. 1 event, they used an equal amount of chamomile, skullcap and lemon DAVIS WHALEN / AGGIE

STUDENT SURVIVAL GUIDE: MYKAIAH CLERMONT The five-year journey of Mykaiah Clermont

BY VINCENT SANCHEZ features@theaggie.org

When Mykaiah Clermont started his journey as a first-year, he described himself as a “yes man,” looking to be involved in every and any way possible. Now a fifth-year civil and environmental engineering major, Clermont has experienced the ups and downs that have humbled him and kept him in line. He hopes his story will shed light on the realities and remedies of the college experience.

“I did everything I possibly could have wanted to do,” Clermont said. “I made the one mistake of taking 18 units my first

quarter — not a good choice. I joined seven different clubs; I would spend so many hours outside of my dorm, and I was doing so much. I was with club soccer, club tennis, I also got involved in Band-Uh, all these different clubs.”

One of Clermont’s biggest challenges was finding time to be with his core group of friends. Being so involved meant he was meeting so many new people. With classes to juggle and a social life to maintain, Clermont struggled with giving everyone a share of his time.

“The hardest thing was that I didn’t have much down time,” Clermont said. “I would get maybe four or five hours of sleep. I didn’t really take care of myself. I wanted to do evANDREA GONZALES / AGGIE

STUDENTS DISCUSS HOW THEY SPICE UP THE DC WITH ELEMENTS OF THEIR CULTURE Students echo taste of home even within the confines of a dining commons menu

BY ISABELLA BERISTAIN features@theaggie.org

Coming back from winter break is hard for some students — the end of vacation means leaving friends behind, getting back into the academic mindset (which, let’s be honest, wasn’t too hard to put on pause in the first place) and the most devastating of all, not having home-cooked meals.

Food is a key part of our identity. Certain foods with their distinct aromas and tastes

bring up specific sentiments tied to one’s definition or image of home. The feelings associated with home and it’s meals is one of closeness and intimacy, unlike any other.

First-year design major Anoud Dabbass explained that by combining za’atar, a native Middle Eastern spice, with toast, olive oil or with vegetables in the Dining Commons, she can find a piece of Jordan in the United States.

“It’s a little piece from home that I’ve got with me, because it kind of reminds

balm and half as much lavender, as lavender is considered to be very strong.

Museum staff were not expecting such a large turnout, so for the first couple of hours, they ended up setting out a bowl with the same blend that they were serving — instead of having each attendee make their own blend — to expedite the process.

Toward the end of the event, more attendees made their own blends and were assisted by employees who explained the benefits of each herb and the artist’s intentions in creating the cart.

The Director of museum education Jessica Wimbley described the process of bringing the Botanica del Barrio inside the museum. Initially, to even consider having the cart inside the museum, the artist, curators, exhibition team and visitor services had a conversation to ensure that the materials on the cart wouldn’t damage the artwork and to gain a full understanding of the artists and curators intention.

“Felicia ‘Fe’ Montes is a Xicana/Indigena artist who works in Los Angeles, California,” Wimbley said. “She considers herself to be an ‘artivist,’ which is a combination of being both an artist and an activist […] there’s very much this social interactive component in which the goal of the work is to be able to share information with the community about different herbal remedies and medicines, especially those rooted in Mexican and indigenous medicine and tradition.”

For the “Xicanx Futurity” exhibition, the museum has been working with the Chicana/Chicano Studies department close-

ly. Two of the guest curators are from this department: Carlos Jackson, an associate professor and chair, as well as Susy Zepeda an assistant professor. There has also been student engagement, with students from the department utilizing the Botanica del Barrio as well as being involved in other interactive parts of the exhibition.

“Well, the museum is very proud to have this exhibition here,” Wimbley said. “This partnership with the Chicana/Chicano Studies department has been a wonderful partnership in pushing the research [of professors at Davis] and celebrating a history of artists who have been working who may not have gotten as much exposure in traditional museum contexts. And advocacy for artists within the community is something that we feel is important to support and highlight.”

Student attendees included second-year undeclared major Albert Jai, who is part of the Pal Program, a program that “pairs up undergraduate students for intercultural conversation experiences,” promoted the event. Jai generally drinks Chinese and Japanese green teas but doesn’t particularly have any preferences.

“I’ll drink coffee for the purpose of staying up,” Jai said. “I’ll drink tea for the purpose of enjoyment.”

Third-year biological sciences major Kacey Phonesavath has attended past events at the museum and enjoys getting the chance to take a look at new exhibits. She discovered the event on Facebook and decided to

erything and please everyone. Looking back, I can definitely say that I did everything I wanted to do, but I should have taken my time and spaced things out throughout my entire year.”

Though Clermont learned valuable lessons about balance his first year, he still finds that, in his fifth year, he is learning more about himself and using the extra time he has in school to get what he wants out of the experience.

“This year has been the most revealing year of what I feel like I’m capable of,” Clermont said. “Mental health is a real big thing that people don’t take into consideration. In high school, we used to be able to do it all: wake up at 5:30, get to school by 7, go all the way through your day until 3, do any extracurriculars and still manage to get A’s in all our classes. In college, it’s a lot more stressful in the aspect of there being a lot more work with less class time to do it in.

I feel like I push a lot of stuff off in order to take care of other things, and I get behind and feel overwhelmed.”

Clermont stressed that students should look into campus resources including Student Counseling and Health Services, something he believes is a huge benefit for anyone that needs to let off some steam in the midst of a stressful quarter. He described his fourth and fifth years as revelations, and this crucial year has allowed him to allocate time

where he sees fit, taking care of what’s important to him and his well-being.

During his academic journey, Clermont was planning to graduate on time alongside his peers but described the hardship that lead to his fifth-year position.

“I originally was a triple major in my sophomore and junior year, doing mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering and biological system engineering, and that was not fun,” Clermont said. “As I was going through those processes, I was taking 18 to 19 units per quarter, and still trying to find time by lowering my extracurriculars a lot […] I eventually switched from the triple major to just being in civil engineering.”

Clermont’s original plan, like many students, was completely rearranged, leading to stress over a lot of the stereotypes that surround taking a fifth year.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m not gonna graduate in four years. What are people going to think of me?,” Clermont said. “Am I gonna be a failure that has to take a fifth year?’

Being a fifth-year is about timing and spacing. Taking this extra year has been beneficial because I’ve been able to take less units and also I’m able to make a great amount of friends. Yes, there’s that stigma that I’m a little bit older, but I have wisdom that I can share with people who are on my same level.”

me of Arabic food since there isn’t much here in Davis,” Dabbass said.

The taste of the spice also reminds her of shared morning rituals with her mom, bringing a feeling of home to Davis and alleviating her homesickness. Like Dabbass, first-year environmental policy analysis and planning major Arianna Sanchez brings her own spices to the DC; she often brings Tajin, a popular Mexican seasoning powder, to pair with fruits or other dishes to spice them to her liking.

“Whenever my mom would cut oranges, she would always put Tajin, and it just reminds me of my mom and then home, especially home,” Sanchez said. “Tajin makes everything better, my Tajin is my mom.”

Even foods that are commonly found in the DC pantry can mend students’ feelings of homesickness by reminding them of the strong bonds they hold with special people back home.

First-year animal science major Aracely Moreno frequently combines ingredients found at the DC, such as a banana, a slice of bread and some Nutella to create a sandwich that reminds her of her sister, who introduced her to the combination.

“The kind of bond we have when we eat Nutella [makes me feel less homesick],” Moreno said.

For many students — especially those in their first year of college — leaving home and its comforts is a difficult and stressful process. Having food to remind them of home is essential in lessening the hardships that departing brings. The Dining Com-

mons tries to recreate home cooked meals, such as mac-and-cheese and various chicken dishes. Additionally, multiple events are held each quarter that serve traditional dishes from various cultures to celebrate different cultures and ethnicities.

TEA MAKI NG o n 1 1

STUDENT SUR VI VAL o n 1 2

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6 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

Opinion THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

E DI TO R I AL B OAR D

Senate endorsements: Consider the following

EMILY STACK Editor-in-Chief

The Editorial Board endorses three candidates for

OLIVIA ROCKEMAN Managing Editor

ASUCD Senate, neither executive ticket

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

ASUCD Winter Elections begin on Tuesday, Feb. 19, with 14 Senate candidates running for six available seats and two executive tickets running for the president and vice president positions. The Editorial Board interviewed 11 of the 14 senatorial candidates as well as all four of the students running for executive roles to learn more about their platforms and future plans for the association. One Senate candidate declined our request for an endorsement interview, one did not schedule an endorsement interview and one other planned to drop out of the race. Many of the Senate candidates expressed interest in ASUCD’s mission, but we felt that the following three individuals offered concrete solutions to problems facing the student body. As in the past, the Editorial Board chose not to endorse graduating seniors because they won’t be able to fill the entirety of their terms, which will end in February of 2020.

While the Editorial Board preferred the policies and platforms of the Unite! executive ticket, the Board ultimately had concerns about both tickets and could not come to a consensus regarding an executive endorsement.

1. Sahiba Kaur — BASED Slate Sahiba Kaur, a third-year transfer managerial economics major, is running on the platforms of student success and wellness, increased transfer student involvement and environmental justice. Kaur outlined plans to increase the number of tutors in the STEM fields and encourage minority students to pursue graduate degrees. She also discussed ideas for tackling housing discrimination, increasing campus parking availability and smoothing the transition to UC Davis for transfer students. Environmental concerns are also

at the center of Kaur’s campaign, and she plans to implement an herbicide-free program on campus, much like one that is currently underway at UC Berkeley.

As the former president of the Associated Students of Delta College, Kaur is well-prepared to draft actionable legislation and come to the table with a focus on collaboration and meaningful change.

2. Justin Weiner — Unite! Slate Justin Weiner, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and a trained EMT, approached his campaign with a focus on student health.

As senator, Weiner would like to ensure that Tipsy Taxi drivers are first aid and CPR certified, develop a program to educate students about drug safety and provide more anonymous HIV testing in the LGBTQIA Resource Center on campus. The Editorial Board appreciated Weiner’s specific plans to address the lack of attention paid to student health on campus. If elected, Weiner would be the only student from the College of Biological Sciences at the Senate table.

3. Victoria Choi — Unite! Slate Second-year English major Victoria Choi is focused on making ASUCD more accessible for students outside of the association. If elected, Choi plans to increase ASUCD’s outreach to registered student organizations, create more awards for students with financial need and develop a philanthropy fund for ASUCD on UC Davis’ give page so that units can receive additional funding. Choi impressed the Editorial Board with her enthusiasm for making the Senate a more collaborative environment. She also highlighted the importance of prioritizing the 22 units that ASUCD oversees, as they are a crucial part of everyday student life.

Why millennials are settling down later MOUNTING STUDENT LOANS ARE PUSHING BACK THE PROSPECT OF MARRIAGE

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

There was a lot of talk about America’s improved economic status during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address last week, but curiously missing from the dialogue was one particular $1.5 trillion elephant in the room — student debt.

Unsurprisingly, the ongoing student debt crisis was a major talking point in the official Democratic response. Delivered by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate and rising political star Stacey Abrams, the response called for leaders to “face the crippling effect of educational loans.” Regardless of where you stand politically, it is becoming increasingly undeniable that the U.S. is on the precipice of a major debt crisis. U.S. student loan debt outstanding reached a record $1.465 trillion last month, affecting all aspects of

American society.

The institution of marriage has been hit particularly hard. According to a study published in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues, student loan debt is driving down the prospects of marriage for young Americans, while simultaneously increasing rates of cohabitation.

The study, conducted by Fenaba Addo of the University of Wisconsin, compared data from the 1979 and 1997 National Longitudinal Study of Youth in order to determine changes in attitudes towards marriage, debt and cohabitation. While nearly 70 percent of the 1979 cohort had married by the age of 34, less than 50 percent of the 1997 group had done the same. Researchers also noted a stark drop in the number of people who married prior to living together; in contrast, they observed an increase in unmarried cohabitation, a logical consequence of the burden of debt preventing couples from

marrying early. The cost of weddings and concerns over the financial prospects of incurring combined debt has dissuaded couples from the traditional timeline of marriage.

Unsurprisingly, this decline in partnerships is having tremendous residual effects beyond simply delaying marriage.

According to one study, over one-in-eight divorcees now blame outstanding student loan debt for terminating their relationship. American birth rates are now at a 30-year low, and the housing market has been especially weakened by cashstrapped millennials.

After decades of rhetoric emphasizing a college education as the only effective ticket to the middle class, millions of Americans now find their prospects of upward mobility significantly wounded.

Those affected by massive student debt belong disproportionately to the lower and middle classes. The primary goal of

economic policies should be to ensure the safety and welfare of the American people. Solving student debt and the crisis of a declining middle class is part of that responsibility.

This will require a variety of different tactics. Financially secure universities should prevent the growth of student debt by gradually transitioning to nodebt based programs. This has been implemented by institutions such as Yale and Stanford, where grants have entirely replaced loans for students below a cerJETTER on 12

ALLYSON KO / AGGIE

It’s not about hugging trees EVENTS IN JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK SHOW HOW LITTLE WE CARE ABOUT OUR ENVIRONMENT

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

Imagine this headline: Off-roading vehicle enters restricted area during middle of night at full speed, crashes and kills innocent bystander.

Gut-wrenching, right? You’d probably think, “Arrest this lunatic!”

What if I were to tell you that this innocent bystander was not a person, but a Joshua tree? Do you feel less sympathetic now? You wouldn’t be alone — it’s human nature.

Perhaps one of the reasons we’ve made it so far as a species is our selfishness. But at what point does it go too far? Where is the line between appreciating nature and ruining it?

Perhaps technology is to blame for our

distant relationship with nature. Social media blinds us from seeing the value of these magnificent beings. Some of these veteran trees have been standing on this earth since Columbus set foot in North America. Instead of admiring them, we treat these Joshua trees like they’re our playground and destroy them merely for the instant gratification of likes on social media. We have lost touch with what it means to not only appreciate, but respect nature.

Our entertainment includes TV shows about people surviving in the wilderness, pitting humans against nature. Modern appreciation of nature no longer resembles the reverence of the past, when people like Theodore Roosevelt stood in awe at “the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the loneliness and beauty” of the Grand

Canyon, which he declared a national monument in 1908.

In the wake of the government shutdown, National Park rangers all over the country returned to their posts to find destruction everywhere: graffiti, vandalism, bathrooms covered in human feces, animal theft and destroyed habitats and trees.

The government shutdown came at an inopportune time for Joshua Tree National Park. The park was surging in popularity with 2.8 million visitors in 2017, and 22,000 visitors just on Thanksgiving.

The influx of people is great for surrounding communities, pumping $123 million into local businesses like restaurants and hotels.

While these local economic benefits are important, keeping the park closed

could have prevented these damages. The park’s management ultimately decided to side with monetary motives over the health of the park.

The damages done to Joshua Tree National Park in the 35-day government shutdown will take 200 to 300 years to recover, according to the park’s Superintendent Curt Sauer.

Joshua trees may look sturdy, but they actually have shallow root systems that depend on healthy soil and microorganisms to grow. So, you can see how an off-roading vehicle might affect this delicate ecosystem, especially when driving through 24 miles of restricted park area.

Additionally, Joshua trees are going through what might be their last years OROPEZA on 12

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | 7

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

HUMOR

Congress approves federally-funded “Border Wall Tycoon” video game to appease Trump

Never Print at Cruess Hall

BY ROS E Y MO RE ARTY rosey@morearty.org

BUILD THE WALL! VIRTUALLY!

BY CO N N E R SH AW cjshaw@ucdavis.edu

With the recent government shutdown still on everyone’s minds and a bulk of Donald Trump’s State of the Union address focusing on border security, Congress is under substantial pressure to make a move that appeases all sides. Fortunately, this week, they did just that.

On Monday, Congress approved a single budgetary clause that they believe will solve the border crisis: the “Border Wall Tycoon” clause. This iteration of the United States budget will not only cost Americans less, but will also grant Trump the ability to build the wall — or frankly, any wall — he’s always wanted.

The “Border Wall Tycoon” clause ignores previous cost estimates and instead proposes a stipend of $120,000 to an indie game company, entitled Toddler Trump Games. In return, this company will design and release a wall-building simulation game similar to the popular “Tycoon” series of video games. Features will include choosing between different wall materials, such as bricks or steel slats, and deciding whether to use American wall craftsmen, under-the-table illegal immigrant workers or a bonus option, Russian slave laborers sent by Putin himself.

With Border Wall Tycoon, Trump will have full control over the wall building process like he’s always wanted, allowing

him to ignore environmental regulations and even force Mexico to pay for it. The simulation will also work in real time, meaning Trump can return to check his computer every day to see how much progress is being made without the stress of a public appearance.

“This clause is a shoutout to all the wall-lovers,” said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. “We’ve heard your unnecessarily loud cries about border security, and this Congress is confident that this measure will make everyone happy.”

And based on voting so far, she’s right.

Only one Congressman voted “No” on this otherwise unanimously supported version of the budget: House Minority Leader and Certified Douchebag™ Kevin McCarthy.

“Yes, I voted ‘No,’” said McCarthy.

“So what? I can do whatever I want. You think I give a sh*t about Americans? Get the f*ck out of my face before I strangle you to death, you little nerd.”

The budget will move to the Senate on Wednesday, where it is expected to pass almost unanimously, disregarding Lindsay “Flipflop” Graham’s likely “No” vote due to his natural tendency to say one thing and do another. Many senators are reportedly discussing an addition to the clause — a line stating that if “Trump is a good boy and his wall looks pretty enough,” they’ll “strongly consider” building a real wall along the Southern Border “at already-planned locations.”

UC Davis WarnMe system warns us that there is in fact no emergency.

HAVE NO FEAR! WARNME IS HERE…

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

So, I’m pretty sure you guys and gals have all received the nerve-racking, spine-chilling, blood-curdling text from the UC Davis WarnMe system notifying us that there is no emergency. I just want you all to take a brief second to laugh at this foolery.

When there is indeed a threat to the Davis community, the so-called WarnMe system waits until the suspect successfully disguises himself as a “street preacher” to let us know that yet another house has been robbed and the suspect has successfully escaped to the next house of interest.

If the WarnMe system won’t give us sonic-speed intel on emergency information, like during the recent shooting — which I found out about from the Mango Flower chef on Anderson, by the way — then maybe UC Davis should change its emergency protocol to something a bit more useful.

For instance, instead of warning the students that “campus will remain closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” warn

them that “Buses A-Z will be 15 minutes late all week due to a three-bike collision on A street and Russell.”

Or, “Attention students who like to drink ‘clean’ water: Wellman, Hart and Giedt Halls currently have the green filter level. Drink up!”

Or maybe, “For students who need to relieve stress, please come to the quarterly primal midnight yodel the Sunday before finals.”

Finally, to restate what I forgot to say above, the WarnMe system is very much needed. It just has to switch from texting us about expired local crime reports to texting us positive affirmations like, “Today and every day my thirst for learning is alive and well in me.”

JAMIE CHEN / AGGIE

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. Ple ase addre ss le tte r s to th e e ditor to opin ion@theaggi e.o rg.

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

8 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

HAPPY

VALENTINE’S DAY FROM THE AGGIE Roses are red, violets are blue, the arts desk is the best desk, and I hope you know I appreciate you!

Happiest of Valentine’s Days to you, my dearest Asa. I like you more than your cat, and that’s saying a lot.

Adoringly yours, Hannah

Chris,

Garfield,

Mi amor, meine Liebe! You make life so beautiful, so wonderful, so full of joy. Thanks for everything, love. Abrazo! Abrazo! Abrazo!

Mi amor, meine Liebe! You make life so beautiful, so wonderful, so full of joy. Thanks for everything, love. Abrazo! Abrazo! Abrazo!

Taryn

Taryn

I’m already missing you...

XOXO, LP

Happy V-Day to the 636 Mafia (Moose included).

To my wonderful city news desk Roses are red, Violets are blue, I hope you know how much I appreciate all the amazing work you do!!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I’m so proud of all of you and your work, and you deserve the utmost recognition!!

-Liz

Lovie (Joel), Thank you for being not just a boyfriend, but a partner through everything. Happy two year anniversary (in two days!)

Love from here to Spain and back, Kenton

DOODLE DOO... I love you!

You are the most amazing girl and I’m lucky to be your Dad.

Never stop investigating and reporting - the world needs great journalists like you all.

Always yours, ‘Ralph’

KT

Sundays Feb. 3 – Mar. 17 11a – 1pm

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner and a show at

500 1st Street Davis Commons SID E A 3 3 â…“ RPM

Thanks for a great start to 2019.

I’m excited to see what you all write and create throughout the rest of the year.

HIGH FIDELITY STEREO

nobagelsnolife.com

Putah Creek Cafe and The Palms

♥♥♥♥♥♥

BAGELS, BUBBLES, & BEATS LIVE VINYL • BOTTOMLESS MIMOSAS • BAGEL SANDWICHES

Dance to The Gold Souls and The Midnight Dip Tickets $20 General Special student price—$10 with ID Show your ticket at the restaurant for a $10 discount on a special Valentine’s Day menu for two Complimentary sparkling wine and chocolate at the show Details and tickets at

PalmsPlayhouse.com

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

AGGIE CLASSIFIEDS Restaurant Help

JOBS ASUCD Hiring Now See all current jobs at https://vacancy.ucdavis.edu/

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10 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

SCIENCE+TECH UC DAVIS BIODIVERSITY DAY

Arboretum

PETER SMITH / AGGIE

The California Aggie explores some of the various museums and collections

BY P E T E R SM I T H science@theaggie.org

UC Davis will host the 8th annual Biodiversity Museum Day on Feb. 16 to showcase 13 biodiversity-related museums and collections. Organizers hope to celebrate the great variety of species that inhabit the earth and highlight the threat human actions pose to biodiversity.

Many of the museums and collections open during the event are used for teaching and research. Biodiversity Museum Day is an opportunity to broaden the reach of the UC Davis collections.

“Those of us who manage these collecBI L LY T H E I N / AG G I E

TAXO N O M I C C L ASS I FI CATI O N: BU TEO SWA I N S O N I N A M E O F B I R D P I C T U R E D : “ W H ISTL E R ”

tions want to help people become more aware and knowledgeable about the interaction of organisms on this planet,” said Ernesto Sandoval, the manager of the Botanical Conservatory and one of the event planners.

The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free parking and admission. Half of the museums and collections will be open in the morning and the other half will be open in the afternoon. The official website offers a map and more detailed information.

The California Aggie chose one species of particular interest from each collection.

These are some of many the species to take a closer look at.

California Raptor Center

The Swainson Hawk is a local species with fascinating migration patterns.

“The core of their Central Valley breeding population is concentrated in the greater Sacramento region, including areas in and around Davis,” said Julie Cotton, a volunteer and outreach coordinator at the California Raptor Center.

“They are one of the longest-distance migratory hawks in the Western United States, traveling from their summer breeding grounds to areas of Central and South America for the winter.”

The Raptor Center has two “educational ambassador” hawks named Grasshopper and Whistler. Both will participate in the Biodiversity Museum Day. N EMATODE COLLECTION / COU RTESY

Nematode Collection Nematodes are the largest group of multicellular animals on earth, but they are not well-classified or understood. Acrobeles complexus is a mysterious nematode that can survive even the most inhospitable conditions.

“This is a microscopic free-living nematode capable of living in extremely arid desert environments due to its ability to survive in a dried-out resting state, called anhydrobiosis, until environmental conditions are right for it to wake back up,” said Corwin Parker, a graduate student in the department of Entomology and Nematology who helps with the museum.

Although nematologists understand how the species withstands extreme conditions, they are unsure of the specific purpose of the structures around the mouth.

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CO U RT E SY TAXO N O M I C C L ASS I FI CATI O N: AP I S M ELLI FERA

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Bohart Museum of Entomology

BY MI C HE L L E WO NG science@theaggie.org

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DEPARTMENT OF ANTHR OP OLOGY MUSEUM

DEA N W. M. TAYLOR / CC2.0 TAXON OMIC CLASSIFICATION : CA LYSTEGIA OCCIDEN TA LIS

PET ER SMIT H / AGG IE TAXON OMIC CL ASSIF ICAT ION : HOMO ERECT U S

MAR I NE I NVERTEBR ATE COLLECTI ON

M A RIN E IN V ERT EB RAT E COL L ECT ION / COU RT ESY TAXON OMIC CL ASSIF ICAT ION : CA RPIL IU S MACU L AT U S

VIT ICU LT U RE AND E NO LO GY CU LT U RE CO LLE CT IO N

A recent study led by UC Davis and Cornell University on the correlation between warmer ocean temperatures and the increased effects of an epidemic serves as a reminder that climate change is an increasingly dangerous issue. In investigating the relationship between these raised temperatures and the prevalence of P. helianthoides, or sunflower sea stars, researchers discovered that warming ocean temperatures contributes to the increased susceptibility of the population to the sea star wasting disease.

According to Joe Gaydos, a wildlife veterinarian and science director for SeaDoc Society, the team started their research back in 2013 when the outbreak began. As stated by Diego Montecino, a current Ph.D. graduate student at UC Davis, 10,000 recreation-trained divers helped collect data on the prevalence of sea stars in areas ranging

from California to British Columbia over more than a decade.

After comparing this data, a team consisting of Gaydos, Montecino and Drew Harvell, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UC San Diego, published a paper titled “Devastating Transboundary Impacts of Sea Star Wasting Disease on Subtidal Asteroids” in 2016. It soon became apparent to them that the sunflower sea star population had decreased at unprecedented levels, leading them to conduct further research on the species. In order to examine the possibility of the sunflower sea stars retreating to deeper levels of the ocean to escape the SSWD, the team obtained trawl data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in addition to data from scientific transects conducted by the Hakai Institute.

“The idea was to compare in both habitats, near shore and deep waters, the trend of sunflower star abundance over time, pre outbreak and post outbreak,” Montecino said.

In the wild, the giant Dorstenia has very few leaves because it is a succulent. UC Davis botanists discovered, however, that the plant grows conspicuous leaves when heavily watered in a greenhouse. If you visit this plant in the Botanical Conservatory on Biodiversity Museum Day, you will see a greenhouse plant that looks dramatically different compared to its wild equivalent.

TAXON OMIC CLASSIFICATION : DOR STEN IA GIGAS

PAL E O N TO LO GY CO LLE CTI O N / CO URTESY V I T I C U LT U R E A N D EN OLOGY C U LT U R E COL L EC T I ON / COU RTESY TAXO N O M I C C L ASS I FI CATI O N: F LEX I C ALY M ENE M EE K I TAXON OM I C C L ASS I F I C AT I ON : B R ET TA N OM YC ES B R UX EL L E NSIS

N E IL M C DA N I E L / COURTESY

TAXON OMIC CL ASSIF ICAT ION : T HEREA PET IV ERIA N A

Botanical Conservatory

PETER SMITH / AGGIE

MUSEUM O F WI LDLI FE A N D FI SH B I O LO GY /CO URT ESY TAXO N O MI C CLASSI FI CAT I O N : PA N T HERA LEO

Alarming decrease of the sunflower sea star population associated with ocean warming

PET ER SMIT H / AGG IE

This cockroach is informally called the “domino cockroach” because of its black and white spotted pattern. Entomologists believe the unique colors evolved to help this insect, native to Southern India, imitate the more dangerous six-spot ground beetle. Visitors can find the “domino cockroach” in the Bohart Museum of Entomology among the display habitats that contain living species. Most of the Bohart museum is a collection of meticulously preserved dead insects that will also be on display during Biodiversity Museum Day. In particular, the large butterfly collection will be open with experts ready to provide in-depth information.

MU S E U M O F W ILDLIFE AND FIS H B IO LO GY

SEA STARS SHINE LIGHT ON THE URGENCY OF CLIMATE CHANGE

A Melaleuca shrub, more commonly known as mohan, is planted on the eastern side of the Arboretum in the Australian Collection. The shrub is unassuming from afar, but up close, little woody fruits that look like barnacles cling to the branches of the plant. These incredibly tough fruits only drop seeds after a fire. Melaleuca is native to Australia but is found in different varieties across the world. It does not require irrigation because of its deep roots and evergreen leaves that maximize its ability to collect water. The shrub, like the rest of the Arboretum, is open to the public year-round, but Biodiversity Museum Day is a good opportunity to pause and take a closer look at the incredible variety of species living in Davis.

Y EAST CULTUR E COLLECTI ON

Y EAST CU LT U RE COL L ECT ION / COU RT ESY TAXON OMIC CL ASSIF ICAT ION : SACCHA ROMYCES CEREV ISIA E

The data’s confirmation of the species’ poor condition led the researchers to examine the sea surface temperature, as the data suggested that this outbreak spread from California up the coast. What the team found was a tight correlation between the increase in water temperature and the sunflower star’s susceptibility to disease. However, according to Gaydos, this knowledge was not surprising, as the increase in water temperature would change the coelomic fluid of the sea star and put stress on their simple immune systems. In addition, previous research conducted on the ochre star, an intertidal sea star, demonstrated how spikes in warm ocean temperatures were associated with a worsening of the disease.

“The main takeaway is the speed with which a multi-host infectious disease can cause decline in the most susceptible host and that warming temperatures can field bigger impacts of disease outbreaks,” Harvell said.

The effect of warm ocean waters on the increased mortality of the sunflower star does not only affect this population, but additionally threatens the sea urchin population in surrounding areas. Since the sunflower sea star is a predator of the sea urchin, the decreasing prevalence of this predation results in an increase in the number of sea

urchins, leading to the overgrazing of kelp.

Gaydos stated that abalone fisheries have had to close along the coast of California due to the disappearance of kelp. Furthermore, with the increased movement of marine populations accompanying the changes in water temperature, Gaydos predicts that many diseases will be transferred throughout the ocean along with the animals. These consequences, along with the stress put on the animals, led the team to predict that similar scenarios will continue to occur.

“I think the important thing here is that, you know, we think a lot about climate change and we think it’s going to raise sea level and stuff like that, but I think what a lot of people don’t think about is it’s going to change things in ways that we don’t necessarily expect and these disease epidemics are one way that shows the complexity of the way that that works,” Gaydos said.

In addition to listing the sunflower sea star as an endangered species, the teamrecognizes a need to rescue the population. Harvell stated that convening a team of experts to discuss the priorities for recovery and considering a captive breeding program may be helpful in the road toward increasing the sunflower sea star population. Montecino SEA STAR on 11

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PETA

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just as susceptible to abusing their position of power and just as susceptible to bias as anyone else.”

The P.E.A.C.E. club at UC Davis, a club that advocates against animal cruelty through education, has also organized against the Primate Center. The club works closely with PETA and has a designated campus representative each quarter who works directly with PETA. Many of the events the club hosts are also funded

by PETA. “Last year, we held a vigil and we were walking around downtown — we came in a group and sang songs and held signs talking about the primate lab and why we shouldn’t use animals in testing,” said Julie Novaes, a second-year Spanish and neurobiology, physiology and behavior double major, the director of events for the P.E.A.C.E. club and the current campus representative for PETA. “We had a demo last year also where we wore monkey masks and it was like hear no evil, see no evil [and speak no evil]. That was on campus at the

MU, just to have people come and start a conversation.”

Novaes also mentioned a petition created by the Free Davis Primates group “dedicated to raising awareness about the 5,000+ primate who undergo unnecessary/ painful testing that goes on behind closed doors at the UC Davis Primate Research Center.” The petition has nearly 13,000 signatures with the goal of gaining 15,000 signatures.

The P.E.A.C.E. club’s ultimate goal is to shut down the primate center, according to Novaes.

“Harvard shut theirs down a couple years ago, and a lot of it was a big push by students, and they’re still doing fine as a school and I think we can do the same thing,” Novaes said. “A lot of people argue that because they’re less intelligent than we are, than they deserve to be treated poorly. But I don’t think intelligence is a measure of the compassion you deserve.

We shouldn’t be enslaving animals for our needs.”

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“At this time, UC does not anticipate a tuition increase for the 2019-20 academic year,” Doan said via email. “Discussions about the university budget will continue in the coming months.”

Doan did not comment on what this funding might mean for the coming years.

The UC Davis Department of Financial Aid and Scholarships declined to comment on the matter, stating that this tuition discussion “involves policies and decisions that impact the UC system, not just UC Davis, therefore a response must also be cleared at the system-wide level.”

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case.

A little over a month later, however, the plaintiff camp agreed to dismiss the case after reviewing documents submitted by Taormino and the other defendants.

“The second lawyer got our documents that were filed with the court, and reviewed them and indicated that our points and our authorities were well-considered and well-taken, and [...] his client — fully aware of the situation — decided to drop the lawsuit,” Taormino said.

Taormino went on to call the lawsuit a “political ploy” intended to influence the outcome of the Measure L vote, as well as a misuse of the court systems. Furthermore, Taormino said, if the lawsuit was an intentional tactic meant to influence the election results, the opposition would have been required by law to list attorney funds as a campaign expense. Taormino said that Merin disclosed to his attorney that he had received $20,000 dollars to represent Ignacio.

“The opposition, when they filed their forms, made no reference whatsoever to any money going to Mr. Merin or anybody else,” Taormino said. “Mr. Ignacio, we know, does not have the wherewithal to come up the fund to pay an attorney $20,000 […] The law says we’re not going to stop you from doing that, but you got to disclose where the money came from to pay for that type for thing.”

The California Aggie reached out to Alan Pryor, who acted as treasurer of the No on L campaign, but did not receive a response before the time of publication.

Taormino expressed some interest in pursuing legal action to investigate whether campaign laws were violated.

“We are considering an appropriate legal response,” Taormino said. “If you don’t stop people from filing frivolous lawsuits by doing nothing, you essentially endorse their type of politics […] I think we should have a reasonable and higher standard for the quality of election rhetoric.”

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“It is important, and needed as it’s a month needed to celebrate the significant contribution that African Americans made throughout our history,” Hyung said. “It’s

important to celebrate this because it’s important to remember them and their achievements, and this event really captures that.”

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the community.

“Just last year, we were able to prepare 393 tax returns and give back over $330,835 in tax refunds to the community,” Cho said. “I think this is a pretty great accomplishment, considering that this is a lot of money that is going back to the people of Davis or the community in general. We also received the UC Davis community service award as the gold recipient for 2017-2018. This recognized our organization’s generous dedication to serving the community.”

Bassi noted that they have been working on new strategies to get the word out and help more people file their taxes each year.

“We’re actually working on a new marketing strategy, where the school district will be sending out newsletters instead of flyers,” Bassi said. “Instead of posting flyers, we were actually able to send an email out to parents over the next few months

for people who are interested to do tax returns with us. We plan to open more sites with available times. We’re working with more community centers so that we can have more dates opened and clients. We’ve actually seen so many people trying to file their returns earlier in the year.”

Bassi added that similar organizations have personally impacted his life, so he had faith the program would be effective.

“I’m really proud to be a part of the organization that is so beneficial for anyone to benefit from the program,” Bassi said.

“I am low income as well — when I was in elementary school and middle school, my mom would benefit from these programs.

It’s always nice to have someone who is knowledgeable to help out at no cost. It really is a program for the community.

We’re really an all-around great program, and the only thing we need to do more is to get more people. We’re always trying to get our name out there and reach out.”

reduce. reuse. recycle.

The aggie

“What a student athlete is, is misunderstood,” Bower said. “Sometimes, we are not as smart, but we want to work hard to be in this sport. I have immense respect for the people who got into this school, but athletes work really hard and also want to get a good education.”

Because student athletes are all under similar pressures, it creates a strong bond between team members. According to Bolanos, she had an instant family when she came to Davis early in the school year. She said it was nice to have that large ingrained support system right away.

“My favorite part is the brotherhood,” Venable said. “The relationship on the team, that is where you meet your best friends. Everything you do is with the football team. Sweat, tears, determination, we all bond together.”

According to Bower, even athletes who play different sports all share the same stressors, and can bond over it.

“We all kind of understand what each other are going through,” Bower said.

“Even if we play a different sport, we all know how it is to manage sports and be a part of this community. It’s been nice to be a part of a community of athletes.”

According to Bower, athletes have to really love the sport if they are going to play it at the collegiate level. Especially at a D1 school, it is difficult to manage busy schedules and wake up early in the morning to go to practice.

“We are all here because we love the sport, and that’s what we want to do,” Bolanos said. “Knowing that is our motive, on top of getting a great education and loving our classes, it’s so worth it.”

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go, not only to check out “Xicanx Futurity” but also to drink tea, something she does daily.

“I usually like darker blends that are really bitter and strong,” Phonesavath said. “I had a really open mind and I thought, ‘it’d be something different — maybe a flavor that I hadn’t tasted’ [...] I don’t think I’ve heard of skullcap.”

Jai also said that part of the reason he likes tea is because he is Asian, and he discussed the parallels he observed between Asian cultures and Latin American cultures at the event.

“In Latin America, as well as Asian countries, a lot of herbal medicine is used, in contrast to Western medicine,” Jai said. “And all I can say is, I think it works sometimes, but

I don’t know how it works.”

Wimbley was happy with the turnout for all of the events through the “Xicanx Futurity” exhibition thus far and thinks that it will continue.

“I think it’s important to build a safe space in which students are seeing themselves reflected in the exhibition, in the artists, in the curators,” Wimbley said. “And I think we have a wonderful opportunity to provide that for students here in Davis [...] I think the idea of us really being able to encourage, engage, celebrate and give a space for voice for the department, for the curators, for the artists and for the students is something that’s important to exist as a 21st century museum today.”

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also attested to this and pointed to the need for further research on the cause of SSWD and the relationship between its pathogen with other sea star species. Climate change, howev-

er, remains the vital issue to be addressed.

“It’s a huge task, but this is just a reminder that we can’t stop thinking about that,” Gaydos said.

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STUDENT SURVIVAL GUIDE

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Clermont is fully aware of the difficulties of entering a fifth year. He lost some friendships along the way and had to take on more adult responsibilities on his own time, but he embraced these challenges and used them to fuel his desire to be better. Joining clubs early on helped Clermont find the confidence to make new connections and guide others along in their own journeys.

In the middle of his fifth year, Clermont still finds himself indulging in the activities he has enjoyed since his first year, while also making time to take on new opportunities.

“Currently, I’m involved in billiards club,” Clermont said. “I play a lot of pool, it’s one of my favorite pastimes. I still play club soccer. I have two jobs in undergraduate admissions, I’m a tour guide and a public advisor, and I’m looking for a job at a microbrewery. Overall, I’m trying to be involved as much as I can while also maintaining friendships.”

In making strong connections, Clermont found that taking time both inside and outside of the classroom to find new friends has been an integral part of maintaining a healthy social life.

“Within my undergraduate years, I ended up meeting my core group of friends; I call them my physics squad because I met them in physics class,” Clermont said.

“We all came together for a study group, became really good friends and did great things together after that quarter.”

Clermont’s friend-making strategy echoes one that many students live by: You have to reach out first.

“I had to reach out to them, I had to be charismatic,” Clermont said. “You have to get over that whole ‘I don’t wanna talk to anyone’ phase. In the club aspect, especially with club sports, I’m living with a couple guys I met through club sports. I maintained those friendships through games, practices, all those different outlets. I also joined a fraternity and I made really good friends in that experience as well. Overall, clubs are a great way to find people with similar interests, and classes are great to find people with similar knowledge.”

While discussing his career goals, Clermont’s one indisputable pursuit was to make the world a happier place. By taking his degree with him into the beer industry and investigating water quality inside of beer, Clermont believes he can make the world better by creating changes in areas he sees fit. The happiness spread in a nearby pub can eventually make its way to someone dearly in need of a smile to change their day.

Clermont shared a mantra that has since changed his life for the better and set him on the path of creating a happier world. He attributed it to Dr. Charles Bamforth, a professor in the food science and technology field: “The life of one candle will not be shortened by lighting other candles. Happiness cannot be diminished by being shared.”

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Abraham family attended mass inside St. Peter’s Basilica along with the Pope and 300 cardinals. In addition to their time in the Vatican, the Abraham’s were invited to visit a bollywood set in Greece by bollywood producer Ravi Dhariyal who is another recipient of the Sciacca award.

“I got to meet some really cool people from around the world and it was an honor to be a part of the ceremony and receive the award from the Cardinal,” Abraham said. “Keep working hard and follow your passion and [know] that you are having fun doing it.”

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asked to describe their individual major, in turn giving them an opportunity to discuss the initiative they took in pursuing their passions.

“I think creating an individual major shows a lot of initiative,” Creveling said.

According to Creveling, there is not a lot of difference between completing an individual major and pursuing a masters degree.

She often prompts students to consider graduate school as their primary option, but remains sympathetic towards factors that may inhibit them.

“Certainly time and money are factors,” Creveling said. “But if you have enough passion to create this program, it seems a graduate program would be the next natural step anyway.”

Regardless, because each student is unique, Creveling maintains that this is a great option for students who passionately want to pursue it.

“If they have a distinct passion and they fit all these parameters we definitely want to give them this option,” Creveling said.

While creating an individual major has positive and negative factors, the option is there for a reason. For students who are extra motivated to determine their own path, having the ability to design their college experience is one they feel will take them further. Creveling believes that dedication and willingness to work hard are the only ways to find success in designing a major.

Students who want to pursue this need to be “very self motivated and have really thought it out.”

tain income.

Beyond the university, the collective bargaining rights of white-collar workers should be expanded in order to negotiate higher wages. Furthermore, stricter regulations should be placed on the visa system, which companies currently utilize to replace domestic American workers with cheaper foreign labor. The implementation of these

practices would simultaneously prevent future debt from accruing and allow Americans to pay off what they currently owe more quickly.

Only then will traditional components of society be able to undergo restoration, allowing Americans to settle down, marry and have children when they want to, instead of drowning in the sorrows of their debts.

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on Earth because of climate change.

Rising temperatures are pushing organisms further up north toward cooler climates, leaving the Joshua tree behind in inhospitable conditions.

One of the species leaving is the yucca moth. This moth works all of its adult life pollinating the Joshua trees’ flowers without getting any benefit in return. The yucca

moth — already a weak flier — struggles taking the Joshua tree seed to other habitats, leaving their young to nourish off the Joshua tree’s flower.

This beautiful coexistence is hanging on a thread because of our inability to value our environment.

You’d be a fool to think we’re any different.

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students in New York too, but they are trust fund babies. The [Davis Supper Club] aesthetic is rustic. It’s about showcasing the ingredients first and the cooking second. Not to say that the cooking is any less important, but I focus on having a beautiful, organic, nice piece of meat. It’s going to be presented in such a way that it tastes really good and highlights the important aspects of the food and the cooking that went into it, but it’s not going to overdo it. In my mind, the fine dining scene is really saturated. In my mind you have to find a happy medium between cooking and sourcing.”

O’Connell-Gate’s focus on ingredients became heightened during his time training at Chez Panisse during the summer of 2018.

The world-famous restaurant, located ten minutes away from his home in Berkeley, invented California, farm-to-fork cuisine.

Upon returning to school, he implemented a similar style into his own cooking using the resources available in the community.

“I worked on the Student Farm for the majority of my sophomore and junior year,” O’Connell-Gates said. “At the most recent [Supper Club], the meat was from the UC Davis meat lab, which is something I participated in outside the farm for an animal science class. I worked in the butcher room and it was a hands-on experience in that facility. All the produce I get is organic. If it doesn’t come from the Student Farm, I’ll get it from the community or the Co-op.”

More than just sourcing, the style of the Davis Supper Club fits with the Davis atmosphere. For O’Connell-Gates, it is a matter of knowing one’s target audience.

“You want to invite people in and have a nice homey atmosphere captured in the layout supper club and in the food. The first Supper Club I did had individual plates for every course. Not only was it incredibly time consuming, but it also made an atmosphere that was too uppity. I realized that and corrected that in the two following Supper Clubs. It’s been family style now, nice big plates that get passed around the table,” O’Connell-Gates said. “It’s much more communal that way, and it creates this feeling that I’m putting good quality food on the table and I’m not trying to spruce it up.

I’m just getting you to try new food and to do it with your friends. In the Davis community, that is what it needs.”

By honing in on Davis’ community values and vibes, the set up of each Supper Club has progressed over time. Each improves upon the previous one, becoming all the more professional and further solidifying its style with each gathering.

“All of them have been huge learning experiences,” O’Connell-Gates said. “The most recent one was the most polished and well fleshed out to date. I try to do something new each time in the same vein in the style of cooking. The first one was about homemade pasta. I learned how to make homemade pasta at Chez Panisse and I implemented that into my first Supper Club. I made this stuffed ravioli and roasted asparagus pesto and that was the main entree. It was 12 people, all close friends, it was very low key. The second one was in the fall of 2018, and we stayed in the same vein of pasta but with the idea of perfecting it.

We made agnolotti, a type of stuffed pasta, with butternut squash. It was much more polished, the pasta came out better and we served it in a brodo, which is a double-roasted bone broth.”

According to Henry Hwang, a fourthyear wildlife, fish and conservation biology major who has attended every Davis Supper Club dinner, O’Connell has specifically improved on plating and portioning with each subsequent Supper Club.

In addition to the culinary improvements found in the second Supper Club, first-year cognitive science major Anthony Bertolli joined the Supper Club to cook alongside O’Connell-Gates.

“Every dish we create together has been a synthesis of our ideas,” Bertolli said. “We’ve upped the creativity.”

Together, the culinary duo held their most recent Supper Club on Feb. 2 with an emphasis on soup, specifically butternut squash soup. O’Connell-Gates made the soup; Bertolli perfected the flavor with an herb creme fraiche garnish.

“I wanted to show how good something so simple can taste,” O’Connell-Gates said.

After the soup, the menu consisted of a chicories salad with wild fennel, citrus and toasted hazelnuts; pork roast with celeriac root puree, mustard frills and herb salsa; and ended with ginger shortbread and chocolate pomegranate bark.

While the menu displayed a mature adequacy of skills, there remains a humbleness to the Davis Supper Club.

“We almost forgot about the herb salsa,” Bortolli said. “We realized about two hours before people were going to show up [and] we still had to make it. I had some parsley in my backyard and Rowan got some shallots, and we combined them with some oil, salt and lemon. When we tasted it, it was incredibly harsh — like you were biting into an onion. Rowan had the idea of blending it which made it really creamy. It fixed it and made it perfect. It’s an example how we’re learning as we go. [...] people have this idea of great chefs making this meal, but were just some guys who are cooking. It’s not an intimidating, fancy meal.”

Ultimately for O’Connell-Gates, the Davis Supper Club is about being connected and grateful for the people part of it, from cooking partners, those involved in the logistics and attendees. Placing his cooking talent in an intimate, communal setting has developed his craft to a dimension of passion and authenticity.

“I learned so many life lessons like patience and public speaking, to have a dialogue with the guests, but I think more than anything the Supper Club taught me how much following your passions is a no brainer,” O’Connell-Gates said. “While you’re young and have this time, if you are passionate about something go for it. It might surprise you.”

The Davis Supper Club will be hosting another formal dinner in the spring, in addition to a potential larger volume gathering focused on drinks and bar snacks. On March 12, O’Connell-Gates and Bortolli will be hosting a cooking class at the International House. There are 15 spots, priced at $35 each.

reduce. reuse. recycle.

The aggie

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

13 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

2019 ASUCD WINTER ELECTIONS: MEET THE CANDIDATES Two executive tickets, 14 senatorial candidates running this quarter PH OTOS BY AG G I E ST UD I OS

The following candidates are running in ASUCD’s 2019 Winter Elections for elected official positions in student government. Two senatorial candidates were not interviewed — one plans to drop out of the race and the other did not respond to interview requests.

There are two executive tickets from the slates BASED and Unite! and every Senate candidate is running with either of these two slates.

In addition to the candidates running for elected office, the Unitrans Undergraduate Fee Referendum will also appear on the ballot. Students will have the opportunity to vote on whether or not to increase the quarterly fee they pay to fund Unitrans, which is facing a mounting budget deficit and might be forced to cut services if the referendum is unsuccessful.

Elections will take place from Feb. 19 to 22.

EXECUTIVE TICKETS

ALISHA HACKER & SYDNEY HACK — UNITE! Second-year political science — public service major Alisha Hacker, a current ASUCD senator who has served as pro tempore for two quarters, and third-year political science — public service major Sydney Hack, who has previously served as a Senate staffer, vice chair of the Judicial Council and, most recently, an interim senator, are running as the Unite! slate’s executive ticket as president and vice president, respectively.

BY ALLY RU SS E LL, CLAI R E DODD AND KENTON GOLDSBY campus@theaggie.org

Hacker and Hack’s platforms are focused on addressing students’ basic needs by improving transportation to and from campus, working with the city to increase affordable housing options and expanding what The Pantry provides in terms of basic needs by stocking feminine hygiene products and school supplies.

“The two of us would be ready to hit the ground running the first day of office,” Hacker said.

JUSTIN HURST & SHREYA DESHPANDE — BASED Justin Hurst, a fourth-year evolution and international relations double major, and Shreya Deshpande, a third-year cognitive science and sociology double major, are running as the BASED slate’s executive ticket as president and vice president, respectively. Hurst is the chair of the Academic Affairs Commission and Deshpande as the former chief of staff for a senator and is currently a member of the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission Chair.

Their main objectives if elected include implementing both structural and priority

changes within ASUCD. Hurst and Deshpande both feel that the opinions of students are underrepresented in student government, particularly those of minority groups. They would like to implement a culture change within ASUCD by working more with student communities instead of against them.

“Students really are the backbone of this school,” Deshpande said. “We need to be there, giving them the platform to say what it is they believe in. That’s what we’re here to try and change.”

SENATORIAL CANDIDATES

ANNA ESTRADA PERLA ORNELAS Perla Ornelas is a third-year political science major running with the BASED slate. Ornelas also identifies as a member of the Chicanx/Latinx community. Her platforms include improving safety on campus, improving transparency between ASUCD and the student body and bringing a Chicanx/Latinx perspective to Senate.

Although she is new to the world of student government, Ornelas has been learning about the process through different workshops and commission meetings.

She wants to implement a series of free self-defense workshops and distribute pepper spray to the student body.

“Davis is now officially a Hispanic Serving Institute, and to not have someone on ASUCD is crazy to me,” Ornelas said. “We’re such a big part of the student body, and there’s no one representing or translating our thoughts and opinions [currently].”

Third-year sociology and Chicana/Chicano Studies double major Anna Estrada is running with the BASED slate on three platforms focused on promoting mental wellness, destigmatizing the terms “transfer student” and “first-generation” and combatting discrimination on campus.

If elected, Estrada has plans to work alongside the Mental Health Initiative to create a designated mental wellness room where students can go to decompress and also hopes to collaborate with the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission and the Academic Affairs Commission to support transfer and first-generation students more.

Estrada, involved on campus in a number of ways including with La Raza Pre-Law Student Association, the Latina interest sorority Sigma Omega Nu, the Youth Empowerment Program and Scholars Promoting Education Awareness and Knowledge, is running for Senate because she thinks the Chicanx/Latinx community needs a representative. She hopes to “ensure there’s justice across every community and space.”

REDUCE. REUSE. RECYLE. THE AGGIE.

VICTORIA CHOI Second-year English major Victoria Choi is running on the Unite! slate with three major platforms: increasing ASUCD outreach efforts to the greater student body, increasing awareness and resources for philanthropic programs and supporting registered student organizations.

Choi has both internal and external experience working with ASUCD. She worked as a staffer for former Senator Jake Sedgley and is the Student Organization Fair and Special Events Director of Picnic Day this year, previously serving as assistant director.

By utilizing the ways students interact with ASUCD on an everyday basis — at the CoHo, Bike Barn and on Unitrans buses — Choi hopes to establish a more positive image for the association. Working to establish herself as a moderate candidate, Choi also hopes to establish greater collaboration on the table and move away from the toxicity and divisiveness seen in the past.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | 14

GEORGE LIAO

SHONDREYA LANDRUM

George Liao is a fourth-year English major running on the Unite! slate. His three platforms focus on addressing food insecurity on campus, advocating for students with disabilities and improving the college experience for transfer and reentry students.

Liao is a re-entry student and sees himself as a, “very different kind of candidate.” Liao wants to keep the students of UC Davis at the heart of his campaign and focus on his ability to serve the student community.

While Liao does not have experience working directly with ASUCD, he previously worked as a campus news writer for The California Aggie for the past year. As a writer, Liao had a great deal of experience covering Senate meetings and writing about both internal and external issues facing the association

Shondreya Landrum is a third-year political science and cognitive science double major running on the BASED slate. She has a four-pronged platform focused on ensuring the safety of all students on campus, promoting zero hate and discrimination on campus, protecting underrepresented communities and maintaining ASUCD accountability.

Landrum hopes to increase the number of Blue Lights on campus. Currently, UC Davis has the fewest number of blue lights of any UC campus despite being the largest UC campus in terms of acreage. Landrum also wants to create a more visible space on campus where students can access safety resources.

REBECCA GONZALEZ Running on the BASED slate, Rebecca Gonzalez is a fourth-year international relations major. Her platforms include reliable and accessible transportation to and from campus, transparency in UC Davis administration and wellbeing of students. She supports the Unitrans fee referendum and expressed interest in adopting either Unitrans or The Pantry.

As a former intern at the California State Capitol, Gonzalez said she has a “passion for public service.” In this position, she advocated for more representation of women and people of color in ASUCD and a culture of respect and communication on the table. Gonzalez said she is not active in many spheres on campus, but highlighted her capitol internship and time she spends off campus working on her family ranch. As a senior, Gonzalez would have to resign if she were to graduate before her term ends — she said via email that she will work to achieve her platforms “in the time frame I am given.”

ANDRE SPINOGLIO

ARJAN SINGH HEER JUSTIN WEINER Justin Weiner is a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major running on the Unite! slate with a focus on student health. With the majority of candidates coming from social science backgrounds, Weiner hopes to apply both his STEM perspective and his specialized knowledge as an emergency medical technician when advocating for student health.

One of Weiner’s platform goals includes getting Tipsy Taxi drivers first-aid certified. As an EMT, Weiner regularly deals with intoxicated individuals and knows Tipsy Taxi drivers handle high-risk populations. While current procedure requires that drivers call an ambulance in the event of injury or over-intoxication, Weiner believes firstaid training could help save lives.

Additionally, Weiner wants to create a drug safety course and teach students about drug overdose and over-intoxication. Weiner hopes to tackle the issues associated with drug use by creating a program to educate students to recognize signs of over-intoxication requiring medical attention.

KAROLINA RODRIGUEZ Karolina Rodriguez is a first-year political science and Chicana/Chicano studies double major running on the BASED slate. She has three platforms based on advocacy: advocating for marginalized communities, advocating for student health and wellness and advocating for transparency. Already active in the Student Resource and Retention Center, Rodriguez said that she is exposed to the problems students of various backgrounds face. On her second platform, she specifically mentioned the negative feelings that a large police presence can have on certain communities on campus. Finally, she wants ASUCD to be transparent and work for students, saying she sees the Senate as “an outlet for [students] to be heard.”

Rodriguez’s other campus involvements include being a member in MEChA, the Chi Omega sorority, and United Students Against Sweatshops.

Arjan Singh Heer, a third-year managerial economics is running on the Unite! slate with three major platforms focused food security, connecting with students through the association and financial accountability. Singh hopes to work with The Pantry and the Yolo Food Bank to expand the food products currently offered to students who are food insecure.

On campus, Singh is the vice president of the Sikh Cultural Association, a brother in the fraternity Alpha Gamma Rho and a TA for applied biotechnology classes. Singh wants students to know he is goal-oriented and pragmatic.

SAHIBA KAUR Third-year managerial economics major Sahiba Kaur is a transfer student running on the BASED slate. Her platforms include students success and wellness, increasing transfer student engagement and environmental justice. Kaur was previously the president of the Associated Students of Delta College where she found value in engaging with the campus community and, upon coming to UC Davis, knew she wanted to join ASUCD. Her specific platform action items include increasing awareness and efforts to help students who live in their vehicles, working with the External Affairs Commission and Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission to tackle housing discrimination in Davis, building a transfer student resource coalition and working with the Environmental Policy and Planning Commission toward making UC Davis herbicide free. Since coming to Davis in Fall Quarter, Kaur has revived the UC Davis chapter of the American Association of University Women, an organization she has been involved with since seventh grade.

Andre Spinoglio is a third-year managerial economics major running on the Unite! slate. Spinoglio currently serves as ASUCD Business and Finance Commission Chair and, going forward, he hopes to translate his experience working in this position to the Senate table to increase fiscal understanding. As B&F chair, he is currently working with ASUCD units to establish their long-range plans.

Spinoglio’s platform focuses on increasing ASUCD outreach on campus. As a member of Greek life, Spinoglio hopes to increase collaboration between ASUCD and the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life. Spinoglio has been meeting with leaders of Greek Life to collaborate on future philanthropic events to raise money and awareness for ASUCD on campus.

Spinoglio is passionate about changing the culture of the ASUCD Senate. As B&F chair, Spinoglio has seen conflict on the table first-hand and hopes to recenter the Senate’s main focus back to solving the issues affecting students.

JAMILA ALANI Fourth-year international relations major Jamila Alani is running on the BASED slate in the hopes of creating a more inclusive environment within UC Davis. Her platforms include increasing support for first-generation college students and developing workshops for campus leaders to help them express their opinions.

Alani is a participant in several campus organizations, which she feels has prepared her for the role of senator.

She is the director of inclusion and diversity and treasurer for the American Association of University Women, a United Nations Millennium Fellow at the UC Davis cohort, a member of Davis Women in Business and a member of the student steering committee for the Global Education For All initiative.

As a first-generation college student, she says that navigating the college system was difficult both academically and emotionally. If elected, she plans to work with the First Generation Initiative and the undergraduate research center to find an effective support solution for these students.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019 | 15

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

YARD SALE How tidying up can be fun, profitable JAMIE CHEN / AGGIE

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

With the rise of minimalism and Marie Kondo’s new Netflix show “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” which stresses decluttering and organization, many people have begun to question the items and clothing they own. They can now ask the famous question, “Does this ‘spark joy’ in my life?” If not, Kondo advises how to get rid of those items.

While many people have turned to online marketplaces such as Davis’ “Free and For Sale” group on Facebook, an online marketplace for buying used items with over 40,000 members, some students have decided to use Facebook as a platform for advertising their own in-person sales.

Since Kondo’s show, there has been a rise in sale posts that start with “Marie Kondo made me do it” or “this doesn’t spark joy,” partially joking, but very genuine. While there are subgroups such as “Clothes for Sale” and “Textbook Exchange,” it can often be daunting to post a large amount of items all at once or to organize pickups with a large amount of people.

Returning to the past, students have begun hosting yard sales, using social media to advertise their events and setting up on their lawn to sell a collection of clothes, baked goods and a variety of other items. These events have also served as ways to engage with the community.

As people walk by, chat, look at items and stop to hangout, these yard sales are a nostalgic return to the childhood excitement of finding items to cherish that other people no longer want.

Nadya Eddy, a third-year political science major, hosted a successful yard sale on her lawn that made almost $500 and plans to hold another one soon.

“I haven’t gotten rid of any clothes I’ve bought since 2015,” Eddy said. “I literally didn’t have any room, so I got rid of half of my closet. I’m a big Hayo Miyazaki movie fan, and I recently just watched ‘Howl’s Moving Castle,’ and there’s a scene where the main character’s clunky hoarder house gets reduced to a little platform when he sheds his emotional baggage, and I felt like I could use some of that. I had the yard sale the next day and made $480.”

For Eddy, word about the event was spread through Facebook posts in different groups, by word of mouth and by people walking by her lawn, which is very close to campus and sits along a popular route for people to stop by on their commute.

Recently, another house had a yard sale titled “Go Yard or Go Home” that used Facebook to invite around 200 people, with the description inviting friends to share the word and invite everyone they know to join in for what was described as a “yard sale/ bake sale/ lawn party/ skill sharing for money (more to come on what this actually means).” This yard sale took place across the street from the Davis Food Co-Op on G Street and served as a collective house effort.

Cielle Watjen Brown, a fourth-year wildlife fish and biology major, explained their yard sale was an exciting and social way to declutter and make money.

“What inspired the sale was that we have way too many things and no place

to put them,” Watjen Brown said. “It went really well in part because we posted on social media and told a bunch of our friends, but a lot of random people came too. We all tried to contribute something, so whether it was clothes or chairs or fresh baked goods, we all had a part in it.”

Watjen Brown also took the opportunity to use the yard sale as gateway into entrepreneurship.

“Some special things about our sale was that it also served as the first time that my roommate and I sold our little granola business ‘Wake the Funk Up,’” Brown said. “We sold our choco-berry flavor and people really liked it, [so much] that we sold all of what we had available, and people even placed more orders for the future. We made some new friends who ended up staying all day and playing music with us towards the end of the sale and trying to make some tips, which was a great way to end the day.”

While these two yard sales differed in their planning and collectivity, they both were extremely successful in making money, decluttering and engaging with the Davis community. It seems that for college students, yard sales are not always the first option for selling clothes due to planning, organization and the appeal of other options, such as bringing clothes to consignment stores or selling them online. Nonetheless, the yard sale has resurfaced as a reminder that decluttering can be an exciting chance to make money while having a fun event.

Haley Noble, a fourth-year communication and psychology double major, attended Watjen Brown’s yard sale and explained how it was more than just an event for buying clothes.

“I was invited on the Facebook page, and I had never been or heard of a house of Davis students having a yard sale before,” Noble said. “There were good clothes, great food and live music. It started to rain halfway through the sale, and they moved it to the porch until it stopped raining, which was exciting because everyone was having so much fun that they wanted to stay regardless. I bought some of their granola as well which was really good.”

Both Eddy and Watjen Brown plan to host other yard sales because of the popularity of their first attempts and their success may spark the idea for many other yard sales to come. As people walked away, they were heard saying, “This is such a good idea. We should really do this.”

THE DAVIS SUPPER CLUB Davis student hosts the coolest, yummiest dinner party ABBO NATHAN / COURTESY

BY CAR OLI NE R UTTEN arts@theaggie.org

Rowan O’Connell-Gates, a fourth-year psychology major, believes “everyone can cook.” His cooking, he explained, is not a matter of “inventing the wheel.” Rather, he is following a guide, yet playing with the unexpected outcomes, toying with the flavors at hand.

“It’s both formulaic and intuitive,” O’Connell-Gates said. “Every time you do it, it will be something new.”

In true “Ratatouille” fashion, this human-sized chef, garbed in a low bun and apron, hosts intimate, high-quality dinners for close friends and acquaintances. He shares his love for cooking by hosting dinners through his Davis Supper Club.

The concept of the Davis Supper Club might sound familiar to the culinary wise and attuned — a college student who makes fancy dinners for his close friends in the physical confines of student-available housing. Indeed, the Davis Supper Club was created as a mirror to Jonah Reider, the Columbia University student who started a fivestar restaurant in his Morningside Heights dorm room. Yet, what differentiates O’Connell-Gates from Reider is the quality of ingredients available in Northern California. Reider said it himself in a video for Bustle Digital Group. As he explained how to make a galette, a kind of free-form fruit tart, he said a “galette is only as good as your fruit” as he picked peaches from a stand in Manhattan.

O’Connell-Gates seems to have the upper hand over Reider in this category.

“We’re in the bread basket of the state,” O’Connell-Gates said. “We have the best produce, the best food in my opinion. I basically realized that not only is it California, but it’s Davis. We have the student farm here, we have the food and sciences department and we have all these farming communities right outside of Davis. I thought it would be a good way to showcase these things in my Supper Clubs. In turn, the first supper club was in Spring Quarter 2018 of my junior year.”

O’Connell-Gates, therefore, takes the Reider idea of a supper club and flips it on its head, transforming it into a unique aesthetic that fits well within the Davis setting “What would work in New York wouldn’t work here,” O’Connell-Gates said. “They are college DAVIS SUPPER CLUB on 12

UC Davis “The Bluest Eye” cast enters prestigious theater festival Theater ensemble raising money to proceed with competition JOSEPH FLORES / COURTESY

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

“The Bluest Eye,” sponsored by the UC Davis Department of Theater and Dance, will be performing at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Region 7 Finals from Feb. 18 to 22. Based on the novel “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, the story is acted out through puppetry — not actors.

This stylistic choice and distinctive way of performing is not how the play is normally performed, but it is what ultimately garnered the attention that led to a place in this prestigious theater competition.

The cast and crew of 20 people will go to the University of Oregon in Eugene in hopes to win and advance to the next level of the competition, which takes place in

Washington, D.C. They are currently raising money through their GoFundMe page in order to meet their $10,000 goal, which will go toward travel expenses. The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival is a weeklong festival that includes workshops, tech Olympics, public speakers and multiple different educational opportunities from which the whole cast can benefit. The festival holds a competition between three college campuses. This year, “The Bluest Eye” cast and crew will showcase their play on Tuesday, Feb. 19 and will be up against two other colleges: Linn-Benton Community College and Humboldt State University.

“We were in the last week of rehearsal and I said, ‘this is gorgeous,’” said Margaret Laurena

Kemp, the director of the show and an associate professor of theatre and dance at UC Davis. “I don’t think [the cast and crew] realized how much they grew, how much they knew about theatre making and visual storytelling and theatre for social change and […] the panelists were really more than impressed, they were really blown away.”

“The Bluest Eye” cast and crew have been together for two years.

At first the performance started like any other UC Davis theater performance. When Kemp saw the dedication of the cast to learn puppetry and make the puppets come alive, she submitted a picture to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, which ultimately got the cast recognized.

The KCACTF sent in adjudicators to interview “The Bluest Eye” crew, asking them questions about the production. After watching the play, the cast and crew lined up ready for an interview with the ensemble and the adjudicators. Questions ranged from the logistics of why they chose to use puppets to how they used the puppets and what the experience was like with the puppets.

“I felt like our cast and our energy with the puppets was something they probably may not have seen,” said Renata Zacarias, a third-year

theatre and dance major, as she recalled how she felt after the interview process with the adjudicators from KCACTF. With a diverse cast, the production is able to successfully act out, through puppets, the heavy-hitting topics that the book discusses, like racism and definitions of beauty.

“I think [winning] would definitely prove that people want to see the show,” said Jillian Yong, a second-year international relations and theatre and dance double major. “And all of us believe in the message of the show. And it’s become very important to a lot of us.

The cast is almost completely people of color, which is really cool.

Especially because theater tends to be pretty white. So it’s really cool to see a cast that’s primarily people of color, especially women of color, too. So it would mean a lot in that people want to see this show and they want to see this message.”

Kemp concluded that using puppets would tell the story, which speaks volumes about racial injustices in the United States, in a meaningful manner. Kemp called an old coworker in South Africa, Janni Young, and asked if she could come to the US in the summer to build the puppets and reimagine the script with the concept of puppetry in mind. Young went on to

become co-director of the show and taught the cast how to properly use the puppets.

“We decided to use the puppets so that we can think of class in a wider range of race and ethnicity, away from the specifics of the show and its visual theatre,” Kemp said.

The hard-hitting show left an impact not only on the viewers, but on the cast as well.

“It’s definitely made me more conscious of what shows I’m doing and what the message is of the show that I’m doing,” Yong said.

“Because none of the shows I’ve done since then have had such a strong message.”

With only a few days left to head over to the festival, the ensemble still needs a significant amount of donations in order to cover their costs.

“This show has gone through a lot,” Yong said. “Sometimes it’s a little bit tough because it feels like we’re rallying ourselves. And sometimes it feels like there isn’t a ton of support. But then, I’ll see emails about so and so donated or so and so left a comment on your GoFundMe post. It’s really inspiring when people do that, and it helps a lot and it means a lot. I feel like we’re very lucky to have this community that’s willing to give support like that.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

16 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2019

backstop Champions League action resumes with knockout stages Europe’s premier club competition is the best that soccer has to offer JEREMY DANG / AGGIE

BY B REN DA N O G B U R N sports@theaggie.org

After a two-month hiatus, the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League returns this week with the start of the knockout stages. The last 16 teams remaining will face off against each other over two legs, with a three-week break separating the home and away fixtures. The victor of each matchup will be decided by the final aggregate score, with away goals scored acting as the tiebreaker.

The Champions League is currently going through a period of transition, marked by some important rule changes.

For the first time in the competition’s history, a video assistant referee (VAR) will be utilized during matches, starting with the upcoming Round of 16. VARs can be used in situations that have a significant impact on the outcome of the game, such as plays involving goals scored, red cards, decisions on penalty kicks and identifying the correct player for a yellow or red card.

The technology has already been implemented in the FIFA World Cup, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s La Liga and other various domestic cup competitions.

The English Premier League will begin using VARs next season.

UEFA is considering scrapping the away goals rule, which has come under much scrutiny over the years, but that decision won’t take effect until next season at the earliest. The rule was implemented in the mid-1960s, when it was much more strenuous for a team to travel to away matches, and scoring a goal on the road was a huge accomplishment. In today’s landscape, while teams travel by luxurious charter flights that typically only last a few hours at most, scoring an away goal just doesn’t mean as much. As a result, UEFA is considering getting rid of the rule to discourage teams from playing a more defensive style.

Manchester United vs Paris Saint-Germain This match-up looked massively different back when the teams were drawn in mid-December.

Manchester United was in the midst of a nightmarish run under former manager Jose Mourinho, who was subsequently fired one day after the draw. Since then, interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has injected an immense energy into the club, as United has gone 7-0-1 in the Premier league and won both of its FA Cup ties since his appointment.

Solskjaer has been able to unleash the attacking prowess of the Red Devils, led by the likes of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford. Both players have scored a half dozen goals apiece in the eight league games and will look to keep the momentum going against Les Parisiens.

Paris Saint-Germain has been nearly spotless this season with

the exception of a couple slip ups in the past four weeks, when the team dropped out of the Coupe de la Ligue and suffered its first Ligue 1 loss to Lyon.

PSG will be missing superstar forward Neymar for at least nine more weeks, after the Brazilian suffered a metatarsal fracture in his right foot in a Coupe de France game in late January.

Predicted Winner: PSG Roma vs Porto It would be an understatement to say that this has been a strange and frustrating season for Roma.

After falling one game short of reaching last year’s Champions League Final, the club decided to sell top goalkeeper Alisson Becker and talented midfielders Radja Nainggolan and Kevin Strootman over the summer. The club was able to take advantage of a relatively easy group to advance to the knockout stages but is fighting to keep a spot in the top-10 in Serie A. Last week, Roma suffered an embarrassing 7-1 loss to Fiorentina to fall out of the Coppa Italia.

Porto has a wealth of experience playing in the Champions League, having participated eight times in the last decade. The team currently holds a slight first place advantage in the Primeira Liga in Portugal, with the hopes of winning the league for the second year in a row.

Predicted Winner: Roma Ajax vs Real Madrid Ajax overcame a lot of obstacles to reach the knockout stages, advancing through three qualifying rounds in July and August and going undefeated in the group stage.

The team has fared well in Eredivisie play and is always a tough opponent to play on their home turf in Amsterdam. Nonetheless, they are a considerable mismatch for the Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Real Madrid is going through its worst season in 20 years, having lost 10 matches in all competitions. The club has had to adjust to life without Cristiano Ronaldo and deal with the sudden resignation of former manager Zinedine Zidane over the summer. Julen Lopetegui was the man chosen to succeed Zidane but was fired in late October after a catastrophic start to the season. His replacement, Santiago Solari, has led the club to a 9-2-1 record in La Liga since then.

No matter what happens in league play, Los Blancos always seem to get up for Champions League matches. The three-time defending champions should have no trouble advancing to the next round.

Predicted Winner: Real Madrid Tottenham vs Borussia Dortmund Up until three weeks ago, nothing could go wrong for Tottenham.

The Spurs enjoyed their best ever start to a Premier League campaign and were steadily keeping pace with leaders Liverpool and Manchester City. The team pulled off a miraculous comeback to escape the group stage of the Champions League and also found itself 90 minutes away from heading to the Carabao Cup final.

In a span of 14 days in January, Tottenham’s season was turned upside down, as attacking stars Harry

Kane and Dele Alli both sustained injuries in back-to-back games against Manchester United and Fulham. One week later, the team was knocked out of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup within four days.

Both players are hoping to return to action at some point before the end of the month and could potentially be available for the second leg against Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund currently holds a seven-point lead atop the Bundesliga and has been firing on all cylinders for the majority of the season. The team’s dreams of unseating Bayern Munich as the champions of German football for the first time since 2012 are starting to become a reality. Forward Marco Reus, the second-leading goalscorer in Bundesliga, leads a lethal attack along with midfielder Jadon Sancho.

Predicted Winner: Borussia Dortmund Liverpool vs Bayern Munich Bayern Munich has struggled this season in the Bundesliga but still sits within striking distance of Dortmund in second place. Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski leads all scorers in the Champions League with eight goals thus far, but will have to play without fellow attacker Thomas Müller who is suspended for both legs of this match up.

Liverpool was leading the Premier League for most of the season in search of its first title in 29 years but has seen a dip in form as of late.

Please read the remainder of this article at theaggie.org

Recapping the worst blown calls in sports history Missed pass interference call in the NFC Championship among the worst in history

DAVIS WHALEN / AGGIE

BY AJ SEYM O UR sports@theaggie.org

With just over two minutes to play in this year’s NFC Championship game, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees dropped back in the pocket from his own 44 yard line and hit wide receiver Ted Ginn for a 43 yard gain, advancing the Saints into the red zone. With the game tied and a Super Bowl birth on the line, the Saints stood just 13 yards away from the endzone and had an 88 percent chance to capture the win, according to ESPN. All the momentum was on the Saints’ side, but this changed just three plays later. On the third down and 10, Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman got away with an egregious pass interference penalty on Saints wide receiver Tommylee Lewis. Robey-Coleman not only made downfield contact in an obvious attempt to prevent Lewis from catching the ball, but he also made head to head contact with Lewis.

This play could have drawn at least two different penalties, but

not a single one was called. The NFL’s Head of Officials, Alberto Riveron, told Saints Head Coach Sean Payton that the officials “blew the call” by not penalizing the Rams for pass interference late in the fourth quarter.

Had the pass interference been properly called, the Saints would have had the ball first and goal inside the Rams’ ten yard line, as well as a much better chance to score a touchdown and go ahead by at least six points. Instead, the Saints were forced to settle for a field goal to take a three-point lead that the Rams were able to overcome after forcing overtime.

Essentially, the Saints appeared to have been robbed in what many are calling the worst missed call in NFL history. Some Saints fans have even gone so far as to file a lawsuit against the league for the mistake, and others staged a massive protest during the Super Bowl. While this mistake was shocking, it begs the question: was this the worst blown call in all of sports history?

Arguably one of the worst calls in all of sports history took place

rather recently, back in June of 2010, in a game between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Indians. With veteran umpire Jim Joyce calling the shots at first base, Detroit’s Armando Galarraga took the mound against the Indians and pitched the best game of his career.

At the time, only 20 pitchers in MLB history had pitched perfect games, in which the other team did not hit a single ball, receive a single walk or benefit from a single error; 27 straight outs are the only things recorded on the team’s scorecard.

That evening, Galarraga had recorded 26 straight outs and was one out away from completing the coveted perfect game. With two outs in the ninth inning, he faced Cleveland shortstop Jason Donald for what was expected to be the final of Galarraga’s perfect game.

Donald hit a routine ground ball to the Tigers’ first baseman, and Galarraga covered first base to receive the ball from his teammate mere seconds before Donald’s foot hit the bag. Joyce, however, saw the opposite. He called Donald safe and, despite cries from the fans and the entire Tigers team, stuck to his call, ending Galarraga’s bid for a perfect game.

At the time, instant replay was only allowed to be used in MLB playoff games — a rule that has since then been abandoned — so the umpires were not required to review the play. The instant replay that fans saw on their televisions at home, however, showed that the call was completely wrong and that Galarraga had caught the ball before Donald stepped onto the base.

Though Joyce could not be persuaded to change his mind during

the game, the umpire broke down in tears after the final out was recorded and he saw the replay, admitting to reporters that he cost Galarraga a perfect game.

Though Galarraga publicly forgave Joyce for the call and the two men went on to publish a book together titled “Nobody’s Perfect,” baseball fans have never forgotten his major blunder.

Next on the list of all-time officiating catastrophes comes the missed handball in the quarterfinals of the 1984 FIFA World Cup between Argentina and England.

With the game tied in a scoreless match, Argentina pushed down the field following halftime. Argentinian legend Diego Maradona chased down a ball that was misplaced by an English defender, where he was on track to collide head-on with the goalie.

As they both approached the ball, Maradona elevated and extended as far as he could to attempt to head the ball in. England goalie Peter Shilton thrusted forward to punch the ball out of the air, but it was the fist of Diego Maradona that punched the ball into the net.

Because his hand was so close to his head, and the officials apparently having a historically embarrassing angle, the handball was not called.

Not only did Argentina win that game by a single goal but also went on to win the entire World Cup tournament. Later on, Maradona would dub his infamous goal ‘the hand of God.’ The 1972 Olympic Games held in Munich, West Germany also left a sour taste in sports fans’ mouths — specifically for U.S.A. basketball fans — after a botched call. Going into the Olympics,

the United States’ men’s basketball team had an undefeated 62-0 record, the longest win streak in all of Olympic history. This was thought to have sealed the deal on the claim that basketball was an American dominated sport — something that Renato William Jones, president of the International Federation of Amateur Basketball, worried about.

The U.S.S.R., however, refused to believe this. The Soviets assembled a team of veterans to make up their basketball team and even sent a bribe in the form of high quality vodka and cigars to Jones, among other things.

The U.S. and the U.S.S.R. met in the gold medal game. Toward the end of the contest, the Americans led by two points with just one second left on the clock. The Soviet team complained to officials that the time out they tried to call before the most recent free throw was completely ignored, and Jones demanded that three seconds should be added to the clock. The officials complied, and three seconds were added, but it was not enough for the team to pull ahead.

Jones complained again that the clock had started prematurely, and an additional three seconds were added back. This was just enough time for the Soviets to score the winning basket, breaking the American’s undefeated run. The American team refused to accept the silver medal, and it remains unclaimed to this day in a vault in Switzerland.

Although it is difficult to determine which call, or missed call, was the most egregious, it is fair to say that no sport is safe from poor officiating.