May 23, 2024

Watermelon Music announces closure after nearly 30 years

The store’s owners, employees share memories of the well-known community oriented space

BY GRETA FOEHR features@theaggie.org

On May 10, Watermelon Music, one of Davis’ local music stores, announced that it will be closing in the near future. Watermelon Music has been around since 1996 and has been a pillar in the local music community ever since.

In addition to a storefront, Watermelon Music has lesson studios, a repair shop and a concert venue. Current owner Jeff Simmons described the goal of his familyowned business.

“We try to capture the whole experience, you know what I mean? It’s not just enough to sell the instrument — we teach you how to play it, we’ll fix it for you, we’ll give you a place to perform, we’ll let you rent it ahead of time if you want to see how it goes,” Simmons said. “And you can also just come in and hang out and talk to people. That’s why I think the physical music store is important.”

Simmons came to Davis in 1989 as a third-year at UC Davis. He started off working at a music store that was downtown at the time and where Fleet Feet is today. In 1996, he bought the store with a partner and has been the owner ever since.

“My partner and I had a business plan,” Simmons said. “We were 20 years old or something like that. We knew we wanted to get involved with the schools. We knew we wanted to get involved with any kind of community organization that needed help. We knew we wanted to grow the rentals. We knew we wanted to be the sheet

music powerhouse in the area. We had all these ideas, and then we just sort of, over time, chipped away at them.”

Simmons established a rent-to-own program, where people, mostly students in the Davis school district, are able to rent instruments for $15-25 a month until they have paid off the cost of the instrument. At that point, they get to keep it — making music more accessible to the Davis community.

Koan Sato, a future UC Davis student, has been working at Watermelon for 10 months. He discussed the ways that the store has

kept its community in mind through the implementation of its practices.

“We have a pay-to-rent-to-own [program], which is pretty friendly,” Sato said. “I don’t think it’s easy to get into music without that. There are also music services, like specialized labor that we do. Anyone can order however many packs of guitar strings on Amazon, and they’ll probably be pretty cheap too. But not everyone has the skill of restringing guitars so that they stay in tune or are set up well.”

In 2000, the store moved to the spot where Raising Cane’s currently

Leah Jung resigns from ASUCD Senate effective early spring quarter 2024

The one-term former senator says professional duties negatively impacted her academic career

every Thursday evening for

BASADA

BY

Leah Jung, a previous ASUCD senator, resigned from her position earlier this quarter. The resignation was announced by Senate President Pro Tempore Trinity Chow on May 2. Jung, a third-year international relations major, ran as part of the Renaissance slate in fall 2023 and served for a little over one academic quarter.

Jung initially ran on a campaign advocating increased ASUCD transparency, though she says she later shifted her focus to making students more comfortable with expressing their “vulnerabilities.”

The large time commitment and Senate meetings that would last hours after their scheduled end times were the primary reasons behind the resignation, according to Jung.

“The quarter system is really hard,” Jung said. “I was taking a lot of classes. I feel like because of my work [as a Senator], I couldn’t really focus on my

academic career.”

Jung transferred to UC Davis from De Anza College in the fall and learned about ASUCD at a housing event. She says that an ASUCD official encouraged her to run for student office, despite never having been a part of student government before. She would win her election alongside current Senator Jonathan Ng on the Renaissance slate in November 2023.

“I loved her passion for helping the community and being a strong voice for international students on the table,” Ng wrote in a statement to The Aggie. “It was the reason I ran with her and I hope she’s doing well.”

At the May 2 Senate meeting where her departure was announced, Chow expressed her desire for ASUCD officials planning to resign in the future to give greater notice. Jung’s resignation was effective immediately.

Jung also noted that her personal mental health had played a role in her decision to leave.

Jung further discussed her resignation and overall time on the Senate.

“I think it was an experience,” Jung said. “I should not apologize for my weakness and my lack of proficiency. But I know there are people who are concerned about resignation, and I’m sorry for that.”

lives, and they taught lessons out of the upstairs space. In 2016, their landlord announced that he wanted to sell his properties, and Watermelon was forced to find a new home. In the nick of time, Simmons found their current location and bought the building in 2017. They renovated the building, incorporating space for The Melon Ball concert venue and new teaching studios in addition to the storefront. Avery Snyder, a fourth-year music major, was a sales employee for three years and now hosts the monthly open mic nights in The Melon Ball. She

also shared an inside secret about Watermelon Music’s old location.

“There’s an Easter egg: if you go to Raising Cane’s, there’s a metal tree on the right side of the door, and if you look up into the fake branches, you can see a metal watermelon,” Snyder said. “So Watermelon [music] will always live downtown.”

Rentals and purchases quickly declined during the pandemic, and since then, sales have been steady but costs have increased. Shipping costs and employee health insurance now take up a larger portion of the store’s expenses, and with customers opting to order instruments and equipment directly online, the store was not making enough profit to justify staying open.

“It was a mixture of recovering from [COVID-19] and the new location without foot traffic because we used to be downtown,” Snyder said.

“Now our store is four times the size. We have a lot more space but less customers, and prices are just going up and up and Amazon sucks; everyone wants instant things for the cheapest price they can get.”

They do not currently have a set date to close, as they are looking for a buyer for the building. They plan to stay open through the summer, with a 10% off sale this month, 20% off next month and will continue to increase the discounts until 50% off.

Varsity Theater hosts screening of ‘20 Days in Mariupol’

With the support of the Davis Rotary clubs and F Street Dispensary, the screening raised funds for Davis’ sister city, Uman BY MATTHEW MCELDOWNEY city@theaggie.org

On May 11, former city of Davis Mayor Brett Lee organized a free-ofcharge film screening of the Academy Award-winning documentary, “20 Days in Mariupol.” The documentary takes on the perspective of an Associated Press team of reporters as Russian invasionary forces besieged the city of Mariupol, turning it into a battleground. The documentary discusses the RussiaUkraine war through its depictions of urban warfare.

It is the onset of this war that prompted the city of Davis to attempt to rekindle their relationship with Uman for whom this screening was fundraising. They began coordinating fundraising efforts in March 2022 for charities like World Central Kitchen, but it was not until a Ukrainian refugee family had moved into Davis that the city was able to directly coordinate efforts with Uman, according to Lee.

In December 2022, the Davis Odd Fellows and Davis Sunset Rotary Club worked together to fund and send generators for Uman. To this end, Lee traveled to the city itself in March 2023 to ensure that these generators had arrived safely while getting the chance to meet and connect with the mayor and the people of Uman.

“Traveling on a bus with a bunch of people who don’t speak English, going somewhere where you’re not really sure about where you are going is an adventure,” Lee said. “But, the people are very kind, very appreciative and so

I feel like I’ve been very fortunate to be able to visit.”

Uman, a city about the size of Davis, has a college called Pavlo Tychyna University. Lee spoke with his translator who was working at the university and said that in her department alone, there were two students that had lost parents in the war. This inspired Lee to create a scholarship fund of $20,000 for students who had been impacted by the war by the loss of a parent or displacement.

This Davis-Uman sister city scholarship has provided financial aid for 28 students attending Pavlo Tychyna University. To continue funding for this scholarship, Lee reached out to the team behind “20 Days in Mariupol” to screen the documentary for free to the public. This screening received generous contributions from the Davis Rotary clubs, F Street Dispensary and from individual donations made by members of the Davis community. Davis Varsity Theater donated the venue for the screening itself.

Sinisa Novakovic, the owner of Davis Varsity Theater along with Mishka’s and Icekrimski cafe, knew Lee before and had previously organized a similar fundraising event at Varsity last year. Novakovic opened Mishka’s cafe 29 years ago and acquired Varsity 11 years after. Novakovic stressed the importance of values in his businesses by using ethically sourced and providing his support for causes such as the RussiaUkraine war.

VARSITY on 8

The ASUCD Senate meets on the third floor of the Memorial Union

their weekly meeting.

(Aggie File)

Watermelon Music’s wide selection of instruments, amps, accessories and more.

(Courtesy / Greta Foehr)

Davis Rotary Club hosts a movie screening at the Varsity Theatre downtown.

(Sacha Chickering / Aggie)

Dog reunites with firefighters who rescued her from house fire

Davis family dog, Squid, released after recovery from UC Davis Veterinary Hospital

BY ALEXANDRA SHAPIRO city@theaggie.org

On the night of April 12, the Davis Fire Department responded to a house fire on the 3500 block of El Segundo Ave in East Davis. While attending to the fire, firefighters rescued a dog named Squid from the house.

Squid is a Pitbull, Husky and German Shepard mix adopted by Matt Cardinale and his fiancee, Allison O’Donnell, in 2019. Squid was abandoned as a puppy in West Sacramento and has since lived happily with her owners.

On the night of the fire, while Cardinale and O’Donnell were out of the house at their places of work, a neighbor heard the fire alarm sounding and called 911.

The response crew arrived on the scene, promptly opened the front door and found Bella, the couple’s nine-yearold French bulldog who immediately ran out of the house.

“We didn’t see the other dog, but there was smoke in the building,’’ Davis Fire Captain Joe Simione said.

The fire was then updated to a first-alarm status incident and called for backup fire crews. A few minutes later, additional firefighters arrived and tracked the fire’s origins to the office in the hallway.

Firefighter Alex Avila reached into the master bedroom, where Squid and the couple’s two cats were taking shelter. Avila felt Squid and immediately pulled her out. When taken out of the house, she was breathing but unresponsive.

As one team of city firefighters tackled the flames, the others placed a breathing mask designed for humans on Squid’s snout. When the UC Davis Fire Department arrived, they replaced that mask with one designed specifically for K9s.

After a few minutes, she began moving her eyes and sat up.

“We could really tell that [the mask] was working,” Davis Fire Captain Mike Plescia said.

Squid’s owner immediately came home from his workplace in Petaluma after his security system alerted him of

the fire. When Cardinale arrived at his home, he received the news that Squid and one of their two cats were taken to the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital by Yolo County Animal Control officers.

After being informed of the fire, Allison O’Donnell went straight from her workplace at the VCA Veterinary Clinic in Loomis to the UC Davis Veterinary Hospital.

Their cat returned home to Cardinale and O’Donnell the next day with minimal injuries. Squid, however, spent five nights in an oxygen chamber under the care of Dr. Kate Hopper, a critical care specialist at the hospital.

During her stay, Squid lost seven pounds and slept most of the time. She has since been released and has reunited with the team of firefighters that saved her life.

“Without the quick actions of the City of Davis Fire and UC Davis Fire Team, it’s likely Squid would not be here today,” Cardinale said via email. “The care team of UC Davis veterinarians, including Dr. Hopper, Dr. Planas, Dr. Kemnitz, and Dr. Matte provided the absolute best care to ensure Squid made a recovery.”

Squid’s owners are profusely grateful

to the city firefighters and the vet team who saved and treated Squid. They are also indebted to their neighbor, Joan Futscher, for rapidly alerting the authorities.

Battalion Chief Luis Parrilla said the city firefighters are looking to get another oxygen mask designed for dogs to prepare in case a similar incident occurs.

“[The masks] are vital and important, especially in a community that loves pets,” Parrilla said.

Cardinale furthered on why he believes the mask helped Squid.

“The UC Davis firefighters provided [the] mask that likely made the difference in her survival,” Cardinale said. “She is only alive because they were able to pull her out and knew exactly what to do.”

The owner shared their gratitude for Squid beating the odds and that there is still a road to recovery.

“Everyone involved was instrumental in helping Squid beat the odds,” Cardinale said. “While she’s still recovering from her extensive injuries, Squid is acting more and more like herself every day.”

Davis City Council presents ceremonial awards at recent meeting

The city council presented individuals and organizations with the Golden Heart, Thong Hy Huynh Memorial and Environmental Recognition Awards on May 7

BY HANNAH SCHRADER city@theaggie.org

On May 7, the Davis City Council met and held a ceremonial presentation of the 2024 Golden Heart Awards, the Thong Hy Huynh Memorial Awards and the Environmental Recognition Awards.

Mayor Josh Chapman began the presentation by thanking everyone for attending the council meeting.

“Thank you for joining us here this evening as we celebrate the recipients of the Golden Heart Award, the Thong Hy Huynh Award and the Environmental Recognition Award for the city of Davis,” Chapman said. “Each year, we are honored to recognize so many deserving individuals and organizations in our community who continually give back and show the qualities of the folks for whom these awards are meant.”

Chapman then read a statement regarding the first award the council recognized the recipients of, the Golden Heart Award.

“The first Golden Heart Award was presented in 1994 in memory of Andrew Mockus, who was killed by his peers in 1992,” Chapman said. “After many community forums hosted by the Recreation and Parks Commission, it was decided to create the Golden Heart Award to recognize outstanding youth in the Davis community.”

Councilmember Will Arnold then presented the Golden Heart Service Award to Siena Calciano and Summer Lee and the Golden Heart Personal Challenge Award to Benjamin Haffly and Antonio Smith.

Benjamin Haffly, a sixth-grader at Korematsu Elementary, spoke after being recognized as one of the winners of the Personal Challenge Award for his positivity and resilience throughout his cancer treatment over the past year.

“I would like to thank the two people that signed me up and just everyone that’s helped me,” Haffly said. Chapman then spoke about the history of the Thong Hy Huynh Awards before the council recognized this year’s winners.

“The Thong Hy Huynh Memorial Award recognizes local individuals or organizations promoting civil rights, civic engagement or positive human relations and helping improve the

quality of life for Davis residents and its visitors,” Chapman said. “The awards are in memory of Davis High School student Thong Hy Huynh, who was stabbed to death 40 years ago this month on May 4, 1983. They intend to help raise awareness for social justice and inclusion.”

The three categories within this award included under-18s, 18s and older and Community Organizations.

The winners for 2024 in these three categories were Chavez “CJ” Millican, Annie Louise Temple, Pattie Fong and Aggie House.

Fong then spoke about her dedication to promoting equity in the Davis community as she accepted her award.

“I am dedicated to sharing history, making sure we learn from our history and standing up for people who need bystanders,” Fong said.

The Environmental Recognition Award recipients were the last winners to be recognized in the ceremonial presentation at the council meeting.

The categories in which winners were recognized for their environmental contributions were individual/group, business and non-profit. The winners of the categories were Davis Manor Neighborhood Council & Creative Action Team, Root of Happiness, Blaze Pizza and lastly, Community Mercantile.

Community Mercantile is a shop that takes donations of things that would otherwise go to landfills and sells them. Through its item rehoming process, Community Mercantile aims to reduce the environmental impact of consumer culture and unnecessary waste.

Co-founder and Executive Director Stephanie Koop accepted the award for the organization and shed light on the recent success the non-profit organization has found.

“Thank you so much for recognizing the impact Community Mercantile has had on our city,” Koop said. “Our organization has seen incredible growth in size, scope and influence over the 20 months we’ve been open. I’m proud to say that with the combined contributions of time, energy, expertise and seed money, sales for our first full year were just shy of $100,000.”

Davis Senior Center celebrates Mother’s Day

Community members gathered last week for the Celebrating Moms event

BY OLIVIA HOKR city@theaggie.org

On May 15, the Davis Senior Center hosted an event titled “Celebrating Moms” where they offered a wide variety of food and activities to bring people together. The center tries to host a celebration for Mother’s Day every year to express appreciation for mothers.

The Davis Senior Center’s event is special because they aim to celebrate all kinds of mothers and maternal figures.

Sandy Alvarez-White, the program coordinator at the senior center, shared her personal views on the importance of motherhood and the importance of appreciating it.

“Mothers are important in all aspects,” Alvarez-White said. “The love of a mother is unbreakable and with the purest heart. If you have a mom you are very lucky and blessed. Not everyone has a biological mother, but there can be someone out there who loves you like one and makes sure you’re always safe and loved. Celebrating mothers is so important because it’s one of the toughest jobs in the world. This is a moment we can take to share and show appreciation and celebrate all moms.”

The senior center works with a variety of generous sponsors that help make their events possible by providing

delicious meals and sometimes prizes for the activities. Some of their main sponsors include Atria Covell Gardens, Carlton Senior Living, The Californian, Gentiva Hospice and Apex Care. The Davis Senior Center is immensely thankful for these organizations and their ongoing support for the community, according to AlvarezWhite.

The Celebrating Moms event was sponsored by Gentiva Hospice, a home health care and hospice provider. They kindly provided the center with charcuterie, fruit, pastries, various desserts and prizes to complete the event.

The Davis Senior Center hosts a variety of events throughout the year. Their monthly newsletter, The Scene, provides information about special upcoming events, weekly movie nights, activities and classes that will be taking place. To sign up for the newsletter or view a copy of it, links can be found on the City of Davis website.

“It is important to celebrate [Mother’s Day] because sometimes we forget to show care and happiness to those who give us the strength to be who we are,” Alvarez-White said. “We need to show love and thanks for all that they do.”

Officials urge support of affordable housing at Davis forum

City officials and housing professionals hold candid public discussion about Davis’ housing situation

presentation.

BY EMMA CONDIT city@theaggie.org

On Thursday, May 16, Interfaith Housing Justice Davis hosted “Davis Housing Solutions: A Community Conversation,” serving as a public forum to tackle the important yet complicated topic of affordable housing. The evening was moderated by Mayor Josh Chapman and featured panelists from various organizations which define the state of affordable housing in Davis.

Dana Bailey of the Department of Housing and Human Services shared what Davis needs to support affordable housing.

“I think what Davis needs is a ‘yes in my backyard’ attitude,” Bailey said.

This idea opposes a “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) attitude, in which residents of a community support affordable housing in theory but do not want to affect their community.

Affordable housing can come in many forms — non-profit rental housing, affordable homeownership programs, subsidized rent programs and more. It reduces hunger, increases civic engagement and improves the overall health and quality of communities.

Judy Ennis from the Davis Community Action Network (Davis CAN) shed light on the current dilemma the city is experiencing.

“[Davis] resisted the urge to grow,” Ennis said.

“But because we did not grow, we have continued to leave people out. We are at 27% poverty.

For children under 18 years old,

we’re at 20% poverty.

The average poverty [rate] for the state of California is 12.2%.”

Over the last 20 years, the city of Davis has experienced significant population growth, particularly due to the university. This has led to increased housing costs and a lack of housing to accommodate all of Davis’ potential residents.

Roberto Jimenez, the chief executive officer of Mutual Housing California, shared that communities face many challenges when creating affordable housing, especially in a small city like Davis.

“The two most difficult parts of developing affordable housing are access to land — Davis — and access to dollars — also Davis in this case,” Jimenez said.

“We’re playing three-dimensional chess trying to put all these projects together.

I’ve seen projects with 14 sources of funding built into them.”

Members of ¿Un Cafecito?, a group for Spanish-speaking mothers at Davis schools, shared stories of their struggles finding affordable housing in the Davis area. For instance, to qualify for affordable housing, you must make below a certain amount of money. So, if you make slightly too much money, you will not qualify for housing.

If you make below the minimum amount, there is hardly enough money for school, medical and food expenses. UC Davis students also experience

housing insecurity at alarming rates, leading to rising concerns of affordable housing development for students.

Robb Davis, the president of UC Davis’ Aggie Compass, highlighted that many students face transient housing insecurity and require affordability assistance.

“An undergraduate experience survey from 2022 found that approximately 2,400 students had been in a state of houselessness at one point during the year,” Davis said. “Many students find themselves in a vulnerability continuum.” Throughout the evening, panelists discussed programs in Davis which can serve as a solution to this affordability issue. These programs, like Davis’ Housing Trust Fund, providing down payment assistance, increased density and new construction of affordable housing all require more support.

Jonathan London, a member of Davis CAN and professor of environmental justice at UC Davis, recommends that Davis residents employ political will in fighting for long-term affordable housing solutions.

“Students are a key victim of lack of affordable housing,” London said.

“My recommendation for students is just get really involved in city politics and really push for affordable housing. There’s 10s of thousands of students — it’s such a potential powerful voice, and so many students are affected by this issue. It could really push city politics in a progressive way.”

Reverend Connie Simon begins the forum, “Davis Housing Solutions: A Community Conversation,” with her formal

The meeting addressed housing problems and potential solutions. (Jenna Lee / Aggie)

On the night of April 12, the Davis Fire Department rescued a dog named Squid from a house fire. She was in critical condition, but is recovering well thanks in part to the quick response of local firefighers. (Aggie File)

On May 15, the Davis Senior Center hosted an event titled ‘Celebrating Moms’ where they aimed to celebrate all kinds of mothers and maternal figures. (Aggie file)

UC Davis Coffee Center opens on May 3

The center is the first facility in the country dedicated solely to coffee research BY

JORDAN POLTORAK campus@theaggie.org

On May 3, UC Davis opened the Coffee Center, the first center in the United States dedicated solely to coffee research. The 7,000-square-foot center will house pre- and post-harvest coffee science research. This includes brewing laboratories, experimental bean storage, a sensory and cupping laboratory and a pilot roastery.

“We have the expertise here,” Tonya Kuhl, a UC Davis professor and co-director of the Coffee Center, said. “There are challenges coffee faces because of climate change, and we want to improve how it is processed in a sustainable way. This is the place where this activity can be attacked from all angles.”

The space will house many classes, such as The Design of Coffee (ECH1) created by Co-Directors Tonya Kuhl and William Ristenpart. The center plans to offer over 50 fields of study, covering subjects from chemical engineering to plant science and sociology.

ECH1 was initially created as a first-

year seminar. In its beginning, the lab equipment featured many items that can be found in a home, like a drip coffee maker.

“We made do with the original lab space until about 2016,” Kuhl said. “Then, we renovated the space and devoted it to the coffee lab. It was paid for by Chevron, the College of Engineering and an alum [named] John Watson.”

In the new space, Peet’s Coffee provided the initial gift for their pilot roastery, and $6 million were provided by private donors to complete the center. Eventually, Kohl and Ristenpart’s class evolved from a first-year seminar to a full-fledged course.

“Many students take the class as a general education requirement,” Kuhl said. “Students from all sorts of majors get exposed to chemical engineering, and every year, we pluck off a couple of those students and get them to change to our major because it’s really fun.”

Isabella Engler, a fourth-year international relations major, discussed the benefits of the course.

“Not only does the class allow you to put the theory and science discussed in lecture into practice, but your newly acquired understanding will enhance your own coffee drinking experience,” Engler said.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the center, over 200 individuals attended. There were student research displays and roastings as well as espresso brewing demonstrations.

Having a dedicated place for coffee research allows UC Davis to be at the forefront of the chemical engineering field. Kohl and Ristenpart’s textbook, “The Design of Coffee: An Engineering Approach,” is currently used at colleges such as University of San Diego, University of Colorado Boulder and Auburn University to teach similar classes.

“Before [ECH1], I was convinced coffee could only be enjoyable when used to enhance the richness of a chocolate cake when baking,” Engler said. “I now have a whole other appreciation for the science and artist license that goes into brewing each cup.”

UC Davis SKY club hosts Wellness Week in Shields Library

The newly formed SKY club hosts a week with meditation and positive activities to help students get through midterms

BY BENJAMIN CARRILLO campus@theaggie.org

From May 6 to 9, SKY Campus

Happiness, a UC Davis wellness and mental health student organization, hosted a wellness week in Shields Library. The week-long series of events offered a different relaxation safe space every day, from meditative mandalas to relaxation yoga.

Aishwarya Hariharan, a firstyear biological science major and the pPresident of SKY, talked about the vision behind the event.

“Wellness Week was a vision of ours to bring people together and sprinkle some joy and laughter to students during midterms week,” Hariharan said. “Through the fun activities students got to participate in, like origami and coloring, we were able to help foster strong relationships while also introducing a small yet powerful tool students could use to destress:, the art of breathwork and meditation.”

The SKY club branch at UC Davis is newer to campus, with the student organization officially starting at UC Davis during winter quarter 2024. SKY has already been established at several other college campuses across California.

“SKY Campus Happiness aims to bring resilience to students and faculty in campuses across the US and the world through research-based breathing techniques and mindfulness practices, while also building a sense of community among students,” Warkharkar said.

The timing of the week taking place during midterms was intentional on behalf of SKY. They hoped that students would show up in between midterms, advocate for themselves and take a moment to relax amidst the chaos of back-to-back exams.

“My absolute favorite part of every session, which never failed to take my breath away, was the calmness and positivity that filled the air when the students opened their eyes from the

small guided meditation we led to end the sessions,” Hariharan continued. “Every day was beautiful seeing students willingly show up for themselves, especially when time might have seemed scarce during midterms.”

Shruti Wakharkar, a fourth-year secondary officer to the SKY club, spoke more about the week, specifically regarding the colored mandala-coloring activitys.

“I really enjoyed the second day, in which we colored mandalas, got to know one another and talked a little bit about mindfulness, after which we had a short meditation,” Wakharkar said. “I felt that these sessions brought a sense of community and relaxation to us, as well as everyone who attended.”

SKY is still a club in its early development. H, however, both Wakharkar and Hariharan said that this was only the beginning for the club, and that they will have plenty of more wellness events in the future.

ASUCD Senate passes emergency resolution regarding encampment, protests on May 16

A constitutional amendment to institutionalize an ASUCD hiring committee also passed

BY SYDNEY AMESTOY campus@theaggie.org

The ASUCD Senate held a town hall session in the CoHo on May 16, giving students the opportunity to ask the table questions. The session was called to order at 6:20 p.m.

However, there were no questions presented from any member of the public, so senators and chairs were asked to give a brief report on their work from the quarter to those in attendance. The session was closed at 6:40 p.m., and the Senate moved to the Mee Room to call the Senate meeting to order.

The meeting was called to order at 6:56 p.m.

Next, the Senate addressed an emergency Senate Resolution, SR #10, authored by Senator Yara Kadaan. SR #10 asks the Senate to affirm the protest and demands of the Davis Popular University for the Liberation of Palestine (Davis PULP).

“Things are developing very quickly both here on campus and in Gaza, Palestine and neighboring countries in terms of the aggression [...] in the genocide that they are facing,” Kadaan said. “There is no time for us to wait, the negotiating team from the encampment is already in talks with the administration. We don’t have time to sit back and watch this happen or mull it over more, things are moving very quickly out there and we have to be caught up to it to the best of our ability.”

A vote was held to consider SR #10 as emergency legislation, which would require it to be addressed during that meeting. In the initial vote, there were seven yes’s, four no’s and two abstainments. The resolution would need a two-thirds majority to be considered an emergency, which wasn’t met in the initial vote and would push the debate on the resolution to next week’s meeting.

Internal Vice President Aarushi Raghunathan then moved the Senate to consider other legislation.

Constitutional Amendment (CA) #90, which seeks to institutionalize the hiring committee for interim senators, was discussed first. After a short debate, CA #90 passed with a vote of eight yes’s, two no’s and three abstainments.

The meeting then moved to the quarterly report from the ASUCD Judicial Council (JC).

JC plans to update some judicial codes as positions within the council have all become paid roles. They also announced that for the remainder of spring quarter, judicial council meetings would be every Thursday on the third floor of the MU, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

With the conclusion of the quarterly meeting, the Senate moved into the consideration of SB #90, which seeks to allocate $1,658.75 to the Student

Health and Wellness Committee (SHAWC) for an earthquake emergency kit building event on May 31 on the MU patio.

After brief debate regarding the possibility of not all supplies being used, SB #90 passed unanimously.

The STEM Committee then gave its quarterly report. The committee has been trying to increase equity within STEM, sponsoring STEM-related events and posting opportunities for STEM students on their Instagram.

As the quarterly reports concluded, the Senate moved into public discussion.

Various anonymous members of the public came to announce their disappointment in the tabling of SR #10 until next week.

“[The Senate] tabling a piece of legislation because you want to be nitpicky and sit with it longer is not okay anymore,” one anonymous speaker said. “You have students out there [in the encampment] risking everything.”

Public speakers were given two to three minutes to voice their opinions and concerns to the table. Discussion between the public and the Senate remained focused on SR #10 and continuing the encampment in the MU Quad.

“I have been at Davis for two years, and I’ve been here way too many times, defending the fact that I deserve to be alive, that I deserve to be defended and my existence is valid,” another anonymous speaker said. “I’m sick of it. The people who said that we should table this bill for next week, you’re ignorant, you’re cowards. [Students are] sitting on the ground. They’re not showering for days. They’re skipping their classes. They’re skipping their midterms to defend the fact that Palestinians should not be genocided off the face of the earth.”

There was discussion regarding recent sweeps of other encampments by law enforcement at other schools, including recently at UC Irvine and UC Los Angeles, and the fear of something similar occurring at UC Davis. According to Kadaan, the decision to send in law enforcement is made by the UC Regents and the UC Office of the President.

Discussion of SR #10 ultimately led to a motion to reconsider the resolution as emergency legislation, which passed unanimously.

The Senate then moved into a brief Senate discussion on the resolution.

After a call of hands to see how the table members would vote, a motion was made to pass SR #10. With a total of seven yes’s and two abstainments, SR #10 passed unanimously. The Senate then moved into a closed session at 10:12 p.m., with all members of the public leaving the meeting.

The new UC Davis Coffee Center. (Courtesy / UC Davis Coffee Center)

Allergy season

BY EMMA LAPIDUS eblapidus@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: (This cartoon is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and names of “sources” are fictionalized.)

‘The Balanced Meal’

BY LANHUI ZHEN lazhen@ucdavis.edu

Disclaimer: (This cartoon is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and names of “sources” are fictionalized.)

The Gunrock is being slept on!

Why have I not heard anyone else talk about this?

BY MALCOLM LANGE mslange@ucdavis.edu

I have been at UC Davis for almost a full year now. This is my third quarter on campus, and I like to think that I have explored most of what the oncampus experience has to offer during the day. I go to the CoHo a lot. I study at the library. I’ve been to the Arboretum before. Sometimes I will go to the Silo, but hardly ever. I always thought that the MU was leagues above the Silo in every way possible. But that’s when I found him. The pride of the Silo: The Gunrock!

I have passed The Gunrock plenty of times, not giving it much thought. I knew that they served alcohol and that gave me the impression that if I was not able to order alcohol, there would be no point in going in. I knew that they must have served food as well, but I liked the food from the CoHo market. They have lots of options and most aren’t too badly priced. But one day, I did the unthinkable. I actually walked in to take a look at the mysterious pub. It was nice! Not very crowded, plenty of tables and the best part — they do a discount from three to six every day. Albeit, only on their “bites” options, but still a discount is a discount! Also, their bite-sized portions were way more than I expected. I ordered the “7th inning fries” which are fries with garlic and parmesan cheese. They cost around five dollars for fries that fed me and two other people. Three people splitting a five dollar snack is very cost friendly, and they were also very good. They also offer water which is nice, since the CoHo does not. The CoHo has their water refill station, but most of the time the filter status shows red and that always makes me a little anxious to drink it.

Not only does The Gunrock have discounts and water and hasn’t been too crowded anytime I’ve gone, but it also has games. And I say games in three different senses. Firstly, they have around five TVs, usually playing some sort of sports event. This is nice, because unlike the CoHo which also has TVs, you aren’t just watching the little advertisement for UCD playing on repeat. I mean, I already go to this school, why do they need to try to sell it to me again?

Another way I mean games is they have foosball. It appears to be free, but don’t quote me on that. I have not played, and haven’t seen anyone play but when I walked past I did see the

balls in it with no money taker. Maybe you have to go and pay at the front but I didn’t see a sign so it seems fair to assume that it would be free. That’s pretty cool! They also have some board games, which again I am assuming are free to use.

The last form of games that I mean, is trivia games. They have Gunrock Trivia nights which seem like it could be fun. In full disclosure, I have not been to the trivia night but if trivia is your thing, that’s one more thing The Gunrock has to offer that the CoHo doesn’t.

I am sure plenty of people already know about The Gunrock, and how amazing it is. So why did no one tell me about it sooner? It is despicable! There is a nice little pub-like restaurant on campus, that takes Aggie Cash, serves delicious fries, has games, isn’t ever too crowded and is usually quieter than the CoHo. And it took me three quarters to find it! Obviously, I would like to

keep it uncrowded and quiet, but I believe it to be my civic duty to report my amazing findings to other students that are getting a little bored of the CoHo, like I was. Anyway, to wrap this up, I truly believe that The Gunrock is being slept on and not enough people know how amazing the Silo can be when you go to The Gunrock.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Here are some class recommendations to help diversify your course load

BY CLAIRE SCHAD cfschad@ucdavis.edu

As college students, it is easy to get caught up in our major, only focusing on getting through the classes we need to graduate. Whether it is a result of a stressful registration process, or just feeling overwhelmed and trying to get to graduation as quickly as possible, it can be easy to miss out on meaningful, non-required classes. As a fourth-year student just weeks away from graduation, I have been able to look back on the classes I have taken and noticed that some of the most useful and meaningful classes were not a part of my major requirements. Some of these non-major courses even provided valuable context to my major that I would not have gotten in my major classes alone. This realization has left me wondering if my college career would have looked different if I had taken more classes for pleasure throughout my time at UC Davis.

I know that for many students, it can be difficult to get all of the classes you need to graduate in four years, let alone have space in your schedule to take additional classes for pleasure. However, I believe that with careful planning, it is possible to take courses outside of your major requirements.

So, if you are looking for some interesting non-major classes to take or to just pick up some extra units for the fall, here are a few course recommendations!

UWP 104J: Writing for Social Justice

In my third year, I began to realize that I really enjoyed writing and wanted to take an additional class to improve my skills. This led me to register for UWP 104J: Writing in Social Justice. This class ended up being one of the best classes I have taken while at UC Davis. Not only did I get to improve my writing skills, but I also got to conduct my own research and present it in an engaging way to my peers.

Do not fret if you are not a social science student; UWP 104J has a lot of flexibility, allowing you to define what social justice means to you and research how it relates to your academic interests, no matter what they are. While this class was challenging, it was so rewarding and ultimately encouraged me to

pursue a minor in professional writing. Another bonus of UWP 104J is that it can fulfill your upper-division writing requirement!

COWL 52: Personal Finance and Investing at UC Santa Cruz through UC Online Maybe you feel like your major perfectly matches your academic interests, so you do not have the urge to register for other non-major classes. If this sounds like you, I encourage you to seek out courses that will be helpful in your post-grad life, no matter what your career looks like. While registering for my spring quarter classes earlier this winter, I received an email from the UC Online program that gives UC undergraduates access to hundreds of courses offered remotely from the nine UC campuses. As I skimmed through the email, I decided to peruse the different courses offered for spring quarter. To my surprise, there was a Personal Finance and Investing course offered through UC Santa Cruz that had many open seats.

COWL 52 at UC Santa Cruz has been an extremely informative and wellstructured class. From learning how to set up retirement accounts to file taxes, this course covers many crucial concepts that every student should learn before graduation. Even though this is a fully remote class, there are plenty of opportunities to connect virtually with the professor, TAs and other students.

NUT 10: Discoveries and Concepts in Nutrition

If you are looking for another class that will undoubtedly be valuable postgrad, look no further than NUT 10. This course is designed to help students understand their nutrition patterns and the importance of prioritizing nutrition to lead a healthy life. In this class, students have the chance to analyze their own food records and figure out if they are receiving all of the essential nutrients. As college students who generally do not have the most nutritious eating habits, this course gives you all the information you need to help improve your whole body health and nutrition. Another appealing aspect of NUT 10 is that it is offered in both an in-person and a virtual format, allowing students to pick which one works best for their schedule.

you already have a heavy course load and need a class that will lower stress and maybe even be relaxing — look no further than POL 11C: Politics and Film. This is a great course to take if you enjoy watching and talking about movies, as much of the class is spent doing just that, with almost every week of the quarter including a different film. Even if you do not have any political knowledge, this class will encourage you to think critically about the media that you consume and give you the tools to better understand the environment in which entertainment media is produced. Overall, POL 11C has been one of the most enjoyable and relaxed classes I have taken at UC Davis, and I highly recommend it to any student.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

OPINION

Maybe college was about the friends we made along the way

Your life might change post-grad, but you can still keep the friendships that made college special

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The weather is getting warmer, people are taking graduation pictures next to the Quad and there are picnics in the park again: It can only be a sign that the school year is quickly coming to an end. For some of us, this is one of many summers we have left in Davis, but for many members of the Editorial Board, these are our final months in our little college town that we have called home for the last few years.

One of the reasons college is particularly wonderful for many people is the opportunities to make and spend time with friends. This is why Davis feels like home, and why saying goodbye to it is so difficult. As we approach the next season in our lives, the Editorial Board encourages you to put in the effort to stay in touch with your friends post-graduation.

Sure, next year you may not be able to bike five minutes down the street to bother your friends like you could in Davis, but friendships are meant to evolve. Some of the best friendships can not only withstand the distance, but can even grow stronger from it. If there are people who are worth keeping around in life, they are worth the effort.

If you see something that reminds you of a friend, text them! In our busy lives it can be hard to message someone often. Even if it has been a while, it’s never the wrong time to tell someone that the movie you watched last night reminded you of their most embarrassing blind date story.

More than that, make the effort to call your friends whenever possible. Nothing reminds someone of you the way talking on the phone does. You might think that sounds strange if you’ve never been a random-Facetimecaller before. But once establishing the spontaneous call as an option, it can be an easy way to check in. Instead of listening to music on a long drive, try calling a friend to get the life updates you missed. Don’t overthink it. Just because you don’t see each other every week at the dining hall anymore doesn’t mean they don’t want to talk to you. Okay, maybe calling isn’t your thing — send a voice memo. This is especially helpful if you are too busy to call or time zones make it difficult to schedule. Just hearing a friend’s voice or having a chance to vent can be essential to a healthy relationship. At the least, keeping friends upto-speed with the updates like a job promotion, a new relationship or recent favorite show goes a long way. You should also put in the effort to continue learning new things about your friends, not just reminiscing about your freshman-year chemistry class. Writing letters is also a special way to stay in touch with friends. If long heartfelt letters aren’t your thing, just write a short message on a postcard, or mail an envelope with some stickers you got at the craft fair. To let an old friend know that you are thinking of them enough to visit a mailbox makes all the difference.

With all this being said, don’t be afraid to make new friends and have new experiences. No matter how many

new people you meet, you are not replacing your old friends — you are just gathering more people to be a part of your life. The future is never certain. Just because you’ve drifted apart from someone doesn’t mean you’ll never reconnect. Maybe a friendship will just become a happy memory from college, or maybe your children will be best friends. Regardless, keeping a healthy relationship with the people you love and accepting that friendships change over time is a part of growing up.

Scan to let the Editorial Board inspire your next weekend getaway

UC Davis lecture halls: the good,

the bad and the ugly

Criteria includes comfy seating, aesthetic, lighting and more

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Ah, a lecture hall. The setting of so many power naps, failed microphones, unexpected quiz announcements and powerful waves of midterm stress. Beyond being the central setting for learning, a lecture hall should be designed for comfort for both the lecturers and the students and serve as a place that inspires creative thought and conversations. With this in mind, here are some of my thoughts, critiques and compliments regarding some of UC Davis’ most famous lecture halls.

Rock Hall: This one holds a surprising amount of students, which is achieved by trading in comfort for the capability of squishing as many STEM majors into a single room as possible. The lecture hall contains a classic “slope down” seating arrangement, where about 400 student eyes are directed downward onto the (poor?) professor. Arrive early, because getting a seat right before the start of class will mean clambering over a whole row of annoyed students. Lastly, bring only the essentials, as there’s no way you’ll be able to fit your coffee, computer, notebook and phone onto the teeny tiny desk. 4/10.

Art Building: The best graffiti on campus (the talent level is insane) and great proximity for a ruminative stroll through the Arboretum (extremely necessary when your art final gets heavily critiqued in front of the entire class). 8.5/10.

Cruess Hall: I may be biased as a design major, but this is one of the best halls on campus. Featuring a mini design museum curated by students as well as a makerspace and tool room (with everything your creative soul could ever hope for), Cruess is catered directly to students working in the arts. The two main lecture halls are brand new and are relatively spacious with great projection screens and interior lighting. It’s like sitting in a movie theater! Finally, there are “Cruess Tattoos,” the adorable wall decorations that adorn the Cruess walls, ceilings and floors. Start exploring and you won’t be disappointed. ∞/10.

California Hall: So incredibly big!! So spacious!! So difficult to hear the professor when the mic goes out!! The best part of the hall is the two long vertical windows at either end of the room out of which you can watch clouds float by (while listening to the lecture obviously). 7/10.

Ann E. Pitzer Center: Just seats, no desks, but audio quality slaps. Very theatrical lighting. A perfect place for professors to invite guest speakers. 7.5/10.

Giedt Hall: You can’t get lost, but you may fall asleep because it does get pretty dark and dreary in there. 6/10.

Teaching and Learning Center

(TLC): Recently built, this hall contains both classrooms and lecture spaces that are designed for students by students. It includes unique study areas scattered throughout the building and lots of outlets to plug in your devices, and there’s plenty of natural lighting. The architecture and color choices are

How stories can save the world

The emerging genre of

BY MOLLY THOMPSON mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu

Climate change is undeniably a defining characteristic of our current age. It’s shaping our present and future lives, so it’s crucial and inevitable that it becomes a central part of all facets of our society — science, media, technology, literature, entertainment, etcetera.

Books like Octavia Butler’s “Parable of the Sower” and Margaret Atwood’s “Oryx and Crake,” along with movies like “Don’t Look Up” and “Snowpiercer,” have flourished out of a growing social need for conversations around the changing climate. At the same time, the majority of stories within the genre are speculative — they’re less imaginary, hypothetical fantasies and more heavily researched, predictive scenario explorations. Many aren’t as far from the truth as we’d like them to be.

inviting and thought-provoking, and the location is also pretty much perfect — situated right next to the Silo Bus terminal, the Silo, Latitude and the food trucks. 10/10.

Olson Hall: During orientation all those (two) years ago, I was told that Olson Hall had ghosts. Can confirm. It’s basically a maze of cement and poorly maintained classrooms: one of the windows of my discussion classroom remained broken and boarded up for the entirety of the quarter. 2/10.

The Death Star: Speaking of a maze of cement, that’s exactly what this is. Avoid having a class here unless you love getting lost or feel like wandering around in circles endlessly. The architects who built this place obviously had ulterior motives. -3/10.

Student Community Center (SCC): Personally a big fan of the computer lab and South Coho. A great place to chill and watch whatever cooking show is on the big TV on the first floor. 9/10.

Wellman Hall: This is your standard lecture hall: the water filters are always on red, the bathrooms are mid and the lighting is best fit for corporate offices. “Well man, I don’t know how to break it to you… but this one’s pretty average.” 5.5/10.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Climate fiction (cli-fi) is the emerging younger-sibling genre of science fiction (sci-fi) that marks a noteworthy shift in our culture — as Stephanie LeMenager writes in her piece “Climate Change and the Struggle for Genre,” “I recognize cli-fi across genres and media as a symptom of a social need, the need for new patterns of expectation.”

Cli-fi is ramping up. There have never been more publications within the genre, and there’s never been more demand. That says a lot about society; climate change has never been more central in our minds. Our expectations of life are changing at a caliber that’s difficult for us to grapple with, and cli-fi is a reaction to that struggle. That’s a good sign — it means we as a collective are finally starting to understand the urgency and magnitude of climate change. Not to say that there haven’t been people writing climate fiction for decades (Butler published in the 1990s, and there are examples of speculative climate-centric fiction dating back to the late 19th century), but the surge of popularity for the genre is certainly new and significant. One of the reasons this is so interesting is that it provides a lot of insight into how we, as humans, orient our values. It makes sense that we would use storytelling as a tool to help us make

“cli-fi”

sense of a crisis; we’ve been doing that for centuries. Using oral legends, myths and religious texts, societies have long aligned themselves with central stories that they use to explain large phenomena and look to as moral guides. These overarching stories that help create belief structures and derive meaning — or metanarrative — reflect the most central aspects of society at the time when they take form. Religions are commonly cited as metanarratives, but in the modern Western world, it can even be said that capitalism is a sort of metanarrative: we orient ourselves around its principles, and we can view events through its lens.

Is cli-fi becoming a new form of metanarrative? Currently, no. But what its surge in popularity means is that our community is clamoring for a more climate-centric moral compass. Could cli-fi become a new metanarrative in the future? I think it has to. These big stories are incredibly impactful; regardless of whether we’re conscious of it, they dictate our lives in ways we may not be aware of. Because of that, we need stories that focus on climate change in order to successfully implement real change. Storytelling is really powerful, if we’re able to put cli-fi into the limelight in a really meaningful way, I think we’ll see a more fervent surge of action and change than we’ve ever seen before.

Climate-centric metanarratives are kind of an unrealistic notion under our current belief systems, but cli-fi as a growing genre is a step in the right direction. It’s true that we can’t afford baby steps on the pressing timeline of global warming that we’re dealing with, but it’s also irrational to expect a complete and rapid overhaul. The way that I see it, climate fiction is inspiring. The more that we can make these stories mainstream and spread the resounding messages they carry, the closer we’ll get to environmental action as a dominant value in our society. Cli-fi’s increasing popularity is a sign that we’re ready, we just need to start listening to what it tells us.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie

ARTS & CULTURE

Basement Gallery Senior Shows exhibit graduating artists’ final pieces as students

Artists and visitors of “The Singular is Plural” Senior Show discuss the importance of the yearly tradition

BY SAVANNAH ANNO arts@theaggie.org

Every Thursday, from May 2 to June 7, the UC Davis Basement Gallery is hosting its annual series of Senior Shows. Featuring the work of three different graduating fourth-years each week, the Basement Gallery gives students a final opportunity to exhibit all they have learned over the past four years.

“I think it was enlightening being able to get it done and realizing how much we’ve learned since we first started,” Danielle Dizon, a fourth-year art studio major, said. “We’re so much more used to installing and showing works now compared to when we were freshmen. Our four years actually gave us skills to put towards what we were doing, and we were actually able to throw a show together.”

Dizon, along with fourth-year art studio and sociology double major Madeline Dei Rossi and third-year art studio major Noel Bresson, were the artists of The Basement Gallery’s second Senior Show on May 9, titled “The Singular is Plural.” Each show is identified by a unique title chosen collectively by the three featured artists to reflect an overarching theme.

“We noticed that all of our works individually are really self-referential and about self portraiture,” Dizon said. “But we were reading across the themes larger than that. Our work is not so much about ourselves but more about how we relate to the collective and how [we], as singular people, are bigger than ourselves.”

Exhibiting 24 different works, “The Singular is Plural” includes photography, painting, sculpture, charcoal drawings and more. Each artist included a range of mediums and focuses in their pieces: the self, patriarchal social structures, the environment, depictions of truth and even insects.

Despite varying artistic styles, the show was able to flow together and create a reflective, intimate space as visitors made their way through the room. Filled with close friends and fellow students, The Basement Gallery was alive with celebration as they studied and discussed the graduates’ final pieces as students.

“Seeing Maddie [Dei Rossi] is really great, because I’ve always known that she’s really talented,” Chelsea Chhem, a fourth-year art history major, said. “It’s so nice to see all of her works in one space and really consolidate everything she’s been thinking of throughout the

year.”

“Showing your work is nervewracking, but in the best way,” Dei Rossi said. “I’m feeling deep gratitude.”

Not only does The Basement Gallery function to congratulate the fourth-years, it also gives them a final opportunity to practice curation as well as gallery planning, providing hands-on experience for their future careers in the art world.

Esther Jung, a fourth-year art studio major, discussed the importance of the gallery’s existence on campus, proudly identifying as “The Basement Gallery’s biggest fan.”

“I love the student-centered nature of it all,” Jung said. “I think it’s really good at actually preparing art students for a future career. A big factor that college art curriculum lacks in general is practical application, actually getting involved in the art world, in the people, and actually setting up art in a gallery.”

Solely student-led, The Basement Gallery is different from other UC student galleries, which often utilize outside curators. As a result, The Basement Gallery gives featured artists like Dizon, Dei Rossi and Bresson complete freedom in designing and preparing their shows.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into this stuff,” Bresson said. “You don’t really know until you’re doing it.”

“It’s mostly just a ton of doing and re-doing,” Dei Rossi said. “I think that’s the hardest part and what’s the most time consuming. Then, there’s leveling things out, considering how people will interact with the art and thinking about where each piece should go.”

With the amount of time put into each show and the range of pieces exhibited by each artist, the Senior Shows serve as an intimate depiction

of each graduate’s time and experience at UC Davis. While participating in the shows is optional, Mia Rassam, a fourth-year art studio major and co-lead director, explained that most fourthyears jump at the chance to be featured in the gallery and celebrate their final bodies of work.

Hosting six different shows, The Basement Gallery will be featuring the work of 18 graduating seniors this year. Apart from “The Singular is Plural,” other past titles include “Still,” which featured the work of fourth-year art studio majors Rachel Li, Nelsy Perez and Evelyn Alvarez on May 2, as well as “Las Tres Chicas,” by fourth-year art studio majors Ary Calderón-Miramontes, Ji Ho Kim and Paola Vazquez on May 16. Their next Senior Show will open from 6 to 9 p.m. on May 23, showcasing the work of fourth-year art studio majors Mia Rossum, Cerina-Marie Smit and Mariam Tawfik.

“Our show, ‘They’re Hysterical,’ is all about female-centric conversations, tension through material and healing,” Rossum said. “We’ve had such a great time organizing the show, and we’re honored to share it with the Davis community.”

Exhibiting shows every Thursday up until June 7, you can find information on the following events through The Basement Gallery’s website or Instagram, @ucd_basement_gallery, and join the celebration, taking in the unique work and perspectives each artist has to offer.

“It’s kind of overwhelming, especially when there’s a lot of people here, but it’s nice to feel like there’s an end point for all of this,” Bresson said. “This feels more like a graduation than anything else.”

Couch Concert: A night filled with music in partnership with Eclectic Collective

Performances from Sluttony, Corn Smut, BIGFISH, Agraria and Creative Differences

BY ANA BACH

arts@theaggie.org

On May 18, Eclectic Collective hosted a house show in partnership with The California Aggie’s quarterly Couch Concert, inviting bands from Davis and beyond for an energetic evening of music.

The concert venue was filled with trinkets and local artwork in every corner with lanterns hanging above the main crowd area towards the stage. Merchandise was being sold near the entryway, with bands advertising screen printed tee-shirts as well as other memorabilia for fans to purchase.

The space itself was fairly intimate, which made for an energetic crowd during every set.

Grace Lawlor, a Davis alumni, planned the majority of the event and

spoke about how Eclectic Collective came to be.

“It was so amazing to see all of the local Davis bands and all the people come out to support our eighth Eclectic Collective show,” she said. “A friend of mine and I started having these shows our sophomore year at Davis.

A friend of ours wanted to have an art and music show. We said, ‘That’s a great idea,’ and ran with it. We had so much fun doing it that we had another one. From there, we just started having one once a quarter.”

These quarterly shows put on by Eclectic Collective have been a hit with the Davis community, propelling the city’s music and art scene to new limits. Lawlor discussed her amazement at seeing the community grow.

“It’s been really amazing to see Eclectic grow because more and more people know about it and want to help

out,” she said. “They want to play music and show their art, but I’ve also been learning more about what it takes to bring the community all together. It’s been really fun.”

The show itself lasted from 4 p.m to 9 p.m. There were around 270 to 300 attendees which according to Lawlor is around their “normal numbers.”

“I love seeing neighbors stop by and community members that aren’t just college students,” she said. “I love when people bring their kids and, in the future, I hope to grow our fan base, [get] a ton of different bands from all over and [have] a lot of different people come together to enjoy the same things that we all enjoy, like art and music.”

Be sure to be on the lookout for more about Eclectic Collective’s upcoming events in addition to The Aggie’s quarterly Couch Concerts.

BY JULIE HUANG arts@theaggie.org

Album: “After

Vaguely describing a road trip through Vansire’s home county in Minnesota, the collection of songs featured on “After Fillmore County” slowly moves toward a discussion of love, loneliness and the existence of inescapable truths. These themes sit at the heart of the album and permeate every track with a sense of hazy uncertainty that grows larger the longer the songs go on. Do the words “fall short of something profound” or do they instead reveal the existence of such? The album itself strives to avoid certainty in its lyrics, enhanced by its sonic quality of dreaminess, and allows the listener to walk away feeling something intangible.

Song: “Vapour Trail” by Ride (1990)

With its distorted instrumentals, subdued vocals and melancholic lyrics, this song seems to perfectly encapsulate the bittersweet experience of nostalgia. Featured on English rock band Ride’s first album “Nowhere,” “Vapour Trail” is an elegant example of the shoegaze genre and its many merits. As I can attest, it is also a great song to play on solo walks in late spring or early summer, when the sun is shining down and stirring up the desire to reminisce and reflect on the passage of time.

TV Show: “The End of the F***ing World” (2017 to 2019)

“The End of the F***ing World” follows two teenagers who run away together to take a road trip across England, hoping to get different things out of their shared experience. The protagonist, Alyssa, seeks an opportunity to escape her messy home life with a thrilling cross-country adventure, while the other protagonist, James, seeks an opportunity to kill her and prove to himself that he is truly a 17-year-old psychopath. The intersection of these highly contradicting motives creates a dynamic between the two that is endlessly watchable and yet provides many opportunities for character development, leaving the protagonists in vastly different places than where they start out from. Although the show’s offbeat premise is often played up for dark comedic effect, it is also a way for “The End of the F***ing World” to contextualize its characters and their actions within circumstances which often feel uncomfortably realistic, creating a funny yet sharp and dramatic atmosphere for viewers.

“The Carrying”

Ada Limón’s sophomore effort at a collection of poetry delivers on all accounts. Her poems showcase technical skill more than deserving of the National Book Critics Circle Award, but the most awe-inducing aspect of “The Carrying” is Limón’s ability to infuse each line of her poetry with feelings that are tender yet forceful in their intensity and vulnerable yet piercing in their clarity. The core concept tying this collection together appears to be an examination of what it might mean to live year after year in a changing world. What is constant, and what is certain? Limón’s exploration of these ideas encourages readers to widen their perspective and appreciate the smallest details.

Book:

by Ada Limón (2018)

Fillmore County” by Vansire (2020)

The Aggie collaborated with Eclectic Collective, a local community events group, for our spring 2024 couch concert. The show featured five local bands: Big Fish, Agraria, Corn Smut, Sluttony and Creative Differences.(Andrew Huang / Aggie)

“A Desperate Holler” by Mia Rassam (2024). Oil and acrylic on canvas.

(Courtesy / Mia Rassam)

Scan to submit your art or writing to The California Aggie’s Literary Magazine! This is the last week to join in — submissions are due at midnight on Friday, May 24. Anyone can enter: students, staff, community or alumni. We look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Guerneville: The LGBTQIA+ community hidden in the Redwoods

How “The River” became a safe haven for queer Californians and tourists

BY SAVANNAH BURGER arts@theaggie.org

Nestled in the coastal redwoods along the Russian River in Sonoma County, the town of Guerneville has provided a sanctuary for local and visiting LGBTQ+ people for decades. Known affectionately as “The River;” it is regarded as one of the most safe and well-known havens in northern California for people of the LGBTQ+ community.

Although the gay scene has made Guerneville what it is today, it didn’t hit the town until somewhere in the mid-1900s. Before that, Guerneville was predominantly known as an ex-logging town, originally named “Stumptown,” because of all the clearcutting that occurred in the area. When the town was established in 1877, it provided a large quantity of lumber used to build the first infrastructures and buildings in northern California following the discovery of gold.

The town was later named after one of the loggers that controlled the area and owned the sawmill, a Swiss immigrant named George Guerne. Because of the extreme logging practices, most of the redwoods in the Guerneville area are no more than 200 years old, as they were planted after the felling of thousands of old-growth redwoods. Now, only few remain, and a handful of them can be seen in Guerneville’s Armstrong Woods State Natural Reserve.

After the logging industry went under, residents of California realized how beautiful of an area Guerneville is, and the town became a major vacation destination. Soon, train tracks were laid that connected the forest-encapsulated town with cities like San Francisco, which is a little less than two hours south of it.

During the 60s, however, as

worldwide travel was becoming more popular, visits were starting to dwindle. Then the whole west of Sonoma County, where Guerneville is located, was hit with massive flooding. Just like that, Guerneville was practically wiped off of the vacation map.

Following this setback, a multitude of old, beat-up resorts and hotels were up for sale. It was here, in the 1970s, that a few members of the LGBTQ+ community began buying these properties. Soon, multiple gayfriendly resorts and bars were opening in the redwoods. Especially after 1975, when anti-sodomy laws were finally repealed in California, these queer spaces were able to be transparent and proud about their status of being gayfriendly and were able to directly cater to LGBTQ+ clientele.

Happening concurrently, the sexual liberation movement was in full swing, which attracted even more queer people to the redwood vacation town. Even when tragedy struck with the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the 80s and 90s, Guerneville remained steadfast as a refuge for those who were either personally suffering or had loved ones who were.

It is also important to note that it was this point in time that really brought lesbians and gay men together, as it was largely the lesbian community that took care of the gay male community struck by the epidemic. This is why the “L” in the term LGBTQ+, which represents lesbians, comes at the forefront of the acronym. It’s a way to give respect to the lesbians who were caregivers

during the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Many of the original resorts, hotels and restaurants are still alive and well today, such as The Rainbow Cattle Company, The Woods Cottages & Cabins @ the Russian River, The R 3 Hotel, The Highlands Resort and more. As of recent decades, there have been new openings, such as the lesbian-owned Boon Eat + Drink and Boon Hotel + Spa. The woman who owns these two businesses, Crista Luedtke, is a renowned chef who has been featured in the likes of the New York Times, Cosmopolitan, Forbes and Food & Wine magazine, among others. Guerneville also has a wide variety of LGBTQ+ events that happen throughout the year. Lazy Bear Week, one of the largest and most successful

gatherings in the world for bears, a subculture of gay men, fundraises for charity every year. It’s happening this year from July 29 to Aug. 5. Women’s Weekend Russian River, which took place last weekend, happens every year to hold space for LGBTQ+ identifying women. There’s also the Russian River Pride happening between Sept. 19 to 21. These are just a few of the limitless LGBTQ+ gatherings held in the town. Also boasting itself as a chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of LGBTQ+ nuns that raise money for charity and promote joy, the town is a strong and established hub for the queer community.

Welcome to people from all walks of life, Guerneville is an exemplary safe space and community in the redwoods that’s definitely worth the visit.

‘Bridgerton’ returns for third waltz through Regency-era England

The sensational Netflix period romance series invites viewers to enjoy a brand new love story.

BY NATALIE SALTER

arts@theaggie.org

“Bridgerton” has been an icon of current pop culture since its initial break onto the scene in 2020. Since its debut, the show has aired two seasons and a spin-off mini-series and has returned this spring for its third waltz through Regency-era England. Following the lives and loves of the affluent Bridgerton family, Netflix’s hit has taken a turn with each sibling as the season’s star. The first was the lovely Daphne, the second the uptight Anthony — and now, brother Colin steps into the spotlight, though perhaps the season’s true star is his best friend (and future lover) Penelope Featherington. Between Penelope’s secret life as the gossip panelist Lady Whistledown and her long-held feelings for Colin, this season has certainly been teased as one of great drama and romance. But has “Bridgerton” stuck the landing a third time?

At first glance, “Bridgerton” season three possesses all of the glamor and vibrance of its preceding installments. As always, the show is all glittering dances, pastel gowns, magnificent gardens and exquisitely adorned ballrooms. The first episode has a ball of its own, which is familiar territory, if not a little too familiar by now. Many of the show’s sharpest moments of romantic tension or most incriminating moments of drama happen on and around the ballroom floor, and without much variety in the way of dress and color, these

sequences are perhaps becoming a little worn.

It might be worth acknowledging that some of the most iconic and enjoyable moments of “Bridgerton” — Kate Sharma and Anthony racing horses through the woods, Eloise Bridgerton shunning high society to explore feminist movements in the city’s poorer corners — happen when the show pushes itself beyond territory which is already so well known. Still, the series which once provided escapism during a global lockdown offers pleasant comfort in its resplendent sets, and the viewer who is willing to suspend their disbelief for its most audacious moments (a mishap with a hot air balloon comes to mind) will be delighted by the third season’s story.

“Bridgerton” does not just follow its central couple but rather includes storylines for its supporting cast as well. In season three’s case, this section of the show’s runtime is a mixed bag. Second brother Benedict Bridgerton was next in line for a season, being the next book in the source material novels after Daphne and Anthony, but was pushed off in favor of Colin and Penelope. As a result, Benedict’s arc this season feels stagnant and at times downright unnecessary, as if the writers were uncertain of where to put him as the last Bridgerton sibling without a clear romance in line.

Still, there are places where the season thrives, such as in the unexpected friendship that blossoms between Eloise and the once-mean girl Cressida Cowper. Their scenes

are surprisingly delightful, and the strong-willed Eloise continues to enchant in each of her scenes. Likewise, the quiet Francesca makes her debut, and though her scenes are understated in comparison to the dramatic romances of her siblings, she still makes a lovely impression on the viewer. The preceding season’s leads Anthony and Kate hover in the background of the story in domestic bliss; Kate’s authoritative personality and clever wit injects a wonderful dose of energy into the family dynamic, and she fits in as perfectly as if she were meant to be a Bridgerton all along. What about the season’s stars?

After two seasons of Penelope’s bashfully longing glances and Colin’s awkward obliviousness, tensions between the two have reached a head thanks to the former’s new fearsome attitude. “Bridgerton” is known to employ classic romance tropes to move along each love story, such as Daphne and the Duke’s faux relationship plot or Kate and Anthony’s relentless arguing which alchemizes into affection. This time, Penelope calls upon Colin to teach her how to find herself a husband, a setup that clearly makes way for the two to fall in love with each other instead. Though Colin and Penelope are meant to fall under the trope of “best friends to lovers,” one might argue that their supposed friendship has been lacking in its appearances on screen (in previous seasons, Penelope spends much more time laughing with her now-estranged friend

Eloise, and Colin is more often found with his brothers than his childhood companion). Still, the chemistry between the actors is enough to electrify their scenes even without a solid foundation, and fans who have long awaited their tale will likely be satisfied with all the highs and lows of their romantic journey. Where does this leave the season as a whole? It’s difficult to say, considering that only the first four episodes of “Bridgerton” season three are released and the next four slated for June 13. The fourth episode of this

cluster leaves viewers with a shocking moment between the season leads, as a promise of even more excitement to come. As it stands, the third season of “Bridgerton” is a bumpy one, but even with its lows, the highs are high. If the second part is able to cut loose the threads that are bogging it down and truly give its central romance room to blossom and breathe, it may very well be a diamond of a season. If not, there are still plenty of Bridgerton siblings left to be wed off and plenty more chances for Netflix’s dazzling drama to shine.

Located in Sonoma County, Guerneville, with a population of 4,534, features a variety of coffee shops, boutiques and art galleries downtown. (Courtesy of Ocean654 / Creative Commons, CC BY 3.0)

Season three of “Bridgerton” follows Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton. This season focuses on Featherington and her longstanding crush on Colin. (Courtesy of Netflix and Shondaland / fair use)

SCIENCE AND TECH

Researchers develop application for farmers to use drones while they work

When2Fly is geared towards advancing the efficiency of agricultural resources

BY ARYAMAN BHATIA science@theaggie.org

Researchers at UC Davis have developed a web application called When2Fly to help farmers and industry workers use drones and other uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). This research was published in the ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The app, led by Associate Professor Alireza Pourreza and Postdoctoral Researcher Hamid Jafarbiglu, aims to enhance the efficiency of agricultural resource use and support adaptation to a changing climate.

The When2Fly app assists drone users by indicating the optimal times to fly their drones for data collection, allowing them to avoid hotspots, which are glare-like areas that can distort data. Users can input the date, camera type and their location into the app either by selecting a point on a map or by entering coordinates. The app then suggests the best times of day for data collection.

This tool is vital for optimizing resource allocation in agriculture, allowing farmers to make informed decisions that can improve farming efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural practices. For example, it might let farmers identify specific areas that require more nitrogen or less water and detect trees affected by disease. In 2019, Jafarbiglu was working to extract data from aerial images of walnut and almond orchards and other specialty crops when he realized something was wrong with the data. Despite meticulous calibration, the results were consistently unsatisfactory. He noticed bright white spots in the images that were supposed to be flat and uniform, which puzzled him since the sun was behind the drone, eliminating the possibility of glare.

“No matter how accurately we calibrated all the data, we were still not getting good results,” Jafarbiglu said. “I took this to Alireza, and I said, ‘I feel there’s something extra in the data that we are not aware of and that we’re not compensating for.’ I decided to check it all.”

The staff at Watermelon Music are thankful for the community that the store has brought to Davis and what they have experienced working at the store.

James Heydon, a Davis resident and Bohart Museum of Entomology volunteer, has been working at Watermelon for two years as the guitar pedals manager. He appreciates the people that wander into the store just to hang out, talk about music or spend time around musicians.

“There’s totally a community of people that just come into the store as regulars,” Heydon said. “That is going to be lost now that the store is going away. We have some people that are in there to shop, but a lot of people just come in to hang out and just check the store out.”

Snyder especially appreciates her time at Watermelon Music because of the community that the store fosters.

“I could answer a phone call and that could change my day, just because music in general is such a special language and it brings anybody and everybody together,” Snyder said. “You could see it over the generations too, because not only do we work with kids in local high schools, middle schools and elementary schools but then we get to watch them grow. They take lessons and then they’ll always come in and you see them age. And then you get older people that have been playing for so long and are friends with [Simmons]. [Simmons] has done a really good job at making Watermelon a home.”

The employees have also learned a lot about business and ethical decisionmaking from working with Simmons.

“I think [Simmons] is one of the best business owners I have ever seen or heard of,” Sato said. “I feel like he has such an ethical backbone to a fault. I’ve learned so much from working with [Simmons]. There’s not a lot of people that would put what they believe in before profits. And he truly does work so hard to create the store that he believes is the right thing for his town.” Simmons is thankful for his time in Davis with Watermelon Music and emphasized the importance of having

The buzz behind periodical cicadas: nature’s phenomenon

The 13- and 17-year cicadas emerge in the eastern part of North America, illustrating a rare phenomenon that only occurs every 221 years

BY MARLE LAMOUNTRY science@theaggie.org

Every 13 and 17 years, a natural phenomenon occurs in the eastern part of North America that captivates scientists and nature lovers alike — the emergence of periodical cicadas. These fascinating insects are known for their unique life cycle. They spend 99% of their lives underground as nymphs and the other 1% above ground in their adult stage.

Through extensive research involving over 100 terabytes of images, Jafarbiglu identified that these hotspots were caused by the geometrical relationship between the sun, the Earth and the drone’s camera. This phenomenon led to gradual increases in brightness toward certain areas in the images, compromising data reliability. The findings showed that optimal drone flight times vary with latitude and time of year, with lower latitudes more prone to hotspots.

Troy Magney, an assistant professor of plant sciences at UC Davis, noted that Jafarbiglu and Pourreza’s work helps differentiate between actual vegetation changes and angular impacts in the data, which is often overlooked by end users.

“The work that Hamid and Ali have done will be beneficial to a wide range of researchers and help them interpret what they are actually seeing, whether it’s a change in vegetation or a change in just the angular impact of the signal,” Magney said.

The development of When2Fly, funded by the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems, represents a significant step in leveraging technology to address the challenge of feeding a growing population with limited resources.

Pourreza emphasizes the importance of integrating advanced technologies like 5G connectivity and cloud computing to create a real-time, efficient food production system. By automating data collection and analytics, growers can make informed decisions that enhance food production efficiency.

“California is much more advanced than other states and other countries with technology, but still our agriculture in the Central Valley uses technologies from 30 to 40 years ago,” Pourreza said. “My research is focused on sensing, but there are other areas like 5G connectivity and cloud computing [that] automate the data collection and analytics process and make it real-time. All this data can help growers make informed decisions that can lead to an efficient food production system. When2Fly is an important element of that.”

and supporting small local businesses.

“I want to remain positive,” Simmons said. “I feel like I’ve had a 35year run, which most people don’t get. The thing I would say to young people: your community is what you make it. If you invest in your community, if you go to the local bike shop, if you go to Mishka’s instead of Starbucks, you are investing in the community.” Simmons, Heydon, Sato and Snyder all emphasized the importance of supporting local, family-owned music stores.

“Until you make it out to a big chain store, you don’t really appreciate what a small, family-owned store like Watermelon can do for you,” Sato said. Heydon wants the Davis community to continue to support other local music stores.

“Don’t let the closing of Watermelon discourage you from becoming a musician in Davis,” Heydon said. “If you’re a Davis local, do what it takes. Get yourself to any store in Sacramento where you can try things out. Preferably Tim’s or Klein’s, or any independent music store, and just sit down with the guitars and fall in love with them.” Snyder wants the Davis community to continue playing music despite the lack of a prominent music store.

“I hope that the music community doesn’t fall,” Snyder said. “I just really want people to keep playing music.” Simmons hopes that Watermelon Music’s legacy will continue and that Davis will eventually be home to another independent music store.

“My deepest desire is that some young, brave souls will set up a little thing that has lesson studios and maybe rents instruments,” Simmons said. “I hope that somebody makes a place downtown that fixes guitars and does repairs on [instruments]. So I hope that the business will stay in Davis, that people will see an opportunity and they’ll seize it.” Watermelon Music is located at 1970 Lake Blvd Suite #1, or you can visit watermelonmusic.com for more information.

“Support local music,” Heydon said. “Even coming in and buying stuff during our sale helps us out a bunch.”

Currently, both the 13- and 17-year periodical cicadas are waking up, an occurrence that can only be witnessed every 221 years. The last phenomenon hasn’t occurred since 1803.

Unlike their annual counterparts, periodical cicadas have a prolonged life cycle that lasts for 13 or 17 years, depending on the species. For the majority of their lives, these insects feed on the xylem of tree roots as underground nymphs. Only during their short adult life stage can the cicadas court, mate and lay their eggs, creating a new generation. With periodical cicadas, there is only one age class in each brood.

One of the most astounding qualities of periodical cicadas is their synchronized emergence. Each brood is packed with thousands of nymphs underground, so millions of cicadas emerge from the soil within a short window of only three weeks. Rick Karban, a professor of entomology and nematology at UC Davis, described their emergence patterns.

“[It’s] fantastic about how in sync it is,” Karban said. “Millions of individuals come out of the ground within a few days of each other. Those that come out too early or too late get eaten by predators, so there’s tight selection.”

Entomologists have found that these insects take cues from their host plants to emerge, such as the temperature of

”At least I am doing a little on my end that may not necessarily alleviate all that much but still fulfills me,” Novakovic said.

Lee along with the generous support of the Davis community has recently helped raise money for an animal refuge in Uman and he is hoping to raise enough to build a playground for the city in the future. Lee hopes that by calling on the Davis community the people of Uman can feel that they are not alone through this struggle.

“It’s not really just about me, it’s a bunch of good people and also the people who donated,” Lee said. “That’s what made this all possible.”

the soil. Their synchronized emergence and long odd-numbered years in their life cycles are believed to be an evolutionary adaptation, but what triggers their synchronized emergence remains unknown.

Lynn Kimsey, a professor of entomology at UC Davis and the former director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology, spoke about the mystery behind their emergence patterns.

“They [may] do this to outrun predators [or] parasites, but we don’t really know,” Kimsey said. “We don’t really know much about them.”

Despite the mysteries surrounding their behavior, periodical cicadas play a crucial role in forest ecosystems. Since they emerge in large numbers, they serve as a great food source for predators, including birds, mammals and even humans. They are also beneficial to plants, as their waste and decomposing bodies contribute to nutrient cycles.

Louie Yang, a professor and

gained a total of 55 points, 27 coming from Race 1 and 28 coming from Race 2. While there are still 10 more races to transpire this season, Pulling has taken over first place within the first four races. With a total of 99 points by Pulling, Mercedes-Benz junior driver Doriane Pin will have to work hard to take over first place as he currently sits in second with 65 points. The next five rounds of the season will be taking place in Barcelona, Zandvoort, Singapore, Lusail and Yas Island and will prove to be exciting for the racers.

As the season still has a long way to go since the opener in Jeddah from March 7 to 9, there are plenty of chances for drivers to overtake Pulling's firstplace spot and become the winner of the F1 Academy's second official season. Although F1 Academy is still not

With two laps to go, fifth-place

finisher Denny Hamlin led the pack with Buescher in second and Larson in third. Going into the final lap, Hamlin fell among the pack with Buescher and Larson in first and second just before the final lap commenced.

On the final backstretch of lap 267, Larson found a sliver of space between the wall and Buescher’s car in order to get better positioning and make them neck and neck into the final turn. After gaining the position, Larson and Buescher’s cars collided as they approached the finish line side-by-side.

At first glance, it looked as if Buescher had won, with Buescher’s pit team even celebrating right before the results were announced. After officials reviewed the replay, however, it was determined that Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet’s front had just barely hit the finish line first, giving the victory to Larson. Many people have compared the photo finish line picture to Disney Pixar’s film Lightning McQueen, where cars finished side by side to end the race. Larson’s victory marks his second victory so far this season, and the 25th overall victory of his career.

“That race from start to finish was amazing. That first stage was incredible. The second stage at the end was fun, and then that whole last stage with the wrecks and cautions and then fuel strategy and tires running long and all that was wild,” Larson stated in a press conference after the game.

The next two NASCAR Cup Series races will continue in North Carolina for the remainder of May, as racers make their way in the middle of the season to determine who advances to the NASCAR Cup Playoffs beginning in August.

Throughout the two races that occurred over the weekend of May 3, Pulling came out victorious in both. She

ecologist at UC Davis, spoke about the ecological importance of these insects.

“They almost immediately get eaten,” Yang said. “A lot of animals that [traditionally] eat cicadas eat them [...] They represent a substantial resource pulse and aggregate resource, especially in the forest. We can see some of their effects in the soil, microbes and plants.”

As we watch the emergence of periodical cicadas, many people have sensationalized their stories, creating a version of events that differs from reality.

Karban offers a different perspective.

“To some extent, [these stories are] pretty different from what is getting hyped in the national media,” Karban said. “[The cicadas] will be emerging close to each other, but the same tree will not be supporting both 13- and 17-year-old cicadas. It’s actually not clear that they will be coming into contact with each other.”

largely known to the world, soon it will be. Next year, F1 Academy will be joining “Drive to Survive” with their docu-series being produced by Reese Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine. The Netflix series will be a huge step forward in increasing the visibility of women in motorsports, specifically F1 racing.

While Norris rightfully deserves the attention he’s receiving after winning his first-ever F1 race at the Miami Grand Prix, attention should also be given to drivers like Pulling who are beginning to break down the gender barriers established in motorsports. At the Miami Grand Prix, Norris made history for himself, while Pulling made history for all women in Formula 1.

Cicadas emerge in the spring in loud, buzzing hordes (photo credit to Britannica)

Drones can collect exact field data using high-resolution cameras.

(Courtesy / Consortiq)

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

Crossword

No place like home

BY NIMRA FARHAN nfarhan@ucdavis.edu

ALLISON KELEHER adkeleher@ucdavis.edu

Understanding the history of protest in our path forward

As students across the country engage in civil disobedience in the name of Palestinian liberation, they follow in the footsteps of student leaders before them

BY EMME DUNNING features@theaggie.org

In the past month, college students in the United States have gained increasing attention from the public through their support of the Free Palestine movement. Students across the country have asserted their opposition to the conflict by erecting encampments, holding rallies and occupying classrooms and administrative buildings. As the UC Davis encampment enters its third week of demonstrations, we take a look back at past UC Davis protests that have paved the way.

In the spring of 1970, U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War was at the forefront of many people’s minds. This was particularly true for college students, as young people across the nation organized rallies, sit-ins and boycotts in protest of the conflict — and UC Davis was no exception.

Brett Stone, a UC Davis alum who was set to graduate in 1970, found this issue particularly pressing.

“There was a tremendous amount of protesting and concern and outrage,” Stone said. “The question was — for me and my friends — what can we do? How do we express our anger? How can we make a difference?”

Their anger was twofold, as students were not only appalled by the actions of the United States in the war but also acutely aware of the direct role they were set to play come their graduation that June.

“Once we graduated, we would be in line to go there [to enlist in the Vietnam War],” Stone said.

A UC Davis tennis player at the time, Stone decided to join a large group of UC Davis athletes in Jocks for Peace, an organization whose goal centered around the mobilization of athletes against the war in Vietnam. The group engaged in several actions aimed at educating and empowering communities to reject involvement in the war.

One campaign involved going door to door in the neighboring town of Dixon to encourage people to write letters in protest of the war. Additionally, the UC Davis tennis team came together to pool the money

allotted by the university for food at away tournaments and donate these funds to an anti-war organization, a move that garnered intense backlash.

“The idea was to get people involved and understand what was happening,” Stone said. “We were confident that once they understood, they would realize what a horrible root this had taken. It was time to stop.”

Although the term “jock” is not necessarily associated with civil disobedience, Stone asserted that UC Davis athletes cared deeply about this issue and wanted their actions as a team to reflect that.

“For athletes in Davis, it was not business as usual,” Stone said. “That was the impetus. People saw athletes as disconnected and privileged — nothing was as important as their sports. It was our effort to change that image. Yes, athletes [were] preoccupied with their sports and their training, except when it [came] to this issue. We were sacrificing our education and our concern with ourselves and saying, ‘This is more important.’”

Despite the efforts of Stone and his teammates, two years later, in 1972, the war continued to rage. But as the U.S. war machine refused to let up, so did the student movement. Reignited by President Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia, students saw an immediate need for an escalation of their antiwar efforts. This need was, yet again, embodied by UC Davis students.

Bob Black, a city council member at the time and former UC Davis student body president, remembers the events of May 1972 vividly.

“There was a very major uprising of students,” Black said. “There was a massive rally on the Quad.”

This rally morphed into a march through downtown Davis, reaching numbers of up to two or three thousand, the majority of whom were UC Davis students.

In an effort to reach a larger audience and reassert a rejection of business as usual, a group of protestors blocked Interstate 80 in its path through Davis, backing up traffic for miles.

Despite their shared anti-war goals, Black disagreed with protestors blocking the freeway.

“To me, this seemed like not a very good way of winning middle-

class hearts and minds to be against the war,” Black said. “And so I went down to the freeway. I spoke to people and I said, ‘Instead of blocking the freeway, why don’t we go up and block the railroad tracks?’”

The railroad tracks held great significance in the United States’ involvement in the war, as it was a major form of weaponry transport. In this way, Black believed that blocking the railroad tracks could make a similar statement to blocking the freeway.

Many protestors agreed, and over 100 people migrated to the railroad tracks where they effectively held the route to a standstill until their arrest nearly two days later.

From the demonstrations of 1972 to the ones seen today, Black acknowledged the important role of student participation in social justice movements.

“I think students can be regarded as the leadership of the future and their initial efforts to elevate public awareness and provoke the conscience of the people of America,” Black said. “I think it’s an early sign of where the generation would like to take us, and I think that’s a good thing. They’re attempting to reframe the debate

as well as alter the course of public policy. It is extremely educational and fulfilling to take action as opposed to being a stand-by or a spectator.”

These sentiments of student involvement have been echoed in the years following the Vietnam War in countless issues. The United Auto Workers Union, which represents UC Davis graduate students, has embraced the importance of protesting for social change.

The Union works to protect the interests of its workers, which for strike UAW 4811 means supporting graduate students UC system-wide to secure fair wages, safe working conditions and adequate benefits. In 2022, the student-led union branch executed a UC system-wide labor strike in the name of fair wages. Emily Weintraut, a teaching assistant and graduate student researcher in food science as well as the UAW 4811 ASE unit chair, has shown frustration with UC administrators’ lack of regard for student protests and demands.

“As the [2022] strike went on, we stayed strong, but people got more and more surprised with how the university just didn’t seem to

uphold the values that it says it does,” Weintraut said. She asserted that although student protestors should be commended for their efforts in ensuring their rights are upheld, it should not be their responsibility.

“We wouldn’t have to have strike authorization votes, strikes, rallies and protests if the university would just implement the contracts correctly and would abide by the law,” Weintraut said. Today, the union prepares for another possible strike, this time on the grounds of safety concerns. The concerns stem from the recent actions of UC police at UC San Diego and UC Los Angeles, who the union asserts endangered the health and safety of their members in their violent response to pro-Palestine demonstrations on the campuses. If enacted, the strike would follow in the footsteps of many student demonstrations before it, continuing the legacy of student activism that has remained a pillar of the UC Davis community.

“Student Intifatia” banner sprawls across the front of the entrance to the Palestine Encampment in the middle of the Memorial Union Quad. (Maia Zhu / Aggie)

The history of biking culture in Davis

Students share advice for newcomers and favorite aspects of our bike-friendly town

BY ZOEY MORTAZAVI features@theaggie.org

Davis is known to many people

— far beyond just its residents — as a community that is centered around biking. In fact, Davis is widely considered the biking capital of the United States. We have plenty of local infrastructure based around biking, including many bike stores, repair shops and the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame. Much of Davis similarly takes inspiration from cycling, including its decor, local art and even community events.

Davis is home to the very first bike lane that was implemented in the United States; it was created in July of 1967 and was then referred to as a “lane for the preferential use of bicyclists.”

Davis bike culture has skyrocketed in popularity since 1967. Now, the city hosts 102 miles of bike lanes, as well as 63 miles of additional pathways for bikers. A significant amount of the Davis community, both residents and UC Davis students, utilize their bikes as a primary form of transportation.

UC Davis students quickly grow accustomed to the bike rules and practices once the school year starts, even if they’re not always using their bikes. The campus is filled with cyclists year-round, and even pedestrians have to learn the cyclist rules of the road in order to get around successfully.

Ashley Rewa, a first-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, shared advice for incoming Davis students about adjusting to the fast-paced bike lifestyle.

“For me, biking around Davis makes the campus feel smaller and more approachable,” Rewa said. “With Davis being the biggest UC campus, walking from the Cuarto dorms to the library can feel like a really long time. But on my bike, it only takes 10 minutes.”

Rewa also commented on how biking has improved her experiences as a student.

“Not only is biking convenient,

but I think it’s something that makes Davis unique and fun,” Rewa said. “A quick bike ride across campus can go a long way [toward] clearing my head after a tough midterm or long lecture, too. My advice for incoming students is to make sure you know how to ride before you get here because bike traffic is no joke sometimes!”

Today, 98% of the main streets in Davis have at least some form of bicycle provision, according to The Guardian. When new classes of students arrive in September, many have a difficult adjustment period during their first-year induction days.

During the first few weeks of each new school year, upperclassmen have a tradition of gathering at campus intersections and cheering as inexperienced first-years crash into each other and struggle to adjust to the bike-specific roundabouts and lanes.

Grace Pei, a first-year biochemical engineering major, shared her opinions on Davis’ unique bikebased culture after getting used to it for the first few weeks.

“Bike culture at Davis has been so cool to see and be involved in,” Pei said. “I love how it is a unique factor to Davis and almost brings a sense of comfort as everyone is immersed in the same culture. Biking is a great way to get around, but it’s also important to be mindful of others by following biking guidelines. Trying to bike with other people can be difficult at first, so everyone should learn to be patient while riding.”

Pei continued by sharing some of her favorite activities as a student who bikes to class the majority of the time.

“I love to bike with friends, whether it be going downtown or visiting the Arboretum,” Pei said.

“Biking around Davis, surrounded by nature and when there’s a light breeze, is an enjoyable experience that I think everyone should try once.”

Our city’s logo is a highwheel bike, which was the first practical human-powered wheeled vehicle, and has become a recognizable symbol of Davis. Local organizations aim to educate residents about bike safety and

infrastructure. A primary example is Bike Davis, a non-profit organization that hosts an annual “Loopalooza” bike ride throughout the city that is open to the public. There are also many examples of bike-centered events and groups in Davis. Our downtown is even home to the “Bicycling Hall of Fame,” located in Central Park next to where the farmers market is held.

Whether you are new to Davis or not, it is clear that biking holds a special place in the heart of the community. Students at Davis have

reported that the city’s flourishing bike culture makes them feel closer to the community as a whole.

Hazel Henninger, a first-year history major, shared what makes Davis’ biking traditions so special.

“It’s been so cute to see how Davis took our bike traditions and really ran with them,” Henninger said. “A lot of the town’s identity is based on bikes, and it’s been a really cool thing to be a part of. Seeing everyone on bikes or scooters to get around is a huge part of the charm of downtown and Davis as a whole.”

She continued by sharing her main takeaways for incoming students who are uncertain about adjusting to Davis’ bike-centered environment.

“Future Aggies should definitely prepare themselves by dusting off their biking skills,” Henninger said.

“Falling off your bike or getting into a bike accident — or a couple — is all a part of the Davis experience. More than that, they should also be ready for a really charming environment with wholesome [bicycle] traditions that will make them appreciate Davis that much more.”

Math Club at UC Davis fosters a supportive community for those passionate about the subject

Student members interested in mathematics gain valuable academic experiences and socialization opportunities in the field

BY LYNN CHEN features@theaggie.org

Clubs at UC Davis are not just focused on athleticism, professional development or niche hobbies. There are organizations that also create a safe space for students who are passionate about a specific academic field.

The Math Club at UC Davis is an encouraging and learningcentered space for those interested in mathematics.

“Math Club really just provides a social space for ‘math people’ to meet and just talk to each other,” Jada Yip, a third-year mathematical and scientific computation major and the club’s social media manager and graphic

designer, said. Harry Yang, a third-year applied mathematics major and acting president of the club, agreed with this sentiment.

“The main objective of [the organization] is for outreach,” Yang said. “We don’t really like to do competitions or challenges or anything. We’re just a place for likeminded people to come together and talk [about math].”

Timothy Blanton, a recent UC Davis mathematics alum and co-president of the club, further explained how the club functions.

“The goal of Math Club is to develop the wider mathematics community at Davis,” Blanton said. “Counterintuitively, we don’t actually do a lot of straight-up math you would

see in a class setting. We try to focus on stuff that you can’t get in your normal academic curriculum.”

For instance, the club regularly hosts socials involving refreshments and games for its members. Additionally, the organization holds technical workshops teaching students various applications in math such as Bézier curves in vector graphics and utilizing advanced software like LaTeX.

Recently, Math Club has also been working on sustaining a professor lecture series for those involved in the organization.

“We’ve started to get speakers to come and introduce students to a very basic level of a [specific] field in mathematics,” Blanton said.

The club recently invited Professor

Monica Vazirani of the UC Davis math department to speak, who discussed the power of applying symmetry and algebra through what is commonly referred to as “Burnside’s Lemma.”

Blanton stated that he hopes members would be able to better understand real-world applications of abstract subjects within the field of mathematics through the new professor lecture series. Another popular type of meeting that the organization has been hosting is called “Class Preview,” where the club will briefly introduce all the math courses that will be available in the upcoming academic quarter.

“A lot of club officers and members talk about their experiences with different classes,” Yang said.

“This is a good time for our club and

the people who attend our meetings to understand what is being offered [by the university] and to gain insight [about the courses and professors] from upperclassmen.”

Overall, Math Club at UC Davis seeks to provide its members with knowledge and experiences not accessible through normal classes.

“For a lot of people, mathematics feels like a lonely thing, because you’re almost always working on problems all by yourself,” Yang said. “I believe Math Club prioritizes the importance of socialization and finding a team of people to work together on different problems.”

To learn more about the club, visit their Instagram, @mathclubucd, for more information on workshops, meetings and more.

SPORTS

TRACK & FIELD

Aggies prevail at Big West Conference Championships

UC Davis track and field wins multiple events

BY EMMÍA J RIVERA sports@theaggie.org

The past couple of weekends of May have held some of the most important competitions in collegiate track and field. The Big West Track and Field Conference Championships is a crucial competition for athletes to battle it out and potentially make it to the NCAA Regionals. With competitors coming from all over the Big West area, the races and competitions have been an exhilarating spectacle for all.

As the Big West track championship spans across multiple weekends, the UC Davis Aggies came ready to show off their skills in California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). The first weekend of the championships took place from May 3 to 4, with events consisting of the decathlon and multi-event races. The second weekend of the championship included preliminary and final races for the rest of the running and field events such as javelin and hurdles.

One of the most notable performances from the weekend came from Adian Hagerty, a UC Davis second-year systems and synthetic biology major. Hagerty, who competed in a wide variety of field and running events across both weekends, had his best finish in the pole vault event. He leaped a total of 4.61 meters,

Dani Barrett, a student athlete at UC Davis, competes in a track and field competition for

(Courtesy / Jeff Rebello)

earning him second place in the event.

Additionally, Hagerty placed ninth in the men’s decathlon where he took part in 10 events overall.

Following Hagerty’s performance in the first weekend, the UC Davis track and field team came prepared to dominate in the second weekend of the

event. Throughout the season, many of the long-distance running events have been won and records have been broken by the Aggies. While both the women’s and men’s teams placed seventh overall at the event, two Aggies placed first and others made the podium in a strong UC Davis appearance.

Looking ahead to the women’s international soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics

BY LUCIENNE BROOKER sports@theaggie.org

The U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team (USWNT) has been training extensively in hopes of returning to their winning ways at the Paris Olympics this summer. The four-time gold medalists and four-time World Cup champions have performed beneath their high standards at the last few world championships, earning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and then failing to reach the semi-finals in the 2023 World Cup. Led by captain Lindsay Horan, the USWNT will play a series of send-off games across the country in preparation for the tournament.

Despite disappointing performances in recent years, the USWNT legacy still gives the squad high expectations from both themselves and the world.

Although they’ve dropped to fourth in the FIFA rankings, their lowest ranking ever, the team is hungry for revenge and redemption. As one of the tournament favorites, 11 other teams will be looking to knock the Americans from their pedestal.

The hosting team, France is anticipated to make a strong showing and will be hungry for a medal. During the 2019 World Cup, which was also hosted by France, the U.S .knocked the team out in the quarter-finals. France, despite consistently being ranked in the top five teams by FIFA, has never reached the final in a women’s soccer world tournament before. Bolstered by

the support of friendly crowds, they’ll look to push themselves further than ever before.

Joining France in Group A are New Zealand, Colombia and reigning gold medalists Canada. While Colombia has historically not performed well at the Olympics, it’s still riding the high of a second-place finish at the 2022 Copa América Feminina and won’t go down without a fight.

New Zealand has only made it to the knockout stage once in the last four Olympic tournaments. Fans may be quick to write off their aging squad. Still, they might have a shot, with the real question being whether or not Canada can repeat its gold medal glory. With their poor performance at the 2023 World Cup, Canada may be falling short this Olympics as they are only scheduled to play two warmup matches before the games. Under the leadership of young captain Jessie Fleming, the Canadians are certainly capable of playing exciting soccer, but they may struggle under the amount of pressure.

In Group B, the U.S. seems like the clear favorite, but their path to the knock-out round won’t be easy. Zambia is competing in their second Olympics after going out on the group stage in 2020. The lack of pre-tournament matches will be their biggest obstacle, similar to Australia. While the Australians became national superstars as they reached the World Cup semifinals as the host nation last year, the

F1 Academy: The all-female racing series breaks down the gender barriers of Formula 1 racing

Lando Norris and Abbi Pulling are the two victors of the Miami International Autodrome

BY CAROLYN (CARI) FENN

sports@theaggie.org

Over the weekend of May 3, all eyes were on the Miami Grand Prix, a Formula 1 (F1) Grand Prix in which drivers would race over 57 laps at the Miami International Autodrome on Sunday, May 5. Although most viewers only know about McLaren racing team’s Lando Norris claiming his first-ever F1 win, he wasn’t the only victor of the weekend. Alpine Academy junior driver Abbi Pulling also came out with a win after racing the Miami International Autodrome, yet many fans don’t know who she is.

Pulling is a member of the F1 Academy, a racing academy created to champion the next generation of female talent for higher levels of motorsport, including Formula 1, Formula 2, and Formula 3. Within the F1 Academy, Pulling is one of three drivers for the Rodin Motorsport team, her teammates being Jessica Edgar representing American Express and Lola Lovinfosse representing Charlotte Tilbury.

Counting Pulling’s team, there are a total of five all-female racing teams currently competing in the F1 Academy. The other teams are MP Motorsport, Campos Racing, Art Grand Prix and Prema Racing, with a total of 15 women representing the F1 Academy this season. As of today, Prema is in first

place in the F1 Academy team standings with 124 points and Rodin is in second place with 122 points.

The F1 Academy was launched in 2022 by Formula 1 as a female-only racing series in order to increase access and opportunity in a sport that has long been male-dominated. As a result, F1 Academy was created to provide toptier training, exposure and a dedicated pathway for women to get into the motorsport world while they challenge the norms of F1.

In the 70-plus year history of F1, there have only been five women to compete in an F1 grand prix race.

Despite the sport not prohibiting women, the longstanding misogyny of the sport has kept women out for decades, making it seem as if the prospect of seeing a woman race in F1 was still many years away. The race in Miami showed that this decades-away dream is closer than people might think.

The Miami Grand Prix was the first and only American race on the Academy’s schedule this year, providing many female F1 fans the only chance to see someone like them in the sport this season. The increase of fans, created by Netflix’s runaway show “Drive to Survive,” has increased the need for inclusion in the sport as the number of female fans has drastically grown.

team lacks the global experience to reach the podium. Finally, the last spot for Group B belongs to the Germans, who only qualified for the Olympics by a technicality. They seem to have the opposite problem as Zambia and Australia. With five matches to go before they even start Olympic play, will they be too burnt out to be a real challenger?

Group C boasts current World Champions Spain, who will be plagued by intense pressure. They’ve bested everyone once before. Can they do it again? Their group certainly won’t make it easy. With Japan, Nigeria and Brazil rounding out the four, this is by far the most evenly matched group, where anyone could come out on top. Japan struggled at the 2024 She Believes Cup along with Brazil. Nigeria is the underrated team in the group, but they haven’t lost a match since 2022 and are consistently strong in tournaments.

Despite poor tournament performances from the USWNT recently, fans are optimistic and excited to see their team in action.

“These Olympics are going to be more competitive than ever, but I know they can pull off the win. [A] new coach and a ton of players back from injury means this is the golden opportunity. I don’t think the dynasty is over yet,” Sophia Morgan, a UC Davis nutrition science major and lifelong USWNT fan, said.

Fans can catch Olympic soccer matches this summer, starting July 25.

Women’s track highlights include one of the most dominant runs of the competition by Brianna Weidler, a third-year animal science major who won the conference title for the 5000-meter run. Weidler also set the new championship meet record with a time of 17:08:79. The Aggies finished

first, second and third in this event as well — with Dani Barrett, a third-year wildlife, fish & conservation biology major, and Maddie Kackley, a third-year undeclared major, following Weidler. Barrett and Kackley were also victorious in another long-distance event, the 10k and 1500-meter races. Barrett won first place in the 10k event with a time of 34:52.84, a new personal best for her. Additionally, Kackley placed second in the 1500-meter, winning second place. In the women's field events, Lauren Spellman, a third-year environmental science and management major, finished third in the high jump, leaping an impressive 1.66 meters. On the men’s end of the track, second-year Ethan Brooks competed and placed fifth in the 10000-meter with a time of 30:30:87. In the pole vault event, third-year Ryan Ishibashi won second place with a finishing mark of 5.02 meters. The last field event that UC Davis placed in was the long jump, where David Hunter, a fourthyear neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, leaped into third place with a jump at 7.47 meters. Multiple Aggies will compete in the NCAA West Preliminary Round from May 22 to 25 in Fayetteville, Arkansas to conclude the 2024 season and hopefully bring back a new school record.

Photo finish for racers at the Kansas Speedway

BY DIEGO CERNA sports@theaggie.org

On May 5, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) held the AdventHealth 400 race at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. The winner, Kyle Larson, was able to beat out runner-up Chris Buescher in the final stretch of the race with a margin of 0.001 seconds, the closest margin of victory for first place in NASCAR history. This NASCAR season has shown some of the closest photo finishes ever. Kansas City’s 0.001 second finish broke the record of a 0.002 second finish earlier this season at the Texas NASCAR Cup Xfinity’s Series (NXS) on April 13. Sam Mayer inched out the victory over Ryan Sieg in the 200 lap race for the Texas NXS title.

Before that exhilarating race, The Ambetter Health NASCAR Cup held in Atlanta held a finish of 0.003 seconds for first place on Feb. 25. The race proved challenging as Daniel Suárez was able to beat out Ryan Bailey in the 260 lap race by nearly no time. The most recent AdventHealth 400 was supposed to be a total of 267 laps for all racers, but the race went into overtime to ensure that there would be a green flag finish, signaling when the final two laps of a race would commence. Buescher had been leading the race up until lap 261, where he spun out. This caused a caution period, as cars are forced to slow down due to unsafe conditions. Buescher’s spin had also caused a restart, which forced cars to go to the pit and start over before going into overtime.

The rivalry and stardom of women's basketball players

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are just some of the many rivaling stars

BY MI'ZAUNI REESE sports@theaggie.org

For the majority of U.S. history, men’s college and professional basketball has taken up the spotlight, with women’s sports, especially basketball, receiving a fraction of that recognition. However, with the recent rise of superstars Caitlin Clark at the University of Iowa (UI) and Angel Reese at Louisiana State University (LSU), women’s basketball has taken its moment in the spotlight. With both of these women being in the top ten overall draft picks, they are expected to make waves in the WNBA and American sports altogether.

Clark, the number one overall draft pick this season, has been making headlines far before the draft. While attending UI, Clark was able to shatter dozens of NCAA and Big Ten records during her career. With recognition for the most points scored by any college player of all time, male or female, Clark has been a player to keep an eye on.

Even after being invited to practice with the 2024 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team leading up to the Olympics in Paris, Clark’s goal is to secure an invitation to compete. After being drafted this year to the Indiana Fever, she had the top-earning jersey for any draft pick ever in both male and female basketball.

Another star player, Angel Reese, has had a similar impact on the sport. As she and Clark’s face-offs in college brought mass coverage to women’s basketball, Reese is becoming a household name around the U.S. Bringing in many wins for LSU, Reese has been granted dozens of awards, with her most recent being the 2024 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Year.

In her first WNBA game with the Chicago Sky she was able to put up double-digit points, an accomplishment Clark did not reach in her debut. The constant comparison between these

two has brought significant attention to the sport, as fans feel that the women are exhibiting more drive and competitiveness in the sport with their constant record breaks. NBA pros have even begun to get involved and show support for the women, with Shaquille O’Neal serving as Reese’s mentor and even saying he may prefer the WNBA for entertainment. Additionally, O’Neal advocates for the closure of the wage gap seen in the NBA versus WNBA. With Reese’s and Clark’s followings, stadiums are expected to be packed all season, especially when these two are pitted against each other. Many teams are seeking bigger venues for their games against Clark or Reese to accommodate the influx in viewership. However, despite this increase in support for the WNBA, the recent women’s basketball contracts are disappointing. Clark, the most anticipated player of the season, will be making a little under $340,000 over

four years with her WNBA contract. Compared to her eight-year $28 million contract with Nike, this is rather insignificant, as most WNBA athletes have to rely on brand deals rather than their league contracts. With Reese’s contract being just under Clark’s at around $330,000 over four years, she too is being undervalued for the skill and attention she has brought to

the spring 2024 season.

United States looks to return to the top after bronze performance in Tokyo

The closest ending to a race in NASCAR history

Kyle Larson takes home the 2024 NASCAR Pennzoil 400 win at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. (Courtesy of Yahoo Sports / fair use)