February 25, 2021

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VOLUME 139, ISSUE 17 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

COPS OFF CAMPUS GROUP OPPOSES CHANCELLOR GARY MAY’S CAMPUS SAFETY TASK FORCE Although May says that task forces are an effective way to bring about change, many members of the Cops Off Campus group say that task forces legitimize policing

BY REBECCA GARDNER campus@theaggie.org

Flyers put up around the university by UC Davis group Cops off Campus. (@ucd_coc via Instagram / Courtesy)

Months after the murder of George Floyd and the widespread racial justice protests that followed, there have been extensive calls to end policing as we know it; some scholars have suggested that national, systemic change must begin within the UC system with the abolition of UC police departments (UCPD).

In response to the events of this summer, Chancellor Gary May founded the Next Generation Reforms to Advance Campus Safety Task Force, charging the group in a letter written on June 11, 2020.

“The name wound up longer than I wanted it to be,” May said.

“But the goal is basically to reimagine what campus safety should look like. It was, like many other efforts, fueled by the George Floyd incident and other things during the summer that got people to rethink and refocus on policing: why we do it and how we do it.”

More recently, students have noticed flyers appear on campus in opposition to the task force which read “EVERY TIME WE HEAR THE WORDS TASK FORCE A WINDOW BREAKS.” These flyers were put up by the UC Davis Cops Off Campus group, according to the flyers themselves. The group’s aim is to “see a campus without police,” according to Emily Rich, a thirdyear English Ph.D. student and member of the UC Davis Cops Off Campus group. There is also a larger UC-wide coalition, UC F*** The Police (UCFTP), which is pushing for the abolition of UCPD across all 10 campuses.

“I think the message speaks for itself,” Rich said via email.

May said that he does not think that the group’s message is constructive in the greater dialogue regarding campus safety.

“I don’t really understand [the message],” May said. “Their message is not constructive to me at all. They’re not trying to get to the better situation or better solution. I think that’s why we have a group of people thinking deeply about these issues and trying to come up with recommendations and solutions. I think if you’re serious about it, then that’s what you do. Anybody can make a flyer; it’s harder to make a solution.”

In terms of working together to find a solution in which everybody can feel safe and cared for, members of the UC Davis Cops Off Campus group said they are not interested in participating in the task force, claiming that task forces enable police and ultimately lead to increased funding and resources—outcomes that they feel are counterproductive to abolition.

“Some of the most highly visible instances of police violence— such as in Minneapolis—were committed by police departments that had been through extensive reform processes,” said Dr. Seeta Chaganti, an English professor and Cops Off Campus member, via email. “Deciding to join these conversations suggests that there is some good way that the conversation could go that would somehow produce the end of policing, but the evidence does not suggest that this would be the case. Aligned with the intercampus faculty group UCFTP, I take a position of nonparticipation in task forces.”

TASKFORCE on 11

INTERNATIONAL GRADUATE STUDENTS NOTE A ‘DISPARITY OF ACCESS’ IN REGARDS TO NON-RESIDENT TUITION WAIVER EXTENSIONS Many international graduate students at UC Davis have had research disrupted by COVID-19 and are concerned about further funding needed to finish their program

BY REBECCA BIHN-WALLACE campus@theaggie.org International graduate students at UC Davis are facing difficulties when advocating for nonresident tuition waiver extensions during the pandemic, according to several graduate students, Grad Students A, B, C and D, who spoke to The Aggie on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. These students and a professor expressed dismay with how international Ph.D. candidates are treated compared to their domestic counterparts when it comes to the timeline of their graduate studies.

These challenges have been exacerbated by the

pandemic, which has delayed progress for many graduate students in research-heavy fields that rely on gathering data in other locations. Some international students are also unable to return home because of COVID-19 conditions and visa restrictions.

While UC Davis allowed temporary work from abroad in Fall Quarter 2020 and Winter Quarter 2021, as of now the university said it is unable to guarantee remote teaching positions for international graduate students in the future.

With travel bans and visa restrictions in place at the federal level, many students have opted to stay in the U.S., where they still face research delays and pressure to graduate.

JOE DUMIT / COURTESY

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WOODLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL VACCINATES VULNERABLE POPULATIONS IN YOLO COUNTY AGAINST COVID-19 CATHY TANG / AGGIE

Various other services are available for underserved populations in Yolo County, including relief funds and veterinary services

BY SHRADDHA JHINGAN city@theaggie.org As various Yolo County clinics and healthcare providers continue vaccinating people who fall under stages 1A and 1B of the vaccine distribution plan, Dignity Health Woodland Memorial has partnered with Yolo County to vaccinate underserved populations.

Chief Nurse Executive and Chief Operating Officer of Woodland Memorial Hospital Gena Bravo explained via email that the hospital has been setting up vaccine clinics at “familiar and convenient locations” to immunize thousands of vulnerable residents against COVID-19, whether they’re migrant farm workers, undergoing homelessness or are from low-income neighbourhoods.

“Each vaccine clinic is staffed by Woodland Memorial Hospital

leaders and in some instances they will be joined by Woodland Clinic Medical Group physicians—all volunteering their time for this important endeavor,” Bravo said.

Yolo County Public Information Officer Jenny Tan explained via email that vaccinating underserved populations shows members of these communities that they are being considered. Smaller areas or communities have also had postcards mailed to them and door-todoor visits, allowing Yolo County to answer any questions and focus on communication with these communities.

Tan also explained that communicating information through a broad variety of media is important to ensure that underserved populations have the same access to resources as others.

MINORITYVACCINATIONS on 11

HEALTHY DAVIS TOGETHER STARTING PILOT FOR MOBILE COVID-19 TESTING AT FOUR DAVIS JOINT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT CAMPUSES Project also expanding testing to Woodland, Winters and West Sacramento first responders

BY RACHEL SHEY city@theaggie.org On Jan. 27, the City of Davis put out a press release announcing that Healthy Davis Together will be extending testing services to four Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) campuses, as well as to firefighters and police in other Yolo County cities, such as Winters, Woodland and West Sacramento.

UC Davis Health Director of Business Development Tod Stoltz explained that the project is also starting a pilot for COVID-19 testing at more DJUSD campuses.

“As we bring students back to campus in the

school district, we want to be able to have testing operations at every campus, testing as frequently as is appropriate, either once a week or twice a week,” Stoltz said. “Students can get tested right there on campus, as well as the teachers and staff. With this pilot—it’s now expanded to six campuses—our goal is just to be able to effectively collect saliva samples from teachers and students that are going to those campuses and then get them to our testing center at the UC Davis Genome Center.”

Although the press release stated that four campuses will be included in the program, Stoltz said there will be six.

HEALTHYEXPANSION on 11

CATHY TANG / AGGIE

2 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Senate Bills #53, #55 and Senate Resolution #8 passed at Feb. 11 ASUCD senate meeting ASUCD senators voted to support South Asian students and promote campus diversity

BY MADDIE DULEY campus@theaggie.org The Feb. 11 ASUCD Senate meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by Internal Vice President Emily Barneond.

Senator Tenzin Youedon was absent and Commission Chair Yalda Saii showed up late.

The meeting moved into a presentation by Jeff Flynn, the general manager of Unitrans, who delivered a quarterly report.

“We are still running what we’re calling an expanded summer schedule,” Flynn said. “This is what we used to run during summertime preCOVID[-19]. We now have 30 minutes service [on lines D, G, J, K, M, P, Q, V and W] in order to ensure that there’s no more than 15 people on the buses.”

The buses carry approximately 1,100 passengers per weekday, according to Flynn.

Additionally, Unitrans is instituting changes to achieve a smaller carbon footprint.

“We are currently rehabbing about a quarter of our fleets to replace their older, dirtier engines with the newest and low-emission technology for engines: near-zero emission engines,” Flynn said.

“For those 13 buses that we are rehabbing, this [replacement] will extend their life another six years.”

Unitrans is also looking for more drivers.

“We are about 100 drivers short for Fall ‘21,” Flynn said. “If we’re to go back to full fall operations, we need 175 drivers in a typical regular year, so we have a huge shortage.”

Julia Sullivan Pano, the Student Sustainability Career Fair (SSCF) commission chair, presented a quarterly report.

“We started with our Green chats last fall, and that was when we interviewed environmental professionals,” Pano said. “We asked them a series of questions that we thought would be helpful for students when applying for jobs in environmental sustainability.”

During Fall Quarter, the Student Sustainability Career Fair also created a spreadsheet of job opportunities in the field and has been keeping up to date with over 200 job postings.

Creative Media then presented their quarterly report by Project Manager Suzanna Sim, Assistant Project Manager Morayah Horovitz and Aggie Studios Executive Producer Jillian Nguyen. “[We] will be offering numerous services for any and all ASUCD organizations for free, including integrated marketing strategy and social

media campaigns,” Horovitz said.

Creative Media has been adjusting to COVID-19 by focusing on digital programs.

“We’re revamping a lot of websites, starting with the ASUCD website,” Horovitz said. “With everything going virtual, we wanted to update the website to display accurate and relevant information from using new photographs and including helpful information about UC Davis COVID[-19] guidelines.”

The presenters elaborated on their efforts to update the ASUCD website and to create social media posts for various organizations.

“We had a goal of hitting $10,000 by the end of the year, but I’m very happy to report that currently we have surpassed that, and we currently have $13,665 in earnings,” Nguyen said.

Barneond then directed the meeting to public announcements.

“The UC-wide Academic Senate is making a task force on the UC entry level writing requirement,” said External Affairs Vice President Maria Martinez. “CSA is going to be nominating four students, preferably from underrepresented backgrounds and those who are taking writingintensive courses.”

Martinez elaborated that the deadline to apply for the task force is March 31.

UC Davis Pantry Director Ryan Choi then presented The Pantry’s quarterly report.

The Pantry is currently spending $7,400 on expenses and receiving $9,100 in income, according to Choi. The Pantry’s new online ordering system enables volunteers and workers to track the quantity of food distributed to students.

Choi then discussed the UC Davis swipe system that allows The Pantry to see demographic trends.

“If a student swiped at this time and then placed this order, who would it most likely be in terms of the demographic information here?”

Choi said. ”What trends do we see across a certain timeline?”

Choi explained that this knowledge will cut additional costs and inform future decisions.

“From this swipe data, we’re able to look at their GPA, their time of admission, whether they entered as a freshman or as a transfer student,” Choi said. “We’re [also] able to tell which major they belong to, which major or graduate school program they belong to, their ethnicity, their race, their citizenship status.”

Senators expressed concerns over this new information in regards to the privacy of students, especially international students.

“[Whenever a student swipes their card], it’s scrubbed cleaned,” Choi said. “There’s no way to track it back to that student. We only see the big picture, which is, ‘Out of the 709 students that utilized the pantry last quarter, ‘x’ percentage of them came from these demographics.’”

Senator Kristen Mifsud echoed several other senators by stating that the average student likely does not know this and making that disclosure is necessary.

The table then reintroduced Senate Bill #53, which was authored by Senator Kabir Sahni. “[The bill] draws in more international student-related resources on campus and assigns them as ex officios of the committee [while] also increasing the committee membership by one,” Sahni said.

The bill passed unanimously.

The table then introduced Senate Bill #55, authored by Student Government Administrative Office Manager McKenna Weitzel.

“This bill is another effort to kind of better organize the committee section of the bylaws,” Weitzel said. “[It] also [adds] some guidelines for when a committee should be dissolved and how it should be created to provide more incentive hopefully for committees, not just be sitting bacon.”

Several senate members agreed that dead committees are a huge problem. However, they

decided to remove the passage addressing them in Senate Bill #55.

“There’s certainly issues that need to be solved here and that we need to put more thought toward,” said ASUCD President Kyle Krueger. “I don’t think that the way that this is framed is going to be the most productive solution.”

The amended version of Senate Bill #55 passed unanimously.

The table moved on to Senate Resolution #8, authored by Radhika Marwaha, a fourth-year global disease biology major.

“Davis is similar to many other American universities,” Marwaha said. “There is a gap in supporting the Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi students, which refers to a caste of people within the broader South Asian student group.”

Marwaha praised UC Davis’ efforts to promote diversity and explained that this resolution strives to further that goal.

“There is a lack of institutionalization in that support,” Marwaha said. “It’s not present in our Principles of Community; there’s no distinct protected category around the issue of caste. As part of this resolution, my only goal is to institutionalize that support and make it possible for students to talk about this historically marginalized identity that they have.”

Senate Resolution #8 passed unanimously.

Barneond adjourned the meeting at 10:10 p.m.

Students reconstitute ‘OWLs’ club for those 25 years and older After a lapse in membership, the new executive board hopes to create a sense of community for non-traditional students at UC Davis

Dutton Hall where the Transfer and Reentry Center is located at UC Davis. (Timothy Li / Aggie)

BY KATHLEEN QUINN campus@theaggie.org A group of older students have banded together to revive the Older, Wiser, Learners (OWLs) club which has been inactive since 2019.

OWLs is an identity-based club that aims to create a support network of students who are 25 and older to share life experiences and help navigate UC Davis.

Sarah Theubet, a third-year communication major in her late thirties and the president of the newly revived OWLs, said she has had difficulty

connecting to younger students.

“I don’t always feel like I can communicate with them in the same way that I can communicate with people closer to my age,” Theubet said. “I just felt it was really important to find those people.”

Approximately 5% of UC Davis students are over 25 years old according to the UC Davis student profile from fall 2019. Many of them are transfer students and/or re-entry students.

Rachel Mowbray, 31, is a third-year environmental science and management major who graduated from high school in 2007 and went back to school after a six- to seven-year break.

“Re-entry people have taken time off of school

and decided to come back not because their parents want them to, but because they want to,” Mowbray said. “They understand the implications and sacrifices of that.”

Michaela Boone, a fourth-year applied chemistry major, is the new treasurer for the club.

She said, as she nears 39 years old, she feels lost at UC Davis.

“Because of my age, it’s hard to connect,” Boone said. “I’m usually the oldest in the class, everyone is younger.”

The club is being resurrected after the last known officers were appointed in 2019, and it now has 37 active members. Theubut said she has not

seen evidence that the previous officers met after the pandemic campus closures.

“I know it was dormant all last quarter,” Theubet said. “From the looks of it, at least a year.”

Mowbray, who is now the club’s vice president, said she is really excited to get the club back up and running with the help of other members.

“Give it a new face, redefine it a little bit and get it back out there to support students like us,” Mowbry said. “It’s going to be great.”

Theubet said that as far as school resources were concerned, there was still room for improvement working with older students—some mandatory seminars came off as condescending.

“Personally, I felt like a five-day orientation was ludicrous,” Theubet said. “A lot of what they were talking about did not apply. It’s like, ‘No offense, but I’m a grown-up.’”

Many older students have full-time jobs or children. Mowbray said she is looking for something different than what is normally associated with college life and would like more resources that understand where her priorities lie.

“A lot of the time we’re older and so we don’t have all these ideas of what college should be like as far as the sororities, fraternities or partying,” Mowbray said.

Theubet added that though there are some campus resources that miss the mark, there are also resources that have made a meaningful difference to her enjoyment of the university.

“I really have enjoyed the transfer center,” Theubet said. “They’re building a good community for us.”

The Transfer and Reentry Center (TRC), which services transfer students who are 25 and over and/or student parents, will be partnering with the Women’s Resource and Research Center to launch a website to assist student parents, according to an email sent by Marissa Weiss, a transfer retention specialist at UC Davis.

After immigrating from Germany to the U.S., Boone found that the degree she received in Germany would not translate into viable work and decided to go back to school.

“Within two years, I got my associates in natural science and math,” Boone said. “I was like, ‘Well I guess that works better than I thought, let’s shoot for a Bachelor’s.’”

Theubet said it’s important to remember that everyone has a different story about how they arrived at the university later in life.

“I think we all have our own reasons for going back to school,” Theubet said. “It’s nice that we can share those experiences with one another.”

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 | 3

Davis Blended Vacancy Rate rises to 12.2% UC Davis Housing Department survey reveals highest vacancy rate in years as pandemic creates housing uncertainty

Newly constructed The Green apartments at the West Village neighborhood in Davis, CA. (Justin Han / Aggie)

BY YAN YAN HUSTIS HAYES city@theaggie.org On Feb. 3, the UC Davis Student Housing Department released its annual vacancy survey for 2020, which revealed some of the highest blended vacancy rates since 1992.

According to the survey, the Blended Vacancy Rate, or combined unit lease and bed lease vacancy rates for all rental units, is 12.2%.

This is significantly higher than the previous two years’ at 0.5% and 1.0% for 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Mike Sheehan, the associate vice chancellor for Housing, Dining and Divisional Operations, explained the purpose of the survey and why this year’s data differs from past years.

“The survey is a tool for the university, local government and

local property managers to understand key variables within the Davis rental market,” Sheehan said via email. “The 2020 vacancy survey is demonstrating the impact of the global pandemic as we now have the highest vacancy rate since 1992 (for apartments leased by the unit).”

Sheehan explained what the increase in the vacancy rate means for the local economy.

“Increased vacancy means fewer students living on-campus and within the City of Davis,” Sheehan said via email. “The financial impacts to the university, local businesses and local property owners are significant.”

With UC Davis moving forward with planning for fall 2021 inperson instruction, Sheean explained that the Housing Department is also preparing for in-person learning.

“We know students want to be on campus for instruction,” Sheehan said via email. “UC Davis has a record number of

applications for the upcoming academic year. We are moving forward with all of our construction projects to ensure readiness for students’ return. The market is expected to rebound quickly once the pandemic is under control. We are planning for normal occupancy for the upcoming academic year.”

Sheehan explained that observing proper health protocols is the most important aspect of an in-person return in fall quarter.

“Safety is our top priority. UC Davis has been following and at times exceeding all state and local guidance to reduce the risk of transmission,” Sheehan said via email. “We will continue to work with the Yolo County public health office as we develop our plans for the next academic year.”

Karen Mattis, the property manager for the Arbors Apartments, explained the financial difficulty the pandemic has caused for both residents and local property managers.

“I think that it was a big adjustment for everybody,” Mattis said.

“It’s a hard situation. It’s challenging because there are residents who were affected dramatically—but on the flipside, we had a contract with them, so we did our best to balance out where we could.”

Mattis explained that safety is a top concern for apartment complexes, leading many to close amenities.

“As of right now, our gym, pool, spa and clubhouse are closed completely,” Mattis said. “We opened [amenities] for maybe a month by appointment, but once we went to purple tier we closed again.

Keeping everything and everybody safe [is] the most important thing.”

Mattis explained that despite the difficulties of the past year, she is hopeful for the upcoming school year.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and we’re just not seeing the traffic that we normally see—everyone is waiting to see what happens next,” Mattis said. “I don’t want to say that I want everything to go back to normal, because I understand that things will be different, but I’m hoping that school will be back in person in the fall and that students and residents will be able to come back.”

Lesile Diaz, a third-year pharmaceutical chemistry and Spanish double major, explained that she’s living with her parents while paying for an apartment room in Davis.

“I’m currently living back at home in San Diego, CA, and paying for my room up in Davis,” Diaz said via email. “I’ve decided to live at home to be safer and spend some time with family during these times.”

Diaz described her plan to return to campus, noting that it’s been harder to study and stay involved back at home.

“I will be going back spring quarter since I realized it’s very difficult to study here at home,” Diaz said via email. “I’m hoping that going back to campus and having a different place to study will help motivate me to finish the year strong. I’m also hoping it’s possible to find more opportunities to get involved if COVID restrictions allow.”

Local tattoo shops note decline in business due to COVID-19 pandemic Tattoo shops changed their business models to adhere to social distancing guidelines

BY JELENA LAPUZ city@theaggie.org Businesses that pride themselves in creating a unique and personal experience for customers, such as tattoo shops, have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

George Hernandez, the owner of Sacred Tiger Tattoo in Davis, noted how there were slow and busy seasons even before the pandemic.

“Before the pandemic—with the student population—the business already fluctuated,” Hernandez said. “There was a busy season when the students were here, and when they were gone during summer, it would dip down quite a bit.”

Chelsey Daskalos, the business manager of Death or Glory Tattoo in Davis, described the spontaneity that came with operating a tattoo shop.

“It’s always been really fun,” Daskalos said.

“Every day is something different. You meet people from all different spectrums and levels.”

Hernandez explained that when the pandemic began, he faced more difficulties when the county shut down tattoo shops. Since he is self-employed, Hernandez didn’t qualify for unemployment until

the policy was changed in late April of 2020.

“Being an independent business and selfemployed, I had no unemployment right off the bat,” Hernandez said. “It was very stressful.”

Daskalos noted the continuous decline in business since the pandemic began.

“It’s drastically changed our business and our business model to try and acclimate and adjust,” Daskalos said. “Our business has been cut by probably over 30%.”

Cynthia Perez, the manager of Urban Body Piercing & Tattoo in Davis, described the changes made in order to comply with social distancing.

“We had to drastically cut back on the amount of people we can allow in the building at one time,” Perez said.

Perez described how other precautions include coming to the appointment alone or only coming with a few guests if they are part of the same household. Walk-in visits are no longer allowed.

Daskalos added that masks and pre-screening are now necessary for Death or Glory Tattoo prior to a tattoo appointment. As a result of the mask requirement, nose and mouth piercings are no longer allowed, although they were popular among UC Davis students prior to the pandemic.

Daskalos added a positive note regarding the

future of Death or Glory Tattoo.

“We pride ourselves on carrying on the tradition of tattooing and piercing, to craft something we love, and the people who support us are part of that,” Daskalos said. “In the future, we’re hoping we can get back to that: to working with our community.”

Daskalos emphasized her gratitude for the community’s continued support.

“We’re very thankful for the support from the community,” Daskalos said. “We’ve got such a great community of people who supported us through this. Our business is very word-of-mouth, and without our people, we’re nothing.”

Hernandez added his own perspective regarding the future of Sacred Tiger Tattoo.

“I’ve managed to adjust to living with less, so I find that I still have a future here,” Hernandez said.

“I’m going to keep it open.”

Perez reflected on the trajectory of Urban Body Piercing & Tattoo since the pandemic.

“As much as I was a downer about this over the past year, I definitely think that it’s a new beginning for a lot of businesses,” Perez said. “We were able to slow down and kind of refocus where we want the business to go and how we want to continue to provide our services to the public.”

Hello officer? That man is clearly armed and dangerous—he’s carrying an Instant Pot

February 2 “Loud yelling and screaming and clanging.”

February 10 “911 hang up. Open line—sounds like someone playing news report into phone, re the insurrection of the capital—unknown if this is intentional.”

February 11 “Tesla with dead battery at the entrance to location.”

February 12 “911 hang up. Woman stated ‘Hola’ and disconnected the line.”

February 15 “Male walking with Instapot or Crock Pot under his arm and then disappeared in the area.”

February 16 “Injured turkey in the backyard.”

February 17 “Several juveniles in golf cart, doing donuts.”

Urban Body Body Piercing & Tattoo displaying COVID health guidelines outside its shop in Davis, CA. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)

4 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Datamatch brings love to UC Davis UC Davis students introduce Datamatch, a matchmaking service for students

BY NORA FARAHDEL features@theaggie.org This Valentine’s Day, students had the opportunity to try a dating platform new to UC Davis: Datamatch. Created by students at Harvard University, Datamatch is a free service that helps students find love in college.

To begin the process, students register online with their college email and fill out a survey specific to their college. On Valentine’s Day, students received the information of 10 other users and have the opportunity to reach out and create a match.

Since its start in 1994, Datamatch has spread to a number of different college campuses, including UC Davis this year.

Nina Steinkemper, a third-year design and communication double major and the campus leader of Datamatch at UC Davis, first discovered the service through her friends attending universities on the east coast. After hearing about their experiences with matchmaking through the site, Steinkemper was motivated to introduce the service to UC Davis online.

Upon being accepted through Datamatch’s application process, she created a team for the project and completed tasks, like creating questions for the survey, that were specific to the UC Davis campus.

Steinkemper’s initial goal was to have 500 students sign up during this first year and ultimately exceeded her expectations with 985 participants.

“It was definitely a lot more successful than I expected,” Steinkemper said. “Especially since we’re online and just seeing an Instagram account that’s like, ‘We’ll matchmake you with other students,’ I definitely see a lot of hesitation with that.”

Steinkemper shared that she enjoyed watching the Datamatch process unfold this Valentine’s Day. “I’m definitely very glad I did it,” Steinkemper said. “It was a lot of fun this past week, just seeing the numbers go up, hearing about people telling their friends. Especially when the matches came out, [...] everyone [was] excited.”

Next year, Steinkemper hopes to grow the Datamatch team at UC Davis. Additionally, she explained that the decision to find love during the pandemic is different for everyone.

“It’s perfectly fine to not be on the lookout for love right now, I know that I’m not,” Steinkemper said. “But I think that, especially since we’re in college, and this has been going on for almost a year now, it’s normal for students to still try to have that experience.”

Kendall Roberts, a third-year managerial economics major and a campus member for Datamatch at UC Davis, helped coordinate the social media and outreach efforts involved in the project. Roberts joined this project with her friends, including Steinkemper, in an effort to bring people together.

“We thought it would be really cool if we did it, especially because we’re all off campus right now, and it’s really hard to meet people who are in similar situations to ourselves,” Roberts said.

KATHERINE HUNG / AGGIE

For Roberts, the experience working on Datamatch was valuable, and she relayed that above all the matchmaking service provided students with something to smile about during this difficult time.

“I think it was definitely worth it; people [...] got a fair amount of entertainment out of it,” Roberts said. “I think that was the goal anyway: you might not be finding your forever match on Datamatch, but [...] we’re all separated and I think it brought everyone together.”

Isabelle Zheng, a third-year computer science major at Harvard University and the supreme cupid for Datamatch, explained that she decided to get involved with Datamatch because she could gain experience in design and web development in addition to contributing to a service that creates positive experiences for students.

“My freshman year, it was the extracurricular I most wanted to get involved in because I thought it was so cool—and unlike many other extracurricular activities, there’s not really an ulterior motive attached to it,” Zheng said via email. “It’s just fun and makes people happy.”

Zheng’s role as supreme cupid involves coordinating all of the teams across campuses, while also setting goals to ensure efficiency.

She shared that Datamatch began expanding to new schools around 2018 and that they continue to be open to students willing to write their own survey questions and publicize the service on their campuses.

Zheng’s hope is that Datamatch offers students new connections that they otherwise might not seek out, and she encouraged new universities to introduce Datamatch.

“All too often, it’s easy to get caught up in work and other stresses, and not have the opportunity to meet new people just for the sake of it,” Zheng said via email. “Datamatch’s main goal is to offer an excuse for people to meet each other, especially if they otherwise wouldn’t have met. If you think that your school would benefit from that, then you should introduce Datamatch.”

Student-run organizations advocate against housing insecurity Representatives from several student-run organizations discuss their efforts to combat housing insecurity for Davis students

BY LIANA MAE ATIZADO features@theaggie.org Winter Quarter is typically when students begin looking for housing for the next school year. This process can be daunting enough as it is, especially for first-time renters, but even more so due to the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. Several studentrun organizations are working to tackle different student housing challenges.

ASUCD Housing Advising for Undergraduate Students (HAUS) helps students to connect with property managers and learn about housing resources. Citlali Plaza, a third-year community and regional development major and the Unit Director for HAUS, said that their main event for Winter Quarter, Housing Day, was a week-long virtual event. During the week of Feb. 22 to Feb. 26, students listened to student panelists, met potential housemates, learned about renter rights and met with property managers to find a suitable home in Davis.

“It’s really a helpful event to know what to be prepared [for] when looking at a lease,” Plaza said. “Davis is a really unique setting where the vacancy rate is so low that you’re kind of thrown into this market, usually in the winter. For first-year students, especially, this is their first time leasing. And, especially with COVID, there’s a lot of questions about what it’s like to break out of a lease, what’s allowed under lease, or changes to rent.”

According to Plaza, COVID-19 has played a significant role in student housing, as many students decided to move back home. As a result, they had to figure out whether they could sublease their apartments in Davis. In addition to this, many students and their families were financially impacted, increasing the burden of rent.

Another organization that seeks to address these issues is ASUCD’s Housing Task Force. This task force acts as a coalition

KATHERINE HUNG / AGGIE

between different offices of ASUCD, including the Executive Office and the Student Advocate’s Office. Allie O’Brien, a thirdyear sociology and political science double major, is the ASUCD Executive Office Chief of Staff and oversees the Housing Task Force. O’Brien noted that one of their earliest projects during the COVID-19 pandemic involved working with landlords to create more flexible lease terms for students who did not want to sign a full year’s lease.

O’Brien is also the co-founder of Aggie House, a transitional housing shelter opening this fall. While Aggie House is separate from ASUCD and the university, it aims to provide free temporary housing for UC Davis students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. They are currently raising funds for this project and are seeking donations. They are also taking on volunteers, with their second round of recruitment opening in spring quarter.

“We’re going to be considering a lot of factors, such as whether folks are experiencing homelessness, unsafe living conditions or domestic violence,” O’Brien said. “We’re going to try to do a holistic overview of what all of our applicants are facing, and try to accommodate those with the most need.”

In addition to supporting the work of the Housing Task Force, O’Brien stated that Davis community members can help by normalizing conversation around housing insecurity. According to a Housing Affordability and Insecurity Survey done by ASUCD and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) in the 2017-2018 year, 7% of Davis students were experiencing homelessness and 18% were experiencing housing insecurity.

“If people don’t know these numbers exist, then we won’t be able to destigmatize it and actually get people resources,” O’Brien

said. “So talking about it is really important and has more of an impact than one might think.”

Another student-run organization, Homeless Outreach through Prevention and Education (H.O.P.E.) works directly with the homeless population. Megan Shen, a fourth-year global disease biology major and president of H.O.P.E., stated that their main goals are to provide resources and information to improve the quality of life for those who are experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity, as well as to destigmatize homelessness. They do so by hosting community events, such as providing free haircuts in Central Park for unhoused Davis community members.

“It’s definitely not impossible to learn how to advocate for these individuals,” Shen said. “It just takes someone with compassion and who wants to speak up for an often marginalized and neglected community.”

H.O.P.E. became more involved with student housing insecurity about one year ago, when they formed a committee within their organization that focuses on student resources. They also have a seat at the Basic Needs Advisory Committee, which is primarily made up of UC Davis faculty and staff. While H.O.P.E. does not directly provide aid to students, they act as a liaison between students and the university to support those who are seeking resources.

“Davis has been lucky, at least in terms from a student perspective, in that we have the Basic Needs Center to help out with housing resources and to support housing insecure students,” Shen said. “There are individuals here on campus who are really passionate about helping them. If they don’t feel comfortable, they could always reach out to organizations like H.O.P.E. to help redirect them to resources.”

ASUCD is also working to revive the Davis Housing Discrimination Committee, which focuses on outreach and advocacy for UC Davis students and helps them understand their rights as renters in the city of Davis. The committee will also support students in taking measures against inequitable actions by landlords in collaboration with the city of Davis and housing authorities.

While this committee has been dormant for years, Senator Maahum Shahab, a second-year international relations major, is currently working to revive it.

“My focus is figuring out how it will fit into the scope of everything that’s housing advocacy related going on right now already under ASUCD,” Shahab said. “For example, the Housing Task Force is doing amazing work, but we don’t know if the next president is going to keep that task force. I want there to be some sort of long-lasting body that is dedicated toward housing advocacy.

The Davis Housing Discrimination Committee has a specific niche of housing advocacy that I would love to see revived and more permanent on campus for the years to come.”

The Davis Housing Discrimination Committee recently closed applications for a committee chair. The role will involve recruiting members to build up the committee, as well as determine what specific projects they would like to carry out. These will involve making sure that students are knowledgeable about the opportunities they have to seek fair housing and are treated respectfully by their landlords.

While it can be intimidating to attempt to tackle the systemic issue of housing insecurity in Davis, Shahab stated that even taking small steps can make a big impact.

“It’s really important to take those little steps, even if it doesn’t feel like a lot,” Shahab said. “Every little piece of input counts, and the more you push for something, the more that you put effort into something, the more likely you’ll be heard. The louder you raise your voice, the more likely they’ll listen.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 | 5

OPINION THE EDITORIAL BOARD CALLS ON UC DAVIS ATHLETICS TO WITHDRAW FROM HIGHCONTACT GAMEPLAY THIS SEASON

THE

EDITO RIA L B OA RD ANJINI VENUGOPAL Editor-in-Chief MARGO ROSENBAUM Managing Editor SABRINA HABCHI Campus News Editor EDEN WINNIFORD City News Editor

As COVID-19 death counts continue to rise, a strict following of COVID-19 guidelines is necessary to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes As vaccinations increase and the U.S. gradually inches toward herd immunity, the return to normal life may seem in sight. In reality, however, the battle against COVID-19 is far from over.

On Monday, the U.S. surpassed 500,000 known coronavirusrelated deaths. As the latest statistics illustrate, properly following COVID-19 safety guidelines remains of paramount importance.

This Monday, UC Davis student-athletes went to practice; athletes from softball, equestrian, tennis, track, basketball, lacrosse, water polo, beach volleyball and baseball geared up for games later in the week. With the ensuing pandemic and rise of COVID-19 deaths, the Editorial Board questions UC Davis Athletics’ decision to resume gameplay for certain teams, especially those requiring high contact.

The Editorial Board acknowledges the measures being taken to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes, such as daily self-health evaluations, frequent testing and vigorous cleaning of shared equipment. All league institutions are required to follow medical and testing protocols as detailed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and by federal, state, local and conference guidelines. Despite these measures, the Editorial Board believes gameplay poses a substantial risk for student-athletes.

According to the CDC’s guidelines for playing sports, players should stay at least six feet away from other players when possible.

In high-contact gameplay like football and basketball, keeping a two arms length distance from other players at all times is impossible.

The CDC also recommends wearing a mask at all times, but NCAA does not require all sports to wear masks during games, as it could “present a physical challenge to the student-athlete during activities when there is contact to the head or face, strenuous exercise is involved, or the mask is likely to get wet.” Masks are not effective at helping prevent the transmission of COVID-19 droplets unless they are worn at all times. If masks cannot be safely worn during gameplay, then simply, games should not be occurring, especially with high-contact sports.

Additionally, limiting the amount of shared equipment is recommended by the CDC, as well as the proper cleaning of equipment and frequently-touched surfaces. In sports that share balls, like volleyball and football, the chances for disease transmission increase.

In terms of game attendance, the Editorial Board appreciates UC Davis Athletics’ decision to exclude fans. In other areas of the U.S., fans can attend college sports games in person following the poor examples set by professional sports. For the 2020 season, Auburn’s football stadium hosted up to 20,364 fans each game; the Super Bowl earlier this month hosted 22,000 fans. The NCAA will allow for 25% capacity for all rounds of the men’s basketball tournament and 17% for later stages of the women’s event. In addition to possible issues of gender discrepancy, it is irresponsible to allow that many fans to attend indoor sports games.

At UC Davis, even though fans are not permitted to attend,

hosting athletic games still creates unsafe environments with high potentials for COVID-19 transmission. Players, coaches, athletic trainers, referees and medics are present—reaching numbers much higher than those in a recommended social bubble. Additionally, since COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions differ between states, travel for games places athletes in potentially dangerous situations.

While gameplay feels irresponsible at this time, the Editorial Board acknowledges the importance of continued practice to ensure athletes stay in shape and are prepared for games when the pandemic subsides. The proper following of COVID-19 safety measures, however, is necessary for the safety of players, coaches and staff, as well as their housemates and families. These safety guidelines should reflect the contact level of the sport, as it is clear further precautions are necessary for high-contact ones.

The Editorial Board has seen some student-athletes’ poor following of safety protocols firsthand, witnessing unmasked individuals on team social media stories and when walking past practice spaces. While athletes have a responsibility to follow guidelines, it is ultimately the responsibility of the athletics department to impose stricter penalties to ensure proper practices.

The reasons why UC Davis Athletics resumed gameplay remain fairly unclear. The Editorial Board understands the value of sports during this pandemic as a morale booster and a way to find community during this time of isolation, but we believe the health of student-athletes and community members is worth more than those reasons.

When the Editorial Board met with campus leaders for our quarterly interview, we asked why the university is trying to complete the football season given the pandemic situation in California. Chancellor Gary May responded with “Our studentathletes and coaches want to play. That’s the biggest factor. We think that with all the infrastructure and testing we have at UC Davis, we think they can play safely, which is our priority.”

While some athletes “want to play,” we are sure not all feel this way. Athletes that do not wish to play are cornered in uncomfortable situations, resulting in the possibility of them feeling obligated to participate despite concerns of their safety.

Interim Athletics Director Rocko DeLuca said “If our studentathletes want to compete or opt-out, we fully support them,” but many factors may pressure athletes to play, including possible loss of opportunities on the team and peer pressure from teammates.

To ease the stress of student-athletes during this pandemic, the only solution is for UC Davis to withdraw from gameplay in all high-contact NCAA events.

This pandemic has taken away events that spark joy for everyone. Whether those events are concerts, dine-in restaurants, vacations or sports games, we all “want” to go back to a time when we could enjoy them. But as we get closer to minimizing the threat of this virus, now is not a time for sports games, or any events that have a high potential for spreading the virus. For a university that has recently been praised for being a leader during this pandemic, the Editorial Board expects more from the athletics department.

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

CALVIN COFFEE Opinion Editor SOPHIE DEWEES Features Editor ALLIE BAILEY Arts & Culture Editor OMAR NAVARRO Sports Editor MADELEINE PAYNE Science & Tech Editor

CAMERON PERRY New Media Manager JUSTIN HAN Photo Director KATHERINE FRANKS Design Director JOELLE TAHTA Layout Director KAITLIN ARAGHI Copy Chief ALEX WEINSTEIN Copy Chief KESHAV AGRAWAL Website Manager BEN CHENG Social Media Manager JOSHUA GAZZANIGA Distribution Manager LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

PRESIDENT BIDEN’S COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ARE PERFECTLY ALIGNED WITH CATHOLIC VALUES In parallel with the pope, U.S. must address the impacts of environmental issues on BIPOC communities

BY JOE SWEENEY jmsweeney@ucdavis.edu On Jan. 22, 2021, President Joe Biden became only the second Catholic president in history, with former President John F. Kennedy being the first. While I personally have no qualms with an Irish Catholic president named Joe, a lot of fundamentalist Catholics in the media and the church have slammed Biden for his moderate approach to issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. The claim that Biden is not Catholic because of his stance on these issues, which I have repeatedly heard over the past few weeks, is incredibly offensive and absurd.

KIYOMI WATSON / AGGIE

I’ve been a practicing Catholic my entire life.

I attended only Catholic schools until I set foot on campus at Davis, and I truly believe in the underlying values which Catholicism encourages.

With that in mind, I do not think it is in any way “un-Christian” to criticize Catholic stances or to disagree with them. The church has repeatedly been wrong on many issues—going so far as putting Galileo under house arrest for promoting the theory that the Sun was the center of the solar system, not the Earth.

Biden’s Catholicism is more in line with the intent of Catholicism in the first place, but you’ll need a bit of background to understand that.

Traditionally, Catholicism has been rooted in

what would be considered today as “conservative beliefs,” while also being on the fringe of American religious society. With the great social change of the ‘60s, the Catholic Church called together the Second Vatican Council in an attempt to modernize the church. Vatican II made sweeping changes to the church: getting rid of many outdated practices, calling for unity among the Christian churches of the world and, most importantly, officially recognizing the importance of religious freedom under democracy.

Biden’s brand of Catholicism stems from the culture of deep systemic and progressive change that is best encapsulated by Vatican II. Vatican II, although a turning point, is not unique in the church’s history. From Saint Ignatius to Pope Francis, there have been progressive Catholics throughout the church’s history. And surprisingly, they didn’t always end up excommunicated or dead in a ditch. Pope Francis specifically has been criticized for his stances on a wide variety of topics rannging from gay marriage to the environment.

In fact, Pope Francis’ first solo encyclical argues the importance of environmental justice and forming a global movement to fight climate change. This encyclical, “Laudato Si’,” was inspired by his namesake, Saint Francis, and argues that the governments of the world must address the systemic inequalities perpetuated by unregulated capitalism.

In his encyclical “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis said, “There has been a tragic rise in the number of migrants seeking to flee from the growing poverty caused by environmental degradation.

They are not recognized by international conventions as refugees; they bear the loss of the lives they have left behind, without enjoying

any legal protection whatsoever. Sadly, there is widespread indifference to such suffering, which is even now taking place throughout our world.”

He continued, “Many of those who possess more resources and economic or political power seem mostly to be concerned with masking the problems or concealing their symptoms, simply making efforts to reduce some of the negative impacts of climate change. However, many of these symptoms indicate that such effects will continue to worsen if we continue with current models of production and consumption.”

This is a radical statement coming from the pope himself. It cements the fact that President Biden’s commitment to environmental and social justice are perfectly in line with Catholic values.

As an Irish Catholic myself, I find it incredibly frustrating when I see Catholics argue against radical climate action. If a directive from the pope can’t convince Catholics that we need immediate climate action, then I don’t know what will.

An essential component of the pope’s directive is the importance of addressing the impacts of climate change on disenfranchised communities.

In America, this means addressing the impacts of environmental issues on BIPOC communities, who are often disproportionately affected by pollution, climate change and environmental racism. It is the responsibility of Catholics and non-Catholics alike to call and take action for immediate systemic change.

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.

6 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OPINION Why we need to understand the roots of riots The Capitol riots signal the threat of extremism, leaving teenagers especially vulnerable for online recruitment

BY RENEE WANG reswang@ucavis.edu All hope was yet to be lost. During a “Save America” rally on Jan 6., foAll hope was yet to be lost. During a “Save America” rally on Jan 6., former President Donald Trump rang the last battle cry. Holding on to claims of election fraud and ballot harvesting, Trump’s words gave his supporters the final spark they needed: “We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

A flurry of vandalism, violence and vitriol against President Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election was unleashed onto the U.S. Capitol by an estimated thousands of Trump supporters. Riots aren’t built in a day, and Trump had been laying the inciting instruments throughout his term as president, from Tweets grounded in racist and xenophobic rhetoric to his reluctance to condemn white supremacist groups. The aftermath of the riot not only reveals the state of democracy in disarray, but cements Trump’s legacy for bringing far-right extremism into the mainstream.

The prominence of far-right extremism is especially concerning due to the historical ties between pandemics and extremism: “Since ancient times, pandemics have spurred sharp turns in political beliefs, spawning extremist movements, waves of mistrust and wholesale

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE rejection of authorities,” wrote Marc Fisher for The Washington Post.

Isolation, blame and a paralyzing economy has people “in the absence of trust […] need[ing] to believe in something,” according to University of Maryland social psychologist Arie Kruglanski. Farright extremism, according to Kruglanski, has picked up on these fears to manipulate people who may not normally subscribe to such

ideology.

As the U.S. is facing mounting extremism, teenagers are left AGGIE FILE vulnerable especially during this pandemic. For many adolescents, their youth has been abruptly put on pause by the pandemic. A lack of social interaction and increased internet use compounds their vulnerability in being exposed to extremist ideologies at a time in their life when they are most malleable.

Cynthia Miller-Idriss of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University lists an abridged version of extremist mobilization during the pandemic, from white supremacists targeting and scapegoating Asian Americans for COVID-19 to far-right extremists manipulating the protests following the police killing of George Floyd in an attempt to incite a race war.

Online gaming communities are becoming increasingly popular avenues to recruit teenage “culture warriors.” On streaming platforms like Dlive, white nationalists have been catapulted to top earnings, spewing hateful rhetoric as they stream.

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.

EXTREMISM on 1 1

Civil rights are not a trend: Black lives still matter in 2021 America has a long road ahead before truly uprooting issues of police brutality, white supremacy and systemic racism

BY AMARA PUTRI aputri@ucavis.edu Last year, the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others underscored the pervasiveness of racial inequality and police brutality in America—it also marked an important year for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. In May 2020 alone, thousands of Americans rallied in solidarity with the Black community, protesting racism, demanding criminal justice and police reform and calling for long-term change. In addition to demonstrations spreading across major cities, the Black community’s call for action was also echoed on social media. For a while, it seemed impossible to scroll through Instagram or Twitter without seeing posts calling out racism and threads highlighting what can be done to help.

However, it appears as though people are already beginning to move on from their activism. Profile pictures that were once blacked out in solidarity with the movement have slowly been deleted, and links to petitions on Instagram bios have been removed. Many have also taken President Joe Biden’s 2020 win as a sigh of relief for Black

lives, although America has a long road ahead before truly uprooting issues of police brutality, white supremacy and systemic racism. As a new year rolled around and we once again welcomed Black History Month in February, it’s time we remind ourselves that upholding racial equality and civil rights are not trends to participate in for a few months before returning to business as usual. Black lives always matter, and we must continue to do our part in demanding greater equality.

The BLM movement was founded by activists Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi in July 2013 following the acquittal of policeman George Zimmerman in the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Although the movement has existed for nearly a decade, 2020 was arguably its most momentous year with successful developments in police reform, the removal of racist symbols from state flags and increasing international solidarity for Black lives everywhere.

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.

BLM on 11

Black Lives Matter protestors march through the Richards Underpass after rallying at the Richards Boulevard Overpass where protestors faced officers from Davis PD and the California Highway Patrol on Sunday, May 31. (Benjamin Cheng / Aggie)

HUMOR

Davis has had 0 bike crashes since March 2020; university promises to change that I mean, if I’m not getting yeeted off my bike once a quarter, why am I paying to go here?

IAN COSNER / AGGIE

BY IAN COSNER iacosner@ucavis.edu Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many Davis students have been frustrated with their current education experience. Student complaints range from “Zoom creates a difficult environment to

learn and stay motivated” to “I can’t say ‘My dog ate my homework’ anymore because everything’s online.” But the most logged complaint from current UC Davis students is the most obvious: “I haven’t been in a bike crash in months.”

The administration sympathizes with students. Being a bikecentered school, the lack of bike crashes on campus is a complete embarrassment. While tuition isn’t necessarily the most iron-clad contract, the administration understands that bike crashes are nonnegotiable.

“I mean, who are we as a university, if we’re not the school with the most bike crashes on campus? One of the top schools in mental health? The #1 veterinary school in the world? It’s just not the same,” an administrator said.

“I get that you can’t always control this sort of thing. But I paid for it. If I’m not getting yeeted off my bike at least once a quarter, why am I here? I should’ve gone to Sac State,” a student said.

The administration has been working fervently on a way to bring back the bike crashes, insisting that by the end of the month “You’ll be breaking your wrists again in no time!” The current plan includes three major steps: deconstructing all bike paths to ensure as many potholes and bumps as possible, cutting every publicly accessible bike’s brake lines and having designated student “crashers” hired to

The new home school. Are you really going to school if you attend in bed?

BY KE LIN keylin@ucavis.edu Disclaimer: This cartoon is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and names of “sources” are fictionalized.

run into as many student bikers as possible.

But without the usual biking population of pre-COVID-19 shape? While we at the Aggie are hopeful, who knows what the future holds.

So that’s why the Aggie is pushing the new “Crash It” initiative for Spring 2021. We ask that all UC Davis students do their part and attempt as much bike-related chaos as possible throughout the entire quarter. We know a bike crash can be inconvenient and sometimes detrimental, but we ask that you help support and reestablish this staple of the Davis experience. So get out there and make a difference.

From our bikes to yours, we hope to run into you soon.

(The University of California, Davis and The California Aggie are in no way responsible for any harm or injury caused by the “Crash It” initiative and cannot be held legally responsible.)

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

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 | 7

UC Davis students discuss how social media influenced the 2020 presidential election Social media has become the leading platform for voters to receive news regarding the election according to students

BY SNEHA RAMACHANDRAN features@theaggie.org In the 2016 presidential election, thousands of votes were attributed to the influence of social media. In the 2020 election, social media continued to be one the most widely used platforms for voters to gain information about presidential candidates.

Fourth-year political science major Sasha Feuerstein explained that social media may have influenced many young voters who were participating in the election for the first time.

“I remember, right after the election, I was looking at all the different stats on voter turnout, and for this particular election there was a crazy amount of mobilization for the historically least-active voter base, which is 18 to 22,” Feuerstein said. “I think the turnout for that age group was almost double of what it was in 2016, and there were a lot more people who voted for the first time. And also people ages 18-22 have the largest social media presence, so I think there is definitely a correlation there.”

According to Feuerstein, 2020 was a very “vocal social media year” that has never been seen before.

“In 2016, we still had the same social media platforms,” Feuerstein said. “But the use of social media back then was nothing like we have seen in 2020. Now, everyone you follow and interact with on social media [is] trying to mobilize people by posting things about voter information, how to register and where to drop off ballots.”

Third-year political science major Gracy Joslin stated that in addition to social media’s influence on the 2020 election, it has also served as a means of communication and receiving news in her family.

“I think media usage played a huge role in the 2020 election as well, especially for the Trump campaign since no outlet wanted to give him broadcast time as it could delegitimize their outlet,” Joslin said. “In general though, and having grown up in a politically polarized family, we have always tried to influence each other’s opinions especially through social media. Social media also [makes it] easier [to find] topics you are looking for instead of watching the news all day; something many of us don’t have the time to do.”

Fourth-year international relations major Manasa Gogineni discussed how social media usage has increased in part due to COVID-19.

“I think that people use social media for news more than they ever have before,” Gogineni said. “Because of COVID-19, people don’t have in-person work or school as normal forms of social interaction, and I think people are starting to use social media to break this social disconnect.”

Gogineni discussed how social media platforms have become a way for people to interact during a time of social distancing.

“Social media has become a more normalized way of receiving and sharing information,” Gogineni said. “It has not only become a way for people to stay in touch with their friends, but it’s also a broader way for people to connect with their community, especially during the pandemic. I don’t really see us going back to using social media the way we might have pre-COVID or in the 2016 election.”

Feuerstein detailed how social media has contributed to the spread of fake news, particularly during the election.

“One of the drawbacks of the large influence of social media is how it can easily spread misinformation,” Feuerstein said. “With election news especially, there’s ways that people can manipulate videos to make candidates look worse or favorable and spread rumors—or even build up on the stereotypes of a candidate. And I think that is something that both parties do and supporters also play a role in.”

In the 2020 election, social media platforms created algorithms to detect and censor misinformation in an attempt to prevent fake news from being spread. Feuerstein stated, however, that controlling information is easier said than done.

“A lot of these platforms are kind of mitigating the spread of misinformation, but it’s still hard to control,” Feuerstein said. “Twitter and Facebook have things in place to address

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE misinformation, and they censor things too, like Trump’s accounts getting suspended recently. But you can’t censor everything and catch every piece of fake news before it spreads. It’s crazy to think how quickly things can spread after just one post goes viral.”

Gogineni said that, for her, social media is an untrustworthy news source.

“I don’t think that social media is the best source of accurate information,” Gogineni said. “Social media often makes it harder to find accurate information and it’s much easier to come across misinformation. Also, now a lot of these platforms have algorithms in place that recommend content based on what you interact with more. So in that sense, you are likely to come across content that aligns with your values and that takes away from the greater perspective people should be getting from the news.”

During the election, social media helped political parties gain traction and contribute to the polarization of political parties in the U.S., according to Gogineni.

“I think social media has played a big role in polarization, but at the same time it’s not like polarization has only existed on social media,” Gogineni said. “People can voice their opinions more readily on social media and we can look at things like Twitter memes of Ted Cruz. In some way, that is how people gain awareness on political issues. With this past election, we saw young voters especially use things like memes to advocate for a particular candidate or party.”

According to Joslin, social media has had a great impact on the polarization between the two political parties.

“Growing up, I was told that it was inappropriate to talk or ask someone about their party identification, but that norm has clearly changed a lot,” Joslin said. “Social media has increased the amount of political content, regardless [of] if the sources are valid or not, and I believe it has heightened polarization between candidates and their followers. Most of the people I connect with on different platforms are vocal and expressive when it comes to political beliefs.”

Supporters for both the Democrat and Republican parties have been using social media platforms to garner support for causes.

Feuerstein explained how these platforms have been used to discuss opposing views.

“The days leading up to the election, I saw so many people put out statements or promotions on their Instagram stories in support of a candidate,” Feuerstein said. “Social media makes getting your opinion out there so easy, and it’s also become this platform

of discourse. I think that has also made a contribution to the polarization we have seen.”

Feuerstein noted that social media has become an incredibly accessible way for people to receive their news.

“I think social media is going to continue to influence election turnouts on a larger scale,” Feuerstein said. “People in politics and the news are going to continue to use these platforms to reach more people, especially younger people.”

Feuerstein cited Snapchat to be her go-to social media news source.

“I personally like to watch those Snapchat subscriptions, and I always watch the Stay Tuned NBC stories,” Feuerstein said. “I like using [Stay Tuned NBC] because they have little clips of national and global news and it helps me stay informed, and the information is fast and accessible.”

Feuerstein encourages people to get their news from multiple sources in order to gain a greater perspective on world and national politics.

“Every source has a little bias,” Feuerstein said. “I think the smartest thing to do is check out multiple sources and even read ones that you don’t agree with. A lot of these traditional media outlets like Fox News and The New York Times take really clear sides, but I think social media is kind of more in the middle because you can get both sides at once on your feed.”

Joslin echoed Feuerstein’s beliefs on the validity of social media news, emphasizing the importance of being wary of the sources one receives news from.

“I think it is important to always be skeptical of what you read because you can frame almost anything to aid your preexisting beliefs or what you think your audience wants to hear,” Joslin said. “With traditional media, people will tune into the station that aligns with their party ideologies. With social media, it’s very similar because people will follow accounts that they feel they can relate to and believe.”

Feuerstein said that she believes the influence of social media will continue to grow in future elections.

“I think social media is definitely going to play a big role in future elections,” Feuerstein said. “Now that we have seen the effects from the 2020 election and we know how important it is to have a call to action, I think that’s going to keep happening the more divisive people are in politics.”

Alzheimer’s Buddies at UC Davis aims to create lasting connections with patients The UC Davis chapter of the national organization educates its members to build an understanding of the devastating effects of the late stages of Alzheimer’s

BY LYRA FARRELL features@theaggie.org Before the pandemic, the UC Davis chapter of Alzheimer’s Buddies (ABUD), a national student organization that builds connections with patients suffering from later stages of Alzheimer’s disease, took weekly trips to local senior facilities to maintain oneon-one contact with Alzheimer’s residents. Because in-person visits can no longer take place between the club and the senior facilities they were previously partnered with, the primary focus of the club is now to build understanding and compassion around the disease by educating their members on its physical, emotional and societal effects.

The members of ABUD are currently working on holding virtual visits with their buddies. Certain senior facilities have allowed the club to compile and send care packages to residents during the pandemic.

Vidushi Razdan, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior (NPB) major and the external co-president of ABUD, looks for new members who demonstrate an interest in establishing emotional connections with residents.

“A lot of people who join our club are pre-med students or pre-health students,” Razdan said. “I know I am one too, so one of the big things we look at is someone who wants to make a lifelong connection with someone, not someone who’s just looking for patient care experiences because they’re not patients. They’re our buddies and we want to connect with them.”

Razdan emphasized that it’s important for new members to be aware of some of the behavior they may witness when visiting their buddies and to react with patience.

“When I first went to my facility, there was one resident who always wanted to leave,” Razdan said. “You kind of have to take a step back and understand what is going on in the situation—what you can and can’t do—and I feel like with experience you get better at those kinds of situations.”

Arisha Kassam, a second-year NPB major and a new member

Alzheimer’s Buddies, an organization where students work with patients with Alzheimer’s, meeting over Zoom. (Alzheimer’s Buddies / Courtesy) of ABUD, stated that it is important to understand that the way an Alzheimer buddy acts toward you isn’t personal. An integral part of being a member of the club is having compassion.

“That’s just very important to remember that it’s not them, they’re not trying to attack you, they’re not trying to make you feel uncomfortable, they just don’t know any better for that matter,” Kassam said.

Sarkis Bouladian, a fourth-year genetics and genomics major and the Alzheimer’s awareness trainer of ABUD, is now in his third year as a member. Bouladian’s role in the club, which he created in part as a response to the pandemic, is to not only teach members how to interact with residents but to educate them on how Alzheimer’s impacts families.

“Sometimes minority populations are disproportionately impacted,” Bouladian said. “I like to talk about how those populations are also less likely to be able to pay for high-quality [assisted living facilities].”

For Kassam, it can be difficult to know that the club is not able

to have the same kind of impact on residents during the pandemic, a time of uncertainty for many individuals.

“It’s very very difficult for these patients to not have that human interaction and [...] feeling of warmth where there’s someone who cares and it’s not just someone who’s [there] out of responsibility,” Kassam said.

Bouladian recalls questioning if he was making a positive impression on the lives of residents when he was a new member of ABUD. “I actually sometimes would think to myself, ‘What impact is this going to have? This person isn’t even going to remember, so what’s the point?’” Bouladian said. “But they actually do remember; you’d be surprised. Their face just lights up with a massive smile every time you sit next to them. They’re uplifted by your presence and you’ll be able to tell when that happens.”

Razdan recounted her visits with one of her buddies before the pandemic who first appeared to not be very interested in interacting with her.

8 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

An ode to sitting in the grass under the sun Sitting in the grass under the sun is one of the best things the world has to offer

BY ANGIE CUMMINGS arts@theaggie.edu Believe it or not, whoever said that it’s the little things in life that matter most was absolutely right. One of the best feelings in the world is that sense of bliss you get just sitting (or laying) in the grass as the sun covers you in the nicest, warmest blanket. This can be achieved alone or with a group of friends—one is much more meditative than the other, yet both yield equal amounts of bliss in the end.

It is possible I’m saying all of this due to a great sense of nostalgia I have for this time almost exactly one year ago—regardless of the reason, I am perhaps the world’s biggest fan of sitting in the grass and doing absolutely nothing. For the last month of Winter Quarter of 2020 (right up until about March 13), a huge percentage of my days were spent sitting on the West Quad of UC Davis, and that is when I had this epiphany.

The routine for me—and by the looks of it, for many other people—was to go to class, to get food at the beloved CoHo, to sit in the grass and ultimately to run into almost every person I knew, until it was time for my next class (unless said class was simply not compelling enough to abandon the Quad for). While those few weeks have a special place in my heart in terms of grass sitting, I have a hope they will come again, and in the meantime, we can all safely partake in a modified version of this Edenic experience.

The next time the sun is shining, perhaps with

a perfect little breeze in the air, I urge you to find the nearest patch of luscious grass (whether it is in your backyard, at a park or even the Quad), and bring only the essentials to successfully find bliss in the sun—a mask, music or a book and maybe a snack to energize yourself after your sitting.

What is it that makes this experience the perfect little slice of paradise? Is it the connection to the outdoors, the abundance of the color green or merely its meditative nature? As it turns out, it is a mixture of all three—green (like the perfect green of the Quad and the surrounding trees) has been found to make people feel “grounded and calm” due to its innate connection to the natural world. Simply sitting among all those shades of green and soaking in the sun might not solve everything, but it will surely aid in relaxation, and will hopefully improve your mood.

If you’re bored, stressed or slowly getting cabin fever from being in a pandemic for almost 12 months now, go find some grass to sit in under the sun for even just 15 minutes. It is time to reclaim the phrase “go touch some grass”— together we can change it from the current insulting connotation and take it entirely literally.

Touch some grass today or sit in some tomorrow to perfect your grass-sitting technique for when it is time to return to campus and miss class in the name of the Quad.

It takes time to find your own favorite way of

sitting, place to sit and ways to pass the time as you sit in the grass—just don’t give up. A pro-tip is to sit along the edge of some shade, preferably near the middle of your preferred patch of grass (to avoid people walking by and interrupting your bliss) and bring a jacket you really do not

care for—or a blanket if you have that much foresight—to protect from those hidden bits of especially wet earth. Sitting in grass might be seen as simply something to do, but in reality, it is a way of life, a mindset and above all else, it is one of the best feelings in the world.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

Review: ‘WandaVision’ Disney’s newest original series is everything we miss about Marvel movies

BY ITZELTH GAMBOA arts@theaggie.edu

BY JACOB ANDERSON arts@theaggie.edu

Movie: “Black Dynamite” dir. by Scott Sanders (2009) Seriously one of the funniest movies ever made. Sanders shot using Super 16 color reversal Kodak film stock over the course of 20 days to ensure it looked as crummy and distended as possible. A boom mic is in frame basically every other scene. Not a moment goes by that the movie isn’t doing something insane and captivating. You will be laughing the whole time.

TV Show: “Legend of the Galactic Heroes” (1988) The true accomplishment of “Legend of the Galactic Heroes” isn’t the show’s 110-episode run or the efficacy and deft skill with which it adapted its million-word, totally un-visual source material, but the fact that it manages to make forty hours of well-dressed military officers talking chastely in cramped rooms exciting. This is no small feat—and especially for a show that’s animated despite the dialogue-heavy, often actionless essence of the original novels. The two protagonists, Reinhard von Lohengramm and Yang Wen-li, embody lofty ideas and act out, in an elaborate manner, a battle between ideologies that does exactly what fiction should—contemplate and examine things far beyond the scope of the conflict. The show is slow and heavy in a good way; the lamentable elevator pitch would be that it’s basically “Game of Thrones” in space but more reserved and with less of a juvenile edge. And the remake sucks—don’t watch it

Album: “Songs About Leaving” by Carissa’s Wierd (2002) Carissa’s Wierd (yes, that’s how it’s actually spelled [the Aggie’s talented copy team would never miss such an obvious error!]) was, for their whole lifespan, apathetic. It’s in all of their music, in its nature: slow, vulgar, depressive and carrying an unapologetic air of jaded malice. For a band that played a part in setting the stage for a good chunk of our standard modern, isolated indie folk, they seemed to pride themselves on not caring in an unexpected way. Despite this energy, the band managed to deliver some absolutely stellar albums, like “Song About Leaving”—an introspective, muddled, comfortingly sad little nugget of indie from the early 2000s.

“WandaVision” takes place after “Endgame” in a suburban town where Wanda Maximoff (played by Elizabeth Olson) and Vision (played

by Paul Bettany) settle down in hopes of raising a family together and living in the comfortable peace they never reached throughout their lives.

“WandaVision’’ started out as a playful sitcom, but it lacked that classic energetic and adventurous component of Marvel movies.

Each episode takes on a different decade as the setting, with the first episode set in the ‘50s.

The show begins as a scripted black-and-white sitcom, where everything seems eerily perfect as two superheroes try to make their lives seem normal. “WandaVision’’ is the first collaboration with Disney+ and Marvel, so I blamed the bland beginning on Disney+, but the show definitely picks up and becomes the classic Marvel story that we love.

Fans expected “WandaVision” would be a chance to show Wanda’s Romani and Jewish roots. The controversy first started when they hired the talented—but blonde—Olson to play Wanda. Fans of the original comic were upset that casting directors missed an opportunity to have a character that followed the original comic. Understandably, whitewashing the character made fans upset when she first entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This addition was a possibility for Olson’s character to gain more depth and provide representation, but it fell short and merely referenced Wanda’s Sokovian roots (a fictional country in the MCU) as well as raises questions as to where her once very noticeable accent went.

Despite the ongoing disappointment of missed opportunities for representation, the show is entertaining, and I will be tuning in to future episodes. Olson plays Maximoff beautifully; she’s an amazing actress, and I’ve loved her since she was first introduced, even if she did try to kill off a bunch of different characters—we all make mistakes. The first two episodes were a bit boring, but mostly because it started off as a type of “I Love Lucy” sitcom that included a cringeworthy laugh track. The episodes were not as intriguing as what we are used to seeing with the fast-paced Marvel environment, but I stuck through it, and in the middle of the first episode, they gave us a sneak peek into something that gave me hope that the show wouldn’t be as bland as it seemed. By episode four the show took a quick turn toward entertainment.

I don’t know exactly what I was expecting when I first saw trailers for “WandaVision,” but it certainly was not that Wanda was turning into an antagonist, abusing her abilities. The show is full of surprises, but the one that I am most grateful for is the trio star of the show: Monica, Jimmy and Darcy. The three characters are the best ones in the entire series; their interactions with each other make this series entertaining and fresh. It’s nice to see side characters take a step into action, and I loved seeing how they turned out since the last time we saw them in their respective movies and shows. Because I’m not a comic reader, I was always left to guess and look up conspiracy theories about the fate of the side characters, so their addition into the show as main characters was happily welcomed.

The newest episode brings in Evan Peters as Quicksilver, a potential crossover between superhero universes. By universes, I mean franchises—Peters plays Quicksilver in the “X-Men” movies. While I loved seeing him in the newest episode, mostly because it’s always nice to see him as a character that’s not a brooding teenager, his appearance meshes the worlds together. Nevertheless, Peters was a nice surprise, and he plays the role of the pesky twin brother who is sarcastic and lovable all at once. But he brings in a very different role than what fans would have thought he’d take on. He essentially encourages Wanda to continue torturing people to live out her cruel fantasy with her dead husband. There are also ideas that this recasting of her brother (in Darcy’s words) is because of Mephisto, the villain that people are assuming is taking over this show. While the show hasn’t overtly alluded to him just yet, fans have guessed that the demon character is the one behind Wanda’s altered reality.

Overall, the show has an interesting take and is a beautiful addition to the Marvel Universe.

We’ve always known that Wanda is one of, if not the most, powerful Avenger in the MCU, but this show illustrates exactly how powerful Wanda is. When we take a second to think about exactly what Wanda is doing and how she is taking control of an entire town, it’s frightening.

“WandaVision” is an entertaining show that feels like a Marvel movie, giving me the same excitement I had watching all of my superheroes take the screen for the first time so long ago.

Book: “Novel with Cocaine” by M. Agayev (1934) It’s pretty rare that a work of art in any medium goes out of its way to make the protagonist completely unlikable, and for good reason. “Novel with Cocaine” is an unpleasant read—rarely is a book capable of making the reader hate a human being so much, and the dubious pleasure of being so deep inside the thoughts of such a terrible, terrible person allows the reader a glimpse into a world otherwise inaccessible. Penned by an anonymous author, “Novel with Cocaine” is the written equivalent of peeling off a scab just because you can. Nevertheless, it’s tightly written and almost impossible to put down.

As it turns out, disgust is a fantastic engine when in the hands of an adept writer.

Promotional image for WandaVision airing on Disney+. (Disney, Courtesy)

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 | 9

Sudoku 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.

Answer to previous puzzle 02/18/21

crossword

Answer to previous puzzle 02/18/21

10 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SCIENCE & TECH WATER CONSERVATION PROGRAMS SHOW POTENTIAL TO SAVE WATER, ENERGY AND GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS Minimizing intensive energy operations in water systems can reduce water usage and costs comparable to current energy efficiency programs

BY BRANDON NGUYEN science@theaggie.org In an innovative time where power and energy have evolved tremendously in the past few decades, efficiency and conservation have become new focal points, constantly being optimized in balance with costs. A study conducted by UC Davis’ Center for Water-Energy Efficiency illuminates the possibility of saving not only water but also energy and greenhouse gas emissions through water conservation programs.

Edward Spang—an assistant professor at UC Davis’ food science and technology department who played a pivotal role in starting the Center for Water-Energy Efficiency—explains the findings of a previous statewide study following the urban water conservation mandate back in 2015. Due to the mandate, all urban water utilities were required to reduce water usage by 25%.

“We found that the cost [of water conservation programs] was competitive with direct energy efficiency programs,” Spang said.

“That is to say that you can actually save water and energy at the same cost as saving just energy alone.”

In his most recent study, Spang conducted a case study on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), a major water utility that has implemented water conservation programs, and by working with an individual public utility company, he reaffirmed the broad findings from his previous statewide study.

“The study found that LADWP saved a considerable amount of energy through its water conservation programs,” according to a UC Davis press release. “Across the various scenarios, the estimated energy savings secured through water conservation programs (e.g., high-efficiency washing machines, toilets/urinals and irrigation systems) was cost-competitive with LADWP’s energy efficiency programs (e.g., more efficient lighting, HVAC and refrigeration systems).”

Though the findings offer a remarkably optimistic duality in saving energy and water, they highlight the complexity in measuring costs and energy savings purely due to water conservation programs—as Spang describes from a systems perspective—which, in turn, could be why many utilities have yet to adapt these programs.

“We’ve been working for a while to try to come up with methodologies to measure the amount of embedded energy in water systems,” Spang said. “This meant looking at a particular volume of water delivered to a customer, how much energy did it take to extract that water from groundwater, convey that water to a treatment plant, treat the water and then distribute it to the customer. You can actually trace the pathway of these water sources and come up with an energy footprint to deliver a particular quality of water to a particular location.”

Katrina Jessoe, an associate professor in the agricultural and

MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE resource economics department, offers an economist’s point of view as to why it can be difficult to adopt water conservation programs.

“What the engineers find can differ from what the economists say,” Jessoe said. “The engineers tell us there are these huge savings from these programs, but the economist comes and looks at it, and finds that maybe that is not the case because behavior matters.

Some water conservation instruments may yield energy savings, while some may not.”

Despite the many barriers and limitations that establishing water conservation programs may bring, the LADWP is a model that future conservationists and economists can follow to better understand and optimize energy and resource conservation in the future.

According to Spang’s broad vision of what the future may hold for energy efficiency, California has done such a remarkable job with its programs that transitioning to another level of optimization of energy, and costs will be the next challenge.

“California, we have done such a good job that there’s not much low-hanging fruit as there used to be for these programs,”

Spang said. “For example, changing out lightbulbs: We’ve done a really good job with that. And there are still lightbulbs we still need to change out, but at a certain point, we need to move onto the next phase of energy efficiency, which is a little bit more difficult.

You can think of another analogy where you go from a lightbulb to the whole house, where you’re looking at window glazing and insulation.”

Indeed, water conservation may have opened a new door to this “whole house.” Jessoe highlights a holistic approach on water conservation, looking at agricultural users rather than just residential users, which may even further expand Spang’s findings.

“One thing we focus a lot on is residential water conservation. In California, urban users account for 20% of human water use while agricultural users account for 80%. The marginal cost of trying to wring out that last drop of water out of residential users is really high. So you might be able to, for the same cost, get a whole lot more conservation out of agricultural users.”

BUTTERFLY OBSERVATIONS INDICATE INSECT POPULATIONS ARE DECLINING DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE UC Davis and University of Reno faculty teams work together to understand the relationship between butterfly abundance and climate change, land use and pesticides

MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE

BY FRANCHESKA TORRES science@theaggie.org Climate change is affecting Sierra butterflies studied on land areas not exposed to human interaction, according to a recent study led by Chris Halsch, a doctoral candidate in the ecology, evolution and conservation biology program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Halsch’s findings indicate that the changing natural environment—not direct human contact—is causing these effects, although butterflies are not always perfectly isolated from human contact.

Halsch aided in writing the recent paper detailing these results, including a review of previous literature as well as new findings in the most recent observations of butterflies. The review consisted of findings from previous studies on the topic, which had no less than 10 years of continuous sampling, examined at least 10 species and took climate change into consideration, according to the study.

The new findings were from a long-term time series that Dr.

Art Shapiro, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology, started. Shapiro visited 10 sites across North Central California every other week for over 40 years to look for butterflies.

It could be one of, if not the longest, insect-monitoring study in North America, according to Halsch.

Over the past four years, Halsch collected butterfly data at higher-elevation mountain sites. He and his advisor, Matt Forister, are responsible for those sites and have provided the data from recent time series of the study to add to Shapiro’s observations.

Shapiro is responsible for the creation of the Shapiro Transect, a series of 10 locations across North Central California where Shapiro monitors a variety of butterfly species activity. It benefits from the butterfly season occuring all year round at sea level, according to Shapiro.

“At an interval of two weeks, I walk the transect and record everything I find,” Shapiro said.

According to the data, changes in fauna and timing of butterfly activity were found to correlate with climate change. Each site

included in the Shapiro Transect is matched to a long-term weather station and contains chronological data available on changing weather patterns. The Shapiro Transect is very important to the study, according to Halsch.

“It is one of the two best data sets we have in the world for understanding insects decline,” Halsch said.

The other site referenced is overseen by the United Kingdom butterfly monitoring team. They have monitored hundreds of sites in their country for decades, while the Shapiro Transect mostly consists of Shapiro conducting the observations. Including the U.K. butterfly monitoring team eliminates the potential of an observer effect, which is a scenario where the observer has more impact on the findings than what the site has to offer.

Butterflies have been the source of Shapiro’s research for the past 50 years.

“They have certain advantages in this type of research,” Shapiro said.

Butterflies are large enough to study with the naked eye and do not require special equipment to see them. They are also small enough to raise in large quantities in a laboratory setting, according to Shapiro.

The conclusion of the study is that climate change negatively affects generalist butterflies—butterflies that can live in different environments— the most. The number of generalist butterflies, also called the weedy species by Shapiro, are declining in the mountains, and there are fewer moving up its slope.

This is counterintuitive, according to Shapiro, because most people would think that specialist species, ones that can only survive in one type of environment, would have the most trouble with climate change. The colonization of the mountain depends on immigration from below, but there have been observations of longterm declines in butterflies generally in low elevations in California.

The pesticide neonicotinoid, chemically related to nicotine, is an insecticide produced naturally by plants and is suspected to play a part in butterfly decline, according to Shapiro.

“Reducing the impacts of climate change is a societal problem, and it’s going to take so much work, but making an effort to plant better plants, reduce use of pesticides, not immediately remove weeds that might be good for butterflies will reduce impacts of other stressors because the threat of climate change is only increasing,” Halsch said.

The study of butterflies being negatively affected by climate change is part of a variety of other studies that include different insects that are also declining in population. Even when not all insect populations are declining, the phenomenon is widespread, according to Shapiro.

“The vast majority of insects are not pests, and the vast majority deliver important ecosystem services,” Shapiro said. “We should be concerned if insects are in decline, and we should try as good citizens to find what we as individuals could do to help.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 | 11

TASKFORCE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Rich concurred with this sentiment, and, consistent with the language of the flyer, suggested that obstruction rather than simple nonparticipation is the preferred mode of group members’ interaction.

In the discussion of previous UC-systemwide policing task forces, which the UC Davis Cops Off Campus group views as repetitive and futile, May said he thinks task forces are effective and strongly disagrees with the idea that task forces are a tool of the administration.

“I think [task forces] can be a useful tool to make subsequent changes,” May said. “I don’t know what happened in those other years before I came, and I’m not going to take any responsibility for that.”

Recently the task force has held an ongoing series of town hall meetings to bring more voices to the table. Members of the Cops Off Campus group have declined to participate.

Students that did participate in the task force’s town hall expressed opinions in contradiction to those of these vocal critics, even expressing a desire for increased police presence on campus.

UC Davis Police Chief Joseph Farrow attributed participants’ distaste for task forces to their being symbolic of the status quo. He said that their fears of radical calls for defunding, disarming and abolishing the police will not be answered with yet another task force. However, Farrow is very optimistic about May’s use of the task force mechanism to effect change.

Farrow said that, unlike a city police department, UCDPD, the smallest police department in the UC system, is already quite innovative and proggressive with respect to its composition and the roles and presentation of its employees.

“The majority of my employees are actually Aggie Host—they’re actually students, not police officers,” Farrow said. “We also have police officers who work the core of the campus in plain clothes. They just have a polo shirt on that says UC Davis police. They’re unarmed. We’re trying to change the way we go about our business, so just seeing us on campus doesn’t trigger people.”

The Aggie Host Security program employees are 120 students that provide services like Safe Ride. They escort students home from latenight classes, drive the wheelchair van and patrol sporting events.

“I am trying to hire a police department

that is very reflective of the campus,” Farrow said. “I think the difference [between on and off-campus law enforcement] would be that your police department is mainly made up of students who understand the campus and college life. They really buy into the service philosophy.

The philosophy is that I don’t think we’re there to police you. That’s not our job. Our job is that we’re there to protect you and to make sure that you can participate in and take advantage of everything the university has to offer.”

Farrow views his department as one that is already in motion away from that of a traditional enforcement unit. Farrow said abolition is an incomplete plan.

“You have to be careful when you call for the complete abolition of policing,” Farrow said.

“What are you going to put in its place? What does that look like and who is it going to be?”

Among abolitionists, students and faculty on the UC Davis campus have worked for a long time to answer these essential questions, according to members of the Cops Off Campus group.

“Abolitionists have, for years, offered numerous other possibilities for addressing situations of crisis and for repairing harm and injustice,” Chaganti said. “I would encourage everyone to take opportunities to learn more about transformative justice and community care and accountability as alternative solutions that would address their safety concerns.”

Chaganti also noted the historical implications of police officers in the U.S. “The police in the U.S. carry a terrible history; police forces were formed to capture escaped enslaved persons and reinforce the notion of people as property, as well as to suppress labor strikes,” Chaganti said. “Wouldn’t we want something without such a horrifying legacy in situations where folks need help?”

Cops Off Campus members, May and Farrow agreed that students, faculty and staff need to both feel and be safe on campus. Part of feeling safe, especially for Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) members of the community, will require the administration and police force address the existing and well-warranted fear of police in general, according to Farrow. Ideally, there should be trust between the protectors of the community and those whom they serve, but it is clear that this goal has not been reached on

MINORITYVACCINATIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “It’s about finding out where people get their information,” Tan said. “Everyone is different.

Some people get information from ethnic news media, others from radio, others from social media or the newspaper. For some, it may be even harder and have to be by word of mouth or phone calls. It’s important that we all take the time to learn which communication channels people use and invest the time, energy and money into them.”

In addition to the vaccine clinics, there are various other services available for vulnerable populations in Yolo County, many of which are continuing to operate during the pandemic.

One example is the COVID-19 Local Relief Fund, which was created by the United Way California Capital Region for the five counties it serves in April 2020. It partners with local nonprofits to help low-income households weather the economic hardships caused by the pandemic.

President and CEO of United Way California Capital Region Stephanie McLemore Bray explained via email that the fund has helped many families, and gifts to the fund have allowed crises to be averted for the community and these families.

“In Yolo County, we partnered with Yolo County Children’s Alliance, Rural Innovations Social Economics (RISE) and Empower Yolo to identify and qualify lowincome families experiencing an increased financial hardship due to unpaid leave due to isolation, care of a vulnerable or infected relative, loss of wages due to involuntary cancellation of work, or unpaid leave of absence due to school or daycare closure,” Bray said. “One-time $500 stipends were awarded to these households.”

Through this fund, the COVID-19 Local Relief Fund gave $107,500 to 215 families in Yolo County by the summer of 2020. United Way California Capital Region is now working to help another 200 Yolo County families, aiming to assist over 400 households in Yolo County since the start of the pandemic with over $200,000.

Another service that is available for vulnerable populations is Davis Pet Advocacy and Wellness (Davis PAW).

Rebecca Terrett, a UC Davis third-year graduate veterinary student, explained via email that Davis PAW is “a once-a-month pop-up clinic that provides veterinary access to the pets of the homeless community of Davis.”

Terrett listed the services that Davis PAW has provided for free since it started in October 2020.

“We provide fundamental healthcare services including physical exams, vaccines, minor medical treatments, and basic diagnostics like bloodwork, and offer preventative medications such as flea, [tick] and heartworm prevention, all at no cost to our guests,” Terrett said. “After starting in October of last year, we continue to grow and most recently saw about 20 pets in February.”

Bravo noted that the pandemic has been difficult, but that Yolo County officials and the staff of local clinics have been working hard to keep residents safe and healthy.

“It is not an easy feat but Yolo County has been an incredible partner and we also have amazing leaders at our hospital that continue to work overtime week after week for over a year since we began this fight against COVID-19 to ensure we’re able to get this done,” Bravo said.

HEALTHYEXPANSION CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The DJUSD website lists four new testing locations opening in March on top of their ten campuses that already offer COVID-19 testing.

Stoltz also elaborated on the plans to test at other locations outside of Davis.

“All we’re doing in Yolo County outside of Davis is testing at skilled nursing and long-term care facilities,” Stoltz said. “We did that at the request of Dr. Sisson, who’s the Yolo County public health officer. We don’t yet have firm plans to expand into more testing at Yolo County, but we are thinking about it. If we can get everything done in Davis that we want to accomplish, then we will try to see if we have the budget to expand to other sites within Yolo County. Maybe that would be schools in Yolo County, maybe that would be other senior housing.”

City of Woodland Mayor Tom Stallard explained that there are few options for testing in Woodland.

“The existing testing options in Woodland are mostly done through medical agencies and pharmaceutical agencies,” Stallard said.

“For example, Woodland Memorial Hospital is providing testing, and also Walgreens and Rite-Aids [are providing testing]. The testing is pretty limited at this time. However, it’s my understanding that Healthy Davis Together is looking to become Healthy Yolo Together. That was a very generous thing, to expand the readily available spit tests to other parts of the county.”

Efforts are being made to locate a suitable mass-testing site in Woodland, according to Stallard.

“I recommended that we look at the high school gymnasiums, because we would need a large, open space that has great air circulation. Of

course, the gyms are not in use at the moment.

Schools may go back into session, but that doesn’t mean we’ll have activity in the gyms at the beginning,” Stallard said. “Both Woodland High School and Douglas Middle School are campuses with two gyms each, so one could be used for COVID-19 testing—I’ve actually been in conversations with our school superintendent about this as a possibility.”

In addition to offering saliva testing, Healthy Davis Together is also monitoring the sewage system in Davis for COVID-19 genetic material, Stoltz explained.

“The sewage monitoring system is really monitoring the whole population of Davis,” Stoltz said. “We’re doing that in two ways: we’re monitoring at the wastewater treatment plant, so that’s looking at the level of infection across the entire city, and then we’re doing more refined monitoring at certain locations within the city. There’s a lot of other cities that are doing monitoring at the wastewater treatment plant level. What is unique is that we are really aggressively monitoring within the sub-sewer zones within the city.”

Stallard, as a member of the 65+ community, recently received the vaccine, and he urged those who are eligible for the vaccine to get it as well.

“The response to COVID-19 is an all-hands effort,” Stallard said. “Every one of us has to do everything we can. Get yourself tested if you have access, get yourself vaccinated if you have the opportunity, encourage others to do the same, and let’s all work together to get life back to as normal as possible.”

the UC Davis campus, according to Rich.

“I believe that UCPD makes BIPOC students feel unsafe on our campus,” Rich said. “Surveys at the campus and systemwide level have shown this repeatedly, and on an anecdotal level, it’s something a number of my students have shared with me, especially in the past year.”

The lack of trust stems from a flawed history which cannot be erased. The UC system isn’t devoid of brutal instances of police force, such as the infamous pepper spray incident by UCDPD that occurred on UC Davis’ campus nearly a decade ago, which the university isn’t proud of.

May said that students should understand that the other notable instance of use of force against students (the Picnic Day 2017 altercation), was committed by the City of Davis Police, who are not under the jurisdiction of UC Davis.

Both May and Farrow said that there have only been a small number of complaints or incidents in both of their respective terms.

“We don’t arrest students,” Farrow said.

“I don’t do anything where we really involve ourselves negatively with any of our students.

We’ve had no use of force on a student in five years. I’ve only had like three to four complaints total from every interaction that we have on the entire campus—not from students, by the way, from other people.”

Although May and Farrow did not hold their current positions during the pepper spray incident, in which students were the targets of police violence, there have been more recent incidents of force by UCDPD in both the tenures of May and Farrow, including a 2019 incident at the UC Davis Bookstore. May said that the “non campus-affiliate” involved didn’t file complaints against UCDPD and was put into a restorative justice program.

The possibility of abolition hasn’t been completely dismissed and ignored, according to May. But, he shut down faculty’s call to immediately disband UCPD for now, explaining that there are major holes in the abolitionist approach; he also said their subsequent vision for community safety is already closely aligned with the campus safety model that UC Davis is working toward.

“I have an open mind,” May said. “We talked about abolition. Abolition is a possibility, but we have to be prepared for the consequences of abolition, which means we don’t eliminate police from the campus, there just are other police that are out of our control. Police officers from other jurisdictions. As I said before, I just don’t think that’s a good solution.”

Looking forward, the task force made eight

initial recommendations on Jan. 29, including increased training for the public—not the police—that is intended to “educate members of the public on the basics about the campus police department.” The task force will make their final recommendation in June, after being granted an extension of the initial December deadline.

Although flyers posted by Cops Off Campus suggest that the group demands immediate action, members acknowledge that truly making systemic change is a difficult process that realistically may not occur instantly.

“It’s important for there to be room for a spectrum of ideas even within the abolitionist position about whether the strategy is a gradual transition or a demand for an immediate end,” Chaganti said. “I feel that even though that latter end of the spectrum will sound unrealistic or threatening to many, it needs to exist as a point on the spectrum, speaking to urgency, creating the difficult but necessary momentum.”

There is common ground among all parties in that they share a genuine desire for a system that is better for all.

“The reality is that many people already are very unsafe at the hands of the system that we have; abolition represents a genuine effort to make things better for everyone,” Chaganti said. “Everything I’ve said here indicates a major learning and restructuring process for everyone (including for me, I know), and a lot of work and working together and that will be true no matter what the timeline.”

May said he hopes that restructuring and reimagining safety is a conversation that all groups can have together.

“If you come to the table with a genuine desire to make the environment better, expressing whatever concerns that you have and trying to look for solutions to those concerns that are constructive, I think we can reach that common ground,” May said.

Chaganti said that abolishing the police is inextricably tied to a larger abolitionist project that is fundamentally centered around dismantling oppressive systems and learning to care for each other as a community.

“I think for a lot of abolitionists, the term means something bigger than just police and prisons,” Chaganti said. “You hear the phrase ‘abolitionist horizon’ a lot; a horizon means something that’s always there, shaping the ways you navigate the world even if it’s not fully attainable. It’s within that structure that I understand the work of reimagining how campus communities could be set up.”

EXTREMISM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 “Culture warriors” younger than teenagers are being targeted as well. An editor of the neo-Nazi website Daily Stormer has described the website as being designed to target children as young as 11.

Extremist groups are adept at converting bigotry into memes and humor—it is one of the prominent recruiting strategies. Jokes, as Twitch streamer Steph Loehr explains, remove accountability and create an othering narrative: those who aren’t laughing are “sensitive” snowflakes. Even if someone isn’t being directly targeted, they run the risk of absorbing this programming through social media algorithms that recommend similar content, according to William Baldét of the Center for Analysis of the Radical Right.

Extremism is not just a growing threat within our homeland, but thousands of miles away as well—like a 16-year-old boy in my home country of Singapore. Recently detained for allegedly plotting to kill Muslims, inspired by the Christchurch mosque shootings. He is the first detainee to be inspired by far-right extremist ideology in Singapore. Extremism—and who is vulnerable to it—is not limited by geography, or a certain “type” of person.

In combating extremism on an individual level, I want to highlight the response by religious leaders in Singapore in understanding the importance of how we shape narratives around extremism. In particular, these religious leaders highlight the importance of “continue[d] efforts to engage and build relationships with youth. It is hard work [...] [but] there are no shortcuts [...] to fast-track this.”

Instead of passing judgement, or blaming extremism solely on factors like religion, it is important we tackle conversations about extremism with intentionality, lest we further

isolate and radicalize individuals. A New York Times article outlines teaching resources for students to make sense of the riots at the Capitol and implores that we not only condemn the riots, but also understand the roots of it.

Similarly, in order to combat extremism we need to understand its root causes: “These are people who have chosen hate and ideology as a drug of choice to numb the pain of underlying issues and grievances, and so we treat this the same way we treat addiction,” said Myrieme Churchill, the executive director of Parents for Peace.

As Trump has encouraged far-right extremism to enter the mainstream, it is essential that we call out extremist tactics and behavior. When mother Joanna Schroeder voiced her concerns online about her sons being “softly targeted” by the alt-right on Twitter, she received 180,000 likes with many others sharing similar stories. By sharing her concerns, Shroeder exemplifies that extremism is not an isolated threat but growing within the trenches of the internet through social media platforms. Another mother chronicles in an online essay the journey of her 13-year-old son joining the alt-right, an honest depiction that extremism can happen to anyone—especially teenagers at their most vulnerable.

Ultimately, it is essential we call out extremism as we seek to understand and recover from the riot of Jan. 6 and look more swiftly into identifying the causes that build up to extremism. We need to understand the roots of riots to protect those most vulnerable.

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.

BLM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Baltimore are just a few of the cities that have reduced funding for police departments by over hundreds of millions of dollars, choosing instead to divert funds to mental health programs, education services, increasing affordable housing and tackling homelessness.

In many cities, policies were passed to ban the use of chokeholds by law enforcement—the very tactic that led to George Floyd’s death—as well as the institution of Breonna’s Law in Louisville, KY, which bans “no-knock” search warrants.

Statues honoring Confederate leaders, colonizers and slaveholders have been removed, including those of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson in Richmond, VA and the Athens Confederate Monument in Athens, GA. Moreover, pressure to uproot racist sentiments caused sports teams and food products to change their names. Just recently, PepsiCo announced that they would be renaming the Aunt Jemima pancake mix and syrup brand to “Pearl Milling Company,” in addition to pledging $5 million to “support the Black community.”

The momentum from last year’s BLM protests also prompted people outside of the U.S. to reflect on their own issues of racism and police brutality, from protestors in the U.K. toppling the statue of slave trader Edward Colston to viral Twitter threads about systemic racism and colorism against Papuans trending in Indonesia.

Throughout 2020, the BLM movement

incited important public conversations around racism and efforts to address individual prejudice, as well as nationwide changes in policing, criminal justice and government. The fight for racial equality, however, is far from over.

Mass incarceration and sentencing disparities continue to disproportionately harm Black people. Qualified immunity remains a factor in facilitating police misconduct. Many victims of police brutality, such as Jacob Blake, Tony McDade and Elijah McClain, have still not seen justice.

In order to truly create long-term change, we must hold our leaders to a higher standard.

Centuries of white supremacy and systemic racism will not disappear after just one year of protests and petition-signing. This can only be done through consistent, long-term efforts from both white and Black communities to address individual and structural racism. As lawyer and civil rights activist Derrick Bell once said, “Black people achieve civil rights victories only when white and Black interests converge.” Hopefully, 2021 will mark a year where positive change is not presupposed on tragedy and national outrage.

Black lives still matter—let’s not forget.

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.

12 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS SPRING 2021 UC DAVIS FOOTBALL PREVIEW After long months of waiting, the Aggies are prepared to get back onto the field once again for the first time in over a year

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org In what’s been a whirlwind of an offseason, the UC Davis football team is now on the cusp of returning to the gridiron. A layoff of over a year has the team itching to get back on the field and what awaits them is a season unlike any other.

“The hardest thing for us and for [the players] is the uncertainty,” UC Davis football head coach Dan Hawkins said.

“It’s like some people say, ‘Don’t plan just prepare’ and we’re preparing. We’ll control what we know and the unknown you kind of have to let that go.”

The long offseason was one with many ups and downs, as changing county guidelines continued to shift the practices.

Whether it was over Zoom, small groups or large practices, finding ways to stay connected with their old and new teammates was a big part of the Aggies’ offseason.

“It was very important for us to make sure that we were reaching out to the whole team,” defensive captain and fifth-year psychology major Bryce Rodgers said. “I know the captains, we would stay in touch and talk about certain things. We would get groups going and we have other leaders that were making sure that every person on the team was being communicated with and nobody felt like they were on an island. During [COVID-19], where people might not be seeing too many people [or] people might not have been able to go back home to their family, you want to make sure that everybody feels not as lonely.”

After the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced their plans for a spring season of Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) back in September, many were skeptical about the odds of it happening. After the surge in COVID-19 cases during December, that doubt grew even larger. Nonetheless, 95 FCS teams are scheduled to play this spring, and even after all the questions and concerns, UC Davis is one of them.

“Coach [Hawkins] talked to us about having hope,” offensive captain and fifth-year communication major Kooper Richardson said. “We never lost hope knowing we have such a great university here at Davis. We had a lot of faith that we would get it figured out at the end of the day.”

The Big Sky Conference announced their plans for a six-game season which featured two bye-weeks that would be available in the case of a possible postponement. Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State and Portland State will not participate in this spring’s conference matchups, leaving it up to eight teams as they battle for a Big Sky Conference title. With this year’s FCS playoffs being only 16 teams instead of the usual 24, there will only be five at-large bids for the playoffs, making it even more crucial to win the conference.

Right off the bat, UC Davis’ season was put on hold. Cal Poly’s football program paused for a total of 17 days due to COVID-19 concerns, and both sides agreed to reschedule their Feb. 27 game.

Because of that, UC Davis’ season opener will be delayed by one week, as they begin their journey against the Idaho Vandals on Mar. 6, in Moscow, Idaho. The last time these two teams matched up was in September 2018, when the Aggies handled the Vandals by a final score of 44-21 in Davis, CA. Being that Idaho has the luxury of playing a game before this matchup, there may be a rust factor that may play into the outcome of this game.

After their matchup against Idaho, the Aggies will be back on the road once again the following week, as they travel to take on the Weber State Wildcats in Ogden, Utah. The two teams met in October 2019 at UC Davis Health Stadium in a contest that saw

UC Davis running back Allonzo Gilliam (34) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown for the Aggies during a game against the Cal Poly Mustangs in 2019. (Justin Han / Aggie) the Aggies struggle on offense, not being able to keep up with the scoring and losing by a score of 36-20. After making last year’s playoffs, the Wildcats are poised to do so again, making the stakes for this game even higher.

After two straight road games to start the modified season, the Aggies will finally host their home opener against the Cal Poly Mustangs on March 20 at UC Davis Health Stadium—the game that was postponed and originally scheduled for Feb. 27. UC Davis has won the last three meetings between the two teams and with this game coming in the middle of the season for both sides, it will be one to watch as they will have a better grasp on everything and the rust will almost entirely gone.

The Aggies will remain at home for the following two weeks as they play host to the Idaho State Bengals and the Eastern Washington, both of whom they had recent memorable battles with. In one of the most notable UC Davis football games, the Aggies took down the Bengals in a 44-37 overtime thriller on homecoming. UC Davis trailed by 15 with 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but managed to string off 22 unanswered points to pull off the shocker. Later on that season, the Aggies once again found themselves in an unforgettable game—this time against Eastern Washington. After taking the lead with 1:13 remaining in the fourth, the Aggies gave up the go-ahead touchdown with :26 remaining, ending their magical 2018 season.

In what will be the wrap-up of this short football season, the Aggies will once again see the Cal Poly Mustangs, but this time in San Luis Obispo. In the most recent Big Sky schedule release, they announced that all teams will play their closest drivable opponent in their first and last game.

The preparation heading into this unorthodox season was one very different from others for obvious reasons. Those preparations took another turn, as offensive coordinator Tim Plough was hired

by Boise State University, ending his productive time with the Aggies. There were some questions on whether they would be able

to instill the new offensive coordinator, Cody Hawkins, and his changes with just 50 days before kickoff. But as head coach Dan Hawkins put it, there wasn’t much change needed.

“The beauty of it is that we have a system here,” Hawkins said.

“Cody will have a few tweaks that he likes that are different from Plough. The system of how we do it does not change. We didn’t have to go to square one to re-learn our offense.”

With Plough leaving, it added another layer of uncertainty on the offense, which lost its star quarterback of recent years Jake Maier to graduation. Maier’s production was record-breaking and while his historic production may not be replicated, there is optimism in the offense.

“We have a great connection with all of our [quarterbacks],” Richardson said. “Obviously with Jake not being here, it definitely sucks because he was one of my best friends. Not having him back there is definitely different. But, I’m still friends with everyone else and we feel very comfortable with any [quarterback] that is back there. Our [quarterback] room is unbelievable. We have so many great guys.”

It remains to be seen how the long layoff will ultimately affect the team, but with a six-game season, the margin for error is very slim. The possibility of reaching the playoffs with an at-large bid has only been minimized, so with many big games against conference favorites, the Aggies will have their work cut out for them.

“Just being able to get on the field for any amount of time has been a real blessing,” Rodgers said. “I think however long the season is going to be, I’m just really appreciative to get the time to be out here.”

In the end, after so much uncertainty surrounding whether this season would actually happen, the players feel it within arms reach and are amped up. With kickoff right around the corner, there is a sense of satisfaction and appreciation in returning to the field again, but the ultimate goal to win remains.

NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER REVIVES HIGHLY CONVERSED TOPIC IN SPORTS As Biden introduced a new anti-discrimination law on the basis of gender identity, the sports world revisited the topic

An aerial shot of the Glendale Sports Complex in Los Angeles, CA. (Glendale Parks & Open Space Foundation)

BY KATHERIN RAYGOZA sports@theaggie.org The Biden administration signed an “Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation” last month during President Joe Biden’s first day in office.

The order mandates that all people should not face discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation in schools, jobs or in any parts of life.

“Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love,” the order reads. “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”

The topic of gender identity has been heavily debated in the sports community. With this order in effect, the U.S. allows people to participate in a sport that aligns with their gender rather than the sex they were assigned at birth.

In the U.S., conversation about gender identity and high school athletics started a few years ago when two teenage transgender girls—Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood—from Cromwell High in Connecticut were allowed to compete with the girls’ track and field team.

This decision came with a lot of criticism from people saying that Miller and Yearwood had an unfair advantage. Parents and students began to sign petitions to change the rules that allowed students to participate in athletics based on their assigned sex at birth.

“There is no shortage of discrimination that I face as a young Black woman who is transgender,” Yearwood said. “I have to wake up every day in a world where people who look like me face so many scary and unfair things.”

Today, 17 states, along with the District of Columbia, require transgender girls to be included in girls’ high school sports regardless of the sex they were assigned at birth. Six states do not have strict policies regarding sport and gender identity. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) also endorsed a policy that allows transgender female student-athletes to compete

if they have been taking gender-affirming hormones for more than a year. Their goal is to create “an inclusive environment for transgender athletes while also preserving the current level of competitive fairness in collegiate athletics.”

Not too long ago, some high-profile athletes as well as women’s sport advocates, including legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova, five former presidents of the Women’s Sports Foundation and five former Olympic gold medalists, proposed that the U.S. Congress and the Biden administration remove girls’ and women’s sports from the executive order who “have experienced all or part of male puberty (which is the scientific justification for separate sex sport)”. This group says it doesn’t want to remove transgender girls and women from all sports but would like to accommodate their sports participation in other ways, including separate heats, additional events or divisions among other things.

“We fully support the Biden executive order, ending LGBT discrimination throughout society, including employment, banking, family law and public accommodations,” Nancy Hogshead-Makar, a Title IX attorney and one of the leaders of the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, told USA TODAY Sports in an exclusive interview. “Competitive sports, however, are akin to pregnancy and medical testing; these areas require a sciencebased approach to trans inclusion. Our aim has been on protecting the girls’ and women’s competitive categories, while crafting accommodations for trans athletes into sport wherever possible.”

The order builds on a landmark ruling and extends protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and calls for the Supreme Court ruling to apply to Title IX, the federal law that prohibits discrimination in federally funded schools.

If schools are funded by the federal government, they are required by law to allow all girls to play on girls’ sport teams or face serious consequences.

“We understand that is a complicated issue and that one conversation won’t do it,” Hogshead-Makar said.

According to new research that examines testosterone suppression, even a reduction of testosterone will only slightly reduce the advantage of muscle mass retained by individuals assigned male at birth.

One of the researchers, Tommy Lundberg, recommends that individual sports set their own policies.

“It is easy to sympathize with arguments made on both sides,” Lundberg said. “It is going to be impossible to make everyone happy.”

With the new executive order being at the forefront of President Biden’s tenure, it has ushered in more clarity on this topic. The new order will provide transgender athletes more legal protection as they participate in the sports they love.