April 15, 2021

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VOLUME 139, ISSUE 22 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

UC DAVIS ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO REPORT COVID-19 VACCINATION STATUS ON HEALTH-E-MESSAGING PORTAL The university has begun to collect data about the proportion of students who have received the vaccine

BY REBECCA BIHN-WALLACE campus@theaggie.org With more Californians receiving the COVID-19 vaccine than ever before, UC Davis is encouraging students to report their vaccination statuses on the Health-e-Messaging portal via the Student Health and Wellness Center site.

As of April 15, all California adults ages 16 and older are now eligible for the vaccine as supply increases statewide. Previously, the state was impacted by vaccine shortages in some counties as well as confusion regarding eligibility.

Approximately 33% of Yolo County residents have received one or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with 19.6% of individuals now fully vaccinated, according to the Sacramento Bee. Yolo County leads the Sacramento area in the number of people at least partially vaccinated.

In addition to the campus vaccination site, UC Davis Health, Kaiser Permanente and pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid also offer the vaccine in Yolo County.

However, due to a vaccine shortage on the UC Davis campus, eligible student workers on campus have been encouraged to get their vaccine anywhere they can. According to campus officials, the demand for the vaccine far exceeds its supply.

The university also recently moved its scheduling program to My Turn, a website used by the state for public vaccination scheduling.

Universities including UC Davis are working to gauge whether the vaccine should be mandatory for incoming and current students as they plan for

in-person instruction this fall.

Universities including Cornell, Rutgers, Brown and Fort Lewis College have made the COVID-19 vaccine a requirement for students planning to return for in-person classes in the fall.

UC Davis has not yet decided whether the vaccine will be mandatory for incoming or current students, according to Dana Topousis, the chief marketing and communications officer at the university. None of the other UC campuses have made it a requirement at this time, according to Topousis. She indicated that a potential vaccine mandate is a matter for the University of California Office of the President (UCOP).

“Whatever they decide will set the policy for all 10 UC campuses, including ours, of course,” Topousis said via email. “I know there are discussions happening at the UC about this, but I don’t know when they’ll make a decision.”

According to Jennifer Butler, the university’s director of student affairs marketing and communications, UC Davis does not know what proportion of its student body has already been vaccinated.

“We have just begun this data collection process and do not have any numbers to share at this time,” Butler said via email. “It is also important to note that providing vaccination information to campus is not required at this time, so for the people who have been vaccinated, some of them may opt to not enter the information into Health-e-Messaging.”

UC Davis is encouraging students to report their vaccination as they would any other illness.

“Vaccine status is critical to public health

mitigation measures and best practices for the pandemic—for example, at our own university, knowing the vaccination status of our community will play an increasingly important part in our decision-making as we head toward fall and a return to in-person instruction,” wrote Chancellor Gary May in a March 29 update.

The university anticipates that employees and students will want to have their vaccination status readily available in the future, according to the

update.

“We are administering around 300 vaccines a day at our Vaccine Clinic at the ARC Ballroom,” said Margaret Trout, the executive director of student health and counseling services, via email.

“We are excited that all students will be eligible for vaccination starting April 15 and encourage folks to check out My Turn for scheduling with us and other California locations.”

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PHOEBE BRIDGERS COMES TO UC DAVIS FOR A VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE AND LIVE Q-AND-A FOR STUDENTS The indie-rock musician gave an intimate concert, opening up about her image and her music

BY ANGIE CUMMINGS arts@theaggie.org On Friday, April 9 ASUCD Entertainment Council (EC) hosted Phoebe Bridgers right in everyone’s homes. This virtual concert and Q-and-A featuring indie music’s current reigning melancholy queen was the most appropriate quarantine alternative to the usual Spring Quarter concert.

According to Galit Hara-Salzberg, the head of ASUCD EC, whether Spring Quarter would have an event at all was shrouded in uncertainty in the fall due to considerations of safety restrictions as well as budget cuts. Luckily, ASUCD EC partnered with and got funding from Healthy Davis Together for this event and the “Lean into Local Life” series from Winter Quarter—allowing Hara-Salzberg to search for an artist students would be excited about.

With about 500 people in attendance on the Zoom and over 150 questions submitted to the Q-and-A, there really is no denying that the “Pharbz”—the self-proclaimed name of Bridgers fans—were happy to have her in Davis, no matter if it was through a screen. It felt as if after every single song there were at least ten people in the Zoom chat claiming that they were “literally crying,” which is definitely not an unbelievable feat considering Bridgers incredibly emotionally

charged discography.

The event was aptly promoted all over Facebook and every other person’s Instagram story as a chance to “Come Hang with Phoebe Bridgers,” as her usual laid-back demeanor was clear to see throughout the show. Between her guitar-tuning breaks between songs, the jokes and bits of trivia about each song and her engagement in the Q-and-A, it really just felt like a chill Zoom call with a friend (who has the voice of an angel) and an incredibly active chat. With the open chat and added direct Q-and-A between Bridgers and students, this Zoom call was practically as close as anyone could (safely) get to an in-person event right now.

As Bridgers sang her especially hard-hitting (and chart-topping) songs such as Motion Sickness, Moon Song and Kyoto, the participants in the chat (as well as myself) were in shambles. As Bridgers so eloquently puts it in her song Motion Sickness, “there are no words in the English language,” for this fairly intimate, yet remote, live performance. It is safe to say that the ASUCD EC entirely succeeded in their mission to find “someone who could connect, and be a friend,” as Hara-Salzberg said.

After 40 splendid minutes of music, Bridgers answered a few live questions from students and made time to introduce her beautiful pug puppy, Maxine, to the audience. At one point Bridgers discussed the frustration sexism in the music

Banner promoting ACUCD’s “Come Hang with Phoebe Bridgers” event. (ASUCD Entertainment Council) industry induces, pointing out the painfully overused “Sad Girl Musician” monolith that has so often been used to group any woman making emotional music together, disregarding the myriad of genres and topics broached by the artists placed under this umbrella. According to Hara-Salzberg, it was of great importance to find an artist from a genre ASUCD EC had not previously hosted, and landing the woman currently dominating not only the indie scene but the music industry at large perfectly fit that bill.

While Bridgers is the creator of some of the best cry-inducing music, she is one of the most personable, giggly and witty people in a Zoom meeting, and one can only imagine how electric

her truly live performances could be (even if they are usually sans-Maxine, the perfect pug).

With the immensely positive reaction this event received from the student body at Davis, it begs the question of if we might get another interactive show, whether virtual or in some other form, further down the line. It looks as though this may be the case: “It will definitely be something to consider next year [...] we don’t know how things will look but the next [ASUCD EC] Director should definitely factor [events modeled like] this into their plans,” Hara-Salzberg said.

DAVIS JOINT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT IMPLEMENTED IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION STARTING APRIL 12 DJUSD campuses are now open to students, but families can choose to continue distance learning

BY SHRADDHA JHINGAN city@theaggie.org

The Susan B. Anthony Administrative Center of the Davis Joint Unified School District. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)

Starting April 12, the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) moved to Phase 4 of their plan to return to campus and started holding in-person classes five days a week, according to a message from Dr. John A. Bowes, DJUSD Superintendent.

Before spring break, families were able to select whether they wanted to continue with distance learning or return to in-person instruction.

For in-person participants, the DJUSD website describes that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) have updated guidelines for physical distancing in the classroom and for students wearing masks.

Students’ chairs can now be only three feet apart in the classroom as opposed to the previous six, provided that mask-wearing is enforced, according to the website. When students are unmasked, such as when they are eating, they have to be six feet apart. Staff should remain six feet

away from other students or people when possible.

North Davis Elementary School Principal Sarah Roseen provided more details about the school’s reopening plans.

Roseen explained that starting on Monday, April 12, students were able to attend school inperson for five days a week if their parents decided to opt them into in-person learning. Students still have the option to continue doing distance learning, however.

All students who chose to participate in inperson instruction at North Davis Elementary School are able to do so at the same time, in comparison to staggered groups, for example.

“We actually are welcoming back all students who are interested, because we are able to accommodate them under the new guidance from the California Department of Public Health, which says students may sit three feet apart, chairto-chair with masks on in the classroom,” Roseen said.

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Yolo County scheduling public vaccine clinics based on vaccine supply allocated by state Yolo County supervisor states that 30% of the county has received at least one dose

BY RACHEL SHEY city@theaggie.org On April 2 and 3, Yolo County held public vaccine clinics in Woodland and Davis. The schedule for future pop-up clinics will likely be unpredictable and come out with short notice, according to Yolo County District Supervisor Gary Sandy.

“We plan clinics based on the supply that the State of California says they will be able to provide to us on a weekly basis, so clinics are not always on the same day [or] location each week,” Sandy said via email. “This also means we don’t get a lot of time to plan, so things sometimes move very quickly.”

Approximately 800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were administered on each of the two days, according to on-call Public Information Officer Frank Schneegas.

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“On April 2, it was 805 Pfizer, and on [April 3], it was 800 Pfizer as well, but that was both a first dose and second dose clinic,” Schneegas said.

The county also held private clinics for “our homebound residents, agricultural workers, migrant center families and some other groups” throughout the week of April 5, according to Sandy.

Sandy explained that Yolo County held one public clinic in Woodland on April 7, where some doses were reserved for “specific groups, like seniors and childcare workers, since there are some barriers for these groups to sign up, like time, online skill, etc.”

Sandy explained that in addition to reserving doses for certain groups, the county also allocates a certain number of doses to other local community clinics that do not yet receive doses from the state.

“Our vaccine supply has been slowly increasing; however, it’s still not enough to meet the demand of our residents,” Sandy said.

“Demand still far outweighs supply. We also reallocate doses to some of our local community clinics since they are not yet getting their own doses from the state.”

Sandy elaborated that during the week of April 5, Yolo County shared roughly 2,000 doses with “CommuniCare, UC Davis Occupational Health, Winters Healthcare, Elica Health and even some local fire departments.”

A considerable portion of Yolo County has now been vaccinated, according to Sandy.

“So far, about 30% of Yolo County residents have received at least the first dose, approximately 70,000 out of 220,000 total residents,” Sandy said. “However, this denominator includes children. If we only count those that are 16 and older, we have 179,000 residents that [became] eligible for a COVID vaccine on April 15, and if we divide 70,000 by 179,000, it gets us about 39% of Yolo County residents with at least one dose. This would include those that are vaccinated by hospitals, county clinics, community clinics and other counties.”

The upper limit of the vaccination rate is moreso set by the vaccine supply than by the county’s vaccine infrastructure.

According to Schneegas, Yolo County has been fairly successful in vaccinating its residents.

“We are able to administer all the doses we receive very quickly, and we are more constrained by the amount of doses we receive than [by] the amount of people we can administer the doses to,” Schneegas said.

YoloArts awards $12,630 to Yolo County arts organizations Nonprofit leaders explain that arts and culture nonprofits are in need of support during the pandemic Stop moving furniture—I’m trying to sleep!

March 26 “In parking structure, 10-11 cars up there possibly partying, loud music, nothing seen.”

“Noise complaint. Sounds like they are moving furniture.”

March 27 “Several subjects in hot tub, talking loudly and playing music.”

March 28 “Complaint of live band in backyard.”

BY JELENA LAPUZ city@theaggie.org YoloArts awarded a total of $12,630 on March 17 to five different Yolo County arts organizations: Mariachi Puente, Bike City Theatre Company, United in Unity, Yolo Community Band and Winters Participation Gallery for the Arts.

Executive director of YoloArts Alison Flory explained via email how YoloArts decided to opt in to receive CARES Act funding from the California Arts Council.

YoloArts received the funding “for the purpose of regranting to arts and cultural organizations in Yolo County serving communities of color disproportionately impacted by COVID-19,” Flory said. “As an organization it was vital to participate in the program to ensure that these government funds were made available to organizations within Yolo County.”

Flory described how YoloArts decided which local arts organizations would receive funding.

“YoloArts created a granting program, which included a set of guidelines and an application process,” Flory said. “Of the ten applications received and reviewed by the committee, the five organizations funded most closely aligned with the guidelines.”

Chair of Winters Participation Gallery Valerie Whitworth explained how the YoloArts grant greatly benefited their operations.

“It’s a huge expense each year that we have to mount before we can even start doing art activities,” Whitworth said. “This year, YoloArts has paid for half of that, which allows us to MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE

March 31 “Male with stop sign standing in the roadway attempting to direct traffic.”

April 2 “Coyote sitting in the field along the fenceline.”

“Group of juniors riding electric bikes on campus.”

April 7 “Approximately 6 or more subjects partying in backyard, playing beer pong, yelling.”

complete our mission, which is to take up to 20 middle and high school students and teach them how to make a mural and how to research history that they can put into the story of the mural.”

Founder of United in Unity Sandy Holman described the national impact that her nonprofit has had.

“We’re small, but we have national impact in our efforts in trying to promote systemic change, inclusion, cultural competency, equity, diversity, literacy, equality and education for all,” Holman said. “It’s very tough, critical work.”

Flory explained how the COVID-19 pandemic caused nonprofits to transition to a virtual format over the past year.

“As an industry of creatives we are known for our ability to problem solve, adjust and change to ensure that the arts remain a part of the communities we serve,” Flory said. “However, these adjustments and changes are not without challenges. With the loss of funding streams [nonprofits] have had to cut programming [and] lay off staff just in order to stay afloat.”

Whitworth discussed the importance of arts and cultural nonprofits on mental health during the pandemic.

“Mental health has been a big issue during the pandemic,” Whitworth said. “I think that those folks who have found groups online to do art with have found that they survive it much better than isolation.”

Holman noted that she considers nonprofit workers to be frontline warriors.

“I see nonprofits as your frontline warriors because they often do tremendous, impactful, very difficult work with little support or resources,”

Holman said.

Flory described the importance of arts and cultural nonprofits.

“The arts have the power to spark dialogue, build empathy and encourage shared experiences, which builds a strong and resilient community,” Flory said. “Without the opportunity to experience live theatre, a musical performance, dance to a good rhythm, create in a local studio or walk through a gallery as a community we struggle to process our circumstances and share our individual stories.”

Holman explained that nonprofit organizations are important because they can help to meet community needs.

“Nonprofits are just essential,” Holman said.

“They often fill in the gaps where for-profits don’t.

They also usually are very community-focused— at least the smaller nonprofits are—and very, very dedicated.”

Whitworth described the importance of art during the pandemic.

“The arts allow people to delve into something that takes them out of the present moment into a very creative space, and I think it’s important, especially when things are so chaotic and so unsure and so ambiguous, that people have a creative outlet,” Whitworth said.

Holman left a final note regarding the ability of community members to make a difference.

“I want the community to realize how powerful they are, what potential they have to be changemakers for the good of their community, our country and the world,” Holman said. “I want them to know that we all have a responsibility to use our gifts and our talents to make a difference and to make our living a better place for all.”

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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 | 3

California expands vaccine eligibility to those age 16 and older Health professionals discuss vaccine supply and demand as California expands eligibility

BY LIANA MAE ATIZADO features@theaggie.org On April 1, the state of California expanded the eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines to residents over the age of 50. As of April 15, all adults over the age of 16 can receive the vaccine, and on April 6, UC Davis began administering vaccines to anyone 16 and older. Despite this dramatic increase in the number of eligible individuals, the actual number of people who can get vaccinated depends on the vaccine supply.

Dr. Brad Pollock, the associate dean of public health sciences at the UC Davis School of Medicine, noted that there were vaccine shortages even when eligibility was more restricted. With a greater number of eligible individuals, the wait time for scheduling a vaccination appointment may increase to a few weeks.

“Even though you’ve increased the eligibility to a whole bunch of other people, it doesn’t mean that the supply will be there,” Pollock said. “There will be even more shortages, but we hope that as the manufacturers produce more vaccines, [those shortages] will be made up for. The vaccine supply is increasing steadily, and I’m optimistic about that.”

Pollock said that allowing more young people to get vaccinated is an important step in ending the pandemic. According to the California Department of Public Health, while those aged 50 and older accounted for the majority of COVID19-related deaths, the highest number of cases were found in the 18-34 age group.

“While the older people need to be protected because they’re at higher risk for having bad

outcomes, most of the spread has been coming from younger people,” Pollock said. “If you’re able to get vaccines into the arms of younger people, it’s likely to have an even more accelerated impact on curbing new infections.”

Pfizer is currently working to get the vaccine to even younger age groups. In a study on participants aged 12-15, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine showed 100% efficacy.

Although people 16 and older will now be able to receive the vaccine, priority will still be given to high-risk individuals due to the limited vaccine supply. According to My Turn.ca.gov, a site launched by the state of California that allows eligible individuals to schedule vaccination appointments, “people with a high chance of exposure and people 50 and older” are being prioritized.

Natasha Abadilla, who is in her final year of medical school at the Stanford School of Medicine, said that even with the increased eligibility, there will still be populations that face barriers to receiving vaccines. For example, those who do not have internet access or who face literacy challenges can experience difficulty signing up for an appointment online. To address these disparities, community organizations are working to get vaccines to underserved populations. Healthy Davis Together has launched mobile units to administer vaccines to more remote populations.

“For the vaccines in general, you need to be on the ball in terms of signing up online,” Abadilla said. “That’s a big barrier to receiving the vaccine.

Luckily, there are some really good organizations that are going out within underserved communities with the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.”

Abadilla advised those who are vaccinated

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

to continue exercising caution and following Centers For Disease Control (CDC) guidelines.

This includes following social distancing protocol, maintaining proper hygiene and waiting two weeks after your final dose to allow your body to build up immunity.

“I also advise them not to feel entitled when you have the vaccine because so many people in underserved communities do not have the vaccine,” Abadilla said. “The vaccine does not make anyone morally better than anyone else because lots of people have barriers to getting it.”

Christina Tran, a full-spectrum family medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville, also commented on the barriers to getting vaccinated, such as a lack of access to healthcare or vaccine education. She stated that

My Turn is a helpful tool for those who have internet access, as the site informs people where vaccines are being administered. This includes local pharmacies, such as Safeway or CVS, or hospitals that are distributing vaccines to anyone regardless of insurance status.

“At Kaiser, we even give vaccines to those who are not Kaiser members,” Tran said. “Even if you’re not insured under Kaiser, you can always check our website at kp.org/covidvaccine.”

Tran said that it’s important for as many people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to reach herd immunity before new COVID-19 variants have the chance to spread.

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Chancellor Gary May hosts new monthly talk show The talk show, called “Face to Face,” aims to highlight the achievements of students, faculty and staff

BY REBECCA GARDNER campus@theaggie.org Chancellor Gary May is holding a new monthly talk show, “Face to Face,” during which he shares the spotlight with impressive guests. May said he hopes the show will allow him to build a deeper connection with the community despite the pandemic’s obstruction of normal modes of human interaction.

“We have an ongoing commitment to try to be closer to the campus community and be accessible, available and approachable,” May said. “During the pandemic, it’s harder to do those things because you can’t do them face-to-face, so now we have ‘Face to Face.’”

If May wasn’t a chancellor and electrical engineer, he said he would perhaps take on hosting a talk show as a full-time gig.

“A couple of years ago, Chancellor May answered a question someone asked him about other career paths he was curious about,” said

Dana Topousis, UC Davis’ chief marketing and communications officer, via email. “He said being a talk show host was interesting to him. Because I know how much he enjoys interacting with students, faculty and staff, I suggested that we introduce a campus talk show with him as host.

He agreed!”

Topousis said that May is a natural talent.

“He isn’t receiving coaching on how to behave as a host,” Topousis said via email. “He has interviewed a lot of people during his time as chancellor, particularly during his Chancellor’s Colloquium series, so he’s had a lot of experience.”

“Face to Face” seeks to spotlight campus leaders, enable connection during the pandemic and highlight impactful work, according to May. By allowing viewers the chance to get to know the chancellor better, the show also aims to lessen the gap between administrators and the rest of the campus community.

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Chancellor Gary May interviewing a student for his new talk show, ‘Face to Face’. (Gary May / Courtesy)

Student ballot measure seeks to continue The Green Initiative Fund, $9,800 fund for undocumented students passes after one year The $3 student fee proposal requires a vote by 20% of students to pass

BY KATHLEEN QUINN campus@theaggie.org The April 1 senate meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by ASUCD Vice President Emily Barneond.

Senate Bill #69, a motion to introduce a student ballot measure for the continuation of a $3 fee to support The Green Initiative Fund, passed with one objection from Senator Roberto Rodriguez Ibarra, who said that the fee would disproportionately affect minority students.

“It’s unfair to have a fee referendum during a global pandemic which has affected every student, but particularly those students from marginalized communities,” Rodiguez Ibarra said.

A full 20% of the student body would need to approve the continuation of the $3 student fee and the subsequent $2 increase every academic year until 2031. This translates to approximately 5,900 students required for it to pass, according to Environmental Policy and Planning Commissioner Hunter Ottman.

“Simply looking at how the voter output was last quarter, I just don’t really see how it’s going to get to 20%,” Senator Kristin Mifsud said. “Is there a huge effort to advertise this and make sure that it gets to 20%? Because I definitely know that this needs to pass, but I don’t know if it’s feasible on its own.”

The fee would not increase the overall student fees currently being assessed, but would continue a fee that has been paid by students for the last five years and phases out at the end of this Spring

Quarter, Ottman said. The motion passed with 9-1 against, with senators offering to assist in the get-out-the-vote campaign.

Senator Michael Navarro presented Senate Bill #64, which allocates $9,800 dollars directly to the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center.

Controller Alexis Lopez-Perez noted that after the bill is passed, ASUCD will have $502 left in senate reserves.

The bill was passed unanimously. The motion has been working its way through the senate process since spring 2020.

“I just want to say thank you to the Senate table,” Navarro said. “This has been in the works for literally over a year so I’m so glad we got this done.”

Senate Bill #68, a bill intending to restrict commissioners’ ability to endorse Senate candidates, was presented as emergency legislation before being withdrawn by its author Mifsud.

Multiple commissioners criticized the proposed legislation, saying that it removed the limited power that commissioners have.

“When we endorse candidates, we don’t endorse them based on their slate, we endorse them based on the work they put in and how they’re going to stand up for us,” said Academic Affairs Commission Chair Navreet Hundal. “Our roles are different, as commissioners, we do advocacy.”

After three more commissioners spoke up against the introduction of the bill, Mifsud apologized for presenting the item as emergency legislation, which she said she did because elections were coming up quickly.

“Hearing your perspectives on this, I see I was

definitely wrong and for that, I do apologize,” Mifsud said. “I meant no disrespect.”

Senate Bill #67 was assigned to the Academic Affairs Commission; the bill would establish the Research and Data Center Unit.

Senator Maahum Shahab introduced Constitutional Amendment #69 to create a commission to focus on Davis housing advocacy.

The amendment was assigned to the Internal Affairs Commission, the Ethnic and Cultural

Affairs Commission and the Academic Affairs Commission.

Mifsud mentioned the large-scale data breach that affected the University of California and encouraged students to be protective of their data.

“Be aware that some of our data might have been compromised in the cyberattack,” Mifsud said. “There is not a lot of information other than that right now.”

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Transfer Class of 2022: from community college to Zoom university Students share their experiences transferring to UC Davis during the COVID-19 pandemic

BY NORA FARAHDEL features@theaggie.org After spending two years at community college, a new transfer class was welcomed to the UC Davis community in fall 2020. However, their transition to the university was affected by restrictions due to COVID-19.

Harris Razaqi, a third-year economics major, made the decision to transfer to UC Davis based on the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deciding between UC Davis and UC San Diego, Razaqi chose Davis because of its closer proximity to his hometown. Razaqi made plans to move into an apartment in Davis during fall 2020 but faced difficulties when the time to move came.

“It was pretty hard, pretty depressing, just because you’re basically in a college town but it’s a complete ghost town,” Razaqi said. “That was definitely very difficult my first quarter, and then I decided to come back home after that, and now I’m kind of going back and forth.”

In addition to challenges with his living situation, Razaqi shared that it was difficult to meet new people given the constraints of the pandemic. However, Razaqi has been able to connect with peers through clubs on campus, and serves on the board for the Afghan Student Association.

Razaqi also said that the academic transition while transferring was difficult during his first quarter.

“Compared to community college, [attending UC Davis] is way more work in such a short amount of time,” Razaqi said. “I would have class Monday to Friday, so I would just not really have time to do anything. I would just be at my desk all day.”

Razaqi’s experience at Davis so far has not met his expectations for college life.

“I thought I would meet more people, get involved in a lot of stuff [and] just be able to have fun,” Razaqi said. “But now that I’m here, I don’t really want to have fun, I kind of just want to finish, especially now that [it’s] online, that feeling has just grown more on me.”

Despite the challenges of his first year, Razaqi still feels proud to have made the transition to UC Davis.

“It shows that you’ve put a lot of hard work into what you do, especially being a transfer student,” Razaqi said. “From my own personal journey, going to Davis has been a dream of mine. From being in high school, I had a 2.4 GPA, and going to community college, busting my behind just to get here, I definitely feel like that’s what Davis stands for. It shows hard work, determination and all that stuff.”

Razaqi recommended that incoming transfer students network themselves as much as possible by joining clubs and meeting people in classes.

Manpreet Kaur, a third-year managerial economics major, was drawn to UC Davis because of the Punjabi community. Like Razaqi, Kaur moved to Davis as a third-year transfer student in fall 2020.

Because her roommate did not move in until Winter Quarter and it was a difficult time to socialize, Kaur found the beginning of her time at Davis to be boring and visited home frequently. However, she shared that this quarter has reaffirmed her decision to choose Davis because she has been able to go out and see friends more.

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE “Now that everyone’s [being] vaccinated and stuff is starting to open up because COVID rates have started to go down, it feels more and more like a college town,” Kaur said.

Kaur has extended her friendship circle at Davis through mutual friends. Despite online classes, Kaur has found that her experience has become more of a normal college experience with the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions.

“Now I have become more involved in clubs and organizations on campus than I was in Fall Quarter,” Kaur said. “With everything leaning back toward reopening, clubs are starting to be more active, so I’m pretty much just happy with where I am and really glad that I did in fact move on to campus this year.”

While Kaur is happy with how this year ended, she looks forward to next year when she hopes to experience more of the normal life of a UC Davis student.

Brooke Harrington, a third-year sustainable environmental design major, also moved to Davis in fall 2020.

“I’m on campus; I enjoy biking around; I enjoy the people that I live with,” Harrington said. “It’s been really nice living with a group of other people, most of [whom] are either freshmen or also transfers. It’s nice living with people and not being alone or isolated during this time.”

Beyond her roommates, Harrington met new friends through

interning at the student farm this year. Additionally, Harrington found a community among the students in her major.

“With everything that’s online, it’s definitely nice that I have a small cohort within my major,” Harrington said. “It definitely allows me to get to know people a lot easier than it would be if I was in 500 person lecture classes.”

Harrington shared that while she imagined her transfer experience to be different, like being surrounded by new faces and having college nightlife, she is happy with her decision to transfer to UC Davis.

“I’m a firm believer that people continue to grow,” Harrington said. “Even though due to the pandemic, college life isn’t what I thought that it was going to be—at least this year—I definitely think I wouldn’t be who I am if I hadn’t transferred this year.”

Reflecting on her first year at UC Davis, Harrington shared advice to incoming transfer students.

“Trust the process, try to get involved in whatever ways you can and take it slow,” Harrington said. “It’s a rough adjustment in a normal year, and it’s even more difficult when we’re all dealing with the social, emotional and familial aspects of living through a global pandemic.”

Workshop fosters solidarity among student parents, strives to retain women with children in the academic pipeline UC Davis student parents can find resources and support through WorkLife, the Women’s Resources and Research Center, the Student Disability Center and Safety Services

BY MADDIE DULEY campus@theaggie.org Kira Tiedge, a postdoc in the Department of Plant Biology, hosted a workshop on April 9 to support Ph.D. students and postdocs with children. The workshop, supported by the ‘Professors for the Future’ fellowship, featured talks from representatives from UC Davis WorkLife, the Women’s Resources and Research Center (WRRC), the Student Disability Center and Safety Services. It also featured a discussion where advisors discussed what they can do to support the needs of Ph.D. parents and their hopes to further improve the work-life balance of these students.

“The idea for this workshop first occurred to me when I moved to Davis 18 months ago with two small children to start my postdoctoral research,” Tiedge said. “I was surprised to learn how tough it is here to have children as a grad student or postdoc. But when I started to dig a little deeper, I found a multitude of resources for parenting Ph.D. students and postdocs at UC Davis.”

Tiedge opened up the workshop by sharing that the academic pipeline for women in higher education does not feature a linear structure. Women represent 53% of female bachelor graduates,

MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE

43% of female Ph.D. graduates and 28% of female researchers, according to Tiedge.

Tiedge added that almost half of all women in science, technology, engineering and math leave after having children.

By holding this workshop, Tiedge said she hopes to embrace solidarity among working parents.

“I decided to organize an event to bring together all those different people and institutions on campus and to send a signal to parenting Ph.D. students and postdocs to let them know that they are not fighting alone,” Tiedge said.

The first talk was given by Sandy Batchelor, the WorkLife and Wellness coordinator. “[WorkLife supports students] through our student parent child-care grants, student parent childcare grants, our resource pages, a lactation support program and [we are also] a part of Healthy UC Davis [Together] which promotes a healthy lifestyle,” Batchelor said.

Batchelor also shared that the lactation program at UC Davis allows students to have free private consultations with a lactation

consultant, access to classes and support groups and the opportunity to use the numerous lactation rooms across campus.

Vanessa Segundo, a Ph.D. student in the department of education, presented next on behalf of the WRRC. “Everything that we do, the way that we lend our resources and services, is through a gender equity lens,” Segundo said.

The WRRC offers a student parent closet with baby supplies, a lactation space and toddler and teen activities. During COVID-19, the student parent program in the WRRC has been offering virtual events for children with an upcoming farming and gardening event which will be held on Saturday, April 17. They are also hosting biweekly graduate virtual writing rooms and student parent mixers.

Jennifer Billeci, the director of the Student Disability Center, presented next.

“The Student Disability Center can provide support to students at any stage during their pregnancy and during the postpartum period, and that’s regardless of whether it’s a typical pregnancy or a pregnancy with complications,” Billeci said.

The center can assist with schedule adjustments, rides to classes and employment support if the student is working on campus. They have a wide variety of services they can offer to meet the needs of the individual student.

Veronica Thron, the supervisor of the Laboratory Safety Program, then presented on behalf of campus’ Safety Services.

“We have the opportunity to work with researchers, graduate students and undergrads to identify the hazards in the workplace and, most importantly, mitigate those hazards,” Thron said.

After the talks, the discussion portion of the workshop allowed mentors to share advice regarding how to best support student parents. “[As mentors] we should always ask our mentees what they need and not assume that they need anything,” said Natalia Deep-Sossa, a professor in the Chicana/o studies department. “Pregnancy is not a disease. We need to make sure that they know what their rights are and what laws and policies exist through the university and in California.”

Tiedge said she hopes the workshop allows attendees to feel a sense of solidarity and encouragement from the plethora of support available to them as they work tirelessly to achieve their career goals.

“We, as students or postdocs, all want to be here and do the best we can,” said Lidor Shaar-Moshe, a postdoc in the Department of Plant Biology and the genome center. “We just need a bit more flexibility in order for us to really shine and really be able to do what we want to do.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 | 5

OPINION EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE EQUAL ACCESS TO COVID-19 VACCINES

THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

EDITO RIA L B OA RD ANJINI VENUGOPAL Editor-in-Chief MARGO ROSENBAUM Managing Editor

As disparities in the vaccine rollout become increasingly apparent, the Editorial Board encourages everyone to help others stay safe and get vaccinated

SABRINA HABCHI Campus News Editor EDEN WINNIFORD City News Editor CALVIN COFFEE Opinion Editor

On April 6, 2020, President Joe Biden announced that all Americans would be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine

by April 19, roughly two weeks earlier than the previous deadline set by the administration. After a year of isolation and loss, what once seemed unimaginable for many Americans—widely accessible vaccines to protect against COVID-19—are now closer than ever, bringing hope to many that the end of the pandemic is near.

In California specifically, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that all Californians over the age of 16 would be eligible to make a COVID-19 vaccination appointment starting April 15. Many vaccination clinics were able to open their appointments to those over 16 much sooner, including UC Davis Health, which recently expanded its eligibility to all those over 16 on April 6.

Yet while the vaccine rollout has brought hope and protection to many, it has been wrought with issues that continue to highlight the disparities within our healthcare system. Racial and ethnic minorities, who are at an increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19 due to longstanding health inequities, are receiving smaller shares of vaccinations in comparison to their share of the population and their COVID-19 infection and death rate.

For example, only 23% of vaccinations have gone to Hispanic people in California, while they make up 40% of the population, 55% of COVID-19 cases and 47% of deaths.

Meanwhile, white people consistently are receiving more than their fair share of vaccinations. Data from 41 states compiled by the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate that the vaccination rate for white people is 1.8 times higher than the rate for Hispanic people and 1.6 times higher than the rate for Black people.

These differences are often attributed to disparities in access to vaccine infrastructure, as Black and Hispanic people are less likely than white people to have access to reliable internet for booking appointments or flexible work schedules to attend their appointment. Vaccination rates also align with socioeconomic status; according to a press release from the Office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, 50% more vaccinations have gone to California’s wealthiest populations than the poorer and more vulnerable.

On a global scale, vaccinations have almost exclusively been given to wealthier countries that were able to buy vaccines sooner. As of March 30, 2021, 86% of shots administered worldwide have been given to individuals in high- and upper-middle-income countries, whereas only 0.01% of doses have been given to individuals in low-income countries. At that time, 30 countries had not been able to administer a single vaccine dose, and it was estimated that many developing countries will not be able to vaccinate their entire

population until 2024.

Though the U.S. was able to secure vaccine doses earlier than other countries, the fragmented vaccine rollout within the U.S. created noticable differences on a state and county level. Many eligible individuals who were able to receive their vaccinations in the last few months heard about available appointments through word of mouth, making it difficult to book highly elusive appointments which vary based on personal connections.

While California’s My Turn website has centralized the process for booking a vaccination appointment, appointments are still challenging to find and availability is limited. Though the state’s increase in vaccine supplies in the coming weeks should alleviate some of those challenges, Newsom warns that, “it is expected to take several months for willing Californians to be vaccinated.”

The state of California has implemented some measures intended to alleviate the disparities in vaccine distribution, including funding local programs aimed at vaccinating the state’s most vulnerable communities and partnering with communitybased organizations to vaccinate farmworkers. UC Davis Health has also worked on distributing the vaccine to individuals experiencing homelessness in Sacramento and providing COVID-19 outreach and educational services to farmworkers.

The Editorial Board urges all students and community members to get the vaccine as soon as they are eligible and able to book an appointment. In light of these systemic disparities, it is important for those who are vaccinated to acknowledge the privilege they have in receiving the vaccine. This includes assisting others who may have a harder time accessing vaccine appointments by helping them book appointments and spreading the word about vaccination clinics.

While many health disparities revealed by the vaccination rollout need to be addressed on a state-wide and national level, these individual actions can help those who face unfair challenges get access to vaccines sooner—leading to more protection for our entire community.

Even with vaccination rates on the rise, be sure to follow the guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, social distance and wear masks in public.

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

If you or anyone you know has concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine, there are resources available. The CDC has information about vaccine safety and effectiveness at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019ncov/vaccines/effectiveness.html. You can schedule an appointment through https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines/.

Call it what it is—Alabama’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act is discrimination Transgender youth and gender affirming care are not items on an agenda

BY RENEE WANG reswang@ucdavis.edu Next on the agenda: the livelihoods of transgender youth and the state of gender-affirming care—ploys in a culture war that when made into law, reap political benefits at the expense of those most vulnerable. Despite names like Arkansas’ Save Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act and Alabama’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, these laws are malicious and created with zero empathy for transgender youth.

The Arkansas SAFE act prohibits physicians from providing gender-affirming treatment for transgender youth under 18.

After the bill was passed in the House, pediatric doctor Michele Hutchinson testified to the Arkansas senate that there were “multiple kids in [the] emergency room because of an attempted suicide.”

Hutchinson’s testimony captured the plight of transgender youth who will be denied necessary care; however, it did little to change the convictions of Arkansas’ House and Senate.

With Arkansas’ House and Senate voting 71-24 and 25-8 to override Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s veto of the SAFE act, Arkansas is now the first state to criminalize gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth. This is not an isolated case. In the past year, 174 anti-LGBT bills have been introduced, 95% of which are specifically aimed at transgender people.

In Alabama, the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act criminalizes medical professionals who provide pubertyblocking medication, testosterone and estrogen doses and surgery for transgender youth. Should the bill become law, violations by medical professionals will be considered a Class C felony and punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The law manages to be even more egregious in its invasion into the lives of transgender youth by requiring school administrators such as nurses or counselors to disclose to their parents that “his or her gender or sex is inconsistent.” It effectively outs transgender youth and further ostracizes them by eliminating their support systems.

As of now, the Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection act has passed 23-4 in the Alabama Senate. As the future of genderaffirming care hangs in the balance, Dr. Morissa Ladinsky reports that “almost every clinic visit [has] ended with either a parent or child choking back tears, saying, ‘Where do you think those bills are going? Is it gonna happen?’”

The act is sponsored by Sen. Shay Shelnutt of Trussville, who has admitted he has never spoken to transgender youth, yet feels justified in stating that “there’s no medical condition that these kids have. It’s just in their mind.”

Shelnutt’s bill opens up a realm of horrifying precedents. It is an over-expansion of government authority into the lives of transgender youth, prohibiting treatments even with parental consent. It validates that a law can be created by a politician who has never spoken to the constituents it gravely affects.

It exacerbates obstacles transgender youth face. Thirty-five percent of trans youth have attempted suicide compared to 7% of their cisgender peers, according to a 2017 study. When unable to

access adequate care, some youth resort to buying off-the-counter hormonal treatments and administering these treatments without “proper medical management.”

Shelnutt’s bill fails to acknowledge the dismal realities transgender individuals face in searching for gender-affirming care.

There are numerous roadblocks in finding gender-affirming care; it is inadequately taught in medical schools, and discrimination by healthcare providers—verbal and physical abuse, refusal of care and incorrect care—is routine. Sixty percent of transgender patients who are unable to find physicians to help them due to anti-transgender bias have attempted suicide.

The bill fails to acknowledge the “nuanced and deliberative’’ practice a person experiences when transitioning. Contrary to Sen. Shelnutt’s point that “children aren’t mature enough to make this decision on surgeries and drugs,” transitioning is not a process that happens on a whim. According to psychologist Laura Embry, who works at an adolescent gender clinic in Alabama, families may wait months or even years before interventions are deemed appropriate; the process of informed consent is “extensive” and highly individualized to a person’s development.

The act also describes puberty blockers and hormones as “uncontrolled human medical experimentation,” implying that transgender youth aligning themselves to their true and congruent gender identities is somehow a self-inflicted form of “experimentation” that is happening with little medical guidelines put in place. The language in the bill stigmatizes transitioning by implying that it is inherently unnatural by placing it in conjunction with an “experiment.”

The bill fails to look beyond its single-minded narrative into the benefits of puberty blockers for transgender youth and the positive implications on mental health. The bill refers to the administration of puberty-blocking medications as “irreversible.” Puberty blockers are not “irreversible”; if a youth were to stop using puberty blockers, “puberty will continue as if the medication were never utilized.”

Furthermore, puberty blockers can give transgender youth more time to explore their gender identities before making permanent changes all while “reduc[ing] the distress associated with secondary sexual characteristic development that is incongruent with the patient’s lived gender.”

The bill’s claim that “a substantial majority of pre-pubescent children who claim a gender identity different from their biological sex will ultimately identify with their biological sex by young adulthood or sooner when supported through their natural puberty” falls back on a narrative that many youths will “desist,” an assumption based on studies that have been called into critique by the Gender Dysphoria Affirmative Working Group.

Research on desistance cite that 65 to 94% of transgender youth “grow out of their transgender identity.” However, there are many issues with this existing research: criteria for gender dysphoria diagnosis was “less stringent” in the past, and many diagnosed with it in the past may not have the same diagnosis today, potentially

Protesters in Alabama oppose bills targeting transgender youth (Julie Bennet / Getty Images) overblowing desistance statistics. Also, a study cited anyone not returning to their clinic as “desisting” without greater inquiry, when in reality, some participants did not respond or could not be contacted.

It is wholly irresponsible to use studies with problems in its methodologies to make a blanket assumption of transgender youth. It also perpetuates misconceptions about detransitioning by “painting transgender people as just temporarily confused or suffering from a misdiagnosed psychological disorder.” A 2015 study surveying 28,000 people found that 8% of respondents detransitioned, with parental pressure cited as a common reason. For puberty blockers, less than 2% of youth decided to stop treatment.

The Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act does not care about protecting children—this is apparent in the discriminatory language in the bill, its lack of empathy and its dispensation of inaccurate information.

I want Sen. Shelnutt to look into the faces of the transgender youth that his law will affect and tell them that the distress and turmoil they experienced due to their gender identity is imagined. I want Sen. Shelnutt to look into the faces of transgender youth and tell them that they do not know the person they are meant to be. But that would require Sen. Shelnutt to first speak with youths like Syrus Hall, Phineas Smith and Jessica Fuller.

Which to reiterate—he has not, yet he is spearheading a bill that would deny transgender youth their rights to gender-affirming care and force them to be outed when they are not ready. Sen. Shelnutt and other politicians who support this bill should not impose their lack of knowledge or moral systems into the lives of transgender youth.

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, APRIL 15, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OPINION TikTok: the champion of the common man The world’s most controversial app should continue to uphold its legacy

BY ISABELLA CHUECOS ifchuecos@ucdavis.edu If you’re like every other person that’s gone through 2020, you’ve either heard about, downloaded or loathed TikTok. Personally, I’m a TikTok fanatic. I’ll tell myself I want to scroll for five minutes and end up with my cornea inches from the screen for hours.

The more traditional social media platforms seem to have their express purposes: Facebook is for life-sharing, Snapchat is for messaging and Instagram is for photo-sharing. There’s no doubt that between all of these basic functions, the notoriously infectious internet trends are one of the most exciting and rewarding parts of scrolling around.

Chain messages, mannequin challenges and Harlem Shakes are the bread and butter of internet culture. Despite the staleness of being a one-in-a-billion social media user, these trends allow us to band together under huge inside jokes.

TikTok is in a league of its own in that it takes out all of the

usual fluff that Facebook or Instagram have and just feeds you trends. The app is a constant stream of dance renditions and shared sounds––and it works. TikTok trends aren’t just part of the app; they are the app.

(Layne Murdoch /Aggie)

What’s most fun about internet trends is that users can partake in something that everyone else is doing with the added challenge of trying to make the trend their own. It’s like the internet’s version of riffing on jokes with your buddies. We’re all trying to come up with the funniest or craziest version of the same thing.

The original Harlem Shake video, for example, was just four people thrashing in a closet-sized dorm room. As the trend grew in popularity, however, people gathered in lecture halls and office buildings to try to one-up everyone else’s thrashing. That’s the beauty of internet trends; we’re trying to fit in and simultaneously stand way out.

TikTok, unlike most social media platforms, has found a way to not only overload you with trends but also makes sure that everyone has a shot at reaching the top.

TIKTOK on 11 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

HUMOR

Student's mental health day makes mental health worse De-stress at your own peril

BY ANNABEL MARSHALL almarshall@ucdavis.edu In—at this point—moderately-precedented times, it is important to set aside time for oneself.

Many colleges advise students to guard against burnout with mental health days. As UC Davis student Allison Kwon discovered, it’s easier said than done.

“I took one day off, and now I have 200 emails, six missing assignments and 32 death threats from my final project group members,” Kwon said.

The “day of healing’’ began when Kwon’s cup of herbal tea gave her lips second-degree burns. Nevertheless, Kwon bravely continued forth. After she attended to her scalded mouth, she had a few moments of peace as she looked out the window of her apartment and observed a songbird. Then she remembered that shifting temperatures and weather patterns are putting hundreds of bird species at risk of extinction. This, in turn, called to mind a failed environmental science midterm, which evoked feelings of shame and inadequacy.

The train of thought culminated in a crushing sense of guilt at having used almond

milk in her tea despite her awareness of the unsustainable farming practices used to grow and harvest almonds. (It is, however, the opinion of the author that she deserved that guilt for putting milk in herbal tea).

Kwon messed up her breakfast, but not, as she notes, in the “cute, endearing way of the clueless romantic lead in a ‘90s movie.” Her roommates watched with disgust as she tried to cram a full bagel into one slot of a toaster and accidentally cracked an egg into her cup of tea, somehow making it more of a crime against nature.

It went on. She was allergic to her sloth mucus face mask. When she tried to listen to her favorite podcast, she discovered the host had now become a vehement anti-vaxxer.

WORSEHEALTH on 11 Disclaimer: (This article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and the names of “sources” are fictionalized.)

Stress on the job. (Getty Images)

Don’t release your pet turtles in the Arboretum

BY RUSHI TAWADE rntawade@ucdavis.edu

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

If the COVID-19 vaccine companies were perfumes Coming to stores near you this holiday season

BY KATE HARGES klharges@ucdavis.edu As I’m sure many can relate, the vaccine names Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson have been incorporated into my family’s daily vocabulary. At this point, my dog is reacting to the word “Moderna” as if it means she’s getting another one of those Milk-Bone dog treats.

As these sweet, sweet words travel throughout my household, it got me thinking.

Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson don’t sound too far off from the names of famous perfumes.

Therefore, I will be using the rest of this article to consider which scents each vaccine would be as a perfume, and what types of commercials would be used to advertise them.

Let’s begin with Moderna. Moderna would be your classic cologne. It would smell fresh, zesty and bold. However, if we’re being completely honest, it’s essentially rebranded Old Spice Swagger. As for the commercial, it’d be a montage of a man in a tight suit looking out at the New York City skyline.

Now on to Pfizer. Part of me wants to assume that it’d smell atrocious—like the dining hall of an old folks home. But when I really thought about it, I decided it could be a subtle orange smell with a hint of damp pinewood.

It’s worn by divorced middle-aged women in Vermont, as well as a niche group of women in their 20s. The commercial would try to follow a storyline but would just be a bunch of women running through poppy fields.

Lastly, we have Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson would smell safe and familiar. It’d smell like a mix of laundry detergent and vanilla.

While it would be considered the cheaper alternative to other perfumes, it’d still be one of the best-selling products at Macy’s... in the greater St. Louis area. The commercial would feature women of varying ages dancing to “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.

I can only imagine how infatuated you must be by these perfumes and colognes. Don’t worry, I’m in contact with Macy’s stores everywhere.

They’ll be available by December 2022.

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

A scientist looking at monkey kidney cells in the search for a vaccine. (Nicolas Asfouri / Getty Images)

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 | 7

Student-run clinic provides healthcare to the medically underserved Latino community

Clínica Tepati advocates for the Latino community and helps support the next generation of underrepresented Latino doctors

BY LYRA FARRELL features@theaggie.org Located in Sacramento, Clínica Tepati is run entirely by UC Davis undergraduate and medical students and is geared toward supporting the Latino community. The goal of the clinic is to provide free healthcare and health education in Sacramento and the surrounding areas.

Diana Magana Martinez, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior (NPB) and Chicana/o studies double major and the executive administrator of Clínica Tepati, has witnessed the impact of culturally sensitive exchanges between Latino healthcare providers and patients in the clinic.

“I have seen that the connection that is made between providers and patients who identify culturally or even speak the same language is a lot deeper than you see if it was otherwise,” Magana Martinez said. “I also see that even in healthcare, you are not treating an illness or [...] just a condition, you are treating a person, so with a person comes all of their identities, all of their culture.”

Elian Andrade-Garcia, a third-year Spanish and gender, sexuality and women’s studies double major and the undergraduate representative of Clínica Tepati, grew up in a small, predominantly Latino agricultural town and was motivated to apply to the clinic because he wanted to serve a similar population in his future career.

“A lot of them will [say] coming to our clinic is one of the few times that they feel that they’re actually being heard and advocated for in the way that they would expect any medical professional to do for them. So it’s amazing to hear but at the same time it’s super disheartening knowing that other spaces don’t always provide that same care,” Andrade-Garcia said.

According to Yesenia Alvarez, a fourth-year biological sciences major and the community representative of Clínica Tepati, for the undocumented Latino population, finding a healthcare provider that is affordable and that they feel will not report them is a hurdle that is difficult to overcome.

“In the Latinx community, healthcare isn’t something that is very accessible, due to finances or due to immigration status,” Alvarez said. “We offer all of our services for free, and our patients are very comfortable with us. Some people are scared to go to the hospital if they don’t have papers—they’re scared that if they go, they’ll be deported,” Alvarez said.

In Andrade-Garcia’s service with Clínica Tepati, he said that he’s learned that a non-Latino doctor may have internalized stereotypes about the Latino community that could stand in the way of proper care. For this reason, Andrade-Garcia said, better Latino representation in the medical field is vital.

“Doctors will sometimes assume that Latina women specifically

Undergraduate members of Clínica Tepati. (Clínica Tepati / Courtesy) are more hysterical and dramatic about their pain or the symptoms that they’re experiencing,” Andrade-Garcia said. “A lot of that misunderstanding or even chalking patients up to putting on a show is super damaging, especially to the population that we serve, so having more Latinx representation in the healthcare field definitely helps.”

Aylín Rojas, a fourth-year human development major and cohead of the clinic’s mental health committee, became interested in healthcare when her great-grandmother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and she realized her family had little knowledge of what the condition meant.

According to Rojas, mental health is often ill-addressed in the Latino community due to stigmas.

“Especially in the Chicanx/Latinx community, [...] a lot of people don’t believe depression is a thing,” Rojas said. “A lot of people, even if they know what they’re experiencing is not normal, they don’t really talk about it because it’s stigmatized, and if you admit it, you’re crazy.”

According to Rojas, with the financial strains COVID-19 has put on already-struggling Latino populations, mental health issues are even more important to address, yet often go ignored.

“Especially during [COVID-19], they’re one of the most impacted communities—it’s really hard to get them to realize [...] that it’s okay to have these problems, and when you do, it’s okay to reach out and talk to someone and get help for it,” Rojas said.

Only 6% of doctors in California identify as Latino, although the Latino community makes up 39% of the state’s population. Magana Martinez worries that not enough Latino healthcare workers will enter the field in future years to support the needs of the underserved Latino population. She sees Clínica Tepati, however, as a successful outlet for Latino students who strive to enter the healthcare field despite the unique struggles the Latino community faces and the current lack of representation in the field.

“We see Clínica Tepati as something greater for the next future of healthcare providers,” Magana Martinez said. “It is a worry, but in places like Tepati, I get inspired and I am hopeful that all of our Tepati staff, as we transcend in our professional life, will be constantly making the same impact.”

Davis district teachers weigh in on schools reopening this month Educators share concerns over safety and fairness in the reopening process

BY KATIE DEBENEDETTI features@theaggie.org As COVID-19 vaccination rates increase and infection rates decrease in California, many public school districts are preparing to reopen for the first time since March 2020. The Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD), which includes over 20 elementary, middle and high schools, has set their reopening date for April 12, when all students will be invited to return to school five days a week.

Originally, the district had come up with a hybrid plan wherein two pods would be created in every grade, an A and a B pod. The A pod would attend school in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, the B pod would attend on Thursdays and Fridays, and all students would learn from home on Wednesdays.

Then, over the district’s spring break, on April 2, the district released new plans to open to all students who wished to return to campus five days a week. A special board meeting was held to decide between two entirely new schedules: one in which all students returning in person would be on campus four days a week and everyone would learn virtually on Wednesdays, and another where all in-person students would be on campus five days a week. Ultimately, the board decided in a 3-2 vote decision to move forward with the five day plan, beginning on April 12.

According to Jessica Beckinger, a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Birch Lane Elementary, it has been very difficult for teachers to adjust to this decision.

“It’s been stressful because they sent out one schedule for Phase 3, and then we went down a tier and so then all of a sudden, without notifying teachers or parents, we jumped into a totally different schedule,” Beckinger said. “So we had planned over spring break for having kids two afternoons a week, and now we will be having them five mornings a week. All the plans we did got scrapped, and we are kind of scrambling [...] to come up with a whole new way of teaching within a week.”

At the elementary and secondary levels, 20% of students have elected to remain in distance learning for the remainder of the school year, which means that teachers will have to create separate lesson plans for these students to meet district requirements. For kindergarten students, that means 45 minutes of “live” instruction per day.

“We’re trying to think about how we meet that live [Zoom] time while still keeping a similar schedule to what we’ve had for our distance learners. Their parents have built their whole work lives around that and are not going to be thrilled with us if we suddenly radically change it on them,” Beckinger said. “Some of our students are home with their parents in the morning and then are going to a preschool or a daycare in the afternoon, so [we’re] trying to think of what will work for families.”

To accommodate these students, Beckinger and her colleagues have decided to “simulcast”—or record—their morning meeting with the in-person students so that the distance learners can watch it whenever their guardians have established their school time. They plan to make sure the meeting is at least 45 minutes long so that it can count for their live instruction minutes. In addition to this simulcast, Beckinger will have to create separate asynchronous lessons for her at-home learners to watch so that they get the same amount of instruction as they would in person.

Generally, Beckinger teaches in a Montessori style, which usually involves children working with one another, sharing materials, and moving around the classroom independently, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, she had to restructure her in-person teaching style completely. Students will no longer be allowed to choose their own seats or collaborate with a friend. She will be teaching lessons from the front of the classroom while all students sit at least three feet apart. When students do use books or Montessori materials, they will

have to be disinfected and quarantined for some time before another student can use them.

She explained that this is going to be difficult for students whom she taught last year to adjust.

“They’re thinking they’re going to come back and it’s going to be like it was last year, and it’s not,” Beckinger said. “There’s going to be no recess, no working with a friend, that social aspect [...] is not going to be there anymore.”

Middle school teachers are dealing with a similar situation.

Josephine Eberle, a seventh grade teacher at Emerson Middle School, said that she and her colleagues have also been trying to ensure that both students in person and at home are being taught, which has required a lot of reworking.

“We’ll be teaching the students in front of us and the students who are in that distance situation,” Eberle said. “We are going to have to learn how to do that. That’s going to be the transition.”

An even larger proportion of high school students—about 50%—have elected to remain in distance learning for the rest of the year. High school classes won’t look that much different in person as they have online, according to Dianna Stommel, an 11th grade history teacher at Davis Senior High School.

“I can’t really do anything much different than what I’ve been doing,” Stommel said. “You still have to be aware of the half of your students that are still logging in with Zoom and doing their work that way. The benefits for the students that are coming to school [...] is really the socialization and returning to campus and having some sense of normalcy.”

Stommel will continue to teach from home this year because of a medical exemption, but she said that even if she were in person, her lesson plans would look largely the same. Her in-person students will be proctored by another teacher while they watch her on the projector at the front of the classroom, and her distance learners will continue to watch her via Zoom on their personal devices.

For all teachers, the preparation for in-person classes on April 12 has been very hectic, according to Stommel. Beckinger explained that it has also been less than ideal for most.

“We had a choice between a four-day week schedule and a fiveday week schedule,” Beckinger said. “Teachers were polled and 85% of teachers wanted the four day [in-person schedule], so that we did have one day a week to plan and prepare lessons for the distance learners. That was not passed, so that was a big disappointment. I’m CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

a parent of two young kids. I cannot be here until eight at night.”

Many teachers have concerns over both the safety and fairness of the way that the DJUSD is handling the return to in-person classes.

“Even if you’re a super experienced teacher and have lots of years and activities under your belt, you kind of had to relearn everything this year,” Stommel said. “Most of the things that I would do in my classroom that work, and how I would teach, you can’t really do. You have to kind of redesign and redo your entire curriculum. I know people have been working tons of overtime this year.”

Beckinger echoed similar sentiments to Stommel.

“It’s asking teachers to do two jobs within the time and for the pay of one job,” Beckinger said. “I don’t think it’s fair. It’s just asking a whole lot of teachers and learning a whole new way of delivering education when we have already done that twice in the last year.”

In addition to the increased workload that this year has required of teachers, some believe that the district’s handling of the return to campus has been unfair for teachers personally.

“We don’t get the choice to keep our children in distance learning once we’re being sent back, so that piece is also a bit unfair,” Beckinger said. “If we have school-aged kids and we don’t want them in a room full of other children, that choice is being taken away now from a lot of families.”

Some teachers have also struggled to get permission to continue teaching from home, despite their safety concerns, according to Beckinger.

“It’s turning out to be quite difficult for teachers who do have a medical note for themselves or someone in their family to actually remain in distance learning,” Beckinger said. “I have a close friend here at work who is a single mother, and her daughter has a preexisting condition, [...] so they have been completely and very strictly quarantined this whole time, teaching 100% out of her home, and now she has to come back to work. What about her daughter who isn’t vaccinated? On our salaries, it’s hard to hire a personal nanny to come in.”

Some teachers are also worried about the safety of their students as a vaccine has not yet been approved for their age group.

“Personally, I am more comfortable because I have had my two vaccines, and my doctors have said that I can be comfortable,” Eberle said. “But I’m still nervous for the kids because we’re teaching adultsized people who have not been vaccinated.

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‘MONTERO’ has conservatives seething Lil Nas X’s second No. 1 hit has sparked yet another cultural battle

By JACO B A N D E R S O N arts@theaggie.org Off of the success of 2019’s “Old Town Road” (and its numerous remixes), it was no easy task to predict whether Lil Nas X would establish himself as a genuine presence in music. Without a full album, or much of a supporting discography at all really, the artist’s future appeared to be an amorphous question mark. While his 2020 single “Holiday” did quite well, peaking at No. 37 on the Billboard charts, he didn’t appear to be maintaining his momentum from “Old Town Road”’s record-breaking 17 weeks at No. 1. With “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” debuting at No. 1, however, Lil Nas X has cemented himself as at least a two-hit wonder and created a huge amount of momentum for his upcoming studio album debut.

The song’s reach has been amplified by conservative voices getting up in arms about the song’s content and music video, with former U.S. Marine Matthew Betley calling it “sick and depraved and an attempt to destroy our society” in a now-deleted tweet. Comedian Matt Walsh wrote an article for the conservative outlet Daily Wire entitled “With His Satanic New Video, Lil Nas X Is Directly Preying On Children.”

It’s hardly a surprising reaction, given the presence of lyrics such as “I want that jet lag from

fuckin’ and flyin’/Shoot a child in your mouth while I’m ridin’,” which are explicit enough to prompt pearl-clutching even independent of the visual content (which includes the artist riding a pole down to hell and giving Satan a lap dance).

It’s hard to divorce the apparently conservative reaction to the song from attitudes these posters display toward Lil Nas X’s identity as an openly gay artist making music that does not address his sexuality obliquely. The offense seems to originate, at least in part, in the massive voice and artistic freedom granted to a gay man.

This has not phased Lil Nas X. On April 5, he posted, “i hope my haters are sad. i hope they are crying. i want your tears to fill my grammy cup.”

It’s hard not to imagine he predicted this. If his daily quote-tweets of enraged politicians are any indication, he’s enjoying it.

In fact, the situation has doubled on the back of Lil Nas X’s release of customized Nike “Satan Shoes,” which include a drop of real human blood. (The blood, if you were curious, comes from members of the art collective responsible for designing the shoes, MSCHF.) Despite the shoes selling out almost instantaneously, MSCHF has since been forced to recall the shoe as a result of a lawsuit from Nike. Many people incorrectly assumed that the shoes were an official Nike release, leading many to threaten a boycott of the company.

The music video itself is a bit cheap looking,

but of course little of the conversation surrounding “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” has to do with its artistic value. Nothing about it is groundbreaking or impressive, save maybe the volume of fuming indignace it has spawned online.

While the song is catchy and well-produced, it doesn’t have much to offer those treating it as a piece of popular art rather than another coal propelled into the firebox of our machine of perpetual outrage.

CATHY TANG / AGGIE

The best documentaries on Netflix From unsolved crimes to the darkest depths of the seafood industry

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

BY SOPHIE DEWEES arts@theaggie.org

TV Show: “The People v. O.J. Simpson” (2016)

KAT HERINE HUNG / AGGIE

Seaspiracy The most recent documentary that stirred my point-of-view was “Seaspiracy.” The title broken up says “sea’s piracy,” which is what the documentary explores. I’ve always been interested in marine animals—huge creatures that are simultaneously beautiful and terrifying.

When I first saw the intro for “Seaspiracy,” I figured it would talk a little more about the animals and how they are affected by climate change or pollution, but instead, the film focuses on the problems in the seafood industry that I previously wasn’t aware of.

The documentarian’s intention was to share his love for the ocean and its creatures through “Seaspiracy.” As mentioned in the documentary, he wanted everyone to experience the beauty that he saw within nature’s largest animals. But as he was filming, he soon fell into a rabbit hole that landed him in the middle of the negative effects of the seafood industry.

The documentary explores issues within the industry such as whaling and bycatch, both of which I knew existed but never did my own research on. The documentary also investigates dolphin-safe labels and their inability to guarantee that there are no dolphins found in bycatch.

However, one of the main problems with this documentary was that it only provided one noteven-viable solution. I would like to know how to fix a problem if I’m going to learn about it, and I think it should be a staple goal in making a documentary on an issue; informing people about a situation isn’t enough. People need to know how to make things better and what they need to do to change the issue that the documentary presents. However, “Seaspiracy” fails to propose a suitable resolution, simply saying that the best way to not hurt animals is to not eat them. This solution isn’t even feasible for people in some regions; not everyone can afford to cut out seafood from their diet. This is what angered so many people as they watched the documentary—the documentarian oversimplifies his reasoning on why seafood is bad and how to help the oceans.

Rotten This documentary series, which has two seasons on Netflix, focuses on parts of the food industry that people are oblivious to. Each 50-minute episode dissects a different part of the food industry, ranging from garlic peels to chocolate, and gives viewers an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes and how they can fix it.

While I was hesitant to start the series because the food industry isn’t particularly my favorite thing to watch a documentary on, it did

have me hooked. If you want to watch just one episode to see what this series is about, I would recommend the episode that covers chocolate and cocoa beans. The show goes into the roots of where cocoa beans are most grown and how dangerous it can be to grow and harvest these beans.

This documentary series does give more of a personal view on the issues; they share graphic videos and photos, but they also interview people directly affected by the system and share stories that have a lasting impact.

Explained As someone who is constantly Googling random questions that pop up in my head, a documentary series that explains random things is perfect for me and any other curious Googlers. However, as each episode is limited to 20-something minutes, “Explained” doesn’t go very in-depth about the topics. The show merely scratches the surface, but it does give a sufficient explanation, allowing me to pursue further research on the topic, in the event that I am compelled to uncover more about the matter.

The show touches on diverse topics ranging from K-pop to why diets fail and astrology (my personal favorite). I included this show in my list because I don’t think that documentaries need to include a shock factor for them to be deemed as noteworthy. Often, interesting documentaries can simply explore topics that people don’t have a general knowledge or understanding of, thereby, teaching them something new.

Unsolved Mysteries If you’re looking for a true crime documentary, “Unsolved Mysteries” is the perfect one for someone who’s leaning more toward a mystery than a crime. The short series gives viewers the details of an unresolved, mysterious event in order for them to engender their own ideas on what really happened. The show features unsolved murders, vanished children and spirits that came at the end of a tsunami disaster.

I’m a huge fan of true crime documentaries, which I blame on my mom. I have an endless amount of true crime shows recorded back home. However, I only watched the ones where the detectives were able to tell me exactly what happened and who did it. I always hated being left in the dark, considering all of the terrible possibilities. With my requirements for a documentary, it would make sense for me to hate “Unsolved Mysteries,” but my feelings toward it are actually the complete opposite. Every episode of “Unsolved Mysteries,” while not giving me the answers I need, has an interesting story to tell.

Watching the 10-episode series “The People v. O.J. Simpson” already knowing the defendant would be found innocent was still engaging (and at times stressful) to watch.

Although the trial occurred more than 25 years ago, the central issues of the case regarding race and domestic abuse are nevertheless incredibly topical today. The series allows the case to unfold through a relatively unbiased lens, offering insight into every step of the judicial process, including the politicized jury selection, which differentiated it from other courtroom dramas I’ve seen before. The ultimate verdict, although I knew it was coming, felt incredibly shocking and outrageous, given the amount of evidence against the defendant. Even if you do not usually have a craving for true crime, “The People v.

O.J. Simpson” is skillfully made and provides a close-up look at the intersection between celebrity politics, race and the criminal justice system in one of the most highly publicized trials from the 20th century.

Artist: Carson Ellis Although slightly unconventional for The Aggie’s Culture Corner, I wanted to highlight a contemporary artist I’ve admired for many years. As an avid listener of “The Decemberists,” a folk-rock band from Portland, I first came across Carson Ellis’ work on their album covers and band posters. Beyond art for the band, Ellis has illustrated picture books, written a drawing tutorial for The New York Times, created quite a few art pieces to accompany articles in the New Yorker and created artwork for the visually stunning 2020 film “Emma.” Ellis’s unique, quirky artistic style is easily recognizable, and she demonstrates incredible skill and detail in each of her works of art. She often shares many of her creations on her Instagram, in addition to her other artistic hobbies, including whittling and quiltmaking.

Movie: “Rope” dir. by Alfred Hitchcock (1948) One of Hitchcock’s lesser-known works (but my personal favorite) is “Rope.” The film was adapted from a play with the same name, and Hitchcock retains a theatrical feel through the use of several long takes to create the illusion of a single shot. The film has been compared to Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” as the two main characters grapple with the guilt of committing murder and their own hubris. They invite friends over for a dinner party, serving food atop a chest in which they’ve hidden a corpse. Throughout the film, the audience is painfully aware of this fact, although most of the characters are not, creating tension and intrigue. Chilling and suspenseful with several gasp-inducing moments, “Rope” is sure to become one of your favorite classic films.

Book: “The Mirror and the Light” by Hilary Mantel (2020) You might not think that a book with a page and a half describing plum cultivation in the 16th century would be the most riveting reading material, but “The Mirror and the Light,” the third and final chapter of Mantel’s trilogy about the life of Thomas Cromwell, is a fascinating read. The author’s astute observations about people, the fickle nature of politics and, of course, her portrayal of Cromwell as a complicated, fiercely intelligent and largely sympathetic character are incredibly interesting. I was amazed by the sheer amount of intricate detail that filled each page, from the food people ate during the period to the very fabric that made up their clothes. Although somewhat slow-paced, Mantel takes time to establish a feel for the era in a way I have yet to experience in any other novel. “The Mirror and the Light” is a beautifully crafted conclusion to Mantel’s masterful trilogy.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 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 04/08/21

crossword

Answer to previous puzzle 04/08/21

10 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SCIENCE & TECH UC DAVIS RESEARCHERS EXAMINE THE SEVERITY OF THE EFFECTS OF SMOKE TAINT ON CALIFORNIA WINE Climate change is one factor that may impact the quality of wine production

BY FRANCHESKA TORRES science@theaggie.org While wildfires are often known for the devastating effects they impart on local communities, few realize the wider impacts they can have on industries throughout California. In terms of the wine industry, grapes’ exposure to smoke in the air has the potential to ruin the wine product by giving it an unwanted smoky flavor, according to UC Davis researchers.

A smoky flavor is often satisfactory for customers when aging the wine in wooden barrels, according to Anita Oberholster, a cooperative extension enology specialist at UC Davis. However, like many other good things, too much can create a negative effect.

The smoke from nearby wildfires will cause an increase of that smoky flavor and tarnish the flavor of the wine, according to Oberholster. This leads wine growers to question what the risk is when their harvest is exposed to smoky conditions.

“If you have smoke that is less than 24 hours old, you have high risk,” Oberholster said. “If it is more than 24 hours old, the risk decreases significantly.”

Volatile phenols, the compounds that are released when wood burns, break down quickly and absorb into ash. This extends their lifetime and allows them to absorb into the grapes. The density of smoke relatively correlates to smoke risk if the smoke is really fresh, according to Oberholster. After the smoke has been in the air for a while, the correlation decreases.

“Just because you see there’s grapes on a vine and smoke in the vineyard, that doesn’t mean anything,” Oberholster said.

It should not be assumed that the grapes will be impacted since the compounds released from the fires cannot be seen with the naked eye. The smoke in the vineyard can just be particulate matter suspended in the air, which is not harmful to the berries, according to Oberholster.

When the grape absorbs all the free volatile phenols in the air, it oscillates these compounds as a defense mechanism, releasing sugars on the fruit. It is believed that the bound, smoke-impacted compounds are released by bacterial enzymes in human saliva, which contribute to the character of smoke taint that affects the taste of the wine.

Raul Cauduro Girardello, a postdoctoral student in the UC Davis Department of Viticulture and Enology, works in Oberholster’s lab. He was present with Oberholster at the Oakville Experimental Station in 2017 when there were wildfires causing smoky conditions in the vineyard.

“This was around the time Anita started thinking about doing smoke taint research,” Girardello said.

Girardello was conducting an experiment at the time and lost part of it due to the grapes being impacted by the smoke. This was the first day that Girardello and Oberholster noticed that smoke was impacting the quality of the wine.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE While not directly involved with the research on smoke taint, Girardello’s role in the Oberholster lab includes making the wine, harvesting the grapes and choosing sites to draw samples from, depending on smoke exposure from fires.

Girardello is working with clones of grape vines that produce the popular wines Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The clones have the same genetics but have different characteristics, such as color.

“My research involves climate change indirectly,” Girardello said.

The effect of climate change on the vines is studied in harvests throughout different seasons. A comparison is made between the different years on how dry and hot the season is, according to Girardello. For example, when there are heat waves, the method of controlling water irrigation is studied and observations are made to determine if adding more water will decrease the impact from the unusually hot temperatures.

Another researcher interested in how climate change affects grapes is Kaan Kurtural, a professor of viticulture at UC Davis

who conducts research on rootstocks and clone combinations that display potential in achieving drought tolerance. His research on this topic is ongoing and results are yet to be determined.

Kurtural also works with the Oakville Station by conducting trials on how climate change affects wine production. One of the trials consists of the production of Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes grown for this wine are protected from the sun by shades that filter different spectra of solar radiation. Examples of the light filtered are ultraviolet A, C and infrared light. The purpose of these different filtrations is to compare the responses of the plants to each one, according to Kurtural.

Kurtural is not worried about climate change affecting the production of grapes due to the many technologies being invented that allow them to be grown almost anywhere in California.

“We are not going to run out of grapes anytime soon,” Kurtural said.

UC DAVIS DISCOVERS NEW ESSENTIAL PROBIOTIC FOR BREAST MILK FED BABIES The probiotic strain, B. infantis, helps babies effectively digest human milk and maintain a healthy microbiome against pathogens

BY BRANDON NGUYEN science@theaggie.org Right from birth and to their first exposure in a new world, babies’ immune systems are naive and vulnerable, learning to distinguish allies from pathogens. That process begins directly from the gut of babies, a whole sub-world of living microbes called the “microbiome.” However, in developed nations over the past few decades, the microbiome of babies has changed for the worse.

Recently, a team of researchers discovered a probiotic called B. infantis that lives up to one year in babies’ digestive tracts, playing a critical role in shaping a healthy microbiome and therefore, a healthy immune system. Jennifer Smilowitz, the leading author in the clinical study and the associate director of the Human Studies Research Program for the Foods for Health Institute at UC Davis, described the role B. infantis plays in breast milk-fed babies.

“Human milk oligosaccharides, or HMOs, are highly abundant in human milk,” Smilowitz said. “They are not digested by humans

because we don’t have the enzymes in our gut to digest them. Of all the microbes that do consume them—there’s not too many of them—B. Infantis is like this incredible resource that eats them up.

It outperforms all the other microbes and is like the superstar that really only prefers HMOs.” Because human milk is the sole source of nutrients for babies in their first six months of life, B. infantis is a necessary, beneficial microbe for babies to effectively digest the HMOs and ultimately ensure a healthy microbiome, according to Smilowitz.

Dr. Mark Underwood, who is trained in neonatal medicine and is now a retired general pediatrician from UC Davis, further explained other properties of B. infantis aside from effectively colonizing the intestinal tract of breast milk-fed babies for up to one year.

“B. infantis has other cool properties like decreasing inflammation,” Underwood said. “Another benefit of B. infantis is that it tends to displace the pathogenic bacteria that can cause infection. Those bacteria can’t use human milk as a food source, so they get outcompeted.”

Claire O’Brien, a fourth-year Ph.D. student part of the

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE

pharmacology and toxicology graduate group at UC Davis who worked with Smilowitz, describes the significance of the longevity of B. infantis.

“When we think about probiotics, it’s usually really transient, especially in adults,” O’Brien said. “You take a probiotic supplement and that may have some impact on your microbiome and in the very, very short term. After you stop taking them, that effect is pretty much gone immediately, and so the really interesting finding was that, even though these babies had not had a probiotic since they were one month old, we were actually able to see that change in the microbiome persisted for one year out, so that was really a novel kind of finding for this study that I think surprised a lot of the researchers.”

In the same vein as O’Brien’s explanation, Smilowitz provided the analogy of probiotics as campers in a “campsite” that are in constant competition with each other.

“If you take a probiotic, that little bug will likely be in your gut, but after you stop taking them, they will die out because you already have an existing microbiome,” Smilowitz said. “Think about a campsite. All the campsites are taken and there’s no space for the new guys. But for babies, they don’t have filled campsites, so B. infantis can really take traction in a baby.”

As long as B. infantis was provided with its food, HMOs, babies could continue to digest the nutrient effectively. The significant finding of this study, as Smilowitz and her team discovered, was its effective colonization in the gut after one year, even when babies typically start eating solid foods at around six months old and may no longer ingest human milk as a main source of nutrients.

With changes in medical practices, such as a greater increase in C-sections and use of antibiotics and infant formula, as well as changes in diets over time, the natural composition of the microbiomes in babies has shown a large decrease in B. infantis.

The supplementation of the probiotic along with human milk has become all the more necessary to restore their microbiomes.

“These babies [in Davis] did not have an abundance of B. infantis, with much lower levels compared to babies from developing nations like Gambia and Bangladesh,” Smilowitz said. “We saw that 30% of the microbiome was represented by B. infantis instead of 80%.”

However, the future of probiotics in shaping and maintaining a child’s microbiome is bright, and Smilowitz highlighted her research’s expansion of this field into later stages of development, like toddlers, and to other areas with microbiomes, such as the mouth.

“Being able to alter and support the infant microbiome was a big finding,” Smilowitz said. “But I am also excited to be looking at different sorts of combinations of foods and microbes to support a healthy microbiome in many parts of the body, with an emphasis on pregnancy and lactation.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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SCHOOLSREOPENING

TIKTOK

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“We will be enforcing our mask policy—all staff and students will wear masks at all times. We will enforce social distancing, and we will practice hand hygiene. Those are our big three.”

Public Information Officer for Yolo County Office of Education Anthony Volkar explained that as of April 6, some school districts in Yolo County have already been using hybrid models.

“Currently, three of our five school districts are fully reopened to in-person learning via hybrid instruction,” Volkar said. “Winters opened up on March 8, Washington Unified opened up on the 28th and 23rd—they split it between their preschool through grade 5, and then their older students, grades 6 through 8. And then Esparto as well split their reopening, but they’ve reopened on March 22 and 24.”

On April 12, the Woodland Joint Unified School District also joined DJUSD in reopening for all grades via a hybrid model, Volkar said.

The schedules for reopening vary slightly between school districts.

“For hybrid learning, what we’re expecting is, again, a partial in-person and a partial distance learning,” Volkar said. “And some of that is due to space accommodations for some of our school districts, so what they’re doing is a student would do distance learning on two to three days per week, and then in-person learning for two to

three days per week.”

Volkar explained that schools are able to reopen as a result of teachers becoming vaccinated and a decrease in COVID-19 positivity rates in Yolo County.

“We know that there’s less community spread, as well as we’ve been able to vaccinate teachers,” Volkar said. “So at this time, we feel pretty confident saying we’ve vaccinated most if not all of the teachers who wish to be vaccinated.”

Generally, in the school districts in Yolo County, around 25 to 30% of students have chosen to stay entirely in distance learning, according to Volkar.

Roseen noted that distance learning has been difficult for many and that all students have had varying experiences with it, but that it has equipped students with new skills.

“I think overall, staff and students are really looking forward to being back in-person at school, and I think that distance learning—all of the new skills and competencies that our students and staff have learned along the way—are lessons that we’ll take with us moving forward,” Roseen said. “So I think there’s definitely some silver linings within it all in terms of the new skills that we’ve been able to learn and really growing together.”

APRIL15 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 While the vaccines that are currently being distributed are effective against common variants, they may be less effective as newer variants arise.

Knowledge about the vaccines has become more widespread, but some may still be hesitant to get vaccinated. Tran assured that all three vaccines have been Food and Drug Administration-tested and proven safe. While the specific vaccine that one receives will depend on the supply that’s available, all three are highly effective against COVID-19.

“To get any of the vaccines would be great for this pandemic, as well as for your own health and safety,” Tran said. “I encourage everyone to get the vaccination as soon as possible so we can end this pandemic.”

UC Davis students, staff and faculty can visit MyUCDavisHealth or Health-e-Messaging to make a vaccination or COVID-19 testing appointment.

GARYMOVIES

restrictive voting laws in the peach tree state is a direct reflection on the ill-conceived concept that we, the average Americans, do not know what’s best for us.

TikTok, then, could be one of the many new modern-day conglomerations of the masses that can emerge in the digital age.

A perfect example of this idea in practice was the TikTok-led dunking on former-President Donald Trump’s ego at his campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma. TikTok users joined forces with K-Pop stans and bought over a million tickets for Trump’s rally—and didn’t show. They employed a masterful manipulation of the algorithm to spread information on the prank without letting any major news outlets find out until after the fact.

It’s no coincidence that Trump, a billionaire, tried and failed to have TikTok banned in the U.S. during his presidency. The former president recognized the power that the app has in fomenting passions amongst us and sought to destroy it.

TikTok truly has the best chance of uniting the modern-day masses via the internet. TikTok’s celebration of the little guy can only spell trouble for those in positions of power. Every single user has a relatively easy ability to cultivate a platform, and this gives us the most chances to truly make some waves.

WORSEHEALTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 Even her Pinterest board of affirmational quotes began threatening her with elegant calligraphy of “Grind or fall behind!” “Just do it, wimp” and “You’ll never be an art curator in this economy. Why didn’t you major in computer science? Your brother is 15, and he’s already doing more with his life than you ever have.” To be fair, Kwon admits, those may have been texts from her parents.

In the end, she spent the rest of the day sitting in a corner of her apartment, eyeing her surroundings nervously like a trapped raccoon.

Kwon says she has learned one thing from her experience: “The next person who recommends I take a day off is getting a roundhouse kick to the face.”

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 “[‘Face to Face’] gives me a chance to learn about all of the neat things that are happening around campus and the people that are contributing,” May said. “It gives the audience a chance to hear and learn about those things too, but also it humanizes me and makes me more approachable. I think I am pretty human, but I like to be humanized so that the connection can build.”

The first episode of the show was released on March 30 and featured student leader and activist Akshita Gandra, a fourth-year cognitive science major. Gandra is the founder and president of The REVIVAL Zine, an intersectional feminist publication, and the co-founder of the UC Davis chapter of Period.

“I started REVIVAL to provide underrepresented students, especially women, with the chance to share their opinions, use their voices and tell their stories,” Gandra said via email. “I co-founded and led Davis Period, which strives to provide free menstrual products to students and communities in need, all while providing educational resources about periods and reducing stigma.”

Gandra said she was honored to be the first guest to chat with May. “I enjoyed being given the opportunity to speak more about the projects I’m very passionate about, as well as learn more about the Chancellor,” Gandra said via email. “It was a very self-reflective process and it was great being able to share my favorite things about UC Davis. I’m very happy with the outcome of the interview because I was able to talk about causes that are super important to me.”

When UC Davis resumes in-person classes in the fall, guests will join May in his studio in Mrak Hall.

The TikTok algorithm isn’t entirely driven by what’s most popular in a general sense, it’s mainly driven by each users’ unique video taste. It’s a step above other social media platforms because your average, everyday Joe-Schmoe can go TikTok viral without much more than a skateboard, Fleetwood Mac and some cranberry juice.

In an article by Wired, it’s revealed that the TikTok algorithm “relies on a complex set of weighted signals to recommend videos, including everything from hashtags and songs to the kind of device a person is using.” So if you’re into, say, frogs riding tortoises, you’ll get plenty more frog videos on your For You page.

If a frog video becomes popular amongst its target audience, then it has the chance to balloon into a larger trend and cross over the threshold between niche and mainstream. TikTok, then, has the unique ability to deliver information that might normally be filtered out on other platforms. This is a huge opportunity for us to stir up trouble amongst us—“the masses.”

“The masses” (meaning the large population of commoners in society) as a sociological concept was defined by elites and intellectuals of the early 20th century as groups of people who were written off as irrational, untrustworthy beings. It was also said that we should be quelled and silenced.

A lot of this ideology hasn’t really changed.

Take Georgia, for example. The newest round of

“We’ve got a studio under construction in Mrak in the basement,” May said. “We’ll have two chairs and me just talking to the person.”

Currently guests are hand-picked by strategic communications, but Topousis said that they are working on developing a nomination method.

Future guests can look forward to May’s comedic approach and relaxed demeanor.

“Chancellor May has a great sense of humor, which helps guests feel at ease,” Topousis said via email.

Gandra agreed that the chancellor has a calming presence.

“At first I was a little nervous about speaking with the Chancellor, but he was very easy to talk to,” Gandra said via email. “Sometimes, it can be intimidating to speak with administration, but based on my experience there are plenty of UC Davis representatives who are incredibly receptive to students’ opinions, ideas, and stories.”

Viewers can watch the next episode of “Face to Face” on April 27, which will feature a faculty member who writes children’s books. But viewers can also anticipate learning more about the show’s host.

May described his relative fame as a blessing and a curse. While he loves interacting with students, being in the public eye comes with its pitfalls.

“It’s kind of like being on the D-list,” May said. “I do get recognized at Davis—that’s kind of fun. It’s a double edged sword because you have to kind of watch what you are doing all of the time, because someone is always paying attention.

But for the most part people are really nice.

They’ll come up and say hi. They may ask about something going on or give you a compliment or want a picture, which is always fine. My wife and I both enjoy that.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 “Personally, I am more comfortable because I have had my two vaccines, and my doctors have said that I can be comfortable,” Eberle said.

“But I’m still nervous for the kids because we’re teaching adult-sized people who have not been vaccinated. The CDC has issued its guidelines, California has issued its guidelines, Yolo County has issued its guidelines, but we don’t understand the full logic of [the] guidelines. Why are certain things all of a sudden okay, but other things aren’t?”

Beckinger said that she is also worried about the well-being of students’ parents.

“I am personally protected, but that does not mean that my classroom opening up will not be the source of a community spread,” Beckinger said. “What if my room is responsible for someone’s death?”

Eberle said that apart from these concerns, teachers are looking forward to having students

back in person.

“It is a completely different energy,” Eberle said. “I keep telling my students that they really have to wear name tags, because I have no idea what they look like because my secondary students have kept their cameras off for the last quarter. So everybody’s going to have to introduce themselves all over again.”

Although many teachers are excited to welcome their students, Beckinger is worried that teachers might not be as sure about their career plan as they have been in the past.

“This is my 16th year teaching. I’ve always been 100% sure that this is what I was going to do my entire career,” Beckinger said. “And this past year has been so demoralizing. [...] Teachers are getting publicly vilified as though it’s our decision whether or not to open up schools, [even though] every teacher I know is trying so hard to make the kids happy and learn.”

12 | THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS RECENT NCAA CONTROVERSY BRINGS GENDER INEQUALITY BACK INTO THE LIGHT As players prepared for the biggest tournament of their lives, controversy shined a spotlight on the gender inequalities within college sports

BY KATHERIN RAYGOZA sports@theaggie.org

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

The treatment of men and women in collegiate athletics has long been a topic in discussions over gender inequality. Many more examples of gender disparities among the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) have remained hidden for years, but new findings during the most recent NCAA tournament has brought the issue back into the spotlight.

Last month, the University of Oregon women’s basketball sophomore Sedona Prince posted a video on the social media app TikTok that went viral. This video had approximately 7 million views at the date of publication, and presents a comparison between male and female basketball weight rooms during the NCAA March Madness tournaments. The women’s weight room consisted of only a weight rack and a few yoga mats, while the men’s room had access to an entire gym full of squat racks, dumbbells and other equipment.

After numerous images surfaced on social media showing the drastic differences between the women’s and men’s facilities in Texas and Indiana respectively, the NCAA apologized for causing the female athletes any inconvenience and upgraded the women’s weight room.

“We fell short this year in what we’ve been doing to prepare in the last 60 days for 64 teams to be here in San Antonio, and we acknowledge that,” said Lynn Holzman, the NCAA’s vice president of women’s basketball.

Part of the problem is that the NCAA has a committee that focuses on Title IX—with the Women’s Basketball Coach Association (WBCA) also a part of it—but they have been left out recently. They are vocal when these issues come up, but remain frustrated that they have been cut out of any decisions.

Title IX states,“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” This applies to any institution receiving federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education.

Val Ackerman, who was the founding president of the WNBA and is currently commissioner of the Big East Conference, called the WBCA “fragmented and frustrating” because whenever she reported instances of inequality, there never was any change.

“It is a Tower of Babel,” Ackerman said. “Trying to get the right people at the table, how to get consensus around who you can trust to make the right decision is really challenging.”

According to ESPN, the 2018-19 NCAA Division I men’s tournament had a budget of $28 million, which was almost double the women’s budget of $15.5 million. The NCAA provided additional information that showed the men’s net income of $864.6 million that season and the women’s event lost $2.8 million—the largest loss of any NCAA championship.

Women’s basketball does not bring in the same amount of

money, potentially in part because, despite the growing number of women’s sporting events, the media’s coverage of them is still very minimal. Women make up nearly 40% of all sports participants— yet, according to a study by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota, women only received 4% of the sports media coverage. Women are not being streamed as much as men on television or any other media outlets, causing a decrease in revenues that makes it hard to allow any financial improvement.

“One of the things we can do right away, is to call the tournaments ‘the Men’s Basketball Tournament’ and ‘the Women’s Basketball Tournament’,” said Muffet McGraw, former women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame. “When you turn on the TV and you look at the guide it just says NCAA Basketball Tournament, and of course that just means men’s. The NCAA runs two social media accounts, one called March Madness, one called The Final Four, and of course they’re both men’s. They don’t state that.”

After the most recent incident with Prince and the gyms, the NCAA hired a law firm to help examine all championships for all the divisions. Financial evaluations are being made and they are also trying to identify “any other gaps that need to be addressed, both qualitatively and quantitatively, to achieve gender equity.”

When considering the complexity of college sports, the NCAA has many deeply rooted organizational issues. Nevertheless, the NCAA clearly has several different avenues and approaches they could take to improve women’s athletics.

Without Prince’s video and the public scrutiny and attention it brought the NCAA, they would have not given women a proper facility during the biggest tournament of the year. This experience has inspired many people, not only women, to have the courage to fight for justice and equity.

“I think this is an awakening that probably needed to happen.

I think it will jump start more change,” Ackerman said.

SPORTS LEAGUES TREAD A LONG ROAD TO FINANCIAL RECOVER Major pandemic losses may take time for the leagues to recover, but there is some hope

KATHERINE HUNG / AGGIE

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org As fans begin to make their way back to the seats at sporting events, some places are farther along than others. For a variety of reasons, having fans back in any capacity is something that team executives have loved seeing.

After all sports paused on March 11, 2020 due to COVID-19, experts projected losses of up to $12 billion across all sports. While the resumption of leagues cut that cost down by some margin, there is still a significant hole left in the pockets of leagues owners. How different leagues recover over time remains to be seen, but it is clear that there will be a long road ahead to get back on the upward trajectory they had prepandemic.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) was able to conclude their season in the bubble in Orlando, FL, a campus that cost the league $180 million to operate. But that was a price tag the NBA was more than willing to pay, as their successful venture at the Walt Disney World Resort prevented a loss of $1.5 billion.

Ticket revenue is usually a major part of

the NBA’s annual revenue, but the pandemic had forced them to rely primarily on television and sponsorships instead. In the end, their total revenue during the 2019-20 season was $8.3 billion—10% less than the last full season.

As they entered the new 2020-21 season, a lot was left to be determined. With a start date undetermined and the absence of fans in most arenas, the NBA had decisions to make when it came to the salary cap and how they would set up their finances. A January start to the season would have cost the league up to $1 billion in revenue, so they decided to do a quick turnaround and start Dec. 22, 2020. With their salary cap staying the same as it was in 2019-20 ($109.1 million), teams would not be hit as hard, nor would they have to make drastic changes in finances. In the agreement between the players association and the league, at least 10% of the salaries would be held in escrow to allow the planned increase of 3 to 10% in the salary cap each year.

The revenue losses this current season remain to be seen, but after a year where the majority of games did not accommodate fans, it is possible that the losses will further increase from last year. Although fans might begin to make their way back slowly as the playoffs approach, it is

clear that the pandemic put a major dent in the NBA’s future plans that signaled a lot of financial prosperity.

As with the NBA, the National Hockey League (NHL)’s season was derailed by the pandemic. When everything paused in March, the league lost an estimated $150 to $200 million in playoff ticket sales alone and much more in additional television and sponsor revenue. While they also finished off their season in an NBAtype bubble in Canada, the lead-up to this season has been quite underwhelming. The league only played 56 games, but NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stated that it would’ve saved more money to not play at all.

Like the NBA, the NHL’s salary cap stayed the same at $81.5 million. However, even after their new lucrative TV deal with ESPN, the possibility remains that the salary cap will remain flat for up to five years. This can spell some danger for teams who were banking on the rise of the salary cap and may lead to some major cuts in players’ future earnings—especially those who were looking for a big payday down the road.

Out of all leagues, the NHL, which relies heavily on ticket revenue and has sustained multiple billions in potential losses, is especially eager for fans to re-enter the arenas.

Out of all leagues to play in 2020, the one that saw the most drastic change to their sport was Major League Baseball (MLB), who saw their usual 162-game season shortened to just 60.

In a grueling negotiation, MLB and the players association reached an agreement for their shortened season, and after many postponed games, the league finally welcomed back fans for the first time in the National League Division, Championship and World Series.

According to a study by Penn National Gaming, MLB lost about $2.5 million in ticket revenue as a result of the shortened season with no fans. Given that baseball doesn’t have a salary cap, the amount of financial changes when it comes to salaries depends on the owners’ willingness— or rather, unwillingness—to spend. As there is no official number on how much was lost, the answer changes depending on who you ask.

According to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s statement back in October, the league lost at least $2.8 billion in 2020. But powerful baseball agent Scott Boras claimed that not a single team lost any money. While the number varies per team, there has been even more of a reluctance to spend due to COVID-19. Whether it is due to big losses or simply MLB owners not

willing to spend a lot of money, this baseball season is one that the league and teams hope somewhat recovers as all stadiums are welcoming back some percentage of fans.

The National Football League’s (NFL) handling of COVID-19 was very different from the other leagues’. During March’s shutdown, the NFL was not in season, nor did they have any official league business in person that required drastic changes. Aside from draft preparation, the NFL had a lot of time to prepare for the upcoming season. Still, they didn’t reach an agreement with the NFL Players Association until late July. Nonetheless, the league began their regular season with no preseason, and fans in attendance varied on the location as teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and many others welcomed some fans back. As the season progressed, many more teams were able to get some fans in but not enough to significantly curve the financial damages. After a season of headaches rescheduling games in order to avoid cancellations, the league was able to culminate the season with their annual Super Bowl in front of 25,000 socially distanced fans. In the end, the NFL benefited from being the last league to start their season in the pandemic, which allowed them to learn from other leagues and find ways to welcome some fans into some arenas nationwide.

According to the New York Giants coowner, the league lost out on $3 to $4 billion in revenue. While this is a big figure, they believe that it is not anything “catastrophic,” as the NFL is the most profitable league in the world. Although the salary cap this year was set at $182.5 million—$15 million less than last year—the new television deal worth $10 billion a year starting in 2023 will surely help give the salary cap a major boost in the coming years. In agreement with CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC and Amazon, the league was able to recuperate a lot of money, and in the future, the NFL will be able to fully recover from the pandemic losses.

It is hard to say if these sports leagues could have survived the substantial financial losses without major television deals. Sports has become lucrative over the years, and the television industry has surely helped with that.

As fans begin to fill the seats, the road to recovery begins for the majority of sports leagues— but it will be one that will take time given the unprecedented nature of what has occurred in the last 13 months.