December 3, 2020

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

@THECALIFORNIAAGGIE

SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THEAGGIE.ORG

@CALIFORNIAAGGIE

@CALIFORNIAAGGIE

VOLUME 139, ISSUE 8 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020

TEMPORARY ADJUSTMENTS MADE TO ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR PROSPECTIVE UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS UC Davis undergraduate and graduate programs consider holistic review and work to eliminate COVID-19-related disruptions in application process

BY AARYA GUPTA campus@theaggie.org In a press release from April 1, the UC announced temporary adjustments to admissions requirements for undergraduate students.

Some of these adjustments include suspending letter grade requirements for A-G courses for 2020 and suspending standardized testing requirements for the 2021 freshman application cycle. For transfer students, “the cap on the number of transferable units with ‘pass/no pass’ grading applied toward the minimum 60 semester/90 quarter units required for junior standing” was adjusted. Additionally, rescission of student admissions stemming from official transcripts not being mailed in by the deadline will not occur.

“The University of California is committed to ensuring that COVID-19-related academic disruptions do not harm or threaten any student’s ability to apply for a UC education,” said Stett Holbrook, a senior communications strategist at the University of California Office of the President, via email. “To that end, the University announced on April 1 temporary adjustments to admissions requirements to help students and families.”

Holbrook said that different UC campuses evaluate applications differently.

“The University’s comprehensive review policy for admission is based on multiple factors and measures of student achievement,” Holbrook said. “Students interested in applying to UC should prepare by completing required courses and taking advantage of any challenging college preparatory courses and/or programs available to them.”

Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions Ebony Lewis said via email that UC Davis uses a freshman holistic review process. “[Individuals on the admissions committee] give thoughtful consideration of the full spectrum of the applicant’s qualifications based upon all information provided in the application, viewed in the context of the applicant’s academic and personal circumstances and the overall strength of UC Davis’ applicant pool,” Lewis said.

According to Lewis, the applicant pool typically includes strong applicants, and the

admissions committee searches for future Aggies based on potential future contribution to, and participation in, the UC Davis community.

“Each year we review a large pool of academically strong applicants who have demonstrated the intellectual curiosity, tenacity, special talents, academic achievement and commitment to community service expected of the UC Davis graduate,” Lewis said. “We look for applicants who will contribute the most to and immerse themselves in UC Davis’ dynamic learning environment.”

Lewis said she advises students to complete the application thoroughly; use personal insight questions to “provide greater content and context about who you are as a student, your experiences and what matters to you” and use the additional comments section to include other information that applicants believe is critical to consider in one’s application.

Lewis also said that UC Davis does not assign a fixed weight to any particular area of the application, as UC Davis seeks well-rounded students. The admissions committee looks for unique personal accomplishments and talents that “have the potential to make significant contributions to the campus, the State of California, the nation and world,” according to Lewis.

“Take a deep breath, do your best, submit your application by the deadline, and know that it will work out,” Lewis said. “We are here to support.”

UC Davis has also addressed two primary concerns expressed by prospective graduate applicants for this admissions cycle.

Brian Gallagher, the director of admissions and academic services for graduate studies, said via email that the UC Davis Graduate Studies and Graduate Council—a division of the Academic Senate—“have provided guidance to all graduate programs to help ensure that students are not adversely affected by S/U or P/NP grading in the admissions review process.”

This change stems from colleges and universities adopting pass/no pass or satisfactory/ unsatisfactory grading this past year, Gallagher said.

The Welcome Center at UC Davis. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie) Second, changes to the GRE and English language testing requirements have been made for certain departments.

“This year, all but one graduate program has waived their GRE requirement, and Graduate Studies has expanded [the] options for English language exams we will accept from prospective students,” Gallagher said.

Overall, Gallagher said that UC Davis Graduate Studies has been a strong advocate for a holistic admissions process.

“Graduate programs in particular value an applicant’s preparation and motivation for participating in the graduate program, their interest or specializations in the field, any future career goals or professional objectives, and their overall fit with the program itself,” Gallagher said.

“Graduate programs want to make certain that prospective students are well-prepared to join their program as contributing members of their graduate For example, Laramie Taylor, the department

UC DAVIS HEALTH OFFERS NEW RAPID TEST TO DETECT BOTH FLU AND COVID-19 Highly specific diagnostic test produces results in 20 minutes

KIYOMI WATSON / AGGIE

BY MICHELLE WONG science@theaggie.org As the annual flu season draws closer in California, UC Davis Health has announced a new rapid diagnostic tool to test their patients for the influenza and SARS-CoV-2 viruses, according to a recent press release. These rapid combined molecular tests developed

by Roche Diagnostics are mainly used for symptomatic patients to distinguish what virus they are carrying, and yield results in just 20 minutes, according to Lydia Howell, a professor and chair of the department of pathology and laboratory medicine. “[This test] helps make that distinction quickly so that [patients] can get the treatment they need,” Howell said. “If somebody is COVID positive, they know that they need to quarantine, stay away from others, and so those kinds of precautions can be taken.”

Howell explained that because UC Davis Health is one of Roche Diagnostics’ major partners in clinical trials and performance studies, this allowed their facility to be one of the first in the nation to utilize the test. Larissa May, the director of the emergency department and outpatient antibiotic stewardship program, added that UC Davis has used the same Liat test platform by Roche Diagnostics since early 2018 for detecting influenza, strep and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

With the increasing number of COVID-19 tests becoming available, May expressed that there was some confusion at first regarding the type and quality of this new test. May clarified that this new rapid diagnostic test is a PCR test, which detects viral RNA within the patient and has a lower chance for producing false negatives as explained in the press release. Though many tests sacrifice either sensitivity or specificity, May expressed that this test seems to not have sacrificed either.

May emphasized that this test being done at UC Davis Health is not to be confused with the saliva testing being done on the UC Davis campus for students. Howell elaborated that the purpose of testing done on campus is for screening people without

symptoms to monitor the level of infection. Cindy Schorzman, the medical director of student health and counseling, explained that asymptomatic students are encouraged to come to campus to be tested weekly, while symptomatic students should call Student Health and Counseling with any concerns.

“One thing to remember about testing is that it does not take the place of other public health recommendations,” Schorzman said via email. “Someone with a negative test should still follow public health guidelines including face coverings and physical distancing.”

In contrast, the rapid testing being done at UC Davis Health is for scenarios where fast results would make a large difference for the patient. For example, May explained that if a patient were to go into the operating room for a procedure where they may be generating aerosols, it would be crucial to determine whether the patient is COVID-19 positive to take extra precautions. This information is also important, as some patients come from or are transferred to congregate living facilities.

Although May explained that coinfection where patients have symptoms of both COVID-19 and the flu are possible, there has yet to be research showing evidence that outcomes when infected with both the flu and COVID-19 are different from when one simply has COVID-19. She added that since the flu season in California peaks later compared to the East Coast and Midwest, she does not expect a big rise in flu until December or January.

“Our experience is still new, so while there is some experience out there that’s been published, we’re waiting to learn more,” Howell said. “As we see patients—and I hope we don’t see a lot—but as we do see patients, we’ll have a better feel for what is the interaction with these two infections.”

Howell hopes that with these developments, symptomatic patients who come to their clinic and emergency room have the opportunity to receive a quick and accurate test to relieve them of the anxiety that comes with the uncertainty of their symptoms. She added that the Dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine, Allison Brashear, recently approved the start of the Center of Diagnostic Innovation for UC Davis Health to conduct clinical trials, validate new tests and make them available to patients as a leader in the field.

“We’re not just implementing these tests, but we’re also trying to see how that implementation works best and how we can actually improve patients outcomes by improving antibiotic prescribing or improving disposition decisions,” May said.

Howell added that she also hopes to be a leader in test development and outcomes analyses to improve lives and transform health. She expressed she is proud to make these tests available to the community and their experience available to the world, and believes this is what makes an academic medical center different and special.

“We’re all really proud of the work that’s happening here,” Howell said. “We’ve been leaders from the start. The very first community acquired case was identified right here at UC Davis and I think we’ve picked up that challenge and worked very hard in all parts of the health system to bring great testing, to take good care of patients and bring new treatments. I think we all have a lot to be proud of as Aggies.”

and graduate program chair of communication at UC Davis, said via email that the program values fit, preparation and potential.

“We’re looking for applicants whose interests fit with our program’s areas of emphasis and strength, applicants whose preparation in terms of past coursework and experience has likely readied them for the rigors of graduate study in general and our program in particular and applicants whose materials suggest that they have the potential to be successful in carrying out independent, theoretically-driven, innovative research in communication,” Taylor said.

Gallagher said that the Graduate Studies office continues to work with graduate programs and applicants on any issues they may potentially face due to the circumstances of COVID-19.

“We want to do the best we can to ensure that prospective students are not at a disadvantage in the admissions process due to events beyond their control,” Gallagher said.

LOCAL BUSINESSES FACE DIFFICULTIES AMID MOVE TO PURPLE TIER Restaurants and other businesses struggle as indoor dining is prohibited and fewer students return to Davis

BY SHRADDHA JHINGAN city@theaggie.org Yolo County announced in a press release published on Nov. 16 that it would be moving to the purple tier, following an increase in positive cases of COVID-19. As of Nov. 16, the adjusted case rate for Yolo County was 17.4, which is much higher than the threshold of 7.0 for the purple tier.

Due to the move to the purple tier, local businesses will now have to cease indoor activities or operate at limited capacity. For example, restaurants, gyms, movie theaters, zoos and museums can operate “outdoors only with modifications,” according to the press release.

The move to the purple tier has taken an additional toll on businesses, alongside the decrease in business caused by the pandemic, according to Executive Director of Davis Downtown Brett Maresca. “[The move to the Purple Tier] has hit restaurants, bars, and workout/gym facilities the hardest,” Maresca said via email.

“No seating is allowed inside for eating or drinking, and no indoor services can be provided for gyms or workout studios.

It overall puts a damper on at least the perception of safety of all business conducted indoors as well, which in turn hurts commerce in other business sectors.”

Maresca also noted that while the return of students to Davis in the fall has been helpful, there haven’t been as many students as previous years, which has been difficult for businesses.

PURPLEBUSINESS on 11

People eating at an outdoor seating area at the E Street Plaza in Downtown Davis. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)

2 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

California COVID Notify: the app pioneered by the UC system that can trace contact with COVID-19 How six UC campuses are revolutionizing contact tracing to control the spread of COVID-19 KATHERINE HUNG / AGGIE

BY KATIE DEBENEDETTI features@theaggie.org UC Davis and the wider UC system have been contributors to COVID-19 research and COVID-prevention tools since the beginning of the pandemic. One of these tools is California COVID Notify, a contact tracing app that can notify participants when they have had a “high

risk contact” with a positive case of COVID-19.

Developed by Google and Apple, the technology is currently being piloted at six UC campuses across California. Carrie Byington, the executive vice president and head of UC Health, explained why using a tracing app like California COVID Notify is so helpful in tracking the spread of the virus.

“If you think about your average day and if we hope for a time with fewer restrictions, you might come into contact with many people during

the day that you don’t know,” Byington said. “If they’re carrying COVID-19, doing contact tracing can be very difficult if you don’t know their name or where they live. Your cell phone can alert you that you have been in contact with one or more people for 15 minutes that might be COVID positive.”

Although contact tracing has been an important tool throughout the pandemic, Dr. David Lubarsky, the CEO of UC Davis Health, explained that it is not efficient enough to keep up with the virus’s spread, especially as California and many other states are seeing spikes in cases right now. Instead, he said that a technological solution like California COVID Notify is extremely helpful in ensuring that people who have had close contact with a positive case find out in a timely manner.

“It really speeds up, if you’re going to get symptoms, getting a test,” Lubarsky said. “It really unmasks people who are asymptomatic who actually have the virus, because you can’t get it if you haven’t had some sort of high-risk exposure. This really cuts into the spread of the disease because responsible people want to know, and they’re going to test themselves and keep themselves out of circulation until they know that they aren’t at risk anymore.”

The technology is being used across universities and at associated health centers, including UC Davis and UC Davis Health. Lubarsky explained that the heightened risk of exposure that comes with being on a college campus or in an associated health center makes UC Davis a great place to test the technology.

“One of the reasons we’re originally rolling it out at colleges and universities and health systems is because there’s a very obviously highly-educated population and people who are living in close proximity who are not in the same family, so you can’t really limit your interactions the way you could if you stayed in your own home,” Lubarsky said. “There’s so much community spread right now that no matter how perfect [we are] there’s going to be people who catch it in the community and bring it into the campus or health system. [It’s best to] immediately notify everybody that they may have had a high-risk exposure so that they can protect themselves and their loved ones.”

Lubarsky also stated that by comparing the spread of COVID-19 on UC campuses that are using this technology to the spread on campuses without this technology, they can identify the impact of the app. If there is lower transmission and it is seen affecting the actions of students and staff, the app is working effectively.

The UC felt inclined to institute this specific tracking app because of its secure privacy restrictions, Byington said.

“This app really made sense for us because of the excellent privacy controls,” Byington said.

“It is an anonymous app and no data is stored about the user’s identity, so we felt that it would be an innovative tool and one that our campus populations would be willing to accept.”

If a user of the app comes into close contact with a user who is COVID-19 positive, they will be notified only that they have had close contact.

COVIDNOTIFY on 11

ASUCD passes emergency UC admission extension resolution The Senate requested UC regents extend the admissions deadline to Dec. 15, a new STEM committee created and a new External Affairs chair was confirmed

BY KATHLEEN QUINN campus@theaggie.org The Nov. 19 ASUCD virtual special Senate meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by Senator Amanjot Gandhoke, in the absence of President Kyle Krueger.

Emergency resolution SR #3, introduced by interim Senator Michelle Lester, calls on the UC Regents to extend the submission deadline for students for the 2020-2021 admission cycle; as it stands, the deadline is Nov. 30.

“It is a unique situation,” Senator Erika Valle said. “I think we could all agree that with everything being online and remote, the pandemic has been difficult enough for us who are already University of California students.”

The resolution, which would extend the submission deadline to Dec. 15, came to the table as a suggestion from UC Berkeley. Some senators had concerns that the application extension of two weeks was not long enough; however, Senator Jane Casto thought that any extension could make a huge impact on students.

“As long as we can get an extension, that would be awesome,” Casto said. “Even those two weeks would be major for a lot of people.”

Despite the concerns about the date of extension, Gandhoke was the sole ‘no’ vote and with two additional abstentions, the motion passed.

Maya Bhadury, a third-year environmental policy analysis and planning and economics double major, authored SB #32, which intends to strengthen environmental sustainability guidelines to increase alignment with the campuswide

policies and practices as well as increase audits to twice per quarter.

“A lot of our policies didn’t line up with campuswide and UCOP wide sustainability policies,” Bhadury said. “We also noticed that EPPC’s auditing duties were insufficient, it was just once per quarter and nothing super strict.”

Senate Recorder Daniel Wallace submitted his resignation for the end of the quarter due to concerns about balancing a demanding work schedule.

“I’ve enjoyed working with the Senate,” Wallace said. “I hope I’ve been useful in my time here, but I don’t think I’ll be very effective after this quarter.”

The Senate confirmed a new External Affairs Chair, third-year international relations major Natalia Waid, who said she intends to carry forward the vision of the outgoing chair, Shelby Sayler.

“ASUCD is one of the biggest reasons why I ended up choosing UC Davis,” Waid said.

“Because I respect the fact that students have so much power and such a strong voice in how they want the campus to be run.”

Waid was previously nominated for Judicial Council Chair by Krueger, but did not receive a hearing because she was not present at the meeting.

She said she does not have new projects she would like to implement at this time.

A new STEM committee was created via SB #33, authored by Senator Juan Velasco. He said the new committee needs members, citing that committees tend to die quickly without them.

“It is my hope that this committee will allow for an opportunity not just in student government,” Velasco said, encouraging the new committee to

create projects that involve STEM. Though social sciences will not be included in the new committee, Hunter Ottman, the chair of the ASUCD Environmental Policy and Planning Commission, urged the table to seek out students from a diverse field of study in STEM. “This is something that is tricky because you can’t put in writing one committee member from each of those fields,” Ottman said. “So, it’s going to be a balancing act to make sure that you are following fair practices for hiring but at the same time trying to make sure it doesn’t go one way or

the other.”

Senator Samantha Boudaie introduced an ASUCD buddy system as part of onboarding for new senators that paired senators-elect with senior senators from the opposing slate. She intends to increase positive non-partisan communication on the table.

“Should they have any confusion, they have someone that they can reach out to that isn’t explicitly in their slate,” Boudaie said. “We’re all on the same team, which is team UC Davis students.”

Tree Davis recruits volunteers to build Davis’ ‘urban forest’ during the pandemic The executive director, board members of Tree Davis detail the environmental and mental health benefits of planting trees

Tree Davis staff member tends to a tree at a weekly volunteer event pre-coronavirus. (Tree Davis / Courtesy)

BY LYRA FARRELL features@theaggie.org Tree Davis’s mission, stated on their website, is “to enhance and expand our urban forest by teaching the people of our community to plant and care for trees.” Every weekend from October to April before the pandemic, Tree Davis hosted events where volunteers either planted or tended to trees. Groups would convene at the Veterans Memorial Center to receive orientation about the work for the day and join small groups with a Tree Davis team leader. Each group would then be assigned to one area of the city where they would complete tasks.

Now, no more than three households can gather at one time to volunteer for events, creating challenges for the organization’s goals according to Board Member Emily Griswold.

“In the past you could have 20 or 30 people come on a Saturday morning and work for three hours and plant a bunch of trees,” Griswold said.

“With COVID, you can’t really do that. So the board has actually been pitching in more just in terms of volunteer time.”

According to Executive Director Erin Donley Marineau, the organization has continued to contribute to the community by allowing for continued interaction with nature.

“Having the opportunity to connect with the natural world was important before the

pandemic,” Marineau said. “Research shows that trees reduce stress. Trees make us less anxious.

Trees bring out good, positive feelings in us that put our mental state in a different place where we can be more reflective.”

Marineau sees volunteering for Tree Davis as a way for the public to benefit from nature and receive something in return for the tax dollars they spend.

“This is really a refuge for the soul,” Marineau said. “This is time for people to be able to enjoy some simple beauty in life that is not directly costing them money. It’s something that is a part of our community public good that we’ve all invested in with our tax dollars and for the good people of Davis who donate to Tree Davis. They’ve invested in us.”

Dr. Greg McPherson, the vice president of Tree Davis and a U.S. Forest Service emeritus researcher, stated that planting trees in urban areas attracts biodiversity by developing an ecosystem’s understory, or the vegetation under a canopy of trees.

“It is not just trees, but there’s a whole variety of understory plants,” McPherson said. “Native plants attract pollinators—birds, butterflies, bees, [...] and so it’s adding biodiversity, it’s taking areas that are monocultures of turf grass or use a lot of water or [are] overgrown shrubs and turning them into incredibly rich, diverse habitats.”

TREEDAVIS on 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020 | 3

STUDENTS UNABLE TO SIGN UP FOR OVERLAPPING CLASSES ON SCHEDULE BUILDER DESPITE BEING COMPLETELY ASYNCHRONOUS OR ONLY WITH OPTIONAL SYNCHRONOUS ELEMENTS The variety in the ways instructors are performing synchronous and asynchronous classes makes it harder to create registration codes, according to Interim Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education Cynthia Ching

BY ANNETTE CAMPOS campus@theaggie.org With a variety of UC Davis students now attending classes across the globe and with varying levels of internet access and at-home responsibilities, asynchronous classes have become a way for the university to accommodate student needs.

Despite the flexibility in being taught asynchronously, students are still limited on the type of classes for which they can register on Schedule Builder if two class times conflict.

Cynthia Carter Ching, the interim vice provost and dean of undergraduate education, talked about asynchronous classes and the university’s accommodations for online learning, which involve leaving most instruction delivery decisions

to departments and individual instructors. “[Online learning] created a lot more conversations on campus about, ‘How do we do this in the best possible way so that more students access their courses?’” Ching said. “Some amount of asynchronous instruction resulted from that shift in thinking.”

Ching mentioned how asynchronous classes have been a way for students to gain more flexibility, a change that is helping many.

“It’s quite good,” said James Zhang, a first-year physics major and an international student who is currently back home in China. “My math class occurs at 4 or 5 a.m. in China. If I take the asynchronous class I can see the [lectures on my own time].”

Zhang plans on taking three more

classes asynchronously next quarter.

The university has now developed a code for remote/asynchronous learning which is visible to students when signing up for classes. Yet, this feature does not accommodate for classes which might be taught asynchronously, but are still set at a fixed time in Schedule Builder. If a student wants to sign up for two classes scheduled at the same time, the system prevents them from doing so.

“The thing is, a class can only get that [remote/asynchronous registrar code] if there’s going to be absolutely zero scheduled occurrences of that class period,” Ching said. “So, it’s going to be 100% asynchronous including the final exam.”

Ching mentioned that despite courses being taught asynchronously, instructors may choose to keep some

UC Davis Schedule Builder. (Justin Han / Aggie) form of their class synchronously, such largely asynchronous with optional as holding the lectures at a certain time synchronous elements. Kong sent but not requiring students to attend or out a survey to her class to determine holding the final at its scheduled time if she should conduct lectures at despite lectures being asynchronously, a time when most students could making them unavailable for that attend synchronously, but she mostly code. conducts the class asynchronously and Amanda Kong, an associate students can watch recorded lectures if instructor in the English department, they choose to do so. teaches one of these courses which is SCHEDULEBUILDER on 11

YOLO COUNTY LIBRARY ROLLS OUT THREE NEW SERVICES AT PHYSICAL LOCATIONS The library maintains its position as vital community hub amid pandemic with both physical and virtual programs

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE

BY YAN YAN HUSTIS HAYES city@theaggie.org Yolo County Library is now offering three new services, according to a Nov. 17 press release. The new services include one-hour computer appointments, email reference and contactless printing, copying and faxing.

These services are available during normal business hours: Monday from 4 to 8 p.m.; Wednesday from 2 to 6 p.m.; and Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The library space has been adjusted to comply with social distancing requirements, and restrooms will not

be available to the public. Those who wish to use these services are required to wear face coverings and follow Yolo County’s COVID-19 guidelines.

Janney Duong, a third-year managerial economics major, explained that these resources could be very helpful, especially for those without regular access to them.

“I might take advantage of these services because I personally don’t have these resources at home,” Duong said. “When I was younger, I went to local community libraries in order to borrow books when I couldn’t afford titles to read. Libraries were a resource for me to use and a starting point for

my passion for reading.”

West Sacramento Regional Manager for Yolo County Library Dana Christy explained that the decision to make more services available was in part due to community demand.

“The library is a very popular community hub throughout Yolo County,” Christy said. “Right now, we have seven different locations open for curbside pickup of library materials. While providing curbside pickup materials, we were getting some requests for other services that we offer—like faxing, photocopying and computer access.”

Christy explained that the library holds special importance for Yolo County community members, particularly in this time of isolation.

“It keeps people connected even though they’re by themselves through the sharing of information and entertainment,” Christy said.

“It’s a place to get all your reading materials and DVDs. Especially now for those who do have connectivity, we offer a huge collection of ebooks and magazines. If not, you can still take advantage of the curbside pickup.

People love to read in Yolo County.

The library in Davis is really popular.”

Beyond giving Yolo residents the ability to check out books, Christy explained that the library is important to the community on many different

levels, as the library provides digital services such as providing hotspots and Chromebooks to Yolo County residents who do not have the ability to go online at home.

“There is still a digital divide in Yolo County,” Christy said. “The library is often where people can go for these services, so we figured out how we could provide those safely and we just launched those a couple weeks ago. This is in addition to our e-book services, which are available to individuals with library cards online or through the Libby app.”

In addition to these digital services, the library offers a variety of virtual services for parents and children.This includes storytimes—available in both English and Spanish—as well as early literacy programs.

“We’re offering virtual programs for parents with young kids,” Christy said. “It’s a great option for parents who are looking for materials for their children, or new activities for their kids.”

Christy explained that while there are currently no major plans to expand services due to Yolo County’s recent move into the purple tier, many community members are taking advantage of the available services, and the library intends to keep providing them for as long as official health guidelines allow.

“We have new people coming and our regulars who came before the lockdown—it’s a broad mix and a lot of people are taking advantage of [our services],” Christy said. “Right now, we are holding steady with what we have, given the move to the purple tier in Yolo County, but we’re closely watching the Public Health Officers’ guidance and we’ll follow accordingly.”

Currently, the Yolo County library employs 17 full time staff; however, most of the volunteer positions are currently unavailable. Christy recommended that individuals who are interested in getting involved contact the Friends of the Library program or call (530) 666-8005.

“For the most part, unfortunately, volunteers have had to wait in the wings until we can open our branches up again,” Christy said. “Most of our volunteer positions were in-person.

Davis is still doing outdoor book sales and processing of book-donations, so there are still opportunities for those who want to be involved and help the library.”

Whether it be a book, digital access or a new activity for your kids, the library has a variety of solutions, Christy explained.

“Ultimately I just want people to know that the library is there for you—whether you can make it to the branch or not,” Christy said.

YOLO COUNTY NONPROFITS GEARED TOWARD HOMELESS POPULATION ADAPT TO HOLIDAY SEASON DURING PANDEMIC AGGIE FILE

Nonprofits adapted to comply with safety regulations, but they need donations for upcoming holiday You’d better not carry season

BY JELENA LAPUZ city@theaggie.org The COVID-19 pandemic left a significant impact on everyone’s lives, especially on particularly vulnerable groups such as the homeless population. Various organizations in the Davis and Sacramento area such as Sacramento Loaves & Fishes, Davis Community Meals and Housing and Next Move Homeless Services described the various ways the pandemic affected their services and the homeless population as a whole.

Sacramento Loaves & Fishes is a “[…] non-profit organization dedicated to providing warm meals, essential survival supplies and services for nearly 1,000 adults and children daily,” its official website reads.

Advocacy director of Sacramento Loaves & Fishes Joe Smith explained the occurrence of COVID-19 in the homeless population in Sacramento.

“Here in Sacramento, at least, there’s been very few occurrences of COVID-19 through the population compared to other municipalities,” Smith said. “A lot of other communities had problems with COVID spreading in their shelters. Since Sacramento

doesn’t do much to shelter homeless people, there’s been a very low occurrence.”

Davis Community Meals and Housing is a non-profit organization whose purpose “[…] is to provide low-income and homeless individuals and families with housing, food, and human services to help them rebuild their lives,” its official website reads.

Executive Director of Davis Community Meals and Housing William Pride reiterated the importance of following safety precautions.

“Everybody’s got to take the same safety precautions around anybody, whether they’re homeless or not homeless,” Pride said. “If you want to donate or walk up to somebody to give them food, just make sure you’re exercising some safety precautions.”

Before the pandemic, Smith described the typical services provided

by Loaves & Fishes included—but were not limited to—breakfast on weekdays, lunch seven days a week, a day respite center known as Friendship Park, various outreach centers, a mental health counseling center, a legal center and a clinic for basic medical care.

When the pandemic began, Smith

further explained how Friendship Park had to close because there was no way to maintain proper social distancing due to the large volume of people that normally used the service.

Other services that had to shut down included the outreach offices and the library and volunteer work, while other services were modified to comply with social distancing guidelines when possible.

Pride described the services offered by Davis Community Meals and Housing before the pandemic.

These services included—but were not limited to—a full-scale dinner or lunch, a daily resource center open every weekday, a street outreach program, an employment program and transitional housing.

When the pandemic began, Pride explained the changes to Davis Community Meals and Housing.

“Unfortunately, because of COVID, some of the usual things we do are just not going to happen,” Pride said. “We’re still having to modify a lot of what we’re doing to comply with all the health and safety requirements we’re obligated to comply with.”

Smith recommended the best way to help the homeless population.

“The best way to directly make

an impact on a personal level for people experiencing homelessness is to support agencies like Loaves and Fishes by donating any jackets, blankets, coats, any kind of warm weather or wet weather gear,” Smith said. “Support the local agencies that are doing the work with the homeless.”

Next Move Homeless Services in Sacramento is an agency that “[…] offers direct services, housing, employment, healthcare, and education to its clients, enabling them to become self-sufficient,” its official website reads.

that ofkeg another Treasurer Next Move Homelessstep!

Services Richard Abrusci explained how before the pandemic, Next Move Homeless Services offered a range of services that included—but were not limited to—shelter, housing, bus passes, mental health work and getting people off the streets.

When the pandemic began, Next Move Homeless Services initially faced difficulty in adapting, according to Abrusci.

HOMELESSHOLIDAYS on 11

CATHY TANG / AGGIE

4 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Unitrans in need of drivers for the 202122 school year, according to unitrans general manager Unitrans has increased its safety precautions and hourly wages for drivers to combat the projected driver shortage once the pandemic subsides

BY LIANA MAE ATIZADO features@theaggie.org Due to the pandemic, Unitrans is currently operating at reduced service. Once services return to normal, however, they are expecting a significant shortage of drivers: less than half the amount needed to operate regular service.

Unitrans has put several health and safety measures in place and will be increasing hourly pay starting on Jan. 1, 2021.

According to Jeff Flynn, the general manager of Unitrans, the company values the time and safety of its employees. Unitrans has implemented new safety protocols, which have been in effect since the early months of the pandemic. Flynn also emphasized that Unitrans pays during training, with a starting wage of $16.25. This wage increases to $17.75 for frontline driver shifts during Winter Quarter.

“Not only do we recognize that health and safety is a big concern for people, but we also know that a lot of people lost their jobs in the service industry and there [are] fewer jobs available on campus,” Flynn said. “So we’re hoping that A parked Unitrans bus displays “We’re Hiring” on its destination sign. (Quinn Spooner /Aggie) through our wages that we can also attract people to the job.”

“We’re taking [health and safety] very bike parking here. So that’s a lot more people Each bus now has an installed plastic barrier seriously,” Flynn said. “We need to do whatever to accommodate if the bus system isn’t ready to in between the drivers and passengers. There are we can do to make people as comfortable as carry those people.” red lines on the floor to indicate where passengers possible and as safe as possible while they’re Unitrans is working to recruit as many people should stand in order to stay six feet away from working for us.” as they can before Spring Quarter, as it takes others. Their formerly-cloth seats have been Flynn noted that it usually takes about 175 about three to five months to train drivers. They replaced with plastic, which are easier to clean, drivers to operate regular bus service. Unitrans have also updated their training process in order and drivers no longer have to handle cash as currently has about 115 drivers, which is only to limit in-person contact. customers place their payments in a farebox. enough to provide reduced service. By the end Rufhiline Tolosa, a career driver trainer at There is also now a maximum capacity of of this school year, many drivers will graduate, Unitrans, explained that the first part of driver 18 people per bus, and all windows are open for leaving about 70 drivers. If the pandemic subsides training, which is typically held in a classroom, is ventilation in order to maximize air flow. Unitrans by next fall and the bus service is expected to now being conducted over Zoom. Trainees are provides its staff with Personal Protective return to normal, there will be a severe shortage only required to meet in person once they begin Equipment (PPE) including disposable masks, of drivers. route training, during which they start driving washable masks, sanitizing wipes and hand “On a typical academic year, we carry 22,000 the bus. During route training, each trainee is sanitizer. to 23,000 people per day,” Flynn said. “Now, if accompanied by a trainer, who is required to stay Every day, employees clean the interior of the bus service is half of what it is, or less, then six feet away from them when possible and wear each bus with two different solutions in the form that’s 10,000 or more people that have to get to a face shield. of a spray and a fog machine. In addition, drivers campus a different way. We already know that “[The lack of new trainees] was definitely are required to wipe down their work area before there are constraints on both car parking and noticeable during the summer because, usually, and after each shift.

West Sacramento long-term care facility experiences second outbreak Yolo County officials are working with affected facilities to control the spread of COVID-19

CATHY TANG / AGGIE

UC Davis seniors discuss the struggles of entering the labor market in an economy impacted by COVID-19 With unemployment rates on the rise, college students are struggling to find meaningful job opportunities

BY SNEHA RAMACHANDRAN features@theaggie.org

BY RACHEL SHEY city@theaggie.org Due to a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases, Yolo County re-entered the purple tier on Nov. 16.

The long-term care facilities in the county are of special concern, as they house some of its most vulnerable citizens, according to Yolo County Public Information Officer Jenny Tan. “These facilities house a lot of really vulnerable and high-risk residents, and so we’ve been working with them since the beginning of COVID about treating, mitigation and really thinking about limiting who comes in on the facilities,” Tan said.

Riverbend Nursing Facility in West Sacramento is the second long-term care facility in Yolo County to experience a second outbreak.

The facility experienced a small outbreak of five cases in July. As of Nov. 25, it has reported 56 cases and one COVID-19 related death, with their latest case reported on Nov. 24.

The first long-term care facility in Yolo County to experience a second outbreak was Alderson Convalescent Hospital in Woodland, which has seen 104 cases and 18 deaths as of Nov. 25.

Riverbend is not the only facility currently experiencing an outbreak; Cottonwood PostAcute Rehab in Woodland has reported 65 cases and two COVID-19 related deaths. As of Nov. 25, their latest case was reported on Nov. 24.

Tan explained how Yolo County is working with the facilities to prevent further spread of disease.

“We essentially become a part of their procedures and their staff to help prepare them and help them with the outbreak as much as we can,” Tan said. “We go through all their procedures and practices; we go over their testing plan and a schedule for staff. We also make sure they have all of the supplies that they need and that they are trained in how to use those supplies, such as gloves, masks and scrubs.”

These outbreaks usually originate from sources outside of the facility, added Tan. “COVID-19 comes because someone brings it into the site,” Tan said. “Sometimes, it can be from a staff member, sometimes it can be

from a vendor, sometimes you have people who temporarily live there and leave.”

City of Woodland Mayor Pro Tempore Tom Stallard added that keeping long-term care facility residents safe requires a herculean effort.

“It’s very very challenging to [the care facility] when the workforce comes in,” Stallard said.

“Only one person has to have contracted the problem, and then they can transmit to everybody.

The seniors can’t go anywhere, and they’re all in close proximity. So I don’t see any fault or blame; I just think that they do the best they can and inevitably at some point in time, they have a problem.”

Tan emphasized that not all COVID-19related deaths are occurring in nursing homes.

“I think the public has the perception that all of the people who die are older, or all the people who die are at nursing facilities, and that’s not the case,” Tan said. “Yes, it’s a little more than half [of COVID-19-related deaths in Yolo County in longterm care facilities], but it’s not everyone. People who are not elderly are still dying of COVID-19.”

The nursing homes—while a matter of great concern—are not the primary drivers of the case count in Yolo County, according to Tan. She listed three main causes of the rising case count: social gatherings, work exposures and household exposures.

Tan added that working together to decrease the case count will be essential.

“We’ll probably be in [the purple tier] for the next three or four weeks,” Tan said. “We’re definitely seeing a surge of cases from Halloween, and then depending on what happens through Thanksgiving break, we may stay in purple longer.

I think it’s best for people to buckle in and expect to be in purple for a while.”

City of Davis Councilmember Dan Carson also discussed the importance of collaborating to move forward.

“It’s a countywide rule for what tier we’re in,” Carson said. “They don’t look at one sub-area of the county versus another. So we all have to do well if we’re ever going to move into a lower tier and be able to open up.”

that’s when we hire and train a lot,” Tolosa said.

“In the summer, students usually have free time or they’re taking summer classes, but they’re not here right now. We didn’t really have a lot of people applying for the position.”

Tolosa encourages students to apply as Unitrans drivers because of the flexible schedule, the high hourly wages and the strong sense of community.

“I think Unitrans is a great place to work,” Tolosa said. “Honestly, that’s why I stayed after I graduated. We probably have the friendliest trainers you can find. Also, it’s a really great community. We have a very diverse population in our company.“ Maya Yoshikawa, a fourth-year environmental science and management and history double major, is both a Unitrans driver and the transit driver manager. Yoshikawa also stated the supportive community that she has found during her time at Unitrans.

“Driving is really flexible,” Yoshikawa said.

“I could add shifts or cover for other people or get my shifts covered when I had midterms really easily. Since they’re only one-hour-long shifts, it’s relatively easy. And because we’re all student drivers, we all understand each other.”

While she was apprehensive about driving a bus when she first applied for the job, Yoshikawa said that new drivers don’t have to drive by themselves until they feel comfortable. ”Because of how much driver training there is, and then route training after, by the time I did get ‘solo’ and drove a bus by myself, I was more comfortable driving the bus than my car,” Yoshikawa said.

Yoshikawa highly recommends applying for Unitrans, not only to help address the projected driver shortage, but also to gain a unique, personal experience.

“Because you’re operating a large vehicle with a lot of people, it is a team effort,” Yoshikawa said. “And we really do become a team. It’s a very rewarding job that can be flexible to your schedule.

Then it’s also fun, of course, and it’s a unique UC Davis thing. It’s a really amazing opportunity.”

In April of this year, the unemployment rate rose to 14.4% according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As a correlation, many college students have felt like their lives have been turned upside down. Instead of looking forward to graduation, many of this year’s graduates are faced with the stress of scrambling to find jobs related to their field of study.

Ananya Narasimhan, a fourth-year genetics and genomics major, is planning to graduate at the end of this coming Winter Quarter. After graduation, Narasimhan intends to take a gap year and begin filling out medical school applications as well as look for jobs.

“During my gap year, I wanted to try to become a medical scribe or do a contact tracing job,” Narasimhan said. “I want to find something that is more low impact, but still a healthcarerelated job that I could do remotely so that it’s a little safer.”

Since this past spring, Narasimhan has been applying to various companies and organizations to find a job that can keep her occupied during her gap year.

“For me, especially with COVID-19, getting any type of job is like getting into med school— even if you put out a 100 applications, you can expect to get maybe five acceptances back at most,” Narasimhan said. “I personally feel like

I have had enough experiences to feel qualified for the jobs that I apply for, but I am met with rejection every single day.”

In terms of resume building, Narasimhan noted that she has found many opportunities for online volunteering or unpaid internships that are available.

“I think that [it] is good to branch out and be more holistic,” Narasimhan said. “Do things that you enjoy, and reach out to people you know in clubs and organizations to see if you land anything.”

Manasa Gogineni, a fourth-year international relations major, stated that many of the job opportunities she found were through online platforms such as LinkedIn. “I have been keeping a spreadsheet of different job opportunities to apply for,” Gogineni said.

“Every few weeks I look on LinkedIn and heavily go through job openings. Occasionally I will get messages from recruiters but 90% of the time it’s me drilling through the job openings myself.”

Gogineni detailed how chaotic she has found Handshake to be in terms of finding relevant job opportunities.

“Overall I feel like Handshake does a pretty bad job at filtering out things that are scams or unfair opportunities like unpaid jobs,” Gogineni said.

JOBSEARCH on 4

The Internship and Career Center in North Hall at UC Davis during 2019. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020 | 5

OPINION STUDENTS DESERVE MORE TRANSPARENCY BEHIND THE DECISION TO REMOVE PE COURSES

THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

EDITO RIA L B OA RD

ANJINI VENUGOPAL Editor-in-Chief MARGO ROSENBAUM Managing Editor SABRINA HABCHI Campus News Editor EDEN WINNIFORD City News Editor

Despite paying for the majority of the athletics budget, students have lost access to benefits of physical education

CALVIN COFFEE Opinion Editor SOPHIE DEWEES Features Editor

In late September, the UC Davis administration decided to terminate the physical education (PE) courses starting in Winter Quarter 2021. The move came to the surprise of many and the university should not have abruptly ended these classes without the consultation of the student body or the Academic Senate.

The Student Activities and Services Initiative (SASI) was passed in 1994 and it stated that in exchange for a student fee increase, the university would promise to keep for-credit PE courses among other things. The termination of these classes violates that promise, and the contradictory statements among the administration begs more questions about the university’s lack of transparency and the true reasons behind the decision at this particular time. Moves like these are exactly why many strongly opposed the move to Division 1 (D-1) athletics.

When the opportunity to move the university to D-1 athletics came to light in 2002, many believed that this would encourage them to focus on sports over academic values. The Academic Senate required the university to include eight principles in their filing to the NCAA, one of which highlighted the importance of preserving the teacher-coach role at the university, a faculty position that very few universities have.

Opting to terminate PE classes erases that teacher-coach model and means that coaches will no longer be considered faculty and are hired to prioritize winning over providing educational opportunities to all students. This moves the university further away from its academic values. Claiming the decision to get rid of

PE was due to budget concerns while students paid for 57% of the athletics budget in 2018-19 (a percentage increasing every year) begs the question: What are the priorities of the university?

With these courses no longer available, it will leave a big hole for students who look at PE courses as a way to unwind. It was an opportunity to destress from the rigorous nature of other classes and in the process, many learned new skills. With a number of these classes held outdoors, the interactive nature helped students socialize and participate more compared to a lecture setting.

Even with these classes being virtual now due to COVID-19, the structured aspect of these courses can help students’ mental health during the time we live in. Activity is important for the mental well-being of students and even when we can resume classes on campus, that part will surely be missed.

Students’ contributions to athletics continue to grow while the return continues to lessen. There has been no transparency in a decision that affects thousands of students, which is especially important during a pandemic when on-campus conversation is not possible. The promises made by the administration many years ago continue to be broken little by little as time goes on.

Removing the teacher-coach model prevents the university from providing well-rounded academic experience to its students especially when athletics is predominantly paid for in the form of student fees. Students deserve to know when drastic measures will be taken––the decision on PE classes is no exception.

ALLIE BAILEY Arts & Culture Editor OMAR NAVARRO Sports Editor MADELEINE PAYNE Science & Tech Editor

SIERRA JIMENEZ 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

WHEN WE ARE FEELING DOWN, TOXIC POSITIVITY IS NOT THE ANSWER It’s okay to not be okay

BY KACEY CAIN klcain@ucdavis.edu As busy college students, there’s no time for sadness or negativity. Instead, we look at ourselves in the mirror, say “good vibes only” and throw up a peace sign as if we aren’t going through a tough time.

Research proves that having a positive mindset can be beneficial. A caveat, however, is that too much positivity––also known as toxic positivity––can have the opposite effect.

Essentially, toxic positivity is pretending to always be happy, even in the hardest times. This forced positivity helps us avoid how we are truly feeling––which may be why we do it so often.

No one likes to feel sad or upset, but ignoring our feelings is unhealthy and an emotional breakdown waiting to happen.

MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE

Unfortunately, social media makes it easier to seem positive all the time. It’s a place where we tend to only show the highlights and never the real, messy parts of our lives. Apps like Instagram and Pinterest are flooded with quotes that make us feel like a positive attitude can fix anything.

With a press of a button, we have everyone, and ourselves, believing everything is fine.

Instead, we need more “it’s ok to not be ok” quotes flooding our feeds. Not only is it the truth, but it also validates whatever feelings we may have––helping us realize we don’t have to be happy all the time and that we certainly don’t need to pretend to be happy.

We are not the only culprits of toxic positivity. Sometimes when we seek validation for our feelings from friends and family, we are most often met with remarks such as “it could be worse” or “everything happens for a reason.”

Although phrases like these are offered to us as words of encouragement, they serve more as a dismissal of our feelings.

Sadly, toxic positivity has become a new norm, especially during the pandemic. In order to subside feelings of panic, fear and sadness, we started being overly positive about our misfortunes.

Although it may be quicker to tell ourselves and our friends to “look on the bright side,” it’s not always that bright. This does not mean we should immediately become pessimistic, but rather that we should be more aware of our toxic positivity tendencies. That is, identifying when we are using positivity for the wrong reasons and stopping ourselves from continuing this bad habit. Allowing our bad days to run their course will make our good days all the better––sunny days are always more enjoyable after some rain.

Positivity and optimism are essential to a happy and fulfilling life––that is, if it’s genuine.

Being happy all the time is ideal, but not possible. Life is unpredictable and sometimes even when everything is going great, a pandemic comes in and messes it all up. Toxic positivity might be a quick fix for feelings we don’t want to face, but we will never be able to move on if we don’t allow ourselves to feel how we need to feel.

Even if we aren’t willing to do this for ourselves, we should do it for others. So the next time our friends confide in us, instead of responding with an unwanted positive remark, we need to actively listen and validate their feelings.

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, DECEMBER 3, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OPINION An environmentalist’s guide to Biden’s cabinet President-elect Joe Biden has yet to announce several key environmental positions which will show how seriously he intends to take the climate crisis

BY JOE SWEENEY jmsweeney@ucdavis.edu With a new year just around the corner, all eyes are on Presidentelect Joe Biden for any signs of what his presidency will look like.

With a few of his cabinet picks already announced, there has been considerable criticism by progressives that his administration will essentially be a “third term for Obama.” His picks, thus far, have generally been establishment Democrats with extensive experience, especially in foreign policy, which suggests the importance of restoring relationships with the rest of the world on many fronts–– including climate change.

Biden recently picked former Secretary of State John Kerry for a new Cabinet position as climate change envoy, which the media has dubbed “Climate Czar,” a first of its kind. Establishing the serious importance of the Biden administration’s climate policy for the entire world to see is a step in the right direction according to many environmental organizations.

Kerry was part of the team under the Obama Administration that helped adopt the Paris Agreement and encourage many other foreign powers to do the same. He’s also the highest-ranking U.S. official to have visited Antarctica, where he stayed at McMurdo Station, a U.S. scientific research station.

Despite this history, Kerry has also been criticized for his involvement with his wife’s charter jet company. Private jets emit up to 20 times more carbon dioxide per passenger mile than commercial airlines. Planes make up around 2% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Ultimately, although it is a bit pretentious and hypocritical for Kerry to fly around in a private jet, I don’t believe the responsibility should

Deb Haaland. (Greg Nash) be on the consumer to reduce carbon emissions.

Biden has yet to announce his appointment for the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but he has announced his transition team, which includes a former DuPont consultant.

DuPont has been riddled with lawsuits and controversy over the past decade due to their involvement in producing a group of carcinogenic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs). Not only did they know, likely for almost half a century, that these chemicals had harmful effects on people, but they also attempted to hide this information from government officials and the public to continue making a profit. In 2003, Michael McCabe, the previous deputy administrator of the EPA under Clinton, joined

DuPont’s team coincidentally at the same time the PFAs were about to undergo a “priority review” by the EPA. McCabe helped DuPont navigate the EPA review to ultimately avoid regulation of PFAs. To this day, PFAs remain unregulated.

In her recent op-ed on McCabe’s inclusion in Biden’s transition team, Erin Brokovich, an environmental activist, said, “It should go without saying that someone who advised DuPont on how to avoid regulations is not someone we want advising this new administration.” If McCabe’s inclusion on this team is indicative of how this administration plans to treat the EPA, I am genuinely outraged. I don’t generally use such strong language in my column, but this is something I would expect of the Trump Administration–– who have one of the worst environmental records of any modern presidency.

Biden also has not announced his pick for Secretary of the Interior. Three potential candidates have been put forward by the Sunrise Movement: Rep. Deb Haaland, Rep. Raúl Grijalva and Rep. Jared Huffman. Other potential candidates include former Senator Carol Moseley Braun and Sen. Tom Udall.

With Debra Haaland, a member of the Laguna Pueblo Nation, as their top choice, many progressives have emphasized the potential historical importance of her appointment.

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.

INTERIOR on 11

HUMOR

Davis students conspire to take most expensive classes “This costs how much?”

BY MATTHEW SIMONS mrsimons@ucdavis.edu According to UC Davis’ Schedule Builder website, “course material and service fees have been waived for the Winter 2021 Quarter and will not be charged (except for some professional schools program fees).”

As such, UC Davis students have collaborated to take the most expensive classes they can before the university realizes what they’ve done.

Roxy Harshe, a third-year mathematics major, decided to mix it up next quarter and take: GEL 038A: Intro to Gold-Smelting.

“I try not to mess up, but my instructor tells me accidents happen,” explained Harshe, “which is reassuring.”

Joel Li is a first-year cognitive science major. “It was a hard choice, but I think I’ll have to go with HIS108: Fabergé Egg Breaking,” he answered.

MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE Li said this pairs very well with other classes in his schedule, including: Fabergé Egg Making, Fabergé Egg Taking and first year seminar: What are Fabergé Eggs, and why must we break them?

Even university faculty are taking advantage of the new change. Rumor has it Anujit Chakraborty, an economics professor, is running a new research topics class this winter––ECN 190: What Happens When We Invest in Bad Stocks?

“It’s exciting work because no one really knows what happens,” explained Chakraborty.

“But we’re gonna find out.”

Throughout all interviews conducted, students and faculty all reaffirmed an important point: “Make sure to have fun,” insisted Harshe.

“You can’t put a price on happiness.”

This article is humor and/or satire, and it’s content is purely fictional. The story and or names of “sources” are fictionalized.

creeping up What’s the harm in ‘humoring’ Trump? We asked the ghost of Paul von Hindenburg to find out

BY RUSHI TAWADE rntawade@ucdavis.edu

History rhymes

BY BENJAMIN PORTER bbporter@ucdavis.edu In the weeks after the 2020 election, an unnamed senior GOP official made the following statement regarding the Republican Party’s willingness to entertain President Donald Trump’s baseless, unsubstantiated, evidence-free claims of voter fraud and support his laughable, ludicrous lawsuits: “What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the KIYOMI WATSON / AGGIE

results will change. He went golfing this weekend.

It’s not like he’s plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20. He’s tweeting about filing some lawsuits, those lawsuits will fail, then he’ll tweet some more about how the election was stolen, and then he’ll leave.”

This article is humor and/or satire, and it’s content is purely fictional. The story and or names of “sources” are fictionalized.

HINDENBURG on 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020 | 7

Local organizations hold COVID-19-safe activities this holiday season Though the holidays will look different for most this year, here are a few activities that can bring holiday cheer while still complying with COVID-19 guidelines

BY FARRAH BALLOU features@theaggie.org In a typical year, the month of December is defined by a flurry of holiday activities: the hustle and bustle of people searching for the perfect gifts, twinkling lights on houses and storefronts and tree-lighting festivals in town squares. This season, however, will look drastically different, as most activities have been canceled. Many organizations will continue to host events that meld holiday traditions with safety regulations to encourage holiday spirit in addition to the support of local nonprofits and businesses during this uncertain time.

Festival of Trees Vacaville’s three-day Festival of Trees has drawn thousands of visitors every year. Though in-person festivities are not possible this year, Karen Nolan, the Festival of Trees publicity chair, said that this year’s 30th anniversary festival will continue in a hybrid structure. The organization has scattered various decorated Christmas trees around the city, with many in downtown Vacaville. People can wander throughout the city to view the decorated trees, all of which have also been posted online and are ready to be bid and voted on. The Christmas trees are advertised in an online auction where the highest bidders win the decorated tree.

All money raised by the festival goes directly to Opportunity House, a homeless shelter and rehabilitation center in Vacaville. Colleen

Berumen, the executive director of Vacaville Solano Services Corporation, explained that the Opportunity House was founded to provide services and necessities for homeless individuals.

“The services provided are food, shelter, all basic necessities you get in life as well as additional support like sobriety support, anger management, parenting classes [and] life skills,” Berumen said.

If people are unable to bid, the Festival of Trees has replaced their in-person bake sale with Opportunity House’s Cookies with a Cause.

Cookies with a Cause offers three dozen readyto-bake cookies ranging from $20-$25, along with rainbow root beer, rice krispies treats, brownies and cupcakes. These holiday treats can be ordered by email and delivered in Vacaville or picked up in Vacaville or Fairfield.

Though the usual crafts and photos with Santa Claus are not possible this year, the Festival of Trees is hosting a raffle in front of the Opportunity House Thrift Store in Vacaville.

Participants can buy tickets and choose for which prizes they’d like to enter, all while contributing to community relief efforts. The thrift store provides free products for Opportunity House residents and all net proceeds go to the organization.

The Festival of Trees is the largest fundraising event for Opportunity House, and Berumen said that it is essential to cover the $85 daily cost of funding each resident’s stay. According to Nolan, the festival raised record funds of $170,000 last year. As the holiday season approaches, its organizers encourage participating or possibly donating to Opportunity House.

Downtown Sacramento Events Similar to the Festival of Trees, many iconic Downtown Sacramento events like the ice-skating rink and Theater of Lights have been postponed due to COVID-19. Emilie Cameron, the public affairs and communications director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, however, stated the importance of reimagining holiday events in order to place an emphasis on safety.

“Downtown has been a place of gathering,” Cameron said, “Obviously we can’t do that today, but what we want to do is create other opportunities for people to continue to make holiday memories but in a safe way.”

In fact, Cameron said that this unforeseen holiday season has allowed for the integration of ideas that have been discussed for years. Events this year include Small Business Saturdays, a Holiday Window Contest and the new Waterfront Wheel.

Annually, Small Business Saturday takes place on one Saturday during the holiday season. This year, however, the event is scheduled for every Saturday from Nov. 28 to Dec. 26. During this time, shoppers are rewarded with special events, discounts and gifts to encourage support for small businesses.

“I can not stress enough how much these businesses need the community,” Cameron said.

“For many years, many of these businesses have been the champions for our communities [...] now it’s our turn to show them the love and continue to support them because they won’t survive without it.”

Even if shopping in person is not possible,

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE

many of these businesses have e-commerce options and curbside pickup that allow customers to comfortably shop online.

Besides holiday shopping, Downtown Sacramento has scheduled a Holiday Window Display contest, an event that, Cameron said, city officials have always wanted to schedule. This year, shoppers can walk the streets of downtown to take a peek at the decorated store windows.

“Storefronts will be decorating their windows in fun holiday decor really tied to the theme of the campaign ‘Downtown Together,’” Cameron said.

The theme revolves around promoting togetherness through holiday cheer and unity.

Shoppers can vote for their favorite storefront in person or online based on the photos on the Downtown Sacramento Facebook page.

The Waterfront Wheel is a brand new event which offers city-wide views at a height of 65 feet.

“There’s a ferris wheel now that [gives] you a whole new view of the city that you’ve never seen before,” Cameron said.

Despite conditions this year, Cameron emphasized the importance of the community coming together to support each other. All events have been planned to comply with COVID-19 guidelines and incorporate distancing and regular sanitization. Regardless of physical participation, she asserted the importance of supporting small businesses, even if just online.

Midtown Sacramento Similar to the aforementioned organizations, Midtown Sacramento seeks to offer holiday festivities that support local organizations. Emily Baime Michaels, the executive director of the Midtown Association, stated that the scheduled business events aim to contribute to the holiday season while still adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.

“While 2020 has been filled with surprises at every turn, we’re thrilled to deliver and delight the community with the ‘12 Days of Midtown activations,’” Michaels said. “Rich with memorable experiences that await, our small business community needs our support now more than ever, and guests to Midtown can take great pride in knowing every purchase—large or small— helps to uplift the unique culture that makes Midtown so very special.”

The 12 Days of Midtown takes place during the first 12 days of December, with a new event each day. Activities range from the annual Santa Pop-up Bar, Holiday Wood and Canvas Workshop.

Participants can also receive a free gift for wearing an ugly holiday sweater.

The Midtown Association hopes that these events will uplift holiday shoppers and encourage the support of small businesses, while simultaneously offering discounts and fun holiday treats.

The association is also hosting a Winter Wonderland at the Midtown Farmers Market that runs every Saturday from Nov. 28 to Dec. 19.

Events include pictures with Matty the Giant Elf, a shoe donation drive with Fleet Feet of Sacramento and shopping with 10 holiday-themed vendors.

The market combines regular produce with an added sale of special holiday products ranging from ornament kits to jewelry to seasonal treats.

The fictional characters we all need We could use a lot more people like this in society

BY ITZELTH GAMBOA arts@theaggie.org As an avid reader and Netflix binge-watcher, I have come to the conclusion that series are made by their characters. I will always stick around and finish something if I love at least one character.

Don’t get me wrong, the plot is important as well, but the characters are truly the heart of a story.

And a good character can have a lasting impact on a person. So here is a list of characters that I feel make the show/movie/book worth spending time on.

Tiana from “Princess and the Frog” As a first-generation student, I had to go through college alone. I had to figure out the system by myself, I had to learn how to talk to professors by myself and I had to figure out how to get an internship, raise my grades and better my writing, all while dealing with the possibility that maybe UC Davis made a mistake in accepting me because everyone else seemed so much more puttogether. As silly as this may be, watching Tiana go through her struggles during “Princess and the Frog” helped me through my self-doubt.

While I love Mulan, Moana and Merida, Tiana deserves special appreciation. She’s a Black woman working to own her own restaurant in a time where everyone looked down on her and racism was rampant. Throughout her life she dreamt of having her own place and when she finally was able to get it, it was ripped right out of her hands. But she kept pushing, and I find that so admirable.

Characters that overcome countless obstacles to achieve their dreams is inspiring.

Peeta Mellark from “The Hunger Games” The amount of times I have heard someone say that they favored Gale in “The Hunger Games” because Peeta is weak is heartbreaking. Peeta did not deal with physical and emotional abuse from his mother, go to The Hunger Games, confess his love for Katniss and give up his life for hers in “Mockingjay” to deserve all the hate he gets.

There’s a part in “Mockingjay” (the book, not the movie) where Katniss is thinking about Peeta

and thinking about her anger. She comes to terms with the fact that both her and Gale are fueled by rage, but Peeta is the complete opposite. Katniss realizes that what she needs is a dandelion in the spring, the sign of rebirth after destruction, and that is Peeta. What I appreciated about Peeta is that he showed an immense amount of kindness.

People hate Peeta so much for how “little” he did in The Hunger Games. But the amount of strength it takes for someone to push through trauma and still be kind and empathetic is immeasurable.

What we need to take away from his character is that there are different types of strength. Where Katniss is so important to young women, Peeta is important to young men. Everyone preaches about how society should be kinder, and yet Peeta is bashed into the darkness for being just that. That’s something we need more often in characters, and in real life; we need people who choose to be kind.

Sokka from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” What I most appreciate about Sokka is his

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

beautiful character growth. Sokka starts off the series being a sexist jerk who lacks any character depth other than being the comedic relief. It’s very clear that he finds men to be more capable in every aspect of physical strength, but as the series progresses and he faces the Kyoshi warriors and meets more fierce women he finds the errors in his beliefs. He removes himself from his views and apologizes for being sexist, something we don’t see often. He also moves on and learns from women.

What I value the most about this character is his ability to apologize and learn from his mistakes.

What’s disappointing about our culture is that everyone has a need to be right all of the time and of course, I am no exception. But with characters like Sokka, we can hopefully take a closer look at ourselves and understand that it’s okay to be wrong sometimes.

Miles from “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” I used to be the person that never had a favorite movie. But then “Into The Spider-Verse” came

along and I met Miles. This was such a perfectly executed character and movie that I got a physical copy just to always have it.

Miles gave superhero characters the representation they needed. He is a biracial character that is awkward and lanky, but thoughtful and social—I loved every second of it.

There are so many kids who grew up not being able to see a superhero like them, which is why when we have superheroes like Black Panther and Miles, it’s a monumental step. What was unfortunate about “Into the Spider-Verse” is that it is not as valued as the average superhero movie. People turned their nose up at the movie solely because it was animated. But this movie was better than any liveaction Marvel film. It maintains the comic book aesthetic with wavy lines to signify Miles’ Spider Sense, thought balloons and the clever animation of having Miles move at 12 frames per second (fps) where his other superhero friends are at 24 fps.

As Miles matures and grows into the Spider-Man figure, he moves on to be animated at 24 fps, too.

Captain Marvel from “Captain Marvel” Walking out of the theatre after watching “Captain Marvel,” I had never felt more powerful in my life. It’s no wonder men are often on a power trip—I felt like I could take on the world with just one movie about a female superhero and men have 20 to be represented, and empowered by. Captain Marvel was so important for women, not only because she was the first superhero we saw in the Marvel Universe that got her own movie, but because she was portrayed beautifully.

She was snarky, confident and stubborn. We don’t usually get to see those traits in likable women characters. We see them in male superheroes and they are praised for it, but women are shamed for it. Captain Marvel takes these traits and makes it so that young girls can look up to a powerful character.

What was so important about Captain Marvel was that she made it clear that you don’t have to prove yourself to others to make yourself competent or worthy. You carry your own value, and I love that about our superhero.

8 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

MICHELLE OBAMA’S LEGACY IN ‘BECOMING’ The successes and compromises that led Michelle Obama to the gilded cage of the White House

Becoming is a 2020 American documentary film about the former First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama and follows her on her book tour. (Netflix)

BY MUHAMMAD TARIQ arts@theaggie.org In the 89-minute Netflix documentary “Becoming,” the world is given a glimpse into the statuesque, unwavering woman that stood equal to her husband, former President Barack Obama.

Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is America’s first African-American first lady, a double-Ivy League educated lawyer, the face of the “Let’s Move” campaign to combat childhood obesity and the woman that brought both

modernity and sophistication to the White House with each outfit.

The documentary, released on May 5, 2020, is a collection of conversations, family moments and intimate experiences of Michelle’s life. Viewers see the nonlinear progression of Michelle’s journey from growing up in a working class family in the South side of Chicago to being the inhabitant of the most famous address in America—1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The documentary is a visual companion to her 2018 memoir “Becoming.” It begins with Michelle centerstage in an interview with Oprah

Winfrey at a packed press event for her book.

Michelle is no longer the current first lady, but rather a proud veteran of the White House, an empty-nester with both her daughters—Malia and Sasha—attending college and a woman who can finally tell her side of the story.

As the documentary progresses, a myriad of family photos at Michelle’s childhood home spark backstories of a strict household in which excellence was not only encouraged, but expected.

Past and present collide when Michelle, an internationally recognized political figure who is often flanked by a sea of secret service, stands alone in her childhood bedroom reminiscing about the experiences that made her who she is today.

Michelle’s intense loss of her father plays a defining theme throughout the documentary.

Feelings of melancholy and loss emerge on screen, as her late father’s wrinkled, beige, empty recliner sits empty, awaiting the man who instilled in Michelle the drive to be successful in all her endeavors.

We also get to see more cheerful family interactions when Michelle discusses the relationship between her older brother, Craig Robinson, and their mother, in an interview. “I am the first lady but my mother is like, ‘When is Craig coming?’” Michelle said. She goes on to say, “I’m like, ‘I live in the White House. What more do I have to do?’”

The backstory of Michelle and Barack’s uncanny love story also unfolds in the documentary. Michelle recounts how she was his superior at the law firm they both worked at and how he was often late. But it was his deep voice

that sealed the deal for her.

Throughout the film, it is obvious that Michelle struggled with the intense scrutiny and cruel commentary that came with her husband’s transition into politics. Barack was senator of Illinois in 2004 before becoming the President of the U.S. in 2008, and Michelle had to become recluse and calculated because of the media’s attempts at trying to reduce her whole, complex identity to the trope of an “angry Black woman.”

Themes of a gilded cage, entrapment and personal sacrifice color many scenes of the documentary with Michelle struggling to make the coldness of the White House feel like a warm home for her family.

Feelings of resentment percolate through Michelle’s retelling of the compromises she made to allow Barack to honor his ambitions while she put a hold on hers to not only raise their children but be the kind of spouse a president requires.

Yet, she sows the seeds of hope with the message of unity. She reminds us that by daring to be vulnerable, believing in the value of our stories and having the courage to fight for change, the things that seem to divide us will bring us together.

The Netflix documentary “Becoming” showcases Michelle’s legacy. It is a conglomeration of the successes, isolating losses, moments of motherhood and overall experiences of being the first lady. It reminds us of the undeniable Black excellence of a woman who not only shattered glass ceilings but inspired a generation of women, immigrants, people of color and little girls to never doubt who they are and who they can become.

LIKE IT OR NOT, TRUMP ISN’T LEAVING POLITICS OR THE SPOTLIGHT ANYTIME SOON

BY JACOB ANDERSON arts@theaggie.org

Movie: “Basket Case” dir. by Frank Henenlotter (1982) Nervously patched together on a budget of only $35,000, this C movie is filled with gross, unconvincing gore and a surprising amount of charm. Henenlotter takes a naked approach to the art of cheap horror, with practical effects limited to heavily off-putting stop motion movement and awkward puppetry for the titular basket-bound villain. Despite no grand ambitions or tact of any kind, “Basket Case” succeeds on a more base pathos level—this film was made by an artist, albeit one of ambiguous skill. The plot is kind of a mess, like everything else, but basically consists of the protagonist and his malformed twin brother attempting to murder the doctors involved in their surgical separation as children. The film is dark, amateurish, filthy and incredibly memorable.

Book: “U and I: A True Story” by Nicholson Baker (1991) Even in an artist now popularly derided, like John Updike, one can find a lot of meaning. Baker, a nearly schoolgirlish Updike fan, took it upon himself to perform a complete analysis of Updike’s work from memory. What this really consists of is Baker neurotically recounting his few brief encounters with his idol and spending 5,000-word passages meditating on single phrases like “vast, dying sea.” Despite being framed as an (unorthodox) literary analysis, the real interest present is how Baker lays out his insecurities, explicit thought processes and imagination, projecting them onto poorly remembered Updike passages and unintentionally providing a complete portrait of himself, rather than his subject. He spends whole chapters wondering how Updike and himself vary in their handling of their shared psoriatic condition, how Updike feels about Baker’s fiction, and whether Updike would go golfing with him—he comes across as slightly histrionic, but also human and self-aware. Baker’s prose is predictably lurid and expansive, though devoid of his signature beastly fourpage footnotes (and probably better off for it).

Album: “Home, Like Noplace is There” by The Hotelier (2014) Massachusetts emo group The Hotelier displays the unmistakable ability to weaponize catharsis on their second album. Every adolescent, angst-riddled moment of its runtime expertly captures the pain and heartache of true 2010’s suburbia.

While not bringing fresh ingredients to the table per se, it’s selective and honed in the way genre representatives can only really be after decades of exploration: it weaves through passages of distant optimism and heartbreaking climax without a wasted moment, all the while demonstrating both intricate control and honesty. It’s teary-eyed, loud, self-absorbed and unashamed to be childish. “Home, Like Noplace is There” is embarrassing in the loving way of a parent or sibling—it reminds you of yourself. This is an album for people hurt, unsure or hopeful, now or any time in history.

TV Show: “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (1988) “Mystery Science Theater 3000” requires no introduction. My role here is to humbly remind you that it exists, and that a period of extreme inactivity, such as being forced to remain inside for months due to a pandemic, is a fantastic time to watch a show with 90-minute episodes. It’s witty, charming and a cultural landmark for good reason. If laughing at old trashy sci-fi sounds like something up your alley, give it a watch. Some of the earlier episodes are rough, so if you’re diving in for the first time season eight is a good place to start.

How the last four years will continue to shape the GOP

BY CAMERON PERRY arts@theaggie.org On Jan. 20, 2021, a new President of the U.S. will be sworn into office.

At least, that is what is supposed to happen.

President Donald Trump has yet to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and accept the results of the election. Results of the safest and most secure election in the nation’s history, according to Chris Krebs—the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency who was fired on Nov. 17 by Trump for making that statement.

It’s now been weeks since the Associated Press called Pennsylvania in favor of Biden, giving him more than the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency. The presidentelect currently sits comfortably at 306, the same “landslide” margin that Trump won by in 2016.

So if Biden is the president-elect, and Trump didn’t really win, why is he still claiming victory?

Over the past four years, and in recent weeks especially, many have argued that the Grand Ole’ Party (GOP) is of the past and that populism has been on the rise. Consider numerous reports that the outgoing president has had Republican senators Mitch McConnell and Lindsay Graham in his pocket since the start of his term in 2017.

Watch a recording of a rally Trump has held this year or interviews of attendees. Watch an hour of Hannity on Fox or Newsmax if you’re feeling daring. Wherever you look, the message is exceedingly more pro-Trump than proRepublican.

While Trump is on his way out of the White House, it’s been made apparent that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Hints of a 2024 presidential run have already been made, his daughter-in-law Laura Trump is rumored to make a run for South Carolina Senate in 2022, Jared Kushner is likely to continue building on his foreign policy portfolio and the vocal duo of Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle is not likely to quiet down anytime soon. His press secretary Kayleigh McEnany (whose salary, as

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE

a government official, is paid for by taxpayers) has been serving the Trump campaign more and answering questions from the press less to spread misinformation in regards to claims of voter fraud in the election. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a press conference that “there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.” Until Thanksgiving the President hadn’t taken any questions from reporters since election night, only appearing on Twitter to create one false claim after another.

Lawsuits across the nation put into motion by his personal attorneys have been quickly shut down for lack of evidence.

But why insist victory when everything points to defeat?

Because that isn’t Trump. Seventy four million (give or take) voted for a populist candidate who, ironically, was born into a position of elitism and has maintained that status throughout his life (despite countless controversies and failure in both his business and personal life).

Trump had become a household name by the time he announced a bid for the presidency. He was recognizable to the “ordinary” American who watched reality television, didn’t follow politics and wanted less government meddling in the affairs of its citizens. What started as a surge for a populist candidate turned one political party into a cult-following, and the other, naturally anti-cult.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020 | 9

Sudoku Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row, colum, and 3x3 square must contain each digit.

Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

Answer to previous puzzle 11/19/20

Crossword

Answer to previous puzzle 11/19/20

10 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SCIENCE & TECH TWO PROFESSORS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES SELECTED AS FELLOWS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO’S CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES The researchers were acknowledged for their commitment to “explore, explain, and sustain life”

BY FRANCHESKA TORRES science@theaggie.org Two professors from the department of Earth and Planetary Sciences—Isabel Montañez and Dawn Sumner—are a part of San Francisco’s California Academy of Sciences’ newest class of Fellows, nominated by their colleagues based on their contributions to science. They were selected along with 12 other candidates this year by the academy’s board of trustees, chosen based on their embodiment of the mission statement of The California Academy of Sciences: “to explore, explain, and sustain life.”

One of the UC Davis professors chosen, Sumner, teaches geobiology and is working on three research projects related to her field. One of them is focused on studying modern, mostly photosynthetic bacteria, known as cyanobacteria, and looking at how they support the ecosystems in Antarctica.

Antarctica was chosen as the location of study because its history of glaciation has left most of its macroscopic life extinct, modeling a time before animals evolved. Photosynthesis by cyanobacteria creates biomass that is used by other microbial organisms as a part of the ecosystem in Antarctica. Sumner collaborated with geneticists to find out how photosynthesis evolved and created oxygen, leading to the largest geochemical change to occur on the surface of the Earth.

The second project consists of studying early environments on Earth and what it was like billions of years ago before oxygen was present in the atmosphere. Researchers study how microbial life has changed the surface of the planet and how its conditions affected how life evolved before the rise of multicellular organisms. This led to a third project: understanding ancient environments on Mars and determining if they could have hosted life.

The latter project is important for answering the age-old question of whether life exists elsewhere in our universe. Sumner works with data from NASA’s Curiosity rover to help answer this question.

“Mars is the easiest, closest place that people can go and use my scientific skills,” Sumner said.

She looks at rocks and interprets processes from photos that the Curiosity rover provides. Discoveries such as liquid water and energy sources—necessary components for a habitable environment— were found to have been on Mars billions of years ago. The organic molecules found on Mars might not be from actual life, but indicate that building blocks for life existed, according to Sumner.

“Right now, it could either be that we have evidence of fossil life on Mars [and] we just haven’t seen it yet, or we have clues to how organic molecules behave on a planet without life which could help us understand the origins of life on Earth,” Sumner said.

Because of the difficulties of operating on another planet, there have been no attempts to excavate fossils on Mars. The Curiosity rover has scratched the surface of the planet by grinding bits off the ground and drilling small holes to produce powder, but there are

Two UC Davis professors have been honored as Fellows at the California Academy of Sciences. (Wikimedia Commons) plans for future rovers to bring samples of rock back, according to Sumner.

When asked about what she thought contributed to her nomination as a Fellow, Sumner said working with perceptive students was the reason. She explained how her three projects may seem different from each other at first glance but they are related by the curiosity of how life interacts on Earth. She was able to go in different directions and explore this curiosity because of students who had brought fresh perspectives and ideas for experiments she had never considered.

One student who collaborated with Sumner is Emilia Sakai Hernandez, a Ph.D. candidate at UC Davis who is studying geology.

She is researching a meteorite impact in South Africa and western Australia that is 2.63 billion-years-old, and how sulfur cycling changed with that impact. This was a period before there were large amounts of oxygen in the atmosphere and the Earth’s surface only consisted of microbes, bacteria and archaea.

This project grew from Sumner’s career of studying the geological history of the specific time period when the impact occurred. While working on her Ph.D., Sumner studied the rocks in South Africa as well, and now she shares her knowledge on this region and time period with Hernandez.

Upon mentioning Sumner’s achievement of being selected as a Fellow for The California Academy of Science, Hernandez said it was a huge honor.

“It really shows how important of a member of the scientific community she is and I think it’s really great that she’s being honored in that way,” Hernandez said.

Sumner was both surprised and pleased that she was selected as a Fellow. She mentioned that she did not even know she was nominated.

“To be chosen as a Fellow of an organization that integrates our place on Earth so well with the science that we do in a culturally meaningful way is really special,” Sumner said.

She wanted to give advice to students who are starting out with an interest in science: “You don’t have to know where you are going in your science to be a good scientist.”

In her journey, she has picked projects because they were great opportunities at the time and they piqued her interest. It did not matter if the topic was in another field—Sumner did not hesitate to try. She had only taken one biology class in college and now most of the papers she has written this year are related to biology.

“Keep an open mind and be curious, look for good collaborators, work with people who inspire you, and if you’re having fun doing your science, you can do way more,” Sumner said.

IMMIGRANTS CAN BE A FORCE FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH Study on the labor market impact of Puerto Rican migrants in Orlando finds a positive aggregate impact on local economy

CATHY TANG/ AGGIE

BY SIMRAN KALKAT science@theaggie.org Two Category 5 storms, Hurricanes Irma and Maria, made landfall on Puerto Rico in Sept. 2017—only two weeks apart. These storms caused massive property damage and killed nearly 3,000 on the island, which prompted over 120,000 Puerto Ricans to migrate to the mainland U.S., with most settling in Orlando, Fla. A study from UC Davis economists Giovanni Peri, Justin Wiltshire and Derek Rury examines the effects of a sudden inflow of Puerto Rican migrants on the labor market in Orlando.

Puerto Rican migration to the mainland U.S. had been low during the first half of the 20th century, but began to rise during the later half, forming communities in New York City, Philadelphia, Chicago and parts of Florida. The migrants who arrive in the U.S. are American citizens, so they have immediate access to the labor market and also arrive with fairly similar levels of education as the mainland U.S. workers.

Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the relocation of Puerto Rican migrants to the mainland presented a unique case study, mainly because their departure was due to an unexpected event and had little to do with the conditions in the local economy. Wiltshire, a Ph.D. candidate in economics and co-author of the study, explains how this sudden addition to the labor force, or “supply shock,”

could be used to research the impacts of immigration in a new light, such as focusing on the demand-side of immigration.

“It’s important to remember that, even in the period just after they arrive, migrants buy things like clothes and gas and meals at restaurants—especially if they’re working and have income,” Wiltshire said. “That’s how we understand how economies work: people go to work to earn money so they can buy things, and this creates job opportunities at the businesses where they buy those things, which in turn might affect similar workers at other local businesses.”

The researchers used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, specifically the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) and Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI), which provide coverage and breakdown of employment and earnings. They found that with the arrival of immigrants in Orlando, employment increased, especially in the construction and retail sector, and that there were positive labor market effects in the aggregate for nonHispanic and less-educated workers.

When the researchers analyzed the impact on wages a year after the migration, they found a negative impact within the construction sector, but an increase in retail earnings for native workers and lesseducated workers. In this case, the researchers found a small negative wage impact in sectors most exposed to the supply shock, such as construction, which is then offset by the positive wage effects in

sectors that experience a positive consumer shock.

Peri, a professor in economics at UC Davis, the director of the Global Migration Center at UC Davis and a co-author of the study, describes how the conclusions drawn about immigrants and their economic impacts are more nuanced than some assume.

“Immigration effects in the local economy are not as simple as some people say, [...] they are much more complex, and much broader,” Peri said. “We find that they increase the local demand for goods and services and this actually increases jobs.”

The researchers found that, in Orlando, employment and the local economy grew after the migrants arrived, supplying new information to the constant American debate over immigration.

Santiago Perez, an assistant professor of economics at UC Davis, explains how on various occasions, researchers have found that people might not have the correct idea about the facts and impact of immigration.

“People are not very well-informed about immigration. Even [with] very basic facts such as, ‘What is the fraction of immigrants in the U.S. population?’” Perez said.

This paper helps to bring forth evidence-based claims on the positive and negative effects of immigration, which, according to Peri, are more relevant than ever. Because climate change and other global issues are rearranging our human landscape, immigration patterns are likely going to remain a important policy discussion in the coming years. If weather events like Hurricanes Irma and Maria are projected to occur with a greater frequency, which likely means an increase in migrations, Peri noted that there is a need to gain a clearer, facts-based understanding of how immigration affects the country.

“We wanted to see how the US can respond to the type of migration flows that could become more common in the future because of climate change and climate migration,” Peri said. “And again, I think the message there is that one should be ready, but should not be ready or scared by the inflow of immigrants. They can actually bring positive impacts as long as people are organized and expect them,” Although this paper in and of itself isn’t a conclusive analysis of the impacts of immigration, it certainly offers more credence to a body of research finding that immigration doesn’t harm native workers, at least not in the aggregate. With immigration numbers falling this year due to COVID-19 and from an otherwise stricter immigration policy due to the current administration, Wilshire noted that there is a need to study and understand how immigration impacts nations as well as local communities.

“Immigration [not only] creates great opportunities for the migrants themselves, but for the local community in particular, and we need to understand how they work economically in order to make the best out of that, and this study was a little piece in understanding this,” Peri said. “I hope we continue to provide this type of research, and going forward this will become very relevant as the world opens up back again after the COVID closure.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020 | 11

PURPLEBUSINESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “A lot of our downtown businesses survive off of the student population, and struggle just to break even during the summers and winter/spring breaks when they are not present,” Maresca said.

“This year has been extremely difficult without the students here.”

Owner of Mishka’s Café Sinisa Novakovic explained the repercussions of the move to the purple tier on business operations.

“Purple tier for us really means that we cannot have anybody inside and customers [buy] drinks and pastries either to-go or sit outside,” Novakovic said.

Novakovic also noted that while business improved by around 20% when more students returned in the fall, it has still remained low, decreasing the number of employees working each shift.

“We really only have—for the most part— two, sometimes three people working per shift because there are far fewer people coming out,” Novakovic said.

Some furniture also had to be removed to allow for social distancing, alongside other precautionary measures such as having hand sanitizer available and not serving from customers’ reusable ceramic mugs or to-go containers.

Public Information Officer for Yolo County Jenny Tan explained her concerns with the potential of people gathering during the upcoming holiday season, which could potentially lead to a spike in cases.

HOMELESSHOLIDAYS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 “I worry about our numbers increasing when they are already quite high,” Tan said via email.

“We all need to sacrifice a little bit this year, by not gathering or traveling this holiday season.”

Maresca underscored the importance of continuing to support local businesses, especially in this time when business has taken a downturn.

“Please support your local businesses!”

Maresca said via email. “Without student patronage, more businesses will be disappearing and there will be less to do and shop for in-person in our community! Instead of shopping online for this holiday season, please visit downtown and support the businesses that are here for you.”

Ways to support local businesses include participating in Shop Small Saturday with the Farmers Market, attending music and activities in E Street Plaza, a raffle and more, according to Maresca. More information can be found on Davis Downtown’s website.

Tan also noted that alongside buying from local businesses and ordering from restaurants, students can volunteer at nonprofit organizations and donate food.

Despite the detrimental effects of COVID-19 on business, Novakovic highlighted that residents of Davis have been “incredibly supportive.”

“It’s been a pleasure trying to stay open in spite of all the difficulties, but what made it much easier is the fact that our regular customers showed their support by showing up and by generously tipping our employees,” Novakovic said.

COVIDNOTIFY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Users do not have access to the name of the person they came into contact with, their phone number or when and where they were exposed.

Lubarsky explained that the use of encrypted data protects all users from data abuse.

“The data never passes through some sort of giant data bank,” Lubarsky said. “There’s no storage of the interactions that we’re having as we pass each other. There’s an exchange of an encrypted chain link that says this person and that person were close together and it’s just stored in your two phones. All the data is just in your phone. There’s no risk of abuse of the data because it doesn’t exist anywhere.”

Byington shared that if this technology

proves to help curb the community spread across campuses, she hopes to see it implemented across the state.

“We think it would be a really good option for California,” Byington said. “We think it’s something that many people would want to use and we know that the more people that use it, the more likely we are to be able to identify exposures.”

Lubarsky explained that technology like this, that promotes greater awareness of the virus, will be necessary to control the spread.

“They say ignorance is bliss and the best state to live in is denial, but that’s not the best way to beat this pandemic,” Lubarsky said. “If we can reduce the spread, we can contain the virus.”

“There [were] a bunch of challenges we had to work through,” Abrusci said. “We deal with a lot of people that have pretty severe mental health issues, and not being able to be connected to them in the way that we were previously was a bit of a challenge.”

Pride further described the importance of safety for both staff and homeless individuals.

“I think one of our big concerns is that probably the vast majority of folks we serve are considered highly vulnerable for a whole range of reasons by age or illness or other types of behavior,” Pride said. “We had to have a lot of

safety protocols to make sure that my staff and everybody else were kept safe.”

Abrusci added a final message for those wanting to help the homeless population.

“Especially during the holiday season, it seems to be that people focus on wanting to do good or to help,” Abrusci said. “It’s just a reminder that those people experiencing difficulties are experiencing the same difficulties year-round. While we appreciate the extra help during the holiday season, just a reminder that we really can use that support throughout the year.”

JOBSEARCH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 “I go there expecting to find jobs that are engaging and related to my field. Usually the jobs are not relevant or recruiters are elusive about the opportunities and I feel pretty disappointed after going onto Handshake.”

Unlike Handshake, the Internship and Career Center (ICC) at UC Davis has been helpful for Gogineni to put together resumes.

“The ICC is a nice resource to have to reassure yourself that you are going in the right direction,” Gogineni said. “It’s nice to have someone who isn’t a friend double-check everything and give you another perspective.”

Sohree Victor, a fourth-year genetics and genomics major, hopes to spend a few years working as an EMT before applying to medical school. Before the pandemic, Victor was working in food services, and she described how her experiences helped her build communication and people skills.

“My advice is to consider jobs that you wouldn’t usually think you would be able to do,” Victor said. “I never thought I would be able to handle a job in food services because of the hectic environment, but I wholeheartedly think that everyone should have a job in food services at least once in their life.”

Victor has not tried to use Handshake or LinkedIn to find new opportunities. Instead, she chose a more traditional method to apply for jobs.

“I basically just printed out a bunch of resumes and kept them with me,” Victor said.

“Anytime I saw a help wanted sign I would walk in and hand them my resume. I know that that’s a bit harder to do during COVID, but I think it could also be helpful to reach out to your friends and professors for help.”

Victor said that she and many of her peers have been struggling to find opportunities related to healthcare because of the safety concerns regarding in-person components.

“It has definitely been a struggle for me,” Victor said. “I had applied for a bunch of things in June and I didn’t end up hearing back for anything until last month. And at that point, we were about to go into another lockdown, so the job was postponed.”

Victor offered some advice to those that are struggling to find opportunities and build up their experiences during the pandemic.

“My advice is to not cut our jobs that you think you won’t be good at—you never know until you try,” Victor said. “The most important thing is to put yourself out there and send out as many applications as you can. Chances are you might not hear back from every place that was on the top of your lists, but you will at least have some options to choose from.”

INTERIOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

TREEDAVIS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 According to Marineau, another benefit of adding to what the Tree Davis site calls the “urban forest” of Davis is that it helps mitigate effects of global warming.

“Climate change is no longer something that we can talk about hypothetically in the future,” Marineau said. “Climate change is visible and happening now. This year was one of the longest summers we’ve ever had because we ended up with high temperatures early in the season.”

Tree Davis is currently implementing a grant program with the City of Davis to plant 1,000 trees by March 2022. In order to complete this goal, the organization needs to find property owners who are willing to have trees planted on their property.

One challenge Tree Davis faces is that community members may not be aware of the lasting benefits of trees, Marineau said.

“Part of the challenge in communicating the benefits of what we do is that trees are such longlived organisms and in many cases they can outlive us,” Marineau said. “We live in such a fast-paced culture where we expect to see results immediately.

When we’re planting, we are really keeping the long term perspective in mind.”

A barrier to finding property for the planting of trees, according to Marineau, is that a large portion of Davis’s population is students who live in apartments and would need permission from property owners to have trees planted on the property.

“Renters can definitely be advocates for what they would like to see in their spaces,” Marineau said. “I think a lot of times renters see themselves as kind of powerless. They just kind of have to deal with whatever’s there or perhaps they don’t feel invested in beautifying the property because they’re just going to leave in a year or six months.”

Another advantage of planting trees, McPherson said, is that they help decrease costs by performing various environmental functions.

“Trees are priceless, but there is a dollar value to all the things that trees are doing in terms of cleaning the air and saving energy and storing carbon and just improving our health and wellbeing, and [...] that may be $1,500 a year,” McPherson said.

Marineau stated that trees can also lessen energy costs by providing shade to buildings while reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide.

“Trees mitigate the urban heat island effect,” Marineau said. “They make it cooler and more livable for us, and if we have trees shading our homes or businesses or our schools, we spend a lot less money trying to cool those spaces. So, we save money on energy bills and we have fewer greenhouse gas emissions because we’re drawing less electricity from the grid to run our air conditioners.”

Marineau believes that trees in an urban environment should be viewed as more than garden decor.

“A lot of people think of trees as sort of like fringe benefits,” Marineau said. “They’re sort of like nice icing on the cake once you’ve taken care of everything else. I’m trying to really convey the message that trees are really essential, particularly where we live here in the Central Valley.”

McPherson said he sees trees as medicine for the soul amidst a tumultuous time.

“Recently, there has been a lot of research on the human health benefits of having trees in our environment, where we live, work and play,” McPherson said. “How it reduces stress, [connects you] to nature, it’s calming. [...] Trees put a smile on my face. I think in the time of the pandemic, we can all use a smile.”

SCHEDULEBUILDER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 The decision comes from Kong’s own experience as a community college and commuter college student.

“I have been working part-time to full-time pretty much my entire college career,” Kong said.

“If you work, there shouldn’t be a barrier, you should still be able to take this class.”

Kong said that it is not an issue for her if students wish to take two asynchronous classes at the same time, hoping students will self-assess the amount of work required and decide if they are able to complete it. She did, however, express worries about registration. “[The classes] might be mislabeled on Schedule Builder unknowingly, like being scheduled at a certain time despite being asynchronous,” she said.

Bonnie-Nghi Huynh, a first-year biomedical engineering major, said she hopes for an adjustment to Schedule Builder registration.

“I would really like that,” Huynh said. “I really wanted a specific math professor, but because my chemistry lecture conflicted with that math lecture, I wasn’t able to choose that math professor and had to opt for another math professor despite those classes being taught asynchronously.”

She is planning on taking four classes next quarter asynchronously.

According to Ching, the variety in the ways instructors are performing synchronous and asynchronous classes makes it harder to create registration codes for the ways classes are offered.

“We’re innovating and doing all sorts of things that we didn’t do before, but sometimes it’s hard for the systems to catch up with how instructors are innovating,” Ching said. “We don’t have codes for ‘This is an optional synchronous/ asynchronous discussion.’”

Yet, if the university chooses to incorporate these options for students in the future, the task can be accomplished, according to Meggan Levitt, the assistant vice provost and associate chief information officer for Academic Applications.

Levitt is part of the Information and Educational Technology (IET) department, which oversees information systems such as Banner, Schedule Builder and OASIS, and spoke on the matter. IET works closely with the Office of Registrar, Undergraduate Education, Student Affairs and the Student Technology Governance Committee.

“It is possible with planning and the appropriate campus prioritization,” Levitt said.

“Schedule Builder is a UC Davis-built application versus one we purchase from a vendor so we have the in-house expertise to modify it.”

As one of the first Indigenous women appointed to Congress, Haaland has prioritized environmental protections and public lands.

In fact, she has a lifetime score of 97% with the League of Conservation Voters, with only one anti-environmental vote.

If Biden’s picks have shown us anything so far, I think it is the necessity of a diverse and multifaceted cabinet. Haaland’s record speaks for itself, and I believe that she is the strongest choice.

Her self-proclaimed “proud progressive” views and strong environmental record make her an obvious pick for this position. In fact, a letter signed by 50

senators from the House of Representatives, led by Grijalva, explicitly endorsed her for this position, describing her as “a respected leader.”

This year has been a year of intense hardship and unlike any other. The best way to address the many systemic issues that have been so glaringly present in our daily lives the past year is to create a cabinet that reflects the diversity of America’s people and political spectrum. Biden was right in saying that the challenges his administration faces are unlike any other––he must take radical action unlike any other president before him.

HINDENBURG CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 We at The Aggie were quite alarmed to hear someone with influence in the GOP demonstrate such a blasé attitude toward Trump’s blatant attempts to subvert democracy and overturn a free and fair election, inept as those attempts have proved to be. So, what is the harm in “humoring” Trump? Perhaps there is none. That’s certainly possible. But there’s no way for us to know that yet, which is why we must be cautious and not take anything for granted.

So, to get a definitive answer to this selfinterested and foresight-lacking GOP official’s question, we decided to interview someone with some firsthand experience of what can go wrong in the “humoring him” department: the ghost of Paul von Hindenburg.

It took some time, and some of our connections in the area had to pull a few strings, but we were eventually able to track down at his address in Hell, where reporter R.E. Porter asked him a few questions: R.E. Porter: Hello, I’m here with former German President Paul von Hindenburg, who infamously appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, issued the Reichstag Fire Decree abolishing civil liberties and signed the Enabling Act of 1933 giving the chancellor the power to rule by decree, enacting laws without the consent of the Reichstag, which consolidated Hitler’s power as a dictator.

Hindenburg: Yes, I was old and senile at the time so you can’t entirely blame me for that because you can’t yet prove whether I was acting in good faith.

R.E. Porter: Well you know, Paul, it’s actually still debated by historians whether or not you were (1) vulnerable and unwittingly under the outside influence of people like Franz von Papen, your son Oskar and the nineteen prominent leaders German in industry, agriculture and finance who signed the Industrielleneingabe (“industrial petition”) urging you to appoint Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, or (2) whether you in fact appointed him Chancellor of Germany as a cynical political maneuver, cunningly planned and premeditated because you might have sympathized with Hitler’s rhetoric on the problematic concept of Volksgemeinschaft, or “people’s community,” which became a tenet of Nazism.

Hindenburg: Yes exactly, and because of that debate about whether or not I was still mentally coherent enough to know what I was doing, there’s no way for you to actually know right now whether you’re able to trust anything I say. I could just as easily be blabbering about my senile final years of life with an unreliable and biased memory of the events as I could be telling an accurate account of those events.

R.E. Porter: Well don’t you remember receiving a letter from Erich Luddendorff, who had been allies with Hitler since the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, warning you that Hitler was actually much more dangerous than anybody thought possible? Did witnessing someone who had been allies with Hitler until this breaking point sound the alarm to you personally really not make any sort of impression on you at all??? I’ll read what he wrote to you. He said, and I quote, “You have delivered up our holy German Fatherland to one of the greatest demagogues of all time. I

solemnly prophesy that this accursed man will cast our Reich into the abyss and bring our nation to inconceivable misery. Future generations will damn you in your grave for what you have done.”

Whether you like it or not, you were warned at the time that what you were doing was a grave mistake. That’s a fact. Why didn’t you act or also sound the alarm?

Hindenburg: I can neither confirm nor deny whether I remember ruminating on how to react to that letter, not to mention whether I even remember reading it, because you still don’t know for certain whether I was senile and whether you can trust my ghost if I was senile. And there’s no way for you to know whether people who die when they were old and senile remain old and senile when they become a ghost because you’ve never died and become a ghost before. But regardless of that, you just have to assume that I felt that everything was guaranteed to be under control in a worst case scenario because nobody took Hitler seriously and people like Fritz Thyssen and Franz von Papen thought we were in control of Hitler.

It’s even been alleged that socialist politician Kurt Schumacher was dismissive enough towards Hitler to humiliatingly label the future massmurdering genocidal maniac as nothing more than Dekorationsstück, a “decoration or piece of scenery,” in the new government.

R.E. Porter: Yes, and Kurt Schumacher would soon be forced to spend years in a concentration camp. And the late great writer Christopher Hitchens once referred to Fritz Thyssen as a “greedy and cynical tycoon,” to Franz von Papen as an “establishment wheeler-dealer,” to you as a “senile” and “dense military man” and to all of you collectively as “Hitler’s inventors and backers,” who, like “caricatures out of some Monopoly board game,” naively “imagined they were using him” as an “insurance policy against communism,” when in fact Hitler was using them to rise to power. So do those Monopoly caricatures—like von Papen, who mistakenly claimed “We’ve hired him!” after helping broker the deal that saw you name Hitler as chancellor—remind you at all of the politicians, business interests, lobbyists and media personalities we see continue to capitulate to Trump and to apologetically dismiss concerns about what Trump might do if he knew for certain that everybody would say “yes” to him? Does that reminder concern you? Wouldn’t you say it’s entirely possible that for all we know, the only core difference between Hitler and Trump is that Hitler did know that everybody would say “yes” to him?

That they would “humor him,” as they thought of it?

Hindenburg: Trump? Or do you mean Drumpf?

I don’t know about anyone named Drumpf. Please remember that I died in 1934, so I don’t know about anything that’s happened since the first year of Hitler’s chancellorship.

R.E. Porter: Really? By giving him unchecked power, you implicitly gave Hitler the power to merge his power as the chancellor with your power as the president after you died, which is exactly what he did in making himself Führer. You didn’t realize that he could do that and would? And that’s far from the worst thing he did!

READ THE FULL STORY ONLINE

12 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS UC Davis Women’s Basketball 2020-21 season preview Aggies embark on their journey for a fifth straight Big West crown

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org The UC Davis Women’s Basketball team has been atop the Big West Conference for the past four seasons. Riding high after an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019, the Aggies prepared to make it two straight appearances in the big dance. But their aspirations were put to a halt by COVID-19 back in mid-March. As they prepared to leave Davis enroute to Anaheim, they received the news. With everything coming so fast, the hardest part was trying to come to terms that some had played their last game of college basketball ever.

“We were all just really sad,” said Jennifer Gross, the UC Davis Women’s Basketball head coach. “We were entering the tournament really confident and ready. It was heartbreaking, especially for the seniors.”

“It was very abrupt. It was hard. It was really hard,” Gross said.

With Sophia Song, Nina Bessolo and Katie Toole all in their last year, the cancellation of their season meant an end to their playing careers, a tough blow for everyone involved.

“We didn’t get to send the seniors off the way we wanted to,” said senior forward Cierra Hall.

“It was devastating. A lot of hurt went around but we just banded together and said there was nothing we could do in a situation like this but stick together.”

The pandemic did not allow for a normal lead-up to the season, and the teams’ spring and summer were left to figure out a way to stay on course as much as they could. Zoom meetings every week or so allowed them to stay in contact and build the team chemistry that has fueled the program over the years. Fun activities and meaningful conversations about what was going on in the world gave the team the opportunity to stay connected and garner a better understanding of what kind of team they would be leading up into the season. Although all those activities helped, doing them virtually will never feel the same as in person, and for Hall, these times gave her a chance to try to reset and work on herself.

“A lot of mental health work,” said Hall in reference to her time at home. “Just envisioning my game and doing stuff in my house. A lot of dribbling on the sidewalk and working on my mental health, just getting my goals prepared for the next year.”

Long months of not playing basketball as a team finally came to an end on Oct. 14, the first day they were allowed to practice together.

Their passion for the game of basketball increased during that time, and the team practiced hard in the lead-up to their Nov. 25 opener. This years’ roster has a mix of veteran and young players and as they play their opening games, the excitement only grows stronger.

“The younger players have established themselves very well,” Hall said. “We have established a strong culture here. I think it was easy for the freshmen and those who redshirted last year to see that and to feel that.”

Their strong leadership and team culture has built this program into one that has brought them so much success throughout the last couple of years.

UC Davis forward Cierra Hall (32) playing defense during a home game against UC Riverside during 2019. (Justin Han / Aggie File) “Whenever you lose such talented seniors, it’s hard,” Gross said. “But, I’ve been really impressed with our group of players this year. In terms of leadership, this is one of the best groups we’ve ever had at UC Davis. The chemistry is really building day by day and it’s exciting to see. We have a good balance of veterans that are setting an example everyday and the younger players that are soaking it all up and trying to bring that energy.”

With changes to the conference scheduling, the Aggies’ road to a fifth straight Big West title will look much different than usual. Having started out with their non-conference schedule on Nov. 25 in a win against the University of San Francisco, the team got a feeling of what this season might be like early on.

On Nov. 27, it was announced that UC Davis’ games against Simpson University on Nov. 28 and Santa Clara University on Dec. 3 would be canceled due to positive COVID-19 tests on the opposing teams. Since they are non-conference games, there is a question whether they will be rescheduled. Nonetheless, with college basketball just recently tipping off, this looks like it will be something to adjust to as the season progresses.

That leaves the Aggies’ with three nonconference games remaining before Big West play.

Meeting in the Causeway Classic in Sacramento, UC Davis takes on the Sacramento State Hornets on Dec. 8. They follow it up by traveling to Stanford later that week to face the highly ranked

Cardinals. To finish off their non-conference schedule, they will face Northern Arizona at The Pavilion on Dec. 20.

Coming into the season ranked first in the Big West coaches and media poll, the Aggies will begin their campaign in a series against CSU Bakersfield (Dec. 27-28) in Davis, Calif. They then travel to take on UC Riverside (Jan. 1-2) and then play UC Irvine (Jan. 8-9) at The Pavilion.

They then play Cal State Fullerton (Jan. 15-16) in Southern California before coming back to Davis to play newly-added UC San Diego (Jan. 22-23). Following their trip to Santa Barbara (Jan. 29-30), they embark on a week break before returning and visiting Long Beach State (Feb. 1213). From there, they face Cal Poly (Feb. 26-27) at The Pavilion and finish off the season in Hawaii (Mar. 5-6).

With games this season being played back to back in order to reduce travel, this new element allows teams to get familiar with their opponents on consecutive nights.

“It’s going to be a bit of learning as we go,” said Gross about the back-to-back games. “Our team does have some good depth and we’re going to need that. It’ll be strange to not have that day in-between, but it’s going to be about which team makes adjustments the best.”

With the seniors of last year departing to their future endeavors, the team was left with a lot open on the offensive end. With a Preseason

All-Conference player like Hall and redshirt senior guard Mackenzie Trpcic leading the charge alongside returning players like Sage Stobbart, Evanne Turner, Kayla Konrad and more, the Aggies will figure out the offensive side of the ball as the season progresses.

“One thing we’ve always hung our hats on is our defense,” Gross said. “We have a number of players who can put the ball in the basket but it’s been our defense that has been super reliable and has helped us win the last four championships.

The commitment to building a really strong defense and building habits every single day knowing that whether you’re at home or on the road, they’re going to be there for you when you need them.”

This will be a season unlike any other for teams across the country. For the Aggies, they will do their best to make the most of their circumstances. With the constant possibility of games being moved around, the team is hoping that in spite of everything, they can come out on top and win their fifth straight Big West championship.

“It’s about taking every single day and how we approach it and attack it,” Hall said. “We’re very much focused on getting better and improving every day so we’re able to put the best version of ourselves out on the court each time we play. We know that we have a bit of a target on our backs, so we need to bring the best to every game we play.”

Breaking the MLB glass ceiling Miami Marlins break a gender barrier by hiring Kim Ng as the first female general manager in MLB history

BY KATHERIN RAYGOZA sports@theaggie.org On Nov. 13, Kim Ng was announced as the new general manager for the Miami Marlins, making her the first female general manager in the world of male-dominated professional sports.

She also became the first Asian-American general manager hired in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. The significance of Ng’s success extends beyond just baseball. She is the first female AsianAmerican to hold a high executive position in any of the major North American sports. At the age of 51 and after decades of working for the general manager position, Ng finally broke the barrier.

Ng played third base and shortstop at the University of Chicago, where she was the infield MVP. While studying for a degree in public policy, she balanced a range of other activities: positions in the student newspaper, sports editor

of the yearbook and a term as president for the school’s Women’s Athletic Association.

After graduating from college in 1990, Ng began an internship with the Chicago White Sox that eventually led to a full-time position. She handled special projects and salary arbitration cases under the White Sox and earned a promotion to assistant director of baseball operations.

After spending seven years with the White Sox, she became an assistant manager for the New York Yankees. During that time Ng got to spend more time with top caliber players after the Yankees won three World Series titles in a row. She also had the opportunity to expand her knowledge by learning from the amateur scouting director.

Once it was time to move on from the Yankees, she became assistant general manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers. A short time after arriving, Ng believed she could handle

the position of general manager. Ng began to receive extra responsibilities on the Dodgers, such as negotiating contracts and participating in some trade talks. Her communication skills and knowledge for the game was greatly admired by the Dodgers organization during her time there.

Eventually, Ng interviewed for general manager openings. Ng interviewed with the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Angels, the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants. Yet, Ng would have no luck, as she was not hired for any of the positions.

For the past nine years, she has spent her time as a senior vice-president with the league office. Then in 2020, she decided to once again interview for the position of general manager.

With more than 30 years of baseball experience, Ng never gave up and landed her dream job with the Miami Marlins.

“I’ve interviewed numerous times for this

Kim Ng was hired as the Miami Marlins general manager, the first woman to hold that position in the MLB. (Brett Davis / US Presswire)

position. I think after, you know, maybe a handful, you start thinking, well, maybe this isn’t going to happen,” Ng said on Good Morning America following her hiring. “That belief persisted for quite some time until, you know, obviously a week ago or several days ago when this happened.”

According to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in the Sport’s 2020 report card, 20% of women made up the team vice presidents in MLB. There were only 21 women in on-field coaching or in player development positions. The possibility of a woman making it as an executive in professional baseball is very small and even then, they face challenges that are commonly experienced by women entering other maledominated industries.

Despite the hardships Ng faced, she has changed future opportunities for young girls and women in male-dominated sports. She showed them that it’s possible not only to work in baseball, but also that they could be successful in any sport.

“I got calls and text messages from guys that I’ve known over the years who were just so excited to tell their daughters and wives,” Ng told NBC News. “And then I got voicemails from friends, from front office executives, with tears, just so happy that I had broken through. But really, I think [the reactions were] more for the sport and more about what it meant for us in society.”

Ng is making a significant change in all of professional sports and has set an example for millions of young girls and women across the world to keep persevering. Being able to see Ng and other women in high-ranking positions can show young girls how powerful they can be and how much they can achieve.