February 16, 2023

Comedian and UC Davis alum Hasan Minhaj formally invited to speak at 2023 commencement ceremonies

Students are rallying to create a social media campaign to catch the celebrity’s attention and convince him to accept the invitation

BY LILY FREEMAN AND SONORA SLATER campus@theaggie.org

Comedian and UC Davis alumnus Hasan Minhaj has been officially asked by the university to be the keynote speaker at one or more of the 2023 UC Davis commencement ceremonies, an invitation that, as of Feb. 14, is still awaiting a response.

Minhaj was born in Davis, attended Davis Senior High School and later graduated from UC Davis in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Throughout the early 2000s, he appeared in guest roles on various sitcoms and television shows, before joining The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in 2014.

Since then, he has had an impressive career; he was the featured speaker at the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, hosted a Netflix comedy show in 2018 called “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj,” was listed among Time100: The Most Influential People of 2019 and starred in a Netflix special called “The King’s Jester” in 2022 after performing a comedy tour across the U.S. the year before.

“Hasan Minhaj is probably

one of the best known of UC Davis’ Alumni,” ASUCD President Radhika Gawde said. “UCD students look up to him, and it would be incredibly meaningful to hear him speak at commencement.”

Gawde and UC Davis Chancellor Gary May sent a formal invitation

to Minhaj on Dec. 2, 2022, asking him to deliver the keynote address at one or more of the undergraduate commencement ceremonies for the class of 2023 on June 16, 17 or 18.

“As a UC Davis alumnus, your accomplishments as a comedian, actor and commentator on critical

Traffic in Silo bus terminal area raises concerns about bike safety

Unitrans and ASUCD are working on implementing measures to combat these concerns, including crossing guards and increased education

current events and social issues are remarkable and inspiring, and many of your students look up to you as a role model and leader,” the letter reads. “We would love for our graduates to be able to hear from you as they prepare to leave the university and take the first steps forward into their own futures.”

The letter also notes that if he is not available on those days to attend the ceremony in person, the university “would also be happy to record [Minhaj’s] remarks” so that they can be played at the ceremonies.

An Instagram page with the handle @bringhasanminhaj gathered interested students through a Google Form in January, and the team behind it is now spearheading a social media movement to get Minhaj’s attention.

America Negrete, a fourth-year wildlife, fish and conservation biology major, described her enthusiasm about the possibility of Minhaj speaking at the ceremony.

“He is definitely a figure that I look up to and knowing that he went to UC Davis and grew up here would make his words so meaningful,” Negrete said.

Joe Johnson, a fourth-year political science major, said that he would love to hear from someone like Minhaj, in part because he has the same major as him.

City Council considers four different proposals for continuing G Street closure, debates the future of the street closure

Last month’s council meeting included a presentation on different options to address public concerns about the continued closure

BY ANTHONY W. ZAMMIKIEL city@theaggie.org

Davis City Council agreed on proposal measures to address ongoing public concerns and suggestions for the G Street closure between Second and Third streets last month. This comes after a presentation made to the Bicycling, Transportation and Street Safety Commission on Jan. 12, at which the commission voted to keep the closure more permanently car-free and begin discussing ways to utilize the road as a common space for the public to gather outside the dining areas.

BY RACHEL GAUER campus@theaggie.org

The Silo bus terminal is one of the primary bus stops on campus, and many students rely on the bus lines that run in and out of the terminal to get to and from campus. The area around the

bus station has been increasingly busy since the opening of the Teaching and Learning Complex (TLC) earlier this school year, spurring safety concerns for bus drivers, pedestrians and bikers.

Julia Shurman, a fourth-year English major and ASUCD senator, is involved with Unitrans through her Senate position. She commented on the impact that the TLC has had on some of the traffic issues at the Silo.

“One of the issues concerning the Silo terminal is the amount of bicycle and foot traffic in the area,” Shurman said. “After the opening of the Teacher Learning Complex, there’s been an increase in the number of students traveling through that area. This increased traffic is a concern for Unitrans because it’s more difficult for the buses to get through campus.”

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The TLC, which finished construction in spring of 2022, is located directly across from the Silo bus terminal. The building has lecture halls and smaller classrooms that can serve more than 2,000 students at a time, according to the TLC project website. With the increased amount of foot traffic from students going to and from the complex, the area has progressively become more congested.

ASUCD Senator Priya Talreja is a member of the Micro-mobility Education and Outreach Work Group (MEOW). She explained several measures that she said her teams hope to implement to combat the safety issues.

“We are trying to address the concerns with student safety and we want to implement more safety measures,” Talreja said. “One of the suggestions was to add crossing guards

and move the bus terminal from the Silo area closer to the Latitude area because there is a lot less traffic over there.”

MEOW is a group that has recently emerged in order to both educate the public regarding transportation safety and create a safer infrastructure for transportation on campus. The group has listed multiple recommendations and agenda items that they strive to work towards. According to the document, some of these recommendations include encouraging students to wear bicycle helmets and “increase compliance with traffic rules.”

Jeffrey Flynn, who serves as the Unitrans Director, commented on the department’s efforts to prevent issues within the area as well as generally on campus.

“Unitrans’ top priority is safety — safety of our customers, safety of pedestrians, bicycles and other vehicles and safety of our drivers and staff,” Flynn said. “We’ve focused a lot of training efforts on safe driving around bicycles and pedestrians and in the Silo area over the past couple of years.”

Shurman recommended that until safety measures, such as crossing guards, are implemented, students should abide by traffic laws within the area and use extra caution.

“In the meantime, if students can continue to follow traffic laws as they travel through the area, this will help Unitrans drivers as they drive,” Shurman said. “The safety of UC Davis students is of the utmost importance, and this is one area where both pedestrians and bus drivers have noted their concerns.”

“The closure of G Street and use of downtown parking spaces and sidewalks for outdoor dining was initiated as a collaborative ‘Open Air Davis’ pandemic response effort to promptly assist businesses with challenges presented by COVID-19 restrictions and public health protocols,” according to the staff report delivered to city council. “Expedited, no cost, temporary use permits for outdoor dining were approved through the City’s Emergency Operation Center to enable businesses to operate outdoors. These temporary outdoor uses enabled businesses to continue to operate under emergency conditions and greatly contributed to the survival of many businesses that would have potentially faced closure.”

The staff noted that since the state of California elected to “re-open” in June 2021, the city has opted to continue issuing Temporary Use Permits (TUPs) to businesses located on the closed section of G Street to address public hesitancy toward dining indoors. Following meetings with the Downtown Davis Business Association (DDBA) in July of 2021, the city did

agree to re-open the section of E Street between Second and Third Street, which was closed during the early pandemic. In a presentation given to the council by Ryan Chapman, Assistant Director of Public Works, the council received four options to consider for upcoming adjustments to the closed section. The first option includes reopening the section for vehicle usage, which would be how the section between Second and Third streets was before the pandemic closure started in 2020. The second option details how the section would remain off-limits for traffic, and that the section would be available for restaurants and other businesses to expand outwards on the street. However, Chapman notes that there are going to be protocols developed by the City Council to improve maintenance and to beautify the street for outdoor activities. The options proposed are not limited to re-opening or not re-opening, as Chapman notes. The third option allows for temporary closures, meaning that the street would be reopened to traffic, however, special events would be allowed, and the City Council could also consider whether select times of the week would require closing the section. The fourth and final option includes re-opening the northbound side of the road and keeping the southbound side of the road closed for outdoor dining, and additional room for outdoor activities.

JOANNE SUN / AGGIE

KELLIE LU/ AGGIE

Francesca Wright announces candidacy for vacated District 3 council seat

Wright hopes to represent District 3 with a focus on housing and community engagement

BY MADELEINE YOUNG city@theaggie.org

On Jan. 25, Francesca Wright formally declared her candidacy for Davis City Council. Wright is campaigning to fill the District 3 seat recently vacated by Lucas Frerichs, who left the council after his successful election into the Yolo County Board of Supervisors.

The special election will take place on May 2 with mail-in voting. Davis residents who reside in District 3 will be mailed their ballots in April.

Wright, who is the cofounder and coordinator of Yolo People Power and a founding member of Women in Leadership Davis, will focus her campaign on housing, climate change, city services and community engagement.

“One of my core focuses is basic city services,” Wright said. “Our roads are just really needing repair and people expect good quality services from this city and we’ve been having staffing issues. I want to make sure we can get back to the right size staff and planning and building department”

Wright has also been adamant about prioritizing dealing with the housing shortage in Davis which significantly affects students and staff at UC Davis.

“I think the biggest crisis that Davis faces is the housing shortage, and we’ve had a large expansion of students on campus and the university has made some progress in additional housing, but it’s still inadequate for the demand,” Wright said. “We have more land than any of the UCs in the state and I hope to be able to work with the university to get more housing in line for production”.

Cynthia Rodriguez, a defense attorney of 40 years and former

candidate for Yolo County District Attorney, has endorsed Wright’s candidacy for the District 3 seat.

“I am so proud to endorse Francesca Wright for City Council,” Rodriguez said. “Her vast knowledge of local, state and federal government and politics and her capacity for seeing reasonable success and workable resolutions to the issues facing communities today is remarkable and a gift to our local needs and functioning. Francesca Wright should be recognized as a strong, hard-working and singularly perceptive thinker who would well represent us all.”

Wright discussed how she plans to work with fellow council members to continue improving the lives of workers and local farmers if elected.

“I look forward to working with my fellow council members to examine how we can support startup small farmers in the periphery,” Wright said. “Where we have land that we’ve acquired [...] so that we can actually benefit, not only preserve our beautiful farmland but make it available to our young people who are studying sustainable agriculture at UC Davis.”

After announcing her campaign, Wright has been canvassing throughout Davis to garner support Wright talked about the people she’s met on the campaign trail so far and what she’s taken away from going door to door.

“I’m finding that we have neighbors who care about neighbors,” Wright said. “We have people who really want to do the right thing and I’m just impressed with how every neighborhood I go to, there’s people who ask really good questions.”

session

Many ASUCD employees voiced concerns about onboarding delays, uncompensated positions

BY SYDNEY AMESTOY campus@theaggie.org

ASUCD Senator Stephen Fujimoto, along with other members of the Senate table, held a student-employee listening session at the CoHo on Feb. 7.

During the session, numerous student employees, the majority of whom work within ASUCD units, expressed their concerns and ideas for improvement in regard to their working conditions. Many of the comments referenced delays in the ASUCD onboarding process for employees, which mean that employees sometimes have to wait long periods of time after being hired before they receive their first paycheck, according to the students who spoke at the session.

ASUCD Internal Vice President JT Eden addressed these concerns, saying that the Senate table has been working on improving the onboarding process throughout the last quarter.

“There’s a couple of playing factors in the onboarding process,” Eden said. “There’s our end of ASUCD, which is receiving a hiring notice and then making sure that they get started on the onboarding process. And then there’s the whole UC-wide part. And with

[either of] those steps, something can go wrong. Different kinds of delays [...] can take anywhere from two weeks to several weeks, months, whatever.”

Fujimoto said that the Personnel Committee is also looking into the idea of hiring for a human relations (HR) position to help speed up the onboarding process.

“[We] allocated $100,000 for an HR position,” Fujimoto said. “The rest of the money that is not spent for the HR professional will be used to hire another career staff position. The timeline for this has admittedly been delayed as we have been unable to set up a meeting with a Student Affairs administrator.”

Other concerned ASUCD volunteers included a former campaign coordinator for the External Affairs Commission, who spoke during the session in regards to the lack of compensation for volunteer work that they said often goes far beyond what’s expected.

“I am in agreement that if you do labor, you should get paid for it,” Fujimoto said. “I don’t think that’s a

very controversial thing to say, and I hope everybody on this panel agrees.”

The idea of decreasing the percentage of workers who are paid via a stipend rather than hourly wage was also brought up before the panel, in addition to securing pay for those who are currently ASUCD volunteers. According to Fujimoto, a 2020 ASUCD referendum featured a bylaw that designates some of the ASUCD budget to convert 20% of stipended ASUCD jobs to hourly positions.

“I can commit right now to making sure that at least 20% of stipend positions will be moved to hourly,” Fujimoto said. “But I’ll be pushing for more — honestly, I [am] hopeful that we can get rid of stipends completely this year.”

Ella Rosenthal, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and a service manager at the Bike Barn on campus, spoke at length about some concerns she had in regards to the onboarding process.

“We have personally dealt with [onboarding delays] a lot, especially with students who are working

past their graduation date, or have sometimes worked for months without being aware that they weren’t going to be paid,” Rosenthal said. “It also has been a problem for promotions. We go through internal promotions about every year for our employees, but this process is incredibly slow for them to receive their increased pay rate.”

Rosenthal went on to bring up safety issues at the Bike Barn, such as razors used for mechanic purposes not having proper handles, and general repairs that she said the building needs.

“I’m really glad the employee brought up their concerns around the safety of their workplace since I don’t think any of us on the Senate table were aware of that issue,” Fujimoto said after the meeting. “They specifically mentioned using equipment that made them feel unsafe. The Senate has unrestricted funds that it can vote on allocating to almost anything, so if the safety issues are stemming from a lack of funding, we can definitely address that.”

The listening session wrapped up at 2 p.m. According to Fujimoto, who organized the event, there are plans for

more sessions in the future, in line with his platform focus on advocating for student workers.

“The [Senate] oversees and is responsible for all ASUCD revenue and how it is allocated as well as policies and regulations for the operation of the association,” Fujimoto said. “The most direct, and likely impactful way, is that we as senators will vote on wages for all positions in ASUCD, which is a responsibility I do not take lightly.”

The Personnel Committee is also working on other ways to address student-worker concerns, according to a press release after the event. The release said that the committee plans to “create a classification series” for ASUCD paid positions in order to make recommendations about pay rates for next year, and is also working on “incentivizing volunteer hour tracking” in order to gather data about what fiscal impact a switch to hourly, paid positions would have on the ASUCD budget.

ASUCD senators and executive officers listen to student concerns at Feb. 7 student employee listening

A student worker expresses their concern to the ASUCD senators at the CoHo. (Shanna Punzalan / Aggie)

Francesca Wright announces candidacy for District 3 Council Seat. (Francesca Wright / Courtesy)

Love is in the air: Get to know some couples whose relationships began at UC Davis

Whether you are looking for love or following it to Davis, there is no shortage of love to be found on campus

BY REBEKA ZELJKO features@theaggie.org

At UC Davis, all Aggies, students and alumni alike, have a shot at love. With no shortage of people and date spots, you are bound to find a special someone to make memories with.

Megan To, a third-year political science major, and her boyfriend, Ehsan Sherdil, are straight out of a modern romance, and their story starts in a very modern way.

“If I could redo the way we met, I would literally choose any other way,” To said. “I hate saying that we met online. It feels like I have to whisper it, but that’s what happened.”

To and her boyfriend met during their second and fourth years at UC Davis, respectively. The UC Davis campus had just reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, and people were just getting back into in-

person dating, except for maybe To and Sherdil.

“We talked online for, like, 20 minutes, and then he asked me if I wanted to get coffee,” To said. “I was just having fun, but when we went for coffee at Pachamama, we ended up talking for, like, five hours until they closed.”

The two hit it off, and it was the first of many dates in Davis.

“Then we had our second date, and that was really, really fun,” To said. “We went to the Varsity Theatre, and we watched ‘Lamb.’ It was horrifying but also really cute. Afterward, we went to [The Davis Food Co-op] and there was this massive prickly pear tree.” This unassuming prickly pear tree became central to a sweet memory To shares with her boyfriend.

“He was like, ‘I walk past this prickly pear tree every day. We need to get prickly pears,’” To said. “Those prickly pears weren’t even that good,

and pretty much the whole night, our hands were covered in these prickly pear thorns, but I have happy memories from that day.”

Davis holds much significance in To and her boyfriend’s relationship, even after Sherdil graduated in spring 2022.

“All of our first few dates were in Davis,” To said. “His place was really nice because it was on 1st Street, so he was right next to campus. We spent a lot of time downtown because of it. He moved out to San Francisco now, but when he visits, he always tells me we have to get Ali Baba’s and walk in the Arboretum. He’s obsessed with the ducks.”

Davis has been the backdrop for many relationships, old and new. Antonio Delgado, a second-year communications major, followed his high school boyfriend, Max Carvajal, to Davis.

“I had never seen Davis before, so I planned a few trips throughout the year to come and visit my boyfriend and also to see what Davis had to offer,” Delgado said. “On my second trip, I actually flew up to Davis for Valentine’s Day, and we spent the day downtown, which was really memorable. After three years of being together, we have spent every Valentine’s Day together in Davis.”

Delgado shared some of his go-to date spots in Davis.

“We love going downtown and trying different things,” Delgado said. “We’ve gone to Let Them Eat Cake, and we love trying out all their different cupcakes and [macarons]. We also love going to our favorite coffee place, Philz. We used to go to Philz together back home a lot, so it reminds us of a home away from home.”

Others find Davis to be the common thread in their love story. Craig Anderson, a UC Davis alumnus who graduated in 1997 with a degree in atmospheric science, attended school with his now wife, Anna BereczkyAnderson, who graduated in 1998 with

Campus initiative Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer fosters Chicanx/ Latinx community empowerment through artistic expression

Community members create posters and murals to promote well-being and celebrate culture

BY MARIA MARTINEZ CASTRO features@theaggie.org

While on the UC Davis campus, students, staff and visitors might encounter colorful art posters depicting the culture and life experiences of the Chicanx and Latinx communities, as well as messages of advocacy, protest and empowerment.

Created by Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA), many of these posters line the walls of room 193 in Shields Library and call for change, recognition, celebration and community well-being.

TANA is a workshop space that serves as a silkscreen studio, art teaching center and Chicanx/Latinx exhibition space, according to the TANA website. Through its physical space and programs, TANA aims to promote community growth using art and culture.

Located in Woodland, TANA is a collaborative partnership between the UC Davis Chicana/o Studies program, the city of Davis, the city of Woodland and the surrounding communities. The idea for TANA was born out of a collaboration process between its two cofounders, Carlos Jackson and Malaquias Montoya.

Montoya, who is a professor emeritus within the Chicana/o Studies Department, brought courses on silkscreen poster making (CHI 172) and mural making (CHI 171) to UC Davis. Jackson earned a Master of Fine Arts in Art Studio from UC Davis and is now the dean of the Stamps School of Art and Design.

As a student, Jackson approached Montoya with the idea of creating a community arts center. After the planning, construction and development process, TANA opened its physical space in 2010.

Montoya said that in developing his coursework and TANA, he was influenced by his previous experience and knowledge of community talleres, or workshops. Talleres focus on Chicanx/ Latinx community empowerment and remembering history.

“I came out of the 60s, where workshops like this, talleres, were very important to our community,” Montoya said. “Artists founded talleres in the big cities, the big barrios, and the whole idea was to bring art to the communities that they were from. The idea was to educate our community and educate the children [about] our art.”

This is especially important because a lot of the culture and history of marginalized communities has been erased throughout time by colonialism, according to Montoya.

“Most of our families of that age had lost their culture because that’s what happens when you get conquered,” Montoya said. “The conqueror sees it

TANA, Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer, student art prints hang in room 193 of Shield’s library. (Alexis Perez / Aggie)

very necessary to destroy one’s culture.”

TANA’s silkscreen printing workshops allow young and vulnerable community members to promote positive identity and civic participation, using art and culture as a means to strengthen community ties, according to their official webpage.

The posters serve as a voice for community members that have been historically silenced and speak on hidden history and social issues, Montoya said.

“The idea behind the poster is that it’d be a voice from us to our community,” Montoya said. “We […] give them a voice to speak about the injustice that we have in our communities. It’s just like the mural paintings of Diego Rivera [and] the artists in Mexico when [Jose] Vasconcelos, who was Minister of [Public Education], brought in artists to bring the history back to the community. The artists started to put down and paint the history of Mexico.

In a sense, that’s what we’re doing. That’s what talleres do. Except talleres are [also] dealing with issues that are present daily, such as police brutality.”

Jose Arenas, TANA’s current director, said that the posters have the ability to inspire and encourage community members to hold conversations that lead to progress.

“We’re using the poster, the print, as a vehicle for self-expression and for speaking on issues that are happening in the community [...] as something that can visually trigger ideas and dialogue and change,” Arenas said.

TANA allows for Chicanx/Latinx communities to be seen and empowered, Montoya said.

“By bringing art to the people, you awaken them to who they are and bring pride to them,” Montoya said. “And they look at themselves in a different way.”

To further reach, engage and empower the community, TANA creates murals with community organizations

and partners. TANA’s mural component is an extension of the mural workshop within the UC Davis Chicana/o Studies program.

“In the case of the [mural making] class in [the] Chicana/o Studies Department, […] UC Davis students engage and [talk about] these issues with community members, then through that process, actually derive and [compose] an image, a mural, that really reflects those priorities.”

UC Davis students and youth from surrounding communities are at the center of TANA’s efforts. Through TANA’s collaboration with the Chicana/o Studies Department, UC Davis student interns assist in its operation by leading workshops, as well as organizing mentorship opportunities for Woodland youth.

“One of the things that we’re really focused on is deepening these regional partnerships with schools and youthfocused organizations,” Arenas said. “Essentially, we’re serving as an integral cultural center that hopefully enriches the lives of youth and families as we move forward in the community.”

According to Montoya, the heart of TANA exists in seeing Chicanx/ Latinx families and the community come together through the creation of art and the celebration of culture.

“The most wonderful thing has been when we’ve had student exhibitions and students bring their parents to the opening,” Montoya said. “It brings tears sometimes just to think that this is the first time this son or daughter [has] taken their parents to see artwork at a gallery. I’ve found our community, [our] people don’t do that, really because we were never brought up that way. But now it’s just wonderful to see a mom and a grandfather stand there and have a young student or poster maker explain to them what they did and what they’re doing and what it was for. That’s, for me, the biggest satisfaction.”

a degree in political science. Anderson had known BereczkyAnderson since he was 16 years old. When a mutual friend visited Davis, they reconnected, which sparked the beginning of their love story.

“[Anna and our friend] came over to my dorm area and put a note on the bulletin board,” Anderson said, “and I don’t know what caused me to look at it because I never really paid attention to what was posted on there, but I saw the note. It said that she was in town and that we should get together before she left. So I called her by payphone, and we hung out that afternoon.”

She and Anderson stayed in touch after he went home for summer break.

“We wrote letters to each other the whole summer until the fall, basically getting to know each other and seeing if we wanted to date,” Anderson said. “I obviously really liked her, and so when I came back, we started dating.”

In Davis, Anderson found himself spending a lot of time walking his

girlfriend’s beloved dog, Ricky the beagle, who he said is a renowned escape artist.

“We would walk her dog through the Arboretum and around the ponds in West Davis, all through the neighborhoods,” Anderson said. “A lot of times, he got loose, so when he managed to escape, we would just go to the nearest food place, and he was probably nearby.”

Ricky’s escapades were inconvenient but always memorable for the couple.

“It was the night before she and her mother were going to Italy,” Anderson said. “I got a call from them saying that the dog got out, so we were all driving around, trying to find the dog, and someone found him in the bushes next to Carl’s Jr., probably chomping on something.”

Memories like these inspired the couple to remain in Davis after they graduated. They are celebrating their 30th anniversary this fall, with “four crazy kids all over the world.”

COMMENCEMENTSPEAKER FROM THE COVER

“I’m a transfer student set to graduate this spring, and I would be thrilled if Hasan Minhaj spoke at graduation,” Johnson said. “He’s one of my favorite comedians, and as a political science student, I love his commentary on social issues.” Max Insensee, who is also a fourthyear political science major, expressed specific interest in the humor and

memorability that a comedian speaker could bring to graduation ceremonies in general.

“Many of my favorite graduation ceremonies I’ve watched online are made better because a comedian spoke,” Insensee said. “We have been lectured for four years; we deserve a laugh on graduation.”

GSTREET FROM THE COVER

The staff report notes that there has been a lot of debate throughout the community about the options that the council is deciding upon, including concerns about the cleanliness and appearance of the shared space located at the site of the ongoing closure, discrepancies between restaurants’ outside dining spaces and that some businesses do more upkeep than others. The staff report said that there will need to be requirements developed to address these ongoing issues with cleanliness if the street is to remain closed.

The staff report continues, “the current approach to issuing TUPs has led some businesses disproportionately benefiting from increased dining space with little or no additional cost, while potentially negatively affecting others along G Street. This has been expressed as businesses being able to essentially rent the public space for little or no cost, thereby receiving a financial benefit.” Suggestions made by the Davis Public Works Department (DPWD) include creating a fee calendar for advantaged businesses to allow for a more equitable commerce policy.

The report concludes with the DPWD providing resources for both the council and the public to learn more about similar closures throughout the nation, stating that, “In addition, there might be grant funding to assist in the implementation of more permanent changes such as removal of gutters or the installation of at grade planters and other low impact storm control solutions but it would take several years to secure funding and construct a project using these sources. Alternatively, the City Council could direct utilization of alternative sources, such as American Rescue Plan Act funds (potentially including those already allocated for Downtown enhancements).”

As of January 17, city council has tentatively agreed to allow the closure of G Street between Second and Third streets to remain more permanently, with participating Council members voting to uphold the second option for the time being. The City Council will now continue to work on possible improvements and vote on the adjustments that need to be made.

Megan To and her boyfriend Ehsan Sherdil. (Megan To / Courtesy)

Antonio Delgado and his boyfriend Max Carvajal. (Antonio Delgado / Courtesy)

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We must support the Patwin people

It’s important to be aware and respectful of the land you occupy

BY YASMEEN O’BRIEN yjobrien@ucdavis.edu

“Patwin” means “person” or “the people” in the Patwin language. The name was given to the subgroup of northern-dwelling Wintun in 1877 by American reporter and ethnographer Stephen Powers — a salient example of white Americans shaping Indigenous history.

I grew up in Berkeley, California on Ohlone land. In elementary school, we took a field trip to what I assumed to be an Ohlone reservation in Fremont, California. We were taught survival skills and art workshops by Ohlone people and visited the small museum that displayed artifacts of their history and ancestors.

I cherished this experience deeply, but years later, I was confronted with an unnerving and unfortunately predictable truth: There is no Ohlone reservation. In fact, there are no federally recognized American Indian reservations in the Bay Area.

There is no Patwin reservation either, and as UC Davis students and current inhabitants of Patwin land, it’s our responsibility to educate ourselves about Patwin history. How little we know about the land we live on makes it that much easier for us to disconnect ourselves from its original inhabitants. The meaning of the land is lost if we don’t know its history. This not only disrespects but also ignores the long connection and ancestry of Patwin people to this land.

Today, the Patwin people are made up of three federally recognized tribes: the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, the Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community and the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation.

It is a constant battle for these Patwin tribes to gain respect and recognition of the land that belongs to them. As you walk around Davis, do you ponder the destruction of sacred land that was replaced with these streets and businesses? It’s not entirely your fault if you don’t; it’s easy for Davis residents not to think about these things, in part because of the overwhelming development of the region, but also because of the lack of education surrounding this topic.

Not to mention, it’s difficult for the Patwin people to preserve their culture — nevermind educate others on it — when they don’t have a recognized reservation from which to do so. And yet, their resilience is stronger than this difficulty. For example, thanks to the knowledge, hard work and care of the Indigenous people of this area, the

Patwin language has been kept alive.

The Colusa Indian Community Council published the first edition of the Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians language book in 2004.

Our federal and state governments have a long and tragic history of disregarding Indigenous culture. Sometimes it feels like rights are only honored when it’s convenient for them.

Time and time again, we are taught that developing infrastructure is more important than preserving sacred Indigenous land that doesn’t belong to us in the first place.

In order not to fall victim to this cycle of disrespect and ignorance, it is crucial to do what you can to support the Patwin people. Visit their websites and read about their heritage. Educate yourself. Donate your time or money

Benefits of a double major

BY JENA TUFAIL jjtufail@ucdavis.edu

to cultural preservation efforts. Support their Tribal-owned businesses such as the Yocha Dehe Golf Club or Séka Hills Olive Oil. Attend one of the many educational and artistic events at the Native Nest — or Native American Academic Student Success Center — located on the UC Davis campus at University House in the quad. Pause for a moment of reflection and connection at the Native American Contemplative Garden located in the UC Davis Arboretum. Do something and do it now. We owe that much to the Patwin people. 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.

Choosing a major when you first start at university can be difficult, but it can be even harder when you have so many varying interests. Coming to UC Davis, I knew how much I loved sociocultural anthropology, but I was also passionate about other disciplines. I was always worried that I would never have time to incorporate everything I wanted to into my schedule — until I learned about having a double major.

This came naturally, as my major had many outside electives I could take that would allow me to explore my varying interests. By my third quarter, I was taking classes in two other departments, and this eventually inspired me to add another major.

While it can seem daunting to declare a double major, there is sometimes overlap between majors, which can lessen your workload. As a double major in sociocultural anthropology and communications, with a minor in psychology, I was able to overlap up to two courses from my majors, as well as one class each from my majors with my minor.

Double majoring also gives you a diverse outlook and set of skills that you can potentially use in the future. For example, I knew that my anthropology major would be useful for a career, but both my communication and psychology classes would prepare me in ways I never thought of. I feel more well-rounded as a student, and I know I will be able to use all the skills I have learned from my majors in numerous ways.

Another reason why double majoring is a great choice is that you can choose a second major that is full of fun classes you enjoy. I majored in communication not only because I love what I learn, but because I hope to work in a job that utilizes the skills

Support coffee farmers, check the labels

Buying certified specialty coffee has a positive impact on local growers

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

Ah, caffeine. The chemical substance many of us college students depend on to get through lectures and focus on homework (I write this while sipping on an “Ecstatic” iced coffee from Philz).

The most beloved and common form of caffeine is found in coffee, bought at a local cafe or taken from our UC Davis Dining Commons.

However, a lot goes into creating this dark, rich drink. Coffee is one of the top exports for many countries in Latin America, Africa and East Asia.

Thousands of smallholder farmers depend on the production of coffee beans for their incomes, and things haven’t been looking great for nearly half a century; in part due to the way coffee exports have been set up by the International Coffee Agreement (ICA).

The infamous ICA, negotiated in 1962 by 54 countries, created a quota system for each country’s coffee exports in an effort to set equitable prices for farmers. This system worked for almost 30 years until 1989 when the growing shifts in coffee consumption destabilized the agreement and sent prices into a downward spiral.

This disproportionately affected coffee farmers, lowering the global market price per pound and causing many producers to cut their living expenses in order to survive. The changing market also fostered a trend of disequilibrium, giving more power and money to international tradingand-buying companies and taking away profit from export countries.

Naturally, governments and local groups scrambled to remedy this. In the time since, coffee prices have slowly inched back up due to several big reforms created to help origin countries. I believe one of the most important developments was the introduction of specialty coffee certifications like Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Organic, UTZ Certified, Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality and Starbucks C.A.F.E practices. These labels were a direct response to the coffee crisis, and place a “premium” on coffee price or quality to generate

extra revenue for farmers whose product meets certain criteria. The standards set by companies like Fair Trade (1997) help incentivize smallholder cooperatives to improve coffee yield and quality and are one of the fundamental reasons why coffee is regarded as a pioneering industry for sustainability regulations and certification.

As Fair Trade flourished, other organizations were battling on different fronts. For instance, the Rainforest Alliance (1987) was leading a mission to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods and practices, while UTZ Certified (2002) was

working towards improving market transparency by giving farmers access to market information, strategy and pricing.

When buying coffee or any other product, I’ve noticed that consumers rarely inquire about the source, with the most attention being a glance to check if the item is certified “organic,” followed by a sigh as they grudgingly dish out a few extra dollars at the register. But there is a reason for the fact that a majority of organic and fair trade coffee is a bit more pricey: not only is it higher quality, but the price boost ensures that coffee farmers are actually profiting from the

I’ve developed in my classes. I majored in sociocultural anthropology because I loved what I was learning, but also because it was fun and exciting for me to learn from my professors, and I minored in psychology because I found enjoyment in the field and wanted to learn more. I found a purpose in each major that I chose, and it made school more exciting for me. Not only am I gaining a degree to use when I enter the workforce, but I also enjoy what I am learning.

As a double major, you may also have added career opportunities. I have the potential to work in both anthropology or communication, or I can go back and get my master’s in either as well. Double majoring opened up a broad range of opportunities for me, and I have many more options than if I just had one major. Although there are many benefits to obtaining a double major, there can be some downsides. For some, it may prolong your graduation time, depending on how different your requirements are from each major. You may also have a harder time taking breaks, as you may need to also take classes over the summer terms. I recommend doing your research and deciding what is best for you, personally. If the positives are stronger than the negatives, maybe it is something you should look into, but if it will make your path harder, picking up just a minor instead is also a great option. Whatever you do, it’s important to remember that education is flexible. If you want to take those classes, go ahead and take them!

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.

sale and making enough to support themselves. Approximately 50% of coffee farmers live below the poverty line. Taking that extra time to glance over the labels and certifications can ensure that you aren’t supporting a brand that actively exploits farmers and instead that you are contributing to the furthering of sustainability and environmental practices. Like switching from plastic products to reusable materials, coffee is a case study of how agricultural practices and commodity markets can be altered by consumer preferences. A small shift in mindset could mean more power to

local growers and even greater access to technology and education, boosting the coffee sector to a greater level of inclusion and equitability. So the next time you’re at the supermarket looking for your coffee fix, make sure you check the label.

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.

Although it can take longer, there are many perks to having a double major

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

The Native American Contemplative Garden was built in 2011 to honor the Patwin Native Americans. (Christine Minarik / Aggie)

MAYA KORNYEYEVA / AGGIE

Unlucky in love? The Editorial Board’s got you covered

Fully-solicited advice from college students who have no more life experience than you

As students, we know how challenging college life can be — from midterms to roommate drama and everything in between. Factor in a case of the lovesick blues and there’s no chance of making it through Valentine’s Day season in one piece. So, the Editorial Board opened a column for students to seek advice about any of their dilemmas. Below are a few of the questions submitted by The California Aggie’s readers, as well as our best (unprofessional) shot at solutions.

Dear Editorial Board,

I had a relationship with a guy the past couple of months. It was wonderful to be around him and he’s a great guy who’s loved by all, but we broke up because he said he needed to work on himself more. I don’t understand why working on himself meant getting rid of us, especially since he was the one who wanted to be in a relationship with me in the first place. He wants to stay friends, and I care for him immensely, but I don’t know if staying friends will benefit me because I feel hurt that he gave up on us. My question is: what boundaries would you set in place to remain friends after a breakup?

From, Hopeless Romantic

Dear Hopeless Romantic,

We feel for you — it’s never fun to be in a position where you feel hurt by someone you trusted. In this case, however, it may be best to take a step back and individually evaluate whether this proposed friendship would truly benefit either of you. Any relationship — platonic, romantic or otherwise — requires work, sacrifice and communication on both sides. If the two of you are on different pages in terms of long-term goals, it probably won’t be a very enriching friendship, as at least one of you will be unhappy. Plus, consider why this person wants to keep you around without committing to a full-fledged relationship; you may be doing yourself a favor by distancing yourself from them.

At the very least, take some time away from this person to gain perspective on the situation, and then reevaluate after a few months have passed and you feel like you’ve adequately thought things through. In this case, we recommend setting a boundary based on respect for yourself rather than consideration for your ex-partner.

From, The Editorial Board

Dear Editorial Board,

I have plenty of friendships with guys but not too much luck with dating. I’m on dating apps but haven’t really found people I feel I’m compatible with. Other than joining clubs, which I am already doing, how else can I meet people?

From, Looking-for-love

Dear Looking-for-love,

While this is an unfortunate situation, you’re not the only one going through it. Social media has opened the door to a whole new world in the dating-sphere, which can make it hard to pick a good one, never mind the one. Our advice to you, dear reader, is not to worry too much. It sounds like you’re already doing a good job at forming genuine connections with people, as well as keeping your stawndards high. Why force something that’s enriching on its own into something that could potentially not be as fulfilling?

That being said, if you’re really keen on entering a relationship that’s a bit more intimate than a friendship, consider focusing on doing activities that you’re truly passionate about (ideally ones that meet in person as frequently as possible). You’re more likely to find a connection with someone likeminded at an event that’s centered around a common interest — and even if you don’t, at least you’ll have a good time trying.

From, The Editorial Board

Dear Editorial Board,

My friend keeps going for guys who aren’t putting in the same energy she’s putting in, and ending up in relationships with people who are so focused on the surface level that they don’t bother to actually get to know her. How can I tell her that she deserves better and help her break this cycle?

From, Concerned Friend

Dear Concerned Friend,

A case like this can be tricky; you may have your friend’s best interest at heart, but anything you say could be interpreted as an attack on her happiness. Make sure that you’re initiating the conversation in an empathetic and open manner, and be ready to listen to anything your friend says. She likely needs to focus her attention on the deeper-rooted issues at hand. Yes, there are a lot of emotionally unavailable people in the world, but the reason for gravitating toward this type stems from a lack of self-confidence.

Let her know that she deserves to be with someone who respects her for all that she has to offer. If someone doesn’t realize that, or is treating her as if she deserves any less, they are not worthy of her time.

Emphasize that she should focus on tending to the fulfilling relationships already present in her life, and make sure that she knows her friends have her best interest at heart. Suggest that she create a list of boundaries and desires for a partner while she’s single; we all know that love makes us do foolish things, so it’s good to have something tangible detailing exactly what we want from a partner before we have one. If she is already in a relationship and feels that it’s worth saving despite having flaws, advise her to clearly and calmly communicate what she’s feeling — if the response she’s given is anything less than receptive, she should take it as a sign to remove herself from the situation.

From, The Editorial Board

Dear Editorial Board, I’m in love with my cat. I give him so much time, love, food, energy, and I pour my heart and soul into our relationship. But he can not give me love... only bites and scratches (and not the good kind). Alas, my undying love will forever remain unrequited. Please help me make him fall in love with me.

From, Billy Bob Jones XIV

Dear Billy Bob Jones XIV, “If you love something, set it free.”

From, The Editorial Board

AARON POTTER

The College Board is watering down African American Studies

AP African American Studies course is a positive step, but contemporary issues must not be omitted

BY CLAIRE SCHAD cfschad@ucdavis.edu

CHENG / AGGIE

In recent weeks, the College Board has been under scrutiny for the new Advanced Placement (AP) course, African American Studies, which is currently being piloted at 60 schools across the country.

Most notably, Florida Gov. Ron Desantis’s administration criticized the new curriculum for “lack[ing] educational value” and violating the state’s Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act, which works to prohibit teachings of critical race theory and similar ideas in Florida schools.

The new course is set to be introduced in hundreds of additional high schools next year, and access is expected to expand to all schools in the 2024-25 school year, when the first official AP test in the subject will be held.

The framework of the course is separated into four units: “Origins of the African Diaspora,” “Freedom, Enslavement, and Resistance,” “The Practice of Freedom” and “Movements and Debates.” Additionally, it requires a final research project on a relevant topic of the student’s choosing.

The introduction of AP African American Studies would offer a muchneeded deviation from the Eurocentric and misleading view that is often taught in many U.S. high school social studies courses. A portion of the curriculum is set to focus on African history prior to European interaction; a concept that is frequently omitted or skimmed over in other AP social science courses. This addition would provide a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of African American history.

Since Desantis’s original remarks on the curriculum, some of the most controversial aspects have been removed, however, the College Board has stated that this change was not caused by political influence. Omitted

topics include: intersectionality, the Black Lives Matter movement, Black feminism and issues surrounding the Black LGBTQ experience. By eliminating many of the contemporary issues of race, the AP course will fail to fully promote a conversation about the existence of racism and oppression as it still exists today. Additionally, this exclusion will perpetuate the myth that anti-Black racism only exists in the past.

Too often in AP curricula, contemporary issues fail to be addressed. In my experience, many AP courses, such as AP U.S. History, brush over or do not include the events of the past 20 or 30 years. It is important to note, however, that this may be due to a lack of funding for current textbooks and materials in some school districts, such as my own, where the textbooks I received were often older than I was.

Nevertheless, by not discussing contemporary events and movements, students may fail to make important connections between the past and present. This ability to highlight relationships between events occurring over time is critical to developing historical thinking skills, as defined by the College Board.

While it is understandable that the curriculum has undergone revisions throughout the pilot period, it is disappointing that many relevant and current concepts have been abandoned. American high school students should receive a complete and comprehensive education representative of all student backgrounds. The addition of the AP African American Studies course would be a step in the right direction, but the curricula must be comprehensive.

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.

NATALIE

ARTS & CULTURE

Commentary: Loving yourself on Valentine’s Day

Treat yourself this holiday season, regardless of your relationship status

BY SOPHIE DEWEES arts@theaggie.org

Scaling sheer cliff faces with your toes resting on minuscule edges just big enough to hold your weight definitely isn’t for everyone. And although rock climbing has greatly increased in popularity with the rise of indoor rock gyms and the inclusion of the sport in the 2021 summer Olympics, it still takes a specific kind of person to look at an outdoor boulder, a teeter-y 60-foot slab or even an artificial brick wall and say, “Yeah, I would want to climb that.” But even if you would rather do anything else than take a 20-foot fall on a rope, there are a myriad of great climbing documentaries and series that can be enjoyed by the avid climber and those mildly interested in climbing alike.

“Free Solo”

Probably the most well-known climbing film, “Free Solo” tells the story of professional rock climber Alex Honnold’s long-term goal of free soloing (climbing without ropes) the “Freerider” route on El Capitan in Yosemite. El Cap is an iconic 3,000-foot rock face in, as they put it in the documentary, “the Mecca of rock climbing:” Yosemite National Park. The movie describes Honnold’s background in climbing and his process for “projecting” the climb — which means learning all of the different moves on rope before trying a rope-free ascent.

BY RUMA POUDELL arts@theaggie.org

Valentine’s Day is coming up, and it’s time to bring some love into your life — whether you’re single, taken or in a “situationship” of sorts. Mainstream media shoves the narrative of a fancy dinner with a partner down our throats, but we can rewrite the script to fit whatever state of love we’re in. For all my single ladies (and people), here are some ways to spend the holiday.

Number one: Axe-throwing. It’s a bit extreme, but hear me out. If you just got out of a relationship and are angry or resentful, let all of those feelings out with the powerful throw of an axe. Don’t be like SZA’s “Kill Bill,” where she outlines how she killed her ex, but throw an axe instead. Not at your expartner, but at a wooden board. Some may deserve it, but you don’t want to be a murderer — no matter how strong your rage may be.

For those experiencing softer — though maybe just as intense — emotions like grief or sadness over a loved one, listen to music. There’s

something about sad love songs and just love songs, in general, that tug on your heartstrings when you’re already hurting. It’s a healthy way to get in tune with your feelings so that they can eventually pass, rather than suppressing them and having them come out all at once more drastically later.

When a song fits my situation perfectly, I begin to absolutely sob in my room (but in a good way). An artist that comes to mind for me is Coldplay — their songs are very versatile and you’re bound to find one that fits your current situation. And, to end your night off, “So Sick” by Ne-Yo should leave you feeling ready to move on from crying.

If songs don’t quite get the job done, you can always watch cheesy romance movies.

Now that you’ve hypothetically gotten any intense feelings of rage and sadness out of your system, it’s time to get some love flowing in you.

A trending activity that is sure to fill you with love is a picnic with friends,

which has been popular on TikTok recently. You can bake cakes, grab some themed table decorations and a pretty table set up and just enjoy each other’s company.

Similarly, you can go to a park for a painting date and illustrate your feelings. If you go with someone, try making it a challenge by switching canvases every five minutes or so.

If you’re set on a traditional Valentine’s day, buy yourself flowers and a box of chocolates and wait on no one to do so for you. You can do those cheesy Valentine’s Day traditions for yourself.

Regardless of the situation you’re in, if you’re in the Valentine’s Day spirit, there should always be a way to celebrate. For me, the holiday is a reminder to love myself and those I care about extra hard. Maybe redefining it for yourself can make you feel the same way too.

“Valley Uprising”

This documentary is a great one to start with, as it describes the history of rock climbing in Yosemite National Park. The film explains how the now widely popular sport began as a fringe movement led by “dirtbags” — climbers known for partying and taking food from dumpsters who lived somewhat illegally in the park. It interviews and shares footage of some of the sport’s greats such as Lynn Hill (who made the first free ascent of the Nose of El Capitan in 1993) and Alex Honnold (who climbed a different route of El Cap without ropes in 2017, see below for more). The makers of the film also document the evolution of climbing equipment and practices and the infamous feud between legendary rock climbers Warren Harding and Royal Robbins.

“The Climb”

Hosted by professional climber Chris Sharma, HBO’s new show “The Climb” is the first widely viewed outdoor climbing competition. It exhibits many different climbing styles including deep water soloing (climbing without a rope over deep water), sport climbing (climbing while clipping into bolts along the way), trad climbing (relying on gear placed in cracks) and bouldering (climbing shorter distances without a rope), to name a few. As a climber getting into sport climbing, I appreciated that contestants discussed being afraid of falling and how they were able to overcome this fear in a high-stress, competitive environment.

I will say, a few of the show’s choices were questionable, such as having two contestants go against each other on an indoor speed climbing wall (essentially, a standardized route that you climb as fast as possible) in an elimination round. This felt antithetical to the point of the show, which was to test climbers’ skills outdoors. Jason Momoa (yep, the actor who played Aquaman and Khal Drogo from “Game of Thrones”) also oddly makes short-lived appearances at the beginning of each episode to discuss the upcoming climbs with Sharma, which in my opinion does not contribute much. That said, the series gives climbers the potentially life-changing chance to earn a sponsorship from a major climbing clothing brand in a format that is both highly entertaining and illustrates the diverse nature of the sport.

While watching this film is sure to make your palms sweat, as a single foot slip could send Honnold plummeting to his death, it is a fascinating depiction of a climber and his (perhaps unreasonable) goal to scale the world’s largest granite monolith in climbing’s purest form — with only shoes and a chalk bag.

“The Dawn Wall”

“The Dawn Wall” shares professional climbers Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson’s 19-day adventure on the face of El Cap that is first hit by light in the morning. It was originally thought to be unscalable, as there was no clearly defined route before their ascent. Caldwell spent nearly six years on the project before its completion, and the big wall route is considered by many to be the hardest in existence.

In this film, you learn more about Caldwell’s background (specifically, that he is the only person to date that has completed such a difficult climb with only nine fingers) and come to understand how someone can tackle such an enormous project with grace and positivity.

“The Alpinist”

The focus of this documentary, Marc-André Leclerc, was (at least based on his portrayal in the film) a sweet, reserved person who was uninterested in fame or recognition despite his immense talent. He completed some of the most impressive climbs in history, free soloing extremely difficult ice and mixed (a combination of ice climbing and regular rock climbing) routes, which is nearly unheard of in the sport.

The biggest flaw in the film is mainly that it lacks footage of many of Leclerc’s ascents. However, I hesitate to even call this a flaw, as it contributes to the overall depiction of Leclerc as a person who climbs because he loves to, not to seek sponsorships or acclaim.

“Reel Rock” (all the seasons, really)

“Reel Rock” is an annual film festival that shares short films about up-and-coming climbers. Several older seasons are available for free on the Red Bull website and offer a peek into the projects of climbers around the world. These include the likes of Honnold and Caldwell’s ascent of the Fitz Roy traverse in Patagonia in 2014 to professional climber Nina Williams’ attempt to climb a 15-meter boulder in the Buttermilks in 2019. If you’re looking for just a taste of what outdoor climbing has to offer, all the seasons of “Reel Rock” provide a short look at harrowing feats by some of the best climbers in the world.

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

Every climbing series, movie and video you didn’t know you needed to see

“Free Solo” is not the only climbing movie, actually

Contestant Bradford Lee Burns on HBO’s “The Climb.” (HBO Max / Courtesy)

BY SARAH HAN arts@theaggie.org

Song: The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 2 in G minor, RV 315 “Summer”: III. Presto by Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (1723)

In light of midterm season, I thought Vivaldi’s Four Seasons best reflects this hectic period. The strings vigorously playing in unison set a frantic tone from the very beginning, which continues until the end. Something about the fast tempo boosts your adrenaline — by the end of the song, I guarantee that you’ll be ready to get a good amount of work done, or at least feel electrified. I can confidently claim that you will meet those upcoming deadlines after listening to a snippet of Vivaldi. Whether you’re looking for something to help you push through exams and assignments or want to add a classical piece to your list, I recommend this song.

Book:“How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life” by Epictetus, translated by Anthony Long (2016)

Leaning toward the scholarly pieces of text, this book guides you through the principles of stoicism. It first introduces the background of Epictetus, who was born into slavery. Then it continues on to the English translations of Epictetus’s texts, which generally highlight how humans should react to life circumstances. He touches on human emotions like anxiety and discusses how it is each person’s responsibility to take ownership of their emotions, particularly the negative ones. I recommend this book if you need a bit of guidance or if you just want to get into the philosophy genre.

TV Show: “The Queen’s Gambit” by Scott Frank (2020)

In the male-dominated world of chess, Beth Harmon finds herself among the top chess players in the world. She faces numerous challenges stemming from her past as an orphan. One of the more prominent challenges is her drug addiction, which she uses as an escape from reality. The series shows addiction and perfectionism through the development of a chess prodigy. Available on Netflix, “The Queen’s Gambit” merges a unique storyline with ubiquitous problems, making it a great addition to your list.

Movie: “The Age of Adaline” dir. by Lee Toland Krieger (2019)

Starring Blake Lively and Harrison Ford, “The Age of Adaline” depicts the journey of Adaline Bowman, who remains 29 years old for over eight decades. Throughout those years, she switches her identity numerous times to hide her secret. In one period of her life, however, she meets Ellis Jones, and things quickly go downhill after meeting his family. This movie touches on romance, the impact of the past and challenges to personal identity in an interesting way, so if you’re interested in a classic movie with a bit of a twist, I recommend checking this one out.

Commentary: The importance of children’s horror movies

How the genre can provide another outlet for kids’ fears

BY ADHITHI ANJALI arts@theaggie.org

What do “Friday the 13th” and “Courage the Cowardly Dog” have in common? What about “Coraline” and “It?” While the amount of gore definitely varies, they are all undoubtedly horror stories that bring their viewers to the limit of their anxieties. Of course, if you watched “Courage the Cowardly Dog” or read “Coraline” now, you might not be inundated with the fear it is supposed to instill in its intended audience: young children.

One might ask why the same kids pacified by an episode of “Arthur” should be exposed to horror at all. After all, the genre’s most quintessential examples contain violence and blood. “Videodrome” and “Parasite” probably present a completely incomprehensible form of horror for the child. The appeal of these films likely comes from a response to the intersection of social and physical fear — the idea that there are forces beyond your control acting on your body. (For more insight on this aspect of horror, check out “Powers of Horror” by Julia Kristeva.)

But, a young child — by which I mean 10 years old or younger — arguably does not have a concrete conception of the social constructions that produce fear and loss of autonomy, like the panic about sex in “Friday the 13th” or class conflict in “Parasite.” However, horror is still present in childhood: the monster in the closet, the ghost in the hall, the dark horizon after sunset when you can still make out someone — or something.

These fears still reflect the unnamable lack of control a child feels when they understand that there is an unknown, perhaps unimaginable, aspect to their world. And yet, the only response is to imagine what it possibly could be.

Whereas we can enjoy the catharsis of horror, as we see the unraveling of order take place rather than remaining struck by the debilitating fear that something is wrong, children seem to lack a new and unique outlet for their

A scene from Coraline. (Courtesy of Focus Features / fair use) trapped and helpless. Even the regular ghost story communicates that your fear is not unaccounted for. For a time, it might give you something new to be afraid of, but it confirms a secret truth: that there are unknown and unimaginable possibilities in this world, good or bad.

daily encounters with the unfamiliar. Children also inhabit a world designed for and by adults. Can you recall the feeling of being left out of the loop, knowing there were larger pieces in place that moved you before you could think for yourself?

What children’s horror can do is offer an outlet that acknowledges that fear. “Coraline” understands the limits of a child’s power in their family and recognizes these feelings of being

A child can often see the gap in their knowledge of the world. They may not understand this gap, but they are able to recognize a discrepancy between the way

they respond to a closed door and the way their parents might react. Horror offers a bridge for that gap, saying, “Yes, there is something scary behind it, but the only way to know is to test it.”

Of course, there are aspects of horror in other children’s media. Various books I remember reading laid out war, death and other forms of violence, but fear was not often at the forefront of the creation of that work. However, a good horror book or film hinges on

these uncomfortable feelings to produce terror and wonder.

In the same way, many adults find pleasure and thrill in consuming media designed to capitalize on our fear, there are children who can sense that fightor-flight response and want to test it. Courage, too, lived in a world not designed for him, but he had to face it every day. Children’s horror can provide a space for kids to do the same.

ARC hip-hop classes are a mood-booster for dancers of all experience levels

UC Davis student recreation dance instructor Evie White builds up students’ confidence through her classes

BY ANA BACH features@theaggie.org

The competitive world of dance offers a platform for experienced dancers to compete with one another, advancing their skill sets and performances to prepare for their professional dance careers ahead. For others, dance is a fun, confidence-building activity. All are welcome at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) hip-hop classes, taught by second-year international relations major Evie White though.

White is a former competitive dancer, and her work on campus as a dance instructor allows her to teach hiphop classes while giving her students a platform to build confidence that will allow them to be successful even after they leave the studio.

“I just love screaming and hyping people up,” White said. “I honestly look at my class more as a confidencebuilding class than a dance class. Dance just translates over to so many other aspects of your life.”

The PAVE School of the Arts student reminisced about her competition days and her experiences dancing for The Innovate Dance Company studio.

“Essentially, PAVE stands for performance, artistry, versatility and exposure,” White said. “My coach instilled in us that we should be wellrounded dancers. We would have these intensive weeks as our audition for the company. She would have these choreographers come in, and it was just all blind classes. We didn’t know who was coming in to teach that day. So I was doing ballroom at some point, dancing in heels, ballet, you name it.”

White emphasized the intensity of dance culture, especially in Orange County, and compared the mannerisms of the practice to the hit Lifetime show “Dance Moms.”

“There would be parents that would get [upset] because they would see me in the front row,” White said. “I see girls who are nine or 10 years old, and they are already doing jobs, auditioning and skipping school.”

Though White always loved dance, she said that her busy high school schedule consisted of a number of extracurriculars.

“In the end, dance was the most important to me,” White said. “Still, I’ve always wanted to try to find that balance, and I knew dance wasn’t going to be my one and only. What I was worried about coming into college was thinking about how I incorporate this into my college life because I don’t want to give it up. Teaching, I found to be the best route for me to still incorporate it.”

The transition White made from her experience in the dance world to teaching dance combinations to students who are just trying out dance

for the first time seems like a big jump. But White said that she’s found that she loves teaching newcomers.

“Personally, I love teaching people who have zero experience with dance,” White said. “They’re just there for a good time. I love that I am teaching people in college because that just shows me that they are here because they want to be here.”

White compares the rush of performing a dance to an “indescribable adrenaline high.”

“I tell people that it’s an indescribable feeling,” White said. “The rush of energy when you are performing in front of a crowd is like nothing else.

It’s just insane when you have all these people watching you. You feel like you are just on top of the world. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, it’s that same feeling when you are on stage. There’s 100% always nerves. But every time you go out, it ends up being fine. It’s muscle memory at that point.”

During White’s classes, her main priority is making sure students are comfortable with themselves, not perfecting their dance technique.

She starts her classes by getting her students amped up with high-energy music and movement, incorporating a dynamic warm-up with fast-paced hiphop music. The movement also allows students to pulse to the beat for a deeper stretch and helps them get acclimated to the tempo of the routines to come.

She later has students line up in groups, asking each to perform their own variation of a catwalk. White stands between the lines to offer a great deal of support and positive affirmation.

“I have all of my students strut across the floor […] every single class because I just want them to learn to walk with confidence,” White said.

From there, she starts to teach the students the sequence without music, using counts to help with movement cues and segments the dance into a couple of counts at a time. Once the students have a good idea of the movements, they rehearse the sequence with music a couple of times and White answers questions about the form of any dance moves.

At the end of White’s classes, each group performs the dance one at a time, while the other participants gather around, cheering in support. White also extends her assistance after class if students want more help with the sequence or would like to work toward perfecting it.

The class is an energized environment for individuals of all experience levels who are comfortable making mistakes and using their own techniques to play up to their strengths.

UC Davis student recreation dance instructor Evie White. (Evie White / Courtesy) confidence she gained through White’s encouragement.

Elisabeth Van Roijen, a third-year graduate student in environmental engineering attends White’s classes every Tuesday.

“Her energy is contagious,” Van Roijen said. “The very first class I came to, I came really tired because it’s a late class. As soon as I left, I couldn’t sleep because I was so hyped with energy. I always come because I know it’s always gonna lift me up and make me happy.”

Van Roijen emphasized the

“I think it’s how she hypes everyone up,” Van Roijen said. “I am not a very confident person, but she pushes you to be out of your comfort zone and really just own it. It’s a really comfortable space, and it’s just a lot of fun. I really enjoyed this class, and it’s the highlight of my week.”

White has cultivated an environment that brings joy to all of her

students — and herself. Her main focus is making sure that everyone feels pride in their abilities and moves through the rest of their day feeling better than when they came into class.

“I feel great when I leave,” White said. “Sometimes I come in, and it’s not the best day. I have just had an entire school day, and I am a little tired, but every single time I have left teaching, my mood is immediately 10 times better. Every single time.”

KDVS calls for creative freedom from ASUCD at Feb. 9 Senate meeting

SB #55 clarifies the role of the ASUCD Brand Guide, and SB #56 grants freedom over social media and websites for ASUCD units

BY KAYA DO-KHANH campus@theaggie.org

On Thursday, Feb. 9, at 6:17 p.m., Vice President JT Eden called the Senate meeting to order and recited the UC Davis Land Acknowledgement.

The Senate then moved into its quarterly town hall.

One member of the public spoke about the lack of gender-neutral bathrooms in certain areas of campus. The speaker said that there are no gender-neutral bathrooms at Shields Library and that the closest one is at Sproul Hall or the Student Community Center, which they said “is completely inaccessible for people like me […] We need to set our priorities straight on stuff that actually impacts LGBTQ people every day. If you want to work with me, I’d be happy to do whatever it takes to get this done, because I want to make me and my community feel like we have a place in this public setting.”

One of the senators spoke about a movement by students to put genderneutral bathrooms in the library, saying that they recently assigned the issue to the Library Committee.

Next, the ASUCD Elections Committee gave their quarterly updates, which included plans to work with Aggie Studios to create an election promotion video and to revamp their website.

The Senate table then went over public comments. One of the topics brought up was the need for crossing guards in the Teaching Learning Complex area because of the increase of foot traffic with the opening of the new facility.

Another public comment stated that they did not believe that conservative student group Turning Point USA should be allowed to invite speakers to campus due to the violence that broke out during their last event.

Eden gave a quarterly report for the Personnel Committee, which reviews the personnel policies of ASUCD and proposes changes to those policies and to employee compensation. The committee has experienced onboarding

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

challenges for ASUCD jobs, according to Eden, and has plans to propose a pay proposal for the next budget and create an HR position.

Next, Brooke Isrow was confirmed as the chairperson of the Aggie Mentors Committee, which helps incoming freshmen and transfer students adapt to college life, with no objections.

Elena Hung and first-year environmental science and management major Aaina Kapur were both confirmed remotely to the Student Sustainability Career Fair Committee with no objections.

The senators then moved into elected officer reports, where they gave updates on their weekly schedules and

progress on various projects.

The status of previous legislation was addressed, and then there was a motion to pass the Consent Calendar. SB #55, a bill intended to define the ASUCD Brand Guide and clarify its role as a recommended, but optional, resource to design ASUCD materials, was passed unanimously.

KDVS General Manager Cate Hatcher made a statement regarding SB #55 requesting the removal of the ASUCD logo from KDVS.

“On an artistic level, I think it’s inappropriate to ask students to attribute credit to a group of students that we respect but who do not actually participate in our unit’s functions and

who don’t actually create the art that we publish under our name,” Hatcher said.

“We need to continue having freedom to create our own design portfolio for KDVS.” SB #56, which grants ASUCD units, bodies and services increased freedom to publish and modify their own social media and websites, also passed unanimously.

In regards to SB #56, Hatcher made another statement, this time in reference to the “poor state” of the KDVS website, requesting more control over it.

Academic Affairs Commission

Chair Megan Chung said that she was in agreement with the bills granting more creative freedom to units in the

statement.

“For some units, UC Davis is taking advantage of the fact that we call it UC Davis, and they’re taking credit for it,” Chung said. “We should uphold the fact that this is students doing this work, not UC Davis.”

SB #59, which allocates $4,586.86 from Senate Reserves to the ASUCD Pantry for the purpose of purchasing menstrual products, was passed unanimously, and SB #60 was tabled until Feb. 16.

The senators approved past meeting minutes, and Eden adjourned the meeting at 11:50 p.m.

Sudoku

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

HUMOR

Lecture room nosiness

BY LIDYA SHCHERBAKOVA lvshcherbakova@ucdavis.edu

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

My official ranking of UCD majors but only the ones I remember and some that I just made up

Good morning design majors! I hope all your dreams come true <3

BY ANNABEL MARSHALL almarshallucdavis.edu

Like winter quarter, this list goes from okay to terrible to worse.

Atmospheric Science: I love weatherpeople. 10/10

Physics (B.A.): Absolutely blows my mind that you can get a bachelor of arts in physics. Rails my brain. Slurps my gyri.

Animal Science: Cute.

Plant Science: Cuter.

Entomology: No longer cute.

International Relations: Half the nicest people I’ve ever met and half people I wouldn’t trust to negotiate my lunch order.

American Studies: Hilarious. What does this mean?

Global Disease Biology: To the classes of 2025 onward: I’m so glad I didn’t have to read your college essay about COVID.

Art History: Exactly what I would

study if I were a nepotism baby.

Environmental Engineering: Honest to Jebus, cannot remember if this one actually exists. Seems like something we would have.

Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology: Amazed by the implication that fish are not wildlife.

Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior: How does it feel to have to use two to three sentences to explain your major to everyone you meet? Shut up.

Human Biology: I’ve met four human bio majors and none of them can explain to me why this major exists.

Aviary Sciences: I don’t trust anyone who makes birds their personality. You are defending a sentient weapon that works for the Devil, who is not a nice guy. Classics: Just tell me what the plan is. I actually want to know.

English, Creative Emphasis: Just because you’re gay doesn’t mean you’re good at writing poetry. For you. For me, it does.

English, Lit & Crit Emphasis: Just because you’re a non-confrontational straight man does not mean women want to sleep with you. They want to sleep with me ‘cause my poetry is so good. Data Science: Boo. All science has data, idiot.

Material Science: We have to stop with this trend of just putting “Science” after a word and pretending it’s a career path.

Cognitive Science: See above.

Political Science: See above. Plus, this one is definitely not a science. Food Science: See above above. Also, there is no way we need both Food Science and Nutrition.

Civil Engineering: A great way to tell people that your parents bought you too many LEGOs as a child or that you are pursuing a passionless career in the pathetic hopes of a stable future. I’m not using any bridge built by a civil engineer who graduated during the pandemic. And if building bridges is not what a civil engineer does, please, do not tell me. I do not care.

Education: Technically a minor.

Whatever. How are some of you people so mean? Don’t you want to work with children? What is going on? Your pink hair is not distracting me from your disappointing personality.

Landscape Architecture: I’m just mad that no one offered this as a career option to me when I was 11. I was told to choose between doctor, lawyer, pop idol, teacher or stripper. Where was

“greenery stylist?”

Philosophy: Be a nicer person. Stop making your friend’s birthday party about existentialism and glaring failures in the U.S. legal system.

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

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

‘Bad’ fires are burning forest ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada, southern Cascade regions

High-severity wildfires are occurring much more frequently than these forests are accustomed to

BY BRANDON NGUYEN science@theaggie.org

A UC Davis study published in the journal Ecosphere recently reported that in the past decade, the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade forests have had a drastic increase in “bad” fires. These fires are scientifically known as high-severity fires, which is a classification that denotes that more than 95% of tree biomass is burned from one fire within an area.

Dr. Hugh Safford, the senior author of the study and a research forest ecologist in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at UC Davis, explained why rates of high-severity fires have almost quintupled from 10% to 43%.

“Humans have had the greatest impact on these forest ecosystems over the last two years since we put out nearly all fires in the system, which historically was a natural part of the way that these ecosystems function and the species in [them] are adapted to these fires,” Safford said. “We’ve been focused as a result more on the actual effects of fire rather than just the occurrence or the area of it, and that’s what you call fire severity — describing the ecosystem effects of fires in terms of tree biomass lost.”

Fire is a fundamental ecological process, but excessive human intervention has disrupted the balance in these forests. Years of fire suppression have led to an accumulation of forest density and tree biomass, which ends up being an ample source of fuel for fires to grow into high-severity fires. In addition, global warming and the drier climates in California provide favorable conditions for “bad” fires.

John Williams, the lead author on the study and a project scientist at Safford’s lab at UC Davis, explained the reason for conducting the study.

“This was a follow-up study to a previous research that looked at patterns of severity in different tree types in the Sierra Nevadas and some Cascade forests from 1984 to 2009,” Williams said. “The motivation behind this was that we’ve had nine of 10 of the biggest wildfires in California history since 2009, so we want to look at how these patterns have been changing. Most of the Sierra Nevada ecosystems are adapted to low-to-moderate severity fires, and what we’re seeing is a much higher rate of high-severity fires than these forests are accustomed to.”

Before 1850, much more land area was burned annually, with 90% of the fires being low-to-moderate severity fires. However, today, less land is burned annually, but more is burned by high-severity fires at a higher frequency. but more is burned at a high frequency and severity.

“As a result of the increases in highseverity fire and the […] reductions in the percentage of area burned at lowto-moderate severity, [there have been] loss of carbon storage, increased plume emissions and decreased air quality, increased erosion and adverse impacts on soil nutrients, microbial processes, and hydrology,” the study reads.

“Additionally, studies have shown that shifts in burning patterns correlate with failures in conifer regeneration, changes in the balance of fire-tolerant and fire-intolerant species [and] negative impacts to overall species diversity.”

Reversing this pattern of fires would require substantial increases in area and percentage of forests burned by low-to-moderate severity fires through methods like controlled fires and forest and resource management

Sunflowers’ circadian clocks make them a target for bees

Researchers find that controlled bloom patterns attract bees and improve pollination

BY LILLY ACKERMAN science@theaggie.org

A new study from researchers in UC Davis’s Department of Plant Biology found that sunflower blooms are coordinated by their circadian clocks, opening different sections of florets in a ring pattern. This makes them optimal for pollination by bees, which are their main pollinator.

Sunflowers are well known for their ability to turn and face the sun throughout the day. Their circadian clock, which is the natural cycle that they follow over every 24-hour period, controls this famous movement, but it also helps them maximize pollination by controlling how they bloom.

Dr. Stacey Harmer, a senior author on the study and professor of plant biology at UC Davis, says that sunflowers’ heads have a disk made up of thousands of individual flowers, or florets. When it comes time to release and receive pollen, sunflowers’ florets open in a coordinated pattern that attracts bees during a timeframe called anthesis.

“When they’re in the middle of [anthesis], you’ll see that it [the blooming] goes from the outside of the disk to the inside of the disk,” Harmer said. “And you see sort of a target shape; you have rings — not spirals — of florets at different developmental stages[…]It’s like making a really great show for the pollinating bees.”

The disk forms a target shape by opening rings at different times; the outer ring will open one day, followed by a different inner ring the next day. The entire disk of florets opens in the span of approximately one week.

Each floret opens to release pollen just after dawn. This is coordinated heavily with when bee pollinators are most active and allows for maximum pollination.

“This coordinated mass release of floral rewards at predictable times of

day likely promotes pollinator visits and plant reproductive success,” the study reads.

Interestingly, the same ring of florets will release pollen in its male form one day and then be in its female form to receive pollen the next day.

“They’re also super interesting plants because an individual floret is male one day, making pollen, releasing it, and the next day, it’s female, so it can receive pollen,” Harmer said. “And that’s a way they promote outcrossing between flowers.”

Outcrossing is the transfer of pollen from one flower to a genetically different one. This is a beneficial process for the entire sunflower population as it increases genetic diversity, which improves the population’s resilience.

The ability to adapt and respond to the environment is especially important amid a changing climate.

The timing of pollen release that sunflowers utilize depends upon light availability as well as the circadian clock, according to the study. Previous work has shown that temperature also affects its timing.

This means that changes in climate can present mismatches between pollinator activity, which is governed mainly by their circadian clock, and sunflower anthesis, which responds to the environment. It is therefore crucial that plants’ circadian clocks are understood, so that appropriate measures can be taken to address mismatches detrimental to both bee and sunflower populations due to reduced pollination.

“I think it is important to understand this in terms of agriculture in the face of climate change,” Harmer said. “I think this is going to be a potentially useful breeding target as breeders think about how to promote successful pollination.”

interventions, as well as working to reduce tree biomass. More importantly, assessing wildfires that do break out to see if they can be low-to-moderate before impulsively suppressing them is critical, since these wildfires themselves can actually be a management tool.

“We’re able to put out more than 98% of all fires before they get to a couple of 100 acres,” Safford said. “So even today, our success at putting fires out is just kind of unbelievable. That said, when you have a really fueled,

rich landscape; a really hot day; a big wind; an ignition in the wrong part of the landscape and people can’t get to it, those are the fires that you and I end up seeing on the news because those are the ones we lose control of.”

According to Safford, most of the fires put out are most likely under conditions that would not have led to high-severity fires. In fact, National Park Services in Sequoia and Kings Canyon as well as in Yosemite let a high portion of fires on their landscape burn after assessing them.

“Wildland fire use is probably the major solution; we need to start thinking really hard about not putting out all wildfires immediately because really they’re going to treat 70% to 90% of the landscape, whether we want them to or not,” Safford said. “And it would be better that they treated them under benign weather conditions than under severe weather conditions because the effects will be much better and beneficial to our forests.”

Sunflower undergoes anthesis in normal light/dark cycles and forms rings (left). Another undergoes anthesis in only light conditions and does not form rings (right). (Carine Marshall / Courtesy)

JOANNE SUN / AGGIE

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

UC Davis overcomes adversity late in the game to secure conference win against UC Riverside

On her birthday, Sabel turns in a big fourth-quarter performance to propel the Aggies to victory

BY MARLON ROLON sports@theaggie.org

On Tuesday night, UCR (3-18 in conference play and 5-18 overall), who are last place in the Big West conference, came into the University Credit Union Center in search of a much-needed win against the UC Davis women’s basketball team.

The Highlanders built an early lead and set the tone against the Aggies, who were out of rhythm with sloppy turnovers early in the game. However, the home team clawed their way back; UC Davis rallied back late in the game with stellar shooting from third-year guard Tova Sabel. The Aggies won 73-64, which improved their record to 7-6 in conference play and 11-12 overall.

“I was really pleased with the way that we sort of overcame a lot of adversity throughout the game and found a way to win it,” said UC Davis women’s Head Coach Jennifer Gross.

In the first quarter, UCR netted two quick three-pointers to start the game and took an 8-2 lead. During this span, UC Davis failed to convert open looks and turned the ball over due to miscommunication.

As things settled late in the first quarter, third-year guard Evanne Turner knocked a pair of threepointers down that put the Aggies up by one, 12-11. With just under two minutes left, UCR went back up with a pair of baskets in the paint. However, second-year point guard Sydney Burns

closed out the quarter with a jumper that chipped the deficit to 15-14.

“We felt like we couldn’t get our flow in the first half; we weren’t getting as much ball movement. And I thought we weren’t knocking down shots; we felt like we were a little bit stagnant.”

The back-and-forth action translated into the second quarter, but redshirt third-year guard Matehya Bryant shined for the Aggies with a 10-point outburst inside the paint.

In the final four minutes of the first half, UCR took a three-point lead after a pair of free throws, but UC Davis fought back, going on an eightpoint run that saw them take a 32-27 lead.

Just as things were looking good for the home team, second-year forward Mazatlan Harris lost control of the ball and attempted to dive to regain control of possession but fell hard and was accidentally stepped on. Harris, in tears, was slow to get up, but the play was kept alive. UCR took advantage of the situation, going on an eight-point run to close the half.

The University Credit Union Center was stunned as they saw the Highlanders regain the lead in a span of one minute.

“It felt like we were playing well, and then, within a minute, we had an eight-point swing,” Gross said regarding the final sequence of the first half.

In the first half, UC Davis shot just 38% (11-29) from the field and 27% (3-11) from outside the

paint, which is highly unusual from the team that leads the Big West in three-pointers made (7.8 per game).

Moreover, Turner — the Big West’s leading scorer — was held to just eight points in the first two quarters.

“[Bryant] had a tremendous game, she had a really good first half,” Gross said of Bryant’s scoring abilities. “We were focusing on trying to slow her

down in the second half defensively.”

Despite the Aggies’ changes going into the second half, Highlanders continued shooting the ball well into the third quarter, beginning with a 7-0 run to go up by as many as 10 points, 44-34. Just as it seemed like Riverside was getting ready to run away with the lead, everything changed in an instant.

Graduate student guard Tess Sussman hit a three-point dagger that gave life to the arena, leading the crowd to burst into cheers. A few plays later, the Aggies went on a 9-0 run — Burns was feeling hot as she drained two three-pointers and Turner chipped in with a three of her own.

UC Davis tied the game at 46, and the arena was buzzing.

“Sometimes all it takes is one spark, and this particular one happened to be a three-point shot,” Gross said regarding the 9-0 run. “It’s contagious in a way you see the ball going in once and you just get a little more confidence.”

“We picked each other up, we made some big plays. We sort of gained a little bit of swagger after that point, and we did a nice job of executing from then on.”

Riverside wouldn’t give up, and they responded by immediately going on a 6-2 run in the final minute of the third quarter. They once again regained the lead, 52-47.

However, with under 30 seconds left, the Aggies answered back with a three-pointer from Sabel which cut the deficit to two points.

The contest was tight heading into

the fourth quarter, but Sabel appeared to flip a switch — she opened the quarter with a quick layup to even the score. Then, Sussman hit two free throws to put the Aggies up by two.

From here on out, Sabel and Turner turned on the jets, scoring the last 14 points for UC Davis, ultimately winning the game 73-64. With Bryant less of a factor as the defense tightened up inside the paint, the Highlanders had trouble scoring in the second half.

The fourth quarter was highlighted by Sabel, who scored nine points, and Turner, who added seven points.

“It’s her birthday, so she was ready for a big day,” Gross said of Sabel’s offensive performance. “She never got the opportunity to get going early, but we’ve seen in many games that she’s really capable. She’s a tough matchup; she could play inside, and she did a really good job down the stretch putting us up.”

According to Gross, UC Davis’s offense helped the team take the win. Turner led the charge with 18 points, Sabel added 16 points, Sussman had 14 points and Burns scored 12 points.

“To have four people in double figures is big for us — It means that different people are stepping up,” Gross said.

A few days later on Feb. 11, UC Davis lost to UC Santa Barbara 7764 at the University Credit Union Center. The Aggies will hit the road to Southern California to face off against Cal State Northridge on Feb. 15 and come back home to host UC Irvine on Feb. 18.

BASKETBALL

Sacramento Kings’ successful season has captivated local basketball fans

Kings’ fans excited at prospect of ending a 16-year playoff drought

BY PATRICK FIGUEROA sports@theaggie.org

Upon sunset, you might see something in the sky if you are driving near downtown Sacramento. It is a purple laser beam coming from the Golden 1 Center — the Sacramento Kings basketball arena. The beam was introduced for the 2022-2023 NBA season to signify a Kings’ victory. However, for a franchise that has been unsuccessful for most of the 21st century, the beam also signals hope for what is shaping up to be one of the best seasons in the Kings’ recent history.

The Kings have been in a 16-year playoff drought, which is a time period defined by the failure to reach the postseason in consecutive seasons. The Kings’ playoff drought is the longest active playoff drought in American sports. However, the 2022-2023 NBA season has been a treat for Kings’ fans because currently, the team is one of the best in the Western Conference.

Through 55 games, the Kings are in third place in the Western Conference with a 31-24 record. For reference, the most games the Kings have won in the past 16 years was 39 games during the 2018-2019 NBA season. For Kings fans who have watched basketball during this 16year stretch, this season has been a memorable experience so far.

“This entire season has felt like a dream,” said Timeout Radio Host and Kings fan Rohan Baxi. “I finally feel a sense of pride being a Kings fan and atop all our long-time rivals.”

“This Kings’ season has been amazing for me so far,” said Davis local and lifelong Kings fan Will Wyman. “The last time we had this many wins at this point in the season I was in,

like, first grade. It’s crazy for me to see a good Kings team on a nightly basis.”

“I have been a Kings fan ever since I started watching basketball in middle school,” said Peni Billings.

“They have been in a playoff drought before I was even a fan, so to finally be able to witness such a feat truly is a great feeling.”

When speaking with Kings fans, they often express their love for the gameday experience at the Golden 1 Center.

“The arena is amazing. [It’s] a great addition to Downtown Sacramento. The fans are so loud that it seems like a playoff game,” Baxi said. “The Sacramento area has continued to

show up through the ups and downs of this 16-year drought, and I can’t even imagine what it will be like come playoff time.”

“I have been to a good handful of games this year — I think six games,” Wyman said. “The atmosphere inside Golden 1 Center is awesome. I think the Kings have the best fans in the NBA, and the rest of the league is finally starting to notice.”

According to ESPN’s 2023 NBA Attendance Report, the Kings’ average attendance for home games is 17,115 fans. For reference, the Golden 1 Center’s maximum capacity is 17,608. There have been several major contributors for the Kings this season,

but their fans seem to agree that one player is a large reason for their success: center Domantas Sabonis.

“He’s the catalyst for everything the Kings do on the offensive end,” Wyman said. “He’s an amazing rebounder and a smart playmaker, two things that pay dividends for this team.”

Last season, the Kings acquired Sabonis in a trade that sent fanfavorite point guard Tyrese Haliburton to the Indiana Pacers. Kings fans and NBA analysts were originally unhappy with the trade, as they believed that the Kings traded away a future star for Sabonis. However, Sabonis was recently given the honor to represent

the Kings in the NBA All-Star Game, a feat unheard of in the team’s recent history. The last Kings’ player that was named an All-Star was center DeMarcus Cousins during the 20162017 NBA season.

There are still many games to be played before the NBA regular season ends on April 9. In a tightly packed Western Conference, the Kings will have to continue playing at a high level if they want to end their playoff drought. No matter how the rest of the season pans out though, Kings fans have made lifelong memories during the first 55 games of the 2022-2023 season.

“The seven-game win streak in November,” Baxi said, reminiscing on his favorite memory of the season so far. “[It] included quality wins versus the Cavaliers, Lakers, Warriors, Nets, Spurs, Pistons and Grizzlies.”

Billings said, “Other than winning, obviously, I believe my personal favorite memory of the Kings so far is this newfound energy they seem to be playing with. The pairing of Domantas Sabonis and [point guard] De’Aaron Fox is spectacular. Having [Sabonis] take the load away from Fox if need be, and he can dish out to role players like [shooting guard] Kevin Huerter.”

Wyman said, “My favorite part of the Kings season so far has been the beam. It’s incredible. It brings the fans and the players together in a very special way. It’s really cool to leave the arena after a win and see that purple laser shooting into the sky.”

For Kings fans, the 2022-2023 NBA season is like the beam shining in the Sacramento night sky. It is a sign that things are getting better, and the future is bright for their team.

Tova Sabel and the Aggie women’s basketball team defeat the Highlanders in a home game at the University Credit Union Center. (Jersain Medina / Aggie)

Evanne Turner waits to pass the ball to one of her fellow Aggies against UC Riverside. (Jersain Medina / Aggie)

NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE