March 9, 2017

the California Aggie SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915

THEAGGIE.ORG

VOLUME 135, ISSUE 19 | THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

CIERA PASTUREL / AGGIE

A weekend bike ride down Hutchison Drive TRACTORS, BEE HIVES AND MEDICAL RESEARCH

JAY GELVEZON / AGGIE FILE

A routine for representation

BY SAHI T I VEM UL A features@theaggie.org

HIGHLY-DECORATED UC DAVIS GYMNAST ALEXIS BROWN CONTINUES TO USE ATHLETIC PLATFORM TO ADVOCATE FOR MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES

Extending west from the heart of campus toward the very outskirts of Davis, a bike ride down Hutchison Drive can take anyone on a journey through green fields and thriving intellectual hotspots.

First stop along the way is the Western Center for Agricultural Equipment (WCAE), located off of Hutchison Drive just west of West Village. This center, which opened in 2001, is part of the department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering (BAE), a hybrid department that is a part of both the Agricultural and Engineering colleges.

“After a multi-year effort towards fundraising and construction, [the center] in part replaced an old metal building where we hosted many classes,” said Victor Duraj, an associate development engineer at BAE and the outreach and safety coordinator for WCAE. “Our new center was designed to bring that teaching to a modern facility, [while integrating] research and outreach activities in a larger, shared environment.”

The WCAE has continued its commitment to education by offering various courses, serving as a senior capstone field and bringing together resources in the industry from which students can directly learn.

“We even have a school of education course that’s called teaching agricultural mechanics,” Duraj said. “It’s taken by students who are earning their teaching credentials and a masters degree. [These students] become vocational agricultural teachers throughout California.”

Research and outreach are the second half of WCAE’s mission, with faculty members pursuing new technologies and advances in agriculture and allocating a wing of the building to outreach efforts. One of WCAE’s most notable achievements in outreach is its partnership with CNH Industrial, which provides some of the tractors students use in classes.

“Another big thing that people out here work on is safety for farm workers,” Duraj said. “Probably our most exciting recent work has been in researching potential improvements in orchard ladders. An orchard ladder is a three-legged ladder that’s used to harvest fruit. In a field environment the surface is not even, and a three-legged ladder provides a much more stable platform on which to work. We are working on different designs to make them safer for workers to use. I guess you could sum it up as ergonomics for agriculture.”

Stop number two’s colorful and inviting entrance is hard to miss: a mosaic sign depicting a beehive, honeycombs and cherry blossoms. At the intersection of Hutchinson and Bee Biology Road, the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility focuses on bee biology and genetics research, with the larger goal of addressing global bee health. They investigate declining populations of insect pollinators — a phenomenon that could have catastrophic consequences on the global economy and food industry.

Jessica Drost, a fourth-year animal biology major who helps conduct research at the facility, explained that a majority of the research concerns “conserving our pollinators,” and how to manage honeybee populations.

“People are aware that there’s something happening,” Drost said. “They are hearing that we have huge declines of pollinators, which is affecting our food systems. Part of that conversation is how we can plant things in our garden to increase [bee] populations, and people are seeing that there’s things they can do.

Planting wild flowers is always a good idea.”

Colony collapse disorder is also becoming a major issue, and certain parts of the world are having to cope with the loss of the pollination service bees provide humans through artificial methods of pollination.

“I know in China that’s definitely happening, especially with apples,” Drost said. “If we keep seeing declines we will have to self-pollinate. We study bees not just because we care about our food systems, but also because we love [our bees] and it would be a sad day to see robots pollinate our crops.”

Next to the facility is the Honey Bee Haven garden, sponsored by Haagen Daaz. Planted in 2009, this unique outdoor museum is adorned with a giant bee sculpture created by artist Donna Billick and native plants specifically placed for visiting bees and patrons to enjoy.

“Often there’ll be classrooms of kids that come on field trips to learn about honey bees over there, which is great because I don’t think I learned about pollinators when I was younger,” Drost said.

Next, at the very west end of Hutchinson as it intersects with Lincoln Highway is the Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM). Run jointly by UC Davis’ Medical and Veterinary schools, the CCM’s mission is to use animal models of human disease in order to understand disease processes and to work toward their prevention and intervention.

“This center started in concept about 20 years ago,” said Peter Barry, the director of CCM. “Today we look at influenza, chlamydia, cytomegalovirus (CMV) [...] and we use the power of animal modeling to investigate in tractable model systems how we can improve human and veterinarian health.”

BY ALE X ARE CH IGA sports@theaggie.org

BIKE on 6

The Pavilion was held in an embrace of palpable energy — a near-collective held breath — as the audience awaited the announcement of the gymnastic meet’s individual all-around victor. The four teams that convened for the Feb. 24 competition lined the mat in neat rows, the athletes’ eyes fixed on the scoreboard above. And in first place… …Alexis Brown of UC Davis, with a score of 39.300. She rose to gaze at the crowd, and right after a victorious smile spread across her face, she raised her clenched fist in the air as onlookers applauded her win.

For the past eight meets, Brown has engaged in a peaceful and symbolic protest at competitions. Brown kneels during the national anthem. She continues to hold hands with her standing teammates as she casts her eyes downward during the Star Spangled Banner. Brown raises her fist with pride whenever she is announced as the winner in an event. She has a cause, puts on a consistently-excellent performance and is unapologetic, sticking steadfastly to her convictions as firmly as she sticks her landings.

Though Brown’s protest has been peaceful and symbolic to its core, she has been vocal about the reasoning behind her adamant refusal to stand during the national anthem. Through her actions, she hopes to bring awareness to the systemic oppression of and police brutality against Black and Brown bodies.

“The protest means that I want to bring awareness and bring knowledge to people that otherwise wouldn’t have thought about [police brutality] due to their own life experiences that

they’ve had to go through,” Brown said. “Everyone has a different way that they look at life and because I feel like in the world of gymnastics, a very white-dominated world, not many people get the chance to think about these things that are happening. If I can just use this platform to reach a community that otherwise wouldn’t have thought about that, I feel like I’ve done my job, and I have an obligation to stick to that no matter if there’s negative or positive comments.”

Brown’s protest echoes the movement of the San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, embodying similar tactics of refusing to stand for the national anthem in advocacy of victims of police brutality in communities of color. Kaepernick’s protest began to seep into the mainstream watch, and his protest was reflected nationally in high school, collegiate and professional teams across the country.

“I thought what [Kaepernick] did was so powerful and amazing,” Brown said. “How can you stand up for a country that does not stand up for you personally and as a community? Although I love this country, and I’m so fortunate to be here in every single way, it’s my obligation to use this platform to help people that don’t have a voice but do need help. [Kaepernick] is right. We have an obligation as people, not just as athletes, to not turn a blind eye to things that we know are inherently wrong.”

In a statement of support issued by the ASUCD Office of Advocacy and Student Representation (OASR) that was released following a Feb. 11 meet at Air Force Academy in Colorado, BROWN on 14

UC to collaborate with Israel Innovation Authority

MORGAN TIEU / AGGIE

MEMORANDUM’S GOAL TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES

BY YVONNE LE ONG campus@theaggie.org

The University of California (UC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Israel Innovation Authority in February. The goal is to increase cooperation between the two institutions in order to foster technological advances and increase environmental and technological development and research.

The Israel Innovation Authority is responsible for the country’s innovation policy. It operates for the betterment of the Israeli economy and advises the government on innovation policy, as well as analyzing and monitoring innovation advancements.

The memorandum outlines the objective of identifying partnerships, projects and collaborations between UC and Israel Innovation Authority that can potentially lead to cuttingedge technologies and products that may be commercialized in the global market.

“This agreement aligns with UC’s larger efforts to build relationships with state, national and international partners to propel the many discoveries and innovations from our campuses, labs and medical centers into the world economy,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in a UC press release.

Napolitano emphasized the role of the UC, as a public institution, in global technological development.

“Developing groundbreaking technologies that can be put to practical use around the world is central to our mission as a public institution, and we’re delighted to have Israel’s Innova-

tion Authority as a partner in this mutually beneficial endeavor,” Napolitano said in the press release.

Avi Hasson, chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, believes this collaboration with the UC will improve both their market values.

“This is a great opportunity for bilateral research and development projects that will combine state of the art technology from the UC system with the capability of Israeli companies,” Hasson said in a press release. “The economic fruits of collaboration with this large and impressive California environment will certainly play an instrumental role in helping these companies to increase their competitiveness and accelerate commercial success in global markets.”

As part of the agreement, UC and the Israel Innovation Authority will increase cooperation through information sharing and increased bilateral meetings.

Ricardo Vasquez, the director of media relations for the UC Office of the President, paralleled the UC-Mexico Initiative with the UC-Israel Innovation Authority collaboration. “[The] UC routinely partners with the state and other nations to address issues of common concern,” Vasquez said via email.

“The UC-Mexico Initiative is one such example — where we’re collaborating in areas such as the arts and cultures, education, energy, environment and health. The agreement between UC and Israel’s Innovation Authority is based on the same principles.”

2 | THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

UC Davis hosts guest lecturer to celebrate new $1.5 million endowed chair in Jain Studies | Davis resident Mohini Jain sponsors chair on ancient Indian religion

KARIN HIGGINS / UC DAVIS

BY K E NTON G OL DS BY c a mpu s @ th ea ggi e .o r g

To celebrate the creation of a new endowed chair in Jain studies at UC Davis, Middlebury Collect President Laurie Patton gave a presentation to a standing-room-only crowd on Feb. 21.

The Mohini Jain Presidential Chair for Jain Studies is backed by a $1.5 million endowment from Davis resident Mohini Jain. The chair will be housed in the Religious Studies Department.

“This evening’s lecture by President Patton honors Mrs. Mohini Jain’s long history of giving to UC Davis and the

commitment to education and principles of robust dialogue [that are] a part of the university’s academic initiative,” said Archana Venkatesan, the chair of the Religious Studies Department. “[...] It has been truly a pleasure, a privilege, to know Mohini as a friend [and] a mentor.”

Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter gave opening remarks before Patton took the stage. Hexter thanked Jain for her donation to the university and explained the chief goal of the new position.

“This evening’s event is so special [because] it allows us to honor Mrs. Mohini Jain, a long-time and treasured friend of UC Davis,” Hexter said. “[...] Mohini and her family have endowed a presidential chair at UC Davis. This chair is dedicated to the study of Jainism in the religious studies department, and the hope is the chair will serve as an interdisciplinary leader on campus in the study of Indian religions and the religions of Southeast Asia more broadly.”

According to a statement by Jain to UC Davis Dateline, she is most excited to see the societal impact that this new chair will bring to the university.

“Jainism is a very ancient and important religion and philosophy that champions truth, nonviolence and a multiplicity of viewpoints,” Jain said. “In our multicultural, global world, it is important to escape boxed-in points of view. I am hopeful the impact of the chair at UC Davis will be a broadening of minds and a renewed focus on dialogue and peace.”

Susan Kaiser, vice dean of humanities, arts and cultural studies in the College of Letters and Sciences, highlighted the great educational value that the new chair will bring.

“The Jain chair will be used to do some wonderful things at UC Davis,” Kaiser said. “[...] The endowed chair will promote a robust research profile with peer-reviewed publications and books and articles, contributing to an interna-

tional reputation in Jain studies [...] The chair will greatly enhance the religious studies department [...] making this department one of the truly accomplished religious studies departments in the nation.”

Patton then took to the stage to present a roughly 50 minute lecture.

“I just have to say: standing room only in a lecture on the early Indian religions,” Patton said. “Something must be going right with the world. It’s delightful to be here at UC Davis and to celebrate this new chair in Jain studies.”

The moral standing of this new chair is very important to Patton.

“The idea of a chair to explore the complexity of early Indian religions, with a focus [on] Jainism, and with a focus on how they can make peace in the world today, is a dream come true,” Patton said. “There are very few people like JAIN on 6

Interim Chancellor Hexter holds second town hall meeting BY JAYASHRI PADMANAB HAN DANIEL TAK / AGGIE ca mpu s @ th ea ggi e .o r g

BY JAYASH RI PADMANABH AN campus@theaggie.org

Community discusses mental health, financial aid, student population

Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter received questions and concerns from students at a public forum on Feb. 28 from 6:30 to 7:50 p.m. at Everson Hall. The event was attended by over 25 people. Hexter was joined by faculty and administration officials who were able to answer more specific questions.

The discussion topics included financial aid, student population, mental health services and the political climate on campus.

Students questioned the distribution of funds for financial aid and whether there were plans to keep increasing tuition or lower fees for students. Hexter said that he understood the difficulty that students face when trying to pay tuition or to graduate with little debt and that one of the saddest things about the country is that it has allowed income disparity to grow. He said that a model that some people consider is the high tuition-high aid model, in

State Senator Bill Dodd Introduces Bill To Encourage Potential Teachers | Senate Bill 577

which part of tuition would be able to be directly funnel into more financial aid. However, due to the high sticker price, many families are discouraged and believe that they will no longer be able to afford a UC education.

Hexter believes that public education is in the middle of many contradictions and is fighting to keep it together despite challenges like antagonizing stories from the press about students having high levels of debt. The administration is making it a priority to explain the benefits of an education at UC Davis.

“The set of schools with the highest level of debt are for-profits, then the nonprofit privates and the lowest is the publics,” Hexter said. “Within the publics, the UC system has the lowest debt thanks to the return-to-aid programs. For UC Davis, [...] about half of our students graduate without any debt whatsoever. Of that half that have debt, the average is under $20,000.”

Another student voiced concerns about the increasing student population — shortage of

lecture hall seats, more dorms but less apartment space in the city, and the overcrowding of public spaces on campus, such as the dining commons and food areas. Hexter explained that the massive increase in student admission was due to UC Davis’ 2020 initiative growth plan, as well as a UC systemwide agreement to increase student population.

According to Hexter, Freeborn Hall is no longer used due to seismic problems, but new classrooms have been used or built in the Mondavi Center, Pitzer Center and Manetti Shrem Museum. There are plans to increase rooms in Haring Hall and Cruess Hall, and the biggest change will be the addition of a 600-seat auditorium in Storer Hall by Winter Quarter 2019. There are also plans to increase the size of dining halls, to build a new dining center in Tercero and to increase the number of food trucks in the space around the Silo.

“The Silo food trucks are the fastest way to HEXTER on 6

HANNAH LEE / AGGIE

Police Logs: A good way to kick off March

would allow community colleges to offer teacher credential programs

NIKKI PADAR / AGGIE

BY R AUL C AST E L L A N OS J R c i ty@the a ggi e .o r g

BY SAM SOLOMON c it y@t he aggie . org

California State Senator Bill Dodd introduced a senate bill on Feb. 17 that would allow California community colleges to offer teaching credential programs. Currently, only the California State Universities, University of California system and private institutions are allowed to issue credentials.

Senate Bill 577 comes amid a widespread teacher shortage. A recent report by the Learning Policy Institute revealed that 75 percent of school districts nationwide report not being able to hire as many teachers as needed. Reasons for the shortage include high turnover and a dwindling rate of credential program enrollees. The shortage is especially severe for math, science and special-education teachers.

Dr. Michael A. White, then-president of Woodland Community College, explained in an email interview that he is in full support of the bill.

“Those of us at Woodland Community College and throughout the Yuba Community College District have been watching Senator Dodd’s bill,” White said. “It occurs to me that California’s community colleges may be well-positioned to provide local students who

HANNAH LEE / AGGIE

BY IVA N VA L E N Z U E L A ca mpu s @ th e a ggi e .o r g

The ASUCD Senate gathered at the Memorial Union on Feb. 23 at 6:10 p.m. for its weekly meeting.

The meeting began with a speech by Davis Mayor Robb Davis. Davis’ speech touched on various issues such as housing, sanctuary cities, infrastructure, hate crimes, the city’s relationship with the university and its recent divestment from Wells Fargo.

“You’re all elected officials, you know what that means,” Davis said while speaking to the Senate. “It’s a very public role. You hold yourself up to a lot of criticism, you make hard decisions and most of the time about half the people aren’t happy. But I’ve really enjoyed it from the perspective of learning my community.”

have completed a course of study and received a bachelor’s degree, the opportunity to return home and earn a teaching credential. What better way to ‘grown your own’ K-12 faculty in Yolo, Lake and Colusa Counties?”

If passed, the bill would be especially helpful to rural areas. 20 counties in California, most of them rural, have no institutions that are authorized to provide credential programs. This forces potential teachers in those areas to leave home in order to earn a credential.

Timothy Latulippe, an automotive technology teacher at Escondido High School in Escondido, Calif., believes that the bill would be beneficial.

“I don’t have any problem with [credentialing by community colleges],” Latulippe said. “It would mean a whole lot easier opportunity for people to attend classes to become a credentialed teacher [...]

It’d probably be cheaper, financially — community college would be a whole lot less.”

TEACHING CREDENTIALS on 6

Following Davis’ speech, the Police Chief Search Committee spoke in an effort to gather suggestions in the process of hiring a new police chief. Since former police chief Matt Carmichael took on a new position at the police department at the University of Oregon, the university has been working to hire a new chief.

Several campus units were present at the meeting to give their reports and updates, including Unitrans, the Coffee House, the Sexual Assault Awareness Advocacy Committee, the Elections Committee, the Aggie Reuse Store and Whole Earth Festival (WEF).

Senate Bill #48, a bill to amend the 2016-17 budget for WEF and reallocate funds within the budget, was passed unanimously with a vote of 120-0.

Afterward, the Senate took up SB #47. The bill, which seeks to amend section 604(B) of the ASUCD bylaws, concerns a violation of California labor codes. The section requires unit directors to submit a written report at the end of each pay period. A unit director who fails to submit one will not be paid for that period until a report is submitted. Seeing the portion as unenforceable, the Senate unanimously passed the bill.

SB #46 will allocate $453.88 to purchase an HP Laserjet Pro 400 M401dne Monochrome Laser Printer for Picnic Day. After discussion, the bill

Feb. 28 “Man ran towards RP yelling and recording her with his phone.”

March 1 “Request extra patrol during the evening hours for multiple subjects jogging on the North Davis Greenbelt with dogs off leashes.”

March 2 “Unknown subject threw an egg at RP’s resident last night.”

Unknown caller “was looking for garden services.”

passed unanimously.

The Senate took up a new resolution authored

by Environmental Policy and Planning Commission chair Sarah Risher. Senate Resolution #8 demands that the University of California divest from “all remaining holdings in fossil fuels and reinvest in companies that meet the environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) criteria.” The resolution passed unanimously.

Next, the Business and Finance Commission, which advises the Senate on the fiscal concerns of ASUCD, gave presentations for audits of the Pantry, Housing Advising for Undergraduate Students and Creative Media.

The Senate then took up SB #45 to mend the jurisdiction and name of the Internet and Networking Committee (INC). The bill renames INC as the Technology, Internet and Networking Committee (TINC) and provides specification as to what types of technology the committee may purchase. The bill passed unanimously.

SB #44 will shift the responsibilities of the Academic Senate (AS) student representative delegation to the Academic Affairs Commission (AAC).

These responsibilities, previously held by the AS, include recommending ASUCD programs and policies in areas of Academic Affairs, disseminating information concerning student development of

March 3 “RP requests to speak to an officer to obtain information about riding motorized go carts in the streets.”

“Female rummaging through the bed of a parked truck...wearing underwear only and no pants.”

“Sandwich board sign posted advising right turn only onto one way street which would direct traffic in the wrong direction.”

March 4 “Male took brick from neighbor’s yard. RP approached male and told him to return the bricks.

Male stated he didn’t think they were being used and put them back.”

course and curriculum with Undergraduate Education, appointing commissioners to attend Academic Senate Committee meetings as ex-officio members and sending at least one representative to attend all Academic Senate and Undergraduate Council meetings.

The bill passed unanimously.

SB #50 will codify the procedure for hiring Academic Senate Committee Representatives and relations with the Academic Senate. The bill passed unanimously.

The Senate also took up Resolution #9, authored

by ASUCD President Alex Lee, which moves to submit a proposal to the Academic Senate to reform General Education (GE) accreditation. The proposal seeks to give GE credits for existing AP exam scores for corresponding classes. UC Davis is the only school in the UC system to not give these GE credits for AP exam scores.

After deliberation, the resolution passed unanimously.

The last agenda item was SB #37, which mandates quarterly commission presentations. SB #37 passed in February by a vote of 8-0-3, but was subsequently vetoed by Lee with a revision. The senate took up Lee’s revision and overturned the veto with a unanimous vote.

The meeting adjourned at 11:10 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 | 3

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Sudoku

Chess

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces.

Every row, column, and 3x3 square must contain one of each digit. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing

White to move. Mate in 2.

Hint: There are two answers, depending on if the defense decided to block or to take.

Either decision results in a mate.

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS PUZZLES CHESS:

CROSSWORD:

SUDOKU:

ETHICS. LAW. FOOD. KARMA. SUFFERING. Religious studies courses are more relevant than ever.

Classes for Spring are filling quick. Get in now.

You can major in Religious Studies. You can minor in Religious Studies. Or you can just take a class or two that will make you think, learn and question everything you thought you had the answer to.

No prereqs other than curiousity.

RST 1: INTRO TO RELIGIOUS STUDIES CRN# 91145–48 Exploration of creation, history, law, prophecy, suffering, mysticism, karma, reincarnation, the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Koran, early Buddhist and Plato writings.

RST 162: INTRO TO ISLAMIC LAW CRN# 91170 Development of Islamic law and its adaptation to changing economic, social, and political conditions. Plus legal theory, the Shari’a, reformist movements and human rights.

RST 30: RELIGIONS OF SOUTH ASIA LECTURE CRN# 91149–50 Introduction to South Asian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism and Sikhism and their relationship to our global present.

RST 010: CONTEMPORARY ETHICAL ISSUES LECTURE CRN# 88455 Review of contemporary ethical issues from a multicultural perspective including ethical eating, capital punishment, euthanasia, poverty and animal rights.

religions.ucdavis.edu

4 | THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

STACK PARKING PRICE BREAKDOWN

VENOOS MOSHAYEDI / AGGIE

TAPS to create alternatives to single auxiliary vehicular use

BY LINDSAY FLOYD ca m pus @thea g g ie.org

The colder, rainier months of Winter Quarter often lead to an influx of students driving to campus. To accommodate the increased numbers of vehicles, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) implemented the stack parking program on Feb. 13.

The stack parking program started as a temporary solution to mitigate the augmented amount of cars being driven to campus during the winter months. The program is meant to be dissolved at the end of Winter Quarter, as more students decide to use active transportation, such as biking or walking, to get to campus during Spring Quarter.

“The number of spaces created by stack parking is contingent upon the parking facility’s space inventory and layout,” the TAPS website reads. “For example, the daily parking capacity in Lot 47 will increase by 100 spaces and in the Quad structure by 120 spaces.”

Based on fiscal estimates provided by TAPS, the program will cost around $45,000 to oper-

Imagining America partners with UC Davis, seeks proposals for creativity NICKI PADAR / AGGIE

Fall conference will inspire community dialogue through arts, humanities, design

ate. The daily cost at the Quad Parking Structure is $1,750.50, which pays for seven hired attendants, and $631.50 for Lot 47, which has four.

A long-term solution to accommodate student parking would be construction of a new parking structure. Currently the campus has three parking structures, the largest being the Pavilion Parking Structure, which is six stories tall and can hold a total of 1,453 cars. According to TAPS Director Clifford Contreras, it costs approximately $30,000 per space to build a parking garage. By this estimation, the Pavilion Parking Structure would have totaled around $43.5 million to construct.

Additionally, Contreras noted that stack parking provides more flexibility in terms of its presence and use.

“At the end of the day when we don’t use [stack parking] anymore, it goes away,” Contreras said. “It’s so expensive to build parking on campus.”

Rather than spend funds on accommodating for extra parking, TAPS plans on creating new initiatives to encourage alternative modes of transportation. Alta Planning and Design

BY JE ANNA TOTAH ca m pus @thea g g ie.org

This summer, UC Davis will help stir creativity on the West Coast as the new institutional home for Imagining America (IA): Artists and Scholars in Public Life, a consortium of 100 universities and cultural organizations that inspires community involvement in the arts, humanities and design. UC Davis will also host IA’s 17th Annual National Conference from Oct. 12 to 14.

IA will move its headquarters from Syracuse University to UC Davis on July 1 for a five-year renewable term. IA is searching for creative takes on prevailing concerns such as racism, homophobia, labor equality and environmental justice in preparation for the convention, according to its website.

Community, Art, Land and Learning is an invitation for participation that embodies the conference theme. As opposed to a typical academic conference, IA hopes to receive proposals in the forms of workshops, performance and dialogue, media sessions and roundtable. The deadline to submit proposals is March 20. “[IA is seeking] personal work around activism, community engagement, student leadership or issues that have been important to [students] that they’ve taken initiative to address in a creative way,” said Stephanie Maroney, a graduate student in cultural studies and a co-organizer of the conference.

Proposals from community organizations that want to host a workshop may receive up to $500 in funding from IA. Students and community members have a discounted conference registration rate of $125 for three days, $80 for two days and $50 for one day. The fee covers breakfast, lunch and transportation to off-site workshops. However, Maroney said some events will be open to the public without registration.

Maroney described UC Davis as an excellent choice for IA’s move and to host the fall conference due to the university’s commitment toward improving society. “[UC Davis has a] really wonderful long-term sustained engagement with community work and community activism,” Maroney said. “Imagining America wants to build on what we’ve already done and continue to extend it in the future.”

Design for America President Meziah Cristobal, a fourthyear computer science major, discussed the mission of IA as a

has been hired to create programs, engage the campus and conduct surveys to identify ways to reduce the number of single, auxiliary vehicular use.

“We see this as a stop gap measure to put in place until we are able to create reward packages,” Contreras said.

Contreras did not mention what these “reward packages” will specifically entail.

According to a 2015-16 UC Davis Campus Travel Survey Report, on average 22.9 percent of students drive their cars alone onto campus.

“On an average weekday, about 87.1 percent of people physically travel to campus, (approximately 38,319 people) including those living on campus,” the report read. “Among these, 45 percent bike to get there, 7 percent walk or skate, 23 percent drive alone, 5 percent carpool or get a ride, 19 percent ride the bus, and 1 percent ride the train.”

UC Davis is currently working toward a 10 percent reduction in the number of cars driven to campus by 2025. Contreras hopes that this can be achieved with help from new reward package programs.

way to strengthen communication and ideas.

“Imagining America is focused on being a place [...] where professionals and students alike come together to talk about the state of the union, celebrate the work that exists and collaborate on solutions our communities need,” Cristobal said via email. “Imagining America hopes to be a support system for those whose work are interdisciplinary and focused on engaging the community.”

Maroney added that the conference intends to radiate the mission of IA. “[The goal is] to think about how the arts, humanities and design can really help to transform our world to be more just and equitable, and to enliven processes of democracy,” Maroney said.

The conference will include university groups, undergraduates, graduates, staff, community groups and anyone associated with the arts, humanities and design from across the nation. Maroney expects there to be approximately 500 to 800 participants.

To expand the conference into multiple adjacent communities, Maroney said it will feature site-specific workshops that will transfer participants to locations around Davis, Sacramento, Woodland and Dixon.

Conference faculty lead Brett Snyder believes the conference is a way to bring “disconnected efforts together” as “a powerful way of building a community.”

“There are so many different kinds of community-engaged projects and research endeavors across the university, but there hasn’t really been a way of [...] featuring that component of Davis,” Snyder said. “I see this both as a way of featuring the existing, as well as charting new avenues and new possibilities.”

Maroney stressed the importance for students to immerse themselves in all aspects of their education and to consider their impacts on the world.

“I think that any undergraduate student, no matter what you’re studying here, you should be thinking about [...] the knowledge that you’re gaining in this institution that you’re going to take out into the world,” Maroney said. “Anybody who has the privilege of a university education can think about how their work can better serve communities who don’t have the privileges of being here.”

Students are encouraged to submit proposals through the Imagining America website by March 20.

Witnessing the country’s switch in administration

SHELBY MCMICHAEL / COURTESY

UCDC Washington Program students reflect on recent inauguration, working in D.C.

BY G ILL I A N A L L EN featu res@ th e a ggi e .o r g

This past quarter, Colin Giacomini, a fourth-year political science major, worked as a Middle East research intern at The American Enterprise Institute, a public policy organization that performs research and advocacy for political, social and economic problems in Washington, D.C. In addition to analyzing how the United States can more effectively provide aid to the Middle East and combat extremism, Giacomini’s job required him to keep up with President Donald Trump and the erratic climate of the capital in the first few weeks of his administration.

Each quarter, UC Davis undergraduate students embark for a term at the UC Washington Center (UCDC) to combine course work, research and internship experience in the nation’s dynamic capital.

However, UCDC students this Winter Quarter have experienced Washington in a climate unlike anything previous interns have ever seen.

“The buzz around the office is nothing like I’ve ever experienced before,” Giacomini said. “Everyone is watching the daily press briefings and closely paying attention to every speech that he gives so we can stay informed and get as much understanding of the situation as we possibly can.”

Experiencing D.C. and the current administration firsthand has allowed Giacomini to understand what it would really be like to pursue his future goal of working on Middle East policy at the State Department. Despite the instability of politics recently, Giacomini appreciates the opportunity UCDC has given him to experience history in real time and connect with unique and passionate individuals across Capitol Hill.

“When the travel ban was enacted, my boss spent the whole weekend at the D.C. airport translating Arabic for the people that were stranded there,” Giacomini said. “Whenever you go out around here you can find people directly involved in what’s going on which adds a different perspective to your knowledge about politics.”

According to Giacomini, the sentiments in the capital are somewhat evenly split between those who support this transition and those who do not, which makes for a very unpredictable climate, even for D.C.’s most in-the-know.

“Many of the scholars that I work for, who have been in this business for years, can’t even make predictions for what will happen next week,” Giacomini said.

“There’s a clash between the old guard and what Trump’s bringing in, for better or for worse, but this is an environment

of uneasiness and unsurety [with] very erratic behavior.”

Since arriving at the beginning of Winter Quarter, Giacomini has seen several protests, perhaps the most interesting taking place on Inauguration Day. Devon Moreland, a third-year political science major, spent his quarter interning at Angerholzer Broz Consulting, a political consulting group which does fundraising for members of the House of Representatives. Moreland attended both Barack Obama and Trump’s inaugurations and observed the differences in spirit, recalling an underlying sense of apprehension throughout the city during the days leading up to Trump’s inauguration.

“Many outsiders came to watch and it was interesting to see the dynamic between Trump supporters and other people that were there, as well as Trump’s divisiveness in his rhetoric and the responses he got from the crowd,” Moreland said. “It was a historical moment that most people don’t get to see, and it was especially interesting to witness the peaceful transition of power when Obama and Trump shook hands.”

In comparison to Obama’s inauguration in 2009, Moreland noticed differences in the energy of the crowd in 2017.

Regardless of personal beliefs, Moreland

noted that inhabitants of D.C. make it a habit to stay informed about the ever-changing political sphere.

“Any given day walking down the street you will hear people having intense conversations about Trump and his appointees,” Moreland said. “It’s all very up in the air still. Even though Trump has signed a lot of executive orders, most of these haven’t been actual policies, so not too much has happened yet.”

While he has had the opportunity to meet several members of Congress and attend fundraising events through his internship, D.C. was at first a culture shock to Moreland.

“D.C. is very professional all of the time and it’s a whole other level than in California,” Moreland said. “Everyone’s in a rush, it’s very fast-paced and everyone’s dressed very professionally and conversations are very professional.”

Moreland’s internship is about two blocks away from the Capitol Building, which allows him to go on Hill runs and check out different congressional buildings, all while bumping into congresspeople along the way. Shelby McMichael,

a third-year communication and sociology major, has also appreciated D.C.’s diverse community while working at Active Minds, a mental health awareness nonprofit.

“There will be protests and things like that, but when you’re living here you have to be informed about politics because it’s usually a topic of conversation,” McMichael said. “I don’t think you can ever feel overwhelmed by the politics of the city because it’s such a liberal demographic and the people are friendly and kind.”

As the UCDC quarter comes to a close, students reflect on the knowledge they have gained from their experiences, in which they met motivated and hard working individuals and pursued their political endeavors.

“Everyone here has their priorities together and knows what they want out of their career and lives, so it’s a really refreshing place to be,” McMichael said.

“You walk around here and pass by all kinds of organizations and groups representing anything you can ever imagine, and it makes you want to do more and be a part of something bigger than yourself.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 | 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Wellman and Olson Halls: More alike than different MANY similarities EXIST between two bustling halls on campus A N H -T R A M B UI / AGGI E

BY M A RLYS JE A N E features@theaggie.org

One thing all students at UC Davis have in common is the amount of time they spend in two of the most familiar buildings on campus: Olson and Wellman Halls.

“My first class when I came to Davis as a freshman was Math 17A in the mornings, and it was in Wellman,” said Karishma Sethi, a fourth-year global disease biology major. “I’ve had classes pretty much every single quarter in Wellman. Classes, club meetings or whatever it is, I’m always in Wellman. I sometimes have class in Olson, [but] not as much as Wellman.”

Wellman Hall stands on the west edge of the Quad, distinct with its rosy bricks that mimic the vintage style of the Memorial Union.

According to UC Davis archivist Kevin Miller, the namesake of the hall, Harry Richard Wellman, was a major player in California society who attended and taught at UC Berkeley and also served as the director of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco for 11 years. After these career stints, he served as vice president of the University of California from

1958-1967 and then as acting president for an additional two years.

“At the time it was designed for classroom space, and it was built at the same time as Kerr next door,” Miller said. “My understanding is that Wellman was kind of innovative and kind of a fresh design at the time. This kind of [building had] multiple access points at different levels, it was larger and more comfy.”

Indeed, Wellman appears to be a comfortable space, with a nice sprawling lawn out front and a deep-set, private courtyard in the back. Inside on the main level is a convenient computer room, where students can enjoy a cozy atmosphere filled with the soft patter of keyboards in use. “[Since] this is my first year here, I like the look of Wellman, especially the computer lab with the wood paneling. I like the feel of it [...] it might be a little old, but it’s nice and vintage,” said Mareylene De La Cruz, a third-year Japanese major. “[I] definitely think it’s a nice thing that Davis offers a [printing] room like this. It’s a nice resource to have because I know Wellman is a building where students have a lot of classes, so it’s nice to have somewhere you can go really quick and print something or have a nice

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quiet, chill area where you can study.”

Wellman Hall is not home to offices or labs — unlike Olson Hall. Situated at the southeast corner of the Quad, Olson Hall is a squat, concrete building that seems to be built into the ground instead of on top of it. According to Sethi, although Olson’s interior feels slightly gloomy, it lacks the narrow, cramped feeling of the hallways within Wellman.

“I like Olson,” Sethi said. “I think it’s a cool setup with the downstairs [and then] you’ve got the big steps coming up [in the main entrance hall]. I think the design of it is really cool. I’ve never seen a building like it before [and is] something I’ll probably remember ten years from now and think about [...] that weird building that smelled really strange and is really old with zero [phone] service.”

This building was completed in 1963 — a few years before Wellman — along with Sproul Hall, which was under the same budget. It was named after Gus Olson, who attended UC Berkeley and then served on the University Board of Regents from 1951 to 1960. Olson was also a farmer, businessman and leader in the Davis community. “[Olson Hall was] built mostly for classroom space but also [it had] early computer labs [as] this

was the very early period of the computer age,” Miller said. “Also the second floor [is where] the TV studio used to be for the campus [...] and there’s still a language lab in there.”

Not only were both Olson and Wellman architecturally innovative for their time and named after important figures involved in the UC system, they were also built in tandem with traditional high-rise buildings.

What is undeniable about both is that they are, and always have been, popular hubs on campus.

Whether used for meeting up for class, conducting club meetings or even hosting movie nights, these buildings have never failed to resonate as safe and familiar spaces for UC Davis students.

“My impression is that in its recent history, at least in the 2000s, is that it became sort of a secret spot for students [...] to get around at night,” Miller said. “[Students would] use a DVD player and have movie nights — apparently there were several rooms that were set up with AV, and at the time [people used] DVD players, so students would crash there and have an unofficial movie night. Sometimes the janitors would kick them out, sometimes they wouldn’t.”

ZO Ë R EIN HA RDT / AGGIE

NEW UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CENTER FACULTY DIRECTOR APPOINTED

NAMI-Yolo hosts suicide prevention program in Davis National suicide rates on the rise

BY AN YA REHO N city@theaggie.org

During a public suicide prevention program held on March 1 at the Unitarian Church in Davis, Donna Bousquet, a mental health trainer and longtime member of NAMI-Yolo, explained that younger people attempt suicide more often than individuals in older age groups, despite the fact that elderly individuals commit more successful suicides each year.

“Anyone can commit suicide,” Bousquet said.

“There isn’t one specific person or group of people [that do].”

Bousquet recently led a room of nearly 40 members of the Davis community and surrounding Yolo County area through a Question Persuade Refer (QPR) program, held by the National Alliance on Mental Illness Yolo County (NAMI-Yolo), to provide information and resources to participants in attendance about suicide prevention.

NAMI is a non profit support and advocacy organization that strives to reduce the stigma surrounding psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder, clinical depression and schizophrenia in over 1,000 affiliates throughout the United States.

The Yolo County chapter hosts numerous programs and meetings during the year to provide resources to families, teens and adults in the region who may be struggling with mental health.

During the QPR program, Bousquet discussed the various warning signs and clues individuals who exhibit suicidal behavior may have. She also discussed the different methods that individuals can utilize when speaking to someone who may be suicidal, and provided resources to attendees about where to go to get help when someone is contemplating or attempting suicide.

For instance, Bousquet explained how individuals with suicidal tendencies may give direct clues

through various statements such as “I’m tired of life, I just can’t go on” and “pretty soon you won’t have to worry about me.”

Individuals may also give behavioral or situational clues that can indicate they may be suicidal: expressing unexplained anger, drug or alcohol abuse or having experienced the death of a loved one. Bousquet stressed that suicidal ideation can happen to anyone no matter where they are in life.

“Many people have thoughts of suicide at different times in their lives,” Bousquet said. “Your job is connect that person to someone safe.”

Bousquet provided the Yolo County Suicide Prevention program’s number as a helpful resource that individuals can reach out to when faced with suicide, as it is a serious and rising issue that can be successfully prevented if addressed.

According to recent findings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overall trends of suicide in the United States increased by 24 percent in 2014 in comparison to 1999 numbers, observed for both males and females younger than 75 years old.

One attendee during the QPR program was a current UC Davis graduate student, Anahita Hamidi, who has been a member of NAMI-Yolo for about a year. She is glad to be a member of the organization because it has provided her with helpful resources and information about mental illness, something family members of hers have struggled with. She urges others to join if they are interested.

“Something like mental illness has a lot of stigma,” Hamidi said. “It is good to have the community aspect by having these conversations. [...] This space is very invaluable to itself.”

For more information about becoming a member of NAMI-Yolo or attending its events, please visit its website. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call the Yolo County Suicide Prevention line at (888) 233-0228.

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UC Davis receives 29 Awards of Excellence in District VII CASE Competition More than a third of UC Davis projects entered into the competition win awards

Associate professor Analiese Franz began appointed term ON Jan. 24

BY DE MI CACER ES campus@theaggie.org

Analiese Franz, an associate professor in the Chemistry Department, began her appointment as the new faculty director of the UC Davis Undergraduate Research Center on Jan. 24.

“Dr. Franz has outlined an exciting, actionable vision for furthering undergraduate research as a key facet of a UC Davis education,” said David Furlow, the associate dean of Undergraduate Education and a professor of neurobiology, physiology and behavior, in a statement to UC Davis Dateline.

The previous director was biomedical engineering professor Angelique Louie. Her three-year term ended last year in 2016.

Franz served on the Undergraduate Council of the Academic Senate and as vice chair for Undergraduate Affairs for the Chemistry Department.

Her research, service and teaching in the chemistry department will continue.

As new faculty director, Franz’s duties include working with undergraduates and staff and enthusiastically bringing a vision to the center. With her connections on campus, such as being a part of the College of Letters and Science, Franz plans to interact with other faculty to hear what is best for their students.

She is excited to be working on the upcoming undergraduate research scholarship and creative activities conference, which covers all creative acBY KAIT LYN CHEUNG campus@theaggie.org

UC Davis won 29 Awards of Excellence in the District VII Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) this year, 16 more than in 2016. The six gold award winners are eligible for the grand gold awards, to be announced during CASE District VII’s annual conference held in March.

According to the CASE District VII website, District VII comprises institutions in the western region of the United States including the states of Arizona, California, Guam, Hawai’i, Nevada, Northern Mariana Islands and Utah. The judging of awards is based in nine broad categories under which specific awards are allocated: advancement services, alumni relations, design and photography, digital communications, magazines, marketing, publications, special events, video

tivities that take place on campus. 732 participants are already confirmed, which is the largest turnout so far.

“Our mission here is to increase the opportunities and awareness of research on campus,” Franz said. “That also includes creative activities so really having it span traditional research like in a lab, and creating and designing based on new ideas and knowledge, so that could include humanities, liberal, arts [and] fashion. It's a very cool mix of topics.”

Franz also looks forward to finding creative new ways of collaborating with research teams and thinking of new events for which undergraduate students can engage.

For example, the grad slam, a competition in which graduate students have to present their research in three minutes, is an idea Franz believes could be a challenge and beneficial for undergraduate students as well.

She also wants to work on having a research ambassadors program so that undergraduates previously involved in research can mentor new students who would like to get involved.

Tammy Hoyer, the assistant director of the Undergraduate Research Center, believes Franz will be a great asset and leader at the center.

“Dr. Franz brings a rich background of experience working with undergraduate research and great enthusiasm,” Hoyer said. “I’m very happy to have her on board.”

and writing.

This year’s gold award winners include: Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art Legacy Dinner for Individualized Special Events, Centralized Gift Processing at UC Davis — Our Journey to GREATness for Best Practice of Advancement Services, UC Davis 2016-17 Viewbook for Student Recruitment Publications: Viewbooks and Prospectuses (Print), Graduate Student Fellowship Matching Initiative for Targeted Campaign and Grand Canyon Website for two awards — Individual Sub-Websites and Innovative Use of Technology.

Each spring, UC Davis graduate students of geology, ecology and hydrology embark on 225-mile river journey down the Colorado River for an ecogeomorphology class taught by professors emeritus Peter EXCELLENCE on 6

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BIKE

HEXTER

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Barry’s research focuses specifically on CMV, a virus that is widespread but often hidden due to symptoms not surfacing until the immune system is weakened for another reason.

“CMV is a virus for a most part that our immune system contains,” Barry said. “Some people get mild flu-like symptoms, but most people don’t even know they’re infected. But once you’ve been infected, you are infected for life.”

A vaccine to prevent the virus has been the subject of research efforts for about 40 years now.

“No one has [a vaccine] yet,” Barry said. “We’ve been trying to come up with ways to develop vaccine strategies to help achieve the goal of getting a vaccine for this virus because it is a major source of morbidity around the world.”

However, the medicalization of CMV and efforts to prevent it through a vaccine don’t negate the social, economic and political factors contributing to the manifestation of disease.

“If you look at the frequency of CMV, it is inversely related to socioeconomic status,” Barry said.

“People lower down on the economic ladder have a higher incidence of CMV infection than people higher up. That becomes important clinically because on average 1 percent of all fetuses [in developed countries] are infected by CMV, but 5 percent are affected in less developed countries.”

Barry believes there are many factors contributing to this issue, such as poverty, stress or poor nutrition.

“All that could have a role on the immune system,” Barry said. “This all contributes to a whole conspiracy of factors which make CMV a bigger problem in people of lower socioeconomic status.”

Along with a thirst for knowledge in all three of these intellectual hotspots along Hutchinson Road, there is a strong desire held in these research centers to work for the betterment of humanity.

“All of us are working hard on campus to figure out a way to feed 9 billion people in the not so distant future,” Duraj said. “So any of the kind of work that we can do to make agriculture more efficient and safer is very important.”

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Although Latulippe supports the bill, he believes its implementation would need to be monitored closely.

“You’d have to watch it,” Latulippe said.

“Maybe if it was cheaper more people would get [a credential], but that does that make them a good teacher? People might just get it then flake and not be able to do it. There’s a gray area.”

Anna Erice, a fourth-year English and philosophy double major at UC Davis, worries that the quality of community college credentials might not be consistent.

“There’s probably concern over the quality

teaching at community colleges, because the two community colleges at my hometown are really terrible; the teachers are just really poor quality and they often don’t show up and there are really poor resources,” Erice said. “That might just be in my hometown, I know that that’s not widespread, but some of them you don’t get the same education you would at a UC or a state school.”

The bill is co-authored by Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), and Senators Jerry Hill, Mike McGuire and Joel Anderson.

The Senate Education Committee will hear the bill sometime this month.

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Moyle and Jeffrey Mount, which they documented on their gold award winning Grand Canyon website. A combination of ecology, geology and morphology, the ecogeomorphology class teaches students how to apply scientific thinking and test hypotheses in a natural, outdoor setting.

Nicholas Pinter, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences who joined the 2016 spring cohort, emphasized the value of expedition-based teaching for students studying geology, morphology and ecology.

“It’s an amazing thing that UC Davis does — not just teach about the Grand Canyon, geology or ecology, but actually taking students out into one of the wildest places left in the United States for an intense scientific and wilderness experience,” Pinter said in a podcast featured on the website. “In most places this is not a class, it’s something special UC Davis does. This was graduate students and professors only, doing intense cutting-edge science not in in the classroom but in the field, mile deep down into the Colorado plateau, floating through these intense rapids down the river for up to three weeks at a time.”

The immersive, mobile-friendly website includes interactive elements such as 360-degree videos, audio clips of speakers and a map for users to follow their journey.

Joe Proudman, a multi-media specialist at the Office of Strategic Communications, was one of the two videographers who joined the Grand Canyon trip and produced content for the award-winning website.

“Our whole office contributed to the Grand Canyon Project, and the fact that it won two CASE District VII gold awards is a testament to the teamwork, vision and ability we have in Strategic Communications,” Proudman said. “This is a trip in which you are just immersed in the wonders of

the Grand Canyon, and we wanted to carry that through by including 360 video, high-quality video and images. Kat Kerlin was able to eloquently capture the trip in her writing, which was more than a fun rafting trip — it was about students becoming better scientists. And interactive web designer Tom Watts was able to find a design that not only combined all that, but did so in a way that helped us tell the story better.”

Another gold award winner, the recently launched Graduate Student Fellowship Matching Initiative, encourages donors to endow more funds for graduate student fellowships.

These fellowships seek to benefit students in need by matching them with fellowships they are eligible for in a short period of time, thereby increasing access to higher education.

Michelle Dean, a UC Davis graduate student and participant in the Guardian Professions Program (GPP), has benefited from the new program as she can now focus on school with the fellowship’s financial aid.

“Alumni and donors who give back to UC Davis allow others to follow their dreams and goals that maybe wouldn’t have been a reality without their gifts,” Dean said in a statement on UC Davis Dateline. “The fellowship I received through GPP gives me the flexibility to pursue additional educational interests and the ability to focus on my education and thesis work instead of having to stress as much about financial responsibilities. This allows me to enjoy my time as a graduate student and definitely improves my quality of life.”

The matching program will support more than 90 graduate student programs at UC Davis, opening more doors for eligible students with a clear education path.

More information about all of the awards can be found on the UC Davis Dateline website.

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you who exist in the world and I really mean that.”

Jain said that she chose to donate to the religious studies department because she believes the humanities can often be undervalued.

“I also always have felt that the department of religious studies — humanities — have been undervalued for what they offer,” Jain said. “Whenever the donations go and chair establishments, they go to engineering and many other departments that are more visible, maybe with immediate gains.”

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add dining capacity,” Hexter said. “Even as we build more dorm space [...] we’re acknowledging that when we do triples we squeeze people, so we’re building to accommodate people from the get-go.”

Students also voiced their disapproval of current mental health services and asked for a plan to increase services. One student spoke at length about their negative experiences with CAPS and their difficulty with being misgendered and disrespected at the Student Health and Wellness Center.

Students also called for more Community Advising Network counselors, especially for undocumented students, victims of sexual assault and students who are neurodivergent. Hexter redirected the question to Milton Lang, associate vice chancellor for student life, campus community and retention services at the Student Affairs Office of the Vice Chancellor.

“We have gotten a lot of pushback from students, faculty and staff,” Lang said. “[...] counselors are overwhelmed by the volume of students they are trying to serve.”

Lang confirmed that the university is in the process of hiring seven or eight new counselors who would operate out of the Student Health and Wellness Center. Since the ratio of students to counselors is very high right now, Lang believes this is the best decision. Students were also disappointed by faculty and administration’s lack of awareness regarding students’ mental health experiences on campus. Sheri Atkinson, the executive director of community resource and retention centers, mentioned that more conversations were being held at the centers. “[There is a] willingness to do intersectional work, a lot of folks acknowledge it’s an area that needs to be worked at,” Atkinson said.

Tensions ran high and students became emotionally charged as the conversation turned to the political climate and the discussion of free speech and Milo Yiannopoulos’ controversial visit to UC Davis earlier this quarter.

A student expressed displeasure about having professors who do not know how to be supportive or choose not to attend workshops to build their knowledge regarding student experiences.

Regarding a particular incident in which a professor voiced a personally hurtful opinion during class hours, the student questioned why it was difficult to take action against faculty and place trust in the system.

Hexter admitted some trainings were mandatory whereas other trainings were only “encouraged.”

“We’re in a continuously merging and evolving situation and we’re learning, and faculty have to learn as well,” Hexter said. “It is a journey.

What we have to do is, wherever anyone is, we nudge them further along wherever they are on this journey. [...] The administration cannot tell the faculty what to think.”

Donald Dudley, the director of Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA), men-

tioned more places students could go to resolve issues regarding hate or bias. OSSJA is a resource for students who are uncertain about where to go to file a complaint. Hexter hopes to support those who are on the front lines to keep improving the university. “[In] our office, we have case managers who really help to connect students with potential resources,” Dudley said.

ASUCD Senator-elect Rahi Suryawanshi, a third-year international relations major, was concerned about recent hate crimes and questioned how the administration ensures the safety of students and draws the line concerning hate speech.

Michael Sweeney, senior campus counsel, was on hand to answer any questions regarding legality.

“As a public institution we cannot tell people not to speak,” Sweeney said. “We are a public institution and have to follow government rules.”

Sweeney explained that for speech to be considered hate speech, a person must threaten to take a physical action against another being and it is only considered an issue after it has been uttered. He added that in order to prevent hate speech, one could enact a prior restraint, which could stop someone from speaking beforehand, but that this has very rarely worked. According to Hexter, censoring someone who has been invited by a public institution is difficult.

“The interim chancellor cannot prevent speaking under the First Amendment, even if it is hateful,” Sweeney said.

Hexter remained firm that guests would be welcome as long as situations remained nonviolent. Students were upset with Hexter’s email responses to the situation, in which Hexter defended Yiannopoulos’ right to speak on campus.

Hexter added that there were discussions about contractual obligations for any campus guests to adhere to certain guidelines. Hexter answered a few more questions before wrapping up the town hall.

Students had mixed responses to the forum.

Priyanka Sanghavi, a second-year cognitive science major, felt that the conversations were very interesting and that people were honest and civil.

“These town halls are extremely important because they foster mutual understanding and empathy between the administration and the students,” Sanghavi said. “Administrators need to have more open discussions because in a system as large and complex as a public university, they don’t always know right away when students are facing problems.”

Suryawanshi believes the conversation between students and administration is very important and must be held regularly.

“Admin forgets what it is to be students in this fast paced quarter system and these dialogues are necessary to remind them as well as to increase transparency between the two bodies,” Suryawanshi said via email. “[The] open dialogue steered in a similar direction as the others; the admin heard us out but failed to empathize with

MILLION CATS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

to Field, acknowledges that some shelter cats are better off living in the outdoors and on their own rather than in a home.

“Not every cat belongs in a home,” Hurley said.

“Some live in the outdoors and are doing fine. If they’re in good shape, instead of euthanizing them, shelters will just leave them be and put them back.”

Nicole Sullivan, a third-year animal science and management major and an animal care assistant at YCASS, commented on the shelter’s dedication to providing quality care for their cats.

“At the shelter, our cages are set up with separate eating, sleeping and bathroom areas, which has been proven to help lower cats’ stress levels,” Sullivan said.

“They get fed and their cages get cleaned as well as getting any vaccinations or medical care they need.”

The campaign is currently ahead of schedule and is projected to reach its goal of one million by the end of 2017.

“This year we plan to develop inroads with shelter

staff to empower them to make shelters safe havens for cats in everything they do,” Levy said. “From the way cages are cleaned, to the toys and companionship they are provided, and to the search for the best outcome for every cat, the power in the hands of staff to help cats is unmeasurable.”

As more animal shelters join the Million Cat Challenge, cat euthanasia rates in animal shelters are expected to drop dramatically. In the future, Hurley and Levy hope to continue communicating with animal shelters and finding more innovative ways of enhancing the lives of shelter cats.

“There’s a lot of things you can do to keep a cat out of a shelter: educate your neighbors, provide foster care, adopt from a shelter,” Hurley said. “Every single person can be a part of this challenge.”

More information about the shelters participating in the Million Cat Challenge can be found on the project’s website. Donations to the campaign can also be made online.

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Why did you choose to bring Trent into the program as an assistant coach?

It was a mutual thing. I was in need of a person, heard Trent was interested and thought he would be outstanding for the position. He has a high level of experience as a player and a coach and to bring in someone who is so successful as a player is something that is really valuable and brings a standard of excellence to the team.

What was the overall reaction of the team when they were told that Trent was coming on board?

Overwhelmingly positive response. Many of these guys know Trent. He has a great reputation in the water polo community, so it was a very positive response.

With the new addition of Trent, do the goals for the team moving forward change at all?

Our goals remain the same every year. We want to be in that conference championship game, be ranked top-10 and have a team G.P.A. above 3.0, so those goals have not changed. We want to be champions of the conference next year, and Trent is really going to help us with that.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE THE AGGIE.

through a time of flight mass spectrometer to measure its velocity [...] [then] we have to ionize it with another laser,” Jackson said.

Jackson studies nitric oxide, dioxide and carbon dioxide through this process.

Stephen Cramer, the advanced light source professor at UC Davis, focuses his research on enzymes that have clusters of iron and sulfur in them.

Cramer uses x-rays to study the iron in the active sites of the enzymes, which he pairs with research focused around lasers.

“We have a sample [in the lab] and maybe something is bound to the metal, like carbon monoxide, and we take the laser and shine it on the sample and pop the carbon monoxide off,” Cramer said. “This process is called photolysis, [using it] we can measure the sample before and after the photolysis and see what has changed.”

The Star Wars screening brought awareness to lasers’ versatility and their integral role in understanding science at its most basic level.

“You need to get students emotionally excited about science, not just as some intellectual exercise, but something that you really care about,” Cramer said. “Science is hard, but if you’re excited about it […] you’re willing to put with the pain of working through the math or the late hours.”

Crabtree, Jackson and Cramer cover spectrum which can be studied through lasers, from the birthplace of stars to the velocity of individual molecules to metals in biology.

“Lasers are just one example of the interconnectedness of science [...] chemistry and physics and lasers, it’s all connected whether you’re using the laser to read a barcode at the supermarket or measure gravity waves,” Cramer said.

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 | 7

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SCIENCE+TECH J O E P R O U D M A N / U C DAVIS

UC Davis takes on the Grand Canyon Group of UC Davis faculty, graduate students annually explore Grand Canyon through science education

BY M OLI NA HAUV science@theaggie.org

When it comes to public education, field trips are no foreign concept. UC Davis has continued to offer courses that take students out of lecture halls and into the real world to apply their knowledge.

The Center for Watershed Sciences on campus offers two courses in ecogeomorphology. These courses focus on combining a wide range of sciences from biology to geology and help students apply topics

learned in class in field excursions.

“These [courses] are intensely field based, through experiencing locations for extended periods of time, you are not just near the river, you are in the river,” said Nicholas Pinter, professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Center for Watershed Sciences.

The ecogeomorphology courses are offered to UC Davis students at the undergraduate and the graduate level. The undergraduate class that has been offered in the past is open to graduating seniors. It

encompasses social, biological and physical sciences which are later tied into water sciences in relation to the Tuolumne River. Students participate in multiple field trips in this class and use data collected in the field and apply it to stream management.

The graduate class has a similar goal in combining multiple science fields and applying those fields to find stream management solutions. Within this class, students take a weeklong trip to the Grand Canyon, rafting in the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon serves as a prime location for educational research because it combines concepts of geology, biology, hydrology and more. Students who take the course get the opportunity to spend a week collaborating with faculty and other students from a wide range of backgrounds.

“We want these classes to be a truly interdisciplinary [experience],” said Sarah Yarnell, a research hydrologist at the Center for Watershed Sciences. “We want them to be as diverse as possible so students have the opportunity to learn from one another.”

Students from a variety of departments, ranging from geology to environmental engineering, have taken these courses. On the Grand Canyon trip, students spend time exploring the national park, coming up with hypotheses and working together in order to understand and interpret topics from class.

The trip involves rafting in the Colorado River, making multiple stops along the way to relate their surroundings to broader science concepts. These trips allow students to connect concepts learned in a class and use them to solve real world problems.

These classes introduce students to possible careers

TAYLOR RUNNELLS / AGGIE

placenta's role in determinING risk of autism spectrum disorder at birth Placenta provides insight regarding brain development of typically-developing children versus those with autism spectrum disorder

BY HARNOOR G I L L science@theaggie.org

Though the placenta is usually discarded just after birth, researchers at UC Davis have recently conducted two studies that reveal the placenta may be more important than previously thought. The placenta, an organ that develops during pregnancy in the mother’s uterus and supplies the fetus with oxygen and nutrients, also has the ability to provide scientists with essential information about children’s brains.

The first study, which was published in Molecular Autism, confirmed that the placenta offers data on DNA methylation, a chemical change in the structure of DNA that alters the function of particular genes. This can provide insight into Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), since children with ASD have methylated areas of the brain that differ from normal child development.

According to Janin LaSalle, a UC Davis professor of medical microbiology involved in both studies, ASD is diagnosed by behavior, but diagnosis is not very accurate until the child reaches the age of three.

“The earlier you can get kids that are at very high risk for autism into behavioral interventions, the better off they are, because the brain is very plastic early on,” LaSalle said. “So the idea is to have early biomarkers for ASD risk at birth.”

One particular gene region called DLL1 was found to be highly methylated and associated with ASD. “We looked at DNA methylation across the entire genome in samples of placental tissue and specifically we looked at differences in methylation in placentas between kids that went on to be diagnosed with autism and compared them to those with typical development,” said Rebecca Schmidt, a UC Davis assistant professor of public health sciences and co-author of the paper. “DLL1 [involved in cell-to-cell communication] was the major one that was different.”

Another study, published in Environmental Epigenetics, examined the environmental exposures that affect methylation patterns.

Entitled A Markers of Autism Risk in Babies: Learning Early Signs (MARBLES), the study provided data to compare a sample of 47 placentas from children with ASD and the results of a questionnaire asking the pregnant mothers — who had already had a child with autism and therefore, had an increased risk of having subsequent children with autism — about environmental factors they had been exposed to during the pregnancy. These environmental factors included smoking, maternal BMI, education and pesticide exposure.

“Out of all of the exposures we looked at, it seemed like the pesticide exposure was more consistently associated with higher changes in methylation regions [of the brain],” Schmidt said. “It was surprising because we previously thought that other factors, such as maternal smoking, would have a greater effect on methylation.”

The researchers note that this was an observational study, and its finding do not prove causation. However, they are optimistic about its potential to inform future research.

“The findings provide some of the first evidence for gene environmental interactions in placental tissue, “ said Jacqueline Barkoski, a graduate student researcher involved with the paper. “This will help inform future studies because it provides biological insight which is important for understanding the etiology of disease.”

Million Cat Challenge saves over 725,000 shelter cats UC Davis, University of Florida spearhead project to reduce euthanasia rates of shelter

BY E MMA SADLOWSKI science@theaggie.org

Shelter cats across the nation have been given another chance at life thanks to a joint project between the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program and the University of Florida Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program. The Million Cat Challenge aims to reduce cat euthanasia rates in North American animal shelters and to save one million shelter cats by 2019. Over 1,000 shelters nationwide have joined the challenge, with one of the first being the Yolo County Animal Services Shelter (YCASS) in Woodland.

Lasers beam onto UC Davis campus

after their time at Davis by placing them in the field.

“Every year all students that go through the ecogeomorphology classes, both at the graduate and undergraduate level, say it’s their favorite class they have ever taken,” Yarnell said. “They have learned the most from these classes, and some of our students have even completely changed directions with what they want to do after they graduate.”

While these trips are beneficial for students in the long run, they are expensive to operate, and funding is difficult. Unfortunately, because of this, there is only a limited amount of students who are allowed to enroll in these courses.

Although this is the case, many UC Davis departments have been working on attempting to offer more of these types of classes and allowing more people to enroll in the ecogeomorphology courses.

“We’re trying to expand the offerings,” Printer said. “We think that these expeditionary classes (field-based classes) are really what Davis knows best and we’re trying to pull together colleagues in other departments to offer many more of these options.”

With this in mind, more students have found interest in getting involved with science not only outside of the classroom setting, but also collaborating with others outside of their own fields. Through collaborations and experience, students have the opportunity to expand and apply their learning.

“For those who work in the natural and physical sciences, there is nothing better than [...] hiking, floating, sleeping, eating, living in […] the subject you are studying,” said Jeffrey Mount, the founding director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Services.

Founded by Kate Hurley, the director of the UC Davis Koret Program, and Julie Levy, a professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida, the campaign has so far saved 725,000 shelter cats from euthanasia since kickstarting in 2014.

“At the time that we conceived the Million Cat Challenge, shelter cats were dying at a far higher rate than dogs were,” Hurley said. “[The campaign] helps put shelters in contact with one another so that they can learn about which programs are working in their own communities and situations.”

While consulting with animals shelters around the country, Hurley and Levy noticed that some shelters boasted more successful adoption experiences and updates than others did. These shelters were using a variety of tactics to enhance the wellbeing of their cats, simplify tedious adoption procedures and prevent euthanasia practices.

“In a moment of clarity, Dr. Hurley and I discovered our calling to share these ideas with other shelters, and to create a shelter-led movement to transform how cats are cared for,” Levy said in an email interview. “Together, we’ve created a shelter-based campaign to save a million more shelter cats in 5 years.”

The “million” of the Million Cat Challenge will be based on composite numerical reduction in euthanasia and increase in lives saved by the participating shelters, according to the project’s website.

The campaign emphasizes five key initiatives that offer shelters sensible choices to reduce euthanasia and increase live outcomes for shelter cats. Pioneered by animal shelters across the country, the initiatives provide shelters with tools to assure humane animal care, provide the Five Freedoms for animal welfare and match each shelter cat with the most appropriate outcome, whether that MILLION CATS on 6

GENESIA TING / AGGIE

The science of lasers, molecular research, community outreach

BY E MMA ASKE A science@theaggie.org

Throw away those blasters, lightsabers and pop culture interpretations of the futuristic laser, because UC Davis professors are bringing the space-age laser to the present through their exciting research done on campus.

The UC Davis Chemistry Department sponsored a free showing of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on Feb. 25 in Rock Hall.

Before the movie, Kyle Crabtree, an assistant professor in the UC Davis Chemistry Department, spoke briefly about the reality behind lasers as opposed to their various depictions in pop culture.

Crabtree mentioned that events like the “Star Wars” screening have the ability to expose the broader public to the reality of modern science. He emphasized the importance of having a scientifically literate society, and one way of achieving this is to host outreach events that combine larger cultural interests with specific topics in science.

“We value a scientifically literate public and now the science presence in popular entertainment media, like ‘Star Wars,’ is for entertainment purposes, not for educational purposes,” Crabtree said. “But since many people are familiar with the ideas in popular media, we wanted to see about using that as a jumping off point to give a fun, informative talk about science and technology.”

Crabtree studies astrochemistry, specifically chemical reactions in space, using lasers to examine the rates of chemical reactions in space-like environments.

“I use an excimer laser, an ultraviolet laser, it takes a pulse of ultraviolet laser radiation and we use it to break apart a molecule into some fragments,” Crabtree said. “Then we use other microwave devices to watch those fragments undergo chemical reactions. We are trying to create a space-like environment in the lab and then crack apart some molecules using lasers.”

Crabtree focuses on regions in the universe where stars are made. This is an area in space that starts as a cluster of dust and particles. His lab recreates this atmosphere to study the chemical

reactions that occur lightyears away.

“We try to study the chemistry that happens in these stellar nurseries and see how far we can track the chemistry and figure out [if ] there are interesting molecules that might be relevant to life as we know,” Crabtree said.

Lasers were theorized by Einstein in the early twentieth century, but they were not invented until later in that century. They have since revolutionized the understanding of the universe.

“Our entire understanding of what atoms and molecules do have been enabled by lasers,” Crabtree said.

William M. Jackson, UC Davis’ distinguished researcher and professor emeritus, has lived the history of lasers through his prolific application of lasers in research. He is interested in what happens when molecules break apart and, similarly to Crabtree, he is focused on the molecules that are abundant in the universe.

Jackson was working at NASA when lasers became available to use in research. Lasers can be used to stimulate electrons; they create a controlled and directional quality to the electrons that was impossible before the invention of lasers.

“We can play tricks with lasers that we can not do with spontaneous emission [of electrons] mostly because there is not enough intensity to do it,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s lab is home to two lasers that are impressive in size and hooked up to a variety of pumps, gadgets and are part of an intense sequence of mirrors, tubes and a mass spectrometer. Jackson uses this setup to measure the velocity of individual modules.

“We use one laser, oriented to break it apart, [and] we let it fly LASERS on 6

8 | THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Opinion the California Aggie

editorial board

EDITORIAL BOARD SCOTT DRESSER Editor in Chief ELLIE DIERKING Managing Editor

Support UC Davis student-athlete’s protest of police brutality ALEXIS BROWN, BLACK GYMNAST, KNEELS DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM

ALYSSA VANDENBERG Campus News Editor SAMANTHA SOLOMON City News Editor ELI FLESCH Opinion Editor EMILIE DEFAZIO Features Editor AMANDA ONG Arts & Culture Editor BRYAN SYKES Sports Editor ARIEL ROBBINS Science & Tech Editor

CHIARA ALVES New Media Manager JAY GELVEZON Photo Director HANNAH LEE Design Director EMILY STACK Copy Chief OLIVIA ROCKEMAN Copy Chief VERONICA VARGO Website Manager ALEX GUZMÁN Social Media Mangager MADELINE ONG Newsletter Manager

Alexis Brown, decorated UC Davis women’s gymnast, has been protesting the police brutality against black and brown people by taking a knee during the national anthem preceding meets. With this gesture, Brown is resisting the implications of our nation’s anthem, a song rooted in white supremacist institutions that allow law enforcement to systematically target and execute black and brown bodies.

On Feb. 14, Brown was awarded the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Gymnast of the Week honors for the second time this year and the third time in her overall career.

In addition to copious other awards and distinctions, Brown’s performance at the Feb. 11 meet earned her a careerhigh score, tying the second all-time highest score in UC Davis history.

Accolades aside, Brown’s actions during the national anthem have garnered a disquieting lack of support from her coach and teammates and have resulted in harassment from fans. Brown also believes that judges at a recent meet discriminated against her because of her beliefs, according to a letter of support the ASUCD Office of Advocacy and Student Representation (OASR) released on Feb. 17, and later confirmed to The Aggie by Brown.

Kevin Blue, UC Davis athletics director, addressed that he,

as well as the rest of the athletics program, are in full support of Brown and have been since she began her symbolic protest.

Brown’s narrative as a black athlete parallels the controversial story of Colin Kaepernick, a black quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers who similarly protested by refusing to stand during the national anthem before games in 2016-2017.

Kaepernick’s reasoning was the same as Brown’s: How can he celebrate a country that structurally oppresses and murders people of his community and other communities of color?

Backlash for both Brown and Kaepernick’s acts of resistance spell out a grim reality in which Americans care more about the integrity of a non-sentient song than they do about the lives of black and brown people.

In a country in which over 250 black people were killed by law enforcement in 2016, the Editorial Board is in solidarity with Alexis Brown, Colin Kaepernick and all those in communities of color who are disproportionately targeted by police.

Black students like Brown comprise a population on campus that barely reaches over 3 percent, and they — as well as other marginalized communities at UC Davis — deserve better.

The Editorial Board implores students and community to show their support for Brown by attending her upcoming meets at the ARC Pavilion, including one this Friday, March 10 at 7 p.m.

LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

GUEST A Movement to Dissolve a Language Barrier

BY MI C HEL L E WA N G

Students with family members who speak different languages understand the difficulty of surmounting the language barrier and mastering a second or even third language. As a second generation Vietnamese American, I understand the tragedy of failing to properly articulate a second language spoken by most of my family and community. My negligence in practicing my native language has taken its toll, cutting me off from communication with a huge Vietnamese population in California, and it’s unlikely that I will be able to pass on the language to my children — creating yet another barrier between generations. These issues emphasize the importance of language courses that not only provide communication, but also a deeper understanding of another culture’s history.

Like other schools in California, UC Davis provides useful resources, including plentiful language courses. Despite the fact that Asian Americans comprise 36.9 percent of the school population — with Vietnamese being the second-largest denomination in that group — UC Davis still does not offer Vietnamese language courses.

Though UC Davis is a research institution with international affiliates, we lag behind other California universities and colleges such as UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, Stanford, De Anza College and Evergreen

Valley College, which already offer Vietnamese language courses.

UC Davis has a department in Asian American studies and language courses in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian and Chinese (to name a few). It is appalling that Vietnamese is not on the list. Aside from being able to understand Vietnamese culture and history on a deeper level, learning the Vietnamese language has many practical uses, such as preparing students for the international professional workforce and providing opportunities to expand community development or interdisciplinary experiences.

Vietnam, with a population of 94 million, is the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia. As of early January 2017, Vietnam holds an economic growth rate of above 6 percent while the rest of Asia’s economy is slowing down. California, with one of the top 10 largest economies in the world, is also the state with the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam. As of 2014, 40 percent of Vietnamese immigrants reside in California. California is dotted with thriving “Little Saigon” enclaves that operate bilingually and host businesses still owned by first-generation Vietnamese immigrants. There are also dozens of study abroad programs based in Vietnam, such as Project Vietnam (a medical mission) and other various internships. As a result, educating our students in the Vietnamese language is a skill that can benefit them in their careers locally, nationally and interna-

tionally.

There have already been dozens of efforts by various students and faculty to establish Vietnamese language courses at UC Davis.

Today, the student-led Vietnamese Language Movement (VLM) at UC Davis, supported by Professor Kieu Linh Valverde, is working towards this goal and is determined to finally reach it. As the movement reaches out to students, many professors from other colleges and universities have voiced their willingness to pledge their support.

There is currently a Change.org petition in which you can pledge your support to this movement. In the future, the letters of support and petition signatures will be used to propose to our administrative leaders that Vietnamese courses are needed at UC Davis and will benefit not only our students, but the quality of our school.

As students of an esteemed university, we deserve to push the university to provide us with resources and opportunities we would like them to offer. As students with families from different places, it’s important for us to remember where we came from. Though we might not all have interest in speaking the Vietnamese language, it is without doubt that the language is important in its own right and should be preserved for future generations.

For more information about the student-led Vietnamese Language Movement at UC Davis, please visit their Facebook page.

Space race will foster international cooperation WHY IT’S BENEFICIAL FOR COUNTRIES TO SET THEIR SIGHTS ON REACHING MARS

BY SHOHI NI MA I T R A samaitra@ucdavis.edu

That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

It’s been more than 40 years, but these words remain a testament to how far countries will go to prove their superiority and how far the human race can go when we set aside our differences to work with each other.

A few decades have come and gone, and the world order is no longer the same. Relations between the United States and Russia have thawed considerably, and Russia is no longer the superpower it once was. The Cold War is hopefully over for good, yet that was the primary impetus to the space race between the two countries. The common man’s interest in outer space has declined, especially now that milestones in space exploration are no longer tied up in political aims or patriotism. Financial crises and other issues such as terrorism and global warming have taken over the portion of the federal budget that was once set aside for space research. Space programs have looked past the moon and have instead set their sights on Mars, our nearest planet.

The distance from Earth to Mars is at least 130 times the distance between the Earth and the moon. While Mars is known to have an inhospitable environment, scientists believe the planet has the potential to harbor life, as evidenced by the recent discovery of water on its surface. From Asia to the U.S. to the EU, countries have been scrambling to be the first to achieve a scientific breakthrough toward potential colonization of Mars.

The rapid rise of other superpowers has led to new entrants in a space race that, for a long time, seemed to have declined in momentum. China, currently the U.S.’s greatest economic and political rival in the world, has already announced missions to reach Mars by 2021, while NASA plans to reach Mars by 2030.

Space research and politics have been deeply intertwined for decades. This stems from the fact that much of the scientific research that went into putting a man on the moon was fueled by defense and military ambitions on Earth. From GPS and satellite communications to missile-loaded satellites, much of the technology created for launching rockets has “spinoff ” benefits for nations’ militaries.

The original Space Race between Russia and the US was a display of military and technological strength that culminated in a victory for all mankind.

India is a late entrant to the emerging space race. But with some noteworthy accomplishments, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has proved its mettle. The voyage of the space probe Mangalyaan to Mars in 2013, India’s first interplanetary mission, catapulted the country’s space program to global prominence. It became the first Asian country to reach the Mars orbit and the first country in the world to achieve this feat on its first attempt. The most impressive highlight of ISRO mission was its low budget — about onetenth of NASA’s own Mars mission. More recently, in 2017, ISRO set another world record when it launched 104 satellites at once — 88 from the U.S., and the remaining from other countries including Israel, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates.

For a nation that is still considered a developing country despite

its growing economy, ISRO goes a long way in proving how far India has come. While India is still focusing on solving many social and economic issues, space research seems like an extravagance.

As the U.S. cuts down on expenses related to space research, we could do well to learn from India and find cheaper, more effective ways to achieve our aims. The Obama administration’s cancellation of the Space Shuttle program and its push for NASA to work with the private sector raised many concerns about the future of the space race and NASA’s current relevance.

However, this could be a blessing in disguise. If NASA continues its involvement with private companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, as well as other countries where costs of labor are cheaper, it could significantly increase international cooperation for the sake of technological advancement. This could lead to an overall reduction in cost and much faster advancement in galaxy exploration — not to mention the beneficial effects on diplomatic relations between countries.

As we’ve seen before, the space race eventually encouraged countries to cooperate instead of compete. Now that countries are turning away from globalism and U.S. relations with other nations are in turmoil, material for destructive technology like nuclear weapons can be channeled into something far more beneficial to mankind. Our exploration of space is an extension of the curiosity and spirit of innovation that precedes our greatest accomplishments. The future of the space race could be led by efforts of peace rather than a need to compete. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Russia, China or the U.S. that sends a man to Mars — a human on the Red Planet has no country.

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 | 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Should hate speech be protected under the First Amendment?

Should hate speech be protected under the First Amendment?

YES

NO

BY TARYN DEOI L E R S

BY JAZMIN GARCIA

tldeoilers@ucdavis.edu

msjgarcia@ucdavis.edu

The ongoing battle between alt-right firebrand Milo Yiannopoulos and left-leaning university students encapsulates the national debate on whether hate speech should continue to be safeguarded in the United States. While it’s critical to denounce the vile sentiments Yiannopoulos belches out on campuses across America, the preservation of free speech for all individuals remains paramount to our democracy.

The exceptions are, of course, cases in which insults lurch toward explicit, deliberate threats of violence called “fighting words.” Otherwise, Americans can freely ridicule people based on characteristics like religion, gender and race without fear of being legally punished. Although this seems immoral, the First Amendment has existed to protect speech that's controversial, aggravating and inflammatory — not speech that's comfortable, ethical and well-liked.

It’s crucial to recognize that silencing even the ugliest words would set a precedent for future lawmakers for permissible censorship. Because laws can be twisted and reinterpreted as time progresses, the same legislation that strips rights from those who spew offensive rhetoric could easily revoke the protection of more moderate speech.

Most importantly, unsavory expression is merely a symptom of the underlying concern, and those who esoouse it wouldn’t vanish with the swipe of a pen. Concealing hate speech wouldn’t eradicate the hate — it would just attempt to hide the speech. We must confront the source of evil if we wish to witness true change, and how can we successfully fight what we cannot see with perfect clarity?

John Stuart Mill argues in his philosophical work On Liberty that the free exchange of ideas — even despicable ones — is essential to arriving at a “clearer perception and livelier impression of truth [that can only be] produced by its collision with error.” For all of us who detest bigotry, living in a country where love, hate, truth and falsehood are equally provided a podium can be distressing and disheartening.

But as Mill declares, tolerance and reason, when given the opportunity to exhibit their veracity over ignorance, will ultimately transcend and irrevocably disprove the cowardly hate behind which fools like Yiannopoulos stand.

Allow me to clear up what this argument isn’t. This stance does not endorse the persecution of those who perpetuate hate speech, nor does it advocate censorship. It simply answers the ethical implications of tolerating hate speech and the demoralizing effects of this speech insofar that it divides and endangers people.

While adverse opinions are necessary for fruitful discussion and for understanding different points of view, hate speech normalizes antagonistic depictions of marginalized people.

After all, hate speech is defined by the American Bar Association as “speech that offends, threatens, or insults groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or other traits.” Often, those who defend hate speech have some degree of privilege, so this defense does little in bridging the divide and fostering understanding between communities.

It would be fallacious to say that those who believe in protecting hate speech are hateful.

But the argument hangs itself on the word “speech.” We’re more likely to unanimously agree that vandalism and acts of violence are terrible, but when it comes to similarly spirited language, hate suddenly becomes a matter of opinion.

One does not have to look further than Milo Yiannopoulos to assess the effects of hate speech. The alt-right agitator recently fell from grace when a video of his pro-pedophilia comments resurfaced. When someone defends his constitutional right to spew racist, misogynistic, transphobic and Islamophobic speech, but draws the line at pedophilia, is the issue really about free speech? This suggests that only certain kinds of speech merit a platform. And sadly, this type of speech demonizes the marginalized. After the election, many Muslim and Hispanic Americans have been taunted by Trump supporters telling them that their “time is up.”

Many of those who defend hate speech do so out of a desire to be ideologically consistent in their defense of free speech. But they don’t recognize the need to tailor laws to new situations and circumstances. Progress does not come from looking to old documents. It comes from challenging authority or, in this case, language that subjugates others.

HUMOR Student crosses same road seven times to avoid people with clipboards A LOOK INTO AVOIDANCE TACTICS STUDENTS USE AGAINST WEIRDLY FRIENDLY SOLICITORS

BY BRI AN LAND RY bjlandry@ucdavis.edu

Who’s that person who just said “hi there!” to you with such enthusiasm? Is it your best friend? Is it a coworker you’re running into outside of work? No. It’s a stranger who would like you to take “just one minute of your time” to help stop Donald Trump.

People like this are popping up all over campus. They don’t all want the same thing, but all of them are equally terrifying to many students.

“I was just trying to walk from the library to the CoHo to grab some lunch,” said Becky Trombone, a third-year plant biology major and the Guinness World Record-holder for the largest pile of dirt constructed entirely using a single toe. “But on my way I had to avoid so many of these solicitors that I crossed a single road seven times. I’ve never put so much effort into a single activity. I just couldn’t handle the penetrating eye contact that they always make.

It feels like they can look into my eyes and immediately know all my darkest secrets. It’s too much to handle. And why do they always say ‘hi’ to me when I’m still so far away from them? It’s just weird.”

Not all students view these campus mainstays with such pessi-

mism, however. Some find encouragement in the causes they fight for.

“I think these people are amazing,” said Randal Chung, a firstyear managerial economics major and professional human wall clock. “They told me that together we could stop Donald Trump!

And all they needed was my credit card information! Plus my Social Security Number, home and school address, the original copy of my birth certificate and a photo of my entire family. But that’s it. Oh, and the GPS tracker they installed in my skull. But that’s all. And now together we’re going to stop Donald Trump. Who knows how we’re going to do it, but I’m not worried at all.”

Edgy cow gets second ear tag after hitting emo phase LIFE BECAME SO MUCH DARKER FOR BEEFY COWLHOUN AFTER HE HIT THOSE WRETCHED TEEN YEARS

BY OL I VI A LUC H I N I ocluchini@ucdavis.edu

If you thought that the phase of heavy eyeliner, terrible taste in music and worshipping Hot Topic was exclusive to humans, you’re wrong. Beefy Cowlhoun turned one year old this last weekend, which, as we all know, is 14 in cow years. This birthday came with an extreme shift in personality, which led to an odd wardrobe choice.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” said Beefy’s mother, Moolissa Cowlhoun. “He strutted out with a second tag on his ear this morning. It says ‘Green Day is better than hay.’ I get the rhyme

structure, but I don’t even know if he knows who Green Day is. I also don’t think he knows that our tags are not for aesthetic reasons. I’m hoping it’s just a phase.”

Beefy insists that this is the “real him,” not simply a phase. Alongside the extra tag, Beefy dyed his tail and the tuft of hair on his head jet black, which is crazy because he doesn’t even have thumbs.

“It’s not about how I got the tag or the hair dye,” Beefy said. “It’s about the fact that society is so screwed up. They all exist in a herd, losing individuality like a bunch of sheep or something.”

The sheep in the pasture next to Beefy glared at him with the utmost disgust as he commented this. Beefy slowly shuffled away,

managing to make it all the way over to his iHome to play the music he has been curating to express his new self.

“It might sound like I’m just screaming vigorously while shaking a cowbell, but it’s poetry,” Beefy said.

Beefy can be found strutting around his section of the barn while flaunting his new tag. Students, more than anything, are confused by the Evanescence and My Chemical Romance posters that keep popping up inside the barn.

“If someone ever tries to eat me, I hope they cook me well-done — just like my heart,” Beefy said, with a swift flip of his jet-black bangs.

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 . Letters to the editor can be addressed to opinion@theaggie.org.

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10 | THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

ARTS & Culture

Design Matters: A Look Inside The Turtle House C IE RA PAST UR E L / AGGI E

Well-known co-op coins unique design aesthetic

BY C A ROL I N E RUT T E N arts@theaggie.org

An outdoor study space was the first area to catch my eye at the Davis-famous “Turtle House,” which is located on 2nd Street and gets its name from the large turtle figure that hangs on the top porch. Old, rusting desks surrounded a long table made out of a dinged surfboard while overhanging trees provided a canopy of shade. There are various artifacts across the front yard — among slightly overgrown grass was an antique carved coffee table with a couple of empty craft beer bottles and a heap of lawn clippings placed artistically on top. It’s an odd pick, but there was something enchanting about the setup. These artifacts decorate this massive property, not just the front yard.

The four-unit house, currently housing 18 student residents, has been an oasis for cooperative, creative living since the late 1990s. One can feel the history of the house in every speck of dust and creak of the floorboards. It is chaotic, not out of distress or a lack of care, but rather out of unwieldy genuineness.

The Turtle House’s unique living style emphasizes how decoration and the setup of a home directly impacts its inhabitants. There are lessons to be learned in the ways humans intentionally decorate and interact with their living space, and the vibrant entity that is the Turtle House is no exception, grass-heap decorations and all.

One of the defining features of the Turtle House is its close integration with nature and its surrounding environment. This feature, in turn, has made the outside world part of the design, and even the focus

of the house. No wonder the beautifully janky study space is among the trees in the front yard.

“We try to make the space available for animals to live in,” said Marco de la Fava, a fourth-year neurology, physiology and behavior major and resident of the Turtle House. “We have a possum, two bluebirds, a small flock of birds, six chickens, two cats, baby squirrels and adult squirrels, a variety of bugs and insects, fish and microbial communities.”

A once-feral cat brushes its back on the sunstained couch.

Beyond the various animals that live on the Turtle House property, the focus on nature has become integral to the design of the house — a compost area and multiple vegetable boxes take up the majority of space and design of the front yard.

“It’s nice to have a house centered around [nature] and that has so much open outdoor space,” said Mimi Pinna, a third-year international relations major resident of the Turtle House. “It made me realize that I need to have a garden to take care of or a reason to go outside. Being outside allows me to be quiet, and that is my favorite thing about living here.”

Pinna’s comment was almost ironic after considering the design aesthetic of the house — couches, random blankets and pillows filled the space. Various lights, banners and dried flowers were hung on the ceiling. How can a space with so much be so quiet?

“No one knows what’s going on with the design,” de la Fava said. “It is obvious that the Turtle House is unmanageable. But in a house where there are just four people it’s less obvious that it is unmanageable,

Shakespeare Class to Perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Students put twist on Shakespearean comedy

BY M YA H DA N I EL S arts@theaggie.org

Fairies, unconventional lovers, a troupe of actors and a donkey? That’s right, UC Davis is doing Shakespeare’s classic comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But don’t expect a typical Shakespearean narrative from this production. Members of the class Advanced Acting: Shakespeare and his Contemporaries (DRA 122B) are putting their own special spin on the 16th-century show.

“It will have old-time language, but expect to see an iPhone or two,” said Ashley Heer, the stagemanager and an actor in the show and a fifth-year double major in Spanish and theatre and dance.

Students will remain true to the comic language of the show, but the set, costumes and acting choices are going to be more representative of modern life.

“We are taking it word for word by the script, but we are definitely putting in a lot of energy in finding the funny in it,” said Victoria Casas, a second-year theatre and dance and English double major who is also acting in the play. “There is a lot of audience interaction. It is our job to get the audience into the world we are playing in. It is going to be a traditional but more spontaneous and more active interpretation of it.”

Under the direction of professor Peter Lichtenfels, the students have spent time reading and re-

hearsing the script during class hours. They have been tasked with putting the show on with very few resources.

“It is called Shakespeare on a shoestring. It is a challenge that is so far going well,” Heer said.

“Everything comes from inside the classroom, the designs and the ideas. It is not really about the set or the props or the costumes. It is about the story.”

The class is a unique process for these students, as they are taking a very untraditional approach to the production of the show.

“Peter runs the rehearsals not specific to a certain scene,” Heer said. “Each group rehearses at the same time. In the same room and everything.”

Not only are performers working on taking the script out of its original era, but they are also working to diverge from common themes of the classic characters.

“I am trying to play [Helena] as someone who is really strong, confident and independent,” said Ellena Bottus, a third-year political science and theatre and dance double major who is a lead actress in the show. “She is single-minded and she knows what she wants. I do not want her to come off as crazy or desperate, because that is how she is usually.”

The show will play in Wright Hall from March 9 to 11 from 7-9 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 11. Ticketing for the performance is donation-based with a suggested donation of $5.

so people cling to the illusion that they can control every aspect of their area. It’s nice here because it is so in-your-face.”

However, there is a beauty in the disordered aesthetic of the house; the focus of the house is not how one can make the house aesthetically pleasing, but how the design can make an experience of communal benefit to the rest of the housemates.

As Pinna put it, you are “submitting to what is.

The style of the Turtle House [simply] is. I felt like a lot of the complications of my life fell away once I moved in here because I got to be my normal healthy self without a lot of distractions,” Pinna said.

For de la Fava, the house has been a practice in his submission to what he cannot control. To explain this, he recited a Serenity Prayer to me that he had memorized: “God grant me the serenity of the things I cannot change and the courage to change the things I can,” de la Fava said. “Even though I don’t have control in the overall design and the house itself, I can still have fun, small, creative projects that are actually really rewarding. It’s a weird balance — I can’t have it exactly the way I want it, but I can have it pretty close, and I can make a big difference if specifically I am willing to make the difference.”

What makes the house communal is the design as well. Since there is no dictation over design, the design itself becomes a canvas for spontaneity.

“Empty, usable space for people to enjoy is our design,” de la Fava said.

Such empty space is often used for music performances — the basement is one of multiple venues used for informal jam sessions as well as professional

concerts. For Obin Sturm, a fourth-year chemical engineering major and Turtle House resident, such emphasis on music changes the design and the feel of the house, letting fluidity contribute to the creative atmosphere of the house.

“Space isn’t just physical but audial,” Sturm said.

“Often the physical space opens up possibilities for audio space. The two together is what makes an overall space.”

Sturm spoke specifically of a free piano he and de la Fava found on Craigslist, which is an example of the fluctuating design of the house. As seasons change, the piano is moved spontaneously to fit the moment of the jam session.

“Spaces can change with the seasons, but spontaneous decisions move it,” Sturm said. “They completely alter the effect the Turtle House gives to people. Sometimes the space gets rearranged into a way that I like. Since we have so many people having different projects, things move around and then they accidently are part of the look.”

Simply put, the residents change the house as much as the house determines its visitors.

“Different designs bring different types of people in,” Sturm said. “The fact that it is changing allows for different experiences to come my way, from raucous jam sessions on the cottage porch to quiet basement jams on a winter night in the basement. The very changing space of the Turtle House has given a lot of diversity to experience.”

The Turtle House is proof that design in itself is not always for an aesthetic purpose, but rather a catalyst for personal experiences. While unconventional, the Turtle House is as alive as its residents.

The magic of Pippin Students in Drama 143 stage play as part of class

BY CARA J OY KLEI NR OCK arts@theaggie.org

The students of Drama 143 have been working all quarter to put on a special preview of the musical Pippin, and their hard work will soon be visible to the public. The students will be performing the first 20 pages of the production on March 15, with all of the students in the class involved in acting, directing, choreographing or taking part in the technical side. This class provides students with hands-on experience in successfully creating a show and all the facets that go into it.

Mindy Cooper, the theatre department’s current Granada artist in residence and the teacher for Drama 143, believes in the notion of musical theater process production and performance. For her class, the students studied the original and revival script of Pippin and did historical research on the characters. Each student became a collaborator on a team.

“It takes a village and I asked them to become a village,” Cooper said.

The students had to work together to come up with their vision of the first 20 pages. Half of the class served as the collaborators who brainstormed an artistic direction, while the other half will serve as the performers, tasked with bringing the vision to life. The quarter started with table work and discussing all the roles, scripts and historical background research. Then, the second half of the term focused on auditions and actually staging the first 20 pages.

The students felt that the auditions themselves were a great teaching exercise because they were held in class in front of everyone, a process that was

a little frightening, but also revealing.

“It became a safe environment where they could all learn from each other,” Cooper said.

Koreena Walsh, a fourth-year theatre and dance major, plays the lead role of Pippin.

“When everyone was in the room to audition, everyone is nervous so that makes you feel better,” Walsh said. “I was totally shocked at the casting because sitting and watching the auditions you have a good feeling as to who will get what part but when it came down to receiving the cast list I was completely surprised.”

Walsh is also a member of the costume design team. Because there is no budget for the class performance, the design team decided to channel the musical’s theme of things lost and found, using things that are already around and using makebelieve props.

Cameron Turner, a third-year theatre and dance major, is one of the three student directors as well as one of the actors.

To Turner, one of the exciting parts of the class is the opportunity to adapt the script to the class’s vision and to help make Pippin relatable to UC Davis students.

“We are learning as we are going,” Turner said.

“The main theme is bringing magic to our daily lives as students. It’s about when we find our lives boring and how we can bring the magic to our different situations as students and as a collaborative group and create this magical piece of Pippin.”

The play will be staged in the Wright Hall’s Arena Stage on March 15 at 1 p.m. All are welcome, and the cast and crew will hold a discussion about their creative process after the performance.

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017| 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

JE NN IF E R H I R SH F I E L / CO URTESY

BY ALLY OVE RB AY arts@theaggie.org

DAVIS ALUMNA PRESENTS ART EXHIBIT INSPIRED BY WOMEN’S RIGHTS Jennifer Hirshfield explains importance of being present, painting politics

It’s in your newsfeed, it’s part of your dinner conversation; it’s seemingly unavoidable.

Politics is everywhere — in 2017 more than ever — so when painter and Davis alumna Jennifer Hirshfield tied her smock and picked up her paintbrush, she disregarded her teachers’ warnings to keep paint and politics separate.

“We always try to stay away from politics in art — but not anymore,” Hirshfield said.

“All bets are off right now. [...] I couldn’t not do it. I couldn’t ignore it.”

The Santa Rosa based painter’s exhibit, Hineni… Here I Am, is her most recent body of work; it includes portraits inspired by women’s rights and the Women’s March.

The exhibit is currently showing at the Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center, where it will remain until March 31.

“The actual body of work was, to a tee, influenced by politics and the Women’s March,” Hirshfield said. “I learned under the great artists of the Bay Area Figurative Movement, so right now, working with a figure, some of those figures were actually modeled from women at the march. I’m definitely influenced by what’s going on right now.”

Hirshfield describes her work as a manifestation of the philosophy of “being present.” First hearing the term through Leonard Cohen’s song and album You Want it Darker, Hirshfield’s exhibit pays tribute to the Hebrew phrase “hineni.”

“More specifically, it means ‘Here I am,’ and it’s interpreted as ‘Being present,’” Hirshfield said. “In this particular body of work, I felt it was more about being unapologetic about your beliefs [...] Kind of of like: this is what I got; this what you get.”

Hirshfield places strong emphasis on this notion of being present. The culmination of her politically-charged art highlights the intensity of politics in everyday life.

“Even though it’s a Hebrew word, it’s the Buddhist aspect of [“hineni”] that influences me — being present,” Hirshfield said. “And that includes everything from sitting here under these blooming trees to my ocean paintings of Annadel [State Park].”

Hirshfield explained that after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, “being present” became the centerpiece of her solace.

She acknowledges that it was this diagnosis that encouraged her to pursue her art more seriously.

“When I moved back [to California], I actually got breast cancer,” Hirshfield said.

“At that point I said, okay, I’ve studied psychology, I’ve taught primary education [...] but art was my passion — it was where I was going to go.”

Her love for art was cultivated during her studies at UC Davis. Graduating in 1987 with degrees in both art and psychology, many of Hirshfield’s art lessons were taught by internationally-recognized painters from the Bay Area Figurative Movement. “[In Davis], the academia is mixed into the town,” Hirshfield explained. “So for instance, if you’re going to have a show, there’s all these references to the professors that you learned under. Or even having shows supported within the art department, like by Manuel Neri — the way he worked with us one-on-one, and he integrated himself into the campus. You’d be eating bagels together with your professor in the Coffee House.

There was not a big boundary between being a professor and being a student. [...]

There was always this integration of the creative world connected with the actual people you’re working and learning under.”

After many years of painting and teaching, Hirshfield’s art comes full circle; Hineni...Here I Am, is showing on the same campus that kindled her passion in the first place. She hopes, too, that the Pence Gallery may pick up the exhibit.

“For the women’s studies majors, I think it would be great for students to come through. For anyone this interested in women’s issues, I really want to reach out and say, ‘Come see the show,’” Hirshfield said.

“At the alumni center, one girl who worked there looked at the piece and said, ‘Thank you so much for doing that piece,’ and that piece reads, ‘My body, my choice.’”

The message behind Hirshfield’s exhibit is pertinent and even assertive, but its explicit imagery is simply necessary. The implications of her art are as poignant as the art itself.

“The subject matter is very forthright.

There’s no kind of figuring it out; it’s convicted and moved and making a message,” Hirshfield said. “There’s one of a woman, and she has lions behind her, but a kitty cat in front — it refers to sexual assault on campuses, or anywhere for women. It’s so rampant. [...] And I really felt like it’s a horrible subject, but it’s a true subject.”

But this is exactly why Hirshfield’s art is so pertinent not only in its location, but in its timing. Her paintings tell a story, from start to finish, of a bleak beginning but a powerful, female ending.

“The first image is just [a portrait of a woman] from the bust up,” Hirshfield said. “And she is looking pensive, sad — I wouldn’t even go so far as saying crushed — but it was a very demure piece. From that, going chronologically, the last piece of the show is of two women, one with her arm out, [flexing]. And they look like all power.

Like nothing is going to stop them.”

MEEN A R U GH / AGGIE

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ifu t u a f,

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Shane Koyczan

Design student’s international living experiences inspire

Spoken Word Artist

THU–SAT, MAR 16–18 • 8PM

Sustainability, empathy drive Blanco’s motivation

BY AB I G A I L WA N G arts@theaggie.org

From plant biology to comparative literature to theater to chemistry, third-year design major Bronte Blanco has truly tried it all.

“I would get super inspired by the things I was learning, but nothing really stuck,” Blanco said. “I was bad at acting, but I liked stage managing, so I did a stage-managing job. When I did that I met the girl who was a double-major design and theater major, and she introduced me to design and I was like, ‘Okay I’ll dabble, I’ll see how I like it.’”

Although she was initially skeptical, Blanco found that design was the perfect fit for her after all.

“I thought design seemed cool, but it also seemed kind of useless and superficial and you’re not really doing anything for the world,” Blanco said. “But it’s interesting, the more you take design classes [‘design’] becomes a really relative term.”

She found that her experience of going to a high school centered around engineering boosted her enthusiasm towards the subject.

“It was basically everything I was doing with my engineering career minus all the math,” Blanco said.

“So it was all the innovation and artistic work I was into with no obligation to be a mathematician or any of the science stuff that I wasn’t good at.”

Additionally, Blanco discovered design aligned well with her childhood experiences of moving internationally, especially since her dad is in the hotel business.

“I’ve lived close to Madagascar [Mauritius]; I’ve lived in Portugal, Mexico, and I’ve lived across America; and recently my dad moved to Singapore,” Blanco said. “Having the experience of living in all these different places you get a good sense of everyone’s different cultures and what they struggle with and what their societies are founded on and the things they excel at. Being aware of that has

made me more empathetic and want to hear about the changes they want to see.”

Despite living in many places, Blanco identifies Hawai’i as home. She has found that the focus on sustainability in Hawai’i has influenced her own views.

“We learn about reuseable energy from middle school all the way into high school, all of our projects are focused on that, so for me that’s the first thing I gravitate towards because I’m like ‘yes this important and I’ve been told this is important since I was young,’ that’s inspiring to me,” Blanco said.

“So I want to find a way I can be a designer but also in the environmental realm of things.”

She finds the best part about design is the impact it can have on others’ lives.

“You get to watch your idea and see it come to life, and you also get to see it solve the problem hopefully,” Blanco said. “That’s so rewarding to be part of whether it’s just you or a team of people who make differences in people’s lives in that way.”

Blanco has no specific focus in her design work and has taken a multidisciplinary approach, although the aspects she enjoys most are exhibition design and coding.

Recently she worked with design professor Tim McNeil to create an exhibition that shows how the Manetti Shrem Museum was built.

“That was really great because it pushed me to do things I never thought I could do,” Blanco said. ”It gave me the confidence to believe I had the ability to lead projects because before I feel like I didn’t take that stand. But for this one I was put in a position where I didn’t really know very much, but due to deadlines that had to be met, and him encouraging me throughout the process, I got see an exhibition go from nothing to being up and getting to watch people come in and really enjoy it.”

Students can visit Blanco’s exhibition in Room 124 in Cruess Hall.

upNEXT:

Dr. Raj Patel Activist and academic whose book Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System is this year’s Campus Community Book Project feature.

MON, MAR 13 • 8PM

Danilo Brito Trio

Mandolin virtuoso and composer explores the unique cultural tradition of choro music from his native Brazil.

WED-SAT, MAR 22-25 • 8PM

Mucca Pazza

Marching band traditions merged with street theater spectacle, rock and roll sensibilities and a high level of musicianship.

SAT, APRIL 1 • 8PM

UC Davis student tickets price special: $10

mondaviarts.org/uc-davis-students

Your first ticket is FREE!*

50% off tickets all the time!*

All UC Davis students.

Limit one per student.

Full-time students enrolled in current academic year.

* Mondavi Center presents and UC Davis Department of Music events only.

12 | THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

spent the last five years on the coaching staff.

At Cal, Calder won championships in 2006 and 2007 and was captain of the team for his final two collegiate seasons. He scored 33 goals and had a team-best 34 field blocks in those two years. In 2009, he played for the USA Senior National Team in Belgrade, Serbia.

Calder served as the director of operations, recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Brown.

During his tenure at Brown, the team won its first Eastern Conference championship in 30 years in 2014. In 2015, Brown won the Ivy League title and went undefeated in league play for the first time in the program’s history. After the 2016 season ended, the program had a 22-8 record and the Northern Water Polo Conference title.

The California Aggie had the chance to sit down with Calder to talk about the Aggies’ upcoming season and what he plans to bring to the program as a whole.

BROW N AT H L E T I C S / CO URTESY

MEN’S WATER POLO TEAM WELCOMES NEW ASSISTANT COACH Trent Calder, former assistant coach at Brown University, comes to West Coast as new assistant coach for UC Davis

BY RYAN BUG SC H sports@theaggie.org

The UC Davis men’s water polo team is currently enjoying the offseason, and, while the team just ended its season with an undefeated conference record, 23 wins on the year, a WWPA Championship (the

first since 1997) and an NCAA berth, changes are being made to the coaching staff.

Trent Calder, a 2008 All-American at the University of California, Berkeley and a former assistant coach at Brown University, is now the top aide to UC Davis head coach Daniel Leyson. Calder is replacing former assistant coach Kevin Peat, who

Why did you choose to come back to the West Coast and specifically to UC Davis? What drew you to this team?

There are a couple of reasons. First, the West Coast is close to home; I grew up here and my wife’s family is here. On top of that, there are a few coaches who I have watched and wanted to mold my game after, and Dan [Leyson] has been on my list for a while.

I knew there was a lot I could learn from him and it was too good to pass up. There are a lot of good things happening here, and I knew I could help take this program to the next level.

Can you clarify what your role will be as the assistant coach/top aide to head coach Leyson?

Basically my role at this point is that I am a chameleon. Anything that he needs, I am gonna be the guy who steps up and does that. I want to be able to be head coach some day, so anything I can do as an assistant to help get myself and this team better is something I want to be part of.

What do you feel the team needs to work on for the upcoming season, and how is the team going to accomplish making these changes?

Consistency. Everything we are going to do is all about consistency. If we play our games the way we should, and, as a coaching staff, hold the players to a high standard, we are going to be a good team, and that’s all you can hope for.

What is the ultimate goal after this season and maybe a few years down the line? What is the big goal for this team and this program?

A national championship. This team is very talented, and if we bring in a few more recruits, have that senior leadership present and we don’t lose the games we should be winning, confidence gets high.

If we continue to work hard there is no reason we can’t make that jump [to the next level] and turn some heads. *** Head coach Daniel Leyson weighed in on his new assistant coach.

CALDER on 6

The Aggie sat down with the UC Davis women’s basketball forward, who was recently named to the all-Big West Conference first team

C I E RA PAST UR E L / AGGI E FI LE

Inside the Game:

Pele Gianotti

BY LIZ JACOBSON sports@theaggie.org

Junior forward Pele Gianotti is a driving force behind the UC Davis women’s basketball team, leading the team — owners of eight straight victories at press time — in scoring. On March 6, Gianotti was named a member of the all-Big West first team. The California Aggie had the chance to sit down with Gianotti to ask about her basketball career so far and what she hopes to achieve as an Aggie and as a player.

How long have you been playing basketball?

What got you into the sport?

I’ve been playing it forever, I feel like. You know, you do the YMCA thing, so first grade, maybe? But I didn’t actually start loving it until sixth grade, seventh grade, when I went to a basketball camp and realized, ‘Whoa, this is fun being able to do these different drills and being good at it.’

How did you end up playing at UC Davis? What was the process like?

I played for a club basketball team in Spokane, Washington, and they were pretty good. I just got recruited by [head coach] Jen [Gross] by coming to the tournaments that we all played at. [I] made a couple phone calls, she offered me [a spot on the team]. I had never really heard of [UC] Davis, but as soon as I stepped on campus, I was like, ‘Wow, this is for me. I love it.’ The end.

What is the ultimate goal for you to achieve athletically at UC Davis during your next couple years?

The biggest one for us right now is just to win the Big West Conference Tournament. That’s basically what I’ve been working towards since freshman year.

The coaches have been talking about it, how great an experience it is to cut down the nets and that’s all I want for this team.

HEIGHT

5’11”

YEAR

Junior

POSITION

Forward

MAJOR

Political Science

HOMETOWN

Myrtle Creek, Oregon

HIGH SCHOOL

Roseburg HS ‘14

ACCOLADES

2016- 2017 All-Big West First Team, Big West Player of the Week for Feb. 27, 2015-2016 Big West Conference Honorable Mention, 2015-2016 Big West All-Academic Team, three-time high school All-State selection

How do you feel the team is doing right now?

I think we’re doing really well. Our offense is really flowing well. Everybody is super confident and because of that, we’re able to make shots, hit passes, do things that maybe earlier in the year we weren’t able to. Our

defense is also helping us out a lot. Other teams aren’t able to score and we are. I think overall, everyone is just super confident.

You were just named the Big West Player of the Week.

I’m feeling pretty happy. I didn’t really expect it.

Channon Fluker [of Cal State Northridge] has gotten it like the last three times and she’s been doing really well. I had a good week last week, but overall, our team has just been playing super well. I didn’t really even know I was a contender.

How did you feel about those games against Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara? (In recent games Gianotti shot 12 for 19 overall and 7 for 11 for three-pointers. She made 13-13 of her free throws during that time as well.)

I was just playing and taking what was available to me. The coaches have been saying, ‘Hey, you’re a good player.’ In the beginning of the season, it was touch and go with my shot, but lately I’ve been hitting a couple and realizing that. I’ve just been playing with the team, not doing anything special, just taking what’s available.

How does the team react to your performance this season and the accolades you have received? What is the level of support from them?

Good. Yesterday, Dani [Nafekh] and Morgan [Bertsch] were looking on Instagram because they knew I was a contender [for Player of the Week] and they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to get it.

You’re going to get it.’ They were super excited for me and the coaches, obviously, are like, ‘congrats!’ but overall, it’s about the team and none of us are better than anyone else, that’s for sure.

You’ve had a lot of success in your basketball career thus far. Do you have plans/desires to continue playing after your time at UC Davis is through?

Where would you like to be?

I definitely want to play overseas. I don’t know where, but I also don’t really have any plans for my major, so I’m kind of like, let’s go do this! It’ll be fun.

And obviously I love basketball and I love to travel, so that would be my dream.

BROWN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Brown claimed that she was given a much lower score than what she expected. The low scores, coupled with incessant heckling from the audience, contributed to an unsettling atmosphere for Brown, who is usually unfazed in her protest.

“I think [the low scores] had a little bit to do with the protest, because I saw that the judges looked at our team a little bit differently because of it, and the backlash from the crowd was [...] astonishing,” Brown said. “They were mocking me in the crowd and mouthing disrespectful things to me.”

In addition to the sentiments of support, OASR wrote that Brown had not felt supported by coaches and teammates, a statement that was later denied by head coach John Lavallee.

“I am totally fine and comfortable with her making her statement,” Lavallee said. “When we found out about it, we made it perfectly clear to her and the team that we support her doing that. Alexis is a very intelligent, articulate individual. She is a great performer in gymnastics, and she has a great opportunity to make her stand and help people.”

Kevin Blue, the UC Davis director of athletics, reiterated the athletics department’s institutional support for Brown and her protest.

“We, in our athletics program, believe strongly in the right to free expression, and we have supported that free expression and will continue to support that free expression unconditionally as we move forward,” Blue said. “There should be no ambiguity about that.”

Shortly after the OASR letter was released, Brown commented on how her coaches and teammates had

been handling her protests.

“I just think that when people show their support, it’s not as apparent as what I would like to see,” Brown said. “I haven’t really been met with open arms, in certain ways.”

In a later interview, Brown clarified her statement.

“I don’t think that anyone in my coaching staff or teammates are trying to be malicious,” Brown said.

“Some of the people who aren’t in this sphere don’t really know how to handle what is happening [….] because they were never exposed to it. I will never hold that against them and I still love them.”

This lapse in understanding from those outside the social sphere that Brown references makes apparent the lack of diversity in gymnastics which is neither new nor coincidental.

The recent backlash that Brown has faced is not an isolated incident, and the pattern of homogenous demographics among gymnastics dates back throughout the history of the sport and is still prevalent today.

A 2007 study by USA Gymnastics found that 74 percent of gymnastics athletes at the amateur level were white, in contrast to 6 percent of African American athletes and 3 percent for Latinx-identifying athletes. These numbers underscore the importance of representation for historically marginalized communities.

Brown recognizes that her participation as a UC Davis gymnast goes beyond her athletic performance, and she encourages fans to pursue their passions and stand up for their beliefs.

“A lot of little girls from the surrounding areas have come to my meets to support all of us, but it made such a great impact on me because all the little brown girls, all the little girls in general, really look up to us,” Brown said. “Setting an example in every way that I can, whether that be through succeeding in gymnastics or through my protest, I hope that they can see that anything is possible if you never give up and never give in. I hope that when they do get to an age where [race] is going to be an issue or that’s going to come up, in their minds that they maybe remember and take something from what I’m doing.”

Regardless of the reactions to Brown’s protest, numbers do not lie; she is consistently one of the highest performing athletes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference, in which the UC Davis women’s gymnastics team competes.

Brown has captured two consecutive MPSF Gymnast of the Week awards this year, carries an MPSF championship title on uneven bars and just recently hit a 9.900 on balance beam to tie the school record — not once but twice consecutively — in addition to other accolades.

Her athletic prowess and graceful showmanship have made her competitive presence and social justice advocacy difficult to ignore.

“Regardless of what other people are saying, at least they’re saying something,” Brown said. “They’re opening their minds to what I’m trying to get across.

So if that angers some people, if that saddens some people, if it makes people happy, at least they’re thinking about it. This [feedback] makes me want

to work even harder out on the floor so that people can’t ignore the protest. So when I have the headlines, like having first place after first place scores, they can’t ignore what I’m doing anymore.”

As the UC Davis women’s gymnastics team approaches the end of its regular season competition, Brown is still in the running to become the first Aggie to qualify for the NCAA Division I National Championship.

As postseason competition nears, Brown has been faced with the decision of whether or not to continue her protest or focus strictly on her athletic performance. At this point, she feels obligated to carry the torch as far as she can, and she no longer has any qualms about doing so.

“More than anything, I have to stick with what I think is right, and even though I might be scared, change is scary,” Brown said. “It’s not in my personality to back away from something that might be difficult, so I will definitely keep kneeling and keep doing everything I can to bring awareness.”

Alexis Brown competes in the Aggies’ final home meet of the season on Friday, March 10 against Air Force Academy at 7 p.m. in the Pavilion.

“I hope that my kids and grandkids and great-grandkids won’t have to deal with the small things,” Brown said. “I know that change is not fast, but [is made up of ] little things that change over the course of decades. If [future generations] don’t have to deal with ignorant comments by their peers and only receive love, and hopefully understanding… If this [protest] comes with the little changes, then it will all have been worth it.”

THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 | 13

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE CAT TAYLOR / AGGIE

N ICK I PA DA R / AGG IE

Softball (La Rue Field)

Thursday, March 9 vs. San Jose State at 1:15 p.m.

Thursday, March 9 vs. Seton Hall at 3:15 p.m.

Friday, March 10 vs. San Jose State at 1:15 p.m.

Friday, March 10 vs. UMass at 3:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 11 vs. Seton Hall at 3:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 12 vs. Iowa State at 11:45 a.m.

Men’s tennis (Marya Welch Tennis Center)

Friday, March 10 vs. Saint Mary’s at 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 11 vs. Portland or New Mexico State, time TBA Sunday, March 12, competition dependent on results, time TBA

Baseball (Dobbins Baseball Complex)

Friday, March 10 vs. UConn at 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 11 vs. UConn at 1 p.m.

Sunday, March 12 vs. UConn at 1 p.m.

Women’s gymnastics (The ARC Pavilion)

Friday, March 10 vs. Air Force at 7 p.m.

Women’s water polo (Schaal Aquatics Center)

Saturday, March 11 vs. UC Santa Barbara at 11 a.m.

Sunday, March 12 vs. Harvard at 4 p.m.

Track and field (Woody Wilson Track and Toomey Field)

Saturday, March 11 at Aggie Open, All Day

Women’s lacrosse (Aggie Stadium)

Sunday, March 12 vs. Quinnipiac at 1 p.m.

MEENA RUGH / AGGIE

AGGIES EXTEND WIN STREAK TO FIVE

N ATA L IE SKLOVSKAYA / AGG IE

Women’s tennis team makes do with two successful home matches, one rain cancellation

BY DOMINIC FARIA AND NICOLETTE SARMIENTO sports@theaggie.org

The UC Davis women’s tennis team opened up its three-match weekend homestand with a 7-0 sweep of the Montana Grizzlies on Friday, March 3, giving the team its tenth win of the season in 13 games.

Each of the eight UC Davis players who participated in the match contributed to the team’s victory, starting with the three doubles matches. In the number-one spot, junior Kristy Jorgensen and sophomore Kelsie Bryant played fiercely, but they ultimately came up short against the superb tandem of the Grizzlies’ Hannah Sulz and Catherine Orfanos. Jorgensen and Bryant looked impressive early, winning each of the first three games. But the Grizzlies battled back; they took the next four games and ultimately held on for a 7-5 win.

“We were up at the start, but I think we just got a little bit too loose,” Jorgensen said. “We really should have just stayed on them, kept hitting [the ball] hard and go for our shots. We started to get a little nervous. We should have just stuck with our game. But that’s what we’re going to do tomorrow [against Cal Poly], so I’m stoked for it.”

The lone doubles loss, however, was the only blemish on the day’s contest for the Aggies, as victories in each of their remaining two doubles spots secured the first point for the Aggies. The tandem of Texas natives senior Samantha Martino and freshman Nikita Pradeep, along with the second-spot pairing of sophomore Isabella von Ebbe and freshman Kristina Breisacher, both won their matches six games to two.

In singles play, the Aggies solidified their victory by winning all six matches. The team’s two freshman, Breisacher and Pradeep, both earned straight-set victories at the three and five spots, respectively. Also winning in straight sets was junior Jessie Lee, who vanquished her opponent 6-3, 6-2 in her match at the number-four spot.

Fresh off their intense match in the doubles, Jorgensen and Montana’s Sulz were pitted against each other in the number one-singles contest. This time the Aggies came up victorious, as Jorgensen beat Sulz in straight sets to earn her team its decisive fourth point of the afternoon.

“It feels really good,” Jorgensen said. “It’s a good way to start the weekend. I was hitting my shots a lot better than I have been and my serve felt good. Everything felt good. I’m excited for the matches this weekend.”

The most thrilling match of the day, however, was the number-two singles contest between junior Lani-Rae Green and Montana’s Lidia Dukic. Dukic took the first set with a 6-4 victory, but Green evened the match in the second by locking-in a 6-4 victory of her own, thus forcing a final tie-breaker set. Despite the fact that both players knew that the match had no influence on the outcome of the overall contest, both sides continued to play with high energy and flaring passion. In the end, Green held on to win 11-9 in an intense final set to earn the seventh and final point for the Aggies.

“For me, I was playing more for the team at that point,” Green said. “I looked up at the scoreboard and [saw that] everyone else had a pretty good time out there, so I was like ‘I want to win for the team today.’

I wasn’t playing my best, especially in the first half and I really wanted to turn in around. I think I just found a way to win it. That’s my thought process: stick it out, throw some more stuff at [my opponent] and see what can happen.”

As two juniors who have been around UC Davis tennis for some time, Green and Jorgensen reflected on their thoughts on this year’s team in general.

“It’s my third year, so I’ve seen three different squads,” Green said. “I think the energy this year is completely different from what we’ve seen in the past. We’ve had some great wins and some close losses [this season], but every day at practice and every match I’ve seen, all the girls are out here working really hard and fighting to improve every single day. I think that’s an amazing thing to have on a team. We all have the same goal in mind, and we are all working hard to support each other, and not only to make ourselves better, but to make the overall team better.”

Jorgensen had positive things to say about the team as well.

“I honestly think that this is the best team that I’ve been on since I’ve been here,” Jorgensen said. “The team vibe; everyone just loves tennis, and we love training hard. Every match, you look down, you look at your teammates and you know that they are going to fight. I just love this team.”

Friday’s victory over the Grizzlies was both UC Davis’ fourth shutout win of the season and its fourth consecutive win. What is going right for the squad in this sudden hot streak?

“Everything,” said head coach Bill Maze. “You just sort of get on these rolls sometimes, and we’re on one, so don’t jinx it. I think today’s match was really great preparation for tomorrow, we have a big one against Cal Poly. I’m glad that everyone won because the way to gain confidence is to win. I think [the team is] going to feel good going into tomorrow.”

The Aggies kept their momentum rolling as they took on Cal Poly the next day and put together a dominant 6-1 victory over the Mustangs, posting their first conference win of the season and extending their winning streak to five matches. The Ags started off 1-0 after winning the doubles point with comebacks from doubles partners Jorgensen and Bryant and von Ebbe and Breisacher, each pair dominating 6-4 sets.

From there, UC Davis took control, with four of its players winning in straight sets. Pradeep wrapped up her match in a 6-2, 6-1 sweep with von Ebbe finishing soon after with her own 6-2, 6-0 victory. Lee topped her opponent 6-1, 6-2 to clinch the overall match for the Aggies. Green rounded out the straight-set wins for the Ags 6-3, 6-2 while Breisacher added to the victory with her 6-4, 3-6, 10-7 tiebreak.

With their win, the Aggies moved to 11-3 on the season, 1-2 in the conference and 7-1 at the Marya Welch Tennis Center heading into Sunday’s matchup.

Scattered rain prevented the Aggies and Bobcats from completing their match Sunday morning. The Ags came in looking to extend their five-match homestand, but the match ended with the teams tied at 1-1.

The Bobcats clinched the doubles point by winning two of the three doubles matches. Martino and Pradeep posted a 6-2 win for UC Davis. The Aggies came back in singles play with von Ebbe winning in straight sets 6-2, 6-0 right before the rainstorm hit.

With this unfinished duel not affecting its record, the UC Davis women’s tennis team hits the road next weekend looking to extend its current winning streak to six with a match at Nevada on Friday, March 10, followed

by Saint Mary’s on Sunday, March 12. The Aggies will next host at the Marya Welch Tennis Center on March 26 against Northern Colorado.

UC Davis Men’s basketball team sends seniors out with a bang Aggies complete perfect season at home with 68-59 victory over Hawai’i

BY ROWAN O’CON NELL-GATES sports@theaggie.org

In their final home game at The Pavilion on Thursday night, the Aggies honored senior guards Brynton Lemar, Darius Graham, Lawrence White and senior forwards J.T. Adenrele and Georgi Funtarov with pre- and post-game ceremonies.

After the festivities, the UC Davis men’s basketball team went to work against last season’s Big West champion, the University of Hawai’i. After a close first half and a slight lead by Hawai’i in the second, the Aggies rode the hot shooting of Lemar down the stretch to a 68-59 victory.

The Aggies’ first possession of the game resulted in a thundering alley oop slam by White, who was assisted by Lemar. This set the tone for UC Davis’ offensive possessions, which were marked by a barrage of three-pointers by Lemar and a series of dunks by both White and junior forward Chima Moneke.

Despite the Aggies’ prolific offense, Hawai’i was able to remain close in the first half due to multiple defensive breakdowns

by UC Davis.

In the second half, the Aggies’ threepoint lead quickly dwindled as they came out of the halftime break. The Rainbow Warriors capitalized on the Aggies’ sluggish play and built a 40-34 lead. With Hawai’i threatening to break the game open, the Aggies flipped a switch and began to play like the well-rounded team UC Davis fans have come to expect in home game showdowns.

With 7:30 remaining in the second half, Lemar caught fire, hitting three of his four three-point shots to lead the comeback.

Graham added a three-pointer of his own to put the Aggies ahead 63-54.

In the final homestand, the Aggies leaned heavily on their senior leadership, but it was Moneke who put the nail in the coffin with a resounding putback slam that blew the roof off of The Pavilion. Head

coach Jim Les credits the Aggies’ playmaking abilities to their athleticism.

“We want to be aggressive using that athleticism defensively,” Les said. “That defense gets us out in the open floor where [Moneke and White] can make some spectacular plays.”

In the end the Aggies’ strong second half play was enough to earn them the 68-59 victory over the Rainbow Warriors.

The Aggies ended the year with a perfect 11-0 home record. Adenrele, who was part of the first Aggie squad to complete the milestone two seasons ago, was impressed with this year’s team.

“Just to go undefeated the first season was impressive for us, [but] to come back and do it again and be a part of that, was really special,” Adenrele said.

Les fittingly attributed the win to his group of senior players.

“We’ve been led by our seniors all year, and for them to be able to accomplish this on senior night with a win and go out undefeated at home and have a chance on Saturday to play for a Big West title is really special,” Les said.

After the game, Les and the Aggie seniors addressed the crowd. All five players credited their success at UC Davis to their families and the support of the Aggie community.

“There are so many people that play a part in the building of a successful basketball program, from game day operations to our equipment, medical staff, media relations; our fans have been unbelievable,” Les said. “Everybody’s pulling in the right direction. We’re working hard but we’re having a lot of fun doing it and that’s what Aggie basketball should be about.”

The win set up a showdown for the Big West title between UC Davis and UC Irvine two days later, where UC Irvine took the regular season crown after blowing out UC Davis 79-49.

The Aggies will open the Big West tournament on Thursday, March 9 as the second seed.

14 | THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE