December 1, 2016

SERVING THE UC DAVIS CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY SINCE 1915

VOLUME 135, ISSUE 10 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

Faculty call for UC Davis to become a sanctuary campus

GENESIA TING / AGGIE

DANIEL TAK / AGGIE FILE

Status as sanctuary campus would protect undocumented students during Trump presidency

BY ALYSSA VANDENBERG campus@theaggie.org Since Donald Trump’s presidential victory, university students across the nation have petitioned for their campuses to become “sanctuary campuses” in order to protect undocumented students. Under the title of sanctuary campus, a university can implement policies such as preventing campus police from enforcing immigration laws. Although Davis itself has been a sanctuary city since 2007, students and faculty members are now calling on the university to become a sanctuary campus as well.

In a public letter to University of California (UC) President Janet Napolitano and UC Davis Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter in mid-November, faculty from the UC Davis ethnic studies departments requested that UC Davis become a sanctuary campus.

“Now is the time to send a clear message that our campuses will be a ‘zero tolerance zone’ and will take any measures to make our campus safer for diverse communities and support protections against the persecution and bigotry toward Muslims, LGBTQIA people, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Mexicans and Latinos/as, immigrants, women, sexual assault victims and people with disabilities and will not participate in any attempt to deny our students their right to an education in a dignified future,” the letter stated. “We call on you, President Napolitano and Chancellor Hexter, to send a strong message reaffirming the University’s commitment to academic freedom, and SANCTUARY on 5

Opportunities for UC Davis community members to give back to others this holiday season Mercer Clinic for Pets of the Homeless, UC Davis Children’s Hospital, ASUCD Pantry all solicit donations

BY KENTON GOLDSBY campus@theaggie.org This holiday season, Aggies have many opportunities to give back to the UC Davis community.

The Mercer Clinic for Pets of the Homeless, an organization run

by UC Davis students, is currently asking for monetary donations in order to support its cause as well as donations of jackets and coats for the animals themselves.

“The smaller, very young and elderly dogs and cats especially need sweaters and coats to protect them against nighttime temperatures,” said Eileen Samitz, the coordinator of the program, in a statement for UC Davis Dateline.

Community members can also donate toys to the UC Davis Chil-

Study spaces available to students during finals week

dren’s Hospital. Donations are accepted at the UC Davis MIND Institute from Dec. 20 to 23 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

“We really appreciate all of our donors who make the holiday season brighter with their gifts,” said Diana Sundberg, manager of the UC Davis Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department in a statement published to PRWeb. “The kindness of donors will make an important difference in the lives of many families who have a sick child in the hospital this time of year.”

Students can also participate in the Pay It Forward campaign, an ongoing partnership between the ASUCD Pantry and Ciao, located in the Coffee House. Through this program, students who purchase a slice of pizza at Ciao can also pay to donate an extra slice to a student in need. Vouchers for the pizza can be obtained from the ASUCD Pantry in Lower Freeborn.

An earful: a holiday playlist Non-traditional takes on traditional wintertime tracks appease the more traditional listeners while relieving you of the “Santa Baby” monotony.

MORGAN TIEU / AGGIE

Spaces include Mondavi Center, Shields Library

BY ALLY OVERBAY arts@theaggie.org

BY ALYSSA VANDENBERG campus@theaggie.org To help students find the best spaces to study for finals, The California Aggie has compiled a list of study spaces and resources available on campus.

The Center for African Diaspora Success Located in the South Silo, the center will have study spaces available on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Dec. 5 to Dec. 8 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Dec. 9 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Mondavi Center The center will hold a study session on Dec. 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. More details are available on the Aggie Arts Facebook page. In past years, the Mondavi Center has offered free coffee, power outlets and classical music during the study sessions.

The Student Community Center (SCC) The lobby will be open on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to midnight, Dec. 5 through Dec. 8 from 7:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. and Dec. 9 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The CoHo South and the meeting rooms on the second floor of the SCC will also be open for additional hours during finals week.

Peter J. Shields Library The library is operating on a modified schedule due to finals: open on Dec. 2 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Dec. 3 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Dec. 4 from 10 to 2 a.m., Dec. 5 through Dec. 7 from 7:30 to 2 a.m. and Dec. 8 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. The Coffee House will also be selling coffee and baked goods in the library’s lobby during the evenings of Dec. 2 through Dec. 8.

The Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) ARC meeting rooms 1, 2 and 3 will be available Dec. 3 from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m., Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to midnight and Dec. 5 to Dec. 9 from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. The ARC Starbucks will be open Dec. 3 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Dec. 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Dec. 5 to Dec. 8 from 7 a.m. to midnight and Dec. 9 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Holiday music appeases two types of people: those anticipating Nov. 1 with their fists still clutching melted Halloween candy, and the second, more traditional, post-turkey-day-only kinds of listeners.

Either way, two months of shuffling through the same 100 songs can inspire anyone to spike the eggnog until DJ grandpa finally forgets how to use Spotify. To save you the trouble, here’s a short list of non-traditional holiday remakes: Don’t Waste Your Wishes album by The Killers Alternative rock band The Killers recently released their Christmas album, Don’t Waste Your Wishes. The album’s proceeds benefit RED, an organization that fights against AIDS, adding another reason to purchase their work. This year’s album includes all the usual tracks, but also has a special rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” in which lead singer Brandon Flowers sings a duet with his fourth-grade music teacher, who originally taught him the song. Any Killers fan is guaranteed to enjoy the album, but it also serves as a compromise; it will

“What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” by The Head and the Heart Hailing from Seattle, the Head and the Heart is known for charming acoustics and beautiful harmonies — and this track proves no different. Originally recorded in 2012, this classic song is arguably from the band’s better days, before the pop evolution of Signs of Light. Jon Russell’s vocals are deep and husky, reminiscent of the real classics — Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett — but with a folksy twist. And, for anyone dreading the holidays, what a better way to look past them than a forwardthinking “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” chorus. This track (and most on this playlist) are taken from Holidays Rule, an album featuring various artists from all genres and walks of fame.

“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” by Punch Brothers This stunning track by bluegrass band Punch Brothers serves not as a teary-eyed track for Christmas Eve nor as a bedtime lullaby for excited, Santaanticipating children. With its banjo, mandolin and incredible acoustics, this song serves as nothing better than the ideal soundtrack to America’s real favorite holiday: Black Friday.

While customers play bumper cars with shopping carts and suburban moms shoot laser beams from their eyes, hum this tune. While a shopper waits all night in line to buy their daughter the newest iPhone, don’t steal the last matching Kate Spade phone case, but instead, sing aloud: “O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free / Thine own from Satan’s tyranny / From depths of Hell Thy people save / And give them victory o’er the grave.”

STUDY on 5

HOLIDAY MUSIC on 14

NOW OPEN DAVIS COMMONS HOTITALIAN.PIZZA

2 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Davis’ most time-honored holiday traditions,” said Lucas Frerichs, a member of the Davis city council. “It’s such a great experience to see the community gather at the Davis Food Co-op and make their way to the E Street Plaza for the holiday tree lighting and other festive holiday activities.”

The parade and tree lighting ceremonies are two of Davis’ oldest community traditions, organized by many members of the City of Davis and produced by Bob Bowen, the Davis city manager.

“The annual Children’s Candlelight Parade has been sponsored by the Davis Food Co-op for over two decades,” Bowen said in a press release.

Children who wish to participate in the parade will receive free candles with safety drip cups courtesy of the Davis Food Co-op. The Co-op will also accept voluntary donations to the Wallace and Vannucci Women and Children’s Shelter prior to the parade.

“The candlelight parade is one of the ways that we partner with the City of Davis every year,” said Lis Harvey, the marketing manager of the Davis Food Co-op. “The City of Davis puts on a beautiful kick off to the holiday season with the tree lighting ceremony downtown, and we

GENESIA TING / AGGIE

Children’s Candlelight Parade lights up downtown Davis 35th annual tree-lighting ceremony kicks off with Davis Food Co-op-sponsored event

BY SAM SOLO M O N ci ty @ th e a ggi e .o r g

Candles will light the streets of Davis on Dec. 1

as children of all ages join in on the annual Children’s Candlelight Parade. The event has been a staple in Davis for 35 years.

“The Children’s Candlelight parade is one of

AARON JAUREZ / AGGIE FILE

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES ON CHANCELLOR SEARCH COMMITTEE TO POTENTIALLY RESIGN Graduate Student Association, ASUCD Senate pass resolutions calling for concessions from UC President Janet Napolitano

BY K ENTON G OLDS BY campus @ th e a ggi e .o r g

The search for a new UC Davis chancellor continues after the resignation of controversial former chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi this past August. Now, more resignations could be on the way from Brian Riley and Elly Oltersdorf, the graduate and undergraduate representatives of the Chancellor Search Committee.

The resignations of Riley and Oltersdorf became possible when both the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and the ASUCD passed nearly identical resolutions allowing each of the repre-

sentatives to give two weeks notice of resignation if certain concessions were not made by UC President Janet Napolitano.

There were five concessions requested of Napolitano: that she use Robert’s Rules of Order to run meetings and send advance agendas to committee members, that non-committee members not speak unless spoken to by a committee member, that demographics about the candidate pool be released, that she fully explain the purposes of the committee and its subcommittees and that no candidate be considered as a finalist unless approved by the committee.

If either representative were to resign, their places on the search committee would remain vacant for the remainder of the search process.

“The whole point of [Riley] and [Oltersdorf] possibly resigning is that they don’t feel their voic-

es are strong enough in the committee […] but if all the demands are met, they don’t have to resign,” ASUCD President Alex Lee said.

In a response to Lee and Oltersdorf regarding the resolutions, Napolitano assured that the student voices on the panel are valuable.

“It is my hope that both [Riley] and [Oltersdorf] will continue as members of this search advisory committee, especially given the very positive contributions they have made thus far in the process,” Napolitano said in a letter to Lee and Oltersdorf.

Because of the recent election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, Riley does not plan to submit a notice of resignation.

“At the time [the GSA resolution] passed, I was hoping to submit right away,” Riley said. “And then Donald Trump was elected president shortly thereafter. That changed things a little bit. […] My undergraduate counterpart, Elly Oltersdorf, pointed out to me that we should proceed carefully on this and not jump into anything without thinking it through carefully.”

According to Katrina Brock, GSA chair, Riley is only allowed to resign if the concessions listed in their resolution are not met.

“Brian Riley is authorized to resign only if President Napolitano is unwilling to implement basic procedural rules of a deliberative body and give the committee some authority over the search process,” Brock said via e-mail. “It doesn’t help graduate students to have a graduate student on the committee if their presence there is purely symbolic.”

Riley echoed this sentiment of symbolic presence, elaborating further that his and Oltersdorf ’s resignation would be a symbolic withdrawal of the student body from the chancellor search.

“That was part of the purpose [of resigning],”

host the Children’s Candlelight Parade portion, which is how that whole evening starts.”

The candlelight parade winds through Downtown Davis, past decorated storefront windows garnished for the Christmas holiday.

“It’s this super sweet Davis event, and every business downtown participates in some sort of fun way, and one of the things we love about it is it’s not a commercial way for us to feel festive,” Harvey said.

Since the final destination of the parade is the tree lighting, Davis residents can just follow the halo of light and chatter of children as they make their way downtown.

“Walkers, strollers, wagons and bicycles are welcome and festive holiday lighting on parade entries is encouraged,” Bowen said in a press release.

“It’s an opportunity for people of all ages to spend a festive evening in downtown Davis as we prepare for the upcoming holiday season — you won’t want to miss it,” Frerichs said.

For more information about the Davis Downtown Holiday Opening and Tree Lighting event, contact the City of Davis City Manager’s Office at (530) 757-5602.

Riley said. “It wouldn’t just be a person that was resigning — it would be basically the entire GSA. And with both of us resigning, [Oltersdorf and myself], it would be practically the entire student body.”

In its list of requested concessions for Napolitano, the GSA asked that non-committee members be barred from participating in Chancellor Search Committee meetings except when committee members asked them for information.

“Talking in a general sense, a person who is not a member of a deliberative body does not have standing within that body,” Riley said. “We are talking about guests or staff members, things of that sort […] you’re courting a severe breakdown in procedure when non-committee members are given a free hand, speaking generally.”

Lee is concerned by the seeming imbalance of power on the search committee.

“I have other concerns about the inherent placement of power, where faculty get five [seats on the panel] and they see the nominees earlier on, so you see their preferences more strongly,” Lee said. “[…]

The process itself lends the faculty more power in this process.That’s not me saying the faculty are bad or anything, it’s just the way the process is laid out.”

However, Lee appreciates the variety of voices present on the panel.

“I definitely appreciate the collection of campus constituents,” Lee said. “You’ve got the Academic Senate, faculty, undergrads and grads recognized by their respective associations, then you have the alumni association and the staff [...] I also like that, and this is not a shared opinion by everyone, but I like that the faculty aren’t 100 percent from Davis — that this is a UC-wide search.”

Oltersdorf did not respond to interview requests for this story.

HANNAH LEE / AGGIE

POLICE LOGS Another week of ‘why did people call the police about this nonsense?’

THE COLLECTIVE EFFORT FOR INDIVIDUAL WELL-BEING

LUCY KNOWLES / AGGIE FILE

Students, faculty aim to promote wellness

BY H ANNAH H O LZ E R f ea tures @thea g g ie.org

BY SAM SOLO M O N c i ty @ th e a ggi e .o r g

Nov. 20 “Hydraulic lift parked across from RP’s res, RP feels it’s sticking too far out on the roadway” Nov. 21 “Male talking to himself about conspiracies” Nov. 22 “[Subjects] charging devices on the city electrical outlet” Nov. 23 “Foliage blocking the roadway”

Nov. 23 “Rat wounded after hitting trap, not dead, thrashing around, req. assistance” Nov. 26 “Turkey wandering in the area, not aggressive” Nov. 26 “Subjects throwing eggs from the top of the structure — hit the front door and several guests”

Chemistry professor Andreas Toupadakis makes sure to ask the 400-plus students in his lectures questions which allow him to learn more about them. His questions range from whether they would prefer that he upload homework assignments online to whether they know about the Reflection Room in the Student Community Center.

With a passion for helping others, Toupadakis’ name has become associated with his genuine care for the well-being of his students. Although he loves teaching chemistry courses, Toupadakis said teaching first-year seminars about student success and wellness is what keeps him at UC Davis.

“I had a driving force inside me to really see people happy,” Toupadakis said. “For years I [have been] teaching two seminars [that] are very, very successful; the comments are extremely positive. I’m acting like a catalyst to bring [students] together, [to] talk to each other [and] help them navigate through the things that they’re going through. I’m

very thankful for these programs.”

Toupadakis teaches two first-year seminars: From Self Awareness to Inner Growth for True Success in and After College as well as World Music as a Means to Embrace Diversity and Reach Self-Discovery. In addition to the resources offered through the university, such as the Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC), faculty members and students alike are pioneering new efforts to promote student well-being.

Sylvia Sensiper, the director of the Guardian Professions Program, which helps former foster youth throughout California go to graduate school, also teaches two first-year seminars.

“The Science of Well-being [seminar] looks at meditation [and] gratitude, and we also do a physical practice — sometimes it’s tai-chi sometimes it’s yoga — to look at how that keeps people centered in their mind [and] body in a holistic way,” Sensiper said. “[The seminar on] Contemporary American Buddhism is more like a cultural, historical look at different traditions, and we [engage in] different meditative practices.”

Sensiper said that maintaining stability is essential to achieving personal stability.

“Well-being is the ability to remain stable and flexible in the face of endless change, because there are very many things that are not in your control,” Sensiper said.

“We’re all in the midst of a flux of change, and just knowing the resources on campus, knowing when you need to ask for help, knowing when you can just settle down and sit with something and let it go — that’s well-being.”

This personal and external awareness is relevant in the videos Sarv (aka Sodid) Mithaqiyan, a fourth-year philosophy major, creates for his YouTube channel Elevated & Meaningful. Mithaqiyan asks random passerbys meaningful questions, such as “What is Human Nature?” to build awareness about the community, society and ourselves.

“I try to raise the kind of questions that [explore] the kind of knowledge about who we are as human beings,” Mithaqiyan said.

“There [needs to be a] catalyst to start the process of talking about things that matter, things that do contribute to well-being — either spiritual or mental or physical. I’m trying to show that people are capable of doing more than they can imagine. We can do more [and] we can construct a more meaningful life if we have higher goals.”

Mithaqiyan has joined a group of students on campus who attempt to engage classmates by offering a constructive, open dialogue. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) club at UC Davis focuses mainly on eliminating the stigmas surrounding mental illness and aims to providing a safe space for students to talk freely. Kim Shuster, a fourth-year psychology major who serves as the speaker coordinator for NAMI, said mental health is at LIFE CURVE on PAGE 5

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 | 3

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Where does the money go?

HANNAH LEE / AGGIE

Breaking down the difference between tuition, Student Services Fees, campus-based fees

BY MARLYS JE ANE f ea tures @thea g g ie.org

University of California (UC) students are not so different from one another; whether attending school in Davis, Berkeley or LA, all UC students pay a baseline cost for education. Tuition, along with the Student Services Fee (SSF), is set by the UC Regents and is the same across all campuses.

California residents pay an annual fee of $11,220 in tuition to attend a UC school as undergraduate students. This amounts to 80 percent of the annual fees of attending UC Davis for California residents. The remaining 20 percent is comprised of the SSF — set at $1,074 — along with a number of campus-based fees that vary at each UC institution.

As a public university, all UC’s are also state-supported. Sarah Mangum, the director of Academic Budget and Policy, pointed out that funding from the State of California to the UC system as a share

of the universities’ budgets has decreased over the past decade.

“There [were] big cuts about five years ago,” Mangum said in an e-mail interview. “For example, in 2007-2008, state funds made up 17 percent of our total revenue, now they are 9 percent.”

Tuition and state funds make up the pool of money that goes toward the university’s educational mission, supporting teaching, public service and research.

Examples of this instructional support include faculty salary and benefits, teaching assistants and readers, as well as classroom infrastructure such as audio-visual equipment.

“There’s an Office of the President policy called Return-to-Aid,” Mangum said. “Approximately 30 percent of all tuition for undergraduates goes right back into financial aid. The rest of [tuition] goes toward supporting the cost of teaching.”

Return-to-Aid is governed by policies of the UC Office of the President and

the UC Board of Regents and is applied to tuition on all UC campuses. At UC Davis, most student fees have a Returnto-Aid component.

Non-academic services are funded by the SSF. These services support students through activities like counseling, advising and tutoring. A small portion of the SSF, $61 per student, funds mental health services.

Campus-based fees are the services students pay for besides tuition and the SSF. This includes the ASUCD, Memorial Union, Facilities and Campus Enhancement (FACE), Campus Expansion Initiative (CEI), Student Services Maintenance/Student Activities and Services Initiative (SASI), Student Facilities Safety, Student Services Health (not to be confused with the SSF mental health fee), Unitrans, the Green Initiative Fund (TGIF) and The California Aggie Fees, totalling $1,753.

FEES on PAGE 5

Bike Campaign offers bicycles to those who cannot afford them NICKI PADAR / AGGIE FILE

BY R AUL C AST EL L ANOS J R . ci ty@ th ea ggi e .o r g

Davis, California — home to thousands of cyclists and bicycles. It is the city that introduced bike lanes to our country, and it is often referred to as “The Bicycle Capital of the U.S.” The Davis city logo proudly features a penny-farthing, 98 percent of its streets have some sort of bicycle provision and navigating a bike circle for the first time is a rite of passage for incoming UC Davis students.

Judging by all of this, you might

Chess

imagine that everyone in Davis and all UC Davis students like bicycles — but that is not the case. According to the recently released 2015 to 2016 UC Davis Campus Travel Survey, only 45.3 percent of UC Davis students bike to class. Commuting to campus from out of town contributes significantly to the amount of students who don’t bike, but some simply do not like bicycles. Sarah McBride, a third-year psychology major, does not enjoy biking around campus. “I liked [bicycles] a lot when I was younger, but I don’t really like riding them around Davis […] there are so many bike riders

Black to move. Mate in two. Two solutions to the puzzle. The white pieces are moving up and black is heading down.

Sudoku

Volunteer program distributes bicycles, aims to foster positive biking experiences here that it’s not an enjoyable experience anymore,” McBride said.

Brett Stults, a third-year English major, cites a general lack of awareness for the rules of biking as a reason he does not bike. “[Bikes are] vehicles, so they have to stop at stop signs, they have to ride in the correct direction of traffic, they have to not ride on sidewalks. That’s a big pet peeve of mine. It’s a sidewalk, not a sidebike,” Stults said. “I think that if you’re going to do it, you need to do it with proper respect for all those who are involved.”

Maria Contreras Tebbutt, a local biking advocate, believes that training and guidance can go a long way for those who don’t like biking. She aims to help more residents and students have positive experiences with biking through her nonprofit volunteer project, the Bike Campaign. The Bike Campaign provides bicycles to those who cannot afford them, holds bike clinics, provides bike training for riders of all ages and runs a bicycle garage in Woodland where you

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.

can have your bicycle repaired by volunteer mechanics or learn how to work on bicycles yourself. The overall goal of the Bike Campaign is to build appreciation for bicycles.

“Riding a bike was not on your SAT, nor is it in your DNA,” Tebbutt said.

“So, you need people to guide the way for you. To share information with you.

You’re not going to find it on the Internet, because it’s something that you physically do. Every situation is different, every bicycle is different, every rider is different. And finding all those pieces that come together so you have bliss, that’s what we’re aiming for.”

Tebbutt has been passionate about biking since the age of 12 and does everything she can to share her passion with the community. She believes biking is not only a useful alternative to driving, but a lifestyle with great community and health benefits.

“I would wish for more people to be able to enjoy what we enjoy in Davis, which is a lifestyle,” Tebbutt said.

“I think [biking] causes us to care more

Students walk out of classes to protest potential tuition hikes

deeply about the people around us, our environment, I think bike riders just have that opportunity to be much more aware, much more alive and alert and, you know, tuned into what’s going on around them. […] It’s way better than taking a multivitamin. It helps support your health.”

The Bike Campaign restores abandoned bicycles and donates them to those who cannot afford to buy a bike on their own.

“If we can harvest [abandoned bicycles], restore them, and then present them to somebody with some basic bike appreciation information so that they have a great experience, I’d like to do it a thousand times over every year,” Tebbutt said.

Tebbutt encourages anyone who would like help getting into biking to contact her. She may be reached from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (530) 753-1125, or via e-mail at funmaria@sbcglobal.net.

General information about the Bike Campaign can be found at its website, https://thebikecampaign.com.

BRIANA NGO / AGGIE

Students respond to termination of UC tuition freeze

BY J EANNA TOTAH c ampus@t he aggie . org

ANSWERS TO PREVIOUS PUZZLES

On Monday Nov. 21, approximately 30 students gathered at the Memorial Union and marched through the Coffee House to Mrak Hall from 12 to 1 p.m. to protest potential UC tuition hikes.

The protest, which was advertised in a Facebook event for UC Davis students, was inspired by the UCSB Student Activist Network’s own tuition protest.

“Two years ago, the UC tried to increase tuition across the board [by 5 percent] every year for the following five years,” the Santa Barbara Student Activist Network stated on Facebook. “After students mobilized, the UC instituted a tuition freeze for in-state, undergraduate students. That tuition freeze is now over, which means it’s time, once again, to mobilize.”

The UCSB Student Activist Network called for UC students to get involved in the tuition hike protests.

“We need to show the UC administration that students will not settle for another partial tuition freeze, but demand a rollback on tuition,” the UCSB Student Activist Network said. “The UC Administration, the UC Regents and the State of California need to prove that they prioritize students by addressing the structural problems faced when funding the UC.” UC Davis students participated in the walk-out with chants such as “Hey hey UCD, no more tuition fees,” “Education is a right, and so we’re gonna fight” and “Hey hey, ho ho, tuition hikes have got to go.”

First-year environmental science major

Dexter Hampton believes that the tuition surges are absu`rd, especially since he is already paying a significantly higher amount as an out-of-state student.

“I came here from Ohio and what do I get? $40,000 a year in tuition,” Hampton said. “I’m going to be in debt the rest of my life trying to fix the problems that these bastards are creating.”

Once the protesters made it to Mrak Hall, students spoke to the group about how administrators have immense salaries while students work hard to afford college. They chanted: “Hey hey UCD, cut those admin salaries” and “Your paychecks are big, your brains are small, your ivory tower soon will fall.”

Matthew Bridges, a third-year transfer ecologic management and restoration major, suggested writing a letter to campus administrators informing them of student frustrations regarding inflated tuition rates.

“I’m here because I don’t think the university should be increasing tuition when there’s a lot of other inefficiencies in the system that could be cut,” Bridges said. “The students shouldn’t be the ones who are taking that burden, especially if they have to take on debt.”

Bridges said that although the protest was not well-organized and had an unclear message, it is important for all students to express their opinion on the tuition issue.

“The fact that we made our presence [known] and there were high-level people walking around [Mrak Hall], to see us [...] was effective,” Bridges said.

Students who participated in the walk-out plan to protest in the future to ensure that their voices are heard.

4 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

The more, the merrier

NICKI PADAR / AGGIE

Looking at benefits of group studying

BY JEN N I E C HA N G featu res@ th e a ggi e .o r g

With final exams approaching, many students will spend the next several days reviewing a whole quarter’s worth of notes and assignments — but studying so much material in such a short amount of time can be a daunting thought. What are some of the most effective methods to prepare for this five-day period of testing?

According to many students, it helps to find a study group.

Phi Sigma Pi, a national co-ed honors fraternity, provides group studying opportunities for its members, aligning with the fraternity’s mission to promote both academics and community.

“We have a tripod of scholarship, fellowship and leadership, and everything we do centers around this tripod,” said Ricky Nguyen, a fifth-year psychology and communication double major and

president of Phi Sigma Pi. “We have study sessions to make sure that besides fraternity work, our members have the opportunity to sit down and actually study.”

About once a week, Phi Sigma Pi hosts library hours in which both initiates and fraternity members meet at Shields Library to study as a group. Each mandatory study session lasts from two to three hours, and allows members to connect with one another while also completing schoolwork.

“The purpose of [library hours] is to [let] the initiates have the time one day a week to catch up with their work,” said Inge Chandra, a fourth-year chemistry major and initiate advisor of Phi Sigma Pi. “At the same time, brothers come [...] to get to know the initiates better, [and] also to have a study space where they don’t have to study alone.”

Having the opportunity to casually converse with other students during

group sessions can actually be beneficial to the study process, serving as a way to relax the mind and take short breaks between long periods of hard work.

“The social aspect helps you study, helps with your cognitive processes and helps take your mind off stress,” Nguyen said. “[During library hours], after half an hour or 45 minutes [of studying] and you feel fatigued, you can chat with your brothers. It’s something to take your mind off of studies, and you can’t do that in your room studying alone. You can come back to studying afterwards, and it’s very effective.”

Moreover, a study group can provide a productive environment that encourages students to stay focused on their schoolwork.

“I like to surround myself with other people studying,” Chandra said. “If I see them studying and I’m not doing anything, I [think], ‘They’re not going

NoDAPL protest erupts in downtown Davis

to talk to me; might as well study right now.’ Even if we’re studying for different things, having other people there in general can motivate you.”

The Student Academic Success Center (SASC) also provides group studying opportunities through its tutoring programs. SASC includes three departments: the main center in South Hall, the Transfer, Re-entry and Veterans Center in Dutton Hall and the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) at the EOP Cottage.

In South Hall, SASC offers drop-in tutoring in various subjects, including chemistry, business and math. During these sessions, students can work together as a group along with a tutor, which some tutors view as an effective learning strategy.

“I think it’s helpful on an emotional standpoint because if you feel you’re alone in the class struggling, it can be really discouraging,” said Lindsey Phillips, a second-year psychology major and calculus tutor. “If you come in here and [think], ‘these people are stuck on the same problems as me [and] I’m not alone in this,’ and then you try and solve it together, you’re way more inclined to want to succeed than to just give up on your homework.”

Students attending the same tutoring sessions can also explain and clarify concepts for one another.

“When we are working with multiple students on the same problem, if one student starts to get it, they can see where the other students are starting to struggle and explain it to them,” said Tristan Bond, a third-year mechanical engineering major and calculus tutor. “It’s great to have somebody who is on the same level seeing where their peers are struggling that maybe I, as a tutor, can’t always see for every student.”

Although studying in groups often proves to be beneficial, it is not always the best method. Some students prefer individual studying, with a quieter environment that allows better concentra-

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tion. Students should experience both to determine what works best for them.

“My perspective as a student is different from my perspective as a tutor,” said Laurel Koch, a third-year genetics and genomics major and calculus tutor.

“I like to study by myself because usually the problem for me isn’t getting the information, it’s mastering it, and when I’m by myself I can really focus on where my flaws are. I’m in BIS 103 and it’s a lot of memorization — studying groups [are] not going to help you there.”

Students can learn about other effective study habits and strategies in the SASC’s study skills workshops, which are also offered at its South Hall location.

“There [are workshops for] time management, success strategies, how to actively read, how to manage test anxiety, how to take tests and things like that,” said Sarah Mayorga, a second-year political science major and receptionist at SASC in South Hall. “When students go to the workshops, for first-years, it really eases them into the college transition.

And even for students who have been here for a little while and are still trying to figure out how to take notes or how to take tests properly, it makes them more confident in their schoolwork.”

Finals week can be one of the busiest times of the quarter, and students will use a wide variety of study techniques over the next few days to prepare for their exams. Whether studying in groups or individually, re-reading textbooks or completing practice problems, techniques vary from student to student. For some students, group studying will be an efficient technique, not only providing company and support during a stressful time of the year, but also positively influencing academic performance. “[Some] feel that joining organizations, [...] fraternities or social groups takes time off studying,” Nguyen said. “I would say that is not true. My fraternity helps me study more than I could ever have [if I were] by myself.”

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas in Old Sacramento

Live-action retelling of Christmas poem promises to bring holiday spirit

BY SAMANTHA SOLOMON city@thea g gie . org

Students, activists call for solidarity with Standing Rock

BY SAM A N T HA SO LO MO N ci ty@th ea ggi e .o r g

As blue and red police lights wailed through the air in downtown Davis, dozens laid at the intersection of 2nd Street in Downtown Davis in protest.

Chants calling for action against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) invaded the unsettling stillness of the bodies. Thus, on Nov. 21, Davis became one of many cities across the country to support with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

Water is sacred; water is life — this is the repeated phrase of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota, which for months has adamantly protested the installation of an oil pipeline. The tribe claims that the pipeline not only violates native land rights, but that it also threatens the local drinking water supply.

The pipeline itself is planned to run across four states, but it is the part of the pipeline’s journey across the Missouri River in particular that has caused protests to erupt across the country.

Francisco Ferraya, a third-year transfer community and regional development major and organizer of the downtown Davis NoDAPL protest, argued that the DAPL is not just a matter of access to clean drinking water, but an issue of civil rights for Native Americans. “[This pipeline] represents more than just another fossil fuel contract,” Ferraya said. “This is really the culmination of 500 years of cultural genocide and historical erasure. It’s the most important battle right now, I think, against capitalism, against American imperialism and against fossil fuels.”

The DAPL was previously planned to be routed just north of Bismarck, N.D. but was rerouted after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deemed its planned location a potential contaminant to Bismarck’s water supply.

Now, Standing Rock faces a similar dilemma, but with a different response. “[The protesters] were attacked [a few] nights

ago, with a super high-powered hose in like, 20-degree weather, and pepper spray and mace,” Ferraya said.

Ferraya is no stranger to the violence surrounding NoDAPL protests, having recently been to North Dakota to join the Standing Rock tribe.

“I went about a week after the video surfaced where the water protectors were attacked by dogs,” Ferraya said. “It was really powerful because folks were there just days after the dogs had attacked them, so I saw the wounds with my own eyes.”

The protest in downtown Davis was one of many across the country, including a recent protest in Sacramento.

According to the official Stand with Standing Rock website, “The Oceti Sakowin Camp represents a first of its kind historic gathering of Indigenous Nations. The most recent such assembly of Tribes occurred when the Great Sioux Nation gathered before the Battle at the Little Big Horn.”

Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the company in charge of the development and implementation of the DAPL, recently engaged in a merger with Sunoco Logistics, another pipeline operating company.

ETP is anxious to carry on with the project.

“Dakota Access has been waiting long enough to complete this pipeline,” said Kelcy Warren, the chief executive officer of ETP, in a previous interview.

Davis City Council previously passed a resolution stating that it supports Standing Rock. Resolution 16-XXX, Series 2016 cites both the environmental tragedy that such a pipeline would pose and the adverse effects the pipeline would pose on the Standing Rock Sioux tribe: “Now, therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Davis, stands in support of the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline process and project and calls on all residents of Davis to raise awareness about this important struggle for Indigenous sovereignty and environmental justice and to support the Sacred Stones Camp’s efforts.”

Celebrate the holidays 19th century style at Old Sacramento’s Theatre of Lights, an annual menagerie of lights, carolers and a live-action version of Clement Clarke Moore’s classic Christmas poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”.

The Theatre of Lights runs Thursday through Sunday evenings, with 20 minute performances at 6:15 and 7:45, followed by about 35 minutes of Christmas caroling.

According to the Old Sacramento website, “The live-action retelling of Moore’s 1823 poem — ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas,’ more popularly known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ — promises to be bigger and better than ever.”

Visitors can witness the retelling on K and Front Streets, as it is performed from the balconies and facades of Old Sacramento buildings. All around the audience, sounds of fires, floods and parties emulate the atmosphere of Sacramento in the 1850s.

“It’s a tradition, you know, there’s nothing else,” said Brooksie Hughes, Old Sacramento District director. “If you come down and see it, it’s a great family tradition and the kids absolutely love it. It is in the center of the street on K Street, so there’s not

often times when you just get to stand and really experience Old Sacramento in the round.”

The event was created by Troy Carlson from Stage Nine Exhibitions, and is sponsored by Macy’s in downtown Sacramento.

According to Stage Nine Exhibitions website, “Theatre of Lights is at the center of Old Sacramento’s complete holiday experience — from shopping and celebrating to giving to loved ones and to charity.”

The Theatre of Lights features the work of several local Sacramento businesses: Associated Sound and Skywalker Sound, Sacramento Theatrical Lighting and Emmy-nominated voice actor Bill Farmer, the voice of Disney’s Goofy.

“We designed the lighting for the show, and we control all of the lighting, all of the garland, and everything up and down the streets,” said Steve Odehnal, the special project manager for Sacramento Theatrical Lighting.

Since the event’s inception eight years ago, Sacramento Theatrical Lighting has designed and controlled the lighting. The company has had to learn and grow, with each year’s show just as bright and colorful as the last.

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to its support, now more than ever, of ethnic studies departments, the humanities and courses that challenge bigotry, racial discrimination and white supremacy.”

Zoila Mendoza, chair of the Department of Native American Studies and one of the faculty members who signed the letter, believes that all UC schools should be declared sanctuaries after the presidential election.

“We need to fight to protect the many students who have come under direct threat because of their national origin, race, religion, ethnicity and gender identity,” Mendoza said. “Paradoxically, the descendants of the original inhabitants of this land and of other indigenous groups of the Americas who populate this country and the state of California, are among those most threatened by the policies that the incoming government is planning to implement.”

In letters to Napolitano, California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White, California Community Colleges Interim Chancellor Erik E. Skinner and California Lieutenant Governor and University of California Regent Gavin Newsom asked for UC,

CSU and California community colleges to become sanctuary campuses.

“Estimates on the number of undocumented dangerous felons are significantly fewer than the three million Mr. Trump has declared he’ll deport,” Newsom said in the letters. “Therefore, if Mr. Trump’s three million goal is to be achieved, that could likely include many law-abiding and promising students within California’s public higher education systems.

We have both a moral and economic imperative to protect our students — the future workforce and families of California — from Mr. Trump’s stated intentions.”

Newsom also called for the UC, CSU and California community colleges police and officials to review protocol for interactions with immigration enforcement, as well as commit to not sharing personal student information with the government.

“We must do all we can to protect the well-being and the educational opportunities of these students and educate the public so that white supremacist ideologies and the actions that result from them do not hurt our students,” Mendoza said.

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the heart of well-being.

“When I first started my psychology major, I thought that mental health [was] more important than physical health,” Schuster said. “But the longer I’ve been here, I’ve started to realize there’s a lot of intersections. It’s hard to be mentally well if you’re not physically well. [It’s] so important to have a holistic [health].”

The promotion of holistic health is at the crux of the efforts of the Naturopathic Medicine Club (NMC), a student club started this quarter. Naturopathic medicine is a branch of medicine which stresses alternative forms of treatment and emphasizes patients’ individual needs to find the most effective solutions for them.

“Instead of [just] prescribing someone medicine, [naturopathy tries] to focus more on [the patient] as a whole,” said Talha Kilic, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and public relations official for NMC. “Whether it’s mental health [...] meditation [or] acupuncture, [the focus is on] soothing you as a whole. As a holistic health [club], we’re able to touch on a lot of different areas.”

Kilic said that the NMC is planning to bring in different professionals from the naturopathic medical field as well as from alternative treatment processes, such as Chinese acupuncturists.

Similarly, both Toupadakis and Sensiper utilize meditation in their seminars to lower stress levels, as it is a practice that is becoming more popular and more secular. Toupadakis said he hires a professional to come to both of his first-year seminars every quarter to lead yoga meditation for two hours. Sensiper requires her students to observe the effects of meditation and other soothing activities, such as writing in a gratitude journal, on students.

“My goals are for them to discover on their own what they can [learn] about these practices, [as]

meditation is [an] internal [reflection]” Sensiper said. “Anything I teach externally is not really going to be helpful to anybody until they internalize it and find some benefit for themselves.”

Mithaqiyan, who said he wants to promote reflection as well as introspection through his videos, believes that asking questions and starting conversations has the power to create a large ripple effect that could potentially change current cultural climates.

“The kinds of interactions I try to encourage are ones [...] that are directed towards bringing peace, bringing unity and even analyzing what [...] that means,” Mithaqiyan said. “More and more individuals [could be] working together and [...] coming up with, hopefully, the kind of actions we need to come up with that will stop violence, stop arrogance, stop disunity and hatred and racism.”

Toupadakis also focuses on opening up the dialogue on mental health as well as decreasing stress and anxiety amongst students. Toupadakis said that faculty have a responsibility to reach out to their students. He was recently given the UC Promoting Student Mental Health Guide meant for all faculty and staff and said he finds it incredibly useful.

“I wish I was given this guide years ago,” Toupadakis said. “I truly believe every subject teacher should be equally [if not] more devoted to the well-being of the students [and] this is the guide that could do it. The final solution [is to] cultivate compassion.”

Furthermore, both Sensiper and Toupadakis feel that requiring each first-year student to take a course that deals with topics such as well-being would have a huge impact.

“When [students] come in, there should be required classes about well-being of students,” Toupadakis said. “Your peace and health is more important than anything else.”

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The CoHo Swirlz, Ciao and Marketplace hours will remain the same during finals, but the dining area hours will be extended so that students can study there. Rooms throughout the Memorial Union

will also be available to students.

For more information about study spaces and finals week hours, visit the UC Davis student life website.

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Nearly all of these fees were approved by student leadership and votes. The student fee initiative process at UC Davis is overseen by The Council on Student Affairs and Fees (COSAF), which follows a guide when reviewing the creation of a student fee initiative. After endorsement by COSAF, the student body votes during Winter Quarter ASUCD elections. If approved, the initiative is reviewed by the vice chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, the UC Davis budget officer and finally the UC Davis chancellor. It ultimately reaches the UC Office of the President, where final approval is granted by the Office of the Regents.

Essentially, passing a student referendum on fees is an extensive and time-consuming process.

“A lot of misconception about the COSAF council is that we change student fees, which is not what we do at all,” said Madeline Garcia, a fourth year political science major and co-chair of COSAF. “COSAF [...] decide[s] for the three fees that have an inflationary index whether or not to apply a consumer price index adjustment. [If COSAF recommends to the chancellor that CPI be applied] then [that will] make the purchasing power from last year the same this year [to] keep [the] programming going. The chancellor has never gone against what [COSAF] suggests. [An initiative without] a CPI adjustment has less money to spend, but [COSAF is] not taking away money.”

The three fees COSAF annually reviews are those that lack a sunset clause, which means there is no set limit to these student fees. FACE, CEI and SASI have an inflammatory index and were all passed with the ability to increase with inflation. It is the role of COSAF to maintain the integrity of student’s interests and desires throughout the duration of these initiatives. Another entity responsible for the checks and balances of student fees is ASUCD. “[ASUCD represents] every student, and I’m sure there are many departments saying ‘How are my dollars being spent?’’ said Greg Ortiz, ASUCD advisor to the Athletics and Administrative Adviso-

ry Committees. “[ASUCD is] making sure that if there’s money involved, [it’s being] used well.”

Understanding the sources and allocation of money on campus becomes even more nuanced with the consideration of increased enrollment. It seems as though the services paid for by student fees should benefit from increased enrollment, but that is not always the case.

“The most counterintuitive thing about higher education increased enrollment right now is that, even though there are more people coming and paying fees, [our] level of service is going backwards — it’s declining,” said ASUCD President Alex Lee. An example of this is Unitrans, a service sewn in the fabric of Davis culture since 1968. Unitrans has multiple revenue sources, receiving about $99 from each student per year through CEI, ASUCD and its own exclusive Unitrans fee. This amounts to $2.7 million from student fees. The rest of its $5 million budget comes from a combination of grant funds from the City of Davis, federal funds, sales tax and miscellaneous revenue like bus fares from non-student riders.

With more students comes more money, so why is Unitrans already digging into its reserves?

Despite what sounds like a large income, the state’s unprecedented and rapid increase of the minimum wage is causing the bus service to rely on every penny of its funds. Unitrans has the third largest ridership in the California, and students are beginning to notice that some routes are becoming increasingly impacted. More riders means more service and, therefore, costs more money to meet demand. The task now is to find an equitable option for students in order to keep such a valuable service.

“And that’s the thing,” said Anthony Palmere, general manager of Unitrans. “At some point you don’t know what’s the straw that’s too much to know so that you’ve kind of drawn the line. [Unitrans] certainly recognizes there’s a limit, and that’s why we’re trying to have the conversations early to know [how] we can keep the service going.”

THEATRE OF LIGHTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

“You really get a chance to see these buildings lit up. They’re decorated in a way that we don’t do any other time of the year. The main reason, for me, to go, is the lighting part of this. I love that! And for the kids, of course, [it’s] Santa,” Hughes said.

This year, there even more lights than usual to brighten the cobblestoned streets of Old Sacramento, and viewers can witness one notable change to program: Jack Frost. Coordinators en-

courage guests to keep an eye out for this whimsical character.

After the production, attendees can shop or eat in the area, or just enjoy the 19th century holiday atmosphere.

“It’s a family friendly, free event that brings you down to Old Sacramento,” Odehnal said.

Find out more about the Theatre of Lights at the Old Sacramento website: http://oldsacramento.com/special-events/theatre-of-lights.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

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NEANDERTHAL GENES SURVIVE IN MODERN HUMANS UC Davis researchers believe population size has driven natural selection in neanderthal, human hybrids

BY A BI G A I L SA E NZ s ci en c e@ th e a ggi e .o r g

Nearly 40,000 years ago, neanderthals ceased to exist. Today, only a small fraction of their genes can be found in modern humans.

Previous studies hypothesized that a diminishing prevalence of neanderthal allele variants could be attributed to a genetic incompatibility between neanderthals and humans. That is, upon interbreeding, neanderthals and humans were not capable of producing an evolutionarily fit hybrid offspring.

However, researchers at UC Davis have conducted a study that suggests otherwise.

“Our goal was to find out what could explain the observed level of neanderthal ancestry in the genomes of modern humans,” said Simon Aeschbacher, a postdoctoral student who spent two-anda-half years at UC Davis. “Previous studies have found that a certain percentage of our genomes is derived from neanderthals. It’s between one and four percent. Some people have more, some have less.”

In an effort to discover what caused the observed patterns of neanderthal genes in modern humans, Aeschbacher and a group of researchers relied on previous work that uncovered the sequence of the human genome. Upon recovery and sequencing of neanderthal DNA from Europe and Asia, the group of researchers at UC Davis were able to compare the sequences of neanderthal DNA with that of modern humans to see what pieces of the neanderthal DNA remained.

“Our explanation for why we see what we see, in terms of neanderthal ancestry in humans, is that differences in population size drove natural selection in neanderthal and human hybrids,” said Graham Coop, a professor in the UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology.

Variations in population size can cause natural selection to act differently. Natural selection acts more efficiently in larger populations where more variation exists.

In smaller populations where individuals are more genetically similar, it takes much longer for natural selection to eliminate an unfavorable variation of an allele.

“When you have a small population, basically everyone is related to each other. This means that if someone has something that is slightly deleterious, then it’s highly likely that the others in the population will also have this bad allele just because they are all related,” said Ivan Juric, a population geneticist who previously worked with Coop and Aeschbacher. “Basically, it’s harder to remove this slightly deleterious allele from a smaller population.

When you have a larger population, individuals are less related to each other. Because of that, they’re less similar. This allows for selection to be more efficient in removing these deleterious alleles.”

Under Pressure

Natural selection works in a way that attempts to conserve the functions of the human genome. In regions of the genome where selection is very strong, a smaller quantity of neanderthal DNA will be found.

In small neanderthal populations, certain alleles were able to persist due to individuals in the population being genetically similar.

However, when these neanderthal alleles were introduced into much larger human populations through hybridization, a type of purifying selection worked to efficiently remove these deleterious alleles in order to conserve the functions of the human genome.

It is important to note that not all neanderthal alleles are intrinsically deleterious or incompatible with those of humans. Really, the elimination of neanderthal alleles upon hybridization was due to differences in population size. If neanderthal populations had been larger, it is very likely that we would possess more of the allele variants they possessed.

“So, if the neanderthal population had been larger, selection in that population would be more efficient, so you would have fewer bad alleles. At the time of hybridization, fewer of these bad alleles would come into humans. If something is not deleterious, then it takes longer to be selected against,” Juric said.

Based off of the research they conducted, Coop and his team of researchers are now able to predict the future of neanderthal genes in the human genome.

“Our research would suggest that they [neanderthal allele variants] would further decrease in future generations,” Aeschbacher said. “The process would be very gradual, but our research predicts that neanderthal DNA will continue to be removed from the human genome.”

ALEXA FO NTANI LLA / AGGI E

NEW VIOLENT COLLISION THEORY ON THE CREATION OF THE MOON

UC DAVIS PROFESSOR COINS NEW THEORY THAT ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MOON TAC S E N S E , I N C . / CO U RT E SY

Woodland tech startup works on developing world’s most sensitive pressure sensor

BY EMM A SA D LOWS K I s ci en ce@ th e a ggi e .o r g

TacSense, Inc., a Woodland technology startup, is currently in the works of perfecting its latest and most advanced product yet — the world’s most sensitive and flexible pressure sensor. With the help of UC Davis alumni and engineering students, the company aims to develop medical devices that will benefit future biomedical advancements.

The company was founded in 2013 by Tingrui Pan, a UC Davis biomedical engineering professor. TacSense operates under two divisions: microfluidics, which is the science of controlling liquids on the micro and nanoliter scale, and sensors.

Many of the company’s ideas and products were brainstormed in Pan’s UC Davis Micro-Nano Innovations (MiNI) Laboratory, including the plans for the world’s most sensitive pressure sensor.

“We’re trying to take some of the really brilliant ideas we came up with in [Pan’s] lab and turn them into commercial products,” said Aaron Cohen, TacSense’s chief technology officer and a UC Davis alumnus.

Pressure sensors are typically found in car passenger seats and control when to set off the airbags of a vehicle. They are also commonly used in the medical industry for compression therapy that helps increase blood circulation in legs.

The product developed in Pan’s MiNI Lab, called a super capacitive pressure sensor, is 1,000 times more sensitive than typical pressure sensors.

“This is a really revolutionary product,” Cohen said. “There aren’t any products like it on the market.”

TacSense employees are continuing to perfect the super-capacitive pressure sensor so that it may soon be available for future public use.

The microfluidics division has also been working on developing an advanced technology to help glaucoma patients.

Glaucoma is caused by a buildup of pressure in the eye that leads to blindness and is currently the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world. The Brown Glaucoma Implant is the microfluidic device intended to ease pressure buildup by draining and expelling any excess pressure from the eye.

“What makes this implant special is that we use advanced technology to prevent the eye from being clogged by excess proteins and to allow the implant to be accepted by the body,” said Ben Bazor, TacSense’s microfluidics division manager and a UC Davis alumnus.

According to Cohen, the device takes only a minute to install and is expected to prevent the development of glaucoma.

Since opening its doors in the summer of 2015, TacSense has hired multiple UC Davis alumni and students passionate about developing technology for biomedical advancements.

Bazor attributes his success at the company to his experience as a UC Davis undergraduate engineering student.

“I feel that taking engineering classes at UC Davis really helped me understand the framework of understanding things quickly in order to keep our projects on a timeline,” Bazor said. “It’s been a lot of work, but it’s also been a lot of fun.”

Undergraduate students have also found ways to get involved with the company and pursue their interests in biomedical engineering.

“My experience at TacSense has made me a lot more interested in pursuing biomedical technology and creating devices,” said Amber Chou, a third-year bioengineering major and the production technician at TacSense. “As a biomedical engineer, I can help people do things directly [with the new technology], and that’s really important to me.”

TacSense hopes to expand its company into China and other eastern markets in the future, while also diversifying their products to include fabric pressure sensors embedded in clothing.

BY ME RAL BASIT s cience@thea g g ie.org

The textbook story of how the moon was made begins with an object the size of Mars clipping the Earth, shattering the foreign object and creating a cloud of rocky material, from which the moon condensed. Despite some prominent concerns, the “Giant Impact Theory” has remained the prevalent theory on the formation of the moon due to lack of alternative hypotheses.

One problem with this theory is that it dictates that the moon should be made out of the material from the object that hit the Earth. However, the moon’s isotopic chemical fingerprint, a diagnostically unique ratio of isotopes of certain chemical elements, is very similar to the Earth’s. Another problem with the theory is that the moon’s orbit is offset 5 degrees from the ecliptic plane, or the plane at which the rest of the solar system orbits.

“If the moon formed by a giant impact, it would have grown from the debris that were initially around the earth’s equator,” said Sarah Stewart, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. “If you calculate what happens to the moon after that, it shouldn’t have any inclination.”

Stewart, along with then-postdoctoral fellow and current scientist at the Science for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Matija Ćuk, and two other researchers, published a paper in Nature which detailed a new theory.

Published in Oct. 2016, the theory explained both the moon’s 5-degree tilt and the similar isotopic fingerprint to Earth.

The theory starts with a high energy, head-on collision between a larger-than-current-day Earth and a celestial body half the size of Mars. The collision combined the foreign body and the Earth, and blew a part of that combined mass into a cloud that ultimately resulted in the modern-day moon.

This mixing and subsequent spewing of combined material explains the almost identical chemical isotopes of the Earth and the moon. The collision also set the Earth rotating at a rate that made days two to three hours long. The degree of rotation was skewed to a 60 to 80-degree angle — as opposed to the current 23-degree angle — which explains the 5-degree tilt of the moon’s orbit. “[We proposed] that the moon formed in the equator around the Earth when it was tilted over,” Stewart said. “During the evolution from that initial condition, two dynamical events happen that straighten up the Earth so that our obliquity is lowered, [which] lowers the inclination of the moon, but not all the way down to zero.”

At its core, the new theory still revolves around a “giant impact,” but the details of the collision, as well as

the things that follow, are drastically different.

This theory answered a lot of questions; however, it also left scientists an oblong Earth with too much angular momentum, causing the earth to rotate more rapidly.

Part of what Stewart and Ćuk were able to show in their paper was how to bring the earth to a 23-degree tilt, while dissipating the some of the angular momentum and maintaining the 5-degree tilt of the moon’s orbit. These feats were achieved with the two dynamical events known as the LaPlace and the Cassini transitions.

Simon Lock is a graduate student in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, as well as a co-author of the paper.

“If the moon starts [at the equatorial plane of the Earth], and the Earth starts on its side, then through something called the LaPlace plane transition, the Earth gets tilted upright, but the moon gets left in a very high inclination orbit,” Lock said. “When there’s a second-state transition which we call the Cassini state transition [...] you damp inclination, and you bring [the moon’s orbit] down to the 5 degrees you see today.”

As for why the two transitions take place, Lock said that they are driven by the search for a stable state.

“There are very stable what we call ‘orbital arrangements’ between the rotation axis of the Earth [and] the orbital axis of the moon,” Lock said. “At a point in the moon’s history, you move from one of these stable configurations to the other; one becomes more preferable than the other.”

Because the LaPlace and the Cassini transition states are integral to the paper’s hypothesis, finding evidence that these transitions took place can further validate the updated theory.

“These events dissipate energy in the moon and the Earth, so they’re heating events, and we can look for the record of heating events in the moon,” Stewart said.

“There are isotopes that imply that the moon had been hot at a time that seemed to be after its date of origin, and it could be that our dynamical transitions are responsible [...] One of the tests for our hypothesis is to look for, in more detail, a fingerprint — that’s a thermal pulse — that occurred during our tidal evolution.”

Dawn Sumner, the chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UC Davis, attests to the significance of narrowing down a theory on the formation of the moon on our understanding of the basic dynamics of the universe.

“Stewart’s research has lots of important scientific implications for the origin of the moon and how it has affected Earth.” Sumner said in an e-mail interview. “It also explains some of the characteristics of the Earthmoon-sun system that people observe on a regular basis.

Stewart’s model explains aspects of our daily life — particularly the length of a day — for the first time.”

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MCCLELLAN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTER: ENERGIZING NEUTRONS, MINDS

LOGAN SIDLE / COURTESY

Electronic voting systems may offer verifiable ballots for the skeptical voter

Center provides undergraduates, researchers unparalleled opportunities

BY LOG A N SI D L E s ci en ce@ th e a ggi e .o r g

With enthusiasm radiating across the causeway, McClellan Nuclear Research Center (MNRC) director Wesley Frey is spearheading an effort to alert UC Davis students of the opportunities that await them.

The center, owned and operated by UC Davis, houses a 2-megawatt reactor located in Sacramento.

Although its initial purpose was centered around using neutron irradiation to detect miniscule flaws in aircraft parts, MNRC’s mission has quickly expanded.

The facility now has an array of uses and users. In addition to academic research, MNRC is frequently host to projects for the US Air Force, which commissioned the facility’s construction back in 1990, as well as NASA and myriad biotech companies.

Frey has grand plans to make the research center more accessible to all students in the UC Davis community. This includes arranging for regular transport to make the 26-mile journey more manageable for busy students.

“You could probably make it on your bike if your life depended on it, but I wouldn’t recommend it,” Frey said.

Additionally, Frey is hoping to get local high school and junior college students involved. UC Davis undergraduates will soon be able to get official federal certification to handle the 2-megawatt reactor through the Nuclear Reactor Operating Program.

UC Davis physics professor Mani Tripathi said the program should be up and running in the summer of 2017 or 2018, giving students a rare opportunity for hands-on research at one of the nation’s leading nuclear facilities.

One of Tripathi’s primary domains has been working toward the search for dark matter. The key to this work is ensuring that the detectors used, for instance, in CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), are made of the purest materials possible.

MNRC allows researchers to perform a technique called neutron activation analysis to further this aim for pure materials.

In neutron activation analysis (NAA), a sample material is exposed to neutrons from the reactor. These neutrons then interact with trace elements, making them radioactive. Researchers can then perform a spectroscopy, analyzing the spectra of light produced by the radiation. As every neutron has its own unique gamma ray signature, the purity of the sample can be found out accordingly.

The center has recently been used to test parts destined for LHC by exposing them to radiation and ensuring that they hold up under the immensely chaotic, high-energy environment they’ll be used in.

“The detector presents a very intense, hostile radiation environment [...] and we have custom electronics that we deploy on the detector, and they can get damaged by that radiation,” Tripathi said.

A LOOK INTO ELECTRONIC VOTING SYSTEMS

To ensure that these critical electronic components can withstand the harsh environment, the researchers put them in the reactor to give them an equivalent dose, taking the components through the radiation cycle to see if they still work, Tripathi said.

While there are other facilities capable of performing NAA and radiation damage studies, the UC Davis center stands apart in other ways. As the third most powerful university-owned reactor, MNRC provides researchers creative latitude.

“You’re able to design experiments [...] where other places you just ship them a sample and they do it for you. We have very good access,” Tripathi said.

Additionally, the UC Davis community offers a rare combination of a nuclear reactor and a high powered cyclotron run by the Crocker Nuclear Lab (CNL) on campus.

“It’s not just uncommon,” Frey said. “As far as I know, there’s only one other university in the country that has this sort of pairing.”

Spencer Hartman, the cyclotron manager at CNL, believes the work the two facilities do is complementary. The cyclotron is yet another tool for evaluating things like radiation damage using external beams of light ions. The two centers are renewing their efforts to work together.

“The two laboratories together cover a very broad multidisciplinary STEM space. Students and researchers can learn about nuclear physics in two real world operating nuclear laboratories,” Hartman said.

MNRC can produce small quantities of radioactive isotopes, which play an immense and wide-ranging role in our society. Over 40 million radiotherapy and nuclear medicine procedures are performed annually, according to the World Nuclear Association.

Uses of radiotherapy range from fighting cancer to sterilizing medical equipment. Such isotopes as iodine-125, used in treatments for prostate cancer and macular degeneration, and copper-64, commonly used in nuclear medicine, fall under the purview of MNRC’s production capabilities.

One of the more surprising applications of nuclear irradiation was the creation of new forms of sushi rice.

This was done at UC Davis back in the 1970s, before the center was around. However, the approach remains popular today. The process, known as plant seed mutagenesis, works by concentrating a high beam of energy (fast neutron irradiation) on a sample of seeds. In this way, food scientists are able to engender beneficial mutations which, when bred over multiple generations, have the potential to increase crop yield.

By sporting such unusual versatility as a research and commercial tool, MNRC is set up to serve students with diverse interests as they make considerations for their post-graduation futures.

“It’s designed so undergraduate students can have some real-world experience before they apply to grad school,” Frey said.

BY DAR I E N BAR NE TT s cience@t he aggie . org

In light of November’s election, questions have arisen regarding the entire electoral process. For the skeptical voter, electronic voting may offer a verifiable system in which voters may ascertain whether their votes were indeed correct.

Electronic voting systems, such as Scantegrity and Helios, make sure that a vote is not only counted, but provide assurance that the vote cast is in congruence with what the voter intended.

At UC Davis, Scantegrity 2 was examined with prying eyes toward the security and vulnerability of such a program, with hopes that bringing these issues to light could aid in the development of future end-to-end voting systems. End-to-end voting refers to a voter’s ability to verify their ballot after casting their vote.

Jonathan Ganz, a graduate student researcher in UC Davis Department of Computer Science and Engineering, worked to understand these security concerns by looking at the source code of the program and running a few simple elections using the Scantegrity 2 software.

Ganz found that there were some security concerns in the ballot system and the possibility for election rigging.

“Probably the most crucial vulnerability is that [in] the method by which one is to verify their vote, there will be random code letters assigned to each option in each vote,” Ganz said. “When I was experimenting with [Scantegrity 2] and analyzing it [I found that] you will not be assigned a letter if you did not vote on that option, so someone could easily determine whether or not you actually voted.

That allows someone to [...] possibly buy your vote [...] and pay you to abstain from voting, and they will know if you abstain from voting by looking up your ballot serial number.”

With regard to election rigging, there were faults that could allow for election officials to skew results by utilizing the configuration file of this software to reverse results. This is only useful if the official is positive that a precinct will vote in a certain way.

“If [officials] know for instance that a certain precinct will vote ‘yes’ on a proposition and they want that proposition to be voted down, they can switch some values and then everyone that voted ‘yes’ will be recorded as ‘no’ and everyone that voted ‘no’ will be recorded as ‘yes’, and they will get the results that they want,” Ganz said. “It relies on their ability to modify that file, and also some knowledge of how the precinct will actually vote.”

Scantegrity 3 is in the works and may aim to address these security concerns as well as future research into different end-to-end voting systems. Security measures are being added to make tampering a much more difficult process; however these new approaches bring up the question of usability.

“Although many [electronic voting systems] are elegant mathematically, and the better ones perhaps well-implemented, [the] usability of these systems is extremely important [in] ensuring that elections are conducted well, as is the trust of the elections,” said Sean Peisert, an associate adjunct professor at UC Davis and staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “Asking the public to understand and trust some sort of black box of cryptography isn’t necessarily an easy sell.”

Concerns with usability were not only explored in the research at UC Davis. Researchers at Rice University in Texas have also been looking at the usability of these end-to-end voting systems and how they might be implemented to be more user-friendly.

“The overall finding [of our research] was that the highly-secure voting systems did present some challenges for voters as they were trying to cast their ballot,” said Phil Kortum, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Rice University. “It was primarily due to people having a difficult time understanding what was expected of them and using some of the additional equipment that was required that wouldn’t be used in a typical election.”

These systems are evolving through dedicated research towards a voter verifiable system. Not only is Scantegrity 3 in the throes of research, but Rice University and Texas’ Travis County are working toward a voting system that addresses potential security concerns while also maintaining an ease of use for the voter. This system is called Secure, Transparent, Auditable and Reliable (STAR) vote.

“The security that’s implemented in STAR vote is different than what was implemented in those three systems, but [...] computer scientists have tried to make sure that the security level is still very, very high, while simultaneously being easy to use,” Kortum said “Preliminary testing, unpublished at this point, is very promising.”

Although these end-to-end voting systems are still under development and in the embrace of research and perfectionism, they show promise for the future of voting and voter security.

NATIONWIDE OPIOID EPIDEMIC HITS UC DAVIS Misuse of prescription opioids causes high mortality rates across the country

BY SH I VA N I KA MA L s ci en ce@ th e a ggi e .o r g

At least half of all opioid overdose deaths involve prescription pain relievers, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Within the past year, the UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) has had a meteoric rise in the number of such fatalities, and the CDC has declared a nationwide opioid overdose epidemic.

Since 1999, the number of deaths involving opioids has more than quadrupled. An estimated 1,000 people per day are treated in emergency departments for misusing prescription opioids, according to the CDC. “The danger really arises due to an acceptance that prescription drugs are okay to take, even if they are not prescribed to you,” said Raeann Davis, Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug (ATOD) health educator at UC Davis in an e-mail interview.

Doctors can prescribe these drugs to treat moderate to severe chronic pain like neck and back pain.

However, serious side effects and health risks are associated with opioids, such as nausea, vomiting and confusion as well as increased sensitivity to pain and depression.

Commonly prescribed opioids include OxyContin, Vicodin and various types of morphine.

“This is very relevant to our students on campus, because young adults (ages 18 to 25) are the biggest abusers of prescription opioid pain relievers,” said Dr. Cindy Schorzman, medical director of Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) in an e-mail interview.

Long-term use can cause increased physical dependence, meaning a person has withdrawal symptoms when they don’t take the medication.

This leads to increased tolerance, in which a person

needs to take a higher dosage of the drug to relieve the same amount of pain.

“Even a single dose of an opioid, especially at a high dose and/or when combined with other substances such as alcohol or benzodiazepines, [psychoactive drugs], can result in death, often from suppressed breathing,” Schorzman said.

An opioid overdose causes heart rate and breathing to slow down, often to a complete stop. Loss of consciousness occurs and blue lips and nails may result from insufficient oxygen in the blood. Other symptoms include seizures and muscle spasms.

“When patients come into the emergency room experiencing an overdose, there is medicine that can revert the effects of opioids, however it must be administered in time,” said Kelly Owen, assistant professor and toxicologist at the UC Davis Department of Emergency Medicine.

One of these life-saving drugs is naloxone. However, like an opioid, naloxone can also cause slow heart rate or slow breathing, as well as a weak pulse or fainting.

“If we administer naloxone to patients [overdosing on opioids], we watch them and make sure they don’t get sleepy again because this slow breathing state is dangerous and could result in death similar to the effect of the opioid,” Owen said.

Over 50 cases of overdose have been reported within Sacramento in recent months, all of which were centered around a powerful opioid called fentanyl.

“Fentanyl is more important and [a] cause for concern because people are overdosing on drugs laced with fentanyl,” Owen said.

This drug is about 80 times stronger than morphine and is often laced with other drugs, both prescription and illegal street drugs.

The recent opioid epidemic has placed a huge

number of patients in the UC Davis Medical Hospital’s emergency room in a very short time frame.

Most cases were reported to be overdoses on a fake and illegal drug made to look like the prescription drug Norco.

These fake pills looked like Norco, but were actually laced with fentanyl. Therefore, people easily overdosed on this drug because they did not realize what they were taking or that it would so severely affect them.

Opioids’ increased acceptance among medical and patient communities, both locally and nationwide, also contributes to the opioid epidemic.

“The bottom line is that prescription drugs, specifically opioids, are too easily accessible [...] one can go to a different doctor for a new prescription, obtain unused opioids from family or friends and even purchase them over the internet,” Davis said.

“Many systems and practices need to be changed in order to move forward in addressing the epidemic.”

Serious risks are associated with long-term use of opioids for chronic pain and pain management.

“The lack of evidence about [opioids’] long-term effectiveness [caused] the CDC and other agencies [to release] revised prescribing guidelines and recommendations for opioids,” Schorzman said in an e-mail interview.

The newly-released CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain includes when to initiate or continue opioids for chronic pain and also details opioid selection, dosage, duration, follow-up, discontinuation and risk assessment. It also addresses overall harms of opioid use.

Educating health care providers about prescribing opioids is a pressing concern for CDC. However, the public should also be aware of the dangers of misusing opioids.

“Addiction and physical dependence are com-

mon with opioids, especially with ongoing use,” Schorzman said. “With addiction [...] certain behaviors will often occur, including spending a lot of time and effort trying to get more of the medicine, thinking a lot about taking the medicine and getting into trouble at work or in their personal life because of the way they are using the substance.”

In order to prevent the rising number of overdose incidents and deaths, health care providers need to have the most up-to-date information on how to correctly prescribe opioids. In addition, patients should be aware of the risks involved with taking opioids for long-term use and know how to be safe and not take medication prescribed for someone else.

Drug-monitoring programs at the state level are also promising ways to prevent opioid overdose deaths by using electronic databases to track the prescribing and dispensing of controlled prescription drugs to patients.

For students on campus seeking more information regarding misuse of prescription drugs, UC Davis Student Health and Counseling Services can address questions or concerns.

“Our department is working with student interns to develop an opioid awareness campaign. It is expected to launch fall 2017,” Davis said.

Bringing awareness to this issue is crucial if any progress in a growing opioid epidemic is expected.

“If students can gain an understanding of the issue, they’ll be better able to care for themselves and for others,” Davis said. “Maybe they understand the dangers of taking prescriptions that are not prescribed to them. Maybe they will be willing to intervene early on if they notice a friend misusing prescriptions. Or maybe for some students it means helping a struggling loved one obtain naloxone in order to reverse a possible overdose.”

8 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Opinion the California Aggie EDITORIAL BOARD

from the editorial board

Support these organizations this holiday season

SCOTT DRESSER Editor in Chief ELLIE DIERKING Managing Editor 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 ELISABETH MCALLISTER Social Media Mangager MADELINE ONG Newsletter Manager

FOLLOW US! THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE @THECALIFORNIAAGGIE @CALIFORNIAAGGIE @CALIFORNIAAGGIE

In the spirit of the holidays, the members of the Editorial Board have listed some of their favorite charities and nonprofit organizations as a guide for your giving.

Each group is dedicated to creating a more equitable and healthy society.

Read on for the organizations we recommend:

has for nearly a century used the courts to protect the basic rights of Americans. Today that mission is more urgent. President-elect Trump threatens deportations and a woman’s right to choose. The ACLU has the experience to fight any challenges posed to the constitution and our freedoms by the incoming administration.

The Sierra Club Of the many frightening, disheartening policy stances that President-elect Donald Trump has taken, perhaps the most devastating for the long-term sustainability of the country and the world is his position on climate change and the environment. He has falsely claimed that human-induced climate change is a hoax devised by China, promised to reject an international agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions and chosen a climate-change denier to lead his Environmental Protection Agency transition team. The Sierra Club works to protect and restore the environment through educational programs, preserving wild spaces from development and leading the movement away from fossil fuel dependency.

Transgender Law Center The Transgender Law Center envisions a society where the self-determination of gender is considered a basic right for all. The center strives to change legal policy and discriminatory attitudes primarily through individual donations so that those who identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming have access to resources, find a community and live safely. Donate this season so that the Detention Project, TRUTH and Positively Trans (T+) can continue to their full potential.

Planned Parenthood Contrary to what the pro-life protesters outside an abortion clinic will tell you, abortions account for just 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s annual services. The nonprofit also offers equally vital resources such as STD The UC Davis Pantry testing, cancer screenings and contraception, especially As students rip their hair out due to finals stress, it’s to those who may not be able to afford it otherwise. easy to forget that there are peers among us who go hun- We encourage donors to send a certificate of appreciagry on a daily basis. Operating mainly on community tion to the office of Vice President-elect Mike Pence, a donations, The Pantry is a student-run organization man who has long crusaded against reproductive rights. that aims to feed those who cannot afford basic neces- Truly the gift that keeps on giving. sities. The Pantry is located in 21 Lower Freeborn Hall, and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 Camp Kesem p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m.

For a child whose parent has cancer it’s difficult, if not impossible, to actually step back and be a kid. Camp Room to Read Kesem at UC Davis is an organization that puts on two As college students, we are incredibly lucky to have weeklong summer camps for children aged 6 to 16 who the opportunity to pursue a degree. Room to Read helps have a parent who is or has been affected by cancer. The millions of children in developing countries gain access camp is specifically designed to take away the pain of to education. Through both its literacy and girls’ edu- living in a household that is ravaged by cancer, if only cation program, Room to Read collaborates with local for a few days, while providing a strong emotional supgovernments and communities, provides mentorships port system. The Davis chapter of Camp Kesem serves for students, donates school supplies and pays for other children in the greater Sacramento area. For more inexpenses like uniforms and transportation to schools. formation about volunteer opportunities and donations please visit www.campkesemdavis.org.

Days for Girls International Many menstruating individuals all over the world are #NoDAPL forced to skip school due to a lack of feminine hygiene With brutalities rising and temperatures dropping, products. Days for Girls International distributes pads water protectors in Standing Rock, North Dakota are in and other feminine hygiene products to aspiring stu- dire need of supplies and support. Protesters have been dents. Donating to this nonprofit helps fund the Days resisting the construction of the invasive, multi-million for Girls kits, which contain pads, soap, underwear and dollar, 1,172 mile-long Dakota Access Pipeline, that will variety of other products that help alleviate the discom- carry crude oil through lands sacred to the indigenous fort that generally comes with an individual’s menstrual people of the Standing Rock Native American Reservacycle. tion and put their main water supply at risk. The Huffington Post recently compiled a list of numbers to call, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) petitions to sign and places to donate to, complete with Founded in response to the Red Scare that saw the supply wish lists to help those defending their right to lawless rounding up of suspected radicals, the ACLU clean water. #NoDAPL #WaterIsLife

Letter From the Editor editor@theaggie.org

To the UC Davis community, On behalf of The California Aggie, I want to personally thank you all for your continued readership and engagement this quarter. A newspaper is nothing without its readers and its community, and we appreciate you taking the time to grab a copy of The Aggie on your way to class or lunch over the past few months.

The transition from an online-only publication to a regular print publication has been difficult and time-intensive, but The Aggie’s staff has absolutely stepped up and risen to the challenge, setting a tone and expectation of professionalism that will hopefully resonate for years to come.

To the local businesses and campus departments who have worked to advertise with us thus far, thank you for investing in local media and sup-

porting student journalism. One of our main goals this year is to rebuild relationships with local and national businesses, so we encourage both Davis businesses and student organizations to utilize The Aggie as a medium to reach thousands of UC Davis students and community members. The Aggie has brought in nearly $18,000 in advertising revenue so far, and these numbers should continue to grow as we work to develop an advertising staff.

As we have moved back into print, we have constantly looked for ways to responsibly manage and analyze our environmental footprint on this campus. We have streamlined our distribution locations to ensure that copies of The Aggie are effectively getting into the hands of the members of this community and are not going to waste. If any of this article’s readers have any concerns or recommendations for current or new distribution spots,

I encourage you to send me an e-mail and let me know.

Regarding feedback, The Aggie welcomes respectful, constructive criticism. Is there a opinion column you disagree with? Send us a “letter to the editor” and let us know. Is there something happening on campus or in the city that you think we can do a better job of covering? Let us know! We can always improve — external feedback is a key mechanism in improving the quality of our work.

Moving forward, we have specific steps that will help us to promote positive business practices, drive engagement and expand our presence in the community. We hope to hire a professional business development staffer, who will seek to find and develop innovative ways of bringing in revenue.

We have also begun working on defining a process to digitize our 100-plus years of microfilm ar-

chives, which will provide unique, in-depth insight to the history of this institution and community.

With one quarter, 10 print issues and hundreds of articles now complete this year, I can say with certainty that the future of The Aggie is as bright as it has been in years. We will continue to work every day to keep the UC Davis community informed, active and engaged.

The Aggie hires quarterly and is always looking for new voices and diverse viewpoints. Keep an eye out on our social media pages for information regarding Winter Quarter hiring periods, and make sure to pick up a copy of The Aggie in print each Thursday.

Happy holidays, and we’ll see you in January.

Scott Dresser, Editor in Chief

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.

ISSUE DESIGNED BY

HANNAH LEE | AMY YE | CHRISTIE NEO | CINDY CHEUNG | JONATHAN CHEN | MISHA DEVILLE

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 | 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

The methane problem FINDING A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO GASEOUS EMISSIONS

BY ALICE ROCHA asrocha@ucdavis.edu One thing the agricultural sector does not lack is potential. The food production system is constantly evolving and developing the potential to improve practices in order to mitigate emissions.

There are countless different ways of bettering agriculture.

Today, multiple fields are undergoing vigorous research in order to reach peak sustainability. Researchers are now feeding animals more efficiently in order to improve their energy intake without generating more emissions. Other fields include genetics, management practices and dietary supplementation.

Transgenic animals have been used to reduce

methane emissions by targeting microbes that produce methane and have been able to produce milk and muscle more efficiently. Bovine alphalactalbumin swine have been genetically engineered with dairy cattle genes in order to be able to produce more milk. This helps wean piglets earlier at higher weights, which improves overall growth efficiency.

Methane, one of the most potent greenhouse gasses, has been at the forefront of sustainable livestock agriculture research.

Dietary manipulation helps reduce methane by providing supplements in livestock diets to reduce methane output. Some of these supplements include nitrates, dietary lipids, bioactive compounds and ionophores. Nitrates act as electron acceptors and have been seen to reduce methane up to 50 percent when added into feed. However, nitrates

increased methemoglobin concentration, which is toxic because it replaces iron content in the blood.

Dietary lipids, like oils, have also been shown to reduce methane by 4 percent for every 1 percent of fat added to the diet. Distiller grains are the most effective lipids currently being researched. Bioactive compounds, such as tannins, eucalyptus and saponins also reduce methane, and they reduce overall parasite load. Ionophores are antimicrobial compounds which help target bacteria and increase feed efficiency that help reduce methane emissions.

Some management practices that have been shown to reduce methane emissions are biotechnology, manure storage and composting. Biotechnology like vaccines have been utilized to suppress methanogens by 8 percent. Types of manure storage help reduce methane emissions for short pe-

riods of time. Composting manure helps control odor and eliminate chemical fertilizers for good soil amendment. This helps preserve nutrients, kill pathogens and acts as bedding material.

Livestock agriculture and the food production system are constantly evolving in order to sustain our growing population. Researchers and producers alike are acutely aware of the problems at hand and are working hard to develop potential mitigating steps that might help future generations to come.

So in the future, if you ever find yourself wondering where your food comes from and how your choices might impact the environment, don’t be afraid to do some research.

Find out what works for you and the planet, and keep in mind that everything is constantly evolving for the better.

We don’t have to tolerate ‘tolerance’ ACCEPTANCE OF IDENTITIES AND OPPOSING VIEWS IS INCREASINGLY NECESSARY

BY JEANETTE YUE jyyue@ucdavis.edu Tolerance and acceptance are two separate ideals that we as a society have come to see as synonymous. It’s a wrongheaded view that has resulted in tolerance becoming a standard of acceptance during conflict. But tolerance is a sham.

Tolerance isn’t a holy grail, high-achieving standard that we should be following, and it’s certainly no solution to conflict. Tolerance doesn’t mean acceptance or understanding. In fact, the use of tolerance in society is dangerous for attitudes and behavior.

There’s a misconception that if we don’t agree with someone, we should at least be tolerant of them. This is the worst form of conflict resolution because it doesn’t solve anything.

To tolerate an identity or belief simply means to allow it to exist, whether or not we agree with it.

For the most part, we tolerate LGBT+ identities.

We allow them to exist in certain spaces, and most people have come to recognize that while they might not agree with these identities or understand them, it’s okay that these folks exist — as long as we don’t see gay couples walking around, or holding hands or other public displays of affections. Transgender folks aren’t allowed to use the restroom that aligns with their gender identity.

And same-sex marriage? It’s not that gay, lesbian and bisexual folks can’t exist — it’s just that marriage is sacred, and they shouldn’t be allowed to take part.

But as far as their existence goes, we’re tolerant, right?

This is how we use tolerance in our country, and it doesn’t work. It’s nothing more than a thinly-veiled attempt to dictate someone’s behavior.

We don’t get to determine whether or not someone is allowed to exist. It’s not our right, and

no one needs someone else to tell them whether or not they can be. To say we tolerate these identities but to then police the rights everyone should be privy to means we’re doing the bare minimum of being truly accepting and open.

Some people think they have a right to police because of their privileged place in our society. We exist in a greater, systemic social hierarchy that has historically oppressed marginalized identities for the sake of maintaining dominance. Instead of perpetuating degrading standards of conflict resolution, we should break down these barriers and strive for acceptance and openness.

Acceptance allows us to move beyond tolerance, beyond just allowing someone to exist. It’s recognizing that these identities and people are valid and deserving of respect and the same rights in society as the rest of us.

Understanding is an even greater challenge. Realistically, we can’t truly understand what someone

else is going through. We can try to, and doing so would help us be more accepting, but it’s not possible to understand every aspect of someone’s experience.

But it’s not necessary to understand in order to accept. The only requirement someone needs to meet to be worthy of acceptance should be their humanity. If their identity doesn’t hurt you or others, what does it matter if you can or can’t understand exactly what they experience?

Acceptance, insofar as it applies to identities, can and should also be extended to ideals, beliefs and opinions — to a certain extent.

There are a number of factors — experience, upbringing, perception — that shape our belief systems. I recognize that many people do not share the views that I have expressed throughout this quarter, and I accept the fact that people have YUE on 11

From engineer to acclaimed artist KIM KEEVER INCORPORATES ENGINEERING EDUCATION INTO OTHERWORLDLY PHOTOGRAPHS

BY TARYN DEOILERS tldeoilers@ucdavis.edu Well, Aggies, the dreaded finals week has finally arrived. I only remind you in case you forgot, even for the slightest second, about your soaring levels of stress, plummeting amount of sleep and flatlining social life. You're welcome.

Finals week also signals the end of my time as your guide through the magical land of the humanities and sciences. Tragic, right? It's been a blast analyzing just a small fraction of the ways in which the arts and sciences intersect, and I’ll certainly miss all five of my readers. That said, I can think of no better send-off than delving into the photography of one of my favorite artists, Kim Keever.

Before the New York City-based artist turned

his professional attention towards photography, Keever studied engineering at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. and interned for NASA in the summers.

“I actually went through almost six years of engineering school — which is a tremendously tough schedule — without any serious interest in being an engineer,” Keever said via e-mail. “I know that sounds crazy, but my grand plan was to make a lot of money as an engineer and eventually retire and become an artist full-time after that. I reached a point in my life where I realized I only had one life that I knew of, and it made perfect sense to just give up on engineering — by now I was already finishing graduate school — and follow my true love, which was making art.”

Although Keever decided against a career in engineering, his scientific background shines through

his art, resulting in pieces that seem possible only from an individual with one half of his brain in the artistic world and the other half in the scientific.

Keever’s work feels timeless, bottomless, infinite — yet the whole process takes place in a 200-gallon fish tank. The engineer-turned-artist assembles his own microcosms, often ethereal depictions of nature, that he then submerges in the water-filled tank.

“My engineering background has always allowed me to build sets that last long enough for my projects,” Keever said. “For example, I used a Christmas-tree rotator to rotate a lightweight circular platform I made, which held a pillow stuffing sky attached to a circular piece of translucent mylar. It rotated in back of the tank for a video project.”

After submerging a piece, Keever drops paint

into the aquarium and photographs the ways in which the colors and light diffuse and mingle with one another. Even though he controls the lighting, sets and paint colors, Keever ultimately relies on the laws of fluid dynamics — the behavior of liquids and gases in motion — to create his otherworldly artwork.

“The fluid flow dynamics class was really one of my favorite classes in graduate school,” Keever said. “It was very visual and was made up of drawings of how a fluid would react when it flowed into a wall or a corner or other type of configuration.

I certainly never realized it would come in handy with my art until recently.”

The mixture of descending paint drops and realistic landscapes allows Keever’s lifelike photoDEOILERS on 11

Comedy as the new journalism REFLECTIONS AFTER 10 WEEKS WRITING ON COMEDY

BY STELL A SAPPINGTON sasappington@ucdavis.edu After 10 weeks writing about comedy, I’m starting to think I could write at least 10 more, as the topic seems to broaden and become more complicated the more I explore it. I’ve come to see comedy as one of the most relevant forms of journalism today.

I have only scratched the surface of what seems to be an entire world of comics who are cumulatively an amalgam of all the comedy that has come before them. When I wrote about free speech and its intersection with comedy, I realized how many subversive comics had to come before people like Louis CK to make what he does acceptable. When I wrote about minorities in comedy, I began to appreciate the history of those comics overcoming

obstacles and stereotypes and gaining popularity outside their communities — something I am optimistic about now as I look at big-name stars like Aziz Ansari, Chris Rock, Maya Rudolph and Leslie Jones.

With time and research, these histories could inform a more expansive analysis of comedy and its larger social and cultural implications. Without these histories, I realize now, the comedy I enjoy today wouldn’t be possible. This brings me to the idea of comedy as journalism.

Because comedy is a collection of history and because it, like all art, is a commentary on the state of the human experience, I think comedy is a highly relevant journalistic medium. In a conventional sense, people like John Oliver do the work of journalists through humor, making current events accessible to the public. In a Time article about

Oliver’s rejection of a monicker of journalism for his work on “Last Week Tonight,” author James Poniewozik insists Oliver is, indeed, a journalist.

Although Oliver himself disagrees, basing his firmness on the fact that his primary concern is being funny, this concern does not reject the possibility of journalism, but rather encourages it. As a genre that is meant to appeal to everyone, there is nothing better for journalism to be than funny.

Comedians often take on the responsibilities of journalists. Stephen Colbert, for example, whom I discussed in my article about comedy and the election, holds great power in his ability to talk about politics to the masses. As a consequence, he has a responsibility to positively affect how citizens vote and how legislators legislate. Like a journalist, during the election season, Colbert has the obligation to participate and engage voters.

Finally, comedians, if successful, must be relevant and interesting to the public. Like journalists, they must know their audiences. A example close to my heart is 30 Rock, the NBC sitcom starring Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. 30 Rock knew its audience. It has somehow followed me from middle school into college, managing to remain interesting and funny despite its repetitiveness and constant aging process.

Humorous texts, perhaps because of their oddities and inconsistencies, can stick with us more than others. They play at our intimate thoughts, taboos and likes, and ingratiate themselves in our psyches. Scholar John Gillon, in his paper “Why 30 Rock is not Funny (It’s Metafunny),” argues that 30 Rock is a very self-reflexive text, noting SAPPINGTON on 11

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Opinion Law enforcement weighs in on the blight of open carry OPEN CARRY LAWS MAKE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS EVEN MORE VOLATILE

BY TAMANNA AHLUWALIA tahluwalia@ucdavis.edu Only the states of California, Florida, Illinois, New York and South Carolina prohibit the open carry of handguns. That means 45 American states allow the intimidation of the public, wasting of law enforcement resources and endless opportunities for accidental injury caused by the misuse of firearms.

In a heart-wrenching moment following the July shooting of five police officers, Dallas Police Chief David Brown addressed the public and spoke on issues ranging from race to open carry laws.

“It’s increasingly challenging when people have AR-15s slung over and shootings occur in a crowd… We don’t know if they’re the shooter or not. We don’t know who the good guy is versus who the bad guy is if everybody starts shooting,” Brown said.

Especially during an emergency, trying to weed out the bad guys from the good guys — likely with limited information about the shooter to go off of in the first place — detracts from time that could be used to stop senseless violence and instead makes an officer's job infinitely harder.

In this sense, times of crisis or high political tension should call for a limit on open carry laws.

On the eve of the Republican National Convention, the head of Cleveland’s police union called for a temporary ban on the opencarrying of guns for fear of impending violence from protestors and dissenting individuals.

Stephen Loomis, the president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, accused open carry participants of irresponsibility, going on to say that “you can’t go into a crowded theater and scream fire. And that’s exactly what they’re doing by bringing those guns down there.”

Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s right.

And openly carrying a firearm during a volatile situation isn’t right.

Open carry laws also scare the public into thinking there’s more wrongdoing than really exists. According to a San Mateo County Sheriff ’s report, several incidents have arisen where people called police dispatch in response to seeing an individual carrying a revolver or a semi-automatic handgun on them. This leads to a waste of time when, consequently, police officers have to investigate these citizens who are simply “exercising their right,” but are really engendering unnecessary fear and trepidation in the minds of other citizens.

Yet sometimes this fear is more than justified. ten minutes before an armed shooter walked into a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, the Colorado Police Department received two calls regarding the shooter. One of the callers reported him as looking “scary” at several points during the call, but the emergency response technician acknowledged that Colorado is an open carry state so, technically speaking, he was not breaking any laws. He left three people dead and nine wounded just minutes later.

Open carry is a double-edged sword. Seeing an individual with a weapon displayed is undoubtedly scary, but reacting on this fear can have wasteful consequences on law enforcement resources if the individual carrying has no bad intentions. On the other hand, a lack of response from police dispatch can also have deadly ramifications.

What’s more worrisome, however, is the prospect of accidental misuse of a firearm in a public setting. Deputy Chief of the Davis Police Department Ton Phan said that states like Texas, where it is now legal to openly carry a handgun on college campuses, are especially at risk for these types of misuse.

Phan, who has over 30 years of law enforcement experience, believes in the Second Amendment but

is also aware of the issues that accompany open carry laws.

“People must be properly trained,” Phan said.

“People must practice with their gun. In law enforcement, we are required to get training, and that should apply to individuals too. It’s important to invest time in becoming proficient at it, too, because shooting at a nonmoving target and shooting under stress at a person are two very different things.”

Phan’s words serve as a reminder that no federal or state laws require a training protocol for an individual seeking to buy a firearm.

If police officers are to undergo a rigorous training process to own and operate a firearm, what logic exempts civilians from having to do this same sort of training?

Open carry is a multifaceted issue with no solution that would be acceptable to everyone. Yet it is important to understand its ramifications: officers’ time wasted on sorting the good guys from the bad, public unrest and intimidation and the prospect of accidental misuse, to name a few. Thrown together in an emergency situation, these hazards undoubtedly pave the way for chaos and unnecessary violence, which in this country is all too common.

HUMOR UC Davis to burn all books in attempt to be more green FORMER NUMBER-ONE COOL SCHOOL LOOKS TO RECLAIM ITS TITLE

BY ETHAN VICTOR ejvictor@ucdavis.edu As UC Davis looks to remodel its main library, the first thing to be nixed is the school’s collection of books. With nearly 40 percent of books sitting on carts with no destination, the school has decided that the best thing that it can do is burn all of its books to create more space. Peter J. Shields Library has housed books since 1940.

Not anymore.

In place of the books, the university will purchase nearly one million tablets that can be checked in and out in place of the physical books that once stood in their place. The library will hold its “book burning” on Friday night. UC Davis will provide students with matches and lighters. Each student will be given a maximum of six books that he or she can burn. Atop the list of books will be first-edition copies of Fahrenheit 451.

“Modern is chic. Modern is ‘less is more.’ Modern means clear-

ing house in the library,” said Kurt West, the mastermind behind the library renovation. “We were the number one cool school, and now we’re not. We have to do everything to reclaim that title. Books use paper. We don’t want to use paper anymore.”

The harsh backlash to the dropping in the rankings makes no sense to critics of the library plan, who accuse the school of a kneejerk reaction that will cost millions of dollars in lost investments in books — along with the estimated $400 million to be spent on new tablets.

“This is stupid. It’s a library, for crying out loud. Library literally comes from the Latin for ‘old books,’” said Emily Newton, a fourth-year English major. “Call me old-fashioned, but this is the sole purpose for a library. It’s not some silly tech hub.”

Shields Library, which houses 3.2 million books, will see its stacks cut by nearly one-third. The university plans on creating more study-friendly spots and a virtual reality lab.

“This is just another move by the school showing that the humanities mean nothing,” said Bill Hernandez, professor of journal-

ism at UC Davis. “There’s no way one doesn’t love holding a book and counting the pages until the end of the chapter.”

After considering not only the financial cost, but also the cost of the image of the school, it is clear that this top research institution holds little regard for those in the liberal arts. With no real direction for what the school wants, and little regulation of the tablets, UC Davis has found itself in a situation looking for whom it should please. UC Davis needs to figure out its identity. Spending this much money and time makes no sense given the heartache that it will cause students.

The school has elected to go with the more progressive, technological approach that will leave the school searching for physical books at the expense of making its library more aesthetically pleasing.

Questioning the credibility of ETHAN VICTOR? You can reach him at ejvictor@ucdavis.edu. Feel free to help with his followers-tofollowing ratio on Twitter @thejvictor.

Eggheads killed the mannequin challenge UC DAVIS EGGHEADS TRY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A DYING INTERNET TREND

BY BRIAN L ANDRY bjlandry@ucdavis.edu The mannequin challenge came and went within a couple of weeks — the typical lifespan for internet trends. Its decline probably seems obvious to most casual observers, though it is likely that Ellen DeGeneres will continue to participate for several more weeks, even if she is the only one, and it’s slightly depressing to watch.

In similar fashion, the eggheads are unaware that the hype around the challenge seems to be dying down. This is understandable, however, since the eggheads are only able to hear news by eavesdropping on students who happen to walk by.

The iconic statues recently heard about the mannequin challenge

and set out to acquire internet fame.

“We felt that we could really bring something special to this challenge,” said one of the eggheads who, in addition to being a wellknown statue on UC Davis’ campus, is also a parkour enthusiast.

“We’re pretty good at standing still, I would say. I think it’s because we do a lot of yoga and we’re really in touch with not only our bodies, but also our souls. You probably wouldn’t get it. It doesn’t hurt that we’re made of stone and anchored to the ground, but I think it’s mostly because of the yoga.”

The eggheads filmed their mannequin challenge in front of the art building. They say it went “viral” on YouTube, amassing tens of views in a matter of weeks.

“It’s truly an honor to have our video be so well-received and

critically acclaimed,” said the second egghead, a straw wrapper collector.

It is possible that the egghead was referring to the single comment left on the pair’s YouTube video: “How did I even find this video?”

The pair of statues told The California Aggie that they are excited for what their video will do for the “egg community.”

“You know, Humpty Dumpty is constantly being talked about, and all he did was fall off a wall or something. That’s not heroic.

Standing still in a video while participating in a dying internet fad is heroic. We’re thrilled that we can be positive role models for all the young eggs out there. I just wish the hen who gifted us to the world could see us now. She’d be so proud.”

What today’s music will mean tomorrow HOW TO RE-LIVE TODAY IN THE FUTURE

BY YINON RAVIV ravivyinon@gmail.com It’s 2036. My wife and I are at her neighbor’s daughter’s bat mitzvah. The kids are off listening to robot-made pop garbage on the dance floor, doing whatever awkward dance craze has swept the nation, when I get a brilliant idea. I rush to the DJ table with cash in hand, and I request — nay, demand — the next song.

The opening chords play, and everyone over the age of 35 goes nuts. Even the sober ones are up and dancing.

“Ball so hard, muhf*ckas wanna find me…”

I’m as distracted as anyone else by the impossibly captivating world on my phone, but whenever I sit on a long train or car ride, nothing makes time disappear like staring out the window and getting lost in my thoughts. This idea of today’s songs blasting in our headphones when we do the mundane and the interesting, comforting us, uplifting us, defining us and our place in time — this idea that they’ll be relics for our kids is an idea I can play with for hours,

long after I get to my destination.

So I’ve come up with several songs, and what they’ll mean to me in the not-so-distant future, when I’m the old guy being nostalgic.

“Closer” by The Chainsmokers: this is the song that makes our children cringe and go “EWWW” when their parents start kissing right in front of them. It’ll also be the slow song they play at school dances where our kids get acquainted with the feeling of butterflies in their stomachs, when they’ll have their first kisses, when they start getting handsy if the stuck-up chaperone stops watching, when they silently wonder to themselves what the hell a Range Rover is (this is the future and every car is a self-driving Tesla).

“Lean On” by Major Lazer: I’m on my commute to work after just dropping off the kids, and I’m finally able to tune in to the throwback station. I’m also middle-aged and busy and fatherly and just basically an old man, so while I’ll try to keep a young soul, by this point I’m stressing over every white hair. After a couple mediocre Pitbull songs, “Lean On” comes on, and I leave 280 North and get on an on-ramp toward memory lane, as the rush of memories

from Houseboats comes back to me. I desperately try to figure out what those “rush of memories” even entail, but all that comes back to me is a feeling of debauchery and freedom, and I’m okay with that. Nothing screams my youth like “Lean On,” in no small part because our captain my freshman year played this song probably six times an hour on our boat.

“Boy oh Boy” by Diplo: I don’t think anyone else has such an emotional connection to this song, but when the neighborhood is playing mixed basketball games at a Fourth of July barbecue, and this comes on the speaker, I’m taking my shirt off and crossing over any youngin’ who thinks they can mess with my old man strength (and handles). I’ll take a ten-year old to the post and cuss loudly after I barely lay it in, but once the song is over I’ll tell everyone how I met Kevin Durant when I was 20 (my kids will facepalm because this’ll probably be my only cool story from college).

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DEOILERS

YUE

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this quarter, and I accept the fact that people have different opinions.

It would be wrong of me to preach acceptance only to denounce anyone who doesn’t agree with me.

However, if your opinion or belief system hinges on the oppression of marginalized groups, that isn’t an opinion. It’s bigotry. An opinion shouldn’t perpetuate injustice and oppression. If it does, that “opinion” is just hate disguised as an opposing view.

No one should have to accept injustice. We, as a society, shouldn’t accept it, and instead of saying that “everyone has a different opinion,” we should do everything we can to end oppression.

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incongruity as its comedic form. He believes 30 Rock is funny because it creates patterns to be broken, which, when not broken, allow the show to be funny without really doing anything at all. Perhaps 30 Rock’s reflexivity, based in incongruity, is what makes it resonate so much with me. It feels more than fictional because it acknowledges itself as a show within a show.

I hope that by now it is clear that comedy, in many forms, is a powerful tool. It speaks about politics, freedom of speech, feminism, race, mental illness and humanity because it reflects the opinions and experiences of the speaker. In doing so, comedy becomes a device through which journalism is borne. Comedy creates an atmosphere in which the comic can speak about relevant issues to an interested public in an interesting way.

John Oliver believes that good research is the key to a good joke. Like journalism, comedy cannot succeed if based upon lies. Although it may not be fact-based, great comedy often relies upon some universal truths, exposing the senselessness of other opinions on the issue at hand.

Comedy can balance being researched journalism and a human medium. It is perhaps the most effective form of journalism because it connects with the audience in an intimate way, making its subject matter accessible, making us laugh. If you disagree with the notion that comedy has larger implications, laughter may still be enough.

graphs to emulate scenes in nature. Some capture the beauty of splintered light pouring through clouds, mountains and trees; others mimic the moodiness of water spraying over powerful, stormy seas.

But Keever’s art isn’t just beautiful (although that’s certainly the first adjective that comes to my mind). His photographs consistently arouse complex and often paradoxical emotions in viewers. West 104k (2009) presents a mountainscape that immediately recalls tranquility, gratitude for nature and — luckily for Pinterest users — wanderlust.

But the photo is equally unnerving, summoning an intimidating sense of seclusion in its endless stretches of uninhabited land.

Wildflowers 52i (2008), another personal favorite, depicts colorful mist dawning over a lush flower garden. The vibrant, mystical scene is both comforting and eerie, bright and haunting, joyful and apocalyptic. It’s the type of art whose magic is difficult to put into words but can be intuited by the audience.

Keever ultimately creates worlds that are distinctly recognizable yet different from anything else on the planet. His art pieces gnaw at one’s mind and call forth a string of disquieting questions. What lies beyond the misty haze? Do these scenes reflect a time before, during or after humankind? Do the landscapes even belong to Earth?

Keever has recently turned his attention away from landscapes towards more abstract art pieces. Although they lack the homemade dioramas, the photographs still invoke familiar natural phenomena like smoke ascending to the heavens in Abstract 5541 (2013), pastel mud-clouds being kicked up from the ocean floor in Abstract 1931b (2013) and waves tumbling onto a shore in Abstract 15443b (2015).

In The Balloon Series, his latest project, Keever employs balloons of various sizes and colors to add a bubbling texture and sense of limitlessness to his work.

“I found it very interesting the way the paint billows over the top of the balloon and hugs the side of the balloon until it reaches the midpoint,” Keever noted. “After that, it falls in a very interesting way — somewhat like a waterfall.”

The pictures call to mind a boundless collection of worlds floating together among draping confetti and whirling smoke.

WBB HOFTSTRA

KDVS SPORTS

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want to hear. If something comes up that may warrant an increased conversation, the format may get switched up.

“Luckily our format is very loose,” Clausen said. “The host’s job is steer the conversation where he wants it to go.”

In a time where off-the-field issues may dominate the sports media, Clausen and Aridi Barake try to avoid any issues which may be dominating the other media. If something comes up that warrants a greater discussion, it is up to the hosts and the guests to keep the discussion civil, as long as it fits the format of the show.

“We’re not trying to emulate other stations or channels,” Clausen said.

The hosts tend to agree that it is not their job to use the show as a soapbox, steering clear of political issues and hot-button topics.

“We’re just a small-time, student-run radio

“On a three-dimensional scale, I think of these spaces as containing endless universes becoming smaller and smaller,” explained the photographer on his website. “The same is true in the opposite direction. Our universe is contained by other universes, and those are contained by more universes ad infinitum.”

Although switching from engineering to art seems like a fatal choice to many college students, Keever maintains an unwavering confidence in his decision to pursue art.

“I can’t say it’s been easy, but I’m happy I went in that direction with my life,” Keever said.

The artist’s contentment with his decision is no wonder. Besides having his own New York exhibition, Kim Keever: Random Events, Keever’s art has been displayed in cities across America, including San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C. In 2015, Keever snapped a shot of seaweed for a New Yorker article about the wonders of edible seaweed and worked alongside director Paul Thomas Anderson to create a music video for indie-folk musician Joanna Newsom’s song “Divers.”

The artist encourages students to similarly honor their natural passions — whether that includes science, art or something inbetween.

“It probably sounds corny, but it’s best to follow your heart,” Keever advised. “I often meet people who are very well educated but don’t seem to have any real love for what they are doing. Every once in awhile you meet someone who really is excited about the work they do.”

Aggies, I ask that y’all take Kim Keever’s words of wisdom as my parting gift. As the quarter draws to a close, I sincerely hope that my column presented a strong argument for students unabashedly studying the subjects that bring them joy, fulfillment and confidence.

And if I failed at accomplishing this — well, first of all, don’t break my gentle heart by telling me.

But, if I failed, I still hope that, at the very least, visions of art and science will dance in your heads throughout the holiday break as you all settle your brains for a much needed, much deserved long winter’s nap.

station in the middle of nowhere,” Aridi Barake said. “I don’t think we’re really qualified to pretend that we know the details.”

They try to let the off-the-court topics come out naturally, rather than force the issue.

“If it’s something we legitimately feel interest about, we’ll do it,” Clausen said. “It doesn’t always make for good radio, because we’re all probably going to get in a huge argument about it. We try to do things that will make our listener want to pay attention.”

Aridi Barake thought it only right to end his interview the same way they end the show: “Aggie Talk, 7 to 9 on Tuesday! Tune in, 90.3 FM, KDVS, Davis. And, like we always say, ‘Go Ags!’” The show is also available on KDVS.com.

For any inquiries regarding the show, interested readers may contact Andy Clausen at sports@ kdvs.org.

to the Pavilion atmosphere as the Aggies’ slim advantage slipped away after a pair of drained free throws gave Hofstra its first lead of the game at 34-33. Although the home team battled to maintain an offensively aggressive status on the court with successful drives to the basket, UC Davis’ lack of defensive effort offered wide open shots for Hofstra which, with newfound momentum, kept the lead at the end of the quarter at 47-49.

“I think our defensive rebounding, our physicality and aggressiveness needs to amp up,” Nagel said.

Hofstra’s 47 rebounds directly impacted the trajectory of the game, while the Aggies came up short, marking a mere 32 rebounds. The Aggies returned for the final quarter with a resolve to utilize their strengths and turn up the offensive heat.

An early three by junior forward Pele Gianotti tied up the game and set the trend for an additional pair of three pointers by Nafekh which put the team at 5854 midway through the quarter. As the clock wound down, UC Davis’ efforts proved futile as Hofstra’s

boards and continued tenacity inched the Pride forward to a 64-60 victory.

“Obviously we are a really good offensive team, […] and we can really improve our defense at times,” said Bertsch, who was 8-17 for the game. “But I think that is something we are really good at this year, we are all looking to put each other in the right spots [offensively].”

The Aggies shot 42 percent from the floor, which further proved a necessity for a dynamic defensive presence and the use of rebounds as a means to capture close games.

“I think that’s the lesson we have to take from this,” head coach Jennifer Gross said. “We have to do a better job of helping each other to win and finding a way to come out on top. When you lose a game you just want to get back out there as quickly as possible. We’re just looking forward to putting in some work.”

The UC Davis women’s basketball team returns to the Pavilion on Friday, Dec. 2 to host a match against San Diego State.

RAVIV CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

“I Love Kanye” by Kanye West: While I’m watching President Jaden Smith give his inauguration speech (in complete silence), my kids ask me about what life was like under the 46th president. I think back to how he fixed the economy using just an 808 drum machine, and how he mandated every military serviceman to don Louis Vuitton uniforms, and I smile. President Smith finishes his speech, #MakeEyesRealAgain, and the military band plays the national anthem: “I miss the old Kanye..”

“Hold On, We’re Going Home” by Drake: Despite an overall happy marriage, my wife can’t get over my habit of losing stuff like our chargers and keys. I try my best, but after I lose our engagement ring

while surfing with a potential business partner (I’m banking on being cooler at age 40 than I am at 20), she reaches her breaking point. I need to save the day here, so I surprise her when she comes home from work with a handwritten letter in the kitchen telling her to put on something nice, and she gets ready. There’s already an Uber waiting for her. It takes her to the local spaceport, and she meets me on the SpaceX, and I take her to dinner at Mars as a way of apologizing. The restaurant has a mariachi band and I tip them to play this song, a song we both initially hated because it reminded us of our exes, but came to love together as we built our own relationship. She finally smiles as I grip her hand, smiling too, as I privately wonder where I left my wallet.

“Cocoa Butter Kisses” by Chance the Rapper: I get home from work early on a day when the kids are out of school, but my oldest kid, home from college, has no idea that I’m even in town. I come in all quiet and I hear this song blasting from his room. I’m pleased to hear that he’s finally appreciating my music, but I also remember what state of mind I usually listen to Chance in, so I keep a low-profile as I open the door. There he is, my precious first-born, my spitting image, my pride and joy, smoking marijuana. I become livid that he’d disrespect my rules. I’m not mad, I’m disappointed. Just kidding I’m really freaking heated, and he gets kind of sad. The song ends, Juice comes on, I remember seeing it live twice and I can’t help but smile.

BRIAN LANDRY / AGGIE

JAY GELVEZON / AGGIE

BRIAN LANDRY / AGGIE

IAN JONES / AGGIE

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

12 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

ARTS & Culture

s y a d i l o H y p p a H frTom:

he California Aggie Arts & Cultur e Desk

What we’re watching during the holidays

BY TH E C A L I FO R N I A AG G I E A RTS & C U LT URE DESK art s@ th e ag g i e . o rg

Does the thought of impending finals fill your heart with doom and gloom? Do you need a little joy to get you in the holiday spirit? Never fear, The California Aggie Arts and Culture Desk is here to help! We’ve compiled our favorite movies and shows to watch during the holidays. Just pick something from the list, curl up in your favorite blanket and enjoy.

Caroline Rutten Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) My favorite holiday is Christmas — it is one of the only times of the year where I can appropriately revert to my five-year old self, surround myself in colorful decorations and overwhelm myself with warm and fuzzy feelings. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the one Christmas movie that I have watched every year since childhood, so for the sake of nostalgia, I have to name this as my favorite Christmas movie. The songs are some of the best — my personal favorites include “There’s Always Tomorrow” and “The Island of Misfit Toys” — and the adorable animation captures the spirit of Christmas that I love so much.

Ally Overbay Dan in Real Life (2007) While my family and I bake holiday treats (large-scale, factory-style production), we have a list of mustsee films. Oddly enough, few of them have anything to do with the holidays. But among our list — When Harry Met Sally, Sweet Home Alabama, Family Stone, and a slew of other Hallmark reject films — is my personal favorite: Dan in Real Life. Whether it’s the incredible performances by Steve Carrell, Juliette Binoche and Emily Blunt, or the hysterics of “But you, are, a murderer, of love!” — the film is a classic (at least during the Overbay family biscotti production line).

Abigail Wang Love Actually (2003) Love Actually is one for the hopeless romantics. The movie follows the stories of multiple couples and families during the holiday season, switching between many intersecting narratives throughout the film.

And did I mention British accents? Yes, this movie has it all. Although it’s an overall feel-good movie, I recommend tissues and hot cocoa for the tender moments. Warning: extremely addicting movie that you will want to watch approximately 50 times during the holiday season.

DANI E L TAK / AGGI E

MANETTI SHREM MUSEUM now open to the public UC Davis welcomes newest addition to campus

BY K RIS HAN MI THAL ar t s @the a ggi e. org

The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Museum opened its doors to hordes of excited art enthusiasts on Nov. 13. The museum, located adjacent to the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, is the newest museum addition to the campus and intends to honor the artistic legacy of UC Davis.

On a Tuesday afternoon nearly a week after the grand opening, there was still a fairly large number of people at the museum to experience the sleek building and its exceptional collection. The building is unusual in its canopy-style ceiling that illuminates the interior with sunlight. It is not enclosed, and you are able to see the outside, which plays well into the museum’s goal: “Welcoming Open Minds with Open Arms.”

The farmlands and rows of crops surrounding the museum inspired the geometry of the Grand Canopy. The careful use of materials like aluminum, concrete, clear glass and wood complement the rays of light beaming in. The orientation and spacing of the canopy’s aluminum beams, more than 900 in all, create a clear, thought-out juxtaposition of light and shadow.

“The openness of this place makes it so beautiful,” said Heather Lim, a second-year nutritional science major and a museum attendee. “The architecture itself is something to stop and admire because it is so unique and innovative [...] I don’t think I’ve ever been to a museum like this one.”

Lim explained how exhibitions like Out Our Way, which explores the development of the UC Davis Art Department, are ideal for seeing the world from others’ perspectives.

“I’m a big fan of these artworks because they provide ways for people to connect on a human level,” Lim said. “Growing up, [art] was never re-

ally emphasized, so I learned to appreciate it later on in life.”

There are also many other exhibitions and events happening at the museum, leaving many in awe.

“The arts make us look at things with a different view and forces us to learn,” said Dee Rodriguez, a second-year communication major and museum volunteer. “There are exhibits that delve into symbiosis between humans and animals, and ones that allow people to actually make their own works of art.”

Rodriguez was referring to the Hoof and Foot: A Field Study and A Pot for a Latch exhibitions, respectively, both currently on display at the museum.

The area surrounding the museum has also been enlivened by the opening, with this new attraction piquing the curiosity of many in and around Davis. Wes Chen, a third-year computer science major and employee at the Mondavi Center, has noticed the increase in local foot traffic.

“I’m in this area of campus a lot, and I’ve been [to the museum] and there has been a decent crowd during peak hours ever since its opening,” Chen said.

Whether one is interested in art or not, the Manetti Shrem Museum holds significance because it displays all that UC Davis has achieved since its founding. In the 1960s and ‘70s, the department was central to the Bay Area Funk art movement, nurturing such influential artists as ceramicist Robert Arneson, Roy De Forest and painter Wayne Thiebaud. Rodriguez emphasized the impact the museum has on the community.

“Sometimes UC Davis is overshadowed by some of the other UCs,” Rodriguez said. “The Manetti Shrem gives UC Davis a voice and proudly displays what we are known for for everyone to admire.”

ME E NA R UGH / AGGI E

Becky Lee Gremlins (1984) I’m not sure what kid would ever call Gremlins their favorite Christmas film, but it remains mine to this day. This movie is the perfect combination of thriller, black comedy and holiday charm. It’ll have you cracking up at one moment and covering your eyes the next. If you like cheesy ’80s films like Ghostbusters and The Goonies with a dark twist on holiday films, watch Gremlins.

Pari Sagafi Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) I have started a tradition of watching Home Alone 2: Lost in New York every year, because it includes everything that you could possibly need in a Christmas movie: New York City in the snow, ’90s nostalgia, childish mischief and the suspended belief that a family would, once again, “accidentally” abandon their child. To this day, Kevin McCallister is my hero (which explains why my diet consists of the junk foods he feverishly scarfs down the instant he realizes that his family has left) and I always look forward to watching his antics play out around the holiday season.

Betty Wu The Crown (2016) The Crown, released on Netflix on Nov. 4, is a television series about the early life of Queen Elizabeth II. The show follows the Queen, played by Claire Foy, as she succeeds her father and faces challenges and questions from her family and the British government. The show creates a compelling illustration of Queen Elizabeth’s poise, elegance and perseverance as a woman in a leadership position. The Crown is educational, entertaining and very British — my kind of holiday watching.

CaraJoy Kleinrock Love Actually (2003) This is my favorite holiday movie because it always puts a smile on my face. Watching all the different storylines intertwine and the happy endings is exactly what I like to see during the holidays. I am not ashamed to say that I have cried tears of joy more than a few times while watching this (and the same goes for my dad) — it’s become a family tradition to blubber at this film every year.

Amanda Ong “Benihana Christmas” — The Office, Season 3, Episode 10 I am a huge fan of The Office — the poor writers at the arts desk can attest to this, as I subject them to my Office memes regularly. So it should come as no surprise that my pick is the “Benihana Christmas” episode of The Office. This is a classic episode, filled with all the dysfunction that makes the show great: tension between the will-they-or-won’t-they duo Pam and Jim, Michael Scott sending a wildly inappropriate Christmas card to his girlfriend and Dwight explaining to a Benihana waitress how to properly butcher a goose. If talk of goose butchering doesn’t get you in the holiday spirit, I’m not sure what will.

Here’s the scoop The Aggie investigates Davis’ ice cream offerings

BY AB IG AI L WANG ar ts @the aggi e. org

It seems ironic for someone who is lactose intolerant to be covering a story on ice cream, but I was looking for any excuse to eat one of my favorite desserts again. I guess I’m just really dedicated to journalism. I taste-tested some of downtown Davis’ favorite ice cream spots, factoring in student budget and, of course, flavor.

Read on to get the scoop: Davis Creamery: An employee explained to me that the favorite flavors that week were Avocado Coconut and Trifecta, each voted in by the Bracketology board, a Davis Creamery feature which allows their customers to pick their favorite flavors each week. I got one cone of each, eagerly awaiting the first bites.

Trifecta is a blend of Reese’s peanut butter cups, Butterfinger and Oreo with underlying tones of vanilla. This flavor is definitely for anyone who eats Reese’s on the daily. The ice cream was pretty standard overall, and could have been improved by having real chunks of Reese’s and Butterfinger evenly dispersed with the Oreo bits.

I was extremely skeptical of the Avocado Coconut ice cream, as it was a suspiciously pale green. As much as I love avocado, I prefer my sweet and savory foods to stay separate. Luckily for me, coconut was the overpowering flavor, and the avocado made the dessert creamier. To me, though, the flavor was too weak, and it tasted like eating a cleansing face mask, not a sweet treat.

Scoops are $2.75 each, but if you go on Mondays from 5 to 10 p.m. the ice cream is $1.75 for each scoop, providing a reasonable price point for

the penny-pinching college student.

IceKrimski Cafe: Connected to the Varsity movie theater, IceKrimiski Cafe was definitely populated by an older crowd. This is probably because a child’s size ice cream is an outrageous $4.00. The flavors were definitely more adventurous, however, featuring options such as Honey Lavender and Fresh Ginger.

I sampled Fresh Ginger first, a flavor which packs a punch with chunks of ginger folded into the ice cream. This one will definitely help clear the sinuses. Honey Lavender was the perfect harmony of tastes. Slightly sweet with a tinge of lavender essence, it’s an adventurous choice but is grounded in familiar flavor profiles. Overall, IceKrimski Cafe leaves your stomach happy but your wallet hurting.

CREAM: Most of us have probably been to CREAM or at least seen a long line out the door. Famous ice cream sandwiches and cheap prices ($2.50 for one scoop) attract students desperate to improve their Instagram feeds and who want to indulge after a long study session. I ordered one of their best-sellers, Salted Caramel, which has a vanilla base with ribbons of salted caramel coating the ice cream.

This flavor is for those of us who have a serious case of the sweet tooth. This flavor represents CREAM as a whole: a traditional and simple flavor executed pretty well.

The Verdict: I would recommend stocking your fridge with Ben and Jerry’s and not leaving your room at all.

More ice cream at a cheaper price and less movement required. Wins on all fronts.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016| 13

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Get in the Christmas spirit with the

35TH ANNUAL DAVIS

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY Downtown Davis gathers to celebrate community, holiday season

BY B ECKY L EE art s@ th e ag g i e . o rg

For those who have dreamt of reliving a scene out of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, the annual downtown Davis tree lighting is the perfect event.

For 35 years, the Davis community has hosted this town celebration where everyone can gather for some Christmas cheer. There will also be live music, screenings of How the Grinch Stole Christmas and even a horse drawn carriage — all for free.

Few students are aware of Davis city traditions.

However, for those who have lived in Davis all their lives, this tradition holds a special place in their

hearts.

Sterling Pence, a longtime Davis resident who works at Icekrimski Gelato next to the Davis Varsity Theatre, has participated in the tree lighting for many years. He is a third-generation member of the Davis community.

“It’s a very joyous celebration where all the Davis residents, and even people outside of Davis, can come see the festivity of the tree lighting,” Pence said.

“A lot of people assume that Davis is a college town, and while it is, there are those like myself who’ve been here since 1902 — third generations, fourth generations, fifth generations; this is our home and Christmas is all about family.”

NICK I PADAR / AG G IE

Student Fashion Association to offer fashion show planning class Student-run class provides students with experience in event planning

BY PA RI SAG A F I arts@ th e ag g i e . o rg

Every spring, the Student Fashion Association (SFA) hosts an elaborate charity fashion show in which student designers can showcase their work.

An incredible amount of effort, organization and planning goes into the annual event for it to run smoothly, and this is all accomplished by the students who participate in the SFA Fashion Show Planning Class held every Winter Quarter. Facilitated by the board members of SFA, this one-unit class helps students expand their knowledge of what it takes to plan and organize such an exciting event.

Camille Ramos, a third-year textiles and clothing major and SFA social media coordinator, touched on the club and class’ welcoming environment for students of any major.

“We’ve very inclusive [...] our members can range to an animal science major, to a pre-vet student, pre-law, to textiles and design majors,” Ramos said. “Especially during the fashion show planning class, you get to be in contact and learn how to communicate with professionals, whether that be designers, the entertainment or photographers, and we try to enhance those skills for [students] to become better communicators and be able to facilitate such a huge event.”

The board members are in charge of facilitating the student-run class, and it becomes a collaborative effort to bring all aspects of the fashion show together. The class is split into different committees — decorations, marketing, fundraising, stage design and talent. According to SFA president Jeannette Chiu, “It’s all about group work!”

Chiu, a fourth-year design and communication double major, strongly believes that the value of teamwork is essential for any student’s success.

“When we graduate, we’ll have to work in groups, so it’s building on communication skills and leadership skills,” Chiu said. “Even if you’re not very vocal, you can still be a leader.”

Alana Williams, a second-year design major and SFA club member, also emphasized the benefits of the fashion show planning class, regardless of major.

“Anyone outside of the design and textiles major could take the class, because you get to meet new people and network,” Williams said. “We work with a lot of clubs on campus, and you get to learn business aspects for what it takes to run a fashion show, or anything in general.”

Even for those who have no prior experience, SFA has them covered, too.

“It’s all a learning process, and you’ll have many people to support you if you don’t have any experience,” Williams said.

The theme for last year’s fashion show was “Wanderlust,” and all funds from the show were donated to the Children’s Literacy Foundation.

“Our funds helped the organization give books and school supplies in areas where they don’t have the educational materials that are needed, and this also encourages [kids] to grow their passion for reading and writing,” Chiu said. This year’s theme and charity choice are still undecided.

There may be a lot of work involved, but it’s worth it to the students involved, who are doing what they love.

“It’s a lot of planning, but it all comes together because we have a common goal,” Chiu said.

For more information, readers may check out SFA’s Facebook page and its website, sfaucd.com, for information and videos of past fashion shows.

The class will be held Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. in Wellman 216. The course is P/NP, and the CRN is 42413.

Like Pence, many Davis residents have been participating in the Davis tree lighting for years. Alzada Knickerbocker, owner of The Avid Reader, has attended the ceremony for almost 30 years. While the ceremony evokes anticipation for Christmas, it also provides the opportunity for local businesses to show passersby what they sell seasonally and year-round.

“Like here, we give hot cider and the store down the block has hot chocolate,” Knickerbocker said.

“It’s sort of a welcoming and festive time for people to see what the downtown has for Christmas items.”

Paul Wilbur, manager of Armadillo Music, opens up his shop space for attendees of the ceremony.

“We’re actually going to have live music in our

store, too. It’s kind of a way for people who haven’t been able to get into the holiday spirits to come down and get that feeling,” Wilbur said. “We in the past had Joe Craven play here and he did all Christmas songs. We kind of just ask the city saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got this space if you want to have someone come here and play Christmas music.’ We’ll leave the door open so people can hear it out there. It’s usually really cold, so people hang out in here and listen to the music until they start the tree lighting.”

The 35th annual Davis tree lighting ceremony will take place on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. For more information, visit the downtown Davis website, davisdowntown.com.

AMY HOANG / AGGI E

WRITING THROUGH THE WRITER’S BLOCK National Novel Writing Month is over — now what?

BY SYDN EY ODMAN ar ts @the aggi e. org

Over the course of the past month, writers all over the globe have been furiously typing away, accompanied by endless amounts of stress and flowing creativity, determined to meet one goal — write 50,000 words.

For those who are unfamiliar with the phenomenon of National Novel Writing Month, more commonly known as NaNoWriMo, it is a webbased challenge run by a nonprofit organization on a mission to inspire creative minds to find their voices.

No fuss, no editing, just continuous writing.

The objective of the challenge is to finish a 50,000 word novel within the span of 30 days, which does not leave any room for any excuses or procrastination.

December is finally here and the challenge has come to an end, meaning that there will inevitably be winners and losers — those who completed their word goal and those who did not. However, whether or not participants finished the challenge, the end of November is hardly the finish line for most.

“I definitely am going to keep writing,” said Caitlyn Sampley, a first-year cinema and digital media major, who reached the 50,000-word mark a week before the deadline. “Even though I won the challenge, I still don’t really consider myself finished because my story isn’t done yet.”

Sampley began outlining her novel well before the starting day, which ultimately aided her in completing the challenge on time. “[For those who want to do NaNoWriMo next year], I would say plan as much as you can beforehand,” Sampley said. “Plan well enough ahead of

time, so that you’re sort of winging it, but you’ve still got a strong outline to go off of.”

As a first-year student myself, I had the special opportunity this fall quarter to participate in NaNoWriMo, thanks to my freshman seminar which focused specifically on completing the challenge.

The class provided a supportive community and useful insight throughout this stressful and time-consuming endeavor. Without the seminar, I would have never even known what National Novel Writing Month was.

As part of my grade, I took on the 50,000 word challenge and wrote vigorously for 30 straight days.

I found that although the experience was demanding, (as many of my classmates would agree), the overall writing process has been enlightening.

I believe that NaNoWriMo process has not only made me a stronger writer but also forced me to simply keep on creating, even when my mind wanted to give up. I found that the infamous “writer’s block” does not truly exist, and that I could keep writing as long as I didn’t let my own selfdoubt get in my way.

I also discovered the true meaning of time management, as writing an average of 2,000 words a day was no easy feat. Along with classes, midterms, social activities and extracurriculars, fitting in the time to sit down and write for at least an hour a day appeared practically impossible in the beginning.

However, there was always a way to make it work in the end.

NaNoWriMo is truly such a unique event, as one can never really understand what it takes to write a novel until actually doing it. I would urge anyone with enough will and determination to take on the challenge.

After all, November is only 11 months away.

Time to get planning.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

14 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

ARTS & Culture JAY GELVEZON / AGGIE F IL E

THAT’S ALOTTACAPPELLA LIQUID HOTPLATES HOST ANNUAL SHOWCASE THIS SATURDAY

BY BET T Y W U art s@ th e ag g i e . o rg

The Liquid Hotplates, a co-ed a cappella group on campus, is here to offer UC Davis students a gleeful time in the form of AlottaCappella 2016, its annual concert. “[Singing] has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, so joining a college a cappella group was the next logical step after a lifetime of choir, and the Liquid Hotplates was my personal favorite based on the quality of their sound,” said Kiersten Allison, a third-year animal science major and co-public relation chair for the Liquid Hotplates. “I absolutely love being a member of this group, and it is by far the highlight of my college career.”

This quarter, the Hotplates have been preparing for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) in April 2017, a competition for top-notch student groups around the globe.

“Right now, it’s not just the competition [though],” said Cole Hofberg, a third-year civil engineering major and co-music director. “[We] try to figure out what the group wants and then decide what arrangement we want to do, and how we want to spend our time. One of our goals is to do the competition but as well as one of our biggest shows: AlottaCappella.”

Most of the Davis a cappella groups will be performing, including Davis Chamber Choir, The Spokes and the Lounge Lizards. The majority of songs performed in the show will be R&B, soul and

OUR DISTURBING REALITY

pop music. As the host of the show, the Liquid Hotplates will perform several songs, including “Hey Ya”

by Outkast and “Here,” an R&B mashup song by Alessia Cara.

“We are so excited to perform at AlottaCappella again this year,” said Amanda Beardsley, a fourthyear psychology major and president of The Spokes.

“In the fall, we usually travel to LA and Berkeley for various showcases and it’s so much fun. With being so busy, it’s so nice to end the quarter with a show in Davis surrounded by a great a cappella community.

The Liquid Hotplates always put on an amazing show and we are very excited to hear them perform.”

For the Hotplates, one of the most exciting parts of the performance this year will be its new sound equipment.

In past years, the host rented sound equipment for performances, and had all the performing groups share four microphones on stage.

“This is the first year we will be using our own sound equipment, and we will also ramp up the decorations more than ever this year. SciLec will truly be glowing with musical bliss,” Allison said. “Those attending should prepare themselves for a night of wonderful music and being endlessly entertained by the variety of talented voices performing in the show!”

AlottaCappella 2016 will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 8 to 11 p.m. at Science Lecture Hall 123. Pre-sale tickets are available online for $10.

For more information about the show, please visit its Facebook event page.

Wildly popular Netflix drama speaks to unease of current generation

NICK I PA DA R / AGGI E

BY C A ROL I N E RUT T E N art s@ th e ag g i e . o rg

Black Mirror doesn’t hesitate to be full-on effed up from the get-go: the pilot episode is about the kidnapping of a British princess who can only be saved if the British Prime Minister agrees to perform sexual intercourse with a pig and broadcast it live internationally. It’s bizarre, yes, but in a way, it captures the insanity of the modern age.

Black Mirror, a British break-out hit available on Netflix, isn’t just a TV show; it’s smart, sharp commentary on 21st-century technology development and consumption. Copying the stand-alone dramatic style of The Twilight Zone, each episode of Black Mirror has a different plot that cuts deep into our psyche which has become so closely braided with the mysterious nature of contemporary technology.

The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror overlap in not only framework, but in concept as well. The Twilight Zone aired in the midst of the Cold War and featured

the confusion and dismay of the time as many episodes’ plots centered around the end of the world, bomb shelters and neighbor against neighbor.

It is no wonder why Black Mirror has taken so much inspiration from the cult classic — the show deals with a similar anxiety but in a modern context.

In each episode, the show explores psychological and societal problems that stem from social media and technology.

The episode “White Christmas” features chips planted in people’s heads that copy an individual’s consciousness to then be placed into a device that controls a Smart House based on that specific individual’s likes, dislikes and daily patterns. The program knows just how an individual likes their toast, and seems to know people better than they know themselves — an eerie thought in an era of smartphones and self-driving cars.

Another subtly haunting example occurs at the end of the first episode. As the Prime Minister sits in a bathroom covered in sweat and vomit (after his

sexual encounter with the pig), his cell phone continues to ring as the frame slowly turns black — even in our most vulnerable moments, an omnipotent social media presence still reigns supreme. There is no personal space. Silence fails to exist.

Black Mirror is not the only show currently exploring the repercussions of technology. Mr. Robot portrays a social outcast, Elliot, who gets involved in a revolutionary computer hacking group named fsociety that plans to take down a major tech corporation. Both shows express the subconscious fear and anxiety surrounding society’s increasing dependence on technology. Moreover, both shows tap into this unease and translate it to fit a larger, more accessible platform. Black Mirror has plots that are absolutely insane and downright creepy, but are relatable at the same time. That’s the truly scary part.

As for Mr. Robot, it portrays the subtle isolation embodied in technology — genuine social interactions are gone, as demonstrated by the socially isolated Elliot. Nonetheless, underlying the show is an

anger concerning the control technology possesses and ultimately leads to a social revolution in the show. Maybe something similar is on the horizon in reality.

The haunting party of these sci-fi shows is that while the ideas may seem far-fetched, they really are not once reflected on. With the current trends and progression of contemporary technology, the concepts of both shows are somewhat feasible. There lies the dualism of technology: while it provides us with the gift of limitless information, it also poses the potential for horrifying results.

Entertainment is entering a new stage of content, one that centers around the anxiety of our current age. Like in the The Twilight Zone, having content that was able to express the population’s emotions and anxiety served to motivate discussion, to prevent a bottling-up of emotions. These shows are well written, well-produced and, most importantly, make their large audiences think; that’s the beauty of entertainment.

HOLIDAY MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Blue Christmas” by Heartless Bastards As a traditional rock band, Heartless Bastards intentionally toned down their characteristically growly vocals for this rendition. Perhaps it was done in the spirit of the holidays, or even with the idea of experimenting in sound. Either way, Erika Wennerstrom’s voice sounds suppressed in a wonderfully pleading manner. Perhaps Wennerstrom, too, has become fed up with her family’s obsession over the arrangement of the tree’s ornaments, and began hoping those reindeers ran her over instead of grandma.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 | 15

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

LUCY KNOWLES / AGGIE FILE JAY G E LV EZON / AG G I E

UC DAVIS ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT FALL OVERVIEW As fall seasons slow down, it’s time for an overall look at the athletics department

BY G EORG E M CCO N N E L L sports@theaggie.org

As the various fall athletic seasons wind to a close, the first academic quarter under new UC Davis director of athletics Kevin Blue is just about in the books. The change at the top of the administrative hierarchy has not yet improved on field success among the various athletic programs on campus, however. Both the men’s and women’s water polo continue to be dominant national forces, both soccer programs and women’s volleyball continue to hover around .500 and the football team struggled through another season.

The water polo program produced the only two teams on campus with solid winning records in the fall quarter. The UC Davis men’s water polo team finished a historic 23-5 regular season record with a 12-8 win over UC San Diego to capture the first conference title since 1997 and punch a ticket to the NCAA Championship. The Aggies face the winner of Bucknell vs Harvard in the quarterfinal game hosted by UC Berkeley at Spieker Aquatics Complex on Dec. 1.

The women’s soccer team finished with a 7-8 record overall and 3-3 in conference play. Its male counterpart ended similarly at 8-9 overall and 4-6 in the Big West. The men’s team fell in penalty kicks to two-time conference champion Cal State Fullerton in the opening round of the Big West tournament, and the women’s team closed out the season with a double overtime draw to Cal Poly.

The women’s volleyball team finished the season with a 14-15 record after a sweep by Cal Poly in the season finale. The Aggies hope the addition of former two-time All-Big West honoree Katie Quinn as assistant women’s volleyball coach for the upcoming season will break the playoff drought.

After four seasons of losing records under head football coach Ron Gould, the Athletic Department decided to release Gould two days after defeating Sac State in the Causeway Classic for the final game of the season. The victory was too little, too late for the former UC Berkeley running back coach, after posting a 12-33 record during his four-year tenure at UC Davis. Gould was only the fourth head coach for Davis in the past 46 years, following an incredibly successful trio in Jim Sochor (156-41-5), Bob Foster (30-11-1) and Bob Biggs (140-78-1).

On Nov. 28, Blue announced that the Aggies hired Dan Hawkins, a former UC Davis football player who coached at Boise State and Colorado, as the head football coach.

UC DAVIS DIVING TEAM HOPES TO USE TIME OFF TO GET HEALTHY, FINISH STRONG Coach Phil Tonne’s diving team works hard to stay competitive, move ahead of the pack

BY BRADLE Y GE ISE R sports@theaggie.org

Nothing has come easy for the UC Davis diving team going into its winter hiatus, with injuries and illness plaguing the team. Despite this, head diving coach Phil Tonne is making sure that his team stays on top of their game as various factors try to drag them down.

“Unfortunately, we’ve had a lot of injuries, but my girls have performed well when they needed to,” Tonne said. “It’s kind of a rough, weird year for us, injury wise.”

Heading into the Phill Hansel Invitational in Houston, the injured dive team was missing key players but still managed to get two top-five finishes in platform-diving from sophomore Shaifali Goyal (195.25, 3rd) and junior Angelina Proshak (193.15, 5th) en route to the swimming and diving team’s overall third-place finish.

With six weeks off in between compe-

tition, it is now up to Tonne and the rest of his staff to keep his team in top form before going into the final six weeks of the season.

“This is the time where we have to gear back up,” Tonne said. “We have to get [the injured athletes] back. [...] It’s time to get back in the grind and pick up the pace a little bit.”

This means that when many students are gone between quarters, the athletes will be working hard as they aim to end the final stretch on a high note. Going into January, the team has a 6-3 record, including three victories and no losses within the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

“We only get a week off from diving, and during that week I tell them to do something physical, to stretch and work on their core,” Tonne said. “A lot of times, injuries come from lack of core strength, so that’s basically what they’ll be doing.”

With the cold touch of winter finally making its way into the valley, the divers have had to adjust to getting in and out

H A N N A H L E E / AGGI E

U C D AV I S S P O R T S SIG N HANDFUL O F NLI’ S Women’s water polo adds Davis High standout

BY OW EN YANC HE R sports@theaggie.org

On Wednesday, Nov. 23, UC Davis athletics announced the commitment of two women’s water polo players through national letter of intent (NLI) signings during the Fall period.

The two water polo commitments came during a slew of UC Davis NLIs that included several men’s and women’s basketball players, five softball players and a sprinkling of other UC Davis sports commits.

One of the two women’s water polo signers, Ally Clague, is an All-Tri-River Athletic Conference first teamer and was her team’s leading scorer at Clovis West High School.

The other prospective student-athlete, Alyssa Lengtat, already calls Davis home.

A tri-sport star, Lengtat also plays basketball and track and field at Davis Senior High School, holding the Blue Devils’ triple-jump record at 39 feet, 1 inch.

Like Clague, Lengtat led her water polo team in scoring this fall, pouring in 97 goals to go along with 45 steals for Davis High.

Jamey Wright, UC Davis women’s water polo coach, beamed with excitement discussing the future additions to his Aggie squad.

The veteran coach talked about how playing multiple sports, especially basketball, can help translate to success in the pool.

“There’s a lot of transfer between the sports,” Wright said.

“Everything from lane defense and pressure defense and opening up passing lanes to boxing out and setting picks and cutting, which are all things you also do in water polo.”

For Wright, local recruits have made up the majority of his Aggie teams over his 33-year UC Davis coaching career, but Wright said that a change may be in the making. After watching his men’s polo coaching colleague Daniel Leyson reach out to several international players in Israel’s Ido Goldschmidt and Croatia’s Sasa Antunovic, who have both been leading scorers for the Aggie men this fall, Wright thinks there might be something to gain from extending his recruiting perimeter.

“Historically I’ve kept all my recruiting within California,” Wright said. “My assistant Kandace Waldthaler and I try to get out to as many high school and club tournaments as we can in the offseason, but there are just way too many teams for just the two of us to vet.”

Wright says that as technology has improved over the past ten years or so, players being able to send him film has helped im-

of the water in subpar conditions. This means doing shorter workouts while maintaining their numbers, or repeating their dives in pursuit of their best performance.

As divers, stepping in and out of the pool can be a chore without the proper preparation.

“Be prepared, it’s going to be cold,” Tonne said. “Everyone is going to have to deal with it.”

In a year when the conference is largely up for grabs, Tonne hopes that his team can get healthy and pull ahead of the competition.

“Anything can happen at conference, and we need to try to get four divers in the top eight in every event, which is doable,” Tonne said.

In a trying year, the team has not let injuries and adversity get to them, and Tonne applauded his team for hammering through. With six weeks to go in the season come January, this time off will prove vital to the team’s future success.

mensely with recruiting.

“I get a handful of emails with film in them almost every week,” Wright said.

But the experienced Aggie coach cautioned that film analysis only tells part of the story.

“At tournaments I’m not just looking at how girls perform in the water,” Wright said. “I’m watching how they act around their teammates, what they’re doing during timeouts and seeing whether they stay focused or not despite whatever’s going on around them.”

As Wright had mentioned, local athletes have often already been on the UC Davis campus and have used the aquatics facilities at a tournament or practice prior to making their official visit. In Lengtat’s case, Schaal Aquatics Center has been home base for the 5-foot-11 senior for the past three summers, where Lengtat practices club polo along with some current UC Davis players.

“I think that in the back of my mind, ever since I was a little kid that I’ve always loved UCD and loved the thought of going here,” Lengtat said. “Because it’s local, a lot of people were actually encouraging me to get out of town and go elsewhere, but after my recruiting visit, which really sealed the deal, I really just felt like I was home at UCD. And it’s funny because Davis is home, so that’s how I know it’s the right decision.”

Wright can’t wait until Lengtat joins the Aggie ranks next year.

“She hasn’t played a whole lot of water polo in her life,” Wright said. “Which might look like a negative for her, but on the other hand it’s all new and fresh and exciting and exhilarating for her. If you’ve got two girls and one is a fourthyear and one is a first-year player, the first year has so much room to improve and they’re going to get better at a faster rate. And as counterintuitive as it sounds, because Alyssa hasn’t played a lot of water polo,” — this will only be Lengtat’s fourth year playing polo — “she’s getting dramatically better each week. That’s something you just don’t see with players who’ve been around for a ton of years.”

The UC Davis women’s water polo team (17-13 overall last year) starts the season in January at tournament hosted by San Jose State.

Some other recent Aggie NLIs include: Softball: • Aly Gomonet, shortstop, Notre Dame High School (Salinas, CA) • Alyse Rojas, centerfielder, Vacaville High School (Vacaville, CA) • Riley Siegel, catcher, Drake High School (San Anselmo, CA) • Shelby Soares, shortstop, Granite Bay High School (Granite Bay, CA) • Brooke Yanez, first base, Buena High School (Ventura, CA) Men’s Basketball: • Gio Nelson, forward, Centennial High School (Corona, CA) • TJ Shorts, guard, Saddleback College (Mission Viejo, CA) • Logan Strom, forward, Norfolk High School (Norfolk, NE) Women’s Basketball: • Kayla Konrad, forward, Valencia High School (Valencia, CA) • Cierra Hall, forward, Fairmont Prep Academy (Cypress, CA) • Sage Stobbart, post, Seycove Secondary School (North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) Men’s Tennis: • Ivan Thamma, Point Loma High School (San Diego, CA) • Chethan Swanson, Folsom High School (Folsom, Calif.)

• Arjith Jayaraman, Granite Bay High School (El Dorado Hills, Calif.)

r e d u c e . r e u s e . r e c yc l e t h e ag g i e .

16 | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

BACKSTOP FORMER AGGIE NAMED HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

JAY G E LV EZO N / AG G I E

Dan Hawkins, who played under Jim Sochor, returns to UC Davis to coach football

BY G EORG E M CCO N N E L L sports@theaggie.org

A new era of Aggie football is underway as Dan Hawkins returns to UC Davis as head coach.

Hawkins played fullback on the 1982 NCAA Division II championship runner-up team alongside NFL first round pick, quarterback Ken O’Brien, and under legendary head coach Jim Sochor. The following year, Hawkins joined Sochor’s coaching staff as an assistant before taking a head coaching

job at Christian Brothers High School.

“I’ve always said this place was my baptism of excellence,” Hawkins said during his welcoming press conference. “It showed a little guy from a town of 500 people what you truly can accomplish. It’s really what life’s about. The quality balance of life really started here. Everywhere I’ve been, I’ve tried to echo that same experience.”

After his time coaching at Christian Brothers, Hawkins became one of the premier coaches on the college football landscape. After winning three conference titles at Willamette University, Hawkins brought the Boise State football program to national prominence as head coach from 2001 to 2005.

During his five year tenure with the Broncos, Hawkins recorded Jim Sochor-esque numbers, compiling a 53-11 overall record, including a staggering 37-3 Western Athletic Conference mark.

Hawkins guided Boise State to bowl games four

of the five years he was there.

Hawkins was unable to find similar success at his next stop with University of Colorado in the Big 12 Conference where his five year contract was cut short in the final season after finishing with a 19-29 overall record.

“We’re going to do things in a national championship fashion. There are things that the science of football demands,” Hawkins explained. “Those are metrics and analytics we need to look at and determine, why are we not as good on third down as we should be? What is the functionality of that?

We need to have a starting point.”

Hawkins now returns to where his playing and coaching career began, attempting to reinvigorate a once perennial powerhouse football program that has suffered six losing seasons in a row.

He replaces former head football coach Ron Gould, who ran the program for the past four years.

I AN J ONES / AGGI E FI LE

B E CCA RIDG E / AG G IE

I AN J ONES / AGGI E FI LE B E CCA RIDG E / AG G IE

TEAM OF THE QUARTER:

MEN’S WATER POLO UC Davis men’s water polo continues exceptional season, wins WWPA Championships

TALKING SPORTS WITH AGGIE TALK Every Tuesday night, UC Davis gets the opportunity to discuss the week in sports on KDVS’ Aggie Talk

BY BRAD L EY G E I S E R sports@theaggie.org

Sports talk radio is a staple for sports fans across the country. It provides a venue where fans of all different sports can talk about those teams, players and events they are most passionate about. On Aggie Talk, UC Davis gets its own place in the sports talk world. For over three decades, KDVS has been covering sports, but in his second year as sports director, Andy Clausen wanted to make sure that he brought athletics to the forefront.

Many radio veterans, such as Andy Reichwald of Sunday Night Baseball and Miami Marlins playby-play announcer Rich Waltz, have lent their voices to KDVS in the past, but Clausen hopes to extend its reach even further.

“I think I brought the sports department back into the fold,” Clausen said. “We want student broadcasters to sound as professional as possible.

It’s a place where people can gain a solid background in radio and sports while gaining a solid background in sports, while still putting out an entertaining product and putting out something that people want to listen to.”

With Aggie Talk, students and sports fans in the Davis area have a show in which they can discuss not only the UC Davis Aggies, but professional sports from all over the country as well.

For fellow sports director Michael Aridi Barake, a second-year communication major, Aggie Talk is a a place for sports fanatics like him to do what they love to do most — talk about sports.

“Aggie Talk is an opportunity for students (and fans) who are interested to get on board and do something productive with the hobbies and sports that they have a passion for,” Aridi Barake said.

As a largely volunteer-run station, it is important to get people with a passion for what they are doing. Aridi Barake sees the opportunity he has as a marriage of two passions.

“It was kind of a perfect blend of my love sports and my love for performing arts,” Aridi Barake said. “I did theater in high school, and I always wanted to work for a radio station.”

Aggie Talk, which airs every Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m., aims to provide the people of Davis a place to talk about sports, both local and national.

While it may not have the budget — according to Clausen, the show itself draws no funding from the Athletic Department — or the reach of a commercial radio station, Clausen and Aridi Barake share a goal, and that goal is to give both host and listener a professional experience that won’t let the dated equipment or diminishing funding hold back the pursuit to put on a great show.

The show, and station, rely greatly on two fundraisers, one every spring and fall, to stay on its feet.

“If you’ve ever been in our studio you can see that it’s really old,” Clausen said. “Literally one of our broadcasting boxes is held together by tape.”

This doesn’t keep the KDVS crew from putting out high quality content, and Aggie Talk is no different. The show’s format is simple and free-flowing. For the first half, the hosts typically cover Aggie sports, and each host has a sport that they’re particularly passionate about.

“You can tell where people’s interests lie, but for me, I’m a huge basketball fan and a huge soccer fan,” Aridi Barake said. “There are a lot of people around me who enjoy talking basketball, and it reflects that in Aggie Talk.”

Despite personal preferences, however, the hosts strive to make it an all-encompassing show which casual fans and hardcore fans can get behind. Though Aggie Talk has no official connection to the Athletic Department, Clausen and Aridi Barake do their best to bring on guests from within athletics and work hard to keep the program’s listeners informed.

“We don’t get told what to talk about,” Clausen said. “We’re very independent. We work with [the Athletics Department] in that they run the sports that we cover.”

For the second half of the show, the hosts of Aggie Talk move more towards the national sports scene, during which they cover any headlines or stories that they feel the listener may KDVS SPORTS on PAGE 11

HOME GAMES THROUGH WINTER BREAK Women’s basketball (The ARC Pavilion)

Men’s basketball (The ARC Pavilion) Swimming and diving (Schaal Aquatics Center)

Friday, Dec. 2 vs. San Diego State at 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 11 vs. Saint Mary’s at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Hawai’i at 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 17 vs. William Jessup at 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 31 vs. Utah Valley at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 4 vs. UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 7 vs. Cal Poly at 5 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 7, Aggie Open at 10 a.m.

BY RYAN BUGSCH sports@theaggie.org

With an overall record of 23-5, an undefeated conference record of 6-0 and a secured Western Water Polo Association Championship, it is no surprise that The California Aggie’s choice for Fall 2016 Team of the Quarter is men’s water polo.

Looking back at the 2015 season, the team was undefeated in conference but fell short in the WWPA championship final against UC San Diego. Coming into this season, head coach Daniel Leyson defined the goals for the team that ultimately contributed to its success this year.

“Our goals are the same every year,” Leyson said.

“We want to have a top 10 ranking, we want to be in the championship game in our conference tournament, and we want a team GPA above 3.0. Those were the goals when I came here four years ago, and they continue to be the goals for our program now.”

This season for the UC Davis men’s water polo team has been nothing but successful. Its 23 overall wins has surpassed the school record of most victories in a season, previously set by the 2007 and 2011 teams with 22 wins.

The 2016 season is the second season that the team has been undefeated 6-0 in conference, but this year was the year men’s water polo was able to win the WWPA Championships against UC San Diego 12-8, beating the team that had defeated them in the conference championships one year prior.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind feeling,” Leyson said. “We are arm-in-arm on the pool deck, and close to the end

we knew it was over. We could just sit and wait and watch the clock go down and jump in the water together. It’s a feeling like no other.”

To go along with the success of winning the WWPA Championship, sophomore attacker Ido Goldschmidt received Western Water Polo Association Player of the Year honors, joining sophomore utility Sasa Antunovic on the All-WWPA First Team.

Two more players, sophomore attacker Marcus Anderson and junior goalkeeper Spencer Creed, received second-team honors, while junior attacker Cory Laidig earned an honorable mention and freshman attacker Yurii Hanley made the WWPA All-Freshman Team.

“I’m especially happy for the guys as a validation for all the work they have gone through and especially the feeling of disappoint from last year’s loss,” Leyson said. “I also feel that this win wasn’t just for our current guys, but also for the past guys that have been so close and have come up short.”

It was tough for Leyson to define the season in one word, but he eventually found the right one: “Satisfying.”

“But it isn’t over, and we want to get to the final four. We have to keep going,” Leyson said. “I think that there is no question that these guys have an outstanding work ethic. I put them through a lot, and they always respond. It’s a great group.”

The UC Davis men’s water polo team was drawn to compete in the NCAA championships and will play in the quarterfinal match and face the winner of Bucknell vs. Harvard on Thursday, Dec. 1 in Berkeley.

BR I ANA NGO / AGGI E

OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FACES FIRST LOSS OF SEASON Aggies’ undefeated start comes to end, as Hofstra sneaks by with a win

BY ALEX ARECHIGA sports@theaggie.org

Amidst an afternoon of impressive achievements, including sophomore forward Morgan Bertsch’s first double-double of the season and junior guard Dani Nafekh’s fifth double-digit scoring stint this season, the previously unscathed Aggies tallied a tough 64-60 loss against the visiting Hofstra Pride during their Nov. 27 matinee.

The game was compelling right from the tip-off when the two opposing styles of gameplay riled up the crowd who watched Aggies sink shot after shot.

The first quarter set the stage for an early lead for the home team, and continued energetic play at the post gave the Aggies layups and short jumpers to help them maintain a confident offensive attitude

that lofted them to a 20-11 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The energy from the early command of the game carried over when Bertsch put up a quick layup in the first minute of the second period to bolster the Aggies to a 22-11 lead. After a few point exchanges, a smooth jump shot by junior Marly Anderson added on to the comfortable margin at 28-19. In spite of the Aggies’ apparent offensive control of the game, the opposing Pride managed to make gains of their own as a late five point streak tied them up at 30-30. Junior guard Rachel Nagel returned the favor with an effortless three pointer that secured the lead for UC Davis at the end of the first half.

The start of the second half lent a bit of tension WBB HOFSTRA on PAGE 11