May 30, 2019

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VOLUME 137, ISSUE 29 | THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019

UC DAVIS TO HOLD ONLY THREE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES IN 2020 Chancellor May hopes move will attract national speakers, unify students as graduates of UC Davis and not individual colleges

BY DEANA MEDI NA campus@theaggie.org

What is perhaps the biggest student celebration of the year is about to change, as UC Davis is planning to transition from seven to three commencement ceremonies in 2020.

The current summer graduation schedule includes three commencement ceremonies for the College of Letters and Sciences and two for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, while the College of Biological Sciences and the College of Engineering are granted one ceremony each. This schedule will shift next year to only “three ceremonies of about 2,500 students plus guests for a total of about 10,000 per commencement,” according to UC Davis News and Media Relations.

With such a large number of students and guests, a proper venue is needed. UC Davis News reported that the current options are Aggie Health Stadium or Golden One Center in downtown Sacramento, with the added task of having to bus students to the Golden One Center if that becomes the chosen venue.

Chancellor Gary May recognized that no mat-

U C DAV I S P H OTO / CO URTESY

ter the venue there will be “transportation logistics to resolve,” such as how “families and friends will need parking, and [how] we will need shuttles to bring people from parking lots to the venue and back. If we hold one or more ceremonies in Sacramento, we will need to determine how to transport people who need a ride.”

Despite these future possible difficulties transitioning to a different amount of commencement ceremonies, the chancellor reaffirmed that there is “staff working through these logistics to ensure that, no matter what the venue, our graduates and their families have a wonderful experience on this important day.”

Only a few reasons were given as to why exactly this change is in the works, one being that it presents the opportunity to “draw national speakers to speak to our graduating classes and their families,” May said.

The importance of portraying a single image of UC Davis rather than a split one played a factor as well.

“Students graduate from UC Davis, so we want to honor them with a university commencement ceremony, rather than a college- specific ceremony,” May said.

JUDICIAL COUNCIL RULES 2015 BDS RESOLUTION UNCONSTITUTIONAL Senate Resolution #17 encouraged UC to divest from Israeli companies

JE R E M Y DA N G / AGGI E

BY SA BRI N A HA B C H I campus@theaggie.org Senate Resolution #17, passed by the ASUCD Senate in 2015, was ruled unconstitutional by the Judicial Council for violating Article II, Section 2 and the Student Bill of Rights of the ASUCD Constitution. The decision was unanimous.

The resolution, a part of the larger Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, urged the UC to divest from “corporations that aid in the Israeli occupation of Palestine and illegal settlements in Palestinian territories.”

The case was brought forward by former ASUCD Judicial Council Chair and former Interim Senator Sydney Hack and former Senator Daniella Aloni. The Judicial Council declared the resolution unconstitutional, as Section 2 of the Constitution states that ASUCD must promote student welfare, and the council found that the resolution “caters to the welfare of a group of students [...] at the expense of the welfare of other students.”

The second justification pointed to language in the Student Bill of Rights that prohibits discrimination based on

national origin, ethnicity or political belief. The Judicial Council found the resolution to be in conflict with anti-discrimination language, explaining that the resolution “has led to the discrimination and harassment of students whose ethnicity, national origin or political beliefs are in opposition to the content of the Resolution.”

Amid what Aloni called an increase in anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic rhetoric on campus, she and Hack brought the case before the council.

“While this resolution may have been passed in 2015, it still has created a toxic environment for students on campus,” Aloni said via email.

“There were rumors of another Senate Resolution similar to this one being passed by the current ASUCD Senate Table and we decided it was best to go on the ‘offense’ rather than wait for another wave of antisemitic incidents to take place.”

Aloni said that actions intended to sanction Israel, such as academic boycotts, negatively impact Israeli students because the students may feel isolated and discriminated against.

“This academic boycott also prevents American students in the U.S. from attending Universities in Israel,” Aloni said. “These boycotts lead to

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discrimination against students from Israel, and from the United States.”

Hack expanded on this issue, stating that any boycotts of Israel “can negatively affect Israeli students in that they may have invested interest in the companies being boycotted.”

Hack also said that boycotts affect all students, because they result in limited cooperation between the U.S. government and the governments that have been sanctioned.

ASUCD President Justin Hurst, on the other hand, argued that there is a difference between sanctions against a government and sanctions against the people in a nation.

“My understanding of the resolution is that it was specifically targeted against the actions of the Israeli government, not the individuals of Israel,” Hurst said. “Another comparison is with the importance of similar legislation of the U.S. government during apartheid in South Africa. The point of it was to change the government’s actions — it had nothing to do with the people of the country.”

ASUCD Vice President Shreya Deshpande echoed Hurst’s argument by emphasizing the fact that there is “no mention of the word Judaism or Zionism.” Deshpande expressed concerns that declaring SR #17 unconstitutional will stop discussions that students need to have about the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Deshpande argued that the resolution did not detract from the welfare of a portion of the student body, because the resolution specifically mentions ways the UC could divest from companies that fund the Israeli military.

Judicial Council Chair Aria Aghalarpour, however, said that the council agreed that the resolution was harmful to a certain group of students based on the arguments of the plaintiffs, Hack and Aloni.

“Throughout the hearing, what

BDS on 9

OL IV IA KOT L A REK / AG GIE

LENGTHY DISCUSSION OVER POLICE DISARMAMENT RESOLUTION ENSUES AT MAY 16 SENATE MEETING

After SR #14 passed, Judicial Council issues temporary injunction

BY ALEXI S LOP EZ campus@theaggie.org An estimated 20 members of the public voiced their opinions on Senate Resolution #14, which calls for the disarmament of the UC Davis police, at the May 16 ASUCD Senate meeting. The discussion over the resolution lasted approximately two and a half hours.

The resolution, which is non-binding, was ultimately passed in a 7-6 vote after ASUCD Vice President Shreya Deshpande cast the tie-breaking vote. Since the meeting, however, the ASUCD Judicial Council has placed a temporary injunction on the resolution after the Davis College Republicans sued the Association to block the bill.

Those who spoke at the May 16 Senate meeting, including senators and other members of the Senate table, professed a range of perspectives and opinions regarding whether or not UC Davis police should be disarmed.

The author of the resolution, Blu Buchanan, began the conversation for those in support of disarmament.

They spoke about the importance of taking the time to understand the evidence. Buchanan cited the resolution as appearing in a larger conversation — those who choose to take part in this conversation bring different experiences to campus and doing some-

thing such as disarming the police is a common measure, not a radical idea.

A member of the campus community mentioned an argument related to mental health, stating that those who suffer mental illnesses are more likely to be killed or brutalized by the police.

They added that police approach people of color with unnecessary violence, which in turn creates further problems for those with mental illnesses within these communities.

Another member of the community mentioned the recent bookstore incident, stating that disarming the police is not enough due to the fact that during the incident no weapons were used, but the woman in question was still brutalized by UC Davis police.

External Affairs Commission Chair Nayzak Wali-Ali said UC Davis Chief of Police Joseph Farrow spoke to them about the decreasing crime rates in Davis. Wali-Ali noted that guns were not used to decrease crimes, so the notion that guns are necessary to reduce crime rates is not accurate.

Wali-Ali also mentioned that passing the resolution would not alienate the UC Davis Police Department, as Farrow has been very open to the discussion and open to working with students to ensure their safety, with or without weapons.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

2 | THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019

May 16 Senate meeting sees committee confirmations, quarterly reports, emergency budget, disarmament resolution After a nearly three-hour discussion, ASUCD Vice President breaks tie to pass SR #14

CAITLYN SAMPLEY / AGGIE

BY A L EX I S LO P E Z campus@theaggie.org Vice President Shreya Deshpande called the May 16 Senate meeting to order at 6:11 p.m. The ASUCD controller and vice controller were late.

Senator Shondreya Landrum was absent as well as External Affairs Commission Chair Nayzak Wali-Ali and Academic Affairs Commission Chair Naomi Reeley.

The meeting began with multiple confirmations for different commissions within ASUCD. The first confirmation was of Adam Hatefi for the position of vice president of the Office of External Affairs. Members of Senate congratulated Hatefi and praised the legislative work he helped introduce within the state legislature. He said he hopes to work with the community as well as introduce further legislation.

The next confirmation was for four new members of the Herbicide Free Committee.

These members were also praised for their great interviews and their previous experiences in student government.

The Davis Housing Discrimination Committee chair and the Pantry unit director were also confirmed. Those who interviewed the new Pantry director appreciated the quality of his interview, his passion for the Pantry and for helping fellow students.

The Unitrans’ quarterly report followed, given by the unit’s General Manager Jeffrey Flynn.

Unitrans has been underperforming with regard to its budget — generating less revenue than expected. This was attributed to various factors, such as the campus shut down during the Camp fires. With the fee referendum having passed, Unitrans is looking to restore all of its previous services and is also looking for ways to work with the City of Davis to ensure improved communication with regard to city repairs and road projects that could potentially affect services.

The Picnic Day Committee’s quarterly re-

SHEREEN LEE / AGGIE

port explained that the event went well, with little to no complications. The Bike Barn gave its quarterly report, mentioning the turnover of employees and its future plans to serve the campus community. The Experimental Community Gardens also gave its report, stating that the garden is doing well. It hopes to add a paid member who can work in the garden during the summer.

Housing Advising for Undergraduate Students (HAUS) also gave its quarterly report and its current chair was reconfirmed. He gave a presentation on what his committee is planning to do for the upcoming year, mentioning involvement with housing day.

Once the confirmations were completed and the quarterly reports were presented, the Senate took a 15-minute break.

The meeting was called back to order by Deshpande at 8:13 p.m. Vice Controller Shambhavi Gupta and Reeley were absent.

After the break, consideration of old legislation was set to take place; however, emergency

legislation took precedent. The Senate discussed and passed Senate Bill X. The legislation is meant to ease the financial burden currently taking a heavy toll on ASUCD. The estimated financial deficit was around $400,000; however, that estimate has risen to about $530,000.

With some cuts too difficult to make, ASUCD has decided to take money from their net reserves of $1.4 million to ease the deficit and avoid the possibility of the university stepping in to assess the situation. The final decision on whether to take from the reserves will ultimately be made

by Greg Ortiz, the ASUCD business manager.

Next, the Senate considered old legislation.

In this portion of the meeting, the Senate took up Senate Resolution #14, a resolution that would recommend that the UC Davis Police be disarmed. With a room full of people waiting to talk about SR #14, a resolution to recommend the disarmament of the UC Davis Police, Senator Alexis Ramirez motioned to have SR #14 considered first.

The motion passed and SR #14 was brought before the table. Multiple people wished to speak and were put on the speaker’s list. More than 20 speakers gave their opinions or asked questions regarding the resolution. The conversation took a little over two and a half hours.

Midway through the discussion, Senator Ricky Zapardiel moved to divide the house. With this mock vote, the Senate was split 5–5, with Senators Peiyuan Chen and Rebecca Gonzalez abstaining.

Later, Chen moved from abstaining to supporting the resolution, while Gonzalez voted against the resolution. The resolution later passed with a 7–6 vote after Deshpande cast a tie-breaking vote in favor of the resolution.

After SR #14 passed, another break took place. The consideration of old legislation continued. Zapardiel and Senator Maya Barak were absent following SR #14.

SR #15 aimed to support the Native American community, was discussed and passed by members of the Senate. SB #83, a bill to reallocate $5,125.60 for a new shed for the Experimental Community Gardens, also passed.

After the consideration of old legislation, the Senate moved to public discussion. During discussion, the Senate reflected on issues varying from other senators walking out of the meeting after SR #14 passed, to the recording of individuals, to the association’s temporary move out of the MU’s third floor during renovation, to the budget hearings and to what senators can do to improve ASUCD. Public announcements took place after the public discussion. The senators and the commission chairs spoke about upcoming events and related topics. Officer reports were moved to next week.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:02 a.m.

Leave the plants alone!

May 15 “Male loitering and giving mean looks to customers.”

May 16 “Large shepherd mix off leash in the area chasing reporting party.”

May 17 “Male and female — shouting outside and laying on cars.”

May 18 “Female subject was removing plants from planter in

front of business.”

May 20 “Grandson inside the office refusing to leave.”

May 21 “Loud stomping.”

May 22 “Black plastic bag found.”

“Intoxicated male slurring words, moving cones and blocking traffic.”

M.E.Ch.A. student group to consider name change Move would take out “Chicanx” and “Atzlán” from name, terms that some see as potentially exclusionary

ALLYSON KO / AGGIE

BY D E A N A M E D I NA campus@theaggie.org The Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.) recently announced that the organization will be considering a possible change to the its established name of 50 years, specifically to remove the terms Chicanx and Aztlán to promote inclusion.

In a statement signed by National M.E.Ch.A. Co-Chairs Katherine Chiu and Emilio Balderas and National M.E.Ch.A. GIS Chair Gabriela Guillen, M.E.Ch.A. “means nothing without a commitment to the liberation of our Central American, South American, Caribbean and/or Black and indigenous hermanxs” and stands as the reasoning behind eliminating what they see as historically Mexican-American-focused and exclusionary terms of Chicanx and Aztlán.

Professor of Spanish Robert Irwin stated that for M.E.Ch.A. “to critically debate the meanings and cultural baggage contained in the name of their organization” is a good sign, as it means the organization’s members are trying to reflect on “their five decades of achievements, and to think about how to best meet the needs of their diverse membership in the years to come.”

Irwin agreed with the organization’s questioning of the appropriateness of the term Aztlán because although it “compellingly represents the roots of Chicanx culture in Alta California,” it also displays a “highly problematic aspect of Mexican nationalism that glorified one indigenous ethnicity.”

M.E.Ch.A. de UC Davis, the UC Davis

chapter of M.E.Ch.A., voted yes on considering a name change for the organization. Efren Diaz, the former internal coordinator of M.E.Ch.A., stated that this type of change was something the UC Davis chapter was already “having conversations about last year.” When Diaz became internal coordinator in Spring Quarter of 2018, he knew he wanted to make a change. This change was not necessarily changing the name of the organization, but a change that required “checking in with the community, specifically the Latinx and indigenous community to see how people felt about M.E.Ch.A. as an organization, including the name.”

“The name is not just a name — it has roots,” Diaz said. “We just want the name change to reflect the practice of what we do.”

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 | 3

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

ICE slams California’s sanctuary policy after fatal DUI crash in Yolo County Undocumented suspect accused of killing three people in King’s Landing collision released on bail, drawing ire from ICE

Davis Pride hosted by Davis Phoenix Coalition Run/Walk for Equality, Community Fair, Music Festival celebrates Pride JAMIE CHEN / AGGIE

JEREMY DANGER / AGGIE

BY TIM L A LO N D E city@theaggie.org Officials from the local branch of Immigrations and Custom Enforcement agency condemned California’s sanctuary policies after an undocumented man was released from a Yuba City Jail on bail on May 5. The suspect is now awaiting trial in ICE custody.

On the evening of May 4, a car allegedly driven by Ismael Huazo-Jardinez, allegedly veered off the road and crashed into a travel trailer home in King’s Landing, killing the three occupants inside — Jose Pacheco, 38, Anna Pacheco, 34, and their 10-year-old son Angel Pacheco-Espinoza — Sutter police told The Sacramento Bee. “At around 9:54 p.m. Saturday, Huazo-Jardinez was speeding northbound in a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche when he failed to adjust to a curve on Highway 113 and hit the family’s trailer near Jennings Court,” a Sutter County Sheriff press release obtained by The Bee reads.

King’s Landing is near the border of Sutter and Yolo counties, and though the crash technically happened in Yolo County, the suspect was taken into custody in Sutter County Jail on suspicion of DUI and vehicular manslaughter, The Bee reported.

Huazo-Jardinez was released on a $300,000 bail, police told The Bee, and presumably returned to his home in Yuba City afterward.

ICE spokesperson Paul Prince confirmed that the ICE began surveillance of Huazo-Jardinez’s

last known address in Yuba City shortly after he was released on bail. Prince said that ICE agents took Huazo-Jardinez into custody on May 7 without incident.

“On Tuesday, May 7, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (San Francisco) Fugitive Operations Team members apprehended Huazo-Jardinez,” Prince said via email. “ICE used available resources to locate and detain him. He will remain in ICE custody pending the disposition of his immigration proceedings.”

Prince provided some of the background information obtained by ICE on Huazo-Jardinez.

Allegedly from Mexico, he was first apprehended by immigration in 2011, and accepted the agency’s offer to voluntarily return to his home country.

“Ismael Huazo-Jardinez is an illegally present Mexican national,” Prince said via email. “The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him in Arizona and granted him voluntary return to Mexico in February 2011. He illegally re-entered at some point thereafter.”

Prince declined to comment specifically on his agency’s position on the case, but forwarded a statement from Acting Director Field Officer Director Erik Bonnar he said addressed the agency’s position on California’s sanctuary policy.

“Individuals who enter our country illegally and commit crimes must not be released back into our communities where they are able to harm others,” Bonnar said in the statement. “This is an

ICE on 9

The Davis Needle: downtown’s monumental mark

Ribbon-cutting event to celebrate installed sculpture, completion of Third Street Improvements Project JUSTIN HAN / AGGIE

BY R E N EE HO H city@theaggie.org Downtown Davis recently welcomed “The Davis Needle” to its repertoire of public artworks.

Created by artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector, the 25-foot tall sculpture sits on Third Street, marking the transition from the edge of downtown to UC Davis.

The sculpture was commissioned back in 2011 in conjunction with the Third Street Improvements Project, which was intended to promote safer pedestrian travel and overall beautification.

The project was delayed, which subsequently delayed the installation of the obelisk.

“There was interest in putting something there that created a gateway feeling, that marked the specific location,” said Rachel Hartsough, the arts and culture manager for the city of Davis. “It’s for creating this really lovely pedestrian-bicycle promenade between the city and the university.”

Grieve and Spector were working on a series of works relating to repurposed bike parts when they were chosen by the city of Davis. In particular, the obelisk is composed of around 110 unwanted children’s bikes, taken apart, cleaned and rebuilt into the Needle.

“There’s a sea of material going through the junkyard, especially children’s bikes,” Grieve said.

“The original reason why we got into this series was because the material was cheap, that was really it. We sort of grew it from there.”

Spector echoed that cost-efficiency and sustainability factored into their unconventional use of bike parts in their artwork.

“It’s both,” Spector said. “I used to own a solar electric company, and we recognized that if we can reuse something and transform it into something beautiful, there’s an alchemy that goes on.

So that is appealing to us, the sustainability aspect definitely.”

The sculpture’s name originated from “Cleopatra’s Needle,” a notable ancient Egyptian obelisk.

Other worldly inspirations came from a trip to Paris, resulting in the installation of LED lights

throughout the entirety of the sculpture to mimic the lighting of the Eiffel Tower.

“For one minute at the top of the hour, it’s going to sparkle like the Eiffel Tower, and there’s going to be slight anomalies going through it,” Grieve said. “The city’s going to be able to program it for daily occasions for yearly occasions.”

While the artists are from Petaluma, roughly an hour and a half away, they found Davis to be a fitting environment for their art due to the city’s prevalent bike and art culture. Transporting the giant sculpture to its new home, however, proved to be a challenge.

“When you work in artwork, it’s always a question of how you get it from where you build it to where it’s going to live,” Spector said. “A lot of times, we’re dealing with an inch on either side that [it] wants to fit in, and how we get it into the truck.”

The artist’s hard work and the completion of the Improvements Project will be celebrated at a ribbon-cutting event on June 1. The ceremony is set to begin at 11:15 a.m. and will feature remarks from city staff, among other activities near “The Davis Needle.” Booths will include the city’s “Art Bike,” a UC Davis design team working on a bicycle scavenger hunt, The Cali Rice Festival and free bike lights.

“We will have a selfie station to take photos at The Davis Needle,” said Barbara Archer, the communications and customer service manager for the city of Davis, via email. “All the restaurant owners who have put up with the construction will help to cut the ribbon. We really want to ask people to come eat at the Third Street establishments.”

Grieve and Spector hope the “The Davis Needle” will leave a lasting impression on the City of Davis and want residents to adopt it into their community.

“People call it an artwork, but it’s really a working piece of artwork — something that keeps giving back to the community,” Grieve said.

“Rather than making a piece of artwork, we [feel] that we’re making a landmark and hopefully, a monument.”

BY ANNE FE Y city@theaggie.org Those participating in the Davis Pride Run/Walk of Equality on Sunday, May 19 ran through morning showers, which cleared up just in time for the Community Fair and Musical Festival. Hosted by the Davis Phoenix Coalition — and free, as in previous years — the fifth annual Davis Pride offered music, community exhibitors and vendors as a space for young and old to connect.

After organizers accommodated for the rain by moving the exhibitor area to the Davis Farmers Market Pavilion instead of Central Park’s grass, Davis Pride celebrations went on, with crowds walking through the pavilion and gathering at the music stages to enjoy live music.

Pride Director Sandré Nelson said that the organizing committee estimated there were about 2,000 attendees — fewer than last year’s estimated 3,500 attendees because of the rain — but they were still happy with attendance.

He said that about 300 people participated in the Run/Walk for Equality.

“Despite the rain or the threat of rain or whatever, you can see we’ve had a good turnout today,” Nelson said at the event. “It rained for an hour this morning, and [now] it’s been beautiful […] The sun is out. [Everyone’s] having a good time.”

This year’s Davis Pride — held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m and open to all ages — especially commemorated Pride’s history, as its theme of #StonewallStrong aimed to honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. This theme served as one reason for the addition of a new “Senior Zone” to the existing kid and teen zones, in hopes of honoring and including generations who have worked toward LGBTQ+ equality over time.

Christina Boyer, a fourth-year cognitive science major at UC Davis and member of the Davis Pride organizing committee, said that these generation zones were successful in bringing people together, and that for her, seeing people of all ages coming out to celebrate was an excellent experience.

“We combined all three [zones] for a little intergenerational dialogue,” Boyer said. “That’s what’s really nice, to see like from kids to seniors celebrating themselves, and it’s been great.

They’ve been chitchatting, swapping tales.”

Her friend, Miranda Donning, a third-year cellular biology major at UC Davis, echoed this.

“That was cool!” Donning said of the dia-

logue. “People of all ages are here.”

Donning heard about the event from Boyer and said she came because it sounded like fun — offering “good food, good vibes.” Donning encouraged UC Davis students who did not attend to check out Davis Pride next year.

“It’s a safe place, and it’s fun and the dancing’s cool,” Donning said. “You can come with an open mind and have a good time […] Everybody should come on down.”

One highlight of the event, according to Donning and her friends, was the music, which took place at two stages. On the Western Health Advantage Community Stage, Davis Phoenix Coalition provided a welcome address, which was followed by performances by Cheer Sacramento, Control Z, Trace Repeat, Wisdom Project Drumming Circle and The Midnight Dip. Davis Live Music Collective arranged several of these community stage performances.

For the Wells Fargo Main Stage, Nico Nieves, Josh Diamond, Cathy Speck, I AM REBEL, Badlands Sacramento Drag Revue, Sacramento Women’s Chorus and Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus performed. Headlining at the main stage was Xavier Toscano.

Daniel Lavolle, a third-year wildlife, fish and conservation biology major at UC Davis, described the music as “top-notch.”

“Honestly, the music here is better than most concerts you go to,” Lavolle said. “I was pretty hyped. It was good.”

Lavolle and Timothy Cater, a fourth-year microbiology major at UC Davis, said they particularly enjoyed The Midnight Dip’s performance in the afternoon, and Cater applauded the Davis Pride organizers for making the event happen. Cater noted that the organizers thought on their feet in handling the rain and said he admired the group’s work as a whole.

“I know Christina [and that] she had been planning it all year, so there’s a lot of work that goes into this,” Cater said.

Boyer said that the work with the Davis Phoenix Coalition has been meaningful for her.

“It’s been a life-changing experience,” Boyer said. “The work [members of the Davis Phoenix Coalition] do for the community is unparalleled. It’s really beautiful to see it all come together.”

Davis Phoenix Coalition’s mission is to eliminate intolerance in the community through ongoing efforts, such as Yolo Rainbow Families, The Gatherings Initiative, Davis LGBTQ+ Youth Group, Davis Pride and the Upstander Carnival. Proceeds from the Run/ Walk for Equality benefit these efforts, as well as the coalition’s goal of creating a physical LGBTQ+ Community Center.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

4 | THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 OLIVIA KOTLA REK/ AGG IE

TO TATTOO OR NOT TO TATTOO?

Students discuss their experiences getting and having tattoos

BY ANJINI VENUGOPAL features@theaggie.org Turning 18 marks the start of adulthood — with the ability to vote, buy lottery tickets and make one’s own medical decisions, it’s the age of an abundance of new freedoms. Unlike non-ear body piercings, which minors can obtain with a parent present or as notarized by the parent, tattoos can only be obtained after 18.

First-year political science: public service major Mili Bhatnagar got her first tattoo in her hometown as soon as she turned 18. It’s a small symbol on the outside of her wrist, and she described the experience as “pretty exciting” because of how long she’d been planning it, but she was still slightly nervous.

“My first tattoo was something I had decided to get a long time ago,” Bhatnagar said. “I think I was 15 when the design first occurred to me.”

While some people may not tell their parents about tattoos that they have obtained, Bhatnagar

talked to her parents about hers.

“In fact, [my parents] actually want to get matching [tattoos] someday! My mom was a really big part of the decision too,” Bhatnagar said.

“She told me to get it in a place where I can hide it or show it off when I want. Truthfully, telling my parents about my first tattoo was a very organic decision because that particular symbol holds a lot of meaning to all of us.”

Bhatnagar has three tattoos now, but she plans on getting more. The second tattoo she has is on her arm and is her younger brother’s date of birth in Roman numerals; her third tattoo is a simple flower on her foot. Since getting these tattoos, she has never had second thoughts about them. Bhatnagar would advise people who don’t have tattoos but want some to start small.

“This piece of art will be on your body for the rest of your life, so make sure you’re happy with the design beforehand and have added your own flair,” Bhatnagar said. “All of my tattoos are on the smaller side, so I’ve never felt overwhelmed

by them. And smaller tattoos also really help prepare you for larger tattoos.”

Second-year philosophy major Skylar Duvall described herself as “obsessed with astrology” and when she was 17, she got her first tattoo — the Virgo constellation — back home in Houston.

“The first moments walking into the tattoo shop were honestly terrifying because no matter what people tell you, you still can never know what quite to expect,” Duvall said. “I remember my artist going over two basic rules – don’t move and don’t cry.”

Duvall chose to get the tattoo on her ribcage, a particularly difficult first spot, because of breathing regulation that’s required to prevent moving the needle. However, she doesn’t regret that and said that she’s glad she got one of the most painful spots over with. Duvall said that she still cries over a flu shot but finds the tattooing process to be therapeutic. Duvall’s mom went with her for her this first tattoo despite not necessarily approving.

“[She] also figured I would just get it behind her back if she said no because I’m so stubborn,” Duvall said. “She loves my tattoos now and appreciates them much more as an art.”

Duvall has 10 tattoos, and she plans to get more. She originally wanted a few small black tattoos, but her love for bold and colorful tattoos has grown. She is now in the process of completing a full leg sleeve. However, Duvall’s dad does not know about any of her 10 tattoos, most of which she described as being on the “larger side.” “[My dad] is very conservative and holds the irrational belief that tattoos ruin the beauty of a woman’s body,” Duvall said. “Because of this, I’m just going to wait until he eventually sees them and as mad as he will be, and no matter if he were to threaten taking me out of school, I think it’d be better to have a tattooed, educated daughter than a tattooed dropout.”

Duvall has a favorite tattoo, which she described, but she also thinks that it is all of the tattoos together that contribute to its beauty.

“I have a large hip piece in color of a deer skull with a rattlesnake wrapped around/through it with two yellow roses dedicated to my ranch back in Texas,” Duvall said. “This is probably my favorite just because the detail is so beautifully done, but all my tattoos are so different and blend together well to create one large body of art to appreciate.”

Duvall initially believed that she would only get tattoos with strong meanings behind them, but her view has “totally flipped.” She now often gets tattoos for the aesthetics, because tattoos are “an art, not necessarily a story.” Duvall described how she got into piercings and tattoos.

“Body modifications started becoming an interest of mine when I was struggling with bodily insecurities during a bad, depressive phase of my life,” Duvall said. “I felt as though adding something to my body would make me learn to love it more, which it definitely has. As cheesy as it sounds, I got my first tattoo inspiration literally from a Tumblr post and it was the first one I felt connected to.”

Duvall hopes to go into law, and said that she is “well aware” of the stigma around tattoos, which is why she chose the locations she did. She also urged people to get tattoos if they want — not all tattoos need to have meanings, and she thinks that people need to appreciate it as an art form more.

“For all the people holding off on tattoos because [they’re] not sure if it means enough, I encourage them to go ahead and get them,” Duvall said. “Be spontaneous but smart. It is your body and you don’t need to impress or please anyone.

TATOO CULTUR E on 9

NEW STARBUCKS OPENS ON F STREET ACROSS FROM PREVIOUS LOCATION New location provides more space for customers

V E NO OS M OS H AY E DI / AGGI E

BY LAUREN TROPIO city@theaggie.org

A new Starbucks sign was displayed across the street from another Starbucks, leaving the two coffee shops from the same company facing each other downtown on F Street. As construction began, it became noticeable that these stores were actually very different in terms of size and style.

Rather than having two Starbucks locations so close together, however, the old one was torn down and closed off, as a new business would soon replace it. The newer Starbucks mimics the layout of the local popular coffee shop, Philz.

Many customers explained that the new Starbucks is outdoing the older one, both in style and satisfaction.

“I love it, it is way bigger and better for studying,” said Mckenna Moriarty, a fourth-year communication major. “I could never go to the old Starbucks because there was no place or room to study. I thought of the other as more of a “graband-go” spot. Also, there are way more outlets so you can plug in your laptops. It is refreshing to have a new study space downtown.”

Although the larger space is being utilized by

students and residents, employees felt otherwise about the changes that were made when switching to the new location.

“When I spoke to a barista while checking out, he mentioned that it’s been difficult to sustain the increase in business and larger store,” said Dani McCabe, a fourth-year economics major. “He also noted that no new employees were hired to support this move.”

McCabe mentioned that the barista mistook her drink order, but the barista allowed her to keep it while also remaking the new coffee. The increase in customers was said to overwhelm the staff, which consists of the same amount of people.

Besides an increase in space, the new Starbucks offers the nitro cold brew and communal sinks.

All in all, as this new Starbucks opens its doors to the public, the previous location remains vacant. The California Aggie reached out to the manager and employees of the new Starbucks location but was unable to receive a response, as the manager said the overall corporation media relations dealt with questions, and that employees working for the company were not permitted to give statements.

PLANT SALES RAISE MONEY FOR ARBORETUM, PUBLIC GARDEN

Davis community members, students come to plant sales to buy California native plants KATIE F E R G US O N H ETRI C K / CO URTESY

BY MARGO ROSENBAUM features@theaggie.org Agaves, aloes, succulents, California Fusil, Buckwheat, California Lilac, Manzanitas, Salvias — all can be found at the Arboretum and Public Garden Plant Sales.

Community members and students attend

these events at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive, to purchase plants grown and sold as a fundraiser for the Arboretum and Public Garden. With three in the fall and four in the spring, anywhere between 1,000-1,500+ customers will attend the events. These sales are put on by the Arboretum and Public Garden staff, volunteers and Learning by Leading students,

according to UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden Assistant Director Carmia Feldman.

“We put on the sales because they are our biggest outreach and community engagement opportunities of the year to educate people on regionally appropriate gardening and [to] sell the California natives, Arboretum All-Stars and other plants that will help them be successful in creating gardens that need less water, less fertilizers and pesticides and provide [a] habitat to important native pollinators and other wildlife,” Feldman said.

According to Nursery Manager for the Arboretum and Public Garden Taylor Lewis, the sales are well trafficked because the plants sold at the events cannot usually be found at retail stores.

People line up beginning at 7:30 a.m. and anywhere from 200-300 walk in the door right away.

At the sales, over 600 taxa or plant varieties are available for purchase, such as various kinds of trees, vines, bulbs and grasses. According to Lewis, the sales offer plants for all soil and sun types.

“I focus specifically on drought tolerant, pollinator, beneficial insect attracting plants from the mediterranean climates of the world,” Lewis said. “California natives make up 30-35% of my overall stock. I grow plants that are hardy in our area, since I don’t like to grow plant that don’t do well here.”

The price of the plants depends on how easy they are to grow. Plants that take years to be ready for retail cost more, according to Lewis. Most common, one-gallon plants are sold for $12.

According to Feldman, the plant sales are the biggest fundraising events of the year for the Arboretum and Public Garden, with all proceeds going directly toward supporting the educational and environmental stewardship programs.

“It is a fundraiser to support a lot of the programs for the public,” said Outreach and Leadership Program Manager Melissa Cruz Hernandez.

“A lot of the educational programing that we do

is for free. We raise funds to support our organization.”

These events attract many members from the community, such as homeowners, landscape and garden professionals, restoration professionals, campus affiliates and more.

“We have many outreach partners at the sales and often have children’s activities, live music [from local musicians] and educational demonstrations,” Feldman said.

Professionals and expert graduate students are brought into the sales to get advice about the best types of plants for specific yards with different soils or amounts of shade.

“We plan the events in a way that is fun and engaging for the community and also makes people want to come again,” Cruz Hernandez said.

Community volunteers and students make up most of the workforce that puts on the plant sales. According to Lewis, there is a very small number of paid staff that work for the nurseries.

Four volunteer teams work every week to grow and take care of the plants.

“Volunteer work is a crucial piece of what we do,” Lewis said. “Students who are interested in how to grow plants and manage a nursery have a team of them who are here every week.”

Students who want to get involved with the plant sales and the public garden can take part in any of the 12 relevant internships offered. In the Nursery and Propagation Internship, students learn how to propagate the plants that are sold at the sales.

“Not only are the [plant sale] days really fun and engaging, the behind the scenes that allow the sales to happen is also very engaging in that we have community volunteers and students working side by side, making sure we have those plants readily available,” Cruz Hernandez said.

The Fall 2019 plant sale dates are Sept. 28, Oct. 12 and Nov. 2, all from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“We invite everyone to get involved in the plant sales,” Feldman said.

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 | 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OLIVIA KOTLAREK / AGGIE

Students discuss Adderall use for academic purposes Those prescribed medication for ADHD weigh in on controversy of pill, its presence in study habits M IKI WAYN E features@theaggie.org Third-year cognitive science major Claire Brandmeyer was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) when she was in second grade and has been prescribed Ritalin or Vyvanse ever since. After transferring to UC Davis, Brandmeyer noticed the behavior of

abusing focus drugs is far more normalized on UC Davis’ campus than at her community college.

“I definitely get asked more about whether or not I sell my medication here than I did when I was at community college,” Brandmeyer said.

After doing more research on the effects of these drugs, Brandmeyer decided that she no longer wants to rely on them in order to focus.

Adderall and other focus drugs are all amphetamines, meaning they alter brain chemistry and function and can have negative side effects as a result. Brandmeyer is concerned that students don’t take into consideration the long-term effects of taking these drugs and are damaging their overall health.

“I went off my meds after learning what ADHD medication does neurologically,” Brandmeyer said. “There’s not enough awareness about the long-term effects of these drugs on the brain.”

ADHD is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as “a disorder that makes it difficult for a person to pay attention and control impulsive behaviors.”

Approximately 9.4% of children ages two to 17 have been diagnosed with ADHD and among this population and 64% of this group took medication to control their symptoms, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as of 2016.

ADHD can present challenges when it comes to being able to focus on assignments or maintain attention while taking exams. Diagnosed students take medication in order to elongate their attention spans and in the hopes of being put on an equal playing field with their peers.

Some undiagnosed students, however, have found that taking medication used to treat the effects of ADHD, such as Adderall, Ritalin or Vyvanse, gives them a leg-up academically. As a result, it has become a norm for students without ADHD to use these drugs in order to study for midterms and finals or complete large assign-

ments.

Due to the high pace and pressure of the quarter system, as well as the demands of maintaining a healthy work-life balance, some students find that there are simply not enough hours in the day to achieve their goals. Therefore, the question must be asked: is abusing focus/study drugs a justified behavior? If so, what can the university do to ease the stressors which instigates this abuse?

Third-year animal science and management major Olivia Sinclair has seen a consistent pattern of this abuse among peers and classmates since coming to college. She feels that this issue is especially prevalent among students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

“I would say that the majority of the people I have met in STEM do Adderall whether they are prescribed or not prescribed,” Sinclair said.

“There are so many people out there who are buying and selling, it’s just so easy to get a hold of.”

Sinclair believes this behavior is somewhat justified because there aren’t enough alternate options that allow students to choose to not abuse focus drugs. She feels that intense academic pressure combined with the pressure to maintain one’s well-being leave students in need of assistance to stay afloat.

“I think the problem is the way UC Davis approaches teaching, especially STEM,” Sinclair

ADDERALL on 9

QUINN SPOONER/ AGGIE

ALEXA FONTANILLA / AGGIE

Sexual health resources for students on campus

Meet the organizers of Mental Health Awareness Month

Student Health and Counseling Services, Women’s Resources Research Center help students with sexual health needs

Several student groups come together to promote wellness

SIER RA BURG UE N O features@theaggie.org With the passage of recent bills that ban abortions in Alabama and bills that ban abortions in Kentucky and Georgia around six weeks of pregnancy, students might be wondering what resources UC Davis offers when it comes to sexual health. The Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) and Women’s Resources and Research Center (WRRC) provide options for students to access the help they need.

Some birth control options are available for over-the-counter purchase at the SHCS such as condoms, spermicide and emergency contraception. Students also have the option to talk to an SHCS advice nurse at the UC Davis Student Health and Wellness Center to discuss personal matters and explore various resources for sexual health.

In 2017, a Plan B vending machine that contains items such as condoms, tampons, forms of birth control and even items such as Tylenol was installed in the ARC study room.

Although the Student Health and Wellness Center does not perform abortions, they can guide students to appropriate resources near campus.

“The state of California may not deny or

interfere with a person’s right to choose or obtain an abortion prior to viability of the fetus (the ability of a fetus to survive outside of the uterus, determined by physician, generally after 23 weeks of gestation or more), or after viability when the abortion is necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person,” the SHCS website states.

Questions regarding abortions can be answered through SHCS to help students find the options that best fit their personal needs.

Students also have access to STI and HIV testing through Get Yourself Tested (GYT) UC Davis. Appointments can be made through the Health-e-Messaging website or by calling (530) 752-2349. Students who have the UC SHIP plan can have the costs of the tests covered. The LGBTQIA+ Resource Center offers no charge for anonymous HIV testing. More information on this resource can be found here.

Students can also find assistance at the WRRC, a space for students to connect with resources for their reproductive health.

“We offer safer sex supplies, including latex and non-latex external condoms,” said Cecily Nelson-Alford, the director of the WRRC. “We also offer free menstrual health products in all of our restrooms (first floor, North Hall).”

SEXUALHEALTH on 9

VINCE NT SANCH E Z features@theaggie.org Throughout May, many mental health advocacy groups stood in solidarity to support Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM). These groups aim to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by encouraging students to join the conversation and be more receptive towards recognizing the importance of taking care of themselves.

The different themed events, such as “Mental Health and College,” which focused on raising awareness about the stresses that accompany college, emphasize what can cause mental health issues and how to find the correct treatment for the particular situation. Fun activities, like “Adopt a Pet Rock,” provided a low-stress environment for students to decorate their own rocks with various messages of positivity and support alongside friends, while also highlighting the numerous ways students can keep their mental health strong and what options are available in times of stress.

One of the groups affiliated with MHAM, Each Aggie Matters, is responsible for placing green ribbons decorated with myths and facts about mental health on the trees surrounding the Memorial Union.

As part of Each Aggie Matters, the executive board of the Student Mental Health Coalition (SMHC), led by fourth-year neurobiology, physi-

ology and behavior major co-chair Shradha Shah, aims to unite some of the advocacy groups on campus with the mutual goal of bringing mental health issues to light. Shah is in full support of “advising campus leadership, reducing stigma[s] and informing students to allow for greater collaboration and resource transparency,” echoing the larger mission the coalition hopes to achieve.

The road doesn’t stop at increasing the resources available. Shah and her members also take on the task of “representing student mental health interests to all agencies, such as the Student Health and Counseling Services,” which means keeping in close contact with the support outlets available to students to ensure the best service possible is given to those in need.

Ty Miles, a fifth-year linguistics major and president of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), spoke about the resources his organization provides to students and the help he and his members make available.

“We offer free mental health first aid training twice a quarter that teaches students how to recognize mental health conditions and the appropriate ways to respond until professional help can be sought,” Miles said. “It also helps students develop the care and compassion necessary in these situations.”

Miles also highlighted various presentations open to students that showcase the reality of liv-

SUICIDEAWARENESS on 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

6 | THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019

Opinion THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

E DI TO R I AL B OAR D EMILY STACK Editor-in-Chief

On-campus parking should be more affordable for, available to students TAPS to increase parking permit prices come Fall Quarter

OLIVIA ROCKEMAN Managing Editor KENTON GOLDSBY Campus News Editor KAELYN TUERMER-LEE City News Editor TARYN DEOILERS Opinion Editor OLIVIA LUCHINI Features Editor LIZ JACOBSON Arts & Culture Editor DOMINIC FARIA Sports Editor HARNOOR GILL Science & Tech Editor

SYDNEY ODMAN New Media Manager BRIAN LANDRY Photo Director TREVOR GOODMAN Video Production Manager OLIVIA KOTLAREK Design Director JONATHAN CHEN Layout Director HANNA BAUBLITZ Copy Chief CECILIA MORALES Copy Chief ZOË REINHARDT Website Manager HALI ZWEIGORDON Social Media Manager GRACE SIMMONS Newsletter Manager LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

Come Fall Quarter, students will have another obstacle to hurdle at the beginning of their academic year with the recent announcement of increased parking permit prices for the 2019–20 year, despite the fact that no new parking options will be installed.

It should go without saying that raising the price of parking without providing any solution to issues of limited space or students’ distance from campus is not going to solve any problems facing UC Davis Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS). Students who already pay between $45 and $55 per month for a pass will pay the increased rate because they need to drive to campus for an abundance of reasons and will be met with the same conundrums: They miss lectures because they can’t find a spot or they are forced to park 20 minutes away from their destination, late to the classes for which they pay.

It’s important to think about why students invest in parking permits. It appears from interviews that TAPS is under the impression that driving to school is an act of laziness or a direct ignorance of bus systems being offered. This is not the case. Students driving to campus are often doing so for jobs or extracurricular activities that start well before the buses run or end far after their routes conclude. Students with an opening shift at the CoHo and students who stays until 11 p.m. for a theatre rehearsal are similarly out of luck when the buses stop running. Having a car on campus allows them to safely make it home or to school without having to wait, isolated, in the cold of the night or speed walk from a distant apartment complex at the crack of dawn.

Having accessible permits therefore is an issue of safety.

Many UC Davis students do not live in the are-

as immediately surrounding the campus. Those who commute from Sacramento, Woodland or the Bay Area do not have the option of buses or campus carpools to class. Increasing parking costs corners these people whose only option is driving and forces them to pay more for resources that are not being improved.

It does not encourage them to find another way to get to school, but instead robs them of an extra $5 each month that could have gone to tuition or living costs.

Student commuters are a given when the housing crisis in Davis continues without clear solution. Though facilities such as West Village are building more units, affordability is always a concern for students. Simply building a few new apartments won’t solve a problem that will only grow worse as more students are admitted with the 2020 Initiative, which promised to add 5,000 students by 2020 in comparison to the campus population in 2013 when the plan was declared. This slow addition of housing combined with the choice to admit more and more students is pushing people out of Davis and making their only option a commute via personal vehicle. The university should take responsibility for its commitment to more students and provide them more resources.

When students drive by unused faculty and staff spaces to be met with no available C-permit spots, it’s clear that effective changes are not being made to be worthy of an increased permit price. With the housing crisis, commuters are inevitable. The Editorial Board believes that parking should not only be affordable and easy to find for students, but that solving the housing crisis is one of the most effective ways of alleviating the parking nightmare.

Drugs don’t cure alcoholism ANTABUSE MAKES YOU ILL, BUT IT DOESN’T KEEP YOU SOBER

BY L AURE N FR AU STO lrfrausto@ucdavis.edu Antabuse. Anti-abuse. Prescribed to “treat” alcoholism, patients taking the once-a-day drug Antabuse experience immediate and severe “hangover-like effects” upon consuming alcohol. If someone taking Antabuse drinks alcohol they will get violently, violently ill.

Many people’s initial reaction to such a concept is, “Great! Alcoholism solved!” Maybe because we have all heard of Pavlov, we instinctively think there is a solution to addiction that can be reduced to simple operant conditioning. Or, maybe because we are all inherently compassionate and optimistic human beings, we want to believe that something as devastating as addiction might possibly be reduced to something as simple as a process synonymous to a salivating canine.

What I think is that there was a room full of pharmaceutical marketing executives ignorant of the intricacies of alcoholism. They don’t really care to remedy that ignorance as they pitch catchy drug brand names that are going to make them money off a faux BandAid “solution” that hinges on the prolonged

suffering of addicts.

This drug is then distributed to doctors for their patients, but these doctors are just as ignorant. Once we see a white coat or a stethoscope, or an M.D. after a name, we imbue medical professionals with vast amounts of knowledge and expertise. Yet most doctors receive shockingly little training when it comes to addiction — in some cases, as little as four hours of lecture in medical school. Curriculums are starting to change, but the focus is largely tailored to addressing issues surrounding the opioid epidemic, such as prescription dosage and overdose management.

For someone to end up in a doctor’s office discussing their patterns of problematic alcohol consumption means the situation is pretty dire. To be under the illusion that they’re safely under the care of some kind of expert has dangerous implications. What are our primary care physicians in the Student Health and Wellness Center supposed to do, for example, when students in crisis show up in their exam rooms? Students may be spinning out on coke, benzos, painkillers, ritalin AND booze. Many of our docs are painfully aware that they don’t know what to do. Some toss Antabuse at students with the best intentions.

And the alcoholic thinks, “What a relief!

Problem fixed.”

Except, Antabuse will never be an effective solution for the alcoholic. As long as someone is taking the medicine, yes, they will not drink because the level of illness is extreme. The initial oversimplified argument against Antabuse is that taking a pill that makes the alcoholic ill after consuming something they know makes them feel really good, and taking it every day requires willpower and that kind of willpower is not alcoholics’ strong suit. For Antabuse to work it would require a lifetime of medication compliance, not to mention continuous insurance coverage and the financial ability to pay for the medication. It’s just not reasonable. Once going off Antabuse, the association between drinking and “hangover-like effects” might deter the alcoholic from drinking for a brief span, but not for long. Setting the drug up as a solution to a suffering and desperate person is grossly misleading and cruel because it engenders a mountain of false hope.

The more complex argument against Antabuse is that alcoholics and addicts drink and use drugs to self-medicate. They have an inability to cope with a reality that they find too painful to manage without some sort of buffer.

They are escape artists — anything to get out and that anything gets wildly out of control.

Antabuse alone neither addresses any of the issues that make reality so unbearable nor teaches the alcoholic how to manage the stresses and anxieties that drive them to seek relief in a substance in the first place. To tout Antabuse as a solution to a problem that has gotten so bad they are considering taking something like Antabuse in the first place as a means to “fix” it is ludicrous.

It’s like a get-rich-quick scheme or a fad diet and any doctor worth their salt who has taken the time to understand the basics of addiction would never simply throw Antabuse at an alcoholic.

As a stop-gap in an emergency situation, Antabuse could be an effective tool, sure. If someone has a pending court case or is about to lose their kids, sure, but no one should ever, ever sell it as a solution.

There is no cure to alcoholism, but any alcoholic who has achieved long term sobriety has figured out how to make reality well beyond bearable so that they no longer feel desperately compelled to escape it. Which is exponentially better than tossing another drug at an addict.

These brands are profiting off of your misery YOUNG PEOPLE ARE DEPRESSED AND AS ANXIOUS AS EVER — SOME COMPANIES SEE THAT AS A FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY

BY BRA N D O N J E T T E R brjetter@ucdavis.edu Millennials and members of Generation Z have a lot to be down about. Stagnant wages, skyrocketing housing prices, job automation and a crippling debt crisis have all caused millennials to spiral into a new form of downward mobility. All of this has made them the first generation in the modern era to have future prospects worse than their parents. Generation Z, meanwhile, is not faring much better.

Gun violence, social media exposure and the increasing threat of climate change serve as reminders of a bleak future and have left today’s teenagers lonely and distraught. Members of Gen Z are the most likely of all generations to report poor mental health, with 91% stating they experience physical or emotional symptoms like anxiety or depression — and brands

have taken notice.

Earlier this month, Burger King became the latest company to hop on the mental health advertisement bandwagon, launching its “#FeelYourWay” promotional campaign aimed at the emotionally downtrodden. Through a dark advertisement displaying contemporary stressors like student debt, slut-shaming and hostile work environments, the fast food chain took aim at rival McDonald’s iconic “Happy Meal” by proclaiming, “No one is happy all the time. And that’s OK.” In what could have otherwise been straight out of The Onion, Burger King used the ad as a launching platform for its “Real Meals”; the Blue Meal, YAAAS Meal, Pissed Meal, Salty Meal and DGAF Meal all among the new products.

Of course, this type of corporate cynicism is hardly new. Kaitlyn Tiffany of Vox noted that Burger King is merely the latest company to utilize millennials’ emotions and mental health

as selling points. This technique is particularly prominent on Twitter, where nearly every corporate brand now tweets in first person, creating false, youthful personas through angsty posts and the awkward adoption of modern slang. Although typically playful and benign, these accounts sometimes take a darker and more problematic route, tweeting in a manner reminiscent of someone going through a suicidal or depressive episode. The official Twitter account for SunnyD, for example, recently tweeted nothing but the message “I can’t do this anymore.”

In much of the same way that brands have co-opted social justice movements as a means to bolster advertising — typically despite largely questionable workers’ rights records — the appropriation of mental health issues has come at a time when many companies are under fire for the mistreatment of their employees. Allegations of understaffing, long hours

and low wages, for example, were all cited by Burger King employees in the aftermath of the company’s latest campaign. Incidentally, the fast food giant has also adopted the aforementioned “woke” capital approach. The company caused a stir with recent tweets appearing to endorse a string of incidents in which a number of conservative politicians in the United Kingdom were attacked with milkshakes (yes, seriously).

Burger King, of course, cares not about the mental wellbeing of its employees and customers, but rather about maximizing profits.

In doing so, Burger King and numerous other companies adopting this strategy have created a dangerous trend of advertisements that trivialize legitimate mental disorders and offer material items as an appropriate solution. While this may seem harmless at first, deep down it’s a cynical ploy, aimed at commodifying yet another component of human suffering.

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 | 7

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

AGGIE CLASSIFIEDS JOBS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Unitrans Hiring Now

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We're trying to hire as many people as we can to train during summer to get ready. If you have students who need summer jobs and work next academic year, please let them know we're hiring!

Training starts at $12/hour and then goes to $14.25/hour when you get your license. Wage increases to $15.25/hour on January 1, 2020. We offer very flexible work hours, supervisory and management opportunities, and it’s FUN to drive the buses!

STRESSED OUT?

Apply at vacancy.ucdavis.edu or go to https://vacancy.ucdavis.edu/listings/3170/

Hard Corps Athletics brings you sport boxing classes designed for women.

630 Pena Dr. Suite 100, Davis (530) 848-1593 CoachAhmad@sbcglobal.net Check out info on these and other classes for everyone. https://www.hcacoach.com

Davis Food Co-op is hiring!

WANT TO BE PART OF OUR TEAM? The Co-op is one of the friendliest places to work in Davis!

Join our team! Applications available here: https://davisfood.coop/sustainability/employment

FOR SALE Vespa, Primavera 150.

Beautiful scooter, showroom condition with only 260 miles. Perfect vehicle for getting around Davis.

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Optician/Optometric Assistant, P/T & F/T

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Optometrist office in downtown Davis.

Must be available Monday through Saturday 8am-6pm. Now filling Part time and Full time positions. Duties include: - Optical dispensary - Patient reception/front desk - Optometric technician - Patient retention - Office coordinator - Accounts receivable / Billing If applying, be sure to INCLUDE A COVER LETTER explaining why you may be a good fit for our practice!

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Previous experience in optical/eye care is not necessary, but very helpful.

Strong organizational skills, great interpersonal skills, desire to serve patients, attention to DETAIL, computer competency, and RELIABILITY are necessary.

Email djguerrieri@gmail.com Or call (530)758-4000

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SCIENCE+TECH A L E X R [CC 4 .0 ]

THE EPIC SAGA OF HOW A SINGLE TWO-INCH FISH SAVED A POPULATION New research explores how the Gulf Killifish adapted to deadly pollution in the Houston Ship Channel

BY P E T E R SM I T H science@theaggie.org In the 1970s, toxic chemicals in the Houston ship channel off the coast of Texas were causing catastrophic heart problems in a population of Gulf Killifish, leading to population shrinkage.

Yet today, 50 years later, Gulf Killifish are thriving in the area. The fish have adapted a resistance to the pollutants. It seemed like a classic example of natural selection: a random mutation had given some killifish the ability to survive the toxic chemicals, and the advantaged killifish passed down their genes, while disadvantaged fish died off before they could procreate. However, when a group of scientists from UC Davis and Baylor investigated the origins of the advantageous mutation in a study published in Science on May 3rd,

the story became a whole lot more interesting.

Gulf Killifish are not the only species of Killifish to have adapted to increased pollution.

Several populations of Atlantic Killifish on the East Coast, hundreds of miles away from Gulf Killifish, have adapted to and currently thrive in heavily polluted water. When Andrew Whitehead, a professor of Environmental Toxicology at UC Davis, found out about these resilient populations of Atlantic Killifish, he was immediately intrigued. How had these fish adapted so quickly to the conditions that were killing them?

So Whitehead and his team painstakingly sequenced the full genomes of almost 400 fish.

They compared the DNA of the adapted fish population who lived in polluted water to the genome of nearby populations who had not developed the pollution resistance. The found that

PU BL I C D O M A I N

in resistant Killifish, a deletion mutation had disabled a pathway that was previously being activated by the toxic chemicals in Killifish embryo’s and causing serious developmental problems.

“In resistant fish the signaling pathway is essentially desensitized,” Whitehead said. “It’s kind of broken, it doesn’t get turned on by these chemicals during development.”

The key genetic mutation was also identified in a small percentage of the non-resistant fish populations. To researchers, this indicated that the mutation had come from the local gene pool and, due to its highly advantageous nature, had spread through populations of Killifish exposed to the deadly polluted waters.

When the researchers turned their attention to a population of Gulf Killifish in the Houston Ship Channel that had also miraculously adapted to damaging pollutants, they expected to uncover a similar story. After Whitehead and his lab group, this time led by Ph.D. candidate Elias M. Oziolor, sequenced the genomes of Gulf Killifish off the coast of Texas, they found that resistant Houston Ship Channel Gulf Killifish had a mutation in the genes which controlled the same signalling pathway as the resistant Atlantic Killifish hundreds of miles away.

“We were able to confirm that Gulf killifish had indeed adapted to pollutants in the Houston Ship Channel, and that it was through a similar genetic mechanism as observed in Atlantic killifish, a recalcitrant aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway,” said Cole Matson, a professor of Environmental Science at Baylor University and a co-author on the study.

The story of the resistant Gulf Killifish and the resistant Atlantic Killifish seemed similar.

However there was a problem. The Gulf Killifish mutation did not come from local genetic variation.

If local genetic variation provided the mutation, that would mean that the mutation already occured in a small percentage of the fish, and then spread through the whole population when it provided a selective advantage. If that was the case, one would expect to find the same mutation occurring in a low percentage of populations of

nearby non-resistant fish. Yet when the research team sequenced the genomes of neighboring non-resistant Gulf Killifish they could not find the mutation at any percentage. Where had the genetic variation that allowed the Houston Ship Channel Killifish to survive come from?

To answer that question the scientists dug even deeper into the genome. They knew that when a mutation provides selective advantage, DNA located nearby is passed down along with the mutation. This hitchhiking DNA is a sort of genetic calling card. The researchers examined the “calling card” in the Gulf Killifish and found that it was genetically identical to DNA from the Atlantic Killifish. The genetic variation that allowed the Houston Ship Channel Killifish to survive had come from a different species hundreds of miles away.

“About forty years ago, some Atlantic Killifish which live on the Atlantic coast were brought into the Houston Ship Channel, likely by accident,” Oziolor said. “They successfully mated with Gulf Killifish and they conferred genes which allowed for these fish to adapt and persist in this environment.”

This biological story is incredible because killifish are not migratory.

“You catch a killifish and it was probably born within 100 meters of where you caught it,” Whitehead said.

Yet, somehow, in a ship, or in the styrofoam cooler of a fisherman, an Atlantic Killifish traveled hundreds of miles and successfully mated with a different species.

“We’ve discovered something that is really unique and lucky,” Whitehead said. “But we can’t all be Killifish” Moreover, genetic variation, the key ingredient in this survival story, is at risk. Across the globe, biodiversity is rapidly declining due to human destruction.

Yet, the story also demonstrates the great power of natural selection. Life on earth will outlast human pollution and destruction.

The open question is how life on earth will be changed and whether humans will be a part of that future.

R ICK GR OSB ER G / COU RT ESY

SAVING WHITE ABALONE The White Abalone Recovery Program reaches huge milestones in their mission to recover wild and endangered white abalone species

IMPACTED CHEMISTRY LABS LEAVE STAFF, FACULTY SEARCHING FOR NEW WAYS TO PRIORITIZE STUDENT LEARNING Summer school, heavier class loads solution for some

BY FOXY RO BI N S O N science@theaggie.org Pass times frequently come and go and, each time, students log into their Schedule Builders searching for chemistry classes to meet major requirements and career goals. Some look for the right professor, lecture and discussion times, finally settling on the best lab time for their needs.

But when the ideal lab class is filled and waitlisted, what next?

As UC Davis increases its student enrollment and encourages more students to engage in science, technology, engineering and math majors and careers, chemistry classes are becoming increasingly competitive to register for and challenging to fit in with other registered courses.

“General chemistry is the gateway to STEM, we service all the other majors through chemistry,” said Debbie Decker, the safety manager of the UC Davis Department of Chemistry.

“Even for students that don’t pursue STEM, the techniques and learning in chemistry training labs leave students with transferable knowledge, such as how to work with careful measurements, report results, observe and use the scientific method. These are important skills students can learn.”

Chemistry classes are held between Mondays and Thursdays, in three-hour blocks ranging from nine in the morning and ending until 10 at night. Each lab class is designed to avoid conflicting with lectures. After each lab, UC Davis chemistry dispensary staff remove all of the chemicals from the room, cleaning the counters and removing and exchanging chemical equipment in the classroom. Fridays are reserved for equipment cleaning, staging and preparation for lab spaces.

UC Davis hosts eight chemistry dispensary sites scattered across the Earth and Physical Sciences building, Chemistry building and Sciences Laboratory Building. By dispersing the sites, it becomes difficult to organize, creating a cohesive

and collaborative environment to organize lab experiences for students.

Chemistry teaching labs are also limited to the materials that can be provided for students.

“A lot of students interact with the chemistry department, but we have limited room for them,” Decker said. “We are limited in the number of lockers within the labs. We can’t have students sharing lockers because they might work in pairs, groups or alone. They need to have their own materials for any situation.”

Each chemistry teaching lab is confined to a 1200-square foot space. UC Davis’ fire code requires students to be given 50-square feet of space for teaching lab activities.

The fire code limits each teaching lab space to 24 students only.

“We have seat release, so incoming new and transfer students typically get into the chemistry courses,” said Yasmine Jefferson, an academic advisor in the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences for Neurology, Physiology and Behavior majors. “Continuing students are encouraged to have backup plans if they don’t get into the class during the academic year.”

During seat release, the registrar creates a cap on student enrollment in chemistry classes between 20 and 22 students. As the sections fill up, students can be added from the waitlist or later pass times.

“If ever my students cannot get into a chemistry lab course, I’ll suggest summer school and typically that will solve it,” Jefferson said. “If not, they can pick it up next quarter and add more units. It usually doesn’t negatively impact them.”

For the past few years, members of the chemistry department have been asking campus leadership to consider expanding UC Davis’ capacity for lab spaces, which would require additional construction and consolidation of branches within the chemistry department.

At the moment, no long-term plan exists to mediate the STEM presence expanding on campus or the student need.

BY E LLE N CAMINIT I science@theaggie.org Last month, the White Abalone Recovery Program saw success in the form of millions of larvae.

In an effort to save the white abalone species, researchers with the Bodega Marine Laboratory and other collaborators with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries and Fish and Wildlife Service dedicated many years of hard work towards finding a way to cultivate the species in the lab.

Ben Walker, the former Analyst at UC Davis BML, spent five years with the White Abalone Recovery Program.

“I led the White Abalone spawning efforts, wild White Abalone larval monitoring efforts, many specific studies in the lab and wild, helped NOAA survey many areas for white abalone, lead the Section 6 grant reports and helped write the grant proposals, among many other tasks,” Walker said.

These efforts came about in response to the large decline in the number of White Abalone in the wild.

Kristin Aquilino, the director of the White Abalone Breeding Program and assistant scientist, said the wild white abalone population began to decrease substantially after being heavily fished at the start of the 1950s. As one of seven Abalone species on the northern coast of California, the White Abalone has the densest and most delicious meat.

“Their laziness is why they’re known as the most tender abalone to eat,” Walker said. “Since they don’t move much, compared to other abalone, their meat is very tender.”

“Because of the popularity of this tender meat, 99% of their population were fished during this time,” Aquilino said.

“Since the Abalone are broadcast spawners, the spareness of individuals in the wild makes it increasingly difficult for eggs and sperm to meet,” Aquilino said.

In order to help the species to recover, California’s commercial and recreational White Abalone fisheries closed down, the NOAA listed the species as federally endangered and the White Abalone Breeding program was initiated.

The program started in a facility in Southern California. It saw its first big success in 2001,

when 100,000 larvae grew into juveniles.

When everything was seeming to be going swimmingly, the young Abalone were faced with yet another obstacle: disease.

They were hit with a disease called Withering Syndrome. The bacterium is exacerbated by warm water, which causes a lack of appetite for the white abalone, Aquilino explained.

However, the disease didn’t stop researchers from pursuing their goal of creating baby abalone. The setback just pushed them to come up with more innovative ways of increasing the survival rate of these animals.

The NOAA suggested Bodega Bay be used as a facility for the program. Use of the facility would grant the program many things: the expertise of the many scientists there and the surplus of cold, northern California waters.

“Even if the bacterium that causes Withering Syndrome is present, the Abalone won’t get the disease because the cold water prevents that from happening,” Aquilino said.

The researchers within the program worked hard to create the perfect conditions for spawning.

“The process of spawning is very romantic,” Aquilino said.

The white abalone each have their own bucket, and are given a ‘love potion’ consisting of hydrogen peroxide. This seductive concoction leads them to release their gametes. Since the process of spawning white abalone is very complex and replicating their natural conditions in the lab has proven to be difficult, the amount of larvae the White Abalone create is much less in the lab than it is in the wild. With each trial, the White Abalone Recovery Program produces more embryos and larvae then the last, which eventually led to the huge success of last month.

With the combination of love, fate and hard work, the last spawning effort in April was a cause for celebration. With 25 million embryos transforming into 10 million competent-to-settle larvae, it is the most success the program has seen thus far, Walker said.

“Smashing our records over and over again has been a massive treat over the years,” Walker said.

The White Abalone Recovery Program hopes to find new homes for the abalone in the ocean where they can help save kelp forests from sea urchins, maintain biodiversity and return to their position as the “zambone of the sea floor.”

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 | 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

ICE

BDS

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important matter of public safety.”

Prince told The Bee that Huazo-Jardinez was released from custody before ICE could file a detainer to take him into their custody.

“ICE lodges detainers once the agency determines an alien is subject to removal,” Prince said via email, citing an official statement from the agency.

“In certain situations, an alien may be released from local custody before ICE can lodge a detainer with the local law enforcement agency.”

Even if ICE had filed a detainer,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

however, California Sanctuary Law Senate Bill 54 prohibits local law enforcement from detaining undocumented individuals accused of a crime on behalf of ICE. “It’s unfortunate that current local and state laws and policies tie the hands of local law enforcement agencies that want and need to work with ICE to promote public safety by holding criminals accountable and providing justice and closure for their victims,” Prince said to The Bee.

SEXUAL HEALTH CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Sara Blair-Medeiros, the assistant director of outreach of the WRRC said the center can also “support students with referrals to on and off campus resources related to reproductive health.”

“We also have staff who have undergone training on birth control methods, including how they work, their effectiveness and how to access them,”

Blair-Medeiros said.

For the coming year, the WRRC is discussing programming that will address the topic of education on sexual and reproductive health. More information on health resources through the WRRC can be found on the WRRC’s website.

ADDERALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

said. “There is so much information given in such a short time span that by the time finals rolls around, you have to extract so much information all at once.

Sometimes, the only way to do that and get a good grade is to take Adderall.”

Regardless of a prior struggle with focus medication, Brandmeyer empathizes with students who abuse focus drugs.

She feels that the culture and expectation to achieve perfection normalizes use of these medications so that students can wear a facade and appear as if they’re not struggling personally or academically.

“When you’re on a quarter system, and the expectation is to be happy all the time, have friends and get straight A’s, people find that focus drugs are the only way they can get through,” Brandmeyer said. “It just feels like there are never enough hours in the day.”

Sinclair believes this culture can be combated by a more applied, field-

work-based teaching style. She argues that through learning by doing, stress will be minimized and students will learn in a more holistic way.

“The school needs to understand that growth doesn’t come from cramming a bunch of information,” Sinclair said. “The way people learn is through hands-on experience.”

Brandmeyer believes that the only way to combat this issue is by striking up a dialogue between students and administration. She feels that at this point in time, the administration is quick to criticize students’ use of focus drugs without acknowledging the roots of the problem.

“The amount of pressure that is held on students, and the lack of communication between the university and the students needs to change,” Brandmeyer said. “The university needs to recognize that school-related stress and anxiety are as detrimental to mental health as any other mental illness.”

SEXUAL HEALTH

umentary is very disturbing and it highlights a lot of the reality that does go on not just on our campus but on multiple campuses and it talks about how especially the manipulation of the media occurs.”

This manipulation includes phrasing that attempts to “frame Palestinians and supporters of ending the genocide in Palestine,” according to Deshpande.

Deshpande also noted that a resolution which passed to support sanctions on Turkey this year has not been contested, arguing that there was a particular subjective motivation behind the Judicial Council’s decision to rule SR #17 unconstitutional.

Asked whether her former position as Judicial Council chair contributed to a ruling in her favor, Hack said she did not believe it did.

“The Judicial Council works to preserve the Constitution of the Association,” Hack said via email.

“Our success was due entirely to the constitutional strength of our argument. This is apparent in that the decision was handed down unanimously.”

Devo Leichter, a former Judicial Council member and a fourth-year political science major, said that while he agreed with the outcome of the case, he viewed the justifications for the decision as being problematic.

Leichter viewed the rationale that the resolution negatively affects the welfare of a group of students as weak, emphasizing several instances where ASUCD can help a “certain portion of the student population through the allocation of funds or just in general.”

Deshpande also described the first justification as problematic for similar reasons, because the same issues do not affect all students in the same ways.

“When there are disproportionately certain students that are targeted, there should be disproportionately resolutions addressing that specifically,” Deshpande said.

The second argument which relies on the anti-discrimination language in the Student Bill of Rights is also problematic, according to Leichter, because it is within ASUCD’s jurisdiction to affirm or reject a certain set of ideas.

“They’ve done that before with denouncing the hateful posters that were anti-Semitic,” Leichter said.

Leichter, however, still agreed with the outcome of the case, arguing that SR #17 did not affect student welfare in the general sense.

“While certain resolutions, like the one in question, are important for students and relevant for a portion of the student body, I really want to see that proof of an immediate, direct impact on the student body in general,” Leichter said. “I think a lot of resolutions, including the one in question, while they’re very important, they don’t have that same immediate salient impact.”

Although Leichter sees issues in constant resolutions without immediate impacts on the student body, Hurst believes that limiting the Senate’s ability to make resolutions limits advocacy and makes it less likely for senators and commissioners to draft legislation to bring to the table.

“If anyone can go and use the same grounds to strike down any resolution, then what’s the point?”

Hurst asked.

Deshpande was also concerned with the limitations potentially imposed on the Senate as a result of the Judicial Council’s ruling.

“According to the same rules that ruled [the resolution] unconstitutional, the only issues that we can really focus on are tuition increases or parking fee increases, and it’s something that won’t be representative or promoting the welfare of all students,” Deshpande said. “These issues affect all students, but there are more pertinent issues that certain students feel targeted or shoved aside because of. It does effectively limit our ability to advocate for them to the best of our ability.”

Wali-Ali decided that changing the wording would dilute the resolution.

Senator Andre Spinoglio vocally clarified his stance on the issue, saying that he felt uncomfortable signing his name onto a resolution with what he felt to be factual errors. Citing lines eight through 10 and 46-50, Spinoglio said he does not see an increase in militarization and said that while he does not refute the facts that minorities are being abused, he still believes there are untrue portions of the resolution.

Senator Ricky Zapardiel expressed concern over alienating the police department, stating that the resolution tells police officers their work does not matter. Zapardiel made it clear he is not for the militarization of the police, but the language in the resolution is too extreme and hasty. He said that it is not his intention to dismiss anyone’s opinion, but that he feels it is his duty to protect the student population.

Others present voiced concerns that the resolution does not address the core of the negative aspects of the police and others expressed concern about alienating the police and creating a “we-versus-them” attitude. Some called for tangible measures to decrease acts of police brutality, such as further trainings in de-escalation tactics.

Civil discourse was also a topic during the meeting. One member of the community mentioned that a conversation cannot be started if both sides attack each other, saying arguing will not fix anything.

During the conversation, Zapardiel recorded someone who spoke in favor of the resolution. The individual being recorded brought it to the attention of the Senate and Deshpande asked Zapardiel to delete the video, but he said his ability to record was his constitutional right given that the meeting was a public event. Deshpande later assured those who were being recorded that they would deal with the problem.

Later in the meeting, many of the people at the table expressed their discontent with the behavior and actions of Zapardiel, including the possibility of having a closed session and “censuring” a member of the association. A censure is when a collective body decides to condemn the actions or repeated behavior of an individual.

During a mock vote midway through the discussion, the Senate was split 5-5, with Senators Tony Chen and Rebecca Gonzalez both abstaining. Later, Chen voted in favor and Gonzalez voted against the resolution. Deshpande cast the tie-breaking vote and the resolution was passed.

After the resolution passed, the ASUCD Senate meeting continued, ultimately adjourning at 12:02 a.m.

Following the May 16 Senate meeting, the Davis College Republicans issued a formal complaint with the ASUCD Judicial Council on the basis that the author of the resolution is not a member of ASUCD. In a statement, the Judicial Council issued a temporary injunction, stating the claims are “of lawful concern.”

me to permanently express myself and hold a moment forever. My tattoos are a reminder of memories that I’ve shared with the people I love.”

Duvall hasn’t had second thoughts about her tattoos either, and neither has second-year wildlife fish and conservation biology major Breeze Davis. Davis got her first two tattoos a couple of days after her 18th birthday from a tattoo artist who had previously tattooed her mom.

“My mom has gone with me to get a few of them,” Davis said. “She has a lot of tattoos, so I always grew up going with her to her appointments and that kind of got me excited to one day get my own. […]

With all my following tattoos, my process is pretty fluid, sometimes I can have the idea picked out for awhile but [sometimes] I have just walked into the shop and decided

what I wanted on the spot. Both are really great and exciting ways to get tattooed, but I just try to have fun with it and not take it too seriously in a sense. For me it’s my main form of self expression to the world and just something I love to do.”

Davis currently has 12 tattoos, but her favorite is a moth on her leg that she got at Death or Glory in downtown Davis by Cait Gale, who is one of her favorite tattoo artists.

Davis thinks that the stigma towards tattoos that Bhatnagar and Duvall identified has decreased and that people are generally more accepting of tattoos than they were in the past.

“I think that people are starting to realize that anyone can be tattooed and the fact that someone has chosen to tattoo their body doesn’t define who they are as a person,” Davis said.

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Miles also highlighted various presentations open to students that showcase the reality of living with mental health conditions.

“We recently had a student guest presenter at a meeting talk about her experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,” Miles said. “This gives students a chance to see what some mental health conditions look like and to learn more about how to address these conditions with others.”

As someone who has struggled with mental health issues in the past, Miles understands how the rigors of college can weigh on students, especially those who feel like UC Davis demands higher expectations than they are capable of handling.

“I think one of the largest factors of

the petitioners were arguing [regarded] how this bill affected them and their group,” Aghalarpour said. “As a council, we believe their argument is true.”

Hurst expressed concerns that the outcome of the case would have a chilling effect, a term used to indicate that a decision on one case may yield broader implications.

“Defining and limiting what resolutions can be effectively limits what ASUCD can do with a resolution,” Hurst said.

Hurst also emphasized that a resolution is nothing more than an opinion.

“In the bylaws, and to an extent, the constitution, a resolution is defined as the expressed opinion of the Senate,” Hurst said. “By silencing an opinion, essentially, it’s a violation of free speech.”

Deshpande also voiced concerns that Aloni and Hack brought the case to the Judicial Council on behalf of the American Israel Public Affairs Commission (AIPAC), a political organization dedicated to lobbying for pro-Israel policies.

“I think it’s very concerning that the folks that were contesting it are advocating on behalf of a larger political organization,” Deshpande said. “That conflicts with the responsibility of ASUCD to promote the welfare of students as a whole, which I think this resolution did speak to in a lot of ways.”

Hurst mentioned “The Lobby,” a documentary by Al Jazeera which is an investigative report that focuses on UC Davis and SR #17 in particular, according to Hurst.

Deshpande elaborated on the content of the documentary, saying that it shows how AIPAC has representatives on college campuses around the country who essentially lobby on behalf of the organization.

“It’s very concerning, because AIPAC has had ties with the US government in infiltration of cyber security systems and things like that,” Deshpande said. “The doc-

mental health issues in students here at Davis is that, because they are in a research university with a good reputation, they feel so much pressure,” Miles said. “Students want to succeed and sometimes overachieve. Many studies show that people ages 17 to 24 are most likely to experience mental health issues, which falls right in line with college students.”

With the help of organizations like NAMI, SMHC and many more, students struggling with mental health, or who may know of someone in need of help, have multiple resources providing aid.

Breaking the stigma starts with students looking out for one another and extending a helping hand wherever possible.

SKATE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

For every skater ripping down a hill or tre flipping a stair set, there is an artist, hard at work, ensuring those tricks find their way to the next generation of skateboarders and filmers who wish to create the same fire with their creative spark.

SUICIDE AWARENESS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

ing with mental health conditions.

“We recently had a student guest presenter at a meeting talk about her experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,” Miles said. “This gives students a chance to see what some mental health conditions look like and to learn more about how to address these conditions with others.”

As someone who has struggled with mental health issues in the past, Miles understands how the rigors of college can weigh on students, especially those who feel like UC Davis demands higher expectations than they are capable of handling.

“I think one of the largest factors of mental health issues in students here at Davis is that, because they are in a research university with a good reputation, they feel so much pressure,” Miles said. “Students want to succeed and sometimes overachieve.

Many studies show that people ages 17 to 24 are most likely to experience mental health issues, which falls right in line with college students.”

With the help of organizations like NAMI, SMHC and many more, students struggling with mental health, or who may know of someone in need of help, have multiple resources providing aid. Breaking the stigma starts with students looking out for one another and extending a helping hand wherever possible.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Another argument in favor of police disarmament presented at the meeting asserted that the institution of the police was originally created to protect property and not people. Speakers cited court cases such as the Parkland shooting, where a court ruled that the officer on site had no legal obligation to protect the students. The member of the community cited Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Florida School of Law, Darren L. Hutchinson, who said, “Neither the constitution, nor the state law, impose a general duty upon police officers or other governmental officials to protect individual persons from harm, even when they know harm will occur.”

An additional argument in support of disarmament contended that police jobs were originally created to uphold white supremacy and target people of color.

Arguments were also heard from those in opposition to the resolution.

Senator Rebecca Gonzalez asked why the text of the resolution had not changed, given that when the resolution came before the Senate the first time, there were members of the Senate table in support of disarmament who took issue with some of the language present.

Gonzalez asked why there was no compromise over wording. Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission Chair Rina Singh and Wali-Ali responded, saying they made a note about the conversation they had had with Gonzalez. Ultimately, after feedback from others, Singh and

TATTOO CULTURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

[…] Instead of having the regret of a tattoo, I think it is worse to miss the opportunity to enhance your body while you’re thriving and young.

Once you are older and settle down, I believe the biggest regret would be missing all those opportunities.”

Duvall said that she’s been successful in hiding her tattoos from her dad for the past three years and knows that she’ll be able to hide them in a professional setting. Bhatnagar agrees that there is a stigma attached to tattoos.

“People often don’t realize that tattoos hold a lot of personal meaning and aren’t just decisions made in the heat of the moment,” Bhatnagar said. “Though it may seem that someone’s tats are completely spontaneous, most of us like to plan them out and agonize over the size, placement and detail for months.

And not all of us regret our ink either! For me, all of my tattoos allow

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work on the project including conducting environmental studies and obtaining “land-use” permits. Just last week, the California State Assembly approved a bill outlining the team’s plans to construct the privately-financed stadium. Needless to say, the last few weeks provided a lot of optimism that the A’s will finally figure things out.

It’s no secret that the A’s have struggled to draw fans to their ancient, dilapidated home, annually sporting some of the lowest attendance numbers in Major League Baseball. Even so, the old concrete bowl in East Oakland doesn’t deserve all of the blame for these problems.

Over the last couple decades, the A’s frugal ownership group repeatedly neglected to reinvest in the team and spend the necessary dollars to sign players to long-term contracts and build for an extended run of success.

Even though the team has been quite successful during this time, especially given its miniscule payroll, the front office routinely opted for fire sales of the team’s best players, so the most promising and exciting talent has been traded away to other teams.

This painful practice truly took a toll on the fanbase over the last two decades, leading to dwindling fan support at the box office and gen-

eral outrage from many supporters. Many fans feel betrayed when their favorite players are traded away in the peak of their careers. From a fan’s perspectives, the loyalty they show in the stands is not matched by the team’s front office.

A’s fans in the East Bay show time and time again how passionate and supportive they can be and simply need a reason to believe that the organization cares as much as they do about delivering a winning product on the field.

The A’s took the first step towards changing their ways with the recent signing of slugger Khris Davis to a multiyear contract. Fans hope young cornerstone players Matt Chapman and Matt Olson will receive similar treatment in the near future.

Besides spearheading the efforts for a new stadium, Kaval has attempted to reinvigorate the A’s fanbase with numerous improvements to the existing fan experience at the Oakland Coliseum.

Over the past two seasons, the team introduced a plethora of new seating areas around the stadium and a revolutionary and affordable ticketing framework. For the first time in a while, the organization is making an effort to engage its fans.

While a new ballpark would help boost interest in the A’s and drive up revenues for the team,

Bottlerock: where music, food, booze live in harmony Music festival takes place in Napa

a development like this won’t suddenly solve all of the organization’s business problems. There are too many years of distrust built up among much of the fanbase. This fractured relationship will not be repaired overnight, even with the prospect of a sparkling new stadium.

In order for the team to achieve long-term, sustainable success in Oakland, it must prove to its fans that it’s committed to spending the necessary amount of money to keep its star players on the roster for many years at a time and truly develop a core capable of competing for championships the fans can support.

Whether the Howard Terminal project pans out or the A’s end up staying at the Coliseum site, it is refreshing and encouraging to see team executives who show they care about the fans and are committed to keeping the team in Oakland.

It’s been a rough few years for East Bay sports fans and the next six months are only going to get tougher with the departure of the Raiders and Warriors. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel.

If the A’s can finally put an end to their lengthy stadium dilemma, at least Oakland fans will have one team playing in town for 81 days out of the year.

Review: “Guava Island” Childish Gambino film succeeds as creative project

CA ITLYN SA MPLEY / AGG IE

BY ROS IE S CH WARZ arts@theaggie.org

BRIA N L A N D RY / AGGI E

BY GRAC E SI M M O N S arts@theaggie.org Located in the heart of wine country, this up-and-coming music festival is appropriately themed and centered all around wine. Though sponsored by Jam Cellars, there was a wide selection of other wine labels to choose from and, in addition to wine, a plethora of beer and spirit options too. “The Beer Bend” beer garden hosted a list of various IPAs, Hop Valley, Lagunitas and more. Others around the festival included Ketel One, Hendrick’s and Milagro Tequila.

With bellies full of booze, there was a full Culinary Garden of food to select from, including tacos from La Calenda and gourmet pizza and giant buckets of buttermilk fried chicken from Ad Hoc. Other, more elevated options, included sushi, vegan cheese boards and the most aromatic paella my nose has ever had the pleasure of smelling. I could have spent a quarter’s tuition on all they had to offer.

The age range varied from an older crowd to the age range of other music festivals like Coachella, but there were also a fair number of families — think Neil Young crowd mixed with kiddos jamming to Pharrell’s “Happy” and every age in between. I even spotted a couple of babies in Bjorns.

Some of my best memories from the festival came from people-watching in the crowd: a circle of middle-aged women sipped glasses of cab and passed around a joint while shaking their hips to “Insane in the Brain” at Cypress Hill and a thirty-something year old man danced and twirled his mother to Mumford and Sons.

The vibe was refreshingly mature, no pushing or shoving in large crowds — in fact quite the opposite. I often found myself conversing and dancing with the people next to me, exchanging smiles and good energy.

While it wasn’t possible to see all of the performances from the stand up lineup this year, I did my best, and the following were my favorites.

Logic was one of the few hip-hop artists on this year’s line up, differing from the mostly indie, alternative, rock vibes, but his performance was easily one of my tops.

“Look to your left, and look to your right, tonight, these people are your family,” he said.

Logic proclaimed that his goal in creating music is to spread peace, love and positivity, something that may not come across from the chorus of his song “Killing Spree” — “A**, titties, pu***, money, weed” — but if you listen closely beyond the vulgar lyrics, he uses the song to speak against anti-Muslim rhetoric and call attention to the way our generation lives life through the lens of our phones.

A wildly talented spitter, I’ve never seen any-

one’s mouth move so fast. Between songs Logic stirred up the crowd with chants, unifying a crowd that was largely outside of his key demographic, but you’d never know looking in. He closed with “1-800-273-8255,” leaving with a smile that created big craters in his cheeks.

Logic wasn’t the only performance to spread peace, love and positivity. Pharrell ended Saturday night on a happy note. Strutting a “ye must be born again” hoodie, Pharrell moved and grooved with his cohort of talented back-up dancers. He may be better known as a producer, a mastermind behind songs by The Carters, Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran, etc., but his own voice sure rocked the crowd.

After playing big hits like “Lemon” and “Happy,” the stage went quiet and the words “FREEDOM is the right to choose” graced the screens behind him. He spoke about abortion rights and the current political climate threatening Roe v Wade. He called out to all the women in the crowd, saying “thank you for standing together,” and then he sang his hit song “Freedom” twice.

The three brother trio AJR, a lesser-known indie-pop band known for songs such as “Sober Up,” “I’m Ready” and “Weak”, made a splash.

AJR, which stands for Adam, Jack and Ryan, had the crowd smiling and swaying to their feelgood jams. A highlight of the set was when the brothers simulated a mixing session, layering the beats and talking the audience through their creative process.

The brothers live together in Chelsea, writing and producing out of their converted living room studio. Jack, the lead singer, wore a fur hat, striped board shorts and some beat-up Adidas and flailed his limbs as he sang, jumping around the stage like a rag doll. He was so entranced in their music and performance, it seemed he was never standing fully upright, tripping over himself gracefully.

Between songs, the brothers engaged in banter. At one point, they called on the audience to donate a new hat for keyboard player Ryan and Jack pointed to an audience member to pass up an American flag cowboy hat. Ryan put the hat on and said I feel like “a Jewish guy who goes to NASCAR for the first time and is like, ‘yea, I fit in.’”

Mumford and Sons took the cake on Sunday night, closing out the festival. They had the large, drunk crowd singing, swaying and jumping to their upbeat folk rock hits. The West London group played both old and new hits, ranging from “Little Lion Man” to “Believe” to “Guiding Light” and, the song that everyone was waiting for, “I Will Wait.” I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, all belting the lyrics as loud as our hoarse, out-of-tune voices could go. Overwhelmed with joy, I left the festival smiling, hungry for next year.

The Thursday night before his highly-anticipated performance, Donald Glover, alias “Childish Gambino,” released “Guava Island” for attendees at Coachella, the famous site of Beyonce’s recent “Homecoming” documentary and Kanye’s Easter Sunday Service. The next day, Amazon released the film for an 18-hour period of free streaming for all viewers before moving it to Amazon Prime.

The 55-minute film is directed by Hiro Murai, the director and producer of Glover’s popular show “Atlanta” and his viral, Grammy award-winning music video for “This is America.” “Guava Island” is an additional collaboration between Murai and Glover and the film evokes a nostalgic vacation with its grainy yet detailed cinematography and a 4x3 aspect ratio.

The film begins with animation and a voiceover by Rihanna, who plays Glover’s long-time girlfriend. She explains the history of Guava Island and of the couple’s relationship. The origin story of this film echoes a similar origin introduction to animated films like “Moana” and “Coco,” but it then transitions into the real world of Guava Island with an opening shot of Rihanna and Glover waking up to begin their day. This transition between the romanticized child’s fairytale and the harsh reality of life for those living on Guava Island sets the film’s tone as a deeply symbolic and critical work.

Glover plays Deni, a musician organizing a music festival for the islanders, and Rihanna plays Kofi, a factory worker who supports Glover’s musical ambitions and wants him to succeed. Amazon categorizes the film as an “Island Thriller,” but many felt the film functions better as an extended music video rather than a plot-driven film (Pitchfork’s review of the film was titled “Guava Island is a Pretty Good Childish Gambino Film and a Pretty Bad Movie.”).

While “Pretty Bad Movie” is an ambitiously critical term, those expecting a film with a dynamic plot or action sequence might be disappointed in certain aspects of the film’s produc-

tion. Those intending to watch the film because they enjoy Donald Glover’s various creative endeavors, however, will be fully satisfied by Glover’s music and dance scenes.

The movie features several of Childish Gambino’s more recent songs such as “This is America,” “Summertime Magic” and “Feels like Summer” as well as other songs from his 2016 album “Awaken, My Love!” The songs appear in new settings which differ from their music videos in short snippets within the film. The inclusion of these songs in an alternate setting only adds to Glover’s archive of visual and musical production while maintaining the same tone and emotion present in the original releases and music videos for the songs.

The film touches on many themes which are commonly reflected in his songs, especially when Glover explains to a fellow worker that “America is a concept: anywhere where, in order to get rich, you have to make someone else richer, is America.”The film’s plot, specifically surrounding a musician’s attempt to throw a music festival for those on his island, eerily mimics Gambino’s Coachella performance. This attachment to reality further highlights the degree of Glover’s constant consideration for his art and enhances the viewing experience.

As a film that attaches itself to reality in Glover’s choice to play a musician and his casting of Rihanna as an idolized celebrity, some were disappointed in Rihanna’s minor role.

Many critics felt that Rihanna’s role in the film was underserved — The New York Times’ Jason Bailey wrote, “Rihanna, rather depressingly, has little more to do than to be “the girl”: inspire Deni with her beauty, worry about his safety, and (the oldest and moldiest of tropes) try to decide when and how to tell him she’s pregnant.

It’s a dispiriting waste of such a fiery, complicated performer.”

Despite the mostly mixed reviews that came from the film’s inability to be classified into any one category, it still succeeds as a creative project which surpasses a “tropical thriller” or a prolonged music video. It operates as a visually enticing project from a very thoughtful and highly intentional artist.

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 | 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Cacophony

BY KA I T LYN G OU DY I enjoy being from Albuquerque, New Mexico. My external environment was beautiful and warm. The tan landscape was splattered with buildings; It is the biggest city in the state.

The problem was me. Well, not me but my body or essence? I was constantly searching for a better shell; I was waiting for the day I could say to myself, “I like this new home.” Worried and anxious, (I tended to be an anxious person) I avoided reflective surfaces. I hadn’t looked in the mirror in a long time.

So many voices surrounded me. Sounds vibrating and slamming into me violently.

“She suffers from depression,” they would say. “You’re not alone. I will always be by your side” seemed to play on repeat, the go to reaction. What I really wanted them to say, what I needed them to say was, “Right now you’re going through something and I can’t help you.

It’s really hard to see. I don’t know when you’ll be ok. But you can do this. You have the power.” People are so selfish making my problems about themselves. You have changed my life.

No you didn’t. I did. But I stayed silent and in that silence I found a choice. That day I was so excited.

It’s hard to define what a beginning is. But for me I think the beginning was when I realized we need to be the ones we look to. Change is a choice; we don’t actually have to change.

Everyone has a destiny with death. The morning after I moved to UC Santa Cruz I made myself a cup of coffee. I made the choice to change. Immediately I was able to walk, live, and breathe. I feel like I will never end because there is no end. I’ll never forget that experience. It was such a beautiful feeling on Christmas Day of 1993.

Traction

BY EUG E N E M YER S The snow wasn’t coming down too hard, but it still stung their faces. The white expanse of the Illinois fields seemed to go on for eternity, but the Verne children knew where they were headed.

The four eldest, Penny, Gwen, Bartholomew, and Christopher, pulled the house along its wooden foundation, with an almost curious ease. Grandma Dorothy and 7 year old Betty stayed in the house. Unbeknownst to the children and Grandma Dorothy, when the house was first built, it was given small, rolling cylinders in its foundation. To understand why this house had wheels beneath it, you must understand that the original carpenters of the Verne Family house were not actually carpenters; they were an amalgamation of fur trappers, barbers, accountants, shoemakers, and one weatherman. So when they built this house in 1890, there was no telling what they were and weren’t going to do to this house.

“How much further until we get to the quarry?” Christopher asked. He was given the sticky rope, the one in the attic that had been lying in a decade old puddle of honey, and he wasn’t happy about it.

“Four more miles,” said Penny. Penny didn’t actually know if it was four more miles, but as long as they kept heading west, she knew they would get there.

By midday, the snow had let up entirely, but the sky remained a sad shade of grey. Rather a sadder shade than normal. The flatness of the Illinois landscape made it easy for the children to pull the house along, but the unchanging horizon of white snow meeting the grey sky made it seem like they weren’t moving at all. A never ending trek with no end in sight.

Geoffrey Verne, the children’s great-great-grandfather, could not decide on what features to keep in the final design of the house. At that point, there was a fire pole in the center of the house, six random cupboards attached to floors, ceilings, and walls, twelve types of wood paneling, and a large horn attached to the porch. Instead of removing these “features,” Geoffrey kept them. So when the house was finally constructed, he was given a house that very much resembled the group that built it. The many shades of wood made the house a kaleidoscope of browns, an affront to the eyes unless you grew up with it. The six cupboards were of the same style, with a mahogany door, oak shelves, and pine walls. Even the fire pole became of several woods, after in 1960 Tony Verne slammed into the wooden pole, and had to replace the broken half with a spruce pole glued to it. The horn was removed almost immediately after it was added.

The Verne children trudged on through the cold fields, wondering how much further it would be before they arrived to their destination. Only Gwen and Penny had been to

Hips

the quarry, but they assured the others it was more than big enough for the house to go in.

Gwen had only gone to the quarry once, but that one trip was more than enough for her to take in the vastness of that rocky chasm. Idle cranes and tractors populated this abandoned stone fortress, like silent guardians awaiting for their masters to return. The jagged levels of rock went down until you were about 200 feet below sea level. Truth be told, the children feared this depth, and contemplated finding an equally high drop-off for the house, but then that would require the much longer and difficult trek to Michigan, which they could not do. So the quarry was their only option.

Bartholomew checked his digital watch.

“It’s already 4:00. Penny, how much further is it?” Bartholomew had worry in his voice. As the eldest boy, he wanted to keep his aura of confidence, but pulling this house had taken a toll on him, mentally and physically.

“Not much furt—well, looky there.” Penny pointed to the horizon. For the first time all day, the view in front of the children began to change. It started with a distant yellow warning sign. Bartholomew and Christopher didn’t recognize it, but Gwen and Penny, with their shared knowledge of this place, did. The sign was the first of several warnings of the upcoming quarry. Since the opening of the quarry, a total of twelve people have accidentally driven right into the quarry. In a place as flat as Illinois farmland, you simply couldn’t see it until it was too late, so the owners put up a lonesome warning sign to try prevent any more dives into their quarry. Jenny smiled. The sign continued to grow, its rusted edges becoming more and more apparent. Finally, the first lonely tractor rose from the horizon. Snow covered and silent, the tractor was the only one above the ground, yet another warning for incoming drivers who might not have seen the sign. The children began to pull harder than before. This was it. The quarry was right in front of them, gaping wide, a baby opening its mouth for an incoming bite. Bartholomew and Christopher’s eyes widened. The quarry was large, larger than anything they had ever seen. With their rejuvenated energy at the sight of their destination, they reached the edge.

Grandma Dorothy and Betty came outside, preparing for what came next. The four eldest Verne children stood on the precipice, taking in the incoming consequences of what they were about to do. All those years alone, abandoned by their parent with only this odd, quirky house to shelter them, were finally going to be behind them. Or, rather, below them.

Penny, Gwen, Bartholomew, and Christopher took one last look at the quarry, noticing its sharp edges and intimidating cliffs, its snowy bottom and brown walls. This beast of a quarry was hungry, and the Vernes were going to feed it.

Pebbles

BY MAT HI L DA SI LV E R ST E I N

BY R IYA B ANSAL Sensual saunter Hips full, wide, swinging.

You admire, But Throbbing joints, chafed inner thighs Curves like these come at a price

There are pebbles in my throat Its sharp and jagged edges Protrude through my windpipe Forcing me into silence Where does one find the water To smoothen the sharpness Erode bit by bit The sediment that plagues me Little did I know My head is submerged But not suffocated It is only the parting of my lips That will save me So I take a deep breath And drown my lungs Not with sorrow But with love and care

black woman’s body

BY ALE X X IS PE T E RS ON As a Black woman, I have embodied struggles that have been passed on from generation to generation surrounding my body, a Black woman’s body. Where does a Black woman’s body fit within society structured around whiteness?

Being seen as a Mammy, Sapphire, Jezebel, or Welfare Queen are just some of the few identities Black women, girls and Transgender individuals have to navigate. Our bodies are more than just a number to be counted or symbol of identity but the connection to our children and selves.

My body is a direct link to my ancestry. The Black woman’s body that was enslaved. Raped.

Beaten. That body embodied strength and triumph. It was manipulated and scarred, passed onto future generations. My grandmother, my mother, my sister, myself carry that Black woman’s body. I know her pain and sorrow, it reflects when I need to grow and thrive as a Black woman. She has shown that she is more than just a slave or a breeder, but mother and wife full of love and power. That Black woman’s body was raped, whipped, and murdered. Her children were taken and others she had to kill. She has embodied that and so have her children and her descendants. A Black woman has no written concrete history. She has her body. Her soul. Herself.

There was a time in my life when I saw my Black body as ugly and problematic though my mother informed me often that I was a beautiful Black girl. But being Black was not beautiful. Be-

ing a Black girl was not beautiful. That thought is still in my conscious, under my skin. I am Black and not beautiful. That is what they see, an unbeautiful Black woman. I can be seen as these Black female stereotypes but I am no Mammy, Sapphire, Jezebel, or Welfare Queen. My Black female body is brown with red undertones, my lips are voluminous, my nose is petite, my body shape is curvy, my breasts and booty are small and insignificant. That is what I see, a beautiful Black woman.

To my unborn Black daughter, Black is beautiful. Your body is beautiful. Let no one tell you otherwise. Those same people will sexualize your Black body and desire what they do not have.

That desire they have is nothing but curiosity for the Black female body. A so-called exotic body.

But your Black body is no different than the next female body. Your skin is glowing with melanin but that does not make it exotic. It makes it beautiful. The Black woman body is a breeder, sex symbol, exotic, and loose. The list will always continue for the Black female body because our narrative was created from ignorance. And now they and so many others want to have the Black woman’s body. But they will never understand the positionality of the Black woman’s body. You will. Unfortunately, you will embody the negative of the Black woman’s body but know this – your body is a temple of beauty and strength.

They can want your Black female body but only those born with it can exhibit its qualities. Its beauty.

Us: In Poems

BY ROS E ANNE G O RELI K The Mother I look into her eyes and try to see And understand The hardships she has faced.

I look into her eyes and see The warmth and humor and personality That they couldn’t destroy.

I watch as my mother discovers work Work where she uses her second language to her advantage.

Work, with all its challenges Work, that she and I would collaborate Back and forth as she wrote As I revised.

So I praise my mother, Who works full-time just to come and take care of the house and family.

For my mother, Who worked desperately to come to America To find a place for her and her family.

Where the children weren’t being called Kikes Or receiving notes in their lockers telling them to go homeWhen they had never set foot onto Israel in the first place.

The Father I look at my father and try to read him.

His past a secret For only the family to know.

But, his story is one of hardships.

Fleeing from Ukraine with only his father in tow, Leaving my grandmother, aunt, and newborn cousin to fend.

His past includes crime and loss But with my mother, a new beginning.

So looking into my father, I cannot allow frustration to set in Every time he asks for help on his iPhone.

I watch as he drives a taxi cab for the last 19 years of my life, And has suffered more pain than I could have imagined, To provide for his family.

I cannot ask him for help when he works from 6am until 1am the next morning.

I cannot ask him for help on the next day while he tries to catch up on sleep and rest.

However, I cannot blame him either.

The Eldest Older than me, By 17 years, My brother has suffered.

His own demons, along with the ones this world has to offer, Have taken him hostage More times than I can recount.

I watch him While he walks in his own darkness, Trying to remember what it was like When that darkness was replaced by light.

I watch and see How I have had more opportunities.

How we have both struggled, But differently.

I had to bare the weight of expectations on my

shoulders, However, he had to bare the expectation of failure on his.

The Middle Older than me by 11 years, And when I see my brother, I see the potential that was stripped from him, Because he didn’t have an opportunity.

Not like me.

Smart doesn’t describe him.

Ingenious will do.

Clever, Resourceful.

That’s the kind of man he is.

Without graduating high school, Without going to college, My brother has bared the weight.

Parenting me when they’re unavailable.

Trying to help when he could, But with a decade apart, The duties fell to him.

He carries the secrets of the past That my family feels they must not express.

He carries that knowledge Of the people we are surrounded by, And he must utilize that knowledge To protect everyone.

The Youngest I look into her eyes And I see the warmth of her mother’s, The rough past of her father’s The demon’s of the eldest’s And the duties of the middle’s.

I look into her eyes and I see the last.

The last chance.

The last child.

The last hope.

I turn away from the mirror.

I am the last, the youngest, And the one with the most to gain along with the most to lose.

First to graduate high school.

First to graduate college.

The chance to immortalize my name.

To create a future that my family will be proud of.

Because, in the end, The long nights working, the stress, and the worry, Is a thank you.

A thank you to my parents for all of their long nights working.

For all the stress that they have had to endure, And for all the worrying that they have gone through.

At least with me, I know they have my back.

Because, even if they can’t help with homework.

Even if English is not their first language.

Even if they’re immigrants.

My family will never stop trying to support and help me In their own way.

Which is the true testament of family.

And the only reason why I got into college.

The only reason why I made it through college.

The only reason I will be walking to receive my diploma.

Is for them.

12 | THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Congenital Glaucoma

BY R C J G O N Z A LE Z “Congenital Glaucoma,” said the doctors to my parents as they held their newborn baby.

The year was 1996, and my brother had just been born with opaque, milky blue eyes. Glaucoma. An eye disease usually associated with the elderly, but in my brother’s case, congenital. From birth. A condition that affects only one in every ten thousand infants. A surprise of the worst kind.

The surgeries began immediately. So many, and so often, that they quickly became a blur — over forty before he reached the age of two. I was four years old when my brother was born, and the surgeries are my earliest memories. I remember them in flashes, as if they were scenes from a movie I saw long ago.

Morning drives down the freeway to La Jolla, my dad gripping the steering wheel tightly, face devoid of any emotion. My mom sitting in the passenger seat, holding back tears. The tense elevator ride to the operating room on the fifth floor of the Shiley Eye Center.

Harsh fluorescent lighting and the smell of Band-Aids and gauze. Nurses putting wristbands on my newborn brother, wheeling him through large swinging doors into the cold operating room. The heartrending grief of my mom as she watched her baby being carried away from her. Crying. Waiting. Seeing my baby brother lying in a hospital bed,

still asleep from the anesthesia, with large pastic eye patches and medical tape obscuring his face.

The perpetual surgeries left my brother’s eyes sensitive to light, and for years we kept the windows of our apartment covered with heavy blankets. The darkness consumed our lives entirely, and the apartment became a dungeon of grief. How my parents made it through those years, I’ll never know. They had only been in the United States for a few years and spoke very little English, making their already terrifying ordeal even worse. How I made it through those years, I’ll never know. I didn’t fully understand what was happening. I only understood the constant, devastating sadness.

As the years passed, the situation improved somewhat. The doctors were able to save some vision in my brother’s right eye, and the surgeries began to slow down. My parent’s English improved, and the visits to the surgery room were replaced by visits to support programs for parents of children with disabilities.

They provided some semblance of hope, I guess.

But the shock and the grief never went away for my family. Instead, as I entered my teenage years, they grew into something far worse: a complete lack of emotion. We built walls around ourselves, walls so high that we stopped showing any emotion for fear of appearing vulnerable. Walls to protect us from

the harsh realities of congenital glaucoma: that my brother will always be legally blind, that he’ll never drive, that it will be difficult for him to ever be truly independent in life, and that what little vision he has he will probably lose one day.

Later, therapists would tell me that what I went through as a child and teenager is called “emotional abandonment.”

The result of exposure to a prolonged lack of emotion. It’s the reason why, as an adult, it took me years of therapy and soul-searching just to fully understand what had happened to my family, just to understand what happened to me, just to understand why I’ve had to fight so hard for my self-confidence and inner peace. Just to not feel like the walls are caving in around me when I close the door to my room at night. Just to understand why I have such a hard time enjoying myself, why I feel guilty when I drive my car, or ride my bike, or see a beautiful sunset. Every time I see or do something that I know my brother can’t.

I’m not sure what any of us are supposed to have learned from this experience. We’ve found no closure, because there is no closure. It’s an ongoing pain that can never be resolved, only accepted as a fact of our lives that is deeply woven into the fabric of our realities.

There’s only one thing I can say that I have learned for certain: Don’t ever take your eyesight for granted.

Cloudy Eyes, and The Blue World

BY AT HE N A AG H I GH I Foreword: To discover humankind’s greatness, one must recognize its misery. For the world to turn, there must be blue seas, blue eyes and a sky to cry to. I hope that after reading these poems, the sky will tell you the wonders of our reality. the soul being lost in a pair of eyes, is a strange sensation.

As you see the mountains and rivers of their soul, you discover, your own. lost in my mind. in my mind, my words are soft, strong.

When I speak, I stumble and fall fall fall skinned knees I feel so much.

I feel the giggling silver drops that fall on my head.

I feel the oak tree’s silent stance I feel my knees ache from being skinned on eternity.

I feel the world turn, as my head sits in the clouds. silk sleep flowers appear on my skin that twist and tremble along my slender fingers golden fields

of lukewarm reflections make me see myself in a different light nectar of hope an orchid springs from a white pot a green stem pushing the boundaries of existence and a single bud drinking up the nectar of hope loud quiet I sit and watch the sky silence.

So loud it buzzes silence.

So quiet it listens from a place in the blue the world’s eyes eyes for hooks that pull me along the clear water of the future and warn me of floating delicate snow cracked pavement and willowy, wispy curls at the nape of a neck. blues lovely swinging moon, let me sing a song for you.

To keep you among the gems of the blue and give you peace when the world goes quiet and her eyelids slowly

fall. tears salt water in a drop of pure, heartfelt human emotion a crystal of the past that lingers and burns. cloudy eyes and silver hair. an old lady wrings her worn hands clouded eyes never seeing, the iridescent beetle struggling across the terrain of the porch who never noticed the silver haired giant. daughter of the valley my mother is the daughter of the late bus of the crowded streets flickering street lamps and midnight stops she tiptoes around the city she loves afraid of the past. i am the daughter of the valley of fearless summer nights and rolling hills i am the daughter of the valley too brave for my own good and too stubborn to stay store of dreams stop here! stop here at the store of dreams. what do we sell you ask? fantasies and hopes. clay figures and cool ocean waves. dreams and wishes. cactus tears and desert blue lizards. and a single drop of crystal time.

Steady Showers

BY D. MESSNER a slow morning in mid-May stirred by a light rain I know words I will not say to bring needless pain a reminder, today, that it comes and goes as do wind and water in definite throes or soft stream and blissful breeze in gentle flows gently burning, barely yearning in winter’s gray and spring’s green caught between peace and dismay never, to refrain.

Für dich, Opa

BY KAELY N TÜR MER -LEE Wenn ich Klavier spiele, denke ich an dich Kannst du das Musik hören?

Ich spiele immer noch eines deiner Lieblingsstücke, Arabesque.

Ich spiele für dich, Opa. Ich denke immer an dich — wie du mit mir am Klavier gesessen hast.

Ich war so jung.

Ich wusste nicht, dass ich Klavier so lieben würde.

Klavier war so einfach für dich, Wie hast du das gemacht?

Ich wollte genauso wie du sein.

Ich habe gelernt, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, und Chopin zu lieben, Aber du warst immer mein Lieblingsmusiker.

Ich habe jeden Tag geübt — Ich konnte es kaum erwarten, für dich Klavier zu spielen.

Habe ich dich stolz gemacht?

Ich spiele nicht mehr so oft wie früher Ich wünsche du wärst hier, um mit mir ein Duett zu spielen.

Aber jetzt spiele ich alleine.

Du hast Mama das Klavier beigebracht Und dann hast du es mir beigebracht.

Ich hoffe, dass ich eines Tages andere unterrichten auch kann, Genauso wie du es mir beigebracht hast.

Aber bis dahin werde ich weiterhin für dich Klavier spielen Und ich hoffe, dass du es hören kann.

My Privilege

BY JASMI NE ZEP EDA I have a loud voice.

I have the ability to be, Not just me but my ancestors When I look around I see One or three faces that look Like my family and friends.

Not me.

I am the blur, I blend in with the majority.

That is my privilege and cage.

I am first generation I am outspoken I am persistent.

My education is my weapon, My tool, love letter, burden.

It isn’t my safe space it is my battle field.

Thin Walls

BY A KSHAY SHA R MA I hate that the walls are so thin. Other than that I love my new apartment.

It’s close to my new job. Just a walking distance away. It’s a little old, ancient really and tiny, but I can get used to it.

I already started redecorating, if I could call it that. I already started making it my own. A small Persian rug in the middle of the apartment, a dressing table directly in front of the bed. City life is odd.

There’s a lot of spatial discrimination.

Everyone seems to hate space. It seems that the buildings want to embrace each other. And if the traffic ever gave way, they might cross the street and actually try. Then there is the screaming. What is wrong with my neighbor? Ms. Stevens, she’s in her mid-40s. I think. She’s short, very short, but a somewhat pleasant lady.

Not someone who seems that she would spend her midnights screaming her lungs

out. But she does. Every night. I climb into bed, put in my earplugs and turn off the lights. In just a few minutes it begins. In horrific bursts. My walls and my earplugs are rendered defenseless. It’s muffled but still clear in its content. She sounds like she’s in pain, in sheer agony, but at the same time, it sounds like she is welcoming it. It’s hard to explain. She’s doing it now.

I used to lie in bed fantasizing about the things that would be happening to her. When I saw her in the morning I wanted to ask her about it, but it didn’t seem right. I thought I should tell someone, however, doing nothing seemed like the best option. Maybe she had a drunkard husband who would come home at night and beat her. Maybe I should tell someone. The shrieking continues. This is terrible, I just lie here night after night listening to the horror she must be going through. There’s a section of my roof

that’s peeling, I can see mold growing across the edges. A white peel just hangs like a morbid decoration. It’s annoying. I could get a rug for the bedroom too. And curtains. No, blinds are easier to clean. If Ms. Stevens died, would I be responsible? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if it was her drunk husband who beat her to death. I have a bat in the living room, I could barge in and save the poor woman. Or I could call the cops, inform the landlord, do something! I’m getting up.

The room is still. My eyes try to focus in the dark. I see my blank wall. I should hang up a painting. Van Gogh would be nice. I look towards the dresser. I lift my eyes to the mirror above it. I see myself. I look dreadful, my eyes are encircled in a newfound darkness. My jaw has dropped wide open. My neck muscles are tense, the veins bulge, ready to pop out from under the skin. As if I am, screaming.

I fight for my mom, dad, grandparents, great-grandparents.

My name reminds me of my power.

It is my keepsake It is also my strength.

I correct those who dare disrespect it, I will pronounce it the right way.

My privilege is my skin, My privilege is my ancestral knowledge, My privilege is fighting.

Ciancetti Drive

BY CLAY ALLEN R OGER S I have seen innocence in the eyes of my two pet dogs as they ripped my neighbor’s chihuahua into two pieces.

I was there when the dog yelped, and when the severed hind attempted to reconnect with its front.

The tiny one faded, and the larger two brought me its head as a rite of passage.

I accepted and ever since I have been known as a dog.

The two dogs had been washed in blood, my hands, too, and I sent them home because I loved them.

They pranced, or jogged like humans, I did not look. But only to the open eyes below— so worn.

I squatted and apologized, then squeezed its muzzle shut the sound.

A woman approached with a cigarette in hand; I smell the street now: premature feces and menthol.

What’s happened? A car too fast.

She hugged me, and I her; but I remember the way she used to leave this dog in the winter, on the alien horizon, in the nights too long in mountain lion country.

I’ve hated that woman ever since.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019 | 13

AN D R E A G O N Z A L EZ / AGGI E

BY CAR OLI NE R UTTEN arts@theaggie.org

Television: “The Office” (Season 1-3) Some may say I’m obsessed with “The Office.” I prefer the term expert. I’ve seen every episode countless times, but as of recently, I have rediscovered the overlooked hilarity of seasons one through three. The humor is at its most dry and the character development is still working through its kinks — but as a true fan, watching the series in its most raw form is refreshing. Also, Jim and Pam’s budding relationship and on-camera chemistry is heartwarming.

Movie: “Pillow Talk”

The Resurgence of Overalls From Hard Work to High Fashion

BY A N D RE W WILL I A M S arts@theaggie.org Overalls, once regarded as childish and hillbilly-esque are taking the fashion world by storm. Comprised of material ranging from denim to corduroy, an absurd amount of pockets and unrivaled comfort, there is nothing out there quite like them. Currently, overalls are enjoying plenty of time in the limelight as celebrities and college students proudly rock them as they lounge, paint and skate through their days.

In spite of their trending popularity, overalls have had to overcome a history of stigma to reclaim their place in outfit rotations.

The overalls phenomenon dates back to the 1750s, when they were first adopted by farmers and sailors as a protective garment for rigorous manual labor. Initially, the nascent versions of the overalls were known as slops. Transitioning into the 1870s, Levi Strauss, a German immigrant and founder of Levi Strauss & Co. located in San Francisco, began mass-producing overalls, propelling their beloved utility and comfort into working-class households across the nation.

Since their emergence, overalls gained significant attention in media and pop-culture.

In the 1940s, they became a symbol for the indomitable spirit of the American worker.

During World War II, the iconic character Rosie the Riveter even donned a pair of strapped trusty blues to show her support for the efforts of women factory workers.

Gradually, the industrious allure surrounding overalls be-

gan to take on a more (for lack of a better word) slop vibe.

“Overalls have been the outfit of choice for any redneck scumbag with a sharp implement,” according to an article from the The Daily Beast.

“They are almost compulsory for slasher films [...] they all have killers wearing denim overalls to match their oneeyed potato-sack hoods and hockey masks.” Naturally, this detrimental sentiment forced overalls into taking a lengthy hiatus from the fashion scene.

Fast-forward years later and overalls have awakened from their hibernation to join the ranks of bold stylish statements worn by fashionistas, artists and anyone else willing to give them a spin.

Laili Attai, who graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics and is now a Merchandising Assistant at Banana Republic, noted her initial hesitation about getting into the overalls game.

“When I thought about someone wearing overalls at that time I was like, ‘I’m not five years old, I’m not going to be wearing overalls,’” Attai said.

Eventually Attai became enticed by the care-free call of overalls. For Attai, who is a fashion blogger, they were a perfect fit for her modern, laidback aesthetic.

“My style became more sophisticated Bohemian,” Attai said. “I look really relaxed, but I put a lot of effort into it. That’s exactly what I think overalls are. They look like you put effort into what you are wearing, but they still have a really relaxed Bohemian vibe.”

One of the major upsides of overalls is their never-end-

ing supply of remarkably deep pockets. Overalls lovers never cease to find creative uses for these practical pouches.

“When I wear my overalls it’s usually a day that I am vlogging,” Attai said. “My overalls’ pocket that’s right on my breastbone is a perfect point of view for my camera. So there’ll be days I can go around and for that hour, it has my perspective for the day.”

In addition to fashion forward individuals, overalls have created a soft spot in artists’ hearts for their comfort, coverage and utility. Maxine Aiello, an overalls devotee and thirdyear art studio major, commented on their versatile and comfortable characteristics.

“I really appreciate the unisex aspect of them because it’s a little frustrating how impractical women’s clothes can be sometimes,” Aiello said. “I like to reap the benefits of some men’s clothing.”

When focusing on her art, overalls provide Aiello with the trusty and considerate qualities that have become a necessity in the art studio.

“Well, in most of my work, since I do mostly sculpture, I have to be pretty flexible,” Aiello said. “What I am wearing needs to accommodate a lot of things. I usually need to be wearing pants. I don’t want to be wearing pants that I have to pull up all the time, that’s one of the huge plusses of overalls.

They just stay on.”

Aiello also remarked that overalls give her the ability to conveniently transform into a walking mini storage unit.

“Having everything on my person is definitely becoming a preference of mine,” Aiello said. “With overalls, you got all

JAM I E C H E N / AG G IE

Behind Every Skateboarder is an Artist The art of film in skateboarding

BY CL AY A L L E N ROG ERS arts@theaggie.org To build a list of famous skateboarders does not depend on whether or not one has ever skateboarded— Tony Hawk, Nyjah Huston, Ryan Sheckler.

Easy enough. Everyone knows those names. There’s band of creative filmmakers and photographers, however, who trail behind skateboarders that typically go unnoticed; creators who care little about having their talents eclipsed by the raw footage they capture of

these prominent skateboarders. Some worthy mentions of filmmakers who are responsible for the exponential growth of skateboarding: Torsten Frank, the now deceased Preston “P-Stone” Maigetter, Spike Jonze and Ryan “Beagle” Ewing. And that barely scratches the surface of the creators who have made skateboarding what it is today.

It’s not difficult to imagine what skateboard filmmakers go through to get the perfect shot. For every skatepark line, for every stair set and every hill bomb, there is a camera per-

son catching the same amount of speed and traversing the same exact obstacles behind the skater who’s being recorded. The only difference is that the filmmaker simultaneously skateboards, juggles a camera and keeps their eyes on the viewfinder.

Unlike a Hollywood movie set, the filmers are in the fray with the skaters. Whereas camera operators on a movie set use dollies, cranes and shoulder rigs, the skate filmer has their own set-up — 8.5 in. wide skateboards, urethane wheels (for quieter, safer shots) and

the latches. I put keys on them.

I hold tools in them, whether it’s nails, clips or tape. I’ve definitely walked around with all of my overalls stuffed with pockets of things feeling like a pack rat.”

A fundamental tenet of overalls is that you don’t have to be a fashionista or artist to relish the many benefits that they provide, just a little bold. Owen Sowerwine, a second-year environmental science major, has also pledged his support to the movement. He embraced the look when realizing overalls had transitioned to “something people actually rock.”

“I think that more people are accepting them as a piece of clothing and not work wear,” Sowerwine said.

Along with Aiello and Attai, he greatly emphasized the pockets and utility aspect as key factor in his overalls experience.

“I think they are super utilitarian, at least the ones that I have, have a f*** ton of pockets,” Sowerwine said.

Despite originally buying them for casual use, his overalls returned to their roots when he was employed on a farm this past summer.

“When I worked on an organic farm, they were really clutch,” Sowerine said. “I’d just wear boots with them.”

The diverse combination of Attai’s, Aiello’s and Sowerwine’s experiences embody the true character of overalls.

After conquering stereotypes, they have re-emerged to add some much needed comfort and flare to life’s everyday activities. May all those daring enough to give overalls a try, wear and continue to wear them unjudged for years to come. cameras with handles (Usually a Sony VX) allowing them to skate and shoot.

And it’s no easy feat to be a skate filmer. More than enough videos exist on the internet of filmers catching rogue skateboards to the face or cracks in the ground and falling flat on their faces. Who then can be considered the stunt person on the set of a skate flick, the skater or the skate filmer?

Skate filmers tend to rip through footage and libraries worth of memory cards due to their filming techniques.

There is no cut, take, scene on a stair set or in a skatepark.

Filmers keep the camera rolling and capture whatever they can while the red light is on.

Because skaters can’t call when they’re going to land a trick or get busted by the cops while attempting to do so, it’s best for the filmmakers to “keep that shit rolling,” as Beagle famously said in an interview with RIDE. Beagle set a precedent with his films by using this exact technique. For those unfamiliar with his work, he is responsible for most of the films that come from the skateboard companies Baker, Deathwish and Shake Junt. All of those companies are famous for harboring the most talented and charismatic skaters in the game. Skaters idolize the films “Baker 3,” “Baker has a Deathwish” and Shake Junt’s “Chicken Bone Nowison” for two reasons: the skateboarding and the incidental comedy.

“What comes with the style [of skateboarding] is personality. You just leave that camera

With Doris Day passing away earlier this month, I began to reminisce about the fond memories of when my aunt — a classic movie expert — and I would watch Day’s movies together. Beginning with its adorable title scene and charming theme song, this comedy is the love story of two people who meet on a party line (my aunt had to explain what that was when I first watched it). Of course, the plot is sexist due to the decade in which it was filmed, but it remains both one of Day’s most well-known performances and a piece of my childhood.

Novel: “A Little Life”

by Hanya Yanagihara This heart-wrenching novel is not for the faint of heart.

Yanagihara introduces us to four best friends living in modern-day New York City. However, as the plot unfolds, Jude — the survivor of a horrible trauma — becomes the central focus in the friendship dynamic. Each sentence in this 800-page novel must be read with care and attention.

The writing is beautiful, simple and packed with fine details that make you reflect on your relationships and people with whom you share your life.

Album: “Wideass Highway”

by Dougie Poole Dougie Poole seamlessly combines classic Western drawn-out guitar chords and the psychedelic feeling of floating in space — what a combo! The album begins with the emotional ballad of “Don’t You Think I’m Funny Anymore?” and quickly transitions to the quirky love song “Tripping with the One You Love” — two of my favorite songs in the album. The album as a whole has the storytelling capabilities characteristic of Western lyrics with musical twists and turns to attract the indie rock listener.

rolling and capture all the after-antics,” Beagle said. “The big part of skateboarding is the fun, so you got to capture all the fun that comes with it: the celebrating, the random freaks and characters, the effort, the board-throwing, the meltdowns, the laughs, the cries. It’s good to show it all.”

All that’s known about skateboarding and the culture therein is because of the people that stay behind the camera.

While they handle shooting the film and snapping the photos, most of them edit their own footage, too. Beside the two Baker team skaters, Andrew Reynolds and Dustin Dollin, who help edit certain parts in Baker films, most of the creative process rests on the shoulders of Beagle.

“Ever since I started filming, I wanted to make the magic happen [...] There was never a turning point where [filming] became a job for me,” Beagle said. “Anybody [can] point a camera, push record and think that they’re filming a trick, but there’s so much art that goes into [filming].”

While the art of skating is left to the skaters, the art of skateboarding and how we perceive that art comes from the filmer’s passion they put into their work.

“This is skateboarding for the world. You want it to look as good as possible,” Beagle concluded. “They might try the trick 300 times, but if they land that trick the 316th time and you didn’t film it the way you wanted to, you’re going to live with that the rest of your life.”

Beagle exemplifies the dedication that filmers put into making skateboarding great.

And while filmers get may get the appreciation they deserve from within the skateboard community, most of them are entirely disregarded by the fans who view the films. Beagle is an exception because the Baker team makes it a priority to take the camera out of his hands and turn it back on Beagle, thus resulting in the favored “Beagleoneism” part that plays at the end of every Baker, Deathwish and Shake Junt film.

Maybe other skate teams should take a page out of Baker’s book and feature their filmers more often. Maybe then a level of worldwide recognition would materialize for these artists. Sadly, though, many filmers are not recognized for their work as skate filmers until it’s too late. For Spike Jonze, his work on Girl Skateboards’ “Yeah Right!” is completely overshadowed by his work on “Where the Wild Things Are” and the first three “Jackass” movies.

But is this not the plight of the artist? To be heard, but never seen? Undoubtedly, these filmers are not concerned with stepping in front of the camera because they are too focused on ensuring that everything behind the camera goes smoothly.

For what skateboarding has become today, the thanks goes to the filmmakers who put their bodies on the line for the sport, from their motivation on set to their dedication in the editing room.

SKATE on 11

backstop

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

14 | THURSDAY, MAY 30, 2019

R AU L MOR A LES / AGGIE FILE

TRACY HAMM HIRED AS NEW HEAD COACH OF UC DAVIS WOMEN’S SOCCER After making improvements to program at SF State, Hamm takes on Kaufman’s legacy

BY RYA N BUG SCH sports@theaggie.org Earlier this month, Tracy Hamm was announced as the new Head Coach for the UC Davis women’s soccer team. Hamm’s hire takes over for former Head Coach Twila Kaufman, who resigned from the position in April. Before leaving, Kaufman led the Aggies for five seasons as head coach. Since her addition in 2014, Kaufman helped to improve the Aggies year after year.

In the 2018 season, Kaufman helped lead the team to a 7-8-4 overall and 4-2-2 conference record and advance to the semi-

finals of the Big West conference tournament for the first time since 2011.

“We were not expecting Coach Kaufman to resign,” UC Davis Director of Athletics Kevin Blue said in a statement to The Aggie.

“She made a decision that she believed was in her best interests, and we respect that. Coach Kaufman made a significant positive impact on the program during her time here. The team improved in the Big West standings each year under her direction. We are thankful for her contributions.”

Before her arrival at UC Davis, Hamm was most previously a Head Coach for the San Francisco State women’s soccer program.

DAV I S W H A L E N / AG GI E

KAT HERIN E F RA N KS / AG GIE

OAKLAND IN DANGER OF GETTING LEFT BEHIND IN STADIUM ARMS-RACE A’s are last hope as city prepares to say goodbye to Warriors, Raiders

BY B REN DA N O GB U R N sports@theaggie.org For the last 60-plus years, the property nestled between 66th Avenue and Hegenberger, just on the side of the Nimitz Freeway, has housed a trio of proud sports franchises. Three teams, the A’s, Raiders and Warriors, not only brought a lifetime full of memories and championships, but truly embodied the scrappy, resilient nature of the city they call home.

Fast forward to 2019, where twothirds of its inhabitants will be departing in the span of six months.

The Warriors are playing their final games at Oracle Arena in the NBA Finals before bolting to the other side of the bay. Ever since co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber took control of the Warriors in 2010, they had their sights set on a new arena in San Francisco.

After a few setbacks, the team finally settled on a location in the Mission Bay district, about one mile south of the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park. The new $1 billion Chase Center, which will seat 18,064 fans, will open in September, in time for the 2019-2020 season.

The Raiders are in the midst of their second divorce with the city of Oakland. After abandoning the area for a move to Los Angeles in the early 1980s and subsequently returning 12 years later, the Silver and Black are now in a position to relocate to Las Vegas in the fall of 2020. The team has secured an unfathomable $750 million in public money from Nevada taxpayers, paving the way for a $1.8 billion stadium that will seat 65,000 fans.

At the end of the day, the city of Oakland was simply not in a position to shell out any amount of tax dollars to finance new venues for its sports teams, especially given the regrettable decisions made in the late 1990s that funded two major renovations to the Oakland Coliseum and Oracle Arena.

Fortunately for Oakland and its cit-

Having a similar effect to Kaufman, Hamm excelled at SF State as Head Coach, leading the Gators to winning records for the first time since 2002 in her first two years, as well as two 10-win seasons. Under Hamm, the Gators earned their first birth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament for the first time since 2010, where they lost in the semi-finals.

“I think for me I’ve been pretty selective in positions that I have been taking in my coaching career,” Hamm said. “When the opportunity came [at Davis] I just felt like it was really the right fit.

I have had a lot of success in my prior programs, and I have been searching for the right fit at the right time with the right institution. UC Davis just checked a lot of boxes for me.”

Hamm’s experience in the sport is extensive, as she played professionally in Women’s Professional Soccer for FC Gold Pride and the Atlanta Beat. Hamm is also one of two American women who possess a United European Football Association “A” Coaching License, mandated by the Union of European Football Associations — just one level shy of a Pro License.

“Coach Hamm is a rising star in college coaching,” Blue said.

“She’s extraordinarily well-trained and has seven years of head coaching experience already. She will bring tremendous energy, passion and expertise to the position. Coach Hamm is also a very strong female role model for the student-athletes on our teams.”

Examining her overall coaching strategy over the years, Hamm believes that her approach to coaching is one not normally taken at a collegiate level.

“The way I have led my previous programs is very much player centric as far as I want to know what they think that they need to have to be successful,” Hamm explained. “So for me that is them identifying the positives and negatives of their experiences so far and doing what I can do to try to make some of those weaknesses or negatives, we can turn into positives. So I give my players a lot of autonomy and then push them to where I think that we can go.”

Next season will certainly be an interesting one for the UC Davis women’s soccer program. Coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent years and with Hamm leading the way, there is hope for a bright future for the Aggies.

“I like to win and I think that winning is a product of being prepared, being confident and working hard. But it also those intangibles making sure you create the right team chemistry and team culture,” Hamm said. “It depends how you define success, but I want them [the players] to have a positive experience. For someone who is very competitive I measure success a big part by wins and losses but also take a holistic approach to things. It’s [the overall feeling] excitement and I think that this program is unique and this is a program that has a lot of potential. And that is the first step in creating a successful culture that I want and a culture where everyone is accountable, but enjoying their UC Davis experience.”

izens, the Warriors have been mandated to pay off the remaining $40 million in debt for the renovations to Oracle Arena. Oakland and the Raiders are currently in a legal battle to determine who will cut the check for the almost $80 million in debt from the Coliseum upgrades, which were a key factor in the Raiders’ decision to return from Los Angeles.

After nearly 15 years of aimless stadium searches and relocation threats, it seems the Athletics finally have a path to securing a new stadium, and one that allows them to be the last remaining professional sports franchise in Oakland.

The team’s 51-year stay in the Oakland Coliseum became progressively worse in recent decades, especially since the return of the Oakland Raiders in 1996 and the subsequent renovations and construction of “Mount Davis.” This monstrous seating area high above center field blocks what used to be a picturesque view of the Oakland hills behind the stadium and serves no purpose for the A’s, who kept tarps over those seats for many years.

The A’s have tried to move to locations such as Fremont and San Jose in the last 20 years and threatened to relocate out of the Bay Area entirely but are now finally committed to staying in Oakland.

Things took a turn for the better in late 2016 when former co-owner Lew Wolff decided to step down and current team president Dave Kaval was hired.

Kaval, who oversaw the building of the San Jose Earthquakes’ Avaya Stadium, has been at the forefront of the team’s pursuit of a new ballpark in Oakland.

In the fall of 2017, the A’s originally announced their intentions to build a stadium in the Peralta Community College District in downtown Oakland, near Laney College and the city’s Chinatown neighborhood. The team went all in on this idea and seemed convinced it would work out, so the backlash from organizations in the area

and the community college came as quite an embarrassment for Kaval and the A’s.

With the downtown location firmly out of the picture, the A’s currently have two options for locations to build their ballpark: the current Coliseum property or a 50-acre site known as “Howard Terminal” in the Port of Oakland.

Currently, Howard Terminal is the team’s preferred option, due to its proximity to the waterfront and Jack London Square, an adjacent area with many restaurants, shops, offices and new housing developments. The team hopes to construct a 35,000-seat stadium that will be ready to open in time for the 2023 season.

Out of the three original options, Howard Terminal poses by far the most challenges. The site has been used for industrial purposes for many decades in the Port of Oakland and likely contains a variety of toxic and hazardous materials. Before the A’s can even come to an agreement to purchase the property or break ground, they will need to conduct many Environmental Impact studies and possibly conduct a largescale cleanup. In addition, there has been a considerable amount of pushback from Port workers and longshoremen who believe the project will negatively affect their businesses and take away jobs.

Finally, there are concerns regarding the ability of this neighborhood to handle the increased traffic and influx of thousands of fans on a daily basis.

The A’s will have to find a solution to these transportation issues and a way to provide the appropriate amount of parking spaces and public transportation options in an area that currently cannot handle such demands.

Nevertheless, the A’s received a vote of confidence earlier this month from the Port of Oakland’s board of commissioners, who gave the team a four-year period to do all necessary preparatory

OAKLAND on 10

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP PREVIEW Defending champion United States Women’s National Soccer Team prepares for 2019 run

BY AJ SEY MOUR sports@theaggie.org Entering the 2019 World Cup as defending champions and favorites, the United States Women’s soccer team (USWNT) undeniably has a reputation to uphold. The U.S. became the first nation to win the Women’s World Cup three times when the Americans defeated Japan, 5-2, in the 2015 World Cup final. USA’s Carli Lloyd scored the fastest hat trick in Women’s World Cup history in that match and will play an essential role in USWNT’s surge for its fourth title this summer.

The opening game of the tournament will feature two worldwide powerhouses: France and South Korea. France is the second-highest favored team in the tournament (7-2 odds) behind only the U.S., which is listed at 2-1 odds. South Korea, even after playing well recently, is still a longshot to win the title, at 60-1 odds.

This year, although there are many teams with high odds to win the cup, there are two teams that have virtually zero chance of advancing, let alone winning it all: Jamaica and Thailand. These small countries and others will have much to prove throughout this lengthy tournament.

This year’s tournament in France will be the eighth ever Women’s World Cup, with only four teams having won the title before: the U.S., Germany, Norway and Japan — with the Americans and the Germans capturing five of the seven trophies. But surging teams like France and England are on the hunt for their first championship, with both teams possessing a handful of young, eager newcomers.

Fortunately for them, they have company in the U.S., with the Americans compiling a roster of

veteran talent alongside a handful of fresh faces. The most notable absence from USWNT’s ranks will be Hope Solo, the stalwart goalkeeper who has anchored the team for the last decade. Since the goalkeeper decided to step away from international play in 2016, three keepers have been competing for the starting spot, with 31-year-old Alyssa Naeher seemingly separating from the other two. With 44 career international appearances, Naeher possesses the experience necessary to compete on the world stage.

On the other hand, the U.S. has brought up numerous prodigal, young stars that look to give the team some added firepower. Last season’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) MVP Lindsey Horan looks to make a name for herself on the international stage after having undoubtedly the best stretch of her career over the last two calendar years.

Alongside the 24-year-old Horan, 21-year-old Mallory Pugh and 20-year-old Tierna Davidson further compliment a roster full of veterans. Pugh has steadily improved and garnished some attention, especially after she compiled over 50 international caps before her 21st birthday.

Then of course, rounding out the 23-player roster, there are USWNT’s star players that have already done so much to capture the hearts of millions. These names include the likes of striker Alex Morgan, winger Megan Rapinoe and midfielder Julie Ertz, who are all seeking to lead the team to its first ever back-to-back titles.

The tournament kicks off Friday, June 7, but the U.S. will open its World Cup run on June 11 against Thailand. The Americans won’t have to wait much longer to prove they are still the world’s best soccer team.