January 11, 2024

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VOLUME 147, ISSUE 11 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024

Davis College Democrats criticize impeachment of ASUCD President, Internal Vice President

While both impeachments were passed unanimously by the ASUCD Senate, DCD said that the manner in which the resolutions passed was unfair NATALIE CHENG / AGGIE

BY VINCE BASADA campus@theaggie.org On Dec. 6, the ASUCD Senate unanimously impeached both President Francisco Ojeda and Internal Vice President (IVP) Aarushi Raghunathan during a closed special session.

With both impeachment resolutions passed, hearings held by the Judicial Council are expected to proceed during winter quarter 2024.

Former Senator Erek Leschyn, whose term ended in Dec. 2023, was the lead author of the resolution impeaching IVP Raghunathan. The Senate only turned to impeachment near the end of fall quarter, according to Leschyn.

“I was probably one of the senators that was talking about [impeachment] the earliest, but it only became clear really in maybe the last 2 weeks of the quarter,” Leschyn said.

Senator Jacob Klein said that the Dec. 6 meeting was initially planned to discuss a possible censure of both Ojeda and Raghunathan and to host a conversation about a solution forward.

“The closed session took place because we hoped that private discussions with President Ojeda and Vice President Raghunathan could result in productive discourse,” Klein said. “However, they gave responses that suggested a lack of accountability.”

After senators discussed their concerns with the President and IVP, according to Leschyn, both individuals were asked to leave the room for some time. This is when the Senate ultimately decided to impeach them instead.

“The Senate table [during the] fall quarter was one that had been experiencing, to put it bluntly, incompetency [from

Ojeda and Raghunathan],” Leschyn said.

The original censures were modified to pass as impeachment resolutions over the course of the special closed session.

After the impeachment resolutions were passed, the Senate then presented them to the President and IVP. Ojeda’s impeachment resolution, authored by Senator Dani Antonio, cites his failure to specify how he spends his budgeted 19.5 paid work hours, his failure to properly introduce SR #1 — which lays out yearly goals for ASUCD — and frustrating interactions between Ojeda and the Senate table.

“The reasoning behind the Senate’s unanimous impeachment of President Ojeda was that a few key job responsibilities were not being performed, which hindered communication and was in violation of the bylaws,” Klein said. “We were under the impression that removing him would open the door for a replacement who could uphold these requirements and help ASUCD run more smoothly.”

Raghunathan’s impeachment resolution specifically says that her leadership resulted in bias and disorder

during more than one Senate meeting, which Leschyn said alluded to an incident at a Senate town hall meeting in which she clashed with a member of the student body during public comment.

“Throughout this past quarter, it has been revealed that there was not just mediocrity from the [IVP], but a severe underperformance,” Leschyn said. “[Because the IVP] is the member of the executive branch that is probably the one most closely beholden to the Senate, the presiding officer of the Senate and is in a high-level position that’s representing ASUCD and this student body, we thought that they should be kept to the highest standard.”

On Dec. 11, the Davis College Democrats (DCD) released a statement that criticized the Senate’s choice to pass the resolutions in a closed special session.

“While we do not seek to defend the actions and records of either President Ojeda nor Vice President Raghunathan, we unequivocally condemn and call out this undemocratic and precipitous move by members of the ASUCD Senate table,” the statement reads.

DCD President and co-author of the statement Aiden Ledbetter said that it was not his place to comment on the reasoning behind the impeachments, but that DCD takes issue with the manner in which the resolutions were passed.

“There were no announcements that impeachment resolutions were going to be considered within this meeting,” Ledbetter said. “When the actual meeting came about, they ended up completely dropping the whole censure and went straight for [impeaching] the President and IVP, which [DCD] thinks is completely unfair to the student body.”

Ledbetter then said that it is concerning that the duly elected executive branch can be impeached without any warning to them or the student body.

“I think the way they did that is completely undemocratic in that we can have a [meeting closed to the public] where we can just remove these representatives who have been fighting for us this whole time without any sort of conversation with [the student body],” Ledbetter continued.

Ledbetter also personally feels that a threshold has not been met to warrant the Senate table’s actions.

“I think these impeachments have a higher bar that [the impeached] need to cross for them to be, in my view, legitimate,” Ledbetter said. “I say that just because there is so much that ASUCD does to benefit and help the lives of all students. I mean, they run Unitrans [and] so many of the committees and commissions that go on to use our tuition dollars to improve our lives.”

Ledbetter hopes that the impeachment proceedings will bring about a longer conversation into the operations of ASUCD and movement away from “personal, slimy politics that [have] happened within the Senate table.”

Leschyn said that he stands by his decision to impeach both President and IVP. “I do think that fall quarter was kind of embarrassing on [the President and IVP’s] side for a lot of things,” Leschyn said. “They’ve been in this position for a really long time, and things have not gone well. Whether or not they do improve, it could be too little too late in terms of what they’ve actually been able to do.”

Klein concluded with his comments on both impeachments as a whole.

“Regardless of the outcome, communication, transparency and accountability are paramount,” Klein said. “ I look forward to seeing an executive branch that prioritizes these values, whether it be President Ojeda and Vice President Raghunathan or whoever replaces them. I know the Judicial Council will exercise its power fairly and I trust that their decision to uphold or overturn the impeachment resolutions will be made carefully.”

Carlos Dominguez, Davis City Council votes to of three call for immediate ceasefire to suspect stabbings in Davis, Israel-Gaza war deemed mentally fit for

The council voted unanimously to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in meeting with large public attendance

BY CHRIS PONCE city@theaggie.org Content warning: This article contains discussions of war and violence .

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, at their regularly scheduled meeting, the Davis City Council voted to call for an immediate ceasefire to the war in Gaza. Item 4 on the council agenda contained Resolution 23, called the “Resolution calling for peace in Israel and Gaza,” which was passed unanimously.

The resolution contained five demands as part of the ceasefire. The city and city council called for: (1) an immediate ceasefire by all parties and to seek diplomacy, (2) an immediate end to terrorism and violence committed against civilians, (3) an unconditional release of all hostages, (4) the unrestricted restoration of food, water, electricity and medical supplies and (5) mutual respect for international law.

After the resolution was adopted, it was sent to several governing

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agencies to urge them to use their authority to help “end the violence.”

The city shared the document with the Yolo County Board of Supervisors, Rep. Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Rep. Mike Thompson, State Sen. Bill Dodd, Sen. Laphonza Butler, Sen. Alex Padilla, Gov. Gavin Newsom, Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden.

“Nothing can be more emotionally charged than watching humanity, especially children, maimed and killed,” Councilmember Gloria Partida said before the public comment portion of the meeting. “[...]

Although we can’t directly affect a lot of the policies that happen outside [our] purview. I believe — I think we all believe — that one of the most important roles of city leadership is to commiserate and to respond to the hurt and pain its community feels.”

The council chambers were at full capacity, holding 104 people. People seated in the chambers held yellow signs that read “Ceasefire Now.” Some people in attendance also wore shirts that read “Not in our name” and “Jews say ceasefire now.”

Because of the large amount of people in attendance, Arnold allocated a minute and a half per commenter.

Arnold said that the majority of feedback the council received was about what was not included in the resolution rather than what was included. He said the language in the resolution used was criticized by people on both sides of the issue.

The first public commenter, who did not share their name with the council, wore a Yamaka and called the war in Gaza an attempt at genocide by the state of Israel.

“This killing of Gazans can’t plausibly be seen as a reasonable military response or targeted operation to remove Hamas, but is instead an attempt at ethnic cleansing,” the commenter said.

Jennifer, who did not share their

last name, is a Jewish-American and a historian. They said governments can’t be complicit in the war in Gaza.

“When individuals, communities and governments turn a blind eye to human rights catastrophes like we’re seeing in Gaza now, it’s corrosive and literally soul-destroying,” Jennifer said.

Jennifer also said they were disappointed in the United States’ opposition to the United Nations General Assembly resolution that called for a ceasefire. They explained the role the city of Davis has in calling for a ceasefire.

“Some may ask why the city of Davis has any business engaging in global affairs,” Jennifer said during the public comment. “As residents of Davis, we are a part of the larger world. Our local community contains people from Palestine and Israel, those representing multiple faith groups, to whom the city of Davis owes it to show equal respect.”

Jennifer said that they have lost extended family members to genocide and that they cannot stand by a genocide made in their name.

“Having lost extended family members to genocide some 80 years ago, I cannot sit by and see it done again in my name,” Jennifer said. “[Done] by Israel, a government that has dehumanized those whose lives and well-being it has unjustly held in its hands for more than 75 years.

When we say never again, it means never again for anyone.

Rabbi Bess Wohlner, an affiliate of Congregation Bet Haverim in Davis, also attended the meeting. The congregation is the only synagogue in Yolo County, according to Wohlner.

She said that her heart has shattered every day since the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

“The God I believe in cries in the

CEASEFIRE on 8

trial in court hearing

The decision comes after Reales Dominguez spent months in a state hospital for mental disorder

Carlos Dominguez appeared in the Yolo County Superior Court on Jan. 5.

(Aggie File)

BY ALMA CULVERWELL city@theaggie.org On Friday, Jan. 5, Yolo County Judge Samuel McAdam read a confidential medical report stating that Carlos Reales Dominguez, former UC Davis student and suspect of three stabbings last year, was deemed mentally fit to stand trial.

The hearing, which lasted nearly 10 minutes, came after Dominguez spent three months at a state hospital after previously being deemed unfit for trial.

A preliminary hearing for the trial is now set for Feb. 26 at 9 a.m.

“The court received a report from the state hospital certifying that Mr. Dominguez has been restored to competency,” Wendy Wilcox, executive assistant to the Yolo County District Attorney, said via email. “[Dominguez] will be returned to Yolo County and will appear in the Superior Court on Jan. 5 at 9 a.m. in Department 10. If there are no challenges to that report

criminal proceedings will be reinstated.”

On May 4, 2023, Dominguez was arrested as the suspect in the stabbing and murder of David Henry Breaux, a community member affectionately known as “The Compassion Guy” and UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm, as well as the attempted murder of community member Kimberlee Guillory.

“The Yolo County District Attorney has filed two murder charges and one attempted murder charge against 21-year-old Davis resident, Carlos Dominguez,” a press release made on May 5, 2023 from Yolo County District Attorney’s office reads.

The press release made after the arrest states that a Special Circumstance For Multiple Murders was alleged, potentially allowing for a sentence of life without parole and even the death penalty.

TRIALUPDATE on 8

2 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024

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Davis City Council selects Josh Chapman for 2024 mayor, Bapu Vaitla as vice mayor The Davis City Council appointed the positions of Mayor and Vice Mayor without a general election

BY CHRIS PONCE city@theaggie.org At approximately 1 a.m., after a long discussion regarding a resolution calling for a ceasefire to the war in Gaza, the Davis City Council still had to address Item 6 on the agenda — appointing a new mayor.

In Davis, mayors are appointed yearly by the city council rather than by a general election. At the Dec. 12 city council meeting, the council selected councilmembers Josh Chapman and Bapu Vaitla to serve as mayor and vice mayor respectively for 2024.

Davis City Manager Mike Webb briefed the council on the rules and processes of selecting a new mayor and vice mayor. Webb said factors such as seniority, the ability to run meetings and the ability to find consensus amongst the council should be considered in the council’s decision. Councilmembers can only serve as mayor for up to two years out of their four-year councilmember term.

During the meeting, Vaitla thanked last year’s mayor, Will Arnold, for his service to the city and specifically for his leadership during the serial stabbings that occurred in April. Vaitla suggested that Chapman, who was previously vice mayor, should be the new mayor.

“I think we had a great mayor, and I think [Chapman] would be a fantastic mayor as well,” Vaitla said during the meeting. “[Chapman] has a great leadership style that brings people together [and] builds consensus and I would love to see [Chapman] in that

Pictured is newly appointed mayor Josh Chapman (left) and newly appointed vice mayor Bapu Vaitla (right).

(Courtesy / Jenny Tan) mayoral role for the next year.”

During his time as mayor, Arnold oversaw projects such as the Downtown Davis Plan, Hate-Free Together and the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

Arnold said that it was an honor to serve and that he would be open to continue as mayor.

“It has been and continues to be one of the honors of my lifetime to serve our

community in this capacity,” Arnold said. “This year, as we all know, has been not what any of us could have expected.

And I know whatever I thought the mayorship was a year ago, I have learned that I had no idea.”

Councilmember Gloria Partida, who was also formerly mayor, thanked Arnold for his leadership but said that there should be a new mayor in order

to allow time for other councilmembers to serve in the role.

“Thank you Will, because I’ve really enjoyed your leadership,” Partida said.

“And it has been a tough year. We had the serial stabbings and that was a really tough time for the community and you got in front of all of that press and did a really good job of guiding us through that.”

Chapman said that this was the first time the council was electing a mayor by this process and that they should re-examine if there should be changes made.

“No matter what happens tonight, I would encourage us to look at this process on a deeper level to figure out if there [are] changes that we can make,” Chapman said.

Partida also said that she hopes the council will discuss the possibility of having a ballot for residents to elect a mayor at large, rather than being appointed by the council.

“I would love for us to have a conversation about putting on the ballot an extra box that people can check and vote at large for mayor so we’re back to our old system of choosing mayors, but that’s a different conversation,” Partida said.

During the meeting, Vaitla asked Chapman if he’d be willing to serve in the position and then motioned to nominate him as mayor after he said he’d be willing. Councilmember Donna Neville seconded the motion. Partida shared that, while she disagrees with the system of appointing mayors, she would be happy to see Chapman in the role.

“I think this is a bad system, and I think that for me this sort of makes the point that we should stick to oneyear [mayoral] terms because then it’s just what you expect unless there’s an extenuating circumstance,” Partida said.

The council unanimously voted Chapman as mayor. Partida then nominated Vaitla as vice mayor which the council unanimously voted on as well.

City of Davis seeking New President Pro Tempore feedback elected after impeachment of community on how to improve ASUCD President and Internal downtown lighting The city sent out a survey inviting Vice President Senator Binh Do was elected as the president pro tempore and Internal Vice President Aarushi Raghunathan addressed her impeachment resolution

BY KAYA DO-KHANH campus@theaggie.org On Thursday, Dec. 7, at 6:21 p.m., Vice President Aarushi Raghunathan called the Senate meeting to order and recited the UC Davis Land Acknowledgement.

The Senate table then listened to farewell addresses by Senators Gaius Ilupeju, JT Eden, Erek Leschyn and Zahar King. The addresses included advice, words of admiration for those at the table and other reflections on their time serving on the Senate table.

The senate then moved into the seating of new officers. Jonathan Ng, Leah Jung, Yara Kaadan, Katia Bouali, Jacob Klein and Curtis Chen were all seated.

After a closed session was held on Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Senate unanimously voted to pass two resolutions for the impeachment of both President Francisco Ojeda and Internal Vice President (IVP) Aarushi Raghunathan.

Following the impeachment resolutions of the previous session, Senator Binh Do and Senator Dani Antonio were nominated separately for President Pro Tempore. Senator Do was then elected as the President Pro Tempore by a vote of 8-5-1.

After a quick break, the Judicial Council gave its quarterly report.

They went over updates, such as the addition of a new chair, and recent accomplishments, such as their weekly meetings with public discussion and the release of memos on SB #2 and SB #22.

This quarter, the council experienced challenges in terms of communication and relations, with an example being communication on budget hearings. Its goals for winter quarter are to increase its social media presence and to hire two more Justices for the Judicial Council after fall quarter.

Next, the Student Health and Wellness Committee’s (SHAWC) quarterly report was given by Chairperson Julia Miller. She touched on the committee’s recent collaborations, including a monthly Instagram series focused on mental health with Senator Trinity Chow. One of their ongoing projects is doing well, with the Safer Sex Product Dispensers that they put in at the Memorial Union being almost completely empty every two weeks.

Miller also expressed concerns with budget limitations, where she gets paid for five hours a week but works an average of 20 hours. Additionally, the committee’s goals for winter quarter include education with UC Davis Panhellenic about sexual assault awareness.

The Pantry then gave its quarterly report and talked about its goals such as increasing food services and connecting with hygiene product vendors. Some accomplishments from the quarter include The Pantry’s Menstrual Equity event in which volunteers were able to provide consistent menstrual products, the Mobile Pantry which is running two times a week and is more accessible

for students with disabilities and the re-launch of the Spice Program which allows for students to get a variety of spices for free.

The Sexual Assault Awareness Advocacy Committee gave their quarterly report next. This quarter, they had many collaborations such as working with Students Demand Action and Empower Yolo on a drive to provide supplies for survivors of domestic violence. The committee also worked with the fire department, specifically Health 34, to collaborate for Sexual Assault Awareness Month as well as further support their Narcan distribution. Their winter goals include increasing their membership as they currently have only four members total.

The Campus Center for the Environment followed with its quarterly report. The team purchased a storage container where they are able to store many of their tools, as well as a chicken coop, a purchase they have been waiting to make since 2019. Aiming to capture the attention of more students, they also painted their logo on their trailer.

Next, the meeting moved into public comments.

“I find that the ASUCD Senate has violated its own bylaws that are set to govern themselves when they congregate either in the Executive Office with the door closed, the TSR/ISR Office or the commissions/committees room,” an anonymous speaker said.

“You can have group chats, you can talk to other senators about this, just don’t talk about legislation,” Senator Nur Ambaw said next. “It’s making it seem like we can’t be friends on the table, but we can be friends. You can have group chats, we can talk about everything else, but when it comes to legislation, as long as it’s not the majority [...] read the bylaws and make

sure you aren’t in violation of them.”

Another public comment was from second-year political science major Zeph Schnelbach, who brought up the performative aspect of the ASUCD Senate reciting the Land Acknowledgement without active support for Native American and Indigenous peoples. Schnelbach proposed training for the senators and called for more representation for such groups.

The Aggie Mentors Committees, the Office of the International Student Representative, the Office of External Affairs Vice President, Internal Affairs Commission and the Gender and Sexuality Commission also gave their quarterly reports.

Next, the Senate went into the consideration of old legislation.

SB #31, which supports unregistered student groups by providing assistance and legitimation through the Affiliated Student Organization (ASO) program, passed unanimously.

SB #35, which reallocates the Aggie Housing Advocacy Committee from the oversight of the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission, under the oversight of the External Affairs Commission, passed unanimously.

SB #38, which formally dissolves the ASUCD Committee on Engagement Initiatives, passed unanimously.

SR #5, which aims to state the overarching goals and priorities of the ASUCD Senate for the 2023-2024 academic year, passed unanimously.

SR #6, which calls on the City of Davis and campus administration to take initiative regarding on and offcampus lighting, sparked debate on the table over getting the resolution passed versus having meetings with the university on the topic instead.

SENATE10 on 8

residents to provide feedback on three proposed new lighting options

BY HANNAH SCHRADER city@theaggie.org The city of Davis is asking residents to fill out a survey to choose among three potential lighting fixtures to help illuminate the downtown area. The survey was opened to the public on Jan. 2 and will close on Jan. 31 at 5 p.m.

There are three proposed options to improve lighting that residents can vote for in the survey: option 1, a laser unit attached to the ground that will project moving lights onto trees, option 2, lights that are strung along poles and option 3, lights that are strung along trees.

Jenny Tan, director of community engagement for the city of Davis, discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each option and said the city is balancing concerns of being cost-effective and environmentally friendly.

“The city of Davis looks at ensuring that the work we do is something that can be maintained, is cost-efficient and, in this case, prevents deterioration of the trees downtown,” Tan said. “Of the three options, the cheapest option is likely to be option 3 (lights strung on trees) as it only requires the string lights to be purchased. Option 2 is a bit more expensive with the purchase of the lights and the poles, and option 1 is the most expensive with the base unit costing $130 each. We may need to buy two units for option 1 if one unit is not bright enough or provides enough ambient lighting.”

Tan said that previously the city would wrap lighting along the trunk of trees which was less beneficial for the tree and the new options will be better for tree health.

“The new options presented would not be strung around the trunk, but would either be a light shining up [option 1], from pole to pole [option 2] or from a single branch in each tree [option 3],” Tan said. “The three options try to balance ambiance with tree health and were selected after research by city staff and local groups or commissions.”

The survey comes after an Oct. 3 city council meeting regarding the possibility of new lighting fixtures being installed downtown in order to enhance safety and promote business during the limited daylight hours in the winter.

This agenda item sparked debate during the public comment section as the proposed lighting would be installed

in the trees and possibly result in the natural landscape being harmed.

Roberta Millstein, a professor of philosophy at UC Davis, believes there are shortcomings in the survey the city provided. Millstein shared that additional lighting might not make residents actually safer.

“The first thing that strikes me is that the survey lacks a fourth option: do nothing (no additional downtown lights),” Millstein said via email. “Note that, as the preamble to the survey admits, the proposed options do not meet the city’s Dark Sky ordinance.

The city seems to be presuming that we are safer with more lighting, but this assumption has been called into question. Lights mainly make us feel safer; they might in fact make us less safe.”

Millstein believes these options may be harmful to wildlife and take away the night sky views Davis residents enjoy.

“The city seems to be overlooking the harm to humans and wildlife from excessive nighttime light, as well as the loss of our night sky views that have inspired humans for millennia,” Millstein said via email.

The city of Davis has a Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) that guides the city into making environmentally friendly decisions and reaching carbon neutrality by 2040.

Millstein is skeptical that the city can achieve this and adopt more lighting.

“More lighting means using more electricity and thus increasing the city’s carbon footprint, undermining the city’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040,” Millstein said via email. “Finally, money spent on downtown lighting is money that can’t be used for other needs, such as fixing crumbling bike lanes or park structures, like Slide Hill Park or for things that would reduce our carbon footprint.”

Millstein believes that there shouldn’t be additional lighting and that the city should have had more discussion about the decision.

“For all of these reasons, it is my opinion that no additional downtown lights beyond the current street lights should be added,” Millstein said via email. “Before even doing this survey, the [city] should have held a robust conversation that actually considered the pros and cons of having additional downtown lighting at all.”

LIGHTINGSURVEY on 8

Thousands of fairy lights twinkle above, providing the perfect ambience for a Sunday night dinner at Woodstock’s Pizza. (Maia Zhu / Aggie)

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 | 3

Gorman Museum of Native American Art recognized as one of top 10 native art events of 2023 by First American Art Magazine

The museum recently celebrated its expansion and continues to highlight Contemporary Native American art while engaging the local community

BY MADISON PETERS campus@theaggie.org The Gorman Museum of Native American Art was recently recognized as one of the top 10 native art events of 2023 by the First American Art Magazine.

Run by Native American artist and publisher America Meredith, the First American Art Magazine is a publication that serves to expand knowledge of art by indigenous peoples of the Americas.

The Executive Director of the Gorman Museum, Veronica Passalacqua, spoke on the significance of this recognition.

“We are really thrilled that [Meredith] included the Gorman in that list,” Passalacqua said. “Even though we are a small university museum, it demonstrates our place within the larger field of Native American art.”

The Gorman Museum was established in 1973 in honor of one of the founders of the Department of Native American Studies at UC Davis — Carl Nelson Gorman. Originally based in Hunt Hall, the museum

started from a collection of artwork that Gorman himself brought to the campus.

After a large push from those involved with the museum and 10 years of renovation, the Gorman Museum recently celebrated both its grand opening and 50th anniversary on Sep. 22 and 23 of last year at its new location on Shields Avenue, according to Passalacqua.

“We knew that the museum could be a lot more than it was if we had more space, [it] was just a matter of convincing everyone else of the vision that we had,” Passalacqua said when asked about the transformation of the museum.

Passalacqua revealed that the new location is four times the size of the original museum and the amount of staff is expected to increase as well.

Passalacqua elaborated on what this expansion means for the future of the museum.

“I’m really excited to be able to really support our exhibitions with more programming and events and activities that reach across the board,” Passalacqua said.

A collection of ceramic pottery pieces are on display at the Gorman Museum, all uniquely hand sculpted and painted. (Summer Sueki / Aggie)

Located on the UC Davis campus, the Gorman Museum of Native American Art is open to the public and celebrates diverse cultures and histories of Native American artists. (Summer Sueki / Aggie) The current collection of the museum contains around 2,250 works created by a range of Native American artists such as Oscar Howe, George Morrison, Allan Houser, Kay WalkingStick, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Robert Davidson, Bill Reid, Kenojuak Ashevak, Rick Bartow, Lucy Lewis, D.Y. Begay and Lee Marmon.

The Gorman Museum is unique in that it is only one of two museums in the United States dedicated exclusively to displaying Contemporary Native American art, according to the First American Art Magazine. This means the museum works with living artists whose programming focuses on current social, political and cultural activities, according to Passalacqua.

“[It is] artwork that’s created by and for Native American and First Nations’ communities,” Passalacqua said. “We don’t show work about Native artists, we show work by Native artists. There aren’t spaces for what we do so it’s unique in that way to have a focus. This is a space for Native artists to show their work and those [spaces] are needed to succeed.”

The Gorman Museum has put on 225 group and 88 solo exhibitions, in addition to collaborating with local student and community groups.

Passalacqua spoke on one meaningful collaboration with the Arboretum’s Learning and Leading Program in which students, local Native American communities and the Cache Creek Tending and Gathering Garden

planted a wall of native plants along the front of the museum.

“It demonstrates how [because] we moved to this new place we can really do other campus collaborations that we just couldn’t do before,” Passalacqua said.

When asked about future plans and inventions for the museum, Passalacqua said that she hopes people will continue to visit and experience the art that they proudly display.

“We just want people to come on by,” Passalacqua said. “Everyone is welcome. It’s a place that even though we are representing Native American art, we want it to be a place where everyone feels welcome and comfortable and maybe learns a little something.”

Davis Books to Prisoners makes New construction a difference in the lives of to expand CoHo incarcerated westward

The co-founder and a club officer discuss the organization’s purpose ALLISON VO / AGGIE

BY SABRINA FIGUEROA features@theaggie.org In the United States, 3 out of 5 inmates are considered illiterate, but only about 6 percent of inmates receive education to be able to read during their time in prison. That doesn’t stop them from wanting to learn and read about different topics they find interesting, nor does it stop non-prisoners from helping them achieve that goal.

Founded at UC Davis in 2017, Davis Books to Prisoners is part of the larger Seattle-based nonprofit Books to Prisoners. The organization’s mission is to promote literacy and self-directed education for inmates, as well as “foster a love of reading behind bars, encourage the pursuit of knowledge and self-empowerment, and break the cycle of recidivism,” as stated on their website. From 2019 to 2022, they have sent over 2,000 books to incarcerated people located in various states.

“Our mission is kind of in the name, we’re just trying to get books to people in prison,” Colin Meinrath, cofounder of Davis Books for Prisoners, said. “We try to help disadvantaged prisoners achieve their own desired educational outcomes and help them do the kind of reading that they want to do which includes a wide range of [topics].”

The club communicates with prisoners all over the country primarily through mailed letters and books — so long as state law allows it. Some of the most popular states for the organization are California, Texas and Pennsylvania.

Occasionally, they get letters and emails from people who aren’t incarcerated, but who request books on behalf of

prisoners they know in either local or federal prisons.

The process of sending books can be seen in depth on the organization’s TikTok account. Every box of books and letters is sent through the United States Postal Service, so every donation of postage, paper and even envelopes is appreciated. “[The sending process] is very old fashioned. Our mailbox is at the Center for Student Involvement, and they say that no other group gets as much mail as us. We do our best [to reply back], but it is hard because we aren’t a huge group,” Gisselle Garcia, an officer of Davis Books to Prisoners, said. “Sometimes we hold letter writing nights because, aside from just sending books and helping to promote education, we want to promote building community with people inside [of prisons].”

Handwritten letters sent to the organization from inmates are usually their requests for genres and topics they’d like to read about. Depending on the donation of books and money from community members or authors, Davis Books to Prisoners decides which books best fit an inmate’s request.

Some of the most popular genre requests are reference books, self-help, African-American studies, LatinAmerican studies, psychology, fiction and science fiction or fantasy books.

“Because we don’t get a great level of funding, we ask for general genres and try to fulfill [requests] that way instead of specific titles or authors,” Garcia said.

“I think it’s interesting, though, because the range of requests is always fun to read. We get everything from picture books to things on gardening. I think someone also asked for books on ancient Mesopotamia, so super random, but there’s range.”

Meinrath also chimed in about book requests: “This I can say is true about other ‘Books to Prisons’ projects, too: the most commonly requested book is the dictionary, and that is because of their reading level and them seeking to improve their reading level.”

It is also important to note that these books are not just for one incarcerated person and that sometimes these ranges of books are shared with other inmates who also want to read and learn. These books help create a community inside of prisons just as well as they do outside of them.

“When [the inmates] say ‘We have a mini library’ or ‘We share books,’ we see that [the books we send] can touch other people’s lives,” Garcia said. “So, we have to remember that prisons have libraries, but what are the conditions of those libraries? What [reading] material do they really have in there? Sometimes it’s old [books], very limited or just very small. We seek to fill those gaps the best we can.”

Meinrath and Garcia also stated that the club sometimes takes phone calls with prisoners and that they are similar to the letters because they also contain requests for books, discussions of solidarity and community building, in addition to educational conversations.

“It’s a lot of community building, again, you know if sometimes [the inmate] is going through something, we’ll listen,” Garcia said. “We’ve built some lifelong friendships with people through [calling], so sometimes we’ll just be like ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ and things like that.”

Davis Books to Prisons is always looking for help, whether that is through volunteering, donating or even reading, learning and raising awareness about prison literacy — starting with understanding prisons in a broader sense.

“There are two organizations that can help inform people about prison literacy. One is called The Marshall Project, and they do work on prison reform generally. The other is called PEN America, and they do stuff around freedom of speech and censorship around writing, but they have taken an interest in prisons in the last few years,” Meinrath said.

UC Davis students, staff and other Davis community members with incarcerated loved ones are heavily encouraged to contact Davis Books to Prisons so that they can get connected with them. All information will be kept private and will not be disclosed unless otherwise instructed.

However, you don’t have to know someone in prison to get involved and contribute meaningful work. Volunteers with the organization recognize how important their work in the program is.

BOOKSTOPRISONERS on 8

The project will have three focuses, including more seating, an improved back-of-house area and the renovation of customer restrooms

BY RODRIGO VILLEGAS campus@theaggie.org In 2022, the ASUCD Coffee House (CoHo) began their expansion project under the leadership of Food Service Director with the Associated Students Dining Services Darin Schluep.

“I was approached by somebody from the campus, a regular Coffee House customer, who had mentioned the idea [following] the Freeborn Hall transition,” Schluep said. “The work being done at the Freeborn Hall location right next to [the CoHo] kind of opened up an opportunity.”

According to Schluep, this created the potential for a westward expansion of the CoHo. He hopes to address several focuses with this project, such as additional seating in the area.

With the Freeborn Hall location now opened up, the bike parking currently on the west side of the CoHo may get relocated. The project aims to take advantage of that space to create more patio seating. While Schluep said that he does not consider outdoor seating as valuable as indoors, he said that this will serve to address the constant need for more seating options.

“Even though we’re not necessarily serving as many customers everyday as we were before COVID, we still have a pretty impacted dining room, so we identify that all the time as an opportunity for growth,” Schluep said.

The project also addresses the back-of-house area, which currently does not provide a suitable space for staff to prepare for their shift or store their belongings. Matthew Fucile, the Executive Director of Operations and Events Management at The Division of Student Affairs emphasized the lack of space.

“The staff don’t really have an appropriate back-of-house space to sit down and put [their] shoes on or take a break,” Fucile said. “They have to do that out in the dining room, which is

almost always impacted during any of the hours of operation.”

He also cited the lack of safe storage for staff’s belongings as another issue.

“Student staff can come in through two different ways and one of the ways is right from the dining room space over by the bathrooms, and it’s not managed,” Fucile said. “So you can have a person — whether that be students or [the] public — walk in there and most of the time there [will] be a lot of students’ belongings unsecured that [they] could get to.”

The project would enable the CoHo to better manage its current operations and staff, allow for storage cubbies or lockers and a private break area for staff.

Lastly, the project includes a renovation of the customer restrooms to shift towards gender-inclusive restrooms.

The project is in its early stages with a final design near completion.

However, the cost of the project is still unknown, and as a result, it is unclear whether or not sufficient funding is available.

“There’s some behind-the-scenes work being done with electricians and plumbers to identify what the needs are with the project,” Schluep said.

“This is so that we can finalize all the different structural components that’ll have to happen in order to provide some quotes.”

A price estimate for the entire project will likely be solidified in early Jan. 2024, according to Schluep. Once these estimates are provided, he and his team will determine whether or not they can go through with the project.

Though Schluep feels fairly confident that at least some of the project will be funded.

Furthermore, Schluep hesitated to provide a timeline due to many unknown variables. He hopes that the project will be completed in the upcoming summer 2024 so that it does not impede the CoHo’s operations or interfere with customers.

The CoHo at UC Davis’s Memorial Union is an essential spot for students with its diverse offerings — from tasty coffee and pizza to the abundant study spaces and seating. (Jersain Medina / Aggie)

4 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OPINION The decline of Disney

The studio giant has rested on its laurels for too long MAYA KORNYEYEVA / AGGIE

Here is what your New Year's Resolutions should be

Are you really capable of the reflection required to implement lasting, valuable changes in your life? No, you aren’t, and that’s why I did it for you

BY GEETIKA MAHAJAN giamahajan@ucdavis.edu

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu Disney, the company which has continuously dominated the entertainment industry since its establishment in the 1920s, has historically created some of the best animated feature films in the world.

From classics like “Mulan” and “The Lion King” to more recent films such as “Soul” and “Coco,” there’s something positively enchanting about the way their stories come to life through animation.

However, over the last few years I have noticed a change in the general quality of Disney’s newly released films. More often than not, over-bubbly CGI, transparent characters and loosely woven stories dominate the screen. Examples of such movies include box office flops “Strange World” and “Turning Red” — don’t get me wrong, these movies aren’t terrible, but they by no means measure up to some of the films Disney released earlier in its career.

Call me nostalgic, but I truly miss the glory of Disney’s 1990s “renaissance era.” What I believe made this 10year period such a success was the beautifully hand-drawn 2D animation and the incredible depth of the stories.

The characters didn’t feel superficial or forced; for instance, animated films like “Tarzan” and “The Princess and the Frog” both contained welldeveloped character arcs while also presenting hidden commentary about social standards and world views. In “Tarzan,” the prevailing message was the need for the preservation of the natural world, along with the complex notion of identity and belonging. In “The Princess and the Frog” the underlying

message supported the idea of following your dreams through independent hard work and the concept of not allowing society to confine you based on your appearance or background.

Most, if not all, of the 2D animated hit films from the ‘90s contain similarly complex morals that worked to educate an entire generation. I find this aspect of earlier Disney movies lacking in films released in the last two to three years.

Another key feature of earlier Disney films is, as aforementioned, the animation. There’s just something so incredibly satisfying about watching two-dimensional animation in action: Disney’s classic style created soft, natural features with the aesthetic of European illustrations — dubbed “storybook realism” — which was initially developed by the founder of the company Walt Disney himself. This art style was specifically designed to make the characters come to life, to feel as though they exist in the real world and are burdened with real-world problems.

This aspect of the animation allows viewers to directly relate to the characters, even though they are merely illustrations on the screen. Paired with a well-developed plot and camera angles that mimicked those used on live-action movie sets, Walt Disney managed to approach 2D animation in a fundamentally unique and profound way.

In a 1935 memo, Walt Disney wrote: “Our study of the actual is not so that we may accomplish the actual, but so that we may have a basis upon which to go into the fantastic, the unreal, the imaginative – and yet to let it have a foundation of fact, in order that it may more richly possess sincerity and contact with the public.” Up until recently, I think the company has been

staying true to this ideal. Watching newly-released Disney movies, I feel as though something crucial is missing.

What could be the reason for Disney moving away from the quality of animated feature films they were so championed for producing in the 1900s and early 2000s? I believe that it may have a lot to do with budget and technology, as well as over-stretching the capabilities of the company. In the last ten years, Disney has grown into a monopoly-like power within the global entertainment industry, specifically with its acquisition of franchises like Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar. As it stands, Disney seems to have a lot on their plate — not to mention the upkeep of Disneyland, Disney World and Universal Studios theme parks and their streaming service, Disney+.

Furthermore, 2D animation is a tedious process that requires a lot of time. With CGI becoming cheaper and more accessible, 3D animation is simply easier and faster to achieve, especially with the help of artificial intelligence and other similar technologies.

With all that being said, I can only hope that, with this switch to 3D graphics, Disney ensures that their upcoming film repertoire is not oversaturated with shallow messages: the company truly needs to gain back their viewer’s attention to bring up earnings from box office ticket sales and encourage people to leave the comfort of their streaming services to watch Disney movies in theaters once again.

Let’s be honest; most peoples’ New Year's resolutions would not pass a turnitin.com plagiarism test. Every list, every year, is the same unoriginal BS; in January, you swear off junk food and promise yourself you’ll finally read that one book you’ve always wanted to finish, and from March to December, your sugar-free snacks just collect dust and take up space. As does the copy of “Ulysses”/”War and Peace”/”The Odyssey.” But you want me to believe that 2024 is the year you finally break that cycle? Okay. Sure. See, the problem is that you think these resolutions are going to quantifiably improve the quality of your life — and when they don’t, it’s easy to give up. That’s because you’re not lucky enough to have problems as surface-level or easily fixable as poor eating habits or illiteracy; your issues go much deeper than that.

Fortunately, I have curated this very helpful and highly specific guide as to what your resolution should be based on my own personal observation. Please internalize what I’m saying here. I wrote this because most of you guys annoy me.

Ugly guys with girlfriends: This list is not for you sweetie :) you just stop reading here.

Girls with ugly boyfriends: Girl, dump him, please.

Everybody on “WaterTok”: Congratulations on somehow inventing a drinking problem that doesn’t involve alcohol. I know I said that poor eating habits weren’t the issue, but come on.

Your water is neon pink and sparkly — you’re drinking a Stanley Cup full of chaser. Next time you fill a glass of water, challenge yourself! Try to drink it without adding two tablespoons of sugar. You can do it. I believe in you.

The Spotify Intern Who Keeps Queuing “Bags” by Clairo After Every Song I Play: I know what you think about me, you loser. Stop. That's all I want you to do this new year. Joke’s not funny anymore. And if you’re going to keep running the same track you could at least make it the Electric Lady Studios version…

Swifties: You guys are wasting your

skills. Get a hobby (a real one) or join the CIA. Taylor Swift: Girl if you don’t give the atmosphere a damn BREAK put the keys to the jet DOWN and go record “Woodvale.”

“Succession” Stans: It’s four rich white people. Stop crying. They’ll be ok, I promise.

People who got Burlington as their Spotify Wrapped Location: You want to go to therapy. You want to go to therapy so freaking bad.

Everyone who bought the Starbucks x Stanley cup: I don’t even have a joke for you. Consumerism rots your brain from the inside out. That cup is so ugly you should burn it.

Anyone and Everyone working at Glossier Inc: I know about a million people have asked/pleaded/begged on their knees for you to bring the old Glossier You formula back. I’m not going to do that, okay? Relax. I just want you to tell me why. Because there’s no way you guys aren’t doing this on purpose. I know you see those comments I KNOW YOU SEE EVERYBODY’S COMMENTS. Like, there has to be a reason you’re ignoring them, right? Is it some kind of inside joke? Have you been cursed? Just tell me. I’m not gonna tell anyone else. I promise. Just tell me.

Come on just tell mGeminis: We as a collective need to move towards embracing the toxicity and manipulation everybody assumes we’re capable of because I personally am sick of getting all the heat that comes with being two-faced and backstabbing without any of the fun.

All the other signs: I have no thoughts or feelings about you guys you can keep doing what you’re doing or do something completely different I really don’t gaf this is not a goddamn horoscope.

Merriam-Webster: Why is motherquake not in the dictionary yet. Your 2024 resolution is put motherquake in the dictionary.

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

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Let’s be honest: ‘The Batman’ is not as perfect as people say it is

A film as necessary as cotton candy to a healthy diet

BY MALCOLM LANGE mslange@ucdavis.edu Apart from being potentially the weakest Batman with the lamest car chase, Matt Reeves' "The Batman" is a great movie. It was written intelligently, performed excellently and, overall, an exciting movie to watch. This is not a very "hot take," as many people have been raving about the film since its release in 2022. The "hot take" I would like to introduce is that it was unnecessary to the Batman universe and overhyped.

It gets a lot of praise, and for the most part, it should. It was a very welldirected film; it was cinematic and thrust you into the city of Gotham.

However, the Batman story that was displayed was very familiar. It is hard to find completely new stories and themes for a character as old as Batman. There have been so many versions of Batman that it would be impressive if they came up with a new and exciting take on the vigilante.

Yes, I am aware that they did certain things differently in this adaptation of Batman than in past ones. The main one that people like to point out is the darkness and grittiness of Gotham —- it is probably the darkest Gotham seen in live-action. However, a relatively dark and grimm version of Gotham City is already seen in the TV show "Gotham."

In that version of Gotham, we see more of the gangs and power struggles in Gotham and how awful the city really is. The only thing it is missing is it isn't as grotesque as the movie makes it out to be. However, I believe that to be only because TV and movie ratings allow different amounts of violence. So, there is already a Gotham that showcases the mob bosses, gangs, corruption and politics that "The Batman" has. There is nothing new or unique to attribute only to this version.

The most interesting part of this movie was the antagonist, Riddler.

The Riddler was a great character, not only because he challenged Batman's belief in himself but also because he was

more effective than Batman in fighting corruption. The Riddler was murdering the corrupt leaders of Gotham in an attempt to make it a better place, a very similar motive to Batman. In the movie's final act, the Riddler even admits he believed they were on the same side, that they were helping each other, and that it was Batman who inspired him to do everything that he did. Batman is faced with an unintentional consequence of his own existence. In contrast, looking at "The Dark Knight," the Joker's origins are unknown. Still, it can be assumed that his obsession with Batman motivates him for most of the movie.

The final aspect of the story that receives high praise is that it doesn't feel like a full superhero movie but is more of a detective film. This is true to a certain degree. Yes, Batman has a lot more "detective" work cut out for him in this movie, but besides the little riddles that the Riddler leaves for him, there is not much else that Batman figures out on his own. The Riddler has to hold his hand through each step of the puzzle so that Batman can finally see the kind of corruption that has a hold of Gotham. While the Riddler is spelling everything out for Batman, we see a couple of clever solves from Batman with the cipher puzzles or recognizing certain people's broken noses and how to pull up a carpet. Apart from those specific successes, Batman relies on the Riddler to give him all the answers, which the Riddler is inclined to do as he believes they are on the same team.

Neither Batman nor the police had any background or what feels like standard detective work. The strange gimp mask worn by the Riddler cannot be a commonly bought item, and probably not purchased by the Riddler until he decided to commit those crimes, meaning a relatively simple store and purchase history search should have helped find the Riddler's identity, which would make it easier to find him. It also would have helped because then, when 50 or so other men are buying the same model from potentially the same store,

that should probably raise some red flags and alert the police or Batman that the Riddler is growing a fan base, which is very dangerous.

Batman also should have tried to trace back the photos of the mayor coming out of the club owned by the Penguin. The Riddler had these photos on a thumb drive, taken across the street from the club's entrance, and it turns out that is where the Riddler was living.

The apartment across the street from the club. If Batman tried to go to where the pictures were taken and find out who stayed there to figure out who took the picture, he might be able to find out to whom the pictures were given. At least that could have been Batman's thought process; in actuality, it would have led him straight to the Riddler because he took the pictures. This is all to say that Batman did not do fantastic detective work throughout the film. When the Riddler was not giving him the answer, he only solved a couple of riddles.

“The Batman” is not as perfect of a Batman film as many people claim.

We already had a dark Gotham, with villains who challenged Batman's faith in himself and, to top it all off, he was not even that good of a detective.

Again, I did enjoy the movie; it was executed incredibly. It is also a very unnecessary Batman movie. We have seen so many different Bruce Wayne variations in the past decade alone that we should focus on a new hero, like getting a good Robin or Knightwing movie. Even though "The Batman" is a good film, it would have been more interesting to see a movie about a new character instead of rebooting the same vigilante repeatedly.

(Courtesy of Walt Stoneburner / Creative Commons, CC BY 2.0)

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

Released early 2022, the Batman stars Robert Pattinson as Batman and Zoë Kravitz as Selina Kyle. The movie is available on a variety of streaming platforms like Netflix, Huliu and HBO Max. (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures / fair use)

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024 | 5

The Editorial Board calls for an immediate ceasefire to the IsraelHamas war

A ceasefire is only the start to addressing a crisis that has existed for decades WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD Less than three months into the Israel-Hamas war, an estimated 6,000 buildings have been damaged and nearly 20,000 total people have died — with women and children representing nearly 70% of all deaths reported.

Amidst local and global demands for a ceasefire, it is clear that the war in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis. The Editorial Board calls for an immediate ceasefire to end the violence against civilians in the regions.

The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution with large support calling for a ceasefire on Dec. 12, with the U.S. being one of 10 nations who voted against the decision.

The same day, the Davis City Council also came to a unanimous decision to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire to the war. The Editorial Board stands with the city’s decision.

A ceasefire is only as legitimate as the parties who abide by it. Israel and Hamas alike have a responsibility to not break a ceasefire for the sake of civilian lives. In 2012, there was a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel after an eight-day-long conflict — Israel later broke this pact by firing on farmers and fishermen. And, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas broke the temporary ceasefire that happened inNovember, firing toward Israeli territory shortly after the truce began.

While a ceasefire may come with concern of violations, the growing number of civilian casualties must be stopped. We understand why governments feel the need to defend their people or respond to terror attacks, but this cannot come at the expense of thousands of civilian lives. Collective punishment is never acceptable.

There must be an immediate end to all acts of terrorism and violence committed against civilians. Hamas does not represent all Palestinians and

the IDF does not represent all Israeli citizens — civilians should not have to pay the price for decisions they did not make.

As part of an immediate ceasefire, there must also be a diplomatic attempt to seek permanent solutions to the conflict. This is not a war that occurred in a vacuum; the conflict has roots in centuries-old cultures and events. All parties also have a responsibility to adhere to international law and abide by the recommendations of the Geneva Convention for times of war.

There must also be a return of essential utilities to the Gaza Strip, such as water, food, fuel and electricity.

Gaza receives most of its electricity from Israeli power lines and according to the U.N., most commodities in Gaza, such as food, are imported from Israel. After the Oct. 7 attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced a “complete siege” on Gaza, saying the region would be cut off from said utilities. Despite the challenges inherent in providing humanitarian aid to a warzone, the parties involved must keep in mind that such restrictions only further human suffering in the region.

As part of a ceasefire, there must also be an unconditional release of all civilian hostages by Israel and Hamas.

Last month, during the temporary ceasefire, Hamas released 100 hostages in exchange for approximately 300 Palestinian prisoners held by the IDF. Recently, three escaped hostages who had previously been held captive

by Hamas waved a white flag and shouted for help in Hebrew, but were shot and killed by the IDF, who had mistakenly identified them as a threat.

This tragedy serves as a reminder of the brutal treatment of hostages during war.

People should not be used as bargaining chips.

We recognize that the privilege of writing this editorial from relative safety in the U.S. is one that not everyone shares. Samer Abudaqa, a Palestinian journalist for the TV network Al Jazeera,

Proceed with caution: How AI is changing writing

Think carefully about AI’s traits and how they stack up to actual humans

A student works tirelessly on their essay as they continuously proofread for grammatical and spelling errors. (Courtesy of Tim Gouw / fair use)

BY CLAIRE SCHAD cfschad@ucdavis.edu As a fourth-year college student about to begin my professional life, I find myself wondering, and sometimes feeling nervous, about how AI will affect my ability to get a job or impact how I may do that job.

Being someone who hopes to work in the communications field, I’ve had mentors and even former coworkers try to steer me away from committing to this career. “You won’t have a job in five years,” one told me, referencing the rise of AI platforms such as ChatGPT. “I don’t recommend going into the writing field right now, there is just too much uncertainty around AI,” a former coworker said.

With all of this happening so quickly, I have been trying to figure out if I should embrace AI or fear it. After all, it seems like a legitimate threat to some careers. May of 2023 marked the first time AI was cited as a reason for job loss, with almost 4,000 people losing their jobs because of new technological advancements.

Additionally, earlier this year, negotiations surrounding the Hollywood screenwriters’ strike were largely focused on limiting the role of AI in the writer’s room. In September, after a five-month-long strike, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) finally agreed to a contract that provided strict restrictions on how and when AI could be used in screenwriting.

This contract states that stories generated by AI will no longer be referred to as “literary material,” meaning they are not considered usable storylines or scripts. By successfully achieving these regulations, the WGA is working hard to protect screenwriters from losing their jobs and hard-earned credits to AI. So the evidence is out there — AI has the potential to threaten jobs in certain career areas, and people are worried. However, I think as college

students and soon-to-be professionals, we need to take a deeper look at both the strengths and weaknesses of AI. While AI might be able to write you that essay that you have been procrastinating until the very last minute, there is no guarantee that it will be good. Actually, it will likely be missing some key details and source references. However, most importantly, it will be missing one key aspect: the assurance that a human being wrote it.

Sure, getting a bad grade on an essay that you didn’t write is a big bummer that could have been avoided, but it’s not the end of the world. While you may be thinking that the lack of human-likeness of AI is only a concern in the academic world, I argue that it is actually just a piece of a much larger problem.

It has been found that AI lacks the ability to understand creativity, strategy and, most importantly, empathy-based social skills. These characteristics are exactly what our world needs more of in a time of great inequality and transition. We should be hesitant to become even more reliant on this new technology, which would most certainly be miserable in human form. After all, who wants to surround themselves with content that lacks the human traits that many of us seek out in our peers?

While the development of AI is inevitable, and likely does have some great benefits, we should be careful to not blindly become reliant on it. We must educate ourselves on what AI can and cannot do, and then decide for ourselves whether or not to use it.

So, the next time you are thinking about just turning in the essay that ChatGPT wrote for you, think deeply about the characteristics it lacks and how it ranks in comparison to yourself as not only a writer but as a person.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

was killed in an Israeli airstrike while working, according to the network.

Abudaqa is one of more than 60 journalists who have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

As a student newspaper, we recognize the important role we have in condemning violence committed against journalists. We applaud anyone who has dedicated their life to exposing the truth, especially in times of war.

According to The New York Times, on Oct. 30, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu compared Israel’s military action against Hamas and unwillingness to sign on to a permanent ceasefire following the events of Oct. 7 to the United States’ military reaction to the events of 9/11 and the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Hamas also recently denied a temporary ceasefire proposed

by Egypt; according to NPR, this may be in part because previous drafts of the proposal involved removing Hamas from power, and in part because Hamas says they will only accept a permanent ceasefire.

As we watch these tragedies occur overseas, it’s difficult not to feel hopeless.

While we realize that this editorial alone can’t end the war in Gaza, it is important to share our voices to stand in solidarity with our community. From vigils to protests, it is clear that the crisis has greatly affected many Davis community members.

A ceasefire is not a perfect solution to this conflict. It does not address the conditions that existed before and the conditions that will exist after the war.

However, when faced with a horrific and ever-increasing number of civilian casualties — it is a start to something better. If a diplomatic solution to this complex issue is to eventually be made possible, it will require a concentrated effort to care about the lives of civilians, and that begins with a ceasefire.

The appeal of liminal horror

Why young people find transitional spaces so frightening

BY JOAQUIN WATERS jwat@ucdavis.edu If you want to gauge the current state of any given society, one of the best methods is to look at the scary stories they tell. Horror, by its very definition, is a reflection of someone’s fears — hence popular horror often serves as a reflection of a more universal anxiety.

Take the 1950s and 1960s for example: giant monster movies and alien invasion narratives were the dominant form of horror, which isn’t surprising if we consider the era’s political climate.

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” a film about shapeshifting aliens infiltrating the human race, is a very clear allegory for how Americans viewed communism at the height of the Cold War. Comparatively, a very different narrative of invasion swept across the Pacific. The original “Godzilla,” a dark and somber monster movie, was born out of Japan’s collective trauma resulting from atomic bombs dropping on two of their cities.

Additionally, the original “Exorcist” movie, in which a little girl is possessed by a demon, was considered downright horrific in its day due to its representation of religious anxiety. A still widely Christian establishment at the time, society feared the impact of an increasingly atheist youth. But these days, I think it is safe to say that horror has taken on quite the transformation. No longer are films the only indication of global fear — if you want an unfiltered peek into the things that haunt the dreams of the current generation, you only need to look online.

Internet horror has undergone an interesting development. Anyone familiar with the subject (in other words, weirdos like me) are no doubt familiar with the term “creepypasta,” but for everyone else, I’ll provide a definition.

The word “creepypasta” is a pun on the term “copypasta,” itself a slang variant of “copy/paste.” A copypasta is a story or concept that has been copied and pasted all across the internet to the point where it has become something of an urban

An empty hallway glowing lights echo down, awaiting for the next storm of students to pass through. (Cruz Martinez/Aggie) legend. As you have probably inferred, a creepypasta is a copypasta that takes the form of a scary story.

If you’re still having trouble, think of it as something like a meme meant to scare you instead of make you laugh.

They’ve been around almost as long as the Internet itself; almost like digital campfire stories — what is Slenderman if not a modern Bloody Mary? But in the last few years, one concept has come to completely dominate the field: liminal horror.

The word “liminal” is a synonym for “transitional.” A “liminal space” can be defined as any space that exists solely to get from one place to another: a hallway, an airport, a bus stop or a hotel — places where we are not meant to linger. Liminal horror uses these spaces in a frightening and contorting way, and it has become the dominant form of creepypasta. Search the phrase “liminal horror” or even just “liminal spaces” on Google and you will find hundreds upon hundreds of unnerving images and videos (some real, some digitally created) depicting liminal spaces that seem to stretch on forever, emptied of all people.

Perhaps the most famous example of liminal horror right now is the creepypasta known as “the Backrooms.”

The Backrooms legend spawned from one image of a windowless yellow

room in what appears to be an empty office building. From that image, an entire Internet mythology was born of an alternate dimension called “the Backrooms,” a place made up entirely of identical empty yellow rooms that we are in constant danger of vanishing into and becoming trapped forever.

The creepypasta has reached astonishing levels of popularity among young people. A movie produced by A24 is even in development. So what is it about empty transitional spaces that our generation finds so frightening?

And why did it only start in the last few years?

This is my thesis: the current liminal horror craze, like so many things, is the direct result of our time in quarantine. The year 2020 was, in many ways, defined by liminality. The pandemic was a time of unexpected and forced transition in which our homes became our worlds. Is it any wonder that horror, so reflective of our fears, became consumed by images of enclosed interiors stretching on forever?

Adolescence has always been a transitional period, but not since World War II has that transition been accompanied by such a sudden and frightening global shift.

LIMINALIMAGERY on 8

6 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

ARTS & CULTURE Record Watch 2024 A selection of records from the coming year to look out for

BY CHARLIE MCBRIAN arts@theaggie.org This year anything can happen.

2024 comes in the wake of one of the oddest years for pop in recent memory. Hip-hop’s market share has been declining but there hasn’t been much to replace it. The disco-inflected fun of 2021 has fizzled out, and listener bases are once again trending towards insularity. In this fractured environment, it is not surprising that country — a genre defined by its specific listener base — has thrived.

That being said, here are some releases to look forward to in the new year.

Confirmed Releases: 23)

“Loss of Life” by MGMT (Feb.

MGMT has taken many forms since their 2007 breakout. Most recently, their 2018 album “Little Dark Age” saw MGMT reborn as a gothic synth duo, receiving revived popularity and acclaim.

Now in 2024, they are back with “Loss of Life,” a record that signals a return to the slacker-psychedelia of 2010’s “Congratulations.” “Loss of Life” appears to swap the hipster antagonism of “Congratulations” for a weathered sincerity. Whether this new perspective enhances their sound is yet to be seen, but the two new singles show promise.

8)

“Bleachers” by Bleachers (March

Jack Antonoff is huge right now.

Entering the public consciousness as a member of Fun, Antonoff has gone on to produce Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Clairo, The 1975 and Taylor Swift. It will be interesting to see how Antonoff’s prolific production work will be reflected in his solo work and vice versa.

12)

“Orquíedas” by Kali Uchis (Jan.

Developed alongside 2023’s “Red Moon in Venus,” “Orquídeas’’ will be Uchis’s second Spanish-language

album after “Sin miedo (del amor y otros demonios) ∞.” On “Orquídeas” — named after the Colombian national flower — Uchis delves further into Latin pop, serving as a tribute to her Colombian roots.

Speculated releases: “Music” by Playboi Carti This technically should be confirmed because it has an album name, a date and four singles, but with Playboi Carti you never know. 2020’s “Whole Lotta Red” had a bleedingedge concoction of numbingly repetitive vocals and stuttering electronic beats, influencing the niche and mainstream alike. “Music” appears to lean into the fog of Playboi Carti’s enigmatic persona.

“AG7” by Ariana Grande Fans have speculated that Ariana Grande has been teasing her new album through the “Apple emoji search bar.” While this is wishful thinking, it reflects a continued listener base for Grande’s music even after a turbulent 2023.

“Y2K!” [assumed title] by Ice Spice After making a name for herself in hip-hop, Ice Spice has her sights set on super-stardom. To her credit, she took strides towards this goal. In 2023, Ice Spice released her first EP, notched her highest charting song and collaborated with Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift.

Her debut album will determine if she can maintain this momentum and establish herself as a chart mainstay.

Frank Ocean After a disastrous Coachella headlining performance, Ocean’s reputation has hit a low point with even die-hards’ faith waning. Ocean releasing music sometime this year remains a possibility, as he recently shared clips of himself in a recording studio. I wouldn’t hold out hope though.

NEWMUSIC2024 on 8

BY ELIZABETH WOODHALL arts@theaggie.org Song: “Nonsense” by Sabrina Carpenter (2022) Her rise to fame was not sudden; it was a culmination of several years of trying to break through the pop world. Her career started at Disney, but she is far from being that young girl who had once released “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying.” I’ve been following her career since her Disney days and seeing how her albums were performing and being received was underwhelming because of how incredibly talented she is. Now, she is touring with Taylor Swift, where fans know her from her “Nonsense” outro she does for every single place she’s at (which has also garnered a great deal of attention on TikTok) and has also dissociated herself with the Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett drama. She can be seen on stage with her fan-favorite corset dresses and palpable stage presence. “Nonsense” is only proof that she has everything pop needs today: upbeat, catchy lyrics and vocals that transcend our expectations. She consistently references how her thoughts are all over the place because of her interests in this person, leading her to speak incomprehensibly, or in a way that is nonsense. She has what it takes to dominate the pop world — and she’s giving it all she’s got.

TV Show: “Sex Education” (2019) The first season premiered on Netflix on Jan. 17, 2020 and was deemed a critically acclaimed fan-favorite show, it has since then welcomed a total of three seasons. The first season centers on Otis Millburn (Asa Butterfield) and Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey) as they both open up a sex therapy clinic at their high school, which offers students a safe space to open up about their sexual struggles. It’s not meant to be entirely serious: the show is a comedy that makes light of serious issues and it offers dynamic relationships between teenagers struggling to find a place in the world. This show offers an insightful discussion of sexual education while still providing watchers with a feel-good experience. And unlike sexual education in typical high school classrooms, they also acknowledge and open up a space for queer students’s sexual concerns.

Album: “MAÑANA SERÁ BONITO” by Karol G (2023) It’s not uncommon for a Latin artist to make waves around the world, but for a female reggaeton artist to do so? Now that’s worth noticing. With her recent album, she established her place as the “it-girl” of reggaeton by garnering features from popular names like Shakira and Romeo Santos. She’s sold out stadiums all over the world and she is an artist who has dominated the charts. With 52.7 million listeners on Spotify, she’s not going anywhere any time soon. Songs like “AMARGURA” offer a new sound that mixes all the great elements of reggaeton to form something unlike anything on the radio today. “TQG” features Shakira, a powerful duo of women who want to send their men “to el carajo” — which can be translated in English to “go to hell.” It’s an empowering track that also established Shakira into the reggaeton scene after taking a break. Her album explores breakups, love and what it means to be a woman like Karol G: hardworking, passionate and not afraid of making her mark in a male-dominated genre that has often been fueled by machismo.

Book: “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt (2022) This book does not stray far from its title. If having it wasn’t enough having a perspective of a giant Pacific octopus called Marcellus, this book delves into what it means to take the present to make sense of the past. Tova Sullivan is no stranger to loss; she lost both her husband and son, ultimately only having her and her knitting club to count on. She takes up a job as a cleaning lady at the Sowell Bay Aquarium and forms a friendship with Marcellus, who appears to be way smarter than he looks. In comes Cameron Cassmore: a guy from Modesto, California, who travels all the way to Sowell Bay in hopes of meeting his father — who he isn’t even sure is his actual father. He takes up a job at the aquarium and the three form a bond through loss and the uncertainty of both the past and future.

CHRISTINA LIU/ AGGIE

Five easy GEs being offered in winter, spring 2024

Enjoyable lower-division courses and an upper-division psychology course that any major will enjoy

BY LORENA ALVAREZ arts@theaggie.org A hallmark in the quarter system is frantically searching for easy and fun general education (GE) courses amidst the rush of finals season. Those who find themselves hopelessly reading through Reddit posts in search of easy GEs that will not bore them to sleep or add on unnecessary stress have come to the right place. The following are some GEs offered at UCD that continuously hold the spotlight for their ease and level of enjoyment.

GEL 012: Evolution Paleobiology of Dinosaurs

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This course uses dinosaurs to teach students the basics in biology and geology, exploring how evolution and the environment have influenced our mental image of dinosaurs. While previously remote, the class now meets twice a week on campus. When taught

by D. Gold, the grade breakdown is made up of three short activities, a media assignment and a final exam.

As of today, Jan. 2, the class is being taught by R. Motani and currently has a four-person waitlist, but will also be offered in the Spring.

ECH 001: Design of Coffee — An Introduction to Chemical Engineering With the growing need to boycott large companies to bring awareness to social justice, or a lack thereof,

learning how to brew your own coffee has become even more important than ever before. Here, students make and sample coffee while they learn about the chemical engineering principles behind the surprisingly long production process. This class is being offered in person, with a hybrid option that as of today, only has a two-person waitlist. A large portion of this class concentrates on a quarter-long project consisting of a design contest in which students are tasked with testing different chemical makeups (type of coffee, time spent brewing and brewing process) in their lab section, with the end goal being to make the ideal cup of coffee.

PSC 150V Relationship Science: Lust, Love, & Evolution This upper-division remote course explores the evolutionary explanations of attraction and relationships. It incorporates social psychology, evolution and biology to teach students how to maintain healthy relationships and understand one another. Students are graded on quizzes and exams on the content covered in lectures. Although this class is not being taught winter quarter, it will return in the Spring.

PLS 006V: Flower Power; Art & Science of Flowers & Their Uses Another easy A is “Flower Power,” a memorization remote P/NP course that teaches students about the production and marketing of flowers

in such a big and delicate industry.

The grade breakdown consists of quizzes, small assignments and exams. This course will be specifically enjoyable to those who are interested in flowers and their production. If you are frantically in search of a course to complete your winter schedule, this class is easily a must not only because of its easy content but also because of its availability, it has over six hundred open seats.

NUT 010: Discoveries Connects in Nutrition

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This nutrition class provides a comprehensive introduction to food science, teaching students how to read nutrition scores and take care of their physical and mental health. D. Fetter provides an exemplary emphasis on the importance of understanding nutrition and its unique impact on each individual body. While the class has students examine their own eating habits, Dr. Fetter highlights the value of eating diverse foods and the importance of portion sizes, stressing that there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” food when eaten in moderation and prioritizing both your mental and physical well being. This in-person course meets once a week and has plenty of open seats for those looking for a course that will teach them valuable knowledge that is easily applied to everyday life.

All these GEs are a sure way to boost your GPA and provide a moment of relief from an otherwise

JERSAIN MEDINA / AGGIE The Design of Coffee (ECH 1) is one of UC Davis’s most popular GE classes allowing students to learn and practice the art of roasting and brewing a cup of coffee. (Jersain Medina / Aggie) busy schedule. That said, for those who are new to the quarter system, language classes and first-year seminars are also excellent opportunities to meet

graduation requirements and become comfortable with the environment while learning about the world around us and how it functions.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024 | 7

Review: Hayao Miyazaki asks viewers his most difficult questions yet in ‘The Boy and the Heron’ The film addresses themes of grief, family and creation

BY SAVANNAH ANNO arts@theaggie.org Animator, filmmaker and cofounder of the beloved Studio Ghibli Hayao Miyazaki was set to retire after debuting his 2013 film, “The Wind Rises.” Now, 10 years later, the director has returned for another project, “The Boy and the Heron,” which was first released in Japan on July 14, 2023.

The film then premiered in the United States on Dec. 8, showing both the English dub and the original Japanese version with subtitles to audiences. It earned a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as well as a No. 1 spot at the box office with a $12.8 million debut.

The now globally successful story follows Mahito Maki, a young boy who loses his mother to a hospital fire during World War II. After his father, Shoichi, marries the younger sister of his late wife, Natsuko, they leave their home in Tokyo to live in the countryside.

Residing in the home his mother had grown up in, Mahito begins to uncover the magical history of his family and the property after the disappearance of Natsuko.

Things grow increasingly strange as Mahito becomes bothered by a heron, who claims to know where his mother resides, still alive. The film is able to encapsulate this build-up with its music, composed by Joe Hisaishi, who has been working with Miyazaki since 1984. The

Director Miyazaki’ explores themes of grief and familial responsibilities in the latest installment of Studio Ghibli’s “The Boy and The Heron.”(Courtesy of GKIDS Films / Fair Use) pair explore a very obvious quietness at the beginning of the film, contrasting the grand orchestral openings of other Ghibli films such as “Princess Mononoke,” in order to emphasize the sadness and grief within Mahito’s life.

The music swells and gains complexity as the plot does when Mahito finds that an old tower — once cared for by his great-granduncle — leads to a world filled with human-sized parakeets, rounded spirits that travel up into the sky to be born as babies and magical, multicolored stone caves that can sense what’s traveling through them.

This land is where Mahito meets Himi, a young girl with the power to control and use flames.

Himi begins to help him locate Natsuko, who is pregnant and being kept in a nursery guarded by violent paper streamers and the audience is able to quickly realize Himi’s identity. By referring to Natsuko as her sister, Himi reveals herself as a younger version of Mahito’s mother, but has no knowledge of him or her later death. As a result, Himi and Mahito have a relationship more akin to a friendship throughout the movie.

Mahito is able to reconnect with his mother but has to give up the idea that he could see her once again in the way he remembered her. Instead, Mahito grows to recognize Natsuko as his mother, saving her and returning home to await the birth of his little brother. Through these complicated relationships, Miyazaki is able to reach the emotional heart of the film as viewers are pushed to contemplate the impact of grief on familial roles.

The film, possibly Miyazaki’s last, also reflects many of the lessons and experiences that the filmmaker himself

had throughout his childhood and later career at Studio Ghibli.

Towards the end of the film, it is explained that Mahito’s greatgranduncle, a wizard, maintains the world within the tower by continuously restacking a set of small stone blocks.

The wizard then selects Mahito to follow in his footsteps and take his place creating and protecting balance.

This can be seen as a representation of Miyazaki himself, as he recognizes he is closer to the end of his career than he is to the beginning and will need other creatives to follow in his footsteps.

However, when Mahito declines the offer and explains he must return to his life and family, Miyazaki relays the most important point of the movie to his audience. Both Mahito and the audience come to understand that some things must be destroyed in order for new worlds to be created and that they should be built from a place of love, rather than anger or grief.

An amalgamation of everything that makes a Hayao Miyazaki film special — hand-drawn animation, soft landscapes and bright colors — “The Boy and the Heron” also does not shy away from larger questions, such as how to handle grief or how to find balance.

Just like the original title of the film in Japanese, as well as the title of the book that Mahito’s mother leaves for him, Miyazaki is constantly asking throughout the movie, “How do you live?”

Commentary: How video UC Davis students games improve by limiting the use art as a form of routes a player can take stress relief A look at how constraining choice opens up storytelling possibilities

How artistic activities can be used to combat overwhelming winters

Art comes in plenty of forms.

Some enjoy writing poetry, others prefer to draw or paint.

Music, dance, photography — these activities bring out positive emotions in people, or allow them to release negative ones.

“I like to crochet, it is a nice way to relax and do something I enjoy,” Fitzhugh said. “It is also nice to have a physical finished product I can be proud of when I am done. It makes me feel good even when I don’t initially think it will.”

There is more to the process of art than the journey of the creation. While not every result will or has to be perfect, it is satisfying to know that one has created, released NOVA MAI / AGGIE or learned something. The positive change in moods will always reveal itself in the end.

Numerous students are aware of their lack of attention to their mental health. The hard part is knowing how to move forward.

“I want to learn to read my body and my mental state more to determine when I need to separate myself from school work,” Chris Meza, a first-year music major, said.

Realizing when it is important to take a break from things that are causing one mental distress is vital to that individual’s health. After all, no grade is worth sacrificing mental stability. The mindset that the end result is worth the struggle is not always healthy. To some individuals, it can be draining.

BY JULIANA MARQUEZ ARAUJO features@theaggie.org

Playing video games is a popular pastime for many college students. (Aggie File)

BY ELI KELLEY arts@theaggie.org Gamers will often praise a game for the breadth of choices it offers. This makes sense — interactivity is key to the identity of video games. Many gamers fantasize about the most extreme form of interactivity, what in their mind would be the Ultimate Game. This would take a form similar to the “Star Trek” holodeck. Like the holodeck, it would allow the player to do absolutely anything and respond in more sensible and engaging ways. However, as with the holodeck, the Ultimate Game lies squarely within the realm of science fiction.

Even if this game could exist, its players would inevitably feel a level of disappointment. While there’s an inherent appeal to the promise of unfettered freedom and choice, video games are often most impactful because of the ways that choices are limited.

Rather than culminating in some allencapsulating mega-game, video games are better understood and appreciated in light of how their boundaries give shape to the player’s experience.

Video games can’t simulate everything — video game designers need to choose what actions players can perform. “Mario” would be a very different game if the eponymous protagonist could abandon his quest against Bowser to instead take out a

mortgage on a home. It would be equally disruptive if in “Animal Crossing” the player could abandon their island home to fight Bowser. These examples may seem ridiculous but they highlight an essential truth in video games: a game achieves a unique identity through the particular, specific ways that the player interacts with it.

On a more granular level, having limited options imbues choices with specificity and meaning. Imagine a hypothetical video game where the player controllers a college student named John. At one point John has to decide how to spend a Saturday afternoon.

VIDEOGAMES on 11

The start of winter quarter, albeit a fresh start, comes with a set of new challenges. To students, it may symbolize the beginning of the most jam-packed and intense quarter of the whole school year. While some students experience no effect from the changing seasons, it is difficult to ignore the significant level of increased stress that many students undergo during winter.

This phenomenon m a y relate to the condition known as “s e a s o n a l depression,” where people feel a weight of sadness caused by a specific season in the year. Students feel just how short the winter days a r e as they sit in class watching the sun go down before 5 p.m. This dark and gloomy weather is then followed by the loss of motivation and overwhelming feelings of defeat.

“I definitely do experience seasonal depression,” Larissa Fitzhugh, a firstyear sustainable agriculture and food systems major, said. “It tends to take more time and energy to do the same amount of work I can do during other times of the year.”

She claimed that in order to succeed academically, she has had to sacrifice her own mental well-being. Many students share this sentiment, as it can be difficult to pay attention to one’s health when schoolwork piles up. However, in the midst of a stressful period, finding awareness through expressing creativity with art can be liberating.

NOSTRESSART on 11

UC Davis’ Asian and Pacific Islander Queers Club provides a safe space for students and community members The club aims to be a place of respite for those of the AAPI and LGBTQ+ communities

BY SAVANNAH BURGER arts@theaggie.org With UC Davis being a hub of diversity, there are many studentfounded and led groups that act as smaller communities to give students the opportunity to relate to one another regarding specific experiences around race, religion, gender, sexuality, interests and more. The Asian and Pacific Islander Queers Club, otherwise known as APIQ, has been a center for Asian and Pacific Islander students who are also a part of the LGBTQIA+ community since 1997.

“APIQ is a place to talk about people’s unique struggles that come with being a queer Asian and fosters a community that truly understands one another,” Nid Lefkoff, a second-year anthropology major, said.

Lefkoff, the internal operations chair of APIQ’s core cabinet, has been a member of the club for a year. He, alongside his other cabinet members, runs the meetings and organizes multiple activities and special events throughout each quarter. These events include craft nights, journaling, music exchanges, speed friending and cultural picnics. Every meeting is designed

to provide a space where seasoned members and newcomers alike can be open and vulnerable with one another about their lives while feeling safe and heard.

“Seeing people that have so much in common with me makes me feel so seen and happy,” Lefkoff said. “Where I grew up, I could count the number of queer Asians I knew on one hand, but coming to APIQ, it reminds me that there are people that truly understand some of my hardships.”

Aside from the larger planned events, APIQ’s general meetings, which take place every other Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center, usually start with socializing between members, followed by a prepared slideshow detailing staff introductions, announcements and that night’s activity. In addition to this, queer history is also given a space in every meeting.

As a part of the initial presentation, the APIQ Spotlight is revealed, which is a short biography of a renowned figure of the queer AAPI community. This profile includes their achievements and role in the community in driving progress.

Fourth-year evolution, ecology and biodiversity major Juno V. is the historian chair of the group and writes

many of the Spotlights.

“I hope that by the work we do, we are able to provide members and newcomers with a similar sense of belonging and community,” V. said.

“I’ve also grown professionally through my role as the historian of the club. I’ve learned new skills such as newsletter writing and publishing, photography management, interviewing skills and more.”

Along with providing opportunities to socialize and connect with other AAPI queer individuals, APIQ also grants its members training in the professional world. Shiloh Colongon, a second-year psychology and human development major, is the publicity chair of the club.

She, along with V., said that APIQ has allowed her to grow professionally.

“As publicity chair for APIQ, I am able to grow personally and professionally from collaborating with the other board members and gain hands-on experience in planning out events and assisting in promoting the meetings,” Colongon said.

You don’t have to have a chair in the cabinet to be able to receive professional experience. Every year, the group selects people to become interns, granting them the opportunity to be more involved with the behind-thescenes of the club and the community

at large. Multiple chairs, such as Lefkoff and Colongon, started out as interns.

Although the application window has closed for the 2023-2024 school year, details of future intern recruitment can be found on their Instagram page.

APIQ is defined by its members as a place that is dedicated to ensuring that students can take a load off from their studies and connect with their community while having fun.

“Doing something as simple as hosting events where people can meet each other and the conversations that are had in our space can be very meaningful — it’s easy to get lost in schoolwork and

loneliness. I hope that APIQ is a respite from that for our members,” Angel L., fourth-year community and regional development major, said.

Now the senior advisor, L. describes the community created by APIQ as being vibrant and joyous.

APIQ is a place where people can be open with their identities, struggles and lives surrounded by their culture and queerness. All queer, trans and questioning Asian and Pacific Islanders, as well as any other interested students, are welcome to be a part of this understanding and accepting oncampus community.

The logo of the Asian And Pacific Islander Queers Club at UC Davis.

(Courtesy / AQIP at UC Davis)

8 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024

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Caption Contest

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What do you think the caption to this cartoon should be? Submit your ideas to opinion@ theaggie.org, or in our comments section @thecaliforniaaggie on Instagram

PSA: No messy foods on first dates

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Winner of the last caption contest: @ucdundergrad, with “You’ve got your head on backwards.” @ucdundergrad, email editor@theaggie.org to claim your prize!

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

The five stages of grief

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Disclaimer: (This cartoon is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional.)

CEASEFIRE FROM FRONT COVER “The God I believe in cries in the deaths of the innocent, no matter their religion or nationality, always, full stop,” Wohlner said.

Maayan Gadisman, a Davis resident, said she has family in Israel and friends from the Palestinian territories. Gadisman said that all violence against innocent people needs to be condemned, but urged the council to vote no on a ceasefire.

“Right now is not the time [for a ceasefire] while Hamas is still in power,” Gadisman said. “While Hamas is still saying they will repeat Oct. 7, a second, a third, a fourth time until Israel no longer stands. That is not the time to call for [a] ceasefire.”

Another commenter, who did not share their name during the meeting, said she is Palestinian and that “love, not violence,” is the solution to the war. She urged the council to keep their minds and hearts open as they discussed the resolution.

“I am Palestinian and my husband is Jewish, we both have family in the region,” the commenter said. “Our children are born of a love that most call impossible. Love makes it possible to see all innocent humans as beautiful miracles that deserve to live freely and in peace.”

Dillan Horton, a member of the Davis Police Accountability Commission and 2024 city council candidate, attended the meeting and called on the council to vote in favor of the resolution.

“I hope this council calls for that direct ceasefire and I hope y’all stand up for our values,” Horton said.

After the public comment, the council discussed the resolution.

Councilmember Donna Neville said she believed the resolution the council adopts needs to clarify a call for a permanent ceasefire. After updating the amendments to the resolution, the council voted unanimously for the immediate ceasefire. Arnold said that the addition of the word “ceasefire” into the resolution had an impact on their statement.

“I’m hearing both from our community, from our colleagues and the general assembly of the United Nations and others that this is an important step toward what could be a permanent peace,” Arnold said.

TRIALUPDATE FROM FRONT COVER “A Special Circumstance for Multiple Murders has been alleged which makes the case eligible for either Life without the Possibility of Parole, or the death penalty,” the press release reads. “The decision regarding whether to pursue the death penalty will be made at later date.”

Dominguez was a third-year biological sciences major enrolled at UC Davis until April 25, when he was expelled due to academic reasons. Judge McAdam said that the report of Reales Dominguez’s mental health stated he had a schizophrenic and catatonia disorder.

In August, Dominguez’s public defender argued that he was not competent to stand trial. Dominguez was diagnosed with schizophrenia by three mental health professionals and was ordered to take medication and be placed in the state hospital.

Dominguez was ultimately ruled as not a risk of harming himself and others in an institutional setting and is now being held in the Yolo County Jail without bail rather than returning to the hospital.

Both Maria Breaux, sister of David Henry Breaux, and Nadine Yehya, mother of Karim Najm, attended the hearing on Friday, according to The Sacramento Bee. Maria Breaux has attended multiple memorials to honor the legacy of her brother. When asked to make a statement, Maria Breaux shared that she is glad Reales Dominguez received mental care.

“I’m glad that Carlos Reales [Dominguez], after living with seemingly untreated schizophrenia for two years, finally got the help he needed,” Maria Breaux said via email.

“Nothing that happens from here will bring David back.”

David Henry Breaux dedicated his life to understanding compassion. At a vigil, Maria Breaux said her brother told her to forgive someone if they ever harmed him. Maria Breaux hopes that the trial can help bring compassion to people living with mental illness.

“But I hope, at the very least, that this case brings more awareness and compassion to those living with an extreme, untreated mental illness, and the loved ones who support them,” Maria Breaux said.

SENATE10 FROM PAGE 2 It passed with amendments to remove any mention of campus.

SR #7, which supports the UC Student Association’s Racial Justice Now campaign for academic reparations and the establishment of a permanent $1 billion endowment fund to improve Afrikan UC Student Access, retention and graduation rates passed unanimously The Senate table approved past meeting minutes and went into an open forum in which Raghunathan addressed her impeachment resolution.

“There is no other person on this table that has had their average word count counted out for them, and that has never been a reason to impeach someone,” Raghunathan said. “That’s ridiculous. Did you want every detail of every single thing I do all day? That would be insane, and this week I gave

you every single detail [...] I just feel like as a woman of color in this position it’s already so hard to hold. You’re holding me to an insane standard that’s unachievable by any means by anyone.

They’re not even viable standards, they’re not things that are actually in the rules — half of this is made up.

Some of this says things like ‘whereas Aarushi is part of the executive branch, and the branch is not performing well.’

I am not the entire branch, I am one part of the branch, there are so many others on this table that are a part of that branch.”

Raghunathan also brought up her contributions to the Senate table environment for her term.

“Two years ago, this table was so toxic. Everyone hated each other and everyone was fighting all the time. [...]

Right now, do you guys see how well you get along even with everything going around in the world in the entire social climate? You guys are still working together so well, and that did not happen two years ago and it’s happening now.

I know you might think that I might not have an impact on that, but I’m telling you, the way I have handled and managed and presided over you is a core part of how you’re working so healthily together. [...] You can’t say that I’m not doing my job or that my personal life means that I shouldn’t be able to do this — that’s ableist, that’s misogynistic.

I do my job perfectly fucking fine. This entire resolution is petty.”

Do adjourned the meeting at 2:24 a.m.

LIGHTINGSURVEY FROM PAGE 2 The city is currently piloting each of these options downtown that way residents can view them before voting.

“Community members can also view a test pilot of these three options in person before providing input,” Tan said in a press release. “The three options are located downtown at three of the four corners at Second and E Streets.”

Tan shared that once the survey is over, the results will be shared with local organizations; city commissions and the city council will need to approve the decision.

“After the survey is over, there are still other steps that the city will need to take, including creating a guideline or protocol for lights, tree care and long-term maintenance, among other items,” Tan said. “Staff will also need to discuss the lighting options with local commissions and organizations, as well as bring the survey results and any research or draft protocols back to the city council to approve.”

BOOKSTOPRISONERS FROM PAGE 3 “Working alongside the Books to Prisons project has been so rewarding,”

Aiden Willet, a third-year sustainable agriculture and food systems major, said.

“Building connections with incarcerated community members reminds us that they cannot just be discarded by the system.”

The program’s efforts do not go unnoticed by the inmates, either. Their work is highly valued among their readers, and they continuously receive letters of gratitude that show how much of a difference they make in their lives: “I must express my gratitude to you and others who provide reading material for those incarcerated. As for one who didn’t know how to read [and] has fallen in love with reading, I thank you again.”

NEWMUSIC2024 FROM PAGE 6 The unpredictable nature of the music industry is one that may surprise or disappoint us. Artists’ “confirmed” release dates may fall through but despite this 2024 is shaping up to be an interesting year for music. Sonic inflection points like that of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back,” Lorde’s “Royals” and Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” are by their nature unpredictable. But because the landscape is due for a shake-up, 2024 has the potential to be an exciting year in music.

LIMINALIMAGERY FROM PAGE 5 For this reason, liminal horror like the Backrooms and other contemporary creepypastas (believe me, there are many) are a fascinating and telling time capsule of this era, like “Godzilla” and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” were for theirs. The fear of being trapped in an enclosed transitional space is pretty abstract, but creepypastas like the Backrooms are definitive, even occasionally silly. That’s a good thing.

I am far from the first person to point out the cathartic nature of scary stories; they allow us to give a concrete form to abstract fears, and in doing so, hopefully conquer some of our anxiety with ease. So while I find liminal horror to be very interesting, I also look forward to the day the fad ends. Such a moment might suggest that young people (myself included) might have finally emerged from that endless transitional space on the other side, stronger than we were when we entered it.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by The California Aggie.

CREPESTUDYABROAD FROM PAGE 9 She was brought through the Silo and given a tour, and finally, the tour ended in the Crepe Bistro where she was given a hat and an apron. She went along with the training, sort of unsure of what was happening.

After a full four-hour training shift, she finally asked “So when do I get more information about the internship?” To which the French man said, “This is ze internship.”

My sources tell me that her face became red with anger before she ripped the apron off and threw it on the ground. “You said I would be cafe hopping this summer, not making crepes!” she exclaimed.

“Have you checked out Peets yet?” he called out after her as she stormed out.

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

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024 | 5

Sudoku

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

Answer to previous puzzle 12/07/23

Crossword

HUMOR

Student summers abroad at the Silo Crepe Bistro

Summer at the silo has a nice ring to it

BY ALLISON KELEHER adkeleher@ucdavis.edu Not so breaking news — two months ago, in the middle of the night, many fliers were put up around the UC Davis campus offering an internship abroad for Summer 2024.

There was even one found on a lamppost by the cows.

The internship appeared to be the opportunity of a lifetime! The compensation would be free room and board plus $450 a week for only three hours of work. The rest of your time could be spent cafe hopping in Paris and meeting new people.

One rejected applicant said, “I really liked the Eiffel Tower graphic on the flier — that’s what made me want to apply.”

Hundreds of undergraduate students scanned the QR code on the flier and filled out the Google

form. The link to the Google form doesn’t exist anymore, however one of my sources told me, “One of the questions mentioned that a passport was optional, which I thought was weird.”

Currently, I am concerned for the UCD student population because the lack of critical thinking is astronomical.

Addressing the applicants now — did you expect to be smuggled into the country in a cargo plane?

The lucky winner was notified last week on Sunday night to report for orientation in front of the Silo. My sources tell me that she was unsure of where to go because the email just said, “Meet in front of ze silo to begin your work - sent from my iPad.” She warily approached a man wearing white with a French mustache. Luckily, it turned out to be the orchestrator of the internship.

CREPESTUDYABROAD on 8

Workers at the Silo’s Crepe Bistro make crepes for students. (Jenna Lee / Aggie)

Where the UCD Majors would take you on a date Hubba Hubba

BY CARMEL RAVIV craviv@ucdavis.edu Davis is often compared to Paris, mainly for how they share being the “City of Love.” Admit it, you can’t help being swept up in the romance of Davis, California and all of the eligible bachelors/bachelorettes. Even the cows are procreating for Tercero residents to see! (I saw a cow give birth on the way to the gym.) But if there is a specific love story you’re going for, I have outlined where the different UC Davis majors are likely to take you on a first date to begin your romantic journeys.

Biological Sciences: A Bio Sci major will propose a study date — they may think you’re cute but their O-Chem grade is not.

Sociology: They’ll take you to the vintage fair while you look at 40-dollar gem-stone earrings and talk about their relationship with their mom.

Avian Science: Bird watching, duh.

Computer Science: A Target run so you can show them how to buy body wash.

Mechanical Engineering: Why don’t we go bowling at the Memorial Union Games Area? It would just optimize our free time in our day-today schedules by staying on campus.

Plus, it’s not that expensive. I heard they have Jenga too haha. Also, I 3-D printed you an octopus.

Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology: Sushi!!! :333 NPB: An Arboretum walk. It’s their comfort place and where they have mental breakdowns about going

First dates are often a pivotal moment for romantic relationships with coffee shops and restaurants, museums, and shopping malls often setting the background scene. (Courtesy of Good Faces / fair use) to Med School.

Managerial Economics: They’ll invite you over to watch a movie on their bed. (You met on Tinder, what did you expect?)

Geology: These exist?

Animal Science: Petting zoo.

Remember, the heavy petting is only for the animals.

Clinical Nutrition: Just a normal restaurant. They will be heavily judging as you decide between a salad and fries.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies: Renaissance Fair! Whether or

not it’s a red flag will be decided by how good they are at dueling with a foam sword.

Global Disease Biology: Challenge yourselves in a themed escape room where you work together to solve puzzles to prevent a fictional outbreak. The twist? It’s just a room locked from the outside! There’s no escape!

Undeclared: “I don’t know. What do you want to do? I’m down for anything. As long as I don’t have to make a decision.”

10 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Instagram account showcases fashion in Davis UCD Fits aims to spread love through fashion and foster a sense of community

BY LAILA AZHAR features@theaggie.org In October of 2021, current fourth-year sociology major Cleo Harrison-Felner and fourth-year design major Olivia Hurley had a conversation in their dining hall.

“We were like, Davis style and fashion is so underrated. People think we’re just this little farm; Cowtown.

They don’t know that people dress well here,” Harrison-Felner said .

Inspired by @watchingnewyork, an Instagram account documenting fashion on the streets of New York City, the two decided to start an account dedicated to fashion in Davis.

Thus, @ucdfits was born.

The account, which today has amassed over 3,000 followers, is a collection of photos Harrison-Felner and Hurley have taken of outfits around Davis, often grouped into themes, such as duos, long dresses/ skirts or monochrome outfits.

“It puts kind of a pressure on us to try and dress well for school,” Harrison-Felner said. “If we’re going to take photos of other people it’s always so embarrassing when we’re at school in our sweats.”

Despite its popularity, there is some confusion about the way the account is run. “Most of it, I would say, is us just taking pictures of people,” Hurley said. “We really would want people to submit. People don’t know that they can, and then some people think that we only do submissions. It’s very confusing.”

“We always get everyone’s permission,” Hurley said. “We’re never

just taking pictures of people. I know some people think we do that too, but we tag people. They always know.”

From psychedelic florals to slick leather jackets to hand-made sweaters, the clothes showcased on @ucdfits display Harrison-Felner and Hurley’s appreciation for a wide variety of styles.

“I love a hat,” Harrison-Felner said in regards to her personal taste.

“I was gonna say I love a scarf,” Hurley said. “I feel like Cleo’s a big shoe person.”

“I’m really into fun socks and tights too. If people have cool tights, cool shoes and anything else on, I’m like that’s a good fit. That’s all they need,” Harrison-Felner said.

Both founders’ interest in clothes began long before they started the account.

“When I was younger I wanted to be a fashion designer, and then I realized I don’t like to sew, so there’d be a huge issue there,” Harrison-Felner said. “My parents rented Project Runway DVDs and they would put those on, and I would be glued to the TV watching Project Runway. I was so into it.”

Hurley also cites her family as a source of inspiration.

“My mom and I have been thrifting my whole life,” Hurley said.

“She’s always just given me all her clothes. Everytime I come home from school there’s always at least like ten items of clothing on my bed of things that she’s getting rid of. So I think a lot of it really comes from her.”

Harrison-Felner and Hurley’s fashion has also been influenced by

their time in Davis.

“I feel like I kind of lost my sense of style in high school,” HarrisonFelner said. “But then coming to Davis, everybody really is able to express themselves and there’s very little judgment.”

“Cleo and I are roommates,” Hurley said. “I think us living together, as well as with our other roommate, motivates all of us to dress better.”

Fashion can seem like a hobby people partake in alone; getting ready in the morning seems like a solitary process. But Harrison-Felner and Hurley’s approach to it is communal.

They both draw inspiration from the people around them, and through @ucdfits, have created a positive environment to acknowledge their community.

That love for the community is evident in how they describe their experience running the Instagram account. Hurley mentioned how grateful she is to be able to talk to people she wouldn’t have otherwise gotten the opportunity to meet.

“That honestly is the reason why we started it — we’d just be like, ‘That person’s so cool, like, I just wanna tell them they look good.’”

Continuing in the same vein, Hurley said, “I mean it’s always a treat for us to just go up to people and compliment them. It immediately makes someone else’s day, which then makes your own day.” @Ucdfits has in turn made them feel more connected to Davis.

“It’s been really good in terms of my involvement on campus,” Harrison-Felner said. “Especially our

NOVA MAI / AGGIE first year of doing it, we made all these friends through it, and found out about so many other clubs and organizations around campus.”

“It’s really pushed me out of my comfort zone,” Harrison-Felner said.

“I do not like starting conversations with strangers, that’s not something I associate as a character trait of mine.

But it’s been exposure therapy to do UCD Fits, because it forces us to go up and talk to people, and so I really appreciate that.”

First-year international relations major Aminah Syed’s Halloween costume was featured on the account.

Expressing her appreciation for the connection the account brings, she said, “I’m glad to have found fellow creatives at UCD who share my love for fashion even if it’s simply through the digital world.”

Using fashion to bring people together, @ucdfits has gone beyond being just an Instagram account.

Harrison-Felner and Hurley hosted a clothing swap with vintage store Luna & Wulff, where they also collected donations for ASUCD’s Aggie Reuse Store. They filmed a video in collaboration with local thrift store Yesterday, and consistently use the account to promote student designers.

“I just think that spreading love is probably my favorite thing, and spreading hype and appreciation to other people,” Hurley said.

From its inception, the account has done just that, and throughout its two years running, @ucdfits has become a valuable part of the Davis community.

Seasonal work and travel K-pop at UC Davis experience for college students creates strong Opportunities and advice for students seeking to learn more about the world around them — without breaking their bank connections accounts between students

BY ZOEY MORTAZAVI features@theaggie.org

This musical genre is a popular subculture on campus

BY LYNN CHEN features@theaggie.org

KELLY GUAN / AGGIE Throughout the average college experience, students become overwhelmed by their courses and extracurriculars, often losing sight of the kind of learning that cannot be achieved in a classroom: experience, discovery and exposure to different cultures and ways of life. According to many students at Davis, gaining experience and knowledge about lifestyles and cultures beyond our own small college town is crucially important.

Some of the most memorable experiences for UC Davis students come from taking trips with their friends over the summer. Many of these trips are centered around outdoor activities like skiing, hiking and exploring naturally beautiful parts of the world.

There are many opportunities where students can reach these locations with their friends, while still being able to work and earn money during the week, as well as explore at their leisure on the weekends.

For example, seasonal positions at national parks across the country are always hiring college students for jobs ranging from 1-3 months in duration.

These jobs typically entail a 20-30 hour work week with free weekends.

They also often provide inexpensive housing for employees.

“I think it’s so important for the younger generation to take advantage of combined travel and work opportunities because it teaches them important life skills like responsibility, empathy and perseverance,” Mikaela Abella, first-year marine biology major said. “It’s a completely different environment and way of learning; it positively forces you to tap into these skills, which will really change the way you speak to others and view the world.”

There are many alternative ways for students to travel while keeping it somewhat affordable. Study abroad is a very popular option, especially considering that UC Davis offers both educational and internship opportunities abroad.

A key component of student-based travel affordability is finding programs

that operate during the school year, so that any financial aid and scholarships can be applied to those programs.

Information about UC Davis Study Abroad programs can be found through the Global Learning Hub, as well as on the UC Davis website.

“I think that traveling during college is really helpful in developing a more holistic worldview, especially if you’re staying in another country for a long time,” Olga Muys, second year history major said. “You get the opportunity to see how people live and work outside the American cultural bubble. That’s something that’s really valuable when you’re a young person figuring out what sort of life you want to lead, what sort of values you want to hold for yourself.”

Additionally, there are many programs specifically tailored to fit the needs and schedules of college students. Some of these programs include CEA Study Abroad, as well as CIEE College Study Abroad, among many others. These programs offer a wide variety of scholarship opportunities for students, and can be helpful with the planning process, informing students about what they should both expect and contribute in order to succeed while studying abroad.

However, for students looking to make money while still being able to travel during the summer months, there are options aside from working at a fast food restaurant in your hometown: at UC Davis and elsewhere, many are beginning to consider and take advantage of seasonal job opportunities.

“Landing a seasonal job isn’t just about extra income, though that’s certainly a cherry on top. It’s also about the rich, diverse experiences each role provides,” Adrianne Bibby wrote in an article for FlexJobs. “Every seasonal job places you in a new role and a different environment where you can hone your skills, tackle fresh challenges, and uncover new roles or duties to explore.”

Through websites such as CoolWorks and Aramark, you can apply to work — which often comes

with housing options — for the summer in national parks, resorts and other locations. There are a variety of jobs and places, and it’s a way for students to travel during the summer while still making money. There are also many resources for these types of jobs through the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

“I think getting a seasonal job in a national park is a great opportunity for students to meet new people from all different types of backgrounds and learn new skills in a hands-on environment, as well as experience the beauty of nature in new places,” Nicole Mayer, third year economics major said. “That’s something you really can’t get in a classroom.”

People at the college level are being highly encouraged to consider these kinds of opportunities. So long as students have the time and flexibility to make these kinds of memorable experiences happen, there seems to be a great deal of benefits.

“The parks need seasonal workers, especially for the busy summer, which offers nature lovers an opportunity to immerse themselves affordably in a beautiful setting and earn some money to boot,” Sharon Waters wrote in an article for the Washington Post.

Seasonal jobs can expose students to financial independence, grant them hands-on work and learning experience and expose them to various work industries. At the college level, studies show that exploring many different career paths can make students more well-rounded, as well as prepare them for the workforce.

Regardless of the method each student chooses, having the opportunity to gain new skills, getting away from your hometown and ordinary way of life, while still being paid and working while away from home, appears to be a rare and exciting opportunity. Seasonal employment can launch students into productive working environments, and allow them to be stationed in idyllic travel destinations while still helping them save money for their futures.

At UC Davis, you might have occasionally heard K-pop songs playing at the dining commons, Latitude or in the markets. In fact, K-pop is quite a staple of music playlists here on campus.

As part of 2023’s “Spotify Wrapped,” the music streaming service matched each user to a “Sound Town” to show them which city in the world has listeners with similar habits to them.

An unusual number of K-pop fans unanimously discovered that Davis was their music city avatar, according to social media reactions on platforms such as Reddit and X. For instance, a comment exclaiming with full capitalization, “Who the hell is Davis from USA,” received almost 60,000 likes on X. On campus, students’ love for the musical genre is manifested in the many clubs and organizations dedicated to K-pop dancing, an iconic component to the subculture. For example, dance teams such as EKHO and SoNE1 are active throughout the school year.

Additionally, many of the bonds students make throughout their school career can be attributed towards the shared affinity to the genre.

“The [K-pop] scene is fairly open [at UC Davis],” Martin CarrilloAlvarez, third-year animal science major and dance member of SoNE1, said. “A lot of people tend to openly showcase that they like K-pop. [The community] is fairly welcoming.”

For example, student fans may keep photocards of their favorite artists in cardholders on their phones and quickly bond with others over shared interests.

“I’ve had an instance where I carried a photocard of my two favorite members from the group, Zerobaseone, and people came up to me saying ‘Yo, who’s that on your cardholder?’” Carrillo-Alvarez said.

“I got their Instagram and ended up making friends [with them],” he

explained. “It was out of nowhere.”

He continued on to describe the many facets of the genre and the positive impact it can have on the community of listeners.

“K-pop can be a musical thing, it can be a cultural thing. But I feel like it’s more of a personal or societal thing,” Carrillo-Alvarez summarized. “People [interested in the genre] themselves are very open and comforting. I feel like [the subculture space] brings together non-Kpop fans and K-pop fans too,” he added.

Citing his own experiences as an example, Carrillo-Alvarez said that as a member of SoNE1, he has seen how his performances act as a medium that connects him to his non-fan friends and others as well. The joyous atmosphere of each public dance brings everyone closer.

Christina Chung, second-year economics major, also agrees that K-pop is an efficient way to connect with strangers.

“A friend of mine told me how in her orientation group, her orientation leader really connected with everyone because of [the group’s] shared love for K-pop,” Chung stated. “I do think [K-pop] is a huge thing [on campus].”

Alisa Zhu, first-year Mathematics major, said many of her friends who are not even into K-pop have heard songs of the genre here and there.

“A lot of [K-pop] songs are trendy on TikTok,” Zhu said. She explained that as the reason why non-fans are still likely somewhat familiar with the genre.

As such, some songs that people might have heard of on TikTok include “Cupid” by FIFTY FIFTY, “Super Shy” by NewJeans and “DARARI” by TREASURE. You were probably exposed to K-pop one way or another before, whether you like it or not. This is especially true if you remember the era when “Gangnam Style” blew up in the 2010s.

For some, the musical genre is just fleeting background music, but to others it represents a comforting space and a way to connect with others.

ALLISON VO / AGGIE

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, JANUARY, 11, 2024 | 11

SCIENCE AND TECH Newly designed scaffold can reduce the time it takes burn wounds to heal

The scaffold utilizes a special molecule that interacts with endothelial cells, accelerating the healing process and reducing complications

By KATIE HELLMAN science@theaggie.org UC Davis researchers have bioengineered a scaffold, a structure that provides support for cellular attachment and tissue development, to accelerate the healing time of deep burn wounds.

“Since large deep burn wounds often lack the adequate amount of perfused soft tissue to sustain a skin autograft, it requires a greater metabolic effort and more time to develop an appropriate wound bed for autografting,” the study, published in PubMed, reads. “These contribute to the overall morbidity of large surface area deep burns, which includes insensible fluid and heat losses, increased metabolic demand, increased risk of infection, and overall

increased risk of poor scar formation.”

The scaffold can reduce the severity of these issues by encouraging the formation of new blood vessels and by reducing the need for skin grafting, which involves the transplantation of skin onto the burned area. The scaffold uses a molecule called LXW7 that interacts with endothelial cells, which are found in the skin and promote the formation of blood vessels during the healing process.

Aijun Wang, author of the study and co-director of the Center for Surgical Bioengineering, commented on the purpose of the molecule in an interview with UC Davis Health.

“At UC Davis, we developed the LXW7 molecule that can specifically interact with endothelial cells and help in their attachment, migration and survival,” Wang said. “Commonly used scaffolds lack specific binding sites to endothelial cells. When LXW7

molecules are added to scaffolds, they provide a gripping site for endothelial cells to bind, which allows for better interaction between the cells and their supportive structure known as extracellular matrix.”

Vanessa Dartora, a co-author of the study, explained the implications the new scaffold might have on the future treatment of burn wounds.

“This scaffold represents a significant advancement in burn wound treatment,” Dartora said via email. “Its ability to promote faster and more efficient wound healing, along with improved vascularization and collagen deposition, suggests potential reductions in morbidity associated with open burn wounds. It could reduce the need for autografting, especially in patients with limited harvestable skin areas.”

When mice were treated with the scaffold during the study, their

Sterile first aid measures minimize the risk of infections and ensure efficient healing, especially important when addressing wounds.

(Courtesy / AZoNano) burn wounds healed faster and complications were reduced. These findings are significant because, depending on the severity of the burn, complications like infection, fluid loss and a painful skin-tightening condition called a contracture can arise. With revascularization that rebuilds the damaged blood vessel networks, oxygen flow can promote tissue regeneration crucial for the healing of these wounds.

To find out the best type of scaffold for angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, burn wounds in mice were treated with collagen

scaffolds, collagen scaffolds with endothelial cells, collagen scaffolds with a collagen-binding peptide bound to dermatan sulfate and the LXW7 molecule and a collagen scaffold with the same molecule in addition to endothelial cells.

Wound healing consists of the homeostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling phases; the scaffold that used the combined molecule with endothelial cells was found to promote wound healing more efficiently in the proliferation phase.

Yolo County recommends wearing masks in crowded indoor areas, getting vaccinated this winter As the rates of COVID-19 and RSV increase across the county, Yolo officials recommend residents protect themselves against these viruses

BY EMMA CONDIT city@theaggie.org Yolo County officials are encouraging residents to wear masks in crowded indoor areas and vaccinate to protect against the spread of respiratory viruses, according to a recent press release. The county made this recommendation after monitoring wastewater which has detected the highest levels of COVID-19 and RSV since the surge of these viruses last winter.

“Our wastewater monitoring program is currently detecting high COVID-19 and RSV levels,” Dr. Aimee Sisson, Yolo County public health officer, said in the press release.

“I recommend that everybody in the community take steps to protect themselves from infection, including wearing a high-quality mask when indoors around others. In addition, if you have not yet gotten the updated COVID-19 vaccine, annual flu vaccine, and RSV vaccine, I strongly encourage you to do so — it is not too late.”

Wastewater monitoring is currently the most effective tool for detecting cases of COVID-19 and RSV. This method is efficient, accurate and fills in the gaps created by a lack of personally reported cases. Through this

VIDEOGAMES FROM PAGE 7 If the player’s only options are “knit,” “read a book” and “study,” that would suggest, among other things, that John spends most of his time indoors. If the options are, alternatively, “go hiking,” “hit the gym” and “play basketball,” John would come off as someone who enjoys physical activity.

The limitation on the range of possible choices grounds this hypothetical game in the specifics of the character.

In this example, there’s a trade-off between expressing something about the game’s characters and the player’s ability to express something about themself. If instead of being John the player were playing as themself, and they personally find knitting and reading dull, they would chaff against a range of options that didn’t include alternatives. However, even in games centered around the player expressing their personal desires, having too many options can be detrimental.

Research has shown that past a certain number of options, it becomes extremely difficult to make wellconsidered choices (numbers vary but 12 is a conservative estimate for what qualifies as too many options). People spend less time thinking through their choices and are ultimately less satisfied with their decisions. With a certain number of options, each potential outcome begins to blend together.

Would players really benefit if, for instance, they were given the choice between knitting a scarf or a shawl?

Perhaps in a game focused on knitting.

Otherwise, having a choice between the two only muddles the player’s ability to make a firm decision.

In the real world, decisions are infinitely granular. Video game choices are much more discreet. Instead of trying to mimic the granularity of actual life, video games should and do benefit from only presenting options that are meaningfully distinct. What qualifies as “meaningfully distinct” varies according to the game. The important thing is identifying what choices prompt actual

monitoring, Yolo County can obtain accurate amounts of each virus present in wastewater, rather than a specific number of cases.

Current wastewater data shows that the recent peak of SARS-CoV-2, or the COVID-19 virus, was from

Dec. 22 to 27. Across the county, the highest amount of the virus was found in Davis, followed by Woodland and then Esparto. Fewer RSV rates than COVID-19 rates have been detected, with its peak also from Dec. 22 to 27. The highest levels were found in

Esparto, followed by Winters and then Davis.

“As the New Year approaches, Yolo County is closely tracking a rise in respiratory virus activity in the community through wastewater monitoring,” the press release reads.

“Recent wastewater data indicate high levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, along with high levels of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). For both these viruses, the current Yolo County average is in the top third of levels seen nationally over the last year, indicating high activity.”

The recommendation applies to all Yolo residents, including UC Davis students who have recently arrived back in town. Gray Engstrom, a second-year theater and dance major, feels that this is a necessary recommendation to protect the university community.

“I feel like [masking and vaccination] are good ideas since a lot of people get sick during winter quarter,” Engstrom said. “It’s also one of the more stressful times for students academically, so it’s really hard to miss class. It’s also not just about protecting yourself, it’s about being considerate of other people.

You should try to not spread anything and not go to class sick.”

Yolo County residents are encouraged to monitor themselves for symptoms, stay out of public spaces if infected, receive their COVID-19, RSV and influenza vaccines and practice good hygiene. The county provides access to masks and free COVID-19 antigen tests at specific sites in Davis, Esparto and West Sacramento that are listed on the county website.

decisions and which choices prompt mindless button presses.

Options don’t have to be radically different to be distinct. They can be largely similar while remaining meaningfully different. In fact, some of the most powerful uses of choice lie in exploring the nuances among similar options. To illustrate this idea, consider a scene from the game “Kentucky Route Zero.” The player controls Conway, who had, in a bout of drunken irresponsibility, caused a young man to die. During a conversation with the dead boy’s mother, the player decides how Conway describes this death. They can call it “an accident,” “a tragedy” or “a shame.”

These choices don’t impact the narrative going forward. Instead, they let the player explore different facets of Conway and the death he had a hand in. Calling the death “an accident” could suggest that Conway doesn’t take responsibility for the death — that it was truly an unfortunate bit of happenstance. To describe the death as “a tragedy” brings to mind the tragedy genre and how Conway is a tragic figure crippled by his tragic flaw of alcoholism.

Conway calling the death “a shame” emphasizes the guilt he feels from his role in the boy’s death.

This moment works so well because even though the choices are similar, each suggests subtly different shades of Conway’s grief and guilt.

Furthermore, all are simultaneously both true and latent. The player only picks one option, but that doesn’t make the other possibilities false. Conway on some level believes all three. Choices like these can make the player aware of the multipotentiality of the world and of people by considering not just the significance of their own choice but what each potential choice entails.

“Kentucky Route Zero” doesn’t present all possible actions a player can think of. Instead, it makes the player think through the plausible actions characters can take and has them decide which outcome feels the most true. What’s important isn’t the choice itself, but how making a choice prompts the player to think deeply about the situation.

Choice is one of video games’ strongest tools for crafting engaging, resonant, important experiences. It’s understandable then that gamers sometimes treat the ability to make choices as an end in itself. However, choice is not an unalloyed good. Like any tool, choice in video games works in particular ways and is effective only under particular circumstances. Choices are powerful but are most effective when implemented judiciously and sparingly.

In limiting what options are available, video games give the player space to not merely pick one of many options from a list, but to actually ponder and, eventually, decide.

Taking breaks is key to succeeding and being satisfied with how one succeeds.

“When I kind of just need a break from everything, I’ll either pull out my piano or guitar and just play some songs I already know or if I’m up for it, I’ll learn a whole new song,” Meza said. “It’s one of the ways I’m able to just relax and play whatever feels right. Sometimes, I’ll just pull together some random chords and play a pattern of some sort.”

Making a habit of exploring musical instruments, like Meza does, creates excitement in the practice. This generates a purpose in life outside of academics. The wonderful thing about art is how subjective it is. Consequently, there is little desire for the finished result to be of the best quality, as art can be personal, so there is no need for it to be judged.

Leilani Velasco, a first-year landscape architecture major, shared the process of her sketches and how it promotes relaxation.

“You can put on music as a background and go with the flow,”

Velasco said. “Drawing, in my opinion, is one of those hobbies that doesn’t require a lot of thought or stress, unless you want it to.”

She claimed that art should be beneficial in an emotional sense.

There is a familiar comfort when participating in these activities. When someone associates drawing or music with peace and relaxation, that same soothing feeling resurfaces each time it is exercised.

Velasco shared other healing aspects that come with the process of creating art.

“For sketches, I like to go ride my bike and go look for buildings I can draw throughout the school. You can sit outside that building for hours and just observe every detail, even everyone that’s walking by. It’s so healing to me, in so many different ways.”

An artistic approach to mitigating stress is not only beneficial, but necessary. It is never too late to make a change in an unhealthy routine and break free from winter’s gloom.

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

NOSTRESSART FROM PAGE 7 Participating in an artistic exercise may help people realize that the world does not end after a bad grade. Getting in touch with one’s artistic side guides these individuals in understanding that life means so much more than one single commitment.

Meza claimed that college is not the sole priority in student’s lives, and oftentimes, it gets challenging having to balance every other factor with schoolwork, especially when it takes so much time out of one’s day.

During these frustrating times, academic-oriented students can find themselves ignoring their own hobbies or activities that bring joy into their life for a “more important” goal — this being their grades.

What many students fail to realize is that ignoring their emotional health often backfires.

“I usually lose almost all my motivation to do my best in my classes and instead, I just do the bare minimum without even trying to push myself,” Meza said. “And usually with this, it also ties into my hobbies, where I begin to not do those anymore. I lose the motivation to even try enjoying my hobbies.”

Giving up on one factor ties into other important factors. Picture a line of dominoes collapsing on each other.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

12 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2024

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women’s basketball suffers three straight losses in December games The Aggies fell to Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly in back-to-back games

BY LUCIENNE BROOKER sports@theaggie.org The UC Davis women’s basketball team had a difficult slate of games in the last month with the team only winning two of their six matchups.

These consecutive losses leave the Aggies hoping to break their threegame losing streak as they look forward to another lineup of formidable opponents in January.

While December started on a sour note for the Aggies as they lost 52-77 to Washington State, they were able to turn things around in time for their next matches. The team returned to their home turf at the University Credit Union Center to face Jessup University on Dec. 5 and Saint Mary’s on Dec. 10.

The Aggies dominated the match against Jessup University with a massive win of 79-40. The team shot a season-high 52.5% from the floor and saw fourth-year Tova Sabel lead the team in scoring with 20 points.

Defensively, they forced 13 turnovers and held Jessup University to 25% from the floor.

Five days later, the Aggies were able to continue their winning streak against Saint Mary’s, where they walked away with an 87-66 point victory. Fifth-year Evanne Turner was the highest scorer in the game with a total of 23 points. Although all five Davis starters scored double figures, Turner impressed everyone and was later named Big West Player of the Week after her stellar performance.

Unfortunately, after such impressive performances, the Aggies couldn’t maintain their winning momentum for their next string of games.

In the final non-conference matchup of the season, the Aggies faced ninth-ranked Stanford, who had lost only one game so far in the season.

Stanford jumped out to an early lead that UC Davis was never able to catch up with, ultimately resulting in a 5292 loss.

While the defeat was difficult, Aggie players enjoyed decent performances all around. Turner scored 17 points and the defense forced 13 turnovers yet, it was not enough to defeat the Cardinals.

The UC Davis women’s basketball team faced a tough string of losses in recent games. (Aggie File) Stanford shot over 50% from both the floor and three-point range and held an advantage in rebounds.

The first match of Big West conference play for UC Davis was none other than fellow UC school, UC Santa Barbara (UCSB). Tensions were high as both teams wanted to start off the season with a winning record. The Gauchos and the Aggies fought to the final buzzer with an ending score of 60-49 and UCSB with the first conference victory.

While this was a relatively lowscoring game for offensive dynamic

duo Sabel and Turner (registering 10 and 11 points respectively), other Aggies stepped up. Notably, secondyear Nya Epps also hit double digits after she was brought into the match during the first half of the challenging game. Additionally, third-year Megan Norris finished the game with nine points. While the offense was not at its best, the team was strong defensively, forcing 21 turnovers and five steals.

The Aggies had to move on quickly from their narrow loss to the Gauchos in order to face Cal Poly two days later, but they didn’t fare any better against

the San Luis Obispo team.

The Mustangs, who haven’t beaten Davis since 2015, were able to beat their 15-game losing streak and claim a tight 57-54 victory. While the Aggie offense performed better than their last game, they were held back by a season-high 24 turnovers. Although the Aggies held the lead in the final 10 seconds of the game, they were unable to close out the victory and as a result, they head into their next conference games with a 0-2 record and a threegame losing streak.

Next up, the Aggies will regroup as

they return home to face UC Riverside, UC Irvine, and Cal State Fullerton at the University Credit Union Center.

On the road, they’ll take on Cal State Northridge, Cal State Bakersfield, UC Irvine and UC San Diego. The Aggies will look to turn their momentum around as the race toward Big West playoffs begins.

Despite their disappointing start, they’re predicted to finish third in conference standings and they will surely be pushing for that number one spot as the season ramps up.

FOOTBALL

49ers, Ravens lead playoffs as AFC and NFC top teams

Major games left in the last week of the NFL season before the playoffs

BY MEGAN JOSEPH sports@theaggie.org As the NFL season comes to an end, with one final week remaining, there is much uncertainty as to who will earn certain spots in the playoffs and eventually the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens have secured their spots in the playoffs as the two first-seeded teams in their divisions and conferences, the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC).

With strong seasonal performances from teams in each respective division, the playoffs will consist of 14 teams, seven from each conference. The teams are seeded from one to seven based on their performance throughout the season and will remain divided into the NFC and AFC. The winner of the conference earns the AFC or NFC Championship title and a ticket to the Super Bowl to determine who the NFL Champion is.

This season for the AFC has proven to be dynamic, with many top teams falling victim to defeat.

Nonetheless, the Ravens pulled out first seed for the division playoffs after their win over the Miami Dolphins

during week 17 of the season on Dec. 31. As the first-seeded team and winner of the AFC North s u b division, the Ravens are awarded a “bye” — meaning they do not have to play t o advance — for the first round of playoffs.

Having one of the best records this season out of all NFL teams, the Ravens are a strong prospect to make the Super Bowl and play against their NFC counterpart.

Suffering only a total of four losses this season and securing 13 wins, the Ravens will be a hard team to beat in the championship.

Although the Dolphins lost to the Ravens, they have still had a strong season, currently being placed as the second-seeded team in the conference.

The Dolphins are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs despite still awaiting to see if they have earned the title of AFC East champion over the Buffalo Bills. If the Bills secure a victory over the Dolphins, then the Bills will win their fourth consecutive season as AFC East Champion and surpass the Dolphins as the second-seeded team in the

conference. However, if the Dolphins secure a win, then they will maintain their current position a s t h e secondseeded team a n d KELLIE GUAN / AGGIE avoid

spot.

falling to the sixth-seeded Another impressive

performance this year came from the winners of the past Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite not leading the AFC division this season, the Chiefs should not be counted out of the Super Bowl and AFC championship just yet. As the third-seeded team in the conference, the Chiefs have

shown they have what it takes to stay in the game with their AFC West title that they secured with support all around.

With such strong teams coming from both the AFC and NFC divisions, there is no question that this season’s playoffs and subsequent Super Bowl will be very entertaining.

As the only other team in the league to suffer four losses this season, the San Francisco 49ers have been seeded first in the NFC division. After winning a total of 12 games this season led by underdog quarterback Brock Purdy, we can expect to see the 49ers go far in the playoffs and potentially make it all the way.

Similarly to the Ravens, the 49ers have also been granted a bye for the first round of the playoffs and are one of the more favored teams for the Super Bowl. At the 49ers’ recent game against the Washington Commanders, the 49ers played remarkably well, with Purdy breaking the 49ers’ all-time passing yards record in his first season as the team’s starting quarterback.

Even though the 49ers have secured their win as the NFC West champions, the NFC East champion is yet to be announced. The secondseeded team in the NFC division, the Dallas Cowboys, still has

one last game to play before the NFC East champion is to be announced.

This game against the Washington Commanders will prove very crucial for the NFC division standings. If the Cowboys are unable to pull out a win against the Commanders, then that gives the Philadelphia Eagles a chance to win the NFC East title and move up to the second-seeded position.

Additionally, if the Cowboys lose their final game then the thirdseeded team, the Detroit Lions, has a chance to take over the second-seeded position. As the NFC North winners, the Lions can only take the second seed position if the Cowboys lose their final game and the Eagles lose their final game. Thus, there is a lot riding on this week’s set of games for not only the Cowboys and Eagles but also the Lions. Nevertheless, no matter the outcome of the games all three teams will have a spot in the playoffs and a chance to fight for the championship.

With both conference divisions battling for their spots in the playoffs and Super Bowl, this season is far from over.