Three people shot following a shooting on Picnic Day
Approximately midafternoon in Community Park, a shooter opened fire near Davis Senior High School
BY HANNAH SCHRADER & CHRIS PONCE city@theaggie.org
City of Davis police and frst responders were dispatched to North Davis following reports of a shooting on April 12. Te shooting occurred at Community Park, leaving three people shot and one injured during a gathering sponsored by a UC Davis campus organization.
At 2:58 p.m., officers responded to several gunshots at the park. On the scene, police located three gunshot victims and an additional victim that was trampled, according to a statement from the Davis Police Department. An initial report said that an individual was trampled as people fled the scene, but spokesman and Lieutenant Dan Beckwith later told Te Sacramento Bee that this was “likely not accurate.” Information regarding the victims’ injuries is still developing and has not been specifed at time of reporting.
Te gunshot victims were two teenagers and a 24-yearold with “non-life-threatening injuries,” according to city ofcials.
“All four people were treated and transported to the hospital,” the Davis Police Department said in a statement made on Facebook.
At 3:29 p.m., UC Davis sent an Aggie Alert telling the public to “avoid the area of 14th St/Community Park in the City of Davis due to police activity.”
Davis Senior High School (DHS) was in session and on lockdown during the incident.
Te investigation is ongoing, with the suspect still at large. Te Davis Police Department stated in their Facebook update that they do “not believe there is any ongoing threat to the community, but we will have extra ofcers on duty all night throughout
the City” on April 12. April 12 was also Picnic Day, one the university’s largest events of the year. Consequently, police from neighboring cities were already present in the area due to previously scheduled Picnic Day activities, according to authorities.
“As part of the normal Picnic Day planning, several neighboring law enforcement agencies were already in the City and also responded to assist,” Davis police said in their statement.
Meet the UC Davis graduate fighting for street vendors’ rights
Owner of the popular churro stand, Churros El Rey, described the experiences of the street vendor community
BY LAILA AZHAR features@theaggie.org
Gustavo Landeros Mireles has what some may consider to be the ideal job: He gets to taste churros several times a day. Mireles runs “Churros El Rey,” a stand in Downtown Davis that sells churros, elotes (Mexican street corn) and horchata.
Making the perfect churro is a careful science. As the outside temperature afects the fame used to cook the churros, Mireles must adjust the heat throughout the day, periodically checking the churros to ensure they taste perfectly.
Mireles has always been interested in starting his own business, and when he graduated from UC Davis in 2022, he began to notice the popularity of food trucks.
“A lot of food businesses were popping up during that time, and it caught my attention,” Mireles said.
“We had to do a lot of research and development. We tried diferent things with the churros until we got it right.”
Mireles said his favorite part about working in Davis is the diversity of the town. While he sells Mexican food, his stand appeals to people from a wide range of backgrounds.
“I feel it’s amazing that I show a little part of my country, Mexico, to people in Davis,” Mireles said. “Everybody loves churros, and I think that’s the most amazing thing — the diversity of people you meet.”
Churros El Rey is a fxture in the Davis community, and UC Davis students cite the stand as a great spot to grab dessert. Danielle Rosario, a third-year political science major, said it’s perfect for those who want to grab a quick snack in Downtown Davis.
Te prices are really afordable and the location, right in downtown, is really convenient,” Rosario said.
“I’ve defnitely visited [the stand] after a long day of studying or a day in downtown with friends, and it’s always the perfect treat.” Ella Nguyen, a second-year molecular and medical microbiology major, agreed, emphasizing the high quality of the food.
Tey’re by far the best churros
I’ve had,” Nguyen said. “Te caramel churros are probably my favorite favor. I defnitely recommend them to anyone who hasn’t tried them.”
However, becoming a street vendor was not as legal an option until 2018, when California passed the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act to decriminalize street vendoring.
While there are certain restrictions that can be imposed, such as permit programs or health regulations, vendors cannot face criminal charges.
While Churros El Rey operations had previously ceased for a few months, the stand is currently up and running, and Mireles is in the process of obtaining the permits he needs to remain open permanently.
Despite the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, street food vendors often face harassment from law enforcement, according to Mireles. Tough Mireles knew his rights as a street vendor, he discussed a threatened arrest by an ofcer a few months prior with an accusation of trespassing.
Te food vendor industry is dominated by Hispanic people,” Mireles said. “Most of them, they’re undocumented, most of them don’t speak English. So the police take advantage of them because they don’t know how to defend themselves.”
As Mireles looks to the future, he is committed to empowering the street vendor community. He is currently studying for the law school admissions test and hopes to attend law school, where he plans to protect those whose food, culture and labor have contributed immensely to the vibrancy of California’s streets.
“Just imagine how terrifying it could be for undocumented people to be harassed,” Mireles said. “Tat motivated me to go to law school and fght for everybody, because we have to fght for a better world.”
Churros El Rey is located at 228 E Street and is open Friday to Sunday from 7 to 11 p.m. Students who are interested in staying up to date with the stand can follow their Instagram page, @_churros_el_rey.
Mayor Bapu Vaitla alongside Davis Police Chief Todd Henry made a joint statement on April 13 addressing the crimes.
“Picnic Day, whether oncampus or in the surrounding city, should be a celebration of joy and belonging for everyone,” city officials said in their statement made on Facebook. “As we move forward, we encourage everyone to take a moment to breathe, reconnect and ease back into the rhythm of daily life.”
Te university stated that city police are leading the investigation, according to a statement made the day of the incident.
“Picnic Day is a day when tens of thousands of visitors join us as we celebrate our people, programs and community,” the university said in their statement. “Our hearts go out to our students who organize such a massive effort on campus, and to all those in the city of Davis, where activities often peaceably continue.”
Sacramento hosts ‘Hands Off !’ protest
Thousands rally at the California State Capitol for nationwide protest against the Trump administration than myself,” Gatti said. “I would advise anyone to get involved with us.”
BY KATYA OKS city@theaggie.org
As part of a series of protests taking place across the nation, Sacramento hosted a “Hands Of!” protest as part of a nationwide mobilization on April 5, 2025. Over 1,400 protests were held across all 50 states.
Te national “Hands Of!” protests mobilize to f ght against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk for their work in: “dismantling Social Security and Medicare”; “handing trillions to billionaires”; gutting protections for working people”; and “assaulting our communities and our rights,” according to their website.
“Hands Of!” described what they call a “national crisis.”
“Our democracy, our livelihoods, and our rights are all on the line as Trump and Musk execute their illegal takeover,” the website reads.
The Sacramento “Hands Off!” protest was held at the Capitol building, where thousands of people attended the mobilization. Te protest was facilitated by the Sacramento chapter of the 50501 movement, which calls for non-violent, nationwide mobilization movements.
Te frst #50501 protests were a decentralized rapid response to the anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies,” the 50501
movement’s website reads. “Te idea [is] 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day.”
50501’s description of the movement focuses on the working class of the United States.
“Our movement shows the world that the American working class will not sit idly by as plutocrats rip apart their democratic institutions and civil liberties while undermining the rule of law,” the website reads.
Alyssa Gatti, a third-year sociology and political science double major, is one of the volunteers on the media team of the 50501 movement. Gatti explained how she became involved with the organization as a peacekeeper for an earlier protest due to her passion for activism, later becoming part of the core group of the Sacramento chapter.
“I have always been passionate about defending human rights and caring for others, seeing our community as our family,” Gatti said. “Te biggest concern regarding the government and the state of politics would be the executive overreach, the criminalization of human lives and the defance of the Constitution.”
Gatti also stated the importance of the greater UC Davis community getting involved in protests, advising students to use their voice in issues they are passionate about.
“I feel so much fulfllment from being involved with this cause and being able to work towards something bigger
Aside from community members attending, the 50501 movement hosted speakers at the mobilization event.
Harue, a member and organizer of Indivisible Sacramento, who wishes to leave her last name anonymous, spoke at the protest about her mission as part of Indivisible.
“Indivisible empowers everyday people to take action and make their elected ofcials stand up for their voters and democracy,” Harue said.
Harue mentioned Senator Cory Booker’s marathon speech, in which Booker denounced and protested against the Trump administration for “25 hours and 5 minutes,” breaking “the record for longest individual foor speech ever delivered.” She emphasized the role of constituents in making said speech happen.
“Why do you think Cory Booker did this?” Harue said. “Because he was pressured by his constituents to just do something.”
Maggy Krell, an assemblywoman representing California’s 6th Assembly district, also spoke at the protest. Krell expressed the importance of politicians upholding and defending the Constitution.
Davis Police Station in Davis, CA. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)
People gather outside the Capitol building in Sacramento on April 5, 2025 to protest the involvement of Elon Musk and the Trump administration. (UC Davis CA&ES / Courtesy of Ashley Stokes)
hosts annual ‘Shower the Shelter’ donation drive event
The sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence advocacy nonprofit worked alongside UC Davis volunteers to collect donations for their shelter and its services
BY MATTHEW MCELDOWNEY city@theaggie.org
In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness and Child Abuse Prevention Month, Empower Yolo collected essential donations for their Shower the Shelter event on April 5.
In collaboration with the student organization, Davis Emergency Medicine Organization (DEMO), Empower Yolo collected necessities such as basic cleaning supplies, clothing and bedding. Notably, representatives from Soroptimist International made a donation of 19 bags which included various necessities like clothing and water to support at-risk survivors.
Donations trickled in throughout the event, but just as importantly, Empower Yolo and DEMO were able to reach out to the Davis community about the invaluable resources for survivors facing housing or legal insecurity. Additionally, Empower Yolo provides a 24-hour crisis line, counseling and therapy services. Te Empower Yolo website contains contact information, resources and dates for important events.
As the Chair of the Empower Yolo
Board, Cathy Farman explained the importance of their mission.
“Empower Yolo provides wraparound services for Yolo County’s neediest residents,” Farman said. “We really work to help people rise above whatever circumstances put them in need and move them toward a healthier, more resilient life.”
Natalie Baltazar, the director of development and community relations, is responsible for coordinating partnerships and organizing awareness events, such as Shower the Shelter.
“We love our partnerships with the university, especially because it is really nice to have the youth involved,” Baltazar said.
Empower Yolo continues to seek out the talent and voices of students to fll these board positions to this day.
Empower Yolo has a volunteer training program for students interested in opportunities such as legal advocacy, social work and more — all of which can be accessed through their volunteer page, according to Baltazar.
City of Davis partners with Tree Davis for annual Arbor Day celebration
The event welcomed members of the community to plant trees while spreading awareness about environmental health
BY YUENJO FAN city@theaggie.org
On April 5, the city of Davis and Tree Davis co-hosted a tree-planting event at Robert Arneson Park in the Wildhorse neighborhood to celebrate Arbor Day. A day of observance that encourages the planting and preservation of trees, this year’s Arbor Day event saw volunteers from Tree Davis help plant trees while featured community organizations also set up tabling stands to promote other causes synonymous with the celebration.
Te Tree Davis organization’s main goal is to promote the well-being of Davis’ climate readiness and health through planting trees and nurturing the natural landscape. A Davis-based non-proft founded in 1992, Tree Davis has planted over 12,000 new trees, adopted highways and held community workshops to help spread awareness about tree planting, maintenance and its importance to the environment.
Ann Daniel, the president of the Tree Davis organization, provided more insight into Tree Davis’ background and its contribution to this year’s Arbor Day celebration.
“It’s to promote trees and healthy green spaces and so the mission was originally to plant trees,” Daniel said. “We work in partnership with the city of
Walnut Park Library’s groundbreaking ceremony to take place on April 18
The new library will be located in South Davis and will open in late 2026
BY OLIVIA HOKR city@theaggie.org
In partnership with the city of Davis and the California State Library, the Yolo County Library will host the groundbreaking ceremony of a new library on April 18 at 11 a.m. at 2700 Lillard Drive, where the Walnut Park Library will be built. Plans for the new library have been in development since 2001. Laura Galindo, the associate management analyst at the County Administrator’s Ofce, shared more about the timeline of the project.
“In 2001, a county-wide library facility plan recognized the community need for a library south of I-80, with an emphasis on serving youth and recreational readers of all ages,” Galindo said. “In 2015, a South Davis ad hoc committee presented a Library Services Report to the Board of Supervisors. Te report included a timeline with a South Davis stand-alone branch opening in 10 years. In 2020, the [Yolo County
Library] met with community partners about services needed for a South Davis branch. Architects developed the frst concepts for a library in Walnut Park.”
Over the past few years, the county was able to gain funding to make the library possible through the Building Forward Grant from the California State Library, awarding $8.7 million to the county. More funding was acquired from $1.5 million pledged from the city of Davis and $850,000 given by United States Congressman Mike Tompson, as well as the passing of Measure T by Davis voters which will provide ongoing funding for library operations.
Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs expressed gratitude for those who have been working on the project for years to make it happen.
“For the past decade, both on the city council and now the county Board of Supervisors, I’ve worked in partnership with stakeholders to expand library services to South Davis,” Frerichs said. “I’m thrilled to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Walnut Park Library with many agencies and community members who helped us
reach this important milestone.”
Te city of Davis has primarily existed with only one active library in North Davis. Galindo shared details about why South Davis was chosen for the location of a new library in the city.
Te facility plan from 2001 stated the need in South Davis,” Galindo said. “Especially since the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library is at capacity and not very convenient to get to for residents in South Davis. […] Adding library services to South Davis will allow the library to more equitably serve the entire city and also give South Davis residents convenient community room access that is sorely lacking in the community and is something residents have been asking for.”
The groundbreaking ceremony will provide community members with information about the upcoming development process and celebrate the achievement of expanding library services. Yolo County’s press release on the event shared more about who will be participating.
Davis, and we have an agreement with them to plant trees and take care of it for its frst fve years of establishment.
It’s really valuable to the community to plant trees in public spaces like parks as well as public easements and other public areas in the community.”
Daniel, who has been on Tree Davis’ board for over a year, frst joined the organization after volunteering at one of their designated green spaces. Tese green spaces are areas within Davis that Tree Davis manages to promote climate friendliness. Now, as the president of the organization, Daniel works to help oversee the Arbor Day celebrations.
“It was a collaborative event with the city of Davis and Tree Davis,” Daniel said. “Ten, we had some other community partners that tabled and provided information to residents that visited us as we were planting the trees and talking about the value of trees.”
The community organizations who tabled included the UC Davis Arboretum, Davis Picks It Up, Davis Community Action Network and Master Gardeners.
David Robinson, a longtime member of Tree Davis and former board president of 13 years, praised both the community groups and student volunteers.
Te various volunteer groups, like Davis Picks It Up, have a niche, just as we have a niche,” Robinson said. “All these groups that pop up every now and
then are doing amazing work behind the scenes. UC Davis has also provided tons of volunteers over the years and they’ve been some of the best, as they are youthful and willing to get up and plant.”
As the summer and dry season approaches, much of Tree Davis’ focus will switch to watering and maintaining their trees until fall returns. In October, as the weather cools down, Tree Davis will return to hosting more tree-planting events and adding to their green spaces.
Te Tree Davis website also detailed its long-term plans to continue its work in ensuring a greener and healthier city.
“Future projects include working with the City of Davis to help create a 40-year urban forest management plan, plant 1,000 trees, and implement a career and college readiness program in Urban Forestry,” the website reads.
“We are committed to educating the public about trees because we view urban and community forestry as an integral part of a healthy environment. Teaching people to plant and care for trees increases environmental awareness and empowers our citizens as stewards of our community, country, and the planet.”
More information about the organization’s mission, volunteer opportunities and newsletter can be found on the Tree Davis website.
City of Davis appoints new deputy police chief
After five month vacancy, Matt Petersen fills the role of deputy police chief
BY GIA LOOMIS city@theaggie.org
On March 31, the city of Davis appointed new Deputy Police Chief Matt Petersen. The deputy police chief position has remained vacant since October 2024 when its previous holder, Todd Henry, was named the new Davis police chief. Tese changes came following the retirement of previous Police Chief Darren Pytel. Since then, the city of Davis has undergone a fvemonth search for Henry’s replacement, finally concluding with Petersen’s appointment.
Petersen is joining the Davis Police Department with over 28 years of public safety experience. Having begun at the Sacramento County Sherif’s Ofce in 1996, Petersen has held numerous roles and responsibilities providing him with a broad range of experience. Most recently, Petersen served as assistant sherif with the Sacramento County Ofce up until this February.
With his extensive history with the Sacramento Police Department, Petersen is now undergoing a unique transition as he learns how to serve the much smaller city of Davis. While close in location, the two cities and police departments vary distinctly in size, scope and crime rates. Petersen explained the diference in serving the two cities as he adapts to Davis’ distinct environment.
“Sacramento County and the city of Davis are very diferent,” Petersen said.
“But I feel like it’s a good diference, a good change. While it’s still very busy, it’s in a diferent way. In the [Sacramento] Sherif’s Department, there were a lot of people to do diferent things. But in the Davis Police Department, people wear a lot of hats to do a lot of diferent things.”
In addition to the diference in police departments, Sacramento and Davis communities are vastly unique.
“Davis has a closer-knit, more engaged community to serve,” Petersen
said. “It’s nice having a community that cares about the agency and what’s going on. It’s also a diferent level of crime, you’re not running from call to call just trying to put out fres, you have the time to spend the time on the calls and problem-solve more.”
As he adapts further to the community, Petersen has set out to learn the most about Davis. With such a big location transition, Petersen is working toward integrating into Davis before settling into any kind of changemaking. He is intent on adapting to Davis, not the other way around.
“My frst goal is to really learn everything about [Davis],” Petersen said.
“I want to make it very clear that I’m not intent on changing the culture in any way, my goal is to adapt to the culture that’s here. For the police department, I’m geared towards supporting our ofcers, our staf and trying to give them the resources that they need to continue to excel. I’ve been very impressed with their level of work and service that they’ve provided to the community. So my goal is really to just continue on that.”
William Ryder, a third-year political science student, is hopeful to see what changes Petersen will bring to Davis.
Empower Yolo volunteers collect donations for victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. (Ojas Mishra / Aggie)
Tree Davis volunteers prepare to plant new tree. (Christian Cendejas Aggie)
In 2024, Representative Mike Thompson secured funding for Walnut Park and presented a check to local leaders.
(Courtesy / Melanie Rhinehart Van Tassell)
Annual UC Davis Powwow to be
held on April 19
The free event will be hosted on the Quad from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
BY JESSICA YUNG campus@theaggie.org
The UC Davis Cross Cultural Center (CCC) will be hosting its 49th annual UC Davis Powwow on Saturday, April 19 on the Quad from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It will feature dance contests and other specials. Both the event and on-campus parking will be free.
CCC Native Community Coordinator Hannah Villanueva, a ffth-year cognitive neuroscience major, describes the UC Davis Powwow as an inter-tribal, cultural celebration open to all.
“Everybody is welcome and encouraged to attend and enjoy the beauty that is native culture,” Villanueva said. “It’s not just any one nation or any one tribe that participates. It’s multiple coming together, coalescing, sharing dance, song, ceremony and good company, good medicine.”
The UC Davis CCC’s website describes powwow as a gathering to showcase Indigenous tradition and culture to everyone.
“Powwow, as practiced today, is a social gathering intended to provide the campus and local community a space to learn about, engage with and celebrate the traditions and cultures of Indigenous peoples and bring visibility to the vibrancy of Native American music, dance, and arts,” the website reads. “Everything put into preparing and holding the annual UC Davis Powwow afords the opportunity for the campus and local Native community to
build connections to address the social, cultural, historical and political issues facing Indigenous people today.”
Villanueva described powwow as having roots in the illegalization of Native practices in the 1800s due to “ethnic cleansing [and] genocide.”
“Tere was [only one] way where [Natives] could leave the reservation and make money, which was performing in a Wild West Show,” Villanueva said. “It was exploitation and commodifcation of Native culture and identity. It also ofered a space for political engagement and activism. [Wild West Shows] evolved and grew over the ‘50s and ‘60s [into powwow].”
Te annual UC Davis Powwow will feature many diferent types of Native dances with diferent age groups, led by event organizers and varying musical drumming styles.
”Head man, head woman, they will lead all the dances for every category,” Villanueva said. “If a woman’s fancy song is starting a competition, the head woman dancer is starting the arena competition.”
Tere will also be craft vendors selling jewelry, shirts and other items, and food vendors will sell diferent fares.
Tese include frybread, which has its roots in the forced displacement of Native communities, according to CCC Native Community Coordinator Isaac Tobon, a third-year cognitive science major.
“[Frybread is a] food that has arisen through colonialism, through the forced movings of Natives,” Tobon said. “We were provided only a couple things by the government, which were four
[and] lard. We made use of it to make frybread. Frybread is a treat, but an interesting one.”
Powwow is for everyone, and Tobon asserted that attendees should be sure they are respectful and open minded.
“I want to say to not be intimidated in coming,” Tobon said. “You are supporting Native peoples by being present and immersing yourself in the tradition to open your perspectives and not being so close minded.”
Both Tobon and Villanueva also reiterated that there are many tangible benefts to going to the event, from monetarily supporting the Native American community through buying their products, to embracing Native joy and hearing stories from Indigenous elders and people.
Organizers also recommended that visitors to powwow should bring walking shoes, spending money and cultural humility. Tey also noted that the drumming can be very loud and intense for people who are sensory sensitive, and earplugs will be available upon request.
Even if those interested cannot make the UC Davis Powwow, Villanueva was clear that there are other ways to get involved in Native events and culture on campus.
“If folks are interested in general, people should just go check out the Native Nest [the Native American Academic Student Success Center],” Villanueva said. “It’s a really nice spot and a super good study place. It’s such good energy.”
Ashley Stokes announced as new dean for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Stokes is a dean emeritus
BY JORDAN POLTORAK campus@theaggie.org
UC Davis announced that Ashley Stokes will be the new dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) starting on July 1. She is a dean emeritus for the University of Tennessee, where she is currently a professor of veterinary large animal clinical sciences. Stokes will replace Helene Dillard, who served as the dean of CAES for 11 years and announced her retirement in 2023.
“I have always admired and had so much respect for UC Davis,” Stokes said. “It’s a place I’ve thought about my entire career. Tey are the best in the world. I’m thrilled to become a part of this team.” With more than 30 years of work in higher education, Stokes has also worked at Colorado State University, the University of Hawaii and Louisiana State University. Her work spans cardiovascular physiology, livestock transportation, food systems and community development.
Stokes discussed how this work impacts both the communities she works with and communities around the globe.
“When looking at issues in communities like in Kenya or countries in the Pacifc, we see similarities in our communities here as well,” Stokes said. “Because we are a land grant university, the work we do is so important across California and the world.”
One of the many strengths Stokes cited within the CAES department is the hands-on learning opportunities for students.
“Her collaborative and empathetic approach to advancing educational and research opportunities beautifully aligns with the transdisciplinary culture we have at UC Davis,” Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Mary Croughan said in a press release on Stokes’ hiring. “We look forward to welcoming her
ASUCD Senate
controllers, interim senator at April 10 meeting
The Senate also heard the AAC quarterly report and approved new legislation
BY AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS campus@theaggie.org
The ASUCD Senate confirmed three new vice controllers and an interim senator at its April 10 meeting, before passing a series of constitutional amendments and legislation. Vice controllers are tasked with aiding the head controller in the management of the annual budget and overseeing the association’s fscal matters. Te three confrmees to the position are: Trinity Chow, a fourthyear neurology, physiology and behavior major and former senator, Ashley Knauss, a third-year economics major and former vice president of the UC Davis Economics and Business Association, and Zayd Musa, a frstyear computer science and economics double major. Te Senate also confrmed Noblejot Singh, a fourth-year political science — public service major, as an interim senator. He flls the seat left vacant by former Senator Asif Ahmed, who graduated last quarter.
Singh previously served as an interim senator in fall quarter 2024 and hopes to overcome academic challenges in regard to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the academic community.
“I want to continue working with the international student representative office and working directly with Registered Student Organizations to overcome a lot of the challenges we’re having with DEI within the academic community,” Singh said. “[I also want to work on] creating that collaborative space ASUCD is supposed to be through representation, but also giving a meaningful diverse representation of those communities by having them be a part of the process.”
Legislation Following some other business, ASUCD President Gaius Ilupeju urged senators to pass Constitutional Amendment (CA) #94, to revise the appointment system for interim elected ofcers.
for
the
University of Tennessee
to campus and to seeing her vision unfold as the leader of this highly respected college and all of its programs.”
Stokes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physiological psychology from the University of Alabama, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and a Ph.D. in cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology from Louisiana State University and a Master of Business Administration from Colorado State University. Aside from serving as dean for the University of Tennessee’s Institute of Agriculture Extension, Stokes previously served as the associate vice president for engagement and extension at Colorado State University. CAES has over 7,600 undergraduate students, some 1,000 graduate students, just under 400 faculty and another 700 staf members, according to their website. Te cornerstone of what we do is relationships,” Stokes said. “Faculty and staf are our greatest assets. What we do is built on relationships and I want to foster them.” During her time as the dean of the University of Tennessee Extension
program, Stokes helped secure a $16.5 million endowment for a new 4-H center — an organization for the education and development of individuals aged fve to 19 — which was the largest amount secured for a Youth Development center in the state’s history. Her future plans for UC Davis CAES revolve around helping the college thrive.
“When people thrive in what they do, the impacts are so great,” Stokes said. ”As a leader, I’m here to serve and when people thrive, that’s when we see that impact.”
“I think we’ve been having a lot of discussion around the hiring of interim senators this year,” Ilupeju said. “I think more so because it is the frst time we ever [have] had to and been able to hire interim senators. Usually people fnish the term but that’s not really the case anymore. [CA#94] adds more clarity and transparency in the process.”
Te amendment was later passed unanimously.
The Senate also unanimously passed Senate Bill (SB) #69, allocating $1,129.84 to the Environmental Policy and Planning Commission for its inaugural Environmental Action Week, an initiative encompassing various events throughout the week of Earth Day to “establish better awareness of planet friendly practices in collaboration with various student organizations.” SB#70, amending the legislative transition seminar process for newly elected senators, also passed
unanimously.
Afterwards, the Senate moved into consideration of old legislation. SB#68 was passed unanimously, adding a public disclosure statement to the weekly agenda of Senate meetings. CA#95, adding two stipulations for decreasing the impeachment threshold — failure to complete legislative transition seminars and failure to complete two volunteer hours with ASUCD subordinate bodies per quarter — passed without objection as well. T e Senate also passed CA#93, seeking to amend the selection process for the ASUCD Student Advocate, but the amendment was later tabled until fall quarter, according to the ASUCD Legislation Tracker.
Other Senate afairs
Following the confrmations, the Senate heard the quarterly report from the Academic Affairs Commission (AAC).
AAC Chair Iris Chen provided updates to ongoing policies, including mandatory orientation courses and lecture capture, a standardized Artifcial Intelligence policy and adding syllabi to schedule builder. Te commission plans to continue student outreach and awarding ASUCD scholarships. Chen concluded her presentation by encouraging collaboration and communication between the Senate and AAC.
During public comment, La Familia de UC Davis Co-Presidents Danny Lopez, a fourth-year design and communication double major, and Tifany Herrera, a fourth-year English and Chicano studies double major, requested funding for their second annual Queer Quinceñera event. La Familia de UC Davis is a LGBTQIA+ and Latinx community club dedicated to supporting and fostering connections for queer and Latinx students on campus.
Tis event serves as a space for the LGBT students to come together and celebrate their identities and honor their journeys in a supportive and inclusive environment,” Lopez said. “[Te Senate’s] partnership would not only make a signifcant impact on the success of this community event, but also contribute to fostering a more supportive and affirming campus environment for us.”
Gender and Sexuality Commission (GASC) Chair Tristen Dillard expressed interest in working with La Familia for the event and for future plans.
“[GASC] would love to fnancially contribute and just work with the event itself,” Dillard said. “Our GASC task force would love to have another project on our radar and fnd out the best way we can uplift you and help to contribute to the success of the event.”
The event was also adopted by Senators Solana Rodriguez and Dhilena Wickramasinghe for additional assistance.
Te meeting was called to order at 6:21 p.m. and was adjourned at 7:22 p.m.
The 49th annual UC Davis Powwow will feature dancing, among other activities. (Courtesy / UCD Cross Cultural Cen-
Ashley Stokes, the new dean for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. (UC Davis CA&ES / Courtesy)
(CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE)
Neutrality is unacceptable; Reinstate the Law Student Association
UC Davis’ suspension of the LSA and what this means for students’ right to open expression
The problematic politics of protectionism
Political statements that start and end with “protection” and “acceptance” reinforce targeted communities’ positions as a “victim” or an “other”
BY GEETIKA MAHAJAN giamahajan@ucdavis.edu
In early 2021, a video of Missouri father Brandon Boulware went viral. In the video, Boulware is condemning a ban against transgender athletes in Missouri by citing his own experiences raising his daughter as a trans woman. Ostensibly, it’s a heartwarming premise — a father desiring to defend his children’s rights by protesting a transphobic bill. Te video was reposted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the father was hailed for his acceptance and kind regard toward the trans community.
However, the speech contained a quiet confession: Boulware admitted to not being as accepting of his daughter’s identity throughout her childhood.
or to platform yourself to encourage others to not make the same mistakes. Even so, reformed bigots being hailed as paragons of social change distorts the root causes of homophobia and transphobia, shifting the axis of what true allyship is meant to achieve.
Te issue with acting as though a lack of acceptance is the start and end of discrimination is that it can turn into a constant cycle of pushing for visibility: note Boulware’s message that “[he] learned to accept [his] daughter, and now it’s your turn to do the same.” Tis dialogue is unproductive because it circumvents the real issue.
JASON XIE / AGGIE
BY TARA ROMERO tcrome@ucdavis.edu
On Feb. 28, 2025, the Law Student Association (LSA) on our campus passed an amendment to their constitution that adopted Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) legislation in support of Palestine. Trough this amendment, the LSA would no longer put student funds toward any businesses on the BDS boycott list and no longer fund events or speakers who represent Israel — in support of Palestinian people’s fght for freedom.
Less than a month later, on March 24, UC Davis officially suspended the LSA’s right to govern, and the administration has since taken over control of student funds.
Shasun Sulur, a second-year graduate student at UC Davis Law, explained how the LSA made a concerted efort to ensure their amendment follows UC Davis policy and “received no clear notice, no clear direction and no clear communication from [the] administration as to why this policy was against their guidelines.” Rather than make any attempt to negotiate or communicate with the LSA, UC Davis overturned their students’ democratic vote and took over student funding.
Te policy in question that the LSA allegedly broke states student governments must “provide fnancial and other tangible support for student activities and organizations on a viewpoint-neutral basis.” According to this logic, since the LSA is not remaining “neutral” on the topic of genocide, they are not ft to govern themselves.
Te root of the issue here is the phrase “viewpoint-neutral.” Tere’s a common misconception that being neutral is inherently good. This mistaken line of logic follows as such: If there is no bias in either direction, then the neutral party is being fair to both sides — they deserve a pat on the back for remaining unbiased!
However, being neutral also means ignoring the truth. Playing both sides intentionally is an action that refuses to acknowledge the lived realities of the Palestinian people for the last 75 years. Neutrality ignores the displacement of over 750,000 Palestinian people from their land since the 1948 Nakba, ignores the discrimination and violence against Palestinian people in the years since the Nakba and ignores the genocide of over 50,000 Palestinian people by the hand of the Israeli government since Oct. 7, 2023. Not to mention, it ignores the United States’ signifcant role in this ethnic cleansing.
To be neutral is to be complicit.
Remaining neutral means treating 75 years of violence and oppression against Palestinian people as the norm. Te choice to be “neutral” in this context is a refusal to denounce a genocide — therefore, siding with the oppressor.
Neutrality cannot be an option and yet, neutrality is the standard UC Davis is forcing its students to uphold.
UC Davis’ Principles of Community Statement reads, “we promote open expression of our individuality and our diversity within the bounds of courtesy, sensitivity and respect.” In this clause, our school tells us there are limitations to our “open expression.”
Te boundaries themselves are vague moral values: courtesy, sensitivity and respect. All three of these values are certainly important, but also highly subjective.
How is it not courteous to say you stand in solidarity with Palestine?
How is it insensitive to state the fact that Israel is unlawfully occupying Palestinian land? What is disrespectful about denouncing the genocide of Palestinian people?
To say anything otherwise is to be complicit or to endorse the ongoing violence against the Palestinian people — and if that is where UC Davis says the LSA is “out of bounds” of open expression, then it is very clear where the campus’ allegiances lie.
By suspending the LSA, UC Davis is prioritizing obedience first and foremost. Our campus will “promote open expression” but only “within the bounds” that the university decides.
Te “bounds” themselves are arbitrary and bend over themselves to ft the university’s current agenda. Over a year ago, UC Davis Professor of English and Comparative Literature Joshua Clover presented us with a question: “How many Zionist student groups have been banned by universities?” Te answer is the same then and now: none. Yet, universities like our very own have no problem banning pro-Palestinian student groups.
In the face of federal oversteps on our freedom of expression, we cannot allow this type of infringement on our own campus. It’s unacceptable to allow UC Davis to silence a democratically passed vote to no longer be complicit in genocide. We must demand that the LSA be reinstated and for the campus to return control of their funds.
Disclaimer: Te views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by Te California Aggie.
HUMOR
Answer the troll’s riddles for a chance at love
Riddle me this, Troll
BY ALLISON KELEHER
adkeleher@ucdavis.edu
Tere’s a new trend developing on the UC Davis campus, and clearly, I need to know about it. Couples are focking to the Arboretum in droves, with the hopes of strengthening their relationships. Some may think they are participating in the “love lock” tradition, going on a picnic or even
just spending quality time together. However, this is much more serious than that. Tis involves a troll.
About a month ago, campus authorities discovered a troll residing under the love-lock bridge. He had a little bed made of discarded frst-year dorm twin XL bedding and a stash of Shah’s Halal falafel. Te troll is short and stocky, with a long ginger beard, and he frequently fashions a fannel and sweatpants that he also got from
“Truth be told,” Boulware said. “I did it to protect myself. I wanted to avoid those inevitable questions as to why my child does not look and act like a boy.”
Te video did not go viral because it questioned the premise of the transphobic bill or because it ofered any serious insight into the experiences of trans athletes. Most of those who watched the video on Twitter, now X, may not even know the outcome — the bill itself had passed, 100 to 51, in favor of banning transgender students from participating in sports teams that matched their gender identity.
Tere’s nothing wrong with the contents of the speech. Nothing wrong, even, with parents and children alike fnding comfort in its contents. Te issue arises when this kind of rhetoric — the kind that simply pushes for “acceptance” and “protection” — becomes politically charged. Personally, I think that the speech itself was very brave; It’s not easy to admit that you were in the wrong
Reframing basic acceptance as allyship and progress allows anyone to paint themselves as allies without doing any actual work in terms of questioning the systems that allow discrimination to persist. Tis is where the idea of protectionism comes in, a concept that has been widely adopted in social justice spaces. Te phrase itself is problematic in how open-ended and ambiguous it is, because the natural response to a phrase like “protect trans kids!” is: protect them from what exactly?
Turning protection itself into a political act implies that the socially constructed threats against the existence of queer communities are and will be omnipresent. Te key word “protect” is vague and unaccusative; it makes allyship accessible by not demanding more than a statement of solidarity. And, while this may seem like a good thing — of course, why shouldn’t anyone from companies to celebrities be able to express their support toward marginalized communities? — it’s also a very fimsy surface for equality.
Proclaimed solidarity isn’t policy; it’s not anything, really, unless there’s actual action behind it.
The core of the problem with protection politics is that it makes it very simple to look like an ally and even
easier to backtrack when it’s unfavorable. In the mid-2010s, every company was changing their Instagram profle pictures for Pride Month; now, several have removed their diversity signifers from their websites. When social acceptance alone is used as a metric for equality, it allows the root cause of discrimination to go unexamined.
Within his speech, the Missouri father does two things: He emphasizes that he is there to protect his daughter’s rights, and he implores the acceptance of her identity as a woman. He does not question why it was assumed that his daughter would behave a certain way just because she was born a certain way. Nor does he rebut the bill itself, which assumes that children’s capacity in sports is primarily and most importantly determined by their sex assigned at birth, rather than their age, height or weight.
Tese are the assumptions that allow homophobia and transphobia to take root — constantly searching for acceptance within a society that operates within parameters that are inherently hetero and cisnormative yields no actual quantifable victories because the core issues remain. A father goes viral because he stopped stifing his daughter’s identity and is now imploring lawmakers to do the same, but the transphobic bill still passed with two-thirds of the vote.
Political statements that start and end with protection and acceptance do no actual work when it comes to pushing the needle toward positive change — they just reinforce such communities’ positions as a “victim” or an “other.”
Disclaimer: Te views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by Te California Aggie.
Anxiously attached to my TikTok algorithm
I lie to TikTok and it lies back
BY ABHINAYA KASAGANI akasagani@ucdavis.edu
Most days, I scroll through TikTok absentmindedly, typing in phrases like “disorganized attachment,” “What if I love my partner but don’t like them?” or “Am I operating out of fear or instinct?” TikTok has none of my answers, but that doesn’t stop me. Sometimes, I lie about my questions, conceiving impractical scenarios to beget impractical answers. It is amusing to note how TikTok repackages attachment theory into archetypes, reducing psychology into bite-sized, emotionally fattened aesthetics. Do not get me wrong: Attachment theory is a useful clinical framework in which one understands relational patterns, and TikTok
has been accomplished in making these tools accessible to the user. Despite its usefulness, this prevalence of “packaged” information has encouraged people to self-diagnose and leverage their dysfunctions as excuses; a cavalier “TikTok told me that I….” misplaces all accountability. Attachment theory was originally developed by John Bowlby and later expanded by Mary Ainsworth, explaining how caregiver relationships (especially between mothers and children) shaped the child’s approach to emotional control and their understanding of intimacy. Bowlby and Ainsworth’s work resulted in the four major attachment styles: secure, anxious, avoidant and disorganized. Operating on a fexible spectrum that explained the psychological inclinations of the child, these were seen as
the frst-year dorm dumpster.
Initially, campus authorities were unsure what to make of this troll. Tey watched him from afar for a couple of days and came to the conclusion that he was very boring. All the troll did was bathe in the Arboretum, eat and sleep. So, campus ofcials decided to follow their own logic and let the troll “come as you are.”
Once the troll was no longer under investigation, students began to observe the troll. Many were afraid to approach him, except for a few confdent young men who decided to get some advice on their dorm situationships.
The troll, who hadn’t spoken throughout his residency, suddenly felt like he had something to say. As it turns out, he is an expert on love. Initially, people came in search of situationship advice, but after a week or so, the troll went mute and decided that he didn’t
like answering the same questions over and over again. Ten, couples began to approach the troll in search of relationship advice. T e troll was responsive to these questions, which solidifed his role as the on-campus couples’ counselor for UC Davis. He attempted to give straightforward advice; however, these couples always ended up following their own advice instead. Enraged by the disrespect that he felt, the troll became more cryptic in his guidance. His sincere advice was replaced with metaphors and riddles. Surprisingly, the students loved this. It felt more rewarding to mend their romantic pursuits when it seemed like it was their own idea. By solving this troll’s riddles, couples around campus were seeing magnifcent progress in their romantic relationships. Jumping on the bandwagon of this success, couples
informative tools that made sense of these behaviors — not to be confused with fxed personality types or rigid roles.
If you, like me, are chronically online, you might be asking yourself: Why is everyone an avoidant nowadays? Reducing these behaviors into easily consumable archetypes allows one to dramatize these tendencies. Te “anxious girl” is an overthinker who only likes people who do not seem to reciprocate. You laugh both at the truth it conceals and at the lie it presents. Tese dynamics are romanticized to contend with the presence of a pattern, of being trapped in a cycle: wanting something and getting another. Te Internet is known to monetize anything even remotely “relatable,” so you are not confused as to why this happens.
The Internet loves checking boxes, labeling categories and forcing things into boundaries of black and white. Tink of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Enneagram or astrology. Tis prevalence of memes, infographics and point-of-views (POVs) on these subjects results in the establishment of personalities as performance — the strategic use of therapy-speak makes surface-level understandings feel insightful.
Oversimplifying these behaviors can cause misdiagnosis or a glamorization of these proclivities that then allows one to believe that as an “anxious” attachment style, they are fated to seek out “avoidants” and are forever bound to this cycle.
around campus became obsessed with getting some face time with the troll. Some felt that if they were able to meet with the troll, their relationship would survive for eternity. One of my sources claims their “relationship would have never made it past the three-month mark without the troll.” I doubted this, so I did some digging, and I acquired another source who revealed that “I’m only staying with my boyfriend because I don’t want to disappoint the troll.” T is logic seems f awed to me, but maybe that’s because I’m single. I’m surely unable to understand such complex nuances as advice from a troll.
Disclaimer: (Tis article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fctional. Te story and the names of “sources” are fctionalized.)
KAYLA TRAN / AGGIE
Love-lock bridge located in the UC Davis Arboretum.
(Courtesy / Creative Commons)
Saturday’s shooting is another tragic example of a devastating national trend
Violent incidents, the discourse and complacency in their aftermath remind us all that safety and decency is everyone’s prerogative
BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD
We are primed to expect the tragedy around us. We have read of — and lived through — school shootings, serial stabbings and attacks to our communities and colleges. Te events that occurred at Community Park during last Saturday’s Picnic Day celebrations proved another of these preventable tragedies.
As of the time of publication, the three victims of the shooting are recovering and the suspect is still at large. Videos of a little league game quickly evacuating and of crowds running away from gunfre have since gone viral. News of Davis High School having to enter lockdown, too, is troubling.
Scan to read our online editorial about student visas
Just days ago, this Editorial Board was wishing our readers a safe and fun Picnic Day. It is our great sorrow that many had that experience tainted. As this story develops, we urge our readers to prioritize trusted sources and limit the spread of misinformation.
No doubt this is uncommon for our small college town, something Davis Police Lieutenant Dan Beckwith acknowledged the day after the attack. Tat does not change the fact that there is much to say about the incredibly lax regulations of frearms and guns in this country — a discussion that our California bubble is not impervious to.
48,204 people died from gun violence in the United States in 2022, according to Johns Hopkins. Mass shootings make up around 1% of all gun violence in America and 23 minors are shot every day in this country, according to Brady United — an organization dedicated to taking measures against gun violence. Tose talking points are as pertinent as they are worn out.
Following the shooting, many have taken to social media to make light of the incident. While it can be normal to use humor as a coping mechanism in stressful situations, and perhaps people have become desensitized to mass cruelty and violence, it is important to also acknowledge the severity of the shooting and those impacted. Additionally, almost as troubling as the violence itself are the racist narratives that have arisen in certain online spaces since the shooting. Tere is no excuse for perpetuating outdated and insensitive stereotypes about those we deem from “outside” our community. Te Editorial Board urges
you to be mindful of the content you engage with and ensure you’re being intentional with the language you use.
Social media has become another form of journalism, and the information circulating online is a perspective that will be shared with others. By engaging with harmful content online, you help circulate the information around to new audiences; Others, who will not take the time to fact-check with reputable news sources, will be misinformed.
Sadly, we must continue to prepare ourselves for the next spur of violence, the next breaking news alert that will make us catch our breath — the next tragedy. Tat is what being a member of our polarized and vicious society has come to mean. Let us strive to acknowledge that while we must prepare for the worst, we do not always have to accept it as normal. To be apathetic to the incredulous is to submit to the unacceptable.
Run, don’t walk, toward failure
The key to being “good” is being terrible first
BY NADIA IWACH nmiwach@ucdavis.edu
My frst run left me unconvinced that evolution was complete — when my feet frst hit the pavement, I swore the pavement hit me back. Barrelling down Russell Boulevard, I lasted about eight minutes before I saved face with a fake phone call and sulked back to my dorm. Kicking of my shoes, I lay on the foor, starry-eyed, mouth breathing and wondering if I was a counterargument for survival of the fttest.
No amount of humility or selfdeprecating humor could distort the fact that I was bad at running. Objectively. Visibly. My limbs looked like they wanted to do anything but play lateral cat and mouse, and the Celsius swirling in my stomach only intensifed the growing anxiety that I was undoubtedly bad at something.
I had been humbled by calculus and cold-calling alike, but struggling with such a primitively human task felt like a deeper kind of failure. Fighting the urge to quit entirely, I kept running. One mile, then two miles, then back to one for a couple of weeks. But I kept running.
As the months trudged on, I fell in love with the rhythm of running and the formulaic improvement it ofered: if I run “x” miles at “y” pace “z” times each week, I’ll improve. Amid the noise of my early college days, the routine and predictability became an anchor. Before running, I had considered
myself categorically hopeless at anything with a ball and goal, and for good reason. One soccer season, the only point I scored was for the other team. Running, however, allowed me to rede f ne an immovable piece of my identity with a tangible metric of improvement. Redefning myself as a “runner” granted agency over what I was truly capable of — I was good! Life was great!
In line with many untethered, unemployed individuals, I then decided to register for a half marathon, which landed me in a physical therapy ofce four weeks out from the race.
“Just a few days of,” I told myself, deeply in denial. One missed run turned into two, and the race day passed me by like a pacer I couldn’t catch. I had fown too close to the sun and my swift descent reintroduced me to the fact that I was still fundamentally “bad” at running: genetically averse and biomechanically unblessed.
Fast-forward to now, I’m 15 weeks out from the San Francisco Marathon. Tis time, all 26.2 miles. A feat that even now feels kind of impossible, a little pretentious and eye-rollingly ambitious.
At frst glance, the leap seems to fall into the trite hero’s journey, which many runners and LinkedIn warriors alike tend to inject into their obstacles. Under pressure to reframe setbacks as stepping stones, failure can only be absolved by appropriating it as part of the inevitable ascent to success. In this narrative, unoptimized failure is a black mark, only second to mediocrity.
My experience was void of that and found its resolution in rejecting that oasis of success and self-realization entirely.
In this lies the greater thesis: Growing comfortable with stagnance and the possibility of permanent inability, I was freed from the pressure to constantly improve. Exceptionality was no longer the price of entry for efort; If I was destined to fail, it was worth failing miserably and beautifully. If there’s a binary of those who “can” do something and those who “can’t,” the only way out is through.
With what feels like the end of the world closing in, it’s easy to feel like there’s no time to be anything but perfect. Compulsive perfectionism feels ingrained, with people sometimes boasting about how little they slept or how many units they’re taking. Growing up in the microcosm of Bay Area high schools, I’m all too familiar with the macabre underbelly of this mindset and the allure of achievement for achievement’s sake.
But running, something I remain objectively and artistically bad at, taught me to pursue something without success as a prerequisite. With this, I received a gift more valuable than a title or a medal: the ability to be terrible — and doing it anyway.
Disclaimer: Te views and opinions expressed by individual columnists belong to the columnists alone and do not necessarily indicate the views and opinions held by Te California Aggie.
Editorial Board
CHRIS PONCE Editor-in-Chief
ALYSSA CREVOISERAT Managing Editor
MADISON PETERS Campus News Editor
HANNAH SCHRADER City News Editor
MAYA KORNYEYEVA Opinion Editor
ZOEY MORTAZAVI Features Editor
ANA BACH Arts & Culture Editor
MEGAN JOSEPH Sports Editor
KATIE HELLMAN Science Editor
JENNA LEE Photo Director
ARIANA NOBLE Layout Director
LANHUI ZHEN Design Director
JOANNE SUN Social Media Manager
AARON POTTER Website Manager
CASSIDY GILLIS Distribution & Outreach Director
TIFFANY HE Copy Chief
JENNY DYE Copy Chief
SAMUEL RUIZ Translation Director
ILEANA MERAZ Translation Director
LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager
BY ELIZABETH BUNT arts@theaggie.org
Movie: “V for Vendetta” dir. James McTeigue (2005)
“V for Vendetta” is one of my all-time favorite movies. I have probably seen it six or seven times. Te flm takes place in a dystopian England that has been taken over by a corrupt government after a world war. V, an unnamed vigilante, fghts against the fascist police state using terrorist tactics, eventually gaining an ally in a young woman named Evey Hammond, played by Natalie Portman. Equal parts action movie and social commentary, “V for Vendetta” explores the topic of government overreach and anarchy as a human requirement.
Book: “Paradise” by Toni Morrison (1997)
“Paradise” is the third novel in Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s Beloved Trilogy. Tis unofcial trilogy consists of “Beloved” (1987), “Jazz” (1992) and “Paradise” (1997), each of which deals with the larger theme of dangerous love. “Paradise” is the culmination of this topic, dealing with the interplay between love of self and love of community. It takes place in fctional Ruby, Oklahoma, an isolated allblack town. Seventeen miles away is a closed-down convent, now inhabited by fve women of diferent backgrounds and beliefs than the inhabitants of Ruby. Te novel tracks the fve generations of familial history that ends with an act of violence committed against the convent by Ruby men. Tis act both begins and ends the novel. As perfect and intricate as the more widely read “Beloved,” “Paradise” is a book that should be on every reader’s list, both because of Morrison’s writing prowess and because of the often-forgotten history it covers, starting with the Reconstruction Era and ending with the Civil Rights Movement.
Song: “Te Bottom of It” by Fruit Bats (2019)
Tis is my current stuck-on-repeat song. It comes from the Fruit Bats’ 2019 album “Gold Past Life.”
As an alternative-indie band, you might know Fruit Bats from other hits like “Humbug Mountain Song” and “You’re Too Weird.” “Te Bottom of It” is a short, catchy tune with the band’s characteristic dreamy sound. Lead singer Eric Johnson’s unconventional voice turns this song from good to addictive. Anyone unfamiliar with Fruit Bats should defnitely give them a listen, and this song is a great start.
Book: “Small Tings Like Tese” by Claire Keegan (2021)
“Small Tings Like Tese” is the perfect book to break anyone out of their reading slump. Technically a novella, it clocks in at just over 120 pages, making it an easy new project to take on while dealing with spring quarter classes. Based in Ireland in 1985, this historical fction novel follows the trajectory of a local coal merchant who discovers the scandal of the Magdalene Laundries. Claire Keegan asks her readers to consider the question of individual freedom in a town largely governed by the church. Keegan’s writing is sparse and simple, making the novella approachable and engaging for readers who may not have any historical knowledge of the subject.
‘The Last of Us Part II’ was underappreciated
Revisiting “The Last of Us Part I” video game before the second season of “The Last of Us” comes out on Max
BY BELLA PETERSON arts@theaggie.org
With the release of the second season of the television series “Te Last of Us” soon to be released, it might be ftting to revisit the game, specifcally the sequel that during its release caused a major controversy. Heads up for strict show watchers: If you have not played the game, then this article will contain possible spoilers for the show.
Te Last of Us Part I” was regarded as a masterpiece: a perfect mix of drama and action for a video game. It was a fresh take on the post-apocalypse genre that changed the trajectory of many gamers’ lives. Eventually coming to win the “Game of the Year” title from the Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, “Te Last of Us Part I” was a staple in gaming for a long time. When Te Last of Us Part II” was announced at the Playstation Experience on Dec. 3, 2016, fans were ecstatic.
It’s important to acknowledge that right before the game’s release, there was a leak within the game developers’ studio, Naughty Dog. Tis leak revealed the death of a beloved character within the series that incites the journey of revenge for the protagonist of the sequel, Ellie. Tese leaks were nearly impossible to avoid and were spread everywhere, and only a lucky few fans were able to play the game without any spoilers.
Tese spoilers really turned the tables for the release, and the preexisting excitement was now abruptly lost to an unfortunate turn of events. Te few that found themselves able to go into the game without these spoilers still felt upset at the choice the game developers had made. Now, it has been nearly fve years since its release, and it’s
safe to say that the attitude toward the game has changed drastically. Naughty Dog made brave choices with the material of “Te Last of Us Part II,” but now that people have had time to grieve and fully digest the content of the game, it seems that there is a fresher perspective with what the story had to ofer. “Te Last of Us Part II” wasn’t done in the way that it was simply just to “shock” players. It was meant to be quick and hard, because that is what loss is. Something we have to go through unexpectedly just like the protagonist, Ellie, does. Where “Te Last of Us Part I” is a story of fnding light in the darkness, Te Last of Us Part II” is a story of what that light can transform us to be. We see this beloved character go to drastic lengths to get revenge for the death of the person closest to her. In doing so, we see that she starts to lose parts of herself and eventually comes to sacrifce the life she has built. Te story of “Te Last of Us Part II” is meant to be a forewarning that revenge is a path that only causes further destruction. By not knowing when to give up, you may end up losing whatever else you have left.
What really makes this story special is the parallel shared between the protagonists in the game: two girls who lost someone brutally taken by them seek revenge to lessen the pain that was bestowed unto them. Like two sides of the same coin, we see that Ellie is at the beginning of her journey through revenge while the other protagonist, Abby, is at the end. We see the point of view of someone who has earned her revenge through great efort and trials only to fnd that she isn’t fulflled or better for it. Trough the progression of her gameplay, we fnd her struggling to come to peace with her choice, not
only from the taking of someone’s life but also its efect on the people who joined her on this mission.
It isn’t until Abby comes across two kids and saves their lives that she fnds something to fght for — something to help her move past the pain. Despite these kids coming from the group that her community is actively at war against, Abby fnds herself caring more for them than the life she previously built through her journey of revenge. It is because of this that Abby is fnally able to fnd peace, the peace she thought she would fnd through revenge.
Abby is a direct foil of Ellie. Te latter also seeks revenge but fails in the many ways that Abby succeeds in and, in turn, sees the life taken of another person she cared for. Ellie had to face this loss without actually getting the revenge she sought. After this loss, she struggles with the post-traumatic stress disorder she acquired through her experience and isn’t able to move on. She has all she needs for her future right in front of her: a family that loves and cares for her. And yet it isn’t enough. We see that Abby was able to walk away from revenge and choose the second chance she was given, but Ellie just doesn’t have the same strength to do so.
“Te Last of Us Part II” is a beautiful story of how love and loss can transform us: How much would we have to ofer up of ourselves in order to give that love and what lengths would we go to for it? It’s rare to see stories that are able to show how two similar journeys can also difer from each other. “Te Last of Us Part II” is a perfect sequel to “Te Last of Us Part I”
Review: ‘A Minecraft Movie’ is anything but boring
The latest blockbuster video game adaptation has lots of laughs, if little substance
BY NATALIE SALTER
arts@theaggie.org
If one thing is true of today’s popular culture, it’s that absurdity is everywhere. Just scrolling through social media is disorienting — everything is written in a language of obscure references and indiscernible words that require at least a month’s worth of online knowledge to translate. Simple “top text, bottom text” punchlines have been discarded in favor of media so ironic and bizarre that it swings back into humor. Simply put, in 2025, the word “brainrot” has more power than ever.
However, Hollywood’s latest attempt at adapting a video game for the silver screen, “A Minecraft Movie,” feels like the frst time this characteristic of the contemporary online realm has fully leaked into the world of professional art. If its status as a TikTok darling has not made this obvious, the flm’s chaotic 101-minute run hammers its clear infuence home. We open with Steve (Jack Black), a disillusioned office worker with a lifelong passion for mining who, in deciding to pursue his childhood dream, digs up a strange pair of artifacts that open a portal to another world. Tis is the Overworld, the blocky expanse of felds and trees known to every “Minecraft” player, and Steve quickly makes it into his home.
A hostile encounter with the pighumanoid residents of the Nether, a hellish plane of reality within the Overworld, separates Steve from the mysterious orb that got him there in the frst place. Tanks to his trusty dog Dennis, it winds up back in the real world — ready to accidentally fall into the hands of an unlikely group of heroes.
There’s an amusing cast of characters at the flm’s center, though some are more memorable than others. Jack Black plays Steve with boisterous authenticity, delivering every line without a hint of irony.
He has a particularly fun dynamic with Jason Momoa’s Garrett Garrison, a retro-gaming champ turned broke store owner; their competitive hostility alchemizes into a begrudging fondness that is honestly a delight to watch.
Ten there’s Henry (Sebastian Eugene Hansen), a plucky and awkward kid who learns to embrace his creativity and confdence in an arc that is sweet, but nothing new. His older sister Natalie (Emma Myers) is the ragtag group’s voice of reason, teaming up with real estate agent Dawn (Danielle Brooks) to try to keep her brother out of harm’s way. T ere is also a remarkably absurd, yet nevertheless hilarious, arc involving Jennifer Coolidge and a blocky Villager who wanders his way into the real world. Where “A Minecraft Movie” attempts to excavate deeper meaning, it’s not particularly life-changing. The message of the flm is that you should never stop being creative — it’s a nice sentiment, though it doesn’t hit home emotionally.
What the flm succeeds at being is an absurd, unbelievable comedy.
Te flm’s gags are just ironic enough to appeal to audiences of all ages, steeped in Internet neologisms (an antagonist uses the word “unalive”) and just-silly-enough lines ripe for using in a slew of over-edited TikTok memes.
Tis is what makes watching “A Minecraft Movie” so deeply disorienting. You’ll laugh plenty, sure, but it will often be because your brain is so bafed by what you’re watching. It’s nonsensical in a
way that is funny and yet also frighteningly resemblant to the experience of scrolling through Instagram reels. It’s, frankly, a very strange flmgoing experience.
Perhaps this is the inevitable consequence of an increasingly online era, the endpoint we’ve been hurtling toward with every iPad we put in a toddler’s hands. Te newest generation of kids is more plugged into the Internet than ever, and that means they’ve got a diferent sort of humor to show for it.
Tat’s not to say that “A Minecraft Movie” is bad or that it’s 101 minutes of pure cinematic brainrot. It’s plenty of fun and certainly leaves an impression. Tere are lots of thoughtful and enjoyable little homages to the original game that anyone who has played it will appreciate. It’s just an entirely singular flm, more a refection of our current online culture than anything made before — whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to
Posters for “The Last of Us” season 2 and “The Last of Us Part II.” (HBO and Sony Interactive Entertainment / fair use)
Theatrical release poster for “A Minecraft Movie.” (Warner Bros. Pictures / fair use)
Local artist Gregory Shilling showcases 3D works at new Delta of Venus solo-show, ‘A Matter of Life and Depth’
Shilling discussed the process behind creating the show’s sculptural, painting-like pieces
BY SAVANNAH ANNO arts@theaggie.org
Celebrating its opening on April 11, “A Matter of Life and Depth” is the third installation of Local Artist Gregory Shilling’s work at Delta of Venus, a colorful café located on B Street in Downtown Davis.
Shilling explained the beginnings of his work and how he came to create the installation.
Te owner of Delta of Venus, Lee [Walthall], and I have become friends over the years, and I am so grateful he keeps letting me decorate his walls,”
Shilling said. “Lee puts a lot of trust into the artists that display and perform here and he doesn’t shy away from the wacky, weird or opinionated. I don’t feel like I need to rein anything in or soften any edges here, and that sort of creative freedom is rare in the world of cafés and galleries.”
Featuring at least one work on each wall of the café, the show features new and old pieces by Shilling, showcasing various fgures, faces and even a handful of landscape paintings. Inspired by the importance of the body and face in human communication, Shilling’s most notable stylistic choice is the distortion and abstraction of the traditional “fgure.”
In works like “Little Rest for Big Man” and “Mice and Me,” Shilling exaggerates the proportions of fgures and leaves behind interesting shapes to be found through color blocking. With stretched-out limbs and heavy features, Shilling has become wellversed in drawing emotion out of each body part — from a droopy wrist to a bowed head.
While you may not yet be familiar with Shilling’s work through a café or gallery setting, Davis locals have most likely seen Shilling’s signature, saturated colors in large murals around the city or wrapped around the cans of Sudwerk Brewing Co.’s beers.
“I owe the relative fnancial stability of my 20s to Sudwerk,” Shilling said. “I like the art I’ve made for Sudwerk over the six or seven years we’ve been working together, but the work my soul wants to make doesn’t sell beer. Te function of my designs is to look cool
or eye-catching or badass. Te stuf I do in the studio is in pursuit of something deeper and more human.”
A UC Santa Cruz alumnus, Shilling has been creating art since childhood, inspired by nature and figures to communicate human narratives. While he possessed a stronger background in painting, Shilling’s time as a student led him to another medium: wood sculpture.
“When I was in college, I really fell in love with the wood shop — I was just grabbing wood from the scrap bin and building little faces or houses, and eventually an entire miniature town,” Shilling said. “Sculpture always came second to painting, but I kept getting hung up on the idea that everything I was painting existed on a flat, rectangular canvas.”
Motivated by the idea of making a more intentional choice about the shape of his artwork, rather than just continue to paint in traditional forms, Shilling decided to incorporate his sculptural skills and new love for working with
wood into his creations.
Ending with how it began, his frst ever three-dimensional piece, “Regret and Shame,” is now displayed at the very back of Delta of Venus, the fnal work most people will see as they walk through Shilling’s show.
Based on a poem written by Shilling, an image of a woman in bed turning of a lamp is made up of fnely cut wooden pieces, all layered on top of each other. Shilling breathes life into the threedimensional work with small details — tiny, framed sketches, a real cloth curtain and even a small nightstand with cabinets that can physically open.
“When I finished ‘Regret and Shame,’ I had one of those moments where I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m really onto something here,’” Shilling said. “I could suddenly see all the possibilities of the future. Obviously I’m not the frst person to cut out the elements of a painting and arrange them in a sort of sculpture, but I did feel like I was starting to pioneer something.”
Following the creation of “Regret
A spring fling for your heart: rom-com recommendations for the season
From picnic dates to golden sunsets, these rom-coms are to swoon over
BY IQRA AHMAD arts@theaggie.org
Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping and a soft breeze is drifting through the air — spring has ofcially arrived. So why not fall head over heels this season…into a good book (and maybe a little bit of romance)?
Tese fun, feel-good reads are perfect for soaking up the sunshine in the afternoon at the Memorial Union hammocks or lounging around in the courtyard at Shields Library. So, let’s leave winter behind and get lost in love.
“Better Tan the Movies” by Lynn Painter Liz and Wes are the heart of this quintessential (and ultra cliche) young adult rom-com, packed with all the tropes we secretly (or not so secretly) love: fake dating, enemies to lovers and childhood neighbors turned into something more. Te story kicks of when Liz sets her sights on capturing the attention of her childhood crush, Michael. She strikes a deal with her infuriating (but annoyingly cute)
neighbor Wes in exchange for a prime parking spot, negotiation at its fnest. It’s sweet, funny and efortlessly charming. With Wes’ witty remarks and Liz’s quick comebacks, it’s impossible not to fall for their dynamic and maybe even miss the chaos and drama of high school. It’s a sweet read that hits all the right beats, leaving you smiling long after the last page.
“Betting on You” by Lynn Painter
“Guys and girls can’t be friends.”
Tat’s the notorious claim made by Charlie Sampson, or as Bailey Mitchell likes to call him, Mr. Nothing. Charlie is cynical, Bailey is genuine and their personalities couldn’t be any more diferent. But when Bailey schemes a plan to sabotage her mom’s relationship, she ropes Charlie into a fake-dating scheme that’s as chaotic as it is entertaining. But what about when you throw in some high-stake bets, clashing egos and a surprising spark? You’ve got a story that captures the funky, whimsical messiness of falling in love when you least expect it.
“Check & Mate” by Ali
Hazelwood
Mallory Greenleaf is ofcially done with chess. Like, burn-the-board-andwalk-away done. After the game tore her family apart four years ago, her priorities remain steadfast on staying afoat. But one reluctant move at a charity tournament changes everything, because Mallory accidentally destroys the world champ, Nolan Sawyer, the socalled “Kingkiller.” Brooding, brilliant and definitely not used to losing. Suddenly, the girl who swore of chess is getting ofers she cannot ignore and attention she defnitely didn’t ask for. Weirdly, Nolan seems very interested in a rematch…and maybe even something more. Mallory’s back in a world she tried to leave behind. Turns out, the real games might not just be on the board.
“I Hope Tis Doesn’t Find You” by Ann Liang
Ever write a hate email to your group project partner, listing every single petty complaint ranging from their lack of work ethic to the way they breathe — but then you never send it? Yeah, same. Tat’s basically Sadie Wen in a nutshell. Te archetypal teacher’s pet, with her roles as school captain and valedictorian. But behind that polished smile? A drafts folder full of brutally honest emails she’d never send. And her not-so-secret coping mechanism? Venting about her clueless groupmates, power-tripping teachers and most importantly, her infuriating co-captain, Julius Gong. No one was ever supposed to read them…until someone does. As her carefully curated image crumbles, one person starts to see (and maybe even likes?) the unfltered version of her: Julius, the boy she was basically born to loathe. Let’s just say it’s the “read” receipt she never expected.
“Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute” by Talia Hibbert
Bradley Graeme is nothing short of fawless: star football player, academic overachiever and managing his obsessive compulsive disorder like a pro. Life is smooth, except in the classes he shares with his ex-best friend, Celine Bangura. Triving in her own weird little corner of the internet, Celine is all about aliens, conspiracy theories and calling out capitalism. And while her followers love it, the popular kids? Not so much. Especially not Bradley, who ditched her years ago for the cool crowd (or at least, that’s the version Celine is sticking to). Now, they’re academic rivals who trade
and Shame” in 2023, Shilling continued to experiment with a unique mixture of painting and sculpture. Today, the artist uses thin pieces of wood to layer various shapes and colors within each of his signature, abstracted fgures.
Shilling begins each piece in a sketchbook. Afterwards, the drawing is put into photoshop, where Shilling can trace and spread out each individual shape. Te separated pieces are then projected onto a large piece of wood, which the artist uses to trace and cut out each section. He then fnishes each work by painting each piece and assembling them into their original form, creating a layered f gure held together with gorilla glue and small nails. While the three-dimensional images are similar to Shilling’s style in fat paintings and prints, the layered wood allows for an even greater emphasis on the artist’s use of color and unique shapes.
A UC alumnus with a full-time career in art and graphic design, Shilling also ofered advice to current students that may be looking to go down a
more barbs than smiles. But then they both end up in the same survival course in the literal woods and their only way out is working together. Between mud, forced teamwork and unresolved history, the tension starts to shift. From bitter to banter, from petty to maybe something else. Something like, “Are you firting with me?” “You never asked me to stop.” It’s like enemies to lovers, but make it outdoorsy.
“Te Seven Year Slip” by Ashley Poston Falling for your roommate is awkward. Falling for your time-traveling roommate who lives seven years in the past? Tat’s a whole new level of emotionally inconvenient. Clementine’s life is meticulously planned, because heartbreak taught her that chaos is not cute. She’s got a solid career as an overworked book publicist, a decently predictable future and one metaphorical mission from her late aunt: chase the moon. Everything is mostly going to plan…until she walks into her aunt’s apartment and fnds a stranger in the kitchen. He’s sweet, with a southern accent and somehow makes lemon pie even more irresistible. But there’s always a catch right? He’s also very much not from this timeline. Turns out, the apartment Clementine inherited is less of a home and more of a time glitch. A place where the past and present brush shoulders like two strangers at a bookstore. And now Clementine has a choice to either protect her carefully guarded heart or risk it all for a love story that may already be history, one that might be seven years too late.
similar path.
“Make the absolute minimum number of concessions when it comes to pursuing your art,” Shilling said.
“You can make a million excuses, about needing to aford nicer things or have more stability, but as the years go by, you will regret that you didn’t take bigger risks in service of your passion when you were young. Tere will be time for practicality when you’re older.” With a determination to continue creating no matter what, Shilling has become a beloved local artist of Davis over the past few years. Hosting community events like the annual live painting competition, Art Mania, flling up wall spaces across the county with highly detailed murals of wildlife and continuing to hold solo-shows in local spaces like Delta of Venus, it’s almost impossible to not be met with Shilling’s bright painting style and passion for the arts as a member of the Davis community.
“First-Time Caller” by B.K. Borrison Aiden Valentine talks about love for a living…which is kind of awkward, considering he’s completely over it. He doles out dating advice like candy, as the voice behind Baltimore’s beloved romance hotline “Heartstrings,” while secretly wanting to ghost Cupid altogether. But then a precocious kid calls into the show, asking for help setting up her mom and the Internet does what it does best: spirals. Overnight, Aiden is viral, “Heartstrings” is trending and everyone suddenly wants a front-row seat to this would-be love story. Lucie Stone is that mom, successful, independent and content (or so she thought). But now her love life is a public spectacle, courtesy of her pint-sized matchmaker and a radio host with a broody voice and questionable boundaries. Now all of Baltimore’s tuned in to Lucie’s quest for romance. Te chemistry? Undeniable. Te microphone? On. And the line between scripted happily-ever-after and real feelings is getting fuzzier by the day. She might be on air, but this time, the fnal call is hers.
So whether you’re into swoony slow burns, sarcastic banter or falling in love somewhere between a chessboard and a time warp, there’s something here to make your heart do a happy little somersault. Spring is short and love is messy, so grab a blanket, claim your hammock and let these stories do what they do best — sweep you right of your feet (no dating app required).
Book cover of “Better Than the Movies.” (Simon & Schuster / fair use)
Three-dimensional artwork from Gregory Shilling. (Courtesy / Gregory Shilling)
OSSJA fraternity conduct rulings spark disagreement between fraternity members, campus administrators
Students and faculty reflect on the changing relationship between fraternities and campus judicial affairs
BY EMME DUNNING features@theaggie.org
Recent disciplinary actions by UC Davis’ Ofce of Student Support and Judicial Afairs (OSSJA), including the suspension and disafliation of multiple Greek life organizations in the past year, have sparked disagreement on the role of campus administrators in the afairs of these organizations and brought up questions about the future of Greek life at UC Davis.
Stacy Vander Velde, the director of OSSJA, outlined the core goals of her organization in a written statement.
“The mission of the Office of Student Support and Judicial Afairs, or OSSJA, is to uphold standards of academic honesty and responsible behavior, promoting student development and assisting students in need,” Vander Velde said, adding that their major goals of student discipline are to “uphold university standards; provide fair resolution in cases of alleged misconduct with respect for the rights of students and organizations, reporting parties, and the campus community; promote the growth and development of students involved in the disciplinary process; and support the safety and security of the campus community.”
Despite these goals, some students don’t believe that OSSJA’s current operations are helping to create the environment that they claim to support.
Kobina Arkaah, a UC Davis alumnus with a Bachelor of Science in neurobiology, physiology and behavior and former member of Sigma Chi, is among these students.
While a UC Davis student, Arkaah served leadership roles within his fraternity as the master of ritual and coordinator of chapter character enrichment, as well as the new member educator. In addition, he held both vice president and president positions for the Interfraternity Council (IFC). Arkaah asserted that his involvement in Greek life and Sigma Chi specifcally was instrumental in shaping his college experience.
“It taught me a lot about being a man and about being a better and more
thoughtful leader,” Arkaah said. “I love how much people care and how much pride people take in being in Sigma Chi.”
Sigma Chi is among the fraternities currently dealing with revocations from OSSJA that have been instructed to cease all operations until the fall of 2029, according to the OSSJA website. Tese revocations were put in place after the fraternity was originally placed on “cease-and-desist” following hazing allegations this past fall and failed to adhere to the terms of their temporary cease-and-desist order.
Arkaah noted, however, that these “terms” of cease-and-desist can often be confusing and constraining to individual rights.
“One thing that’s been a big issue for my fraternity for a lot of people was that they were infringing on our rights as humans and not on our rights as members of our fraternity [during cease-and-desist],” Arkaah said. “Tey have jurisdiction over us as members of a fraternity but they do not have jurisdiction over us as humans.”
Tis is specifcally an issue, Arkaah said, when gatherings of members of the fraternity are treated by OSSJA as equal to fraternal events, and therefore breaches of cease-and-desist in the same way as ofcial fraternitysponsored events. As many members of the fraternity have become a closeknit community in their own right and socialize outside of ofcial events, this can blur the line between what is acceptable and what is not regarding conduct.
Other revoked fraternities like Alpha Epsilon Pi have continued to operate openly without afliation from the school despite outlined sanctions.
Matthew Friedenthal, a fourth-year economics major and Alpha Epsilon Pi member, refected on his experience being part of a disafliated fraternity and even noted some perceived benefts to their current situation.
“You have a lot more fexibility,” Friedenthal said. “You don’t really have to ask the school for permission for anything.”
Despite the added freedom, Friedenthal also recognized the drawbacks of this status, specifcally the
lack of ability to associate with other Greek life organizations.
“It evidently looks a little more sketchy,” Friedenthal said. “It’s a big pull when you are trying to recruit to say, ‘We’re a part of the greater Greek life, you’ll be able to meet so many people in sororities and fraternities.’ If you’re not afliated, it’s signifcantly harder.”
This sentiment is substantiated by the UC Davis Center for Student Involvement website, which has a section on its misconduct page that outlines recommendations for interactions with disafliated organizations. For involvement with Alpha Epsilon Pi, the website asserts that “UC Davis and the Center for Student Involvement recommends strongly against joining or collaborating with this group.”
In spite of the hardships the fraternity has faced regarding its operations at UC Davis, Friedenthal asserted that due to the difering goals of both organizations, a reafliation is unlikely to happen.
“I don’t see us reaffiliating,” Friedenthal said. “Te costs outweigh the benefts for both sides.”
Others, like Arkaah, believe that
For many students, graduate portraits serve to commemorate the achievement of completing university
Three local photographers describe the experience photographing UC Davis graduates BY RACHEL GAUER
features@theaggie.org
Graduate photos have entered the list of many students’ must-do’s before concluding their undergraduate careers. Whether the photos themselves are used to alert LinkedIn or Instagram followers that you’ve graduated or to announce future plans to distant relatives via grad announcements, they serve as a way to commemorate the achievement of an important milestone. Tough we all carry cameras on us constantly, having a professional photo done still certainly holds symbolic signifcance.
Soleil Barbour-Berson, a UC Davis alumna who holds a Bachelor of Arts (B.S.) in international relations, had personal portraits and photos with friends taken to commemorate her early graduation in fall of 2024. Barbour-Berson explained that because she graduated from high school during the pandemic, she felt particularly inclined to get photos taken for her undergraduate commencement.
“I didn’t get high school grad photos and really regretted not having them,” Barbour-Berson said. “I really wanted to do it this time — it’s a good way to commemorate the moment and the accomplishment of graduating.”
As grad photos increase in popularity, some student photographers have taken advantage of the opportunity to provide their photography services to the growing market of students.
Sophie Beifuss, a frst-year maternal and child health graduate student, began photographing her friends’ graduation photos during her fnal year of her undergraduate career at UC
Davis in 2024 and has now progressed to ofering her services to the larger student population. Beifuss, who advertises under @sophiebportraits on Instagram, said she found a love for photography early in her adolescence and later realized she could apply it to more formal avenues.
“I got my frst camera when I was 13; I saved up all my allowance and was so excited to fnally be able to start taking pictures that weren’t only on my iPod touch,” Beifuss said. “Ever since then, I’ve always had a camera in my hand, taking photos of everything. My favorite type of photography is portrait photography — I love taking candids and helping people feel comfortable and have a fun time in front of the camera.”
Savannah Luy, a UC Davis alumna with a B.S. in computer science, also began her photography career casually shooting friends and peers in high school. She frst began her business, Luy Photography, in 2017, long before her university days. Now, she shoots not only in Davis but also has extended her services to other local universities like Stanford University, UC Berkeley and Sacramento State University. Her undergraduate career at UC Davis, she said, has led her to be particularly aware of the campus’ beauty and photographability.
“During my time at Davis, I spent a lot of time walking around campus and just being fully aware of diferent things around me, whether that be all the diferent trees or the way the light hits a certain building at a certain time,” Luy said. “I feel like I paid a lot of attention to stuf like that which really helps me plan my sessions.”
The process of taking graduate
photos varies from student to student and from photographer to photographer, but Beifuss pointed out several hot spots for students to select to be featured in their photographs.
“Some grads have fun memories in the library, [the] Death Star or the Quad and have special requests to have photos there,” Beifuss said. “Others let me take the wheel, in which [case] I take them to my three favorite spots: the brick wall on A Street, the trees near the Quad and the wildfowers near the Arboretum.”
A stroll across these iconic campus spots, particularly at sunset during the spring months, will inevitably bring the sight of students with stoles across their shoulders, champagne bottles in hand and photographers clicking away on their cameras.
Unlike most photographers who have the ability to take hundreds of photos during a single session, however, every photo counts for Alexandria Ikuma, a fourth-year physics major.
Ikuma takes a more old-school approach to photography — she uses a flm camera to capture grad portraits. One singular roll of film, Ikuma explained, allows for about 36 photos.
Citing the uniqueness and nostalgic quality of flm photos, Barbour-Berson decided to book with Ikuma for her grad portraits. She explained the experience of not having access to digital features like previewing photos and taking many shots in one sitting.
“We had to be a lot more intentional about the photos we were taking,” Barbour-Berson said. “It was really cool to not know how they were going to turn out — I really liked the anticipation of waiting to see what they were going to look like.”
Tough Ikuma tends to mostly take photos for friends or acquaintances and considers herself to be a nonprofessional, as of this year she has begun posting her content to her photography-specific Instagram account, @gradflmphotos, where she also allows for booking sign-ups.
Ikuma explained that her services started last year when her friends expressed a love for her flm photos she would often post on her social media page.
“Two of my friends who were graduating last year asked me to take their grad photos,” Ikuma said. “I’d never thought of doing that but I said yes, and it was really nice to spend that time with them since they were graduating,”
there is a path forward for improved relations, but say it will take signifcant work from both administration and fraternity members. He specif cally believes that student IFC members should hold a more substantial role in investigations into Greek life.
“IFC should be working with OSSJA,” Arkaah said. “Tere’s no one to truly advocate for fraternities, and that should be the whole point of the IFC. I think the reason why people get elected into (IFC) positions is because they’re level-headed and they’re able to advocate for the people that they govern, and I think that should be important to OSSJA.”
Arkaah made clear that his envisioned role for IFC is not to blindly side with the fraternities that they represent, but rather ensure that a balanced perspective is given and appropriate steps are taken to remedy any wrongdoing in a manner that is timely and clear.
“IFC should be involved in gathering facts and advising on what should be done about a given situation,” Arkaah said. “Te people in OSSJA aren’t in college, and they
make decisions that may sometimes seem far-fetched and unfair, or maybe sometimes aren’t harsh enough. I think [the] IFC should be there to advocate for what should be a proper ruling.” Arkaah also noted that fraternity members and OSSJA staf have a shared responsibility to contribute to the future of a successful relationship.
“I’ve worked with OSSJA closely, and I think these are good people,” Arkaah said. “OSSJA is not sitting around trying to catch people — their job is to deal with people who get reported. People need to be reporting things that are important. I think sometimes the less important things end up getting reported and the really important things don’t, and that is not their fault.”
While the future of the relationship between Greek life organizations and campus administrators is unknown, successfully continued operations and shared goals rely on the creation of a thriving campus and community environment. How these goals will align moving forward remains to be seen.
Spring 2025 fashion at UC Davis
Students discuss spring trends, @ fashionofucd on Instagram and Davisspecific style
BY GRACIELA TIU features@theaggie.org
On a bright day in spring quarter, while walking through the crowds of students passing the Memorial Union Quad, you brush past a girl and catch a glimpse of her outft. She’s wearing a long, fowing white skirt, a cropped, loose-ftting tank top and tied black boots, and she is adorned with a broad selection of accessories — sunglasses, a large purse, a beaded belt and stacks of gold jewelry — all effortlessly complementing the look. Inspired, you pause for a moment, already imagining how to incorporate elements of her outft into your own style.
As the seasons shift each year, trends evolve and styles fuctuate, bringing new opportunities for people to explore and defne their own stylistic identities. At UC Davis, students notice a specifc culture of fashion and style when walking throughout campus.
“Davis has a really unique campus,” Apple Lin, a second-year design and communication double major, said.
“At Davis, people really show their individuality through their outfts. It’s cool to see everyone’s personal styles shine through their clothing.”
There are many Davis-specific Instagram accounts showcasing student life, including multiple fashion accounts. A popular account that has existed at Davis for many years is @ ucdfts, but other accounts have been created by students, including a new one called @fashionofucd.
Belal Ismail, a second-year international relations major and co-founder of the @fashionofucd Instagram account, discussed his take on UC Davis fashion.
“I feel like we have a big, kind of indie, hippie-esque, granola culture at Davis, and that really shines in people’s fashion,” Ismail said. “I feel that people really try to mix their styles of being very functional — like they could go on a hike at any point — and also fnding bold colors while mixing with a bunch of neutrals as well.” Within these style umbrellas, specific items have also become especially prevalent in the season’s fashion trends.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of skirts, and I think they’ve been in for a while,” Ismail said. “I think as the weather gets warmer, people are going back to wearing more free-fowing clothing like skirts, both long and short.” Accessories and shoes are also a particularly defning aspect of spring 2025 fashion.
“Big purses have been really coming in,” Ismail said. “I also think shoes that are slingbacks are [going to] come in. Or like a Mary Jane kind of shoe, I know some are really cute, and they have this kind of fower cut-out detail on the front. I’m also thinking [Adidas] Sambas. I think we’re [going to] see a diferent silhouette of Samba-esque shoes.”
In addition to overall styles and specific items, certain colors also typically pop out in each season.
“Color-wise, I’ve seen a lot of people gravitating toward white,” Lin said. “I think this is a spring trend in general. But I’ve also noticed a lot of earth tones, like browns and greens, especially here at Davis. Tere’s also been a lot of red popping up on campus.”
Savannah Luy, a UC Davis alumna, shooting a graduating student for her business, Luy Photography. (Courtesy / Savannah Luy)
STEPHANIE CHEN/ AGGIE
CRYSTAL CHEN / AGGIE
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.
Crossword
Time to put the
back into Picnic Day
BY KATHERINE ONG keong@ucdavis.edu
Aggie Mental Health to be centralized into Student Health and Wellness program
Students assured no jobs will be lost following creation of a petition protesting the ending of the program
BY NOAH HARRIS features@theaggie.org
Te Aggie Mental Health Ambassadors (AMHA), likely most recognizable for tabling at the Silo, Memorial Union and Shields Library, are being centralized with the Student Wellness Liaison (SWL) program. Both programs will be supervised by the Health Education and Promotion (HEP) team in Student Health and Counseling Services.
Te AMHA and SWL programs will remain separate and one full-time staff member will be in charge of both programs. Student Wellness Liaison had already been under HEP, but the AMHA program was run by Public Health Sciences and Student Affairs.
Initially, there was confusion among Aggie Mental Health Ambassadors, as they thought that their program was being defunded. Tis prompted a petition from its student workers, which has garnered over 1,000 signatures, as well as an Instagram account specifically created to save AMHA, @save.amha.
“We were recently informed by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Pablo G. Reguerín that our program will be defunded beginning with the upcoming academic year,” the petition reads.
An open letter was also sent to
Reguerín. Part of the letter states that “the decision to consolidate services into the Health Education and Promotion department will limit the accessibility of mental health resources designed for student use.”
Paul Kim, the interim associate vice chancellor at Student Health and Wellness as well as a director of Counseling Services, said that the petition wrongfully states that the program would be defunded.
On April 4, two days after the AMHA created their petition, Student Health and Counseling Services released a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page to address questions. Kyle Tseng, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major who has worked as an AMHA since spring quarter 2024, described how AMHA student workers found out about the FAQ page. Tat [FAQ] website basically stated that the program is going to be centralized with Health Education and Promotion,” Tseng said. “Unfortunately, we were never informed of that as employees and so we had to find that website out [for] ourselves.”
Te Student Wellness Liaison program has a much lower profile than AMHA, but the FAQ page makes it clear that this program will be expanding.
“Student Wellness Liaisons are
embedded within various community and identity-based centers and serve as a bridge between those centers and SHCS/HEP, tailoring wellness initiatives to the specific needs of their communities,” the FAQ page reads.
Aside from tabling at popular places on campus, part of the job of those working in AMHA is to float, which is when they ask students how they are doing. For Alyssa Reid, a third-year psychology major who works at AMHA, floating is extremely important and is something not mentioned on the FAQ page.
“Tey specifically say outreach, instead of saying that we would still be doing direct peer-to-peer outreach or doing direct like floating,” Reid said. “We reach people who are not willing to go up to mental health resources already by themselves the most by floating.”
Kim wrote in the statement that AMHA will still be visible on campus.
“As communicated to AMHA staff and student ambassadors, student mental health support efforts will continue to be funded by Student Affairs, which will include campuswide, highly-visible mental health outreach activities,” Kim said.
Emerald Hue, a third-year psychology major working at AMHA, was focused on the impact this change would have on UC Davis students.
Te jobs are not what we’re
Estelle Bakery opens in Davis
Beloved Sacramento-based bakery chain opens storefront in Davis
BY ALMA CULVERWELL
city@theaggie.org
concerned about,” Hue said. “We’re concerned about how the program is going to be facilitated in the future and how that impacts the community as a whole.”
On the FAQ page, the positions of student workers were guaranteed, but not full-time staff. However, Kim’s statement confirmed that no one
croissant.”
Anne Norton, a current Davis resident, commented on her experience with Estelle Bakery.
“I used to live in Sacramento, so I’m familiar with Estelle and I had been there once or twice a long time ago,” Norton said. “I heard about the Davis location because I live right down the street, plus I saw the posts about the opening on Facebook and Instagram. I was very excited to finally go there and get some goodies.”
Reflecting on her initial visit to the new Davis location, Norton shared both her excitement and concerns about the experience.
“I’m half German and lived in Europe for several years as a child,” Norton said. “I grew up eating European baked goods and sweets and my mama used to bake those things when we came back to the [United States]. I’ve never really cared for American desserts because they’re mostly too sweet, so I know real European pastries.”
Norton commented on her first time visiting the Davis location, and the few limitations she noticed from her trip.
“My first experience at this location is a mixed bag for me,” Norton said. “I know this is a soft opening schedule but I think they should have planned better for inventory.”
would be losing their job.
“No AMHA career staff or students are losing their jobs as a result of this transition and all non-graduating AMHAs and SWLs will be able to remain in their programs,” Kim said. Supervisors for Aggie Mental Health declined Te California Aggie’s request for comment.
sampled.
“Te plus: everything was absolutely delicious,” Norton said. Te croissants were light and fluffy, yet buttery without being greasy. Te bear claw had the real almond filling and wasn’t too sweet and the rose raspberry macarons were absolutely to die for.”
Moving forward, Norton shared her hopes for future visits and how she plans to approach them.
“As far as future visits, I’m going to wait until the rush of people dies down and go back when it’s not so busy and they have more of a selection to choose from,” Norton said. “But definitely a repeat.”
Soft opening hours for April are 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesdays through Saturdays. Beginning May 1, the bakery will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Te menu during the soft opening will reflect those of the Sacramento locations, with a slightly limited selection of hot foods. Estelle offers a range of breakfast and lunch options with a French twist, including French toast, soups, quiches, salads and sandwiches. Te bakery is best known for its pastries and desserts, featuring croissants, cronuts (croissant-donut hybrids), Danish, scones, muffins, bear claws and brioche donuts available on Fridays. Tere is also a selection of French baguettes, sourdough breads, macarons, tarts, mousses and cakes. Among the featured items is the Mont Blanc tart, a staff favorite promoted on Estelle’s Instagram page.
Te highly anticipated Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie opened its doors on Tuesday, April 1 at their new storefront at 2710 5th Street, bringing a fresh mix of French-inspired pastries and artisan breads to the local community. In addition to their new Davis location, Estelle has two other bakery locations in Sacramento. Owner Esther Son, a UC Davis Graduate, has been developing the Davis branch of the bakery since 2022 after purchasing the space from the former Konditorei Austrian Pastry Cafe, which closed earlier that year when the owners retired.
Many local residents were excited about the bakery’s arrival in town, including Sabrina Perez, a local Davis resident who had frequented one of Estelle’s Sacramento locations prior to their Davis opening.
Perez described her favorite order choices and what she recommends first-time visitors to try.
“My go-to order is the ham quiche with a side of fruit and rose latte,” Perez said. “If going, you should definitely try their chocolate almond
“I heard about Estelle coming to Davis through the Comings and Goings article,” Perez said. “I had previously been to their Arden location and fell in love with the atmosphere and, of course, the pastries. Te Davis location is smaller in size, but still comes with their full menu and friendly staff.”
Norton also emphasized the importance of accessibility, pointing out that small changes could make a big difference for people with disabilities. She shared her own experience navigating crowded spaces and expressed hope for greater consideration from both businesses and fellow customers.
“I think they could make better accommodations for handicapped people like me and ask waiting customers to move over so we can see everything,” Norton said. Tough Norton noted some concerns about accessibility and limited food options, she was thoroughly impressed by the quality and flavor of the baked goods she
As Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie continues its soft opening in Davis, the community can look forward to a full menu rollout and extended hours beginning in May. With its blend of European-inspired pastries, artisan breads and more, Estelle brings a new option to the area, and is already making an impression on longtime customers and new visitors alike. If early feedback is any indication, the bakery is poised to become a popular staple in the Davis food scene.
Volt Coffee, Tea & Taps hosts morning DJ event in collaboration with DRC Creatives
DJ Colin, Gavin and ENTO played a surprise set for customers
BY RORY CONLON city@theaggie.org
Volt Coffee, Tea & Taps, a shop located on Olive Drive, hosted a surprise DJ set in collaboration with Davis Rave Company (DRC) Creatives on April 7.
Caden Velasquez, the founder and chief executive officer of DRC Creatives, started the organization in 2022 to give a platform to artists in the Davis community. He said this is DRC’s third time hosting a live music event in collaboration with Volt.
“It’s this new initiative where we’re taking a unique approach towards music and the nightlife scene,” Velasquez said. “I love this event so much because when it ends around 2:30 [p.m.], you’ve met amazing people, you’ve danced and you’ve had a great start to your day.”
Mikaela Bailey, a fourthyear environmental science and management major, is a member of the promoter team for DRC Creatives. She said holding daytime events helps DJs reach a broader audience.
“[Electronic dance music] (EDM) nightlife comes with a bit of stigma,” Bailey said. “People have crazy ideas about what it’s gonna look like.
Bringing it into the morning gives people the opportunity to dip their toes [in], figure out if they like it
and give them a chance to experience [EDM through] a different lens.”
Te event featured three artists: DJ Colin, Gavin and ENTO. DJ Colin, whose real name is Josh Ansel, said he incorporated a mix of music he’s been listening to over the last couple of months into his set.
“I started with some more hyperpop, electronic music, like Rebecca Black and Mura Masa,” Ansel said. “My heart is always with soul and groove funk music, so I put that in the middle to mellow it back out. Ten, there was a stint where I listened exclusively to hard garage music and techy sort of sounds, and so I put that in at the end.”
Tis was the first time Ansel played a live set for DRC Creatives after participating in a YouTube series the organization recorded back in January. He also works with other Davis organizations, like Red Velvet Productions and Eclectic Collective, to play live gigs. Ansel said he prefers making inperson connections as opposed to promoting himself online.
“It’s hard to get your name out there that way because everything is so saturated,” Ansel said. “[Social media] is accessible to a lot of people, which is really awesome, but I think it makes it hard to elbow your way through. So, I’m trying to do it the word-of-mouth way and see how it goes.”
Jacob Weller, a third-year English
The Aggie Mental Health Ambassador (AMHA) program will be overseen by teams in Student Health and Counseling Services. (Courtesy / Luis Lopez)
The newly opened location of Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie. (Julia Heron-Watts / Aggie)
DJ from Davis Electronic Dance Music Club performing at Volt Coffee. (Andrew Huang / Aggie)
SCIENCE AND TECH
What’s happening in the world of pistachios?
UC Davis researchers successfully produced the most highly extensive DNA sequencing of pistachios, alongside an in-depth characterization of the pistachio development stages
BY MADELINE HASS science@theaggie.org
Until recently, relatively little research has been conducted on pistachios despite their economic importance, great nutritional value and sustainable crop qualities. A team of UC Davis researchers has now generated the most comprehensive genome sequence of the pistachio, alongside an in-depth account of pistachio nut development.
Tis research study involved the collaboration of two labs focused on the Kerman cultivar of the pistachio nut. Te new genome sequencing of the pistachio was accomplished by Grey Monroe’s team, while Bárbara Blanco-Ulate’s team focused on characterizing four distinct development stages of the pistachio.
Monroe, an assistant professor in the department of plant sciences at UC Davis and head of the Monroe Lab, said that this new type of indepth sequencing was made possible by new advancements within DNA sequencing.
“In the realm of genetics, we are in a time of a lot of technological advances; one of those advances is around new technologies in DNA sequencing,” Monroe said. “Te sequencing method we used is called
A photo posted on Instagram by an account called “916times” shows a man in a grey hoodie and ripped jeans holding a brown hand gun matching the suspect description. Beckwith confirmed that the police department believes the photo to be legitimate, as well as its use in the investigation, according to Te Davis Enterprise.
It was confirmed by police that one of the teens injured in the shooting is a student in the Davis Joint Unified School District. Te other teen injured is from Sacramento. In addition to the two teens who were shot, a 24-year-old was also shot during the Picnic Day incident. All of the victims are expected to fully recover.
On April 15, the city of Davis posted on Instagram, providing more information about the shooting and confirming that the shooting does not appear to be random.
“Based on preliminary information, the shooting does not appear to be random, and thus, Davis [Police Department] does not believe that our community is at ongoing risk,” the post reads.
Davis police continue to search for the suspect and emphasized their efforts toward this investigation in a recent Instagram post.
“Davis [Police Department] continues to investigate the crime with support from regional, state and federal law enforcement partners, including the [Federal Bureau of Investigation], to ensure a thorough and accurate investigation,” the post reads.
Tis is a developing story. Follow Te Aggie for continued updates.
circular consensus sequencing, which is available through the company Pacific BioSciences. Tey have something they call HiFi sequencing, which is what we used.”
As described in the team’s published study in the New Phytologist Foundation, young leaf tissue samples from Kerman trees were collected and flash-frozen in nitrogen for HiFi sequencing. HiFi sequencing employs fluorescent light signals to identify DNA bases and modified bases.
Once this initial sequencing is accomplished, Monroe’s team begins analyzing the data collected through extensive coding and writing computer software; this process is called bioinformatics. Te team can then generate a data file with the genome sequence enclosed.
Tis data is then applied to the work being done within Blanco-Ulate’s lab to achieve a detailed analysis of the pistachio development processes. Blanco-Ulate’s team specifically focuses on characterizing four stages of development in the Kerman cultivar.
Jaclyn Adaskaveg, a postdoctoral research contributor and member of Blanco-Ulate’s lab, described the methods used.
“We were able to characterize the development every week as we collected samples across a 24-week
society as opposed to a period of hopelessness. She encouraged protest attendees to think about the legacy they want to leave behind, urging them to continue to “rise up and fight back.”
“Today, tomorrow, every one of us has an opportunity and power to decide what kind of legacy we want to leave behind,” Vang said. “What mark do you want to make in your family, in your world, in your community? And I have to tell you, you are leaving a legacy today by showing up.”
Camille Adams, a queer artist and advocate, reiterated the message above at the protest.
“Our joy is resistance, our solidarity is strength and our vision for a better world is still possible, but only if we keep showing up like you have today,” Adams said.
Many in the audience cheered and chanted in agreement throughout each speaker’s speeches. Attendees carried posters with messages such as “Restore American Values,” “Respect the Rule of Law,” “Dump Trump,” “Educate, Don’t Defund” and many more statements calling out “the coup” and “oligarchy” taking place within the Trump administration.
Te 50501 movement’s next event will take place on April 19 at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
More information can be found on the 50501 movement’s website.
WALNUTPARK FROM PAGE 2
Te groundbreaking ceremony will feature remarks from key local and state leaders, including Vice-Chair of the Yolo County Board of Supervisors Sheila Allen, Yolo County Supervisor Lucas Frerichs, retired Yolo County Supervisor Jim Provenza, Congressman Mike Tompson, Davis City Council Member Josh Chapman, and a representative from the State Librarian’s Office,” the press release reads. Further details, contact information and sketches of the building are available on the Walnut Park Library page on the Yolo County Library website.
period and did different phenotyping on each sample,” Adaskaveg said. “We looked at the different coloring on the pistachio, what the kernels looked like and other characteristics. We also gathered information on how its size is increasing and the hardness and texture of the shell itself.”
After examining many of the physiological aspects of development, Blanco-Ulate’s team complemented the data collected with a transcriptomic study, which is an account of gene expression at different periods. Tis allowed them to characterize individual stages of development in a way that had not previously been defined in depth.
Te transcriptomic study was across mainly the kernel development, which is about 12 weeks, during which we were able to integrate these two data sets and identify genes that were involved in key aspects of pistachio development,” Adaskaveg said. “We could see what genes were present, when protein was developing or what genes were driving [fat accumulation].”
Tis new information about each stage of development can serve as great insight for a variety of groups while also offering a new understanding of crop development and harvesting strategies.
“Pretty much anybody who works
“I did not realize how much of an impact this organization had made until I saw the backpacks that [Soroptomist International] came and donated to help people who have been in abusive relationships, victims of sexual assault or just people in general who need help,” Lentz said.
Calvin Chan, a first-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, shared his experience as this was the first time he had volunteered.
“I have never done anything like this before,” Chan said. “Oftentimes, [...] we are focused on inside the campus — being out here, I learned a little more about actually what is beyond the classroom.”
From donors to volunteers, Davis residents and students alike played a large role in the Shower the Shelter event. Information regarding the donation of goods, money or time can be found on the Empower Yolo website.
On May 1, Empower Yolo will be attending Davis’ annual Big Day of Giving, an online donation event where each dollar donation has triple the impact — a two-dollar match for each dollar from the Starkweather family.
Baltazar encourages those interested who are unable to donate or volunteer to share resources and information about upcoming events. While Empower Yolo has experienced ups and downs with grant funding, Baltazar feels gracious for being able to lean on the community for support.
“I’m always in awe of the generosity that we see in Yolo County,” Baltazar said. “[It is] more than anywhere else that I have lived, so it is pretty awesome.”
in pistachios can now use this tool,” Monroe said. “For example, here at UC Davis, we have plant breeders who are now going to use this as a tool for their plant breeding program.”
Real-world application of this research has already been displayed and as time continues on, the hope is that this new tool continues to prove beneficial. With this research,
“But when I get to do these shoots, it feels like me and the grad come together and the world goes silent. We don’t have to worry about anything else going on in the world for that hour and instead we get to recognize that graduating is a huge milestone and a moment to celebrate.”
FASHIONTRENDS
FROM PAGE 8
Katy Lawlor, a second-year design and psychology double major and another co-founder of @fashionofucd, described the creation of the account.
“Every week, we take photos of what people are wearing on campus, and we post them on Fridays,” Lawlor said. “It started because we had a design class together and our friendship grew, and we realized that there was a bit of a gap in representation of different styles on campus, so we wanted to fill that gap and be consistent. We were both basically thinking about how we wanted things [to] look at when we wake up in the morning and are trying to get dressed.”
One of the co-founders’ primary goals with the account is to spotlight the little details in students’ fashion.
“Part of the reason we started @ fashionofucd is because we felt like there are students at Davis who are really great at the little things that might go unnoticed if you don’t take a photo, point them out or highlight them in some way,” Lawlor said. “We wanted to help everyone notice the little details — because how fun is that?”
Lawlor also participates in a campus ambassador program with Depop, a second-hand merchandise app that partners with Davis students to host swap shops and flea markets in collaboration with on-campus groups.
When it comes to finding style inspiration and balancing dressing with trends and maintaining her own personal style, Lin has some advice.
the future developments regarding pistachios remain boundless.
“We’ve now been able to give the pistachio world a lot more resources to work with,” Adaskaveg said. “Tere wasn’t really as high of a definition of a genome prior and we weren’t able to apply that to the development yet, so this will hopefully have really good applications for farmers and growers.”
by choosing clothing that flatters me and mixing in some current trends,” Lin said. I think it’s all about finding what works for you and making it your own.” Ismail commented on how he feels his personal style often draws from both men’s and women’s fashion, giving him more room to explore and break through gender limitations.
“I oftentimes look at both guys’ trends and girls’ trends and kind of take [inspiration] from both,” Ismail said. “Like I got like my platform [Adidas] Gazelles, and I love them so much and they’re so comfortable. People were complimenting me on my shoes — they haven’t really seen them on guys, so I think it’s just kind of a thing people like when they see it on different people than who they usually sit on, it’s kind of fun.” Though fashion can often be complex, intricate or multilayered, the founders of the @fashionofucd account wanted to showcase styles that keep it minimal and simple as well.
“I also like to keep it very basic sometimes,” Ismail said. “I literally just do maybe a graphic tee or just like a plain tee and then plain shorts and shoes. I feel like fashion is often thought of as being super extravagant and cutting edge, but it’s also the mundane.” When looking for style inspiration, Lawlor not only looks through typical media sites like Pinterest, but also utilizes seemingly unconventional pieces to stimulate her creative side.
“Since I’m a design major, in one of my classes, my teachers had us make a design board,” Lawlor said. “But I think I’ve been looking at that a lot for outfit inspiration. It’s more abstract how I can apply a design of a vintage birthday card and make it an outfit, things like that.” Ultimately, fashion culture at UC Davis provides endless opportunities for students and community members to display their individuality through their clothing.
“Donald Trump and I have something in common […] we both took that oath, and we raised our hands and we swore to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States,” Krell said. “Instead, he’s firing tens of thousands of veterans who fought for that Constitution. He’s targeting immigrants who belong here, under the Constitution. He’s deporting people who have due process rights under this Constitution.”
A Sacramento State University student organizer for Students for Justice in Palestine, who wishes to remain anonymous, reminded the audience in her speech at the protest of the importance of not only recognizing the humanity of Palestinians but continuing to fight for their justice and livelihood.
“We are not just names; We are dreams, futures, stories which are stolen from us,” the student organizer said. “Being Palestinian is not just a nationality, it is an act of resistance.”
Jinnae Looney, the executive director for the MikeB Foundation, talked about the importance of recognizing that the Trump administration’s actions are a result of American systems of oppression that have always existed.
“This system has always been dangerous,” Looney said. “Tis is not just one political moment or a moment in history, […] it is now just visible to everybody.”
Mai Vang, a community organizer and city council member for South Sacramento, discussed at the protest the importance of defining the current period as one where the community comes together to transform American
DEPUTYCHIEF
FROM PAGE 2
“I hope that Petersen respects the unique college-town aspect of Davis,” Ryder said. “It takes a respectful, flexible officer to cater to Davis’ distinct demographic and community, so I’m glad to hear that he plans to adapt to Davis’ culture, rather than trying to change it. I hope Petersen continues to stick to that.”
With it being only his third week on the job, Petersen is excited to keep learning about and serving the Davis community. For more information, visit the Davis Police Department’s website.
However, for the most part, Baltazar coordinates with student organizations on campus to volunteer for in-person events like this one. As for this event, DEMO, a student organization dedicated to students passionate about emergency care, volunteered with Empower Yolo for the first time. Skye Lentz, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, described how much she learned about the organization’s impact by volunteering at this event.
excuse. Attachment theory was intended to help understand and solve the gaps in our patterns of communication, and TikTok offers up these patterns that were previously taboo or confusing to us on a silver platter. Te paradox of TikTok psychology is that, despite its desire to educate, it leverages therapy-speak as social capital, concealing the amount of work that needs to be done. So, the clock ticks and you scroll through posts for nearly an hour and a half. Your anxious attachment to your phone is why you are so easily lied to and misguided — break the cycle or don’t. Use what you’re told or put your phone away. To aestheticize all talk and no action is dangerous; nothing that is 60 seconds long can do the work alone.
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 Te California Aggie.
GRADPHOTOGRAPHERS
FROM PAGE 8
Unlike Ikuma, Luy has connected with a variety of clients previously unknown to her via her business’ Instagram, @luyphotography, and by way of flyers across campus. Luy, however, also highlighted the unique time spent one on one with a client as being one of the most impactful parts of photographing graduating students.
“I think that shooting college students in general, everybody has this sort of chaos going on around them — everybody seems to be part of different clubs and [organizations] and everybody is doing something crazy,” Luy said.
“I try to make [my style] my own
“Everyone at Davis has such a unique and fun style,” Lin said. “I love how the environment here lets everyone express themselves through fashion, no matter their major. It’s really cool to see all the different ways people use fashion as an outlet for self-expression.”
KAYLA TRAN / AGGIE
SPORTS
STUNT: an alternative to competitive cheer
The UC Davis STUNT team wraps up their 2025 season
BY THEO KAYSER sports@theaggie.org
In 2025, the UC Davis STUNT team played its third season after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Te season concluded on April 11 at Jessup University, where the UC Davis Aggies were defeated after a challenging season.
STUNT as a sport has seen a rise in popularity in recent years, offering a more competitive structure to the sport of cheerleading.
“[I] really [like] the competitive aspect [and] being able to get better at skills and show them off and compete with other people,” Izzy Gutierrez, a fourth-year biological sciences major, said.
Games are structured similarly to many other popular sports, with two teams competing against one another across four quarters. Te two teams perform the same routine simultaneously, and after each round, judges allocate points to eventually decide a winner.
Each of the game’s rounds sees the stunters competing in different activities. Games begin in round one with partner stunts, then move to pyramids in round two and tumbling
in round three. Finally, round four features a combination of the three former activities.
Tese stunts exist in a hierarchy of difficulty, beginning at level one for the simplest, to level eight being the most difficult.
Te final game for the UC Davis STUNT team was Senior Night, with graduating players honored in a ceremony occurring before the start of the game. After suffering defeat in each of their final six games, the club will not be advancing to Nationals, which will begin on April 23 in Nashville.
Tis season was one of transition for the team, with much of 2024’s team graduating. Te 2025 team did not rank within the top six in their conference — the required mark to secure a place in Nationals. With an impressive roster turnover, the challenges that arose were not unpredictable. Nonetheless, the team made great strides.
“We had people coming in not knowing what STUNT is. I think we excelled,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez had a positive mention of the team’s improvement throughout the season.
“We came all the way from level 1 to level 7 this year,” Gutierrez said. Te STUNT team makes up
Aggies snap losing streak but stumble in series finale against CSUN
UC Davis softball ended a seven-game skid, but defensive errors haunted them in the rubber match
BY LUCIENNE BROOKER sports@theaggie.org
Te UC Davis softball team was able to end their seven-game losing streak on April 4 in their second
of three games in a weekend series against California State University at Northridge (CSUN). After traveling from Davis to Northridge to prepare for their three matchups against the Matadors, a change in location would hopefully help them find victory on the field.
It’s been a tough start to the season, with one long winning streak sandwiched between two losing streaks. As a result, they sit low in the Big West Conference standings, with only California Polytechnic State University ranked below them. In contrast, CSUN entered the weekend
ranked second in the league, wanting the three wins in their push for the league title. Te first game of the April 4 doubleheader teed off at 1 p.m., but it was a slow start for both teams.
Caroline Grimes, a third-year pitcher, performed well with five strikeouts but was unable to hold the Matadors scoreless. CSUN’s Tiara Westbrook’s home run during the third inning was the only score of the game, which ended 1-0 in favor of CSUN. Tere was almost no time to regroup as the next game was slated to start at 3 p.m. Both teams switched up their players, with Ashley Sawai, a second-year pitcher, replacing Grimes. Once again, both teams shut each other out until the third inning, but this time, it was the Aggies who broke the deadlock. Tird-year Gia Felice hit a single to bring first-years Keira Brady and Claire Shelton home, giving UC Davis a 2-0 lead.
CSUN was able to pull one run back in the fourth inning, but from there onwards, the Aggies dominated play. Tey converted five more runs across the sixth and seventh innings to bring the score to 7-1 and clinch a long-awaited victory. Shelton scored another run, and second-year Olivia McFarland also claimed two runs. Both teams got some much-
needed time to rest and reset before the rubber match on Saturday afternoon. However, the Aggies were unable to access the composure and sense of calm they had found in the previous two games in the last match of the weekend. While the game started off slow, with CSUN ahead 1-0 at the beginning of the third inning, that run was unearned as the runner advanced due to an Aggie error.
Te Matadors opened up the scoring in the third inning and continued to pile on in the fourth with seven runs, though only one of those runs was earned. Te rest were scored due to errors made by UC Davis. Tis brought the total score to 12-0. UC Davis was able to force an error in the fifth inning as first-year Rylee Reeves scored, however, this was the only scoring chance they got. Te game ended in the fifth inning, with a final score of 12-1 for the Matadors.
Te Aggies now face five more opponents, totaling 13 games, before the beginning of the Big West Conference Championships. Tey will be looking to claim wins and climb up the conference rankings before the postseason tournament.
UC Davis women’s water polo puts up a fight against LBSU
The Aggies just narrowly miss an at-home win
BY DANIELLE WIRNOWSKI sports@theaggie.org
Te UC Davis women’s water polo team returned to the pool on April 5 for their first home game of the season. Coming back from their loss to the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa the previous week, the Aggies were ready for a chance to fight for a win against California State University, Long Beach.
Te Aggies put up a vicious fight against Long Beach, who entered the game with determination after facing a loss against Stanford University.
Te Aggies started off the first quarter strong, with Sam Yoo, a fourth-year human development major and utility, scoring her first goal of the game within the first two minutes of gameplay. However, Long Beach quickly tied the score with a goal of their own.
Just one minute after Long Beach scored, Margo Tempel, a firstyear neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, scored her first goal of the game. Tempel’s goal brought the Aggies into a brief lead with a score of 2-1 before Long Beach scored yet again to tie the score at the end of the first quarter.
Te start of the second quarter was a struggle for the Aggies, as Long Beach scored two back-to-back goals within the first three minutes of gameplay, bringing the score to 2-4. However, Yoo took this challenge to score her second goal, with an assist by Bridget Miller, a second-year human
development major and center, within minutes after Long Beach scored, giving the Aggies a fighting chance. Long Beach shut down this chance with a fifth goal of the game two minutes after Yoo’s goal, pushing the Aggies down by two goals. Nonetheless, Tempel scored her second goal of the game in the last second of the second quarter, bringing the score to 4-5, with the Aggies trailing close behind Long Beach. After the back-and-forth scoring of the first half, the Aggies returned to the second half with a strong determination to get more scores on the board. Entering the third quarter
one point behind, the Aggies put up a strong defense against Long Beach. Unfortunately, due to a penalty, Long Beach was able to score an additional goal in an unguarded shot, bringing the score to 4-6.
Te Aggies came back offensively after multiple attempts at a goal for the next few minutes in the third quarter. With a timeout called four minutes into the third quarter, the Aggies were able to put together a plan and regroup.
Teir planning paid off as Chelsea Johnson, a second-year human development major and center defender, scored a fifth goal for the
Aggies, with an assist by Maddie Sumner, a third-year psychology major and attacker. Tis celebration did not last long, as Long Beach scored another unguarded shot at the Aggies, bringing the score to 5-7. Lillie Vehling, a second-year mechanical engineering and statistics double major and attacker, went on the offensive and scored a sixth goal for the Aggies with just over two minutes left in the third quarter. Following this goal, Long Beach called a timeout with 45 seconds left in the third in an effort to strategize how to maintain the lead against the Aggies. Long Beach proceeded to score another goal
with seven seconds left in the third, bringing the score to 6-8.
Long Beach continued the attack in the fourth and final quarter as they attempted to score within the first 30 seconds, only to be blocked by the Aggies. Te Aggies came back with an attempted goal right after Long Beach’s attempt, though they were unsuccessful.
Long Beach called another timeout two minutes into the final quarter, following up with another goal seconds after the timeout ended. Te Aggies’ Ally Smith, a third-year economics major and attacker, took the ball and scored a goal for UC Davis just seconds after Long Beach’s score. Unfortunately, this would be the last goal that the Aggies would score in the game.
Long Beach followed up this goal with another one of their own, with only three minutes and 30 seconds left in the game, bringing the score to 7-10. Tensions between players and fans reached an all-time high in the last few minutes of the game, with multiple attempts on the goal by both teams, though neither team scored.
Te Aggies, in a last-ditch effort, brought their goalie into the field to attempt to score within the last seconds of the game, ultimately missing the goal. Overall, it was a very exciting matchup with both teams fighting for a spot in the Big West Conference Championships. Te Aggies will return to their home pool as they host the Big West matchup against UC Irvine on April 12 at 12 p.m.
The last UC Davis STUNT game of the season was held at Jessup University. (Courtesy / Creative Commons)
Fourth-year Sam Yoo passes the ball. (Jessie Baltaxe / Aggie)
one-third of UC Davis’ Spirit Squad, along with the university’s cheer and dance teams. Tough still categorized
The 2025 UC Davis softball team during a previous game. (Julia Heron-Watts / Aggie)
as a club, the team hopes to become school-sanctioned in the future. More information on the STUNT team can be found on the UC Davis Athletics website.