Davis May Day demonstration draws over 800 attendees
Hundreds of demonstrators march through downtown in support of workers
BY SUNNY LIU city@theaggie.org
On May 1, hundreds of Davisites and UC Davis students converged in Central Park as part of a planned May Day demonstration. T e protest is among hundreds of similar May Day demonstrations and strikes across the country defending labor rights. Te demonstrations in Davis this May Day also demanded protection for immigrants and an end to President Donald Trump’s assault on democratic institutions.
The event was organized and sponsored by a number of community organizations, including the Davis Faculty Association, Indivisible Yolo, Democratic Socialists of America-Yolo, Sister District Yolo, Davis College Democrats, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement-Sacramento and the American Federation of Teachers at UC Davis.
Kelly Wilkerson, an organizer for the event representing Sister District Yolo, explained the purpose of the event.
“It’s May Day, which is international workers day, so that was our focus,” Wilkerson said. “Davis Faculty Association and some other unions were here, [...] so that’s one reason why we’re here. And then we’re here for all the other reasons, you know, our rights and my particular sign is pro-child, antiTrump. I’m really horrifed by what’s happening. And so, you know, it’s kind of all of the above.”
Antonio De Loera-Brust, the director of communications for the United Farm Workers Union, commented on his organization’s view on the need to foreground immigrant labor when discussing labor rights in general.
Te Latino working class [is what] really makes Yolo County run,” De Loera-Brust said. “Whether you think about the felds and the [agriculture] all around in Yolo County, that’s really our bread and butter. Or whether it’s, you
know, all the kitchens in Downtown Davis, right? Every time UC Davis students order DoorDash, right, it’s probably an immigrant Latino worker making that meal. It’s often immigrant workers who are delivering them, right? So for us, we wanted to participate, to really elevate just the visibility of that workforce that doesn’t run Davis, but makes Davis run.”
Te event kicked of at 5 p.m. with speeches from various sponsors and local labor organizations. Soon after 5 p.m., the group, many with homemade signs, marched around the downtown area. Te protestors chanted slogans through 4th Street, G Street and then back through 2nd Street. Many roads along the march route were closed of to trafc due to the number of protesters and audience members present. Wilkerson described the audience during the march.
“It’s great because there’s a lot of people on G Street for the Big Day of Giving, so we kind of had a built-in audience,” Wilkerson said. “Sometimes you have a march or parade and there’s no one watching, but we did have [a large audience].”
After the protesters returned to Central Park, the organizers gave a few concluding remarks and future announcements. De Loera-Brust encapsulated the sentiment expressed
UC Davis’ student farm hosts the 2025 Semillas y Culturas Summit
On Sunday, April 27, the UC Davis Student Farm was abuzz with people attending this year’s Semillas y Culturas, translated to Seeds & Cultures, Summit. Born from a desire to raise awareness around the sustainable agriculture of Indigenous Mesoamerican communities, 2025 marks the seventh year the event has been held at UC Davis.
Trough workshops, presentations and speeches, attendees learned about what sustaining native foodways means in a world rapidly feeling the efects of climate change and cultural interconnection.
Tiffany Herrera, a fourth-year English and Chicana/o studies double major, highlighted the community’s excitement surrounding the event.
Tis is my fourth time at Semillas y Culturas; I really love it,” Herrera said. “I frst got introduced to the summit through one of my [Chicana/o studies] professors. After a food justice course, I fnd it really valuable.”
In sharing her admiration for the annual seminar, Herrera also honed in on its collaboration with the university.
“It’s a lot of people’s first introduction to the student farm and ecological garden,” Herrera said. “It gets people on campus, and more importantly, it gets people to engage with native foodways.”
Located at the edge of the UC Davis campus of of Hutchison Drive, the student farm is directed by Colin Dixon. Dixon elaborated on how the farm connects to the summit’s objectives.
“We do a lot of work here around food production [and] crop production but also food sovereignty,” Dixon said. “It’s the aspect of what it means to not just eat food, not just grow food sustainably, but also how to sustain cultures through making and sharing
food. Tat’s defnitely a big emphasis of this event.” Dixon further described how the farm’s sustainability values align with those of the event.
“Bringing people together to talk about the knowledge, some of the traditions that are of California and of Mesoamerica, of the place where we are, and be able to highlight the homeland we’re on,” Dixon said. “Another important aspect of this event is bringing campus communities together. Bringing these diferent stories, diferent kinds of expertise together so that we can learn across communities and across generations.”
Melissa Moreno, the director of the Semillas y Culturas Summit, shared how integrated seeds and culture really are.
“This is an interdisciplinary collaboration,” Moreno said. “My training is in ethnic studies, native Chicano studies, but we also have farming [and] agriculture, as well as culinary knowledge. Bringing these worlds together is the exciting part.”
Te food, catered by Savory Café, is one of the main components Moreno sees as helping to share the Indigenous knowledge the event is all about.
“We started with trying to raise awareness about the Mesoamerican Southwest and California regional foodways,” Moreno said. “Every year, the major food item is the cactus. Tis year, it’s made by Savory Café, all from scratch.”
Moreno concluded by emphasizing the summit’s growth in popularity after the efects of COVID-19.
Tis has been a beautiful seventh summit in collaboration with [Dixon] [and] Jacqueline Ross [co-organizer], as well as Juan [Barajas], the owner of Savory Café,” Moreno said. “When we started the event, we had 50, 100 and, at some point before COVID, we had 200 attendees. Now, we’re building up again. Today we even have a couple of people from UC Santa Cruz, all the way here just to check this out.”
by multiple labor groups and protesters at the demonstration.
“An attack on one worker is an attack on every worker,” De Loera-Brust said. “When any group of workers is afraid to speak out because they’re afraid of getting deported, that makes them less likely to report unsafe working conditions. Tat makes them less likely to report wage theft, and that makes not just their lives worse, but that puts every other worker, including U.S. citizen workers in the same danger. […] Tat’s our message that if we want to fght for workers. We need to fght for immigrant workers, too.”
After the event, Steve Murphy, the co-chair of Indivisible Yolo and an organizer for the event, spoke about the scope and size of the May Day demonstration.
“[We are] part of the national movement, the national days of action,” Murphy said. “Tere’ll be another one in June, but this one was all about labor, all about solidarity, labor and the immigrant community. So getting all three generations of Davis out: the student population, the adults, the seniors like myself, getting all [...] three of those generations all up and getting incredibly invigorated [is important].
MAYDAY on 9
Yolo Food Bank faces significant funding cuts
$2 million budget shortfall comes from federal cuts to food assistance programs and expiring pandemic aid
BY GIA LOOMIS city@theaggie.org
Tis year, the Yolo Food Bank will experience an over $2 million loss from its federal funding. With an annual budget of $5.1 million, this almost 40% budget cut could have detrimental efects on their operations. Tese budget cuts are resulting from recent losses in both federal aid and emergency pandemic funds. Since taking office, President Donald Trump’s administration has attempted to reduce inflation by cutting back government spending. As a result, on March 10, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) cancelled $1 billion in national funding for Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) for schools and food banks. Additionally, they have also cut around $500 million in funding for Te Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). Tese cuts are resulting in a $750,000 hit to Yolo Food Bank’s upcoming fscal year’s budget. Furthermore, the food bank is also experiencing a large loss from expiring American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds. Tese are emergency funds for organizations from COVID-19. Yolo Food Bank will have $1.3 million in funds expiring this year. Consequently, Yolo Food Bank will suf er a $2.1 million reduction in their operating budget for next year.
With these recent federal cuts, there are concerns of additional cuts
in aid. Te Trump administration is considering further decreasing USDA or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding.
In a recent press release, Karen Baker, the executive director of Yolo Food Bank, expressed concerns for the impact these cuts may have on the food bank’s distributions.
“If resources continue to decline, we may have no choice but to reduce the amount of food families receive at our public distributions,” Baker said. “We’re calling on local leaders, policymakers and our community to take action. Without financial and legislative support, we won’t be able to meet the growing need. We’re doing everything we can, but we can’t do it alone. It will take all of us to keep food on every table in Yolo County.”
Declines in local food bank funding are an especially pressing issue in Yolo County. In recent surveys, Yolo County has consistently measured a high poverty percentage. In 2024, it sat at 15.3%, around 4% higher than the national average. Yolo Food Bank’s recent Yolo County Food Access survey also showed that 29% of households in the county are food insecure.
Food insecurity is a major concern in Yolo County that the food bank is working to combat. California Assembly District 4 Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry touched on the concern of falling resources and increasing need in the press release.
YOLOFOODBANK on 9
Human Relations Commission’s Muslim, Arab and Palestinian study draws contentious opposition
The HRC votes overwhelmingly to recommend further actions to protect marginalized groups
BY SUNNY LIU city@theaggie.org
On April 26, the Human Relations Commission (HRC) met to discuss recent hate incidents and a three-monthlong research report on discrimination against Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians and their Allies (MAPA).
Te commission frst discussed a troubling rise in hate incidents in the Davis Joint Unifed School District.
Vice Chair Leonie Pickett informed the group of one recent hate incident in a local Davis high school.
“There was an incident with a swastika drawn somewhere in Da Vinci High School,” Pickett said. “I know, there, it’s being investigated as hate speech as the school always would, and I don’t think we’ve quite fgured out the details of it yet, but it’s a hate incident.”
One resident who identifed herself as a teacher at North Davis Elementary School described the situation in the school district further.
“We’ve had several incidents this year,” the public commenter said. “I think the most recent was the swastika and the n-word in an elementary school bathroom, but it’s pretty regular. [...] Some of the students have kind of just stopped reporting to us. I found out recently, because there’s just a lot of racism, antisemitism and sexism. [...]
And that’s my main concern, just that our young people are kind of swimming in this right now and I don’t think most adults are aware.”
Following the discussion on rising hate incidents in Davis schools, the majority of the time in the meeting was devoted to discussing the MAPA Report and the commission’s list of recommendations. T e previous meeting held on April 2 presented the
report’s fndings. Te meeting on April 26 was intended to address only the commission’s recommendations to the Davis City Council.
Commission Member Ellie Kaplan provided some background on the research.
“These recommendations are coming out of three months of research [and] many, many conversations with Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians and allies within Davis,” Kaplan said. “We primarily took a qualitative approach for this. We really wanted this to be an opportunity for people to share their experiences, their thoughts [and] their feelings in a safe way. One of the things that came up is that there [are] enormous risks in speaking out for many members of this community.”
A Davis resident provided a comment to the commission and expressed their support for the initiative.
“I wanted to urge that the MAPA Report and recommendations be sent on promptly to the city council,” one public commenter said. “I wholeheartedly agree with the recommendations. Institutional acknowledgement of the hurt and distrust in the community is the beginning step towards healing and building a healthier community. [...] I think that honestly recognizing that speech in favor of Palestinian justice is not antisemitic is important.”
Another supporter of the project thanked the commission for their work in highlighting the struggles faced by the MAPA community.
“I want to start by thanking the subcommittee for performing such a complete survey of the MAPA community and presenting your fndings in such a clear and efective manner,” the commenter said. “Tis survey was so necessary because our community often doesn’t talk about hate
speech or incidents, or it’s so common that it doesn’t even register anymore as something new.”
The commenter continued by describing specifc incidents and their relevance.
“I have youth in the community who just casually mention stories of other kids calling them terrorists and saying racist, Islamophobic comments, and I’m hearing them in shock while they say, ‘Oh, it’s fne, I just play it of,’” the commenter said. “We don’t want our kids thinking it’s normal for others to call them these things, and as was mentioned earlier, these comments are a refection of what their classmates hear at home. And that comes back to this survey and the recommendations. It’s an actual opportunity to make change in the community.”
Despite the broad support for the recommendations from those attending the meeting, other Davis residents voiced their apprehension with the MAPA study itself. One commenter who was reading of a mobile device claimed to speak for David Siegle, a professor emeritus of medicine at UC Davis.
“Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment are serious issues in the [United States] and worldwide,” the commenter said. “Tat said, the Davis Human Relations Commission’s meeting on April 2, last month, did little to advance knowledge of or combat these problems. Rather, they presented a 45-minute biased report. [...] Te report obstructed a deeper understanding of these concerns by making numerous false charges, promoting confict and weaponizing Islamophobia and antiArab sentiment.”
The commenter continued by describing their perspective of the meeting.
“At the April 2 meeting, HRC members read long quotes from interviews, [interviewees] who supposedly represented a crop-section of the MAPA groups in Davis,” the commenter said. “It was quickly apparent that the quoted individuals were not randomly selected but were purposefully picked to spread carefully chosen political themes and falsehoods.”
Another public commenter further questioned the scientifc rigor of the methods used to create the report.
“It is interesting to note that much of the report doesn’t actually include evidence or examples,” the commenter said. “Without clear examples and evidence, I worry that this report also serves to slander and libel community members. The Congregation Bet Haverim Counter Antisemitism Committee put on a presentation that is mentioned in the report.
The Davis Human Relations Commission met in the Community Chambers on April 24, 2025. (Sacha Chickering / Aggie)
Davis May Day demonstration in Central Park on May 1. (Sunny Liu / Aggie)
Boxes of food at Yolo Food Bank, which is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Trump administration. (Christian Cendejas / Aggie)
People make their own tea bags during the Semillas y Culturas Summit.
(Christian Cendejas / Aggie)
Cold water, hot topic
Did I really just get nominated for this challenge?
BY NEVAEH KARRAKER nakarraker@ucdavis.edu
We’ve all seen videos of the Ice Bucket Challenge by now — either done by a celebrity or peers. It’s no surprise that another 2010s trend has resurfaced; In fact, it may stimulate nostalgia for many who partook in the challenge during middle school.
Te 2014 Ice Bucket Challenge was a way to garner awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and this fundraising campaign raised millions for research on this chronic, life-altering disease. While a cure has yet to be discovered, these donations helped in the development and testing of a medication called RELYVRIO. Tis medication has been transformative in improving the quality of life of impacted individuals, signifcantly slowing ALS symptoms like muscle weakness and poor motor control.
Te University of South Carolina (USC) “#SpeakYourMIND” Ice Bucket Challenge is a similar campaign to raise awareness for mental health and suicide. It’s made its way across the country, with individuals of all ages hopping onto the trend — including UC Davis students. As of now, the challenge has raised almost $250,000 for the nonproft organization Active Minds. Tis organization is focused on transforming the lives of youth who have been afected by poor mental health.
While many people remain enthusiastic about participating in the challenge and in its message, others expressed their vexation on social media by the implication of the Ice Bucket Challenge as a sensory representation of the symptoms experienced by those battling ALS. Yet, the purpose of this new campaign is not to minimize the seriousness of ALS but rather to shed light on another issue. It is crucial to note that the individuals leading the campaign had no expectation of it going viral. Te USC challenge was started by a small club at USC and piloted on Instagram, with the goal of raising only a few hundred dollars. Tese were students who took inspiration from a previously successful event with good intent — what student can’t relate to that efort?
However, instead of an awareness campaign, many saw it as an opportunity to gain popularity, have fun with friends and make jokes. While most of these are wholesome efects, it is undeniable that actions without purpose, especially when infuenced by conformity, are ultimately meaningless.
On the other hand, these side efects also contribute to the appeal. Tey reveal that the ice bucket challenge isn’t just a feeting trend, but rather a symbolic and intentional act. Te frst step toward improving mental health is
to fnd resources and build community. In the challenge, participants tag their friends to join — creating social connections that link one person to another. It mimics the ways in which health advocacy can stem from one person and reach many people.
I doubt that many participants actually wanted a cold bucket of ice water poured on their heads and soaking their clothes. It looks miserable. Yet, that’s how degrading mental health can feel — overwhelming, abrupt and isolating. By voluntarily taking on brief, somewhat similar discomfort, participants act in solidarity and recognition, broadcasting a couple of things.
Te frst is solidarity — the idea that the source of any recovery is community: a reminder that we are not as alone as we may think. Mental health struggles are often hidden and sufered in silence, which frequently worsens conditions. Te Ice Bucket Challenge forces visible, physical discomfort, illustrating the importance of exposing internal struggles for health-centered conversations.
Te second is vulnerability — some of the most meaningful moments come from being transparent about your
thoughts and emotions. I, for one, have experienced countless times that a lot of my “core memories” are rooted in sadness. Tese memories stick with me, not because of the negative correlations, but because of the bonds that have been formed through this grief — like receiving a sense of strength and support from late night talks with the homies. At some point in our lives, we have all endured the relief of vulnerability, and thus can relate to it.
Te Ice Bucket Challenge allows us to break the stigma surrounding mental health. Getting drenched and squealing with shock on camera resembles the courage and vulnerability it takes to openly talk about mental health issues. In the end, it calls for action. Similar to the 2014 campaign demonstrating commitment to ALS awareness, the 2025 Ice Bucket Challenge demonstrates the responsibility we all have to help others heal — oftentimes through sparking conversations.
Disclaimer: (Tis article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and the names of “sources” are fctionalized.)
I have beef with love triangles
It’s time to ditch the drama and choose the better love interests
BY JHANA RHODES jsrho@ucdavis.edu
Every other week, “Twilight” enthusiasts come out of the woodwork to discuss whether the franchise’s protagonist, Bella Swan, should have ended up with Edward Cullen, a 104-year-old high schooler with the personality of a brick, or Jacob Black, the portable heater with 30-inch locks. While the choice between a sparkly, self-loathing vampire and a werewolf with no respect for boundaries can hardly count as a “better choice,” this consistent and frankly comical debate represents a timeless romance trope: the love triangle. Tis trope, so often seen in young adult media, draws our attention to a bigger issue found in many romance flms.
Why does the protagonist always go for the frst choice when the second choice is almost always better? Don’t get me wrong, Jacob Black is the secondworst example of this phenomenon regarding “secondary” love interests. Te frst-worst example is, by far, Daniel Cleaver from the flm “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Tat being said, while there are certain exceptions to this phenomenon, pop culture narratives often set up a dynamic where a second lead character could be the more stable and benefcial partner, if only the protagonist (and the plot) weren’t so fxated on the often more unbelievably toxic and dramatic
frst choice.” Tis tendency to prioritize initial and usually unhealthy attraction over genuine compatibility is already something I hear about from my friends’ bad dating choices, so I’d prefer if movies stopped romanticizing it. Take the classic 2004 flm, “Te Notebook,” for example. Ryan Gosling’s character, Noah, and Rachel McAdams’ character, Allie, are the embodiment of a toxic relationship. Troughout the flm, Noah acts obsessively with Allie, often making unwanted gestures — such as dangling of of a Ferris wheel — until Allie agrees to date him. When Allie was with him, she was constantly stressed, crying in every other frame. My jaw dropped when I found out (spoilers) that she didn’t end up with James Marsden’s character, Lon Hammond Jr. — Allie’s (ex) fancé and a handsome lawyer who is the opposite of Noah. However, for some odd reason, Allie leaves a life of happiness and stability to return to a summer fing. More often than not, the “second choice,” initially made to be either an obstacle, plot progress or fallback, embodies traits that any reasonable human being would consider desirable in a partner. The second choice is often kind, patient and compassionate, someone who the protagonist feels safe confding in and ofers unwavering support without toxicity or dramatics.
Tis starkly contrasts with the frst choice, where (depending on the trope) they are outright rude, condescending, impulsive and possessive (yes, I am
POV: You’re preparing for economic collapse
“Recession-core” as the aesthetic of an anxious economy
BY MOLLY THOMPSON mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu
“Recession-core trends I love and why.” “Recession-core breakfast.” “In honor of recession-core, let’s run this trend back.” “Te truth about recessioncore.” “Recession-core makeup tutorial.” “POV: You found recession-core.”
I’ve been unable to escape the voracious infux of “recession-core” content infltrating my TikTok “For You” page in recent weeks. Every other video proclaims a sense of dread in anticipation of economic decline wrapped up in a thin veil of romanticization and nostalgia. Moneysaving tips, eggless recipes, vintage clothing styles and commiserative proclamations of an inability to access luxury products make up the viral trend — it’s taken over the Internet, but its societal implications run far deeper than “#recessioncore” might convey.
To set the record straight, economic experts believe that there is a real possibility that the United States could be headed into a recessive period. I don’t claim to have a comprehensive understanding of the economy, but the consensus seems to be that, while we’re not in a recession right now, current federal fnancial policy has us heading in that direction.
Understandably, that’s scary news. Given the threat of a potential recession, the natural impulse is to prepare yourself to the best of your ability. Tat means purchasing goods efciently, getting accustomed to generally consuming less and pinching pennies in any way you can. Hence, the trend of “recessioncore” was born.
talking about Damon Salvatore).
Honestly, the protagonist’s total lack of regard for their own red fags bafes me. While dating the “bad boy” may seem exciting, the continuous prioritization of toxic relationships over healthy ones in the media teaches us to view toxicity as fun and stability as boring.
However, the second lead is sadly second for a reason. Tat is primarily because — to put it simply — we all love a little drama. Stories thrive on conflict and tumultuous character dynamics; the frst love interest often provides the necessary fuel to create a good story. No matter how much we (and the protagonist) know that the second choice is better, the drama is much more enticing.
Te bitterness I still harbor over Carrie choosing Big in “Sex and the City” and my undying adoration for Duckie Dale from “Pretty in Pink” highlights my dissatisfaction with love triangles. While individual viewers may have their favorite love interest, consistently prioritizing an often toxic frst choice” can reinforce unhealthy romantic relationships within our modern culture.
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.
Te millennial generation, born between 1981 and 1996, came of age during the 2008 recession. For a lot of them, this was a pivotal event that served as a signifcant landmark in their development — now, they make up a large portion of the current social media zeitgeist surrounding “recession-core.” One of the major pillars of the trend involves drawing parallels between 2008 and 2025. Parallels aren’t all doom and gloom, and come in playful forms, too, like trying to bring back clothing trends from the early 2000s, reminiscing about songs from the era or rediscovering childhood hobbies as a way to make light of an intimidating situation.
Tis sentimental throwback content serves a dual purpose. On one hand, it
indicates that people feel as though we are regressing back into the difcult times of the last major recession in 2008. As humans, we’re naturally inclined to both seek out and follow patterns, so if we notice certain common themes between 2008 and 2025 (maybe specifc grocery shortages or stock values), we’re likely to create similarities in other ways as well (like digging out our fringe-lined tank tops and Beyblades out of our parents’ garages).
On the other hand, it is also a selffulflling prophecy, at least in terms of our perception. We start to notice these patterns, then start to follow and track them and subsequently we create a situation that looks all too familiar. Te more TikTok videos we see telling us that second-hand shopping and upcycling are trending because of the downfall of the economy, the more nervous we’re going to be about the state of the world. When we see the food of eggless recipes in response to the egg shortage and in preparation for more resource scarcity — especially when those recipes draw parallels with historical economic crises, like the eggless, butterless, milkless “depression cake” from the 1930s that’s having a resurgence in popularity online — we start to panic and begin to prepare for the worst. Te vicious cycle starts anew.
Tis is not to say that all the worry is baseless. Romanticizing a simplistic lifestyle (as “recession-core” touts) is a clear coping mechanism for stress caused by the threat of impending economic doom. It’s not a “boy who cried wolf” indicator; it’s more of a bellwether. But such is the way of humanity — we try to make the best of a bad deal. If we don’t, we could crumble. So, on the precipice of what could be a very distressing fnancial situation, we bring out our childhood photo albums and test a new recipe for chocolate cake.
“Recession-core” certainly isn’t without fault, but it allows us to maintain a sense of lightness and whimsy. If nothing else, it brings us a sense of community — a parasocial support system. Sometimes, when threatened with impending economic downfall, the best we can do is brush the dust off our Beyblades. That’s #recessioncore.
Disclaimer: (Tis article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and the names of “sources” are fctionalized.)
Lawntopia hustle
BY AILI KOGA aakoga@ucdavis.edu
SAVANNAH BURGER / AGGIE
DARIXA VARELA MEDRANO/ AGGIE
Disclaimer: (Tis cartoon is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fctional.
CRYSTAL CHEN / AGGIE
The Editorial Board interviews Congressman Mike Thompson
Thompson, representative for California’s 4th congressional district, discussed his work in the House, the Trump administration and the future of the Democratic Party
WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD
On April 18, the Editorial Board met with Representative Mike Tompson of California’s 4th congressional district, which includes the city of Davis, for an interview. Tis is the second year that Te California Aggie has hosted Tompson for a sitdown.
Below is a transcript of the meeting, edited for length and clarity.
Q: How has the way you work on legislation and get things done changed since the last election? How has the way you work on legislation and collaborate with other colleagues in the House changed with the new Republican supermajority?
A: Well, it’s changed quite a bit. We’ve talked about it before, but I’ve always been able to work across party lines on policy stuf, and I think that’s important to do, and I think you still need to do it. And probably a prime example is going back to those fre days. Tere were a whole bunch of Californians whose homes were lost, businesses were lost and they didn’t have adequate insurance to rebuild. Tey were part of a big class action lawsuit against Pacifc Gas & Electric, and they won. What they got out of it was not enough to rebuild their home or their business, so they were still short, but they got something. Te way the Settlement Agreement was crafted, they had to pay all of the tax liability with what they got, and they had to pay the lawyers tax liability out of what they got too. Tey did not get enough to do what they needed to do. It was cut even further because of these provisions.
So, I worked on legislation to excuse their federal tax liability so they could spend the money fxing their house. And I was successful. I got it out of the House, went over
the Senate — not so successful. I teamed up with somebody who I don’t have three things in common with — this guy. But a guy from Florida, Congressman Greg Steube, we put together a bill that addressed my fre victims, the train derailment in Ohio, wind damage for agriculture in Iowa and some food stuf in Louisiana. And we put together this bill, and we put the Child Tax Credit provision in it and sent it over to the Senate, and they said, “We’re not doing it,” and they weren’t going to do it because the ranking Republican on the committee had a pretty good idea that Republicans weren’t being charged. So, he didn’t want to do anything that the Democrats got credit for. He wanted to wait until he was the chair.
Steube and I did something called a discharge petition. It’s an arcane procedure in the House. Basically, if there’s a bill that’s not moving, if you do a discharge petition, and you get 218 members of Congress to sign it, they have to take action on the bill. It’s happened like two times since I’ve been in Congress, and Steube and I did that, and we discharged this bill for my fre victims, and it came up for a vote. We passed it over the Senate, and we got it passed and signed into law. So I’ll still work with Republicans, but there’s a real edge right now, because the administration has its own game that’s running, and they’re not interested in bipartisan stuf Tey’re interested in providing this tax cut to people who just don’t need the money and, at the same time, reforming the United States of America in every way that you can imagine.
Q: Given the ever-evolving political climate we’re experiencing, where do you see the future of the Democratic Party heading?
A: Well, our fortunes are going to be strong, but I think that if you believe in government, and you believe that government can do things to help people, you have a diferent approach and a diferent explanation
than if you don’t believe that. If you believe that the Institution for representative government should be there for everybody to help create a level playing feld, it’s more than a yes or no answer. Democrats — we get kind of wrapped around our own axle, trying to explain stuf, and it’s hard. I had a professor from UC Berkeley tell me in a group once that the problem is that Republicans speak in headlines and you guys speak in fne print.
It’s complicated stuf, so you can’t just say yes or no, and I think that’s the biggest problem that Democrats have, trying to explain themselves, what it is they’re trying to do to help people and how they’re trying to help. I also think that Democrats have sufered from some really bad choices in naming things — the one that comes to mind is “defund the police.” Tere’s just no way that that works on anybody except maybe robbers. You guys are all in the same situation. You don’t want to live in a neighborhood where you have to deadbolt, chain and nail your door shut at night. You don’t want to get rid of the cops. Tere was probably a much better way to say that. And whoever came up with “defund the cops,” I think, really hurt the Democratic party a lot. Te only good thing I’ve seen that’s come out of the term “woke” is a deal on social media the other day where a woman said, “If you quit being so woke and stopped using that woke math, this tarif thing wouldn’t be near the problem it is.”
Q: How are you feeling about the next presidential election? Especially with comments from the current president making jokes about or alluding to a third term, what is your reaction and how do you feel right now?
A: I am incredibly worried about this guy. I’m incredibly worried that he, if he could, would take us into a constitutional crisis. But I’m also very aware that about 95% of the things he says, he says to make your head blow up. Don’t hang your whole hat
on it. I think you’ve got to keep that in perspective. I don’t know if he’s ever told the truth about anything.
As evidenced by this tarif stuf, you know, “No, no, no, no, 90-day freeze,” “No, no, no, no, I’m not going to do pharmaceuticals” and “No, no, no, no, not going to do phones.” So, you can’t take him on his word, because it means nothing and that’s a problem.
We’re going to beat him. He’s not going to be here in four years. In the short-run and in the immediate, we’ve got to win the midterms in 2026 because we need to win the House and be able to create that check and balance.
Te rest of the interview can be found on Te Aggie’s website.
The biggest present you can give yourself is being present
BY TARA ROMERO
turning — and I know professors aren’t going
to want to skip out on their midterm cycle just because I asked them to. Instead, we must continue to move forward, and we must learn how to live a cyclical life. So, how do we turn what feels like a circle into a spiral? How do we feel like time is moving forward if everything feels exactly the same? While every day may feel identical, if we look closer we can see that everything is a little bit diferent than it was yesterday. Tere are so many moments that don’t seem like they matter — yet those are the moments we have to rely on. Maybe today you saw a gopher pop out of his hole on the ground by Bainer Hall. Maybe you noticed two women in your apartment complex propping up chairs and having a cofee together. Perhaps the air had a noticeably sweeter scent when you opened your window this
morning — or you noticed someone on campus almost trip and then regain their balance. Little details like those make days memorable. All of those examples occurred around me on diferent days this past month, and, without them, the month would just be one big blur of “Wake up.
mindset, there are still everyday responsibilities we have to tend to — and those responsibilities can get tedious if you’re performing them robotically. Focusing on the small details
around us is a good reminder that every moment is unique. It keeps us present and helps to diferentiate the days from one another. We can get so caught up in our routines that we forget to look around and see life as it’s happening all around us. Observing and noticing diferent aspects of life reminds us that the world continues to move forward. Maybe we’re stuck going in a loop-de-loop forever, but that just means we get to see life from every diferent angle.
Disclaimer: (Tis article is humor and/or satire, and its content is purely fictional. The story and the names of “sources” are fctionalized.)
NOVA MAI / AGGIE
Aggies reflect on the habits that help them stay grounded
UC Davis students share details of their daily routines
BY AMBER WARNKE features@theaggie.org
Having healthy habits and routines can help students start their day fresh and keep them regulated throughout the busy life of a college student. Whether it’s taking fve minutes to refect on their day before they go to bed or being mindful about the way they drink their morning cofee, starting out with small changes can turn into long-term routines over time.
Mariam Soifer, a second-year sustainable agriculture and food systems major, involves purposeful movement in her morning routine, taking time to start her day with a set of stretches.
“It’s just something that I feel like I need to start the day with,” Soifer said. “It helps me get more limber from my night’s sleep and helps [keep] me [grounded].”
Stretching is known to have a variety of health benefts, including stress relief, improved balance and coordination and increased circulation. Tis is especially important for college students, who can spend hours a day sitting in lecture or doing homework, which can lead to poor circulation in the body.
Another habit Soifer has started implementing is completing daily meditations, which further help her stay calm amidst the stressors of college life.
“It was even just for fve minutes, and I felt a really big diference from that,” Soifer said. Meditation has been proven to be benefcial to mental health, decreasing stress, improving memory and attention and even decreasing blood pressure, depression and anxiety. Te thought of meditating every day can be daunting to some, but it can be helpful to remember that meditation can last for as long as one wants, and even just a few minutes
spent doing it can have a huge impact.
Benton Buecker, a second-year environmental policy analysis and planning major, also benefts from the routines he uses to start the day.
“Usually with my cofee, I usually like to get my mind going in the morning by playing some of those [online] games, like the New York Times Connections, New York Times Mini Crosswords and Duolingo,”
Buecker said. “I really think that it’s a good way to, at least with those games, [...] get your brain up and at them and thinking.”
Games like this are also proven to be good for the brain, boosting memory, improving focus and even slowing down cognitive decline in aging. One game Buecker particularly favors is called Juxtastat, which is free to play online and features trivia questions about geography.
“[The games] get your brain thinking in diferent ways,” Buecker said. “It’s good for critical thinking.”
Ava Dillard, a UC Davis alumna, also has daily routines that allow her to engage her mind, including setting aside time to read nightly before bed.
“I think it’s great to have time away from my phone and at the same time be transported to another world,” Dillard said. “I fall asleep right away [after].”
Studies have shown that reading before bed can lead to better quality of sleep, helping reduce stress at the end of a long day and redirecting time that many people would spend on their phones before bed, which can make it more difcult to get a good night’s rest.
Another routine Dillard has implemented into her schedule is spending time in green spaces as often as she can.
“Every lunch, I will go eat in the community garden by one of my favorite parks, and it’s so lovely,” Dillard said. “I’m usually the only one there, and it’s just me and the bees.”
Spending time outdoors has
immense benefits for mental and physical health, improving creativity and problem-solving skills, which can be particularly appealing to college students. It also correlates with better heart health, better sleep and less risk of chronic disease.
However, students don’t necessarily need to go backpacking to reap these benefts. Even studying outdoors, taking short walks outside and noticing the nature around them while biking on campus can be helpful.
While being intentional about your daily habits is benefcial at any stage of life, college students may fnd it particularly important, as they can set habits now to follow well after college and into their careers. What may start out as fve minutes of meditation now can lead to better focus in the workforce and an improved ability to work well against a stressful deadline.
Building workout routines into one’s life now can turn into a healthier lifestyle for years to come, and spending just a few minutes sorting out your schedule the week prior can lead to better time management and planning skills.
“I think we’re at a time of our lives where we’re creating, establishing or solidifying certain habits, and if we want to bring those into our adulthood, then I think this would be a perfect time for that,” Soifer said.
Defning habits and routines can also be helpful in college due to the increased routines students can access on campus. Davis students looking for better or more structured exercise routines can join a workout class or a recreational sport at the Activities and Recreation Center.
UC Davis also ofers free library books to students hoping to spend more time reading, as well as the Arboretum to Aggies seeking to implement more time in nature into their routines. Even
just taking a brief walk through the Arboretum a few times a week, reading for 10 minutes before bed or going for a quick run every few days can make a big impact on your day-to-day life. Soifer believes that intentional routines and habits are not only helpful
but also an important element of selfgrowth.
“[Forming habits] comes from a desire to work on yourself and feel good and comfortable in yourself,” Soifer said. “It’s an active love — like a service to yourself.”
UC Davis organizations work to support undocumented students
Amidst growing concerns, several on-campus organizations continue to provide resources for undocumented students
BY LAILA AZHAR features@theaggie.org
On March 27, 2025, the United States Department of Education revoked waivers to California and Oregon colleges and universities which use federal funds to provide services to undocumented students.
Over the past month, the federal government revoked 23 UC Davis international students and recent graduates’ F-1 visas. While all 23 students whose statuses were terminated have had their F-1 visa statuses reinstated, these recent events targeting international and undocumented students may have exacerbated the fears of students who are not permanent U.S. citizens.
While these events are noteworthy, as Ximena Hernandez Ayala, a fourthyear economics and sociology double major pointed out, this is a longstanding issue.
“I understand the fear,” Ayala said. “But sadly, I also know many of these students and their families have lived with this feeling long before recent events.”
Undocumented students and their allies have been organizing on the UC Davis campus for years, and many resources have been implemented to support current undocumented students.
For example, Ayala is a part of Students Promoting Education, Awareness and Knowledge (SPEAK), a student-run organization which has aimed to provide social and fnancial support to the broader immigrant community since 2006.
Te group hosts events such as Know Your Rights and application workshops, as well as teach-ins.
LAWNTOPIATICKETS
FROM FRONT COVER
“It wasn’t the whole truth,” Julka said in a statement to Te California Aggie. “I do fnd it discouraging that they were very quick to blame Senate for the tickets, just because it wasn’t even our current Senate table that decided [the budget], it’s actually theirs. And they knew that.”
Ng was an ASUCD Senator at the time the EC budget was approved.
Julka also noted that because the EC used many of its funds earlier in the year for Sunset Fest, which was free, they faced further fnancial constraints going into Lawntopia.
“Because they blew through their budget, they are not able to aford security for their event if it were to be on the Quad or on an actual lawn,” Julka said.
EC Assistant Unit Director Binh Do, a fourth-year economics and history double major and former ASUCD Senator, confrmed that both he and Ng voted in favor of the current budget at the end of last year. He also acknowledged that compromises had
“It’s all about building a strong network of support and community while advocating for the issues we care about,” Ayala said.
She particularly fnds power in the group’s yearly retreat.
“During the retreat, we host leadership and mental health workshops as well as other activities, but the part that always stays with me is our storytelling session,” Ayala said. “Sharing our stories is always extremely powerful. It reminds us of why the work we do is so important, why we must act now and do everything in our power so that future generations don’t have to go through this.”
An additional resource, Ayala noted, is the University of California Immigrant Legal Services Center, which provides free legal representation for undocumented and immigrant UC students and their immediate family members.
The center offers a wide range of services, from legal representation to Know Your Rights sessions and handles cases involving a variety of topics, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), consular processing, naturalization and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
In 2014, the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center, now titled the Undocumented Student Resource Center (USRC), opened.
Te center is the frst physical space designed for undocumented students in the United States.
The USRC offers grants and scholarships to students and aims to build community through social events, mentorships, counseling services, workshops and other resources.
As Daniella Telles, the interim director of the center, emphasized, the center aims to provide holistic support to students who need it.
been made in the process and that Don Toliver’s platform and profle are a step above previous headliners, which results in higher operating costs.
Tis is the largest talent by monthly listener [record] that has ever come to UC Davis at the time of performance,”
Do said. “A mid-sized artist was getting charged around $20 for a ticket [at UC Santa Barbara]. Despite Don Toliver being three times [larger] in monthly listeners, we were able to keep the price as low as possible.”
UC Davis’ EC has the smallest budget of any of the similar entertainment units in the University of California system, despite the university having the largest student government, according to Ng. He explained that the EC looked to other UC schools for inspiration to model Lawntopia but was never able to hold the concert on the same scale as their contemporaries.
“Te U Center was not only the predetermined destination but also the best possible security option and production option that we have,” Ng said.
Te expected revenue from ticket sales is $137,500; The EC has a total projected expenditure of some $676,000, according to the ASUCD 2024-25 operating budget.
“All members of the UC Davis community at large are welcomed and encouraged to fnd community and access support through the services we ofer,” Telles said. “USRC career staf have been and will continue to be open and available to listen and provide expert support to the student communities that we serve, especially to those that are directly impacted by current events.”
As Telles recalled, the center recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.
“Nothing compares to the joy and fulfllment I experienced during the center’s 10th year anniversary celebration,” Telles said. “It was great
Marking another change, this year’s Lawntopia is planned to take place at the University Credit Union Center, a deviation from previous years in which it was held outside. Past venues have included the Memorial Union Quad and Dairy Field. Concerns over the availability of tickets due to capacity constraints have also been raised. Capacity at the U Center is 5,500; Last year’s capacity at the Quad was some 6,000.
Lawntopia tickets sold out in less than fve minutes during both presale and general sale this year, meeting maximum capacity within the U Center as well as the income requirement the EC needed to meet, according to Ng.
ASUCD Controller Mostafa Rasheed, a fourth-year managerial economics major who acts as a chief financial officer of the ASUCD, explained how the money generated from tickets is distributed.
“Any money that [EC makes] doesn’t go [back] to that unit,” Rasheed said. “It goes to general reserves, and then from there, that money is reallocated for everyone else.”
Rasheed also said that the distribution of income generated from the tickets and sponsorships secured for the event will be fnalized at the
seeing community members and UC Davis alumni, faculty and staf who played a role with their presence in the creation of such a special place.” Diya Sinha, a second-year political science major, noted the importance of these organizations.
Tere’s a lot of misinformation around the rights undocumented students have and the kinds of resources that are available, so the programs that educate students about their rights and the resources they have are really valuable,” Sinha said. “As a campus, I think it’s important for us in recent times to support undocumented students and the organizations working
next budget hearing for the 2025-26 school year.
“ASUCD as a whole is not getting much money from external sources,” Rasheed said. “Tis was kind of like our trial period. Now we know that we can sell out quickly [but] with bigger venues comes bigger costs — with bigger costs comes higher ticket sales.”
Rasheed, Julka and both EC directors all emphasized their commitment to carrying out the student body’s demands amidst budget concerns.
“If they wanted to make Lawntopia free, they would have just had to have a diferent artist,” Julka said. “We would have to lessen our expectations on the artists for sure, so I don’t fully blame them.”
A fee referendum, which would implement a compulsory student fee of $10 per quarter to help fund campus events, was introduced earlier this year to be voted on during the ASUCD spring 2025 elections. Ng, inspired by similar referendums at other UC campuses, heavily advocated for the fee because it would help the EC run as a self-sufcient unit without having to rely on the Senate for money. It was later rejected by the vice chancellor and the Council of Student Afairs before it
to ensure they can be here.” As the groups across campus demonstrate, even in uncertain times, there are people across campus working diligently to meet the needs of students.
“There are many people on this campus who are committed to protecting [undocumented students], safeguarding their information and preparing for worst-case scenarios,” Ayala said.
Students who would like to learn more about SPEAK, UC Immigrant Legal Services Center or the Undocumented Students Resource Center can visit their respective social media pages and websites.
would be placed on the ballot. Because the EC already falls under the ASUCD Basic Needs Referendum, the separate referendum solely for itself was vetoed, according to Do.
While he expressed frustration with having to charge students, Ng is optimistic of the event’s success and remains thankful for everyone who has had a role in making the event happen.
“I couldn’t be more proud of [my team who] has taken all the nuances and challenges [...] and played such an amazing role in helping Lawntopia come to life,” Ng said.
Te EC leadership told Te Aggie that they plan to release a statement to the public after Lawntopia acknowledging students’ disappointment in the changes, further explaining the reasons as to why it was structured diferently and whether this format will remain the same in the following years.
CRYSTAL CHEN / AGGIE
Artwork displayed at the Undocumented Student Center on campus. (Ojas Mishra / Aggie)
SCIENCE AND TECH
The chemistry behind collaboration: the 2025 Miller Symposium
The 2025 R. Bryan Miller Symposium brought together students, faculty and multiple Nobel laureates to share and advocate for scientific research
BY NAREN KRISHNA JEGAN science@theaggie.org
From March 6 to 7, the UC Davis Department of Chemistry held its annual Miller Symposium, a conference where undergraduates, graduate students and guest speakers share their current research interests and findings through talks, poster presentations and flash pitches.
Named after the late Professor R. Bryan Miller, this year’s symposium featured some recognizable figures within the chemistry community, such as Nobel laureates Jennifer Doudna and Frances Arnold, as well as internationally renowned pioneers such as Dr. Kendall N. Houk, Alanna Schepartz, Dirk Trauner, Laura Kiessling, Ashok Bhandari, Wendy Young, Sundeep Dugar and Michael Marletta. In addition, multiple faculty members (Mark Mascal and Cody Ross Pitts) delivered talks about their own research interests.
Jennifer Doudna’s work:
Doudna’s pioneering work in the development of CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, in collaboration with Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, is widely regarded as one of the most significant discoveries in the history of science, and she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing is a biotechnology tool that allows scientists to make targeted changes to DNA. It uses a guide RNA to locate a specific DNA sequence, and
Guest lecturer presents chemistry research at the Miller Symposium.
(Ojas Mishra / Aggie)
the Cas9 enzyme acts like molecular scissors to cut the DNA at that spot. After the cut, the cell’s natural repair processes can introduce mutations or insert new genetic material.
Bacteria store DNA sequences of foreign pathogens, like viruses, in this “diary” after they have encountered them. Tese stored sequences are called spacers. Every time these bacteria survive an infection, they add a new entry (the DNA sequence of the virus) to their diary. When the bacteria encounter the same virus again, they can flip through their diary (CRISPR sequences) and find the exact DNA sequence they’ve seen before, helping them recognize the virus. Tis is where
Cas9 comes into play to cut the DNA.
After the cut, the cell’s repair system kicks in. It tries to fix the break, but it doesn’t always do so perfectly. Tis repair can have two possible outcomes. In non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), the cell “sticks” the broken ends back together but with errors, which can disable a gene (gene knockout). In homology-directed repair (HDR), if you provide a new DNA template, the cell can use it to repair the break more accurately, allowing you to insert or change genes. CRISPR-Cas9 is widely used in research, medicine and agriculture due to its precision, efficiency and relative simplicity. CRISPR technology
has been harnessed in the medical field, where novel therapies such as exagamglogene autotemcel (Exa-cel) have been developed to treat sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia by editing patients’ stem cells to reactivate fetal hemoglobin production.
Moreover, in her talk, Doudna confirmed the partnership of UC Davis to join UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco in the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI) to advance innovations in sustainable agriculture and climate change applications.
“One of the wonderful features of CRISPR is that it’s a technology that can be used on animals, plants, microbes — really any organism with DNA,” Doudna said. “I’m thrilled that we have now formally welcomed UC Davis as a full partner of the IGI, building on years of productive work together.”
Frances Arnold’s work: Arnold started her conference talk by weaving together a story about what she considered to be her greatest achievement in her career: her cameo in the TV show “Te Big Bang Teory.” Troughout her presentation, Arnold delved deep into the world of evolution, quoting Charles Darwin as one of her biggest inspirations to pursue her area of research: directed evolution. Darwin’s 1859 publication of “On the Origin of Species” was one of biology’s most landmark studies, as it introduced the idea of natural selection — natural processes and survival of the fittest determine the
proportion of populations that will survive.
Arnold’s work on directed evolution focuses on artificial selection of enzymes, which are biological molecules who help speed up specific reactions. Although artificial selection has been applied into breeding animals, Arnold’s novel approach to applying this to enzymes allowed her and her team to allow enzymes to develop high specifications to perform functions in non-ideal environments.
Enzymes are made of chains of sub-molecules called amino acids. Te sequence of amino acids in a cell can determine the structure and resultant function of the specific enzyme; even miniscule substitutions of one amino acid can have noticeable changes in the performance of the enzyme. Arnold leveraged this power of mutations in order to kickstart the process of evolution. By evolving enzymes through subsequent generations, her work allowed for “enzymes to do the dirty work such as clean your laundry.”
“If you want something quite different from what you start with, then you have to iterate; [...] you have to accumulate those mutations over multiple generations,” Arnold said.
The incredible importance of a new LSD analogue
This new molecule, called JRT, has potential applications to treat neuropsychiatric diseases in ways that have not previously been possible
BY MADELINE HASS science@theaggie.org
A team of UC Davis researchers within the Olson Lab, run by David E. Olson, has synthesized a new molecule named JRT that has the potential to treat neuropsychiatric diseases. Tis molecule is an analogue of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) with reduced hallucinogenic potentials yet many therapeutic properties, making it an outstanding candidate for treating conditions like schizophrenia.
Te creation of this new molecule was accomplished over a five-year process, and it consisted of transposing two atoms within LSD that lowered the potential of producing hallucinogenic responses in humans. Tis molecule’s close relation to LSD allows it to contain many plasticityproducing aspects and the ability to promote cortical neuron growth, both of which are necessary in the treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases.
Cassie Hatzipantelis, a postdoctoral scholar at the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics and key member of the study, spoke on the creation of this new JRT molecule.
“Lee Dunlap, along with many people in the chemical field, had identified this key interaction [in LSD] between the tryptamine core structure and the 2A receptor — this serine residue. He made this version of the molecule where you just take the nitrogen and you put it somewhere else,” Hatzipantelis said. “After this, it can’t make that interaction anymore, and it completely obliterates the hallucinogenic potential of the molecule.”
TURTLEHOUSE FROM FRONT COVER
“I saw one on the back porch,” one former tenant said. “It was a gallon water bottle, like a Crystal Geyser water bottle.” Piper made a similar discovery in a different location.
“I remember looking for my iron one day — like we were sharing an iron back and forth — and I went into the closet and found the jugs,” Piper said.
Te origins of the urine jars came from one resident, who had previously joined a Facebook group of individuals who drink their own urine as a “joke,” according to multiple sources.
Tis wasn’t the only urine-related situation that occurred. When one former tenant brought a friend over to the house, they alleged that at the same time, other residents peed over the balcony railing that publicly faces the street.
Tey just sat on the railing, like right there, and then they just peed over it when [the visitor] was there,” the tenant said. “It was kind of a free for all with the pissing.”
Other allegations surrounding the
STEPHANIE CHAN / AGGIE
Before testing JRT’s therapeutic potential, the team focussed on confirming that this drug would not have the potency of hallucinogenic potential that is associated with LSD.
Te first step in this process was to create a general characterization of the molecule on the cellular level.
Te team utilized a biosensor assay that they developed, called pyschLight, that will show if a drug is predicted to be hallucinogenic or not based on a fluorescence indication. Hallucinogenic and non-hallucinogenic ligands within molecules will bind to pyschLight and showcase different fluorescence profiles.
“We know that hallucinogenic drugs versus non hallucinogenic drugs will induce a different confirmation; they kind of change in a slightly different way, so when this lights up we can say this will most likely be hallucinogenic,” Hatzipantelis said.
“We found that LSD has a really high
house included resident applications and why some people were chosen to live at Turtle House over others.
Tere was one tenant who, according to multiple former tenants, set up meetings with applicants only looking for one specific demographic: white women.
Another tenant allegedly found evidence of significant bias in applications during their time at Turtle House when they were reviewing applications.
“One of my friends was in charge of [applications],” the former tenant said. “We were struggling to fill the house so we’re looking through the [Turtle House] email for any applications. We found a bunch of emails and applications that were sent in by people who were not white women that just were never responded to.”
Only one resident, who was a white man, was in charge of applications during this time, according to the source. One former resident mentioned that many who visited Turtle House observed a perceived lack of diversity.
“Honestly, when you looked at us in a picture, it kind of looks like a cult,” the resident said.
Multiple residents also alleged that someone wasn’t selected to live in the
response and is incredibly potent, but our compound JRT was far less potent and way less active so it was predicted at this stage to be non-hallucinogenic.”
After confirming the reduced hallucinogenic potentials on the cellular level, the team moved to confirming this with a biological correlation. Tis was done via a study conducted on mice, which entailed giving each drug to a mouse and overseeing a head twitch response test, a famous method to test a drug’s hallucinogenic potency.
“We know that when you give a hallucinogenic drug to a mouse, they have this very stereotypical head twitch,” Hatzipantelis said. “And we know that the potency of a drug in a mouse head twitch is a near perfect correlation with the potency of the drug with its hallucinogenic potency in humans.”
Yara Khatib, a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate and member of the Olson Lab, further commented on this part
house because of their appearance. One resident who was attempting to leave the house and was seeking a subletter expressed dissatisfaction with the selection process.
“I [prolonged] my stay here and [had] to pay rent, which I [could] no longer [do],” the resident said. “It [caused] me financial issues, because you [all] [didn’t] like that he’s bald.”
Tere was also significant friction between members of the house and one specific resident. Based on meeting notes provided by an anonymous former resident, this individual was put up to a vote during a meeting, and the majority of tenants voted to evict them. However, the vote only held ceremonial power and was not enforceable, so the individual chose to remain a resident, despite being asked to leave multiple times by other residents.
In interviews, multiple former tenants expressed that this individual made them feel uncomfortable.
“I wouldn’t leave my female friends alone [in the house],” one former tenant said.
Additionally, during a “room crawl” held in the house — an event where people visit different rooms in a house and drink in each one — one room in particular featured multiple pictures of Harrington with his eyes
of the study.
“We found that when we tested JRT and compared it to LSD, there was a very significant reduction in the number of head twitches that we have,” Khatib said. “We saw the same number of head twitches you would see when giving a mouse just a normal saline injection, so that was really encouraging to us.”
Neuropsychiatric diseases have a wide range of indicators that are categorized into positive symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive symptoms. Current antipsychotic medicines have shown success in treating the positive symptoms of these conditions, such as hallucinations and delusions yet have not been successful in treating cognitive or negative symptoms.
Defining features of the negative and cognitive symptoms are morphological and synaptic deficits. So, one of the next steps of the team was to test the therapeutic properties of JRT, they wanted to see if it had the plasticity-promoting aspects and ability to cause cortical neuron growth that they had hypothesized, as well as the ability to treat many of the other aspects of negative and cognitive symptoms associated with neuropsychiatric diseases.
“For this process, we literally give the drug and then count the neurons,’” Hatzipantelis said. “We can see if the neurons get really complex and count how many branches and how many spines they have, how many synapses and if their synapses are functional. A whole suite of structural and functional plasticity experiments are done to really assess if this is happening or not, and JRT was seen to be one
crossed out with the letter “X.” Tere was also a photo of Harrington next to a photo of Mao Zedong, the former president of the People’s Republic of China.
For many involved, what happened at Turtle House was an emotional time and for some, it continues to be.
“Every time I looked at the house the first couple of months I walked by, I would tear up a little bit and be like, ‘Damn, the house is really beautiful,’” Piper said. “It was hard seeing new people there out front and [thinking], they don’t even know. Tey have no clue what happened.”
Co-operative living spaces can be complicated, as the events at Turtle House from August of 2022 to September of 2023 have shown.
Everyone involved — from the tenants to the owner — mentioned numerous issues inside of the house that contributed to 17 residents leaving the premises.
However, co-ops in Davis, as a whole, have provided a unique, collaborative space for students to contribute to a shared living experience. Turtle House continues to serve as a communal space for students in Davis, whether through its band performances or simply its recognizable exterior and central location within Davis’ downtown.
of the strongest plasticity-promoting compounds we’ve ever tested.”
Another test that was done was a sucrose preference test as part of the behavioral assay, in order to see if JRT could combat the symptom of loss of pleasure symptom, which is commonly seen in neuropsychiatric diseases. It consisted of first testing initial preference for sugar water in mice, then inducing a depressive model in them before administering JRT to see if it could restore their desire to drink this sugar water.
“It was a one-month process of working with the animals and seeing how their preferences change. After administering the JRT, we could see that the drug was able to restore their preference,” Khatib said. “It also had the ability to maintain that for weeks after. 10 days later, I set up the study again and saw that the mice with the JRT still preferred the sugar water relative to the animals that remained in their depressive state.”
Tere is still much work to be done before JRT can see wide-scale use or application, yet the creation of it alone is groundbreaking work. It showcases that there is a way to lower the hallucinogenic properties while harnessing many of the positive properties of certain drugs, a discovery that will prove very useful as time moves forward.
“It’s a proof of concept that we can change the direction of drug development and the way that we approach the treatment of these conditions and maybe even make more scalable treatments that can reach a more sizable population,” Khatib said.
SPORTS
BASEBALL
UC Davis men’s baseball faces tough losses against CSU Fullerton
The Aggies fought hard in match against CSUF
BY DANIELLE WIRNOWSKI sports@theaggie.org
Te UC Davis men’s baseball team welcomed California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) to Dobbins Stadium for a three-game series from April 25 to 27.
Coming off of a win against Washington State University, the UC Davis Aggies were ready to continue that energy at home, facing CSUF. Te Aggies, despite dealing with the losses of the weekend, put up a strong fight against Fullerton.
Te Aggies started the three-game series strong against CSUF, preventing them from hitting more than two home runs. Bryan Green, a fourth-year human development major, pitched for six innings, only allowing two runs, six hits, one walk and a total of four strikeouts against CSUF. Mason Lerma, a second-year human development major, continued Green’s work, only allowing CSUF to get one hit and three strikeouts in the three innings after.
While CSUF scored a home run at the top of the second inning, the Aggies secured a home run at the bottom of the third, as Tyler Howard, a second-year managerial economics major, led the offense for the Aggies. But it was Braydon Wooldridge, a third-year human development major, who was able to score the home run for the Aggies.
However, the tie did not last long, as CSUF scored their final run for the
TRACK & FIELD MEN’S
game at the top of the sixth inning.
Tis ended the first game with a score of 2-1 in favor of CSUF.
Te Aggies followed up in the second game of the series, stopping CSUF from scoring more than two home runs, just as in the previous game. Unfortunately, the Aggies were unable to get any runs on the board, despite the effort they put into the game.
Tyler Wood, a second-year managerial economics major, pitched for five innings, allowing just one hit with no walks and six strikeouts against CSUF.
Alex Gouveia, a fourth-year human development major, led the Aggies at the plate, going two-forthree with a double throughout all nine innings.
Te Aggies hit three doubles with fewer than two outs in the fifth, sixth and ninth innings. However, they were unable to convert into points.
Tis ended the second game of the series with a 2-0 score for CSUF.
Despite the weekend’s second game ending unfavorably for UC Davis, the Aggies went into the third and final game of the series with a strong strategy and the desire to earn a win.
At the bottom of the first inning, the Aggies scored two home runs, one by Howard and the second by Gouveia. Te Aggies secured another home run via Evan Gentil, a first-year human development major, at the bottom of the second inning.
Te Aggies prevented CSUF from scoring any home runs until the top of the third, when they scored five home
runs before the end of the third. CSUF prevented the Aggies from scoring again until the bottom of the seventh inning, where they secured two more runs against the Aggies.
Gentil secured his second run for the Aggies during the seventh inning, with two players still on the bases at the end of the inning, bringing the
Davis track and field hosts Sacramento State for Causeway Classic
Aggies close regular season at home, looking ahead to Big West ChampionshipsWest Championships
BY THEO KAYSER sports@theaggie.org
On April 25, the UC Davis track and field team hosted Sacramento State University for the Causeway Classic dual meet. Dual meets, which differ from standard invitationals, involve a dozen or more schools with only two teams going head to head.
Te meet events began at 9:30 a.m., with the first portion of the meet hosting throwing and jumping events.
Te first event was women’s hammer throw, with UC Davis Aggies claiming first, second and third place. Hailey Hernandez, a third-year sustainable agriculture and ecology major, won the event with a distance of 50.46 meters, finishing just ahead of teammate Ashpreet Kler, a fourthyear biological psychology major, who threw 50.45 meters.
Te UC Davis women’s team continued to shine in the throws during the javelin, where Brianna Nunn, a fourth-year economics major, claimed another Aggie victory, throwing 33.68 meters. Tis performance was followed up moments later by undeclared major Harrison Hansen, who came in first place in men’s javelin throw. Hansen dominated the rest of the field with a throw of 47.36 meters, more than 10 meters further than second place.
Te final throwing event of the day was shot put, where Nunn again
claimed first for the women’s team with a distance of 14.66 meters. Additionally, Jake Joerger, a first-year undeclared major, won first place for men’s with a throw of 16.03 meters.
In the jumping events, more Aggie victories came in the form of the long jump and pole vault events.
Tird-year Daren Randolph won the men’s long jump, jumping 7.28 meters. Sarah Graessley, a fourth-year civil engineering major, and Aidan Hagerty, a third-year systems and synthetic biology major, won in pole vault for both women’s and men’s, respectively.
Te latter half of the meet moved to running events. Tis began with the women’s 5,000-meter run, where Aggies came in first and second place. UC Davis teammates Lauren Villegas, a first-year communications major, and Dani Barrett, a fourth-year wildlife, fish and conservation biology major, battled out for the top spot. Ultimately, Villegas came in first with a time of 17:19:02, hardly edging out Barrett, who ran 17:19:42. Te men’s 5,000-meter went similarly, with teammates Zachary Graeber, a third-year computer science major, and Ethan Brooks, a third-year undeclared major, finishing fractions of a second apart, both with a time of 15:13. After this began the 4x100-meter relay races. In the women’s heat, the Aggies were narrowly defeated
to give justice, to give voice, to give legitimacy to the experience of the Arab, Muslim and Palestinian community. Tat does not take away [from] the need to give justice to other groups in this community who also feel hate.”
Three different people called it Islamophobic and anti-Arab, yet, somehow, none of these people provided specific examples.”
The commenter furthered describing their perspective.
“So, how do we know it isn’t just slander? How do we know that it isn’t just weaponization to silence Jews talking about antisemitism?” the commenter said. “It makes me wonder, are you, the Human Relations Committee, putting Jews in danger? I don’t have any issues with any of your recommendations, but bad data in makes bad policy out.”
One public commenter spoke out in favor of the report by pointing out that the report’s findings and efforts to combat antisemitism are not mutually exclusive.
“Hate is not a limited pie, it’s extremely expansive,” the public commenter said.
“Te good thing is, justice is also expansive. Justice for one group does not take away from justice for another group. And I think that’s what is being impressed here today, is
In discussing the merits of sending the report to the city council in addition to the recommendations of the HRC, Commission Member Deema Tamini addressed some of the comments.
“You might not like what the report says,” Tamini said. “You might not agree with what people feel, but this is what people feel. [...] We did qualitative work where we actually talked to people. We gathered information. A lot, because this community is very scared to speak up. So there’s that, but there’s also just low numbers in this community, so we did not do quantitative [analysis]. We have shown that through this qualitative analysis, this is the sentiment of a group of people, whether that’s two people or a thousand people, that’s the sentiment. I think that the context is needed, but what we are not asking the city council to do is bless this report.”
Commission Member Edgar WongChen also spoke out about the need to take action despite concerns with the MAPA Report. “What I also realized was that there
by under a second, running a combined 45.95 seconds, just behind Sacramento State at 45.03. Te men’s race soon after ended with another close Aggie loss.
Te Aggies got back on track during the 1,500-meter race, taking first place in both men’s and women’s. Kayla Towne, a first-year psychology major, won with a time of 4:41 in women’s, alongside Jacob Lawrence, a first-year undeclared major, who ran 3:58. Te next four events were all won by runners for Sacramento State, who claimed victories in the men’s and women’s 100/110-meter hurdles, the 100-meter, 400-meter and the 800-meter. At the halfway point of the meet, Sacramento State, as a team, was leading overall in points, with their women’s team leading the Aggies by a score of 64-53 and their men’s team ahead by 54-49.
After running events and jumping events had finished, Sacramento State had finished ahead in team points, with their women’s team defeating UC Davis 87-84 and the men’s team winning in more convincing fashion by a score of 82-64.
Te remainder of the meet saw a few more individual victories for UC Davis, as Maya Shinnick, a third-year undeclared major, won the women’s 200-meter, Kayla Rutz, a third-year managerial economics major, won the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase and
[were] a lot of people surveyed, and in my honest opinion, I don’t need a critical mass of people,” Wong-Chen said. “I just need a few good examples. We’ve had people who have come to HRC meetings, a single individual who [...] brought up an issue, and we’ve taken it on, and we’ve formed subcommittees from a single person representing a single topic that they felt marginalized [on].”
Ultimately, the motion to move forward with the list of recommendations to the city council passed with a large majority. Te sole dissenting vote was Commission Member Amir Kol, who then requested to include his dissenting opinion with the packet to be sent to the city council. His subsequent motion was not seconded. After the meeting, Kol explained his reasoning for voting against the motion to move forward with the recommendations.
“Te report is not transparent, the methods are completely not transparent and biased and the recommendations are based on a report [where] the methods are flawed,” Amir said. “Tis report is not gonna heal anything in this community, just as we see again and again, it just deepens that divide, because it’s not about healing one community. It’s by definition, healing
score to 7-4.
Te Aggies prevented CSUF from scoring during the eighth inning, while scoring another run at the bottom of the eighth. Jason Hanson, a fourth-year history major, secured the final home run for the Aggies during the game, trimming the lead to 5-7. Ultimately, CSUF scored their
final run at the top of the ninth inning against the Aggies, finalizing the score of 8-5 for CSUF. Overall, it was an exciting game series with both teams fighting for a spot in the Big West Championships. Te Aggies will return to their home stadium to host Utah Tech University on May 13 at 6 p.m.
Chance Tokubo, a third-year applied mathematics major, won the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase. Te meet concluded with women’s and men’s 4x400-meter relays, where Sacramento State walked away victorious in both. Overall, the Sacramento State University women’s runners defeated UC Davis 101-99, and the men’s runners defeated the
one community at the expense of another. Pointing fingers at another community. [...] Te Jewish community has lost its trust in [Davis] City Council, and the commission as a body that can represent us and care for us and have our needs and interests in mind.”
The Davis HRC meets on the fourth Tursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Te meetings can be attended in person at the Community Chambers at City Hall or viewed online at the city of Davis YouTube page. Te MAPA Report and recommendations can be found online at the city of Davis website.
ALIXPAGE FROM PAGE 6
So when we ended up with ‘Bug,’ it felt like a more fitting title.” Songs like “Girlfriend” and “Break the Band Up” highlight the indiepop-rock side of Page’s discography with building guitar tracks and catchy melodies, while “Bb” and “Prank Call” use more simple instrumentals and express a diary-like level of yearning.
Te EP’s title track, “Bug,” refers to Page’s nickname given to her by her romantic partner. Written from the
Aggies 102-83.
Te Causeway Classic was the final regular-season meet on the Aggies’ schedule for the 2025 season. Athletes will have two more opportunities to compete this season at the Big West Conference MultiEvent Championships on May 9 and, finally, the Big West Conference Championships on May 16.
perspective of a loved one trying to figure out how she’s feeling, the soft song quieted the crowd as everyone’s full attention turned toward Page’s display of vulnerability. Page also played older pop-rock, fan-favorite tracks like “4Runner” and “25,” the latter of which sits at the top of her discography with over one million plays on Spotify. Using the hit single to end the night, the crowd filled the small venue with a loud chorus of voices. Leaving fans buzzing, Page and her band filed off stage while tossing small plastic bugs out into the audience. With two EPs and a handful of singles now under her belt, moving to larger venues for her second headline tour and gaining almost 50,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, Page has solidified her fanbase and a name for herself in the indie-pop scene. A discography filled with songs perfect for channeling your nostalgia, reflecting on a breakup or dreaming about your current crush, Page’s sound is appealing to any and every ear.
Carter Delaney pitches in the last game of the series against Cal State Fullerton. (Julia Heron-Watts / Aggie)
Francesca Villain pole vaults for the Aggies. (Sacha Chickering / Aggie)
