Issue 28: May 15

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VOLUME 148, ISSUE 28 | THURDSAY, MAY 15, 2025

Only survivor of the Carlos Dominguez stabbing spree testifies in murder trial

After a two-year break, Dominguez’s trial begins to determine his guilt and sanity for the stabbing of three victims in 2023

BY GIA LOOMIS city@theaggie.com After a two-year hiatus, the trial of Carlos Dominguez began on May 5 with opening statements. Former UC Davis student Carlos Dominguez will be tried over an estimated 10-week period on murder and attempted murder charges for the 2023 Davis stabbing spree that left two dead and one injured.

Debates regarding Dominguez’s mental state caused this lengthy break in the case. In July 2023, three months after the stabbings, Dominguez underwent a competency trial to determine if he was mentally fit to face charges.

Following the opening statements, several witnesses were called to the stand to give more details on the case.

Kimberlee Guillory, the only surviving victim, testified.

“Somebody came up [...] behind me, where I was sitting outside, and they came down with a knife and cut my tent,” Guillory said. “And at the time I wasn’t sure I was getting stabbed, I thought somebody was punching me at first.”

When examined, Guillory then described the attack in more detail when asked how many times she was stabbed.

“Three, [the] first time it took my breath away and then it just continued,” Guillory said. “I started screaming [“help”] very loudly and then I laid down, because I guess Larry and Isaac [...], they came running towards me, and that’s when they grabbed him and started fighting with him.”

Witnesses included victim David Breaux’s sister, Anne Maria Breaux, who testified for her brother explaining how he was known as the “Compassion Guy.” “[David] realized that he would devote the rest of his life to raising awareness of compassion,” Breaux said. “He had a notebook and a pen, and he would ask people to write their definition of compassion, and so he did that from June 3, 2009 until his

Kimberlee Guillory, survivor of the 2023 serial stabbings in Davis, recounts her story on the witness stand.

(Nathaniel Levine / Courtesy, Sacramento Bee Pool Photo) passing, and that’s how he got to be called ‘Compassion Guy.’” Then, ornithologist and previous UC Davis graduate student Ian Haliburton and Aiden Reynolds, a current UC Davis student, were both called to the stand to explain how they found Breaux after the stabbing.

“I saw someone sitting on one of the benches,” Reynolds said. “But it was only when we approached the area, about 10 to 15 yards away, where [Haliburton] noticed that he was in a really, really bad state. I remember he said, ‘That man is dead.’”

After several months of treatment, Dominguez was ruled mentally fit in January 2024, and the case was put back into motion. This led to the preliminary

trial beginning on Feb. 26 of that year, which led Judge Samuel McAdam to order a trial for two homicides and one attempted homicide for which Dominguez was arraigned.

Now, the trial is officially proceeding with jurors having been selected last week and trial beginning last Monday, May 5. The trial will involve both a guilt phase and a sanity phase considering Dominguez’s dual not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity pleas which were taken in October.

On Monday, the defense and prosecution each began with opening statements. The prosecution’s opening statement began by recounting the time leading up to and the nights of the stabbings, in doing so, they emphasized

that these attacks by Dominguez were premeditated.

Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Frits Van der Hoek led the prosecution’s opening statement.

He explained to the jury that the premeditation of these attacks began in December of 2022 when Dominguez went on Amazon and purchased the knife for the attacks.

“We’re gonna go down to the kind of 100-foot level as to what’s going on,” Van der Hoek said. “What is the evidence that you’re gonna expect in this case? And understand the evidence, to understand why this is going to be proven to be a deliberate, willful and premeditated murder, you’re gonna need to go back further than when

this kind of first comes to light, before [Breaux] is found in the park. We’re gonna go back to December 5 of 2022.”

The prosecution’s statement continued by explaining the logistics and facts of the attacks in 2023. The first victim, David Breaux, was stabbed 31 times sometime on the night between April 26 and 27. Most of his stab wounds were in the back, yet he was found sitting up on a bench, which makes the wounds and position found incompatible.

The prosecution then explained more about the second victim, UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm. He was stabbed 52 times in vital positions on the body on April 29, while biking home through Sycamore Park.

The final victim, Kimberlee Guillory, was stabbed through her tent on L Street on May 1. Guillory sustained two stab wounds but survived.

Dominguez was caught several days later when a Davis resident recognized him from witness statements and reported him to law enforcement.

After recounting the details of the case, the prosecution finished by explaining the broad goal of their case.

Van der Hoek concluded his opening statement with the prosecution’s case.

“The evidence is going to be that the defendant not only stabbed David Breaux, not only did he stab [Abou Najm], not only did he stab [Guillory], but for each of those, he did so willfully, deliberately and with premeditation, and I’ll ask you to find him guilty,” Van der Hoek said.

Following the prosecution, the defense then gave their opening statement. They took a fairly different approach; rather than focusing on the physical details of the case, they highlighted Dominguez’s mental state during the crimes.

Public defender Dan Hutchinson delivered the defense’s opening statement.

DOMINGUEZTRIAL on 8

Asian and Pacific Islander Queers’ Entertainment Council hosts the 2025 annual Queer Prom 2025 brings Lawntopia event celebration, drag to Davis The event featured artists Don Toliver, LGBTQ+ community Umi and DJ Odd Mob

The community event, themed to starry night, underscored the importance of queer joy on campus

Drag artists Lotus (pictured left) and Ellis Dee (pictured right) entertained event-goers of APIQ’s Queer Prom, May 7. (Olivia Guerrero / Courtesy)

BY ROBIN FRANKLIN campus@theaggie.org As the sun set, students in formal wear filed into the Asian and Pacific Islander Queers (APIQ) annual Queer Prom on Friday, May 9 at the UC Davis Conference Center, where they enjoyed music, dancing, drag, games and even complimentary catered dinner.

The free event, open to students of all backgrounds, was attended by around 250 people, according to organizers. The non-profit student organization has put on the event for over 10 years; It is the sole queer prom organized on campus and required some four months of planning.

Funding for the event, according to APIQ, was derived from the LGBTQ+ Center and a Club Finance Council

grant. The dinner catering was funded

by Wendy Moore, a parent to an APIQ member.

For many of those who couldn’t attend their high school prom, were unable to afford a ticket or just felt too unsafe to go, APIQ’s Queer Prom became a safe haven. That has been the longtime goal of Senior APIQ Advisor and Head of the Queer Prom board Nid Lefkoff, a third-year anthropology major, who has been organizing community events like this for years.

“I hope people who didn’t get to go to their high school prom because they are queer felt seen and felt valued going to an event that’s made for them,” Lefkoff said.

The glittering navy and silver decorations proudly displayed this year’s theme, “A Transcendent Celebration: To

the Moon and Back.” Additionally, drag performances from artists Smokey, Ellis Dee, Lotus and Srobin took center stage with their elegant moves and costumes.

Repeat attendee Olivia Guerrero, a fourth-year English major, said that it has been incredibly rewarding to see the prom evolve over time.

“This has been my second time coming to this event,” Guerrero said.

“It was really beautiful to see how far [it] has come.”

Another attendee, Keira Swihart, a third-year international relations major, felt free to fully express themselves in the hosted space and among other dancegoers. Even though she enjoyed her high school prom, she believes even the best of what regular proms offer can’t cater to the queer community in quite the same way.

“With queer friends and peers around, you can authentically dress how you want,” Swihart said.

Lefkoff felt a similar way and described the necessity of holding welcoming, inclusive events.

“Queer community is everywhere, but it especially thrives when there is a space where we can be unapologetically ourselves,” Lefkoff said. “That’s why having events like this is so important.”

The Asian & Pacific Islander Queers meet every other Monday in the LGBTIA Resource Center in the Student Community Center at 6:30 p.m. More information about the organization can be found on their Instagram page, @apiq.at.ucd, and website. Access to a membership form, an events list and an option to submit art and poetry to their newsletter are available, as well as LGBTQIA+ crisis resources.

students. Beginning on April 14 for

BY AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS 48 hours, students could buy presale campus@theaggie.org tickets for both general admission floor and the upper level at a lower price. On April 18, students could buy general sale On May 8, the ASUCD tickets that had an increased price of five Entertainment Council (EC) held its dollars more than presale. annual Lawntopia concert for UC Davis The new system was a seeming students, with singer-songwriter and lottery for some students, with many rapper Don Toliver headlining. The not being able to get a ticket either event, which had some 5,500 attendees, round. Jordan Zamora, a third-year was marked by new changes in venue psychology major, was one of them. and ticketing.

“I kept refreshing and refreshing The event was held at the University when it hit 10 a.m.,” Zamora said. “The Credit Union Center, a change from the minute I was let into the website, it was usual location of the Quad. Jonathan completely sold out — both times I Ng, a third-year political science major tried to get tickets. Some of my friends and the EC unit director, expressed got it immediately on the first day of the difficulties finding a venue to presale, I don’t know why I didn’t.” accommodate all students.

However, for others, the new ticket “We wish there was a capacity on system was viewed as an even playing campus that could fit 38,000 undergrad field, providing an equal chance for all students, but there isn’t,” Ng said. “We attendees to purchase a ticket. Lauren tried to accommodate every student Prum, a first-year biological sciences given the limitations we had. There major, thought the ticket-buying are positives and drawbacks to every process was simple. location on campus.”

Unlike previous years, this year’s Lawntopia was not a free event for LAWNTOPIA2025 on 5

Lawntopia 2025, held in the University Credit Union Center on May 8, featured headliner Don Toliver. (Entertainment Council / Courtesy)

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

2 | THUSRDAY, MAY 15, 2025

Picnic in the Park season begins at Davis Farmers Market

The favorite Davis springtime tradition is back in full swing

The crowd enjoys music at Picnic in the Park. (Christian Cendejas / Aggie)

BY OLIVIA HOKR city@theaggie.org Every Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. until September 24, families, students and community members will fill Central Park to enjoy the festival market hosted by the Davis Farmers Market.

In addition to the regular offerings of the farmers market, Picnic in the Park features live music from local bands, increased food vendors and activities for children.

May 7 was marked as the start of the 2025 Picnic in the Park season as people gathered on the Central Park lawn with their picnic blankets and chairs. This is the 29th year the festival market will occur.

Randii MacNear has been part of the Davis Farmers Market since

1978 and is currently the executive director. The immense success of the regular Saturday morning farmers market inclined MacNear to expand the Davis Farmers Market’s seasonal events. Taking inspiration from the San Luis Obispo Farmers Market, which is known for its nighttime festival market, MacNear knew she wanted to bring a similar lively event to the Davis community during the week. “[Picnic in the Park] started back in 1996 and it’s not all that different now than it was,” MacNear said. “We had a couple different food vendors but it’s the same exact model where there’s a band and there’s food for people to come and eat dinner. They can bring their own wine or they can buy wine and beer from our local vendors.”

During the hours of Picnic in the Park, the market has an open-

container permit, allowing those of age to consume alcohol while enjoying their picnic and live music. The four Davis breweries (Sudwerk Brewing Co., Dunloe Brewing, Three Mile Brewing and Super Owl Brewing) will take turns vending at the market each week, offering seasonal and locally made beers.

The beer schedule is available on the Davis Farmers Market’s website.

Along with the usual farmers market sellers, extended food vendors will include places such as Bare Juices, The Buckhorn, Open Rice Kitchen, Casa Del Pan tamales and Fat Face popsicles. The Saturday regulars, such as The Hotdogger and Davis Bread & Desserts, will also be in attendance.

The festival market was designed to include all types of local businesses.

Each week, a different local band performs at the lawn of Central Park.

The genres vary from rock and pop to indie and folk, with a few cover bands in the mix as well.

MacNear emphasized that the Davis Farmers Market focuses on being a true community event.

“We’re very community-minded,” MacNear said. “We have a priority policy for Davis and Downtown Davis restaurants, businesses and bakeries.

We try not to go outside of Davis.

We always wanted this to be a local, family-friendly place where people could come.”

Emerson Enis, a third-year sociology major, gathered with friends in Central Park last week for the first Picnic in the Park of the year. Enis shared her passion for both live music and her local farmers market, so when spring rolls around, she looks forward to the weekday excitement.

“Music in the park is one of my favorite Davis events, because it reminds me of what a community really is,” Enis said. “It bridges the gap between families and students of Davis, and I love seeing so many familiar faces.”

After almost 30 years, Picnic in the Park continues to gain popularity and community members continue to appreciate the enjoyment it brings.

Likewise, the Davis Farmers Market team values all of the unwavering love and support they receive from the community.

“I love knowing that there’s so many great things happening during Picnic in the Park,” MacNear said. “The farmers are being supported but also the community is being supported.

We’re very grateful for our community of shoppers and customers. It’s great to be able to give them something that they’re so fond of.”

Thousands of UC Davis employees walk off the job to march through Sacramento on May Day

Multiple unions and countless protestors marched in solidarity with UC workers

BY SUNNY LIU city@theaggie.org On May 1, thousands of University of California (UC) workers took to the streets for International Workers’ Day, calling on state and UC leaders to defend public services amidst funding cuts from the Donald Trump administration.

The march was organized by the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) union, whose more than 20,000 healthcare, research and technical workers across the UC system partook in an unfair labor practice strike for May Day. At UC Davis alone, over 4,000 workers walked off the job on May 1. The demonstration is among hundreds of similar May Day protests across the country, including one demonstration in Davis.

The demonstration in Sacramento was prompted in part by a UC-wide hiring freeze that UPTE contested as abrupt, unilateral and unlawful. Under California state law, employers must provide unions with both notice and a chance to bargain over a change impacting the terms and conditions of employment. UPTE previously filed an unfair labor practice charge in April with the Public Employees Relations Board of California to protest the freeze.

Dan Russell, the president of UPTE, explained the hiring freeze’s impacts on union members and UC employees.

“Public healthcare, public research and public education are under attack like no time before in our lifetimes,” Russell said. “And it’s only gonna get worse unless we do something about it. So, we are striking today to say ‘no’ to the university’s hiring freeze; they know of the crisis of short staffing at our hospitals, our labs and our campuses getting worse. We are fighting to reset UC’s priorities for our students, for our research and our patients.”

Russell further contextualized the strike when explaining the magnitude of the UC hiring freeze.

“I think it’s important to […] remember that this is not about putting a few more dollars in our pockets,” Russell said. “This is a life [or] death struggle for so many people. This is a life-[or]-death struggle for people who are having to wait longer and longer in our emergency rooms without seeing treatment. It is a life [or] death struggle for students in crisis who cannot get timely appointments with their therapists on our campuses. It is a life [or] death struggle for kids with cancer

who are counting on the development of new drugs that we develop here at the university.”

In an online statement, UC President Michael V. Drake laid the blame squarely on actual and proposed funding cuts to the UC system.

“Over the last few months, the new administration in Washington, D.C., has announced a number of executive orders and proposed policy changes, including ones that threaten funding for lifesaving research, patient care, and education support,” Drake said. “These actions affect colleges and universities across the country. Additionally, the 2025-26 California state budget calls for a substantial cut to the University’s budget. [...] These proposed changes would have a particularly profound impact on the University of California.”

Jamie Gardner, a staff research associate at the Innovative Genomics Institute in Berkeley, explained why union members are not convinced by Drake’s arguments. “[National Institutes of Health]

(NIH) grants make up like one-half of one percent of UC’s [...] budget,” Gardner said. “But rather than step in and [...] say like, ‘Okay, we’ll make sure everybody keeps getting paid and you can keep doing your research while we fight it out in court,’ [...] I’ve heard some stories of people being laid off really abruptly. [...] And they have $28 billion in the rainy-day fund that they don’t want to tap into, even though it’s definitely raining right now. [...] If they say in the [bargaining] meeting that they can’t afford it, then [...] show us your math and we’ll work with you.

But they’ve never said that because they don’t wanna talk about it.”

The march started a little after 11 a.m. and continued until 12:30 p.m.

Around 30 intersections were closed to vehicular traffic as protestors flooded the streets. The protestors marched from Fremont Park, looped around the governor’s mansion on H Street and passed by Capitol Park. Throughout the march, protestors carried UPTE signs while chanting slogans like “union

power” and “if we don’t get it, shut it down.” The marchers were accompanied by drums and other brass instruments.

Among the blue shirts worn by UPTE members were also numerous purple shirts representing Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000 members and red shirts representing California Nurses Association members. The demonstration drew widespread support from additional unions across California, including SEIU Local 2015, California Federation of Teachers, Unite Here Local 49, Los Rios College Federation of Teachers and California Association of Professional Scientists.

Volma Volcy, the chief of staff at Sacramento Central Labor Council, gave a speech about the national dimension of the May Day demonstration.

“We are here to tell everyone we are not going to take [Trump’s attacks] anymore,” Volcy said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s around immigration. It doesn’t matter if it’s around the LGBTQIA community. It doesn’t matter if it’s

UPTE is among many unions that organized the march on May Day. (Christian Cendejas / Aggie)

around our women. It doesn’t matter if it’s around our black and our brown people. We are tired, and we are not going to take it.”

Aside from unions, many in the crowd were not affiliated with unions and brought homemade signs to protest Trump’s recent actions concerning marginalized communities. Toni John, a mother who carried a Ruth Bader Ginsburg sign and wore a shirt adorned with Spanish expletives, drove down from Redding to attend the event.

John explained that she was here for her daughter and all the women in the country.

“We’ve absolutely protested [for women’s rights before],” John said.

“They just, with a pen, were able to take our rights, our protections. […]

We’ve been made to feel like outsiders and bitches and any rude name you can think of when we have jobs that put us above men in the same field. We just want merit-based [employment]. [...] [My father] always made excuses for making sure my brother was given everything. [...] That’s just the way it was and all these, the old women you see with their protest signs, [...] every one of them will tell you, they’ve been here before.”

Kyla Frank, an organizer with UPTE, appealed directly to students, encouraging them to support the union’s continuing fight against the UC administration’s unfair labor practices.

“Students are gonna be really important in this fight,” Frank said.

“You know, you guys go to a world-class institution. They brag about it all the time. [...] Now, [the UC hospital system is] the second-largest, so they serve so many people. And so while you guys are trying to get your education and receive the services that, again, you guys pay for through your tuition, it is so important that you guys let UC know that you all also deserve more resources.”

Frank continued by describing the possible ramifications for students.

“Every time they pull resources away from workers, they also pull resources away from students,” Frank said. “So, I mean, [...] long wait times [...] [and] not a lot of representation for the special type of care that students need at the mental health services, right? We also have [...] lab techs and [...] teaching assistants [who] set up classrooms. So, every time that’s [...] held back, you guys don’t get the education that you guys definitely deserve.”

Current bargaining updates can be found on the UPTE website.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 | 3

OBITUARY

English Professor Joshua Clover, known for his activism and engagement with protests, dies at 62

Tributes for the teacher and poet hail him as a gifted writer on a social mission

BY RIVERS STOUT campus@theaggie.org Joshua Clover, a professor of English and comparative literature who worked at UC Davis beginning in 2003, died April 26, 2025 at 62 years old. Those closest to him -– as well as many members of the general public — will remember him for his political convictions and his radically progressive organizing efforts alongside his role in academia. His cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

“Always economical with his prose,” members of the UC Davis English Department and students said in a statement. “[Clover] captured the complexity of capitalism’s historical development and the particular forms of struggle that attend it with pithy locution and often devastating precision.”

Clover held a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He taught classes on English and poetry and was an avid writer in his own right outside of the classroom.

“Madonna Anno Domini,” Clover’s first book and a collection of poetry, won the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets, a once-a-year honor given to exceptional first-time authors. Other poetry collections included 2006’s “The Totality for Kids” and 2015’s “Red Epic.” He also wrote “Riot.

Strike. Riot.,” published in 2016, a political analysis on the act of rioting.

Clover was often seen at protests around campus and beyond. Most recently, he was at the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event in April of this year, removing signs from local right-

Professor Joshua Clover, known for his advocacy and involvement in protests, died April 26 at age 62.

(UCD College of Letters & Sciences / Courtesy) wing activist and UC Davis staffer Beth Bourne.

In 2023, he penned a guest opinion for The California Aggie criticizing

Charlie Kirk, TPUSA apologists and Chancellor Gary May for allowing the group to be on campus. He could also be regularly seen around pro-Palestine

protests and strikes, expressing vocal support for Palestine and arguing in a 2018 post that, as a state, “Israel should be ended.”

“Joshua was a professor, theorist, scholar, editor, and poet, but first and foremost, he was a communist,” the English Department’s statement reads.

“Indeed, his political commitments were at the core of everything he did: from the streets to the courthouses, the reading groups to the letterwriting nights, he was a partisan of the real movement wherever it could be found.”

The fire-brand that many have remarked him as being, Clover sparked controversy for a series of anti-police tweets in 2014 that ultimately resulted in unsuccessful calls from California Assemblyman James Gallagher for him to be fired.

“I remember him during that unsuccessful Occupy Oakland-ish action to potentially occupy the Kaiser Center,” Clover’s friend Juliana Spahr said in a written tribute to him published in The Nation. “[Clover motioned] me and my son down an alley and away from the line of police eagerly loading their tear gas rifles.”

Those close to him were just as inclined to bring attention to his love for pop culture and country music, which he wrote lengthy articles about, mixing his passions for music and revolution.

At the time of his death, he was working on a new book manuscript, tentatively titled “Infrastructure and Revolution.”

“He always made a point to acknowledge me, sharing a wave and the wry smile that he was known for,” Andy Jones, an academic associate director at UC Davis, said in a Substack post. “I will always think of that smile as I fondly remember our friendship.

Whether in a poetry reading or at a pub quiz, Joshua displayed the same brilliance, mischief, and moral clarity.”

California Aggie to remain in print: 2025-26 budget approved by ASUCD

Paper to continue publishing weekly physical edition after student officials previously raised concerns over sustainability, fiscal impact

Members of The California Aggie staff and students watch paper leadership and ASUCD discuss the publication’s budget on March 8.

(Julia Heron Watts / Aggie)

BY VINCE BASADA campus@theaggie.org The ASUCD Senate passed The California Aggie’s 2025-26 annual budget on May 7, allowing the paper to maintain its weekly print operations after previously indicating desires to see its physical circulation greatly reduced or eliminated.

The decision, made during the Senate’s weekly meeting, means the student-run newspaper will continue printing issues weekly. In return, the paper’s leadership offered to give up $10,000 reserved from its services rendered budget line, which includes print operations and special editions, among other expenditures. The Aggie also completely cut its publicity budget — with the promise of working with Creative Media for publicity goals next year.

The approved budget also reduces advertising goals to $22,000 down from this year’s current goal of $45,000, compensating for the change in print expenditures. Pay for all existing positions will be retained through the end of next school year.

Unlike most entities that rely on student funds, The Aggie is not subject to individual line item revisions and unadulterated fiscal scrutiny by the ASUCD Senate. Instead, it is overseen by the Campus Media Board, composed of university and student representatives, and only requires a final yes-no vote from the Senate.

ASUCD units and committees across the board faced cuts going into next school year, part of larger austerity measures to address a decrease in allocation from student services to ASUCD, according to Controller

Mostafa Rasheed.

Additionally, several ASUCD officials and entities expressed concerns over the sustainability of print operations and excess copies left in distribution racks, as well as the paper’s projected inability to meet advertising revenue goals. The Senate initially rejected The Aggie’s proposed budget in late March over these issues.

The newspaper’s leadership has maintained that the print edition is essential to its mission of disseminating accessible and free information.

In an internal message to staffers, Editor-in-Chief Chris Ponce asserted that the resolution allows The Aggie to retain its scale and staff while also helping address larger fiscal issues.

“We had serious concerns leading up to our initial budget hearing, especially given alarming comments made to us by ASUCD leadership prior to that first budget hearing,” Ponce said. “We met with the ASUCD executive team to negotiate the status of next year’s budget. There are minor cuts throughout The Aggie’s upcoming budget, but I am proud to say we have walked away with something we can be proud of.”

Ponce also announced that the paper will be reintroducing/creating new jobs for the 2025-26 year, including paid assistant editor and new media manager positions.

The budget of KDVS, which is also overseen by the Campus Media Board, was approved at the same meeting without issue.

The California Aggie maintains editorial and operational independence from the ASUCD student government.

Advances of this article were not made available to ASUCD officials prior to publication.

4 | THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

‘In a rich man’s world’

Exploring whether or not capitalism is the root of all our woes

BY VIOLET ZANZOT vmzanzotl@ucdavis.edu There’s this guy, let’s call him Karl Marx, who talked a lot about what he called “the base” of a society. Society’s system of production dictates pretty much everything else, acting as a base, according to Marx’s musings about historical materialism in his work “The German Ideology.” He referred to that “pretty much everything else” as the superstructure, which is the ideology of a society.

This framework is particularly notable because of its implication that everything we do in our society is caused by our economic system.

Think of the work week, for example.

It was built to give people five days of labor, thereby separating the idea of performing labor from subsistence.

If we worked for the sake of survival, there would be no days off. In our society, work and survival are separated by a moderator; money is the middleman between labor and needs (it is also no coincidence that money pays for wants).

The complete interconnectedness of production and social living is not happenstance — at least, that is what Marx predicates. His theory has led me to wonder: Is the problem with American society today the base of capitalism? In other words, was Marx right about the relationship between economic system and social system, and is the turmoil in our country today caused by our economic mode of production?

It is no secret that we live in an anxious and turbulent world today. Politically, consensus feels lost. Technologically, progress seems to be leaving many people behind.

Creatively, the struggle to be original and unique feels breathless. Even in love, we have turned to apps to introduce ourselves, when a generation ago, a bar was as good a place as any to meet people. Why? For Marx, the base develops everything else, and the superstructure’s purpose is simply to reinforce the base.

Capitalism has created a society built on consumption. Over time, we have seen that consumption has changed what the idea of “goods”

means and, in turn, what people want. Rather than being just physical objects or services, goods are symbols.

We don’t want shoes, we want Nikes.

We don’t want sunglasses, we want Ray-Bans. We use things to define ourselves and express ourselves, and because of this, goods exist in a world of meaning.

This system of consumption has shaped the way we want to exist in the world, given that we’re all implicated by a world of symbolic things. The way we perceive ourselves and other people is through the lens of goods that represent bigger ideas. A Gucci belt is success. A Louis Vuitton purse is status.

Even a choice between restaurants is more than a choice between a burger or pizza; you must be able to afford a choice, and you are likely deciding within the context of a group of people. A burger or pizza is a symbol of a social strata, made of people with a common willingness to spend and socialize. The goods are symbolic.

Given that consumption has changed how we see people and the world, it feels very easy to blame

differences between people on these goods. Can we boil down all of our issues to the fact that if you have nicer shoes, people will think differently of you? Is there a divide between Republicans and Democrats because they shop in different stores?

Capitalism has turned people into deeply symbolic creatures that no longer exist in a simple reality of objects.

In the end, capitalism has incentivized people to utilize goods as symbols. This representative behavior has created barriers between people, pushing them apart. The more layers of symbolism, the more manufactured the separation between people.

That being said, if the different aspects of our social system were under arrest for the turmoil in our country, capitalism would very likely be the gun held by the perp — it is a tool that can be used for evil, but which cannot operate alone. I do not villainize capitalism as a theoretical framework.

Rather, I find that it has added a layer of complexity through symbolism that has changed the name of the game altogether. We have institutionalized

STEPHANIE CHAN/ AGGIE symbolism through consumption and the layers of nuance have created more room for trouble. If capitalism is not the whole problem, what is the solution?

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

HUMOR

Severely misinformed student When extremism becomes the weapon, breaks into the dairy farm in both sides suffer search of an oat milk cow The India-Pakistan division and the current

Which came first, the oat or the milk?

rhetoric surrounding the violence exemplify how conversations about extremism are highly unproductive

BY ALLISON KELEHER adkeleher@ucdavis.edu SAVANNAH BURGER / AGGIE

Early one morning, dawn broke over the UC Davis Tercero dorms.

At about the same time, Jonathan heard the shrieking cry of his iPhone alarm from his bedside table. When he attempted to turn off the alarm, he missed, making him all the more angry. Once Jonathan finally turned off his alarm, he let out a loud groan of frustration at the morning light streaming in through his bedroom window. This was much to the dismay of Jonathan’s roommate, who rolled over and shoved his pillow over his head (Jonathan is not a good roommate).

Unfortunately, this was the morning routine for Jonathan, ever since he decided it was a good idea to take an 8 a.m. class in his first year. He would wake up, slam the alarm, make loud man noises and eventually get on with his day.

However, before he could leave the room, Jonathan needed his daily iced oat milk latte. Jonathan was a barista prior to beginning his education here at UC Davis, so he became accustomed to his daily coffee. His espresso machine was a high school graduation gift from his parents — it was the gift that kept on giving, as he could wake up every morning to the sweet notes of Colombian coffee beans.

This specific morning, Jonathan was in for a surprise: He was about to discover that he didn’t have any

oatmilk. Unfortunately, this was because his roommate had used it all up during a late-night cereal excursion (Jonathan’s roommate wasn’t a good roommate, either).

Jonathan crushed his oat milk carton in anger, and a scowl erupted on his face. He was not going to have a good day. Jonathan refused to drink anything from Peet’s Coffee because he deemed it unworthy compared to his homemade lattes.

There were still 45 minutes until his class was set to start, so Jonathan began plotting his coffee plans. There was no time to go downtown for coffee, since Jonathan didn’t have a bike. Likewise, there was no time to purchase oat milk. Jonathan was overwhelmed with stress until he realized a perfect alternative right in his neighborhood — the dairy cows.

Jonathan refused to drink cow’s milk because it gave him unbelievable stomach problems, and yet, he still thought this was a good idea. In a frenzy, Jonathan threw on his robe and rushed out of his dorm toward the dairy cows.

When he arrived, he started screaming: “Which one is the oat cow!?”

Every employee was confused about who he was and what he was asking for. They tried to ask for more details when Jonathan barged into

BY GEETIKA MAHAJAN giamahajan@ucdavis.edu

a cow stall and started to attempt to milk the cow.

“WHY ARE YOU KEEPING ME AWAY FROM MY OAT MILK?” Jonathan screamed in anger. This was when the authorities stepped in and restrained Jonathan. He resisted their attempts to restrain him — he seemingly was not okay in the head.

The authorities gave Jonathan some time to cool off before questioning him. However, that’s when they found out that a UC Davis student genuinely thought oat milk came from an oat cow.

“I thought it was like a GMO or something,” Jonathan reasoned. He then explained that, as a barista, you don’t need to know where the milk comes from, just where it’s going.

I think the moral of this story is that we need to check on our baristas to make sure they are okay.

Clearly, they are arms-deep in their barista duties and don’t realize that alternative milks are plant-based. We must educate them, and if not for the baristas, do it for the dairy cows. Only you can prevent dairy farm break-ins.

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

When the British left South Asia in 1947, they left a tangible legacy of colonialism behind. The following partition of India into India and Pakistan was one of the most violent conflicts of the 20th century, and its consequences are still impacting people on both sides to this day. Tensions between the countries manifest in bursts of violence that fuel political campaigns, debates and hatred on both sides of the border. Throughout the Hindu-Muslim diaspora, the rhetoric surrounding these events only further reinforces division and ensures that though the original colonists may have left, their legacy of violence continues to destabilize both nations.

In India, a movement of retributive violence against Muslims, referred to as “bulldozer justice,” started out on the fringes of the right-wing and crept its way into the speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The purpose — to punish any violations of land regulators in India by bulldozing their property — has disproportionately affected Muslin farms, houses and places of worship. Around 70% of targeted properties between the years of 2021 and 2023 belonged to Muslims, according to Human Rights Watch. The strategy itself is not effective at anything besides further reinforcing anti-Muslim sentiment in India and anti-Indian sentiment in Pakistan.

Across the border, Pakistan engages in its own kind of othering.

The seemingly omnipresent “Indian threat” has granted the Pakistani military a disproportionate role in

KAYLA TRAN/ AGGIE

Pakistan’s fragile democracy. By leveraging constant threats of an attack from India, the government enables military coups, military governance and a bloated defense budget. In 2024, Pakistan scored 35 out of 100 on Freedom House’s Global Freedom Index, wherein “interference by the military in civilian institutions” was cited as a major factor for the country’s low score.

The most recent pattern of escalating violence centers around an attack in India-administered Kashmir, where 26 Hindus were killed. The Indian government blamed Pakistan for the attack and retaliated, targeting parts of Pakistan and Pakistanadministered Kashmir, leaving 26 dead and 46 injured. Both governments have invoked discussions of extremism to justify their actions, preceding and postceding these attacks.

The two ever-competing nationalist voices leave no room for nuance within discussions centering on the religious and political conflict.

Constantly ignoring the issues within their own country, while characterising the other as the looming threat, has allowed internal mismanagement to go unchecked. Furthermore, it silences those caught in the crosshairs of the conflict itself.

“The competing narratives of India and Pakistan leave no room for the Kashmiri voice, which is silenced even in the global imagination,” author Ather Zia said in her book, “Resisting Disappearance: Military Occupation and Women’s Activism in Kashmir.”

Conversations surrounding the division between the two nations center around extremism in a way that turns religious groups into symbols.

Politicians create stories about victims and the “dangerous radicals” targeting them, turning a nuanced history into a means to an ideological end and achieving no meaningful resolution in favor of stoking animosity. The discourse favors caricatures, and, consequently, the rhetoric and violence on both sides grows more extreme, more bloody and more harmful to the nations’ citizens.

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

No instruments, just heart The power of “cold-blooded a cappella”

BY MOLLY THOMPSON mmtthompson@ucdavis.edu Founded in 1995, the UC Davis Lounge Lizards celebrated their 30th anniversary showcase from May 3 to 4, 2025. The Lounge Lizards are one of the most talented a cappella groups in California, coming in second only to Furmata from the University of Washington at the West Coast International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) semi-finals in March, after taking home gold at the Northern California quarter-finals in February.

Each group is allotted 10 minutes at the competition to perform their prepared set, using only their voices.

They prepare for months ahead of the show — choosing their songs, arranging the music to fit the format of a cappella, honing their techniques and practicing choreography to accompany and complement their

vocals.

As someone on the outside of the a cappella scene, I was absolutely blown away the first time I saw a live performance. My roommate is in her second year as part of the Lounge Lizards, and I attended their annual showcase, “No Instruments Attached,” for the first time last May. I knew she was talented and the group was good, but the descriptions I’d heard were inconsequential compared to the grandeur and majesty of the show itself.

The people who create and perform a cappella possess incredible musical skill, are wholly dedicated to their craft and are creative beyond belief. They’re masters of what they do, which allows them to play with the music and mold it into something astonishing.

While the Lounge Lizards consist of six vocal parts (soprano, mezzosoprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass) and a vocal percussionist, what

this particular group of 16 singers produces is far greater than the sum of its parts. The performance took place at Khaira Hall, which was filled with deep, resonant and layered sounds as the Lounge Lizards built their chords.

It was truly transcendent.

Beyond the objective talent of the singers, what makes a cappella so incredible is the sheer depth of passion that viscerally emanates from each member of the Lounge Lizards as they perform — amplified tenfold by the impenetrable bond they share.

There are moments — in all of their songs, but especially in the set they prepared for the ICCA competition — where they came together and created sounds almost impossible to believe were coming from 16 voices and nothing more. Yes, it comes from the expert creation of the arrangement itself, but beyond that, it’s born out of their shared love for each other and of the art itself.

Emily Chung, a third-year plant sciences major and co-publicity and co-production chair of the Lounge Lizards, spoke with me about what

DARIXA VARELA MEDRANO/ AGGIE makes their a cappella group so special.

“What makes [...] us [so] attached to this community is that we are working towards a common goal, like [the] competition, but also that we’re really tight on a personal level as well.

We know so much about each other, and that’s what makes us a family,” Chung said.

The vocal percussionist for the Lounge Lizards, a second-year biotechnology major, Joey Park, agreed with this notion.

“One thing I really like about being a part of this group is just how much passion and drive each individual has.

Even if we have different majors [and] different interests, we can just share a love for music — a love for a cappella,” Park said.

This kind of camaraderie is tangible; it’s impossible to create something as positive and as beautiful as their music if you don’t actually care.

LOUNGELIZARDS on 9

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 | 5

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OPINION EDITORIAL

The Editorial Board interviews Chancellor Gary May, senior university leadership

May and administrators discuss federal funding cuts, student visa status and LSA suspension

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

The California Aggie’s Editorial Board met with Chancellor Gary May, Associate Chancellor and Chief of Staff Carl Engelbach, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Dana Topousis, Vice Chancellor of UC Davis Finance, Operations and Administration Claire Shinnerl, Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Renetta Tull, Faculty Advisor to the Chancellor and Provost Ari Kelman and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Pablo Reguerín on May 12th.

Below is a transcript of the meeting, edited for length and clarity.

The Editorial Board: On April 27, the visa statuses for 23 students and recent graduates were reinstated following the terminations of international student visas at UC Davis. How has this back and forth with the visa statuses impacted students, faculty, and alumni? As of now, have those who were impacted by these cancellations been able to get their visas reinstated if you’ve been in contact with them? And how has the university made efforts to ensure their safety? And is there any other comment you’d like to provide?

May: The records for 23 of our students were impacted, so they were terminated and then reinstated between April. They were terminated between April 24 and 26 and then later reinstated. Obviously, those caused concern and anxiety not just for those students who were impacted, but for everybody else who was wondering if they were going to be next. What’s going on? So, we didn’t have any real clear indication of what the algorithm was being used for. The termination was, how they were selecting the students or there would be any limit on the number of people that would be impacted. This disrupted the students’ ability to pursue their group degrees and their coursework and their teaching and research responsibilities.

Some of them are recent graduates and to maintain employment and training opportunities, these terminations affected their ability to remain in the United States. The re-activations restored their legal eligibility to do that, but it’s still unclear whether they will be eligible to depart and re-enter the U.S. We still don’t know what can happen there, since the visas could be revoked and remain revoked.

Of those 23 students, two were outside of the U.S. when the records

were terminated and their eligibility to travel back to the U.S. is still uncertain. We’ve been doing lots of counseling and outreach to the students impacted — not just those 23 students but all students who have concerns about immigration matters.

The Global Affairs Division has been doing regular webinars and providing advice, legal and other types of advice, for people who have concerns and resources, so the students can protect themselves and at least know what their rights are. So, before Homeland Security reactivated those records, hundreds of students nationally connected with immigration attorneys to pursue some legal options through court action, including our students, and we have been trying to assist as best we can with those efforts.

Reguerín: I want to re-emphasize that each student got individualized support. The Global Affairs Division and International Services were actively working, and had a whole team behind them to support in any way that we could. So, I think it’s very fair to say we activated across campuses, across departments — people were working evenings, weekends, ensuring this was handled with a lot of care. We don’t want to see students in this situation ever, but I’m proud of activating and getting Global Affairs and everyone together to make sure each student was supported.

As Chancellor May mentioned, trying to educate folks, those directly impacted. The fear it caused, though, was significant. We were hearing from students, international students, domestic students, faculty and trying to rally that into actual support for students and then, again, students who were in fear.

The Editorial Board: Recently, the UC Davis Law Student Association (LSA) was suspended for violating a University of California policy that requires student governments to operate on a viewpoint neutral basis.

As of May 1, LSA funding is still being operated by the administration. Could you elaborate on how this action aligns with the university’s broader commitment to protecting and fostering free speech?

May: First, I think I have to say very clearly this has nothing to do with free speech. In late March, we suspended LSA operations and directed the School of Law administrators to exercise control over the funds. This was action taken because the LSA sort of knowingly violated UC policy around a resolution that was not viewpoint-neutral in the distribution of funds. UC-large policy, not UC Davis policy, requires all student

government organizations and their activities to be viewpoint-neutral with respect to expenditures. So, again, it’s not a decision based on free speech, but based on policy violation, which the LSA was made aware of before they made the resolution. So, that’s why I said they knowingly violated the policy.

Obviously, in government, anyone has the right of free expression and to take positions on public issues as long as those statements don’t, of course, represent the views of the university. But, LSA actually went beyond that ability in their resolution.

We’re committed to ensuring that all students have the ability to exercise their rights of free expression, even when those positions are controversial or unpopular. There is a free speech website maintained by Student Affairs that has resources for students and community members about their rights in the First Amendment and what our applications are as a public institution. So, that’s essentially the story there. I think there’s some ongoing discussions with the law school and the former LSA student leaders to try to resolve this, but I don’t think we have a result to announce year.

The Editorial Board: Last quarter, we briefly discussed the speculated federal funding cuts to university research that the new presidential administration had motioned. Having surpassed the president’s 100th day in office, what do you make of these changes now, and what is the current status of UC Davis’ research funding?

May: So, we talk about this very regularly now — I have at least four meetings a week about this topic. The situation continues to evolve every day. As I say, every day is adventure.

This topic potential impact is really mounting. We are monitoring and we’re engaging with many partners, national and local partners, and policymakers to keep track of the situation, but also to reinforce the value that we deliver through our research. There’s a lot of unknowns about the ultimate impact and how things are going to play out, but we have seen some of our programs and projects directly impacted. We have had nearly 100 notices of federal grants that were terminated at UC Davis, and probably not just here on the Davis campus. The notices vary significantly in their intent and actions. In some cases, projects have been terminated.

In a couple of cases, we’ve been able to get them restored, so we’re gratified by that. We feel good about those, but it hasn’t been very many.

There are some things we don’t

know yet. The National Institute of Health (NIH), Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have all had calls for a 15% cap on their indirect cost recovery reimbursements, and I believe the Department of Defense (DOD) as well. We don’t have as much DOD support as we have from some of those other agencies, but the DOD has also been affected. Federal judges have intervened with NIH, and a DOE, a lawsuit was filed challenging those cuts, as well as the one for NSF. We are a party to the litigation in the case of NIH and NSF; the University of California is a named plaintiff.

Just so you know, if those caps were

The resurgence of the ‘R-word’

implemented this year, the 15% cap, we would have lost $114 million total.

So, we continue to closely monitor the situation and try to do whatever we can to alleviate some of the strain it’s putting on our research enterprise. We have a number of activities, national activities, that we’re involved in, in terms of spreading the news about the good research that we do and what the results are. We have seen the From Labs to Lives online effort by UC Davis Strategic Communications. The American Association of Universities (AAU) board is involved as a leader of some of the lawsuits to try and recover some of those funds.

CRYSTAL CHEN / AGGIE

Why this slur needs to be left behind

BY TARA ROMERO tcrome@ucdavis.edu

I can’t believe I even have to write this article, and yet, here we are. My argument here is pretty straightforward: Stop using the R-slur.

You’d think saying something like “Don’t say slurs” isn’t necessary in 2025, but there’s been a particularly strong resurgence of this slur both online and in daily life in the past few years. Under nearly any slightly polarizing post online, the comments are full of the R-slur. I’ve seen the slur edited into the Charli XCX “Brat” logo and in every possible meme format. At the workplace and in the classroom, I’ve heard the word thrown around in casual conversation. It feels like, all of a sudden, everyone is okay with bringing this word back.

The R-slur was originally used in the early 20th century to refer to intellectually disabled people. Being labeled “mentally r*tarded” served as justified reasoning to place people into health institutions with harmful living conditions, mistreatment and abuse.

During this same time, eugenics

LAWNTOPIA2025 FROM FRONT COVER “I had no issues getting tickets,” Prum said. “It was a quick and easy process; I thought the website would crash, but it didn’t. It was like buying actual concert tickets, but less competitive.”

The event began at 6 p.m. with student openers Nineteenth Operator

movements for “selective breeding” and “involuntary sterilization” of disabled people used this word to classify people who should be barred from reproduction — as seen with the Buck versus Bell 1927 Supreme Court case which upheld that states have the right to forcibly sterilize someone deemed “unfit to procreate” due to “mental deficiency.”

This word has consistently been used in laws to justify limitations on the rights of disabled people, enforced through marriage laws, guardian and conservatorship laws, inheritance laws and voting laws.

In 2010, Rosa’s Law replaced the word “mental r*tardation” with “intellectually disabled” in federal law. Let’s be clear: This switch does not undo the abhorrent government restrictions on disabled peoples’ rights.

There are still many limitations in regards to social security, marriage and conservatorships. However, a study from Ohio State University tested college students’ tolerance of intellectually disabled people simply based on word choice — “mental r*tardation” compared to “intellectual disability.” The study found that students were more likely to endorse

negative views of intellectually disabled people when they were referred to with the old term. The R-slur perpetuates long-standing prejudices against intellectually disabled people, and changing the phrasing actually impacts how neurodivergent people are viewed.

However, the word is not limited to directly discussing neurodivergent people. Instead, the word only implies disability when used in casual conversation. Through the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s (and seen again now), the word has been used casually as a way to denounce someone’s intelligence. While not directly discussing or being used against a disabled person, the word implies the disabled label.

“Whenever we decide we want to insult somebody or throw hate to somebody, we attach them to a disability regardless of whether or not they have one,” Imani Barbarin, a disability advocate, said.

The R-slur operates in a way that can be applied to anybody — disabled or not. The word is always used with the intent to degrade the recipient of the word by associating them with disability, therefore perpetuating the

ableist idea that neurodivergent people are “lesser” than others.

Some people grew up using this word their entire lives. Others learned it was wrong, but decided it was “cool” and “edgy” to bring it back. For many, this word has a layered and hurtful meaning that reminds them that the world sees them as lesser than, simply for who they are.

While the word’s history and intent give reasoning to refrain from its use, I don’t believe that is the main reason why the R-slur needs to be left in the past. It shouldn’t be said, because many neurodivergent people have spoken out and asked for neurotypical people to not use the word — that reason alone should be

more than enough.

“We are a group of people willing to have a conversation, rather than everybody talking around us in this fraternalistic manner, telling us what we should and shouldn’t want for ourselves,” Barbarin said. “And so, when we talk about the R-word, do they trust us enough to say that this is something we don’t want to hear?”

and DJ Harry. The latter, real name Harrison Tann, was chosen to open after EC’s Battle of the DJs, a free event held prior to Lawntopia for students to vote who they wanted to open the event.

“Getting the student body more engaged with who they wanted to perform is something I hope I implemented with the Lawntopia lineup,” Ng said. “The event was the first time that students had a say in who was performing, and it was a success.”

After student openers, R&B artist Umi opened the main performances of

the night. Lorena Alvarez, a second-year political science and Spanish double major and a fan of Umi’s music, was excited to see her as an opener given her rising popularity.

“The one thing I love about Lawntopia is that students get introduced to new artists from different genres,” Alvarez said. “Although Umi is not a small artist, she’s still building her career and now more students are exposed to her music, which is amazing.”

Following Umi, Brisbane-native DJ

Odd Mob performed a set of electronic music before headliner Don Toliver took the stage. His set introduced new pyrotechnics and special effects, a first in Lawntopia history.

Melissa Eaglehouse, a second-year animal science major and fan of Don Toliver, said she lined up at 1 p.m. to be near the front of the stage when doors opened at 6 p.m.

“I love his music,” Eaglehouse said.

“When I found out he was headlining, I told all my friends we had to be barricade. I got in line around 1 p.m.,

and it was so worth it — I was so close.

It was so hype.”

Looking to the future, Ng hopes to continue serving students and being transparent about where their money goes.

“We want to continue to serve the students, continue to represent their needs, while also working with the realities of our budget,” Ng said. “Our team is genuinely trying to maximize every student dollar to ensure students are ending up getting what they are paying for when it comes to their fees.”

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

6 | THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

ARTS & CULTURE Review: Season two of ‘The Last of Us’ has strong acting performances, new characters and bold narrative choices

Halfway through its sophomore season, “The Last of Us” receives high ratings and a renewal for a third season

BY ALYSSA CREVOISERAT arts@theaggie.org

As spring turns into summer, the outside temperature climbs and the urge to abandon coursework and commitments for an early start to summer break begins. The prelude to summer, spring is a pleasant chill — foggy, misty mornings and daytime weather just warm enough to take up residence on a park bench.

A certified lover of spring at heart, I feel qualified to recommend books where magical realism and fantasy take center stage. For those of you trying to latch onto the essence of spring before summer’s inevitable approach, here are some reading recommendations for all things atmospheric, mysterious and whimsical.

Book: “Spells for Forgetting” by Adrienne Young (2022) Adrienne Young is one of my most trustworthy sources of magical realism.

Her three adult fiction novels — “Spells for Forgetting,” “The Unmaking of June Farrow” and “A Sea of Unspoken Things — are if magical realism, mystery and romance were standalone fantasy fiction babies. My pick for spring, however, is going to go to my favorite of the three. “Spells for Forgetting” takes place on the sentient Saoirse Island, where the leaves on trees change color overnight and the murder of a teenage girl puts a stain on the town’s residents. It follows Emery Blackwood — who runs Blackwood’s Tea Shoppe Herbal Tonics & Tea Leaf Readings — and August Salt — a man accused of killing Lily Morgan who has returned to the island after 14 years.

Bella Ramsey as Ellie in “The Last of Us” season two. (HBO / fair use)

BY ELIZABETH BUNT arts@theaggie.org “The Last of Us” an adaptation of a hit video game, burst onto the scene in 2023. Set in a post-apocalyptic world decimated by a virus that effectively turns its victims into zombies, it follows the relationship and journey of Joel and Ellie, an unlikely duo who are searching for safety in this new world.

It became one of the highest rated drama series in HBO history in its first season, earning 24 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey returned for season two along with a host of new characters.

The first season of “The Last of Us” ends with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey)’s arrival in Jackson, Wyoming, a safe town, after traversing the country. Unbeknownst to Ellie, Joel is hiding the fact that he murdered a group of liberation fighters to keep them from performing a fatal surgery on her. This provides the foundation for the next season, which is set five years later.

Season two picks up with Joel and Ellie settled in Jackson. The town has grown exponentially since its first appearance. Joel has become a leader in the community and Ellie, now in her late teens, is a member of the town’s infected patrol squad. Their relationship is struggling through a period of teenage angst.

At the same time, they are unknowingly being hunted by a member of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), played by Kaitlyn Dever, who is seeking retribution for Joel’s actions at the hospital. The outcome of their eventual confrontation propels

Ellie and her partner Dina (Isabela Merced) on a quest for vengeance, leading them into the heart of Seattle’s dangerous and morally ambiguous landscape.

Season two greatly expands the show’s universe by introducing new characters and exploring the dynamics of the growing Jackson community.

One notable new addition to the series is the psychiatrist, Gail, who is played by Catherine O’Hara. Her performance adds another layer of emotional depth to the show as her sessions with Joel peel back his layers.

On some fronts, season two has met with positive reviews. Critics and fans alike continue to praise the show’s ability to blend heart-wrenching emotion with gritty realism. Reviewers have commented on the season’s bold narrative choices, while still remaining true to the video game’s original storyline. The performances of the cast, including Ramsey’s performance in episode three, have also garnered immense praise. However, certain factors like casting decisions, particularly Dever’s portrayal of Abby, have been a source of divide for the fanbase of “The Last of Us.”

While my description may not seem like it, Young creates an undercurrent of romance that haunts the narrative. Emery and August, after over a decade of separation, together uncover the island’s secrets and unravel generations of lies and greed. Young’s prose and imagery define her novels, and to read “Spells for Forgetting” is to feel as though you’ve taken the ferry from Seattle to Saoirse Island yourself.

Book: “Elements of Cadence” duology by Rebecca Ross (2022) “A River Enchanted” and “A Fire Endless” make up the “Elements of Cadence” duology by Rebecca Ross. Both released in the same year, the series is set on the Scottish folklore-inspired island of Cadence — a land split into two clans: the East of the Tamerlaine’s and the West of the Breccan’s. A magic system of enchantments and elemental spirits that alter the very fabric of the natural world, Ross’ atmospheric worldbuilding allows the reader to feel the island’s wind on their cheeks, the fabric on enchanted plaid on their hands and the grass of the ever-changing terrain on their feet.

The island is split into two clans, each with their own distinct balance of magic and prosperity, in constant conflict. Jack Tamerlaine — a bard whose skill lies in his ability to connect with spirits via the harp — has returned to Cadence after attending university on the mainland following the disappearance of the island’s children. Adaira, the heiress of the East, joins Jack as he works to find the missing girls and bring them home. While sometimes marketed as a lighthearted, whimsical tale, the mystery element takes “A River Enchanted” from a simple story of an enchanted island to one of political tension, thriller-esque suspense and fate-intervened romance.

Book: “Half a Soul” by Olivia Atwater (2020) For those looking for something a bit less intense, but still checks all of the arbitrary boxes of my spring reading list, “Half a Soul” by Olivia Atwater may be the pick for you. Sitting at around 250 pages, “Half a Soul” follows Theodora Ettings — who was cursed by a faerie as a girl, leaving her with only half of a soul — as she handles her inability to feel fear or embarrassment during London’s courting season. Elias Wilder, also known as Lord Sorcier, is a renowned magician and the center of high-society gossip.

Currently, the second season holds a 95% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81% score on Metacritic. With four episodes still to be released, “The Last of Us” is already being hailed as one of the strongest sophomore seasons in TV history.

For anyone who has been on the fence about watching season two, take this as your sign to catch up. It will not disappoint and with season three already confirmed, “The Last of Us” is going to be around for a long time yet.

Well-versed in faerie affairs, he learns of Dora’s plight and becomes dedicated to the cause. In addition to solving Dora’s crisis of the soul, children from a workhouse are falling under a sleeping curse. As the line between London and the faerie realm is blurred, Elias and Dora grow closer, and it seems that having half of a soul doesn’t mean the inability to love. “Half a Soul” has endearing characters, an intriguing plot line and unique blend of genres that make for a light, spring read.

Psst. Follow me on Goodreads, @alyssacrevoiserat.

Have books been reduced to an aesthetic?

The 2011 novel, “The Night Circus,” raises the time-old question: Do you judge a book by its cover?

BY BELLA PETERSON arts@theaggie.org The classic dilemma of judging a book by its cover — a tale as old as time. Although the saying as it stands isn’t always targeted toward books, it still can be applicable to just about any book you come across. In today’s age, there are a multitude of cover designs that decorate the shelves of your local bookstore, whether it be a cartoonstyle romance novel or a collage of flowers, snakes and other things surrounding the title of a fantasy novel.

It’s something readers can’t really help. When looking for a fresh new novel to crack open, the first thing that’s usually considered is its appearance. With a pretty title and an even prettier cover it’s hard to say no to a book. But sometimes, or maybe even most times, looks can be deceiving.

With the uproar of BookTok constantly throwing suggestions at you, it can be difficult to decipher what books are actually as good as they say. One such novel is called “The Night Circus” by Erin Morgenstern.

Described as being a novel that

employs the genres of fantasy, romance and historical fantasy set against the backdrop of a Victorian era London, it definitely seemed like this novel had everything going for it. And yet, by the time the last page was read, all that was left was a feeling of dissatisfaction and disbelief that this novel was so highly praised.

Now, of course, everyone has their preferences when it comes to reading.

So, naturally, if someone recommends a book, there isn’t a surefire chance that it’s going to meet the same standards that you hold. That’s the beauty of books after all; being able to find something that meets exactly what you’re looking for as a reader.

However, the reasoning for the dissatisfaction found with “The Night Circus” wasn’t because it was a bad novel. If it were that simple, one could simply say, “It just wasn’t my cup of tea,” and move on. The issue with this novel goes far deeper than just preferences. The book itself had some very decorated writing, if the title and the cover weren’t enough, then the writing itself was certainly aesthetically convincing.

The content itself just felt hollow in comparison to the pretty forefront

it held. Deeper and deeper into the novel it became glaringly obvious that there wasn’t much substance to this story — the characters not really showing anything to be impressed by and simply just going through the motions as any other easy read. It’s a hard thing to admit a novel is just a pretty face, because who’s allowed to even declare such a thing?

Some negative reviews of the novel found on Goodreads had similar things to say: Sunny said, “NOTHING HAPPENED,” and Dana said, “Did not finish. I tried. Too much pretty writing and too little actual plot.”

Now this may not be the majority opinion, but finding that others agreed with the impression that this novel only left its reader with beautiful writing and no substance, then maybe it isn’t totally outlandish to think there may be a bigger issue at hand.

This isn’t meant to be a critique of “The Night Circus” alone, but rather a better look at what books are starting to evolve into as a whole. If a book sounds good, looks good and even reads good, then what’s the issue?

Supposedly, it might all actually dilute down into a preference thing, but how can a reader actually tell? When

looking for a good book to read, you don’t want to have to worry about being fooled into reading something that isn’t simply bad, but empty, too.

If this was an individual event for this one novel, then this issue would be localized and easily forgettable — sadly, that’s just not the case. It feels as if more and more books that are popping out either feel like empty carbon copies of the overdone tropes we have had for so long.

Now, when looking through the shelves of these bookstores and a nice title and cover catches your eye, you might have to question what actually lies between those pages deep within the deceiving cover.

No one is the ultimate judge of whether this can be applied, because maybe it does come down to personal preference. At the end of the day, everyone should consider the total application of what issues may come with books being diluted down to an aesthetic first, rather than content being the priority.

The overconsumption of books through the lens of social media is a whole other can of worms that doesn’t need opening just yet, but there’s something to be said for the constant

JASON XIE / AGGIE flow of recommendations not really having a solid filter. There’s no actual way for audiences to sniff out when a book is more than a good-looking cover. Maybe now’s the time to start deconstructing what books readers are actually looking for rather than just the nicest looking cover of the bunch.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 | 7

Wallows electrifies Sacramento despite two-hour delay The alternative rock boy band delivers a stellar show with new and old hits

BY BETH MUNRO-MORRIS arts@theaggie.org On May 2, Wallows lit up Midtown Sacramento, with two back-to-back performances at Channel 24, bringing their “Model and More” tour to the city’s most buzzed-about new music venue.

What was expected to be a standard night of indie rock quickly turned into a chaotic, magnetic spectacle that had fans both screaming and swooning.

Channel 24, a sleek venue with a capacity just over 2,000, offered an ideal backdrop for the band’s emotionally charged, interactive set. With standing space on the main floor, a wraparound balcony and a built-in bar, the venue struck a rare sweet spot of uncramped intimacy.

Formed officially in 2017, Wallows are far from newcomers. Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston have been playing together since their teenage years, performing under names such as The Feaver and The Narwhals, before ultimately settling on Wallows.

For many, fans first encountered Minnette as Clay Jensen in Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why.” However, tonight they were quick to discover his significant rebranding. Long gone is the broody, awkward teen, now replaced by an alluring and charismatic showman.

Minnette’s confidence was on full display onstage as he danced with abandon, playing with his hair and consequently the hearts of a predominantly Gen Z audience. With flirtatious eye contact and a playful energy that spills offstage, Minnette is known for breaking the fourth wall, often diving into the crowd to join the chaos.

And to no disappointment, during their song “Ok,” Minnette passed the mic to a fan in the front row, who seized the moment, rapping bar for bar with perfect precision. In a similar vein, Lemasters was spotted a couple

Wallows in 2018. (Jimmy Fontaine, Warner Bros. Music / Creative Commons, CC by 4.0) of songs later casually seated in the balcony among the masses. Unphased by the camera flashes shoved in his face and hurried footsteps trailing closely behind him, Lemasters’ nonchalance was anything but reciprocated.

Still, the set didn’t go exactly as planned. Originally scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start time, the trio didn’t take the stage until 10:15 p.m. A logistical mishap had left their instruments in Los Angeles, promoting an impromptu eight-hour delivery drive to Sacramento.

But if fans were frustrated, they didn’t show it, standing for hours just to hold their spots.

In fact, any tension melted away

the moment Wallows emerged from behind the curtain. Wearing a plain white tee, disheveled hair and a casual grin, Minnette sent the room into a frenzy before a single note was even played.

Setting the tone early with a new release, Wallows kicked the night off with “Hide It Away,” followed up by crowd pleasers ‘‘Scrawny’’ and ‘’Anytime, Always.” Seamlessly blending the nostalgic with the new, they even treated the audience to a live debut of “Deep Dive.”

A true jack of all trades, Minnette darted around the stage, effortlessly bouncing between vocals, guitar and

drums. Meanwhile, Lemasters’ warm, smooth vocals took center stage, complementing Minnette’s more raw and unpolished sound. Together, the duo exuded a dynamic tension and a look reminiscent of a 2000s movie; the quintessential cool and mysterious boy band that every young girl imagines falling for.

The audience’s patience was rewarded with a fan-picked encore.

This rare twist delivered a two-song bonus, with selected tracks “Ground’’ and ‘’Uncomfortable,’’ capping off an outstanding 25-song set.

Though often associated with their young, largely female fanbase, Wallows’

appeal runs deeper than teen heartthrob status. Their blend of indie rock and alternative pop offers something for everyone; whether it’s a cathartic chorus, a killer guitar riff or a quirky recorder interlude.

Not many bands can turn a two-hour delay into one of the most memorable shows of the year. With Minnette taking a step back from acting to pursue music full time, it’s clear that Wallows are all in. And if the electric atmosphere in Sacramento is any indication, their upward trajectory shows no signs of slowing down.

PETA displays 7.5-foot-tall The project your binocular installation on Memorial group had the Union North Patio entire quarter to

The animal rights organization aimed to protest UC Davis’ California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC) with the interactive sculpture

PETA installed a demonstration on the Memorial Union Quad.

(Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

BY SAVANNAH ANNO arts@theaggie.org On May 5, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) unveiled a large, sculptural installation on UC Davis’ Memorial Union North Patio, titled “How the Other Half Lives.”

Standing seven-and-a-half feet tall, large black binoculars showcased two different clips of video footage, one within each circular binocular lens.

Both videos focus on rhesus macaque monkeys, the species of monkey most commonly used for research at UC Davis’ California National Primate Research Center (CNPRC). The left lens presented footage of rhesus monkeys in their natural forest habitat, while the right moved through multiple clips of monkeys in various cages. The footage also featured videos of monkeys with devices attached to their heads and brain scans of the monkeys as they moved around.

“We’re bringing our giant binoculars to UC Davis so people can see the contrast between these sensitive, loving animals in their home of Southeast Asia to the miserable, barren lives they live in the laboratories at the CNPRC,” PETA Campaigner Mason Melito said.

The video presented in the large installation is a compilation of footage pulled from all seven National Primate Research Centers, mostly from the Washington NPRC, according to Lead PETA Tour Administrator Marnie Chambless. Chambless could not point out which, or if any clips, came from the California NPRC located at UC Davis.

In a statement to The California Aggie on non-human primate research, the CNPRC’s Interim Director and UC Davis Professor Karen Bales responded to claims regarding the potential unethical treatment of animals.

“For more than 60 years, we have

supported the responsible, ethical, and judicious involvement of non-human primates in studies to enhance our understanding of biological processes and to speed the development of new treatments,” Bales said. “In addition, many of the studies conducted at the CNPRC are observational in nature and help improve our understanding of animal husbandry, social bonds and conditions like aging.”

Bales also explained that all research conducted within the CNPRC is approved by the UC Davis Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC).

“The IACUC reviews all submitted protocols for compliance with the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, the [National Institutes of Health] (NIH) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the Public Health Service Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and UC Davis Policies and Guidelines,” Bales said. “Anyone conducting research or using animals for teaching at UC Davis must first document there are no viable alternatives to the use of animals for the objective of their research or teaching, or if alternatives, why the alternatives are not adequate.”

Additionally, the CNPRC’s facility can be inspected by veterinary officers from the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at any time without notice. These reports are available to the public in order to align with UC Davis’ Animal Care Program Openness Statement. During the most recent inspection, conducted on Feb. 24, no non-compliant items were identified.

Non-compliant occurrences, such as two short-tailed opossums escaping their cages in March 2024 and the death of a juvenile rhesus macaque that had become entangled in a loose bungee cord used to secure an outdoor

enclosure canopy in January 2024, are recorded in depth and available to the public as well.

Despite this, PETA claims that the CNPRC continues to hide their research actions from the public.

“The University of California, Davis wastes 10s of millions of taxpayer dollars on these cruel and worthless experiments and thousands of animals are warehoused, abused and killed in the name of what is essentially ‘drunk science,’” Melito said. “People have been horrified to learn that these monkeys have their skulls drilled into, are separated from their mothers and have even been forced to inhale tobacco smoke.”

In their statement to The California Aggie, the CNPRC did not directly respond to PETA’s claims. Bales, however, discussed the goals and medical contributions of the CNPRC’s research.

“Research with non-human primates has contributed to medical breakthroughs including: polio vaccine, [...] organ transplants, [...] chemotherapy, hepatitis B vaccine, HIV/AIDS medications…

Parkinson’s disease treatments, and prostate cancer treatments,” Bales said.

“Given our location in the Sacramento Valley and the size of our outdoor colonies, we are uniquely positioned to study the effects of inhaled wildfire smoke and pollutants on the body.”

Not only did PETA aim for their binocular installation to reach the UC Davis population, but Sacramento’s as well. While the binoculars were installed on May 5, 6 and 8 on the Memorial Union North Patio, the piece was also placed at the California State Capitol on May 7.

“Just recently the [NIH], which funds these facilities, put out a statement saying they want to see a transition away from animal models and towards more modern research methods,” Chambless said. “This is the prime time to have this display on campus and at the capitol to ask students and Californians to reach out to their representatives.”

In line with an April 10 press release from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), explaining their plans to phase out animal testing in the development of therapies and drugs, the NIH revealed a similar initiative on April 29.

In an effort to move away from animal testing, the NIH claims it will begin to focus on “emerging technologies,” including organoids and tissue chips made out of lab-grown cells, computational models and real-world data.

PETABINOCULARS on 8

do is due tonight — and everyone just logged on to the Google Document

BY LAUREN SWING laswing@ucdavis.edu

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

The story and names of “sources” are fictionalized.)

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

8 | THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025

The art of flyering

Local artists promote events and build community through posters and flyers

BY LAILA AZHAR features@theaggie.org While walking through Davis, it’s easy to overlook the flyers that line the streets. Tacked onto bulletin boards and street poles, these posters promote a variety of events and services in town.

As local artist Harry Greer noted, flyering in Davis adds to the vibrancy of downtown.

“Flyering’s awesome,” Greer said.

“It’s been one of the coolest art forms in Davis for a long, long time. I would highly recommend, whenever you’re on the streets, to look around you, because that’s how you find out about the coolest stuff.”

Paying attention to flyers isn’t just a way to stay informed about upcoming events — it’s also a way to feel more connected to the town. Slowing down to take in your surroundings and observe what’s happening locally can deepen your engagement with your community.

For Nola Zimdars, a fourth-year design major, flyering has become a meaningful artistic outlet. She shared her longstanding love for art: In high school, she recalled, she used a “scammy version of Photoshop” before formally studying design in college.

Recently, she designed posters for a Whole Earth Festival house show and the Eclectic Collective and Velvet Red Productions’ Picnic Day show.

“There’s that saying, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words,’” Zimdars said.

“A flyer is a combination of both.”

Flyers stapled to a bulletin board downtown. (Sonora Slater / Aggie) Designing an effective flyer, she explained, involves a blend of practical and aesthetic considerations.

“When I’m making posters and flyers, I’m first like, what is the goal with this?” Zimdars said. “What am

I trying to communicate? What text needs to be on it? And then the more emotional aspect of, what is the vibe?

Who are you trying to draw into this event, and what feelings do you want the poster to invoke?”

A flyer is often people’s first impression of an event, and Zimdars keeps in mind how her work can affect the way people interact with events in Davis.

“You’re providing people with something and the way that you provide that information is either inviting and inclusive or exclusive and illegible,” Zimdars said. “You have to find the perfect balance between utilizing your own style but also what’s best for the design.”

Her artwork has provided a unique way to connect with Davis’ music scene.

“I love the live music scene, but I’m not musically inclined,” Zimdars said. “So I found my own way to get involved.”

Flyering is an important part of the local events hosted in Davis. As Jenny Le, a second-year managerial economics major, noted, flyering is a useful way for students to stay connected to their community.

“The interesting flyers around Davis are a reflection of all the interesting things happening in town,” Le said.

“An eye-catching flyer can really draw someone to an event. It’s an important form of publicity, and seeing flyers around is a good reminder that we have a really vibrant scene of events we can participate in.”

Where is the good Mexican food?

UC Davis students and alumni discuss the lack of good Mexican and Latino food in Davis

BY EVELYN SANCHEZ features@theaggie.org Davis has a wide array of cultural food that reflects the diverse population of the city. From sushi to bingsu to birria to prosciutto, both the savory and sweet tooth have options for students and community members alike to gravitate toward.

For the Hispanic community, however, this might be harder than it seems. With so many promising stores and restaurants lining downtown advertising quesadillas and tacos, it would be difficult to say that Davis has a lack of Mexican food. However, Davis does have a lack of good Mexican food, according to some members of the community.

Janet Ramos-Ambriz, a UC Davis alumna with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and Chicana/o studies, has been living in Davis ever since her undergraduate years and offered her thoughts on the food scene.

“Apart from obviously Taqueria Guadalajara — that’s the only decent place,” Ramos-Ambriz said. “North Guads is the way to go.”

Despite not being associated with the downtown branch of Guads, Taqueria Guadalajara has been widely referred to as the “North Guads” by some students and community members. The Mexican restaurant, located at 640 W Covell Blvd., has an overall 4.6-star rating on

DOMINGUEZTRIAL FROM FRONT COVER “What is not in dispute is that Carlos Reales Dominguez did the physical acts that caused the deaths of David Breaux, Karim Abou Najm and injured Kimberly Guillory,” Hutchinson said.

“The question that will be presented to you is, what was Carlos Reales Dominguez’s specific intent and mental state when he did those physical acts, and what was happening in his mind?

The evidence will show that it was a mind that had been devastated by severe and debilitating mental disease. Mr. Reales Dominguez has schizophrenia.”

The defense’s opening statement focused heavily on Dominguez’s mental state during the crimes in order to prove that he was not in sound mind.

Following the opening statements, several witnesses were called to the stand to give more details on the case. These witnesses included Anne Maria Breaux, Ian Haliburton and Aiden Reynolds.

In his competency trial, Dominguez was evaluated by forensic neuropsychologist Dr. Dale Watson, who was hired by the defense. While Watson could not fully determine Dominguez’s mental capacity as he eventually refused to continue meeting with him, Watson testified his professional opinion to the court.

“My opinion is that he is most likely schizophrenic,” Watson said. “That this is a ‘first break’ of schizophrenia and that he’s suffering both of the psychiatric illness and the neurocognitive deficits that are often associated with an illness like schizophrenia.”

Dominguez was also evaluated by a court-appointed psychologist Dr. Juliana Rohrer, who gave a congruent opinion as Watson that Dominguez was not mentally competent for trial at that time. Eventually, the prosecution found Dominguez mentally unfit for trial, and having been diagnosed with schizophrenia, he was sent to Atascadero State Hospital for treatment.

Finally, the court heard from several law enforcement officers who were on scene when Breaux’s body was found.

Google Reviews, where people’s largest complaint is the line being out the door too often.

Natalie Chrisman, a fourth-year human biology major and Chicana/o studies minor, described Davis’ Mexican food scene as subpar.

“I think it’s not so good,” Chrisman said. “I feel like I’ve never wanted to go to the Mexican restaurants in Davis.

If I want to go out to eat, [Mexican restaurants] are not at the top of my list. I’m not gonna pick Mexican food here, because most of the time I’ll be disappointed.”

As a Sacramento native, Chrisman would rather travel out of Davis than spend money on what she considers to be low-quality food.

Cris Lima, a fourth-year physics major, is also not a Northern California native, but is relatively satisfied with the food selection offered in Davis.

“I think for a town like Davis, it’s pretty good,” Lima said. “I’m from [Southern California] where there is a much larger Hispanic population, so it’s kind of a no-brainer that the food up here isn’t going to be as good. But you’d be surprised with what you can find here.”

Lima’s favorite Mexican cuisine is also Taqueria Guadalajara, as well as the Westlake Market on Lake Boulevard.

“There is a poor selection of [Mexican] restaurants,” Bryan Lopez, a Davis alum with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and political science, said.

“Specifically, the lack of street tacos and

street vendors is sad.”

Street vendors have faced multiple struggles in selling their wares and snacks in Davis’ downtown. Despite being protected by the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, vendors often still face harassment and intimidation by police enforcement, making it harder to bring authentic cuisine to Davis.

While there are many Mexican and Latino restaurants in the Davis area, many students feel as if they are not on par with other dining establishments.

Many cite a lack of authenticity as the problem.

With a student population of 25.1% and a city population of 15.2%, Hispanic and Latino students will continue searching for good cultural food.

Money is also an important factor in the equation for many students.

Chrisman shared that she carefully weighs the financial value alongside the quality of the food she is purchasing.

“My other problem is that everything in Davis is rather expensive,” Chrisman said. “If I’m going to spend so much on food, then why would I spend it on Mexican food?”

Lopez’s family comes from Guatemala, and searching for Guatemalan food has proven to be even more difficult for him.

“There is none,” Lopez said. “There is absolutely zero Guatemalan food, but there are Guatemalan people. I can’t find Guatemalan food basically anywhere.”

Another hurdle for the Hispanic community is being able to make the food in the first place. Without the resources, the possibilities of feeling at home become even more scarce.

“It is nice that they’re opening a [Guatemalan] grocery store,” Lopez said. “Just because if I want to make my own Guatemalan food, getting the ingredients here is also a nightmare.”

This is a developing case; the trial will continue and The Aggie’s coverage will be updated in the following weeks.

the country to all seven National Primate Research Centers, PETA — while the majority of their claims were denied by the CNPRC’s records — will continue to bring attention to the loaded subject of animal testing as funding and policies continue to shift under the Trump administration.

These foals, called “dummy” foals, are notably disoriented, unable to recognize their mother, nor suckle or swallow, ultimately failing to demonstrate the expected behaviors of a healthy new foal.

Madigan developed a procedure, dubbed the Madigan squeeze procedure, for foals with maladjustment syndrome that could be learned and applied by anyone — not just veterinarians. The procedure is praised for its simplicity and accessibility, as it doesn’t require any special training or tools. All you need for the procedure is a rope and the instructions, which can be found for free online. Ultimately, a rope is wrapped around the foals and squeezes them into a slow wave sleep for 20 minutes. When they wake up, in the majority of cases, foals completely recover.

Madigan’s research group is currently conducting a worldwide survey of anyone with experience using the Madigan squeeze procedure.

“The reasons for the survey were several fold,” Madigan said. “We wanted to know the extent of use of the procedure worldwide.”

So far, they have results from over 35 countries supporting that the procedure has improved the survival of newborn animals worldwide.

“We [also] wanted to know other details like how effective it has been when used by veterinarians and when

PETABINOCULARS FROM PAGE 7 While this transition is set to occur, the FDA and NIH are also currently undergoing significant cuts to their funding from the Trump administration. In an article published

by The New York Times on April 29, researchers expressed concerns for what funding cuts and a transition away from animal testing could mean for the lab animals themselves.

Following the mass-termination of hundreds of employees at The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, West Virginia on April 1, 300 animals — after failing to be relocated — were euthanized.

While PETA and animal rights activists continue to celebrate the NIH and FDA’s steps toward downsizing animal testing models, many experts claim that the budget cuts could instead result in greater numbers of lab animals being euthanized and their already expensive care overlooked, according to the New York Times article.

In a statement released by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), the non-profit declared their support for the phasing out of animal testing, but called for the NIH to create more detailed plans in the face of the recent funding cuts.

“AWI is deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s recent moves to gut funding for scientific research,” the press release reads. “This initiative will be an uphill battle; [...] the administration appears to be working at cross purposes.

Its recent decision to freeze more than $2.2 billion in federal funds to Harvard University, for instance, also affects Harvard’s Wyss Institute, which has pioneered the most promising nonanimal research alternative: organ-ona-chip technology.”

With plans to transport their “How the Other Half Lives” installation across

MORNINGSIGNOUT FROM PAGE 11 We’ll host in-person workshop events throughout the quarter to try to achieve this.”

As time moves forward, this group hopes to continue providing the community with accessible science and medical articles and increase their impact and presence as a whole.

“There are so many clubs on campus that it’s easy to get lost, so moving forward we hope to show more people what our club is about and who we are,” Liu said. “We’re working towards drawing more attention to ourselves from the community and people who could benefit from reading our articles.”

FOALCARE FROM PAGE 11

With UC Davis officially declaring itself a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in 2024, the campus community struggles with having their taste buds feel at home. Food is a central element of culture, and despite the lack of Mexican and Latino restaurants claiming to serve authentic cuisine, students at UC Davis will continue their fruitless search for something that tastes like home.

CRYSTAL CHEN / AGGIE non-veterinarians do the procedure, and if there are any side effects or problems,” Madigan said.

While the survey is still active, Madigan noted that so far an overwhelming majority of respondents saw no adverse effects from the procedure. Furthermore, regarding the success of the procedure, in a study published in 2017, they found that 37% of foals that received the squeeze were nursing within an hour whereas only 4% of foals that received conventional treatment were nursing within an hour.

Despite the successes and few adverse effects, many veterinary hospitals still use conventional ways of treating the maladjustment syndrome.

“People don’t like putting rope on things, they don’t like tying knots,” Madigan said. “They would rather put an IV catheter or nasal catheter and treat them the way that we used to.”

That’s not to say that there isn’t widespread use — and not just amongst equines. Besides equines, the procedure has found success in calves, lambs and more. There continues to be research on the Madigan squeeze procedure and its broader implications for consciousness and health.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Crossword

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 | 9

Answer to previous puzzle 05/08/25

Sudoku

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

Answer to previous puzzle 05/08/25

LOUNGELIZARDS

PSYCHOLOGYCONFERENCE

FROM PAGE 4

FROM PAGE 10

The fact that they’re all so personally invested in each other, in a cappella and in performing makes them so special.

“You don’t realize there’s nothing wrong with you until you find a group that lets you be yourself,” Matthew Fajardo, a fourth-year human biology major and the assistant music director of the Lounge Lizards, said. “When I’m with [the Lounge] Lizards, I can just be as energetic and happy as I want.”

This immense level of respect is not only a key reason for their success but also a powerful testament to the mutual admiration and love between the group’s members. Art doesn’t come from skill alone — it must be interlaced with passion to have a true impact on its audience. The Lounge Lizards are a beautiful example of that; they’re skilled beyond belief and overflowing with devotion to the craft, which has allowed them to flourish for 30 years. Dedication, talent, knowledge, leadership, care and above all, community, are what make art truly great — the Lounge Lizards show us just that.

Getting involved in community groups like the Lounge Lizards is a great way to enrich your college experience, grow your skills and gain a strong support system of camaraderie.

They show us how we can all make the most of our college years and what passion and skill can combine to create.

“The first floor of one of the main buildings [at the center for Mind and Brain] is just everyone lined up in the hallways,” Lance said. “You stand next to your poster board and people come around and ask questions and whatnot.”

Lance also spoke about the differences between this conference and the URC from a presenter’s perspective.

“It’s really crowded and hard to hear [at URC],” Lance said. “Even though it’s supposed to be formal, it’s almost informal. But with this one, it’s more intimate. Since it is only psych people, the questions that we would get asked might be a little more advanced about the topic.”

Stowe summed up the benefits of presenting for the event.

“This is a really great initial opportunity to kind of dip your toes in the water and get a sense for what it’s like,” Stowe said. “It’s really a nice friendly environment, and you’ll get a lot of one-on-one time with your peers and with faculty.”

With its taking place just a couple of weeks after the Undergraduate Research Conference, the annual Spring Psychology Conference can go under the radar of many students and staff at UC Davis. However, it can serve as an invaluable experience for those attending and sharing their work at the conference.

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

10 | THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Soon-to-be graduates reflect on the impact of undergraduate research projects on their college experience

Graduating students discuss the importance of undergraduate research to their education, future careers

Students at their graduation commencement ceremony. (UC Davis / Courtesy)

BY EMME DUNNING features@theaggie.org Ranked as the No. 9 top public university in the United States, UC Davis prides itself on offering its students an unparalleled education and unique opportunities for hands-on learning. Three graduating fourth-years across different academic disciplines provided insight into just how impactful this experience can be.

Anne McKenna, a fourth-year economics major, took advantage of

these opportunities by completing a fourth-year thesis.

With a specialization in poverty and inequality, McKenna was drawn to self-directed research as a way to dive deeper into the many intersections of economics and labor relations and to highlight issues that may not always be emphasized in the discipline.

The culmination of these interests is McKenna’s thesis, entitled “The Amazon Effect: How Corporate Entry Shapes Unionization in Local Labor Markets.”

The project explored the impact of Amazon entering local labor markets and specifically how this entry correlated

with a decline in unionization.

McKenna asserted the importance of her thesis work to gaining comfort in a research environment and preparing her for future education.

“It felt like an incredible opportunity to get a taste of what an economics Ph.D. would be like, while being in an environment with supportive professors and peers,” McKenna said.

She noted that these benefits also extend beyond academia.

“I learned so much in this process that will be applicable even outside of academia or research-oriented careers,” McKenna said. “To complete a project

LGBTQIA+ students reflect on the impact of queer stereotypes

UC Davis students discuss misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding the LGBTQIA+ community

BY GRACIELA TIU email@theaggie.org Although the LGBTQIA+ community has been increasingly growing in visibility over the past several years, many queer students at UC Davis say they still encounter frustrating stereotypes — whether about their physical appearance, how they should act or even just portrayals of queerness in different forms of media.

One student, who wishes to remain anonymous, described some common assumptions she experienced due to her identity as a bisexual woman.

“Some common stereotypes I have encountered as a bisexual female include commentary on and sexualization of female and female sexual activities, asking whether I prefer men or women and consistently asking what gender is a better kisser,” the student said.

She explained how she herself has not felt any significant pressure to conform to any stereotypes, in part due to her perspective on her identity.

“I am a female who does not necessarily ‘look’ bisexual, and I have honestly not faced a lot of pressure or negative occurrences in relation to my bisexuality,” the student said. “I think that sexuality is a spectrum, and to me, being bisexual has not really changed or pressured me into becoming a specific person, since I do not view it as something that differentiates me from others.”

The student added how certain representations of the LGBTQIA+ community within varying types of media can also work to promote or defy common stereotypes.

“I think that queer representation in pop culture both reinforces and challenges stereotypes,” the student said. “For example, I believe that celebrities such as Megan Fox and NOVA MAI / AGGIE

Drew Barrymore challenge stereotypes about bisexual individuals. In contrast, stereotypical and exaggerated portrayals of homosexual men, such as Matthew in ‘Big Mouth,’ reinforce stereotypes and cause others to have an exaggerated view and a sort of ‘character’ that they associate with men who are homosexual.”

Stereotypes about those with LGBTQIA+ identities can also come from within the community itself, as another student, who also wishes to remain anonymous, added.

“In my community, I’ve often been called straight because of how I present myself,” the student said. “Initially, I felt as though I had to change my appearance to match my identity, but after discovering some TikTok creators, I realized that there was nothing wrong with my appearance and the way that I present myself.”

She also mentioned how stereotypes about different queer identities can sometimes revolve around gender expression, particularly the gender binary.

“I think the stereotypes of ‘femme’ and ‘masc’ are very much reinforced, but I also think it’s getting better,” the student said.

Another anonymous student relayed the stereotypes he has dealt with due to his identity as a gay man.

“One stereotype I’ve encountered is that when I hang out with guys, they often think I have a crush on them,” the student said. “Another stereotype is the assumption that being gay means dressing like a girl and liking ‘girl stuff.’

I haven’t been personally targeted, but I’ve heard people say things like this at school. They don’t really know what being gay actually means — they think all gay people love girly things, which isn’t true.”

He also discussed how pressure, from within or outside of the queer

community, to perform his identity in a certain way can affect how others perceive him.

“People often assume I must act ‘obviously gay’ to be gay, and if I don’t, then I must not be gay,” the student said. “I’ve experienced people saying, ‘Oh, you’re not gay because you’re not showing it.’”

An additional misconception he mentioned about LGBTQIA+ individuals that feels especially harmful is the oversexualization of queer community.

“When it comes to media representation, I’ve noticed that pride festivals and the queer community are often oversexualized,” the student said. “A lot of people think being gay is just about sex, and that leads to misunderstanding[s]. Yes, at pride, people may dress boldly, but it’s usually to send a message — to express themselves in a society that doesn’t always let them.”

He wishes that more people would look beyond the oversexualization and be able to see the true beauty of the community.

“Sometimes I think the media focuses too much on sexuality instead of the broader message of acceptance and freedom,” the student said. “Being gay is about love, identity and being yourself — not just about sex.”

To him, stereotypes can often promote an unproductive and harmful culture leading to pressure and conformity, rather than freedom and self-expression.

“I believe the LGBTQ+ community is about being able to express yourself freely without judgment,” the student said. “If someone is pressuring others to conform, that’s not in line with what I believe the community should be about.”

of this magnitude in a short time frame requires time management and commitment, and those were great skills to learn.”

This effort was recognized by faculty, who selected McKenna’s work as the best honors thesis in the Economics Department.

Other students, like Pia Ashworth, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, have directed their undergraduate research toward working on more long-term, collaborative work. Ashworth was eager to apply her extensive knowledge of biology to real-world research.

Ashworth joined the Shabek Lab as an undergraduate researcher, creating transgenic plants in efforts to uncover protein mechanisms. In her time with the lab, Ashworth believes she has grown tremendously.

“It’s given me a real insight into research,” Ashworth said. “I want to pursue a Ph.D., and it was very cool to be immersed in academia through the lab and get a sense of what that might be like. It’s a very cool and interesting experience. It opens your eyes to a lot, and I would definitely recommend it.”

For others like Dyson Smith, a third-year statistics major, undergraduate research has offered a way to explore multiple academic passions simultaneously.

Smith completed two fourth-year projects this past year. While Smith is a statistics major, he pursued theses in both his minors of English and sociology.

While a dedicated and successful student, Smith didn’t always know what direction academia would take him.

“I pursued my thesis kind of serendipitously,” Smith said. “I’ve always been interested in research, but I didn’t

come into college knowing what a thesis really was.”

Through discussions with faculty mentors, Smith decided to begin a poetry project through the English Department, as well as a sociology thesis entitled, “Social Proximity to Gun Violence and Chronic Health Conditions in California.” The project draws heavily on Smith’s statistical background and researches how different levels of exposure and proximity to gun violence impact both physical and mental health outcomes.

He chose the topic of gun violence based on his long-standing advocacy for gun violence prevention and wanted to apply this passion to academic research.

For Smith, this decision has paid off in many ways.

“It has definitely opened up doors for me,” Smith said. “I think it was the main reason I got a research fellowship over the summer.”

Smith asserted that research is a unique opportunity to grow and challenge yourself and said that he would encourage other students to explore research-based paths.

“It’s empowering to be an expert on a topic and to really immerse yourself in research,” Smith said. “You can learn stuff in class — but doing it handson, you’re not only going to immerse yourself in the topic, but also the processing knowledge.”

Smith continued to share the lifelong benefits of pursuing in-depth research.

“It helps motivate you to be a lifelong learner, and it’s just something to be proud of,” Smith said. “You’re going to surprise yourself. You’re going to accomplish more than you thought possible.”

Annual Psychology Conference provides an opportunity for students to present research

The event, to be held on May 16, follows the Undergraduate Research Conference

A presentation being given at last year’s UC Davis Psychology Conference.

(Lucy Stowe / Courtesy)

BY NOAH HARRIS features@theaggie.org On Friday, May 16, UC Davis’ Department of Psychology will be hosting their annual Spring Psychology Conference at the Center for Mind and Brain in East Davis.

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the conference will be an opportunity for psychology undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctorates to showcase work they have been doing.

Posters will be put out in the hallways of the building’s first floor and there will be three different times for them to be shown. In between, student speeches will be given, followed by an award ceremony at the end of the event.

In total, 38 different groups will be presenting their work, which will be shown primarily through posters. The event is similar to the Undergraduate Research Conference (URC) that took place at the University Credit Union Center a few weeks ago, where over 1,000 students presented their research.

The event is hosted by the Psychology Student Association and is an inclusive and cost-free conference — as Lucy Stowe, the president of the Psychology Student Association, explained.

“It’s open for undergrads, [graduate] students and even [post-doctorates] sometimes in the Psychology Department,” Stowe said.

“Anybody who has a mentor in the Psychology Department or the Center of Mind and Brain [are] invited to submit work to present.”

For those interested in presenting next year, there are very few barriers in the way.

“We try to be as inclusive as possible,” Stowe said. “One of our main requirements though is to require them to have a faculty mentor, which is important just so that they’re connected to the department in some way.”

Jenna Distefano, the vice president of the Psychology Student Association,

described the difference between this event and the URC. “It’s such a unique opportunity, because people know about the URC, right?” Distefano said. “Everyone knows about the URC, but even people within [psychology] don’t know as much about this spring conference. I think if you are dedicated to research, it’s such a good opportunity to just get feedback or to get practice talking to a psychology audience.”

Stowe mentioned that the conference was welcome to both finished and unfinished research.

“We [accept] presentations of research at all stages, so it can be like a project proposal or like a scoping review or data collection, like preliminary data analysis, final data analysis,” Stowe said.

While the conference primarily caters to those interested in psychology, all are welcome to come and interact with those presenting.

“It’s definitely geared towards a psychology audience,” Stowe said.

“That being said, a lot of the presenters that are giving talks like, or they’re all grad students or undergrads, they’re all students presenting. If you’re an undergrad curious about [a presentation], you can go and just talk to other undergrads and they’ll talk to you like an undergrad.”

While the conference is similar to past years, there is one change regarding the speeches segment, which had previously only been given by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

“The poster session was mainly for undergraduates, the talk sessions [were] like 15 minute[s] [and] were for the graduate students mostly,” Distefano said. This year, we opened up the talk sessions to undergrads because we had a few undergraduates who were interested in giving talks instead of posters.”

Sophie Lance, a recent UC Davis alumna with a Bachelor of Science in psychology who is presenting at the conference, described the atmosphere that one might observe if they attend.

PSYCHOLOGYCONFERENCE on 9

THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025 | 11

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SCIENCE AND TECH A look into Morning Sign Out at UC Davis

This club works to simplify complex scientific and medical research into more accessible articles for the general public up recovery

BY MADELINE HASS science@theaggie.org Since 2020, the undergraduate-led branch of Morning Sign Out at UC Davis has been dedicated to publishing quarterly articles detailing recent science and medical news. This branch is a part of the larger network of Morning Sign Out chapters that can be found at universities across the country.

The main goals of this online publication group relate heavily to their namesake, with the phrase “sign out” referring to the healthcare process of medical professionals accurately and concisely communicating information in between shifts. Their group aims to present new research publications in an engaging and easily accessible format.

Varsha Vijayakartik, a second-year human biology major and the president of Morning Sign Out at UC Davis, remarked on their mission statement and what it means to their group.

“Our mission statement relates a lot to our name; the sign out part relates to — in the healthcare field — when one shift or one team will sign out their patient and sign out their information to the next shift so that there’s constant communication ensuring things are operating smoothly,” Vijayakartik said.

“I think that this [is] an application of that; we’re trying to sign out certain types of information onto a community that might not necessarily have good access to it.”

The articles published highlight the main points of the research they are focused on in a manner that doesn’t require readers to have previous knowledge. They are constantly working to bridge any gaps between the scientific community and the general public through articles that highlight the key takeaways in an easily digestible and readable way.

Khusi Shah, a third-year genetics major and editor for Morning Sign Out, described this in more detail.

“I think the objective of the group itself is my favorite part,” Shah said.

“We’re taking research articles and making them simpler while not losing

The Madigan squeeze procedure helps foals recover from maladjustment syndrome, mimicking the process of being born For the maladjusted “dummy” foals, there are big risks to their immune system but a simple procedure that can be learned and applied by anyone helps to speed up recovery

BY KATELYN BURNS science@theaggie.org

Student members of the Morning Sign Out club meet in a classroom.

(Madeline Hass / Aggie) the main interest topic. I think even coming from a STEM background it can be very easy to not get the key idea of a research paper but instead get lost in the literature and health-related jargon. So, I can’t imagine how hard it would be for people who don’t have that literacy or don’t have access to that type of knowledge to be able to break down these types of papers.”

Student writers will each work on one or two articles to be published per quarter. They are allowed complete freedom and autonomy in selecting the topics for their articles, as long as the research publication they are basing their writing on is considered to be a primary source. This permits and encourages a wide variety of articles to be published, thereby allowing for a diverse range of accessible scientific information to be offered to the community.

Harriet Gensler, a second-year biochemistry major and co-editor-inchief of Morning Sign Out, spoke on this.

“We don’t restrict topics,” Gensler said. “The only restriction is that writers have to pick a scientific article that has to be an original primary research article. We prefer them to be relatively recent, otherwise there’s a plethora of topics writers can choose from.”

Vijayakartik further expressed

similar sentiments.

“We just want writers to be passionate about the topic they choose as that will come through in their article,” Vijayakartik said. “Topics could even be a humanities-based analysis of science. So, something like a science and technology study about the history and study of science; It doesn’t have to just be STEM-related, as long as the research behind it is purely more empirical.”

A major focus of the Morning Sign Out at UC Davis group is to increase science literacy — amongst not just community members, but also club members, in addition to helping strengthen members’ writing skills.

Within their group, the co-editors-inchief will often run workshops centered around this goal and offering writing insight.

Andrea Liu, a third-year global disease biology major and co-editorin-chief of Morning Sign out at UC Davis, shed light on this.

“We don’t have any type of requirements or previous experience required for people wanting to join Morning Sign Out,” Liu said. “Instead, we are really focused on teaching people how to read, write and edit scientific articles.

MORNINGSIGNOUT on 8

With foal season underway, foals have been popping up all over social media — including the UC Davis Horse Barn’s Instagram, a good space to see some of these adorable foals.

Often the general guideline used for assessing new foals is the onetwo-three rule, which suggests that foals should stand within one hour, nurse within two hours and the mare should pass the placenta within three hours.

Nursing is particularly important for the foal’s immune system.

Foals don’t receive immunity through the placenta, leaving them with no immunity upon birth. With bacteria everywhere, it can be increasingly risky the longer foals go without any immunity. Foals can get immunity from colostrum, the early milk produced by the mare which is nutrient-dense and full of antibodies. Nursing early enough to get that immunity is important.

Dr. John Madigan, a globally

renowned veterinarian and a professor emeritus at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, commented on foal health.

“If your foal doesn’t reach that benchmark, then you have to milk the mare out, tube the foal, give it plasma or put it on treatment or glucose,” Madigan said via email. “There’s such a shortage of equine veterinarians to be able to make that call, get there and do that in a timely fashion.”

When new foals aren’t meeting those benchmarks, it could mean they have maladjustment syndrome.

Maladjustment syndrome has long been considered a symptom of hypoxia, a lack of oxygen. While this is a part of it, maladjustment syndrome is now being looked at as a failure to transition out of their in-utero consciousness and physiology. This includes foals’ ability to thermoregulate, metabolize energy and maintain other systems they weren’t responsible for while in-utero.

FOALCARE on 8

Pippa, one of the foals at the UC Davis Center for Equine Health.

(Katelyn Burns / Aggie)

12 | THURSDAY, MAY 15, 2025

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Aggie Success over the years:

four UC Davis athletes in professional sports

From football to track, Aggies have made waves in the sports world

BY COLINA HARVEY sports@theaggie.org The UC Davis Athletics Department sponsors 25 Division I (D1) teams that travel across the country to compete on top of their academic obligations.

While many of these athletes will pursue non-athletic careers after graduation, some have their sights set on entering professional leagues and continuing their athletic careers.

Four successful athletes started their careers as Aggies and have gone on to become professional athletes.

Daniel Descalso attended UC Davis between 2004 and 2007 and was an infielder on the baseball team for the 2005 through 2007 seasons.

He was one of the most successful Davis baseball players ever, leading the team in batting average, runs, hits, doubles and runs batted in (RBI) in 2007. His 2007 batting average of 0.397 was the highest UC Davis baseball had seen since 1995.

After three years at Davis, Descalso was drafted in the third round by the St. Louis Cardinals, which at the time was the highest Major League Baseball (MLB) draft pick for any Aggie. In the 2011 season, he became a World Series Champion with the Cardinals and was a finalist for the Gold Glove Award for third basemen in the National League.

On another field, Kim Conley, a member of the Davis track and field and cross country team from 2004 to 2008, was a huge asset from her first year to fourth year. In 2008, Conley and her

teammate Kaitlin Gregg made history by becoming the first Aggies to reach the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) D1 Championships for outdoor track and field.

Conley set the UC Davis record for the 5,000-meter with a time of 16:17. Her record has since been beaten, but she is still the third fastest woman in this event in Aggie history.

After

Conley was successful in the 2014 USA Track and Field (USATF) Outdoor championships. Despite a close finish, she clinched the win

winning the 2015 USATF Half Marathon championships with a time of 1:09:44.

Another stellar player, Quincy Amarikwa, played soccer at UC Davis from 2005 to 2008. During his fourth-year season a s

college, she became an Olympian, qualifying for the 5,000-meter event in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Both years, she placed 12th The UC Davis Aggies logo for athletics. Many Aggies have gone on to become professional athletes. in her heat (UC Davis) in the first round, but did not place high enough in the 10,000-meter event. She has an Aggie, he was particularly dominant. to advance to the next round. also competed in road racing events, He led the team to the second round

MEN’S SOCCER

Illuminating the UC Davis men’s soccer team one step at a time

of the NCAA Championships for the first time ever. Throughout the season, he scored an impressive 15 goals in 21 games, the most of any player that year.

In 2009, Amarikwa was drafted by the San Jose Earthquakes. He was traded to different teams before returning to the Earthquakes in 2015. After a knee injury that kept him on the sidelines for almost a year, he was nominated for the Major League Soccer (MLS) Comeback Player of the Year Award. He continued to play for various teams in the MLS until the end of the 2019 season.

After his MLS career, he played for multiple teams in the United Soccer League.

Teddye Buchanan is a linebacker who played for the UC Davis football team for three seasons from 2021 to 2023. In the 2023 season, he had a team high of 71 tackles, 32 of which were solo. After the 2023 season, he transferred to UC Berkeley, where he made the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team.

In the 2025 National Football League (NFL) Draft this past April, Buchanan was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round as the 129th pick overall. Following Buchanan’s departure from Davis, Aggie football fans still root for him to succeed in the league.

There have been many Aggie successes over the years throughout sports disciplines. Players and fans should feel proud of their accomplishments here at UC Davis and in their futures.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

UC Davis women’s lacrosse finishes season with a loss The start of night games for the men’s team for the first time to University of Florida in Aggie history

The Aggies finish fourth in Big West Standings

Kate Graham (12) of UC Davis women’s lacross team in action during a match against Georgetown on March 8, 2020 at UC Davis Health Stadium.

(Photo by C.K. Hicks / UC Davis Athletics)

BY DANIELLE WIRNOWSKI sports@theaggie.org

The UC Davis soccer field has completed its lighting project, allowing for night games. (Kazim Jafri / Aggie)

BY MEGAN JOSEPH sports@theaggie.org This year’s men’s spring soccer season brought not only tough competition but also a new-and-improved schedule featuring night games. Throughout this past year, UC Davis Athletics Department finalized and completed a $4.4 million lighting project, marking the end of a lightless era for the Aggie Soccer Field and Ann and James Dobbins Baseball Complex. The joint project involved the installation of four 100-foot poles for the soccer field and eight 80-foot poles for the baseball field.

This much-awaited upgrade has led to new excitement by fans and players alike, hopefully adding to the growth in game attendance in the future.

“Just being able to have a more comfortable experience for people coming to it, to bring in more people,” Luke Goodman, a third-year psychology major, said. “Part of what makes soccer fun is having people come out to support you. It would give more availability for people to come watch us play. Wednesday at 3 p.m. is just a really bad time to have a game. People have class, it’s hot, people don’t want to come to a soccer game to sweat.”

Goodman has been a strong member of the team as a key player in

the backline for the last three seasons, giving him team expertise. Goodman unfortunately suffered an injury this past 2024 season, but he has just recently made his debut back on the field during the recent night game against California State University, Chico on May 3.

The start of the night games was on April 19, when the UC Davis men’s soccer team hosted its first game under the stars against Saint Mary’s College of California. The Aggies started off the season strong with a win against Saint Mary’s, sending the Gaels home winless on Easter weekend. With a later start time for the game, more students were able to attend games to cheer on the Aggies, all while avoiding the blaring heat.

“People were scattered across the benches, which is kind of rare,” Goodman said. “In the sun, there are only a few spots of shade, so it was good to see more of the bleachers being used.

It was awesome.”

Along with growth in attendance, the lights also brought a positive change for the players. Having night games allows them to have more time to prepare for the game and avoid playing in the daytime Davis heat.

“Night games usually make you feel like you have more energy,” Goodman said. “I personally feel like I can run

for longer and at faster speeds than in the middle of the day. Just something about the sun not being there, beaming down on you. I think it’s gonna increase the intensity of the soccer games here at UC Davis. And hopefully it means more wins for us.”

The shift seems to have worked, as the team has had more wins than losses so far this spring season. Hopefully, they can carry this momentum into the regular season, which starts this fall. The exact schedule has not been released, but it will most likely feature many more night games.

“There’s just some kind of magic about playing into the evening under the lights,” Goodman said. “I like that feeling of ‘this is the only thing going on.’ So for me, it’s always awesome to play under the lights. I look forward to every game we play. It’s a performer’s dream.”

The men’s soccer team has one last spring season night game against Stanford University on May 17 at 7 p.m.

For those interested in supporting the team and experiencing the excitement of being under the lights, check out the upcoming game.

Abigail DeSa contributed reporting to this piece.

The UC Davis women’s lacrosse team traveled to Boulder, Colorado to face the University of Florida (UF) on May 1 for the Big 12 Conference Semifinals.

Coming off a win against San Diego State University, the UC Davis Aggies were ready to bring that same winning energy to the semifinals of the Big 12 against the UF Gators.

The Aggies, with a record of 6-9 prior to this game, started off strong with draw control by Annie Cimperman, a third-year communications and design double major. Despite this, UF picked up the ball after a shot attempt taken by the Aggies’ Alex Agnew, a cognitive science graduate student.

UF proceeded to go on a 4-0 run within the first six minutes of the game.

They were also able to maintain control of the ball after each score, with the exception of the first goal they scored, in which the Aggies were able to gain control and attempt another shot.

Lauren Picardi, a fourth-year human development major, scored the first goal for the Aggies in the ninth minute of the game. After Picardi secured this goal, Cimperman regained possession of the ball for the Aggies in the following two minutes, only until the Gators gained control through a ground ball pickup.

Unfortunately, UF shut down any chance of the Aggies scoring more goals in the first quarter, with UF being able to score four additional goals.

Ally Richardson-Pepper, a fourthyear managerial economics major, secured a ground ball pick-up for the Aggies and attempted to convert this into an offensive play within the last 12 seconds of the first period. However, the attempt was stopped by UF’s strong defense.

UF’s momentum did not end in the first quarter either, with the Gators

scoring five more goals against the Aggies in the second quarter. Nonetheless, the Aggies ensured that the Gators would have to fight for the chance to score a goal again.

In the last minute of the second quarter, the Aggies were able to secure a turnover, which led to the second and final goal for the season by Jane Fox, a first-year undeclared major. This brought the score to 13-2 in favor of the Gators at the end of the first half of the game.

Going into the second half of the game, the Aggies were ready to put up a vicious fight against the Gators and attempt to stop them from securing any more points on the board. U F started the third period with possession of the ball, but the Aggies attempted to gain control of the ball as much as possible during this period, resulting in plenty of attempted shots taken and draw controls.

Despite their efforts in the third period, the Aggies were unable to score more goals, while the Gators ended the period with four additional goals, bringing the score to 18-2 in favor of the Gators.

The Aggies employed the same strategy they used in the third period in the final period of the game, attempting to gain possession of the ball for as many minutes as possible through ground ball picks, turnovers and draw controls.

Unfortunately, the Aggies were unable to convert these possessions into successful shots on the Gators. UF was able to secure four more goals against the Aggies, despite the Aggies’ efforts, finalizing the score at 22-2 in favor of the Gators. The Aggies put up a strong fight against UF, but were unable to convert any goal attempts and secure the win for the semifinals, ending their season in Colorado.

The Aggies end their 2024-2025 season with a standing of No. 4 in the Big 12 Conference and a record of 6-10.