October 24 2019

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VOLUME 138, ISSUE 5 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019

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HONG KONG PROTESTS MANIFEST ON UC DAVIS CAMPUS Davis4HK organizes protest, gathers signatures for members of Congress BY A N JI N I V EN U GO PA L & SA BRI N A HA BC H I features@theaggie.org Fernando Anguiano, a fourth-year community and regional development major, viewed a video on Reddit on Oct. 9 that featured a student from mainland China taking down a poster supporting the Hong Kong protests outside the CoHo. The video sparked increased tensions on the UC Davis campus, despite the fact that the Hong Kong protests began this past June. The protests in Hong Kong concern a bill that would expand the list of countries to which suspected offenders could be sent — notably allowing extradition to mainland China. After the protests in June, the legislation was indefinitely suspended by Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam, but protests continued because the bill was not formally dead. Protestors have five main requests: a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, the release of protestors arrested without charges, the withdrawal of the characterization of all protests as riots, an independent investigation into police brutality and the implementation of full universal suffrage. “Seeing that [video] really enraged me,” Anguiano said. “It just felt like our own ability to speak out was being silenced on our own campus and it just felt extremely unfair. I never expected [the event] to get this big and gain so much popularity. I originally expected it to just be myself and two other people, but it gathered support in just a week.” Anguiano has no ties to Hong Kong or China but wanted to take action. He created an Oct. 16 Facebook event and started a Discord server for interested people. “I just saw my role in this as someone who is going to be there to support them and be kind of a figurehead for American students to gather support,” Anguiano said. “From the beginning, it wasn’t about me. It was about the people from Hong Kong.” Second-year geology major Winnie Lau was one of the first people involved with Davis4HK, a group of students supporting Hong Kong. Lau is an international student from Hong Kong, and she recalled learning about the protests in her home country while she was taking finals in the spring of

2019. “On the 9th of June, I watched the live stream for the first protest,” Lau said. “A million people came on the street. And then on the 12th of June, the police started to use tear gas to attack people. I was heartbroken at that time. And not only tear gas, they even used rubber bullets, […] so I was shocked.” Tensions on campus Since the inception of Davis4HK, there has been notable on-campus dissent — coming from students from mainland China. On the night of Oct. 9, third-year aerospace engineering major Harsh, who requested to be referred to only by his first name to maintain his anonymity, wrote with chalk in support of the Hong Kong protestors in the quad. He decided to join Davis4HK that night after viewing the aforementioned Reddit video. During this time, three groups of Chinese students passed by him to erase it. “Basically, a method was to just embarrass them enough until they left,” Harsh said, describing how he dealt with the situation. “It just involved talking to them and trying to debate. The first few tried to stay silent and the second group was more confrontational. And the third group of people that came brought a dog to try to scare us away.” A video posted on Reddit shows a Chinese student throwing a Hong Kong flag from the Davis4HK table in the trash on Thursday, Oct. 10. Later that night, at 8:45 p.m., a confrontation occurred between Harsh and international Chinese students who were wiping the chalk with water. The confrontation escalated when Harsh told the students to stop wiping the chalk and stood in front of one of the students. Both Harsh and the student, a second-year physics major who did not disclose his name, nearly began fighting. From there, the international Chinese students and Harsh began having a discussion about the protests in Hong Kong. “At the beginning, we almost got into a fight — I really wanted to punch him and he really wanted to punch me,” the student said. “But we peacefully dealt with it. We communicated and shared the information,

JU STIN HA N / AGGIE

An activist holds up a makeshift “Lennon Wall” during a protest at the UC Davis Quad for people to write messages addressed to those participating in the Hong Kong protests. Oct. 21, 2019. Photo by Justin Han / Aggie.

then we came to an agreement that none of us know the facts.” Harsh says he didn’t really think things would get physical — although things started off heated, they cooled down as they talked more. When he decided to help with putting up chalk, it was with a goal of convincing the Chinese students who tore the Hong Kong signs down that what they were doing was wrong — instead of tearing signs down, they should put their own up. By the end of his conversation, he concluded that his goal was not feasible for him. “After Wednesday, I thought my goal was kind of successful here, I kept the chalk up, I was able to keep three different waves of Chinese students from erasing it,” Harsh said. “And then on Thursday, I had a long discussion and I realized there is no way I can convince any of these students of anything. We finished our conversation at an impasse. So I just left.” Another international Chinese student who was wiping the chalk said that he was doing so because UC Davis prohibits having chalk writing on campus.

Caden Zheng, a second-year physics major and international Chinese student, said he respects strikes and protests as long as they are legal. “If it’s legal, it’s totally fine,” Zheng said. “What I’m mostly against is the illegal motivations they made — the violence during the strike and the chaos they made in Hong Kong.” Zheng is from mainland China but has siblings in Hong Kong. “All the things happening are heartbreaking,” Zheng said. “Not only do the people suffer from that, but also the city is breaking down: the economy and not many tourists are there right now. Everything happening there is dragging Hong Kong back and I don’t want that to happen.” The students, including Zheng, who were opposed to the chalk writing cited university rules against using chalk on campus. The UC Davis Center for Student Involvement states that “chalking is not permitted on campus,” according to its general guidelines. In response to allegations that flyers supporting Hong Kong protestors were being taken down, Zheng disagreed with individuals taking down

the flyers as long as the flyers were posted according to university rules and policies. In a later email, Zheng reiterated his point but made note of flyers he believed to be breaking some of the rules in the general guidelines. “I agree and respect all the people on this campus should have the freedom of speech, I agree any people on this campus have the right to express their opinion, even if I do not agree with some of their opinions,” Zheng said via email. “If the poster was posted in the proper way (obey the Posting of Information Policy and Procedure Manual), then I strongly agree it should not be taken off. However, there are many posters I saw, break the Posting Policy General Guidelines No.3, No.4 and No.5.” One of the students wiping the chalk, who requested to remain anonymous, also agreed that individuals should not be taking flyers down that were put up according to university policy. “For the flyer, while we’re sorry for the people who took it off, but we

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YOLO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AGREES TO END WOODLAND REFUGEE YOUTH DETENTION PROGRAM

BAINER HALL SEES SERIES OF BURGLARIES THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER

County detention center will no longer be used to house teenage refugees as of January 2020

Occupants of Bainer Hall urged to remain vigilant, help prevent unauthorized entry to building QU IN N SPOON ER / AGG IE

COU RT E SY P H OTO

Bainer Hall sees over a dozen break-ins over past month. Oct. 22, 2019. Photo by Quinn Spooner / Aggie.

BY TI M L A LON D E city@theaggie.org The Yolo Board of Supervisors decided against renewing the county’s contract with the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), agreeing to terminate a decade-long agreement to house unaccompanied refugee teenagers in the high-security Juvenile Detention Facility (JDF) in Woodland, at the board’s Oct. 8 meeting. The agreement between Yolo County and the Federal Government began in 2008, stipulating that the facility will house “youths who have been identified as being a danger to themselves or to the community,” according to the 2019 review by the California DOJ. Dan Fruchtenicht, Chief Probation Officer of Yolo County, said in the October meeting that the ORR has directed a higher number of youths suffering from mental illness and trauma to the Yolo JDF in recent years. “The last few years, we’ve seen a significant increase of youth suffering from severe mental health issues that [they] have been severely traumatized,” Fruchtenicht said. “They are assaul-

tive, and I don’t know if we are the ideal place for them.” Fruchtenicht said that in the past few months there has been a “significant uptick” of reported assaults on staff at the facility. He claimed that “not one” of his staff members — when asked — expressed a desire to renew the program, despite anxieties about losing their jobs. Renewed media and public attention during the Trump administration have also stretched his department’s resources thin, Fruchtenicht said, as has dealing with the department itself. “Put simply, ORR completely dominates [the] attention and energy of the Department,” Fruchtenicht said. The youth detained in the Woodland facility would be better off placed in long-term mental health facilities, rather than a juvenile detention center, Fruchtenicht said. “I believe that they need to be in a long-term treatment facility that focuses on their mental health — they can get the therapy they need, [there’s] psychiatric services there 24-7, and [they can] really work on their needs,”

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BY K E NTO N G O LDSBY & ANDRE A E S Q U E T IN I campus@theaggie.org A string of over a dozen burglaries, which began on Sept. 9 and have continued since, have occurred in Bainer Hall over the last month, according to the UC Davis Dateline. The burglaries have occurred on weekends and have affected labs and offices in the engineering building. The UC Davis Formula Racing team’s lab was one of the rooms affected by a recent break in, for example. Numerous types of objects have been taken, including computer monitors, cameras, tools and paint supplies, according to Dateline. The UC Davis Police Department believes that the perpetrators may be gaining entry to the building through unlocked doors. They also suspect someone might be letting them into the building. Though there were “no signs of forced entry” to the building, “the culprit or culprits forced open doors to labs and offices during weekends,” according to Dateline. “Our university is not unique in experiencing a rise in opportunistic crimes, such as peo-

ple stealing valuables left in plain sight or from offices and buildings left unsecured,” said UC Davis Police Chief Joe Farrow in a statement. This past February, an intruder who was living in the UC Davis Art Building was arrested on charges of felony vandalism. He had been occupying a professor’s office in the building for several weeks and allegedly sexually assaulted a student. In the wake of these most recent incidents in Bainer Hall, the university and police department are warning students and others who access the building to take precautions to prevent unauthorized entry. “If you see any doors propped open, please immediately close them and do not allow people to ‘tail gate’ or follow you into the building during off-hours,” said Cristina Davis, chair of the mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) department, in an email sent to the MAE undergraduate listserv and obtained by The California Aggie. Davis underscored the severity of the breakins in another email to various engineering

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

2 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019

ASUCD Senate hosts first quarterly town hall Town hall format different from previous years

BY RE B E CCA B IH N-WALLACE campus@theaggie.org

JUSTIN HAN / AGGIE

ASUCD held its quarterly town hall at Coffee House on Oct. 17, 2019. Photo by Justin Han/Aggie.

Senators debate weighing in on rising tensions between mainland Chinese, Hong Kong students at Oct. 10 Senate meeting Senator Landrum to propose constitutional amendment about senators planning graduation before terming out ANDREA GONZALEZ / AGGIE

KDVS’ future location remains uncertain, but employees are making the most of the time left in historic office Moving out of Freeborn will be bittersweet, challenging for radio station JUSTIN HAN / AGGIE

The interior of the KDVS studio in Lower Freeborn Hall. Oct. 21, 2019. Photo by Justin Han/Aggie.

BY LI N H N G UYE N features@theaggie.org KDVS, UC Davis’ student-run, on-campus radio station which broadcasts on 90.3 FM to the greater Sacramento area, has occupied a few different spaces since its founding in 1964. The organization has occupied both a dormitory laundry room and a space in Kerr Hall in its past, but has been broadcasting out of Lower Freeborn Hall for more than 20 years. The upcoming demolition of Freeborn Hall, however, puts the organization in a tricky spot. As of yet, KDVS does not know where they will be moving to. Noel Fernandez, a third-year economics major and general manager of KDVS, did not appear to be overly worried in an interview with The California Aggie. His responsibilities as general manager include running the station daily, dealing with FCC regulations, budget, community relations and general oversight. “It’s all up in the air, still,” Fernandez said. “We have people looking for us [from] ASUCD and campus.”

In 2014, Freeborn Hall was closed to the public after failing seismic tests. Freeborn Hall’s basement — often referred to as Lower Freeborn — was deemed fit for use. The basement has remained open and continues to provide space for several ASUCD units, including Entertainment Council, The California Aggie, Aggie Studios and KDVS. In 2018, the university released plans to demolish the entirety of Freeborn Hall after concluding that renovations to the historic building would be too costly for its worth, forcing Lower Freeborn’s occupants to make plans for relocation. The decision was announced over a year ago and demolition is planned to occur in the near future. “This whole ordeal has been happening for years now,” Fernandez said. “I don’t think anyone has definite dates of when [Freeborn Hall] is going to be demolished.” While other units in Lower Freeborn have solid arrangements — The Aggie, for instance, will relocate to a house on A Street — KDVS has yet to decide where they’re going, or when. Knowing that all of the other units are mov-

The ASUCD Town Hall, which took place in the CoHo, was called to order at approximately 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17. The meeting was presided over by President Justin Hurst and Vice President Shreya Deshpande. Participants broke into groups and discussed questions posted at different tables. In previous years, town hall meetings consisted of an open mic panel discussion, rather than breakout groups. The questions focused on ways that ASUCD can proactively address student needs. Both Senator Sean Kumar and Filip Stamenkovic, chair of the Business and Finance Commission, spoke about the need to address ASUCD’s $400,000 deficit, which was partially caused by the loss of revenue during the Camp Fire in November of 2018. For example, in April 2019, the Experimental College closed due to financial losses it experienced. “[Closing the Experimental College] was an absolutely necessary step and otherwise we

BY ALLY RU SS E LL campus@theaggie.org The Oct. 10 ASUCD Senate meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by Vice President Shreya Deshpande. No senators were absent. The table began the meeting with a discussion of the upcoming Senate Town Hall, which took place on Oct. 17. In order to increase student turnout, Senator Shondreya Landrum proposed changing the format of the town hall. She proposed providing pizza for attendees and including a section where senators explain different aspects of how ASUCD runs, encouraging senators to engage with student attendants. A vote to hold the town hall on Thursday, Oct. 17 passed unanimously. As a result of a logistical challenge associated with the UC-wide transition to UC Path, an updated payroll system, the Shared Services Organization (SSO) informed ASUCD that any attempts to add positions to the payroll system after the summer will be stalled until Oct. 28, 2019. Senate Bill #6 addressed the need for these employees to temporarily be paid with stipends until Oct. 28. The bill passed without objections and will expire after Fall Quarter due to the extremely unusual conditions that led to its proposal. Senate Bill #3, authored by Landrum, aimed to reduce the number of ASUCD senators that graduate before their term as a senator has finished. This bill, which would have amended the ASCUD Bylaws, was inspired by three senators who graduated in June 2019 before they completed their terms. Senate Bill #3 would include a condition that students planning to run for Senate cannot plan to graduate within two quarters from the time of their election. Nick Flores, a fourth-year English and political science double major and former Internal Affairs Commission (IAC) chair, said the bill ing out, the organization knows that its time is also coming. “I think KDVS is more of a logistical problem, because there is so much more stuff that we have to keep,” Fernandez said. The station’s interior is decorated with vintage posters and sentimental memorabilia. KDVS has accumulated thousands of pieces of musical collectibles, including stickers, posters, CDs and vinyls. There is a recording room, a maze of their record and CD collection and multiple rooms for their DJs to listen to music. Moving will be no easy task for KDVS, as they will have to essentially move the entire station. “It’s definitely going to be a really big project,” said Nicolas Dinato, a third-year philosophy and political science major, and development coordinator at KDVS. “Here at KDVS, everyone here is very passionate. We have a large community of both students and community members from around Davis/Yolo County area. It’s just going to be a big project where we all band together and move all of our vinyls, all of our CDs. We have, like, a million posters, a lot of which are really, really old, so it’s going to be a big process of slowly taking everything down and moving it over. It’s going to be a lot of work, but we’re definitely capable.” It could take weeks for the radio station to sort through its collection, pack its belongings, move and organize it elsewhere. With such a large collection, one might think that the station would consider donating or discarding some items. “We have a team of archivists [whose] job it is to identify the ‘KDVS’ memorabilia we should keep directly in the studio and archive the things we should look to preserve,” Fernandez said in an email. “Their main focus is the posters, stickers and such that accumulated through the years. All of them are sent by artists or labels, and people have been sticking them on our walls ever since. Throwing away all this history is not an option.” Having been in room 14 in Lower Freeborn for 20 years, the staff and community of listeners are emotional about having to leave. “For a lot of people at the station, it’s a little disheartening because of the fact that we’ve been here for so long,” Dinato said. “There is a lot of culture and history down here, but at the same time, we’re hopeful for the future. We’re excited to start a new era for KDVS when we move to the new location, to increase our campus visibility and our outreach.” While the future for KDVS remains undecided, the station’s staff is still enjoying entertaining their listeners from Lower Freeborn in the short time they have left. Moving to a different location surely will not change the station nor its impact in the community, but it will be bittersweet to all involved in KDVS and their fans to have to be relocated.

wouldn’t have had a budget, but it could have been avoided,” Stamenkovic said. He stressed the importance of ASUCD units updating quarterly reports so that they remain aware of their financial status and don’t have to seek help at the last minute. “It was personally very painful for me,” Stamenokovic said, referring to when he informed some units that they were closing. “[These groups] came up to us and they said they didn’t know they were in trouble. They had only three weeks to resolve the problem.” Food insecurity was also a frequent topic raised during the meeting. “[I hope for] continual education and understanding from our Senate that what we’re doing for basic needs is vital,” said Ryan Choi, chair of the ASUCD Pantry. Other topics covered included increasing student voter turnout, being proactive rather than reactive and improving communication between members of ASUCD and the public.

contradicts the ASUCD Constitution that states the only requirement to run for senator is that students are in good academic standing. Flores also brought up the fact that this bylaw would be difficult to enforce because it relies on prospective elected senators sticking to graduation plans. Flores discussed ways to amend this bill with the Senate table to make it both enforceable and constitutional. Landrum made the decision to withdraw the bill with the intention of reforming it into a constitutional amendment. Next, the Senate discussed SB #4, which proposed moving public discussion to the beginning of Senate meetings. Since most members of the public attending Senate leave the meetings after issues relevant to them have been discussed, Senator Sahiba Kaur suggested moving public discussion to the beginning of the meeting as a better way to engage with members of the public. The bill passed without objection. The table voted to see an emergency piece of legislation regarding tensions between international students from mainland China and Hong Kong. Instances of ripping down posters and chalking in public areas on campus have recently been reported. The resolution would condemn instances of chalking, as they violate the Center for Student Involvement’s Posting Policy. After discussion of the issue, certain senators recommended tabling the piece of legislation until the body had more information on both sides of the issue. Senators were wary of signing a resolution that might be perceived as trying to repress free speech or police students protesting police brutality, even if chalking itself is against CSI policy. Senators also questioned whether a resolution was the most effective way to address the issue. After discussion, the resolution was withdrawn. During public discussion, Senator

SENATE on 9

SHEREEN LEE / AGGIE

Strange creatures, tree problems October 10 “Large [tree] limb down, partially in the roadway, reporting party put a cone out.” “Tree branch blocking left-hand lane.” “Aggressive dog off-leash chased reporting party and her dog.” October 12 “Subject selling hairless creature in plastic tub.” “Subject at door claimed to be from PG&E and asked to see reporting party’s bill.” October 13 “Large spotted dog hopping around the street with [a] bag stuck on its head — reporting party tried to get close enough to take it off and [the] dog started barking at her — concerned for dog’s health or safety.” October 14 “Black leather purse in the middle of the roadway.” “Housemate attacked reporting party and took some of her cats.” October 15 “Unknown person used reporting party’s bank account to book [an] ‘Airbnb.’” October 16 “Open line — nothing heard.”

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The difference between Halloween and Day of the Dead The culture behind the three-day festival BY ITZE LT H G A M B OA arts@theaggie.org As October comes to an end and the leaves start to crunch under every step, many people immediately think of Halloween. Halloween might mean stopping by Target for decorations, going back home to take your siblings trick-or-treating or attending a costume party. But for the Latinx and Chicanx culture, the end of October carries a different significance — Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The holidays begin on Oct. 31 and end on Nov. 2. Each day is dedicated to different lives. Oct. 31 is Día de los Santos, or All Hallows Eve. On Nov. 1, El Día de los Inocentes (the Day of the Innocents) is when children who have passed are remembered. The last day of the Day of the Dead celebration is All Souls Day, when anyone and everyone is remembered. Although they fall on similar days, Halloween and Día de los Muertos celebrate different things. “Halloween is more about being scared,” said Joyce Tang, a third-year environmental and science management major. “People dress up, they go around as something else and come back home to eat candy. By the next day, it’s over. But with Day of the Dead, it doesn’t end. It’s about the people that you love and how they’re still here, even when they’ve passed.” Those celebrating Día de los Muertos prepare by gathering photos of loved ones who have passed and making an altar (or ofrenda) in their memory. “Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is more family-oriented,” said Alondra Avitia, a second-year Spanish and human development double major and member of Sigma Pi Alpha, a Chi-

cana/Latina-based sorority. “It gathers everybody together to remember those who are no longer here. It’s not that Dia de los Muertos can’t be fun, but it’s more of a serious matter because you are honoring your loved ones.” The ofrenda forms a connection to loved ones. By placing all of their favorite foods and items on the altar, it becomes an offering. Marigolds are placed around the pictures and the smell of pan de muerto — a traditional Mexican bread that is made for the holiday — fills the air. The ofrendas are meant to call the souls of the past loved ones. The marigolds and their petals are there to guide their souls home. During these days it is believed that past loved ones come back to visit as we celebrate the lives they once lived. “I feel like that day you really get to know your family, because everyone gets together and then they talk about people who you might have not even met and you’re like, ‘Oh, you know, I would have liked to meet them,’” Avitia said. Families in Mexico and the United States celebrate the holiday differently, as the tradition shifts in the U.S. “I feel like here in the U.S., it can be taken more for the aesthetics, because you have the face painting and all that,” said Diana Santoyo, a fourth-year human development and psychology double major and member of Sigma Pi Alpha. “And in Mexico [it] is more meaningful only because it’s more family-oriented.” While the Day of the Dead has long been a dormant holiday in the U.S., movies are shining a light on the three-day celebration. Popular children’s movies like Disney’s “Coco” and 20th Century Fox’s “The Book of Life” portray tradition with a magical twist. But what’s loved about these movies is how well they show the culture.

Students Weigh In On Fraternity Stereotypes A closer look into the reality of fraternities behind their stereotypes BY LI N H N G UYEN features@theaggie.org Undoubtedly, various stereotypes — including negative stereotypes — are associated with fraternities, fraternity brothers and even their houses on college campuses across the nation. “The experience that I’ve had with guys in Greek life was always pretty good,” Chris Pettit, a second-year political science major said. “Most of the guys are nice and friendly. But I have a friend who doesn’t see frats so positively. He had a negative experience with a few of those guys. He was at a party (he wasn’t rushing) and got into an altercation with a few guys. They were being overly aggressive with him and really intimidated him.” GreekRank is a website devoted to designating different fraternities to a limited selection of reputations. For example, Pi Kappa Alpha at UC Davis, known as Pike, has been designated by many students as “top house” and also holds a reputation of being the “good looking” and “party animal” fraternity. “The most common stereotypes are what the media portrays,” Nick Elliott-Smith, a fourthyear political science and philosophy double major said. “Binge drinking, hazing, misogyny, toxic masculinity, [...] I think those are the more common ones that I’ve heard. I think there are a lot of tragedies that occurred in recent years and I think that a lot of the times, there is some truth behind [the stereotypes]. There are some horrible people out there that do wear Greek letters and I do not condone that.” Elliott-Smith is the president of the UC Davis Interfraternity Council (IFC), as of Winter Quarter of 2019 and a member of Sigma Chi. These stereotypes are, more often than not, associated with social fraternities, all of which belong to a single council: the Interfraternity Council (IFC). Most social fraternities at UC Davis, 19 to be exact, belong to the IFC. Davis IFC is governed by their campus executive board, which is in charge of managing fraternity affairs, communications, finance, activities, recruitment and discipline. One of the tragedies Elliott-Smith mentions, as stated above, is the hazing incident at Pennsylvania State University where a pledge died during an intense hazing ritual for Beta Theta Pi. Timothy Piazza, the pledge, drank large amounts of alcohol as a part of the hazing ritual and became

unconscious. The other brothers in the fraternity failed to immediately call for medical assistance and, by the time they did, it was too late. Piazza died in the hospital the next morning. Surgeons found that he had a ruptured spleen and multiple brain injuries. In a community like Davis, where nothing this severe has happened in recent memory, it may seem like incidents of tragic proportions are rare, however, they do occur. “Eighty percent of fraternity members report being hazed,” according to an article in The Atlantic. “It’s not an aberration; it’s the norm.” Elliott-Smith assures that hazing like this does not occur in the Davis Greek life community. According to UC Davis’ Constitution of the Interfraternity Council, “each Member chapter shall develop recruitment events, materials, and activities that are: a. Value based; b. Alcohol-free and illegal substance-free; c. Generally in good taste; d. Not derogatory, degrading, or slanderous.” “I can’t really say that there is truth behind [these stereotypes] in our community,” Elliott-Smith said. “Davis has a very unique environment. People come here for an academic education, it’s not really a social school. So for a lot of the stigmas attached to the fraternities [here], I really do not find any true value within my own council.” Michael Bengard, a first-year agricultural and environmental education major and brother of Phi Delta Theta, explained to The Aggie why he joined his fraternity. “I felt pretty comfortable there and I liked all the guys,” Bengard said. “It just felt right.” Bengard comments on the legitimacy of different stereotypes and reputations associated with different fraternities. “Some houses attract different guys that you could say reflect the stereotype,” Bengard said. One of the reasons why men join fraternities is to build connections and network with alumni. Fraternities are also meant to benefit members both while they are in school and post-graduation. “People see frats as a place to mess around and blow off school, but it’s actually meant to help you with school,” Bengard said. The full version of this article appears online.

ALLYSON KO / AGGIE FILE

“You feel that presence when you’re celebrating,” Avitia said in reference to the movies. “I feel like, maybe [my passed family members] are around here. Maybe they do come from someplace and it does affect whether you remember them or not.” As the movies gained popularity, they also piqued the audience’s interest in the holiday. The famous depiction of a skeleton wearing a flowered-filled hat is known as La Catrina, the Aztec goddess of death. But where she mostly shows up in the present-day is in makeup. Makeup tutorials for beautiful skulls (or calaveras), similar to how she is drawn can be found in many YouTube and Pinterest tutorials. While these new trends have surfaced, there still remains an entire culture be-

IAN JONES / AGGIE FILE

hind them. “It depends on their intentions,” Santoyo said. “And [if ] they’re just trying to do the same purpose of promoting the culture, then that’s fine. But if they’re just doing it for the aesthetics and because they think [the makeup] is nice I feel like that probably isn’t okay.” The Latina/Chicana cultural sorority Sigma Pi Alpha will hold a community event in order to share this holiday with everyone in Davis. Their event is on Nov. 13 in the Activities and Recreation Center from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Different on-campus organizations will decorate their ofrendas according to different themes.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

4 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019

Opinion THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE Students deserve a commencement that celebrates them, not a high-profile speaker

E DI TOR I AL B OAR D KAELYN TUERMER-LEE Editor-in-Chief HANNAH HOLZER Managing Editor

Commencement changes at UC Davis, lack of details leave students unprepared

KENTON GOLDSBY Campus News Editor STELLA TRAN City News Editor HANADI JORDAN Opinion Editor CLAIRE DODD Features Editor LIZ JACOBSON Arts & Culture Editor DOMINIC FARIA Sports Editor CECILIA MORALES Science & Tech Editor

HANNAN WALIULLAH New Media Manager JUSTIN HAN Photo Director SYDNEE RODRIGUEZ Design Director ARIANA GREEN Layout Director SABRINA HABCHI Copy Chief ISABELLA BLOOM Copy Chief ZOË REINHARDT Website Manager SYDNEY ODMAN Social Media Manager LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

Last May, UC Davis announced that undergraduate commencements would change starting Spring 2020. Instead of having seven smaller ceremonies divided according to college, about 7,500 students from 28 majors will now be mixed and split across three ceremonies taking place over the weekend of June 12 to 14. These larger ceremonies will be held at the UC Davis Health Stadium to accommodate more people, but the air-conditioned ARC Pavilion will still be used to live stream the commencements for those without tickets. As the new venue can only house about 10,000 guests with existing seating and bleachers, students will receive four tickets each compared to the seven given out in years prior. The three commencements will begin at 8 a.m. to avoid high summer temperatures and are expected to last until 10:30 a.m. On Oct. 1, three lists detailing which majors will be represented at what commencement were released. Other than this information, no further details have been revealed, such as if the names of graduating students will still be read, if students will be able to petition for more tickets or if students with multiple majors will be able to choose which major they walk with. For an event that many students have to plan months ahead for, the fact that decisions are still being finalized leaves soon-to-be graduates feeling frustrated and uneasy about a day they should be looking forward to. Students that planned to receive the usual seven tickets must now make a difficult decision regarding which family members will get to share in their spring celebration. UC Riverside’s class of 2020 faces similar unrest with

their commencement as campus leadership is proposing to not only hold its commencement in a different city but also to not read the names of graduates during the event. Students should have a say in how they get to commemorate their accomplishments. In response to the proposed changes announced during an ASUCR Senate meeting on Oct. 14, ASUCR President Julian Gonzalez began a petition arguing that commencement should embrace tradition. And while UC Davis students have been getting more formal updates compared to UCR students, there is still more we need to know about graduation. In deemphasizing specific college commencements, the university hopes to unify graduates under the UC Davis name as a whole. This is highlighted as a key reason for the consolidation of seven ceremonies into three, but it seems more like a marketing attempt to make UC Davis look more prestigious as larger crowds might attract more prominent speakers. But the celebrations are for students. A potential prominent speaker likely didn’t spend four years studying in Shields, caring about the campus community or growing as young adults in their time here. Without more student input moving forward, the university risks alienating graduates who paid thousands of dollars in tuition, put in the time and effort to earn their degrees and helped maintain UC Davis’ status as a top public university. The Editorial Board, all members of which are graduating this spring, demands that the university prioritize its students accomplishments over its perceived public image and prestige.

In sports, performance doesn’t always have to trump character MIKE VICK: DOG OWNER

BY C A LV I N CO F F E E cscoffee@ucdavis.edu Michael Vick is the most divisive NFL player of all time. Before going to prison, Vick ran a dog fighting ring and killed underperforming dogs by hanging them, electrocuting them or drowning them. He is also the fastest player to ever play quarterback in the NFL, holds multiple NFL records and will be a Hall of Famer. But the nature of forgiveness is divisive in itself. Deciding when or what to forgive is extremely hard in any situation, and it is getting harder every day. In 2007, I remember my grandfather reading from the newspaper that the Atlanta Falcons quarterback had been sentenced to three years in prison for illegally fighting and killing dogs — the thought of it terrified me. Little did I know, it was that Falcons quarterback who would be the reason I’m now a fan of the sport. I was a casual NFL fan before, but I wasn’t really a fan of the sport until Vick re-revolutionized the league in 2009 and 2010. That’s why this issue is a difficult one for me. With all of the terrible things that he did in his

past, Vick is still my favorite player of all time –– for reasons I can’t entirely explain. After spending 18 months in prison, Michael Vick emerged with a second chance. Vick has worked with the Humane Society to advocate across the country. Visiting schools across the country and in Newport News, Virginia (where his Bad Newz Kennels took place), Vick speaks about the dangers of being involved with dogfighting. After being signed by the Eagles in 2009, President Obama even called Eagles’ owner Jeffery Lurie to thank him for giving Vick a second chance. But many believe Vick should still be punished for his actions. Coming out of prison a changed man is not enough for them, as if the rehabilitation of his character and past actions wasn’t the intended goal of sending him to prison. Perhaps many believe that coming back from prison just to make millions of dollars on the football field is not any kind of punishment. But it is important to know that, because of his imprisonment, Vick was forced to file for bankruptcy. Instead of filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which would have excused most of his debts, Vick filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, requiring him to pay all $18

million in debt back to his creditors. Philadelphia sportswriter Buzz Bissinger wrote about Vick’s return, saying, “The truth of sports is that performance always trumps character. The truth of sports is that performance always excuses character.” But I don’t think that’s true. That’s not why Michael Vick has been forgiven and given second chances by so many. To me, his character is completely in line with the greatest people to ever play the game, and that is what makes him easier to forgive. People forgive him because he is the ultimate example that despite our worst actions and mistakes, we are all capable of becoming better people. Following his probation — during which Vick was not allowed to own a dog — Vick and his family finally became dog owners again. “I understand the strong emotions by some people about our family’s decision to care for a pet,” Vick said. “As a father, it is important to make sure my children develop a healthy relationship with animals. I want to ensure that my children establish a loving bond and treat all of God’s creatures with kindness and respect. Our pet is well cared for and loved as a member of our family.”

Many of the controversial figures caught up in cultural movements of our day have not paid the appropriate price. And some may never pay it, but Vick did, and it allowed him to come back better than ever, both on and off the football field. With all of this being said, it is still unfathomable to many people that Vick was given a second chance after running a dog fighting ring. Yet, Colin Kaepernick is still blacklisted by the league for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and the killing of innocent Americans. Somehow, the league is more comfortable forgiving the killing of dogs than they are an athlete kneeling during a song. As proud as I am that Jeffery Lurie and the NFL gave Vick another chance, I am equally ashamed that Kaepernick has not. Exposed and humiliated to the world, Michael Vick transformed into the best version of himself. His comeback story gives us hope that people can change — it gives us something to believe in. No matter what our mistakes are, we can climb back to the top.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019 | 5

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LET KIDS READ WHAT THEY WANT TO READ Judging kids for what they read discourages them from exploring their interests KATHE R I N E F R A N KS / AGGI E

BY SIMRAN KALKAT skkalkat@ucdavis.edu I’ve talked a bit about how I’ve personally felt disgruntled with the reading curriculum throughout my middle school and high school experience. That isn’t to say that I didn’t appreciate the work and effort that my English teachers put into my education, I just didn’t particularly enjoy the selection of books or the monotonous

work that went with it. Reading is one of the few activities in which I find joy, exhilaration and an immense amount of satisfaction. There’s a satisfaction in not only seeing the daily progress I make but also in realizing the number of stories and ideas I’ve accumulated just by opening my books. I volunteered at my local public library for all four years of high school, and one of my favorite activities of the year was the summer reading

THE BEST ENVIRONMENTALIST MOVIE YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF “Koyaanisqatsi” (1982) stands the test of time

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game. The summer reading game was an annual program the library put on for patrons of all ages but with a special focus on children. The goal was to encourage patrons to spend time in the summer reading something — anything. Once they hit the target number of hours, they got a prize. But when the librarians said read anything, they meant anything. This list included not just books, but magazines, cereal boxes, emails, websites and more. As long as there was some reading happening, you were participating in the summer reading game. As I continued volunteering at the library, I noticed it was a place that truly committed itself to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all its members to read. And one way in which they accomplished this was by encouraging visitors to read without judgment. The library was the last place to impose value judgements on books, especially children’s books. This initially puzzled me since I had grown up with a sense that some books are worth reading whereas others offer little literary value and shouldn’t be encouraged. When I was in elementary school, my teachers weren’t too keen to see their students reading graphic novels. In middle school, one of my English teachers wasn’t very enthusiastic to see her daughter reading “Junie B. Jones” because of Junie’s bad grammar. For much of high school, I didn’t express great interest in graphic novels and often imposed my own judgments on those books. Like many other adults, I felt like graphic novels could hardly count as books; although they might be great stepping stones for getting kids to read, they should quickly move on to other, more “valuable” books. Adults try to ensure that kids grow up with strong literary skills, which might be why they place a large emphasis on reading certain books. BY BENJAMIN PORTER bbporter@ucdavis.edu The release of “An Inconvenient Truth” in 2006 helped initiate a string of powerful new documentaries about the existential threat of climate change and the countless sustainability crises we face. I’m thinking of films like “Chasing Ice,” “Chasing Coral,” Leonardo DiCaprio’s “Ice on Fire,” “Before the Flood” and, of course, Al Gore’s follow-up, “An Inconvenient Sequel.” All of these documentaries are equal parts fascinating and frightening. They each have strong political messages and are not shy about making explicit calls for action. There’s nothing wrong with taking a strong stance on the issue of climate change, which calls upon our need to divest from fossil fuels and implement radical changes to our economy as a whole. Some nature documentaries have controversially failed to take a strong enough stance on climate change. As good as these more overtly political nature documentaries are, they often become overly political. While supremely informative, they are often just preaching to the choir, failing to reach an audience beyond those who are already con-

It’s understandable that parents and teachers want children to grow up with strong critical thinking skills and an appropriate knowledge of grammar and vocabulary. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t value in children picking up a book about a silly eight-year-old who, like many other eight-year-olds, doesn’t have the best grammar. It also doesn’t mean that a book filled with mostly images and little text should be viewed negatively. Not only is giving children the choice to choose their books a great mechanism in fostering a genuine appreciation for reading, but the choice in and of itself is empowering. I’m not an expert, but I can confidently say that letting children read what they like, given the content is suitable and appropriate, affords the freedom to find the stories that matter to them. I love to hear my six-year-old cousin talk excitedly about his beloved characters and scenes from his favorite series “Captain Underpants” — the silliest and craziest children’s book around. At the library this summer, I listened to other kids tell me all about their favorite books and why they loved them so much. I enjoy hearing this because childhood curiosity made me fall in love with the world of reading. When I read books in elementary school, I wasn’t looking for how to become the most efficient and capable reader, although that is what most teachers and other adults hope their students turn out to be. I read because I was a seven-year-old who wanted to independently travel to another country and see the most breathtaking sights from the comfort of my home. I also wanted to read silly stories in which I could see Baby Mouse stumble and grumble through her school hallways. Graphic novels and “silly” books are fun, creative and exciting stories with which children can fall in love, and they should be encouraged to explore what they love without being judged. vinced of climate change’s urgency. This is why the most compelling environmental film is not one of the more recent films that blaringly sounds the alarm but Godfrey Reggio’s 1982 experimental film, “Koyaanisqatsi.” The film is comprised of nothing but time lapse and slow motion photography of nature and modern excess, complemented by the minimalist score of Philip Glass. No narration, no talking, no interviews. Just stunning imagery and mesmerizing music. Yet the film urgently conveys the sheer scale of our ruthless exploitation and vandalism of the Earth, critiquing our failure to live in balance with nature. It’s the story of man’s domination and destruction of his surroundings, told with stark, simplistic beauty and the clarity of the wordiest documentaries out there. The lasting impact and relevance of “Koyaanisqatsi” is not only a testament to its prescience, but a necessary reminder of our collective failure to act. It would be difficult to convince most people that the movie is older than a decade, much less three. Perhaps a viewing or 12 of this beautifully subtle film, which quite refreshingly lacks the partisan filter of today’s media, could help ins KOYAANI SQATSI on 9

JOSHUA DIAGRAM BY MARIO RODRIGUEZ maarod@ucdavis.edu

HUMOR

FLOCK OF ARBORETUM COUPLES MAKE RUNNER UNCOMFORTABLE UC Davis students feels alone, sad, gross BY KELSEY STEWART kcstewart@ucdavis.edu Last Tuesday, first-year communications major Brian Greene decided to head for a run in the arboretum after consuming 1,188 calories worth of double-chunk chocolate DC cookies. Blasting “The Real Slim Shady” in his AirPods, Greene optimistically began his journey. As he rounded the lake, he noticed a cluster of bodies perched both on benches and on the grass. Upon closer examination, the bodies were revealed to be overlapping and contorting in alien embraces. Two grad students were making-out in a post-modern fashion that included licking cheeks and chins. Nervous freshmen were attempting over-the-bra action next to a family of ducks. An artsy pair with matching nose rings were reading Nietzsche into each other’s mouths. Clammy with pheromones, reeking of Axe and seasonally appropriate Bath and Body Works sprays, partners clawed for inches of

available skin. Older couples gazed lovingly at each other, only breaking away to give Greene a disapproving glance. This scenario made Greene overly aware of himself — from the gray t-shirt he was wearing that revealed damp underarms, the loud breathing that broadcasted his lack of fitness and the fact that he was completely and utterly alone. Turning off Eminem, he was now forced to confront his depressing romantic life. He thought about Brianna on his dorm floor and whether or not she would break up with that douchebag Kevin. He thought about his hot TA who looked gorgeously studious in her reading glasses and the pornographic teacher-student fantasies that fueled him through 7 p.m. discussions. He then thought about how neither of them seemed to be interested in him at all. He questioned whether or not he was worthy of being loved. Maybe this is why I’m single, he thought to himself as he attempted to blast past the couples. A few romantic picnics were cock-

KAT HERIN E F RA N KS / AGG IE

blocked by his escape. Baguettes and cartons of organic Trader Joe’s strawberries were tossed about by his aggressive footsteps, leaving blurry judgmental looks in his wake. His embarrassment propelled him forward into a 7-minute-mile pace as he headed back to Tercero with a mission to disappear into his room. He intended not to re-surface until he was cuffed, scolding himself for being ignorant of freshman year sexual politics. He foolishly thought himself free from the onslaught of romantic images as he began

running on the sidewalk until he noticed a couple heading out of Visitor Parking Lot 47 — and they were right in front of him. The couple locked hands and overtook the entire sidewalk. Now forced to run on the road in order to pass the couple, Greene thought he heard a slight scoff shared between the two lovers. He had a feeling they were judging him for being alone, sad and gross. Greene reportedly dropped out of UC Davis following this tragic event.

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BY K E NTO N G O LDSBY arts@theaggie.org

Television: “Bonding”

Gia Battista as Antiphola & Ian Hopps as Dromio. Photo by Yarcenia Garcia / Courtesy.

DAVIS SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL: COMEDY OF ERRORS Shakespearean classic transported to the ’70s BY GABRIELA HERNANDEZ arts@theaggie.org At the Davis Veterans Memorial Theatre, from Sept. 18 until Oct. 13, the Davis Shakespeare Festival performed the Comedy of Errors, which featured an accomplished cast. Their take on the play was unique, as they changed the time period of the play to the 1970s, with costumes and a color scheme reflecting the era. The psychedelic style of the play brought a comedic atmosphere and audience members couldn’t help but find the play wacky. With the play set in the ’70s, the tone of the 16th-century play was shifted. Throughout the play, there was constant confusion between both the Antiphola and Dromio twins. Separated at birth, each Antiphola twin is paired with a Dromio twin to live separate lives until, by accident, they end up in the same city. Although the original play might have Antipholus (or two men) as the twins, the twins are actually Antiphola (two women), creating the opportunity for romance between Antiphola and Luciana, the sister-in-law of Antiphola. Due to the uncertainty of both the Antiphola’s and Dromio’s true identities, the set’s psychedelic scheme helped secure that confusion with the audience. The cast’s captivating energy when delivering their lines drew out the audience’s laughter with ease. The lead actress playing Antiphola, Gia Battista, the founding Artistic Director and a UC Davis alumni, brought the play to life. Each Antiphola twin she played was unique, making it easier for the audience to distinguish the differences in the twins. There might not have been much on set, but the cast used every small detail to their advantage. To tell the difference between the Antiphola twins, one wore a pink kimono while the other

wore a green blazer. Dromio, on the other hand, with his striped eccentric clothing, used yellow aviator glasses to differentiate between the two twins. Overall, with their platform boots, there was no denying that the characters were stuck in the 1970s. The play went by quickly, with the actors delivering their lines without hesitation, not letting any of their funny comments turn stale. The actors broke the fourth wall with their facial gestures directed toward the audience and by throwing small props like pens — mentioning under their breath “free pen in the second row.” The sound effects were spot on, with a time-travel-esque sound that indicated when the twin characters would change, helping the audience keep track of what was going on. Irene Loy, an audience member passing through Davis, said it was obvious when to laugh, which helped make the play more of a well-executed sitcom comedy. “I really liked the [gender-swapped bisexual character] casting in general,” Loy said. “It’s especially enriching to get a lesbian romance and I think Shakespeare during his time was so rigid with his gender roles that it’s nice to play with them now.” Makayla Blackwell and her friend Taryn Howard, both from Reno, drove down to Davis to support their friend Philomena Block, who played Luciana. Blackwell enjoyed the way the writers reshaped the play to be more comedy-driven and her favorite part was the changing of gender roles. “Comedy of Errors” was the first play Howard had ever attended. “It was really funny and it was refreshing to see a lesbian romance and I think they did it in a comical way without being too cliché so it was really nice,” Howard said.

BACHELOR VS. LOVE ISLAND Students explore which guilty pleasure dating show they gravitate toward more SY DN E E R O D R I G UE Z / AGGI E

BY ALYSSA ILSLEY arts@theaggie.org The dating and relationship reality television series “The Bachelor” first aired in 2002 on ABC. The show’s premise is centered around one bachelor who dates a pool of female contestants, eliminating women as the weeks go on and ultimately proposing to the winner with a Neil Lane engagement ring. Since its premiere 17 years ago, “The Bachelor” has risen to national acclaim, spawning the three spin-off series “The Bachelorette,” where

one woman dates multiple men in search of a husband, “Bachelor in Paradise,” where previous contestants of both shows are sent to Mexico to try to find compatibility with other contestants and “The Bachelor Winter Games.” These series are viewed by millions of people, and the entire franchise remains as successful and relevant as ever. Just because the show is successful, however, does not mean that it goes without criticism. The premise of one person dating multiple people until finding “the one” can be seen as disingenuous and tacky. The ridiculous fights and dramatic

It isn’t often that I sit down to binge watch a TV show — I’m more of a YouTube kind of guy. But there’s something about the Netflix show “Bonding” that has kept me coming back. I have watched the series’ seven episodes all the way through three times, just because my next little group of friends needs to enjoy the absurd humor that this show presents. The dynamic protagonists Tiffany (a.k.a. Mistress May), a professional dominatrix, and her gay high school BFF Pete (a.k.a. Master Carter) keep me coming back for more as they navigate their alternative lives as sex workers. Let’s hope Netflix doesn’t axe this wonderful show, like they’ve done to so many other great ones in the past.

Movie: “Ex Machina” Nature versus nurture. Classically, this has been the debate about raising children. Is a person’s inner process something they are born with, or is it taught? While most today say that it is a mix of both, “Ex Machina” falls squarely in the camp of nurture. This 2014 movie is a story about creating the perfect artificial intelligence (AI) in humanoid form. Just like humans are bound to repeat the behavior they see, two AIs, Eva and Kyoko, learn how to act from Nathan, their creator. This movie is a great lesson in “treat others how you would like to be treated.” Just like in real life, failing to follow this rule might stab you in the back.

Book: “Final del juego” by Julio Cortázar “Final del juego,” or “End of the Game” in English, is one of the many compilations of short stories written by Argentine author Julio Cortázar. I first read this book in a Latin American Literature class while studying abroad. I still pick up this collection from time to time to re-read many of the stories it contains. One of the common threads throughout the collection is making the reader question the reliability of the narrator, examining what really happened versus what the narrator said happened. My personal favorite, “Una flor amarilla” (“A Yellow Flower”), expertly succeeds at this. Is the narrator honest, or is he just an old drunk? Many of these stories have been translated into English, but if you can read Spanish, make sure to pick up the original.

Album: “Queen Elizabitch” by CupcakKe I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been a little bit lost since CupcakKe (Elizabeth Harris) abruptly announced her retirement via an Instagram livestream last month. With her career spanning roughly four-fifths of my college career, I have been following CupcakKe since early in my freshman year. A fearless singer and rapper known most for her sexualized hits like “Deepthroat,” CupcakKe also has a contemplative side, as shown in her single “Picking Cotton,” a song analyzing the effects of American chattel slavery today. One of my favorite of the twelve tracks on her second album, “Queen Elizabitch,” is “33rd.” In this song, she sings, “Waiting for me to fall off b-tch keep waiting, waiting/It’ll be the 33rd of the month I’m just saying, saying.” In 2017, when she released this album, CupcakKe felt invincible — her haters could never take her down; it would never happen. The 33rd day of the month would never come. It’s immensely sad to see that the 33rd of the month finally came and went, and my favorite artist has ended her career. CupcakKe has pledged to remove her music from all streaming services, so make sure to have a listen while you still can.

moments on the show feel forced and storylines are often an obvious result of clever editing. The franchise has also been criticized for its lack of diversity and conservative values that force women into traditional roles. On both “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” it is presumed that the woman will follow the man in life. Women are shamed for kissing numerous men and taking advantage of the Fantasy Suites, while men are not. “Even on ‘The Bachelorette,’ where the women presumably have all the power to decide, she is as inactive as possible in her own decision,” writes Kelsey McKinney for Vox. Carla Correa, a writer for The New York Times, explains how most people tolerate the absurdity of it all due to the escapist pleasure it provides for its viewers. “The only way to sit through a two-hour episode is to accept the polyamorous spectacle as one big social experiment,” Correa writes. Meanwhile, the 2015 British reality series “Love Island” has been rising in popularity in America, competing with “The Bachelor” franchise for the top reality dating series. “Love Island” centers around a group of young singles sent to live in isolation in a villa in Mallorca, Spain. In order to remain on the show, contestants must be coupled up with each other by the end of the round. Unlike “The Bachelor,” couples rarely have their eyes set on marriage. Often, contestants couple up with their friends just to remain on the show. While “Love Island” is equally as melodramatic and vapid as “The Bachelor” franchise, it maintains a British sense of irony and humor. Narrator Iain Stirling constantly makes fun of the contestants and mocks the reality television format in general. “There’s nothing fake about this show, nothing,” Stirling quips in a voice-over during one episode. “Now would someone move that plastic fern next to the AstroTurf, it’s blocking the shot.”

While similar in premise and content, this aspect gives “Love Island” a starkly different tone than “The Bachelor.” It’s raunchier and more self-aware — it does not try to force elements of classiness that “The Bachelor” so often attempts but fails to do. Second-year philosophy major Susmita Bagchi prefers the relatable nature of “Love Island” in comparison to the often larger-than-life romances of “The Bachelor.” “I love all the sayings and their accents,” Bagchi said. “I like how messy it is and how the producers just add people in to stir up drama.” Meanwhile, third-year psychology major Amanda Druyan said “The Bachelor” franchise, especially “Bachelor in Paradise,” is a better version of what “Love Island” tries to accomplish. “‘Love Island’ is weird to me,” Druyan said. “They all sleep in one room together. The ‘Red Room’ reminds me of something from ‘50 Shades of Gray.’” She also mentioned that the contestants being confined in one villa feels claustrophobic and said the series gets boring and repetitive, especially with 50 episodes per season. Some students prefer neither. Third-year cognitive science major Hayley Raizes dislikes both series, saying they are trivial and self-indulgent. “I don’t really enjoy watching the shows that dramatize things because, even though it can be funny, I don’t really agree with the way it tends to amplify first-world problems,” Raizes said. At the end of the day, it comes down to preference. While neither show is revolutionary, they provide some sort of romantic escapism that is sometimes helpful when life becomes too real. “I think people just gravitate towards the idea of watching the journey of people falling in love and seeing it all unfold,” said fourth-year managerial economics major Samar Feghhi. “It’s just a mixture of drama but also rooting for a happy ending and a happy couple.”

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019 | 7

Sudoku

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

Answer to previous puzzle

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8 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019

SY DN E E R O D R I G U E Z / AGGI E

FORENSIC PROTEOMICS RESEARCH PROVIDES NEW TOOLS FOR CRIME INVESTIGATIONS Research in protein analysis uncovers new way to learn information regarding crimes BY M A RG O ROSE N B AU M science@theaggie.org Police officers, detectives and investigators arrive at a crime scene. All the evidence seems to be gone except for a couple of human teeth and a few strands of hair. Thanks to the work of Glendon Parker and Robert Rice, professors in the department of environmental toxicology, and their teams, even scarce evidence like this could help link perpetrators to a crime. Using proteomics, researchers have discovered new ways to identify people from hair, teeth, skin and ancient bone samples. “The joint effort of both the Rice and Parker labs have resulted in sex estimation from teeth, human identification from skin, human identification from hair, and even work with ancient bone,” said Zachary Goecker, a fifth-year doctoral student from the pharmacology and toxicology program in the department of environmental toxicology, in an email. Proteomics involves the large-scale analysis of the protein component of a cell, tissue or an organism, said Julia Yip, a UC Davis class of 2018 graduate from the forensic science graduate program, via email. To study proteins, researchers break down proteins from a tissue, then analyze the sample through mass spectrometry, a technique that measures the mass-to-charge ratio of ions.

NFL YEARNS STABLE, LONG-TERM HEALTH FOR FORMER PLAYERS National Football League taking steps toward concussion, CTE awareness, prevention JA MI E C H E N / AG G I E FI LE

BY A J SE YM O UR sports@theaggie.org In Physics, The Law of Momentum Conservation states that when two objects collide in a closed system, the total momentum of the two objects before the collision is the same as the total momentum of the two objects after the collision. The momentum of each object may change, but the total momentum must remain the same. Essentially, when two objects collide, the momentum of one object can transfer its momentum to the other object upon collision, sending the collided-upon object back in its initial direction with a much greater force. At most levels of football, athletes of the same level produce similar amounts of power and momentum — regardless of the differences in size. And as football season is currently in full swing, there seems to be weekly instances of players suffering terrifying blows to their head. It’s no wonder that, in 2017, a study conducted by Boston University detected evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 110 of the 111 brains donated to them by deceased former NFL players, showing just how grave of a problem CTE truly is. CTE is described as a neurodegenerative disease caused by repeated head injuries. Symptoms may include behavioral problems, memory loss, aggression, depression and risk of suicide. Symptoms typically do not begin until years after the injuries and often gets worse over time. The movie “Concussion”, which was based on a 2009 exposé written by Jeanne Marie Laskas and published by GQ magazine, tells the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the man who first identified CTE in football players and who has

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“What we do is we discover, characterize and work at ways to detect a certain set of peptides that change as a result of someone’s genetics,” Parker said. “These are single amino acids that are swapped out. Then we can get a pretty big chunk of information that should have been in their DNA.” Proteomics can be applied to a variety of aspects in forensic science. Human identification, ancestral classification and body fluid identification are some of the more developed research topics, Goecker said. One goal of the research is to give the forensic community an alternate method when traditional DNA method fails, according to Yip. “For the Parker lab, we are specifically looking at the use of proteomics in scenarios where it might be challenging for traditional forensic analysis to obtain usable results,” Yip said. According to Parker, traditional forensic anaylsis cannot always dechiper information obtained from hair, degraded bone, fingerprints, teeth and sexual assault cases, so that is why the lab focuses on these types of evidence. “As hair is made, it shreds up its DNA, so that means it’s now less useful to get these profiles using DNA,” Parker said. “For degraded bone, if it’s in a certain environment, it will often have a lot of DNA, but it also may not. For fingerprints, they’re very variable since we are in contact with people all the time, dust is in the environment, and you are more likely to get mixtures and it’s really

hard to interpret. With sexual assault evidence, you have mixtures and the victim’s DNA dominates.” According to Rice, hair used to be widely used as evidence when investigating crimes. Investigators used to try to link suspects to hair found at crime scenes. Experts used to analyze hair under microscopes, but that is now understood to be ineffective. “There have been a lot of people convicted of crimes because their hair looked the same as the hair found in the crime scene,” Rice said. ”It turns out many of those people have now been exonerated. Those hair identifications, nobody believes them anymore, and so you have a substantial amount of people who should not be imprisoned.” Since teeth are the hardest and most robust skeletal tissue, they often preserve the best, said Jelmer Eerkens, a professor in the department of anthropology, via email. Eerkens helps Parker develop research techniques and figure out how to apply it in real-world settings. His main interest is in applying the proteomics techniques to historic cases, rather than forensic ones. “Back in 2017, there was a small child found buried in the backyard of a house in San Francisco,” Eerkens said. “It turns out the house is built on an old cemetery dating to the 1800s, and when the cemetery was moved in the 1930s, they missed some graves. We used a range of different techniques, including proteomics, stable isotopes, and ancient DNA, to identify the girl. We now know her name is Edith Cook, and she died in 1876 of disease when she was about 3 years old. We were also able to find a distant living relative.” Without these “archaeoforensic” techniques, researchers would not have been able to figure out the young girl’s identity, according to Eerkens. Goecker’s role so far in the lab has been to optimize the chemical processing of human hair for proteomic analysis, develop tools for automated searches and the calculation of random match probabilities and determine ancestral classification. Additionally, Goecker has presented this research at meetings including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, International Symposium on Human Identification and the Green Mountain DNA conference. “One of our goals is to help provide the field with easy-to-use tools to get started with proteomic genotyping,” Goecker said. Yip was involved in the development of the proteomics based method on estimating sex of an individual using teeth enamel for her master thesis. She applied Parker’s method to teeth and was able to develop a framework for estimating sex. “Male teeth had peptides from a Y-chromosome protein,” Yip said. “Female teeth had only the X-chromosome form so we depended on a calibration curve we developed that could give an estimation of female sex.” Funding for the research comes from the National Science Foundation, according to Eerkens. “The research is ongoing and has many hurdles to leap before becoming forensic practice,” Goecker said. “The findings of our research have been very exciting so far. Recently, we have reported obtaining random match probabilities of up to 1 in 624 million from a single hair less than an inch in length. We are hoping to break the 1 in a billion barrier soon for a single hair.”

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: DAVID GOULAK Fourth-year men’s tennis captain reminisces on past accomplishments, prepares for final season as an Aggie BY FRANK IE VE VE RKA sports@theaggie.org Balancing life around one’s academic work is difficult as is, but for fourth-year tennis star Davis Goulak, the balance is just another part of his everyday life. Goulak is a force on the UC Davis men’s tennis team for both doubles and singles. He has participated on the team since he was a freshman, when he was awarded Big West Conference Freshman of the Year. The Oak Park, Calif. native has always been a strong leader on the court, too. He has been playing tennis since a very young age. When he was just 10 years old, Goulak started participating in competitive tournaments. At around 14, he began to gain more attention and started going to national-level tournaments. And by the age of 16, he was ranked in the top five in his region. A five-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net, Goulak was ranked No. 40 in the nation and No. 12 in the state of California. He also finished third in doubles at the 2015 U.S. Tennis Association Winter National Championships in Arizona. Goulak finished his high school career with the Coastal Canyon League MVP in doubles. For the Aggies, Goulak has been awarded Big West Conference Second Team Doubles his freshman and sophomore years and then first team doubles as a junior. He has been awarded second team singles during his sophomore and junior years. At the end of last season, Goulak and his doubles partner, junior Ivan Thamma, became UC Davis’ first ITA national doubles ranking since 2011, ranking No. 66 (as of Apr. 16) and finished the year ranked No. 4 in the ITA Northwest Region. The Aggie sat down with Goulak to discuss his tennis upbringing, his biggest accomplishments here at UC Davis and much more. Aggie: You have had a tremendous career at UC Davis, both first and second team accolades for the Big West conference. What do you think has helped you get to where you are now? Goulak: I mean it is probably a lot of things, like my parents pushing me when I was younger, my coaches when I was younger, getting recruited here, the coaches here, just everyone who has helped me get here. I also feel like I am a pretty hard worker — so my work ethic. Aggie: How did your youth playing and high school help prepare you to be such a force at Davis? Goulak: My parents really toughened me — they pushed me. They made me understand that there’s a lot higher level to compete even when I was a kid and nationally ranked as a junior, there is still a lot of a long way to go so they were always there to help push me. [Those were] the biggest factors. Aggie: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while being on the team here at UC Davis? Goulak: Staying healthy. I keep on getting injured and it is so tough when you go through rehab and can’t be 100% at practice and you can’t compete or be there for your

L A N I- RA E GREEN / U C DAV IS AT HL ET ICS

David Goulak competes during the 2019 Aggie Invitational. Photo by Lani-Rae Green/UC Davis Athletics.

teammates. It is very tough mentally, and obviously physically — but that’s probably the toughest thing I have had to deal with. Also, time management. Sometimes it is so tough when you’re on the road for so long and missing so much class. Aggie: What are your goals this season, both individually and for the team? Goulak: Individually — doubles-wise for me and Ivan [Thamma] to go to the NCAA tournament at the end of the year and try to be All-Americans. That’s our biggest goal. Singles-wise, I am just going to try to win as much as I can and get as many wins as I can for the team. And hopefully get first team singles this year. [Team-wise], hopefully we can have another good year and a winning record. The biggest goal is always [to be] Big West champions at the end of the year. Aggie: What are the prospects for the UC Davis men’s tennis going forward? Goulak: I think it is to just keep growing. The last five to six years, Davis had a bunch of losing records. Now we have a bunch of winning records. The last couple of years we won the number one going into the conference tournament. I think [head coach] Eric [Steidlmayer] is pushing in the right direction, he has a lot of big ambitions. Hopefully we win Big West this year and I am sure they will be pushing for wins in the first round of NCAAs and then keep pushing and get higher ranked. I know he wants to make this an elite program. Aggie: How are you able to balance playing division-I tennis at a high level and your academic schedule as a mechanical engineer double major? Goulak: Good time management. I have been doing tennis and school my whole life — I just manage my day. I know what I need to do and how much time do I need to do it. I don’t really waste too much time with free time. You’re kind of just working all the time. You grind when you grind and if you have some free time, you go and enjoy it. Aggie: For someone who must have been highly recruited out of high school, why did you ultimately end up choosing to come to

UC Davis? Goulak: A lot of reasons. I love the coach. I love the campus. I wanted to stay in California, but I wanted to get away from SoCal. The campus is unreal, the coaches are unreal. When I met the team, it was by far the closest team I met, compared to all the other campuses. It’s just a bunch of good guys — I just wanted to be around that. Aggie: What have been your major highlights or achievements so far in your career as an Aggie? Goulak: Me and Ivan [Thamma] last year, we won a pretty big tournament — a well-known Fall tournament called the Jack Kramer Classic. Davis had never played in that, and me and him, we won the doubles and I’m sure a lot of people out there hadn’t really heard too much about Davis Tennis, so that was pretty big. A bunch of doubles wins [as well]: beating Stanford, ranked 21 and 22 two straight years, and beating Cal when they were top two in the nation at that time in doubles. For singles, my most memorable win would be against UC Irvine my sophomore year. I was down match points in the second set, and came back to win and clinched it for us. Aggie: What are your plans for next year? Goulak: I have another year in school because I am double majoring, so I still got some work. I want to try and start working right after college in the aerospace industry to try and work my way up there, and eventually my biggest goal is to be an astronaut. Aggie: What will you miss most about playing college tennis? Goulak: The two things would be, [one] the comradery with teammates. All the road trips and late nights driving on [Highway 5] back from SoCal and just being with those guys. That was a lot of good, fun memories. The second thing would definitely be the competitiveness. That’s one of the main reasons why I play: I love to compete and I have never played tennis on such a competitive level. There can be a guy who is way worse than you and he will fight to the death with you, and he won’t care what name you are, what school you play for — he’s just going to compete.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019 | 9

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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understand it, because it is our country being insulted,” the student said. “Even though the action is not correct, it is understandable. If you really want to act against it, you need to post another one. We should do it in the right way or we would just be the same as the people who commit violence in Hong Kong.” Zheng expressed discontent over the student who confronted them because the student has not been to Hong Kong and may not have full knowledge of what is going on in Hong Kong. “The American who chalked down words, I don’t really like that, since he’s American and he hasn’t been to Hong Kong,” Zheng said. “I believe that he doesn’t really know what’s really happening, since he hasn’t seen it, but I was there during the strike. If you really want to do something just because you think you are right, I don’t think you should do it. You have to have some evidence to support you.” Zheng called for a return to a peaceful campus and hopes to find out the full truth of what is happening in Hong Kong. “What I really want is a peaceful and joyful campus life,” Zheng said. “I love China, I love Hong Kong and I also love America and UC Davis. What I really want is the truth — I just want to know what’s happening and I want to maybe talk to different people from Hong Kong, people here in America and people from other countries to hear what their perspective is.” Lau, in addition to multiple students from Davis4HK, emphasized that she is not angry or resentful towards the dissenting students from mainland China. “I will say I won’t be mad at them and I won’t be angry at them because of the behavior, because it is understandable.” Lau said. “But I feel like there is just a misunderstanding [...] We are just trying to fight for freedom and fight for democracy. We are not fighting against Chinese people. We are just fighting against a system and a government.” Student activists appeal to state representatives Despite the opposition the group faced, Davis4HK gathered nearly 1,000 signatures for letters imploring members of Congress to pass H.R. 3289 (Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019) between Oct. 10 and Oct. 12. On Oct. 14, members of Davis4HK attended U.S. Rep. John Garamendi’s town hall at the Veterans Memorial Center. They presented him 373 letters from his constituents and he committed to supporting the bill. “To all of you back there that have decided that this is important enough for you to come here today, I thank you,” Garamendi said during the town hall. “And as we talk about what we can do here and across the nation, that is not only to support Hong Kong, but to support people everywhere in the world that are fighting for democratic values.” On Oct. 15, the bill passed in the House and was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar under general orders. The actual protest began at 3 p.m. on Oct. 16 with an introduction of events and a moment of silence for those who lost their lives or were imprisoned during the protests in Hong Kong. Third-year history and economics major William Jung spoke at the event, as did Anguiano, Lau, a graduate student from Hong Kong and an undergraduate student who wore a gas mask, goggles and a helmet and did not want to be identified. This was followed by the singing of “Glory to Hong Kong” in Cantonese and English and “Do You Hear the People Sing.” There was also an open mic portion, during which Davis4HK invited students to speak for up to two minutes. Lau’s speech was interrupted by Mandarin-speaking students who screamed profanities, according to fourth-year Chinese major Mark Godges. Godges was visibly upset by the incident and responded to the students. “I have no problem with mainland Chinese students in general, but someone who I assume was a mainland Chinese nationalist came into our circle, and I thought that was

extremely disrespectful,” Godges said. “And then in Chinese he basically said, ‘F--- you, Hong Kong is a part of China.’ Then I just yelled, and I responded in Chinese [...] to him and I was like, ‘No, Hong Kong is not a part of China. If China continues to disrespect human rights, they will split. Respect human rights.’” Godges became involved with Davis4HK when he saw the posts of someone he followed on Instagram. He met with the group a few times, and he “got really fired up.” He wrote a song in Mandarin and English that he performed during the open mic portion of the protest after the conclusion of the speeches. “It was about the fact that the United States and countries and leaders around the world who believe in upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to the United Nations will not be bullied by the Communist Party,” Godges said. “And that includes the brave protesters in Hong Kong.” When the Mandarin-speaking students and Godges started interacting, Anguiano was concerned about the possibility of a physical altercation. He believes that fostering conversation would be an effective way to deal with the tension. “As long as we’re able to keep a professional conversation going and stray away from any physical violence — I saw that it could have happened here, and I’m so glad it did not,” Anguiano said. “If, at any point, any mainland [Chinese] student is willing to sit down and talk to us, we’re more than willing and that’s something that we want to see. That’s why when we had the open mic here as well, that was something that we really wanted to encourage — if there was somebody who opposed this movement, we want them to feel like we’re not pushing against their freedom to speak.” Other members of Davis4HK who also followed the protests from the beginning include Ben, a student who requested that he only be referred to by his first name to prevent his family from being identified. He commented on the incident that occurred during Lau’s speech. “When something like this happens, it’s just kind of natural for dissent to come up,” Ben said. “Especially when to [dissenters], this is a controversial topic because it’s against what they’re taught. They just yelled some pretty vulgar stuff in Mandarin. And it was kind of uncalled for because we were just talking, just giving speeches. One of them was ‘f--- your mom’ in Mandarin.” Jung emphasized that the dissenters are entitled to their beliefs, but he wishes they were more open to engaging in conversation. He noted that none of the students who interrupted Lau’s speech took the opportunity to speak during the open mic portion of the event. “I mean, do I like those words? No, but it’s legal,” Jung said. “We have free speech on this campus. We get to share ideas, our university is about that. I’m glad UC Davis stands for that. [Dissenters] are entitled to say that, and while I hope they would be more cordial in their discussions and try to interact with us instead of heckling us, they are entitled to do that.” Lau wanted to emphasize that Hong Kong isn’t the only place dealing with the kind of violence that it is. “There are many, many places and people around the globe also suffering from that,” Lau said. “So I just want to say [that] Hong Kong people are just the front line of this battle.” Anguiano emphasized that just like Lau, he has heard some misconceptions about the protest. “I just really want to make sure that people know that the Hong Kong movement is not a separatist movement,” Anguiano said. “It is a movement for democracy and just treatment for the people who feel like their civil liberties are being encroached on by the Chinese government. I just want to make sure that that’s something that is expressed. I know that there’s a lot of dissent against this movement [because it’s seen] as a separatist movement when it’s really not.”

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Fruchtenicht said. Local activists and community members argued both in support and against the ORR contract during public comment. Alison Pease, a member of the Yolo Interfaith Immigration Network and 11-year volunteer at the JDF, opposed ending the contract. Pease cited concerns regarding where youth refugees might end up if the program closed. “I do want to say […] none of us like seeing the children incarcerated,” Pease said. “I do feel that ORR is a difficult partner, […] but I think that, by washing our hands of this, we’re leaving those children —- we’re not offering them anything better than this incarceration here.” Other commenters spoke in support of ending the ORR contract, including Dr. Patricia Moore-Pickett, representing the immigration justice team of Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis. “We of the immigration justice team of the UU church believe that incarcerating these youth causes further harm and is wrong,” Moore-Pickett said. “We urge the board to allow the ORR incarceration program in Yolo

County to end, when the current agreement expires at the end of January.” Board members, on their part, seemed to be unanimously in favor of ending the program. “I wish we could make it work, but it just — to me — just doesn’t sound like it’s working like it should, and that’s what bothers me,” said Duane Chamberlain of District 5. Jim Provenza of District 4 had supported continuing the ORR contract in the past, but concerns about staff and detainees changed his opinion toward the program. “I don’t regret extending this contract at all last year when we were considering getting out of it,” Provenza said. “But I am concerned about whether that’s the appropriate type of placement if we’re having increased assaults — if we’re not actually able to provide the type of assistance that they truly need.” Though the members were in agreement about ending the ORR contract, there was disagreement about the outcomes with the juvenile detention facility afterward. The Board agreed to discuss the matter further when they reconvene.

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Victoria Choi voiced her opposition of a resolution that condemns conflicts between mainland Chinese international students and international students from Hong Kong, citing the reality of the foreign conflict. Chief of

Staff Francois Kaepplin and Internal Affairs Commission Chairperson Ashley Lo both showed support for Choi and the international students from Hong Kong who are protesting police brutality.

listservs and obtained by The Aggie, which also detailed other affected areas: the foyer to a set of additional labs and Professor Valeria LaSaponara’s lab, which Davis said had been subject to an obvious forced entry. “It is clear this is beyond a department issue,” Davis said. “As I mentioned last Monday, we had already escalated this to the College of Engineering and campus. I will be asking their help to implement urgent security measures to keep our department, faculty, staff and students safe.” Farrow, in his statement, wrote about measures the campus is in the process of broadly im-

plementing in order to improve security. These include improving campus lighting, installing security cameras and adding additional emergency call boxes. “Also, we are moving forward with a new-generation building access system that when completed will greatly enhance the safety of our campus community,” Farrow said. “Even with our efforts, it is always important to watch out for one another, and notify campus authorities when you see things that seem out of place, unusual, dangerous or otherwise suspicious — always trust your instincts.”

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The sorority is not the only group in Davis that will contribute to the event. The Center for Chicanx and Latinx Academic Student Success is building an ofrenda for every student at UC Davis to place pictures of their lost loved ones. “It’s really important to do a Dia de Los Muertos event in places like this because you’re educating people, you’re promoting cultural awareness,” Santoyo said. “So this event just has organizations participate in making altares and we have mariachi and just usual traditions. It’s just a way to gather everybody even though they’re not [direct] family; it’s the UC Davis family coming out to this event.” While Davis holds small festivals for the community, Sacramento will be lit up on the Day of the Dead. In Sacramento, there will be different festivals ranging from what can be considered

one big party or more solemn spaces to remember those who are no longer with us. “I think that if I ever wanted to celebrate the Day of the Dead and go to a festival, or anything along those lines, I would need to go and learn the background of it,” Tang said. “You can’t just go to a festival that is embedded in culture only to realize you don’t belong because you don’t know any of it.” The City of Davis cemetery also contributed to the three-day festival celebration. The historical cemetery held their annual event on Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. During different hours, there were different themes to their celebration including an altar viewing, danza, mariachi and traditional Mexican foods. “Everybody deserves to be celebrated,” Solanzo said.

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till in people a stronger sense of purpose to reevaluate our abusive relationship with the planet. It’s not just the beauty of the images that makes the film so engrossing but also the progression and juxtaposition of images, composition of the shots and shifting moods of Glass’s music. In the first section of the film, the music bubbles and simmers softly, like raw ingredients ready to be transformed, while the viewer is hypnotized by gorgeous images of pristine nature — sand blown by desert winds, endless ocean waves, millenia of erosion in canyons, layers upon layers of clouds. This makes it even more jarring and disturbing when the sinister, industrial sound of the orchestra’s low strings usher in imagery of irrigated agriculture, explosions, oil refineries and big ass trucks spewing fumes, massive mines, power lines and pipelines. The camera flies above Lake Powell, which infamously flooded some of the most beautiful valleys in the world in order to harness the immense electricity-generating capacity of the Colorado River at the Glen Canyon Dam. Next is my favorite shot of the film: the camera slowly pans from some happy beachgoers to reveal the massive San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant looming over them in the background. Chant-like singing gives the image divine significance, as if the nuclear reactors are demanding worship. We then get faster transitions to mark our rapid societal and technological development. Cars are built. Cars wind through highways and interchanges in LA. Cars are stored in lots by the thousands as unused derelicts. Tanks are built by the thousands. Commercial planes. Fighter jets. Fighter jets ready for battle on a massive aircraft carrier that ironically says “E=mc2” on the runway. Nukes explode. We innovate so much but don’t hesitate to destroy even our own creations. A crucial aspect of the film links a lack of environmental sustainability with war, poverty, the mundanity of modern life and general unhappiness. A fascinating sequence begins by showing glistening American cities from afar, with the glass of corporate skyscrapers reflecting the clouds, as if to protect the corrupt people inside

from the consequences of their sins. The camera then zooms into the cities to reveal extreme urban decay, with people showering in the streets. We see the planned demolition of the massive Pruit Igoe housing project in St. Louis, which was created to house urban workers but fell into extreme disrepair and squalor. This is accompanied by destruction of countless more buildings and bridges. Reggio then presents images of ordinary people as they endure the drudgery and tedium of modern life. A moving sequence composed solely of people’s faces on the street reveals a pervasive melancholy. At the end, after the final images of an exploding rocket fade away, Reggio finally gives a few small textual clues as to what viewers should make of his idiosyncratic film. Leaving this until the end is an important choice because it allows the viewer to absorb the images and not try to superimpose too much meaning on the film. Reggio provides translations of the three Hopi prophecies sung by the chorus in the score, but he first provides five definitions of “koyaanisqatsi,” the titular Hopi word: “1. crazy life, 2. life in turmoil, 3. life out of balance, 4. life disintegrating, 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.” I am most intrigued by the final definition, which has a certain optimism that Forbes Magazine says implies a “good faith in what humanity is able to accomplish” — an important message for the climate change era. Roger Ebert commented on the film’s interesting contradictions, with civilization simultaneously going “out of control” while making incredible innovations. I can’t help but see similarities with “2001: A Space Odyssey,” an even older but equally thought-provoking film, which can be interpreted as either a celebration of, or warning about, the power of technology. Reggio hinted at this in a 2002 interview about “Koyaanisqatsi.” “For some people, it’s an environmental film,” Reggio said. “For some, it’s an ode to technology. For some people, it’s a piece of shit. Or it moves people deeply. It depends on who you ask. It is the journey that is the objective.”

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been a volunteer associate clinical professor for UC Davis health. While the film does dramatize Omalu’s story, it does contain an interesting quote: “All of these animals have shock absorbers built into their bodies,” explains Omalu, who is portrayed by Will Smith in the film. “The woodpecker’s tongue extends through the back of the mouth out of the nostril, encircling the entire cranium. It is the anatomical equivalent of a safety belt for its brain. Human beings? Not a single piece of our anatomy protects us from those types of collisions. A human being will get concussed at sixty G’s. A common head-to-head contact on a football field? One hundred G’s. God did not intend for us to play football.” The NFL continually preaches that it is doing everything under its power to make the game safer as a whole. But the fact that the league didn’t keep any sort of data on concussions before 2012 is an incredibly worrisome trend. The NFL’s prior denial of the issue was certainly a reason why 99% of the Boston University study tested positive for CTE. Dr. Bennet said after research, he concluded Mike Webster, the first ever professional football player to be diagnosed with CTE, suffered “more than 70,000 blows to the head.” Nevertheless, the league is constantly implementing changes in attempts to rectify its past. In addition to sculpting the league-wide form tackling model into more of a behind-the-body, rugby-style tackle, rather than thrusting the helmet and shoulder pads in front of a sprinting ball carrier, the NFL and its intertwined helmet companies have began to spend more money on helmet research. Last season was the first season since 2014 in which the NFL’s concussion total went down, dropping a rather impressive 24%, from 281 to 215. The total rose from 2012 until 2014, dropped to 206 in 2015, but increased yearly after that until 2018. This sudden drop in traumatic head injuries is likely correlated with the league cracking down on helmet discrepancies — most notably in regards to weight and age. This offseason, former star wideout Antonio Brown made headlines for wanting to play in a helmet that had been discontinued in 2014 and

the league specifically outlawed this year — the Schutt Air Advantage. The helmet’s manufacturer, Schutt, even went as far as to say that the Air Advantage was discontinued “because current helmet technology had moved past it.” The age of the helmet is the primary reason the NFL wouldn’t allow Brown to wear it, but the helmet also had a minor problem: its ultra-light weight. The Air Advantage was designed for skill position players, weighing in at barely over three pounds with a facemask on, while other helmets such as the Riddell Revolution Speed Pro weighs over double at seven pounds. The Air Advantage featured lightweight foam padding, while all current helmets are integrated with TPU (thermoplastic urethane) Cushioning, which absorbs significantly more impact across a wider variety of temperatures than any other helmet on the field. Ten years ago, the nicest of helmets cost no more than three hundred dollars, and even that was a stretch for most companies and consumers. Now that the world, and especially the football community, is aware of the extreme risk that head injuries pose, helmets are costing up to $2,000. As of this year, Riddell is custom 3-D printing helmets to mold perfectly to the individual’s head, which go for around $1,700 each. For the relative bargain of $950, the VICIS Zero1 is a “multilayered, highly engineered” new helmet that is being described as the safest in NFL tests. It has fancy polymers and a deformable shell that’s said to absorb shock like a car bumper. In the beginning of the 2018 season, only 41% of the NFL used helmets deemed “high-performing” while 17% wore models the NFL warned of being “low performing” or almost prohibited. By the end of the season, 74% of players used the high performing helmets, while only 2% continued to use their longtime models that the league didn’t recommend. As evident by these numbers, it’s clear that the attention given to helmet science has thus far paid off. Although the prices of helmets are steep for non-professional athletes, hopefully the research and technology implemented into the new helmets continues to pay off for.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

10 | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019

AS ATHLETES BEGIN TO TAKE MORE CONTROL OVER THEIR CAREERS, OWNERS ARE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO LIMIT DAMAGE Power to the player

H A N N A N WA L I UL L AH / AGGI E

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org Since the inception of the various professional sports leagues in the United States, the athletes would take care of business on the field and make sure that they abided by the rules set by the team, regardless of how it affected them. Players were discouraged from challenging these teams because, after all, it was the team that had control over them and their careers. But recently, athletes have begun to take major steps to control their own career outcomes, even while under the control of a franchise that pays them. These developments have owners and executives wondering how far until players completely take control over the sports they play. The three major professional sports leagues — the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball — are all controlled differently and have developed at different paces. But each league is slowly progressing toward one common goal and their observations of one another have had a huge impact. In many aspects, the NBA seems to be the league that is the most progressive and forward-thinking. When it comes to player autonomy, the situation is no different. After the turn

of the century, there was a shift in the thought process among the players. One specific incident sparked a new era in professional basketball that signaled to players that they could play wherever and with whomever they want. On July 8, 2010, free-agent superstar and reigning MVP Lebron James announced on ESPN that he would be signing with the Miami Heat, joining fellow all-stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in creating the first-ever “superteam.” After seven years and only one NBA Finals appearance with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James shocked the NBA universe by leaving. When examining the great teams of the past, the majority of them were “homegrown” like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen or the Spurs dynasty of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli and so many other greats, so this decision was one that came with much criticism. After James’ move to Miami, more players began to realize how much control over themselves they really had, and the idea of loyalty to a team only worked for the benefit of the team itself, not them. This event largely set the stage for what is happening in today’s NBA, where a number of star players seem to be able to join whatever team they choose, forcing themselves out of situations they don’t like to finally just be free. A more recent example occurred just this past

AGGIES KEEP PLAYOFF HOPES ALIVE WITH SECOND STRAIGHT WIN

UC Davis withstands late comeback to beat Southern Utah C .K. H I C KS/ UC DAVI S ATH LETI C S

UC Davis defensive backs Erron Duncan (16, left) and Sean Harlston (9,middle right) tackle Southern Utah quarterback Chris Helbig (8,middle) during a play. The Aggies won its fifth game of the season 33-25 against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds to improve to a record of 4-4. The game was held at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah on Oct. 19, 2019. Photo by C.K. Hicks / UC Davis Athletics.

BY BRENDAN OGBURN sports@theaggie.org The UC Davis football team hung on to capture its second consecutive victory on Saturday night, slipping past Southern Utah by a final score of 33-25 in Cedar City, UT. The Aggies jumped out to a 26-0 lead in the first half but let the home team mount a large comeback in the second half, making the final minutes of the game much more tense than they needed to be. “I’ve been doing this long enough to know not to walk away from this and feel bad about it,” said UC Davis head coach Dan Hawkins, during his weekly press conference on Monday. “We’re trying to score one more point than the other team and get better. I give our players and staff a lot of credit for winning on the road.” Saturday’s contest was very similar to last week’s 48-24 win over Cal Poly in which UC Davis led 34-0, but had to make meaningful plays late in the game to avoid complete disaster. “For whatever reason, our guys are better with their backs against the wall,” Hawkins said. “They do not like smooth sailing. The saying is ‘smooth waters never made a good sailor’ and they like it when the wind blows and the ship starts rocking. I joked that maybe we should spot whoever we’re playing 14 points and then start the game.” With the victory over Southern Utah, the last-place team in the Big Sky, the Aggies improved their record to 4-4 on the season and 2-2 in conference play, setting up a likely season-defining showdown against first-place Weber State this upcoming Saturday. UC Davis is ranked No. 22 in the nation in both the media and coaches polls, while Weber State is in the top five. Realistically, UC Davis cannot afford to lose another game this season if it hopes to reach the 24-team FCS playoffs. The team

will have to be at its absolute best and exert a complete effort for all four quarters to have a chance at beating the defending co-Big Sky champions. Despite the way in which the second half developed against Southern Utah, there were a lot of bright spots for UC Davis on both sides of the football. Offensively, the Aggies were simply unstoppable in the first half, scoring touchdowns on four of their five possessions and amassing 306 total yards. Senior quarterback Jake Maier was nearly flawless, completing 18-of-25 attempts for 200 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Late in the second quarter, Maier connected with senior tight end Wes Preece on a 34-yard completion and officially surpassed 10,000 career passing yards — a feat only accomplished once before in school history by J.T. O’Sullivan in 2001. Maier only needs 631 more passing yards to break O’Sullivan’s career record and also has an outside shot to top the career passing touchdowns list, needing 15 more. As of now, Maier already holds the school records for completions in a single season and career. “It’s great to see him go over 10,000 yards at a place that has a tremendous quarterback tradition,” Hawkins said. “Too see him eclipse that mark is great and it’s obviously a credit to [offensive coordinator] Tim Plough.” Meanwhile, sophomore running back Ulonzo Gilliam had an impressive first half himself, rumbling for 85 yards and a score on the way to his third 100-yard game of the season. With junior running back Tehran Thomas still sidelined with an injury, junior Christoph Hirota and sophomore Niko Harris handled a half-dozen carries each, experiencing some extended play time for the first time in their careers. The full version of this article appears online.

summer between Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder. After leaving a frustrating situation with the Indiana Pacers just two years prior, George requested a trade to join Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in July. The Thunder were left with no choice but to trade George as they faced a combination of the possibility of receiving valuable record-setting picks and having a disgruntled star in the locker room. All-NBA power forward Anthony Davis, who spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans, decided that he wanted out last season. His preferred destination was Los Angeles to join James and the Lakers, but the two franchises were unable to reach an agreement at the trade deadline in February. This led to an awkward last leg of the season for Davis and the Pelicans. Davis had to instead wait until June 15, when he finally got his wish to become a Laker. The NFL, in many ways, contrasts everything the NBA is and isn’t. The league is more conservative in nature and has a relatively unpopular commissioner. But despite these differences, the NFL has slowly begun to mirror the NBA in terms of players demanding more for themselves. One of the best running backs in the game, Le’veon Bell, sat out an entire year as a result of a contractual dispute with the Pittsburgh Steelers and then left for New York in free agency. In the last year, players like All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, young offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, veteran offensive tackle Trent Williams and All-Pro Cornerback Jalen Ramsey have all either sat out in protest or demanded trades from their respective teams. While Williams has still has not been traded from Washington, Brown, Clowney, Tunsil and Ramsey were granted their wishes and sent elsewhere. All are among the best in their respective positions and with players like Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs voicing displeasure more openly, it seems like it is something that has begun to make its way across leagues. Although the MLB doesn’t necessarily have an issue with players demanding trades, it appears that there is a different problem looming. When you look at the biggest contracts among professional sports leagues, none are more lucrative than those in baseball. This past offseason, star players Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were available as free agents and there were rumors spread about the possibility that one of these players would sign a never-before-seen $400 million contract.

This ultimately wasn’t the case, but both were still able to sign extremely lucrative deals. Machado got 10 years and $300 million with the San Diego Padres, while Harper received $330 million over 13 years with the Philadelphia Phillies. These ridiculous numbers were soon to be overshadowed when, just weeks later, arguably one of the game’s best players, Mike Trout, agreed to an unheard of $430 million dollar extension over 12 years. These types of deals seem to be the new going rate in baseball now, and as salaries continue to grow, team owners might be more reluctant to offer that much money to these players. Investing that much money on one player is typically a high-risk investment, and in a sport like baseball, it is rare that one player can change a whole franchise all at once. None of the three players who received the big money deals this past offseason played in a playoff baseball. The owners, particularly of big market teams, have begun to notice that and will likely become hesitant to offer huge contracts in the future. All of this begs the question: At what point is it too much and when does a league needs to step in? These trade demands by high-profile players and big money spending can ruin some franchises and throw off the parity of the league, as only the big market teams will be the destinations for these players. These are all major talking points in the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. The NFL has already begun negotiations between the owners and players’ association as the CBA is set to expire after the 2020 season. In the MLB, the CBA is set to expire until after the 2021 season, and we will know more about the direction of these contracts. Finally, the league that arguably started it all, the NBA, has to wait until after the 2024 season before their contracts expire after a seven-year agreement was taken into effect starting in 2017. Based on the events that have transpired, it will be interesting to see where the league is in five years and whether the trend continues. When players are playing at their highest levels, they are loyal to their colors and teams love every moment of it. But when a player begins to struggle, the team wastes no time in getting rid of them. That is the unfair balance in sports and something these players have begun to realize. Star players have become more aware of their power and the teams will try to do something to stop this before they end up on the losing end.