September 28, 2023

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VOLUME 147, ISSUE 1 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

Buses, coffee and The California Aggie: How does the student government at UC Davis affect you?

ASUCD senators discuss goals and student engagement opportunities for the new school year

BY LILY FREEMAN campus@theaggie.org A new school year brings a newly elected ASUCD Senate.

The legislative branch of ASUCD is led by the Senate, which supports six commissions and several committees.

Erek Leschyn, a fourth-year political science major and an ASUCD senator, described the role of the Senate on campus.

“The biggest thing that ASUCD senators do is act as a liaison between ASUCD’s governing body, other ASUCD units and students,” Leschyn said. “Each senator will adopt different units and join different committees to see what kind of support they need, and bring that information back to the table to craft bills.”

ASUCD manages a 19 million dollar budget and funds several of the services that students use on a daily basis, according to Leschyn.

“Whether it’s Unitrans, the Pantry, Aggie Reuse or the CoHo, a lot of students use the services that we provide,” Leschyn said. “Many perhaps don’t even realize that all of those operations are paid for by student fees and are monitored by the Senate.”

The California Aggie is also partially funded through

ASUCD. Third-year international relations and Middle East/South Asia studies double major and ASUCD senator Gabriel Gaysinsky also explained the impact that the Senate’s activities have on students.

“ASUCD is funded through student fees that are taken directly from your tuition,” Gaysinsky said. “The power we have is derived from these funds, and as elected members of the Senate, we are able to utilize these funds in the various bills we pass.”

Gaysinsky went on to describe how students can ensure that their voices are heard by the Senate.

“The main thing is voting,” Gaysinsky said. “The voter turnout is abysmally low. It’s gotten as low as maybe six percent in recent years, which is just terrible. Anyone that studies how democracies function would understand that the lower the turnout, the worse the democracy.”

Gaysinsky went on to highlight that because of the low voter turnout in recent elections, the Senate has a goal to increase student engagement efforts this year.

“There’s a complete and utter lack of outreach, and most people don’t know anything about the Senate,” Gaysinsky said. “The best way to get students involved is to engage with them more and [for] students to demand that senators increase their presence.”

Leschyn offered an additional method for students to voice their opinions to the Senate.

“All senators are required to have

At the heart of campus, the Memorial Union stands as a vibrant hub for student life, offering a multitude of programs, including the ASUCD Government offices. (Jersain Medina / Aggie) office hours,” Leschyn said. “Their office hours should be listed in the ASUCD roster. This gives students the opportunity to individually discuss their thoughts one-on-one with the senators.”

Dani Antonio, a fourth-year political science and psychology double major and ASUCD senator, said that ASUCD tabling is also an effective way to reach the senators.

“If you see an ASUCD table, don’t be afraid to come up to us,” Antonio said. “We are there for you, and it is the perfect opportunity to quickly ask your

City of Davis and Spin E-bikes launch joint program bringing shared e-bikes and scooters to Davis

senators questions, voice your concerns or discover how to get involved.”

Antonio also emphasized social media as a tool to interact with senators, where every senator has an Instagram account for students to reach them virtually.

Gaysinsky concluded with how students can get involved with ASUCD and the Senate through both volunteer and paid positions.

“The main way that students can get involved is through ASUCD’s vacancies website, vacancy.ucdavis.

edu, where new positions are put up frequently,” Gaysinsky said. “It’s the best way to get involved, and it’s how I started.

I joined the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission through the website, and that experience allowed me to run for Senate.

Because we have a number of different focuses, you can do something you actually believe in.”

The initiative is being launched with the goal of making micromobilty transportation options more readily available

Bomb threats made to three Davis schools, Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library, homes of Davis Joint Unified School District employees

BY ALMA CULVERWELL city@theaggie.org

Authorities have cleared the employee residences and campuses following searches

BY CHRIS PONCE city@theaggie.org

Spin electric bikes and scooters can be seen parked all around campus after a recent announcement of Davis’s citywide collaboration. Access to these vehicles can be granted with the Spin mobile application. (Jersain Medina / Aggie) DONATE TO THE AGGIE

READ MORE A guide to the coziest UC Davis study spots

Places guaranteed to get you motivated SEE PAGE 4

The city of Davis recently launched a joint program along with local company Spin Ebikes.

Spin Ebikes, headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 2017 and is a leading micromobility company.

Spin works to make larger cities more accessible and easier for pedestrians to navigate. The company uses an app to activate e-bikes and scooters which can be found at their charging hubs and designated parking areas.

Brit Moller, head of public policy for Spin, described what inspired the company to get involved at Davis.

“Davis is a leader in bicycling and setting up infrastructure for helping people getting around outside of cars and so for us we’ve [...] operated across the US from San Francisco for about six years [...] but when we look at Davis we see an incredible opportunity to put our service in a place that really has embraced bike culture, created the infrastructure to support it and with the university sort of centering it you have a lot of younger people that I think are very open to trying shared bikes and scooters,” Moller said.

Spin was selected by the city of Davis and UC Davis after a competitive selection and interview process. They were adamant to include adequate selection criteria and

collaborated with the city of Davis transportation committee to ensure that they were creating an accessible method of transportation.

In order to guarantee proper usage of the ebikes and protect people’s safety, Spin requires users to submit a picture of their locked up device at the end of their trip. Users will be charged if they fail to lock them up correctly.

Spin also plans to keep watch on properly deploying and redistributing the devices to high demand areas if needed. They plan to relocate the devices after 24 hours.

“Our first goal is to hear from residents and students from Davis to see if this service is meeting their needs,” Moller said. “One of the ways we can measure that is if they are actually riding our devices […] we are really excited in this first month to get a sense of the communities feedback [...] we want to see ridership kick off in a city like Davis because I think there’s a lot of opportunities for people to use the e bikes for shorter trips.”

Spin plans to increase the number of bikes deployed to the city of Davis as the school calendar year begins again and after getting community feedback.

On Wednesday morning, at approximately 2:20 a.m., the Davis Police Department was notified of a threat claiming that bombs had been placed at the homes of Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD) employees, DJUSD District Offices, three DJUSD school campuses and the Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library. According to Davis Police, the threats were made via email and were sent to several different people. The three school campuses targeted were Davis Senior High, Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior High and Cesar Chavez Elementary.

“We have received bomb threats sent via email threatening Davis Senior High, Holmes Junior High, Chavez Elementary, and the District Office,” reads a Facebook post by DJUSD. “The Davis Police Department is coordinating with District staff to search all of these sites and have already cleared the District Office.

Please do not come to these sites until further notice.”

Davis Police conducted searches at the district offices, school sites, the library and two DJUSD employee residences, according to a Facebook update shared by the Davis Police Department. All threats have since been cleared by Davis Police.

“The residences and campuses have been deemed clear and schools are open for classes,” the Facebook post by Davis Police states. “The Yolo

County Sheriff’s Office also searched the Davis Library and deemed it clear. Davis Police Officers will be conducting extra patrols around DJUSD campuses.”

This is the fourth bomb threat made to the Mary. L Stephens Davis Branch Library since late August, but the first time a threat has included employee homes and school sites.

The first three threats all referenced a controversial speaker event held

by Yolo County Moms for Liberty at the library and contained “hateful messaging” according to authorities.

While officials have yet to officially link the motives of this threat to the previous ones, according to a Public Release shared on Facebook, Davis Police have stated that the language and content of this threat shares “some similarities” to the previous ones.

“The Davis Police Department and the Davis Joint Unified School District take these criminal threats seriously and are closely working together to ensure the safety of students, educators, and the community,” Davis Police shared in their Public Release. “Davis PD will pursue every investigative lead to identify those responsible for these criminal threats.

We know these incidents cause a substantial amount of concern and even trauma. These investigations can be very complex, and we will provide timely updates as more information is known to us.”

This story is developing, check back for updates. Last updated: Sept. 20, (2:25 p.m.)

The Mary L. Stephens Davis Branch Library. (Alexis Perez / Aggie)

2 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Annual Involvement Fair highlights hundreds of student organizations and programs The event aims for students to discover opportunities for them to get involved on campus

BY LILY FREEMAN campus@theaggie.org

On Oct. 11 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) is holding the annual Involvement Fair at the Memorial Union quad.

The event will host over 300 student organizations eager to promote all that their programs have to offer, according to the CSI website. The event will also include performances, raffles and various activities and games put on by the organizations.

Kincaid Johnson, a third-year sociology major, described his first experience at the Involvement Fair.

“The Involvement Fair was the best event for finding clubs to join,” Johnson said. “How it works is there are hundreds of tables each with a club and members of that club. The members talk to you about what their club does, and most of them have signup sheets or a place to put your email down to get notifications from them. It is so easy to join several clubs.”

Johnson went on to discuss how the event eased his concerns about being able to get involved at school.

“The Involvement Fair quickly dismissed my original concerns about finding school activities that would align with my interests,” Johnson said.

“With the huge number of booths, it was impossible not to find things that I was interested in, and it was extremely easy to sign up for these clubs on the spot. [It] was a huge relief to find all of these clubs I was excited about in minutes.”

Emma Condit, a fourth-year community and regional development

KELLIE LIU / AGGIE

major, talked about her experience as a first-year at this student organization showcase.

“It was hard not to miss it,” Condit said. “Not only was it the first time I actually got really excited to sign up for clubs, but I met so many people from the activities put on throughout the event. It was just fun to see so many new faces at once, and everyone was so welcoming.”

Ella Swadley, a third-year human

development major, shared a similar experience.

“It was so refreshing to not only meet new people but specifically meet people who liked the same things I do,” Swadley said. “Everyone tabling was so passionate about their organization, and that definitely made me join clubs I had never thought about joining before.”

Condit is now the president of Birdstrike Theatre, an improv group on campus, and she is eager to table at

this year’s Involvement Fair.

“As someone now tabling for a club that I am extremely passionate about, it is easy for me to say that everyone should come to the Involvement Fair, especially if you are having a hard time putting yourself out there,” Condit said. “I found Birdstrike through the fair years ago, and now it is my favorite thing at school to be a part of.”

Swadley concluded with why she believes students should attend the

Involvement Fair.

“I wouldn’t recommend anything more than the Involvement Fair, especially if you feel like you haven’t found something that you’re passionate about at school yet,” Swadley said. “Even going into my third year, I am going to go again this year and I’ll probably discover even more cool clubs that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.”

The Student Community Center at UC Davis helps foster connections while embracing diversity The SCC strives to celebrate all parts of students’ identities and promote academic excellence

BY ELIZABETH WOODHALL features@theaggie.org

Forming friendships and becoming part of a community can often be challenging for incoming students, especially for those with anxiety about moving in and adapting to college life. Although there are various ways of getting involved on campus, the Student Community Center (SCC) — located “West of Shields Library and North of the Silo,” as stated on their website — is home to various centers that foster student success and belonging.

The SCC houses various centers, including both identity-based centers and academic centers for success.

Mayra Llamas, Ed.D., the Executive Director of the Student Resource and Retention Center, said that the building stands for a “dynamic student life.”

“The building opened up in the winter of 2012, so that’s over 10 years ago,” Llamas said. “The building is fairly new and added a vibrancy to the diversity of our campus, and because some of the resources were sort of spread out, [the building] now feels like a central location that helps with [...] promoting intersectionality through some of the identity-based centers.”

Although the building includes a majority of identity-based centers, like the Cross Cultural Center and LGBTQIA Resource Center, Llamas said that the SCC hopes to offer different resources needed for students’ feeling of belonging, which also includes an environment that can

help promote their academic success.

“The building offers different resources — we wanted to make sure it was a building that students could come into and feel like they belong,” Llamas said. “The building is more than just identity-based centers; the students could see themselves reflected in other priorities of the campus, such as the Undergraduate Research Center.”

Beyond the centers, Llamas said that other areas within the SCC make it welcoming to all students who might just be dropping by.

“We also have a partnership with the Coffee House, and we have the South Coho, so we appreciate having the little coffee house,” Llamas said.

“We also have conference rooms, event rooms and a computer lab. It’s a well-rounded space where students can come and hang out, study, be part of a group or just go to the student life centers and feel more at home, build that sense of belonging, begin to unpack their identity and feel that connection with others who are likeminded.”

In addition to the SCC’s smaller spaces, seven units are a part of the Community Resource and Retention Centers, which are greatly focused on education equity. “We educate, engage, and empower students to act as dynamic leaders for their communities so that we can all transform knowledge into action,” the Student Recruitment and Retention Center Mission said on their website.

In terms of fostering a safe environment for students, Llamas said that intersectionality is something incredibly important for students who are visiting the SCC.

“We understand that students have intersectionality, so you may feel very comfortable with being in the Cross Cultural Center, the LGBTQIA+ center and being involved in the core-curricular experiences,” Llamas said. “We want to enhance the overall experience of all of our students; we want students to feel welcome, to feel like they can thrive, like they have a space to unpack their identity, to affirm their cultural awareness, to be celebrated, to be embraced. Often we hear from students that being part of this community center makes them feel at home, or ‘because of this program, I was able to persist and graduate.’”

Joyce Zamorano Sanches, the Resource Coordinator for the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center, said that their center is focused on achieving a safe community that will support undocumented students at UC Davis.

“We’re big on the holistic approach of supporting students via financial wellness, mental health, wellness and emotional well-being above all because we believe that their status as an undocumented student is not just their sole part of their identity,” Sanches said. “There’s so much more, and we’re here to support them to ensure they have an equitable experience like any UC Davis student.”

AB540 and the Undocumented Student Center will be hosting a welcoming event, UndocuWelcome, on Oct. 14, 2023. More information is available on their Instagram, @ ucd540undoc.

“We’re really encouraging students to come out and learn about our center,” Sanches said. “It’s on a Saturday. We

try to make it a little later on from the start to ensure that students can attend because there’s just so much going on in the first few weeks, so I hope that students, especially freshmen, can come and reach out to us. But overall, any undocumented first-year student coming into UC Davis or transferring, we encourage them to stop by and say ‘hello’ and get to know us.”

Mahum Manan — the Program Coordinator for the Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian Student Resources (MENASA) unit — said that multiple events are coming up, and they encourage students to come into the center and check them out.

“Our center is hoping to engage students together, build community, touch on cultural identities [and] provide academic support resources,” Manan said. “It’s a casual space. We have RSVP forms and whatnot, just to kind of gauge how many people might attend, but no need to RSVP or anything like that — you can just drop by. Most of the events are social events, and if you drop by halfway through, you’ll still be fine. We just wanna create a sense of belonging and home on campus where students can meet each other, meet our resources and students can also connect with us.”

Manan said that their events, such as Chai Chats, are open to all students who are looking for an inclusive, safe space.

“We’re going to be having three of our annual Chai Chats,” Manan said.

“So ‘Chai Chats’ [are] just a casual space where we’ll have chai, which is tea, and other drinks; it’s kind of like a discussion space or activity.”

MENASA is hosting a fall

welcome mixer on Oct. 11 for students to become familiar with the center and meet other students and campus partners. More information is available on their website and Instagram page, @ucdavismensasa.

Reynell Hamilton-Starks, the Director of the Undergraduate Research Center (URC), hopes that the center encourages students to understand and take advantage of the various resources available.

“The Undergraduate Research Center [...] helps them understand the benefits of engaging, and then gives them some strategies to help them go out and start researching,” Starks said. “It really is a space for them to explore safely. We have wonderful staff here who are friendly and welcoming and they can come ask any questions.

Sometimes the undergraduate research is very, like, ‘we know what it is, but we don’t know what it is, we don’t know how we should get involved — or even why,’ so this is a space for students to come and ask all those questions in a safe space.”

The URC’s first-ever undergraduate research fair will happen on Oct. 12, 2023, and the center hopes to bring students in to speak with faculty about available internships and jobs.

Whether students are dropping by for a coffee at the South CoHo, snagging some free scantrons or holding study sessions in a place that reminds them of home, the SCC encourages incoming students to come by and explore what the centers have to offer. It’s a home away from home — if students are looking to become part of a welcoming, positive community on campus, the doors are open to everyone.

The Student Community Center (SCC) is a hub for student life—from computer classrooms to study spaces and a even cafe with outdoor seating. The SCC is located conveniently next to the Shields Library, Peter Rock Hall, and the Silo. (Jersain Medina / Aggie)

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 | 3

Meet the Davis City Council

The city of Davis has five council members who are elected by district

BY THE CITY NEWS DESK city@theaggie.org

The city of Davis has five councilmembers, including a mayor and vice mayor, who serve four-year terms. City council elections are held every two years and are held via district elections. The city of Davis is divided into five districts, with each electing its own city councilmember.

The current councilmembers include; Mayor Will Arnold, Vice Mayor Josh Chapman, Donna Neville, Bapu Vaitla and Gloria Partida.

Mayor Will Arnold On Jan. 3, 2023, Councilmember Will Arnold was sworn in as the mayor of Davis. Arnold formerly represented District 2 after first being elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020.

“I am incredibly proud of what I have been able to accomplish on the city council and as mayor,” Arnold said. “During my tenure, the city council has taken the housing crisis head-on, approving several projects, particularly multifamily rental housing.”

Arnold affirmed that addressing the ongoing housing crisis has been an important issue, however, there are other important policies he highlighted that have been introduced throughout his time in office. He shared that the council has helped establish agencies such as Valley Clean Energy to address accessibility issues to clean electricity, as well as the Department of Social Services and Housing to introduce transitional housing opportunities for community members.

Arnold referenced the Downtown Davis Plan, which plans for the future of Downtown Davis up to 2040.

“Responding to the housing crisis remains front-and-center among our priorities,” Arnold said. “We recently approved a Downtown Plan that calls for 1,000 new housing units in our downtown. Almost immediately upon passing this plan, housing proposals have come forward that, once built, would account for nearly half of that total.”

When discussing the challenges facing his mayoral administration,

Arnold stated that the COVID-19 pandemic required an immediate and immense response.

“We formed the Healthy Davis Together partnership and brought free and easy-to-administer testing community wide by the fall of 2020,” Arnold said. “As a result, our testing rate was higher, and our transmission rate lower than anywhere in the region. We’re the city that conquered COVID as well as anyone, and lives were saved.”

In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, Arnold talked about the significance of the Black Lives Matter movement demanding improvements to public safety standards that required a similar response by the council.

“Unlike many other communities that made grand pronouncements of reforms they planned to implement, only to walk them back, the city of Davis took a deliberate approach, convened local experts and developed a plan to make significant reform,” Arnold said.

Vice Mayor Josh Chapman Josh Chapman was sworn in as vice mayor at the same time as Arnold was sworn in as mayor. He represents District 5. Chapman was first elected to be on the city council in 2020.

Chapman has a deep appreciation for volunteer work. He worked for AmeriCorps and now, as a father of two, spends time volunteering at Marguerite Montgomery Elementary School and working as a youth sports coach.

“I have always placed a high value on community service,” Chapman said. “After college, I joined AmeriCorps where I worked in Southeast Washington DC. I saw firsthand the impact voluntarism can have in a community and that has stayed with me. Working with youth in our community around mental health awareness and suicide prevention is dear to my heart. These issues have impacted so many families and providing education and support to those who have experienced this remains a priority for me.”

He worked as education director for the Metropolitan Police Boys & Girls Club and as a teacher for a nonprofit organization in San Francisco.

Chapman believes that his passion for education shows in his politics.

“Through my volunteer work at the Boys and Girls Club, as well as my Master’s Degree in education, I know the power of education and how access to a high-quality education provides opportunities,” Chapman said. “Our housing policies have a direct impact on affordability and in turn the ability for families to live here and have access to our education system in Davis.”

Chapman is the small business owner and manager of local record store Armadillo Music. He has previously served on the Davis Downtown Business Association Board of Directors and, most recently, on the Downtown Plan Advisory Committee.

“We continue to support our new Department of Social Services and Housing which has a direct impact on some of the most vulnerable populations in Davis,” Chapman said. “I am very supportive of the implementation of the action items laid out in our recently approved Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

I am also very excited to continue working with and partnering with Yolo County on the approval and construction of a library in South Davis. Lastly, we have a number of housing proposals that will be coming to our council for deliberation and ultimately approval. This is a way for all councilmembers to have a direct impact on a variety of features in those developments.”

Councilmember Donna Neville Newest elected councilmember, Donna Neville, was sworn into office in June but has already been busy trying to address the issues she campaigned on.

“My time in the office has been very busy and exciting,” Neville said.

“There is a real urgency to address housing issues and I am very excited to be a part of that effort. When I ran for office, I committed to being as responsive as possible with my community members, so my days are filled with meetings, phone calls and emails where I try to respond to every inquiry.”

After spending nearly three decades as a lawyer in public service with the primary focus on public policy and making state and local government programs more accountable, Neville retired about six years ago. Since then,

she has had a calling to give back to the community.

“I had already been serving on a number of nonprofit boards and city commissions and when this vacancy occurred, it seemed like the ideal time to run for public office,” Neville said.

“For me, it’s all about public service and using my background to make Davis a great place for all.”

One of Neville’s top goals is to make an impact in addressing housing issues by making housing more available and affordable. She plans on utilizing her background in public finance and government accountability to improve the city.

“We are a compassionate, engaged community filled with people who donate their time and energy to making the city a great place to live,” Neville said. “This is what makes Davis so wonderful.”

Councilmember Bapu Vaitla Bapu Vaitla was elected to represent District 1 on the Davis City Council in Nov. 2022 and his term ends in 2026. Before running for the Davis City Council, Vaitla served on the Social Services Commission.

It was there that he “saw that there was an opportunity for the city to lead on a couple of issues that I felt were of great importance,” Vaitla said via phone.

“The first issue is affordable housing, and it’s the lack of affordable housing,” Vaitla shared about the main issues his platform included when running for city council. “It’s really [due to the housing crisis] that we see an increasing number of people living on the streets. The other big issue was climate action and just having worked across the world and seeing the devastating consequences of climate change, including the United States, understanding that Davis could be a potential leader in decarbonization.”

Some of Vaitla’s goals for the future of Davis include building 1,000 units of affordable housing by the end of his term, developing a realistic transition plan for the city to be less car-focused and increasing battery storage capacity.

into office in 2018. She served as mayor from July 2020 to 2022 and currently serves as city councilmember for District 4. Her term ends in 2026.

She was originally encouraged by fellow community members to run for office after her involvement with policy work in Davis. She realized that the best way to further spark change would be to get involved with the city council.

“My goals continue to be finding ways to make housing more accessible for everyone, lower the number of unhoused individuals, implement our climate action plan and support our youth,” Partida said. “For the near future, the city is working on placing a tax measure on the ballot in 2024 — this will be a critical decision for our community, and ensuring that they understand the implications will require that we engage them appropriately.”

Prior to working for the council, Partida attended UC Davis and received her Bachelor of Science degree in zoology. She worked as a neurobiologist at UC Davis for 30 years until retiring in 2019.

Partida has a long history of being involved in disability awareness as well as school and community development. She is also the founder of the Davis Phoenix Coalition (DPC) which promotes community inclusion. The DPC helps to organize Davis Pride events, vigils and raise awareness and support for social justice issues.

“From Pride to Parties, Social Justice to Social Services, and Advocacy to Acceptance, we tackle everything we face in this world head-on,” the DPC website reads. “Of course, we like to celebrate, too, uniting our community in events that bring us closer and give us a break from our sometimes too-hectic world. Our lives aren’t just sunshine and roses, but we believe that together we can overcome any challenges that come our way.’

Councilmember Gloria Partida Gloria Partida, a long-time activist in the Davis community, was sworn

Councilmember Josh Chapman. (Courtesy / Jenny Tang)

Councilmember Gloria Partida. (Courtesy / Jenny Tang)

Councilmember Donna Neville. (Courtesy / Jenny Tang)

Councilmember Will Arnold. (Courtesy / Jenny Tang)

Councilmember Bapu Vaitla. (Courtesy / Jenny Tang)

4 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OPINION A guide to the coziest UC Davis study spots Places guaranteed to get you motivated

We must keep the oceans a global responsibility

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

What you need to know about Japan’s Fukushima nuclear wastewater release

MAYA KORNYEYEVA / AGGIE

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

In every hero’s journey, there comes a time when the protagonist must cross the threshold from the known into the unknown. To do so, they must meet a guide; an individual who is able to mentor and instruct, inspire and advise. Like Gandalf the Grey is to Frodo Baggins, let me be your wise old wizard. As the wise old wizard… allow me to show you the study spots on and off campus that will prove to be a saving grace for the upcoming academic year.

ON-CAMPUS: Shields Library: The basic yet most reliable choice, this glorious library on campus is conveniently located a stone’s throw from both the Silo and the Memorial Union. With ample coffee and snacks available just a short walk away, you can stock up on all the caffeine and nutrients you need to get through a long study session.

It is silent and spacious, and there are lots of private desks and beautiful views on the upper floors that allow for uninterrupted work. Plus, the millions of books lining the shelves of the library are motivation enough to turn anyone into an absolute academic weapon.

The Silo: If the built-in Peet’s

isn’t convincing enough, the cozy armchairs and classy interior design of the Silo are sure to capture your interest. Although the Silo can get very busy around noon, going there early in the morning can secure you a spot for nearly the entire day — and there are delicious crepes and fries available for a quick lunch break. My personal favorite spot is on the second floor, on one of the bar stools overlooking the floor below: it’s a nice spot to cozy up with a copy of The Aggie and have a go at the weekly Sudoku.

the whimsical jazzy music and the stacks of old newspapers all contribute to a comfortable and sophisticated environment for studying. The tall windows and the flowering trees surrounding the cafe provide a wonderful backdrop for the occasional unfocused gaze, and the coffee is just superb. I recommend a hot lavender or rose latte with a pastry — perhaps you will even be blessed with some microfoam latte art on top of your beverage.

Philz Coffee: Philz is just a few blocks from campus and situated right next to the Kobe Mini Mart. It always has the best music playing on the speakers and the smell of fresh-brewed coffee emanating throughout the entire store is heavenly. Just like the Silo, Philz can get pretty busy and the lines are often long, but once you get planted the atmosphere is perfect for generating creative ideas and working through a long to-do list.

Starbucks: Although technically “fast food,” Starbucks has some great options for coffee lovers and caffeine abstainers alike. The Starbucks located on 2nd and F Street is a prime study spot for both UC Davis students and locals who enjoy plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. This location is ideal for those who thrive in a busy environment, as it is constantly bustling with commuters. The store has great air conditioning, access to charging ports and all the ice water you need. The biggest seller? Free refills.

Mishka’s Cafe: The moment you step into Mishka’s, it feels as though you’ve time-traveled to an ornate 1900s coffee shop somewhere south of France. The typewriter in the front,

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

OFF-CAMPUS:

On Aug. 21, 2023, the Japanese government announced a pivotal decision — made jointly with the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency — to begin the slow release of contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The plant currently contains 350 million gallons of water, which is contained in more than a thousand tanks on-site. Many of these hold the initial contaminated water used to cool the nuclear reactors during the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

A few prominent nations were quick to criticize this decision, with China quickly stepping in to block aquatic imports, such as seafood, from Japan. Other bordering countries, namely Russia and Thailand, have also expressed concern over the safety of the water that is now being released into the Pacific.

Currently, Japan is using its Advanced Liquid Processing System, a complex filtration system, to successfully remove cesium-137 and strontium-90, among other harmful substances.

While the Japanese government has assured the global community that the water is safe and contains amounts of radioactive particles well below regulatory levels, there remains the fact that the water does contain unfiltered tritium (a radioactive isotope of hydrogen).

Federal authorities have brought forth a plan to dilute the wastewater containing tritium and release it through a pipe off the shore of Fukushima, arguing that the comparatively short 12-year half-life of tritium will allow it to pass through organisms quickly and eventually leave the environment. While this may be true, it does little to quell my sense of unease.

Despite all these precautionary measures, this decision effectively sets a global precedent for nuclear wastewater disposal and ushers in an alarming example of how the actions of a single nation can have a worldwide and prolonged impact on both mankind and the interconnected global oceans. It also raises the question of how to deal with nuclear waste in the near future, as we attempt

to switch to alternative forms of energy within the upcoming decade.

I believe it is irresponsible to not invite the global community — leaders and the general public alike — to participate in the decision-making process behind such a potentially destructive action. If performed incorrectly, the release of nuclear wastewater could lead to health issues in regards to radiation poisoning, most critically in the fish and marine organisms that millions of people depend on as a crucial source of food and income.

The fishing industry in Japan is already struggling to maintain business after the China embargo, as many people won’t buy their products due to fear of radioactive contamination from the water surrounding the Japanese coastline. People in neighboring countries are also experiencing the effects of Japan’s decision, as they are no longer able to rely on the seafood and aquatic resources coming in from Japan.

With our limited technology and options for dealing with nuclear waste, Japan’s decision seems to be the lesser of many evils. However, the fact that so much contamination exists as a result of nuclear energy suggests that we must shoulder responsibility for our actions and strive to minimize that damage as quickly and efficiently as possible without putting the global community in harm’s way.

Our primary goal should be to develop a solution that is absolutely safe: no strings attached. While this may seem unreasonable or even impossible, it is something that I believe should be highly prioritized in the upcoming years, lest more rash and harmful decisions in terms of nuclear waste disposal are made by other countries following in the footsteps of the Japanese government.

We must also create a unified decisionmaking process, one that has many contributing voices to ensure that every action is a reflection of the best interests of all parties involved.

While the possible consequences of the treated Fukushima wastewater release are yet to be experienced by the world, it is imperative to set a standard now before it becomes too late.

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

MAYA KORNYEYEVA / AGGIE

HUMOR

Why frats should throw parties like bar mitzvahs L’Chaim, Bruh

BY CARMEL RAVIV craviv@ucdavis.edu Have you ever seen walls sweat?

Smelled a B.O. cocktail of 100 people in a single basement? Stepped in a puddle of possibly beer, piss or vomit to the sound of no one getting the words right to Pepas? Then you must have been to a college frat party!

Frat parties are essential to campus social life, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be improved. These functions can often leave us in the bathroom pleading to a God we just started acknowledging and re-considering if we were ever actually “built different.”

Because if I’m not “him,” who am I in this messed-up world? What is my purpose? How quickly can I get an Ali Baba breakfast burrito before the Sunday Scaries kick in?

Moments like these make us yearn for simpler times. For ancient, triedand-true traditions for getting down at a function. We don’t just want to party, we want to celebrate. We don’t want to move to the sound of a Spotify playlist curated by that guy in your econ class wearing a “Certified Munch” T-shirt. We want to dance to the rhythm of DJ Shlomo playing “Cha Cha Slide” and Fetty Wap. I thought

JOANNE SUN / AGGIE

sitting through a two-hour Synagogue service that consisted of my friend reciting the Torah was hard, but then I experienced five days of lectures. With no recordings on Canvas. I’m downing that grape juice and now I wanna go goblin mode.

Ladies, I know we’re getting tired of our scantily clad going-out outfits, and the boys in their boldly patterned button-downs. Instead, we should be embracing Bar Mitzvah attire traditions, such as skater dresses with Converse. And the boys… actually, they can keep wearing what they’re wearing.

Enough of carrying my barelyconscious friend to a weirdly stained couch so they can yak in a bush. I want to carry them on a chair, for all of us to raise them high 13 times. As a community. As one. And then they can yak in a bush.

Bring back snack tables. Bring back video montages. Bring back photographers to capture you in your worst angles at your best moment.

Bring. Back. The Bar Mitzvah Party.

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

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 | 5

The California Aggie welcomes you to Davis!

My name is Sonora Slater, and I am an incoming fourth-year managerial economics major and the editor-inchief of The California Aggie for the 2023-2024 academic year. Whether you’ve called Davis home for many years, or you’re touring campus for the first time right now, just beginning to envision yourself merging into bike circles and studying in the window seats at Shields Library, welcome to one of my favorite places in the world.

There are certain things that are essential to the unique culture of Davis: meeting friends at the Saturday farmers market, watching sunsets on top of Hutchinson parking garage and assigning the Doxie Derby the same level of importance as the Olympic Games, to name a few.

Throughout your time at UC Davis, these traditions (and more) will shape the fabric of your college experience, permeating the stories you’ll one day tell your kids, your coworkers or the random person in line behind you at Disneyland.

But there’s one more thing that I hope you’ll make part of your college experience because to me, it’s just as essential to this campus as the cows (bold claim, I know). And that, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, is The California Aggie — the official student-run newspaper of UC Davis, serving the student body since 1915.

Throughout the school year, we distribute print issues of the paper once a week on Thursdays, as well as posting online articles every day and sharing updates on Instagram @ thecaliforniaaggie. We cover campus and city news, science and technology, arts and culture and sports, and have sections for features, opinion columns and humor pieces. And of course, our print issue also includes a weekly crossword puzzle and sudoku, perfect to entertain you during lectures in halls with bad cell service.

Every week, we do our best to make sure the paper is jam-packed with exciting, important and entertaining coverage of our very own campus community.

We’ve got a lot planned for this year, and some of it is still a surprise — you’ll have to pick up future issues to see what we have in store. But one of the things I’m most excited to announce is that we will soon be launching the first-ever episode of The Aggie’s new podcast, “Agricola.”

We want you all to be able to take in the news in a variety of formats, and if reading just isn’t your thing, maybe listening to something while you bike or take the bus is (although that would be rather ironic since you are reading this right now).

When the newspaper that would eventually become The Aggie was created more than a century ago, it was called The University Farm Agricola.

We decided to take our podcast’s name from our history to merge the past with the future: we want to expand our content in new mediums, try new things and not be stuck in tradition, but we also want to keep the same journalistic integrity and care for the quality of our reporting that we have always had.

“Agricola” will give you a brief overview of the articles from the week with each episode released, and will then dive into interviews with people who are experts on campus and city news topics or science research, or are just locals and are interesting people.

The podcast will also feature more casual chats with our arts and sports desks about pop culture and how our athletics teams are doing.

If you’re a student at UC Davis, new or old, I hope that you will let our newspaper become part of your college story. And vice versa, I hope that our platform creates a space for all of your voices to be heard.

Feel free to reach out to me at editor@theaggie.org with questions, comments or things you’d like to see The Aggie do or cover, and have a great fall quarter. This is only the beginning of so many good things to come!

Best, Sonora Slater Editor-in-Chief

The world cannot afford stalled climate action

Preventative action needs to be taken now to secure a safer future

BY MAYA KORNYEYEVA mkornyeyeva@ucdavis.edu

This July, our planet once again hit record-breaking global temperatures: with almost every consecutive day becoming the hottest day ever recorded. Florida water temperatures hit above 101 degrees Fahrenheit, drought and fire season were jointly declared in the state of Washington and massive storms ravaged Italy, leaving many parts of the country flooded.

More frightening news — if that is even possible — predicts the collapse of the mid-Atlantic ocean current system in the mid-21st century, with the potential to significantly raise sea levels and induce drought and extreme weather events.

For the past few years, it feels as though the world has slowly begun spinning out of control. These recent climate-related headlines are among the thousands of news stories and scientific studies that have proved over and over that pollution and industrialization are contributing to the frequent destabilized weather patterns recorded as of late.

Yet, it is with the deepest frustration that I log onto my computer each morning to read how climate legislation is being stalled in both governments and private companies — with no clear commitments made to curb global warming in these next few crucial years.

After the 2022 Climate Summit (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, progress was made to provide funding to vulnerable countries in order to minimize the losses and damages caused by climate change. However, solutions to the actual causes of these “losses and damages” — the causes of climate change itself — were vague and undefined, leaving me doubtful that countries will be able to stick to a concrete plan of action in terms of carbon emission cuts and transitioning to renewable energy.

As global conversations negotiating climate action continue every other year, it seems as though humanity is ever so slowly inching toward a climate-induced demise: taking one step forward, and two steps back.

From an economic perspective, this unwillingness to make significant commitments in regard to climate change is understandable, seeing as our society is powered by energy derived from fossil fuels. If approved, authorizing large carbon emission cuts would force companies to opt for another energy source, or face profit and production losses.

I strongly believe that in the

MAYA KORNYEYEVA / AGGIE

current climate emergency that we are facing today, time is running out too fast for governments and corporations to continue turning a blind eye in exchange for current financial stability.

With less than a decade to prevent irreversible climate change, both individuals and organizations need to be focusing their time, energy and resources on taking the necessary steps to secure a safer future for everyone.

An important thing to keep in mind is that while the effects of global warming may feel far away to those that are unaffected by them,

millions of people are struggling to survive around the world due to severe weather conditions that they did not contribute to. Countries like Chad, Somalia and Syria top the list of areas that will be most affected by global warming, according to the vulnerability criteria discussed during COP27.

In not pursuing adequate steps to curb the destruction the current state of climate change is bringing, the world is contributing to the creation of an even greater separation between those that are harmed and those who

are able to afford some protection. In short, those that have the infrastructure and money to withstand dangerous weather events and those that do not — coincidentally the individuals with the most power turn out to be the ones that allowed carbon dioxide emissions to continue in the first place.

My grim predictions of the future aside, the most important thing to take away is that the time to act is now. Whether it is using your voice to advocate for climate action, using your vote to pass the necessary legislation or taking personal responsibility to

limit your own carbon footprint, any action will be a step closer in the right direction. Failure to do so only empowers the growing apathy that currently exists among the global population.

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

6 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

ARTS & CULTURE

The Arts Desk’s weekly picks for music, movies and more

BY ANA BACH arts@theaggie.org

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Review: Olivia Rodrigo’s “GUTS” captures the messy, queasy feelings of young adulthood

The Disney Channel darling turned teen pop sensation brings a more mature sound to her sophomore album

BY CLARA FISCHER arts@theaggie.org Song: “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” By Bob Dylan (1973) This song is a classic, though I did only recently discover it this past summer thanks to my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. The song itself has a beautiful instrumental component with a very simple guitar and soft vocals in the background. The message is extremely dark, alluding to death and the darkness that leads up to the ultimate end. The melody, however, provides comfort and calmness in juxtaposition to the gloomy lyrics. I always find myself circling back to this song, especially when I am reading or want a subtle tune as background noise. Bob Dylan’s lyricism is unmatched, and “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” is a perfect example of his talent.

Book: “The Happiest Man On Earth” by Eddie Jaku (2020) This memoir is a highly riveting read that captures the actual path to pursuing happiness. The protagonist, Eddie, takes the reader through his experience as a Holocaust survivor. Whilst rehashing the horrific details of his experiences at several concentration camps, including Buchenwald, Gurs and eventually Auschwitz, he continues to remind the reader that they are in control of their happiness. Each chapter carries a lesson that seems simple but ultimately helps the reader find where their own happiness lies. Apart from the amazing storytelling and message that Jaku graces the world with, “The Happiest Man on Earth” encapsulates what it means to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

TV Show: “The Bear” (2022) I have never resonated with a show quite like this one. “The Bear” depicts anxiety, familial trauma and the burden of perfectionism in a way that almost every person can relate to. Carmy, a Chicago-born chef, is called back home after his brother, Michael, passes away. To cope, he takes over the family sandwich shop, The Beef, and attempts to turn the business around. While transforming the shop, Carmy also uses this process to reflect on his current position in life, where he has been and where he wants to go. The show grapples with the difficulties of prioritizing a livelihood and a driving passion over a healthy personal life. “The Bear” represents the restaurant industry as one that invites chaos at every opportunity, but at the same time, provides satisfaction by those involved being able to take care of so many people through the magic of food. It’s safe to assume that Anthony Bourdain would have loved this one.

Movie: “Minari” dir. by Lee Issac Chung (2020) I watched this film on the plane ride home from my study abroad — what a way to wrap up that experience. A Korean American family moves to a small farm in Arkansas in pursuit of their own American dream. Along the way, they deal with many road bumps like natural disasters, marriage troubles and health problems. The film uses simple vibrant still shots of the landscape in addition to close-up shots for more intimate moments between the characters. The camera and soundtrack play a huge role in the overall feeling of the movie. “Jacob and the Stone,” played throughout different moments in the film, is now one of my favorite tracks. Chung directed and wrote the movie from a place of familiarity, as his own family chose to relocate in the hopes of creating a better life for themselves. In the end, the viewer is left to contemplate what truly makes a home as well as the loved ones who play a role in the choices we make.

Olivia Rodrigo’s sophomore album cover features her distinct purple background.

(Courtesy of Olivia Rodrigo / Fair Use) Olivia Rodrigo is growing up — and “vampire,” were released as singles and so is her music. The release of before the record dropped, and her debut album, “SOUR,” saw such blend well with the album’s overall immense success (the record garnered soundscape. “bad idea right?” is Rodrigo seven Grammy nominations, impossibly catchy and wouldn’t be out three wins and a full year in the top 10 of place on the soundtrack of an early of the Billboard Hot 100) that many 2000’s Disney Channel movie, while were anxiously awaiting to see if her “vampire” can be described as a more second album would live up to the resentful “driver’s license.” first.

The fourth song on the album, The good news? Rodrigo’s “lacy,” stands out for its portrayal of sophomore album, “GUTS,” delivers jealousy. Rodrigo paints an image of on the hype: the album performed a partner’s beautiful ex-lover, with as well — if not “a little bit better,” hushed harmonies and a simple according to Billboard — on the looped acoustic guitar giving way charts as “SOUR” did. It’s a feat worth to a sweeping climax denouncing noting that Rodrigo was able to stay her “rotten mind for how much it connected with fans during a two-year worships [said ex-lover].” This track’s hiatus and come back as popular as the brilliance comes from its use of a first time around. relatively simple musical structure “GUTS” starts off on a high note: to depict a much more complicated “all-american bitch” is a powerful feeling. opener, with verses that sardonically The next song, “ballad of affirm Rodrigo as the image of a a homeschooled girl,” is the typical all-American, girl-next-door quintessential depiction of teenage idol and a contradicting chorus insecurity that so many of us are all marked by aggressive electric guitar too familiar with. With lyrics like chords overlain with screams of “everything I do is tragic” and “each exasperation. Rodrigo’s use of lyricism time I step outside/it’s social suicide,” and production choices perfectly it’s not hard to understand the point captures the impossibly contradictory that Rodrigo is making. Though sure expectations placed on young women to be comforting to younger audiences in our society. The crowning moment who are struggling with the feelings in this song comes near the end, as Rodrigo describes, the lyrics are too Rodrigo liltingly laments, “I’m pretty on-the-nose to be impactful to me as when I cry.” This lyric succinctly an older listener. captures the exhausting paradox of simply existing as a woman.

The next tracks, “bad idea right?”

GUTS on 8

2nd Friday ArtAbout returns for another year in Davis Local businesses collaborate to bring back the event for 2023

BY ALMA CULVERWELL city@theaggie.org The Pence Gallery and The Artery have brought back the 2nd Friday ArtAbout in Davis for another year.

The free event occurs on the second Friday of each month and is a selfguided art walk that showcases the work of many local artists, businesses, and musicians in the area.

The event was founded over 20 years ago by the Davis Downtown Business Association when several local art galleries wanted to provide a shared space for local artist exhibits.

The ArtAbout tours were temporarily stopped in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Artery, the Pence Gallery and Logos Books brought back the event in July 2021.

Adele Shaw, local artist and ArtAbout coordinator, said that the tours are important to the Davis community.

“I know how important it is for people to know that they can go out and go to art openings,” Shaw said.

“I know how important it is for the community for people to be able to meet and share that moment and see new shows and be influenced by the magic of art and music and performance and all kinds of things that happen during the ArtAbout.”

The ArtAbout tours host many local businesses including Arboretum Artworks, 3rd Space Art Collective,

AGGIE FILE Davis Craft and Vintage, Hunt Boyer Plaza, the Paint Chip and more. Shaw shared that the public has had many good things to say about the event.

“We’ve heard really wonderful and positive things from the public and from the community about how much they enjoy art and how important it

is to them to know that on a Friday evening there’s something to do that’s community-based, community-driven and community-centric,” Shaw said.

Natalie Nelson, director of the Pence Gallery, described her favorite part of the ArtAbout tours and how the event brings the community together.

“My favorite part of it is the connection between the artist and their work and the public,” Nelson said. “People really enjoy asking questions of the artist, and understand the work better while having a great time with friends. I also like that you can walk to all of the venues since they are all located downtown. [...] I think it makes people feel more knit into a tighter community. You can walk into various businesses or galleries with art up, and it’s a great feeling of exploring your own backyard.”

The tours are sponsored by the Davis Downtown Business Association, Copyland and are also supported by a grant from The City of Davis Arts and Cultural Affairs Program. While the tours receive funding, Nelson said that they are encouraging the public to financially support the local artists.

“We are also trying to encourage people to support artists financially by buying their work, and by donating to the musicians who play,” Nelson said.

“Many people and small businesses benefit when we support our local artists.”

The next ArtAbout will take place on October 13.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 | 7

‘Pollinator Squad’ aims to promote biodiversity and climate-ready landscapes at UC Davis The volunteer group works to make the Arboretum more pollinator-friendly through plant maintenance, garden development and outreach

BY LYNN CHEN features@theaggie.org

Amidst the Anthropocene epoch, a geological time period in which humans have substantially impacted Earth’s climate and ecosystems, our responsibility to care for and preserve the environment around us is greater than ever.

The “Pollinator Squad,” a volunteer group of 15 members, is doing its part in shouldering such responsibility through work done in the UC Davis Arboretum as part of the UC Davis GATEways Project (Gardens, Arts, and the Environment). This project is a master planning framework that focuses on improving the Arboretum and the Public Garden for the campus.

Every Thursday, the volunteers meet to develop and manage the Habitat Garden. This includes the meadow basin, the bioswale in the meadow basin, the Hummingbird Garden and the Insect Pollinator Garden. By planting, weeding, pruning and mulching the Habitat Garden demonstration areas, the team achieves their primary goals of supporting local biodiversity and promoting climate-ready landscapes for the future.

For instance, the Pollinator Squad has been growing and maintaining flowering plants that are pollinator-friendly to bees, hoverflies, hummingbirds and other important pollinating species in the gardens. Stray logs and bits of natural wood pieces are left purposefully in the gardens to provide habitat for pollinators like carpenter bees.

According to Rachel Davis, GATEway’s Horticulturist for the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden as well as leader of the Pollinator Squad, the volunteers get “really trained up” on how to care for these types of plants.

Davis also said that the team makes sure there are flowering plants for pollinators in the garden yearround.

“We are also trying to lean into the new Climate-Ready Gardening Initiative,” Davis said. “We’re

expanding from just pollinators to really thinking about habitat for all the local biodiversity in the Sacramento Valley region [by] trying out new plants.”

Davis explained that this initiative is an innovative living landscape adaptation plan by UC Davis to prepare the campus for factors related to climate change.

The Arboretum has always been a drought-tolerant natural space, as it features plants from all over the world that suit the Mediterranean climate specifically.

However, as part of the ClimateReady Gardening Initiative, Davis has been working with UC Davis researchers to model what the climate will be like by the year 2100. Then, they use that information to test out new plants in the Arboretum that are suitable for the future climate.

“The Davis area might be like Barstow, California or Tucson, Arizona by the year 2100 as far as the high heat and longer heat waves that we’ve predicted,” Davis said. Using this research, the Pollinator Squad has been testing out plants from the Southwest U.S. in the Habitat Gardens.

The volunteers help test trials primarily by maintaining and collecting data on the new plants.

Besides creating a biodiverse, climate-ready landscape in the Arboretum, the Pollinator Squad is also contributing to raising awareness and educating the public on the importance of its goals.

For example, as part of the Climate-Ready Gardening Initiative, the Squad is participating in a larger pilot project that will be unveiled at the Arboretum between 2023 and 2024.

The initiative will be partnering with the United States Botanic Garden in Washington D.C. to promote climate-ready gardening for a Plants and Climate Change education cohort.

“In [the] fall, we are going to be having a climate-ready gardening outreach training with undergraduate students and master gardeners,” Davis said. “Before the spring plant sales, there will also be a public program of three or four lecture series.” By spring 2024, an online climate-

ready gardening tool kit will also be available.

“The Pollinator Squad will be very much helping us ready the garden for these demonstrations and testing out a little bit more of the [plants in the Habitat Gardens],” Davis said.

Additionally, by actively tending to and enriching the Habitat Gardens, the Pollinator Squad is raising awareness for its work. Nurturing a beautiful natural space that people can interact with leads to more appreciation for efforts in environmental conservation, according to Davis.

“I worked a lot at UC Santa Barbara and [for the] National Park Service […] A lot of the areas I worked on weren’t really accessible by the public,” Davis said, “And so people weren’t as knowledgeable or excited about works done by restoration projects.”

“I realized what we needed was for people to care so we can conserve and steward this land more properly,” Davis continued.

Joan Quinn, a Pollinator Squad team member of seven years, described how the group also worked on putting in more signs for their garden’s flowers in order to help passersby identify pollinator-friendly plants.

“We do have people who stop us while we’re working to ask, ‘What’s the plant?’” Quinn said. “I think it’s really important for people to realize we need [pollinators] and we need to provide an environment for them to live.”

Furthermore, volunteers themselves — many who do not have any plant-related backgrounds — have come to learn and appreciate biodiversity and the importance of pollinators as well.

Quinn, a retired AT&T employee, has integrated some of what she has gleaned as a volunteer into her own garden as well.

“I’ve learned a lot about particularly pollinators and how important it is that we plant plants for the hummingbirds, bees and butterflies,” said Quinn. “So, I did incorporate [what I’ve learned] into my home garden [by] trying to buy plants that are pollinator friendly.”

However, it is no easy task to improve and care for the Habitat

The Arboretum is home to over 20 different gardens featuring plants from California and across the globe. It is a popular spot amongst students, locals, and bikers enjoying the colorful scenery on display. (Jersain Medina / Aggie) Gardens. The volunteers weed all the invasive plants by hand, as herbicides harm biodiversity. Certain flowers are deadheaded one by one. Overgrown shrubs and tree branches are cleared from pathways for pedestrians and cyclists, while garden beds are mulched to increase water efficiency and keep weeds down.

Even though work under the Pollinator Squad may seem tedious and monotonous to an outsider, its members have cited it as a rewarding experience.

William Mitchell is a fisheries biologist who retired last year from working in salmon and steelhead conservation programs. Wanting to stay involved in environmental stewardship and supporting biodiversity, he joined his current band of volunteers six to seven months ago.

“I love to learn,” Mitchell said. “I still love fisheries biology and aquatic ecology, but now I’m learning a lot more that I didn’t get a chance to learn about the terrestrial ecosystems […] in California.”

Mitchell described how he feels rewarded for all the knowledge he’s gained and the natural wilderness he’s experienced volunteering with the Pollinator Squad.

“I’ve been really benefiting from

my relationships with the people [in the Pollinator Squad] because they know a lot more than I do,” Mitchell said. “Learning about the relationships between the pollinators and the plants, that’s fascinating to me because that’s kind of what I studied with fish — the relationships between fish and their habitat.”

Mitchell isn’t afraid to tackle the harder tasks as part of the Pollinator Squad.

“I love the meadow area [of the Habitat Gardens],” he stated. “Instead of typical, more manicured plants along the pathways, it’s more of a wild setting. I’m one of the only ones who likes to work in there, because you get in there, and it’s just, everything’s growing everywhere.”

Like Mitchell, Quinn also enjoys working with the Pollinator Squad.

“It is fun socially,” she said. “We only see each other once a week, […] but we keep up with each other’s lives.”

Quinn spoke on the most rewarding aspect of being in the Pollinator Squad.

“We’ll start in an area that’s a real mess and then look at it after the end of the session and go ‘Wow, look what we did,’” he said. “It’s the feeling of accomplishing something and contributing to the Arboretum.”

Theta Xi fraternity members look forward to living in a new house

Members reflect on how the newly constructed facility will impact the fraternity’s future room for social interaction. Back then, we truly were brothers in the sense of being siblings, part of one family.

The doors were always open and never locked.”

Current brothers hope to return to this tradition of communal living in the new house, which currently accommodates about half of the fraternity. “The more people living in [the new house], the better the community is. Overall, living with brothers so far has been a great experience,” Riter said.

While some students may worry about the cost of living in such

a big house, Testa expressed that living in a fraternity house can actually save money. “[Some people] see Greek Life as adding to the cost of college, but the reality is quite different. We paid our fees to live in the fraternity house at roughly 70% of what students paid to live in the dorm.”

Connolly added that the house will only get cheaper as dues continue to pay off house loans.

Currently, Theta Xi members are excited about the new opportunities the house will bring to their fraternity.

“We’re hoping [the new house] attracts more potential members who are

interested in Greek Life to our house,” Connolly said. “The new house gives us a chance to redefine our image and hopefully give us a more integral part of Greek Life.”

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The newly constructed chapter facility of the Beta Epsilon chapter of Theta Xi. (Clara Fischer / Aggie)

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The Beta Epsilon chapter of the Theta Xi fraternity has moved houses from their 515 1st St. location to their new location next door at 503 1st St. The new house, which has been under construction for over a year, is three stories tall and can host 35 members living in-house, according to Jack Connolly, a fourth-year environmental toxicology major and member of Theta Xi. The new facility is “walking distance away from the MU,” Jake Riter, a third-year managerial economics major and president of Theta Xi, said. “You can’t ask for a better spot; you got downtown basically there, [and] we’re less in a residential area, which is good for social events with music.”

He explained the different facets of the house while giving a tour of the facility. “These libraries as well are great study areas,” Riter said.

“Normally, you don’t associate a

fraternity with studying, but what kind of sets our fraternity apart is our focus on academics.”

According to Connolly, another benefit of the house is its opportunities for events.

“With all the space that we have, we can do a whole lot more of the philanthropy and community service events that are as important, if not more, than our social events,” he said.

“Giving back to the community is one of the main purposes of the fraternity.”

The house will also offer more space for future members. “We used to have a very strong culture of members living in houses, which this house will help us come back to,” Connolly said.

Bob Testa, former chapter president of Theta Xi at UC Davis from 1962 to 1963, provided insight into the early days of the organization at Davis.

“We added a ‘sleeping porch’ [to the 515 1st St location],” he said. “In those days, nobody had a bed in their room. Everybody slept in a bunk bed in the same room, called the sleeping porch… sort of like a barrack. In the original house, bedrooms had desks, dressers, but no beds. It gave more

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BY AMBER WARNKE features@theaggie.org

8 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

UC Davis to potentially implement a ‘Dead Week’ or ‘Day’ Student Leaders from the Chancellor’s Undergraduate Advisory Board share the process behind implementing a Dead Week or Day with the ASUCD Academic Senate

Bookhead outside of Shields Library (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

BY ELIZABETH WOODHALL features@theaggie.org

With the small time gap between assignments due during week 10 and finals week, it’s no surprise that students feel burnt out as finals near.

This concern is not one that goes unnoticed; other UCs, like Berkeley and Santa Cruz, have implemented similar initiatives to that of “Dead Week.” Despite this initiative already being a part of other universities’ academic calendars, UC Davis ended their “Dead Week” as finals started on Saturday.

Two UC Davis students are hoping to implement a “Dead Week/ Day” into the academic calendar.

Alexandria Moncada, recent graduate in political science-political service and history and board member of the Undergraduate Advisory Board (CUAB), along with Zara Shaikh, recent graduate in psychology and communication and student resource representative of Middle Eastern, North African and South Asian Student Group (MENASA) for CUAB hope to bring about this change for the future of UC Davis. “‘Dead Week/Day’ is traditionally a week or day set apart from the final day of instruction, and before final examination, where there’s no academic obligation for students to complete assignments or attend classes,” Moncada said. “It’s beyond the normal class meeting, and this time is dedicated for students to

either review their class work, retain information or, if anything, [practice] self-care time because we all need that before finals. I think that we neglect ourselves so much before finals begin because you’re going from week 10 straight into finals week, and there’s no time for you to like to adjust to anything.”

Despite the popularity of the term “Dead Week/Day,” Moncada said that it’s not one she likes because of its insensitivity to the suicide rates that spike during finals week.

“A lot of students deal with a lot of suicidal ideation during finals week because it’s a lot of pressure,” Moncada said. “You don’t know whether you’re going to pass your class or not, and, like, you can’t afford that. You can’t afford to have a dip in your GPA because you’re planning on going to grad school or professional school, or you’re trying to find a job.”

Shaikh furthers that the pressure of wanting to succeed during finals has not been easy.

“It was so tough for me to just keep going and, like, especially after weeks two and three,” Shaikh said. “It was just midterms after midterms or papers and assignments and all. It was just really hard to take some time for yourself to, you know, slow down and understand and learn the material as opposed to just, you know, memorize it for exams, and then be done with it.”

Shaikh said that their research was heavily involved in how other UCs’ academic calendars followed “Dead Day/Week.” Shaik said Moncada focused greatly on Santa Barbara’s

current approach to “Dead Week” to see the best way to implement it into UC Davis’ academic calendar. With this research, they both proposed an initiative that best aligned with UC Davis’ academic calendar. “[We wanted to] see some ideas that we can take from their system and implement it into our academic calendar at Davis,” Shaikh said. “I looked at Berkeley’s Calendar, too, because they have a revision week before finals week, so I look more at their calendar and their ways of doing things. I also brainstormed a couple of ideas on my own to just, like, think about how Davis could potentially implement a Dead Day/Week.”

They’ve worked closely with ASUCD Academic Affairs since the start of the 2022 academic year and have since proposed the initiative, created a survey for UC Davis’ students and have gotten over 2,000 student responses back. They also had a meeting with ASUCD’s Academic Affairs to get feedback on the survey and to make sure it was including a representative sample of students.

“We basically talked to the Academic Affairs Commissioner, Megan Chung, and she was awesome,” Moncada said. “She was amazing. She was very responsive, and we told her [...] that we were working with the Chancellor, and that we represent students at large — so this is something that a lot of students have complained about throughout the years, especially with going to the routine of week 10, and how fast-paced that is.”

After they proposed the survey to the Chancellor and other CUAD members, they received approval to circulate the survey, which consisted of three parts that asked students to share their thoughts on their mental health and academic success during week 10.

The survey is currently available on the UC Davis Student Advisory to the Chancellor’s Instagram, @ucdavissac.

“The first part goes over in more detail regarding just the student’s background just to know more about what college they are part of, what their year is,” Shaikh said. “If they’re an international, transfer, in-state or out-of-state student, then it goes more into their studying habits and mental well-being during finals week, just to get more understanding about their studying habits, and how many hours [go] into studying and [completing] assignments. Then the second section also goes into more questions related to their mental health during week 10,

Root of Happiness Kava Bar hosts ‘Resonance Roots’ night to provide Davis community with an alcohol-free space to party The business offers an alternative to social gatherings focused on drinking

BY ZOE SMITH city@theaggie.org

On Sept. 21, Root of Happiness Kava Bar located on 211 F Street in Davis hosted a “Resonance Roots” night for individuals 18 and older.

Local DJs, including The Davis DJ, Producer Homsy, Jacob Johnson and DJ Doubts, all performed, and entrance was free for all attendees.

This is the second time that Root of Happiness has hosted this type of event, but the business regularly puts on similar events such as jazz nights and after parties. They have previously collaborated with groups such as Our Street Night Market.

Kava, a beverage with roots in several South Pacific cultures, is seeing a recent gain in popularity due to its calming effects. Kava comes from the root of the plant Piper methysticum.

It contains the compound kavapyrone which creates a calm, relaxed feeling in the brain, similar to the effects of alcohol. It is commonly used to treat pain, anxiety and relax muscles.

Lauren Martinez, who has been the general manager of Root of Happiness in Davis since Jan. 2023, spoke on the calming effects of the drink.

“Kava is great for people who have issues with sleep, anxiety [or] pain,” Martinez said. “We don’t recommend you drink it if you’re under 18, but it is great for young people. It’s also really great for students who just come out and not necessarily get crazy but they want to relax. They want to feel more sociable and talkative and share stories.”

Root of Happiness sells kava products online and at several locations — besides Davis, they also have bars in Rancho Cordova, Roseville and Sacramento.

Frequent customer Zachary Carl Floerae comes to Root of Happiness

Root of Happiness, a premiere Kava Bar welcomes all to relax and savor the moment. (Jersain Medina / Aggie) almost every day. He uses the space to unwind, do work and socialize.

“It’s a great social beverage, I would say I prefer it to beer and coffee,” Floerae said. “It provides a mild sense of euphoria and I would say relaxation. Kava seems to be more popular with the 18 to 21 crowd that aren’t able to go to the bars.”

Jasmine Cornelius, a kava tender at the downtown Davis location, has been working at Root of Happiness for over a year.

“This is an alcohol and drug-free bar,” Cornelius said. “I feel kava is on the rise to being a popular drink [...] we’ve definitely gotten a lot more foot traffic from different people from the Bay Area or out of state, out of town or they’re visiting. They’ve heard from a friend of a friend about this place.”

The kava bar offers the Davis community an alternative space to party for those who are underage or choose not to drink. Nights such as “Resonance Roots” provide the atmosphere of a party without the pressure to be intoxicated.

“This is a good scene for a mock

bar,” Cornelius said. “You get all types of people from all walks of life [...] I would definitely say for people who may be in recovery or they’re trying to knock off another bad habit, this is a good alternative to help in that direction.”

Martinez also spoke on the “really unique setting” that Root of Happiness offers.

“You can go to any bar, any brewery, any restaurant, but this is the only kava bar you’re gonna find in the area,” Martinez said. “And so I think that’s pretty cool. Especially the vibe that we give off [...] it just has such a good energy to it.”

Martinez spoke about how the bar has been helpful for community involvement and how they are hoping to have more events.

“We’ve had jazz nights, we’ve had the Resonance Roots nights,” Martinez said. “I’m planning on doing art nights where you have local artists come in and teach people how to paint. I think it’s just been a really great way to bring in new people and get the whole community involved.”

and the last section goes over in more detail regarding their feelings about implementing a potential ‘Dead Day’ or ‘Dead Week.’”

Moncada shared that the survey wasn’t finalized until a few weeks before finals week, which meant that students offered more truthful reactions to this initiative.

“It was actually perfect timing that we got everything approved by the Chancellor and approved by everyone else at that meeting,” Moncada said. “[We were able] to circulate it because week 10 was right around the corner, and people were kind of feeling it so, like, you have authentic reactions.”

Moncada indicated that the survey was sent out to various groups, garnering an overwhelming response within the first few weeks. Students’ results revealed their diminished mental well-being during weeks nine and 10.

“A majority are from Letters and Science, with about 42 to 43 percent, and then about 30 percent in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences,” Moncada said. “A lot of students said that they started studying during weeks nine and 10.

A lot of individuals rated themselves as having poor mental health as well.

I would say an overwhelming amount [reported] having excessive workload during week 10.”

Moncada saw these reports and felt frustrated that she was not able to do something “immediately.” An initiative like “Dead Day or Week” is not something that can be easily — or quickly — implemented.

“The Academic Senate basically plans out the entire academic calendar six years in advance,” Moncada said.

“So, we wanted to get the data now to see what we can do if we can’t get a ‘Dead Day’ or [a] ‘Dead Week.’ What else would students be interested in?

And that’s largely why we got the data at the time that we did, [even if we] can’t even [see] it in our academic career. It could be somewhere beyond someone else’s academic career. But I like to make that impact. That’s awesome.”

Moncada said that the next step for implementing “Dead Day/Week” is to share the results with the ASUCD Academic Senate. They also hope to share these results with the UC Davis Chancellor and Mayra Llamas, Ph.D., the executive director of community resources and retention centers.

“We’re just waiting back to see when we can potentially meet with

GUTS FROM PAGE 6 “GUTS” hits a bit of a slump after the extreme angst of “ballad of a homeschooled girl.” The tracks “making the bed” and “logical” both explore feelings of self-doubt, delivered in ballads that showcase Rodrigo’s impressive vocal range.

Unfortunately, both of these songs fall a bit flat. Belty anthems are familiar territory for Rodrigo, and neither “making the bed” nor “logical” offer anything significantly different from prior similar songs in her discography.

Not to mention, the decision to place two significantly slower-paced songs back to back effectively stops the pace of the album in its tracks.

After this brief downturn, “GUTS” gets back in its rhythm with “get him back!” and “love is embarrassing.” Both records see Rodrigo move towards a resentful state of mind as she leans into a candid pop-rock expression of everything wrong with an unnamed ex-boyfriend. On “get him back!,” employs a stylized vocal technique that leans more toward speaking than singing in order to convey her frustration. “love is embarrassing,” on the other hand, is a more upbeat anthem declaring liberation from “some weird second-string loser who’s not worth mentioning.” As far as diss tracks go, it’s hard to find one in Rodrigo’s repertoire that will make you want to dance more.

The album ends on a high note with “the grudge,” pretty isn’t pretty” and “teenage dream.” These three work together to allow Rodrigo a final deep-dive into her adolescent anxieties. “the grudge” is a brutally honest representation of growing from

Mayra or the Chancellor so we can share these results,” Moncada said. “I think we work too hard not to be able to share the results. [We’ll share] what we found with the Academic Senate, and then potentially the end goal is to eliminate some of the work done during week 10. We have no idea what it’s going to be like — whether they implement it, whether they do not implement it.”

Although they’ve both graduated, they hope that with over 2,000 students who’ve responded to their survey — and more responses coming in — their efforts will not go unnoticed.

“We hope that this survey is just getting the ball rolling and gets more people talking about this issue,” Shaikh said. “I guess for the next steps it all depends on the next CUAD team. Hopefully, they do continue with the project.”

Lesly Ramos, a fourth-year civil engineering major, expressed that a “Dead Day/Week” would offer a greater opportunity to prepare for finals and would allow students to take a break to prioritize their mental health.

“I feel like a lot of us students are burnt out after turning in our last assignments before diving into finals, and I think it’d be nice if we get the ‘Dead Week,’ I think that will definitely help our mental health,” Ramos said. “Taking a step outside and just putting in time for yourself, like self-care, mental health — after those last assignments where you’re, like, mostly exhausted. Because as soon as the last assignments are done, we have to think about finals. But then we’ll also have that in mind that, yes, we still have to deal with finals, but at least it’ll be a weight less off our hands before we dive into finals.”

“Dead Week or Day” would allow students to prepare for final examinations without the burden of regular assignments typically assigned during week 10. Shaikh and Moncada hope their efforts will not go unnoticed — especially when it means helping future undergraduate students by alleviating the stress that comes with finals week. Even if it means getting one day off from academic obligations, it will have a substantial impact on students’ mental health and academic success.

conflict, and proves that Rodrigo has it in her to deliver a hard-hitting ballad that doesn’t feel contrived. “pretty isn’t pretty,” on the other hand, is somewhat contradictory: the backing track is almost cheery, while the lyrics come across as a matter-offact documentation of self-esteem issues plaguing so many of us as we grow up.

Rodrigo closes out the album — and effectively, this era of her life — with “teenage dream.” The song feels like a final plea from the singer for the audience to empathize with her overwhelming doubts. She repeats the line, “They all say that it gets better, but what if I don’t?” until listeners are ushered out by an instrumental accompanying a spoken outro of Rodrigo talking with producer Dan Nigro and his baby. Choosing to close an album about the challenges of teenage girl-dom with a track ending in a conversation including a baby represents the skill Rodrigo possesses for story-telling; the theme of lost innocence is heard loud and clear.

Overall, “GUTS” is a relatively successful follow-up to an impactful debut. The singer-songwriter takes listeners on an intimate exploration of her experience as an adolescent woman coming of age — and she makes it clear that it isn’t always pretty.

Though at times “GUTS” feels more like a slightly older version of its little sister “SOUR” than an entirely independent record, Rodrigo’s brutally honest lyricism and witty wordplay combine beautifully with her skillfully woven vocals to result in an album that hits the mark for many listeners experiencing the tumultuous challenges of young adulthood for the first time.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 | 9

Sudoku

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces.

Every row, column and 3x3 square must contain each digit. Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

Answer to previous puzzle 6/29/23

reduce. reuse. recycle.

The aggie Crossword Answer to previous puzzle 6/29/23

10 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Fire Station 31 in downtown Davis receives approval for critical structural improvements Approval comes following years of stagnant living conditions for firefighters

BY HANNAH SCHRADER city@theaggie.org

Item 6 on the City Council’s agenda for their Sept. 5 meeting discussed an improvement project for Fire Station 31, located on the corner of 5th and E Street. The council approved the resolution and the station will be improved in the coming years.

Kevin Fong, the principal civil engineer for the city of Davis, presented the firehouse renovation project at the council meeting.

“Currently, it’s anticipated that the fire department will respond to 7,000 calls for the city with more than half of them handled by Fire Station 31,” Fond said when discussing the importance of the station. “Fire Station 31 has quite a few deficiencies; some of those being not meeting the building code requirements for critical facilities such as emergency power and seismic needs.”

In response to these concerns, council member Bapu Vaitla questioned how much longer operations could continue out of the station without “serious concerns.”

Joseph Tenney, the division chief of the Davis Fire Department, replied to concern, stating that the design process will range from a year to a year and a half. According to Tenney, once the design process is finished, construction may take three to five years.

According to the Davis Fire Department (DFD) website, the department is staffed with 36 shift personnel consisting of 9 captains and 27 firefighters.

“The shift personnel are divided into three shifts, with each shift working a 24 hour day,” the DFD website reads. “The department’s facilities include three fire stations located in Central, West, and South Davis.”

Council member Gloria Partida expressed concern about the living conditions for personnel.

“It is without a doubt [needing] to be replaced, it’s been there for a while and it has issues that are going

A new state-of-the-art fire station in Davis strengthens community safety. (Jersain Medina / Aggie) to cost a lot of money to fix so it does make sense to start this process,” Partida said. “We don’t notice because the service is there but the conditions that the firefighters are living under in that station are challenging.”

Council member Donna Neville echoed support of the project shortly

after Partida’s comments.

“All I have to say is that you do really important work and you deserve to have a safe, modern, state-of-the-art facility so I’m just really supportive of the staff recommendation here,” Neville said.

Mayor Will Arnold then wrapped

up the discussion of the firehouse reconstruction project and expressed how essential improvements would be for the Davis community.

“If anyone is curious, go by the fire station, see those attractive windows that are holding the roof and ask yourself what happens if we have a

major earthquake to that roof,” Arnold said. “And by the way, we’ll definitely be needing our firefighters if we have that earthquake.”

Dillan Horton announces campaign for Davis City Council seat representing District Two

The first candidate to be announced for the 2024 election hopes to represent the people of Davis

Dillan Horton, center, recently became the first to announce his candidacy for the Davis City Council in the 2024 General Municipal Election. Courtesy Photo

BY MADELEINE YOUNG city@theaggie.org

Dillan Horton has become the first to announce his candidacy for Davis City Council in the 2024 General Municipal Election. After running for Davis City Council in 2020 and coming in second place, Horton will be running for the Second District of the Davis City Council which serves North Davis and some of Central Davis.

“I ran for this position once four years ago when we created districts for the first time in 2020,” Horton said. “I was compelled to run the last time and I feel compelled to run again because I feel like our community, particularly working-class Davisites, are in a period of multi-layered crises. Our housing

crises, our crises related to economic development and our fiscal house in terms of city government, school districts and county government.”

After his first candidacy, Dillan has stayed active as a member of the Davis community, serving as a member and former chair of the Davis Police Accountability Commission, as well as serving on the board of the Yolo County Democratic Party and leading movements to reform Davis’ law enforcement.

“One of the reasons I came to Davis was it seemed like a community where you could come to town with all your possessions on a knapsack over your shoulder and people would accept you,” Horton said. “And that is still true after living here for a decade and my view is still that it is the best of Davis, but of course, there are times in our not-too-distant history and times in our present where I think we

get off track of that. I feel like we are becoming a town that is losing that future, gradually, as we devote less of our attention to the housing crisis than we need and less of our attention to spurring economic development, particularly among small businesses.”

Horton believes the importance of education and community service was instilled in him at a young age as he was raised in a working-class union household by a single mother who was a veteran and later became a nurse.

“Dillan’s early experiences inspired him to become a public servant and to strengthen communities by ensuring all voices are represented in decisionmaking processes, and expanding access to opportunities for good jobs and quality education,” Horton’s campaign website reads.

Horton has a wide range of experience in local politics. This spans back to when he was serving

El Camino College as a student senator — and later, as vice president — before becoming the Director of University Affairs at UC Davis.

Following these positions, Horton served as a California Democratic Party Delegate for Assembly District 4 and chair of the Yolo County Democratic Party Legislation and Resolutions Committee. Today, he serves as a representative of the 4th Supervisorial District on the Yolo County Democratic Committee and a co-chair of the Yolo County Democratic Socialist of America (DSA).

In Dec. of 2018, Horton was appointed by the city council to the newly reformed Police Accountability Commission where he was elected to be vice chair. Dillan led the commission and successfully presented recommendations for police reform.

“There were people who have

never heard of Dillan Horton, didn’t know that the Police Accountability Commission existed and didn’t know the Yolo DSA existed, but even though they were fully unaware of all of that, I knew that they were counting on us to get the job done,” Horton said.

Horton’s top goals for the council are ensuring quality, affordable housing for the community, creating economic opportunities, prioritizing inclusivity and putting values into action.

“We are gradually, through inaction or lack of urgency, losing that future, that accessible inclusive future that I think so many of us Davisites value,” Horton said. “I think economic development, particularly equitable economic development, is a really core part of that.”

Horton believes the housing crisis is a multi-layered issue and that finding sustainable careers for citizens is a crucial element to address it.

“We talk a lot about how the housing crisis pushes people out, and that’s definitely true. But what’s secondarily important is the fact that people who are my age range and a little bit older, on top of not being able to find or afford housing in our community are also in a position where they can’t find a sustaining career for themselves because of anti-development sentiments in some corners of our community,” Horton said. “We don’t need to redraw everyone’s mindset in terms of development in the city, but there are things that we have done in the past to support small business owners and aspiring business owners, and I think we need to.”

If elected, Horton also wants to bring diversity and accessibility to the city council, a perspective that Horton believes has grown distant from elected officials.

“None of the five Davis City Councilmembers have been a renter in about 15 years or so — that’s wild in terms of direct representation,” Horton said.

“Also, in 106 years of history, there has never been an African American on the Davis City Council, there has never been an openly LGBT person on the City Council. I mention that not because the color of my skin is going to make me a better city councilmember, but I think that part of the reason we have gotten into some of the issues that we have found ourselves in terms of housing, economic development and accessibility is because, I think, we have elected leaders who are living a life too distant from the crises that the working class Davisites are living in.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023 | 11

SCIENCE AND TECH The best science courses to fulfill general education requirements These are some of the most popular STEM GEs that UC Davis has to offer

BY KATIE HELLMAN science@theaggie.org

ENT 001: Art, Science, & the World of Insects This entomology (the study of insects) course is run a little differently than most lecture-based classes. While half of the course revolves around the discussion of insects and their importance to human cultures, the other half is spent in an art studio designing and constructing clay insects that later become a part of a larger art piece.

Every undergraduate at UC Davis needs to take a certain number of general education (GE) units that allow them to explore a variety of different subject areas. These courses can be taken by students in any major and can range from subjects like diseases of the human brain to the evolution of dinosaurs.

Here are some of the best science GE classes that UC Davis has to offer, according to students who have taken them.

NUT 010: Discoveries & Concepts in Nutrition This class covers the properties of nutrients and foods as well as the development of nutrition concepts in history. It is (allegedly) one of the easiest GEs you can take.

ABT 49: Field Equipment Operation Perhaps the most unique course on this list, this is usually dubbed as “the tractor driving class.” Students spend time learning about the components and operation of tractors and field equipment and how they relate to agricultural practices, but most importantly, they get handson experience operating the tractors themselves.

AST 10L: Observational Astronomy Lab This is only a one-unit course and is perfect for astronomers, physicists and stargazers alike. Students learn about major constellations, asterisms and celestial coordinates and gain direct experience using telescopes to view night sky objects.

Nicholas Richmond, a third-year mechanical and aerospace engineering major, took AST 10L in the fall of 2022.

“By far my favorite part was finding faint objects like galaxies and looking at them with my own eyes,” Richmond said. “I ended up enjoying the class so much that I applied to be a roof helper — we facilitate and teach

Constructed in 2004, the Sciences Lab Building houses all types of scientific laborites for students to utilize. A teaching greenhouse lives at the top of the building students can visit. (Jersain Medina / Aggie) everything on the roof — and now I work there during the fall and spring quarters!”

ECH 001: Design of Coffee — An Introduction to Chemical Engineering This course is for all of the coffee lovers out there. Students learn the principles of engineering analysis and

design through the process of roasting, brewing and tasting coffee. During the lab portion, they analyze how the flavor of coffee changes throughout various experiments.

PSC 001: General Psychology This course covers basic psychology concepts and dives into the discussion of human behavior, including perceptions, cognition and personality. It’s great for those who want to understand why people think, feel and act the way they do.

Miko Santos, a fourth-year psychology major, took the class during his first year at UC Davis.

“That class is one of the reasons why I switched majors to psychology,” Santos stated. “The class got me thinking about questions I had already been asking, such as: ‘How do people change over time? Why do people think, feel, and behave the way they do? Where does our behavior come from?’ but in a more academic manner.”

There are plenty of interesting courses to take as an Aggie, but you can’t go wrong with adding any of these to your schedule.

Music can be an effective tool to relieve insomnia Songs at around 60 beats per minute can lower heart rate by syncing with it, decreasing the amount of time it takes to fall asleep KELLIE LIU/ AGGIE

BY KATIE HELLMAN science@theaggie.org

Sleep is essential for good health.

Getting a full eight hours of sleep reduces the occurrence of serious diseases later in life, including obesity and heart disease. For those dealing with insomnia, a sleep disorder that makes it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, music can be a helpful tool.

“Insomnia is one of the common but neglected conditions seen in family practice with long-term and serious effects on the health of a patient. Chronic insomnia was seen in

33% of the adult population sampled,” according to a study by PubMed. Additionally, 8.4% of adults take sleep medications most nights.

However, behavioral changes are viewed as a better method of treating insomnia because prolonged use of sleep medication can lead to addiction and other health issues.

Jesse Koskey, a psychiatrist in the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, shared his best sleep tips with UC Davis Health that are based on cognitive behavioral therapy.

“Get up and go to bed at the same time every day, even on weekends,” Koskey said. His list also emphasized

the importance of a comfortable sleeping space and avoiding blue light produced by screens.

A technique that is perhaps lesserknown is utilizing the relaxing effects of music as a sleep aid.

“Music is a low-cost, accessible, and effective treatment for insomnia,” Koskey said.

The Carlat Report, a publication focused on psychiatric research, highlights Koskey’s findings that music can reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and improve overall sleep quality. The effects of music are similar to those produced by benzodiazepines, which are medications that slow down brain activity and the nervous system.

They are prescribed to treat severe insomnia.

“Blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate can change tempo in response to musical cues, a phenomenon called entrainment,” the article reads. “Musical crescendos are associated with vasoconstriction, and relaxing music correlates with reduced blood pressure and vasodilation in listeners.”

During entrainment, the body synchronizes with the environment.

Listening to music around 60 beats per minute can lead to a heart rate that stabilizes at a similar rate due to the entrainment of the parasympathetic nervous system.

A study in which around 60 university students listened to “Weightless,” a song composed by the group Marconi Union that begins at 60 beats per minute and gradually decreases to 50 beats per minute, found that the students’ blood pressure and anxiety levels noticeably decreased. Many other studies have yielded similar results.

Relaxing songs can be found on music streaming services such as Spotify and Pandora. Alternatively, simply searching “sleep music” on YouTube can display a large variety of music to listen to and lead to longer, more restful sleep.

12 | THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Davis volleyball dominates match against rival Sacramento State

The Aggies are starting off strong ahead of their upcoming fall season

BY MEGAN JOSEPH sports@theaggie..org The last match of the UC Davis volleyball team’s non-conference games proved to be no trouble for the Aggies.

After having some trouble in past games, the team was ecstatic to win against the Sacramento State Hornets and finish out the season with five wins and five losses considering all of the matches they played were away. The Aggies showed incredible teamwork all game that led them to take the victory over the Hornets.

The first set started off slow with the Hornets taking an early lead and the Aggies struggling to put up a large amount of points on the board. Once the first few aces and kills came, the Aggies got into a rhythm and won the first match 22-15.

Going into the second set, the Aggies were having a repeat of the first with the Hornets taking an early lead and the Aggies were a couple of points behind. This didn’t scare the Aggies as they took back the lead and won the second set 22-19.

The third set started off with trouble for the Aggies as they started to fall behind the Hornets. The Aggies lost their consistency and were producing very weak hitting statistics that allowed the Hornets to win the set. This forced the Aggies into a fourth and final set.

After the third set, the Aggies were

The UC Davis Women’s Volleyball team celebrates after a point. The team recently won against Sacramento State in four sets. Aggie File.moved and captured. (Courtesy of Dan Zen / Creative Commons, CC BY 2.0) ready for some revenge and came back was the closest set of the entire match, Some of the best highlights of the harder. They played well, showing their but the Aggies pulled out a win with match came from players on the UC determination and eagerness to win. It the final set ending 25-21.

Davis team. To start, third-year Olivia

Utterback and second-year Jade Light each had three aces respectively that set the Aggies apart from the Hornets.

Utterback continued her dominance in the match by leading the offense with third-year Amara Aimufa and getting ten kills, hitting a 0.229 and 0.269 respectively. Not only can she serve, but Utterback also showed she can dive by getting 12 digs, demonstrating how well-rounded a player she can be.

Light had a truly inspiring performance as well with eight kills, three aces and nine digs all in one night.

In the libero position, third-year Julia Ng also had a good performance with a personal record of 17 digs that gave the Aggies the upper hand over the Hornets. In a different position of the court, third-year Casi Newman had a phenomenal number of assists, reaching 20 in total from all the sets. Only a small number of other people on the team have done this in four sets.

First-year new players Mia Starr and Reese Diersbock finished their first non-conference season strong. Starr showed her ability to be a team player by getting 17 assists, while Diersbock demonstrated her skill in the game by getting nine kills and six digs. Overall, the Aggies had a strong performance that led to them being victorious after only playing four sets.

The Aggies had a hard game but stayed persistent and played harder after each challenge, providing a good outlook for the rest of their season.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

CHESS

The UC Davis women’s soccer team had a complicated start to their season with two wins and a loss, but players are keeping their heads high for future games

International Chess Federation announces ban on transgender women in women’s events

The regulation comes as the latest in a series of measures restricting the involvement of transgender athletes in sports

Another Aggie record has been broken by top-scoring fourth-year Leslie Fregoso

BY MEGAN JOSEPH sports@theaggie..org The UC Davis women’s soccer team has experienced some ups and downs through the beginning of the 2023 soccer season, garnering two wins and a loss in the last few weeks.

Starting the season off strong, the Aggies shut out the Idaho State Bengals with a five-to-zero win that proved their Division 1 (D1) status.

The players showed their incredible talent with five players each scoring a goal. The first was made by fourthyear, Leslie Fregoso. She scored off of a penalty kick in the 20th minute of the game, leaving fans and viewers enthusiastically celebrating the first goal of the season.

The second and third goals were made by none other than third-year Sam Tristan. Her first goal in the 26th minute was an incredible rebound shot into the bottom left of the goal that showed Tristan’s domination on the field. Later in the 49th minute of the game, Tristan scored another goal off a penalty kick that gave the Aggies a comfortable lead over the Bengals for the second half of the game.

The third and fourth goals were scored by third-years Risa Yamada and Devyn Simmons in the 57th and 82nd minutes of the game respectively. They were assisted in each of their goals by third-year Emma Vane and first-year Savannah Cordero. This ended the first game of the season, with the Aggies securing a significant win over Idaho State.

Following the win, the Aggies shut out yet another team when they played the Sacramento State Hornets on Aug. 20. This away game proved to be a spectacular win.

The first goal of the game was a beautiful left-footer by Vane that crossed

the box and went straight into the top right corner of the net in the 32nd minute of the match. The next goal, assisted by Fregoso and third-year Kylie Garcia, was volleyed by Simmons into the net after a collision and deflection by the opposing team in the box in the 43rd minute. The third and final goal of the match was a perfect through ball by second-year Sarah Canavan that Tristan fired into the back of the net.

The Aggies walked away victorious after a spectacular match, with one player in particular coming away with a new record. The second goal of the game solidified Fregoso as the new UC Davis career points leader during the D1 era.

Fregoso, a highly-awarded player — already selected twice for AllBig West First Team and the holder of an NSCAA All-Region Second Team Honor — can now add this accomplishment to her resume. The previous record of 47 assists, set in 2009

by Rochelle VanBuskirk, is now replaced

by Fregoso’s 48 assists. With plenty of games still left in the season, we can expect many more assists from Fregoso and possibly another broken record.

Even with such a strong start to the season, the Aggies felt their first loss on Aug. 24 against the Saint Mary’s College Gaels. The game started off with neither team scoring the entire first half, but luck changed for the Gaels in the 56th minute when they scored off a throughball setup.

Although the Aggies had 11 shots on goal, they were unable to connect and the Gaels walked away supreme.

There is no doubt that the Aggies will have another chance to redeem themselves with an upcoming game against the University of San Francisco.

Overall, the Aggies have demonstrated their eagerness to win and dominate the field, leaving fans excited to see what they have in store for the remainder of the season.

Player #22, Sam Tristan, works her way down the field during a match against the Idaho State Bengals. (Aggie File)

Chess is a strategic game typically played on a checkered board, with each player beginning with sixteen pieces to be moved and captured. (Courtesy of Dan Zen / Creative Commons, CC BY 2.0)

BY CLARA FISCHER sports@theaggie..org On Aug. 14, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) published a new policy regulating the involvement of transgender players in the sport.

Notably, the policy states that transgender women are not allowed to participate in women’s competitions until “further analysis” is conducted by the FIDE council — a process that “shall be taken… at the earliest possible time,” but can take up to two years.

The policy also mandates that players who hold women’s titles and later transition to a man will see their women’s titles abolished. However, if a player transitions their gender from a man to a woman, their titles will “remain eligible.”

In a written response to the Associated Press, FIDE’s press office stated that the regulations are “aimed at clearly defining the procedure on how a person who has officially changed their gender may register that fact on FIDE Directory,” with transgender players still being allowed to participate in the open section of tournaments.

Following the release of the policy, several prominent chess organizations published statements documenting their own stance on transgender players’ involvement in the game.

The United States Chess Federation shared a document outlining their policy enacted in 2018, stating that it “reflects

a position that will allow for players to affiliate with US Chess regardless of gender affiliation.” The German Chess Federation shared a similar stance.

“The German Chess Federation (DSB) has a clear position: we do not exclude trans women,” DSB wrote in a statement posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Along with statements like these from major national organizations, FIDE has received backlash from chess players and LGBTQ+ advocates around the world.

“The new regulations will make chess players all over the world face a horrible dilemma: transition or quit chess,” Yosha Inglesias, a professional chess player, said in a statement on X. “[The ban] is not just transphobic, it’s anti-feminist too,” Richard Pringle, an associate professor of socio-cultural studies of sports at Monash University said in an article for The Washington Post.

Among criticism that FIDE’s policy is blatantly anti-trans, critics have also denounced the new regulation for being inherently misogynistic.

“This is so insulting to cis women, to trans women, and to the game itself,” the National Center for Transgender Equality said in a post on X. “It assumes that cis women couldn’t be competitive against cis men — and relies on ignorant anti-trans ideas.”

Furthermore, many have voiced concerns over the timing of the policy, which came shortly after the release of

an open letter penned by 14 female chess players concerning “sexist or sexual violence perpetrated by chess players, coaches, arbiters, and managers.” The letter now has over 100 signatures and is the latest in a series of revelations surrounding sexual misconduct and abuse in the sport.

“The governing body’s move seems like a smoke screen, a way to divert attention away from MeToo,” Jennifer Shahade, two-time US women’s chess champion and author said in an opinion column for MSNBC. In an opinion column for The Guardian, columnist and author Arwa Mahdawi referred to the defenses of the FIDE regulation as “sexist assumptions and shaky science.”

“Ultimately women’s chess isn’t helped by gatekeeping definitions of women,” Mahdawi said. “It’s not helped by excluding trans women; it’s helped by encouraging more women to get into chess and dismantling gender stereotypes.”

The policy set forth by FIDE comes as the latest in a string of regulations surrounding transgender athletes’ participation in sports such as track and field, cycling, swimming and more.

As more controversial policy decisions are made regarding the presence of transgender athletes in the athletic world, there is sure to be an increase in both backlash and support from athletes and advocates alike.