November 19, 2020

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VOLUME 139, ISSUE 7 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020

UC DAVIS HEALTH OPEN REGION’S FIRST POST-COVID-19 CLINIC The clinic seeks to provide care to patients dealing with lasting post-COVID-19 symptoms

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

BY HANNAH BLOME AND SIMRAN KALKAT campus@theaggie.org UC Davis Health has launched a PostCOVID-19 Clinic to provide care and treatment for patients who survived COVID-19 but are still facing symptoms. The reasons for the postCOVID-19 symptoms are currently unclear, but

they could last for months.

“The clinic is very new and our first patients are just now starting the referral and assessment processes,” said Karen Finney, the senior public information officer for UC Davis Health Office of Public Affairs, via email. “However, we consider it a great success. It is one of the first clinics in the nation to provide a place where those who survived COVID-19 yet still have ongoing symptoms can

go for consultations.”

The clinic was formed out of a concern for patients who had continued to experience problems like respiratory issues, heart and vascular problems, exercise endurance and headaches.

Mark Avdalovic, an associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine and director of the Post-COVID-19 Clinic, noticed that there were patients who had otherwise recovered from COVID-19 but still faced ongoing symptoms.

“We established the clinic to better understand those symptoms and find out if they could be related to the virus or perhaps even to the initial treatment for the virus,” Avdalovic said, via email.

“UC Davis’ extensive network of specialists provides opportunities for us to expand evaluation and care teams as needed, depending on a patient’s specific symptom profile.”

Undergoing COVID-19 symptoms after recovering from the virus can be a difficult experience for patients. Avdalovic describes how these symptoms can be confusing as well as mentally and physically taxing on COVID-19 patients.

“It’s frustrating and frightening for them,” Avdalovic said in a press release. “With this clinic, we can provide a much-needed service to our patients and our community. There are many who are still suffering a wide array of symptoms despite being many weeks out from their initial infection, and they don’t know why. They deserve to have these symptoms evaluated in a systematic fashion.”

The symptoms themselves have been very diverse, ranging from a dry cough and shortness of breath to muscle and joint aches.

“Those symptoms can be mild or very interruptive of daily life,” Avdalovic said, via email. “The commonality is that these patients do not feel as healthy as they did prior to COVID-19

infection.”

These patients who have recovered from the novel coronavirus test negative but still endure prolonged symptoms. A team of British scientists estimate that about 10% of people who had COVID-19 are still experiencing symptoms after testing negative. The COVID-19 “long-hauler” patients did not necessarily face serious illness while testing positive. In fact, Avdalovic noted that a recent study shows that some of the patients without symptoms during the acute infection were later experiencing inflammation in the lungs and heart.

Because COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, the clinic is based in pulmonary medicine. The novel coronavirus can have long-term impacts on airways, lung capacity and ability to conduct other respiratory functions. The “long-hauler” patients with ongoing symptoms are also likely to be experiencing respiratory issues.

The clinic will be using telemedicine to provide consultations for COVID-19 patients as well as patients with other lung conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis or pulmonary fibrosis. The clinic is for patients who have tested positive, had symptoms at least 30 days ago and are concerned about health issues that didn’t exist before the virus or aren’t yet fully recovered and back to normal health.

“Students who tested positive for COVID-19 at least 30 days ago and still have symptoms are welcome to be seen in the clinic,” Finney said.

“With their permission, outcomes of their clinical assessments may be included in future studies.

They should call 1-800-482-3284 to initiate a referral.”

UNIVERSITY ENCOURAGES STUDENTS TO SELF-REGULATE AMID PANDEMIC UC Davis police are not enforcing COVID-19 guidelines, and OSSJA is taking a ‘graduated response’ to reports of violations

UC Davis Police Department. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)

BY KATHLEEN QUINN campus@theaggie.org As fears of a widespread outbreak on campus have decreased, the UC Davis Police Department has taken an educational approach to disperse gatherings during the pandemic, and the Office of

Student Support and Judicial Affairs (OSSJA) has avoided affecting students’ standing for first-time offenders.

UC Davis Police Chief Joe Farrow’s approach to gatherings on the campus has been less about enforcement and more about encouraging positive behaviors.

YOLO COUNTY PREPARES FOR FLU SEASON AMID COVID-19 CONCERNS

“We always thought that we should kind of be advisors, the educational arm of things,” Farrow said. “So we bought a bunch of masks, hand sanitizers, all that sort of thing.”

According to an email response from the OSSJA Director Don Dudley, the university responds to all reports of gatherings that violate the university guidelines, and they are taking a graduated approach in providing discipline.

“Most first-time incidents result in a disciplinary outcome that does not affect a student’s standing,” Dudley said via email.

UC Davis currently allows for gatherings of up to 16 people with social distancing outdoors and not between more than three households, according to the campus ready webpage.

Annie Andrews, a third-year philosophy and psychology double major, said she was the host of a game night off-campus that ended up having more people than originally intended, around 30.

She said she had planned to only have a couple of people over.

“That turned into a lot bigger than we thought, like a lot more people showed up,” Andrews said.

According to Farrow, the Davis Police Department deals with any complaints of violations to state and county guidelines for students off campus. After multiple requests for comment, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel did not respond.

The total self-reported positive cases since March have been 117.

Still, Andrews said she wasn’t concerned about the spread of COVID-19 from the gathering, and she said most people there were wearing their masks, except when drinking.

“Most of the people who showed up were

from student housing, so they’ve been tested before,” Andrews said. “We didn’t hear anything about people being sick when they showed up or left, so it wasn’t too much of a worry for us.”

According to the UC Davis COVID-19 Dashboard, there have been three asymptomatic cases between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Farrow said the UC Davis police department received a lot of calls, but that has gone down considerably since the rules took effect.

“I think people realized it’s not necessarily a police call, it’s not really something that the police deal with,” Farrow said. “So our calls have gone way down for us; In fact, we very seldom receive a call.”

Farrow said he was encouraged by the way students on campus acted during Halloween. He had originally prepared himself for more calls.

“I think Halloween was a good example of a lot of people at this university taking things seriously,” Farrow said. “I think they tried really hard to socialdistance, while at the same time enjoy themselves in some aspect.”

Students who violate campus ready guidelines will be required to get tested for COVID-19 weekly for four weeks at the ARC. “I feel safe going to campus because I know it’s an institution,” Andrews said. “They have to keep their students safe, so they are going to put up decent regulations.”

For Farrow, he said it’s important to not grow too comfortable and let standards slip.

“I think what we are all trying to guard against is complacency,” Farrow said.

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE

Health officials stress flu vaccine importance to lessen strain on public health services during ongoing pandemic

BY YAN YAN HUSTIS HAYES city@theaggie.org As the flu season draws nearer and COVID-19 cases rise, Yolo County prepares for the uncertainty of the combined influenza and COVID-19 outbreaks.

Yolo County Public Information Officer Jenny Tan explained that in preparation for the coming flu season, the city of Davis is trying to keep residents healthy.

“Being healthy means getting your flu shot, not smoking, eating a good diet and drinking water,” Tan said. “We are telling [residents] that they need to be in good, healthy shape so that [they] don’t get the flu or COVID.” In addition to encouraging healthy habits and offering free COVID-19 testing, Yolo County is also providing residents with more flu clinics.

“We are actually providing a lot more flu clinics this year than we did the previous years,” Tan said. “Most of them are drive-throughs, so people don’t even need to get out of their car, which is also new this year. We have trained a ton of new volunteers to help us with the management of some of these larger clinics.”

The best place to look for information on

free services and health guidelines is on the Yolo County Health and Human Services website, Tan said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report, for the week of Sept. 18, there was a decline in influenza virus circulation in the U.S., Australia, Chile and South Africa.

“The global decline in influenza virus circulation appears to be real and concurrent with the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated community mitigation measures,” the report reads. “If extensive community mitigation measures continue throughout the fall, influenza activity in the United States might remain low and the season might be blunted or delayed.”

Brad Pollock, associate dean and chair for Public Health Services and professor at the UC Davis School of Medicine, explained that this is the best-case scenario for the upcoming flu season.

“If you look at the seasonal disease over in Australia and New Zealand, they had the lightest influenza season ever,” Pollock said. “I’m hoping we see the same thing here.”

While a light flu season is possible, Pollock stressed the seriousness of the influenza virus due in part to its unpredictability.

“Trying to predict [influenza season] is like

trying to predict the stock market,” Pollock said.

“The problem is that the symptoms for influenza overlap a huge amount with COVID-19, and we are really stressed in our capacity to deliver health care in the pandemic era right now.”

Pollock explained that, while COVID-19 is around five to six times the fatality rate of influenza, a severe case in either has the potential to turn fatal.

“Influenza kills people—if you’ve got influenza as your base, it’s not great,” Pollock said. “If we don’t do all we can to curb the influenza epidemic that would overlay the COVID-19 epidemic, we’re going to really overwhelm the health systems.”

In addition to the potential stress a severe flu season could put on our health systems, part of the difficulty in combating the simultaneous spread of both the seasonal flu and COVID-19 is

that the symptoms are very similar. This presents difficulties for contact tracing and health care professionals’ ability to prescribe proper and effective treatment, Pollock explained.

“You might give them the same advice, which is just to self-quarantine, but it makes it more complicated to do everything,” Pollock said. “And of course, what if you actually end up with both viruses at the same time?”

For these reasons, it’s important to get vaccinated so that the flu is not a major problem this year, according to Pollock.

“What people sometimes fail to realize is if you’re vaccinated, even if you get influenza, the case fatality rate is very, very low—much lower than if you weren’t vaccinated,” Pollock said.

CITYFLU on 11

2 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SB #5 changes number of signatures needed to declare candidacy Pandemic influences marketing campaign for election

BY AARYA GUPTA campus@theaggie.org Voting for the Fall Quarter 2020 ASUCD elections began at 12 p.m. PST on Nov. 16, and will end at 12 p.m. PST on Nov. 19.

Fifteen candidates are running for six open seats on the senate table, and one candidate is seeking re-election for the External Affairs Vice President position.

On Oct. 8, ASUCD Senate Bill #5, authored

by Karolina Rodriguez and co-authored by Samantha Boudaie, was passed by a 11-0-1 roll call vote.

This bill “temporarily changes the amount

of signatures needed for declaring candidacy as defined in Chapter Four (4) of the Bylaws to 75 for the Fall Quarter 2020 elections,” according to the bill itself.

This bill was introduced “due to our current health crisis,” since some students may have difficulty with finding the normal 125 signatories, according to the bill.

After amassing 75 signatures from undergraduate students via Kerberos and attending a mandatory candidate workshop, candidates were considered officially running and were expected to write their platforms and develop their campaigns.

Memorial Union at UC Davis during an afternoon in Fall Quarter 2020. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)

“Because voting has traditionally been online via the elections website anyway, I don’t foresee any changes on that front,” said Senator Samantha Boudaie via email. “However, campaigning will look significantly different as candidates will have to rely heavily on social media and other virtual platforms to get their votes.”

The Elections Committee “ensures the smooth and fair administration of ASUCD elections [...] coordinates publicity to encourage students to vote, and puts on candidate and ballot measure forums to better inform students of election issues,” according to the UC Davis elections website.

ASUCD Vice President Emily Barneond said that the Elections Committee chair has “been really active in planning early-on.” “[The Elections Committee chair has planned to] implement a comprehensive marketing plan so that students see not only Facebook timelines, but also Instagram [posts], at least just the faces, through some kind of spotlight post of all the candidates running,” Barneond said.

Elections Committee Chair Karolina Rodriguez said via email that ASUCD Creative Media has been working on a completely digital marketing campaign. Creative Media is “an oncampus student design firm,” according to their website.

Some components of the digital marketing campaign include an elections video made by Aggie Studios, an Instagram story takeover on the official UC Davis account, LCD screens in student housing, and social media posts on the ASUCD Instagram account, according to Rodriguez.

“We are in charge of hosting the mandatory candidate workshop that is required for candidates to officially run for a seat, we organize the candidate debate, we work with Creative Media and Aggie Studios to promote elections, we handle any election complaints and issue violation points as necessary,” Rodriguez said.

To vote, students can visit https://elections. ucdavis.edu/vote/, log in with their Kerberos account and then make decisions on ballot measures and Senator candidates.

“Elected officials represent all 35,000 undergraduate students on campus — we typically see about 3,000 voting students in a good fall election cycle,” Boudaie said. “Barely making 10% of the student population to represent the entire student voice is a pretty significant discrepancy. This is why it is incredibly important to have high voter turnout so we can have not only more accurate representation in our student government, but also so that we can truly engage with the campus.”

Rodriguez also echoed these sentiments.

“It is important to vote because ASUCD Senators are advocates in our campus community,” Rodriguez said. “Senators act as a liaison between campus officials and students, allocate budgets to ASUCD’s units and committee chairs and members [...], write legislation to guide ASCUD’s operations and appoint commission and committee chairs and members who advocate for the issues you care about.”

This article was originally published online on Nov. 16, 2020.

Yolo County District Attorney’s Office investigating case of potential voter UC Davis lecturer explains voter intimidation, repression has long history in U.S.

BY SHRADDHA JHINGAN city@theaggie.org The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is currently investigating a case of voter suppression, according to an article from KRCA. “Federal law says that ‘no person … shall intimidate, threaten, coerce … any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of [that] person to vote or to vote as he may choose’,” a document from the American Civil Liberties Union reads. “Many states have their own laws prohibiting voter intimidation.”

A note was left on a voter’s door discouraging them from voting, according to a statement issued by the Yolo County District Attorney on Facebook.

The note reads: “If you are not a citizen, you are not allowed to vote” according to the Facebook post.

Furthermore, the note told the voter to cancel their voter registration, saying “complete a state voter registration cancellation form to return it to the country election office.”

The voter, however, “[…] is an eligible voter and was shocked by this hostile voter suppression effort,” according to the Facebook post.

The Yolo County Elections Office subsequently contacted the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office to begin an investigation.

“The Yolo County Elections office takes voter suppression and voter intimidation tactics very seriously and has contacted the District Attorney’s office to begin an investigation on this matter,” the post reads. “We, along with the District Attorney’s office take race-based claims of voter suppression and intimidation very seriously.”

Isaac Hale, a UC Davis political science

lecturer, explained via email that there is a long history of voter intimidation in the U.S. “In school, we learn about Jim Crow lynching, and cross-burnings,” Hale said via email. “But voter suppression didn’t end after the Civil Rights Movement. In 1981, New Jersey Republicans and the RNC sent out tens of thousands of letters to primarily black and latino voters warning them that violating election laws is a crime and that the polls would be patrolled by the ‘National Ballot Security Task Force.’”

In the past few years, voter intimidation has moved to the government level, “with state legislatures around the country imposing rules making it very difficult to vote in the name of preventing voter fraud,” Hale said via email.

For example, after the Shelby County v.

Holder Supreme Court case in 2013 invalidated some parts of the Voting Rights Act, one in five polling locations in Arizona and Georgia were shuttered, Hale explained.

“There is no good-government rationale for these activities, especially given the gargantuan lines to vote since we’ve seen in these states since that ruling,” Hale said via email. “Voter suppression comes in many forms, from personal threats to government policy.”

Hale explained that there are measures that can be taken to help combat voter intimidation, including challenging the idea of widespread voter fraud.

“Statistically, voter fraud does not exist,” Hale said via email. “However, many prominent Republican politicians, including the president, have insisted without evidence that rampant

voter fraud exists. These kinds of false claims fuel individuals’ beliefs about voter fraud and the legitimacy of election outcomes.”

Another important solution is making “American politics less zero-sum,” according to Hale via email. The winner-take-all approach in the presidential and congressional elections leads to different parties perceiving their opponents as threats. Hale explained that reforms such as ranked-choice or proportional representation can help reduce this problem.

Evidence does not decisively support the idea

that restrictions and voter intimidation have a large impact on voter turnout, according to Hale.

“There is only mixed evidence that sweeping restrictions like voter ID substantially decrease turnout,” Hale said via email. “I would be skeptical that isolated interpersonal incidents of voter intimidation that don’t get significant press have a large impact on the outcome of elections. However, there is a wide consensus that good government reforms like universal vote-by-mail and automatic voter registration increase voter participation.”

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE

Nov. 5 ASUCD Senate meeting appears to have occurred unconstitutionally UC Davis lecturer explains voter intimidation, repression has long history in U.S.

BY SHRADDHA JHINGAN city@theaggie.org The Nov. 5 ASUCD Senate meeting was called to order at 6:10 p.m. by Senator Amanjot Gandhoke, who was substituting for Vice President Emily Barneond. Senator Gandhoke asked for the nominations of temporary Senate pro tempore, after which Senator Samantha Boudaie quickly stepped in, nominating herself because of her experience and the ability to get through the meeting “as quickly as possible.”

An important topic of discussion then began when Gandhoke continued the meeting in judicial chair documentation of Week 5, a move that goes against the ASUCD constitution. The constitution requires the Senate to fill the judicial chair position within four weeks of vacancy before continuing to normal proceedings.

President Kyle Krueger, part of the reviewing committee, presented the reviewing committee’s nominee for the next judicial chair position. The nominee was not present at the meeting. “[A] majority of the committee found her to be the most qualified candidate who applied to the position’s particular applicant pool,” Krueger said. “[The nominee] had an impressive resume.”

Some key points in the nominee’s resume included interning with Congressman Josh Harder, working as an orientation leader—which Krueger said made them “knowledgeable about the day-to-day issues facing students”—and leading a team for the Culture C.O.-O.P.

Senator Roberto Rodriguez Ibarra, however, did not agree with this candidate being proposed.

“As most of you know, I was an independent candidate, meaning I did not have any affiliation with any political [slate] at UC Davis,” Ibarra said. “Lately I’ve been noticing how corrupt some people are at interviews and that is the main reason I don’t go to interviews, because most of the time they already know who they are going to hire, which is mostly their friends, which is quite unfair because oftentimes they are unqualified.”

Ibarra said that while some people may learn fast on the job, he does not think this applies to the nominated candidate, citing her lack of knowledge on the bylaws or constitution.

“Since this is a chair position, I feel we need someone qualified and with previous experience and with understanding of our government documents,” Ibarra said. “When asked about specific duties of the judicial council, she only answered ‘binding rules.’”

Due to the nominee’s absence at the confirmation hearing, President Krueger was asked by Senator Gandhoke if he would be willing to answer some questions regarding concerns of the nominee, to which Krueger said he could try, but could not speak for the applicant.

Gandhoke then motioned for Senate discussion.

“I would be really hesitant to give someone the

confirmation without knowing their experience with the judicial codes and judicial council,” said Senator Juan Velasco, pointing out that the reviewing committee was actually divided on who to pick.

Academic Affairs Commission Chair Navreet Hundal, however, expressed her disappointment toward Ibarra’s and Velasco’s comments.

“When it comes to determining a person’s qualifications, they need to have a perfect and exact understanding of the bylaws,” Hundal said. “I understand there needs to be an understanding and

I respect that, but for this to be a blast argument again and again, I’m tired of it. This person is a person and deserves to have this learning curve.”

Senator Mahan Carduny said that, “When someone brings up a nominee, especially for judicial council, I do not think there is much to go on except someone’s qualifications.”

Senator Boudaie said that, according to the bylaw, the person must be present on the date of confirmation.

SENATE6 on 11

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 | 3

Davis district teachers grapple with safety and education quality amidst return to campus debate

According to educators, during this period of online learning teachers are “not able to serve every student,” like education should

By KATIE DEBENEDETTI features@theaggie.org Most school districts, including the Davis Joint Unified School District (DJUSD), have been online since the pandemic broke out in March, entering unknown territory for both students and teachers. This posed challenges and caused teachers at all levels to adopt new teaching styles, but has been especially challenging for teachers of elementary and secondary-aged children.

Now, almost eight months later, the district plans to remain online through the end of January, though the format of education in the future is largely unknown. There is much debate in the community over the quality of online education and whether it is worth the risk to send students— and educators—back to campuses.

Jessica Beckinger, a kindergarten and first Davis Senior High School is one of many schools in Davis that switched to online learning in regrade teacher at Birch Lane Elementary, expressed sponse to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Justin Han / Aggie) the difficulty that she and her colleagues had are finally in a routine with online learning, the “When we went to distance learning in the when they first began to move their Montessori hours required are longer than when she was able spring, we’d already had most of the school classroom online in March. to teach in person. Though her hours are usually year to build relationships with our students,” “Montessori is a very hands-on philosophy, from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Beckinger said that she is Beckinger said. “When they saw our faces on especially with the very young grade levels, so that usually at school until 5 or 6 p.m. each night. the screen, they could connect them to an actual has been a challenge,” Beckinger said. “Some of Jo Eberle, a geography, computer arts and human being who they knew. This year, we started the ways we have been tackling that is to work as multimedia teacher at R.W. Emerson Junior High with a whole new group of kindergarteners, most a kindergarten and first grade team. There are five School, also said that the online curriculum is of whom we have not met in person, so they have of us at that grade level so we’ve each taken a few more time-consuming than teaching in person. no connection to us in the real world. We’re not subjects and we’re creating video lessons in our “It’s more work because there’s less room for the ones they love or want to work for.” subjects each week and sending them out to all improvising,” Eberle said. “It feels like it needs One way that she has been trying to reach out the students.” to be a lot tighter, a lot more prepared, because I to new students is by offering families sociallyMontessori has a play-based learning style and can’t just write something on the board and expect distanced meetings outside her classroom. The it relies heavily on students’ movement throughout everybody to write it in their notes. I need a digital family will come and sit in lawn chairs six feet apart the classroom, interaction with peers and teachers copy or a way for students to turn it in. It all needs with their masks on and get to know Beckinger, as well as play with specific materials. Beckinger a level of detail that is different than before.” which helps the students be more receptive to her said that this style of education has been hard to In addition to the extra work that online on Zoom. transition to Zoom, but dividing the work and learning has created for educators, it has also made Another challenge online learning has making paper Montessori materials to send to the connecting with students difficult. Beckinger said exposed is the discrepancies between students’ kids’ homes has been helpful. that forming virtual relationships with young home situations and the impact this could have on She said that though she and her colleagues students has been particularly challenging. their ability to learn. Beckinger explained that she

has some families who do not speak any English, and while usually five-year-olds would be able to pick up the language in person, they are having a difficult time over Zoom. Another of her students is on the autism spectrum and has sensory issues with screens, which means the student’s mom has had to watch all of the lessons and re-teach them to her child without the us of screens.

Eberle said that she is experiencing similar problems with her middle schoolers.

“There are 30-40 brand new students to Emerson,” Eberle said. “How do they make friends with students who have been in the same classes since kindergarten or pre-k? And, there are kids who I can’t stop from multitasking. They turn off their video and I can’t stand over them [...] it’s hard to see where their problems are and solve them, that takes more time.”

Online learning has also impacted teachers’ home lives. Beckinger has two young children and a husband who works out of the house, so she explained that she has had to juggle teaching and caring for her children while at home. “[In March], I had to teach from home and my daughter’s preschool had stopped, so I had the kids 24/7 with no childcare because no one would come because COVID had just started,” Beckinger said. “Managing a four-year-old, oneyear-old and teaching online with no help, no breaks, is a lot of burden.”

Now, in November, the idea of returning to campus has become a heavily-debated issue nationwide. Despite the challenges of Zoom and the impact of online learning on education, educators have major concerns about the safety and logistics of returning to school.

Though Beckinger understands the struggle of having kids in online learning, she has reservations about teaching in person.

DISTRICTTEACHERS on 11

Yolo County Food Bank distributed 1,000,000 pounds of food in October, holiday season could increase need

With fewer government support programs available, Yolo County food donation programs expand service

By JELENA LAPUZ city@theaggie.org Similarly to how COVID-19 has affected many things this year, the pandemic and the upcoming

holiday season will impact the operations of the Yolo County Food Bank.

Yolo County Public Information Officer Jenny Tan noted the likelihood that the upcoming holiday season would lead to gatherings of people despite the threat of COVID-19.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

“We definitely know that people are going to gather,” Tan said. “We’re trying to impress upon people how they can gather safely and that ultimately, the best thing that they can do is to actually not gather at all.”

Tan also discussed the most recent Yolo County press release, which allows outdoor gatherings of no more than three households with up to 16 people for two hours or less.

For nonprofit organizations such as the Short Term Emergency Aid Committee (STEAC), the upcoming holiday season could lead to an increase in the demand for services.

STEAC Executive Director Liane Moody expressed her concern that the upcoming holiday season could lead to an increase in need from the community. Early in the pandemic, Moody explained how more government support programs were available such as stimulus checks, unemployment payments and eviction moratoriums, but now those programs are coming to an end.

“We have already seen a huge increase in the number of people who are facing financial difficulty,” Moody said. “We expect that to continue and to get difficult throughout the

holiday and then as long as the situation persists.”

Yolo Food Bank Director of Philanthropic Engagement Joy Cohan reflected on how the COVID-19 pandemic more than doubled the organization’s activities.

“We have experienced a massive increase in demand for our services,” Cohan said. “We are both collecting and distributing 2 ½ times more food than we were pre-pandemic.”

Cohan further explained that Yolo Food Bank has served approximately 60,000 Yolo County residents monthly. The organization has also been regularly distributing between 800,000 to 900,000 pounds of food each month and exceeded that amount in October with 1,000,000 pounds of food.

Tan expressed concern that the upcoming cold season could lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

“People just tend to get more sick in the winter normally,” Tan said. “With the introduction of COVID this year, it definitely adds another layer of something else that people can get or can suffer from.”

FOODDRIVE on 11

City of Davis approves 10-year plan to fix deteriorating bike paths and roads $84 million plan involves no tax increases, pace of work depends on recession service

By RACHEL SHEY city@theaggie.org The Davis City Council has approved a plan to fix the city’s bike paths and roads. Davis roads are some of the worst in the region, with a pavement condition index of 57, lower than every city in the region and the statewide average of 65.A subcommittee formed in January by Davis Mayor Gloria Partida and Councilman Dan Carson created the plan.

The roads are in poor shape partly because of funding issues. Whereas applying a new coat of asphalt to a road is fairly simple and inexpensive, it is much more expensive to fix roads which have deteriorated to the point of requiring reconstruction, according to Carson.

In addition, Carson explained that Davis has a large quantity of roads and bike paths: 166 miles of roads and 52 miles of bike and shared-use paths have been identified for rehabilitation.

“Not all local jurisdictions have the extensive network of bike paths that we do,” Carson said.

Carson explained that the subcommittee focused a great deal of attention on reducing the costs of the project.

“The price tag we saw in January was a bit of a stunner, of $118 million over 10 years,” Carson said. “The original estimates had assumed that all bike path repair work in the city would be done using a material called portland cement. Trying to

do all the work that way meant very little work got done, but the rest of the bike paths deteriorated, and as they deteriorated, the costs of their repair would go up immensely.”

Changing the plan to use portland cement on a more targeted basis brought the total bill for the project down to $84 million. The city had already budgeted $53 million to do the work, and the subcommittee cobbled together the $31 million funding gap from various other unused areas of the budget, including $12.1 million from the General Fund, which comes mainly from sales taxes, motel taxes, property taxes and business license fees.

The Davis City Council putting forth a plan to improve roads and bike paths. (Justin Han / Aggie) The remainder of the gap will be filled with $10.1 million earmarked to offset road damage of funding could slow the funding of new but this plan allows for steady progress to meet the goals of the city council.” by garbage trucks, $6 million of uncommitted programs or projects.”

When informed about the poor condition of A key part of funding the new project comes special funds for road and bike path rehabilitation projects and $2.8 million of uncommitted from increasing economic development in Davis, the roads in Davis, Jeffrey Nichols, a UC Davis although a large amount of the funds are already third-year mathematics PhD student, expressed community enhancement funds. surprise.

A city of Davis staff report explains that available.

“Davis roads, from a cyclist perspective, To some extent, the pace of the project although the road reconstruction project exceeded definitely seem above average, having lived in its budget, it won’t have adverse long-term effects depends on when the current recession ends. The Texas and Colorado before California,” Nichols budgeting constraints of the project add “real on other city programs.

“No currently budgeted program or accountability and transparency” to the project, said.

Nichols stated that the cyclist culture in Davis infrastructure project would lose funding as the city budget and finance commission will be is one thing that does not need to be fixed. monitoring its progress, according to Carson. because of the adoption of this plan,” the staff “It’s important to maintain the roads; that’s “We’ve put together a plan that will put the report reads. “The ramp-up of road and bike path rehabilitation work would still allow other city of Davis on the right track to significantly obviously necessary, but whatever it is that important transportation infrastructure and repair improve the condition of our roads and bike Davis did to create this bike-friendly culture, projects to proceed, although this reprioritization paths,” Carson said. “It won’t happen overnight, they definitely need to make sure that it keeps happening,” Nichols said. “It’s awesome.”

4 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

Students explore ways to celebrate Thanksgiving during the pandemic Suggestions and guidelines on how to safely celebrate this holiday season can also be found at cdc.gov

BY LIANA MAE ATIZADO features@theaggie.org For many students, Thanksgiving break typically consists of well-deserved rest from school, expressions of gratitude, family gatherings and home-cooked meals.

As the 2020 holiday season approaches and county-wide restrictions change based on the fluctuating number of COVID-19 cases, UC Davis students and their families must adapt their traditions to fit county guidelines.

Despite the restrictions in place, three students have found a variety of ways to celebrate Thanksgiving safely with their families.

Zoe Slipper, a third-year international relations major, is planning to have a sociallydistanced, outdoor get-together with her family. In order to be safe, her at-risk family members, such as her grandparents, won’t be attending.

“It’s definitely less-planned than usual in regards to knowing exactly how it’s going to go and who’s going to come,” Slipper said. “But at the same time, we have a lot more stress in regards to keeping each other safe.”

While she is currently living in Davis, Slipper plans to travel to her home in San Diego and stay there until New Year’s. This minimizes the amount of travel she has to undergo and lowers the risk of contracting and spreading the virus. She emphasized the importance of getting tested for COVID-19 before traveling, especially during the holidays.

“There’s definitely a greater amount of fear traveling back and forth,” Slipper said. “I’ve been hyper-aware of what I’m doing at school and who I’m seeing, and making sure that I’m getting tested before and after I travel.”

Some students’ family traditions are not significantly impacted by COVID-19. Paola Simbulan, a fourth-year design major, typically spends Thanksgiving at home, cooking with her immediate family.

“We don’t typically go outside during Thanksgiving,” Simbulan said. “We like to stay inside, listening to music while

CATHY TANG / AGGIE

we’re cooking. We watch the parade in the morning and sometimes at night we have a fire. Just chilling the whole day with the family.”

Simbulan moved back to Southern California when lockdown measures first took effect. Upon hearing about the possibility of quarantine after Winter Quarter finals, she packed up her belongings and left Davis. Since then, she has been spending more time with her family at home. She took note of the way her family continues to make the most out of special occasions, despite the restrictions in place.

“Thanksgiving happens to land on my dad’s birthday this year,” Simbulan said. “We’re going to

try to make it as special as we can during quarantine.”

Other students are utilizing the internet to bring their physically-distant family members closer together. Kory Chan, a fourth-year animal science major, usually spends Thanksgiving with his extended family. Each family would cook their own food according to a chosen theme, then they would reunite, enjoy the food and play games together.

Chan’s family decided to move their Thanksgiving celebration online this year. They still plan to prepare their own food, but instead of physically gathering together, they will deliver the food to their nearby family members. Afterwards, they plan to have a meal

together over Zoom.

“It’s actually a blessing in disguise to have it all virtually, because it allows us to bring in more of our family members that don’t live here,” Chan said. “We have some in Georgia, some in Canada, a couple in Kentucky. They usually don’t meet up with us, but by having it on Zoom, we can include everybody.”

While Chan typically enjoys his family’s inperson gatherings, he prioritizes the safety of himself and his family members.

“I know it’s the holidays and people really want to get together with their families, but it’s so important to make sure you’re doing it safely,” Chan said.

For those who are still in the process of making Thanksgiving plans, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has compiled a list of tips to keep celebrations safe.

Aside from the typical instructions to wear a mask, stay six feet away from those outside of your household and wash your hands, additional tips include: Have a small outdoor meal with a limited number of guests.

Bring your own food, drinks, plates, cups and utensils.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items between use.

Get your flu shot before you travel.

Consider hosting a virtual Thanksgiving meal or playing games with people in your household.

More suggestions and guidelines on how to safely celebrate this holiday season can be found at cdc.gov. Thanksgiving guidelines for California include limiting gatherings to fewer than three households, protecting older, at-risk family members and keeping windows open for increased air circulation.

The Community Advising Network and the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center lend support to marginalized communities in crisis Mental health workers and advocates for marginalized groups provide insight into the unique struggles community members face

The Student Community Center at UC Davis. (Quinn Spooner / Aggie)

BY LYRA FARRELL features@theaggie.org Many have struggled with stress related to the continued effects of the virus and the recent election. According to Liliana Campos—a health psychology doctoral intern for the Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) who partners with the AB540 and Undocumented Student Center—for some marginalized groups, the effects have been especially burdensome.

“I think [with] the presidential election, [the undocumented community is] among the most marginalized communities that would have been affected, that are affected,” Campos said. “And I think that in the conversations of whether it

be a vaccine, whether it be financial support for communities, these are communities that are still left out of the conversation.”

Michelle Burt, the director of multicultural services for the Community Advising Network (CAN), said that it can be difficult to know how to seek support as a member of a marginalized community.

“Students’ experiences navigating stress related to managing [the] impact of COVID, racial injustice, economic and political uncertainty can lead anyone to feel isolated and overwhelmed,” Burt said via email. “It can be challenging for students to know how and where to get help.”

Marian Ashley Fecha, a second-year economics major and mental health and cultural identity advocate for the UC Davis AB540 and

Undocumented Student Center, mentioned some of the ways the center is helping to fulfill basic needs for the undocumented community.

“So far, we have hosted support group workshops with our mental health partners, provided bedding (applications are still out for some), emergency grants, food vouchers, and are currently working on sharing other resources with the community with the hopes that they will feel less burdened,” Fecha said.

According to Laura Bohórquez García, the director of the AB540 and Undoumented Student Center, the center offers beneficial resources alongside community interaction.

“Opportunities to be in and create [a] community and access to emergency grants are two of the biggest strengths that the Center is

currently providing,” García said.

With the grant, students can receive up to $500 that can be put toward basic needs and expenses brought on by the burdens that COVID-19 may have caused for them and their families.

A new support group provided by the AB540 and Undoumented Student Center, called ‘Together We Rise,’ meets every first and third Monday of the month from 1-2 p.m., and allows undocumented students to meet with the center’s mental health partners to discuss their experiences together.

Fecha said that her role as a mental health advocate for CAN has been enriched by the conversations she’s had with underserved communities.

“My own experience as an Asian femme immigrant within the LGBTQIA+ spectrum does allow me to have perspective and empathy, however, it was having those tough conversations and listening to the stories of those similar and those very different to me that allows me to be sensitive,” Fecha said. “Understanding burnout, intergenerational trauma, financial stressors, the myth that is the American Dream.”

Campos noted that she’s seen an attitude that is unique to those in the undocumented community since the beginning of the virus outbreak.

“So much about the community that I connect with [...] is that there’s this sense of hope, no matter how bad things are,” Campos said.

“And I really do think that this is super unique to this community, as many of them have lived their entire lives under chronic stress and under chronic uncertainty.”

She mentioned that although the undocumented community may handle the stressors well, fundamental social and political atmospheres need to change in order to move past the marginalization to which they have been subject.

“I think the community is so incredibly resilient,” Campos said. “And at the same time, we need to change the environment so that they can continue to thrive. [...] We can’t keep doing the same type of mental health work without actually changing the social conditions and the political conditions.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 | 5

OPINION ASUCD ENDORSEMENTS: CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING

THE

EDITO RIA L B OA RD

The Editorial Board endorses five candidates for ASUCD Senate and one candidate for EAVP ASUCD Fall Elections began today on Monday, Nov. 16, with 15 Senate candidates running for six available seats and one candidate running for external affairs vice president (EAVP). The Editorial Board interviewed 13 of the 15 candidates running for Senate and the uncontested candidate for EAVP. Senate Endorsements: Ryan Manriquez — BASED The Editorial Board was impressed with third-year political science major and transfer student Ryan Manriquez’s commitment to advocacy based on personal experience as a student with a disability and also as a patient ambassador for Biogen. Manriquez has specific goals and plans for ensuring that all students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to succeed at UC Davis— these include coordinating with Executive Office and the Disability Rights and Advocacy Team—and has already worked with Executive Office in strategic planning for a survey being sent to students with disabilities at UC Davis. The Disability Rights Advocacy Committee (DRAC) provides vital support for students with disabilities, and Manriquez seems passionate and equipped to restore it. His platforms of working to address mental health and increase student outreach are admirable, and his strong understanding of how ASUCD works and specific plans for implementing his platform are commendable.

Maahum Shahab — BASED Maahum Shahab, a second-year international relations major, is dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities. The Editorial Board was impressed by her experience working within the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and the Cross Cultural Center as well as her extensive platform, notably covering student activism for students of color, housing insecurity and increased resources for sexual assualt and domestic violence. Although her platforms are ambituous, she demonstrated achievable ways of implementing them such as working alongside the Sexual Assault Awareness and Advocacy Committee (SAAAC) as well as the Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission (ECAC) and the External Affairs Commission (EAC). The Editorial Board was also impressed with her knowledge of ASUCD and senatorial responsibilities.

Kabir Sahni — BASED As a third-year international relations major and international student, Kabir Sahni aims to be an advocate for his international student community. The Editorial Board hopes that, if elected, Sahni’s background working for the ECAC and SISS will allow him to skillfully work to represent and support students from both local and international marginalized communities. Sahni demonstrated clear ways in which he could accomplish his goals such as partnering with cultural organizations to foster a safe and interactive space and creating a new committee for international students. The Editorial Board also hopes that he will be able to accomplish his goals relating to increased accessibility for mental health resources on campus.

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

ANJINI VENUGOPAL Editor-in-Chief

Erika Valle — BASED As a recently-appointed interim senator, fourth-year political science major and transfer student Erika Valle showed a clear understanding of the inner workings of ASUCD and had realistic, well-thought-out goals for her term as a senator. In addition to her previous work with ASUCD, she also has experience interning with the Yolo County Democratic Party. The Editorial Board hopes she can achieve her goals of increasing transfer student representation through greater engagement with the Transfer, Reentry and Veterans Committee (TRVC) and increasing diversity and off-campus advocacy. As Valle is a fourth-year, however, she will be unable to complete her term, and the Senate will have to appoint an interim senator to replace her for her final seven weeks. Consequently, the Editorial Board has concerns that she will be unable to accomplish the entirety of her platform during her limited time. Despite this possible issue, the Board ultimately chose to endorse her because her extensive experience is impressive and she appears capable of bringing thoughtfulness and skill to this position if elected.

MARGO ROSENBAUM Managing Editor SABRINA HABCHI Campus News Editor EDEN WINNIFORD City News Editor CALVIN COFFEE Opinion Editor SOPHIE DEWEES Features Editor ALLIE BAILEY Arts & Culture Editor OMAR NAVARRO Sports Editor MADELEINE PAYNE Science & Tech Editor

Kristin Mifsud — THRIVE Second-year political science major and neurodiverse student Kristin Mifsud’s specific plans to work with the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) to support neurodiverse students make her a compelling candidate to rebuild DRAC, which is vital to advocate for students with disabilities. Mifsud’s experience as a legislative staffer in her first year and familiarity with Senate meetings will equip her to accomplish her platforms of increasing neurodiversity awareness on campus. Mifsud expressed the necessity of expanding neurodiversity seminars to a wider audience, which the Editorial Board recognizes is critical and thinks that Mifsud’s commitment and experience will allow her to present her ideas to the table and advocate for neurodiverse students. Her platform of increasing student connectivity is a particularly relevant issue in light of COVID-19, and she impressed the Editorial Board with her commitment and passion to work with the Entertainment Council.

SIERRA JIMENEZ New Media Manager JUSTIN HAN Photo Director KATHERINE FRANKS Design Director JOELLE TAHTA Layout Director KAITLIN ARAGHI Copy Chief ALEX WEINSTEIN Copy Chief KESHAV AGRAWAL Website Manager

External Affairs Vice President: Maria Martinez — Independent Current External Affairs Vice President Maria Martinez told the Editorial Board about the difficulty in transitioning to virtual advocacy as a result of COVID-19 and said she has room to improve by way of advocating for local reform; that said, she has provided a presence in the University of California Students Association (UCSA), advocated for ASUCD and presented compassionate policies from other UC campuses that UC Davis should implement. Martinez mentioned that as a woman of color, she often provides perspective that administrators and others in the room may forget or fail to see, and the Editorial Board thinks that this is important to bear in mind. Her work toward UCPD policing reform, support for Double the Pell and emphasis on inclusion of undocumented students with the Pell Grant underscores her commitment to advocating for UC Davis students.

BEN CHENG Social Media Manager JOSHUA GAZZANIGA Distribution Manager LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

Disclaimer: The Editorial Board can endorse up to six Senate candidates and one external affairs vice president. The Board also retains the right to not endorse any candidates for these positions.

ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS WERE CRUCIAL TO BIDEN’S VICTORY

2020’S CONSTANT CYCLE OF STRESS HAS WEAKENED OUR BODIES

Historically, the environment has taken a back seat to many other issues in national politics, but 2020 has not been an ordinary year

Social media and partisan politics have sent our immune systems spiraling

BY JOE SWEENEY jmsweeney@ucdavis.edu The election. It’s what everyone’s been talking about for the past month. People have been talking about President Donald Trump, President-elect Joe Biden, congressional seats, local seats and everything in between. Voting is a fundamental tenet of our democracy and Trump’s recent attacks on it have rightfully shaken the core of the nation. The administration’s various lawsuits and baseless claims of widespread voter fraud are a thinly veiled distraction from a last attempt to push through a wide variety of policies as quickly as possible. These last efforts of a dying administration include 24 environmental rollbacks in addition to the 84 completed dismantlements of fundamental environmental protections. These federal regulations range from legislation on toxic substances and pollution to federal climate change policy. The MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE

Trump administration has repeatedly shown a blatant disregard for environmental health–– and in turn, human life.

Historically, the environment has not been a hot button issue for voters. According to data from the Environmental Voter Project (EVP), about 50% of voters who identified as environmentalists did not vote in the 2016 election. It is easy for many voters to forget about environmental issues if they are not directly impacting their daily lives, like the enormous wildfires that have rocked our state the past few years. Although environmental issues affect everyone, they have a disproportionate effect on Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

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.

ENVIROVOTE on 11

KATHERINE HUNG / AGGIE

BY KACEY CAIN klcain@ucdavis.edu As humans, we endure many stressful life events. Although it’s nothing close to the stress our ancestors experienced—the occasional runin with a dangerous animal while scavenging for food—we do have our own versions of stressful events that can seem inescapable.

Stress is not a temporary mood that comes and goes from one deadline to the next. Rather, its intensity and persistence negatively impact our body. There’s a long and complex list of bodily changes we experience when we are stressed, but the most relevant are the changes to our immune system. In simple terms, constant stress leads to a suppressed immune system— making it easier for us to get sick.

Since 2020 began, we have been in a constant cycle of stress. With the pandemic, we have faced months of uncertainty and bad news. We also abided by the stay-at-home orders and witnessed devastating fires in Australia, the arrival of murder hornets, the Beirut explosion, a stock market crash and many other stressinducing events—all of which contributed to the rise in COVID-19 cases as the year has progressed.

Unsurprisingly, the 2020 election has shown no mercy on our already stressful lives. At a time when we need to be united, it feels like we are more divided than ever. The two-party system of our democracy has divided families, friends and co-workers. We find ourselves constantly monitoring the media and people around us, quick to cut ties with the people and organizations that don’t have the same views. Regardless of who you support, we are all struggling to find neutral ground.

At the end of an election cycle, the stress and polarization we feel typically lessens after election day passes and the results have been finalized. Whether our candidate wins or loses, we accept the outcome and go on with our lives.

This year, however, is not a typical election year.

Rather than having conclusive results on Nov. 3, we seemed to be living in a Groundhog Day scenario where each day, for almost a week, was election day. With no end in sight, of the pandemic or the election, our immune systems suffered from our heightened state of anxiety.

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.

SICK on 11

6 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

HUMOR Ask Amy: Dear Amy, it’s me, Amy (you), and I’m stuck in a dead-end job. Help!

Advice columnist Amy Dickinson faces her toughest challenge yet

CATHY TANG / AGGIE

BY BENJAMIN PORTER bbporter@ucdavis.edu Dear Amy: As you probably know, I’ve been writing the nationally syndicated advice column “Ask Amy” for over a decade. Every day. For over

a decade. Yes, that’s right, every single day in my daily column every day, I, Amy Dickinson, respond to three people who send me emails about their problems. Three people. Every single day.

Sometimes people send me detailed descriptions of their various troubles and predicaments, their trials and tribulations, literal

litanies of everything wrong in their lives. And I have to respond. Sometimes they send me short little comments criticizing me for every “wrong” or “incomplete” bit of advice I’ve ever given.

And I have to respond. No matter what, I have to respond. I have to respond with sound, responsible, compassionate, empathetic, practical and helpful advice that can actually improve people’s lives.

But sometimes this can be pretty damn hard. You know why? Because it turns out you Americans are actually really f**ked up! I know that as somewhat of a mental health professional myself, I’m not supposed to say things like this, but sometimes people like me need to f**king vent too! So let me be the first to tell you: All of you Americans are crazy! You’re bats**t crazy! Every last one a’ yas!

When I first started this job, I thought it would be more of a lighthearted, silly and humorous little gig. I thought I’d come to be known as a comedic personality by writing clever and witty responses to amusing but only mildly unfortunate stories from otherwise happy people. But this job has really destroyed my faith in humanity. Before starting my column, I genuinely believed that most people were “mostly happy,” “happy enough,” “just about happy” or at least “not unhappy.” I thought that people didn’t really have that many serious concerns in general. But NOPE! That is far from the truth! Y’all are coping with some serious s**t! And you’re not afraid to share it in the newspaper either! I mean it. People are surprisingly willing—much more willing than you’d think— to actually write in national newspapers about

some of the most serious, deep, problematic, real, heartbreaking and messed-up s**t that used to be inconceivable to me!

I had to counsel a wife on whether or not to leave her husband who got caught going on sex benders after he was sent an email receipt for leaving an online review for a prostitute. I had to help a woman whose Catholic family was harassing her for not baptizing her child. I had to tell a couple whether they should ghost the friend who incessantly accused them of asking her to be in a threesome with them when they never made such a request. I had to explain to a woman that her husband was most likely not trying to ruin her life by telling her negative information about everything that she likes. I had to respond to concerns about a potentially racist dog! I had to coach someone on how to politely get a neighbor (who potentially had mental health or substance abuse problems) to stop going on their property and watering their lawn and windows. I had to mediate a spousal argument about whether sneaking up on each other in the house is funny or traumatic. I had to address someone who feared that they were facilitating adultery at their church fellowship group after noticing some “funny business” under the table and while “doing the dishes.”

This article is humor and/or satire, and it’s content is purely fictional. The story and or names of “sources” are fictionalized.

ASKAMY on 11

UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine discover Gunrock is ‘just a guy in a horse suit,’ lose $3 million in funding So you’re telling me that’s NOT a real blue horse in a basketball jersey?

BY ISABELLA CHUECOS ifchuecos@ucdavis.edu The grad students at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine are an exceptionally bright bunch.

As the top-ranked graduate program for veterinary medicine, they’ve got a series of groundbreaking discoveries under their belt. You know how you can’t feed your dog chocolate or they’ll kick the bucket? They did all of that research at UC Davis. Some dogs may have been harmed in the process, but I digress. They also have pioneered studies on why you can’t give cats belly rubs––spoiler alert: It’s because all cats are assholes.

Everything in the history of veterinary medicine has led to this moment. Grad students

have been working tirelessly on a new project aiming to provide more intel on a species that seems to stalk the students of UC Davis: Project Gunrock.

“I see this thing everywhere. I didn’t go to Davis for undergrad, so I’m not really from around here, but I can say that that thing is not normal,” said David Spell, one of the top School of Veterinary Medicine students. “It’s like, none of these silly little undergrads are alarmed by a literal blue horse walking around? That could very well be an invasive species!”

This article is humor and/or satire, and it’s content is purely fictional. The story and or names of “sources” are fictionalized.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

GUNROCK on 11

Armchair Psychologists Association fails to take off on-campus

Georgia really milking that election attention

BY RUSHI TAWADE rntawade@ucdavis.edu

When it comes to the mental health of others, don’t be an armchair psychologist

BY RENEE WANG reswang@ucdavis.edu Second-year Bonnie Devlin and thirdyear Ayden Herman have banded together to create the Armchair Psychologists Association on campus. The association gives advice and mediates relationships for free. Together, Devlin and Herman have one and a half classes worth of psychology experience, in addition to the one

crash course video Herman watched on YouTube.

“My psychology professor told me it was a terrible idea to give out therapy without a license … and less than half of a psychology class taken,” Devlin said.

This article is humor and/or satire, and it’s content is purely fictional. The story and or names of “sources” are fictionalized.

DEPRESSIONS on 11 KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

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

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 | 7

NJIDEKA AKUNYILI CROSBY GIVES BETTY JEAN AND WAYNE THIEBAUD ENDOWED LECTURE The skilled painter shed light on the behind-the-scenes of her artistic process

BY LIVVY MULLEN arts@theaggie.org This year marks the fifth consecutive year of The Betty Jean and Wayne Thiebaud Endowed Lecture. The lecture, put together by The Department of Art and Art History and the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, invites acclaimed artists to offer their knowledge to the UC Davis community.

The occasion this year, which took place on Nov. 12, was special in many ways. First, the featured artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby, had to deliver her lecture over Zoom. Second, it was also a celebration of acclaimed UC Davis alumni and lecture sponsor Wayne Thiebaud’s centennial! And like any birthday that happened in the last nine months, it wasn’t complete without a ten minute compilation video of everyone you know wishing you happy birthday. After a warm celebration and welcoming, Akunyili Crosby began discussing her work.

She called in from her studio in Los Angeles.

Her Zoom background displayed the white walls behind her, filled with paintings in progress and various supplies. She first explained she was born in Enugu, Nigeria, spending her adolescence between her ancestral village and Lagos. She moved to the U.S. at the age of 16 and later went on to study painting at multiple institutions.

Akunyili Crosby spoke of how this plays into her personhood and art, how she values her dual identities and the ways they intersect. She explained her perspective as “always experiencing life through a Nigerian lens” and emphasized that “the Nigeria part and America part sit side by side.”

Akunyili Croby continued her presentation with a brief history of Nigeria, clarifying that understanding the past is needed to understand

her art. She scrolled through various images. All of them subtly depicted Britain’s colonial rule over Nigeria, featuring clothes and traditions adapted from Britain. Though Nigeria became independent in 1960, the remains of colonial rule linger.

“The things they brought with don’t vanish.

Leftover British presence, you can see in our culture,” she said. This adaptation is a driving force for Akunyili Croby. “200 tribes, British presence, and American pop culture weave together to build something new. This is what I’m trying to put my hand on.”

In addition to change and adaptation in Nigeria as a country, she also talked about looking closer and noting the difference in it’s people.

More specifically, generationally. She said that she liked mapping the changes in the country throughout her family’s different perspectives, stating “Tradition gets more complex with each subsequent generation.” She used fashion, language and opinion as evidence of this change.

“Tradition is not static. It is something that is always shifting, changing and reinventing itself.”

As soon as she displayed her first painting, everyone could feel how personal her work is.

The work she showed was Nwantinti, a piece she did in 2012. The effect of looking at one of her paintings for the first time is overwhelming.

The eye is instantly captured by the incredible detail in the painting and the bold colors. When looking closer, individuals realize the dimension has a source. Akunyili Crosby’s paintings are all done on paper, normally seven-by-seven and are a mix of paint, photo transfer and collage.

Individuals can zoom in to see much of the piece is made up of various small images. This detail makes her paintings compelling. The longer individuals look at them, the more interesting

Picture of artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. (Courtesy/Brigitte Sire) they get.

The audience can tell the images have been carefully chosen. A good work to emulate this is Predecessors, 2013. She walked the audience through painting, explaining “This is really an ode to Nigerian women doing amazing things I admire.” She can pick out each image and explain why she chose it and where it came from, giving the painting infinite layers and stories to tell. She briefly explained her process of acquiring the pictures. She has been collecting them since 2009 on an external hard drive she lovingly referred to as “an extension of my arm.” The process takes a long time; the image must resonate with her to be included.

She explained she is driven by “duality in

work” and aims to present her pieces with various pockets of detail. This is evident. It is obvious her painting skills are masterful, but it is the contrast of the detailed areas and the purposefully simplified techniques that complete the composition. She wants to “create space that doesn’t fit in one box” and does it perfectly.

Despite slight technical difficulties, Njideka Akunyili Crosby delivered an impressive, engrossing lecture. Her work renders people speechless and descriptions of her work add layers beyond comprehension. Her paintings are an amalgamation of a person, each piece solidifying a lifetime of memories and meaning.

Check out https://arts.ucdavis.edu/artstudio-events for future events.

RELIGION BECOMES REDEFINED FOR RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS AS THEY TRANSITION TO DIGITAL PLATFORMS Many UC Davis religious groups find that students are having trouble adapting to virtual format as participation, faith and morale have decreased

Members of the MSA staging a protest to stand with the Uyghur Muslims in China in front of the Memorial Union last year. (Muslim Student Association at UC Davis / Courtesy)

BY FARRAH BALLOU features@theaggie.org When COVID-19 escalated in March, governors began instating statewide measures focused on restricting public gatherings and exposure. Shutdowns closed a majority of the country, and with them, religious institutions were forced to close too. Nearing the end of the year, certain restrictions have been lifted to allow for religious gatherings to take place under strict safety guidelines.

The Newman Catholic Center, the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and the Jewish Law Student Association (JLSA) are among many religious organizations that were initially banned

from having in-person meetings and now have been permitted to host events according to county guidelines. Consequently, they are implementing a hybrid model with most meetings occurring online. Representatives from these organizations described shifts in their procedures as they were forced to pivot online.

According to Vince Nims, the director of the Newman Catholic Center, the organization has adhered to state restrictions as well as the University Religious Council’s COVID-19 guidelines. Nims stated that though county guidelines initially restricted all masses to take place online, overtime there was a shift to outdoor and indoor masses.

“As a student org, the Newman Center is not

doing any activities, but as an institution of the Catholic Church we’re still operating, having mass and prayer events,” Nims said.

To allow for greater accessibility of their events, the Newman’s masses and weekly Newman Nights were streamed online through Zoom, according to Nims.

Similarly, Cenna Abboushi, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and the external vice president of MSA, stated that the organization took similar precautions and shifted all meetings online. Currently, the MSA is completely digital and Abboushi stated that the organization has taken several steps to strengthen community bonds.

“We’ve been heavily relying on our Instagram,” Abboushi said. “Doing more interactive videos has been really important for us and advertising a lot on our Facebook and creating event pages.”

With no in-person meetings, the MSA has focused on strengthening their social media presence and producing an interactive online experience. Amidst the pandemic, the organization even created their own TikTok page which, Abboushi said, was used to invigorate involvement and excite the incoming freshman.

Alexander Watson, the treasurer of the JLSA and a second-year UC Davis law student, described similar efforts of redirecting all events to be online. Many were canceled, however, due to their inability to be successfully offered online.

Despite efforts to increase community interaction online, all three representatives mentioned that the digital atmosphere made it difficult to have a united community. Both Abboushi and Watson highlighted that, prior to the pandemic, offering food at meetings served an important purpose in attracting club members.

“Central to a lot of religions, and definitely Judaism, is food, [...] but with our student funding we can’t use it on food whatsoever, even if it’s food being sent to people,” Watson said.

Ultimately, fewer incentives and a fully-online interface have led to a decline in participation

and decreased morale among students from all three organizations. Moreover, all representatives emphasized that diminished spirits have led many students to face challenges in their faith.

“There have been dramatic changes,” Nims said. “We are really experiencing church in a long distance relationship. It’s harder to communicate.

It’s harder to feel. It’s harder to experience. That’s the status. If you asked me, ‘Has there been a deflation of morale and enthusiasm?’ I would say absolutely, because it’s just not the same.”

With religion being heavily practiced online, the community aspect has been completely rewritten for the members of these organizations.

“Not being able to do things the way we usually do is [...] spiritually fatiguing,” Nims said.

To counteract this depletion in participation and enthusiasm, the Newman Center will host a COVID-safe friendsgiving with individuallyboxed KFC. In response to similar issues, the MSA is looking to increase interaction with platforms like TikTok, include more speakers and collaborate with varying organizations and schools, Abboushi said.

For the JLSA, the community has turned to Zoom in order to follow the traditional community aspect, yet still follow COVID guidelines.

Though online efforts have made accessibility easier, the overarching issue remains that many students are unable to find sufficient motivation or connection to online religious platforms. All three representatives emphasized that the online system is inadequate at invigorating relationships as students experience disconnection. All anticipate, however, that online streaming will remain ingrained in the religious communities for years to come.

With online meetings becoming normalized, Abboushi said that “motivation is harder, but the access is easier.”

STUDENTS REFLECT ON RECENT ELECTION Aggies share their opinions and predictions on the recent presidential election According to Brar, DCR was primarily concerned with electing a Republican candidate that agreed with their views on certain issues, rather than taking a specific stance for or against The 2020 presidential election came to a Trump. close on Saturday, Nov. 7, presenting the country “I don’t think it was mainly [a] pro-Trump with President-elect Joe Biden. While some stance, more that we were just voting for the students hoped for a Republican candidate and Republican person,” Brar said. “It wasn’t that others for a Democratic candidate, the results of we were really just pro-Trump, it was mostly we the election gave Aggies a chance to reflect on were voting for the person we believed would be the past and look to the future. best for the economy, best when it came to jobs, Karan Brar, a fourth-year year best when it came to foreign policy.” managerial economics major and the chair While the presidency didn’t go to Brar’s of the Davis College Republicans (DCR), candidate of choice, he remains optimistic about went into the election supporting President the future. He also pointed out that although the Donald Trump’s re-election. Brar shared that Republicans did not take the presidency, they he believes the election results were a result of left the election with many victories. the COVID-19 pandemic and would have I do/ think that I am a forwardKATHERINE“Overall, FRANKS AGGIE otherwise been different. looking person, so even though Trump did lose, “I truly believe that if the COVID I think we are in a great place for the future,” thing never happened, I think Trump would Brar said. “Our party needs to have an internal have cruised his way to re-election,” Brar said. conversation about the future of our party, and “Because a lot of people would have said ‘Okay, I think we could have that. I think that overall, yeah, he’s sometimes crude, he’s said some crude it was a great night for Republicans and Trump.” things I don’t like, but look at the economy, my Daniel Bazargun, a fourth-year political life’s better.’ But the COVID pandemic just science major and the political affairs director of wiped it out.” the Davis College Democrats (DCD), went into

BY NORA FARAHDEL features@theaggie.org

A voter drops off a ballot at an official ballot box located outside of the Davis City Hall on Oct. 30, 2020.

(Justin Han / Aggie) the election supporting Biden. Bazargun hoped for the swing states to flip blue and for a peaceful transition of power. While DCD did support Biden as a club, Bazargun shared that members varied in their individual opinions.

Given the shift in power, Bazargun predicted changes over the next four years with Biden’s

presidency.

“I think we’re going to have a calm four years overall compared to Trump,” Bazargun said.

“We’re going to have less division in the country, and we’re not going to have so much hatred against other political parties.

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THOSE WE DIDN'T KNOW ARE ‘AMONG US’

What do lies, murder, betrayal and famous politicians all have in common? Among Us

BY MUHAMMAD TARIQ arts@theaggie.org Lies, deceit, betrayal and the age-old question of “how to get away with murder” are all explored in the widely popular and addictive online game “Among Us.” If you ever wanted to experience a murdermystery in a fossil-fuel-powered alien spaceship or take the feeling of “imposter syndrome” to the next level, try playing one of 2020’s most talkedabout games.

In this multiplayer mobile and PC game, a group of ten players called “crewmates” are transported onto a spaceship where they have to complete tasks, survive murder attempts by an “imposter” who is another player posing as crewmate and identify the killer among them.

The goal of crewmates is to complete all the tasks before the imposter murders a majority of them. The goal of the imposter is to kill as many of the crewmates as possible, all the while trying to prevent their identity from being uncovered.

Crewmates report the deaths of murdered players and hold court to determine the identity of the killer and cast a plurality vote, which determines who gets ejected from the ship.

Players can choose to host their own local games or join online matches in which they are assigned an avatar in one of the 12 colors that can be customized with an assortment of 40-some hats.

“Among Us” was initially released on June 15, 2018 by the indie app developer InnerSloth, but didn’t reach its shocking fame and popularity until 2020—a consequence of COVID-19.

Digital platforms and cellphone apps have seen a huge spike in their activity as people are spending more time inside their homes on the internet and less time out and about.

It is the 7th-most played game in July, August and September of 2020, and has been downloaded over 217 million times.

When asked about the most appealing part of

the game, Melody Shiau, a second-year biological sciences major said she liked its convenience.

“I like the game ‘Among Us!’” Shiau said.

“It’s a super convenient game especially during this pandemic because all you need is a code to play with all your friends. I probably play it once or twice a month.”

Malika Haji, a second-year managerial economics major, plays it with friends, family and strangers.

“I feel like ‘Among Us’ became popular overnight… but I’m glad it did,” Haji said. “I love playing the game with my friends and with randoms online. Even my family members love it so much that we have a separate group chat dedicated to playing ‘Among Us’ together. I love it!”

“Among Us” has become ingrained into Generation Z’s culture in such a way that phrases such as “yellow is sus,” “purple vented” or “skip vote” are part of our daily vernacular.

It is more than just a way for high school and college students to interact in a socially distant world. It has become a platform that can be used to capture the attention of the younger generation.

This was the tactic used by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), the U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district. AOC, as she is referred to by her supporters, tweeted on Oct. 19, “Anyone want to play Among Us with me on Twitch to get out the vote?”

And just like that, on Oct. 21, AOC hosted a Twitch stream which included Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota’s 5th congressional district and famous streamers such as Pokimane, Disguised Toast and HasanAbi, a political commentator and one of the event’s organizers.

In the 3 ½ hour Twitch stream, the Congresswomen attempted a hilarious and entertaining go at being both a crewmate and imposter. But more importantly, during their many “Among Us” matches, the Congresswomen attempted to energize the 444,000 viewers

KAITLYN PANG / AGGIE

watching live to make a solid plan to vote.

Ocasio-Cortez directed viewers to websites such as IWillVote.com, which aims to help voters create voting plans. Not only that, but OcasioCortez’s “Among Us” stream was the third most watched livestream in all of Twitch’s history and has garnered an overall 5.4 million views.

Haji watched clips of the stream on Twitter.

“I thought it was pretty cool actually for her to stream herself playing ‘Among Us,’” Haji said. “It’s refreshing to see politicians in a more fun and light-hearted manner instead of always seeing them behind podiums and on the news.”

Tahla Bahnasy, a second-year cognitive science major and tech management minor also watched Ocasio-Cortez’s Twitch stream and commented on the tactic of politicians using popular platforms as a way to get the vote out.

“I thought it was pretty fun watching her play,” Bahnasy said. “I think it’s great that politicians are using games to appeal to younger

voters because a lot of the time voters our age feel like politics is so separated from their lives that it doesn’t even matter if they participate. But playing and streaming a game like this makes them so much more personable and relatable.”

It is not certain how many people felt energized to vote following Ocasio-Cortez’s “Among Us” stream, but given that the average person who uses Twitch is 21, the Congresswoman knew exactly what she was doing—succinctly capturing a large voting-eligible audience and galvanizing them to vote on their turf.

At the end of the day, “Among Us” is synonymous to a group project—a few people do all the work and someone always sabotages the game plan. But for politicians or activists, it can be an invaluable platform for access to a treasuretrove of eligible voters who can be invigorated to vote.

SORRY EVERYONE, ERIC ANDRE IS BACK And he’s as vulgar as ever

From season 5 of the Eric Andre show which premiered on Oct. 25, 2020. (Adult Swim)

BY JACOB ANDERSON arts@theaggie.org The fifth season of the surrealist internetcore prank interview fever dream “The Eric Andre Show” premiered midnight on Oct. 25.

The show, which is either post-ironic, antiironic or anti-comedy—depending on how you look at it—is once again setting out to convince children, whose parents forgot to change the channel before Adult Swim started, that nihilism can be captured in 11-minute episodes and that

it’s cool to scream at strangers in NYC. The core of “The Eric Andre Show” is still coaxing B- and C-list celebrities onto a talk interview set where Andre does his best to traumatize them by any means necessary, from accusing interviewees of committing crimes, to releasing rats under their feet, to the longtime favorite of abrupt violence against members of the production crew. These ploys range from ridiculous to uncomfortable. Andre attempts to kiss guests and offers them unidentifiable gray food—really anything to inflict maximum psychological damage upon these strangers. It’s all for your enjoyment.

Each of these interviews is abridged with constant whiplash-inducing cuts and visual effects intermixed with street pranks— intended to create a disjointed feeling both in the show and viewer. Along with cruelty towards unmemorable celebrities, the lure of the show is this impenetrable film of esoteric comedy. It’s like listening in on a conversation consisting entirely of in-jokes you don’t know. You’re not actually supposed to have any clue what the hell “ranch it up” means, or why Andre shaved his head this season. It’s all supposed to confuse you and be highly unpleasant—exactly like Andre’s behavior towards his guests.

There’s probably some moral conclusion to be drawn about how this, of all

things, is what’s respected and trendy in TV comedy now (at least in young hipsterish circles), but any type of earnest thought about “The Eric Andre Show” looks vaguely foolish and sad when it makes such a painstaking effort to be as unearnest as possible. And besides: It’s incredibly entertaining, so who cares?

Season five is a long delayed return, with season four ending over four years ago, largely due to Andre working on his hidden camera prank movie “Bad Trip,” which was—for an embarrassing moment—accidentally released early by Amazon prior to its presumed debut on Netflix, which has purchased the streaming rights. The film was supposed to release in theaters in April, but that didn’t work out for obvious reasons. The series’ co-star Hannibal Buress has also departed after the season five premiere, replaced up to this point by a rotating series of actors off of Craigslist. The gap in time and cast change haven’t dulled Andre’s comic sensibilities. If anything, they’ve made him even more unhinged.

If Death Grips-esque torture porn comedy sounds like something you’d enjoy, the new season has yet to disappoint and is, if anything, the show’s peak up to this point. Andre’s inhibition seems to have wholly crumbled, and the dark things crawling out of that pit make for a splendid 11 minutes twice a week.

CULTURE CORNER The Arts Desk’s weekly pick of movies, tv shows, books and music

BY CAMERON PERRY arts@theaggie.org

Book: “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac Some books have a remarkable way of transcending time, and Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” is without a doubt one of them.

Throughout the novel, Kerouac recalls his adventures across the states from New York City to San Francisco, back to New York and everywhere in between. Indicative of the postwar beat generation, the story reads like one giant paragraph—at least in the original scroll edition I’ve read (the first draft, not the 1957 edition). Yet somehow Kerouac is able to keep the reader’s attention across hundreds of pages, without losing their place in the story because of the raw and unconventional style that is maintained throughout. The book has fictitious elements but is based on real events and people like Allen Ginsberg and Neal Cassady, other beat generation writers who were friends of Kerouac.

Essentially, the reader becomes immersed in the mind of the author, following his stream of consciousness without any sort of filter. If you’re like me and know nothing about the beat generation: it’s nothing of what you would expect from a 1950s story, and that’s just one piece of many that make up the beauty of it.

Movie: “Donnie Darko” (2001), dir. by Richard Kelly The phrase “28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, 12 seconds. That is when the world will end.” has been played over and over again now—19 years since the initial release of “Donnie Darko.”

Remarkably, the movie was actually filmed in 28 days to match the timeframe of the script in which Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), a troubled schizophrenic teenager, must navigate mental illness and potentially a parallel universe in which a demonic-looking bunny named Frank gives him the countdown to doomsday. Full disclosure: there is a lot to unpack in this film and it requires undivided attention. But it is absolutely worth every bit of it, and if you’re at all like me, you’ll watch it again and again to unpack the layers of meaning the film possesses.

Album: “Ok Computer” by Radiohead To this day I’m convinced that Thom Yorke is an alien of sorts—his songs have a sound that is just out of this world. Plenty of artists lose it with age but, like good scotch, Radiohead’s work just keeps getting better as time goes on. Their third album, “Ok Computer,” released in 1997, is a 12-track journey with a sound completely beyond its time. It’s filled with lyrics that warn against consumerism, alienation, isolation, political unrest and the reach of technology.

Track seven, “Fitter Happier,” sort of checks the listener to make sure they’re not just taking note of the overall sound, but to pay special attention to the grim, yet beautiful lyrics that are packed to the brim with imagery. Whether you know the band or not, songs like “Creep” and “Karma Police” are recognizable melodies to most. For the audiophiles in search of their next favorite or rediscovered album, look no further.

TV Show: “Twin Peaks” Alright, this one is for the David Lynch fans out there. The 1990’s series’ first season begins with the aftermath of Laura Palmer’s murder, a Twin Peaks local girl whose death sets the framework for the series’ plot. Special Agent Dale Cooper from the FBI is brought in to assist the Twin Peaks Sheriff Department in their investigation, which slowly unravels peculiarities of the small town throughout the initial season.

The follow-up season deviates heavily from this, diving more into the sci-fi aspects of Lynch’s universe than those of the simpleton, small-town, warm nostalgia of the 80’s that the town of Twin Peaks passes onto Agent Cooper. However dense and fantastical the plot becomes, coffee is one thing that seems to stand-in for a placeholder in both the audience and cast alike. “A damn-fine cup of coffee” drives the characters in this strange and unsettling world, and that alone is curiously relatable.

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 | 9

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

Answer to previous puzzle 11/12/20

Crossword Answer to previous puzzle 11/12/20

10 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020

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SCIENCE & TECH UC DAVIS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL SUCCESSFULLY SEPARATES CONJOINED TWINS IN RARE CASE Team of over 100 health experts collaborate on first surgery of this kind at UC Davis

BY MICHELLE WONG science@theaggie.org After a 24-hour surgery on Oct. 24 and 25 at UC Davis Children’s Hospital, nine-month-olds Abigail Bachinskiy and Micaela Bachinskiy went from being attached at the head to beginning their lives as two individual babies. When Granger Wong, the chief of plastic surgery at UC Davis Health, first heard there were craniopagus twins—conjoined twins fused at the head—born at UC Davis Medical Center, his mind was flooded with tempered excitement and concern for the twins.

“You have to balance the human side of it, because these are little babies and you don’t want little babies to have birth defects,” Wong said. “But then on the other hand, that’s what we’re trained to do and to treat, and this is a very rare and highly complex case, so from that aspect it’s fascinating.”

Although the twins were born on Dec. 30, 2019, Wong, who served as the lead plastic surgeon of this case, and the rest of the operating team needed to wait until the babies were strong enough to tolerate the operation to separate them. Wong explained that their extensive planning and use of up-to-date technology over the course of 10 months allowed the team to familiarize themselves with the anatomy of the twins and practice the surgical plan before the operation day.

“The surgical plan was practiced and choreographed to the point where [...] you train for it so much that although you have a lot of concerns, it was a familiar execution,” Wong said. “It wasn’t quite as nerve wracking as one might think.”

Wong described the process as similar to how film directors created storyboards for each scene. UC Davis Health experts drew out their surgery plan on a whiteboard, planning every step down to the minute. The entire team—anesthesiologists, operating room nurses and scrub technicians included—rehearsed the operation three times, helping to mitigate any nervousness for the day of surgery.

Rajvinder Dhamrait, the medical director of the children’s surgery center and the lead anesthesiologist of the operation, added that the procedures they had to conduct prior to the surgery also helped them become more familiar with the twins’ anatomy.

Leading up to the day of surgery, the twins had to be anesthetized several times, an unusual case considering other types of conjoined twins usually only have to be anesthetized once.

For Abigail and Micaela, multiple MRI scans had to be taken as they grew in order to model the growth of bones and vascular structures. In addition to learning valuable information—such as how each baby responded to drugs—with each scan, the anesthesiology team was able to practice moving the babies while they were situated in certain positions to mitigate any potential dangers during the operation. As the same anesthesiology team treated the twins over the course of 10 months, Dhamrait expressed they feel as though they have grown up with them.

“It’s very personal because we have bonded with the family and we’ve bonded with the girls, so it is pretty special to look after

The UC Davis children’s hospital successfully performed a 24 hour surgery separating a pair of twins. (UC Davis Children’s Hospital / Courtesy)

them,” Dhamrait said.

Dhamrait still remembers his first conjoined twin case 16 years ago as a fellow at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He explained that he had specifically chosen this hospital because he had wanted to work somewhere that was capable of hosting such a surgery, but never imagined he would have the opportunity to be involved. In his entire 12 years of training, Dhamrait explained that the surgery was the best opportunity he had come across. Once he came to UC Davis and took over as the medical director of the unit, he specifically asked for an operating room large enough to conduct a conjoined twin separation.

“I never, honestly, never thought it would ever happen,” Dhamrait said. “For it to happen within two years of opening, it was just mind blowing.”

As stated in a paper published in 2019 detailing another craniopagus separation, “the craniopagus variant of conjoined twins is a rare congenital defect that occurs in 0.6 of every 1 million births.”

Dhamrait explained that what made this case special was the fact that the rarest form of conjoined twins was UC Davis’ first ever separation. In addition, for most craniopagus twins, since their brains are merged together, it is impossible to separate them.

These particular twins were joined in a way where their anatomy was conducive to separation. Dhamrait described the successful operation as one of the proudest moments in his 10 years of being the medical director, and attributed their success to the combined effort of surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses.

“Now I can say, ‘I work in a hospital; I work in a health system that can cover this kind of case,’ which is something that we all have to be proud of,” Dhamrait said.

In a general sense, this success demonstrates the skill of clinicians at UC Davis Children’s Hospital in being able to take on highly complex cases, Dhamrait explained. He described that it is not often they can serve as a model for other centers from which to learn. More than that, this case also shows that those in the local community do not have to travel to other hospitals to receive this treatment, but can rely on UC Davis Health to treat them.

Five or ten years ago, Dhamrait could never have imagined conducting such a surgery at the Children’s Hospital. Yet, the consistent implementation of new facilities and faculty have allowed UC Davis Health to develop into a more accomplished institution. Wong argued the technology available to them today allowed them to understand more about the normalities and abnormalities of nature.

OXYTOCIN DECREASES SOCIAL ANXIETY IN MICE, ACCORDING TO UC DAVIS STUDY New methods of research could help those with ADHD MARIO RODRIGUEZ / AGGIE

BY FRANCHESKA TORRES science@theaggie.org Researchers at UC Davis have discovered that oxytocin, a stress-buffering molecule, exists in cells outside the hypothalamus and is located in the extended amygdala of the brain. The oxytocin produced in the extended amygdala can cause social anxiety behaviors to occur in mice, while oxytocin produced in the hypothalamus has been observed to induce prosocial behaviors.

This new discovery shows that the location of the brain where this hormone is produced influences different types of behaviors.

The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, and the lead author is Natalia DuqueWilckens, a former doctoral researcher at UC Davis who now works at Michigan State University. The senior author is Brian Trainor, a professor of psychology at UC Davis and the vice chair of graduate education.

Trainor started working on oxytocin about six years ago; he studied how stress affects oxytocin neurons in mice and how mostly-female mice that showed social anxiety behavior were seen to have more activity in their oxytocin neurons. The increased

activity in their oxytocin neurons was originally thought to be a way to cope with stress, since oxytocin was known at the time to only reduce anxiety.

When these same mice were given intranasal oxytocin, the ones that were experiencing social stress did not change their behavior, according to Trainor.

“It was kind of demoralizing, you know,” Trainor said. “We’ve gone through all the effort to learn the technique and we gave the oxytocin and it didn’t do anything.”

After that attempt, Trainor and his fellow researchers tried to give oxytocin to non-stressed females, which caused their behavior to change. The mice started acting like they have been exposed to stress and they started showing social anxiety behavior.

“That was a turning point,” Trainor said. “We knew oxytocin was doing something to promote this anxiety behavior, but we didn’t know how, so Natalia, […] she’s the one who figured out how.”

Duque-Wilckens was able to use a drug to block oxytocin receptors in females that were exposed to stress, reducing social anxiety behavior. It was observed that one dose of the oxytocin receptor inhibitor had the same effect as four weeks of

antidepressant treatment. She was able to prove that oxytocin receptors in the extended amygdala were important for this effect.

This study was a continuation of another paper where DuqueWilckens explained how oxytocin is made in the hypothalamus and affects lactation and giving birth. The previous study explored how there is also some oxytocin in the brain and that cells outside of the hypothalamus can make oxytocin in the extended amygdala as well.

In that study, Duque-Wilckens injected small strands of DNA into the extended amygdala to prevent oxytocin from being made. The synthetic DNA strands then binded to the mRNA and prevented it from getting translated into a protein. The process of blocking the oxytocin synthesis caused the stressed mice to behave normally.

This differs from the regular process of giving the mice more oxytocin or giving it a drug that blocks the receptor, according to Trainor.

“What’s very rare is to be manipulating the oxytocin production in specific locations in the brain,” Trainor said.

Through this unique approach, the original hypothesis that blocking oxytocin receptors would increase anxiety has been proven false. Trainor explained that his ultimate goal is to confirm that the cells he is studying in mice are also present in the same part of the brain as humans, and to see if the results of new studies can be applied to humans with depression and anxiety.

“It turns out working with human brains is much more different than working with mouse brains,” Trainor said. “We still have more work to do.”

Karen Bales, a professor of psychology at UC Davis, studies how oxytocin plays a role in the formation of social bonds and can be adapted for clinical uses. Bales applauded the researchers.

“Dr. Duque-Wilckens and Dr. Trainor’s finding suggests that it matters where the oxytocin is acting, and this is really important because oxytocin is used in humans both to induce labor and to treat social dysfunctions.”

This finding will also help individuals with ADHD. According to a 2015 study, it was discovered that “rates of comorbid ADHD in social anxiety disorder patients were high (especially predominantly the inattentive type).”

Faye Dixon, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at UC Davis, explained that ADHD is often associated with anxiety.

“What we are seeing in our studies is that it is not uncommon for people who have ADHD to also be diagnosed with anxiety, specifically generalized anxiety,” Dixon said.

When asked if having treatment for anxiety like the possible one indicated in Trainor’s study could potentially help individuals with ADHD, Dixon agreed.

“If you address issues […] around worries just in general, that’s going to improve performance because the way some of the symptoms that ADHD and anxiety overlap are in attention,” Dixon said.

Due to COVID-19, research on oxytocin has been slowed down, but efforts are still being made to apply what was learned through studying mice to humans as a way to help those with social anxiety.

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CITYFLU CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “You may get sick and get some symptoms, but your likelihood of dying is usually much, much lower. That’s the value of having an influenza vaccine.”

Pollock explained that the two sides which need to be addressed to combat both of these viruses are public health behavior—such as washing hands, physical distancing and using face coverings—and epidemiological responses— like testing, contact tracing and quarantine.

SENATE6 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 Boudaie then tabled the discussion and continued with the meeting.

The table then began to discuss whether or not it would be lawful to continue the meeting.

Gandhoke outlined the process, pointing to a bylaw that allows the senators to override the constitutional requirement of not discussing any business if four weeks have passed with a vacant judicial chair position. Since all bylaws must adhere to the constitution and the judicial chair position remained vacant, it is unclear whether that bylaw should be deemed constitutional or whether the Senate meeting occurred unconstitutionally.

Senator Gandhoke then motioned to postpone the nomination of the Judicial Council nominee Natalia Waid, a third-year international relations major, to the next meeting and Senate discussion began. The motioned passed and the table discussed quarterly report sign ups.

The Business and Finance Commission Quarterly Report presented on the current activities of the commission, including the review of SB #1, a bill to enact the ASCUD operational budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, and SB #6, the Unitrans budget amendment bill. The report also included commission priorities and longrange plans.

The KDVS Quarterly Report, given by General Manager Emmanuel Fernandez, discussed the recently-finished crowdfunding of $16-17,000, the highest amount that has ever been fundraised in UC Davis history. He also talked of the continuation of live programs through the MU and the expansion of KDVS. Ex-Officio Reports started with President Krueger, who discussed his submission of vacancies for various positions, meetings with administration on the expansion of testing for students and election events.

External Affairs Vice President Maria Martinez mentioned the meeting with UC President Michael Drake to support student needs and learning during COVID-19, crafting a UC budget supporting students and workers, reenvisioning campus safety and equitable solutions and creating a resource guide on Instagram. ASUCD Controller Alexis LopezPerez said he continued quarterly meetings of

DISTRICTTEACHERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 “I am very opposed to a hybrid model,” Beckinger said. “It’s essentially doing two jobs for the pay of one job. Teaching online right now is a full-time job plus, so if I had to teach in person, plus do all of these asynchronous lessons on top of that, that’s really doing two jobs.”

Eberle added that she does not understand how she would be able to manage the Zoom chat room, set up breakout rooms, set up in-person small groups, manage in-person classroom chatter and stay six feet away from students all at the same time.

In addition to these logistical concerns, both Eberle and Beckinger have personal safety concerns about returning to the brick-andmortar classroom. “[Returning is] so frightening,” Eberle said.

“I have diabetes so I am a vulnerable population.

I know that it’s good for the kids to go back and

FOODDRIVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Tan suggested alternative ways for folks to celebrate the holiday season in order to avoid in-person gatherings as much as possible, such as hosting virtual potluck dinners, dropping off gift baskets, having virtual ugly sweater contests and participating in online arts and crafts classes.

Moody explained how STEAC adapted when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in order to better meet the needs of the community.

“STEAC is working hard to modify our programs to meet the needs of working in a pandemic, as well as to meet the growing needs of families who are facing the financial fallout of the pandemic,” Moody said. “The more that we get in donations, the less we have to purchase in order to serve low-income residents in Davis.”

Moody explained how the Davis Realtors’ Food Drive on Nov. 7 is one of the biggest events for STEAC. Its goal is to provide food donations to support the local food closet in Davis, “which provides food to approximately 100-150 families every month,” according to Moody. The

SICK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 Luckily, we are not completely doomed. As humans we are resilient and have the ability to use coping strategies that can help us through hard times—it’s time we take advantage of them.

Taking a break from social media and the news is a good start. The technology we have today contributes to our perpetual consumption of stressful news, and, although it’s good to stay up-to-date, it’s not good to continually expose ourselves to negativity.

Similarly, we could also use a break from hard conversations. This doesn’t mean you have to compromise on your ideals. Rather you should

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 | 11

“I think that it’s very simple,” Pollock said.

“SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted very much like the flu. The things that you are doing to prevent COVID-19 are one hundred percent overlapped with preventing influenza.”

More than ever, Pollock stressed that it is important for both adults and children to get vaccinated for influenza.

“If you can’t afford it or don’t have insurance, the county has many venues for getting the influenza vaccine,” Pollock said. “You want to vaccinate now before it gets a little deeper into flu season.” unit directors and worked on business practices with Business Manager Greg Ortiz.

Senator Annoushqa Bobde met with Athletics Director Kevin Blue to discuss elimination of the P.E. programs. Boudaie mentioned working with the Internal Affairs Commission to bring bylaw rework to the table, getting a comment box for the Senate website and beginning the creation of a seminar for Jewish students.

Senator Laura Elizalde met with Ryan Choi of The ASUCD Pantry to go over data, attended the election result debrief hosted by UC student association and connected with Martinez regarding UCAN, the UC advocacy network focusing on student advocacy at the state and local level.

Senator Lucas Fong, who reached out to recommission Students Against Suicide, gave a presentation on Healthy Davis, the city of Davis’ Primero Grove quarantine program.

Senator Velasco met with the AB540 center in regards to the election, worked with Senator Lestor, Kreuger and spoke to AggieCompass about the lack of vouchers for DREAMERS. The Senate table then went into public announcements.

Senate Recorder Daniel Wallace expressed his concerns that the meeting had been conducted unconstitutionally.

“I double-checked the constitution and the bylaws regarding what can be done if a judicial council chair is not confirmed within four weeks, and what the constitution says […] is that there is no exception unless the judicial council chair is confirmed,” Wallace said. “The bylaw says there is an exception, but because the Constitution overrules the bylaws, […] that is why I believe this meeting is going unconstitutionally,” said Wallace.

Senator Kevin Rotenkolber confirmed that suspicion, saying that, “it’s basically full-stop […] this is a good time to realize the mistake and call it.”

“What we did after not electing a JC chair essentially makes it unconstitutional to move forward with all those reports that we did,” said Gandhoke, adding on that all reports must be redone and resubmitted.

Senator Gandhoke motioned for a roll call vote to adjourn the meeting, in which Senator Carduny seconded. With a vote of 8-1-3, the Senate chose to adjourn. be social in-person, but I also know that parents send their kids to school with fevers and sniffles.”

Eberle expressed that there are classrooms in the district with windows that do not open and air filters that are not very efficient.

“They’re really not thinking of the safety of the educators at all,” Beckinger said. “Some of us live with older parents. I have a co-worker with a young daughter with an auto-immune disease. [...] There are a lot of us who have safety concerns for ourselves or our families and our safety is not being taken into account.”

At the end of the day, Beckinger believes that the debate over returning to campus is clear: Until adequate standards are met, classes should remain online.

“It’s either safe to return or it isn’t, there’s really no in-between, and I’m not sure why we’re trying to make there be one,” Beckinger said. “I think there’s a lot of pressure from parents who are over this situation and want their childcare back, but we aren’t babysitters, we’re educators.” food each family receives would include items regularly bought during a routine grocery visit, such as milk, meats and shelf-stable foods.

Cohan reflected on the importance of organizations like Yolo Food Bank during the pandemic.

“We’re really a place where individuals can count on there being justice,” Cohan said. “We look at the services we provide in terms of much more than just food and solving hunger.”

Moody added a final comment regarding support for the organization.

“We can use any support that people have in order to help their neighbors during a really difficult time,” Moody said. “We’re so grateful for the support we’ve gotten already.”

Tan further urged for the community to have patience in the fight against COVID-19.

“We understand that people want to have a sense of normalcy, but the reality is that COVID is going to be with us for at least a little while longer,” Tan said. “To really protect our communities, our families and our loved ones, we still need to stay vigilant in our efforts to mitigate COVID.” filter who you spend your time with and the conversations you engage in. When we have the chance, we should put ourselves in spaces that are calm and nonconfrontational—even if that means being alone.

Unfortunately, as humans we seem to be addicted to social media and conflict—making it hard for us to take a break from the things that cause us the most problems. In this case, taking a walk, reading a book, indulging in comfort food or spending time with our nonpartisan pets may be easier stress-reducing strategies. Overall, the idea is to take care of yourself and to make sure you don’t let the chaos that is 2020 get the best of you—or your immunity.

ENVIROVOTE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 It is imperative that the government pursue policies of environmental protection, not just to protect wildlife, but public health as well.

“In every state that the Environmental Voter Project works in, we find that young people are more likely than older people to care deeply about climate and the environment, […] women are more likely than men and people of color, especially African Americans and Asian Americans in Pennsylvania, are more likely than white people to talk about climate and environment as their top priority,” said Nathaniel Stinnett, the executive director of the EVP, in an interview with WHYY earlier this month.

So what about this year? The answer is complicated. Firstly, there were many significant environmental victories. From an initiative in Orange County, Fla., which legally designated clean water as a human right, to proposition 114 in Colorado, which ensured the development of a reintroduction plan for gray wolves. In Pennsylvania alone, first time environmental voters accounted for 54,000 votes, where Biden won by a margin of roughly the same number.

Although not all environmental voters voted for Biden, their contribution to the record voter turnout this year is undeniable. In Arizona, there was a resounding effort by the Protect the Sacred and the Rural Utah Project to get Navajo voters out to vote. In a state that was decided by less

ASKAMY

than 12,000 votes, strong support for Biden by community leaders was a factor in flipping the state. Allie Young, a Diné activist, cited climate change as one of the major issues that contributed to her community’s turnout.

Despite these victories, there is always more work to be done. We have a long way to go. Attacks on environmental legislation did not start with Trump and will not end with him. The fight for comprehensive climate and environmental legislation does not end with its enactment, but it is our responsibility to hold our leaders accountable to enforce and protect keystone environmental legislation, like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which has been attacked several times by the Trump administration.

Just because the election is over, doesn’t mean civic engagement can turn off until the next cycle. The League of Conservation Voters is a great resource to learn about any politician’s environmental voting records; the organization keeps pressure on federal and state governments to enact stronger environmental legislation.

Additionally, the Environmental Voter Project works to increase environmentalist voter turnout and to pressure politicians to prioritize environmental interests. The bottom line is that the fight for environmental justice, public lands and comprehensive climate policy begin with you and me. The decisions and policies implemented by our government today will have a lasting impact on generations to come.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 I had to set some wacko straight after he claimed it was “a farce” and not “morally right” for his wife’s niece to get married while wearing a white gown given that she is not a virgin.

Some of this may sound funny, but I have to deal with these things every day! And you people aren’t getting any saner, despite my years of hard work! You see, I quite literally have people’s lives and future happiness in my hands. Sometimes, it can be tempting to play God and purposely give people bad advice so I can sit back and watch the show, knowing that I am the puppetmaster behind the fortunes and misfortunes of a disturbingly large number of Americans. And sometimes, it can be tempting to just crank out the daily column in a minute or two, just throwing random advice at the wall to see what sticks.

But I know I can’t do that. I used to think that this column might one day lead to a better job opportunity, but it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that having the mental health of the entire country in my hands is nothing if not a dead-end job. Help! What do I do, Amy? Can I quit this Godforsaken job at last? Or would the entire country collapse if I did that?

—Disillusioned as f**k about the fact that my advice is quite possibly the one and only thing keeping a disturbingly large number of Americans from kidnapping their boss, vandalizing their neighbor’s car, stealing their ex’s cat, murdering their in-laws with their bare hands, finding themselves on the wrong side of a race riot “by accident,” passive-aggressively rearranging their housemate’s spice cupboard and/or drinking themselves to an early grave, a grave who’s eventual location would have to be determined in court after years of dispute between the Catholic and Jewish halves of their extended family.

Dear Disillusioned AF: It’s great to hear from you (me), Amy. It’s been a while. You (I) certainly have a demanding job and are under a lot of pressure to do your (my) job well. On one hand, I (you) hope you (I) might be able to take some of your (my) own advice from your (my) recent column titled, “If I’m ‘lucky to have a job,’ why am I miserable?” In this column, I (you) stressed that having steady employment during the pandemic is definitely something to be happy about, not miserable.

On the other hand, I (you) would advise you (me) to consider a sabbatical. Or, in other words, to go on a long break from your (my) relationship with your (my) readers. Based on all of the evidence that you (I) have presented to me (you), it seems like you’re (I’m) not in a “deadend job”—rather, you’re (I’m) in what is best described as a psychologically and emotionally abusive relationship with America—and by extension, the millions of Americans who count on you (me) to help them with their problems.

I (you) also encourage you (me) to realize that most people may not realize how stressful this job can be, so it might be healthy if you (I) gave them the benefit of the doubt. Start by having a heartto-heart with these millions of people, every last one of them, and encourage them to empathize with your (my) unique position. If that doesn’t work, then you (I) need to get out of this relationship as soon as possible. Based on your (my) unfiltered and hysterical letter to me (you), it is possible that you (I) could be the crazed advice-seeker that finally pushes me (you) over the edge. Wait a second, if I’m (you’re) writing this to you (me), does that mean that I’ve (you’ve) already failed?? Oh no, I (you) think I’m (you’re) finally losing it! I (you) mean it! For your (my) own good, you (I) need to quit this job RIGHT NOW before it’s too la—

DEPRESSIONS

saying you’re a narcissist, but if I had to make a diagnosis …”

Standing up from his armchair, Herman flips Devlin off before leaving the room, amid a stunned Nolan and Lee. “That is why honesty is so important,” Devlin said, eyes wide and nodding. “If we never rated each other honestly, I would still be partners with a narcissist.”

“Okay, well I guess I would rate Yasmin an eight,” Lee said. “She is such a great housemate, but lately she’s become so withdrawn and I can’t help her if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

“The truth is that my mental health has been struggling lately due to the pandemic,” Nolan said. “I read in the Washington Post that pandemic depression may also collide with seasonal depression. I’m afraid my mental health will worsen, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Thank you for confiding in me,” Nolan said.

“I’ll do whatever I can to support you. Maybe we can start by setting up an appointment with a therapist?”

“I don’t know, I disagree with the experts. I think the ‘depressions’,” Devlin said in air quotes, “will eventually cancel out.”

With a shrug, Devlin stands up from her armchair. “Do you guys think you could sign this form so I can show my psych professor that my help as an armchair psychologist was helpful?”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 “What does he know? I’m going to give people advice based on what I know, and that is something you can’t learn from any class.”

When Devlin noticed that the relationship between housemates Yasmin Nolan and Cara Lee turned sour, she decided to step in.

“First of all, honesty is really important in opening the lines of communication, so I’d like you to rate each as housemates with brutal honesty,” Devlin said. Noticing the hesitant reactions of her clients, Devlin gestures to Herman. “For example, as co-founder of our association I rate Ayden a two, because his inability to help himself makes him overproject while helping others.”

Herman swivels in his armchair to face Devlin.

“And I would also rate Bonnie a two, because I think she’s deflecting because of her failed midterm in psychology and general fear of failure into a pursuit her psychology professor told her was terrible,” Herman said. “According to the YouTube video I watched, I think your position as the middle child in your family has solidified a constant need of approval.”

“Well, I sense that your aggression and the way you cling onto the fact that you know more than me is really telling of a God Complex,” Devlin said, with a sympathetic smile. “I’m not

GUNROCK CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 The professors of the School of Veterinary Medicine made an astounding admission of ignorance in light of the project’s launch.

“If we’re being frank, the faculty and I haven’t really looked into this ‘blue horse’ much. We’ve been really busy with more important veterinary matters. Did you know, for example, that cats actually don’t have nine lives?” Professor Emeritus Louise Swider told The Aggie. (We did, in fact, know that cats don’t actually have nine lives.)

In light of the pandemic, Project Gunrock was not just gathering research on the species, but also chasing it down.

“The Gunrock only comes out when there’s a huge gathering of students. We’ve theorized that the Gunrock is trying to increase its chances of finding prey in these scenarios. This is only a theory, though, and has no actual weight. Like cells and string.” A random School of Veterinary Medicine grad student said, clearly not knowing a thing about science. Despite the pandemic preventing large gatherings, the grad students were able to get a hold of a Gunrock, who was

caught practicing field goal attempts on the football field.

When the graduate students finally got Gunrock on the operating table, they were practically salivating with excitement. This was the moment they had been waiting for. The moment that would put them in the veterinary Hall of Fame. After a few hours of operating, however, they were met with some very disappointing results.

“Gunrock is just a guy in a horse suit, everyone. Go home,” David Spell announced to the research heads and reporters that waited just outside the operating room. “It’s just a dude.”

A collective groan could be heard. Research heads immediately pulled the $3 million that they invested in Project Gunrock. The excitement that filled the room was sucked out almost immediately, save one person.

“I’ve never had this much excitement about myself as a person… I’m glad people are able to appreciate the man behind the mask,” the Gunrock dude said, still slightly traumatized from being poked and prodded by the grad students. He wishes to remain anonymous to “keep the spirit of Gunrock alive.”

12 | THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS UC DAVIS Men’s Basketball 2020-21 Season Preview Aggies prepare for a basketball season like they’ve never have before

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org As last regular season came to a conclusion back in early March, the UC Davis men’s basketball team traveled to Anaheim, Calif. in preparation for the Big West Conference Tournament. With four seniors on the squad, the team hoped to give them a farewell by winning their first tournament since 2016, and clinching a spot in the NCAA March Madness tournament.

Due to the COVID-19 virus, the conference announced that the tournament would be held without fans in attendance as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread. Still, teams traveled to Anaheim, not knowing what would happen or even if they would be able to play.

Nevertheless, all indications from the conference and the NCAA suggested that it would go on as followed, until March 11.

On that fateful afternoon, the Utah Jazz’s all-star center Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, sending the NBA, and eventually the sports world, into a panic. The suspension of the NBA season led to the suspension and cancellation of many other sporting events.

Gobert’s results ultimately led to the cancellation of the Big West Tournament, and the NCAA Tournament as a whole.

“That might be as emotional a locker room as I’ve ever been in,” said Jim Les, UC Davis men’s basketball head coach, in regards to the news of the tournament being canceled. “We had a group of young players that were playing a lot and freshmen that had never been to the tournament or played in the Honda Center. It was really emotional for our guys and I felt horrible for them, but ultimately it was the right decision.”

This sentiment was felt throughout the country, as many seniors saw their college careers dashed from one day to the next.

“When reality set in, it was an upsetting and disappointing feeling,” said now senior transfer Kennedy Koehler. “The more impactful feeling though was not being able to take the floor again with our four seniors. It was a real bummer to see their college careers end that way.”

Fast forward to the present day, the Aggies are preparing for their long-awaited return on Nov. 25. What was primarily a long off-season of individual training, the team began preparing for their season on Oct. 14—the first day they were allowed to practice. Having not been able to gather physically as a team for seven months, the return has brought the team together as they prepare for the new and unique season.

Coming into this season, the health and safety of everyone involved will be a top priority.

The team is tested once a week and masks are mandatory at all times. The practice facility is

sanitized constantly, and they try not to let anyone aside from their teammates in their proximity, out of caution. The season will begin with no spectators in attendance, but this mandate may be revisited at many points during the season.

The Aggies’ non-conference schedule had to be reworked completely, according to Coach Les. The team tried to limit games strictly to the state of California, meaning they had to cancel games in Louisiana, New Mexico and Oregon among others. Their schedule will now begin on Nov. 25 in Santa Clara, Calif. where they will play three games over four days. The games are against Nicholls State, Idaho State and the host, Santa Clara University. Their home opener will be on Dec. 5 against the University of Portland, a team they lost to by 10 points last year. The Aggies will then go on a three-game road trip against Cal Baptist, Pacific and their Causeway rivals, Sacramento State. In their final non-conference tune-up, they will face William Jessup at The Pavillion on Dec. 22.

In a normal Big West Conference season, teams would play each team once in a home-andhome series. Due to the nature of this season, and in order to reduce travel, the conference modified this regular season, making the teams face the same opponent on consecutive days.

“From a player and coach standpoint, it’s almost like a playoff series,” Coach Les said.

“You’re playing back-to-back games against the same personnel, same opponent, same system. I think your ability to adjust and adapt from one night to the next is going to be crucial to having success under the new format.”

Aside from the first week of conference play, these other 18 conference games will be held from Friday to Saturday with a bye week in between.

“Personally, I believe that winning the first game is going to be key,” Koehler said in reference to the consecutive games. “I think the recovery and everything to prepare for the second game is going to be key as well. It’ll have a big impact on how the games go.”

The Aggies open the conference slate against newly-added Cal State Bakersfield in Bakersfield, Calif. On Dec. 27-28. They then go back home to host UC Riverside in their Big West opener on Jan. 1-2. From there, they play in Irvine against the defending Big West Champions on Jan. 8-9, in Davis against Cal State Fullerton on Jan. 1516, at UC San Diego on Jan. 22-23, at The Pavilion vs UC Santa Barbara on Jan. 29-30, in Northridge against CSUN on Feb. 5-6 and back home against Long Beach State on Feb. 12-13.

They have their bye week following the games against Long Beach State, having played seven

UC Davis guard Ezra Manjon (5,middle) goes up for a layup during a home game against Cal State Fullerton at the Pavilion on January 22, 2020. (Benjamin Cheng / Aggie) straight weeks of conference play. To finish off the season, they travel to San Luis Obispo to take on Cal Poly on Feb. 26-27, before closing out the season in Davis against Hawai’i on March 5-6.

The losses of major senior presences Joe Mooney, Stefan Gonzalez, Rogers Printup and Matt Neufield will be something this young team will try to fill. Still, their solid core of players like Ezra Manjon, Kennedy Koehler, Elijah Pepper, Caleb Fuller, Damion Squire and many others will have to take another step forward in their progression if UC Davis wants to compete in the Big West Conference.

“I’m really excited about this team,” Coach Les said. “While they were all at home, I thought they really worked to get better. Despite the pandemic, we challenged them to come back here better. What I love about this team is that they have a great energy and competitive spirit about themselves. Our practices have been high intensity and these guys can’t wait to get back out on the floor.”

Welcoming six new members to the team, they hope to find other players to come in and compete right away, similar to what they had last year.

“There’s a lot of new pieces added, so I think the learning curve came pretty quick,” Koehler said. “But, we’re getting better and better each

day. If we can play hard and be disciplined on the defensive end, I think we’ll have a lot of fun on offense and success overall. I’m really excited about this group. We got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things.”

After finishing fifth in the conference last year with a record of 8-8, UC Davis was picked by the media to finish third this upcoming season. With sophomore Manjon also picking up a Preseason All-Conference Team selection, the Aggies are predicted to do well this season and possibly find their way back into competing for another Big West title. A lot is predicated on the surrounding cast, but another stellar season by Manjon can be enough to catapult the team into contention.

The crushing way last season ended and the long, uncertain offseason the team endured proved worth it to this point, as they stand closer to a return to the hardwood. High spirits surround the team, as they believe what they have is enough to get them back into the Big Dance.

“The sky’s the limit,” Coach Les said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who logged a lot of important minutes for us last year. I like our returning guys and we added a lot of really good depth and size to our roster; that’s going to give us a chance to compete at a high level.”

COVID-19 spikes after the Dodgers win World Series Both the Dodgers and their fans risk infection of the virus following their World Series win.

BY KATHERIN RAYGOZA sports@theaggie.org After 32 long years, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally took home the World Series title against the Tampa Bay Rays in six games at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. It was the second big win for the City of Angels in October, following the Lakers’ NBA Championship win. But, after winning the World Series, the team’s celebration provoked a spike of COVID-19 throughout the Dodgers organization and their fanbase.

Justin Turner has been a member of the Dodgers for seven years as their starting third baseman. The day before Game 6, Turner was tested for the virus and during the second inning of the game, his results came back inconclusive.

While all of this was happening, Turner played in the biggest game of his life so far. After the results were run again, they came back positive and the Dodgers were immediately called.

Turner had played seven innings before he was removed from the field. He and his wife were then placed in a doctor’s quarantine room, where they watched the rest of the game.

Shortly after the final out, Turner tweeted, “Thanks to everyone reaching out! I feel great, no symptoms at all. Just experienced every emotion you can possibly imagine. Can’t believe I couldn’t be out there to celebrate with my guys! So proud of this team & unbelievably happy for the City of LA #WorldSeriesChamps.”

Following the conclusion of the trophy presentation, Turner believed it was safe to go onto the field only to take a picture with his wife for an occasion that he may only experience once. His teammates and one staffer allegedly encouraged him to leave the room since they had already been exposed to him and were prepared for the risk.

“What was intended to be a photo capturing the two of us turned into several greetings and photos where I briefly and unwisely removed my mask,” Turner released in a statement. “In hindsight, I should have waited until the field was clear of others to take that photo with my wife.

I sincerely apologize to everyone on the field for failing to appreciate the risks of returning to the field.”

Despite Turner’s positive test results, there are several images that capture him without the mask during team pictures. He was also not socially

distancing, instead hugging and celebrating with teammates.

About 1400 miles away, Dodgers fans in Southern California gathered in large crowds to celebrate the Dodgers’ victory. According to the Los Angeles Times, fans who were congregating in dine-in restaurants were screaming, hugging and cheering with strangers without masks.

In East Los Angeles, fans gathered and blocked Whittier Boulevard. In downtown LA and Pacoima, large crowds of people filled the sidewalks while drivers in cars were doing donuts on the streets. Dozens of people celebrated outside Dodger Stadium, Sunset Boulevard and Echo Park with fireworks and cheering as cars were honking as they passed by.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

In Ventura County, gatherings occurred on Saviers Road, where cars were bumper-to-bumper on a three-mile long street. People jumped out of their cars, fireworks were shot up in the night sky and a band began playing on the sidewalk. There was a crowd of about 800 people on the sidewalks, many of whom were not socially distancing or wearing masks. The celebrations did not end until roughly 11 p.m.

Research from Los Angeles Public Health officials show the severe spike in cases among young adults who are at higher risk for spreading the disease. In September, COVID-19 cases were at its lowest point and soon began to rise again after the victories of both sports teams.

“The more people you get into a place, then

the higher the risk that someone is going to be there with a big load of virus,” said Riverside County Public Health Officer Cameron Kaiser.

“Paradoxically, it’s probably somebody healthier because they can tolerate it. And then those people turn out to be highly efficient in giving it to other folks.”

Justin Turner and the Dodgers organization are now taking the proper precautions to lower the risk of infecting others. Nonetheless, sports gatherings coincided with the increase of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles because these fans were without face coverings, transmitting the disease. This was a long awaited victory for LA sports fans, but the price they had to pay may be costly.