January 6, 2022

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COVID-19 OMICRON VARIANT EMERGES IN YOLO COUNTY Scientists and health officials advise Yolo County residents to be cautious and exercise prevention measures

BY LEVI GOLDSTEIN city@theaggie.org

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VOLUME 140, ISSUE 11 | THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 2022

UC PRESIDENT, CHANCELLORS SUBMIT LETTER TO SUPPORT A STRONGER DACA PROGRAM UC administrators expressed their support of DACA in a letter on Nov. 22

BY GABY SAINZ-MEDINA campus@theaggie.org

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On Dec. 9, 2021the Yolo County Public Information Office issued a press release confirming the presence of the COVID-19 omicron variant in Yolo County.

According to Project Scientist at the UC Davis Genome Center David Coil, the center uses genotyping on each COVID-19 positive test in Yolo County to determine which mutations are present, which designate the variant of the COVID-19 virus.

The first individual who tested positive for the omicron variant in Yolo County was quarantined immediately. Since then, an outbreak of the variant occurred at River City High School in West Sacramento, according to a Yolo County press release on Dec. 16, 2021. It is unlikely that the infections were connected.

Dr. Aimee Sisson, the Yolo County Health Officer, commented on the outbreak.

“The detection of an Omicron outbreak at a Yolo County school is not surprising because we already knew that Omicron was present in Yolo County,” she said in a statement for the Dec. 16, 2021 press release. “This outbreak illustrates that the Omicron variant is circulating in our community and is not just a risk for those who have traveled. Omicron is here, and Omicron can spread quickly.”

According to Sisson, as of Dec. 22, 2021, 81% of new COVID-19 cases in Yolo County were omicron. In addition to its high transmissibility, Sisson is concerned about omicron because those who were previously infected and those who are vaccinated do not have immunity.

However, Sisson said that this does not mean that vaccines are unimportant or ineffective.

“The vaccines are still very protective against really bad outcomes,” she said. “I don’t want people to get the idea that [because] omicron has immune escape, there’s no point in getting vaccinated. You may still get infected, but it’s very unlikely that

you’ll end up getting very sick or dying from omicron if you’re fully vaccinated.”

According to new studies, omicron seems to have less severe symptoms than other variants, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous for other reasons.

“It appears initially, based on reports coming from other countries, that omicron causes less severe disease on the whole,” Sisson said. “I think the concern that I and many other public health leaders have is that there’s going to be so many people infected overall that that could mean that we have more people requiring hospital care than we actually have hospital beds.”

Yolo County plans to focus new COVID-19 policies on additional protections for the most vulnerable population, according to Sisson. All existing COVID-19 policies and procedures will stay in place.

Coil said that existing protection measures are efficient in stopping the spread of omicron. But he is also anxious about whether people will continue to do the right thing.

“Now is not the time to get lax,” Coil said. “Now is not the time to have big holiday parties. We have to be really careful and get through this wave.”

Sisson and Coil both said they urge Yolo residents to get vaccinated, get their booster shots and continue wearing highquality masks in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Concern about omicron has led to the UC system implementing varying plans for remote learning and additional safety measures. Learn more about COVID-19 procedures at UC Davis at https://www.ucdavis.edu/coronavirus. The California Aggie is also regularly updating a breaking news story with UC Davis plans for winter quarter.

On Nov. 22, a letter was submitted to Andria Strano, the acting chief, Office of Policy and Strategy, Division of Humanitarian Affairs, on behalf of the regents of the UC in support of the Biden Administration’s efforts to strengthen the Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program.

“The thousands of DACA participants who have enrolled at UC as students, worked at UC as employees, and represented UC as graduates have brought irreplaceable perspectives and talents to the University,” the letter reads.

The DACA program allows people who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children to attend college and obtain jobs without fear of deportation.

The letter was written after a proposed rule by the Biden Administration that would fortify and protect the DACA program.

“UC submits this comment to affirm its strong support of DACA and the proposed rulemaking, and to offer factual information that should be considered in assessing the benefits of the program,” the letter states.

On top of stating its support, the letter goes on to list ideas for “improving the proposed rules by altering the date- and age-based eligibility criteria, and by adjusting the proposed application fees.”

According to UC Davis Chancellor Gary May, he supports the DACA program and has spoken about it on multiple occasions.

“I have been a strong supporter of the DACA program for many years and am eager to see the program strengthened,” May said via email. “I spoke on behalf of our undocumented community at a Capital Hill news conference with members of Congress and academic leaders in October 2017. I also have called Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would provide a pathway to citizenship for our students.”

May said that those who are a part of the DACA program contribute great value to the university.

“These students — many of whom are the first in their families to attend college — contribute to our rich diversity of cultures and perspectives that is integral to our success as a global university,” May said. “They are paving a future for themselves and their families so they can give back to our society.”

TIPS FOR SETTING ‘SMARTER’ NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS IN 2022 A UC Davis Health clinical psychologist shares strategy for making, and sticking to, goals this year

BY MAYA SHYDLOWSKI features@theaggie.org Losing weight and getting healthy are some of the most common “New Year’s resolutions” people set. According to data collected by Bloomberg, gym memberships spike during January and reliably begin to fall off in February. People’s dedication to their resolutions wears off, but for that month — or two — lots of people seem bent out of shape about getting into shape.

While these “health” resolutions can be achieved, a new wave of resolutions is gaining popularity that is quite different. Many people are choosing to look within and setting goals focused on improving their relationships or mental health, whatever that means to them.

Others are focusing on giving back to their communities.

A UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences article published in January 2020 proposed that students set goals that differed from the classic resolution repertoire. It suggested skipping the most common resolutions and instead urged students

to prioritize their mental health, including tips for improving mental health in order to have a happier and more productive year.

These tips include ones that focus on personal self-care but also on being patient with others and focusing on joy.

Nicole August, a fourth-year psychology major, said that each year, she re-affirms a continuing goal to share what is on her mind with those around her more.

“I always try every year to be more proactive on the things I say in my mind,” August said. “If I see a person with cool shoes, I try to tell them; if I’m thinking of someone, I should text them; if I want to get someone flowers, I should go get them.”

Other alternative New Year’s resolutions focus on being more eco-friendly by opting for a more sustainable lifestyle. A small goal could be deciding not to buy any plastic water bottles this year or putting on an extra sweater instead of turning up the thermostat. A

more life-altering resolution could be choosing to eat a vegetarian diet or commit to “meatless Mondays.”

Whether you decide to make small or big resolutions, Dr. Angela Drake, a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a clinical psychologist at UC Davis Health, said that staying on track comes down to the approach.

“What you want to do when you’re defining or developing goals is to try to set yourself up for success,” Drake said. “New Year’s resolutions, the way they’ve been historically done, don’t set people up for success.”

Drake said that a more successful approach to goals, which could be applied to a New Year’s resolution, is the “S.M.A.R.T” method, an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals. Drake said that she also adds a “C,” for consistency, to the end of the acronym.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

ALL THINGS RIGHT & RELEVANT DONATED TO SUICIDE PREVENTION FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER The thrift and consignment nonprofit benefits mental health organizations

BY RACHEL SHEY city@theaggie.org All Things Right & Relevant, a Davis thrift and consignment nonprofit on Spafford Street, donated to suicide prevention for the month of December, with contributions of up to $300 matched by the organization’s board of directors, according to the general manager Lynne Okamuro.

The nonprofit has benefited mental health organizations since its inception. It currently works with nine charities.

“We’re a nonprofit consignment store and we work with mental health organizations and charities in Yolo County,” Okamuro said. “When somebody either wants to donate or consign, we take in most clothing and household goods as long as they are in good quality condition.”

The consignment portion of the nonprofit operates with a staggered pricing system, where prices drop over time. Profits are distributed to charities at the end of the year.

“With consignment, the consigner gets 40% of the money from the sale, and the

nonprofit gets 60%. The consignment period is 30 days,” Okamuro said. “Prices go down over time; it will spend 10 days at full price, 10 days at 20% off and 10 days at 40% off, which incentivizes people to buy it a little quicker. If we do end up making profit in a year, we distribute the amount to charities. Last year was a little rough so we didn’t do the distribution. I was hoping that this year we will be able to distribute some money.”

In the 1990s, the founders of the nonprofit wanted to help mental health organizations with fundraising, according to their website. They decided that the best way to do this was to open a thrift store, therefore also reducing their environmental impact by recycling unwanted goods and finding them new homes.

“Fundraising has been a long-standing dilemma for nonprofits in Yolo County and elsewhere,” the website reads. “The need for additional revenue sources had become

increasingly apparent in the late 1980s as California slipped into the deepest recession in recent memory and traditional funding sources dried up.”

All Things Right & Relevant started as thrift and eventually added consignment. Okamuro briefly broke down the difference between thrift and consignment.

“Consignment is where we sell an item for you, so you still own the item, and if it sells, you get a portion and we get a portion,” Okamuro said. “Thrift is that you are donating the item and not getting any money. If a consigned item does not sell within 30 days, it becomes a donation.”

All Things Right & Relevant sees more consignment than donation, among other interesting trends that Okamuro noticed. Most of the store’s revenue comes from jewelry, but the largest volume of goods is in clothing.

“I would say about 85-90% of what you see in our main store is a consignment item,” Okamuro said. “I would say that we are about

65-70% women’s clothing. We have a lot of female consigners, and the rest are non-clothing or men’s clothing. I don’t know why that is; we just have fewer male consigners, but if you do bring in men’s clothing, your item is one of the few options available, so it’s more likely to be bought. Our best sellers vary from season to season. Most of the year, it’s women’s blouses.

This time of the year, it’s usually outerwear and women’s dresses.”

Okamuro also added that another mission of All Things Right & Relevant is to employ those with mental health diagnoses. All employees at the nonprofit are mental health clients from local agencies.

“We rely on our 9 mental health agencies to refer mental health clients to work in our Thrift Store,” Okamuro said via email. “Most of our clients have come from Yolo County Department of Mental Health, Yolo Community Care Continuum (YCCC), Communicare, and Pine Tree Gardens.”

All Things Right & Relevant. (Courtesy / DavisWiki)

UC DAVIS HEALTH DEVELOPING PET IMAGING TOOL TO DETECT LIVER INFLAMMATION FOR NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE PET imaging tool provides a non-invasive alternative to liver biopsies, the current standard of detection for liver inflammation

BY BRANDON NGUYEN science@theaggie.org According to the American Liver Foundation, about one-third of the U.S. population is diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). A severe form of this liver disease is non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which forms as a result of metabolic fat buildup in the liver, leading to inflammation of the organ and potential scarring, or fibrosis. If not treated, the inflammation can progress to liver cirrhosis and

even increased risk of liver cancer.

Dr. Souvik Sarkar, a gastrointestinal and liver specialist at the UC Davis Medical Center, described what non-alcoholic fatty liver disease entails and why it demands so much attention.

“Fatty liver disease has three parameters which define the disease, one of which is a fat, the start of the disease,” Sarkar said. “It is becoming a very fast growing problem in our country

today, being driven by obesity and diabetes. The only way you can diagnose NASH at this time, unfortunately, is with a liver biopsy. There are new tools coming out to determine NASH, but they’re still in research.”

Fortunately, UC Davis Health researchers and clinicians have introduced a noninvasive alternative to the invasive liver biopsy to detect fatty liver disease — a positron

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emission tomography (PET) imaging tool. Dr. Ramsey Badawi, vice chair for research in the Department of Radiology and the co-director of the EXPLORER molecular imaging center at the UC Davis Medical Center, discussed why the new PET imaging tool for liver disease is so significant.

“With this new technique of processing the data using the PET scan, clinicians can easily detect an inflamed liver without having to do a biopsy,” Badawi said. “That’s a huge deal because it’s like 100 million people we’re talking about.

You can’t do biopsies on all these people. That is why this non-invasive way of detecting fatty liver disease is so significant.”

Dr. Guobao Wang, an associate professor of radiology at the UC Davis Medical Center and a co-lead of the project alongside Dr. Sarkar, echoed Badawi’s optimism toward this first-ofits-kind non-invasive method to detect fatty liver disease.

“It is exciting to see that our methodology can fill the gap in clinical imaging of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease,” Wang said. “This collaboration has been extremely fruitful, as our team has been working diligently to develop this technique.”

With the state-of-the-art EXPLORER total body PET scan machine located at the UC Davis Medical Center, both Sarkar and Wang are looking to incorporate their computational PET imaging tool into the EXPLORER machine to reduce radioactive dosage on tracers while still being able to effectively assess liver inflammation and fibrosis early on in the treatment process.

“You have a patient which you see, and we send the patient in for a scan in the EXPLORER so eight years down the road we can actually be able to predict, not only the disease that is happening in the liver, but also the disease and the potential for future disease in the heart and the brain and the kidney all at the same time,” Sarkar said. “So you can imagine what a big benefit that will be for the patient being able to plan their health with more personalized care.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 2022 | 3

DO NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS ACTUALLY WORK? Davis students offer their perspectives on the effectiveness of the tradition

BY CLARA FISCHER arts@theaggie.org As a new year dawns before us, there is one certainty it brings with it — the onset of a slew of resolutions, made in good faith by people seeking to better some aspect of their life.

The tradition of making New Year’s resolutions dates back to Babylonian times and has evolved from the making of religious promises to a secular practice of self-improvement.

This tradition seems harmless enough, and it can even be argued that there is some benefit to a majority of the population seeking to improve something about themselves.

However, statistics have shown that only 25% of those who make resolutions actually stick to them after 30 days, and a mere 8% of those who declare resolutions actually end up accomplishing them.

“I’ve found that when I attempted to make New Year’s resolutions, I’d just be disappointed that I hadn’t done them,” said Elizabeth Woodhall, a second-year English and psychology double major, via Facebook Messenger.

So how do people get started on (and more importantly, stay committed to) this journey of self-improvement?

“There needs to be some other motivating factor behind a change in your lifestyle,” said Kiara Kunnes, a third-year international relations major. “People are able to make changes without that, but the most successful lasting transformations do have an underlying cause.”

She may be right — New Year’s resolutions are notoriously easy to give up on. According to The New York Times, resolutions tend to fall through due to their being too vague, being made for the wrong reasons (i.e. what society wants the resolution-maker to do rather than what the individual themselves wants to do) or being too unrealistic.

But can there really be harm in setting a positive goal for yourself with the onset of a fresh, new year? Connie Wang, a second-year political science major, doesn’t think so.

“I think New Year’s resolutions let people reflect on any improvements they want to see in their life, which is always good,” Wang said.

While it may be true that resolutions provide a convenient opportunity for many to reflect on what in their lives may need improvement, the general consensus seems to be that long-lasting change is not likely to come from them.

“I don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions,” Kunnes said. “I don’t see a need to — I’m generally a person that will make a change at the moment that I want to make it.”

Reagan Campbell, a second-year English major, had a different take on the matter.

“Overall, I believe that New Year’s resolutions can start your year off on a positive note — however, it’s more about whether or not you have the willpower to actually follow through with them,” Campbell said.

Her viewpoint succinctly summarizes it: Anyone can make a resolution, but it will only be beneficial to those who actually set realistic goals and are willing to put in the necessary work to see them through.

That being said, even just setting a goal for yourself can be considered a win, and after these past two years, every victory (however large or small) deserves to be celebrated.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

UC DAVIS CLUB HOSTS FEMALE-CENTRIC ESPORTS BOOTCAMP Esports at UC Davis recently hosted a bootcamp designed to create an inclusive environment for women to learn about online gaming and build community

BY SONORA SLATER science@theaggie.org Whether your only interaction with online gaming is building a house once in Minecraft, or you regularly ruin your sleep schedule staying up late to game with friends, it is hard to deny the growing impact of gaming on today’s generation.

But according to Samuel Petruescu, a fifthyear applied physics major and the director of the Esports at UC Davis club, this online space often faces the challenge of being unwelcoming to female participants — a challenge which sparked an idea for the leaders of the club.

The week of Dec. 13-17, 2021, Esports at UC Davis hosted a female-centric esports bootcamp, both virtually and in-person on the UC Davis campus, seeking to help women get involved in esports and create an inclusive environment for anyone to participate. Kevin Deras-Guerra, a second-year biological sciences major and the codirector of Esports at UC Davis, explained how the idea came about.

“This event was my Co-Director, Sam’s, brainchild,” Deras-Guerra said via Discord.

“Before I had been onboarded as esports assistant director and elevated to Co-Director, Sam put in the [framework] for what he saw as an environment in which women-identifying individuals could have a space to learn about the various facets of esports and grow and find identity within the community.”

According to Petruescu, the event is part of the club’s “Inclusion Plan,” created through a partnership with student affairs.

“In my experience and judging from what we saw at the boot camp, there’s a lot of really talented women here at Davis who can compete [at] higher competitive levels, but often are discouraged from doing so due to their gender,” Petruescu said via Discord.

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Petruescu then elaborated on some of the other goals of the bootcamp, beyond competitive gaming.

“As the only esports organization on campus, we wanted to try and provide women with the opportunity to get introduced to esports,” Petruescu said. “Not just to compete but to also participate and intern in areas like graphic design or casting so they can develop valuable career skills.”

As the club was only recently instated in the summer of 2021, and this was their first inperson event, Deras-Guerra listed a number of individuals and programs who were instrumental in making the bootcamp a reality.

“Vice Chancellor Pablo, Ben, Ferguson from the games area, and the women’s center all gave us valuable and much needed help on the logistics of this whole operation,” Deras-Guerra said. “Monetary support from fundraisers at the games area was a huge game changer that allowed us to fund a lot of what we needed to make the program possible, not to mention the support from Vice Chancellor Pablo and Ben with their own monetary pledges to help us out with catering and all the perishables.”

He also highlighted the work that their graphic design and public relations interns did in order to advertise the event.

According to Deras-Guerra, each day of the event consisted of three main stages: conferences and guest speakers, lunch and free gaming time, with each day focusing on a specific game such as Valorant or Rocket League. Petruescu elaborated on what these stages entailed.

“We had gaming sessions each day […] which provided newer players with the opportunity to try new games and learn from their fellow peers,” Petruescu said. “We also had small group discussions and guest speaker sessions discussing topics such as toxicity in gaming, opportunities

in esports, and more.”

According to Petruescu, there were 50 students signed up for the event, though the close proximity to the holidays, COVID-19 concerns and unpredictable weather prevented some from participating. Although in-person attendance was low, online attendance was fairly high, allowing plenty of participants to game together through Discord.

Despite the challenges of lower attendance, Deras-Guerra said that he actually found it positively impacting the sense of community and quality of interactions.

“The smaller crowd gave us, as well-versed figures in collegiate esports, [time] to provide more individualized support to the participants we had,” Deras-Guerra said. “It also led to a lot more personal conversations, [and] anecdotes about the disparities that woman-identifying individuals face in the online space.”

He went on to detail some of the conversations he had with participants during the event.

“On the first day, I emphasized a sense of community and belonging, and opened up a space for all of our participants to have a discussion on why they were there, what they aimed to gain from participating in this program,” Deras-Guerra said. “Responses ranged from just wanting to make friends or challenge their social anxiety to receiving coaching to learning more about the non-gaming side to esports.”

Lindsay Legate, a fourth-year food science major who participated in the bootcamp inperson, talked about why she decided to join.

“I like video games and had a tiny bit of interest in the esports scene, but I was always pretty intimidated by the environment[,] and I wasn’t really sure where to start,” Legate said via Discord.

She then described her experience, and what she took away from the week.

“Sammy and Kevin were both really helpful in leading the event, and they created a really welcoming environment that took away all the stress of being new to some of these games,” Legate said. “Overall[,] I’m really happy that I went, I learned so many new things[,] and I met lots of new people who I still sometimes play games with!”

According to Petruescu, the overall goal of the event was to create “an equal space” where anyone, regardless of skill level, was encouraged to participate. But in addition to welcoming beginners, they wanted to highlight the success many female players have already had.

“Esports is currently male dominant, but there’s no reason for it to be,” Petruescu said.

“We are starting to see a shift where more and more female identifying players are competing and being very successful.”

Deras-Guerra clarified that the event isn’t meant to encourage a separation between genders in competitive gaming, but rather to recognize a disparity in opportunities.

“I don’t think many people in the space advocate for that same separation that exists in sports,” Deras-Guerra said. “The unfortunate reality however is that there is a notable, undeniable gap between the opportunities that women receive in gaming versus men traditionally.”

According to Deras-Guerra, having a bootcamp focused on female players rather allowed participants to build support groups and make friends with similar interests.

“Events like our Women in Esports Bootcamp [aren’t meant] to devalue women but to empower them by giving them a space where they aren’t held back by the majority that so often undervalues them or writes them off,” DerasGuerra said.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

OPINION STUDENTS, STAFF NEED TO BE FLEXIBLE DURING AN UNCERTAIN WINTER QUARTER

THE

C ALIFORNIA A GGIE

EDITO RIA L B OA RD ANJINI VENUGOPAL Editor-in-Chief MARGO ROSENBAUM Managing Editor SOPHIE DEWEES Campus News Editor MADELEINE PAYNE City News Editor EDEN WINNIFORD Opinion Editor

Instructors should be prepared to record lectures and teach remotely

KATIE DEBENEDETTI Features Editor ALLIE BAILEY Arts & Culture Editor

Temporarily returning to online instruction isn’t ideal for some students, but caution and flexibility are important for reducing the COVID-19 transmission rate in the UC Davis community as we return from break. This first week is an opportunity for UC Davis to catch any post-holiday cases before everyone interacts on campus.

Many of us were excited to continue in-person learning and want things to be as normal as possible, so the return to virtual learning can feel confusing and discouraging. It’s almost been two years since UC Davis first went online in March 2020, and even though we’ve made so much progress since then, there’s still a large amount of uncertainty and risk surrounding the pandemic.

The Editorial Board appreciates UC Davis’ communication about this first week of distance learning and its commitment to collecting data before making any final decisions. We support the continuation of the biweekly testing policy as well as the recent mandate of the booster COVID-19 vaccine.

Despite these precautions, many more students and staff may contract COVID-19 once we return to in-person learning.

Both students and instructors may need to quarantine at home throughout the quarter, so it’s important for departments to help instructors plan for recording in-person lectures, offering online exams and teaching remotely.

In particular, large lectures should have virtual options since many students and staff might not be comfortable in tightlypacked lecture halls with hundreds of people. Students shouldn’t need to decide between their grade and their health, so it’s

important to offer flexible options. We understand it’s extra work for instructors and not all lecture halls are equipped with video recording technology, but instructors can offer an audio recording of their lectures as a virtual option. Not only is this helpful during a pandemic, but it is also a necessary step to increase accessibility.

Everyone’s COVID-19 risk level is different, and the university should encourage instructors to be as accommodating as possible.

Scientists have found that the omicron variant causes less severe disease on average in the U.S., but it still causes hospitalizations and deaths. Members of the UC Davis community, especially those who are at high risk for serious illness from COVID-19, should be able to access accommodations if they’re concerned about their health.

UC Davis staff are doing what they can to provide students with a quality education under the safest conditions possible. We need to do our part to decrease community spread as well by getting our booster shots, masking up and exercising caution in social settings.

Even though 98% of the UC Davis campus is vaccinated, our vaccines might not be as effective against omicron as they were against previous strains, so consider skipping out on large gatherings and indoor parties.

Although the temporary return to virtual learning may feel discouraging, it’s important to respect public health decisions and continue to follow COVID-19 guidelines. We’re all in this together, and we need to be flexible as we start an uncertain winter quarter.

OMAR NAVARRO Sports Editor MICHELLE WONG Science & Tech Editor

KATHLEEN QUINN New Media Manager BENJAMIN CHENG Photo Director KATHERINE FRANKS Design Director JOELLE TAHTA Layout Director ANNE THISELTON-DYER Copy Chief SABINE LLOYD Copy Chief KESHAV AGRAWAL Website Manager ANTHONY NGUYEN Social Media Manager JOSHUA GAZZANIGA Distribution Manager JENNA HEATH Marketing Manager JELENA LAPUZ Outreach Director

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

THE UC-AFT AGREEMENT SHOULD NOT INCREASE TUITION FOR INCOMING STUDENTS UC Davis needs to be transparent about allocation of funds

BY OWEN RUDERMAN opruderman@theaggie.org The contract reached by the UC system and University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT) in midNovember is a great step towards the fair treatment of lecturers.

Recent research found that UC lecturers’ pay was considered lowincome at six of the nine UC campuses. If the contract is ratified, lecturers would be guaranteed pay increases, paid leave and more.

This is a tremendous step for untenured lecturers at UC, who must be compensated fairly for the incredible work that they do. But there remains a glaring question: Where is this money going to come from?

A 7% pay increase is nothing to scoff at, and with the number of lecturers teaching at UC, it adds up. Lecturers in the UC system teach about 30% of all classes, which means that thousands of lecturers are getting a pay increase.

The UC Board of Regents had already voted in July 2021 to raise tuition for incoming students starting fall 2022, months before the lecturers’ contract was reached. UC President Michael Drake explained that the tuition hike can address the issues of classroom overcrowding and high student to faculty ratios.

Research based on the Baumol hypothesis suggests that in response to wage increases, universities may increase enrollment rather than raise tuition. However, with Drake citing high student to faculty ratios as a problem to address, this doesn’t seem like an ideal option.

Allow me to make one thing clear: This is not about students versus lecturers. In fact, it’s the opposite. We need to support one another to make sure the school system is the best it can be. Our lecturers are incredible and deserve to receive a livable wage. I can’t help but wonder though, how much is this pay increase going to impact future students?

In the posted contract details by UC-AFT, there is a lot of information about the new benefits for untenured staff at UC. However, there isn’t any mention of how the UC system is going to pay for the increases in pay and benefits, especially since the UC Board of Regents had already approved a plan to increase tuition gradually until 2027 before its agreement with lecturers.

It’s entirely possible that incoming students don’t need to worry about any changes to tuition. When the agreement was reached, the school may have already done the math to ensure that students wouldn’t see any change. However, UC needs to be transparent about how lecturers’ pay will be increased.

When the UC system was first created, tuition was free for California residents. While free tuition would be a long shot, we need to keep these principles in mind. College should be affordable, and schools having to pay lecturers a livable wage should not prevent new students from attending.

Just like the lecturers, we as students need to utilize the power that we hold, and we must demand transparency from the

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE university. The UC-AFT agreement isn’t a bad omen for students — it’s a beacon of hope, showing us that when we fight together, we can create real change.

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

HUMOR

DAVIS LAUNCHES DUNGEONS & DRAGONS SPIN-OFF My lawful-evil film major can patronize your music taste up to 30 feet!

BY ANNABEL MARSHALL almarshall@theaggie.org

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE “I need a 12 or higher,” repeats Julie, a second-year ecology major. She’s saying it more to herself than anyone else, but the small crowd of undergrads gathered around the table nod eagerly.

They’re dressed in a wild mash of discount UCD merch and pseudo-Wiccan attire, holding their breath as Julie lets the die skid across the table and flash the number 13.

All eyes land on another student, sitting at the head of the table with a dirty laptop and a paleness that speaks to an unbelievable fear of the outdoors.

“Your TA smiles at you as they pass back your test,” he narrates, “You got a 62.” The crowd erupts into cheers.

“Roll for the curve!”

This is a typical session of the Dungeons & Dragons wave rolling through campus. Despite my best efforts, UC Davis has become a haven for D&D players, spawning clubs, firstyear seminars and year-long quests. It seems only right that this explosion should culminate in a Davis-brand version of the game, fittingly named UCD&D. And it’s taken off at a speed that makes me think we should reevaluate our admissions system.

UCD&D is driven by imagination, like how when someone talks to me about D&D, I imagine they are trapped in a soundproof glass box. The game has survived many iterations, including Classrooms & Cows, Elves & Eggheads and Wellman & Warlocks.

There are a few subtle differences in the new version. While the original game requires a DM (Dungeon Master), UCD&D uses a GM (Gary May). D&D has you choose a mythical race for your character, while UCD&D asks you to pick a major in order

to determine your player’s strengths and weaknesses. Computer science, for example, grants you +10 in Job Security but -80 in Conversational Ability. Popular quests include “Remember where you parked your bike” and “Turn in your weekly Canvas quiz at a crowded frat party.”

The quest I’ve been watching is a daunting challenge titled “Stay Awake in an 8 a.m.” It occurs to me that maybe they would have a better shot if they didn’t stay awake until 3 a.m. watching other people play UCD&D. I choose not to say anything, lest I be threatened with $13 foam swords from Michaels.

Now it’s another person’s turn to make a move. Oliver, a firstyear sociology major, speaks haltingly.

“I… remind myself of the importance of education?” Groans sound all around. It’s a critical mistake.

“Sorry, Oliver,” says the GM, “It’s ineffective. You drift into dreams for the five minutes that TA gives out useful information about the final exam.”

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

ARTS & CULTURE THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, JANUARY 6, 2022 | 5

THE GOLDEN GLOBES MIGHT NOT AIR THIS YEAR The ceremony’s humiliations might be leading toward an equally humiliating end

BY JACOB ANDERSON arts@theaggie.org The bourgeois game of Hollywood award shows is in a sad state: with the Oscars’ plummeting year-over-year ratings and the Emmys facing annual accusations of racism, the Golden Globes fits right in with its ever-ballooning rap sheet of nepotism, structural racism and unpopularity, topped off with a despicable incorrigibility.

Following the revelation earlier February of last year that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is responsible for the show, is comprised of absolutely no Black people, as well as various other accusations of self-dealing among member journalists and studios that resulted in a number of high-profile boycotts from Netflix and WarnerMedia, NBC has decided not to air the ceremony.

Given that the Globes have been the habitual target of ridicule by comedians and actors and social commentators for years already, the HFPA’s tepid attempts to placate its critics with new diversity policies (only for the organization’s diversity consultant firm to quit) have been unsurprisingly rejected by observers, which was the primary impetus behind NBC opting to break their 25-year agreement.

But even as the nominees for this year’s awards are announced,

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

it’s unclear whether the HFPA will be able to secure a broadcast agreement with another network, which could leave the show online only or perhaps unbroadcasted altogether.

On top of the show’s issues with even getting aired, prominent nominees have been ignoring the event entirely, with a sparse number even acknowledging its existence. It’s tempting to view these optical nightmares as one of many portents for the apparently oncoming death of the Hollywood award show, but the HFPA’s

situation is uncommonly egregious, even within the onanistic world of industry awards.

The HFPA has also attempted to resuscitate their image by contracting Snoop Dogg to read the nominations on Dec. 13, 2021, a move so transparent as to be humorous — doubly so given Dogg’s repeated failures to correctly pronounce nominees’ names.

It’s clear that the HFPA believes such sycophantic moves will convince the celebrities and onlookers who have all but completely abandoned them to return, but if anything the situation only appears to be getting worse.

The awards remain scheduled for Jan. 9, but given the tumult both in and out of the organization, the precise details of the event remain evasive. The HFPA seems to believe that a return to the earlier glory of the Globes isn’t an impossibility, but even somewhat more reputable events such as the Oscars remain on an unprecedented decline without controversies of comparable magnitude.

It could be that the Globes are on an intractable downward course even without their current embarrassments, and that there are huge cultural movements taking place that are invalidating it and similar events such that these are funny little bumps, extra humiliations on the ineluctable path toward irrelevancy. In either case, it would be in the Globes’ best interest to give Dogg some more prep time before future speaking engagements.

NELLA LARSEN’S NOVEL ‘PASSING’ COMES TO LIFE IN BLACK AND WHITE Social-cultural issues of the 1920s and today resurface in the Netflix film

BY SIERRA JIMENEZ arts@theaggie.org KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

On Nov. 10, 2021, Rebecca Hall’s monochrome film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel “Passing” was released on Netflix. Nominated in the top ten films of 2021 by the African American Film Critics Association, the film stars Tessa Thompson as protagonist Irene “Reenie” Redfield and Golden Globe nominee for Best Supporting Actress, Ruth Negga, as Irene’s literary foil, Clare Kendry.

The title refers to the practice of “racial passing” in which fair skinned African American individuals would “pass” as white to escape racial discrimination in the Jim Crow America of the 1920s.

With the political polarity and racial distress currently present in modern America, the film brings up past social issues of race, sexuality and identity still seen today.

Taking pieces of her own experiences as a mixed woman in America and historical events such as the Homer Plessy case of 1892, Larsen utilizes the environment around her to create the

BY ANGIE CUMMINGS arts@theaggie.org “Mary Heilmann: Squaring Davis / William T. Wiley and the Slant Step: All on the Line” (Manetti Shrem Museum, open January 8 through May 2022): Start the first weekend of the quarter off appreciating some beautifully made art of varied mediums from UC Davis alumna Mary Heilmann, who the Manetti Shrem website describes as “one of North America’s greatest living painters.” This exhibit features early works by Heilmann, which include paintings, ceramics and sculptures from the 1960s and 70s. Admission is free, and if you miss opening night, not to worry, because this exhibit will be open through the entire quarter (and into the next).

“From Moment to Movement: Picturing Protest in the Kramlich Collection” (Manetti Shrem Museum, open January 8 through June 19): Opening on the same day is this incredibly emotionally charged and apropos exhibit that aims to shine a light on the varied forms of resistance, and what the Manetti Shrem website describes as “the power and politics of viewing.” This inspiring show comprises six large-scale video and film installations, bringing together decades of media from the Kramlich Collection that will be available for all to see at no cost through the end of this school year. This show promises to be an incredibly valuable viewing experience for anyone who attends.

characters in her novel. With the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQIA+ activism, Defund the Police and other social-cultural movements, the film could not have come out at a better time.

Larsen’s novel is about cultural transformations post World War I, and reveals “changing definitions of concepts like race and gender, and the inextricable relationship between whiteness and blackness,” wrote author Emily Bernard in the introduction of “Passing.” “It is a universal story of the messiness of being human as it is portrayed in the particularly explosive relationship between two black women.”

The novel is structured in three sections: Encounter, ReEncounter and Finale, much like acts in a theatrical play.

According to Bernard, the theatrical structure is meant to represent race as a function of performance and “blackness [as] a matter of perception.” The film is shot in black and white perhaps to visually represent the perception of blackness and whiteness in the story.

The film begins with a white screen and then transitions into a blurry camera view of shoes walking the streets of New York with faint voices echoing in the background. The camera shifts into focus, and the black and white film unfolds from a foggy perspective to crystal clear vision — symbolic of the differing perceptions of race in Larsen’s novel.

Irene Redfield, who could pass as white due to her fair complexion, chooses to associate with her Black heritage and play an active part in the Black community of Harem. Conversely, Clare Kendry, who is also white passing, chooses to pass as white in order to evade prejudice and benefit from the privileges of white society.

Clare represents the New Woman, a notion born in the late nineteenth century of a defiant sexual woman who counters traditional norms. Her mysterious and seductive nature portrayed literarily in Larsen’s novel and visually in the film make her the

rebellious character put into question by more conservative characters like Irene.

Irene represents the world of the Black bourgeoisie where race consciousness and racial pride were boisterously talked about in conversation and incorporated in daily life. In the film, Irene coordinates elaborate Black-centered events and is close to white author Hugh Wentworth as a tribute to her elite social class in Harlem.

Clare envies Irene’s involvement with her Black culture and attends these events to compensate for her lack of “Blackness” in the white world in which she lives. She straddles the line between Black and white, which Irene constantly reminds her is a dangerous game.

“Irene is a conservative who is threatened by Clare because she represents a challenge to the sense of order and linear progress endemic to the ‘lifting as we climb’ motto of the black bourgeoisie,” Bernard wrote. “[Clare] is a gambler, playing the high stakes game of racial roulette.”

Their differing identities and their unique struggles to grapple with race are represented by their complex relationship being both beautiful and frustrating. While Irene despises Clare, she also adores her — adores her to a point of sexual romanticization.

Through a third person perspective of Irene, Clare serves as “the personification of desire itself ” — both a racial and sexual desire.

The film exemplifies the women’s sexual tension through various videographic persepectives and their sensual and slightly embarrassed body language. Jazz music plays over the noir-esque Roaring ‘20’s allure, seductively yet almost uncomfortably placing the viewer between the characters.

Up to the notoriously controversial ending, the relationship between Clare and Irene illustrates, cinematically and literarily, the performance of race and the balancing act of identity in a raciallyseparated society.

“The Conversation: “The U.S. Capitol Insurrection: One Year Later” (Student Community Center, 3:10 – 4:30 p.m. on January 11): Presented by the UC Davis Humanities Institute just after the first anniversary of the riots and subsequent insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, this conversation offers a discussion about what that unprecedented event means for us now. This compilation of short presentations and an open discussion is free and open to all, being held in the Multipurpose Room of the SCC. While this is quite a bit more of a heavy topic than most of the recommended events for this month, it is still a worthwhile event to attend and is relevant to the 2022 midterm elections coming up in November.

laughing. In addition to attending UC Davis, Minhaj has also been a star correspondent for “The Daily Show” and the host of his own Netflix series “Patriot Act,” giving us a good glimpse of his humor and wit. Tickets are available on most third-party ticket vendor sites, including tickets for both of the 7 p.m. shows starting at $69, and (much more affordably) tickets for the 10 p.m. show starting at $48 on Stub Hub, Seat Geek, Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats.

“2nd Friday Art About” (826 2nd St, 5 - 9 p.m. on January 14): On the second Friday of each month, a rotating collection of downtown Davis businesses and galleries provide Davis residents with an evening complete with a self-guided art walk, live music, andfree food and drinks as a fun way to mingle with the community. With displays of everything from local art and jewelry to performances, this is always sure to be a fun (and free) Friday evening, so why not catch the very first one of the new year?

“Hasan Minhaj: The King’s Jester” (SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center, Sacramento, 7 - 9 p.m. and 10 - 11:59 p.m. on January 14, 7 - 9 p.m. on January 15): While this event is not actually in Davis, it is only a quick 20-minute ride away to see a notable UC Davis alumnus perform.

Tickets for Minhaj’s stand-up show range from about $50 all the way to over $100, but even with nosebleed seats, you will still be

“Davis Jazz Night” (John Natsoulas Gallery, 521 1st St, 7 - 9 p.m on January 28): Smooth jazz and beautiful art really do go together like wine and cheese, and John Natsoulas Gallery makes this dream pairing a reality. This special night, which is normally held the last Friday of every month, has been on pause for months now due to COVID-19, but is finally starting back up at the end of January. The event is completely free and is right downtown, so there really is no reason for any jazz lover or art appreciator to miss out on this monthly event’s triumphant return.

“Winter Season Celebration” (Manetti Shrem Museum, 2 - 4 p.m. on January 30): The Manetti Shrem Museum invites all to come at the end of the month for their first large-scale in-person event of the new year. This celebration features a talk between one of the featured artists, Mary Heilmann, and the museum’s curator, Dan Nadel.

The event is free and is a great way to learn even more about the amazing art exhibits available at the museum, including the first two events on this list.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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

Answer to previous puzzle 12/2/2021

CROSSWORD Answer to previous puzzle 12/2/2021

Scan this QR code to subscribe to The California Aggie’s Newsletter!

reduce. reuse. recycle.

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THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

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SPORTS MLB LOCKOUT HAS BOTH SIDES STANDING FIRMLY Everything to know about the new CBA negotiations in baseball and what both sides are looking for in this round

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org When the Atlanta Braves closed out the Houston Astros to win the World Series on Nov. 2, it culminated the first full season after last year’s shortened year. With the lockout now underway, the threat of another shortened year looms across Major League Baseball (MLB).

On Dec. 2, the collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the players expired and after long negotiations, the owners chose to lock out the players and stop labor peace. This became the first time since 1994 that there was a work stoppage in baseball, and with many issues to cover, the negotiations will most likely be lengthy ones. With the lockout now in full effect, that means that the busy offseason, that saw many big free agents move, must come to a halt until this is solved.

“Today is a difficult day for baseball, but as I have said all year, there is a path to a fair agreement, and we will find it,” said commissioner Rob Manfred in an open letter to fans. “I do not doubt the League and the Players share a fundamental appreciation for this game and a commitment to its fans. I remain optimistic that both sides will seize the opportunity to work together to grow, protect, and strengthen the game we love. MLB is ready to work around the clock to meet that goal. I urge the Players Association to join us at the table.”

Since the pandemic began, issues had risen between the Player’s Association and the owners when it came to money, among other topics.

One of the more pressing issues aside from the competition issues is the fact that revenue for the league has gone up over the years, yet the average player salary continues to decrease. When a player comes into the league, the team holds their rights for six years but at the same time, manipulates the system in a way where they can keep players underpaid for longer periods of time as a way to save money. This is one of the more pressing issues that stands in a negotiation where neither side is willing to budge.

“It was the owners’ choice, plain and simple, specifically calculated to pressure Players into relinquishing rights and benefits, and abandoning good faith bargaining proposals that will benefit not Just Players, but the game and industry as a whole,” the MLBPA said in its statement. “These tactics are not new. We have been here before, and Players have risen to the occasion time and again — guided by a solidarity that has been forged over generations. We will do so again here.”

So what do the players want in these negotiations? Aside from a larger share of the growing revenue, there is a competition issue among some teams that does not sit right with players. Teams like the Rockies, Pirates and many others have taken advantage of the absence of a salary floor and remain uncompetitive because they are unwilling to spend on players.

This diminishes the market for players since some teams are not looking to compete and are incentivized to just lose games and get a high draft pick. In these negotiations, the player’s hope

AGGIE FILE

to implement some sort of way to discourage a team from losing on purpose by perhaps adding a salary floor that teams must follow.

In addition to this, there are a lot of issues when it comes to younger players as they navigate their way through the minor leagues. As it stands, teams purposely keep players in the minors for a certain amount of time as a way to keep them under a cheap contract as well as exhaust all options before they let a player hit free agency.

The players hope to eliminate this in some way to allow players to hit free agency sooner rather than later. Currently, players must accumulate six years on an MLB roster before they hit free agency, but the players are looking to reduce that number — something the owners want to avoid.

And what do the owners want? In short, almost nothing of what the players want. Both sides have their feet firmly planted, which makes the negotiations an interesting one. One of the main things owners are looking for is expanded playoffs.

Since teams get 100% of the TV revenue in the playoffs, more playoff teams means more money and larger TV deals for the league in addition to the concessions and ticket sale revenues. As a way to try to convince the players of this, they have offered to reduce the season from 162 games to 154 as well as implement the universal designated hitter — both things that the player’s have wanted for a while. Still, this looks like a one sided deal, since the ones who will benefit the most from this exchange would

be the owners and their teams since the revenue would increase even more with an expanded playoffs.

In addition to these issues, the league is looking to lower the luxury tax threshold, something that penalizes teams that spend over a certain amount. As it stands, the threshold is at $210 million per team. The owners have offered to raise it gradually up to $220 million but it would come with harsher penalties while the player’s want to raise the luxury tax as a way to encourage the big spenders to spend even more.

“We already have teams in smaller markets that struggle to compete,” Manfred said of the MLBPA’s stance. “Shortening the period of time that they control players makes it even harder for them to compete. It’s also good for fans in those markets. The most negative reaction we have is when a player leaves via free agency. We don’t see making it available earlier as a positive.”

With the league having concerns about how these proposals could hurt small market teams, MLBPA has doubts about that and are looking for a more fair Collective Bargaining agreement than the one they got in 2016.

“When you look at how the 2016 CBA agreement…has worked over the past five years, as players we see major problems with it,” New York Met and an association player representative on the MLBPA’s Executive Subcommittee Max Scherzer said. “Specifically, and first and foremost, we see a competition problem and how teams are behaving because of certain rules that are within

that. And adjustments have to be made because of that in order to bring up the competition. So, as players, that’s absolutely critical to us to have a highly competitive league and when we don’t have that, we have issues.”

With pitchers and catchers set to report to Spring Training on Feb. 15 of the new year, the clock is ticking for both sides. After last year’s shortened season and losses due to the pandemic, there is urgency on both sides to get something done. Still, neither side will agree to something they aren’t comfortable with just to play baseball.

While a cancellation or shortening of a season looks unlikely at this current moment, it is not 100% out of the realm of possibility. But, a lot would need to happen — or not happen — between now and the start of the season for that to occur.

These negotiations are more than just revenue sharing, new rules or anything else. It is the players looking for some fairness in a system that highly favors MLB franchises. This new collective bargaining agreement is a chance for players to gain some of the power they lost. A great deal for the players in this negotiation could go a long way not only for players in baseball, but in other league’s as well.

This article was originally published online on December 22, 2021

THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF MAJOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL HEAD COACHES LEAVING SUDDENLY Recent head coaching bombshells in college football highlights big problems in the sport KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org When high school athletes get recruited to a university to play a certain sport, they decide to go somewhere for a variety of reasons. Whether it be location, success or a feeling that the head coach had their best interest in mind, the decision of where to continue their playing career is one of the biggest decisions they have to make. So what happens when a college head coach decides to abruptly leave to another school? It leaves many players now with buyers remorse, among a lot of other things, since this is not what they signed up for.

Specifically when looking at college football, news has rocked the headlines ever since the end of November. It began with former Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley leaving the Sooners to move to Southern California and accept the USC head coaching position. In a stunning move, he caught everyone off guard — including people at Oklahoma as well. This move sent shockwaves through the college football world, as one of the best young coaches who was seemingly an Oklahoma staple was on the move.

“Everybody feels hurt and betrayed,” Jeff Stewart, who owns O’Connell’s Irish Pub, an OU institution, told the Los Angeles Times. “You can’t have that kind of thing happen that quickly. The final decision, yes, but there’s a lot more to it. I feel like it may have started earlier in the season, where maybe his mindset was more on the upcoming job.”

As if that wasn’t enough, another longtime head coach switched places. Now former Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly surprised everyone when he accepted the position at

LSU after a long tenure with the Fighting Irish. The move rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, as players found out about the news through social media.

Finally, the last major move of college football in recent weeks was the move of Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal to Miami University. According to Oregon, the University of Miami did not reach out to ask for permission to talk to Cristobal, as the news once again culminated the very busy head coaching market.

All of these shocking moves had something in common — money. With coaching contracts on the rise, the temptation to move has done so as well. While an official figure was not reported on Riley’s move, the expectation is that it was over $9 million annually. For Kelly, his move down to Louisiana included a 10year, $95 million contract, and for Cristobal, it was reported to also be a 10-year deal worth $8 million a year. With the high dollar figure offered, it’s no wonder these coaches just got up and left situations that many thought they would never leave.

While earning more money is beneficial for the coach and their future, the question arises — are these sudden changes ruining college football? Since the introduction of huge money into college football, it has become more of a bidding war than anything else.

The era of longtime tenured head coaches at school has now changed into the threat that anyone can leave at any moment. The problem with this is that a head coach leaving affects the players who they recruited to go to the school. A big factor in the decision of picking which school to play for is the head coach. With moves becoming so volatile, these moves can ruin the college career of student-athletes as now they are placed in a situation that they weren’t expecting or must transfer in the middle of their college career.

Abruptly leaving a program while possible in college sports is iffy. When Kelly left Notre Dame, they still had a chance to make the College Football Playoff. His move and the timing of it was met with heavy criticism, as it is just another example of how much of a business college football has become.

“By making this move now, Kelly should be a pariah in his profession, never thought of the same way again,” said Dan Wolken for USA Today. “He doesn’t care at all about those players, and whatever respect he had earned for his stewardship of the Notre Dame program over the last dozen years has been flushed down the toilet.”

Not only is leaving suddenly shocking for the players, it leaves the coaches and recruiters in an awkward position. Since recruiting is a year round pursuit, Kelly, Riley and Cristobal had still been recruiting for the university even before the move, selling the players on what eventually was lies. Kelly was at a recruit’s house

on a visit for Notre Dame when the news of his move to LSU broke, leaving the family unable to wrap their heads around what happened. One of Kelly’s Notre Dame assistants was exiting a recruits home when he found out the news and expressed how he felt after he had just basically told the recruit lies.

“The news broke when I walked out of the house, so I look like a f----- a-----e.”

In Riley’s case, his move caused shockwaves as now many recruits and players at Oklahoma announced their transfer. In what looked like a quick process, Riley left the program and player’s shocked by this move — something they certainly did not see coming.

“They were, of course, blindsided -- they were in shock,” now interim Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. “They were very respectful of coach Riley as he addressed them. Some even clapped for him as he left, but in shock.”

In the aftermath of all the coaches leaving, the universities have lost players who were committed to the school as well as players already there. It has created a ripple effect as players look for new homes.

“Their precise motivations differ, but the rattling decisions Riley and Kelly made were united by an overarching cause,” Adam Kilgore said in the Washington Post. “An infusion of money into the sport, through both mammoth television contracts and wealthy donors, has distorted the terrain and amplified the imperative to win immediately and constantly. Even coaches at flagship programs may have a wandering eye, and even schools that recently won national championships may boot the coach who won it.”

While moving to situations that are the best for a person is something they are encouraged to do, there is a lot wrong with the current changes in college football. No other league allows teams to openly negotiate with another team while still under contract, so this precedent set in college football is dangerous for everyone involved, since anyone can just up and leave. Although the transfer rules now allow a player to leave easier, it is still a hard transition to a place they thought was their second home.

There have already been more head coaching changes this year than the previous, and players now have another decision to make.

Whether or not it works out for the coaches that move, one thing is clear — when it comes to major college football programs, it has become harder to trust those in charge, since they can leave so suddenly and leave the program in the dark.

This article was originally published on December 21, 2021.