March 10, 2022

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‘ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, RENT BURDEN NO MORE’: UC ACADEMIC WORKERS RALLY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING The rally coincided with 2022 contract bargaining for UAW 2865, UAW 5810 and SRU-UAW

BY ISABELLA KRZESNIAK campus@theaggie.org On March 3, members of United Auto Workers (UAW) 5810, the union that represents postdoctoral and academic researchers, UAW 2865, representing teaching assistants, graduate student instructors, tutors and readers and Student Researchers United (SRU-UAW) held a rally to bring awareness to rent burden in Davis. Members of the unions marched from 1st and A Street to Mrak Hall. The rally was one of several that have been taking place across the nine UC campuses and coincided with 2022 contract bargaining for the UC system, which occurs from March to April.

“We have been having housing actions at [all UC schools] as we are entering bargaining to really prioritize housing in this next contract,” said Frangy Pozo, a part-time organizer for UAW 2865.

According to a press release from UAW 2865, 70% of

postdoctorates and 90% academic student employees are rent burdened, which is defined as having to use more than 30% of one’s income on housing. Among the unions’ demands is that the UC put an end to rent burden for all academic student employees.

“The demand is to eliminate rent burden so that none of us as workers need to be prioritizing rent over food, childcare or transportation,” Pozo said.

UAW 5810, UAW 2865 and SRU-UAW collectively represent over 48,000 academic workers. SRU-UAW, which represents more than 17,000 individuals, was recently recognized as a union in December 2021.

“We’re really excited at this stage because we’re at this historic moment,” Pozo said. “We have 48,000 members because of the postdocs, tutors, TAs, readers, student researchers and academic researchers.”

HOUSINGRALLY on 12

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VOLUME 140, ISSUE 20 | THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

BASIC NEEDS CENTER OFFERS EMERGENCY HOUSING, RENT REDUCTION FOR STUDENTS Eligible students can receive benefits from these programs through the Aggie Compass website

BY SYDNEY AMESTOY campus@theaggie.org

Basic Needs Center in Memorial Union. (Kayla Bruckman / Aggie)

UAW 5810, UAW 2865 and SRU-UAW rally. (Benjamin Cheng / Aggie)

UNITRANS BUS ARRIVAL PREDICTIONS SYSTEM AFFECTED BY AT&T 3G NETWORK SHUTDOWN Until the new system is running, students will not be able to see live bus arrival times but can refer to the Unitrans website for bus schedule information

BY ANGELINA ANGELO campus@theaggie.org Due to the nationwide AT&T 3G network shutdown, the Unitrans Nextbus live tracking system, which provides real-time bus arrival predictions, is no longer available to students and Unitrans bus drivers. Not only is this shutdown affecting Unitrans, but it is also impacting transit agencies across the country. Well over 5,000 students rely on this system daily, according to Jeffrey Flynn, the general manager of Unitrans.

“This outage is not ideal for students who are busy juggling their personal, social and academic lives,” said Luck Vuong, a

Unitrans bus at Anderson Avenue and Russell Boulevard intersection. Unitrans is a bus fleet driven by undergraduate students. (Aggie File)

fifth-year civil engineering major and the student Unitrans route supervisor manager.

Vuong recommends that students take an earlier bus, arrive at the bus stop one to two minutes earlier than the arrival time on the bus schedule and reach out to bus drivers with concerns.

Bus drivers will stick to the set schedule, but unexpected delays and traffic may still occur. In order to provide accurate bus arrival predictions with the new AT&T network, Unitrans will need to acquire replacement parts to reset its system. “[Unitrans] is waiting on replacement parts, which are currently delayed one to three months due to supply chain issues,” Flynn said.

Unitrans managing staff is actively seeking out solutions for the time being, according to Flynn.

“We are testing bridge systems in the next weeks in an attempt to find a temporary solution for students,” Flynn said.

Students can find bus schedule information on the Unitrans website and on paper schedules, which are available on the buses or at the bus terminal boxes.

Justin Medrano, a fourth-year pharmaceutical chemistry major and the student Unitrans operations manager, shared similar sentiments with Flynn.

“We are trying our hardest as supervisors and as drivers to make service as reliable as possible,” Medrano said. “We ask that the public bears with us. We are as much in the dark as [students] are right now. We understand it’s frustrating not to be able to look at a map and see where the buses are at in real time, and [we] are working toward solutions.”

UC DAVIS KORET SHELTER MEDICINE PROGRAM CHOSEN BY GOV. NEWSOM TO LEAD ANIMAL SHELTER INITIATIVE Gov. Gavin Newsom signed budget legislation which includes $45 million for the Animal Shelter Assistance Program to be administered by UC Davis

BY KAYA DO-KHANH campus@theaggie.org The Koret Shelter Medicine Program (KSMP) at the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health has been chosen by Gov. Gavin Newsom to direct a five-year project aimed at improving the lives of at-risk animals and providing support for shelters statewide.

Newsom signed budget legislation for the project known as the Animal Shelter Assistance Program in 2021, which includes $45 million, an augmentation of $5 million allotted earlier in the year.

The program was enacted to stand by the state’s policy goal that “no adoptable or treatable animal is euthanized,” according to the Animal Shelter Assistance Act. “What’s really important is that the shelter medicine team has always been very accessible and inclusive in their consults with

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

animal shelters and really works with groups on solutions,” said KSMP California State Director Allison Cardona. “It shows that the state of California recognizes that work and trusts us to be stewards of this funding.”

The Animal Shelter Assistance Act states that the program should provide resources based on assessments and training to prevent animal cruelty as well as administer a grant program to aid shelters in the implementation of best practices.

“The University of California houses the nation’s premier animal sheltering research, service, and teaching program,” Article 6.4 of the Animal Shelter Assistance Act states. “The shelter medicine program at the University of California, Davis promotes a welfarecentric, life-saving approach to the management of animals in shelters, focused on prevention and grounded in science.”

The program serves as a way to track the stability of animal shelters and connect them to others in the state, according to Cardona.

Grant opportunities and applications are listed on the California For All Animals website. Along with the application, there is a questionnaire for shelters that will indicate where the greatest need is within the state.

An online launch party was held on Feb. 14 to accompany the opening of the first round of grants. Newsom made a special online appearance in support of the launch and thanked the UC Davis team for leading the initiative.

“Four years ago we pledged that all California communities would have the resources they need to ensure that no healthy or treatable animal dies in a shelter,” Newsom said in the online launch party. “I’m really proud that California is following through on these promises, and I’m confident together we can meet the goal of finally becoming a no-kill state.”

The Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center features numerous programs designed to help students, including rent reduction and emergency housing programs.

The Emergency Housing program provides students in urgent need of housing with a place to stay. Since January 2021, this service has expanded to provide quarantine housing for students living off campus if they or their roommate has tested positive for COVID-19.

Abiel Alesana, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and a CalFresh student intern, said he has seen an uptick in students using the COVID-19 quarantine emergency housing program.

The other half of the program focuses on securing help for students experiencing homelessness. According to Howard Channel, the basic needs coordinator for the center, students in need of housing are eligible for the Hotel Voucher program which gives students without housing a place to stay. During their stay, the center determines a students’ eligibility for a basic needs grant, which can help pay for a student’s rent or security deposit, or the Rapid Rehousing Program, which provides students with a place to stay for six to nine months, along with other resources.

The center also provides a rent reduction program for students currently living at the Green at West Village Apartments. Student’s rent can be reduced by up to $300 per quarter through the program.

“From the perspective of these students, they told me it just meant a lot to know that they have that additional money to help out with buying books, paying for parking passes, things like that,” Channel said.

Alesana currently receives rent reductions through the program while living at the Green, and said he appreciates the assistance the program provides.

“I’m thankful I have it,” Alesana said. “It helps out, every penny counts.”

The Basic Needs Center can also help students sign up for CalFresh, grants and a number of other resources. Additionally, the center runs a produce program, Fruit & Veggie Up, that provides fresh produce for students twice a week in front of the Memorial Union.

Many of the programs featured by the center, including the Fruit & and Veggie Up program, were created based on student input, according to Alyssa Wong, the programs’ co-coordinator.

“Not that many […] students had access to fresh vegetables or fresh food,” Wong said. “So, I would say, it was in demand.”

Programs such as the WiFi hotspot program under the Affordable Fast Internet Program, which gives out hotspots and routers for students lacking a stable internet connection, were established on campus based on student demand during the beginning of the pandemic.

According to Channel, future basic needs programs will likely be established based on students’ ideas.

“This is where our student voice comes in,” Channel said, “It’s probably going to be [a] student voice that’s going to tell us where to go, what’s going to be the next [program].”

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CITY OF DAVIS NO SENATORS LONGER PART OF CA HEARD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 3 QUARTERLY DUE TO REDISTRICTING REPORTS, California’s recent loss of a Congressional seat in the 2020 census DISCUSSED shifts representation for Davis THE MASK MANDATE, PASSED EMERGENCY BILLS

BY CHRIS PONCE city@theaggie.org

After the new census data is released every 10 years, states must use these numbers to redraw districts. The results of the 2020 census have impacted the state of California, with one of the most significant changes being that the state has lost a Congressional seat. This is the first time California has lost a House seat in the state’s history.

This outcome can be attributed to a decrease in population growth in California. Before the 2020 census, the state had 53 Congressional seats. The number will drop to 52 during this year’s election. The effects of redistricting have trickled down to Davis and the surrounding local areas. UC Davis Professor and Chair of the Political Science Department Ben Highton spoke on the impact of the census data. “[Because of the] census and change in population distributions across the country, California lost one house seat, so we are down to 52 from 53,” Highton said. “My general understanding is that [that] seat is being lost in Southern California, not in Northern California, so that impact is relatively muted up here. But at the same time, whether or not a state gains, loses or doesn’t change the number of seats that it has, because of the requirement of equal population across districts, everytime we have a census, we need to redraw.”

California announced its newly redrawn districts in December 2021. There are no changes to California’s Assembly seat (District 4), which has been represented by Cecilia Aguiar-Curry since 2016. Davis’ State Senate seat (District 3) has also seen no changes after the redistricting and is still being represented by Bill Dodd, who was elected in 2016. The biggest change is that the city now finds itself ousted from California’s third Congressional District and a part of California’s newly drawn District 4.

California’s prior third Congressional District consisted of more than 700,000 citizens. The District included all of Yuba, Sutter and Colusa county but also included parts of Yolo County.

California’s newly drawn District 4 includes Lake, Napa and Yolo County.

Following the redistricting, Davis’ current Congressional Representative now finds himself in a different district. House Representative John Garamendi has represented California’s third Congressional District since 2013. Representative Garamendi was very interactive with the Davis community, having his district office near downtown Davis where students could volunteer or work as interns.

Instead of being a citizen of District 4, Representative Garamendi is now a citizen of District 8. California’s new District 8 includes much of Solano County and the Fairfield area.

Representative Garamendi announced his campaign for Congress in California’s new District 8 on Dec. 20, 2021 in a statement on his campaign website.

“The 760,000 residents of the 8th Congressional District want a proven progressive who will fight for them every single day,” the website reads. “That’s exactly what I’ve done my entire tenure in Congress, and that’s what I’ll continue to do. That’s why, today, I’m kicking off my re-election campaign for Congress.”

As a seat is left open by an incumbent (Garamendi), new attention is now drawn to Califorania’s fourth Congressional District. The party demographics are very similar to that of former District 3. CA-3 consisted of a 41% Democrat and 30% Republican population prior to the census and CA-4 now consists of a 49% Democrat and 23% Republican population.

Among those seeking the opportunity of the open seat in CA-4 is Congressman Mike Thompson. Thompson, who has represented California’s fifth Congressional District since 2013, announced his candidacy for reelection in California’s fourth Congressional District on Dec. 21, 2021. Thompson made his announcement on his campaign website.

“I was born, grew up and have lived my entire life in the newly numbered Fourth Congressional District,” Thompson said. “The outpouring of support I’ve received is humbling and I’m looking forward to working with state and local leaders on the challenges we face.”

The primary election will be on June 7 this year. Check your registration status or register to vote at How to Register to Vote | USAGov. More information on the final maps after redistricting can be found at Final Maps - We Draw the Lines CA.

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

SB #62, #59, #24, #58 and #60 passed unanimously

BY SYDNEY AMESTOY campus@theaggie.org

AGGIE FILE Vice President Juliana Martinez Hernandez called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 3 and read the land acknowledgement.

The Club Finance Council (CFC), a program that provides grants for student organizations through the Center for Student Involvement (CSI) then gave a presentation on its work this quarter and its future goals. The CSI Grants Student Manager Huda Saleh and the CSI Campus Activities Coordinator Joseph Martinez, discussed their operations and how they have helped registered student organizations apply for and receive grants. This quarter, the CFC budget has increased to allow them to give more money – up to $3000 – to create a new website and expand their advertising.

The council has had 64 applications from various registered student organizations over the past two quarters, and it has allocated $14,008 to these clubs for many reasons, including travel costs. According to Saleh and Martinez, the best way for registered student organizations to reach out to the CFC is through the Aggie Life website.

Next, a representative from the UC Davis School of Law came to speak on behalf of the 700 law students at UC Davis and the Law Student Association (LSA). The speaker, Ethan Christianson, asked for collaboration between ASUCD and the LSA in regards to issues such as the lifting of the mask mandate, parking and a lack of student housing, especially for graduate students.

President Pro Tempore Radhika Gawde expressed interest in extending this collaboration to legal advice for ASUCD. “That would be immensely helpful in strengthening both of our advocacy, if we didn’t get threatened with a lawsuit every time we tried to do something,” Gawde said.

Then there was a presentation given by UC Davis student Calvin Wong, who provided an update on his push to eliminate SASI and CEI, two student fees that go toward funding UC Davis Athletics. He sought support from ASUCD in regards to having a referendum to eliminate these fees on the spring quarter ballot after receiving conflicting information from the administration.

This included an email that cited a specific guide to having a measure listed on the ballot, which contradicted a previous email from a different member of the administration.

The Senate table then moved on to instating new members of several different ASUCD committees and commissions. This included three new members of the Internal Affairs Commission (IAC) and three new members of the Academic Affairs Commission.

All were voted in unanimously.

Commission Chair Kabir Sahni and Vice Chair Jaisey Joseph then provided the IAC’s quarterly report. This quarter, the commission introduced 12 new pieces of legislation and advised on 76% of all legislation.

The Disability Right Advocacy Committee also gave its quarterly report and shared future plans on making the ASUCD Gardens more accessible and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant.

The Research and Data Committee then gave its quarterly report, highlighting the recent surveys done by the committee during the quarter. These surveys include the food insecurity survey, the transfer student experience survey and the ASUCD student worker survey, which is ongoing. The committee has two planned surveys for spring quarter: the environmental justice survey and the equitable access survey. Next quarter, the committee also seeks to hire a new chair and to write an official handbook.

The Picnic Day Committee then gave its quarterly report, which focused on the limited budget for this year’s Picnic Day. The unit is currently recruiting 220 volunteers, and still needs about 90 more. There will be fewer t-shirts sold at Picnic Day as compared to previous years, along with other merchandise such as hats and stickers.

Campus Center for the Environment’s quarterly report included recent work done at the ASUCD garden, such as clearing debris and refurbishing overgrown pathways. The center will also bring back compost runs on campus, in which compost bins will be biked around campus by an employee from the center.

The Sexual Assault Advocacy and Awareness Committee (SAAAC) gave its quarterly report on current projects, such as their collaboration with the Gender and Sexualities Commission, an Instagram account meant to educate students on UC policy towards sexual assault and Title IX. SAAAC has current plans to reach out to fraternities in particular.

Finally, the Office of the Transfer Student Representative (OTSR) gave its quarterly report following the unanimous confirmation of a new student employee. The OTSR spoke of its collaboration with the Research and Data Committee on the transfer student survey from winter quarter, as well as its staff being able to attend the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students conference.

After a brief 20-minute break, the Senate regathered and held a small dialogue session on the upcoming end to mask mandates on campus on March 19. Some senators and chairs brought up the idea of having ASUCD affiliates keep their mask mandate, but the idea was dropped in favor of encouraging the student population to continue to wear masks. It was then brought up that Unitrans, which as a form of public transportation, must follow federal guidelines.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 | 3

YOLO-SOLANO AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT DISTRICT’S DON’T LIGHT TONIGHT ADVISORY PROGRAM KEEPS YOLO COUNTY’S AIR HEALTHY DURING WINTER Local air quality management programs maintain low levels of fine particulate matter and ozone in the atmosphere with the help of forecasting AMY YU / AGGIE

BY LEVI GOLDSTEIN city@theaggie.org From November through February, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (AQMD) issues a Don’t Light Tonight advisory, which asks residents of the district to not light woodburning stoves or fireplaces on days when air pollution is expected to be high.

Yolo-Solano AQMD was jointly established in 1971 by the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and the Solano County Board of Supervisors, according to its website. The District includes all of Yolo County and part of Solano County, including Rio Vista, Dixon and Vacaville.

Local air quality management districts, of which there are 35 in California, operate below state-level air quality management, or the California Air Resources Board, according to Executive Director of Yolo-Solano AQMD Mat Ehrhardt.

“Air quality management districts […] are tasked with managing the oversight of implementation of the Clean Air Act at the local level as well as encouraging public outreach and

involvement in protecting the air quality,” said Stephanie Holliday, the Yolo-Solano AQMD Administrative Analyst and Public Information Officer. “So our local mission here […] is basically to protect human health […] from the harmful effects of air pollution.”

Yolo-Solano AQMD partners with Sonoma Technology (STI), an environmental consulting firm. STI measures air pollution and performs air quality forecasting across the U.S., according to Chief Executive Officer Leo Chinkin. STI also helped develop AirNow. gov, a real-time air quality data site.

For Don’t Light Tonight, the District issues a warning in advance when, the next day, the Air Quality Index (AQI) will be above 78, or 25 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter, according to Ehrhardt.

“It’s a regular weather forecast, but then we’re applying what’s going to happen with the pollutants over a region,” said Jeff Beamish, a meteorologist at STI. “Basically we’re trying to find those pollutant sources, figure out where they’re going to be heading, how the weather is going to impact them and come up with an AQI forecast.”

AQI was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) as a unitless index for particulate matter and ozone levels in the atmosphere, according to Chinkin.

“The AQI is designed by the EPA to be a short-term indicator to help the public make decisions about protecting their health,” Chinkin said.

The forecasts are based on an average hourly concentration.

Each pollutant has its own AQI value; whichever value is highest is broadcasted. According to Beamish, ozone is usually higher in the summer, so particulate matter is the primary concern in winter.

“The amount of sunlight that is available during the day plays a very key role in the ozone developments,” Beamish said. “It’s typically why ozone is the main driver behind pollution during the summer months versus the winter, because the days are longer during the summer.”

During winter, cold temperatures can trap air particles closer to the ground, according to a press release published by the YoloSolano AQMD on Nov. 1, 2021.

Wood smoke contains fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), which is especially unsafe because it can travel more easily to the heart and lungs than particles of larger size. A high concentration of fine particles in the air can cause respiratory problems for children, the elderly and those with existing health conditions. Long exposure over time can lead to even more health problems, Beamish said.

Don’t Light Tonight is meant to maintain lower levels of particulate matter in the air to reduce the health risks for residents in the district.

“The impact of people not burning can keep AQI values maybe five to 10 AQI lower than what we’re forecasting,” Beamish said.

“The action of not burning […] when we issue the Don’t Light Tonight advisory for Yolo and Solano counties has a huge, huge impact.”

Holliday also believes it’s a matter of courtesy.

“By encouraging residents to not use their fireplaces, you can have a very real impact on your neighborhood, so not just yourself but the people that live around you,” Holliday said.

To know when a Don’t Light Tonight warning has been issued, residents can sign up for EnviroFlash, the District’s free email and text notification service. They can also check the District’s social media, visit their website or call (530) 757-3787 to listen to a recorded message.

STI also forecasts for Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District’s Check Before You Burn program, which also runs from November through February, according to Beamish. Unlike Don’t Light Tonight, Check Before You Burn prohibits wood burning by law when a warning for high AQI has been issued.

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AGGIE SQUARE HOLDS GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY IN SACRAMENTO Phase one of the project will commence in the spring

BY SHRADDHA JHINGAN city@theaggie.org On Feb. 16, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for Aggie Square in Sacramento, according to an article from UC Davis. Over 200 people were in attendance for the event.

“Aggie Square is where university, industry and community come together to create opportunities for everyone,” Aggie Square’s website reads. “This planned innovation hub on UC Davis’ Sacramento campus — the result of joint exploratory working group established by Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and UC Davis Chancellor Gary May — will be home to research programs, private industry partners, classrooms, student housing, and publicfacing programs that engage local communities and entrepreneurs.”

Aggie Square was the result of a collaboration between UC Davis, project developer Wexford Science & Technology and the City of Sacramento. The groundbreaking ceremony revolved around the theme of collaboration, with Mayor Steinberg and other elected officials attending to celebrate the event, according to the article.

“This journey has taken a village and it’s really exciting today to have so many of our partners and supporters here with us,” Chancellor May said during the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Probably the most important partner I’ve had for these five years has been Mayor Darrell Steinberg and the City Council Members Schenirer and Guerra who support him.”

Chancellor May added that in addition to Mayor Steinberg, Senior Vice President Doug Woodruff of Wexford Science and Technology, various elected officials and people in support of UC Davis also attended.

Steinberg expressed similar sentiments. He highlighted the benefits of the Aggie Square project, such as creating new jobs for the community.

“I’m proud that our city has partnered with both UC Davis and our community to make Aggie Square a reality,” Steinberg said according to a UC Davis Health article. “We are creating an economic center with thousands of new jobs, and the people in our neighborhoods will be the primary beneficiaries. Aggie Square stands as an example of what is possible.”

In 2020, UC Davis stated in a video that experts in the fields

Chancellor Gary May, with US Congressional Representative Doris Matsui (left of May) and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg (right of May). (Karin Higgins / UC Davis photo) of business, policy, healthcare, education and agriculture would be working together to introduce new ways of creating eco-friendly, accessible and healthy food systems. This was announced to be a collaborative effort with Alice Waters, founder of The Edible Schoolyard Project and owner of Chez Panisse. Waters highlighted how food has the ability to unite people.

“Food can be so powerful in reaching people and bringing them together with other people — how we can change the world,” Waters said in the video.

According to the UC Davis Health article, phase one of the Aggie Square project will begin construction this spring. Phase one of construction entails a Lifelong Learning Building, which contains space for public programs and classrooms. There will also be another two buildings for technological, scientific and engineering purposes.

Undergraduate students also have the option to spend a quarter at Aggie Square by participating in a program called Quarter at Aggie Square, which started in Fall 2020. Students will have the

opportunity to learn about different fields, which include biomedical engineering and educational and health equity, according to the Quarter at Aggie Square website.

“Quarter at Aggie Square lets you engage with Sacramento in a way that enhances your education with practical experience and community engagement,” the website reads. “Spend a quarter with a small group of fellow students and dedicated faculty in a focused learning environment that includes classes and an internship or research.”

Mayor Steinberg highlighted how Aggie Square was ultimately the result of a collaborative effort. In addition, Steinberg stated that Aggie Square could be an example for the rest of the country. “[...]We did it together, and we did it in the right way,” Mayor Steinberg said in the groundbreaking ceremony video. “We did it with the community, we did it in collaboration and we did it in a way that will be a model for the rest of the country.”

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PETITION TO END MASKING AT ACTIVITIES AND RECREATION CENTER DROPPED AFTER UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCED NEW MASK REQUIREMENTS A Change.org petition created by third-year Hayden Keller gained 187 signatures against indoor masking as of March 4

BY KRISTIN TRENT campus@theaggie.org Third-year nutrition science major Hayden Keller created a petition addressed to Chancellor Gary May proposing an end to the indoor mask mandate at the UC Davis Activities and Recreation Center (ARC). The petition states that mask restrictions at the popular exercise facility should be lifted because wearing masks impacts exercise performance. As of March 4, the petition, published on the website Change.org, has 187 signatures.

Masking risks to students during exercise were emphasized over risks to contracting COVID-19 and its variants.

“Not only does wearing a mask make it harder to inhale the amount of air needed to perform at your desired level, it is proven that surgical mask increase resistance and strain to airflow, which can pose a much more severe threat to students over contracting a virus that is once again compared to a common cold,” the petition states.

On March 3, the university announced that effective March 19, masks will no longer be required in most indoor settings on campus.

Students and staff will still be required to test every 14 days while unvaccinated individuals must still be tested every four days. Some places like public transit and clinical settings will still require masks.

Since the announcement, Keller has decided to drop the petition.

“Although this decision was made weeks after Yolo County has already lifted the mandate, it is better late than never,” Keller said. “This petition’s greatest achievement wasn’t assisting with the dropping of the mask requirement, but with letting students know that they aren’t alone, and they shouldn’t be afraid to stand up for what they believe in.”

Dr. Cindy Schorzman cited a number of reputable officials that helped inform the decision to continue mask mandates through winter quarter despite California’s indoor mask mandate

UC Davis Activities and Recreation center (Aggie File) expiration including UC Davis Health infectious disease experts and public health officials.

“This decision is in line with advice from the Yolo County Public Health Officer, Dr. [Aimee] Sisson, who continues to recommend masks indoors until the case rate falls into the moderate transmission range,” Schorzman said.

According to Shawn Yew, a fourth-year student, masks are a way for students to protect themselves and others as the pandemic continues.

“In my personal opinion, I think [wearing masks] is good for students,” Yew said. “Wearing a mask is a very useful method to keep away the spreading of the virus. So I would say that wearing a mask is not a big deal and it can give you [...] protection against the latest virus.”

Second-year Asian American Studies student Chelsea Vang also commented on masking’s ability to protect others.

“We still have people that are suffering from

this virus, and so I’m really glad we have the rules regardless of how low our cases are or even if our cases have gone to a point that people are good to go outside without a mask on,” Vang said. “I personally think it should be a requirement that all students wear a mask because wearing this mask doesn’t only mean protecting other people within the space that you’re in, but it’s also going to protect anyone you [later] interact with.”

STUDENTS SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCES STUDYING ABROAD DURING COVID-19 Two UC Davis students discuss the perks and challenges of going abroad during the pandemic KELLIE LU / AGGIE

BY JALAN TEHRANIFAR features@theaggie.org Almost 16% of students at four-year universities study abroad at some point during their college education, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many programs offered at UC Davis and through University of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) have been canceled, postponed or altered in the past three academic years.

UC Davis students were able to resume education abroad in the fall of 2021, but some students’ experience studying abroad during a pandemic has been quite different. Sophie Mares De Juan, a third-year international relations and sociology double major, studied in Brussels, Belgium last fall. She was there for six months, taking courses and participating in an internship at an international research office.

“While I was there, [during] the first months, [COVID-19] didn’t exist almost,” Mares De Juan said. “I went there, and one of the things they

required was to be vaccinated. When I got there they didn’t ask me much and briefly checked my vaccination card.”

Mares De Juan said that when the omicron variant of COVID-19 began circulating in late November, she had to get used to the European Union’s mitigation strategies, which were slightly different from those of the U.S. She explained that to access non-essential indoor spaces, she needed a “COVID Safe Pass.”

“In order to get a pass, the government needed to approve your vaccines,” she said. “It was a weird situation because it was only implemented in Brussels at first. It was a situation that no one knew had to deal with for international students.

I did not get a QR code [COVID Safe Pass] because I was an international student. I had to go to France and get a QR code, and then come back to Brussels and use it.”

Despite the challenge of adapting to changing restrictions, Mares De Juan said that studying abroad during COVID-19 was positive in some ways. She said that quarantining in a house together with her five roommates while

they navigated getting COVID Safe Passes was a bonding experience that brought them closer together.

Other students, like first-year human development major Rozalie Svecova, plan to complete their entire degree abroad at UC Davis.

Svecova is originally from Prague, but chose to come to UC Davis because she wanted to experience life in a new place like California. She said that when she first arrived on campus in fall 2021, some students questioned her decision to move to Davis from Prague.

“When I got here a lot of people were surprised that I left Prague to come to America, especially during a global pandemic, but I guess it’s the same way Americans dream of traveling Europe, just the other way around,” she said.

Svecova said that when COVID-19 first began, she was worried she would not have a chance to attend college abroad.

“I knew I wanted to study abroad from the beginning of high school, but when quarantine and everything else happened during my junior year, I thought my chances at studying abroad

were over,” she said.

Svecova said she was very excited to apply and commit to UC Davis, but that moving to Davis last summer was somewhat difficult, since COVID-19 cases were high at the time.

“I didn’t want to expose my parents to COVID so I ended up moving here all on my own and had to navigate coming to not only a new school, but also a new country by myself,” she said.

She also said that she was unable to visit her family between fall and winter quarter due to the omicron variant surge.

Despite the difficulty dealing with the pandemic during her college moving process, Svecova is glad she made the decision to study abroad for college and is hopeful that pandemicrelated struggles will ease with time.

“It’s been hard dealing with [COVID-19] while so many new things are happening in my life, but overall, I’m glad I chose to study here and have no regrets attending UC Davis instead of going to college local to my hometown,” she said.

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 | 5

OPINION A CASE FOR RECONSIDERING CANCEL CULTURE Carelessly canceling others isn’t a substitute for listening to those impacted and addressing your own biases

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

Technology has not only shaped the way we’re able to present ourselves online, but also the way we’re capable of viewing and judging others. The whole experience of using social media is detached: Often the images we post online are highly artificial, either by being manipulated in their angles, edited with photo editing apps or evaluated and vetted for how others will perceive them. Even if we strive to make the images we post seem unfiltered, we often still consider how these images will be viewed by others.

These barriers also persist in online discourse. When we present virtual versions of ourselves, we limit our ability to have a natural back-and-forth dialogue by reviewing and rewriting every word and sentence before commenting. Rarely do we vocalize unfiltered thoughts as we do while having in-person conversations.

Often, we try to sense the general reactions to a post before commenting an opinion of our own to gauge how we might be perceived: When was the last time you commented on a post before assessing what others wrote in the comments first, let alone advocated for your original position when it seemed like the majority disagreed? It can feel easier to not contribute at all in these situations, as the fear of being lashed out at online is a powerful deterrent.

The beauty of social media is its potential for connectivity, meaning you can comment on Kim K’s most recent post or message your favorite singer and pray for a response. Yet this connectivity comes with a price. Words and actions can circulate the globe in a matter of minutes to be judged by thousands, and once posted digitally, they’re rarely able to be retracted.

In this sense, the ability to spread information so widely is valuable for public awareness, but when the words or actions of a public figure come under criticism online, commenters call for them to be “canceled.”

Cancel culture, “a modern form of ostracism” as described on Wikipedia, can be problematic, especially in cases where it deters people from learning about their mistakes and actively changing their mindset. Conversations on controversial topics that don’t cause harm to others can be dominated by the majority, with little room to explore less common opinions. By shunning those with different viewpoints, and deeming them unacceptable individuals to converse with because they’re “canceled,” it stunts powerful discussions and the ability of individuals to be exposed to new ideas.

But not all offenses are on the same level; some transgressions are severe and harmful enough that it can only be up to the people directly affected to determine a course of action and shouldn’t be assessed by strangers online.

That being said, technology and online forums have given us a space for holding important figures accountable for their actions; the act of tearing down someone’s online presence can give a feeling of palpable change when systemic change is slow and frustrating.

And in some rare instances, public pressure can result in societal change, like the personal testimonies from sexual assault survivors on social media which fueled the #MeToo movement.

Yet in some cases, when someone unrelated inserts themselves into a situation, canceling does more to uplift their own status than actually opening up a discussion of why the person is getting canceled. It solidifies the canceler’s place in the majority group and sends a sign that if others do not follow suit, they’re at risk of being canceled too.

Especially when an individual’s controversial words or actions from several years ago resurface, immediately canceling them ignores the human potential for growth and change. In certain situations, when the person calling out a mistake made by another individual is in the same place of privilege, it can be a means to virtue signal. While it is important that people in places of privilege hold each other accountable, canceling someone can be a poor, performative substitute for addressing biases and prove counterproductive in effecting change.

As students, it’s crucial to assess our own role in cancel culture on social media. In instances of canceling, we should be conscious of impacted individuals’ assessment of the incident and check our own privilege. It is vital to consider whether or not an individual has demonstrated a capacity for change and if impacted individuals’ have expressed that irreparable harm was inflicted. We should practice humility and address our own biases and privileges — far more impactful steps when cultivating systemic change than simply blaming others.

MADELEINE PAYNE City News Editor EDEN WINNIFORD Opinion Editor KATIE DEBENEDETTI Features Editor ALLIE BAILEY Arts & Culture Editor 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 DARSHAN SHIVAKUMAR Website Manager ANTHONY NGUYEN Social Media Manager JOSHUA GAZZANIGA Distribution Manager JENNA HEATH Marketing Manager

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

JELENA LAPUZ Outreach Director LAURIE PEDERSON Business Development Manager

THE HIDDEN USEFULNESS OF OFFICE HOURS Getting personal with your professors is a key part of the college experience

BY OWEN RUDERMAN opruderman@ucdavis.edu

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

For most of the time I’ve been in college, I’ve always seen attending office hours as a last-ditch effort to raise a grade. Back at my previous college, office hours seemed to be a way to plead for an extension or to request extra credit. But after transferring to UC Davis, I realized that I was making negative assumptions about office hours.

Turns out, there is a lot of value to attending office hours that isn’t often talked about.

I’ve experienced some of this hidden value myself. At the start of last quarter, I took 15 minutes to attend one of my professor’s office hours. I didn’t plan out what I was going to talk about, I just showed up to introduce myself. I thought it was no big deal, but over the course of the quarter, I realized that my initiative was having a positive impact on my experience in class. The professor recognized me and

remembered my name. She was interested in how I was doing in the class and what I thought. A 15 minute interaction at the start of the quarter made the entire class so much more engaging and pleasurable.

As crazy as it sounds, professors like it when students are invested in their classes. If you are interested in your class and your professor seems nice, I highly recommend you try going to office hours. It is never a waste of time. You will immediately stand out as someone who is actually trying in a sea of students who don’t seem to care. And who knows, your professor might end up enlightening you. They could help you figure out what you want to study or what you want to do with your degree. You could discover a new passion.

General life advice isn’t the only plus to

attending office hours. Getting to know your professors more at the beginning of the quarter can help you to succeed academically. If you establish a relationship early, coming in later for help or clarification becomes less stressful.

I’ve heard from a couple of professors that they aren’t huge fans of students who only come to the last few sessions of office hours to attempt to salvage a low grade. Attending office hours once or twice at the start of the quarter shows your teacher you’re serious about the class and helps to maximize your chances of getting the grade you want. But attending office hours shouldn’t always be about the grades.

OFFICEHOURS on 12

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.

WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF MEAT? The transformation of our carnivorous society

BY ALEX MOTAWI almotawi@ucdavis.edu

vegetarianism has been and continues to be a common practice in other countries dating back to well before the 20th century. Given its long history and prevalence around the world, concerns from vegetarians about meat consumption need to be factored seriously into future decisions. Now that the U.S. as a nation has enough general food security to have the luxury of choice when it comes to daily meals, it can afford to be more humane with its nutritional choices.

Beyond the abstract issues that are growing in priority, having a primarily meat-based diet is just not feasible anymore.

It’s pretty clear we have already reached the apex of meat consumption in the U.S. Animal products are finally “meating” their makers and going out of style in a flash and with good reason. Constant consumption of animal-based protein has been a mainstay in humanity since we were hunter-gatherers, but the only constant in our society is change — and it’s hitting the meat industry harder than a semi-truck.

There are a few primary problems with the meatpacking industry, and they encompass both the mental and physical realms.

The most talked-about premise I’ve heard behind the abandonment of meat is the ethical quandary of mistreating and slaughtering living animals because people like eating meat. Although vegetarianism only gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1970s,

LABMEAT on 12 KELLIE LU / AGGIE

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

COURTROOM TRANSCRIPT: PROF V. THE GUY IN YOUR ENGLISH CLASS WHO DIDN’T DO THE READING Don’t let that horde of political science kids through the door. Please.

BY ANNABEL MARSHALL almarshall@ucdavis.edu JUDGE MAY: We are here today to hear the case of Michael Plegger, a sophomore English major. Plaintiff, state your case.

PLAINTIFF: Hello, your honor. My name is Dr. Kelly Garcia and I’m teaching Romanticism Literature. Michael is a student in my class who has, to the best of my knowledge, never read a word of the assigned reading. Despite this, he insists on participating in class, including shouting out tangential comments while I am lecturing. I have been told I am not allowed to have students drawn and quartered, so I seek punitive damages in the form of Aggie Cash.

JUDGE MAY: Alright. You may proceed.

PROSECUTION: The Prosecution calls a character witness to the stand. Can you please state your full name for the court?

WITNESS: Derek “Socks” Tripp.

PROSECUTION: And the “Socks” is a fraternity nickname, correct?

WITNESS: Yeah. Alpha Kappa Omega Phi Kappa Kappa.

PROSECUTION: Can you explain the significance of your nickname “Socks” for the court?

WITNESS: You don’t wanna know.

PROSECUTION: Alright. You sit next to the defendant in class, do you not?

WITNESS: Yes. PROSECUTION: You do not?

WITNESS: Yes. What?

PROSECUTION: Do you or do you not sit next to Michael in English?

WITNESS: Who’s Michael?

PROSECUTION: Short guy, blue glasses.

Has introduced himself to you several times.

WITNESS: Oh yeah, that guy. He sucks.

PROSECUTION: Witness dismissed. The Prosecution rests.

JUDGE MAY: Thank you for your testimony, Derek. You may leave.

WITNESS: Nice wig, May. See you at the kegger.

JUDGE MAY: Sure thing, Socks. Strike that from the record, please. Defense?

DEFENSE: The Defense calls the defendant, Michael, to the stand. Michael, did you do the

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

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE reading?

DEFENDANT: Of course.

DEFENSE: Can you tell us a little bit about it?

COURT on 12

6 | THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

‘GIRL GAINS’ EMPOWERS WOMEN IN THE WEIGHT ROOM New club promotes weightlifting for women to improve athletic performance and long-term health

Girl Gains logo. (Credit to @ucdgirlgains)

BY MAYA SHYDLOWSKI features@theaggie.org “Girl Gains,” a new club at UC Davis, hopes to destigmatize and empower women in the weight room — which is good news for women’s health, because strength training has proven to be beneficial for athletic performance, injury prevention and long-term health.

The club is the newest chapter of a larger organization on college campuses across the U.S. and Canada. The Girl Gains lifting club was established in 2020 at San Diego State University (SDSU), where its founders noticed a serious gender imbalance in the weight lifting areas of their campus gym. Just two years later, more than 20 chapters have been established with the goal of providing “women of all backgrounds and fitness levels with community, resources and confidence.”

Amanda Hamblin, one of the co-presidents of the Davis chapter, is a first-year political science – public service major. She was inspired to start the club after finding a TikTok from Elisabeth Bradley, one of the founding members of the original Girl Gains club.

“She was saying all the benefits of having the club [and] how much it’s helped so many women, and I thought it was such a great

thing,” Hamblin said. “I thought about how I really wish our school had that, and then at the end of the TikTok, she said something like, ‘If you’re interested in starting [a chapter] at your school, please fill out the form in my bio.’ The next day, she got back to me, and I told her I was interested.”

Hamblin brought the idea to the Center for Student Involvement, which connected her to Jennifer Chavez, a second-year communications and Chicana/o studies double major, who also wanted to start a chapter of Girl Gains at Davis.

Chavez and Hamblin began setting up the club during fall quarter, then launched a website and Instagram account at the beginning of winter quarter. The two co-presidents, along with Audrey Vargas, the vice president, and Simran Khinda, the director of marketing, posted flyers around the gym and dorms and reached out to different organizations on campus.

Two months after their initial launch, their Instagram account had over 600 followers, and the club had received over 200 applications for membership. They have held multiple events already this quarter, including one called “Gymtimidation” that aimed to address women’s intimidation when picking up weights or not knowing where to start at the gym. The club plans to have events in the future with guest speakers

and discussions of topics like “weightlifting for beginners.”

The club’s values of knowledge, body positivity, community and strength reflect a greater movement that has increased the number of women reaching for weights rather than just the elliptical at the gym. Podcasts like Fit & Fearless and social media fitness influencers have helped make weight lifting less intimidating and more accessible for women.

Keith Baar, a professor of molecular exercise physiology, said that sociological expectations and the stigma surrounding women lifting weights hold women back from lifting like men do. He referenced a study suggesting it is a misconception that testosterone determines muscle gain. Women, who do not produce the same levels of testosterone that men do, are still able to gain muscle mass at a similar rate to men.

Baar said that one of the most common factors that holds women back is societal expectations of women’s bodies.

“When I was a strength coach at the University of Michigan, the hardest thing that I had for some of my female athletes was that they would come in and say, ‘My boyfriend thinks I’m getting too big,’” Baar said. “The conversation I had with them was that if your boyfriend finds it difficult to be with you because you’re big and strong, then I think you are probably better off with a different boyfriend than with not being big and strong.”

He said that he was excited to hear about the new club supporting women because it helps lessen the stigma around gaining muscle and makes the gym scene less intimidating for women, especially beginners.

Not only does weight training empower women and build their confidence, but it also has many positive effects on short-term and longterm health. Baar explained that lifting weights can affect both physiological and mental health.

Endurance or cardiovascular exercise helps prevent harmful neurotoxins from entering the bloodstream and going to the brain, but weight lifting can also benefit people’s mindsets.

“Depression tells you that no matter what you do, nothing changes, nothing gets better and everything gets worse,” Baar said. “When you contrast that with every time you go to the gym — [where] you’re actually getting better, bigger and stronger — there’s a direct contrast to the mental state that you’re in.”

In terms of physical health, strength training is most helpful for injury prevention. Danielle Steffen, a Ph.D candidate in biochemistry, molecular, cellular and developmental biology, studies the role of mechanical loading in tendon development, injury and repair. Tendons (the tissue that connects muscles to bones) and muscles are common areas for injuries. Steffen said that weightlifting helps prevent muscle and tendon injury by increasing muscle strength and balancing the stiffness between the tissues.

“If the tendon is really stiff, it’s going to pull

on a weak muscle and the muscle is going to become injured,” Steffen said. . “Weightlifting is going to increase muscle strength while decreasing tendon stiffness to help prevent muscle and tendon injury.”

Activities like running and other plyometric dynamic exercises typically increase stiffness, so as an athlete, weight training is important to prevent musculoskeletal injury.

Weightlifting can also aid in tendon repair after an injury. Isometric holds are common types of exercises in which you hold a position with your muscle, contracting without moving joints.

Baar has used isometric exercises in conjunction with dietary collagen supplementation to completely reverse patellar tendinopathy, which is an inflammation of the patellar tendon that limits knee function, in a professional basketball player. Both Steffen’s and Baar’s preliminary data show that isometric exercises increase specific molecular signals for tendon regeneration, which helps rehabilitate an injury.

Steffen was a pole vaulter on the UC Davis track and field team as an undergraduate, ranking in the top ten at UC Davis. She is now a self-proclaimed “competitive hobby jogger” with the cross country and track and field club at UC Davis. She runs six to seven times per week, incorporating at least one day of weight training in order to prevent injuries.

According to other studies, strength training can also make joints stronger without intense impact on bones. This is especially helpful for older people who might have a harder time with high impact activities like running because of low bone density. Women in particular are susceptible to reduced bone density, which can result in easily fractured or broken bones with long periods of recovery. But that’s not all of the benefits, according to Baar.

“What we know is that the greatest predictor of human longevity is actually your muscle size, muscle mass and strength,” Baar said.

Barr said that individuals between the ages of 40 and 65 are twice as likely to live to 100 if they are in the top third of their age and gender groups for strength. Comparatively, individuals in the top third of their populations for endurance ability are only 10% more likely to live to 100 than the lower two-thirds of the population. Thus, while endurance training certainly improves cardiovascular health, Baar said, weight training has a better correlation with lifespan.

It’s never too late to pick up weights. Baar suggested starting with bodyweight workouts before moving on to heavy lifting.

“Once you’ve mastered the movements with a full range of motion using just bodyweight, weight lifting is easy,” Baar said. “Just repeat those motions with heavier weights. It’s imperative to find trustworthy sources when getting information about how to lift and figuring out a lifting routine.”

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

ARTS & CULTURE

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 | 7

‘GUARDIANS: SPIRITS OF PROTECTION’ FOLLOW UP PROJECT ENCOURAGES COMMUNITY TO SUBMIT CATHARTIC POETRY The outdoor exhibit has a clear message: together we heal

BY CLARA FISCHER arts@theaggie.org Ann Savageau, professor emerita and artist, and Edward Whelan, UC Davis associate instructor and MFA graduate in design, have collaborated to bring the Davis community a follow up to Savageau’s earlier exhibit “Guardians: Spirits of Protection.”

The aforementioned exhibit explored healing after facing loss and was inspired by tragedies weathered by Savageau in both the pandemic and her personal life. This follow up is meant to inspire the community to explore their emotions much in the same way as Savageau, albeit through a different medium: poetry.

Anyone and everyone is welcome to submit poetry relating (or very loosely relating) to the themes of healing and loss displayed in Savageau’s work. Submissions are accepted on the project’s website, and the deadline has been extended through March 14.

Whelan said he was inspired to take on the project by the immense feedback from the community, especially pertaining to the interactive component of the initial exhibit (in which viewers were encouraged to write down any thoughts, prayers or comments they might have had after reflecting on Savageau’s work).

“Ann and I started focusing on her writing as a way to really deal with her grief, but also as a way to build hope and resilience. I thought a good thing to do would be make that opportunity

Comments left as an interactive component of ‘Guardians: Spirits of Protection’ exhibit, which helped inspire the call for poetry related to themes of the original exhibit. (Courtesy / Katherine Hung) available to everybody,” Whelan said. “I think it’s really great that we’re able to provide some kind of outlet right now — we welcome everyone to submit, in any language they’d like.”

Poetry submissions are welcome in any prose — every submission will be made part of the exhibit and put up for display in the Arboretum.

Whelan and his creative team, including students Iris Xie, Niloufar Abdolmaleki and Julia Dang, who help with both outreach as well as other creative aspects of the installation, will carve the poems into 24x12 inch pieces of slate and arrange them in a spiral staircase formation. The exhibit is set to be installed around March 18,

2022.

“We picked the Arboretum because there is a lot of foot traffic… and there’s something about nature that fits well with the poetry,” Whelan said.

The creative team chose the medium of stone because they “wanted a sense of permanence,” and were partially inspired by the Scottish art exhibit “Little Sparta.” They also plan on giving the stone to the corresponding participant after the installation is taken down, indicating the permanence of their art. When asked about the significance of the spiral formation, Whelan noted that they “wanted something that was a progression.”

Similarly, this project itself can be seen as a progression of the impact Savageau’s initial gallery had on the community. After all, the process of healing after dealing with personal loss is a topic that resonates with many, especially after the past couple of years.

“Exhibitions have an opportunity not only to inspire and provide a story, but also, they can be places where communities can come together and really talk about what’s going on,” Whelan said.

For those interested in more of Whelan’s work, he is offering a first-year seminar starting Spring 2022 entitled “Make an Exhibition” that is open to all majors, and those who want to explore more of Savageau’s pieces can find them on her website.

BY ANGIE CUMMINGS arts@theaggie.org Album: “Caprisongs” by FKA Twigs (2021) Although we are barely one-quarter of the way through the year, I can say with almost full confidence that this is my top album of 2022 (yeah, maybe it came out in December of 2021 but that’s basically 2022). With only one of these 17 songs qualifying as skippable, “Caprisongs” is a listen that really never gets old.

And the skip in question, “christi interlude,” is a song where a random lady reads you a hypothetical horoscope; there is no singing and no Twigs in sight for that one.

Basically, this is an amazing album showcasing Twigs’ ability to go from the deep melancholy of “Magdalene” (2019) to pulse-racing party tracks like “papi bones (feat. shygirl)” or “pamplemousse.” Over the course of the album, Twigs takes you on an effervescent journey through love and life, with little pitstops of her and her friends chatting on the tracks along the way. I’m not typically a fan of conversation interrupting my albums, but in this case, we get to hear what seems like anecdotal snippets of a couple of friends hanging out and talking about life, and it completely works. Twigs put it perfectly when she said “it’s like … elevator music but you’re going to the 50th floor,” in the intro to “which way (feat. dystopia)” — this album can function as the perfect background or foreground music with its free-flowing sounds and fun lyrics (if you choose to pay attention to them).

TV Show: “Peaky Blinders” (2013-2022) Writing about this show that I’ve for some reason stood by for over six years now is incredibly bittersweet, as the final season is coming out right now, and I’m not even able to watch it yet (curse you, BBC). Objectively, this is a well-written and well-made historical fiction TV show about themes I’m always a sucker for: the effects of WWI on those who served and the rest of society, the plight of the working class and the consequences of industrialization and globalization. They are essentially a British mob family led by the eldest brother, Thomas Shelby (played

by Cillian Murphy) — a widower and decorated veteran (not really dealing) with PTSD. The visuals of this turn-of-the-century British family gang have oddly been co-opted by many wannabe-Peaky Blinders, and I cannot emphasize how far from that I am. While the show is loosely based on the actual Peaky Blinders gang and features historical figures like Winston Churchill, Sir Oswald Mosley (an early British fascist played by Sam Claflin) and Charlie Chaplin, as well as many other smaller figures. It’s good TV and each season is full of invigorating storylines, as well as a good amount of devastation which might make you ask how Thomas Shelby gets through the day.

Movie: “Wet Hot American Summer” dir. by David Wain (2001) Recently, I’ve felt a deep void of new laugh-till-it-hurts comedies, leading me to revisit the great stupid movies of the early 2000s. “Wet Hot American Summer” is the epitome of this genre of painfully funny, unnecessarily raunchy and generally absurd movies. The movie is packed with an absolutely stacked cast of what were then up-and-coming actors, including Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Amy Pohler, Chris Meloni, Joe Lo Truglio and Molly Shannon, in addition to some names that were big back then but have since faded out of the spotlight.

The majority of this talented collection of nearing-middle-aged actors playing high schoolers is set at a chaos and romance-filled summer camp in 1981 — making for some hilarious visuals in addition to the written jokes. If you have never heard of this movie, I urge you to watch the revisited TV show version (with the same cast) Netflix made in 2017, which of course doesn’t top the original but comes pretty close in terms of levels of absurdity.

Book: “Play It As It Lays” by Joan Didion (1970) After the renowned author Joan Didion passed in December of 2021, I realized I had no clue she even wrote fiction books, as I had only come into contact with “The Year of Magical Thinking” (2005) and other essays over the years. While listening to the audiobook rather than reading the real thing might be seen as cheating, it was a great way to “read” an entire book in the midst of midterm season this quarter. In true Didion fashion, “Play It As It Lays” is by no means an uplifting or happy book but is an incredible insight into the effects of losing loved ones and, consequently, oneself. It follows the story of Maria, a not-very-famous actress and model. It follows her life after the death of her mother and through her unwinding (and toxic) marriage to Carter, a prominent Hollywood producer, eventually leading to the unraveling of every aspect of her life. Set in late 1960s Los Angeles and cutting between memories of New York City and Maria’s now-desolate Nevada hometown, the book is akin to many of those old existentialist movies of that time that don’t seem to have a singular or cohesive plot but instead bring pieces of a life together to form both a cultural critique and an honest view of (some deeply flawed) human nature.

8 | THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

ARTS & CULTURE

THE DAVIS INDEPENDENT MUSIC INITIATIVE OFFERS $10,000 GRANT TO LOCAL MUSICIANS Open through April 1, the grant seeks to support Davis’ music scene

BY JACOB ANDERSON arts@theaggie.org

Davis Independent Music Initiative logo. (Davis Independent Music Initiative / Courtesy) For two years, the Davis Independent Music Initiative has For two years, the Davis Independent Music Initiative has been working to cultivate the local music scene. In 2019, Joel Daniel started DIMI after receiving a $5,000 grant from the city government.

In 2022, the organization will offer yet another $10,000 to a local

artist.

Applications are open now, and all interested local musicians would be well-advised to apply — especially, according to a DIMI press release, those who identify as “Black, Indigenous, [or] People of Color (BIPOC)” or who otherwise promote social equity.

Last year’s winner, Kevin Welch — frontman of the Brazilian space funk band Boca Do Rio — spoke to The Aggie about his band and his experience receiving the DIMI grant.

“I’ve been the band leader for about 20 years. Producer, songwriter, lead singer and guitarist,” Welch said.

At night, Welch and his rotating group of accomplices light up the Davis area with what he describes as music “in the space between traditional Brazilian beats and modern funky jazz.” While membership can be sometimes eclectic, the band has been doing shows for two decades now. By day, however, Welch is a scientist with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Welch remembers the inception of his musical style as a succession of different influences, beginning with the Grateful Dead but being truly marked by the music he encountered on a trip to Brazil. “I really just got into psychedelic samba, which I don’t think anyone else does,” Welch said.

He named the band’s most vital influences as both Brazilian bands like Caetano Veloso and Martinho da Vila, and jazz guitar legends like Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery. Even hiphop is in the fray, according to Welch.

“For years I’ve been in Davis playing with this band, doing the World Music Fest, Davis Music Fest. I’ve always kind of been

a community-minded musician. That’s what I like to experience.

Samba is like American blues: It comes out of that same culture of community. So I heard about Davis [Independent] Music Initiative, and it does sound like a really great idea. I was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’”

After receiving the grant, Boca Do Rio got to work laying down some of their tracks in a nearby studio shared with some other local bands — something they hadn’t always had the time and resources to do in the way they wanted.

“I was really impressed, first of all, that they were able to put that kind of funding together because that’s really what you need,” Welch said. “I’ve been in grad school for years, and you can apply for these grants — they want everything, and then they’re like $1,200 [...] We’ve already started work on our third album.

We’ve had two albums already over the years, and for our third album we’ve got some great basic tracks already. This money is really gonna allow us to finish up this thing, which I would think is going to be our best.”

The grant, Daniel said, “is crucial in keeping music alive in Davis by giving local musicians an incentive to stay, write, produce, and perform their music for and in the community.”

By helping groups like Boca Do Rio, the DIMI hopes to make the scene livelier than ever. Awarding this year’s recipient— whoever it is—will be a vital step toward that goal.

Applications for the grant are already open, and they’ll be staying open until April 1.

BENEFITS OF YOGA ARE MUCH MORE THAN PHYSICAL The ancient practice teaches mindfulness in place of the Western fitness mentality

BY CORALIE LOON arts@theaggie.org Since the westernization of yoga in the late 19th century, yoga has become a popular form of exercise that inevitably relates to themes of cultural erasure and whitewashing. However, it also offers an important alternative to mainstream workout culture through its emphasis on mindfulness and on fostering a deeper mind-body connection.

According to a Forbes article, 7% of people list exercising as a New Year’s resolution and 20% of people list “losing weight.” Based on popular advice and sentiments shared on the internet, fitness culture often values goal setting, monetary investment and the monitoring of calories, traits which to some could be off-putting.

In many ways, yoga challenges these Western notions of mental and physical health that rely on a future-oriented mindset and self-scrutiny.

Yoga originated in India around 5,000 years ago. Its name is derived from the Sanskrit word “yuj,” which is mentioned in the Vedas, the oldest religious texts of Hinduism. Yoga comprises one of the six schools of Hindu philosophy and is often considered a “sister tradition” with Buddhism, a religion and philosophy based on meditation and the alleviation of suffering from material desires. Since its development, yoga has taken many different forms, offering various approaches to the same basic principles.

Akshat Patel, a third-year cognitive science major, helps lead “Yoga of the Heart” (@yoh. davis on Instagram), a student organization that started during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. They practice Bhakti yoga, “which is

JACOB SLOAN / AGGIE yoga that is centered around love,” Patel said. “In our culture we practice something that is called devotional service, which means serving other people.”

“We invite students and we guide them through meditations. We also serve them food and we serve the community in many ways,” Patel continued.

For Patel, Bhakti yoga is an important part of his spiritual community and routine: “There’s a term called ‘sadhana’ which is your daily spiritual practice, and it’s something that is a spiritual muscle and you have to exercise it and work it

out daily,” Patel said.

Part of the American adaptation of yoga, however, has been characterized by a de-emphasis of its spiritual and meditative aspects in favor of the physical aspect (or “asana,” the third limb of yoga). But the other limbs of yoga, including “pranayama” (breathing) and “dharana” (focused concentration), are just as important to understanding yoga’s full-spectrum ability to heal the body and mind.

Still, Western versions of yoga maintain ties to their roots and offer many people a way to combine an interest in spirituality with fitness

goals. Ashley MacLean​​ , a fourth-year clinical nutrition major, teaches Buti yoga, which was created in 2010 and combines vinyasa flow with cardio and dance, at the Activities and Recreation Center. According to MacLean, the term “buti” is a Hindu word that means “a cure that has been hidden or kept secret.”

While the practice allows participants to get their sweat on, it also focuses on connecting to and listening to your body. “If you’re running you’re just running, there’s no mind-body connection. If you’re biking, same sort of thing.

Yoga gives you that connection one step farther with your body,” MacLean said.

Of course, yoga has plenty of physical benefits: increased flexibility, strength, improved sleep and better posture, just to name a few. But it also offers much more.

Aleshia Rose, a third-year communication major, started doing yoga as a first-year to quell her anxiety. “It helps me stay fit in a healthy way,” she said. “It helps me focus on my breathing, and I have a lot of issues with breathing… I think it makes me a better person.”

Because yoga and meditation encourage one to be observant and in-touch with the present moment, these practices naturally counter the forward-focused mentalities prevalent in mainstream workout culture. Instead of focusing on what goals or milestones will be reached, yoga offers an experience that is equally rewarding in the here and now, and cannot be measured by calories or pounds.

MacLean’s advice for those interested in yoga was to simply give it a try and not force it to click right away: “Yoga comes to you. It’s there for you when you need it.”

A CONVERSATION ABOUT COFFEE CULTURE Coffeehouses have been important spaces for promoting social equality, but still have work to do in being truly inclusive

BY SUN YIE arts@theaggie.org Starbucks, Peet’s and Philz are a few names that students have grown to know and love in their fixations with coffee, perhaps to a degree where they can not function in their classes without their usual dose of espresso shots. Coffeehouses are places of innovation, enlightenment and the occasional caffeine-fueled meltdown provoked by exam anxiety. They are open to children and elders alike, thereby advertising themselves as welcoming hosts of a creative and open environment.

Coffeehouses prided themselves in transcending the imposed boundaries between social classes in 17th and 18th century England, according to Tom Standage’s “A History of the World in 6 Glasses.” Yet coffeehouses were not necessarily welcoming spaces for everyone. Coffeehouses were considered places to conduct not only business, but also places to hold political and philosophical discourse — exclusively for men.

Coffeehouses were, however, revolutionary in their accessibility for men of all social classes. According to Standage, they were considered a great equalizer, as a “dish of coffee” was worth a penny, so even men of lower socioeconomic status could participate and contribute in these public spheres. Men who would later become acclaimed historical influences, like Isaac Newton and Jonathan Swift, would also frequent these establishments to promote scientific and philosophical conversations.

Because Englishmen realized coffee was an appropriate substitute for alcohol, it became a valued commodity, with coffeehouses obscuring the popularity of alehouses and alcohol.

Before coffee, ale was England’s choice of beverage, but alehouses were noisier and less pragmatic to conduct business and maintain productive conversations in. During their transition from dependency on alcohol to dependency on caffeine, Englishmen ushered in a society of sobriety, which caused a few scholars to then consider coffee as an ultimate panacea for society’s ailments, even considering it as a potential cure for miscarriages.

Women of the upper class were not welcome in coffeehouses, despite their numerous protests. In “A Woman’s Petition Against Coffee,” published in 1672, women addressed their concerns about the effects that caffeine had on their husbands and other men, citing men’s habit of gossiping about women. This comparison might have been drawn to effeminize them in order to turn them

away from their caffeine fixation. However, their efforts proved to be fruitless, according to Standage’s “A History of the World in 6 Glasses,” as men continued to frequent these establishments.

Given the globalization and modernization of coffee and coffeehouses, coffeehouses now are far more inclusive spaces than before, according to Mark Pendergrast’s book, “Uncommon Grounds.” Through the thorough and lively discourse shared among colleagues, regardless of gender, it is clear that no one thinks twice when they see a woman in a coffeehouse, nor do they find it strange when women participate in academic discourse with men.

Lisa Tran, a fourth-year computer science major, and Ryan Chang, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major, both said they enjoy participating in conversations about their classes over a cup of coffee at the CoHo or Starbucks.

“I see both women and men [in coffeehouses] struggling over classwork and it’s always best to do that over a cup of coffee,” Tran said. “I feel like coffeehouses bring us together in a way that other public spaces don’t, and when I talk to my peers, I’m not thinking about their gender and I can say they don’t see me in that way either. We’re equal peers, regardless of gender.”

Chang echoed similar sentiments as Tran.

“Yeah, I mean, I feel like we’re all in this together,” Chang said. “You say coffeehouses weren’t available to women back then, but this is 2022 so for that to be true in the present seems a little ridiculous to me.”

In this sense, many do not view coffeehouses any longer as gendered spaces, but whether they are now truly inclusive to everyone is still to be considered. After the arrest of two Black men for “trespassing” at Starbucks in 2018, the coffee chain faced backlash. Kevin Johnson, the CEO of Starbucks, issued a personal apology to the two victims in 2018 and subsequently claimed to ensure that store managers would undergo more training, especially against unconscious bias. After their accusations directed against the two Black men, Starbucks announced they would be closing “more than 8,000 company-owned stores” for a day to conduct racial bias education across the country to prove their commitment to their new diversity training.

Starbucks is a well-known chain of coffeehouses which people from all walks of life frequent and, as such, it is a place that should seek to foster a sense of community by dismantling prejudices levied against underrepresented groups, according to Pendergrast.

Starbucks’ responsibility to create space for all communities can

be traced back to coffeehouses in 17th and 18th century England, which sought to reduce the disparities of social classes between men, despite its inaccessibility towards women. However, the treatment of these two Black men makes clear that coffeehouses are not yet equitably accessible and thus need to make more cognizant efforts to connect to their communities.

Coffeehouses’ exclusivity has evolved to reflect pressing modern issues today. In 17th and 18th century England, women were the main group shunned from coffeehouses, and their protests were dismissed for a while.

Likewise, Black people struggle to be included in these spaces that promote equity as a public business, evidenced not just by the arrest of the two Black men at Starbucks but also in more covert ways. In an Instagram post, user Cydni Patterson explained the feeling of her family being “monitored” and unwelcome by her cafe managers. Additionally, in his Medium article, “Coffee Shop Racism,” Alfredo A. Weeks IV detailed his experience with racial profiling and exclusion at coffee shops, discussing “the stares” he feels and the barista “eyeing him,” further demonstrating undertones of hostility and microaggressions against Black people in coffeehouses.

Perhaps other coffeehouses will follow the trend of integrating improved diversity training to make their public spaces more equitable for underrepresented communities. As of now, these modern businesses still have room to improve in their efforts to become more inclusive.

CHRISTINA LIU / AGGIE

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THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 | 9

SCIENCE AND TECH UC DAVIS MIND INSTITUTE DISCOVERS POTENTIAL MARKER FOR RISK ASSESSMENT, EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF AUTISM The NHIP, or the neuronal-hypoxia-induced placental-associated gene, is vital to reducing risks of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by protecting early fetal brain development

BY BRANDON NGUYEN science@theaggie.org

AMY YU / AGGIE According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 44 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Currently, there is no molecular test that can directly assess and provide a complete diagnosis of ASD during pregnancy or for children under three years old.

In a recent study conducted by the UC Davis MIND Institute, scientists uncovered a gene on human chromosome 22 that had never been studied before and could provide a molecular marker for assessing a child’s risk of ASD following birth. Dr. Janine LaSalle, the principal investigator on the study and a professor of microbiology and immunology at the UC Davis School of Medicine, studies epigenetics, a field that incorporates both environmental stressors and genetics that can affect DNA expression. The LaSalle lab focused on methylation of DNA as a marker for changes in the epigenome.

“The uniqueness of the placental landscape of DNA methylation could be fingerprints of the genes that had been

expressed, maybe differentially,” LaSalle said. “Because you can’t know at birth what’s happening to genes in the fetus’ brain, you want to know what happened previously because we are taking samples of placenta after birth. Transcription is great if you want to know what’s going on in that tissue [...] when you capture it, but the reason why we study methylation is because if you want to know something about the past, methylation is a much better marker for that.”

The neonatal epigenome can uniquely and accurately reflect past interactions between genetic and environmental factors during early development in the womb. The placenta has recently become a promising surrogate tissue of focus in studying genes linked to fetal brain function, as it is often discarded following birth. By studying changes in the methylation of genomes, or methylomes, LaSalle hoped to uncover a potential gene marker for autism in placental tissue.

Dr. Yihui Zhu, the first author of the study and a postdoctoral

in LaSalle’s lab, described the gene they uncovered on chromosome 22 through sequencing the methylome in 204 placental samples.

“We found that the NHIP, or neuronal-hypoxia-inducible placenta-associated gene is active in the brain, responsive to oxidative stress and influences expression of other known genes associated with autism,” Yihui said. “When we overexpressed the gene, we found that placental tissue underwent many rounds of cell division, so the gene’s function is involved in inducing cell division. In most pregnancies, the placenta experiences some inevitable levels of stress, and we think that NHIP is there to minimize the effects of excessive oxidative stress.”

Oxidative stress is an imbalance in free radicals and antioxidants throughout the body that can result from environmental stressors such as air pollution and pesticides. Hypoxia is one form of oxidative stress during which tissues experience a state of low oxygen levels which can lead to cell and tissue damage. By inducing cell division in response to oxidative stress, NHIP enables placental cells to increase contact with maternal blood vessels to reestablish sufficient oxygen levels important for early brain development.

Researchers at LaSalle’s lab found that, in the placental tissue of children diagnosed with autism and placed in the “with ASD” group, NHIP expression levels were lower than those of children who were placed in the “typically developing” group.

Dr. Antonio Gomez, a postdoctoral at LaSalle’s lab and second author of the study, explained why NHIP is a pivotal first step toward providing behavioral risk assessments for earlier intervention.

“By the time that a child is age three, and they have been diagnosed with autism, we have a big window of birth to three years of age in which we could have offered medical treatments or educational interventions to facilitate a child’s development,” Gomez said. “If we find that NHIP and potentially other genes are truly linked markers of autism diagnosis once a child is born, we can analyze the placenta of every child and confidently say this child has a risk for potentially developing autism. And now that we know that the child has only been born for a few weeks, let’s do some sort of intervention, so that we can help lessen the detrimental effects of autism or potentially even avoid it altogether.”

With the discovery of NHIP as a potential gene fingerprint for assessing the risk of ASD in newborns, LaSalle echoed sentiments of optimism, highlighting how the effects of ASD can be better mitigated with early medical and behavioral intervention.

“If you can figure out the risk based on the mother’s and father’s genetics, then you can intervene with known behavioral interventions, but I’m also potentially excited about NHIP,” LaSalle said. “If it’s truly protective against oxidative stress in its function that we concluded in our study, we could potentially give NHIP exogenously as a medicine. We still have a long way to go [before that’s feasible], but [it has] potential as a factor that could be added for [...] gene therapy in the future.”

PANDEMIC INCREASES AWARENESS, SAFETY MEASURES FOR GREAT APE CONSERVATION Closely related to humans, gorillas tend to be more prone to respiratory infections from humans

BY MONICA MANMADKAR science@theaggie.org

With the closing of zoos and other public attractions, respiratory infections and illness have decreased significantly in the gorilla population. The mountain and eastern lowland gorilla populations’ respiratory health has greatly improved since the start of the pandemic, according to an article by the Gorilla Doctors, an organization dedicated to saving mountain gorilla populations by using veterinary medicine and science.

Research has shown that gorillas can get respiratory infections from humans since they tend to be closely habituated to humans, either for tourism or research. When the pandemic began, there was a cessation in tourist visits to gorillas in Rwanda for most of 2020. Even when the tourist visits resumed, new protective measures were enforced by the Gorilla Doctors for both the tourists’ and the gorillas’ safety, with stricter enforcement of human-gorilla “social distancing” rules.

“It was a logical step to ask if the reduction in human-gorilla contact during the two years of the pandemic was related to a concurrent reduction in the frequency of respiratory illness in the habituated groups,” said Dr. Kelly Stewart, a retired primatologist from UC Davis who studied mountain gorillas, via email. “The data strongly suggest that this is the case. We can say this thanks to the regular health checks on the gorillas by the veterinary program conducted during the pandemic.”

Since zoos closed during the pandemic, the annual average of respiratory illness outbreaks in gorillas fell from 5.4 to 1.6 outbreaks. Although SARS-CoV-2 has not yet been detected in any gorillas, it is important to keep the safety measures in place to protect the Great Apes, said Stewart.

Moreover, Stewart explained how data collected by veterinary and behavioral research programs have produced results that urge the continual protection of these gorillas. This research has helped confirm that humans can pass the disease to wild gorillas and has showcased action items that can help mitigate the risk.

The recent analysis suggests that maintaining

A family of mountain gorillas in Rwanda are photographed (Skyler Bishop for Gorilla Doctors / Courtesy) an appropriate “social distance” and masking up has an effect on reducing the risk of humangorilla transmission of any airborne disease.

Although veterinary research formed the best practices for gorilla tourism, the tourism industry has pressured National Park services to relax regulations to promote a more enjoyable, realistic tourist experience. The research has shown that this is not worth the risk.

“With summer coming up and tourists heading to zoos more often than last year, it is still important to protect these gorillas and continue wearing masks,” said Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, the executive director and chief veterinary officer for Gorilla Doctors and the director of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

Gilardi noted how research and the

pandemic’s effect on the gorilla population’s health should be kept in mind when visiting zoos. It is necessary to conserve these animals and ensure their health through protective measures, like maintaining a 10-foot distance. With the omicron variant, Gorilla Doctors recommend that these changes should be made permanent to protect these endangered animals.

10 | THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

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SCIENCE AND TECH INFORMATION THEORY RESEARCH HELPS EXPLAIN HOW INDIVIDUALS INTERACT IN A COLLECTIVE A new study done by researchers at UC Davis and Hokkaido University in Japan seeks to understand collective behavior through leader-follower information exchanges

BY SONORA SLATER science@theaggie.org

KELLIE LU / AGGIE

Have you ever seen a flock of birds flying in formation or watched a school of fish swim in perfect sync and wondered how it was possible?

Researchers at UC Davis and Hokkaido University in Japan have suggested a new way to look at information and how it flows between individuals to influence a group’s behavior, which has many potential applications in understanding collective behavior in various fields of study. This research was published on Feb. 9 in the journal Science Advances.

James Crutchfield, a distinguished professor in the Department of Physics at UC Davis, described how collective behavior came to be studied through the framework of “information theory,” or the scientific and mathematical study of information.

“It really comes out of much more basic questions,” Crutchfield said. “In physics, energy comes in different forms: kinetic, potential and chemical. […] We are trying to put this concept of information into a physical basis.”

Just as there are different types of energy, Crutchfield said that the researchers found different types of information, as well as different modes of information flow.

“So we ask, what kinds of information are there, and how are they transformed into each other?” Crutchfield said. “This is new in the sense that it refines previous notions of information that treated information as this kind of one, unitary thing.”

Ryan James, a previous postdoc researcher at UC Davis and one of the co-authors of the paper, elaborated on how their ideas challenge previous concepts of information theory.

“The oldest information theory quantity used is something called time-delayed mutual information,” James said. “Which is the idea that you look at one time series at Time A, and

you look at another at Time B and you ask, how much information do they share?”

He offered an analogy, comparing Davis’ time zone to where he is an hour ahead in Mountain Time.

“If we looked at the clock in my room here, it says 3:06,” James said. “A clock in Davis, it’ll say 3:06 an hour later. But my clock isn’t influencing your clock in any way, even though my clock perfectly predicts yours — the issue is that they’re both synchronized from a common source. So even though our clocks share information in that sense, it’s meaningless to say that my clock is influencing your clock.”

A theory called “transfer entropy” tries to solve this by removing the information that two time series share based on the fact that they might have some sort of common history, according to James. However, this method has other problems.

“Just relying on transfer entropy numbers can be misleading,” James said. “Two time series could be deeply intertwined synergistically, and not just one giving information to the other.

In [a paper I wrote], I suggested an alternative, using intrinsic mutual information. [Sulimon Sattari] saw this, and was interested in looking at collective behavior.”

Sattari, an assistant professor at Hokkaido University and the first author on the paper, was studying a type of amoeba called ‘Dictyostelium discoideum.’ During its lifetime, it transitions from a collection of unicellular organisms into a multicellular slug; a small percentage of cells spontaneously become leaders and the others become followers.

When Sattari heard about James and Crutchfield’s theory, he reached out to see if they might be able to use the intrinsic mutual information framework to understand how a

collective functions by using a leader-follower framework.

“We cannot ask each cell, how do you feel?” said Tamiki Komatsuzaki, one of the co-authors of the paper and a researcher at Hokkaido University. “Do you feel that you are a leader?

So we have to look at the motion to see what information they are using.”

He went on to explain the three different types of information that the researchers identified — intrinsic, synergistic and shared/ redundant — using an ice cream metaphor.

“Suppose we’re looking at whether or not you and I get ice cream,” Sattari said. “With intrinsic, we can only predict whether or not I’ll get ice cream today if we know whether or not you got ice cream yesterday. For synergistic, we need to know if you got ice cream yesterday and if I got ice cream yesterday in order to predict if I’ll get ice cream today. And with shared information, we can predict if I’ll get ice cream today if we know if you got ice cream yesterday or if we know if I got ice cream yesterday.”

Udoy Basak, another co-author on the paper, explained that transfer entropy is the combination of intrinsic and synergistic information. Their research found that when they recognized and separated these different types of information flow, the distribution of the elements “shed light on the influences that drive leader-follower relationships,” according to Basak.

In the paper, the team looked at a few very simplified examples, mostly focusing on situations where there was one leader and one follower, according to James.

“The leader kind of moves around randomly, and the follower also moves around randomly, but it also takes into account what the leader’s doing,” James said. “We looked at how the amount of information flow went from leader to

follower and follower to leader.”

Sulimon used this framework to begin to understand how the collective communicates and coordinates their motion.

“Using just simplified rules where you only look at your immediate neighbors, you get things like bird flocks and fish schools, where a whole group coherently moves as a whole wave,” James said.

Crutchfield explained how this new research could be used in the field of animal behavior.

He is currently working on a project studying humpback whales near Alaska, where he is applying information theory to understand their auditory communication.

“The tools that we’ve developed are desperately needed in the field of animal behavior,” Crutchfield said.

James talked about another application: stock markets.

“We looked at how individual stocks are influenced by and how they influence the market index,” James said. “Oil companies, for example, the value of their stocks was effectively independent of what the overall market was doing. But then consumer products, like Pepsi, for example, were highly influenced by how the overall index was doing. [...] I do know a few people who have taken this work and have used it for investing purposes and have done well.”

From understanding disease processes, to traffic issues, to observing human behavior, Komatsuzaki said that one of the things the researchers find so exciting about this new theoretical framework is that the potential applications are not limited to one field.

“It’s almost infinite,” Komatsuzaki said.

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THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 | 11

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 3/03/2022

reduce. reuse. recycle.

The aggie CROSSWORD

Answer to previous puzzle 3/03/2022

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

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SENATE

HOUSINGRALLY

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International Student Representative Kevin Zhou brought up the unique problems international students may face during the pandemic during the mask mandate discussion.

According to Zhou, they may have received different kinds of non-mRNA vaccines, and some may not be fluent in English which could create a language barrier if they were to go to the hospital for COVID-19.

“We are here to receive a higher education, not a higher infection rate,” Zhou said.

After this brief debate, the table discussed two emergency bills, SB #62 and SB XX. SB #62 was raised by the Picnic Day Committee in regards to an error made in their budget last year in regards to money set aside for hats. The bill, which was passed unanimously, saw $34,000.99 allocated to fixing this deficit.

SB XX was raised by Senator Dennis Liang and Senator Gaius Ilupeji to suspend ASUCD Bylaws Section 14, which defines the Elections Code. This was spearheaded by the current Cow for Mascot movement on the ballot, which Liang and Ilupeji believe could encourage more participation in voting. None of the acts defined in the bill received necessary approval

after lengthy debate, and the bill was tabled indefinitely.

“Voting to end an elections code is so unethical, and so beyond wrong, that that should be enough for you to vote against it,” Gawde said.

After the emergency bills, the Senate moved on to other bills, including SB #59, which seeks to eliminate a task force in the ASUCD executive branch delegated to funding events for the executive staff. The bill was passed unanimously.

SB #24 seeks to commit to full electrification of heating and cooling on campus, transparency between the community and campus government and having all student leadership operations become fossil fuel free. The bill passed unanimously.

SB #58 seeks to change the one time allocation fund for unit directors from $500 to $1,000. The bill was passed unanimously.

SB #60 seeks to change the balance in the IAC’s ability to edit bills and the anonymity of senators to address IAC concerns. The bill passed unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned by Martinez Hernandez at 12:13 a.m.

According to a 2022 apartment vacancy survey published by UC Davis, the City of Davis has a vacancy rate of 1.4%.

“That type of scarcity drives up rent prices, which makes it hard for people to live comfortably in Davis,” said Gwen Chodur, a union member and PhD student for nutritional biology. “If you move out of the city in search of cheaper housing, you’re adding on transit costs, and all those things that add up over time.”

On the same day of the rally, the California Supreme Court upheld a 2021 ruling that caps enrollment at UC Berkeley. The ruling favors a group of Berkeley residents who filed a lawsuit pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), to prevent the dislocation of existing city residents. In effect, this ruling can hamper housing development, and some fear that residents in places like Davis could file suit under the same act, according to Chodur. “[The ruling] is going to have trickle-down effects,” Chodur said. “We have a very litigious group of homeowners in Berkeley, and it’s a pretty reasonable expectation on our part that we

might expect something similar from neighbors in other places.”

The unions also demand that housing be guaranteed for workers from marginalized groups. According to a press release from UAW 2865, rent burden affects people who are undocumented, LGBTQ+, Latino and Black disproportionately.

Pozo believes that the UC Regents’ recent decision to increase chancellor salaries is misguided in light of the prevalence of rent burden.

“We think that is wrong,” Pozo said. “These chancellors can 100% choose to redirect funds, but they chose not to.”

According to the UC’s 2021 Accountability report, the gap between worker salaries and increasing costs of living in the state is a significant issue that deters student recruitment.

“I hope that [the rally] humanizes these struggles and these stories,” Chodur said. “This draws attention to how difficult this is. We need to communicate the urgency of the housing crisis.”

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LABMEAT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 As the Earth’s population is still growing, every year there are more and more humans and less and less space for livestock. The shrinking amount of available space to grow livestock will inevitably lead to a slow in meat production and will also turn even the most humane animal farms into factory farms full of mistreated animals. And to add on, the amount of arable land consumed by the production of feed for our favorite protein sources is just way too high to be feasible in the much fuller Earth of our future.

This is without even mentioning the ongoing debates about the nutritional value of meat compared to other foods in general along with theories based on us being biologically inclined to vegetarian or even frugivory diets. We have more than enough ammunition to drive our society’s transformation away from meat but with science unlocking new avenues for humanity every day, I think there’s a solid chance that meat could have a resurgence in the future.

There is a real possibility that lab-grown meat is the solution that ensures meat will be enjoyed by future generations. In my judgment, the livestock industry will be long-gone but with meat that can be grown almost anywhere with a caloric investment that’s just a fractional amount of traditional meat (three to four times better than chicken, six to eight times better than beef ), we could very well be able to save steak.

It will never be as efficient as a plant-based diet, but it’s an improvement. It also completely solves the ethical problems behind meat consumption.

With no animals being harmed in its production, people would be able to eat meat without feeling guilty or morally wrong. The emergence of labgrown meat in local markets may be met with a bit of resistance by people who like the status quo, who are scared of consuming something “unnatural,” but it’s impossible to make everyone happy and I believe that eating lab-grown meat could become the new normal.

However, this explosion of lab-grown meat is still many years down the road. A main analysis of the industry provides incredibly optimistic data stating the cost could be tenable by 2030. Other studies aren’t yet convinced implementation on a large scale is even possible due to equipment cost.

To add to that, we have all had opportunities to try “alternative” plant-based meats and it’s obvious that they aren’t good enough to be legitimate replacements for traditional meat just yet. As a result, I think the U.S. meat industry is about to enter a deep dive and if it emerges, it will have a very new look. Traditional meat-based diets are being left in the past and plant-based diets are the present and future, but the lab is very well capable of ushering in a new golden age of lab-grown meat if our leaders in science can play their cards right.

COURT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 DEFENDANT: Of course.

DEFENSE: Please do that now.

DEFENDANT: Sure. I think, personally, for me — and I think, when we look at society as a whole, honestly — and I don’t want to generalize, but pretty much all of society — if you look at the juxtaposition between… what is being juxtaposed — and it really all boils down to like — I truly believe, in my heart — Marx once said, and I don’t think I’m misquoting, he said — don’t you think — well, actually, if you just analyze the historical context of this — there seems to be a lot of tension between — DEFENSE: Alright, alright. Can you tell us a little bit about Romanticism as a whole?

DEFENDANT: Definitely. Most times, like 90% of the time — and you can take any book from, you know, any book off the shelf — I know, I wish, I hope that one day we as a people of America — look, and I say this out of love, though it pains me to say this — the ethos of this whole operation, really — JUDGE MAY: Enough! It seems to me that you have no idea what you’re talking about.

DEFENDANT: Obviously not, I’m an English major.

JUDGE MAY: This is ridiculous. Surely, after being in this class for eight weeks you should have something to show for it.

DEFENDANT: Hey, who are you to judge me anyway?

JUDGE MAY: I’m… Judge May. DEFENDANT: Well, I’m… a theatre minor.

JUROR #3: Boo! JUDGE MAY: The jury will keep their emotional reactions to a minimum. Michael, seeing how you are able to speak in such mindbending riddles that even a professor with a Ph.D. is unable– PLAINTIFF: M.D. Not Ph.D. JUDGE MAY: You have an M.D? Why are you teaching English?

PLAINTIFF: No one ever specified.

DEFENDANT: Permission to read some of my poetry? This one is called Ode to Loneliness.

Cold hands, harpy’s winged whisper. The hum of life and love and death. Cigarettes.

JUDGE MAY: Please stop. That’s it. I’m calling a mistrial. I have to go rule on whether the men’s basketball team is allowed to play in beach volleyball bottoms.

JUROR #3: Woohoo!

DONTLIGHTTONIGHT CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Yolo-Solano AQMD also has a summer program, Spare The Air, where from May through October, residents are advised not to use their automobiles on days when smog levels are high.

“Gasoline vapors combining with sunlight can increase ozone levels during the summer months,” Beamish said. “Instead of fueling your tank at 4 p.m., doing it at 9 p.m. can really make all the difference in the world.”

Beamish believes that these local programs demonstrate that the actions of individuals really can help better the environment.

“The main takeaway from it is people can make a difference in air quality in their region just by a simple act of not lighting wood on fire,” Beamish said.

As a result, they have a depth of knowledge that likely extends beyond the boundaries of the classroom. Many of them have impressive careers and experiences. Being able to draw from these banks of knowledge is incredibly valuable and one of the best things about attending college.

Where else would you have access to so many smart and talented people? It would be a shame to miss out on office hours and, in turn, this incredible pool of knowledge and experience.

But even if you don’t learn anything new, having a professional connection is always useful.

Building a professional relationship with your favorite professors can help you even after you leave the classroom. During my first quarter at UC Davis, I met with one of my professors during her office hours a number of times. We discussed the class, but we also talked more generally. Things like traveling, her past career

and my future all came up during my meetings with her. Because I attended her office hours, I now have a better understanding of what I want to do with my degree and potential opportunities.

Whenever we see each other around campus, she always checks in to see how I’m doing. And since we now know each other decently well, she’s offered to put in a good word for me wherever I should need it.

As you can hopefully see, office hours aren’t just a place for students who are struggling.

They’re a valuable resource that can help you in almost every aspect of your college life. They’re not scary, and they aren’t a huge commitment.

A few minute-long conversations with an interesting person at the start of the quarter can transform your entire experience. When you look at it like that, who wouldn’t want to pop into the office?

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022 | 13

14 | THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

THE CALIFORNIA AGGIE

SPORTS

UC DAVIS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SPLIT FINAL TWO HOME GAMES OF THE REGULAR SEASON Aggies fall to Long Beach State Down the Stretch; Cierra Hall, Sage Stobbart and Kayla Konrad close their careers at home with a bang securing the win to close the season

BY MARLON ROLON sports@theaggie.org Following a four-game road trip, the Aggies returned back to the University Credit Union Center for the first time since Feb. 12. Sitting at sixth place in the Big West Conference — an unfamiliar spot in the standings — UC Davis lost to Long Beach State, who sat in third, 65-60.

Since 2016, the Aggies have finished the season as the No. 1 seed in the Big West conference; however, that streak will come to an end as they head into the postseason as the underdogs.

“Yeah, it’s different; obviously for the last five years, we’ve been the No. 1 seed,” UC Davis Head Coach Jennifer Gross said. “Whatever comes our way, we’re going to just approach it with the best attitude and the most preparation that we can.”

Winners of five straight regular-season conference championships prior to this season, the Aggies will embrace the underdog role heading into the tournament. The season has had its ups and downs. Their highest moments came when they traveled to Oregon and broke the Ducks 44-home non conference game win streak on Dec. 1. Then on Dec. 19, they defeated Gonzaga for the first time within the program’s history.

“Sometimes from the one spot there’s a lot of pressure on you, all the expectations are ‘you’re going to come out and steam roll everybody;’ this is the first time where we’ll kinda be in that underdog role and we gotta find a way to grab on to that role and try to be the team that upsets some teams,” Gross said. “We’re capable of that, when we’re playing well we can beat anybody in this conference.”

Their lows came on Feb. 1, against UC Riverside, a team they hadn’t lost to at home since 2016. Then on Feb. 26, they suffered their first loss to UC Santa Barbara since 2017. The trials and tribulations of the journey can make or break teams; however, the defending champions have proven they can beat anybody when they’re playing their best basketball.

The experience UC Davis has is what makes this team dangerous despite their 14-12 (8-8 in conference) record. They are led by the second leading scorer in the conference, senior Cierra Hall who is averaging 15.2 ppg and senior Sage Stobbart, the reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year, is leading the league with 2.1 blocks per game. Lastly, at the forward position, senior Kayla Konrad is averaging 8.2 ppg — her veteran presence on the defensive end makes her part of the big three. The trio came into the Big West together in 2017 historically leading the Aggies to two NCAA tournament berths; they are considered the center pieces to their championship run.

UC Davis faced off against the No. 1 ranked defense in the conference in Long Beach State.

The Aggies started the game on a 7-0 run and eventually led by a margin of 11. It was all Evanne Turner in the first quarter, scoring eight

Sydney Burns during the first quarter of the UC Davis women’s basketball game against Long Beach State. The Aggies lost to The Beach 65-60. (Benjamin Cheng / Aggie). points while going 2/3 from downtown. Hall and Konrad pitched in five points each to put the Aggies up 20-12.

During the first quarter, the Beach struggled to put up points inside the paint, scoring two of their 12 points on the inside, however their defense forced five turnovers leading to five points. Long Beach played with pressure defensively as they had all season, leading the conference with the most steals and came up with three to stay afloat during the opening quarter.

“They played a lot of different defenses and they’re constantly switching between zone and man and pressure and trapping, so they’re trying to create a frenzied atmosphere so our game plan was just to break the pressure, stay composed and keep it simple against their zones,” Gross said.

Turner opened the second quarter with a three pointer to take a commanding 11-point lead. The Beach kept missing shots but their active hands on the defensive end kept forcing the Aggies to make bad decisions leading to eight turnovers throughout the quarter. The defense was beginning to take a toll on the Aggie offense.

Still in the second quarter, the bench for Long Beach was key in their comeback, scoring 14 points. They took their first lead of the game, 34-32 with 59 seconds remaining. The visiting team eventually was awarded free throws off a foul that saw them go up by four points.

On the other hand, the Aggie defense could not create any opportunities coming up with only one steal. Stobbart and Hall had a rare, quiet quarter, combining for zero points. Their bench did not contribute much with only three points. UC Davis’ offense was outscored 12-24 to close the quarter.

“There were just too many times where we fell into their pace, and we just couldn’t seamlessly get into our offensive actions,” Gross said.

The Aggies looked alive in the third going on an 8-0 run, six-points came off three’s by firstyear Sydney Burns and a jumper from Hall put

the Aggies up by four, 40-36. However, Long Beach senior Justina King scored four points off a turnover and a foul to tie the game at 40.

The Aggies were having trouble containing King inside the paint, sending her to the free throw line once again for free points. The Beach scored eight points off turnovers in the quarter.

Since the 7:38 mark of the third quarter, no other Aggie scored besides Konrad, who put up six straight until the last 59 seconds. At that point in the game, Stobbart went to the line for two, making one to put UC Davis ahead 4746. In the next possession, second-year Kianna Hamilton-Fisher hit a quick three over Konrad, silencing the home crowd in the process. With 30 seconds left in the third period, the home team held on to the ball and let the clock wind down to the final seconds when Hall drew the defense and kicked the ball out to Burns who shot a one handed floater over two defenders at the buzzer to end the third in a tie at 49 a piece.

Both teams played great defense in the fourth quarter, and the Aggies led 57-51 in the last five minutes. Just as the home team began to get comfortable, the Long Beach defense would not go away, utilizing full court pressure forcing eight turnovers throughout the quarter. UC Davis held onto the lead until the last 38 seconds. Then, Hamilton-Fisher drained a three to go up by two.

Eventually, Long Beach pulled away, stealing a win on the road, 65-60.

UC Davis’ turnovers and missed free throws hurt them throughout the game. They shot 7-13 (54%) from the free throw line, turned the ball over 26 times and their bench was outscored 27-7. Three Aggies finished in double figures as Konrad led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds, followed by Burns’ 12 points and six assists and Evanne Turner’s 11 points. Both teams split the season series 1-1. The Aggies pulled out a win in Long Beach on Jan. 29, winning by 10 points.

“It came down to obviously too many

turnovers. If they’re going to score it has to be in the half court. They do such a good job at scoring off the turnovers,” Gross said after the game.

“The first game we went down to their place we did a much better job of that and obviously the score was in our favor because of it.”

Gross was asked if the defensive pressure and quick swipes were an issue throughout the contest, “I think that was one of the problems we didn’t adjust that well,” she said. “There were stretches where we did and were very aggressive against it. Against that kind of pressure you have to be willing to attack, you have to be willing to take a few risks.”

After a two-day break on March 5, UC Davis honored Hall, Stobbart and Konrad before tipoff as they played their last home game as an Aggie. The party didn’t end there, as the Aggies punctuated their season by defeating Cal State Fullerton by 28 points, thus securing Gross’ 200th win of her career. She is the fifth head coach in conference history to achieve such a feat.

“I’ve been very fortunate to coach some amazing teams here and some fantastic student athletes. Our staff is the longest tenured staff in the country. We’ve been together longer than any other staff in division one so it’s a testament to my entire staff and the players that we’ve coached,” Gross said. “Those milestones are special because you get to look back and say ‘wow, I’ve gotten to coach some amazing people and some amazing teams’. For me that’s kind of what it is: recognition. I’ve had a pretty awesome job here at UC Davis coaching some amazing people and getting to work with really great staff.”

Hall finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, Stobbart added 13 points with nine rebounds and Konrad contributed with 11 points along with three steals in their last dance at the University Credit Union Center.

“They’ve helped elevate the program in so many ways,” Gross said about the three graduating seniors. “They came in as freshmen, and they bought into this concept of wanting to be part of something special, and every year, they’ve done something that the team before hadn’t done. They were part of teams that won Big West championships, they were part of teams that helped us get to our first NCAA tournament,” “This year they were part of a team that went and beat top 25 Oregon on the road and beat Gonzaga, a mid-major power so it’s been really cool to see them just every year do something special and raise the bar for our program,” Gross said. “You can’t replace kids like that who have done so much for the program. All we can do at this point is try and give them back everything that we can and help them leave a legacy for the future Aggies.”

Since the Aggies secured the sixth seed in the Big West Conference, they’ve earned a first round bye in the Big West Conference Tournament.

In the quarterfinals, they will face off against a recent familiar foe, third seed Long Beach State at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson Nevada.

It’s win, or go home.

NFL FREE AGENCY SHAPING UP TO HAVE BIG IMPACT AROUND THE LEAGUE Possible trades and big free agents round up what should be an entertaining free agency window in the NFL

KATHERINE FRANKS / AGGIE

BY OMAR NAVARRO sports@theaggie.org With NFL free agency set to begin on March 16 at 4 p.m. ET, this offseason is shaping up to be one of the biggest and most impactful negotiation periods in recent memory. From star quarterbacks to high impact players, teams will have an opportunity to improve — if they are willing to spend.

The most obvious player who would create a domino effect in this free agency period isn’t even a free agent. Green Bay Packers 4x MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers has had a very publicized back and forth with the Packers, as last year he only agreed to come back to the team under a specific set of circumstances. Another MVP (and another playoff flameout) later, Rodgers remains with the Packers with one year remaining on his contract. The agreement the team and Rodgers made last year gives him the opportunity to negotiate a new contract and stay a Packer for life, or ask for a trade if he chooses, which is something that the quarterback was said to be “torn” with.

If Rodgers does stay with Green Bay, the roster will look a lot different than it did last season as many key players are set to become free agents or will have to be cut. Projected at $50 million over the salary cap, the Packers have begun to make moves to try to continue to keep the team together if Rodgers decides to stay. But what if the quarterback doesn’t want to stay?

There was a report that perhaps the quarterback

would choose between the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans if he did decide to ask for a trade, but the report has been shot down. Still, it seems as though if a move were to happen, those teams mentioned were the favorites to acquire the star quarterback.

This entire situation is a difficult one for the Green Bay Packers because an MVP quarterback is difficult to pass up. The thing is, they drafted another quarterback, Jordan Love, in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft to be his replacement, and if Rodgers does stay, that would mean they would most likely have to let go of Love at a lower value than what they got him, forever stamping that selection as a wasted one for Green Bay. And on Tuesday morning, it seems that this will be the case. Aaron Rodgers confirmed the reports on Twitter that he would be staying in Green Bay. Although the details of the contract have not been confirmed, the reigning MVP staying now means that the Packers and their front office now has to make certain moves to keep the QB happy.

With Packers star wide receiver Davante Adams set to break the wide receiver contract market, Rodgers staying means that he will want his star receiver there as well. But, despite Adams continuously being at the top of wide receiver rankings, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has not guaranteed Adams will stay, rather opting to say there is a possibility that the receiver could walk in free agency. It remains to be seen if it is a negotiation tactic or what, but with the news of Rodgers staying, the top wide receiver free agent is going nowhere.

Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl Champion quarterback Russell Wilson made some noise about perhaps finding a new home. Wilson had been with Seattle his entire career and now at the age of 33, it feels like the perfect time to find a new home. But, the Seahawks didn’t seem interested in moving the quarterback, as they have been reported turning down a trade from the Washington Commanders that included multiple first-round picks. That is, until news broke that Wilson would be heading to Denver in a mega deal that included three players and

draft compensation for the star quarterback.

A trade of this magnitude involving a quarterback does not happen often in the NFL. Russell Wilson now enters an AFC West division that includes Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert — perhaps the best division in football.

This move will send shockwaves to the rest of the league as teams will have to adjust their approach to free agency and the draft —both in the AFC, which just got tougher, and the NFC, which just lost a great QB. Teams who are ready to compete now will look for other options, like San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Despite making an NFC Championship game run, the 49ers will look toward the future as Trey Lance — who they traded up to draft number three overall in last year’s draft — is set to take the reins under center. San Francisco will work together with Garoppolo to find his new home and with one year left on his contract, wherever he ends up will likely have to negotiate a contract extension.

But, the possibility of the quarterback being cut still remains so if teams who are needing a quarterback aren’t able to trade for one or draft one they like, Garoppolo will be a hot name for them.

Aside from Adams, this wide receiver class will also be one to monitor as there are some big names whose contracts are about to expire. Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Chris Godwin is coming off an ACL tear, but will certainly attract a lot of attention if he hits the open market. But, even after Tom Brady’s retirement, the Buccaneers feel as though they can compete right now and want to keep the receiver, so it will likely end in another franchise tag if an agreement cannot be reached.

Speaking of franchise tag, that also seems to be where the negotiations for Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams is heading, as the team will likely tag him before he can hit free agency.

The position of wide receiver can be a difficult one because it is dependent on quarterback play, as Allen Robinson has found out. Robinson continues to be productive but the quarterback carousel with the Chicago Bears never allowed

him to fully reach his potential. That coupled with injuries led to a down 2021 season and after that, it seems as if the two sides are ready to split.

Robinson will have many suitors and as another wide receiver showed, situation is everything.

That was Odell Beckham Jr., who was released by the Browns midseason and found himself in a perfect situation with the Super Bowl winning Los Angeles Rams. Although he suffered a torn ACL in the Super Bowl, Beckham Jr. found his former self with the Rams. The injury makes this harder, but the Rams are confident they will be able to keep the free agent receiver and run it back.

The defensive side of the ball also has some high-level players available — but it won’t be cheap. Coming off his second Super Bowl win, defensive end Von Miller will hit free agency and has many options. While the interest is mutual between him and the Rams, Miller will test the market to see what he prefers. Chandler Jones is another edge rusher who will likely hit free agency after the Arizona Cardinals did not offer him an extension during the year. Although he is 32, he is coming off of another 10-sack season and will surely attract attention this offseason wherever he ends up.

It is rare that a player of J.C. Jackson’s caliber becomes available in free agency, but that is shaping up to be the case. The New England Patriots are reportedly not going to place the franchise tag on Jackson and will let him test the market. If so, Jackson — who is a Pro Bowler and has been one of the highest rate corners in the last two years — will likely get big money from cornerback-needy teams.

EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE Randy Gregory, DB Stephon Gilmore, DB Carlton Davis, S Tyrann Mathieu, G Brandon Scherff, TE Mike Gesicki and many more highlight this free agency class. While some of the bigger names might stay put with their team, there is more than enough noise and players available for teams to improve and for some to get over the Super Bowl hump.