Issue 13 - January 22nd, 2026

Indivisible Yolo hosts ‘ICE Out For Good’ event

The organization held a memorial and march following the death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good and concerns over ICE practices

BY MICHELLE BEKHTEL city@theaggie.org

The community members in Davis gathered in Central Park on Jan. 10 for “ICE Out For Good,” a memorial and protest organized by Indivisible Yolo, an organization dedicated to social justice and community support.

This event followed the death of Minneapolis resident Renee Good, an American citizen killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month.

Indivisible Yolo described the gathering as part of a national weekend of action.

“This killing is part of a broader pattern of unchecked violence, impunity, and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies against members of our communities,” the Indivisible Yolo website reads.

The organizers also urged attendees to wear black and bring flowers for a memorial, with the goal being to “make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions,”

according to their website. The event opened with a speaker from Indivisible Yolo addressing Good’s death.

“That’s what you were doing — standing up for your fellow human being, and the government killed you for it, and now they are lying about who you are. We won’t let them lie to the world about who you were,” the speaker said.

Following the speaker, a moment of silence for Good was held. After the silence,

community member Maya Sanchez read the names of 32 people who died in ICE custody in 2025.

Pastor Daniel Smith of the Lutheran Church of the Incarnation urged the crowd to think about the meaning of care.

“It’s short and compact, but it does a lot of work,” Smith said. “To care means that you invest yourself in what you do. We probably have those folks in our lives that we just don’t talk

Paul Allen Perez convicted in the murder of his five children in Yolo County

Perez was found guilty in a series of murders spanning from 1992 to 2001

BY KATYA OKS

city@theaggie.org

On Jan. 6, 63-year-old Paul Allen Perez was convicted of killing at least five of his infant children by a Yolo County Jury. This conviction comes after multiple decades following the crimes and six years after his initial arrest.

Perez’s murders spanned from 1992 to 2001 and occurred across Northern and Central California. The victims — several of whom share the same name — include Kato Allen Perez, born in 1992; Mika Alena Perez, born in 1995; Nikko Lee Perez, born in 1996; Nikko Lee Perez, born in 1997; and Kato Krow Perez, born in 2001.

Each victim was a few months old at the time of their murder. Of all the victims, only the remains of Nikko Lee born 1996 were found near Woodland, submerged in a cooler. The DNA found identified Perez as the father and linked him to the murders. California Attorney General

Rob Bonta issued a statement concerning the conviction of Perez.

“With this conviction, justice was served for these horrific crimes,” Bonta said. “I am incredibly proud of the work our Bureau of Forensic Services put into this case, which provided a pathway to justice. I’m also grateful to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office and all of our law enforcement partners for their dedication to finding justice for these children.”

Perez’s charges make him eligible for either a life sentence without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, which is still being discussed, but no one is currently being put to death by the state of California. In March 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order instituting a moratorium on the death penalty, which is defined as a temporary prohibition of a certain act.

On Jan. 5, Jeff Reisig, the Yolo County district attorney,

discussed in a statement at a news conference how new technological advancements in DNA identification allowed for the cold case to be reopened and for Perez to be convicted.

“Today, we are here because — as seen in other cases from around the nation — the science and power of DNA has shown that monsters and killers cannot hide forever any longer,” Reisig said.

David Robbins, the deputy district attorney of Yolo County, described the conviction and its implications.

“This case was a sobering and stark reminder about the dangers of domestic violence, not only to significant others, but to any children in those homes,” Robbins said. “While justice was delayed, it was not denied, and today’s verdict is proof of that.”

Perez’s sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on April 6, 2026, where he faces the possibility of life in prison without parole.

to anymore, friends or family.

Just think of what that does to families, to communities, to a nation as a whole. To care means that you invest yourself in what you do.” Smith also criticized national leadership and drew past parallels.

“When the government can turn its guns on its citizens and kill them and then justify the violence, that is when you’ve crossed over into fascism,” Smith said.

He also reiterated that communities have a responsibility to push back when they believe government actions threaten public safety or civil rights, emphasizing that Davis should not be complacent.

“We can say as residents in Davis: Stay the hell out of our community,” Smith said.

A letter from Representative Mike Thompson, read aloud by Luca Moredy, the field representative covering Lake

County, echoed concerns about federal enforcement.

“It’s clear that the president and his administration are inciting this chaos to scare immigrants, silence dissent from Americans, and distract from the president’s disastrous record,” Thompson’s letter reads.

Thompson’s letter also called for the resignation of Kristi Noem, the secretary of Homeland Security.

“ICE is not making our country safer, and I demand she step down and get ICE out of Minneapolis,” Thompson’s letter reads.

After the speakers, attendees marched around the park’s perimeter, chanting “ICE off our streets” and “No justice, no peace.” Participants left flowers, notes and other items at a memorial for Good. More information on Indivisible Yolo’s work and future events can be found on their website, indivisibleyolo. org/getinvolved.

Investigation into American Studies assistant professor’s social media post concludes

Assistant Professor Jemma DeCristo was suspended after making a post threatening “Zionist journalists” in October 2023

RACHEL

TRAN campus@theaggie.org

A UC Davis assistant professor has returned from suspension following a now-concluded university investigation into her social media conduct.

Jemma DeCristo, a member of the Department of American Studies, was suspended from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2025, after making an allegedly threatening post toward Jewish and Israeli students on social media.

On Oct. 10, 2023, three days after the Oct. 7 attack, DeCristo publicly posted on X: “one group of ppl we have easy access to in the US is all these zionist journalists who spread propaganda & misinformation. they have houses w addresses, kids in school. they can fear their bosses, but they should fear us more.” The post also included a knife emoji, an axe emoji and three blood tear emojis.

The statement was soon condemned by Chancellor Gary May, and UC Davis later tasked former UCD School of Law Dean Kevin Johnson and Ellen London of London & Stout P.C. to investigate the matter. Investigators recognized that the spread of the post, which DeCristo said was meant to be seen only by a close group of friends, was amplified by rightwing outlets, according to their report issued in 2024 that was shared with The California Aggie. However, the investigators also acknowledged that, despite this original intent, the post caused “widespread fear, hurt and anxiety” and that in doing so, DeCristo had violated the University’s Ethical Principles.

“We carefully considered the fact that [DeCristo] was targeted by the right-wing media, that she did not intend for this post to be read by anyone outside of her social circle and that her social circle would have understood it to be satire,” the investigation report reads. “However because of the nature of the post, and because of the widespread fear, hurt and anxiety that it caused, we found [DeCristo’s] conduct was not justified by the University’s Ethical Principles, and that some discipline is warranted.” Interviewees and other campus community members raised issues, largely over concerns of antisemitism as

well as Islamophobia, according to the investigation report. There were at least 300 email complaints sent to the University over the incident.

The classified investigation was released after a publicrecords request by the Chronicle of Higher Education. DeCristo’s name, as well as other identifiers and some sections of the investigation, were redacted.

In his Notice of Discipline to DeCristo, May said that she had failed to reckon with the consequences of her statement, and that he would suspend her for one quarter against the recommendations of investigators and a Hearing Panel.

“[The Hearing Panel] found that your ‘lack of intent to cause harm and the terrible real-world consequences already experienced’ mitigated against a financial punishment,” May said. “In this one area, I respectfully disagree. While I recognize and regret that you also experienced significant personal consequences because of your actions, I noted with deep concern that both the investigators and the Hearing Panel found that you failed to acknowledge the deep pain and significant disruption you had caused others in the University community.”

May also noted that the effects of DeCristo’s post directly affected students and student organizations.

“Student witnesses detailed how your post compounded their suffering and impacted their lives during an already unsettling period,” May said.

“They described student organizations hiring extra security and individual students avoiding campus, leaving town, or purchasing a weapon because they felt unsafe.”

Two staff members cited the impacts of DeCristo’s actions as a reason for them resigning from their positions, according to May’s notice. Other faculty members expressed some concern over the effect of punishing DeCristo on academic freedom, per the investigation. On top of the one quarter suspension, May has placed a Letter of Censure in DeCristo’s file.

“The Panel reasonably concluded that you had failed to meet the standard for faculty members to be ‘effective teachers and scholars’ who recognize their ‘responsibilities within their institution,’” May’s letter reads. “Particularly where students were among those who suffered as a result of your actions, your glaring lack of insight into the harm you caused is in direct conflict with your obligation to protect and preserve conditions hospitable to student learning.” Investigators interviewed DeCristo twice; the report noted that she did not think her Oct. 10 post would be perceived as antisemetic and “made clear that she sees antisemitism and antiZionism as distinct concepts, and she believes other scholars do too.” DeCristo also told investigators in February 2024 that she was not willing to issue an apology at the time, considering every time the issue came up in the media, she would receive more threats.

DeCristo made her Oct. 10 post a parody of an article in Zionist journal Israel Hayom, titled “Enough with proportionality: It’s time to take radical steps,” calling for the abduction of senior Hamas officials and their families, according to the report.

Carlos Dominguez trial

set to resume on Jan. 20

After a mistrial in spring 2025, court resumed to determine Dominguez’s level of guilt for the 2023 Davis stabbing spree

BY GIA LOOMIS

On Jan. 20, the Carlos Dominguez case entered its third trial since its beginning in 2023. Carlos Dominguez, a previous UC Davis student, was convicted for the serial stabbing spree that left two dead and one injured in April and May 2023, respectively.

The case began with a competency trial to determine his level of sanity, since Dominguez pleaded insanity. In July 2023, court psychologists found Dominguez as likely schizophrenic and not mentally fit for trial at that time. After several months of treatment, Dominguez was found mentally fit in January 2024, and the case was put back in motion.

The second hearing began with a preliminary trial, where Judge Samuel McAdam ordered for Dominguez to be arraigned for two murder charges and one attempted murder charge enhanced by the use of a deadly weapon. This trial began on May 5, 2025 and included a guilt and sanity phase, as Dominguez double-pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.

The May 2025 trial did not focus on whether Dominguez stabbed the three victims, but rather on his mental state and intent. This was noted in the public defender Dan Hutchinson’s opening statement.

“What is not in dispute is that Carlos Reales Dominguez did the physical acts that caused the deaths of David Breaux, Karim Abou Najm and injured Kimberlee Guillory,” Hutchinson said. “The question that will be presented to you is, what was Carlos Reales Dominguez’s specific intent and mental state when he did those physical acts, and what was happening in his mind?”

While the homicide trial continued for five weeks, it officially reached a mistrial on June 25, 2025. Jurors unanimously found Dominguez not guilty on the first-degree murder charge, which cannot be retried. However, the juror foreperson explained that jurors had reached a deadlock on the other charges.

“We have reached a unanimous verdict on firstdegree murder,” the juror foreperson said. “We cannot agree on the other counts.”

Juror votes were split on whether to acquit Dominguez on second-degree murder charges and the attempted murder charge. Jurors were stuck on a 10-2 vote for Dominguez being found not guilty of seconddegree muder. After nine days of jury deadlock over determining Dominguez’s level of guilt, the judge declared a mistrial. The decision for a mistrial caused upset for many of the victims’ families. Nadine Yehya, the mother of the victim Karim Abou Najm, who was stabbed

52 times the night he died, shared her feelings over the jury’s decisions.

“Today was stab No. 53 to Karim,” Yehya said. “What more can a killer do to be found guilty?”

Karim Abou Najm’s father, Majdi Abou Najm, also shared his feelings over a retrial.

“It was a nightmare,” Abou Najm said. “And the idea that we have to pass through it again is unbearable.”

The Yolo County District Attorney’s office quickly pursued a retrial for Dominguez set for Jan. 20 and is expected to take around 10 weeks. While Dominguez was acquitted for all first-degree murder charges, prosecution can pursue seconddegree murder charges as decisions for that charge were deadlocked.

Some prosecutors suspected notable bias in the first trial, which led them to file for Judge McAdam to be disqualified for the retrial. However, the Yolo Supreme Court denied this motion, and Judge McAdam will continue for the retrial.

With Dominguez acquitted for first-degree murder, the case returned to court on Tuesday, Jan. 20 to try Dominguez for second-degree murder and attempted muder, which were deadlocked as Dominguez pleaded not guilty for reason of insanity.

This is a developing case; The California Aggie’s coverage will continue next week.

UC Regents vote to continue annual tuition increases, despite student opposition

The renewal of the Tuition Stability Plan is set to increase tuition between yearly cohorts of admitted students

BY KHADEEJAH KHAN campus@theaggie.org

The University of California (UC) Board of Regents, the system’s governing body, has voted to continue tuition raises for future students of the UC system.

The Regents, who made their decision at their November meeting in a 13-3 vote, hold full responsibility for creating university policy and managing the UC’s $53.5 billion annual budget, $190 billion in investments, three national labs and six health centers. Issues like tuition plans, increases and policies are decided at a systemwide level by the UC Regents. Introduced by former UC President Michael Drake in 2021, the Tuition Stability Plan increases tuition between yearly cohorts while keeping tuition at a flat rate for students up to six years. Every student in an admitted cohort would pay the same amount for tuition, however, the next cohort’s tuition would increase. Under the new model, current undergraduate student tuition would not increase. However, graduate students — who are not included in the cohort model — and future classes of admitted students can expect increased tuition prices.

The November vote would allow for tuition to increase as much as 5% annually based on inflation. Since 2021, when the model was first adopted, tuition for newly admitted undergraduates has risen from $12,570 to $14,934 in 2025.

In a summary addressed

to the Regents, the UC Office of the President wrote that the Tuition Stability Plan “has resulted in greater financial aid for students,” in addition to increased campus support.

Regent Michael Cohen supported the plan at the meeting, citing that the University has been able to enroll 15,000 new undergraduate students since the implementation of the Tuition Stability Plan.

“That’s remarkable,” Cohen said. “Obviously some of that is from increased state funding, but without knowing that tuition dollars were coming alongside of it, I can pretty much guarantee we wouldn’t have had the capacity to grow.”

Sonya Brooks, a doctoral student in education policy at UC Los Angeles (UCLA) and the Board’s voting student regent, was one of the three regents who voted no on the plan. In the meeting, she objected to the lack of attention given to student mental health and basic needs. She also expressed concern over how tuition increases could impact student retention and educational outcomes by hindering students’ ability to afford a UC education.

“The UC doesn’t have a tuition problem, they have a capital problem,” Brooks said. “And that problem should not be placed on the backs of students to bear.”

In response, UC’s Chief Financial Officer Nathan Brostrom, who is also one of the executive directors of the UC Student Health Insurance Plan, added that the increase would be reflected in the services that students can access for mental

ASUCD Senate passes resolution calling for university to condemn ICE

Senate Resolution #7 was passed following heightened immigration enforcement actions nationwide

BY AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS campus@theaggie.org

At their Jan. 15 meeting, the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD) Senate passed Senate Resolution (SR) #7, formally calling on UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May and the UC Davis Administration to release an official statement condemning the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and explicitly stating campus law enforcement will not work with the agency.

ASUCD Senate resolutions are meant to represent the views of the membership of ASUCD — the undergraduate student body — concerning issues of student welfare.

SR#7 makes note of ICE’s newly implemented 287(g) program, allowing for state and local law enforcement agencies to partner with ICE in immigration enforcement through federal funding. The program has been adopted by multiple universities in Florida and has raised concerns for students at other universities, including UC Davis. SR#7 also cites the decision of Supreme Court case Noem v. Vasquez Perdomo, which ruled that ICE can make an immigration stop based on numerous factors including “speaking Spanish or speaking English with an accent” and “apparent race or ethnicity.” SR#7 also notes that May made an official statement in April 2025 following the revocation of seven students’ and five recent graduate’s visas.

SR#7 calls for May to issue a new formal statement “condemning ICE for their actions and acknowledging that their presence is a direct threat to the foundational values of diversity, equity, and inclusion that UC Davis prides itself on,” as per the resolution. It also calls for the university to publicly state that campus law enforcement will not work with ICE on the 287(g) program and re-up its commitment to University of California (UC) Anti-Discrimination Policy. The resolution was authored

by Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission (ECAC) Chairperson Mālie Nee and made in response to increased ICE activity and immigration enforcement activities nationwide, referenced in the resolution.

“It’s a very big issue and affects the lives of our students and their families,” Nee said. “As ECAC Chair, it is my duty and responsibility to advocate on behalf of our students, especially with pressing matters such as this, because it is a direct hit to culture, ethnicity and identity.”

At the meeting, ASUCD President Amrita Julka said that she had discussed SR#7 in her earlier meeting with May.

“He [May] is not going to be releasing a statement, from what he told me, because he does not want to draw attention to UC Davis for ICE to come,” Julka said. “I can’t say anything more, because that was the end of the conversation that I had with him. But I think that we can push back against that because it’s [SR#7] a matter of ensuring student safety.”

Julka continued, addressing the lack of information and resources from the administration for students following an alleged ICE sighting near campus on Jan. 14.

“People saw [law] enforcement on Russell Boulevard, wearing what I guess people have seen ICE wearing, and so there was that legitimate fear,” Julka said. “There is a lack of clarity on what to do in those situations, especially with Davis, who does not have a proper rapid response network.”

The resolution passed 11-1, with two abstaining or absent, and had wide support from members of the table, including from Senator Pattarin Khajornchaikul.

to protect our students and to make sure Davis can be a safe place and that they belong here.” A similar sentiment was made by Gender and Sexuality Commission Chairperson Catalina Silva-Oliveira, who does not have a voting role but can support legislation.

“To deny a student body a statement reaffirming that we are a safe haven, in my opinion, is sheer cruelty,” Silva-Oliveira said. “To any of you who decide to vote no, I think you should be ashamed of yourself. You were elected to represent and stand in solidarity with UC Davis students, and for what you’re paid for, it’s the least you can do.”

The sole opposing vote on the resolution came from Senator Ezra Rubin, who said that he did not support ICE but was concerned that passing SR#7 may lead to UC Davis becoming a target for future immigration enforcement activities.

“I want it to be clear that I do not support ICE,” Rubin said.

“As a representative of a student body that is very vulnerable in the current political climate, I do take seriously my role to support undocumented international students who are at risk. That said, I don’t think this resolution, at least today, is an effective way to do that. In fact, I think it is counterproductive to what we would want.”

Rubin continued to outline his concerns with the resolution and called for continued conversation with university administration.

“I would like to see more conversations to see if there can be at least alternatives, or have a deeper conversation about the implications and what can be done otherwise before we go to this level of action,” Rubin said. “I worry a lot about the potential of the university condemning ICE. That would put a target on our university’s back at a time when universities are very much being targeted nationally. No other university, at least during this administration, has publicly condemned ICE.

“I believe this resolution really illustrates how time after time, college students have been the ones to stand up for what’s right,” Khajornchaikul said. “People at UC Davis decades before us fought against the Vietnam War [and] other egregious human rights violations, and we should not stop that work now. We as ASUCD have a responsibility SR7 on 9

Davis Odd Fellows hosts Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson for speaker event

Olson spoke about the work her office does and the importance of holistic defense

health support services.

In addition to Brooks, Eleni Kounalakis, the lieutenant governor of California and exofficio member of the UC Board of Regents, opposed the plan, citing accessibility and student basic needs concerns.

“Our students sleep in their cars,” Kounalakis said. “Our students go to foodbanks in order to be able to eat. And yet, here we are taking a second vote that would effectively double tuition over a relatively small period of time, and with very little real analysis and understanding of what the impact of the university will be on that.”

Groups like the UC Student Association, representing UC undergraduates across the system, have also opposed tuition hikes brought forth by the model. In a press release, Aditi Hariharan, the association’s president and a fifth-year nutrition and political science double major at UC Davis, said the model would establish “forever tuition hikes.”

“When cuts are being made across the board, the answer cannot be to raise tuition and pass the price tag onto the future students of the UC and their families,” Hariharan said. “This proposal will devastate the diversity of our campus communities by shutting the doors and telling low-income, first generation, students of color and their families that the UC is not the right choice for them.”

Following the passing of the amended Tuition Stability Plan at the November meeting of the Regents, the model will be implemented in the 2026-2027 academic year.

spoke about the history of the child support program, legislative and policy updates, local child support and reform efforts.

The Davis Odd Fellows hosted Yolo County Public Defender Tracie Olson as part of their Universal Justice Speaker Series on Jan. 20. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization that focuses on community service. The Davis chapter of the Odd Fellows was established in 1870, preceding the City of Davis itself.

The Universal Justice Speaker Series is sponsored by the Canton Davis, the highest degree in the order, which represents the degree of universal justice.

Larry Guenther, a member of the Davis Odd Fellows and former head of the organization, explained the purpose of the Universal Justice Speaker Series and the need to actively exercise the values that their organization represents.

“We have this speaker series where people who provoke justice or organizations can present to the community what they do, how it promotes justice, and how people in the community can help,” Guenther said. “If our purpose is to promote universal justice, then we should actively do something to [uphold] that.”

The Davis Odd Fellows previously hosted Natalie Dillon, the child support director for the Colusa, Sutter, Yolo Regional Child Support Agency on Oct. 1, 2025. At her event, Dillon

In anticipation of the event, Olson, as the chief public defender for Yolo County, spoke about what the public defender’s office does and why their work is important. She explained that a public defender is an attorney assigned by the court to provide legal aid to individuals who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, ensuring the legal right to counsel as established by the 6th amendment and Gideon v. Wainwright.

“We are so important for public safety, and as a check and balance in the system,” Olson said. “[We are] protecting people’s rights and making sure the Constitution [...] is held up.” Olson explained how providing council to everyone is crucial, regardless of their situation.

“If you don’t do that for everybody, [...] if you stop and ask whether or not that person deserves it or how they got into that situation, then you’re really exposing the rest of the community to overreach and having their rights violated.”

The Yolo County public defender’s office practices what they call “holistic defense,” which emphasizes looking at people as individuals rather than cases.

“We will refer people to treatment, we’ll get them appointments, we will get them

transportation [and] we will help with their housing, if possible,” Olson said. “It matters because the more you can get people help and the earlier, the less time they’re gonna get in trouble, the less costs to the system […] and you also have less victims.” Olson also mentioned what she believes is a popular misconception about public defenders.

“There’s a myth that public defenders are soft on crime, that we just try to avoid accountability: [that’s] not true,” Olson said. “We just don’t think that incarceration is the band-aid that fixes everything. So that’s why we do holistic defense, as we can get people into situations where they’re healthier and making better decisions. That works better than deterrence, almost every time.” When asked if there is anything that the public can do to support public defenders or criminal justice reform, Olson emphasized the importance of informed voting.

“Really get out there, be informed and vote,” Olson said. “What I would ask is everybody that’s about to vote on something, really read the pros and cons and pay attention, if they’re willing, to what the criminal defense side is telling them are going to be the ramifications.”

To learn more about the Davis Odd Fellows and their Universal Justice Speaker Series, visit their website.

Davis Planning Commission discusses Village Farms housing project

Davis residents voice concerns about project safety and the need for affordable housing

BY SONJA WOOLEY city@theaggie.org

The Davis Planning Commission discussed the safety and efficacy of the proposed Village Farms housing project during a special meeting on Dec. 17. The Commission operates in an advisory capacity and ultimately voted to recommend that the Davis City Council certify the draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the project. The meeting also became a forum for public debate about whether the housing development would be beneficial in the first place. If the City of Davis approves Village Farms, a vote by the residents of Davis will be required under Measure J/R/D in order for the project to be built.

Davis residents spent two hours giving public comments in support or opposition of the project. Those in favor pointed out the need for more housing in Davis and their concern over the potential school closures as a result of the dwindling number of families who can afford to live in Davis.

Lesli Clemmens, a Davis resident, expressed her views on the project.

“We cannot keep kicking the can down the road while we wait for the perfect solution,” Clemmens said. “Delay has real consequences. Every year we wait, more families leave, more workers commute from outside the community, fewer young people see Davis as a place [where] they can build their futures.”

Norbia Kumagai, a Davis resident, spoke about the affordability of housing in Davis.

“Out of the 425 classmates at my [high school reunion], I think only a dozen of us can actually live in Davis, and most of the reason why is because we live in our family homes,” Kumagai said. “I have been diagnosed five years ago with stage 4 kidney disease, and so I feel that I really have to choose what I have to get involved in, and I have chosen to get really involved in the Village Farms project. I can’t say enough for the need to have this kind of housing.”

Other residents voiced their concerns about the project, citing the potential for flooding, risks of toxic chemicals from the former landfill on which the project would be built, concerns about increased traffic around the housing development, the large size of the project, the legitimacy of the project’s EIR approval process and whether or not the Village Homes Housing Development will be truly affordable.

Elizabeth Coolbrith, a Davis resident, expressed her views to the commission.

“This isn’t a choice between housing and no housing; there are better alternatives,” Coolbrith said. “The Village Farms marketing team and the school board have been using fearmongering to convince parents that their schools will somehow be saved tomorrow by

housing that will not be up and running until at least 2035.”

Several other commenters expressed their desire to limit the project to south of drainage Channel A — which would flow west to east through part of the Village Farms area along the east side of F Street near The Cannery neighborhood — to reduce the risk of flooding and groundwater toxins to the project.

However, the staff clarified that they did not include an option to build the project below Channel A because their task with the EIR was to examine the Village Farms project’s impact on the environment, not the environment’s danger to Village Farms.

Rochelle Swanson, a project applicant team member, emphasized that it was too late in the process to consider such a different option.

“We can have all these intellectual conversations, but the project before you, that’s what we’re willing to build, full stop,” Swanson said. “When I talk about the number of details and the math that goes into all of this, there are a lot of moving parts and the things we’ve agreed to were based on that.”

Commission-member Greg Rowe echoed the public commenters’ concerns about the potential for flooding at the proposed Village Farms site.

“Over 61% [of the project] is a [Federal Emergency Management Agency] FEMA flood hazard area,” Rowe said. “I’ve been doing a lot of research lately about the growing probability that California’s going to have big floods [due to climate change]. We’re sworn to protect the health and safety of the people of Davis. I don’t think we’re doing that by approving this project. We’re putting 1800 homes in the direct path of a possible flood.”

Planning Commissioner, Catherine Brinkley, disagreed with Rowe’s assessment.

“We’re in the Central Valley, floods are a risk [and] all development is an experiment,” Brinkley said. “Davis voters

Spanish Club hosts

decided that they want to annex land and develop it through direct democracy, so our job is to get them there.”

Nick Pappani, vice president of Raney Planning and Management, the city’s California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) consultant, attempted to alleviate concerns about the per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFA) contaminants in the project site’s groundwater.

“The consultants [...] evaluated the historic groundwater elevation data to ensure that the bottom of [the project’s storm drainage] channel is going to be above groundwater,” Pappani said. “But to add an extra layer of assurance, the project would install a geotextile membrane. They were testing for soil vapor, and the levels of soil vapor did not exceed applicable screening levels to human health.”

City staff also addressed concerns about an increase in traffic around the project site.

“The reality is it’s not a lot of traffic,” Ryan Chapman, Public Works Engineering and Transportation director, said. “We’re going from about 300 [cars] to about 1500 or something in the peak hour. I don’t believe people driving through it are going to experience or know much of a difference.”

The Davis Planning Commission ultimately voted 5–2 to certify the Village Farms EIR alongside a list of recommendations to the Davis City Council, many of which were aimed at increasing the density and affordability of the project. These included a recommendation to change all references to duplexes in the Village Farms project to halfplexes; a recommendation that the applicant plan for housing lot sizes expand to accommodate Accessory Dwelling Units; and that 20% of the half plex units in North Village be made eligible for downpayment assistance funded by the project applicant.

Crossroads of Culture event showcasing cultural and language-oriented clubs

While the atmosphere was joyous, the impact of recent political developments was clear

BY RIVERS STOUT campus@theaggie.org

On the evening of Monday, Jan. 11, the Spanish Club — in collaboration with other student organizations — hosted a Crossroads of Culture event with the goal of fostering connections between students of various backgrounds and celebrating each other during a time of hardship.

Clubs represented included the French Club, the Black Student Union and the Lebanese Student Association. While the Spanish Club was the primary organiser, every attending club was thanked by organizers for participating and making the event possible.

Held in Olson Hall, the night featured short presentations from participating clubs, a dance performance from K-pop dance group SoNE1 of Illit’s “Not Cute Anymore” and a Hok San style routine from

the Blooming Lotus Lion Dance club.

In an adjacent room, a potluck was set up featuring food brought by attendees from across the world, numbering roughly 40 people at peak attendance. The event’s RSVP list reached capacity days after the various clubs announced the event. The majority of attendees seemed to be club leaders, with club presidents and board members filling up most of the event space.

Spanish Club President Anisha Vikash, a third-year political science major, said she and other organizers hoped to promote cultural awareness and create a space open to people of all backgrounds.

“[The event] is meant to get different people together even if you’re not a part of these cultures,” Vikash said. “You’re completely fine to come in here, celebrate and learn more about these cultures through talking with the people themselves,

Recology extends yard waste pickup after heavy leaf drop delays collection

Rain, aging trucks and yard debris slowed on-street yard pile collection across the city

conservation coordinator for the city of Davis, explained the ongoing partnership the city shares with Recology Davis.

Recology Davis is continuing on-street yard pile collection this week after an unusually high volume of yard waste prevented crews from collecting all piles during last week’s scheduled pickup.

The amount of leaves, branches and other yard debris placed on streets across the city exceeded what crews were able to collect within the original pickup window, according to Recology Davis’s social media posts. Residents who still have uncollected piles are advised not to worry, as collection will continue throughout the week until all remaining material is picked up.

Jennifer Gilbert,

“The City Council decides on the level of collection service

— including how frequently yard material piles are collected and when,” Gilbert said. “The current yard material pile collection schedule was adopted by the City Council in 2019.

Recology Davis is our contracted waste hauler, and it is the company that implements the programs selected by the city.”

Gilbert further explained the logistics involved with the Recology pickup.

“Recology trucks, like any vehicle, are only allowed to carry a certain amount of weight so that they don’t damage roadways,” Gilbert said. “When it’s raining, the

Assessing Diet and Stress Scores in Healthy Northern California Adults

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You may participate if you are: 18–65 years old

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hearing the language, seeing dances happen or just eating the food.”

The reasons for hosting the event were manyfold.

“I took initiative [in leading the Spanish Club] because my boyfriend and his family speak Spanish, so I wanted to learn more about the culture and help others,” Vikash said. “Especially during times where [other cultures] may feel attacked or may feel like the world is against them, I want to help uplift different communities as well as my own.”

Eva Jabbari, the president of the Iranian Student Organisation and a fourth-year environmental policy analysis and planning and international relations double major, had similar reasons for participating.

“[The Iranian Student Organisation] tends to be affiliated with the Middle Eastern clubs on campus, which we are proud of and we have connections with,” Jabbari said.

“But we are just not ‘tappedin’ with the broader cultural organisations on campus, which is why we decided to collaborate with this event. We were glad to, because we’ve been able to learn more about clubs — even ourselves — through the presentations. Even tonight with the cultural foods that each club has brought, I’m able to just as an individual try different flavors around the world.”

The pressure facing minority groups amid recent actions from the federal government played a large factor in the event’s organisation. The event was held days after the shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Foreign pro-Palestine student activists have been threatened with deportation, with some

prosecutions. Last March, the UC discontinued the use of diversity statements in hiring. Vikash says she believes that cross-cultural connections are more important given current political tides.

“I feel like it’s especially more common now and more important because we’re seeing a lot of our rights being stripped away by this federal government, and we should speak out about that,” Vikash said. “But also, it’s important not to just wail on our sadness and things that happen to us but remember our joy and what our culture is all about.”

Jabbari reiterated the sentiment.

“As an affiliate of my club, it hurts me to see IranianAmerican students, especially international students, deported by ICE across the country,” Jabbari said. “There is a level

of uncertainty when it comes to immigration in the country which harms students across America. As an American first and foremost, it is disheartening to see my fellow peers attacked by an administration that does not even do its job.” Other attendees, like Blooming Lotus Lion Dance club coordinator Emma Nguyen, a fourth-year statistics and communication double major, said the night provided a platform to highlight their talents, share traditions and break bread.

“We wanted to showcase our culture,” Nguyen said. “Everyone is welcome to come and join, watch or hire us. So we try to spread friendship, camaraderie, sportsmanship and sharing our culture through our club.”

‘Quiet piggy!’ — Trump’s rhetoric toward female journalists

UC Davis students discuss Trump’s comments and the normalization of misogyny

BY VRITI SHAH features@theaggie.org

Throughout President Donald Trump’s career, he has been faced with many allegations of verbal and sexual misconduct toward women. Examples of this behavior have ranged from allegations of abuse to his apparent closeness with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In each of these allegations against Trump, one thing is clear — his history of alleged misogyny has left a considerable imprint on the media.

Female journalists have historically experienced harassment within the field; with the rise of primarily online media, up to 73% of female journalists have experienced some form of online harassment or threat, according to the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF). Despite this pre-existing trend, it seems to have only been further exacerbated under the Trump administration.

Recently, President Trump has been under fire for his treatment of female journalists while speaking to the press. On one occasion, after being asked by a female reporter about his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, President Trump responded by yelling, “Quiet, piggy!” Immediately, this remark was faced with varying opinions. While many were quick to criticize Trump’s comment, others characterized it as a typical response from the president.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended his remark.

“He calls out fake news when he sees it and gets frustrated with reporters who spread false information,” Leavitt said. “But he also provides unprecedented

access to the press and answers questions on a near-daily basis.”

When asked about the impact of Trump’s rhetoric toward female journalists, UC Davis students had their own differing views.

“I think [it’s] definitely rude and honestly disgusting,” Shae Addiego, a first-year viticulture and enology major, said. “I think it’s honestly really gross, and if he continues it, [treatment of women in press] is just going to get worse.”

It is true that many believe Trump’s rhetoric normalizes misogynistic behavior. In fact, this has not been a one-time occurrence. After another female journalist, Mary Bruce of ABC News, asked about the release of the Epstein files, she was met with a similar response.

“It’s not the question that I mind. It’s your attitude,” Trump said. “I think you are a terrible reporter. It’s the way you ask these questions. You start off with a man who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question.”

It is clear that the president’s behavior toward female journalists has become a pattern. Many at UC Davis believe that this pattern has and will continue to have detrimental effects on women working in the press.

“Well, [Trump’s rhetoric] obviously has a negative impact towards [female journalists],”

Eva Giesen, a second-year sociology major, said. “For one thing, it may hold them back from actually continuing their career as a journalist — but also how viewers are treating them when they’re doing their job.”

Giesen continued to discuss the negative impact of Trump’s rhetoric towards female journalists, suggesting that this power imbalance will further escalate tensions between

politicians and the press.

“In general, [it’s] just giving the idea that [leaders] can do whatever they want since they are in a higher power […] that they could just treat people the way they want,” Giesen said.

Caleigh Carlisle, a firstyear undeclared student, also believes that President Trump’s rhetoric is alarming, particularly concerning Americans’ freedom of speech and press laws.

“It’s unacceptable,” Carlisle said. “I think that [in] the U.S. Constitution we have the right to free speech, and we have a right to journalism. The presidents

UC Davis students reflect on the news following the Jan. 3 U.S. intervention in Venezuela

Students discuss information sourcing and ongoing uncertainty about current events

before Trump, if I’m correct, always had journalists come into press conferences and were allowed to ask the question[s] they needed to ask. [Trump] has been very much restricting that free voice.”

These UC Davis students suggest that Trump’s rhetoric toward female journalists has had a significant impact on American freedom of press and the outlook toward women as a whole.

“He’s [behaving] in a disgusting manner [...] he’s infantilizing women, and that’s not okay,” Carlisle said.

A beginner’s guide to reading women in translation

Six recommendations to expand your list of favorite female authors across the world

BY HANNAH OSBORN arts@theaggie.org

How many languages do you know? For most Americans, the answer is one.

This means that the majority of U.S. residents can only engage with literary works printed in English. Only 3% of the books published in the U.S. each year are works translated from another language — limiting a reader’s chance to engage with literary perspectives outside the Anglophone world.

Of that small percentage, even a smaller portion of translated authors are women.

Three Percent, a web-based project formed at University of Rochester, tracks this gender disparity and further literary translation data within the U.S.

Since 2008, Three Percent has shared statistics detailing not only how much translated literature is hitting the market, but who it’s written by. Until 2013, the number of women in translation was comparatively low to that of men, representing about 26% of all works. Since then, the numbers have increased, reaching 47% in 2022. This increase is attributed by Three Percent to projects like Women in Translation (WIT) Month — but you don’t have to wait until August to start expanding your reading horizons. These six works of translated fiction hope to inspire an international exploration of a forever-growing amount of international women’s literature; and they’re all available through the Yolo County Library.

“Fair Play” by Tove Jansson, translated from Swedish by Thomas Teal (1989) Most well-known for her creation of the Moomins, Tove Jansson is one of Finland’s most translated writers, belonging to the country’s Swedish speaking minority. Suitable for the quiet and cold winter days, “Fair Play” stitches together vignettes from the lives of aging couple Jonna and Mari. Living in apartments connected through an attic corridor, the two creatives coexist in a comfortable routine brought on by many decades of union, drawing heavily from Jansson’s own life with her partner, respected Finnish Artist Tuulikki Pietilä.

The novel shows Jonna and Mari as they pursue creative endeavors, travel and banter no matter the occasion. Their simple happenings create an ideal environment for contemplating and slowing down to enjoy moments of contentment.

“The Last One” by Fatima Daas, translated from French by Lara Vergnaud (2020) Set in a Paris suburb, this autobiographical novel reveals — through short snapshots — the life of the youngest daughter in a family of Algerian immigrants. The narrator introduces herself at the start of every chapter as she struggles to define herself within society, frequently troubled as she finds the different priorities in her life — family, school, religion, love — at odds with one another. She juggles being unsure of the life she wants to lead while trying to connect with distant parents and fostering a good image for her family in Algeria. Tackling issues of diasporic experience and the shakiness of young adulthood, “The Last One” is a story that moves from one subject to another in rapid succession to

paint the complexities of life.

“Heart Lamp” by Banu Mushtaq, translated from Kannada by Deepa Bhasthi (2025)

The winner of the 2025 International Booker Prize, Banu Mushtaq’s short story collection explores the lives of Muslim women in Southern India. Translated from Kannada, the collection maintains the specificity of its native language rather than simplifying it for an English reader, giving a richer sense of the communities the stories are set in. The stories are often concerned with the detrimental impact of patriarchal structures and the way they interact with faith and women’s fortitude. In the title story, for example, a woman plans to self-immolate after discovering her husband plans to take a second wife to cover up an affair. Balancing emotional intensity with wit, this collection is welldeserving of its acclaim.

“Taiwan Travelogue” by Yáng Shuāng-zi, translated from Mandarin Chinese by Lin King (2020)

The translation of this book into English added an extra layer onto the already complex presentation of the story, perfect for fans of a nesting doll narrative. While “Taiwan Travelogue” is a complete work of fiction, the novel is introduced as a lost 1930s manuscript by a young Japanese novelist, which has been translated into a “New Mandarin Chinese Edition.”

Detailing the novelist’s travels in Taiwan — at that time, a Japanese colony — “Taiwan Travelogue” closely examines her relationship with her Taiwanese translator, exploring themes of colonialism and power dynamics while framing the chapters around regional foods. The manuscript is sandwiched by fake introductions and afterwords by scholars, family members of the characters and Yáng Shuāng-zi pretending to be the translator of the original edition. Told by a narrator both insightful and unaware, “Taiwan Travelogue” makes for a wonderful interrogation of the meta relationship between translation and the context it’s used in.

“Life Ceremony” by Sayaka Murata, translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori (2019) By starting with a story about a society that values human body parts as the preferred material for everyday objects, Japanese Writer Sayaka Murata makes you very aware of what kind of collection you’re getting into. Full of stories that veer into the strange and unsettling, “Life Ceremony” questions the things considered inherent and unshakeable by leaning into the off-kilter. Murata’s straightforward prose underscores the initial reaction to the stories as she challenges cultural taboos. The collection is a shocking ride that leaves you wondering about what norms you let control your life, being drawn again and again to the strange conclusions of the stories.

“The Employees” by Olga Ravn, translated from Danish by Martin Aitken (2018)

Subtitled “A workplace novel of the 22nd century,” this book presents a human resources (HR) investigation for the stars.

BY AMRA ABID features@theaggie.org

In the early hours of Jan. 3, 2026, United States special forces led a siege into Venezuela’s capital Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on charges of narcoterrorism, possession of weapons and drug transportation.

Although tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been building for months, news of Maduro’s arrest sent shockwaves through the media, as the event marked the first-ever known large-scale U.S. attack on South American soil, with an estimated 75 casualties.

Despite the attack flooding news outlets worldwide for several days following the event, many of the details during this time remained unknown, and the complicated politics behind the attack have left many divided over what to think.

Some, including the United Nations (UN) and several U.S. senators have condemned the attack, accusing the U.S. of violating international law by using military force against other countries and failing to respect their sovereignty. Others, such as Nobel Prize Winner María Corina Machado and U.S. representative Mike Walz, have lauded the Trump administration, calling Maduro a “dictator” and claiming he fraudulently stole the Venezuelan election.

Although forming opinions on the matter may be difficult because of the lack of information available around the facts of the operation, mass videos circulating on social media of Venezuelans across the world celebrating has contributed to shaping many first impressions of the attack.

Federico Jimenez, a UC Davis alumni with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Computer Science now working for UC Davis Information and Technology Services (IT), is one of many Americans grappling with difficulty drawing conclusions from conflicting media narratives.

“I’ve seen like a big old parade of them just really happy and saying that they’re just being grateful,” Jimenez said. “It’s tough to [form an opinion] because they seem really happy about it, but it’s also like, I don’t know.”

Although Jimenez believes the U.S. isn’t primarily interested in the betterment of the Venezuelan people — rather in benefiting from Venezuela’s abundant natural oil deposits, as the country has the largest in the world — posts on social media have made it difficult to form an opinion; platforms like X and Instagram are abundant with media of Venezuelans across the world celebrating Maduro’s deposition.

Prabhjot Bedi, a secondyear molecular and medical microbiology major, expressed how much of the content he’s seen is at odds with his own preliminary opinions on the matter.

“There was this one TikTok — there was this one guy, he was running around, there was a whole party and everyone was super happy,” Bedi said. “So I was like, ‘Okay, good. So we maybe did something fine, right?’ Now I’m like, ‘Who knows?’”

Despite the large volume of these types of videos, they

still only show a small portion of reality. Many of the videos depicting celebrations only show the reactions of Venezuelans living in other countries, such as the U.S. and Chile, which may not be equally representative of sentiments held by Venezuelan citizens themselves.

Following the attack, the majority of citizens within Caracas were largely staying at home, stocking up on essentials and keeping generally low profiles, according to reporters from The Guardian. In the direct fallout of the siege, locals clearly felt fear and uncertainty about what the future holds for their country. Nevertheless, it has still been reported that there are smaller numbers of Venezuelan citizens taking part in public displays, with both celebrations and protests against Maduro’s deposition. Even then, however, much of the Venezuelan people’s sentiments are unseen by the global media due to the censorship and detention the journalists on the ground in Venezuela are actively facing. These gaps in real-time reporting have not only amplified misleading content, but have also allowed plenty of room for misinformation to spread. Theo Hartlaub, a thirdyear community and regional development major, said he is wary of the content coming out of what remains a complicated, politically charged and largely uncertain story. Though he mainly sources his news from outlets like the Associated Press news and Al Jazeera in addition to social media, he emphasized remaining cautious regardless.

“Yeah, like I’ll go on Twitter […] and I’ll see videos [of Venezuelans in Caracas celebrating] and there’ll be like a community note [saying] it’s like this video is from 2024 following a soccer game or something like that,” Hartlaub said.

The post to which Hartlaub was referring was by right wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones captioned “Millions of Venezuelans flooded the streets of Caracas and other major cities in celebration of the ouster of Communist dictator Nicholas Maduro.”

The video, which turned out to be extremely outdated, does in fact show the streets of Caracas filled with Venezuelans — but it was filmed 18 months ago, instead displaying anti-Maduro protests following the disputed presidential election. The post is still up and has garnered up to 2.2 million views on X.

Though the majority of social media content may not be explicitly misinforming, the nature of social media algorithms are personalized to each individual user and can easily skew opinions, misrepresent reality and present dichotomies that are much more extreme than they actually are, according to Hartlaub.

“People who might support intervention in Venezuela, obviously they might be reposting, liking, whatever, videos of people protesting in celebration,” Hartlaub said. “And then, I’m sure that there are also plenty of people who are opposed to U.S. intervention. There are people protesting like either way [and] people are just trying to stay safe. So when I see those videos, I just take them with a grain of salt. I don’t really think it shows the full picture. Obviously, there are going to be videos cutting either way.”

OPINION

Survival of the bravest?

Understanding new approaches to war and protest

BY VIOLET ZANZOT

With time and wisdom, it becomes clear that the harsh line between friend and foe is evolving. It becomes translucent; it curves, it bends, it softens, it emboldens — losing simplicity and gaining complexity as society evolves. The same convolution comes to fruition in the form of tools employed in social movements, especially in the methods of protest and war. The line between processes that drive forces of oppression and those wielded by movements

of resistance has followed in suit with the line between friend and foe. In essence, modern war and protest take more unique and expansive forms than those most often recognized by history and traditional media — war is more than guns, and protests are more than picket signs. In many cases, the same tool is used on either side of the battleground; the weapon of war and prophet of protest differ only in intent. To contextualize this claim, we can look to Iran. Iranians have been exhausted by existing as victims of their governmental regime for some time. As of Dec. 28, 2025,

a new attempt to demand reform has emerged and has continued to gain momentum. The government is unhappy, to say the least. At the time of writing, at least 2,500 protesters have been killed in what began as a response to a sharp decrease in the Iranian currency’s value, fierce inflation (40%) and the rising prices, which were largely a result of nuclear weapons sanctions.

If we ask what weapons were used in this war, an immediate assumption might outline those that directly caused physical harm — something akin to a water cannon or rubber bullets (both of which were employed). But perhaps an equally notable tool of terrorism is the media blackout. Iranians at home and those abroad find themselves locked away from each other and the outside world — a direct manifestation of war against the people. It might not look as drastic as the bodies wrapped in bags that are a consequence of physical warfare, but it operates alongside traditional weaponry to attack the Iranian people all the same.

The media, Internet and communication are all tools of protest — the voice of the people, which foils the attacker. This too is a tool of war, but wielded much differently in this context — with the intention of expression, not repression, and the voice of a people, not

How Zohran Mamdani is shaping the Democratic Party

The party of fascist collaborators won’t save us

BY THEO KAYSER tfkayser@ucdavis.edu

With the turning of the page to January 2026, Zohran Mamdani has been sworn in as New York City’s newest mayor. Already, his victory has proven to be highly controversial.

Mamdani has received harsh criticism from both sides of the United States two-party system — from Republicans, the usual bigoted fear-mongering has manifested through attacks on Mamdani’s ethnicity, while some Democrats have also voiced disapproval of Mamdani being a self-proclaimed “democratic socialist.”

In spite of what these politicians say, and what will be reiterated by the talking heads of mass media, Mamdani’s campaign is remarkably lacking in radical policy agendas or even radical rhetoric. During his campaign, Mamdani spoke of policies which would serve as concessions to the working class at the detriment (only sometimes) of the capitalist class in the form of apartment rent control, city-run grocery stores, free buses and guaranteed childcare. All of these policies would aim to alleviate the affordability crisis for residents of New York City.

Such reforms have been implemented in the U.S. (and the West at large) for decades.

Most famously, Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)’s “New Deal” responded to the potential demise of capitalism during and following the Great Depression with similar reforms, which were meant to increase consumer spending power, reduce unemployment and otherwise improve quality of life. In New

The

York itself, one of the city’s most beloved mayors, Fiorello La Guardia, made a series of similar public spending reforms; most notably in his titular airport, which greatly reduced traffic at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens.

One of the first choices Mamdani was faced with upon his election was who he would appoint as police commissioner. Days after his chummy meeting with Donald Trump on Nov. 21, 2025, it was announced that Mamdani would retain Eric Adams’ choice in Jessica Tisch, who has been associated with Zionism in the past. Last year, Tisch oversaw the deportation of a Palestinian woman after the highly publicized pro-Palestinian protests which took place at Columbia University.

To the many wellintentioned, left-leaning, socialism-sympathizing people who supported Mamdani, his reappointment of Tisch and cordiality with President Trump is likely confounding. This inability within the American left electorate to predict such actions stems from a critical misunderstanding of the role of politicians and the state in the U.S., particularly when attached to one of the country’s two corporate-owned parties.

The Democratic Party in particular has a track record of co-opting social issues and radical-sounding ideas as a method of maintaining an umbrella wide enough to marginally win elections against their perpetual opposition in the Republican Party. As we are already beginning to see with Mamdani, this populist platform manifests itself through policies which are either totally in-line with or tolerant of the

Democratic Party’s imperialism and maintenance of the capitalist class.

Politicians, while individuals, set aside transparency and goodwill in order to fulfill their occupational obligations. These obligations include winning elections, satisfying lobbyists who fund their campaigns, promoting themselves and their party through advertisements and speeches and (ideally) attending to the desires of their constituents. This complex task of juggling several different groups’ interests tends to create wishy-washy politicians who wind up being ineffectual in their representation of “the people” and instead serve the contradictory interests of corporate donors, other members of their party and their own political career aspirations.

First, Zohran had to win his election. As a social media superstar, much of his work thus far has been done through marketing. Mamdani is the newest client of Morris Katz, who also ran the John Fetterman campaign in 2023. Fetterman, like Mamdani, received overwhelming support during his electoral race as a candidate whose victory would be pivotal for the Democratic Party. While an advocate for the domestic working class, Fetterman has routinely been one of Congress’ most vocal supporters of Israel, including during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s acceleration of the Palestininan genocide.

The connection between Fetterman and Mamdani is a story told in three parts: an ethos of progressive politics created by extensive and expensive advertising, capitulations to conservative elements within

an attack.

Because of this, the Internet is a powerful site for movements and allows for previously impossible levels of mass organization. Through communicating, learning about, shaping and altering the discourse to build a cohesive voice, the Internet is invaluable to the building of a common goal and the distribution of knowledge — crucial aspects of effective protest. Protest makes use of the Internet, as war does. The same tool, with a different intention. Involving yourself on the frontlines does not always look or sound like boots on the ground. It looks like drugs: medicines or poisons. It looks like clothing: jumpsuits or black berets. It looks like legal work, teaching and architecture. The instrument is silent; the sound comes only when the musician plays.

When wars feel rampant and chaos is inescapable, ask yourself how you can protest. Sometimes, picket lines are a luxury. Sometimes you cannot be the one to fight; sometimes you have to be the one on the sidelines, and it’s important to know when to play each role. Now, as much as ever, it is necessary to choose the side of history we want to fall on and pick our intentions with as much caution as our weapons. Because in the end, it’s how we use them that matters most.

the Democratic Party (or in Mamdani’s case, also Trump) and finally, disappointment from former progressive voters who, while theoretically voting for a progressive candidate, were fooled into funneling their energy into a party funded by the ruling class. While less openly sinister and fascistic than their Republican counterparts, Democrats have always maintained their support for capitalism (though less so than their Republican counterparts), regardless of its consequent imperialism, inequality, instability, excessive consumerism and more.

This series of events in Mamdani’s case is now firmly in the capitulation stage. This is not a sign of any kind of particular evil on behalf of Mamdani, but rather a reflection of his occupation. In order to gain the Democrats’ support now or in any campaigns he might want to run in the future, Mamdani has to be a team player. In 2016, when Bernie Sanders, a rogue “socialist” tried to win the primary election against Hillary Clinton, he received discouragingly little support — Sanders quickly learned his lesson and went on to endorse Joe Biden.

While Mamdani’s air of radicalism may be a sign of good things to come, as a U.S. population tired of empty promises by establishment politicians, war and inequality, history has taught us time and again that capitalist oligarchs are not stood up to by joining a team with their interests in mind. That route, while allowing for short-term victories and reform, predominantly serves to legitimize our failing democracy.

Youth is wasted on the young

Does this paradox hold true?

BY ABHINAYA KASAGANI akasagani@ucdavis.edu

Recently, a call with my mother led to a prolonged lecture about how, although our generation is more aware than hers had been, we are less able to translate our awareness into action and more inclined to morph it into anxieties. There are few poignant ways of commenting on this predicament of one’s youth without invoking “youth is wasted on the young.”

The great Irish dramatist and author, George Bernard Shaw, derogatorily claimed that the average young person has “squandered every opportunity of being young, on being young.” While considered by some to be empty rhetoric, the phrase does manage to articulate a paradox that has long been felt by many but never fully unpacked. The running joke is that although young people are inadequate occupants of society, they must still be primed to take it over following the passing of their predecessors. What this conveniently overlooks is that the historical weight of inherited crises is precisely what has produced the wariness — and the weariness — that now characterizes youth; who must rely on their collective knowledge to survive the world as we know it.

As a child, I yearned to be an adult. I almost pigeonholed myself into a higher, unattainable standard that disallowed me from ever being carefree and fearless. When people later called on me to act responsibly because I had presented myself this way, I resented it, begrudging being told that I was “mature for my age.” The issue with this is that the allure of another state of being, with different abilities and attitudes, had struck me as better than what I already had. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Once the child conscripts themself into the role of an adult, they cannot return to simplicity. Too much awareness all at once nurtures skepticism and jadedness. While youth have long been thought to exude a vivacious spirit that is unlike any other in terms of the possibilities it grants, this generation finds itself immobilized by the current state of the world and thus remains unable to move forward.

When one is told that they are “wasting” something, especially something that is largely aspirational, it places

lies you tell to avoid commitment

Clay, like milestones, responds to actions, not words

BY NEVAEH KARRAKER nakarraker@ucdavis.edu

Ceramics is a lengthy process that involves shaping clay using various techniques (like wheelthrowing or slab building) and painting with colorful glazes. ending with transformation when heated in a hot kiln. When working with temperamental mediums, the end result may not always be what we imagined, but it undeniably always invokes passion, emotion and a hunger to achieve more. Humanity is inherently creative; we love to envision the possibilities of what could be forged from pure willpower and our fingertips. The physical transference of our thoughts into reality — through sweat and lactic acid searing our muscles — produces a mixture of unmatched dopamine and a remedy to internal struggles. When starting a ceramic

piece, an artist has the inspiration to plan the size, shape, color and purpose. Yet, unforeseen circumstances and mistakes happen; the walls of the piece are too thin, part of the clay breaks off or the shape becomes unnatural. In life, just like in pottery, it’s easy to let inconsequential details derail you from your ambitions. Perfectionism can transgress into delusion of what is healthy to sacrifice in life as easily as in the arts; even facing grief or illness, we feel as though we must push through because we can’t accept ourselves without a metric of success. The things that are realistic to envision with our creativity are quickly achieved: like an art piece. We rarely use this skill to envision a long-term future and take initiative, which progresses into the last and most important element of ambition — commitment. As obsession becomes

them below the standard of adequacy; it suggests laziness rather than incapacity. What we fail to consider is that the youth are more weary than proactive because they are reliant on external tools they often lack. Like Shaw, many view young people as incapable of making sound choices, and yet they remain interested in exploiting this naivete. Others attempt to expose children to a degree of risks early so that they will be better equipped to navigate them later in life. The downside of this kind of practice is that it fails to equip them with the necessary tools just as much as it leads them to distrust the world. In 2024, the World Happiness Report revealed a concerning truth about young people: “In North America, happiness has fallen so sharply for the young that they are now less happy than the old,” the Report read. Amongst several factors contributing to this decline were rising prices, the job market, social media and subsequent isolation, climate change and political polarization. The United States scientific journal, PLOS One, reported the same in 2025. With the collapse of the world as we know it, the youth are taking to social advocacy. Older generations often tend to disregard that misfortune accumulates just as wealth and experience do. Activism here functions almost like housekeeping — guiding young people toward crisis response and fostering collective awareness. Ironically, overtaken by a disinclination to care deeply (or perhaps a larger inclination to outwardly feign nonchalance), they are interested in addressing the bigger picture. Yet, when discussing present crises — whether political, economic, digital or environmental — the youth appear profoundly disillusioned, often opting out of collective action for the sake of their sanity. This is precisely why the youth rejoiced at the prospect of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral win. In his article on the 2025 New York election, journalist Amr Kotb wrote about how the election rekindled his faith in politics.

“Why burn our resources and livelihood on struggle and frustration?” Kotb said. “I was ready to live the rest of my life that way until Mamdani won the primary.”

unhealthy, it also very easily becomes a catalyst for temporary surges of adrenaline — like a sudden desire to master a new craft — and both of these combined result in a failure to commit. These reasons are things we hear quite commonly: a change in priorities, a lack of desire, wanting to focus on something easier or simply not knowing. Despite the frequency with which we repeat this or deny it, these are, by definition, excuses. We’d rather fail to face the truth of our inability to commit than take accountability for the lies we tell ourselves.

Fear is what mostly drives lack of commitment — of the future, of failure or of letting someone down. In other words, fear of the unknown. And pressure is one thing that determines what takes control.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement overreach is approaching a point of no return

The murder of Renee Good and ensuing federal government response is abhorrent

WRITTEN BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

Renee Good, a legal observer and mother of three, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Jan. 7. Minneapolis is one of the cities that has been targeted by the Donald Trump administration in the latest immigration enforcement crackdowns.

Following Good’s death, there have been widespread protests against the unjust practices of ICE across Minneapolis and beyond. Her family is seeking legal action and has launched a civil probe to investigate the case.

Shortly after the news broke, the Trump administration began twisting the narrative, alleging that Good was at fault for her death.

The Department of Homeland Security claims that Good was aiming to run over the agents with her car. Despite video footage of the encounter, the federal government is attempting to change the story.

“The woman driving the car [Good]…violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer,” Trump said in a Truth Social post, regarding the agent who shot her.

Several federal agencies have launched investigations into Good’s case, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security

(DHS). Despite requests from Minnesota officials calling for a joint investigation, the FBI has taken the lead on the investigation into Good’s death without the aid of Minnesota’s investigative agency.

Six federal prosecutors have resigned in protest over the DHS’ investigation into Renee Good’s wife, Becca Good, after the DHS labeled Renee’s actions as “an act of domestic terrorism.” The investigation’s focus on her widow, rather than the agent who shot her, is another blatant overreach of power.

Good’s is not the only case of immigration enforcement engaging in baseless acts of violence against civilians. In Portland, just one day later, border patrol agents shot two people during a traffic stop. Additionally, the conditions inside detention facilities have led to 32 deaths in 2025 — the highest number since 2004.

The most common crime associated with illegal immigration is unlawful entry, which is classified as a misdemeanor akin to jaywalking or public intoxication. The Trump administration’s rhetoric on illegal immigration instead paints them as dangerous criminals, when in reality, immigrants have committed less crimes than native-born Americans since the 1870s.

In order to execute their plans for mass deportations, the Trump administration

hired over 12,000 agents and reduced their training time from five months to around eight weeks. Additionally, Slate journalist Laura Jadeed claims to have been offered a position as an ICE agent without proper vetting — neglecting background checks, fitness evaluations or other onboarding processes — and an officer telling her the “goal is to put as many guns and badges out on the field as possible.”

“Somehow, despite never submitting any of the paperwork they sent me — not the background check or identification info, not the domestic violence affidavit, none of it — ICE had apparently offered me a job,” Jadeed said in a written statement.

Though denied by the DHS, this reporter’s statement is a signal of ICE’s primary motivation: not to protect citizens of the United States, but to instill fear in the public and criminalize communities of color.

Along with the lack of training, instances of racial profiling have been reported in Minnesota. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota recently filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government for unlawful stops and arrests of Somali and Latino people in Minneapolis and St. Paul. This racial profiling lawsuit demonstrates an escalation of recent rhetoric about “legal”

Immerse yourself in the world of books

Joining a book club is a learning experience in more ways than one

BY SABRINA FIGUEROA sfigueroaavila@ucdavis.edu

I’ll admit it: I hated reading as a kid. Don’t get me wrong, I love it now, but back then I thought I was just too dumb to ever understand complex prose. I’d even get a little jealous of the kids who read past 100,000 words and were rewarded a game truck (I still do).

I grew out of this hatred once I got to middle school, and I’ve tried to make a habit of reading for pleasure ever since. But it’s hard in college when you have so many other readings to do and responsibilities vying for your time. You lose motivation and get caught up in deciphering 40-page research articles and writing a million essays — you’re exhausted; it’s not your fault your love for your hobbies died out. However, I’ve found the perfect cure for my seemingly endless reading slump: a book club — in a sense. It consists of my friend and I, our long “To Be Read” (TBR) lists and an occasional coffee shop meetup. So far, we’ve had a range of discussions about “A Room with a View” by E.M. Forester and “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck. From disagreeing on whether we’d like to experience unconventional love like the one between Lucy and George in Forester’s novel to trying to figure out the symbolism of scars

in Steinbeck’s work, the meetings are incredibly fulfilling and a great way to exercise our brains. The beautiful thing about being in a book club is that you get to organize and form your own thoughts, while also working to understand the perspectives of another person. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to agree, just that you have to listen — something we could all stand to do a little better. This is also not to say that it’s easy; the challenge is

“The

Additionally, a book club allows you to grow in ways you didn’t know you could. I never thought I would be smart enough to understand intricate prose or large texts, and sometimes I still feel like I’m missing something. However, discussing and answering questions that you and your book club peers may have about a novel can help you realize you’re a lot more intelligent than you thought you were. In time, it teaches you to be a lot kinder

beautiful thing

about being

in

a book club is that you get to organize and form your own thoughts while also working to understand the perspectives of another person.“

what makes this experience so valuable.

Starting a book club has also made me realize that my friend and I still have so much to learn about each other. Understanding someone else’s thought process is an intimate, vulnerable part of making and fostering longlasting friendships. Simply discussing a book with strangers or friends breaks down a barrier that allows you to see another aspect of the person.

versus “illegal” to targeting people strictly based on appearance, creating a hateful and incredibly dangerous precedent for the next three years and beyond.

In response to the protests that occurred after Good’s death, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis — a threat that he has executed in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland bringing in federal troops to quell protestors simply exercising their First Amendment rights. As of Jan. 18, 1,500 federal troops are on orders by Trump to be prepared to deploy to Minnesota. This is not just a one-off event, but a pattern that should be recognized as alarming and unacceptable by the American people.

While it may seem that civilians are powerless against the atrocities of federal entities, there are a multitude of ways to care for your community. Being aware of your rapid response network, staying up to date with local non-profits like NorCal Resist or donating to families in need of legal support amid immigration attacks are examples of ways to actively support those around you. Regardless of the state you reside in, we cannot sit idly by and watch this happen in yet another city. The deployment of troops on Americans is not just or democratic, it is a symptom of a larger issue — an extreme overreach of power that has gone unchecked.

Do we really need another UC Davis

transit app?

Arbitrary apps do more harm than good for student communities

GURNOOR KAUR / AGGIE

proliferation and oversaturation, and — as the saying goes — too much of a good thing is bad. It’s hard to see the scale tipping when you’re in the middle of it, but in hindsight, it’s clear that too many people were attempting to capitalize on a perceived profit, which cheapened any initial benefit.

Sabrina Figueroa

to yourself. That way, you don’t stay imprisoned by your mind — you can flourish more than you ever thought possible, and learn so much about life, other people and yourself.

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.

Similarly, the idea of coding and distributing an app to the student body is attractive; it’s an (ostensibly) mutually beneficial project in which students receive a resource and developers get to pad their resumes. Unfortunately, it’s become so attractive that many coding clubs, rather than inspiring genuine innovation and collaboration amongst students, are starting to become more of a nucleus for making your GitHub accounts look just a little more stacked. The apps themselves aren’t inherently bad, and the issues that they aim to resolve are not trivial. The problem is that when

an app is dispassionately coded to solely be a resume booster, it takes away what makes these clubs so important — that they aim to inspire and mentor students before they enter the technical field. The point of a tech club (or any club, for that matter) is to collaborate and come away having learned something through shared experience, which is more difficult to do when the membership requirement is akin to that of the professional market. Your university years are valuable; college is one of the only times in your life when you’ll have the time and resources to work on passion projects and find large groups of people who are willing to work on them with you. In such moments, pushing your creativity and looking for new ways to inspire change may have more of a benefit than merely following in the footsteps of

someone who came before you. I see QR codes for studentcoded apps at almost every bulletin board on campus, yet I’m rarely inclined to download them. Student “activism” clubs make websites for “resources,” yet I’ve never felt that any of them displayed information that wasn’t otherwise widely available. The exigence for such apps may have come from good will, but they aren’t making any measurable impact within the student community — and it starts from an ideation process that looks for external rewards rather than community or creativity. Thus, we have an oversaturation of apps and websites that just take up space in the virtual world, without having any impact on the outside — a dangerous way to start your professional journey, regardless of where you’re trying to go.

ARTS & CULTURE

The Art Desk’s

CULTURE CORNER

Fresh finds in television, movies, novels, & music

BY VINCE BASADA

arts@theaggie.org

Song: “Lone Star State of Mind” by Nanci Griffith (1987)

Nanci Griffith, to me, is an underappreciated figure in American singer-songwriting. Her style was never concrete — she described it as “folkabilly” — but she’s usually classified under the country and folk genres. “Lone Star State of Mind” features many of the hallmarks of Griffith’s discography which made her a cross-genre traveler. Her distinctive twang, focus on acoustics and earnest lyrics combine to make this an engaging tribute to a far-off Texas love. Like other great folk artists, Griffith’s take on yearning and devotion is at an arms’ distance and with solemnity; but the song’s clear vocals, lyrical imagery and her upper tempo (if not upbeat tone) make this one of my favorite musical examples of homesickness and heartache.

Book: “Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory” (2019) by Raphael Bob-Waksberg

I’ve, somewhat ashamedly, never watched “BoJack Horseman” (2014–2020), but I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this collection of short stories on love from that show’s creator, Raphael Bob-Waksberg. This collection follows love in all forms — romantic, platonic, familial — and while the stories all share clever writing and style, the plots vary wildly. One takes the perspective of a dog, another explores parallel universes and, in a third, a presidential Frankenstein’s monster. The book is never dull.

Some passages hit like a truck; others seem better placed in a television series. But, as is the benefit with the format, there will surely be at least one message and story that will meet nearly every reader where they are.

TV Show: “A Man on the Inside” by Michael Schur (2024)

Michael Schur’s latest sitcom follows retired Professor Charles Nieuwendyk (Ted Danson) as he begins a second job as an amateur private detective. In its debut season, Charles must infiltrate a senior living community to investigate the theft of a valuable necklace. In the show’s second season, released November 2025, he embeds himself in a small college to investigate a missing laptop. While by no means a masterpiece of contemporary humor, “A Man on the Inside” is a digestible and thoroughly enjoyable watch, perfect for a long weekend or as entertaining background noise. Danson brings solid comedic chops, and I always enjoy depictions of older adults thriving in their golden years, ideally in unexpected or crazy situations — for instance, “Grace and Frankie” (2015–2022) or “Book Club” (2018).

Schur’s previous works include “Parks and Recreation” (2009–2015) and “The Good Place” (2016–2020), the latter of which also features Ted Danson as a main player. “A Man on the Inside” carries over the trademark comedic stylings that made those sitcoms critical darlings, as well as Schur’s propensity to create sentimental, heartfelt moments. Though simpler in scale and concept to those works, Schur’s latest expands on the great tradition of popular culture works following older adults navigating the modern world in unique ways.

Movie: “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” dir. Jacques Demy (1964)

There are few films more visually stunning than Jacques Demy’s technicolor masterpiece “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” This pinnacle of French New Wave cinema follows young lovers Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve) and Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) in the port city of Cherbourg, and depicts their honeymoon love tempered by reality. Guy, a mechanic, is drafted to fight in the Algerian War, while Geneviève faces pressures from her overbearing mother and family financial trouwbles. Heartbreak and troubled love ensues.

What separates this seemingly standard romantic drama plot from the rest is its style. Every word is sung and even if you aren’t a fan of musicals, the recitative dialogue proves disarming. You find yourself lost in each shot and taken by the beauty brought out in every person on screen (namely Deneuve’s Geneviève). “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” is a movie I find myself returning to endlessly, never growing tired of the imagery or the plot. Its influence can be seen in the young perennial favorite “La La Land” (2016), though I’d argue Demy’s work is more raw and even greater in its realistic melancholy and somberness.

Review: KDVS 90.3FM threw winter quarter’s inaugural backyard show

Tastes Like TV Static, Carport and Pressed kicked off the first house show of the season

Sacramento-based alternative band “Tastes Like TV Static”performs at KDVS 90.3FM’s backyard house show on Jan. 9, 2025.

BY MIRIAM RAMAKRISHNAN arts@theaggie.org

For many, winter quarter stirs up anxiety over upperdivision classes or despondency over the sun setting earlier every day — for those at the Arts and Culture desk, however, a fresh 10 weeks means more live music to watch.

On Jan. 9, UC Davis’ very own student radio station, KDVS 90.3FM, hosted a backyard show featuring local California bands Tastes Like TV Static, Carport and Pressed.

Tastes Like TV Static is defined by Midwest emo instrumentals, reminiscent of bands like Rocket and Wisp. Carport and Pressed are more sonically similar, sharing an almost Weezer-inspired energy, with grungy guitar riffs and loud solos.

Tastes Like TV Static and Carport are both Sacramentobased indie rock bands, while Pressed recorded their first tracks in Santa Rosa; all three draw a crowd that spans far beyond the Davis bubble.

Despite the chilly January air and the formidable distance from campus, the backyard crowd was packed shoulder to shoulder. Bundled up in coats and scarves, the crowd’s members were excitedly conversing long before the music started.

KDVS Events Director Christian Renteria, a thirdyear statistics major, played a large role in setting up the night and ensuring the event’s logistical flow. Outside of his

responsibilities, Renteria shared his favorite aspect of the radio station’s recurring house shows.

“We get to be connected with the community and the local scene,” Renteria said. “One of the best things is coming to these shows and seeing these upcoming bands that might make it one day, and honestly just being right in front of them.”

Throughout the night, the sound evolved from hazier, shoegaze-esque riffs to more punky, intense sets. Drums became faster and sharper, and guitars shed their earlier dreaminess to cut through the crowd. As newcomers joined the scene, audience members would separate from the crowd and greet the new arrivals, recognizing each other from previous shows hosted within the Davis music scene.

“We’re able to be with the community and have a place for all the freaks and geeks and alternative people,” Renteria said. “I see a lot of people here who are part of the station, but there’s people who I’ve never seen and aren’t even part of KDVS, who are here just to see the music and enjoy it.” Tanith Tsang, a first-year economics major, shared her thoughts on the show and why she chose to spend her Friday night with KDVS 90.3FM.

“As a musician, I would go to a house show over a party any day,” Tsang said. “It’s a great way to bond with my bandmates, and you get to see some crazy sets while getting thrown around in a mosh pit.”

From page to screen: ‘People We Meet on Vacation’ re-opens the discussion surrounding faithful story adaptations

Students share their thoughts on Emily Henry’s first book-to-screen adaptation

BY IQRA AHMAD arts@theaggie.org

When “People We Meet on Vacation” premiered on Netflix on Jan. 9, it immediately captured audiences attention, accruing 17.2 million views over its opening weekend. However, its success is not simply a product of star power or streaming buzz; like many of today’s most popular films, it began as a book.

“People We Meet on Vacation” follows the longrunning friendship between Poppy Wright, an outgoing and affable travel writer portrayed by Emily Bader, and Alex Nilsen, her more reserved and introspective best friend, played by Tom Blyth. Spanning across a series of annual trips, the story tracks the relationship of the characters as it changes over time, culminating in a reunion that forces both characters to confront their unresolved feelings toward one another.

There are many perspectives on how true adaptations should be to books. Some argue that films should be extremely accurate so as to not disrespect the author and the fans who resonated with the book, whereas others are more open to changes that occur in the process of creating adaptations.

“While being faithful to the overall plot is important, as well as keeping the narrative structure and character motivations, I don’t find it necessary to nitpick the exact methods and paths to which characters get from point A to point B,” Bianca Mojica, a third-year food sciences major, said. “I also really love characterfocused media, so if a film or TV show shirks a line or plot in favor of character development, then I see it as the writers enhancing the narrative and adding layers that ultimately fuel the story.”

Similarly, viewers acknowledged that adaptations do not have to be extremely similar to the text, as there are so many differences between the forms of media.

“What works in a book

What do the “Twilight” Saga (2008 to 2012), “Pride and Prejudice” (2008), “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” (2005), “The Social Network” (2010) and “People We Meet on Vacation” (2026) all have in common? Despite spanning genres, time periods and audiences, each began on the page before making its way to the screen. As book-to-film adaptations continue to dominate theaters and streaming platforms, viewers are increasingly drawn to stories they already know and love, raising questions about why these adaptations resonate so strongly and how faithfully they translate from novel to film.

might not translate well onto the big screen, and vice versa,” Bella Whitmore wrote in an article for Baylor Lariat. “When filmmakers take creative liberties with a book, they have the opportunity to breathe new life into the story. […] It can box filmmakers into a rigid framework, preventing them from taking risks or injecting fresh perspectives into the narrative.”

That openness toward the adaptation process extends to how some viewers perceived the film’s portrayal of Wright and Nilsen’s relationship.

“Overall, the film did capture the relationship between Poppy and Alex well,” Mojica said. “However, I think more of that can be attributed to the chemistry of the actors themselves rather than the writing of the script.”

For some viewers, the creative freedom afforded by adaptations is not a drawback, but a major appeal.

“I think it’s just super fun to see the director take their own artistic interpretation of the book, especially because Emily Henry’s books are super creative,” Amanda Porter, a fourth-year human development major, said. “I think it’s a very lighthearted movie, and a few things definitely seem different, but I was smiling for 1 hour and 40 minutes and laughing. It was great.”

There are, however, some contrary opinions on how bookto-screen adaptations should approach navigating plots and storylines. Some prefer slower, more intentional scenes between characters.

“At times, it seemed the film was simply trying to list all of their vacations one by one to hit the plot points,” Mojica said. “While this did the job of cementing how close the two characters were, I felt as if they could have dug deeper into the development of how they came to fall in love. They only had a couple scenes of reconnection before the ultimate love confession, which seemed a little bit rushed.”

Despite these criticisms, there is broader optimism toward adaptations as a whole.

“Whenever I watch book-tofilm adaptations, I always keep a very open mind,” Mojica said. “I understand how production, filming and budget constraints can steer things in a direction that isn’t necessarily the most book-accurate. An adaptation, by definition, is meant to adapt, not replicate.”

The conversation surrounding “People We Meet on Vacation” ultimately mirrors a larger question facing modern audiences: What makes a successful adaptation?

“The truth is that writing an adaptation is a highly complicated process that will

generate debate and propel people to look for new ways of telling stories,” Livia Reim wrote in an article for Rock and Art. “Many adaptations follow the book’s plot, beat by beat, but completely miss the point when it comes to what exactly the story is about. I have realised that adaptations with some changes are usually more successful in truly capturing the spirit of a book.”

For some, it is precision and loyalty to the page; for others, it is emotional authenticity and creative freedom. While the film may not satisfy every expectation, the reception of “People We Meet on Vacation” suggests that viewers are increasingly willing to embrace reinterpretation, especially when it preserves the heart of the story.

Cathy Linh Che’s storytelling is a restorative act at the latest installment of The Department of English’s Creative Writing Series

The Vietnamese-American poet discussed familial influences threaded through her Oscar-shortlisted documentary short film and book of poetry, “Becoming Ghost”

Award-winning writer Cathy Linh Che reads from her poetry collection “Becoming Ghost” for a UC

in Cruess Hall on Jan. 14, 2026. “Becoming Ghost” explores Che’s parents’ experiences as

BY JULIE HUANG

arts@theaggie.org over, stuck in a refugee camp, and the whole film centers around my parents’ voices as they narrate their memories.”

On Jan. 14, the UC Davis Department of English hosted Vietnamese-American poet and multidisciplinary artist Cathy Linh Che for the latest event in their annual Creative Writing Series. The event featured a film showing, followed by Che reading from her second and latest poetry collection, “Becoming Ghost” (2025), which became a finalist for the 2025 National Book Award in Poetry.

The event began with the documentary short film “We Were the Scenery” (2025), which features the experiences of Che’s parents as Vietnamese refugees. While living in a refugee camp, they became background actors for Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” (1979).

“They had no lines in that film and were not credited,” Che said. “[‘We Were the Scenery’] shows more about the process of them joining that set. It was not something they had a choice

During the process of filming “Apocalypse Now,” Che’s mother was 22-years-old. One of the roles she played as a set extra included a faceless Viet Cong fighter, just after she had recently left her home to escape the Viet Cong.

“We made this film in order to restore faces and voices into a story where they are essential but erased,” Che said. “This is a restorative act. It is a dream come true to be able to share this story with others, and means a lot to me.”

Directed by Christopher Radcliff, “We Were the Scenery” was shortlisted for “Best Documentary Short Film” for the 98th Academy Awards. Unfamiliar with the technical aspects of filmmaking, Che understands her primary role in the film’s creation as a storyteller, whose narrative was being realized in a medium that was new to her.

“I wanted to make a movie, but I didn’t have the skills to, nor

a strong sense of short nonfiction films and I don’t know how to edit — but I am familiar with the story,” Che said. “ It’s amazing what collaboration can do.”

“We Were the Scenery” makes the aesthetic choice to completely forgo any video clips of Che’s parents speaking, instead layering their narration as subtitled text on top of other video footage.

“I wasn’t particularly interested in doing a talkinghead documentary, which strikes me as journalistic and dry,” Che said. “I wanted to make something that was a story. Emotive, lyrical and from the heart.”

Throughout its 15-minutes of runtime, her parents’ voices often overlap, eager to recount their memories to each other and add detail to the other’s account when necessary.

At times, they laugh at each other’s statements. One especially memorable segment, where Che’s father mocks Coppola for eating mangoes with the skin attached, becomes a running joke. For many, Coppola is

Is comfort media the key to solving wintertime blues?

Davis students find respite during the darkest months of the year in their favorite films, albums and TV shows

BY NATALIE SALTER arts@theaggie.org

While the clear skies of spring and endless sunny days of summer seem to lend themselves to exploration and discovery, psychologists have found that winter’s cold climate correlates to greater symptoms of fatigue, loss of interest and feelings of hopelessness in some individuals. With its rainy afternoons and early sunsets, winter quarter at UC Davis is notoriously challenging, making it unsurprising that one may wish to spend this time of the year indulging in what is safe and known rather than taking bold leaps of faith. The Conversation recommends you tackle your winter blues by engaging with your favorite, familiar indoor hobbies and activities.

One of these activities may be revisiting a comfort film or comfort book — a piece of known and beloved media that can bring you joy after just one watch. Maybe your choice is a childhood favorite film, or a video game you first played and fell in love with in high school.

Fundamentally, these items of comfort function as metaphorical lighthouses in our stormiest hours. They provide pockets of respite and reassurance

in which we can breathe and recenter ourselves. There is no anxiety or uncertainty in a story that you already know the end to. Likewise, the memories we entwine with certain artistic works that we discover throughout our lives imbue them with a profound sentimental and nostalgic feeling, according to Psychology Today. For some Davis students, music is effective at staving off the wintertime blues. It can even be transportative, providing the listener with an escape from early mid-week mornings.

“My absolute favorite album to keep on repeat during winter — and in my humble opinion, the best album of all time — is Mac Miller’s ‘Divine Feminine,’” Juliana Vasquez, a third-year English major, said.

“From its sultry lyrics to its gorgeously produced sound, it always transports me to a sunset on Golden Gate viewpoint while I’m at my 8 a.m. lecture.”

For others, a good laugh may also prove a powerful shield against seasonal sadness.

“For me, The Office U.S. makes me feel better,” Nara Sirakian, a third-year psychology major, said. “It’s really funny, and the character archetypes bring me so much comfort.”

Sirakian explains that shows like “The Office” can be a

hopeful reminder that everyone messes up once in a while, and that’s totally okay.

“Watching these characters make foolish mistakes makes me feel better about my own life choices while also seeing the beauty in being imperfect,” Sirakian said. “It helps me stay happy during the first part of winter quarter.”

Where comedy suffices for some, romance is the ideal cold-weather cure for others. The fairytale landscapes and sweeping emotions of a familiar romantic tale may be just the thing to transport you away from the most wearisome of winter days.

“During the wintertime, I always like to rewatch the 2005 adaptation of ‘Pride and Prejudice,’” Juliana Rogers, a third-year English and comparative literature double major, said. “The gloomy setting reminds me of the January and February weather. Also, the romance is a good lead up to Valentine’s Day.”

While the wintertime in Davis may seem to bring only woe, from seasonal depression to sick days and stormy weather, students can find that the best cure could be seeking joy within the art they know and love.

here, such as my grandmother, are alive in me,” Che said. “You listen, and the voices move through you.”

Closing off her discussion of “We Were the Scenery,” Che revealed a more complicated familial relationship. During the process of putting together the short film, she was also disowned by her parents.

“It’s a common thing that happens to VietnameseAmerican writers, because writing is a kind of speaking, and part of speaking as a child is perhaps disagreeing,” Che said.

“After I was disowned, I was thinking, ‘What has happened to us?’ We’re different because we are imagining each other in entirely different ways. He’s become a ghost father, and I’ve become a ghost daughter.”

an esteemed filmmaker and influential figure in Hollywood. For Che’s parents, he is a man whom they saw eating mangoes without peeling the skin off.

Visually, “We Were the Scenery” includes Che’s father’s home videos of her as an infant. Che traces her affinity for poetry back to this familial impulse to tell stories.

Che explored this experience through the process of writing poetry from multiple points of view. Some of the poems in “Becoming Ghost” are written in her father’s voice, while others invoke her mother’s perspective. When read in conjunction, the book reveals itself to be a collection of Che’s family’s experiences, both real and imagined, joining her voice with those of her family members.

For Che, poetry is a tool which has the power to confront topics and issues that previously went unacknowledged. She described her first book of poetry, “Split” (2014), as being about sexual violation, war and taboo spaces for which people often employ the term “unimaginable” to describe.

“When someone uses the term ‘unimaginable violence,’ I think that it’s not unimaginable, it’s real,” Che said. “People have a hard time naming uncomfortable realities and feelings, and I want language to be a space where we can actually start naming these things.”

In one sense, “We Were the Scenery” appears to have achieved Che’s desire, as the film has inspired many different reactions.

“It’s been interesting to read the Letterboxd reviews,” Che said. “You get a lot of filmliterate people who understand what you are trying to do, and then you get a different set of people’s reactions; and then your creation belongs to the world.” Musing on the simultaneously individual and collaborative nature of storytelling, Che spoke further about the nature of telling stories about one’s personal experiences for public consumption.

“My parents are amazing storytellers, and my father’s home videos are beautiful,” Che said. “The poems in ‘Becoming Ghost’ are a kind of collaboration between me and my family, in the sense that so much of its content is a blend of my own voice and their voices, translated from interviews into English.”

The role of Che’s imagination came into sharper focus when she read aloud a poem written from her grandmother’s perspective, exploring how she may have felt giving her infant son to a German convent, who today would be Che’s 50-yearold uncle.

Neither Che nor her family knows where her uncle is or if he

“This is a restorative act. It is a dream come true, to be able to share this story with others, and means a lot to me.“

Cathy Linh Che Vietnamese-American Poet & Interdisciplinary Artist is alive; Che expressed interest in finding him in the future.

The spectral title of Che’s book refers to the inherent quality of storytelling as a way to keep things alive even when their subjects are no longer accessible.

“Voices that are no longer

“I’m obsessed with time, and the idea that what we do now can heal the past,” Che said. “I can address a past erasure so that it never exists again, which will shape our future, and spotlight what has been missing from the archives.”

“I’m speaking from a space of intimate access, and anybody who looks in gets the pleasure of what they can see from their vantage point,” Che said. “I’m not trying to explain, expose or be an ambassador. I’m trying to communicate with someone like me, who wanted this story and didn’t see it on the bookshelves.” In Che’s work, the historical, familial and personal merge. The resulting effect is the formation of a unique perspective that embodies her experience, but has the capacity to resonate with others. Ultimately, Che’s stories, like most others, shift and grow around the perspectives of those who receive them.

“People like to imagine that history is very objective, but it’s extremely subjective,” Che said.

“It’s a slice of knowledge. The knowledge that I have is a slice; the knowledge my parents have is a slice. We all have different pieces of a story, and within them, all of these complexities are revealed.”

The politics of street vending

A proposed Sidewalk Vending Ordinance in Davis sparks concern for some community members

BY LAILA AZHAR features@theaggie.org

A student who stops at a taco stand for a quick bite after a long day on campus likely isn’t thinking about state legislation or municipal ordinances. A few dollars change hands, foilwrapped food is passed across a counter and they move on. The interaction is informal by design — it’s street food, after all. Ease and speed are baked into the business.

But behind the scenes of a casual stop for a taco is a tangle of legislation and competing interests.

Street vending has been legalized in California since 2019, through Senate Bill No. 946 (SB 946), also known as the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act. The bill prohibits local authorities from restricting sidewalk vending, unless restrictions are directly related to objective health, safety or welfare concerns.

In 2023, Senate Bill No. 972 (SB 972) went into effect, expanding access to vending permits and integrating street food vendors into the formal food vending regulatory framework, tailoring to their business model rather than relying on restaurant-oriented standards.

This month saw Senate Bill No. 635 (SB 635), also known as the Street Vendor Business Protection Act, go into effect, prohibiting local authority from collecting information about an individual’s immigration or citizenship status, place of birth or criminal record when issuing vending permits, and barring enforcement agencies and local entities from aiding immigration enforcement when enforcing sidewalk vending laws.

In Davis, this legislation has taken on renewed relevancy. On Feb. 17, the Davis City Council will host a public hearing

for a new Sidewalk Vendor Ordinance.

While the ordinance’s full details are not yet public, some street vendors worry the city is preparing to crack down on vending.

According to Gustavo Landeros Mireles, owner of popular Churro stand “Churros El Rey,” which operates on weekends at the E Street Plaza, tensions have been escalating between brick-and-mortar restaurants and street vendors. Mireles claims some restaurants have repeatedly called police on vendors — pressure which he believes helped prompt the new ordinance.

“The brick-and-mortar restaurants are weaponizing the police,” Mireles said. “I call it police-sponsored prosecution toward the street vendors.”

In a 2022 lawsuit, several organizations and street vendors sued the city of Los Angeles over the creation of “no-vending zones” near tourist-heavy areas, according to Mireles. He is worried that Davis could attempt to introduce similar restrictions, potentially barring him from selling in E Street Plaza, where he has operated for nearly four years.

Other Davis-based street vendors share similar concerns. As a vendor, who wished to remain anonymous, pointed out, changes in laws regarding street vending are often confusing and costly for businesses.

“There needs to be communication,” the vendor said. “I don’t want to get in trouble if they tell me something is not allowed, but it was before, and I didn’t even know about the change. I don’t have time to stop selling and figure everything out — this is my job. I have to do this.”

“I just want to show them: I’m not causing fear, I’m not the one trying to take business away from low-income communities,” Mireles said. “The restaurants have demonized street vendors. I want them to meet the devil. I want them to see who I am so that way they can see I have blood, I have two eyes, two hands, like everybody else.” Mireles has been cautiously reassured by meetings so far, noting that the welfare of Davis residents will remain a priority for all as discussions continue.

“We’re just trying to be diplomatic and save resources and money from taxpayers,” Mireles said. “Who ends up paying for litigation? Taxpayers, right? And I’m trying to avoid that.” His goal is to provide both council members (who will vote on the ordinance) and the restaurants which have called the police on vendors with information about SB 946 and SB 972, to reinforce that street vending is legal in California. Drawing inspiration from events in Los Angeles, he hopes to host a night market which brings together brick-andmortar restaurants and street vendors.

“We’ll have live music, we’ll invite all the brick-and-mortar restaurants and have something big for the community,” Mireles said. “The point is to normalize street vending, right? So people can see, ‘Hey, it’s legal, it’s okay.’” This normalization is made difficult by a federal administration which is increasingly hostile to immigrants and Latino communities.

In anticipation of the public hearing and councilmembers’ vote on the new ordinance, Mireles has focused on informing city officials about laws protecting street vendors, hoping to ensure that any new legislation will not conflict with existing state protections. He has met with both the police chief, who drafted the legislation, and members of the Davis City Council.

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.

Crossword

AMERICANSTUDIES

FROM PAGE 1

“[DeCristo] said that she chose to create ‘a parodic and satirical double or simulacrum (not an exact duplicate) of this statement, even ending [her] October 10 post with emojis, as if punctuation, to underscore the non-serious and non-literal character of [her] parodic October 10 post meant to draw attention to how absurd such genocidal rhetoric sounds,’” the report reads.

In a statement, UC Davis spokesperson Bill Kisliuk said the university takes allegations of misconduct seriously and follows all guidelines and procedures related to investigations.

“When a faculty member faces misconduct allegations, the University of California (UC) system follows specific policies and procedures,” Kisliuk said.

“These recognize UC’s shared governance model, which gives faculty, in the form of the Academic Senate, a voice in the academic operations of the university.”

DeCristo’s letter of discipline also states that the UC Davis Committee on Privilege and Tenure, Hearings Subcommittee and the Davis Division of the Academic Senate determined DeCristo’s conduct as “unacceptable faculty behavior” in violation of Academic Personnel Manual (APM) 15, part of the Faculty Code of Conduct.

DeCristo has been a faculty member at UC Davis since 2017, only teaching undergraduate students as the Department of American Studies has no graduate students.

While her suspension is over, DeCristo is not listed on Schedule Builder as teaching

any courses in winter quarter 2026 and is not listed on the Department of American Studies faculty page as of time of publication.

DeCristo did not respond to requests for comment.

There is no precedent for this — we don’t have any idea of how this would affect us because we haven’t seen another university do this and would also mean Davis would stand out on a national level and potentially put us at more risk.”

Julka responded to Rubin’s concerns by saying that the resolution calls for a statement on student safety in general, not explicitly condemning ICE. Julka explained that the resolution would not be the be-all, end-all in conversations with administration regarding student safety.

“Passing this legislation on its own does not mean that the administration is going to be taking action on it,” Julka said. “I think there is room to still have conversation, so if they do take action, it can be appropriate action. And it might not necessarily condemn ICE, but maybe [say that] we uphold student safety and are committed to it.”

Senator Rosa Linda Martinez Ruano also responded to Rubin, saying that UC Davis should venture to condemn ICE and be a changemaker.

“The fact that another school hasn’t done it does not mean we can’t be the first one to do it,” Martinez Ruano said. “It takes one person to stand up for another person to follow, and we need to set that example for our students. It’s just alarming

that we have to worry so much about what the administration has to say in order for us to do something about it.”

An official statement from the Chancellor’s Office on the passing of SR#7, which was emailed to The California Aggie, reasserts that university leaders are committed to creating a safe learning environment for all students.

“In a message posted on Jan. 16, Chancellor May issued a statement that included the call ‘to respect the dignity of every individual, to act with empathy and compassion, and to foster an environment where all can learn, work and live without fear or intimidation,’” the statement reads. “In regard to the ASUCD resolution’s language on campus law enforcement, the university’s policy is described in full on the Federal immigration enforcement: UC Davis policies, resources and guidance page. It states, in part: ‘UC Davis police will not contact, detain, question or arrest an individual solely because of suspected undocumented immigration status or to discover the immigration status of any individual. UC Davis police will not undertake joint efforts with federal immigration enforcement authorities to investigate, detain or arrest individuals for violation of federal immigration law.’”

Composed of a series of statements from workers on the spacecraft Six-Thousand Ship in order for the corporation directing the ship to determine workplace efficiency, what follows is the description of a closed environment getting more out of corporate hands. The

ship is staffed by both human and humanoids — replicable inventions programmed to work only on board — who chronicle daily tasks and quickly devolve into increasingly strange behavior associated with the mysterious objects brought on the ship while exploring deep space. The statements are largely anonymous, sometimes out of order and full of redacted information, blurring the lines between human and programming as their statements become harder to tell apart. Capturing the sterile and isolating corporate workplace, this book is perfectly timed to consider the future of automation and company control in our current society.

Reading literature in translation may open your mind to new perspectives, whether through experiencing other cultures, exploring ambitious science fiction worlds or observing innovative ways of structuring a narrative. If you’re seeking to broaden your reading this year, these recommendations offer a unique place to begin.

Before this, the idea of universal childcare and healthcare, food security and affordable housing and transport felt impossible. To many, Mamdani’s victory was hopeful not only for its social and cultural implications, but because it got them out of a rut that had them believing things would never improve.

Sociologist Jonathan Haidt posits that while social media is one agent of depression and anxiety, the main issue is that these networks have transformed how young people socialize. He believes, not entirely falsely, that this has formed an anxious generation. Our previous reliance on institutions, structures and digital products and services has shaped our collective identities. While we must continually reevaluate our dependence on these systems, we needn’t shirk them entirely. Instead, examining why we are so cautious — and so fearful of failure — might allow us to trust ourselves and take more risks. Although burnout may extinguish idealism, restoring collective belief in our individual agency and in our ability to make a difference can lead us closer to community and farther away from the sense of

futility that now fractures our social relationships. Growing up, in so many ways, is like Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” — once made aware, one is unable to return to unseeing. Not being bogged down by minutiae allows one to work towards actionable goals. Recognizing that the term “wasted” is an inadequate measure of our worth doesn’t allow us to squander our potential, but instead enables us to navigate inherited crises with more perspective and less fear.

The kiln is where transformation takes place; a place founded on commitment. Like clay, we may not be able to control the environment we’re in, but we can control how we respond to it — with discipline, effort and consistency. If we want to improve, if we want to change our lives, then we must take action.

It’s okay if this action is slow progress. What’s important is that we continuously move forward, even if it’s in an unknown direction, because the minute we stop is the minute our goals dissipate. Slowness in life is healthy — it’s not stopping and waiting to be handed what we want, it’s a necessity in the process of meticulous growth.

Most of the time, the unplanned outcome is the best one, as it allows for something unintended and authentic. There are many artists who spontaneously produce perhaps the most emotional pieces. They have no clue what the future entails, what glaze will be used, what mistakes will enhance the piece or if the kiln will crack it; and yet, they commit.

So it’s okay if we don’t know what we want or where we want to be in life, just like how an artist rarely knows what the end piece will look like. A ceramic piece may showcase unexpected cracks or dents, but the unexpected only enhances the beauty of the piece. In life, it can be difficult to commit to something we can’t predict the outcome of, but we have to be like the artist; constantly shaping, continuously trying and always taking a step forward. In the end, it will work out. But alas, what do I know?

Thrown around was not an exaggeration; moshers ran into each other at full speed, an attendee dressed as DoodleBob was launched into crowd-surfing and the backyard was a constant buzz of activity. First-time house show attendee Lucy Niu, a first-year managerial economics major, spoke about her experience. “It was definitely unforgettable,” Niu said. “The energy there was better than I had expected; it seemed like everyone was fully immersed in the music and the bands playing. The first band [Tastes Like TV Static] was my favorite that night — I liked them so much that I started listening to them on my own.” Maki Draper, a first-year human biology major, also recounted their experience, noting the lively community found within the house show crows.

“I love discovering new music, especially when it’s fellow Aggies,” Draper said. “It’s always enjoyable to be surrounded by talent, especially when it’s within a crowd that’s supportive and energetic — the show was a great way to kick-off winter quarter.”

UC Davis students have varying experiences with dating apps

Students reflect on how and why they use online dating platforms

BY GRACIELA TIU features@theaggie.org

As online dating apps developed in the early 2000s have continued to evolve over the past decade, young adults are continuously exposed to virtual dating practices. Though adults of all ages can use dating apps, college students in particular have unique experiences with the platforms.

“I started using dating apps freshman year when I was 18, and I’ve used basically all of them at some point, but mostly Bumble, Tinder and Hinge,” Heather Williford, a UC Davis alumna

with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in cognitive science, said.

According to data from the Pew Research Center, when asked why they chose to use dating apps, 44% of respondents said a major reason was to meet a long-term partner, and 40% said a major reason was to date casually. A smaller number of people said that a major reason was to have casual sex (24%) or make new friends (22%). UC Davis students who use these apps often feel varying levels of motivation, with some saying they have found a long-term partner and others finding more casual encounters.

“Everyone on dating apps

is typically using them for hookups, but dates are a fun plus,” one student, who wished to remain anonymous, said. “It kind of depends on what you are looking for. However, you really never know; you could accidentally meet your husband on a dating app.”

Apps such as Hinge and Tinder provide detailed profiles, built-in conversation starters and strategic prompts, along with exciting emotive effects when a match occurs. Students noted that the process of swiping and matching with people was an especially alluring part of online dating.

“It gives a nice sense of

validation, even if I don’t like the guys I’m talking to,” Williford said. “I think if I went on a dating app and got next to no matches, it would only make me feel worse. I had a male friend who was on dating apps for a while, getting almost no matches, and I could see the toll it was taking on his mental health.”

With their fun, almost game-like elements, dating apps allow people to experience dating in a more recreational and low-pressure way than possible with in-person dating alone. Some students even recounted turning the individual dating process into a joint effort.

“My friends would make swiping on dating apps into a group activity, and we’d all try to figure out what to say to people, think of funny lines or decide who to match or not match with,” Connor Drew, a third-year economics major, said. “Most of the time, nothing happened, and no one actually hung out.”

The Pew Research Center survey found that 54% of women have felt overwhelmed by receiving a high volume of messages, while only a quarter of men reported feeling the same. It also noted that 64% of men say they have felt insecure when receiving a low number of messages, while four-inten women said the same. Students’ interactions with these apps also reflect these gender discrepancies.

“I didn’t really respond to many people and have conversations,” the anonymous student, who identifies as a woman, said. “It was overwhelming, so if anything, I would only talk to a couple of people at a time.”

Dating apps can undoubtedly have potential negative effects on their users, not only during the swiping portion, but also especially when people venture to meet their match in person. The anonymous student recounted a personal Hinge story where she felt taken advantage of and unsafe.

“I met this guy on Hinge, and our first date was livestreamed,” the anonymous student said. “We hit it off at first, then later I realized he’s a loser who uses women for content. I ended up getting ghosted because he started seeing an influencer/pornstar in Los Angeles.”

Though the platforms are meant to help people find love, Williford explained how the emotional effects of the apps can vary depending on who uses them.

“I think that dating apps can either increase or decrease loneliness, depending on the person,” Williford said. “For me, often I’ll go on dating apps because I am feeling bored or lonely or insecure and it can sort of help at least to distract me from those feelings, but that’s mostly because I usually get a

Sweater weather and student fashion

Colder weather allows students to express their fashion with sweaters

BY AMBER WARNKE feature@theaggie.org

As the beginning of winter brings a chill to Davis, students have taken the colder season as a chance to express their sense of fashion through sweaters. Long seen as the classic winter clothing choice, sweaters come in all sorts of styles, with countless variations in knit, color and fit.

Anna Gunderson, a fourthyear psychology major, described her love for vintage sweaters and the ways in which they allow her to connect with fashion trends of the past. She noted that thrifted finds help her assemble a unique wardrobe.

“I love bright ‘80s sweaters, just the vividness of that era — all the bold prints and colors really feel like me,” Gunderson said. “I like to thrift my sweaters on Depop, or I go to some Goodwills in Sacramento. You have to find the thrift stores that are a little out of the way, less popular, to really find the gems.”

Rowan Pritchard, a third-year wildlife, fish and conservation biology major, also uses sweaters as a way to express creativity through his fashion, crocheting sweaters himself to have full control over how his pieces look.

“I’ve done patterns and stuff, but the sleeves and the ribbing on the bottom and top is more fun to play around with, so usually I just decide last minute [how it will look],” Pritchard said.

Making his own sweaters has not only given Pritchard more control over the creative process, but has also helped him find confidence in his skills.

“With a sweater, because it’s such a big piece, I’m very proud of myself for making it,” Pritchard said. “I’ll draw up what I want it to look like before I make it, so being able to see that I actually replicated what I was going for is also really rewarding.”

A psychological phenomenon known as the IKEA effect describes how people place more value on things they make themselves — and this can be true of sweaters just as much as Swedish furniture. Making clothing from scratch can be an empowering way to express oneself, as well as being a creative outlet. Additionally, knitting has been shown to decrease anxiety, have a calming effect and provide a sense of accomplishment.

Pritchard, a self-taught crocheter, said that students don’t need formal training to take up the craft and that many people can benefit from starting the hobby.

“Get yourself a pair of needles, a crochet hook and a thing of yarn, and just practice while watching YouTube — it’s a really good stress reliever,” Pritchard said. “Even teaching yourself how to do it is fun, and then working up to being like ‘I really want to make this pattern’ and having the passion to do that — when you get it back, it makes you really happy because you’re like, ‘oh my God, I’ve put all this effort in, and I actually like [it]. It looks really good, [and] I’m really proud of it.’”

Joining the UC Davis Fiber Arts club was also a large part of Pritchard’s journey into crocheting, as it allowed him to connect with others aspiring to

learn the same skills as him.

“There’s a community around it, and we all have each other’s backs,” Prichard said. “If you have questions like, ‘Okay guys, I think I messed up on this, how do I fix it?’ someone’s always gonna help you.”

Tianrun Yang, a fourth-year biological sciences major, is also in the Fiber Arts club, but is still working her way up to knitting a sweater. In the meantime, Yang finds comfort in a sweater she received from her grandmother; as an international student, she values connections to her home.

“I feel like having something with you from your homeland, from your family, [let’s] you know that they will always be with you, even though you’re far away,” Yang said.

Yang is also passionate about educating others on the correct way to care for and maintain sweaters, and has ample advice on the topic to share.

“If you had 100% wool, I just suggest that you either hand wash or dry clean them,” Yang said. “Generally, you should wash your wool sweaters with cold water and do not dry them in the dryer — it will completely ruin the fabrics, and then the wool just completely turns matted.”

However, one of the most important aspects of sweaters is not necessarily how they look on the outside, but how they make the wearer feel on the inside.

“Wear whatever makes you happy,” Gunderson said. “I wear this because it brings me joy. People shouldn’t care what others say; just wear what makes you feel good.”

residents

thousands of acres UC Davis sits upon, allowing students to get between classes quickly and cut down on commute times. For busy students navigating a heavy

fair number of matches, so I have people to talk to.” Dating apps claim to use people’s data to match them with potentially compatible partners, drawing from information like location, profile characteristics and user feedback. In reflecting on personal experiences with the apps, Williford expressed wishes for better compatibility algorithms in the matching aspect of the platforms.

“I’d want them to do a better job of sending matches that actually make sense,” Williford said. “If my profile says ‘looking for a long-term relationship,’ I don’t think I want to be sent profiles from people who just want something short-term or casual. I’d also force users to fully fill out their profiles. I’m tired of guys who just have one photo and zero information about their personality.”

When it comes to dating apps, students emphasized the importance of prioritizing safety and healthy interpersonal dynamics. No matter what motivates people to begin using apps, students feel that topics such as consent and communication remain vital to having a positive online dating experience.

“I think consent and communication come up anytime you start talking to a potential partner for more than a few days,” Williford said. “They’re just important topics to discuss.”

courseload, clubs, internships and sports, the speed and flexibility can feel unmatched.

However, many students who opt to bike or walk feel that the scooters themselves impact the safety of campus, especially due to their higher speed and the sense of carelessness that may accompany its riders.

“It’s more dangerous just because electric scooters can go really fast and most people who are riding them don’t really pay attention to all of the people walking,” Jeaneavy Vu, a secondyear neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, said. “I think they just [think] ‘we have the right of way.’”

Beyond the typical electric scooter riders who zip around campus, there are also “Spin scooters:” rentable electric scooters that students can borrow and pay for by the minute. Mostly found in large urban centers — and now on college campuses — they provide an easy way for students to cross long distances when they’re in a time crunch, or ride back to their dorm once it’s dark and they no longer feel safe walking. They additionally enforce campus speed limits, as they’re programmed to go no faster than 15 miles per hour and will become immobile in

designated “no-ride” zones.

The Spin scooters, however, present their own set of issues. With the easy grab-and-go service they provide comes the fact that there’s no singular designated space on campus for these scooters to sit when they’re not in use. This has resulted in scattered scooters everywhere on campus.

“Specifically the Spin scooters can be an issue as people just leave them wherever they want to after they are done,” Anya Stutz, a first-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, said. “I’ve seen them in the middle of sidewalks, in grassy areas and in general places where they shouldn’t be. They’re honestly just an eyesore.”

These scooters tend to be strewn about bike racks, often tumbling into properly stored bicycles or left on the side of the road — posing a potential danger to pedestrians and cyclists alike.

UC Davis has rules in place that are meant to keep students on campus safe, such as helmet rules and the designated 15 mile per hour speed limit for electric scooters, but it can be difficult to enforce when many scooters have the ability to go up to 25 or even 30 miles per hour.

“They’re unsafe and cause

people to be a little stupid and reckless due to how fast they can go,” Stutz said. “People who ride scooters often don’t follow the rules, such as speed limits.” This recklessness can cause crashes on campus, further complicated by the combination of the afternoon rush that all of campus experiences and the mix of students, bicyclists and the occasional bus or service vehicle. Due to the speed at which the electric scooters are travelling, especially compared to that of a bicycle, the crashes are often more detrimental, more dangerous and result in more damage to both parties’ vehicles.

“My sister has a scooter and she ended up running into somebody and ended up fracturing her leg,” Katherine Vu, a second-year human biology major, said. “I’ve only ever heard horror stories.” While electric scooters are often a more convenient, or even more fun mode of transportation to choose, they can impact the safety of those navigating campus by foot or bicycle if not used properly. Despite the challenges electric scooters may present to road safety, regulations and safety systems are sure to evolve as bicycles and electric scooters learn to coexist at UC Davis.

SCIENCE AND TECH

Expressive communication in Down syndrome

UC Davis researchers receive $5.5 million NIH grant to lead a five-year study on expressive communication development in children with Down syndrome

BY JOANNA ABRAHAM science@theaggie.org

Down Syndrome is a genetic condition in which an individual has an extra copy of chromosome 21. The majority of cases are sporadic, rather than resulting from an autosomal dominant or recessive pattern of inheritance. Several “physical, cognitive and behavioral symptoms” accompany Down syndrome. In terms of cognitive symptoms, “it may take longer for

[an individual with Down syndrome] to speak their first words.” More precisely, the development of expressive communication (the “ability to communicate and convey meaning to others”) is often

delayed in individuals with Down syndrome. While expressive communication is typically thought of as speech, it also includes “signs, gestures and written language,” according to Liang et al. in an article published by the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Dr. Angela John Thurman, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UC Davis and researcher at the MIND institute, commented on linguistic development in individuals with Down syndrome via email.

The existence of delays in expressive communication development among children with Down syndrome is welldocumented and known; however, less is understood about how symptoms vary between individuals and change over time, especially in terms of “communication milestones,” Thurman said.

Because a comprehensive “roadmap” for the progression of Down syndrome is yet to exist, the current standard of care for individuals with Down syndrome is a “one-size fits-all approach,” Thurman said.

Thurman further clarified the use of the term “roadmap.” While several “checklists and guides,” which function to “help parents know what to expect [from their children] at different ages” have been published by the American Speech-LanguageHearing Association and the CDC, “families of children with Down syndrome” lack an equivalent resource (a roadmap) that “addresses what development looks like for children with Down syndrome.”

This gap is what motivated researchers to launch a five-year study that rigorously examines the development of expressive communication in children with Down syndrome. The study focuses on children between the ages of 18 and 54 months, a period which encompasses the transition from “pre-linguistic communication to first words” to eventually “combining words

“spoken English, prelinguistic behaviors (such as gestures and vocalizations), ASL, manual signs and the use of augmented and alternative communication devices”

Dr. Angela John Thurman Deprartment of Psychiatry & Behavior

to form sentences,” according to Thurman.

Involving collaborations between researchers from Colorado State University, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania, the study has received $5.5 million in funding from the NIH.

Why was it so cold this past December?

BY NAREN KRISHNA JEGAN science@theaggie.org

The Central Valley is known for its Mediterranean climate of cold, wet winters and dry, hot summers. Recently, the temperature of the Central Valley hit its most significant low in over 30 years.

Professor Paul Ullrich leads the UC Davis Climate and Global Change Group, along with earth and energy system resilience efforts at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. He explained the climatic conditions that garnered this effect.

“The Central Valley was colder than usual in early December because of this mid-level, anomalously warm air that effectively trapped air in the Central Valley,” Ullrich said. “This phenomenon is known as a temperature inversion. Temperatures within the valley were then driven colder by persistent Tule Fog that filled the valley and reflected incoming sunlight. The inversion was broken up in late December by the big storm system that came through, allowing temperatures to moderate.”

Alexander Hort, a first-year atmospheric sciences student and representative of the Atmospheric Aggies American Meteorological Society (AMS) Student Chapter, provided some more context regarding the heat blanket effect.

“An inversion layer forms when, on a cloudless night, the surface cools faster than higher up in the atmosphere, but it persists into the mid-day when clouds or fog condense nearer to the surface and there isn’t enough wind to encourage mixing — preventing the sun from heating the surface and breaking the inversion layer,” Hort said. Normally, less dense warm air rises higher into the atmosphere, leaving cold air to linger near the surface. The sun plays a crucial role in the movement of air between the lower and upper atmosphere; the cold air becomes heated and causes convection currents within the atmosphere. The

Between these in-person visits, families will be required to complete 11 virtual checkins, which entail an interview, questionnaires and a 15-minute recording of the child playing with a parent or guardian.

“We hope to provide answers to the questions families and providers ask most often: what should we expect, and when?” Thurman said.

The study requires in-person visits at one of the five sites, all of which occur in major cities. However, researchers are “closely monitoring recruitment barriers” to maximize the generalizability of the study’s results, according to Thurman. To encourage rural participation, for example, researchers will provide travel reimbursement and other free assistance. These visits will occur every 18 months, during which the child’s expressive communication will be assessed. From these visits, researchers will track the following markers of expressive communication: “spoken English, [...] prelinguistic behaviors (such as gestures and vocalizations), ASL, manual signs and the use of augmented and alternative communication devices,” Thurman said.

A temperature inversion is the culprit for the recent weather conditions

NOVA MAI / AGGIE

persistent cooling and strong sun coverage prevents the cold air from being heated, forming the effect that we saw this past December.

In addition to the cool climate, many residents also noticed the emergence of the Tule Fog. Ullrich explained the emergence of this phenomenon.

“The Tule Fog originates in the valley, as it is a low, flat valley floor that can trap moisture and cold air throughout the day,” Ullrich said. “The fog largely forms at

night, when radiation cooling lowers surface temperatures and moisture in the air condenses into ‘radiation fog.’ When the fog is dense enough that it can resist evaporation, even under the mid-day sun, it prevents sunlight from warming the surface and breaking the inversion layer that forms at night.”

Ullrich further explained the significance of this fog.

“This is the reason why the Tule Fog can last for days to even weeks at a time when these favorable conditions

NFL wild-card round: Rams, Bears,

Bills and Niners come out on top in close games

The six winners of the wild-card round will join the Seahawks and Broncos in the divisional round

BY COLINA HARVEY sports@theaggie.org

On Jan. 10, the National Football League (NFL) playoffs kicked off with the first of six wild-card games, determining who would move on to the divisional round. Already waiting in the next round were the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos, who placed first in their respective conferences and earned a firstround bye. The first wild card game saw the Los Angeles Rams take on the Carolina Panthers. Although the Panthers were an underdog with a losing record of 8-9, they won their division, earning themselves home-field advantage for this game. The Rams were looking good to start, scoring a touchdown on their first drive and intercepting a Panther pass early. Rams wide receiver (WR) Puka Nacua started off strong, scoring the first two touchdowns for his team.

A touchdown by running back Chuba Hubbard and then another touchdown by quarterback (QB) Bryce Young kept the Panthers in the game. At the half, they trailed by three with a score of 17-14. In the fourth quarter, a deep pass from Young to WR Jalen Coker got the Panthers into

the redzone, and they were able to convert it to a touchdown, putting them ahead for the first time. However, the Rams responded with a touchdown of their own, taking the lead back.

With just over four minutes to go in the game, the Panthers blocked a Rams punt, and the Panthers capitalized, scoring a touchdown and putting themselves ahead by four with less than three minutes left in the game.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, they could not pull off the upset win. A 25-yard touchdown catch by Rams tight end Colby Parkinson with 40 seconds left won the game for the Rams.

One of the most exciting games of the weekend was between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.

Although the Bears had a strong season, they struggled to break through the Packers’ defense for most of the game.

On the Bears’ first drive, they got into the red zone but could not convert, opting for a field goal. On their second drive, QB Caleb Williams threw an interception.

Meanwhile, the Packers scored three touchdowns in the first half, building a large lead over the Bears. To end the half, the Packers missed a field goal attempt, but still went into

halftime with a 21-3 lead.

Although it had been looking bleak for the Bears, they began to mount a comeback. They found their first touchdown in the fourth quarter after scoring two field goals, making it a onepossession game. The Packers responded with a touchdown, making it a two-possession game once again; however, they missed the extra point.

On the Bears’ next possession, facing a fourth down on their own 40-yard line, Williams rolled to his left and completed an improbable cross-body throw under pressure, which was caught at the 30-yard line. The next play, the Bears scored a touchdown and successfully attempted a two-point conversion, narrowing the Packers’ lead to three. On the Packers’ possession, they attempted a 44-yard field goal and missed, giving the Bears just under three minutes to try to win the game.

With less than two minutes to go, Williams threw a deep pass to WR DJ Moore, who was left wide open, pulling off a comeback win for the Bears.

Nevertheless, this is not new territory for the Bears. This season, they achieved seven comeback wins in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, setting an all-time

JAN. 11 - JAN. 17

record for a single season.

Another close game was the matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. For most of the game, the two teams traded leads, remaining close until the very end.

With less than three minutes to go, Bills QB Josh Allen made a deep pass, getting the Bills into the red zone. Allen then scored a touchdown on a miraculous 10-yard tush push, taking the lead with a minute to go.

The Jaguars had one minute to make something happen, but instead, QB Trevor Lawrence threw an interception, ending the game.

The next match saw the San Francisco 49ers facing off

against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 49ers started the scoring early with a touchdown on their first possession. The Eagles responded with a touchdown of their own, but missed the extra point. Another touchdown for the Eagles gave them the edge at the half, leading 13-10.

An Eagles field goal in the third quarter extended their lead even more. However, an impressive touchdown pass by San Francisco WR Jauan Jennings to running back Christian McCaffrey gave the Niners the lead in the fourth quarter. A last touchdown for the Niners sealed the win against the reigning Super Bowl champions. In the next game, the

New England Patriots won over the Los Angeles Chargers, who failed to score a single touchdown against a strong Patriots defense. New England ended up winning 16-3 and moving on to the next round.

Although the Chargers had a solid season, they have struggled to perform in the postseason in recent years. To round out the wild-card round, the Houston Texans had a 30-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although there was not much scoring through the first three quarters, the Texans exploded in the fourth with three touchdowns. Overall, it was a strong week in football, with many rising victorious and others just falling short.

then dominated against Fresno Pacific University, only yielding one goal the entire game. Liberty Massman, a fourth-year human development major, Gianna Nocetti, a fifth-year mechanical engineering major and Chelsea Johnson, a third-year human development major, all set new career goals throughout the weekend. Overall, the Aggies started the season off with a bang. 22-3 and 28-1 (win)

Continuing to dominate the 2026 season, the Aggies secured a win against UC Irvine with a final score of 75-72. Trading points back and forth for the majority of the game, UC Davis was able to pull away by a 3-pointer and a successful steal in the second half, preventing UC Irvine from making a comeback. Niko Rocak, a business administration graduate student, stole the show, securing a total of 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and two blocks to lead the Aggies to the victory.

Despite losing to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos overall 102-160, the Aggies still had multiple event wins. Elise Ramsden, a first-year undeclared major, won the 100-yard backstroke; Emily Scheberies, a third-year communication major, secured first place in the 200-yard backstroke; and Ella Ackerman, a first-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major, placed first in the 500-yard freestyle. Additionally, the Aggies placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay, propelling the Aggies to their overall score of 102. The Aggies brought a solid effort against UCSB, performing well across all events.