Senators also heard quarterly reports from Unitrans and Aggie Reuse at their Oct. 30 meeting
By AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS and LILY KENROW — campus@theaggie.org
Representatives of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Art Museum presented to the Associated Students of UC Davis (ASUCD) Senate at their Oct. 30 meeting, discussing a future art installation by artist Woody De Othello.
The museum representatives discussed current public art throughout campus, including the famous egghead statues by Robert Arneson. They moved on to discussing plans for De Othello’s work, the first public art commission on campus in 30 years, and explored his evolving artistic growth, pulling inspiration and parallels from Arneson.
Alison Rossi, director of education and community connection at the Manetti Shrem Museum, presented the work along with De Othello’s thought process, advocating for the piece as a perfect fit for the UC Davis campus. The commissioned work is planned to be a 7-foot-tall, bronze sculpture depicting roots and hands holding two embracing figures with trumpets for heads.
“[De Othello has] been very inspired by music, especially jazz,” Rossi said. “But he’s really thinking about the idea of listening and receiving; that shape [of the trumpets is] very much about listening and receiving sound.”
Development and Education Assistant Audrianna Escobedo led a discussion with the senate table about what they would like to see in regards to related events and student group involvement, as well as how the sculpture could become a part of the UC Davis campus experience.
Multiple members of the table pulled on the theme of jazz that influenced De Othello’s work, suggesting jazz-centered events.
“There is such a very big history with jazz as a musical genre, especially with [regards to] liberation,” Ethnic and Cultural Affairs Commission Chair Mālie Nee said. “I think it would be really good to have a jazz history plus jazz band club kind of night around this.”
Direct involvement with student musicians and the ensemble groups on campus was also pitched.
“I think it would be super cool if we get a student ensemble to perform or perhaps even have some compositional competition,” International Student Representative Robi Castaneda said.
While there is no confirmed location for the sculpture yet, Rossi says that the current projected installation date for the sculpture is in winter or spring quarter of 2027.
Other matters
The senate also heard quarterly reports from Aggie Reuse and ASUCD Unitrans.
Aggie Reuse Point Director Aradhya Chakraborti, a third-year genetics and genomics major, noted that the store is facing declining donations and visits from students.
“We saw checkouts peak at the beginning of week two, but by the end of week four there has been a concerning trend of low checkouts and lower donations,” Chakraborti said. “There was so much excitement for the first week that everybody brought in everything they wanted to donate, and now things have gotten super slow because there are less people coming in.”
Unitrans General Manager Jeff Flynn also discussed enhancements and new records for the unit. Since the start of the academic year, Unitrans has been able to operate at the same service levels as they did in spring quarter 2025 — a post-pandemic first for the unit.
“This is the first year since 2020 when we’ve not had to cut service going into fall quarter,” Flynn said. “Ridership is up 5% compared to last fall and has returned to pre-pandemic ridership. Buses are very full, very crowded.”
Flynn also noted the $0.75 wage increase for current active bus drivers, as well as the 14 new electric operated buses set to be deployed in 2028.
In legislative matters, Senate Resolution (SR) #3 — which advocates for continued support and accessibility of University and ASUCD services for international and non-U.S. resident students — passed unanimously with minimal discussion.
Legislation Tracker
| Bill/Resolution # | Description | Vote |
| SR#3 | An ASUCD Senate Resolution to outline the ongoing institutional, academic, financial and logistical challenges facing international and non-US resident students in UC Davis. | Passed unanimously |
Written by: Aaliyah Español-Rivas Lily Kenrow — campus@theaggie.org
