Opinion

Understanding who’s living in poverty is the first step to alleviating its effects Hillary Clinton released a child tax plan last week that the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), a progressive Washington, D.C. think tank, has estimated will help over 14.2 million families currently living in poverty. Clinton proposed a change to the […]

How a squirrel-related incident helped a pair of students realize how fragile life is Squirrels are a well-known part of the UC Davis community. They run around our campus with us, often narrowly missing the underside of our bike tires. This is not because we attempt to hit them, but because they are dumb, and […]

As our country remains as socially divided as ever, the hate and violence stemming from these divisions seems to become more frequent and pervasive, especially in the communities that are most often overlooked. The LGBT community knows the consequences of this violence all too well. Crimes committed against this community are often hate-driven or bias-motivated […]

Gun-rights advocates not all redneck Republicans; gun-control proponents not all peace-promoting hippies Contrary to popular belief, not all gun-rights enthusiasts are white-trash, redneck extremist Republicans who only care about their latest hunting adrenaline rush. Rather, advocates of gun rights are subconsciously motivated by a multitude of underlying factors that have little to do with personal […]

Speak with refugees before jumping to conclusions about their place in America Omar Daqneesh. Yusra Mardini. Their names and origins might sound familiar. Both Syrians, witnesses to the devastating civil war. Both media icons: the first a symbol of the devastation in Aleppo, the other of swimming glory at the Rio Olympics. Both faces of […]

Check it out UC Davis has its problems, but I guess space exploration isn’t one of them. I mean, check it out — is that an observatory up there? I mean, woah. Remember pepper-spray? That observatory doesn’t. It’s an observatory — it doesn’t have eyes! In fact, I don’t even think it’s alive. Unless you […]

The father of evolutionary theory proves that science and the humanities jointly form a more detailed view of the world Some of my favorite childhood memories involve sitting at the table with my mom, chipping away at a massive, complicated jigsaw puzzle with fewer notable and unique pieces than Buzzfeed (no small feat). But to […]

How people, plants and the planet work together Sustainability can be tricky to define — especially as it relates to sustainable animal agriculture. Capital Public Radio recently conducted a study in which they asked grocery shoppers what sustainability meant to them. Although the answers varied greatly, one common trend among all the answers was the […]

Quality of UC education being compromised by increased enrollment The University of California (UC) Board of Regents approved UC President Janet Napolitano’s plan last fall to increase enrollment of California undergraduates in the UC system by 10,000 over the next three years. The plan, part of the deal that Napolitano made with the California State […]

Space exploration and film have historically inspired and promoted one another In honor of World Space Week and the success of the Rosetta Mission on Sept. 30 — which saw a European probe land on a comet — I’m naturally turning this column’s attention to one of the most exciting scientific eras in history: the […]

America shows that a society based on entitlement, misogyny and violence is more prone to gun violence Entitlement and America go together like salt and pepper: rarely one without the other. It’s a love affair that dates back to the colonialism of the 19th century. Misogyny, too, is an ingrained societal norm, in which men […]

UC Davis approaches benchmark to qualify as Hispanic Serving Institution The University of California (UC) made its strongest effort yet to create a more inclusive public university system by admitting the most diverse class in its history this fall. Following efforts by the UC to recruit from disadvantaged high schools and communities, 38 percent of […]