Upcoming 2020 GO bond would allow campus, UC system to update, improve facilities

In the year 2018, UC Davis had accumulated over $1 billion in deferred maintenance investments. In other words, there was over $1 billion worth of facility maintenance — buildings and systems upkeep — that the university has been unable to collect due to a lack of funds. UC Davis’ backlog is the highest out of all of the UC campuses, with the average backlog at about half a billion dollars. 

The UC Davis campus spans over 5,300 acres of land with over 1,000 buildings that require regular maintenance to meet safety requirements and maintain the infrastructure as well as new security features, as many of them were built over 50 years ago. It is the largest campus within the UC system. Earlier this quarter, The California Aggie’s Editorial Board sat down with Chancellor Gary May — in this interview, he addressed deferred maintenance.

“We have more than a quarter of the system’s whole deferred maintenance here in one campus,” May said during the interview. “We have seismic problems, we have 13 buildings rated at a six or above, and six [is] bad — higher number means worse in seismic. We’ve been spending, of our own resources, about $70 to $80 million a year, but if the number that you’re trying to get to is $1.2 billion, it takes a long time to get to.”

Although there is over $1 billion in backlog on facilities maintenance, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the buildings and systems are unsafe. The Design and Construction Management and Campus Planning teams work to proactively address needs before they become urgent. This way, they can avoid an increased accumulation of deferred maintenance backlog from costly failures and repair needs. 

The university developed a three-year deferred maintenance plan in 2018 for how they would address the problem which will be working concurrently with the already-in-place 10-year capital investment plan.

Similarly, AB-48, a California bond measure for a $15 billion bond, will be on the ballot in March 2020, with these funds directly intended to “improve seismic safety of various buildings, address deferred maintenance and expand the physical capacity to serve California students.” This bond, referred to as a general obligation (GO) bond, was signed by Calif. Governor Gavin Newsom and would be the first GO bond in support of the UC since 2006. May explained that roughly $2 billion would be allocated to UC Davis. 

“The GO bond that’s going to be on the ballot [is] a $2 billion bond that will allow us to do more construction around campus and modernize some of our deferred maintenance problems,” May said. “Hopefully the GO bond and some other fundraising things will help us.” 

Allen Tollefson, associate vice chancellor of facilities management at UC Davis, did not respond to a request for comment. 

The aforementioned three-year plan’s guiding principles include capitalizing on opportunities with the highest return, addressing needs before they become urgent, striving for sustainability and improving the campus appearance and work spaces. It also makes clear that no new facilities or major renovations will be approved without a long-term funding plan for maintenance.

In the meantime, while the GO bond is still pending, these projects are funded by state and local funding. 

“State funds are those provided from sources outside of the UC Davis campus,” Jim Carroll, the university’s architect and associate vice chancellor in charge of design and construction management, said via email. “These could be from bond sales, budget set-aside from the State, budget set-aside from the University of California (Office of the President), or others. Local funds are those provided from sources within the UC Davis campus – over the past few years, UC Davis has significantly funded deferred maintenance through a few sources, such as the century bond program, annual budget allocation(s), or as part of capital improvement projects, when appropriate.”

Recent drastic cuts in state funds allocated to these maintenance projects worsened the already insufficient funds. UC Davis was given $90 million in 2015 to address the “campus’s most critical deferred maintenance needs over a five-year period,” but this amount is still under 10% of what it really needs. Moreover, this five-year period will be coming to a close, as 2020 is only one month away. 

According to the deferred maintenance plan, “the campus believes that based on its status as a public institution, the state should play a role in addressing and supporting campus deferred maintenance reduction efforts.”

The UC system as a whole has received $35 million to address deferred maintenance, but the total required funds for all its campuses adds up to $4 billion, according to the minutes of the meeting of the Financial and Capital Strategies Committee of the Regents of the University of California on Sept. 26, 2018. 

As of 2019, the university has not announced any updates to the deferred maintenance plan, nor has the website detailing this issue been updated since 2018. 

Written by: LINH NGUYEN — features@theaggie.org

Ran into an ex and the TV won’t turn on? Here’s why.

If November 2019 was particularly chaotic or stressful for students, or if students experienced interruptions in communication or malfunctions in technology, there is an astrological scapegoat that may explain all the mayhem: Mercury retrograde.

Nov. 20, 2019 marked the last Mercury retrograde of the year, which means, for most believers, everything should now be back to “normal.”

So, what is Mercury retrograde and why does it seem like everyone and their mothers are convinced of its powerful influence? 

Astronomically, Mercury retrograde happens when Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, appears to be rotating backwards across the sky. What’s really happening, however, is a “trick of perspective” from those viewing it on Earth. According to various astrological websites, a year on Mercury is much shorter than on Earth and, as it rotates around the sun, Mercury appears to be moving backwards from east to west, rather than west to east. Still, for astrologists and astrology enthusiasts, Mercury retrograde is nothing to take lightly.

Rowan Curry, a fourth-year statistical data science major, said astrology is like her religion. 

“I think of myself as a car guy for astrology,” Curry said. “Car guys know so much because they’re always watching those weird YouTube videos and reading articles about cars and that’s what I do with astrology in my free time.”

Although she is not a professional astrologer, Curry explains that, in general, Mercury in retrograde symbolizes a time when members from your past, old habits and unresolved issues come back to bite you. Given that Mercury is a planet of communication and thinking, she said, when it’s in retrograde, complications are to be expected in these areas. 

Astrology and horoscope website Horoscope.com revealed similar insights into Mercury’s retrograde. The website claims that, along with communication and thinking, Mercury can be associated with technology, travelling and receiving information; therefore people can expect laptop glitches and delayed flights. Horoscope.com encourages people to spend time reflecting and balancing themselves out during a Mercury retrograde.

Mercury retrograde aside, Curry, whose zodiac sign is Aquarius, said astrology has been an anchor for guiding her decisions and behavior, as well as seeking self-improvement and introspection in her life.

“It helps me not be an a–hole,” Curry said.

A 2018 Pew Research Report shows that Curry isn’t alone in her affinity to astrology. According to the report, almost 30% of all U.S. adults believe in astrology. There’s a huge market for it, too. There are social media accounts on Twitter and Instagram that give brief, daily horoscopes, forecast monthly predicaments and share funny memes relating to the zodiac signs. 

Plenty of YouTube channels, websites, phone apps and even podcasts exist to dish out all things horoscope related. Media outlets like Buzzfeed create hundreds of quizzes related to guessing one’s zodiac sign or explaining what kind of animal one would be based on their sign. 

Of course, not everyone is convinced. NASA has said that astrology is not science, and there is no evidence to suggest it can predict the future or an individual’s behavior. 

Regardless of its scientific validity, it might be nice to think that the stars are at fault for receiving a poor midterm grade. Next time something goes wrong, just blame it on the stars. 

Written by: Alana Wikkeling — features@theaggie.org

Students evaluate beauty, hardship of studying in a different country

As many students are just now returning home from their Fall Quarters abroad, other students interested in potentially going abroad might find it useful to learn of potential difficulties and challenges they may experience if they choose to embark on an international adventure. Having the ability to spend an entire quarter to travel and learn in another country is a unique opportunity, and although this may seem like an ideal situation, many students face a variety of challenges while abroad, which often go unacknowledged. 

The fear of missing out — otherwise known as “FOMO” — is a phenomenon that seems to disproportionately affect college students. Whether it’s watching friends go out while stuck in the 24-hour room or having to work on Picnic Day, the feeling of missing out can take a toll on one’s mental health. This is Camille Moradian’s current experience. Moradian, a third-year environmental policy analysis and planning major, is currently abroad on the UC Education Abroad Program in Madrid, Spain. She said leaving Davis has caused her to feel like she is missing out on certain experiences.

“Although my experiences are wonderful and so different, being away from a loving

community that you spent two years building is not the easiest,” Moradian said. “Seeing my friends on social media, doing the activities that we are used to doing together or attending our favorite events makes the feeling of FOMO greater.”

She has also found it difficult to navigate between validating the struggles she has encountered throughout her experience while still remaining grateful for the opportunity.

“These feelings don’t seem justifiable when I am traveling the world,” Moradian said. “Because of that, it is difficult for many people to understand how someone could have any difficulties when being abroad, but my experience has proven that feeling this way is valid no matter where you are.” 

There are, however, ways around “missing out” during the school year and still achieving the abroad experience. Many students choose to participate in a summer abroad program.

Third-year global disease biology major Kathleen Groh opted for this choice, and participated in the “Microbiology in the Kingdom of Smiles” program in Bangkok, Thailand during the summer of 2019. Groh decided that a summer abroad would be a better option for her. 

“I didn’t want to be gone for a whole quarter missing my friends,” Groh said. “Summer was just the best choice for me because I didn’t miss out on anything or any classes I needed to take during the school year.”

Groh did, however, find it difficult to fully share her abroad experiences with her friends upon returning to Davis. 

“When people ask me about abroad, I don’t want to unload my entire experience onto them, because it’s hard to capture the experience in such a short amount of time,” Groh said. 

Social media plays a large role in generating FOMO. According to Moradian, people perceive abroad as being a perfect experience — based on curated social media posts. They may fail to take into account that real life does not stop once abroad begins. 

“Social media makes it seem that when you go abroad, every negative part of reality disappears and that there seems to be a lack of real problems that people face,” Moradian said. “However, people fail to realize that no matter where you go, your problems are carried with you. Whether it is a mental health problem, physical health problem, familial issue or any personal circumstance, studying abroad does not make these issues go away. For some, these issues are elevated because we are not in a comfortable place.”

Regardless of the discomfort which can arise from living in a place with a different culture and language, both Moradian and Groh found that by sharing a common experience with others on their respective programs, they were able to foster close relationships with people they would not have otherwise met. 

“I have found it easy to make other connections while being abroad, because most of the

participants are looking for the same relationships and comfort as others,” Moradian said. “Most participants travel abroad without a friend and therefore put themselves out there with a desire to feel comfortable and build meaningful relationships.”

Although students abroad may feel like they are missing out back home, FOMO works in both directions. According to Groh, students in Davis seeing peers abroad might become envious — especially students who may not be able to afford these programs. Groh believes, however, that not enough people are informed about help and financial aid if they want to participate.

“A lot of people think they wouldn’t be able to afford abroad, but I got a scholarship through UC Davis and an outside organization,” Groh said. “On top of that, all your regular financial aid works as well. I just want people to know that there is help for people who really want to go abroad.”

Similarly, FOMO is possible between a student and their “abroad” friends as well. Being in a foreign country presents individuals with a plethora of activities and adventures — which are sometimes hard to say no to, even if one may not want to participate. Fourth-year human development Audrey Nelson explained that trying to follow her own interests sometimes left her feeling lonely, especially when they didn’t align with others’ interests in her program. 

“Things that made me feel lonely were doing things that other people wanted to do and I didn’t, or choosing not to do them,” Nelson said. “Anything that isolates you makes you overthink everything.” 

She explained that going abroad was an overall positive experience — “I tried to take it all in and take everything as a growing opportunity,” Nelson said. 

Despite some of the hardships Moradian has faced while studying abroad, she feels that she has grown immensely from her time in Spain and recommends that anyone with access to a similar experience should consider it.

“I am so glad that I decided to go abroad,” Moradian said. “These past six months have been the most fruitful, growing, loving and meaningful of my life. I truly believe this experience made me stronger emotionally, mentally and physically and I am ready to take back the world when I arrive home. I believe that abroad is an experience for everyone, but experiencing hardship throughout is just a part of the process.”

Written by: Miki Wayne — features@theaggie.org