From eagerly anticipating graduation to finding pride in extended education

When most students are in the midst of their fourth year in college, it usually signifies the closing of the curtains. All the time and effort put into getting a degree will finally come to fruition, however, is not like most students. The fourth-year biomedical engineering and art history double major has come to grips with the fact that, after Spring Quarter, she will “love Davis for an extra year,” as she put it. The decision was all hers; after a minor setback early in her academic journey, she accepted the reality of having to stay an extra year to accomplish her goals. Bretz shared her story to shine light on the struggles and obstacles that have come to define her growth and ambitions toward building her future.

Bretz began her academic journey by taking independence head-on, doing anything and everything she could to find her footing in an unknown environment.

“I ran with a lot of the things I knew from high school,” Bretz said. “I was involved in leadership in high school, so I did the Tercero leadership council in the dorms area. That was really cool because I knew how to plan events and I wanted to meet people in my housing area, so I got to meet a lot of them, and I still am friends with them now.”

While maneuvering through the various organizations offered on campus, Bretz recalls feeling anxious about joining clubs and being part of something so unfamiliar, but later finding a core group that alleviated the stresses of academics.

“I heard about lots of different clubs, like the hiking club and the astronomy club,” Bretz said. “One of my friends told me about that and I said, ‘That sounds weird, I don’t wanna go to that.’ But they dragged me along and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the coolest thing ever, I need to come here all the time now!’”

Pushing out of a comfort zone may not always be at the top of the agenda, but for Bretz, this was a necessary step to becoming more independent and finding comfort within herself to embrace the changes she would eventually face. Entering her first year, initially as a biomedical engineering major only, her early course loads were dense. But the real wake-up call came when Bretz entered her sophomore year.

“That’s when all the classes started to get a little bit harder,” Bretz said. “Classes my freshman year were familiar because I had taken similar content in high school. Sophomore year was like, ‘Whoa, this stuff is all new.’ In high school, I was so used to getting good grades, but in college, you can’t always do that.”

The challenges led Bretz to question her choice of study and doubt her ability to succeed in her engineering courses in the same way she did her freshman year.

“I started contemplating about switching majors,” Bretz said. “I had taken some art history classes and I thought about minoring in it, but I also thought about majoring in that instead of biomedical engineering. It was a mind exercise for me to get over the hurdle of not necessarily being the best or comparing myself to everyone else and saying, ‘They’re getting it, why am I not getting it?’”

Bretz strongly believes that students should take pride in their own personal abilities and avoid the dangers of constantly comparing yourself to others around you that may have greater experience with material and courses. She had to realize that everyone is in different situations, so a C+ grade in one class may be different from the A+ that can be achieved in another.

“My housemate has a quote on her desk that says ‘comparison is the thief of joy,’” Bretz said. “Everyone has different experiences, but that doesn’t mean you can’t perform well. You’re always going to do the best you can no matter what. You have to be okay with those students giving a perfect answer in class. It just means they have more experience, and that’s not something you can control.”

During the spring of her sophomore year, Bretz took a course specific to biomedical engineering students which serves as a prerequisite for entry into upper-division courses. Bretz described the significance of the class, explaining that if students fail the course, they either switch to a new major or wait another year to take the course again.

“I didn’t pass the course, so that was another obstacle that made me rethink about staying in my major,” Bretz said. “I really had to analyze my whole life, in a way – I felt like I needed to figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I had to step back and accept that these things happen to everyone; we’re all going through different stresses, but I needed to figure out what’s best for me. Things got easier after that, and I was happy I had my friends and my family to support me and tell me, ‘We love you still.’”

When initially faced with the idea of taking an extra year to complete her major, Bretz had the mindset of wanting to graduate on time, so having that goal out of reach was a hard reality to accept. She soon began to find comfort knowing that the decision was best for her moving forward, despite some of the circumstances surrounding her decision.

“It’s interesting because, being a fourth-year, a lot of my friends are graduating,” Bretz said. “I feel like it’s going to be interesting trying to figure out where my new community is and who my people will be. One of my friends is also a fifth-year, so I’ve been talking to her a lot and learning how she’s been thriving.”

Bretz remains fearlessly optimistic and views her fifth year as her grand finale at a campus she thoroughly enjoys.

“It’s your victory lap, you want to make it a good thing; you don’t want to be sad about staying,” Bretz said. “I have a lot of people who I still feel comfortable with on campus, and that still makes me feel welcome and like I’m part of the community here. I’m looking forward to it, it’s definitely not something to be upset or sad about.”

Bretz has seen her fair share of setbacks, and she admits that it’s still challenging trying to figure out the best way to handle those situations. Rather than trying to limit these challenges, Bretz finds that taking on more units and having greater responsibilities actually helps her become a stronger individual and put to practice the skills she wants to attain through hard work and staying consistent.

“Freshman year, my roommate had a lot of free time and only took three classes as opposed to the four classes I was taking,” Bretz said. “She wasn’t as diligent, but sophomore year, she realized she wanted to get involved more and was worried about the possible stress, but because she had all those responsibilities, she managed her time much better. I took a page out of her book and realized that, although I have a lot more going on, I can become a lot more organized.”

The natural trade-off that emerges from taking on greater course loads is that free time becomes thinner, forcing students to rethink their priorities and make decisions that are best for their goals. Bretz acknowledged that this was something that became a staple of her journey as she progressed, but she stressed the importance of making time for those important to her and setting out to study with friends or grab food together, any activity that could lend them time to spend with each other.

As Bretz continues along her journey and prepares to take on her fifth year, she is content with the progress she has made and looks ahead to the many opportunities that await her.

“Try not to be freaked out by all the possibilities out there and all the stresses that happen from day-to-day,” Bretz said. “Surround yourself with friends who will tell you you’re awesome and great and will have dance parties with you. Everything will be okay.”

Written by: Vincent Sanchez – features@theaggie.org

Computer science ethics professor, students share opinions on tech ethics

Ethics are intertwined with practically all disciplines but recently are discussed increasingly in the context of technology. Updates on the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal continue to be published and discussed at length, along with calls for CEO Mark Zuckerberg to step down. The HBO documentary “The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley,” which investigates the fraud at Theranos and its CEO Elizabeth Holmes, will release on March 18. Despite controversy at other companies such as Microsoft, the epicenter of such ethical scandal seems to be Silicon Valley — a renowned hub of STEM activity. Of undergraduates at UC Davis, over 56 percent major in STEM, and students aspire to work in Silicon Valley.

“There are many companies that I and other students would consider ideal workplaces, such as Google, Apple or Amazon,” said Christopher White, a first-year computer science major, who hopes to get a software engineering job in the Bay Area after graduating. “This is mostly due to pay, benefits, public reputation of the company and the enjoyment from working at these places.”

Employees in the tech industry, according to a New York Times article that discussed Microsoft’s work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, are increasingly mobilizing against their companies’ actions. The article also mentions the letter signed by Google employees protesting Google’s involvement with the Pentagon regarding an artificial intelligence and weaponry program.

A professor in the department of computer science, Phillip Rogaway, referenced the Google employees’ letter when discussing the role of employees in holding their companies accountable. He still believes, however, that employees need to push back against unethical situations.

“Employees in the companies […] need to push back strongly against their employers’ decisions in many instances, to become whistleblowers or to obstruct management wishes,” Rogaway said. “You’ve seen a little bit of it with Google employees pushing back against [Department of Defense] ties […] It doesn’t happen much.”

Rogaway is a professor for ECS 188: Ethics in an Age of Technology, a class that he has made an effort to change significantly since 2004. The course was initially offered as a way to “reluctantly” satisfy the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) requirement of having an ethics class for the computer science and engineering (CSE) major.

“I was interested in the ethics of our outgoing computer science students and wanted to check out how we were doing with that class,” Rogaway said. “[I] was very disappointed by what a weak class it was — how narrow in focus, how unchallenging to the students and how little I imagined that it would make a difference in their behaviors.”

It appears, however, that Rogaway has been successful in his attempts to reinvent the class. Since ECS 188 is an upper division course, White hasn’t had the opportunity to take it yet, but he hopes to, in part because he has heard people talking about it being one of their favorite classes. Rogaway says that in some ways, he is “most proud” of that class.

“[ECS 188] is the one that I think really has the best chance of changing students’ trajectories and getting them to be more thoughtful in their professional and personal choices,” Rogaway said. “And it’s the class that students come up to me years later and say, ‘Your class was important to me.’ […] Would the theory of computation change their life? But the ethics class seems to do that routinely.”

Rogaway thinks users of technology should stop being mindless consumers. According to him, remedies for this include turning gadgets off and not using them, yet he acknowledges that it is easier said than done. In his ECS 188 classes, he asks students to give up their phones for a week and says that he is lucky to get a couple students in a 24-student class to turn in their phones — and usually they do so because they are able to use their emails and messaging services on their laptops.    

In addition to users, Rogaway believes that the government should hold tech companies more accountable and that it should “go in and strongly regulate” these companies. Despite increased publicity recently, he doesn’t think that corporations are really changing all that much.

“I don’t think the recent publicity has changed the nature of the beast,” Rogaway said. “We have lots of corporations that are doing their very best to enrich themselves, their shareholders [and] their top management, and they create a kind of ludicrous fiction that they’re doing it all in the public interest. And there’s this myth that Silicon Valley is out there to create a new and wonderful world for us all, when of course, they’re primarily about making money.”

Alyssa Buchthal, a third-year computer science and communication double major, plans to do some “soul searching” and then find a job as a software engineer or project manager or do government work within the tech realm. She said that the job-searching process isn’t really affected by scandals that are seen in the news and that young techies consider “ideal” workplaces to be big name companies regardless — particularly because those workplaces generally offer well-paying jobs, are flexible and have additional “little things,” such as free food and drinks in the office.

“The difference in levels between Mark Zuckerberg and a recent Facebook hire is equivalent to people trying to make eye contact across an ocean,” Buchthal said. “When someone tells you they work at Facebook, you don’t automatically equate them with the FBI guy in your computer watching you all the time, or someone tracking your data and using it for illicit means. […] People in tech have a moral compass, but they also have a drive to feed themselves and have job security, and that is more likely to be found at bigger name tech firms than smaller start-ups or ailing companies.”

Rogaway has a different opinion, though. In past years, he was disappointed when he asked his students about their employment goals and would hear exclusively about their self-interests. Rogaway says it is “absurd” to discard one’s own interest, but it is at least as absurd to discard the social value of the work one is doing. He says that it is “a sad view of the human condition.”

“Social science research says that one of the best predictors of how happy an individual is is how much they feel they’re contributing socially,” Rogaway said. “I think if students internalized that that’s what matters — feeling good about your work and doing something positive and not maximizing your paycheck and benefits — then we’d have a lot more [of them] steering themselves in good directions. So tell them not to be so fearful, they’ll get a job.”

Fear is something Rogaway sees in his students a lot. According to Rogaway, for the most part, most of these students grew up in a time of domestic peace, historically low crime and high employment, so he finds it strange to see this fear. He is unsure what the cause is, but thinks that it could be attributed to the economic downturn that many students witnessed as children or even a broader cultural trend. In his opinion, fear is what causes “amoral, unquestioning behavior.” He says that if someone believes saying no to an interview at a particular company will leave them “destitute on the streets,” then that is definitely a hard “no” to utter. However, not taking that interview does not mean that the person won’t find another job.

Buchthal recognizes that the ethical problems are of high importance but thinks that at the employment level, a lot of people are focused on paying the bills and keeping their jobs.

“As someone who isn’t in the workforce, I’m also not imminently qualified to answer a lot of these questions for those people,” Buchthal said. “But I can speculate on the paths I’ve seen recent graduates take and how I know most people consider their future.”

Buchthal thinks that despite companies being in hot water, there seems to be a low chance of such companies actually closing, and students seem to keep this in mind when looking for jobs after graduation.

“The biggest thing[s] students need to consider when entering jobs like these is their personal moral compass and job security,” Buchthal said. “Most students won’t completely boycott a company like Facebook or Peoplesoft because of the scandals they’re facing in the media, but if you choose to do so, you can apply elsewhere and exclude those places from your job search. They won’t miss you. Otherwise, ensuring that you’ll have a job a few years down the line is equally important.”

Despite what Rogaway says about students being too fearful, to some extent, he does think that it makes sense, particularly with regards to employees who don’t want to speak against their company.

“Most employees are fearful that if they become vocal within their company, they’re likely to get fired or marginalized,” Rogaway said. “And I think that fear is valid. That’s probably exactly what happens to people who speak up. But that doesn’t mean they’re not supposed to do it. We need to encourage a more assertive and questioning and oppositional sentiment in our technical workforce.”

Written by: Anjini Venugopal — features@theaggie.org

The brief history of how the newest improv group on campus came to be

Centered around the theme of Valentine’s Day, Cherry Pie, UC Davis’ self-described newest and sexiest improv team, put on a show on Feb. 15 that completely filled Young Hall’s room 194. The setlist included many performance pieces that can also be found at their practices and Improv Jams. They played games such as “World’s Worst,” where actors act out or say slogans that embody the worst versions of an occupation or company. The group also played a game called “Apartments,” a format that begins as three sets of two actors performing different scenes in adjoining “apartments” that then join together and intertwine each story.

The group’s Facebook page, which lists all of their upcoming shows, “jams” and improv opportunities, is quirky, fun and inviting – just like the group itself.

Third-year genetics and genomics major Hannah Haensel is a member of the club and attests to the familial nature of the group.

“Everyone on the team is so supportive when you try something new, and doing improv has really helped me be more confident in my daily life,” Haensel said.

The 12-member group takes their craft very seriously and dedicates two days a week for practices. On weeks with shows, they’ll often allocate even more time.

Even though this seems like a lot of time and effort to spend on anything, third-year computer science and technology management major Abhay Sawhney finds it all to be worth it.

“There’s literally no downside, practices are fun, I love performing and I love the people that are on the team, so what’s not to love?” Sawhney said.

Besides being just a friendly group of people, Cherry Pie works to make sure that improv is something to be enjoyed by all.

Many of the group’s members have only been doing improv since joining the team. Like Haensel and Sawhney, fourth-year biological science major Sarah Karels started improv for the first time when she joined Cherry Pie.  

Sawhney also credited the supportive and caring nature of the group.  

“It is fairly easy for anyone to show up and just do their best,” Sawhney said.

Haensel said that there “is absolutely no judgement and you can just be weird,” providing this as her reason for enjoying improv.

Whether in the audience or up with the Cherries performing, Karels said that “improv is fun whether you are doing it or watching it.”

Updates on Cherry Pie are available on its Facebook page. Make sure to check out a show or attend one of their impromptu improv jams for an easygoing and comedic experience that is sure to get introduce a group of people who are as sweet as pie.

Written by: Isabella Beristain— features@theaggie.org

What is it and what does it do?

The Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven (called The Haven) is an outdoor museum and demonstration garden that is part of UC Davis’ entomology and nematology department. Located on Bee Biology Road, the public can observe and learn about bees’ roles in nature and about what they can do to help the bee population. The Haven was established in 2009 by the ice cream company Häagen-Dazs on the UC Davis campus.

“The facility was established because Häagen-Dazs recognized that many of the ingredients in their ice cream (the fruits and the nuts) were dependent on bee pollinators,” said Christine Casey, the manager of the facility. “They had heard about Colony Collapse Disorder and health issues with bees and wanted to provide a forum for the public to learn about bees and their problems and learn what they can do to be a part of the solution.”

Häagen-Dazs provided funding to establish the garden and financial support for the first few years of operation. Casey noted that the Haven is now self-supporting through grants and donations.

“They also gave some money to Penn State,” Casey said. “Penn State did not establish an independent garden like this one; they established a garden that was a part of their arboretum.”

Casye explained that the uniqueness of the garden resides in its being part of the entomology department and is operated by the people who work with bees and do bee research.

“As far as I know, we are the only bee garden in the United States run by entomologists that is open to the public free of charge, all the time,” Casey said.

The land The Haven was planted on is filled with labeled shrubbery and flowers. Hundreds of bees buzz in and around these flowers as they perform their biological niches. Maintenance occurs on the garden daily by Casey herself and volunteers with tasks including pruning, planting, mulching and weeding. Some volunteers who have experience in beekeeping assist Casey in taking care of the beehive as well.

“There are so many different types of bees and so many different types of plants that from week to week, things can look quite different,” Casey said. “There are about 85 species of bees that have been observed here, and there are about 300 that occur in Yolo County.”

The Haven functions to educate the public about the importance of bees in our daily lives, most prominently in our nutrition. According to their website, “bees are responsible for about ⅓ of all the food we eat, including most of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables […] Bees also pollinate many of our wild plants that in turn provide food and habitat for other wildlife.” Each day, about five to 10 groups come visit and tour the garden to learn about what it does. Visitors can safely observe and interact with bees and identify them.

Because nearly half of the maintenance that occurs on the facility is done by volunteers, The Haven welcomes students who would like to be involved in its efforts with the bee population and education of the public. More information on volunteering and the Häagen-Dazs Honey Bee Haven as a whole can be found on its website.

Written by: Linh Nguyen – features@theaggie.org