Number increases 8.6 percent from last year

UC Davis received a record number of applicants for Fall 2018, a total of 95,207 applications. This number reflects an 8.6 percent increase from last year.

According to the UC Davis website, 77,727 of these applicants are incoming first-year students and 17,480 are transfer students.

In both the freshmen and the transfer applicant pools, the percentage of in-state applicants increased. California residents applying to be freshmen increased by 10 percent and the number of in-state transfer applicants increased by 5.1 percent.

Among California freshmen applicants, 36 percent were from historically underrepresented groups such as African American, American Indian and Chicano/Latino, while 28.8 percent of transfer applicants identified as members of those groups.

In addition, 41.5 percent of the applicants would be in the first generation of their family to graduate from a four-year university, and 37.6 percent are from low-income families.

The data also showed significant growth in the number of African American applicants and Chicano/Latino applicants, increasing at 7.3 percent and 9.8 percent respectively.

“Without speculating too much, we hope that [the increase in applicants] reflects UC Davis’ growing reputation as a great place to study and learn,” said UC Davis News & Media Relations Officer Andy Fell in an email interview.

Fell also discussed how many students the school plans to admit, given the increase in applicants.

“More applicants may mean that the percentage of applicants offered admission will be a bit lower than last year,” Fell said. “Not all of those offered admission will take up places at UC Davis. For comparison, last year we had 87,657 applications, including both freshmen and transfers, of whom 41,297 were offered admission and 9,257 enrolled in Fall 2017. Overall, we expect that Fall enrollment in 2018 will be about the same as in 2017.”

To prepare for possibly greater numbers of students in the future, UC Davis is planning to update the campus Long Range Development Plan. This fall, the school opened the Tercero 4 housing complex and other facilities which includes dining halls, housing and the new Large Lecture Hall currently under construction.

The record-high number of applicants to UC Davis is part of the UC-wide applicant number spike. According to the University of California website, the UC system received an overall applicant increase of 5.7 percent from last year.

“We are thrilled by yet another record-shattering year of applications from freshman and transfer students who want to attend UC,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. “The steady momentum of increasing application numbers underscores the university’s standing as one of the best higher education institutions in the world.”

Written by: Clara Zhao — campus@theaggie.org

UC Davis’ third annual student-run hackathon strives for social progress

On Jan. 20 and 21, HackDavis will host 700 college students, alumni and high schoolers in the Activities and Recreation Center to code for social progress in three given tracks: health and wellness, education and the environment. Participants of all levels of expertise will create code for 24 hours, starting at 12 p.m. on Jan. 20. Judging and demonstrations will begin at 1 p.m. the following day.

Applications closed Jan. 5, and this year the event accepted 700 applications from college students, high school students over 18 and alumni who graduated within the last year.

The goal of a hackathon is to provide a space for usable, problem-driven software development in a timed competition. HackDavis harnesses this development to tackle social problems, teaming up with Habitat for Humanity this year. According to marketing team member Annie Lin, a third-year computer science major, this is what makes HackDavis unique from other hackathons. Its slogan is “code for social good.”

“HackDavis is one of the few hackathons in the country known for providing students with a platform and encouraging them to solve pressing social issues,” Lin said. “This is important because we feel that young individuals are incredibly bright, and they can achieve and learn all while helping society through health and wellness, education, or environment. HackDavis also attracts many talented students to UC Davis which helps out university recruitment.”

Sriya Maram, the director of HackDavis’ external affairs and a third-year cognitive science major, participated in the 2017 event and later went on to join the team. Maram explained how the event utilizes outside nonprofit organizations involved in health, environment and education to effect true impact in the world.

“Last year, we partnered with Teach For America, and they helped make a randomized feeding chart for students,” Maram said. “We also partnered with the California Water Project. Something else that I thought was really cool was a mental health application.”

Maram talked about the impact for social good that partnering with nonprofit organizations can bring. She said she was excited for this year’s involved nonprofit organizations.

“This year we already have two confirmed nonprofit partners,” Maram said. “Habitat for Humanity — the Sacramento chapter — and Beyond Twelve, an education nonprofit.”

The event is partnered with multiple UC Davis STEM departments as well as the nonprofits and is sponsored by technology companies such as Intel, AT&T and Google Cloud Platform.

Participants in the race to code are also bolstered by hardware and technology provided by HackDavis. Lin explained how helpful it is to provide equipment for students to incorporate into their creations.

“Usually we provide gadgets like virtual reality headsets and Amazon Alexas, so teams can incorporate some hardware into their projects,” Lin said. ”My prediction is that students will be using a lot of the hardware [this year].”

Lin said workshops are provided throughout the year and at the hackathon event, so beginner and expert students alike can tackle computer coding and programming. Throughout the year, the Facebook group posts event pages for student tutorials and workshops, offering website development series, game development series and professor talks. According to Lin, the events they hold are “beneficial to the students” as they “teach students important programming skills.”

On its website, HackDavis states that it hopes to “inspire change and cultivate a growing hacker opportunity” by intersecting coding with social change. The 1,600 people who like the HackDavis Facebook page seem to agree.

“We find that hackathons often don’t result with projects as practical solutions to specific societal problems and we’re looking to change that,” the website states. “Our goal is to foster a community that uses technology to pave the way for social change. For the 3rd year in a row, we’re bringing together the most talented students in California to address the world’s most pressing issues.”

Written by: Aaron Liss — campus@theaggie.org

Students across UC campuses protest UC tuition hikes

On Jan. 24, during a meeting of the UC Board of Regents, it was decided that a vote over proposed tuition hikes for students would be delayed until May. If passed, tuition and fees would be increased 2.7 percent for in-state students and 3.5 percent for California non-residents. This would mean an extra $342 for in-state tuition rates and an additional $978 for out-of-state students.

This discussion began in Nov. 2017, when the UC Office of the President released its “Proposed Long-Term Stability Plan for Tuition and Financial Aid.” In the document of FAQs, UCOP addressed concerns regarding its reasoning for the proposed tuition increase, its plans for the budget and how state funding contributed to the rise in tuition rates. After a wave of protests by UC students at the Regents meeting at UCSF in November, the Regents postponed the meeting to January of 2018.

Beginning on Jan. 23 and continuing into Jan. 24, students across various UC campuses protested the impending vote over the proposed tuition hike. At UC Davis, student-run organizations like Students for a Democratic Society created Facebook events, flyers and posters calling for the student body to advocate for themselves. An organized rally took place outside of the Memorial Union on Jan. 23.

As protestors circled the flagpole in front of the MU, the rally filled the Quad with chants of “Hey, hey UCD, cut those Regents’ salaries,” “War profiteers not welcome here!” and “Whose university? Our university!”

UC Davis Chancellor Gary May walked past the protest twice. Students responded with chants — one individual asked, “How much did you make today, Gary May?” In response, the Chancellor continued walking and said “No more than I made yesterday.”

Second-year sustainable agriculture major Dexter Hampton, an active SDS member, stated the organization’s demands at the MU “NO Tuition Hike RALLY.”

“Our primary demand is to stop the raising of tuition,” Hampton said. “A secondary demand [is] showing the students that we can stand up and we can fight back and we can make a difference in our university,” Hampton said. “We don’t have to accept whatever the Regents tell us, we don’t have to accept whatever the administration tells us.”

Hampton expressed concern with the administration-to-faculty ratio on campus and discussed his personal goals for the protest.

“The administration is currently outnumbering the faculty and is paid astronomical amounts,” Hampton said. “I hope that administration recognizes that the students and the workers here are the ones that actually do the work here at the university and that administration, even though they control most of the wealth in the university, does not control this and they’re not the ones running things.”

Additionally, Hampton discussed the protest’s potential impact on the administration at UC Davis and in the UC system.

“In the past, they have been tyrannical, they’ve pepper sprayed us, they’ve pointed guns at us, they’ve arrested us,” Hampton said. “We’re hoping that this new administration is a little more open to student voices, but we’re unsure because they are still technically trying to exploit the students.”

Along with many other guest speakers, Amara Miller, the head steward of the UC Davis UAW unit and a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology, discussed the personal impact tuition hikes will have on her.

“I have over a decade in the UC system [as a student],” Miller said. “I was here as an undergrad from 2005-2009. Back then, my tuition was literally a fraction of what you are paying now. Across the time I have been in the UC system, I have seen tuition pretty much more than double. My undergrad students — I have students that are undocumented, I have students that are homeless, I have students that are fighting against white supremacy on campus that have been trying to kill them — have not been supported by the administration or the UC Regents. The UC Regents are not our friend, they consistently put their own interests first and they consistently try to line their own pockets with their positions. This is not acceptable. It’s our university, it’s not theirs. It is time for us to say no more tuition hikes.”

AJ Ballesteros, a first-year sociology major, discussed his reasoning for attending the sit-in on Jan. 23.

“I’m here at the moment protesting tuition hikes that are UC system-wide — actually, I am protesting more the fact that undergraduate students have no meaningful power over these decisions that are being made at the highest bureaucratic level,” Ballestros said. “Essentially, there’s no democratic control over the university and decisions that are affecting undergraduate populations directly.”

The overnight “Mrak Slumber Party” took place on Jan. 23 and was attended by four people.

On its Facebook page, members of SDS posted short live-streamed video updates. SDS also posted a complete video of the presentation that took place on Jan. 24, titled “Tuition and Regents Teach-In.”

On Jan. 23, SDS posted a statement describing the purpose of the sit-in.

“Tonight is our first night that we are doing a sit in at Mrak Hall to protest the tuition increases,” the statement reads. “The administration came to us wanting to hear our demands and work to a common goal. However when it got late they came back demanding our student ID numbers and told us that they are seeking disciplinary action against us. We must work together as a community and must not allow the subtle hegemony of empty promises and sanctions for ‘our safety’ prevent us from standing for students and workers in our university. Every person present at this sit-in significantly improves our strength as a group to resist administrative oppression and to make our voices heard”

On Jan. 23, UC Regents met at UCSF to discuss the proposed tuition plans. They announced shortly after that the vote regarding the proposed tuition increase would be delayed until May. According to an article released by The Sacramento Bee, “Gov. Jerry Brown has sent a letter to the UC Board of Regents urging them to reject a proposed increase in tuition at the University of California’s 10 campuses.”

A second sit-in took place at Mrak Hall on the night of Jan. 24 after the demands presented to UC Davis administrators were not met, according to a statement given to The California Aggie from the students involved in the sit-ins. Demands included a rollback in tuition, a commitment to affordable housing as well as the disarming of campus police “of all lethal weapons.” Nine students participated in the overnight sit-in.

“At 6:00 p.m. [on Jan. 24], when Mrak Hall had officially closed for the day, the student activists informed Administration that they would leave Mrak Hall on the condition that Administration […] Secure an open, accessible meeting with Gary May no later than Friday, 1/26/2018,” the statement reads.

The student activists outlined a list of demands to address with Chancellor May, including more democratic student involvement in decision-making, a cut in Chancellor May’s salary to $420,000 with leftover funds allocated toward “Resource Centers that recently lost funding” as well as a university commitment and investment in low-income housing.

Written by: Priyanka Shreedar and Aaron Liss — campus@theaggie.org

Adam Hatefi received two violation points

On Friday, Jan. 12, the ASUCD Judicial Council held a hearing at 1 p.m. in the Mee Room of the Memorial Union that was called to order at 1:10 p.m. by Judicial Council Chair Ryan Gardiner.

The hearing regarded a complaint submitted by the Elections Committee early in Fall Quarter. Adam Hatefi, a third-year political science major and a prospective ASUCD presidential candidate began raising funds for the upcoming Winter Quarter elections in violation of the ASUCD Bylaws.

The hearing was open to members of the public and began with a petitioner’s statement made by Naeema Kaleem, the chair of the Elections Committee and a fourth-year sociology major. Also present were Judicial Council members Sydney Hack, a third-year international relations major, Aria Aghalarpour, a third-year political science major and Elections Committee Vice Chair Rodney Tompkins, a second-year psychology major.

The fundraising in question included a GoFundMe account linked to Hatefi’s Facebook page as well as events held at Blaze Pizza and Panda Express. The dates of these fundraisers fell outside of the election cycle, when Hatefi was not qualified as a candidate.

Hatefi’s statement justified his actions by drawing attention to SB 18, a bill introduced to the Senate table in Nov. 2016. The bill proposed for a change in text to the ASUCD Bylaws which would specify the permitted types of campaign donations. Hatefi claimed to have heard rumors of a Senate bill about to pass that would have allowed for fewer restrictions on campaign donations, so he moved forward with campaigning. Changes made to the Bylaws after SB 18 changed the text, but not the regulation itself.

The regulation violated is Bylaw 412 (c) (1) which reads: “Donations to a Campaign Executive’s Election fund shall only be accepted from ASUCD members. No group donations may be made to a Campaign Executive’s Election fund by any registered student organization.  Three (3) campaign violation points shall be assessed for violating this subsection.”

Hatefi was ruled to be in violation of the Bylaws for accepting donations from non-ASUCD members through his GoFundMe account. The defendant argued he did not solicit money from anyone and that the donations made by his family members were of their own volitions — offering signed statements from family members.

The prospective ASUCD candidate also argued that the Elections Committee failed to notify him of any complaint made against him, thereby invalidating the claim.

“Due to this being an atypical case in that it was not an official election cycle, the Elections Committee did not have jurisdiction over the case,” Kaleem said. “In other words, we were unable to go through the official complaint process outlined in Chapter 4 of the ASUCD Bylaws, as we don’t have authority over prospective candidates.”

The complaint was brought directly to the Judicial Council, revalidating the claim.

Hatefi provided documents of personal bank statements to the table saying all the money raised had not been transferred from the organizations that raised them into any personal accounts of his own. The money remains with the organizations who raised it and in the GoFundMe account. After repeated attempts to refund the money from the account, it proved impossible, and he speculated donating the money to charity.

A ten minute break began at 1:40 p.m.

After the hearing was reinstated, questioning continued. Hatefi described how he accepted donations under the names of “Logikos Advocacy,” a non-UC Davis affiliated group for which Hatefi is the executive director of, and “Aggies Online Network,” a student-run organization which he is a member of, to raise money at the restaurants he held events at.

The hearing ended for deliberation at 2:30 p.m.

The council unanimously decided Hatefi was in violation of the ASUCD Bylaws for accepting donations from non-ASUCD members through his GoFundMe account.

The money raised at Hatefi’s restaurant fundraisers were not moved to an election fund and once the context of ASUCD Bylaws remained unchanged, Hatefi notified the donors their money would not go to his fund, thereby avoiding another violation. Hatefi’s actions merited two violation points of bylaws. A third violation point will result in further assessment and possible ineligibility to run for an ASUCD office position.

“Running for office is one way to [make one’s voice heard], and it is the right of any member of the association to run,” Gardiner, the Judicial Council chair, said. “However, it is important that all candidates be given a fair and equal opportunity to exercise that right. Candidates should establish dialogue with the committee instead of just brushing them off. This particular situation probably could have been avoided if that dialogue was established.”

Written by: Elizabeth Mercado — campus@theaggie.org

Second-year student remembered as charismatic, joyful, dedicated

Blair Fox, a second-year UC Davis student, recently passed away in a skiing accident in Lake Tahoe. An economics major, Fox was a brother in the Sigma Nu fraternity and a member of Model United Nations. Involved in numerous ways both at UC Davis and within the Davis community, Fox touched the lives of many people.

“Blair was the type of person who would make anything really fun and who was just friends with everyone,” said fourth-year psychology major Jade Mawhinney, who was a good friend of Fox’s.

Mawhinney fondly described some of the memories she shared with Fox in the time that she knew him.

“One night, we ended up at Burgers and Brew at 2 a.m. and Blair got these disgusting fries and he was obsessed with trying to get me to try them,” Mawhinney said. “I always tagged him in memes on Facebook, and it turned into a tagging spree. He would respond and tag half of his chapter. It sounds so 21st-century millennial, but we were trying to just out-meme each other and it was just really funny.”

Andrew Isaac, a second-year community and regional development major and member of Sigma Nu, spoke about a few of the ways Fox’s presence in his life affected him.

“I met Blair when we were rushing Sigma Nu together [in the fall of 2016] and we were also living in Cuarto,” Isaac said. “I will never forget the image of Blair smiling because that is all he did. I have never seen him not happy or at least he didn’t show it. He was also really into political science and we would have our debates and that’s how I got to know him and really understood what a great person he was. He changed all of our lives.”

Colton McHugh, a close friend of Fox’s, a fourth-year communication major as well as a member of Sigma Nu, mentioned a few of the ways Fox was unique.

“He was extremely social,” McHugh said. “Anytime we had some kind of social event on campus, he was always trying to get everyone to go and participate. People say this about people all the time when stuff like this happens, but Blair was genuinely the most excited, positive, happy guy I have ever met. He was always hyping everyone up about everything. It was ridiculous how excited he was just to do the most ordinary stuff as long as he was with his friends. He was so positive and he made everyone else just happy all the time.”

Jake Webb, a second-year managerial economics major and Sigma Nu member who was also close to Fox, talked about the way Fox impacted his life and the lives of the rest of the fraternity members.

“One of [Sigma Nu’s] big events is going down to Grace Gardens to garden every Saturday morning,” Webb said. “Blair would do that with a smile on his face every single time. A lot of us woke up Saturday mornings pretty tired, but he just cheered everybody up and he did some great stuff over there. He put his all into everything.”

Many Sigma Nu members who were close to Fox also mentioned his passion for community service and involvement, in addition to his work with the Grace Gardens.

“Blair was probably the most involved person I have ever met at Davis,” Isaac said. “He always talked about Model United Nations — he had such a big role in that and he made a lot of friendships and bonds in that club.”

Spencer Crist, a second-year electrical engineering major and Sigma Nu member, talked about Fox’s other roles on campus.

“Blair did internships with the international department,” Crist said. “He helped transition international students and would help the students come in. He made a lot of great friendships there and introduced me to several students who are also engineering majors. He was also interviewing to be in another business and economics club.”

Crist also mentioned some of his favorite moments from time spent with Fox.

“All my memories [of Blair] stem from the Grace Gardens because he was the guy who recruited all of us to go out there and do that every morning,” Crist said. “That became a usual thing, spending two hours Saturday morning just gardening for the community. He would always make it fun and such a great time. We would always look forward to that event and not think [of it as] another weekend where we have to do community service hours.”

The anecdotes that his Sigma Nu brothers shared about him highlighted their admiration and respect for Fox.

“We had our elections in our fraternity and Blair wanted to be treasurer and so he went up to do his speech on it,” McHugh said. “At the end, he [pulled] out his Economist magazine and [said], ‘Also I have this, so I’m a clear choice.’ It was the funniest thing, because everyone was being super serious and Blair just [pulled] out this magazine.”

Sigma Nu member and second-year political science major John Salvestrin talked about how meeting Fox impacted his experience as a Sigma Nu member.

“I rushed in Winter Quarter, and Blair was one of my most memorable rush conversations,” Salvestrin said. “He just really stuck out — he was so charismatic and just a great guy. Ever since then, I grew closer and closer to him. This year, […] living across the hall from him, he was also definitely one of my closest friends.”

Margo Fox, Blair Fox’s mother, spoke about Fox’s personal attributes.

“Blair was very humble,” Margo Fox said. “He was one of those people who had a presence and a strength, but didn’t want to use it. He would rather be there to support other people. He wanted to use his other skills to bring people together and wanted those around him to feel good, supported and smart. He worked hard in his own quiet way and was very motivated to do well and get ahead, but he wasn’t going to do that at anyone else’s expense and he wasn’t going to brag about it.”

Fox’s father, Warren Fox, shared memories of his son.

“I think we remember him like most people as not only warm and loving, but a really true friend to all and very curious about the world and people,” Warren Fox said. “He was a really friendly guy. The moment I always remember is when Blair was born. Blair came into the world as a bubbly little baby who seemed to be such a happy kid even in his early days. He was happy and joyful and Blair was genuinely a happy, fun and joyful kid.”

According to his parents, Fox was eager to learn as much as he could. Warren Fox said his son was “very curious about the world and people.”

“[Blair] really loved to just talk about issues, […] he just wanted to learn about all sides,” Margo Fox said. “He really liked being with people and talking.”

Friends of Fox said they were willing to do anything for him.

“He was one of those guys where, if he wanted to go do something and he texted you, you would make time because it was better to be with him than with anyone else,” Webb said. “If he wanted to get food or do anything, I would probably stop what I was doing just to be around him because he was this vibrant guy who had this sense of humor that is unmatched and I just loved being around him.”

Webb said that Fox “was going to change the world” and Isaac said, from his perspective, he already did.

“He changed all of our lives,” Isaac said.

The Fox family has set up the Blair Fox Scholarship Fund to support undergraduate students at UC Davis. There will also be a Celebration of Life for Blair Fox on Feb. 10, 2018 at 10 a.m. at the Walter A. Buehler Alumni Center. Margo Fox said that “everyone is welcome to his celebration of life.”

“We wanted to do it on campus because Davis was so important to him,” she said. “And that is his community.”

Written by: Sabrina Habchi — campus@theaggie.org