Some activists in favor of Yiannopoulos, others accuse speaker of fascism

On Jan. 13, the controversial ultra-conservative speaker Milo Yiannopoulos was to speak at UC Davis as part of his “The Dangerous Faggot Tour” with guest pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli. The event, hosted by the Davis College Republicans (DCR), was subsequently cancelled 30 minutes prior to Yiannopoulos taking the stage due to mass protests outside of the Sciences Lecture Hall venue.

Prior to the 7 p.m. start time of the event, a crowd of hundreds gathered to protest it. Many wore black handkerchiefs as face masks and held signs suggesting that Yiannopoulos and his fans were fascist and promoting hate speech. The protesters also chanted sayings such as “No Milo, no KKK, no fascist USA,” “Say it loud say it clear, racists are not welcome here” and “This is what democracy looks like.” Eggs were thrown during the protest and an ABC News cameraman reportedly had hot coffee thrown at him.

According to Yiannopoulos’ Facebook page and the DCR, the violent nature of the protestors resulted in the event’s cancellation. However, the majority of those present at the event were nonviolent, and according to a statement released by Interim Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter, there was no property damage and only one individual was arrested.

The cancellation upset many who had planned to attend the event.

“It’s pretty upsetting that a group of people who claim to be anti-fascists are coming here to make sure no one can hear something,” an individual waiting in line to see the event said. “I hope they see the irony in that. I went up towards the door just to see what was going on. I was wearing my [Make America Great Again] hat, someone stole it off my head and shoved me in the back, when I turned around they were sprinting away. I guess the key to stopping fascism is blocking people’s speech and petty theft […] I enjoy Milo, I enjoy the free speech aspect. I think it’s a lot of fun, and I came to be informed and be entertained.”

Other types of protests were also present at the event. One activist group stood in a line adjacent to the Sciences Lecture Hall holding signs that promoted love to minority groups. This protest was nonviolent and instead hoped to offer support to those that would feel targeted by Yiannopoulos’ talk.

“We are protesting Milo Yiannopoulos being here and giving him the platform that comes with a prestigious university,” said Christina, a UC Santa Cruz alumna. “He obviously says things that he’s allowed to say. Freedom of speech, totally! But that does not mean freedom from consequences. I think he does hate speech, I think [his words] are very violent and words matter and they have a huge impact. I think allowing him to be here is making the students unsafe.”

Additionally a third protest outside of the Sciences Lecture Hall was in favor of allowing Yiannopoulos to speak. These individuals held signs that read, “Protect free speech even ‘hate’ speech,” and promoted preserving Yiannopoulos’ event for the sake of allowing freedom of speech.

“Well I heard that Milo was coming and I’ve seen him at other universities and the reaction that it gets,” said activist Ani Zickuh. “There’s been times where he’s had to cancel events so I wanted to show up and support [Yiannopoulos] because I think it’s important to have different viewpoints, especially on a campus with learning because it opens discussion and encourages free thinking. […] Honestly I don’t agree with a lot of what he says, but I can only say that because I’ve actually listened to him.”

On Jan. 14, Yiannopoulos and the DCR held a protest against the event being cancelled, claiming that it was due to pressure from the university.

UC Davis received considerable media attention from Yiannopoulos’ visit. The story was picked up by local news stations including The Sacramento Bee, the L.A. Times and the front page of Internet forum site, Reddit.

Written By: Lindsay Floyd — campus@theaggie.org

Speakers CeCe McDonald and Franchesca Ramsey keynote the event

Internet personality Franchesca Ramsey and Black Trans Lives Matter activist CeCe McDonald were the headliners of “Change/The Conversation,” a speaking event hosted on Jan. 13, the same day as an event scheduled by the UC Davis College Republicans featuring Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos.

The event was held in the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC) Ballroom and was organized by Sam Alavi, a fourth-year sociology major.

Ramsey is a South Florida native and currently lives in New York. She is an active YouTube personality and host for MTV.

“I originally went to the University of Michigan for acting, but after my sophomore [year] transferred to the art institute in Miami Florida and got my BFA in graphic design,” Ramsey said via e-mail. “Today I’m a writer, actor and video blogger in addition to hosting and producing the MTV News web series ‘Decoded.”’

McDonald is a community activist who, according to Alavi, brings important conversation about black lives, transgender lives and America’s prison system to campus.

“I think we lack conversations about black trans women and trans women in general on our campus, so it seemed like a great opportunity to bring her because she brings a great perspective about transgender identities, around race [and] around the intersection of the prison-industrial complex,” Alavi said.

Ramsey said that she planned to bring information about her career and social media to the UC Davis campus.

“I think more activists should be transparent about their mistakes and things they’ve learned during their careers,” Ramsey said via e-mail. “Unfortunately there seems to be a trend of activists using their platforms solely to shame and dig up dirt on others. While I think it’s important to call out problematic people and behaviors as they happen, we have to remember we all started somewhere and unfortunately many people in these spaces present themselves as ‘perfect’ rather than humans who’re constantly in need of self reflection.”

According to Alavi, a “perfect storm” of events set the stage for “Change/The Conversation.”

“There was this perfect storm of events where there was Martin Luther King weekend, Milo [Yiannopoulos] was coming, there has been a lot of tension on campus [and] there has been a lot of discussion about wanting to host an event,” Alavi said. “I reached out to a ton of people and I asked all these different students, ‘If we were going to have an event, who would you want to see?’ And overwhelmingly people said CeCe McDonald and Franchesca Ramsey.”

Alavi said that one of the goals of the event organizers was to bring the event and the ideas discussed to more than just students and faculty of the university.

“We [wanted] to reach a broad audience […] I think there [were] kind of two points to the event: one [was] to create a community space where students who aren’t necessarily hearing this for the first time […] can hear their experiences confirmed and validated by other people, but I think the other aspect [was] we want people who don’t necessarily know everything about social justice […] that they come hear it and get this other perspective too,” Alavi said.

According to Jeanelle Hope, an emcee for “Change/The Conversation” and a cultural studies graduate student, McDonald and Ramsey brought knowledge about racial intolerance to campus.

“McDonald and Ramsey, both social justice warriors and advocates, will certainly bring forth a stimulating discussion addressing: how white supremacy and bigotry cannot be tolerated, how we must collectively work to dismantle systems of oppression and to remind us no matter how dark the future may look, that we matter and that we must resist and dissent for the sake of our existence,” Hope said via e-mail before the event.

While this event was the same night as the Yiannopoulos event, Alavi explained that her concern with the Yiannopoulos event was less with the speaker and more with the interest from students. Alavi hoped that her event would be an “alternative space” for students that night.

“Personally as a student, I am less concerned about Milo [Yiannopoulos…] and more concerned that we have students on campus who want to come hear him speak,” Alavi said. “I think that indicates to me a failure in our education system to teach [about] sexism and racism, homophobia and transphobia and how to identify it and be critical of it. [Our event is] for students who want an alternative space. Not that it should happen instead of Milo’s event, but that we can have this dialogue and those that want to hear it can hear it.”

Written by: Kenton Goldsby — campus@theaggie.org

Former interim chief of nursing and patient care services becomes new chief

Toby Marsh was appointed as the new chief of nursing and patient care services for the UC Davis Medical Center (UCDMC) on Dec. 14. He had served in the same role as the interim chief since April 1.

Marsh oversees more than 1,800 nurses and nurse practitioners who together provide care for more than 200,000 patients every year at the 627 bed acute care hospital and affiliated primary and specialty care clinics.

Ann Madden Rice, the chief executive office of UCDMC, believes that Marsh will continue to lead just as well as he had in his previous positions.

“[Marsh] has shown exemplary leadership throughout his career, and I am confident he will continue to do the same in this important role,” Rice said in a UC Davis press release.

In 2004, Marsh joined UCDMC as a registered nurse and was promoted successively to nursing advisor, nurse manager and director of patient care services. From 2010 to March 2016, he was director of hospital and clinics, planning and leading daily patient care procedures, clinical education and projects.

While Marsh led the nursing department, UCDMC earned Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center in 2014. The designation is the nation’s highest form of recognition for nursing excellence and serves as a benchmark for quality of care.

Some of Marsh’s personal distinctions include serving on the board of the California Association of Healthcare Leaders, working as  a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, receiving the 40 Under 40 Award from the Sacramento Business Journal in 2012 and receiving U.S. Air Force Commendation Medals in 2001 and 2004.

Marsh was a member of the U.S. Air Force from 1997 to 2004, and he considers his work as a healthcare worker to be heavily influenced by his time in the military.

“Robert Olson, my squadron commander, was my biggest professional influence,” Marsh said in an interview for the Sacramento Bee. “He role modeled how to treat people and how to work with people. His job — and my job now — is to help facilitate other people’s greatness, to help them achieve what they showed up to do. There, it was fixing planes. Here, it’s delivering safe, quality patient care.”

Baljeet Sangha, president of California Association of Healthcare Leaders, also recognized how Marsh’s military service has influenced his current healthcare leadership.

“Toby Marsh has a strong legacy of selfless, servant leadership,” Sangha said. “From his time in the military serving our country, to his bedside nursing career to his health administration leadership roles, Toby has focused on improving the professional development of his peers with their careers and modeled how we should keep the needs of those we serve at front of mind.”

Sangha regards Marsh as the best candidate for his appointment.

“He is humble, personable, approachable, humorous and compassionate,” Sangha said. “UC Davis could not have chosen a better chief of nursing and patient care services.”

Written by: Yvonne Leong — campus@theaggie.org