In an abrupt change of policy, Big West Conference officials announced that men’s and women’s basketball games that have been canceled will now potentially be made up if possible.
Previously, the policy was that COVID-canceled games would not be made up.
However, since cancellations have become the norm rather than the exception, there was a fear that some teams might play very few games this season if previously canceled contests were not rescheduled.
According to UC Davis Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca, “Priority will be our missed games and will need to be played when openings become available.”
Furthermore, the Big West is awaiting guidance from the NCAA, which controls postseason eligibility.
Noted DeLuca, “We will likely discuss this again once the NCAA determines if there will be a reduced number of countable games for postseason eligibility. The NCAA basketball committees will discuss that specifically in a few weeks when they meet around the NCAA convention.”
If the referendum were to pass, UC Davis would lose about half of its $40 million per year athletics budget, with only a year or so notice before the funding is gone. “The campus would need to replace funds on an ongoing basis,” Topousis said. “An endowment would need to be established.” Because of University of California policies requiring that far more money be invested in an endowment than the amount withdrawn per year, UC Davis would need to raise more than $400 million to replace the funds generated by student fees. “The campus would not be able to raise those funds,” Topousis said.
As a result, UC Davis would either need to eliminate sports teams or dismantle other campus programs to replenish the athletics budget. Both options would involve laying off significant numbers of staff and student employees.
As the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread, some experts say it's past time to reconsider your face mask options -- especially if you're still wearing the cloth variety.
"Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There's no place for them in light of Omicron," said CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, on CNN Newsroom Tuesday.
"This is what scientists and public health officials have been saying for months, many months, in fact," Wen added in a separate phone interview.
"We need to be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask," she said, which is also known as a disposable mask and can be found at most drugstores and some grocery and retail stores. "You can wear a cloth mask on top of that, but do not just wear a cloth mask alone."
Ideally, in crowded places, "you should be wearing a KN95 or N95 mask," which can be as inexpensive as a few dollars each, Wen added. By having a better fit and certain materials -- such as polypropylene fibers -- acting as both mechanical and electrostatic barriers, these masks better prevent tiny particles from getting into your nose or mouth and must be fitted to your face to function properly.
