Alex Ayvee Pura
Survival of the Fittest
March 18, 2013
Dear 26 UC Board of Regents of Article IX, Section 9 of the California Constitution,
“Even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are
with me” (Psalm 23:4). This excerpt from the Holy Bible teaches followers that even through the
suffering that one might experience, they need not let fear deter them from their path. We face a
similar fate today. Zombies rampage our streets; families are torn apart by critical life-death
situations, and the foundation that supports all of society is crumbling. But as we suffer through
the decimation of the human race and slow deterioration of society by this uprising zombie
apocalypse, we must keep looking onward and not lose our heads. However, the recent decision
stating that, “there [will be] no guarantee that the Exercise Biology major will return," ("Exercise
Biology Major") is a big step in the wrong direction. Especially with resource scarcity and major
budget cuts, the UC system needs to maintain a versatile program that will also help combat this
zombie Armageddon. Keeping the Exercise Biology major in UC’s will provide students of the
oncoming generations with vital survival skills, as well as prepare them for a multitude of career
options - two essential components to salvage our civilization from the ashes.
As we walk today in the valley of death, the existence of the human race depends
primarily on the survival skills of those few remaining, the practical life survival expertise that
only an Exercise Biology major can provide. The official UC Davis Course Catalog explains the
practical areas into which the major dives. It reads that, "Exercise biology deals with the
mechanisms and consequences of activity from the molecular to the organismal (human
ecological) level. We examine these mechanisms and consequences during growth, development,
aging, disease and in altered environmental conditions" ("Exercise Biology & NPB Major").
Exercise Biology, or EXB, provides a great knowledge in the forms and effects of activity on the
human body in all scales. This major also deals with the application of this knowledge to
different aspects of health and general living. This educational focus on how to keep one's body
in top shape is key to survival. And what greater of a time to study disease and living in altered
environment conditions than during an apocalyptic horizon? This apocalypse creates difficult,
unusual terrain and living conditions, and breeds a highly contagious zombie virus. On top of
learning important information on how the body works, students need to have the knowledge in
disease to best defend themselves from the viral pandemic. An old saying goes, "To know thy
enemy is half the battle," and in a time like this, those that are free from the disease need any
advantage they can find.
EXB's foundation in various health care career paths offer students a well-developed and
well-rounded background in primary care, a critical skill to sustaining the already slaughtered
numbers of the human population. The UC Davis admissions major description includes the
various career and schooling options for those in the EXB program. The website explains,
"Exercise Biology majors from UC Davis have a range of career and graduate study options
available. Many pursue graduate study in such fields as medicine, physical therapy, exercise
physiology, biomechanics, sports psychology, education and nursing" ("Exercise Biology
Major"). The EXB major prepares students with a diverse and well-rounded background in many
forms of primary care and treating those with illness, disease, and injury. This gives EXB
students an upper hand in this harsh and physically demanding environment especially when it
comes to treating otherwise terminal injuries against the zombie invasion. A program that offers
vital advantages to the survival of oneself and others must be kept in the UC system.
My personal experience of EXB is no exception. I have not had the fortune of being
accepted into this major yet because I am currently a Biological Systems Engineer major. But
this did not stop me from chasing after my dreams when I learned what EXB is all about. I sat in
an Exercise Biology 010 class one day, curious to find out what all the buzz was about for this
major. Within those measly 50 minutes, my mind was opened up to a world of academia of
which I was not aware. Practical information about fitness, nutrition, and health filled the chalk
board just within the opening moments of the class. As someone who was raised into a sports
oriented family, health and fitness easily became favorite topics of which I found I could discuss
and research endlessly.. The facts I have learned in that one class alone, on top of what I have
heard from friends in this major, provide a glance into a dream major of which I can only hope to
one day be an expert on.
Nothing, though, is without flaw. Advocates for the removal of the EXB program in
response to budget cuts usually say that EXB is an unnecessary branch from what is already
covered in broader biology courses such as Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior (NPB) and
Biological Sciences. However, contrary to these beliefs, EXB centers itself around a specialized
field quite different from that of NPB and Biological Sciences. Within Biological Sciences is a
broad range of various sciences of life studies including plants, insects, animals, cells, molecular,
ect. And while NPB focuses on exactly what the name entails (neuroscience, physiology, and
behavior), EXB has a more different focus of biology that goes deeper on human biology, health,
and physicality aspects than biological sciences. Furthermore, one could easily make the same
argument about the 20+ biological majors within the UC system. Though EXB does not have as
strong of a name on its own outside Biology, it provides for a rapidly growing popular field that
offers more advantages than other majors now in this time of scarcity against a zombie army.
The EXB major, which consists of significant primary academic fields as well as various
branches of specialization, provides for efficient development of well-rounded students to fix the
lacking workforce decimated by the apocalypse. According to the Biological Sciences
department page, an Exercise Biology major could, "lead to further graduate study in any field
related to human biology as well as careers in medicine and other health sciences (e.g., physical
therapy), biomechanics and biomedical engineering, and medical equipment and pharmaceutical
development and sales" but on the other hand, "The A. B. programs are for those students who
wish to apply their knowledge of exercise biology/science within the human community,
business, communications, education, or coaching" ("Exercise Biology"). The flexibility and
variation within EXB allows students to specialize among wide range of opportunities in
graduate study and professional careers to rebuild the human civilization. The recovery from the
destruction of the population and society requires a process of replacing the lost workforce. The
EXB program offers students preparation into many different career paths, giving the benefit of
multiple programs and majors at the price of one. During a time of resource scarcity and
population decimation, it is a necessity to maintain a program that can prepare the most
workforce with the least money.
As the world delves deeper into the pits of a zombie apocalypse, sustaining the Exercise
Biology program in the UC system proves to be the promising light at the end of the tunnel. With
this major, students will be able to master human biology, physical health, disease, and living in
altered environmental conditions, the essentials of survival in this chaos. The extensive variety of
health care fields and beyond stemming from an EXB foundation will allow students to treat
diseases and injuries, specialize, and diversify. The UC system needs to maintain this major to
foster prepared, well-rounded professionals, a necessity to fight the zombie apocalypse, saving
lives, and rebuilding our decimated society - all at the price of one program. UC Board of
Regents, I ask you in this time of desperation and disaster, help protect the human race. In a time
when society is destroyed, and people revert back to primal dependencies, we must follow
Darwin's theory: "Survival of the fittest."
Sincerely,
Sir Alex Ayvee Pura III
UC Davis EXB survivor