To those who are unfamiliar with the plot of the 2017 film Lady Bird, the story revolves around a high school student from a working class family, who is in the process of applying to college. The movie explores the social dynamics of the quirky teen, who calls herself "Lady Bird", with her mother, friends, and romantic interests. Though the story has been told countless times before, this film does a remarkable job in capturing the range of emotions that every high schooler feels. Instead of focusing specifically on the highs and lows of high school life, director Greta Gerwig shines a light on all of the minutiae that "Lady Bird" experiences.

While clearly Lady Bird is a tremendous piece of film (it has been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture), there are serious flaws in the movie that are absolutely detrimental to both the quality of the film and the integrity of the story. As a big fan of movies, I couldn’t help but go back and forth on if I wanted to bring this to the public, but again, being such a devoted lover of film, I feel that this injustice has to be brought to light, which is why I have decided to write this.

* Note: there are minor spoilers ahead, if you still plan on watching this controversial movie - proceed with caution.

Early on in the plot, "Lady Bird" receives admission to University of California, Davis, more commonly known as UC Davis. UC Davis is one of the ten campuses in the UC system, boasting 104 majors of study, a thriving division 1 athletic program, top graduate programs in law, business, and medicine, and is even home to the number-one ranked veterinary school in the universe. The school is the alma-mater to a plethora of successful individuals across many fields, including Buffalo Bills punter Colton Schmidt, comedian Hasan Minhaj, engineer Linda Katehi, and myself.

Throughout the film, "Lady Bird" expresses her longing to attend a university on the east coast, "where culture is". Well "Lady Bird", I have news for you. Just 20 minutes down the road from your high school in Sacramento, lies a top 10 public university in the United States, with an amount of culture of the likes you have never dreamed of. In what has been dubbed "the Yale of the west", thousands of people, from all walks of life, gather everyday to push the boundaries of knowledge and culture. Now, not everyone has to share the zest and passion for UC Davis that I have, as does former NBA player and current UC Davis basketball coach Jim Les, but please, "Lady Bird", show some respect.

When her parents bring up the notion of attending a school that is both affordable to her family and close to home, "Lady Bird" only responds with absurd outbursts, claiming that she is "...not going to a f**king university that’s famous for its f**king agricultural school!” When discussing the prospect of attending the prestigious UC Davis with her mother, "Lady Bird" dramatically and unnecessarily jumps out of a moving car, to avoid just a conversation about the school. While she is fortunate not to have been seriously injured during this reckless stunt, her point came across loud and clear - she has no interest in the education and life that UC Davis has to offer.

While it is disappointing to have a national spotlight on an individual with such distaste for UC Davis, there is something that we can do. I ask the university to revoke Ms. Bird's offer of admission, which had originally been given for the Fall of 2003, in response to her continued showings of blatant disrespect towards UC Davis, its people, and its culture.

Go Ags,

Tommer Schwarz