California’s public schools are facing a crisis that runs deeper than just numbers. For the seventh year in a row, enrollment has declined. This year, there are more 12th graders than first graders — a nearly 20 percent difference that shows fewer kids are entering the educational system than graduating out of it.
At the same time, the number of...
In May 2025, California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed a budget to curb a foreseen deficit of $12 billion. One of the proposals includes cutting spending on Medi-Cal, the phased out healthcare program for undocumented immigrants. In Newsom’s proposition, he intends to cancel enrollment for new beneficiaries in 2026 and start some assessed monthly premiums in 2027 in order to...
On Dec. 1, 2012, an empty plot of land behind Parking Lot 30 was transformed into what we know today as the R’Garden, or the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) community garden. It was a joint effort by UCR student organizations, Sustainable UCR and Cultivate R’Space.
In 2008, similar efforts were spearheaded to fund and create a separate community garden...
A couple of years ago, I witnessed a classmate delete an old tweet in the middle of a lecture after her friends in a group chat dug it up and started gossiping about it. I remember her whispering to me in fear, saying something along the lines of, “If I get cancelled over that tweet from 2015, just know...
When I first stepped on campus at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), I was a nervous first-generation college student, trying not to show the disappointment of not getting into my dream school.
However, after spending time at UC Los Angeles and participating in the intercampus visitor program, which allows UC students to spend a quarter or semester at another...
While browsing TheGuardian.com, I saw an image of a man in flag-patterned overalls, cowboy boots and a t-shirt that read, "Trump's Tweets Matter." The picture reminded me of a political meme, but to this man, his patriotic cowboy aesthetic was absolutely serious.
This has become even more of a trend in the United States (U.S.), where patriotism has become a...
California Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, representing Inglewood and nearby areas in Los Angeles County, introduced Assembly Bill 288 (AB 288) to protect workers when federal labor laws fail. The bill addresses serious delays in the federal system, especially with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) — an independent federal agency created to “safeguard employees’ rights to organize” — which is...
On May 9, 2025, Charlie Kirk, conservative right-wing media personality and founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), hosted his “The American Comeback Tour” at the University of California, Riverside (UCR).
Amassing a crowd of students, community members, supporters and protestors, Kirk set up outside the Bell Tower to “debate conventional narratives promoted by leftist academia” and “provide students of all...
Elmo was just laid off. Or at least that is what the internet thought when a fake LinkedIn profile of the beloved Red Muppet — complete with a layoff notice and desperate job hunt — went viral. The satire was hilarious. But the reason it hit so hard? Because it’s not entirely a joke.
In early May 2025, the Trump...
It is not often you see two students readily undermine everything they and their organizations have accomplished in four years in less than two weeks. Instead of relishing in the honor of helping resurrect our two student-run residential organizations, these two student leaders’ legacies are now tarnished by fraud, harassment and abuse of power.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, Residence Halls...