R’Gear, when it began in February of 2015, was penned as an initiative to raise school spirit by distributing supposedly “free” UCR sweatshirts and crewnecks (pre-paid for, naturally, by a portion of student fees), primarily to incoming freshmen. Though fostering a sense of community and pride in one’s university is an admirable goal, the R’Gear distributions seem more like...
Opinions
Walmart’s new firearm policies are well-intentioned but do nothing to solve the problem of gun violence
Marcelo Garcia -
In the wake of the Florida shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead and 14 wounded, Walmart released a statement on Wednesday, Feb. 28 announcing that the age restriction on purchasing firearms has been raised from 18 to 21 in all stores. In that same statement, Walmart has also announced that items “resembling assault-style rifles,...
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf made national headlines last week after warning her constituents, via Twitter, about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids taking place in the city. Since the 2018 elections are on the horizon, this all may seem like a scheme to gain votes. In reality, however, Schaaf is just trying to protect innocent, undocumented immigrants from being...
Opinions
R’Perspective: From humble beginnings to new challenges — reflecting on my college career
Edward Dave -
College is the best way to humble someone. I found that out the hard way upon my arrival. I wasn’t dripping in arrogance or anything, but I underestimated the leap that college is from high school. In high school, every teacher I had during my senior year would forecast a troublesome path for me if I treated my college...
The question of whether student athletes ought to be paid (and if so, how much) is a continuous source of debate, one which the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently exacerbated (yet again) by its handling of a recent lawsuit regarding paying their athletes. Last year, Lawrence “Poppy” Livers, a former NCAA athlete, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA...
Teen survivors of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting travelled to the state capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 21 to demand action from lawmakers on guns, and to show support specifically for a proposed assault weapons ban in the the Florida House of Representatives. What these brave students were instead met with, however, was a defeated ban on assault rifles...
From a time before I can remember, I’ve been a Catholic. I was baptized very young, and consequently have been going to church and learning about that faith for more or less my entire life. It is fair to say, then, that being Catholic has always been part of my identity, and influenced many aspects of my life, from...