The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, March 11, 2025
VOL. 73, ISSUE 20
R’Perspective: The trouble with relaxing over spring break ANOTHER SPRING BREAK SPENT SLEEPING AWAY AND WALLOWING IN MY SELF-INFLICTED FOMO.
Scotty Eats battles both food insecurity and sustainability issues
SCOTTY EATS PROVIDES FREE NUTRITIOUS MEALS TO STUDENTS EVERY WEEK WHILE ALSO CUTTING DOWN ON FOOD WASTE. ELENA VERSAGE / THE HIGHLANDER
UCR women’s basketball shines on senior night
SPANDANA JANAPATI Assistant Opinions Editor
The glorious one-week stretch before April should feel like freedom. It’s a moment to pause and take a breath away from the stress and demands of college life. But before April 1 even arrives, I find that time has already slipped through my fingers. Every year, I convince myself that things will be different. I’ll be the person who takes a trip, posts pictures on Instagram instead of unarchiving them; proving that I am young and fun and effortlessly happy just like I should be. But I never leave my bed. No matter how much I want to be that person, I never am. Senior year has made it painfully clear how many things I once thought would happen never did. The spring break trips my high school friends and I planned in the back of Advance Placement (AP) literature never happened. The summer getaways we swore we’d take never became real. Back then, I assumed there would always be time. Now, I sit at my desk, scrolling through LinkedIn, half-heartedly updating my resume while knowing deep down that I still haven’t done enough. ► SEE SPRING BREAK PAGE 10
UCR WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CELEBRATES SENIOR NIGHT WITH A WIN OVER CSUF AND CLINCHES THE SEVENTH SEED FOR THE BIG WEST PLAYOFFS. KISHNEET KAUR Contributing Writer MATA ELANGOVAN / THE HIGHLANDER
SANJANA THATTE News Editor
Scotty Eats, a newly launched food insecurity program has started distributing free meals to students every Tuesday night from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. The program, despite having been launched only this quarter, averages 80 to 100 students per night, distributing dining hall food that would have otherwise been discarded. The program is a result of a collaboration between Basic Needs, the University
of California, Riverside (UCR) Dining, Green Campus Action Plan (GCAP), the Associated Students of UCR (ASCUR) Internal and ASUCR Sustainability. Located in the Bear’s Den, Scotty Eats seeks to alleviate students’ food insecurity by providing free meals to students created by the leftover food from Glasgow Restaurant. The program taking place at 10 p.m. is due to the dining hall closure at 9 p.m. ► SEE SCOTTY EATS PAGE 6
Battle of the Bands A RECAP OF UCR’S FAVORITE MUSIC COMPETITION HIGHLIGHTING UP-AND-COMING LOCAL TALENT! FRANCES TONG Production Assistant
The air was electric at the University of California, Riverside’s (UCR) SoundClash, the annual battle of the bands event that brings together some of the most talented student musicians on campus. Among the performers were Tailgate 87, Badskin and TMF, three student-formed rock bands that have been creating music with a new high-energy sound. Held at The Barn on campus – one of the oldest structures at UCR, being built in 1917 – which has been used as an iconic music venue for both students and Riverside locals since the 1960s. This year’s SoundClash music competition, organized and sponsored by the
COURTESY OF ASPB
est. 1954
Associated Students Program Board (ASPB), commenced on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Badskin Formed by a tight-knit group of friends at UCR, Badskin consists of lead guitarist Ryan Trinh, rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Alex Lai, bassist Joseph Lee, drummer Nathan Chen, and lead singer Nick Lee. With influences ranging from The Beatles to The Red Hot Chili Peppers, their music blends together both a sense of classic rock rhythm and a modern funk energy, designed to “get people to move and groove,” the band says. ► SEE SOUNDCLASH PAGE 16
On March 8, 2025 — International Women’s Day — the University of California Riverside (UCR) women’s basketball team claimed victory over California State University of Fullerton (CSUF) with the final score being 61-51. This was a momentous night for the UCR team as it was senior night, and UCR honored Esther Matarranz from Madrid and Gemma Cutler from North Vancouver. The womens’ senior night started with a heartwarming video from Matarranz’s parents back in Spain. The touching video shared how proud they were of her and her dedication throughout her four years as a Highlander. Both Matarranz and Cutler have proven their love and dedication to the program and will be missed dearly. Before the game against CSUF, UCR took on the California State University of Northridge (CSUN) Matadors during a thrilling away game at the Premier America Credit Arena. UCR rose to the occasion during overtime, winning 7774. Makayla Rose scored a career-high 31 points to carry the Highlanders to victory. After defeating CSUF, UCR clinched the seventh seed going into the playoffs for the Big West Conference. UCR will be taking on sixth seed California State University of Long Beach (CSULB) on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. The previous two times UCR has taken on CSULB they have walked out with losses. The UCR team will need to bring their Agame to beat CSULB and advance in the playoffs. Matarranz expressed how it is going to be very unusual for her once she leaves UCR. ► SEE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PAGE 22
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