The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, December 2, 2025
VOL. 74, ISSUE 09
OPINIONS
The UC cannot rely on annual tuition hikes to cover federal and state funding cuts COURTESY OF RACHAEL GARNER VIA THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN
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FEATURES
A sign of change: ASL Club’s mark on UCR ASL Club helps students and the deaf/hard of hearing community find a place on campus.
Students and families should not be forced into debt just to access higher education at the UC. THE EDITORIAL BOARD The Highlander
On Nov. 19, 2025, the University of California (UC) Board of Regents approved an undergraduate tuition increase for future students despite systemwide student opposition. In a 13-3 vote, the Board renewed its Tuition Stability Plan — first adopted under former UC President Michael V. Drake in 2021 — that includes several amendments set to
take effect in the 2026-27 academic year. Under the Tuition Stability Plan, regents can approve undergraduate tuition and systemwide fee increases up to five percent annually. Each cohort of students pays a fixed tuition rate for up to six years, with every new class paying more than the last and less than the next cohort. However, graduate students are exempt from this model and instead receive annual tuition increases tied to infla-
tion. The UC Regents’ renewed version adds three amendments to the Tuition Stability Plan. First, while regents can still raise tuition by up to five percent each year, they can now “bank” any amount over the cap for future years. This means if the regents approve a tuition hike greater than five percent due to inflation but can only... ► SEE EDITORIAL ON PAGE 9
NEWS
Riverside City Council approves millions for animal services $16.8 million in funding allocated towards preventative animal care. MARIBEL HERNANDEZ Staff Writer
Following a 5-2 vote, the Riverside City Council approved a $16.8 million dollar animal services agreement on Nov. 18, 2025. The three-year service agreement will run through the 2025-26 fiscal year until 2027-28. It aims to improve the quality of shelter life, encourages adoption, reduces eu-
thanasia rates, helps reunite owners with pets before they enter the shelter system and helps to cover the rising costs for operations. The agreement was brought before the Riverside City Council after the Riverside County shelters have been struggling to keep up with the demand for shelter and a data report dating back to May 2025 noted that Riverside County Department of Animal Services (RCDAS) has been experiencing over 220% capacity across its shelter locations. As a result of overcapacity, euthanasia rates have creeped up to 37% for dogs and cats, which animal activists claim
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is the highest in the entire country. The new agreement seeks to lower these rates through preventative care services including asking veterinarians to expand free spay and neuter services ranging from three to five per month, ex► SEE ANIMAL SERVICES ON PAGE 5
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SANJANA THATTE Features Editor
Being a part of a college campus means that in some way, shape or form, you want to help change the world, or at the very least be an active part of it. Even if your only aspiration, after spending four years at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) is to get a desk job and make sure there is enough money in your checking account to pay rent, you still have shown the self advocacy to make sure that you’ve secured a place for yourself in the world. Through our time here we realize it’s the little things that build up day after day, and month after month to help us reach our goals and create something we are proud of. The American Sign Language (ASL) Club is the perfect example of this, creating a tight-knit community on campus where people can feel like they are learning something new, making connections with others and inciting real change in the world. Makayla Anderson, third year education major and president of the club, explained that ASL club started... ► SEE ASL CLUB ON PAGE 16
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