The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, December 9, 2025
VOL. 74, ISSUE 10
SPORTS
Highlanders bounce back in 63-46 win over Cal Poly ELENA VERSAGE / THE HIGHLANDER
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RADAR
Indigenous Truthtelling Symposium & Art Exhibit proudly unveils at UCR “How art gives us a spirit of resistance that oppressive colonialism can never extinguish.”
After a tough loss earlier in the week, Hannah Wickstrom leads Highlanders to a win. ELENA VERSAGE Staff Writer
On Saturday Dec. 6, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) women’s basketball team hosted California Polytechnic State Uni-
versity, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly). The Highlanders have had a rough start to their season, going 1-6 and facing tough opponents including the likes of California Baptist University and the University of Arizona. Cal Poly has also been struggling, starting 2-5, with the most notable school on their schedule being Stanford University. UCR entered Saturday’s game coming off a tough loss to UC Irvine. In that game, they trailed 36-
11 at halftime and weren’t able to make it a competitive game. Cal Poly also lost their first conference game of the year to Cal State Fullerton, 96-64. With both teams entering Saturday’s matchup 0-1 in Big West play, this game felt like a must-win, as a slow start in conference play can be difficult to overcome later in the season. The Highlanders have also... ► SEE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ON PAGE 25
NEWS
California gubernatorial candidate asks donors to help pay legal bills Riverside County Sheriff draws criticism for his campaign practices. OVI MATHIVANAN Staff Writer
Chad Bianco, the Riverside County Sheriff and 2026 California gubernatorial candidate, quietly started a legal defense fund in October that would allow donors to help pay his legal expenses. The funding request has drawn atten-
tion and criticism due to the timing and the public’s perceived lack of transparency from Bianco’s team. Additionally, there have been concerns about whether Bianco can distinguish between his responsibilities as Sheriff, his campaign activities and his legal battles. When questioned about the funding, Bianco pointed to biased reporting practices and reinforced that starting a legal defense fund is a standard campaign practice. Despite Bianco maintaining his position that the request for donations to pay his legal expenses are not
COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
a conflict of interest with his gubernatorial campaign, the funding request has still been met with...
ALONDRA ORDAZ / THE HIGHLANDER
IAN PALMA & ANTHONY ASCENIO CARVAJAL Radar Editor / Contributing Writer
On Dec. 2, 2025, an array of acclaimed artists, scholars and journalists congregated into room 1113 of the CHASS Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) for the Indigenous Truthtelling Symposium & Art Exhibit. Displaying the works of artists like Mona Kadah and Weshoyot Alvitre while inviting intellectuals to speak, the event focused on the current plight and resilience of indigenous people. More specifically, the Indigenous Truthtelling Symposium & Art Exhibit touched upon the ongoing genocide in Gaza, highlighting the grave injustices done on Palestinians while noting the bravery of journalists and artists willing to speak out about it. With many of the atrocities against those native to their land... ► SEE SYMPOSIUM ON PAGE 21
► SEE CHAD ON PAGE 7
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