By Anonymous The University College Roosevelt Facebook Account (UCRFBA) should not be a part of nor should be interfering with the “Welcome to UCR class of 2023” Facebook page. This is the first time they have been included and involved. This was not the case for the “Welcome to UCR class of 2022”, and the…
Distance Teaching: How Have the UCR Professors Coped With Online Classes?
By Junghyun Song As a student myself, I tend to think and write about the problems arising from online learning only from the perspectives of students. But a single narrative is dangerous as we do not get the full picture of how different groups are affected differently by the pandemic. As such, I figured that…
Humans of UCR: Derin
By Maud Smulders I’m a dude, who lives in Bagijnhof 3. Occasionally I cook things, I love making people food. Well, not make people-food, but make food for people. I wouldn’t make people-food unless someone asked me that as their deathwish. Recently, I made a hot sauce and people seemed to like it. Then I…
We Need to Talk about Mental Health
By Marco Segantini After writing about the value of cartoons and some of my favorite movies in my previous articles for Tabula Rasa, it seems strange to now sit and write about mental health. I almost wish I could be here writing about “The great friendship between Teddy and the dragon” (those that attended the Budget…
‘Unnamed’ & Deep into the Green
‘Unnamed’ By Fenna Capelle Time may brag, for she transcends the ages Refuge lean on angels enclosing her Bounty can rest in taking her wages Tempt resilience, she’ll refuse to stir They fought with reason and conquered it all And have laid siege on love and fantasy, That dare not think of a thing so…
Celebrating Women’s Health Awareness
By Karina Bukuri It is the first day of breast cancer awareness month and the first time I am celebrating. Being 19 and diagnosed with a non-cancerous breast tumor really changes something in you, it sorts of shifts your perspective on things. By saying this, I don’t mean the dramatic, ‘I think I am gonna…
The Summer Break in ‘The New Normal’
By Junghyun Song The summer break this year was certainly nothing like the one we have had before. With all the uncertainties ushered in by the novel coronavirus, it has been very challenging to make our normal plans and execute them the way we used to. As such, I thought it was time to ask…
Explaining Things to My Hamster
By Marije Huging On many evenings during corona, sitting alone in my room – or, not entirely alone- I pass the time by watching series. In lonesome solitude one night (except for the company of a small rodent), I began to reminisce of my time as a fourteen-year-old girl, addicted to Gossip Girl, which in…
Moria: the Symbol of the European Union’s Failure
By Anna Szczełkun Moria, the biggest refugee camp in Europe located on the Greek island of Lesbos, was destroyed in a fire almost two weeks ago. Even though it was designed for 3000 people, there were up to 13 000 people living there before the fire. The camp was so severely overcrowded, that the inhabitants often…
Love & Seven Numbers Away
Love By Sithis Yim Samnang Your scars are way too beautiful, each one of them is a century I missed in you. I want to be the asshole who can actually write so that the sky, brutal, is as tender as your skin. I am leaning into the afternoon breathing on every cut. I want…
Reflection on My Unforgettable Spring Semester
By Junghyun Song When I got an email in March that all the classes would be canceled for the week, I was more relieved than shocked because I was not ready for my mid-term exams. Also, the gravity of the virus situation did not fully strike me at the time, so I naively believed that…
Students Should Minimize Their Trips Home to See Family/Friends to Once Every Three Months in Light of the Coronavirus Pandemic
By Nathaniel Nichol Although the overall Covid-19 caseload in the Netherlands is still relatively low on a population-adjusted basis, the virus is still here (WHO Data, RIVM). The current evidence indicates minimizing close personal contact is one of the most effective ways of stopping the spread of Covid-19 (CDC). In light of this, it is…
On Freedom
By Arya Mehta This semester, UCR has chosen the theme “Cultures and Institutions of Freedom”, which I find to be a paradoxical expression. Institutions are inherently a tool of the state and do not, and cannot, provide ‘absolute’ freedom (if that is even possible). UCR, as a Western institution, is limited to Western epistemology and…
The Upside Down and the instagrammable museum experience
By Marije Huging This summer, the largest Instagram museum in Europe, started by a popular Dutch Youtuber Anna Nooshin, opened its doors in Amsterdam. ‘’The Upside Down’’ experience contains 15 rooms filled with 25 decorum and installations, all made for people to take the perfect picture for Instagram. The opening of this grand establishment also…
Vaccines May Soon Be Ready, but Are We?
By Anna Szczełkun As the number of worldwide coronavirus cases surpasses 25 million and most of the European countries experience sharp infection increases, more hope is directed towards developing a successful vaccine. With the disease spreading so uncontrollably, vaccination may be the only way for us to return to our normal lives. Currently, over 160 different…
Learn more about the Black Lives Matter movement and Racism
By Anmol Rajpar, Katherine To-Hauser, and Maud Smulders If you are interested in learning more about the BLM movement or racism in general, we have gathered some recommendations for Tv-shows, movies, petitions, places to donate, and black-owned businesses. TV Shows/ Movies: ⁃ Dear White People “As college radio host Samantha White leads the outcry over a…
Seeing All Those Uneducated, Unaccompanied Black Squares on Tuesday for #Blackouttuesday Made Me Want to Delete Instagram
By Katherine To-Hauser Founded in 2013 by Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement created turbulence throughout American and global society. The movement concerns itself with human rights, originating in Black communities in America. Enough is enough, it cries. Black Americans are systemically racialized and targeted daily in the United…
On the Importance of BLM
By Demi de Randamie When I was ten years old, a schoolmate didn’t want to walk with me because of my skin colour. He was afraid my blackness would rub off on him. When I was twelve years old, my teacher complimented me on how well I knew the Dutch national anthem. She was surprised…