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…
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…
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…
My Opinion on UCR’s Promotional Videos
By Marijke van Selm Just a disclaimer: I am part of the Tabula Rasa daily board. However, the opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect TR’s opinion. This article is an expression of my own thoughts on the matter. Lately, UCR has been releasing promotional videos, filmed and edited by a UCR student….
The Power of a Simple “Thank You”
By Eva Kloppenborg My time at UCR is regretfully coming to an end. Soon, my three years spent in this beautiful bubble will become a memory that I will look back at with a wistful sense of nostalgia. Over the years there have been many hurdles, many doubts and many nightly feelings of a gnawing…
Fill the Void
By Justin Kist Now is not the time to rest your weary head. As we are kilometers apart, ranging from a few to some thousands, life continues. The world turns and so does UCR. Assignments, exams, and projects still exist. In a different set-up, yes, but it still continues. Like UCR always seems to do….
Dear International Students
By Tallie Nikitchyuk Hey international students! You, yes, you. Where are you on the election posters? Why aren’t you seeing yourselves welcoming our newbies in an over-the-top Introweek costume, saving the academic day in a crisp blue blazer, serving up delicious food and drinks in the purple heart of our community, or sharing the…
Falling in Love: the Stories of UCR
Compiled by Sithis Yim Samnang You know there’s that one person when you look into their eyes, you can sense the soft idleness in your floaty little heart. You can feel the attraction and… CRASH! You fell right into that hole. And your wish is for that person to fall right back; hopefully, into yours….
The Pixels of a UCR Quaranscreen
By Luna Erica “Go to sleep,” someone says. You find your bed, and everything goes black. When the light floods into your field of vision again, you see the sun rising through your window. It is square. This is Minecraft. Now that our “real lives” are compromised, UCR students have taken to digital lives as…
Well, fuck.
by Mathilde Eon It has been over two weeks since UCR closed the doors of its classrooms to students, teachers and staff. I remember hearing cheers outside my Bagijnhof house as I was reading the email announcing the decision of management. Next week’s classes and exams were cancelled until further notice, the night was still…
It Can’t do us Part
as nature’s defence delivers its onslaught – should we commit mass-self-slaughter for the natural world – or is it a mistake a star-crossed affair or the Doomsday dawning the plastic shelves devoid the streets forsaken the drawn-back curtains colourless, pseudoplants on the sills, but the hospitals are all but deserted. journalists thirsty for the death-toll…
Bit Bored? Big Board. (part 2)
By Luna Erica In the first article of this short series, we discussed the general technicalities of the different boards and their elections. In this second half, we hear the boards’ stories about motivation, skills, and social life during their board years. Six members of current big boards have shared their experiences to be broadcast…
Bit Bored? Big Board. (part 1)
By Luna Erica Bit bored -> big board? Well, not necessarily. As the spring semester creeps up on our stressed, fetal-posed bodies, the UCR election season bowls into view. Every year, the boards we have grown to see as invincible entities submerge back into the sea of other students. Then, a few lucky fish swim…
The Thunder Down Under: Stories of an Exchange in Australia
By Luna Erica Going on exchange can be tiresome and is, no doubt about it, a lot of work. In the past, this has discouraged heaps of people from going at all – a fact that is not an absolute waste (after all, UCR isn’t that bad, right?), but that may have been a dream…
Life after UCR: Part 1
By Anja Herrmann At UCR, you are confronted with so many opportunities and subjects that it can be hard to pick the ones you want to do in the time frame of just three years- and when you finally draw near to the finish line of a 3 year marathon, you get hit with these…
“Feeling Blue: The Performance Pressure & Mental Health of the 21st Century Student”
By Amélie Snijders and Mieke Pressley Acquiring a university degree has never been a simple task. It inevitably goes hand in hand with many hours of hard work and the occasional unhappiness about having to spend this time on studying, writing a paper or preparing for a presentation. Recently, however, there appears to be an…
Going Global: An Overview of the UCR Exchange Process
By Luna Erica The semester is well on its way, and for many first- and third-semester students that means that a decision is coming up: Will you apply for an exchange semester? At UCR Open Days, the possibility of an exchange semester is often emphasized as a very exciting element of your studies in Middelburg….
Useful Procrastination #Taketwo: Youtube and Its Wonders
By Alice Fournier You know when you really feel like doing nothing at all, but at the same time you’re too stressed to be able to enjoy doing nothing? Let’s procrastinate effectively together, shall we? I’m doing that just now writing this article, in fact. I’m a master of procrastination, but I do so in…
The Musical Show of UCR
By Florence Mazzetti A hall, a stage, a microphone. Songs swinging through the air, telling the audience how to feel. An ever-changing atmosphere led by performances, where silent messages are spread across the room. Open Mics at De Spot give UCR students exclusive experiences, ranging from listening to local performers to going on stage for…
Communitas in UCR: “Is this the beginning of the end?”
by Luna Erica As we all surely know, when anything remotely big happens at UCR, the entire community knows in no time. And this time, too, UCR did not disappoint. The reorientation plan that was recently communicated to the students and staff of UCR – a plan that will be in effect very soon –…