Fitness center reopens its doors for students

BY WHITNEY EVANS Reporter

After being closed for nearly two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fitness Center has reopened to athletes, students, faculty and staff.

Football head coach and Fitness coordinator James Sims said he is glad that the center has reopened, because it can give students a sense of normalcy.

“I hope that the students could come back in, start getting somewhat of a normal life and be able to come and enjoy the full campus life of being able to work out and go to class,” Sims said.

Women’s basketball assistant coach Zenith Robinson echoed the sentiment and said the opening allows students to get active again.

“They don’t have to feel like they're stuck at home or in front of a computer,” Robinson said. “It allows them to get back on campus and get in a workout.”

Men’s basketball assistant coach Travell Robinson said the center is extremely beneficial for student-athletes.

“It gives the athletes a chance to get back in shape, back in conditioning,” Robinson said. “We're making sure everybody’s staying safe, while being competitive at the same time.”

The fitness center is used by many student-athletes on campus, Women’s soccer forward Alexandra Meza said she is happy about the reopening and the support student-athletes are getting.

“I get to come in everyday, I feel a lot better and I feel healthy,” Meza said. “There has been great support for our athletes and our team, preparing our muscles for game day. I love it.”

Football player Peyton Pelletier said adjusting to working out through the COVID-19 lockdown was difficult for student-athletes.

“We weren’t able to go into the training room to get our bodies right,” Pelletier said.

“We weren’t able to go into the weight room. It’s great to come in here four to five times a week with the coaches and the team, it’s really helping us develop a lot more”.

Coaches and athletes had to adjust to having their training sessions on Zoom.

Sims said that he was working with student athletes during the lockdown but the equipment needs were not met for many at home.

“Some students had weights at home, some had water bottles,” Sims said. “I had a student using drills.”

Sims said the Fitness Center is one of the many athletic facilities that needs to be remodeled because of the wear and tear it has accumulated throughout the years.

“It’s really looking kind of old. Especially the flooring, walls and mirrors because it sat dormant for almost two years due to COVID,” Sims said. “The gym is a little over 10 years old, it’s time to replace it.”

The fitness center is reserved for athletes from 7-11a.m. Students, faculty and staff are allowed access from 11 a.m.-1p.m.

STREET BEAT SHOULD THE UNITED STATES GET INVOLVED IN THE RUSSIAUKRAINE CONFLICT?

BY JAYNA KUKLIN Copy Editor and Reporter

Russia and Ukraine have been at war for eight years and two months over an issue regarding the old president of Ukraine being overthrown. Now it’s ongoing because Russia annexed Crimea, which is a land that is valuable to Ukraine. Russia then invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 without giving any prior warning.

It is time for the United States to take a stand. It is time to let President Vladimir Putin know that this unprovoked attack cannot be ignored and that actions have consequences.

An article for NBC News written by retired Army colonel and former member of the National Security Council Jeff McCausland explained that even though the Russia-Ukraine conflict is not in our territory, it should matter to Americans.

McCausland stated the reason why this invasion and war should matter: “Democracy is under attack.”

Ukraine is not strong enough to be handling an invasion on its own, especially when Russia has Belarus as an ally.

Ukraine is an ally. When an ally is in trouble, it would be within our mindset as humans to do anything possible to help keep them safe.

When we see our friends in danger, or countries being invaded, what would you do?

Would you rush in and help them against the enemy by providing soldiers and weapons? Or would you stand off to the side and let them handle it themselves?

Meredith Deliso from ABC News explained a statement made by President Joe Biden in her article, “This is more than just about Russia and Ukraine.”

And Biden is correct. This isn’t just about the invasion taking place in Ukraine or about any of the two countries.

Now, things are different. Ukraine is a country of its own, having its own military force as well as its own government. Putin isn’t happy with it.

“Ithink[theU.S.]shouldnʼt getinvolvedinitunlessthere isdangerthataffectsus.Why wouldyougetinvolvedin somethingthatputsyouin danger?”

-RobertZepeda

“Weshouldjusttrytohelp Ukraineinanywaythatwecan. Itʼsdifficultbecauseobviously, wedonʼtwanttogetinvolved inawar,orstartWorldWarIII, God forbid.”

-Michelle Pencak

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought along immeasurable tragedy, hardships and mental grief for everyone, but especially for the citizens caught in the crossfire, which include my family.

I was born in Moscow, and immigrated to the US at the age of 10. I have immediate family in both Russia and Ukraine.

My father lives on the outskirts, while my brother has been living in the port city Odessa in Southern Ukraine for the past three years. Odessa was one of the first cities hit by Russian shelling. My brother was among the lucky few who had the opportunity to leave the city, heading toward the Polish border.

According to an article from CNN the United States will be forced to go to war with Russia over Ukraine, and relations between China and Taiwan will also falter because Putin just gave China the chance to invade Taiwan. Why? Because Taiwan is considered to be Chinese territory, just

BY SAMMY JOHNSON Reporter

Ascenario in which the United States physically intervenes in the Ukraine crisis would prove very risky on all sides.

Ever since the Russian invasion of

“IʼmfromtheRepublicof Georgia,whichisanother countrythat'sbeenconstantly invadedandattackedbyRussia. Assomeonethatʼsveryfamiliar withRussianaggression,I thinktheU.S.shouldnotget involved.”

-EmmyApreyan

My brother was among the lucky few who had the opportunity to leave the city, heading towards the Polish border.

Being a U.S. citizen, he was also one of the few able-bodied like how Ukraine is considered to be Russian/Soviet territory. men that were let out of the country. The rest have to stay in case of a military draft. He is in Germany now, and hopes to return to Odessa soon but doesn’t know if his home will be there when he does.

Think about it. Who are the two countries in the world that have the biggest nuclear weapons right now? It’s not China, it’s not Taiwan and it sure isn’t Ukraine.

So that leaves the United States and Russia, and they would face off again in over 30 years if things escalate.

As you can see, Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine has damaged the U.S. too, even though Ukraine is taking the worst of it.

War is unavoidable. And now is not the time to leave an ally who is in desperate need of assistance.

The dubious reasons for this offensive, the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas and nuclear power plants alike, highlight a pattern of disdain for basic human rights and a disregard for laws of war. At the center of it all is one man that wields enough power to destroy the livelihood of millions of people without a second thought.

While incomparable to the atrocities faced by the Ukrainian citizens, the mental health of all reasonable and empathetic people all over the world has taken a toll.

I sit in my nice apartment in Encino while typing this article. I have my cat perched on my lap purring quietly, a cup of tea emitting slight plumes of steam, and numerous books scattered all over the table. I feel ashamed of my privileged position and the safety net I have.

So, every 10 minutes I have to check the news. I have to see what the people are going through; I have to hear their voices, their hopes and dreams. After all, if I did not, would that not be considered willful ignorance?

My friend Vika Aytuganova said she left her hometown near

Ukraine began on Feb. 24, Russia’s military forces, supported by countries like Belarus, have destroyed thousands of buildings and displaced many more thousands, even millions of citizens, according to a report by Reuters.

At first glance, crises such as this should never happen. However, the United States’ intervention could cause what is happening in Ukraine to spread throughout Europe and displace many more citizens.

Ukraine is not a part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), so whatever conflict Russia engages in the country of Ukraine, should stay there, unless Putin decides to invade a NATO member afterward.

However, if the United States engages in conflict, Russia would likely attempt to

Kyiv just days before it was encircled by Russian troops.

“The whole sky was red. There is no light, electricity, phone service, or internet,” Aytuganova said. “Yesterday we fled to Western Ukraine. Today we are going to the border.”

The connection was choppy, with her voice cutting in and out throughout our call. She sounded tired and distraught.

I felt helpless. I did not know what I could say to make her feel better. There were no right words that I could muster. This made me think of my own undeniable connection to this conflict.

My powerlessness to do anything more than donate funds and resources to aid Ukraine infuriates me. As much as I know it to be a logical fallacy, I feel responsible for the actions of my countrymen.

This sense of collective guilt and responsibility is wrong for a number of reasons, primarily, because 99.9 percent of the Russian population has absolutely no say in the actions of the Russian government.

Also, it would be erroneous to assume that the Russian people are in support of this war, or even in support of their government. The majority of the people I know, my family and friends are as appalled at Putin’s actions as I am. They are protesting on the streets at the risk of arrest and retaliate because it shares a maritime border with the U.S. across the Diomede Islands of the Bering Strait. persecution. I know that if I was in Russia, I would be in jail for speaking my mind.

If Russia strikes the U.S., all other NATO countries would be unwillingly dragged into a war with Russia because of Article 5, a policy which states that an attack on one member of the Organization is an attack against the rest of the countries a part of NATO.

If every country in NATO went to war with Russia, it would cause further displacement, especially in Europe, and force many people to leave their homes and some to be drafted.

The amount of Ukrainian people that have been displaced as of Thursday is at least two million and counting, which is approximately four-and-a-half percent of the total population, not counting people that have been killed in the conflict.

The population of all European NATO countries combined is approximately 576 million, according to countryeconomy.com. This means that, if the U.S. and Russia were to directly engage in conflict, a population of almost 600 million would be facing refugee and resource crises.

Additionally, the combined level of nuclear warheads possessed between NATO and Russia lies at just over 12 thousand with an additional 350 owned by China, who is a close ally of Russia, according to articles on Nationalworld, Swiss Info, and Wikipedia.

Rather than intervening directly, the U.S. and even the rest of the world can help Ukraine by sanctioning Russian oligarchs and keeping borders open to the rest of the world.

The atrocities that Putin is committing are unfathomable. The photos and videos coming from Ukraine show the extent of destruction that he has brought upon Ukraine. Amidst the terror, death, and misery, one thing is becoming clear.

The levels of resilience, perseverance, bravery, and humanity displayed by the Ukrainian people are beyond our understanding. The nation of 43 million stands strong in the face of the Russian invaders, making them earn each inch of land with blood and shame.

I’ve seen images of elderly women creating Molotov cocktails to support and supply their troops. I’ve seen videos of farmers on tractors, hauling off Russian tanks to turn them over to the Ukrainian armed forces. I’ve also seen civilian footage of bodies on the streets. Children, mothers, fathers, dead. The Russian artillery does not discriminate.

This raises the question of what can the average Pierce College student do to show their support for the citizens of Ukraine? The answers vary, but there is one that I’ve heard a lot from my Ukrainian friends and family: share the truth of what is happening.

The world needs to be aware of the immense human cost of Putin’s actions. Many Russian citizens are still unaware of the extent of the atrocities since the media is almost entirely controlled by the government. There are also a number of organizations that distribute humanitarian aid and resources for the displaced and suffering population of Ukraine. Doctors Without Borders and the Ukrainian Red Cross are actively providing medical aid inside the war zone. You can also donate to humanitarian organizations in bordering countries that are focused on housing and supporting refugees, such as the Polish Humanitarian Action and R2P, a Ukrainian-based organization. Do your best, whatever that might be. Do not resist the urge to help. Do not blame the people for the actions of one man who does not care about anyone else. Do share the truth, as dark and inhumane as it might be. Do not avoid the news, just because the gloom seems to overpower the feelings of hope. We will get through this together.