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The Daily Aztec
April 13 - 19, 2022 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson • news@thedailyaztec.com
Jewelry Loft in La Mesa donates proceeds to families in Ukraine by John Paul CONTRIBUTOR
Cavada
Jewelry Loft, owned by San Diego State Alumna Yuliya Ulman, is donating a sum of their proceeds and other basic necessities towards the families in Ukraine that have been impacted by the humanitarian crisis. Jewelry Loft is selling specially crafted silver and gold rings that depict the colors of the Ukrainian flag which are blue and yellow. The proceeds from the sale of the rings will be donated. “The blue is for the sky and the yellow is for the wheat that Ukraine is rich in,” Ulman said. The gold rings cost $595 and the silver rings cost $150. These rings can be purchased within the store or on their website. Jewelry Loft is located at Grossmont Center in La Mesa. “One-hundred percent of the proceeds go towards those people that are in need the most. Who have no food, who have no water, and have no electricity…most of those people are the elderly or young kids,” she said. Jewelry Loft began donating their proceeds after Feb. 24, when Ukraine was first attacked. Jewelry Loft has sold more than 70 rings, according to Ulman. The motivation for these donations was to help the families in Ukraine and spread awareness. “Right away when the war started, I thought I had to do something…I think people also really enjoy wearing
Photo by John Paul Cavada
SDSU alumna Yuliya Ulman created some specialty jewlry items which reflect the Ukrainian flag.
something that reminds them of what’s going on…A good reminder that people are still hurting, people are still at war, people are still starving,” Ulman said. Jewelry Loft has also sold custombuilt jewelry for special requests that contribute to the families in Ukraine. These would include earrings or hoops with the colors of the Ukrainian flag. “Anything that we’re making that’s gonna be Ukrainian flag-related, we’re donating just as much of the proceeds, 100% of the proceeds of anything that’s custom. Our store specializes in custom work so we’re able to customize any
Basic Needs Center to open in Capulli Center by Christian STAFF WRITER
Houser
San Diego State is developing a Basic Needs Center located on the third floor of the Calpulli Center, opening in the fall of this year. This space, operated by the Economic Crisis Response Team (ECRT), will help students in need of financial assistance, housing support, food resources, employment resources, technology support, mental health support and transportation support. Associate Director of ECRT Chelsea Payne, said this space will now allow students to have a place to go where
Photo by Katelynn Robinson
The Basic Needs Center will be located on the third floor of the Capulli Center on campus.
they can feel comfortable asking for help. “They are going to know that there is a space where they can talk about basic needs, get support with their basic needs, attend workshops around finances about basic needs and know there is no stigma that exists in that space,” Payne said. The ECRT aims to bridge the gap in resources for students in need. This process starts by submitting a request on the ECRT website. Payne encourages students to reach out and seek help to fight the stigma against asking for basic need support. “Once they are in with us, they get it. We’re not stigmatizing, we’re accepting and open and non-judgemental and we are curious about their situation only so that we can help. So many students end up saying something like, ‘I wish I knew about this sooner,’” Payne said. Dance junior Wendy Ceja, a student who has received transportation support and mental health support from the ECRT, said many people need support, and reducing the stigma surrounding basic needs is important. “Those resources are there for us,” Ceja said.“It’s 100% okay to ask for help; everybody needs that help sometimes.” Kinesiology junior Vincent Chen, said eliminating the stigma surrounding basic needs would help students be more willing to ask for the resources the ECRT provides. SEE ONLINE
piece of jewelry as well,” she said. The duration of this humanitarian aid seems to be indefinite under the current circumstances. “Even if miraculously the war ends today, there’s gonna be so many people that are gonna be in need…They need time to rebuild. They need time to regather their food, just items they need to live. So, I think we’re gonna do this for a while,” she said. Jewelry Loft is directly collaborating with the volunteer groups in Ukraine. These volunteer groups are mainly Ukrainian women and children because
all men had to be drafted, according to Ulman. The proceeds are directly sent to the families in Ukraine via wire transfer which are processed immediately. Jewelry Loft has donated boxes of blankets, diapers, and baby formula to the families in Ukraine. “Most of them are abandoned. Either the abandoned elderly or mothers with kids, because the men have to leave…It’s just basic human needs that they are needing right now,” she said. Jewelry Loft and volunteers in Ukraine have been working to gain more exposure and involvement with other organizations. “We’ve been featured on the news: KUSI, ABC10, CBS…people have been kind enough where they want to expose our story so that they can help…Because the sensation dies out after a week or two of a war, then we want to keep that going, that awareness that there is still a war,” she said. Ulman and her company express their gratitude towards the individuals who have purchased a ring and helped spread awareness. “We’re very grateful for everybody because we’ve had such a positive feedback from this that people are really wanting to help and we’re just doing the best we can. We want to help as many people as we can too,” she said.
Department of Education extends pause on student loan collections by Eugénie Budnik SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Last week the United States Department of Education announced an extension of the pause on student loan repayments, interest and collections through Aug. 31 of this year. The extension of the pause on repayments will allow borrowers additional time to plan for the continuation of payments after Aug. 31. This additional time will allow the Biden administration to reassess the financial situation of the American economy and how students are being impacted by rising prices and inflation. The newest extension will be the seventh time the pause on student loan repayments has been extended since March 2020. Student loan repayments and interest payments were initially paused in March 2020 with the passing of the CARES Act to alleviate economic struggles brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. “As I recognized in extending the COVID-19 national emergency, we are still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused,” President Biden said, in a statement released by the White House on April 6. “If loan payments were to resume on schedule in May, analysis of recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests that millions of student loan borrowers would face significant economic hardship.” The date in which student loan repayments will restart after Aug. 31
Photo courtesy of Freepik
The United States Department of Education has extended student loan repayments through Aug. 31.
varies across financial institutions. Sallie Mae, a company which specializes in private student loans and financial planning, has stated the first date of repayment once the pause ends will vary from customer to customer for their institution. Sallie Mae also advises customers not to ignore repayment notices once the pause ends, as doing so could lead to serious legal action including being reported to the credit bureaus, the entire unpaid balance being due at one time, and the withholding of the wages which will be sent to the loan provider. SEE ONLINE
