Pioneer Vol. 53 Issue 7

Summer 2020 / Vol. 53 Issue 7
Black
Lives
Matter

Writers
Eben Johnson
Jordan Dowd
Korenna Dixon
Kiarra Blakely-Russell
Podcasters
Quintin Mattson-Hayward
Videographers
Summer 2020 / Vol. 53 Issue 7
Daniel So
Joy Kim
Kyla Raygor
Black
Lives
Matter
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
Editorial Team
Editorial Manager
Taylor Riley
triley@pierce.ctc.edu
Production Manager
Ciara Williams
cmwilliams@pierce.ctc.edu
Web Manager
Myra Fehling
MFehling@pierce.ctc.edu
Social Media Manager
Kotone Ochiai
kochiai@pierce.ctc.edu
Office Manager
Desirae Garcia
dgarcia@pierce.ctc.edu
Copy Editor
Hennia Blackwell
hblackwell@pierce.ctc.edu
Features Editor
Matthew Slater
mslater@pierce.ctc.edu
Illustrations by Abri Wilson
Designers
Abri Wilson
Darrell Kuntz
Hunter Bungert
Jezreel Proo
Photographers
Ben Meikle
Jesus Contreras
Ty Phay
We at the Pioneer stand for diversity, equity, inclusion and firmly believe that
black lives matter. In this month’s issue, we decided to highlight the voices of
two students and provide resources to support the movement. This summer
we hope to come together as a community and look out for one another’s
health and safety. We hope you have a good summer!
CONTENTS
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
6
8
Being Black in America/
Hennia Blackwell and her experiences
with racism.
#BLACKLIVESMATTER/
Resources and more for the BLM
movement.
12
14
16
18
News
Future Budget Cuts/
Pierce College facing
budget cuts for the
2020- 2021 school
year.
Campus
Two Professors’ New
Normal/
How online teaching
affects faculty.
Sports
Spring Sports
Canceled/
COVID-19’s Impact
on Pierce College’s
Baseball Season.
Commentary
Crossing New
Horizons/
A think- piece on today’s
gaming climate.
10
A Perspective on Today’s Cultural and
Health Climate /
Sheilita Pratt, Friend of George Floyd’s
cousin, shares her thoughts on being a
college student amid prejudice and the
pandemic.
02
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03

BLACK LIVES
MATTER
Photo credit :
Kyla Raygor/ Staff Photographer
Thousands of Tacoma teachers marched from Stadium High School to Wright Park
in solidarity with the Black community as they chanted for racial justice and equality.
Do you feel equal?
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Commentary
Commentary
BEING BLACK IN AMERICA
Hennia Blackwell’s experiences with
racism as a black woman
Hennia Blackwell
Staff Writer
I
am biracial, my father is Afro-
American and my mother is Filipino.
Many wouldn’t know that I am mixed
if they have ever seen me, but I perceive
myself as a black woman. It can be a
struggle to get by when you are mixed
because of being racially categorized.
Whether I am “Black enough” or “Asian
enough” at the end of any day, life, or
situation, I am black. Who you are on the
inside doesn’t always save you because
many lives can be taken on what you are
on the outside.
Already in the 19 years of my life,
I have been through racism and
discrimination. I have been called the
hard “r” before and lots of many other
ignorant words you shouldn’t call
anybody. I have been stereotyped in
many situations such as being called
out that I can’t swim because “Blacks
can’t swim” but I was one of the best
swimmers of my swim team.
The ignorance only a black person can
understand of having to go through this
on a daily basis.
Being racially profiled by police, being
looked at as a thug, thief, gangster, etc.
We are tired of being judged by the color
of our skin. Not all police are bad, not all
Many people joined teachers in Wright Park Tacoma to stand together as a community to fight racial injustice.
white people are racist, and not all black
people are a threat to society. So why do
we continue to live life with judgment
and hatred?
It amazes me how beauty is looked
upon in this generation, you have to be
mixed in order to be pretty or attractive. I
have gotten comments like “You’re pretty,
what are you mixed with?” I have to be
mixed in order to be pretty but luckily
I am right? That’s the one thing I won’t
understand about being fully black, the
more melanin you are, the more hate you
receive.
Have you ever heard of “ The darker
you are, the closer you are to dirt.” being
looked upon as black shouldn’t be a
death sentence. Why is a lighter tone
skin better than a darker tone skin? We
engrave these lies into each other’s minds
for many years now that being lighter is
better, you get more acceptance into this
world, better opportunities.
Lighter tone skin is given more, it’s
much easier for them to get what they
want than a darker tone skin person.
That is why you see more black people in
the province and more white people in
high-class areas.
We need to justify more that we are all
the same, we are all equal to one another.
We all breathe the same air and bleed
the same blood, we are all human. So
why is that the black community has to
continuously deal with discrimination,
racism, injustice, brutality, and the list
continues to go on for many years now.
America is the “land of the free” but it’s
an ongoing cycle for my community
that never leads to actual freedom.
Generations after generations caged with
fear and pain because of having colored
skin.
I continuously hear stories about black
people being afraid to step outside, and
never being able to return home again
because we’re perceived as a threat to
society. We live in a world where true
reality is covered because even if slavery
and segregation have ended for the many
years now, racism has never left the
building.
Racism has always been hidden
because of how uncomfortable it makes
us feel dealing with it. We put off these
problems and deal with them later. But
imagine being the one who has to live
with it constantly and can’t put off that
hate for later. We continuously have to
fight for justice and equality. We talk
about the problem for a good period of
time then move on from it like it’s a trend
but the problem never goes away.
We can’t ignore the problems that are
happening in front of our faces. You can't
hear these constant issues and be deaf
to it. America has stolen many things
since the beginning of time starting with
land and innocent lives are part of that.
Text
“ENOUGH”
TO: 55-156
I constantly say “wow another one?”
another innocent black life taken.
My father was a black activist of
the black panther movement, he was
born in the reconstruction era. He has
gone through it all dating back to the
segregated days and all of the trials and
tribulations of the black struggles.
Although there has been improvement
over time on this social issue, it breaks
my heart that my dad and my people
have to deal with this debate that’s been
going on for centuries now on getting
human rights. I talk to my dad about
these issues all the time and he said “I’m
glad this fight isn’t over” and it won’t be
over until we get what we want
How are we able to feel safe in an
environment of people who are supposed
to serve and protect us but they are the
ones who are harming us. Who do we go
to when we need most protection? What
can we do?
In order to want change, we have to
make change. It’s not gonna take a group
to see improvements, it takes everyone to
overcome the systematic racism society
allows and slips by. That is why I wanted
to make a resource on how you can
help black lives so that people don’t end
up like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor,
Ahmaud Arbery, and the many other
innocent black lives taken away from us.
I believe that as a whole we can be that
protection we need for each other.
Kyla Raygor/Staff Photographer
Text
“JUSTICE”
TO: 66-8366
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How you can help
DONATE
PETITIONS
justiceforbreonna.org Black Visons Collective.org
the innocence project.org blacklivesmatter.com/petitions/ www.change.org https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
find more on :
piercepioneernews.com/
blacklivesmatter-movement
08 / piercepioneernews.com Summer 2020 / Vol. 53 Issue 7
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Commentary
Commentary
What I Fear and Struggle With
Shelitia Pratt, Pierce College student and friend of George Floyd’s cousin, shares her
thoughts and experience regarding racial injustices and the global pandemic.
SHELITIA PRATT
Contributing writer
I
was born in Centreville, Illinois, and
raised in Lovejoy, Illinois before I
moved to St. Louis, Missouri. I identify
as African American, and recently I
found out that through my father’s side
I am multicultural – black, white, creole
and native.
The town that I grew up in was a settlement
of African Americans escaping
slavery; it later became the first black
town in America to be incorporated and
named after Elijah Lovejoy, who was
killed by a pro-slavery mob in Alton,
Illinois in 1837.
My morals and beliefs were embedded
in me through my grandparents who
raised me. They taught me to love myself
before I love someone else; be honest
with others and myself; be loyal; trust no
one; do my best at everything I do, and
treat people how I want to be treated.
They also taught me that hard work
pays off; two wrongs don’t make a right;
silence is golden, and every response
doesn’t need a reaction. I learned to
abide and respect these things as I grew
older and later taught these same things
to my children.
Today these guidelines, along with my
life experiences and things I have seen,
have supported making me who I am today.
I believe that what makes me unique
is that my heart always looks out for the
best interest of others, and I tend to often
recognize my blessings because I give
generously. This quarter, I gave a lot.
Being biracial myself, I have never
completely “taken a side”. However
because of the one-drop-rule, I do know
that I am African American and will
always be looked at in this manner, because
of the color of my skin. Black lives
and every life has always mattered to me
growing up.
These days I have been speechless,
confused, depressed, and anxious back
using my meds to support my anxiety
along with increased blood pressure. My
reaction to the injustice black Americans
have recently faced is mind-blowing, but
it does not surprise me at all.
These injustices have been this way
for hundreds of years and nothing has
changed. I have raised my children here
in Puyallup, Washington and we all have
faced injustice, discrimination, and racial
profiling.
Not all cops are bad and not all black
people are criminals, but to wake up
every day and know that because of my
color I have to work harder than average
and still get turned down opportunities,
not because of my educational background,
but because of the color of my
skin; it breaks my soul and aches my
heart, to the point that I continue to educate
my children, siblings, and nephews.
Black communities, and other communities,
are in pain due to recent events
and how things have continued to play
out along with our President. I am
friends with George Floyd’s cousin and
I’ve had to be a huge support for him, allowing
him to vent to me on his feelings,
and the family and him just needing a
safe place to come to and get away from
things.
During the protesting, my friend got a
call from his son’s friend in Bellevue. His
son had been racially profiled and the police
had his son and three of his biracial
friends handcuffed on the curb. He saw
his son on television while talking to me
about the protest the night before that he
and his family attended.
I am not sure how the Pierce College
community can help support those of
us who are grieving the injustices that
communities of color face. I personally
have been just over it and have given up;
I have never done that on my education
or anything. I’m afraid every time my
kids leave my home, and I call them more
often because of it.
If someone has to be harassed or killed
for being black, out of my children and
family, I would rather it be me. I am
aware that I should not feel this way, but
it's been a norm to live a life like this;
from my hometown to here and across
the world, this is the life of being black in
the world.
My experiences during this pandemic
and social unrest have been very hard to
describe. Right now however, I am most
concerned for my family. If things open
too quickly in Phase Two, they may get
sick. I am also concerned about whether
my children and I will pass our online
classes during this time.
I have been attending Pierce College
for the last three quarters taking classes
to finish up getting my degree in human
services, along with taking some CMST
courses to better educate myself on some
of the cultures that I work within my
career field.
When I learned that Pierce College was
going online, I was planning to withdraw
because I am a hands-on learner and
learn best being in a classroom. I freaked
out a bit and asked my college student
kids who have taken online classes what
it would be like.
I anticipated being frustrated often because
I don’t navigate computers as well
as I could. This online journey has been a
struggle for me, as I anticipated it would
be, but 10 times worse given how much
of my time was devoted to serving others.
I realize this year has been especially
hard on several families. At times, I
wasn’t even aware of my own coming
and going and just stress ate to the point
where I gained over 10 pounds.
My household went from two people to
six. My two college students came home
from Canada and the other from Eastern
Washington. I struggle with health issues
myself, and fear for my daughter-inlaw
who works in an emergency room
dealing with COVID-19 patients. I fear
for my two-year-old granddaughter, and
for my daughter who has one kidney;
all-the-while, I continued to fear every
day that I could lose my salon business. It
is important that I go to work to support
my family and keep the business I built.
I was able to navigate through those
challenges with lots of prayers; reaching
out to my instructors, my supervisors,
and my co-workers; and being honest to
my building owners about what was truly
going on in my life. If only they could
have seen how regularly my eyes filled
with tears and how constantly my voice
cracked. Things constantly happened in
my family.
I will do it all over again until I complete
it to my satisfaction, but I will be
glad when it's over and I will continue to
fight for justice and peace.
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News
News
PIERCE COLLEGE FACING
BUDGET CUTS AMIDST
COVID-19 PANDEMIC
As the 2020-2021 school year approaches,
Pierce College prepares for potential budget cuts due to a
wide state fund decline
BY TAYLOR RILEY
STAFF WRITER
On May 11, Pierce College Chancellor
Michele Johnson sent out
a mass email stating that Pierce
College will be experiencing budget cuts
in the 2020-2021 school year. As a response,
the college is preparing a budget
development process that is taking place
over the next few months.
Pierce College braces for budget cuts
as high as 20 percent. While that percent
only accounts for less than half of Pierce’s
revenue, according to Johnson, that still
is a 10 percent reduction, adding up to
around $6 million.
“This work will be difficult and unfortunately,
painful,” Johnson stated. “There
is no way to handle revenue declines of
this magnitude without pain. Departments
throughout the college will need to
rethink and retool their entire operation.”
Along with Pierce College, multiple
other state agencies could face general
fund reductions of 15 to 20 percent or
higher. This is due to a large decline in
Washington State’s general fund revenue.
“Currently, state officials and legislators
are still trying to understand the
full extent of the issue,” Johnson stated.
“But preliminary forecasting by the state’s
Economic and Revenue Forecast Council
points to a very large decline in revenue
that started in March and could continue
for several years.”
Pierce College has made a temporary
plan, in hopes of getting the college’s
budget through the summer and parts of
fall. “Over the next few weeks, the Budget
Team and the Budget Planning Groups
will be working on ideas and concepts
to build a temporary spending plan to
present to the Board of Trustees in June,”
Johnson stated. “The proposed budget
will be reviewed by the District Cabinet
and presented to the Board of Trustees in
October for approval.”
The Budget Team is currently formed
around large groups of departments
and divisions throughout the district,
including Instruction, Student Services,
Self-Support Programs, Facilities/Safety,
and Institutional Support Services, as
stated by Johnson.
Many questions still remain, such as
what departments will be affected by
these budget cuts the most, as well as
programs or student resources. However,
as the months go by, Johnson assures
staff that Pierce will continue to answer
questions and address the situation.
“The Budget Team and college leadership
will continue to share information,
involve constituents, and be open and
transparent in this process.”
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Campus
Campus
PIERCE FACULTY PERSIST THROUGH
THE ONLINE TRANSITION
Professors adjust to teaching online-only classes
BY JORDAN DOWD
Staff Writer
ILLUSTRATION BY JEZREEL PROO’
Math professor Judy Petkovsek
endured her first quarter of
online classes at Pierce College.
Petkovsek taught one online class in
previous quarters at Tacoma Community
College, which gave her familiarity with
online courses. However, in preparation
for the spring quarter, she remained
concerned for the students who believed
that math could only be learned in a
classroom. "My biggest fear was teaching
online to students who didn't want to
take online courses," Petkovsek said.
In April, all Pierce College classes
moved online. The spring quarter of 2020
marked the first time that many teachers
experienced online classes, which
required faculty to adapt to a mandatory
virtual environment. With Canvas,
teachers could reach students through an
established platform that allowed for a
smooth transition online.
Petkovsek is one of many professors
at Pierce College who had to adjust to
teaching students virtually, rather than
in person. With online classes being
mandatory, the amount of productivity
and self-motivation of students may be in
question.
"I was teaching students who signed up
for online classes, and they knew what
they were getting into; they knew they
had to be self-motivated, and they knew
STAFF DESIGNER
they had to work hard at this on their
own."
Petkovsek noticed a small drop in
the productivity amongst her students,
however, but more so in the likeness and
reason for taking her class. For her Math
and Society class, she witnessed a drop
in productivity due to the sense that this
would be her student's only math class
taken while at Pierce.
On the other hand, her Precalculus
II students' productivity either stayed
the same as previous grounded
classes or rose. Petkovsek mentions
that these students are going into the
STEM field, which requires a higher
level of mathematics. "They seemed
really motivated and very self-driven,"
“...JUST DON’T STOP; TRY TO KEEP
GOING.” - KAYLA POHL, ENGLISH
PROFESSOR AT PIERCE COLLEGE
FORT STEILACOOM.
Petkovsek said. "I gave them a little bit of
support, and they go and take it very far."
English professor Kayla Pohl taught
English 101 for the first time online
this quarter. According to Pohl, she had
experience with teaching online classes
in the past, but worried for the students
who may not have the resources to
transition to online.
"When you just switch everyone to
online, the issue is that there are already
so many inequities among Pierce college
students," she said. "There are racial
inequities and financial inequities, so
you have some students that just don't
have the resources to be able to do online
learning."
Virtual streaming platforms such as
Zoom played a vital role in the ability to
speak with students in real-time. The use
of the service was not required by Pierce
College, as teachers had the opportunity
to host asynchronous or synchronous
classes. This gave more flexibility with
class schedules and allowed students
to complete schoolwork outside the
designated class hour.
To better serve these inequities and
adapt to a virtual platform, Pohl had to
change her curriculum by conforming
to daily lesson plans. "Every quarter,
I change a little bit based on feedback
from students," she said. "But this
quarter especially was about cutting
down anything unnecessary or anything
that just doesn't work well in an online
format."
Changing the format of her lesson
plan meant less time to teach topics that
would have required longer than a small
fraction of class time. "Research says
that you have to keep videos as short as
possible, no more than like five or ten
minutes," she said. "I mean eventually
you're going to get down to trying to
deliver content in a Tik Tok format. How
am I going to translate Rhetorical Theory
to a quick five-minute conversation? Not
easy."
Pohl devoted time to discussions and
group activities in grounded classes, but
online classes have made it harder to
replicate that in an online environment.
According to Pohl, an asynchronous
classroom is best for an online format,
where people with jobs or other outside
devotions have more flexibility in the
classroom.
Yet, this quarter, she and Petkovsek
noticed a small decrease in student
productivity. Despite some of the
difficulties professors face, many remain
optimistic and determined to see this
quarter through.
To help ensure productivity and
connections with her students, Petkovsek
used Zoom to record lectures in realtime
and required weekly attendance
phone calls. Petkovsek saw weekly phone
calls as an opportunity to connect with
students and solve any difficulties with
the class.
"I check in with them once a week
for what obstacles they're having, that
week or any struggles they're having
for the week," she said. "I check in on
their grades and, if I see a grade that is
low or if they missed our homework
assignment, I talk to them about it."
Likewise, Pohl also contacted her
students, who may have been falling
behind. "I can't get in contact with those
students like I normally could," she said.
"I've been emailing and messaging in
Canvas as much as possible to try to
reach out to these students and tell them;
it's okay if you miss an assignment, turn
it in late, just don't stop; try to keep
going."
Along with communicating outside
of class, allowing students to access
daily Zoom recordings at any time of
the day gave Petkovsek's students more
flexibility. The Zoom meetings could
be watched multiple times a day, unlike
a grounded classroom. According to
Petkovsek, classroom interactions were
still important, even though it is more
difficult in a Zoom meeting.
"I tried to make it as much of a
classroom experience as possible before
class starts," she said. "I try to do small
talk, like, 'How was your weekend?
What's going on?' I get students to kind
of get to know each other, and I get to
know my students."
According to Petkovsek, using Zoom
for the first time online at Pierce, brought
forth difficulties with the storage and
memory of the recorded videos. Many
teachers experienced challenges with
the limits to a non-professional Zoom
account that restricted meetings to
40 minutes long. But with help from
Pierce College's E-Learning Center, the
transition was smoother. "It's been nice
because we've gotten a lot of those bumps
and bruises kind of work through so that
didn't happen the next quarter; it all kind
of goes a little smoother."
During either a grounded or online
class, asynchronous or synchronous, Pohl
pointed to the reason she enjoys teaching
English at Pierce. "Just coaching students
so they can say the things they want to
say and participate in the communities
that they want to participate in."
With a quarter of online classes
coming to a close, Pierce College faculty
adjusted to a virtual environment on
short notice. They gave students the
ability to succeed at home and worked
diligently to connect with students
outside of class. Going forward, Pierce
has an improved understanding of online
courses and prepares for possibly two
more quarters of social distancing.
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Sports
Sports
2020 SEASON CUT SHORT
DUE TO COVID-19
SEE HOW CANCELING THE 2020 SEASON HAS
AFFECTED THE BASEBALL PROGRAM
JORDAN DOWD
Staff Writer
In baseball, someone who fails 70
percent of the time is considered elite.
Yet failing only 70 percent of the time
calls for hundreds of hours dedicating
yourself to the game. For all the time
spent in the batting cage, on the field, and
in the gym, you typically get three at-bats
to show for it.
However, imagine having no chance
to show off your hard work, and the
opportunity to prove yourself is taken
away. During the troubled times of the
COVID-19 Pandemic, the Pierce College
Fort Steilacoom baseball program was
deprived of one thing they loved most -
baseball.
On March 17, the Northwest Athletic
Conference announced the cancellation
of the 2020 season for all spring sports
programs. Pierce College Athletic
Director Duncan Stevenson remained
sympathetic to the student-athletes that
he worked with.
“My initial reaction to the cancellation
was a sense of devastation for our
student-athletes,” he said. “Not just for
this lost season, and this year’s training
and preparation, but for the years of time
and sacrifice they and their families have
invested in getting to this point.”
According to Stevenson, over the last
three decades as Pierce’s athletic director,
he has never experienced anything like
the COVID-19 Pandemic. The feeling of
devastation extended to the program’s
coaches and players. Yet, the program
remained optimistic as the players began
to plan for their futures and the next
season.
“I ALSO FELT FOR THE
SOPHOMORES BECAUSE, FOR
SOME, THIS MARKED THE END
OF THEIR CAREERS. IT HURT
ME TO WITNESS THEIR LAST
SEASON GO DOWN LIKE THAT.”
- RILEY PAULINO, PIERCE
COLLEGE FORT STEILACOOM
FRESHMAN PITCHER.
“Within a day or two of the
announcement of the decision, their
spirits really turned around, especially as
the enormous scope of the national and
HUNTER BUNGERT/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
global situation became more apparent,”
Stevenson said.
“They quickly switched gears from
being frustrated about the lost season, to
making plans for spring quarter classes
and looking at options for next year. I am
really proud of how resilient they have
been through all of this.”
As announced online by the Northwest
Athletic Conference, freshman and
sophomores enrolled during the 2020
season would remain the same grade
athletically for the next season. This
would apply to all athletes regardless of
the number of games played during the
spring season.
Moreover, the sophomores have a big
decision to make on where they will
play during the 2020 season. Stevenson
realized that the baseball program will
never get this season back. “For some,
this will be the end of their competitive
careers,” he said. “As an athlete, you
want to go out on your own terms –in
the arena of competition. For those that
return next year or move on to play at a
four-year college [or] university, this will
always be their lost season; It is really
heart-breaking.”
Pierce’s baseball coach, Kevin Davis,
was also crushed by the cancellation
of the 2020 season. He knew what this
season meant to the sophomores, as he
was once in their shoes after finishing his
sophomore baseball season at Bellevue
College.
“I feel for the sophomores who worked
their whole life for this and don't have
anything to show for it,” he said. “I also
feel for the freshmen who got their first
chance at college ball and had that taken
away.”
The NWAC was not the first
conference to cancel the season,
according to Davis. The decision to
cancel the 2020 season followed similar
decisions by four-year universities in the
NCAA. Tournaments such as the NCAA
College Baseball World Series and NCAA
Basketball were canceled ahead of the
NWAC’s decision in March.
Since the spring season ended, the
program’s players have kept in touch
and continue to train on their own time.
“They have been doing home workouts,
playing catch together when they can,
and we have weekly zoom sessions to
goof around and keep in touch,” Davis
said.
The team now endures a long offseason
where they plan to start their fall season
as planned. Next season, they will have
the possibility to have a first-ever season
with three classes of players. This would
include incoming freshman, returning
freshman, and third-year sophomores.
Riley Paulino, a freshman pitcher who
plans to return for next season, was let
down by the cancelation and empathized
with his sophomore teammates. “I was
very disappointed because I felt that
we had a really good group of guys all
pulling towards one goal,” he said. “I
also felt for the sophomores because,
for some, this marked the end of their
careers. It hurt me to witness their last
season go down like that.”
Even though the rest of the spring 2020
season was canceled, the team was able to
play 12 games out of the 45-game season.
Paulino, who led the team in strikeouts,
said his teammates were what made the
short season and preparation worth it.
“My favorite part of this last season
has to be the countless hours that I have
spent grinding day in and day out with
this group of guys,” Paulino said. “There
is nothing like having 30 guys you know
would run through a wall for you. This
makes us push each other harder because
we truly care about the success of each
other.”
Cody Russell, a sophomore shortstop
who is continuing his playing career at
“I FEEL FOR THE
SOPHOMORES WHO WORK
THEIR WHOLE LIFE FOR THIS
AND DON'T HAVE ANYTHING
TO SHOW FOR IT.”
- KEVIN DAVIS, PIERCE
COLLEGE FORT STEILACOOM
BASEBALL COACH.
Washington State University, is only one
of a few sophomores who knows where
they are playing next season. According
to Russell, he received the news of the
canceled season during a meeting with
this team.
“At first I was really shocked,” Russell
said. “I didn’t really think it was true. It
probably took me a week for it to click
in; I’m not going to be completing my
sophomore season up here.”
Since Russell has a sense of direction
to work towards, he started his offseason
early in preparations for his jump
to division one baseball. But with no
facilities and teams to practice with, it
has been difficult to train for the next
step in his career.
“It’s tough; we don't really have gyms
right now,” he said. “So, we've got a little
setup in our garage; my brother and I
are lifting almost every day, hitting at the
cages, playing long toss, and running.
Just all the normal things that you can try
and do without having a school gym or
whatever we had before this whole thing
happened.”
Additionally, Russell will be joining his
brother at WSU, who is a freshman. He
looks forward to the opportunity to play
at the highest level with his brother. “I’m
playing with my brother, what else could
I really ask for?” he said. “It’s D1 baseball
with your brother; It’s kind of a dream
come true for both of us. I’m pumped, I
can’t wait to get down there, get rolling
and get with the team.”
With his junior college career at an
end, Russell embarked on what he will
remember most about playing for Pierce.
“The grind, the attitude, and the culture
that coach Davis built around the team
was the coolest thing,” he said. “It was
crazy how last year it was two different
teams. This year it was like we were
brothers, everyone was so close, hung out
almost every day; everyone had classes
with each other. The energy that the team
brought was so different, I think that
would have taken us a lot farther than
last year.”
According to Russell, the majority of
sophomores remain unsure about the
next step in their baseball journey. Yet,
the team continues to express optimism
in the pursuit to play baseball for a fouryear
university. Only time will tell where
they will end up and how the program
rebounds from a canceled season.
With no way of making up the
canceled season, the program endures a
long off season to improve individually.
COVID-19 guidelines make it hard
to train as a team and each player’s
commitment will be tested in preparation
for the fall season. Even with a pandemic
limiting the access to facilities and
players, it won’t stop the program from
striving to challenge themselves everyday.
The program's sense of resilience will
push them through quarantine and
prepare for another season as a Pierce
College Raider.
16 / piercepioneernews.com Summer 2020 / Vol. 53 Issue 7
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Commentary
Animal Crossing: Just a Kids’
Game or a Modern Coping Tool?
How one game provides reparations for the trauma individuals are exposed to
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
BY KORENNA DIXON
Staff Writer
Young or old, you have probably
heard of the video game Animal
Crossing: New Horizons.
Amidst the uncertainty that is global
affairs in 2020, Animal Crossing’s cheery
exterior and light-gameplay have been
welcomed into the public light with open
arms.
But what about Animal Crossing:
New Horizons has made it so successful?
Could the raging popularity be accredited
to individuals just searching for ways
to escape their current situation, or is
there a deeper benefit?
The video-gaming industry as a
whole has seen an increase in sales due
to the coronavirus pandemic. With the
current global atmosphere being very
tense and many individuals stressed
about COVID-19, whether it be work
or health-related, Animal Crossing has
offered a type of peaceful sanctuary.
Animal Crossing can be used as a daily
escape from the frightening reality of
life. It allows individuals to take control
of anxiety-provoking situations and vent
any frustrations or fears they have about
the real world.
This pursuit of an outlet to funnel
attention to is called escapism. Escapism
has historically been given a bad rap because
it is associated with relief from an
unpleasant situation, but it is not always
negative.
Animal Crossing offers a video-gaming
experience that is often compared
to soothing meditational practices. The
franchise is not dominated by heavy
story-telling and the narrative guidelines
can be completed at your leisure. This
self-pacing mechanism offers players
many choices, and with it, control.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons,
players can decide what their character
does day-to-day in real-time; whether
it be tending a garden, catching fish or
bugs, decorating villager’s houses, or
visiting friends from around the globe.
Original music, characters, and dialogue
make Animal Crossing quite unique in
the gaming world.
New Horizons launched on March 20,
2020; In record time, it exceeded the lifetime
sales of each previous game in the
Animal Crossing franchise. Also during
March, the Nintendo Switch console,
which is the only platform New Horizons
is offered on, saw a sales increase of 150
percent.
Individuals like Jeremy Bailenson have
worked to investigate the connections between
escapism and virtual enrichment.
As he explores in his book, Experience
on Demand, virtual reality, and social
simulators can help individuals recover
from trauma.
Traumatic events, such as global
pandemics, bring a degree of uncertainty,
which can lead to serious psychological
repercussions.
A 2002 study of children in psychologically
traumatic situations
showed that playing with toys or
art materials helped rebuild emotional
stability. Having the opportunity
to play comes with the notion that
people are beginning to put their lives
back together, and life is going back to
normal.
In this way, Animal Crossing: New
Horizons might be the relief that our
modern generation needs.
Anyone could make the argument
that COVID-19 has been a traumatic
experience. Life for many around the
globe has completely changed. The
loss of communities such as school,
work, and religious gatherings,
as well as the uncertainty when
communities will be able to gather again,
can lead to serious mental health repercussions.
Maybe the reason New Horizons has
gotten so popular is that it is tending to
the psychological human need to play in
order to deal with trauma.
New Horizons is
fundamentally
simple. It allows
for easy repetition,
which can
soothe nerves or
anxiety. Additionally,
New Horizons
is open to creative expression.
As a player, you are not
confined to a strict rule book.
Almost every aspect of the game is
moldable to your artistic vision. If players
don’t have a specific vision in mind, the
game inspires them to create one with the
tools provided.
Finally, New Horizons lets you build
and nurture new relationships and communities.
It has become a new resource
for individuals to connect to one another.
In a time when everyone is a little lonely,
thousands of players congregate online to
share resources and playthrough tips.
Commentary
Animal Crossing: New Horizons may
pave the way for new, innovative virtual
simulators, especially if quarantine
persists. It will be interesting to see how
different aspects of the media industry
will cope with life restrictions or if more
companies try to capitalize on stay-athome
requirements. Regardless, New
Horizons will be written in the history
books as a smashing success.
Bailenson, Jeremy. Experience on Demand : What Virtual Reality Is, How
It Works, and What It Can Do. First edition., W. W. Norton & Company, 2018.
Zubenko, Wendy N., and Joseph Capozzoli. Children and Disasters : A
Practical Guide to Healing and Recovery. Oxford University Press, 2002.
18 / piercepioneernews.com
Summer 2020 / Vol. 53 Issue 7
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