Important decisions loom after Temple dismissed head football coach Stan Drayton. Read more on Page 20-21.
WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS, Page 4-5
Temple has seen an enrollment surge in the last calendar year.
OPINION, Page 12 A student argues their peers should be weary of newspaper editorial boards being censored.
Samuel O’Neal Editor-in-Chief
Sidney Rochnik Managing Editor
Claire Zeffer Managing Editor
Anna Augustine Co-Chief Copy Editor
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Evelyn Blower News Editor
Nurbanu Sahin Assistant News Editor
Samantha Morgan Assistant News Editor
McCaillaigh Rouse Opinion Editor
Bradley McEntee Assistant Opinion Editor
Bayleh Alexander Features Editor
Mike Nonnemaker Assistant Features Editor
Jadon George Features Staff Writer
Ryan Mack Sports Editor
Colin Schofeld Assistant Sports Editor
Sienna Conaghan Assistant Sports Editor
Jaison Nieves Sports Social Media Manager
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Pablo Rouco Podcast Editor
Anna Rowland Newsletter Editor
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The Temple News is an editorially independent weekly publication serving the Temple University community.
Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.
Adjacent commentary is refective of their authors, not The Temple News.
The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-inChief, Managing Editors, Chief Copy Editor, Deputy Copy Editor, News Editor and Opinion Editors. The views expressed in editorials only refect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.
ON THE COVER Stan Drayton was dismissed as Temple’s head football coach on Nov. 17.
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On Nov. 5, an article on page 7 inaccurately stated Temple police ofcer Chris Derose was retired.
On Nov. 5, a cutline on page 5 misidentifed the name of the student organization “Students for Justice in Palestine.”
Accuracy is our business, so when a mistake is made, we’ll correct it as soon as possible. Anyone with inquiries about content in this newspaper can contact Editor-in-Chief Samuel O’Neal at editor@temple-news.com.
PPA will host cameras on Broad Street through Temple to fne speeding drivers up to $150.
BY EVELYN BLOWER News Editor
The Philadelphia Parking Authority is set to install 15 speeding violation cameras along Broad Street, including 10 blocks along Temple’s Main Campus, to deter speeding and introduce new speeding fnes.
The cameras will most likely be installed in February 2025 and will have an initial grace period where drivers will only receive warnings if caught speeding.
PPA plans to install 15 total camera locations with three cameras pointed in diferent directions to catch speeding drivers. Each camera will cost the organization $3,150 per month.
If a driver goes 10-19 mph above the speed limit, the fne is $100. For 20-29 mph, the fne is $125 and above 30 mph will be a $150 fne. Failure to pay the fnes by the due date or request a review will result in additional fees, according to the PPA.
“I think it’s important that even though the key to this is not revenue generating, the money that is generated from the violations goes to the state for grants for trafc safety improvements and pedestrians,” said PPA’s Executive Director Richard Lazer.
The pilot program, which began with ten cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard, resulted in a 90% decrease in speeding and more than 35% decrease in accident data where the cameras are, according to the PPA.
PPA is also releasing a public service announcement campaign for the camera initiative. The videos, recorded in black and white, depict stories of family members and friends of victims who were killed in crashes. They call on drivers to not speed down Roosevelt Boulevard or Broad Street.
One video, narrated by Rev. Steph-
anie Evans, told the story of her son Robert, who was killed in a Broad Street crash as he was exiting his truck. She urged drivers to “think, stop and take a deep breath” when driving down Broad Street.
PPA says pedestrian, bicycle and driver safety is at the forefront of the campaign. PPA has worked on safety improvement projects and trafc calming measures using the revenue generated from the Roosevelt Boulevard cameras, Lazer said.
Temple’s Main Campus, centered on Broad Street, totals six street blocks with popular crosswalks like Polett Walk and Montgomery and Cecil B. Moore Avenues. Large buildings like The Liacouras Center, Temple Performing Arts Center and residence halls all border Broad Street.
“During those large events at The Liacouras Center, there’s been multiple occasions where we’ve stopped Broad Street to get people out of the building safely, which is the best practice,” said Jennifer Grifn, vice president of public safety. “Enforcement, police ofcers stopping cars, speeding and red light violations, all of those contribute to crashes both with cars and pedestrians.”
Temple’s Department of Public Safety added safety guards or ofcers stationed at intersections to help guide traffc at high volume areas where students change classes. Guards are frequently posted on 13th Street near Montgomery Avenue outside of the Howard Gittis Student Center and 12th Street near Polett Walk outside of the College of Liberal Arts’ buildings.
“I was crossing at an intersection at the crosswalks in front of Morgan Hall at the skatepark and I double checked because it did seem busy, and some cars stopped for me on one end,” said Cynthia Garcia, a freshman journalism major. “The other cars coming from the opposite end, they did not stop and almost hit me, I heard those brakes screech.”
In the Fall 2022 semester, a motorist killed a pedestrian as they were pulling out of Beasley Walk near Broad Street. The university installed a speed bump
in the area the following semester, The Temple News reported.
There have been at least 15 trafc accidents this year that involved either a fatality or injury on Broad Street, according to the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that advocates for bicycle and pedestrian safety.
The city’s Vision Zero project, in congruence with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and PPA, reported 169 fatal crashes, 165 speeding-related crashes and 456 pedestrian-involved crashes between 2018-22. The project found that North Broad Street has a higher volume of speeding-related crashes compared to South Broad Street.
City Council adopted a resolution recognizing Nov. 17, 2024 as World Day of Remembrance for Road Trafc Victims.
“It’s not about the PPA, it’s about who you’re afecting and the real lives
of people due to speeding,” Lazer said. “This enforcement mechanism is a piece of it, but the thought is that we need to make sure we’re driving on the road safely.”
Haddijatou Jammeh contributed reporting.
evelyn.blower@temple.edu @evelyn_blower
The university has seen a 30% increase in its enrollment for the Class of 2028.
BY NURBANU SAHIN Assistant News Editor
Temple has more than tripled its enrollment goal for the 2024-25 year after telling The Temple News last year that it wanted to increase enrollment by fve to 10%.
The university has instead seen a 30% increase in its enrollment for the Class of 2028, with 4,926 new students coming into the fall semester, the university announced.
A majority of the new class is made up of frst-generation students and Philadelphia natives, which the university believes is a direct result of Temple focusing resources on prospective student outreach.
“Temple prides itself on attracting a broad group of students, students who are oftentimes frst generation, or many of them low income, or students who are coming in without all of the information into the college admission process,” said Jose Aviles, vice provost of enrollment management. “They need a relationship. They need to have the opportunity to engage with a professional who understands this, who can guide them, who can counsel them.”
The efort, a collaboration of many departments including enrollment, admissions and housing, was to visit more high schools and ofer guidance to underserved students.
The Class of 2028 had a larger application pool, making admissions slightly more competitive than previous years. Temple’s acceptance rate ended up being 2.4% lower than its usual percentage, Aviles said.
Forty percent of the Class of 2028 are frst-generation college students. Enrollment also included a large number of transfer students, with the university seeing a 29% increase from the previous year. The transfer data includes around
350 University of the Arts students who transferred in after the university’s unexpected closure this past summer.
The increase in enrollment was refected in Temple’s diferent undergraduate schools.
As of September 2024, the highest enrollment increases were in the College of Engineering with a 67% increase and the School of Social Work with around an 87% increase. The Boyer College of Music and Dance and Tyler School of Art and Architecture saw increases of 51% and 41%, respectively.
Temple also welcomed a surge of students in its incoming class that are local to the Philadelphia area. Of the current class, 1,108 are from the city. In the past decade, the number of Black students declined from 22% in 2002 to 14% in 2022. The Class of 2028 includes 1,456 Black students, up from 851 in 2023.
The improvements come just a year after Provost Gregory Mandel announced that Temple expected a 1,500 student decrease in enrollment follow-
ing years of continued declines. Instead, when Aviles assumed the role of vice provost in 2023, the university experienced record-breaking applications in the following year.
College enrollment has generally declined since the COVID-19 pandemic for a variety of reasons, but most notably the rising cost of four-year college.
The average tuition at a private institution has increased by 5.5% in the past year, while public institutions have, on average, increased their tuition by 2.2% for in-state and 2.4% for out-ofstate students, according to the U.S. News and World Report.
Temple also experienced difculty with low enrollment numbers and budget cuts in the years following the pandemic, with enrollment decreased by 21.8% from 2019-23.
The university credits its enrollment success to expanded outreach and providing direct guidance for prospec-
tive students. There has also been an effort to include families in the process to strengthen their likelihood of choosing Temple.
“I can just tell you that in my experience leading [enrollment outreach] eforts, what really makes the diference is having our admission staf, who I see as educators in this process, be in relationship with families, making connections and communities, doing grassroots work,” Aviles said.
Students like Brad Prado, a frst-generation college student, and James Legg, a freshman musical theater major, found Temple more afordable than other universities after fnancial aid and scholarships were ofered.
“I’m originally from Scranton and I was going to go to the University of Scranton, which is private,” said Prado, a freshman human resource management major. “I would just be commuting. We did the math and I would be paying more to go there than I would to come here.”
Temple overhauled its Merit Schol-
arship program in an efort to ensure each student had their fnancial needs met. The efort was to help families fll that gap of need instead of just extending the ofer of admission, Aviles said.
Students experienced issues with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency this year after changes were made to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid application that delayed students’ federal aid and restricted their ability to register for classes.
During recruitment, the enrollment ofce worked to help the students who were accepted to aford to attend Temple.
“We had to be very intentional in the outreach and in the relationships that we established and maintained with these students to ensure that they would not be falling through a crack,” Aviles said.
Temple’s location and opportunities are another reason students like Prado and Legg committed to the university.
“I know [Temple] has a fantastic [musical theater] program, so it was really what I wanted because I wanted a setting where I could be academically involved and do well academically,” Legg said. “Where my program would educate me and where I knew it wouldn’t be competitive and it would be more collaborative.”
The University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College and Swarthmore College showed decline in enrollment of historically underrepresented students. Swarthmore saw a 4% decline in enrollment of domestic students of color from its previous year, while Penn’s Class of 2028 saw a 2% drop from its Class of 2027 numbers, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Temple is up 24% on its early action applications for its upcoming Class of 2029. Campus visits also increased — nearly 1,400 students have already toured the university. Last year, 558 students toured campus around this time, Aviles said.
The university expects competition will grow between them and other colleges in the region after the enrollment increase they experienced.
“Temple is and has always been fo-
cused as an institution that is proudly recruiting students broadly and fnding students who have the promise and potential to participate in higher education and with the goal of providing access,” Aviles said.
nurbanu@temple.edu @nurbanusahinn
CAMPUS
The three investigations were opened by DOE and TUPD in January, May and November.
BY EVELYN BLOWER News Editor
At least three investigations concerning alleged antisemitism on Temple’s campus are still ongoing since they were frst reported several months ago, with one being conducted by the Department of Education’s Ofce of Civil Rights and two by Temple and Philadelphia Police.
The DOE investigation comes after pro-Palestine protesters chanted “Intifada revolution,” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The use of phrase “from the river to the sea” was accused of being antisemitic, with the belief that it “supports the expulsion, and even genocide, of Israel’s Jewish inhabitants,” according to the complaint.
PPD and TUPD’s investigations are based on alleged criminal acts, concerning two diferent incidents of vandalism where “Free Palestine” and “Israel [equals] genocide” was written on two separate occasions.
“While incidents like this are deeply unsettling, they will not impact the collective resolve of our community to support Jewish life at Temple University and to respond decisively to antisemitism,” wrote President John Fry in a statement to the university community on Nov. 4.
The DOE investigates harassment complaints based on ethnic stereotypes or other ancestral characteristics through the OCR division. This includes incidents like usage of slurs and targeted harassment dependent on Jewish ethnicity and ancestry and comes after a year of on-campus protests. Temple is required to comply with DOE guidelines or face possible repercussions in court.
“One of the patterns we’re seeing, especially after Oct. 7, is a tendency to confate all Jews with the State of Israel,” said Lila Berman, a professor of American Jewish history. “That is, in many ways, treating Jews as if they as a group are all uniform and engaged in the be-
havior of the government of the State of Israel. And it seems, if not discriminatory, then certainly unfair and misplaced.”
The OCR is investigating alleged harassment of Jewish students at Temple after Campus Reform fled a claim in January. Campus Reform is a journalism project from the Leadership Institute, which defnes itself as a “conservative watchdog” for the higher education system that “exposes leftist bias and abuse” on college campuses.
The OCR did not comment about the investigation but confrmed to The Temple News that it is still ongoing.
“It’s important to think about why outside groups would be trying to capitalize on this,” Berman said. “[They] use it in a sense, to me, to undermine some of the protections and the capacity of a university to allow for free inquiry, protest and political disagreement.”
The most recent collaborative investigation between TUPD and PPD is looking into vandalism incidents at Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. The fraternity reported the vandalism, which read “Is-
rael [equals] genocide,” to law enforcement on Nov. 3.
“The thing for DPS is we investigate incidents and criminal behavior,” said Jennifer Grifn, vice president for public safety. “We’re looking at it, like is it a hate crime or is it grafti? Those are the types of things [we look at] when we’re investigating.”
TUPD also increased patrols in areas that “might be targeted or threatened with violence or grafti,” Grifn said.
“I hope [antisemitism on campus] dies down,” said Rafael Friedlander, a senior architecture major and a Jewish student. “I sincerely hope people can understand that it is possible to be anti-Israel without being anti-Zionist, and it is possible to be anti-Zionist without being antisemitic.”
Former Temple President Richard Englert condemned a protest that ended outside the Edward Rosen Hillel Center for Jewish Life in August. The protest started at Charles Library, but traveled to the Hillel Center where protestors chanted outside, arguing against birth-
right trips to Israel.
The second university investigation comes after a May 6 incident at AEPi involving vandalism and trespassing. The words “Free Palestine” were found spray painted on the rooftop after some fraternity members went to take photos for their frst formal, said Fogel, the fraternity’s.
TUPD does not expect to make any arrests or conclude the investigation due to a lack of evidence, Grifn said.
“In general I’ve appreciated Temple’s approach, and I also think that I support the students who, if they feel like the institution is not protecting their right to protest, to be free of hostility and harassment, those students should feel like this is their institution, and in a civil and peaceful way, they should bring that to the attention of the institution and continue to engage with it to do better,” Berman said.
evelyn.blower@temple.edu @evelyn_blower
Temple
Student Government has much more it hopes to accomplish in the fall semester.
BY SAMANTHA MORGAN Assistant News Editor
Despite the pathways to the completion of some initiatives remaining unclear, Temple Student Government is still pushing for changes in key areas across the university as the fall semester nears an end.
“We’ve been able to form so many strong committees and represent so many students that haven’t necessarily always been involved in student government,” said TSG President Ray Epstein.
In Epstein’s frst semester as president, TSG has focused on improving community relations and public safety at Temple. While some initiatives, like their community service coalition, have been successful, others have not yet come to fruition.
Lourdes Cardamone, TSG’s chief of external afairs, said she believes one of the major successes so far this semester is the introduction of the new community service coalition.
“It’s essentially just a big group of people with diferent initiatives and goals in mind to better serve our community,” said Cardamone, a junior political science major.
The coalition, led by TSG’s Director of Community Engagement Wesley Greer, has hosted multiple community clean-ups in collaboration with student organizations, including the Society of Caribbean Awareness.
Greer emphasized the importance of the coalition as a way to foster a sense of community between Temple students and community members.
“We’re only here for four years or more and the people that we’re interacting with every single day have been living here for years,” said Greer, a junior biophysics major. “So the best way to do that is to ask them frst and fgure out what exactly they need.”
The community service coalition also organized a hygiene kit drive for the Philadelphia community. They have worked with diferent student organizations, like Temple Rowing, Temple’s chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness and Temple of Brotherly Love to put together the hygiene kits.
Epstein said TSG has also been working toward fxing the FLIGHT shuttle system on campus after hearing complaints from students. TSG was made aware that sometimes FLIGHT drivers mistake students as SEPTA riders.
“The FLIGHT stops often overlap with SEPTA stops and so sometimes drivers just assume that people are there waiting for SEPTA and students should be waving fashlights around,” said Epstein, a senior English and communication and social infuences major. “So that’s something we are trying to fx because we don’t think students should have to do that.”
Epstein initially said TSG was brainstorming ideas on how to fx issues surrounding FLIGHT and planned to discuss solutions in a meeting with new Temple President John Fry on Nov. 1. However, Esptein said the meeting did not provide clear next steps.
TSG’s meeting with Fry mainly consisted of introducing themselves to the new president and briefy discussing FLIGHT reform.
TSG has since made plans to add a help number outside of all FLIGHT stops to report issues. They are also aiming to release their frst podcast episode later this month, which will engage
with diferent student organizations and community leaders.
Another goal Epstein’s team is hoping to accomplish is to set up automatic subscriptions to the Department of Public Safety’s newsletter for students, but she described it as a “long-term goal.” Currently, students have to opt in to receive these alerts.
The newsletter contains information about the university’s police force and security on campus as well as insight on crime prevention at Temple.
“We feel it would be helpful for people to have updates on how things were dealt with, what happened over the course of the month and to automatically have access to that information,” Epstein said.
Additionally, TSG is working on a Title IX feedback survey after reading a Letter to the Editor published by The Temple News on Oct. 8 regarding a student’s experience reporting a sexual assault to the university.
“We obviously read the Letter to the Editor in The Temple News,” Epstein said. “So we wanted to gather some feedback from other students who have experiences with Title IX.”
Epstein shared that the goal of these surveys would not only be to hear from students with experiences with Title IX but to fnd out information like whether students know where the Title IX ofce is or that it even exists. TSG would give this feedback back to the Title IX ofce in an efort to ensure they are working to better advertise their services.
In addition to the Title IX surveys, TSG is working to put QR codes above automatic doors to ensure they are working.
“In general, we are letting people know that we’re not some big scary institution, but we do represent the student body,” Cardamone said.
samantha.morgan@temple.edu @sammimorgann
John Fry started his tenure as Temple’s 15th president on Nov. 1 following multiple periods of unstable university leadership. Fry’s presidency follows a lineage of three presidents, Jason Wingard, JoAnne Epps and Richard Englert, in less than four years.
Members of the Temple community need to be able to trust their leaders and voice their concerns when necessary, especially after a string of tumultuous and unstable presidential tenures.
The Editorial Board urges Fry to listen to the Temple community and prioritize communication eforts. Students, faculty and residents of North Philadelphia alike deserve clarity on institutional operations and their potential consequences. Some areas of concern include campus expansion, tuition increases and union relations.
The Temple community expressed what they wanted to see throughout Fry’s tenure. Forty-seven percent of students and faculty express their desires for improved community relations, according to an October 2024 poll by The Temple News.
Despite Wingard’s eforts to appear approachable through an increased social media presence and promise of moving to the North Central neighborhood, the Temple community found Wingard inaccessible.
Toward the end of his presidency, 92% of students disapproved of Wingard’s performance and believed Temple was not heading in a positive direction, according to a March 2023 survey by The Temple News. In the poll, students criticized Wingard for being impersonal, not interacting
with the student body and having superfcial concerns.
Temple needs a president with a genuine presence on campus. Fry should work with neighborhood outreach programs, student organizations and campus unions to strengthen his communication with the student body and foster an authentic relationship with the community.
In previous years, Temple presidents have addressed community members, students and faculty through a formal State of the University address. The last address was given in September 2019 by Englert, where he brought up concerns on sustainability, enrollment changes and campus development.
Though the practice stopped, Fry has the opportunity to reintroduce the State of the University address to the new generation of students. These sessions could take place at the beginning and end of each semester, instead of its previous annual deliverance. If Fry chooses to reinstate the addresses, students and other members in attendance should be allowed to speak directly to the university administration to relay their concerns.
By listening and communicating Fry can cultivate a prosperous and equitable Temple environment for students and community residents.
A student urges their peers to recognize the threats of the alt-right pipeline and indoctrination.
BY BRADLEY MCENTEE Assistant Opinion Editor
As the results of the 2024 presidential election rolled in, I couldn’t help but think my generation would be the solution to the world’s plights. I thought it to be true for a while, but fnding out that more than half of young men voted for President-elect Donald Trump quickly dispelled that hope.
After the election, I thought about the boys I grew up with and how I watched their ideologies change as we got older. I remember when we were old enough to start exploring the internet and the videos we used to watch together. It started as content children in middle school watched, like gamers and nonsensical memes.
The content we watched slowly devolved into videos with edgier humor and more derogatory content. I thought the shift I witnessed was typical for young boys, but when they started singing Hitler song parodies and dancing to “The Sex Ofender Shufe,” I knew it was far from normal.
The bright-eyed kids I once knew devolved into nefarious versions of themselves. Their interests in superheroes and comic books slowly morphed into obsessions with war stories and fnding jokes on the cutting edge of macabre.
The transformation I witnessed then is still persistent today, and it’s known colloquially as the alt-right pipeline. The pipeline is an observable phenomenon where users are slowly indoctrinated into sympathizing with extremist politics through algorithms and video recommendations.
It’s important for adults to monitor the content children consume and intervene when it’s necessary. Students who are introduced to the pipeline must also know how to identify the signs of it and how to avoid falling further down the rabbit hole.
It can start with something as simple as gaming channels, like one of YouTube’s most popular creators, Pewdiepie. His content seems normal at frst glance, and most of his videos
consist of challenges and vlogs, but beneath the facade is the edgelord humor that serves as the entry point for the pipeline.
The humor often includes traditional jokes about the “blue-haired” liberal archetype. This gets the viewers to see themselves as superior to left-leaning politics until they see liberalism as a parody. Then, algorithms slowly submerge users into the digital realm of conservative think tanks and anti-woke podcasts.
The harmful ideologies shared by these podcasts perpetuate xenophobic and racist ideologies championed by some members of the Republican Party. For example, The Heritage Foundation, the organization that authored Project 2025 and had faculty members nominated to Trump’s cabinet, has amassed nearly half a million subscribers on YouTube.
Right-leaning viewers get recommended extremist channels at a higher rate than centrists or left-leaning viewers, according to a 2023 study by University of California, Davis. The roads of the internet lead to the dead end of Nick Fuentes and Andrew Tate, who have young men across the nation screaming, “Your Body, My Choice!”
The right-wing creators lurk behind screens. They prey on engagement to exploit the viewers’ existing prejudices to trap them in a self-enforcing cycle. It is imperative everyone recognizes the imminent threat and does their part to eradicate it.
Refusing to pay attention to the media children engage with is causing unimaginable hate to force its way into young minds. The alt-right would rather be seen as martyrs in the crusade against progress instead of changing their minds.
The pipeline will remain a threat as long as the internet is ingrained into daily life. Fully separating children from the internet is not feasible, so it is crucial to halt the progression of the pipeline through awareness.
The burden of preventing the right from wreaking havoc on the youth is on the homefront. People must be aware of what children are watching on the internet, no matter how harmless it seems.
bradley.mcentee@temple.edu
A student argues to change the name of O’Connor Plaza because of past afliations.
BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinion Editor
Temple’s history is vast and nuanced, with numerous buildings and landmarks around campus named in honor of former presidents and administrators.
Many buildings represent historic times, people and fnancial contributors to Temple. As important as these people may be, some buildings and locations around Temple are named after individuals with controversial pasts.
Patrick J. O’Connor, former chair of the Board of Trustees and lifelong honorary trustee, has been on and of the board since 1971. After donating to the university in 2017, O’Connor was honored with his namesake, O’Connor Plaza.
In 2005, O’Connor served as Bill Cosby’s defense attorney in a civil lawsuit alleging sexual assault. A former Temple employee, Andrea Constand, fled the civil suit. Cosby, a former Temple student and university trustee, was charged in 2015 with three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Associating O’Connor’s name with a central location on campus creates an unfavorable image for the university.
Buildings and landmarks around campus named after individuals with controversial pasts, like O’Connor Plaza, must be acknowledged and changed. Although O’Connor is a signifcant contributor to Temple, his name causes too much controversy.
Mia Milliken believes Temple administration should change the name of O’Connor Plaza.
“I think they should probably change the name because they’ve kind of already tried to erase Bill Cosby from Temple’s alumni, I feel like that’s not something people are proud of,” said Milliken, a junior psychology major. “And so I feel like if they’re not proud of that, then why are they proud of his defense attorney?”
The decision to remove names from buildings and landmarks on cam-
pus rests with the Board of Trustees or its designee. This action may be taken if it’s determined that the association with the donor or honoree could signifcantly harm the university’s reputation, standing, integrity or confict with university values.
Temple boasts of creating a welcoming environment, according to its missions and values. A university is unable to enact those goals while naming such an integral part of the campus after a man who accepted the role of legal defendant for Bill Cosby.
Even though name changes don’t happen often, this extraordinary circumstance merits it. Temple can recognize what O’Connor has done for the university but does not have to include a namesake on a central part of campus.
Temple acknowledges the work O’Connor did for Cosby and said he took the job as an act of equitable defense in the justice system, a university spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Temple News.
“It is well-known that Mr. O’Connor served as an attorney for Mr. Cosby,”
the spokesperson wrote. “Mr. O’Connor was and is a preeminent trial lawyer and a frm believer in the justice system, specifcally that persons accused of wrongdoing have a right to counsel and are entitled to a defense.”
Throughout the past decade, students have repeatedly requested the renaming of O’Connor Plaza and Patrick O’Connor’s resignation. In 2017, the student organization Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance called for O’Connor to step down as chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Nili Schreibman feels unsettled by the association between such a central part of Temple’s campus and the defense of Bill Cosby.
“I feel there’s a lot of time that it seems like every powerful man is included in something that’s a scandal or something bad. And so I feel like, time and time again you’re disappointed by the people that are supposed to be the standard,” said Schreibman, a freshman sports media major.
O’Connor may have close ties with Temple and past university decisions,
but his controversial past shouldn’t be associated with the university’s landmarks. Students, faculty and all Temple community members shouldn’t have to see the name of an individual who served as the defense attorney for Cosby, a man with such a sordid past. Such connections between Cosby and the university should be severed, and renaming the plaza is an acceptable step.
Although the Sixth Amendment is a fundamental right allowing all Americans a right to counsel, O’Connor shouldn’t be commemorated by the university. The Board of Trustees and university faculty should listen to students and rename O’Connor Plaza.
Nili Schreibman has previously freelanced for The Temple News. She did not contribute to the writing, reporting or editing of this article.
mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu
A student reminisces on her visit to Wexford, Ireland, and facing fears of the future.
BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinion Editor
This summer, I went on a solo trip to Wexford, Ireland, to visit my friend who was there for a summer internship. Despite the trip being 10 days long and a ninehour fight halfway across the world, I didn’t plan anything besides my plane tickets and where I’d be sleeping.
The trip began two weeks before my senior year of college. My brain was consumed by thoughts about what I would do after graduation and how little time I had to get my life together. I was excited to go to Ireland to decompress and stop thinking about my next career choices or my plans after college. I wanted to focus on the country’s beauty and have a simple lifestyle for a few days.
Not planning was intentional because I wanted to explore and focus on the liberation of wandering. I decided to see local landmarks in Wexford and maybe visit nearby towns, but I set nothing in stone.
Once I got there, I realized all of Wexford could be seen in two hours. The town was full of simple beauty, despite how small it was in size.
In the mornings, people walked and bustled on the main road to their jobs, stopping every few minutes to greet a familiar face. The town went silent after the morning rush with only an occasional person roaming the streets.
By the third day of my stay, I began a routine. My friend would go to her internship and I’d visit the cofee shop in the center of town. I’d buy an oat milk latte to sip as I walked the whole municipality before fnally settling at the bay.
I woke up everyday knowing what I would do and where I would go without
having to make a plan. Each day, I’d visit a small docking area for fshing boats and trawlers. The air smelled of fsh and sea salt, while seagulls padded around yelling for attention or food.
I sat on a stone wall and faced the river, watching the tide rise and the trawlers crawl out to sea. Now and then I’d turn and face the town, watching people chatter and families walk their dogs along the bay. I’d stay in the spot for hours observing my surroundings rather than becoming anxious about my future.
It felt good not thinking about my next steps in life. Instead, I listened to the sound of music playing from residents’ open windows along the bay of the river. The stone wall was a place of respite, where I could focus solely on the beauty of Ireland and forget about the internal anxieties I held before this trip.
I began to visit other towns during my trip, like Kilmore Quay, a small port town on the west end of Ireland. It had all the same features of Wexford — the smell, the people and the seagulls chasing a fsh truck. Yet when I returned to Wexford in the evening, I’d walk to the
stone wall in anticipation of watching the trawlers returning to their station. I continued following this routine, but as the days drew on I started growing restless of the repetitiveness. I got bored of the same buildings and I tried to fnd details I hadn’t noticed before to no avail. While sitting on the stone wall, I found it hard to sit still. My mind began to think of experiences I’d have when returning home. I was still anxious but became ambitious to conquer my future.
Wexford’s beauty and serene nature never faded, but it could no longer disguise the pending tasks I was ignoring. My life is no longer about sitting and waiting for things to happen. I’m at the period of my life where I have to move.
When I watched the river’s tide pull out to sea I felt as though it was beating me and it reminded me of the anxieties of facing my senior year. I was jealous that each wave and whitecap of the river drifted so seamlessly out to sea while I had a hard time growing and fulflling my potential. I wanted to be a part of something greater, like each ripple in the river meeting the ocean.
Although there was so much content found on this Irish bay, I no longer yeared for the mindless long walk toward the river and did not crave the cofee in the center of town. I want movement like the river. I want the exhilaration of change. So, when I came home a week before my fnal year of college, I felt and relished the growing pains.
mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu
A student argues for their peers to support editorial boards and fght against their suppression.
BY BRADLEY MCENTEE Assistant Opinion Editor
The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post faced scrutiny after ownership did not allow them to endorse a candidate in the 2024 presidential election. As a result, the publications were met with canceled subscriptions and resignations from Editorial Board members, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The decisions shocked readers and members of the Editorial Boards who drafted endorsements of Vice President Kamala Harris. Despite the journalists’ desire to support Harris, the Post and Times’ endorsements were blocked by the papers’ ultrarich owners, Jef Bezos and Patrick Soon-Shiong, respectively.
Editorial boards serve as the voice of publications on pressing issues and the owners’ decision to suppress their voices undermines journalism ethics and interferes with the work of reporters.
Journalism’s current fnancial situation is causing necessary interventions by corporate powers that have proven to manipulate the editorial process. It’s important to be aware of the non-endorsement decisions and the risk they pose to students’ ability to trust journalistic outlets.
Bezos and Soon-Shiong claimed the decisions were to maintain an unbiased angle of journalism, even though editorial boards are meant to be opinionated. However, the high stakes of the election and speculated self-interest guiding the decision resulted in backlash.
Since Soon-Shiong’s acquisition of the Times in 2018, journalists expressed frustration about his family’s interference with their coverage, POLITICO reported. Bezos’ aerospace company, Blue Origins, met with President-elect Donald Trump hours before the decision to revoke the endorsement, NPR reported.
The Times has a history of refusing to endorse candidates, but that decision was made by the editorial board. It’s not
common for owners to interfere with newsroom operations, and Soon-Shiong and Bezos’ actions threaten the originality of journalists.
Daniel Pearson, an editorial writer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, worries the papers’ resolution may set a precedent for editorial decisions to be made by wealthy owners instead of reporters.
“Beyond just endorsements, there’s a potential for owners and publishers to weigh in on a variety of topics, to undermine the independence of an editorial board,” Pearson said. “Once they set the precedent of doing it on an endorsement, especially doing it last minute the way they did, you start to fear that they might do it elsewhere.”
Young people already distrust traditional news outlets. Adults 30 and younger have almost equal trust in social media news and information from reputable sources, according to a 2024 poll by Pew Research Center.
Students shouldn’t let the actions of Bezos and Soon-Shiong infuence their trust in journalism. Editorial board members are veteran writers and editors
who go through vigorous fact-checking and research methods to back up arguments.
Students should support local newspapers to ensure they can operate without external interference. Despite social media being accessible, information can be misconstrued or false, and it’s important students get news from outlets that follow the ethics and standards of journalism.
David Mindich, a journalism professor, doubts Bezos and Soon-Shiong decisions’ aided in Trump’s victory, but he believes a truly independent editorial board is crucial for educating readers.
“None of us has enough time to really investigate every candidate,” Mindich said. “And a newspaper can devote people full time to investigating this and then disseminating it to their audience. I think it really serves democracy.”
The Post and Times were acquired to provide fnancial assistance as they struggled to adapt to the digital landscape. While monetary contributions from Bezos and Soon-Shiong were necessary, fnances shouldn’t infuence edi-
torial operations.
Journalism is crucial to political awareness, and the encroaching threats on the feld cannot be ignored. Being knowledgeable of the current landscape of journalism and the threats to reliable news is of utmost importance.
Deesarine Ballayan believes the Post and Times’ non-endorsement is indicative of a larger problem in national media.
“It’s exhausting,” said Ballayan, a graduate journalism student. “And they don’t realize that it just takes a multitude of people in the room to create a good industry, instead of the same fve or six people or the same wealthy people over and over again.”
Editorial boards are a fundamental part of the journalistic process. They serve as the voice for the publication and infuence change by voicing their opinions on pressing issues. Supporting the work of these boards is crucial to keeping them alive and making a diference in the journalism feld.
bradley.mcentee@temple.edu
1. Handlers used to ____ the balloons at the end of the parade.
4. Employees from this company initially started the parade.
6. The foats were originally pulled by ____.
7. This character has had eight diferent versions of balloons in the parade since 1968.
9. All the balloons need to be small enough to ft through this tunnel.
12. The amount of times the parade was canceled during World War II.
ACROSS
2. Macy’s is the number one consumer of this checmical element.
3. The frst ever character balloon introduced in 1927.
5. The parade was originally a ____ parade.
8. This is the ofcial broadcast station of the parade.
10. This is the ofcial title of the individuals in charge of the balloons.
11. How many minutes it takes to infate the balloons.
Downtown Manayunk decorates for the holiday season in a Philadelphia Eagles fashion.
BY JACK LARSON
Editor
As street lights illuminated the iconic Manayunk Bridge overhead, residents in Philadelphia Eagles merchandise crowded around Canal View Park on Main Street to watch the Manayunk Christmas tree lighting kick of the holiday season.
While the crowd anxiously awaited the lighting, Santa Claus — clad not in red, but green — led a heartfelt Eagles fght song and a rendition of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer before the countdown began.
Eagles fans are known for their boundless passion, and during football season, that energy even extends to Christmas cheer. At Manayunk’s annual Christmas tree lighting on Nov. 14, attendees geared up for both the festivities and the Eagles’ faceof against the Washington Commanders.
“This year’s tree lighting ceremony is Eagles themed,” said Erin Maguire, a senior theater major and employee at Minor Details Philly on Main Street and Levering Street. “And that’s kinda what we’re known for is our Philly sports merch so that’s even bringing in more fans and more sales which is really fun.”
Throughout the holiday season, these local businesses participate in the ‘Manayunk Gets Lit’ competition, where participating stores decorate for the
festive season with light displays. Until Dec. 17, visitors can vote on the Most Creative, Most Lit and Best Overall display for a chance to win a $200 Manayunk shopping spree gift card.
For Manayunk residents John and Jamie McLaughlin, the best-decorated business was Taqueria Amor, a Mexican restaurant on Main Street near Gay Street.
“I feel like Taqueria runs away with it every year,” John McLaughlin said.
Santa Claus and Pennsylvania State Rep. Tarik Khan also urged the crowd to participate in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30 to support the shops and restaurants along Main Street. With more than 80,000 twinkling lights, festive performances and Santa riding shotgun in a fre truck, the street looked like
a scene from the Hallmark channel.
“With the collaboration of residents, local shops and visitors, we can transform Main Street into a festive, one-ofa-kind experience that feels straight out of a movie and help create everlasting Manayunk memories,” said Caitlin Marsilii, the events coordinator for Manayunk Development Corporation.
While kids waved their colorful light-up wands and snoap — suds pouring into the night sky to mimic a heavy snowfall — landed on Eagles winter hats, the shoppers and fans felt the truer meaning of Christmas.
“Manayunk also means friends and family because we love to hang out with these guys,” Jamie McLaughlin said. “So we celebrate with them.”
jack.larson@temple.edu
Temple’s frst pole dancing club debuted in 2023 and has more than 100 members.
BY BAYLEH ALEXANDER AND JADON GEORGE For The Temple News
When Honey Hairston’s father passed away in 2023, the weight of grief nearly overwhelmed her. Determined not to let heartbreak derail her, she clung to her faith and her drive for personal transformation. In her search for a method to work through her loss, she discovered pole dancing.
The exercise became the perfect outlet for her to express her passion for physical exercise with one catch —- she wanted to look good and wear heels while getting her workout.
“Dancing after that is kind of what helped me deal with the grief and the emotions of having my dad pass,” said Hairston, a 2024 counseling psychology alumna. “And so I was like, ‘Nah, I really should bring this to other people who are experiencing many other types of emotions.’ Because just being in your 20s, some things and trying to navigate the world is [a lot], and all those emotions can kind of get stored up in your body somewhere.”
Just months after her father passed, Hairston founded TemPole Fitness, the university’s frst student organization dedicated to the unique form of exercise. When she graduated in May 2024, Hairston passed the torch to current TemPole president, Sam Ellis, a sophomore psychology major.
TemPole meets every Friday at 6 p.m. at Seduction Dance Studio on Girard Avenue near 27th Street, less than a 10-minute drive from Main Campus. Lydia Parker, studio owner and instructor, leads TemPole’s weekly lessons with expertise from her 15 years of dancing industry experience.
Ellis says the class reaches its maximum capacity of 11 attendees almost every week, but the club has a membership of more than 100 students. The current
class price is set at $12.50 but is expected to drop to a tentative $7.70 next semester after receiving funding from student activities.
With most pole dancing classes in Philadelphia reaching nearly triple these prices, Ellis takes pride in hosting an accessible outlet for students of any skill level to improve on the pole.
“The large majority of our membership are complete beginners,” Ellis said. “So watching them over the course of the semester go from no pole dance experience to doing all these diferent tricks, going upside down, hanging by the pole, I’m so proud of them.”
Ellis underwent this same transformation when they frst took dancing for a spin. The frst time they saw their instructor seamlessly hook their legs around the pole and ignite all muscles to pull of a move, they couldn’t imagine their body being able to emulate their instructor’s graceful tricks. But when Ellis stepped up the pole and imitated the movements with kindred grace, the confdence that followed kept them entranced.
Ellis is well aware of the sex work stigma associated with pole dancing
but doesn’t let that impact their favorite form of exercise, they said.
“It’s a great workout,” Ellis said. “It’s a beautiful art form, and it is really empowering to students and to dancers. So yes, there is a stigma. I will say that our members and our students, we get it. They understand that there are so much more to pole dance than sex work.”
Allison Monroe followed a friend to TemPole Fitness last semester. Learning the ways of the rod from Parker helped build Monroe’s self-confdence, she said. By the spring, she wanted to give back to the club that had given her a fuller sense of herself.
Monroe, a sophomore biochemistry major, became the club’s vice president this semester, but quickly began to worry about what everyone else would think of her. As the grandchild of devout conservative Catholics, Monroe knew how the outside world saw pole dancing. Once upon a time, she shared that same stance.
“Only strippers do it,” she recalled thinking before that frst class. “You have to be sexy for it to work. The only form of dancing is erotic dancing.”
Of course, Monroe worried that
employers, friends — family, even — would have the same hang-ups she did, and more. Yet she also recalled having her preconceptions snapped from day one: Parker said Monroe, like many of the college-aged dancers she instructs, had a woefully incomplete sense of pole dancing when she started.
Yes, Parker explained, pole dancing featured red-light district elements. But much of the craft called for choreography akin to ballet, even.
“What [the students] used to kind of giggle at, when I would do it like, ‘All right, let’s try this.’ They would kind of laugh and joke,” Parker said. “Those laughs and jokes turn into hair whips and arched backs and hip rolls and their face. They start to become more serious about it, and that’s how I know, okay, the confdence is coming in. The shorts get shorter because it’s like, ‘I feel badass.’”
bayleh.alexander@temple.edu jadon@temple.edu @jgeorgescribe
ALUMNI Eight Temple afliates were selected for this year’s “The 150 Most Infuential People in Philly.”
BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinion Editor
In 1993, Kadida Kenner postponed her education at Temple because she could no longer aford to pay her tuition. Thirty years later, she earned her degree and is working to help others in disadvantaged situations through her work with the New Pennsylvania Project, a movement that works to mobilize voters year-round.
“I think it defnes why I do this work,” said Kenner, a 2012 communications alumna and founding CEO of NPP. “I’m not any diferent than others out there who found fnancing education problematic.”
Last month, Philadelphia Magazine ranked Kenner as one of the city’s most infuential fgures in political, artistic or economic felds alongside seven other Temple alumni, administrators or otherwise afliates. The list included university President John Fry, CEO of Temple Health Michael Young, Board of Trustees Chairman Mitchell Morgan and SEPTA Board Chairman Ken Lawrence, among others.
Other prominent non-Temple afliated names on the list included Mayor Cherelle Parker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Temple alumnus Bret Perkins, Comcast’s senior vice president and member of Civic Coalition to Save Lives.
Kenner’s work with NPP primarily focuses on supporting historically disenfranchised and often neglected communities to be seen, heard and civically engaged.
“[The people NPP aims to support] are the most historically disenfranchised communities, and so we wanted to make sure that these communities felt seen and heard and engaged, because they are the communities who are often neglected,” Kenner said.
The list, composed of members
from diferent workforces and social standings across Philadelphia, includes the nominees’ accolades and, at times, points of contention in the public eye.
Morgan secured the No. 65 spot and was labeled the “The Turnaround Artist?” The feats that landed him on the list include the public failings of his 2021 presidential pick Jason Wingard, his potential optimism in hiring Fry and his real-estate conglomerate containing $16 billion in assets.
Philly Mag refers to 2024 as “the year of shift” and highlights change permeating throughout the city. Fry, who landed at No. 4 on the list, began his tenure as Temple’s 15th president on Nov. 1 after a 14-year presidency at Drexel University.
Fry anticipates major changes at Temple as he assumes the role of president. To address concerns about previous years’ lowered admission rates, Fry has mentioned possible dramatic transformations with the potential for global outreach and increasing virtual education.
“I would spend some time with the enrollment team and the communications and marketing team on all those items,” Fry told The Temple News in July. “And sort of provide some of my input into how we could move even faster back to some of the numbers that I know we’ve seen in years past, which were closer to 70,000.”
Numerous unions across Philadelphia, including several at Temple, have taken action in demanding reform for worker treatment in the past year. Transportation Workers Union 234 teeters on the edge of a strike with SEPTA after their contract expired on Nov. 7.
SEPTA ran out of funds after receiving a one-time federal COVID relief in January 2021, leaving them in a quarterof-a-million-dollar defcit. These budget constraints impact negotiations, leaving SEPTA to face a “transit death spiral.”
Lawrence, a political science alumnus and the recently appointed SEPTA Board Chairman, was ranked No. 56 on the list. He believes SEPTA must make changes to secure a better future for public transit in the region.
Lawrence says SEPTA must priori-
tize safety and efciency by running on time, having clean facilities and allowing people to be safe while using the Philadelphia region’s public transportation.
“We need to work on a permanent funding solution for public transportation in Pennsylvania,” Lawrence said. “I’d like to improve our relationships with our unions. I don’t think strikes beneft our riders. I don’t think they beneft our employees. I don’t think they beneft the region.”
These 150 notable Philadelphians, including the eight Temple alumni, were chosen for their ability to be “changemakers” within the city. For Kenner, her work empowers marginalized communities through civic engagement by expanding the electorate and allowing people to voice their needs, she said.
“I’m part of the community that I’m advocating for,” Kenner said. “I’m a Black woman in America, and you know I be-
lieve that democracy should be real for all. I believe that we all should have an equal voice in that the power is within the people and not with the people that are in power.”
Samuel O’Neal contributed reporting.
mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu
Temple students are teaching community members essential online safety practices.
BY MIKE NONNEMAKER Assistant Features Editor
For Aunshul Rege, the geographic connection between Temple and the North Central community is a reminder of the university’s responsibility to give back.
“We don’t necessarily think about the communities in which we operate,” said Rege, a criminal justice professor. “We are essentially in their home. We have kind of taken up space in their neighborhoods, in their areas. So, how can we improve our relationship with the community and show them that we do care?”
Rege’s refections on Temple’s role in the community inspired the development of cybersecurity clinics in the Fall 2022 semester through her cybercrime course, allowing students to engage directly with North Central residents and raise awareness about digital safety.
Through the clinics, which have recently taken of, Rege aims to build trust
and empower members of the community — especially vulnerable groups like senior citizens — by teaching them practical ways to protect themselves online.
The cybercrime course is ofered in both the Fall and Spring semesters as an elective and tackles cybersecurity from a social perspective.
In the clinics, students learn about cybersecurity andhow it intersects with human behavior. They then use that knowledge to work with North Central community members and present them with basic cybersecurity practices, like creating strong passwords and securing their devices.
Alex Carka, a student in the class, gave a presentation at the Digital Equity Center on campus on practical ways for residents to secure their accounts online.
“I told them about how bad it is to reuse passwords throughout all other social media,” said Carka, a senior cybersecurity major. “If one account gets breached, they use that information and try it on every account.”
Carka introduced participants to phone applications that list all passwords involved in data breaches, allowing them to easily change and secure their information. Throughout the clinic, he
made an efort to use plain speech, a tactic Rege encourages her students to use to make their lessons more accessible.
“I tell my students, ‘Don’t worry about the slides,’” Rege said. “‘Forget the slides. Have the conversation. Let the conversation guide the entire experience.’ The senior citizens love it because they can talk about their experiences and ask genuine questions, like, ‘Where do I fnd this on my phone?’”
This resonated with Carka, who found that ditching his notecards for a more personal approach made the conversation fow and the audience open up.
Riley Fleisch, another one of Rege’s students, had the chance to apply her classroom knowledge at the Lillian Marrero Branch Library on Lehigh Avenue near 6th Street.
She found the experience rewarding because she was able to engage with residents that were eager to learn about digital safety. Fleisch was struck by their curiosity and willingness to ask questions, making the clinic feel like a collaborative learning experience.
“I don’t want it to seem like students come here, use the area to learn and then leave,” said Fleisch, a senior chemistry
major. “I like the idea of students sharing what they’ve learned with the community because it’s for the betterment of the area.”
One notable moment for Fleisch came when she taught a woman how to install a VPN on her computer, allowing for greater privacy and control of her personal information. Fleisch and her peers also helped a man set up automatic bill payments.
This direct engagement helps improve their digital literacy and strengthens the relationship between Temple and the surrounding community, Rege said.
For many of the students, the clinics ofered more than just a chance to share their knowledge — they were a way to build a connection with and relate to the community. Carka in particular focused on creating a supportive atmosphere where North Central residents felt understood.
“‘Hey, you’re not alone,’“ Carka said. “‘Everyone is having the same issues that you are facing. Here are the extra steps you can take to help better secure yourself.’”
mike.nonnemaker@temple.edu
V O I C E S “ I’m thankful for my friends and family. ”
CHRIS CHRISTMAS
Senior computer science major
DONOMA FREDERICSON
Sophomore theater major
“ Cooking with my friends. We made a great stew last week. ”
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
ANDIE STAFINIAK
Senior psychology major
“ Getting to see my family over break because I’m two hours from home. ”
KAI YUEN
Grad student geographic information systems major
“ The opportunity to spend time outdoors. ”
EVENTS Businesses and organizations brought the Asian cityscape to Polett Walk for a night.
BY JADON GEORGE Features Staff Writer
Three men in vintage sports jerseys stomped their way across the stage. The one wearing Cincinnati Bengals A.J. Green — orange spiky hair to match the tiger motif — led the steps. Someone wrapped in Cam Newton’s iconic blackand-baby-blue Carolina Panthers colors followed in his wake. For a while, the crowd clapped along to JID. Then came Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s Grammy-nominated “Carnival.”
Mid-verse, the audio briefy dipped, summoning master of ceremonies Nathan Huynh to the stage. As he bantered with the breakdancers, Huynh glanced up at his audience — and gasped.
Performers’ audiences at Saturday’s Asian night market, Temple’s frst, generally stretched from the Bell Tower’s base to the windows of Beury Hall. And so many people packed the market itself, on the raised plaza between Mazur and Gladfelter halls, that simply taking a few steps in any one direction required a chorus of apologies, assurances and awkward greetings.
“I was scared when I came up to M.C.,” said Huynh, who helped plan the night market. “I’m looking at the crowd, and it’s this many people.”
No fewer than 11 of Temple’s student organizations, boasting heritages that spanned the continent, teamed up to produce a stateside counterpart to the dazzling street markets that illuminate Asia’s major metropolises. A handful of local restaurants, Pacifc-themed and otherwise, signed on to support the orgs’ efort.
By Saturday morning, Temple Student Government had overlaid its Instagram with a map of the food, games, and performances on ofer that evening. Even local step teams and dance troupes angled to get involved.
Each organization used their table on the liberal arts plaza to showcase a
diferent swatch of the continent’s culture and cuisine — usually by selling a region’s signature dish or beverage.
But this was no cash grab.
According to Andy Wang of the Taiwanese Student Association, his club brought the island’s signature winter lemon tea in part because they knew most students could shell out enough to at least break the TSA even.
“Cost is a huge problem,” said Wang, a statistical science and data analytics major. “We wanted to make something we could aford, and also something that people could aford to buy from us.”
If that meant presenting a few lowcost items instead of infodumping the national menu, so be it.
In some ways, the Night Market explored impossible questions, eternal conundra as much a part of the wayfarers’ life as anything in a suitcase or bedroll: How much of a culture follows us from home and passes between ever-distant generations. How much we leave behind. How much we pull from the world we enter.
Interestingly, some organization leaders really did leave things behind. Many of the clubs responsible for the Night Market represent nations at geopolitical loggerheads with one another.
For example: Korea, repped by a single unifed organization with a single, undivided table, is very much divided — between the Kim regime in the North and a U.S.-backed republic in the South. And mainland China’s government simply does not believe in the existence of such a thing as the Taiwanese nation. Beijing treats the island like an awkwardly-administered province; America and most other countries with diplomatic ties to the People’s Republic follow suit, at least in part.
Unlike other conficts and other orgs, Andy Wang said disputes in the Pacifc haven’t deeply afected clubs on campus. Students, he said, have other problems to worry about.
“People are intelligent here,” Wang said. “We’re educated. That’s the most important thing.”
Organizers and attendees at the
Night Market ranged from exchange students to lifelong U.S. residents. They expressed cultures covering Canton and Chicago alike. No, really — the guy in the Cam Newton jersey, junior information science and technology major Johnny Tan, had been involved in hip-hop choreography since eighth grade.
Yet they were united in the hope that events like the night market would bring them closer to their heritage — and to the communities they now call home.
“America is a melting pot,” said senior marketing major Wang Junjie of the Chinese Students and Scholars’ Association. “Everybody has to express themselves to get into the society.”
jadon@temple.edu @jgeorgescribe
Former head coach Stan Drayton was dismissed from the team on Sunday after three years.
BY TTN SPORTS STAFF For The Temple News
When Stan Drayton walked into his postgame presser following Temple’s win against Florida Atlantic Saturday, the feeling in the room felt of. It felt like the Owls had just lost their third straight game instead of completing a walk-of overtime victory.
Drayton spoke about the fght his team has shown under his leadership despite their lack of wins. Temple won just nine games during his nearly three years at the helm, but he spoke with pride about how much his squad has overcome.
“We needed this victory,” Drayton said. “Temple Football needed this victory. Our kids worked hard for it. That became our thought process in a premium, is making it for us. It was all about us and it feels good to win.”
Twenty-four hours later, it became evident why the feeling in the room was the way it was. Temple Athletics announced Sunday morning that Drayton was dismissed as the program’s head coach, ending his tenure before his third season could conclude.
Here’s a complete overview of Drayton’s tenure as Temple’s head coach and how things took a turn for the worse over time.
Drayton was hired in December 2021 following former head coach Rod Carey’s dismissal. He had spent the previous fve seasons at the University of Texas as its running backs coach. During his time in Austin, Texas, he had coached current NFL running back Bijan Robinson, as well as future professionals Ezekial Elliot and Carlos Hyde during his previous pit stops.
“This truly is a dream come true
for me,” Drayton wrote in a press release after being hired. “Philadelphia has always held a special place in my heart as my wife, Monique and I got married while we lived here. I’m so thankful to [former Temple University president Jason] Wingard, Arthur Johnson and the Temple community for this great opportunity.”
The general consensus was positive, but a number of fans were skeptical of Drayton after he was initially hired because he had never served in a role higher than a positional coach during his career. He spent most of his time working with running backs and had never handled play-calling responsibilities during his time as an assistant coach.
There were some rumblings that former assistant coach Fran Brown would take the reins following Carey’s dismissal. Brown had two stints on North Broad, serving as the Owls’ defen-
sive backs coach and had ties to the area. However, Brown wasn’t selected for the gig that ultimately went to Drayton. He was tasked with rebuilding the program which was a far cry from when Matt Rhule was the head coach of the roster a decade earlier.
Drayton was charged with resetting the program’s culture that Carey had previously undone during his time as head coach. Former coaches like Rhule and Al Golden had helped turn the program around, but those results took time to achieve. Golden had three losing seasons before he saw positive results and Rhule was in his fourth season when he fnally got his hands on the American Athletic Conference title in 2016.
Temple brought in 40 new players in each of Drayton’s ofseasons as head coach and had to navigate the loss of
premier players to diferent schools. The Owls lost players like Darian Varner and Jalen McMurray to Power Four schools, and quarterback E.J Warner left the program for Rice last ofseason.
The Owls never notched more than three wins in a season while Drayton was head coach, but the team did have a diferent culture than it did before he was hired. But the improved culture never translated into wins.
“Let’s not get it twisted. We’re not getting used to losing,” Drayton said before his fnal game. “We’re not trying to make that a part of our DNA, even though that’s been the end result. There are some small victories that have been along the way that we are building upon during the course of the season.”
Drayton collected just nine wins in 34 games during his nearly three years
leading the program. All nine of those wins came at Lincoln Financial Field and struggles on the road largely defned his tenure.
Temple played in 15 road games under Drayton and none of them resulted in a victory. A bulk of those road struggles came in conference play — an issue that extends even beyond Drayton’s tenure.
The Owls haven’t won a road conference game since they took down South Florida on Nov. 7, 2019. Since then, the Owls’ AAC road struggles only got worse. Temple was outscored 14651 in three conference road games this season. The road struggles started before Drayton was hired but no improvement was seen across his three years.
The conference road struggles were brought to light two weeks before Drayton was let go. The Owls faced East Carolina and Tulane on the road in back-to-back weeks and were completely overmatched. Temple gave up more
than 50 points in each game and never looked competitive.
At Drayton’s weekly press conferences on Nov. 11, he spoke openly for the frst time about not having the NIL opportunities other programs have. After the Nov. 9 loss to Tulane, Drayton said Green Wave head coach Jon Sumrall explained to him how he has the platform to invest in more elite athletes through NIL.
Drayton has previously remained quiet on the program’s NIL situation because he “didn’t want it to sound like an excuse.” But after seeing the type of athletes Tulane had on its roster, he felt he needed to address it, he said. Drayton claimed the program will remain stagnant until it’s given the resources needed to elevate it.
The lack of NIL opportunities has consistently made the recruiting process more difcult. Temple has been unsuc-
cessful when competing with other programs in its conference in recruiting. Because Temple hasn’t been able to provide the best experiences, athletes have opted to go to other schools, sometimes even to lower conference teams.
“There’s defnitely a gap there if we don’t catch up in terms of the investment piece of it, there’s no doubt about it,” Drayton said. “They are setting the standard, the type of body type, the type of football player that is coming into this conference and we absolutely need to level up to be competitive with those type of teams.”
There were mistakes during Drayton’s tenure as coach and his time will ultimately end up going down as a failure to most fans. While he wasn’t able to bring Temple back to where it was in the mid 2010s, he attempted to help revitalize a program that was spiraling when he took control of it.
“[The team] walks on campus after losses and it’s not fun for them some-
times,” Drayton said. “We hear the negativity. It’s hearing and paying attention to it and embracing it is one thing. We hear it, but we don’t embrace it.”
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FIELD HOCKEY Temple reached the Big East championship, but it will be difcult to get back.
BY COLIN SCHOFIELD Assistant Sports Editor
When Temple welcomed its current senior class back in 2021, the program was working its way out of years of struggle. The Owls hoped to step back into the Big East spotlight in head coach Michelle Vittese’s frst season with a roster full of young talent.
The class was headlined by back Alizé Maes and midfelders Tess Muller, Devin Kinzel and Julia Bunch, who all helped lead Temple back to relevance. The group became the heartbeat of the Owls, never missing the postseason and leading Temple to the Big East Championship game this year in their senior season.
The championship game was the pinnacle of success for a group that failed to win a single postseason game the previous three years. While Temple ultimately fell 1-0 to Connecticut, the 2024 season showed that the Owls can reach the mountaintop of the Big East. However, the senior class that sparked the program’s revival is now leaving and a return to the top will be harder to achieve.
“When [the seniors] came in, this team was very diferent than what it is now,” Muller said. “We really tried to change the team culture a little bit and I think we’ve defnitely succeeded.”
The 2024 season looked bleak after Temple went 2-4 through the frst six games and had a gauntlet schedule ahead. The Owls managed to miraculously turn their season around by defeating three straight nationally-ranked opponents to storm into the postseason. The change in success can easily be attributed to the senior trio of Maes, Muller and Kinzel.
The trio combined for 20 of the team’s 42 goals and recorded 15 of the 32 total assists. They were the top three in points on the Owls for the second straight season. All three also earned all-conference honors, with Maes and Muller being named to the Big East frst
team and Kinzel making the second team.
Maes was also named the Big East defensive player of the year, becoming the frst Temple player to win an individual award since 2014 when forward Amber Youtz won Big East Ofensive Player of the Year.
“[Maes] has been able to have a lot of success because she listens and she is coachable and she is passionate about the game,” Vittese said. “She is out here all the time on her own that in a way is a dream for you to coach. She comes out, she wants to grow and she wants to get better.”
The big three’s impact went beyond their performance on the feld as all of them were considered leaders for a young Owls squad. Maes and Kinzel were both team captains and their leadership on the feld was evident.
Temple will also be losing midfelder Myrthe Schuilenburg, a graduate student who spent all fve seasons in the Cherry and White. Schuilenburg established
herself as a reliable option on the feld, appearing in 93 career games and starting every game the last two years. Her departure leaves another sizable hole to fll for next season.
The losses will hurt the Owls and replacing the outgoing seniors will be a difcult task. But the returning players will give Temple a shot at reaching the championship yet again.
Back Minke Stoker and forward Marsha Ariesen should return and be key factors for the Owls. Both freshmen were starters this season and will have increased roles with the seniors gone.
Goalkeeper Isabella Ospitale cemented herself as a top goalkeeper in the Big East and was one of the main reasons the team ripped of a seven-game win streak to position themselves for the conference tournament.
“I defnitely hope to fll [the seniors’] shoes,” Ariesen said “Maybe not next year but I would defnitely like to follow in their shoes. They’re good but I can always be better.”
Midfelders Agustina Tucceri and Peyton Rieger will also be back next year and both of them played important secondary roles this past season. Tucceri has been a three-year starter and was named to the all-tournament team this season after scoring the game-winner against Old Dominion in the conference semifnals.
The returning talent leaves hope that a return to the Big East championship is plausible for Temple. But there is no replacing the players they are losing. The Owls will not only need to replace the on-feld production but also will need new leaders to step up.
“I hope [the team] is able to build on this line that we created with each other,” Muller said. “It’s the coaches and it’s all of us that helped build this program to what it is now.”
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Despite improvment, there is still a long road ahead after Temple Women Soccer’s 2024 season.
BY ROB HSU Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter
Following a two-win 2023 season, Temple made a hard reset in the ofseason by dismissing former head coach Nick Bochette and bringing in Robert Morris coach Chris Shaw to lead the program.
A lengthy rebuild was necessary regardless of who was in charge. Temple hadn’t had a winning season since 2015 and Shaw was tasked with remedying a struggling program.
Temple fnished its frst year under Shaw with an uninspiring 2-17 record and didn’t pick up a conference win for the third straight season. Despite the fnal record, the Owls showed fashes of progress in Shaw’s frst season and there is reason to believe there may be light at the end of the tunnel.
“As [the players] go we go,” Shaw said. “If they want to end on a good note and they want to leave a positive legacy for the next year’s class, then it’s up to
them to really step up. I will say that they are a good group and I think they are heading in the right direction.”
The root of the Owls’ struggles this season stemmed from the ofensive end, as they only scored 10 goals all year. Temple broke a nearly year-long scoreless streak against Le Moyne on Sept. 5, but followed it up by ending the season on a 10-game losing streak.
Despite its struggles, the ofense did show improvement. Forward Shari Atkins spearheaded the unit, using her speed to consistently create ofensive pressure. She led the team with three goals and was tied with midfelders Yao Zhao and Carly Steinberg for the most assists on the team with two. However, Atkins didn’t score a goal in the fnal month of the season and nobody else was able to aid her.
That pressure on the defense made goalkeeper Tamsin Bynoe step into the spotlight. She started 17 of the 18 games she appeared in and racked up 115 saves on the season which tied her for 10th in the country. The eforts of the Owls’ keeper helped them fnish fourth in the nation in saves per game.
Despite the individual performanc-
es, the Owls weren’t able to play as a unit. Temple struggled to play a consistent and aggressive 90 minutes each game. The inconsistencies on the pitch led to losing close contests throughout the season, mostly in conference play.
The Owls scored early against Tulsa on Sept. 29, but they couldn’t capitalize on the early advantage and gave up two goals in 10 minutes in a 3-2 loss. Two weeks later against USF on Oct. 17, Bynoe was bombarded with 21 shots but managed to keep the game tied with 10 minutes left. However, a hard tackle from midfelder Fiona Killian handed USF a free kick which they converted to win the game 1-0.
The team’s greatest heartbreak was on Senior Day against UAB on Oct. 27. The Owls held the lead with six minutes left and seemed poised to break their conference losing streak. But UAB scored two goals in 60 seconds to grab the lead and ruin the Owls’ hopes for a win.
These games showed the faws Temple still had but also displayed promise for the future. Bynoe and Atkins emerged as key building blocks for Temple at two key positions, but their success
never rubbed of on the rest of the team.
“We can’t wait until halfway through each half to decide to switch on and try. We have to come out fast and start the game fast,” Bynoe said. “As a team who doesn’t get many shots of we can’t afford to try and win a game from behind.”
Shaw’s frst season was a rebuilding year that was bound to be difcult. Although the record doesn’t indicate progress from last season, the Owls showed fashes of improvement on the feld. With a glut of young talent expected to return next season, the best might be ahead for women’s soccer on North Broad.
“I think you’re seeing an improvement each game,” Steinberg said. “We’re growing so much as a team and we’re really building on what we’re working on in practice.”
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Guard Jamal Mashburn Jr. had essentially turned The Liacouras Center foor into his personal playground. He had 26 points in the Owls’ 81-79 season-opening win against Sacred Heart on Nov. 4 and 25 in a 101-73 blowout victory against Monmouth on Nov. 8. He didn’t have his best shooting performance against Drexel on Nov. 12 but still fnished with 20 points.
“I’m always in attack mode,” Mashburn said. “I’m always ready to score, ready to pass, make a play, ready to play defense, whatever I gotta do to get a win.”
When Mashburn struggled early against Drexel, guard Zion Stanford instantly stepped up. He became the driving force on ofense against the Dragons
and took the role of the team’s primary scorer, hitting a career-high 23 points in the 69-61 win.
Forward Steve Settle III has also been a consistent piece of the ofense and has taken a leap in his second year at Temple. He scored double digits in the Owls’ frst two games and has been dominant on the glass, leading Temple and averaging almost nine rebounds per game.
When Settle isn’t sinking his shots, he’s been helping the ofense by setting up his teammates. The redshirt senior is tied with Mashburn for the team lead in most assists, averaging nearly three a game including a high of six in the season opener.
lacked last season. Durodola has started at center in each game so far and Brown has given Temple perimeter shooting it previously lacked, with 14 of his 15 shots being from beyond the arc.
“We have great scorers, great shooters,” Settle said. “We have a bunch of guys that can make plays so trying to fnd those guys in their moment is something coach preaches and you know, guys make plays.”
Temple has prioritized scoring of assists by pushing the ball around the court to fnd open players, regardless of who it is. While everyone has the knack for scoring, it has been crucial to dish the rock around.
son.
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Temple’s scoring depth behind Mashburn has extended further than just Settle and Stanford. Forward Babatunde Durodola and guard Jameel Brown have also given Temple an ofensive boost it
The Owls’ depth was put on full display against Monmouth when 11 of 14 players who entered the game scored. To add points to the players’ stat sheets, Temple recorded 17 assists, which matched its season-high from last sea-
“Every time I’m on the court, I want to be a playmaker,” Stanford said. “I might not be able to get a bucket every time, so if I see one of my teammates open, I play make frst.”
Temple’s scoring abilities were tested against Drexel when only nine scholarship players were available. Eight of those nine players scored, with each fnding a way to contribute.
“Everybody’s got to realize, on this team, we talked about it, there’s so many guys that could go get 20,” Fisher said. “How can you impact winning if you’re not going to get 20? And I think that’s what we saw tonight, our group came together. The versatility and how deep we are showed tonight.”
Temple Men’s Basketball has shown its offensive abilities with multiple scoring threats and play makers in frst four games.
BY SIENNA CONAGHAN Assistant Sports Editor
Temple (3-1, 0-0 American Athletic Conference) is of to a fast start in the 2024-25 season after picking up wins against Sacred Heart, Monmouth and Drexel before narrowly falling to Boston College on the road Friday night. The team’s ofensive depth is a big reason they are riding high heading into the middle part of their out-of-conference schedule.
Head coach Adam Fisher entered the season boasting about his mostly-new roster that features a deep bag of scoring threats. The Owls’ newfound depth means they no longer have to rely on one person to lead the team in points each game.
“We have multiple guys on this team that can go get 20,” Fisher said. “That’s a big thing for us, is our depth. That’s something we’re going to use throughout this season.”
The Owls’ ofense was one-dimensional for most of last season and it cost them chances to pull out tightly contested
games. The ofensive production relied heavily on former guard Hysier Miller, who averaged 16 points per game last season. When he wasn’t on the court, Temple lacked a primary scorer and struggled to get shots to fall consistently. Miller left for Virginia Tech in the ofseason, but Temple’s replacements have paid dividends so far this season.
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