Volume 93 Issue 14

A watchdog for the Temple University

2013 Region One Winner: Best All-Around Non-Daily student newspaper

community since 1921.

temple-news.com

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

VOL. 93 ISS. 14

“I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students.

As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees.” Bill Cosby

.

AMID ALLEGATIONS, COSBY RESIGNS Facing new sexual assault accusations, Bill Cosby stepped down from the Board of Trustees on Monday.

JOE BRANDT STEVE BOHNEL LIAN PARSONS The Temple News

A

mid a resurgence in allegations of sexual misconduct dating back to the 1960s, prominent alumnus and famed comedian Bill Cosby on Monday resigned from Temple’s Board of Trustees, a position he held since 1982.

“I have always been proud of my association with Temple University,” Cosby said in a statement made avail-

able by the university. “I have always wanted to do what would be in the best interests of the university and its students. As a result, I have tendered my resignation from the Temple University Board of Trustees.”

A Temple response to the statement noted the board’s acceptance of Cosby’s resignation and gave thanks “for his service to the university.”

Cosby, 77, resigned amid pressure from media and some alumni for Temple to address the allegations and after four other universities cut ties with him in some way. Cosby has never been charged with a crime about any of the

allegations, and his lawyers vehemently denied them.

A petition that circulated on change.org calling for Cosby’s removal from the board had almost 1,100 signatures prior to the announcement of the resignation.

“It’s time for Temple to recognize that continuing its relationship with Bill Cosby is damaging to its own reputation, as well as its students, employ-

COSBY PAGE 6

EDITORIAL

INSIDE

Why Bill Cosby leaving the university was both appropriate and necessary.

PAGE 4

ANDREW THAYER TTN

Bill Cosby speaks at a graduation ceremony in May 2013. The famed comedian and alumnus served on the Board of Trustees for 32 years.

Following recent crime, security questioned

OCR set to investigate student’s complaint

A string of robberies, a home invasion and a shooting have raised student concerns.

She accused university administrators of improperly handling her rape in 2013.

JARED WHALEN The Temple News

AVERY MAEHRER Editor-in-Chief

To make her way onto Main Campus from her apartment, junior public affairs major Stephanie Barber cautiously walks several blocks through North Philadelphia.

“I’m afraid of the area,” Barber said. “I just don’t like walking around.”

Barber, like many Temple students, has developed negative feelings about her surroundings while living at Main Campus.

Alarming crimes and incidents often influence these opinions.

A Temple student hospitalized from a close-range gun shot, a house full of students tied up and robbed in a home invasion and numerous pedestrians becoming the victims of a string of robberies on or near Main Campus are a few of those incidents that arguably impact perceptions.

Crime and violence are nothing new to Temple and its

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights will investigate allegations that were raised against Temple in a Title IX complaint filed by a student this past June, while also continuing to examine the university’s alleged negligence in handling other reports of sexual violence, according to a document obtained by The Temple News.

The OCR will specifically look into whether Temple failed to address multiple cases of sexual harassment reported to university officials by liberal arts student Harmony-Jazmyne Rodriguez, who is on a leave of absence. Although Rodriguez allowed The Temple News to use her full name, she has previously stated that she doesn’t feel comfortable – “emotionally or physically” – returning to Main Campus.

The document detailing the current status of the complaint is a letter from an OCR representative to Rodriguez, the latter of whom released it to The Temple News.

In May, the U.S. Department of Education named Temple as one of 55 universities nationwide under investigation for possible Title IX violations in the handling of sexual assault and ha-

CRIME PAGE 3

BY THE NUMBERS 130

TEMPLE POLICE OFFICERS

315

SECURITY DESK STAFF

31

STUDENTS PER OFFICER

The fight to be seen M

ac McLemore has developed a taste for Subway sandwiches since enrolling at Temple, but not because of the ingredients. The small eatery on Liacouras Walk has gender-neutral bathrooms, making it one of the only locations McLemore feels comfortable frequenting.

McLemore, a freshman sociology major, came to Temple because they already had a number of friends attending the large, urban Main Campus. A strong support system is something McLemore knows they need, perhaps more than anything else, to feel accepted for who they are – as a person identifying as non-binary transgender, McLemore has become accustomed to feeling uncomfort-

NEWS - PAGES 2-3, 6

ERIN EDINGER-TUROFF | Chief Copy Editor

Some students say a growing genderqueer community needs more support from Temple.

KARA MILSTEIN TTN

TOP: Shane Rubin displays a queer pride flag in their room.

ABOVE: Students light a candle in remembrance of trans lives at a support gathering at Alumni Circle on Nov. 20.

LIFESTYLE - PAGES 7-8, 16-18

able.

Referring to McLemore as “they” or “their” is not a grammatical mistake – it is the proper way to respect their gender identity and corresponding preferred pronouns.

They, along with several other current and former students, told The Temple News the community of people like themselves – often referred to loosely as “genderqueer” because they do not fit a traditional gender role of man or woman, nor do they necessarily want to – seems to be a growing one on Main Campus.

Not only are more students coming out about their gender identity in college,

IDENTITY PAGE 16

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT - PAGES 9-12, 14,

Common App boosts app rate

Little Berlin zines archived at Paley

Comedian puts on shows at Pearl

Applications to Temple are up 27 percent from this point last year, university officials reponsible for metrics said. PAGE 2

Beth Heinly is adding her collection of roughly 280 zines to Paley Library’s Special Collections Department.

PAGE 7

Vernon Ruffin, known on stage as “KeithFromUp DaBlock,” will host a show at the Pearl Theatre on Feb. 4.

PAGE 9

OPINION - PAGES 4-5 A look at Greek Life

SPORTS - PAGES 19-22

OCR PAGE 6

Owls lose third straight

NEWS

PAGE 2

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

ANDREW THAYER TTN

Protesters stopped at Main Campus on Nov. 25 to hear speeches and take part in chants as part of demonstrations about the recent grand jury decision in Ferguson, Missouri. The grand jury declined to indict a white police officer, Darren Wilson, in the shooting death of unarmed African-American teenager Michael Brown on Aug. 9. The protest, shooting and legal proceedings were subject to protests in Ferguson and around the country involving the criminal justice system and race relations. Protesters marched through Main Campus following a demonstration around the city the night before. ONLINE

Common App boosts application rate More than 27,000 have applied to be in the Class of 2019.

BOB STEWART The Temple News Applications to Temple are up 27 percent from this time last year, with more than 27,000 prospective students applying to be part of the Class of 2019.

Administrators believe the Common Application, which Temple joined in 2013, is driving the increase. This year’s freshman class, the Class of 2018, is the largest in school history.

By comparison, Villanova typically receives about 15,000 applications, University of Pennsylvania 31,000, Penn State 48,000 and Drexel 40,000.

The most significant increases came from out-of-state and minority applicants. Outof-state increased by 3 percent, with almost one-in-five international students.

Provost Hai-Lung Dai explained a shift in international applications at an Oct. 12 meeting of the Board of Trustees’ Campus Life & Diversity Committee.

“Past international students used to come [mainly] from post graduate,” Dai said. “Now we are seeing an undergraduate increase. The total increase was 1,800 to 2,800 [students].”

The goal for the balance between in-state and out-ofstate students was 70 to 30 percent respectively, which was achieved.

Temple became more racially diverse as well.

“For our students of color we were up ... 9.4 percent over the year before,” Senior Vice Provost of Enrollment Management Bill Black said.

“That is actually a 20 percent increase over two years before,” Black added. “We’re very, very pleased to see that and it’s across [most] of the major ethnic categories.”

Black said keeping the average SAT score high remains part of the strategy.

Last year’s freshman class set the record for the highest average SAT score, he said. This year’s class fell one point lower at 1124 on a 1600 point scale.

Black said the administration remains confident the applications will increase for next school year. Unfortunately, a technical issue prevents confirmation.

“Last year when we became a Common Application member, [they] rolled out a whole new process and software ... and it was a mess,” Black said. “We did get a work-around but there was about a month ... where we were hand-entering applications.”

Black expects to know the number of applications definitively by later this month or in January.

The main reason for the confidence is the new “Temple Option,” which allows applicants to refrain from submitting standardized test scores.

“Once they submit their application with that choice made they can’t change it,” Black said.

The process adds another layer of essays for the applicants.

“[They have to answer] four short-answer response questions,” Black said. “We put a maximum of 150 words for each of these four responses. They answer them one at a time.”

Temple trained eight graduate student readers to evaluate the answers. Once the application is submitted the readers access them through a database.

“They score these responses on ... the dimensions that we believe ... are good measures of motivational developmental strengths that help us predict [college] success,” Black said.

The four answers only replace the standardized test scores. The rest of the evaluation is the same as students who submit their test scores.

“This is used in conjunction with a thorough review

of their practical academic record,” Black said. “[Along with their] GPA, their letters of recommendation, the other essay that is required ... as well as activities and leadership that we always use.”

Black said the Temple Option is limited for international students, only extending to those who are graduating from an American high school after spending their last three years there.

Otherwise, those students need to submit their test of English as a Foreign Language score.

The application deadline for incoming freshmen for the 2015 fall semester is March 1. * robert.stewart@temple.edu T @bstew74

STAFF REPORTS | student government

10-member TUnity committee to focus on campus diversity, receive new space “The Burrow” at 2026 N. Broad St. is set to open for members in January.

LIAN PARSONS The Temple News Since Temple Student Government unveiled the TUnity Statement in October to promote diversity and acceptance on Main Campus, Jalen Blot, director of campus life and diversity, assembled a 10-member committee to continue focusing on diversity and plan events focused on it.

The committee will be staffed by students who represent different organizations.

Blot said the chosen members, whom he declined to name, have been “exceptional when it

comes to event planning and diversity initiatives that have been done on campus.”

“They’re passionate about educating, about learning more, about what diversity means to them personally and how it can relate to Temple’s environment,” Blot said.

“I was looking for people who were hungry,” Blot added.

“I need people on the committee who want to see change on this campus and who want to do it, because it would be a disservice to the community if I made a committee that wasn’t in it for the betterment of Temple.”

Blot said the committee will gauge interest in potential events at TSG general assembly meetings and via emails to students.

Battle on Broad, scheduled for Dec. 9 starting at 8 p.m., is the first of the events the com-

NEWS DESK 215-204-7419

mittee planned. The dance competition and fundraiser for breast cancer research will incorporate many styles of dance, and represent different cultures. “[The] events will be catered to the student body as a whole that will engender a space in which people can actually enact what the statement says,” Blot said.

“What I seek to gain from this committee is to get a better perspective of what Temple University needs right now and how we can make sure that the statement lives on past words in a document,” Blot added. “This is a kick-off committee ... we’re still trying to figure out how to make sure that this doesn’t die out.”

One of the next steps in the TUnity implementation process is the opening of a space in which students can have discus-

sions and one that the TUnity committee can utilize. This space will be named “The Burrow” and is set to open at 2026 N. Broad St. A soft opening is planned for early January, said Rhonda Brown, associate vice president of the office of institutional diversity, equality, advocacy and leadership.

“We’ll have a welcome party for the new staff members in January when they’re on board, so people can get to know them, know what they’re here to do and get into the space,” Brown said. “We can’t wait until the spring to make those connections, or the space will be idle.”

Brown said the space can be used as a tool to help the committee achieve its goals.

“I’m excited about it and I was happy to offer it a place to live,” she said.

NEWS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

“[Organizations] have to believe in the concepts and the things being said in the TUnity statement to use that space,” Brown added. “I think that might help that statement get a little momentum.”

Dr. Carmen Phelps, who has taught at Longwood University and the University of Toledo, will be the new director of student engagement and will address student concerns about diversity and take an office on the first floor, Brown said.

“We haven’t gotten student input in the past because there hadn’t been a student function,” she said. “Whenever you limit the number of people in the room, unfortunately you also limit ideas and you limit input, and I don’t want valuable things to be lost.” “[It will be] a working group of people who will meet

with some regularity to talk about what’s going on, what’s not going on, what they need, what they don’t need, and then that way we will have our hands on the group ourselves,” Brown added. “So while I think TSG is a great way to go, I’d rather have my own source of students, I’d rather have people come to me and not have to go through a filter.”

The Burrow is currently being furnished, but will be open for use next semester.

“We want students to get into it and start using it as soon as we have it, it’s as simple as that,” Brown said. * lian.parsons@temple.edu T @Lian_Parsons

NEWS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

PAGE 3

Amending constitution among TSG plans The group also headed initiatives on diversity and sexual assault.

LIAN PARSONS The Temple News Jalen Blot, director of campus life and diversity for Temple Student Government, said this semester was about discovering issues within the Temple community.

“I can’t propose solutions if there’s no problems that exist, and if there’s no problems that exist, it means I’m not identifying [them],” he said.

“All in all, this semester was focused on what this campus needed, and next semester will be focused on providing solutions.”

Highlights of this semester for TSG include amending its constitution, the release of the TUnity statement on campus diversity with Mayor Michael Nutter declaring Oct. 28 “TUnity Day” and the “It’s On Us” campaign to end sexual assault.

Camille Bell, general auditor, made amendments to TSG’s constitution, which is applicable to general members and officers. It was last amended in 2011.

Chris Carey, director of student activities, sent Bell the previous constitution. Bell said she decided necessary changes and then discussed them with Student Body President Ray Smeriglio, Vice President of Services Blair Alston, and other TSG staff to receive their feedback before presenting it to university administration.

A major proposed change is the removal of Article 2, Section 3 of the constitution, which required the general assembly to authorize the use of funds by the TSG officers.

“We wanted to take it out because in the sum-

mertime, not all the students are here, and not all students are accessible to getting this information,” Bell said. “For example, if we have an event, it’s not very logical for us to reach out to everyone in the summer and expect a response, so that’s why we wanted to take it out. But we also agreed that whatever funds we are using, we’d let the [general assembly] know, even though we’re taking [the provision] out.”

Any amendments to the constitution must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the general assembly, the next of which will take place at the first meeting of the upcoming semester.

If the vote does not go through, Bell said a panel discussion will be opened up to take alternate suggestions from the general assembly.

Bell said amending the constitution was her biggest accomplishment this semester.

“It was my main goal this year that I’m pretty proud of,” she said. “I think it’s very important to get done because four years is too long for it not to be finalized.”

Bell’s plans for next semester include hiring an elections commissioner who will facilitate TSG elections from an unbiased viewpoint.

“I’ll be overseeing that, making sure they’re abiding by the rules, and helping out with elections, making sure it’s fair,” Bell said.

Elections are set to take place in early April, though a definite date has not been set, Smeriglio said.

Another change was converting the second floor of Morgan’s Dining Hall into an all-youcan-eat dining facility. The Morgan Hall Dining Center saw increased traffic and was an effective use of the space, Smeriglio said.

TSG conducted focus groups of a broad array of students to get recommendations.

“People elected us for a reason,” Smeriglio

said. “The dining experience was something we talked a lot about in debates, as well as in general with students because it’s something everybody experiences. No matter where you come from … you still have to eat. It’s a unifying initiative; we came together and handled it right off the bat.”

The TUnity Statement was also a prominent initiative during this semester.

“TUnity was one of the more external-facing initiatives we had this year,” Smeriglio said. “It was a kickoff to a longer conversation and now Jalen has put a committee together where he is going to set forth a set of recommendations academically, student affairs-wise, as well as communitywise, how to put this document into practice.”

Next semester, the TUnity committee will recommend future campus events to foster an environment that aligns with the TUnity statement.

TSG is also in the process of bringing “It’s On Us” to Main Campus by creating PSA videos where administrators and students take the pledge to prevent sexual assault. Two representatives from TSG are also on the presidential committee for sexual misconduct.

“We represented the university as a whole with the ‘It’s On Us’ campaign,” Smeriglio said.

“We’re currently working together to bring it to Main Campus, we’re rolling out a set of PSAs, we’re working with different student organizations and Greek Life to create their own pledge videos.”

Adopt-a-Block, the community service program focused on cleaning streets near Main Campus, increased in attendance from around 70 students per program last year to around 180 this year.

Student Organization Of the Week was also initiated this term at general assembly meetings to acknowledge organizations that are active on

Main Campus.

Other initiatives and programs this semester saw engagement with service and cultural recognition programs like Back On My Feet Philadelphia and voter registration and education.

The general assembly meetings have been restructured. Committee meetings have been added where students can discuss “hot topics,” Alston said.

“Before, general assembly meetings every week would have [student organization] announcements, [and] there wasn’t really that much content,” he said. “We did the reconstruction so that students could really interact and engage in discussion and make sure their voices are being heard.”

TSG will be canvassing Main Campus next semester to ask students what issues or problems they have with the university, along with encouraging them to reach out to those who aren’t as involved on Main Campus or can’t make the meetings, Alston said.

A new program, Academic Leaders, will be for student leaders to contact their respective deans and give feedback on how the specific school or college functions. Upperclassman leaders will also serve as mentors for underclassmen.

Alston said a social media committee will be put together and will be staffed by students from various student organizations to promote events.

Blot will be coordinating a TSG series through the Temple Performing Arts Center, which will be a collective of programs and events run by different organizations, marketed by TSG. * lian.parsons@temple.edu T @Lian_Parsons

This month’s robberies draw student attention CRIME PAGE 1

surrounding neighborhood. According to Temple’s 2014 Fire and Safety Report, released in accordance with the federal Clery Act, there were more than 2,500 reported crimes on and around Main Campus between 2011 and 2013. Of those crimes, more than half were thefts.

There were 46 cases of aggravated assault and 21 forcible rapes.

The Clery Act requires universities to disclose information about crime on and around a campus, including timely warnings about ongoing incidents, maintaining a public crime log and publishing an annual report which contains crime statistics from the previous three years.

The safety of Temple students has been questioned in the past. While the results were heavily criticized by both universities, the University of Pennsylvania and Temple ranked first and second, respectively, on Elite Daily’s 2011 list of the most dangerous colleges to attend.

When crime and violence become common occurrences in the lives of young adults, questions of the behavioral and psychological effects of that come into question.

“I’ve never really, honestly, felt uncomfortable at Temple,” said junior political science major Alex Siegel.

Siegel, like many students, has lived on or near Main Campus during his entire time at Temple and said he feels comfortable living in the surrounding neighborhood.

“I’ve had friends who were robbed at gunpoint but you kind of just don’t really think about it,” Siegel said. “There’s always police. I’ll walk home in the middle of the night, like if I’m at a party and I’ll have no problem doing that.”

According to a Temple press release, approximately 14,000 students live on or near Temple’s Main Campus, roughly 44 percent of its total enrollment.

According to a 2008 report from the Bureau of Justice Statistics – the latest data available – Temple Police is the largest university police force in the country. The force employs

more than 130 sworn police officers – roughly one officer for every 11 students living on or near Main Campus or one for every 31 students overall.

By comparison, the Philadelphia Police Department consists of 6,600 sworn members; one officer for every 235 Philadelphians, according to the department’s website.

Additionally, Campus Safety Services has a Security Division that includes 65 Temple security officers and 250 full-time equivalent security officers from Allied Barton Security Services, a contract security company. In total, Temple’s security force has 445 trained employees according to the FAS Report.

“We like to direct our resources to where we are having problems,” Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said.

At the beginning of the fall semester, Temple Police expanded its patrolling parameters to include nearly 25 additional square blocks. The new patrol zone is bound by 18th Street to the west, Susquehanna Avenue to the north, 9th Street to the east and Jefferson Street to the south.

Leone believes that students can already feel the effects of the additional security.

“Students who have seen us out there are giving us positive feedback saying that they are glad to see us,” Leone said.

According to Crime Reports, the number of assaults with a deadly weapon has dropped by 40 percent in this zone since the patrols were expanded on Aug. 29.

Administrators said crime trends of this semester are similar to those of previous years, despite sensational outliers.

“In 2014, what we are seeing is we’re kind of flat in most areas with the crime,” Leone said. “This year compared to last year, we’re neck and neck as far as looking at crime with robberies. Some of them have been more high profile – you had the home invasion – which makes the news and everyone becomes aware.”

On Oct. 19, two men followed a Temple student into his

home on the 1900 block of 18th Street and proceeded to bind him and his roommates, fellow students, with zip ties and held them at gunpoint. One student, who police said was “pistolwhipped” by one of the robbers, was taken to Hahnemann University Hospital and treated for minor cuts and bruises.

Beside that student, no one else was injured, but a few thousand dollars worth of personal property was stolen.

The TU Alert and TU Ready systems is the university’s primary means of communicating with the Temple community regarding emergencies and criminal events, pursuant to the “timely warnings” requirement of the Clery Act. The alert system, however, has received criticism over the years for being irregular in its coverage.

The Clery Act states that higher education institutions are only required to send out an alert if there is an “immediate” or “continuing” threat to the student body.

“The TU Alerts make me feel safer,” said Kevin Otte, a senior media and productions major. “But sometimes there are cases where I’ve heard or I’ve seen police cars and other serious things going on a little off campus that I’d like to know about but they don’t usually report.”

Some feel that the alert systems foster an environment of fear and ultimately oversaturate students with information.

An example of this could be seen mid-November, as students received continual updates regarding a string of robberies occurring around Main Campus.

“I was always like, ‘Oh, another one of those,’” Otte said. “They all kind of blended together. They don’t really give you closure. They just kind of give you a couple bits of information and never really say what happens eventually, so people are constantly on edge worrying about not being safe.”

Some recent TU Alerts did include notice that a suspect was caught.

Joseph Alkus, a criminal justice professor at Temple, explores this concept with his students.

In August, Temple Police expanded the borders of its patrol zone by 25 square blocks.

“I asked them if they feel numb to the crime around them.

“When your friends come more fearful or less fearful when they subscribe to the TU visit you and they’re like, ‘Wow, Alert system and it was about Temple’s so dangerous,’ ... it’s 50/50,” Alkus said. “But most like the first thing they mention times they didn’t feel like they about Temple,” Siegel said.

“You just don’t really think had all that much value.”

“I don’t think Temple stu- about it,” he added. “You’re dents are desensitized,” said like, ‘No it’s not. It’s just like Mary Stricker, a sociology a normal campus. Just don’t go professor at Temple. “I think past Susquehanna [Avenue] and they’re scared just like anyone 20th Street.’ So it’s kind of one of those things where it’s acelse is in the neighborhood.”

Stricker suggests that stu- cepted and it’s kind of a normal dents acclimate to the environ- way of life. You definitely do ment and find ways to handle get desensitized to it.”

A commonality among stucrime – not become desensidents is a sense of lighthearted tized to it.

“You don’t stop being humor towards crime in the area. afraid but you “A lot of realize that you the jokes that have to live your students will say life,” Stricker if someone gets said.

“Temple the front tire of students realtheir bike stolen ize they have to or something, go to class, they they’ll say have to go to the stuff like, ‘Oh, store, to the liwell it’s North brary, to pick up Philly,’” Otte take-out, they have to go see Alex Siegel / junior political science said. “But that shouldn’t their friends and major just happen anygo to parties, dewhere ... So when crime does spite the risks involved.”

Stricker added that the happen, students react a little most important thing is for most more anticipatory, or treating it Temple students, their residency more normal than it should be.”

Barber said that she’s dein North Philadelphia is temposensitized to crime that happens rary.

“It’s different when you on and around Main Campus, know that you won’t be in the but she admits that she’s afraid midst of prevalent crime for to walk around alone at night.

“If I was at home [in souththe rest of your life.” Stricker said. “So in terms of the impact ern New Jersey] and I heard emotionally, psychologically, it gunshots I would probably makes people afraid, but when freak out,” Barber said. “But you know you have options like here, you hear what might to remove yourself from that be gunshots and you’re just like, crime, it’s a big cushion, both ‘Oh, that’s North Philly. Oh, that’s Temple.’” for your mind and body.”

When lecturing his crimiSome students would argue, however, that they do feel nal justice classes, Alkus asks

“You don’t

really think about it ... It’s accepted and it’s kind of a normal way of life.

”

ALISA MILLER TTN

his students who have attended Temple for a few years if crime has influenced their behavior.

“Are they more aware?”

Alkus said. “Do they not walk out at night, or if they do, do they go with other people? What kind of things do they do to be more perceptive?”

Typically, he finds that most do not intentionally adjust their behavior. Those who do, do so by trying to remain aware of their surroundings and avoid things like texting while walking.

On Nov. 11, a Temple student was shot outside a fraternity on the 1500 block of North 17th Street during an attempted robbery.

Siegel expressed shock that the shooting took place so close to a student residence, but its impact on him wasn’t dramatic.

“It was definitely shocking because it could happen to anyone. It could be anyone’s party or anyone’s house that you go to,” Siegel said. “Again, it didn’t really change my behavior. It made you a little more aware for that little bit of time but then it kind of just floats to the back of your mind.”

Whether the result of adaptability or becoming desensitized, Temple students are finding ways to survive in the world they live in.

“It happens and you just gotta roll with the punches,” Siegel said. * jared.whalen@temple.edu T @jared_whalen

EDITORIAL/OP-ED

PAGE 4 A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

FROM THE ARCHIVES...

Avery Maehrer, Editor-in-Chief Patricia Madej, Managing Editor Erin Edinger-Turoff, Chief Copy Editor Joe Brandt, News Editor Grace Holleran, Opinion Editor Claire Sasko, Lifestyle Editor Emily Rolen, Arts & Entertainment Editor EJ Smith, Sports Editor Steve Bohnel, Asst. News Editor Andrew Parent, Asst. Sports Editor Alexa Bricker, Asst. Lifestyle Editor Paige Gross, Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Patrick McCarthy, Multimedia Editor Harsh Patel, Web Editor

Kate Reilly, Asst. Web Editor Andrew Thayer, Photography Editor Kara Milstein, Asst. Photography Editor Addy Peterson, Design Editor Donna Fanelle, Asst. Designer Zachary Campbell, Advertising Manager Grayson Holladay, Business Manager Dustin Wingate, Marketing Manager

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 reflective of their authors, not The Temple News.

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EDITORIALS

FILE PHOTO TTN

Severing ties with Cosby

It’s difficult to imagine this regarding possible violations in university without Bill Cosby. its handling of sexual assault Yesterday, Temple released and harassment cases. a statement about Cosby’s resigTo combat the issue, Temnation from the Board of Trust- ple formed a committee aimed ees, including his proclamation to address sexual misconduct. that he has “alCosby’s ways wanted to Cosby’s resignation from the presence on the do what would Board was necessary due to Board, despite be in the best allegations of recent allegations. interests of the sexual misconuniversity and duct, was counits students.” terproductive to the university’s Few, if any, faces repre- new efforts to improve its hansent Temple the way the famed dling of reported instances of comedian has since he left the sexual assault. Although he has school in the early 1960s to pur- never gone to trial for these alsue a career in the entertainment legations, these claims of rape industry. But now, in light of may forever be linked to his the recent scrutiny surrounding name. allegations that he sexually asOther universities were saulted more than a dozen wom- even quicker to cut ties with en dating back to the 1960s, his Cosby. Administrators at the link to the university was doing University of Massachusettsmore harm than good to its sur- Amherst asked Cosby to step rounding community. down from his position as honWe may never know wheth- orary co-chairman for its $300 er Cosby sexually assaulted all, million fundraising campaign. some or none of the alleged vic- He did so last week. High Point tims who have come forward University in North Carolina during recent years. He has removed Cosby from an advinever been convicted of a crime. sory board, at least temporarBut regardless of the validity be- ily. Freed-Hardeman University hind the accusations – which at in Tennessee canceled Cosby’s this point seems to be unknow- scheduled appearance there at a able – or the reasoning behind Dec. 5 fundraiser. the mass amounts of negative atCosby has undeniably done tention Cosby has received dur- a lot of good for Temple since ing the past month, his presence joining the board in 1982 – on the Board of Trustees was no through donations, commencement speeches and other means. longer beneficial.

In May, the university was But leaving is the best thing he named as one of 55 higher edu- has done for the university since cation institutions being investi- the recent attention to the allegagated by the Department of Edu- tions. cation’s Office for Civil Rights

The importance of protest On the night of Nov. 24, marching, in addition to mournthe country appeared to go up ing Brown. in flames as angry Americans On a college campus, espereacted to a Safely participating in cially at a college grand jury’s as liberal as Temdecision not to protests is sometimes the ple, it’s important best way for students to for students to be indict Ofc. Darren Wilson for express their dissatisfaction. able to exercise shooting and their right to askilling Michael Brown, 18, in semble. While diplomatic disFerguson, Missouri. cussions or service work can Since the decision was anbe productive and less disrupnounced, every facet of the case tive ways to get a point across, has been discussed, but regardsometimes the disruption is necless of what conclusions were essary – especially with cases reached – and how many – the like racism in the United States, fact remains that American which has existed for as long as youths are dissatisfied with the the country itself. verdict and with race relations Recall instances like the in general in the U.S. Boston Tea Party. When calm Protests affected cities discussion didn’t work, Ameriaround the nation, including cans took to a large-scale, radiPhiladelphia, where a major cal demonstration to achieve protest attracted about 500 peotheir goals – and the country’s ple on Nov. 26. The protesters history was forever altered. marched around the city, arrivStudents have the right to ing at Broad Street and Cecil B. control the goings-on in their Moore Avenue at about 4 p.m. country by participating in proProtesters chanted, “No justice, tests – so long as they don’t enno peace” and “hands up, don’t danger themselves or others. shoot,” in reference to the alleThere should be no shortgation that Brown attempted to age of protests in Philadelphia surrender to Wilson as he was in the aftermath of Michael killed.

Brown, and for good reason.

Many protesters in both Students should be encouraged Ferguson and Philadelphia cited to responsibly participate. police brutality and institutionalized racism as reasons for

CORRECTIONS The Temple News strives to be a newspaper of record by printing factually correct and balanced articles. 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 Avery Maehrer at editor@temple-news.com or 215.204.6737.

Jan. 21,2014: Roughly a year ago, Temple announced that it would cut seven sports. After reporting on the cuts throughout winter break, The Temple News published exclusive coverage in the first issue of the Spring 2014 semester. Since then, crew and rowing have been reinstated, but debates about the validity of the cuts have not ceased.

OP-ED...

Preserve African American Studies “Africology” signifies much more than a name change.

By Kashara White Words in and of themselves have little significance. The same goes for names. So earlier this year when Dr. Molefi Asante, the chair of the African American studies department, argued for changing the name of the department to Africology, people like myself wanted to provide some context.

Asante said the name change reflects that the department will be for African people’s study of Africa’s many cultures from an “African worldview.”

“The department is changing directions, away from civic issues in American history to other areas,” Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Teresa Soufas told the The Temple News in March.

I’m a Black woman, an African American studies major and an activist. As such, I’m concerned that this is more about Asante and what he views as his legacy than advancing African American studies at Temple. Although there is some theoretical reasoning from Asante’s standpoint, in my eyes there is not enough to justify a name change. If Asante makes such a drastic change – thus establishing his as the only possible theoretical stance in the department – it will imply that he is the arbiter and final authority of what is African.

W.E.B. Du Bois first used the word “Afro-centrism.” For Du Bois it was connected to a method of studying the Black world. Du Bois sought ways to empower people stripped of their cultural dignity who are often left in a state of self-hate. He saw the term as part of his bigger efforts at creating social and human science.

In an interview earlier this week with The Temple News, however, Asante said his name change has “nothing to do with Du Bois.” “[The field] was created after his death,” Asante said.

I and others have accused Asante of attempting to push Du Bois out of the African American studies department to create a department of “Asanteism,” a narrow and self serving enterprise.

Dr. Anthony Monteiro’s nonrenewal at

LETTER TO THE EDITOR...

Temple suggests exactly this. Monteiro’s classes focused heavily on Du Bois’ teachings. However, Soufas and Asante did not seem to think these classes were necessary.

The department “is not going to hire someone else to teach W.E.B. Du Bois,” Soufas told The Temple News in a September interview. “That’s not something they need now.”

Since Asante assumed leadership over the department, more and more of his books have surfaced on undergraduate syllabi than my previous years in attendance at Temple. There is, therefore, a moneymaking component to Asante’s ideologies.

Although Asante is hardly the only professor to require his own materials, it seems especially hypocritical to make money off of African American studies students in particular. Poverty as a result of capitalism is one of the biggest challenges the African American community faces, but it’s difficult for Asante to critique capitalism while aspiring to be a part of the capitalist class.

In addition, there is very little critical academic value to Asante’s version of Africology. Scholars in feminist, gender and queer studies, along with African American Studies scholars have long questioned the critical and academic validity of Asante’s theorizing, drawing attention to its misogyny and homophobia. In her book “Fighting Words: Black Women and the Search for Justice,” Patricia Hill Collins states, “Asante’s advice is especially odd, given that he makes little mention of gender in his volume despite his advise that it be taken seriously.”

Not only would Du Bois be phased out, but so would scholars like Collins, based merely on their stances on gender and sexuality. This would be done while Asante claims that “traditional Africa” rejected modern ideas of gender equality and certainly was anti-homosexual.

A fundamental aspect of traditional African culture is the institution of public critique. When students assembled to disagree with the administration on the matter of choosing the chair of the African American studies department, Asante originally agreed with our right to assemble.

It was only when students began to criticize Asante’s failure to renew Monteiro’s contract that he opposed the efforts

of students to openly address and critique the actions of those in power.

In regards to a protest on Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue on May 8, Asante stated in a public Facebook post that “a poorer excuse for a demonstration has never been seen in the history of the Philadelphia African American community.”

Dr. Cornel West and Marc Lamont Hill, two renowned African American activists, headlined the event, which was attended by myself and many other African American studies students. “[Marc and Hill] were either duped or willingly participated in an empty charade,” Asante said in the same post. “If they were duped, they are not as politically or socially intelligent as they have seemed.

If they willingly participated in the event it was a vile and obscene demonstration of political underhandedness meant to muddy the waters surrounding the Monteiro affair.”

I find Asante’s opinions of student activism at Temple to be unacceptable and contradictory of African values. Attacking progressive voices like West and Hill implies that Asante wants to crush academic and intellectual dissent, freedom of thought and speech at Temple. The change of the department’s name would only embolden him in these authoritarian practices.

I chose to become an African American Studies major because it not only affirmed my experience as a Black person in America, but also because it challenged the academic norms that inherently led to the marginalization of my experience. The department, in my view, no longer cultivates critique – and that is tragic. As a department based in North Philadelphia, one can think of few places in the country where this critique is more necessary.

As of this month, the proposed name change is still being debated, Asante said.

It is time that the university step in to rectify the rapidly deteriorating situation within the department and restore it to what we know it can be. I believe Black lives matter, that Black students matter, that African American studies matter and that Temple University matters. For this reason, I will continue to stand up to Asante. * kashara.white@temple.edu

Online SFFs just as accurate

Debating the accuracy of online feedback forms.

It was good to see The Temple News editorial (Nov. 18) discussing Student Feedback Forms (SFFs). As Oscar Wilde noted, “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” It is good to raise awareness of the forms – especially at this point in the semester.

The editorial correctly notes that there has been a drop in response rates from the low 70 percent range for paper and pencil to the low 50 percent range for the early semesters of online administration. It suggests that the change in mode of administration combined with the reduced response rate has resulted in more highranking scores for professors. This is partly correct. The data show that students with either strong negative or positive opinions are more likely to complete the online evaluations.

However, it is important to note that online SFFs are not creating “potentially skewed or misleading data.” National studies over the last decade show no meaningful differences in ratings of course and instructor or the proportion of positive and negative written comments. Internal analyses of Temple data confirm these conclusions.

The mean score for course and instructor ratings has not significantly changed from

paper to online – even when one controls for lower/upper division courses and the size of the class.

Online SFFs have certainly brought change but they have not undermined “the analytical value of the SFF process.” Students have more time to develop their response – they can begin during class and complete later on. Students who might otherwise have missed the class when paper SFFs were administered are not left out.

The online process has enabled the development of a student SFF data access system by which students who complete all their SFFs can access selected results for all course/instructors during the past several years. Faculty get the results of the online SFFs earlier and can more quickly make course changes based on the feedback from the students. Faculty are also reporting that the written student comments from the online forms are more extensive.

The Temple News editorial suggested that a “reincarnation of the paper system could return the analytical value of the SFF process.” I want to stress that the analytical value of the SFF process has not been compromised in any way. The overall picture obtained from online and paper course evaluations – both nationally and here at Temple – is essentially the same.

As readers of The Temple News will know, the university, and the schools and

colleges, are doing all they can to improve the SFF process and to increase the response rates. The SFFs are important to faculty but also to students – and this why I would strongly encourage all your readers to set aside some time to complete them.

Students are able to see SFF feedback from their peers on courses and instructors. Students also benefit from course improvements made by instructors based on feedback from SFFs. SFFs completed this semester may not produce immediate change, and that can be frustrating. Ultimately, however, student SFFs provide the feedback needed to initiate change.

Peter R. Jones is the Senior Vice Provost Undergraduate Studies and a professor of criminal justice. He can be reached at peter.jones@temple.edu.

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? Send your comments to letters@temple-news.com.

Letters to the editor may regard any current issue but must include your full name, position and location. Students can give year and major. Submissions should be between 200-600 words.

OPINION

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

PAGE 5

commentary | Greek Life

Temple frats should reassess connotations of Greek Life In order to combat nationwide stereotypes, Temple must make deliberate moves to establish Greek Life as progressive.

I

’ve never been very enthusiastic about the idea of Greek Life in general – it’s always seemed like an exclusive, hyper-masculine straight man’s game – and I can’t say that recent developments have made it any easier for me to support it.

Temple has decided to no longer recognize Tau Kappa Epsilon due to what The Temple News reported as violations of the noise and alcohol codes, as well as the Good Neighbor Policy.

N a t i o n a l l y, VINCE BELLINO West Virginia University has suspended all Greek Life after a student death at a Kappa Sigma that is believed to be hazing related. And on Nov. 19, Rolling Stone published an in-depth article about a long history of rape culture within the University of Virginia’s Greek Life. Fraternities at UVA were subsequently suspended, as well.

Joshua Decker is a junior, an openly gay man, and is now in the process of making a new fraternity that is open to gay, bisexual and transgender men, calling it a “progressive” fraternity. Because it seems the majority of fraternities across the country are still riddled with heteronormative gender roles and rites of passage, this is the change that we need to see with Greek Life at Temple.

Decker, a French and the-

ater double major, has rushed 12 fraternities over his time at Temple and feels that he has been disadvantaged because of his sexual identity. This spurred him to make a chapter of Delta Lambda Phi, a fraternity that has always been for “progressive men irrespective of sexual orientation,” according to its website.

Because Temple is not allowing Greek Life expansion until 2018, Decker said, the chapter will be open to men at all universities in the Philadelphia and Greater Philadelphia area.

“I think it’s about breaking down the stereotypes,” Decker said.

Fraternity members claim that sexual orientation is not a factor in the process of accepting new members.

“Almost every fraternity has at least one gay brother, and I have never personally witnessed a Greek discriminate somebody based on their sexuality,” said Justin Diaz, president of Temple’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu, via email.

Brothers from other fraternities agree with Diaz.

“I know a few openly gay people who are involved in Greek Life,” said Ari Abramson, a sophomore management information systems major and brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi. “Fraternities aren’t looking for the best looking guys who can get with a lot of chicks, they are looking for young, devoted men who fit into the culture of the organization. Sexual prefer-

JENNY KERRIGAN TTN

A member of Tau Kappa Epsilon looks at the fraternity’s emblem. Temple will no longer recognize TKE as a campus fraternity.

ence shouldn’t have any effect on getting a bid or not.”

Temple’s Student Activities website states that 1,100 students are members of Greek Life on Main Campus, but there are 27,725 undergraduate students here. That means that only about 4 percent of the student body is involved in Greek Life, so fraternities need to give serious consideration to how outsiders view them – and many nonmembers don’t buy the claims of equality, especially with the stories that national media outlets have recently exposed.

“Unless you’re in Greek Life, you have a connotation of it,” Decker said, referencing the belief that fraternities are focused more on parties and

commentary | facilities

Main Campus not for the birds

D

More Temple buildings should utilize bird-safe windows.

odging bird carcasses splattered on the cement has unfortunately become a part of the typical Temple student’s daily routine.

A walk to my statistics class in Alter Hall has turned into an obstacle course during the last few months, as the block of Montgomery Avenue between 13th and Broad streets has become littered with the poor animals’ lifeless bodies more often than not.

A number of buildings on Main Campus – including Alter – have reflective windows, which mirror the sky and the buildings’ surrounding trees. What appears welcoming to the incoming birds is not actually a tree – but usually once the CHELSEA ANN birds realize this, it’s too ROVNAN late.

Birds can be found lying lifeless in many places on Main Campus. Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Alter and the Student Center are just a few of the many buildings that I have seen surrounded by dead birds. I can’t help but think that the windows have something to do with it, as these three buildings are heavily made of glass.

For a university that prides itself on being Owls, one would think that the school would have more sympathy for other fowl – or at least be trying to do more about the issue to prevent further loss of animal life.

If her handler were to walk her around Main Campus, I have a feeling Stella, our beloved live mascot who is known to cheer on our basketball and football teams by attending their games – would be incredibly distraught at the sight of her kin crushed on the ground. And I’m sure Hooter would be saddened by his fallen brethren, as well.

In September, 33-year-old glass major Karlee Mariel Felger found an alarming number of dead birds as she walked around Tyler, which is just one of more than 70 buildings considered to be a part of Main Campus. Felger said she encountered 20 dead birds within its perimeter.

Imagine if 20 birds were discovered dead around the perimeter of each and every one of our buildings at Temple. We’d have 1,400 dead birds lying by our feet.

In 2011, The Temple News reported a similar number – between 800 and 1,000 birds died within the year from direct contact with reflective

OPINION DESK 215-204-7416

windows on Main Campus.

The sight of bird carcasses on the sidewalks would be slightly less traumatizing if feathers were the only remains left for us to see. However, full bodies of the animals remain on our walkways. Occasionally, a bird’s body may be stepped on or even ran over by a car, skateboard or bike – and it’s easy to see the anatomy of the bird in an instant.

Birds don’t need to be dying and students shouldn’t have to see death – no matter what magnitude – on their way to class.

There is not enough being done by the university to prevent birds from flying into our buildings’ windows – so, while we shamelessly refer to ourselves as owls, many similar creatures are lying dead within the boundaries of Main Campus.

Last month, The Temple News reported that Katherine Switala-Elmhurst, program manager for the Office of Sustainability, is hoping to right this wrong within the near future.

In 2011, students competed in a design contest for a surface-care film that would be used to deter birds and avoid collisions. The winner created an art installation of music notes, birds and horizontal lines on the glass walls of the walkway between the Tuttleman Learning Center and Paley Library. The markings on the glass keep birds from flying into it, resulting in less bird casualties around these buildings. Simple displays like this are a win-win situation, because not only are we helping to prevent birds from dying, we are also showcasing some of our students’ talents.

With this tragic pattern of birds dying in mind, Morgan Hall was constructed with porous glass, said Glenn Eck, grounds superintendent.

The porous glass – also known as “fritted glass” – is a step in the right direction. Eck said that it has proven to be successful when it comes to deterring birds from colliding with the buildings.

Main Campus’s newest addition – the Science Education and Research Center – isn’t equipped with this type of “fritted glass” that seems to be working well for Morgan. Instead, a series of shelves has been installed in SERC in hopes that they too will help prevent birds from crashing.

As ideas for further campus development are discussed within the Visualize Temple program, students should use this opportunity to insist that Temple continue researching alternatives to reflective glass windows, like the “fritted” glass, designs and shelves, in order to reduce the number of dead birds lying on the sidewalk. * chelsea.ann.rovnan@temple.edu

drinking than philanthropy and brotherhood.

“The culture of hazing is disturbing,” Decker added.

“That’s not progressive.”

Diaz does not believe that hazing is as much of a problem as people make it out to be.

“The negative gets the focus, and in the case of WVU the tragedy gets the focus,” he said.

“It does lead to a lot of the good we do being ignored.”

While fraternities undoubtedly raise huge donations for charities – Diaz said all of the fraternities together raised more than $10,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – hazing is not an issue that can just be swept under the rug.

A study by the University

of Maine in 2008 found that more than half of all students involved in Greek Life and other student organizations are victims of hazing.

In the Nov. 19 Rolling Stone article about Greek Life at UVA, a victim identified as Jackie revealed that she was discouraged by her friends from reporting her gang rape by seven students because it would hurt their chances at rushing or being allowed into frat parties.

Rape culture is so strong in Greek Life at some schools that students may be afraid to report rape or support their friends who are victims of rape because it would hurt their standings with fraternities.

To me, that is a disturbing

issue that no amount of philanthropy or brotherhood could ever hope to cover up – and while philanthropy is a noble cause to support, a shadow of negativity will continue to surround Greek Life until more progressiveness is introduced to the culture.

That progressiveness can start at Temple. The university needs students like Decker to lead its fraternities if Greek Life is ever going to earn back the prestige that its members claim it has. It’s time to look at what really matters – do we want to be proud of our Greek Life or do we want to keep it an abusive, exclusive club? * vince.bellino@temple.edu

commentary | politics

Public education may improve under Wolf

The governor-elect may help to revitalize Philly’s damaged education system.

I

n the wake of an election that resulted in the flipping of a number of key political positions, many Americans are wondering what’s in store for the nation. This question is particularly relevant for Pennsylvanians, who recently elected Tom Wolf as governor, ending the four-year reign of incumbent Tom Corbett.

This also hopefully means an end to Corbett’s frankly abysmal public education policies.

One of the greatest criticisms levied at his administration was his tendency to cut funding for JASON PEPPER both K-12 institutions and higher education programs, including a 50 percent cut to four of the most prominent universities in the state: Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, Lincoln University and Temple. Most citizens are hoping that Wolf is going to help write a new chapter for education in Pennsylvania.

If Wolf sticks to his words, then that might very well be the case. Large parts of his campaigning relied on reversing the policies that hurt education all over the state, and he has published plans for what changes he will be making.

In live remarks after his victory, Wolf stated, “We need to make sure education is at the top of the list and not the bottom.”

That is something Pennsylvanians very clearly need. In the past few years, students have seen shuttered schools, less and less funding, and increasingly crowded classrooms. In opinion polls taken shortly before the election, Pennsylvanians made education the No. 1 issue.

Wolf’s plan is mostly just to increase funding. The goal is to fund not only the buildings themselves, but the educators as well. Wolf plans to restore the $1 billion that was cut out of the budgets of schools. The end goal is for the state to cover at least half of the total costs to public education.

This doesn’t just include K-12, though. The new governor also wants to increase access to higher education by making state aid easier to get, and by making state scholarships more widely available. Wolf has planned out a new “Deserving Scholar Program,” which would benefit students who are in the top 20 percent of SAT test-takers

LETTERS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

with at least a 3.75 GPA in high school, but are also in the bottom quartile of income distribution.

Of course, talk doesn’t amount for much in the world of politics. Fortunately, it seems that Wolf actually has a plan to back up these increases in funding, which are largely based on tax increases for companies that are taking advantage of Pennsylvania’s lucrative drilling industry. Rather than placing the burden of paying for education on citizens, Wolf’s placing it on the corporations that are making billions of dollars in the state. Other components of funding will come from changes to the formula for charter schools.

So what does all of this mean for Temple students? Ideally, the recent increases in costs for higher education will stop. Wolf’s plan means increased funding for any institution that receives state funding, including Temple. It hopefully will mean lower tuition, lower fees and more scholarships. It will also mean better rates on state loans.

If his plan works, the benefits would be countless. Pennsylvania schools have been suffering under strict budgets for too long, and the importance of funding can’t be understated. Public Philadelphia schools, which have been closing left and right, could potentially have the funding for adequate facilities and teachers. It could mean an end to students needing to commute for miles just to reach a school that has good programs. It might mean an end to the cutting of art and music programs in elementary schools.

Most importantly, it could mean that education would be available regardless of area. The schools most affected by the budget cuts of recent years were the same schools least equipped to deal with them: poor rural or urban schools. Affluent suburbs and wealthier areas of the state could continue even with less funding since they received so much in the first place. With Wolf’s plan, there looks to be a better distribution of a larger amount of funds, which will hopefully make education better across the state.

For now, any implications of Wolf’s policy are just speculation. He doesn’t take office until January, but he looks like he’s making an attempt to listen to the electorate that enabled him to take office. It’s too early to tell, but it looks like anyone hoping for a stronger education system should be cautiously optimistic about the governor-elect. * jason.pepper@temple.edu T @pepperjasona

NEWS

PAGE 6

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

ON CAMPUS

PROTESTERS RALLY ON CAMPUS

About 500 people gathered on Main Campus at the intersection of Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue around 4 p.m. Tuesday to protest a grand jury’s Monday decision not to charge Ofc. Darren Wilson with a crime in the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

Members of various activist and faith-based groups gave speeches and led chants relating to the grand jury’s decision and other issues like gentrification.

About 80 police officers, mostly Philadelphia police on bicycles, were at the intersection. Temple Police were present as well.

After several speeches and chants including “no justice, no peace, no racist police,” the group began to march west down Cecil B. Moore Avenue around 5:15 p.m.

The group eventually made its way to the 9th police precinct on 21st and Hamilton streets to wait for the release of two protesters who arrested during Monday night’s march. The two were charged with misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and obstructing a highway after trying to take the protest to I-95, police said.

The shooting, deliberations and final decision not to indict sparked protest in Ferguson and other cities throughout the country about the proceedings themselves and race relations in general. Protests in Philadelphia began Monday after St. Louis County Prosecutor Bob McCulloch announced the decision in a 20-minute speech that questioned the stories of the eight eyewitnesses.

-Joe Brandt

LET OUT TO CLOSE TEMPORARILY

The Let Out, a popular restaurant and nightclub in North Philadelphia located at 1625 Cecil B. Moore Ave., is temporarily closed as the owner, Odi Obilo, waits for zoning permits to be processed.

Obilo said he started the process in July to change the zoning of the venue from a restaurant to an event space.

“I have to change the zoning of the building’s use and occupancy,” Obilo said.

Obilo said he thinks that the venue will reopen in about two weeks, but the zoning process can take from three to four months as the city processes the paperwork.

Use Registration Permits are required for changes of activity in an existing building and the elimination of an existing use in a building. According to the website City of Philadelphia’s Business Services Center, a permit will be issued after a review of a zoning

JENNY KERRIGAN TTN

The Let Out sits at the corner of Willington Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. The venue is temporarily closed until zoning permits are processed.

application, which can take up to 20 days.

The Let Out has three separate spaces in the building which will be used for different events. It offers catering, sound and lighting and a full-service bar for each.

-Mariam Dembele

HSC PRETZEL FACTORY ROBBED

Temple Police are searching for one suspect in connection with an armed robbery that took place around 10:45 a.m. on Nov. 26 at the Philly Pretzel Factory on the Health and Science Campus.

The suspect was described in a TU Alert as a 20- to 30-year-old male, and was wearing a hooded black North Face sweatshirt, along with black pants and a black partial ski mask.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said the suspect fled south on Broad Street before turning west onto Allegheny Avenue.

Leone added that the suspect was armed with a gun, and $150 was stolen. Temple Police is reviewing video footage from inside the store for images of the suspect.

Anyone with information about the robbery should contact Campus Safety Services at 215-2047900.

-Steve Bohnel

Complainant alleges mishandling of assault OCR PAGE 6 rassment cases.

According to files of her In the letter, the OCR states complaint which she released to that it will investigate allega- The Temple News, Rodriguez tions detailed in the June com- was raped in her Temple Towplaint of how an administrator ers apartment in August 2013 threatened to remove Rodriguez after meeting the alleged perpefrom a student organization trator, a male student, at Maxi’s because of her Pizza, Subs & reported claims Bar on Liacouof sexual harassras Walk. ment and assault.

Rodriguez The letter said she invited addressed to Rothe man to her driguez from the apartment and OCR stated that he raped her her claim that in the living the university room. Rodridid not properly guez said she respond to her was intoxicated report of sexual at the time, but assault will not wrote in her Harmony-Jazmyne Rodriguez / proceed because complaint that Title IX complainant it overlaps with a it “was excrubroader investigation into Tem- ciating to have people focus ple and its “alleged failure to on drinking as a cause of rape promptly and equitably respond rather than rapists.” to complaints, reports and/or Complying with the uniincidents of sexual violence versity’s policy for guests in of which it had notice, thereby residential buildings, Rodrisubjecting students to a sexu- guez said she accompanied the ally hostile environment.” suspect to the front desk to sign When asked about the al- him out after the attack. After legations outlined in the com- Allied Barton security noticed plaint, a university spokesman she was intoxicated, the comsaid only that “Temple Uni- plaint reads, resident assistants versity fully cooperates in any were notified and Temple PoOCR investigation.” lice were contacted.

Rodriguez’ claim of dis“When the officer arrived, crimination against transgender the security, RAs, and the cops individuals, addressed in her let my assailant leave and he ran complaint, will not be investi- out of the building,” Rodriguez gated by the OCR due to a “lack wrote. “Nobody asked about of sufficient detail,” according the assailant at all that night.” to the letter addressed to her.

Rodriguez said she was

“It was

excruciating to have people focus on drinking as a cause of rape rather than rapists.

”

taken to Hahnemann University Hospital for treatment and began to remember more details there the next morning after the alcohol wore off. She added that by the time she received medical care, she had already showered, making it too late to collect any evidence.

Rodriguez’ reports of the incident went to the Wellness Resource Center, the complaint reads, which allegedly told her rape was “outside of their jurisdiction.” By contrast, the WRC’s website states “any Temple staff will help you to contact resources to report incidents and to get help.”

The OCR will also investigate other parts of Rodriguez’ complaint, including how someone she met online – with whom she exchanged “emails and pictures of a sexual nature” – stalked her prior to the alleged rape. Rodriguez also said another individual chased her and disparaged her gender identity, threatening to “crack [her] skull.”

The complaint may be settled prior to the investigation’s completion if both parties negotiate a voluntary agreement of resolution. * avery.maehrer@temple.edu ( 215.204.6737 T @AveryMaehrer Joe Brandt and Patricia Madej contributed reporting.

IN THE NATION

UVA REELING FROM ALLEGATIONS

The University of Virginia is facing criticism after a Nov. 19 Rolling Stone article alleged that a female freshman was gang-raped in 2012 at a fraternity on campus.

Since the printing of the 9,100-word story that accuses the school of sweeping allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug to keep up the appearance of a culture of honor, UVa has suspended all fraternities until Jan. 9 “The wrongs described in Rolling Stone are appalling and have caused all of us to re-examine our responsibility to this community,” UVa president Teresa A. Sullivan wrote in a statement to the school community, “Rape is an abhorrent crime that has no place in the world, let alone on the campuses and grounds of our nation’s colleges and universities. We know, and have felt very powerfully this week, that we are better than we have been described.”

The allegations marked a difficult year for UVa in the public spotlight, in light of sophomore Hannah Graham’s body being found on Oct. 19, which authorities said was the result of “homicidal violence.”

-Steve Bohnel

EDUCATION GRANTS REGULATED

New regulations are being placed on the TEACH Grant Program, which provides yearly grants of up to $4,000 for students that seek to become teachers in a high-need fields in low-income areas, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.

The regulations, which were proposed Nov. 25, would make states evaluate these teacher-based programs based off the number of graduates who earn and retain jobs, along with how much those graduates’ students learn. States would have a final say on which schools would be allowed to receive TEACH grants.

Education Sec. Arne Duncan said in a statement that he believes the grants represent a solution to the larger issue of improving education throughout the country.

“It has long been clear that, as a nation, we could do a far better job of preparing teachers for the classroom,” Duncan wrote. “New teachers want to do a great job for their kids, but often they struggle at the beginning of their careers. … Teachers deserve better, and our students do too.”

-Steve Bohnel

“Students will be content with him stepping down, because it sets the right message for Temple University as we continue to strive to be a school of openness and talking about the conversation, and supporting the victims of sexual ees and alumni,” the petition webpage read. misconduct,” he added.

Chairman Patrick O’Connor defended Cosby Students who were interviewed prior to the in 2005 when a former Temple basketball em- announcement of the resignation both questioned ployee, Andrea Constand, accused the then-trust- and defended Cosby’s persona in wake of the alee of molesting her at his Cheltenham mansion. legations.

The lawsuit was settled out of court.

“It’s very disheartening,” junior secondary Several women came forward last month, education major Mike McCool said. “I don’t adincluding former model Janice Dickinson, for- mire him in the least anymore. I’m disgusted by mer actress Barbara Bowman and lawyer Tamara him. He’s nothing to me anymore, personally.”

Green.

McCool hopes the recent allegations help to After coverage of the allegaexpose the broader issue of sexutions heightened, Netflix and NBC al assault in general. both canceled comedy specials “The recent allegations Cosby was involved with and unimade against him show that there versities including the University is in fact a rape culture … and of Massachusetts-Amherst and that it has been masked for the High Point University in North past several decades,” McCool Carolina cut ties with him. added. “Now finally, it seems to Eight trustees did not return me, from the way the media is requests for comment, which The portraying it, that rape culture is Temple News left at their offices hopefully beginning to be dison Monday. Two more deferred mantled … or at least, shown and to a university spokesman, who made aware of.” until the resignation was tendered Deven Strabala, a junior mearound 4 p.m. said only that Cosby chanical engineering major, said University statement remained a trustee. Reached at her she thinks many accusers might Narberth home, trustee Loretta not be truthful themselves.

Duckworth declined to comment.

“I personally think it’s bogus,” Strabala said.

Cosby was unanimously re-elected to his “And all of these people are [trying to] do somespot on the Board in an Oct. 14 meeting, which thing about it now. Why now? Why wouldn’t you he did not attend. Since he serves as one of 24 do it when it first happened?” university-selected trustees, his seat will be filled Even if Cosby actually did assault those indiat the Board’s discretion. The other 12 trustees viduals that have publicly spoken, Strabala added are appointed by commonwealth officials includ- that it may be too late to prove anything. ing the governor, speaker of the State House of “Granted, if it did happen, that’s really awRepresentatives and president pro tempore of the ful, but they should have done something about State Senate. it,” she said. “Because now they can’t go back Student Body President Ray Smeriglio read and test any of the women to see if they were Cosby and Temple’s statements at Temple Stu- drugged … or to see if there was any sexual acdent Government’s general assembly meeting, tivity going on.” held as scheduled at 4 p.m., around the time the The board’s next public meeting is scheduled news broke. for Dec. 9.

“Students, from what we could qualify, were concerned given the national climate of * news@temple-news.com sexual misconduct across the country as well as ( 215.204.7419 concerned about the media frenzy that occurred around the allegations and what it does to the value of their Temple degree,” Smeriglio said in an interview after the meeting.

Continued from page 1

COSBY

“The Board of

Trustees accepts Dr. Cosby’s resignation from the board and thanks him for his service to the university.

”

lifestyle

owlery.temple-news.com

SEEKING VISIBILITY

ON THE AIR

Students reflect on gender identity and are calling for more acknowledgment of a genderqueer community on Main Campus.

PAGE 1

Power Hour Muzik, a radio show centered on hip-hop and celebrity news, was nominated this year for a Philly Hip-Hop award.

PAGE 8

temple-news.com

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

BOYER HOSTS DANCE SERIES The Boyer College of Music and Dance is sponsoring a Dance Studies Colloquium Speaker Series starting Tuesday from 5:30-7 p.m. , other news and notes.

PAGE18

PAGE 7

Collection of zines archived at Paley Roughly 280 zines from the Little Berlin Library will be added to Paley’s Special Collections Department.

CLAIRE SASKO Lifestyle Editor

Alex Echevarria critiques his own artwork at the Tyler Art School showcase at The Independent Hotel on Thursday Nov. 20.

JENNY KERRIGAN TTN

For Tyler students, a spot on the wall in Center City hotel Seven Tyler students are currently displaying artwork in The Independent Hotel.

I

plimentary food and wine in the lobto celebrate the new gallery of artwork they plan to rotate biannually.

This event was the second year The Independent Hotel, a part of Independent Collection hotels,

partnered with the Tyler School of Art MFA program, which is ranked among the Top 20 fine art schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Margo Margolis, a professor of

ALEXA ZIZZI The Temple News

n the lobby of The Independent Hotel in Center City, abstract paintings align the walls in a room that resembles a connected kitchen and living space in someone’s home.

The hotel worked together with the Tyler School of Art in selecting seven MFA students’ original paintings to display in the lobby, adding to its intentions of creating a style of domestic space for guests.

On Nov. 20, the hotel held a second annual reception with com-

JENNY KERRIGAN TTN

Alex Echevarria is one of seven students displaying artwork.

painting and drawing at Tyler, partnered with the hotel to select the students’ artwork for the installation.

She has worked closely with both the student artists and representatives of the hotel.

“I think it’s great for our students to see their work out of the studio, in the context of a space in the city of Philadelphia,” Margolis said. “For them, it gives a connection to the idea of Philadelphia as their city at the moment.”

“I think it’s very important for the hotel that their guests are seeing something that is really a product of the city,” she added. “It is very special. It’s not like something that’s just bought and put on the wall, or a poster or something. It’s very personal in a certain way.”

Margolis gathered several images from each artist for the hotel

HOTEL PAGE 18

Beth Heinly transported the first batch of more than a hundred zines by bike. She packed the small, hand-made booklets into two tote bags, slung them over her shoulder and sped through city streets to Paley Library.

“It was a high-tech operation,” the 23-yearold comic and performance artist said.

The zines were to be archived in Temple’s Special Collections Research Center, located on the ground floor of Paley, where the university collects and preserves rare books, manuscripts, archives and records.

Zines are independently produced serial publications typically made by artists. The lowtech, low-budget books are often created for the purpose of circulation within an artistic, literary or fan-based community. “[Zines] don’t just tell stories, they sort of describe, sometimes on a very personal level, cultural things that are happening, social things that are happening at the time,” said Jill Luedke, a Paley art librarian. “You can often talk about things in zines that don’t often get published on a large scale or in a major publication.

“It’s a way to learn about people and things,” she added.

Roughly 280 zines from the Little Berlin Zine Library will be added to an already expanding collection at Paley, making Temple home to the second-largest zine collection in Philadelphia, only behind The Soapbox, an independent publishing hub in West Philadelphia.

Temple librarians said they are currently trying to find a balance between distributing the zines and archiving them for cultural preservation and future use.

“There’s a really interesting tension between the desire to have [zines] accessible to people, but also the desire to have them survive or be preserved,” Margery Sly, the director of Temple’s Special Collections, said.

Heinly, who began collecting and producing

ZINES PAGE 8

Student travels to benefit female business leaders Julia Klejmont will visit Ghana this month to work for Saha Global.

EMILY SCOTT The Temple News Julia Klejmont sat in striped turtleneck sweater that displayed a yellow screen-printed recycling symbol.

The student from northern New Jersey switched her major four times before deciding on public health.

During Klejmont’s junior year of high school, she traveled to Thailand through Rustic Pathways, a travel and service program connecting students with families. Klejmont would have taught English there, but she became ill from unsanitary water.

Now a junior at Temple, Klejmont said she wants to give traveling another chance. While browsing for international internship opportunities, she discovered Saha Global, an organization based out of Northern Ghana.

The three-week program teaches women in rural communities to create a clean water system and turn it into a

business after volunteers leave.

Klejmont discovered Saha Global on the last day the organization was accepting applications. After one week and a phone interview, she heard back from Saha Global, who “wanted to get her ready” to fundraise $3,000 for necessary chemicals and other supplies.

During Klejmont’s first week in Ghana, she will learn about the chemical processes involved in water sanitation, and the following two weeks she will be training the local women.

“We give every home in the community their own personal water bin to make sure that the water stays sanitary,” Klejmont said.

After volunteers like Klejmont leave, the sanitation system becomes a business run by community-appointed women. The women will sell the water for a fee to other community members.

“It gives them the incentive to keep the business going,” Klejmont said.

Volunteers are placed in groups of four students and given a translator. The organization is run in a town outside the city of Tamale. Klejmont

KLEJMONT PAGE 18

LIFESTYLE DESK 215-204-7416

GREG FRANGIPANI TTN

Hannah Pigeon writes her own “weird habit” on a ball as part of an interactive exhibit.

Embracing all things ‘weird’ A 12-day exhibit at Tyler attempted to deconstruct unusual habits and behaviors.

FINNIAN SAYLOR The Temple News For nearly two weeks, a sock drawer sat in the Lower Level Student Lounge Gallery at the

LIFESTYLE@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

Tyler School of Art. In the drawer, the clothing accessories were meticulously categorized by brand, separated by fabric, catalogued by length and organized by color – the artists wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The sock drawer was constructed as part of a collaboration between the visual studies curatorial lab and Tyler in an attempt to shed light on the “weird.”

Tyler students Rhiannon Bell, Josephine

WEIRD PAGE 18

LIFESTYLE

PAGE 8

Power Hour Muzik show earns third award nomination

their work often extends beyond the hour they are featured on air. They come up with show topics themselves, contact people who need to be interviewed, work the boards and pre-record future shows.

This year on Power Hour Muzik, the cohosts tried to not only showcase music artists, but JULIA CHIANGO also fashion designers, poets, personal trainers The Temple News and people of other talents from the Philadelphia area.

Radio host Senquetta Brittingham said ten“I love doing this – it helps me to just exsion was high as she prepared her discussion on press myself and my thoughts and feelings, and Kim Kardashian’s recent Paper Magazine photo- its just fun,” Brittingham said. shoot for Nov. 18’s Power Hour Muzik show.

Wortman said his favorite interview of all Power Hour Muzik, a radio show on Tem- time was held with E the Poet – a Philadelphia ple’s WHIP Radio, features timely stories and emcee. He said it was “amazing” to hear his perdiscussions of hip-hop music and spective on how hip-hop and pocelebrity news. etry intersect and to learn about “We talk about everything the knowledge he has gained over from hip-hop, to relationships, to the years. sex – everything,” said Britting“This is what I want to do ham, a junior media studies and – I want to be a broadcaster for production major and co-host of radio and possibly television,” the show.

Wortman said. “This is someBrittingham said she always thing that I’m doing that I know had an interest in radio and teleonce I graduate I’m gonna do the Rahman Wortman / host vision. She started the show this same thing. I treat this like a prepast August and is featured regucareer.” larly.

While preparing to go on air Power Hour Muzik was nominated this year for the Nov. 18 show, Brittingham asked for othfor a Philly Hip-Hop award in the category for er people’s opinions on Kim Kardashian’s nude Best Radio Show. It was the show’s third nomi- photoshoot. She said she values other peoples nation. thoughts on all topics discus “We’re happy just that we are the only colThis year the co-hosts are hoping the show lege radio station to be nominated,” said senior will receive recognition for highlighting different media and productions major and show co-host talents of Philadelphians.

Rahman Wortman.

“We put a lot of work in this time,” WortWortman said he met the founder of Power man said. “We went out of our way to get a lot Hour Muzik at a gathering a few years ago. After of guests – especially guests in the Philadelphia expressing interest in the show, he was able to in- community.” tern and eventually become a regular personality.

As co-hosts, Brittingham and Wortman said * julia.chiango@temple.edu

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

A WHIP Radio show featuring hip-hop music and celebrity news has been nominated for a Philly Hip-Hop award this year.

Senquetta Brittingham (left) and Rahman Wortman host Power Hour Muzik.

MARGO REED TTN

“We’re happy

just that we are the only college radio station to be nominated.

”

Senquetta Brittingham started working for Power Hour Muzik this past August.

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Margery Sly unpacks a box of zines in the Special Collections Department.

CLAIRE SASKO TTN

Little Berlin zine library added to special collections ZINES PAGE 7 zines in high school, founded the Little Berlin Zine Library, previously held at Little Berlin, an artist-run collective and gallery space in Kensington.

Heinly became concerned with zine preservation issues after noticing some of the zines had collected mildew and mold or were vandalized or removed by visitors.

“Zines and artists’ books are a great way to collect people’s work without spending tons of money,” Heinly said. “But first off, with zines, they fall apart a lot easier. It’s just good to get a little more life out of them, to have them archived properly.”

Luedke said zines offer a rare “unedited narrative” of contemporary culture.

“There’s also like this whole kind of counter-culture documentation that the zines represent,” Heinly said. “I think it’s important to archive that so people see these message in the future – they’re a part of history.”

Luedke recommended Heinly move the collection to Paley when the two met at the 2013 Philly Zine Fest.

Sly said Paley Special Collections has been collecting items of contemporary culture for several decades, including science-fiction fan zines, comic books and artists’ books. Luedke started archiving zines more actively in 2011.

The library places an emphasis on zines created by local artists. Sly said faculty members occasionally bring classes to Paley to examine the collection.

“We’ve had faculty seriously wanting to use them for the past three years,” Sly said. “A lot of them are younger faculty, adjunct members, so I think they’re aware of what’s going on in the art scene and have made the connection to zines.”

Sly and Luedke encourage students to add their own zines to the collection. “I don’t think we’ve ever turned away a zine,” Luedke said Because zines are independently made and often created as works of art in themselves, Luedke and Sly said archiving the booklets has been difficult.

“I’m torn because on one hand I want to make sure we document this aspect of contemporary culture, but on the other hand, they are sort of designed to be free, you know, to roam freely,” Sly said.

Even so, Sly and Luedke plan to continue archiving zines, they said.

“There are guidelines for archiving – for zines the guidelines can be bent a bit,” Luedke said.

All students and staff can visit the Special Collections Research Department, located in Paley Room 6, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. * claire.sasko@temple.edu

MARGO REED TTN

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT INLIQUID AIMS TO JUMPSTART ARTISTS

THE MUMMERS ONLY HAVE ONE FANCY LEFT

InLiquid, a nonprofit organization, is a nonprofit organization that connects artists to opportunities for collaboration.

PAGE 12

Golden Sunrise New Years Association is the last standing group in the Fancy Division of the Mummers walking in the Philadelphia Mummers Parade this year.

PAGE 11

temple-news.com

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

PAGE 9

art spotlight | Bazemore gallery

A gallery with ‘living’ walls Lenny Bazemore will open a juice bar in Manayunk across from Bazemore Gallery.

L

ANGELA GERVASI The Temple News

enny Bazemore pointed to a carving on the wall made of rich, dark wood by late Hungarian artist Jordan Ivanov in 1975.

“See this piece right here? I found it in 12 pieces in the basement,” said Bazemore, the founder of the Bazemore Gallery in Manayunk. “The good thing is, we preserved it and his name will live on because he signed it in the corner.”

Big laughs on the big screen

For eight years, the Bazemore Gallery was empty, save for debris. Today, sunlight floods the gallery and illuminates the glossy pictures hanging on its walls.

In the silence of the gallery, a faint buzzing is dimly present.

“You heard that noise? Built-in irrigation system for the plant,” Bazemore said.

This plant, as Bazemore said, is a tangle of foliage lodged into a side of the gallery’s interior, which he refers to as “the living wall.”

“I wanted to be able to cross this threshold and come into a nice peace, quiet, zen, very relaxing place,” Bazemore said.

The gallery’s layout coincides with the five elements of feng shui, a system Bazemore delved into after traveling to China and studying with feng shui master Wang Xun. “Most of my inspiration comes from worldly travel,” he said.

The first painting in the gallery that was sold when it opened two years ago was based upon an evening Bazemore experienced in Italy.

“The cuisine I paid attention to, the wine I paid attention to, the ambiance of the street I paid attention to and then the laughter of the children, the families and people driving by the little canal in these little speedboats going way too fast, it was just the action, it was amazing,” Bazemore said.

But the gallery is not the only building Bazemore has invested in.

Across the street, a short, vacant space, undecorated except for a splattering of graffiti, holds Bazemore’s current project. He plans

BAZEMORE PAGE 11

A career fueled by intuition

“Stand Up At The Movies,” a mixed media performance hosted by Vernon “KeithFromUpDaBlock” Ruffin, is held at the Pearl Theatre on North Broad Street.

PATRICK MCCARTHY The Temple News He hates to admit it, but a big turning point in Vernon “KeithFromUpDaBlock” Ruffin’s career was not graduating from his high school as best dramatist, nor hosting a television show – not even opening for Jay-Z. Success came five years ago when Ruffin put on nothing but a pair of red underwear and made a YouTube video of himself dancing to the slow rhythm of “Tipsy in dis Club” by Pretty Ricky. The video has more than 1.6 million views.

Ruffin mimics R&B artist, Spectacular, from the group Pretty Ricky – Southern accent and all. The problem is, Spectacular’s video was taken down, making Ruffin’s video just look like a man with a Southern accent and a strong boost of confidence.

“I thought it would be hilarious to answer his challenge,” Ruffin said. “The problem is that five years later, no one remembers the Pretty Ricky thing. They just think I’m a dude who dances in red underwear.”

Since his original YouTube debut, Ruffin has cultivated a string of polished music videos that kickstarted his newest venture, “Stand Up At The Movies.”

The sixth show will be on Feb. 4 and will include a Temple student theme. Spike Lee’s “School Daze” will be a main influence.

The performance, which is a combination of a movie, stand-up comedy, YouTube clips and music, is held at the Pearl Theatre on North Broad Street. The independently owned theatre was excited to have the interactive show, deVernon Ruffin / comedian spite only 30 people showing up the first night.

Tickets and popcorn are bought normally, but the entertainment mixes many different elements that Ruffin said bring something different to its audiences.

“The show is great for any artist, even if they have been performing for a long time,” Ruffin said. “A lot of these artists, they have never seen themselves on the movie screen and have never been promoted in this way.”

Unlike YouTube, Ruffin said he had to learn the specific medium used at movie theaters to broadcast videos during the event.

This lead to custom creations of public service announcement style advertisements, asking people to turn off their cell phones.

“Stand Up At The Movies” also gave Ruffin the chance to put kids from the surrounding neighborhood on the screen. Ruffin said that when kids see him in the movie theater lobby, they are excited to see him. He said he is no longer a 15-foot advertisement hanging in the lobby – he is an approachable guy that they can interact with.

“That’s what movies do,” Ruffin said. “That’s why we come to the movies. We come to escape, to be inspired, to fight dragons.

I hope that ‘Stand Up At The Movies’ will inspire people, inspire a city.”

The parody artist said he draws a lot of strength and motivation to perform from his childhood. Ruffin said he can remember how good it felt to make his mother happy, just by telling jokes.

“All the comedy

Alumnus Tim McFarlane, who graduated in 1994, works in Philly as a painter.

comes from pain.

It was the only way that I was really accepted by anybody... I didn’t sell any drugs, I didn’t play sports. I just had [comedy].

JENNY KERRIGAN The Temple News Behind a green door, north of Market Street, a narrow hallway and four flights of stairs led to a studio.

Standing at the bottom, the sound of NPR radio was distinct. The last door on the left opened to reveal a large room, lit by two giant windows that overlook Old City. There, in the center, covered head to toe in paint is artist and Temple graduate Tim McFarlane.

McFarlane said he has wanted to be an artist ever since he discovered impressionism in high school. In 1984, he applied to Temple but was discouraged to attend art school by his high school art teacher, who thought he should pursue a more substantial career instead.

“At first I applied to the school of Radio, Television and Film and it wasn’t that interesting so I decided to try Business and that really sucked,” McFarlane said laughing. “Art was the only thing I really loved enough to continue in school.”

McFarlane took a five-

”

RUFFIN PAGE 14

A&E DESK 215-204-7416

JENNY KERRIGAN TTN

Tim McFarlane is currently working on monochromatic pieces of black, white and silver.

ARTSandENTERTAINMENT@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

MCFARLANE PAGE 11

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 10

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

Shop offers gamers a ‘vintage’ option 7th Dimension Games, located in Jenkintown, sells board, card and tabletop games to its customers.

I

ALBERT HONG The Temple News

would always notice a certain store on a corner of Old York Road on my way to the supermarket in Jenkintown. 7th Dimension Games, it turns out, is a board game store.

I heard about card games like Magic: The Gathering and role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. I knew how intense these kinds of games and gamers were.

7th Dimension Games, which celebrated its fifth anniversary on Nov. 15, is one of the few stores in the area that helps service the growing group of board, card and tabletop gamers.

Cameron Conarroe, one of the store managers, has worked in a number of these stores for 13 years, and playing the games ALBERT HONG even longer. During his time as Geeking Out a gamer, he's seen many stores like Jenkintown Hobby Center and RPG Outpost go out of business. The success of 7th Dimension ALBERT HONG TTN is not commonplace.

7th Dimension Games celebrated its fifth anniversary of serving customers traditional games on Nov. 15.

“We’ve never had this type of exposure as we do now,” Conarroe said, noting the store’s like Pathfinder Society, among other games. Hav“The community here, it’s actually pretty currently playing through Monolith Productions’ prime location along with its large see-through ing opened a second location on Baltimore Av- awesome,” Barnett said. “There are people here “Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor.” windows. enue for more of the casual gamers while main- who will let you use their expensive Legacy decks Adam Gross, the organizer of Philly Loves He added that these “low-tech” games are taining their first store on to learn how to play.”

Boardgames, runs social events and also created, becoming more popularized Drexel’s campus mainly for “The store owners make a point to try and be “Here’s To Friends,” to help people feel like they with shows like “Big Bang experienced gamers, em- as welcoming of an environment for women as are a part of a community.

Theory” and Will Wheaton’s ployee Michael Motyka said much as they are for men,” Wilson added. “They “It’s good to reach out to the people who YouTube show, “TableTop” he sees tabletop gaming’s actually fight tooth-and-nail for that.” think they’re alone,” Gross said, noting how his as well as the simpler games potential for people willing The second Saturday Game Night, organized family’s passing away made him want to continue like Cards Against Humanity to dedicate the time.

by Phillip Walton, is scheduled to have its next getting together with people. and Settlers of Catan.

“You have to play get-together Dec. 6. Walton said he believes that His two hours spent helping me and another “A lot of these games are enough games to want to the social factor of these board and card games of- new member play through the European strategy simplistic and probably on have the drive to keep learn- fer something that video games often can’t. games “Splendor” and “Spyrium” showed me paper, not that fun,” Conarroe ing new ones,” Motyka said.

“Sometimes, you just need to get away from how willing these gamers are to welcome new said. “But they really inspire “The only way to get better a screen,” Walton said. friends and participants into the culture. and encourage a type of inat a game is to lose a lot.”

That’s not to say that there’s a strict line sepa“My goal is for you to enjoy yourself so you Cameron Conarroe / store manager teraction that makes it more Michael Barnett and rating board gamers from video gamers. come back again,” Gross said. “I get more enjoyfun.”

Tom Wilson are two Redcap regulars, and their Melissa Bowers, who could be seen paint- ment seeing more people come out.”

The only full-scale tabletop gaming store in involvement with gaming in the positive environ- ing game miniatures with Frank Anderson at 7th the city is Redcap’s Corner, which holds weekly ment for all kinds of audiences has made them Dimension, is ranked seventh in the world for * albert.hong@temple.edu Magic tournaments and tabletop RPG gatherings real supporters. the card game Legend of the Five Rings and is

“A lot of these games

are simplistic... But they really inspire and encourage a type of interaction that makes it more fun.

”

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

PAGE 11

Sequins, traditions strut on this year Even though it has no competition, the Golden Sunrise New Year’s Association will still walk in the Mummers Parade.

BRIANNA SPAUSE The Temple News Golden Sunrise New Year’s Association is the last remaining member of the Fancy Division in the Philadelphia Mummers Association.

The volunteer organization that has operated out of South Philadelphia since 1960 will continue to proudly perform the Broad Street Strut in the 2015 New Years Day parade, despite the need to turn the competition inward.

From inside, the Golden Sunrise New Year’s Association clubhouse on Greenwich Street was bursting at the seams with fabric and feathers.

Members of Golden Sunrise set to work on a Saturday morning – 2015 is rapidly approaching, and for the last remaining member of the Fancy Division in the Philadelphia Mummers Association, the list of things left to sew seemed to never end.

“We’re the only ones left,” John Lucas, treasurer and member of Golden Sunrise since 1971, said. “There is no Fancy Division anymore. We’re competing amongst ourselves.”

“That happens anyway,” second year member, Amanda Eisenberg added, looking up from the Rock Lobster suit she was hot gluing.

The extinction last year of age-old competitor Hog Island, a former Fancy Division member, has secured a permanent place for the Mummers Cup in Golden Sunrise’s collection.

“The captain has already won first prize and he hasn’t even built the suit yet,” John Lucas said.

The city of Philadelphia began hosting its own brand of Mardi Gras since 1901. The Mummers Parade has served as a competition amongst neighborhood organizations. Every year crowds of more than 10,000 flood to the city to spectate.

Golden Sunrise’s role as a fancy club is to serve as the aesthetic highlight as it struts large floats and ornate frame suits down Broad Street, and then over to “Two Street” for the unofficial after-party parade. It isn’t merely going through the motions, Lucas said, “it’s what you make of it,” and Golden Sunrise plans to keep the tradition alive despite slimming numbers.

“We’re not the only division that has Continued from page 9

BAZEMORE

to create a juice bar called Juice Merchant, which will showcase 12 local artists each year on its walls.

“I like finding character in buildings, something that people don’t find so attractive and making them beautiful again,” Bazemore said.

This will be the fifth building Bazemore has invested in within the Manayunk area. He said he began a career in real estate, working with properties on the Main Line and downtown. Later on, he went back to school at Montgomery County Community College to study fine arts more deeply.

Bazemore said his studio, several blocks away from his gallery, provides a place for him to formulate ideas both in the business and art world. He said he is always considering adding decorations – a homemade tribute to the artist Basquiat, a massive American flag, a small basketball hoop, to the space.

“I try not to take myself too serious, because life is really serious,” Bazemore said. “I don’t want to be a business guy who doesn’t know how to enjoy himself.”

BRIANNA SPAUSE TTN

Palma Lucas (left) sews a costume for the Golden Sunrise New Year’s Association. Lucas is the board member and chief costumer of the group. John Lucas (right) is the treasurer of the Golden Sunrise and has been a member since 1971.

changed,” President Jack Cohen said. “We’re the last Mohicans standing so to speak in the division, but string band division was at one point 27 string bands and now it’s 17. All of the divisions have lost clubs because of the economics.”

It’s a labor of love, Palma Lucas, board member and chief costumer, said. To offset the cost of putting the production out on the street – it traditionally exceeds $10,000 – Golden Sunrise attempts to cut costs by recycling materials and costumes each year.

Golden Sunrise has the lowest membership dues around, Palma Lucas said. But recently, the cost was hiked to $135 in efforts to keep the troupe afloat.

In order to secure the funds for the 2016 parade and to make desperately needed improvements on the plumbing system of the clubhouse, Golden Sunrise turned to the crowd-funding site Indiegogo to raise $28,000. Through fundraising efforts, the organization hopes to avoid a grim future.

“It’s scary,” Palma Lucas said. “If we can’t keep raising the money and keeping people interested to come and do the work then we’ll disappear.”

Chelsea Catling, the gallery manager, is in charge of organizing current and future shows. The gallery’s most recent display, of photography from a class taught to pre-teens in South Africa, was on display on Nov. 23.

“They gave them cameras and said, ‘Now go out and capture something that means something to you,’ and this is what they came back with,” Catling said. “It’s awesome to see through their lens and what they see.”

When the gallery isn’t presenting on behalf of nonprofit organizations like Love to Langa, which helps to fund the education of the South African children, it holds works from artists ranging from the Philadelphia area to Hong Kong and Florence.

Elena Achilli, an artist who displayed her work at the gallery, is an Italian native and has done shows in New York and San Francisco, as well as Manayunk.

“In the Bazemore Gallery there is a feeling of harmony with the universe,” Achilli said.

“It is a space where you can feel the exchange of energy.” * angela.gervasi@temple.edu

“We never really had to do anything, financially we were always in good shape,” John Lucas said.

When he and Palma Lucas joined Golden Sunrise, the married couple embarked on an adventure that was soaked in community and citywide support.

In 2008, Mayor Nutter announced that the city would only supply $300,000 for the annual parade. This price cut eliminated the prize money for all mummers divisions and left the whole organization $40,000 short of what it costs to put on the show.

“That was the year I was petrified that there wasn’t going to be any more Mummers Parades,” Palma Lucas said. “Not with that kind of money coming out. My first great-granddaughter was born that year and I stuck her in the captain’s suit.

I had already made her a suit and I wanted her to have the chance to be a part of something beautiful.”

The second radical change this year is the reduction of the parade route and the cutting of costs by more than half. All divisions will be judged before they march in the parade, meaning the commotion will begin at 15th Street and JFK

Boulevard and then march south of Broad Street to Washington Avenue.

“The reason for change is they’re hoping if they concentrate just on the Center City area, they’ll get more people in a more confined area,” Cohen said. “It’s a shorter parade so we save on costs in terms of police and sanitation costs.”

For Golden Sunrise, it has been a year of immense change. The distinction as the last club keeping the Fancy Division tradition alive has not hindered the club, but rather instilled a sense of renewed ownership in the parade as a source of joy for it’s audience.

“Last year we won first place, so we have the trophy – and now it’s ours,” Cohen said. “Instead of a competition, we’re looking at it as a parade to have fun. To see those smiles on the people’s faces.”

“We let the members take a vote,” Palma Lucas said. “It was overwhelming – they wanted to go. Competition or no competition, it didn’t mean anything before, and it didn’t mean nothing now.

They want to put suits on and play with the people.” * brianna.spause@temple.edu

JENNY KERRIGAN TTN

Tim McFarlane graduated from Temple in 1994. Since then, he has had his work in galleries across the city. McFarlane’s work is featured in the Bridgette Mayer Gallery and in Houston. His studio is in Old City.

Alumnus and artist sticks around MCFARLANE PAGE 9 year hiatus, but eventually returned to Temple as a part-time stu- message. dent. He graduated in 1994. Tyler was not yet on Main Campus, “What I do, there’s no goal,” McFarlane said. “Each piece I so McFarlane studied in the College of Arts and Sciences, which make becomes a question I put on another piece.” housed a broad spectrum of majors. This was a unique aspect of McFarlane is constantly working on multiple projects. the program, which McFarlane said he felt he wouldn’t have expe“All these ideas are jumping back and forth between pieces rienced in Tyler. and if something isn’t working for me, I can put it away and move “It was interesting seeing what kind of on to another piece.” solutions they came up with opposed to us McFarlane’s work is currently on disas actual art majors,” McFarlane said. “Art is play at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philly about solutions. It’s about problem solving.” and at a gallery called Gray Contemporary in While in college, McFarlane focused Houston. He is currently working on monoon oil paintings and working with soft paschromatic – black, white and silver –pieces, tels. He began experimenting with all sorts which he plans on turning into larger works. of mediums and designs until he found his McFarlane ultimately hopes to have his work favorite: acrylic paints. curated in a museum show.

Tim McFarlane/ painter “I tend to lay down a layer and react to “It’s mainly a love of making somethat,” McFarlane said. “My work is very inthing,” he said. “It’s hard to say, but part of tuitive.” it is being a part of this wider conversation about being human and This layering technique has to do with more than just aesthetic. making something that says, ‘I was here.’”

McFarlane said this style allows his audience to “sort of look back * jenny.kerrigan@temple.edu in time to see where the piece began.”

McFarlane said his pieces are never conclusive in terms of a

“What I do, there’s no

goal. Each piece I make becomes a question I put on another piece.

”

COURTESY LENNY BAZEMORE

Lenny Bazemore owns the Bazemore gallery in Manayunk.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 12

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

ANDREW THAYER TTN

The Philadelphia Young Playwrights held the “1219 Project” on Nov. 18, which partners with the Philadelphia Young Playwrights,the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program and Asian Arts Initiative, to engage young artists. The workshop challenged participants to explore the connection between art and the community.

Local work showcased by nonprofit InLiquid is a nonprofit that aims to showcase the work of local artists.

VICTORIA MIER The Temple News The large building on North American Street stands alone in the Fishtown neighborhood skyline.

Paintings on canvas are housed in a room on the third floor of the large building, swaddled delicately in bubble wrap and placed with care onto specific shelves. Stark cement ceilings and brick walls house the carefully stored works of art. The ambiance would be harsh if not for the golden-yellow light trickling in from the windows.

This quiet archive of art is home to InLiquid, a nonprofit organization founded by Rachel Zimmerman in 1999 on the realization that Philadelphia was simply not showcasing its artists in the best way possible.

Today, InLiquid strives to provide exposure for the city’s best artists through online media and exhibitions throughout the city.

“Collaboration is a big thing for us,” site editor Erica Minutella said.

“Even outside of the office. We could not exist without it.”

Working collaboratively makes sense for InLiquid, since Philadelphia’s art scene is “familial,” Minutella said. The nonprofit is all about making partnerships and sticking with them.

Many of InLiquid’s partnerships have existed since the nonprofit started 15 years ago.

After growing up in Philadelphia and attending school in New York City, Zimmerman said she was excited to return to her hometown and attend the University of Pennsylvania to “see what needs to be done and try to fix it,” she said.

The biggest issue Zimmerman said she saw was accessibility of art. For Zimmerman, that meant inviting buyers and individuals who simply wanted to appreciate their work.

“Philadelphia has always been a

city with a lot of work, but nobody was showing it,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said she hoped to help nurture an arts community in Philadelphia and make sure everyone knew work was being made right here, right now.

“It’s about getting the layman, so to speak, to see what’s being made and what’s being done,” Zimmerman said.

“You’d ask incredibly talented artists to participate in a gallery here, and they wouldn’t want to because they already had a gallery in New York. That’s slowly changing, though.”

Both Zimmerman and Minutella agreed that selling an artist’s work is a gratifying moment, but making sure artists have opportunities and places to the show their work is even more rewarding.

The artist will certainly benefit, Zimmerman said, but the community as a whole will improve as well.

“There needs to be different spaces than just commercial galleries,” Zimmerman said. “Otherwise, a lot of artists’ work may never be seen. That’s why we want to help change the dynamic of the Philly mindset.”

Being a nonprofit affords InLiquid the ability to change that mindset, Zimmerman said. Making that change, She said, is rooted in removing the inaccessibility and intimidation associated with art.

Minutella experienced those feelings, despite growing up around art and, “gradually falling in love with it.”

“I had that same intimidation behind buying art,” Minutella said. “But then I got to be behind the scenes and talk directly with the artists. Then I saw all the work and creativity that goes behind each piece.”

Sara McCorriston, now the cofounder and co-owner of Paradigm Gallery, said working with InLiquid improved her career after she graduated college in 2009 from the University of the Arts with a bachelor’s degree in Theatrical Design in Technology.

In 2010, McCorriston knew she wanted to stay in Philadelphia and set down roots in the city. She began looking for ways to be involved in new op-

MARGO REED TTN

Artist and Tyler professor, Buy Shaver, prepares to paint the wall in the Philadelphia Commerce building for InLiquid’s gallery show.

portunities when she found InLiquid, which McCorriston now calls “one of the hubs of the Philly art world.”

“All the different projects and exhibits they offered really helped me figure out who I was as an artist,” McCorriston said.

Having the chance to curate exhibits with InLiquid gave McCorriston the experience of working on both sides – the artist and the gallery. When she opened Paradigm Gallery with Jason Chen in February 2010, she knew exactly what she did and did not want the gallery to be.

McCorriston said that organizations like InLiquid – ones with a “solid mission statement” – could help an artist grow and accelerate.

With a laugh, Minutella said, “Don’t panic! No matter how obscure your skill is, you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be.”

“Do your research and find out what places are doing,” Zimmerman said. “Be engaged, volunteer, intern.

People need to know what you’re do-

MARGO REED TTN

Artist Leah Reynolds and exhibitions coordinator Mat Tomezsko plan the layout for the artwork in the Philadelphia Commerce building for InLiquid’s gallery.

ing.”

When the public is aware of an artist’s work, the best of things can happen, Zimmerman said, like “making the perfect fit between artist and project.” Zimmerman said that feeling is

one of her favorites.

“If you can help one person, you’re doing something right,” Zimmerman said. * victoria.mier@temple.edu

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

PAGE 14

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

A first for female tuba players Carol Jantsch holds a tuba chair with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

TIM MULHERN The Temple News Adjunct professor Carol Jantsch is the first woman in the United States to hold a principal tuba chair in a major orchestra.

From an early age, Jantsch said she was participating in both competitions and auditions in the United States and around the world. Jantsch said her first international solo tuba competition was in Finland when she was 16-years-old.

“I have been traveling for music for a long time,” Jantsch said.

She said she shares many colleagues in both the orchestra and on faculty at Temple.

“Especially in the woodwinds and brass, a lot of the people in the orchestra are also on faculty at Temple,” Jantsch said. “A couple years in after I got the job [in the orchestra], I had a student who wanted to study with me and so I was added to the faculty.”

In addition to performing in The Philadelphia Orchestra, performing solo recitals and giving master classes, Jantsch is a faculty member at Yale University School of Music.

“I am a very limited faculty member [at Temple],” Jantsch said. “Temple has multiple faculty for every instrument. Basically, I carry one student at the music school and I teach him. How much [faculty do] is based on how many students they have.”

Jantsch said teaching and performing are

COURTESY CAROL JANTSCH

Carol Jantsch teaches as a faculty member at Temple and at Yale University School of Music.

complementary to each other in personally valuable ways. The relationship between performance and teaching, she said, is symbolic.

“The teaching enhances the performing, and the performing enhances the teaching,” Jantsch said. “[Teaching] is a very different kind of challenge than performing in the orchestra. You get to know a person and help them develop their musical voice and that’s something really exciting and creative. It’s such a different thing than playing in

the orchestra that I can’t imagine having one or the other. I love having both.”

As a teacher, Jantsch said she experiences first-hand the lack of credit given to music education.

“I think the state of music education in general in this country is kind of sad,” Jantsch said.

“People aren’t focused on quality-of-life-based education. [It is important] to learn skills like teamwork and communication, [which are] things you get from playing in an ensemble that you don’t get somewhere else. You learn how to hold yourself accountable and be apart of something bigger than yourself.”

Jantsch said that music programs in schools are not “directly profitable,” so music education is not widely appreciated.

“I like that music programs still exist, but I think we need to all do better helping a lay person understand why this is relevant,” Jantsch said.

“Just because you are not into classical music, per se, doesn’t mean that learning an instrument or studying [music] isn’t of extreme value.”

Jantsch said that her own experiences with music as a kid helped defined her lifelong career.

She spent five of her childhood summers at an arts camp in Michigan.

“When I was a kid, I had a lot of interests and music is one of the things that my parents definitely encouraged,” Jantsch said. “My brother and I actually ended up going to summer camp at this camp called Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, and I loved it there. … That’s when I knew that I would focus on music. It was always apart of my childhood.” * tim.muhlern@temple.edu

OUT & ABOUT FRED ELMES TO HOLD DISCUSSION CONCERNING DAVID LYNCH On Dec. 7, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts will host a discussion with award-winning cinematographer Fred Elmes as part of the ongoing “David Lynch: The Unified Field Exhibition,” running through Jan. 11. Having collaborated on films like “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet” and “Wild at Heart,” Elmes and Lynch were both influenced by many different art forms in the way they told their stories.

Elmes’ interests expanded originally from photography to include cinematography and filmmaking, and this discussion will have Elmes talk about how his exploration of paintings and sculptures inform the way he tells a story through film. The event will be held at the Historic Landmark Building at 2 p.m.

-Albert Hong

1812 PRODUCTIONS TO HOST A NEW POLITICAL COMEDY

1812 Productions, a Philly theater company, will show its newest political comedy, “This Is The Week That Is” through Dec. 31 at Play’s and Players Theatre.

The comedy group used the 2014 midterm elections as inspiration for its latest show, which aims to keep audiences up to date on current national and local politics, by using satire.

Tickets start at $26 and vary in time depending on the day. Information about the show and how to purchase the tickets can be found on the group’s website.

-Paige Gross

FRANKLIN FLEA RETURNS FOR THE SEASON, UNTIL DEC. 20.

“I started switching my rhymes to

The Franklin Flea Holiday Market has returned to the historic Strawbridge’s Building at 8th and Market Streets every Saturday until Dec. 20.

About 50 vendors from across the city– from food to antiques and jewelry – set up shop Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with many following the theme of “up-cycling” wares. Franklin Flea, and its production company Fluxus were founded by Mark Vevle, a developer in the Philly scene who aims to utilize Philly’s public spaces with temporary retail, food and art.

Admission is free, and vendors are pay as you go.

-Paige Gross

be funny and I noticed people started paying more attention. If you don’t pay attention you’re not going to be a part of the fun.

”

Vernon Ruffin / comedian

DANCE COMPANY HOSTS $7 SHOW

KARA MILSTEIN TTN

Vernon “KeithFromUpDaBlock” Ruffin’s show at the Pearl Theatre, “Stand Up At The Movies,” mixes many styles of entertainment for its audiences.

Continued from page 9

RUFFIN

“But all the comedy comes from pain,” Ruffin said. “It was the only way that I was really accepted by anybody. … I didn’t sell drugs, I didn’t play sports. I just had [comedy]. That’s it, that’s all.”

Ruffin’s humor followed him to the Philadelphia High School of Creative and Performance Arts. Ruffin graduated the year after the class that included members of R&B group Boyz II Men and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots.

Everything came full circle for him after receiving Best Dramatist from the school when he graduated in 1994. At the ceremony at The Acad-

emy of Music, Ruffin had his first tap-dance routine.

A few years later, Ruffin took a job hosting “Urban X-pression,” a local television program.

There he interviewed notable artists like Lil’ Wayne, Beyoncé and P. Diddy.

During this time, Ruffin began developing a stand-up routine at The Laff House. His six-minute routines found a lot of success when he began to change the lyrics of popular songs.

“I started switching my rhymes to be funny and I noticed people started paying more attention,” Ruffin said. “Because, if you don’t pay attention you’re not going to be a part of the fun.

And once people are a part of the fun, people love it.”

He released his first single, “Cheesesteak,” parodying “Milkshake” by Kelis. It was released under Game Records on the album, “Get Rich or Die Laughing.”

Eight albums and more than 300 songs later, Ruffin has turned his love for parody into a lifestyle. Even while satirizing all rap artists, from Biggie Smalls to New Boyz, he said he always wanted to remain respectful to the artist.

“The great thing is that I’m a hell of a lyricist.

I’m a hell of a rapper,” Ruffin said. “I was able to take my skills and switch them over to be funny and still keep lyrical integrity and add comedy to it.”

The Putty Dance Project, started by Lauren Putty White, is a company of dancers, actors, guitarists, trombonists and media designers. White and her husband, a trombonist who has toured with singers as notable as John Legend, often collaborate in their work. On Dec. 5-6, the Putty Dance Project show some of its short pieces at the Moving Arts of Mount Airy venue. It will also include performances from local theater and circus arts companies that span across northwest Philadelphia.

Lauren Putty White will perform a piece titled “A Hip and A Swing.” It will include self-choreographed and self-performed works accompanied

by Brent White, Lauren White’s husband, on the trombone. The Project’s works will last about 15 minutes, and admission to the 70 minute production is only $7.

-Angela Gervasi

* patrick. mccarthy@temple.edu

TRENDING IN PHILLY What’s happening this week in Philly– from news and event coverage to shows and restaurant openings.

Based on Philly area: food, music, stores, etc. For breaking news and daily updates, follow The Temple News on Twitter @TheTempleNews.

WINTERFEST OPENS ON THE WATERFRONT

NEW RESTAURANTS FOR BREAKFAST IN THE CITY

@HiddenCityPhila tweeted on Nov. 28 that the Delaware River Waterfront opened its new pop-up garden, Winterfest. It features a skating rink, a winter forest, fire mantles salvaged from the Divine Lorraine, among much more.

@foobooz tweeted on Nov. 30 a link to Philly Mag’s “Philly’s Newest Breakfast Options.” The list includes Knead Bagels, a recent bagel vendor in Washington Square, Dottie’s Doughnuts, Philly Muffins and Animo Juice.

FREE SATURDAY PARKING FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON IN THE CITY

12 THINGS TO DO FOR THE HOLIDAYS

@PhillyMag tweeted on Nov. 29 that the city will bring back free Saturday parking, which Philly Mag calls one of its “best holiday traditions.”

@uwishunu tweeted on Nov. 29 a list of 12 things to do around the city during the holiday season, including the popup shops, parades, tree lightings and neighborhood holiday lights.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

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PAGE 15

LIFESTYLE

PAGE 16

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

Students speak up for gender identity IDENTITY PAGE 1 students said, but more of them are some people’s beliefs and standards, coming out earlier in their educational students like McLemore call it “being experiences, even before they begin a good person” – it’s that simple. freshman year. For universities like Temple, located in large and diverse cities, visibility of queer sexualities ENDING THE DOUBLE LIFE Another student, junior anthropoland gender identities is correspondogy major Shane Rubin, came out as ingly more substantial. This, some stugenderqueer this semester – more spedents and faculty believe, brings more cifically, they are a femme non-binary gender and sexuality non-conformists trans man.

Coming out has been life to the same campus – Temple being changing, they said, mostly for the betone of them. As the community grows, ter. those individuals believe more ac“When I first came out and was knowledgement and support from the using the name Shane, I went to Outadministration is needed, as well as a Fest and everything – I signed up for more informed and accepting attitude so much s--- that was spam and evfrom their peers. erything, just because I got to write As a university marketed for its the name that I liked on things,” Rustandard of diversity, Temple has some bin said.

“Little things were just really support systems in place for students exciting and being able to be open, to looking for a community, for guidance not be afraid of ‘Oh s---, I might get or for simply a listening ear. As the tagged in that photo on Facebook and community of those students grows, I’m wearing a tie!’ and little things of however, genderqueer students believe panicking like that, it’s nice.

You can the administration should take more kind of relax.

It’s not so much the douinitiative to show its support and acble life.” ceptance of all identities. Students acRubin chose to use the name knowledged short-term issues they’d Shane – not their birth name – to relike to see become priorities, including flect a more gender-neutral persona. gender-neutral bathrooms, more incluInitially, Rubin chose the name Noah, sive housing options and more visibilbut then realized the name is feminine ity for their identities and needs in the in Hebrew.

Since they plan to move to form of safe spaces and information Israel after completing undergraduate available to the general Temple comstudies, this was important to take into munity. consideration.

And, they added dryly, Gender identity, usually closely a very masculine name was out of the associated with LGBTQ issues, is ofquestion since they “don’t pass as male ten discussed in terms of transgender people – those who do not identify with – it would be kind of awkward to be their gender assigned at birth. The two like ‘Hey Jack, who has big boobs and traditional genders of male and female a female voice.’”

With a greater sense of accepare known as “binary” genders. Within tance, however, comes constant strugthe transgender community, most peogles in day-to-day life ple identify as a binary that Rubin must now gender, whether or not endure. they biologically match One such issue is it. a lack of safe and comHowever, other fortable bathrooms. individuals don’t idenSince Rubin lives in tify as either of the two Temple Towers in a binary genders, regardsingle-person, apartless of their assignedment-style dorm, they at-birth gender. These plan their day so any individuals are nonnecessary bathroom gender-binary, and may breaks occur at home. identify with a number As McLemore of aspects of neither explained, entering masculinity nor femieither bathroom is not ninity.

Heath Fogg Davis / professor just uncomfortable, it Many who feel is “forcibly misgendistinctly that no gendered traits apply to them identify as agender. The dering” a genderqueer person. Rubin term “genderqueer,” several students recalled a transgender friend early in agreed, has different interpretations their transition process who was physidepending on the person, but can gen- cally forced out of a Temple bathroom erally be applied to people who are by other students this year. Another genderqueer student who identifies as gender-nonconforming.

While the administrative adapta- transfeminine, Faye Chevalier, said tions are important, genderqueer stu- they feel forced to use male bathrooms dents feel most strongly that the gen- because of the lack of gender-neutral eral student body and faculty need to options.

Junior English major Chevalier foster an environment of acceptance, also said they were once sexually assupport and respect. saulted in a student’s residence because Students and faculty interviewed the attacker felt they were not either

by The Temple News agreed that while masculine or feminine enough. Issues it would be particularly exciting and with being open about personal identipositive to see administrators adapt to ty, students said, are the result of negaaddress the needs of the growing gentive attitudes just as much as they are derqueer and non-binary community, of university policy that isn’t inclusive. the university cannot force all members of the Temple community to become allies and advocates. Though changing ‘A DEEPLY ROOTED SOCIAL CUSTOM’ and adding to vocabularies, learning The HEART Wellness Resource about totally new concepts and accept- Center, an office on Main Campus that ing new social norms may challenge provides comprehensive education,

“[Temple] and all

institutions should take an inventory of their use of sex classification in their administrative policies.

”

resources and prevention services and actively supports the LGBTQ community, lists currently available genderneutral bathrooms on its website.

Most of these bathrooms, however, are single-person and in businesses like Subway, or often appear on faculty floors or listed as “staff only” in academic buildings.

one in every building be transformed into gender-neutral.”

Dean of Students Stephanie Ives said in an email that the university is “open to all input and to discussing strategies and changes for how to make our campus a more inclusive environment.” She and other administrators said student feedback is the most im-

a suggestion for handling language, something he said he appreciated as an instructor.

Sadie Michaela, a social work major who graduated in Spring 2014, also experienced mixed results with pronoun sensitivity in their classes. Since they are not out to their parents and are currently job-searching, they asked to

Shane Rubin’s backpack displays numerous buttons symbolic of their interests and personal identity alike.

Heath Fogg Davis, a political science professor who teaches anti-discriminatory law, democratic political theory, and politics of race, gender and sexuality, has been vocal on the Visualize Temple site about a need for more gender-neutral bathrooms as Main Campus is further developed.

An activist of transgender and gender-nonconforming people, Davis is working on a book he hopes to finish by the end of the academic year that discusses sex classification in society.

One chapter will exclusively cover bathrooms, while others will delve into athletics, prisons and single-sex education.

Davis said simple concepts like bathroom gender-markers are overlooked because “it’s such a deeply rooted social custom.” In addition, he recognizes – along with other supportive faculty – that the administration can’t make these changes overnight.

Altering architectural aspects of existing buildings is immensely costly and time-consuming. But recognizing the existence of the issue and addressing it is important, he said.

“A lot of other colleges and universities are dealing with this issue, and one model that I’ve seen that I think is something Temple could do immediately would be to transform a certain number of sex-segregated bathrooms into gender-neutral ones,” Davis said, referencing Reed College in Portland, which added gender-neutral bathroom markers.

“In a perfect world, I would like to see all bathrooms transformed like that,” Davis added. “But I think a good step toward reform would be to have

KARA MILSTEIN TTN

Shane Rubin, a junior, came out as genderqueer this semester, which has brought both excitement and challenges.

portant strategy toward achieving inclusiveness.

An ideal system, Davis described, could offer more private, floor-to-ceiling stalls that open into mixed-gender hand-washing areas, making every bathroom inherently gender-neutral, not even requiring a marker. “[Temple] and all institutions should take an inventory of their use of sex classification in their administrative policies,” Davis said. “So, the bathroom issue grabs our attention – we should use it to shine a light on all the other ways the university uses sex classification.”

CHECKING THE BOX

Since they came out this semester, Rubin hasn’t dealt with explaining their identity to professors yet – they just accept being misgendered in class.

Though they can’t afford the legal name change right now, it’s very important to them.

“Until I can legally change my name to Shane, Temple won’t recognize me as Shane, so that’s what I hear every time on the attendance,” Rubin said.

Rubin’s friends adapted quickly to their name change, and their family is also making progress with Rubin’s preferred pronouns and new first name, but professors are entirely new territory, they said.

For McLemore, it’s not always the professor who’s the root of the problem.

“In most of my classes, I just accept he/him pronouns, because the average Temple student – trying to explain it to them every time they misgender me, and also getting them to not keep doing it by accident, is just so stressful and frustrating,” McLemore said. “Especially because some people might just object, and say, ‘That’s grammatically incorrect,’ or, ‘I don’t approve of transgender people,’ so it’s like, I’m not going to try to have that interaction.”

McLemore does sometimes see professors making the effort. One professor had students write names and preferred pronouns on a nametag for their desks. In general, McLemore said their “daily life would be so much better” if all professors asked students to clarify preferred pronouns.

Brad Windhauser, a professor of Gay and Lesbian Lives and creative writing courses, said he always asks students to address issues like pronouns when it relates to the subject matter. He also thinks “sensitivity matters, just like with race” and that professors should recognize terminology that changes in order to know what is culturally appropriate to say, Windhauser said.

He’s been approached by at least one transgender student in the past with

KARA MILSTEIN TTN

be referred to only by their preferred first and middle names.

As a non-binary trans woman, Sadie uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, but in class found it easiest to accept they/them. This is because they don’t conform to typical gender standards – hence, their non-binary identification; they feel comfortable keeping their facial hair, for example, though they do not want to be seen as male.

In one positive interaction with a professor, Sadie’s instructor for a major-related course reached out and informed them of a non-binary support group after they outed themselves in a class discussion. Unfortunately, not all their professors were as sensitive – a professor Sadie had for a Mosaic course outed another student in class based on private information they’d written in a paper. Yet another professor Sadie knew of said they didn’t think the transgender identity exists.

“I mean, every major has the possibility to have gendernonconforming people in them,” Sadie said. “So maybe the first day of class where you ask everyone’s names and, I don’t know, what they did over the summer or whatever the f---, you ask them preferred pronouns. It’s super simple.”

Another danger of outing oneself, as Sadie did in the interest of furthering a class discussion, is professors turning a person into the “token” representative of that identity. Windhauser called this “mistaking a truth for the truth,” emphasizing that not all experiences are alike.

Sex classification like that used for bathrooms also exists on Temple’s admissions forms. The current system, which requires students to mark either male or female, is restrictive to students who don’t identify as either or are midtransition.

Most have no choice but to use their assigned-at-birth gender, just as they do their legal name. Temple will not acknowledge a name change until it is done legally in the state.

According to PALawHelp.org, the procedure is “not so simple” when an adult changes their given name for reasons other than relating to marriage.

TransCentralPA.org provides a list of costs – filing fee, Judgment Search, fingerprint card, and potentially more – that add up to more than $450. Since it is also required to publish name changes in a local newspaper to prevent fraud or debt evasion, the cost may be even greater.

Though the current system leaves some components desired, Ives said since educational institutions like Temple provide services from academic and personal development programs to medical care and counseling, it’s important for administration to be “dy-

LIFESTYLE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

PAGE 17

namically responsive.”

“It’s also important that genderqueer students give us feedback about their needs,” Ives said in an email.

NAVIGATING A BINARY SYSTEM

Being filed in Temple’s system under a name and gender students no longer identify with can cause a host of problems – even having packages returned when the name doesn’t match the one on file, which happened to Rubin at Towers.

But an overarching concern is residential options on Main Campus. Currently, University Housing and Residential Life does not offer gender-inclusive housing. While UHRL Director Kevin Williams acknowledged a desire for gender-inclusive housing, he said change needs to come from the student body in order to be effective.

Williams said he will always work with a student who comes to him and explains their situation. Students transitioning or planning surgery can sometimes receive accommodations, typically in the form of a single room like Rubin’s.

As Williams explained, it often falls to him to help non-binary students “navigate a binary system.” Several weeks ago, a residential life forum asked students about gender inclusive housing in order to gauge student interest. It’s on the table, he said, but requires a lot more than a simple administrative change he can make.

“You have to support the mass population, and that population is driven by many needs,” Williams said of his position. “It’s about resources.

KARA MILSTEIN TTN I think as the director, my job is to represent the Residential Life Director Kevin Williams attended Queer Lunch at HEART on Nov. 17, where he discussed how to accommodate genderqueer students. institution for students as they navigate this large university. As a higher education administrator port hotlines to various student organizations.

“For various reasons, it’s intimidating to be and educator, I have a role to help students be gender-nonconforming in this kind of campus successful broadly. It can’t just be one person’s environment, even,” McLemore said. “I’ve been responsibility.” on Temple’s campus before, wearing a dress, As an openly gay man, Williams said he’ll with groups of friends.

But if I’m going to be on often out himself in conversations to empathize campus alone, like going to classes with people with students experiencing personal difficulties.

I don’t know that well, I’m uncomfortable.

I’m Even if that is helpful, he said it’s important to hoping at some point I’m going to be more comremember his experience is different from everyfortable doing that, because I just hate feeling stione else’s. fled, like I can’t always wear whatever I want.

It The HEART Wellness Resource Center also has to do with accepting myself and feeling debuted a new event this semester called Queer Lunch, which allowed students to come together more confident on a deeper level, because I still feel really vulnerable. There’s a lot of confidence on Mondays to discuss LGBTQ issues.

At the Nov. 17 event, Assistant Director of that it takes. I have a lot of binary trans friends UHRL and Queer Student Union Faculty Advisor who talk about how people say, ‘Wow you’re so Nu’Rodney Prad emphasized the importance of brave for being out.’ And they’re like, ‘Well, this students speaking up about their needs in order is my only option.’ But it’s interesting for me because, you know, it’s less of ‘I have to be seen as for faculty and administration to address them.

Kimberly Chestnut, the director of HEART, female’ – it’s more like ... ‘I have to not be seen thinks gender-inclusive housing is a good option, as male.’ But does that mean presenting perfectly since it could appeal to many students in general, female? No, it doesn’t. It’s a more complicated situation. I have a choice about how I dress and not just genderqueer or non-binary people.

Students could live with the opposite gender how I present [myself] to still be considered nonif they chose, for example. She said a pilot for binary, but it does feel like a question of courage KARA MILSTEIN TTN gender-neutral housing will likely begin in 2015, for me to come on to campus and go to classes in a dress.”

Nu’Rodney Prad encourages students to speak up about their needs on Main Campus. though it would be limited to a Though Rubin has found specific building. a community with Queer McLemore thinks a queer McLemore said they “don’t even know what Student Union, where they what a gender-nonconforming community needs. dorm would be their preferred McLemore feels organizations like QSU, the queer resources are at Temple” – something are one of the events coorsolution; something that would dinators, other genderqueer presently focused primarily on sexuality, can feed Chestnut feels could be addressed with more litmake them entirely comfortable students prefer more radical into “trans erasure,” a phenomenon Windhauser erature – guide sheets with terminology to eduliving on campus. They currently organizations. Next semester, said can be traced to historical reasons. During the cate the general campus population and perhaps have an off-campus apartment Rubin will be QSU president, Civil Rights Movement, he said, African-Amer- additional resource guides for the genderqueer shared with other queer and gena position they said they will ican churches stopped accepting queer members community. derqueer individuals. They said Windhauser suggested creating a specific use to bring more awareness in order to “provide a united front” for African gender-inclusive housing would Americans’ rights to be socially accepted. He website listing sexuality and gender identity reof trans issues to the group. still be progress, though.

McLemore feels at home with thinks similar issues have arisen – though not nec- sources and support systems. Since there are Dorm living wasn’t an option the Temple Socialists student essarily pointing at QSU – in the gay and lesbian measures already in place – Tuttleman Counselthis year, since McLemore wasn’t organization, which asks for communities in terms of their treatment of trans- ing Services added two counselors specializing in prepared to live with men, but deLGBTQ issues this semester, for example – propreferred pronouns at the be- gender and non-gender-binary people. spite all the friends who inspired Rubin said in their own efforts to maintain moting visibility is the next key step. ginning of meetings. them to come here, their living Mac McLemore / freshman Sadie Michaela continues recent graduate Michael Busza’s campaign for an situation as a freshman “feels deto be a member of the Temple LGBTQ resource center, they asked administra- * erin.edinger-turoff@temple.edu tached from the school and camArea Feminist Collective, where they said they’d tion for permission to use a large empty office in T @erinJustineET pus life, to an extent.” like to see more discussion of gender identity, but Mitten Hall but were rejected.

“We brag about how we’re so diverse – we overall, more people accept them and at least try FINDING A COMMUNITY to respect preferred pronouns. McLemore and Sa- accept all genders, all orientations – but then For McLemore, prior to coming to Temple die feel organizations like QSU or Queer People we don’t have things in place to help [those stuand to this day, the Internet remains the No. 1 of Color may be beneficial, but aren’t necessarily dents],” Rubin said. place to seek support and a sense of community.

On Main Campus, surrounding themselves with accepting friends is the best option.

Since there isn’t currently a resource center specifically for LGBTQ needs, some students feel there aren’t many other options – or they’ve found them elsewhere.

Chestnut said when she and other HEART representatives present the center to incoming students, they explain that since Temple does not have an LGBTQ center, HEART functions as a “pseudo-LGBTQ center,” although that’s not its primary purpose.

Tom Grey, the Sexuality and Gender Inclusivity graduate extern at HEART, said the center wants to increase its Safe Zone training – a type of sensitivity training for students, faculty and staff – to address “how a person’s expression of themselves can then transfer into feeling safe on a college campus.”

The new Diversity Center Temple plans to establish would theoretically encompass LGBTQ issues, but students say that isn’t going to be directly supportive enough of issues like gender identity. Just like visibility brought more openly genderqueer students to Main Campus, they believe visibility needs to increase on Main Campus to create a more inclusive environment.

In comparison, the University of Pennsylvania offers an LGBT Center that is its own building, complete with a lounge, kitchen area, library of queer literature and a CyberCenter, according to its website. Penn State offers a similar center KARA MILSTEIN TTN with a detailed website listing resources from sup- Bernadette Karpf, freshman, lights a candle at Trans Day of Remembrance at Alumni Circle on Nov. 20 for those killed by trans violence.

“It’s less of ‘I

have to be seen as female’ – it’s more like ... ‘I have to not be seen as male.

But does that mean presenting perfectly female? No, it doesn’t.

”

LIFESTYLE

PAGE 18

Exhibit focuses on unusual habits WEIRD PAGE 7

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

AROUND CAMPUS BOYER HOSTS DANCE STUDIES SERIES

The Boyer College of Music and Dance is sponsoring a Dance Studies Colloquium Speaker Series starting tonight from 5:30 – 7 p.m. with Katherine Profeta.

An established performer, Profeta is an educator at City University of New York, Queens College, who has previously taught in the theater departments of Barnard and Yale Colleges and at the Yale School of Drama where she earned her MFA and DFA. Her writing has been featured in Performing Arts Journal, Theater Magazine, Movement Research Performance Journal and Production Notebooks. Profeta will be leading the discussion on “Dance Dramaturgy and the Question of Research” on the 10th floor CHAT lounge of Gladfelter Hall. This lecture series is free and open to all.

-Jessica Smith

PETER HAHN TO LECTURE IN ALTER HALL

GREG FRANGIPANI TTN

Senior artist and exhibitor Julia Cornelius stands amid works of art featured in “I Do This Weird Thing.”

Consoli, Julia Cornelius, Emily Culver, Catherine Donohue and Rebecca McTeague created the work based on both their own and others’ unusual ritualistic habits.

The exhibition, titled “I Do This Weird Thing,” ran from Nov. 19-30. Strange habits addressed by the project ranged from an uncontrollable love for colored bandages to an obsession with hamsters.

The works displayed were largely sculptural pieces that represented “weird things” in connection to the artist. Among the pieces were a collection of both human and mammalian teeth, a gargantuan knitted sock titled “The Monster” and a roll of toilet paper encrypted with anti-feminist Bible verses.

“Weird is outlined solely by what that person [the artist] defines as weird,” senior artist and exhibitor Cornelius said.

Cornelius said the studentartists wanted to prove that not all habits are inherently weird, but rather deemed weird by individuals or society. The student-artists also envisioned and collaboratively constructed a centerpiece for the collection – a ball pit. Intended as an interactive component of the gallery, visitors were encouraged to write their weird habits on the balls provided and toss them back into the pit.

Members of the visual studies curatorial lab class at Tyler, comprised of between 12 and 14 stu-

dents, worked from the beginning of Fall 2014 to prepare and present the exhibition as their major project for the course, which is designed to educate its students on the functions and procedures of art curation through a hands-on application.

The class was broken into groups of students that were designated certain tasks in administering the event. One group of students created a social media campaign to generate interest and incorporate added dimension to the exhibit in a digital form.

A video, shared via the exhibition’s Instagram account, displayed unidentified students and their commentary in regard to their own strange habits or obsessions. The

video displayed the outlandish and often hidden habits of fellow Temple students.

The course instructor for visual studies curatorial lab, Sarah Archer, is a writer and a curator based in Philadelphia. Her writings appear The Huffington Post and Slate, and she works as the senior curator at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.

Archer mentions, in regard to the gallery’s philosophical juxtaposition, the idea that “weirdness is relative.” By openly displaying peculiar human habits, Archer said she believes they are normalized in the eyes of the public. * finnian.saylor@temple.edu

Student visits Ghana to support female business leaders through Saha Global KLEJMONT PAGE 7

compared Saha Global to a “pre-Peace Corps.”

Klejmont must raise $3,000 by the time she leaves for Ghana on Dec. 27. To purchase supplies and pay the translator, everyone going on the trip has to fundraise.

To raise money, Klejmont is looking toward outside organizations and small businesses and has thought of holding a benefit concert featuring local bands.

Though she said she is excited to spend New ADVERTISEMENT

Years in another country, she “has no idea what it’s going to be like and if there are any special customs.”

Klejmont said her first experience traveling during her junior year of college changed her perspective of poverty and that the trip made her more conscious of conservation of basic resources like water.

Besides traveling, Klejmont was recently accepted as a heart peer educator at Temple and is a

research assistant with the KiSS program, [Kids Safe and Smoke-Free] where she is working on reducing children’s exposure to secondhand smoke.

After college, Klejmont plans to become involved with the Peace Corps. * emily.ivy.scott@temple.edu

The Independent Hotel displays Tyler artwork HOTEL PAGE 7 view and said there was no specific theme they were looking for in the selection process.

“I think what is great about the exhibition is that it shows the range of work our students do, from figurative to abstract,” Margolis said..

A second year MFA student, Moira Connelly was chosen to feature her artwork in the exhibition for the second time. Her two paintings, “Weaving” and “Untitled,” are both works of textiles and weaving as source material with calligraphic lines, inspired by historical 1960s crafts.

“The black and purple colors are really pulling from the object of the source – for me they feel kind of like ‘60s craft objects, but in a general way,” Connelly said. “They are connected with objects that I grew up with.”

Alex Echevarria also had two paintings featured in the exhibit. His pieces, “Comfortable” and “Slab,” contain elements of scale and abstraction.

“I often wondered why more places don’t do something like that in their hotels, especially in the city where there is so much art,” said Echevarria, who is also a student in Tyler’s MFA program.

“You see pictures, but it’s always a reproduction or this and that, and I wonder why all this art isn’t taken advantage of.

I think it’s very cool they allowed us to do that.”

The building originally held a printing press and was transformed into a residence before becoming a hotel six years ago. The building has been renovated with a contemporary style but kept a historic feel with brick walls, hardwood floors and cathedral ceilings.

John Barsoum, the general manager of The Independent Hotel, said the students’ artwork complements the style of the hotel.

“It looks great in the lobby area – they are beautiful pieces of art,” Barsoum said. “Each one has its own style, and we are proud to have their partnership here and display their art on our walls. It’s not like a regular photo on the wall like most of the hotels – it’s something different and we’ve tried to look beyond other hotels.” * alexa.zizzi@temple.edu

The H. Wayne Snider Distinguished Guest Lecture Series continues tomorrow with Peter Hahn.

Hahn is the Head of Predictive Analytics at Zurich Insurance Group.

Zurich is a prominent multi-line insurer that serves all individual, small business and large company customers in both global and local markets.

Hahn is responsible for building analytic capabilities intended to generate actionable risk insights to improve business decisions and performance. He earned his master’s of business administration from the Harvard Business School.

Hahn will discuss his experience in the workplace and various career opportunities in Alter Hall Auditorium A031 from noon to 12:50 p.m. This lecture is free and open to all.

-Jessica Smith

TOURISM & HOSPITALITY TO HOLD NETWORKING SEMI-FORMAL

The School of Tourism and Hospitality Managment will be holding a networking semi-formal event on Dec. 12. The event will feature a professional setting for students, parents, faculty, alumni, sponsers and business professionals to unite to discuss opportunities in the industry.

There will be food, drinks and a DJ. The event will be held from 6-10 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel Ballroom in Logan Square.

-Alexa Bricker

TRIO COMBRAY TO PERFORM IN ROCK HALL AUDITORIUM

Trio Combray will be performing a faculty and guest artist recital on Thursday evening from 7:309 p.m. in the Rock Hall auditorium. Trio Combray includes violinist Gregory Fulkerson, cellist Jeffrey Solow and pianist Jeffrey Swann.

Fulkerson is a professor of violin at Oberlin College, where he graduated in 1971 before continuing his studies at the Julliard School. Solow is the current president of the Violonocello Society, Inc. of New York and former president of the American String Teachers Association. He is a professor of cello and chamber music and former chair of the Department of Instrumental Studies at Temple. Swann is also a fellow Julliard alumnus and currently serves on the piano faculty at NYU. The Trio Combray performance is free and open to all.

-Jessica Smith

TEMPLE CONTEMPORARY HOLDS ‘CONVERSATION WITH THE ARTIST’

Brooklyn-based Brazilian artist Valeska Soares will be speaking at Temple Contemporary in the Tyler School of Art on Friday at 3 p.m.

Soares is the recipient of a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. Her work is predominantly in sculptural practice, but her portfolio also includes photography, film, installation and collage.

Soares is represented by Galeria Fortes Vilaça in Sāo Paulo, Eleven Rivington in New York and Max Wigram Gallery in London. Her latest exhibition “Any Moment Now” ran from Oct. 12 to Nov. 23 in New York. Soares will be speaking with Tyler art history professor Adele Nelson. This event is free and open to all.

-Jessica Smith

SPORTS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

PAGE 19

SPORTS BRIEFS

Youtz receives All-American honors YOUTZ BOWS OUT WITH HONOR

A year after receiving second-team honors, senior Amber Youtz has been named a Longstreth/ NFHCA First-Team All-American.

“It really is a great way to end your career,” Youtz said. “It’s something you worked for all four years and for something you dream about to finally come true, it felt great.”

Already honored as Big East Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-region, Youtz became the first Owls’ player in the last 22 years to be named an All-American.

The Central Dauphin High School product racked up 27 goals and eight assists this year. Her 1.29 goals per game ranked second in the country.

During her career with the Owls, Youtz tallied 69 goals to put her as the fourth-leading scorer in program history.

Youtz left her mark not only at Temple. Her play shined in both the Atlantic 10 and Big East conferences. She was a First-Team A-10 selection in her sophomore season and was named to the First-Team All-Big East team the last two years.

The senior forward’s play helped turn around a program that went 9-13 in her first season. This year, the Owls were nationally ranked throughout the season and finished 14th in the final polls.

Despite missing the tournament, Youtz has nothing but bright memories on her career with the Owls.

“My favorite part about my career here is seeing this program change and develop,” Youtz said.

“The moment I came in I saw this was a hard working program and every single year I saw it pay off,” Youtz added.

Now finished with her collegiate career, Youtz still has field hockey in her future plans. The Dauphin, Pennsylvania native will next try to represent her country on the field. She hopes to try out for the U.S. National Team this winter.

“They release tryouts in January and I’m hoping Continued from page 22

COVILE

I didn’t want to.”

Covile formed a special bond with her father, Lewis Covile Jr., who coached her as a youth.

While being recruited as a senior in high school, Covile was able to visit Temple with her father. This would be the last college visit the two would spend together, as he died in August 2012.

It was a trying time for the soon-to-be freshman. She was 600 miles away from home and had just lost her father. But it was then she knew she had to carry on with her playing career at Temple.

“Before my dad passed, it was the only visit he came on so I feel like I should stay here,” Covile said. “He would be happy for me.”

Now Covile, who averaged 8.1 points per game and nearly six rebounds per game last season, hopes to help stabilize the team after a tumultuous past couple seasons. Since the 2012-13 season, seven studentathletes have left the university with outstanding eligibility, inADVERTISEMENT

The junior libero played off the feat, saying the personal achievement wasn’t as important as her obligation to the rest of the team.

“As long as I’m helping the team win I’m happy,” Drachslin said.

Drachslin played in all 32 of Temple’s matches this season as the Owls finished with a record of 24-8 and 15-5 in the American Athletic Conference. She led the team with 559 digs.

-Greg Frank

FOOTBALL TEAM CELEBRATES SENIORS

DONALD OTTO TTN

Senior forward Amber Youtz advances the ball during the field hockey team’s overtime loss to Drexel Sept. 21. Youtz’ 69 points placed her as the fourth-leading scorer in program history.

to go there and do the best I can, but if not I definitely just want to coach and keep field hockey in my life for as long as I can,” Youtz said.

VOLLEYBALL

OWLS MISS TOURNEY

On Sunday night, the 64-team field was announced for the NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament. It did not include Temple.

Coach Bakeer Ganes refused to let the disappointment of Sunday night get in the way of a 24-8 overall record. Additionally the Owls finished tied for second in the American Athletic Conference standings with a record of 15-5 in American play.

“I think we had one of the best seasons in a long time,” Ganes said.

It was a rough night for The American as Central Florida was the only team from the conference

cluding four last season. But, ship role has been a challenge Covile believes this year’s team for Covile.

“On the court I’m starting is different and ready to move to be more vocal,” Covile said. on.

“Going through all these “According to my coaches, I changes, I feel now this is the need to be more vocal and more best team I’ve been on,” Covile of a lead, which I’m working on.” said. “No drama, no nothing.”

C o a c h Covile also UP NEXT Tonya Carsaid this year’s Owls vs. Delaware doza insists on team is closer Dec. 3 at 7 p.m.

Covile taking than in previa leadership ous years. The position with team shares the such a young same goals and team. But Carmindsets. Prior doza also realto this season, izes that it is a the team sentichallenge for ment was not Covile to go shared, Covile outside of her said. comfort zone.

“Every“It is body gets hard for her along, it is because she just a family is naturally a now,” Covile Erica Covile / junior guard soft-spoken said. “Everybody would only hang out with person and right now we need certain people, we were never her to be a little more vocal,” together and no we are always Cardoza said. “It is hard for her and we understand but we are together, hanging out.”

Now a junior, Covile will trying to get her to go outside be called upon to take on a of herself.” larger leadership role on a team with seven underclassmen. * michael.guise@temple.edu With her shy and quiet demean- T @Michael_Guise or, the transition into the leader-

“Before my dad

passed, it was the only visit he came on so I feel like I should say here. He would be happy for me.

”

to get in. In addition to Temple, Tulsa and Southern Methodist were left out of the field despite strong cases, as both teams finished ahead of Temple in the NCAA’s ratings percentage index.

Ganes said he felt the conference was disrespected with just UCF qualifying for the tournament.

“I really think SMU and Tulsa had really good cases RPI-wise,” Ganes said.

Temple will return all of its starters except senior Jennifer Iacobini next season. Ganes said the returning starters will be excited to get started next season.

“I think everybody is very motivated just because of the fact that we were right there.”

-Greg Frank

DRASCHLIN TALLIES 1,000TH DIG

The football team held a ceremony for its seniors moments before playing the team’s final game of the season at Lincoln Financial Field.

Led by standout receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick and running back Kenny Harper, the senior class features 11 players.

For Harper, the final time playing at the Linc led to mixed emotions.

“It was a bittersweet feeling; playing at Lincoln Financial Field was a little emotional because it meant a lot playing for Temple,” he said. “It’s bittersweet moving on to whatever life has next for me, but I’ll miss being with the team.”

The Owls will aim to extend their season by becoming bowl eligible in the team’s final game against Tulane next Saturday.

If the Owls fail to win the game, their season will end, but with a win the team would become eligible for a bowl game, putting them at the mercy of the bowl selection committee.

Tulane (3-8, 2-5 American Athletic Conference) averages 17.2 points per game while allowing an average of 30.1 points per game.

-EJ Smith

Alyssa Drachslin recorded her 1,000th career dig in Temple’s 3-0 defeat of Tulane on Wednesday night.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Owls’ offense fluctuates through first six games Offensive struggles plagued the team in two weekend losses.

OWEN MCCUE The Temple News A promising start to the Hall of Fame Women’s Challenge ended in disappointment for the women’s basketball team as it dropped its final two games of the weekend.

Temple coasted to an 81-58 win over Georgetown on Nov. 21 but followed that up with a 76-56 loss to Kansas on Nov. 22 and a 58-51 defeat at the hands of Alabama on Nov. 23.

Offense was an issue for Temple in the tournament. The team shot 32.8 percent from the field throughout the weekend and is currently ranked No. 302 in the country in field-goal percentage on the season with its mark of 34.7 percent.

Prior to the tournament, the Owls netted point totals of 75 and 74 in respective wins against La Salle and St. Joseph’s.

After Temple’s game against Alabama, coach Tonya Cardoza said confidence had a

lot to do with her team’s inability to put the ball in the basket during the tournament.

“I think it’s just confidence,” senior guard Tyonna Williams said. “I think people need to concentrate on the next shot instead of the last one. We have great scorers on this team, players who can score at will, but sometimes we get down on ourselves.”

Defense flourishes early Despite troubles on the offensive end, the Owls performed well on defense.

The team held two of its opponents in the tournament, Georgetown and Alabama, to less than 60 points, below season averages. Temple also racked up five blocks in each game of the tournament and had nine steals in its final match of the weekend against Alabama.

Cardoza said after the game against the Crimson Tide that playing strong defense is essential for her team, especially when the offense isn’t there.

“It’s not like we are going to score every night, but we are capable of being a good defensive team and that’s what’s most important to me,” Cardoza said. “[What’s important] is that

Continued from page 22

CONNATSER

[medical school] applications, do my schoolwork and travel,” Connatser said. “We travel every weekend, so you have to just do your homework when you get a chance. You cannot procrastinate.”

In addition to her already full schedule, Connatser serves on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. The committee, designed to serve as a bridge between student-athletes and the university, meets biweekly.

All of her responsibilities notwithstanding. Connatser has still managed to maintain the necessary 3.5 GPA to be honored with academic honor roll.

Connatser’s teammates cited her driven na-

we’re locking people down because we may struggle [offensively] one night, but we should never struggle defensively.”

Owls rely on underclassmen Early on in the season the Owls are relying on a number of young players.

Three sophomores – Feyonda Fitzgerald, Safiya Martin and Taylor Robinson – have seen significant playing time along with freshmen Allyia Butts and Tanaya Atkinson.

Williams and junior Erica Covile were the only upperclassmen in the team’s starting lineup in each of the Owls’ three games in the tournament, but the experienced Williams said this is nothing new for her.

“We’ve had a young team the last few years,” Williams said. “It’s something I’ve got used to.”

The tournament was a good test for the young Owls team. Butts and Atkinson both saw big minutes throughout the tournament. Butts averaged 21.3 minutes per game throughout the tournament, while Atkinson averaged 26.3 mpg and started all three games. * owen.mccue@temple.edu

ture as the operative part in fueling such a busy schedule.

“Her competitive drive pushes everyone else on the court with her to do better,” junior libero Alyssa Drachslin said. “She is a great leader as people are naturally going to follow her on the court.”

With the season coming to a close, so is Connatser’s time at Temple, and thus her volleyball career. She described this period of her life as an “identity crisis,” as she is moving on from the sport into the next phase of her life.

Connatser’s younger sister, Brittany, is a sophomore middle hitter in high school who, according to her sister, is beginning to be recruited to play at the collegiate level. * sports@temple-news.com ( 215.204. 9537

SPORTS

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

DONALD OTTO TTN

Junior forward Jaylen Bond takes a jump shot during the second half ot the Owls’ 70-56 win against LIU-Brooklyn. Bond had a season-high 11 points and 13 rebounds, seven on the offensive end.

Bond recovering from early struggles

Jaylen Bond suffered an ankle injury before the season and has seen limited minutes as a result.

EJ SMITH Sports Editor

As an undersized point guard for La Salle in the late 1970s, Fran Dunphy admittedly would have wanted no part of his junior forward.

Following his team’s 70-56 win against Long Island University-Brooklyn last Sunday, the coach discussed the possibility of boxing out the 6-foot-8, 240 pound Jaylen Bond for a rebound.

“I wouldn’t want to check him out,” Dunphy said. “It’s really scary how good a rebounder his and can be, so it’s nice to see. … It’s an unbelievable asset to your team when he’s so quick to the ball, and so strong and so smart as to where the ball is coming off. He reads where the ball is coming off as good as anyone I know.”

“You give your team an extra possession,” Dunphy added. “It’s demoralizing to the opposition when you give up a lot of offensive re-

bounds.” “[My ankle] is definitely getting better,” After sitting out his sophomore season due Bond said following the team’s win. “I felt a lot to transfer regulations, the Philadelphia native’s more comfortable finding ways I could impact the homecoming has been plagued with early strug- game.” gles, including limited minutes due to an ankle inFor the Owls’ backcourt, the added reboundjury suffered days before the Owls’ season opener. ing effort from Bond on the offensive end helped For Dunphy, the early struggles for the for- spark the team in the second half, where they outmer Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School product scored the Blackbirds 43-22. are to be expected, as he becomes reacclimated “He had 13 rebounds, most of them were with the speed of the game. offensive,” senior guard Will Cummings said.

“He hadn’t played for a long, long time,” “That helps a lot when you can have somebody down there to clean up Dunphy said. “He’s got some rust on him, UP NEXT the mess that we made I think he can be better at shot selection.”

Owls at St. Joseph’s when we miss shots he In his first three games, Bond averaged Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. cleans it up and puts it 20.67 minutes per game, while shooting 31 percent from the field and averaging 5.3 rebounds back. It gives us some breathing room.” per game.

Bond, who has been coming off of the bench Against LIU-Brooklyn, however, Bond had for the Owls, re-aggravated his ankle in practice what he considered his breakthrough game, re- last Friday, Dunphy said, putting him out of the cording 11 points, 13 rebounds and one block in conversation for the starting lineup.

Dunphy said the opportunity for Bond to the team’s win.

Citing a healthier ankle as the operative dif- crack the starting lineup is a strong possibility ference in the game, Bond saw a considerable in- moving forward for the team.

“I was thinking about him [starting] today’s crease in his ability to rebound.

game, but he turned his ankle on Friday and missed a lot practice so that limited what my thoughts were,” Dunphy said. “[Bond starting] could happen at any time. He’s finishing games. … He may want to start, but we’ll talk about it.”

Bond also hopes to help his team offensively with his post game as his ankle heals and his minutes increase.

The prospect of high-percentage shots would be a welcome sight for the Owls, who entered Sunday’s game shooting 34.6 percent from the field, which ranked 336th out of 345 Division I teams.

“I’m just trying to be aggressive on both ends of the floor,” Bond said. “I feel confident in my game down low, if I don’t have a shot I’ll kick it out and look out for my teammates. … My goal is to just keep the offense flowing.” * esmith@temple.edu ( 215.204. 9537 T @ejsmitty17

Continued from page 22

BASKETBALL

shooting average from the floor on Sunday was a marginal improvement from its prior season mark of 34.2 percent, which had the Owls ranked 336th – or ninth from the bottom – in Division I before Sunday.

“We’re going to have struggles sometimes on offense.

We’re going to sometimes have great offense,” Cummings said.

“It’s just basketball and the flow of the game. But you have to make shots.”

The Owls stumbled on the previous Tuesday, too, when they nearly spoiled the 10-point lead they had held minutes earlier in a 76-67 win against the University of Pennsylvania, another squad that had yet to win a game entering the contest at the Liacouras Center. Temple shot 44.6 percent in that game, but allowed Penn a 44.4 percent field-goal percentage, the Owls’ highest mark allowed in a young season that has featured highpowered opposing offenses like those of No. 4 Duke, Louisiana Tech and the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.

In a three-week span starting Wednesday, when Temple faces St. Joseph’s at Hagan Arena, the Owls will visit the Palestra at Penn’s campus to face La Salle on Saturday before hosting a 6-1 University of Towson team on Dec. 10, facing No. 12 Villanova at the Pavilion and a meeting with No. 11 Kansas at

Junior guard Quenton DeCosey advances the ball down the court against Penn during the team’s 76-67 win last Tuesday at the Liacouras Center.

Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 22 after playing the University of Delaware on Dec. 18.

After watching his team connect on 4 of 26 attempts from 3-point range against

LIU-Brooklyn, a team that allowed 15 long-range baskets to the Owls last season, coach Fran Dunphy said that while he initially wasn’t concerned his team would take the Blackbirds

lightly, he knows the group is in no position to assume victory before an opening tip-off.

“Obviously [there were] a couple possessions that we had in the first half where we

allowed those open [3-point shots] that we can’t allow, and so there was a little bit of that thought that was creeping in,” Dunphy said. “But, we’re not good enough to be taking any-

HUA ZONG TTN

one, anything or anybody for granted.” * andrew.parent@temple.edu ( 215.204. 9537 T @Andrew_Parent23

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

SPORTS

PAGE 21

Owls’ defense holds high-powered offense in check our defensive backs are driving people down trying to go for [interceptions], and I think that really says something about our identity as a defense.

ANDREW PARENT “Turnovers are a part of our standards,” redshirt-sophomore Assistant Sports Editor linebacker Avery Williams said.

For a unit that, prior to last “You need to create turnovers to weekend, had just held the sec- eliminate big plays.”

Cincinnati forced Temple ond-most prolific offense in the sophomore quarterback P.J. American Athletic Conference Walker to fumble on his own to 14 points, most of the on-pa3-yard line early in the second per facts didn’t matter. quarter, and soon capitalized To name a few of them, with a 3-yard touchdown recepTemple’s defense held Cincintion for junior Mekale McKay to nati to 23 points less at Lincoln grab the lead for the first and last Financial Field on Saturday than its previous season average of time.

While the defense never did 37.3 points per contest. The find its big play, the team’s ofBearcats’ yardage – 255 in total fense failed to find the end zone.

– fell more than 200 yards short “Give credit to our defense,” of their season average of 473.8 coach Matt Rhule said. “They rein a game entering Saturday’s ally held [Cincincontest. And sophnati] to seven.

UP NEXT omore quarterWe turned the back Gunner Owls at Tulane ball over on the Kiel, a former Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.

3-yard line. … five-star Notre But we’re not going to win when Dame commit, managed to pick we don’t get turnovers.

And then up 174 yards through the air on we turned the football over and 19-of-31 passing. we don’t get points. …

It’s hard The defense helped Temple to win when you have those.” win the yardage battle, as the Through 11 games, though, Owls outgained the Bearcats’ the defense has allowed an av255 yards with 267 of their own. erage of 18.8 points per game, Ultimately, though, the group along with 354.5 yards per left the field with the scoreboard game.

While the unit has given flashing a losing result for the up yards in bunches at times third consecutive time after a this season, opponents have 14-6 defeat. been turned away with points in Temple has been the benethe redzone 25.8 percent of the factor of 29 turnovers this fall, which has the team tied for sixth time, a mark that ranks Temple in Division I. While redshirt- No. 17 in Division I. Last seajunior Boye Aromire forced son, opponents scored on 44 of Cincinnati redshirt-junior Chris 52 attempts in the redzone, an Moore to cough up possession 84.6-percent mark.

A year ago, moreover, the at Cincinnati’s 18-yard line on team allowed 29.8 points per a Bearcats kickoff return, which game last year, an 11-point difended in a missed Austin Jones ference per game from this seafield-goal attempt, Temple’s deson. fense was unable to force a fum“The funny part is, it’s the ble of its own in the contest. same players from last year,” Despite the aforementioned senior receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick statistics and the one-possession said.

“I think it’s just tremendous difference in the scoreline, the attention to detail. [Defensive lack of a defensive turnover left coordinator Phil] Snow is a tresomething to be desired for a demendous coach, and I just think fense defined by them. they play with a lot of passion “I think we all fly to the and want-to.

I think it’s just a ball really well,” junior defencombination of those things and sive lineman Matt Ioannidis just being in the second year of said. “Despite not having any that defensive system, it makes turnovers today, which was really disappointing as a defense, them better.”

I think we’ve become a really turnover-oriented defense. Ev- * andrew.parent@temple.edu eryone shifts at the ball, and ( 215.204. 9537

The unit held the Bearcats to 14 points in the loss Saturday.

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Junior receiver Mekale McKay leaps over freshman defensive back Sean Chandler for the Bearcats’ first touchdown of the game.

Continued from page 22

OFFENSE

had a few miscues on the blitzes they brought to us.”

The offensive struggles have not fallen solely on the Walker, however, as the offensive line allowed three sacks and several hurried throws.

With inconsistency across the offensive front, the group has struggled to develop familiarity. “[The offensive line play] was up and down,” redshirtjunior tackle Eric Lofton said.

“We had some plays where a guy didn’t touch the running back or quarterback for 10 yards and other plays they’re being hit in the backfield. That’s a reflection on us, we’re inconsistent as an O-line, and we’ve got to fix it.”

“We just have to get tighter.

We need more chemistry no matter who is in,” Lofton added. “We can’t keep playing like five fingers, we have to play as a fist.”

The Owls’ offense committed two turnovers and was forced to punt eight times in its 14 total drives in the game, managing three red-zone trips, all resulting in field-goal attempts.

Missing opportunities in the red zone, Walker tripped with 10 yards of open field ahead of him, and also attributed himself with missing opportunities to find senior receiver Jalen Fitzpatrick and freshman tight end Colin Thompson in the end zone.

Freshman kicker Austin

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Sophomore quarterback P.J. Walker delivers the cadence during the Owls’ 14-6 loss to Cincinnati last Saturday. Walker has six turnovers in the last two games.

Jones converted on two of the three attempts, resulting in the only two scoring drives for the Owls the entire game.

“I tripped on one of [the red zone attempts]. I should have walked in [for a touchdown],” Walker said. “I just overthrew

Colin in the back of the end zone, and with Jalen I threw the ball behind him – I reacted to it really late. I just have to do a better job during practice.”

Rhule said he feels the lack of production has not been pinned to one particular issue,

but many issues compounding off each other.

“Offensively, we’ve taken a step back and it bothers me,” Rhule said. “I wouldn’t put it at one thing to be quite honest, I don’t think we protected well enough. I don’t think we’ve run

the football well enough, and I don’t think we’ve won against man coverage well enough. …

I’d say it’s all those things, and when it’s all those things it falls on me.”

The Owls will face their final attempt to not only break a

three-game losing skid, but also to seize bowl eligibility with a sixth win against Tulane (3-8, 2-5 American Athletic Conference). * esmith@temple.edu ( 215.204. 9537

SPORTS BOND COMING ALONG

Junior forward Jaylen Bond has been battling an ankle injury and has received limited minutes as a result.

PAGE 20

Our sports blog

thecherry.temple-news.com

DEFENSE HOLDS

YOUTZ EARNS HONOR

The football team’s defense helped give Temple a chance against a high-powered Cincinnati team on Saturday.

PAGE 21

Field hockey forward Amber Youtz was named an All-American, Alyssa Draschlin recorded her 1,000th dig, other news and notes.

PAGE 19

temple-news.com

PAGE 22

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014

volleyball

Connatser uses upbringing as inspiration With two deaf parents, the senior setter is hoping to earn a medical degree in audiology.

ARON MINKOFF EJ SMITH The Temple News Tiffany Connatser took the floor with her parents to be honored during senior night last Friday while celebrating her final game at McGonigle Hall.

Alongside two other seniors, the setter didn’t speak a word to her parents during the ceremony, for they would not have heard her.

While her coach, Bakeer Ganes, addressed the seniors, she interpreted his words using sign language, so her parents – who are both deaf ﹘ would understand.

For Connatser, words aren’t the operative

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Losing a father, and a coach

difference in communication. Instead, it is body language that the senior claims gives her the utmost advantage.

“It is easier for me to recognize signals,” Connatser said. “How people are feeling if they do not necessarily say it, how people are responding non-verbally. It is sort of easier for me to pick up body language.”

“It makes it easier to figure out how different actions will elicit different responses from my teammates,” Connaster added via email.

Connatser’s upbringing inspired her to major in communication science disorders and pursue a medical degree in audiology.

The pursuit of an involved degree, as well as applying for postgraduate schooling, has proven tough on the senior, as road games and practices present challenges for her.

“It is hard for me right now to complete the

CONNATSER PAGE 19

DONALD OTTO TTN

Tiffany Connatser receives flowers and a framed jersey alongside her parents last Friday.

Cincinnati 14 | temple 6

‘We’ve taken a step back’

Erica Covile’s father died weeks before her freshman year started in 2012.

MICHAEL GUISE The Temple News Erica Covile remembers the long days and nights playing basketball as a child in front of her Detroit home.

The neighbors would join Covile and her five brothers at their hoop for a game of street ball. Covile, a junior guard for the women’s basketball team, would spend hours working on her game during these periods, through sweat and tears.

One of her brothers helped her with her shooting form.

Another helped her with her dribbling. When they played, Covile was treated like she was a boy. Hard fouls and no mercy encompassed the nature of her childhood games. But looking back on it, she said she would have it no other way.

“They would be hitting me and I would be crying and saying ‘I don’t want to play with you all any more,’” Covile said. “But they would be like ‘Stop crying and man up’ and that is all I could do.”

Even though the six siblings have gone separate ways in time, Covile said the rivalry between them is still strong.

When the siblings do get a chance to get together, there is no shortage of trash talk.

“When we are together they are like ‘Oh Erica I could beat you’ or they will be like ‘No, she can’t beat me, she’s a girl,’” Covile said. “But I know I can beat them.”

The Covile family lives and breathes basketball. All five of her brothers played the game at some level. Three of her brothers, Lewis, Ryvon and Kawaun, played collegiate basketball and Ryvon has had a journeyman career overseas since graduating from the University of Detroit Mercy in 2007.

“They just helped me get better,” Covile said of her brothers. “They always had me in the gym, working out when

COVILE PAGE 19

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Coach Matt Rhule stands on the sideline during the Owls’ 14-6 loss to Cincinnati last Saturday. Rhule’s squad has dropped three straight games after starting the year 5-3.

Matt Rhule’s ailing squad scored a season-low six points in last Saturday’s loss against the Bearcats.

EJ SMITH Sports Editor

W

ith the Owls’ postseason hopes coming down to one final game, Matt Rhule’s expectations have become transparent.

The second-year coach’s offense has managed to score two touchdowns while

committing seven turnovers in its last are is where we are. Offensively, we two games, both of which were losses. aren’t scoring points.”

“I think I For Rhule, know where the offense we are,” Rhule – which aversaid. “We just aged 2.2 yards aren’t scoring per carry as a a ton of points. team en route We’ve got one to a 14-6 loss to more game Cincinnati last to try and get Saturday – may them to score not be correct14 to 21 points able in the short Matt Rhule / coach and have our time until its fidefense play well and win the football nal game. game. That’s where we are. Where we “I don’t know if change anything go-

“I think I know where we

are. ... We’ve got one game to try and get [the offense] 14 to 21 points and have our defense play well.

”

ing into next week,” Rhule said. “We’ve worked tirelessly trying to get [the running game] right. We can try and do it better, but anything that you struggle with all year is probably going to be a long term thing.”

Sophomore quarterback P.J. Walker, who compiled a 54.3 completion percentage, fell victim to three sacks and multiple disrupted plays, resulting in 12 carries for the struggling signal caller.

“They were pretty good up front,” Walker said. “The offensive line wasn’t doing a bad job protecting, but we just

OFFENSE PAGE 21

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Challenging schedule looms following inconsistent stretch The Owls hit 4 of 26 3-point attempts in Sunday’s 70-56 win.

ANDREW PARENT Assistant Sports Editor One by one, Temple’s 3-point bids met orange-coated steel, or traveled through the air inside the Liacouras Center only to touch the floor – or the oppo-

SPORTS DESK 215-204-9537

sition’s grasp.

Although the men’s basketball team salvaged an eventual 70-56 win against Long Island University-Brooklyn Sunday afternoon, the Owls got off the mark in sluggish fashion. The team missed its first eight attempts from 3-point range and finished the first half with a 1-for-15 mark from deep to go along with its 10-for-30 shooting average from the floor,

heading for the locker room in the midst of a five-point deficit against the winless Blackbirds.

LIU-Brooklyn, a team the Owls defeated 101-65 last December, netted 41.9 percent of its attempts from the floor on 13-of-31 shooting in the game’s opening period, and took advantage for six points on the fast break, including an uncontested lay-in off a missed dunk by junior forward Jaylen Bond that

SPORTS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM

ricocheted off the rim out near halfcourt.

“I think everybody kind of realized you can’t just walk up to the court and get wins,” senior guard Will Cummings said.

“They came out more aggressive than us, more ready than us in the first half and we took it for granted, thinking we were just going to roll out there and win.

The mood in the locker room was guys kind of understood it

and went out there ready in the second half.”

In that second half, the Owls utilized a 2-3 zone that helped limit the Blackbirds to 26.7 percent shooting, while Temple slowly pulled away on 16 of 37 shooting (43.2 percent) en route to its fourth victory of the season.

Temple’s 38.8 percent

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