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temple-news.com VOL. 91 ISS. 14
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
TURNING WHEELS, p. 9
Philly Poker Bike Tour hopes to reach underserved youth through cycling.
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Visit temple-news.com/multimedia for a preview of TTN’s annual documentary, set to release in Spring 2012.
Englert’s top duty Unrest surrounds Big East reaches endpoint Athletic director affirms Temple’s role in Big East.
JOEY CRANNEY Sports Editor
If there was any question of whether the recent surge of conference re-alignment in college football is being driven by money, Athletic Director Bill Bradshaw laid those concerns to rest in an interview with Harry Donahue of 1210 WPHT during halftime of the men’s basketball game on Nov. 28.
Bradshaw, speaking to Temple fans concerned about the university’s future in a fractured Big East Conference, said the financial benefits of membership outweigh the ongoing issue of schools leaving the conference. “If anyone’s confused and frustrated, just know one thing: It’s the color green,” Bradshaw said. “Think of the color green and that answers all of your questions.” Bradshaw’s interview came the day after the Big East admitted Tulane for all sports and East Carolina for football, both effective the 2014-15 season. Those moves were in re-
sponse to announcements by Louisville and Rutgers of the schools’ intent to leave the Big East before 2014. The Big East will be split into East and West football divisions for the 2013 season, when Central Florida, Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State and Southern Methodist University join the conference. Temple will compete in the West Division with five of the six new members, excluding UCF, which will compete in the East Division with the remaining five institutions.
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Fresh budget model in works A decentralizedstyle budget may be utilized in FY ‘15. Richard Englert’s stint in the president’s office is coming to an end. | ABI REIMOLD TTN
Since 1976, Englert has held an eclectic set of positions at Temple. SEAN CARLIN News Editor
D
uring his time at Temple, Richard Englert has held what seems like an endless amount of administrative posts. From a short stint as interim athletic director, to his current role as acting president, Englert has been a jack of all trades and a constant in an academic world promoting movement from one
university to another. While he said he hasn’t held a position for more than five years during his 36-year stint at Temple, his contributions consist of far reaching personal relationships with students, faculty and administrators that his peers laud as a skill that’s “refreshing” among the current crop of academic professionals. “What you see is the real Dick Englert,” said Robert Reinstein, former dean of Beasley School of Law.
Englert came to North Broad Street from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1976 as assistant to the dean of the College of Education while he was finishing his doctorate. As he rose through the ranks at Temple, he said, he was able to learn from a multitude of mentors. “Moving around, gives you not only a different vantage point, but it gives you different mentors to work with,” Englert
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SEAN CARLIN News Editor In response to shrinking support from the state, administrators are exploring the idea of a budget model that will spread funds to each school, rather than being kept at the center of the university. Since July, a 12-member task force made up of financial officers, staff, administrators and deans from the university have been looking into the concept of a decentralized budget, said Ken Kaiser, senior vice president for the office of management and budget. The budget model puts
more responsibility on individual schools, rather than the university as a whole when it comes to appropriating funds. “The idea of a decentralized budget is that you’re trying to get the financial decisions closest to the action,” Neil Theobald, incoming president, said. “Rather than money being in the center at the president’s office or the provost’s office, you allocate the money out to the schools, so that the key financial decision making is going on at the school level.” Theobald, the senior vice president and chief financial officer at Indiana University, has worked with the budget model at Indiana, which he said has had a decentralized budget for 20 years. While Temple’s next president has successfully managed the model at Indiana, members of the task force said
the university has been looking into the system for more than a year. Kaiser said the task force was commissioned during the summer by Acting President Richard Englert and added that the addition of Theobald to Temple has boosted efforts because of his experience with the system. “This isn’t being done because Theobald was selected as president, he didn’t commission it,” Kaiser said. “It’s the good fortune of Temple that he [will be] the president because he’s pretty much an expert in this. We were going down the road and then he was hired which really boosted our ability to do this right.” The model would allow Temple to better match up
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Years-long effort to construct boathouse wages on Temple’s building of a new boathouse is a bureaucratic battle. JOEY CRANNEY Sports Editor The crew and rowing teams are in tents. Despite not having a roof over their heads for the past four years, men and women on the rowing teams have managed to win a number of races and regattas since 2008, including a gold medal for crew at the 2010 Dad Vail Regatta and a program-best
bronze medal at the Atlantic 10 Conference Championships for rowing in May. This past fall season, crew had four first-place finishes at the Braxton Regatta in November and rowing qualified for next year’s Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, despite the two teams having to share space in a single tent structure that sits unceremoniously in a parking lot on the northern edge of the esteemed Boathouse Row on Kelly Drive. Now, Temple remains hopeful that a four-year process to get the teams their own
boathouse will reach the next step on Jan. 16, 2013, when the Fairmount Park Commission of Parks and Recreation votes on a proposal submitted by the university in October. “We just take it one semester at a time,” coach Gavin R. White, who has been with the crew team for 33 years, said. “I feel bad, but I tell the kids the same thing every fall: What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” Temple is trying to acquire a half-acre plot of land to build
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The historic East Park Canoe House was condemned in 2008.| ANDREW THAYER TTN
Built in ‘09, Alter to get new steps Initiatives look to foster pride The business school home’s entry will get a $400,000 makeover. JOHN MORITZ Assistant News Editor Fox School of Business, with recent approval of the Board of Trustees, will soon begin developing plans for a $400,000 reconstruction of the front steps leading into Alter Hall from Liacouras Walk in order to open up space in what officials said was a crowded pe-
destrian zone. James Creedon, senior vice president for construction, facilities and management, said his office will work with Fox to develop a design on the project, and would like to begin construction in the summer when less people are using the building. Creedon said expanded steps were part of the original design plan of the building, which finished construction in 2009 at a cost of $80 million, but could not specify why the design was ultimately cut. “When you’re building a
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project, there are concepts that go in, concepts that go out, funding that is allocated in certain areas and you make room in other areas,” Creedon said. Creedon said support for the current project came from Dean Moshe Porat and his office, which conducted a review of the steps and submitted a proposal to the Board of Trustees. It was confirmed at a November executive committee meeting. Design and construction of the steps will be paid for by the Dean’s Office at Fox
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University projects aim to boost pride in urban campus. CINDY STANSBURY The Temple News In the beginning of the semester, Temple launched an advertising campaign seeking to define what it means to be “Temple Made.” This campaign, created to promote Temple’s image and instill pride for the campus, faculty and programs, has come in
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the middle of a 12-year plan to re-envision Main Campus. Four years ago, Temple was in the planning stages for what would become one of the largest campaigns to develop Main Campus in the university’s history. The 20/20 plan, which was officially launched in Spring 2009, was being developed through a collaboration with staff, students and the community. Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Anthony Wagner said the execution of this plan has
contributed greatly to campus pride. Wagner explained that students’ requests and input were of the utmost importance when the 20/20 plan was in its developing stages. “We put together a steering committee with representatives from the student government,” Wagner said. “We did focus groups and open forums, we had the planners and the architects there to talk. They asked for student input into what they thought of some of the projects
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Englert a stand-in at crucial times ENGLERT PAGE 1 said. “I’m the kind [of person] where I’ll adapt when I see something that’s working with somebody [else].” “I’ve been blessed, there’s no doubt about it, to get to work with some of the top people around,” he added. Englert said he learned how to deal with crises through his mentors. “It’s especially good to see people during crises moments,” Englert said. “You learn not to panic.” This ability to deal with crises showed itself during the tsunami in Japan in 2011 while administrators talked with members of Temple Japan’s administration. Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Assessment Jodi Levine Laufgraben said Englert was accessible at all times during conversations with the Temple Japan staff.
“He was on every call no matter the time of the day and some of those calls were in the middle of the night,” Laufgraben said. During his time, he’s served in a number of interim roles, which Englert said he did because “it’s always a great opportunity.” When he was asked by former President Peter Liacouras to serve as interim athletic director, he was surprised by the move, which Liacouras said he did because he trusted Englert. “I was very surprised when President Liacouras asked me to serve as interim athletic director, because I had no experience in it,” Englert said. “[Liacouras] said, ‘You know what? I trust you and I need somebody I can trust in that position.’” While Englert said he simply took the positions because of the opportunity each presented, Reinstein said the rea-
son was greater than that and with a focus in managing unispeaks to the commitment he versities. has toward the university. As Theobald prepares to “He did not do things for take the reigns as president next ambition, month, Englert power, but said he had been because he helping him get a felt it was a handle on the culpublic serture of Temple. vice,” Rein“[Theobald] stein said. comes with enorN e i l mous skills,” EnTheobald glert said. “He will take the comes not knowrole as presiing Temple. I think dent on Jan. I can help him unRobert Reinstein / 1, 2013, at former dean, beasley school of law derstand Temple.” which point Theobald Englert will lauded Englert for take a year sabbatical before how he has prepared him durreturning as a full-time faculty ing the last several months, and member, which he said he’s said Englert has talked with him never been at Temple since he’s on an almost daily basis during been a full-time administra- that time. tor since he joined the univer“I cannot be more appresity. He said he’d like to teach ciative of how helpful [he’s courses in intellectual heritage been],” Theobald said. “He unand educational administration, derstands the culture of Temple,
“He did not
do things for ambition, power, but because he felt it was a public service.
”
so quite often that’s exactly what I’m calling and asking is, ‘OK, I’m not quite clear what’s happening here,’ and he can explain it all very well. He just can’t be more helpful.” During his short time as president, Englert said he’s been able to see the “richness of the institution” from a different vantage point. But the highlight, he said, was the basetuition freeze, combined with the administration’s efforts to increase financial aid. “That has long-term effects on students and their lives in terms of keeping debt low, giving students access,” Englert said. “What could be better than that?” Sean Carlin can be reached at sean.carlin@temple.edu or on Twitter @SeanCarlin84.
Survey reports location is key for students CAMPUS PAGE 1
should be.” Wagner said community input was a vital part of this project and had to be equally intertwined with that of student opinion. Wagner added that the concerns of the community often mirrored that of the students. Community concerns included fears of further campus expansion, unwanted off-campus student housing expansion and students parking in areas that were not intentionally for students. Students requested more housing opportunities on Main Campus, and parking opportunities for a reasonable price. Thus, projects such as Morgan Hall and the parking garage at 12th Street and Montgomery Avenue were developed. Wagner said Temple’s borders would not be expanding. “The 20/20 plan was going to be based on our current footprint,” he said. Students also requested more green space and commercial areas, which resulted in projects such as the revamped Pearson and McGonigle halls and the potential replacement of Barton Hall with an outdoor area. “Temple had primarily been a commuter school for a long time with less emphasis on a pedestrian campus, so adding more green space on campus was much needed,” Wagner said. Wagner also said that a greater emphasis was placed on strengthening Temple’s involvement in the community in which it is located. This trans-
lated into the building up of the Temple’s Measurement and Resection of North Broad Street search Center website. that runs through Main CamThe questions asked inpus. volve the reasoning behind a “There really wasn’t much student’s choice to attend the on Broad [Street] that was Tem- university. A select amount of ple,” Wagner said. questions monitor how the camCommunity members be- pus affected such decisions. lieved that the build up of comAccording to the results, mercial development in that Temple’s urban locale was of area would benefit both stu- vital importance to this incomdents and local residents, Wag- ing class; 93 percent answered ner said. that it was im“We could portant or somealso improve what important the appearance when choosing and therefore Temple. A total show the apof 79 percent pearance of said a visit to Temple to those Temple was an driving [down] important or Broad Street,” somewhat imWagner added. Anthony Wagner / executive vice portant factor. president, chief financial officer This reTemple and treasurer also quest inspired adminismany changes ters an optional to the face of questionnaire North Broad Street, including for returning students, called commercial spaces in Avenue the Temple University Student North, Morgan Hall and the Questionnaire. According to renovation of Pearson and Mc- Measurement and Research, Gonigle halls. the student questionnaire is adFour years later, this trans- ministered with four main purformation is still taking place poses in mind, “to obtain stubut the attitude of students to- dents’ perceptions of Temple’s ward Main Campus’ new face- academic, social, and adminislift is increasingly positive, trative programs, to gather inWagner said. formation about students’ par“People are excited to see ticipation in various university the great projects,” Wagner and non-university activities, said. “People are proud.” to monitor change in students’ This pride is evident in the attitudes, activities, and needs results of the university’s new over time, and to provide data student questionnaire, a survey for assessing factors related to that all freshmen and transfer students’ success.” students are required to comSimilar to the questionplete for purposes of monitor- naire, the student survey also ing “trends in student charac- includes questions about the teristics, attitudes, intentions, importance of Temple’s camand aspirations,” according to pus to current undergraduate
“People are
excited to see the great projects. People are proud.
”
students. In the questionnaire, 83 percent of undergraduate students agreed that there were good professional resources and opportunities provided to them because of Temple’s urban locale. The results also showed that 78 percent of students surveyed would enroll in Temple again and 78 percent felt a sense of belonging at the university. Margaret Drake, a sophomore risk management major, said Liacouras Walk is nothing short of beautiful, noting she is also emphatic about the green space on Main Campus and is excited for the potential of more. “I think Temple, for having the rep that it has, its campus is very pretty and it’s a selling point for a lot of students that want to come here,” Drake said. “You almost feel as if you’re not in the city when you’re on campus, which is nice because North Philadelphia is not the most beautiful place.” Jacklin Altman, a sophomore management information systems major, agreed with Drake’s opinions about Main Campus, however Temple’s commercial areas are where her enthusiasm lies. “I like that we have shops and places to eat, its nice having somewhere to go all the time,” Altman said. Altman, who lives in 1300 Residence Hall, near the construction of Morgan Hall, said that while the construction is irritating at times, she does appreciate the long term benefits of the 20/20 plan. “I think it will definitely help campus out, more housing
would be nice for incoming students,” she said. Cassandra Wise, a senior business management major, said she appreciates that the construction includes the restoration of buildings as opposed to demolishing them. “They’re not really knocking down a whole building, they’re restoring [buildings] from where [they were],” Wise said. “They’re modernizing.” Wise said her love of Temple’s campus does not stem from its construction practices, but rather its city locale. “I like that it’s a part of the city, it’s actually a part of North Philadelphia,” Wise said. Wagner said he believes there has been an exponential amount of improvement in the years that he has been employed on campus. “Tyler [School of Art] and Alter [Hall] have been finished and they are beautiful additions to the campus, and the little things like adding the Adirondack chairs [on Beury Beach] has really created a lot of buzz and that has been great to see,” Wagner said. Temple’s 20/20 plan, Wagner said, has only just begun and more phases of the “Temple Made” campaign are still underway. “There are big projects to come. I think that it will not only increase the students’ but everyone’s pride in Temple,” Wagner said. Cindy Stansbury can be reached at cindy.stansbury@temple.edu.
Class feedback forms pushed online The university began utilizing online forms in Summer 2012. LAURA ORDONEZ The Temple News For decades, distributing the 280,000 Student Feedback Forms across thousands of class sections each semester required several weeks of laborious work for Temple’s administration staff. Instead of stuffing thousands of envelopes and spending class time for students to complete them, Temple shifted to online forms this summer to guarantee that faculty members would receive the results before the end of the semester. Peter Jones, senior vice
provost for undergraduate studies, said this transition will give students more flexibility to reflect on their professors’ performance. “I cannot emphasize enough how important is for individual faculty to learn about how their classes are going and how they should be shaping it for future times they teach,” Jones said. Besides convenience and sustainability, the online version of these forms provides students with a two-week window in which they can complete the forms by logging into the online portal created for the process. “We wanted it to be more convenient for students and also give professors the option of not using class time,” Jones said.
Regardless of the platform, the feedback forms are used for formative and summative decisions. The formative aspect of the evaluations refers to professors listening to their students in order to decide how their teaching will evolve. Summative evaluations involve the administration and its role in resolving any particular problem indicated in the feedback forms. “If you have a faculty member that is not doing well in the class, that sends a message to the chair of the department and the dean, that they need to intervene,” Jones said. “But that intervention doesn’t have to be punitive, if something is not working, we have a teaching learning center, this is an educational institution in which we help people develop.”
Jones said there is a major concern with the online forms in terms of participation rate. According to earlier tests, the response rate has dropped down to below 50 percent from 80 percent in the last couple of years. “We want to get our completion rate from students to around 70 or 80 percent if we can,” Jones said. “But if we are at 40 percent, then we worry that students who have an opinion are not voicing it.” The participation rate was at at 25.6 percent as of yesterday, Dec. 3. Jones said that participation tends to increase when professors tell students how important the information is for them. If the participation rate continues to plummet in the next two years, the university
might have to return to paper feedback forms, Jones said. The benefits of the current format might be expanded thanks to the ongoing discussion on whether to allow students to access the results. If so, students may use such results to select their classes and instructors, which is an improvement comapred to using popular websites such as ratemyprofessors.com, Jones said. “We want all students to have an opportunity to give us their opinion and tell us what is going on,” Jones said. “This is for the benefit of all.” Laura Ordonez can be reached at laura.ordonez@temple.edu.
Financial aspects play major role in Big East BIG EAST PAGE 1 “This unique combination of nationwide scope and regional flavor reflects our commitment to innovation in response to the changing landscape in college football,” Big East Commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement released with the announcement of the divisions. Critics of the Big East’s re-alignment plan point to the conference’s diminished on-thefield product. In addition to Louisville and Rutgers, the Big East lost West Virginia prior to the 2012 season and will lose Syracuse and Pittsburgh after this year. All seven of the schools joining the conference by 2014 will come from mid-major conferences. But Bradshaw said the Big East is still the best place for Temple due to the media rights deal being negotiated for football and basketball. The TV deal, Bradshaw said, will be significant due to the expansive nature of the new-look Big East. “I think it’s going to be very lucrative, particularly with the markets being brought into the Big East, such as San Diego, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Orlando and certainly Philadelphia,” Bradshaw said. “All those markets are going to mean more eyeballs, more exposure and hopefully more revenue.” Incoming President Neil Theobald said the topic has come up repeatedly in coversations with faculty, staff and students. “It’s an interesting situation,” Theobald. “It’s got lots of consequences, yet there isn’t a whole lot, as a participant, you can do to impact it.” It’s unclear what effect the additions of Tulane and East Carolina in 2014 would have on the divisional set-up. The Big East is also looking to add another school, Brigham Young or Air Force, to the conference before Navy joins in 2015 to make an even amount of teams. “I’m not involved with all these meetings here, but for the beginning part of this thing, we will be on the Western side,” coach Steve Addazio said in a press release on Nov. 13. “I’m excited to do that. I think that’ll be good. We’ll still have some of our regional games in here, and I think it’s a great new beginning and I’m excited for it.” The Big East will lose its status as an automatic qualifier for the six BCS bowls when college football’s new playoff system is adapted in 2014. A rotation of semifinal games among six bowl sites will be implemented, divided into three “contract” bowls and three “access” bowls. Teams from five power conferences – the Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference, Big Ten Conference, Pacific 12 Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference – will be partnered with contract bowls to fill five of the six slots. The Big East will have to compete with the rest of the country for the final spot. But Bradshaw maintains the Big East’s future in the postseason remains bright. “If you look at history, even with the teams coming in compared to the ones who left, it’s a good bet the Big East will be one of the conferences with a bowl,” Bradshaw said. Joey Cranney can be reached at joey.cranney@temple.edu or on Twitter @joey_cranney.
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Ordinance poses delay for boathouse BOATHOUSE PAGE 1 a boathouse on the east side of the Schuylkill River, south of the Strawberry Mansion Bridge and north of the East Park Canoe House, the home of Temple crew and rowing for almost 40 years until the building was condemned in 2008. The condemnation forced the crew and rowing teams to move into two tents set up next to ECPH. The teams lost $150,000 worth of equipment and one of the tents during the 2009-10 season when the retaining wall on the riverbank collapsed twice during storms and caused a flood of the tents. The women’s team has used the remaining tent to store its equipment for the past two years, while the men’s team operates half in the tent, and half on a trailer in the parking lot outside. First-year women’s rowing coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski said the facilities didn’t deter her from accepting the job, nor does it take away from her team’s performance. “I knew what I was getting into when I took the job,” she said. “It doesn’t faze me by any stretch of the imagination. Teams practice in challenging conditions all over the country. I don’t think it has any impact on our speed or our ability.” “Boathouses don’t make you fast,” senior rower Joanna Sutor said. “They make things convenient and easy, but they don’t make you faster on the water. If we got a boathouse, it would make our program stronger as a whole, but it’s not the be-all, end-all.” Before Hurricane Sandy approached Philadelphia, the teams had to scramble to move the tent to higher ground and hiked the trailer to safekeeping in Roxborough. “It’s one of those things where it’s a factor if you let it affect you,” senior rower Mike Mirabella said. “I think it leaves a chip on your shoulder and makes you tougher. That’s a big part of the culture at Temple is
to be tough. It fits. I don’t think we’re at a disadvantage, but I think it would be advantageous for us to have a boathouse.” The weather problems with the tent, combined with the lack of an alternative to a new boathouse, only adds to the university’s motivation to move through the building process with the city, Ken Lawrence, senior vice president for government, community and public affairs, said. “Ideally, it would have happened five years ago when we were kicked out of the canoe club,” Lawrence said. “There’s a great sense of urgency. We’d like to get the facility. We’re going through the approval process the city has laid out.” Lawrence and a staff that included University Architect Margaret Carney submitted a report to the Fairmount Park Commission in October that included a 10-page alternatives analysis arguing for the public good of the boathouse, detailing the building design and evaluating the alternatives to the project. The analysis was mandated by the City of Philadelphia Open Space Protection Ordinance, passed in April 2011 to protect parkland from being converted or transferred without public interest. The bill requires an entity seeking to transfer ownership of public parkland to submit the analysis to the Fairmount Park Commission, where it must be posted on the commission’s website for public comment for at least 30 days prior to the commission’s next meeting. The commission then votes on the proposal and makes a recommendation to city council. Temple is the first entity to go through this process since the bill was passed. “I believe we’ll get approval and yes, we’ll build a boathouse,” Lawrence said. “I think we’ve gotten very favorable response on the alternatives analysis from commission and council.” After negotiating with the city for years, former Temple
President Ann Weaver Hart announced Temple had identified the parcel of land it desired to build the boathouse on, at a March 2011 Board of Trustees meeting. One month later, the city ordinance was passed, drawing out the process even longer. Temple developed the alternatives analysis and proposed it to the Fairmount Park Commission in June 2012. The commission responded by requesting an analysis of the effects the project would have on the environment along the riverbank and the traffic of Kelly Drive. Temple hired Pennoni, an engineering and design consulting firm, to complete the environment analysis and traffic study, a 13-page report submitted along with the alternatives analysis in October. The analysis details a 23,000 square-foot, two-story building complete with three boat bays, a rowing tank, an exercise room and a community room, a 2,700 square-foot allpurpose room where the team can host banquets and cocktail parties on the second floor. White said he’s been working with Lawrence and his team “every step of the way” to make sure the teams have what they need in the new boathouse. “That’s a pie in the sky. It would be one of the nicest on the East Coast,” White said. “We certainly won’t wind up with everything we ask for. It’s certainly hard not to be excited about it after being in tents for four years.” The analysis also outlines design requirements that would ensure the building’s place in Boathouse Row. The description states, in addition to ensuring the boathouse can sustain floodwater on a regular basis, the boathouse “should use materials and forms which are complimentary to traditional boathouse features and which convey the similar overall aesthetic as that of Boathouse Row structures,” like stone, brick, wood and glass. “It would be awesome on so
many levels,” Grzybowski said. “It’s an added sense of pride in where we are and a place to call home.” The public benefits of building the boathouse, the analysis argues, would be to improve lighting and increase traffic on the Kelly Drive walking path, beautify an otherwise unused piece of land and help further solidify the rowing community in Philadelphia. The environmental analysis concludes the building of the boathouse would have a net positive impact on the environment of Fairmount Park because it will ensure the land will continue to be used for recreational rowing, provide a formal presence of ownership and improve storm water management. The parking study found the boathouse would have little effect on the traffic on Kelly Drive, other than restricting weekend parking for the walking trail. While Pennoni was completing its analyses, the university used the four-month grace period to get letters of support from leaders of the civic and rowing communities. Temple received letters from John Hogan, commodore of the Schuylkill Navy, John R. Galloway, chairman of the Dad Vail Organizing Committee, Inc., and City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., vice chairman of the committee on parks, recreation & cultural affairs and the councilman whose district the proposed boathouse would be built in. Those letters were submitted to the Fairmount Park Commission along with Pennoni’s report and the alternatives analysis in October. “We have the support from the councilman, but it’s not our determination,” Lawrence said. “I don’t have a vote on the Fairmount Park Commission or a vote on City Council. I don’t want to be a predictor of what they’re going to do. We’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from the proposal.” The final stipulation of the city ordinance Temple had to
address was the issue of substitute land. The city ordinance requires any entity seeking to transfer ownership of park land must give back a plot or parkland of equal value or size to the city. Since Temple doesn’t have parkland to provide, the university has offered to donate $1.5 million toward the renovation of the East Park Canoe House. The canoe house was built in 1914 and used to facilitate Olympic training during the early 20th century, is listed on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places, but was condemned in 2008 due to multiple code violations. The alternatives analysis argues there is public interest in restoring the historic structure. Lawrence said Temple’s donation offer is on the condition the city grants the university the land to build. “It is what it is,” Lawrence said. “If we’re granted the land, then that’s part of the alternatives analysis. If the city determines they wanted to use that for something other than the canoe club, then they could use it for something else. But it’s part of the submission we made to the city.” Assistant Vice President and Associate Athletic Director Mark Ingram estimated the cost of the boathouse project at $8 million to $10 million at a meeting of the athletics committee of the Board of Trustees on Sept. 19. Ingram expressed concern about strategic fundraising strategies at the meeting, stating the project could fail if Temple is not careful in how it approaches garnering funds. “We can’t announce that the boathouse is happening and everybody get on board because the 1,000 or so prospects that we have will all give $100 and we’ll be sitting with [$100,000] for a $10 million project,” Ingram said. The university has begun discussing fundraising, but the cash flow has been put on hold by the ongoing negotiations with the city, Lawrence said. “There’s clearly alumni
support for this, but until it gets approved, you’re not going to raise money for a building you don’t have,” Lawrence said. Ingram’s presentation came during a meeting where the university’s transition to the Big East Conference in 2013 was the main point of conversation. Rowing will enter the Big East in 2013, but the conference doesn’t sponsor enough teams for crew. However, Grzybowki said the boathouse is about more than boosting facilities before a move to a power conference. “Regardless of whatever conference we’re in we want to have great facilities and give our student-athletes the best experience that they can possibly get,” she said. “Anything that’s going to enhance to that is a positive. It’s not about the A-10 or the Big East, it’s about what this program deserves and represents.” Despite the university’s efforts, it’s clear that having its own boathouse at Temple is something the current group of seniors will never experience. “It’s a little bit disappointing,” senior rower Richard “Trey” Ehmer said. “I just want to see the final product. I just want to be inside it once and know what future generations will have.” Temple’s submission to the Fairmount Park Commission was posted online Nov. 13 where is open to public comment before the commission’s next meeting in January. Following the commission’s recommendation, a bill has to be drafted, read three times and be subject to a public hearing. A vote from City Council then becomes the final determinant. City Council has yet to publish its 2013 meeting schedule. Joey Cranney can be reached at joseph.cranney@temple.edu or on Twitter @joey_cranney.
Weather plagues Alter steps Theobald brings insight into new budget model BUDGET PAGE 1
New stairs will be constructed at Alter Hall, costing $400,000. | KELSEY DUBINSKY TTN
STEPS PAGE 1 using funds from carry-over resources from last year that were created from staff vacancies. In an email, Porat said his office started a review of the steps after comments were made that they were too steep, and observed that crowds were too large for the steps’ capacity often formed during periods between class time, creating safety concerns for students and faculty. The steps created a safety concern in times of bad weather conditions when rain, snow and ice created slippery conditions along the narrow steps, Creedon said. “[The reconstruction] makes it a little more of a welcoming area, plus it gives a lot more room from a safety perspective, a maintenance perspective, it’s going to be a lot easier to keep that free of snow
and ice,” Creedon said. Preliminary sketches provided by Facilities Management show a wider double set of stairs extending beyond the columns under the Alter Hall sign, flanked on both sides by brick planters holding small bushes. Students in Fox expressed some concern about the spending toward a solution to what a few students said was not a visible problem. “Spending $400,000 to widen the steps to increase traffic to the Fox School of Business is kind of a waste. Students that come here come in and out as they do [through several different entrances],” Allison Shields, a senior marketing major, said. “I don’t think it is that effective of a plan.” “I think the money could be better spent elsewhere,” added Rebecca Clayton, a senior marketing major, suggest-
ing that money go to improve the building’s wireless Internet, which she said she has trouble connecting to on a consistent basis. Maria Colletta, a senior management information systems major, said the doors leading into the building may be one of the larger contributors to the back up, and the administration should look more into that as a solution. “We feel that spending $400,000 to help ensure our students, faculty, staff and visitors do not become injured is a sound investment,” Porat said. Creedon said movement in and out of Alter Hall will be facilitated through other entrances in Speakman Hall during the construction process. John Moritz can be reached at john.moritz@temple.edu or on Twitter @JCMoritzTU.
revenues and expenditures, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Anthony Wagner said. “So right now, Temple’s budget model is pretty centralized,” Wagner said. “We make a lot of decisions about how resources are allocated centrally and the schools and colleges don’t have as much authority in that process as we believe they need to have.” Theobald added that decentralized budgeting, compared to what Temple currently has, allows a university to be more efficient in how it spends money. “If a school of engineering is going to hire a faculty member, they have much more information as to what are their needs than would the provost sitting in the center of the university,” Theobald said. “It’s simply a model of trying to be much more efficient, much more productive in the spending of our money, by having it allocated out to the schools, rather than a centralized budget model.” The task force has been working with Indiana Bloomington’s Director of Budget and Planning Aimee Heeter and Senior Associate Vice President Doug Priest throughout the process. Kaiser said the two have come to Temple three times and, next week, members of the task force will be spending two days at Indiana. “They’re the people who
have done it here for years, so scribed the members of the task they’re just providing their ex- force as a “steering committee perience and advice,” Theobald overseeing the implementasaid. tion” of a decentralized budget, Indiana’s longevity as a but said the members wouldn’t school with this budget model be the sole people pushing the has allowed the model. task force to “The steerstudy how to ing committee implement it at is just going to a public univerhelp manage the sity, Kaiser said. process,” Kaiser “Because said. “This is they’ve had degoing to be an centralized budimplementation geting longer driven by the than anybody entire university else at a pubcommunity and lic university, if it’s not driven they’ve been by the entire asked to help community, it other univerwon’t be sucsities for decessful.” cades,” Kaiser While the said. “They’ve process is still pretty much a while from seen every mod- Anthony Wagner / executive vice implementation, president, chief financial officer Theobald said el and they’re and treasurer able to give us he is very interguidance.” ested in seeing Kaiser added that Temple the model at Temple. wouldn’t be simply copying In“Like any process you’ve diana’s system. got, it has to fit where you are, “We’re not taking Indiana’s but I have great interest in dodecentralized budget model and ing that and I think there’s great bringing it to Temple, we’re interest on the part of the facgoing to have our own decen- ulty and the deans as well,” tralized budget model,” Kaiser Theobald said. said. “Indiana is the oldest pubSean Carlin can be reached at lic university with a decentralsean.carlin@temple.edu ized budget model so there’s a or on Twitter @SeanCarlin84. lot to learn.” The task force is aiming to implement the model for fiscal year 2015, Kaiser said. He de-
“We make a
lot of decisions about how resources are allocated centrally and the schools and colleges don’t have as much authority in that process.
”
OPINION
A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. Angelo Fichera, Editor-in-Chief Cara Stefchak, Managing Editor Sean Carlin, News Editor Zachary Scott, Opinion Editor
Luis Rodriguez, Living Editor Jenelle Janci, A&E Editor Joey Cranney, Sports Editor John Moritz, Asst. News Editor Ibrahim Jacobs, Asst. Sports Editor Lauren Hertzler, Chief Copy Editor Brandon Baker, Copy Editor Marisa Steinberg, Copy Editor Saba Aregai, Multimedia Editor Ryan Geffert, Multimedia Editor
temple-news.com
PAGE 4
Chris Montgomery, Web Editor Kate McCann, Photography Editor Abi Reimold, Asst. Photography Editor Joey Pasko, Designer Ana Tamaccio, Designer Darcy Stackhouse, Designer Laura Sutphen, Designer David Hamme, Advertising Manager Kathleen Smith, Business Manager Morgan Hutchinson, Marketing Manager
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
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. Visit us online at temple-news.com. Send submissions to letters@temple-news.com. The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122
EDITORIALS
P
Tip of the hat
eople in high positions often find that they become entangled between comparisons to the past and expectations of establishing an independent legacy. Mired in this conflicting dynamic, Richard Englert has forged for himself an impressive history as a reliable, utilitarian asset the university can turn to whenever probable need arises. Like when Temple needed an interim athletic director, and, most recently, a temporary president. Since the 1970s, Englert has served the Temple community by providing his educational expertise. Too often, university leaders appear more like business negotiators than academic pioneers. But Englert – during his time as a dean’s assistant, provost and president – has seemingly fought against this mold, adding levels of compassion and thoughtfulness to situations where the opposite often seemed to be law. Interviews with those who have worked close with Englert indicate the acting president has stepped into many positions as an act of public service. In fact, Englert has never held a position for more than five years, during his 36 years at the university. In the short few months that
Classroom critique
A
t the close of previous semesters, approximately 280,000 Student Feedback Forms were distributed from Temple’s administrative staff to the student body, which was expected to complete them with insight into how professors and teaching assistants handled instructing the course. Lecture halls of students on the last day of class were asked to bubble in the surveys and complete the short response prompts on the flip side. The process might have raised questions for students: Are these forms being taken seriously? When did everyone around me develop speed reading and writing skills worthy of a place in the record books? Why is everyone turning these in using invisible ink? The Temple News recognizes that while some students took the time to provide valuable feedback on their semester experiences, some promptly turned in the sheets after the
Richard Englert deserves substantial praise for all he’s done for Temple. Englert stepped into the university’s president position, he has been more accessible to The Temple News than Temple’s previous president, Ann Weaver Hart, ever was. Considering the time each was in the top position, that small fact speaks volumes about his commitment to open, congenial relationships with the student body. While The Temple News urges the university as a whole to brace itself for an impending new year – one filled with state appropriation negotiations, boathouse hearings, athletic conference questions, new university leadership, among other things – it’s important to recognize what, and who, makes Temple great in the first place. Englert and his valued service chief among them. Temple’s 10th president, Neil Theobald, is set to assume the position in January. The Temple News hopes Englert’s expertise about Temple and its roots will act as a guide for Theobald in the months to come. Come January, the new president will need to dive headfirst into many issues at Temple. But, for now, we tip our hats to you, Mr. Englert, for the many hats you’ve worn.
Online feedback forms mark an important process in improving classrooms. teacher left the room. A sustainable shift has been made this summer that hopes to convenience students and improve feedback results. The Temple News stands behind that notion. Feedback forms are now available online through Dec. 9 for students to fill out. As of yesterday, Dec. 3, 25.6 percent of forms were completed by the student body. The university has recognized a drop in completion in recent years to below 50 percent, as Laura Ordonez reports on P. 2. The Temple News encourages students to access the forms through TUportal and submit their opinions in order to improve courses and teaching techniques at the university. Students get frustrated when teachers penalize them without adequate explanation. It’s only fair that students give their professors the same detailed critique they expect in return.
JULIANA COPPA TTN
PHOTO COMMENT
Freshman Kevin Hebbeler performs at a gathering for Temple University Comedy Club.| AJA EPINOSA TTN
meltdowns, mixed with high amounts of alcohol we don’t want to speak of, enough on our run-down bodies?
”
Brianna McGrody / Food for Thought, P. 10
Visit temple-news.com to take our online poll, or 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 350 words or fewer.
Did you participate in intramural sports before there was a charge and will you continue in the future??
20%
YES, BUT I WON’T NOW THAT THIS POLICY IS IN PLACE.
10%
YES. AND I WILL CONTINUE TO PARTICIPATE.
10% 60%
NO, BUT I WILL IN THE FUTURE REGARDLESS OF COST.
NO, AND I WON’T IN THE FUTURE.
*Out of 10 votes.
CITY VIEW
1970: D
7%
25%
A 26%
B 38%
2008: D 5%
1991–92:
F 4%
C
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
“Aren’t the end-of-the-semester
GOT SOMETHING TO SAY?
POLLING PEOPLE
F 5%
C 14%
B 33%
A 43%
PRIVATE
Universities have been giving out more A’s since the early 1970s. Here you can see a comparison of grade distributions between 1970 and 2008.
3.09
PUBLIC
2.85
AVERAGE
2.93
2006–07: PRIVATE
3.30
PUBLIC
3.01
AVERAGE
3.11
Private universities tend to inflate grades higher than public ones, as evidenced by higher GPAs.
JOEY PASKO TTN *Source: gradeinflation.com
COMMENTARY
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
PAGE 5
Paying to play keeps competition strong
W IBRAHIM JACOBS
Jacobs supports the Campus Recreation Department’s decision to charge for intramural sports.
hy does it cost $30 for my team to sign up for a co-ed volleyball league that we referee ourselves? Was this Temple’s sequel to the dorm-guest policy in trying to sabotage seemingly simple tasks? The school’s new policy of charging teams for intramural sports represents a change from the original policy in which refundable deposits were given and participation was free. And although this seems counter-intuitive to say, Temple finally got something right. The intramural policy that existed prior to this year was to charge teams participating in the intramural leagues $40 or $80, depending on the sport. This was issued as a deposit repaid in full as long as the team did not forfeit any games due to lack of attendance. Steve Young, director of Campus Recreation, said the average cost of sustaining the intramural program is $60,000, all of this coming out of the budget pre-assigned to the depart-
ment, giving it little flexibility. The high cost is due to providing referees, student workers and equipment to the program. This year, amid a need to reduce losses for the department, many cuts were made that impacted students’ recreation experience. “The wheelchair basketball program was dropped, as well as the towel service provided to users of the IBC Student Recreation Center,” Young said. “We also re-examined the hours of recreation buildings were reduced during non-student hours such as breaks.” Not to discredit the valuable programs that Campus Recreation provides, but maintaining the intramural program at full capacity needed to be a priority, and preventing cuts by inducing a minimal fee is a perfect solution. The department therefore decided to charge teams fees of $30 or $60 depending on the popularity of the sport to register. While some students may be irritated by the fee when they
came into school under the presumption that Temple provided free intramural sports, it is time to take a step back and examine what the fee really entails. In the 2003-04 school year, the participation in intramural sports was 15,718. Eight years later the figure had grown to 34,935 in 2011-12, an increase of 222 percent, according to Campus Recreation. When teams that participate in intramural sports are made up of as many as 10 to 15 players, the fee is minimal, and shouldn’t deter participation. “I think the price is a good thing because it keeps people accountable to show up to the games,” junior fitness education major Nick Ruggieri said. “The price could be a negative impact, but if the kids want to play that bad they will pay anyway. Plus if you have 12 kids on a team, paying $5 really isn’t that bad.” Ruggieri, who referees games and competes in the intramural leagues, said the price could positively impact the competitive aspect of the program.
I BRI BOSAK
Bosak argues that open container laws target stoop drinkers unfairly.
your roommate inside, the Philadelphia Police drive down the street. The car pauses and suddenly parks. Two officers get out. But instead of approaching the loud party across the street, they approach you. And before you know it, you’re signing your name on an open container citation. If you think this sounds unbelievable, I hate to tell you that not only is it realistic, but in my case it’s scarily real. One evening this fall, I decided I would be good and stay in to do work. Having accomplished quite a bit, I decided to take a much needed break and go watch
N
“After all,
JERRY IANNELLI
”
Iannelli argues that collegiate grade inflation is slowly destroying students’s work habits.
chilling on your stoop is as American as baseball and apple pie.
ing the number of athletes who are unable to play due to a lack of ability to pay the marginal fee. The charge to participate is waived for players who sign up as “free agents,” or players who are randomly assigned to teams. Trying to manage a program that has had more than 71,000 participants in the last two years is no easy task. And amid budget cuts to many other services provided by Campus Recreation as well as the rest of the university, it is refreshing to see that Temple found a way to amend instead of eliminate or scale back this popular program. The university should apply this policy more often in other areas as it learns to cope with the increasing number of students – and student services – that need to be accommodated. Ibrahim Jacobs can be reached at ibrahim.jacobs@temple.edu or on Twitter @ibrahimjacobs.
Lazy graders breed lazy work habits
‘Stoop chilling’ under attack
t’s a normal evening on your North Philadelphia block. You’re chilling on your stoop with your roommate watching a party rage across the street. Some people stand on the opposing porch, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. A car bumping some beats rolls past you. As it cruises away, the noise is replaced by the bass from the apartment across the street as the last of the partiers flicks his cigarette onto the sidewalk and opens the door revealing a quick glimpse of the chaos and commotion inside. You take a sip of beer. Your roommate finishes his and tosses the empty can into the recycle bin. Another Wednesday night. Just as you rise to follow
“The price makes the people that want to play, play, and the kids that are half-heartedly playing not [play] anymore,” Ruggieri said. “There is a lot more competition this year from sports I have seen in the past years so far.” As someone who hates losing even a coin flip, the competition gained from even a small fee is something that cannot be overlooked. What should stop being overlooked, though, is the efforts the department made to ensure that the price was not only fair, but beneficial. “We have had a lot of situations in the past where captains have up-fronted the deposit for the teams thinking that they were going to get the money back, only to have their team forfeit games and their deposit revoked,” Young said. “This led to a lot of people upset with their teams because they didn’t work out an agreement beforehand.” Temple’s new policy should also be applauded for its foresight in finding ways to provide for a free way to play, thus limit-
STOOPS PAGE 6
one of us are perfect, and we really need to start getting graded like it. Case in point: A good friend of mine kindly informed me recently that he was failing a class, which entirely astounded me given today’s collegiate climate. Excluding science-based majors, failing a social science course at Temple generally requires nothing short of lighting every assignment on fire with a blowtorch, flipping the same classmate’s desk over on alternating Tuesdays and showing up to class wearing nothing but heart-print boxers and a fuzzy Russian hat. I have literally no clue what class guidelines he bla-
tantly ignored to earn himself an F, but they must have been egregious. His story somehow ended on a simultaneously cheerful and depressing note. “I’m allowed to re-do all of my assignments, so if I work for the next 24 hours straight, I can get a B for the year.” As his friend, I am happy for him. He will remain in school and eligible for loans and scholarships. In contrast, as a fellow human being in perpetual competition with him for jobs, food and money, I am furious. One day of work after four months of failure will grant him an above-average grade for
“Lackadaisical
grading policies do not breed creativity – laziness only begets more laziness.
”
GRADES PAGE 6
Presentations in class not for everyone
O HEND SALAH
Salah argues that presentations are better suited to specific classrooms.
ne of the things that many students in college are often required to do is a class presentation. Although preparation may not be very strenuous, the task can often be a nervewracking experience. There is something about having a group of people stare blankly at you, a teacher taking notes on your every move and the knowledge that there is no undo button to turn the stutters into clarity that brings out the anxiety you may not usually have. As difficult as they can be, class presentations do have positive aspects: They build stronger social skills, enhance public speaking ability and, possibly, ease stage fright. However, is it fair to have them count for a large percentage of a student’s final grade? I think that the answer here
is yes and no. There are several factors in determining whether they are essential or not. For example, all majors don’t need to be able to deliver a professional presentation, and they do not necessarily have much of a use for it. “It depends on the career that you want to pursue,” said Godfrey Petit-Frere, a junior business major. “Let’s say I want to work as a pharmaceutical marketer. I have to be able to present the medicines to different companies. Doing those presentations is going to help you. However, if I want to be an accountant, that probably isn’t very important for me to know how to do.” “It is important in careers that involve research,” said Murielle Alphonse, a junior finance major. “You are going to need to be able to present what you find
to your colleagues, and these projects could help with that.” I think that the main majors that should require a class presentation are business and education. In both professions, it is necessary to have good skills in public speaking and relaying information to a crowd. Educators especially need to be able to be clear in what they are teaching, in order to help their students understand concepts in their curriculum. Class presentations strengthen this ability. In other majors and classes, presentations are less important for two key reasons. First, there are a great number of careers that do not include any kind of public speaking. Presenting ideas or research to others may not have any part in their job description. Second, many people are naturally shy and aren’t able to speak in front of a crowd of
people. This fear can be very difficult to overcome, no matter how much practice is done. Contrary to popular belief, practice doesn’t always make perfect. When I was still in high school, I had to do a PowerPoint presentation in my American history class. My partner and I practiced so that we would not freeze up or stutter, but it didn’t help her very much. Although there were only about 15 students in the room, she couldn’t project her voice or keep herself from stuttering. It was hard for her to even look up from the ground. Instead of being understanding, the teacher gave her a bad grade for the assignment, and her final grade fell from an A- to a B. This is completely unfair. She had been efficient in researching her topic and preparing the PowerPoint presentation. She was an excellent student, but had
no way of getting past her stage fright. This doesn’t mean that she should be penalized so heavily, especially since it was not a skill that would hold her back in her future career choice of nursing. In some cases, it is very important for students to be required to do presentations, as they may need it in life. However, not every person is going to graduate and need that skill, and many people may not be able to. If a teacher decides to assign such a project, the score shouldn’t have severe ramifications. Punishing them or lowering their grades is extremely unfair, because what is most important is that they do their work and excel in what the professor is teaching. This is what should essentially be reflected in students’ final scores. Hend Salah can be reached at hsalah@temple.edu.
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
“Are you proud of Main Campus? ” ABI REIMOLD TTN
OPINION DESK 215-204-7416
“Main Campus is very comfortable. There are lots of places to sit quietly...It’s a very interesting location.”
“It’s a good atmosphere. I like when people are out. It feels so lively compared to other campuses.
DANIELLE STANFORD
JOHN SMITH
LAPIERRIA HARVAN
SENIOR | CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SENIOR | FILM
SENIOR | FILM
“It’s welcoming... Drexel and Penn kind of have the city flowing through them, but Temple is like an actual campus.”
LETTERS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
OPINION
PAGE 6
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
Open container enforcement Critical assessment of represents poor priorities work key to growth STOOPS PAGE 5 the fourth quarter of a football game at my neighbors. Before I left, I decided I would grab the last of my Blue Moon Pumpkin Ales – courtesy of Foodway’s make-your-own-six-packs. Having opened it and taken a few sips, I grabbed my keys and headed next door. I stood at the door waiting while one of my neighbors crossed the street to join me on the stoop. As he was opening the front door, the Philadelphia Police pulled up, spotted my beer and climbed the steps, inquiring if we were throwing some kind of party. “No” was our response. But, I thought, if the cops wanted a party all they had to do was follow the bass from the neighbor’s party two doors down. Tragically, they were not interested in stopping the rampant parties. As one of the officers pulled out a pad and proceeded to write me a citation for having an open container, she informed me they were being paid by Temple to write these types of citations for the next two hours. So in short, the party two doors down was of little or no concern at the moment, open container violations were. Initially I was outraged about the complete lack of common sense I had just witnessed. But then another issue crossed my mind. Are you really not allowed to drink on your own stoop? Certainly I was aware that swigging from an open container of Vladimir on a Friday night while walking down the middle of the street was grounds for an open container citation. But a beer on your stoop? What would this mean for stoop chilling? After all, chilling on your stoop is as American as baseball and apple pie. My neighbors were just as shocked, not realizing that such a thing was in violation of the law, and having enjoyed many a beer on their stoop. When I tried researching the matter, the legality seemed to remain largely in
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
question in many cities, which are responsible for making these laws. When I reached out to the Office of Media Relations and Public Affairs for the Philadelphia Police Department, I was told on the phone that according to the city’s open container law, “No person shall consume alcoholic beverages or carry or possess an open container of alcoholic beverages in the public right-of-way.” When I inquired what constituted the public right-of-way, particularly concerning stoops, I was told that the public right-of-way began with the bottom steps leading onto the sidewalk. Though when I tried to sure up the information via email, I was simply sent an attachment of the open container law and politely told to ask an attorney regarding any questions. The initial hearing did not restore my faith. Upon arriving, I was given three options: go to trial, plead guilty or defer guilt and pay $200 and attend a class that would expunge the charge from my record. I took a risk and chose the trial because I had noticed my citation was filled out incorrectly. My name was spelled wrong and the address was more than a block off. I hoped that alone would speak to the ridiculousness of the situation. Fortunately, common sense did prevail. My case was dismissed without me having to even bring up the misspelling and incorrect address. The judge was not only fair, but also wise. In addition to realizing the absurdity of the situation, she recognized that public-drinking laws – like many of the violations in court that day – were unevenly enforced and sometimes don’t really address the actual crimes that are committed in Philadelphia every day. Bri Bosak can be reached at bribosak@temple.edu or on Twitter @BriBosak.
GRADES PAGE 5
the entire semester, and his professor seems either entirely unaware that this is the case or simply does not care. Through three years at Temple, I can guarantee that his situation is far from out of the ordinary, and, as an honors student who cares a great deal about his own future career and success, I find the sheer lack of creativity and effort it takes to be a B-student in college embarrassing. Collegiate grade inflation is rampant, and has spiraled out of control in the recent decades. According to a 2011 New York Times piece on the rise in grade point average at American universities, titled, “A History of College Grade Inflation,” the amount of A’s given to college students has steadily risen from roughly 26 percent of all grades in 1970, to 43 percent of the total grades handed out to college kids in 2008. The piece cites a study by experts Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healy. I will cede that, due to our generation’s access to free information, we may be the most informed generation of college kids to ever walk the planet. But half of us still are not perfect students. In fact, 30 percent of students likely weren’t in 1970, either. Another alarming trend: Due to less regulation and more competition for tuition, grades have been significantly inflated at private institutions across the U.S. Simply put, if you currently attend a public university, employers may rank you as a poor student by no fault of your own. College professors are eager to hand out A’s and B’s. Generations of overly content, distinguished students reflect well on a professor’s own résumé and teaching style, and granting a fairly disgruntled student an undeservingly high grade can bring a professor good will in the form of positive student evaluations and online ratings websites. While
some professors blatantly do not care about the success of their pupils and may give entire swaths of poor students B’s in order to avoid the effort it takes to critique them, I would argue that most teachers merely find it harmless to give a student some leeway for putting the effort forth to complete an assignment in the first place. This is helping no one succeed, and it’s where modern professors are getting us all into trouble. Lackadaisical grading policies do not breed creativity – laziness instead only begets more laziness. We “Millennials” have more distractions in our lives than ever before, be they cell phones with built-in Netflix accounts or on-demand reality television about the Amish. As such, learning to both budget one’s time and devote one’s entire attention to an important task at hand become invaluable skills that absolutely must be developed during the collegiate years, or failure is certain once we enter the “real” world. Giving me an A on an essay merely because you enjoyed my use of the word “troglodyte” teaches me nothing but how to cut corners. For example, it took me three entire years of college before a professor actually read one of my essay bibliographies and informed me that I’d been doing them wrong. She deducted points from my grade – as she should have – and kindly informed me how to fix them. I wasn’t angry until I realized that nobody had been paying attention until then.
Re: Enforcment of Temple’s smoking policy Dear Editor,
In the article “Smoking policy enforcement insufficient,” Justin Lai puts forward his arguments for proper enforcement of Temple’s smoking policy. It includes both ways in which the university should go about better enforcing the policy and reasons why it should do so. Unfortunately, both of his arguments are lacking. Let us begin with Temple moving ashtrays outside the 25-feet zone around buildings where smoking is prohibited. This would not stop students from smoking within this area. When a smoker is walking to class, he smokes up until the door of the building so as to be able to finish his smoke – and not waste his money – and still get to class on time. Moving ashtrays away from the doors
would not make students stop 25 feet from their destination so as to be in compliance with the policy, it will simply make them stop using the ashtrays. Hanging signage is equally pointless. Most smokers who are aware of the policy ignore it because they question if there is really any difference between finishing their smoke 5 feet or 25 feet from a building. Outside is outside. A perfect example of the ineffectiveness of both of these initiatives can be seen at Temple’s Center City campus, where signs are prominently displayed and ashtrays “appropriately” placed. Every Thursday when I go down there for my weekly class, however, I inevitably join a group of at least 10 other students ignoring the signs and now not using ashtrays because they are placed inconveniently far from and oppo-
site from our final destination. Another failure of the 25-feet policy is the fact that sidewalks are within 25 feet of building entrances. Should a smoker, student or not, leave the sidewalk to circle around some imaginary 25-feet radius? I think not. Lai’s arguments for why stricter enforcement is necessary are even less rooted in common sense. He states that enforcing the policy would “reduce air pollutants and the adverse health effects of those passively exposed to tobacco smoke.” Ignoring the extremely minor nature of these “health effects,” it must be pointed out that moving smokers does not remove smoke. People would still be “passively exposed” to tobacco smoke as they walk around campus and pass the newly positioned ashtrays, and smoke would still be “pollut-
ing” the air – though this idea itself is highly debatable. This leads to the end of Lai’s argument, where he advocates for Temple moving toward an entirely smoke-free campus. He lists other area post-secondary institutions that have already done so, citing the American Nonsmoker’s Rights Foundation as his source. The obvious question here is: “What about smokers’ rights?” This issue is another example of how special interest groups misrepresent themselves as fighters for freedom and do so at the expense of it. In the very same issue of this paper, an article entitled “Public musicians hit sour notes” by Jerry Iannelli urges the amateur musicians on campus not to play in public until their skills are better honed. He says that most students find the beginner guitar player’s set list and play-
Re: Reflection on meaning of higher education Dear Editor,
When I reflect on my four years at Temple University, I think of long days and nights spent holed-up in Paley Library, mesmerized with the words on a page, enticed by the stench of yellow-weathered books with curling edges, beckoning like a finger. Up in the stacks of Paley Library, you don’t just smell books. You smell stale paper twice your age, stories born decades and centuries before, decaying in a fluorescent-lit crypt.
The scent rises from open pages like dust from all the previous fingers that sifted through words, searching for a nugget of knowledge. Shelf after endless shelf rises over your head, decorating the narrow aisle with miscellaneous colored canvass rectangles. You could suffocate in a place like this. You could get lost in a place like this. You could forget what’s outside in a place like this. That’s precisely the point. The rank, stuffy smell of decay blankets you from all other thoughts so that you’re
completely submerged in this world of words and ideas. Just as reading a book from your childhood brings back a sense of home, reading in the library brings back focus and purpose. Shut off from the world, stuffed in a windowless book box, your mind is free to wander, released from all distraction. You don’t think of your bank account in a place like this. You don’t think of paying rent in a place like this. You don’t stress about finding a job or figuring out your life in a place like this.
A place like the old, stuffy, architecturally outdated Paley Library is the reason for higher education. The reason is not to simply get a job, launch a career or build a network for the future – at least that’s not my reason. The reason for higher education is to challenge your own perspective, to understand that the world is complex and to consider a spectrum of viewpoints. The purpose is to look up from a book, emerge from a library, step off a campus and fuse the world of ideas with the world of reality.
Jerry Iannelli can be reached at gerald.iannelli@temple.edu or on Twitter @jerryiannelli.
OPINION
This year, the GOP wanted more balance at the city polling places - something state law encourages - and 307 brave Republicans stepped up. When we appeared for their polling-place certificates, prior to Election Day, the attorney for the Democratic City Committee objected to all 307 petitions on a variety of grounds, including that we could not prove that many of our proposed workers were literate. (It’s ironic that Democrats seemed to be trying to bring back a literacy test for voting.
Linda A. Kerns,
On philly.com in “City GOP seeking balance”
Familiarity may or may not breed contempt; but research suggests that it breeds indifference.
Sonja Lyubomirsky,
On nytimes.com in “New Love: A Short Shelf Life”
The Lohan case points out, in fact, the missed opportunities in courtrooms all over America to use psychiatry to greater effect, in order to help people not repeatedly break the law.
Keith Ablow,
On foxnews.com in “Should Lindsay Lohan be monitored for next decade for her own good?”
ing style both uncreative and rather annoying. I happen to agree with Iannelli, but we are not advocating for Temple to outright ban these people from playing in public because “most students” find it irritating. The bottom line is that we live in a free country. If you wish to live enjoying the fruits of your freedom, then you must recognize and respect that everyone else can do so as well; and this includes tolerating that some people exercise their freedom by choosing to smoke. The only solution to the lack of enforcement of the smoking policy is not to make Temple a smoke-free campus, but rather to rescind the nonsensical policy and make Temple simply a free campus. Alexandria Lawless Class of 2014
Life is as deceiving as the smell of dying books. While spines wither and words grow faint, ideas within them strengthen, fostered inside millions of minds, constantly reinventing themselves. Education allows people to do the same. Education allows us to be reborn. Christine Killion Class of 2013
VISIT TEMPLE-NEWS.COM/MULTIMEDIA FOR A FIRST LOOK INTO TTN’S ANNUAL DOCUMENTARY.
What is ‘Temple Made’?
SOMEONE ELSE’S
In the ACLU’s parallel universe, women are just as aggressive, strong, fast and warlike as men. You know, like in the National Football League, where female linebackers strike terror in the hearts of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.
Robert Knight,
On washingtontimes.com in “Deceitful debate over women in combat”
The state’s voter-ID law, a brazen effort to suppress Democratic votes, may be implemented by 2014. But if Philadelphians don’t get their act together, Corbett won’t need it.
Daniel Denvir,
On citypaper.net in “Cast Away: How Philly suppresses its own votes”
Today, this free and open net is under threat. Some 42 countries filter and censor content out of the 72 studied by the Open Net Initiative. This doesn’t even count serial offenders such as North Korea and Cuba. Over the past two years, Freedom House says governments have enacted 19 new laws threatening online free expression.
Vinton Cerf,
On cnn.com in “’Father of the internet’: Why we must fight for its freedom”
LIVING temple-news.com
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
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ILLUSTRATION DARCY STACKHOUSE TTN
Comedy club brings out passion for laughs Chris Whitehair took control of TU Comedy when it was on the rocks, and now the student organization is on the rise. OMARI COLEMAN
A
The Temple News
lone microphone stands at the front of the room. A group of students stare forward with glazed eyes as the announcer calls up the next comedian. A person walks to the mic, armed with only their jokes and fortune to stand between laughter and silence. This is the life of the Temple University Comedy Club. The organization was first started in 2008, Chris Whitehair, the current president of TU Comedy and a senior advertising major, said. “I discovered TU Comedy in 2010-11 during a year when the
club was next to dead,” Whitehair said. “We didn’t have a leader, meetings weren’t helping anybody make progress, attendance was down, there was no outlet for us to get our comedy to the students on [Main] Campus. The club was on the verge of calling it quits.” Since then, Whitehair and Alex Grubard, a sophomore English major, have made it their mission to put new life into the club. The revived club’s first directions did not come in the most organized way. “It was just like a bunch of us sneaking into a room,” Grubard said. “We didn’t reserve it. Commandeering is what we called it.” Starting off with open mics on Liacouras Walk in 2011, comedians, like senior journalism major
Tommy Touhill, got an outlet for their comedy. “I knew I wanted to be a comedian. I knew I was going to Temple University,” Touhill said. “I came and it was a lot of fun. It was nice to connect with comedians who also had a bad set one night and talk about it.” In the first months of TU Comedy’s restoration, attendance was low and turnout was sporadic, but the club took the time to invite new talent and set up shows. “It was a rebuilding year for us and the club, but we found that comedy has always had a place at Temple University,” Whitehair said. The club’s first engagement under its current president was an open mic just off of Liacouras
Walk in the Founder’s Garden during the first week of school in the Spring 2012 semester. Since it was still relatively new, TU Comedy went to the place students naturally walk. “The club was without a designated space to use for meetings at the time, so we chose to do an outdoor show,” Whitehair said. “We’ve done this in the past, but not like this.” The first performance had a showing of approximately 45 students to watch the comedian’s innaugural appearance of the year. The club has come a long way since it was commandeering rooms and outdoor space to have weekly meetings. TU Comedy now has a regular room in Ritter Hall – room 300 – where the organization has
comedy shows. “We have called the show ‘Sit Up Front,’” Whitehair said. “We bark for an hour on campus before the show to spread awareness and convince students to give [us] their attention for an hour a week. Sometimes we convince 50 people, other times we convince five. It varies from week to week, but we always give a good show to those who decide to show up.” On Nov. 27, the club held an open mic comedy event at Johnson & Hardwick residence halls. About 30 students were present in the audience and many onlookers stood by to watch the comedians. Whitehair said the comedians themselves have grown along with
COMEDY PAGE 15
Glass blowing major breaks through as up-and-coming field Tyler School of Art’s variety of specialized fine arts programs includes glass blowing, a craft with a growing popularity and demand. ERIN EDINGER-TUROFF
The Temple News On a typical day, the glass blowing studio inside Tyler School of Art is filled with focused, diligent students working on their projects. Upon first entry to the studio, the ‘hot shop’ is visible, where students insert pieces of glass into large, fiery kilns on long metal rods. Nearby, a workstation allows for more intricate details to be added to glasswork through the use of handheld torches. It may seem a bit intimidating to a viewer with no experience handling the material or the tools, but as assistant professor in Tyler’s glass department Daniel Cutrone reiterates a number of times to his students, safety is a No. 1 priority in the studio. Given that students handle kilns at a
working temperature of 2,080 degrees Fahrenheit to facilitate the shaping of glass, it is a wellabided policy. Students wear safety goggles as they work around the burning ovens, carefully handling the equipment as they set glass to cool. There is a strong presence of teamwork encouraged within the studio. Cutrone describes the workplace as having “a sense of community,” particularly due to the effectiveness of working in teams on projects. “We’re always working in teams, [first] for safety, and also your work is limited when you’re alone,” he said. “Your capabilities become much greater in teams.” Within the open, constructive environment, the work done in the studio is taken very seriously. The studio opens at 5 a.m. and doesn’t close until midnight, available to students
SWEET TOOTH, p. 8
Baker Dave raised more than $1,400 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. LIVING DESK 215-204-7416
in the midst of a project, which often can take hours at a time to finish, Cutrone said. “We’re the truck drivers of art, we get up at four in the morning if we have to,” Cutrone said, explaining how much dedication crafting glass requires. He said a vigilant attitude and willingness is required to create pieces within the studio, and classes are typically about two-and-a-half hours to accommodate the time required to complete work. “It’s a material in flux, you need to be in the moment and react to the material,” Cutrone said. “While you’re blowing Students working in the glass studio handle materials with temperatures as high as 2,080 degrees glass, you only put it down Fahrenheit. For saftey, students are instructed to work in pairs and wear goggles.| LUIS FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ TTN when you’re done.” Working with such a plimedium that offers significant Glass is one of the few opportunities to form and detail able material certainly poses potential not available in other materials that can be worked artistic pieces. some challenges, and asks a lot arenas of artistic creation, Cu- in two phases, both melted and Students are often drawn of effort of the art students at trone said. hardened, providing an array of Tyler, but glass is also a unique GLASS PAGE 16
PULLING OUT OF PARK, p. 15
Living Editor discusses the last few months on Park Avenue and why it didn’t work out. LIVING@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
PARTING SHOT, p. 15 Check out reader-submitted photos of No Shave November.
LIVING
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
Dave Okapal: When I came in here, the bakery was run basically
like a standard, contract-services bakery. The food was fine, it wasn’t over the top at all. My background is actually working in four-star hotels and resorts, so I didn’t just grow up in this environment, I’m used to making everything from scratch, so I took everything that they weren’t making from scratch and started making it from scratch. The first task when I got here was to switch over to higher quality, healthier food. That’s basically what I’ve been doing since then.
TTN: Why does everybody call you Baker Dave? DO: Well the whole reason the “Baker Dave” nickname stuck was
because – and I don’t think I’m exaggerating – but I think there were [about] five people working here with the name Dave, and it just got [confusing]. You know, you’d be like, “Well, what did Dave say about that?” And the other person would be like, “Well, which Dave are you talking about?” So you’d respond, “Baker Dave” and the name kind of just stuck. There was a “Catering Dave” but it wasn’t quite the same. It was more to explain what he did. It’s going to sound kind of silly, but I think that there’s a little bit of a distinction between a title like that and a personality. It’s going to sound stupid to say this, but I guess because baking is more than just a job, it’s more of who I am. A title like “Catering Dave” is more about the job, not their passion.
TTN: How did you find your passion for baking? DO: So, I’ve always felt that I was a fairly creative person. I would
music DAVE “BAKER DAVE” OKAPAL “Baker Dave” has been a staple of Temple’s dining services for nine years. NICKEE PLAKSEN The Temple News Dave Okapal, better known as “Baker Dave,” is the pastry chef for Sodexo at Johnson and Hardwick dining hall and the Student Center food court. He has been running the bakery at the cafeteria for nine years. Along with baking gingerbread men for the holidays and Temple “T” cookies on a regular basis, Okapal also bakes for a cause. In October, he and his colleagues baked cookies with pink ribbons on them to raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation in the fight against breast cancer. He helped raise more than $1,400 for the cause. In addition to baking being his occupation, Okapal has a passion for baking as an art. “As a creative person I think you need an outlet, and I learned to express myself through baking,” Okapal said.
The Temple News: What was it like working in the bakery when you first started?
express that in different ways growing up...I was actually in a band in high school and we would write our own music and touring and you know, we thought we were going to be the greatest thing ever and then that fell apart. I played guitar, I started playing the violin when I was 4 years old, and my whole life has been revolved around music, my parents both played instruments and that’s just something we did. So, anyway, I ended up [graduating high school] and I had to pick a school to go to. So I decided to go to culinary school. I went to Johnson & Wales [University] and actually went down and toured the school and had already signed up to be in culinary and do the regular chef thing. But during the tour there were two points that totally pulled me away from that. One was visiting the butcher shop, and I realized I had no interest in playing with raw meat – it’s kind of gross. The next point, I walked into the pastry shop and I saw this guy blowing sugar. It looks very similar to blowing glass in that you make the sugar stuff, and you blow air into it and you mold it into whatever you want. And I was like, “Wow this is awesome, this is what I want to do.” So I switched my major at that point.
TTN: What is your background in baking? DO: So right when you first get out of college, you do the grunt
work. You get out of school and you have this degree, and you’re doing the crappy work at these places. But you want it to look good that you worked at these places. I worked at Trump’s Taj Mahal and I worked at the Hilton Resort and it was great to have all these fantastic names on my résumé, but I was scooping ice cream, it’s not awesome stuff. I would just keep moving up and, eventually, I had a job at Hotel DuPont and I was doing all the wedding cakes. At that point, I was able to use some of my creativity. I actually created new cakes to put in our books to sell to people and customers would come to me and ask for a suggestion and I would be free to do what I wanted. Once I was able to use that creativity, I realized creativity isn’t necessarily bound by what you think you love, but just that [the creativity] needs to be expressed somehow. I used to think if I couldn’t play guitar, then I had nothing. But then I realized later on that, as I’m over there creating all these cakes, I was playing guitar less and less and less, but I was okay with it. I was expressing myself in another way. I think that’s the point when I took it on more as a personality, more than just a job.
“Baker Dave” raised more than $1,400 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.| NICKEE PLAKSEN TTN
TTN: How did you raise the money for Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation? DO: A guy that I work with actually suggested [this idea]. He was
like, “Oh, we should do something this month, it’s October Breast Cancer [Awareness Month].” But once we started doing it and I said “OK, let’s do this, and I designed [a ribbon-shaped cookie] and decided how much we were going to charge and what we were going to do and where the money was going to go, I actually got really into it. My mom is actually a breast cancer survivor, so it became very personal. And I think that makes a big difference. My only regret is that I didn’t make more cookies. Every cookie that I made, we sold, so I feel like if I made more cookies, we would have made more money. But there are only so many hours in the day, but I somehow wish I could have raised more. We did pretty well – we raised about $1,400, so I thought that was pretty good. It’s not just me though, I totally think that the people that bought them – the students, the faculty – whoever went out and bought these, it’s a testament to them too, because they were willing to pay a little extra to support the cause. The breast cancer cookies were exactly the same, just with food coloring and a pink ribbon. We sold them for $1.99 and the original cookies are $1.49...A dollar from each cookie went to the cause. I would love to work more with student organizations to help raise money for them. For example, if Habitat for Humanity came to me and wanted help raising money, I would bake house-shaped cookies and sell them to donate proceeds to the organization. We made cookies for NCOW – National Coming Out Week. It wasn’t for monetary support, but more for a conversation starter to bring awareness. So that’s the kind of thing I’d like to do in the future. Nickee Plaksen can be reached at nicole.plaksen@temple.edu.
Red Lounge aims to increase student HIV testing Event will raise awareness for HIV/ AIDS prevention through education and entertainment. JESSICA SMITH The Temple News To commemorate World AIDS Day, the HEART Wellness Resource Center will hold its annual Red Lounge event today, Dec. 4, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Underground of the Student Center. The show will feature 16 different performers, several interactive displays by AIDS Fund and free HIV testing, all while raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. This year’s theme is “Getting to Zero – Know Your Status, Get Tested!” “Red Lounge is Temple’s way of showing support for World AIDS Day,” said Diedre Berry-Guy, the healthy lifestyles program coordinator for HEART. “The HEART office takes it one step further and makes it a day of education and awareness of HIV/AIDS on campus.” HEART is an organization focused on helping students make informed and healthy choices. It provides wellness education resources and prevention services on Main Campus that include individual health sessions and the sale of safesex products. More than 50 students involved with HEART will be working at Red Lounge as hosts, surveyors and communication committee members.
“Our students are working every arm of this event to make it a success,” Berry-Guy said. Cayla Conover, a sophomore public health major, has been making decorations and arranging tables in preparation for her job as hostess. She will be ready to greet guests and answer all questions about HEART and HIV education at Red Lounge. “I’ll be a smiling, happy face to welcome everyone to the Red Lounge environment,” Conover said. “HIV/AIDS is still a prevalent problem today. It should be a personal goal to know your status and practice healthy behaviors.” AIDS Fund will be present at the event with its educational timeline project titled “1981 - Until It’s Over.” The timeline depicts pivotal moments in history regarding the HIV epidemic. AIDS Fund will also be creating a memorial collage out of red ribbons with personal messages. “The event is in honor of those who have died due to complications from AIDS and in support of those who are living with HIV today,” Berry-Guy said. “But it’s also in celebration of those who continue to make positive sexual decisions every day.” The showcased acts at Red Lounge will be performing on behalf of everyone affected by HIV. Performers include TU Belly Dancers, In Motion dance ensemble and OwlCappella, among others. “Last year, we had 10 performers and nearly 150 attendees,” Berry-Guy said. “This year, we have 16 performers, so we’re expecting a very successful evening and we’re
hoping to expand our support.” In light of all the festivities, the primary goal of the night is to reach the overwhelming majority of students who have yet to get tested for HIV. In addition to the free testing that will be offered at Red Lounge, the HEART office offers free, confidential testing in both fall and spring semesters on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Despite this convenience, tester turnout has remained low. “Less than 10 percent of students get tested for HIV,” BerryGuy said. “Yet every year there’s new cases of HIV-positive students on [Main] Campus.” According to the statistics provided at HEART from the American College Health Association, one out of five people living with HIV do not know it. There are approximately 1.2 million people in the United States with HIV and one-third of all new HIV infections are among young adults under the age of 29. “We want all students to be aware of their status,” Berry-Guy said. “Our goal is to get at least 20 people tested at Red Lounge with the hope that it will open the floodgates of students coming to HEART every week to utilize our free testing.” Research has shown that ignorance is the leading cause of the HIV epidemic. “Those who are living with HIV and know their status can receive treatment and reduce transmission rate by over 96 percent,” Berry-Guy said. “That means that the likelihood of people transmitting HIV in treatment is less than 4
Preparations for Red Lounge are in the HEART office in the lower level of Mitten Hall.| LUIS FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ TTN percent. Getting to know your status reduces the risk of transmitting the disease to loved ones and helps
end the epidemic.” Jessica Smith can be reached at jessica.smith@temple.edu.
ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT temple-news.com
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
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Nonprofit tries luck with Philly Poker Bike Tour Cadence Cycling Foundation, a nonprofit that encourages cycling to underserved youth, is hosting an unconventional bike tour in and around Philadelphia on Dec. 8. JENELLE JANCI A&E Editor
W
hen co-founder Ryan Oelkers first had the idea to start Cadence Cycling Foundation, he was sure he could find the next Olympic cyclist in Philadelphia. However, the goal of the nonprofit has taken a turn for the greater good. “Once we started working with the kids, we realized that we could do much greater things,” Oelkers said. “We could help these kids graduate high school. We could help these kids get into college. It’d be great if we could find the next Olympian, but we could do so much more.” Cadence Cycling Foundation, founded in 2007, is a nonprofit youth development program that uses cycling as a tool to reach Philadelphia area kids ages nine to 18 in underserved communities. The foundation provides all the bikes, clothing, coaching and access to the races at no cost to the participating youth. Oelkers, a former professional cyclist, realized the need for a program like CCF when a former teammate, City Olympics gold medalist Jay Snider, spoke to students at the Northeast Philadelphia school where his wife teaches. After passing
around Snider’s gold medal and a short presentation on cycling, little hands eagerly shot up with an array of questions. “Some of the questions these kids were asking were, ‘Where do we go to do cycling? I want to go to the Olympics. I want to become the world champion. I want to race professionally,’” Oelkers said. Seeing the kids’ enthusiasm got Oelker’s wheels turning. “The day I left the school, I sort of had in my mind that, ‘I bet if we start this program and we actually made the sport accessible to kids, brought it into North Philly or West Philly, I guarantee that we could find the next Lance Armstrong or the next Olympian, but they don’t know that the sport exists,’” Oelkers said. “So if we make it accessible, then we can find them.” The goal of CCF has evolved thanks to a more structured practice system and the emphasis on the benefits of cycling, Oelkers said. He said he hopes students will apply the goal-oriented nature of cycling to their academic lives. “You know, cycling is a great tool to teach life skills in a program – goal setting, commitment, teamwork, discipline,” Oelkers said. “At practice we’ll go over goals that day a lesson for that day, and somehow we’ll work it into the actual training
Lee Rogers’ bike shop, Bicycle Therapy, is a stop in Cadence Cycling Foundation’s Philly Poker Bike Tour on Dec. 8. The event will have riders stop at designated bike shops in Philadelphia to collect poker cards. | ALEX UDOWENKO TTN session. Really, it’s not about cycling. We use cycling – competitive cycling – as a tool to reach these kids.” Some young people who participated in the program got more than just a cycling education or goal-setting skills – they gained their health back. “We’ve had two kids in our
program lose over 100 pounds,” Oelkers said. The weight loss success of some of CCF’s participants is reflective of the foundation’s belief that anyone, regardless of physical ability or size, can begin cycling. “The great thing about cycling – and this is something
that we really stress to our kids – is that anyone can join the cycling program, join the team, and it’s a lifetime sport,” Oelkers said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re big, you’re small, you’re tall, you’re short – anyone can join the team. Cycling is a very low impact sport.” CCF’s upcoming event,
The Philly Poker Bike Tour on Dec. 8, is structured to support this idea. The event is not a race, but more of a challenge to reach each designated bike shop in the Philadelphia area and collect a poker card from each stop. At the end of the tour, the cyclist
CADENCE PAGE 12
Kanye West hires alumnus as main audio engineer BTMM major ’06 Noah Goldstein flourishes as an audio engineer.
TITLE FIGHT
KEVIN STAIRIKER The Temple News
The pop-punk band Title Fight took the stage at Union Transfer on Nov. 30 to promote its latest album, “Floral Green.”
How does someone go from graduating from Temple to boasting an “@ KanyeWest.com” email address in six short years? Ask Noah Goldstein. After graduating with a broadcast, telecommunications and mass media master’s degree in 2006 and interning with mentor Phil Nicolo at Studio 4 Recording for two years while in school, Goldstein departed for Iceland to intern at Greenhouse Studios for three months. Following the internship, he moved back to the U.S., specifically to New York City to move in with his girlfriend – nowwife. In the middle of trying to lock down an internship at the famed-composer Philip Glass’ studio, fate struck. “In the middle of the interview, I asked the studio manager if he knew anyone that was hiring with pay, and he mentioned that he might know someone at Electric Lady [Studios],” Goldstein said. “He put me in touch with the studio manager there and I interviewed with him. Within 24 hours,
(Top) Many were inspired by Title Fight’s performance to stage dive at the show at Union Transfer. (Left) Title Fight Bassist Ned Russin and his twin brother, drummer Ben Russin, perform. (Right) The crowd at Union Transfer reacts to Title Fight’s set.|INDIRA JIMENEZ TTN
GOLDSTEIN PAGE 10
MIDNIGHT IN PHILLY, p. 10
Philadelphia’s got a lot to offer on New Year’s Eve, from family friendly to 21-plus events. A&E DESK 215-204-7416
DEFINING CHANGE, p. 11
Columnist Victoria Marchiony completes her column by exploring the topic of gentrification. ARTSandENTERTAINMENT@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
RA RA RIOT, p. 11
Indie rock group Ra Ra Riot opened for Passion Pit in Philly on Nov. 29 to promote “Beta Love.”
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
Caffeinated drinks discouraged during finals week
L
ately, I have been feeling like a zombie. And not the “Walking Dead”-type zombie looking for its next meal, but instead the one looking for any opportunity to get some sleep. Finals are right around the corner BRIANNA McGRODY and the preceding weeks have Food for Thought been full of papers and projects and less and less sleep. McGrody suggests But, I consider myself blessed to have yet resorted to alternative sources of mass amounts of caffeine to energy for finals week keep kicking this semester. I do in her last column. consider the kid I spotted at the TECH Center with three Red Bull energy drinks and Starbucks in his hand unfortunate. His jittering fingers were going a mile a minute on the keyboard and I was waiting for the moment his heart would explode, turning the TECH Center into a real-life horror scene. Luckily, that didn’t happen, but I am pretty sure that he went home and instantly crashed. Many of us rely on energy drinks and large amounts of caffeine to stay focused and awake during finals, but the highly caffeinated and sugary drinks are unhealthy and ineffective for
what we want. We want to stay focused and alert, and energy drinks will only provide a temporary fix that will eventually leave you crashing and feeling even more fatigued. The reason for the crashing is the high amounts of sugar and glucose found in energy drinks. For instance, a 8.4-ounce Red Bull has about 27 grams of sugar and a 15-ounce Starbucks Doubleshot Energy Coffee Drink has about 26 grams. The drinks give you a sugar high that will only last a short while. Not only do energy drinks have an unhealthy amount of sugar, they also have an unnatural amount of caffeine. Most energy drinks have the same amount of caffeine as two or three cups of coffee. A typical cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams of caffeine. Some energy drinks like Full Throttle or 5-Hour Energy contain 200 or more milligrams of caffeine. Lori Clements, Temple’s dietitian, warns that high caffeine levels can lead to health issues. “High caffeine consumption can lead to decreased appetite and severe dehydration,” Cle-
ments said. “Dehydration and lack of nutrient intake can lead to fatigue and low concentration levels.” According to WebMD, it is safe for the average adult to have about 300 milligrams of caffeine per day. But consider what else you drink and what other foods you consume each day that contain caffeine as well. Most likely energy drinks will send you over the daily recommended limit. So why do we continue to go for energy and highly caffeinated drinks during finals? Aren’t the end-of-the-semester meltdowns mixed with the high amounts of alcohol we don’t want to speak of enough on our rundown bodies? Try considering different ways of getting energy to help you push through the remaining weeks. For one, get some sleep. I know that sounds absurd at a time like this, but instead of rewarding yourself for studying with three hours of Netflix, try going to bed at a decent time. Sleeping is the best way to give your body an energy boost. When it comes to food and drinks, drink a lot of water. Water keeps your body hydrated so
i n g n g i R in the NEW YEAR Get ready to say goodbye to 2012 with a guide to New Year’s Eve in Philly. KYLE NOONE The Temple News When people think of New Year’s Eve, many think of the ball dropping in Times Square, but New York isn’t the only spot on the East Coast that goes wild for the new year. Philadelphia has a long-standing tradition of being a hub of New Year’s Eve activities, and this year is no different. Whether you’re looking to party hard at some of the city’s wildest bars, ring in the new year with some music or enjoy a relaxing holiday with your family, Philadelphia has you covered.
FAMILY
“[Philly has] a great little laid back way of celebrating. I think we have some of the best fireworks anywhere,” said Hope Koseff Corse, marketing and PR director at The Independence Seaport Museum. Sure, New Year’s Eve is known for raucous partying, but that’s not all there is to do. Check out some of these kid-friendly events.
Fireworks at Penn’s Landing
Sugarhouse Casino will sponsor two sets of dazzling fireworks at Penn’s Landing this year. Fireworks will begin at 6 p.m. and midnight. The spectacular show is expected to draw thousands of people of all ages to the waterfront of the Delaware River this year. “It’s an annual tradition. Thousands of people come down to the landing to watch the fireworks. It’s just a great way to kick off New Year’s Eve,” Corse said.
Ice Skating
One great place to view the fireworks will be from the Blue Cross River Rink located on the corner of Market Street and Columbus Boulevard. The rink will be open until March 4, but what better time to get out on the ice than on New Year’s Eve under the fireworks. Admission to the rink is $8-$9, with skate rentals and parking available.
Family New Year’s Eve Party at Independence Seaport Museum
The Independence Seaport Museum will be staying open late to offer families a historic celebration. Guests at the museum will receive a sparkling cider toast and noisemakers to view the fireworks at 6 p.m. The museum will close at 7 p.m. Admission for children, seniors and col-
lege students is $10, $12 for adults, and children under the age of two get in free.
Felix, Bong Hits for Jesus and The Endless March.
For children who can’t quite stay up until midnight or parents who might be hitting the town, The Please Touch Museum is holding its Countdown Till Noon event on Dec. 31. The party is tailored to children who will enjoy ringing in the “noon year.” The museum will have two events starting at noon and 1 p.m.
The group Nicos Gun will entertain fans into 2013 at Milkboy on Chestnut Street. Philly-based rockers The Fleeting Ends will also play a set. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15.
Countdown Till Noon at the Please Touch Museum
MUSIC
Concerts make for some of the best parties, especially on New Year’s Eve. “There’s definitely a certain excitement that comes along with playing on New Year’s Eve. It makes the start of 2013 memorable for us and for our audience, hopefully. It’ll be fun to share the kick-off with a venue full of people,” MorganEve Swain of folk act Brown Bird said. The Rhode Island-based duo will be opening for The Devil Makes Three at the TLA.
The Devil Makes Three, Brown Bird at Theater of the Living Arts
The acoustic trio of The Devil Makes Three will bring their brand of “folk punk” to the TLA with special guest Brown Bird at 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the show are $25.
Johnny Brenda’s presents: NYE with The War on Drugs
Philadelphia’s own The War on Drugs will be playing two nights at Johnny Brenda’s on Frankford Avenue, the second being a special New Year’s Eve show. Tickets cost $18, and $1 of every purchase will be donated to the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance. The show is for attendees 21 and over. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Brothers Past at The Trocadero Theatre
Brothers Past will be appearing at The Trocadero Theatre with special guests, The Heavy Pets and Disco Sucks. The band’s website said the group is looking forward to ringing in the new year at this hometown show. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are $23.50 in advance and $25 at the door. Ages 18-plus.
Octane at The Electric Factory
Octane, a local rock band, will be at The Electric Factory on Seventh Street. The first 500 tickets sold for the event will be $10. Opening bands include Kid
New Year’s Eve at Milkboy with Nicos Gun
21-PLUS
There’s no doubt that there’s a lot to do and see in the city on New Year’s Eve, but at the end of the day it’s a celebration. Thousands go out to celebrate the year, their family and friends, and mostly to have a good time. Whether it’s an open bar package, a black tie party or a quick drink at a local pub, nobody will go thirsty on Dec. 31. Chris Mullins, owner at McGillin’s Olde Ale House on Drury Street in Center City, described the night as electric. “It has grown exponentially over the years. It’s a huge night in the city,” Mullins said. Mullins expects about 1,000 people to cycle through McGillin’s making it one of the bar’s busiest nights. The bar will not offer a package for New Year’s Eve to allow people to come and go as they please, Mullins said. Many bars offer packages that include open bars and food buffets. Some bars offering special New Years Eve packages include McFadden’s, Tavern on Broad, Xfinity Live, Johnny Utah’s, Finnegan’s Wake, Lit Ultra Bar, Field House and Whisper. For specific details visit the bars’ websites.
New Years Eve at Piazza
New Year’s Eve at The Piazza has grown into a massive party drawing thousands of people to The Piazza at Schmidt’s. The event will include a 5-hour open bar, buffets, DJs, dancers and even light shows. At the inaugural event in 2011, 3,500 people showed up and it’s expected to be even bigger this year. Tickets are available at philadelphia.cities2night.com. With all of theses options and more to choose from, it’s clear that Philadelphia takes New Year’s Eve seriously. “It’s a very festive night,” Mullins said. Kyle Noone can be reached at kyle.noone@temple.edu.
you’re more alert and functioning. Another drink that gives you a good energy boost is green tea. Green tea not only has a ton of health benefits such as being a great source of antioxidants, but it also contains about 30 milligrams of caffeine, which will give you a boost without dragging you down. Whey protein is another great way to get energy. Protein keeps you energized and going all day. You can find whey protein mix at just about any grocery or drugstore. You can follow the directions on the mix and blend it into a smoothie with fruit, ice and milk. Just make sure to get whey protein that’s low in sugar. Or, you can skip the drinks all together and eat your energy. Try eating foods high in protein, fiber and good carbohydrates. “During finals week, try some quick energy sources like whole grains and fruits,” Clements said. “Make sure to pair them with amino acids in meat and dairy protein to help with concentration levels, as well as some healthy fats.” For breakfast, try incorporating peanut butter or eggs to
gain protein and keep alert all day. For lunch or dinner you can try eating lean meats or fish like salmon. If you’re hungry or want a snack, go for almonds or other nuts instead of sugary energy drinks. Fiber will definitely keep your body going all day as well. It seems pretty simple but almost all fruits and vegetables will give you a good amount of fiber. Try to add some more in during finals time instead of high calorie snacks. Brown rice and beans are high in fiber as well, so try including them into your lunch and dinner. The same goes for healthy carbs. Try some whole wheat bread or lentils. All of these tips may sound pretty simple, but skipping the energy drinks and going for some of these healthier, better options could help you focus more and perform better. Increasing your energy in a healthy way will kick you out of your zombie-like state and avoid any end of the semester horror stories. Brianna McGrody can be reached at brianna.mcgrody@temple.edu.
Former owl takes studio position, works with Kayne GOLDSTEIN PAGE 9 I got the job. When I started, ist means you can’t just recycle they just threw me in there and what you do.” I had to learn while I was workIt was during a weekend ing.” at Electric Lady that Goldstein The first project that Gold- first came into contact with stein worked on was for the Kanye West. legendary Patti Smith. Not long “I was at the studio, actuafter, his list of credits grew by ally just about to leave because working on projects with art- I had the entire month of Auists as diverse as Ryan Adams gust off and I had told my boss and Common, all the while not to call me,” Goldstein said. strengthening his studio skill “I was supposed to go to Lonsets. Along with his main title don for three months to work of audio engineer, Goldstein with Coldplay [on its 2011 alhas also taken work in a variety bum ‘Mylo Xyloto’] but then of other studio positions vary- a few weeks into August, my ing from mixing assistant to boss called me asking if I wantproducer. ed to work with Kanye for a It took weekend. Two working on weeks passed Arcade Fire’s and I was still Grammy awardworking with winning “The him at the stuSuburbs” in dio, and literal2010 for Goldly a day before stein to feel like I was supposed he had found his to go work Noah Goldstein / with Coldplay, passion. recording engineer “That was Kanye asked the first record where I remem- me to work for him permanentber calling my mom and saying ly. I called Coldplay’s producer ‘this album is incredible’ and up and told them that I couldn’t just really loving everything do it and I’ve been working about it,” Goldstein said. with Kanye ever since.” For Goldstein, audio engiSince their fateful meetneering is about trial and error ing, Goldstein has become until all parties involved in the West’s official engineer, workproduction process are satis- ing the boards on “My Beaufied. tiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” “It’s working to find the “Watch The Throne” and this sound that the artist, the pro- year’s G.O.O.D. Music enducer and you want it to be. semble piece “Cruel Summer.” When it comes down to it, it’s Of all the many varied albums twiddling a bunch of knobs and Goldstein has contributed to, changing a bunch of settings he notes “Watch The Throne” until it sounds good, and then as the one he is most proud of. when it sounds good, you stop “[‘Watch The Throne’] was twiddling,” Goldstein said. an album I was really proud of “That’s something that a lot because that was my baby from of engineers don’t get, and I start to finish,” Goldstein said. think that’s the same for a lot of “I recorded every single note art in general. As an engineer, on that record and I produced though, you take orders. You some of it as well.” have some creative involveGoldstein described his ment but usually it’s like ‘do time at Temple as a “growing this’ and then you do it until it up experience” and as the place is done right.” he “got his s--- together.” Whether he is working “I think all you can really with Katy Perry, Steve Earle get in school is the basics and or The Mars Volta, every job fundamentals,” Goldstein said. requires a varied approach – “I learned less of how to engisometimes at a song by song neer and more of the actual lanbasis, Goldstein said. guage of engineering. I think “The mindset for every it’s like that in any sort of spealbum is different,” Goldstein cialized profession.” said. “That’s the main thing Kevin Stairiker can be reached about the studio and music in at kevin.stairiker@temple.edu. general is that it’s never the same thing. To be a good art-
“To be a good
artist means you can’t just recycle what you do.
”
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
PAGE 11
Community building supports Arts Garage
S
ome journalists are noble. They report on things they think are relevant to others. When brainstorming story ideas, I do not take this apVICTORIA MARCHIONY proach. Journalism is an avenue for Parked self-indulgence. I pretty much use In her last column, my press badge as an excuse to try out obscure things, like, in the case Marchiony explores of this week’s article, to research a community building little thing I’ve been curious about and its role in The for a while – gentrification. Yes, you read that right. For Arts Garage. this, the farewell article of my parked-at-the-Arts-Garage column, I used my credentials to try to find out what the hell is going on in North Philadelphia and how self-owned-and-operated establishments like the Arts Garage are affected by the tidal waves of development I’ve heard so much about. Prior to researching, I had a working understanding of the concept of gentrification, but didn’t know enough to be able to tell whether the Arts Garage would be assimilated into a gentrified neighborhood or if it would be one of the pieces of the landscape to be pushed out. The Arts Garage is part of the Francisville neighborhood; something I didn’t even realize had a name until I spoke with the Barbara Kelley, the Ridge Avenue commercial corridor manager, who works for it. Since the only time I’m in that area is to go to and from the Arts Garage – which, to refresh your memory, is at 16th Street and Ridge Avenue – I had no idea that it is one of the fastest-developing neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The story I expected to hear from Kelley was that developers were taking over the neighborhood, building unwanted residences that drive up prices, forcing economically disadvantaged families out to make room for yuppies. Though this is an alluringly dramatic story, it’s not quite right. Kelley said that the community is extremely active in the neighborhood’s committees, and that, far from being victimized, they are approving new development projects every step of the way. Though there are disgruntled voices, the desire for the amenities, such as grocery stores and other retailers, that are sure to accompany residential development is strong enough to bring the community together in favor of new construction overall. Kelley said Ridge Avenue is on the brink of a swell of commercial activity, and that the Arts Garage is in an excellent position to thrive in the coming years.
“This is wonderful,” I thought. “If the community doesn’t mind that some of their renters will be pushed out, it can’t be so bad. Why, then, is gentrification such a big deal?” Confused, I phoned a friend. Luckily for me, a kind geography and urban studies major came to my rescue and let me ask him stupid questions for 45 minutes while I combed through endless ambiguities. This is what I learned: The main difference between gentrification and community building is that the former typically attracts outsiders and the latter is more likely to be self-generated and self-serving – an example of this is a community organization like the Arts Garage popping up and bringing visitors, revenue and jobs to locals. In either case, the outside pictures may look similar, but for the sizeable minority who don’t get to benefit when gentrification occurs – what’s for them? One option is rent control, another is contractually obligating developers to designate a percentage of the units built to low-income housing, and another is to sprinkle Philadelphia Housing Authority homes throughout up-and-coming neighborhoods. These strategies can work, but the catch, as always, is financial. The free market doesn’t mind homogenous, segregated neighborhoods or cyclical poverty. Those socially concerned individuals understand that while this makes for a healthy bottom line, these patterns become toxic to the society overall – think inner city public schools for a start. Though economic diversity is important to those who prioritize people over profits, displacement is often acceptable to those with converse views. Money usually wins arguments, but it doesn’t have to. Active and vocal community members can make the difference between a good and a bad deal for their neighborhood. The key to this is becoming educated on the issues, even if it’s by harassing your favorite GUS major or getting directly involved. To part on the note of moral music – just because we’re students, doesn’t mean we don’t count. Even if only for a short bit of time, we are residents, and taking an interest in what’s going on around us could have a lasting impact. How’s that for an exit line? Victoria Marchiony can be reached at vmarchiony@temple.edu.
COURTESY RA RA RIOT
Ra Ra Riot
Ra Ra Riot, who recently opened for Passion Pit in Philly, is gearing up for the release of its third album, “Beta Love.” JACOB HARRINGTON The Temple News While string arrangements and synthesizers aren’t usually seen on the same repertoire, Ra Ra Riot made the instrumental transition a smooth one. The band experiments with new sounds on its third album “Beta Love,” to be released Jan. 22. The title track was released this month, full of synthesizers and missing the cello and violin parts that characterized its earlier work. The band signed to Barsuk Records in 2008 and made a name for itself with acclaimed albums “The Rhumb Line” and “The Orchard” while touring with acts like Death Cab For Cutie, Jack’s Mannequin and Tokyo Police Club. The band’s chamber-pop sound makes for bright listening on its first two albums, with Rebecca Zeller’s violin and former cellist Alexandra Lawn providing string pieces that move songs along while blending with rock arrangements. Lawn left the band on friendly terms in February, and the band members seem to have embraced her departure as a chance to evolve their sound and try new things going forward. The various members were busy making their mark with side projects in between “Beta Love” and “The Orchard.” Bassist Mathieu San-
tos released his debut solo album “Massachusetts 2010” in 2011. Vocalist Wes Miles and Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend share the electronic side project Discovery. Milo Bonacci rounds out the lineup as guitarist. “Beta Love” was recorded in Oxford, Miss., at Sweet Tea Studios with producer Dennis Herring, known for his work with artists like Modest Mouse, Brand New and Ben Folds. Ra Ra Riot will be touring extensively for the next few months to promote the album, and stopped in Philadelphia on Nov. 29 opening for Passion Pit at The Electric Factory. Throughout the band’s career, its live set has become more energetic and kinetic, and with a new album and a new sound direction it is poised to take that energy as far as possible. Santos spoke to The Temple News about his home state of Massachusetts, writing and recording “Beta Love” and plans for the future. THE TEMPLE NEWS: You’re from Massachusetts – your solo record is called “Massachusetts 2010” and Ra Ra Riot obviously has a lot to do with Massachusetts, so is it safe to say that it’s a special place for you? What was the music scene like there when you were younger? Mathieu Santos: Definite-
ly, I’m from Fairhaven. Growing up on the south coast there was a big hardcore and punk music scene. I went to hardcore shows all around my area and all the way up to Boston. TTN: Converge and Piebald came out of there, right? MS: Yeah. I was just back up at my parents place last week for Thanksgiving and everything, most of my friends still live up there. I always love going back. It’s absolutely my favorite place on the planet. TTN: You recorded “Beta Love” with Dennis Herring – what was it like working with him? MS: It was absolutely incredible. We recorded our first album outside of Seattle in the middle of the winter. We recorded our second album in upstate New York in the middle of the winter, so we thought it would be neat to be in the studio when it wasn’t absolutely freezing out to get a different kind of light, a different kind of mood. We were down [at Sweet Tea in Oxford, Miss.] March through May. We’re big fans of a lot of the records he’s done in the past and it was really exciting to collaborate with him. He pushed us a lot. TTN: You’ve been on Barsuk since your debut, and Barsuk is a really important old school independent record
RA RA RIOT PAGE 13
Mummers encourage family participation The Mummers, a Philadelphia tradition, begin preparing for their New Year’s Parade as early as February. DANIELLE MIESS The Temple News For Dan Marakowski, being a mummer has been a family affair since 1969, when his uncle joined the organization. What once started as a hobby has now become a tradition that he even passed down to his son. For many Philadelphia natives, the Mummers are a staple of Philadelphia living. The part theatrical marching band, part pageant, have thousands of members in teams that compete, perform and march up Broad Street to JFK Boulevard for the New Year’s Day parade. Shows are much more than just a performance for the Mummers. Their routines are a connection with family and friends, a dedication and a way of life. “You’re with a lot of family and friends, and a great support group,” said Nick Magenta, captain of the Polish American String Band Mummer’s group and technical support specialist
for Temple Health System. of music and costumes, and “Once you are born into it, competes against each other for you just can’t stop,” he added. cash prizes. Mummers have rung in the The bands are judged based New Year officially since 1901. on their costumes and musical However, Mummers parades talents, or comedic talents in the in Philadelphia have been hap- case of the Comic Division, at pening since the 1800s, when the Pennsylvania Convention the tradition was brought from Center. Mummers dress in colimmigrants of other countries. orful costumes, some similar to History of the original Mum- the appearance of clowns, and mers dates back to early Egypt, with elaborate moves, make Germany and France, according their performances entertaining to the Mummers Association. and memorable. In addition to The type being a Philadelof music and phia tradition, performance Mummers are depends enespecially influtirely on what ential in South division the Philadelphia, band is in. Nick Magenta / polish american Many of the with the Mumstring band member mers Museum at Philadelphia 1100 S. Second Mummers have St., and presence of Mummers long ties to the organization: at many community events. Most have been members since As part of the official pa- their pre-teen years and plan to rade’s tradition, Mummers be members of the Mummers dressed in colorful attire be- their entire lives. Members gin in South Philadelphia at 10 range from all ages and vary in a.m., where many of the Mum- walks of life. mers reside, and end in Center “My son is 25 and I’m 55. City. Unique music and dances We have members up to 85 are performed for about eight years old,” said Steve Coper, a hours. Within the Philadelphia 1981 Fox School of Business Mummers are four distinct divi- alumnus and 43-year member sions: Comics, Fancies, String of the Mummers. Bands and Fancy Brigades. His current position is Each division has its own style president of the Fralinger String
“Once you’re
born into it, you just can’t stop.
”
Band. “It’s a great melting pot to do a show with people younger and older than me, [and also] a mix of blue collar and white collar people,” Coper said. “We have a lawyer in the band, I’m a banker, and we have educators, policemen and computer people.” Many relatives of Mummers members grow up around the music and performance styles, so they often join the Mummers to create a deeper connection with family. Marakowski, a 1981 Fox School of Business alumnus and a Mummers member since 1969, said his favorite aspect of being a Mummer was having his son join the performers alongside him 12 years ago, to which he is still a member of today. “He grew up in a household where being a Mummer was really important to us,” Marakowski, who is currently treasurer for the Philadelphia Mummers String Band Association, said. “He wanted to learn saxophone and did, I encouraged him to do it. I didn’t force him, but he wanted to do it since he was around it all his life.” Marakowski said that joining the Mummers when he was 12 years old was an easy way
to network and make friends. “My family was associated with the [band] and families tend to stick together with that sort of thing,” he said. With years of dedication, being a member of the Mummers would not be possible without practice. Members of the Mummers start preparing for the next season starting in February. The Mummers groups get their main source of revenue for the New Year’s Day performance from paid performance gigs during the year, Coper said. Performance aspects, including the elaborate costumes and props, can cost $20,000 to $120,000 for each of the clubs to compete at the New Year’s Day show. To offset the costs, Mummers bands have about 40 to 50 paid performances throughout the year. Still, members often end up donating money or fundraising for the performance in order to make it a success, Coper said. Members occasionally have the opportunity to travel to performances; some Mummers groups have gone to New Orleans, Toronto and Hong Kong. Coper said this is another significant reason for why the Mummers facilitate bonding.
“I like seeing the community [aspect] and having other people get involved,” he said. Coper said he believes the future of the Mummers depends on the young members. “We have been able to pass it on to other family members, and that’s how we grow and sustain ourselves,” Coper said. “I love to see the young people getting involved.” In addition to the family traditions that are passed down from year to year, the Mummers are still a Philadelphia symbol of New Year’s Day, and for many, are a family tradition to watch. Kurt Hirsch, a Philadelphia resident of five years, lives along the parade route and plans to watch it for the second year this New Year’s Day. “Traditions are good, and this is such a good part of Philadelphia’s history,” Hirsch, a graduate student in the social work department, said. “I think it is important to pass it down generation to generation to keep it alive.” Danielle Miess can be reached at danielle.miess@temple.edu.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
Youth development organization to host poker bike tour on Dec. 8 CADENCE PAGE 9 with the best poker hand wins. The cost to register online at cadencefoundation.org is $25. Despite the course being 25 miles, Oelkers urges those interested in registering for the event to not be overwhelmed by the number. The route is a mostly flat ride despite a small hill at the start, Oelkers said. “Riders shouldn’t be intimidated, regardless of their ability,” Oelkers said. Oelkers also said that getting bike shops involved was an easy process. Lee Rogers, owner of participating shop Bicycle Therapy on South Street, saw the answer to CCF’s offer to participate as an easy one. “They reached out and asked if we’d be willing to host [a stop],” Rogers said. “Simple
enough.” Oelkers appreciated the ease in finding shops to participate, he said. “Fortunately, they’ve been fantastic and really supportive in promoting the ride,” Oelkers said. The number of bike shops participating in the tour give light to the demand for the business in a cycling-heavy city – an aspect of Philadelphia that Oelkers is quick to praise. “My father-in-law – every time he comes down through Philly and we go for a ride he is always amazed at how many riders are around here and how big the cycling scene is,” Oelkers said. “You see all types of riders – whether it’s messengers, whether it’s tourists, whether
it’s races, mountain bikers – it really is a great cycling city.” For Oelkers, Philly’s cycling scene makes the area a perfect place for a group like CCF. “We are very fortunate that this program is in Philadelphia,” Oelkers said. Jenelle Janci can be reached at jenelle.janci@temple.edu.
Lee Rogers of Bicycle Therapy is involving his store in the poker bike tour event happening on Dec. 8. Riders of all skill levels are encouraged to participate.|ALEX UDOWENKO TTN
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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Indie pop band prepares for album release, opens for Passion Pit RA RA RIOT PAGE 11
label. Have they treated you well? MS: They’ve been great to us from the very beginning. TTN: Chris Walla from Death Cab For Cutie worked with you on “The Orchard”
and you’ve toured with DCFC before. Since they started out on Barsuk, have they been an influence on you? MS: I was obsessed with them growing up. Their album “We Have The Facts and We’re
was a chandelier hanging over tronic side of the band. What the stage. Are shows like that made the band’s sound evolve fun? while writing the new album? MS: Shows like that are MS: Before Alex left the great, it’s fun to band we had this mix and do colidea to branch lege shows and out of our roles non-traditional and rely a little rooms. I like bit less on the those smaller string instrushows. ments. TTN: Over T T N : the summer Who plays the Ra Ra Riot keys on “Beta Mathieu Santos / musician Love”? played Firefly Festival MS: Becca in Delaware. played a couple Are big festivals like that of songs, Wes and Milo played something you look for- a bunch of it. ward to? TTN: How do you think MS: Definitely. It’s your fans will respond to the FOR AD RATES, CALL: always nice to do festivals new direction? in the summer, they have a MS: We were thinking vacation vibe and you get to about that while we were makplay outside. ing it. We finished recording in TTN: “Beta Love” the spring and we had to until Temple University Main Campus OMG!! Jesus shows a new, more elec- last week when everyone heard Voting Yes” was what introduced me to that world, that was the first “indie” record I really heard and that was how I first heard of Barsuk Records. It was really exciting to me when we first started talking with them. TTN: You recently played a free show at Bryn Mawr College. The room was small, really nice and a weird place to have a rock show – there
“We decided it
was time to make music that we’re really interested in making.
”
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it for the first time, so we were a little anxious but excited to hear what everyone thought. It’s different. We decided this time around to make music that we’re really interested in making. TTN: What band have you been listening to recently that you would recommend? MS: I’ve been listening to a lot of the Weather Report, which I love, and a lot of jazz. TTN: 2013 has a new album and a busy touring schedule waiting for the band. Are you excited? MS: We’re really proud of the new record and we’re excited to share it. Since we finished recording in the spring we’ve just been getting kind of antsy. We’re excited to really hit the road full speed in January. Jacob Harrington can be reached at jacob.harrington@temple.edu.
Christ! What comes to your mind when you hear “Jesus Christ”? Have you ever read
why He said and how He interacted with all different people? The book of John records his interactions and conversations. Is Jesus, Liar, Lunatic or Lord? For a free copy of John or a free Bible, to discuss, contact Glen at the Student LIFE Center, 2123 N. Broad St. 215.765.3626 www.studentlifecenter.org Join THE TEMPLE UNIVERSITY RUNNING CLUB today! At over 70 members strong we host group runs everyday of the week! Find us on Facebook via The Temple Groups: search “running” or simply type goo.gl/QQOBs into your browser Acting Lessons in Swarthmore, PA: Michael Kay is accepting students for a beginning “Method” Actor’s Workshop. Mr. Kay, Assistant to the late Sidney Kay, International Acting Teacher, trained at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the
BREAK SCIENCE & MICHAL MENERT WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5 9 P.M. $13-$15 THE BLOCKLEY 38TH AND CHESTNUT STREETS What better way to close out the fall semester than with an appearance from the core of Pretty Lights Music? Paul Basic, Break Science and Michal Menert will be packing in one of the tightest venues Philadelphia has to offer. Held under the arm of the musical master Derek Vincent Smith, all three of these composers carry on a unique beat and style. An electronic backbone, instruments and samples dress the music, producing an ensemble of sounds. Bringing together the harmony and heart of Colorado, these artists will collaborate as well as perform individually. Break Science sets himself apart from the other two performers, incorporating a drummer in his live performance. On his latest release, “Twilight Frequency,” he partners with Smith’s prodigy, Menert. Menert, having had a childhood filled with music, takes a unique approach when producing his work. Co-producing under Pretty Light’s “Taking Up Your Precious Time,” Menert is known for producing feel good tunes that get audiences grooving.
Theatre NC, the Actor’s Studio NYC, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) London, England. Register Now: 610-3289425; email: mikekayacting@gmail.com
Want to post a classified of your own? Go to TEMPLE-NEWS.COM/CLASSIFIEDS for the most up-to-date listings!
PAPADOSIO & DOPAPOD SUNDAY. DEC. 30 8 P.M. $17-$19 THE TROCADERO THEATRE 1003 ARCH ST. Start the festivities early and ring in the new year with a new type of groove and funk produced by a multi-talented group of young peple. Papadosio is a new addition to the musical world and has been making big moves in a very short amount of time. Last year, Papadosio played two shows at the Blockley, both of which sold out before the night came to a close. This time around, it’s back with a bigger event, and a bigger venue to fill all the “‘dosio” fans. Papadosio’s NYE run stops first at the Troc, and continues down the East Coast to close off the new year at The National, in Richmond, Va. Their music is all about unexpected combinations, featuring aspects of rock, jazz and breaks to keep their music even more intriguing.
WATER TOWER CRAFT SHOW SATURDAY, DEC. 8 9 A.M.-6 P.M. SUNDAY, DEC. 9 10 A.M.-5 P.M. WATERTOWER REC. CENTER OF CHESTNUT HILL 8200 GERMANTOWN AVE. Embrace the culture of Philadelphia to support local artists and appreciate hand crafted custom jewelry. Held in historic Chestnut Hill, more than 50 juried crafters come together and present decorations to dress yourself and your home. Admission for the exhibition is free, and food and drinks will be provided around the perimeter of the event. A wide variety of rock, crystal and pearl wire wrappings will be available for purchase as well as wind chimes and glass fixtures that project light. Panelists and judges will pick their favorite artist and gallery of work, and awards will be given for those looking to expand into shops and boutiques. These artists bring their roots into what the produce, making these crafts inspired from places and cultures all around the world. Add some light to your everyday life and immerse yourself in the local art culture of Philadelphia.
HOLIDAY TRUNK FASHION SHOW WEDNESDAY. DEC. 5 6 P.M. $25 SMOKIN’ BETTY’S 116 S. 11TH ST. Focus on your holiday fun and benefit from fashion in the holiday trunk fashion show. Local Philadelphian artists, jewelers and merchants combine together for raffles, giveaways and prizes to support the mission for the nonprofit Dress for Success. This organization promotes independence for disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, networking and career development tools that some may not have access to. Thrifty attire and accommodating accessories can build your wardrobe and benefit those who need it most. The fashion show will feature clothing from the past and what is in store for the upcoming year, giving viewers insight in what to look for next. Purchase tickets before going to the event for as ticket prices will rise to $35 at the door. Give those hard working, independent women the ability to work again, and shape their lives. This event is all about what fashion has done, and what it holds for those in the future. Join in for something you love and browse from a collection of customized fashion. -Michael Russo
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Humorists find home on Main Campus with TU Comedy COMEDY PAGE 7
the club. “Many comedians in the club just started writing and performing this semester and watching them grow has been one of the most enjoyable experiences of being a part of this club,” Whitehair said. If you ask the comedians why, they’ll say it’s all worth it. “Around the age of 10 or 11, you kind of decide in your head, ‘I kind of want to be funny,’” Touhill said. “You’re kind of obnoxious for a while, but then you start to hone in on things.” Touhill said he finds comedy hard but rewarding and it’s an art that he continues to pursue. “Comedy, a lot of it is about surprise, and it is hard when they’re like, ‘I know a joke is coming,’” Touhill said. “I think it’s just you don’t know how to do anything else,”
Grubard said. “If you knew how to play guitar, you’d play guitar. If you knew how to paint a picture, you’d paint a picture.” Since starting to perform comedy, Grubard has played in clubs in New York, moving up to the bar scene when he was old enough to enter one. “It’s your last defense. You just have whatever’s coming out your mouth to get you out of the situation 10 seconds at a time,” Grubard said. To Grubard, comedy is a belief system, his method of his ideas and the world to others. “It’s so rewarding in a short amount of time. It’s for people that want it now,” Grubard said. To Whitehair, comedy is his life. “It’s more than a form of entertainment, a defense mechanism or a career path; it’s a
lifestyle and a universal language,” Grubard said. “I find humor in everything I do, and everything [people] do.” Whitehair, in his final year at Temple, said he prefers to enjoy his time with the club now rather than stress about the future. “Truth be told, I’m only concerned with the present,” Whitehair said. “I always want there to be a place for TU Comedy at Temple University, and I believe there will be.” Despite his quickly arriving departure, Whitehair still sees TU Comedy as the air he breathes. “One day I hope to support myself and my family with the jokes I write,” Whitehair said. “I eat, sleep and breathe funny business.” Omari Coleman can be reached at omari.coleman@temple.edu.
Members of TU Comedy meet regularly in Ritter Hall room 300 on Wednesday nights. | AJA ESPINOSA TTN
Park Avenue not ideal spot for all of its student residents
LUIS FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ
Guest columnist reminisces on his time living on Park Avenue and reflects on why it didn’t work.
I
have been living a lie. Well, living in a lie – or lie adjacent. In May I moved to the 2300 block of Park Avenue, in what I thought was a positive life choice. First, let me take you through what was the decisionmaking process for my living arrangements for the 2012-13 academic year. After living in a four bedroom house my sophomore year, I got together with a friend and we both decided to try our hand at apartment living. We both figured living in an apartment would mean cheaper utilities, a cleaner space and overall
healthier lifestyle choices. We eventually found a place on 15th and Norris streets. It was a perfect distance from Main Campus and affordable, on what I considered the “good side” of Broad Street. Unfortunately, for reasons I don’t want to relive, the place fell through at the very last minute in April. My roommate and I were forced to scramble, not knowing where to go, where to turn or what we should drink to help us in the mourning process. We ended up finding a place on Park Avenue. It was large, affordable and close to Main Campus. The main draw was that our rent was going to be less than $500, each, a month. We signed the lease shortly after finding it and sealed our fate. Disclaimer: It’s time for me to be vague now to protect parties implicated in this column and avoid a libel suit. All I’m going to say is this: When you are scrambling to find a place to live anything affordable and attainable will seem like the Taj Mahal. You won’t notice the dirt on the blinds, the missing window screens, shower decay or the fact that the building has probably needed a major renovation for 20 years. As long as you aren’t stuck literally living in the TECH Center, anything will seem good.
You also won’t know if your future abode has, let’s say character-building creatures – because when you have to spend a good portion of your day killing bugs when you’re just trying to get to your Tuna Helper, you gain a new perspective on life. Long story short, my roommate and I went a little crazy in our apartment and through the art of sweet talking and crying, we were able to break our lease early. While my roommate jumped ship a while ago I am stuck there for another 16 days. Sixteen days. All I have to do is wait 16 days until I can pack my belongings in a UHaul and put the nightmare that has been Park Avenue behind me. Now, I know some hold those two blocks between Susquehanna Avenue and York Street somewhere near and dear to their heart, but I am not one of them. Maybe to the freshmen who wander onto Park Avenue on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights after getting kegs turned away from them at frat parties, the idea of one day living five-or-less minutes from Crown Fried Chicken, McDonalds, Temple Star and Main Campus may seem like a dream come true. No. I hate to burst the bubble of
PARK PAGE 17
The Temple News wants to see campus through the eyes of its readers. Shoot and use #TTNWeekly on Instagram so your photos can be found. This week we wanted to see No Shave November participants. Thank you to everyone who shared their scruff.
@ianmalis11
@onlygoodlooks
@pidgey
The Temple News will be back with more challenges next semester. In the meantime share photos of your preparations for finals and the sights you visit during winter break. Use #TTNWeekly so your photos can be found, or send them to our living editor at luis.fernando@temple.edu.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
‘Can do’ attitude will open doors
JOHN A. DAILEY Eternal Intern
Columnist John A. Dailey shares the most important lesson in his college career.
E
xperiences transform us into who we will become by teaching us. In my time at Temple, I have learned one valuable lesson. My name is John A. Dailey and I’ve been a Temple student for the last five years. At the time of this writing, I’ve got roughly one week of classes until I earn my degree in marketing from Fox School of Business and graduate into the “real world.” Yes, it’s totally surreal and
I cannot help but look back with nostalgia mixed with tinges of regret and forward-looking thoughts of trepidation and excitement—blah, blah, blah. I won’t bore you with that crap. In my time as a student, I’ve learned many a lesson and had the opportunity to experience everything from working with a nonprofit based on engaging the homeless to running a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company to writing a column for The Temple News. Each of my experiences took me on a different journey and, as the cliché goes, that is what it’s all about. Whether my own result was good or bad, I’d recommend them to anyone. Still, I can’t help but feel that I could have done a little more. I don’t say this because I’m an annoying over-achiever, but because somewhere along the way I learned a valuable lesson. After all is accounted for, what I really learned is that the only thing holding most of us back – myself certainly included – is our pre-conceived notions about what can be. I now understand that the only thing we really need to do is start moving toward where
we want to be and learn along the way. Let that sink in beyond face value. Seriously, consider it. Internships are a great opportunity to gain direction and know-how to reach your goals. They are a way to help us lay siege to our own mental barriers. Most of us see barriers everywhere. We deceive ourselves by saying, “It’s too early to get an internship;” “Not everybody can invent Facebook;” “It’s too late for me to do that,” or that something is simply out of reach for any given reason. For too many of us, our minds can be likened to a graveyard for heartfelt aspirations or ideas that never had a shot because we allowed them to be killed by fear. There are plenty of actual forces that will challenge you. Don’t allow your ideas to die in your head before they are even given the chance to live in reality. If you do allow your imaginary barriers to stop your growth then you are initially naïve and, eventually, foolish. Sorry, but it’s true. The people who I’ve been most impressed by are those
that seem to be, for better or for worse, unable to see such barriers at all. They just go forward until something actually stops them, but even then they aren’t discouraged. You know the type. They are all over Main Campus. It simply amazes me when a student tells me of the many cold-calls and emails she had made with pitches to different companies and obscure websites looking for freelance writing work. Or when I sit down to interview a girl who has spent the last three summers in Uganda and actually understands first-hand how those people view the Kony 2012 campaign. It amazes me when I speak with a Temple student approaching pop stars after a concert to ask them to help promote a clothing brand that he founded. Still another group of Temple alumni that I have come in contact with has organized, and united, the tech community in Philadelphia through a news website that they co-founded. These examples amaze me because they are things that I didn’t imagine to be within reach for a Temple student much like myself, but they made them happen.
Realizing that all they needed to do was start moving toward what they wanted to do and figure it out as they went along, these types of Temple students, through their own gumption, taught me this valuable life lesson that was complemented by my own experiences. For those willing to apply themselves, the experience an internship gives can ensure that the aforementioned types of endeavors are grounded in reality and give the person the confidence to see them through. Use this logic when considering the real value you can get out of an internship experience – it’s about more than just a job or money. I consider myself a student of life and value experience. So, for me, internships were portals into different fields and allowed me to learn about different aspects of not only myself but of society and the human experience. Without these opportunities, I imagine that I’d never appreciate many of the subtleties of life that I now feel that I do. “I’m a college student” is a phrase that functions as a key and safety net. It can open so many doors for you and if you
slip up, after all, you’re still just a college student. That is one key that should be used with great frequency. However, when these college years inevitably come to an end and when time, the relentless bully, forces you to close this chapter of your life, you will have reclaimed the knowledge that you’d known long ago, but may have forgotten. You are capable of great things – all you have to do is do them. Press onward without allowing reservations to hinder you and realize that it’s just a matter of learning how. Keep forging ahead, learning and embracing each new venture in life with the mindset of an intern. And with that bit of final wisdom, this eternal intern bids you, and Temple, farewell. Thank you for the opportunity. John A. Dailey can be reached at john.dailey@temple.edu.
Glass brings students in across concentrations GLASS PAGE 7 to glass blowing and sculpting immediately, Cutrone said. However, he said, they often don’t anticipate choosing it as a major when entering an introductory class. One such student, Dan Dolan, a senior glass blowing major, said he “was one of those people who came in and never left.” Though Cutrone calls glass “the great equalizer” among talented and inexperienced artists, as it is a difficult substance, Dolan found his time working with glass to be immensely rewarding. Some students may be intimidated by the challenges of working with glass, but Dolan said he enjoys challenging pieces the most. “I like to make cups, but they’re really difficult,” he said, describing his own work. This work ethic is facilitative of a future career working with glass, as was evident based on the comments of individuals successful in the field today. Alumnus Dennis Gardner is the manager of ArtsQuest Glass Studio at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, Pa., and had advice for current students hoping to enter the glasswork industry. “They need to work hard and be ready to put the time into the career,” Gardner said, referring to Tyler’s students who aspire to work in a studio similar to the one he manages. “Students in the glass major need to recognize how specialized it is.” Dolan has effectively capitalized on the specialization, as he has a job lined up at John Pomp, a company that creates handcrafted furniture and lighting where he will work as an assistant in the production of lighting fixtures, known to be the specialty of the company. John Pomp and the Banana Factory both maintain studios for glasswork, and are typical workplaces for successful graduates. ArtsQuest Glass Studio at the Banana Factory offers both classes and internships to local artisan. Gardner said the studio “is nonprofit and makes most of the budget through glass classes and production sales.” Opportunities to learn such as those provided at ArtsQuest Glass Studio help glass students to find
footing in the industry, where many, including Gardner, hope to advance to making a living from selling their individual work. Another Tyler alumnus, Scott Krenitsky, works at a similar studio called GoggleWorks. “It’s a complex facility. It’s an assembly line of people working to make as much product as possible, there are a lot of meetings but also I teach classes,” Krenitsky said, who is in charge of generating creative ideas for the studio’s gift store and custom gifts ordered by companies and individual buyers, as well as significant managerial work. Goggleworks sells studio time to renters, who include professionals and hobbyist craftspeople. In recent years, studios have become more available to the public, which generates more interest in glass blowing. Tyler has also seen an increase in students majoring in glass. “As time goes by, more and more students are coming with past experience,” Cutrone said. Public access studios offer places to learn about glass blowing, and the Tyler glass blowing major currently has 60 intro-level students along with the 20 declared undergraduate majors and four graduate students in the program. “The opportunities you get through this program are great,” said Danielle Brensinger, who will graduate this December as a glass major. The Glass Guild of Tyler’s glass program works to fundraise through sales of student art, most notably jewelry, Brensinger said. They raise money to bring artists into class and provide insight and demonstrations for students. A major that requires dedication and artistic passion, glass blowing at Tyler sets students on a path for future success, provided they invest their efforts in the opportunities available. Glass blowing continues to bring new students in as people walk by the studio. “I always leave the door open,” Cutrone said. Erin Edinger-Turoff can be reached at erin.edinger-turoff@temple.edu.
(Above) Dan Dolan, a senior glass major, sits in the undergraduate space in the glass blowing studio. Every declared glass major gets their own desk. (Below) Students work on smaller, more detailed pieces with torches. | LUIS FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ TTN
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Conflict affects more than friendships in theater
F
MARCIE ANKER Starving Actor
Columnist Marcie Anker discusses conflict resolution in the theater department.
or every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That’s a fact – a scientific fact, which is more factual than a regular fact. Newton told me so himself, such a smart fella. If you punch a bear in the mouth, it will rip your head off. If you eat too much Qdoba, you’ll inadvertently fart the rest of the day. See? Science. I’ve decided that Newton based his law of motion on his observations of the theater species in their natural habitat. His foresight was impeccable, I must say, to know that his scientific discovery would so perfectly apply to theater drama, “You offend me? I’ll humiliate you.” Maybe you’ve heard the expression, “Leave the drama on the stage.” Ironic, right? You know, because we’re doing drama? On a stage? Never mind. This semester I’ve had a revelation: Professors don’t just arbitrarily use that expression for their health – they use it for ours. Too much drama hurts my soul. Not to mention it forces me to waste an unending amount of energy trying to just keep up with the new developments in the “he said, she said”
idiotic drama. Let’s not lie to ourselves, sometimes watching, reading or hearing about other people’s drama and fights is just oh-soamusing. After a long, tiring day, there’s no better remedy than a good ol’ fashion dramatic reading of the most current Facebook arguments. But after all the gossip and laughs cease, and the realization that it wasn’t a joke, the lingering effects can be very damaging. I’m being unclear. Theater students have been fighting. I know, the image of two theater students fighting sounds hilarious. It’s not. Not even pitychuckle worthy. The disproportionate amount of drama in the drama department recently makes me “SMH” – to use the scientific expression. Of course there are conflicts in every major and in every field. Business students fight over money. Medical students fight over who is the superior healer of inflamed rectums. The fencing team fights about if that stab to the groin was really just a “slip,” or if it was because one slept with the other’s ex-girlfriend. It’s all totally normal. However, what is not normal is when a conflict crosses
the line from respectful to disrespectful. When an argument shifts from discussion to disparagement, and the intent of the participants is no longer to win, but rather to wound – that is when there’s a serious problem. Verbally attacking and bullying someone with the intent, or even the hope, that the other person will feel terrible about themselves as a person is not healthy. In fact, it’s quite unhealthy. We theater folks are a sensitive bunch. Theater, like all other art-related fields, is an inherently intense personal art form. When someone is criticized for their acting, singing, painting, you name it, it’s a very delicate dance because it can feel like that person is being criticized as a person, not as an artist. So, because of this intrinsic vulnerability that we carry, it is imperative that we also carry civility and sensitivity. You may recall one of my earlier columns – of course you do, you loyal fans – where I discussed the audition process and how it brings out the worst in the department. Well, it looks like we’ve come full circle. The second round of auditions for the spring season just ended, and it was particularly grueling this time around.
Personally, I’d rather eat a rusty stop sign on Susquehanna Avenue in one sitting than relive that particular audition process. Perhaps the stress that accompanies the end of the semester combined with the stress that auditioning brings sent the department into an explosive tailspin. Picture “Mean Girls” on steroids. The feelings of rejection and failure after not being cast or not being called back are excruciating, especially when you know every single name that appears on those lists where your name was left out. When someone is cast, boasting and belittling are very different forms of expression than celebrating. We don’t choose our families. Just like we don’t choose the people we share a classroom with, or a department or a stage with – they are pre-determined. And even though we aren’t a real family, we learn how to act like one. Fights and disagreements are part of the course, but it’s the support and recovery that drive a family forward. Not to be cheesy, but the expression “united we stand, divided we fall,” could not ring more true in theater. We live on collaboration and mutual respect, and when the parts
are working against each other rather than with each other, it shows. In a department where we are always right, and everyone else is wrong, the prospect of apology is dim. Note: I am always right. Always. Even when I’m wrong, I’m right. But, it doesn’t have to be. It’s easy to yell at someone and cuss them out, but it’s hard to extend the first hand in reconciliation, no matter who you are. Humility is a virtue, people. Despite the recent outbreak in the theater department, there is no doubt in my mind that it will recover and move forward. We didn’t choose it, but we are a big, wonderful, talented, dysfunctional and strikingly attractive theater family. And I’ll bet you my family is cooler than yours. Stop the drama and the fighting, people. Or I’ll kick your ass. Am I allowed to say that? Now, please excuse me while I resume my research on Newton. Ah, science. Marcie Anker can be reached at martha.anker@temple.edu.
Time of the month a time of care
L
ying in bed Sunday morning, I’m awoken by sounds much louder than any alarm
clock. Despite stuffing my face with eggrolls mere hours earlier, I hear growling echoing JOHN CORRIGAN from under the sheets. Lifting That’s What He Said my head from the drool-stained pillow, I stare in the face of a lion’s roar. In his final column, The agony, the torture, the John Corrigan fading chances of satisfying my advises men to take morning wood…no! It’s back. caution during their Before I can escape the comforter’s clutch, my girlgirlfriend’s time of friend’s hand grabs my shoulthe month. der. The calendar failed me once again, refusing to mention it’s that time of the month. No one prepares guys for how to handle their ladies’ menstrual cycle. If you’re like me, you snoozed during seventh grade biology because periods only mattered in hockey back then – we actually had hockey back then. The next time a menstrual cycle affected my life was when
Seth got blood on his pants from dancing with that chick in “Superbad.” And now, I pray for jury duty every 28 days hoping that the trial length rivals O.J. Simpson’s. According to the National Institutes of Health, estrogen levels rise during menstruation, causing the lining of the uterus to grow and get thicker. If the uterus does not need the extra lining, it begins to shed through the vagina. Although any man can sympathize with the crotch shots suffered on every episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos, imagine Sandshrew digging in your nether regions like the mini game in Pokemon Stadium. And you can expect it once a month. Is attending yoga free of judgment really worth all of the pain that comes with being a woman? Maybe Chaz Bono had the right idea. Since you can’t prevent the pain, you have to remain cau-
tious around your agonizing girlfriend. Accept that you will be automatically loathed simply because you are a man. You will repeatedly hear that you don’t know how it feels – you don’t have a vagina and she will basically blame you for having a Y chromosome. Conversing with your girlfriend while Aunt Flo is visiting is like navigating through a minefield – anything can set her off. “Why aren’t you wearing that sweater I gave you for Christmas?” “It’s 75 degrees and sunny, dear.” “You don’t love me anymore!” You better duck those mood swings or else she’ll knock you out. When your girlfriend suffers, you sure will, too. Although it is not scientifically proven, women can maximize their mean streak during the menstrual cycle. If you thought forgetting your anniversary was forgiven after last
month’s argument, you’re about to learn what motivated those recent abs. Your appearance, your performance, your family, your friends – everything is fair game for critique when you’re caught in a woman’s PMSing scorn. They call it a period, but an exclamation point is more appropriate. As for advice, I can’t save you. I have yet to conquer the menstrual struggle. I tried avoiding my girlfriend during her period, thinking that I couldn’t anger her if I wasn’t around. Chalk that one up in the loss column. Distance only makes things worse because she wants you to console her and take her mind off the cramps. Misery loves company. However, you can lift her spirits by hanging out, watching movies and quenching those obscure food cravings. She might not be pregnant, but she still demands 7-Eleven jalapeno cream cheese taquitos. Presents, cards and flowers help
– anything to make her feel special. Chocolate is supposed to be the miracle drug, but my girl is immune to the powers of Dr. Hershey. Plus, she’s “in the mood.” So take advantage of soothing her aches with a couple pelvic shakes. Don’t expect a quickie, though. Your evening shall be spent nurturing your honey. I’ll probably have my relationship status revoked after this column is published, but I’ll bite the bullet for you, my loyal readers. We’re in college. If we haven’t learned survival strategies by now, we never will. Don’t expect this topic to be Father Mahoney’s homily Sunday, but please, say a prayer for me. John Corrigan can be reached at john.corrigan@temple.edu.
Fast-paced party block can prove difficult to reside PARK PAGE 15 anyone putting Park on a pedestal, but for your health I urge you to only go there as a guest, not a resident. Temple Star is such a luxury when you live more than three blocks away but when it’s literally always on your way home it’s as tempting as one of those sirens Odysseus had to avoid on his way home. A siren singing songs of pork fried rice, pizza rolls and sesame chicken. I’m weak – don’t look at me. Then there’s Crown Fried Chicken. Oh Crown, if Temple Star is a siren, you are the serpent from the Garden of Eden. I went my first two years of college free of Crown Fried Chicken, then I moved to Park Avenue
and it was all over for me. If any of you are looking for ways to trap me all you have to do is put fried chicken, mozzarella sticks and a biscuit from Crown Fried Chicken in a cage – or windowless van – and you’ve got yourself a limited edition Luis. Much easier than catching a Pokémon, I promise you that. We’re not even going to get into McDonalds being so close to my home, but if you want a visual, just imagine the final scenes of “Titanic” where people are running and fighting to get on a lifeboat. That’s 2 a.m. at McDonald’s. Moving away from local cuisine, let’s consider the night-
life. As mentioned earlier, Park Avenue is the Ellis Island of party hopping. There should be a historical marker that reads: “Give us your thirsty, your poor, your huddled masses…” If you need a party, you will more often than not find one. My first time partying at Park was the summer after my freshman year and all I can say is there were mattresses where there were supposed to be stairs and there was free beer for everyone – well, we assumed it was free. My second time was this semester. I was excited because all of my friends live west of Broad Street and, for the first time, I would be the closest
one to home, avoiding all food temptations. Well, there was a keg that was difficult to partake in because I’m not anyone’s bro and there were so many people there that I think I was technically deflowered at least three times that night, just trying to get from one room to another. It’s OK, I got tested – and prayed. This was also the first time in my college career that I was at a party that had the misfortune of getting busted by the police. But I was already 21 at the time, so all the thrill of running away was gone. Then I ended up on a couch on 19th and Oxford streets with Temple Star in
my belly. Like I said, I’m weak. Judge me. I’d mention the times I stayed in on weekends to get work done, but putting myself in the position those long nights of hearing dubstep and people breaking bottles would put me in a post-traumatic stress disorder episode. In the end, I would like to thank Park Avenue for the one thing it did give me: a voyeuristic look into what it’s like to live among the world of ragers and keggers. My freshman year I made friends with upperclassmen who took me and my friends under their wing and taught us the beauty of BYOB. I know it’s odd for some of you
to imagine, but there is a world out there where people find their own adult beverages and bring them to parties. This isn’t to say there’s a wrong way to party, but Park Avenue moves at a pace I just can’t keep up with. For the next 16 days I’ll embrace it from a distance. What I’m really trying to say, Park Avenue, is that it’s not you. It’s me. Luis Fernando Rodriguez can be reached at luis.fernando@temple.edu.
SPORTS
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
Roberts, the consummate player’s coach Jerry Roberts brings years of playing experience to coaching duties. ANDREW PARENT The Temple News From his NorthICE HOCKEY east Philadelphia roots, his Philadelphia sports loyalties, all the way down to his decadelong affiliation with Temple, there’s no doubt Jerry Roberts is a “Philly guy.” The fourth-year coach of Temple’s ice hockey club has also been a hockey guy since he was young. Roberts said he attended Philadelphia Flyers games as a season-ticket holder in his youth and began practicing the sport when he was 5 years old, solidifying hockey as a life-long staple. Roberts would go on to play for the Wintersport Royals of the Delaware Valley Hockey League and eventually for Roman Catholic High School. A tough-luck senior year spent battling illness and injury kept Roberts sidelined. Therefore, hockey sat low on the priority list when it came to his college decision. “I started my senior season at [Roman Catholic] with [Mononucleosis] and then I broke my wrist right after I came back,” Roberts said. “I was out from September all through January or February, so no one was very interested in me.” “My college decision had
nothing to do with hockey,” vilion for Campus Recreation’s Roberts added. “Temple of- sport clubs. fered me a scholarship, and During his time at Camthat makes your decision for pus Recreation, he also stuck you. When I was at Temple I around his old team, recruiting just tried out and joined the [ice and scouting on the side for forhockey] team.” mer coach Aaron Voegtli. Roberts donned the TemVoegtli resigned with Temple uniform for five years until ple following the 2008-09 seagraduation following the 2006- son in order to take up a coach07 season. ing position with Mid-Atlantic “I was the character player Collegiate Hockey Association on the team,” Roberts said. “I rival University of Marylanddidn’t get as much ice time as Baltimore County. some other guys, Roberts but I was the team was the man player kind of waiting in the guy.” wings. While he “When wasn’t one of the [Voegtli] left, guys lighting up I was in the the score sheet evright place at ery night, Roberts the right time,” said his five years Roberts said. in a Temple uni“With Camform were some pus Recreation of his best. having such a “It was the huge emphasis most fun I probAndrew Trainor / senior on student dedefenseman velopment and ably ever had,” Roberts said. “Not player safety, even with hockey, but just with I think they probably felt most being with the guys for such a comfortable having someone long time. Being a part of ice they knew in that [coaching] hockey at Temple was a critical role. I think it was the fact that contributor into me turning into they could trust me.” a young adult.” It wasn’t too long before Working for Campus Rec- the Temple players adjusted to reation for a few years helped Roberts’ more simplified systhat transition as well. Roberts tem on the ice. took up a full-time position as “There definitely was a difstudent services coordinator ference,” senior defenseman after graduation, a job Roberts Andrew Trainor said. “He simdescribed as “business adminis- plified the game for our entire tration-type stuff.” He handled team. Under [Voegtli], we had access and deposits to Temple five different game plans. Each facilities such as IBC Recre- line was running at five differation Center and the Student Pa- ent forechecks and [Roberts]
“He’s definitely
a player’s coach ...He looks for advice from us, which makes it easier for everybody.
”
streamlined it, running one type of forecheck for everybody. Everyone was doing the same thing and running the same type of forecheck and doing that made it easier to run correctly and successfully.” The team made the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament for the first time in program history in Spring 2011, Roberts’ second year at the helm. At the time, reaching nationals was the pinnacle for everyone involved. Assistant coach Ryan Frain played under Roberts for two seasons, his last being the nationals-clinching year. “[Roberts] was the one who always put goals in front of us for bigger and better things,” Frain said. “[Roberts] cares a lot about this club. His drive and his passion, players feed off it and you can tell. That’s a big thing. It keeps the players motivated because they don’t want to let [Roberts] down and he doesn’t want to let our players down. He’s a big part of our Jerry Roberts played ice hockey at Temple for five years before continued success from year to becoming coach in 2009.| PAUL KLEIN TTN FILE PHOTO year.” a player, I knew I wanted to be Maintaining a strong re- for everybody.” “[Roberts] has a really involved in this team for a long lationship between player and coach has helped, as Roberts good relationship with a lot of time,” Roberts said. “It’s adhas been deemed a “player’s players,” Frain said. “There dicting. The people you interact coach” by some who played or comes times where [Roberts] with and the fact that you’re doneeds to put his foot down and ing it with hockey makes it a lot still play under him. “He’s definitely a player’s keep them in line and players of fun. I didn’t know if coachcoach,” Trainor said. “He talks respect that. He’s there for the ing was really my future when I to me and [team captain Jordan guys and it’s a big family here.” was a player, but I knew someFor now, Roberts is right at how and someway I wanted to Lawrence] all the time about what we can improve on, what home with the team and “fam- be involved with this team for a the team can improve on and ily” he has been a part of for the long time.” what the players think needs better part of 10 years. Andrew Parent can be reached “Somewhere between my to change. He looks for advice at andrew.parent@temple.edu from us, which makes it easier first shift and my second shift as or on Twitter @daParent93.
Defensive mindset carries over from stop at VTech Matt Gwilliam builds his team around defense in second year as coach. BRIEN EDWARDS The Temple News In the past two seasons, the women’s soccer team hasn’t seen much change in the win column, but in 2012, there was a noticeable change in the way the Owls kept opponents from scoring. This past season, Temple posted its best defensive numbers in years and is beginning to resemble coach Matt Gwilliam’s vision for the program. Before his arrival at Temple, Gwilliam spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Virginia Tech women’s soccer team. During Gwilliam’s time there, the Hokies received three consecutive NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference tournament berths. “I worked with two unbeWOMEN’S SOCCER
lievable coaches in Kelly Cagle and Charles ‘Chugger’ Adair,” Gwilliam said. “And I was able to put my own spin on things, to help that team be successful.” In Virginia Tech’s 2008 and 2009 season, respectively, the Hokies tied and set the school record for shutouts, with Gwilliam coaching their back four and keeper. “When you’re playing some of the best offenses in the country like Florida State, Virginia or Wake Forest, you really have to be sharp,” Gwilliam said. In 2010, Gwilliam worked directly with Virginia Tech goalkeeper, Dayle Colpitts, who was named to the ACC All-freshman team. “We were always really responsive to his coaching style,” Colpitts said. “We spent a lot of time on shot stopping and reaction. It really paid off. Getting so many reps with [Gwilliam] my freshman year is still helping me today, to compete in the ACC.” Post-Virginia Tech, Gwil-
liam brought what he had learned the previous three years and a premeditated plan to Temple women’s soccer. “I knew this was a big job to take on. I love the area. I saw a place for potential,” Gwilliam said. “In our first year, the key was that we had to cut down on our goals against. We weren’t able to do a whole lot of recruiting and we gave up a lot of goals.” In 2011, the Owls allowed 46 goals and a shot percentage of .163, which ranked among the worst in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Gwilliam’s second season with the Owls marked a dramatic change in the team’s defense. Temple brought in 15 freshmen, many of whom played immediately. Despite the youngest roster in Division I women’s soccer, the Owls began playing with a more effective defense. “We were able to do some recruiting and had a full year of bringing in some positive kids that would buy in,” Gwilliam said.
In 2012, the Owls allowed 22 goals and a shot percentage of .056. Temple had allowed a shooting percentage of at least .100 from 2008-11. “When you talk about defending, it’s about an attitude,” Gwilliam said. “It’s about being organized. We talk a lot about looking out for each other. When you look out for each other on the field, you can defend well. I think we were able to change that attitude, to change that mindset that we can compete. It’s something we really took pride in.” Among the new group of freshmen were goalkeeper Shauni Kerkhoff and forward Erin Lafferty. Both Kerkhoff and Lafferty joined Colpitts as freshman players, coached by Gwilliam, to receive freshman All-Conference Team honors, in their respective conferences. Both attribute their success to the defensive focus that Gwilliam brings to their team. “[Gwilliam] always talks about each person, on the defense, acting as a unit,” Kerk-
hoff said. “He really concentrates on communicating with each other.” “He tells us to work as a whole. No separation,” Lafferty said. From its first season to second season, coached by Gwilliam, Temple increased its season save total from 96 to 152. “Defense is important because it is our rock,” Lafferty said. “Our defense was so solid this year. That had a lot to do with [Gwilliam’s] coaching,” Kerkhoff said. Although Temple has accumulated a string of losing seasons since 2008, the most recent season’s defensive improvement has Gwilliam and his team optimistic for future success. The Owls’ 5-12-3 record contained a nine-match stretch of allowing one goal or less and 11 matches ended in a score of 1-0 or a scoreless tie. “I think we made a massive leap with that,” Gwilliam said. “As much as we can talk about how our backs were great, and
our goalkeeping was great, it’s not on us. It’s on them. They just use the tools we gave them.” “We probably played the toughest schedule that this program has seen in eight to 10 years and we were competitive in every single game,” Gwilliam added. With the move to the Big East in 2013, Temple must continue its strong defensive play to stay competitive in a stronger conference. “I know we’ve got the framework. I know we’re going to continue to make great strides, especially moving into the Big East,” Gwilliam said. “To see the standard, in the ACC, that is expected to compete at the highest level, I was able to bring that here to Temple.” Brien Edwards can be reached at brien.edwards@temple.edu or on Twitter @BErick1123.
Grad student picks up weightlifting from CrossFit WEIGHTS PAGE 20 do CrossFit,” Rutter said. “But what happened was, sometimes the [CrossFit] coaches come to me when they see that they have a very good weightlifter, and tell me, ‘Hey come watch this kid lift,’ and that’s what happened with me and [Basa].” Since then, Rutter has taken over and has coached Basa in the sport of Olympic weightlifting where Basa has already had success in three months partaking in the sport. Basa said although he’s new to the sport, he wasn’t fully satisfied with his performance at the American Open Championships. “I can’t complain since it’s my first national competition, but I definitely wish I did better,” Basa said. Rutter, however, remains optimistic for Basa’s future.
“I think that if [Basa] sticks with this sport, I believe at next year’s National Championships he will medal,” Rutter said. In his first Olympic weightlifting competition at the Hookgrip Classic held in Philadelphia in September, Basa snatched 57kg (125lbs) and clean and jerked 90kg (198lbs) competing in the 56kg (123lbs) weight class. Since the Hookgrip Classic, Basa improved his numbers to a snatch of 70kg (154lbs) and a clean and jerk of 95kg (209lbs). These numbers qualified Basa for the ‘A’ session at the American Open Championships in Palm Springs, Calif., starting Nov. 30, as well as for next year’s 2013 National Championships held in Cincinnati. The ‘A’ session is the most prestigious session in the com-
petition, reserved for the best pushed me to be better, faster, weightlifters in the country. stronger,” Basa said. Basa was one of seven weightLiddie, also a pharmacy lifters in the program student country to at Temple, said qualify for Basa applies the the ‘A’ sessame work ethic sion in the in the classroom 56kg (123lbs) that makes him weight class. successful in the In addiweight room. tion to Rut“[Basa] is ter, Basa also one of the most credits his dedicated and pasroommate and sionate people I best friend have met,” Liddie Christopher said. “We would Liddie in spend hours studyJim Rutter / coach ing molecules and helping him prepare for his pharmacology Olympic weightlifting competi- to do our very best in school. tions. However when the night has “[Liddie] has been my ended, [Basa] would spend workout buddy ever since I those extra hours to make sure moved to Philly and has always he fully understands the difficult
“I think that if
he sticks with this sport, I believe at next year’s National Championships [Basa] will medal.
”
concepts.” “He acted the same way in the gym,” Liddie added. “When the workout is over, he would always suggest one more workout to do before we leave. He is successful because he will never give up. He practices day in and day out but also has time to maintain his leadership roles and excel academically.” Basa actively participates in Phi Delta Chi and the Pharmacy Leadership Society. He was the chairperson for Operation Heart, a nonprofit seeking to provide care for heart disease patients, as well as the fundraising chair for the American Pharmacist Association. These organizations help the community by doing such things as running health fairs and running blood pressure screenings at senior centers or churches.
“So many people say they do not have time to do certain things,” Basa said. “But I feel like that if you love it you will make the time. So I make the time to do Phi Delta Chi, PLS, APHA, my studies and lifting.” Though he’s still new to Olympic weightlifting, Basa said he plans to make the sport a long-term commitment. “My expectations for the future are to get technically more proficient with the lifts and to get stronger allowing me to have a greater total,” Basa said. “I generally want to get better and more consistent with my lifts, especially in a competition setting.” Samuel Matthews can be reached at samuel.matthews@temple.edu.
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Four Owls score in double digits BALANCE PAGE 20 14-point comeback win against the Orange, Temple took a season high 21 three-point attempts. The result was just what Cardoza had hoped for: a wellbalanced scoring attack resulting in more points. Granted, Macaulay led all scorers with 20 points to go along with 11 rebounds, her fourth double-double on the year. However, Temple also had a season-high four players finish in double figures. Brown had 19 points off the bench, sophomore point guard Tyonna Williams had 14 and Thames contributed 10. Brown was named co-Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week for her performance. “So many guys had a great game [against Syracuse],” Cardoza said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen numbers like this, with four players in double figures and two players with double-doubles.” Brown said the bitterness of getting ousted by Syracuse in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament last season is what sparked the offensive outburst, in which the Owls scored a season high 74 points. “The mentality was to win,” Brown said. “We honestly talked about revenge, just getting back at them.” Macaulay also didn’t forget the WNIT loss. Syracuse senior center Kayla Alexander dropped 29 points on the Owls last March with Macaulay covering her. This time around, Alexander went 5-for-14 from the field, totaling 12 points. “I took it personal,” Macaulay said. “We should have never lost [in the WNIT]. I just had to try and stop [Alexander],
because last year she was their main key. This year, I couldn’t let that go down.” In the middle of Temple’s recent balanced attack is Williams, who struggled badly in the early going of the season but has since showed significant progress. Through the first four games of the season, Williams shot 5-for-27 from the field for a .185 shooting percentage. In the last three games, she’s gone 11for-27 for a .407 percentage. In that three-game span, Williams is also shooting .438 from threepoint range. She recorded her first-career double-double in the win against Syracuse after dishing out 11 assists to go along with her 14 points. “[Williams] is still young,” Cardoza said. “She’s going to have some turnovers but every single day I want to see some improvement. Early on, she wasn’t getting any assists really. But the last few games she’s been distributing the ball. Now she’s looking for her teammates, and that’s helping her offense because she’s not just focused on scoring.” As for Macaulay, with her teammates putting the ball in the basket more often, she said a lot of the pressure she felt earlier in the season has since faded. “[The opponent’s] game plan is to attack me or doubleteam me,” Macaulay said. “To find an open player that I have confidence in to knock down the shot, that helps a lot.” Tyler Sablich can be reached at tyler.sablich@temple.edu or on Twitter @TySablich.
Witmer adapts to indoor game WITMER PAGE 20 No. 6 has since, perhaps fittingly, been taken over by reigning Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Year Jared Martinelli. Coach Dave MacWilliams spoke highly of the skill-set Witmer brings to the table. “Indoor might be [Witmer’s] niche,” MacWilliams said. “He has the opportunity where he can get the ball more often, and he has the ability to score.” MacWilliams, who calls Witmer one of the best players he’s ever coached, said he believes the odds are against him to hang around in professional leagues. “I think it’s going to be a challenge for him,” MacWilliams said. “Obviously, I’m pretty confident that [Witmer] is going to do well. But he wasn’t a kid that was drafted, so I think the challenge has become that much more difficult.” Aside from playing soccer, Witmer also has a passion for teaching. He is on the verge of completing school at Temple, while conducting student teaching at Whittier Elementary in North Philadelphia and George Washington High School in the Northeast. Off the field, both MacWilliams and Chinapoo have nothing but high praise for Witmer. “[Witmer] is a very conscientious kid,” MacWilliams said. “He works incredibly hard both in the classroom and on the field.” “His work rate is good, his attitude is good,” Chinapoo said. “He’s been nothing but respectful toward me.” More than a full year since the last time he stepped on a
soccer field as an Owl, Witmer said it’s the camaraderie of his former teammates he misses the most. “I lived with those guys for four years,” Witmer said. “When you’re playing in the pros you get to meet a whole new group of guys and you have to start all over. So I miss having that relationship between us.” Moving forward without the brotherhood that is Temple soccer, Witmer said his family has been there every step of the way, fully supporting him in his pursuit of a professional soccer career. “My whole family came out to the [Cincinnati] game,” Witmer said. “My mom came down from New Hampshire. My father’s side of the family were all out there. Also, my friends from high school showed up. There was a good 30 people who came out to see me.” Despite his recent success, Witmer said playing indoor has been a “learning experience,” but that he will look to earn an outdoor contract following the current season. He hopes to find some stability on the professional level and, with that, a newfound sense of camaraderie – something that’s been absent from his life since last fall. Tyler Sablich can be reached at tyler.sablich@temple.edu or on Twitter @TySablich.
Rateska Brown (center) was named co-Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for her game vs. Syracuse. | MAGGIE TRAPANI TTN
Switch of guards sparks upset win
JAKE ADAMS Double Dribble
Tonya Cardoza’s move to start Erica Covile at guard in place of May Dayan has paid off.
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he past two games, the Owls have been a completely different team. Where once was a squad that coughed up the ball more than it found open shots is now a team that is making fewer mistakes and shooting at an impressive rate. Much of that can be attributed to improved guard play. Heading into Temple’s game at Bowling Green on Nov. 28, coach Tonya Cardoza pulled the plug on her experiment with freshman guard May Dayan. In five games as the starter at the two position, Dayan had more turnovers (17) than points (15), 10 rebounds and six assists. All too often sophomore guard Rateska Brown would come off the bench to replace
Dayan and make shot after shot. But instead of giving Brown the starting nod the past two games, Cardoza went with freshman guard Erica Covile and her 43.5 percent shooting and 3.6 rebounds per game. “I just felt that [Covile] would give us another chance at getting some offensive rebounds,” Cardoza said. “She’s a great offensive rebounder.” With Covile at shooting guard the Owls have racked up 70 and 74 points in their past two games, respectively. They got 70 in a convincing win against Bowling Green when Covile knocked down eight points to go along with six rebounds in 29 minutes of action. On Sunday, Dec. 2, the Owls upset the undefeated and heavily-favored Syracuse, despite trailing 39-25 at the half. Covile’s stat line was a little less impressive, however, with five points and six boards. “Right now it’s working out,” Cardoza said. “It’s still early, you never know what can happen, but I like what we look like out there to start. I think we’re bigger.” “It helps a lot because the other team’s game plan is to trap me or double-team me or whatever,” senior center Victoria Macaulay said of the team’s recent balanced attack. Yes, it’s still early in the season. There’s a very good chance Cardoza could juggle the guards again later in the season. It’s far from a settled group. Sophomore guard Tyonna Williams has been the most con-
sistent of the bunch. The starting point guard has averaged 7.4 points and 4.9 assists per game. But she’s given up the ball 32 times. The next closest player in that department is Brown, with 18. “[Williams is] still young, so these are still games that she’s going to have turnovers,” Cardoza said. “But every single day I want to see improvement.” Williams had her best performance of the season against the Orange, knocking down 33.3 percent of her shots for 14 points while tallying 11 assists for her first career double-double. “Every situation is just going to help her, and this is definitely going to help her,” Cardoza said. “This, I think, is going to give her even more passion, and even more fire, that no matter what the situation is she’s going to have this to build on.” The best of the bunch of late, however, has to be Brown, who was named co-Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week for her performance against Syracuse. As the team’s sixth woman, she’s averaging 11.3 points while snagging four rebounds a game. The past three games she scored 12, 15 and 19 points. She’s easily the team’s best three-point shooter but Cardoza hasn’t given her the starting nod just yet. “No I’m not content with sitting on the bench at all,” Brown said. “But I’m going to keep trying to get on the floor, but I mean, if that’s what coach
wants me to do, that’s what I’m going to do.” Brown said that more as a competitor who wants to help her team every chance she gets. But she has a point. She wants to be out there as much as possible, even though Cardoza loves her in the role she has right now. But that’s the way things are going to be for now. Cardoza will plug in people she thinks fit a certain role as long as they stay hot. Whoever has the hot hand and is making the fewest mistakes is going to get the most time. “We had a lot of turnovers today but the difference in our turnovers today was we had a lot of assists,” Cardoza said. “So now we’re at least making plays for other people, and that’s really good.” Right now that hot hand appears to belong to Williams and Brown. But with Covile starting the results speak for themselves. Two big wins in one week are hard to ignore. Jake Adams can be reached at jacob.adams@temple.edu or on Twitter @jakeadams520.
Size issues remain despite wins BASKETBALL PAGE 20 ability to guard perimeter players and trying to guard the big guys brings a versatility to our program. I think we can run offense and switch a lot on defense with [Lee] not on the floor. It doesn’t matter what situation we’re in, we just find a way to get it done.” O’Brien, more of a stretch four than a power forward, said he’s used to covering big men and has been doing it throughout his career. “I call myself a four, but I’ve played a lot of five,” O’Brien said. “It’s something I’ve always done. When I’m called to do it, I just have to be ready.” The Owls had similar struggles down low last season when Micheal Eric was out for six weeks with a knee injury. Lee, then a freshman, was forced to play undersized and inexperienced. Temple didn’t have Randall, who redshirted, or O’Brien, who was playing at Boston University, to help deal with the lack of size last season, but the team at least had the prospect of knowing that its 6-foot-11-inch
center, Eric, would return. Temple doesn’t have that comfort this season. Dunphy has entrusted the role of power forward to his undersized sophomore and the team has tried to alleviate its height issues with strong perimeter play from its athletic guards and small forwards. The answer for Temple could be in the form of 6-foot10-inch freshman center Devontae Watson. Watson registered 1,000 points, rebounds and blocks at Lincoln Park Center in Ambridge, Pa., but has played one minute through five games. Dunphy historically doesn’t like to play young players early, but has given an unusually large amount of playing time to Watson’s classmate, freshman guard Quenton DeCosey, who has played in every game so far this season. After the game against Delaware when Temple got hurt in the paint, Dunphy said Watson could’ve helped the team down low. “I don’t want to throw [Watson] to the wolves yet,”
Dunphy said. “It’ll come soon, and when it happens I think Devontae’s going to do a really good job. He’s going to be a terrific basketball player.” “I think it’s hard early on in your career,” Dunphy added. “I say to them all the time, ‘It’s not so much what you do well, it’s what you don’t do poorly.’ We need them to be mistake free, but you have to play in order to play through those mistakes. It’s coming for Devontae and I’m excited for his future.” The undersized Temple frontcourt will have its toughest tests of the season this week in games against Villanova and No. 2 Duke. Villanova is led down low by a pair of lanky, senior centers. Senior center Mouphtaou Yarou is 6 foot, 10 inches and averages nine points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Redshirtsenior center Maurice Sutton is 6 foot, 11 inches and averages 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Duke’s 6-foot-10-inch senior forward Mason Plumlee averages 19.6 points and 11 re-
bounds per game. He scored 16 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in Temple’s 78-73 upset win at the Wells Fargo Center in January of last season. “It’s a big week for us,” Dunphy said. “Obviously Villanova is a fantastic basketball program. It’s going to be a tough game out there, no question. And Duke speaks for itself.” While Lee is better off than he would have been without the time he gained in Eric’s absence last year, he’s still undersized and inexperienced. Temple has coasted in the first five games of the season, but two contests against prestigious programs in power conferences this week could prove to be a reality check. Joey Cranney can be reached at joseph.cranney@temple.edu or on Twitter @joey_cranney.
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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
LAY UP OR SHUT UP
Owls face toughest tests against Villanova and Duke this week. JOEY CRANNEY Sports Editor
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he men’s basketball team has won the first five games of the season for the first time since 1987, but that doesn’t mean the Owls are off to their best start in 25 years. Four of Temple’s five wins have come against teams with a losing record. The Owls are winning those games, against teams with a combined record of 8-22, by an average of eight points. There’s been a blemish on Temple’s box score in every game so far this season. In the opener against Kent State (5-3), the Owls turned the ball over 19 times. On Nov. 17 against Rice (2-5), the Owls shot 4-for-26 (15.4 percent) from beyond the arc. Temple shot 35 percent against Buffalo (2-7) on Nov. 28 and scored a season low 54 points, including 23 points in the second half. But more unnerving is the common theme of Temple being unable to defend or assert itself offensively in the post against opponents with sizable forwards. In games against Kent State, Delaware and Wagner, Temple has either allowed a
post player to score doubledigit points, been outrebounded or been outscored in the paint. Kent State’s Chris Evans, a 6-foot-8-inch senior forward, scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a game when the Owls were outrebounded 44 to 30. Six-foot-9-inch senior forward Jamelle Hagins registered a double-double for Delaware and the Blue Hens outscored the Owls 26 to 16 in the paint. Wagner was led by a physical underclassmen and an athletic veteran guard in a 70-62 loss to Temple on Saturday, Dec. 1. Sophomore Mario Moody, a 6-foot-7-inch forward, grabbed 14 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds in 22 minutes. Seahawks’ senior Jonathon Williams, a 6-foot-6-inch guard, scored 15 points and had six rebounds. Wagner outrebounded the Owls 42 to 30 and outscored Temple in the paint 30 to 24. The majority of Wagner’s points on the inside came in the first half, when the Seahawks outscored the Owls inside by a margin of 18 to eight. Temple redshirt-sophomore Anthony Lee, a 6-foot-9-inch forward and the man most responsible for guarding post players,
missed 17 minutes of the first half after registering two fouls in the game’s first three minutes. Lee picked up another foul in the second half and was benched again. He finished the game with four points and one rebound in 12 minutes. “[Lee] needs to stay on the floor better than he did,” coach Fran Dunphy said. “It’s a team concept issue, where he gets left out to dry, so we can’t do that to him. But he needs to play through that. In the second half, you can’t pick up your third foul right away and you have to be smarter with beating people to the spot.” Lee got into foul trouble early against Delaware, too, a game in which the Owls allowed a season-high 29 points from Hagins. When Lee’s playing time is limited due to foul trouble, the Owls rely on 6-foot-6inch senior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, 6-foot-6-inch redshirt-senior forward Scootie Randall and 6-foot-9-inch graduate forward Jake O’Brien to pick up the slack in the frontcourt. “It’s very important that [Lee] stays on the floor,” Randall said. “I think [O’Brien’s]
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HUA ZONG TTN
Soccer standout goes pro Grad student turns weightlifter Tyler Witmer has found a spot with the Harrisburg Heat. TYLER SABLICH The Temple News Former TemMEN’S SOCCER ple soccer standout Tyler Witmer is uncertain of what the future has in store for him. “I’m not really sure of my path right now,” Witmer said. “I would like to keep going after my soccer dream and see how it goes. It’s been fun so far.” Witmer, who played his final game at Temple in November 2011, already finds
himself with his third professional soccer team. After failed stints with the Harrisburg City Islanders of the United Soccer Leagues and the Panama City Beach Pirates of the U.S. Premier Development League, Witmer is back to playing in the state capital as a member of the Harrisburg Heat. Witmer has started all three games thus far for the Heat, an expansion team that belongs to the Professional Arena Soccer League. He is currently second on the team with five points, three goals and two assists. He also leads the team with 17 shots. Witmer scored his first career professional goal on Nov. 17 against
the Cincinnati Kings. Harrisburg coach Richard Chinapoo said Witmer’s versatility pays dividends for his indoor soccer club. “[Witmer] offered the ability to play different positions,” Chinapoo said. “He can play almost three different positions offensively. He has attributes that are useful to the indoor game.” Witmer, a Wernersville, Pa., native, was a workhouse throughout his tenure with the Owls, managing to not miss a single game for four years. He ranks ninth all time in goals scored at Temple with 23 career tallies. Witmer’s former
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Ryan Basa places fourth at American Open Championships. SAMUEL MATTHEWS The Temple News Standing at 5 feet and weighing in at 123 pounds, Ryan Basa looks more like a secondyear pharmacy graduate student than an Olympic weightlifter. Yet, the Los Angeles native of Filipino descent finished in fourth place at the American Open Championships held in Palm Springs, Calif., from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. “I had an amazing time,” Basa said. “I didn’t realize how
big of an event this was until I was there. It was so exciting seeing so many top-notch athletes in one place. It was really an honor competing against possible future Olympians and even meeting past ones.” Basa, 25, is a second-year pharmacy student at Temple. He got his first taste of Philadelphia as an undergraduate from University of California, Irvine when he visted his sister at Drexel. “When I was doing my undergrad I would visit her every summer, and I got more familiar with Philly,” Basa said. “I liked the city and I wanted to be in a more urban environment.” “[Temple] was one of the
schools I got in to, and I wanted to get the East Coast feel while I am still relatively young and not settled down or anything,” Basa added. Although Basa is one of the top Olympic weightlifters in the country, he did not start training for Olympic weightlifting until about three months ago. As an all-around athlete, Basa was originally attracted to CrossFit and worked out at CrossFit Center City. It was at CrossFit Center City that Basa caught the eye of Jim Rutter, head Olympic weightlifting coach of Liberty Barbell Club located at the same premises. “[Basa] joined the gym to
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Balanced attack tops Orange The Owls played their best game of the year vs. Syracuse. TYLER SABLICH The Temple News WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Through their first five games of the season, the Owls would sink or swim based on how senior center Victoria Macaulay performed. In its last two matchups, however, Temple has been committed to a balanced scoring attack. In losses to Nebraska and Rutgers, Macaulay averaged
six points and 5.5 rebounds, resulting in Temple getting blown out by an average of 21 points. In the team’s first three wins, Macaulay averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds. The second highest individual point total in those three games was 13, which was done once by sophomore guard Rateska Brown and once by redshirt-junior power forward Natasha Thames. On Nov. 28 against Bowling Green, however, things went vastly different. Macaulay recorded 12 points and seven rebounds, and Temple still went on to win 70-56. For the first time this season, Macaulay was not the team’s leading scorer in
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Jerry Roberts brings five years of playing experience to his role of coaching ice hockey. SPORTS DESK 215-204-9537
a game in which they won. Instead, freshman forward Sally Kabengano had a career high 17 points to go along with five rebounds and three blocked shots. Brown also outscored Macaulay, dropping 15 points on a 5-for-9 shooting night. “It hurt us a lot in previous games to pass up on open shots in order to do something else,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “We would end up turning the basketball over. So, we’re just preaching, ‘Shoot the ball.’” Shoot the ball is precisely what Temple did on Dec. 2 against Syracuse. In the Owls’
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Freshman guard Erica Covile dribbles by Syracuse freshman guard Brittney Sykes in the Owls’ 74-67 comeback win at McGonigle Hall Sunday. | MAGGIE TRAPANI TTN
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Matt Gwilliam establishes defensive mindset in second year as women’s soccer coach. SPORTS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
NOT-SO-HOT START, ONLINE Read more about the men’s basketball team’s 5-0 start at temple-news.com/sports.