THE TEMPLE NEWS
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Temple Football has not won a conference game on the road since November 2019.
Read more on Page 21.
WHAT’S INSIDE INVESTIGATIONS, Pages 14-15
The Temple News utilized public records to find out who owned the most properties around campus.
NEWS, Page 3
Trump and Harris will debate for the first time in the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia tonight.
THE TEMPLE NEWS
Samuel O’Neal Editor-in-Chief
Sidney Rochnik Managing Editor
Claire Zeffer Managing Editor
Anna Augustine Co-Chief Copy Editor
Valeria Uribe Co-Chief Copy Editor
Evelyn Blower News Editor
Nurbanu Sahin Assistant News Editor
Samantha Morgan Assistant News Editor
Mccaillaigh Rouse Opinion Editor
Bradley McEntee Assistant Opinion Editor
Navya Nair Features Editor
Bayleh Alexander Assistant Features Editor
Jadon George Features Staff Writer
Ryan Mack Sports Editor
Colin Schofield Assistant Sports Editor
Sienna Conaghan Assistant Sports Editor
Jaison Nieves Sports Social Media Manager
Allison Beck Investigations Editor
Julia Anderson Director of Audience Engagement
Oliver Economidis Public Engagement Coordinator
Isabella Farrow Audience Engagement Editor
Rai Ganesan Audience Engagement Editor
Jack Larson Photo Editor
Jared Tatz Assistant Photo Editor
Noel Chacko Staff Photographer
Kajsa Morse Multimedia Editor
Ava Campbell Assistant Multimedia Editor
Lyndsey Griswold Print Design Editor
Juan Colon Graphic Design Editor
Ava Fitzgerald Data Editor
Pablo Rouco Podcast Editor
Anna Rowland Newsletter Editor
Ashley Gideon Web Editor
Lolade Kola-Adewuyi Advertising Manager
Matthew Eaton Advertising Manager
Daivik Bewtra Business Manager
The Temple News is an editorially independent weekly publication serving the Temple University community.
Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.
Adjacent commentary is reflective of their authors, not The Temple News.
The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-inChief, Managing Editors, Chief Copy Editor, Deputy Copy Editor, News Editor and Opinion Editors. The views expressed in editorials only reflect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.
CORRECTIONS
ON THE COVER Temple Football fumbled through the second game of the season as hopes for the team diminish.
JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS
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Accuracy is our business, so when a mistake is made, we’ll correct it as soon as possible. Anyone with inquiries about content in this newspaper can contact Editor-in-Chief Samuel O’Neal at editor@temple-news.com.
NEWS
POLITICS
Students prepare for Philly Trump-Harris debate
Trump and Harris will debate for the first time at the National Constitution Center in Old City.
BY EVELYN BLOWER News Editor
Since the beginning of their presidential campaigns, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have both made appearances at The Liacouras Center on Temple’s campus. Now as their party’s candidates, Harris and Trump are returning to Philadelphia tonight to debate each other for the first time at the National Constitution Center.
The debate starts at 9 p.m., with World News Tonight anchor David Muir and Linsey Davis from ABC News Live moderating. The debate will be 90 minutes with two commercial breaks and will be streamed from ABC News, Disney+ and Hulu.
Temple’s on-campus political student organizations have prepared extensively for the election year by hosting different town halls, inviting guest speakers of different parties and supporting different candidates throughout their campaign trails.
“As this is our first time seeing Kamala against Trump, I am really hoping it will be a chance to distinguish herself as her own candidate as opposed to just being Joe Biden’s Vice President,” said Peyton Giordano, a junior political science and criminal justice major and vice president of Temple Democrats. “Our last debate was focusing on the ridiculous things Trump said. I think that this is a chance, because Kamala is a great speaker and debater, that the tables can really turn on Donald Trump.”
The two candidates recently agreed that no live audience would be present and that their microphones will be muted when the other candidate is speaking. Harris’ campaign pushed for unmuted mics while Trump’s campaign was fine with keeping the rules the same as his last debate with Biden. The issues were solved a week prior to the debate.
“In the first debate, [Trump] highlighted a lot of his record and what he accomplished in the past but didn’t talk much about the future,” said Billy Walker, a junior political science major and president of Temple Republicans. “I think it’s important for Trump to flesh out his exact policy ideas for how we can return the border and economy to the successes of his first administration.”
Harris last visited Philadelphia on Aug. 6 at Temple’s Liacouras Center in the first rally with Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz. Trump visited The Liacouras Center on June 22 and his VP candidate JD Vance recently visited Philadelphia on Aug. 19.
The National Constitution Center also hosted a debate between former President Barack Obama and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2008, as well as a Trump town hall in 2020.
“Everyone is excited about the debate and we anticipate having a debate watch party as we’re happy the debate is
in Philadelphia,” Walker said. “We believe it’s very significant and an honor to have the debate, which could decide the next leader of our country, in the city that is the birthplace of American democracy.”
Presidential candidates typically visit Pennsylvania often during election years since it’s one of the most important swing states in almost every presidential election. Recently, bootleg bus stations ads were put up around Philly portraying Harris in an Eagles helmet and jersey, which were promptly taken down.
Both Philadelphia campaign events brought supporters and protestors to campus, signaling a contentious campaigning season. With tensions high around the country, many groups and organizations are trying to amplify young adult voices.
Since voter advocacy groups do not want to work with only one political party, Temple Democrats and Temple Republicans have joined forces to en-
courage students to vote in November. Project26, a non-partisan student organization, is working with the two clubs for a voter registration tabling event. Klein College of Media and Communication is also hosting a watch party in Annenberg Hall’s atrium on Tuesday at 8 p.m with guest speakers and faculty present. Temple Democrats is also hosting an open house debate watch party in the Howard Gittis Student Center Cinema at 9 p.m.
“Our vote has a lot of sway and does matter, and I think people don’t really realize that,” said Lourdes Cardamone, a junior political science major and president of Temple Democrats. “Young people are angry, we’re fired up, and the best thing we can do now is get to the polls, not only registering but making sure that you get there in November.”
evelyn.blower@temple.edu @evelyn_blower
SARAH MADDEN / THE TEMPLE NEWS
The National Constitution Center will host the debate between the two candidates on Sept. 10.
FACULTY
TAUP negotiations continue, one issue unresolved
A year later, the university and union are holding their ground on the issue of provided sick leave.
BY NURBANU SAHIN Assistant News Editor
It has been more than a year since negotiations for a new union contract between Temple and the Temple Association of University Professionals, a union that represents full and part-time faculty members and librarians from 13 of Temple’s colleges, began on Aug. 18. 2023.
TAUP announced last year that they were entering contract negotiations with the goals of increasing job security, pay and administration transparency. After 32 sessions, the union said the last issue they won’t change their stance on is the right to use all 10 days of the provided sick leave the university offers, which TAUP says they get disciplined for using once they go over five days.
The current university offer tackles increased pay and job security requirements put forward by TAUP. This includes an average increase in wages of more than 18% for full-time faculty, 20% for librarians and 25% for academic professionals. The same sick leave policy in the Employee Manual is held, putting aside 10 sick days for non-bargaining, full-time employees.
There has been increased job security for non-tenure track faculty with presumed continued employment for faculty after nine consecutive years of employment and multi-semester appointments for adjuncts after working at least four consecutive years. Expanded benefits include paid parental leave for librarians and academic professionals, as well as prescription drug benefits for adjunct faculty.
The university will also extend the traditional four-year agreement to five years, said Sharon Boyle, vice president of human resources.
“The pay increase that we currently have on the table is probably greater than they’ve seen in over two decades,”
Boyle said. “We’ve also acknowledged their priorities. They have stated priorities of equity, which to them, they said, is having people at lower pay levels receive greater increases. What we did was propose a flat dollar amount which would give greater percentage increases to people at lower pay grade pay levels.”
The issue of sick leave remains on the table, with both parties releasing statements following a session on Aug. 28.
“Every other proposal and counter proposal has been agreed to,” the union wrote in a social media release. “Despite TAUP making significant compromises during today’s session in exchange for sick leave policy, the administration refused to agree to enforce their own agreement of 10 sick days.”
TAUP referenced the death of former Temple librarian Latanya Jenkins in their fight for librarians and APs to use their full 10 sick days as written in Temple’s own policy. Jenkins died of metastatic breast cancer in April 2021.
Temple administration holds the position that they cannot exempt librari-
ans and academic professionals from the same attendance policies that apply to all other staff members, Boyle wrote.
Negotiations will continue as of now. The union said they will be meeting with members and escalating pressure to get this language into the next collective bargaining agreement. They will not sign until sick leave for librarians and academic professionals is a necessary part of the agreement.
“We believe it is time for the faculty, librarians and academic professionals to decide,” Boyle wrote in an email to the Temple community following the most recent negotiation session. “After two years with no wage increases for members of this bargaining unit, the university has asked the union to take the package offered [on Aug. 28] to its membership for a vote. It is up to TAUP alone to decide if members of the bargaining unit get to vote and what they get to vote on.”
The university also reached a tentative agreement with the Temple Law Professors Collective Bargaining Association on Sept. 6. The two parties had
been bargaining for a new contract since TLPCBA’s contract expired in June.
A union meeting was called for all members of TAUP on Aug. 30, a source told The Temple News. No vote was taken regarding the contract offered by the university during bargaining, but many members still believe the university needs to make a decision on the sick leave policy.
The “10 means 10” campaign was launched by the union after the university walked away from a tentative agreement. TAUP sent out a letter to members who were encouraged to sign.
“I think most people agree that the sick leave policy for such employees is punitive and wrong. But there is some frustration that this is the last sticking point and the last issue before putting the contract to a vote,” an anonymous TAUP member wrote in a message to The Temple News. “After so long, I think everyone is just tired. Many of us are waiting for a pay raise and job security, knowing that it will not be retroactive.”
nurbanu@temple.edu @nurbanusahinn
JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS TAUP and Temple have yet to reach an agreement after more than a year of negotiations.
CAMPUS
Temple revises policies amid on-campus protests
The university continues disciplinary action investigations for students involved in protests.
BY NURBANU SAHIN Assistant News Editor
As the number of protests on Temple’s campus continues to rise, the university has amended its on-campus demonstration guidelines.
A new section to the guidelines was added in August 2024 that states no demonstration can interrupt pedestrian or vehicular traffic, cause injury or damage to a person or property and the use of voice amplifiers are prohibited inside campus facilities and outside if it disrupts classes.
The revised section comes after a year of several protests on campus, many including the use of megaphones and marching on Broad Street. Students for Justice in Palestine led protests through the street while the Temple Association of University Professionals picketed in front of Mazur Hall.
Last week, SJP gathered at Charles Library, marched to Alter Hall and ended by blocking traffic on Broad Street en route to the Hillel Center for Jewish Life. Temple President Richard Englert, in an email to the university community, condemned the actions and said any participating students would receive disciplinary action.
As students returned to campus in August, the university emphasized awareness of Student Conduct Code and demonstration guidelines in an email to the community. The email did not specify policy changes.
“As we routinely do during the summer, university personnel spent time reviewing our existing policies, regulations and guidelines with an eye towards streamlining and clarifying them,” a university spokesperson wrote in a statement to The Temple News.
The university is also disciplining students for off-campus activity which resulted in their arrests last semester.
Students from various colleges in
the Philadelphia area participated in a pro-Palestine encampment on Penn’s campus in May. Following a 16-day camp out, students were arrested and charged with defiant trespass, including several Temple students.
The Temple students facing disciplinary action by the university are being represented by Solomon Worlds, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization that defends constitutional rights of individuals.
Worlds released a letter addressed directly to Temple administration Aug. 15 discrediting the basis of the university’s disciplinary action.
“Today it’s pro-Palestinian activists, tomorrow it’s someone else,” Worlds said. “I’m not the first person to point this out. Nelson Mandela was saying it in the 80s and 90s, though many have said it before and after him. None of us are free until all of us are free. And an attack on one is an attack on all. It’s why the ACLU was founded, and why the ACLU of Pennsylvania is representing students here.”
A similar letter was later released by
TAUP condemning the university for their decision to discipline students for their involvement in Penn’s encampment.
One of the students represented by ACLU PA told the Temple News they were given a central booking number with the charge of defiant trespass. Legal action was not pursued by the Philadelphia District Attorney. The conduct hearings and sanctions are actions pursued solely by the university.
In hearings with designated members of the Department of Student Affairs, an accused Temple student told The Temple News they were told they violated codes 13 and 23 of the Student Conduct Code — failure to comply and disorderly conduct. While both provisions were referenced, the student was only asked to define their violation of code 13 during their hearing.
“[Code 13] was also the only code of conduct they found us guilty of as they had no evidence whatsoever regarding our conduct before, during or after our arrest. They claimed that simply the fact that we were arrested meant we failed to comply,” the anonymous Temple student
said.
The student explained that while the university never specifically mentioned which code allows them to pursue disciplinary action towards them, they believe it is Code III(A). The code writes that any off-campus incident can be applied to the Student Code if it affects the university community.
The student was placed on disciplinary probation during the conduct hearings. This prevents the student from being involved in any student leadership positions on campus and bars them from studying abroad.
“My experience at Temple prior to this has been amazing,” the student said. “I love my professors and the education is amazing. I’ve been so radicalized by professors that I really admire and that I consider mentors. And then Temple is coming down on us hard and trying to send this scary message that using our education for good is a bad thing and is wrong, and disciplining us for it.”
nurbanu@temple.edu @nurbanusahinn
OLIVER ECONOMIDIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Groups of students assembled for a pro-Palestine rally outside Charles Library on Aug. 29.
HEALTH
Temple Women’s Hospital set to open in January
Temple Health is working to offer inpatient care at Temple Women and Families Hospital.
BY SAMANTHA MORGAN Assistant News Editor
After years of delays, Temple Women and Families Hospital will soon open its doors for inpatient services after a year of offering just outpatient care.
The hospital aims to begin offering inpatient services in early January 2025 pending state regulatory approvals, wrote Jeremey Walter, director of media relations at Temple Health, in a statement to The Temple News. These approvals cannot be made until construction and a physical inspection have been completed.
The hospital’s goals include reducing maternal mortality rates and providing healthcare to all women and families, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Temple University Hospital purchased the buildings, equipment and supplies of the former Cancer Treatment Centers of America location in Northeast Philadelphia for $12 million in June 2021.
“We are going to great lengths to make sure this campus provides our community with the high-quality services and care that they deserve,” Walter wrote. “Those efforts have been extensive and the delays have been entirely construction related as the refurbishment project turned out to be larger than we originally thought.”
The requirements for building a new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit — which includes a larger heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for the hospital and some asbestos insulation being removed — are reasons for the delay in offering inpatient services, Walter wrote.
The hospital will be working to combat maternal mortality as rates across the country have risen in the last 30 years. There were 110 pregnancy-associated deaths in Philadelphia from 2013-18 according to a March 2022 report released by the City of Philadelphia’s official website. That number is nearly 15% above
the national average.
Black mothers are three times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes than white women in the United States, the CDC reported.
Latrice Jackson, a senior paralegal officer at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and a mother of two, has noticed the racial disparities in maternal healthcare.
“Women of color, Black and brown, who have experienced this devastating loss makes you question whether the circumstances were the same with their white counterparts,” Jackson said. “Were there underlying concerns with that mother who was of color or her white counterpart that weren’t addressed prior to delivery?”
Temple Women and Families’ website says it is committed to addressing both existing and emerging health conditions while working to rectify historical disparities in healthcare.
“Exceptional services are being designed to ensure that our patients have
access to the highest quality care in a patient-centered environment, and are able to achieve the best outcomes regardless of their social and economic circumstances,” wrote Michael Young, president and CEO of Temple Health, in a 2021 press release after the acquisition of the hospital.
Temple Women and Families Hospital reaffirmed that their goals are the same as before the delays and they are dedicated to providing the best possible outcomes for their patients.
“Temple Health is dedicated to partnering with our community to reverse the trend of maternal and women’s health outcomes,” Walter wrote. “Temple Women & Families will be the Philadelphia area’s only campus exclusively dedicated to women’s and families’ health. This means developing an equitable model for ensuring healthy parents, babies, and pregnancy outcomes.”
Alongside the new NICU, the hospital will offer private rooms for mothers and their children, 12 labor and delivery
and high risk antepartum beds, 32 postpartum beds, 8 ICU beds, a triage and stabilization area, an expanded neonatal unit and more than 75 exam rooms, including radiology, mammography, MRI and CT rooms.
Members of the Philadelphia community are awaiting the opening of the hospital. Alli Nikles, a 2024 liberal studies alumna, believes the hospital will positively impact the Philadelphia community.
“A campus completely focused on the healthcare of women would aid in a comforting and welcoming environment,” Nikles said. “I firmly believe that this hospital is important for society today as it offers a variety of different services necessary for women’s health, some of which aren’t available at a typical hospital. A campus for all speciality services would be very cohesive.”
samantha.morgan@temple.edu @sammimorgann
JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple Women and Families Hospital aims to offer inpatient services beginning in 2025.
OPINION
EDITORIAL
Be politically active
Today, Sept. 10, is the first presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Many Temple students will be voting for the first time in November, and with so many pressing issues on the ballot, being politically informed is in the best interest of student voters.
Following the last presidential election in 2020, Roe v. Wade was overturned, leaving reproductive legislation up to state legislatures. Annual inflation rates also peaked in 2022 at 8%, although they’ve since decreased to 2.9% as of July 2024 according to the US Inflation Calendar.
Both economy and reproductive rights were the two most important issues to young voters, according to a 2024 poll by The Temple News.
As Election Day draws close, The Editorial Board urges students to stay informed on the viewpoints of political candidates and how they align with their interests. Every vote counts and students must prepare for this election by being civically engaged, registering to vote and making a voting plan.
Students should decide their voter course of action, either mail-in or in-person, and inform themselves of important voter deadlines.
Students can use vote.org to find their state’s voter registration deadlines and register to vote by filling out an online registration form.
Tonight’s debate will likely highlight questions concerning the economy and constitutional rights, so students should tune in to fully form their opinions before voting in November. Watching Trump and Harris side by side in the debate allows students to compare their policies and their ability to engage in high-pressure political conversations.
The crucial matters on the ballot should influence students to stay aware of the candidate’s stances through reliable news sources like the Associated Press and POLITICO. The next president will decide who they want to govern executive offices like the Environmental Protection Agency, which would affect the country beyond the fouryear presidency.
At a time of significant heightened political conflict, being politically oblivious is not a viable option. As the election approaches, it’s paramount for students to know where candidates stand on urgent matters and remain politically informed considering the severity of issues presented on the ballot.
Students, make a voting plan
A student urges her peers to use alternatives to vote during the presidential elections.
BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinon Editor POLITICS
Starting on Sept. 16, voters in Pennsylvania can begin casting their early voting ballots for the upcoming presidential election. As a key battleground state, Pennsylvania plays a crucial role in the battle between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
College students hold similar significance as one of the biggest voting demographics who can sway November’s election’s results. However, 36% of Temple students are out-of-state residents, many of whom can’t travel long distances home to vote on Election Day. Temple also holds classes on Election Day, further complicating in-person voting for students with busy schedules.
Fortunately, absentee and mail-in ballots give students the flexibility to vote remotely and allow them to create a low-stress voting plan ahead of Election Day. Students should explore the mail-in voting options to ensure they can cast their vote even if they aren’t physically at the polls.
Mail-in and absentee voting are offered across all 50 states and are a great alternative to traveling to and waiting in line at a polling location on Election Day. The mail-in option takes out the stress of voting in person and gives students more time to study their ballots and research candidates. In the 2020 election, six of the top 10 states for youth voter turnout were vote-at-home states, according to a 2023 study by the National Vote at Home Institute.
Ari Monarch believes that mail-in voting is an effective option that gives students more time to consider their choices.
“It’s not as though we’re given off for Election Day, whether it’s from school or work. So that might be a reason why mail-in and absentee is a little bit easier for students,” said Monarch, a senior political science major and the president of Temple’s Political Science Society.
Students can register to vote and update their polling locations online through vote.
gov. This website offers state-specific voting dates and registration deadlines, as each state has unique voting periods and registration cutoffs. Understanding voting dates is essential and will remove stress from the voting process.
Malia McKay, a first-time voter, believes it’s essential to civically engage and participate in voting for this presidential election with so many significant issues on the line for young people.
“This is the first year that I’m old enough to vote in the presidential election, so I think it’s really important as an American citizen and a person contributing to society, it’s important to exercise that right,” said McKay, a junior communication and social influence major.
Multiple on-campus organizations provide students with the resources they need to create a voting plan and be politically engaged. Temple Votes and Project26 are nonpartisan groups that provide information about registering to vote and changing voting locations so students don’t have to jump through hoops to exercise their civic duty.
Micheal Hagen, an associate political science professor, said voting is a personal responsibility for students that upholds the American government.
“It’s pretty clear we as citizens and residents need to be supportive of our institutions and that means informing ourselves about what is going on and what the alternatives are and casting some form of a vote, expressing our preferences and our support for the system,” Hagen said.
With less than three months before the election, students need to begin establishing their voting plan. Students can prevent future stress or a rush to the polls by registering and choosing a voting option ahead of time. There are accessible ways to prepare, both on campus and through online resources.
mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu
ESSAY
Finding joy by pressing rewind on my brat summer
A student reflects on how “BRAT” by Charli xcx helped them overcome feelings of isolation.
BY BRADLEY MCENTEE Assistant Opinion Editor
Like many 20-somethings, the soundtrack to my summer was Charli xcx’s club record, “BRAT.” The album embodied the cultural zeitgeist of post-COVID life and the desire to breathe in the sweat of strangers while head-banging to a DJ set. This phenomenon was known as “brat summer,” a testament to young people’s yearning for party culture.
As normal as it may seem for a college student to be drawn to brat summer, it felt unattainable because summer has always been tricky for me. Without the demands of school and the fulfillment I get from learning and writing, my mood dampens and I find it hard to do things as simple as leaving the house.
While many of my peers spent their summers celebrating the blistering heat, my anxiety stopped me in my tracks before I could entertain the idea of leaving. When people texted me to hang out, I’d let their message sit in my inbox and pretend I didn’t see it. If they followed up, I’d lie and say I was busy. But even in isolation with my head glued to my pillow, I was listening to “BRAT” from front to back almost every day.
The most frustrating part about brat summer was loving the album so much but not being able to embody it the way others could. However, as I continued listening to “BRAT” months after its release, I found my version of a brat summer.
Along with the flirty lyricism and
electronic beats were shockingly honest lyrics. Charli mused about the anxiety of coming of age, the insecurity of being in the public eye and the feeling of not being enough for everyone around her.
Like Charli, I often feel like I’m lacking something both personal and emotional. I frequently spiral about what I don’t have instead of appreciating what I do. That was the root of my summer depression.
I wanted to experience the ideal brat summer, but yearning for something I didn’t have made me forget all the amazing things I do. I had dedicated friends who wanted my company and I wish I appreciated them sooner.
I realized a traditional brat summer was never my idea of a good time anyway. I’m too anxious to be in large, overheated crowds of people in uncomfortable party clothes. It wasn’t being in a club or bar that I was jealous of. I wanted the togetherness I saw so many people enjoy as they celebrated their own version of brat summer.
Since then, I’ve started listening to “BRAT” in a different way. Between the jagged edges of “BRAT” is a tender heart boiling over with desperation and self-doubt. It became a gospel of what it’s like to be insecure and feel the need to hide it from the people around you. While Charli buried her emotions in clubbing and substances, I did it through isolation.
By listening to “BRAT,” I empathized with Charli and realized the feelings I have don’t make me a bad person or friend, but letting them control me did. Forcing myself to be alone did nothing except hurt those who just wanted to be around me.
I began mustering the willpower to reach out to my friends and do things as
simple as going for a walk to get out of my isolated bubble. I went to baseball games, took impromptu drives with my best friends and ran around Philadelphia without caring when I would get home. For the first time in my life, being with my friends in the summer made me happy.
I learned to embody the essence of “BRAT” without the sparkles, alcohol and partying. The concept of being a brat is equally made up of messy hair, smudged lipstick and the barefoot walk home. But most importantly, it’s the ability to set aside my personal life and submerge myself in the community that makes being alive worthwhile.
I regret not hanging out with the people I love. I can’t rectify my mistakes now, but I can carry the lessons of brat summer with me into every season. Even if I’m tired, anxious or depressed, the best medicine is camaraderie. I’m now more dedicated to my friends, and I hope I’m able to stay consistent with my promises to hang out.
If Charli can do it, so can I. I expect to see my friends next summer when we’re all home for break. Until then, I’ll listen to “BRAT” and remind myself of what I learned, and hopefully, we can be bumping that record next year.
bradley.mcentee@temple.edu
JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
ESSAY
How my migraines helped me to gain a perspective
A student reflects on how her migraines gave her a new view on women’s healthcare.
BY MCCAILLAIGH ROUSE Opinion Editor
Since I was 10 years old, I’ve been plagued by debilitating migraines.
I vividly remember the first migraine I had, which struck while I was playing four-square in the recess yard. My vision started to narrow and my body went numb. I felt a pulsing sensation on the right side of my head accompanied by a stabbing pain that felt like an ice-pick was being driven through my eye. Migraines became a regular occurrence from that point on, disrupting my life every few months.
One of the worst periods of migraines I endured was at the age of 16 when I began taking birth control pills. They started as bad headaches but gradually progressed to include auras and hemiplegia, causing motor weakness and numbness in my limbs.
These migraines happened once or twice a month and lasted for days, leaving me debilitated and afraid to leave the house in fear of having a migraine. I felt like I was trapped inside a shell of anxiety that turned me into a person I didn’t recognize.
I started spending lots of time overanalyzing my body and how I felt, looking for symptoms of an oncoming migraine, like back pain or a sore neck. I’d spend hours in bed with my windows closed and curtains drawn so I wouldn’t trigger an episode.
After enduring this cycle for around six months, I finally sought help from a neurologist who informed me my birth
control was causing the migraines and heightening my risk of stroke.
I was shocked because I was never informed of the potential consequences of the medication I was taking. This revelation was followed by a deep sense of anger. The medication that was supposed to be safe and beneficial had instead caused me months of fear and pain.
For half a year, I didn’t trust my emotions and focused so much on the discomfort I felt. I blamed myself for continuing to take birth control for so long. I also couldn’t comprehend how a doctor prescribed the medication without asking beforehand if I experienced migraines.
After I went off my birth control, the persistent migraines went away and I only had mild episodes every six months. I was no longer afraid to leave my house and regained control over my life.
However, I’ve experienced a resurgence of migraines similar to those I had when I was 16 during the last few months. This return coincided with starting a new birth control pill. Unfortunately, I discovered through loss of vision and incapacitating nausea that this new birth control was no different.
A gynecologist, who was informed of my previous birth control-induced migraines, prescribed the medication. I believed the medication would give me newfound control of my life, but taking it makes me feel less in control than ever before.
I went back to my OB-GYN to explain the increase in migraines and anxiety and was told I should try another form of birth control. I was also told it’s impossible to know if the next medication could induce the side effects. I left my appointment knowing two things; I have to go off of the medication and there may not be a prescribed birth control option for me.
I’ve had four migraine attacks in the
past month, causing me to miss class and fall behind at work. I can rarely enjoy time spent with other people due to lingering anxieties about experiencing an episode.
When I search for “hormonally caused migraine solutions,” the treatments and care options feel dismissive. Suggestions range from managing stress and improving eating habits to taking over-the-counter ibuprofen. While medications are helpful during a migraine, I want more comprehensive research and a cure specifically focused on women’s health.
I’ve come to realize that the underlying cause of my migraines lies in the lack of attention and care given to women’s medical issues, whether it’s hormonal
migraines or obstetric care.
Every morning, I fear I’ll experience a migraine when I’m away from home. I worry about the day I might run out of my medication and lose control of the episodes. I haven’t outgrown my migraines, and I’m not sure if I ever will.
The one thing I don’t fear is my determination to seek a solution. I refuse to succumb to migraines and allow them to take over my life. I will never take the blame for the migraines I experience and the days they steal from me, and I condemn the healthcare system and the true lack of concern modern medicine has for the modern woman.
mccaillaigh.rouse@temple.edu
JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Temple, take steps to save Lightbox Film Center
THEATER A student argues Temple should preserve Lightbox Film Center after UArts’ closure.
BY BRADLEY MCENTEE Assistant Opinion Editor
Since 2019, the University of the Arts has funded The Lightbox Film Center, an exhibitor best known for screening foreign and arthouse cinema and a strong advocate for the restoration of movies shot on decomposing film. The Lightbox offered entertainment unlike any other theater in Philadelphia, but shut down suddenly following UArts’ permanent closure in May.
Hope for the center to reopen was contingent on a possible merger between Temple and UArts, but negotiations ceased on Aug. 29, leaving the future of The Lightbox unknown.
Temple’s drive to preserve UArt’s resources and foster a seamless transition between universities following its closure has been admirable. They accelerated the launch of an illustration degree program for incoming transfer students and welcomed 330 students from UArts onto campus. For many, Temple was the last chance to preserve the artistic excellence that UArts has built since its opening.
Following the failed merger, Temple proposed working with local non-profit organizations to mitigate the effects of UArt’s closure in a statement to students and faculty. Temple should explore working with third parties or utilizing their film facilities to welcome The Lightbox on campus to enrich historic film education and provide a creative outlet for students with niche interests.
Chris Cagle, an associate professor of film and media arts, believes adding The Lightbox to Temple could revitalize student interest in film and offer a unique space for students to gather.
“We don’t have a really good space on Temple’s campus right now,” Cagle said. “I just think it would encourage an openness because you might discover
this other thing you like that is similar to the thing that [you already] love.”
Temple has previously shown interest in expanding their film facilities. In 2023, the City of Philadelphia released Temple’s proposal for a state-of-the-art facility for the Klein College of Media and Communication and The Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts. The plans received praise from city planners and community members, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
UArts acquired The Lightbox in 2019, housing the film exhibition space inside their student center on Broad Street.
Under UArts’ operations, The Lightbox continued to expand its exhibition capabilities, showing never-before-seen versions of previously restored works and working to preserve old media.
Given their previous interest in diversifying its film programs and facilities, Temple administration should contemplate adopting The Lightbox into university operations. Even though the merger with UArts was unsuccessful due to limited resources, it would be more feasible for Temple to support The Lightbox than to integrate all of UArts.
In addition, the specific screenings The Lightbox offers would add diversity to Temple’s film curriculum that would benefit students’ perspectives.
Matthew Feltman notices the popular media amongst the student body and wishes they would explore film with more depth.
“I mean, most of my students are only interested in the MCU films,” said Feltman, an assistant adjunct film professor. “I think especially for people who want to become filmmakers, who want to write films, they have to have a space to go to encounter counter-[cultural] cinema.”
Other film companies like Landmark
and the Philadelphia Film Society host occasional showings of lesser-known films, but the sole mission of Lightbox was to advocate for the restoration of movies shot on decomposing film. Aside from the importance of media preservation, students can greatly benefit from consuming older and less mainstream cinema to expand their tastes and learn about historical figures.
Bringing The Lightbox to Temple would fill the gap in the school’s film scene and provide a space for students with niche interests. Although Temple already has dedicated film spaces, like The Reel and the AMC theater on Broad Street, both of those focus on popular blockbuster films.
Gabriella Turner thinks The Lightbox Film Center could be an interesting
addition to Temple’s campus.
“I think the art school is just such a big part of [Temple],” said Turner, a junior marketing major. “So I think if they brought the film aspect back, that would be really cool.”
The Lightbox Film Center’s closure is a disheartening loss to the local art community. Without a proper cinema to show restored films and advocate for film restoration, Philadelphia’s film culture could lose a resource that made it so unique. As Temple works to expand its film school and maintain their commitment to support UArts, The Lightbox could further support that mission and contribute to students’ social, cultural and educational enrichment.
bradley.mcentee@temple.edu
JUAN COLON / THE TEMPLE NEWS
LIVE in Philly
Philadelphia: Where football is more than just a game
the power of the Eagles fanbase.
BY OLIVER ECONOMIDIS Staff Photographer
What makes a sports team?
Depending on where you are, you can say the stadium, mascot, players or history. But in Philadelphia, many argue that it’s the fans.
In February, when the NFL announced the Eagles and Green Bay Packers would be making history by playing in Brazil, the outpour was electric. Doug Hager, the owner of German beer hall Brauhaus Schmitz on South Street, knew
“I know how much people were really excited about the Eagles season this year and South Street’s such a unique place where we can have these block parties,” Hager said. “I just thought, with this upcoming season, ‘What the heck, let’s give it a try’ and the crowd showed up today.”
He wasn’t the only one. Vendors set up shop outside the restaurant to watch the game and make sales, decked out in their own Eagles gear. Tom Briola, the owner and operator of Mr. Nice Cream, chose to set up shop for the first time at the watch party.
Briola, a Philly local, was raised by his New York native and Giants fan father but knew the Eagles were for him from the start. They mean more to him
than just a football team, he said.
“Gathering with friends is all that football has always been about,” Briola said. “Just going and hanging out. Just like that song, ‘pave paradise to put [up] a parking lot.’ In Philadelphia, paradise is a parking lot.”
Despite his misinterpretation of the Joni Mitchell classic, Briola’s statement rang true all night long. The street was filled with benches and tables packed with fans of all ages. Each table was covered in cups of authentic German beer, ice cream and food from Brauhaus Schmitz.
At one of these tables, Sasha Malofiy, a Fox School of Business alumnus, sat with his family and friends to watch the game. As a Philly native and lifelong fan, Malofiy has been able to see how the cul-
ture has evolved over the years.
“It brings [the] community together, it brings the whole city together,” Malofiy said. “So many people are so passionate and it’s a good positive feeling for the entire city.”
This positive feeling was nothing short of exhilarating for Saquon Barkley’s hat trick of touchdowns, and when the Eagles won 34-29, the energy exploded. As hundreds of jerseys and Eagles logos flooded the street, fans made connections with residents of the city they had never met before. In the city of brotherly love, football is more than just a game, it’s the prime example of human connection.
oliver.economidis@temple.edu
OLIVER ECONOMIDIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Eagles fans of all ages celebrated a Saquon Barkley hat trick and Eagles win in the heart of South Street.
Hundreds of fans celebrated a hat trick of touchdowns and an Eagles win in South Philly.
From top to bottom:
Patrons
Fans
Sasha Malofiy, a Fox School of Business alumnus, brought his family and friends to drink and watch the game.
Brauhaus Schmitz hosted “Birds in Brazil” and the turnout exceeded all expectations.
were illuminated by the welcoming presence of Bauhaus Schmitz.
brought their dogs to enjoy the game and made sure they fit the dress code in their own Eagles gear.
Tom Briola, owner and operator of Mr. Nice Cream, set up his cooler outside of Brauhaus Schmitz to sell his product and enjoy the game.
Brauhaus Schmitz, owned by Doug Hager, threw an Eagles watch party complete with a 20-foot screen, beer, food and a DJ.
OLIVER ECONOMIDIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS
INVESTIGATIONS
Who owns the most properties near Main Campus?
The Temple News used public records to find who owns the most properties around main campus.
BY ALLISON BECK Investigations Editor
As Temple’s undergraduate population grows and on-campus housing falls short, more and more students are becoming renters in the surrounding neighborhood’s rental market, which is dominated by big names like Off Campus Philly and Temple Villas.
To uncover the hidden faces and forces behind these companies’ row home signs, The Temple News’ Investigations Desk has tapped into local, state and national databases in the first of a multi-part series on student living.
These are the top owners from the analysis:
TEMPLE NEST
• Connections: Michael P. Lopsonzski
• Total value of properties: $35,298,400
• Interesting find: Off Campus Philly’s website boasts the convenience of having only one property owner – Michael Lopsonzski. The developer has properties in many locations, including oceanfront homes in Barbados, and is a self-described “European classic car collector.”
• Connections: Arch V, Temple I, Temple II, Temple Tech Mansion
• Total value of properties: $2,698,600
• Connections: 2008 N Broad Inc., AMZ Development, BA Investments, Finchley Investments, Abbas Zeini, Halal Mahdi, Michael Alhadad
22 KNOWN PROPERTIES
• Interesting find: CPM’s properties range from projects like the “Temple Tech Mansion,” advertised to students as spaces for “executives, entrepreneurs, creators and influencers” where “Silicon Valley meets Temple,” to low-income housing. Nine tenants filed a lawsuit against CPM in June 2024 for poor living conditions in CPM’s low-income housing, including alleged mold, infestations and broken appliances.
• Connections: Tom Bock, Bock Development Group
• Total value of properties: $20,093,300
• Interesting find: The Bock Group owns 1451 N. Broad St, recognizable to passersby for its unique triangular shape, which has been involved in a lengthy debate this year over its attempt to obtain a zoning variance to build a 19-story structure that would include residential space.
SOPHISTICATED LIVING
21 KNOWN PROPERTIES
• Connections: Yamit Haba, Yamit Reem, Avishay Reem, Adir Holdings
• Total value of properties: $8,241,100
• Interesting find: Yamit Haba, a 2004 Temple graduate, said in an interview with the Candid Career series that she and her husband were some of the first developers to begin purchasing and renting apartments off of Temple’s campus. Despite its longstanding presence in the area, Sophisticated Living has been involved in court cases up to last year for unsafe conditions, including a “failing floor system.”
• Total value of known properties: $44,174,700
• Interesting find: Two of the owners listed under these LLCs, Abbas Zeini and Halal Mahdi, made headlines in 2019 when WHYY reported that the Philadelphia Police Department found possible cremated remains in a former funeral home that the pair owned under 2008 N. Broad Inc.
INVICTUS CAPITAL PARTNERS
21 KNOWN PROPERTIES
• Connections: IRP Fund Temple, Verus
• Total value of properties: $10,624,300
• Interesting find: Invictus Capital Partners is an asset loan manager based in Washington D.C. that appears to use smaller companies to obtain and manage real estate loans. They are associated with a number of other companies within the property financing and business industries, including Paracorp Incorporated and Verus Residential.
INVESTIGATIONS
PROCESS AND LIMITATIONS
TTN Investigations used information from Philadelphia’s Land Use database, which includes information on zoning and ownership, cross-referenced with The Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s business database.
The search was narrowed down to the four census tracts around Temple’s campus to create a boundary around where students are likely to live. Results were then filtered to only include residential and vacant properties.
Major owners were assigned a tag attached to all companies under their purview – Off Campus Philly was tagged LOPS, which covered a range of LLCs linked to Michael Lopsonzski. Tags were then used to create a table of owners
While many property owners exist off Temple's campus, the top landlords found in our analysis include Off Campus Philly, Columbus Property Management, Temple Villas, Temple Nest, Sophisticated Living and IRP Fund Temple.
with information on their properties.
OpenMaps and Flourish were used to create the map graphic. Editors also utilized the same data used to find who owns the most property, as well as files from Philadelphia’s Department of Records and the U.S. Census Bureau.
While extensive work was done to ensure accuracy, it is possible that some related companies, and the properties they own, did not make it into the count due to name and address differences or other issues.
Sidney Rochnik contributed reporting. allison.beck@temple.edu @allisonbeckhere
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Message TTN Investigations anonymously on Signal using the QR code below, or email allison.beck@temple.edu.
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FEATURES
AROUND CAMPUS
Pieces of UArts’ body and spirit live on at Temple
The shuttered university’s people are finding themselves together again, including at Temple.
BY JADON GEORGE Features Staff Writer
In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own,” a drifting handyman named Tom Shiftlet declares that every person is two parts, body and spirit. The body, he says, “is like a house: it don’t go anywhere.” But the soul is a car—unrestrained by obligations, material circumstances and physical realities. In a sense, Shiftlet says, the human spirit can go everywhere, “Always on the move.”
The University of the Arts’ sudden closure at the start of summer scattered students’ bodies. They sought soft landings at Moore College of Art and Design, at Drexel, at Arcadia and at farflung academies in other corners of the country.
Many landed at Temple, of course. But they’ve kept a kind of kinship, even in exile — erupting in applause and raising heart hands when a stage designer from their old school’s faculty spoke to Temple’s theater program, for example, or congregating in the cavernous common spaces of Annenberg Hall and the Tyler School of Art and Architecture.
That spiritual architecture of camaraderie was the core of the UArts floors of Hardwick Hall, one-half of the brick towers at the northern end of Main Campus.
Incoming freshman Julia Callahan had adored the University of the Arts’ campus. While walking its buildings in the thick of downtown Philadelphia, Callahan still sensed its snugness.
“I remember checking out the campus, and I really, really liked how closeknit it was,” Callahan said. “It felt like a little community.” To her, its Center City South environs presented a sharp contrast to Temple’s teeming largesse.
As newly minted, newly matriculated transfer students reworked their
living situations, Temple’s Office of Residential Life set aside rooms for them in Hardwick Hall. Temple
President Richard Englert acknowledged the existence of such a space in a Aug. 29 email announcing the two schools would not merge.
The number of UArts students transferring to Temple made it easier to form some connections and keep others alive, said junior vocal performance major Laela Brown. Parts of the UArts campus were more intimate, she said . But that coziness didn’t completely vanish when she had to leave her old haunts behind, Brown said.
Matrix-style, the UArts community of creatives that had long-spread roots in Center City South faced the task of staying whole in a hurricane of inhumanity.
years, Cahan acknowledged.
“[There’s] just a lot of familiarity coming here, versus going somewhere else where I probably wouldn’t know anybody,” said Brown, who spent her first two years of college at UArts.
Students left bereft by UArts’ ruin found their questions routed through a labyrinth of fill-out forms and call centers. By summer’s end, the consulting firm hired to oversee the closure, Alvarez & Marsal, was signing emails on administrators’ behalf, according to Zoe Hollander, a musical theater major who transferred from UArts to Temple this summer.
“There were so many layers between the students and the people responsible,” Hollander said.
College bonds aren’t easy to keep in the best of times, with their fouryear terms and late-teenage evolutions. With its home collapsing around it
While coming to Temple, those left bereft by UArts’ implosion weren’t just trying to recover their academic futures. They were trying to reclaim their humanity — not just from the loss of an institution, but from structures that often seemed to measure them as mere statistics.
Parts of that community have come together, piece by piece, at Temple. Two UArts transfers took jobs as RAs in Johnson and Hardwick Halls, with one of them in the UArts-designated space, according to resident director Matt Caruso. And multiple laid-off faculty are now teaching at Tyler School of Art and Architecture as adjunct professors, according to dean Susan Cahan.
Much of the post-UArts story remains unresolved. Students who initially planned to attend UArts will walk Temple’s halls for at least the next two
Hollander and Herman Epperson, an Army veteran and UArts transfer, noted that UArts’ in-house financial resources couldn’t follow them up Broad Street, dulling a provision in area schools’ teach-out agreement that prevented former students from being upcharged on tuition. But the relationship many newcomers had already forged with Temple left Cahan feeling confident.
“They’re here,” Cahan said. “And there’s very much a sense of being in a communal space.”
Oliver Economidis contributed reporting.
jadon@temple.edu @jgeorgescribe
OLIVER ECONOMIDIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS UArts students continue to show their diversity in their new spaces, including at Temple.
AROUND CAMPUS
Halal food trucks build community on campus
Students of different races and religions find a home through campus’ trucks.
BY BAYLEH ALEXANDER Assistant Features Editor
On a campus chock-full of food options, Leili Zadeh can often be found ordering from Pasha’s Halal Food, a tiny cart outside of the Howard Gittis Student Center. She comes back to the family-owned food truck not only for a quick and inexpensive meal, but for the familial connection she has with the owners.
“There’s not a lot of Middle Eastern community here at Temple as much,” Zadeh said. “They always remember my name and there’s a couple of songs with my name, so the guy that was cooking last time, he was cooking and singing my name.”
By cooking ethnic food as a means to connect through culture, the abundance of halal trucks on campus supplies more than a meal. They provide a sense of community and a safe space for Temple students to trust their food is being made to their dietary needs.
Semih Yuksel, a second-generation
Pasha’s employee, says having a halal food truck on campus is necessary to ensure Muslim and Jewish students have adequate food options.
“There are students like the Muslim students that only eat halal, you know, so they have to pretty much only eat here, essentially, unless they bring their own food,” Yuksel said. “That’s the only option available to them that’s permissible. Same with Jewish students who eat kosher, halal is similar.”
Under the nose of the Student Center food court, which overflows with American food joints like Chick-fil-A, Burger-Fi and Wingstop, halal’s student connection usurps the popular fast food spots. Some students will try to avoid mainstream on-campus restaurants, even if the prices are comparable.
“[Halal] is always affordable for the amount of food that you’re getting and it’s not a lot of meat which I think is beneficial,” said Graeme Duffey, a junior public relations major. “And there’s one outside of every building that I’m going to so it’s really convenient and it always hits, it’s never bad.”
Students find comfort in knowing exactly where their money is going and
V O I C E S
What was your song of the summer?
where their food is coming from when supporting a small business.
Tyler Watts, a senior information science and technology major, lives 15 minutes away from Main Campus and its food trucks but knows a good meal is ensured when he purchases from his favorite truck.
“I feel like those places like Five Guys, you can really get them anywhere,” Watts said. “This is a more unique experience because it’s more personable and you’re seeing the guy who’s taking your order and going and cooking the food for you and then giving it to you. And It’s not just someone that it’s just their job. This is people’s careers.”
Located adjacent to Annenberg Hall, New York Halal has gained popularity among students for the friendly face that greets them and a warm home-cooked meal.
The manager, Said Elkharrak, recalls fond memories of graduated students returning to his truck to introduce their families to him.
“They live here, they graduate and they come back with their family here,” Elkharrak said. “I do have some people who live here and I’m part of their life
EILIDH CHAPMAN
Health Professions major | She/Her
“ Doo Wop (That Thing) by Ms. Lauryn Hill. ”
for four years. I have people in here four times a week. This place is a great part of their life.”
Like Pasha’s, New York Halal provides more than a sales relationship. A key component of being a family-owned business is the ability to connect with students outside of the typical server-customer dynamic.
Zadeh says the the owner of Pasha frequently asks her about her life and how her family is doing while ordering her meal. Yuksels’ father enjoys carrying out conversations beyond taking orders.
“Just yesterday, a girl came by,” Yuskel said. “[My dad] spent a good half an hour talking to her. And all the Turkish students. He takes good care of them, has a good rapport with them, and hangs on with their parents if he knows them tight in the community, especially if they go to the same mosque.”
bayleh.alexander@temple.edu
KATIE GIBSON
Ecology, Evolution & Biodiversity major | She/Her
“ Dreams by The Cranberries. ”
HELENA SLUPIANEK
Bioengineering major | She/Her
“ I Don’t Want to Wait by David Guetta and OneRepublic. ”
FREDERICK MEHRA
Accounting major | He/Him
“ Ahora Te Puedes Marchar by Luis Miguel. ”
AROUND CAMPUS
“It’s scary”: Students fear cat-callers on SEPTA
Female students do not feel safe utilizing transit services due to fear of harassment.
BY BAYLEH ALEXANDER Assistant Features Editor
Aminah Tittle finds joy in dressing up with her friends and spending college nights exploring Philadelphia. But when she takes the subway, Tittle’s night can easily turn from fun with friends to being stalked and harassed.
“I try to not say anything, but it usually brings [men] towards us even more,” said Tittle, a junior community development major. “And then they end up getting off at the same stop as us. Sometimes, they start following us and it’s honestly pretty scary. I don’t like it at all. I usually have my headphones on most of the time, but that also doesn’t keep them away.”
Temple students’ proximity to the Broad Street Line makes it accessible to venture into the city, but like dozens of other female students, Tittle’s fear of being followed or stalked has forced her to resort to Uber as her mode of transportation to avoid being “cat-called.”
Sammy Espinal, a sophomore marketing major, agrees that students can’t fully reap the benefits of Philadelphia’s public transportation and shares the same fears as Tittle. In turn, her bank account takes a hit by using Uber, she said.
“One Uber somewhere could rack up to what, like $20, $25,” Espinal said. “And you have to do that if you’re going out every night, Thursday through Saturday, and it adds up, there and back. You can’t just take, like, a $2 train, you know?”
In a mission to combat sexual violence, Student Activists Against Sexual Assault collaborated with Uber last year to earn a $350,000 grant for ride vouchers for Temple students in unsafe situations. The free rides spanned nineand-a-half miles from Main Campus and ensured accessibility to most parts of Philadelphia and even parts of New Jersey. The vouchers expired at the end of 2023, leaving students at a loss yet again.
Tittle, Espinal and dozens of
other students’ hesitancy to utilize Philly’s public transportation is validated by a large number of assaults and harassment reported on SEPTA in recent years. In 2021, a woman was raped around 11 p.m. on the Market-Frankford Line, while passengers sat beside her in horror — no one called 911.
The lack of protection from fellow subway riders is another safety concern that doesn’t go unnoticed by Temple students, and the issue seems to increase significantly at night. Michaela Bonamy, a senior biochemistry major, thinks the reason cat-callers become more aggressive at night is due to a lack of bystanders.
“They think that they’re not gonna get someone standing up for you,” Bonamy said. “I guess that makes [stalkers] feel more brave, just be like, hey, no one’s gonna stop me.”
Some students who have witnessed crimes on public transit find it difficult to decipher when it is safe to speak up
— fearing the situation could become worse if someone intervenes.
“I don’t know where [men] are at, or what they have,” said Jonah Frankel, a junior psychology major. “I feel like talking back in a situation can kind of just like trigger a more heated situation, and perhaps maybe even make it more engaged or dangerous.
Frankel’s fear of violence after speaking up for his friends stems from not knowing who might have a weapon and who doesn’t. Around 40% of Pennsylvanians in 2021 owned at least one firearm in their home, CBS News reported. The state is ranked fifth highest in gun license ownership in the country with about 348,000 licensees.
Choosing how to interact with negative behavior is another dilemma that students navigate. Through her experience in Philly, Tittle knows that her reaction to a cat-caller could result in ongoing ramifications.
“Usually not responding at all, usu-
ally makes them pretty annoyed and like, that’s like, when they start saying things even louder,” Tittle said. “But then saying, ‘Oh, thank you so much. Have a good day’. And just like, ending conversation gets like, ‘Okay, thank you beautiful’. And they just move on. But usually, if you just don’t say anything, they’re definitely chasing after you afterward.”
While some students remain quiet, others feel a responsibility to let cat-callers know their behavior is unacceptable. Although aware of the risks of speaking up, some find security and feel like they’re protecting themselves by putting a stop to the harassment.
“I usually just go with saying nothing,” Bonamy said. “But then if someone says something really outlandish, I’ll verbalize my disgust. And that usually leads to, ‘Well, f–k you too.’”
bayleh.alexander@temple.edu
JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Cat-calling throughout SEPTA has caused many Temple students to avoid public transit.
FOOTBALL
Owls reaching new levels of low after loss to Navy
Temple Football has not won a road conference game in almost five years.
BY RYAN MACK Sports Editor
After Temple Football (0-2, 0-1 American Athletic Conference) scored just three points in a much-expected blowout loss to No. 15 Oklahoma on Aug. 30, there was hope for a bounce-back game on Saturday. Temple faced AAC rival Navy (2-0, 1-0 AAC), a team boasting a newlook Wing-T offense.
Temple defeated Navy in its last matchup on Nov. 4, 2023, but halfway through the first quarter, it was evident a repeat performance wasn’t going to happen. The Owls’ offense recorded just six yards in the first quarter and continued to be the team’s Achilles heel.
Quarterback Forrest Brock’s lessthan-ideal week one performance carried into week two, with 277 yards and two interceptions. Temple’s defense was put in a blender, unable to contain the Midshipmen’s offense and ultimately crumbled.
Put everything together and you get an embarrassing 38-11 score in Annapolis, Maryland. Brock looked uncomfortable passing the ball and the run game was non-existent, a recurring theme throughout head coach Stan Drayton’s tenure.
“I am not giving up on this football team,” Drayton said. “I believe that we have the right stuff in place and we just need to put it to execution. That’s going to be on the coaches and the players and we will grow with the season.”
It’s easy to blame Brock, who couldn’t find a rhythm until the last drive of the first half. While he completed 30 of his 46 passing attempts, he was visibly rattled and 25 of his 46 attempts were five yards or less.
When Brock was able to sling the rock, his confidence was shaky. He threw it more than 15 yards just seven times and completed a mere three of them, stifling an offense in desperate need of a spark.
However, Drayton kept the struggling Brock on the field for a second straight week despite his subpar performances. The Owls were able to break onto the Midshipmen’s side of the field twice in the first 30 minutes but interceptions and penalties ruined any chance to walk away with points.
“We just weren’t clicking,” Brock said. “We need to start faster and gather some momentum. I feel like we were shooting ourselves in the foot the whole time.”
While Brock sputtered, the running game fared even worse against a stout Navy defense. Temple’s rushing attack has failed to gain steam under Drayton, and Saturday was more of the same.
Brock led the Owls in rushing through the first three quarters while the lead backs ran in place for a combined eight yards. Running back E.J. Wilson was a semi-bright spot last week but managed only two yards against the Midshipmen.
Like week one, Temple finally found a rhythm in the second half and made it into the Navy red zone. Brock found wide receiver Dante Wright for what looked to be the team’s first touch-
down of the year but a penalty negated the lone positive and Temple ended the drive empty-handed after a turnover on downs.
The pair connected in the endzone for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the ending was already decided.
The Owls’ defense was a source of optimism against the Sooners but was the exact opposite in their second matchup of the year. After holding the 15th-best team in the country to 1-12 on third downs, they couldn’t stop a nosebleed against Navy.
Navy’s offense gave Temple fits all game, and only linebacker D.J. Woodbury Sr. was able to adapt. The single-digit led the team with 10 tackles. The Midshipmen constantly found the second level and Woodbury Sr. was the only one there to make a stop.
But Navy still easily broke through and quarterback Blake Horvath delivered
the blows. He sliced through the Owls’ defense for 122 yards and three scores on the ground. Then the Owls were on the receiving end of the Midshipmen’s recently discovered passing attack, as Horvath threw for a touchdown.
“There’s a lot of moving parts, it all comes down to discipline and our eyes,” said defensive tackle Latrell Jean. “We have to handle our assignments. It wasn’t too difficult, it comes down to discipline. We have to handle our assignments a lot better than we did today.”
The Owls have now gone without a road conference win for 1,746 days and the streak will extend even further. They return home next week for their home opener against Coastal Carolina (2-0, 0-0 Sun Belt) on Sept. 14 at 2 p.m.
ryanmack0001@temple.edu @ryan_mack18
JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS
The Owls are on a five-game losing streak dating back to last season despite securing their first touchdown of the year.
FIELD
HOCKEY
Field Hockey tailgates create family atmosphere
The tradition for the Owls has been carried on by multiple generations of parents.
BY COLIN SCHOFIELD Assistant Sports Editor
When Temple Field Hockey midfielder Julia Bunch joined the program four years ago, she knew she wasn’t coming to Philadelphia as a party of one. Beth Bunch, Julia’s mom, came in with her and was immediately ushered into the team’s behind-the-scenes operations.
Tailgating before every home game has been a tradition for Temple’s field hockey parents for years. The parents spend the days leading up to games preparing by making sure food, drinks and supplies are ready for the big event. Everyone chips in, but the longer their daughter has been at Temple, the greater the responsibility is for their parents.
Parents get roped into the tradition the second their daughters step on campus. Everyone has a role within the operation, creating a sense of family that characterizes the tradition. Beth Bunch was immediately targeted as a “freshman mom” when Julia arrived on campus, and two years later she became one-third of the moms spearheading the tailgates.
“As soon as I walked on the field [Julia’s] freshman year, the parents kind of targeted all the freshmen, made them feel welcome and embraced them,” Beth said. “It’s a family here. Right away, everyone wanted to contribute. Julia even knew this was the school she wanted to go to because of the family.”
Beth became the point person for the tailgates last season, alongside McKenna Burkhardt’s mom, Shannon, and Maddie Molchany’s mom, Lorrie. Shannon and Lorrie’s daughters graduate in the spring, ending their journey as part of the unofficial “tailgating planning committee.”
Lorrie and Shannon quickly realized they needed to pass down the duties to keep the tradition alive. Even though Beth is sticking around Howarth Field for one more year, she delegated her re-
sponsibilities to younger moms so they can get the hang of the tradition to continue it after she leaves the team.
“I have passed the torch onto some of the younger moms and Julie Gallagher is doing an amazing job filling my shoes,” Beth said. “Maggie Arentz is doing the big box so she’s the Lorrie Molchany. Now Shannon Burkhardt 2.0 we delegate to everyone. She is a hard presence to overcome and all the younger moms are stepping up.”
Julie Gallagher, mom of midfielder Riley Gallagher, and Maggie Arentz, mom of midfielder Catherine Arentz, both volunteered to keep the tradition going. Julie kicks every game week off by sending an email and a Google Doc to the parents to organize the tailgate. Maggie and her husband Jim take care of the “big box,” which is full of all the supplies needed to make a tailgate work.
The rest of the preparation is a group effort, which helps to create a
bond between the families on the team and makes tailgating special for everyone involved.
“I think it’s a great place to bring anyone,” said Janean Neilson, mom of Lina Neilson. “We bring friends and family to North Philly and just show them that it’s a great day to be out here watching the girls play. We feed them a beautiful feast afterward, and we all contribute. It’s just been such a great tradition.”
The contributions don’t just come from the parents who come to the games. There are seven international athletes on the team whose parents can’t be at the tailgates but they still send money to help put everything together.
It falls on Beth and the rest of the parents to ensure the international parents are still part of the family culture that is preached amongst them. Midfielder and Netherlands native Myrthe Schuilenburg is one of the internationals who has benefited from the tailgating
culture.
“I feel so loved every time I see them,” Schuilenburg said. “Even though my own family isn’t there I have so many other parents I can go to. I can just hug them, and it gives me the same energy as everyone else. I feel like that’s special.”
Parents tailgating the field hockey games has become a tradition that keeps both the players and parents going through a grueling season. No one knows when the tradition started, but that doesn’t matter because of the culture it has brought to the parking lot of Howarth Field.
“At the end of the day, they’re there for us,” Julia said. “They want the best for us, and having that support really helps to keep things together off the field because we do such a great job on the field and as a team, but the family like that’s really what makes it all bind together.”
colin.schofield@temple.edu @ColinSchofield9
NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Parents of Temple Field Hockey players have organized pre-game tailgates for years.
Shaw’s rebuild will work, but it will take time
Temple Women’s Soccer has shown flashes, but what is holding the team back?
BY JAISON NIEVES Sports Social Media Manager
Temple Women’s Soccer is at a historic low in program history. The team was in disarray when former head coach Nick Bochette left the team last season and new head coach Chris Shaw, who was hired in January, was tasked with picking up the pieces.
Temple beat Le Moyne, a Division II program just over a year ago, on Sept. 5. But before that win, the Owls were on the losing end of 13 consecutive games dating back to the Bochette era. To make matters worse, they nearly went a full calendar year without finding the back of the net.
The defense also faced its fair share of bumps along the way. They have allowed 22 goals and a staggering 158 shots through the first three weeks of the season. Temple’s average of three goals
allowed per game puts them at 327 out of 339 teams in average goals against in the NCAA.
It’s easy to believe there’s no hope for the program after looking at the stats, but there actually may be light at the end of the tunnel. Since Shaw took control, he has instilled a new mentality and technical approach to the team.
His new strategy isn’t something that will work overnight, and it takes time for the players to trust the process of Shaw’s rebuild.
IS SHAW’S STRATEGY WORKING?
The simple answer is yes, but their success hasn’t been consistent enough in recent years to warrant confidence. Temple’s attackers finally generated pressure and took advantage when the opportunity arose in its win against Le Moyne.
The Owls have been unable to transition forward fast enough on a consistent basis, and they lose possessions as a result. It also leads to the defense consistently having its back against the wall.
The drawback of the team’s 4-42 formation has become the defense’s downside. Temple has been susceptible to counter-attacking because midfielders are drifting too far forward. The defense regularly being in one-on-one situations has plagued the Owls, most notably against Wake Forest on Aug. 22, where they gave up three goals in a seven-minute span.
On the rare occasion the Owls do maintain possession by working the ball around the field, they’ve struggled to get shots on target in the final third, creating just 21 while opponents have thrived with 73.
WHAT “FIXES” THE TEAM?
Most of Temple’s problems can be chalked up to a lack of confidence and belief in themselves. In the Owls’ 4-0 win against Le Moyne on Sept. 5, Temple played without fear and attacked forward to string together passes which led to shots.
Temple’s defense finally looked com-
fortable when the offense began to click, taking stress off the unit, and more importantly off goalkeeper Tamsin Bynoe.
However, the Owls have still regularly looked defeated and it’s translated on the pitch. The few times they have exuded confidence, their play follows suit, which can eventually translate to more wins.
The rebuild will take time, and fans shouldn’t expect immediate results during the early stages of a long rebuild. Temple has 16 underclassmen on its roster who will require more playing experience to develop and grow.
The remainder of the season may show mixed results, but that’s expected. The work Shaw is doing is part of a larger plan that could lead the Owls to soon end their six-year postseason drought.
jaison.nieves@temple.edu @JaisonNieves1
“It takes time to improve and we’re always looking to get better,” Green said. “The understanding that what we are on day one is not what we’ll be on the last day.”
Through their 1-2-2 start, the issues that plagued the Owls during the first half of last season look to be resolved. The defense was the main problem for the team last year, and the unit has become a crucial part of the early success.
Temple scored just four goals while allowing eight to reach the back of the net against them during their first four games last year. This season, the defense has been the team’s anchor, giving up just five goals. Goalkeepers Flannan Riley and Andrew Kempe have split time in the net and have become a brick wall, plugging up the goal while gaining chemistry with the rest of the defense.
Midfielders Rocco Haeufgloeckner and Kemali Green are the leaders of the defensive unit and have helped aid the goalkeeping duo’s efforts. Riley and Kempe also split time last season at goalkeeper and the duo have continued splitting responsibilities throughout the Owls’ first five games of 2024.
“New defenders have to get used to two new keepers,” Riley said. “We have a mix of youth and maturity that leads us to be a defensively sound team.”
On the other hand, the Owls’ offensive attack has remained stagnant — a repercussion of losing their top scorers from last season. Midfielder Felix Ewald left Philadelphia for West Virginia, and forward Juan Zepeda will miss the entire season with an injury.
The losses have hindered the offensive production, and Temple has just four goals through its first five games
this year. Forward Xavier Rimpel has taken on Ewald’s offensive role this season, giving the Owls their best offensive output of the season against Villanova on Aug. 25.
“I’m not worried despite being down [last year’s players],” Green said. “We’ve been better in attack this year than any point last year.”
Rimpel scored his first career goal in last season’s finale against SMU, and his efforts have carried into 2024. Rimpel lifted the Owls against the Wildcats, playing a role in all three goals scored that game, having two assists and a goal himself.
Despite Rimpel’s surge, no other player has followed suit, and the lack of scoring has left the defense vulnerable for much of the game.
“I think for us, it’s about understanding our strengths,” Rimpel said. “Sometimes we can find weaknesses in our opponent but sometimes we have
to look internally and find what we are good at.”
There is still hope for the Owls, and their improvement has been evident despite offensive holes. Green’s squad is still ahead of schedule on its rebuild and there are glimmers of what could be to come down the line.
The Owls needed help from other teams to qualify for the AAC tournament, which ultimately backfired. A year later, the squad believes they have what it takes to compete in the AAC on their own terms.
“Our goal is to always be the best in the conference,” Riley said. “This year, we want to focus on creating our destiny and not relying on other teams. It’s about us.”
antonio.perez0003@temple.edu @TonePerez17
BUILDING OFF SUCCESS
Temple Men’s Soccer made it within a game of the American Athletic Conference tournament last season and are poised to build off that success this year.
BY ANTONIO PEREZ Men’s Soccer Beat Reporter
To say Temple Men’s Soccer head coach Bryan Green’s first two months at the helm were a struggle would be an understatement. The team looked dead in the water, failing to record a single win while being outscored 25-6 more than a month into the season. Suddenly, a switch flipped and Green’s new team found momentum as the cool fall months settled in. The Owls finished with three wins throughout the final seven games, highlighted by a 2-1 win against then No. 10 Syracuse — the defending national champions — on Oct. 10, 2023. Temple almost made a complete 180 in Green’s first year with the program, but their early season struggles came back to bite them. They finished one point shy of qualifying for their
first American Athletic Conference tournament since 2021, showing there was indeed light at the end of the tunnel.
The Owls entered the 2024 season with a renewed sense of optimism, something that has been lacking during the last few seasons. After just one season under Green, the Owls’ rebuild is already heading in the right direction.
But it hasn’t come without setbacks.
Just four games into the young 2024 season, Temple showed glimpses of carrying last year’s momentum but has struggled to maintain it. The Owls have kept most games close, but have just one win and went scoreless in their past two games.
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NOEL CHACKO/ THE TEMPLE NEWS
Temple Men’s Soccer is struggling to regain traction at the start of their 2024 season.