Vol. 99.5 Iss. 4

THE TEMPLE NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

LOUD PROUD and

For National Coming Out Week, Kendall Stephens shares her experience as a transgender woman of color overcoming adversity and committing herself as a student activist.

Read more on Page 22.

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS, PAGE 3 Temple offers isolated housing in residence halls for students who test positive for COVID-19.

FEATURES, PAGE 18 Student organizations seek to register students to vote online.

VOL 99.5 // ISSUE 4 OCT. 6, 2020

S E I H C LUN 020 2

Read the special edition on Pages B1-B8 temple-news.com @thetemplenews

The Temple News

PAGE 2

THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

Madison Karas Editor-in-Chief Bibiana Correa Managing Editor Colin Evans Digital Managing Editor Tyler Perez Chief Copy Editor Valerie Dowret Assignments Editor Jack Danz News Editor Victoria Ayala Assistant News Editor Amelia Winger Assistant News Editor Christina Mitchell Opinion Editor Magdalena Becker Essay Editor Emma Padner Features Editor Natalie Kerr Assistant Features Editor Lawrence Ukenye Assistant Features Editor Dante Collinelli Sports Editor Isabella DiAmore Assistant Sports Editor Adam Aaronson Assistant Sports Editor Nico Cisneros Intersection Editor Rayonna Hobbs Assistant Intersection Editor Rjaa Ahmed Audience Engagement Editor Iris Wexler Asst. Engagement Editor Maggie Fitzgerald Asst. Engagement Editor Colleen Claggett Co-Photography Editor Jeremy Elvas Co-Photography Editor Erik Coombs Multimedia Editor Matthew Murray Assistant Multimedia Editor Ingrid Slater Design Editor Hanna Lipski Assistant Design Editor Tyra Brown Alternative Story Format Editor Maryam Siddiqui Web Editor Carly Civello Advertising Manager Kaila Morris Advertising Manager Luke Smith Business Manager

ON THE COVER Kendall Stephens, a junior social work major, stands in the Johnny Ring Terrace on Main Campus on Oct. 4.

JEREMY ELVAS /THE TEMPLE NEWS 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-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Digital Managing Editor, Chief Copy Editor, Assignments Editor, News Editor and Opinion Editor.

The views expressed in editorials only reflect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.

CORRECTIONS An article that ran on Sept. 22 titled “Don’t fall for Trump’s rhetoric against activism” on page 9 misspelled Gabriel Elsheakh’s last name. The article also incorrectly identified Jacob Blake’s current health status. He is alive.

Two articles that ran on Sept. 22 titled “Residents, students weigh voting options for Nov. 3” on page 12 and “Quiet halls: Students stay living in campus housing” on page 17 misspelled co-photo editor Colleen Claggett’s last name.

An article that ran on Sept. 22 titled “Salvaged souvenirs and storefronts” on page 14 mispelled Master Street.

The article also incorrectly identified the year Thunderbird Salvage moved into their storefront. It was 2018.

An article that ran on Sept. 22 titled “How thrifting helped heal my self-esteem” on page 24 mispelled Molly McGowan’s last name.

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 Madison Karas at editor@temple-news.com.

COVID-19 CASES As of Oct. 5, Temple has 54 active cases of COVID-19, all of them among students.

Temple recorded 39 new cases last week, and 41 cases the week prior with a 3.10 percent and 6.06 percent positivity rate, respectively.

Temple nearly doubled its testing from the previous week to 1,258 tests last week.

Philadelphia averaged approximately 93 new cases a day from Sept. 19 to Oct. 3.

For the latest information, visit our COVID-19 case dashboard at temple-news.com/trackingcovid19

Contacts Visit us online at temple-news.com News Desk 215.204.7419 Email section staff news@temple-news.com letters@temple-news.com features@temple-news.com intersection@temple-news.com sports@temple-news.com The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122

Follow us @TheTempleNews

NEWS

The Temple News

CAMPUS

PAGE 3

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS Students who report positive COVID-19 results have the option of quarantining in Johnson and Hardwick Halls, which have been turned into isolation housing.

Temple sets up isolation rooms in residence halls to use Johnson and Hardwick halls to Students who test positive for tive test result from a student, Cook said. ed. “We have had a couple.”

University Housing and Residential Temple chose Johnson and Hard- rooms that limit contact in communal COVID-19 can quarantine in Life staff then contact the student about wick halls for quarantine and isolation bathrooms and places minifridges in Johnson and Hardwick halls.

F

BY JACK DANZ News Editor

ive Temple University students who tested positive for COVID-19 are isolating inside Johnson and Hardwick Halls, which has been set up as quarantine and isolation housing, said Marjorie Cook, assistant director of residential life.

Sixty-nine students have lived inside Johnson and Hardwick halls to isolate after testing positive for COVID-19 since the beginning of the semester, Cook said.

Any Temple student who tests positive for COVID-19, whether they live on or off campus, has the option of quarantining at home or temporarily living in Johnson and Hardwick halls, the university’s dedicated isolation housing for at least 10 days, said Olan Garrett, director of residential life.

Temple has 54 active cases of COVID-19 among students on campus as of Oct. 5, The Temple News reported.

Student Health Services or other facilities where students get tested notify the university when they record a posi-

quarantining at Johnson and Hardwick halls and tell them what to bring.

Another staff member places a rolling cart outside the student’s door and helps them move their belongings, Garrett said.

“Students are recommended to bring anything that they will need to make their stay comfortable while they’re in Johnson and Hardwick,” Cook said.

“That includes all of their bedding, their sheets, pillows, toiletries, clothing. Students can even bring TVs and video games.”

Once a student has completed the isolation period, University Housing and Residential Life receives clearance from Student Health Services that the student is ready to leave. The student receives information about returning the room key and packing their belongings, Cook said.

Temple opened up Johnson and Hardwick halls to off-campus students as well at the beginning of the semester at the request of the city, Garrett said.

“It has been rare that off campus students have taken us up on that,” he add-

housing because it has communal bathrooms, after the Philadelphia Department of Public Health recommended Temple use 10 percent of its housing for students to quarantine and isolate, Garrett said.

Students who were assigned to live in Johnson and Hardwick halls at the beginning of the semester were reassigned to other residence halls or apartment complexes, The Temple News reported.

Staff from the Dean of Students Office and University Housing and Residential Life, including Cook, check on students living in Johnson and Hardwick halls daily, and students submit daily health screenings to the Student Health Services online health website, Garrett said.

The University Housing leadership team coordinates logistics for students who need to go into isolation housing, including notifying students that they need to move to isolation housing, communicating with students and finding them a room in Johnson and Hardwick halls, Cook said.

Temple assigns students who choose

rooms to avoid communal kitchen use, Garrett said.

Johnson and Hardwick halls do not use resident assistants. Instead, professional staff and leadership team members monitor the building, Garrett said.

“We do not want to take the risk of having individuals come in contact with those who may be positive,” Garrett said.

Aramark staff who clean Temple University Hospital also clean the bathrooms at Johnson and Hardwick halls daily, Cook said.

Aramark, which is also Temple’s dining service, delivers three meals to isolated students once a day around mid-morning, Garrett said. Students are allowed to order extra food for delivery.

“Menus are rotated, and do not repeat day-to-day,” wrote Endri Baduni, resident district manager of Temple Culinary Services, in an email to The Temple News. “The students do not select offerings, but do provide any dietary restrictions upon entering isolation housing.” john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz

NEWS

PAGE 4

The Temple News

TSG

Executive Branch restructured, new jobs added Before the amendment

The branch reduced the vice president positions from two to one and added chief executives.

President

BY JACK DANZ News Editor After Temple Student Government passed a constitutional amendment restructuring the Executive Branch on Sept. 15, the new chief external affairs officer stepped down from her position.

Under the previous Executive Branch structure, a vice president of services and a vice president of external affairs served under the president, while the new structure has one vice president position underneath the president and two chief executives underneath the vice president, according to a TSG statement.

The amendment was first discussed after TSG’s “hectic summer” with COVID-19 and social unrest, said Mark Rey, a senior public health major and the former vice president of services who assumed the sole vice president position after the amendment passed.

“This new restructure will allow for improved efficiency, as well as ensuring that these roles are humanly possible for every member of the team,” Rey added.

The vice president of services and vice president of external affairs were responsible for advising Quinn Litsinger, a junior political science major and TSG president, and overseeing the internal and external affairs divisions, said Sophia Tran, a junior phycology major and the new chief external affairs officer and director of academic services.

The new vice president position will be the sole advisor to Litsinger and will assist in overseeing TSG’s internal operations, which is something the two vice president positions struggled with in the past, Rey said.

The chief internal services officer and chief external services officer oversee the internal services division and external services divisions, respectively, Tran said.

Responsible for Parliament resolutions Attends faculty senate meetings Serves as liaison for administration and between Executive body general assembly

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Mark Rey, vice president of Temple Student Government, stands on campus at the intersection of Polett and Liacouras Walks on Sept. 29.

“We are currently adjusting to this new restructure, just working on our platform and trying to carry it out in a way that’s possible due to the fact that everything’s virtual,” Rey said.

Larice Mejia, a senior human resources management major and the former vice president of external affairs who assumed the role of chief external affairs officer when TSG passed the amendment, stepped down from her position on Sept. 25, citing her mental health and other commitments.

Although she left TSG, Mejia will still help the executive branch during the transition, she said.

“I’m always going to be TSG’s biggest advocate,” Mejia said.

Tajnia Hussain, a junior political science major, is the new chief external affairs officer and will remain the director of local and community affairs until that position is filled, she said.

“I will be going through the applications and seeing if they’re qualified for Director of Community Affairs,” Hussain added. “I’m looking for someone . . . who’s familiar with TSG, with what

the North Philly community is about, initiatives we’ve worked on, and somebody who’s passionate about community affairs.”

Students had the option to apply for Hussain and Tran’s former positions, the director of local and community affairs and director of academic affairs, until Friday. TSG administration will interview applicants and appoint new directors, Rey said.

Tran is happy with the transition from the director of academic services to the new chief external affairs officer, she said.

“It’s a really great thing, because I think everything will be more specialized than before,” Tran added.

TSG Parliament passed the amendment unanimously, said Issa Kabeer, a seventh-year graduate student pursuing a diversity leadership graduate certification and speaker of Parliament. Parliament needs a three-fourths majority to pass amendments. john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz

Vice President of Services

Vice President of External Affairs

Responsible for advising president

Responsible for advising president

Oversees internal and external affairs division

Oversees internal and external affairs division

After the amendment

President Responsible for Parliament resolutions Attends faculty senate meetings Serves as liaison for administration and between Executive body general assembly

Vice President Responsible for Parliament resolutions Attends faculty senate meetings Serves as liaison for administration and between Executive body general assembly Chief of Internal Services

Chief of External Affairs

Oversees internal service division

Oversees external affairs division

ADVERTISEMENT

PAGE 6

NEWS

The Temple News

ELECTION

District 2 Rep. Boyle challenged by David Torres Incumbent Brendan Boyle faces David Torres for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

BY ISABEL HACKETT For The Temple News Brendan Boyle (D) and David Torres (R) are running for the United States House of Representatives in Pennsylvania’s 2nd Congressional District, which falls east of Broad Street and north of Race Street. Both candidates ran uncontested in their primaries this year and are up for the general election on Nov. 3.

Both candidates believe in raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, but Boyle supports the Green New Deal and Medicare for All, while Torres does not. Torres supports Donald Trump, while Boyle endorsed Joe Biden.

BRENDAN BOYLE

Boyle grew up in Philadelphia and has served the city in public office since 2009, starting as the state representative from Pennsylvania’s 170th district encompassing parts of Philadelphia and Montgomery County, according to Boyle’s website.

Co-founder of the Blue Collar Caucus, which attempts to empower the middle class, Boyle wants to reconnect the Democratic Party with working-class people by “addressing wage stagnation, job insecurity, trade, offshoring and reduced career opportunities for those in the manufacturing and building trades,” according to his campaign website.

Boyle released a statement in July condemning Republican Congress members for their inaction during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am outraged at their refusal to put politics aside and help the American people in a time of great need,” Boyle said, in the press release.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package on Oct. 1, which would provide another round of $1,200 stimulus checks to most Americans, CNBC

KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS

reported.

Boyle co-sponsored the Medicare for All Act, which would entitle every American to health care coverage, and the Green New Deal, which would invest in combating climate change, in 2019, according to the legislation.

Boyle voted to raise the federal minimum wage in 2019 to $15 an hour by 2024, according to the Keystone Research Center.

Boyle co-sponsored the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which includes restricting the amount of military equipment given to local police forces and limiting the application of qualified immunity, according to the bill.

He also co-sponsored the Debt-Free College Act of 2019, which would grant quicker financial aid eligibility for stu-

dents convicted of drug offenses.

Boyle, who endorsed Democratic Presidential Nominee Biden, recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of the former vice president.

Boyle’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

DAVID TORRES

Torres moved to Philadelphia at age 12 and lives in Fairhill.

He’s experienced the effects of a long reign of politicians who do not prioritize the needs of Philadelphians, he said.

His only political experience is serving as the Republican Party’s ward leader for Philadelphia’s 19th Ward, which is north of Main Campus, he wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Torres feels Congressman Boyle left Philadelphia behind and isn’t addressing increasing homelessness in the city and the opioid crisis, to which Torres lost his son, he said.

“I decided, you know what, let me get up and raise my voice because this is getting to be a joke,” he said. “You have politicians who stay in Congress for 10, 15, 20 years . . . telling you what’s wrong, but behind your back, they’re selling you out.”

Torres supports the reopening of schools and businesses and another round of stimulus checks during the COVID-19 pandemic so Americans can recover from job losses incurred since March, he said.

He supports a $15 minimum wage, rent control and increased funding for clinics and hospitals, he said.

Torres believes fracking is good for Pennsylvania, and, while he thinks the U.S. should work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he opposes the Green New Deal.

“We have become energy independent for the first time in a long time, and there’s a lot of jobs involved in this,” he said. “I understand the greenhouse effect, but, before we know it, fracking is going to be stopped. And then they’re going to be telling us we can’t raise cows.”

Torres supports the police and does not think the government should reallocate a portion of funding away from police forces back into communities, as the Black Lives Matter movement calls for.

He supports extending health services for those who are uninsured or underinsured. However, Torres does not support Medicare for All, he wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Torres supports Trump in the November election, citing economic growth during the president’s first term, and he believes Trump “isn’t a politician; he’s a businessman.” isabel.hackett@temple.edu

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 7

CAMPUS

Former Kornberg associate dean sues university Brooke Walker alleges that Amid Ismail, dean of Kornberg, physically intimidated her in a lawsuit.

BY AMELIA WINGER Assistant News Editor A former administrator in Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry has sued Temple University for allegedly firing her in February 2019 after she complained of sex discrimination.

Brooke Walker, who became the associate dean of development and admissions for the school in February 2017, alleged in the lawsuit that Amid Ismail, the dean of the school, blamed her for “issues outside of her control,” took away some of her job responsibilities and instructed her not to speak during some meetings.

Neither Walker nor Ismail could be reached for comment on the lawsuit.

Katherine Oeltjen, Walker’s attorney, filed the lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Sept. 4. Oeltjen declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Temple is aware of the lawsuit and its allegations, wrote Ray Betzner, a spokesperson for the university, in an email to The Temple News.

“Temple University will vigorously defend itself against these claims which have previously been investigated and found baseless,” he wrote.

In the lawsuit, Walker alleged that Ismail asked her in January 2019 to send him an email every time she left the building that houses Kornberg. In a meeting two days later, Ismail physically intimidated her and responded in an “angry and hostile tone” when she asked if he did not trust her, Walker alleged.

Walker filed a sex discrimination complaint against Ismail to a representative from Temple Human Resources on Jan. 23, 2019, and told the representative she believed Ismail was biased against women.

JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Brooke Walker, a former Kornberg School of Dentistry associate dean, is suing Temple for allegedly firing her because she filed a sex discrimination complaint in 2019.

Walker was fired on Feb. 4, 2019, approximately 10 days after filing the HR complaint, the lawsuit alleged.

Walker was told she was terminated because Ismail “could not work with [her].” Walker had not previously received complaints about her job performance, she alleged.

Prior to her position at Kornberg, Walker had worked in development and alumni affairs at Temple since 2001, and became the assistant vice president for global programs in the Office of International Affairs in 2009, according to the lawsuit.

From 2007 to 2015, Walker reported to Hai-Lung Dai, the Laura H. Carnell

professor of chemistry who formerly worked as the dean of the College of Science and Technology, interim provost and provost, she alleged.

Walker alleged Dai retaliated against her after she “cautioned” him about imbalances she noticed in the way he administered student exchanges and other financial “details” for international students. Dai allegedly criticized Walker’s management skills and took away her responsibilities for managing international affairs, according to the lawsuit.

Dai could not be reached for comment.

Around May 2016, Dai asked Walker to lunch at Temple’s faculty club,

where he threatened her if she reported his behavior, she alleged in the lawsuit.

Walker alleged the treatment she received from Ismail and Dai violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and Bill 130684 of the Philadelphia Code of the Pennsylvania Fair Practices Ordinance.

Temple waived its formal service of a summons on Sept. 11, meaning the university has 60 days from that date to answer Walker’s complaint. amelia.winger@temple.edu @AmeliaWinger

OPINION

PAGE 8

EDITORIAL

Make a plan to vote Election Day, Nov. 3, is less than one month away, and the deadline to register to vote is rapidly approaching on Oct. 19.

The Editorial Board cannot overstate the importance of making a plan to vote in the general election this November. We believe voting to be a democratic responsibility, and we encourage all who are able to exercise their voice in this year’s monumental election.

With the deadline for voter registration approaching, Temple University students should register to vote if they haven’t already and make an intentional and informed plan for how they will cast their ballot.

Students may register to vote by filling out a voter registration form online or filling out a paper form and sending it to their county elections office. Students may also register to vote in person at one of the city’s seven satellite election offices, which includes the Liacouras Center on Broad Street near Montgomery Avenue. Students registered to vote in Pennsylvania can also request, fill out and return their mail-in ballots, according to Votes PA. To apply for a mail-in ballot, students should either fill out an application online if they have a Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDot ID or should mail a paper application to their local county board of elections. If a student plans to be out of their voting municipality on Election Day or has a

disability or illness, they should request an absentee ballot, which will require a valid reason for requesting the ballot. Any qualified voter may request a mail-in ballot and does not need to provide a reason for requesting this ballot.

All applications for mail-in ballots need to be received by county elections offices by 5 p.m. on Oct. 27. Election Day is the deadline for turning in ballots.

Regardless of how you choose to vote, the Editorial Board would like to stress the importance of registering to vote and making a plan to vote on time and early if possible.

The Editorial Board also encourages our readers to watch the upcoming presidential debates on Oct. 15 and Oct. 22, as well as the vice presidential debate on Oct. 7, and inform themselves on where candidates stand on the issues.

Millennials and some members of Generation Z comprise 37 percent of eligible voters this year, NPR reported. Our voices will have a consequential impact on the outcome of this election.

This election will have far-reaching effects on our lives for the next four years, which is particularly important with COVID-19 continuing to transform the nation.

Vote early if you can, vote however is easiest for you, but no matter your residency, we call on you to vote.

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

White allies, don’t go now

A student shares about seeing di- fix for the year.

Some people had good intentions and minishing energy for Black Lives honestly thought what they were doing was Matter among her friends.

BY CAMILLIA BENJAMIN For The Temple News

O

n Sept. 23, a jury came to the verdict that the three Louisville, Kentucky, officers who shot Breonna Taylor while she was asleep in her bed would not be charged, the Guardian reported.

Though protestors marched in Philadelphia down south-bound I-95 demanding justice, the declining support among white self-proclaimed activists on social media was apparent to me.

I remember the outpouring of Black Lives Matter posts following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25. I was disappointed in the criminal justice system, but I was equally frustrated with my white friends who remained silent.

Their silence spoke volumes.

I promptly had conversations with my friends about how their silence made me feel. It was not at all a conversation I wanted to have, but I knew it was something that needed to happen.

As a Black woman, I am adamantly against police brutality, and Taylor’s death resonated with me. The lack of advocacy from my white friends was a stab in the back.

It felt like they couldn’t care less about the injustices faced by people who look like me every single day. And if that’s the case, then they’re not really my friends.

The fact that they could pretend nothing was going on reiterated how little their lives had changed and the blissful ignorance they were living in.

The never-ending cascade of black squares with no caption on June 2, known as “Blackout Tuesday,” only proved white folks had gotten their performative activism

adequate.

Raising awareness on social media and standing in solidarity is important, but it is not the be-all and end-all.

Still, it was a lot easier to have conversations with people who were trying to be sympathetic than those who flat out did not care, which hurt me the most.

I was successful in helping some of my white friends understand how their silence was offensive. Others showed their true colors, and unfortunately for them, we are no longer friends.

The best thing a white ally could do is to use their white privilege to speak on behalf of people of color. Although many of my high school classmates were doubly privileged by being white and having money, they never said a word. Perhaps they had no interest in changing a system that benefitted them.

It is not the job of Black people to educate white people and non-Black people of color. I didn’t mind sharing my point of view with my friends, but we should not have to take on the burden of teaching people how to be anti-racist.

The support is noticed, but the diminishing support sticks out even more. Many individuals treated Black Lives Matter like a trend that only lasted a month. With the upcoming election, it is critical to stay the course.

White people need to step back, listen and give Black people space to amplify our voices. But we also need them to stand with us until systemic changes are implemented.

There is always room for allies within the Black Lives Matter movement. But I implore my white friends who claim to support the movement not to leave when the going gets tough. camillia.benjamin@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

POLITICS

Don’t be dissuaded from voting in the pandemic A student urges others to vote next month, whether by mailing in a ballot or going to the polls.

As if 2020 could not be more stressful, the upcoming election is less than one month away.

Amid the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, the push for a new SuCHRISTINA preme Court justice MITCHELL and the COVID-19 Opinion Editor pandemic, the 2020 presidential election will dictate the country’s trajectory for years to come.

A pandemic is no excuse to skip voting this year. If anything, it’s more important than ever to vote.

The COVID-19 pandemic, economy, Supreme Court and race and violence are issues discussed at the presidential debate on Sept. 29 that will impact young adults for the next four years.

Pennsylvanians should register to vote by the deadline, Oct. 19.

Pennsylvania is allowing “no-excuse absentee voting,” so anyone can register to vote by mail, Philly Mag reported.

In Philadelphia, voters can drop off their mail-in ballots at one of the 1,566 United States Postal Service boxes or offices available to the public, in addition to their county election office or a dropbox.

On Sept. 29, the Liacouras Center became one of Philadelphia’s seven new satellite election offices, at which students can register to vote and request or turn in a mail-in ballot, The Temple News reported.

The general election poses a challenge because of people’s apprehension of in-person and mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Michael Hagen, a political science professor.

HOMA PARMAR / THE TEMPLE NEWS

“Emotions on both sides of the partisan divide are running high,” Hagen said.

“The pandemic is imposing burdens on us and the election system and demonstrating the capacity of the United States to hold a fair and decisive election.”

But many public health experts have argued that in-person voting is no more dangerous than going to the grocery store, the Atlantic reported.

Trump opposed additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service to delay deliveries of mail-in ballots, the Guardian reported.

As a result, people became concerned that their ballots would not be counted in the election, the Washington

Post reported.

Voters in multiple swing states, or states where a Republican or Democratic candidate is likely to win, will be granted an extension for mail-in ballots. Ballots that are postmarked by Nov. 3 will count as long as they arrive within the next three days, NPR reported.

As of Oct. 5, former Vice President Joe Biden holds 52 percent of the vote in the national CNN poll, compared to U.S. President Donald Trump’s 42 percent.

While this is an indicator that Biden is the more popular candidate nationwide, his early lead cannot predict the outcome of the election, as seen with Hillary Clinton in 2016, BBC News re-

ported.

Casey Tsou, a junior communications and social influence major, doesn’t want this election to repeat history, she said.

“The mentality is that a bunch of people are going to do it, so why should I have to? I think that’s what happened in 2016,” Tsou added. “But the mentality should be what if no one does it and mine is the one that counts?”

Millennials and some members of Generation Z comprise 37 percent of eligible voters. But younger voters have historically shown up at the polls in disproportionately lower rates, NPR reported.

While this may be attributed to voter apathy, Joey Forsyte, founder of A Band of Voters, a collective of artists in California determined to improve voter turnout nationwide, said the stigma of not knowing how to vote discourages young people.

“My experience is that young people do care, but there’s a lot of barriers to voting and shame in not knowing how to vote,” Forsyte said. “There’s been a systemic disenfranchisement of voting in this country, and if you’re a person of color or low-income, then those barriers are even greater.”

Voting is a civic duty and a privilege.

With the abundance of information on social media, young people should have the resources to educate themselves through the process.

“The candidates present quite different orientations toward the future,” Hagen said. “The future is going to be inhabited for a longer time by students than older folks, so there is a lot at stake for students.” christina.mitchell@temple.edu @clmitchell1799

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

POLITICS

Trump’s justice pick sets the country backwards A student argues President Trump is rushing the Supreme Court Justice nomination.

As the United States mourns the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court who passed away on Sept.

18, many of us are MAYA RAHMAN left wondering: what For The Temple now?

News Ginsburg’s successes in reproductive rights and equality in the workplace are important to students because they give us ownership over our bodies and the respect we deserve as we enter the workforce after graduation.

While millennials and Generation Z are determined to unite and continue the fight she started 27 years ago, the justice who takes her place on the Supreme Court could pose a threat to the communities Ginsburg swore to protect.

Ginsburg took a step forward, and I am concerned the next Supreme Court justice will take two steps back.

Ginsburg’s dying wish was that her replacement not be picked until after the election, CNBC News reported.

President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, a conservative federal appeals court judge, on Sept. 26, just over one week after Ginsburg’s death, CNN reported.

Kishan Patel, a senior biology and Spanish major, said the Senate should wait to confirm a justice based on principle because the 2020 presidential election is already underway.

“People in states across the country are already voting, and this election is the only way for the American public to have a say in who can become a Supreme Court justice,” Patel added.

Barrett is only 48 years old, and the role is a lifelong position. The laws she upholds will have ramifications not only for us but also for our children. There-

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

fore, we cannot let Ginsburg’s work be in vain, and we must honor her legacy by voting in this year’s election.

James Calcagni, a junior mechanical engineering major, is dreading the outcome of this nomination process.

“I’m a little nervous about what will happen next,” he said. “These nine people have more power over the way we live than anyone else.”

Of the eight current justices, five are Republican, FiveThirtyEight reported.

Without Ginsburg there to fight for the rights of women and the LGBTQ community, a six-to-three ratio will tip it over.

Barrett is a staunch Catholic, in favor of the religious right and is an outspoken opponent of abortion rights, CNN reported.

While Ginsburg opened doors for

reproductive rights, Barrett will shut them in our faces.

Ginsburg was a fervent supporter of bodily autonomy and the separation of church and state. It is insulting that a woman with directly opposing views is likely to be her successor.

In 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell prevented former President Barack Obama from filling the vacant ninth seat in the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, NPR reported.

Meanwhile, Trump and the Senate are rushing to fill the vacancy in the court less than 30 days until the Nov. 3 election.

Toluwase Thomas, a freshman communications major, said the president should not have the authority to replace a justice so late into his term, and a vote

for the next president is a vote for the next Supreme Court justice.

“If they did it to Obama, it should be the same for Trump,” Thomas said. “It’s going to be challenging for women and LGBTQ communities, so every vote really counts if we want to see a change for ourselves and future generations.”

The news of Trump’s nominee has only motivated me more to elect officials who will keep Ginsburg’s legacy alive and choose a justice she would have picked herself.

This election will be a test of our democracy. And whether we pass or fail will be the deciding factor of our judicial branch and the impact it has on our country for a long time. maya.rahman@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 11

WELLNESS

Sexual assault is too broad to solve with a module CONTENT WARNING

This story mentions sexual assault and domestic violence that might be upsetting to some readers.

A student calls on Temple to make its sexual assault training module more comphrensive.

Almost one in four undergraduate and one in ten graduate women experience sexual harassment through physical force, violence or incapacitation, according to MONICA MELLON RAINN, an anti-sexFor The Temple News ual violence organization.

On Sept. 23, the Dean of Students emailed students with an assignment to complete an online sexual assault prevention training. It is not required for returning undergraduate students, but first-year undergraduate and graduate students must complete it by Oct. 30 or a transcript hold will be placed on their accounts.

This training came right in time for October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Throughout my four and a half years at Temple University, I’ve completed at least three online sexual assault prevention trainings.

One annual online training module is an ineffective primary prevention strategy and should be followed up with required in-class discussions, especially as students can easily click through each module without reading the information or listening to the videos.

To make meaningful change, online training should be tailored to the specific audience and invite attendees to participate, according to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Temple’s most recent training includes a series of videos with hypothetical scenarios related to healthy relationships, consent and harassment. Victims in the videos were willing to report the instances of sexual assault or harassment

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

to their peers immediately.

Given that sexual assault is the most underreported crime for teens and adults, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, this inaccurately portrays the aftermath of sexual assault and fails to take into account the trauma a survivor may experience.

Archana Kaku, a gender, sexuality and women’s studies professor, said online trainings are not always reflective of the reality of sexual harassment.

“There are both cultural and institution barriers that lead to the underreporting of sexual harassment and sexual assault,” Kaku said. “We can encourage people to report and try to build a culture that makes that open conversation permissible.”

Andrea Seiss, Temple’s Title IX coordinator, said during her four years at Temple, more students have felt comfortable reporting cases of sexual assault.

“I started this position in June of

2016, and every year since that first year, where we had the lowest number of students coming my way, that number has steadily and somewhat drastically increased,” Seiss said. “I think we have been doing a much better job at the university about getting information out to students.”

The number of cases of domestic and dating violence and stalking on campus doubled between 2017 and 2018, according to Temple’s 2019 annual security and fire safety report. This is likely a gross underestimate, as only 20 percent of female student victims report to law enforcement, according to RAINN. Temple should modify their online module, just as they have attempted to adapt to the pandemic by hosting guest speakers at online workshops.

On Oct. 1, the Wellness Resource Center hosted “An Evening with Tarana Burke,” a Zoom panel dedicated to sexual harassment activism and healing, post-

poned from April. Sixty people attended the Zoom lecture, and the livestream has reached about 600 views, said Liz Zadnik, associate director at the center.

“It’s interrogating those belief systems, and then our hope is really to offer lots of different opportunities for folks to engage in the next step with in-person programming,” Zadnik said.

Sixty students is not enough. While it is impossible for every student to attend these workshops, faculty should encourage students by offering extra credit, and Temple should send emails reminding students that Temple has a zero tolerance sexual harassment policy.

Sexual harassment is a systemic issue that needs to be addressed at the university level. Engaging students with the information will reduce stigma and lead to fewer cases of sexual assault, as well as underreporting, on and off campus. monica.mellon@temple.edu

PAGE 12

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The Temple News

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Henry Collins, 48, owner of Mecca Unisex Salon, stands inside the salon with his dog, 6ix, on Oct. 4.

COMMUNITY

Cecil B. Moore Avenue businesses chart new history From the 1964 riots to the Vert and City Council President Darrell COVID-19 pandemic, North Cen- Clarke, Collins added.

It has not always been easy for tral business owners persist.

BY ASA CADWALLADER Longform Editor

H

enry Collins has owned and operated Mecca Unisex Salon for the past 27 years.

“We’ve been around a long time,” said Collins, 48. “And when you’re on the map for long enough, people in the community really start to understand the value in what you’re doing.”

Located near 15th Street, Mecca is one of several long standing small businesses along the Cecil B. Moore Avenue commercial corridor near Main Campus, which stretches roughly five blocks between Broad Street and 20th.

Collins, who grew up in North Philadelphia, said his clientele include Temple University students and residents of the surrounding North Central community. The salon also sees a roster of local celebrities and politicians, including Philadelphia rapper Lil Uzi

small businesses along the commercial corridor. In 1964, riots destroyed large portions of what was then known as Columbia Avenue and in the decades that followed, poverty and underdevelopment would continue to stagnate the local economy, according to the Temple Libraries collection “Civil Rights in a Northern City: Philadelphia.”

Despite these setbacks and the challenge of operating a business during the COVID-19 pandemic, longtime owners like Collins remain committed to serving their community. At the same time, newer business owners are choosing to put down roots along the avenue, including Trina Worrell-Benjamin, 23, who six years ago launched her business TWB Cleaning Contractors on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street.

“Most of the time when you’re starting your own business you don’t have a lot of resources at your disposal or capital,” said Worrell-Benjamin. “To make it work requires your own dedication and commitment.”

A TURBULENT PAST

Cecil B. Moore Avenue’s origins as a commercial corridor date as far back as the 1830s, when the neighborhood consisted mostly of newly immigrated Europeans, with an especially large Jewish population, many of whom started businesses along the avenue, according to Temple Libraries’ collection.

Despite shifting demographics within the area, North Central’s Jewish community continued to own the majority of small businesses along the corridor throughout the 19th century and into the 1900s, said Keith Riley, a fifth-year history doctoral candidate.

The demographics of the neighborhood shifted in the 1940s and 1950s as North Central saw a large influx of African Americans as a result of the Great Migration, driven by a desire to escape the racial oppression under the South’s Jim Crow laws, as well as the promise of greater economic opportunity in Northern cities, Riley said.

“The Great Migration is an inflection point in North Philadephia’s history,” Riley said. “The influx leads to major hifts of neighborhood dynamics in places

like North Philly.”

Despite better economic conditions, African Americans in North Philadelphia still faced major hardship, and by the 1960s, average income in African American households was only $3,352 per year, about 30 percent lower than the city average, according to Temple Libraries’ collection.

On Aug. 28, 1964, the Columbia Avenue riots began and resulted in hundreds of arrests and two deaths over the course of three days. In total, 726 buildings were affected by the unrest, totaling in more than $3 million in property damage, according to research by Alex Elkins, a 2017 history doctoral alumnus, who wrote his dissertation on the riots.

Riley credits inequality and poor neighborhood-police relations as some of the main catalysts of the Columbia Avenue riots, which resulted in the near-total destruction of retail establishments along the avenue, with Jewish-owned businesses targeted disproportionately.

Through the 1960s and 1970s, most of the Jewish families living in North Central relocated to the Philadelphia

LONGFORM

The Temple News

suburbs, leaving many vacancies along the commercial corridor. In the following decades, the avenue saw marginal business growth, but due to high poverty and underdevelopment, many struggled to keep their doors open, Riley said.

Several federally-funded commercial and residential redevelopment projects aimed at revitalizing the corridor including a federally-funded plan launched in 1993, which invested $113.9 million into creating affordable housing units along the avenue, the New York Times reported.

Today, vacant lots and storefronts are still interspersed across Cecil B. Moore Avenue’s business corridor, but efforts to grow and revitalize the local economy have continued through the work of community development financial institutions like Beech Interplex and Temple’s Small Business Development Center, which have supported small business growth and further development of the corridor.

INTEGRAL TO COMMUNITY

Many small business owners have remained on Cecil B. Moore Avenue for several decades, playing an indispensable role in bolstering personal attachment and pride in the community among residents, Geoffery Moss said.

D&J Hardware, also located on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near Sydenham Street, is one of the few hardware stores in North Central and provides services to both homeowners and contractors in the community, said owner Jason Kim. “I am very grateful to have regulars from the area who come back time and time again,” Kim said. “It’s really great to have customers you have good relationships with, it makes the work much more rewarding.”

Kim, 51, inherited the businesses from his uncle six years ago, who operated it for more than 26 years. The store closed for seven weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic forced small businesses across the U.S. to close in March.

During that time, Kim made several reconfigurations to his store in an effort to make customers feel safe, limiting access to the store’s tight aisles which are flanked by shelves stacked high with inventory.

“A lot of our business comes from landlords and handymen in the neighborhood. [COVID-19] or not, they still

had things that needed to be fixed,” Kim said “We wanted to reopen as soon as possible, while still being safe, in order to continue providing reliable services to our customers.”

Back at Mecca, the rarely worndown leather barber chairs tell the story of the countless customers who have patronized the business over the decades.

Mecca typically has multiple barbers, including Collins, working at the same time when the store gets busy. More than a dozen televisions line the walls of the salon where programming ranges from sports to politics, prompting lively conversations and debates among patrons, Collins said.

Small businesses like Mecca serve a critical role in promoting much needed dialogue between community members in spaces that are neither home nor work, where discussions can range from issues of politics and race to improving neighborhood relations, Moss said.

“This isn’t just a place to get a haircut,” Collins said. “This is a space where people can connect and talk in ways they otherwise wouldn’t be able to.”

LOOKING FORWARD

While some large business chains occupy retail space on the corridor, many businesses on Cecil B. Moore remain independently owned, which often afford a more diverse range of products better suited to the individual needs of the neighborhood, Moss said.

Young entrepreneurs like Elliott Broaster, 23, founder of Smokes n’ Things on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near Bouvier Street, represent the new guard of small businesses on the Cecil B. Moore commercial corridor and are eager to provide a high-demand service to the neighborhood.

Broaster, a 2019 entrepreneurship and innovation management major alumnus who grew up in North Central, had the idea to open Smokes n’ Things while still attending classes at Temple.

In 2018, he opened the business during his junior year to sell a range of tobacco products and smoking accessories.

As an undergraduate student, Broaster knew he wanted to start a business near Temple so when he saw an available storefront on Cecil B. Moore Avenue, he went for it. In addition to Smokes n’ Things, Broaster owns another business and has plans to open even

PAGE 13

TEMPLE LIBRARIES / ARCHIVE Broken glass and debris litter Columbia Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets following the 1964 riots on Aug. 30, 1964.

more in the near future.

A driving part of Broaster’s business philosophy involves giving back to the community, he said.

He is always willing to counsel other young entrepreneurs and regularly posts informational videos for aspiring business owners on his Instagram, he said.

“Our doors are always open,” Broaster said. “I want to use the lessons I’ve learned to teach and inspire other entrepreneurs about what it takes to run your own business. Honestly, all the knowledge I have now means nothing unless I’m passing it on to someone else.”

Broaster’s business was vandalized this summer during protests after the police killing of George Floyd, resulting in broken storefront windows and lost inventory. In response, a friend launched a GoFundMe page in early June which raised more than $27,000, exceeding the fundraiser’s goal of $10,000. The shop has since been repaired and reopened.

“When you put out good energy, you typically get it back,” Broaster said.

“I want to help as many people as I can start their own business because I believe ownership is the best way out of poverty.”

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, the offices, retail stores and construction sites TWB Cleaning Contractors serviced were shut down, and Worrell-Benjamin saw her revenue begin to shrink drastically.

“It’s been hard,” Worrell-Benjamin

said. “Not only financially, but we had to make some tough decisions. We employ people from all the surrounding ZIP codes and see each other like family, so I was very concerned not only for myself but also my employees.”

Recently, Worrell-Benjamin has seen a slow but steady increase in business as retail spaces and construction sites reopen. She’s also seen a rise in morale among her employees, some of whom had family members that were hospitalized for COVID-19 but have since recovered, she added.

Despite these challenges, owners like Worrell-Benjamin remain resolute in their commitment to providing their services to the neighborhood.

“It has always been my goal to launch a business in the community that would serve the community,” Worrell-Benjamin said.

Small businesses have meaningful impacts on urban areas on small and large scales, both of which lead to the overall stronger community, Moss said.

“Through enabling things as small as interpersonal relationships, to their larger role as employers and providers of goods and services, the importance of small businesses cannot be overstated in local communities,” he added. asa.cadwallader@temple.edu @asacadwallader

LIVE

Food trucks fuel

families

in

Philly

A nonprofit youth organization hosted a fundraiser to send underserved children to camp.

BY JEREMY ELVAS Co-Photo Editor On Saturday, Kamp for Kids, a statewide nonprofit organization helping underserved children and children with autism, hosted a drive-in food truck festival from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Fishtown Crossing Aramingo Avenue and E Hagert St. Dozens of families tailgated in the parking lot while social distancing, ordered from food trucks and bought accessories from vendors.

Penni Morton, 50, of Feasterville, Pennsylvaia, directs Kamp for Kids with her husband, Tim, who she started the organization with in 2013. The nonprofit helps families in need and hosts events, offers assistance and facilitates community programs.

“We’ve always wanted to work with children, we just have a heart for them,” Penni Morton said.

The drive-in food truck festival is one of many events Kamp for Kids hosts throughout the year to raise money and donate all proceeds to programs helping children with autism attend summer camp and other events.

Food trucks like The Little Sicilian, El Tlaloc and Battiano’s Ice Cream set up shop in the parking lot, and took orders and pre-orders to help limit wait times and contact with attendees.

Patti Sims, 60, of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, volunteered at the food festival with her daughter, Emily, selling cotton candy and handing out brochures about Kamp for Kids.

One of Sims’ favorite parts of volunteering at these events is seeing Emily, who has autism, be able to socialize with others.

“She’s able to help out and feel proud JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Battiano’s Ice Cream food truck sells a variety of desserts, like gelati and milkshakes.

LUNCHIES

Tuesday October 6

2020

In the

Red

A special edition of

The Temple News READ MORE: Pages B1-B8

PAGE B2

LUNCHIES

Support small businesses

I

witnessed the stress of my dad’s small dental office shutting down almost instantly as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the nation.

Like most people, he was out of work for two months, and uncertainty arose every day after even treating dental emergencies was deemed nonessential at the end of March. Luckily, the office was able to reopen in June and business is back to normal.

But many of the small food vendors around Temple University’s Main Campus didn’t have the same experience. Many never reopened this semester after closing in the spring, and those that have are worried they will have to close, possibly for good.

Due to the pandemic, small businesses across the country have been suffering because of prolonged shutdowns and delayed payments of unemployment checks or loans. Many worry about the ability to come back from more than six months of lost or slow business.

This year’s Lunchies highlights food trucks and vendors who’ve reopened despite the challenges and uncertainty the pandemic brought in the spring semester and carried into the fall. Some are Main Campus staples, who’ve watched Temple grow and change for more than 35 years.

Others just opened last year, and are struggling to break even from their first tumultuous year in business.

Some local restaurants who turned to takeout during the summer months, while food trucks looked at options of moving around the city. Vendors at The Wall in the middle of Main Campus wonder when students will return.

One thing I’ve learned through the pandemic is that local businesses are some of the most valuable part of our communities. This includes the food vendors on Main Campus, too.

Watching my dad, I know how stressful the springtime was and how unclear regulations for businesses seemed. It felt hopeless looking forward and only seeing questions and unknowns. Campus reopening gave some relief for vendors, but much of that feels gone with classes online again. Without knowing what the spring semester will bring, owners still question the future of their businesses.

Supporting the food vendors on campus is recognizing the hard work and resilience they show every day to feed the Temple community, even during times of crisis.

Sincerely, Emma Padner Features Editor

The Temple News

Fruit truck tries to ‘hang on’ to slowing sales The wildfires have affected the fruit Rising prices due to fruit shortages from California wildfires affect industry because it is unsafe for farmers to harvest, due to high smoke levels in the Long Nguyen’s smoothie truck.

BY NORA KELLEHER For The Temple News This time last year, Long Nguyen had people lining up and down the block for fruit smoothies.

Now, he only gets one or two customers at a time.

“It’s not feeling good, not feeling great at all, because we depending on students to come here,” said Nguyen, owner of The Fruit Salad and Smoothie Truck on Montgomery Avenue between Broad and 13th streets.

Nguyen closed his fruit smoothie truck in March when the pandemic closed Temple University’s Main Campus and reopened when the fall semester began partially in-person on Aug. 24. But with students moving home as classes moved online and West Coast wildfires affecting the fruit industry, Nguyen’s business is struggling.

Nguyen has operated The Fruit Salad and Smoothie Truck for 20 years on campus. The majority of Nguyen’s customers are students, professors or staff, he said.

“I do have regular customers,” Nguyen said. “Not even 30 percent of my regular customers, students, here because they online. They home right now.”

This summer, Nguyen applied for unemployment after closing the truck. It wasn’t much, but it was helpful because he was unable to work, he said.

In reopening his truck, Nguyen’s shortened his hours from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., to 8 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., he said.

In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic slowing customer sales, Nguyen’s business was impacted by wildfires in California wildfires since they caused prices to increase, he said.

The fires, which started in mid-August, have burned across 4 million acres on the West Coast, NPR reported.

air, the Guardian reported.

At Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, on Essington Avenue near 67th Street, where Nguyen picks up fresh fruit for the day, he found some fruits were completely sold out or priced two to three times higher than normal, he said.

Due to fruit shortages, Nguyen increased smoothie prices by 50 cents. He is unable to buy certain fruits, like strawberries, because he is not making enough profit for the increase in price, he said.

“They check up really high right now because the shortage, so there is nothing much we can do,” Nguyen said. “We don’t make any profit right now anyway.”

Donte Stevenson, a 2015 business management alumnus who lives on 11th Street near Oxford, came to The Fruit Salad and Smoothie Truck every day for breakfast when he was a student. He still comes about three times a week because it’s close to his house, he added.

“I feel like it’s more personal,” Stevenson said. “It’s like mom and pops honestly, I like that.”

Allie Chabrak, a senior criminal justice major, orders a large smoothie with no sugar, spinach, apple, banana and mango two times a week.

“It’s much better to support local businesses, especially ones that rely on Temple students to be here, much rather than a big corporation,” Chabrak said.

“Especially now because of COVID, a lot of them have taken a hit.”

Nguyen is unsure his truck will stay open for the remainder of the semester.

“The business here is no business,” Nguyen added. “We just try to hang on because a lot of people keep asking us just hang on.” nora.kelleher@temple.edu @norakelleher2

The Temple News

LUNCHIES

PAGE B3

Brothers adapt to pizza kitchen, business changes After reopening, Feim and Jim Amzovski work shortened hours and offer a limited menu.

BY EMMA PADNER Features Editor Feim Amzovski used to start making pizza before 9 a.m. to prepare for the lunch rush of students between classes.

This fall, despite all efforts, he’s lucky to sell pizza for 20 customers a day, he said.

“I mean, it’s not like we ain’t trying,” said Amzovski, co-owner of Fame’s Famous Pizza.

Since 1985, brothers Feim and Jim Amzovski have run Fame’s Famous Pizza at The Wall, on 12th Street between Polett Walk and Montgomery Avenue.

After 35 years, the decline in business and physical changes in the kitchen are “totally out of the works,” Feim Amzovski said.

The brothers implemented Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocol, like wearing masks, bleaching the kitchen and sanitizing everything throughout the day and before they close, co-owner Jim Amzovski said.

They keep hand sanitizer nearby for themselves and the customers, and wear face shields if they feel they need more protection or customers are not wearing masks, Feim Amzovski said.

Fame’s Famous Pizza closed after campus shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March. When they reopened on Aug. 17, the summer heat made it difficult to breathe and work in the kitchen with a mask on, Jim Amzovski said.

Now that it’s cooling down, it’s not as bad to wear a mask, he added.

Feim Amzovski made every change he could in his kitchen to ensure everyone’s safety, he said.

“Look, I’m going to be 60 years old, I can’t afford to catch this thing, and plus I’m a diabetic,” Feim Amzovski said.

“We’ve got hand sanitizers, I got boxes of it. So we are like, very careful.”

When campus reopened, under 9,000 students returned for in-person classes, The Temple News reported.

JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jim Amzovski, co-owner of Fame’s Famous Pizza, wears a mask and stands behind a plexiglass screen on Sept. 28.

Classes moved online on Sept. 3, and athe city health commissioner Thomas Farley told students to return home. Almost two-thirds of students living in residence halls moved out by Sept. 13, The Temple News reported.

Jim Amzovski estimated sales are down 90 percent from previous years, he said.

The Amzovski’s are offering a limited menu to avoid wasting food at the end of the night, Feim Amzovski said.

Last year, they would make 12 types of pizza and prepare at least 30 for lunchtime. Now they make just three in the morning: cheese, pepperoni and buffalo, and bake more as they need, Jim Amzovski said.

“Everything is minimal,” Feim Amzovski said. “We’re not full, we’re not

full staff. We’re not full operational.”

The brothers shortened the stand’s hours to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They used to stay at the stand until about 9 p.m. every night preparing for the morning, Jim Amzovski said.

“Now, we don’t do any preparations, we just come in and whatever we have, just do it, just make it,” Jim Amzovski added. “It’s very limited.”

Kim Estime, a senior advertising major, comes to Fame’s Famous Pizza for a slice, despite not having to come to Main Campus for class. They serve the closest pizza to New York style she found in Philadelphia, she said.

Estime prefers eating at small businesses rather than chain food restaurants, she said.

“You have a lot of fast food chains

around and they’re gonna make money regardless,” she added. “I feel like smaller businesses won’t, and they’re here, so why not?”

Looking forward, Feim Amzovski is worried the stand might not survive this semester, and said it will definitely not withstand the spring semester if classes are online again.

“It’s going to take me up to a year and a half of loss of business and that’s a lot of money,” Feim Amzovski said. “Then I’m gonna still wind up have to pay them at the same time if there ain’t no business.

It’s impossible to survive.” emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner

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El Guero reopens after business closure in first year “Before we had more people, like evThe Jiménez siblings reopened the food truck in August after eryday, all day, we see like many people,” Celia Jiménez said. “Now, we see like one working various summer jobs.

BY KRISTINE CHIN For The Temple News After working as a chef at Tequilas Restaurant, opening a Mexican food truck was “like a dream” for Celia Jiménez and her siblings Dionicio and Esperaza Jiménez.

Since introducing their menu to Main Campus, the Jiménezes hoped to break even after opening El Guero last fall on Montgomery Avenue near 13th Street.

But as the COVID-19 pandemic forced their business to close and find temporary jobs, the family is unsure if they can make up first-year operating expenses or remain in business after reopening for the fall semester.

After closing in the spring to August due to COVID-19 shutdowns, the Jiménezes wanted to keep their truck open for the summer, but couldn’t afford to, Dionicio Jiménez said. Instead, they spent the summer working in construction and cleaning jobs.

“It was terrible, because we hoped those months we closed, that’s the months we’re gonna make our money,” Dionicio Jiménez added.

The Jiménezes hoped they would have more sales during the first few weeks of the semester, but so far business has been unpredictable and sporadic, Dionicio Jiménez said.

“We don’t know what to do about that,” Dionicio Jiménez said. “So still, I don’t know, I don’t know how to feel to be honest.”

After the majority of Temple University’s classes moved online on Sept.

3, business decreased even more, Celia Jiménez said. Although they have regular customers, they are still struggling, she added.

people in 30 minutes or in one hour.”

El Guero plans to remain open Monday to Friday from 10 a.m to 6 p.m for the rest of the semester and they hope to attract customers from surrounding neighborhoods, Dionicio Jiménez said.

They have also increased their presence on social media by making videos and putting up flyers around the neighborhood to promote El Guero, he added.

Troy Simpson, a senior finance major, visits El Guero every two weeks and thinks it’s the best Mexican food he’s tried, he said.

“They’re super consistent,” Simpson said. “It’s reasonably priced. The people who work there are really nice.”

Angelica Pinon, a junior statistical science and data analytics major, eats at the truck almost every day. She is worried about small businesses in Philadelphia because many of them are family-owned and struggling due to the COVID-19 shutdown starting in March.

“They really depend on the people, you know,” Pinon said. “They’re not like big franchises, they depend on our money.”

For now, the Jiménezes are focusing on making enough sales this semester because it’s difficult to predict how business will be day to day, Dionicio Jiménez said.

“It slows down, and you get ready for the following day because you think it’s going to be busy and people, there is like nothing,” he added.

They hope to gain steady business like they did when they first opened, Dionicio Jiménez said.

“We did it once, and we can do it twice,” he said. kristine.chin@temple.edu

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Celia Jiménez, 42, owner of El Guero, takes an order from a student on Sept. 28.

AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Ismael Torres, 40, a cook for El Guero, begins to wrap a Torta on Sept. 28. Torta is a sandwich that contains different types of meat depending on what the truck has that week, said owner Celia Jiménez, 42.

The Temple News

LUNCHIES

PAGE B7

Food pad vendors maneuver financial difficulties Five of the six stands at The Wall reopened, but with less foot traffic, they say business feels bleak.

BY EMMA PADNER Features Editor For 35 years, The Wall has served as an iconic outdoor food court on Main Campus where students go to study, socialize or grab lunch from their favorite food stand.

When campus closed in March, the stands shut down with it, and five out of six of them reopened this fall. As brick and mortar food stands along 12th Street, owners face challenges in worrying about paying for rent, supplies and utilities during the COVID-19 pandemic while Temple University classes remain online.

“It’s down, definitely not like before because of the foot traffic,” said Eric Laro, manager of Eddie’s Pizza. “I couldn’t tell you an exact number, it definitely would be, I would say over 50 percent.”

After campus’ spring closure, Temple discussed financial concerns with vendors at The Wall and allowed them to defer rent for 18 months with zero percent interest, said Linda Frazer, director of real estate. This period will begin when the university reopens at normal capacity, she added.

Frazer sent the businesses a letter saying they would be expected to pay rent beginning in September, but it was rescinded after the university moved all nonessential fall courses online and more than 2,000 students canceled their housing, she said.

“It wasn’t fair to start collecting rent again, so they’re back to not having to pay their rent,” Frazer added. “Until we really know what’s going to happen with the spring semester, I can’t tell you when it resumes. It’s really up in the air.”

The university has not yet announced if classes will continue online or return to in-person learning in the Spring 2021 semester.

At Orient Express, Johny Thai has two employees on staff, but is struggling this semester because his stand only

JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Owners of stands at The Wall are concerned about how business has slowed with fewer students on Main Campus.

makes “a couple hundred a day,” he added.

“Usually we make about $500 a week, but now only get about $120, $130,” said Thai, who’s owned the stand since 1989.

Thai receives about $300 from unemployment each week in addition to what he is making at Orient Express, he added.

“We still owe some money from Temple for the rent but I don’t know how much and how we’re gonna pay them,” Thai said.

“So, I have to wait and see what happens.”

Frazer is in contact with vendors about changes to rent payments, she said.

Linda Tran, an employee of Tai’s Vietnamese Food for 16 years, said business has been slow at The Wall.

“There’s not a lot of customers now,” she said. “I hope next semester the students can come back and that way we will keep up the good business we are.”

Richie Jr., the owner of Richie’s sandwich shop, said the university has been helping the stand through financial trou-

bles due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s a really fine line with a lot of things,” Richie Jr. said. “But, you know, they’re not knocking down our doors or locking them so you know, you have to be respectful for that.”

During Main Campus’ closure in the spring and summer, some food trucks moved to serve events in other neigborhoods of Philadelphia, The Temple News reported.

“If we were able to move, where would we move to?” Richie Jr. said. “Everywhere is just as bad as everywhere else.”

Jim Amzovski, co-owner of Fame’s Famous Pizza, said they have not paid rent since March and they are saving up to pay for the six months.

The longer they defer, the worse the rent payment will become, because they will owe the university a large amount of money, he added.

“Sometimes we don’t even get a pay-

check, because we’re actually saving up the money to save for the rent,” Amzovski said.

Laro, a 2020 marketing alumnus, said while the university has communicated with them, rent deferment has been their only relief.

“We’re still going to have to pay it, just later on,” he added. “We haven’t gotten really any breaks. So it’s just deferment, that’s really it.”

He isn’t too concerned about paying rent because he believes things “hopefully will go back to normal soon,” Laro said.

“Once people start, you know, figuring out how to handle the situation correctly, safely and I would say in a timely manner, not even us but everyone could get back to where they were last year,” Laro added. emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner

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PAGE B8

The Temple News

Restaurant relies on takeout service to recover sales Maxwell’s Caribbean American Take-Out is seeing regular customers return after reopening.

BY NATALIE KERR Assistant Features Editor Only offering takeout food might be the best decision Maxwell’s Caribbean American Take-Out ever made.

After a slow summer returning from COVID-19 business shutdowns, sales are back to about 75 percent of what it was before the pandemic at the restaurant, said Savreta Barnett, the restaurant’s owner.

“We did a lot better than sitting restaurants,” Barnett added. “People already know they just come in, and come and pick up their orders.”

The restaurant opened 16 years ago at The Gallery in what is now Philadelphia’s Fashion District, then moved to their current location at 17th Street and Susquehanna Avenue in 2015.

Customers still come to the counter and order from the menu displayed overhead, however, they must now stand on red tape marking six feet apart and wear masks.

The City of Philadelphia ordered non-essential businesses to close March 16 for at least two weeks, but restaurants and bars could provide takeout services starting March 19, The Temple News reported.

Maxwell’s shut down March 15 and reopened on April 10, Barnett said.

During the initial shutdown, many of their customers were uncertain if they were open or answering phone calls still, said Keiyon Maxwell, a line cook and sub-

...

BUT WAIT

stitute chef at Maxwell’s.

“It was just kind of crazy because we had all the new regulations and rules for COVID, so it was kind of tough,” Maxwell said.

In May and June, it was challenging to find some ingredients they needed at the grocery store, like turkey and yams, but recently they’ve had more difficulty in being unable to buy supplies, like gloves, Barnett said.

“As far as our health, we’ve gotta be very careful, we’ve gotta make sure we wash our hands, we’ve gotta spend more money for water, we gotta wear masks, we gotta do all that kinda stuff,” Barnett said. “Things we did never normally used to do.”

For a week in early June, Maxwell’s closed at 8 p.m. to abide by the City of Philadelphia’s curfew. The restaurant’s hours are still shorter than before the pandemic, now closing at 9:15 p.m. on weekdays and 10:15 p.m. on weekends to closing at 9 p.m. every night, Barnett said.

Yet, most of their regular customers from before the shutdown are back, Barnett said.

“Maxwell’s always gave me superb service everytime I come in here, and plus they’re more personal with their customers than most restaurants that I deal with,” said Lawrence Wright, 52, who lives at 24th Street near Somerset.

While they had slow business at the beginning of the pandemic, the restaurant now fills up, with the line stretching from the counter to the door, even after the lunch rush is over.

“The customers were still coming, but it wasn’t normal, it wasn’t like before,” Maxwell said. “But now it’s back, it’s com-

LUNCHIES

isn’t over here.

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Keiyon Maxwell stands at the order window at Maxwell’s Caribbean American Take-Out on 18th street and Susquehanna Avenue on Sept. 30.

ing back to normal now.”

Maxwell’s serves food using “recipes from Jamaican history,” including dishes like snapper, jerk chicken and oxtails, Maxwell added.

“It’s hard to pick a favorite, it’s like, you know, like grandchildren,” Wright said. “It depends on what I’m in the mood for that day.”

Sometimes customers who ate at their previous location come looking for Maxwell’s and are excited to find that they are still open, Barnett said.

“We find some people come and say, ‘We’ve been looking for you, we’ve been searching all over town,’” she added.

The majority of customers are nearby

Check out temple-news.com for more stories and videos.

residents, but they often get people from other counties and surrounding states like Delaware and New Jersey, Maxwell said.

While some ingredients and supplies are more expensive than before the pandemic started, and they are enforcing health restrictions in their restaurant, business is better than it was over the summer, Barnett said.

“It has taken a while to get back on track, but we’re here now,” she added.

Emma Padner contributed reporting. natalie.kerr@temple.edu @nataliekerr

MOVING COUNTER CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP LEFT JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Penni Morton, a director of Kamp for Kids, stands next to a banner for the nonprofit organization.

Attendees wait in line for The Little Sicilian food truck, which sells Sicilian street food like riceballs and ravioli.

Josias De Peña and his friends tailgate in the parking lot.

Emily Savrin, a volunteer at the festival, carries a tray of cotton candy to sell.

Lobster Mac Balls from the Dr. Wutzit’s Wonder Balls food truck.

of being able to help out,” Sims said. “For her to say that and do that, I love it because it pushes her out of her comfort zone.”

Josias De Peña, 25, who lives near Grape Street and Manayunk Avenue, attended the festival with his friends after seeing the event advertised on Facebook.

“The nice thing about events such as this one is that it’s fostering a sense of community,” De Peña said. “People can come out, have good food and fellowship and be able to give back to individuals who don’t have the same level of resources as other folks. Anytime that I’m able to come out, eat good food and contribute to a good cause, it’s a win-win all around.” elvas@temple.edu @jeremyelvas

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

ON CAMPUS

Similar symptoms may complicate COVID-19, flu Both cause fever and muscle aches, so it may be difficult to know which virus students have.

BY SCOTT BLENDER For The Temple News

W

hile 70 percent of college students ages 18-24 surveyed believed getting a flu vaccine is important, only 46 percent reported actually getting one, according to a 2017 survey by the National Foundation for Infectious Disease.

This year, flu season may be magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic because the two diseases have similar symptoms including a fever, cough and muscle aches, said Heather Clauss, a clinical medicine professor and director of Temple University’s Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program.

“The overlap in symptoms will add confusion and anxiety,” Clauss said. “There’s going to be more people with respiratory symptoms in the coming months.”

Temple University Hospital and Temple University Lung Center are preparing for the upcoming winter season by ramping up their supplies of personal protective equipment, laboratory supplies and respiratory equipment, Clauss said.

Flu season starts in October and typically ends in March or April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At almost seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to distinguish between the two viruses, since they are treated differently, said Abby Rudolph, an epidemiology and biostatistics professor.

COVID-19 causes a loss in sense of taste and smell that doesn’t occur when someone has the flu, Clauss said.

On Sept. 28, Student Health Services announced free flu vaccines are available for all university students, staff and faculty at the Aramark Student Recreation and Training Complex and the Health Science Center on Broad Street near Ontario. Students must make an appointment online and show an OWLcard to receive a vaccine.

Prescription antiviral drugs are available and approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for the flu, but so far none are approved to treat

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Dr. Maria Pellecchia, assistant clinical director of Temple Student Health Services, administers a flu vaccine to a patient at Temple’s flu vaccine clinic at the Health Sciences Campus on Oct. 1.

COVID-19, according to the CDC. To date, the pandemic has infected more than 35 million people and caused over 1 million deaths worldwide, The New York Times reported.

Indoor gatherings during cold weather and social distancing fatigue may cause the COVID-19 virus to spread, Clauss said.

“We as a society are less enthusiastic about maintaining those restrictions leading to an increase in COVID infection in the winter,” she added.

The flu spreads quicker during the winter months because more people spend time indoors, BBC reported.

“My biggest concern is that everybody’s immunity will be decreased,” said Rohan Harolikar, a freshman biology major. “Getting a flu vaccine should be mandatory.”

At the beginning of the pandemic, the surge of COVID-19 patients caused many

hospitals, especially in underserved communities, to be understaffed with limited resources to handle the demand, The New York Times reported.

Rudolph is worried an average or above-average flu season may add stress to hospitals, she said.

“It can mean that we really strain the system,” Rudolph added. “We might not have enough ICU beds to care for people.”

As many people as possible should get the flu shot, Rudolph said.

Though flu vaccines only reduce the risk of the flu by 40 to 60 percent, it can help prevent hospitalization according to the CDC. “Anything you can do to reduce your chances of getting the flu is a good thing because we want to reduce the hospitalization burden,” Rudolph said.

Gabby Perotti, a freshmen music technology major, will be getting a flu vaccine

this year, since she believes it’s important for public health, she said.

“You’ve seen the damage that COVID can do,” Perotti added. “When there are diseases that have vaccines that can prevent them, why would we try to not prevent them?”

Rudolph recommends the Temple community take necessary precautions for prevention, like social distancing, wearing a mask, washing hands regularly and using hand sanitizer.

“Don’t try to push through it, stay home and get tested to see which one you have,” Rudolph said. “Prevention is worth a pound of cure.” scott.blender@temple.edu scott_blender

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 17

STUDENT LIFE

Mental health concerns rise as seasons change

With social distancing continuing, feelings of depression or isolation may increase in winter.

BY KRISTINE CHIN For The Temple News Blake Davis is concerned about the impact colder, shorter days could have on his mental health.

“It’s pretty ominous, like a looming threat,” said Davis, a sophomore sociology major.

Seasonal Affective Disorder, a form of clinical depression associated with fall and winter, affects approximately five percent of Americans, according to Mental Health America. People experiencing SAD feel fatigue, depression or hopelessness causing a tendency to withdraw socially during the winter months, said Steven Hulcher, senior psychologist at Tuttleman Counseling Center.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have a negative impact on students’ mental health because of limited opportunities for social interaction, he added.

“There’s a tendency of course to withdraw socially, that’s one of the most prominent factors of it,” Hulcher said. “It certainly ties in now with COVID that certainly everyone’s being more socially isolated, which in and of itself I think could certainly lead to some depression.”

Emelia Luker, a sophomore psychology major, struggled with feelings of isolation and taking online classes when the pandemic began in March, she said.

“I was having a hard time not getting to have that experience of college in the spring with my friends and I had to go home,” Luker said. “Because of my ADHD, I find it really hard to focus in environments that aren’t school-based.”

The Wellness Resource Center

created additional programs and provided mental health resources for students with topics like improving mental health, self care and connecting while feeling lonely, said Janie Egan, a mental well-being program coordinator at the Wellness Resource Center.

“Winter is already hard on a lot of people as far as mental well-being,” she added. “This winter might present new challenges for many of us.”

The winter months do not normally affect Greyson Russell’s mental health, but this year may be difficult for her, she said.

“At least like other times, you can like socialize a bit and like, have your friends, even when it’s, you know, crap, and you can kind of have that to like boost your energy,” said Russell, a junior biology major. “This year it’s like, it’s going to be empty.”

For Gabrielle Dando, a senior adult and organizational development major, the winter holidays and social connections with friends and family help reduce loneliness.

The City of Philadelphia recommends residents think before adding people to their social bubble, limit indoor gatherings to 25 people and limit how many people someone connects with in person, according to a city release.

Dando already feels isolated because she is immunocompromised and needs to be careful who she comes in contact with, she said.

“I felt distant from all my loved ones and everything and it’s kind of been depressing,” Dando said. “Like I feel a lot of loneliness, but it’s like also anxiety of the uncertainty, like what’s gonna happen?

And this is going to go on for years to come?”

While he is concerned, Davis believes

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Pamphlets about wellness topics sit at the entrance of the Wellness Resource Center on the second floor of the Howard Gittis Student Center on Oct. 5.

a lot of loneliness, but “it’sI feel like also anxiety of the uncertainty, like what’s gonna happen? And this is going to go on for years to come?

”

GABRIELLE DANDO Senior adult and organizational development major

he has developed coping mechanisms that will help him get through the season, like eating and exercising regularly, and attending recovery Zoom sessions.

“I think that I’ll be okay,” Davis said.

“But, it’s not going to be easy for sure.”

Remembering to take time for personal care is important, even if it is through virtual workouts or social events, Egan said.

“The everyday, even simple ways that we can take care of ourselves that have a big impact like resting, sleeping, nourishing our bodies, connecting with others,” Egan said. “Even if it is virtually and not in person, moving our bodies in ways that feel good, things like that.” kristine.chin@temple.edu

PAGE 18

FEATURES

The Temple News

ON CAMPUS

Student orgs inform and register voters online Organizations turn to Zoom and istration information through email and social media to register voters social media campaigns, meeting with for the upcoming Nov. 3 election. student organizations and providing

BY EMMA PADNER Features Editor In the 2018 congressional election, 29 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 voted in Pennsylvania’s 3rd congressional district that encompasses North Central and Temple University, according to the United States Census Bureau.

In preparation for the Nov. 3 general election, Temple student organizations are working to register students through Zoom meetings and social media campaigns, while the university created Temple Votes, an initiative to get students informed about registering to vote and applying for mail in ballots.

After local elections in 2019, the Division of Student Affairs began creating an outline for Temple Votes, said Chris Carey, the senior associate dean of students.

Temple Votes brings together people who work in voter registration and engagement across the university, including various academic departments, administrators, student organizations and leaders, he added.

“There’s a lot of information that’s out there, but sometimes that information can be so overwhelming that you just closed the tab,” Carey said. “Our goal was to really create a comprehensive resource for students that they can find anything that they might need in one place.”

The last day to register to vote in Pennsylvania is Oct. 19. Applications for mail in or absentee ballots must be in by Oct. 27 and ballots must be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, and reach county election offices by Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. to be counted, according to Votes PA. Temple Votes is sending voter reg-

VOTING

DEADLINES

faculty with nonpartisan presentations to inform students in their virtual classrooms, Carey said.

Temple Student Government held events like a voter registration seminar with the League of Women Voters on Oct. 2 via Zoom, said Sam Hall, a junior political science major and director of government affairs.

With many students moving home due to classes moving online, a new challenge is helping students register to vote in different states, Hall said.

“Sometimes some people have specific knowledge you know like, ‘Hey, I’m from your state,’” he added. “We’re always making sure that someone, if we can’t give them the answer, they can leave with resources that can give them the answer.”

Michael Dambra, a junior exercise and sport science major, plans to go home to Montgomery County to vote in person for the first time.

“When I graduated high school I didn’t think about voting,” Dambra said.

“Now like I’m thinking about it more obviously, so yeah it’s important to.”

Temple Progressive NAACP also plans to hold information sessions and online voter registration drives to inform students about candidates’ policies, said Piri Pantoja, a senior political science major and political affairs chair for Temple Progressive NAACP. “We don’t care who people vote for, we just want to make sure people vote,” Pantoja added. “Doesn’t matter if you’re voting Republican, Democrat for Trump or Biden, we just want to make sure people have their voice heard over the next four years.”

Sophia Amodei is planning to vote in person in Philadelphia on Election

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Bridget Rizzo, senior nursing major and vice president of TU Public Advocacy Club, prepares to post a graphic designed by Kathleen Nguyen about registering to vote on TUPAC’s social media on Oct. 5.

Day. She received information from Temple about registering and most of her professors have talked about the importance of voting in class, she said.

Amodei, a junior public health major, is voting because she feels this is one of the most important elections for this generation, she said.

“So much is at stake especially with figuring out the COVID crisis, with our climate, our economy,” she said. “It’s like a pivotal time and it’s also going to affect my future after I graduate.”

Bridget Rizzo, a senior nursing major and vice president of TU Public Advocacy Club, said the club is running social media campaigns through Instagram to compile resources for students.

“We don’t have as many events as we did, but we’re really just focusing on reminding people to get registered, to do absentee as soon as they can so their vote counts,” she added.

Carey found that a lot of students

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don’t vote because they don’t think their vote matters or they don’t fully understand how to register or cast their ballot, he said.

“There are examples of times when a single vote did matter,” Carey said. “We have to engage in the process because it does matter.”

The Liacouras Center opened as a satellite voting center on Sept. 29, which makes it easier for students to vote, since it’s a short walk from on campus, Hall said.

“Being active in the democratic process is a crucial part of, you know, those extra things people do in college,” he added. “Maybe your parents didn’t vote while you were growing up, and maybe this is time for you to really discover your civic life.” emma.padner@temple.edu emma.padner

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FEATURES

ALUMNI

Podcast hopes to bring interest to horror The lifelong friends started “Corn Syrup: A Horror Podcast” in July to fill time while quarantining.

BY SARAH HEIDELBAUGH For The Temple News Tyler Sablich still remembers watching Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers in the sixth grade with his friend Michael Keenan and falling in love with horror films.

The film spurred weekly trips to movie stores in middle school, and a lifelong obsession with the genre.

“It doesn’t matter if it was a good one or it was a cheesy one from the ‘80s, we were always willing to see whatever Blockbuster had,” said Keenan, a 2015 marketing alumnus.

Three years after first discussing it, the extra time due to the COVID-19 pandemic inspired Sablich and Keenan to finally turn their passion into a biweekly podcast called “Corn Syrup: A Horror Podcast.” Recorded from their homes, Sablich and Keenan review horror films, interview actors and actresses and rank popular horror movies.

The name is a reference to the 1996 movie “Scream,” said Sablich, a 2014 journalism alumnus, as corn syrup is commonly used as fake blood in horror movies.

The podcast, which has about 800 listeners, is released every other Wednesday and is produced on PodBean, which distributes it to major platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.

Some of his biggest influences for starting a horror podcast came from watching YouTube channels like “Dead Meat” and film reviewer Chris Stuckmann, Sablich said.

Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and Shudder made horror movies readily available and contributed

to a recent revitalization of the genre by making them widely available and improving the production quality, he added.

The first episode, released on July 8, kicked off a five-part series in which Sablich and Keenan rank the 51 movies of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Halloween,” “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Child’s Play” and “Scream” franchises.

Sablich and Keenan interviewed “Child’s Play 2” actress Christine Elise for their episode, “A Conversation with Christine Elise, Celebrating 30 Years of Child’s Play 2” on Sept. 30.

The pair hope to continue having guests on the podcast in order to attract new listeners, Sablich said.

“Just keep growing, try to get bigger on social media because that’s kind of where it all starts,” Keenan said.

Christian Hochstetler, a 2014 mechanical engineering alumnus and friend of Sablich and Keenan, designed the podcast’s logo. Hochstetler used Sablich and Keenan’s logo idea of a girl eating blood, and made it into an 80s comic book style character.

Hochstetler enjoys listening to the podcast because it revitalized his interest in horror.

“It’s almost like, revamped my enthusiasm for the genre,” he said. “I find myself watching a lot more horror movies lately.”

Sablich and Keenan’s passion for the genre has been the driving force behind the podcast, Sablich said.

“As long as we’re having fun with it and staying true to ourselves and doing what we were already doing in our free time, just talking about these movies, then I think people will listen,” he added.

“And so far, the results have been there.” sarah.heidelbaugh@temple.edu

PAGE 19

VOICES

Are you registered to vote for Election Day? NYA JARBAH Freshman criminal justice major Yes. I think it is really important to be registered because the presidency is all about the people and especially with the president that we have right now, it is very important to see him leave because right now we are not in the best case scenario.

RISH ABHYANKAR Junior advertising major Yes. I am registered to vote and I am voting because if I want to make a difference with my vote, I guess that is the way I can.

CAITLIN NAVARRETE Junior musical theatre major Yes. I am a person of color and a woman. I feel like a lot that is going to happen in this election and in the future as well will affect how I live my life and what I can and can’t do, which I would love to have an impact on as well as the fact that people in other countries cant vote so, we should exercise that right.

JESSICA STAHL Junior theatre major Yes. I am registered to vote. I think that voting is very important in this country especially because so many people in other countries aren’t able to vote and I think it is really important to improve our country’s leadership.

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PAGE 20

The Temple News

JOSEPH LABOLITO / COURTESY Temple’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership held its 12 annual National Coming Out week festival virtually on Zoom on Oct. 5.

LGBTQ

Love is the message for Temple’s NCOW festival For National Coming Out Week, organizations that foster gender and sex- served as a representative for the orgaTemple hosted its annual re- uality inclusion,” said Nu’Rodney Prad, nization. The center is specifically for the director of student engagement at people ages 13-24 and provides primary source festival virtually.

BY RAY HOBBS Assistant Intersection Editor

T

he Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, Advocacy and Leadership is hosting their 12th annual National Coming Out Week celebration this year with the theme of “Love is the Message.”

On Monday, the office started out the week with its annual festival, which was held virtually on Zoom and open to the public. The festival drew 60 attendees and offered LGBTQ resources on campus and in Philadelphia. Visitors could virtually meet with representatives from seventeen organizations and departments from Temple and around the city.

“These resources allow students, staff, and faculty to engage with various

IDEAL. “These are great assets that further affirms identity but also provides a platform to further visibility and advocacy.”

Alison McKee, director of the Wellness Resource Center and a co-chair of Temple’s NCOW celebration, said this year’s theme was created in part because the committee felt the university community could use a positive, connecting message through challenging times.

“It felt really important to find a theme that helped bring folks together and affirm the community,” she said.

Philadelphia FIGHT, an AIDS service organization that provides primary medical and dental care, consumer education, advocacy and research, were among the groups invited to participate in the festival.

Cameron McConkey, a Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow in the Y-HEP Health Center at Philadelphia FIGHT,

comprehensive health care focused on the LGBTQ community, he said.

“LGBTQ health care is a big part of what we provide, so for those reasons coming to this festival and getting the chance to talk with students who are LGBTQ,” McConkey said.

The health center also offers a gender-affirming care program that includes hormone therapy for people interested in transitioning and can seek social and medical support there. The center also has a PrEP coordinator who works with patients who are looking for HIV prevention care services.

“We have a lot of patients come to us from local colleges and universities who may not have access to healthcare, have a doctor or people who are looking for a provider outside of those available through their student health system, and that’s a big reason why I decided to come today,” McConkey said.

Several other groups and organizations, like Bebashi, a social service organziation, Galaei, a queer latin organziation, Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, Planned Parenthood, a reproductive health service, and Women Against Abuse, a domestic violence advocacy group, were also present at the festival.

The first 100 participants with an OWLcard had the chance to receive an official NCOW 2020 T-shirt. Visitors also had the chance to win prizes by competing in Kahoot quiz games about the organizations.

Throughout the rest of the week, NCOW will be hosting events, including a conversation on Tuesday about LGBTQ inclusion in other countries and gender identity inclusion in the LGBTQ community. IDEAL will end the week with an annual NCOW drag show that will be held virtually through Zoom on Friday. rayonna.hobbs@temple.edu @HobbsRayonna

The Temple News

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PAGE 21

LGBTQ

Student’s book highlights queer representation

Ashia Burns’ novel explores the representation of Black LGBTQ individuals in modern fiction.

BY SAMANTHA ROEHL For The Temple News During a difficult freshman year of college, Ashia Monet Burns needed a project. Tucked away was a story she envisioned since age 14, and this seemed like the perfect time to bring it to life.

While she initially hoped to move on from the series after writing it, she realized it had potential.

Burns, a senior psychology major, self-published her debut novel “The Black Veins” in July 2019 under the name Ashia Monet. The first of a contemporary young adult fantasy series, it follows Blythe Fulton, a bisexual Black girl, characterized off of Burns herself.

Blythe is a powerful magician called a Guardian whose family is kidnapped during a magician war. In order to find the other Guardians and save her family, Blythe goes on a road trip across the United States.

The Guardians start out as a mismatched group before becoming an inseparable found family, a group that is not blood related yet love and support each other as a family would.

The idea of a found family within the LGBTQ community has existed for decades, said Rob Faunce, an assistant English professor with expertise in queer theory and gender studies.

“In the 60s and the 70s, it wasn’t uncommon for young people to leave their homes and never go back and find their own communities,” Faunce said. “Now, so much of it is about emotional needs being met. It’s not just okay anymore to just be alive and be queer, but rather to actually thrive and to be surrounded by people who support you and your identity.”

Burns drafted the entire series while at Chestnut Hill College, before transferring to Temple University. Burns wrote it as a fantasy with magic and monsters and wanted to incorporate more personalized elements, she said.

“There were also things that I wanted on a personal level, which was a group of people whom I could love and trust and I felt would also love and trust me in turn,” Burns said.

Burns expected the book to fade in popularity after publishing it last year, but continues to be surprised when people tag her in pictures on Instagram sharing how much the book means to them.

“It was really exciting and so empowering to see all this positive buzz of people who were having a good time with the book and talking about how they felt represented and how important it was for them,” Burns said.

Amir Methvin, a sophomore psychology major, met Burns right as she was finishing the self-publication process.

Methvin understands the difficulties writers of color may face in spaces saturated by white voices, she said.

“It’s hard sometimes to feel like you have a space that you can be listened to and that the type of storytelling you’re interested in talking about wants to be heard,” Methvin added.

Methvin believes Burns’ book paves the way for other queer writers of color to self-publish and be successful at it, she said.

While LGBTQ books are becoming increasingly popular in young adult literature, many are focused on the experience of white queer people and when there are LGBTQ characters of color, they are usually sidelined as love interest or written by white authors, Burns said.

“Queer authors of color are still disenfranchised and considered double-bound by homophobia, transphobia, other phobias along with racism,” she added. “So, it’s this double-bind of not being able to have our voices heard or get our voices out there, and you end up with white queer authors who have a much easier time being published having these depictions of us that aren’t accurate or use us to sprinkle in a little bit of diversity.”

Burns didn’t want Blythe’s character to focus on the hardships of being a

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Ashia Burns, senior psychology major and author of “The Black Veins,” holds the first and second editions of her book on Oct. 5.

queer Black person. Instead, she wanted “The Black Veins” to be fun and escapist.

“I didn’t want to focus on the difficulties,” Burns said. “I just mostly focused on the way through which I view the world and the ways in which I love my identity.”

Currently, Burns is working on “Dracula Hit Squad,” an adult gothic horror stand-alone. The book is different from “The Black Veins,” as it follows a girl who is forced to marry Dracula and enlists characters like Frankenstein and Dorian Gray to help her kill him, Burns

said.

As for the “Dead Magic” series, Burns says she hopes to have the second book out soon.

“I have a lot of projects that I’m really excited about,” Burns said. “Most of which are queer and feature queer people of color. I feel like that’s my brand at this point, queer people of color doing things in science fiction or fantasy.” samantha.roehl@temple.edu @SamanthaRoehl

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INTERSECTION

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

‘Still, I thrive’: Finding my Temple amid tragedy

A student activist reflects on facing adversity and reaffirms her commitment to advocacy.

BY KENDALL STEPHENS For The Temple News My life as a transgender woman has been a rollercoaster of societal rejection, familial abandonment, housing and food insecurity, employment discrimination and transphobic harassment and attacks.

But still, I thrive despite my grim circumstances.

My mother tossed me onto the street when I was a teenager after discovering I was transgender, and I was left with very little options. I had to learn how to survive on the streets. For almost seven years, I experienced chronic homelessness. I had to dumpster dive for clothing and food and denounce my gender to become eligible for public shelters. I never received help securing public housing assistance, as this year marks my 15th year remaining on the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s waiting list.

No one heard my cries for help. No one was there for me when I was being beaten, abused, mistreated and forced to live on the fringes of society. I was brutally attacked inside of my home in August by a group of weapon-wielding transphobes while my godchildren were inside.

Though still traumatized and unnerved by the incident, I maintain my resolve and commitment to the LGBTQ community, working towards advocacy as a Temple University student.

Being a transgender woman of color and living below the poverty line, I have to navigate and carve out platforms that bring attention to the plight of transwomen of color. Through these lenses, I hope to knock down the myriad of barriers, like a lack of educational opportunities and long-term safe housing opportunities, that keep Black and brown LGBTQ students from reaching the heights of their potential.

More often than not, the only plat-

JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Kendall Stephens, a junior social work major, stands in the Johnny Ring Terrace on Main Campus on Oct. 4.

forms we enjoy are those provided to us by our allies, as the trans community is systematically shut out from opportunities to be empowered. Allyship is so important; we need allies to not only speak out on our behalf, but also create spaces for our voices to be heard.

The government has a constitutional and moral responsibility to implement trans-affirming social policies and encourage society to invest in healthy community intersectionality. Instead, we’ve seen the opposite. Many communities have absorbed, projected and recycled the suffering that our socio-historical environments have wrought against our most vulnerable communities, which is why I advocate tirelessly to create safe havens for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.

As per my advocacy work, I want to pursue federal-state uniformity in hate

crime and equality bills for the LGBTQ community. We are reeling from the copious disparities that the current presidential administration has deepened in our community by repealing LGBTQ civil rights protections, adding anti-LGBTQ laws and refusing to enter protective LGBTQ policies into legislation. Enough is enough.

As violence against my trans community continues to escalate, I want to see all of our communities speak with each other in safe spaces so we can work on healing. It is time to protect each other from injustices, not be an active participant in those injustices. I believe this is what makes Temple such a forward-thinking, culturally progressive institution of learning: its ability to be a protective factor to its most marginalized students and faculty.

I am thrilled to be a part of such an

inclusive and diverse safe haven as Temple. After all, an owl, by nature, is a wise bird capable of seeing objects in three dimensions. Our Temple owls are no different, able to see and appreciate the entirety of a person from all sides and show appreciation for them as a human being.

Temple has provided me with a platform to reach the masses with messages of community-building and healing.

We must be an example for other colleges and universities to be inspired and motivated to follow. Change will come for the LGBTQ community, especially trans folks, but we need all of our Temple owls to flock in collective purpose if we want our efforts in our fight against social injustice to prevail once and for all. kendall.stephens@temple.edu @PhillyKendall

The Temple News

INTERSECTION

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THE ESSAYIST

Experiencing COVID-19 in different hemispheres

A student reflects on her contrasting quarantines, from the United States to home in Brazil.

BY RENATA KAMINSKI For The Temple News With classes ending and my summer job getting canceled, I returned to Brazil from Temple’s University’s Main Campus on May 9, to spend the moment of uncertainty at home and with family.

At the time, the United States was reporting its 1,245,775th COVID-19 case, while doctors in Brazil were predicting that it was only just the beginning.

It felt like I was coming out of one pandemic and going into a different one.

Looking back now, it is crazy to think I experienced the peak of the pandemic in two completely different places, but I do not regret coming back home. I feel it was the right decision to make at that moment.

Feb. 25 was Carnival in Brazil, a Catholic holiday and the main festivity in the country. As usual, the streets were crowded with people celebrating. The idea of being together, hugging and kissing wasn’t scary yet at that time.

For me, it wasn’t strange to watch from afar, because it is such a common tradition in our culture and I wasn’t afraid for my home country yet. At the same time, I felt a little sad watching my friends on social media celebrating in the warm weather while I was in the cold having classes.

However, little did we, as Brazilians, know that the great symbolic gathering of the country’s biggest celebration would be the last big reunion we would have in a really long time. The next day, on Feb. 26, Brazil registered its first case of COVID-19. Less than a month later, the first COVID-19 death occurred on March 17.

I was still in Philadelphia at this time and I was anxious to follow the early development of the pandemic in Brazil as Temple University announced it would move all classes online on March 11.

My two homes were experiencing totally different moments of the pandemic.

HANNA LIPKSI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

I felt like I was living the beginning of something bad all over again.

When Temple moved classes online, I called my father, who lives in Brazil, and he was very shocked because fear of the pandemic wasn’t as significant there as it was in the U.S. No one wore masks or worried about crowded places.

Nobody was alarmed yet.

As of Oct. 5, Brazil has reported more than 4.9 million COVID-19 cases and about 147,000 deaths.

Staying at home in Brazil and in the U.S. were completely different experiences. In the U.S., I was living alone because my roommates had returned to their homes. I was able to focus during the last semester of school. When I came back to Brazil, classes had finished and for the first time I got bored. The positive part was that I was with my family.

On July 21, I turned 20 years old, with a completely different celebration

than usual. While my birthday was small and with only a few family members and friends, I still felt an incredible amount of affection from the people I love.

When I first arrived home, I quarantined for two weeks in case I had been infected during the trip. Fortunately, I did not contract the virus. I remember I made plans to meet my friends in June believing the pandemic would have already passed. But, it only got worse.

Obviously, COVID-19 also affected the local economy. One of my favorite brownie spots in my hometown ended up closing its physical store, continuing to sell only on a food delivery app. My family’s company, which sells medical equipment for hospitals and clinics, also had a reduction in the number of sales.

Fortunately, they were prepared and there were no major impacts on my family’s finances.

Although the pandemic is far from

over, Brazil is still trying to return to “normal” life. Most of the country has now reopened shopping malls, churches, restaurants and other establishments. I am still very much at home because my classes and work are online, and I am often concerned about the future consequences for the health of the Brazilian population and economy.

Even though the pandemic in Brazil led to many deaths, I felt safer here because I was at home with my family. If anything bad happened to me, I knew I had their support by my side.

Looking to the future, I hope by the beginning of next semester I will be back in the U.S., and I am sure I will encounter a country that looks completely different from the one I left in May. renata.kaminski@temple.edu @Renatabkaminski

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SPORTS

PAGE 25

MEN’S SOCCER

Fernandes gives one ‘hundred percent’ for Riverhounds The former Owl scored two goals for the Pittsburgh Riverhounds during his first season.

BY SEAN MCMENAMIN Men’s Soccer Beat Reporter While he’s excited about having the former Owls’ leading scorer on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, forward Lukas Fernandes is still getting used to playing professional soccer after his first season, said head coach Bob Lilley.

“He’s still growing and trying to read the game, you know, at this level, making those decisions in the final third,” he added. “We can continue to improve on that, but he’s dangerous.”

The Riverhounds played their last game of the regular season on Oct. 3 against the Philadelphia Union II. The team is now preparing for the playoffs after finishing the season 11-4-1, Fernandes a forward, scored two goals in 12 appearances and three starts this season.

Fernandes signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC in December 2019, The Temple News reported.

Fernandes is focused on making the most of his opportunities when he’s on the field, he said.

“No matter what minute I come on, or no matter what match I start, I’m going to give hundred percent and do what I can to make an impact on the game,” Fernandes said. “I just love being out there and doing what I can for my team.”

Fernandes scored his first USL Championship goal in the 67th minute against Philadelphia Union II on July 18 at Subaru Park.

“I think being confident in my own abilities and doing the simple basic things right, you know,” Fernandes said.

“I think being a professional, sometimes the pressure gets to your head a little bit more than it would in college because the stakes are higher.”

It was a “bit strange” scoring his first professional goal in front of zero fans, Fernandes added.

Fernandes is a good finisher, good off the dribble and he can get in behind

CHRIS COWGER / COURTESY Lukas Fernandes sets up to kick the ball during the Riverhounds’ game against the NY Red Bulls Reserves at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 8.

defenders and take risks, Lilley said.

“We have a lot of optimism with Lukas [Fernandes] because he’s a high-energy guy,” Lilley added. “He’s quick, he’s dynamic and he’s still growing.”

During his four years at Temple, Fernandes played in 55 games, scored 10 goals and added nine assists, including six goals and four assists his junior season.

He was a large part of the team’s success in the 2019 season, as they earned their way to the semifinals of The American Athletic Conference before losing

to Central Florida by a final score of 5-0.

“He represents our program exceptionally well,” said Temple’s head men’s soccer coach Brian Rowland. “He’s put in the time and energy to get better. So he’s an easy one for me to advocate for because he checks a lot of boxes.”

Fernandes has a “special trait and quality” for scoring goals and creating opportunities for his teammates, Rowland added.

Fernandes credited Rowland and the rest of the Temple coaching staff for having an important role in his development into a successful player, he said.

“The coaching staff is willing to help players develop and grow, so I’m very thankful for all of them there,” Fernandes added.

Lilley believes Fernandes is a strong leader on and off the field, he said.

“Guys love him in the locker room you know, he’s got a smile on his face, he works hard and we think he’s done well for his first year, getting the minutes he has,” Lilley added. sean.mcmenamin@temple.edu @sean102400

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SPORTS

The Temple News

JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Freshman goalkeeper Kyla Burns practices at the Temple Sports Complex on Aug. 26.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Owls hold open competition for goalie position Munyon was the team’s third goalTemple’s potential goalkeepers 3 and last until April 23 at the latest, The make sure that we’re communicating.”

Temple News reported.

Vecchione went to La Salle Acadekeeper in 2019 after transferring from are a “cohesive unit,” despite All of the goalkeepers are going my in Ludlow, but most recently played University of South Carolina Upstate. competition for the starting job.

BY DONOVAN HUGEL Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter One of the biggest questions facing Temple University women’s soccer heading into the 2021 spring season is who will be their starting goalkeeper.

From 2017-19, Morgan Basileo was a mainstay in net for the Owls. Her 0.817 save percentage is first all-time in Temple history, and her 1.31 goals against average and 291 saves are both top-four.

Her backup, Cassy Skelton, graduated last season as well.

With Basileo and Skelton gone, senior Samantha Munyon, junior Kamryn Stablein and freshmen Kyla Burns and Taylor Vecchione will compete for the starting job this spring.

The season can begin as early as Feb.

through “a very healthy competition so far” to start during the 2021 spring season, said head coach Nick Bochette.

“We’ve never had someone penciled in at any one spot,” he added. “We were really clear about that when we first started, that if we want to be competitive and challenge for conference titles, that we have to get competitive at every single position.”

Before transferring to Temple, Stablein played two years at the University of Delaware, where she started 32 of 33 games with 10 shutouts and a save percentage of 0.77.

“I thrive off of competition, that’s kind of my thing,” Stablein said. “But we have a really cohesive unit. I want them all to do well, we’ve created an environment where we support and help each other, we critique each other, we tell each other what’s going well, we always

a fifth year at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, where she had a record of 11-1-5 with a goals against average of 0.64 and earned Western New England All-Star honors.

Vecchione is the smallest of the four, but is “very dynamic in her movements and being able to stop shots,” Bochette said.

Burns originally committed to play at the University of Albany, but decommitted and signed to play at Temple in February. She most recently played at Kingston High School in New York and for the Albany Alleycats club team, where she won the Eastern New York State Cup and the Eastern Developmental Program Cup. “Kyla has great size and her physical presence is definitely one of her better attributes,” said assistant coach Maria Loyden. “She is a very good shot stopper.”

She has not played for Temple yet, but started seven games for the Spartans in 2018.

“Sam brings her experience at Temple and within the team to the environment,” Loyden said.

Bochette isn’t going to rush the decision and still wants to see improvements from all the goalies’ communication with the defensive backline, he said.

“How a goalkeeper plays and who’s playing does have a great effect on the rest of the team,” Bochette added. “The ideal situation is you have more than one that the team has confidence in so if there’s gonna be more than one playing, the team knows whoever comes in that day is playing at the top of their level.” donovan.hugel@temple.edu @donohugel

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 27

VOLLEYBALL

Owls focus on technique during shorter practices Temple will focus on their weaknesses in preparation for the start of their season in January.

BY BRIAN SAUNDERS For The Temple News Temple University head volleyball coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam staff’s practice time with players is limited from 20 hours to eight hours a week due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

“It’s not a normal practice schedule because we are limited to eight hours a week,” Ganesharatnam said. “Four hours is volleyball-skill related, and four hours is strength and conditioning workouts.”

Ganesharatnam’s main focus is the consistency of the team and teaching the basics of technique, he added.

The team’s practices are currently focused on “building consistent positive habits” and “a recommitment to fundamentals,” said junior setter and team captain Tyler Lindgren.

“Once we got back, we wanted to make sure nobody got hurt and remembered how to play volleyball,” she added.

“We work on reestablishing our game, tempo and technique.”

While the team is practicing consistently, there’s less time to build rapport and camaraderie because of the emphasis on social distancing policies off the court, said sophomore captain middle-blocker Kayla Spells.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 FOOTBALL The Midshipmen’s leading rusher this season is junior fullback Jamale Carothers, who’s recorded 176 rushing yards on 42 attempts. Senior fullback Nelson Smith is second on the team with 65 rushing yards.

Navy’s offense is struggling compared to last season. After three games this season, they are averaging just 12.33 points per game, while last season they averaged 37.15 points per game.

The coaching staff started preparing an individual game plan for each of Temple’s conference opponents once in

“We really have been trying to do smaller group stuff, a few of us will go and do our online classes together, you know, just go sit outside at one of the tables, just small things that will help you get to know each other outside of volleyball,” Spells said.

The team’s season can start as early as Jan. 22 and will end no later than April 10, The Temple News reported.

This extra time gives the Owls an opportunity for new freshmen recruits to become more comfortable with the team and develop their game, Ganesharatnam said.

“I do think an advantage is that freshmen have the opportunity to train with us for a full semester before we have to compete,” he added. “They also have the opportunity to get to know their teammates better and to know the system in general better in order to integrate themselves into the team.”

Last season, the team was younger and lacked consistency, but have grown this year. After a 9-0 start to last season, the team struggled in conference play, finishing 12-15 overall and 3-13 in The American Conference.

As a freshman, Spells played in 88 sets, contributing 27 digs and 72 total blocks while Nikki Saito played in 57 sets.

Peyton Boyd, Gem Grimshaw and Lindgren played in 74, 82 and 70 sets, and are poised to lead the Owls as upperclassmen this season.

Boyd was named second-team All-Conference with 109 digs and 218 points. Lindgren contributed 149 digs and 83 attacks.

Temple lost one senior from last season’s team, Dana Westfield. Westfield was a former preseason All-Conference selection and second-team All-Conference selection, and she had 102 kills, 111.5 points, 18 digs and 17 blocks in her senior season.

Ganesharatnam and his staff emphasize skill-driven work in groups to

sharpen individuals at the beginning of the week and more scrimmage-like workouts toward the end of the week, he said.

The players are focused on finding their weaknesses and improving on them by the time the season starts in January, Lindgren said.

“We should be at the top of our game because we know where we fall short,” Lindgren added.

March, Carey said.

“One of the things you have to do when you play a triple option team is you have to get your offensive scout team practicing that long before they go against our defense,” Carey added. “Our scout team has been practicing Navy’s offense since the first day of practice.”

Temple’s defensive line play will be a key factor in the outcome of the game because the triple option offense is designed to force defensive lineman to choose between tackling either the quarterback or the running back during a play.

“The triple option is obviously a different beast,” said graduate student de-

fensive tackle Daniel Archibong. “It’s not a traditional offense, so you can’t play it like a traditional defense. The biggest thing to key on is gap integrity.”

After losing Quincy Roche, who transferred to the University of Miami, and Dana Levine, who graduated, Temple will have to rely on Archibong and redshirt-junior defensive tackle Ifeanyi Maijeh to step up in their place.

Maijeh finished third on the team last season, recording 10 tackles for loss while Archibong finished 15th, recording 1.5 tackles for loss.

“We bring back some experience on the inside upfront in Archibong and Maijeh,” said defensive coordinator and

linebackers coach Jeff Knowles. “I think we are strong up the middle with our defensive tackles.”

The last time the Owls played Navy was October 2018. Temple won the game 24-17, but the Midshipmen were able to rack up 278 total rushing yards, including 108 yards from Smith.

“If everyone does their job, then we will be alright,” Archibong said. “Once people start playing bad eyes, meaning your eyes are on the wrong guy or your hands are placed wrong, that’s when we can get gashed.”

ISAAC SCHEIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore outside hitters Miray Bolukbasi (right) and Gem Grimshaw (middle) play on the court during the Owls’ game against the University of Southern Florida at McGonigle Hall on Nov. 16, 2019.

brian.saunders@temple.edu @sportswriter_BS

dante.collinelli@temple.edu @DanteCollinelli

PAGE 28

SPORTS

FOOTBALL

‘A DIFFERENT

BEAST’

COLLEEN CLAGGETT/ THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple football players run drills on the field during practice at Geasey Field on Aug. 13, 2019.

The Temple News

Navy is averaging 12.33 points per game and recording 137.7 rushing yards per game this season.

BY DANTE COLLINELLI Sports Editior

A

fter navigating through “the world’s longest fall camp” due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Temple University football is finally ready to play their first game of the season, head coach Rod Carey said.

The Owls will play Navy (1-2, 1-0 The American Athletic Conference) on Oct. 10 in Annapolis, Maryland.

“It’s time to play a game for sure, football-wise,” Carey said. “We are rounding into shape. We are hitting that point where ... you practice so much in the preseason you are really done with your evaluations of your team. You really can’t evaluate the next part of your team until you play.”

The Midshipmen are a unique opponent because they run the triple option offense, which focuses on the running game and includes very little passing from the quarterback.

Temple runs a spread offense, which focuses on establishing a quick tempo and forcing defenses into bad matchups by using formations with three or more wide receivers.

In their last game against Air Force (1-0, 0-0 The Mountain West Conference) on Oct. 3, Navy ran the ball 36 times, but they only threw the ball 18 times. Navy lost the game 40-7.

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