TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017 VOL. 95 ISS. 21
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A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. BUDGET
Englert, others to testify for more funding at capital He will travel to Harrisburg and ask the state to restore Temple’s 2008 funding levels. By GILLIAN MCGOLDRICK Assistant News Editor
Earlier this month, one of Dr. Daniel del Portal’s patients sat where his addiction to opioids began: an emergency room. The patient, who was prescribed opioids as a painkiller, had overdosed on heroin and landed in del Portal’s care at TUH.
President Richard Englert will travel to Harrisburg on Wednesday to request the university’s state funding to be restored to its highest appropriation, which was $187 million in 2008. In September, the university requested nearly 19 percent more than they received last year, Ken Kaiser, the university’s chief financial officer told The Temple News. In his budget released earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed about $150 million for Temple with no funding increases for all other state-related universities: Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh and Lincoln University. The presidents of these universities will accompany Englert to advocate for their funding before the Senate Appropriations Committee. One of Wolf ’s platform promises was to reverse funding cuts to higher education, but the university’s appropriation has not yet been restored to the full amount since it was cut from $172 million to $139 million in 2011. Temple received a 5 percent funding increase in the 2015-16 budget and a 2.5 percent increase in 2016-17. Pennsylvania ranks 48th in the country for funding to state and state-related colleges and universities, outranking only Arizona and New Hampshire, according to Politifact. Englert will also ask for $5 million to go to opioid research in Lewis Katz School of Medicine’s Center for Substance Abuse Research. The university received a $2 million grant from the state last year for traumatic brain injury research, which was later followed by a $20 million grant from the Department of Defense for the research of the subject. Another effort to increase funding include this year’s Owls on the Hill, an event for students, alumni and educators to knock on their elected officials’
OPIOIDS | PAGE 10
BUDGET | PAGE 6
BRIANNA SPAUSE/THE TEMPLE NEWS Tiffany Joseph holds her first chip from Narcotics Anonymous. On Feb. 16, Joseph said she was more than 60 days sober after battling a 12-year heroin addiction.
TREATING AN EPIDEMIC Temple University Hospital and North Philadelphia organizations are fighting opioid addiction in the city. By GRACE SHALLOW Deputy Features Editor
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n Dec. 1, the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office received reports of 12 deaths caused by unintentional overdoses — the most recorded in one day in the city. The overdoses were clustered in North Philadelphia and Kensington, according to Philadelphia’s public health department. Over the next few days the city saw more deaths. From Dec. 1-5, 35 people died from opioid overdoses. The fatalities weren’t isolated incidents. In 2016, more than 700 people died from opioid overdoses in Philadelphia — about two and a half times more than the number of homicides in the city last year. Opioids — a group of drugs that includes oxycodone, heroin and morphine — act on the nervous system to relieve pain. But they can also be overprescribed to patients or sold illegally, contributing to a national problem that Mayor Jim Kenney addressed by establishing a task force on the issue last month. Through medical guidelines, educational programs and community effort, Temple University Hospital and the North Philadelphia community are responding to the opioid epidemic. Community organizations, near this cluster of incidents, offer holistic care through programs focused on physical, mental and emotional health. TUH has combatted the issue of opioid overprescription since 2013, along with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
TSG
GENEVA HEFFERNAN/THE TEMPLE NEWS Emergency room doctor Daniel del Portal says he prescribes opioids at least once a shift at Temple University Hospital.
OPIOIDS IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM
FOOTBALL
TSG voting takes in-person approach With the addition of Parliament, TSG is trying to increase voter turnout after a year of low engagement. By AMANDA LIEN TSG Beat Reporter Applications for the Temple Student Government elections opened last week, with campaigning set to begin in the middle of March. Noah Goff, TSG’s elections commissioner, and TSG’s elections committee are working to increase voter turnout for this year’s election. “We’re working hard to get as many applicants as possible and then, beyond that, working with members of Parliament to really try and get out the vote that way,” Goff said. “It helps that we have a 30-odd person body to help promote and get out the vote, as well as work with candidates to make sure their voices get heard.” The election committee’s main responsibility is to work with Parliament members to ensure that questions about the Elections Code are handled in a timely manner, Goff said. The committee will provide counsel on the interpretation of the Elections Code, as well as any potential infractions, he added. “The only people who applied [for the elections com-
ELECTIONS | PAGE 3
Bringing the ‘magic’ to team’s brand A graduate student is the first S.W.A.G. coordinator in college football. By OWEN MCCUE Sports Editor Outside Dave Gerson’s office, where his name tag is supposed to be, is a yellow sticky note. Scribbled on the note is the word “SWAG.” Gerson, who has been with the football program for the past six seasons, was a graduate assistant in football operations for former coach Matt Rhule last year. On Feb. 13, coach Geoff Collins made him the first S.W.A.G. coordinator in college football. “I don’t know who did it, but it’s funny because I’m the one who makes the name tags around here,” Gerson said of the sticky note. “I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I kind of like it. It’s different.” Gerson’s official title is multimedia coordinator and specialist with advanced graphics — or S.W.A.G. for short. His role is to “develop and showcase an array of graphic designs for social media usage” and “personally assist Collins in showcasing Temple Football to fans and
GENEVA HEFFERNAN/THE TEMPLE NEWS S.W.A.G. Coordinator Dave Gerson stands beside one of his favorite graphics in Edberg-Olson Hall.
recruits,” according to a university press release. Gerson said he considers himself the “lens” through which Temple fans and recruits view the program. Collins calls him the “front door to the inside of Temple football.” “Everybody’s got that position, but I wanted something that would stand out,” Collins said. “The word ‘swag,’ we create swag or he creates swag. How could I get
that without it being so over the top? Specialist with advanced graphics. I thought it had a nice little creative ring to it.” Collins’ vision of a S.W.A.G. coordinator began in 2007 when he was the director of player personnel at the University of Alabama. When he walked into the video room during one of his first days in the building,
SWAG | PAGE 19
NEWS | PAGES 2-3, 6
OPINION | PAGES 4-5
FEATURES | PAGES 7-16
SPORTS | PAGES 17-20
A resolution to keep the Cecil B. Moore community clean from student trash has yet to be enforced. Read more on Page 3.
During National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, a student writes an essay about her eating disorder. Read more on Page 5.
A group of architecture professors and alumni created an exhibit that compares Rome and Philadelphia. Read more on Page 7.
The men’s basketball team celebrated Senior Day with a double-overtime win on Saturday. Read more on Page 19.