THE TEMPLE NEWS
FOOD
DESERT
North Philadelphia residents continue facing barriers to access quality and affordable food. Read more on Page 7.
WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS, PAGE 3
Local resources available for student parents.
SPORTS, PAGE 23
Temple Athletics uses social media to reconnect with fans.
temple-news.com @thetemplenews VOL 100 // ISSUE 10 FEB 22, 2022
Read Small Business Guide 2022 on Pages B1-B8.
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THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.
Lawrence Ukenye Editor-in-Chief Jack Danz Print Managing Editor Amelia Winger Digital Managing Editor Natalie Kerr Chief Print Copy Editor Dante Collinelli Chief Digital Copy Editor Haajrah Gilani Assignments Editor Fallon Roth News Editor Monica Constable Assistant News Editor Maddie Sterner Staff Writer Jocelyn Hockaday Staff Writer Julia Merola Co-Opinion Editor Wendy Garcia Co-Opinion Editor Rosie Leonard Features Editor Eden MacDougall Assistant Features Editor Samantha Sullivan Assistant Features Editor Isabella DiAmore Sports Editor Nick Gangewere Assistant Sports Editor Victoria Ayala Assistant Sports Editor Maggie Fitzgerald Audience Engagement Editor Emily Lewis Assistant Engagement Editor Gracie Heim Web Editor Noel Chacko Co-Photography Editor Amber Ritson Co-Photography Editor Erik Coombs Multimedia Editor Allison Silibovsky Assistant Multimedia Editor Ingrid Slater Design Editor Ethan Carroll Assistant Design Editor Olivia Hall Podcast Editor Scarlett Catalfamo Advertising Manager Rose Mastrangelo Advertising Manager
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The Temple News is an editorially independent weekly publication serving the Temple University community. Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News. Adjacent commentary is reflective of their authors, not The Temple News. The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-inChief, Managing 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.
ON THE COVER A customer goes to pick up a cucumber at the Fresh Grocer at Sullivan Progress Plaza on Feb. 21. NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Contacts
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CORRECTIONS A story that ran on 2.8 on page 11 incorrectly spelled The Joyce K. Salzberg Center for Professional Development. 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 Lawrence Ukenye at editor@temple-news.com.
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NEWS
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COMMUNITY
Local resources, assistance for student parents Neighborhood Development. Young Fathers United gives fathers a $30 incentive for coming to weekly meetings, and provides free diapers, clothing, haircuts and other necessities and helps pay phone bills, Muhammad said. “There’s a lot of programs for mothers, but there’s not a lot of programs for young Black men that just need help and build strength, honor, integrity and all of that together and pushing back to be able to reflect everything that you learned and teach your child, and also just to have a bond with other Black men,” Muhammad said.
The February 2022 Hope Center report emphasizes student parents’ basic needs insecurities. BY MONICA CONSTABLE AND BRIAN MENGINI For The Temple News
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ollege students who are also parents, experience high rates of basic needs insecurity, including food and housing insecurity and homelessness, decreasing their chances of completing their degrees according to a February 2022 brief from The Hope Center for College, Community and Justice. These insecurities disproportionately affect single parents and Asian, Latino and Black parents, especially Black fathers. To alleviate these hardships, a number of government and local nonprofit programs and opportunities are available for student parents. The Hope Center surveyed 32,560 student parents nationwide and discovered that 90 percent of Black women, 86 percent of Black men, 86 percent of Latino women, 85 percent of Latino men and 64 percent of white student parents face basic needs insecurity. Ali Caccavella, a senior learning specialist at The Hope Center said it is important to increase awareness of the data, but also the struggles that student parents face to make change. Tyra Hickman, a junior accounting major and single mother, faces challenges while balancing academics and care for her 13-month-old child. “Now since I have my son, I have to live where we currently live, where I was born, in the Poconos and I have to commute Tuesdays and Thursdays to class,” Hickman said. “It’s definitely hard to be a student and then you have to find time to study.” UNIVERSITY AND GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE The Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools Program, from the Unit-
SOFIA GONZALEZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS
ed States government, assists low-income student parents by making child care services available on college campuses, according to the Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education funds Temple University’s Temple-Student Parent Partnership, according to TSPP. The partnership funds daycare for undergraduate students’ infants, toddlers and preschoolers, according to their website. Student parents can receive assistance when applying for daycare subsidies from the federal government and have access to parenting workshops, networking opportunities with other student parents and resources at Temple and in Philadelphia, according to their website. The U.S. Department of Education funds CCAMPIS through a grant to the university if the total amount of Federal Pell grants funds given to students exceeds $350,000, according to its website. Temple received $195,966 and the Community College of Philadelphia received $375,000 from CCAMPIS, according to the 2019 Department of Education report.
HELPING FATHERS Joseph Yusuf, a 2019 Howard University media, journalism and film alumnus and single father, wants to see more representation of and for Black fathers on college campuses and an increase in resources for them. Yusuf would also like more opportunities to network with other student parents, he said. “I would have loved to have partnered with other student parents or someone who experienced what it was like to be a student parent,” Yusuf said. The Young Fathers United Program, from the Institute for the Development of African American Youth, assists student fathers to improve interactions with their children. They also host meetings twice a week at their headquarters on 2305 North Broad Street — Mondays for fathers between 26 and 40 and Tuesdays for fathers between 14 and 25, said Eben Muhammad, coordinator for the Young Fathers United Program. The program also focuses on improving fathers’ academic performance, understanding of child care and discipline, and providing a support network for young fathers, according to the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for
LOCAL NONPROFIT ASSISTANCE Wonderspring, a nonprofit organization that provides early childhood education and before and after-school programs, offers resources for infants, toddlers, preschool and school age children, and kindergarten enrichment and summer camp in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, according to their website. To alleviate financial stress, child care subsidies like the Pennsylvania Child Care Works Program, Early Head Start, Pre-K Counts and PHLpreK are all accepted at Wonderspring, said Zakiyyah Boone, interim chief executive officer for Wonderspring. The Harwood Scholarship can also be used as financial assistance to pay for the Wonderspring program, she added. The Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia provides financial assistance for private or church-based schooling to under-resourced families in Philadelphia. The application can be found on the CSFP Scholarship Database. The Early Learning Resource Center provides a subsidized child care program that assists low-income families by providing funding to help pay for child care costs. Eligible families can apply at Compass HSS. monica.constable@temple.edu @mconstable7 brian.mengini@temple.edu
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NEWS
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CAMPUS
Free tax assistance program comes to Main Campus After 14 years at Ambler, people or are normally not required to file their making $57,414 or less can taxes, to do so. They could be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, which receive free tax prep help. BY MADDIE STERNER Staff Writer Temple University now offers their Free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program on Main Campus to anyone earning $57,414 or less. Low and moderate-income residents from Pennsylvania are able to upload, mail or drop off their tax returns at the start of the 2021-22 tax filing period. As part of the program, Fox School of Business students file tax return documents for free while lawyers and tax agents oversee them, said Steven Balsam, an accounting professor and the VITA coordinator. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the VITA program is assisting clients virtually and accepting tax forms through the mail or online at GetYourRefund, a secure internet platform for uploading documents, according to a university press release. Individuals can also drop off their tax returns at 1509 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Temple’s Office of Community Affairs, which expanded its hours to Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays from noon to 5 p.m. Other local VITA programs are located in Esperanza at 4261 North 5th Street and Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation at 301-305 North 9th Street. Individuals with low-incomes may struggle with finding affordable tax preparers, gathering necessary documentation or they may not have a social security number, said Beth McConnell, director of policy at Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity. “That’s why the VITA providers exist, is that they are reliable and free,” McConnell said. McConnell encourages individuals and families who earn lower incomes,
offers a tax break to low and moderate-income workers with children, and the Child Tax Credit, a tax break that is offered to filers with children. The March 2021 American Rescue Plan expanded access to the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $3,000 per child older than six years old and from $2,000 to $3,600 for children younger than six. The act also raised the age limit for the credit from 16 to 17. “You don’t get it if you don’t file,” McConnell said. “It’s really important for people in the community to know that they’re eligible for this tax credit.” Previously, only individuals between the ages of 25 to 64 with no dependents were eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, but this year there is no upper age limit and people between 19 and 24, who are not full-time students, are eligible for the credit, according to the Internal Revenue Service. People as young as 18 who experienced homelessness or were in the foster care system can also qualify for the credit, McConnell added. Amanda Hopkins, a sophomore social work major, works two jobs and struggles to complete paperwork on platforms like TurboTax, but is interested in using Temple’s program to make the process easier and more personable. “It’s not the same thing as meeting with someone who has your best interest at heart to make sure that you’re filing properly,” Hopkins said. Temple’s VITA program started on the Ambler campus in 2008 because the IRS saw geographic gaps in their coverage, but were still able to accept forms from people in Philadelphia, Balsam said. Balsam received newfound support from colleagues in expanding Temple’s VITA program to Main Campus, he wrote in an email to The Temple News. The pandemic also accelerated the expansion by allowing workers to complete tax returns remotely and asynchronously.
ISAAC SCHEIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS Steven Balsam, accounting professor and VITA coordinator, assists student volunteers with filing income-tax returns at Speakman Hall on Feb. 16.
The average per capita income and median household income in 19002, Ambler’s ZIP code, is $59,593 and $110,041, respectively, according to Census Reporter. In the 19121 ZIP code, the average per capita income is $16,654 and the median household income is $21,201. In the 19122 ZIP code, the average per capita income is $22,168 and the median household income is $37,198. In 2020, the average income for American men who are full-time workers and between the ages of 20 to 24 years old was $34,424 a year, while for women it was $31,720, CNBC reported. Temple’s VITA program has filed more than $3 million in tax returns, according to a university press release. Last year, roughly 400 clients used VITA, Balsam said. He hopes to help approximately 1,000 filers during the 2021-22 tax season because they have ex-
panded their hours, increased outreach through word of mouth and sent previous clients letters to encourage them to continue using their services. Temple’s VITA program asked local libraries and local and state representatives to spread the word and refer clients to the VITA program, Balsam said. McConnell encourages Temple to use their connections with community organizations, especially those related to food and housing assistance or job training, to bring awareness to this program. “They’re the ones that have the most to gain from claiming these tax credits, they’re the lowest income, they’re the people living in very deep poverty and this money can make an enormous difference in their lives,” McConell said. Fallon Roth contributed reporting. madeline.sterner@temple.edu @maddiesterner
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NEWS
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RESEARCH
Fox, Ipsos study effects of masking, interactions The study found masks make it difficult to decipher emotions in workplaces and customer service. BY JADON GEORGE For The Temple News Wearing masks makes it difficult for people to read others’ emotions, especially happiness, which can negatively impact social interactions and customer service, found two joint studies from the Fox School of Business’ Center for Applied Research in Decision Making and Ipsos, a French market research company, according to a Jan. 28 press release. The studies were conducted in October 2020 and March 2021. Participants were asked to identify the emotions on a range of faces and gave less accurate responses for every emotion except anger when judging masked faces in comparison to unmasked faces. Masking helps mitigate the spread of COVID-19 because it acts as a barrier between exhaling or inhaling viral droplets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Widespread mask-wearing, including nonmedical masks, reduces community spread, according to a 2021 study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. However, masks hide portions of people’s faces creating trade-offs in educational settings, said Joshua Klugman, a psychology and sociology professor. For example, language instructors teach students how to pronounce and enunciate words by mimicking the way they shape their lips as the air passes through them, Klugman said. When wearing masks, students can’t see the lower central portion of the instructor’s face, which makes it difficult to mimic them. “I’m sure socializing will get better,” Klugman said. “The joy, people’s happiness, their social experiences, will increase when the mandates come off, but also when the threat of COVID has diminished.” Face masks can serve as a barrier in emotional understanding between students and teachers and can impair verbal and non-verbal communication, according to a 2020 study published in the U.S.
SARA CATELLI / THE TEMPLE NEWS Trinity Paynter, (left) a sophomore marketing major, and Devonnie Webster, a sophomore international business major, talk near Beury Hall on Feb. 11.
National Library of Medicine. The consequences of masking for adults in the workplace are most likely less dire than for children at school, due to differences in neurological development, Klugman said. Businesses from the sales, hospitality -and service industries had asked Ipsos to study masking’s impact on customer service since the beginning of the pandemic because they were worried about their customers’ experiences, like the emotional connection between the customer and employee that would be stifled when wearing masks, said Jean-Francois Damais, Ipsos’ global chief research officer. Fox and Ipsos collaborated on this study because Vinod Venkatraman, a marketing professor at Fox and the director of CARD, took a research sabbatical at Ipsos’ headquarters in Paris from 2019 to early 2020. While in Paris, Venkatraman worked with Ipsos to study the ways track-
ing private citizens’ biometric data could help companies shape customers’ behavior. “We had always been interested in human behavior and communication,” Venkatraman said. To conduct the studies, researchers emailed a random representative sample of the US population, controlling for demographics such as age, race and place of origin. Researchers then directed volunteers to a Zoom call, where they viewed images of different faces and deciphered their emotions, Venkatraman said. Participants were first presented with images of full facial features without masks. Volunteers then saw the top half of the face, with the bottom part masked and the bottom half of the face with the top part masked. They were then presented with images of a smile or a frown to see how well the participants could decipher the emotions when the mask was covering half
of the face. Researchers then asked volunteers to rate how well they could discern each facial expression with the mask placed on the top or bottom of the face. For the second study, Ipsos acquired new participants and showed them a different group of faces, comparing those results to the results from the October tests. Going forward, Damais wants to study the pandemic’s impact on people during transitional periods, like from adolescence to adulthood. He’d also like to investigate the differences in how the pandemic has shaped an adolescent’s brain versus an adult’s brain. “It would be interesting to see whether there was particularly an impact amongst the generations that have grown from a very early age through the pandemic,” Damais said. jadon.george@temple.edu
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NEWS
The Temple News
TSG
Parliament discusses second semester resolutions Student government’s Parliament has passed one resolution during its 2021-22 legislative term. BY MADDIE STERNER AND TAYLOR ADDISON For The Temple News Parliament, the legislative branch of Temple Student Government, has passed only one resolution this academic year — to encourage the university to implement a tuition freeze — and is working on four other resolutions. If passed, the resolutions will create a more conscientious and eco-friendly campus. In August, Townley Sorge, Parliament’s speaker and College of Public Health representative, outlined her goal to pass 10 to 12 resolutions by the end of the school year. Parliament started their term in April 2021 with low participation, but added 20 members in their September 2021 election. During the Fall 2021 semester, Parliament only had nine to 10 active representatives out of the 25, making it difficult to achieve her goal, Sorge said. Parliament needs at least 16 to 17 votes for a resolution to be considered for passage. “I would rather have quality over quantity,” said Sorge, a senior public health major. “I would be content with even six resolutions because I know we have resolutions that are in the works and waiting to be voted on again.” Rosalee Banks, the junior class representative for Parliament and a criminal justice major, is hopeful that participation after more students applied to run in the upcoming spring election. Only five students ran for Parliament in last year’s spring election. Parliament has introduced a series of goals to accomplish their revised target number of resolutions, including amending their bylaws to allow for more participation within parliament and working with student organizations, like the Muslim Students Association, to come up with resolution ideas.
AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Rohan Khadka, a political science major and multicultural Parliament representative, talks with other members of Parliament in their office, located in the Student Center Room 244, on Feb. 18.
“To be able to pass the goal of 10 to 12 resolutions is to modify the bylaws of TSG within Parliament to make it as efficient as possible,” said Rohan Khadka, a freshman political science major and multicultural Parliament representative. A possible bylaw amendment includes allowing members to vote remotely to allow for better participation. In April 2021, Parliament successfully passed a resolution calling for a tuition freeze for the 2021-22 academic year. However, Temple University increased the base tuition rate for all students this year by 2.5 percent. Parliament has made a few attempts to pass another resolution addressing how the university responds to disruptive protesters who position themselves in high-traffic areas on campus. However, the proposal has failed to pass because one member continues to object when unani-
mous agreement is needed. A drafted resolution that aims to make Main Campus bee-friendly through the elimination of pesticides, which can make it harder for bees to pollinate, will be presented to Parliament, Sorge said. Two other resolutions are currently in the research phase, Sorge added. One aims to reduce food waste by urging campus restaurants to use the Too Good To Go app, which allows businesses to sell surplus food that would otherwise be thrown out. The other resolution will push the university to reduce its plastic waste, specifically plastic straws, by calling on restaurants to offer lids and only giving straws when requested, she added. In October, Parliament worked on a resolution to ensure activation buttons on automatic doors function properly for people with disabilities. The buttons
remain a goal for Parliament, but the resolution has not passed because members who worked on this legislation have currently shifted focus to the other resolutions that are farther along, Sorge said. Despite these challenges, Parliament is still engaging with the student body to hear their concerns and evaluate which resolutions they find most important. On Feb. 22 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., TSG is hosting the Good Morning Commuters event which encourages commuter students to voice their concerns so TSG can evaluate them accordingly. “We have a responsibility to the students that we serve,” Sorge said. “Student outreach and student input on resolutions is really important.” madeline.sterner@temple.edu @maddiesterner taylor.addison@temple.edu
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COMMUNITY
A human right: Residents struggle for quality food
Some residents travel to other parts of the city to buy groceries to find more affordable options. BY NATALIE KERR Chief Print Copy Editor
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efore the Fresh Grocer opened in Sullivan Progress Plaza in 2009, Quadralene Jefferson traveled from her home on 17th Street near Jefferson to South Philadelphia to buy groceries. The store was dirty, and she felt uncomfortable buying food there. “I’m ordering meat, and I see mice running across,” said Jefferson, a home healthcare worker. “I couldn’t believe it, are you kidding me? You think I’m gonna still buy this?” But it was her only choice for fresh food from a supermarket. North Philadelphia is a food desert, which is an area where residents have difficulty accessing nutritious and affordable food, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This affects the community’s physical and financial health, increasing obesity and heart disease rates while keeping people from purchasing sufficient amounts of healthy food. Inflation during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated cost barriers to food access, as food prices at grocery stores increased by 6.5 percent between December 2020 and December 2021, according to the USDA’s 2022 Food Price Outlook. Food deserts are rooted in systemic inequalities in urban planning, economic segregation, unequal economic investment and personal blame around nutritional intake. This issue is sometimes referred to as food apartheid to emphasize the discrimination that causes it, wrote Krista Schroeder, an assistant nursing professor and affiliated faculty member at the Center for Obesity Research and Education, in an email to The Temple News. To properly assess and fight barriers to food access, the community must be involved in planning and implementing solutions so their needs, priorities and values are accurately accounted for, Schroeder said. “All communities have strengths,” Schroeder said. “When addressing issues,
AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Shoppers browse produce near the front of the store at the Fresh Grocer at Sullivan Progress Plaza on Feb. 21.
Families living in “communities without
healthy food options are missing out both on affordable access to nutritious food as well as the economic opportunities like jobs brought by healthy food access projects.
”
CAROLINE HARRIES Associate Director of the National Campaign for Healthy Food Access at The Food Trust whether it’s food deserts or something else, it’s really helpful to think about harnessing those strengths to work in collaboration to address barriers that they see as a problem to health and wellbeing, not just what others may see as a problem to their health and wellbeing.” SHOULDERING THE COST For Denis Maciel, a dancer at the Philadelphia Ballet who lives on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 19th Street, the
prices at grocery stores near him are higher than he wants to pay, so he often travels to Center City to shop at ALDI or ACME, where products are cheaper. But commuting via SEPTA or Uber adds additional costs to his grocery trips, and he wishes there were more grocery stores in North Philadelphia so he could find better prices closer to his home. “If it has more variety, like more grocery stores around, it would be better so you can have the option to choose by the price, like if you want it fresh, you don’t have to go [to Center City],” Maciel said. Food prices in Philadelphia rose by more than 8 percent between 2019 and 2021 and are expected to increase for at least the next six months due to inflation and supply chain issues, 6ABC reported. Fresh food in food deserts may only be available at prices that residents can’t afford, forcing them to purchase either unhealthier foods or not enough food, both of which make it difficult to maintain a healthy diet, according to the USDA. Approximately 25 percent of Philadelphia youth get one serving or less of fruits and vegetables per day. Nearly 70 percent of youth in North Philadelphia are overweight or obese, which is nearly double the rate for youth in the U.S., according to the Center for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention. North Central also has many characteristics of a food swamp, which is an environment saturated with unhealthy food items from corner stores and fastfood restaurants, Schroeder said. Food swamps are associated with unhealthy dietary behaviors and obesity, and are correlated with communities that have larger low-income and racial minority populations, according to the CDC. In 19121 and 19122, the ZIP codes surrounding Temple’s Main Campus, there are between 20 and 100 stores per 1000 people selling mostly unhealthy food options. Only zero to 10 stores per 1000 people sell healthy food like produce, according to a 2019 study from the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. “There is some evidence that, even after accounting for whether someone lives in a food desert, that a food swamp may be the more salient risk factor, though both are important,” Schroeder said. Kelly Ballard, a security worker at Morgan Hall South who lives on 30th Street near Dauphin, has noticed there are more fast food restaurants near her home than produce stores. “It’s not healthy, but it’s faster, so people gravitate towards it instead of going to the grocery store and making their own meals or healthier meals and trying to save some money,” Ballard said. Products at her grocery store are often out of stock because everyone in the neighborhood is forced to shop at the same place, she said. She’s frustrated that better options haven’t opened in North Philadelphia. “I definitely think they know what they put in different parts of the city,” Ballard said. DECADES OF DISINVESTMENT Food inequality stems from a history of disinvestment in communities, economic and resource segregation and systemic racial and socioeconomic inequalities, making it hard to support a healthy lifestyle, Schroeder said. Philadelphia is one of the most segregated cities in the U.S. Redlining was a common practice in the 20th century when government and mortgage programs denied loans to African Americans,
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immigrants and Jewish individuals while classifying affluent, white neighborhoods as “ideal investments,” according to Philadelphia’s Office of the Controller. Without municipal support, food retailers may move out of areas like North Central, further contributing to community disinvestment, said Hamil Pearsall, a geography and urban studies professor. Supermarkets may also have little incentive to open a new store in an area experiencing high poverty rates because business may be perceived as less profitable, said Christina Rosan, a geography and urban studies professor. Philadelphia is the poorest of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. by population, and much of that poverty is concentrated in North Philadelphia, where the poverty rate exceeds 45 percent in some areas, according to the Philadelphia 2021 State of the City report. The U.S. poverty rate is 11.4 percent as of 2020, according to the 2020 Income and Poverty U.S. Census report. While the number of supermarkets in an area is an important factor in assessing food deserts, the food available also needs to be desirable to residents, and people must feel safe and welcomed at food markets, be able to pay for fresh and healthy food items and have proper transportation, Schroeder said. Jefferson is glad to now have The Fresh Grocer close to her home with fresh produce. It is convenient for her and her children to get food, and shopping there makes her feel welcomed. “The people that work here, they actually help you,” Jefferson said. “You come in, ‘Do you need help with anything?’ And they direct you right to what you really want.”
of changes that are community-driven or empowered by the community, not just driven by folks who think that they know how to fix the solution as the outside experts,” Schroeder said. The Food Trust is a Philadelphia-based national organization giving people access to food and information about healthy eating. They spearhead food justice initiatives in Philadelphia like the Healthy Corner Store Initiative, which stocks corner stores with healthy foods and provides support to store owners, and The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which invests in healthy food retailers and nutrition education programs. “Access to healthy food is a human right,” said Caroline Harries, associate director of the National Campaign for Healthy Food Access at The Food Trust. “Families living in communities without healthy food options are missing out both on affordable access to nutritious food as well as the economic opportunities like jobs brought by healthy food access projects.”
The Food Trust collaborates with the city on many of their initiatives, but also allows perspectives from the community to guide its efforts by partnering with community members in planning and implementing projects, Harries said. “It starts with a mindset that understands and prioritizes communities as having the most important perspective on what the needs are and where sustainable solutions lie,” Harries said. The City of Philadelphia has goals to increase the number of businesses owned by food producers of color and create an Office of Urban Agriculture to support urban farms, according to the Philadelphia Food Policy Advisory Council’s policy recommendations for 2021. Other goals include extending the moratorium on sales of empty lots hosting active urban gardens and purchasing food for city programs from small, local producers of color. City initiatives effectively address food insecurity because the city has abundant resources to tackle large-scale issues, Pearsall said. But local action can
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empower residents, giving them jurisdiction regarding the changes being made to their community, like deciding what produce is grown in community gardens and ensuring they feel comfortable accessing food resources. “For gardens that are being created and are anchored by a community in North Philly, then maybe that does provide a really awesome way for people to have greater food access,” Pearsall added. It’s important to remember that many factors affect neighborhoods, families and individuals overlap to create food deserts, and no one solution will fix the problem entirely, Schroeder said. “Just because you put a supermarket in and it doesn’t reduce obesity and reduce heart disease and reduce hypertension, it doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea to put a supermarket in a neighborhood, it just means that it’s just one piece of the puzzle,” Schroeder said. natalie.kerr@temple.edu @natliekerr
Access to produce in Philadelphia
A STRENGTH-BASED APPROACH When discussing issues like food inequality, conversations often focus on what communities lack, but talking about what assets communities have to address food deserts can help identify meaningful and suitable solutions, Schroeder said. “We also need to really work with communities to see these are the types
SOURCE: PHILADELPHIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH AMELIA WINGER / THE TEMPLE NEWS
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OPINION
The Temple News
EDITORIAL
Temple, enjoy spring break As February comes to a close, we approach the two-year mark since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and Temple transitioned to remote learning as a result. From Feb. 28 to March 6, Temple students will have a week off from classes, marking their first spring break since March 2020. The Editorial Board is eminently excited for students to visit loved ones, practice personal care or celebrate their break in any manner they are able to. With the spring semester at its midpoint, the Editorial Board hopes students attempt to place 8 a.m. classes, discussion boards and general academic woes on the backburner during this time. Though many may spend break planning or worrying about the return to classes, all students should reserve time to feel proud of themselves for completing half the semester. Students have been resilient in the face of challenges this semester that have added stress alongside their regular coursework. Due to a spike in COVID-19 cases from the Omicron variant, the university issued a two-week delay in students’ return to campus at the start of the semester, but students successfully adjusted to the postponement of in-person learning. Nearly 89 percent of the daily average of positive cases decreased in Philadelphia County in the past month, The New York Times reported. While this decrease does not indicate the end of the pandemic and still requires the community to continue adhering to the city’s COVID-19 protocols, it is a significant decline that’s worth acknowledgement. In addition to the peak of the
Omicron variant, students were tasked with adjusting to changes in Temple’s mask mandate when they began this semester. For entry in campus buildings, the university required KN95 masks, surgical masks with cloth masks over them or surgical masks with multiple layers of nonwoven materials. Though the updated requirement was announced less than a week before in-person classes began, students still adjusted to these new guidelines. A recent TimelyMD survey measuring college students’ stress indicated that 51 percent of respondents experienced more stress and anxiety than they did last year, according to Inside Higher Ed. While spring break is always well deserved and necessary for student health, the tumultuous events and stress of the past two years has made rest and personal care habits critical for students’ health. As the break approaches, the Editorial Board reminds students that time away from work is as important as productivity. The week away from classes will not just serve as a time for relaxation, but also, as a time for preparation for the second half of the semester. During this break, the Editorial Board encourages students to show kindness to themselves — whether that means sleeping longer, spending more time outdoors or limiting their screen time. The Editorial Board understands that not all students can leave campus or afford time off from work, but we stress that these accomplishments and this period away from coursework are worth recognizing. Whether it’s through rest or entertainment, the Editorial Board encourages students to take time for themselves this spreak break.
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STUDENT LIFE
Students, be more green
Two students argue that their peers must get more involved in sustainability efforts on campus. BY ANNE GLEASON AND JULIA MEROLA For The Temple News
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emple University recently released its 2020-21 Sustainability Annual Report, which outlines the university’s progress in fulfilling its sustainability initiatives. Students, staff and faculty helped develop the goals and priorities for the report, said Rebecca Collins, director of sustainability. City officials and climate change experts also helped develop the plan. Although students played a key role in forming these goals and priorities, there are only 54 EcoReps, according to the report. EcoReps are members of the Office of Sustainability’s program that train other students to lead sustainable change and climate action on campus. Though helping the university prioritize sustainability is beneficial, collective action through this program advances Temple’s sustainability mission. Sustainability is fundamental for everyone to consider in their daily habits and students should get involved in campus sustainability however possible, said Vanessa Williams, a Sustainability in Action adjunct professor. Students can work in Temple’s community garden during garden hours, take public transportation or have conversations with others about sustainability, Williams said. “Whether it is a tiny engagement or a full-scale, year-long commitment, whatever it is, however folks can get engaged is really important,” Williams said. The EcoReps program consists of EcoVolunteers, EcoAdvocates and EcoLeads. While EcoVounteers are students who want to volunteer their time promoting sustainability, EcoAdvocates are students who are seeking leadership positions and to further their sustainable literacy. EcoLeads are paid team members who lead other students in actions related to their focus areas. As EcoReps, students can help promote
climate advocacy by organizing and hosting different events relating to these issues. To become EcoVolunteers, students must join the Sustainability Owl Connect. EcoAdvocates must complete an Interest Inventory and attend six Office of Sustainability events during a semester. EcoLeads must fill out an application, according to the EcoReps website. Since the report was released, the number of applicants interested in the program has grown to about 110 members total, said Caroline Burkholder, the sustainability manager. College students have shown that sustainability is one of their top priorities for the future. Ninety-two percent of students agreed that all colleges and universities should incorporate and promote sustainable development, according to an October 2020 survey from Students Organizing for Sustainability International, a youth sustainability group. “There’s a lot of people thinking about this and working on solutions, and every student is a part of that,” Collins said. For those who aren’t EcoReps, there are still opportunities to participate in campus sustainability through educational workshops, which help them to understand the importance of fighting climate change, and buying items secondhand, like textbooks. “Any student, regardless of if they’re an EcoRep, can definitely be involved with volunteering, with shopping at the thrift store, going to the Temple community garden and participating in fun workshops,” said Olya Zhugayevich, a junior environmental engineering major and EcoAdvocate since 2020. The Office of Sustainability offers volunteer opportunities for students, like off-campus cleanups and their annual Give + Go Green event where students donate food and clothing during move-out. It’s important for students to address sustainability issues however they can, Williams said. By becoming EcoReps, students can assist in campus sustainability efforts and push Temple towards a more sustainable future. julia.merola@temple.edu @juliaamerola anne.gleason@temple.edu
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The Temple News
OPINION
PAGE 11
STUDENT LIFE
Entry-level requirements disadvantage students A student argues that employers should not ask for years of experience from recent graduates. I used to think entry-level positions would be my saving grace, but more entry-level jobs are requiring at least three years of work experience to narrow the apJULIA MEROLA plicant pool. Co-Opinion Editor Because entry-level positions are meant to provide experience, hiring managers must be more transparent in their language regarding experience requirements, and look for redeeming qualities, like internships or leadership positions instead of work experience, to prevent unfairly barring students from applying these jobs. However, students should not be deterred from applying for jobs that ask for experience, because they could be hired, and will still get valuable practice applying for jobs. When students see an entry-level position requesting that applicants have prior experience, it can intimidate students and deter them from applying, said Kelly Hart, the director of employer partnership at Temple’s Career Center. Not all entry-level positions may see this as a requirement but as a recommendation. However, that unfortunately gets lost in translation when recent graduates look at the application, Hart said. “Most students today look at that information very literally and feel that, well, ‘if I haven’t got three full years of experience, then I shouldn’t apply,’” Hart said. “There’s a gap between the perception that students have and the intention that employers are trying to convey with that information.” Entry-level jobs are oftentimes an introductory role for those who are just entering the workforce, especially after recently graduating. Employers hiring for entry-level jobs seek individuals with little or no
KATHERINE WANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS
prior experience in the field because entry-level jobs offer a solution to workplace inexperience by providing skills that can be used in future careers. As of August 2021, employers are asking for at least three years of relevant work experience on 38 percent of their entry-level postings, according to LinkedIn. To be able to use their degree for future job prospects, the jobs in their desired field ask for a master’s degree as well as experience, said Sinh Taylor, a senior English and gender, sexuality and women’s studies major. “They want you to have like, ridiculous amounts of experience,” Taylor said. “I just graduated from school, how am I gonna have all this experience?” For international students, finding a job in the United States is already competitive, and requesting experience from recent graduates makes it more difficult,
said Linh Nyguyen, a freshman data science major from Hanoi, Vietnam. “Most of the jobs that I did, just going through the requirements, most of them require one to two years of experiences,” Nyguyen said. “That’s impossible to new graduates.” In December 2021, roughly 4.8 percent of recent college graduates were unemployed, according to Statista, a business data platform. By requiring years of experience, hiring managers may prevent recent graduates from leveraging their degree to find a job in their field of study and could cause the unemployment rate among recent graduates to rise. Rather than requesting years of real-world experience on entry-level applications, employers should instead be looking at a student’s experiences with internships and leadership because these
activities show students are well rounded and have real-world skills. In addition, students who’ve had internships should still be applying for entry-level positions despite these requirements because students accumulate experience through internships, on-campus employment, off-campus employment and experiential learning, Hart said. “The majority of our students with that experience can absolutely sort of push that envelope and apply to opportunities,” Hart said. “If you do see an opportunity that says recent graduates, or indicates that they are open to seniors, or juniors, I would take years of experience with a bit of a grain of salt.” julia.merola@temple.edu @juliaamerola
PAGE 12
OPINION
The Temple News
THE ESSAYIST
Finding emotional support and coping with pets A student explains the significance of pets and how they help them cope with emotions. BY WENDY GARCIA Co-Opinion Editor My first pets were two guinea pigs when I was eight, named Lollipop and Princess. I was scared to touch them because I didn’t want to hurt them. I started with small strokes on their head, and they quickly grew comfortable with me as they saw I had no harmful intentions. As I became relaxed around them, I turned to them for emotional support because they didn’t judge me like people do. I would hold and pet them when I was upset, but even watching them play with each other could help me feel better. While I felt lonely at school because I had few friends, I looked forward to seeing Lollipop and Princess playing, eating or sleeping. It’d quickly put a smile on my face as I forgot why I was upset. When I was nine, my dad died of suicide. It was a difficult time not only because I didn’t envision a family death so early in my life but I didn’t know how to cope with it. Confronting my emotions was difficult and I alternated between crying and feeling numb. I didn’t have outlets to cope with my feelings, so I turned to Lollipop and Princess to remind me to cherish the time I had with loved ones. When Princess died in 2016, it was heartbreaking. Seeing Lollipop’s distress from losing her sister made it harder for me because we were both dealing with the loss. She barely ate or moved around that day. I put my feelings aside to help Lollipop with her sadness, which made
KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS
coping with Princess’ death more challenging. In addition to dealing with my grief, I had to try to cheer up Lollipop and ensure she ate food and drank water so her health wouldn’t deteriorate. Less than a year later, Lollipop died too. I lost two important parts of my life and felt empty inside. Lollipop and Princess were my main sources of emotional support, I didn’t know how I would cope with difficult feelings moving forward. Before Lollipop died, my uncle adopted a rabbit. I saw the rabbit a few times during the summer and enjoyed
his presence. Around a month after Lollipop died, my uncle died in a work-related accident. Because no one else could take care of the rabbit, my family adopted him. The rabbit, who we named Nejo, made it seem like we still had a piece of my uncle to remember him by. While I don’t see Nejo much during the school year, I’m always happy to be with him when I go home during breaks. When I do see him, I spend a lot of time playing with him and talking about my life stressors, comforted by his calming,
nonjudgmental presence. I thought moving to Philadelphia would be the first time I wouldn’t be around a pet and was worried about how I’d find emotional support, but I was lucky to have roommates who feel as strongly about pets as I do. Before moving to my apartment, my roommates and I adopted a cat because we felt it’d bring more joy into our lives, we named him Soup. I dealt with a lot of homesickness shortly after moving in, I spent many days crying and settling into a new environment where I had to do things myself. I was excited to move out and be in my own environment, but it was also my first time away from home. I was overwhelmed by this change, but I was lucky to have Soup to comfort me. Soup helped me cope with my homesickness and my feelings of loneliness as I’ve struggled to make friends here, too. Having him curled on my lap always put me at ease and made my adjustment to college much easier to manage. After winter break, one of my roommates got another cat as a companion for Soup, who we named Miguel. Sometimes, I sit in the living room just to watch Soup and Miguel play with each other and it comforts me when I’m in a bad mood. I struggle with procrastination and low motivation, but rewarding myself by hanging out with them has recently motivated me Living with Soup and Miguel with me made me realize how important pets have been throughout my life. All the pets in my life have positively impacted me and I’m forever grateful for the joy and support they’ve given me even during the roughest times of my life. wendy.garcia@temple.edu
The Temple News
OPINION
PAGE 13
POLITICS
Raising the state’s minimum wage is necessary A student argues that the minimum wage should be raised for all Pennsylvania employees. On Jan. 31, the $15 minimum wage went into effect for Pennsylvania Commonwealth employees, according to Gov. Wolf’s administration website. This increase is not MOLLY FISKE the first time Gov. Tom For The Temple Wolf raised the minNews imum wage for commonwealth employees. In 2016, an executive order raised the minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.15 and in 2018 it was raised again to $12. However, not all Pennsylvania residents will experience the minimum wage increase, and for non-commonwealth employees, the minimum wage will remain $7.25 per hour, Fox 43 reported. In October 2021, Wolf stated that any company that receives state grants or tax breaks must pay employees $13.50 an hour. This incentive will change to $15 an hour beginning in 2024. However, this only applies to companies receiving state loans or tax breaks, York Daily Record reported. Although commonwealth and many corporate employees are already earning more than the minimum wage, the wage increase should be extended to all Pennsylvania workers so they can also have livable wages. Pennsylvania’s minimum wage last increased for all workers in 2009 from $6.55 to $7.25 an hour, as amended under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. For all workers to get a minimum wage increase, the state legislature would need to pass an amendment to the FLSA. The federal minimum wage doesn’t seem to be rising soon because the Raise Wage Act, which would raise the minimum wage to $15 over four years, was rejected in Congress in March 2021, it’s up to states like Pennsylvania to increase their minimum wage to pay all employ-
KRISTINE CHIN / THE TEMPLE NEWS
ees a livable wage. Roughly 62 percent of Americans say they favor raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, according to an April 2021 survey from Pew Research Center. Many support the wage increase because low-wage employees have faced many health and financial burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made the need for a livable wage more visible, USA Today reported. The steep rise in inflation during the past year has affected the prices of food, gasoline and other essentials. However, many Pennsylvania workers still make $7.25 but are spending more on basic essentials. Many people believe raising the minimum wage would hurt small businesses or cause people to lose their jobs because if minimum wage rises the demand for labor will decrease, but this isn’t true, said Michael Leeds, an economics professor. “They say that a higher minimum
wage is great if you still have a job, but many people will lose their jobs,” Leeds said. “In fact, there is no causal relationship between the increase in our minimum wage and unemployment rates.” Because the cost of higher education has risen and the minimum wage hasn’t, it has become more difficult for students to cover costs. Part-time college students who work struggle completing their degrees, according to the Urban Institute, a nonprofit research organization. If the minimum wage increased for all employees, college students would directly benefit from it, said Sophie Style, a sophomore political science major. “A lot of college students do work minimum wage jobs and a lot of students do struggle financially with paying rent and having personal expenses,” Style said. Pennsylvania has the second-highest average in-state tuition in the country. Residents attending in-state colleges and universities while living on campus would need to work approximately 119.6 hours
per week to pay their way through a traditional four-year program, according to TextbookRush, an independent online bookstore. It’s difficult going back and forth with classes and work everyday because it gives students like Arina Faktor less time to study. “The increase would also decrease the amount of hours we would work,” Faktor, a sophomore international business major, said. “Currently I can afford at least 17-18 hours, if it could be reduced to 15 hours per week that would be beneficial for my mental health.” It is not enough for the minimum wage to be raised for some Pennsylvania workers but not all. For non-commonwealth employees the minimum wage will remain at $7.25. All Pennsylvanians deserve the right to a livable wage, and the minimum wage must reflect that. molly.fiske@temple.edu
LIVE Philly in
NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Dan Frenia and Sandy Frenia stand at the front of the runners outside Xfinity Live in South Philadelphia before the Cupid’s Undie Run.
A BRIEF RUN GOOD CAUSE FOR A
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, lost her fa- running in the event for six years. “SupResidents came together to raise grow on nerves throughout the body. “People with Neurofibromatosis are ther to Neurofibromatosis when she was porting these kids that go through so money in support of finding a often uncomfortable,” said Sandy Frenia, 7 years old. much, and that’s what it’s all about.” cure for Neurofibromatosis. the Philadelphia Cupid’s Undie Run race “Running in the cold for a mile-ish is The run in Philadelphia is in its 10th
BY NOEL CHACKO Co-Photo Editor Participants in the annual Cupid’s Undie Run wore nothing more than their underwear in freezing temperatures at the starting line outside Xfinity Live in South Philadelphia. Cupid’s Charity organizes Cupid’s Undie Runs across the country, a fundraising event held to raise awareness and help fundraise for research on Neurofibromatosis, a disease which causes tumors to
director. “We figured if they could live being uncomfortable all the time, we can be uncomfortable for a few minutes in underwear.” Frenia has been involved with the Children’s Tumor Foundation, which Cupid’s Charity supports, since 2007, when her youngest child was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis. The charity has raised $21 million since it began in 2010, with all net proceeds funding research through the Children’s Tumor Foundation. Ashley Miskowski, a teacher from
nothing compared to what they endure everyday,” said Miskowski. She has ran in the event for nine years to bring awareness to the disease that impacted her family. Every year the event starts with partying inside Xfinity Live, followed by an award ceremony for donors, then the short half-mile run and finally a dance party to finish the day off. “It’s great energy, but it’s really about the message behind the run,” said Matt Robertson, a physical therapist from Morristown, New Jersey, who has been
year and has raised more than $2 million. This year, Philadelphia raised more than $140,000, the most money out of any city in the country, Frenia said. “This is a great organization, and we just want to help in our small way,” said James Molenari, who teaches fifth graders at the Central Bucks School District. “People are excited to be here. It’s the middle of winter. People want to get out and have a little bit of fun and do good.” noelchacko@temple.edu @noelchacko_
smallBUSI-
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The Temple News
Whipping up business
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Small Business Guide As the 20-year-old business that provided me and my four siblings our first jobs struggled to make ends meet with constant COVID-19 enforced closures, capacity limit changes and shutdowns, seeing “regulars” gather and show their undying support and friendship brought a new meaning to the term, “small business.” Businesses come and go, but the impressions left on the community they serve are forever, and as we quickly approach the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, this impact is more prevalent than ever. This year’s Small Business Guide explores how relationships and connections between individuals and owners at and around Temple University form a community in and of itself, proving that a transaction is more than just an exchange of money and products; it is
an exchange of love and friendship. From introspective moments that spawned a therapeutic apiary to turning off-campus apartments into nail salons, clothing stores and bakeries, seeing the passion and overarching goals of these owners to be more than just a business brings upon me that same sense of connection and solace it did when I watched “regulars” become family and friends at my former place of work. So, take a look at our second Small Business Guide issue to not only learn about and support the businesses and products, but to gain a prospective friend. Sincerely,
Rosie Leonard Features Editor
RJ FRANCESCHINI / THE TEMPLE NEWS Saif Manna, a senior political science major, pours banana bread mix into a pan in his Temple Nest Apartment on Feb. 16.
Saif Manna launched MANNA, a bakery located in his Temple Nest apartment, last March. BY EDEN MacDOUGALL Assistant Features Editor
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hen Saif Manna was eight years old, he climbed up on the stool in his kitchen and started teaching himself how to bake and cook using his grandmother’s recipe book. “It’s sort of evolved as I start to grow older and become more capable,” said Manna, a senior political science major. “I started to become more independent in the kitchen.” After the COVID-19 pandemic caused Temple University to temporarily shut down in March 2020, Manna used his new free time to open MANNA Bakery, an online bakery he runs from his Temple Nest apartment, which officially launched on March 6, 2021. Manna bakes and sells cookies, breads and cakes, with vegan options for some items. To place an order, customers fill out a Google Sheet with their name, phone number, what they want to order, allergy information and pick up time. When the order is ready, Manna texts the customer to pick up their orders from him at the Nest. When he started his bakery, Manna made hundreds of cookies at a time by hand, which was physically intense and time-consuming. After earning roughly $400, he used his savings to buy a Kenwood stand mixer, which lightened the workload, he said. Manna makes slightly less than $2 per baked good sold. However, he isn’t worried about making a huge profit and is content to serve good food and make people smile, Manna said. “I do it because I enjoy baking and I do it because I enjoy seeing people enjoy food and if it comes from me, even better,” Manna added. Manna prides himself on using high-quality ingredients, like imported Belgian chocolate, because he believes that the final product is a reflection of the ingredients used. “If I’m going to use some cheap, low quality chocolate or mass-produced eggs that are made by chickens that are living
in a cage and a harmful environment, that sort of emotion feeds into the product they produce and you taste it in the flavor,” he said. Rula Abu-Lughod, Manna’s mother, originally thought baking was a phase and Manna would grow out of it. Instead, he grew more passionate as time went on, she said. Now she admires her son’s passion and creativity and believes those qualities will help him succeed at whatever he wants to do. Manna also cooks Chinese, Arabic and Indian food and makes full course-meals at home and for his girlfriend, including juice and appetizers, she said. “What you guys are getting and seeing there is only a very small portion of what he is capable of,” Abu-Lughod said. Ei Lwin, a senior tourism and hospitality management major, discovered MANNA Bakery at a pop up event in the Nest’s lobby last month where she bought a sourdough donut and has been ordering from Manna regularly since. Lwin appreciates Manna’s passion for baking and his creativity, she said. “He sells it for his passion, and which is why I have been going back and trying every different items on his menu,” she added. Manna’s family is Palestinian but he feels disconnected from his culture because he has never visited Palestine and wants to bridge the gap by incorporating Palestinian food into his bakery, he said. Most of what Manna knows about Palestinian food and culture comes from his grandmothers who grew up in Palestine but moved to Jordan, he said. “I felt like I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t use my talent and my passion to sort of express a part of my culture that’s been lost,” he added. Manna’s long-term goal is to open a physical store for his bakery in Center City or open a restaurant. If he pursues the bakery and it’s successful, he wants to open a second bakery location in Dubai. “I would love to have a bakery that is not just a bakery where you come and buy stuff and leave, but sort of have a slight place where you can sit and maybe, do work, study, enjoy the baked goods,” Manna said. eden.macdougall@temple.edu
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Philadelphia apiary provides education, therapy Amelia Mraz founded Half Mad all have our purpose on this planet, we’re Honey in 2021 after taking a all living together.” HMH also offers apiary therapy beekeeping class as a senior. BY ROSIE LEONARD Features Editor Determined to overcome her fear of bees, Amelia Mraz enrolled in Introduction to Beekeeping at Temple University’s Ambler campus her senior year. As she immersed herself in apiculture, she began to learn more about not only bees, but herself. “I took the class at a time when I was not in a good place in my mental health,” said Mraz, a second-year public health graduate student. “It ended up being a really therapeutic practice for me. It actually taught me confidence, trust, creative problem solving and just to be present and mindful.” Wanting to share this mind-opening experience with others, Mraz co-founded Half Mad Honey, an apiary located at the Navy Yard, in March 2021 with her partner, Natasha Pham. Mraz opened HMH to educate people on bees and support mental health awareness through educational, interactive honey bee tours and apiary therapy, where individuals learn mindfulness practices. HMH offers beehive tours at the Riverfront near the Navy Yard in the spring, summer and fall, where tourists strap on beekeeping suits, enter the apiary, hold beehive frames and learn about bees and how to interact with them. Tours are led by Mraz, Phan and Nicole Rivera Hartery, a beekeeper educator and HMH business partner. Rivera Hartery loves teaching tourists about bees and seeing those who were scared of entering the apiary leave with a newfound appreciation for the insects, she said. “It helps open up the mind to everyone, as far as who else we are living with on this planet,” Rivera Hartery said. “And it gives you an open mind to the insect world in general — they realize we
sessions from May to October, where individuals interact with honeybees to practice coping skills and connect with their bodies. Individuals learn to be more patient and mindful of their actions while around the bees, which are practices that can factor into their everyday lives as well, said Pham, co-owner and executive Chief Executive Officer of HMH. “Be mindful of your step, where you are controlling that anger or anticipation or anxiety to just be present with the bees,” Pham said. When Mraz first came to Pham with the idea of opening an apiary for therapeutic purposes, she was skeptical, but after entering the apiary for the first time, she realized how therapeutic beekeeping was, she said. After graduating from Temple in 2016, Mraz was not sure what career she wanted to pursue, but knew she wanted to find a way to combine her psychology degree with her newfound beekeeping passion. “I had that validation that it’s a practice and mindfulness, and that it has soothing properties, so I knew there was something there,” Mraz said. Mraz tended bees in her friend’s backyard in 2018 but needed to expand to a space with more land. She then became a resident beekeeper at The Navy Yard and officially turned this hobby into a business in 2021. The journey was worth it for Mraz because she feels HMH has left an impact on many people’s lives through their tours and therapy sessions. Mraz loves seeing people utilize the apiary to learn and connect with each other and the bees in new ways, she said. “Being able to have them be vulnerable and feel safe with you to release those emotions — it’s a beautiful thing,” Mraz said. Mraz hopes to combine her bee-
BRIAN MENGINI / THE TEMPLE NEWS Amelia Mraz, a second-year public health graduate student, inspects a beehive before harvesting honey at Half Mad Honey, an apiary at the Navy Yard on 13th Street near Intrepid Avenue, on Feb. 21.
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A volunteer at Half Mad Honey uses a smoker to calm the bees before extracting honey from the hive.
Being able to have them be vulnerable and feel safe with you to release those emotions — it’s a beautiful thing.
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AMELIA MRAZ Half Mad Honey founder and second-year public health graduate student
keeping and public health background to make HMH a nonprofit and is happy she turned her fear of bees into a career that can benefit others. “Finally seeing this vision of yours, like off the ground, It’s been amazing, super worth it,” she said. mary.rose.leonard@temple.edu
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The Temple News
Student finds fulfillment in tarot card business
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Justice Henry gives tarot I feel like she’s honestly readings to provide insight into doing something that feels her clients’ lives using intuition. BY SAMANTHA SULLIVAN Assistant Features Editor While some use TikTok as a source of entertainment, others use it for inspiration and self-discovery. After watching videos and learning the symbolism of tarot cards, Justice Henry, a junior criminal justice major, turned her passion for spirituality into a business. Henry started Readings By Justice, a tarot card reading service in December 2021. Henry offers tarot card readings, a form of energy work that requires communicating with divine powers and using intuition for insight into clients’ questions, from her apartment on 15th Street near Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Clients can message her on Instagram to request a reading. She conducts the readings remotely, which can take anywhere from 30 minutes to two days to complete based on the number of questions clients have. She sends them their results via email, text message or Instagram direct messages. Questions can be about specific topics like love and career paths or she can do more general readings that don’t require clients to have a question. “It’s very creative in a way because you have to rely on not only intuition, but your sense of creativity, to be able to put the cards together and kind of make a story that your client or yourself will be able to understand,” Henry said. She first became interested in spirituality during her freshman year of college by watching videos on Youtube and TikTok about tarot readings. She purchased her first deck of tarot cards in December 2020 because she wanted to answer her own questions about love. The experience of receiving messages for herself encouraged her to do readings for others, Henry said. She started doing readings for a group of about 30 friends for free. After roughly a year of developing her skills and practicing, she
right, something that’s calling to her soul, and something she excels at.
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REANNA REID Readings By Justice client and friend
finally decided to launch her business. Henry reads intuitively, pulling cards and deciphering meanings through her feelings and personal understanding of the symbolism. When she is reading for other people she tends to use spreads, which are sets or patterns that the cards are laid out in, to guide the reading. A common spread is three cards laid face up to represent the past, present and future. Reanna Reid befriended Henry while attending Temple University. She trusted Henry’s insight and intuition, and felt that Henry’s readings help her predict what is to come. In November 2021 when Reid was experiencing personal struggles, Henry’s readings gave her hope that she would soon enjoy a breakthrough with her situation, which she did. “She’s honestly doing something that feels right, something that’s calling to her soul, and something she excels at,” Reid said. Henry will only read about people with their consent, and she does not do readings for death, health or legal matters. While tarot gives valuable insight, it does not replace a doctor or licensed professional, Henry said. Jenae Rogers grew up in a family that was skeptical of witchcraft, but became interested in having her cards read when she came across Henry’s Instagram account last year. Rogers received a reading in October 2021 about her love life and another in January 2022 about what the year has in store for her. “At first I was a little skeptical, this
GRACIE HEIM / THE TEMPLE NEWS Justice Henry, a junior criminal justice major, pulls a Celtic cross spread which aims to identify present, past and current challenges, in a study room in the Charles Library on Feb. 17.
Justice Henry, a junior criminal justice major, pulls out each tarot card to explain their meaning and what they typically signify during a reading.
is a little crazy but when she pulled out things about my career aspirations, my love life, my financial goals, I was like, ‘whoa, this is scary,’” Rogers said. Henry isn’t currently conducting readings, but looks forward to resuming her practice when she feels called, according to a Feb. 20 Instagram post. She hopes her readings empower her clients to trust their intuition.
“I hope that [clients] feel like they got their question answered,” Henry said. “I would hope that they feel like they have clarity around being able to make a decision, that they’re able to trust themselves, because I do push trusting your own intuition more than outside influences.” samantha.sullivan0002@temple.edu
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‘Sole Surgeon’ keeps local residents’ shoes fresh Cory Matthews started The ing products. Last July, Stephen Benson, Sole Surgeon, a shoe cleaning founder of ShoeCPR, a Texas-based sneaker-cleaner, contacted Matthews in business, in November 2020. BY LAWRENCE UKENYE Editor-in-Chief While working as a sales associate at Foot Locker as a freshman in high school, Cory Matthews would frequently clean the customer’s shoes as they scanned the store for a new pair of fresh kicks. His experiences cleaning shoes led him to pursue this craft on his own. “They came out good,” said Matthews, a freshman business management major. “Once they came out good, it kinda just hit me that I could actually do this. I could turn this into a business.” Matthews, a North Philly native, created his own sneaker-cleaning service, “Sole Surgeon,” which is now his nickname, in November 2020. Since developing his brand, Matthews has prioritized supporting Black-owned businesses and inspired youth to pursue entrepreneurialism by partnering with other businesses and teaching sneaker restoration courses. Matthews operates an Instagram page where customers can send him a direct message to schedule a shoe-cleaning appointment, or click the link in his bio to book a cleaning on his website. He cleans shoes in his dorm in Hardwick Hall or at his home on 10th Street near Jefferson, charging between $60 and $100 for cleanings. His account gained followers at a steady pace, but surged once he partnered with phillyscoophall, an Instagram page that posts Philadelphia-related memes and other content, for a promotional post in February 2021. He currently has more than 3,000 followers. “My page went up by a thousand followers in that same day,” Matthews said. “It also motivated me because now I knew that I had way more people looking at me and interested in my business.” As Matthews began serving more clients, he was contacted by companies that wanted him to try their shoe-clean-
hopes that he’d try his product. After using complementary product solutions he received, like ShoeCPR’s Essentials Cleaning Kit, Matthews was pleased with the results and decided to make the permanent switch from previous sneaker-cleaning products he used, like Reshoevn8r. Matthews and Benson hit it off immediately, because their connection to being Black-owned businesses fostered a natural partnership. “Why not support Black-owned businesses?” Matthews said. “I’m a Blackowned business, so I’m all about suppo– rting other Black-owned businesses as well.” Benson, who lives in Dallas, sends routine orders of his cleaning solutions to Philadelphia for Matthews. He’s become a mentor to Matthews and enjoys seeing Matthews’ progress as their relationship has blossomed. “We definitely are friends now more than business partners,” Benson said. “I look at him almost as a version of me when I was younger.” He’s also appreciated Matthews’ support for Black-owned businesses and the efforts he’s made to give back to his community. “Our goal is just everybody eats,” Benson said. “There’s no reason to be stingy. There’s enough shoes in the world, there’s enough money in the world so we’re just about getting each other to the top.” Matthews’ love for shoes spurred while watching some of his favorite NBA players, like Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, sport different makes and styles of sneakers while on the court. His fascination and desire to collect and own different sneakers remained a distant dream, as he couldn’t afford shoes more than $100 growing up. However, once he started working at Foot Locker in 2019, Matthews earned enough money to start periodi-
NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Cory Matthews, a freshman business management major, cleans a pair of Chanel sneakers in his dorm room at Hardwick Hall on Feb. 16.
cally buying his own shoes. While working at Footlocker, he grew immersed in shoe culture, learning more about the release patterns of some of his favorite shoes, like Air Jordans and Yeezys, only furthering his interest in sneakers. Matthews works at the NoMo Foundation, a youth nonprofit that offers programs to at-risk youth, and has offered a sneaker-cleaning course toteens in the program. Chanice Smith, director of programming at NoMo, reached out to Matthews last July to teach a course at the program because she saw how popular sneakers were among teens in NoMo. Smith wanted the students to learn how to clean their shoes rather than abandoning them once they got dirty, especially because many teens took pride in their shoes, Smith said.
She’s enjoyed seeing the connection Matthews makes with his students at the program and his leadership encouraged more youth to apply for the course, Smith said. “Since he’s been with us he’s been a remarkable instructor,” Smith said. “He knows our youth well, they’re comfortable with him and they love him.” Matthews hopes to one day open a studio where he can run his business. He wants the space to be collaborative and engaging for guests so they’re able to do more than just drop off their sneakers to be cleaned, he said. “We can connect, engage and just get to know each other,” Matthews said. “I can inform them a little bit about what I do and why I do what I do with my passion.” editor@temple-news.com @lawreence_u
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The Temple News
Sophomore builds relationships through nail art Jenny Phan started Gelled By Jenny, a nail business she runs from her apartment, in 2021. BY SAMANTHA SULLIVAN Assistant Features Editor Jenny Phan doesn’t want to just be a nail tech, she wants to form a deeper connection with her customers that makes them feel comfortable and excited to get their nails done. “I want them to just feel like I’m one of their friends, like a best friend or something and that they can talk to me about anything,” Phan said. Phan, a sophomore kinesiology major, created Gelled By Jenny, a nail business located at her apartment on 18th Street near Jefferson, in September 2021. Phan was inspired by her mom, who owns her own salon, Sun Nails Salon, in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Phan runs a small salon in the basement of her apartment where she paints and shapes clients’ nails on top of a marble desk. Phan specializes in gel manicures and offers gel extensions, polish removal and nail repair services and frequently collaborates with clients to create new designs. Oftentimes, clients will come to her with an inspirational image of what they want, and they will talk through a design that fits their vision. Clients can schedule appointments on her website. Appointments take approximately two hours, but some can go as long as five hours depending on the complexity of the design that clients request. After spending much of her life watching her mom paint and shape nails, Phan began to work at her mom’s salon in high school. Phan has always been artistically inclined, and became interested in nail art because it merged her passion for art with the skills she developed while shad-
AMBER RITSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jenny Phan, a sophomore kinesiology major and owner of Gelled By Jenny, applies a finishing coat on a new set of nails for her client Empress Graham, a sophomore health professions major, on Feb. 17.
owing her mom, she said. Working with her customers to make their vision a reality is important to Phan because she wants to ensure her customers are satisfied and feel confident with their nails. “I always have this one person that gives me the craziest designs and I tend to doubt myself,” Phan said. “[The clients] sitting there, cheering me on really gets me going. I think it’s awesome that they can sit there with me for hours and really believe in me.” She received lots of support from her parents and her mom’s regular customers.
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She talks to anyone and she’ll make their day better.
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ENYCIA NUÑEZ Gelled By Jenny client and sophomore psychology major
“Thankfully, I had a lot of support from my mom’s regulars and people that knew me from when I was a kid,” Phan said. “They were very patient and very nice to me — that kind of led me to where I am.” Bridget Frame, a sophomore political science and philosophy major, appreciates Phan’s personal approach. Although the two were strangers when Frame first got her nails designed by Phan, with time, they developed a friendship. The two initially connected through the music Phan would play during appointments and bonded over artists like Tyler The Creator. Now, Frame considers her someone she can talk to about anything. “Now that I come back, I feel like I’m just going to see my friend,” Frame said. While some clients are strangers turned friends, others have been coming to Jenny for their nails since she first started working at her mom’s salon. Enycia Nuñez, a sophomore psychology major, has watched Phan’s business grow since the beginning, she said. They have been friends since sixth grade, and Nuñez was one of Phan’s first clients. Watching Phan go from practicing nail art to opening her own business has been special for Nuñez because she knows how much hard work and dedication Phan puts into her business. “She talks to anyone and she’ll make their day better — like any client she has,” Nunez said. “It’s always a good experience.” Phan prides herself on creating a fun and comfortable environment for her clients that keeps them coming back. “I like meeting different people and creating friendships and relationships with them,” Phan said “That’s definitely the best part, it’s really fun, just having girl moments with everyone.” samantha.sullivan0002@temple.edu
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Senior promotes sustainability through fasion Isabella Dahrouch opened 215 also selling clothes via Instagram. “During quarantine there was such Upcycled in September 2020 a large community of girls that were and sells repurposed clothes. BY VICTORIA HYLAND For The Temple News Isabella Dahrouch spent much of her childhood embroidering and piecing together fashionable outfits with her grandmother, but it was not until she gained more free time during the COVID-19 pandemic that she turned a side hobby into something more. In September 2020, Dahrouch, a senior marketing major, launched 215 Upcycled, an online sustainable fashion store, to promote slow fashion, a movement Dahrouch values deeply. She sells clothing items like vintage t-shirts and tie-dye jeans, and accessories like rings, scarfs and custom zodiac necklaces. The fashion industry accounts for nearly 10 percent of global carbon emissions and 20 percent of wastewater, BBC reported. Fast fashion mass produces clothes at lower prices to keep up with trends, according to Ethical Consumer. Slow fashion takes the opposite approach in an attempt to create higher quality items that will last for the consumer. Customers can order clothes or accessories using Upcycled’s website and opt to either pick up their items from Dahrouch’s apartment, located on 16th Street near Montgomery Avenue, or have them shipped. Sorting through her closet in November 2019, Dahrouch realized she had a lot of clothes she no longer wore and began posting pictures of her shirts and pants to Instagram and selling them. Nearly three months later, the pandemic caused schools and businesses to shut down, giving Dahrouch more free time, which she used to paint pants, practice sewing and repurpose shirts she thrifted or no longer wore to alleviate her boredom. Dahrouch’s Instagram follower base quickly expanded from close friends and family to more than 3,000. She credits the increased engagement she received to other users she followed who were
doing the same thing as me,” Dahrouch said. “We kind of had a support system online and we would reshare our stuff, so their followers would see my stuff and vice versa.” By the summer of 2020, she began accepting custom orders via Instagram direct messages, but managing multiple requests each day through a social media app was overwhelming, so she created a website. “Once I got to this age and had all the resources, I was able to go full force and teach myself all these new skills and just how to be a sustainable reseller,” Dahrouch said. Dahrouch’s followers appreciated the shift to a website because it was more accessible. After establishing the website, Dahrouch earned more than 300 sales in a year. Because Dahrouch works out of her apartment, she hosts pop-up events on and around Temple’s Main Campus and at student apartments like Vantage and Temple Nest, to expand her customer base, she said. Although Upcycled is a one-woman operation, she collaborated last March with Katie Brosky, a freelance photographer and Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School senior, to photograph and promote her business. Brosky has learned a lot about the need for sustainability in the fashion industry from Darouch and is considering pursuing photography and a fashion-related study in college because of the experiences she gained from working with Dahrouch, she said. She admires Darouch’s hard work and dedication. “She is one of the most inspiring young girls that I know,” Brosky said. Dahrouch’s parents supported her since she first told them about Upcycled and recently built a studio in their garage in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where she’ll base her operations after graduating. Dahrouch’s mother, Maria, owner and manager of Agua Bistro in Eagleville, Pennsylvania, wanted to build the studio to help her daughter’s busi-
GRACIE HEIM / THE TEMPLE NEWS Isabella Dahrouch, a senior marketing major and founder of 215 Upcycled, adds finishing touches to a sweatshirt for a client in her apartment on Feb. 18.
ness grow. She values her work ethic and determination to always pursue her dreams, she said. “She’s the type of person who will never take no for an answer,” Maria Dahrouch said. “She will focus on something and that’s her vision and that’s what she’s going to try until she gets it.” Dahrouch hopes to one day turn Upcycled into a boutique on South Street, she said. She values sustainability and hopes
people will realize the importance of incorporating it into their lives, she said. “Sustainability is just something I’ve always been passionate about, not even just with clothes, just in my daily life, so to be able to incorporate it into something that I’m passionate about, just fashion, is just very rewarding,” Dahrouch said. victoria.hyland@temple.edu
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The Temple News
Three Temple alumnae run food truck together Rachel Knable runs a sandwich to return the truck to Gray’s Ferry and food truck with her grandmother clean it before traveling back home to Manayunk, she said. and former softball teammate. BY EDEN MacDOUGALL Assistant Features Editor After spending nearly five years working in other people’s food trucks throughout Philadelphia, Rachel Knable decided to branch out on her own. “It’s an amazing feeling, being your own boss,” said Knable, a 2012 communications alumna. Knable founded Stuff’d Buns, a sandwich food truck, in 2017. They specialize in sliders and cater at events, like weddings and birthdays. Knable’s mission at Stuff’d Buns is to provide healthy food using local ingredients because she wants to support other small business owners. Stuff’d Buns caters on weekends in the winter and Thursdays through Sundays during the summer. Knable sources her ingredients from local small businesses, like Merzbachers, a bakery located on Germantown Avenue near Berkeley Street, because she wants to give back to the community and support small business owners like herself, she said. “It’s good to support the community, because then they come and support us,” she added. Running her own food truck can be hectic at times because Knable has to wake up early to purchase ingredients, load everything she needs into the truck and prepare the food before she starts vending, she said. Knable usually wakes up at 5:30 a.m. and sometimes doesn’t arrive home until 1 a.m. the next morning because she has
small
In April 2020, Stuff’d Buns switched to delivery and pick up as a COVID-19 safety precaution and offered “family style” meals like burgers, pasta and soup instead of sliders, Knable said. One of Knable’s friends worked as a nurse at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and ordered delivery for herself and other nurses but Knable didn’t want to make the nurses pay so her family covered the cost, Knable said. Stuff’d Buns then began collecting donations from customers on Instagram to purchase ingredients for meals that they delivered to nurses at hospitals like Penn Medicine, Cooper University Health Care and Temple University Hospital, Seitchick said. Though her job is tough and tiring, the help Knable receives from her grandmother and friend Sarah Prezioso makes it more enjoyable, she said. Ellyn Seitchick, a 1982 business alumna and Knable’s grandmother, joined Stuff’d Buns in 2017 because she wanted to help her granddaughter, she said. Seitchick takes orders and helps Knable clean the truck at the end of the night. Prezioso, a 2014 communications studies alumna, met Knable while they played on Temple’s softball team in 2010 when Prezioso was a freshman and Knable was a junior. Although Prezioso moved to San Antonio, Texas, in 2019, the two stayed in touch and, when Prezioso moved back to Philadelphia in 2020, she offered to help Knable prepare food for Stuff’d Buns on weekends. Prezioso enjoys working with
Business GUIDE
ALLISON SILIBOVSKY / THE TEMPLE NEWS Rachel Knable, owner of Stuff’d Buns and a 2012 communications alumna, stands inside her food truck which was stationed at the Wissahickon Brewing Company on Feb. 19.
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It’s good to support the community, because then they come and support us. RACHEL KNABLE Founder of Stuff’d Buns and 2012 communications alumna
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Knable because she is always willing to help her improve, she said. “We’re both athletes and we like working in fast-paced environments,” she added. Stuff’d Buns started catering again in June 2020 and re-opened with an event at Odd Logic Brewing. Roughly 120 people attended to support the truck that day, Knable said. On normal days Stuff’d Buns serves roughly between 80 and 100 customers. Now that she is catering again, Knable is looking forward to vending at street festivals in Manayunk and seeing other small businesses there, she said. “It’s cool to kind of have our little community,” Knable added. eden.macdougall@temple.edu
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MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Participants run from Xfinity Live to the NRG Station -on the Broad Street line. A participant in Cupid’s Undie Run shows support for Team Maddie, one of the teams that raised money for the Philadelphia Cupid’s Undie Run event. Dan Frenia and Sandy Frenia pose with a runner for a photo after Cupid’s Undie Run. Cupid’s Charity hosted the Cupid’s Undie Run at Xfinity Live in South Philadelphia. Participants party before running a half a mile in their underwear to create awareness for Neurofibromatosis.
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FEATURES
The Temple News
ACTIVISM
Senior unionizes South Philadelphia Starbucks Maddie Levans started working for Starbucks in high school and wants more accountability. BY EDEN MacDOUGALL Assistant Features Editor
T
hough Maddie Levans loves working as a Starbucks shift supervisor and interacting with her regular customers, being disrespected by her bosses during the COVID-19 pandemic prompted her to start unionizing. “We’re getting told, ‘you have so many great benefits,’ and I was drinking the Kool-Aid,” said Levans, a senior political science major. On Jan. 28, the Starbucks on 9th Street near South filed a petition to unionize with the National Board of Labor Relations and posted a letter on Twitter formally announcing their intention to unionize. Levans has led her location’s union efforts by coordinating with Workers United organizers. Levans started working at a Starbucks in her hometown of York, Pennsylvania, during her junior year of high school and transferred to 16th Street near Market her freshman year at Temple University. She now works at the Starbucks on 9th Street near South. During her five years at Starbucks, there have been issues between Levans and management, she said. But it wasn’t until after she called out sick due to contracting COVID-19, and had her boss tell her to plan her sick days better, that unionizing became a priority. “I’ve never been told anything that made me that angry,” Levans said. “At the time, I held my tongue, but I’m thinking, ‘how do I tell every virus, illness, anything, to give me a three to five-day window of when I’m going to get infected with it, so I can call out effectively?’” She is hopeful that unionizing will increase pay transparency, accountability for management and enable employees to manage conflicts with their
NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Maddie Levans, a shift supervisor at the Starbucks on 9th Street near South, looks into the lobby from the bar.
bosses better, she said. However, Starbucks believes that unions will not help employees or the company. “From the beginning, we’ve been clear in our belief that we are better together as partners, without a union between us, and that conviction has not changed,” a Starbucks spokesperson wrote in an email to the Temple News. “Starbucks’ success — past, present and future — is built on how we partner together, always with our mission and values at our core.” Levans started organizing the union by asking her coworkers their thoughts on unions during her afternoon shifts and her coworker who worked in the mornings talked to employees during those shifts, Levans said. Levans gathered employees’ phone numbers in case Starbucks switched schedules around to separate potential unionizers and got union cards, so em-
ployees could sign up to be represented by Workers United, and created a Discord server for signers, she said. “I’d bring three or four union cards with me and just keep it in my bag and anybody who I knew was a card signer or was planning on signing, we would do that,” Levans added. In high school, Levans worked for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign and met a campaign organizer who introduced her to leftist politics. She continued learning about it at Temple from Scott Ritner, a former political theory professor who now teaches at SUNY Potsdam, who she took three classes with, Levans said. Ritner is proud of her initiative. “She really takes the time to think, not just about the readings, but about what that means for the world she lives in,” Ritner said. Ritner was not surprised when Levans told him she started unionizing and
has offered her support and advice based on his own experiences as a student activist, he said. Lua Riley, a 2020 advertising alum, has worked at the 9th Street and South Starbucks for three months and loves working with Levans because she is a considerate and dedicated team member and has a good sense of humor. “[Levans] is very dedicated to getting everything done right,” Riley said. “But [Levans] also is going to make sure you have a good laugh while you do it.” Levans is proud of what she and her coworkers have accomplished. “It feels a lot better to know that we’re actually going to be able to fix the issues that have been plaguing us for so long,” Levans said. eden.macdougall@temple.edu @EdenMacDougall
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FEATURES
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ALUMNI
2020 alum, activist wins Marshall Scholarship to Sprowal because it’s a way to repre-
Osimiri Sprowal won the award in sent people with disabilities and the AfDecember 2021, and will attend rican American and LGBTQ communigraduate school in the U.K. ties, they said. BY JULIA ALLEE For The Temple News The obstacles Osmiri Sprowal faced after coming out as transgender did not deter them. Instead, it empowered them. “I was homeless, and then I started advocating for myself and other people in my community, and I just kept going,” said Sprowal, a 2020 Africology and African American studies alum. “It wasn’t intentional, it was just my life.” On Dec. 13, 2021, Sprowal received the 2022 Marshall Scholarship award, which is granted annually to 41 American college students to provide a postgraduate education in the United Kingdom. She is the fifth student to win the award at the university and plans to use the scholarship to earn a master’s in human rights and politics at the London School of Economics and a master’s in applied theater at the University of Warwick. Through the scholarship, Sprowal will receive two years of housing, something they have not always had. Winning the award was important
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“People that come from the background and experiences that I come from actually have to work harder to achieve the things we want to achieve,” Sprowal said. Sprowal will move to New York City at the end of February to work as a coordinator in training at The Ali Forney Center, the city’s largest LGBTQ community center helping LGBTQ youth without housing, until moving to England, they said. Sprowal was born and raised in Germantown, but after coming out as transgender to their parents in 2019 and receiving no support, they ran away from home and dropped out of Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania. Sprowal then transferred to Temple University and experienced homelessness three times while pursuing their degree, they said. Passionate about education, Sprowal began researching graduate schools and scholarship opportunities while still in their undergraduate program, especially because they provide free housing and money.
“No one should have to look at college that way, but there a lot of people that do,” Sprowal said. Nah Dove, an Africology and African American studies professor, taught Sprowal in her contemporary Black poetry class and admired how inspiring Sprowal was in and out of the classroom. “[Sprowal] is a natural leader in the sense that they’re free in thinking and acting,” Dove said. Sprowal started advocating for LGBTQ community youth without housing and people with disabilities when they arrived at Temple. They’ve worked closely with organizations like Youth Valley Pride Task Force, True Colors United and A Way Home America, organizations committed to helping LGBTQ and homeless youth find stable housing. As someone who identifies as TransQueer and has cerebral palsy, a disorder affecting a person’s ability to maintain balance and posture, Sprowal cares about their communities and wants all voices and stories to be heard. “It’s a huge part of my activism,” Sprowal said. “A lot of the performance and work I’ve done have focused on disabled activism for people from all walks of life.” Sprowal started writing poet-
ry in high school as a way to express their identity, and their love for the art through the years led them to create deadname.arts, Philadelphia’s first alltrans art collective, in 2019. “I care about people like me who’ve experienced the things that I’ve experienced,” Sprowal said. “It’s important to tell those stories through my poetry.” Seeing Sprowal grow and fight for what they believe in is inspiring to Kal Brown, a junior psychology major and Sprowal’s friend. “I’ve learned a lot from them in terms of the things you can get done in a short amount of time, but also the challenges that may occur,” Brown said. After completing their master’s degrees, Sprowal wants to focus on the lack of LGBTQ equality in the African diaspora because they believe there are many homopohic and transphobic opinions from people in Africa, Sprowal said. “I want to do more historical research and work on helping people understand what being a Black, trans, queer and also indigenous person actually means, and having policies that reflect that,” Sprowal said. julia.allee@temple.edu
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ALUMNI
Temple alumni film brings awareness to refugees Brandon Gulish and Beau Rosario spent four years documenting the refugee crisis in South Sudan. BY SAMANTHA SULLIVAN Assistant Features Editor Brandon Gulis and Beau Rosario instantly knew there was something special about Shamira Muhammad when they first met her at a refugee camp in Uganda. Gulish, a 2007 film and media arts alumnus, and Rosario, a 2014 film and media arts alumnus, spent the past four years working on “The Elephants and The Grass,” an independently-financed film that follows a young refugee, Shamira Muhammad and her mother, Yasmin, as they attempt to flee South Sudan. The country gained independence in 2011 but dealt with a civil war until 2018. The conflict has created 2.27 million refugee and asylum seekers, according to The Council on Foreign Relations, an independent organization that studies the United State’s role in foreign policy. Gulish and Rosario first learned about the issues in South Sudan when they were connected with Water Is Basic, a non-profit in Philadelphia that works to provide safe drinking water to villages around the world that do not have access to it. The filmmakers were originally asked to produce a short film for Water is Basic about digging wells for villages in Africa. They initially wanted to visit South Sudan, but the violence had escalated significantly so they ended up at Rhino Refugee Camp in Uganda. While in Uganda, they met 12 yearold Shamira and her mother and were instantly enamored with her and their journey of fleeing South Sudan. Shamira and Yasmin traveled hundreds of miles, facing the threat of sexual abuse and failed murder attempts. Gulish and Rosario were drawn to Shamira for her unwavering hope for a better future for her and her mother, Rosario said. “One of the most jarring things is
NICK ROSE / COURTESY Brandon Gulish, a 2007 film and media arts alumnus, gives directing notes to actors featured in “The Elephant and The Grass.”
she’s talking about the most horrendous, trauamtizing, stories and talking about everything from rape to murder to canablism, all these things that are so shocking and she’s able to talk about them in such a calm, matter of fact way,” Gulish said. The duo kept in contact with Shamira and Yasmin through WhatsApp and have returned to visit Shamira and Yasmin multiple times over the past four years. Gulish and Rosario are dedicated to using their story as a way to raise awareness to the refugee crisis in South Sudan. To better understand the trauma and emotional impact war had on Sudanese people, the filmmakers spoke to neuroscientists in the U.S. who work with war veterans and refugees, Rosario said. “Our biggest takeaway was realizing
this isn’t an African issue and it’s not a South Sudanese issue, it’s a trauma issue,” Gulich said. Steve Roese, the founder and president of Water Is Basic, has been involved in outreach work in South Sudan since 2005. A few years ago, Shawn Small, a filmmaker, highlighted some of the work the organization was doing in “Ru: Water is Life,” a short documentary that was shown to the United Nations in 2015. The screening caused people to take an interest in some of the work Water Is Basic does. When Gulich mentioned wanting to make a film for Water Is Basic, Roese automatically said yes in hopes that the film would have similar results. “It’s incredibly important when artists are encouraged to use their gifts to
tell a complicated story in a way that reaches people’s hearts and minds,” Roses said. “I’m not sure that we would ever get as much done as we can without artists stepping in and doing that and I think that’s what these guys have done.” The filmmakers are currently working to get the film into festivals and hope it will make its way to policymakers who can help pass legislation to improve the circumstances in South Sudan. “We really do believe that, if people can understand exactly what’s going on over there, that they will get involved and commit to helping make a change,” Rosario said. samantha.sullivan0002@temple.edu
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SPORTS
The Temple News
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Owls forward plans to repeat high school success Kyra Wood finished with 2,000 career points at City Honors School in Buffalo, New York. BY VALERIE PENDRAK Co-Women’s Basketball Beat Reporter Temple University women’s basketball freshman forward Kyra Wood is looking to build off her high school accomplishments as an Owl. In her first season at Temple, Wood started in four games and averaged 3.6 points per game. While making an impact for the Owls, Wood hopes to inspire the younger girls at her former high school, City Honors School, where few women’s basketball players have been recruited. More than halfway through the season, Wood has shown her talent on the court. She has played in 20 games, averaging 12.5 minutes a game. Wood has also scored 72 points and grabbed 93 rebounds so far this season. “Overall, you can see how her confidence has improved, just as a player,” said graduate-student center Shantay Taylor. “Just being more confident with the game. Her shot selection is becoming better, her rebounding, her blocking the shot, overall she’s just improved.” Starting for the first time on Feb. 6 against East Carolina University, Wood finished second in overall points, with 16 points and eight rebounds. The 6-foot-3 forward is not afraid to ask questions when she doesn’t understand a play and has looked to her position coaches to develop her skills and get stronger, she said. “I’m used to being the number one everything in Buffalo,” Wood said. “It just gave me a little slap on the wrist to wake up, this is kind of a wake up call, but it was much needed.” While playing other sports as a child, Wood’s passion for basketball developed once she realized she could play at the college level, Wood said.
NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Kyra Wood, a freshman forward, warms up before an Owls’ game against Wichita State on Feb. 2.
The freshman started playing basketball around age 11, after being introduced to the game by a family friend, who ran G.I.R.L.S. Sports Foundation camp in Buffalo. Playing at the camp pushed Wood to join other basketball leagues, she added. “That was my first real thing that I did to involve myself with basketball,” Wood said. “My family friend, [Cecelie Owens], kind of introduced me and my sister to it, so we went and had fun, and we kind of stuck with that for a little bit.” After, Wood played for City Rocks AAU League from 8th to 9th grade. Then she played for Philly Belles AAU League in 10th grade, while also competing for City Honors, a public school in Buffalo. Once Wood told her parents she wanted to play division one basketball, Wood’s dad, Hollice Wood, was committed to making it happen. Along with carpooling with other teammates from the area, Hollice would drive from Buf-
falo to Mount Laurel, New Jersey, every weekend for Kyra to compete in tournaments with the Philly Belles, she said. During her time playing at City Honors School, Wood was the first female player from a Buffalo Public school to surpass 2,000 career points, which caught head coach Tonya Cardoza’s attention. “That is a big deal, a lot of points to be scored,” Cardoza said. “She’s very capable of putting the ball in the basket, obviously, at the collegiate level.” While playing for City Honors, Wood was named to the All-Western New York second team her junior year, while averaging 25.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. Besides breaking a school record, Wood also helped put her high school basketball program on the map by getting the attention of colleges, as well as local recognition from local newspapers. “My school was an academic school,” Wood said. “It wasn’t sports at all and I
started that when people started coming to the games, when people started supporting us. I started getting respect on my name and basketball.” Besides Temple, Wood received offers from University at Buffalo, La Salle University, St. Bonaventure University and Stony Brook University. “It was just a lot of basketball potential there,” Wood said. “When they see girls like me dropping 30 to 40 points a game, and doing all this stuff with the potential to go to the WNBA, it brings attention.” Wood played basketball and volleyball at City Honors, but when it came time to decide between college offers, Wood knew basketball was the path to choose since it gave her the best opportunities for success. The recruitment process from Temple’s assistant coach Sam Guastella helped solidify Wood’s decision to continue her basketball career with the Owls. “[Guastella] was recruiting Wood before [Guastella] got here and her versatility,” Cardoza said. “Wood’s discipline, how she conducted herself on the floor, she just seemed like a really hard worker.” Coming from a family-oriented household, Wood’s college decision process featured input from everyone in her family, she said. Growing up in Buffalo, Wood wanted to go to a city school. The gentle nudge from her grandmother, Michelle Johnson, who loved the African American-founded buildings and overall history that lies within Temple, also helped sway her decision, Wood said. Wood announced her commitment to Temple on Oct. 10, 2020, the seventh anniversary of her grandmother’s passing. “I love my family, and I love basketball because of them,” Wood said. “They’re one of the most important things to me.” valerie.pendrak@temple.edu @ValeriePendrak
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ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT
Temple Athletics looks to revamp media presence Temple Athletics is prioritizing its 2021. Moss has implemented new stratdigital media brand to reconnect egies, like usage of motion graphics and multimedia videos, on Temple Athletics’ with students and alumni. BY ISABELLA DiAMORE Sports Editor When gauging a program’s success, Deputy Director of Temple Athletics Craig Angelos refers to numbers from the 2015-16 seasons. During the two-year period, Temple University football engagement was at the highest it’s ever been between fan attendance and ticket sales, he said. They were playing teams like Penn State and Notre Dame, then won the American Athletic Conference championship under former head coach Matt Rhule in 2016. Temple Athletics wants to refresh its digital brand to reconnect with a larger fanbase that’s been lost the last couple of years. With the recent turnover in staff and coaches, the biggest challenge is gaining back the fans’ trust, Angelos said. “I’d like to see the fan engagement continue to increase on the social media side, translate into people actually buying tickets and making donations to the program,” Angelos said. Since March 2020, Temple Athletics, which has a roughly $35 million budget, has struggled with funding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before then, other sources of revenue dipped, like ticket sales, merchandise, television contracts and sponsorship deals, Angelos added. “It’s kind of a rebuilding mode as far as trying to rebuild the interest level,” Angelos said. “Get our teams back up to the level that they were before, our donation levels up to the way before, our ticket sales numbers, our sponsorship numbers, merchandising numbers.” To rebuild the “Temple Tuff” moniker, Temple Athletics hired Assistant Athletic Director and Digital Branding Director Vaughan Moss in October
social platforms, which has increased engagement. In his role, Moss oversees two directors of creative video, a director for multimedia and a graphic designer. He also has four photographers and videographers and a few interns on his team. Moss also works with Temple Athletic’s communication department to plan out content each week for all 18 sports. Moss and Temple’s sports information directors have access to the teams’ and coaches’ accounts on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter, he said. On all four platforms, Moss wants his team to post consistent content, especially for those in season. He also has a set of templates and graphics, so it’s faster to release content, he said. When creating a post, Moss likes to build off a player’s performance with a short video recapping a game. After Temple men’s basketball defeated the University of Cincinnati 6158 on Jan. 25, Moss’ group put together clips of not only plays, but the team and head coach Aaron McKie cheering each other on. The post received 309 likes, 54 retweets and 11 quote tweets on Twitter, while also capturing 9,330 views. Part of keeping the fans engaged is by posting deeper stories and multimedia videos about the players, he said. “Make sure that everyone understands that’s just another layer of our strategy,” Moss said. “We need to be telling great stories to showcase our student athletes and now with [Name, Image and Likeness], this will help them build their own presence and brand.” Every month, Moss produces an engagement report for the athletic administration to see the level of traffic from each sports account. Temple Athletics uses analytics provided by the social media platforms, as well as CrowdTangle, a software monitoring tool.
NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS (From left to right) Andrew Kim, a creative video coordinator, Paige Wisehaupt, the director of creative video, Vaughan Moss, assistant athletics director for Branding and Digital Strategy, and Brian Mermelstein, a creative content assistant, discuss plans for the rest of the basketball season.
The report analyzes interactions, likes or comments, on platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. For Temple football’s January 2022 report, they gained 603 new followers on Twitter between December 2021 and January 2022. Moss also includes comparisons of Temple’s Instagram performance to other teams in the AAC. Temple football’s Instagram account is 6th in total interactions with a 2.78 percent interaction rate. The University of Central Florida is first in total interactions with a 3.18 percent interaction rate. “When I talk about constantly posting, it’s really just because of understanding that the algorithms that drive these platforms are really driven by engagement, so if you have more quality content, you’ll get more interactions, which will boost your engagement,” Moss said. Out of all the platforms, Instagram has been the most popular outlet for teams regarding consistently high en-
gagement, Moss said. Since last year, interactions for Temple’s football account are up 30 percent, according to the engagement report. Besides posting effective content to connect with fans, donors and recruits, Moss’ goal is providing each sport with a unique online presence. Since the audience is different for field hockey compared to football, Moss wants to make sure they are capturing a team’s authenticity, he said. “Social media has opened up people to our brand,” Moss added. “That’s why what we’re doing is so important. We may have the biggest fan in Alaska, because they saw one game of coach Chaney back in the 90s and they have become a fan ever since, so the only way they can support is by liking, commenting and sharing.” isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore
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Temple leans on young players down the stretch Temple women’s basketball has relied on its younger players to achieve postseason aspirations. BY SAMUEL O’NEAL Co-Women’s Basketball Beat Reporter When junior forward Alexa Williamson went down with a knee injury against Wichita State University (13-12, 4-8 The American Athletic Conference) on Feb. 2, the Owls turned to freshman forward Kyra Wood to take her place in the starting lineup. Williamson has returned to action in a limited role, but the Owls’ have continued to keep Wood in the starting lineup because of her impressive play, said head coach Tonya Cardoza. “I love what [Wood] is bringing right now,” Cardoza added. “She is very disciplined, and I think this is a time where she is really growing into herself and what she can bring to this team.” Wood got her first start in a 60-59 win against East Carolina (11-15, 4-9 The American) on Feb. 6. She is the third freshman to start this season beside freshman guard Aniya Gourdine and redshirt-freshman guard Jasha Clinton. The three freshmen combined for more than half of the team’s points in their win against ECU, where the Owls pulled away with the victory thanks to Gourdine’s late-game free throws. “We have a lot of freshmen getting in games,” Cardoza said. “We trust these guys, and we know they are doing everything we ask of them in practice, so that’s why these young guys are in these positions to play a lot.” Since filling Williamson’s spot, Wood is averaging 7.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, giving the Owls another option in the low post. In a Feb. 6 matchup against the Pirates, Wood established herself as a dominant force in the paint, finishing with 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. Gourdine is averaging 7.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. She has also played the second-most minutes
NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jasha Clinton, a freshman guard, dribbles past a defender during an Owls’ game against the University of South Florida on Feb. 9.
on the team behind graduate student forward Mia Davis. In the same game against the Pirates, Gourdine recorded the first triple-double in program history, with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Her performance earned her the AAC freshman of the week award on Feb. 7. “I am always looking for ways to set up my teammates,” Gourdine said. “I am always trying to just do all of the little things right and as a point guard I think that’s what my job is, so it feels good to finally be getting congratulated for things.” In the Owls’ last five games, freshman guard Tiarra East and freshman forward Caranda Perea have also received valuable minutes coming off the bench. When Clinton left the game early with an undisclosed injury against the
University of Central Florida (20-3, 12-1 The American) on Jan. 31, East saw an uptick in playing time. The Owls hope she can assert herself as a key piece on offense down the stretch. Even though the Owls are undersized, Cardoza uses a three-guard lineup because she trusts her guards to get physical rebounds against taller opponents. In a Jan. 29 matchup against the University of Memphis (14-10, 5-8 The American), East finished with 10 rebounds and was just one point shy of a double-double. Perea, who leads the team in 3-point percentage, has served as a spark plug to generate offense. “I enjoy my role a lot,” Perea said. “I give a lot of credit to my coaches for always instilling confidence in me and letting me know that I am allowed to take those shots, and with time on the floor, I
am becoming a lot more confident.” Against the Shockers, Perea checked into the game in the final minutes of the first quarter and hit a corner 3-pointer as time expired, giving the Owls the lead. She finished with 15 points and shot three for five from 3-point range. “Our young guys have to continue to give us positive minutes,” Cardoza said. “It’s important that we make sure they are focused and taking care of the basketball because all of these young guys are going to get put in big positions.” The Owls hope their young players can help them achieve their postseason aspirations of winning the AAC Championship, Cardoza added. samuel.oneal@temple.edu @samueloneal43
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Owls’ defense pivotal to earning tournament bye ly in the second half, which limited their Temple will need to hold teams without leading scorer senior guard foot down, battling, I could get the stop.” Kendric Davis while the Owls were White has been the team’s best deminutes down the stretch. Without their to a season scoring low to finish without starting guards redshirt-freshfensive player this season with 25 steals, two better defenders on the team, Tema top-five seed in the tournament. Temple University men’s basketball (159, 8-5 The American Athletic Conference) will need to rely on its defense to secure a firstround bye in the American Athletic ConferNICK GANGEWERE ence Tournament. Assistant Sports The Owls rank Editor third in the conference for blocks and second for rebounds but only rank tenth in points per game. It has been their defense, not their offense, keeping them in the hunt for a top-five AAC seed. After a major 64-57 win at home against Southern Methodist University (19-6, 10-3 The American) on Feb. 16, the Owls need to continue this form to have a chance at playing well into March. Against SMU, the Mustangs were
man Damian Dunn and freshman Jeremiah Williams. “All of our guys out there contributed in a big way on the defensive end,” said head coach Aaron McKie after the game. Dunn and Williams are the Owls’ best scorers, but Temple still defeated SMU by holding them to a tied-for season low 57 points. SMU averages 75 points per game on the season. Late in the second half against SMU, freshman forward Jahlil White, who leads the team in defensive rebounds, was tasked with guarding senior guard Michael Weathers, who finished the game with 22 points. White prevented him from getting to the paint while Temple was leading by a small margin, forcing a bad miss with less than two minutes remaining and securing the key win. “I knew if we were gonna stop him, we were gonna win,” White said. “Putting my
18 blocks and many key defensive plays late in games. Between White, Williams and freshman forward Nick Jourdain, they have held other teams leading scorers to minimal points all season. One instance came against SMU in their first matchup on Jan. 29, where Davis was held to his second-lowest scoring total at that time. Another came in a 61-58 defeat against the University of Cincinnati (17-10, 7-7 The American) on Jan. 25 as junior guard Jeremiah Davenport was held to only nine points. Temple secured a second victory against Cincinnati on Feb. 20, after overcoming a late surge from the Bearcats. In the first half, the Owls played solid defense, preventing any sort of Bearcats run. They held Cincinnati’s two leading scorers, Davenport and senior guard David DeJulius, to seven and four points respectively. Redshirt-junior guard Tai Strickland and White got into foul trouble ear-
ple immediately struggled to prevent Cincinnati from scoring. In the conference, the Owls rank 10th in field goal percentage and threepoint percentage. Even if Temple racks up a large lead, its inconsistent offense has allowed opponents to go on runslate in the second half, while the Owls are struggling to knock down shots. While their defense has kept games close, the Owls are not built to outscore teams, as seen in its 92-83 overtime loss against Tulane University (12-11, 9-5 The American) on Feb. 12. Right now, the Owls sit at fifth place in the conference. The coaching staff is aware of their position in the standings, but is taking things one game at a time, Mckie said.
CONTINUED FROM 24 MEN’S BASKETBALL Hicks scored a career high 35 points against Delaware State on Dec. 22, 2021, the most points scored by any Owls player this season. His performance earned him AAC and Big 5 player of the week. Hicks also tied a program record for most points in a single game by a freshman and was one of five players to make 10 or more threes in a NCAA game this season. With recent injuries to redshirt-freshman guard Damian Dunn (ankle), who was limited against the University of Cincinnati on Feb. 20, and freshman guard Jeremiah Williams (shoulder), Hicks was tasked with filling the scoring void. In a close 92-83 loss to Tulane University on Feb. 12, McKie looked to Hicks in overtime to make key shots. Despite not capturing the win, Hicks made two 3-pointers in overtime to put Temple at a three-point and one-point lead at the four minute mark and the two minute mark. Hicks led the team with 21 points
and 7 rebounds against the Green Wave. However, despite his natural skill, Hicks has a lot to learn in order to perform at his full potential, McKie said. “He has to work on putting the ball on the floor, attacking the rim, putting the ball on the floor and shooting some pull up jump shots,” McKie added. “Good teams are not going to just sit there and watch him shoot, they’re going to run him off of the line, so he has to counter that.” After participating in a neighborhood basketball clinic in Camden, New Jersey, in the fifth grade, Hicks discovered his natural talent and love for the game, he said. He started playing for SJ Hoops Elite AAU league in sixth grade before playing at Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Hicks realized he needed to put more time into his development if he wanted to reach the college level, he said. While playing in high school, Hicks began putting in more hours outside of team practices to improve his footwork and shooting. Besides doing extra work-
outs in the mornings and after practice, Hicks spent more time in the gym, he added. With the extra work, Hicks averaged 20 points and 7.6 rebounds and netted 49 three-pointers his junior year, earning him a place in the All-South Jersey second team and second team allstate honors as a senior. It wasn’t until Hicks former SJ Hoops coach, Chris Duckrey, introduced him to Julian Dunkley, that Hicks saw a change in his game, said his dad, Jeffrey Hicks. Dunkley is a former professional basketball player for the Tekelspor Istanbul, a team in Turkey’s top-flight basketball league, and founder of the Difference Makers program, a program that gives youth athletes mentorship and sports training. He began working with Hicks in the 10th grade to help him reach the collegiate level. “Duckrey always believed Zach had a chance to be really good,” Jeffrey said. “He wanted Zach to have all the resources to compete at a high level, so he introduced us to his friend [Dunkley].” Dunkley moved Hicks to a more
competitive AAU team, Philly Pride. The league change gave Hicks more exposure to college coaches, Jeffrey said. When the time came to commit to a college, Hicks was torn between the University of Richmond and Temple, but in the end, McKie was the deciding factor in his commitment to North Broad, he said. “[McKie] knows what he’s doing to bring all of us to our full potential,” Hicks added. “Also, just the wisdom he gives us. He doesn’t make it all about basketball, he makes sure we get a good education and make the most of our time at Temple, education wise.” With four games remaining in the regular season, Hicks’ primary goal is working with his team to make a run for the American Athletic Conference Tournament, he said. “I just want to continue to go out there and play hard and play for my teammates,” Hicks said.
nick.gangewere@temple.edu @nick_gang16
victoria.ayala@temple.edu @ayalavictoria_
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HICKS
‘NEEDED’ ON THE
FLOOR
Freshman forward Zach Hicks is on his way to becoming a key component to the Owls 3-point shooting. BY VICTORIA AYALA Assistant Sports Editor
I
n freshman forward Zach Hicks’ eighth grade yearbook, he wrote he was going to the NBA. “Every year I started getting better,” Hicks said. “People used to come up to me and tell me, ‘if you keep this basketball stuff up, you can be something in the future.’” His motivation to perfect his craft and continue playing stemmed from how easy the game came at a young age and how his talent could put him in a position to help his family, he said. Now, as a true freshman on Temple University men’s basketball team, Hicks is working closer to making that eighth-grade dream a reality. While working on his skill development and basketball IQ, Hicks is finding his role as a shooter and defender. In his collegiate debut against Maryland Eastern Shore, Hicks played only 16 minutes but finished the game with nine points, five rebounds and two steals. As his playing time has increased, Hicks’ three point shooting has improved. He currently leads the team with 46 three-pointers while shooting 36.5 percent from three this season. He’s taking advantage of the opportunities he’s getting,” head coach Aaron McKie said. “We certainly need him out on the floor.” MEN’S BASKETBALL | 31 NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Zach Hicks, a freshman forward, shoots over a defender during an Owls’ game against Delaware State University on Dec. 22, 2021.