Vol. 100 Issue 12

THE TEMPLE NEWS

DIVIDED ON

STUDENT SAFETY After newly-announced safety measures, students and parents debate the effectiveness of the university’s initiatives while discussing its impact on the North Central community.

Read more on Pages 16, 17.

WHAT’S INSIDE NEWS, PAGE 3

Shawn Aleong discusses his appointment to President Biden’s intellectual disabilities committee.

OPINION, PAGE 9

A student reflects on how her mother’s pursuit to become a nurse inspires her.

VOL 100 // ISSUE 12 MARCH 15, 2022

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

The Temple News

PAGE 2

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

Follow us @TheTempleNews

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 The Campus Police building, located on Pollet Walk near Liacouras, on Feb. 5.

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Contacts

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

CORRECTIONS A story that ran on 3.15 on page 6 titled “Temple Campus Safety on track to hire more police officers” misreported Norman Conti’s title. He is a professor of Sociology at Duquesne University, who developed the police training based on the Inside-Out model.

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.

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 3

INTERSECTION

TSG deputy, advisor appointed to Biden committee Shawn Aleong discusses his prior experience and goals for the presidential committee.

BY MADDIE STERNER Staff Writer

S

hawn Aleong jumped and ran around his apartment with excitement after receiving an email that he was appointed to President Joe Biden’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities on March 11.

“It’s just a feeling I cannot describe, it’s just amazing,” Aleong said.

Aleong, who has cerebral palsy, will serve alongside 20 other members that were also appointed to the committee, some of whom also have intellectual disabilities.

Other members include disability experts, advocates and family members of those with intellectual disabilities.

Aleong, who is also a TSG senior advisor, will serve as a federal advisor to the President and Xavier Becerra, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, though he does not yet have details on his specific duties. Each member of the committee will serve two-year terms, according to a White House press release.

“I hope to bring change that is needed for people with disabilities, like myself,” Aleong said.

Aleong met Biden last summer at the National Constitution Center, where the President spoke about passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, aimed at preserving citizens’ right to vote.

“They spoke for two minutes together in a crowd of people, Shawn and the President connected, and that’s the kind of energy that Shawn brings, that people are just drawn to him,” said Jacob Golden, TSG’s Chief External Services Officer.

Aleong plans to explore how the criminal justice system treats people with intellectual disabilities and wants to improve police officer training on interacting with people with disabilities. He previously interned for the Temple University Police Department where he taught police officers how to interact with people with disabilities.

He sits on the Philadelphia Police Advi-

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Shawn Aleong, Temple Student Government’s deputy director for local and community affairs, stands on Pollet Walk near Liacouras on March 27.

Aleong was appointed by President Joe Biden to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities as a federal advisor.

sory Commission, which reviews the Philadelphia Police Department’s policies and procedures and provides recommendations to the mayor for improving policing.

Aleong has met and spoken with national leaders and legislators to discuss his passion for criminal justice, disability rights and voting accessibility since 2012.

Aleong attended a press conference with Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey for the PA Achieving A Better Life Experience Act, a 2016 bill that establishes tax-advantaged methods for saving on disability-related expenses.

In 2017, Aleong spoke with Casey on two separate occasions at Philadelphia’s City Hall to advocate against cuts to Medicaid from the federal government’s budget.

Aleong testified in Harrisburg in July

2021 and February for the passage of PA House Bill 726, which would educate students about disabilities as a part of their school curriculum.

He also sits on the board of advisors for Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities, which gives people with disabilities access to assistive technology and opportunities for employment.

James Lammendola, a legal studies professor, met Aleong in Fall 2016 during his Law and American Society class.

Aleong showed advanced knowledge of criminal law, due process and issues of law and race material taught in class and heavily participated in discussions.

“He not ony showed that he read the material, but he took a deep enough dive into it to think about it more,” Lammendola said.

Lammendola thinks Aleong is an engaging and knowledgeable person who will contribute significantly to the committee’s work, he said.

“It was no surprise at all that [Aleong] was appointed to something like that,” Lammendola said.

Aleong believes that the committee can make a positive impact on people with disabilities that live in the United States.

“If we keep having the mindset that people with disabilities can only do certain things, then we will never progress as a nation,” Aleong said. madeline.sterner@temple.edu @maddiesterner

NEWS

PAGE 4

The Temple News

RESEARCH

Temple’s HIV treatment undergoes clinical trial The intravenous therapy could make a significant impact on cases of HIV and its stigma.

BY FALLON ROTH News Editor Kevin Hackett was diagnosed with HIV in 1983, when people with the disease were heavily stigmatized by the federal government and those who did not have the virus.

“You were diagnosed that week and you die the next following week,” said Hackett, 59, who lives on Roosevelt Boulevard.

Hackett, now living with AIDS, takes one antiretroviral pill and up to 15 pills for related ailments per day. A new treatment that would allow people to stop relying on a variety of antiretroviral medications would make a world of difference, Hackett said.

Temple University researchers developed an intravenous therapy, called EBT-101, that seeks to remove HIV DNA from infected cells using gene editing technology called CRISPR. It is currently being tested for safety and effectiveness in clinical trials.

The treatment is potentially a “functional cure” for HIV, meaning patients could live without their antiretroviral therapy, a current treatment for the virus, said Dr. William Kennedy, senior vice president of Excision BioTherapeutics who is leading the clinical trial.

Typically, a person with HIV will take their antiretroviral therapy indefinitely, Kennedy wrote in an email to The Temple News. EBT-101 can be administered as a single dose but cannot be readministered due to an acquired immune response from the first dose.

“I’ve been going through some different stages now from having the virus for so long,” Hackett said. “So it will be wonderful. It would be magnificent.”

The study, led by Excision BioTherapeutics, began in January and is currently expected to end in March 2025. The clinical trial includes nine volunteers who are men between the ages of 18 and 60 years old and have been taking antiretroviral therapy for HIV for less than two years.

While antiretroviral therapy sup-

RYAN BRANDENBERG / COURTESY Tricia Burdo (left), a microbiology, immunology and inflammation professor, and Kamel Khalili, chair of the department of microbiology, immunology and inflammation and a cofounder of Excision BioTherapeutics, conduct research at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

presses symptoms of HIV/AIDS, it does not extract HIV from infected cells, like EBT-101 aims to do, said Tricia Burdo, a microbiology, immunology and inflammation professor who helped lead and develop Temple’s research.

“Until there’s some way to remove that DNA then really we’re never going to be cured of the disease,” said Burdo, who also serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for Excision BioTherapeutics.

The success of EBT-101 in clinical trials would significantly reduce case counts among vulnerable populations, like Black and Brown individuals, and the physical effects of HIV in individuals, like inflammation, said Keisha Gabbidon-Howell, supervisor of prevention and education at Bebashi, a local sexual health education and prevention organization located at Spring Garden Street near 13th.

New cases of HIV in Philadelphia declined consistently between 2012 and 2020, according to the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s 2020 report on HIV in Philadelphia.

There were 18,621 people living with diagnosed HIV in Philadelphia in 2020,

332 of whom were diagnosed in 2020, according to the report.

After this clinical trial is completed, Excision BioTherapeutics will conduct one or two more studies with a larger group of people to further evaluate safety and efficacy. For the following 15 years, participants will participate in periodic blood tests and questionnaires.

EBT-101 could also help decrease the stigma surrounding HIV, transmission or current treatments, Gabbidon-Howell said.

“Over the years, education has helped try to turn the tide a little bit,” Gabbidon-Howell said. “However, it is still associated with, not to such a great degree, but to some degree, being promiscuous or being dirty.”

Garvin Lewis was diagnosed with HIV in 2009. Every time he meets someone new and mentions his diagnosis, he braces for a possible negative reaction.

“For the most part, I’ve had positive reactions,” said Lewis, 42, who lives on 67th Street and Haverford. “But it’s always the one or two though, kind of taken like, ‘oh, maybe we shouldn’t drink from the

same cup, we shouldn’t kiss.’”

Anyone, regardless of gender identity or expression or sexual orientation, can contract HIV. Temple, Burdo and Kamel Khalili, chair of the department of microbiology, immunology, and inflammation and a cofounder of Excision BioTherapeutics, are shareholders in Excision BioTherapeutics. This means they must follow university ethics and conflict of interest guidelines, including being transparent about their connection to Excision BioTherapeutics on all published documents related to the treatment or trial, Khalili said.

Hackett said their HIV diagnosis was both a curse and a blessing because it taught them how to persevere through infections, side effects and mental hardships. Hackett is looking forward to seeing the results of the clinical trial.

“I have HIV but HIV does not have me,” Hackett said. fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 5

COMMUNITY

Local science program begins hybrid learning The Steppingstone programs help high school students in the community engage in STEM.

BY FALLON ROTH News Editor Nathaniel Gauthier, a ninth-grader at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science, has participated in programs from Steppingstone Scholars, a local educational nonprofit for low-income students in Philadelphia, for five years.

Gauthier is excited to finally return to in-person learning after participating in virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Steppingstone’s biomedical and life sciences offerings mostly returned to in-person learning for the first time since its inception last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The eight-week session, which began in February and will end in the first week of April, offers two programs for students at its partner Philadelphia high schools — one on Tuesdays affiliated with the Pennsylvania Society for Biomedical Research and another on Wednesdays with The eClose Institute, a local organization that encourages scientific partnerships between teachers and students.

“I’m glad it’s in person because it’s been a long two years where everything’s virtual,” Gauthier said.

The programs are offered to increase interest in subjects relating to science, technology, engineering and mathematics among local high school students and facilitate a pathway that leads students to pursue careers in Philadelphia’s STEM industry, said Jeremy Heyman, associate director of STEM training and ventures for Steppingstone.

Steppingstone provides Philadelphia students with academic programs, college opportunities and enrichment programs. The program is not affiliated with Temple University, but uses its spaces for its programs and has some partnerships with programs at the university, Heyman said.

Classes in partnership with the eClose Institute are primarily in person at the OWLHub located on 11th Street

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Steppingstone Scholars, which offers two different programs for students at its partner Philadelphia high schools, holds classes at the OWLHub located on 11th Street near Berks.

near Berks, but students, who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 or are unable to attend in person for accessibility reasons, participate virtually using Zoom, Heyman said. PSBR affiliated classes are entirely in person.

Primarily in-person programming has allowed instructors and students to form more personal connections with each other and the material they are learning, Heyman said.

“Students are really hungry for more in-person opportunities, we can engage more with students and have more intense experiences with them in person,” Heyman said.

Steppingstone started offering biomedical and life science programming virtually in Fall 2021, with plans to offer mostly in-person programs in the spring.

The Omicron variant of COVID-19 disrupted some opportunities including field trips and job shadowing, Heyman wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Recently, students in the eClose program examined diabetes in fruit flies by submerging them in different foods. The

PSBR program is guiding students in microbiology projects, like gene editing.

Students from the eClose program will present their project remotely or in person at Ritter Hall on April 27.

At Carver High School, Gauthier takes freshman biology and plans to take anatomy or Advanced Placement Biology in the future. In contrast to what he learns in school, Gauthier likes how the eClose program emphasizes research and analysis.

Students are encouraged to get involved in a STEM-related field to be better equipped with problem-solving and decision-making skills, according to the United States Department of Education.

“There’s a growing number of biotech, biomanufacturing, cell and gene therapy work, companies, et cetera, that are going on here in Philadelphia in terms of industry as well as in academia,” Heyman said. “It’s really blowing up here.”

As one of the instructors of the eClose program, Kavita Kute, a sophomore public health major, enjoys passing down her passion and knowledge for

microbiology down to the high school students she teaches.

“I know that a lot of these programs work as a pipeline so with me, I started [in] one and now I’m teaching years later,” Kute said.

After the programs end, Steppingstone maintains contact with their partner high schools and arranges for STEM-related field trips for their students. The programs’ coordinators help advise students on participating in Steppingstone’s summer internships, Heyman said.

Steppingstone will be offering internship programs, like the Science Engineering Lab internship, for students to continue to cultivate their skills in STEM, Heyman said. The internships are in partnership with local corporations and universities, like Temple.

“I really like giving that information down to people who maybe don’t have as many biology classes or as many handson lab experiences,” Kute said. fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

NEWS

PAGE 6

The Temple News

CAMPUS

University sees rise in undergraduate applications Temple has “agressively” recruited out-of-state students from Florida and California.

BY FALLON ROTH News Editor More than 38,000 students have applied to Temple University for the Fall 2022 semester — a 5 percent increase from this time last year — amid efforts to increase recruitment for out-of-state students, students of color and students from Philadelphia.

Main Campus is seeing a 35 percent increase in applications from international students, a 24 percent increase from first-generation students, a 9 percent increase from students of color, according to a university press release. Additionally, there is a 3 percent increase in students from Philadelphia.

The university also saw a rise in applications from parts of the country where Temple is “aggressively recruiting” out-of-state students, like Florida, Texas, California or North Carolina, said Shawn Abbott, vice provost for admissions, financial aid and enrollment.

Temple had not previously invested any recruitment efforts in those states but chose to hire admissions officers from those areas because the admissions office expects an increase in the number of high school graduates, Abbott said.

Abbott said students who don’t live near Philadelphia may feel more comfortable applying to Temple and traveling to Main Campus as COVID-19 cases and restrictions decline in the United States. He is also seeing urban universities become popular among high school students.

Urban universities can make it easier for college students to meet other students and are more accessible for commuter students to travel to school using public transit, according to Intelligent, an education blog.

To improve outreach to students of

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Main Campus experienced a 9 percent application increase from students of color and a 3 percent application increase in students from Philadelphia for the Fall 2022 semester.

color, Temple piloted a program where it hosted a group of Black high school students from St. Louis, Missouri, and gave them a tour of campus.

Proportionally, Temple’s had a decline in Black students during the past few decades. Temple’s percentage of Black students decreased during a 25year span — from 27 percent in 1995 to 14 percent in 2021, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Students of color currently make up 55 percent of Temple’s applicant pool for the Fall 2022 semester, according to the press release. Accepted applicants have until May 1 to commit to Temple, so the university does not yet have a final enrollment number.

Slightly more than 3,900 students from Philadelphia have applied to Temple for the fall, which is roughly 99 more than last year, Abbott said.

Antonio Romero, associate director for diversity initiatives and community relations, and Courtney Bradshaw, assistant director for diversity initiatives and community relations, are working to build relationships with high school counselors in the School District of Philadelphia.

Romero’s background is in education and community development and said he uses his experience to make more personal connections with local schools.

“I have a more intimate knowledge of the city and what people are looking

for,” Romero said. “And in general, I think it’s just a humanistic view. People want to be seen, they want to be heard, they want to have that connection.”

Romero and Bradshaw are pushing scholarship opportunities, like the Cecil B. Moore Scholars program, to the 90 Philadelphia schools they visited this year.

They’re also meeting with the School District of Philadelphia’s College & Career Readiness Program to discuss offerings, like Temple’s pre-college program, which allows high school students to take classes at Temple for college credit.

Additionally, Romero and Bradshaw are in the beginning stages of developing a program focused on inviting students within the eight ZIP codes surrounding Main Campus to tour the university.

In addition to recruitment strategies, Temple revived Experience Temple Day this year, an event for admitted students, after a two-year absence, Abbott said. Temple has hosted three Experience Temple Days for prospective students and families so far, with roughly 4,100 people in attendance. The university plans to host two more, hoping for more than 2,000 attendees at each, and is continuing to offer virtual admissions programming.

“It’s been an absolute joy to be able to bring Experience Temple Day, which I think is a really revered tradition on campus,” Abbott said.

Temple pushed back its application deadline from Feb. 1 to March 18 to give high school students more time to apply as they try to return to normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic, Abbott said.

“For those of us in Philadelphia, it’s exciting to think that more students are thinking about coming to Philadelphia and coming to the United States for their education,” Abbott said. fallon.roth@temple.edu @fallonroth_

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OPINION

PAGE 8

EDITORIAL

Prioritize residents’ voices On March 23, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Ken Kaiser, sent out a university-wide announcement with updated plans for ongoing campus safety efforts as they attempt to mitigate increased crime in the area.

After the fatal shooting of Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior political science major, last November, Temple announced it would enhance its campus safety through increasing its police force and working alongside the Philadelphia Police Department to cover more ground in off-campus patrolling.

The Editorial Board cannot provide a definitive answer regarding the response to increased safety concerns. Yet, we maintain that parents, fellow students and even TUPD cannot responsibly address these issues without heavy community input.

Safety is crucial for students to be able to effectively learn and comfortably attend classes, but it’s important that their comfort doesn’t supersede the well-being of North Central residents.

While all students have different backgrounds and circumstances, the Editorial Board believes it’s important to reiterate that the majority of students are not from the North Central area, and moved to the city willingly to attend Temple. However, many of our neighbors are lifelong residents that do not have the same level of choice regarding where they live and work, regardless of safety.

Despite the university’s receptiveness to parents’ viewpoints, like permitting a parent-led protest on campus last semester, The Editorial Board wants to mention that residents have more expertise on the area and its issues, which is worth more consideration.

The university grouped North

Central residents alongside students, faculty and staff as members of the larger Temple community that would benefit from campus safety protections, according to Kaiser’s announcement. The Editorial Board encourages the university to explore the implications of lumping residents and students into the same category.

This is not to say there should be a divide among residents and the Temple community, but rather that these safety changes will not impact students and parents the same way they affect residents.

For example, increased patrols may mean more ease for students and parents, but it could pose an increased risk of racial profiling or police brutality for residents who are primarily people of color.

Though there may be some shared goals and interests regarding reducing violence in the area, it’s worth noting that the desires for students and parents may vary from the wants and needs of residents. The North Central community should not just have a say in the issue of increased campus safety, but, at times, control of the conversation when it comes to matters of how increased policing could affect their neighborhoods.

Even if community voices diverge from the goals of the university, The Editorial Board still maintains residents’ unique and experienced perspectives are valuable to conversations about making North Central a safer, healthier place to live. Not only will we benefit greatly from remembering this as the Temple community moves forward in its safety improvements, but it’s the university’s responsibility to create an open space for residents to discuss the issues that will impact their livelihoods.

The Temple News

STUDENT LIFE

Alumni networks are vital A student argues their peers should with alumni, including happy hours and game make connections with alumni to watches, according to their website.

Alumni networks are a powerful tool for advance their careers.

L

ooking for job opportunities has never been easy for me. I’m unsure of where to start looking for openings and struggle making connections with employers.

Knowing how to GIOVANNA connect with employers CICALESE can be challenging when For first looking for career The Temple News opportunities, especially when a student is unaware of how to find career resources.

Talking to professors or career coaches is a great place to start, but using Temple’s alumni network is a huge advantage because it provides students with the chance to talk to Temple alumni about career connections.

“A lot of people, when they think of job searching, they think of hitting Indeed or LinkedIn and just applying for as many positions as they can, and kind of hoping for the best, which is actually the least efficient way to job search,” said Stacy Li, a career counselor at The Joyce K. Salzberg Center for Professional Development.

One of Temple’s largest career resources is alumni networks, which gives current students the chance to make valuable connections, learn from experts and potentially get their foot in the door at a prospective employer.

Because alumni networks are easily accessible for making connections, all students should be searching through the listed alumni and reaching out to people. Students can connect with alumni by attending events hosted

by Temple, where they can meet people with similar interests in their field.

One of the main ways to connect with Temple alumni is through Owl Network, a website where students can connect with recommended alumni based on their interests and the goals they’re looking to achieve.

While networking online is important, students should also attend in-person networking events Temple hosts to connect

students because it can provide them with access to professional resources, and going to alumni events can also help students practice their networking skills while making connections, said Francesca Fadgen, the assistant director for Alumni Affairs.

Connections made through networking can help students further their career, because alumni can assist them in meeting future employers or colleagues. They can also provide resume reviews, or inform students about exclusive job postings.

Anjali Popli, a sophomore marketing major and the director of chapter operations for Temple’s American Marketing Association, uses alumni networks like those within the Fox School of Business to organize alumni social events.

“It’s a great chance to talk to people who were in the same boat as you and to look at their marketing journey and find where you can be more involved,” Popli said.

Some important networking skills include communication, active listening and public speaking. While these skills may seem simple, not every college student easily develops them.

For example, 77 percent of people have anxiety about public speaking, and college students tend to struggle the most with this, according to VeryWell Mind, a mental health resource. However, students can use events as an opportunity to build and practice their skills.

I often struggle with communication and have anxiety about public speaking. However, by attending these events, students can practice overcoming their anxiety and have an easier experience finding jobs and internship opportunities.

By utilizing alumni networks, students are able to get ahead in their job search by making valuable connections with possible employers or colleagues. Students should be attending alumni events that push them to use skills and committing their time to building their relationships. giovanna.cicalese@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

THE ESSAYIST

One Direction fans helped my journalism skills A student describes how identifying misinformation taught her about reporting.

BY HAAJRAH GILANI Assignments Editor Being a One Direction fan in my early teens furthered my pursuit of journalism.

While the connection between a career servicing people’s access to information and fan spaces for a popular boy band may seem obscure, I promise it’s there.

In 2012, the pinnacle of my obsession, I avidly used the fairly new and unregulated social media platform, Instagram.

With no way to flag misinformation and roughly 110 million fewer active users than present day, it was easy to avoid pushback against inaccurate content.

My responsibilities as a fifth grader never extended beyond completing long division assignments and occasionally taking out the trash, so I spent most of my time scrolling through my feed and engaging with fan-curated content.

The fanlore surrounding One Direction during this era was complex. What initially began as a community of mostly adolescent girls appreciating the band and its music,` swiftly became a utopian destination for conspiracists.

Even as they gained traction, few prestigious media outlets wrote articles about the less monumental steps in their careers. For more insight on the band, I resorted to gossip blogs and fan pages.

Being a fan was a full-time job for me at the time. Offline, I was just as dedicated to this role, attending school with One Direction notebooks and a knack for ignoring all the guys that made fun of me for it.

“Yeah, the band donates like all of their money to their hometowns,” I said to a guy on the bus ride home from school one day.

“What? How would that even work?” He asked.

I rolled my eyes because it made

CARLY CIVELLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

complete sense to me that the world’s most popular boy band at the time played sold out stadium shows to fundraise for their communities.

“That sounds very weird and fake,” he said.

By 2013, I had read enough fake album announcements, band breakup rumors and false death claims to know that the boy on the bus had a point.

After encountering an abundance of misinformation, I grew wary of bold claims from accounts with less than 500 followers. I blocked repeated conspirators, ensuring I never took their allegations seriously. If there was an article on a website with countless pop-up ads and a layout

from 2007, I knew to look elsewhere.

Eventually, I learned to only trust press releases or direct quotes from the band or their team.

Most importantly, the terrible gossip blog content I encountered in this period of my life made me that much more appreciative of quality articles. While I initially read entertainment pieces, I started consuming columns that made me realize pop culture can wield social or political significance.

In some ways, One Direction was groundbreaking. Before Zayn Malik, a band member of Pakistani descent, I dreaded the dozens of questions that arose after I stated I’m from Pakistan.

The more I read, the better I articulated that I didn’t just have a schoolgirl crush on the band, but a deep appreciation — there was representation for my community that wasn’t just a stereotype from a war movie.

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, I was establishing basic media literacy and research skills that would later benefit my path as an aspiring journalist.

The disappointment that officially absolved my involvement with the One Direction fan space is often referred to as baby gate, a theory that Louis Tomlinson, one of the members, faked his fatherhood, Vox reported. Conspirators claimed his child was actually a cover up for his relationship with fellow member, Harry Styles, and suggesting otherwise was inattentive or homophobic.

I knew this odd rumor was a lie instantly. With improved media literacy skills, I used this as the final push to take my newfound capabilities outside of the fandom bubble.

Now, I know how to push back against vague responses in interviews and to approach new information with a healthy dose of skepticism. But even if I didn’t develop these professional skills, I maintain there is merit to participating in fan spaces.

Though I’ve outgrown it, I’m not embarrassed I dedicated a fair portion of my childhood to being a One Direction fan. Despite the commonly-held belief fan spaces are the result of silly teenage girl hysteria, I genuinely learned and grew from my experience in one.

I didn’t just obtain a greater value for truth, but an understanding that pop culture moments do matter outside of these online communities, and it would be a disservice to deny their contributions to a larger cultural collective. haajrah@temple.edu @haajrahgilani

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

POLITICS

Women deserve pay transparency in workplaces Pay transparency allows companies hiring managers must make pay ranges A student argues that employers dence to support their claims of unfair pay.

Oftentimes, women feel less comfortto attract better employees because the visible to both current and prospective should share their wage ranges able negotiating pay than men do, with 74 conversation around pay can help build employees. when hiring new employees.

Women in Pennsylvania are paid 79 cents for every dollar men are paid, amounting to an annual wage gap of $10,507. The wage gap is worse for women of color as Asian women are paid 81 JULIA MEROLA Co-Opinion Editor cents, Black women are paid 68 cents and Latinas are paid 56 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men.

As the conversation surrounding equal pay continues, pay transparency can help reduce the wage gap, allow women to negotiate effectively for higher pay, create closer relationships between employer and employee and create a fairer workplace.

When hiring managers are open about the pay employees receive, it puts all applicants in a more equitable position to make informed decisions regarding job offers, said Kelly Grace, a management professor.

Having transparency among employees could also push people to advocate for their salaries because they have context for what other employees are making, said Shreyasee Das, an economics professor.

“Maybe you and I are in the same office, and you get to know that you’re getting paid a little less than I am,” Das said.

“It could push you to go tell HR, ‘Listen, I think I should be getting paid a little more.’”

Although talking about personal income can feel taboo, it can help women feel more comfortable and normalize discussing wages.

With transparency, women could re-negotiate a new salary that is more comparable to their co-workers without feeling timid because they would have evi-

percent of men and 58 percent of women feeling comfortable doing so, according to Indeed Hiring Lab. Women feel uncomfortable when negotiating because it goes against societal values, like being nice and getting along with others, Grace said.

“All of the social things that traditionally women value and are good at seemed compromised when you’re in a situation where you’re asking for really what you’re worth,” Grace said. “Let’s be clear, we’re not asking to be overly rewarded, we’re just asking to have that compensation reflect what we’re worth.”

These negotiations can help empower women, even if the outcome isn’t higher wages. It can open the door for other opportunities like a signing bonus.

a stronger relationship between employees and their companies, said Laura Craig, the associate director of Temple’s Career Center.

“It helps those candidates make better-informed decisions, it probably leads to more sustained engagement over a longer period of time between candidates soonto-be-future employee and employer,” Craig said.

By being transparent about pay, companies can also improve unity among workers, promote diversity and increase productivity as it prevents companies from hiding structural inequalities like pay discrimination, according to World at Work, a nonprofit organization.

Because transparency creates more equal and fair workplaces, employers and

While pay transparency benefits both the employer and employees, only a quarter of employees say their employers are transparent about salaries, CNBC reported.

The gender wage gap has not improved in the last 15 years and it is time for employers to do their part and use pay transparency to help close the gap.

“It encourages female workers to apply to places that have pay transparency, because they are more confident about knowing full information,” Das said. “They also know that this place cares about pay transparency, they care about the gender wage gap.” julia.meroa@temple.edu @juliaamerola

CARLY CIVELLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

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The Temple News Is Looking For Its Next Editor-in-Chief!

Candidates for the position must be currently enrolled, matriculated Temple University students who, if chosen as editor, will be registered for at least nine hours of undergraduate coursework or five hours of graduate work during their entire term of office.

A good candidate would demonstrate leadership ability and proven managerial skills with prior media experience. A candidate’s experience in the business, editorial and design aspects of media management will be a factor in the selection of the editor.

Applications are due Monday, April 4, to John DiCarlo at john.dicarlo@temple.edu.

Scan the QR code to see the official application announcement with instructions!

Templar, Temple University’s award-wining yearbook, is looking for its editor or co-editors for the 2022-2023 academic year.

A good candidate or candidates should demonstrate leadership ability, proven managerial skills and prior media experience. A candidate’s experience in the business, editorial and design aspects of yearbook publishing will be a factor in the selection of the editor.

Contact Managing Director of Student Media John DiCarlo at john.dicarlo@temple.edu to obtain an application. Applications are due Monday, April 4.

PAGE 12

OPINION

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

My mom was my hero before she became a nurse At the end of Women’s History Month, a student describes her mom’s influence on her life.

SARAH FRASCA For The Temple News Growing up, I’ve always been compared to my mother in appearance, personality and for my caring nature. It’s my favorite compliment because my mom is the most influential woman in my life.

The world has deemed healthcare workers modern heroes, which is a truly deserved title, but my mom proved her hero status to me years ago.

By the time I was four and my sister was two years old, my mom had spent three years as a stay-at-home mom. She grew restless at home and began a parttime cashier position at Toys “R” Us, but she knew she had a more fulfilling career path ahead of her.

She was driven by her passion to help people and enrolled at the Community College of Philadelphia in January 2009 to complete an associate degree in Culture, Science, and Technology.

As young kids, my sister and I tended to get in the way of my mom’s schoolwork, often distracting her by making messes around the house and constantly yelling out her name. Still, we sometimes managed to help her.

During the holidays when I was younger, our house was decorated with Christmas-themed stuffed animals on our couch. One day, my sister and I saw my mom talking to them and we thought she looked silly, so I asked her what she was talking about.

She said she was giving the stuffed animals an important presentation because she was anxious about doing it in front of her classmates. Needing to be involved, I ran upstairs, grabbed some of my favorite stuffed animals and plopped myself on the couch, giving her more “people” to practice in front of.

With the encouragement of her family, she never looked back. I was headed into fourth grade and my sister into second grade, so my mom held tightly onto our relationship as she stepped into a nursing career.

ETHAN CARROLL / THE TEMPLE NEWS

She attended Abington Memorial Hospital Dixon School of Nursing in Horsham, Pennsylvania, as a full-time student and full-time mom from August 2011 to May 2013 and earned her diploma as a registered nurse.

My mom then worked for a year as a patient care assistant nurse in the surgical trauma and neurocritical care units at Jefferson Abington Hospital and another year as a registered nurse, charge nurse and medication nurse at The Horsham Clinic in Ambler.

During those years, my mom balanced her day jobs with night classes at Pennsylvania State University working toward her nursing degree, which she earned in August 2015.

I was seven years old when my mom started school and 13 years old when she completed it. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I watched my mom finally realize that she is capable of doing what she loves.

Since 2014, she’s worked as a reg-

istered nurse and charge nurse in medical surgical, abdominal organ transplant and transgender units at Temple University Hospital. Recently, she was offered a position in Temple’s cardiac intensive care unit.

During the past two years of the pandemic, my mom has been consumed with work as a nurse at Temple University Hospital, caring for hundreds of COVID-19 patients and silently mourning when many of them passed away. She contracted the virus twice, resulting in the permanent dysfunction of her taste and smell. Although her work can be an emotional rollercoaster, she never faltered in her desire to help people.

Despite the emotional and physical trauma associated with being a healthcare worker during the pandemic, she consistently prioritized her role as a mom.

While she worked draining 12hour night shifts in the spring of 2020, she spent her free time comforting me. I

complained about issues that were small compared to the tragedies in her hospital unit, like losing my senior year of high school due to the pandemic. She validated my feelings, held my hand and lived through isolation with me.

My mom’s constant support encourages me to pursue any path that I love no matter how many times it changes because I know she will be there through every step. Watching her balance the roles of a student, nurse and parent inspired me to know I’m capable of anything I have the will to achieve.

I aspire to be a woman who lives with the same vein of care and dedication as her.

My mother has always been a hero, but I am proud to see her now receiving the recognition she deserves. sarah.frasca@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 13

MENTAL HEALTH

Increase suicide hotline staff to meet crisis needs Two students argue the suicide hotline must increase answering capacity to be effective.

BY WENDY GARCIA AND MAYA RAHMAN For The Temple News Many college students struggle with academic and personal challenges, which can impact their mental health. In 2020, one in five college students had thoughts of suicide, according to Verywell Mind, a mental health resource.

The National Suicide Prevention LifeLine will add a three-digit number, 988, beginning in July, The New York Times reported. This change aims to make the hotline more accessible by having a number shorter and easier to remember than the current number, 1-800-273-8255, while reducing the stigma surrounding suicide by making it as important as other emergencies.

The hotline will also have operators who can counsel callers and dispatch specially trained responders to reduce interventions from law enforcement and reliance on emergency rooms.

Because suicide is the third leading cause of death among college students, it’s important to have accessible mental health resources to help people experiencing hardships. Ensuring crisis centers are adequately staffed will make the 988 number’s implementation effective in providing assistance to as many people as possible.

However, mental health advocates are concerned the number of hotline staff won’t be able to meet the anticipated demand increase once this change is in effect.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates a 25 percent increase in callers to the hotline for Fiscal Year 2022, with the new number operational during the last three months, ABC News reported.

In 2020, the hotline answered 85 percent of calls, 30 percent of chats and 56 percent of texts, according to SAMHSA. Despite the hotline answering the majority of calls, some hotline users may not be comfortable calling due to phone anxiety or being unable to speak in a crisis. Improving the response rates of chats

CARLY CIVELLO / THE TEMPLE NEWS

and texts ensures everyone is accounted for in hardships.

The hotline needs to have enough staff to cover the increase in calls, and use this opportunity to reduce barriers preventing people from using the hotline, said Michael McCloskey, a psychology professor.

“One of the things that will have to be thought through is if they make this change and people actually use it more, which is obviously the goal, that they will want to have enough people to be able to staff the line,” McCloskey said.

Calls to the hotline are usually received by the nearest crisis center and are routed to national backup centers if local centers can’t pick up. Currently, 20 percent of calls that should be answered locally are received by the national backup network, ABC News reported.

With many hotline calls sent to backup centers, delays could worsen if staffing for local crisis centers isn’t increased before the 988 number change. More funding

should go to local centers so fewer calls get routed to backup centers and people in crises get immediate assistance.

Last December, the federal government announced they will allocate $282 million to SAMHSA for the 988 number change, with $177 million going towards backup centers and $105 million to local crisis centers. Because crisis centers are usually not federally funded, this is a big step towards ensuring the 988 number’s efficacy.

Local crisis centers are typically funded with state, local and private grants and as opposed to receiving federal funding.

Most users contact the crisis line, but there may not be enough people willing to sacrifice their sleep to respond to them, said Mia Stavarski, a senior art therapy major who participates in crisis counseling for the Crisis Text Line.

“That’s when feelings are usually low and the body and the mind is usually tired so I think that’s the most concern of mak-

ing sure there’s enough people there at night,” Stavarski said.

Many of the hotline’s crisis centers depend heavily on volunteer support like answering calls in a timely manner which can lead to shortages during peak hours.

Citlalli Tomas Baltazar, a junior neuroscience major, believes the three-digit number is a positive change, but the hotline needs to raise additional awareness so people will use the new emergency number.

“It is a good tactic, but they have to promote it,” Tomas Baltazar said. “Not many people know about the change.”

With the new number emphasizing the importance of mental health, it’s important for crisis centers to have enough staff and funding to meet the needs of callers in crisis and lessen the number of suicides each year. wendy.garcia@temple.edu maya.rahman@temple.edu

LIVE

BY NOEL CHACKO Co-Photo Editor

in

Philly

Giving Old Books New Life The Athenaeum of Philadelphia istrative and events assistant at the Athe- used for exhibits, public forums and lec- years and don’t know about it. So I think it’s great to be able to support this culturheld open collage hours for local naeum of Philadelphia. Participants used tures. these materials to create their collages “Our members pay yearly dues to use al institution.” residents this past Saturday.

L

BY NOEL CHACKO Co-Photo Editor

ight shone through grand windows at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia on Saturday, March 26 as local residents flipped through pages of magazines and old books to cut out pieces they could add to their collages.

The Athenaeum, a library in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood, keeps old magazines for collaging events, as well as old books that would otherwise be thrown away, said Tess Galen, admin-

on the second floor of the 19th-century building on March 26.

Galen said the collaging event was organized because parents showed interest during Story Explorers Book Fest, an event held at the Athenaeum for young readers.

“We thought, why not every couple of weeks bring people in to do some collaging?” Galen said. “So it’s different for us, but it’s not complicated.”

The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, founded in 1814, provides access to books, archival material and special collections for research. The space is also

our services, which mainly include our circulation collection and our events,” Galen said. “I think because it’s older than the Free Library, it’s an important part of the sort of educational aspect, the history of the city.”

The building was declared a National Historical Landmark in 1977 and hosts events for book tours, guided tours, public forums and more.

“This is a wonderful treasure of the city,” said Belinda Huang, a Center City resident who works as a higher education consultant. “There are people that I’ve spoken to that have lived here for

Many members of the Athenaeum are older so they haven’t been comfortable going to events due to COVID-19 concerns, Galen said. Half of the institution’s events are in person while the remaining half are hosted virtually on Zoom. The collage event was a way to attract people back to the building.

“When I came in, I just thought, this is such a beautiful space,” Huang said.

“All the architecture, the sculptures. It’s just wonderful to work in a space that is so pretty.” noelchacko@temple.edu

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS ON OPPOSITE PAGE: Tess Galen, administrative and events assistant at The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, cuts a piece of a magazine for her collage.

CLOCKWISE STARTING FROM TOP LEFT: Michael Boshes, an administrator of Urban Sketchers Philadelphia, packs up his art supplies after sketching at The Athenaeum on March 26.

A collage made from magazine clippings by one of the event participants.

Belinda Huang, a higher education consultant and Center City resident, glues clippings onto her collage.

Huang shows a sketch of the Athenaeum library that she made during a previous visit.

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

AROUND CAMPUS

Temple parents advocate for increased security The university announced new security measures, including increased patrols, on March 23.

BY ROSIE LEONARD AND EDEN MacDOUGALL For The Temple News

W

ith a month left in office, Charles Leone and Campus Safety Services face renewed challenges in protecting the Temple University community and North Central amid an increase in violence across the city.

“Our number one goal is to keep people safe, and that includes our whole community,” said Charles Leone, executive director of Campus Safety Services.

“As the campus community, that’s our neighboring community and that’s always going to be our number one.”

On March 23, Temple shared its latest update regarding plans to increase campus safety initiatives, including creating a security upgrade grant program for landlords near campus, increasing patrols near campus, establishing a neighborhood watch program and helping students who want to relocate into on-campus housing.

Despite the new initiatives, parents of Temple students feel the university’s efforts are still not enough to protect their children, with a few hiring private security companies to patrol the neighborhoods surrounding Main Campus.

Some Temple students are supportive of Temple’s moves to expand security initiatives, while others worry about the effect it will have on the North Central community.

Temple introduced its campus safety initiatives in January in response to a rise in violence near Main Campus, including the fatal shootings of Samuel Collington, a 21-year-old senior political science major, on Nov. 28, 2021, and Ahmir Jones, an 18-year-old student who attended Pottstown High School, on Nov. 16, 2021.

NOEL CHACKO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple University Police Department currently has 80 officers and aims to increase its force by 50 percent to 120 officers as part of Temple’s plan to expand campus safety infrastructure.

Despite these measures, Jennifer Hedberg, a reading teacher in Cranston, Rhode Island, and mother of a senior industrial and systems engineering major, doesn’t think her child is safe.

After receiving a phone call from her son informing her of an armed robbery outside of his apartment at 17th Street near Fontain, on Feb. 10, she called multiple protection services within the Philadelphia area to increase security around her son’s off-campus apartment, she said.

“As moms, we want to do whatever we can and we just can’t wait for other people to take care of the situation,” Hedberg said.

She contacted Jasmine Jackson, CEO

of JNS Protection Services, a private security firm, who agreed to have one car with one to two officers and a manager or a security guard, patrol from Diamond to Master Streets and 15th to 19th Streets six days per week.

The firm cannot act on scene, but is authorized to give live reports with detailed descriptions of what they see while patrolling. It can alert Temple University Police Department, 911 or the Philadelphia Police Department if they notice crime, violence or suspicious activity, Jackson said.

Hedberg feels safer knowing more eyes are patrolling the area, she said.

“I actually don’t feel that there are a

“We love our neighborhood community by us, but how far into the neighboring community do we want to go? And is that something that even our neighbors will want us to do?

”

CHARLES LEONE Executive Director of Campus Safety Services

FEATURES

The Temple News

lot [of police] patrolling the area,” Hedberg said.

This may not be the full picture.

With more than 6,000 officers, the Philadelphia Police Department is the nation’s fourth-largest police department, behind New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Among the top 10 largest U.S. cities by population, Philadelphia also has the third highest ratio of police officers to residents, with 41 officers per 10,000 people, according to statistics from the Federal Bureau of Investigations 2019 Uniform Crime Reporting. Only New York City and Chicago have higher rates.

TUPD currently has 80 officers and plans to add 40 more officers to its ranks — a 50 percent increase — as part of their work to expand campus safety infrastructure.

Campus Safety Services also has a security division that includes approximately 43 Temple officers and 325 fulland part-time security officers from Allied Universal Security Services, a contract security company. Approximately 40 of these officers are assigned to on-campus student residence halls.

The University of Pennsylvania has 121 sworn officers. As of 2019, Drexel University’s Police Department has 45 sworn officers.

Ken Kaiser, Temple’s chief operating officer, understands Hedberg’s concerns for her son, because he is also a parent but is concerned about the addition of private security services.

“We don’t really know a lot about this organization and so it just adds an element of unknown in there that could potentially make things more complicated,” Kaiser said.

Hedberg received support and funding from other Temple parents, like Andrea Doyle, a driver’s education teacher who lives in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and worries about her daughter’s safety.

“Safety at Temple is the most im-

“We need to build

relationships between Temple students and the community and that could help release some of the tension that’s going on.

”

ZOE GONZALEZ Junior Social Work Major portant thing, if you don’t feel safe you can’t do anything else, you can’t study, you can’t live if you’re worried about everytime you go on campus,” said Doyle, a parent of a sophomore journalism major and member of the Temple Parent Safety Advisory Committee, a group created to give parents more input about campus safety initiatives.

Worried about crime near campus, Doyle convinced her daughter to get her groceries delivered through HelloFresh and order medication from CVS for delivery, Doyle said.

Doyle feels that TUPD’s effectiveness is limited because they are restricted in how far they can patrol from Main Campus. She cited a Pennsylvania statute that gives university police the same powers as municipal police in the 500 yards around campus.

TUPD’s Main Campus patrol zone includes the area between Susquehanna Avenue, Jefferson Street, 18th Street and 9th Street. Between 13th and Broad Street, the patrol zone stretches further south to Girard Avenue.

Campus Safety Services is willing to partner with anybody that can help increase safety, but feels some things are out of their hands, Kaiser said.

“It’s the city and beyond, and so stretching their patrol zone really is not the answer,” Kaiser said.

Leone believes that TUPD should

continue operating in the current patrol zone, and anything else should remain within the control of the Philadelphia Police.

“If the state decided to give us another mile I’m not sure if that’s what we want to do,” Leone said. “We love our neighborhood community by us, but how far into the neighboring community do we want to go? And is that something that even our neighbors will want us to do?”

Wendy Mailman thinks Temple’s new security measures aren’t guaranteed to reduce crime near campus. For example, she believes efforts to install lighting and cameras through the landlord grant program won’t prevent offenses that occur during the day, and the neighborhood watch program could put people in danger because its members will be unarmed, she said.

“I would never be upset with overpolicing of [North Philadelphia],” said Mailman, the mother of a freshman health professions major.

Zoe Gonzalez, a junior social work major, feels the university’s efforts to improve safety measures both on and off Main Campus will negatively impact the surrounding community.

Gonzalez doesn’t believe increasing the police presence or installing more lights will make Temple safer and that the university should focus its efforts on addressing the root causes of crime, like poverty.

“We need to build relationships between Temple students and the community and that could help release some of the tension that’s going on,” said Gonzalez, who lives on Willington Street near Montgomery Avenue.

Gonzalez believes the neighborhood watch program could be beneficial if North Central residents are allowed to give input. She’s not interested in relocating to on-campus housing because she worries that moving could contrib-

PAGE 17

ute to the divide between students and the community.

Neil Patel, a junior finance major, supports the additional police patrols on and near campus because he doesn’t always feel safe. Last month, a group of children tried to grab his phone while he was walking on Polett Walk toward Broad Street, he said.

“Usually when I walk during morning and afternoon time, it’s safe, but when I walk during nighttime, sometimes I get that creepy vibe,” Patel said.

Patel uses FLIGHT shuttles to visit friends who live off campus and often waits roughly a half hour for a shuttle to arrive. He wants Temple to increase the frequency of shuttles for students who need to travel off campus.

The university launched FLIGHT, Temple’s on-demand evening shuttle service which operates seven days a week, in 2016, but the service struggled to keep up with a rise in student requests during the Fall 2021 semester, prompting the university to work to increase its availability.

In February, the university launched Rave Guardian, a campus safety app offering virtual escorts, a panic button and text dispatch to the TUPD and 911, for students and faculty who feel unsafe.

Students can directly text with TUPD through the app and send them pictures or videos, or use the panic button for emergency situations and use the virtual escort feature that lets TUPD track the user’s location. If students do not respond after reaching their destination, TUPD will send responders.

Looking ahead, Charles Ramsey will proceed with an audit of Campus Safety Services, set to begin next month. Leone will assist in the process until he steps down on April 29. mary.rose.leonard@temple.edu eden.macdougall@temple.edu

PAGE 18

FEATURES

The Temple News

ALUMNI

Alumna creates plant-based skin care products Taylor Sanders founded Snake Magic Skin Care in 2020 for people with sensitive skin.

BY EDEN MacDOUGALL Assistant Features Editor After using mainstream skin care products that irritated her skin, Taylor Sanders decided to experiment with creating her own skin care items.

“I wanted to be able to have body scrubs but it’d be good for my skin,” said Sanders, a 2021 art history alumna. “It kind of moved me into this clean skin care realm and then and that’s kind of where I developed Snake Magic.”

Sanders founded Snake Magic Skin Care in 2020 while working at Sephora during her junior year at Temple University. Sanders’ brand provides plantbased skin care items like bath bombs and body scrubs that work well for people with sensitive skin because they have simple formulas with natural ingredients. She currently sells her items on Snake Magic’s website and distributes them through mail to customers.

Starting her business was exciting but it became difficult to balance her schoolwork while running the business by herself. But she didn’t give up because she enjoyed the challenge, Sanders said.

“I’m not a person who likes to do only one thing, so I feel like entrepreneurship, it’s always keeping me on my toes,” Sanders said.

Sanders initially made her products by hand for herself while living with her parents during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and sold them to other Temple stu-

TAYLOR SANDERS / COURTESY Taylor Sanders, founder of Snake Magic Skin Care, sells her products at a pop-up at the Columbia Mall in Columbia, Maryland, on Feb. 19.

dents through social media, she said.

Sanders originally made body scrubs and expanded operations to include bath bombs using ingredients like tea tree oil and lavender, she said.

Carey encouraged Sanders to enter the competition so she could network with investors and test her business skills in the real world by writing business pitches and giving presentations to the judges, he said.

She began taking her business more seriously in 2021 when Dwight Carey, an associate business professor, encouraged her to enter the annual Be Your

Own Boss Bowl, a university competition which provides free workshops and resources to aspiring entrepreneurs who compete against each other for a cash prize, she said.

Though Sanders didn’t advance past the first round, she received feedback from Carey and met with investors who taught her that she could grow her business into something more than selling her products through Instagram, she said.

“Even if a student does not win money, there’s always a good chance that they will be approached by someone after the results are announced

and that someone will give them their business card,” Carey said.

Carey discussed Snake Magic with Sanders in and out of class and hopes she can continue creating more products in the future, he said.

In Nov. 2019, Sanders connected with Jaya Bolden, a 2019 communication studies and entreprenuership alumna and CEO of Crowning Queens, a program that helps young women become business leaders, at a National Council of Negro Women at Temple, and followed each other on social media.

Sanders contacted Bolden to ask for tips on starting her skin care line and worked with Bolden to brand her products and refine her marketing strategies, including creating a social media presence on Instagram, where she marketed her products, Bolden said.

Bolden still talks to Sander every month to discuss Sanders’ future goals for her business, Bolden said.

“I’m kind of solidifying what she has next and making sure that she is confident in what she’s about to release or put out, that next move that she’s about to make,” Bolden said.

Sanders hopes to one day sell her products in stores like Target and Sephora and make her brand more inclusive by adding LGBTQ Black women in her next marketing campaign and hiring other women to her marketing team, she said.

“I don’t feel like we’re often shown that often, especially, as an entrepreneur, so I just think that would be an amazing opportunity,” Sanders added. eden.macdougall@temple.edu

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 19

STUDENT LIFE

Temple law students support Ukrainian refugees Joe Hogan and Patrick Long flew to Warsaw, Poland, during spring break to help Ukrainian refugees.

BY ROSIE LEONARD Features Editor While stuck in traffic driving on I-95 to his Wednesday night class at the Beasley School of Law, Joe Hogan turned on his car radio, where he heard more news about the Ukrainian refugee crisis following Russia’s invasion.

Hogan, a student in Temple’s juris doctor law program, called his friend and classmate, Patrick Long, and asked how they could help. That night, the two booked a flight along with Hogan’s wife to Warsaw, Poland, that left three days later on March 5 and returned on March 11.

“We went in just wanting to help however we could,” Hogan said.

Even with a language barrier, the personal connections both Long and the Hogans made with individuals from Poland and Ukraine inspired them to help refugees beyond distributing goods.

On Feb. 24, Russia began a military invasion of Ukraine, forcing more than 3.7 million people to flee the country. It is considered the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, and more than half of the nearly four million people who have fled, have sought refuge in Poland, according to the International Rescue Committee.

When Janita Hogan, a senior scientist at Merck and Joe’s wife, first learned her husband wanted to spend his spring break in Poland amid the crisis, she was shocked, but knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“This is perfectly in line with who he is as a person,” Janita said. “He sees people struggling, and he wants to go help.”

After arriving in Poland, the three drove a rental car three hours to Dorohusk, a village in eastern Poland at the border with Ukraine, where they met up with other volunteers and organizations to distribute supplies like food, baby items, blankets and coffee to refugees.

“We are a lot more alike than we’re

PATRICK LONG / COURTESY In orange vests, Janita Hogan (left), a senior scientist at Merck, and Joseph Hogan (right), a student in Temple’s juris doctor law program, work at the volunteer table by the Polish border crossing on March 8.

different, and we really saw that on the border,” Long said.

After spending two days handing out food and other supplies to refugees, they quickly became aware of the housing crisis, noticing many individuals were forced to withstand sub-freezing temperatures without proper clothing and shelter.

“How can we put up money to build something so that they’re not just in refugee camps, or they’re not being warehoused in empty grocery stores, or things like that,” Joe said.

They knew the simple solution was to build more housing, but that requires time and money.

Since returning to Philadelphia, the three have collected roughly $25,000 in donations to aid in funding housing for refugees.

To ensure they reached out to the right people and organizations in Philadelphia, Joe and Long spoke with John Smagula, assistant dean for graduate and international programs at Beasley.

Smagula recommended they contact Iryna Mazur, the honorary consul for Ukraine in Philadelphia, to learn more about initiatives they could participate in to aid in their housing efforts. He admires their work and hopes their actions encourage others to help in any way they can.

“I’m hoping that students will be inspired, both to assist in the Ukrainian efforts, but also to look at other opportunities in the same area where they can make a difference, and bring that passion and bring that motivation for social justice here as well,” Smagula said.

Long and Joe are also working with Polish attorneys to better understand the logistics of funding housing opportunities in Poland, like ensuring the donations they collect go to the right organizations.

“It would have been easy for us to go over there as an American, just throw money on the table and say, ‘We’re gonna sign this lease to bring these people in here so that they’re safe,” Joe said. “And

really, it’s a lot more challenging than that, to do it right, to do it properly, and to do it sustainably, and so recognizing those potential pitfalls, we were able to ask the right questions.”

Long, Joe and Janita plan to return to Poland this summer to continue supporting those in need and provide safer housing options.

While the two had no direct ties to Poland or the Ukraine, they wanted to use their degrees and help those who could not help or support themselves.

“I have nothing but respect for these people, and that’s part of the reason I want to go out and continue helping them as much as possible because they’re truly on the frontlines against authoritarianism,” Joe said. “What happens in Ukraine could have massive ramifications throughout the rest of the world for the rest of my life, and my children’s lives.” mary.rose.leonard@temple.edu

PAGE 20

SPORTS

The Temple News

MEN’S SOCCER

Gawronski returns to the field following injury Temple goalkeeper Eoin Gawronski was out for the 2021 season after fracturing his foot.

BY SEAN McMENAMIN Men’s Soccer Beat Reporter Exactly six months after suffering a season-ending left foot injury in the fall, Temple University men’s soccer redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Eoin Gawronski returned to the field when the Owls took on Drexel University in their first spring game on March 11.

“I was super excited,” Gawronski said. “I had been working hard and training hard for that day all along, I knew the time would come.”

After sitting out for most of the 2021 season, it was difficult for Gawronski to stay mentally focused but being on the sidelines helped him understand his team, as well as take on a coaching role by having an outside perspective. Following his recovery process, he hopes his return will help get the program back to the level it was once at, Gawronski said.

“I feel like I’m mentally prepared for anything,” Gawronski said. “This was different, so I think I learned a lot about myself and I think I’m ready for anything now. That was one of the toughest moments in my life or my career.”

Gawronski earned two shutouts in the team’s first two spring games against Drexel University on March 11 and the University of Loyola Maryland on March 20.

“He’s done everything he needed to do to get himself back into place,” said head coach Brian Rowland. “Now it’s just about getting minutes and training under his belt and games will help get him back to where he was pre injury.”

Gawronski suffered the injury in a 2-1 double-overtime loss to Villanova University on Sept. 11, 2021. He planted on the ground, trying to save a penalty kick, until he landed awkwardly and fractured his left foot.

Following his injury, Gawronski watched games from the sidelines and encouraged his team by providing

NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Eoin Gawronski, a redshirt-freshman goalkeeper, goes to kick the ball during an Owls’ game against the New Jersey Institute of Technology at the Temple Sports Complex on March 26.

feedback, which helped him learn more about the team’s culture and weaknesses.

Besides playing at a high level, he wants the team to support each other more off the field. Gawronski plans to help rebuild the team and display strong leadership to help them feel more connected, he said.

Gawronski lost a lot of strength in his leg and left foot. Everyday he worked on getting stronger by doing simple workouts to become healthy again, he said.

In the 2021 season, Gawronski recorded 17 saves and only allowed three goals in four games played. He also made two penalty kick saves in the matches against Seton Hall University and Rutgers University.

Without their key starting goalkeeper in net, the Owls finished the season with a record of 2-12-2 and ended

the year on a seven-game losing streak, their worst record in program history.

“When Eoin was out we lacked a bit of leadership,” said junior defender Santiago Majewski. “It’s hard to be a leader off the field, especially when you’re not playing, when you’re injured, so having him in the fall is essential for the team.”

In the 2020-21 season, when they played their competitive games in the spring, Gawronski was inserted into the lineup on Feb. 27, 2021, and played every minute for the remainder of the season.

In the goalkeeper’s debut, he made six saves and did not allow any goals against No. 2 Southern Methodist University, the best offense in the nation.

The following week, he earned a second straight shutout after he faced 22 shots against the University of Tulsa.

The Limerick, Pennsylvania, native

secured a game-high eight saves in the team’s 2-1 win over SMU on April 9, 2021.

Rowland feels Gawronski’s leadership will boost the team’s confidence in their upcoming fall season. Despite being out last season, Gawronski has upheld the program’s values of keeping players accountable for their performances, Rowland said.

For now, Gawronski is looking to win games and get playing time in the spring with a fresh start, he said.

“It will be a big season for me and the team,” Gawronski added. “But I’m hoping to make saves and win a lot of games and make the tournament. That’s the big goal right now, so it’s all about winning and developing as a player.” s.mcmenamin@temple.edu @sean102400

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 21

CLUB WRESTLING

Temple club wrestler earns All-American status Freshman Grigol Khochiashvili finished second in the 174-pound weight class at the NCWA.

BY SAMUEL O’NEAL For The Temple News When freshman Grigol Khochiashvili arrived at Temple University last August, he had no intentions of joining the club wrestling team. It wasn’t until the day before the team’s first group practice that Khochiasvili met with head coach Kurt Paroly and realized that he had a special opportunity at Temple.

“I was still wrestling outside of school through my club,” Khochiashvili said. “At first I was in doubt because it was only a club team but I started to envision a path for myself that so few people have and to wrestle in college any way is still a great opportunity.”

After placing first at the NCWA Mid-East Conference tournament, Khochiashvili qualified for the national tournament in his first season while finishing the regular season with a 13-0 record.

“The moment I qualified for nationals, I don’t think that I have ever felt that much emotion on the wrestling mat,” Khochiashvili said. “It was so crazy and I just couldn’t stop thinking about how far we had all come from the beginning of the season.”

Khochiashvili quickly ran through the 174-pound bracket at the national tournament on March 10. He advanced past the first four rounds and defeated Julian Kennedy of Ottawa University at Arizona in the semi-final round to advance to the national championship match.

Going into the final, Khochiashvili was calm and collected and wasn’t nervous at all, he said.

“Every single time I get on the wrestling mat I put everything else aside and I think to myself about how I have one task to get done,” Khochiashvili added. “Really the main thing that I was thinking about was how far I had come in my first year and just making sure I absorbed it all.”

Khochiashvili matched up with second-seeded Luke Lardarello of Penn State Mont Alto, who he had beaten 5-2 in the Mid-East Conference Champion-

JIM THRALL / COURTESY Grigol Khochiashvili competes at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championships in Allen, Texas, which were held from March 10 to March 12.

ships earlier in the season.

After a scoreless first period, Khochiashvili opened up the second period with a quick escape to take a 1-0 lead.

Lardarello scored an escape of his own in the third period to tie it up at one and force the match into a sudden overtime.

Neither wrestler could register a point in the first overtime period, sending the match to an ultimate tiebreaker period, where Lardarello scored on an escape with 19 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Despite the tough loss, Khochiashvili was proud of how far the team had come after being underestimated early i‌ n the season, he said.

“When I first joined the team a lot of people doubted us,” Khochiashvili added. “I heard a lot of negative stuff from so many people whether it be about the coaches or the fact that we were only a club team, so for us to get this far and for me to get the chance to represent Temple in that way, it

was the best feeling in the world.”

Khochiashvili put together an impressive resume at Central High School in North Philadelphia, which included a first place finish at the 2019 Annual Wetzel Classic Tournament. He quickly gained interest from multiple NCAA programs, including a full-ride scholarship offer from Northern Michigan University, home of the Greco-Roman Olympic national training site. Despite the NCAA attention, Khochiashvili wasn’t convinced that he wanted to wrestle after high school, he said.

“I turned down a lot of the offers,” Khochiahsvili added. “I wanted to stay focused on school at the time and a lot of people may not have done what I did, but I think I made the right decision for myself by coming to Temple.”

After joining the Owls’ club wrestling team, Khochiashvili immediately made his mark on the program not only on the mat, but off of it as well.

He is a leader in the practice room, whom teammates gravitate toward, said club president and wrestler Katelyn Rogers.

“As soon as you walk in the room he is the first one getting ready,” Rogers added. “During practice, people will always go up to him and ask questions and he just has such an impact on everyone because he motivates us and really cares about the entire team.”

Khochiashvili finished his first collegiate season with an 18-1 record, while establishing himself as a team captain and one of the best wrestlers in the MidEast Conference.

“He wasn’t a state medalist or some nationally ranked guy coming in,” Paroly said. “He has really shown our wrestlers what type of work they have to put in if they want to see the results.” samuel.oneal@temple.edu @samueloneal43

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The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 23

FOOTBALL

Former Owls reconnect with program on Pro Day Thirteen former Owls returned to Temple for Pro Day, hoping to catch NFL scouts’ attention.

BY ISABELLA DiAMORE Sports Editor Temple University football had 16 potential NFL prospects participate in Pro Day on March 23. Each participant was looking for an opportunity to grab NFL scouts’ attention prior to the draft on April 28.

With 13 prospects being former Owls, some haven’t been at Temple’s facility since former head coach Rod Carey was let go on Nov. 29, 2021. While preparing for Temple’s Pro Day, players had the chance to rekindle relationships with former teammates and meet a brand new staff.

“Once I got back to the facility it felt like I was one of the guys again,” said former center C.J Perez.

Perez spent two seasons with the Owls under center. He transferred from Northern Illinois and started in 17 consecutive games during his career. When he met Drayton in the facility, he already knew Perez’s name, he said.

Perez transferred to Temple to play under Carey, because he was the former head coach at Northern Illinois and brought his entire staff with him to North Broad. There weren’t any negative feelings toward the Carey era and his previous relationship with the staff, he said.

“It was really nice that I wasn’t just another face,” Perez said. “[Drayton] really made it clear the foundation we laid,

CONTINUED FROM 24 FENCING For Novoseltseva, despite the challenges she experienced adjusting to being a student athlete away from home, qualifying for the first time as a freshman was her ultimate goal coming into college, she said.

“For her to be able to qualify really speaks volumes to her work ethic, her grit and her determination,” Franke said.

“She’s a very focused person and works very, very hard.”

NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS William Kwenkeu, former Temple linebacker, participates in Pro Day at the STAR Complex on March 23.

we’re a part of that foundation, players from the past, that’s a big thing.”

Drayton told Perez and other players that Edberg-Olson Hall and the STAR Complex are open for all former Owls to come back and train, Perez said.

When former safety Amir Tyler arrived at the facility, he sat in Drayton’s office for more than two hours discussing his time in the program and what the current team could work on, Tyler said.

Tyler was a single digit and spent six seasons with the program. He led the Owls with 49 tackles last season. He spent most of his college career on special teams, until transitioning to the safety position in the 2019-20 season.

During Pro Day, current players hyped each other up on the sidelines as the former Owls benched pressed, took

part in vertical jumps and ran the 40yard dash.

Former linebacker William Kwenkeu, who finished with 182 total tackles and seven sacks in his career, was a single digit and spent six seasons in Temple’s program. Once he saw his former teammates at the facility all of his nerves disappeared, he said.

Besides catching up with the current players, Tyler thought seeing guys on Pro Day, who transferred out, was an opportunity for them to represent Temple again, like former quarterback Anthony Russo from Michigan State University and Aaron Adu from Western Illinois University, he said.

“It was amazing I came in with a lot of these guys,” Tyler added. “A lot of people who’ve been here, you don’t get

From the start of the season, expectations were high for the Owls as they were ranked eighth in the U.S. Fencing Coaches Association preseason polls.

Since then, the team has fought to maintain a top-10 ranking throughout the season.

With more than half of the team being underclassmen and current sophomores lacking experience due to a shortened 2020-21 season, the team made adjustments as players became familiar with juggling the demands of being a student athlete and playing at the college

level, Franke said.

After playing 11 regular season matches, the Owls opened postseason play by clinching their 26th straight National Intercollegiate Women’s Fencing Association title. They also took home the team weapon titles for the second consecutive year and earned two of three individual weapon titles before making their NCAA regional appearance.

At regionals, Ross secured a thirdplace finish, the highest of the day for the Owls, while Novoseltseva finished seventh and her sister, Elizabeth Novo-

that bond or the relationship you had with different people, a lot of people go to different schools and you might not end up seeing them again.”

Tyler experienced four coach changes during his career: Matt Rhule, Geoff Collins, Manny Diaz and Carey. He also saw a number of guys leave Temple’s program for the transfer portal during those coach changes. After the 2020-21 season when Temple went 1-6 in the American Athletic Conference, 13 players transferred out, including Russo and Adu. “It’s great to be back here,” Russo said. “Spent four and half years here, life long friendships with guys on this team.

Being back here in North Philly, there is nothing like it.”

Drayton has emphasized his opendoor policy to former teammates, and having guys, who were drafted to the NFL, speak to the current team about work ethic.

While he’s led eight of 15 spring practices, a number of former Owls in the NFL have come to Edberg-Olson Hall to watch, including Shaun Bradley, a Philadelphia Eagle, Chapelle Russell, a Jacksonville Jaguar and Matt Hennessy, an Atlanta Falcon.

On Pro Day Drayton tweeted out: “What I love about meeting our former Temple made football players is the genuine love they have for each other. That’s what make this place special. Amazing how love develops toughness.” isabella.diamore@temple.edu @belladiamore

seltseva, a freshman foil, finished eighth.

The remainder of the team placed between 13th and 27th place in their respective categories.

Now, the team will rest for the next two weeks before resuming training for the upcoming season, Franke said.

“We have a better idea of what everyone needs to work on,” Franke said.

“We can try to work on those things for the couple weeks that we have.” victoria.ayala@temple.edu @ayalavictoria_

PAGE 24

SPORTS

The Temple News

FENCING

Fencers Naomi Ross and Anna Novoseltseva competed in their first NCAA championship.

H

ead coach Nikke Franke was proud of the Owls’ consistent work ethic this season, especially from their two NCAA qualifiers: junior epee fencer Naomi Ross and freshman foil fencer Anna Novoseltseva.

“What we normally do is what got them here so we just continued with what we normally do,” Franke said.

“They’ve been practicing everyday since qualifying.”

Ross and Novoseltseva earned 19th and 21st place finishes respectively after fencing five rounds of round-robin play at the NCAA championships on March 25. No. 10 Temple University fencing concluded its 2021-22 season by combining for a 16th place finish out of 24 teams.

BY VICTORIA AYALA Assistant Sports Editor With two active strips used during competition, compared to one in normal matches, Ross and Novoseltseva had little time to reset and make adjustments to their performance before being called to fence again, which made it difficult to keep up, Ross said.

Ross thought she struggled with positioning and timing, as well as maintaining her energy during bouts to keep her motivated. Novoseltseva felt rushed to get the first touch on the strip, which was her biggest downfall, she said.

“I had an overall really fun experience,” Novoseltseva said. “I didn’t do the best but I felt like it really taught me a bunch of lessons mentally and I feel like it’s a great start to reflect onto my up-

coming years. It’s something that I can definitely benefit from.”

As competition approached, the two didn’t know what to expect but were determined to do the best they could, Novoseltseva said. The fencers’ preparations for championships remained the same as every other meet this season, which included practices with the entire team.

Team practices helped perfect any fencing inconsistencies they had, like bending their knees. Ross and Novoseltseva also used their time before competing to work on positive reinforcement, Novoseltseva said.

This was the team’s first NCAA appearance since the 2018-19 season after

2020 NCAA championships were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ross reminded herself that the championships wouldn’t get canceled before she could attend. She had previously qualified for the NCAA championships in 2020, but never competed because of the cancellation.

“It was a big disappointment for her,” Franke said. “She’s been very consistent all year. She’s been someone that we really could depend on and so the consistency definitely paid off.”

FENCING | 23

ANDREW KIM / COURTESY Naomi Ross, a junior epee fencer, competes at the NCAA championships on March 25.