Vol. 97 Iss. 26 by The Temple News

THE TEMPLE NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

PAGE 1

AN OVERTURE TO THE NIGHT OWLS BAND Read more on Page 4

VOL 97 // ISSUE 26 APRIL 9, 2019 temple-news.com @thetemplenews

NEWS, PAGE 6 Temple announced a special services district and now faces community criticism.

OPINION, PAGE 8 A student writes about how she found her career through the Philly music scene.

FEATURES, PAGE 14 Students share their go-to songs for karaoke nights at campus and city bars.

SPORTS, PAGE 22 Golf made program history at the Princeton Invitational over the weekend.

NEWS PAGE 2

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. Gillian McGoldrick Editor in Chief Kelly Brennan Managing Editor Julie Christie Digital Managing Editor Evan Easterling Chief Copy Editor Greta Anderson News Editor Grace Shallow Investigations Editor Will Bleier Deputy City Editor Jayna Schaffer Opinion Editor Laura Smythe Features Editor Zari Tarazona Deputy Features Editor Michaela Althouse Deputy Features Editor Michael Zingrone Co-Sports Editor Sam Neumann Co-Sports Editor Claire Wolters Intersection Editor Maria Ribeiro Director of Engagement Siani Colon Asst. Director of Engagement Dylan Long Photography Editor Luke Smith Asst. Photography Editor Madison Seitchik Web Editor Co-Multimedia Editor Jared Giovan Co-Multimedia Editor Ian Walker Visuals Editor Claire Halloran Design Editor

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. Visit us online at temple-news.com. Send submissions to letters@temple-news.com. The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122

Phuong Tran Advertising Manager Kelsey McGill Advertising Manager Daniel Magras Business Manager

ON THE COVER DYLAN LONG /THE TEMPLE NEWS

CORRECTIONS The story “TAUP to begin negotiations for 2019 contract” that ran in the April 2 edition incorrectly characterized Sharon Washington’s ability to pay for child care and that she takes her daughter to class. She once brought her daughter to class during Spring Break. 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 Gillian McGoldrick at editor@temple-news.com or 215-204-6736.

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CAMPUS

Smoking ban explained by Public Health dean

Cigarette butts on Main Campus Cigarettes harm the environment and cost thousands to clean, a walkways leak chemicals into nearby stormwater drains, disrupting filtrauniversity task force reported.

BY DIANA CRISTANCHO Public Health Beat Reporter Temple University’s tobacco-free campus policy could save it thousands of dollars, mitigating some costs associated with cleaning up littered cigarette butts. Facilities and Management staff estimate the department spent $22,000 annually paying employees to remove cigarette butts from walkways and empty the disposal structures, according to the Smokefree Campus Task Force’s May 2018 report, which was released last week. Smoking areas and cigarette disposal structures are still available, but will be removed after July 1. The university will ban all tobacco products, including nicotine delivery devices like Juul, on all of its United States campuses by Fall 2019. For now, the university’s current policy prohibiting smoking within 25 feet of campus building entrances will still be enforced. The receptacles were not keeping people from littering the butts, said College of Public Health Dean Laura Siminoff, who led the task force. Instead, they encouraged people to gather and smoke, and more than half of the receptacles are within 25 feet of building entrances and operable windows, according to the task force report. The smoke-free policy’s main goal is to improve the Temple community’s respiratory and cardiovascular health, said Jennifer Ibrahim, the associate dean for academic affairs at the CPH and a member of the task force. People experience health benefits as early as 48 hours after going smokefree, she added. Also, the policy intends to decrease pollution.

tion.“The cost of pulling [cigarettes] out is really expensive,” she said. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., the task force’s report states, and the CPH hopes to see long-term, improved student, faculty and staff health and lower insurance costs for them and the university as a result, Siminoff said. “It will save money for everyone, especially students when they get their own health insurance policies,” she added. “Because they’re healthier and they don’t smoke, those policies will be cheaper.” The policy is not intended to punish people for smoking, but to provide help to individuals who currently smoke and want to quit, Ibrahim said. “What people are calling pushback, we’re calling it feedback,” Ibrahim said. “We want to hear what people have to say about our policy so that unlike the previous policy, we can do a better job enforcing it.” The task force conducted an observational study between October 2017 and March 2018 that found more than half of people seen smoking on campus were less than 25 feet from building entrances, violating the university’s current policy. The task force is holding a contest for students to design graphics for tobacco-free signs and advertising on campus, and the winning submission could be featured as the policy’s signature logo. The design will be chosen by the end of the semester, Siminoff said. “The idea is not to find and slap tickets on people, the idea is for compassionate enforcement,” she said. diana.cristancho@temple.edu @dccristancho

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NEWS PAGE 4

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

A conductor leads the Night Owls Community Campus Band during a rehersal at the Temple Performing Arts Center on Monday.

DYLAN LONG / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Community band a ‘family’ for its 120-members The trombonist and 1987 College of The Night Owls Campus University community members. He always had a smile below his Liberal Arts alumnus hoped to make it Community Band features students, alumni and community Temple hat, said the band’s director, to the band’s spring concert on Sunday, April 14, Confredo said. members with a passion for Deborah Confredo. Every week since the Night Owls John Paul Cruz, 57, a trombonist music since 2012.

BY COLIN EVANS Crime Beat Reporter Richard Townsend loved playing in the Night Owls Campus Community Band, a concert band made up of Temple

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band was founded in 2012, Townsend would make the two-hour trek from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Townsend died from cancer on March 19. Before he died, he asked his that people donate to the Night Owls, in lieu of flowers, to honor his memory.

and Philadelphia resident, joined the Night Owls in 2014 and was close with Townsend. Everyone loved the late trombone player, he said. “Richard was the backbone of the trombone section,” Cruz said. “You can feel the emptiness. It was too sudden. It feels weird not having him there.”

The 120-member Night Owls band is a melting pot of students, alumni and tight-knit community members of all ages and backgrounds. Members are preparing for their 15th concert under Confredo’s direction, who also leads the graduate program in music education in the Boyer College of Music and Dance. Confredo’s last show as director is on Sunday and she’ll be replaced by Brian Ewing, the Night Owls’ assistant conductor. Several members of the band said

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NEWS PAGE 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

despite only meeting for two hours each week, they’ve made connections through their love of playing music. “You grow attached,” Confredo said. “It’s like a family, it truly is. You share these moments of incredible expression.” Confredo started the band, which is a non-credit course at the university, to increase Boyer’s outreach to students outside of the college and community residents from all around Philadelphia, she said. The Night Owls’ youngest member is 15 years old, while the oldest is over 80, she said. “We’ve got a large age swing, and how wonderful is that, to have people like that sitting side by side?” she said. “Younger people and people in the later part of their life sharing a similar love is fantastic.” Ethan Fogleman, a sophomore music education major, joined the band as a tuba player after talking to a few members in Presser Hall late one Monday night, when the group practices. “[They said] people from all across the area come in, whether they are music teachers or they just haven’t played an instrument in a while or they want to try an instrument for the first time,” he said. “It’s a nice way to see...Temple giving back to the community,” he added. Students have the option to take Night Owls as a course for one credit or no credit, Fogleman said. Confredo estimated that the band is half students and half community members. They don’t hold auditions and welcome members of all skill levels, she added, and only a quarter of its members are Boyer students. John Witmer, a retired banker who lives on Pennsylvania Avenue near 30th Street, said when he heard about the Night Owls, he jumped at the opportunity to play meaningful music with guidance from Temple faculty. “It’s unique in that we’re in here to play and learn,” said Witmer, who plays trombone. “That gives us the chance to play with absolutely world-class instruction, which is something you don’t usu-

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ally get in a community band.” Cruz said playing in the band improved his musical ability. “Dr. Confredo, she’s an amazing director,” he said. “She’s a perfectionist. The music they give us is very challenging, but at the same time what we like to [play].” Candace Truitt, a first-year music education graduate student who plays the clarinet, said she was very impressed by the playing level of the band, which it has helped her make connections with many different people. “Talking to people around the community is just refreshing, not to just talk with other students,” she said. The Night Owls started with around 50 members in 2012 and has grown every year since, Confredo said. “What that tells me is that people are having a good time making music together and that there was a need,” she added. “It’s blossomed into this wonderful thing that lots of people know [about] across campus.” Peg Dissinger, a 1966 music performance master’s alumna, has played clarinet with the Night Owls since the band was founded and taught music in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District in Pennington, New Jersey, but said her playing was sporadic until she joined the band. Dissinger, who lives in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, joined the band because she likes to play alongside other musicians from all different walks of life, she said. “It feeds the soul, to be perfectly honest,” she said. “We come together...people that can be with other people and enjoy the experience, and not worry about what color you are, or what religion you are, where you came from, what you do for a living,” Dissinger added. Walter Johnson, 83, a 1957 accounting alumnus, has played flute with the Night Owls since its founding. He was drafted into the army after college and played the flute at Fort Monroe, Virgin-

DYLAN LONG / THE TEMPLE NEWS The Night Owls Community Campus Band rehearses at Temple Performing Arts Center on Monday.

ia, but did not start playing consistently again until joining the Temple Alumni Band more than a decade ago. “It’s really gotten me back into music,” Johnson said. “It’s a real outlet, and I really appreciate being here,” he said. Townsend also played in the alumni band, and he and Johnson would talk when the band played at Temple’s homecoming football game each year. “Richard was kind of a low-key guy, but really a nice guy,” Johnson said. “I know that he appreciated the band.” Confredo considers the Night Owls a gift, she said, an opportunity to share music in a loving and stress-free environment.

“Lots of times, it’s moments of really bad playing, because sometimes we’re out of tune and not playing the right notes,” Confredo added. “But when all that gets better and it comes together, there’s just nothing like it.” The Night Owls, alongside its sister organization, the Singing Owls Campus Community Choir, will perform a variety of genres at its spring concert on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Temple Performing Arts Center. Admission to the concert is free and no tickets are required for entry. colin.evans@temple.edu @ColinPaulEvans

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NEWS PAGE 6

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

COMMUNITY

Community reacts to new special services district Some community residents said the community for six years, Goss con- ple…that would be the path of less resisthey feel left out of Temple’s siders herself new to the area and said tance,” Robinson said. Lupe Portillo, who lives near the corplans to improve the community. she doesn’t understand how her neighBY WILL BLEIER Deputy City Editor Goretti Goss clutched her granddaughter Amaya’s hand outside Diamond Park, the senior housing complex where she lives, and watched the commotion at a building across the street. University officials announced the North Central Special Services District at Hillel at Temple University on Friday. The district, which will span from Broad Street to 18th and Dauphin Street to Oxford, is meant to address the quality of life issues caused by student life off-campus. The district’s independent board will have four university employees and five community residents, who will address common concerns like trash and noise. Temple is a founding partner, but community residents have majority voting power. “I don’t understand how anybody would approve [the district],” Goss said. “...It just doesn’t make any sense.” Some residents said they felt left out of the process of creating the district because only five residents will make decisions for all community members who live within the district. Others said they felt the SSD was Temple’s way of garnering community support for its proposed on-campus football stadium plan, which is a point of contention between some residents and the university. Two protesters yelled and held signs about Temple’s community relations on Friday, attempting to interrupt President Richard Englert as he announced the district. When the news cameras filed out of Hillel at Temple, Goss remained outside. She needed to know what happened, she said, but she has never spoken with a university official. Though she’s lived in News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com

bors have tolerated disruptive student behavior for decades. One of the protesters at Friday’s event, Jackie Wiggins, a prominent member of the Stadium Stompers, had just finished what she called “civil disobedience,” disrupting the kick-off event by yelling during Englert’s remarks.

What Temple did is picked the people… that would be the path of less resistance. JUDITH ROBINSON 32ND RCO

Wiggins was “outraged” by the district and said she wasn’t aware of the kick-off until the morning of the event, she told The Temple News on Sunday. The protests at Temple’s community events are recent, said Judith Robinson, the chairperson for the 32nd Democratic Ward Registered Community Organization. They’re the result of the “deafness” the university has toward the community. Last year, the university repeatedly linked the district to its plans for an on-campus stadium. Englert prepared to call the stadium “the linchpin for a special services district” during a March 2018 town hall speech before protesters disrupted the event. Temple began having closed-door community affairs meetings with a pool of residents after stadium plans got underway, and through these meetings, selected the SSD board members. Englert told The Temple News on Friday that the district has nothing to do with any proposed on-campus stadium plans. Robinson and Wiggins said they’re not represented by those on the SSD board. “What Temple did is picked the peo-

ner of Norris and 15th streets and works as a housekeeper in Facilities Management, receives a monthly invite to Temple’s closed-door meetings and attends every month, she said. She doesn’t miss them unless there’s an emergency. At the meetings, university officials discussed creating a district, Portillo said, but never directly asked the group who would be interested in serving on the SSD board. She’s unsure how the university picked who would serve, she said. “People should not think that… ,‘Well they picked these specific people to be on the board, so they’re going to side with Temple,’” Portillo said. “That’s absolutely not true.” Portillo, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 60 years, said the people on the board are long-term community residents who are going to bring the concerns of the community forward. Joan Briley, the SSD Board’s president who lives near the corner of Norris and 15th streets, told The Temple News on Friday what she expects for the SSD

People should not think that, ‘Well they picked these specific people to be on the board, so they’re going to side with Temple.’ That’s absolutely not true LUPE PORTILLO

COMMUNIT Y RESIDENT

Board’s future. “I’m glad we finally got [the district] started,” Briley said. “We’ll start having more meetings and bringing in more people from the community and take it from there.” Bill Bergman, the vice president for public affairs, told The Temple News in February that the SSD Board members

were chosen from community residents that meet regularly with the university, and their opinions on issues like the proposed stadium were not taken into consideration. It may have been better for the university to select property developers to sit on the SSD Board, because they may be encouraged to give money to the district in the future, Robinson said. The university should have more open meetings with community residents to determine issues the SSD Board will focus on, Robinson added. Specifically, she’s concerned that parking isn’t part of the district’s plans. Robinson also believes the boundaries of the district are flawed. New student housing is being built as far west as 19th Street, she said, but the district ends at 18th. The Temple News examined trash-related sanctions and complaints within the borders of Poplar Street to Lehigh Avenue from south to north and from 6th Street to 25th from east to west. Only 13.8 percent of the more than 11,000 trash-related 311 complaints in the area made from 2015-19 were located within the districts’ borders. The trash issue should have been addressed years ago, she said. And the district shouldn’t have started without a broader conversation with community members. “Having a person with no expertise on the board will leave us still with trash on the street, still with the bad community relations, still wasted time,” Robinson said. “And then when the money goes, we’re back to square one.” will.bleier@temple.edu @will_bleier Julie Christie contributed reporting.

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NEWS PAGE 7

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

POLITICS

Program to curb longtime resident taxes changed The Longtime Owner Occupants Program will freeze the property value for some longtime residents. BY HAL CONTE Political Beat Reporter North Philadelphia community members, upset with what they view as the city’s prioritization of large-scale developers, met with government leaders last week. City Council President Darrell Clarke, who represents the city’s 5th District that includes Temple University’s Main Campus, discussed changes to the Longtime Owner Occupants Program. The program freezes property assessment values if they increased by 50 percent or more from the previous year, and the resident lived in their home for 10 years or more. During the meeting on Wednesday at the Philadelphia Military Academy at Elverson, one community member compared the city’s efforts to attract development while residents lack affordable housing to “taking a glass of unspoiled milk and dumping it into spoiled milk.” City Council established LOOP in 2014 as a hedge against rising property values in gentrified areas of the city, like near Main Campus. Updated guidelines

for the program, which were rolled out on Friday, expand the program’s criteria to homeowners whose assessments increased by 50 percent or more, instead of tripling, as previously required. LOOP locks in that assessment for as long as the value of the home remains below $180,000, which is a $100,000 increase from the program’s previous requirement. This will increase the number of residents covered by the program. It enrolled 15,981 homeowners as of Feb. 12, wrote Vicki Riley, a public relations officer for the city, in an email to The Temple News. Despite the program’s expansion, the number of eligible homeowners LOOP helps will remain small, said Rod Johnson, a public policy professor. “Fifty percent is a pretty big increase but it’s a tight distinction,” Johnson said. “It seems a little more flexibility there is something the public might want.” More than 35 percent of all properties are overassessed, the Inquirer reported in January. The median value of owner-occupied, single-family homes in Philadelphia surged in 2019 assessments, with an increase of more than 10 percent. “Why did [my property taxes] go up so high? Over $1,000 in one year,” said James Barnette, a 64-year-old retiree

who lives on Bouvier Street near Rockland. Clarke spoke alongside state Sen. Sharif Street, whose district also includes Main Campus, and other elected officials on Wednesday. Clarke stressed that he is addressing these problems by amending the LOOP. “If your property taxes went high sky because somebody built luxury housing, if your taxes go up 100 percent, 150 percent, that’s a problem,” Clarke said during the meeting. “We brought that level down much lower.” As a result of changes, some residents will see their property taxes go down in 2019, Clarke added. Even before the flawed property assessments, development increased home values, causing issues in the city’s 5th District. Residents at the meeting faulted Philadelphia’s 10-year property tax abatement and Temple’s presence for gentrification. “The tax abatement was a good thing, but they’re destroying it, because [my taxes] went up by $1,000 just like that,” Barnette said. “In regards to Temple buying everything, they’re pushing everyone out,” he added. “It was alright for a while, now it’s just these politicians with Temple, they do what they want to do.”

Sandra Arrington, a 64-year-old retiree who lives on 12th Street near Diamond, said the tax abatement encourages developers to buy up cheap property. “How come homeowners who have been here for years can’t get a break if you’re giving newcomers a break?” Arrington said. “I understand [developers] trying to sell their properties, but we never got a break,” she added. Street suggested rent controls as a potential solution. Currently, Pennsylvania law doesn’t have them. “We do have to look at escalating rates,” Street said on Wednesday. “We have made investment in affordable housing, but that has not provided people in existing housing from seeing this.” Don Williams, a retired senior citizen, was unconvinced by the solutions Street and Clarke offered. The program stalls property taxes, and in turn, fails to collect revenue needed to pay for city programs, he said. “I don’t see how [LOOP] is going to help the problem if they don’t have any more income,” said Williams, who lives on 15th Street near Susquehanna Avenue. “It’s the same story of greed, just the same roles, with different people.” hal.conte@temple.edu

Are you the next Editor in Chief of The Temple News? Are you the next Templar Editor? The Temple News, Temple University’s award-winning student newspaper, and Templar are looking for an editor in chief for the 2019-20 academic year. A good candidate should demonstrate strong leadership ability and proven managerial skills with prior media experience. A candidate's experience in the business, editorial and design aspects of newspaper/yearbook publishing will be a factor in the selection of the editor. Candidates should submit a completed application, two letters of recommendation, a current resume and a number of relevant work samples to John Di Carlo, Student Media Managing Director, in Room 243 of the Howard Gittis Student Center. Please send an email to john.dicarlo@temple.edu to obtain an application. Finalists for the position will be interviewed and selected by the Temple University Publications Board. Applications for The Temple News are due Wednesday, April 17. Applications for Templar are due Friday, April 19. @TheTempleNews

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OPINION TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

PAGE 8 EDITORIALS

Enforce off-campus rules

Over shouts of a few angry community leaders on Friday, President Richard Englert announced Temple University would be the primary sponsor of the North Central Special Services District. The district is a nonprofit led by community members and university employees who will work to mitigate residents’ longstanding complaints about Temple students devaluing their quality of life in the area near Main Campus. The district’s board will be responsible for holding students accountable for excessive trash and contracting outside organizations to help reduce it from Oxford Street to Dauphin and Broad Street to 18th. The SSD Board’s five, longtime residents who all live almost directly next to Main Campus will have majority voting power to decide what programming the SSD board will pursue. The Editorial Board believes the district is the university’s best reparation effort so far for past neglect, especially when the SSD Board’s plan talks of holding individual students accountable for mistreating

their neighborhood. We encourage neighbors to begin reporting students through the online platform the district will provide. The university should actually enforce the Student Conduct Code and give academic sanctions to students found disrespecting North Philadelphia, as it hasn’t done in the past. The Conduct Code offers a few brief sentences about upholding standards for student activity off-campus, but primarily handles violations that are university-related or on Temple’s premises. This needs to change. Students come to Main Campus to educate themselves and become more informed, valuable citizens. While the university has not yet decided what sanctions a student will face for repeat violations off-campus, maybe their ability to attend the university should be put on hold through academic punishments. Editor’s note: Kelly Brennan, the managing editor and member of the Editorial Board, wrote the accompanying news story and played no part in the writing or editing of this editorial.

A blank, historic slate for TSG

After winning 55 percent of students who voted in the Temple Student Government election last week, BecomingTU will serve as TSG’s first all-female executive board during the 2019-20 school year. This winning ticket has a blank page ahead of it. This is the first time in history TSG’s top three leaders are women. At a university that hasn’t seen a female student body president since Natalie Ramos-Castillo in 2010-11, this is historic. “Not only at this school, but as a whole, female leaders are not represented as they should be,” said Francesca Capozzi, the president-elect. “No matter your gender, no matter how you identify, being able to lead is not determinant of that. It’s determined of your abilities.” BecomingTU represents a group of people who long haven’t had the chance to be in charge of TSG, and that’s something to be celebrated. We’re excited to see how they bring their perspectives to the Board letters@temple-news.com

of Trustees — who are mostly all men — to represent all students at Temple. Aside from the history of this election, both campaigns were suspended for violating TSG’s Election Code. We hope BecomingTU will recover from this irresponsible behavior and be ethical leaders when they take their positions as the executive board next semester. We have criticized TSG’s levels of transparency and engagement repeatedly, so we are asking that the new leaders learn from the missteps of their predecessors. Increase communication between the student body and its governing body, hold yourselves accountable for your decisions and understand the importance of your role as a mouthpiece between students and the administration. With a new executive team comes a new chance for TSG to be what students need.

the music issue

Finding a career path in Philly music scene the music issue

A journalism student writes about how reporting about bands gave her a special appreciation for her job. BY KIMBERLY BURTON Politics Columnist It’s interesting how a concert can seemingly change your outlook, whether that lasts a day, a week or a year. Some may even say a certain concert changed their life. I’m one of the latter, but perhaps not for a reason you might expect. My first experience with journalism was writing for my local newspaper as an unpaid teen contributor. The section was published once a week, and each issue was a chance to pick a topic and take a break from high school to report and write. I had just turned 16 when I did my first in-person interview with a band. As a resident of the Philadelphia suburbs, I had access to all the shows in the city right at my fingertips. I scoured websites for area venues and emailed the management for every band I liked. I crossed my fingers, hoping one would respond. Weeks later, I was sitting backstage in the dressing room at the Theatre of Living Arts on South Street near 4th with one of my favorite bands, New Politics. At the end of the interview, the band apologized for being a bit rambunctious. I replied with a comment about how all my male friends in high school were the same way and I was used to it. Even though I had introduced myself as a writer for a teen publication, they were shocked. They asked how old I was. I told them 16. “You’re 16? I was still playing with Legos when I was 16.”

Later that night, as I stood in front of the barricade with my back to the crowd while taking photographs of the show, I realized how much I loved that feeling. Not only was I covering something I enjoyed, but I was documenting memories for all the fans behind me in the process. Soon enough, each weekly section became a chance to attend one more show, interview one more band and photograph one more lead singer. There were times I went to the city three times in one week for shows. I befriended security guards, met with band management and got comfortable with empty venues. I learned the layout of all the area’s music venues. I chatted with artists about their strange tour bus locations on the phone or related to young artists with comparisons of the high school experience. I did it all on my own. And I grew for the better because of it. I don’t write about music anymore, but those shows taught me one of the most important things: what you love doesn’t have to be separate from your job. It’s funny how something as simple as attending a concert can change you that much. Sometimes when I attend shows, bands still remember me as that girl who interviewed them all those years ago. Except I’m not a teenager anymore. I miss being that girl who covered multiple shows a week, but without her, I wouldn’t be pursuing journalism like I am today. And for that, I am thankful. kimberly.burton@temple.edu @kimberlyburton_

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OPINION PAGE 9

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

POLITICS

Seeking asylum: The real national emergency Elected officials should find ways there is not a crisis in terms of people er cases, the economic climate of those peals,” Escobar said. I couldn’t agree more. We can’t keep to allow more families seeking [illegally] crossing the border,” said Jen- countries is so bad that the people are nifer Lee, an associate law professor and forced to leave.” pointing to immigrants as drug dealers asylum into America. On Sunday, Kirstjen Nielson resigned from her position as the secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security, amidst frustraDIANA CRISTANCHO tion with getting other departments to help manage families crossing the border. I’m frustrated too, but not at the families crossing the border. I’m frustrated with how the country is handling it. In February, President Donald Trump announced a national emergency declaration as an attempt to skirt Congress and get billions of dollars to fund a wall on the U.S. southern border. This is one of the president’s many attempts to move forward with his campaign’s promise to reform United States immigration policy. Failing to obtain the funding after a 35-day government shutdown, Trump is still pushing for his wall by any means necessary. By declaring a national emergency, Trump faces a long, difficult process; the wall would take years to construct if it even gets built at all. We should provide a safe place for families fleeing catastrophe and danger in their native countries. Instead, Trump has chosen to focus on a crisis he manufactured himself. Wanting to build a wall across the Mexican border isn’t an emergency at all. “I think it’s well-documented that the situation is not an emergency and

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director of the Social Justice Lawyering Clinic at the Sheller Center for Social Justice. “If you look back two decades, the numbers were much higher than today.” Undetected illegal border crossings declined from about 851,000 in 2006 to approximately 62,000 in 2016, according to a May 2018 Department of Homeland Security report. We simply don’t need a wall. There has been a huge spike in asylum requests from Central American countries like Honduras and Guatemala, and responding this way is only alienating those who desperately need our help. “The U.S. received 262,000 asylum applications in 2016 — double the number in 2014 — with almost half of the applications coming from Central American nationals,” WBUR News reported. Families are fleeing their home countries because they fear the gang violence that has taken over their communities. “There’s a huge backlog processing people through the asylum system,” Lee said. “As a matter of international law, the U.S. has the obligation to allow those people who seek asylum status within our country, who are fleeing persecution from their home country.” Cristina Escobar, a sociology professor who teaches a class about ethnicity and immigration experience in the U.S., said the chaos ensuing in Central America is a humanitarian crisis. And the majority of the immigrants are not criminals or drug dealers, they are families just trying to survive. “Many of them have been directly targeted and threatened by gangs or dangerous situations,” Escobar said. “In oth-

Seeking asylum is a legal way to enter the U.S., but only 21 percent of asylum claims were approved in 2018, The New York Times reported. And a significant number of these claims take years to be processed. “Instead, I think the government should respond to this emergency by working to speed up the process to be able to better assist to these asylum ap-

and monsters. And we can’t be so focused on making it harder for people to come into our country. Some people truly have no choice but to leave their home countries. diana.cristancho@temple.edu

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OPINION PAGE 10

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

the music issue

Solange: Teaching a lesson on minimalism

NICOLE HWANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS

A poet writes about how he’s limiting and restrictive. Other times, inspired by the style of Solange’s words come at the cost of mood. And in some cases, a feeling just can’t be sumlatest album. BY TYLER PEREZ LGBTQ Columnist For me, writing poetry is less about the actual writing and more about trying to put a complex tapestry of feelings and emotions into words. I often struggle with finding the words to describe my thoughts and feelings when I want to be as unfiltered as possible. Sometimes, expressing complex ideas, moods or feelings in words feels

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marized in words, no matter how poetic they may be. Solange Knowles knows this all too well, and her latest album, “When I Get Home,” released last month, is a beautiful masterpiece that communicates so much by saying so little. That is why within only a matter of weeks, it became one of my all-time favorite albums. The album — which incorporates elements of psychedelic soul, jazz, Houston chop and screw and hip-hop — replaces lyricism with atmosphere to induce mood and emotion. Solange’s

angelic voice masterfully glides across eclectic instrumentals, and the album’s instrumental palette provides a portfolio of sleek, atmospheric sounds that help the listener understand the exact feeling Solange wants to convey. And she does it by saying so little in her lyrics. As a poet, someone whose writing is defined by words, I think that’s ingenious. In the heavenly song “Dreams,” Solange spends the majority of the track singing slightly different variations of just one lyric: “Dreams, they come a long way.” In the album opener, “Things I Imagined,” Solange spends two minutes repeating two lines. In the album’s standout collaboration track, “Almeda” featuring Playboi Carti and The-Dream, the three artists use repetition and parallelism to say very little on the surface, but to express huge ideas. “Black skin, Black braids, Black waves, Black days, Black baes, Black things, these are Black-owned things,” Solange raps over a chopped-andscrewed trap instrumental, advocating for her Black pride and expressing how it’s not only skin deep. In my own writing, I aim to convey large ideas and concepts, but I find that they are often weighed down by lengthy explanations. Solange, however, manages to express a complex idea like Black identity through very few words, and her success inspires me to write my own poetry in similar ways: concise, brief and minimalist. Throughout the songs, despite the noticeable lack of lyrics, the ideas and moods Solange seeks to convey are evident. During my first listen, I could sense the dreamlike, almost immortal feeling Solange expresses on “Dreams.” And the airy synths on “Things I Imagined” represent self-empowerment and self-actualization. These ideas are supplemented by

Solange’s lyrics, which say a lot by saying just a little. “Down With the Clique” and “Jerrod” are my two favorite songs from the album. Even though Solange’s incredibly high-pitched singing makes most of the lyrics nearly impossible to discern, I understand her moods and concepts. I think it’s brilliant when another artist can carry across such complex feelings. Although my poetry lacks the musical instruments that Solange uses to establish this atmosphere, her ability to convey strong emotions through very little inspires me to focus on mood and emotion more than the actual words and content in my poems. When Solange has only a few instruments at her disposal in “Down With the Clique” but carries across such a distinct feeling, she proves herself to be a truly incredible artist. When Solange’s vocals and instrumentals progressively increase tension and emotion in “Jerrod” while only repeating a few lines, it masterfully carries across the song’s themes of love and pain. With this album, Solange expertly uses 39 minutes of oscillating atmospheres, experimental production and minimalist lyrical style that carry across an ever-changing collection of themes that aren’t explicitly said. In my poetry, I focus so much on what I’m saying. But maybe I can learn from Solange and move away from that. Maybe the best way to express myself is to focus on how the words sound, and not just what they’re saying. Maybe saying little and leaving room for interpretation is the key to a great piece of art. I’m certain that “When I Get Home” will inspire me as long as I continue writing. tyler.perez@temple.edu @perezodent

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OPINION PAGE 11

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

the music issue

Excusing Cardi B’s behavior confirms colorism Letting lighter-skinned people and looser hair textures, as those attriget away with more is a butes are closer to whiteness. We, the Black community, always demonstration of prejudice. Cardi B admitted to drugging and robbing men during her exotic dancing days in a recent video. Social media users were divided. While some people were ready to write the artist off, others refused to let people compare her to Bill Cosby, comedian and former Temple University trustee who ALVIRA BONSU is facing three to DIVERSITY COLUMNIST 10 years for sexual assault-related charges. They defended her by saying she needed to rob men to survive. And if that weren’t enough to get people talking, a few days ago Cardi B was nominated for 21 Billboard Music Awards. I’m not surprised at Cardi B’s privilege, being that she is lighter-skinned, it all boils down to colorism — a concept I wrote about for The Temple News in February. Colorism is prejudice and favoritism based on skin color. Normally, lighter-skinned people are favored over darker-skinned people due to their proximity to European standards. Timothy Welbeck, an attorney and Africology and African American Studies instructor, said colorism is an extension of slavery. “Slavery ostensibly ends, but the racialized oppression that came with it never ended,” Welbeck said. “It just took on different forms and different names, such as colorism. So we applaud ourselves...as one evil system appears to end.” Because society fails to accept racially ambiguous people into white spaces, it will reward them in Black spaces. They gain privilege and superiority in these Black spaces because of their lighter skin @TheTempleNews

say Blackness comes in many different shades, but at what cost? The dismissal of fully toned, dark-skinned Black people? And why can’t whiteness come in many different shades as well? We often like to believe we have left behind the remnants of slavery and Jim Crow. But it feels like the One-Drop Rule, which states anyone with the tiniest bit of African ancestry is Black, will never go away. It would be easier to move away from colorism if mainstream media and the entertainment industry were not the biggest perpetrators of colorism. Khadijah Yadullah, a freshman Africology and African American Studies major, said it’s all about marketability. “Record labels want to be able to say that they have a Black person on the label,” Yadullah said. “They want to see who will give...more money, and unfortunately, it is the lighter-skinned artists.” A record label has to relate to a broader audience that includes white people. They have to cater and market to white people. White adolescent males are one of the biggest consumers of hiphop and rap. White consumers are where the money is. It is not that fans of color won’t support artists; it’s that white fans have more money and means of doing so. It’s very frustrating racially ambiguous people like Cardi B will only use Blackness to their advantage. Cardi B now considers her race Black. But when she was first becoming famous, she’d tiptoe around her identity. When people want to rightfully admonish her for using racial slurs, being Latinx suddenly means she is Black and it’s all OK. “In terms of the whole never embracing her Blackness, I think that is a part of a larger, more complicated history that goes across the Caribbean, where many Latinx people don’t fully embrace

NICOLE HWANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS

their Blackness due to the legacy of slavery and colonialism,” Welbeck said. And people will continue to let Cardi B’s behavior slide because of her lighter skin tone. This gives people with lighter skin tones even more entitlement within Black music and culture. “People, especially the consumers of hip-hop, which is the white youth, have a sense of entitlement to the music and culture,” said Lauren Smith, the president of the Black Student Union and a senior Africology and African American studies and geography and urban studies major. “They want to emulate it, but they cannot, so they choose to do so through the people they essentially make famous.” Drake, a biracial Canadian, and Cardi B, a Dominican-Trinidadian from New York, are two of the most popular rappers in the mainstream market. Even if people do not want to admit to their colorism, we can look to Black artists like the City Girls and CupcakKe; they’re not as popular because people associate them with being ghetto, inarticulate and vulgar. The way they act is the same way Cardi B acts. The difference is that Cardi B is lighter-skinned. Shortly after Cardi B admitted to drugging and robbing men during sexual encounters, she received award nominations. But if it were one of the City Girls,

they would most likely never be heard on the radio again. Cardi B will probably have to be replaced by a similar-looking, lighter-skinned female for people to officially write her off. It happened to Lil’ Kim with Nicki Minaj, and now it’s happening to Nicki Minaj with Cardi B. It’s important to pay attention to how colorism works because of how Black children and Black people internalize it. Many of us find our role models by whom we see in the media. If these are the “Black artists” Black youth are supposed to look up to, they’ll internalize that they cannot be famous or important enough unless they are lighter. For many, it’s not in our genetic makeup. Some people try to change their complexion with skin-lightening products, or they marry someone of a lighter skin tone so their children will have better opportunities. “If they really want change...uplift and love dark-skinned people,” Yadalluh said. We need to recognize colorism in our everyday lives and stop giving free passes to people because they are lighter. abonsu@temple.edu

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FEATURES

PAGE 12

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

the music issue

Lo-fi, hip-hop artist adds to international album The compilation benefited though it seems like I am.” A lot of beats are based around samwomen experiencing homelessness and domestic ples, or sound clips from TV shows, movies or other songs, but most of her violence. BY EMMA PADNER City Life Beat Reporter

etween doing choir and concert band growing up, Juliana Concepcion has always been surrounded by music. But she really discovered her passion for it when one of her high school film teachers played a lo-fidelity hip-hop mix on YouTube during class. “I just like all kinds of music and I’m interested in how it’s made, how you can create a sound that makes somebody feel something, and create meaning out of sound,” said Concepcion, who goes by the stage name Jewelssea. Jewelssea is a sophomore film and media arts major and producer of lo-fi music, which she describes as a “crunchy beat” that sounds less clean and processed than pop music. In January, her song, “darlin,” was selected for “Women of the World Volume 2,” a compilation of music by 50 women producers around the world. The mixtape was released in honor of Women’s History Month and proceeds benefited the nonprofit Share the Dignity, which provides personal hygiene products to women experiencing homelessness, and cover funeral costs for families of domestic violence victims in Australia. The compilation was released in March on a double cassette set and digitally on Bandcamp. Jewelssea was excited to be featured on the same project as Eevee, one of her favorite lo-fi artists, who was on the tape’s first volume. “It was just crazy to think that I could do that, too,” Jewelssea said. “I’m not that far away from those people I guess, even

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lo-fi beats are melody driven, she added. “I’ll flip [the samples], chop them up and make interesting soundscapes with it,” Jewelssea said. “A lot of it is also about ambient sounds, like some birds. They’re slower beats that I kind of listen to here or just at home.” Jared Daley, a sophomore communication arts major at Delaware County Community College whose stage name is JJARED, met Jewelssea through mutual friends on Instagram. The two met in person last January and have since produced about 12 songs together, including their four-track EP, “Transcend,” which released last summer. Jewelssea was one of the first people JJARED collaborated with outside of his immediate friend group, JJARED said. Jewelssea and JJARED produced most of their songs in JJARED’s basement. “It just makes the creative process normal and what it should be, which is fun,” JJARED said. “A lot of people are doing it for the wrong reasons, and I can tell she just loves to do it. She just loves making beats, and I’m down for that.” Temple film and media arts professor Catherine Pancake currently teaches Jewelssea in her Experimental Video and Multi-Media class. Jewelssea’s sound stands out to her because she pulls from a variety of genres and has a strong personal vision, she said. “I really see that people know her and admire her work and want to work with her, and that’s such an important part of being an artist, having people be attracted to your work,” Pancake added. “She just continues to make a name for herself.” Jewelssea hopes her full-length album will move her music closer to the electronic genre. Producing, no matter the genre, allowed her to find her pas-

EMMA PADNER / THE TEMPLE NEWS Juliana Concepcion, a sophomore film and media arts major, holds her Roland SP-404SX portable sampler at the Bell Tower on Friday.

sion, she said. “In the past year, I realized I can do something like this and I really like it, and it’s made me grow as a person a lot,” Jewelssea said. “I feel like I know myself

better, and I feel like I’m happier. I have a better sense of my place in the world.” emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner

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FEATURES PAGE 13

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

the music issue

Weekly event series celebrates art of swing jazz Student and professional musicians from across the country perform almost every Thursday on Main Campus. BY MADISON KARAS Campus Beat Reporter Nearly every Thursday, students, parents and community members file into the Temple Performing Arts Center’s lobby to hear some soothing sounds. The Rite of Swing Jazz Café, the Boyer College of Music and Dance’s ongoing jazz series, showcases musicians from Philadelphia, New York City and across the country. Some of them are Temple University students and faculty. The event occurs almost every week from 4:30-6:30 p.m. during the academic year as a free, walk-in performance venue for music fans to celebrate different forms of jazz music. Luca Rodoni, a junior jazz performance major and trumpeter, regularly attends the cafe, beginning in his freshman year. He performed in the series for the second time on March 28 with his band, which performs songs from many eras of jazz. Rodini and Temple students Dylan Band and Nathan Pence, alongside Boyer instructors Timothy Brey and Byron Landham, make up the Luca Rodoni / Dylan Band Quintet. “[The cafe] is inspiring,” Rodoni said. “It brings out opportunities to see a lot of amazing musicians week to week, and then it also serves as a place for the community to come out and be in touch with what’s going on at the jazz program at Temple.” The jazz series began in September 2014 as a way to bring an afternoon jazz concert series to the Temple community and now hosts more than 30 events throughout the academic year, said David Brown, who is the assistant dean for administrative affairs at Temple’s Center for Performing and Cinematic Arts and helps run the series. Attendees can buy snacks like pot

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MADISON KARAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Luca Rodoni (left) and Dylan Band perform at the Rite of Swing Jazz Café in the Temple Performing Arts Center on March 28.

stickers, chicken tenders and samosas catered by Aramark during performances. The cafe also has a bar that offers beer, wine, mixed drinks and non-alcoholic beverages. Being able to include both student and professional musicians in the series was a large factor in creating the recurring event, Brown said. “It’s nice to be able to have an event where we feature students, where we feature faculty,” he added. “Then the students can come the next week, and we have a pro group that comes in from Washington or from New York or wherever, and they can see what a pro group would do in the same situation.” Jazz, a popular form of music in Philadelphia, makes for a great way to connect community members and non-music-majors to live music, Brown said. About 50 people attend the series each week.

“It’s just something that is really approachable,” he said. “And we have so many students at the university who I know appreciate jazz and who appreciate being able to come to a live performance.” The series will continue in upcoming academic years. The performance schedule for student, faculty and professional headliners is finalized each June by Jazz Studies Department Director Terell Stafford. “When you have an event like this that’s good quality music and it doesn’t cost you anything, you really have no excuse,” said Claire Schneider, a freshman jazz vocal performance major who attended the event on March 28. Schneider regularly attends the cafe to support her friends from Boyer who perform, she said, but she would like to see more vocalists and women take the stage.

Band, a junior jazz performance major, attended the cafe for three years before performing in it. The performances provide good exposure opportunities for budding musicians, he said. WRTI, a Temple-owned radio station on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street, records all Rite of Swing Jazz Café performances and airs them the following week. The cafe is a “free, open space” for students, which makes it easy to support friends by coming to their performances, Band said. “It’s important to have an easy to access place to see the people at their highest level of performing,” he said. “There’s really no better way to get acclimated to your field of performance than going to performances and performing.” madison.karas@temple.edu @madraekaras

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FEATURES PAGE 14

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

Karaoke performances help students de-stress Many students let loose during ment source for the musically-inclined Way” from the Disney Channel original ton 11 Restaurant offer private rooms movie “High School Musical 2.” where groups can sing without the stress karaoke at bars around Main members of the student body. Maxi’s hosts karaoke on Tuesdays Lengua never shies away from pullof public performances. Campus and in Chinatown. BY BIBIANA CORREA Trend Beat Reporter Autumn Bolton’s nights out usually start exactly the same way: with her friends and a karaoke machine. The sport business graduate student said even after they’ve left her apartment, she and her friends look out for a karaoke bar in the city before returning home to her own machine for even more singing. “Mostly, I’m the one who only ever really does karaoke,” Bolton said. “My friends always just sort of laugh at me while I do it, but I just enjoy doing it. I don’t mind getting up in front of people and doing it. I think it’s a lot of fun.” Bolton and other Temple students let loose with karaoke on Tuesdays at bars around campus like Draught Horse Pub & Grill and Maxi’s Pizza, Subs & Bar. Karaoke has become a staple entertain-

starting at 8 p.m., one of the restaurant’s busiest nights, said employee Elaina Graca. “Karaoke is one of those fun things that drunk people love to do,” she said. “They like to get up in front of a ton of people and belt out songs that they love.” The singers’ excitement makes working karaoke nights fun, Graca added. She enjoys seeing the regulars’ faces and hearing familiar songs. “There’s something fun about getting up in front of a bunch of people and just messing around and doing something lighthearted like singing, and knowing that you’re probably not going to be the best singer and it’s going to be funny,” she said. Junior criminal justice major Julissa Lengua and her friends have attended every karaoke night for the past two months at the Draught Horse. They’ve performed songs like “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z and “Gotta Go My Own

ing her friends on stage and having them sing as a group, she said. “I always drag everyone to come up there and sing one good song because ‘why not?’” she said. “We’re making memories here.” Karaoke has always been part of junior biology major Raina Seonmi So’s life. As Seonmi So grew up in South Korea, karaoke was a way to for she and her family to celebrate. They often rented out a private room during holidays, she said. “We are a very humbled tribe,” Seonmi So added. “It’s not a weird place to cry or like yell. We’re super hype no matter what, because it is a place for stress relief.” Developed in Japan in the 1970s, karaoke remains popular and ingrained in many Asian cultures as a symbol of family and friendship. Many bars in Philadelphia’s Chinatown, like Yakitori Boy, Tango and Can-

EMILY SCOTT Freshman biology major

VOICES

What’s your go-to karaoke song and why?

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My go-to karaoke song would be ‘All Star’ by Smash Mouth. It’s a good song overall, and I know all the words.

Tuesday night Draught Horse DJ Matt Krause, whose stage name is Dablz, said the best part of karaoke nights is seeing people laugh and have a good time. “I find that with the karaoke, once you get that first couple of people singing, then more people will sing and it’ll loosen up the mood and you see people laughing,” Krause said. “If someone’s a bad singer, you’ll see others be like, ‘What the f--- is going on?’” Many student performers find the best part of karaoke to be belting out classic songs from their youth. “We all have our favorite songs, and my favorite song to do is ‘Follow Me’ by Uncle Kracker, or any old song by Blink-182,” Bolton said. “It gets everyone up on their feet and happy and ready to have a good night.” bibiana.correa@temple.edu

ASHWIN SUSEENDRAN Sophomore music education and jazz major I love ‘Mother Nature’s Son’ by The Beatles because it’s slow, laid back, kind of zen song and it always reminds me of Paul McCartney, who is a hero of mine.”

JOHN FENNELLY Junior criminal justice major

NIKITA BEHETON Freshman psychology major

‘Party In The U.S.A.’ because it’s lit. It’s a great song.

It’s ‘Wannabe’ because I love the Spice Girls. I really think they should get back together.

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FEATURES TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

PAGE 15

LIVE IN PHILLY

Philadelphia celebrates spring with annual kite festival

DYLAN LONG / THE TEMPLE NEWS

The seventh annual Philadelphia Kite Festival took place at Penn Treaty Park on Saturday. The event featured kite workshops, face painting and performances from bands like salsa group Orquestra del Barrio. Families took advantage of the open green space and sunny skies during the festival from noon to 5 p.m. “You couldn’t ask for a better day,” said Dave Brett, a 42-year-old Fishtown resident, as he helped his daughter, Evelyn, fly her kite. Brian Wynder, a 35-year-old Fishtown resident, has attended the kite festival with his family for years. “We come to this park all the time,” he said. “We stumbled upon it the first time by chance, and now we’ve been coming back every year.” The festival featured a kite show from the award-winning South Jersey Kite Flyers. It is supported by groups like the Penn Treaty Special Services District and the nonprofit Friends of Penn Treaty Park. “It’s a chance to spend time in the community, enjoy the weather and fly some kites,” Brett said.

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FEATURES PAGE 16

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

House show band leaps into Philly music scene Mind Erase Her is an indie-punk student group that performs at bars in Philadelphia. BY SARA PAULSON For The Temple News Laurel McLaughlin and Cosette Gobat met while canvassing for an environmental organization. Gobat didn’t like the job very much, so she quit after two days. But that didn’t stop McLaughlin and Gobat from creating a lasting friendship. Soon, they started “jamming” whenever they got the chance. The two now regularly perform music in their indie-punk band, Mind Erase Her. They spent a year performing at various house shows around Main Campus before adding John Charlton, a 2018 environmental studies alumnus, to the group as its drummer last summer. Gobat, a senior media studies and production major, and McLaughlin, a junior anthropology and Spanish major, alternate between singing and playing the guitar. Since 2017, the band has also performed at bars in Philadelphia like Kung Fu Necktie and Boot and Saddle. The group will return to the Boot and Saddle on Wednesday to perform in a benefit show for Planned Parenthood. “If there’s a place to be playing music, it’s Philly,” McLaughlin said. Mind Erase Her recorded its live album at Brave New Radio, a college radio station at William Paterson University in Wayne, New Jersey, on March 24 and released the album on Bandcamp on April 1. Mind Erase Her considers itself to have an indie-punk sound with influences from Philadelphia artists like Alex Giannascoli, a former Temple University student who goes by the stage name (Sandy) Alex G and has performed across the country. features@temple-news.com

Gobat also DJs at the online radio station Y-Not Radio, an indie-rock radio station in Philadelphia that has influenced her as a musician, she said. “It has helped me in all areas of my life,” Gobat added. “As a musician, I have gotten to meet some really famous artists that are well known like Metric, Caroline Rose and Hurry, a big Philly band. It has brought up my confidence a lot.” Although Mind Erase Her has joined other local bands performing around the city, Gobat still appreciates the house shows it plays near Main Campus. “For the type of music that we’re in, this young, college, indie scene, Temple is the place for it,” Gobat said. “There’s something about North Philadelphia house shows.” There is a shortage of women performing in house shows at Temple, with McLaughlin and Gobat often being the only women playing on certain nights, Gobat added. When the band isn’t performing, McLaughlin, Gobat and Charlton sit down together to write and record songs in each others’ houses. Mind Erase Her members have also collaborated with other Temple artists like Max Klemmer, a junior journalism major who plays guitar in various performances around Temple. “I’ve gotten to see how they have evolved as a band,” Klemmer said. “They have a good sound. Their vocals are really good too. Laurel and Cozy have some really good harmonies.” The band plans to release an EP early this summer in anticipation of next school year, when Gobat and McLaughlin will study abroad in London and Spain, respectively. “For about a year, we won’t be able to play much,” McLaughlin said. “After that, we will keep writing together and recording and playing in Philly.”

THE TEMPLE NEWS 2018-19 STAFF PICKS SONG Gloria Tempo goodnight n go Africa High Beams Breathe 2.0 Come Back to Earth On+Off Stack that Cheese Echo Arms Love Language Pynk Doubt Ghost Town So Dumb Drones Roach Motel Shallow Middle Child Death Grips is Online Better ilomilo Northern Lights Yosemite you should see me in a crown

ARTIST The Lumineers Lizzo ft. Missy Elliot Ariana Grande Weezer Flume Vincent Mac Miller Maggie Rogers Lupe Fiasco ft. Nikki Jean Mr Twin Sister Kehlani Janelle Monae Hippo Campus Kanye West Good Doogs The Vernes The Vernes Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper J. Cole Death Grips Khalid billie eilish Death Cab for Cutie Travis Scott Billie Eilish

STAFF MEMBER Gillian McGoldrick Claire Halloran Madison Seitchik Julie Christie Greta Anderson Jared Giovan Grace Shallow Zari Tarazona Evan Easterling Ian Walker Siani Colon Michaela Althouse Michael Zingrone Sam Neumann Dylan Long Jayna Schaffer Daniel Magras Claire Wolters Will Bleier Luke Smith Maria Ribeiro Kelly Brennan Kelsey McGill Phuong Tran Laura Smythe

FIND THE PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY AT “2019 TTN MUSIC PICKS”

sara.paulson@temple.edu

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SIXERS CROSSWORD

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Down: 1. Point guard who famously said, “We talkin’ ‘bout practice” 2. Slogan for team rebuilding spearheaded by former general manager Sam Hinkie 4. Original team name 5. 1960s-era player who holds 72 NBA records 10. Sixers’ G League affiliate 11. Current coach Across: 3. Power forward known as “The

Round Mound of Rebound” 6. Boyfriend of Kendall Jenner and 2017-18 Rookie of the Year 7. Player honored in February when the Sixers retired his No. 2 jersey 8. Former player for the Bulls and Timberwolves traded to the Sixers in November 2018 9. Seven-foot center and member of 2017 All-Rookie First Team 12. Dubbed as “Dr. J,” small forward who helped the Sixers win the 1983 NBA Finals

Answers from Tuesday, April 2: 1. Saeed Jones, 2. Free verse, 3. Slam poetry, 4. Sylvia Plath, 5. Haiku, 6. Walt Whitman, 7. William Carlos Williams, 8. Sonnet, 9. Langston Hughes, 10. Sonia Sanchez, 11. Stanza

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INTERSECTION PAGE 18

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

Artists caught ‘blackfishing’ in music industry Several artists have been accused of appropriating Black culture in their music. BY LAUREN REMY For The Temple News

rtists like Ariana Grande, who sometimes imitate Black culture through aesthetics and sound, have been accused of “blackfishing” in the music industry. In music, blackfishing refers to historical uses of blackface and minstrelsy, said Shana Goldin-Perschbacher, a professor of music studies and music history in the Boyer College of Music and Dance. It is a form of cultural appropriation, which, in general, has a storied history in the music industry, she added. New Zealand Herald deputy lead of entertainment Siena Yates and others accused Grande of bronzing her skin to the point of looking like a woman of color, using a “blaccent” and appropriating different cultures in her “7 rings” music video released in January. “White musicians who cover the music that is often created by people of color...are credited with inventing it and make more money than the people who often originated this music,” Goldin-Perschbacher said. The phenomenon appears to be more widespread than the “thank u, next” singer, and some students have raised questions about the music industry as a whole. Instagram influencers like Aga Brzostowska and Emma Hallberg were accused of darkening their skin in photographs last year to appear more Black, the BCC reported. “[Ariana Grande]’s not doing everything by herself,” said ZyMoon Gillespie-Anderson, a junior music major and an electronic and hip-hop musician in the Philadelphia area. “Clearly, in the music industry, there’s some sort of formula going on, and that’s where the apintersection@temple-news.com

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

propriation of Black culture in pop culture starts.” While it is important to condemn blackfishing and appropriation at-large, it is important to not segregate cultures from one another in music and recognize that a lot of genres are hybrid, Goldin-Perschbacher said. “[Blackfishing] essentializes people,” Goldin-Perschbacher added. “[But] racial and ethnic categories are inventions meant to separate us.” Additionally, because not all Black people wear the same jewelry or hairstyles, calling out Grande for “blackfishing” because of those things presents a narrow definition of Black culture, Gillespie-Anderson said. “Everyone plays into the creation of this image that is what a Black person is, even Black people,” he added. Hannah Strong, a master’s music student specializing in musicology, went to high school with Mac Miller at Winchester Thurston, a preparatory school in Pittsburgh. Miller, a white rapper who died in September, used inspiration

from Black culture in his music. Due to his upbringing and the neighborhood he grew up in Pittsburgh, Miller’s style of music wasn’t authentic to his own culture, Strong said. “The way that Mac talked was not his natural accent or dialect,” Strong added. “I don’t think Mac was fake tanning or getting lip injections or anything like that, but he was doing a lot of other stuff. I think it’s just easier for us to criticize women.” Goldin-Perschbacher also noted that women are more often accused of blackfishing than men, but the problem is not strictly female. However, Miller’s music was applauded by Black artists like Jay-Z and Chance the Rapper, who expressed sympathy on Twitter after Miller’s death. “I loved him for real,” Chance the Rapper tweeted on Sept. 7. “I’m completely broken.” Miller also supported the Black community through the Black Lives Matter movement. If a musician uses elements from

other cultures, it is important they pay respect to that culture and recognize that those elements are borrowed, Strong said. Aaron X. Smith, an Africology and African American Studies professor, pointed to Eminem as an artist who is respectful of using other cultures in his music. “[Eminem] always gives deference to other artists and knows the history is the main reason, even among Black consumers of hip-hop,” Smith added. “It’s about being genuine.” Replacing blackfishing and other forms of appropriation with respect can be possible, but it takes education on both sides and conversation about perspective, Gillespie-Anderson said. “Communication could solve a lot of problems,” Gillespie-Anderson added. “People miss that step because they’re so worked up.” laremy@temple.edu

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INTERSECTION PAGE 19

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

the music issue

Music should appreciate cultures, not appropriate the music issue

Students and professors discuss ish culture and helped Bieber profit. “Music is an art form, and we can how to appreciate another learn so much from it when it’s done culture’s music. BY MICHELE MENDEZ For The Temple News Artists are crossing cultural lines with music, as evidenced by recent Billboard Hot 100 hits like Post Malone’s “Wow.,” Ariana Grande’s “7 rings” and Cardi B and Bruno Mars’ “Please Me.” But when they break these boundaries and take on genres from other cultures, some fans wonder if artists are practicing cultural appreciation or cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is when a person takes elements from another culture without paying tribute to their authenticity and value, said Timothy Welbeck, an Africology and African American Studies instructor. Post Malone, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars and Iggy Azalea, all non-Black artists, are known for performing music like R&B and hip-hop influenced by Black people and culture. Azalea’s performances, particularly the voice she uses while rapping, is an example of appropriation, Welbeck said. Azalea uses a “blaccent,” an imitation of a Black accent by a non-Black person, while rapping, he added. “When she raps, she sounded like a poor imitation of a Black woman who lived in an urban area in America,” Welbeck said. “But then when she spoke, she spoke in a dignified Australian accent.” When an artist tries to profit from the music style without showing respect to the culture, they also demonstrate cultural appropriation, said Gabriella Duran, a freshman global studies and political science major. Justin Bieber’s inclusion on the remix of “Despacito” stood out to Duran as a bilingual track that disrespected Span-

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correctly,” Duran said. But distinguishing between cultural appreciation and appropriation in music isn’t always easy to define. Fans of Bruno Mars debated whether or not the artist respectfully represented Black culture in his music last March, Vice reported. Mars was accused of cultural appropriation by Seren Sensei, a writer and activist, but Black celebrities defended him on Twitter. Sensei accused Mars of using “his racial ambiguity to cross genres.” In response, celebrities tweeted he has paid homage to Black culture and helped bring back certain aspects of the culture’s sound. Mars, whose father is Puerto Rican and Jewish and mother is Filipina, often credits Michael Jackson and other Black musicians as inspirations. “The situation is complicated, but the point is that there is a lot of misunderstandings and not enough conversation,” said Dynas Johnson, a junior English major. Johnson is a fan of K-pop, a genre originating in Korea that blends together sounds and styles from around the world including R&B, jazz and hip-hop, which are music forms created by Black people. K-pop uses these forms of music as inspiration, but Johnson is skeptical of the intentions of the genre as a whole. K-pop often uses important elements of Black culture, like locs, a hairstyle worn by Black people, in aesthetic form, Johnson, who is in Temple’s K-pop club, added. “It hurts to listen to a group and become invested when you know they don’t respect your culture,” she said. “If they’re problematic, I won’t listen to them.”

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

MAMAMOO, a female K-pop band, faced criticism for wearing blackface in a video for a cover to Mars and Mark Ronson’s song “Uptown Funk” in 2017, Pop Crush, a pop music and celebrity entertainment news site, reported. The group issued an apology, but it is not the only band from the genre to appropriate another culture. A member from the K-pop group Blackpink wears locks in a music video for their new song, “Kill this love,” which was released on April 4. Still, that’s not to say all musicians who cross genres do so disrespectfully. “I’ve never heard Bruno Mars making music and saying that it’s all him,” said Hannah Gómez, a senior advertising major. Finding ways to honor the culture they are crossing into can be a way for artists to avoid appropriation, Welbeck said. Eminem, a white rapper inspired

by Black music, showed respect to Black culture by diverting attention from himself when receiving awards and praise for his music, Welbeck added. “People would look to him as an innovator,” Welbeck said. “He would be quick to signal people’s attention to the fact that the things that he was being praised for, other people have done before him and he was a beneficiary of the types of things that they have done and the techniques that they introduced.” “Any outsider entering into a culture that is not their own should first understand that the culture derived from elsewhere,” Welbeck added. “They should respect the culture and the people who are in it.” michelemendez@temple.edu

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TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

the music issue

Music therapists use music as a tool for healing the music issue

Music therapy majors discuss how and why they use music to help others. BY MYKEL GREENE For The Temple News Living with Tourette’s syndrome can come with surprises, like unexpected and unstoppable tics in conversations. But for Tommy Licato, a sophomore music therapy major who has Tourette’s, music is a grounding form of communication. While performing or listening to music, a person’s tics may halt or reduce in frequency, according to a 2015 study published in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences. Music therapy is an interpersonal process to help someone improve emotional, social, physical, cognitive and spiritual well-being. Through his studies in the Boyer College of Music and Dance, Licato hopes to further research on music and Tourette’s and help people manage their symptoms with music. There is currently no known cause or cure for Tourette’s. Licato and other students want to provide music therapy to people in minority or impoverished communities. “This is what I was put on this earth to do,” said Theresa McGuinness, a sophomore music therapy major who grew up with music in her life. Music has a strong capacity for healing because it stimulates the pleasure centers in the brain, which produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes a person feel happy, according to Ashford University. When a person engages with music, dopamine production can increase, further “improving mood, enhancing learning and focus, and promoting overall well being,” according to the Center for Neurological and Neurodevelopmental Health. “[Music can be used to] bridge the

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gap between the left and right brain to achieve goals such as learning to talk by singing or learning to walk to the beat of a preferred song,” McGuinness said. Additionally, music can aid in the development of auditory processing, according to Integrated Learning Strategies, a Utah-based center that provides resources for children with learning disabilities. Researchers at ILS found that music and sound therapy helped people improve their attention and observed positive changes for people with auditory processing disorders, ADHD, dyslexia and autism. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine also found benefits music provides. A 2007 study linked music to increasing attention spans, ability to make predictions and improvements in memory. In the study, people listened to short Boroque pieces separated by moments of silence. In those moments of silence, the subjects’ brains became “arrested” by the silence and anticipated the next movement. Using these effects that music has on the brain, music therapists can help people to learn how to use daily functions through music and silence. McGuinness used singing as an outlet to release stress, she said. She wants to use music to save others from conditions that are out of their control and provide them with an outlet, she added. Like McGuinness, Nathan Kozel, a sophomore music therapy major, played string bass to pull himself through tough times. Kozel gives guitar lessons to teens at the Free Library of Philadelphia. He is still undecided on the specific demographic he will work with after college but he enjoys working with teens, he said. Temple University’s music therapy program includes three semesters of fieldwork for him to try to find his niche, he added.

“Music therapy is for everyone, and that’s what this program teaches and prepares each student for,” said Darlene Brooks, the director of Temple’s music therapy program. Fieldwork is designed to expose students to different work environments, like hospitals, hospices, psychiatric wards, prisons, juvenile detention centers and neonatal intensive care units, Brooks added. Undergraduates pursuing a degree in music therapy must complete at least 200 hours of fieldwork shadowing a professional, before taking a full- or parttime internship for 1,000 hours in their final two semesters.

The Temple University Music Therapy Club facilitates networking and camaraderie within the program. Together, members fundraise to attend the Mid-Atlantic Region American Music Therapy Association Conference through events like the Boyerama Game Night that took place on Sunday. They also volunteer to work with seniors and special needs communities. “Music and therapy work together to bring about a change in the client, regardless of their conditions,” Brooks said. greenemy@temple.edu

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SPORTS PAGE 21

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

FOOTBALL

Senior aims for All-American honors in last year Isaiah Wright hopes his versatility Wright said. “I probably won’t be the to have the ball more, he added. With average of 13.1 yards per return. “[Wright] was the second best in can help him excel on offense primary back, but you are gonna see me an increase in touches, Wright’s goal is back there and me doing a lot of other to record both 1,000 rushing yards and the country, so it’s his job,” special teams and special teams. BY DANTE COLLINELLI For The Temple News It would be “irresponsible” for Temple University football coach Rod Carey not to use Isaiah Wright to his full capabilities, he said. Last season, the senior wide receiver totaled seven touchdowns as a wide receiver, rusher, kick returner and punt returner. When he wasn’t scoring, he was making big plays. Wright posted 368 receiving yards, 84 rushing yards, and finished second in Division I with 1,122 return yards. This season, the Owls will move Wright around the field, while also using him out of the backfield more. “I am gonna play in the backfield,”

things too.” Wright lined up on the outside, in the slot, as a running back, as a returner and ran some trick plays at wildcat quarterback under former coach Geoff Collins. Wright wants to play more in the backfield this year than he did last season, he said. Wright only received 19 rushing attempts in 2018, down from 25 in 2017. “Coach Carey made sure he let me know what his plan was, and I appreciate that he tries to get me in the loop with everything,” Wright said. “It is fun to finally be able to do the things that I thought I was gonna do.” Wright said his expanded role to the backfield this season will allow him

1,000 receiving yards en route to receiving all-conference honors. Wright’s biggest impact on the Owls throughout his career has been in the return game. He has racked up 1,850 combined kick and punt return yards and scored five touchdowns, including three last year. “All the different things [Wright] brings to the team on special teams, he is just lightning ” senior cornerback Linwood Crump said. “ I love blocking for him. It is the best thing to see your man go score a touchdown and get all those accolades.” Wright won American Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Year last season and finished seventh in the Football Bowl Subdivision with an

coordinator Ed Foley said. “I’m excited to have him back and he’s excited to be back. We’ve been watching some different return styles. He’s gonna be really good this year for us.” Wright’s return prowess excites his teammates to block harder for him, and his teammates feel a part of any awards he wins, Crump said. Wright has some ambitious goals for this coming season with his new role. “Truthfully, I set my goals high, I have high standards,” Wright said. “I would like to have 1,000 receiving yards, 1,000 rushing yards, and be an [all-conference player] again.” Dante.Collinelli@temple.edu @DanteCollinelli

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Senior wide receiver Isaiah Wright carries the ball during the Owls’ practice on Saturday at Chodoff Field.

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SPORTS PAGE 22

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

GOLF

Golf makes team history at Princeton Invitational

SYDNEY SCHAEFER / FILE PHOTO Then-redshirt junior John Barone watches his drive during practice at the Blue Bell Country Club in Montgomery County on Nov. 1, 2017.

Temple finished in third place and together,” coming off their top-three ed. “It was good to finish the way we finished [Sunday]. That felt good for the recorded its lowest combined performance. Senior Gary McCabe, redshirt se- kids which made me happy.” three-round score. BY WINSTON HARRIS Golf Beat Reporter Temple University men’s golf turned in one of its best performances in tournament history this weekend at the Princeton Invitational. The team finished the three-round tournament on Saturday and Sunday in third place with an 847 team score, which ranks as the Owls’ lowest at a 54hole tournament. Temple shot 5-under par at the Springdale Golf Club, a par-71 course in Princeton, New Jersey. With only one more regular-season invitational left and the American Athletic Conference championships less than two weeks away, coach Brian Quinn said the team is beginning to “gel sports@temple-news.com

nior John Barone, senior Trey Wren, redshirt junior Erik Reisner and freshman Conor McGrath propelled the Owls to a third-place result by combining to shoot 5-under par. McCabe, Barone and Wren each placed in the top-16 of the individual competition. The Owls have improved their performance from their past two tournaments. Temple placed 10th out of 18 teams at the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate on March 11 then finished seventh out of 21 teams at the Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate on March 24. This weekend’s result in New Jersey gives Quinn confidence in his team heading into the Owls’ last two competitions, he said. “We’ve done some nice things this spring and we kind of had some half-decent-at-best tournaments,” Quinn add-

Though the Owls finished third, they had a disappointing performance on their first day of the Princeton Invitational, Quinn said. The Owls had a three-hole stretch that cost the team 10 strokes, Quinn said. But in the second round, Temple recorded 15 under-pars as a team. Temple salvaged its record win in the third round in large part to McCabe, who set several career milestones over the weekend. In the final round, he made two birdies and shot 1-under 70. His final round followed a second round where he recorded six birdies and finished 3-under par to record the lowest score in his Temple career. McCabe finished in an eighth-place tie with a 209, both marking career bests on a 54hole course. McCabe played at the Springda-

le Golf Club for the fourth time in his Temple career. His familiarity with the course allowed him to turn in his best performance of his collegiate career. “[Quinn] always says everything is in preparation for the conference championships,” McCabe said. “So it’s a good time to be playing some good golf.” Barone saved his score in the final two rounds. After shooting 4-over par in the first round, he shot 68 and 67 in the second and third rounds, respectively, and finished the tournament tied for 11th at 210. Reisner also had a strong final round on Sunday with three birdies and recorded a 2-under par score in the final round. He and McGrath finished in a tie for 46th. “I knew [Reisner] was going to play good today and he did,” Quinn said. “He just shot a really good score and led the way for us.” Wren started the event strong, shooting 3-under par in the first round, but he could have had an even better round. A few missed putts and poor shots cost him up to six strokes that round, Quinn said. Wren finished the weekend with an even-par 213 score, which tied him for 16th place. Quinn has seen gradual improvement as the season progressed, he said. But with one more meet remaining before the conference championships from April 21-23, Quinn feels optimistic about Temple’s chances in the championship tournament. The Owls will participate in the Explorer Invitational on Monday before traveling to Palm Harbor, Florida, for the conference championship. “I’m really excited to see how we can stack up,” Quinn added. “Hopefully we rattle some cages and have a good week [at the conference championships].” winston.harris@temple.edu

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SPORTS PAGE 23

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

MEN’S BASKETBALL

McKie will mimic Chaney’s ‘tough love’ approach Aaron McKie wants to develop every day, Moore added. “[McKie] is the type of guy to tell “organic relationships” with players like John Chaney once you to ‘do this’ and do that and scream on you,” Moore said. “But at the same time, did with him. BY DONOVAN HUGEL For The Temple News John Chaney used to make Aaron McKie cry once a week. McKie, who played on the men’s basketball team at Temple University from 1991-94, would run home after practices and be upset due to Chaney’s “tough love” coaching style, McKie said. During practice, Chaney held his players accountable, which led Chaney to occasionally yell and rattle his young athletes. Now 25 years later, McKie is Temple’s coach and plans to use some of Chaney’s coaching philosophy with the Owls, minus the crying. Chaney, 87, attended McKie’s introductory press conference at McGonigle Hall last Tuesday. The two have an “organic relationship” because of Chaney’s willingness to speak to players honestly, McKie said. Chaney held McKie to high standards every day, and because of that, McKie became a better player on the court and person off of it, he said. “Once I got older, I never understood why they used to tell me, ‘You’re too nice,’” McKie said. “When I got into the NBA and I watched some of the behaviors, I thought, ‘Wow, they did right by me and taught me the right way.’” “That’s leadership,” McKie added. “It can be unpopular. It can uncomfortable. But when you want to win, that’s what’s needed, and as a team that should be the ultimate goal. You need somebody to hold people accountable.” McKie has held the Owls accountable during his time as an assistant coach, junior guard Alani Moore said. Whether it is making sure a play is run correctly in practice or players following team rules, McKie holds the Owls to a high standard

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he will bring you like a brother or son. ...That is what I like about him, there is no cutting corners for anybody.” During Chaney’s time on North Broad Street, discipline was at the center of his coaching philosophy, but his players benefited from it, McKie said. McKie started 92 games at Temple and averaged 17.9 points per game during his career. McKie is tied for sixth on the school’s all-time scoring average list and played for three NCAA Tournament teams. Chaney can recall days he was extremely pleased and proud of McKie, but Chaney can also recall days he was angry with McKie, he said. McKie was once held scoreless in the first half of a 1994 first round NCAA Tournament game against Drexel, despite being one of the team’s leaders. Although Temple held a four-point lead at halftime, Chaney was upset with one of his top players. “I couldn’t wait until we got into the locker room because I was going to kill him,” Chaney said. “I pulled him aside and said, ‘You haven’t scored a basket.’ … When I called on him to shoot, I needed him to shoot. I told him I was setting it up for him to score the first five possessions of the second half. If he didn’t, I was going to take him out of the game.” With the help of McKie’s scoring 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting, the Owls won that game and advanced to the next round of the NCAA Tournament. McKie knows he will need to find the balance of pushing his players and being a mentor. But, holding players accountable will help the Owls make deep NCAA Tournament runs, like McKie did as a player in 1993 when Temple went to the Elite Eight, he said. About five months remain before McKie will pace the sideline as the Owls’ coach for the first time. McKie still has

JUSTIN OAKES / THE TEMPLE NEWS Aaron McKie (left) shakes hands with former coach John Chaney during his introduction as Temple’s next coach on April 2 at McGonigle Hall.

STEVE GENGLER / FILE PHOTO John Chaney yells during a game in 2005-06 Temple men’s basketball season.

time to perfect his coaching style. “That’s what I think about a lot,” McKie said. “Am I going to be that guy with the jacket on, or am I going to be a

guy with the jacket off?” donovan.hugel@temple.edu @donohugel

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SPORTS PAGE 24

TUESDAY, APRIL 9, 2019

THE PLAYLIST MAKES THE GAME Student-athletes share the artists on their pre-game playlists they use to pump themselves up.

BY SAM NEUMANN & MICHAEL ZINGRONE For The Temple News

or some athletes, music is a necessity — just like game film and practice — to prepare themselves for a game. Temple University’s football team blares YFN Lucci during its practices and after wins. Men’s basketball players form forever bonds over Meek Mill. Track and field sprinters get their motivational messages from rap lyrics. The Temple News talked to several Division I athletes at Temple to ask them how music influences their ath-

Linwood Crump Football senior cornerback letic performances. Before every game Crump plays for Temple, he listens to one specific artist — Justin Bieber. “My pre-game ritual, I got my headphones in and my one song I listen to before a game that gets me pumped, it’s Justin Bieber,” Crump said. “I don’t know what it is. The beat, something that he did on that song, I don’t know. Most guys might like listening to Meek, sports@temple-news.com

something else, but I like listening to Justin Bieber.” When Crump doesn’t have his headphones on and has the aux cord in the locker room, the Owls are bumping YFN Lucci, Migos, Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, Dave East and Tsu Surf, he said. But the one song the entire team unanimously loves is DMX’s “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” which is played during pregame warmups at Lincoln Financial Field, Crump added. “We make a circle, somebody might be rapping, freestyling, but it just gets everyone pumped,” Crump said. “It just brings that team [camaraderie] before the game.” Football, redshirt-sophomore cornerback Christian Braswell For Braswell, music is more personal. Braswell listens to artists he believes he can relate to through their messages and who grew up in the same area he did. Braswell closely relates to a particular artist, Shy Glizzy, who is from Washington D.C., like Braswell. Listening to Shy Glizzy helps reminds Braswell why he plays the game and “who he does it for,” he said. “I listen to Shy Glizzy because he’s from where I’m from,” Braswell added. “I like his vibe and the way he raps. He kind of relates to me and where I come from.” It doesn’t matter whether Braswell is putting on pads or walking to class, music is a big source of motivation. “I listen to them anytime, game

or practice, it doesn’t matter,” Braswell said. “I might get a motivational message out of one those songs, or I just want to get pumped out of one of those songs. Some songs have different messages. I can kind of relate to a lot of their songs and get a different mood from these different songs.”

Alani Moore II Men’s basketball senior guard Moore can be seen arguing with junior forwards J.P Moorman II and Justyn Hamilton about who should control the music in the locker room. Music for the men’s basketball team is their culture. Before practice, games or even during leisure time, the Owls play artists like Drake and Meek Mill and occasionally sing along to R&B together. Prior to home games, the Liacouras Center plays a hype video ahead of the players’ introduction using Meek Mill’s “Millidelphia,” which is a locker room favorite, Moore said.

“You want to get everyone involved before the game,” Moore added. “And that Meek song really gets us going. We all know the words, it connects us as a team and gets us ready to put a show on at games.”

Mallorie Smith Track and field sophomore sprinter Before meets, Smith has her head down focusing on the lyrics of her favorite song. “Kill ‘Em With Success” by Eearz, ScHoolboy Q, 2 Chainz and Mike WiLL Made-It is a hip-hop song that has one meaning to Smith: “do whatever it takes to be successful”, she said. “It’s my song,” Smith added. “You want to be successful and kill everyone with success.” Smith’s coaches might have to remind her to put her phone away before meets, but that isn’t because she’s on social media. It is because Smith is getting ready for competition by bumping her favorite songs. “Music is a sanctuary,” Smith said. “It’s like my go-to place, especially if I need to be calm-downed or if I need to be hyped up or if I wanna be put in a certain mood.” sports@temple-news.com @TTNSports

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