THE TEMPLE NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019
PARLIAMENT MAKES MOVES The legislative body approved four resolutions on Monday after only passing one other this academic year. Read more on Page 5
WHAT’S INSIDE INTERSECTION, PAGE 20 A former public school will become housing units for veterans experiencing homelessness. SPORTS, PAGE 22 Temple women’s basketball lost to Saint Joseph’s on Monday after winning its first two games. VOL 98 // ISSUE 12 NOV. 12, 2019
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NEWS PAGE 2
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. Kelly Brennan Editor in Chief Pavlína Černá Managing Editor Rjaa Ahmed Digital Managing Editor Francesca Furey Chief Copy Editor Colin Evans News Editor Hal Conte Assistant News Editor Gabrielle Houck Assistant News Editor Tyler Perez Opinion Editor Madison Karas Features Editor Bibiana Correa Assistant Features Editor Ayooluwa Ariyo Assistant Features Editor Jay Neemeyer Sports Editor Dante Collinelli Assistant Sports Editor Alex McGinley Assistant Sports Editor Alesia Bani Intersection Co-Editor Gionna Kinchen Intersection Co-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.
CAMPUS
Hunger awareness week kicks off
TSG hosted a video game are to raise awareness about food intournament and collected security on Temple’s campus and to collect food donations for the Cherry food items on Monday. BY COLIN EVANS News Editor
“First up is Kirby vs. Ryu,” AaronRey Ebreo announced to a group of about 10 students in the Reel. “Choose your controllers.” Monday’s Super Smash Bros. UlAdjacent commentary is reflective timate and Mario Kart tournament of their authors, not The Temple marked the first event of Temple News. Student Government’s second Campus Hunger Awareness Week, orVisit us online at temple-news.com. ganized by Ebreo, TSG’s director of Michael Moscarelli Dir. of Engagement Send submissions to basic needs. Alexis Ensley Gregg Asst. Dir. of Engagement letters@temple-news.com. This year, the week features a MacKenzie Sendro Web Editor The Temple News is located at: variety of interactive and competColleen Claggett Photography Editor Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. itive events to raise awareness for Jeremy Elvas Asst. Photography Editor Philadelphia, PA 19122 Madison Seitchik Co-Multimedia Editor food insecurity on campus and gathJared Giovan Co-Multimedia Editor er donations for local hunger relief Ingrid Slater Design Editor organizations. On Monday, TSG colNicole Hwang Designer lected about 90 nonperishable items, Ebreo said. ON THE COVER Phuong Tran Advertising Manager Last year’s week featured two COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Kelsey McGill Advertising Manager educational events, a potluck and Lubin Park Business Manager Drew Gardner, speaker of Parliament, speaks during Parliaa week-long food drive. This year, ment’s meeting in the Student Center on Nov. 11. TSG hosted a video game tournament. It will also host a Challah bake and speaker panel, among other events, Ebreo said. CORRECTIONS “I tried to make it as universal as possible, just to appeal to students of Accuracy is our business, so when a mistake is made, we’ll correct it as soon as possible. different interests, different groups Anyone with inquiries about content in this newspaper can contact Editor in Chief Kelly of students, basically,” said Ebreo, a senior biology major. “And I feel like Brennan at editor@temple-news.com or 215-204-6736. just having everyone involved can An article that ran on Nov. 5, titled “A Very High Standard” on Page 24, misstated the name really help our cause and just raise more donations.” of the Temple fencer in the cutline. The fencer is senior sabre Kerry Plunkett. Approximately 35 percent of undergraduates at Temple said they An article that ran on Nov. 5, titled “A guide to Philadelphia’s 2019 municipal elections” on experienced “low” or “very low” food Page 5, incorrectly listed Isaiah Thomas as a current member of City Council. He ran for an security, according to a 2017 surat-large seat in the general election. vey by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, a research center focused on food insecurity among college students. The main purposes of the week News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com
Pantry, Ebreo said. Swipes for Philadelphia, a student organization that uses unused meal swipes to donate food founded by Ebreo, will also distribute items to people experiencing homelessness in Center City on Saturday. Though some at Temple are unaware of how food insecurity affects students, Ebreo said, many others are passionate about solving the problem. “Over the years, with Swipes For Philadelphia, hundreds of students have reached out to us and said, ‘Hey, what can we do to at least donate something, or just give back to this community because we have all these resources that we’re not using,’” Ebreo said. Eddy Conroy, assistant director of community engagement and research application for the Hope Center, said students advocating for awareness of food insecurity help address the issue on college campuses. “We can only fix the system if we’re prepared to talk about the fact that it’s broken and not really working very well,” Conroy said. Connor Pagkalinawan, a senior kinesiology major who attended Monday’s event, said conversations about food insecurity on college campuses are long overdue. “It’s something that’s very prominent in Philadelphia, and we don’t really talk about it,” he said. Hosting events like the tournament was a good way to reach more people, he added. “It broadens the spectrum of the people it can reach,” Pagkalinawan said. colin.evans@temple.edu @colinpaulevans
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
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ADMINISTRATION
New pharmacy dean hopes to ‘tell the Temple story’ Jayanth Panyam became dean of the School of Pharmacy earlier this month. BY COLIN EVANS News Editor When Temple first tried to hire Jayanth Panyam in 2003, he passed up the offer, having already accepted a job at Wayne State University, said Michael Borenstein, the School of Pharmacy’s senior associate dean of operations. Panyam was their best candidate at the time, he added. “He gave a very good scientific talk,” said Borenstein, now the school’s senior associate dean of operations. “Even back then ... he had a good command of the room as well as the scientific information he was presenting.” In August, Panyam took Temple up on a job offer, but this time as the dean of the School of Pharmacy. He started on Nov. 1. Panyam’s research, which focuses on drug delivery using nanotechnology, has earned him more than 11,000 citations as well as the Thomas Jefferson Ingenuity Award for Creativity and Ingenuity in Doctoral Research, according to a university release. At the University of Minnesota, Panyam enjoyed his role as a department head and wanted to help others conduct their research on a larger scale, he said. “While research is exciting and important, I realized that helping other people advance their vision of what they want to accomplish, that’s exciting too,” Panyam added. Panyam, who grew up in Chennai, India, said one of his top goals as dean is to make sure that people outside of Temple and Philadelphia know about the exciting things happening at the School of Pharmacy. “One of my important things to do here would be to tell the Temple story,” Panyam said.
@TheTempleNews
CLAUDIA SALVATO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Jayanth Panyam, who was a professor and department head at the University of Minnesota, became the dean of the School of Pharmacy on Nov. 1.
The School of Pharmacy is home to the Moulder Center for Drug Discovery Research, a group of former pharmaceutical professionals who research and develop treatments for substance abuse disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, among others. The school celebrated 50 years of its regulatory affairs and quality assurance program, which teaches students how to interpret and apply government regulations, on Oct. 2, Borenstein said. The program was the first of its kind in the country. “People don’t know what a gem we have here nationally, and I think that’s going to be important moving forward because it’s a very competitive field,”
Borenstein said. Panyam enters into his position at a time when jobs for pharmacists in pharmacies and drug stores are expected to decrease, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while the number of pharmacy schools and graduates have increased in recent years. “The number of positions available within some regions of the country are fewer than the number of graduates, and that’s essentially because there are a lot of pharmacy schools that are now open in many parts of the country,” Panyam said. “And so that is, you know, there’s a competition for applicants.” “But you know, Temple, this is one of the oldest school of pharmacies, and I
think they’ve been, despite the problems, I think they’ve been doing a really good job of having tough applicants apply for a program and matriculate,” he added. Swati Nagar, a pharmaceutical science professor, met Panyam several times at alumni breakfasts at the University of Minnesota. Nagar, who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2003, said Panyam is kind and hard-working. “He’s so even-keeled, and he seems like a very personable guy,” Nagar said. colin.evans@temple.edu @colinpaulevans
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
COMMUNITY
Customers, businesses divided on plastic bag ban First District Philadelphia City Councilman Mark Squilla proposed the bill in May. BY HAL CONTE Assistant News Editor Temple students, business owners and residents have mixed opinions on a bill banning plastic bags being considered by Philadelphia City Council. If signed into law, the bill, put forth by First District Councilman Mark Squilla, would prohibit all retail businesses in Philadelphia from providing single-use plastic bags or non-recyclable paper bags to customers. The measure would take effect 90 days after the bill’s signing. City Council could vote as early as Thursday. Squilla introduced the first version of the bill in May. City Council’s Committee on Licenses and Inspections removed a provision that would have added a 15-cent fee for paper bags and thicker plastic bags, WHYY reported. Squilla said he was inspired after seeing how trash and debris were both an eyesore and an environmental problem in the city. “The goal is for people to become a reusable society instead of a disposable society,” he added. U.S. citizens use more than 380 billion lightweight plastic bags each year, requiring a total of more than 12 million barrels of oil, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Aslam Khan, who operates Philly Halal Gyro on 13th Street near Norris, said he tries to charge the customer less, and because paper bags are more expensive than plastic ones, City Council’s proposed ban would affect him. “For now, I don’t know how much it’s going to [cost], but if they ban plastic, we’ll have to,” he added. Squilla pushed back against criticism that his policy could hurt small businesses. “Right now, the bill just bans plastics,” he said. “They can give out papers News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Philly Halal Gyro uses plastic bags to package food on 13th Street near Norris on Nov. 11.
for free.” Sue Wilcox, the secretary of Cousin’s Supermarket, a local chain of grocery stores with a location on 5th Street near Berks, wrote in an email to The Temple News that the store experimented with giving away reusable bags to their customers but found that most did not reuse them. “So to keep our customers happy we prefer to keep it the way it is and supply them with the plastic bags,” Wilcox wrote. A representative from the Fresh Grocer on Broad Street near Oxford could not be immediately reached for comment. Kevin Desesso, the assistant store manager at 7-Eleven on Liacouras Walk near Pollett, favors the ban, he said. “I don’t think it would affect the business, just help the environment,” he added. “I try to lean toward not handing
[customers] a bag.” The bill could be passed during the current legislative session, Squilla said, but he has a lot of work to do to ensure this. “It’s not a slam dunk, and it will be a challenge,” he added. “If we don’t pass it by the end of the year, we have to start over.” “I support the legislation and plan to vote for it because of the negative environmental impact of these plastic bags,” Councilman At-Large William Greenlee told The Temple News. City Council President Darrell Clarke, whose district encompasses much of Main Campus, did not respond to a request for comment. Rasheda Lockett, who shops at the Fresh Grocer on Broad Street near Oxford, said she isn’t sure what to think about the ban. “It depends on why they wanted to
ban it,” said Lockett, who lives on Spring Garden Street near Ridge Avenue. “I guess I wouldn’t be against it. As far as trash, it will help with that.” Andy Patterson, a senior musical theater major, said the ban is a good idea. “I think that it’s an easy way to curb undiscarded waste,” he said. “Reusable bags are really cheap. It isn’t crazy to ask stores to buy them. A lot of people are conscious of the environment.” Michael Glynn, a freshman actuarial science major, said he does not support the ban because he reuses plastic bags. “I wouldn’t feel like paying,” Glynn said. “Environmentally, it would make a big difference. You see some rolling down the street, but in everyday life, it would make little change.” hal.conte@temple.edu conte_hal Colin Evans contributed reporting.
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
TSG
Before fall break, Parliament passes four resolutions The legislative body has only passed one other resolution this academic year. BY COLIN EVANS & LAKOTA MATSON For The Temple News
Temple Student Government’s Parliament approved four resolutions at their bi-weekly meeting on Monday. The legislative body, which has struggled with filling seats and passing resolutions, has to still appoint five representatives and has passed one other resolution this semester, a procedural resolution allowing Parliament’s secretary to vote on future resolutions. On Monday, Parliament passed resolutions about Temple University Graduate Students’ Association, allocations for galas and banquets, sanitary bins in women’s bathrooms and a task force about Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. Student Body President Francesca Capozzi could not be reached for comment.
TUGSA
Parliament voted to affirm support of TUGSA amid a proposal by the National Labor Relations Board that prevents graduate students at private universities from unionizing, which does not apply to Temple. The proposal, published on Sept. 23, specifies that graduate students at private universities who conduct teaching or research in connection with their studies cannot be classified as employees, barring them from forming a union. The resolution calls on TSG to advertise TUGSA’s petition, which calls on the Temple to release a statement in support of graduate students. Ratujit Raviprakash, the Fox School of Business representative, was the only member to not vote for the resolution. “My view of the situation is there is really no rhyme or reason to act on this right now,” Raviprakash wrote in an email. “In short, I wanted more info and color on the issue before blindly putting @TheTempleNews
our support behind this initiative,” he added. Evan Kassof, TUGSA’s president, who spoke on Monday, said he was excited to see the resolution passed. “It’s really inspiring to see that we’re part of that bigger movement that this parliament has taken because it was their vision to really make effective change,” Kassof said. “While the university is supportive of its graduate students, we feel it important to note that the NLRB proposal does not apply to public universities like Temple,” wrote Ray Betzner, a spokesperson for the university, in an email.
ALLOCATIONS
After tabling the resolution last month, Parliament unanimously passed a bill recommending the executive branch change its guidelines to allow galas, formals and banquets that are open to the public and advertised as such be eligible for allocations, or funds that TSG gives to student organizations to finance their operations and public events. Temple added the rule this summer. TSG cannot change the rule on its own, so the resolution is a recommendation. “Do I think the passing of this amendment is going to change things tomorrow? No,” said Junior Dufort, an atlarge representative and the resolution’s author. “But I think it’s still important because I do think it will change things in the long run.” Gardner said the university will likely not change their mind on the issue. “I can’t imagine them, because ultimately, our move is a recommendation,” Gardner said. “But I do think regardless, our vote is important because we represent the students.”
SANITARY BINS
Parliament approved a resolution calling on the executive branch to hold Temple Facilities Management accountable for installing sanitary bins in all women’s bathrooms across campus. Maya White, the College of Public Health representative, and Megan Shaud, its senior representative, have
COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Representatives of Parliament vote on resolutions in the Student Center on Monday.
met with Facilities Management staff and secured an agreement with them to install bins in every publically accessible stall on campus. “It’s just really exciting that Temple’s been so responsive to us trying to make this available to everybody,” White said. John Johnson, Temple’s associate vice president for service operations, said Facilities Management is working on installing the bins. “They brought it to our attention,” he said. “We thought this was something that needed to be addressed.”
ADA TASK FORCE
The legislative body also unanimously passed a resolution to create a task force to improve access to buildings on campus for students with disabilities. Some students with disabilities told members of Parliament that they could not access certain parts of buildings or bathrooms, Gardner said. “We just want to make sure we’re
holding the university accountable,” he added. The task force, which will be comprised of members of Parliament, the executive branch and faculty, will be tasked with assessing whether buildings are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the resolution. If it finds buildings not in compliance, it will report the findings to the Board of Trustees. TSG created a similar task force in 2016. Jonathan Atiencia, the disability resources representative, has been working on renewing the task force since the summer. “I’m excited to bring this back and make the ADA task force a yearly thing to check all buildings and campus, and every new building in the future,” Atiencia said. news@temple-news.com @TheTemple News
News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
TSG
Executive branch plans ‘multicultural caucuses’ Darius Hockaday, a senior marketTSG will connect with 150 student organizations through a ing major and president of Strong Men Overcoming Obstacles Through HardGoogle Form.
BY LAKOTA MATSON TSG Beat Reporter Temple Student Government is working toward creating a “multicultural caucus” through a Google Form to connect with cultural and international student organizations at Temple by the end of the semester. TSG is scaling back the idea after first touting as an in-person forum. Leaders of organizations classified as “Cultural/International” on Owl Connect will be able to write to TSG about problems they see on campus or in the surrounding community, said Student Body President Francesca Capozzi. “We thought this was important we have these discussions with leaders of multicultural organizations about issues not only on our campus, but in the surrounding community, and how TSG can tackle those issues,” Capozzi said. TSG decided to make it an online form after realizing how many cultural and international organizations were on campus, Capozzi added. There are 154 listed on Owl Connect. “Obviously getting all of those people to meet at one time is just not feasible, so we’ve decided to take the multicultural caucus online and make it a virtual platform for people to express their concerns,” said Ammani Khan, TSG’s director of campus life and diversity and a junior human development and community engagement major. The administration campaigned on working with the student body to combat racial and cultural issues on campus and celebrating cultural differences. Capozzi highlighted the multicultural caucus idea in her speech to the Board of Trustees on Oct. 8. After organization leaders fill out the form, TSG will reach out to them to initiate further discussion, Capozzi said.
News Desk 215.204.7419 news@temple-news.com
work, suggested the caucuses to TSG and has been working with TSG. “Providing the multicultural caucuses will provide more inclusive and safe spaces for individuals that represent those different ethnic communities to join together and speak about issues that affect them directly,” Hockaday said. Haya Qubbaj, the secretary of Students for Justice in Palestine, said that although she would prefer a face-to-face meeting, she supports the initiative. “I think it’s nice,” said Qubbaj, a freshman media studies and production major. “I don’t see anything wrong with helping support other organizations.” Priscilla Ampofo, the fundraising chair for Black Professional Health Association, said the online caucuses are a good first step but that an in-person meeting would be more personable. “Typically, it’s not going to be the entire e-board or the entire audience,” said Ampofo, a junior health professions major. “It’s going to be like, one or two people, so then it’s like a very limited opinion poll.” Ariana Davis, the president of Psychology Majors of Color, said the mission of the caucuses seems “broad” and that the issues that her organization faces often are institutional. “I don’t know how they realistically would be able to do anything about any of those,” said Davis, a psychology and Spanish double major. An in-person meeting might be better because it’s hard to describe situations over text, she added. “I do think that people don’t always check their emails. ...Sometimes, it’s really hard to try and convey what you want to say on a Google Form,” Davis said.
JUN WENTZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS TSG’s director of campus life and diversity Ammani Khan talks about the new multicultural caucuses in the Student Center on Nov. 11.
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lakota.matson@temple.edu @lakotamatson Colin Evans contributed reporting.
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OPINION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
PAGE 7
EDITORIAL
Google Forms don’t cut it
Temple Student Government is introducing campus-wide “multicultural caucuses” as platforms for cultural and international student organizations to voice concerns about diversity. The “caucuses” will be conducted through Google Forms, where students will submit their concerns, said Ammani Khan, TSG’s director of campus life and diversity. The primary goal of a caucus is to encourage open dialogue, and the spirit of this is lost when the platform being used is one that collects individual input with no direct interaction. The nuances regarding diversity cannot be adequately captured through an online form. The Editorial Board doesn’t believe change will be implemented through this online system, as
there’s no pressure on TSG to actually provide solutions and advocate on behalf of minority groups on campus. This form does not hold TSG accountable for addressing these problems. While we acknowledge TSG’s attempts to engage with minority voices on campus, the Editorial Board would like to emphasize that efforts to promote inclusivity on campus shouldn’t be so passive. We suggest that TSG organizes in-person dialogues over the course of the semester so that student organizations have a chance to voice grievances and engage directly with each other to find solutions. Editor’s Note: Colin Evans, news editor, contributed reporting to the accompanying news story. He played no part in this editorial.
EDITORIAL
Council: Pass plastic bag ban In May, Philadelphia City Councilman Mark Squilla, who represents the first district, put forth a bill that would prohibit all retail businesses in Philadelphia from giving customers single-use plastic bags or non-recyclable paper bags. The bill could be voted on as early as this Thursday and if passed, the measure will take effect 90 days after the bill’s signed. Squilla estimates the bill has a 60 or 70 percent chance of passing City Council, he told The Temple News. The Editorial Board hopes the bill will be signed because it has great potential. While it might have a small environmental impact, it still has the ability to reduce @TheTempleNews
any amount of litter in the streets around campus and throughout the city. We commend businesses that already use and promote alternatives to plastic bags and encourage the Temple community take part in reducing how many plastic bags we use. It is important that we look to options, like reusable, tote or canvas bags, as a sustainable financial investment. The proposed bill is another step toward waste reduction and sustainability, and hopefully, it is not the last one the city proposes. Editor’s Note: Colin Evans, news editor, contributed reporting to the accompanying news story. He played no part in this editorial.
ON CAMPUS
Anti-tobacco ban infringes on individual liberties The initiative, although honorable, unhealthy. More than 480,000 people a year deprives students of their ability to die from smoking cigarettes in the U.S. and Philadelphia has the second-highest rate of make independent choices.
T
his April, Temple University President Richard Englert announced that United States campuses would be tobacco-free by July 1, banning all tobacco use, including cigarettes, Juuls MELVIN SARAVIA For The Temple and other vaping prodNews ucts on any of Temple’s campuses, he wrote in an email to the Temple community. Those who continue to smoke on campus will be violating the Student Code of Conduct and would be given a warning by enforcement officials. I don’t condone smoking. I know the health risks and how dangerous secondhand smoke is. At the same time, I don’t appreciate the infringement of individual liberty, and this cigarette ban does just that. “Of course this ban infringes on individual liberties, and frankly I don’t know how I feel about it,” said Jackie Rappaport, a sophomore journalism student. ”On one hand, it does have health benefits, but on the other hand, I don’t like the power of decision being taken away from me.” The ban prohibits smoking on campus, but because Temple is surrounded by public streets, members of our community and street vendors could be unfairly impacted by this policy. According to the university’s overview of the tobacco policy, the ban “will be fully enforced for members of the Temple community as well as visitors to the campus, including vendors and contractors.” This year, bans on the sale of vaping products swept the nation. The move comes after 39 vaping-related deaths, the Center for Disease Control reported on Nov. 5. There is no doubt that using tobacco is
tobacco use of any large U.S. city, the CDC reported. Smoking tobacco is dangerous and unhealthy, and the university is right to educate people on its dangers. But although I believe this ban represents a good cause, I also think it invades the autonomy of students, faculty and community residents. Deirdre Dingman is an associate professor at the College of Public Health and also a member of the climate survey committee for the initiative’s task force that helped draft the policy. She believes that cigarette smoking is too dangerous to not execute this initiative. “Secondhand smoke has an effect, and cigarette waste is destructive. It also makes it more difficult to quit in an environment where it is allowed,” she added. “I don’t know of any high school that allows cigarette smoking anymore or vaping, and it’s weird that a person would come to college and start seeing it around them because that can increase their interest in trying it and becoming addicted to it being you’re still in that critical period,” Dingman added. Although I agree with the effort to reduce smoking and improve the overall health of students, I also believe that college is a time to be an independent adult, and for many, choosing to smoke is part of that freedom. “This is not a black-and-white issue,” said Maia Sheinfeld, a junior advertising major. “People might not adhere to the ban but I think it will prompt others to reflect on smoking and how it affects others.” The rise in nicotine addiction and vaping-related lung injury proves that we should be taking immediate action to solve the issue of tobacco use among adolescents. That solution shouldn’t come at the expense of our right to make that decision for ourselves. melvin.saravia@temple.edu
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OPINION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
PAGE 8
HEALTH
Menstruation products belong in all bathrooms Transgender men and nonbinary individuals deserve access to menstrual products on campus. In October, menstrual hygiene product company Always made the decision to remove the female symbol off of their packaging to make it BRITTANY VALENTINE known that their For The Temple News products are gender inclusive. While many did not take well to this transition, I believe it opens up an equally important conversation — the fact that menstruation is something that people of all genders deal with. Menstruation affects cisgender women as well as transgender men and nonbinary individuals. For this reason, menstrual products should be free and available in all public restrooms — men’s, women’s and gender neutral. Schools like Brown University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison already provide menstrual hygiene products in all bathrooms, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported in May 2017. But this isn’t the case in the vast majority of Temple’s non-female bathrooms, which doesn’t accommodate transgender individuals. Sanitary napkin receptacles are only available in women’s and gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, said Michael Juhas, director of housekeeping for campus operations. Without these products available in men’s restrooms, transgender men won’t be able to properly dispose of used menstrual products in a safe and sanitary way. Cisgender women aren’t the only ones who get periods. Plenty of transgender men and gender non-binary individuals also menstruate, and are in need of these products while on campus and places to dispose of them safely. Gender fluidity has been thriving in multiple cultures, according to PBS, and letters@temple-news.com
NICOLE HWANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS
not everyone subscribes to male-female labels. “Sex is the combination of external and internal physical markers we use to assign most living beings into categories of ‘male’ and ‘female,’” said Adrienne Shaw, a media studies and production professor with expertise in queer theory. ”Gender is how we express our relationship to the categories of femininity and masculinity and the full spectrum of both.” Regardless of the chromosomes we were born with, not all of us identify with the sex we were assigned at birth. It’s time our facilities start accommodating people’s needs, and this includes having menstrual hygiene products available in all on-campus restrooms.
“Using menstrual products isn’t something that applies to all women. Many cis women don’t get periods for various reasons, and many trans women can’t either,” said Jackson Burke, a freshman fine arts major and member of Students for Trans Awareness and Rights. Both nonbinary individuals and many trans men have the same pressing need to access these products and should be able to live without the anxiety of not having menstrual products while on campus. “A lot of people forget that trans men do exist and they have periods to worry about just like cis women do,” said Casper Fuentes, a freshman English major and STAR member. “Having these products available in all bathrooms
would normalize periods.” Implementing this solution won’t magically erase the shame or stigma associated with menstruation, but it will make countless people’s lives so much easier. When we think about this monthly reproductive process, we need to expand our awareness of who menstruates and how to support them better. “Everyone’s bodies and needs are different, and we should accommodate for the needs of everyone, not just cisgender people,” Burke said. “The fight for menstrual products in all bathrooms is a gender neutral fight.” brittany.valentine@temple.edu @recoveryspirit
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OPINION
PAGE 9
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
THE ESSAYIST
Redefining masculinity in makeup and power
A student recounts using clothing and makeup to express himself, especially at parties. BY TYLER PEREZ Opinion Editor My first college party was a complete nightmare. Fashion is an extension of my personality. When people see my headbands, secondhand necklaces and offbeat cardigans, they’re getting an idea of who I am. I’d spent the whole day picking outfits to wear, shuffling through my favorite clothes to find the best look. It was so important to me — a freshman desperately seeking new friends — to have everyone get a glimpse of my personality as I walked through the door of the party. Instead, I was met with an ocean of judgmental stares. Every set of eyes in the room pierced through my self-esteem, every chance at finding a new friend sinking in a single moment. One boy even started playing with my headband on my head, making me feel like an animal at a petting zoo. I realized my self-expression was just a circus show for everyone else. For the rest of my freshman year, I found myself overthinking every outfit I’d pick out. Was it masculine enough? Too masculine? Too in-between? What does masculinity even mean? From a young age, I was taught that masculinity means strength, power and emotionlessness. In contrast, I was always fragile, timid and colorful. While I’ve always been one to forge my own path, my gender constrained me to a strict, structured definition of what I was supposed to be. I still remember family members hushed voices telling me, “Boys don’t wear purple,” but purple’s my favorite color. It hurts spending so much time trying to appeal to unattainable, incarcerating ideals of gender roles when all you want to do is to be yourself. All my life, the men around me had it figured out. They fulfilled every requirement on the @TheTempleNews
GRACE DiMEO / THE TEMPLE NEWS
checklist of hegemonic masculinity: they were assertive, braggadocios and could shop for themselves without stopping once in the women’s section. So what was my problem? After all, I’ve never felt this way with my friends, most of whom are women. With them, I felt free to be myself without being presented a rubric to follow. One of those friends, my roommate Matia, always supported my self-expression. She’s brash, direct and open, never yielding to what others think of her. Matia’s the type of person to wear Crocs to class at the Fox School of Business and not give a damn that everyone else is in suits and dresses. She lives in her own skin — and clothing — unabashedly, and she’s taught me to do the same. This Halloween, while searching for costumes, I told Matia I wanted to wear
something more feminine and expressive this year, but I was terrified to do so because of that party my freshman year. Her immediate response was, “Who cares what anyone else thinks?” When she said that, the words somehow clicked for me, and I realized I was not the issue. Days later, in preparation for a costume party, I asked Matia if she could do my makeup — something I’ve never done before. Immediately, she offered me some of her favorite eyeshadows. When I looked in the mirror that night, eyelids adorned in scarlet red, I couldn’t help but feel comfortable, alive in my own skin and most importantly, beautiful. The man I saw in my reflection was self-assured, glamorous and powerful, a version of myself unfiltered by masculine constraints.
That night, I felt like me. Selfies of me in my eyeshadow littered every corner of my social media — I wasn’t going to rest until every person saw me the way I wanted them to. For so long, I’ve been taught that masculinity and femininity are mutually exclusive, that I had to live and dress a certain way. But in that moment, I defined masculinity for myself. Masculinity is dressing however you’d like, regardless of what gendered clothing section it comes from. It’s unapologetically applying makeup and then walking into a party. But most importantly, masculinity is whatever the hell I want it to mean. tyler.perez@temple.edu @tyler7perez
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OPINION PAGE 10
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
THE ESSAYIST
Don’t ‘fret’ about picking up a new instrument
A student proves it’s never too me the nine open chords, followed by late to start a new instrument power chords, strumming patterns, plucking, fingerpicking and other basic even with no prior experience. BY CHRISTINA MITCHELL For The Temple News The first time I ever sang on stage for the whole school, I realized I had a passion for music. My interests didn’t extend much beyond musical theater, so I primarily listened to show tunes and participated in shows throughout middle and high school. But learning an instrument hadn’t crossed my mind. It wasn’t until a few months ago, when my boyfriend revived his enthusiasm for the guitar, that I was inspired to do something a little scary — learn an instrument. It was difficult to pick up a guitar for the first time because I worried what my parents would think if they found out. Raised in a conservative, Catholic household, my dad saw rock music as morally wrong. I didn’t grow up with the revolutionary music of the late twentieth century. Embarrassingly enough, I didn’t listen to some of the classics, like Led Zeppelin or Nirvana, until two or so years ago. The first classic rock song I recall listening to — aside from the Beatles — was “Light My Fire” by the Doors. Instantly, I became obsessed with every subgenre of rock: alternative, punk, surf, indie and classic. It almost felt like an act of defiance to discover all of this new music because my dad was adamantly opposed to the electric guitar or anything heavier than Fleetwood Mac. I was too afraid to ask if I could learn to play guitar as a child, since I knew my dad would say no, and I didn’t even tell my parents when I decided to learn as an adult. I started off by using one of my boyfriend’s four guitars — a hollow body Epiphone Sheraton — while he would play his American Stratocaster. After learning how to tune a guitar, he taught letters@temple-news.com
beginner techniques. Despite years of singing, I didn’t — and still don’t — know how to read music, nor did I understand anything about notes, scales or keys. When my boyfriend explained it to me, it sounded like a foreign language. We made an agreement; I would learn how to play a few songs decently before going to the guitar store and purchasing. I spent my summer practicing for the big day. Since starting to learn guitar, I have found that I appreciate music in a new way, picking up on small, yet significant details that used to go over my head. When I analyzed music in the past, as a writer and vocalist, I’d typically pay attention to the lyrics and the lead singer’s voice. The instrumentals would tend to fade into the background. But now, I feel like I’m listening to a completely different song. It’s like watching a movie for the second time and noticing the little Easter eggs the director hid. Lengthy breakdowns and convoluted solos in songs like “Hey You” or “Dogs” by Pink Floyd are much more poignant and thought-provoking when you scrutinize the lead and rhythm guitar, which tell a story without words. Songs like “Stairway to Heaven” can somehow sound more angelic and passionate than lead singer Robert Plant’s heavenly voice alone when you pay close attention to the intricate melodies and technique guitarist Jimmy Page nails with the double-neck guitar. I’m proud of myself for accomplishing more in a few months than I thought I was capable of doing, and I have gained a new perspective on the composition of music and some rough calluses on my left fingertips. By that point, I was ready to visit the guitar store. After browsing for hours to no avail, I thought I would walk out empty-hand-
LESLIE GROSSMAN / THE TEMPLE NEWS
ed, until something else caught my eye — a polar white Mexican Stratocaster. As soon as I held her in my arms and played a few songs I knew well, like “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd and “Zombie” by the Cranberries, I immediately fell in love. The rest was history.
My biggest regret is not starting at an earlier age because I feel very behind the curve, and I have a lot of catching up to do. But if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that it’s never too late. christina.mitchell@temple.edu
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FEATURES TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
PAGE 11
RESEARCH
Student examines women’s behavior in literature Laura Biesiadecki is analyzing “I very much want to know how were historical etiquette books for women supposed to behave, so I can go find the women who misbehaved and gendered words about women. BY EMMA PADNER For The Temple News
L
aura Biesiadecki was a stubborn child. “If someone tells me that I should do something or that I have to do something a certain way, my first instinct is to ask why and then figure out a different way to do it,” said Biesadecki, a third-year English Ph.D. candidate. Since her “rebellious” years, Biesiadecki has been fascinated with the idea of women who misbehave. She’s now a fellow at the Loretta C. Duckworth Scholars Studio at Charles Library, where she is digitally researching 250 etiquette books published between the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention, to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted white women the right to vote. One of her favorite books she’s come across is from 1913, “Dame Curtsey’s Book of Salads, Sandwiches, and Beverages,” by Ellye Howell Glover, which sets rules for what sandwiches women can make for specific holidays. “I want to see as women are becoming more public figures, as they’re asking for things and as they’re asking to participate, was there a kind of stricter limit on what they could do socially, or were the etiquette books moving with the times and getting a little more loose?” Biesiadecki said. Her fellowship runs for this academic year, and she’ll present her finished project at the Keystone Digital Humanities Conference, an annual conference to advance collaborative scholarship, in Charles Library next summer. “I think that’s the coolest thing in the world when you can see someone in history or in literature go against what they are supposed to be doing,” she added. @TheTempleNews
see how strong their deviance was.” Biesiadecki is learning how to code R, a programming language, to analyze the frequency of certain words or themes, like “woman,” “man” or “conduct.” “It’s taught me to be more open in terms of tools and techniques for my work, but also I am a badass coding woman and ready to dive in,” she added. She found the 1849 book, “Advice to Young Ladies on their Duties and Conduct in Life” by Timothy Shay Arthur. It mentioned the word “man” 13 more times than the word “woman.” The words paired most frequently with “man” included “exist,” “holy” and “difference,” while “woman” was most associated with “limit,” “man” and “look.” “If men are most closely related with holiness, with difference and with existing, men are just like born to be bet-
I think that’s the coolest thing in the world, when you can see someone in history or in literature go against what they are supposed to be doing. Laura Biesiadecki Third-year English Ph.D. candidate
ter, that it’s what they were and women were born to be limited, to be related to men, and to be objects to be looked at,” she said. “The fact that these are nonfiction, widely regulated and circulated books, this is going to tell me how people thought of women and how people thought of men.” Jasmine Clark, the digital scholar’s
CLAUDIA SALVATO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Third-year English Ph.D. student Laura Biesiadecki does research on historical etiquette books in the Loretta C. Duckworth Scholars Studio at Charles Library on Nov. 6.
librarian, said that Biesiadecki’s research will explore the roles of womanhood and gender in society over time. “We shame the feminine,” Clark said. “We see it as light and fluffy and you’re supposed to be hard and emotionally stunted and angry all the time. But as a result, we also don’t always attribute in seriousness how meaningful the feminine is.” Biesiadecki is using HathiTrust Digital Libraries, a partnership of academic and research institutions offering digitized books worldwide, for her research. She uses it to convert PDFs of original etiquette books into text files and edits and annotates them. “A digital space is going to be a male-dominated space, and so to be writing about women and their bodies and their sexuality with tools that were used to repress women and their bodies and their sexuality, it’s very liberating,” she said. “It’s cool to set everything free.” Katherine Henry, chair of the English department, taught Biesiadecki in “Transatlantic Romanticism in the Age
of Revolution” in spring 2018. Henry said there is a push in the last 20 years to critically analyze advice manuals and etiquette books, which were not considered worth examining in the past. “Looking at them through a critical lens can really illuminate certain things about how were women encouraged to see themselves in a certain historical period and what were the normative gender roles and what constitutes a good marriage,” Henry said. Biesiadecki hopes that the project will become part of a larger dissertation on how past women used different societal expectations, like sex and sexuality, to break free of constraints, she said. “It lets me see myself in a new way because I’m seeing all these expectations hefted on these women for 50, 60 years and then finding women who said no, it makes me feel very proud to be a kind of person who questions and also a person who doubts,” Biesadecki said. emma.padner@temple.edu @emmapadner
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
ALUMNI
Rear admiral takes leadership skills to new role
Jaclyn McClelland is currently overseeing seven naval battalions in the United States Navy. BY ANNALIESE GRUNDER For The Temple News As an athletic high school student in the 1980s, Jacquelyn McClelland landed at Temple on an athletic scholarship for tennis. Now, McClelland, a 1987 accounting alumna, takes her skills in teamwork to oversee more than 29,000 active duty and reserve soldiers along the East and West coasts as a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and commander of the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group. She was promoted to the position during a change of command ceremony at the group’s headquarters in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Oct 5. “It’s very exciting, you know, at the same time, it’s a pretty big responsibility, and because of that, I take everything seriously,” she said. The change of command ceremony is the U.S. Navy’s official tradition to move from one commanding officer to another, said William Parker, chief mass communications specialist. “It’s done in front of the entire ship’s crew normally, so it’s something that we do nowadays to keep that tradition alive.” At the ceremony, McClelland took over for previous commander, Rear Adm. Alan Reyes, who served in the position for two years. “[Reyes] has set me up for success, and I’m just going to try and raise the bar even higher,” McClelland said. “I’ve got big shoes to fill when it comes to that, but I’m ready for the challenge.” NAVELSG provides cargo transportation to deployed troops during peacetime and times of conflict to ensure that fuel, food and other necessary supplies reach U.S. Navy sailors worldwide. It began during World War II, where U.S. troops occupied various strategic islands in the Pacific Ocean, Parker said. features@temple-news.com
WILLIAM PARKER / COURTESY Rear Adm. Alan Reyes ,Commander of the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, is relieved by Rear Adm. Jackie McClelland during a change of command ceremony in Williamsburg, Virginia. on Oct. 5. McClelland became the 14th commander of NAVELSG.
Out of 10 ranks of officers in the Navy, with the highest number ranking signifying greater responsibility, McClelland is an 07 officer, Parker said. By taking command of NAVELSG, she’s gained responsibility over seven battalions of soldiers that constitute the organization, he added. NAVELSG’s job can help assure troops are able to fly in quickly and transport equipment over shorter distances, like they did in Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War, said Gregory Urwin, a history professor. “It is a matter of making sure that American forces are ready to strike at many different points around the world as quickly as possible,” Urwin said. “Because in war, especially if you’re a victim
of aggression, if you’re attacked by an enemy that’s already prepared, survival and success depends on how quickly you restock.” McClelland began serving in the U.S. Navy in the direct commission program after meeting people who served in the military at her post-grad job at an asset management company in Washington, D.C. She said her experience in finance made her a good candidate for the program to organize fleet shipments. “I had some friends that were active duty and supporting reserves, and one of their commanding officers recommended, based on my background, that I would be a good candidate for the direct commission program, so on a whim I said ‘Why not?’” she said.
McClelland was accepted into the program and began as a naval supply corps designator in 1990, before becoming a supply corps officer. She said both her finance and sports backgrounds helped prepare her for this field of work, and she hopes to build on Reyes’s work. “We have sailors around the world who are doing great things to support all the missions that we have going on, and like me, they have a story as well, and they’re the folks that I’m honored to lead and serve alongside with,” she said. annaliese.grunder@temple.edu @annaliesegrund1
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
COMMUNITY
Art teacher empowers students through history
Patricia Thomas bases her teaching on strengthening students’ pride in Black heritage. BY BIBIANA CORREA Assistant Features Editor Patricia Thomas wanted to know what she can do as an artist to give back to the North Philadelphia community after graduating from Temple University. “Some people go on vacation, you know, some people take a break, and that’s totally fine and healthy, but for me, my first response was, ‘How can I spend the next six months to not only benefit my future, but someone else’s?’” said Thomas, a 2017 painting alumna. Thomas is an artist and art teacher who roots her work in the history of Blackness, investigating beauty in Western culture and empowering the African American community. While Thomas wants to continue her career as an artist, she also hopes to pursue teaching to educate and empower young Black artists in North Philadelphia. Thomas, now a first-year MFA painting student at the University of Pennsylvania, earned a teaching certificate at Art Sanctuary, a non-profit Black organization on 16th and Bainbridge streets last year. She became a lead teacher at the Church of the Advocate on Diamond and 18th streets for the 2018-19 school year. Thomas no longer works at the church, but teaches painting and drawing at the Continuing Education program at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture on weekends. Thomas realized she wanted to be a teacher after introducing her class to kente cloth, the most widely known African cloth, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. “They looked at me like no one has ever talked to them about this before,”
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Thomas said. “They had this realization about themselves and the process of making art, and no one, no one can take away the history and the pride that they got from it.” It was the first time many students’ histories were represented, she added. “We’re saying that we, as artists of color, have a little bit more information that has delved into a lot of our own cultural practices,” said Priscilla Bell, Thomas’s former co-teacher at Church of the Advocate. “We have the opportunity to share our knowledge with the students to kind of delve in a little bit deeper than what they learn in school.” Together, Thomas and Bell created a classroom atmosphere that highlighted the Black experience and what it means to be an artist of color, said Adia Harmon-Massie, their former colleague. Harmon-Massie admired Thomas’ patience with students. She added that the kids that come into the spaces experience chronic traumas and Thomas was able to calm them down, and help them enjoy art. “As a young Black person it’s important to recognize what you represent and that you come from a strong lineage, and that the ancestors are proud of what you’re doing,” Harmon-Massie said. Thomas created a bond with her students to a point where they would approach and hug her on the street, she said. Through teaching, Thomas hopes to reassure her students that as African Americans, they are able to pursue a career in art and be successful, she said. “You just have to make yourself available, you just have to, you know,” she added. “Put your time in and inspire the next generation because somebody inspired you, and I am just striving to be that for as many kids as possible.” bibiana.correa@temple.edu @_bibi_correaa
CLAUDIA SALVATO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Patricia Thomas, a 2017 painting alumna, critiques one of her students’ drawings of the human form during class at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture on Nov. 9.
CLAUDIA SALVATO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Patricia Thomas, a 2017 painting alumna, teaches a class as part of the Continuing Education Program in Tyler School of Art and Architecture on Nov. 9.
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
PAGE 14
COMIC BOOK WORD SEARCH WINTER SOLDIER THE HULK SPIDERMAN CAPTAIN MARVEL IRON MAN THOR BLACK WIDOW CAPTAIN AMERICA
DEADPOOL DOCTOR STRANGE ANT MAN LOKI WOLVERINE STORM THANOS
MEDICAL CROSSWORD DOWN 2. Substance used to treat or prevent disease 3. To relieve a person of diseases or injuries 4. Immunization given annually to increase immunity against seasonal influenza 5. Place that provides medical and surgical treatment for sick or injured patients 7. Stimulates the productions of antibodies and increases immunity against diseases 8. Long-term treatment intended to relieve or heal an injury features@temple-news.com
ACROSS 1 Stores that provide medicinal drugs 6. Someone involved with collaborative and autonomous care for the sick and infirm 9. Medical care given to someone to help with an injury or illness 10. Another word for sickness
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FEATURES TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
PAGE 15
ART
Alumni perform together in ‘Shrek the Musical’ ing in her first musical in high school. She choreographed all of their producAdam Mandala and Kimberly ble member in the musical. Mandala and Maxson play a vari- Her parents saw she had a passion for tions in the musical theater concentraMaxson both play fairytale charety of fairytale creations in the musical. musical theater and supported her deci- tion while they were at Temple. acters in the musical.
BY EMMA LORO For The Temple News When he was 11 years old, Adam Mandala’s father sat him down and asked him, “What is going to make you happy?” “I told my dad when I started, I want to dance, but I will only dance and go into classes if there are other boys,” said Mandala, a 2016 musical theater alumnus. He attended a performing arts high school in New York City, and studied musical theatre at Temple University. Now, he is performing at the Walnut Street Theatre on Walnut and 9th streets, which was founded in 1809 and is the oldest theater in the United States. Mandala will be performing as an ensemble member in the theater’s main stage production of “Shrek the Musical” that runs Nov. 13 through Jan. 5. He’ll perform alongside Kimberly Maxson, a 2014 musical theater alumna and ensem-
VOICES What more could Temple do to help food insecurity?
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Mandala plays the Mad Hatter, a captain and a tap-dancing bouncer, and Maxson plays an ugly duckling. Mandala’s favorite number he performs in is “Freak Flag” in the second act, he said. “It really makes the show real for me and really ties back to real life and people not fitting into society, or people feeling like they’re different or are looked at different or called freaks, because of their background or sexuality or just anything and I think it makes it extremely relevant,” he added. The show is Maxson’s fifth production at the Walnut Street Theatre, and she said she enjoys the history of it. “I love how old the theater is and the amount of people who have been on the stage that we all get to share is really cool, to think about all the famous people and your idols who’ve performed here,” she added. Maxson said she decided to pursue musical theater as a career after perform-
sion in applying to college for it. “At first it started as a passion, and I didn’t know that people could do this as a career, because you don’t really think about it when you go to see a show that this is their job,” Maxson added. “I realized that this could be my job, and I love to be able to do what makes me happy for a living.” Mandala became involved in Walnut Street Theatre during his junior year at Temple after being hired as an extra for 2014 production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” Later, he performed in “Young Frankenstein,” “Legally Blonde: The Musical” and “Mamma Mia!” which was his and Maxson’s first show together. “I’m in one of those places where they really, really make it feel like a family,” he said. “It has become my second home.” Maggie Anderson, an assistant professor of musical theater and movement, taught both Mandala and Maxson dance.
She said that the musical theater concentration at Temple is competitive, and requires people to have a work ethic. “Even if you’re really talented, talent doesn’t trump hard work,” Anderson said. “If you’re going to make it in this business, even to make through this program, you have to be disciplined.” She added that Mandala possesses many of these characteristics. “He’s a standout, he’s great and there is nothing more joyful than being able to see someone that you taught truly get out there and get paid money to do what they love,” Anderson said. Mandala and Maxson both plan to continue auditioning for productions after “Shrek the Musical” closes, they said. “I genuinely just enjoy being on the stage every single night,” Mandala said. “I get the same thrill to this day, every time I go on stage.” emma.loro@temple.edu @EmmaLoro1
JAMES THOMPSON Freshman nursing major
HEATHER ROACH Freshman art major
I’m aware about the Cherry Pantry up there. I’d say increasing the information about it, so like the general public has more awareness of it because I think that could help a lot.
If there was a way to like give out the hot food while it’s still fresh, like having a program like that would be beneficial.
SAMANTHA WALTON Junior psychology major I know there are a couple of orgs that are doing Swipe Out Hunger, but I think Temple itself isn’t actually trying to do anything about it.
TEYANNA STONE Junior media studies and production major Make food more affordable for students everywhere where they serve food on campus. All those organizations and companies should be able to fit our needs especially considering we’re college students. features@temple-news.com
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
LIVE IN PHILLY
CLAUDIA SALVATO / THE TEMPLE NEWS
Convention intersects Blackness and comic books
On Saturday, The African American Museum in Philadelphia on Arch and 7th streets held the Super Heru Mini Comic-Con, an event hosted by the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention that focuses on the history between Blackness and the comic book and fantasy worlds. The event featured workshops for kids, speaker panels from artists and comic book shop owners, and comic books and art for sale. Ariell Johnson, a 2005 business alumna and featured speaker on the panel, is the owner of Amalgam Comics and Coffeehouse on Frankford Avenue near Huntington Street. “The store was an idea I got while I was still a student at Temple University,” Johnson said. “My aim was to create a place to be social around comic books.” Roman Clayton-Hopson, 14, from Abington, Pennsylvania, dressed up like Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King’s book IT. “I grew up with comics and go to events for black nerds,” Clayton-Hopson said. “It’s a place for people to just be themselves it’s just easy to express yourself.” features@temple-news.com
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
For Veterans Day, The Temple News explored the experiences of students who are veterans, students who have loved ones in the military and students in Temple’s Army ROTC program.
Student veterans adjust to college life at Temple Some students who are veterans things,” Brown added. Veterans’ experiences in the milidiscuss pursuing higher education after serving in the military. tary can lead to PTSD, and the number BY ALESIA BANI Intersection Co-Editor
W
hen Bergen Brown was planning to discharge from the United States Navy, a senior chief at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia encouraged Brown to look at Temple University Brown, a junior accounting major who is 26, came to Temple in Fall 2018. “A lot of times you feel like you’re a little bit behind a lot more than the average student,” he said. “And that goes for most students who are a little bit older. It’s hard to try to connect with others.” Some students who are veterans can feel a sense of isolation, according to Military.com, which provides information about benefits to military members, veterans and families. Bob Hartnett, a junior public relations major and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said he doesn’t see having trouble relating to his peers as a negative thing, but just a challenge. “It’s different because you’re a lot more mature especially being in the military, but that’s the type of thing that helped me to be able to focus,” Hartnett said. “It helped me with structure, to be able to sit down and plan things out and to get them done.” Although Brown himself has not experienced this, he said professors should be aware that classroom discussions can trigger some veterans, an experience he has heard among his peers. “There’s certain veterans who have PTSD or things like that, and sometimes professors overlook these types of @TheTempleNews
of veterans with PTSD varies depending on when they served, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. There are 972 recipients of the post9/11 GI Bill at Temple, not including any active duty military personnel, according to College Factual. The bill offers higher education and training benefits to veterans, service members and their families who served after Sept. 10, 2001. Adam Trapanotto, a senior exercise and sport science major and a U.S. Navy veteran, said students who are veterans struggle to find their identity when transitioning to civilian life. “You’re used to a regimented style of living, and then all of a sudden now you have the freedom to do whatever you want,” he said. “And then on top of which you lose that commonality with a lot of people you connect with. You’re struggling for the sense of identity.” It is important for veteran students to advocate for themselves and seek out all resources like disability benefits to help them, Trapanotto said. “That was one big thing that I struggled with when I first initially transitioned out of the military,” he added. “I don’t want that stigma I’m doing this to transition out.” Craig Turner, a senior economics major who joined the U.S. Marines during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, said he had to adjust to civilian life after living with a “tribal mentality.” “In the military, everything you do is for the guy to your left to your right,” Turner said. “So adjusting that was definitely different. And then once you overcome that, it’s pretty easy as long as you don’t isolate yourself, which I know a lot of veterans do.”
JEREMY ELVAS / THE TEMPLE NEWS Craig Turner, a senior economics major and United States Marines veteran, attends the Veteran’s Day Ceremony at Rock Hall Auditorium on Nov. 11.
Brown said although he is a part of many student organizations, he connects better with students who are veterans. He works at Temple’s Military and Veteran Services Center, where he has found a “brotherhood.” The center is a centralized resource for prospective and enrolled military-affiliated students. Prior to creating the center in 2010, Laura Reddick worked in Temple’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions for 21 years where she often worked with military-connected students. “One of the things I realized was once they were here at the university, they were on their own,” she said. “I try to treat them like family when they come in here.” Reddick created programs for students, like the Veterans Day Ceremony held on Monday at Rock Hall Auditorium, the annual Military Appreciation 1
Mile Walk/5K Run/Rucksack Relay on Wednesday. “Our office is designed to help students transition from military life to college life,” Reddick said. “We want students to know they have a safe space to come to and get information,” she added. Turner hopes that non-military-connected students and students who veterans would interact more. “There can’t be a divide,” he said. “It’s really important to have a conversation between the two so they can understand each other so it doesn’t remain, ‘Oh. That guy with the tattoos that sits in the back of the room, that’s a veteran, I shouldn’t talk to him.’ It’s like, ‘No.’ Go open up your mouth and say hello.” alesia.bani@temple.edu @alesia_bani
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THE ESSAYIST
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
Challenging my ideas of the military
A student explains what being a pacifist means to her with having loved ones in the military. BY NICO CISNEROS For The Temple News Just a few days shy of my 18th birthday, I was somewhere I never thought I’d be. Longhorns ran down the road as my family and I made our way down the highway to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. When we arrived, we were greeted by armed military personnel. We made our way to a running track where we eagerly awaited the new airmen to come running out. Among them would be someone I hadn’t seen in almost a year — my older sister, Ashley. When my sister told me she was joining the Air Force, I was shocked. Learning about the horrors of war in history classes as a kid had made me a staunch pacifist. My anti-war sentiments intensified after Sept. 11, 2001. I watched young Americans suffer and die while serving in wars in the Middle East. Newspapers and the TV showed bombings that maimed and murdered civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq. Then, torture practices at prisons, like Abu Ghraib in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, made me and the world critical of military action. I came to see people in the military as people who liked war, something I could not fathom. It was difficult for me to picture Ashley like that, but I’ve found unlearning is just as important as learning. To believe military members are enthusiastic agents of war was extreme
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HANNAH PANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS
bias. I had stereotyped members of the military without even knowing them. And here was someone I love telling me this is the path she has chosen. Like many college-aged individuals, my sister struggled to find her purpose in life, so my lack of enthusiasm didn’t seem fair, as she always supported me. Instead, I decided to learn about my sister’s work, and I found my prejudices replaced with knowledge. She explained she probably would not see combat, but
everyone could be deployed. She would train for that possibility but more intensive training happened when she trained in her career field, a military occupational specialty. In fact, she taught me that there are multiple career fields that a person can sign up for and many are not combat-related. I learned that many of my sister’s fellow airmen weren’t trying to see combat. Many, like my sister, had joined as a way to show gratitude for a country they
felt had given their family an opportunity to thrive. Others also joined because the military offered them a path to economic security that they hadn’t been afforded before. The most important thing I learned from my sister was empathy. We have all had to choose ways to secure our professional and financial future. For me, that was college. For my sister, that was the military. Our solutions may have been different, but the reasoning was the same. When I met my sister’s friends in the Air Force, I was introduced to my now-fiance Carlos. He proudly decided that his future included two things: becoming a Marine and me. When he told me his ambitions, I asked him questions, as I had with my sister. I found that, like my sister and her friends, he was joining to thank the country that had given his parents the opportunity to succeed when their home country hadn’t. It hasn’t always been easy, but when you love someone, supporting them — no matter what you personally believe — is a no-brainer. Supporting members of our military, past and present, does not mean you support war. To me, pacifism is seeing war as a violent means of dividing people. I also believe that being a pacifist means promoting unity as a way to achieve peace and trying to understand others is the best way to do that. The people in my life have always been the greatest teachers of this. I am and always will be a pacifist. I am and always will support our military. And yes, I can and will do both. nicole.cisneros@temple.edu
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INTERSECTION PAGE 19
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
CAMPUS
Students find ‘support system’ within Army ROTC
There are 138 students enrolled sible for planning operations. Students in Temple’s Army ROTC program in the program can work their way up the ranks. Freshmen begin as MS-1s, or this year. BY GIONNA KINCHEN Intersection Co-Editor For students enrolled in Temple University’s Army ROTC program, a normal day involves classes, physical training and leadership labs. Army ROTC, or the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, is a leadership training program that prepares college students for military service. Students enrolled in the program are trained to become officers, specifically second lieutenants, for the United States Army while simultaneously pursuing a degree of their choice. ROTC cadets wake up early on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to go to physical training from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. They also attend military science classes during the week and leadership labs where they are trained in navigation, using weapons and administering first aid. Although it can seem like a commitment, getting involved in the ROTC program can be as easy as signing up for a class, said Isaiah Taylor, a senior political science and economics major. “ROTC is actually an offered class at Temple that literally any student could sign up for,” Taylor said. “Now, to stay in the program, you have to meet certain qualifications. Obviously, the goal of ROTC is to commission officers into the United States Army. So you do need to be able to pass some physical tests, but you have time to work toward that.” Jackie Hankins-Kent, the vice provost for Undergraduate Studies in Military Science, said 138 students are enrolled in the program this year. Cadets must be full-time students and maintain at least a 2.0 GPA to stay in the program. Upon graduation, she said students can serve as an active-duty, reserve or National Guard officer. Taylor is the Cadet S-3 for Temple’s ROTC, which means he is respon@TheTempleNews
“team members,” sophomores are MS2s, and so on. For Kevin Foster, a senior entrepreneurship and innovation management major, being a part of the program means honoring his family’s history. His grandfather was a cadet at Temple who joined the Army in 1970. “A lot of my family’s gone to Temple, so I kind of wanted to follow in my grandpa’s footsteps,” Foster said. “And I’ll actually be commissioning in May, right around the 50 year anniversary of him commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Army, so that was my big motivation.” Students enrolled in the ROTC program are eligible for exclusive benefits and scholarships. Cadets can compete for numerous scholarships on the local and national level and be awarded tuition money and stipends to cover books, housing and other necessities, according to the Undergraduate Studies in Military Science’s website. “From the start it really gave me a really great support system. You meet a lot of good people through the program and you can really rely on each other,” Foster said. “I think a lot of people show up and maybe have trouble socializing and making friends, but for me it definitely changed my college experience as far as friends.” Lt. Grant Bernard, a 2019 ROTC geography and urban studies alumnus, spent five months on active duty and is now participating in the Hometown Recruiter Assistance Program to recruit prospective students. “It’s taught me a lot about confidence,” Bernard said. “I was a fairly shy guy in high school. Getting up in front of 40 people and leading them is the biggest thing that it really helps you with.”
NICOLE HWANG / THE TEMPLE NEWS
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INTERSECTION PAGE 20
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
COMMUNITY
Former public school to become veteran shelter A grant will help turn the building into 55 housing units for veterans experiencing homelessness. BY NATALIE KERR For The Temple News The former General John Reynolds Public School in Sharswood will be turned into more than 50 housing units for veterans experiencing homelessness. The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority will renovate the building on 24th Street near Jefferson to add 55 housing units as part of a $300,000 grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, said Ali Mooney, a redevelopment officer for PRA. The funding comes from the EPA’s Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program, which provides funding to aid in assessing, cleaning and redeveloping properties contaminated by hazardous substances, according to the EPA’s website. Residents can fill out an application to live at the site, which will be available when construction starts in February 2020, said Jamila Davis, PRA’s public information officer. Between 2013-17, there were 60,000 veterans living in Philadelphia County, according to the American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. The transition back to civilian life can pose challenges, like locating a new home, pursuing education or a new career path and reestablishing relationships within the community, according to New Directions for Veterans, a nonprofit providing social services to veterans in Los Angeles. About 9 percent of all adults experiencing homelessness in the United States are veterans. On any given day, an estimated 40,056 veterans experience homelessness in America, according to the 2017 Annual Homeless Assessment Report. Ten percent of the housing will be set aside for referrals from Philadelphia’s Office of Homeless Services. The housing will also be targeted at people who intersection@temple-news.com
CLAUDIA SALVATO / THE TEMPLE NEWS The former General John Reynolds Public School on 24th Street near Jefferson will become housing units for veterans experiencing homelessness.
are 55 or older, a need that’s been identified in the surrounding neighborhood, Davis said. “The important part is just really to house as many people as possible,” Mooney said. Mina Holladay, co-president of Temple Veterans Association, said veterans can face a lot of difficulties during their transition back to civilian life. “We go into this bubble, where we’re veterans and nobody knows what to do with a vet,” said Holladay, a third-year media and communications major and a United States Military veteran. “It’s not just awkward from our standpoint either though, it’s often awkward from a civilian standpoint where they don’t know what to say and how to treat vets.” Holladay said the discharge process from the military consists of a week of classes from the Department of Defense on acclimating to civilian life, mental
and physical evaluations, paperwork and a resume-building process. “You’re doing it too late if you’re setting up a company that is waiting for vets to walk through the door and be ready to be helped,” Holiday said. “You’ll see us when we’re absolutely desperate, and we have nowhere else to go.” Former Army Lt. Elizabeth Baik, a doctoral student at the Klein College of Media and Communication, has worked with veterans experiencing homelessness in Colorado. “Veterans might feel isolated or lonely,” Baik said. “The important thing is just to find like-minded people that you can get support from.” Holladay said it took her more than 20 years to feel like a civilian, and that she felt pressure to be a “strong pillar of hope for other people.” “What happens in the military is that you are somewhat dehumanized,”
said Jimmy White, a former Temple student and a veteran of the Iraq War. “Empowerment will show [veterans] that they have worth and they have value. Empowerment is giving them a voice, humanizing them and then giving them the opportunities to succeed by using their strengths.” This new housing development will provide services within the residence through public health management corporations that are available to the veterans living there. “By virtue of these persons living in this building they are already accessed,” Davis said. “They are going to have the opportunity to talk to whoever they need to talk to, to get the help and access that they need, versus, someone who would have to seek it out.” natalie.kerr@temple.edu
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SPORTS PAGE 21
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
After hot start, shooting cools down in first loss
The Owls’ three-point shooting percentage dropped nine points after their loss to Saint Joseph’s. BY JOSH GRIEB Women’s Basketball Co-Beat Reporter
Temple University women’s basketball (2-1) was shooting the ball well before its 67-63 loss against Saint Joseph’s on Monday night. In its first two games of the season, Temple shot 42 percent from behind the arc while attempting 10.5 three-pointers per game. Against the Hawks, the Owls shot 16.7 percent from three-point range, bringing their team average down to 33.8 percent. ”When they’re not falling, we got to figure out a different way,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “It was easy to just stop and shoot jump shots, but if they’re not going in, we got to find a different way to score.” Sophomore guard Marissa Mackins leads the team in three-pointers attempted and is making them at a 40.7 percent clip. She has attempted 27 total threes this season and has made 11 of them. Against the Hawks, Mackins shot 1-of-6 from behind the arc. Mackins led the team in successful three-point shots last year and is most comfortable shooting when in transition, she said. “Drive and get a feel for the rim, and if that doesn’t work then you just have to find other players, Mackins said. “Eventually if they get into a groove then you’ll get into a groove, so we play off each other.” In the first two games, sophomore guard Ashley Jones shot 41.6 percent from three. She shot 4-9 from deep in the Owls’ first game against Fairfield
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COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple women’s basketball coach Tonya Cardoza directs sophomore guard Marissa Mackins as she leaves the court against Saint Joseph’s at Hagan Arena on Nov. 11
University on Nov. 5. Jones and Mackins attempted 24 total threes against Fairfield. Jones shot 1-of-6 from three-point range against the Hawks, which lowered her season percentage to 33.3. “Regardless, I’m still gonna try to attack,” Jones said. “I noticed shots were off tonight.” The Owls have used more guards in the lineup this season, an adjustment Cardoza made in the second half of their win against Duquesne University on Nov. 8, she said.
The Owls have more depth this season, and the coaches believe the team has multiple players who can average more than 15 points per game, Cardoza added. Temple has two players averaging more than 15 points per game this season. Junior forward Mia Davis leads the team with 24.3 points per game and Jones is second with 16.7 points per game. Mackins averaged 19 points per game after the first two games of the season, but she only scored six points
against the Hawks dropping her season average to 14.7. “When [Davis] is hot, we gotta make sure that we’re getting her the ball,” Cardoza said. “It felt like they couldn’t guard her. I think that we should have gotten it to her more down the stretch.” The Owls’ next game will be at home against Xavier University (1-0) on Thursday at 7 p.m. joshua.grieb@temple.edu @JGrieb10
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SPORTS PAGE 22
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
CLUB SPORTS
International fencer adds experience to club team Aziz Alsarraf chose to go to college instead of continuing his competitive fencing career. BY DONOVAN HUGEL For The Temple News Aziz Alsarraf’s father gave him two choices when he graduated from Dasman Bilingual School in Kuwait City. He could go to college or become a fencer. Alsarraf, a sophomore accounting major, gave up his competitive fencing career, but still gets to enjoy the sport. as a foil for Temple’s club fencing team. He was born and raised in Kuwait City and left home for the first time to attend college when he was 18, he said. Alsarraf fenced competitively for 10 years and competed on the Kuwait National Team from 2011-16. Alsarraf didn’t like fencing when he first started. Originally, he wanted to play soccer, but his father pushed him to fence, he said. “As human beings, we don’t like being forced into doing anything,” he added. “My dad insisted that I be a fencer. It was pretty simple, but I didn’t want to.” Alsarraf took a break from fencing in 2009, but he ended up falling in love with the sport when he joined the national team in 2011, he said. Khaled Jahrami, Alsarraf’s father, fenced in Kuwait and for its national team from when he was 18 until he was 30. As soon as Alsarraf was old enough, Jahrami pushed fencing on him, which wasn’t always easy for Alsarraf. Jahrami is the manager of a Kuwait fencing club and coached Alsarraf when he was growing up, he said. “He was hard on me,” Alsarraf said. “It was tough sometimes. People knew that I was his son, so everyone would look at me differently and think that I’d get whatever I wanted. He didn’t want to treat me that way, so he coached me like
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COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore accounting major Aziz Alsarraf (left) works on blade techniques with Temple fencing club Vice President David Chodor during practice at Pearson Hall on Nov. 11.
any of his other students.” Alsarraf helps run Temple’s practices, as he is the only student on the team with international experience. “He brings a lot of experience, specifically international competitive experience more than anyone else in the club,” said David Chodor, a sophomore political science major and the club’s vice president. “When we have practice and when I fence him, I not only gain more knowledge just from practice, but also from his experience from Kuwait’s National Team.” Even though it can be frustrating
to compete against Alsarraf in practice, it’s also almost like a “private lesson,” Chodor added. “It’s great because he knows how to lead and has so much experience traveling worldwide,” said Nadir Syed, a senior management information systems major and the club’s president. “He’s taught us all these new techniques, and we’ve all gotten better from it,” he added. Alsarraf’s family still lives in Kuwait, and he takes a 15-hour plane trip every summer to see them. “But family’s everything to me,”
he said. “My biggest supporter is my mom. She doesn’t know fencing, but she tries her best and asks how I did in my competitions.” Alsarraf said he wouldn’t make his future children fence — or force them to do any other thing. “I said that when I grow older, I won’t force them to do anything,” Alsarraf said. “I love my dad and I love fencing, but I won’t make my kids fence. They can fence if they want to, but I won’t force them.” donovan.hugel@temple.edu @donohugel
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SPORTS PAGE 23
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Owls’ shooting woes overshadow two-win start
This spring, Temple graduated its Owls’ defensive charge. He secured Morgan State outrebounded Temple Temple has shot 64.4 percent best free throw shooter and second-best double-digit rebounds in each of the first 45-42, but the Owls had 15 offensive from the free-throw line and 25.5 three-point shooter, guard Shizz Alston two games and grabbed 10 rebounds rebounds to the Bears’ 12. The Bears percent from behind the arc.
BY ALEX McGINLEY Assistant Sports Editor Even though Temple University men’s basketball has started 2-0, the team is trying to improve its offense, coach Aaron McKie said. In the Owls’ 75-57 win against Morgan State University on Saturday, they missed 12 free throws and shot 7-of-32 on three-point attempts. Against Drexel on Nov. 5, the Owls only shot 5-of-15 from beyond the arc and missed four free throws against the Dragons. “I can’t correct it,” McKie said after Temple’s win against Morgan State on Saturday. “It’s something they gotta get in the gym and work on. I thought we got some good looks. We’ll make those shots. We certainly wanna be a team that gets out in transition, but we also have to convert.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 BUTRICA “I really liked the team culture on AMP,” Butrica said. “Head coach Patrick Sherlock reached out to me when I was pretty young and had me around the team. I always had fun, and I just liked how competitive the team was.” Butrica is captain of TU Alert, Temple men’s ultimate frisbee club. He’s a cutter for the team, which makes space to receive a pass. This position requires consistent catching and speed to create separation from defenders, he said. Butrica switched to handler for AMP in the fall season, which makes accurate passes and stays back while cutters work to get open on the field. The position change made him a
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Jr., who converted on 35 percent of his three-point shots, while making 90 percent of his free throws. Senior guard Alani Moore II had the second-best free throw percentage last season at 78 percent. Senior guard Quinton Rose and junior guard Nate Pierre-Louis are the only two players this season to attempt more than 10 free throws. Rose is 9-of14 from free throws and Pierre-Louis is 11-of-17, both of which are at 64 percent. “Sometimes, I think it’s who you are,” McKie said. “You can certainly work at it and get better at it. We’ll be able to make shots…We certainly have to continue to work at that and free throw shooting as well.” In its win against the Bears, the Owls heavily relied on its defense. Temple forced 19 turnovers off the Bears and scored 27 points off turnovers. Pierre-Louis has been leading the
against Drexel. Eight of those were defensive rebounds. Pierre-Louis then followed that up with 11 rebounds against Morgan State. Pierre-Louis also has 11 steals through the first two games. His steals have been a big part of the Owls’ 40 points off turnovers this season. “My charge with [Pierre-Louis] is you gotta concentrate on being the best defender in the country and one of the best rebounding guards in the country as well,” McKie said on Oct. 29. “He’s willing to take on that challenge.” Despite dominating on defense, the Owls have not been efficient in rebounding. Drexel won the rebounding battle against Temple 46-39. Temple lost 16-8 in offensive rebounds against the Dragons. Temple allowed Drexel junior forward James Butler to grab 15 rebounds, despite only scoring seven points.
held a 33-27 advantage in defensive rebounds. “We take it every bit personally,” junior forward J.P. Moorman II said after the Drexel game. “We failed in that department. It’s not gonna take us where we wanna go. We got big goals and big aspirations.” Temple will look to improve its offense and rebounding on Saturday against Big 5 rival La Salle (1-0) at 2 p.m. at Tom Gola Arena. The Explorers grabbed 48 rebounds in their game against Iona College on Nov. 9. Redshirt-junior guard Scott Spencer led with nine. “It’s the first two games of the season, so we’re still trying to figure it out,” Pierre-Louis said. “We’re all in. We’re all in to work on our free throws. We’re all in to shooting our jump shots. We just gotta stay true to it.”
well-rounded player and helped improve a weakness of his game, Butrica said. “Coming into the club season, I would make a lot of bad decisions, but I was able to work on decision making with my throws,” Butrica said. Butrica’s performance was noticed by Ultiworld, a website dedicated to ultimate frisbee, which praised his patience with the disc and his ability to make precise passes on time in an article on Nov. 6. “For them to point out how my game is improving in print was an awesome moment and it’s cool to see that playing two different roles definitely helped me improve,” Butrica said. Butrica’s positivity and energy make him fun to coach, AMP’s assistant coach, Matt Zumbrum, said. “It is great to have a player like
[Butrica] who has such high energy.” Zumbrum said. “He is always giving 100 percent, and I can always expect that when he’s on the field.” Butrica is also a reliable defender when his team doesn’t have the disc, Zumbrum added. “On defense, we can expect him to be a lockdown defender, and a lot of times, we will put him on the opponent’s best throwers,” Zumbrum said. Butrica gives advice to the younger Temple players, sophomore cutter Brad Predmore said. “He’s a good teammate, if I’m doing something wrong he’ll always show me how I need to fix it,” Predmore said. Temple’s players were excited when Butrica got to play on ESPN with AMP, Predmore added. Now that AMP’s season is over,
Butrica has shifted his attention to Temple’s upcoming season. He’s focusing on becoming a leader and showing the underclassmen the culture that the seniors created, he added. On April 28, Temple lost to Ohio University, 14-3, and to Penn State, 119. “We couldn’t beat the teams after them,” he said. “We should be better this year, and the goal is always to get better.”
alex.mcginley@temple.edu @mcginley_alex
cayden.steele@temple.edu @caydensports Donovan Hugel, The Temple News’ women’s soccer and cross country beat reporter, is Temple’s ultimate frisbee club president. He played no part in the editing of this story.
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SPORTS
PAGE 24
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2019
CLUB SPORTS
THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING Senior Jake Butrica joined a AMP, a mixed-gender ultimate city ultimate frisbee club after frisbee club three times. He felt his perseverance was three try-outs over three years. BY CAYDEN STEELE For The Temple News
L
osing a spot on his high school baseball team led Jake Butrica, a senior graphic design major, to try ultimate frisbee. Butrica tried out for Philadelphia
rewarded when he made the team this year. AMP won the mixed USA Ultimate National Championship in San Diego, California, on Oct. 27. The team has won back-to-back mixedgender ultimate championships.
BUTRICA | PAGE 23
COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Senior graphic design major Jake Butrica runs across the field during practice for TU Alert, Temple’s ultimate frisbee team, at the Aramark Student Training and Recreation Complex on Nov. 11.
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