Vol. 99.5 Iss. 8

THE TEMPLE NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

20,000 TESTS THIS WEEK Temple University’s new $10 million COVID-19 testing plan is prepared to give 20,000 self-administered nasal swab tests this week to students, faculty and staff.

Read more on Page 3.

WHAT’S INSIDE LONGFORM, PAGES 12-13 More than 5,000 Temple Health workers have been vaccinated for COVID-19.

SPORTS, PAGE 27

Women’s soccer will switch defensive schemes for their upcoming season start.

VOL 99.5 // ISSUE 8 JAN. 19, 2021

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

The Temple News

PAGE 2

THE TEMPLE NEWS A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

Madison Karas Editor-in-Chief Bibiana Correa Managing Editor Colin Evans Digital Managing Editor Tyler Perez Chief Copy Editor Valerie Dowret Assignments Editor

ON THE COVER

Jack Danz News Editor Victoria Ayala Assistant News Editor Amelia Winger Assistant News Editor Christina Mitchell Opinion Editor Magdalena Becker Essay Editor Emma Padner Features Editor Natalie Kerr Assistant Features Editor Lawrence Ukenye Assistant Features Editor Dante Collinelli Sports Editor Isabella DiAmore Assistant Sports Editor Adam Aaronson Assistant Sports Editor Haajrah Gilani Co-Intersection Editor Eden MacDougall Co-Intersection Editor

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Maggie Fitzgerald Audience Engagement Editor Iris Wexler Asst. Engagement Editor Colleen Claggett Photography Editor Allie Ippolito Asst. Photography Editor Erik Coombs Multimedia Editor Matthew Murray Assistant Multimedia Editor Ingrid Slater Design Editor Hanna Lipski Assistant Design Editor Tyra Brown Alternative Story Format Editor Maryam Siddiqui Web Editor Carly Civello Advertising Manager Kaila Morris Advertising Manager Luke Smith Business Manager

Luis Mendoza, a sophomore undeclared major, self-administers a COVID-19 nasal swab test at Howard Gittis Student Center on Jan. 18.

The Temple News is an editorially independent weekly publication serving the Temple University community.

Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.

Adjacent commentary is reflective of their authors, not The Temple News.

The Editorial Board is made up of The Temple News’ Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Digital Managing Editor, Chief Copy Editor, Assignments Editor, News Editor and Opinion Editor.

The views expressed in editorials only reflect those of the Board, and not of the entire Temple News staff.

CORRECTIONS On Nov. 17, 2020, an article on page 17 titled “Temple students create art to destigmatize opioid crisis” used inaccurate terminology to describe substance use disorder and the opioid crisis. The Temple News apologizes for this mistake.

On Nov. 17, 2020, an article on page 8 titled “Maintain pandemic precautions” inaccurately stated the measurements for proper social distancing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends keeping more than six feet from others to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Accuracy is our business, so when a mistake is made, we’ll correct it as soon as possible. Anyone with inquiries about content in this newspaper can contact Editor-in-Chief Madison Karas at editor@temple-news.com.

COVID-19 CASES As of Jan. 18, Temple has 45 active cases of COVID-19 among 34 students and employees on campus and 11 cases off campus.

Philadelphia averaged 547 cases a day from Dec. 24, 2020 to Jan. 7 and approximately 487 new cases a day from Dec. 31, 2020 to Jan. 14.

Temple has not released weekly data for total tests, positive cases, percent positivity and positive cases in campus housing since the week of Dec 28, 2020.

For the latest information, visit our COVID-19 case dashboard at temple-news.com/trackingcovid19

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

Follow us @TheTempleNews

The Temple News

NEWS

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CORONAVIRUS

Temple begins COVID-19 testing plan for spring The fourth group, students assigned be conducted at the Morgan Hall testing The university will spend almost tip of the swab and put it in the test tube.

Temple built a lab at the Lewis Katz to clinical rotations, will get tested center, The Temple News reported. $10 million on the self-adminisSchool of Medicine that can process through their respective schools. StuPaley Hall will serve as a testing site tered COVID-19 testing program.

BY SCOTT SAUER For The Temple News

T

he first students administered their COVID-19 tests in Mitten Hall and the Howard Gittis Student Center Monday as part of Temple University’s new COVID-19 testing program.

Temple is projected to spend almost $10 million this semester on the COVID-19 testing program, said Mark Denys, the director of Student Health Services.

To offer in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Student Health Services will test 4,000 students twice per week and 1,200 students once per week, but those numbers will fluctuate, Denys said.

Students will receive their COVID-19 test results between 12 and 36 hours after the test, The Temple News reported.

“You swab your nose, you put it in the little test tube and then return it,” said Emma Lazar, a junior mechanical engineering major who was tested on Monday morning at the Student Center.

“They have a scan barcode on the tube that goes with your TUID, so that they don’t get mixed up.”

After inserting the nasal swab into their noses, students must break off the

26,000 COVID-19 tests per week, Denys said.

“We can do a lot, and we may not even be at our full capacity,” Denys said.

“This is something brand new. We built a lab that’s never existed before.”

In preparation to supply students, faculty and staff with as many as 20,000 nasal swab tests this week, Student Health Services assigned students to one of five COVID-19 testing groups.

Student Health Services will give mandatory tests twice per week to the first group, which includes students who reside in on-campus housing, take in-person classes that meet at least twice per week or live in the six ZIP codes surrounding Temple and take in-person classes that meet at least once per week, Denys said.

“The twice per week mandatory testing starts changing behaviors,” Denys said. “Nobody wants to test positive and students started changing their behaviors and following the guidelines to keep themselves safe in a more consistent manner.”

Student Health Services will give mandatory tests once per week to the second group, students taking in-person classes at least once per week living outside of the six surrounding ZIP codes, and optional tests once per week to the third group, students living in one of the six ZIP codes with no in-person classes, Denys said.

dent Health Services will not test the fifth group, students using only online resources, unless they are symptomatic or identified as a close contact, Denys said.

Student Health Services will test student workers who work on campus at least twice per week twice per week and student workers who work on campus less than twice per week once per week, Denys wrote in an email to students.

Student Health Services will track students’ testing frequency through their TUID. If students are not getting tested enough, Student Health Services will send them a warning, Denys said.

Sarah Feldman, a junior business major who got tested on Monday morning at the Student Center, was nervous about the test before it happened, she said.

“I really like that you’re at your own table separate from everybody else, so there’s no pressure from the people around you,” Feldman said. “It was a lot easier than I had expected.”

The City of Philadelphia approved Temple’s testing plan on Friday, wrote James Garrow, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, in an email to The Temple News.

Asymptomatic COVID-19 testing for students will be conducted at the Great Court in Mitten Hall and the Student Center South Room 200ABC, while symptomatic COVID-19 tests will

for university employees, The Temple News reported.

Menes Allain, a sophomore construction engineering and technology major who was tested on Monday morning at the Student Center, feels safer this semester with Temple’s new testing plan in place, he said.

“They had a little bit more time to, kind of, get everything under control and formulate a plan to keep students safe,” he added.

Students can schedule appointments for COVID-19 tests online through the Student Health Services Patient Health Portal. Appointments for tests will open on Friday for the following week throughout the semester, The Temple News reported.

“There is no mandatory quarantine period for students waiting for results, but everyone should be pretty close to quarantining all the time, following the four public health pillars,” Denys said.

If students test negative, they will receive their test results via email or text message. If students test positive for COVID-19, Student Health Services will call them and inform them of how to proceed, The Temple News reported.

Amelia Winger contributed reporting. scott.sauer@temple.edu @realScottSauer

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Yassine Akkour, a sophomore business management major, performs a self-administered COVID-19 test and puts his nasal swab sample in a test tube at the Howard Gittis Student Center on Jan. 18.

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NEWS

The Temple News

CAMPUS

Study abroad programs at Rome, Japan resume Temple Rome and Temple Japan are enforcing COVID-19 precautions similar to Main Campus.

BY FALLON ROTH Campus Beat Reporter Temple University’s Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses office is offering its study abroad programs in Rome, Italy, and Tokyo, Japan, for the Spring 2021 semester, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The Oviedo, Spain, study abroad program was canceled.

The continuation of the Rome study abroad program comes as Italy recorded more than 15,000 new COVID-19 cases a day last week, the New York Times reported.

On Jan. 7, Tokyo declared a state of emergency, which will last until Feb. 7, after COVID-19 cases in the area reached a record 2,447 daily cases, the Associated Press reported.

“It’s just been like a really crazy rollercoaster of emotions to be honest, but I am glad that they’re still running the program as of now,” said Kajal Bharany, a junior legal studies major who is studying at Temple Rome.

The number of students enrolled decreased from around 280 to 77 students in the Rome study abroad program and from 120 to 50 students in the Tokyo study abroad program from Spring 2020 to Spring 2021, The Temple News reported.

The office assessed the possibilities and risks of conducting study abroad programs in the spring since early 2020, said Jacleen Mowery, director of international risk management.

The Rome and Japan study abroad programs are enforcing COVID-19 testing and quarantine protocols similar to those implemented on Temple’s Main Campus, including the four pillars of public health, quarantine and isolation guidance, and outlines for cleaning classrooms and buildings, Mowery wrote in an email to The Temple News.

International campuses shared their plans with Main Campus and awaited approval from Risk Management and the Education Abroad and Overseas

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Students will study at Temple University Rome during the spring semester, which will be operating under COVID-19 guidelines. Above, TUR, housed inside of Villa Caproni, stands along the Tiber River in Rome, Italy on Feb. 27, 2020.

Campuses office regarding the implementation of COVID-19 protocols, like the four health pillars, Mowery wrote.

Mark Denys, the director of Student Health Services who is overseeing the protocols implemented by Temple Rome and Temple Japan, serves as an advisory consultant for the group that recommended the continuation of a study abroad program, Mowery said.

The Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses office also ensures that academic learning will continue in the event that a study abroad program is canceled, said Sara Sequin, the associate director of Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses office.

“I think anyone who is studying abroad knows that there is a big risk factor in studying abroad, because you have to catch a flight and then you have to go through the airports, so it is a very tough decision,” Bharany said.

Students will be required to quarantine for two weeks upon arriving in Rome. The first week will be a virtual orientation and the second week will be

virtual asynchronous classes, after which in-person classes will commence, Bharany said.

Japan ceased nonresident arrivals on Dec. 28, 2020, after signs of the new COVID-19 variant within the country’s borders, AXIOS reported.

The Temple Japan program is still running, but the Japan campus has decided to cancel activities, including sports night, until Feb. 7, push registration back for activities until Feb. 4 and cancel overnight trips due to the current state of emergency in Japan, the TUJ Activities Instagram page announced.

The Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses Office will also temporarily halt a few of its programs altogether, like the Temple University in Spain program and exchange programs with various international universities, Sequin said.

The cancellation of the Spain program was due to Temple’s inability to provide an “immersive learning experience while creating a safe and healthy environment on Spain’s campus,” Sequin wrote in an email to The Temple News.

A list of other canceled study abroad programs can be found on the External and Exchange Spring 2021 Program Updates page on the Education Abroad website.

Emilia Zankina, dean of Temple’s Rome campus, said that the biggest point of concern and conversation is maintaining safety within the study abroad program.

Although the Rome study abroad program was canceled in the fall and the campus’ situation has not greatly improved, Rome is now able to host students in the spring due to increasing knowledge about how to manage COVID-19, Zankina said.

“If one that has been so refreshing is, I think we can all become experts in crisis management and contingency planning and those are skills that would come handy,” Zankina added.

The Education Abroad and Overseas Campuses office publishes updates about the university’s study abroad programs on its website. fallon.roth@temple.edu

The Temple News

NEWS

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TSG

Student government plans initiatives for spring President Quinn Litsinger will not run for reelection and looks forward to “a fresh start.”

BY JACK DANZ News Editor Last semester, Temple University Student Government advocated to move classes fully online, passed a constitutional amendment restructuring the executive branch and pushed for student voter turnout.

This semester, TSG will focus on initiatives like adding more Wellness Days for students, expanding access to textbooks and creating a food insecurity program with the dining halls.

Second semester can be a time when student government administrations lose their momentum, said Student Body President Quinn Litsinger, a junior political science major.

“The administrations sort of die out without much enthusiasm going on,” Litsinger added. “So we’re trying to take as many steps to combat that as possible with another retreat for spring semester coming up in early February.”

TSG is working on initiatives from the Internal Services Division directors and doing research so the next administration can continue to implement its platform points, including sexual assault awareness and prevention, fossil fuel divestment and community relations, said Sophia Tran, chief internal services officer and a junior psychology major.

BloomTU will not be able to complete several initiatives from BloomTU’s platform, including making bars around campus SAFE BAR certified, training for students to identify overdoses and expanding gender-neutral bathrooms to all buildings on campus, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and time constraints, Tran wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Macy Trout, director of academic affairs and a freshman environmental science and political science major, is analyzing the results of a textbook survey, which was sent to the United States Public Interest Research Group, a partnership of public interest groups fighting for social change, Tran said.

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophia Tran, the chief internal services officer for Temple Student Government, writes the agenda for the weekly services team meeting at her apartment on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 15th Street on Jan. 17.

TSG already has data from the fall and expects to receive the rest of the survey data from the U.S. PIRG on Jan. 22, Trout wrote in an email to The Temple News.

The data from the U.S. PIRG report will guide TSG in how it advocates for open educational resources and free or affordable textbooks through a textbook affordability task force, Tran said.

“Especially during the pandemic, a lot of students are losing their jobs and livable wages,” Trout wrote. “We shouldn’t then force them to pay upwards of $200-$300 a semester for textbooks. Even in a pandemic free world, a lot of students are already responsible for their living expenses and more.”

Grace Muldoon, director of student health and well-being and junior public health major, is partnering with Women Organized Against Rape, a local nonprofit aimed at ending sexual violence in Philadelphia, to continue sexual assault education on campus, Tran said.

“I believe that collaborating with WOAR will allow me to learn more to be able to advocate empathetically and effectively for the Temple student body,” Muldoon wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Temple has two Wellness Days on Feb. 23 and March 24 built into the spring semester calendar to help students through the semester without spring break, which was canceled to stop students traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Temple News reported.

TSG is advocating for at least one more Wellness Day to be added to the semester, because students will get exhausted with online school, Tran said.

Sofía Gabaldón, director of student affairs and sophomore Spanish and history major, will write a letter to Miguel Cardona, the next U.S. secretary of education, about Title IX concerns after talking with Andrea Seiss, Temple’s Title IX coordinator, Tran said.

“The idea is to voice our concerns about the changes that did occur under the previous secretary and ask that the new secretary put the needs of the students before the institution so that students can be better served by the Title IX office among other resources at their universities,” Gabaldón wrote in an email to The Temple News.

Will McDonnell, director of student basic needs and a junior criminal justice major, is working on the Buddy Pilot system, a meal swipe program which

would allow students with leftover meal swipes to partner with another student with food insecurity and donate swipes, Tran said.

Temple has offered around 500 free meal swipes per semester to students, but that is not enough meal swipes, McDonnell wrote in an email to The Temple News. He hopes the program will start in Fall 2021.

“Implementing a system to ensure consistent food supply would increase academic performance as well as student morale,” McDonnell wrote.

TSG will begin its campaign season in March, said Litsinger, who will not run for reelection.

To run for president again, Litsinger would have to resign from his position and give up his roles and committees, he said.

“I’m looking forward to seeing a fresh start being given to TSG outside of the drama of COVID that has been built this year due to various university stances that the student body stood very firmly against,” Litsinger said. john.danz@temple.edu @JackLDanz

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NEWS

The Temple News

CRIME

Crime at Main Campus increased slightly in 2019 All categories of crime increased often varied in nature, making it difficult classmates harassing classmates, room- which a victim feared they would be from 2018 except for alcohol, to pinpoint a particular reason why the mates harassing roommates. Oftentimes, harmed because of bias against them, but drug and weapon-related crimes. overall number of reports slightly in- harassment comes with known people.” were not physically attacked or threatBY AMELIA WINGER Assistant News Editor Crimes reported to Temple University’s Campus Safety Services on Main Campus rose by about 1.7 percent from 2018 to 2019, fueled by increases in reports of harassment and vandalism, according to the university’s 2020 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report released on Dec. 22, 2020.

The report summarizes the number of crimes and fires reported to Temple on or near all of its campuses — including its international ones — in the past three years. The university is required to release this information under the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, a law requiring universities that receive federal funding to release crime statistics.

Although universities are typically required to release their annual security reports by Oct. 1 every year, the United States Department of Education extended the deadline last year to Dec. 31, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Crimes reported to TUPD in 2019

creased, said Charles Leone, director of Campus Safety Services.

“They’re so different,” Leone said.

“When we see things happening, we respond and we make changes in our deployment, but this was kind of all over the place.”

Though it is not required by federal law, the Pennsylvania Uniform Crime Reporting Act requires universities in Pennsylvania to release statistics on crimes like harassment, theft and drunkenness, Leone said. Crimes in the non-Clery Act category, which includes lower level crimes like vandalism and disorderly conduct, accounted for 798 of the 1,345 total reports Campus Safety Services received in 2019.

Reports of harassment, which falls under the non-Clery Act category, rose by 31 percent from 2018 to 2019, making it the crime with the highest increase in reports. Harassment occurs when someone repeatedly touches, talks to or follows another person with the intent of annoying or alarming them, according to Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Code.

“Harassment comes in a lot of different forms,” Leone said. “It could be

During the past five years, Campus Safety Services has seen reports of harassment increase because technology has become more prevalent among students, with many incidents involving people using social media and text messaging to harass others, Leone added.

Other crimes that experienced an increase in reports were the miscellaneous non-Clery Act offenses, which increased from 52 reports in 2018 to 74 reports in 2019 and includes crimes like abduction and blackmail, and vandalism, which increased from 71 reports in 2018 to 83 reports in 2019.

The report also showed a decrease in reports of theft, which dropped from 308 reports in 2018 to 275 reports in 2019, and disorderly conduct, which fell from 33 reports in 2018 to 29 reports in 2019.

HATE CRIMES Temple reported 11 hate crimes on Main Campus in 2019, which is slightly higher than the number of hate crimes the university has reported annually since 2014. Ten of the 11 reported hate crimes were reports of intimidation, in

ened with a weapon. Additionally, eight hate crimes were committed because of the perpetrator’s bias against the victim’s race, ethnicity or national origin.

In contrast to Temple, Drexel University reported two hate crimes on its campus while the University of Pennsylvania and La Salle University reported no hate crimes in 2019. In 2019, there were 12 hate crimes in Philadelphia and 7,314 hate crimes nationwide, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate organization that collects data from the United States Department of Justice about hate crimes nationally.

Temple’s Campus Safety Services sometimes experiences difficulty when determining which incidents are hate crimes because it can be challenging to know if the perpetrator’s intention was to intimidate a victim because of bias against them, especially when the incident occurred in a public space without a particular target, Leone said. In these instances, Campus Safety Services “errs on the side of caution” and reports the incident as a hate crime, which may be why Temple reported more hate crimes

AMELIA WINGER / THE TEMPLE NEWS

The Temple News

NEWS

PAGE 7

than other local universities, he added.

“The Department of Education may say an instance maybe shouldn’t have been scored as a hate crime, and then we’d go back, change the number and repopulate the report,” Leone said. “But I’d rather have it go that way than have them ask why we didn’t put that number on there.”

CLERY ACT CRIMES Temple also reported 77 Clery Act crimes in 2019 — seven more than in 2018 — despite a decrease in reports of rape, fondling and burglary. The categories of Clery Act crime that increased the most in 2019 were robberies, which increased from 19 reports in 2018 to 28 reports in 2019, and aggravated assault, which increased from five reports in 2018 to 13 reports in 2019.

The uptick in robberies in 2019 is partially attributed to a string of unrelated robberies south and west of Main Campus from the end of November through the first few weeks of December, which was unusual because crime tends to decrease in December, Leone said.

To prevent robberies from increasing again in December 2020, Campus Safety Services increased its campus patrols, even though the number of people living on and near Main Campus dwindled as many students took classes remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Leone added.

“We wanted to make sure there were no vulnerabilities,” Leone said.

“We certainly didn’t want to relive what happened last December. This December was much better.”

RELATIONSHIP VIOLENCE CRIMES Additionally, Temple reported slightly more instances of relationship violence in 2019 than in 2018, which was caused by an increase in reports of dating violence.

The slight increase in relationship violence offenses may stem from students feeling more comfortable reporting sexual misconduct, particularly because movements against sexual abuse have garnered international attention and Temple’s Title IX Office has made information about the reporting process more visible, said Andrea Seiss, the university’s Title IX coordinator.

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS A Temple University campus police office is located on Montgomery near 12th Street.

“When there tends to be national media attention, I get more questions and we’ll talk about ways we can include what’s happening nationally in our programming,” Seiss said. “A lot of the time, I was hearing from students that they’d fear they would lose power if they reported something, or they’d be forced through a process they didn’t want to go through. So the more I could share information about what happens when a student works with me, I thought the more people would feel comfortable asking for help. And I think that has worked.”

Campus Safety Services also implemented measures aimed to make people feel more comfortable when reporting incidents of relationship violence, like having detectives undergo specialized training to be sensitive when victims share incidents with them, Leone said.

Despite the overall increase in reports of dating violence, reports of sex offenses decreased in 2019, with reports of rape decreasing from 11 reports in 2018 to five reports in 2019. This may have been caused by a variety of factors,

like increased awareness about what constitutes rape and other preventative measures, Seiss said.

“I would love the reason to be that Title IX is getting more information out there, I would love the reason to be that the K-12 system is doing more work in this area to educate students, but I’m not fully sure,” Seiss said.

ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND WEAPONS CRIMES The only crime category that shrunk in the 2020 report were alcohol, drugs and weapons-related crimes, which decreased from 466 reports in 2018 to 425 reports in 2019. Temple’s reports of alcohol, drugs and weapons-related crimes peaked at 766 reports in 2014 and has declined somewhat steadily since then, The Temple News reported.

“Weapons have always been pretty consistent,” Leone said. “Alcohol, if it goes down a little bit, you’ll see it ebb and flow over the years.”

Campus Safety Services has sought to provide students with more resourc-

es about recovery from substance abuse, like providing information about the drug and alcohol educational resources offered at the Wellness Resource Center and the counseling and treatment options available through Tuttleman Counseling Services beginning on page 23 of the report.

After reviewing the report, Campus Safety Services increased its awareness and communication among its officers, like having line supervisors sit in on the leadership team’s biweekly meetings so captains are not the sole figures responsible for sharing updates with other officers, Leone said.

“This fall, we were just making sure we were watching any type of little change we saw happening with crime and making sure we pushed our resources really hard out there,” Leone said. “It’s just keeping that constant awareness.” amelia.winger@temple.edu @AmeliaWinger

OPINION

PAGE 8

EDITORIAL

Reject disinformation Temple University students and faculty are starting their Spring 2021 semester in one of the most eventful months of their lives, one surrounded by the effects of disinformation.

Baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election by United States President Donald Trump led to a mob storming the U.S. capitol on Jan. 6, followed by an FBI memo warning law enforcement of the possibility of armed protests in all 50 states ahead of Inauguration Day tomorrow, despite Attorney General Bill Barr affirming there was no widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

At the same time, while states have begun administering COVID-19 vaccines, media pundits like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson have stoked doubt about the safety of vaccines. About a quarter of Americans are hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine, with many citing safety concerns and fears of possible side effects, according to a December 2020 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health news organization. There is no evidence, however, that the COVID-19 vaccine causes harm, only some brief mild flulike symptoms after vaccination, BBC reported.

As we watch the effects of disinformation and misinformation erode the public’s trust in our democratic system and public safety, the Editorial Board encourages our readers to trust in peer-reviewed, fact-checked and credible sources of information.

While misinformation refers to false information spread without the intent to mislead others, disinformation deliberately misleads readers and manipulates facts or narratives to serve as propaganda, according to the University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College. Both are dangerous, and the Editorial Board cautions readers to only rely on reputable, fact-

checked journals, studies and media outlets.

Information may be falsified or otherwise untrue if the author is not an expert on the subject, the website is not credible, the claims are unverifiable or the information can’t be found elsewhere, according to Temple University Libraries.

Inaccurate information can often impersonate genuine sources, manipulate accurate information, provide information out of context or hide under the guise of satire, according to Temple University Libraries, but it is critical that we identify when information is not credible or has been purposefully altered to deceive others.

Fact-checking sites, like Politifact, FactCheck.org, Snopes.com and Duke Reporter’s Lab, are all reliable sources to assess the accuracy of a piece of information, according to Temple University Libraries.

The Editorial Board also urges our readers to find and follow accurate journalism and media outlets. Reputable media outlets publish accurate content, provide corrections when information is incorrect, use credible sources, clearly identify their editorials and opinion columns as separate from other reporting and employ ethical journalists, according to the University of California Merced library.

Rigorous fact-checking is one of the defining principles of The Temple News’ reporting and editing across all sections. Thus, the Editorial Board cannot stress enough the importance of seeking reliable sources of information, particularly regarding ongoing nationwide events affecting our state, city and campus community, like the presidential transition and the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Accuracy is our business, but with the growing threat of disinformation, we implore our readers to make it theirs, too.

The Temple News

THE ESSAYIST

I miss holding a menu

A student describes how outdoor dining in colder months isn’t worth the safety risk.

BY MICHELLE LEVIN For The Temple News Years ago, inside Osteria’s vibrantly lit terrace or outside in their private patio deck, all of my troubles could vanish for a moment as I indulged in their penne alla vodka.

Before the pandemic, I always highly anticipated going out to eat with my family at Chima or Roccos.

But now, I don’t enjoy it anymore.

Center City District Restaurant Week, a two-week period when local restaurants have three-course lunch and dinner deals, has always been a tradition for my family.

Now, Restaurant Week, which would typically be scheduled to start this week, hasn’t even been planned yet amid the pandemic restrictions.

Rather than relaxing and spending time with my family, I’m putting myself at risk of catching COVID-19 and inconveniencing myself for the sake of an expensive meal.

My family and I used to go out to eat multiple times a week. Whenever my mom came home exhausted from a long day at work, we wouldn’t mind skipping the cooking.

Now, even sitting inside a restaurant is a luxury I don’t have. I don’t want to bundle up in the middle of January, only to quickly shovel piping hot food into my mouth before it gets cold.

It’s uncomfortable constantly putting on a mask every time my waiter, donned in multiple masks and a face shield, passes by, but I feel guilty if I don’t. I understand it’s important to keep those around me safe, but it’s frustrating putting on a mask while I walk to a table, just to promptly take it off as soon as I sit down.

Although the quality of the food has not been compromised for the most part, I cannot say the same is true about the atmosphere. Sitting on the streets as cars honk their horns and people walk right up to me, ignoring social distancing, is not particularly romantic. After sitting behind a screen all day for my Zoom classes, the last thing I want to do at dinnertime is pull out my phone, scan a QR code and squint my eyes to look at an online menu.

I miss the feeling of holding a physical menu in my hands. I miss being able to take my time and catch up with friends and family without being rushed out after my hour-and-a-half time slot is up.

At the end of the semester, my dad would always take me out to Morimoto, one of the most upscale sushi restaurants in the city, if I got good grades. We’d split their sushi platter, which was almost as big as the table.

But for the past two semesters, we’ve been unable to do this.

Although we still support local restaurants by ordering takeout, it’s not the same. It’s not as fresh, and oftentimes it’s cold by the time I sit down to eat. It’s a hassle to go back and forth to pick up the food if they don’t offer delivery, and even if they do, we’re often waiting a very long time because they’re busy.

Al fresco dining in the summer wasn’t too bad because the weather was warm, but during the winter it’s almost unbearable.

I’m certainly looking forward to the simple pleasure of eating inside a restaurant again. But what I’m more excited for is the day when I can go out for brunch with people outside my household and not have to have my temperature checked or answer questions before I can go inside. michelle.levin@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 9

POLITICS

Dependent students also need a stimulus check A student argues adult depen- States Bureau of Labor Statistics found dents should be included in re- that 12.5 percent of people ages 20 to 24 were unemployed, as compared to ceiving federal COVID-19 aid.

As a student, I work myself to the bone in classes only to exhaust my last bit of energy in the workplace.

Unfortunately, I’m not alone in this struggle.

RYAN ZAJDEL For The Temple In a 2018 survey News of 17 million undergraduate students, about half are considered financially independent from their parents, meaning they are responsible for the majority of their college and living costs, NPR reported.

Despite the fact that many students are financially independent, their parents can file them as dependents on their income tax returns, making them ineligible to receive the stimulus checks.

Although dependents under the age of 18 received $100 more than they did in the previous round, one thing hasn’t changed: college students between the ages of 18 and 24 will still not receive a stimulus payment because they can be claimed as dependents on their parents’ income taxes.

Adults who are claimed as dependents, including college students, should not be excluded in the next stimulus package.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many students were furloughed from their work study jobs. A September 2020 population survey by the United

6.3 percent the previous year, the State News reported. Moreover, college students need aid in alleviating the financial burden of living independently while obtaining a degree in the midst of the pandemic.

Last April, individuals and married couples in a certain income bracket received $1,200 and $2,400, respectively, under the Cares Act, CNBC News reported. On Dec. 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed a second stimulus package, which provided an additional $600 for individuals, $1,200 for married couples and $600 for each dependent child, NBC News reported. The stimulus checks were meant to help revive the economy and cover some everyday expenses, like bills and food.

The stimulus check is a one-time payment, and while it would sustain in the short-term and provide for immediate needs, students from low-income backgrounds or those who are financially independent need even more assistance to make ends meet, said Dan Previti, a senior economics and risk management and insurance major.

“People who don’t need it more often than not simply store it, thus eliminating its purpose of ‘stimulating’ the economy,” Previti said. “Instead of sending a trivial amount of money to everyone, the government should provide a monthly stimulus to those who truly need it.”

Emalita Marcucci, a freshman education major, pays for tuition herself with the help of financial aid and is cur-

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

rently living with her parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’ll be paying my rent myself, so saving up now is very important,” Marcucci said.

In addition to her 35 hours a week babysitting, 10 hours a week working at a restaurant and time on Temple University’s Cheerleading Team, Marcucci has 12 credits of school work. A stimulus check would help students like Marucci who work full-time while being a fulltime student pay off a month’s rent or buy a few exorbitantly priced textbooks.

Stephanie Yanochko, a sophomore environmental studies major, is also part of the 58 percent of students who work in college.

“I paid off a full semester last year using savings and had to take out private loans this year to pay for tuition, housing and food,” Yanochko said. “I had three jobs at one point trying to save up.”

Parents can claim their children as dependents if they are full-time students up until the age of 24 and receive a tax break from the government, according to TurboTax. In this case, even if a student is financially independent but was filed as a dependent, they will not receive a stimulus check, Vox reported.

If an individual believes they are el-

igible for independent status, they can take a “support test” to determine who provided more than half of their income.

However, if they try to file as independents themselves, their parents may lose head of household status, costing them thousands of dollars on their tax bills, the Washington Post reported.

Many students have lost their jobs since the start of the pandemic and desperately need these funds to afford the sky-rocketing cost of higher education.

On average, a student at a public university in the U.S. spends $25,396 per academic year and is in over $32,000 of student loan debt after they graduate, Education Data.org reported.

President-elect Joe Biden had proposed a $1,400 stimulus check for most Americans after he is inaugurated, but the emphasis is on most, as adult dependents will be excluded for the third time, Fox 8 reported.

Despite the fact that I have three jobs, I can only afford to pay my rent through loans because I am a full-time student.

Although a $600, $1,200 or even $1,400 check won’t do much, it would give me and other vulnerable students the wiggle room we need to prevent ourselves from plummeting deeper into debt. ryan.zajdel@temple.edu

PAGE 10

OPINION

The Temple News

STUDENT LIFE

Give students a week off, not two Wellness Days A student argues two Wellness Days in lieu of spring break this semester is not enough respite.

Spring break is part of the quintessential college experience.

As a senior in high school last year, I remember imagining what spring break would be like in 2021, but a COVID-19 spring SHREYA SRIDHAR For The Temple break will not be a vaNews cation in Miami, Florida.

On Dec. 17, 2020, Vice President and Provost JoAnne Epps announced the implementation of two “Wellness Days” on Tuesday, Feb. 23, and Wednesday, March 24. These two days of no classes in the first and second half of the semester would replace the traditional spring break and give students a day to relax and revitalize. This email came almost two months after the initial announcement that spring break would be canceled and was likely out of concern for the mental health of students.

Temple University canceled spring break amid fears that students would travel over the break and spread COVID-19, a similar model other schools implemented.

Living through a pandemic has increased college students’ already high stress levels, making breaks more important than ever. In fact, 71 percent of students stated that the pandemic has increased their stress and anxiety, according to a September 2020 study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Two Wellness Days cannot adequately allow students to de-stress, and they certainly will not make up for the loss of spring break. As 89 percent of students expressed difficulty concentrating and 82 percent said they worry about their academic performance, according to the JMIR study, they are in desperate need of at least a one-week break.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made learning during the semester even more difficult, said Lauren Nolan, a junior Spanish major.

“If anything, we need a longer break

ALI GRAULTY / THE TEMPLE NEWS

to account for that,” Nolan said.

While it is comforting to know that the university’s leadership is considering the safety of its students and faculty, the spring semester feels incredibly daunting. For me, the fall semester was exhausting even with Thanksgiving break, so the thought of a semester with no break seems utterly draining.

These Wellness Days are useless in the case of students who have no classes on either of these days.

James Riker, a senior psychology major, only has one class on Tuesdays.

For students like Riker, having a Tuesday off makes very little difference in stress levels, defeating the purpose of having a Wellness Day. “It’s nice when you send us emails saying that you care about us, but you need to show us that you care about us,” Riker said. “Have us go online after a regular spring break, and make it easier to get tested.”

This is Riker’s last year at Temple, adding yet another layer of disappointment to his semester.

“So much already had to change, and you can’t just add more to that and expect things to not implode,” Riker said.

While a week-long break would be ideal, the university could improve the Wellness Days by moving them to Fridays or Mondays. This would allow for a longer weekend, help maintain a sense of normalcy and offer a substantial break to students while still limiting the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Although the amount of days off would remain the same, students and faculty alike would feel more rested and likely take more time to relax knowing they could have a long weekend.

Many professors may not have time to lose an entire week of instruction because of the late start of the spring semester, wrote Robert Rabiee, an intellectual heritage professor, in an email to

The Temple News.

“I’m torn! I think the Wellness Days are a fine idea, but they cannot replace the full week’s rest of a proper spring break,” Rabiee wrote.

A college education is difficult for both students and faculty, and it is important to remember this when the university is planning the school calendar.

“I would proceed carefully and with open hearts, both to the increased workloads for faculty and the unorthodox learning environment for students,” Rabiee wrote.

Compassion for students and faculty should be at the core of all decisions made by the administration. Considering the mental and physical health implications of a week-long break this spring, I sincerely hope Temple’s leadership will recognize the need for more than just two isolated days. shreya.sridhar@temple.edu

The Temple News

OPINION

PAGE 11

POLITICS

We settled for Biden then, but we won’t settle now A student argues Democrats should not be complacent after President Trump’s term is over.

Tomorrow, we will watch the victor, President-elect Joe Biden, be sworn into office after millions of Americans went to the polls to vote for the lesser of two evils.

ALLISON NIKLES The 2020 presiFor The Temple News dential election gave voters the opportunity to choose a new leader. However, we weren’t left with much of a choice.

When Biden, previously the vice president for former President Barack Obama, was announced as the Democratic candidate against President Donald Trump, the phrase “settle for Biden” surfaced on social media. It acknowledged Biden is flawed but recognized this country cannot survive another Trump term.

On Nov. 7, 2020, Biden was elected the 46th president of the United States.

While we may have settled for Biden, we still must criticize him as harshly as we would Trump.

Despite students’ reluctance to vote for Biden, one of the less liberal Democrats, many celebrated his victory in the streets of Center City Philadelphia on Nov. 7, 2020, including Kevin Reeder, a senior music technology major.

“It felt like a relief,” Reeder said. “I felt like most of the people there were the ‘settle for Biden’ crowd. It wasn’t a celebration for Biden as much as a celebration for Trump leaving office.”

Valerie Levy, a senior English major, and her three friends were also part of the “settle for Biden” crowd.

“We all agreed that we’re not going to celebrate the Biden win: we’re celebrating Trump getting kicked out of office,” Levy said.

While it is fair to applaud the Biden and Harris administration taking over, it is also important to remember that he

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

was not most young people’s first choice because of his moderate-leaning agenda.

“Obviously, putting Biden into office is not the final solution,” Reeder said.

Additionally, few young voters are informed about Biden’s political history, as they were too young to understand his policies when they were enacted.

During his career as a Delaware senator, Biden helped draft the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, signed by former President Bill Clinton. The 1994 Crime Bill was controversial because it exacerbated mass incarceration, which targeted Black and brown populations, Vox reported.

Biden is now working to advance the economic mobility of Black citizens and strengthening his commitment to racial justice. This will be achieved by investing in Black businesses and ensuring equal access to credit and capital, accord-

ing to Biden’s campaign website.

His Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris, will be the first woman and person of Black and South Asian ancestry to serve in this role, CBS News reported.

Despite Biden selecting Harris as his Vice President, people are apprehensive because they are more aware of how issues like mass incarceration disproportionately affect people of color.

Biden has been criticized by young voters as being a “blank slate,” meaning he is not progressive enough, as well as for his sexual assault allegations and potential ties to credit card companies. But he has pushed for free college and bankruptcy overhauls, NBC News reported.

“Biden will take half a loaf. That is that most policy is created incrementally,” said Robin Kolodny, chair of the political science department.

Although Biden’s faults are a far cry

from Trump’s, it’s up to us to hold him accountable.

“In a country with a lot of different demand, you’re going to have to settle for the best you can do, not the perfect,” Kolodny said.

He has chosen a diverse Cabinet to help him roll back Trump’s climate and immigration policies, NPR reported.

I would like to see Biden address the issues Trump neglected, like increasing access to affordable healthcare, decreasing gun violence and standing up for LGBTQ and women’s rights.

Biden isn’t perfect, but he is the first step to reversing the past four years. We settled for him to win, but we won’t be content until he follows through. allison.nikles@temple.edu

LONGFORM

PAGE 12

CORONAVIRUS

The Temple News

DANIEL BURKE AND TEMPLE HEALTH / COURTESY Robert Wallace, a dietetic assistant at Temple University Hospital, receives the COVID-19 vaccination from Sherre Branch, a registered nurse on Dec. 16, 2020.

Temple vaccinates health care workers, students The university’s health system is continuing to rollout COVID-19 vaccines to health care workers.

BY FALLON ROTH For The Temple News

S

everal Temple University medical students are trained in administering the COVID-19 vaccine, including Madison Nesteruk, a junior public health major and registered nurse at Temple University Hospital.

“Just a few months ago the vaccine seemed little more than a distant hope,” Nesteruk said. “So to be actually giving it to people now feels pretty crazy.”

In the United States, people began receiving the first dose of the highly anticipated COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 14, 2020, the New York Times reported.

Temple University Health System began administering COVID-19 vaccines to Temple health care workers on Dec. 16, 2020, The Temple News reported.

The first phase of vaccinations come as the U.S. enters the deadliest period yet of the COVID-19 pandemic, with daily deaths from the virus reaching more than 3,000 a day, the New York Times reported.

Dr. Whitney Cabey, an emergency physician and health services research-

er at the Center for Urban Bioethics at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, was among the first at Temple Health to receive the vaccine.

Cabey put her trust in the science and data upon receiving her vaccine, she said.

“There’s a lot of people who say like, you know, I’ll do it after you, but recognizing that that’s the case, you know somebody does actually have to start the chain, and I think for me as an African American woman, it’s just, it’s fine if it’s me because I have all the data,” Cabey said.

Cabey received the Pfizer vaccine and her only side effect after her second

dose was feeling like a cold was coming on, but it quickly subsided the next day, she said.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccine both require two doses at least three weeks apart, according to the Center for Disease Control.

As of Jan. 8, roughly 5,000 Temple Health workers had been vaccinated and 13,000 Temple Health workers had been invited to receive their vaccinations, said Dr. Tony Reed, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Temple University Health System.

Pennsylvania is in Phase 1A of distribution with vaccines going to frontline health care workers and long-term

LONGFORM

The Temple News

care facility residents and workers, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Phase 1B will include first responders, people ages 75 years and older and workers in industries like the U.S. postal service, education and public transit, while Phase 1C will include essential government workers, people between 65 and 74 years old and people between 16 and 64 years old with high-risk conditions, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

In Phase 2, Pennsylvania will vaccinate all residents above the age of 16 not previously vaccinated during Phase 1, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Reed does not expect a healthy 19-year-old to be vaccinated until July or August, he said.

DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS

The federal government’s Operation Warp Speed planned to vaccinate 20 million Americans by the end of 2020, but only 14 million vaccine doses were

distributed, CNBC reported.

Operation Warp Speed failed its goal because the Trump administration left states in charge of the vaccination distribution and promised states more vaccines than it could provide, Politico reported.

President-elect Joe Biden, who will take office tomorrow, announced an ambitious plan to accelerate vaccine distribution during his first weeks in office, NBC News reported. Biden will use the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard to set up thousands of vaccination sites in communities.

Cabey believes Temple is doing the best possible job to coordinate the vaccinations despite current circumstances with distribution at the federal level, she said.

“There’s not enough federal coordination to enable a system that could handle doing more to do its best possible job, if that makes sense,” Cabey said.

Temple received fewer than 2,000 doses of just the Pfizer vaccine before

VA C C I N E Timeline of vaccination progress from first approval to Temple University Hospital.

Dec. 8, 2020

First person received Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in United Kingdom.

Dec. 11, 2020

FDA granted emergency use authorization for the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, the first authorized in United States FDA approved this vaccine for people 16 and older.

Dec. 13, 2020

First vaccines leave Pfizer facility in Portage, Michigan.

the Moderna vaccine became available on Dec. 18, 2020. Now that both of the vaccines are available, Temple receives around 2,000 first doses in total of the vaccines per week, Reed said.

Before the vaccination process began, Temple started having conversations about logistics and distribution between the end of October and early November 2020, with the help of an ethics, equity and scheduling committee, Reed added. Ultimately, they determined which health care workers would be first in line to receive the vaccine.

Reed anticipates having 65 to 70 percent of health care workers respond to the invitation and then become vaccinated with their first dose by the beginning of February, with the potential to reach 80 percent three weeks later, he said.

Receiving the shipment of vaccines and giving them to Temple Health workers was a “revolving math problem,” Reed said, as his supply of vaccines will always be greater than the amount of vaccinations he can administer.

PAGE 13

Reed expects to have received 16,000 vaccines in total by the end of January.

So far, he’s received enough doses to vaccinate 50 percent of his health care workers, including health science students, he said.

Cabey is using her knowledge and experience to reassure others about the experience of receiving the vaccine and to make a difference within her family, the Black community and public spaces as a whole, she said.

“I want to protect myself, I want to protect my family and I want to get out of this mess that we’re in and I want less people to die, right, so we have to get to herd immunity, the good way or the bad way and this is definitely the good way, people being vaccinated and not just millions of people continuing to get the virus,” Cabey said.

Asa Cadwallader contributed reporting. fallon.roth@temple.edu

DISTRIBUTION Dec. 14, 2020

First vaccine given in the United States in Queens, New York First vaccine given in Pennsylvania.

Dec. 16, 2020

First doses of the vaccine given to health care workers at Temple University Hospital.

Dec. 18, 2020

FDA granted emergency use authorization for the second vaccine, Moderna COVID-19, approved for people 18 and older.

Jan. 12, 2021

In Pennsylvania, 281,305 people have received first doses, 30,172 people have received second dose In Philadelphia, 50,529 people have received first dose, 9,600 people have received second dose.

Jan. 16, 2021

3.2 percent of people in the U.S. have received at least one dose.

LIVE Philly in

BY COLLEEN CLAGGETT Photo Editor

FROM THE

GROUND

UP State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and sanitation worker Terrill Haigler organized a street cleanup for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Kimberly McGlonn (left), 41, founder of Grand BLVD, and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, 30, and Terrill Haigler, 31, a sanitation worker from North Philadelphia, stand behind a pile of trash cleaned out of a vacant lot during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service neighborhood cleanup on Jan. 18.

O

n Monday, residents gathered at 17th Street near Jefferson to clean up trash with Terrill Haigler, also known as YaFavTrashman, and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta. In honor of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, volunteers used garbage bags, rakes and brooms to clean trash out of empty lots along 17th Street between Jefferson and Master streets.

Kenyatta and Haigler, a sanitation worker from North Central, have known each other since playing tennis together as kids and wanted to team up to support the neighborhood where they grew up.

“It was a good opportunity to partner together on a day that’s supposed to be all about service,” Kenyatta said. “But also about reminding ourselves of the work that’s yet to be done.”

About 200 volunteers helped clean up the area, using the holiday for community service.

“MLK Day of Service is exactly that,” Haigler said. “It’s a day of service, it’s a day of sacrifice, it’s a day that you think not of yourself, but think of someone

who may be struggling.”

This past summer, Haigler started an Instagram account called @_yafavtrashman, which grew a large following, to help city residents understand the work of a sanitation worker during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I use that platform to educate the community about trash and to bridge that gap between the department and the residents, which I felt was pretty big,” Haigler said, adding that he thinks the gap is much smaller now.

James Scott Jr., 51, a police officer from Northeast Philadelphia, dedicated his day off to cleaning up the neighborhood in the spirit of King.

“I don’t live here, but other people live here,” Scott said. “So maybe they’ll want to keep it clean and feel better about themselves and their community.”

Carrisson Hooks, 18, and Julian Richardson, 18, students from West Philadelphia who attend West Chester University and Pennsylvania State University, respectively, came to clean up the neighborhood together after Hooks saw a flyer for the event.

Community-driven programs like the cleanup are a great way to directly

impact your neighborhood, Richardson said.

“It’s nice having a mayor and a governor, but they don’t always have the time, or they don’t always immediately think about issues like trash in a neighborhood in North Philly,” he added.

Daniel Paschall, 33, a transportation planner and advocate who lives in Brewerytown, recognizes the positive impact of cleanup events.

“A lot of times if people are walking by trash-strewn streets, they maybe lost confidence in the neighborhood’s care for itself,” Paschall said. “This kind of does the opposite of that. It shows that people care and it brings people together.”

By coming together, volunteers were able to spend three hours cleaning up the neighborhood’s streets and empty lots while honoring the legacy of King.

“It’s just trying to honor what he started,” Richardson said. “Give back.

Be around people, be social, but try and make a change.” colleen.claggett@temple.edu @colleenclaggett

MOVING CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP RIGHT Nicole Ismael (left), 27, a 2016 marketing alumna and area marketing manager for Coca-Cola, and her sister, Kimberly Ismael, 23, a freelance designer, sweep trash at the corner of 17th Street and Master.

Terrill Haigler (left), 31, a sanitation worker from North Philadelphia, Kimberly McGlonn, 41, founder of Grand BLVD, and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, 30, hold a T-shirt from McGlonn’s company.

Kevin Alexander, 25, a part-owner of Driven Handyman Services from North Philadelphia, carries a trashed mattress out of a vacant lot on 17th Street near Jefferson.

PAGE 16

FEATURES

The Temple News

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS A person enters the Boyer College of Music and Dance on Jan. 17.

ON CAMPUS

Students, faculty await their return to classrooms Around 13 percent of classes person for the university. The remain- it’s more familiar to students and instructors, he added. will be held in person or hybrid ing 87 percent of classes will be online.

The Fall 2020 semester began with “Faculty have a lot of experience dofor the Spring 2021 semester.

BY SCOTT BLENDER Faculty and Alumni Beat Reporter

B

enjamin Rapp felt isolated in the fall.

With online classes, Rapp, a junior data science major, missed the classroom interactions he had in prior semesters, he said.

“I found it difficult to have no connection with my classmates and professors,” Rapp said.

Today, students return to Main Campus classrooms for the Spring 2021 semester after almost all classes were moved to an online format just one week after opening some for the Fall 2020 semester. Although students and faculty are eager to safely return to in-person classrooms, some are hesitant due to rising cases of COVID-19 in Philadelphia and across the United States.

Temple University is holding a mix of in-person and online courses for the spring semester, according to a statement released on Nov. 2, 2020, by President Richard Englert.

An estimated 13 percent of undergraduate and graduate-level classes will be held in person, as hybrid or as fieldwork, said Raymond Betzner, a spokes-

around 75 percent of classes online and 25 percent in person, but after Sept. 3, 2020, when COVID-19 cases on campus rose to more than 200, only around five percent of classes remained in person, he added.

As of Jan. 18, there were 45 active COVID-19 cases among Temple students and employees, The Temple News reported.

As of Jan. 15, Philadelphia had a seven-day average of 613 cases per day, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Students attending in-person classes are required to be tested twice a week, and faculty and staff working in person are eligible to be tested twice a week, The Temple News reported.

In-person classes will be held in large, open classrooms with desks spaced at least six feet apart from each other.

Students are required to wear masks in the classroom, Betzner said.

“There are about 250 classrooms that are useful on campus currently,” he added. “We can keep students six feet apart, a faculty member at least six feet if not more away from everybody else and we can get people in and out of the buildings safely.”

Matthew Newby, a physics professor, believes his classroom will be safe with social distancing and increased testing, he said.

Newby is looking forward to returning to teaching one in-person class because

ing this in person, but only about a year of experience doing this online,” Newby said.

Some students are looking forward to being back in the classroom, hoping that with COVID-19 safety measures, like increased testing for students who are taking in-person classes, in-person courses will last for the duration of the semester.

Online classes felt impersonal to Sydney Kimbell, a freshman data science major, because she wasn’t able to meet her professors and peers face to face. This semester, an in-person course will help Kimbell structure her schedule, she said.

“My biggest challenge was having the discipline with online coursework to keep doing the work,” Kimbell added.

“Having the structure of an in-person course will help me concentrate more.”

Bruce Hardy, a communication and social influence professor, will be on campus three times a week for two in-person classes. For both of his classes, he will give students the option to participate virtually via Zoom if they are uncomfortable coming back into the classroom or feel sick, Hardy said.

Hardy was tested for COVID-19 yesterday at 10 a.m. in the basement of Paley Hall and is hopeful that with increased testing, classes can remain in person this semester, he said.

“I’m optimistic but again we are pre-

pared for a quick transition to virtuals if that is what the university deems needs to happen,” Hardy added.

Sam Cashion, a freshman technical production and management major, is reluctant to take her one in-person class this spring. While it’s important to be on campus for hands-on learning, she is nervous about staying safe, she said.

“We want to make sure that everybody’s staying healthy and taking all the precautions we need to take,” Cashion added.

Rapp, who took all online classes last semester, is relieved to be in the classroom for his Introduction to Modern Physics courses, but has some concerns about returning because students are traveling back to campus from various states and cities for the semester, he said.

“While I do trust that most people have been safe while they’re home, you never know,” Rapp added.

Kimbell is optimistic, hoping social distancing in classrooms and an increased testing plan will help students and faculty stay safe during this semester, she said.

“My recommendation for students in online courses is to stay disciplined and make a plan or routine, for those in in-person classes to stay safe and follow guidelines Temple has set in place to keep us safe,” she added. scott.blender@temple.edu scott_blender

The Temple News

FEATURES

PAGE 17

COMMUNITY

Residents cope with canceled programs, isolation Temple’s community outreach proNorth Central residents feel withdrawn from the neighborhood grams are canceled or moved to Zoom, and socializing among community memwith fewer in-person events.

BY NATALIE KERR Assistant Features Editor With schools online and access to the public places and events limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, stay-at-home mom Mary Shorey, 36, is feeling cooped up.

She and her three children do art projects and play in their home’s backyard on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near 16th Street, but Shorey knows the activity isn’t a replacement for socializing with others, she said.

“I just think kids need to get out, they need to get out and be with their peers,” Shorey added. “Then again, you don’t want them to get sick.”

This winter carried the burden of a year marked by isolation and worry as rising COVID-19 cases and public safety restrictions limit interactions between neighbors. Because of social restrictions and cold weather canceling outdoor gatherings that would be otherwise permitted, residents are feeling more cut off from their community and neighbors.

In past years, Temple University students and staff and North Central residents came together for service events, like the community dining program at the Berean Presbyterian Church on Broad and Diamond streets.

These events built rapport between both communities by engaging in shared interests, said Andrea Swan, director of community and neighborhood affairs.

But because of COVID-19 concerns, the dining program and other volunteer projects, like those hosted every year for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, are suspended to follow the Philadelphia Department of Public Health’s safety guidelines on limiting social gatherings to immediate household members.

“We’re all coping as best as we can, certainly we miss our in-person engagement and interaction with our neighbors,” Swan said.

bers reduced significantly, making “the community just feel hopeless right now,” said Terry Starks, Republican leader of Ward 20, which encompasses most of Main Campus.

“The community is in deep depression,” he added. “We always teamed up with the college for different projects, COVID slowed all of that stuff down, so hopefully we can find another game plan to get the community back jump-started.”

Minister Faith Denson, 60, who lives on 8th Street near Oxford, feels an increase in anxiety among her neighbors because visiting other people presents danger of contracting COVID-19.

“I really miss that, the community events, coming together,” Denson said.

“We really do miss all that because we have to remain isolated. I just hope we can get through this.”

Other Temple community outreach programs like the Pan-African Studies Community Education Program have moved to online platforms so residents can safely access programming, Swan said.

Last semester, a Thanksgiving community food drive, done in partnership with Campus Safety Services, was hosted outdoors where participants could meet physically distanced. But now, winter weather makes meeting outdoors less viable, so more events are happening online, Swan said.

“It is strange and I think it’s something that many of us are still trying to get used to, but we must take these steps, it’s better safe than sorry,” she added.

Community gardens around North Central pause their work each winter when cold weather conditions make gardening difficult, Starks said. But he looks forward to gardening coming back, as it’s an in-person community activity that remained available last year because its outdoor setting allows for social distancing.

Starks is seeing the absence of com-

ALLIE IPPOLITO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Faith Denson, 60, a minister who lives at 8th Street near Oxford, stands outside CVS Pharmacy at 12th Street and Cecil B. Moore Ave. on Jan. 13.

munity programs, like Cradle to Grave, a gun violence prevention program at the Temple University Hospital Trauma and Surgical Critical Care center, worsening mental health in his neighborhood, he said.

The program shut down abruptly in March due to COVID-19. For 15 years, the initiative has worked with at-risk youth and adults in reentry programs to educate about how gun violence impacts communities, said Scott Charles, co-director of Cradle to Grave.

“One day I’m bringing kids in and talking about gun violence, the next day I’m wearing PPE and going into the ICU,” he added.

Charles isn’t sure the experience of being in the trauma center can be effectively translated onto an online platform because participants lose the emotional connection to the content.

“What makes Cradle to Grave unique is that up-close experience,” Charles said.

“We’re also not giving up on this, we recognize that there’s a need to do something.”

Leon Taylor, a 34-year-old food delivery driver who lives on Uber Street near

Montgomery Avenue, has seen kids in his neighborhood lose opportunities to engage with each other, as local recreation centers close and some after-school activities are suspended, he said.

He’s also seen his neighbors strugglewith losing their jobs due to shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic, or are elderly and afraid to go outdoors, Taylor added.

“They struggling to maintain, to keep food in the house for they family,” he said.

“I got a couple seniors on my block I try to make sure that they safe, run out and try to get them some food when I can.”

Taylor hopes that with a COVID-19 vaccine available, the community can find some normalcy soon.

Denson feels social distancing will give North Central the best chance of being able to come back together soon.

“There’s a lot of fear out here, but I just think you need to do what you know to do,” Denson said. “I just say go forward.” natalie.kerr@temple.edu natliekerr

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FEATURES

The Temple News

ART

Students, alumnae startup alternative magazine JuiceBox Magazine covers social issues affecting high school and college students.

BY NORA KELLEHER Arts and Culture Beat Reporter A turn of JuiceBox Magazine’s bright yellow cover reveals poetry, art and interviews diving into issues demanding this generation’s attention.

JuiceBox is an alternative magazine created by a group of five Temple University students, two alumnae and two of their friends, that highlights written and artistic work that address social issues, like racial justice and social media use. The magazine, which sells for $10 an issue, began distributing on Jan. 13 and raised more than $1,000, all of which will be used to purchase winter coats to donate to Project HOME, a nonprofit organization that addresses homelessness in Philadelphia.

JuiceBox’s articles, written by the creators and guest writers, cover topics ranging from police brutality to sexual liberation to women’s sexuality.

“We are mostly talking about stuff that impacts people our age, college-aged, maybe even high school-aged people, and how kind of we’re processing all of these things that are happening to us,” said Mary Williams, a 2020 film and media arts alumna and editor and designer of JuiceBox. JuiceBox was available for preorder on the team’s Instagram page starting Jan. 1, and the first edition sold out by Jan. 6, said Andrew Caplan, a senior political science major and editor-in-chief of JuiceBox. Once distribution began, the team began sending the magazine by mail and delivering them in person around Philadelphia.

The first issue includes stories like “Modern Body Image,” an article about how technology and social media impacts body image, written by Williams, “Ten Dollar Rum to Teargas,” an article

by Caplan about Black Lives Matter protests and an interview with Lami Tolla, a Philadelphia street artist.

The nine creators, Williams, Caplan, Connor Bickhart, a former Temple student, Yagmur Kocaoglu, a junior

architecture major, Maya Sutton, a senior human development and community engagement major, Tyler Kimble, a former Temple student, Joy Wilson, a senior recreational therapy major, Julia Brumbaugh, a 2020 advertising alumnus and Elaina Graca, a senior photography major, met in Johnson and Hardwick Halls and have remained close since.

They were inspired to create JuiceBox after watching the documentary “Dumb: The Story of Big Brother Magazine” about a skateboard magazine founded in the 1990s, said Graca, the creative director of JuiceBox. Graca and Caplan separately watched the documentary and felt inspired to start a magazine, and decided to pursue the project during a conversation on the way home from the airport.

“From then it was just kind of like, set that we were going to do this,” Graca said.

The creators are reaching out to Philadelphia artists, like podcasters and poets, to get more people involved in their magazine and promote them, Williams said.

“People in our community that are kind of doing their own thing that might not have like, as big of a platform as they should have because these are very creative and inspiring people,” she added.

Erin Rafferty, a 2020 film and media arts alumna, preordered the magazine because she likes to support art made

by Temple students and alumni. She is excited to see junior printmaking major Liv Potter’s artwork and digital illustrations featured in the first issue, she said.

“It will be fun to read some stories.

I’m not much of a reader, but if it’s in magazine format, which this seems like a little book almost,” Rafferty said. “It might help me get back into reading because it’s small stories and cool things.”

While the team used digital software like Adobe Illustrator and InDesign to create the magazine, it will only be released independently as a hard copy, part of what differentiates the magazine from online-only publications, Caplan said.

“In this digital age, we’re not really like focusing on the digital aspects of it,” he added.

JuiceBox was printed with MagCloud, an online company that prints

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Joy Wilson (left), a senior public health major, Mary Williams, a 2020 film and media arts alumna, and Andrew Caplan, a senior political science major, organize copies of their magazine, JuiceBox, for distribution on Jan. 17.

“We all kind of have this

understanding that we are the generation that has been left to fix so many things and we’re very frustrated with that.

”

ELAINA GRACA Senior photography major

magazines, flyers, pamphlets and other publication types, Caplan said.

The individual team members funded the initial printing costs, and the shipping costs are covered by a private donation the magazine received, Caplan said.

Graca hopes JuiceBox gathers people who are frustrated with social issues and make a space for ideas, feelings and solutions to be expressed, she said.

“We all kind of have this understanding that we are the generation that has been left to fix so many things and we’re very frustrated with that,” she added.

“We’re just kind of trying to navigate that burden that has been sort of placed on us.”

JuiceBox will likely have a second issue coming out toward the end of the Spring 2021 semester and will also be donating its profits to a charity, although they do not know which one yet, Graca said.

“We’re trying to kind of see the power that each of us have in ourselves and the power in our voices that we have and like, the ways that we can come together to make sure that our power is being used and actually serving in a productive and progressive way,” she added. nora.kelleher@temple.edu @NoraKelleher2

The Temple News

FEATURES

ART

Alumnus edited Grammy-nominated album

Ben Thomas was the assistant audio engineer on Ingrid Andress’ country album “Lady Like.”

BY LINDSAY GRIFFIN For The Temple News

While scrolling through Twitter in November 2020, Ben Thomas’ finger stopped on his screen.

“Lady Like,” an Ingrid Andress album he worked on during its production, was nominated for best country album at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards.

“I honestly forgot about it, I was in shock,” said Thomas, a 2018 entrepreneurship and innovation management alumnus.

The Grammys will take place on March 14 this year. Thomas worked as an assistant audio engineer for the album’s producer, Erik Madrid, on the album’s first track “Bad Advice.” He also edited, arranged music and created instrumental and acapella versions of “The Stranger,” “Life of the Party” and “Anything But Love.”

The album, released in March 2020, is Andress’ debut album. In addition to a nomination for best country album, its sixth track, “More Hearts Than Mine,” was nominated for best country song and Andress was nominated for best new artist, Rolling Stone reported.

“I felt excited but I was mostly happy for [Andress] and [Madrid] because the nomination is really theirs,” Thomas said.

Assisting with “Lady Like” helped Thomas do what he loves: making artists’ sound and vision come to fruition.

“I learned a ton about how to manage clients, organize files correctly and just how to be a more professional engineer,” he said.

Thomas was in Los Angeles, California, doing freelance production work in November and December 2019 and was offered a job to assist with production on Andress’ album, he said. While country is not a genre he normally works in, he was excited for the opportunity, he said.

After he learned about the Grammy nomination, Thomas immediately called his mom to let her know about the news

because she is one of his biggest supporters.

His love of producing music started during his freshman year of high school when he recorded a mixtape with a friend in his music teacher’s classroom during their lunch period, he said.

Before graduating from Temple, Thomas worked with rap artists Ty Dolla Sign and Lil Dicky. His work was also featured in the HBO comedy series, “Insecure,” The Temple News reported.

At Temple, Thomas was close to Timothy Welbeck, an Africology and African American Studies professor he met his freshman year at an open mic event at Bourbon and Branch, a bar on 2nd Street near Fairmont Avenue.

“He is a consummate professional, extremely hardworking and those traits are what have distinguished him from his peers and even people who have entered the industry before him,” Welbeck said.

Thomas works with Philadelphia artist Chill Moody at Moody’s independent record label and management company, nicethingsMUSIC, an independent record label and management company.

Moody wasn’t surprised Thomas contributed to a Grammy-nominated album, he said.

“I don’t know anyone personally more dedicated to their craft,” Moody added. “He’s going to go down as one of the greats.”

Thomas opened his first commercial studio, “After5 Studios,” located at Martha and Huntingdon streets, in October 2020 to create a space for artists to edit and produce music, he said.

Although he was not individually nominated for the award, the experience of working on a Grammy-nominated album was a big win for Thomas, he added.

“These opportunities don’t come along very often,” Thomas said. “I’m looking forward to hopefully getting more of a role in the project or more of a relationship with the artist, which would be even more special.” lindsay.griffin@temple.edu

PAGE 19

VOICES

Will you be watching President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration?

RYAN BERASI Freshman marketing major Yes. I think it’s a good part for America. I mean, I voted for Biden. I think he is someone who can unify the country and do a good job of bringing the country together instead of separating and dividing us in half.

ADRIAN SETHI First-year masters hospitality management major If I could be there in person I would totally go, but I think I’m a bit too afraid to actually be there in person because of what happened at the Capitol. But I definitely want to stay informed. If it’s going to be livestreamed, I’m definitely watching it. I’ll definitely be watching it if it’s online at least.

SARA PAULSON Junior English major I am watching the inauguration.

I’m also excited to see someone new in office. I also didn’t really pay attention to the 2016 election and inauguration and election. I was 16, I just didn’t care too much about it, which in hindsight wasn’t the best for me, but I’m excited because this really pertains to me as a woman, just the whole new presidency.

ALEX ALLAIS Senior marketing major I don’t think so. I’m French.

PAGE 20

INTERSECTION

The Temple News

NEW DICTIONARY

Students, faculty discuss anti-fascist movement Professors and a student organization leader share their conversations on the movement.

BY SAMANTHA ROEHL For The Temple News

A

ntifa, or anti-fascism, has graced recent headlines for baseless allegations on various movements and protests.

Amid political rhetoric on the movement’s goals from both sides, Temple University students and faculty have found themselves revisiting the definition of what the movement actually is.

Fascism is a type of totalitarian politics that seeks to make everything subservient to the state and the fascist party that controls the state, said Scott Ritner, a political science professor. In many cases, racism is a key component.

Anti-fascism is as old as fascism, and today’s rise in anti-fascist beliefs is a direct response to people recognizing the increased prominence of fascist groups like the Proud Boys and the American Identity Movement, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

These groups promote ideas of racial purity on which oppression and domination were practiced, Ritner said. “[Antifa] is not an organization,” he added. “It’s not even really an ideology, although it kind of is a set of political ideas, but against fascism. It’s really a set of tactics and strategies designed to confront and disrupt fascist and racist street politics.”

This year, anti-facist movements have made hand sanitizer for essential workers, taken part in peaceful protests against police brutality or thrown drinks at right-wing politicians. It is not inherently violent or destructive, Ritner said.

“Mutual aid is anti-fascist, being an anti-racist is anti-fascist, believing in im-

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

migrants’ rights is anti-fascist, wanting to see a more peaceful world is anti-fascist,” Ritner said. “A lot of the things that a lot of people do every day are anti-fascist without having to put on black jeans and a black hoodie and going out and fighting fascists in the streets.”

Class discussions about antifa vary depending on which course Ritner is teaching and the students in the classes. Introductory classes are less likely to touch on facism, and anti-fascism by extension, until the end of the semester.

“I have not experienced many students who are hostile to antifa,” Ritner said. “But that may simply mean that

those students who do hold some antipathy to them don’t feel comfortable expressing that in class or in a class with me. I do what I can to encourage students of all political stripes to freely express themselves in my classes, but I cannot guarantee that they will always want to do so.”

Stanton Young, a first-year film and media arts master’s student and president of Temple Marxists, sees anti-fascism as the beginning, and not the end, of necessary changes of dismantling capitalism.

He believes a socialist revolution is needed to bring power back to the working class, he said.

“What we’re dealing with isn’t just being anti-this-or-that behavior,” Young said. “It’s overthrowing a system that is destroying the planet and our livelihoods. And this is why we stand not just for being anti-fascist in our day-to-day behaviors, but we side with the socialist revolution that we think is necessary in our lifetime.”

President Donald Trump often tweeted about antifa prior to his account’s permanent suspension and characterized antifa as violent and wanted to declare it as a domestic terror group, the New York Times reported.

Brandon Miller, a liberal arts professor who teaches Quest for Utopia, finds the shortening of “anti-fascism” to “antifa” reminiscent of ideas in George Orwell’s novel “1984.”

“One of his major conceits of this dystopian world is that there’s this new language called ‘newspeak’ in which everything is abbreviated,” Miller said.

“And what Orwell is concerned with is the state changing language ends up changing thought, and that limiting the capacity to express political ideas makes them more or less impossible to think about.”

The term antifa has the power to call up an enemy without thinking about the politics involved, he added.

“On the right, nobody ever says ‘anti-fascism,’ antifa is sort of this fast, clipped, call to arms almost,” Miller said.

“And you can see how it mobilizes people. Antifa is a leaderless movement, it’s made up of different small, autonomous collectives all doing their different tactics everywhere. But invoking the word antifa, I think, calls to mind this image of this black-clad person in a helmet out doing violence.” samantha.roehl@temple.edu

The Temple News

INTERSECTION

PAGE 21

ESSAYIST

L’chaim and Prosper: Spock’s Judaism matters

A student discusses how the relationship between Judaism and “Star Trek” has impacted his life.

BY EDEN MACDOUGALL Co-Intersection Editor Growing up, I was referred to as “half-Jewish” and “half-Catholic” by family and friends, and for most of my life, I felt like I was half and half.

I underwent a small identity crisis in high school, feeling that I could not be both Jewish and Catholic, that these two sides of my family were too different and could not be reconciled. I struggled to divorce myself from my father’s faith and find a place in the Jewish community where I would not feel like an imposter.

Maybe this is why I relate so much to Spock from “Star Trek.”

“Star Trek” was created by Gene Roddenberry and first aired in 1966. The original series ran for three seasons and revolved around the exploits of Captain James Kirk, First Officer Spock and Doctor Leonard McCoy. They explored the galaxy, boldly going where no one had gone before.

I’d seen the Vulcan hand salute emoji and heard of the characters before, but I never found the time to sit down and watch it for myself until this past semester after some prodding from friends. I should have started it sooner. The acting and effects are cheesy, the props are obviously fake, but the characters are engaging and interesting.

One of my favorite characters is Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy. Nimoy was also Jewish and he played Spock as a Jewish character and was very vocal about how Judaism influenced his portrayal of Spock. The famous Vulcan hand salute was taken from a ritual he witnessed in synagogue as a child.

Spock’s status as a constant outsider, even among his friends, is reminiscent of what it’s like being Jewish in a majority-gentile world — or in his case, starship.

His internal struggle between his human and Vulcan halves resonates strongly with me, even though I have more or less resolved my own crisis.

HANNA LIPSKI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Like me, Spock is out of place. He is too stoic and unemotional for humans, but he is seen as too emotional and tainted by pure-blooded Vulcans. Despite the fact that, according to Jewish law, as long as someone has a Jewish mother they are counted as a full Jew, I too viewed myself as tainted and defective.

There are brief moments when Spock is able to be himself and express his human emotions with Kirk and McCoy. In these instances, I remembered when I saw my younger self being affirmed by my Jewish teachers and friends who gave me a taste of the community I was searching for.

Seeing my own troubles on screen, even though it is years later, is cathartic and vindicating. As a teenager, I was lost and lacked any sense of direction for how to go about discovering my own identity. Being able to see someone else, even if it’s a fictional character, go through the

same struggles that I did lets me know that I wasn’t alone, even though it felt like I was.

But the references to Judaism in “Star Trek” don’t stop there. Jewish themes often crop up in episodes, like “The Enemy Within,” which was directed by Leo Penn, a Jewish man. The episode dealt with Kirk being split into a “good” Kirk and a “dark” Kirk. But the cast realizes that Kirk’s “dark” side is just as essential to who he is as his “good” side.

This mirrors the Jewish concept of the yetzer ra, selfish impulse, and yetzer tov, good impulse, perfectly. Kirk needs his “dark” side’s aggressiveness to function effectively as a starship captain just as humans need the yetzer ra to drive them to satisfy their needs.

Kirk’s “dark” side is kept in check by his “good” side, which demonstrates compassion. Likewise, the yetzer ra is kept in check by the yetzer tov, which

drives people to do good and consider the moral consequences of their actions.

Furthermore, Spock’s logic versus emotion struggle also reflects divides within Jewish theology. Jewish sects have been struggling with this for centuries: the Besht sect, which later evolved in Hasidic Judaism, prioritized emotion and personal connections with God, whereas the Mitnagdim sect placed a heavy emphasis on studying and rules.

Judaism is woven into the very fabric of “Star Trek” and given how rare it is to see Judaism represented on screen in any capacity, seeing this level of care put into it, in one of the most iconic science fiction shows of all time, is both wonderful and affirming, as both an individual and as part of the larger Jewish community. eden.macdougall@temple.edu

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The Temple News

INTERSECTION

PAGE 23

HOLIDAYS

Students reflect on Tu Bishvat meaning, purpose Faculty and students examine the traditional Jewish holiday’s role in their present-day lives.

BY HAAJRAH GILANI Co-Intersection Editor Growing up, Mark Leuchter’s Tu Bishvat celebration did not extend much beyond eating a pomegranate. Although he does not commemorate the holiday through elaborate festivities, Leuchter finds its history interesting.

“There’s actually a prehistory to it,” said Leuchter, a religion professor and director of Jewish studies. “There was a really strong connection between the idea of the landscape and the concept of divine myth.”

Tu Bishvat began around 100 C.E., when legislation in the Bible instructed people to eat fruit from a tree five years after it was planted, Leuchter said. People struggled to keep track of the exact date they planted their trees, so the rabbi said the 15th of Shevat should be the day people count from.

This year, the holiday begins on the evening of Jan. 27 and ends on the evening of Jan. 28. While some Temple University students commemorate Tu Bishvat by planting trees or having Seders, others don’t celebrate the holiday.

Hannah Roach’s favorite part of the holiday is the food. This year, she plans to celebrate Tu Bishvat by making recipes with her favorite foods, like apricots, almonds and dates that are associated with the holiday.

“As with many other Jewish holidays, food plays an important part of the symbolism of the day,” wrote Roach, a second-year medical student, in an email to The Temple News.

Growing up, Roach used to honor the day by planting different flowers and herbs when she attended Hebrew school at her congregation, Larchmont Temple in Larchmont, New York. They would also do a lot of singing, she wrote.

To Roach, Tu Bishvat is the celebration of the natural world, in particular the trees.

“Trees are important in many cul-

HANNA LIPKSI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

tures, in many ways,” Roach wrote. “We refer to the Torah as the tree of life, trees give us food, resources and the air we breathe. So to me, it is about appreciating the world around us and working to protect it.”

Asher Mandel also celebrated Tu Bishvat at Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York, New York. There, they would have some form of education and celebration to appreciate nature and nature’s bounty, he said.

However, Mandel, a second-year medical student, has not celebrated Tu Bishvat since he was 18.

“I haven’t really celebrated it in many years because Judaism has a lot of holidays and that’s not one of the major ones,” Mandel said.

According to Mandel, the holiday is more cultural and traditional than it is religious.

While it was once a way to keep track of trees’ ages, the Tu Bishvat traditions changed over time, Leuchter said.

During the creation of the holiday, many Jewish people were farmers. In the years following its creation, they were often unable to own land and were required to move from place to place. The situation for Jewish people had changed and, as a result, these traditions began to adapt to their new circumstances, Leuchter said.

In recent years, Tu Bishvat has gained importance in Israel, Leuchter said.

“You know when you plant a tree, you’re also claiming land to a certain degree, and if it’s not clear who owns the land, then planting of the tree can become a very political thing,” he said.

Beck Macey, a senior media studies and production major, has also not cele-

brated Tu Bishvat in many years.

“Since I was 16 my views on Israel have changed a lot,” they said. “Becoming more connected to a holiday that’s mainly celebrated there is definitely something that didn’t happen.”

Macey feels a strong connection with nature. While they don’t contribute the connection to Tu Bishvat, they definitely believe that it’s related to being Jewish.

“There is a central value in Judaism called ‘Tikkun Olam’ which translates to, ‘The repair of the world,’” Roach wrote.

“Environmental justice is very in line with this Jewish value — we want to not just preserve the world but repair,” she added. “What I love about this notion of repairing the world is that it means the work is never done.” haajrah@temple.edu

INTERSECTION

PAGE 24

The Temple News

HEALTH

Students talk holiday stress and eating disorders

Large amounts of food, family comments and a shift in routine during break caused distress.

BY JENNIFER PENNISE For The Temple News In the United States, around 30 million people will experience an eating disorder during some point in their lives, according to the National Eating Disorder Association.

For some Temple University students who have eating disorders, the holidays were a source of discomfort, as many festivities involve food and family gatherings. Returning from winter break and back to classes, they now navigate the stress induced from routine changes.

Eating disorders are a category of mental health conditions that revolve around food, weight and body image, according to Healthline, a health and wellness website.

Anorexia and bulimia are two of the most well-known eating disorders.

Symptoms of anorexia include being severely underweight, fearing weight gain, enacting strict eating habits and going to extreme lengths to stay thin, according to Healthline.

Bulimia is when someone eats unusual proportions of food in one sitting, followed by purging and compensating behaviors to make up for eating, according to Healthline.

“When we see food, most have a pleasant experience with eating it, however, those struggling are constantly alert, thinking about food to the point where their whole life and relationship with it has changed,” said Melanie French, a fourth-year psychology student.

Katrina Janeczko, a sophomore computer science and mathematics major, has struggled with an unspecified eating disorder since middle school.

These types of disorders are when a person displays symptoms similar to bulimia or anorexia but does not fully meet the criteria, ABC News reported.

Janeczko would “flip back and forth” between binge-eating and compensating behaviors like purging, over-exercising

“It’s a battle with yourself

when watching other people eat the foods you want but feel as if you can’t have.

”

DIYA PATEL Sophomore health professions major

HANNA LIPKSI / THE TEMPLE NEWS

and fasting, and then flip to binge-eating without “doing anything to compensate,” she said.

For those recovering from an eating disorder, the holidays hold several challenges, according to the Center for Discovery researchers, an eating disorder treatment organization.

“Folks with eating disorders find comfort in routine and predictability, however, the holidays are often filled with a lack of structure and plans are thrown out the window,” said Susan Murray, a sixth-year clinical psychology student. “Therefore, if you are one that values that order, this is extremely disorienting and stressful.”

This holiday season was different from others due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the past, the holidays have generally been a rough time for Janeczko, even while in recovery from it.

“Any type of desserts, pies, cookies, cakes or fried food, after you eat them, you feel guilty about it no matter what,” she said.

Being home also meant Janeczko

wasn’t cooking her own food and she became stressed about the lack of control she has over the ingredients being used.

Diya Patel, a sophomore health professions major, also struggles with an unspecified eating disorder.

Patel would often dread the holidays because of the pressure to consume fatty or sugary foods she normally avoids and the fear of eating in the presence of other people.

“The switch from your normal food routine makes it harder to sit down and eat a meal,” she said. “It’s a battle with yourself when watching other people eat the foods you want but feel as if you can’t have it.”

Being around family means added stress for Patel due to comments on weight gain or loss.

While anxious thoughts still come to mind, by talking to others, eating with them and spending time with people living healthy lives, Patel’s found ways to lessen the impact of her negative thoughts.

Like Janeczko, having fewer people around over the break helped lessen the pressure on Patel, though it did not completely alleviate it, due to the lack of a support system at home.

“The weeks after the holidays always have a bit of lull where it takes time to get back into the recovery mentality, but it has been easier at school to go into a better eating schedule of having three meals a day,” Patel said.

For Janeczko, post-holiday recovery means being around her roommates, who serve as a support system and sticking to her normal eating schedule. She normally also copes with the help of a professional therapist and avoids weighing herself or calorie counting.

“Talking to others about your thoughts, surrounding yourself with those who also hold a healthy lifestyle, eating with another person and posting meals you made online have been important ways I have learned to cope,” Patel said. jennifer.pennise@temple.edu @jenpennise8

The Temple News

SPORTS

PAGE 25

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Owls rely on post scoring to win conference games Forwards Mia Davis and Alexa Williamson are the focal point of the Owls’ offense this season.

BY JOSH GRIEB Women’s Basketball Co-Beat Reporter After three straight losses to start their season, Temple University women’s basketball (4-4, 4-1 The American Athletic Conference) is finding their groove in conference play.

Temple has won four of their last five games, including a four-game win streak to begin conference play.

The Owls’ recent success is because their forwards are producing at a high level in the post, especially offensively.

Temple has outscored their opponent in the paint in three of their four wins this season, making up for their lack of efficient scoring from 3-point range.

“I like the state of our team right now,” said head coach Tonya Cardoza.

“They’re supporting one another, they’re leaning on each other, and good things are happening to them.”

Senior forward Mia Davis was named co-preseason player of the year as part of The American’s preseason awards, and so far she has lived up to that. Davis is second in the conference in scoring and averages 21 points per game on more than 13 shot attempts, the majority of which come from the post.

Although Davis is happy with her scoring numbers so far this season and her preseason awards, she’s aiming for a higher honor, she said.

“I’d like to accomplish that goal, to be player of the year,” Davis said.

One challenge for the Owls this season is finding ways to alleviate the burden on Davis in the post, who is second on the team in minutes played and first in field goals attempted, Cardoza said.

In response, junior forward Alexa Williamson has stepped up this season

Junior forward Alexa Williamson jumps to make a basket during the Owls’ game against the University of Tulsa at McGonigle Hall on Dec. 23, 2020. | NICK DAVIS / THE TEMPLE NEWS

as another post scorer for the Owls.

She is averaging 10.6 points along with 5.7 rebounds and one block per game this season. She scored a career-high 20 points against Tulsa on Dec. 23, 2020, followed by 19 points against ECU on Jan. 6.

“Williamson has an advantage against a lot of teams I think,” Cardoza said. “She’s one of those guys I believe that can help [Davis] out.”

It hasn’t been easy at points during the season for the Owls to score outside of the post. Despite being fifth in the conference in scoring, Temple is 10th in the conference in 3-point shooting.

“It’s frustrating because we’re not shooting the ball well,” said freshman guard Jasha Clinton. “But our coaches have made us comfortable so we can keep shooting, and hopefully they start going in.”

Clinton has played better recently, scoring 17 and 23 points in her last two games. She averages 11.9 points, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game but is only shooting 27.9 from 3-point range.

“I’m just trying to stay connected with my teammates, to learn from them and better myself,” Clinton said.

Davis leads the Owls in 3-point shooting percentage, but she’s only taken 16 attempts from beyond the arc, which

is tied for just fourth on the team.

Temple’s next opponent is Houston (7-4, 4-3 The American), who is only allowing teams to shoot 24.7 percent from 3-point range this season, which ranks second-best in the AAC. If the Owls can continue to get contributions and better outside shooting from their young guards like Clinton, while still getting production from Williamson and Davis in the post, they can compete for the AAC regular season championship. .

josh.grieb@temple.edu @JGrieb10

SPORTS

PAGE 26

The Temple News

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Temple’s guards lead new look roster on offense

COLLEEN CLAGGETT / THE TEMPLE NEWS Graduate student guard Brendan Barry passes the ball to senior forward J.P. Moorman II during the Owls’ game against the University of Central Florida at the Liacouras Center on Jan. 14.

Dunn is also one of the team’s lead- bench in graduate student guard BrenDamian Dunn, Jeremiah Williams have gotten noteworthy value from three dan Barry, an excellent shooter. and Brendan Barry replaced key guards who have entrenched themselves ers in assists, averaging 2.7 per game.

“We’re starting to build more trust As a team with so many new faces, players from last year’s rotation. in the rotation and helped the Owls get

BY ADAM AARONSON Assistant Sports Editor Heading into its second season under head coach Aaron McKie, Temple University men’s basketball approached a crossroads.

With a significant amount of departures, McKie was tasked with assembling a rotation from scratch. The influx of unfamiliar faces forced him to show trust in several new players.

The 2019-20 Owls featured five players who logged at least 500 total minutes. Four of them, Quinton Rose, Nate Pierre-Louis, Alani Moore II and Monty Scott, were guards. None of the four returned for the 2020-21 season, leaving a gaping hole for all of McKie’s newcomers to fill.

On both ends of the floor, the Owls

out to a 3-3 start, including winning two straight games in American Athletic Conference play.

Despite the departure of multiple key players, McKie’s team is proving it can adapt as the season unfolds.

Damian Dunn, a redshirt-freshman guard, is the Owls’ leading scorer this season, averaging 15.8 points per game.

But Dunn’s 35.7 field goal percentage isn’t as high as one would expect from a team’s leading scorer. His unorthodox playstyle, predicated on drawing fouls, has created an opportunity for him to assert himself as one of the team’s most pivotal players.

Dunn is attempting an average of 8.8 free throws per game, which leads all players in The American and ranks fourth in the nation. Despite being a redshirt-freshman with little experience, he additionally leads The American in free throws made per game.

in each other as the season continues,” Dunn said after the Owls defeated Central Florida by a score of 62-55 on Thursday.

Dunn’s starting backcourt mate, freshman guard Jeremiah Williams is the Owls’ team leader in assists, averaging 3.8 per game. Despite being a freshman, Williams has been entrusted to keep the team in order as its point guard.

“He’s got to run the team on one end,” McKie said. “And he’s got to defend the best offensive players on the other.”

McKie is showing his confidence in Williams by giving him more responsibility than any other player on the team, he added.

“It’s a lot that we’re throwing at him,” McKie said. “But if I didn’t think he could do it, I wouldn’t have put him into the game.”

Additionally, the team has found a reliable offensive player coming off the

the Owls have been able to search for a unique identity on the court. One of the most integral aspects of their newfound style on offense is Barry’s shooting ability, whose presence opens up the floor and makes scoring and facilitating easier for the rest of the team, McKie said.

“When [Barry] is open, he’s definitely going to knock it down,” McKie said of his trust in Barry, who transferred in from Dartmouth.

Barry is a renowned shooter, currently leading The American in 3-point percentage. Barry is making 54.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, more than 15 percentage points higher than second.

“We’re a young team still learning how to play with each other,” Barry said. adam.aaronson@temple.edu @SixersAdam

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WOMEN’S SOCCER

Owls switch defensive scheme for spring season “She’s been really fit, really well Temple is installing a defensive three of the starting spots with the final She was a pillar back there. McGovern system that includes playing one up for grabs. DiGenova will play on also has that presence. She’s six feet, one prepared and really professional in her four defenders at the same time. the right wing while Dupree and Mc- inch and a solid, big, strong athlete. She approach,” Bochette said. “She’s just em-

BY DONOVAN HUGEL Women’s Soccer Beat Reporter After an extended offseason for Temple University women’s soccer following their postponed season, the team is playing in intrasquad scrimmages to prepare for their season opener Feb. 7.

Head coach Nick Bochette is spending the extra practice time focusing on defense because Temple gave up more than a goal a game on average last season, and he’s seen “significant progress” from the defensive core so far, he said.

“Where we’re at right now is light years ahead of where we were in the fall,” Bochette added. “Certainly still a long way to go. But we’re happy. We’re satisfied.”

The team is installing a scheme that uses four defenders at once, with seniors Marissa DiGenova, Djavon Dupree and freshman Róisín McGovern occupying

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 ATHLETICS “We had to sit down and figure out their schedule to make sure someone is available in case of an injury or an athlete needs to be looked at,” Addison said.

“But the high-risk sports for COVID-19 take first priority over some of the lower risk sports as far as coverage.”

TESTING High-risk sports include basketball and volleyball because they have frequent close contact among all competitors during play and include touching of shared equipment, according to the NCAA’s COVID-19 protocol.

Soccer, field hockey, lacrosse and rowing are considered intermediate risk sports by the NCAA because of the short-lived proximity among all competitors. Cross country, gymnastics, tennis and track and field are considered low-risk sports because these teams can consistently maintain distance between

Govern will be the two center backs, leaving the left wing spot up for competition, Bochette said.

Playing with four defenders on the backline will give Temple more options to stop their opponents from creating quality offensive opportunities.

McGovern will play the right center back position so she can provide outlet passes to DiGenova, who has the range to join the offense upfield, which will help generate a fast break for the offense.

“I have a really strong attacking mentality,” DiGenova said. “Defending is always first, but I want to go up there.

I want to score, I want to cross it in and get assists. Bochette even encouraged me to do it more.”

Former defender Emily Keitel anchored Temple’s defense last year, but she graduated last spring, leaving a spot for grabs that Bochette is filling with a similar player like McGovern, he said.

“Keitel was a stalwart,” Bochette added. “She was big, powerful and strong.

looks the part. She’s better on the ball than Emily was.”

Dupree played on the left wing of the defense last year and transitioned to center back in the fall to also help fill the void left by Keitel. Practicing with McGovern and getting help from the coaching staff made the adjustment easier for her, Dupree said.

“It was difficult at first because I always hated playing center back because I had a habit of wanting to run,” Dupree said. “Center back requires a lot more composure and thinking things through, and also leading the back line and telling them where to shift, where to drop.”

Freshman Brooke Kane, who committed to Temple in April 2020 from Nazareth Academy High School in Torresdale, is “in the conversation” for the starting left wing position, Bochette said.

Bochette and his staff didn’t know much about Kane’s playing style because she was recruited by the previous coaching staff.

bodying all the things that you need to be at a high level and an elite player.”

Dupree believes sophomore Teri Jackson has stood out as someone who could play left wing since she transferred from Syracuse University, Dupree said.

Jackson is listed as a forward but transitioned to defense in the fall.

“I definitely think it’s between Brooke and Teri,” Dupree said. “They’ll probably be on and off. I don’t think it’ll be set in stone unless anyone has a crazy performance.”

Getting more comfortable with each other’s playing style is a focal point as the Owls prepare for the start of their schedule, Bochette said.

“We need to have a solid starting 11 girls and cohesively work together because we haven’t really done that yet,” DiGenova said.

competitors and teammates.

Testing procedures are different for athletes who play sports indoors and are at close contact with their opponents because there is a higher risk of transmitting COVID-19, Addison added.

The men’s and women’s basketball players will have two polymerase chain reaction tests and an antigen test a week, but that’s not a requirement for other teams, Addison said.

Intermediate risk sports have one PCR test per week and low-risk sports take a PCR test 72 hours before competition, Addison added.

If a student-athlete or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the program will remain in quarantine for at least 10 days after their first positive test. If no symptoms have been reported during daily monitoring, the program can end quarantine after 10 days.

Temple Athletics will increase testing from one time a week to three times a week for the volleyball team once the Owls go into season, Volleyball head

coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam added.

The NCAA requires a mask to be worn for all athletes and staff members during volleyball competition and anytime inside the gym, according to the NCAA COVID-19 protocol.

Women’s soccer midfielder Julia Dolan is confident in her coaches, trainers and the rest of the staff to make sure Temple Athletics keeps athletes safe, she said.

“As of right now, we get tested every Monday and once the season starts we’re going to get more testing,” Dolan said.

would be scheduled on the same day, but within two different time brackets.

“We’ll see later on in January a women’s basketball game on the same day as a volleyball match, that will only take two hours to set up and disinfect,” Roberts said. “I couldn’t do a basketball game backed up with gymnastics because gymnastics takes about four hours to set up.”

Scheduling away games is another area of concern for Roberts and his crew, he said.

“The decision came down to creating as many games with as minimal travel as possible,” Roberts said.

Despite the planning they’ve implemented with testing and scheduling, Roberts is aware all of it could change at any time if there is a positive COVID-19 case in one of Temple’s programs or an opponent’s program, he said.

“The number one thing we did as a group was come up with the motto, ‘You just have to be flexible,’” Roberts added.

FACILITIES Each sport has their own facility for practice, but Roberts and his staff had to figure out the facility usage for competitions, he added.

McGonigle Hall will host women’s basketball, gymnastics, fencing and volleyball competitions this spring.

Roberts also planned doubleheaders when creating the schedule, meaning two teams who share the same field

donovan.hugel@temple.edu @donohugel

isabella.diamore@temple.edu @Belladiamore

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THE MOTTO IS

FLEXIBILITY

The Temple News

ATHLETICS

MASON ROMERO / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple women’s volleyball head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam huddles the team together before a break during practice at McGonigle Hall on Sept. 4, 2019.

The season of multitasking comes the support staff, mainly athletic trainers ball are the only sports with their own Temple Athletics will have 12 after a Sept. 16, 2020, approval from and strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, while the rest of the sports to coordinate practices NCAA Division I Council to move the who are going to have multiple sports to staff will have two in-season sports comand competitions for this spring.

BY ISABELLA DIAMORE Assistant Sports Editor

W

ith extra months of preparation, a not-so-snowy winter break and a lot of planning, Temple University Athletics will balance fall and spring sports starting their regular season this semester. In total, they’ll have 12 different sports and 16 teams to manage.

volleyball, cross country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer and field hockey championships to spring this year.

The 2021 spring sport season is manageable for the university, said Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications Larry Dougherty.

Their biggest hurdles will be instituting testing policies, scheduling games at different times and making sure they have an athletic trainer for each sport, he added.

“The major challenge is going to be

keep up with,” Doughtery said.

peting this spring, Addison added.

ATHLETIC TRAINING Kevin Addison, associate director of athletic training, oversees eight athletic trainers within his department and is responsible for assigning trainers to teams. Each trainer has to attend all practices and competitions for their assigned in-season sport, but the trainers will have two in-season sports to manage this spring, Addison said.

Temple men’s and women’s basket-

SCHEDULING After working with coaches and Senior Associate Athletics Director for Facilities and Event Management Lee Roberts, Addison coordinated a schedule overviewing each sports team’s practice time and competition play to guarantee the trainers’ assigned sport teams didn’t overlap with one another, he said.

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