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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
VOL. 93 ISS. 27
Food truck vending district considered An administrator said vendors could one day be together in one space. LIAN PARSONS The Temple News
Recovering on Campus
An in-depth look at students in recovery and the resources Temple provides for them.
D
PATRICIA MADEJ | Managing Editor
URING A YEAR IN WHICH KEVIN WAS struggling with addiction, he spent about $4,000 on alcohol and drugs, including Oxycontin pills – a single one cost him $25 on the street. “Hey Kev, listen – you ever try an Oxycontin pill before?” Kevin said his friend asked. “Listen, you can take it, and just don’t do it again. You know, it’s a great experience – it’s a great kind of high and everything, and you don’t have to take it again.” “I promise.” After about four months passed, Oxy became too expensive for Kevin – so he began snorting heroin for three months. It wasn’t until he was about to use the drug through an IV that he said he realized he needed to get some help. Kevin, who asked not to include his last name in this story because of the societal stigma that surrounds those struggling with addiction and in recovery, is now a 21-year-old undeclared freshman. He took some time off from school during his first year to recover. Now, he’s doing well in school and about one year and five months clean. Kevin wasn’t alone. There were about 23.5 million Americans addicted to drugs and alcohol in 2010, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. Drug use is highest between those 18 to 20 –
RECOVERY PAGE 14
photo illustration
& featured photo JENNY KERRIGAN TTN
There were about 23.5 million Americans addicted to drugs and alcohol in 2010, according to the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.
ONLINE
SPECIAL PRESENTATION Hear audio interviews of students recovering from addiction and see the multimedia package created for this story on The Temple News’ website. longform.temple-news.com
Investigators release Katz crash report in the private jet crash that claimed the lives of longtime Temple trustee Lewis Katz, 72, and six others on May 31. The rest of the plane appears charred in photos of the accident site, part of about 800 pages of information in the NTSB report on the crash, released last week following months of investigation. Witnesses and emergency crews told media outlets on the scene that the plane rolled down past the end of the runway before crashing into a gulley and erupting in flames. “I watched it roll down the runway at high speed,” wrote Chris Merrill, who
The NTSB report on the crash mostly focuses on a cockpit device and the pilots. JOE BRANDT News Editor One photograph from the National Transportation Safety Board shows the Gulfstream G-IV’s cockpit; burned and blackened after a takeoff went wrong on a cool May night at Hanscom Field in Massachusetts. The exterior paint on the front of the plane containing the cockpit was left intact
KATZ PAGE 3
COURTESY TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
Former trustee Lewis Katz.
Accessibility for museums questioned
Philly has long been an apex for galleries, but access to them differs throughout the city. ANGELA GERVASI The Temple News It’s difficult to measure exactly how much art exists in the city of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Museum of Art alone holds 227,000 works, not including the
sprawling temporary exhibits that grace the building each year. The Barnes Collection encompasses more than 3,000 creations – an assemblage that holds dozens of Picassos, scores of Cézannes and 180 Renoirs. The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts holds nearly 2,000 paintings, along with hundreds of sculptures, photographs and prints inside one of the city’s most distinctive historical buildings on Broad and Cherry streets. Philly’s art collection remains bound-
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LIFESTYLE - PAGES 7-8, 14-16
less, but the abundance of culture housed in its museums begs a pressing question: how accessible is the city’s art to its residents? Joanna Moore, a retired associate professor at the Tyler School of Art, now sits on the Education Committee at the PMA, where she said accessibility is a hot-button topic. “[The] issue of easing access for students to the museum’s resources is always a concern on which we spend a lot of time
ACCESSIBILITY PAGE 13 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT - PAGES 9-13
The owner of a Main Campus food truck said he was denied permission to hook up to power lines after officials from the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections indicated the university would consolidate food trucks to only a few streets to create a “vending district.” Rafael deLuna III, the associate director of sustainability at the University of Pennsylvania and current co-owner of El Guaco Loco, a new Mexican food truck located on Montgomery Avenue near Klein Hall, told The Temple News the previous occupant of the spot took the installed electric meter that was used to power the truck when he left Main Campus. DeLuna said in posts on El Guaco Loco’s Facebook page that the city denied PECO permission to install a new meter because Temple was going to create the vending district that would allow a limited number of food trucks. Jim Creedon, vice president for construction, facilities
Some residents want an anti-speculation tax bill for sales of fixedup area properties. STEVE BOHNEL Assistant News Editor During the past 15 years, many of North Philadelphia’s longtime residents have been forced to leave their homes because of rising property rates. Now, The Philadelphia Coalition for Affordable Communities wants the city to take action – specifically, through a proposal in its recently published report, “Development Without Displacement.” The report’s suggested solution is an anti-speculation tax bill – a provision that would penalize developers for buying properties, fixing them up and “flipping” them for profit. The bill would introduce a 1.5 percent increase on the city’s Realty Transfer Tax, but would only apply to properties sold more than once in a two-
year period. The coalition predicts the increase would raise $12 million annually for the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund, which could be allocated toward more affordable housing units and critical repairs for current property owners. According to the report, the median gross property rental rate for selected neighborhoods in the region – including areas around Temple – increased 27 percent from 2000-12. During the same period, median household income dropped 6 percent. Regarding the issue of gentrification and North Philadelphians being displaced out of their homes, Nora Lichtash, a principal member of the coalition and a Germantown resident, said the association doesn’t blame government, landowners or universities – it just wants the issue resolved. “We are not ascribing blame toward the university or any neighborhood,” Lichtash, a Temple alumna, said. “But the
HOUSING PAGE 6
BY THE NUMBERS BREAKDOWN OF THE PCAC’S PROPOSED TAX INCREASE
1.5 %
PROPOSED INCREASE TO CITY REALTY TRANSFER TAX
Alumna creates ‘Roar for Good’
Satirical play returns to the stage
“Unedited North Philadelphia” was a conversation and presentation on the history of the neighborhood. PAGE 2
Yasmine Mustafa, who immigrated to Philadelphia from Kuwait, created a wearable safety device for women. PAGE 7
“The Colored Museum,” first performed in 1986, ran at Temple Theater Sidestage. PAGE 9
The Essayist: Letter to my birth mother
TRUCKS PAGE 2
Tax hike proposed for ‘flipped’ homes
Traveling back, at the Wagner
OPINION - PAGES 4-5
and operations, said plans for a vending district “are not imminent.” He added that the university has talked with the city about potential changes, but no action will be taken any time in the near future. “There’s a possibility down the road of creating a parking lot where trucks can permanently be, but I don’t see that happening in the near term,” Creedon said. “It was a concept that was developed as part of our landscape plan. … We’re wrestling with it.” L&I, which handles permits, certificates and vending licenses for food trucks, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. DeLuna said he and his brother Ronaldo, the other coowner of the truck, were told to ask for a letter of support for a new meter from Councilman Darrell Clarke, whose district includes Temple, and were told that no meters are allowed to be installed. “We’re going to run [the truck] by generator instead of a meter for now, which we don’t want to do because that’s not sustainable,” deLuna said. Currently, there are food trucks and carts along Montgomery Avenue, Norris, 13th and 12th streets which offer a variety of options and include
$12 MILLION
ANTICIPATED ANNUAL REVENUE, WHICH WOULD GO TO THE CITY’S HOUSING TRUST FUND
SPORTS - PAGES 17-20
Freshmen stand out in practice
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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
Wagner hosts neighborhood history event “Unedited North Philadelphia” focused on community relations. MARIAM DEMBELE The Temple News Eve Lyngray still remembers the Columbia Avenue riots, begun in 1964 after rumors spread of a white police officer knocking down and beating a pregnant black woman. Racial tensions had been building in the area, and the reports led to a breaking point. The riots lasted for three days, after which several shops were left destroyed, and did not reopen. The only shop still remaining is Hollywood Shoes. Its faded green and red sign still stands at 1615 Cecil B. Moore Avenue. “I came outside and I saw everybody, [the street] was in a turmoil, so I ran back into the speakeasy and told them what was going on,” Lyngray said. “It was just something terrible, I don’t think I could endure anything like that again.” The riots were only one of the events through the years that would change the face of North Philadelphia. On Saturday, community members, Temple students and history enthusiasts gathered at the Wagner Free Institute of Science, which has stood at 17th Street and Montgomery Avenue for about 150 years, to hear and tell stories as old as the building itself. The footage screened at the event, called “Unedited North Philadelphia,” was gathered from the archives of Paley Library. The film included clips of the Columbia Avenue riots, the Philadelphia “green” movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Richard Nixon’s visits and scenes from the Uptown Theater and the Blue Horizon, a boxing club which was located on the 1300 block of North Broad Street. Ken Scott, president of Beech
JD MOUSLEY TTN
(TOP): Ken Scott (left), president of Beech Companies, and John Pettit from the Special Collections Research Center speak at the event on Saturday. (ABOVE): Eve Lyngray witnessed the Columbia Avenue riots in 1964.
Companies and a panelist at the event, described the area’s long history of rich culture and art, and its strides in race relations through strong community leaders and the passion of students and residents. “Temple back then was kind of known as a beacon for social, political and progressive movement,” Scott said, referring to a September 1970 Black Panther convention that was held in McGonigle Hall and other locations across the city to promote racial equality. Amid push and pull from residents and the state government over his sensitivity to neighborhood issues, former Temple President Paul Anderson allowed the conference, drawing scorn from many in Harrisburg. After the screening, the discussion switched from the past to the present
changes happening in North Philadelphia, with Temple expanding and a shift in the makeup of the area. Lyngray said she’s now concerned with the real estate developers’ growing stake in the area. She said she believes they are overtaking the area and forcing current residents out. A developer in the crowd argued that developers are working to provide area for local residents while keeping its history intact. Scott said knowing this history and keeping it alive is important, because it gives context for why the area is shaped how it is today. He added that it gives context to many of the debates that are happening today – like the state of the housing industry, and also the recent debate over changing the area from Cecil B. Moore to TempleTown. “That has thrown the area into a whole outrage, because this area was named after a civil rights leader, [Cecil B. Moore],” Scott said. “It’s meaningful. [This is] another example of why the history is important, so that people understand this is named after someone for a reason.” John Pettit, assistant archivist at Paley Library, said the footage he compiled was just the baseline, and that it’s through events like this that they add to history and continue the dialogue. After the screening, Kaycee Osadolor, a member of the Philadelphia Public History Truck – which travels throughout the surrounding neighborhoods to document the history of the area through its residents – met with guests and listened to their stories of North Philadelphia outside the Wagner. “I think it’s important that this history is shared because there are usually different narratives coming from people who usually wouldn’t be recorded in history,” Osadolor said. * mariam.dembele@temple.edu T @MariamDembele
Former professor’s FBI office breakin the subject of new documentary
HARRISON BRINK TTN
“1971” is Johanna Hamilton’s documentary about the FBI office break-in in Media, Pennsylvania that year.
John Raines stole FBI documents on COINTELPRO. LIAN PARSONS The Temple News In 1971, America was in the midst of the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War raged overseas and public dissent toward the government was growing. A turning point of this dissent happened on March 8, 1971, when a group of eight activists broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and stole and distributed political documents to expose evidence of the agency’s attempts to stifle civil resistance. On Wednesday, The Reel presented a viewing to a full house of the documentary “1971,” giving an insider’s look on the events in Media, Pennsylvania. The viewing was followed by a Q-and-A session
with the director, Johanna Hamilton; Keith Forsyth and John Raines, two of the eight people who stole the documents; and then-Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger, who wrote “The Burglary,” a book about the events. Using historical footage, dramatic reenactments and present-day interviews of the eight activists, the film is a retrospective on the political climate of the late 1960s. The FBI documents revealed the extent of COINTELPRO, a series of projects to infiltrate and subvert various political organizations and activists, including Martin Luther King, Jr. This sparked a congressional investigation of the FBI and the CIA, led by the Church Committee, as well as the passage of new government regulations protecting First Amendment rights. J. Edgar Hoover, the first director of the FBI and thus one
NEWS DESK 215-204-7419
of the most powerful men in America, was a principal focus in the film. “For those of us looking back and knowing what we know now, he was un-American in what he was doing,” Raines said in an interview. “Hoover told the country what we should fear and we believed him.” The eight activists, including Raines – now a retired Temple professor of religion – carried out the burglary during the historic boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, before sifting through the documents and mailing them off to newspapers across the country. Medsger, then at the Post, was one of the first to receive the classified documents and the only one who didn’t return them to the FBI. “The documents were fairly straightforward and frankly pretty sensational,” Medsger told the audience. “What was difficult for the Post on that day
was that the government was demanding that the information not be published. … That’s the challenge – going against what the government is telling you to do.” “At that time it was a given that in society, in Congress and in journalism that you didn’t ask questions about intelligence agencies,” Medsger added. “We had just begun to become a questioning society and journalists had just begun to ask questions about the war, but there were certainly things that were off-limits and the FBI and CIA were certainly among those bodies that were off-limits.” Raines said he became involved in political activism in the 1960s, when he was a Freedom Rider. Freedom Riders rode buses into the southern states in protest of segregation. Raines was arrested in 1961 in Little Rock, Arkansas. “I was born into class privilege and raised in private schools and country clubs – in short, I was raised to understand the world from top-down,” Raines said in an interview. “My first way of living within the world and understanding the world was from within power and privilege.” Raines added his involvement with the Freedom Rider movement changed his views on power and privilege, and later the way he chose to teach as a professor at Temple. “A nation that lets itself be governed by fear will quickly become a poorly governed nation,” Raines said to the audience. “We are not a nation that needs to be afraid, and so afraid that we give up our fundamental freedoms.” * lian.parsons@temple.edu T @Lian_Parsons
NEWS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
JENNY KERRIGAN TTN
El Guaco Loco is parked on Montgomery Avenue near Broad Street.
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several ethnic foods. The seven establishments at the 12th Street Food Pad Vendors, more commonly referred to as “The Wall,” were former food trucks. “We like the food trucks on campus; there’s an availability of food options, it gives an urban feel,” Creedon said. “We want to create an environment where people can take advantage of what the food trucks have to offer. … But it doesn’t come without its problems.” This isn’t the first time City Council was called to intervene in Temple’s food truck scene. In 1986, then-Councilman John
It was a concept “developed as part of our landscaping plan. ... We’re wrestling with it.
”
Jim Creedon | senior vice president for construction, facilities and operations
Street had lobbied to ban vending in areas on Main Campus after his brother Milton, now a mayoral candidate, was told his food truck was illegally parked and partially in a crosswalk, ac-
cording to a Daily News story from that year. Milton Street got his start in city politics while serving as a food truck vendor at Temple in the 1970s, according to that story. Creedon said the main issue with the abundance of food trucks on campus is many of them are immobile. “What’s frustrating is their business is on wheels and could move, but they just set up camp here,” he said. “They become permanent fixtures.” Food trucks and carts are permitted to park along the street curbs, but are not allowed on sidewalks or alongside buildings which are Temple property, Creedon said. He added that any food vendor must meet the requirements for inspection and licensing, but there is no way to guarantee that all of the vendors on campus are qualified. The university also does not receive any economic benefits from the food trucks, Creedon added. Creedon said the university’s main concerns are with safety. Some trucks and carts house propane tanks that are in close proximity to buildings. Furthermore, trucks which are lined up outside doorways to buildings potentially block emergency exits for large numbers of people. * lian.parsons@temple.edu T @Lian_Parsons
NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
TUCC ADDITIONS UNVEILED
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COURTESY TEMPLE UNIVERSITY
Executive Director of Temple Center City William Parshall (left), President and CEO of the Center City District Paul Levy, President Theobald and Provost Hai-Lung Dai cut the ribbon at the unveiling ceremony for renovations to Temple’s Center City Campus, located at 1515 W. Market St. near City Hall. The improvements include renovations to the Barnes & Noble bookstore and cafe, improved equipment for the Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab and eight breakout rooms and an upgraded lounge for Fox School of Business’ MBA students.
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KATZ
works at Hanscom Field. “It appeared to gain little or no altitude.” The report did not confirm the cause of the accident. That will come in a later briefing this fall, according to the Inquirer. Still, much of the available documents point to pilot error and issues with the gust lock – a device which holds down the wing flaps, tail flaps and rudder to prevent wind damage to them while the plane is parked. The Gulfstream G-IV includes a failsafe system which normally does not allow the plane to reach takeoff speeds while
the components, which are vital to maneuvering and takeoff, are locked. This is achieved through restricting movement of the throttle. But, even though the gust lock lever was in the “disengaged” position – which would allow for movement of the flaps and the rudder – all three remained locked, NTSB investigators found. A transcript from the cockpit’s voice recorder shows that the pilots, Jim McDowell, 61, and Bauke de Vries, 45, realized the parts were locked after it was too late. “Steer lock is on,” one repeats seven times. “I can’t stop it,” says another voice. “Oh, no no,” before the sound of impact.
The report also shows that a pair of aviator sunglasses was found in the gust lock console, which may have altered the movement. A pin in the lever was found to be broken as well. Gulfstream told pilots in August to be sure to always follow proper unlocking procedures before turning on the engines, since the throttle might still be movable. Adam Amer, who had co-piloted the plane with de Vries on multiple occasions and flown Gulfstream planes for 24 years, told NTSB investigators that the engine must be shut down if it is started after the gust lock is not released. Other victims in the crash included Marcella Dalsey, 59, the board
president of KATZ Academy Charter School; Anne Leeds, 74, the wife of James Leeds, commissioner of Longport, NJ; and Susan K. Asbell, 68, a leader of the Boys & Girls Club of Camden County, New Jersey. Flight attendant Teresa Ann Benhoff, 48, was also on board. There were no survivors. Dalsey and Leeds’ families are filing lawsuits against Katz’s LLC which owned the plane and a friend who owned the jet, as well as Gulfstream and makers of the plane’s parts. Katz died in the crash just four days after he and trustee H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest won an auction for Interstate General Media – the company which owns the Inquirer, Daily News and
philly.com – beating South Jersey Democratic powerbroker George Norcross and other owners with an $88 million bid. “One party got a wonderful return on his investment,” Katz said after the auction, according to the Inquirer. “And the other party has the privilege to give the newspaper ... all it deserves.” Katz, who was chair of Temple’s Board of Trustees’ athletics committee, was also a former owner of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and NHL’s New Jersey Devils. His son Drew has since taken his seat on the board and a position on the athletics committee. * jbrandt@temple.edu
Candidates: Temple has a role in city education
The Kimmel Center hosted a mayoral debate last week. JACK TOMCZUK The Temple News
For Philadelphia’s mayoral candidates, K-12 education has been one of the hottest topics of discussion leading up to the Democratic primary election on May 19 – and many candidates think that Temple, along with other local colleges and universities, has a responsibility to help fix the issue. Candidate Doug Oliver, the former senior vice president of Philadelphia Gas Works, said universities like Temple can directly impact the city’s school district. “When we talk about a role that [colleges and universities] can play, it might be with respect to helping us solve our challenges for our pre-K, elementary, middle and high school system,” Oliver said following a mayoral debate held last Tuesday at the Kimmel Center. The debate was hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce in association with NBC10 and Telemundo 62, and was moderated by Jim Rosenfield of NBC10. The debate participants included Oliver, former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, former judge and current Temple trustee Nelson Diaz, former city councilman Jim Kenney, former State Sen. Milton Street and State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams. Like Oliver, many of the other candidates said the school
district could use help from Temple and other universities. Diaz suggested Temple model a program similar to one run by Rutgers University-Camden. However, none of them supported Mayor Michael Nutter’s proposal to increase property taxes by 9.34 percent to generate more money for public schools. “You’re never going to fund schools through taxes,” Street said during the debate. Williams and Kenney said they would wait on taking action until they see how much, if any, state funds new Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf can procure in Harrisburg for the Philadelphia School District. Oliver criticized the curriculum of Philadelphia public schools, saying that the education is still geared toward agricultural and industrial jobs. He told the audience at the Perelman Theater that schools need to prepare students for the employment opportunities available. Kenney added that Temple and other local universities also need to equip students with the skills needed to improve the city’s workforce. “I would like to find out what business is looking to acquire in the way of personnel in the next decade,” he said after the debate. “We can work with Temple, work with the other universities, and community colleges too, to see how we can tailor the curriculum to fit those needs.” Williams said Temple and other local colleges and universities are “essential” for economic growth.
HARRISON BRINK TTN
Mayoral candidate Lynne Abraham (center) looks at NBC10’s Jim Rosenfield, moderator of a debate held last Tuesday at the Kimmel Center.
“For the last almost half a generation or so, they are the economic engines that have grown the economy,” Williams said. “Center City is about 40plus percent of our growth – the other parts are around the universities. They are job-creators.” During the opening minutes of discussion about education, the debate’s focus abruptly shifted to Abraham’s health, as she collapsed to the floor. She
attributed the fall to a sudden drop in blood pressure. She added that she recovered quickly, but was advised to sit out the rest of the debate. Following her collapse and the discussion on education, the candidates shifted their focus to the city’s economy. Street said there are “two Philadelphias” – Center City and outlying neighborhoods that are struggling. Oliver said the issue is even worse than that.
“There are two cities – those who have and those who don’t,” he said. Diaz spoke about his own rise from poverty – he said he did not sleep in a real bed until he was 10 years old. Improving job opportunities for those stuck in poverty is also a key issue for Street, who said “we need jobs now.” Even though the topic was the economy, candidates constantly returned back to the
point of fixing education. Kenney called for universal prekindergarten as a way to lead children out of poverty and the need for schools to “keep young people out of trouble.” The topic will continue to be key as Temple’s Performing Arts Center hosts a mayoral debate on May 4, before the Democratic primary election is held on May 19. * jack.tomczuk@temple.edu
EDITORIAL/OP-ED
PAGE 4 A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. Avery Maehrer, Editor-in-Chief Patricia Madej, Managing Editor Erin Edinger-Turoff, Chief Copy Editor Joe Brandt, News Editor Paige Gross, Opinion Editor Claire Sasko, Lifestyle Editor Emily Rolen, Arts & Entertainment Editor EJ Smith, Sports Editor Steve Bohnel, Asst. News Editor Andrew Parent, Asst. Sports Editor Alexa Bricker, Asst. Lifestyle Editor Albert Hong, Asst. Arts & Entertainment Editor Patrick McCarthy, Multimedia Editor Kate Reilly, Asst. Multimedia Editor
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
FROM THE ARCHIVES...
Harsh Patel, Web Manager Tom Dougherty, Web Editor Kara Milstein, Photography Editor Jenny Kerrigan, Asst. Photography Editor Addy Peterson, Design Editor Donna Fanelle, Asst. Designer Justin Discigil, Advertising Manager Grayson Holladay, Business Manager Dustin Wingate, Marketing Manager
The Temple News is an editorially independent weekly publication serving the Temple University community. Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News. Adjacent commentary is reflective of their authors, not The Temple News. Visit us online at temple-news.com. Send submissions to letters@temple-news.com. The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122
EDITORIALS
Call for help in recovery While Temple has some programs that assist students in recovery, the university could be doing more. On its website, Temple calls itself “an incubator for tomorrow’s leaders,” “a nurturing learning environment” and “a place to pursue life’s passions.” Few, if any, would argue that these statements have validity to them for many students here at the university. But for students in recovery, Temple could – and should – improve its offerings and join other schools nationwide who provide a wide variety of services to those who have or are struggling with addiction. Right now, there are resources available through the Wellness Resource Center and Tuttleman Counseling Services. Jillian Bauer, an alumna and current professor who is in recovery, said part of the problem at Temple lies in the misconceptions many hold about addiction. “Really what I’m finding is [students are] not really getting the support that they need from faculty because it’s not viewed as, by many people, as an illness,” she said. In a story published on the front page of this week’s issue, we tell the stories of four Temple students who are in recovery. Their struggles are real – and their illness is real as well. There is a student or-
ganization, Unicovery, that began operating last fall on Main Campus targeted toward students in recovery – due to drugs or alcohol, mental health issues or more general concerns about wellness. Unicovery founder and graduate student Tyler Hurst called college “a breeding ground for the starting of addiction.” Statistics support his argument. Drug use is highest between individuals between 18 and 20, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Unicovery is an example of how the university is ahead of many other schools – some higher education institutions don’t have a similar offering on their campuses. But, unlike Drexel University, Temple does not have a housing resource for undergraduate students who have a year of sobriety. And unlike St. Joseph’s, Temple does not have frequent Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings on its campus. Temple aims to be at the forefront of providing, in its own words, a “diverse and comprehensive learning environment for its students.” It should therefore aim to be at the forefront for students in recovery as well.
Keep food accessible Forcing food trucks to operate in only one area on campus would limit food choices and accessibility for students. Recently, Jim Creedon, vice president for construction, facilities and operations, told The Temple News that the university is “wrestling with” the idea of creating a separate space called a “vending district” for the food trucks around Main Campus to service customers. Food trucks currently line Montgomery Avenue, Norris, 13th and 12th streets. Gathering the trucks to operate in a parking-lot type space, as Creedon said when describing what the university is considering for their landscape plan, would limit students’ food options and availability to outside vendors while on Main Campus. Every fall, The Temple News dedicates a special issue, Lunchies, to the food truck scene that’s celebrated on Main Campus. Many students said that buying from food trucks offers a more diverse and often cheaper alternative to having a meal plan.
Creedon said that safety regarding propane tanks and proximity of trucks to buildings is the university’s main concern. However, if food trucks are following all food truck and cart standards, they are allowed to park along streets but not on sidewalks or alongside buildings which are Temple property. While Creedon said that plans for this vending district “are not imminent,” the university should recognize what an important asset the trucks are to Main Campus. As it stands now, having food trucks scattered across Main Campus allows students to grab something to eat on their way to class and caters to a student population with diverse needs. The current situation celebrates the cityscape of Main Campus. Forcing vendors to be grouped together in one, specific area will be hindering a system that currently is a success for both students and the vendors that are serving them.
CORRECTIONS
A news story published on April 7 stated that the vacant lot Ori Feibush, who is running for city council, developed was across the street from his OCF Coffee House. It was next to it. The story also stated that Feibush’s lawsuit against Kenyatta Johnson was over that lot, but it was a different lot in Point Breeze.
The Temple News strives to be a newspaper of record by printing factually correct and balanced articles. 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-inChief Avery Maehrer at editor@temple-news.com or 215.204.6737.
Feb. 5, 1982: SEPTA officials announced a number of changes to the transit system – color-coding the Broad Street Line as the orange line and the Market-Frankford Line as the blue line. Also that year, the Broad Street Line was renovated and received new subway cars. The changes were part of a campaign to make SEPTA use appealing to riders.
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Commentary | criminal justice
Care, not incarceration for drug offenders Drug treatment programs are more financially and mentally beneficial.
I
’m a student at Temple, and I’m on my way to class. I have my backpack, loaded with a few textbooks, a notebook and a pen. First, I stuff my cell phone and my jewelry into a tiny locker. Then, I take off my shoes and proceed through the metal detector. I realize that I forgot MICHAELA WINBERG to remove the under wire from my bra that week, and the guard reminds me that I am not allowed to bring any metal at all inside the prison. He says that today, he’ll let it slide, but he’s not doing me any favors next week. Though I’m taking a class with Temple, I’m not on Main Campus. Hosted at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia, my Drugs in Urban Society class is made up of half “outside students,” or Temple students, and half “inside students,” who are female prisoners. When I listen to people’s personal stories and academic opinions about drug addiction, it never matters whether the speaker is wearing jeans and a T-shirt or a dark green jumpsuit. According to an article in
The Huffington Post published in 2014, more than 50 percent of prisoners are incarcerated nationwide due to nonviolent, drug-related offenses. So, statistically, at least 25 percent of the students in my class are currently locked up for a nonviolent, drug-related offense. That number is too high. Maryland has instituted alternative-to-incarceration programs for drug offenders, according to an article published by the Justice Policy Institute in 2004. In Maryland, treatment costs the government about $4,000 per inmate annually, while incarceration costs the government at least $20,000 per client annually. Multiply that $16,000 saved per client by the millions of people incarcerated in the United States today, and it’s clear that mandatory treatment instead of incarceration would immediately save the government billions of dollars every year. Additionally, drug treatment programs outside of prison seem to yield long-term cost benefits. In 2004, the Justice Policy Institute found that for every dollar spent on drug treatment programs outside of prison, the government yields $8.87 in profit; treatment combined with incarceration yields at least $1.91 for every dollar spent. Economically, the benefits of treatment instead of incarceration are undeniable. “For every dollar of treatment the government spends, it pays back to society,” said Dr.
Gerald Stahler, the professor of my Drugs in Urban Society class. “It’s in society’s best interest to invest more upfront in treatment and prevention, because incarceration just has so many negative side effects.” Rehabilitation and treatment for drug offenders are not only better for the economy, but they are also better for the offenders themselves. In prison, mental illnesses and drug addictions are rarely treated effective-
If prisoners with substanceabuse problems received more comprehensive treatment while incarcerated, perhaps their return rates would not be so high. A 2009 study conducted by the National Institute of Justice in Brooklyn, New York stated that out of 272 people who received long-term treatment for their drug offenses, 12 were rearrested while undergoing treatment. Out of 215 similar offenders that were incarcerated, 28
benefits of treatment instead “ofThe incarceration are undeniable. ”
ly. According to a 2014 article published in the Inquirer, about 356,268 people in Pennsylvania with severe mental illnesses are incarcerated – and about 60 percent of them also struggle with substance abuse, according to The New York Times – that’s 10 times the amount receiving treatment in state hospitals. “The experience of being locked up — which often involves dangerous overcrowding and inconsistent or inadequate health care — exacerbates [mental illness and substance abuse] problems, or creates new ones,” wrote the editoral board. “The collapse of institutional psychiatric care and the surge of punitive drug laws have sent millions of people to prison, where they rarely if ever get the care they need.”
were rearrested. In comparison, in other places, the return rate of prisoners for these offenses are much higher. According to the Institute on Drug Abuse, drug dependence is now classified as a legitimate illness by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is the resource of diagnostic criteria for all mental disorders. A patient with schizophrenia would never be incarcerated instead of offered treatment. Before being stripped of their rights and clothed in uniform jumpsuits, those struggling with addiction deserve the proper treatment for their illness. * michaela.winberg@temple.edu
LETTER TO THE EDITOR... The value of good grades diminishes if they are easy to achieve. As a college student, you already know how much GPAs matter. Your grade point average determines whether or not you keep your scholarships. It affects your chances of getting into graduate school. It could be the tiebreaker when you’re competing for a job. But grades also matter because they are supposed to reflect what you know and can do. While everyone wants good grades, it’s generally a bad sign when everyone gets them. If that’s happening, the bar for “excellence” is too low. Some people are get-
ting high grades for doing less, cheapening the value of an “A” so that truly exceptional students don’t stand out. A recent report, Easy A’s and What’s Behind Them, by the National Council on Teacher Quality, looks at more than 500 colleges (including Temple) and finds that, on average, about 30 percent of all students at these schools graduate with grade-based honors. What’s troubling for NCTQ, a research organization that advocates for improving the instruction of K-12 students by improving the preparation of their teachers, is that Easy A’s also found that teacher candidates at the schools we reviewed are nearly 50 percent more likely than their peers across campus to graduate with honors.
At Temple, however, there is no worrisome discrepancy between the proportion of teacher candidates who earn honors and other majors. Specifically, insert 18.56 percent of soon-to-be teachers at Temple graduate with honors, which compares with 17.09 percent for all programs on Main Campus. We hope to see more institutions follow this example. For teacher candidates and all other students, if virtually everyone has stellar grades, an easy “A” doesn’t really help you get a job, and it definitely won’t help you keep it. *Kate Walsh is the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality.
OPINION
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
PAGE 5
Commentary | Free speech
Students should combat SEPTA ads with peace, knowledge
Offensive SEPTA ads present an opportunity to open dialogue and have opposing voices heard.
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tudents should not be caught off guard if, while on their commute to Main Campus or while making a journey into Center City, they happen to see the image of Hitler drive past them on a SEPTA bus. A recent federal court ruling handed down by District Judge Mitchell S. Goldberg is requiring SEPTA to run a controversial anti-Muslim ad featuring Hitler on 84 of its buses. The ad, which was paid for by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, is composed of a black-and-white photo of Hitler with Palestinian nationalJENNY ROBERTS ist Haj Amin al-Husseini, who showed support for the Nazis over radio broadcast during World War II. The first line of the ad reads, “Islamic Jew-hatred: It’s in the Quran.” Through this statement the ad seemingly promotes the fabricated notion that the Islamic faith is not religiously tolerant of Jewish people. The remainder of the ad calls for the U.S. to end all foreign aid to Islamic countries. Though many Philadelphians, including SEPTA officials, are upset by this hateful ad, and rightfully so, the truth is that the ad is protected by the First Amendment. SEPTA has opened up its buses to serve as a public forum by allowing for other political and non-commercial ads to be run.
As a result, SEPTA has now banned all political and non-commercial ads from its advertising space for the future, but prior ads have dealt with controversial subjects, such as animal cruelty, contraception and fracking. For SEPTA to discriminate against the AFDI’s ad based on its inflammatory nature would be to limit the AFDI’s freedom of speech based on content. Despite this current ad being controversial, as well as disparaging to Muslims and unrepresentative of Islam as a faith, the ad is protected by the Constitution. Speech cannot be limited just because it is offensive. For example, burning the American flag is a form of protected speech, as decided by the Supreme Court ruling in Texas v. Johnson in 1989. No matter how innately wrong or unpatriotic the desecration of the flag may seem to Americans, it is protected. Burton Caine, J.D., a professor at Temple’s Beasley School of Law, believes that all speech is free speech. He called the language of the First Amendment being pretty straightforward in this regard. “The First Amendment provides that government ‘shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech,’” he said. Caine has long argued that categories of speech, such as fighting words should not be allowed as exceptions to the First Amendment. Though Caine agrees with Goldberg’s ruling that forces SEPTA to run the ad, he admits to disliking the ad itself, and I agree with his mode of thinking. This ad holds up under legal scrutiny,
though many of us in the City of Brotherly Love do not love its message. The only way for other citizens, who, like myself, dislike the ad, to combat its hateful message is to exercise the same expression granted to the AFDI in the First Amendment. We must simply speak up – in fact, it is imperative that we
Speech cannot be “ limited just because it is offensive. ”
do so. The Interfaith Center of Greater Philadelphia has already begun to speak up through its launch of the #DareToUnderstand campaign against the message of the AFDI’s ad. The alliance of community leaders behind the campaign are looking to promote interfaith unity and understanding. According to the campaign’s website, daretounderstand.causevox.com, the hashtag #DareToUnderstand calls for supporters “To take a stand in the face of divisive rhetoric … To embrace our diverse voices … To unite to effect positive change. To stand in solidarity with those who might otherwise be alienated.” By standing together, despite our differing beliefs we can oppose hate and promote understanding. On Main Campus, Tykee James, president of the Student Interfaith and Multicultural Soci-
THE ESSAYIST...
ety, is planning to work with Jalen Blot, director of Campus Life and Diversity, to make students aware of the AFDI’s ad and how they can respond to it peacefully. “The only vaccine [for] this plague of societal misinformation and negativity is really education,” said James, a junior mathematics and computer science with teaching major. Unfortunately, those people who are uneducated or misinformed about what Islam preaches are the very people who are most susceptible to believing the lies promoted in this ad. Hopefully, people who may not know much about Islam can sense that there is something wrong with the message conveyed in this ad and are able to seek out education for themselves. Temple’s Muslim Students Association said in a statement that they hope the ads spark discussions among those unfamiliar with the religion, and discouraged students from vandalizing the ads. “We must work together with the leaders of the communities involved in order to create an environment of understanding,” the statement read. “We would urge people not to [vandalize] because it is important to be respectful of other people’s opinions and that is what our religion teaches.” I agree with the MSA’s statement and I urge my fellow Philadelphians and Temple students to respond with intelligence and goodwill when confronted with the display of bias that is conveyed by AFDI’s ad. * jennifer.roberts@temple.edu
A history lesson One professor’s story helped decide a course of study for a student.
A DONNA FANELLE TTN
A letter to my birth mother
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A student writes a letter to her biological mother, whom she has never met.
ear Maybe-Mama, I was not a mistake. It’s strange to think that exactly half of my DNA comes from you, and yet we could pass each other on the street and not even recognize each other. I’ve never really believed in searching for you, my biological family. I never asked my parents the heartbreaking questions that Hollywood makes small, blue-eyed orphans ask: “Why didn’t my real mother want me?” I’ve never believed in any of that, and I don’t expect that you’d want me to, anyway. But if we ever did meet, what would we even say to each other? I don’t speak Chinese, and you probably don’t speak English. But, in case you’ve ever wondered about me, here’s a little about myself: I look different now. When you last saw me, I weighed less than fifteen pounds and could fit inside of a kitchen sink when I needed a bath. But today I am 19 years old and I’m probably taller than you – the nutrition in America is different than in rural China, so I’ve grown like an American girl, not a Chinese one. But our hands and feet are probably the same size. I also have hyper-extended knees and highly-arched feet. Maybe you do, too. I’ve cut off 10 inches of my hair three times since I
By Lian Parsons was 12 years old. Each time it feels so different and strange, yet each time it’s grown back just as long as before. Hair tends to do that, I suppose. I started dancing as soon as I could walk and I haven’t stopped since. My favorite type of laughter is the type that catches you by surprise and bubbles up like soda. I’ve learned how to cook from YouTube and I like to think I’m becoming pretty good at it. I learned how to bake from my mother and her box of yellowing recipes from her mother. Babies smile when I smile. I can read very fast – I know this because I read “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in six hours and 26 minutes and even RJ (my neighbor who was accepted to MIT and Harvard), didn’t read it that quickly. I knit scarves for my friends as Christmas gifts. We know nothing about each other, but I like to think that you’d be happy about the life I have. If I had stayed there in China, the country that holds 1.357 billion people, if no one had ever wanted me, I would probably be working on a farm. I would be getting ready to marry some nice boy to take care of his nice, aging parents, and I’d have no more than two nice babies with him.
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Or maybe I’d move to the city and be working in a factory, helping to mass produce capital for America and the rest of the Western World – I’d be another cog amongst the smog and bicycles. I was not a mistake. You did not make a mistake. You may have regretted the one night you gave into a young man with thick dark hair and long eyes, quick, clever hands, and high forehead. Maybe you were 16 and not ready to raise a child, your family was angry with you, and people would have pointed and stared. Or maybe you did marry him and you had a girlchild, but she was not going to be able to take care of you in your old age because she’d be married to a boy and would take care of his parents instead. Or maybe you already had a girl and needed a boy. Or maybe you had two children, but you were scared of what they’d do if they found out you’d kept another baby. Whether you ever think of me, or whether you have completely forgotten that you carried me inside you for those nine months 19 years ago (or 20, if you believe that life begins at conception), or whether you think of me every day since you last saw me that au-
tumn day in 1995, or whether you died years ago and I never knew, you did not make a mistake. Maybe-Mama, I just wanted to let you know that I’m happy. I’m so lucky to have the life I have. I’m in college now, studying and making friends and having fun. Hopefully I’ll have a job in four years. My parents love me like good parents do – fiercely, proudly, happily. I have a brother and he is 15 and growing like a birch tree, becoming someone I will always be proud of. I am surrounded by people with kind hearts and warm hugs and big laughs whom I love and who love me. There is someone who wants to marry me someday and spend the rest of their life with me. I could never ask for better than what I’ve been fortunate enough to receive. If you ever meet me, I hope that you like the person that I am and the person I’m becoming. I hope I’d like you, too. Someone told me once that I must have lucky stars out there looking out for me. And you know what? I do. I really do. Sincerely, Your Maybe-Daughter * lian.parsons@temple.edu
LETTERS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
By Alexa Bricker
s I passed through the set of double doors of Lecture Hall 24 in Gladfelter Hall, the first thing I saw was a small, gray-haired man with large thick-framed glasses. He was bopping his head to Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” the way he would at the beginning of every class for the next 15 weeks. It was the very first class I stepped foot in my freshman year at here, and while I know I was feeling anxious, I distinctly remember thinking, “If I have to take a history class, I’m glad it’s this one.” Professor Bryant Simon’s standard lecture course put me on a path that I had never envisioned for myself. I never once considered taking a history course for fun, but suddenly after that first class I was filling my schedule with as many history electives as possible. My experience with Temple’s history department only grew more and more positive over the years, but my decision to start seriously thinking about history came after one particular lecture from Professor Ralph Young during my Recent American History course in Spring 2014. I had taken U.S. History until 1877 with Young and noticed his knack for making topics I found incredibly boring, (the colonization of America, the Civil War, etc.), incredibly interesting. So, I opted to take a class of his a second time. We had reached a point in the semester where we were discussing World War II, specifically the effect of D-Day on Americans fighting in the war and at home, and in the midst of the discussion, Professor Young became serious – flashing through a slideshow of his personal photos of Normandy Beach and the Normandy American Cemetery. He began into a story about his Uncle Cyril, who after the attack on Pearl Harbor, decided to enlist in the army. His uncle, he told us, engaged in an argument with his brother, Professor Young’s father, and did not resolve the fight before he left for Europe. Eventually his Uncle Cyril was killed in France, shortly after storming the beach at Normandy. My class sat in dead silence listening to Young explaining his visit to his uncle’s grave in the late 70s, tears welling in his eyes, voice shaking with raw emotion he still felt telling the story of how his uncle’s death impacted his relationship with his father, who became distant in the years after the war. He described the sound of the waves crashing on the beach below, the smell of the grass and the emotion he felt as he approached the grave of the uncle he never really knew. This story, among many others that Young told, showed me that history is much more than analyzing and uncovering the events of the past. Textbooks can teach us things like how many casualties occurred during World War II and when FDR enacted his New Deal. They cannot teach us how the death of one American soldier fighting at Normandy Beach on June 6, 1944 affected the relationship of a father and his young son decades down the road. I entered the SMC advising office a few weeks after hearing Professor Young’s story to talk with my adviser about the gen-eds I still needed to take, the journalism track I may want to pursue, but most importantly, to discuss the requirements for my new minor – history.
History is “much more than analyzing and uncovering the events of the past.
”
* abricke1@temple.edu
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NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
NEWS IN BRIEF UNIVERSITY NEWS STUDENTS RECEIVE ‘TERROR ALERT’ IN PHISHING EMAIL
Several students received phishing emails titled “Temple University Terror Alert” and “Notice of Compensation” through their Temple email accounts on Sunday morning, according to an email from Computer Services. Both emails asked for students’ AccessNet username and password, but Computer Services stated that Temple will never ask for a student’s password in an email, confirming that both were a scam. The “Temple University Terror Alert” message stated that the university’s “Policy Help Center” needed students to submit their information in order to prevent their email accounts from sending terror threats toward the university. The message added that if students failed to comply, their email accounts would be deactivated, and emails sent to their inbox would be rejected. Computer Services states that students uncertain about the legitimacy of any email should forward it to abuse@temple. edu. Students can contact the department with other questions through the TUhelp website at tuhelp.temple.edu, or call 215204-8000. -Steve Bohnel
PUBLIC PA. UNIVERSITIES ENDORSE TUITION FREEZE
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s board of governors voted Thursday to endorse a tuition freeze that had been proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf, under the condition that PASSHE receives an additional $45.3 million to its appropriation, according to the Associated Press. Wolf said he was proud of the board’s decision, one that was narrowly finalized by a vote of 9-8. “Students have borne the brunt of massive cuts over the last four years and today’s action is an important step in giving them a break from constantly rising college costs,” he said in a statement. The $45.3 million is the first step of Wolf’s budget plan for higher education, which includes raising funding more than $140 million in the next fiscal year, which starts July 1. Because of the jump in funding, he called for the 14 state-owned universities to freeze tuition, and that state-related universities keep it as low as possible. This first installment is one of two yearly increases that would replace the $90 million cut from higher education during former Gov. Tom Corbett’s tenure. Officials said this sum would raise state funding for PASSHE by 11 percent, according to the AP. PASSHE’s board of governors has yet to make a “final determination” concerning the initial tuition freeze among its schools. If it were implemented, about 112,000 students who attend the system’s universities would be affected, the report said. -Steve Bohnel
TEMPLE RANKED TOP 100 IN RESEARCH SPENDING
Temple has jumped 31 spots in the latest research expendi-
KARA MILSTEIN TTN FILE PHOTO
Member Jessica Fenton (left) and Vice President Brandon Mauro of Temple University Chemical Society conduct experiments during the opening of the Science Education and Research Center in October 2014.
ture rankings from the National Science Foundation, according to a university press release from last week. According to the rankings, Temple is now ranked 94th of 643 institutions, after it spent $224 million on research in Fiscal Year 2013, an increase of $86 million from the previous year. The report includes university spending on research from both external and internal sources – including federal, state and local governments, as well as businesses, foundations and other nonprofit organizations. Vice Provost for Research Michele Masucci said a $50 million research investment fund, announced at President Theobald’s inauguration, has played a key role in developing and improving research at Temple, as have new faculty hires. They have focused particularly on genomics and materials science research. “These faculty members are contributing to a new culture of collaborative research, which, in turn, has allowed us to pursue funding opportunities for larger-scale grants on a more systematic basis than ever before.” Masucci added that although research has improved greatly, there is still room to grow. “We expect these research numbers to continue to be strong and the rankings to continue on an upward trajectory,” she said in the release. -Steve Bohnel
DAVID BOLDT, FORMER TEMPLE ADJUNCT, 73
David Boldt, 73, a former adjunct professor who taught undergraduate and graduate courses in interpreting contemporary affairs, died Sunday in his Pasadena, California home of pancreatic cancer, the Inquirer reported. Along with teaching at Temple, Boldt served as the editoral page editor of the Inquirer from 1988-98, part of a 28-year career at the newspaper. Boldt was well-respected for his willingness to take on controversial topics, said former editor Maxwell E.P. King. “David was from the beginning looked up to as a leader because of his talent, creativity, and great ability,” King told the Inquirer. “But what distinguished him was his courage. He was unafraid intellectually. That’s why [former executive editor] Gene [Roberts, Jr.] tapped him for the Editorial Board – for that courage.” Boldt also served as an editor for the Inquirer’s Sunday magazine during the 1980s, when it won Pulitzer Prizes for feature photography in 1985 and 1986. He is survived by his wife Kelly, his son Thomas, his daughter Julia, along with his granddaughter, brother and sister. -Steve Bohnel
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KARA MILSTEIN TTN
The PCAC proposed a 1.5 percent increase to the Realty Transfer Tax on homes “flipped” for profit.
Continued from page 1
HOUSING
degree to which institutions and neighborhoods notice this is occurring, it’s their job to try and figure out how to not push longterm residents and institutions out [of the area].” Lichtash added that she believes Temple has its own responsibilities when it comes to its surrounding neighborhoods. “I think institutions have a responsibility to be responsive to their community,” she said. “And their community is not just students, the community is where Temple has been for all these years.” David Bartelt, a professor emeritus in Temple’s Geography and Urban Studies department, said one of the reasons the university’s surrounding community has been gentrified is because of the growing population of students living in the area. “Temple has been very supportive of developers who want to develop student housing that fits this new profile of the neighborhood,” Bartelt said. “Temple has pushed very actively for more of a campus
experience … and that’s been a fairly long-term effort.” Bartelt added that one aspect that differentiates the issue in West Philadelphia and North Philadelphia is that Temple cannot directly develop its surrounding area like the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University. He also said the process could be halted by state laws, even if the city passes legislation for the new tax. “I’m pretty sure it will be up for a constitutional challenge in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” he said. “We’ve been down this road with other kinds of approaches in the past, and it has failed the constitutional mandate that all taxes and fees must be equally applied to every property.” Bartelt added that even if the bill passes through the state, it wouldn’t be fully implemented for two to three years because of how complex the issue is. So far, Lichtash said the coalition’s proposal has gained interest from City Council, but the specifics of the bill still need to be worked out, as it is currently being drafted. She added that the coalition hopes that
something is drafted within the next year. She said if the anti-speculation tax bill were implemented, the allocation of the new revenue for the city’s Housing Trust Fund would be determined through an application process. “If there are developers ready and willing to do affordable housing in North Philly, they would apply for that money,” Lichtash said. “They don’t just hand it out, there has to be someone with a capacity to do the work.” Lichtash said she hopes the legislation passes, given her involvement with Temple and its surrounding neighborhoods. She graduated from the university in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, and added a master’s degree in social work in 1979. “Everyone in my family goes to Temple, it’s a really good school,” she said. “We all love Temple, but the truth is that it has responsibility to the neighborhood, and we really want to see it step up and do that.” * steven.bohnel@temple.edu T @Steve_Bohnel
lifestyle
owlery.temple-news.com
LIVING IN RECOVERY
PAX’S ANNUAL PLANT SALE
An in-depth look at students who had experiences with addiction and the resources the university has to help them. PAGE 1
Ambler’s Honors Horticultural Society will hold its annual plant sale on Ambler Campus later this month. PAGE 15
BIKE TEMPLE TO HOST BIKE RIDE
Bike Temple will host a bike ride to the new Pier 53 park on the Delaware Waterfront on Saturday morning, other news and notes. PAGE 16
temple-news.com
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
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Walking to find a cure for cancer More than 1,000 people packed McGonigle Hall on April 10 to participate in Relay for Life. JANE BABIAN The Temple News The gym was glowing with luminaria bags. More than $1,000 people walked around them. Students, survivors of cancer and their family members packed McGonigle Hall late Friday night to try to help put an end to cancer. The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, an overnight fundraising walk, which ran from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., had 76 registered teams comprised of more than 1,200 people, and raised more than $45,000. All survivors in attendance were called to the balcony for the opening walk. Applause filled the gym as Mariah Carey’s “Hero” rang from the speakers. All others began walking shortly after. Stands were set up along the balcony and the floor of the basketball court to raffle off items, from coffee makers to signed comic books to Temple paintings. The event featured a live DJ, performances from a cappella groups and Temple Tap along with a Mr. Relay contest. In the middle of the basketball court, attendees gathered to play board games or pass a football or soccer ball. Luminaria bags were set around the perimeter of the back gym. Each bag was lit to honor or commemorate someone who has fought or is fighting cancer. Those who took part in the “Luminaria Lap” walked in complete silence around the gym. Elly Perlowitz, a sophomore journalism major and a co-event chair, oversaw event staff positions and did a majority of the planning. Relays are special to Perlowitz – she said she wouldn’t apply to a university that didn’t have one. She’s been walking in them since she was about 10 years old. “In high school, I was the ‘relay girl,’ and I wasn’t ready to shed that,” Elly Perlowitz said. Perlowitz’s uncle died from cancer. Her mother, Holly Perlowitz, was also diagnosed with the disease. Holly Perlowitz has been participating in fundraising relays since 1995, before she was diagnosed with breast cancer on New Year’s Eve in 2006. After a surgery to remove the tumor, eight rounds of chemotherapy and 35 ses-
RELAY PAGE 8
MARGO REED TTN
Yasmine Mustafa (left) and Anthony Gold of ROAR work on business plans to discuss at an upcoming meeting. The company hopes to launch by December.
WOMAN TO WOMAN Yasmine Mustafa founded ROAR for Good, a company that produces wearable self-defense devices for women.
EAMON DREISBACH The Temple News
Y
asmine Mustafa immigrated to South Philadelphia from Kuwait at age 8, during the height of the Persian Gulf War. Forced to work under-the-table jobs for meager pay in her youth, Mustafa, a 2006 Temple graduate, quickly grew a desire to be her own boss. The transition to American life was an abrupt and shocking experience, Mustafa said. “We were extracted out of Kuwait once Saddam invaded,” Mustafa said. “The transition was jarring because it was very different and unexpected – we were told we had an hour to pack two bags. It was a culture shock.” Mustafa said she knew she wanted to
be an entrepreneur in the U.S. She found her inspiration in the form of a six-month solo trip across South America. “One thing that kept happening every
advocates female empowerment by distributing wearable self-defense apparatuses. Mustafa’s creative business expertise recently landed ROAR $25,000 in funding
meeting women who had been “I keptattacked or assaulted. ” Yasmine Mustafa | alumna
place that I went is I kept meeting women that had been attacked or assaulted,” Mustafa said. “A week after I came back, a woman was raped a block from my apartment, and a light bulb went off.” After returning from her trek, Mustafa founded ROAR for Good, a company that
from the Philadelphia-based idea incubator DreamIt Ventures. Mustafa’s entrepreneurial desires eventually led her to an internship with Philadelphia marketing firm Team and a
ROAR PAGE 15
‘MESH’ art show unites creatives from all programs
Art of Business/Business of Art held a show on Main Campus last week.
the creative efforts of students from all areas of the university. “We really are collaborating and ‘meshing’ different schools together,”
Harris said. Twenty-five Temple students participated in the art show. The show has been in development since January of
this year, but members of AB/BA said they thought of the idea for the show early last fall. MESH also served as a fundraiser for the organization. If an
FINNIAN SAYLOR The Temple News
On April 9, student organization Art of Business/Business of Art hosted a multi-disciplinary art show entitled “MESH” in the architecture building. AB/BA works to bridge gaps between schools and colleges within the university that may otherwise have had no means of artistic connection, said Laura Harris, the organization’s president. “The basic idea behind the club is to bring together and facilitate collaboration between students at Temple,” said Harris, a sophomore marketing major. “A lot of the time – especially with business and art, and even communication – the students don’t have overlapping classes and really don’t interact or learn with each other, but in reality those fields are very related.” AB/BA named the art show “MESH” by virtue of the art show’s purpose. The show aimed to combine
BREE HANSTEEN TTN
“MESH: Redefining Art at Temple” exhibited the artwork of students from a variety of academic backgrounds.
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artist chose to do so, he or she could put up his or her work for silent auction. 20 percent of the proceeds would benefit AB/BA, and the other 80 percent would go directly to the artist. Haley Adair, a junior photography major and exhibitor at MESH, said the art show displayed not only traditional fine art, but also exhibited items that “aren’t just considered fine art.” “We have written papers and plays and poetry and things that you probably wouldn’t see in any gallery show,” Adair said. The exhibition halls in the architecture building were covered with prints and paintings, while multimedia screens depicted original videos, among other things. Adair said AB/BA gives students of all disciplines a great opportunity to express themselves in ways they might not have had otherwise. “Everyone is creative in their own way,” Adair said. “A lot of times, if you’re not an art student, you don’t have any opportunity to make your art, or you don’t have time, or you don’t
MESH PAGE 16
LIFESTYLE
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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
Relay for Life unites students and survivors Continued from page 7
RELAY
sions of radiation, she was deemed cancer free in 2008. She said she believes her positive attitude and healthy diet allowed her body to tolerate the treatments well. “I had bad days, but they didn’t keep me down,” Holly Perlowitz said. “I didn’t want my kids to get scared.” Relay for Life is the walk she said she commits to and identifies with the most. She likes to try to meet every survivor at the event, and she said she views it as a type of sorority. “It’s not one you want to join, but when you’re in it, you have to support each other,” she said. Holly Perlowitz was overwhelmed by the number of Temple students who came to support the cause. “They could be out drinking or doing something else,” she said. Kate Hetzel is part of team K-Strong, which raised just below $4,500. K-Strong raised the second highest amount for the event. Hetzel has been fighting a battle with kidney cancer since she was diagnosed in 2011. Her team was able to raise most of
the money through word of mouth, social media and friends, family and coworkers. The soon-to-be bride is currently in the middle of chemotherapy sessions. “It’s important to take it one day at a time,” Hetzel said. “You have to stay positive.” Dr. Curtis Miyamoto has been in oncology – the branch of medicine that deals specifically with tumors – for 24 years. He’s a professor and the chair of the department of radiation oncology at Temple University Hospital. Miyamoto said he found out about the event by accident. “[This current generation of] college students is more aware than any other generation, because [they] know the causes of cancer and ways to prevent it,” Miyamoto said. Events like Relay for Life and cancer survivors are “inspirations to all those who fight cancer every day,” he added. Elly Perlowitz said she believes that “everyone’s story need to be heard, because what Relay has done for these people is incredible.” “Relay has this mantra: ‘Cancer never sleeps, so neither will we,’” Elly Perlowitz said. “That’s why we walk all night.”
ANA PADILLA TTN
(TOP) Temple’s Relay for Life raised more than $50,000 for the American Cancer Society. The event was held in McGonigle Hall on April 10. (ABOVE) Luminaria bags line a gym in McGonigle Hall in honor of those battling cancer.
* jane.babian@temple.edu
Alumnus finds purpose as an elementary school teacher Stephen Flemming frequently advocates for the city’s public schools. ASHLEY CALDWELL The Temple News Room 207 in John B. Kelly Elementary School was instructed to settled down. The third-grade teacher clicked off the lights and turned on classical music for their after-lunch ritual: quiet time. The teacher, Stephen R. Flemming, 29, sat in a desk chair with eyes focused on the students to monitor movement. Light sounds of shuffling feet echoed in the semi-quiet room as the children slowly decreased their energy. Flemming is a College of Education alumnus. He is an eight-year teacher at John B. Kelly Elementary School, but this is his first time teaching a third-grade class. “The experience has been different from teaching [this younger class],” he said. “Third graders are much younger than middle school students, so it’s been quite an adjustment.” Outside of the classroom, Flemming advocates on students’ behalf by frequently attending town meetings and political forums.
“I chose to be a public forthcoming advocate for public education because I see that it’s the students in public schools that tend to go without [resources],” Flemming said. “We experience first hand, every day, the effects of school budget cuts, and I feel
it necessary to speak out, because a closed mouth doesn’t get fed.” Flemming is also the school’s building representative and speaks out about public education through social media accounts, like his Twitter account, @kellygrade6, and blog sites.
He uses the sites to not only advocate for the school district, but to give his students homework and other information they can retain. “I advocate on Twitter, I write on my blog on myclassroom105.blogspot. com, I speak out at School Reform
COURTESY STEPHEN FLEMMING
Stephen Flemming talks to press and a crowd about endorsing Jim Kenney for Mayor of Philadelphia on March 16.
Commission meetings, on television, editorials and more,” he said. He said the SRC meetings consist of members who are appointed by the governor and mayor and those meetings are open to the public, in which he takes every advantage by attending. Tasha Davis, a mobile psychology rehab specialist who as is a childhood friend of Flemming, described him as “an awesome, caring man of God.” Flemming is also the Sunday School teacher for young people at his church, Christ Haven Worship Center. Some refer to him as “unc” or “Uncle Steve,” he said. “I love my unc,” said JaVanna Wilkins, one of Flemming’s Sunday school students. “He’s always supportive of us, and he knows how to communicate with us in a way most couldn’t or wouldn’t. It’s almost like he’s one of us.” Mercedes Bradley, another of Flemming’s students said, “He always corrects in a way where we’ll get it. He’s always passionate about everything he does.” “At a young age I had the opportunity to realize my dream, ” he said. “It has always been my desire to teach. I love what I do. And despite requests to leave the classroom, I still remain.” * ashley.caldwell@temple.edu
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LIVE IN PHILLY: MANAYUNK FOOD FEST
“VIETGLISH” VIDEOS ENTERTAIN AND INFORM
The Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival took place on April 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Food trucks and vendors lined Main Street for the day-long festival. PAGE 12
Kayla Nguyen, 2014 graduate, created a YouTube channel called “Vietglish Fun” where she sings English songs in Vietnamese to try and entertain and inform her audiences of different cultures. PAGE 10
temple-news.com
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
PAGE 9
New film focuses on sexual assault
Alumnus Ian Rose was the associate producer on the Kirby Dick-directed documentary. ALBERT HONG Assistant A&E Editor
On passing the director’s torch to Jewel, Richardson said that a fresh per-
While most moviegoers were in awe of the ridiculous stunts pulled in “Furious 7” on its April 3 opening, an audience in the local Ritz Five theater was in disbelief over something else on the big screen: the lack of support for survivors of sexual assault on college campuses. “The Hunting Ground” is a recent documentary covering this national issue and how colleges and universities were improperly helping survivors of sexual assault. Ian Rose, a 2013 Temple graduate, was an associate producer for the film. Rose gained film experience through projects like covering Temple’s neighboring communities, as well as students who were victims of sexual assault. As part of Temple’s Los Angeles study abroad program, Rose was eventually hired as a production assistant to start working on “The Hunting Ground,” which he said was engaging, as he learned more about the issue. “It’s more of a coincidence, but it’s interesting that we had kind of dealt with the issue way earlier, just having no idea of what the whole issue surrounding it was,” Rose said. Rose’s work on the film included research, conducting interviews and coordinating shoots at more than two dozen campuses around the nation. Now, as the documentary is being screened in cities and campuses all over, with Q-and-A sessions with local experts and advocates afterward, Rose said he realized the far-reaching effect this project could have. “The big thing is just kind of getting people to start conversations and raise the level of awareness,” Rose said. Carol Tracy, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who received her law degree from Temple, was one of the panel members that participated in a discussion after the screening at Ritz Five. A longtime advocate of preventing rape on campuses, having participated in a 1973 sit-in at Penn which ended up creating the school’s Women’s Center, Tracy mentioned how this old issue persists because of things like the assumptions by college administrators that women lie about rape. As the executive director of the Women’s Law Project since 1990, she commended the film’s focus on Title IX and how its policy against sexual discrimination has helped in recent years during this ongoing struggle. “Title IX mandates fairness and I think there’s an assumption that if you say something is fair to victims, it is automatically unfair to the accused, and that is simply not true,” Tracy said. “Fair means fair.” “What is new is this wave of demands from students to say that their schools have to do better – there’s no question that they feel betrayed,” she added. Jacqueline O’Duor, a part-time staff member at Tuttleman Counseling Services with a master’s in social work from Penn, also took part
SIDESTAGE PAGE 13
DOCUMENTARY PAGE 11
MARGO REED TTN
A ‘Today’ show for preschoolers Alumnus Forrest Harding is one of the puppeteers that plays Chica the Chicken on Sprout’s “Sunny Side Up Show,” the only live mainstream preschool show in the U.S.
S
ALEXA ZIZZI The Temple News
prout airs the “Sunny Side Up Show,” an educational live program for children, with four interchanging adult hosts and one furry yellow puppet, Chica the Chicken. “Sunny Side Up Show” is an interstitial three-hour block of live segments linking Sprout’s other gold-standard shows like “Bob The Builder” and “Thomas & Friends” between the hosts interacting with Chica and the viewers at home. Before Sprout launched the show in 2007, Temple alumnus Forrest Harding was working for production in reality TV for the TLC show “Trading Spaces.” He received a call from a woman working for Sprout, seeking someone to work production on a new children’s show – someone who could be organized, have a creative mind and could also possibly play a chicken puppet. “When I was at ‘Trading Spaces,’ I was not very happy,” Harding said. “When I moved back here and started working at Sprout, a reality is what I sort of found.” At the time, Harding’s only experience in puppeteering was playing at home with his two children. “I was always a production person,” Harding said. “I had done some acting in the past but never puppeteering. I had a sense I could do it because I did it for fun, but professionally it’s so much harder than it looks.” Harding said the show’s original concept was to be like a Today Show for preschoolers. “There has not been, and I think there still isn’t, a live preschool show in the U.S. other than ‘The Sunny Side Up Show,’” Harding said. He accepted the offer and joined the show’s production team, beginning his
SUNNY PAGE 11
THEATER
Show tackles race in satirical play As part of Temple Theater Sidestage, “The Colored Museum” ran on campus this month. NYDJA HOOD The Temple News When Temple professor Lee Richardson directed “The Colored Museum” in 1986, he said the show “pushed people’s buttons.” Richardson said that satire, when done right, can have a powerful outcome. “Good satire stings,” Richardson said. “Good satire challenges political systems, social, cultural norms. It makes you investigate. It’s needed. That’s what good theater does, it provokes. It challenges the norms.”
A&E DESK 215-204-7416
When Richardson first put on the show, he said he was hoping for the reaction he received in New York during previews. “People weren’t really responding,” Richardson said. “People were reluctant to laugh at it. This is a country where race has always been such a delicate, sensitive issue that you’re not supposed to make fun, and you’re certainly not supposed to hang out your dirty laundry.” “The Colored Museum,” which returned to the stage for Temple Theater Sidestage’s newest production, was directed and produced by Kemar Jewel. Temple Theater Sidestage Season aims to give more opportunities to students interested in theater. The show was not part of the university’s mainstage productions. The play had an all-black cast,
KARA MILSTEIN TTN
Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr. performs “The Gospel According to Miss Roj” scene in “The Colored Museum,” at Randall Theatre on April 12.
which both Jewel and the performers agreed was a distinguishable feature of the production.
ARTSandENTERTAINMENT@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 10
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
Alumna set to release single this month Shelia Moser, a 2014 graduate is already releasing her first single. FINNIAN SAYLOR The Temple News As a child, Shelia Moser was known as “Lee Lee.” From her last name, she derived “Mo” to create “Lee Mo.” Now, the up-and-coming jazz singer, has made the nickname into a moniker for her career. Growing up, Moser said she sang in her church; it was the first venue stage she performed on. The sounds of gospel music influenced her from a young age. Moser said the gospel singers in her church, “were the first voices that have influenced me.” Moser, a 2014 Temple graduate, started her vocal jazz career after studying vocal performance and jazz. She is working to expand her image not only in Philadelphia but
can really “getYoucaught up in
what everyone else is doing, and what it seems as though you’re not doing. Shelia Moser | jazz vocalist
”
the tri-state area, where she hopes to gain prominence in other major cities like New York. Joanna Pascale, a vocalist based in Philadelphia who teaches music at Temple and the University of Pennsylvania, praises Moser’s musical ability. “She brings an incredible depth to her artistry, and it is something that is very rare for someone her age,” Pascale said. “Her musicianship is incredibly high, and that allows her voice to go wherever her ears lead her.” Recently, Moser has spent time in WrightWay Studios in Baltimore, Maryland, where she is working on a few upcoming music developments. In the next few weeks, she hopes to release her first single, “You Are My Sunshine,” which is
inspired by the sounds of Stevie Wonder’s “You Are the Sunshine of My Life.” She performs at local venues and, in the past two months, Moser said she has performed nearly every other week. She staged a halfhour jazz and soul set at The Grape Room in Manayunk on April 9. By fall of this year, Moser hopes to produce another single titled “I Am Afraid,” which she wrote two years ago. “That song is more like a piano-driven song, almost a John Legend, Sam Smith type of vibe,” Moser said. She describes this piece as being more dramatic; the emoting nature portrays the feelings of fear one might have in taking the next step in life. “It could be for love or relationships, it could be just taking the next step in your career, or following your heart, taking a risk,” she said. Early in 2016, she hopes to have recorded her first EP. As a rising artist, Moser said she understands the importance of perseverance. “You can really get caught up in what everyone else is doing, and what it seems as though you’re not doing,” Moser said. Although many categorize her as a jazz singer, Moser said her music encompasses more than just a single genre. “I have a more soulful sound, and … I’ve been influenced by a lot of different genres: jazz, gospel, pop music, soul, funk,” she said. Mike Boone, an instructor of music at Boyer College of Music and Dance, described Moser’s variety of sound as an intersection of genres. “She’s at a three-way intersection of church, soul, and jazz music,” Boone said. “She sings with a lot of feeling and reverence.” When Moser first arrived at Temple from her hometown of Baltimore, she studied English. After spending time at Boyer, she decided to pursue musical studies. “I was always peaking my head in a door [at Boyer],” Moser said. The classes and professors at the music school provided Moser with the tools she needed to better express herself as an artist. “My reason for switching over to music was to deepen my vocabulary musically,” she said. “I wanted to translate what I wanted to say as many ways as possible.” * finnian.saylor@temple.edu
COURTESY LINDSEY NGUYEN
Kayla Nguyen’s YouTube channel, “Vietglish Fun,” has garnered more than 660,000 views and almost 12,000 subscribers.
For YouTuber, an opportunity to keep Vietnamese culture alive Kayla Nguyen uses her YouTube channel to combine education and entertainment. TIM MULHERN The Temple News The idea for Temple alumna Kayla Nguyen’s YouTube channel came in the form of a challenge from her sister. Britney Spears’ “Oops!... I Did It Again” was the first song Nguyen decided to translate into Vietnamese. Nguyen chose to film herself singing and posted it to YouTube. The video has garnered nearly 150,000 views and launched Nguyen’s channel, “Vietglish Fun.” Since the first video posted in July 2014, Nguyen has shared 11 videos of her translations and amassed close to 12,000 subscribers. Nguyen attributes part of her success to social media and the ability to share her videos across multiple platforms, including Facebook and Twitter. As a child growing up in Philadelphia, Nguyen used American pop songs as a way to connect with her peers. Today, she uses those songs to connect a diverse audience of viewers. From an early age, Nguyen said she felt pressure from her parents to enter a medical field, specifically optometry. “I didn’t feel that was right,” Nguyen, a film and media arts graduate, said. “For me, I don’t know if my
passion [was] to study eyes.” Ngyuen had plans to become an optometrist, but in high school she said she enjoyed writing scripts, acting and filming. Nguyen said she chose to study film and media arts at Temple because it is her “calling” to contribute to Vietnamese media. “[There is not Vietnamese media] with good ethics or good messages,” Nguyen said. “I want to do something to change that.” As a student, Nguyen founded ChomChom Productions and served as president of the club during her freshman year at Temple. She said she began talking to friends about starting the club in fall of her freshman year. By spring, the club was officially recognized by the university. ChomChom Productions started as a club dedicated to Vietnamese media, but later expanded to include all types of film and video. “Everybody in ChomChom is extremely close, because of the projects that we’ve worked on together,” Nguyen said. “Doing really late shoots, coming up with scripts together, just having fun together. The teamwork created these strong friendships.” Since Nguyen has graduated, she plans on rebuilding the organization outside of Temple. Nguyen said she wants to bring the organization back to its roots by focusing on Vietnamese media. Today, Nguyen is currently producing Temple graduate student Jamel Northern’s short film titled “Blind
Date.” “It’s been really helping me learn how to launch projects and [create ways] to engage people into projects,” Nguyen said. “That’s actually helped me with ‘Vietglish Fun’ as well.” Nguyen said working on Northern’s film and other Temple-related projects has taught her about working in a team, organization and the patience required when working on a project. “Working with [Northern] has helped me really understand that you have to do things little by little,” Nguyen said. “It’s many tasks that build up, and add up, to contribute to the bigger project. Right now, I don’t really see the big picture. But it’s like little pieces of the puzzle. Keep building and building and then soon [I will] see the bigger picture.” Producing films is something Nguyen hopes to continue to do in the future. “It’s so beautiful when you take all the ingredients, put it together and it becomes the art,” Nguyen said. “Producers have control over basically everything.” Through “Vietglish Fun,” and ChomChom Productions, Nguyen hopes to keep the spirit of Vietnamese culture alive in younger audiences. “Slowly, the second [and] third generation are losing [their] roots and their language,” Nguyen said. “I want to encourage people to go back to their roots and appreciate their culture and their language.” * tim.mulhern@temple.edu
Graduate makes strides toward change
Here’s My Chance helps nonprofit organizations by providing resources to support innovative ideas. CHELSEY HAMILTON The Temple News
Temple alumnus David Gloss started a creative Philadelphia-based agency called Here’s My Chance to ensure that any organization or individual that wants to support good causes has the assets and resources to do so. Gloss started the agency in Spring 2011 with co-founder, Kevin Colahan. Gloss and Colahan wanted to create an agency in the Philly area that could help others share their innovative ideas with the world. “We build up brands with our designs, and we come up with big, bad-ass ideas to make people care more about important causes,” Gloss said. “Our goal is that those who care about their planet and community have the resources to share that with others.” As CEO of Here’s My Chance, Gloss’ personal role in the company is a lot of creative strategy, business development and partnership development. One of the most noted projects produced by
Gloss and his team so far is the Philly DoGooder Awards. The project began in 2012 with the goal to connect local filmmakers with people or nonprofit organizations that are making a big impact and help effectively tell stories. After the success of the Philly DoGooder Awards, the LA DoGooder Awards and Chicago DoGooder Awards were also started. “I feel like we’re already getting bigger and taking what we’ve learned and using it in other parts of the world,” Gloss said. “We’re doing some pretty good stuff here locally that’s getting picked up around the country.” Recently, Here’s My Chance was chosen as one of 32 winners of the Knight Foundation’s annual Knight Cities Challenge. The challenge was created to allow innovators around 26 U.S. cities to share new ideas to improve a city. The Knight Foundation chooses winners based on their proposed projects to “make their communities more vibrant places to live and work.” The 32 winners from the United States were collectively awarded a total of $5 million to share to make their innovative ideas happen. Here’s My Chance was chosen for its project: “Next Stop: Democracy! The Voting Signage Project,” which aims to get more people in the community to vote in local elections by making signs and using creative ideas to make the voting experience better for them.
“We’re going to see if we can hack the voting experience,” Gloss said. “We thought, how do we create the opportunity to merge arts and civic engagement in a way that can make a difference in the process?” “We’re never going to be able to convince people to vote, but the least we can do is make the voting experience something that people remem-
We’re going to see if “ we can hack the voting
experience. We thought, how do we create the opportunity to merge arts and civic engagement? David Gloss | Here’s My Chance co-founder
”
ber and wish to come back, too,” Gloss added. Donna Frisby-Greenwood, the former Philadelphia program director of the Knight Foundation, said Gloss and his team are already making a positive difference in Philly. “I met Gloss almost five years ago when
he and [Colahan] were just getting Here's My Chance off the ground,” said Frisby-Greenwood, who worked as the program director from July 2010 to March 2015. “They had a great idea to help promote nonprofit organizations by pairing them with filmmakers to effectively share the stories of the nonprofits.” “Gloss has already made a difference and helped nonprofit orgs with the Philly DoGooder Awards. In addition, they offer inexpensive workshops for nonprofits on marketing, social media and other issues,” Frisby-Greenwood added. Gloss, who graduated with a MBA from Fox School of Business in 2009, credits most of his networking opportunities in the city to his time at Temple. “There’s so many people from Temple who have started or want to start a business in the city,” Gloss said. “If you want to stay in Philly, Temple’s a great community to be a part of.” For the future, Gloss wants to see Here’s My Chance grow and have the opportunity to make even more positive change in the city. “My vision for Here’s My Chance is to be able to walk down any city, road, or any place on this planet and be able to see even one degree of separation from an impact of one of our clients,” he said. * chelsey.hamilton@temple.edu
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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
PAGE 11
Film deals with assault on campuses
Continued from page 9
DOCUMENTARY
MARGO REED TTN
Before alumnus Forrest Harding became one of the puppeteers on “Sunny Side Up Show” on Sprout, he worked on “Trading Spaces” on TLC.
“We really try and model what we do on the show after preschool curriculums.” Scott McClennen | alumnus and associate producer of “The Sunny Side Up Show”
Alumnus brings puppet to life during children’s cable TV show
Continued from page 9
SUNNY career as a puppeteer. Harding, along with two others hired to play the main character of Chica the Chicken, call themselves “chicateers.” “Since it was a live show, we were tasked with having her be consistent, so the three of us had to all figure out exactly how she would be all the time – she couldn’t have a speaking voice since it was me and two women,” Harding said. “So we had to come up with the Chica-squeaker.” Chica, who is still played by interchanging puppeteers, is voiced through the “Chica-squeaker” so that multiple people can play the character without sounding different. The squeaker used for voicing Chica is a clown whistle Harding originally found online as a “mosquito whistle,” a small squeaker toy played through the mouth. Depending on how it’s played, the Chica-squeaker can sound like a squeaking toy in a stuffed animal, a kazoo, or even words when the pup-
peteers use a specific technique of expanding syllables. Chica is played alongside a human host each segment and they interact with the viewers by doing educational exercises, entertaining games and activities in addition to giving birthday shout outs and answering questions to those who submit online, all while linking Sprout’s other gold-standard shows throughout the 3-hour block. The show airs seven days a week, from 9 a.m to noon, and promotes educational interaction with children 2-6 years old. Throughout the segments, the hosts encourage viewers at home, with parental guidance, to send a message to Chica through the show’s website. The hosts then respond live to individual kids. Sprout, the educational children’s programming network owned by NBC Universal, is approaching its 10th year running on air. Chica the Chicken has become somewhat of a mascot and icon of Sprout. Associate producer of “Sunny Side Up Show” and Temple alumnus Scott McClennen works one-on-one
with the hosts to create entertaining themes for educational interaction. “We really try and model what we do on the show after preschool curriculums,” McClennen said. McClennen said a child psychological and educational consultant pitches ideas and key learning concepts to the team of associate producers who play Chica, including himself, and they rotate pitching ideas with the team of four hosts. Segment ideas are always pitched to senior producers, educational consultants and the show’s legal department to receive approval for air-time. Once approved, McClennen coordinates with the props and graphics departments to set up audio sessions for things like building original songs and sound effects for the show. The April Fools’ Day segment featured “Opposites Week,” and focused on the differences between up and down, left and right, over and under, among others. “On the show, we’ll think of either a craft idea we could do that will hopefully inspire kids at home to do with their parents, or come up with a game where we ask kids to stand up
while watching at home and dance along with us to a funny song or something,” McClennen said. Sprout began as a small local station based out of Philadelphia and because of its growth over the past decade, it has relocated to producing live shows at 30 Rockefeller Studios in New York City. McClennen, who spent seven years in Philly during his time at Temple and working at Sprout, said he was sad to leave but happy to be growing with the network. Harding has now been co-writing for Jellyman Productions’ “Carseat Stories,” an online series inspired by real conversations parents have with their children in the car, and also for Sprout’s “Ruff Ruff Tweet and Dave Show” since February. Harding also said he was happy to grow with Sprout’s network and see the success of Chica. “We were always the little guys and underdog network, then it led to more like me puppeteering as Chica at the Macy’s Day Parade, and that was so amazing,” Harding said. * alexa.zizzi@temple.edu
in the local panel discussion. Having worked for more than 10 years in therapy for survivors of sexual violence, O’Duor said she thought the film stressed the supportive role that colleges and universities need to play in addressing sexual assault on college campuses. “I thought they did a wonderful job of really explaining where the school’s place should be, and continuing to protect students because it’s so important in terms of making sure students are healthy, able to function academically and socially so that we could retain students through graduation,” O’Duor said. “So in terms of students who are coming in to get a degree, if these things happen to them, not only do we lose them and we aren’t able to retain them, but it affects their future. So it affects us on a societal level to address the issue.” Kirby Dick, the director of the documentary, said he felt “compelled” to make the film after many requests from viewers of his other film, “The Invisible War,” which addressed sexual assault in the military. After his investigation shed light on the fear instilled in school faculty members who were afraid they would be let go if they talked about the issue, he said that a part of the solution lies with the leaders. “I think what we really need to see is leadership,” Dick said. “We
I think what “ we really need to
see is leadership. We need to see college presidents ... stepping up.
”
Kirby Dick | director of “The Hunting Ground”
need to see college presidents … stepping up and saying that this is a problem, saying it publicly, saying that ‘You can hold me accountable, I’m going to commit resources to this, this is one of my top priorities.’” Rose said he is working on bringing a screening to Main Campus sometime this fall, to which O’Duor said would be beneficial to everyone associated with the university. “I think if alumni were able to come in, sit with current faculty, sit with current students and we all really get together and address this issue, it’ll only make us a stronger campus,” she said. * albert. hong@temple.edu Editor’s note: Ian Rose is the former multimedia editor of The Temple News.
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The Temple News, Temple University’s award-winning student newspaper, is looking for an editor in chief for the 2015-16 academic year. Candidates must be enrolled, matriculated Temple students who, if chosen as editor, will be registered for at least nine hours of undergraduate course work or five hours of graduate work during their entire term of office. A good candidate should demonstrate strong leadership ability and proven managerial skills with prior media experience. A candidate's experience in the business, editorial and design aspects of newspaper publishing will be a factor in the selection of the editor. Contact Student Media Program Director John Di Carlo at john.dicarlo@temple.edu to obtain an application. Candidates should submit a completed copy of the proposal packet, two letters of recommendation, a current resume and a number of writing samples to the Office of Student Media in Room 304 of the Howard Gittis Student Center. Candidates will be interviewed and selected by the Temple University Publications Board. Applications are due Friday, April 17.
Templar, Temple University’s award-winning yearbook, is looking for its editor for the 2015-16 academic year. Candidates must be enrolled, matriculated Temple students who, if chosen as editor, will be registered for at least nine hours of course work during their entire term of office. A good candidate should demonstrate leadership ability and proven managerial skills, with prior media experience. A candidate’s experience in the business, editorial and design aspects of yearbook publishing will be a factor in the selection of the editor. Candidates should submit a completed copy of a proposal packet, two letters of recommendation, a current resume and a number of layout, design and writing samples to John Di Carlo, Student Media Program Director, in Room 304 of the Howard Gittis Student Center. Please send an email to john.dicarlo@temple.edu to obtain a proposal packet. Candidates will be interviewed and selected by the Temple University Publications Board. Applications are due Friday, April 17.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
MARGO REED TTN
The Manayunk StrEAT Food Festival kicked off Manayunk Restaurant Week on April 12 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Philadelphia food trucks lined the barricaded streets as people waited in long lines to eat at trucks and restaurants on Main Street.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
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Satirical play returns to the stage Continued from page 9
SIDESTAGE spective will give the play the push it needs to become a classic. “If it’s going to become a classic then it needs to be re-envisioned for its time,” Richardson said. “It would only stifle the creativity if I said, ‘This is the way it needs to be done.’… If theater is not relevant, what is it? If the theater is going to have an audience in the future, it has to acknowledge that.” Jewel said that even though the play has been performed in the past, it has something new and refreshing to offer contemporary audiences. “Even today, there is still this oppression in various forms,” Jewel said. “I feel that every scene has something to take away.” The play begins with flight attendant “Miss Pat,” portrayed by Victoria Goins. Goins said her character as the “white black girl,” is the “very opposite from that ‘black’ stereotype in society.” “The Colored Museum” gives a satirical perspective to the controversial history behind racial stereotypes in the black community and satirizes shows like “Raisin in the Sun,” and “For Colored Girls.” Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr., who portrays the character of “Miss Roj,” described it as “a play that encapsulates all the facets of black culture.” “It talks about the struggle of a man who doesn’t identify as a certain gender, like a drag queen, or a person in the army,” Daughtry said. “It is supposed to be a museum exhibit of every different type of black person and the differences between us.” Daughtry said the play is still relevant because it references modern day colorism within the black community. “Today, we have ‘team lightskin’ and ‘team darkskin,’ like I have to choose my truth,” he said.
OUT & ABOUT PHILLY TECH WEEK KICKOFF AT DILWORTH PARK
Dilworth Park is hosting a Philly Tech Week Kickoff event on April 17 from 6-9 p.m. The event features the App Arcade with games from PHL Collective, the Entrepreneurial Game Studio at Drexel University and more. Live performances from Pixel8ter and Dj CUTMAN will entertain guests and additional programming from event organizers Technical.ly will round out the event. The kickoff event is free, but an online RSVP is suggested. -Tim Mulhern
RAKIM, CHILL MOODY AND DYMEA-DUZIN AT UNDERGROUND ARTS
KARA MILSTEIN TTN
Sabriaya Shipley performs the “Cookin’ with Aunt Ethel” scene in “The Colored Museum.”
“Here we’re saying you don’t have to choose your truth, because it is all your truth.” Jewel made minor changes to the content of the play, such as the names of celebrity references, so the allusions would be applicable to modern pop culture. Other than these minor details that conflict with time relevancy, the majority of the play’s content is consistent with the original 1986 production. The play wraps up with a monologue from “Topsy Washington,” portrayed by Imani Rothwell, who discusses the need for a balance between the past and the present, and how the past is still essentially a part of one’s character. “Hunny, don’t waste your time trying to label or define me … cause I’m not what I was 10 years ago or ten minutes ago,” Rothwell said in her monologue. “I’m all of that and then some. And whereas I can’t live inside yesterday’s pain, I can’t live without it.”
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ACCESSIBILITY in our committee meetings,” Moore said. As far as affordability goes, the leading museums of Philadelphia are by no means free. For adults hoping to climb any farther than up the famous stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, it can cost up to $20; admission at PAFA can reach $15 and the Barnes Foundation at its new location on the parkway can cost up to $25. All three museums provide student discounts, lowering admission costs to a $10-14 range for those who show valid identification. Regardless, double-digit prices at the Barnes Foundation, which began in 2005, have raised the eyebrows of many who are aware of the art collection’s history and philanthropic mission. Evelyn Yaari, communications manager for the Friends of the Barnes Foundation, said the museum was inclusive to all races and genders from its initiation in the 1920s. “It was a uniquely American entity, designed to educate, to be democratic in its essence, to present human developments in art across cultures and time on an equal plane,” Yaari said. Dr. Albert Barnes, the museum’s namesake, acquired the multi-billion dollar collection and placed it in a 12,000 square foot mansion in a Merion arboretum. Despite his wealth, Barnes chose to make his collection accessible for an unlikely population. He often rejected requests from the rich to attend the museum, famously barring writer T.S. Eliot from visiting. Instead, Barnes opened the museum’s doors to the poor and working class
Curated by Veteran Freshman and hosted by Reef the Lost Cauze and DJ Aktive, Rakim, Chill Moody and Dyme-ADuzin will perform a Red Bull Sound Select Show at Underground Arts on April 16. Rakim is known for his work as one half of Eric B. & Rakim. The duo is best known for its 1987 debut, “Paid in Full.” The show is for 18-and-older and $3 with an RSVP or $10 at the door. Doors open at 8 p.m. and admission is first come, first serve. -Tim Mulhern
QUINCE PRODUCTIONS REVIVING ‘STANDING ON CEREMONY: THE GAY MARRIAGE PLAY’
KARA MILSTEIN TTN
Audience members wait in Randall Theatre on April 12 in anticipation of “The Colored Museum” to begin.
“When I heard Kendrick Lamar’s album ‘Untitled,’ he said, ‘We don’t die, we multiply.’ And that’s when I realized, that’s what my character Topsy is saying,” Rothwell said. “She presents all of
residents in the Philadelphia area. When the collection was moved from its Merion mansion to the Parkway, prices immediately jumped from $15 to $18, climbing up to $22 before a year at the new location, Yaari said. The Friends of the Barnes notoriously battled the controversial move, which was seen as a violation of Barnes’s original mission, to make art accessible to the common people. “The intimate, contemplative and inexpensive art experience has been thrust into a costly setting dependent on revenue driven by privilege, exclusive access and activities to which the art collection is irrelevant,” Yaari said. Despite prices that may be daunting to potential visitors, many museums in Philadelphia have made efforts to expand accessibility. “All cultural organizations indeed have many costs but they all want to do whatever they can to attract students of college-age, since they are the future supporters of the institutions,” Moore said. Twelve museums have already opened doors for students of Philadelphia high schools with the implementation of the STAMP pass in Fall 2013. With the pass, students between the ages of 14 and 19 can access artifacts and works across the city for free at allotted times throughout the week. When it comes to physical and intellectual accessibility, the PMA is instrumental in helping those who visit the galleries. Street Thoma, manager of accessible programs at the PMA, said the museum has been carrying out some of its programs for decades. “We’re really very fortunate,” Thoma said, referring to the fact that the museum’s first outreach program is now 43 years old.
these dead legends, but she’s saying they’re not dead. We don’t die. No matter what they say, we’re still living.” * nydja.hood@temple.edu
In the 1970s, the museum established art education program for visually impaired adults; a course that still runs for 26 weeks each year. With funding from philanthropists, the museum provides participants with visually descriptive and touch tours, as well as art classes geared with interactive tools, ranging from paper mâché to fabric to wood. The PMA runs similar workshops for those afflicted with Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Recently, the museum created a program for a self-empowerment group of disabled veterans at the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center. “They got really excited about designing the tour, and they said they wanted to bring some of their friends,” Thoma said. “It’s feeding right into the self-empowerment things they’re working on in the [Veterans Affairs].” The Barnes, PMA and 15 other Philly museums have joined Art-Reach in a collaborative program that presents opportunities for residents with ACCESS cards. ACCESS cards usually go to lower income residents who also hold eligibility for federal aid regarding the obtainment of food, medical benefits, or money from the government. With the presentation of an ACCESS card and photo identification, adults can get into a museum that would usually cost $25 for a mere $2. “That’s a great program – it reaches a lot of people,” Thoma said. ACCESS is one of several programs that Art-Reach oversees. The citywide organization states that its goal is to connect “underserved audiences with cultural experiences”– a mission not unlike that of Barnes.
Quince Productions, a nonprofit theater company dedicated in challenging stereotypes, is bringing back its 2014 show, “Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays” for two benefit shows on April 19 and 26. The production is a collection of stories looking at the topic of same-sex marriage from a variety of perspectives from the likes of contemporary writers like Paul Rudnick, Neil LaBute, Moisés Kaufman and José Rivera. Proceeds from the two shows will go toward benefiting Quince Productions’ annual GayFest!, the LGBTQ story archive “I’m From Driftwood” and LGBTQ organization Equality PA. Both shows will be held at the Walnut Street Theatre, at 7 p.m., with a $25 admission price. -Albert Hong
NAMAS DAY, A BI-ANNUAL EVENT, TO TAKE PLACE ON APRIL 18
Namas Day, a bi-annual festival presented by Philly Area Yoga, will take place on April 18. Philly Area Yoga is an online directory for yoga and wellness resources in the area. The festival aims to bring together the yoga community with workshops and master classes by local instructors and wellness professionals, as well as fun activities. Workshops will include things like a therapeutic backbending class from Mariel Freeman and “physical origami” taught by Johnathan Raiss, as well as presentations from acclaimed teachers like Dana Trixie Flynn, known as the “Janis Joplin of Yoga.” A full-day pass is $125 while a half-day pass goes for $75. -Albert Hong
HARD ROCK CAFE HOLDS ANNUAL “SING FOR YOUR SUPPER” NIGHT
The Hard Rock Cafe will allow patrons to take to the stage in exchange for a free burger on April 17 with the restaurant’s annual “Sing for Your Supper” event. Customers who take to the stage and sing with the performing band from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. will receive a complimentary Local Legendary Burger. Hard Rock Cafe is located on 1113 Market St. -Eamon Dreisbach
* angela.gervasi@temple.edu
TRENDING IN PHILLY What’s happening this week in Philly – from news and event coverage to shows and restaurant openings. Based on Philly area: food, music, stores, etc. For breaking news and daily updates, follow The Temple News on Twitter @TheTempleNews.
JOHN LEGEND PRODUCING SERIES ON ACAPPELLA
PHILLY RANKED FOURTH AMONG MOST WALKABLE CITIES
WEBCOMIC FEATURES TEMPLE’S SHOE MUSEUM
PENN’S LANDING SUMMERFEST AND SPRUCE STREET
@phillymag tweeted on April 10 that Penn alumnus John Legend is producing a series titled “Sing It On” that will document five college a cappella groups’ experiences at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella at Carnegie Hall. No other details have been announced yet, but the show is said to be inspired by the film “Pitch Perfect.” As a Penn student, Legend sang in the university’s a cappella group, Counterparts.
@philebrity tweeted on April 10 about a new webcomic, from local writer and cartoonist Sissy Biscuit that highlighted Temple’s Shoe Museum at the School of Podiatric Medicine. The curator, Barbara Williams, is also detailed in her role as “the secret librarian” to the extensive collection of shoes only viewable by appointment.
@uwishunu tweeted on April 11 that Walk Score, a website that promotes walkable neighborhoods, recently ranked Philadelphia as the fourth most walkable city in the U.S., among a list of 2,500 cities. According to CityLab, the ranking is based on an algorithm that “incorporates walking routes, pedestrian friendliness and neighborhood and population characteristics.”
@visitphilly tweeted on April 9 that two summer additions will be coming to Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River Waterfront, starting Memorial Day Weekend with the return of Spruce Street Harbor Park and Philadelphia’s first outdoor roller skating rink. This is part of Blue Cross RiverRink Summerfest, which starts on May 22.
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Recovering while at university Continued from page 1
RECOVERY
23.9 percent used an illicit drug in a month-long span in 2012, the National Institute on Drug Abuse reported last year. Across the nation, colleges and universities are working toward combating addiction through discussion groups, housing and academic accommodations, alcohol- and drug-free events and more. At Temple, there are a handful of resources available to students in recovery, though many are recent as well as student-led and initiated. While some here say that Temple is off to a good start in remedying this problem, several say the university still has a ways to go. “I still deal with a lot of issues as far as self-esteem and stuff like that, but I’m glad I’m able to kind of attack life and attack those problems in a sober way because I know that’s the healthiest way,” Kevin said. “Just, if I can get the message out there to the other people that are struggling – there is a way out.”
A ‘COMMUNITY WITH HOPE’
The air conditioner hums in the bottom of Mitten Hall in the Wellness Resource Center, where a group of about six are sitting in silence. A blue chair behind the table has a phrase embroidered on its back. It says, “Be Well.” Some people are checking their phones, others are looking around the
JENNY KERRIGAN TTN
Tyler Hurst, a founder of Unicovery, stands under the Market Frankford Line.
room. They’re there for a student-led discussion hosted by Unicovery, a student organization started on Main Campus in November for students in recovery, be it from drugs or alcohol, mental health issues or just students who are concerned about their overall wellness. Unicovery was conceived by Tyler Hurst, a graduate student working toward his master’s degree in social work. He’s also a person in recovery who said he had a vision of creating a collegiate recovery program or collegiate recovery community on Main Campus. CRPs and CRCs are a growing trend across the United States – they’re created when a school devotes a space, a faculty, a staff or team to working with students in recovery. They’re both represented by the Association of Recovery in Higher Education, which provides colleges with the educational materials and some resources to run the programs. There are about 50 in nation, with six in the Northeast region, including at schools like Rutgers and Penn State, according to the association. Right now, Hurst said there are more than 50 students on Unicovery’s listserv with an active, core group of about 10. Besides Hurst, the group is also run by Jake Schlottman, a senior public health major who said he’ll continue the group next year. Hurst said he knows there’s a need for a program like this, especially in North Philadelphia, but right now, visibility is an issue. “College is a breeding ground for the starting of addiction because that’s how students tend to look at having a good time, and how much you can drink becomes a competition,” Hurst said.
JENNY KERRIGAN TTN
Conor, a 20-year-old environmental studies major, will have two years in recovery from alcohol and drug abuse this month.
Unicovery is in its baby steps, but in the future, Hurst and Schlottman said they hope to create more sober events on Main Campus and even have sober tailgating events at football games. In the long term, they want to create a sober living facility with a full staff devoted to assisting students in recovery – something some faculty and students said is missing. “One of our goals is going to try to change the way recovery is looked at,” Hurst added. “A lot of people hear the word ‘recovery’ or ‘substance abuse’ or ‘addict,’ and the things they think of aren’t pleasant, so one of our missions is going to be to try to change this perception – to help them understand that kids in college can be in recovery too.” It was March 9 when Brian Korn, a 29-year-old senior majoring in German, decided to check out his first Unicovery meeting. He knew of Hurst through a friend and after some backand-forth through email, finally cleared his busy schedule on that Monday night. He came with a cup of iced coffee. He just transferred from the University of Pittsburgh, the place where he quit drinking in 2008, a habit that began at 18. It’s taken some time for him to get back on track, but now he’s focusing on his studies, and through meetings and places like Unicovery, he said he feels positive. He said the group is a “community with hope.”
THE STUDENTS
Conor, a freshman environmental studies major, said he knew he had a problem with alcohol during a family vacation to New Orleans. He and a friend went out one night, grabbed a few drinks, and the events escalated. Conor said after he got thrown out of a strip club, he passed out in a gutter. The next morning, after he made it back to his hotel room, his parents found him in his bed covered in blood and vomit. He was 16. “That was the first time that I had looked in the mirror, and I was like, ‘What’s wrong with me?’” he said. “And that’s the first time I had tried to quit drinking and doing drugs.” His attempts were unsuccessful, and he continued to use. After Conor, who is only including his first name because of an Alcoholics Anonymous tradition, was kicked out of high school after using extensively at his senior prom, he said he saw two options. “I was either going to kill myself or go to rehab,” he said. Caroline, a junior social work major who’s also not including her last name because of societal stigma, said addiction never ran in her family. From the Main Line, she said she never suffered any trauma during her childhood. She had friends and went to good schools, but for some reason, she felt a disconnect within herself that led to her drinking and drug use. Eventually, her drug of choice became heroin, she said. “I’ve never felt such a dark, lonely place in my life,” she said. “It just destroyed every part of me – mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually. I was like, had no purpose.” She’s been sober for about four years, and Conor has been sober for about two years. But both still regularly attend meetings to continue their
recovery. Caroline attends a 12-step meeting in her hometown and has also made friends who have been through the same experiences which she said is one of her biggest sources of support. Conor regularly goes to meetings in the city, in his hometown, is a sponsor and has one himself. He also goes to 12-step meetings on Main Campus, where he said he’s made some close friends. “Not all colleges have any sort of recovery or people who are familiar, and we’re so lucky as a recovery community to live in Philadelphia where you can go anywhere at any time,” Caroline said. “If you want help, you can get it, and Temple is … starting to have those options, which I think is awesome.”
Students and advocates are initiating more programs for students to take advantage of. In addition to Unicovery, there’s a student-led 12-step meeting held every Thursday at 6 p.m. in Morgan Hall South. Before this became an option, some students in recovery said they often went into Center City to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Many still do. Recovery programs on college campuses are a growing trend, some experts say. But with each campus comes a different policy, varying in comprehensiveness. Jason Whitney, program coordinator of Penn State’s Collegiate Recovery Community said in addition to provid-
who are looking for the resources. “I’ve had students come to me who are either struggling or are living in recovery themselves or are trying to enter recovery, and really what I’m finding is they’re not really getting the support that they need from faculty because it’s not viewed as, by many people, as an illness,” Bauer said. “So, if a student leaves to go to a rehab facility, they’re less likely, I think, to initially tell their professors that that’s where they’re going, whereas, if they were diagnosed with cancer and going through chemo, they would get a lot of sympathy from their professors,” she added. “So a lot of students don’t, really.”
GETTING SUPPORT
Kate Schaeffer, the program coordinator of Alcohol & Other Drugs, Interpersonal Violence and Mental Health at the Wellness Resource Center, said she’s happy with the resources Temple has for students in recovery, but added that there’s still a list of aspirations for the future. On that list is a sober living facility on Main Campus, like the Haven at Drexel University. The Haven is a housing resource for undergraduate students who have a year of sobriety. Residents are overseen by a licensed clinical recovery coach, have 12-step meetings available as well as weekly sober events, according to its website. Temple’s closest resource to the Haven is the Healthy Lifestyles Program LLC, but it’s not a recovery program. Schaeffer said that if a student wanted a spot at the Haven, she could try to secure one in West Philly, far from Main Campus. Schaeffer, who is also Unicovery’s adviser, said it’s something “Temple is definitely aware for the need for.” But, it’s an issue of space, she said. “We’re still new to being residential,” Schaeffer said. “As far as culture and movement and acquiring of buildings really, and being able to have spaces for things, we’re only 15 years into being residential.” If a student needs to go to rehab during a semester, Schaeffer said Temple’s medical withdrawal process could help. If not, students could make accommodations through Disability Resources and Services. Otherwise, it’s on a case-by-case basis between student and professor. Group and individual counseling is also available through Tuttleman Counseling Services. Tuttleman also provides group therapy sessions for students who may have a person struggling with addiction in their family. Schaeffer doesn’t have a number on how many students are facing addiction or are in recovery at Temple because it’s a hard number to gauge, but she said 400 students are brought into the Wellness Resource Center a year for violating the Student Drug and Alcohol Policy. Her job involves sanctioning those students. Amanda Jamison, educational coordinator of the Campus Alcohol & Substance Awareness unit and a psychologist at Tuttleman, said she also doesn’t know how many students take advantage of Tuttleman’s resources for recovery. She said about 2,500 came in for counseling services last year.
DONNA FANELLE TTN
ing a space, staff, meetings and more for students, it helps students whose grades have suffered during addiction “clean up their transcripts” through a petition for retroactive health withdrawal. The option gives them a “doover,” he said. St. Joseph’s University has similar programs as Temple, but also has AA and NA meetings on campus, as well as an ongoing list of contact information for students who are in recovery that want to help others, said Katie Bean, assistant director of St. Joe’s Student Outreach & Support Wellness, Alcohol & Drug Education. St. Joeseph’s was also recently awarded a $10,000 grant through Transforming Youth Recovery – a nonprofit that helps students in recovery – to further develop and start programs. Bean and Schlottman from Unicovery met last month to discuss how to apply. He said he plans to during the summer. Jillian Bauer, who was a student at Temple from 2002-06 and began teaching in the School of Media and Communication in 2007, is also a person in recovery. Bauer also started an Internet blog last year called “The Rooms Project” devoted to sharing the stories of those in recovery. She said there’s more the university could be doing, though the responsibility is equally on them and students
LOOKING FORWARD
Conor, Caroline, Brian and Kevin all say the most helpful part of their recovery process has been a strong support group – whether that be through programs at Temple or in their hometowns, through friends or family. And aside from school work that keeps them occupied and focused on long-term goals, they all have their own hobbies. Conor likes to go to concerts – he likes jam bands like The Grateful Dead and Lettuce – and is an active photographer. Brian keeps his head in books and likes to peruse the aisles of a library. Caroline remains active in yoga. And Kevin – he’s keeping his eye on his degree. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do yet, but he wants a good job somewhere in New York or here in Philly. “I guess I just realized in my mind – like, you know, I can’t continue to live like this,” Kevin said. “I’m not going to be where I want to be one day. I’m not going to live a happy life, I won’t be able to have a wife and kids and things like that … so I guess recovery was my only option.” * patricia.madej@temple.edu T @PatriciaMadej
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Ambler horticulture society holds annual plant sale Temple Ambler’s annual Campus Plant Sale, held by the horticulture honors society, will run later this month. NINA DEPAZ The Temple News Those who are looking to bring a little bit of spring inside this semester can attend Temple Ambler’s annual Campus Plant Sale. Ambler’s green-thumbed horticulture honor society, Pi Alpha Xi, will sell a variety of plants at the annual Spring Plant Sale, which will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 25. Proceeds will benefit PAX, the Ambler Arboretum and student internships. The Spring Plant Sale dates back to 1949, horticulture faculty member Dr. Sasha Eisenman said, when the property that is now Temple Ambler belonged to the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women. “Students would sell plants, produce, fruit, honey and other farm products throughout the year at an annual harvest fair,” Eisenman said. This year, the plant sale will include plants like perennials, annuals, woodies, herbs, veggies and hanging baskets. Students from PAX are in charge of the plants. “We grew the herbs and veggies ourselves
customers including alumni and neighbors in the community.” Cash, check and credit cards will be accepted at the plant sale. PAX members are also involved in a wide range of community activities, Kollar said. “We deal with community involvement like local tree planting, we volunteer with orchards, and we participate in EarthFest” Kollar said. EarthFest is an outdoor educational event that the Center for Sustainable Communities holds annually. This year, EarthFest will be held on April 24. “At EarthFest, different environmental groups set up stands and high school students show their senior projects, and we have displays to show children how sustainability works and to open their mind to the environment,” Kollar said.
The plant sale will also benefit the the Ambler Arboretum, located on the campus. “The Arboretum of Temple University is a historic public garden, and its mission is to serve as a living laboratory for students to learn about plants and the integral relationship between people and the environment,” Eisenman said. “It is providing this knowledge and these experiences that make arboreta and botanical gardens so important to both the local and global community.” Kollar said he thinks of the arboretum as a “hidden gem” and believes more students should visit. “To me, my acre of diamonds is Ambler,” Kollar said. “It’s enjoyable if you want to escape.” The arboretum features a variety of garden habitats. “It features a woodland, formal native, pe-
rennial and winter gardens, food crop gardens, healing gardens and my favorite – a sustainable wetland garden,” Eisenman said. “Professional staff manage the greenhouse and gardens with the help of student employees and volunteers, and the curriculum includes hands-on planting and experiments.” Ahern said she enjoys seeing support for PAX and the arboretum. “Horticulture is the window to the world – without plants, life is not sustainable,” Ahern said. “[Horticulture] offers endless possibilities to create habitats that support a vast diversity of species.” * depazc@temple.edu
To me, my acre of “diamonds is Ambler. It’s
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enjoyable if you want to escape. Wiley Kollar | junior
that started from seeds, and some of the indoor plants we have we grew those from vegetative cuttings from our greenhouse, and some of our woody plants and perennials we received from local native nurseries,” said Wiley Kollar, a junior horticulture major. “If you’re looking for something for Mother’s Day, you might find something nice.” Horticulture student Cindy Ahern said she enjoys working the plant sale. “It is kind of like being a kid in a candy shop,” Ahern said. “During the sale, I love seeing the camaraderie among students, professors, and
COURTESY ANNE BRENNAN
The plant sale will include plants like perennials, annuals, woodies, herbs, veggies and hanging baskets.
Alumna invents wearable safety device for women
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ROAR
Dream through Temple, where she learned skills that would later allow her to release her first startup project, 123 Linkit. Linkit is a WordPress plugin that scans a blog for product keywords and then links those words to the appropriate product’s website. Mustafa taught herself to code after she was forced to sell Linkit, due to problems with the software developers. Through Team and a Dream, Mustafa met fellow startup-savant and ROAR for Good co-founder Anthony Gold, who shares Mustafa’s passion for women’s rights.
“One of the things that a lot of people don’t appreciate is how awful the statistics really are,” Gold said, “ ... and when you start looking at that, you realize these self-defense devices [for women] don’t work so well, because there’s the fear that the women could be overpowered and the device used against her.” ROAR for Good’s device consists of two parts: a wearable jewelry piece and a smartphone app. The jewelry clip has a button that lights up and sounds an alarm when pressed. A Bluetooth stack built into the device then communicates with the user’s phone wirelessly to call the authorities and send automated distress texts to family and friends. ROAR’s phone application
uses crowd source data to alert users of potential street harassment in real time. Similar to technology used in traffic-tracking applications, the app allows users to report areas where street harassment and cat-calling is common, and then sends push notifications to future users in that area. In addition to the device itself, ROAR for Good also offers a service called Virtual Bodygaurd. The service – which is tied directly to Google Maps’ interface – calculates the amount of time it should take a user to reach a specific destination, and sends out an automatic distress text if the user does not reach their destination within a set time limit. Charlotte Wells, a senior
Spanish major and women’s studies minor at Temple, said that interning at ROAR for Good has allowed her to pursue goals of empowering women while learning valuable business skills. “It’s been an amazing opportunity to learn about building a startup, especially one regarding women’s rights,” Wells said. “Seeing the different components of building a business and the different components of pitching yourself, I think that’s been the most beneficial – seeing the impact that I’m having.” To further her mission in the fight for female empowerment, Mustafa will donate a portion of the proceeds from every wearable ROAR device sold to nonprofit organizations
MARGO REED TTN
ROAR aims to bring a non-violent form of self defense to the market for women as well as educate people about domestic violence.
that host educational programs on healthy relationships, respect and consent for women. Mustafa plans to start crowdfunding campaigns to support ROAR in the near future, and frequently gives presentations to college sororities and fraternities to raise awareness of ROAR for Good. ROAR for Good is currently seeking interns. When all is said and done, the ROAR team’s goals lie far beyond company profits. “We like to say we don’t ADVERTISEMENT
measure success by how much money we make, we measure success by the number of lives we touch,” Gold said. “Our focus with ROAR for Good is the idea that we’ll know that we’re successful when we know there’s no longer a need for these kinds of self-defense devices.” * eamon.noah.dreisbach@temple. edu
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Students plan event to honor fallen police officer A basketball tournament will be held to memoralize police officer Robert Wilson III and raise funds for his family. VINCE BELLINO The Temple News To memorialize a recently fallen police officer and raise money for his family, junior accounting major Edward Borjon is holding a basketball tournament. The tournament, which will be held on April 17 at Pearson Hall, will memorialize police officer Robert Wilson III, who was shot on March 5 during a robbery at a Gamestop on Lehigh Avenue in North Philadelphia. Wilson, a 30-year old-father of two, was in the store to purchase a video game for his son according to the Inquirer. Borjon said he came up with the idea to hold a tournament in an honors course called “The Leadership Experience: Leading Yourself, Leading Change, Leading Communities.” The course requires students to organize an event to benefit the North Philadelphia community. The 4-on-4 tournament will run from 6-9 p.m. in Pearson Hall. Proceeds will benefit Wilson’s family, including his 10-year-old son and
his 1-year-old daughter. Borjon said he planned the event with several students in his class. The students wanted to run a sports event that would somehow benefit the community and increase ties between students and police. “In Philly, I’ve noticed a lot of kids play basketball like around the campus and everywhere, so I thought what better sport than basketball?” Borjon said. Basketball also proved to be a convenient
But then some people “ think the police are just out to get them, so we want to get the police involved and have games.
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Edward Borjon | junior
sport, Borjon said, because it requires less space to play than a sport like soccer. The tournament will consist of 16 teams, who will play 8-minute games. Borjon said he hopes members of the Temple Police will par-
ticipate in the tournament to create some friendly rivalries with student teams. “A lot of students, they enjoy the police – they think they’re out for a good cause,” Borjon said. “But then some people think the police are just out to get them, so we want to get the police involved and have games.” The women’s basketball team has donated memorabilia, which Borjon will use as prizes for high placing teams. Borjon is trying to get memorabilia from the men’s team as well. Borjon said his group faced challenges with scheduling a location for the tournament, but they were able to resolve issues because many people were supportive of the cause. At Wilson’s funeral on March 14, Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey announced the medal of valor would be renamed after Wilson. Wilson was one of the first officers in Philadelphia to wear a body camera, according to NBC10, though he was not wearing one at the time of his death. Some Temple police officers and students knew Wilson, Bordon said, which makes the event even more important to his group. “It’s sad – someone dies tragically like that trying to uphold the justice system, so hopefully we can ease some of the burden,” Borjon said. * vince.bellino@temple.edu
AROUND CAMPUS FIFTH ANNUAL KELCH LECTURE TO BE HELD WEDNESDAY
The fifth annual Kelch Lecture will present the “Father of Environmental Justice,” Dr. Robert D. Bullard. Bullard has documented that healthy places and healthy people are highly correlated. Bullard believes that a zip code is the most important indicator of an individual’s health and that reducing environmental disparities should be a national priority. His lecture, “Building Just and Sustainable Communities for All: Why Sustainability Matters,” will take place in the Walk Auditorium in Ritter Hall on Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m. Registration is required and a book signing will follow the event. -Jessica Smith
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS WILL HOLD NETWORKING SESSION
College of Liberal Arts alumni and students will host the OWLTalks Virtual Networking event on Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. OWLTalks is a fast-paced 60-minute online networking session where students and alumni are connected for several rounds of 10-minute, text-based chats. This free event offers CLA students a rare opportunity to discuss their futures with people who have landed careers in their desired field. Temple students and recent graduates can receive help from alumni with career exploration, professional development and networking skills from any place with an Internet connection. -Jessica Smith
BOYER STUDENTS AND FACULTY TO PERFORM IN PALEY LIBRARY
Students and faculty members from the Boyer College of Music and Dance will perform from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday in the concert series “Heart and Soul: Hoagy Carmichael” with music from John Johnson in the Great American Songwriter Series. The performance will take place in the Paley Library Lecture Hall on the ground floor. This event is free and open to all. Boyer recital credit is given to all attendees. -Jessica Smith
LOVELOVINGLOVE, INC. TO SPEAK AT THE RAD DISH CAFE
BREE HANSTEEN TTN
Students could stamp their fingers with the color based on their school at the entrance of the “MESH” event.
AB/BA event displays wide range of artwork
Continued from page 7
MESH
have a reason.” For the MESH show, Michele Wiesen, a sophomore graphic design student at Tyler, created a lithograph print. The piece depicted the interior viscera of a female, wherein another female was resting inside. She said the inspiration for the piece came from a distinctly intimate moment in her life – a romantic exchange between her and her girlfriend. “It was probably one of the first times we were together, and she was laying on my chest, and she told me that she wanted to burrow her head in between my lungs and nestle and wrap herself in my intestines. My first thought was to describe that image to other people, and they didn’t understand that I thought it was a beautiful image.” Wiesen said she wanted to communicate the beauty of the moment but found it difficult to do so in words. “Art is so important, and that piece is so important because it real-
LoveLovingLove, Inc. is developing an Earthship in West Philadelphia. The vacant lot at 675 N. 41st St. will host a house built completely from recycled materials that generates its own electricity from renewable energy sources, runs its own water collected from cisterns on the roof and filters to pump through the building, grows its own food sources, stabilizes its internal climate by thermal mass and manages its own sewage to use for food production with toilets flushed by undrinkable used water collected from the building’s showers and sinks. LoveLovingLove, Inc. is trying to heal impoverished communities with holistic health education. Members will be speaking about this project on Thursday from 7-8 p.m. at the Rad Dish Café in Ritter Hall as part of Spring 2015 Campus Sustainability Week. -Jessica Smith
BIKE TEMPLE TO HOST BIKE RIDE
Bike Temple will host a bike ride to the new Pier 53 park on the Delaware Waterfront on Saturday morning. The purpose of the ride is to enjoy the views and educate riders about the location’s unique history regarding Philadelphia’s immigrant population. Riders will depart at 10:15 a.m. from the Bell Tower. No registration is required, but attendees must bring their own bikes and helmets. This event is free and open to all. -Jessica Smith
CAMPUS RECREATION TO LEAD DANCE EVENT
BREE HANSTEEN TTN
Grace Holleran, a contributor to MESH, looks at the photographs of Haley Adair, a fellow Temple student.
ly is the only way that I can think of that I would have ever been able to describe the beauty of that moment to anyone,” Wiesen said. “I don’t think any other medium or means of communication could translate to another human being how that mo-
ment felt to me, and I think it’s really amazing that there is the whole language that doesn’t even have to do with words.”
*Editor’s note: Grace Holleran served as an editor at The Temple News. Kara Milstein serves as an editor of The Temple News. Neither played a role in the editing process of this article.
Group fitness leaders from Campus Recreation will lead a “Dance ‘Til You Drop” event on Thursday night from 7-10 p.m. in the Erny Outdoor Court in the Independence Blue Cross Student Recreation Center. The event will include three hours of Zumba and hip-hop sessions. Signups for the event will occur at the IBC on Thursday. This event is free and open to all. -Jessica Smith
* finnian.saylor@temple.edu
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
“Will you utilize the new
Ride Indego bike share on Main Campus?
”
ALEXA BRICKER & CLAIRE SASKO TTN
“I would. It’s something fun to do while it’s nice outside.”
LYNNEE SOLOMON
JUNIOR | SPORTS AND RECREATION
“I’m not going to use them because walking is free.”
“Probably not, because I just walk around [Main Campus], and I commute, so there’s no point in renting a bike.”
TONY DASTRA
JAISOHN NAM
SOPHOMORE | ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
SENIOR | FINANCE
SPORTS
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
PAGE 17
SPORTS BRIEFS
Fernandez bests 1,500-meter record
FERNANDEZ TOPS RECORD
In her first competition since competing in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championships on March 9, graduate-junior Blanca Fernandez set a new Temple 1,500-meter record at the Mason Spring Invitational on April 11. Fernandez, who arrived on Main Campus from Spain only a few months ago, set the new record with her personal-best time of 4 minutes, 21.61 seconds, breaking the previous record of 4 minutes, 36.17 seconds set by teammate Jenna Dubrow back in 2012. This is the second Temple record now held by Fernandez, who also broke the 3,000-meter record back in February at the Valentine Invite at Boston University. Fernandez was the top collegiate finisher in the event, placing second overall. The only runner to beat Fernandez was Kerri Gallagher, a professional runner who represents Oiselle Running Apparel. “Blanca is just a special athlete and yesterday proved to be [nothing] different,” first-year head coach Elvis Forde said. “I think the pace gave her a good challenge to see where she is and I think she knows what she wants to do.” -Tyler DeVice
LACROSSE FOUR SENIORS RECEIVE HONORS
For the four seniors on the Owls’ roster, Wednesday’s matchup with Big East and city rival Villanova will be their last at Geasey Field in Temple gear. Midfielder Molly Seefried, who is out for the 2015 season after suffering a concussion in the fall, defender Carli Fitzgerald, attacker Macie Hauck, and goalkeeper Rachel Hall will be hon-
ored on Wednesday. Fitzgerald has played in eight of the team’s 13 games, securing 16 ground balls and causing nine turnovers. Hauck has played in all 13 games in 2015, while scoring six goals and adding three assists. Hall has played in two games so far this season, and has made two saves. -Matt Cockayne
COMMUNITY LACROSSE HONORS CANCER SURVIVOR
During the women’s lacrosse team’s Big East Conference matchup with Marquette last Saturday, the Owls celebrated and honored one of their two “sisters,” Lily Adkins, and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a charitable organization that improves the quality of life for children with pediatric brain tumors and their families. In April 2010, the squad adopted Adkins from the FOJ Foundation as a “sister”. Back then, she was a 4-year-old and three years removed from the discovery and treatment of an ependymoma brain tumor. The team has taken part in the program since 2008. “It has been a part of our program for a very long time and Lily has been a part of our program,” coach Bonnie Rosen said. “Just being able to share in her life and to see a little girl who has had to go through so much in her life be thriving is such a joy. To be able to support her and the growth in her life is a wonderful opportunity for our program.” Adkins is now a ballet and hip-hop dancer, as well as an aspiring field hockey player. -Matt Cockayne
FOOTBALL
OWLS HOLD ALUMNI DAY
The Owls’ ninth spring practice was also their alumni day, in which more than 60 former players visited the Edberg-Olson Complex to watch the spring session last Saturday. The team’s all-time leading tackler, former linebacker Steve Conjar, all-time leading rusher Paul Palmer and former receiver Kareem Ali Sr., the father of Temple freshman defensive back Kareem Ali Jr., were among those in attendance. -Andrew Parent
MEN’S BASKETBALL CUMMINGS PLAYS IN PORTSMOUTH INVITE
Senior guard Will Cummings took the floor with NBA scouts in attendance from April 9-12 as part of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Portland, Virginia. The 63-year-old tournament features 64 of the top collegiate men’s basketball seniors in the country. Cummings averaged 6.3 points in each of the three games played, along with 4.3 assists, which tied him for sixth among the tournament’s participants, and 2.3 steals, which tied him for second. His team for the invitational, the Portsmouth Partnership, went 2-1 through the competition. Cummings’ squad won its first two contests in single-digit victories, and eventually dropped the championship game in a 77-66 defeat to Cherry Bekaert, a team led by Virginia Commonwealth’s Treveon Graham (19.7 ppg.) and Penn State’s D.J. Newbill (16.7 ppg.). -Andrew Parent
GOLF SPOTLIGHT | BRANDON MATTHEWS
Matthews wins third straight, ties school record The junior standout is now tied for the most career wins in Temple golf history with eight. GREG FRANK The Temple News Junior Brandon Matthews recorded his third straight victory last weekend at the Princeton Invitational, where he finished 1-under-par 69 for the tournament. During the previous two weekends, Matthews placed first at the Met Intercollegiate and Furman Intercollegiate, respectively. The latest win was Matthews’ eighth of his Temple career – tying him
with Geoffrey Sisk for the program record. Matthews attributes much of his success to self-confidence. “Trusting your work ethic and what you’ve been doing,” Matthews said. “I worked really hard on my short game and my putting.” Matthews opened the Princeton Invitational last weekend with a 2-under 68 on Saturday at Aronimink Golf Club and finished with a 1-over 71 at Merion Golf Club Sunday. The pace of the greens was considerably different between the two courses, which caused the DuPont, Pennsylvania native to make some changes around the cup. Nevertheless, Matthews grinded out his final round at Merion on Sunday en route to another victory.
seeing all “theYou’re hard work that
”
he’s put in come to fruition Brian Quinn | golf coach
“It was just a little difficult to adjust to the green speed,” Matthews said. Senior Pat Ross added that the greens were particularly difficult to judge at Merion on Sunday. “It was hard to make putts if you had a little tap-in you were afraid it would bump off line,” Ross said.
Matthews made par or better on 31 of 36 holes in the event, as he was able to showcase his improved short game. “You’re seeing all that hard work that he’s put in come to fruition but in no way shape or form am I surprised in any way by his results,” coach Brian Quinn said. What stands out to Quinn, he said, is consistency within Matthews’ game. During his winning streak, Matthews has not gotten many lucky breaks on the course according to Quinn. “He’s winning the golf tournaments and not getting the breaks that someone needs to win the tournament,” Quinn added. Matthews’ work ethic and demeanor have not gone unnoticed by his teammates – it’s a level of composure
that many of them try to emulate. “He always is so optimistic about everything,” Ross said. “He’s always in a good mood. No matter how he’s playing he’s going to be happy because he’s playing golf.” But for Quinn, Matthews’ contributions go beyond what he’s done on the golf course. “I think he has an incredible representative for Temple University as a whole. It just shows you what a quality education you can get at our University and compete at the highest level athletically.” * greg.frank@temple.edu T @G_Frank6
Stuckey-Willis, Owls gear up for conference tourney Continued from page 20
TOURNEY
lost in the first round of a conference tournament in its last 10 attempts. The men’s and women’s tennis teams will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the conference championships April 15-19 at the University of Tulsa’s Michael D. Case Center. This year offers a different test. The American has eight nationally ranked schools that will be competing in the tournament. On the men’s side, the University of South Florida has the highest Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking at No. 19. On the women’s side, Houston has the highest ITA ranking at No. 28. Tulane, Tulsa, Southern Methodist and Memphis are also ranked inside the Top 50 of the ITA rankings and will be featured in the men’s bracket. Outside of Houston, Tulane and Tulsa’s women’s programs have ITA rankings inside the Top 75. The biggest challenge that both teams face is defeating the elite competition from The American. Combined, the men and women’s teams are 1-8 against nationally ranked and conference opponents. The men’s team finished the regular season with a 14-9 record and a 1-2 record in conference play, paced by a veteran group of juniors in Paulus, Hicham Belkssir and Santiago Canete. “I think for the most part, the guys understand that in order to play better against these ranked opponents, they must limit their errors,” Mauro said. “If
you would chart each match, we have a lot of errors. [The conference tournament] is going to be a challenge, and I hope that we can sneak a win against a nationally ranked team.” In the tournament, Mauro said any potential tournament run for his men’s side would have to depend on the bottom of the lineup. Paulus, Canete and Belkssir made up Mauro’s Top 3 singles lineup for much of the season, compiling a combined 32-29 record. The bottom of the lineup, though, has featured sophomores Filip Stipcic and Vineet Naran, as well as juniors Ondre Cargill and Ian Glessing. They have combined for a 32-24 record in singles matches during the spring season. On the other hand, they have struggled in conference play, posting a combined 3-4 record. “I think that the bottom of the lineup needs to step up their play,” Mauro said. “They are capable of playing well and I am hoping that during the tournament I see good things from them.” Canete said that outside of Connecticut and East Carolina, most of their conference opponents are out of Temple’s league. “Tennis is not like most sports,” Canete said. “There are not a lot of upsets and to beat these nationally ranked teams, they must play bad and you must play some great tennis.” Just like the men’s side, the women’s tennis team has had its share of struggles against strong competitors. The team has compiled a 0-4 record against conference opponents. The Owls lost to Cincinnati on
DONALD OTTO TTN
Freshman Monet Stuckey-Willis volleys the ball during the Owls’ 6-1 win against Fairleigh Dickinson.
Feb. 21 without their No. 1 singles player in freshman Alina Abdurakhimova, due to a stomach illness. On March 28, Temple lost its final conference match of the season, 4-3, against Connecticut without fellow freshman Yana Khon, who was sidelined with a sprained ankle. “We had some tough conference matches on the road,” Mauro said. “We have lost some tough conference matches. I am confident that when we
are healthy and even though we are young, we can still do well.” The freshman trio of Monet Stuckey-Willis, Khon and Abdurakhimova, who have a combined singles record of 33-10 this season, will lead the Owls into the conference tournament on a six-match winning streak. “As a team, we get nervous in conference matches,” senior Rebecca Breland said. “I think that we need to relax more. Many of us get up tight in
conference matches, I don’t know why, but if we go out with a game plan and a clear mind we can do well.” “There is no pressure when you are the underdog,” Stipcic said. “You can relax in those tough matches and focus on playing the best that you can.” * dalton.balthaser@temple.edu T @DaltonBalthaser
SPORTS
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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
lacrosse
Continued from page 20
ALI
ALEX BEAUFORT TTN
Junior attacker Kathryn Skahan cradles the ball during the Owls’ 17-3 conference loss to Florida on March 28. Skahan scored one of the team’s three goals in the contest.
Owls need leadership for turnaround The lacrosse team will look toward its veteran leadership in its pursuit of a turnaround in conference play.
After the first half of the collegiate women’s lacrosse season saw Temple reach its best record through nine games in 18 years, the Owls have hit a wall since the start of Big East Conference play. T h e squad has lost its first three conference games, a g a i n s t teams includMATT COCKAYNE ing Florida, Vanderbilt, and Connecticut, and is currently ranked sixth out of eight Big East teams. With three conference games left on its schedule before the Big East tournament, Temple’s playoff hopes are in jeopardy. Regardless of the team’s goals, it doesn’t have a lot of time to recover from its slow start. For a turnaround, Temple will likely need to look toward its veteran leadership.
Returning all but six players from last year, the team relies on depth and experience. All three of the team’s captains are upperclassmen – not including Molly Seefried, a senior who was named as the fourth captain before being lost in the fall to a recurring concussion issue, and only four out of the 12 players on the team with more than five points are underclassmen. That’s not taking into consideration that most of the players that haven’t contributed points to the stat sheet are defenders, and the only five defenders that have played in more than one game are either juniors or seniors. “I think [the seniors] are doing a great job this season with leadership,” junior defender Summer Jaros said. “But I think, overall on the field, if everyone communicates to each other, everyone can be a leader.” The team’s most unique strength is experience, and it
sets Temple apart from other Big East competition. Only Georgetown has a higher number of juniors and seniors on its team than Temple. As the team’s lone two seniors who receive significant time on the field, attacker Ma-
turn its season around. “We will definitely try to stay positive,” Hauck said. “We have to make sure everyone is still on board with our goals.” “I think as seniors we can have a big impact in the next few weeks,” Fitzgerald said.
We have a tremendous amount “ of experience on the team. ... When
”
it comes down to getting ready for games, we have to go after it. Bonnie Rosen | coach
cie Hauck and defender Carli Fitzgerald will be counted on as leaders more than others. Hauck has scored six goals and added three assists on the season, while Fitzgerald has collected 16 ground balls and caused nine turnovers. Hauck talked about positivity as a key if Temple wants to
“We are important to the team even if we aren’t playing well. We can have an impact by keeping a level head and continuing to encourage our team. Also, after the game, we can help the team by getting them back at it and ready for the next game.” Last season, the last team to get into the Big East tourna-
ment, Rutgers, finished the season with a conference record of 3-4. With Temple stuck with a 1-3 conference record thus far this season, it will likely need to win at least two of its last three games to make it this season, especially with four Big East teams over .500 in 2015. “We have a tremendous amount of experience on the team,” ninth-year coach Bonnie Rosen said after last Wednesday’s 18-6 loss at UConn. “I think that the resolve and determination is going to determine quite a bit of our play in games. I have been happy with our approach to practice, but ultimately when it comes down to getting ready for game time we have to go after it, and that takes leadership from everybody that is on the field and off the field. Our veterans are going to be really important.” * matthew.cockayne@temple.edu T @mattcockayne
football
Bryant works toward breakout first season The freshman wideout is competing for playing time during spring practices. OWEN MCCUE The Temple News To end last Tuesday’s practice, the Owls’ offense squared up with the defense in a third-down competition. On the last play of the drill, wide receiver Ventell Bryant ran his route and settled in an open spot just beyond the firstdown marker. Junior quarterback P.J. Walker fired the ball to the redshirt freshman and he secured the catch in between a couple of defenders for a first down. Coach Matt Rhule said this may be a sign of things to come when Temple takes the field next season. “If you say, ‘Hey, who do you want to get in there and run a play on 3rd-and-7?’ He’s kind of becoming that guy,” Rhule said of his young receiver. “He’s having a great spring so far. He has to keep it up. As a freshman it’s always hard to keep it up, but if he can keep it up he’ll have a great fall.” Last season, Bryant sat out as a red-
shirt. While at first disappointed by not playing, Bryant used his time to train and adjust to life as a college wide receiver. “The redshirt year was more of a learning year,” Bryant said. “Getting stronger, learning the system and learning the plays, just trying to attack every day for this upcoming season.” Adding onto his 6-foot 3-inch frame was one of the primary concerns for the Tampa, Florida native as he sat out last season. On his rivals.com recruiting page, Bryant was marked at 160 pounds in his senior year of high school. Currently, he is listed at 180 pounds on the team roster and said he may even be closer to 185 pounds at this point. “He was skinny,” Rhule said of Bryant when he entered the program. “He wasn’t real physically developed and … the staff in the weight room have done a great job. Now you see a kid that’s walking around like a different guy physically.” His teammates have seen the added strength materialize into results so far on the practice field. Catches like Bryant’s grab between defenders to end practice last Tuesday are examples of the added strength paying off. “He’s catching the ball, bringing
it in, snagging it,” senior wide receiver Brandon Shippen said. “That’s all just from working out and strength when you can catch the ball and bring it in through traffic.” With the graduation of last season’s top wideout, Jalen Fitzpatrick, there is little certainty about the Owls’ receiving corps. Fitzpatrick totaled 53 catches for 730 yards last year and hauled in six of the team’s 13 receiving touchdowns last season. No other receiver totaled more than 200 yards. After a year of sitting, Bryant sees an opportunity to compete for playing time at his position in 2015. “It’s definitely open competition,” Bryant said. “Everyone works hard to try and get on the field. Only a certain amount of guys can travel, so when your chance is called, you have to make the best of your abilities.” While he has shown promise early in camp, Bryant is still learning the position. Shippen, who entered the program on the defensive side of the ball, can relate to the learning process that his redshirt-freshman teammate is going through. Originally a cornerback, Shippen
switched to wide receiver last season and went through the challenges of learning how to play the position at the college level. Learning plays, running routes and adjusting to coverages are all difficult things to pick up, Shippen said. “[Freshmen need] thousands and thousands of reps, watching tape, talking to the coaches, spending time in the facilities,” Shippen said. “You have to. Because if you don’t, you’re going to go out there and not know what you’re doing and mess the whole play up.” Early in his career, Bryant has embraced this work ethic. He said he comes every Saturday and catches passes from Walker. He also watches tape of NFL players like Julio Jones of the Atlanta Falcons to pick up ways to get better. Bryant said veteran players like Shippen are setting an example for him to follow in order to become a starter for this team. “Basically just coming in studying,” Bryant said of how his older teammates are helping him. “Trying to study, go over the plays, teaching me habits to be a starter.” * owen.mccue@temple.edu T @Owen_McCue
land, I’m not going to talk to you anymore,’” Ali said. “He was open arms. He invited me up here to come to the camp, watch practice … why go somewhere else? This guy never gave up on me from day one. He recruited me since my sophomore year when he first got the job, why go somewhere else?” “A lot of guys gave up on me, let me go and he never did that,” Ali added. “He was a different coach, and I respect that.” Along with its close proximity, Ali’s tie with Temple runs through his bloodlines. His father, Kareem Ali Sr., was a member of the football team from 1993-98, while his mother, Tasha, also competed for Temple’s women’s track & field team in the mid’90s. Furthermore, Ali has spent his first few weeks in Temple practice gear working under defensive backs coach Fran Brown, whom Ali said is a second cousin to his father. “Fran, he’s like family to me,” Ali said. “He never talked to me about recruiting outside of being up here. When we were back home, he’d talk to me regularly, I’d call him regularly, he’s been there for me since I was little. Like I said, why go against the green? Why go against something I know?” “I was excited for him when he committed to Maryland, I was upset that he didn’t come see me first, but I didn’t care about it,” Brown said. “When he said he wanted to come back, I pushed that thing as fast as I possibly could. … Once he told me he was going to come back to me, I knew he wasn’t going to decommit. “Any of these guys, once they like me, once they start talking to me, it’s a wrap.” Since Ali kicked off his collegiate career earlier than much of coach Matt Rhule’s 2015 recruiting class, his new coaches have had the opportunity to give him an early look when most of the team’s incoming freshman class won’t take to Temple’s practice field until the summer. “He’s getting a lot of reps,” Rhule said of Ali after the team’s practice session last Tuesday. “He’s obviously very talented, very intelligent. It’s going really fast for him. We have veteran receivers – big receivers – and so, for him, it’s a lot at once. We play a multiple defense and he’s having to learn it. But again, he’s really talented and I think he’ll compete to get on the field [next season]. Long term, he’ll be a big-time corner for us.” Rhule, who called Ali a “Temple baby” on National Signing Day in February, signed 20 newcomers for his 2015 recruiting class, including a program-best two four-star commits in Ali and running back T.J. Simmons, according to Rivals.com. And, at the school where both of his parents once attended as student-athletes themselves, Ali said he wants to help build a football program that has enjoyed just three winning seasons since his father’s last collegiate season in 1998. “To see what’s going on here, what Coach Rhule is building up and bringing, why not join them?” Ali said. “Why not be that key addition to this? I came, I committed … you have a lot of people who want to play football and just get better, and not be too far from home.” “Just start something right here in Philly,” he added. “We’ve never had it at Temple. Why not?” * andrew.parent@temple.edu ( 215.204.9537 T @Andrew_Parent23
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TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
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women’s track & field
AARON WINDHORST TTN
Freshman hurdler Attallah Goodman jogs on the track & field complex on April 1. Goodman recorded a personal record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1 minute, 5.23 seconds.
Goodman recovers from multiple injuries
Continued from page 20
GOODMAN
was never injured,” Goodman said. “As time went on and practices got harder, my legs were just killing me, but I never said anything to [coach Elvis Forde]. It came to the point where I couldn’t hop anymore and then I found out about my stress fracture in my right tibia.” As if one injury wasn’t bad enough, Goodman’s left leg was in the process of forming its own stress fracture. Despite her eagerness to compete, Goodman was forced to watch from afar as her first collegiate track & field season slipped through her grasp. “It was so bad, I just didn’t understand and I guess it was just coming
from [the fact that] I never got injured,” Goodman said. “I was looking forward to my first meet and it couldn’t happen. I knew I just had to keep pushing and keep working out in the ways that I could.” Forde said that Goodman’s modified workout and fitness regimen while she was injured, which consisted of swimming, cycling and weight-lifting with her teammates, was not an effective replacement for her specialization in hurdling. “In our world, you can’t supplement the actual running [and] hurdling for all the water, biking and all those things that you do,” Forde said. “That’s part of the recovery process at least to get her back in the swing of things, but all of that has taken away from her progress as a natural runner [and] hurdler.”
“The fear for me is [figuring out] how much do you push her and have her do when she is out there [training],”
“When I found out she signed with Temple, I was pretty excited to finally have a training partner again,” Mc-
will be cases where someone says “There something very notable. You will put it here. ” Zach Miley | TTN designer
Forde added. “[We’re] trying to find that balance that is going to allow her to still train and still get the benefits but not push her to that point where it is going to aggravate that old injury.” Along with Forde, Goodman had the support of the only other 400 hurdler on the team, senior Kaitlyn McSurdy.
Surdy said. “She has a very eager personality, [and] having someone who is very enthusiastic about [training] helps me as well as I hope I’m helping her.” Despite her setbacks, Goodman has competed in Temple’s first three meets of the spring season, and posted a personal-best 1 minute, 5.23 secondmark in the 400 hurdles last Saturday at
the Mason Spring Invitational. Forde praised Goodman on her perseverance, but said he wants to work with her to make sure she listens to her body in the future if any pain returns. “Because she wants to do better every day, she is the kind of person that will push herself through some of the pain that can come with the injuries that she had,” Forde said. “Until her body gets used to training consistently, it is always going to be those things that can draw back and take away from [her training].” “I know that things are going to get better,” Goodman added. “I really want my times to get better [and] it was a minor setback for a major comeback. I’m ready to just run.” * tyler.device@temple.edu
club volleyball
New focus leads to men’s club volleyballs’ national success The squad has gone undefeated in regular season play. CONNOR NORTHRUP The Temple News When six new additions to his team began to settle in, Eric Tepel knew this men’s club volleyball team would enjoy different results with a transformed attitude this spring. “My first two years, it was definitely a focus on, ‘Let’s have a good time. We are not here to win, just screw around and have a good time,’” said Tepel, a senior and the club’s president. “Last year we definitely changed the composure of the team. We obviously still have fun because we all enjoy playing.” The men’s volleyball club is coming off one of its most successful seasons in the program’s history, winning the Mid-Atlantic Conference Tournament for the first time ever. “We have six new players this year and four of the six have playing time on the court,” Tepel said. “They adjusted to the college level game faster than most players. This year we have
six seniors, we knew going in that this was our year, that we could do some damage.” Losing in the quarterfinals of the MAC tournament a year ago, Temple tied for ninth place. A year later, the team went unbeaten through its regularseason conference schedule undefeated in the regular season with 16 wins. In the MAC finals on April 4, Temple met threetime reigning champion Messiah College. Since losing to Messiah in a preseason tournament, Tepel said the Owls knew what their foe was capable of. “It was just cool because Messiah is so good at everything they do,” Tepel said. “We knew it was going to come down to if we were to make it to the championship, we would play them.” In the MAC championship final, Messiah won 26-24 in the first set and Temple won the next one, 25-21. In the final set, Temple came out on top, defeating Messiah 15-12. The team is senior-heavy, but some new faces have contributed to the team’s recent success. “You can’t really explain anything else, but the chemistry we have on the court,” freshman
COURTESY ZACK HENNIGAN
Freshman middle hitter Tyler Phifer attempts a block during a men’s volleyball club match.
middle hitter Tyler Phifer said. “I think that is what has led us to the success we have had as a team.” Phifer said the seniors were accommodating to the team’s newer players at the start of the season, but that a commitment was expected. “The seniors told us they had high expectations, [and] we wanted to make their last season
enjoyable,” Phifer said. “I was just happy we could leave the seniors with a legacy of going out on top. They have all been here for four years and it was a really good feeling to help them succeed and win the conference.” Tyler said he is grateful for the seniors’ leadership, and that they will be tough to replace. Taking over the presidency
next year will be sophomore vice president and outside hitter Chris Spano. “I think we’ve got a bunch of great young guys,” Spano said. “Basically all I have to do is keep up with the precedent that Eric set for this team. We are just going to keep doing what we are doing and I think we will be fine.”
After missing last season because of a broken thumb, Spano said he has learned a lot about this team and how to lead them. “We are just average guys that are hard working,” Spano said. “I will be the leader on the court. I definitely need to step up next year, become that guy.” Spano said one of the reasons the team gets along well is that every person has a say with Tepel as president. “We make decision as a team, mostly down to a vote and Eric gets the final say,” Spano said “I will carry that onwards, that democratic view on the team.” Spano said the future looks bright after this season, but Tepel said he wants to make his senior year a memorable one. “I told them I expect to go undefeated in the MAC and put a dent into the MAC tournament. We not only met our goals, but we exceeded them,” Tepel said. “We have a mentally tough team and it came from hard work and dedication at practices. I couldn’t be happier of my guys.” * connor.northrup@temple.edu
SPORTS STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT
The men’s volleyball club has obtained national attention for its success following an undefeated regular season. PAGE 19
Our sports blog
thecherry.temple-news.com
FOLLOW THE LEADER
MATTHEWS WINS AGAIN
Commentary: the lacrosse team will need to look toward its veterans in order to right the ship after a sluggish start to conference play. PAGE 18
Junior Brandon Matthews has won three consecutive invitationals, tying a school-record for career wins. PAGE 17
temple-news.com
PAGE 20
TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015
football
‘Temple baby’ brings family to the field Freshman defensive back and second-generation Owl Kareem Ali chose his hometown football team. ANDREW PARENT Assistant Sports Editor
T
o keep entertained, all they needed was an NCAA-regulation football, and the turf practice field in which their eldest sibling calls home. And when Kareem Ali was asked for the ultimate reason for his verbalcommitment switch from the University of Maryland to Temple last July, he gave a quick look toward the field and
pointed at the answer. “My little brothers, my family, my [high school] coaches coming to see me practice, it doesn’t get any better than that,” Ali said. “Me going far, being a phone call away, it’s not a drive away.” Ali’s family, including 9-year-old Kahlil, 7-year-old KeRon and 4-yearold Keyon, are able to travel roughly 25 minutes from their hometown of Pennsauken, New Jersey to Temple’s practices. And whether it’s next season, or in 2016, the freshman defensive back will be a short drive away on Saturday afternoons, playing his college football at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia. He graduated from Timber Creek High School in December so that he
little brothers, “myMyfamily, my [high school] coaches coming to see me practice, it doesn’t get any better than that.
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Kareem Ali | freshman defensive back
could take part in spring football, and has often found himself drilling with the first-team defense since practices started up three weeks ago. “That is probably one of the best
decisions of my life,” Ali said of his early enrollment at the university. “Coming here early, getting the winter workouts in first and getting acclimated to that, and then getting to spring ball and starting to get the plays down … just getting to learn that, it’s fast, it’s quick, but it’s great. I’m picking it up faster and faster, day by day. It’s all film and learning.” Until his ultimate decision in July, though, it wasn’t going to be that way. Not at Temple, anyway. After a spring practice session concluded at the football team’s Edberg-Olson Complex last Tuesday, Kareem Ali’s younger brothers took the field. Ali was heralded as New Jersey’s No. 2 defensive back prospect of 2015, behind Alabama commit Minkah Fitz-
patrick, when he signed with Temple in November, and he could’ve gone just about anywhere. As Rivals.com ranks Ali as the 10th-best player in New Jersey’s 2015 class, and 33rd nationally among all defensive backs, potential suitors began to stockpile toward the end of his high school career, as he was sought by the likes of Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Louisville, West Virginia and Penn State, among his 23 offers. And once he verbally committed to Maryland last June, Ali said he was intrigued by a coach who didn’t give up. “He didn’t say, ‘You know what, Kareem? You’re committed to Mary-
ALI PAGE 18
postseason preview
Tennis teams eye conference tournament
Both the men’s and women’s team lost in the first round of last year’s tourney. DALTON BALTHASER The Temple News
DONALD OTTO TTN
Senior Rebecca Breland waits for a serve during the Owls’ 6-1 win against Fairleigh Dickinson last Saturday at the Student Pavilion
The men’s tennis team is out of excuses for last year’s performance. Last April, the team was knocked out of the American Athletic Conference Championships easily by then-No. 39-ranked Louisville, 4-0. The day prior, the women’s team was blanked by Central Florida. “There is no reason that you should lose [4-0] to a team,” junior Nicolas Paulus said. “There should always be a few points on the board. Overall, not getting any points is disappointing. When you go in with high expectations and [the match] doesn’t go like you would like, it is disappointing. If you don’t think you have a chance before the match starts, you are not an athlete.” That was the first time since 2012 the men were eliminated from conference play in the first round and only the second time since 2006. The loss to UCF last spring was the first time the women’s team
TOURNEY PAGE 17
women’s track & field
Working through the pain After missing the winter season with stress fractures in both legs, Attallah Goodman is flourishing as the team’s season progresses. TYLER DEVICE The Temple News Attallah Goodman’s career is plagued by one moment of great disappointment. Originally from Trenton, New Jersey, the freshman hurdler began running track & field in her junior year at Notre Dame High School and immediately found she had a special talent. Once she discovered her niche in the 400-meter hurdles, Goodman continued to climb the ladder in the sport, eventually qualifying for the New Balance Nationals Outdoor meet – one of the biggest meets in the country – during her
SPORTS DESK 215-204-9537
junior year. On that day, Goodman was meters away from winning her section of the 400 hurdles. With her adrenaline all but drained, she stopped running too early – right before the finish line. “I was actually seeded first in the hurdles, and then I stopped,” Goodman said. “At the moment, it was terrible. It was a downer, but it happened and then I just had to learn from it.” After putting her high school days behind her, Goodman arrived on Temple’s campus eager to start her collegiate track & field career. She began practicing with her new teammates and dreaming of her first meet where she could proudly don a Temple uniform. Unfortunately for Goodman, her body did not adjust to the increased training as well as she had expected. “I’m a tough person, and in high school I
GOODMAN PAGE 19
AARON WINDHORST TTN
Freshman hurdler Attallah Goodman practices on the track on April 1.
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