The Essayist Issue
OUR ANNUAL SPECIAL EDITION FOR personal ESSAYS
A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.
TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
VOL. 94 ISS. 19
History employee was ‘indispensable’ Patricia “Pat” Williams, 64, was found dead in Gladfelter Hall Monday morning.
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By STEVE BOHNEL JULIE CHRISTIE The Temple News
o many of her colleagues, Patricia “Pat” Williams was known as an employee who made the history department run like clockwork.
Gregory Urwin, however, will also remember her character outside of work on the ninth floor of Gladfelter Hall. “A week did not pass without her asking me how my wife, a cancer survivor, was doing,” Urwin, a military history professor, said in an email Monday night. “She also took a keen interest in my son, a former Temple student who became a professional ballet dancer, and my son’s new wife. Stopping at Pat’s office always put a little extra warmth in my day.” A university spokesman confirmed to The Temple News Monday afternoon that Williams, 64, was found dead on the ninth floor of Gladfelter Hall Monday morning. The spokesman added Williams was an administrative coordi-
Stopping at Pat’s “ office always put a little extra warmth in my day.
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Gregory Urwin | military history professor
nator for the department. Jay Lockenour, chair of the history department, said he’ll remember Williams for her dedication to her work. “She was the center of the department,” Lockenour said late Monday afternoon. “She made sure everything ran smoothly.” Lockenour, whose office is located in Room 909 of Gladfelter, said fellow faculty members found Williams in an office down the hall early Monday morning. He added he “went into emergency crisis mode … and had to comfort people who found the body.” “She had a long history of health prob-
WILLIAMS | PAGE 6
STADIUM
Helping victims of local crime North Central Victim Services helps those impacted by violence. By JULIE CHRISTIE The Temple News
HOJUN YU TTN
Patrick Larkin looks on as a community member speaks to the Board of Trustees during the meeting on Monday.
Stadium funds approved The Board of Trustees approved $1 million in funding for the design. By JOE BRANDT EJ SMITH The Temple News
By GILLIAN McGOLDRICK The Temple News Circling around the arches of Sullivan Hall with a banner reading “No New Stadium,” a protest assembled of approximately 80 students and community members outside the Board of Trustees meeting yesterday. This protest was meant to oppose the Board’s vote on an architect for a possible off-campus stadium. Nearly two dozen Temple police officers met the protesters gathered on Polett Walk. The protest was led by students, community members and 15 Now activists in the collaborative organization, “Stadium Stompers.” The group has been meeting bi-weekly in the Church of the Advocate to discuss ways of preventing the implementation of the proposed stadium plans. Six members of the Stadium Stompers were allowed into Sullivan Hall to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting. “We’re at an important junction,” said Rev. Renee McKenzie of the Church of the Advocate during the protest. “When we first started talking about having these community and student meetings, I had a few people from the community who said, ‘You know, the battle is already over. ‘Temple has already won the game.’ I think [protests] have come here to make a real clear, declarative statement that ain’t so.” Protesters began gathering outside of Sullivan Hall around 3 p.m. and stayed until the meeting ended nearly two hours later. With a unanimous vote ap-
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PROTEST | PAGE 6
TUPD could use body cams
The department is considering the move as the 22nd District is currently testing them. PAGE 2
OPINION PAGES 4-5
The Essayist: stories from our staff
NCVS | PAGE 3
Protesters outside Sullivan Hall strongly opposed the decision.
Recent talks about an on-campus football stadium indicated progress toward construction by 2017, some secured commitments from donors and new proposed retail space around the potential stadium’s site on the west edge of Main Campus. In a meeting yesterday in Sullivan Hall, the Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to make contact with architects and conduct an environmental impact study for the proposed site—bounded by Broad Street to the east, Norris Street to the north, 16th Street on the west and Montgomery Avenue on the south. That impact study, and the correspondence with architects about design, was ordered to cost no more than $1 million, Chairman Patrick O’Connor said in the meeting. The university projects that the total budget for the stadium will not exceed $130 million, and $50 million of that will come from fundraising. President Theobald said Temple has already secured “about $12 million” in fundraising from donors, with $15 million more “in the pipeline.” “At this point, we just know: stadium, and retail, with construction in 2017,” Theobald said. “The goal is to use that stadium every day.” In a presentation to attendees at the public meeting, Theobald suggested that retail space would surround the 35,000-seat stadium on the east and south
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Four-and-a-half blocks off campus, 700 victims of crime have walked into an office in the Women’s Christian Alliance building seeking help. North Central Victims Service provides support and care for victims or witnesses of crime or families of victims in the 22nd district. The center gives victims access to counseling, will provide a support advocate during court procedures and compensates vic-
tims for financial costs or losses as a result of their victimization. “No one asks to be a victim,” said Johnathan Davis, the executive director of NCVS. “It can be a life altering event, not just physically but emotionally. In many ways it’s not short term because when someone has fallen to victimization, they often don’t know how to get back up.” NCVS is only staffed by three people, and relies on volunteers, or “support advocates” to help keep the center from getting overwhelmed. Davis said most support advocates are students from Temple who are there to volunteer, as part of a work study or for a class. Mike Sharpe, a junior marketing major, has been working at the NCVS
BRIANNA SPAUSE TTN
Rob Lawton, a 2013 marketing alumnus, participated in a grassroots campaign to deliver clean water to the residents of Flint, Michigan.
Alumnus aiding Flint By PAULA DAVIS | The Temple News
Rob Lawton drove 60,000 water bottles to the city. When he saw the state of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, Rob Lawton said he felt like he was in a third world country. “It turned my stomach,” he said. “Is this really America?” Lawton, who graduated from the Fox School of Business in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, observed the crisis firsthand when he
LIFESTYLE PAGES 7-8, 14-16
Alumnus runs fishing blog
Historic playhouse closes its doors
A 2014 physics alumnus, Leo Sheng, created “Extreme Philly Fishing” and has several thousand followers. PAGE 7
The Society Hill Playhouse plans to close its doors soon. The playhouse was founded in 1959 by alumni Deen and Jay Kogan. PAGE 9
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT PAGES 9-13
traveled to Flint to aid in relief efforts. The idea was brought to him by Nehemiah Davis, Lawton’s friend and founder of The Nehemiah Davis Foundation, a nonprofit community outreach organization. Only three days after Davis originally pitched the idea, Lawton, along with Temple alumna Melissa Robbins, made the trip to Flint with 60,000 water bottles to distribute to residents. According to the Flint Water Study, for more than a year, residents
FLINT | PAGE 14
SPORTS PAGES 17-20
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Report: nearby property booming Properties around Main Campus increased the most of any across the city in 2015. By JONATHAN GILBERT The Temple News Property values in and around Main Campus experienced the biggest jump in price increase in Philadelphia last year. The number and price of houses being sold has increased gradually since 2012, but hit its peak in 2015. In 2012, there were 91 houses sold in the ZIP code 19122 for an average of $135,000. Those numbers nearly doubled by 2015, as 177 houses were sold for $234,900. Since 2013, applications to the university have increased 54 percent, The Temple News previously reported. Mike Bognanno, associate professor of economics in the College of Liberal Arts, said the university has been aided in part by the emergence of the football team and the new marketing campaign it has used in recent years, leading to property increases. “[Sales increases] reflect Temple’s growth as a residential campus,” Bognanno said. “To some extent it reflects the increasing attractiveness of Philadelphia.” He added another reason for the price in-
MARGO REED TTN
Property values in the 19122 ZIP code, including this stretch of rowhomes on 13th Street near Oxford, nearly doubled from 2012 to 2015.
creases is that people buy homes, renovate them and turn around to sell them for much more than they were purchased for. Despite the recent and very abrupt spike in sales and prices, he expects the housing market around Temple to slow down. The neighborhoods that saw the biggest jump in price increases in 2015 were all “neighborhoods in transition,” he said. The neighborhoods where the most significant jumps occurred were Northwest Philadelphia/Cedarbrook, Strawberry Mansion, West Philadelphia and Fishtown/Kensington, according to a report published by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach HomExpert Market. Despite the recent sales spike, some are
concerned that the price increase is creating a housing bubble, very similar to the one in 2007. “It is a classic situation with a bubble, when you have that many for-rent signs,” said David Elesh, an associate professor of sociology. “You have a lot of vacant units. The costs don’t disappear and you pretty much hit a limit with the amount of students.” Elesh is concerned because developers contiue to build properties around campus but students have been moving further away in search of cheaper housing. Students are beginning to move to off-campus housing as far away as Girard Avenue, he added. What concerns Elesh the most is the fact that historically, housing bubbles have burst repeatedly, almost in a cycle. One of the more
notable examples was in Harlem in the early 1900s, he said. “In Harlem in 1904 and 1905 [the banks] stopped lending and the market crashed, and that’s when the neighborhood started changing,” Elesh said. He believes if the prices keep increasing, the bubble will inevitably burst and lead to abandonment. “Ultimately, you are going to see more abandonment. If they cannot rent those places or sell those places then they cannot take the strain on their finances,” he said. * jonathan.irwin.gilbert@temple.edu T @johnnygilbs96
TUPD may use Juveniles to appeal life sentences following ruling new body cameras Nine percent of those affected are from Philadelphia. By LILA GORDON The Temple News On Jan. 25, the U.S. Supreme Court remanded a previous decision in Montgomery v. Louisiana: now, judges are not required to sentence juveniles to mandatory life without parole for homicide. The legislation will affect about 500 inmates within Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia ac-
phia is among five counties in the country which house the most juvenile offenders who are given life without parole. John Killeen works for Mary Mother of Captives, an organization that helps an accused person and his or her families cope with the legal process and potential incarceration. He supports the Supreme Court decision, because an appeal acknowledges these prisoners are all individuals. “The Supreme Court is having hearings for them all, weighing them on a one-byone basis not based on what they did, but what they have done since being in prison,” Killeen said.
Trying to see into someone’s “heart or eyes is difficult.” John Killeen | employee, Mary Mother of Captives
counts for 9 percent of those affected nationwide. Bradley Bridge, a prominent public defender in Philadelphia, is among those who are celebrating. He has been working for 10 years with groups like the Defender Association of Philadelphia to get the legislation passed, he said. “I represented one,” Bridge said when asked why he supports the cause to give these convicts a second chance. Since 1995, Philadelphia has had a law in place which requires juvenile suspects who were involved in a murder or wielded a murder weapon to be tried as adults. Philadel-
There are still many issues that need to be worked out with the legislation, said Sara Jacobsen, an associate professor in the Beasley School of Law and director of Trial Advocacy. She said the legislation only applies to convicts with life sentences: which means people given a defined number of years—not technically a “life” sentence, but still enough years to ensure life in prison—will possibly not be given this chance at freedom. “What the advocates have said and what the Supreme Court is now agreeing with, is that kids are different from adults,” Jacobson said. “They are still developing as
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people.” Bridge added the judicial system won’t be able to handle the increase in cases due to the Supreme Court’s decision. “We don’t have 300 lawyers, we don’t have 300 judges, we don’t have 300 experts,” he said. Killeen said identifying those most apologetic for their crimes is crucial. “Trying to see into someone’s heart or eyes is difficult,” he said. “There are guys who sit back and are penitent. They will look you in the eyes. They are sorry for the other person and then for themselves. ... These are the people in prison who teach other people how to read, and tutor them.” Victim advocate groups are attempting to have their voices heard as well following the court’s decision. Jennifer Storm is the Victim Advocate of the Commonwealth for Pennsylvania. She is the voice for the victims, and helps their families through the legal process. “What this means for all of these people is ripping open their scars,” Storm said of victims’ families. “Bringing them back to a local courthouse for a resentencing hearing where they will have to provide a victim impact statement, and then, if they are resentenced to anything but life, the victim’s family has to come before the parole board as well.” * lila.gordon@temple.edu
Philadelphia Police’s 22nd District started testing them in a pilot program 14 months ago, which has received positive reviews. By JULIE CHRISTIE The Temple News Depending on the success of a body camera program currently being piloted by the Philadelphia Police, Temple Police may consider adding cameras to their uniforms as well. Members of the Philadelphia Police 22nd District have been wearing and testing body cameras for the past 14 months. “We’re waiting for results for the cameras, to see what they’re like,” said Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone. “We want all the right information before we make a decision.” Roger McFadden, an officer in the 22nd District, who has worked extensively in the pilot program, said the department has tested for picture and audio quality, battery life and durability in the cameras. “This is a new field, so everyone has a new idea or a new method,” he said. Some cameras only had a two-hour battery life or stopped charging after being plugged in and unplugged so many times, he added. Others stopped working when the temperature got too low and turned back on when they warmed up, McFadden said. The pilot program will become a permanent addition to the 22nd District police force within the next 60 days, said Lt. Dennis Gallagher, the
NEWS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
tactical administrator for the 22nd District. “We’ve gotten a very positive reaction,” he said. “There’s more self-awareness in the interactions. People behave better because they’re on camera.”
We want “ all the right
information before we make a decision.
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Charlie Leone | Executive Director of Campus Safety Services
Gallagher said footage from the cameras allows the district to look at arrests and see how they were conducted, and if there was a use of force, the video provides complete documentation. “It gives us a much more accurate representation of the incident,” he said. “Earlier there was the perspective that was just a cellphone video that could have been cut or edited, and these show the perspective of the officer.” Temple Police will have to figure out new policies and training before introducing body cameras to the department, Leone said. He added most people see the cameras as something helpful because it will show transparency and
help build trust between police and the community. According to a 2015 report from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, body cameras reduced use of force by police officers by 87.5 percent and reduced complaints by 59 percent. Leone said there “is no reason [Temple Police] wouldn’t start using cameras.” There would, however, have to be data collection and focus groups to see how the cameras did and did not help with police work, he said. The cost of the cameras and the infrastructure to collect and hold the data would also have to be considered, Leone added. “The expensive part is the hardware for the data storage,” Gallagher said. “If you’re a smaller department it might be easier, but for a department of 5,000, it’s a much bigger project.” Gallagher said both body and security or city cameras are “assets” to reducing and solving crime, “especially when it comes to identification.” “Cameras are the best witnesses in the world,” he said. “Sometimes witnesses don’t show up to court because they’re scared or other reasons, but the video is always going to be there, and it’s going to be the same every time.” * julie.christie@temple.edu T @ChristieJules
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
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University doctors discuss medical marijuana The drug is legal medically in 23 states and Washington D.C., and could be legalized in Pennsylvania following more testing. By LIAN PARSONS Assistant News Editor A team of doctors and professors at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine is studying medical marijuana— a politically contested drug legalized in 23 states and Washington, D.C. They are exploring preclinical research utilizing components of the marijuana plant or synthetic compounds engineered in the lab. Researchers like Sara Jane Ward, research assistant professor in the Center for Substance Abuse Research, are investigating the positive and negative effects of chemicals from the marijuana plant. Animals like mice are the most common test subjects, because there are no active programs testing on humans. Chemicals from the marijuana plant can be used to treat disorders and injuries in the nervous system, multiple sclerosis, neuropathic pain, spinal cord injury and can protect against stroke. “A lot of it for us is trying to understand how these drugs are working,” Ward said. “We’re at the beginning of understanding how they’re working in the body.” Mice are treated with chemicals from the marijuana plant or synthesized chemicals before being induced with one of the injury models, like chemotherapy, which can be toxic to some cells in the body. With this method, researchers can “really see exciting protective benefits,” Ward said.
“If we get the medicines on board first, we see less damage,” she added. Ron Tuma, a professor of physiology and neurosurgery at the Center and Ward’s primary collaborator, has been involved in looking at stroke and head injuries with animal models and the therapeutic potential of cannabinoid-based compounds for the past 10 years. Preclinical results indicate promising potential uses like the possibility of decreasing inflammation and the severity of stroke, Tuma said. The preclinical stage of the research means doctors are trying to hone in on the therapeutic aspects of the chemicals while trying to avoid any of the adverse effects, like substance abuse or dependence liabilities. “The goal is to understand and design medications that harness the beneficial effects and lessen the negative effects,” Ward said. “[Researchers need to] figure out which aspect of the chemicals that are working and figure out which properties aren’t related to the euphoric sensations.” The challenge, as with most types of research, is funding, Tuma said. The research team has received grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense and has also published its findings in multiple medical journals. Researchers received the most recent grant from the DOD last Thursday and submitted another grant request to the NIH, he added. There’s a “slow progression from research into clinics,” Tuma said. The ultimate goal is to develop new medication strategies and implement drugs to do targeted therapeutics. Pharmaceutical companies and biotech companies will eventually work on developing some of these drugs. * lian.parsons@temple.edu T @Lian_Parsons
Counting the city’s homeless Philadelphia has one of the lowest rates of homelessness, despite having a high poverty rate. By GILLIAN McGOLDRICK The Temple News Homelessness affected Sophia Kim each time she walked down or drove along the streets in her native country of South Africa. She would get swarmed by homeless people begging for food. “I haven’t lived in Philadelphia until last August, but I don’t think that homelessness is a huge problem,” Kim said. Kim, a freshman fine arts major, said since living in Philadelphia, she has only seen about five homeless people around the neighborhood. But homelessness is a reality for approximately 6,000 people in Philadelphia, according to the national Jan. 28 Point-in-Time count of homeless people that is federally required in every city. The homeless population was about the same size last year. On any given evening, Project HOME, a nonprofit organization that aims to help homeless people, estimates there are 650 people who are sleeping on the streets, 300 of whom are in Center City. Homelessness fluctuates seasonally, with higher spikes of homelessness in summer months. Despite Philadelphia having one of the highest poverty rates of any other major city in the country, it has one of the lowest rates of homelessness. The causes of homelessness are complex and can occur for a number of reasons like poverty from lack of jobs with competitive wages, lack ADVERTISEMENT
of affordable transportation, inadequate resources for mental health, substance abuse issues and domestic abuse. According to Project HOME, 94.1 percent of all homeless people have behavioral health challenges. Another 12.1 percent have mental health issues and another 12 percent have substance abuse issues. Also, 70 percent of homeless have dual diagnoses of these different problems. Philadelphia celebrated an end to veterans who were homeless this past year. Nationally, veterans make up 8 percent of the total homeless population. Philadelphia makes up about 40 percent of the estimated 15,421 homeless people in the state. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported to Congress in November that there had been a 2 percent decrease in homelessness since 2014 nationally, 11,742 less people sleeping on the streets. HUD also reported there had been an 11 percent decline in homelessness since 2007, translating to 82,550 less people who were homeless in 2015 than 2007. “It is a problem in the developed parts of the world where it gets cold and people can die from hypothermia,” Kim said. * gillian.mcgoldrick@temple.edu T @gill_mcgoldrick
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Research assistant professor Sara Jane Ward explores the therapeutic effects of chemicals from the marijuana plant.
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since May of last year and handles marketing and assists with planning and coordinating events. “It’s great because I’m getting a lot of experience in my role. It’s a great way to learn because I’m diving in head first,” he said. Davis added NCVS has a strong partnership with Temple University Hospital through Scott Charles, the Trauma Outreach coordinator. He said Charles connects victims to NCVS when they come into the trauma center. The center works in partnership with the Philadelphia Police 22nd District to reach out to victims and educate them on the services available to them. NCVS
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sides of the complex—Broad Street and Montgomery Avenue. The university will choose an architect within 30 days, he said. Theobald compared the proposed retail section to the shopping strips around the Boston Red Sox’ Fenway Park. The Board approved the resolution to find an architect and conduct the study following a tense session of public comment from 10 people, which lasted about 50 minutes. Developer and alumnus John Longacre spoke in support of the stadium, while the remaining nine, all North Philadelphia residents, were critical of plans. O’Connor attempted to end the meeting after comment from five people, but after community members spoke up, he allowed John Bowie, a Yorktown resident, to come to the microphone. “You’re talking about making a huge investment, how about rather than displace North Philly, make some investments that make a difference in this community?” Bowie said. “We’re not able to fight you, but you need to know you’re creating a resentment in the hearts of another generation of African-American people.” Another resident interjected:
is among six other victims services centers that serve other districts in Philadelphia. It also works with women’s groups that advocate against rape and abuse. Davis said the third most common victim they serve is one of domestic violence. The most common victims they serve are first aggravated assault, second most common are theft and in fourth are victims of robbery. Victims of crime make up about 85 percent of the total clients they received in the past year between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. Davis added the number of victims they have helped in the past six months is already exceeding the number of people they had serviced in the same span of time last year. * julie.christie@temple.edu T @ChristieJules
“We can fight.” Bowie was followed by several more residents who approached the microphone before the board after Theobald’s assistant, Anne Nadol, read off their names. Some of the residents in the public comment portion had been let in from a protest outside the building organized by a group called “Stadium Stompers.” Guadalupe Portillo, who lives on Norris Street near 15th and works as a custodian for Temple, said her neighbors had criticized the university for not being “mindful” of the community members who oppose the stadium. “You have not bothered to have any meetings with them or talk to them about this,” Portillo said while wearing her work uniform. “We are in a gridlock situation there as it is, you know there is a gridlock with parking, with the trash around here.” “As residents ... we have no one to help us when we’re crying out for help,” said Tyrone Reed, the president of the Committee for a Better North Philadelphia and lifelong neighborhood resident. “I said to them, ‘You know where you live, do you have to go through fighting a major institution for survival of your community?’” The meeting affected Drew Katz, whose late father, Lewis, was a supporter of a stadium during his time as chair of the Athletics committee.
“I think there’s an absolutely healthy, legitimate debate that needs to take place on whether or not a stadium makes sense and is appropriate,” Katz said after the meeting. “My father was very much in favor of the stadium, I am here because of his passing. I do believe at this point in time that a stadium would be good for students and alumni.” Katz also emphasized the importance of better communication with community members moving forward. “What I learned here today as a new board member is that the university needs to do a better job at making sure the community is informed, is given an opportunity to voice its concerns, to have those concerns addressed in a productive manner,” he said. Following the meeting, a reporter asked O’Connor to respond to community concerns. “We’re going to ensure that labor building the stadium is representative [of the community,]” O’Connor said. “We are not insensitive to where we live and who we are. I hope we use the fields to mentor and train community kids.” “I would not authorize this as a board member for just five freakin’ football games a year.” * news@temple-news.com T @TheTempleNews
EDITORIAL/OP-ED
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The Essayist. . .
A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921. Emily Rolen, Editor-in-Chief EJ Smith, Managing Editor Joe Brandt, Chief Copy Editor Steve Bohnel, News Editor Paige Gross, Opinion Editor Michaela Winberg, Lifestyle Editor Ryan Deming, Web Manager Victoria Mier, Arts & Entertainment Editor Julie Christie, Web Editor Michael Guise, Sports Editor Jenny Kerrigan, Photography Editor Lian Parsons, Asst. News Editor Margo Reed, Asst. Photography Editor Owen McCue, Asst. Sports Editor Donna Fanelle, Design Editor Jenny Roberts, Asst. Lifestyle Editor Finnian Saylor, Asst. Designer Eamon Dreisbach, Asst. Arts & Entertainment Ian Berman, Advertising Manager Editor Grayson Holladay, Business Manager Harrison Brink, Multimedia Editor Jeanie Davey, Marketing Manager Aaron Windhorst, Asst. Multimedia Editor
The Temple News is an editorially independent weekly publication serving the Temple University community. Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News. Adjacent commentary is reflective of their authors, not The Temple News. Visit us online at temple-news.com. Send submissions to letters@temple-news.com. The Temple News is located at: Student Center, Room 243 1755 N. 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19122
EDITORIALS
Let answers be heard Protestors asking questions should be eager and prepared to listen to the answers. Student protest is part of the history of our university—dating back to the late ‘60s when Philadelphia students walked out of classes across the city and marched to the School District of Philadelphia demanding better facilities, African-American history courses and the right to wear traditional African attire in school. You can read more about this in the April 2014 story, “A History of Protest.” History may repeat itself this academic year, however it may not be as organized 50 years later. Protesters were present at the December 2015 Board of Trustees meeting, at the
on the lack of structure and focus exhibited by protesters, namely mentions of police brutality and minimum wage concerns in a dialogue about the stadium. But we’re worried about more than just that. Our biggest concern is the seemingly indifferent nature of the protesters to pursue educated answers to their concerns. The Temple News has been reporting on the proposed stadium since October—the very day it was announced. Other media outlets in the city are doing it well, too, and there are nameless students searching for these answers independently. We were anxious for the
Our biggest concern is the “ seemingly indifferent nature of
the protesters to pursue educated answers.
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student forum last week and again at yesterday’s Board meeting. Chanting, expletives and rattling fences have become commonplace for any meeting between administration and students. Lack of focus and disorganization yet again presented itself at yesterday’s meeting, only making it harder to understand the real discussion at hand. We believe student protest is important. It keeps the university grounded in a sort of social checks and balances. Whenever there is a protest on campus that is fair and organized, students can be sure student journalists will be there to let their voices be heard by administrators. But the protests we’ve observed lately are problematic. The Temple News has previously editorialized
Temple Student Government student forum last week. We hoped it would ease our concerns, as well as the protesters. While there, we heard students clapping, chanting and shouting expletives in demand of answers from President Theobald and Athletic Director Pat Kraft. What we failed to hear, however, was a moment of silence for administrators to answer these questions. We were listening, and hopeful for answers. It’s discouraging when students pose questions, and fail to look for answers. The Temple News is in search of the answers and we hope you—student, faculty, staff and community members— will come to us for them in the midst of the proposed plan for an on-campus stadium.
CORRECTIONS In the article “Future Uptown Theater uncertain, $7 million needed” that ran Feb. 2, 2016, it incorrectly stated that Yumy Odom arrived in Philadelphia in 1998, but he actually arrived in 1988. In an article “Ban on Yik Yak unlikely” that ran Feb. 2, it was stated the Election Frontier Foundation wrote a letter suggesting all universities ban apps like Yik Yak on their campuses. They wrote an article saying they opposed this stance, which was previously stated in another letter by a separate coalition of organizations. In the article “For new cafe, a focus on on the neighborhood” that ran in print Feb. 2, Scott Schroeder was said to have opened American Sardine Bar and the South Philadelphia Tap Room. In fact, Schroeder was instead hired as a chef after the openings. In the article “‘Built upon diversity,’” that ran Feb. 2, LeAnn Erickson’s outreach organization “Reel Girls” was misidentified as “Real Girls.” 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 Emily Rolen at editor@temple-news.com or 215.204.6737.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016 & listen online at temple-news.com
This special issue of The Temple News explores the personal experiences of five staff members.
Quarreling with a childhood love When football is tarnished by new medical findings, a life-long lover reconsiders the game.
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here’s a small, plastic, white football about the size of a light bulb that’s been in my possession literally since I was born. Glimpses of it can be seen on home videos in my crib, it emerged as a mainstay in my childhood photos and proved to be a catalyst to my love for America’s most popular sport. To say football has been a cornerstone of my life may actually be an understatement. My father played college football, and used it as a vehicle to obtain a higher education, which he then used to become a teacher, a vice principal and a high school head coach. Because of this, I truly loved the game. I gave my dad made-up plays for Christmas, spent my childhood Friday nights on sidelines cheering my dad’s team on, daydreamed about my future as a quarterback and spent my summers going to camps to improve my skills. My days playing high school football taught me invaluable lessons about accountability, character and hard work. I got my first job from a teammate’s dad, many of my lifelong friends were made between the lines and the story of my mudcovered jersey and disfigured pinky-finger against a crosstown rival is one of my fondest high-school memories. Stories about former professional and college players killing themselves and being diagnosed with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy—a
By EJ Smith disease found in people who suffer a high volume of brain trauma, often from contact sports—have effectively shattered what was an unconditional adoration for the game. On Jan. 26, the New York Times reported that Tyler Sash, a 27-year-old safety who killed himself three years after finishing his two-year career in the NFL, suffered from CTE. His family told stories of his personality
Finn
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discovery of the disease and his fight against the NFL to recognize its effects. A few weeks after I saw the movie, I asked my dad if he’d seen it. He hadn’t, and wouldn’t. It scared him. We discussed the violent nature of the game and the possible impact the disease could have on both of us. It was a question I had never asked before, but a harrowing one nonetheless: “Could my dad have CTE?” He has told me stories about multiple
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changing, the strug- gles he endured because of a combination of physical ailments keeping him from manual labor jobs, painkillers and the disease making it impossible to stay focused during a desk job. Months before his suicide, a movie named “Concussion” came out, telling the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu’s
concussions he suffered during his high school and college football days. There have been at least four, according to him. “Could I have CTE?” I was never officially diagnosed with a concussion, but I have blacked out on a football field before. As an offensive tackle, I’ve had my fair share of head-to-head
contact. What about my old teammates? The friend who stumbled to the wrong sideline after taking a big hit from a linebacker? The one who was medevaced after an open-field tackle? The scariest part: this wasn’t professional football, it was nothing but middling, small-town high school football. Watching the game has taken on a different meaning now. I watched win-orgo-home contests between powerful men, smashing into each other with my dad, and we shared a national outrage, watching Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown fall to the ground in January unconscious after being hit in the helmet while jumping for a catch. After the game, a member of the opposing team questioned the legitimacy of Brown’s injury and only apologized after Brown was ruled ineligible to play the next week due to a head injury. These are the moments that sour the game for me. These instances change the game I obsessed over as a child into the game I won’t allow my future children to play. Without football, I wouldn’t live in the same house, have the same resources or be the same person, but it’s a game in which the consequences outweigh the rewards. * esmith@temple.edu T @ejsmitty17
When sibling instinct went sour After a fight, a student questions her relationship with her brother.
I
’ve questioned the existence of unconditional love once. My brother and I were on the way to a family reunion about an hour from where we live. It was the summer after his first year in college and I was a sophomore in high school. We were about 20 minutes away from the house, driving down the main street of the neighboring town. In the passenger side seat, I got to spend the whole trip looking out the windows. It was when the speed limit changed from 35 to 25 miles per hour that I saw them. There were two people fighting in their driveway. One of them fell to the ground and got back up, swinging at the other. “Wait, wait, Steven, slow down,” I said. I had the map, so he must have thought the street we were supposed to turn onto was approaching. “They’re fighting. Look, there’s a couple fighting. We need to—oh my god.” There were actually three people. A man, a woman and a screaming 2-yearold. He had white-blonde hair and even from the car I could tell his eyes were a piercing blue. He was being held by a man I assumed was his father while his mother tried to scratch the man’s face and pulled on his shirt, causing him to stagger. I had never seen a couple fight like that before. I sometimes heard my parents arguing at night, but they never got loud enough for me to actually understand what they were saying. But these people were trying to hurt each other, and that little boy was in harm’s way. His face was bright red and I could see him taking huge gulps of air to sustain his screaming. His face sparkled a little
By Julie Christie bit from the reflection of the sun in the tears rolling down his cheeks. The woman straightened up and took another swing and the man turned his body so she connected with his shoulder and not his son. “I’m not getting involved,” my brother said, putting his foot back on the gas and starting to approach the speed limit. “That’s their business.” I started shouting that we had to do
the man who had taught me wrestling moves and how to use my middle finger in case somebody tried to give me a hard time when he wasn’t there. He was the one who hugged me in the movie theater when the last Hobbit movie came out because I couldn’t handle the ending of my favorite story, or how poorly it had been interpreted on screen. He’s the one who treats the kitchen at home like it’s a restaurant because he believes anything hot or sharp can and will burn or cut you. It took a lot of puzzling over that
behavior was the complete opposite of “theThis fiercely protective older brother I knew he was. ”
something and that he was a horrible person for not wanting to do something. The moment I unbuckled, he locked the doors because he knew I was going to try to jump out. By this point we were several hundred feet past the couple and I twisted around, trying to keep them in sight, but when we turned a corner, they were gone. It took me a long time to forgive my brother for not stopping that day. I didn’t think I could ever proudly consider him my brother after that because he had let somebody else get hurt. How could he leave that little boy in the arms of a man dodging punches? This behavior was the complete opposite of the fiercely protective older brother I knew he was. He was
weird change in behavior for me to get it. I was going to jump out of a moving car and throw myself into a full-on domestic fight. It wasn’t long and careful consideration that made him lock the doors and drive away, it was the same instinct that urged me to want to do something. It was my chance to try to protect that little boy, but he had his job as a big brother to protect me. It was uncomfortable to question how much I could really love my brother, because I had completely forgotten that he loves me too. * julie.christie@temple.edu T @ChristieJules
OPINION
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
PAGE 5
A birthday The unseen: an invisible illness and a blizzard A woman finds relief in telling the truth after years of struggling to keep her pain a secret.
When a student gets snowed in, he reconsiders the 21st birthday ritual. By Steve Bohnel
A
few weeks ago, I walked down the middle of Broad Street, at a time where few cars were battling what would be recorded as one of the heaviest snowfalls in Philadelphia’s history. The day was Jan. 23, my 21st birthday. I experienced the first hours of it in the Draught Horse— the only bar really accessible near campus. The editor-in-chief of this paper bought me multiple drinks, I caught up with an old classmate who shared the same birthday and eventually plodded home before vomiting into my bathroom toilet, collapsing in my bed and falling asleep. I woke up at about 10:30 a.m. My memory of it isn’t photographic, but I recall shoveling my sidewalk, and then traveling to Paley Library. After a few hours there, I trudged back through the snow to my apartment, picked up my roommate’s boots and made the trek south to his girlfriend’s apartment that evening. Upon arrival, she handed me my backpack, and I walked back up Broad to my apartment north of campus. During the rest of that Saturday, I debated whether or not to go out to a bar. The final choice was practical: I wasn’t going to a bar alone, especially given the weather. Many people would feel sorry for my fortune, and that I couldn’t live up to what America deems to be one of the most important birthdays of a person’s life. Is it? Throughout the rest of the day, I contemplated my life. While many of us subconsciously judge several people on a daily basis, I find that judging myself keeps me honest, happy and grounded. Some could have argued I was being a snob and a deadbeat, telling me my 21st birthday should be about having fun, not getting lost in the deeper complexities of life. I would refute, however, that without self-reflecting at “key” life moments, you never truly consider your faults. You never realize how much you’ve done, and how much you can still do. In essence, you’re never true to the person whom it matters most: yourself.
Some could have argued I “ was being a snob and a deadbeat,
telling me my 21st birthday should be about having fun, not getting lost in the deeper complexities of life.
”
American culture dictates we have to remember—or not remember—our 21st birthday for the rest of our lives. It has to be a crazy affair where we drink to become fully intoxicated in order to fulfill a magical void that was missing before we could legally consume alcohol. Now that I’m 21, I wonder why that void ever existed. I don’t think I’ll ever find a definitive answer. The next day, I shoveled again and walked down the street until I saw a car that was stalling because our street wasn’t fully plowed. It took three people, but we eventually propelled the driver on his way. About half-an-hour later, I was walking down Park Avenue near Morgan Hall when I noticed a girl trying to dig out snow near her friend’s car tires with an ice scraper. “You wanna try pushing it?” I said as I stopped next to her and the stuck vehicle. I’m not a strong guy—but sure enough, the two of us were easily able to nudge the car past the snow and onto drivable terrain. “Thank you!” the girls said. “You have good things coming your way,” the ice scraper added. Readers may find this account to be rather boring: what makes Steve Bohnel so special? Well, you’re right. My life story isn’t exciting. It’s not debatable that being sober during most of a 21st, and that lending a helping hand afterward is pretty anticlimactic. What I will tell you is that life moves quickly after “monumental” periods. In my case, there’s a lot of news to be covered in the coming months. Thankfully, I work with some of the most humble, hard-working people I’ve ever met. A week after my birthday, when my mom and her boyfriend treated me to that birthday dinner, she reminded me that I’m always looking out for other people. I love my mother, but she’s not 100 percent right. I just feel there are people born at starting lines miles behind from where I began in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. When you live with that mindset, your 21st birthday takes a back seat to ideas that matter more than the enjoyment of a couple of hours that most don't fully remember. Besides, I’m still 21. I don’t think the bars will be closing anytime soon. * steve.bohnel@temple.edu T @Steve_Bohnel
LETTERS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
W
hen I was younger, I used to lie a lot—10 times a day, maybe more. It went like this: “I really wanted to go to your sweet 16, but I think I have the flu,” I would say with all the sincerity a high school freshman could muster. Sometimes when I showed up on Monday morning to school, my friends would comment on my lack of a cough or nose rubbed red and raw. I must be feeling better, they’d say. “A lot better,” I would agree. “Guess it wasn’t the flu.” It wasn’t. My illness didn’t come with a sniffle or any other noticeable signs. Instead, it was hidden from everyone but me. Known as invisible illnesses, disorders like chronic pain, arthritis, gastroparesis and many others are characterized by moderate to severe health issues. But it’s impossible to tell someone is suffering from one of these disorders without an explicit explanation, which often makes the sufferer feel just as invisible as their sickness. Mine went like this: A horseback riding accident in middle school badly injured my right shoulder. I insisted the pain wasn’t that bad because I was scared of what would happen if I told the truth. The situation got harder to lie about: four doctor appointments when the pain got worse—not better, two weeks in a sling, six projected months of physical therapy that turned into two years. One day, the pain was particularly bad, a deep, shooting sensation that went all the way into my hand, and my therapist said, “That shouldn’t happen.” The next week, I saw the shoulder surgeon for the first time. This was hard to lie about, I discovered, especially when you are 14 and missing three weeks of school for recovery. After everyone forgets about the surgery, there’s only so many times you can say, “I had a cold,” instead of, “I missed four days of school because I think about the Percocet in the cabinet every 20 minutes and I’m in too much pain to move.” When the shoulder surgeon did his checkup a few months later, he told me I had regained an impressive percentage of my movement back—before the surgery, my right arm stayed close against my side like a broken wing. But he diagnosed my pain as chronic. That was fine, I told myself. I was used to the way the pain dug into my shoulder like steel talons, the way I had almost fainted once or twice when I moved the wrong way. I didn’t even re-
By Victoria Mier
member what it was like to not be in pain. What was the difference? But for some reason, the pain spread. The doctors claimed to understand, said there was research for this kind of thing, but I wondered if they were lying, too. “I thought you only had a shoulder injury,” people would say. “Why would that make the rest of your body hurt? Can’t you just take some Motrin?”
would understand. It’s an incredibly twisted, ungrateful thought—but that’s the funny thing about intense, constant, indescribable pain. And that’s the funny thing with invisible illnesses. It’s usually non-lethal, which you’re supposed to be happy about, but most of the time you just wonder why your illness doesn’t even have the decency to kill you. My illness didn’t, which meant I was fine, or so I told myself, ignoring the intensity of my pain for another three years
Maybe if I were in a wheelchair, people “ would see how serious my pain is. ” chineme aniagba
“You’re right,” I would answer. “I’m fine.” Maybe they were right. Maybe it was all in my head. I adjusted the lies. It went like this: I look fine, so I must be fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. I was not fine, the doctors at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia told me five years after my initial injury. I had Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome, causing parts of my brain to misfire pain signals throughout my body, overreacting to the smallest of triggers and depriving my muscles of oxygen. Upon hearing the diagnosis, my physical therapist said, “My last two patients with AMPS were in wheelchairs. You’re lucky.” Lucky? I didn’t feel that way. Maybe if I were in a wheelchair, people would see how serious my pain is. Maybe they
TTN
before I had to drop out of my dream school, move home and hold in my hands what I was sure were the remnants of all my broken dreams. The shards cut my palms and I finally allowed myself to acknowledge it hurt. I surrounded myself with others who acknowledged the pain, the illness that preferred to stay elusive and invisible: family, friends, my doctors at CHOP and later, a therapist and acupuncturist who probably saved my life. Now when the pain creeps into my bones, dark and deep and lonely, it goes like this: I am not fine. That’s OK. Maybe tomorrow. * victoria.mier@temple.edu T @victoria_mier_
The death of a captain Losing a friend, mentor and respected elder makes a woman reflect on childhood memories.
W
e called him Cappy. Cap, for short. This nickname, derived from his proper title as Captain, was the only name I knew Jack Kelly by for more than 10 years. In my young mind’s eye, the Captain was head of a ship that went on long voyages to sea. He was Poseidon himself, the keeper of salt-crusted promises. I imagined him parking his boat on Blue Heron Lane— my best friend’s house down the street. I’ve known the Captain since I was a young girl; 17 years now. Seventeen years on deck. He wasn’t just my best friend’s grandfather—after dozens of summers on his sailboat, he was mine, too. When I first met him, he made my palms sweat. I can remember straightening my posture and trying to make eye contact and giving him a firm handshake. He was a Captain, after all. My best friend told me Cap was the strongest man on earth. “He once fought a shark,” I still hear her tell me, cross-legged in that closet underneath the basement stairs, a small lamp between us. Summers were filled with PB&J at the Jersey shore and hands with rope burn. He wore that sailing hat, a stern
By Emily Rolen look on his face, hands on the steering wheel, shouting instructions to us: don’t let the dock get away from us, watch the horizon, hold on to the railing, put on a damn lifejacket, make that knot tight!
I misplaced “ the Captain for an
immortal from my storybooks.
”
We swabbed the decks, bailed out water, fought pirating ships, scared away sea monsters. Our Captain was fearless, and with him on deck, we were too. When I got older, he miraculously did, too. I misplaced the Captain for an immortal from my storybooks. Soon, he couldn’t tie the boat up to the dock by himself. Then we stopped sailing. Now,
we only go out once a summer for him. My memories of him are scraps of paper I shoved in my pockets years ago so I could remember them later. On the days I miss rope burn and his strict demands, I pull the scraps from my pockets, hands full of sand and seashells. I still lick my lips and taste salt every once in awhile. But the Captain wasn’t fooling any of us with his calloused palms and furrowed brow, eyes glassy and turned toward the sea. He wasn’t just demands and nervous family get-togethers. He was a grandfather, a father, a husband and a friend. If you got him alone, Jack Kelly, that was the only way you saw the real Captain, the leader of his crew. He never led his ship astray. He was never going to let the crew drift into murky waters. He was the Captain of that ship. He still is. When you looked in Jack’s eyes, you could see compassion, and, if you looked closely enough, the faint breeze of the ocean ruffle his hair. * emily.rolen@temple.edu T @Emily_Rolen
NEWS
PAGE 6
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
NEWS BRIEFS
Police release picture of hate crime suspects CRIME
be dropped because a former district attorney had promised to not prosecute Cosby. There is no binding record of the promise, said current District Attorney Kevin Steele, the Inquirer reported. Cosby’s lawyers have 30 days to appeal the decision, which may halt court proceedings for several months. Both sides argue whether the decision is one that can be appealed as well as the credibility of testimonies from former District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. and former Temple basketball manager Andrea Constand. A decade-old deposition with Cosby’s testimony included that he had sexual relations with Constand and had purchased a sedative he intended to use during sex with women, the Inquirer reported. -Julie Christie
POLICE INVESTGATING RACIAL SLUR DRAWN ON CAR Temple Police are continuing an investigation after tweeting photos of three men suspected to be involved in drawing and writing offensive language on a car near Main Campus. A student found a swastika and racial slur written in a thin layer of snow on a car behind White Hall on Carlisle Street about 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Police said they learned about it an hour later. After reviewing cameras in the area, Temple Police released the pictures of the three men. One wore an Eagles jersey, the next wore a striped blue shirt with tan pants and the third wore a Phillies jersey. Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said police are following leads from tips to identify them. Temple released an official statement condemning the “language in the strongest terms” and said those responsible would be held accountable. Tipsters can contact Temple Police’s tipline at 215-204-6493. -Julie Christie
UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE INJURED IN HIT-AND-RUN A Temple security officer was released from Temple University Hospital after a hitand-run outside the Campus Police headquarters at 1801 N. 11th St. Friday night. A vehicle heading north on 11th Street hit the officer’s vehicle in the rear and fled, but was later stopped by Philadelphia Police at 11th and Diamond streets. The driver was arrested, however his name and the charges he will face are not yet known. Continued from page 1
PROTEST
proving the planning of the stadium, the meeting concluded with the go-ahead for a $1 million budget and a search for an architect to spearhead the project. The amount of protesters fluctuated, with the largest group reaching approximately 100 people, when classes let out at 3:50 p.m. During the protests, calls to the Board of Trustees for a sexual misconduct facility and wages of $15 per hour for student workers were applauded. Students for Justice in Palestine also attended and spoke during the rally. “If the conversation is to continue and proposal [for the stadium] is to move forward, we want workers in the stadium to make $15 [an hour],” Stadium Stomper leader and junior therapeutic recreation major Tiara Mitchell told The Temple News. But before reaching that point, Mitchell said, the next steps of the group was “to continue organizing and advocating against [the stadium].” Chants of, “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?” were shouted at Temple Police officers nearing the end of the protest. After the meeting, protesters swarmed to both sides of an alley behind Sullivan Hall. The smaller group in the back was confronted multiple times by Temple Police trying to clear a path for attendees leaving the building. After being cleared from the path, the crowd would block the cleared space again, linking arms. Asa Khalif, 1999 business administration alumnus told a line of officers blocking the en-
TEMPLE POLICE VIA TWITTER
Temple Police tweeted these two photos Saturday of the suspects believed to have drawn a swatiska and a racial slur in snow on Carlisle Street behind White Hall.
Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said the officer had neck and back pain, but no serious injuries, which was “very lucky.” -Julie Christie
UNIVERSITY NEWS ALUMNI WIN NAACP AWARDS
Three alumni and one faculty member were nominated for awards at the 47th NAACP Image Awards which aired last Friday. According to the website, the NAACP Image Awards “celebrate the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color in the arts, as well as those individuals or groups who promote social justice through their creative endeavors.” Jill Scott, a 1996 alumna, won awards in
COSBY ATTORNEYS MAY APPEAL A Montgomery County judge ruled last Wednesday the charges of sexual assault will not be dropped against alumnus Bill Cosby. Cosby’s defense argued charges should
CITY LAWYER JOINS ‘PORNGATE’ CASE AS MEDIATOR Prominent Philadelphia lawyer Richard A. Sprague has been added as a mediator to negotiate a deal for Justice J. Michael Eakin so he may avoid public trial. Eakin was suspended from his position in December 2015 as a justice for the Pa. Supreme Court after ethics charges for exchanging obscene, misogynistic and racially offensive emails. The “Porngate” scandal arose and reached the Supreme Court in 2014 after Justice Seamus P. McCaffery resigned after accusations of his exchange of hundreds of obscene emails and photos on state computers. After Attorney General Kathleen Kane released emails that Eakin had sent or received. -Gillian McGoldrick
trance to Sullivan Hall to “step aside” and let community members into the Board of Trustees meeting. Chants ensued for about 2 minutes yelling, “Let them in” by the crowd. “The community is obviously trying to say something and it just feels like we’re not listening to what their needs are,” junior nursing major and protest attendee Nicole Barth said. “If this were to happen in my neighborhood which is middle-class and white, they would not be building a stadium. And [organizers] would listen to them and not build it.” “I don’t know a lot about the money and gentrification but I do know that people don’t want the stadium and everyone should try and listen [to the community],” Barth said. Former African-American studies professor Anthony Monteiro, who lives on 12th Street near Wallace, attended the rally. He said “civil disobedience” will occur if the Board of Trustees continue with the building of the stadium. “I wish they would stop playing monopoly with people’s livelihoods,” said Sandy Ray, a life-long resident of North Philadelphia who currently resides on 13th Street near Master. “People live here. And that’s how we would like to keep it.” McKenzie said community members were ready to counter Temple administration and declare “victory” against their efforts to silence the community. “The community is standing firm on this truth: that we do not want a stadium built,” McKenzie said. * gillian.mcgoldrick@temple.edu T @gill_mcgoldrick
Continued from page 1
WILLIAMS
lems,” he said of Williams’ passing. “Because of that, while this is a shock, it’s maybe not completely surprising.” Lockenour said Williams completed duties similar to that of a secretary, and started working at Temple in 1968 in the Urban Studies Department. Urwin said Williams was “indispensable” and without her contributions, many problems might not have been resolved as smoothly. “Because Temple is such a big institution, lots of things can go wrong,” he said. “Whenever there was a malfunction, I knew I could always go to Pat for a solution. … Whoever replaces her will have big shoes to fill, and we are going to have to be patient while that person grows into the job.” Classes on the ninth floor were canceled and relocated for the day, security officials said. Students said there was confusion as police and university officials investigated the scene. “It was confusing because they didn’t tell us what was going on,” said Kaicey Baylor, a freshman journalism major. “I was walking to class and the security guard asked me if I was on the ninth
NEWS DESK 215-204-7419
the three music categories she was nominated. She received the award for “Back Together” in the Traditional category for Outstanding Song, for her album “Woman” in the Outstanding Album category and the award for Outstanding Female Artist. Terrell Stafford, director of Jazz Studies and chair of Instrumental Studies in the Boyer College of Music and Dance, was also nominated for his album “BrotherLEE Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan,” in the Outstanding Jazz Album category. -Lian Parsons
CITY NEWS
BRIANNA SPAUSE TTN
Reverend Renee McKenzie of Church of the Advocate, speaks to the congregation of students and community members holding signs protesting the stadium outside Sullivan Hall.
floor and I said, ‘Yeah,’ and he told me it was moved to Anderson. ... It was confusing because they were really secretive.” David Hazel, a junior history major, said he had a 10 a.m. class scheduled in Room 913 of Gladfelter Monday. After hearing about the news from security, he learned via email his class had been moved to Anderson 421. Hazel said he initially thought the problem might be a pipe burst or another maintenance issue. “It was quite shocking,” he said about Williams’ death. “I mean, the ninth floor is the history department. And me being a history major, that could have been a potential professor or department chair.” Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said the city’s Medical Examiner’s Office is still investigating Williams’ cause of death. As of Monday night, nothing appeared suspicious, he added. “Unfortunately a full examination takes a bit of time, but we might get an initial ruling in a couple of days,” Leone said. * news@temple-news.com T @TheTempleNews
NEWS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
lifestyle
The Owlery The features blog of The Temple News
CLUB TEAM OVERFLOW
When cold weather makes practicing outside impossible, club teams struggle to find indoor practice space on Main Campus. PAGE 8 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
RINGING IN
REACHING OUT TO SCHOOLS
Artists Striving to End Poverty will visit Philly public schools weekly to provide arts education. PAGE 15
MARDI GRAS AT TYLER
The Tyler School of Art will provide free coffee and coffee cake today at 11 a.m. to celebrate Fat Tuesday. PAGE 16
TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
PAGE 7
PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
THE CHINESE NEW YEAR
MARGO REED TTN
Leo Sheng is a 2014 physics alumnus and runs the blog “Extreme Philly Fishing.”
MATT McGRAW TTN
Reading Terminal Market celebrates the Chinese New Year one night early as large crowds came out on Saturday, Feb. 6, to see the decorations, extra vendors and food demonstrations.
Students celebrated the Year of the Monkey yesterday with events on and off campus.
T
By GILLIAN McGOLDRICK The Temple News
ongtong Huang would often ring in the Chinese New Year decked out head-to-toe in crimson clothes—right down to her underwear. Red is he color of the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, which was welcomed by countries all over the world yesterday. The senior finance major intends to spend this Chinese New Year in red once again, while making dinner with her friends to celebrate. “If I’m in China, I can feel all of the people around me are really excited about [the Chinese New Year],” she said. “These days, I have a lot of homework, readings and exams, so I don’t have time to realize it’s coming.” “The Spring Festival is the most important holiday in China, it’s so important to see your family [during] this time,” Huang added. There is a 12-year cycle of the lunar months around which the Chinese calendar revolves. Each year is represented by a different animal. The Chinese Year of the Monkey begins in this Gregorian year of 2016. Temple’s Chinese Club celebrated the Year of the Monkey on Sunday with an event in the Student Center. Chinese students in the club taught American students how to make dumplings and they screened a movie about the Spring Festival, while also broadcasting a live-feed of the Super Bowl. “By having the Chinese members teach the American students how to make dumplings, we’re hoping to get stronger ties between
By ALEXIS ROGERS The Temple News The Computer Recycling Center first opened on Main Campus in 2003. To help save the environment from toxic technological waste—and to save money in the pro-
MATT McGRAW TTN
As part of the celebration of the Chinese New Year at the Philadelphia Suns dress up in lion costumes.
club members that way,” said Nick Wilson, a senior math major and the club’s president. The Confucius Institute, which opened earlier this year, added faculty from China’s Zhejiang Normal University and strive to expand Temple’s programs about Chinese language and culture.
cess—the CRC accepts donated electronics, refurbishes them and sells them back to students for a discounted rate. In an effort to increase the center’s business, the CRC relocated from the Tech Center to Pearson Hall Room 152 this semester. The store officially re-opened last Tuesday, Feb. 2, and received about 20 orders that morning. “We had no exposure before,” said alumnus Jonathan Latko, the director of the Computer Recycling Center. “No physical store exposure.” “We were looking for creative ways to lessen the burden on tuition dollars and cre-
LIFESTYLE@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
Leo Sheng created “Extreme Philly Fishing” in 2011, and has since gained thousands of followers. By EMILY ROLEN Editor-in-Chief
HOLIDAY | PAGE 15
Computer center relocated The Computer Recycling Center re-opened in Pearson Hall last Tuesday.
Alumnus hooked on blogging
ate a model that could actually produce income,” he added. Latko earned his MBA from the Fox School of Business in 2003, and that same year, Temple opened up the CRC, which originally served as a recycling program for old technology. Latko said Temple had thousands of pieces of equipment in storage which needed repair. In order to get rid of these products, the university hired special facilities to dismantle the equipment. The CRC opened to combat that prob-
COMPUTERS | PAGE 14
Leo Sheng hadn’t caught anything that weekend. The ice on the lakes in the area wasn’t thick enough to stand on, the snow blocked most spots on river banks and days before, firefighters almost kicked him out of his spot on the Schuylkill River because of an oil spill. He stood on the north end of Meadow Lake in FDR Park, hands in his pockets, a GoPro strapped to his chest. He scanned his three poles stuck in the mud and looked around the park. “There’s really no one here,” he said, laughing. And for good reason. It was freezing, and days after the large snowstorm which hit Philadelphia in mid-January. But he didn’t seem to mind—Sheng tries to fish and be in nature for “peaceful time” three or four times a week, he said. A large net—but not the largest in his equipment closet, he noted—night crawlers, hooks, sinkers and extra line spilled out of his backpack onto the snow. It was a brisk morning,
“The Schuylkill River
is not as polluted as you think. It has fish in
”
there!
Leo Sheng | 2014 phsyics alumnus
FISHING | PAGE 16
LIFESTYLE
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Weather displaces practicing club sports teams There is limited indoor practice space for club teams during the winter. By TSIPORA HACKER The Temple News With 55 varsity and club sports on Main Campus, it can be challenging to find space to practice—especially in cold weather. When weather prevents club athletes from using outdoor fields, like The Oval and Geasey Field both located on 15th Street near Norris, they turn to indoor spaces. These facilities, like the Student Pavilion
on the corner of 15th and Berks streets and the gymnasiums in Pearson and McGonigle Halls, are limited. To get practice time in these spaces, club teams have to reach out to Peter Derstine, the assistant director of club sports for Campus Recreation. It is possible that the university’s construction plans for William Penn could provide extra field space for club sports. The current plan calls for a facility for the track & field program and fields for the soccer teams,w which currently compete at Ambler. “We set up practice spaces based on what sport they are, and what we have available,” Derstine said. “It’s a priority of who asked first, who’s in season and how much time we have.” Michael Wellstein, captain and recruitment chair of the men’s rugby team, said getting indoor practice space is competitive for club teams.
JENNY KERRIGAN TTN
Indoor and club teams practice in the Student Pavilion during inclement weather.
“I can probably think of a million times we didn’t get a space and were frustrated,” said the junior finance major. “We requested to run stairs the other night, and when we got there everything was locked. We talked to [Campus Recreation], and I said, ‘Can we at least get into the basketball gym?’” Wellstein added. “They couldn’t give us that. I had to call practice and just did weights at IBC.” “We reached out about getting indoor space one or two nights a week, and the response was just, ‘No,’” said Amelia Schunder, a junior secondary English education major and president of the club field hockey team. Though the Temple University Fitness Center and the IBC Student Recreation Center are open for student use, Caroline Erkes, a junior nursing major and treasurer of the field hockey team, said holding practice in a public gym with more than 30 teammates just isn’t realistic—there isn’t enough space. Students aren’t technically allowed to hold team practices in TUF or IBC anyway and can face disciplinary action for doing so. “There have also been occasions where [Campus] Recreation hasn’t been there to unlock the pavilion,” said Alex Barday, a senior finance major and treasurer of the wrestling team. “We practiced in the IBC instead, and got a citation because of it.” The lack of space can be difficult for club teams who are in season and actively competing. Mike Walsh, a junior accounting major and the president of the club wrestling team, said he competed against students at nationals last week who said they were practicing five to six times a week. “It’s pretty difficult to compete when you only practice three days a week,” Barday added.
“It’s good that we’re getting more club sports,” Wellstein said. “But the problem is that there’s only a set number of facilities and times we can use them. When you add more clubs, funding and facilities don’t increase.” Even though club athletes are frustrated, some have said they believe that the coordinators at Campus Recreation have improved and are doing the best they can with limited space. In the past, communication was difficult between coordinators and athletes. “You’d message a coordinator at 10 a.m., and they wouldn’t get back to you until 6:30 p.m,” said Ryan Coughlan, a senior environmental studies major and two-year captain and president of the men’s ultimate frisbee club. “They’re getting better about that.” “How many indoor facilities can you build on a city campus?” said Terrence Malloy, a senior criminal justice major and the two-year co-captain and president of the lacrosse club. “We’re very fair, we get it.” Though club athletes are often disappointed by the challenges of practicing inside, Wellstein said spending so much time inside builds team chemistry and excites athletes to get back outside. “Farmers in the winter keep the cattle cooped up because they can’t run around in snow, and when the cows are let out for the first time in the spring, they freak out and prance around and roll in the grass,” Wellstein said. “It’s just like that with full grown men.” * tsipora.hacker@temple.edu Editor’s note: Lifestyle Editor Michaela Winberg plays on the women’s ultimate frisbee club. She played no role in the reporting of this story.
New eateries open on Main Campus Crisp Kitchen opened last Tuesday and Blaze Pizza will open Thursday. By ALEXA BRICKER The Temple News When Rick Petrone and his business partner Tony Rufo were looking for a spot to open their first restaurant, Crisp Kitchen, they thought there was no better place than Temple. Last Tuesday, Crisp Kitchen joined a long line of food options at Temple, a community Petrone says they are proud and excited to be a part of. “We know Temple is exploding right now in everything,” Petrone said. “We immediately saw [the location] and fell in love with it. You’ve got students above and people walking up and down so we thought it was a great location.” The new eatery, which sits under The View at Montgomery among national chains Potbelly Sandwich Shop and Chipotle Mexican Grill, is one of two new eateries to open on campus this month. Blaze Pizza, which has more than 100 locations in the U.S. and Canada, will open Thursday and celebrate with a free pizza day on Friday. Both restaurants have a mission of using fresh, homemade ingredients and offer a variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices— a trend Petrone said he sees growing in the industry. Crisp Kitchen will cater to the customers’ desire for healthy, freshly-prepared options, Petrone said, with more than six choices of salads, stir-fry dishes like, Fiery Garlic Sriracha and Plum Hoisin and fro-yo. All meats served at the restaurant are also antibiotic free, he said. “I really like that they have stir-fry, that’s something I can’t get at many other places on campus,” said Mackenzie Feeley, a senior social work major. “I actually got to taste test the stir-fry for free a couple days ago and really liked it so I decided to come back.” Blaze Pizza is also excited to join the Philadelphia community with the opening. The store’s design will highlight the city, featuring the Philadelphia skyline and graphics representing the university. Traditional and eccentric pizza lovers will have many options to choose from, with creations like Art Lover, an artichoke, mozzarella, ricotta, chopped garlic and red sauce pizza, and Veg Out, a vegetarian pizza with mushrooms,
JENNY KERRIGAN TTN
Crisp Kitchen, a new restaurant located under The View, opened last Tuesday. On Thursday, Blaze Pizza will open next-door to the new restaurant.
zucchinis, red onions, mozzarella and gorgonzola. One of the most important goals of the shop is reducing the wait time in making pizza from scratch. An open-flame oven, which is the centerpiece of the restaurant, turns out pies in less than 180 seconds—making it easier for students on the go to pick up a slice. “Our mission at Blaze is really simple— we’re taking pizza back to its roots,” Jim Mizes, president and COO of Blaze, said in a press release. “By making the dough in house, carefully sourcing ingredients and cooking by fire, we’re giving guests a great way to enjoy artisanal pizza without the wait. It’s changing the way people think about and eat pizza.” By opening his first location of Crisp Kitchen just off Main Campus, Petrone said he hopes to get a taste of what young people are hungry for, though he recognizes not everyone will want a salad every day. “There’s so many choices,” Petrone said. “Some days you’ll want pizza and other days you’ll want something else, but you want lots of options—especially on a college campus with a mix and a diverse group here.” * alexa.morgan.bricker@temple.edu
EVAN EASTERLING TTN
A Crisp Kitchen employee packages stir-fry in a to-go box. The restaurant serves healthy options like salads and homemade soups.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC COMMUNITY FIGHTS BACK
PABLO PICASSO PIECES ON DISPLAY
After Councilman Mark Squilla’s proposed bill that would create a “registry” of musicians’ personal information, the community fought back with marches and petitions. PAGE 10
The Barnes Foundation will host some 50 pieces from the famous artist in a new exhibit, focusing on his dramatic stylistic shift during World War I. PAGE 11
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Curtain closes on pioneering playhouse After 57 years in the theater community, the Society Hill Playhouse will close.
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By ANGELA GERVASI The Temple News
ore than 60 years ago, Deen Kogan walked into an acting class at Temple and met her future husband. “I called my mother that night, and I said, ‘I met the man I’m going to marry,’” Kogan said. “And he didn’t know it.” The class not only sparked a decades-long marriage be-
tween Deen and Jay Kogan, but an even longer-lasting legacy. The alumni went on to establish the Society Hill Playhouse, a staple of Philadelphia theater. “We had a very lucky, lucky life. We were able to do a lot of what we wanted to do,” Deen Kogan said. A modest brick building, the Society Hill Playhouse has been nestled on 8th Street between Lombard and South since 1959. When the Kogans purchased the building, it lacked basic plumbing. Its interior was lined with cracked tile. A friend painted the men’s room the night before the playhouse opened to the public in 1960. Today, a glittering Isaiah Zagar mosaic creeps like a cluster
PLAYHOUSE | PAGE 11
JOSHUA DICKER TTN
Alumna Deen Kogan and her husband Jay Kogan founded the Society Hill Playhouse at 507 S. 8th St. in 1959.
A ‘hush’ falls on the digital age
ALEX BEAUFORT TTN
“HUSH” is a grayscale exhibition at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, featuring work from four Tyler professors. By JENNY ROBERTS The Temple News
There’s something “that’s the unwanted in an image-based society I think is interesting.
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Jessica Jane Julius | Tyler adjunct assistant professor
ALEX BEAUFORT TTN
For Jessica Jane Julius’ 3-year-old son, anything that lights up is a touch screen. “Anything that’s lit a little bit, he’s touching it, because that’s now what we’re kind of living with,” said Julius, an adjunct assistant professor in the Tyler School of Art’s glass program. “We are a screen-based culture.” Julius, along with three other Tyler professors, decided to take a step back from this new culture and reflect on the digital age in a collaborative art exhibition titled “HUSH.” The exhibi-
“HUSH,” a new exhibit, featured the glass work of four Tyler professors, Jessica Jane Julius, Amber Cowan, Megan Biddle and Sharyn o”Mara.
tion, featuring grayscale glass sculptures, installations and drawings, opened Jan. 28 at the Philadelphia Art Alliance, at 251 S. 18th St. Julius worked with professors Amber Cowan, Megan Biddle and Sharyn O’Mara, all part of Tyler’s glass program, to create the exhibition. Melissa Caldwell, the chief curator at the Art Alliance, said “HUSH” was a more hands-off curating experience for her, because of the teaching and artistic experience of the four artists. “As faculty members and
HUSH | PAGE 13
For artist, intricacy achieved through texture John Turner uses off-beat materials in his textured work. By ERIN BLEWETT The Temple News According to abstract artist John Turner, if someone were to dust Pablo Picasso’s “Man with a Lamb” sculpture, it would have an
8-year-old’s fingerprints all over it. Turner, a Philadelphia-based artist, had parents who worked in art museums, giving him unprecedented access to famous pieces. As a child, he often visited the home of late president of Philadelphia Museum of Art R. Sturgis Ingersoll, who owned “Man with a Lamb” before his death. “I would go out there and climb on it,” Turner said. “That was my jungle gym when I went to Sturgis’ house.” Turner, now 54, creates large-scale pieces, incorporating a variety of unconventional ma-
ARTSandENTERTAINMENT@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
terials into his paintings. If he had the space, Turner said he would create work “the size of tractor trailers.” His work is currently on display in a solo show titled “Larger Works” at the Painted Bride Art Center, which will remain on view until Feb. 26. “This is a really exciting exhibit,” said Laurel Raczka, executive director of The Painted Bride. “I really love his work.” Turner often incorporates materials like acrylic oils, spray paint, dirt, barbed wire,
TURNER | PAGE 13
if it looks like “I justEventhrew it down
on the canvas, it’s like controlled chaos. John Turner | abstract artist
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MUSIC
Music community protests restrictive bill A now-withdrawn bill would have created a registry with musicians’ information. By EMILY THOMAS The Temple News When a new bill from City Councliman Mark Squilla threatened to require every Philadelphia musician to register personal information with the police, Larissa Sapko started an online petition. She didn’t think it would receive “more than a couple hundred signatures.” It received more than 15,000 by the end of the week. “I thought it would be a way for my friends to contact the Councilman, it was more of a unified course of action,” Sapko said. “I was hoping the story would get big, but I didn’t think my petition would get that big.” The registry of personal information was among several other changes Squilla wanted to make to the ‘Special Assembly Occupancy License’ section of the city’s code. After major protest from musicians, venue owners, promoters and fans, Squilla withdrew the bill and promised he would revisit it with music indus-
try leaders to draft a new, more music-friendly bill. Squilla also issued a statement on Facebook clarifying that the intent of the bill was not to create a registry, but to close a loophole that allowed nuisance bars which stream music to hold shows without the proper special occupancy licenses. “The bill now contains a provision that venues should obtain performers’ contact information to share with city officials should the need arise,” Squilla wrote. “This provision is NOT intended to restrict artistic expression or any kind of entertainment but rather is aimed at addressing public safety and quality of life issues.” “When [Squilla] originally said the purpose of the bill wasn’t to create a registry, that really shook me a little bit,” Sapko said. “I was like, ‘Oh God, what have I done … I don’t even know what I’m doing.’” But after reading through the bill, Sapko realized Squilla’s comments were less intimidating than she thought. “Once you read the bill it says that promoters will have to collect contact information for every musician performing and be ready to submit that to police upon request,” Sapko said. “You can call it what you want, but I would still call it a registry.”
“While that may not have been the intent, intent doesn’t count for as much as effect,” she added. “The effect would have been that a lot of people would have had to turn over their personal information.” Sapko is one of many community members who decided to act in response to the restrictive bill. Freshman education major Alex Casper, a promoter of local DIY venues in the city, helped organize a March for Musicians Against Bill No. 160016 protest on Feb. 4. More than 1,000 people joined the event page on Facebook. “The music community is one of the biggest economic influences in the city,” Casper said. “With us having such a large community and a powerful voice I thought this [march] could definitely help out.” “We created the event on Thursday, got the permits, and it completely blew up with how much attention it got through social media,” Casper added. “We were limited to inviting 500 people each [to the event page] but with the amount of people who were inviting their own friends, we were able to get 6,000 people invited, 700 people attending, 1,200 people saying maybe.” Once Squilla withdrew the bill, the march was reconfigured as a victory rally. With the mission accomplished, the march drew only about a few dozen people. But it still celebrated
the power and voice of the music community, Casper said. “Obviously when this bill was passed, it was thought that they could push the musicians and the venues around,” said John Poole, a local musician. “I don’t think this bill was really about punishing those nuisance bars as much as it was … just another way to get a list of people. They want to supposedly get the couple bad people, but it would have been abused.” Poole felt the bill showed a lack of appreciation for the music community and its impact on the city. “Philly’s put out some incredible worldclass musicians and it’s almost like a joke to them,” he said. “I don’t feel like the politicians really care about that, there’s a real disconnect in the city from the populace to the politicians.” “I think a lot of musicians from around the country are paying attention to what goes on in Philly right now,” Sapko said. “The city is a really hospitable environment for music and I think we have a great, active music community who are really genuinely proud of this city and want to see it continue to be a haven for artists.” * emily.ralsten.thomas@temple.edu *Editors note: Alex Casper was previously a freelance writer with The Temple News. He played no role in the editing process of this article.
New festival focuses on dance film genre Choreographer Nora Gibson created the Philadelphia Screendance Festival. By MORGAN SLUTZKY The Temple News
KHANYA BRANN TTN
Gravy Gallery in Northern Liberties hosted Amurri Lauren’s photography exhibit.
Through the portraits of others, photographer tells her own story Photographer Amurri Lauren’s first gallery show opened Feb. 5. By JENNY STEIN The Temple News When photographer Amurri Lauren’s fans on social media assume she’s a male, she isn’t surprised anymore—only disturbed. “Men, for years, have always been on the frontline of doing the footwork in photography,” Lauren said. “It is history. We need to break out of that shell.” Clothed in a Philadelphia 76ers flat-brim hat and a sweatshirt reading, “THE FUTURE IS FEMALE,” Lauren said she never appears in her own photos because she wants to “be taken seriously.” “I do not need to put myself in the middle of my work,” Lauren said. “I can run with the best of them. I rub shoulders with the best of the best, male and female.” Despite not appearing in her work, Lauren said her journey is displayed through her photographs, and every piece includes an aspect of herself. Lauren’s work mainly features individuals in an urban setting dressed in “anything that has some type of character or wear to it,” along with many musical artists. Lauren’s first gallery show, “A Million Stories,” opened Feb. 5 at Gravy Studio & Gallery and will re-
main open until the end of the month. The show features her portraiture of well-known musicians like Future, G-Eazy and Kendrick Lamar, as well as individuals Lauren encountered out in the city’s streets. Lauren said she’s pretty much met “everybody except for Michael Jackson and Prince.” “You get the sense that these are all different people in a moment having an experience,” said Kate Madara, who attended the show’s opening. “You get a story from each single one, and I love the way they play together.” “It really captures the everyday in Philly,” added Jeanette Wintjen, another attendee. “You really get a sense of what it feels like to walk through Philadelphia.” Katie Tackman, the primary curator of “A Million Stories,” met Lauren while working at West Elm, a furniture store in Center City. After printing one of Lauren’s pieces, Tackman was instantly drawn to Lauren’s work and continued to follow it throughout the year. “I was really impressed by how she has grown, and has gone really hard with getting her work out there, and getting jobs,” Tackman said. “[Lauren is] always doing something new. It's really impressive.” Although Tackman was only able to observe Lauren’s progression over the past year, Lauren’s work has been constantly evolving since she decided to pursue photography in 2010. While attending The Art Institute of Philadelphia for fashion marketing, Lauren started Young
Couture Magazine, an urban culture and fashion publication. Although she didn’t photograph for the magazine at the time, Lauren found a passion for the industry. During the conception of the magazine, Lauren was also working as internal security for Comcast, and ultimately earned a space for the launch party due to her positive employee record. “It was grand, it was beautiful, it was like ‘Whoa,’ and that kind of put me on the scene for my city,” Lauren said. “It’s definitely in the history books, that’s for sure.” Although the launch party for Young Couture was a success, Lauren believes that the magazine itself never came to its full fruition. Lauren does, however, feel that it played a large role in her career as a photographer. “It wasn’t organized, or how it should be, but it was beautiful,” Lauren said. “I consider it a lesson, a starting point for where I am today, and where I’m going to be in the future.” For Lauren, that future is continuing to shoot subjects and cover topics people don’t usually see from female photographers. Her work, she hopes, will begin to break down those barriers—but it won’t be easy. “Do I have to work as hard, or harder than you?” Lauren said. “Do I have to make my images look like yours? So, I just put my best foot forward and do what I feel, and what I do happens to look as good as theirs.” * jenny.stein@temple.edu
During an artist residency, choreographer Nora Gibson was inspired by the graffiti she saw in Poland. She returned home to Philadelphia after the residency with two takeaways—“don’t ask permission” and “disseminate your work.” Gibson, the artistic director of Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet, got her start making short films with footage of her own choreography. After posting them online, she wheatpasted the QR codes to her videos around town. “I knew it was being watched and I didn’t have the software to track how many views it was getting, but I felt good about putting ballet in totally unexpected places,” Gibson said. These videos were some of Gibson’s first forays into screendance, also known as dance film or “dance for camera,” a genre of film where narrative is communicated through movement and dance instead of dialogue. A little while later, Gibson was contacted by filmmaker Joseph Carlin, who was looking to make a dance film. “That was a major exposure to the genre in a way that I hadn’t expected to experience,” Gibson said. From there, she began planning a festival for the genre, and titled the event the Philadelphia Screendance Festival. Gibson did not expect the festival to draw much attention, planning instead for it to be a small counterpoint to her ballet company’s annual season concert—but then something bigger happened. “When I put out the call for submissions last September, I thought that people from Philadelphia and maybe from New York would submit films,” Gibson said. “But it blew up. There are movies from all over, and that is so exciting.” The first Philadelphia Screendance Festival will run Feb. 16-21 at the Christ Church Neighborhood House Theater at 20 N. American St., and will feature short films from countries all over the world as well as cities across the United States. Senior dance major Brian Cordova has developed an interest in the genre of dance film during his studies in the past year. For his senior performance, he plans to create
a dance film instead of performing live. “I think that for the sake of film there are things you can do and emote with dance that you can't necessarily do with a written script,” Cordova said. “And for dance there's a lot more space to play and introduce new ideas and concepts that you can't necessarily do with live bodies on a stage.” Three separate programs will run during the course of the festival, incorporating different ideas and concepts. “I would say that there's one that has a slightly more mellow vibe than the others, there’s one that I find has a little bit more glamourous zing to it, there’s one that’s just wonderfully eclectic,” Gibson said. “Each one definitely has its own flavor, but within each program there is still a wide mix of films.” Through organizing the festival, she hopes to expose new audiences to the genre of dance film and express the kinship she feels exists between the mediums. Gibson wants different audiences to come together, she said. Jillian Harris, an associate professor of dance at the Boyer School of Music and Dance, is excited to be involved in the growing attention Screendance is receiving. “Red Earth Calling,” a film Harris worked on as an assistant choreographer and producer and starred in as the female lead, is being shown at the Festival. “I think the most important thing about film is that it allows a much larger audience to experience dance,” Harris said. “Just piquing people’s interest about the expressive powers of movement is valuable. So if you can broaden your audience, I support that.” On the last three nights of the festival, the films will immediately follow the Nora Gibson Contemporary Ballet’s premier of “Ephemeral.” “Because of the comparison or the context, it makes each person’s work more what it is than if you had seen it in isolation,” Gibson explained. “It becomes more itself, in a way.” * morgan.slutzky@temple.edu
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FOOD
New diner serves up vegan menu with a vintage flair The Tasty will open in South Philadelphia and offer vegan fare. By TIM MULHERN The Temple News During a 22-year stint as tour manager for New Jersey-based punk band The Bouncing Souls, Kate Hiltz had to learn how to cook for large groups. “Tour and shows became an ex-
streets caught the attention of Pierce, who offered to handle the coffee served at the diner. Pierce, who worked as a barista during high school, now works behind the scenes at ReAnimator Coffee. For 30 years, Atlantic Pizza occupied the space The Tasty will take over. Hiltz and Pierce decided to keep much of the already-existing interior decor to give the new space a classic diner feel. The throwback decor, however, is the only aspect of The Tasty that will resemble Atlantic Pizza—customers hoping to find burgers and cheese-based foods on the menu will
diner favorites with a vegan twist. The menu will focus on classic, well-known diner dishes like french toast and pancakes, as well as inventive takes on egg-based favorites. Tofu will be used in scrambles and breakfast sandwiches, and a tofubased batter will be used in omelettes. Hiltz said she and Baltopoulos share a goal of providing filling, homestyle food that tastes good without emphasizing its vegan qualities. “We’re not playing the vegan card, basically,” Baltopoulos said. “That’s not why we’re doing it, but I think it’s great that other people are catching on.”
We’re not playing the vegan card, basically. That’s not why we’re “doing it, but I think it’s great that other people are catching on.” Sofia Baltopoulus | co-owner of The Tasty
cuse to feed people,” said Hiltz, who started catering weddings and events 15 years ago. “Everything was always vegetarian, then it became vegan.” Today, Hiltz and friends Sofia Baltopoulos and Ben Pierce are set to open The Tasty, a new vegan diner in South Philadelphia. For years, Baltopoulos cooked and baked at home. After moving to the city two years ago, she began to sell her baked goods to coffee shops in the area. Later, Baltopoulos and Hiltz began to collaborate and cater events throughout the city. An advertisement in the Passyunk Post for the open space at the corner of Gerritt and S. 12th
have to go elsewhere. “There’s a big difference between a regular place having vegan and vegetarian options and having a vegetarian place or a vegan place,” Hiltz said. As Philadelphia moves to becoming a more vegan-friendly city, the prospect of The Tasty being a destination for vegan residents and visitors alike excites Hiltz. She hopes to dispel preconceptions neighborhood customers might hold about vegan food before trying The Tasty’s offerings. Baltopoulos noted limited vegan offerings as a discouraging aspect of other diners in the city. The Tasty will serve its guests a wide array of
Baltopoulos said the group’s collective passion for good food and coffee, and giving back to the community, is their motivation for opening the diner. With a menu planned and an opening in sight, The Tasty is ready to serve customers looking for a hot cup of coffee and a new spin on an old favorite. “We’re not going to be rich [and] we’re not going to be sleeping … We’re going to be tired,” Hiltz said. “That’s what caffeine is for,” added Pierce. “We won’t be hungry or thirsty,” Hiltz said.
By EMILY THOMAS The Temple News The Barnes Foundation’s latest exhibit, “Picasso: The Great Wear, Experimentation and Change,” combines abstract designs and striking portraits—all while exploring Pablo Picasso’s dramatic shift in style during and after World War I. The exhibit, a collaboration between The Barnes and the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, opens Feb. 21 and runs until May 9. The Barnes will feature 50 of Picasso’s pieces, including watercolors, oil paintings and a handful of pieces created by Picasso’s contemporaries, like Henri Matisse and Diego Rivera. The show aims to highlight Picasso’s sudden change in style, moving between Cubism and more classical, reserved works. Although not a subject in any of his work, the war is seen as a possible influence of the dramatic shift. “[Picasso] keeps this up for a good 10 years, going back and forth between fragmented forms and very whole, legible forms,” said Martha Lucy, a Barnes managing curator and assistant professor of art history at Drexel University. “The show looks at this oscillation in his style and asks questions about it, like, ‘Why is he doing this, and does it have anything to do with the war?’” “He never actually represents the war as a subject,” Lucy added. “But I think it’s still an important backdrop for understanding his work from this
time, because he was affected by it. … A lot of his closest friends were sent to the front.” The exhibit pulls pieces from around the world, including loans from the Musée Picasso in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, as well as private collections
The show looks at “ this oscillation in his style and asks questions about it.
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Martha Lucy | Barnes Foundation managing curator
spanning the United States and Europe. The Barnes also organized a series of programs to run during the exhibit, helping viewers further understand the history and context of the pieces through lectures and classes held by local experts in European art. “One of the goals [of the exhibit] is to expose people to this very strange and complicated … and probably one of the least understood … periods in Picasso’s career,” Lucy said. “I think that what he’s grappling with during this period, this breaking apart of form and going back to the classical mode, is something that he does on and off for the rest of his career. So it’s important because this is the beginning of an interesting set of contradictions that happens for the rest of his life.” While addressing Picasso’s tur-
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PLAYHOUSE
of ivy along the outside of the building. Kogan, who has continued to run the theater since her husband’s death in 1993, expressed regret over the mural’s fate. “That’s one of the saddest things— I mean, we have no way of preserving that. Because the people who bought us are going to tear it down,” Kogan said. In January, the Society Hill Playhouse announced it will close on April 1. The Toll Brothers, a luxury home developer, will construct about 20 apartments there, according to PlanPhilly. On March 13, the playhouse will hold a yard sale to sell its supply of equipment and seats.
I’m not happy about closing. But there’s “a play ... and there’s a line in it that says, ‘Nothing lasts forever.’” Deen Kogan | Society Hill Playhouse owner
bulent times, the exhibit also illuminates how the styles he uses—Cubism and Neoclassicism—though very different, actually compliment each other. Dr. Gerald Silk, professor of modern and contemporary art at the Tyler School of Art, said the importance of the two styles working together can be seen in the ballet, “Parade,” an avant-garde production that Picasso designed the costumes and curtain for. “[Picasso’s] curtain design is representational, with a dreamy, childlike classicism … when the curtain rises, the audience is shocked to see a more Cubist backdrop and some figures dressed in Cubistic costumes,” Silk said. “The poet and critic, Guillaume Apollinaire—Picasso’s close friend—called the ballet, ‘surreal,’ one of the first uses of that term.” Four costumes from the production and sketches of the curtain design are included in the exhibit to show how Picasso used both styles in his work. Lucy said the exhibit is a “nice compliment to the permanent collection,” as The Barnes has several early Picasso works of its own. “The Barnes as a venue continues its more recent efforts to mount exhibitions with greater social and political content,” Silk said. “This Picasso show takes The Barnes, which has Picassos in its permanent collection, mostly from his pre-cubist period … in a bolder and illuminating direction.” “It’s really exciting to have this group of work from all over the world together at one time in the city,” Lucy said. “I don’t know when the next time is that they’ll be here.”
Kogan said the Toll Brothers had approached her several years ago. Recently, she decided it was time to end the 57-year life of the two-theater playhouse. But Kogan’s work in theater is far from over—the director already has her eye on a possible cabaret space in a Port Richmond bookstore—but for her, the playhouse’s closure is a solemn one. “I’m not happy about closing. But there’s a play called ‘The Shadow Box,’ Michael Cristofer wrote it, and there’s a line in it that says, ‘Nothing lasts forever,’” Kogan said. “And that’s happening.” Today, Philadelphia is sprinkled with playhouses—the Avenue of the Arts houses a vibrant theater district. But when the Kogans were young directors, the off-Broadway, experimental theatrical vibe of the Society Hill Playhouse had not yet been provided for the city’s artistic atmosphere. “There were no other theaters like ours at the time,” Kogan said. “Now you have a great many small, quasi-professional, non-professional, whatever profession.” Today, the playhouse stands as a resolute testimony to its many years of performance. Outside the Red Room, a crimson cabaret-style theater on the first floor, scores of neatly framed posters line the walls. Productions range from the Swiss drama “Andorra” and the German tragedy “The Plebians Rehearse the Uprising,” to works as well-known as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Grease.” Near the playhouse’s threshold, neon signs bear titles of successful productions. “Nunsense,” the longest-running musical comedy in Philadelphia history, glows in soft lavender script. “I said to Jay, ‘Well, maybe we could get five weeks out of it,’” Kogan said of the production. “And we got 10 years.” American premieres, operas and burlesque shows were not uncommon in the playhouse. The Kogans accepted almost any submitted script—no matter how avant-garde, surrealistic or obscure. Shortly before the playhouse’s closure, Harrison Stengle’s production of Hamlet will take place in the Red Room. The play will involve animalistic symbolism—a concept appropriate for the playhouse’s “anything goes” attitude. “[The playhouse] is available to young people who have imagination. He calls it a surrealistic Hamlet. Don’t ask! Come and see it if you want!” Kogan said. “I’m honored that I could perform there, have my performance go up on the stage there, while it’s still open. It’s kind of humbling,” Stengle said. Not every play has been a blockbuster. In one production an actor emoted so passionately that he toppled some of the scenery. Kogan, however, said she doesn’t regret a single performance—each provided a learning experience. “It’s really like flipping a coin. You’re not sure what’s going to happen, who’s going to come,” Kogan said. The playhouse has extended far beyond its Victorian pressed tin walls. For a time, actors toured Philadelphia in a flatbed truck, and the street theater segments reached out directly to communities. Shortly before one performance in South Philadelphia, the actors received word of a deadly fire in the area. “People died. I thought ‘Oh, my,’ and I had a call from the block captain saying, ‘Please come.’ And we did,” Kogan said. As the playhouse prepares to bid the city farewell, its documentation will remain intact. Kogan, a member of the Paley Library Board of Visitors, has arranged for everything—from posters to playbills to pictures— to be moved safely into Temple’s Special Collections. “I’m happy that the archives are going there, there’s a good sense of history,” Kogan said. “If you were really interested you could trace how this theater started—and what happened.”
* emily.ralsten.thomas@temple.edu
* angela.gervasi@temple.edu
* timothy.mulhern@temple.edu
At The Barnes, Picasso’s change in style examined for new exhibit A new exhibit at The Barnes Foundation will host 50 Picasso pieces.
JOSHUA DICKER TTN
Deen Kogan opened the Society Hill Playhouse to the public in 1960.
PAGE 12
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
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MARGO REED TTN
The 2016 Philadelphia Auto Show came to a close Sunday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Produced by the Automobile Dealers Association of Greater Philadelphia, the event featured 700 vehicles and 40 brands, separating the featured vehicles into the DUB, Lexus, Mercedes and main showroom shows. Evelyn Myers took her family to the Auto Show this year, including her nephews, Elijah, 8, and Isaac, 3, who she said “love the cars.” Isaac (pictured), used the Acura’s Oculus Rift—a virtual reality experience where participants can “test drive” the new Acura NSX model. “You can just walk within feet to see the different models and we’re here with the whole family,” Myers said. The DUB Show Tour featured customized cars, bikes and trucks with performance and cosmetic modifications, including Harry Palmer’s Fisker Karma EcoSport, customized by High End Vine Street Car Stereo. Palmer’s car features LED lights in the wheels, the grill and the headlights, as well as a solar panel roof and Semper Fi emblems to honor his time in the Marines. Jenny Kerrigan contributed reporting.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
PAGE 13
OUT & ABOUT
Exhibit showcases Tyler professors
WORKS ON DISPLAY AT THE ALUMNI GALLERY
Continued from page 9
HUSH
professional artists, it was just kind of fun for me to watch,” Caldwell said. “They’ve been working so long in the glass world.” The conceptual creation of “HUSH” began long before its recent debut at the Art Alliance. Cowan, an adjunct professor, said the four artists originally teamed up to fashion the concept for “HUSH” about three years ago after noticing similarities, like the use of repetitive patterns, in some of their works, which were on display in the Temple Contemporary at the time. With these commonalities in mind, the four Tyler professors teamed up to apply for a competitive residency at the Pilchuck Glass School through the John H. Hauberg Fellowship Program to pursue “HUSH.” “We actually applied twice and didn’t get it,” Cowan said. “We had brought together this idea of the show for the residency and were like, ‘Well, you know, if we can’t do the residency out there, let’s just do it here and have our own show.’” The four professors created their own residency at Tyler and worked there, as well as in their own separate studios, throughout this past summer and fall to create “HUSH.” The exhibition, Cowan said, explores the idea of leaving the digital age behind and returning to analog and handmade processes. “HUSH,” she added, is about “going into more contemplative and quiet viewing.” “And we were thinking about this as far as the residency, having time to just be away from all the chaos of ... teaching and all the chaos that is our world now,” Cowan said. During their residency, the team melted down gray glass in one of Tyler’s glass melting tanks to share in order to produce cohesive, grayscale pieces. “Normally at Tyler, we only melt clear glass in our tanks,” Cowan said. “Last semester and over the summer, we melted a gray tank, so we had a whole tank of beautiful gray glass.” “So we had this tank that all of us could use and unify the work a little bit,” she added. Cowan and Julius both used this glass in
The Alumni Gallery at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts will host Will and Emily Brown beginning Thursday. The exhibit, entitled “Brown and Brown” will be on display until April 24. The opening reception will be Wednesday beginning at 7:30 p.m. Will Brown is known primarily for his photographs of artifacts and architectural spaces. Emily Brown has been painting en plein air, or outdoor painting, for many decades. Her works focus on commonly experienced textures in nature. The gallery is located at 118-128 N. Broad St. -Erin Blewett
ALEX BEAUFORT TTN
“HUSH” opened Jan. 28 at the Philadelphia Art Alliance.
some of their featured works. Julius’ favorite self-created piece for the show isn’t made of this Tyler-melted gray glass, but airport-grade reflector beads. “Absorption Screen” is a 19-by-19-foot screen of these glass beads. “I would paint a section and then I’d splash the beads on it,” Julius said. “That piece will only exist for this exhibition. Once it’s done, I will scrape it off of the wall, so there is an ephemeral sense to it too.” Julius’ temporary creation, which is activated with spotlights, has also become a favorite of Art Alliance patrons. “I would definitely say because it’s site specific and so large that the ‘Absorption Screen’ is a pretty big hit,” Caldwell said. “They always want to know what it’s made of because it gives off an almost eerie quality, but in a good way.” Julius said her inspiration for the “Absorption Screen” was television static. “It’s all the radiation that’s in the air and it gets sucked into your television,” Julius said. “It gets pulled into the television and put into a pictorial sense, an image that we can then look at.”
ALEX BEAUFORT TTN
The exhibit featured mostly gray glasswork.
“And it’s a discarded image,” Julius added. “So there’s something that’s the unwanted in an image-based society I think is interesting.” “HUSH” will remain on display until April 24, and an artist discussion panel will be held on March 30 at 6 p.m. Glass artist Daniel Clayman will be the moderator, and the four Tyler professors will discuss their work from “HUSH.” * jennifer.roberts@temple.edu
Continued from page 9
TURNER
EVAN EASTERLING TTN
Andrew Gray, (left), 37, and Danielle Faust, 37, visited Turner’s opening.
want to “push his career further” using his father’s success. Instead, Turner wanted to establish himself based on his own talent—though he still acknowledges the crucial role his childhood played in his decision to pursue art. Establishing his work on his
own was not an easy task. In the ‘80s, when Turner was “painting and figuring out” his style, he requested that a friend from a gallery take a look at some of his early works. “He looked at them and he said, ‘This is all a bunch of sh-t.
If you want my honest opinion, it’s all sh-t,’” Turner said. “I went home and destroyed every single one of them. I took a knife and just slashed them all. I didn’t paint for a number of years after that.” Eventually, Turner found his way back to painting after deciding that he “was going to do his own thing,” despite the opinions of others. In the past year or so, Turner said, people have begun to take notice of his work—in a much more positive way. “John’s art can only be fully appreciated when you get close,” said fellow artist and friend, Eli Bockol. “There you will begin to understand what’s at its core, what it’s made of, and the purposeful care with which it’s constructed. Same can be said of John and his friendship.” “I want a person to see my work one way when they walk into a space,” Turner said. “And then another way when they get close to it.”
Philadelphia Fashion Week, a collective effort of local, national and international designs to redefine fashion, returns to the city starting Monday. Events include the Philadelphia Fashion Week Collective Streetwear Show presented by the Philadelphia 76ers, Luxe Men’s Show featuring eight national and international designers and The Runway I and II, featuring high-end couture designs from around the world. Fashion Week events will take place at 2300 Arena in South Philadelphia from Feb. 15-20. Tickets are available online at Philadelphia Fashion Week’s website. -Erin Moran
DRAPETOMANÍA: GRUPO ANTILLANO AND AFRO-CUBA ART
The African American Museum in Philadelphia, located at 7th and Arch streets, opened Jan. 30 for Drapetomanía, an exhibit showcasing works by AfroCuban artists. The show’s title is based on a supposed mental illness introduced in 1851 that was believed to manifest in slaves who attempted to escape captivity. The exhibit emphasizes Grupo Antillano, a short-lived artistic movement in the late 1970s and early 80s during which African culture heavily influenced Cuban contemporary art. The exhibit will remain on display until March 20. -Angela Gervasi
ALUMNA NAMED THE NEW PHILADELPHIA POET LAUREATE
Mayor Jim Kenney selected Yolanda Wisher as Philadelphia’s poet laureate on Friday. Wisher earned her Masters degree in creative writing from Temple in 2000. Laureates are government-appointed poets responsible for writing poems for special events and occasions. Additionally, Wisher worked as the director of art education for the City of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program from 2010 to 2015 and founded the Germantown Poetry Festival. -Eamon Dreisbach
* erin.clare.blewett@temple.edu
NEW BOOKS IN SPRING
BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROJECT
@jtimpane tweeted his article for the Inquirer about the best books for spring, including “Noonday” by Pat Barker, set in wartime England and “The Life of Elves” by Muriel Barbery.
@sofiyaballin tweeted about her new multimedia project with the Inquirer, “Black History: What I Wish I Knew,” featuring the essays and stories of people and what they never learned about Black History in school.
SUBMISSIONS OPEN FOR APIARY MAGAZINE
BEST ART EVENTS THIS MONTH
@APIARYmagazine tweeted submissions are open for publication. The theme is “soft targets,” inspired by vulnerability and violence. Poetry and prose are accepted and can be submitted online.
@uwishunu tweeted some of the city’s art events, like Wendy Maruyama’s “The WildLIFE Project,” which will feature elephant scultpures at the Center for Art in Wood at 141 N. 3rd St.
TOP PICKS FOR NEW RELEASES
TRENDING IN PHILLY The best of Philadelphia’s food, music, nightlife and arts. For breaking news and daily updates, follow The Temple News on Twitter and Instagram @TheTempleNews.
Cheerleader will play at Bourbon & Branch Friday as part of a tour for its debut LP, “The Sunshine Of Your Youth.” The electro dream-pop group began as a duo, and caught the attention of NME and MTV after moving from Connecticut to Philadelphia in 2013. Later expanding to a five-piece band, the group released the EP, “On Your Side,” in 2014. Tickets are $710. The show begins at 9 p.m. Suburban Living and Surf Rock is Dead will open the performance. -Emily Thomas
FASHION WEEK RETURNS
Texture, unusual materials: ‘controlled chaos’ crushed leaves and cork into his work. Hay saturated in paint is Turner’s current material of choice, which he attaches to a canvas. He prefers to work primarily with his hands and scrapers. “Even if it looks like I just threw it down on the canvas, it’s like controlled chaos,” Turner said. “Mostly I don’t put stuff down on the canvas until I know exactly where I want it to go. Texture is a huge thing to me.” Each piece is created through hours of manipulating canvas and adding numerous layers, leading to the uncanny depth his work is known for. Turner’s art usually appears simple from afar, but once approached, the viewer can see the intricacy of each piece. Turner said he was constantly surrounded by noteworthy artists as a child due to his father, who was a prominent figure in the Philadelphia art scene. But he didn’t
CHEERLEADER TO PLAY THIS FRIDAY AT BOURBON & BRANCH
DEADLINE IS MARCH 8
ONLINE AT PHILLY.COM
UWISHUNU’S LIST
LIFESTYLE
PAGE 14
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Alumnus delivers bottled water to Flint Continued from page 1
FLINT
of Flint have been unknowingly drinking and bathing in a water supply that contains toxic amounts of lead. Despite complaints from Flint residents about tap water since 2014 with strange colors and odors, government officials insisted that the water supply was safe for use, according to The New York Times. Lawton said he and his team refused to stand by and wait for the problem to be solved. “Our generation stands for doing more and talking less,” Lawton said. In less than a week, he and his team had distributed more than 2,000 cases of water to residents of Flint. While he was in Flint, Lawton said he noticed some people hadn’t yet received any form of assistance in response to the water crisis. “People aren’t aware of the level of inaction that local and state government has taken,” Lawton said. Lawton said some families that have a house full of kids and no car had no way to fire stations or government buildings, where water and filters were being distributed. He said he made a point to bring water to these neighborhoods specifically. “We wanted to show the residents that people actually care about them,” Lawton said. The group’s physical presence in the city left an impact on the group as a whole, showing them that they can “come together and do good things,” Lawton said. Despite their efforts, Lawton said that pumping water bottles into the city is helpful in the short term, but creates another problem: massive waste generation. “We’re treating the symptoms, not addressing the cause,” Lawton said. “We need advocates in power that can make something happen immediately.” Lawton’s group documented their trip with a YouTube video titled #Philly2Flint. This hashtag sparked a movement in which groups travelling to Flint from other cities altered the
hashtag to use their city’s name. Greater Philadelphia is providing relief efforts to Flint in more ways than one. ZeroWater, a water filtration company based in Bucks County, initiated its “Filters for Flint” program. The company’s water filters are the only pour-through filters certified by the National Science Foundation to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for lead removal, and the lifespan of the filters helps reduce the waste that the water bottle donations cause.
Marketing Executive Tony Petruzzi said ZeroWater felt “obligated to participate” in relief efforts. For every donation that’s made through the Filters for Flint program, ZeroWater is matching the donation. “In two and a half weeks, we’ve shipped over $50,000 worth of product and donation matches,” said Petruzzi. Before the program was even established, ZeroWater donated thousands of filtration units to schools in Flint in an effort to provide short-
term relief. “We wanted to get devices and filters in the hands of the residents immediately,” said Petruzzi. Although relief is being provided, Petruzzi said filters or even donated cases of water, aren’t the long-term answer to this problem. “Filters won’t take things back to business as usual,” he said. “Something has to change.” * paula.davis@temple.edu
BRIANNA SPAUSE TTN
Lawton, a 2013 marketing alumnus, collected 60,000 bottles of water and embarked on a 15-hour drive to hand-deliver water to people in need.
Computer center reopens, recycles Continued from page 7
COMPUTERS
lem. Latko jumped on board and revised the original idea, turning the center into a store with a refurbishment model. “Initially, it was just to collect it and divert it from the main waste stream, which was either landfilled or incinerated, and then send it to people who can demanufacture it,” Latko said. “Then we grew it into a refurbishment program.” Incorrectly disposing of computer parts can be hazardous to the environment, Latko said. It can also have negative effects on humans if they are exposed to the waste. “One of the biggest challenges we face is that most of Temple’s trash goes to an incinerator, so any kind of toxic metals that are incinerated can go into the air, water or stream depending what is done to it,” Latko said. “Lead in the air, cadmium, all of these heavy metals that exist, you don’t want to burn that stuff.” The center handles many aspects of technology, including monitors, printers, toner cartridges and cell phones. All of the products are posted online, and customers can apply to purchase the products on a first-come, first-served basis. “We are moving about 90 tons of equipment from the university every year, which equals about 7,000 or 8,000 pieces of equipment,” Latko said. The Office of Sustainability works closely with the
CRC to promote positive environmental practices around campus. It’s a mutually beneficial collaboration, said Katherine Switala-Elmhurst, the program manager at the Office of Sustainability. “All of our computers here actually have come from the Computer Recycling Program,” Switala-Elmhurst said. Kevin Magerr, an adjunct professor of environmental science, promotes the CRC through his lesson plans. He takes his classes on sustainability tours every semester to raise awareness for environmentally sustainable initiatives on campus. “I do a sustainability tour of the campus each year, and as part of that, I go to the Computer Recycling Center to let students be more aware of the recycling activities that go on around campus, especially with electronic waste,” Magerr said. The CRC currently has three full-time employees and about 10 to 15 student workers. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Latko said he is positive that the new location will provide success for the business. “We grow, we get more employees, our budget grows based on sales, but we never had a physical store location,” Latko said. “The university has invested heavily in us, and essentially, we have a storefront on Broad Street which is amazing. I never would have dreamed that.” * alexis.rogers@temple.edu
DANIEL SEBASTIAN TTN
Eromon Asikhia (left), and Tyler Nelson, student tech assistants, work with director of the Computer Recycling Center Jonathan Latko (center).
“We are moving about 90 tons of equipment from the university every year.” Jonathan Latko | director of the Computer Recycling Center
DANIEL SEBASTIAN TTN
The Computer Recycling Center, located in Pearson Hall, collects and recycles used electronics.
LIFESTYLE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
PAGE 15
STUDENT ORGANIZATION
Students reach out with arts education Artists Striving to End Poverty will visit public schools once a week. By KEELAND BOWERS The Temple News Cindy Paul said she wants to bring the arts to a community that wouldn’t normally have access to them—public school students in Philadelphia. According to a September 2015 report from The Philadelphia Public School Notebook, 174 of 218 total Philadelphia public schools have a visual art teacher and 25 have an instrumental music teacher on site. To help combat what The Notebook calls Philadelphia public schools “starving for arts education,” Paul founded the Temple chapter of Artists Striving to End Poverty this
semester. ASTEP is an international nonprofit that uses performance and visual art to inspire underserved youth around the world. It’s the brainchild of Broadway Musical Director MaryMitchell Campbell and students from The Juilliard School. Temple’s chapter will specifically serve Philadelphia public school students.
The club’s vice president Julia Haines, a sophomore fibers and material studies major, said she understands the club won’t provide a longterm solution for the problems within Philadelphia public schools, but she hopes it will still impact children positively. “By simply providing the opportunity for these students, it’s not like
Temple’s ASTEP chapter plans to teach at Bayard Taylor Elementary in Franklinville and All-Star Movements School of Dance in Frankford. The group will visit the schools once a week, and they will create lesson plans to teach various art forms. Temple’s ASTEP chapter strives to create an interdisciplinary platform for the students to “nourish” their
“I thought it was the perfect way to combine arts and community service.” Heather Birmingham | member of Artists Striving to End Poverty
“Creative movement is something that is definitely very helpful in terms of creating that safe environment for kids to express themselves,” said Paul, the club’s president and a sophomore dance major.
we’re going around with a huge flag trying to end the cycle of poverty, but it’s definitely a start,” Haines said. “I think as modest as our achievements may seem, I think they’re big achievements in the kids’ lives.”
creativity. “So many schools have closed down and a lot of schools have lost arts funding,” said Heather Birmingham, a freshman musical theater major who attended the club’s first
meeting on Jan. 28. “I got an email about this club that was starting, and I thought it was the perfect way to combine arts and community service. I think it’s important as an artist to give back to the community.” Paul said the election of City Councilwoman Helen Gym and Mayor Jim Kenney have made her optimistic about the future of Philadelphia public schools. “I think that while people are taking care of the more political side of things, there should be people coming into the schools to take care of the more educational direct teaching aspects,” Paul said. Paul said her vision is “quality over quantity.” “I think this club is very unique because it offers a lot of opportunities for individualized learning,” Haines said. “You really get to create something, and make a difference. Personally, I haven’t seen a club like that.” * keeland.bowers@temple.edu
Students celebrate the Spring Festival on campus Continued from page 7
HOLIDAY Benjamin Zeng, a professor and Chinese director of the Confucius Institute, said families will spend thousands of dollars to fulfill another Chinese tradition: setting off firecrackers. Specific foods and traditions differ based on the religion or family in China. Zeng’s family usually ate taro foods to celebrate the new year, because they symbolize good things, like richness and prosperity in life.
Another custom that is common in China for the celebration of the new year is the gifting of red envelopes, or red packets filled with money and given as gifts. Because many international students will not be attending the festivities with their families, there are now virtual red packets that can be sent through the ‘WeChat’ app. Xueming Guo, a junior management information system and human resources management major, said this is her third Chinese New Year away from home. To celebrate, Guo said she would eat dinner with her friends and go to a karaoke event in Chinatown.
the most important holiday in “The Spring Festival isChina. ” Tongtong Huang | Senior finance major
MATT McGRAW TTN
The Philadelphia Suns dress up in dragon costumes and do a traditional dance around Reading Terminal Market to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
“We also eat fish—which [means] surplus,” he said. “If you eat fish, you could have surplus in your budget for the next year. It’s all for good wish.” Chinese New Year has specific customs that are often carried out by those who celebrate. Before the new year, there is extensive cleaning of the homes so that the bad luck can be cleaned away to welcome in the new year, Zeng said. Families usually go home to celebrate the new year together, and it has been called the largest annual human migration, with 2.9 billion people trying to get home to see their families, according to the BBC News.
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“Normally in the past … it would feel like, ‘Wow, the new year is really coming,’” Guo said. “I want to go back in my childhood, because I really liked the New Year festival then.” Despite missing out on another festival in China, Guo said she isn’t going to miss it only for the celebrations. “It’s not about Spring Festival,” she said. “I miss home every day.” * gillian.mcgoldrick@temple.edu Editor’s note: Emily Rolen, the editor-in-chief of The Temple News, is a member of the Chinese Club. She played no role in the reporting of this story.
LIFESTYLE
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
AROUND CAMPUS TYLER HOSTS ANNUAL MARDI GRAS CELEBRATION
In celebration of Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, there will be free coffee and cinnamon coffee cake today in the Tyler School of Art lobby at 11 a.m. In keeping with tradition, whoever finds a plastic baby in their piece of cake will be crowned “king.” Beads and masks will also be available. There will be a spam and tofu carving competition at noon in which competitors will carve Mardi Gras themed objects out of their spam or tofu. -Jenny Roberts
BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS CONTINUE ACROSS CAMPUS
MARGO REED TTN
Leo Sheng, a 2014 physics alumnus, fishes in the Meadow Lake in FDR Park and runs a blog about local fishing.
Philly fishing made ‘extreme’ Continued from page 7
FISHING
and Sheng, the face and author of Extreme Philly Fishing—a blog started in 2011 to share information, tips and guide fishermen in the local sport—wasn’t planning on staying for much longer. The best time to fish, he said, is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. “Sometimes you get them,” he said. “And sometimes you don’t.” Sheng graduated from Temple in December 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in physics. His goal following graduation was to earn a master’s in nuclear particle physics. His plans, however, fell through. He married, started a small business as a math and physics tutor, got a part-time job at a restaurant and continued his life in Northeast Philly. He grew up in Brazil, waking up early on the weekends to go fishing with his father. That was the only time Sheng really got to spend with him—even now, as his father works and lives in Brazil.
“We would get there before sunrise in this beautiful place, we would set up our stuff and just fish until noon and then we would go and grab something to eat,” he said. “We never really went out during the week because my father worked and I had school. So it was a typical father and son environment. As a matter of fact, nowadays I still regret not waking up as early as I was supposed to.” Sheng, now 26, came to the United States in 2007. He had no plans, no job and couldn’t speak English. He decided to enroll in the Community College of Philadelphia to take some science classes, but he had no other way to occupy his time. “I thought, the only hobby I have from my childhood that I can actually do in this country, is fishing. So the Schuylkill River was close to the community college, a couple blocks away. I bought some really cheap equipment—I was 17 or 18 years old—and that was really when I turned fishing into my passion. It made me think about the times in Brazil when I
was kid. And that’s when I started fishing a lot.” Now, Extreme Philly Fishing has nearly seven thousand subscribers and generates thousands of views on YouTube videos, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. His goal with these accounts, he said, is to show the general public what it’s like to be a fisherman in Philadelphia. “It was just a blog I would write for people, anyone out there, about fishing in Philadelphia. Just so they would know the Schuylkill River is not as polluted as you think. It has fish in there! And I would document the different species of fish. I would let people know, ‘Hey, today I caught a catfish!’” His experience with the fishing community in Philadelphia has been “tough,” he said. Many times other sportsmen may not want to divulge information about techniques and plentiful fishing locations. Some people, he said, are so extreme that when they post photos of fish online, they blur out the background of photos so
it’s impossible to identify the location. “For them, it was natural,” Sheng said. “It was going on for a long time, and that got me curious. I thought, ‘Why are these people doing this?’ And it’s entirely different from my fishing culture back in Brazil.” His blog is a means of sharing information with anyone who wants to learn, Sheng said, and growing the fishing community in Philadelphia will be a result of this inclusiveness. “I follow something that is called the educational approach,” he said. “This is not something that is just for fishing. This is my life. … I truly believe that having an education is the key to solving all the problems that we have on this planet. In other words, the more you educate people—it doesn’t matter which field it is— the more they are gonna know, so they will have the ability to make better decisions in life.” * emily.rolen@temple.edu T @Emily_Rolen
Two events for students to engage in discussion for Black History Month will occur today. The first event, titled “We Need You: White Allies & Advocates,” will take place at 5 p.m. in the Burrow, located at 2026 N. Broad St. It will focus on the roles of support white people can offer to aid communities of color within social justice and diversity initiatives. The Reel will also be playing “The Black Power Mixtape” and holding a discussion of the film from 7 to 9 p.m tonight. This documentary chronicles the events of the Black Power movement. Concessions will be provided at this event. -Gillian McGoldrick
SPANISH FILM SCREENING
There will be a screening of the film “Relatos Salvajes,” titled “Wild Tales” in English, as part of the Spanish and Portuguese Film Series. The series aims to examine violence in Latin American and Spanish cinema. The film “Relatos Salvajes” grapples with the divide between civilization and barbarism and will be screened on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in Room 307 AB of the Tuttleman Learning Center. The film will have English subtitles. -Jenny Roberts
TALK DISCUSSES EARLY EPISODE OF VIETNAM WAR
Alessandro Giorgi will lead the second talk of the Center for the Study of Force and Diplomacy’s spring colloquium series. Giorgio is an Italian military historian and author. His academic areas of focus are World War II, Vietnam and clandestine operations. Giorgio’s talk will discuss an episode in the beginning stages of the Vietnam War in which the CIA hired Norwegian skippers to command fast patrol boats to land South Vietnamese commandos and combat swimmers to the coast of North Vietnam. Giorgio’s talk will be held on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. in Room 914 of Gladfelter Hall. -Jenny Roberts
SCREENING OF DOCUMENTARY “THE HUNTING GROUND”
There will be a screening of the documentary “The Hunting Ground,” which explores the systematic cover-up of sexual assaults on colleges campuses nationwide. The documentary screening will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in Ritter-Walk Auditorium. “The Hunting Ground” features the testimonies of sexual assault survivors, as well as expert interviews. The film premiered at Sundance and has inspired new laws in New York and California. -Jenny Roberts
GAMING FILM FRIDAYS BEGINS
The first viewing session of “Gaming Film Fridays” will be a screening of the film “Level Five” on Friday at 3 p.m. in the Paley Library Lecture Hall. “Level Five” is a fictional documentary which follows a computer programmer who is trying to create a videogame version of the World War II Battle of Okinawa. Throughout the spring semester, “Gaming Film Fridays” will feature films that focus on ties between gaming, military and violence. -Jenny Roberts MARGO REED TTN
Leo Sheng, a Temple alumnus, wears a GoPro when fishing to record the fish he catches for his blog, “Extreme Philly Fishing.”
Voice of the People | SAGAR PATEL
JUNIOR | FINANCE
“I’m definitely waiting for Blaze Pizza to open.”
AKASH MALIK
SOPHOMORE | FILM AND MEDIA ARTS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
“I don’t really have any emotions because I haven’t eaten there yet.”
“How do you feel about Crisp Kitchen and Blaze Pizza opening under The View?” BRENDAN REICHART SOPHOMORE | ECONOMICS
“I love it because I live in The View so it’s extremely convenient.”
SPORTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
PAGE 17
SPORTS BRIEFS
Fran Dunphy tops Big 5 wins list DECOSEY HONORED BY CONFERENCE
Quenton DeCosey was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll. In Temple’s comeback overtime victory last Thursday against Tulsa, the senior guard scored 21 points, all of which came in the second half and overtime. DeCosey also scored 15 points in Saturday’s 62-60 win against Central Florida. DeCosey has totaled 20 double-figure scoring games this season. -Michael Guise
MEN’S TENNIS
OWLS DEFEATED WAGNER COLLEGE
HOJUN YU TTN
Freshman center Ernest Aflakpui has missed the team’s last two games with a knee injury.
DUNPHY ALL-TIME LEADER IN WINS
With Saturday’s 62-60 win against Central Florida, Fran Dunphy became the all-time winningest coach in Big 5 history. Dunphy passed former Temple coach John Chaney with win No. 517, which was also win No. 207 of his career at Temple. Dunphy is also the third winning coach in program history behind Chaney and Harry Litwack, who coached the Owls from 1952-73 to a record of 373-193. With eight games remaining in the regular season, the Owls are 14-8 overall and 8-3 in the American Athletic Conference. -Michael Guise
The men’s tennis team defeated Wagner College 7-0 on Saturday. The team has won four consecutive matches. In doubles play, freshman Artem Kapshuk and senior Santiago Canete won 6-2 in the first flight. Wagner defeated the Owls in the second flight, 6-3, while freshmen Uladzimir Dorash and Florian Mayer won the third flight, 3-2. In singles play, the team won all six flights, including Mayer, who is undefeated this season. Saturday was also the third-consecutive match the Owls have won 7-0. -Michael Guise
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
AFLAKPUI INJURES KNEE
Ernest Aflakpui missed Saturday’s game with a left-knee injury. The freshman center also missed Thursday’s 83-79 overtime win against Tulsa with the injury. “It’s day-to-day at this point. ... It’s the other knee,” Dunphy said following Thursday’s win. “Not the knee he had the operation on.” In his senior year at Archbishop John Carroll High School, Aflakpui tore his his right meniscus during a practice on Dec. 14, 2014. -Michael Guise
COVILE NAMED PLAYER OF WEEK
Erica Covile was the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week. In two games this week, the senior guard averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. On Saturday, in the Owls’ upset victory against South Florida—the then-No. 19 team in the AP Top 25 poll—Covile scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and scored the game-winning basket. For the season, the senior is averaging 9.5 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. -Michael Guise
Lacrosse team opens 2016 against No. 15 Louisville Continued from page 20
LACROSSE
GENEVA HEFFERNAN TTN
win against the University of Delaware, the then-No. 19 team in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll, before beginning Big East Conference play. When conference play began, the Owls won two of their final seven games, finishing in sixth place for the second consecutive season after joining the Big East in 2014. “One of the things we’ve been focused on is the ability to learn and grow, and that’s been a focus in our preseason on how to keep pushing our ability to learn new things and adapt,” Rosen said. “And really the teams that win down the stretch are the ones that can keep growing their game and not stay the team that they were to start the season.” The top six scorers from last year’s team return, including preseason AllBig East senior midfielder Nicole Tiernan, who led the team with 35 goals last season. After having four seniors last season, the Owls have a veteran team with 13 seniors on their 31-player roster.
“I think the senior class really brings the strong point of the team, since there are so many of them and they’ve had three years of experience together,” said former defender Carli Fitzgerald, who played from 2012-15 and was a captain on last year’s team. “So I think it’s going to be a great season.” The Owls ranked seventh out of eight Big East teams in assists per game last season with 2.44 per game. Temple is looking to generate more scoring chances through ball movement, with a focus on senior attacker Rachel Schwaab, who led the team with 14 assists in 2015. “We are looking to her to help really organize the offense and be able to control the pace of the offense and either start the ball movement or finish the ball movement with an assist or a goal,” Rosen said. “So she will be integral to kind of the way our offense is functioning as it’s currently designed.” The team is ranked sixth in the Big East Preseason Poll and will open play against the University of Louisville, No. 15 in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll, Feb. 12 at Geasey Field. * evan.easterling@temple.edu
Senior midfielder Nicole Tiernan makes a pass during a recent scrimmage at Geasey Field.
Owls win 2 straight Continued from page 20
BASKETBALL
ton DeCosey and sophomore forward Obi Enechionyia. In the games where DeCosey totaled 15 or more points, the Owls are 11-1 and 7-3 in games where Enechionyia has scored 10 or more points. “We have a bunch of guys that can score the ball, but we need Ob to score,” Dunphy said. “Is he the number-two guy? Probably average wise he’s there.” Despite Enechionyia’s of-
fensive production, Dunphy wants more from the sophomore on the defensive end. In the team’s 22 games, Enechionyia has grabbed more than five rebounds twice. “I think the thing Ob can do better is play defense,” Dunphy said. “He had some good looks at the basket [Saturday]. He shot it OK, but we need Ob to really start to play well on the defensive side of the ball and get after it on the glass.” Before Saturday’s win, the Owls defeated Tulsa 83-79 in overtime on Thursday at the Liacouras Center after trailing
by 12 points in the second half. DeCosey fed senior guard Devin Coleman in the left corner for the game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. “We stuck together in the second half,” DeCosey said following the win. “I thought that was big for our team, a big home win. We won when we were down. It does a lot for our confidence moving forward.” * michael.guise@temple.edu T @Michael_Guise
HOJUN YU TTN
Senior guard Quenton DeCosey attempts a free throw in the second half on Temple’s 83-79 overtime victory against Tulsa last Thursday at the Liacouras Center.
SPORTS
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
Possible stadium intrigues recruits Continued from page 20
RECRUITS
in the ground. Not even when there are plans being made.” The Owls have played their home games at Lincoln Financial Field, the home stadium of the Philadelphia Eagles, since August 2003. Temple is one of seven Division I teams to share a stadium with an NFL team. The Temple News previously reported in August that the university renewed its contract with the Philadelphia Eagles for their home stadium. The new contract, which was originally set to expire in 2017, gave the team two consecutive one-year options to play home games at the Linc in 2018 and 2019. The Linc seats 69,194, the largest capacity crowd in
dance was 44,158. Last season marked the first time the Owls had a home attendance average higher than 29,000 since moving to the Linc in 2003. “We tell them ‘You are going to have some unbelievable moments at the Linc,’” Rhule said. “If you win a game, you throw a touchdown, you catch a touchdown or take someone for the game-winning tackle—if you go somewhere in the Midwest, maybe your girlfriend is there and a couple friends. Here at Temple, your whole family is going to be there.” In the 13 seasons at the Linc, the stadium’s season-average attendance has been less than 25,000 nine times, including 12,735 in the team’s 0-11 season in 2005. Yeboah said an on-campus stadium can increase attendance.
The Philadelphia native is Temple’s highest-rated recruit since Rivals.com began tracking rankings in 2002. The group, which also includes 12 Rivals.com threestar recruits, was the No. 59 best recruiting class in Division I and the second best out of 12 teams in The American. “I know a lot of athletes like to play in nice places with nice uniforms,” Bruton said. “Everyone wants to play in a new stadium that is packed on TV.” Maryland defensive lineman Quincy Roche said an on-campus stadium is a more effective recruiting tool than an off-campus stadium. “You can use it as a tool when it is on-campus,” Roche said. “When it’s off, you can’t really. You have to travel.” Petrick said an on-campus stadium will draw recruits, but
I know a lot of athletes like to play in nice “places with nice uniforms. Everyone wants to play in a new stadium.” Keyvone Bruton | Virginia defensive back
the American Athletic Conference. “For me, growing up, I was always a huge Eagles fan,” said freshman offensive lineman and mid-year addition Darian Bryant on Jan. 7. “So now knowing I am going to be playing at Lincoln Financial Field, the same field for the team I love and support, is a big deal for me.” Against Penn State and the University of Notre Dame— the then-No. 9 team in the AP Top 25 poll—last season, the Owls drew crowds of 69,176 and 69,280, respectively. The two games marked the first time Temple has sold out two games in a single season since the team moved to South Philadelphia in 1976. “From where I’m from, we didn’t really have any people at the games,” said Kareem Gaulden a defensive back from New Jersey. “We had one packed game this year. And now, from me going from 100 to 70 people at a game to thousands of fans is going to be crazy.” In six homes games in 2015, the Owls’ average atten-
“I feel like even more people will go,” Yeboah said. “It would be right on campus, so people could walk. It wouldn’t be far. It should be exciting.” For students to attend home games, they have to take public transportation or ride the shuttle buses provided by the university on gameday to the stadium, which is a 20-minute drive from Main Campus. “It will allow a lot of the fans that support Temple in that area, including students, it will make their lives easier instead of having to take SEPTA,” Bryant said. “It will be a benefit to the program having so many people in that area coming to support that team and filling the stadium.” Virginia defensive back Keyvone Bruton said besides the convenience it provides to fans, an on-campus stadium can affect Rhule’s recruiting. Following signing day last Wednesday, Rhule penned a 26-man class, including Rivals.com four-star defensive end Karamo Dioubate from Preparatory Charter School.
Rhule is the reason players are coming to the university. Since taking over the Owls in 2013, Rhule has won 18 games, including 10 games in 2015. Last season was the second time in school history the Owls won 10 games and the first time since 2011 the team appeared in a bowl game. “Temple wasn’t a big football school,” Mack said. “You wouldn’t hear about Temple’s football team. People weren’t really talking a lot. When they won 10 games, they were the talk of the city.” On Dec. 7, 2015, Rhule— who led the Owls to their first ranking in the Top 25 since 1979—agreed to a new sixyear contract that runs through the 2021 season. After 25 coaching positions opened up in 2015, Rhule’s deal eased the recruits’ worries. “I was thinking he was going to leave,” Petrick said. “I was kind of scared because I didn’t want Rhule to leave … seeing that was very exciting.” * michael.guise@temple.edu T @Michael_Guise
EVAN EASTERLING TTN
Simone Brownlee (left), and freshman hurdler Sylvia Wilson practice in the Student Pavilion.
Sprinters, Forde bond over event Continued from page 20
SPRINTERS
Forde has also helped runners improve in the 60-meter and 60 hurdles, as those two events often yield points for the Owls. Junior sprinter and jumper Jimmia McCluskey and Wilson have the five best times for the team in the 60 this season. Wilson and junior hurdler Simone Brownlee have the fastest times for Temple in the 60 hurdles. “Jimmia is probably our biggest blast when it comes to sprints,” Forde said. “But Sylvia has got some really good foot speed and that has been the key to her success.” Wilson set the school record in the 60 and 60 hurdles at the Villanova Invitational this weekend. An important aspect Forde helps his athletes with involves their start to a sprint, so the team practices its beginnings off the blocks. “Working on your starts and your form is a really big part of block work,” Wilson said. “A lot of times your power comes from your
core, so when your core is good, your start is usually good.” Despite having strong runners in the sprinting events, Forde is worried about a lack of depth in the short distance group, which affects the training methods and the intensity with which he can push his athletes. There are nine sprinters on the roster, compared to eight last year. In the five sprinting events, either Wilson, Gaston, McCluskey, Sharp or junior sprinter and jumper Bionca St. Fleur hold the three fastest times for the events this season. In the 200, the best 11 times during this indoor season belong to a combination of these five athletes. “You know that you are so limited and don’t want to get your best athletes hurt,” Forde said. “But I hope in the future, once we recruit well enough, we will have enough people in the group that when one goes down, the next person can step up.” * maura.razanauskas@temple.edu
EVAN EASTERLING TTN
Elvis Forde watches as freshman sprinter Aliya Sharp (front), and junior sprinter Kenya Gaston run during a recent practice at the Student Pavilion.
ROWING
Rowing team guides junior Grisanti to a new passion Kaitlin Grisanti is part of the rowing team and Temple’s army ROTC program. By KEVIN SCHAEFFER The Temple News College wasn’t Kaitlin Grisanti’s first choice. The junior rower wanted to enlist in the military after she graduated Smithtown High School East in New York, but her plans changed and she found herself on Main Campus. “I wasn’t even sure about going to college,” Grisanti said. “I was going to join the Coast Guard coming out of high school, but my parents pushed me to go to college. It wasn’t really even my decision, it was theirs.” After meeting some rowers during Welcome Week as a freshman, Grisanti walked
onto the team. “I always knew I wanted to be involved with sports in college having played them in high school, I just wasn’t sure how to get involved at first,” Grisanti said. “I originally thought about joining the rugby team, but during Welcome Week my freshman year the Rowing team just swept me up and I’ve been a part of it ever since.” Grisanti’s story of joining the team is not exclusive to her. Due to the lack of rowing programs at high schools, the Temple coaching staff often has to look for athletes without a rowing pedigree. “Because rowing is such a unique sport not a lot of people really have a chance to experience rowing in high school,” coach Rebecca Smith Grzybowski said. “We always find people during Welcome Week who are very athletic but had never been exposed to rowing and are not playing their high school sport at the Division I level.” Grisanti’s dreams of joining the Coast
“
I wasn’t even sure about going to college. ... My parents pushed me to go to college. It wasn’t really even my decision. Kaitlin Grisanti | junior rower
”
Guard stalled when she decided to attend Temple, but she still looked for a way to stay involved in the military. When she joined the Owls, her teammates explained how she could still achieve her goal by becoming a member of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. “Coming into Temple, I didn’t have an
official affiliation with any branch of the military,” Grisanti said. “But after I joined the rowing team, some of my teammates told me about the ROTC program, and it really opened my eyes to the Army, considering that is Temple’s ROTC affiliation.” As a Nesconset, New York native, Temple was not on Grisanti’s original list of potential colleges. After some direction from her high school guidance counselor, she made the decision to come to North Philadelphia. “Coming to Temple was really random for me,” Grisanti said. “I had no idea where I wanted to go, so my guidance counselor had me take one of those ‘find your perfect college’ surveys and Temple was my school and Philadelphia is a big city like New York, so it kind of just stuck.” * kevin.schaeffer@temple.edu
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
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gymnastics
Wiczkowski finding role in first year Breahna Wiczkowski chose gymnastics over her agricultural hobby. By DAN NEWHART The Temple News
ELIZABETH MAVER TTN
Breahna Wiczkowski performs on the balance beam Saturday in the Ken Anderson Memorial Invitational at McGonigle Hall.
Growing up in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Breahna Wiczkowski was active in numerous sports from soccer to gymnastics and dance. When the freshman gymnast was not active on the field or the floor, she spent her time at an alpaca farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She sheared the animals, cleaned their pens and made sure the farm ran smoothly. She stuck with the hobby while attending Warwick High School and training at Prestige Gymnastics in Lancaster, but she gave up work at the farm to focus on gymnastics, where she became a two-time level 10 national qualifier, three-time Region 7 qualifier and four-time level 10 state qualifier. “She comes from a really outstanding gym that produces hard working, very respectful, dedicated athletes,” coach Umme Salim-Beasley said. “You can’t help but
women’s basketball
feed off her positivity. As far as an athlete in the gym, she is such a hard worker. You cannot find a more dedicated gymnast on this team.” When deciding which college to attend, Wiczkowski said it was important she liked the school, even if she did not participate in gymnastics. Wiczkowski considered Lititz a small town and wanted to experience a big city. “I have had a great time at Temple, I love Philly, and I love this school,” Wiczkowski said. “I chose Temple basically because when I came in and watched practice, all the girls seemed like they were so much fun and had really good chemistry.” Wiczkowski has participated in beam and bars for the Owls. The freshman posted a career-high 9.7 on her beam routine both at a Jan. 3 meet against Central Michigan University and the Jan. 17 Lindsey Ferris Invitational at George Washington University. On bars, Wiczkowski has improved her score each time she’s competed. She posted a 9.475 in the Owls’ Jan. 15 win against William & Mary College, a 9.5 at the Lindsey Ferris Invitational and a season-high 9.65 at Temple’s Jan. 29 quad meet at West Chester University. Wiczkowski scored a season-high 9.725 on bars at Saturday’s Ken Anderson Memorial Invitational. “As a gymnast she is such a strong
You cannot find “a more dedicated gymnast on this team.
”
Umme Salim-Beasley | coach
leader,” freshman all-around India Anderson said of Wiczkowski. “She gives us encouragement. When I’m on the floor, she gets me hyped for that because seeing her do so well makes me want to do well.” Anderson and Wiczkowski are two of six freshmen on this year’s team. The squad had four first-year gymnasts last year. Salim-Beasley said the impact Anderson and Wiczkowski have had as freshmen sets a precedent for future recruits to the program. “They’re the first step as far as us building on to higher-caliber athletes,” SalimBeasley said. “It’s creating a culture and changing the culture of what was Temple in the past.” * daniel.john.newhart@temple.edu T @dannynewhart
women’s basketball
Covile shoots Owls to upset Erica Covile’s lastsecond shot holds a special place in her career. By MAURA RAZANAUSKAS The Temple News With seven regular-season games remaining in her college basketball career, Erica Covile made a new memory in Temple’s game against South Florida, then the No. 19 team in the AP Top 25 poll. After a Feyonda Fitzgerald miss, the senior guard grabbed an offensive rebound with three seconds left in the tied game and took an off-balance shot, sinking the fadeaway jumper. As the scoreboard changed to show a 68-66 lead for the Owls
well as in minutes played. “That layup that Erica makes at the end, we missed those earlier in the game,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “The game is on the line, she gets the offensive rebound and wins the game for us. It comes down to people making big plays.” The Owls have improved each year Covile has been part of the program. Last season, the Owls made it to postseason for the first time in Covile’s career. Their season ended in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament semifinal, where they lost to West Virginia University in overtime. Covile has scored 945 career points and is on target to reach 1,000 before the end of her time at Temple. She currently ranks 13th on the list of most assists in Temple history with 692. Getting Covile to her first career NCAA Tournament in her final season is a goal for the Owls as they near the homestretch of their season. “Especially for Erica, but
The game is on the line, she gets the “ offensive rebound and wins the game.” Tonya Cardoza | coach
with one second remaining, Covile’s teammates sprinted to embrace her, celebrating their soonto-be upset victory on Saturday at the Liacouras Center. The senior guard said Saturday’s contest ranks “number one” among her 105 career games at Temple. “Especially since I had the game-winning shot,” she added. Covile’s basket moved the Owls into second place in the American Athletic Conference. The Owls also defeated a nationally ranked team for the first time since their 2008-09 season. The Detroit native recorded her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. She was two points away from reaching her season high, but she set a new season high in 3-point field goals made, as
more importantly for our coaches and each other,” sophomore guard Tanaya Atkinson said. “We’re a family so we all gotta just make sure we bear down and do it for the team.” Covile is the fourth-leading scorer on this year’s team, averaging 9.5 points per game. She was second on the team in scoring last year at 11.4 PPG. She leads the Owls’ in rebounding for the second-straight season and realizes the necessity of her role for Temple to make the NCAA Tournament. “It’s very important,” Covile said. “Like Tanaya said, our job is to rebound, especially when our guards aren’t hitting shots.” * maura.lyn.razanauskas@temple.edu
ZACH FISCHER TTN
Alliya Butts shoots a jump shot during the Owls’ 55-35 win against Southern Methodist at the Liacouras Center on Feb. 3.
Cardoza notches second win against ranked team The women’s basketball team defeated thenNo.19 South Florida. By OWEN McCUE Assistant Sports Editor More than an hour after their Saturday win against South Florida, the Owls’ celebration at the Liacouras Center carried on. After the crowd cleared following Temple’s 68-66 win against the then-No. 19 team in the AP Top 25 poll, sophomore guard Donnaizha Fountain’s “Let’s Go Owls!” chants could still be heard reverberating through the empty arena. “I knew how hungry we were,” coach Tonya Cardoza said. “We wanted this win badly. … It comes down to people making big plays. I felt like just about everybody out there did that.” Cardoza waited almost seven years for a win like Saturday’s upset against the Bulls. The Owls erased a seven-point deficit going into the fourth quarter to knock off South Florida and grab
the program’s first victory against a Top 25 opponent since Feb. 25, 2009 against No.13 Xavier University. The last time the team made it to the NCAA tournament was the 201011 season. The victory against the Bulls was an important one for the team as the Owls try to make a push for their first tournament appearance in five years. “It definitely helps,” Cardoza said. “Since I’ve been here, it’s only the second win against a Top 25 team, and it comes at the right time, the best time. Right now we’re playing pretty good basketball, and we continued that today.” After defeating their previous three opponents by 18 points or more, the Owls grabbed their fourth-consecutive victory by beating the Bulls. Cardoza’s team trailed 49-42 heading into the fourth quarter. Senior guard Erica Covile finished off the comeback win on a putback with one second on the clock. “If the shot was short, all I wanted to do was make the basket,” Covile said. “I was off balance. I didn’t think it was going in. I was just hoping to god.” Temple’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Alliya Butts, was 1-for-8 from the field through three quarters.
Sophomore guard Tanaya Atkinson helped pick up the Owls’ offense with 13 points through 30 minutes of play. She finished the game with 17 points and also grabbed six rebounds, including four on the offensive end. “Every time a shot goes up, my job is to crash the boards,” Atkinson said. “I’m not supposed to get back. I’m supposed to just crash. If that’s the reward of getting a bucket, I mean why not just keep crashing?” The Owls (15-7, 9-2 American Athletic Conference) sit in second place in The American standings behind No. 1 Connecticut with seven games left on their regular season schedule. Temple plays three games this week. The Owls travel to Cincinnati tonight before Friday’s home game against Houston and Sunday’s contest against UConn at McGonigle Hall. “The focus can’t change because they are young, and they will sometimes relax and we try our best to keep them focused,” Cardoza said. “Their attention span is really short, so we have to get a lot done in a shorter amount of time.” * owen.mccue@temple.edu T @Owen_McCue
SPORTS A SECOND CHOICE
thecherry.temple-news.com
REWRITING THE BOOKS
DUNPHY ALL-TIME WIN LEADER
Fran Dunphy is the winningest coach in the Big 5, Ernest Aflakpui has missed two consecutive games, other news and notes. PAGE 17
Junior Kaitlin Grisanti joined the rowing team Coach Tonya Cardoza’s squad defeated as a freshman after meeting the squad during a ranked opponent for the first time in Welcome Week. PAGE 18 seven season. PAGE 19
TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016
FOOTBALL stadium
Incoming recruits weigh in on stadium Seven newly signed football players shared their thoughts on a potential on-campus football stadium.
I
By MICHAEL GUISE Sports Editor
nside his North Huntingdon, Pennsylvania residence, Steve Petrick and his family welcomed coach Matt Rhule and assistant head coach and tight ends coach Ed Foley on
Jan. 28 for an in-home visit. With National Signing Day six days away, the coaches discussed the incoming tight end’s future as an Owl over a slice of pizza. One topic that came up was the possibility of an on-campus stadium. “The coaches were bringing it up, and I asked them about it in my home visit because it was a teammate who told me at the camp they were trying to get it passed,” Petrick said. “To have our own stadium, it would be incredible.” On Monday, the Board of Trustees approved a $1 million action to pursue architectural designs for the proposed $126 million
on-campus stadium site. During the meeting, President Theobald identified the current space of the Geasey Field Complex as the expected area. “They said they were leaning toward it,” Petrick said of the dinner. “They said they are all for it.” Linebackers coach Mike Siravo guided Kenny Yeboah around Edberg-Olson Hall during Yeboah’s visit to the university this summer. With his mother, Mouna, father, George and two sisters, Kendra and Kenisha in tow— Yeboah was informed of a possible on-campus stadium, but Siravo told the incoming tight
end they “weren’t sure.” Rhule and Siravo told Pennsylvania athlete Branden Mack a stadium could be built by “his sophomore or junior year” during Mack’s visit to Main Campus. “[Parents] are asking me,” Rhule said of the stadium. “That might be a little factor, what they are hearing, but we don’t talk about anything like that at all. What I’m not going to be is one of those coaches who says, ‘Hey, there’s rumors of this or rumors of that.’ I talk about what is actually here, and I’ll talk about something being built when there is a shovel
track and field
RECRUITS | PAGE 18
men’s basketball
Sprinters channel Forde’s experience Owls rise
to 2nd in American rankings The men’s basketball team has won six of its last seven games. By MICHAEL GUISE Sports Editor
EVAN EASTERLING TTN
Freshman Sylvia Wilson hurdles during a recent practice at the Student Pavilion.
Elvis Forde ran in two Olympics in the 1980s and was a four-time All-American in college. By MAURA RAZNANAUSKAS The Temple News Elvis Forde pays close attention to his team’s sprinters at practice. The two-time Olympian and four-time AllAmerican at Murray State University and Southern Illinois University has the sprinters work on over
distance, repetition of their specific events, technique, form and core work, all of which translate into the athletes’ performances at meets. “The history that he has has really helped us because a distance coach wouldn’t be able to help us as much as he can,” freshman sprinter and hurdler Sylvia Wilson said. “Being a former sprinter and Olympian, that’s even better. It is kind of like your idol coaching you.” Forde represented Barbados in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics in the 400-meter and the 400 relay. At the 1984 games, he came in sixth in his heat in the semifinal round of the 400 relay, and his team finished sixth in the 400 relay finals. The 400, Forde’s specialty, is a strong event for the Owls. Junior sprinter Kenya Gaston has the
lacrosse
best time for Temple so far this season, with a time of 55 seconds, eight milliseconds set on Saturday at the Villanova Invitational. Gaston has placed in the Top 10 in the 400 in all four meets she’s run the event this season. Freshman sprinter Aliyah Sharp finished seventh in the 400 with a time of 57.45 at Saturday’s meet. It was her second time competing in the event this indoor season. “He just knows so much about the race because he competed in it,” Sharp said. “With the over distance training, he knows that if I run for a longer period of time or longer distance, it will make it easier for me to run the four.”
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Rosen’s squad looks for consistency in 2016 The lacrosse team is ranked sixth in the Big East preseason poll. By EVAN EASTERLING The Temple News For the past two Saturdays, former Owls ran up and down the green turf of Geasey Field. To prepare for new rules implemented by the NCAA rules committee, alumnae have participated in an intrasquad scrimmage with Bonnie Rosen’s squad to simulate the upcoming changes. Coaches operate the scoreboard
at Geasey Field, call timeouts and make substitutions. Referees call fouls and check sticks after goals. The only thing missing is the crowd. “Our play is still a little sloppy or sometimes a little stagnant and other times offensively, so the opportunity to work through that in the scrimmage and not learn about that come game day is helpful,” Rosen said following a Jan. 30 scrimmage. “Our team saw some different style of play that they don’t get to see every single day, and I think it reminded them that they’ve got opponents they’re about to play.” In 2015, Temple had its best start in 18 years. Rosen’s team jumped out to an 8-1 record, including an 11-6
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SPORTS@TEMPLE-NEWS.COM
GENEVA HEFFERNAN TTN
Senior Megan Pinkerton runs during a recent scrimmage at Geasey Field.
Fran Dunphy said the Owls should count their blessings following their 62-60 win on Saturday against Central Florida. The Knights outrebounded Temple by 15 at CFE Arena in Orlando, Florida, as the Owls shot 40 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from the 3-point line. “We were fortunate to have won the game,” Dunphy said. “I thought our offense moved the ball pretty well. We did not make shots as well as I hoped we would.” Saturday’s win was the Owls’ 14th victory in 22 games. The Owls are in second place in the American Athletic Conference, one game behind Southern Methodist. With eight games remaining, the Owls have three games against opponents inside the Top 70 of the Ratings Percentage Index. The Owls, ranked No. 67 in the RPI, will face Connecticut and Villanova. The Wildcats are now the No. 1 team in the AP Top 25 Poll. This season, Dunphy’s squad is 5-5 against teams in the Top 100 of the RPI. After missing the NCAA Tournament with an RPI of 34 last season, Dunphy knows the importance of these final games. “Every one of them is critical,” Dunphy said. “We have to play our best basketball from now on. Hopefully we can string more wins together.” Junior forward Mark Williams scored a game-high 16 points against the Knights on 7-of-10 shots from the field. In 72 career games, Williams has total double-figure points five times. “It was critical to our success,” Dunphy said. “I think he was ready to go. His scoring was terrific.” Joining Williams in double-digit scoring were senior guard Quen-
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