Volume 95, Issue 1

FOOTBALL PREVIEW PAGE 18

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016 VOL. 95 ISS. 1

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

SPORTS COMPLEX

New facility welcomes fall sports The $22 million project was completed on time for the start of the season.

By OWEN MCCUE Sports Editor Day after day for the last three years, women’s soccer coach Seamus O’Connor drove back and forth from Main Campus to the Ambler Sports Complex.

Each time, it seemed like more and

more balls, pinnies, cones and other gear filled his car as O’Connor and his team went to and from their home field.

That has changed this year with the opening of the Temple Sports Complex. The brand new facility will house both soccer teams, field hockey, lacrosse and track & field just a few blocks south of Morgan Hall.

“This is the first preseason my car hasn’t looked like a Dick’s Sporting Goods,” O’Connor said.

The new complex, located at the former site of William Penn High School, is bor-

dered by Master Street to the north, extends south to Girard Avenue and is bordered by Broad and 13th streets to the west and east respectively. The university bought the site of William Penn for $15 million in June 2014, and the Board of Trustees approved the $22 million project in October 2014.

The Temple Sports Complex is comprised of a turf soccer field, another field for field hockey and lacrosse, an outdoor track and an 11,000 square foot building in be-

COMPLEX | PAGE 16

HOJUN YU FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Freshman midfielder Albert Moreno reacts to his shot attempt in the first half of Temple’s 3-0 win against the Manhattan Jaspers on Friday at the Temple Sports Complex at Broad and Master streets.

STADIUM

ADMINISTRATION SHAKE-UP:

Stadium study still months away

WHAT WE KNOW

By GILLIAN MCGOLDRICK Assistant News Editor Above Dozie Ibeh’s desk in the Facilities Management Building, there is a white binder with bold black letters: “Football Stadium.”

Ibeh, associate vice president of Temple’s Project Delivery Group, never opened that binder during an interview with The Temple News to discuss the stage of the ongoing feasibility study for the proposed football stadium.

The study is expected to be finished within a few months, once a traffic study is completed. Ibeh said the traffic study began before students left campus in the spring and is picking up again now.

This portion of the study is what caused the Board of Trustees to approve $250,000 more to the feasibility study’s allocation, making the grand total of the study $1.25 million.

This summer, the Project Delivery Group and Moody

STADIUM | PAGE 6

Recycling old tech for young learners

LINH THAN FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Newly appointed Provost JoAnne Epps, left, the former dean of Temple’s law school, and Acting President Richard Englert.

After a tumultuous summer in which the university lost its top two leaders, the year begins with several unanswered questions.

A

By ERIN MORAN For The Temple News

By THE TEMPLE NEWS STAFF

round 11 a.m. on Friday, after throngs of freshmen crossed Broad Street into the Liacouras Center for their convocation, Neil Theobald passed through a mostly empty Main Campus wearing sneakers and a wrinkled Oxford shirt tucked into khakis.

Just a few months ago, Theobald was wearing fitted suits — and occasionally a Temple “T” lapel pin — to the Office of the President in Sullivan Hall. But after a feud with the Board of Trustees over his decision to fire Provost Hai-Lung Dai, the Board voted to remove Theobald as Temple’s president. To replace him, the trustees selected Richard Englert, who has a storied career at the university. Englert, a former provost, chancellor and dean, has worked in various other roles at the university for 40 years.

Across Broad Street, Englert, as Act-

ing President, was in full academic regalia preparing to address the Class of 2020.

Theobald was just wrapping up a morning of reading when an editor from The Temple News bumped into him on Broad.

Theobald said a nondisclosure agreement limited what he could tell The Temple News about his removal. He said that he is a faculty member in the College of Education, and that he would be on sabbatical for the next 12 months. He declined to comment further.

At convocation, Englert spoke about when he was hired to teach in the College of Education in 1976.

The new provost, JoAnne Epps, discussed her career path and advised the freshmen to stay on track with their classes, not party too much and graduate in four years.

While Epps used her own story, Englert’s speech focused on the faculty and on the achievements of students rather than shine the spotlight on himself.

“I think it’s important that we’re accessible, that people know who we are,” Englert told The Temple News at a barbecue following the ceremony. “The real action at our university comes from our faculty, from our physicians, from our advisors and our coaches. ... Most students don’t care who I am or who’s sitting in my chair. My job is to support the faculty, students, coaches.”

Temple, which has had three presidents in the last 16 years, enters this school year with two new faces at the top. But how did the university get here?

ADMINISTRATION | PAGE 3

Jonathan Latko thinks children need to start playing with technology at a younger age.

“You can see it in little kids, they don’t know the barriers,” said Latko, an adjunct professor in the Fox School of Business. “They’re not afraid to make mistakes ... so we need to get that technology in their hands at a younger age.”

Latko spends most of his week as the assistant director of Temple’s Computer Recycling Center, a nearly self-funded department that aims not only to cut down on waste, but also to use Temple’s resources to help the community.

The CRC has donated refurbished computer equipment for about 10 years, but the department recently decided to refocus the donation process through a new program called Temple Tech for Philly.

This initiative was designed to find schools and organizations that would benefit the most from a donation.

The CRC’s current campaign focuses on the Philadelphia School District, particularly the Tanner G. Duckrey School

TECH | PAGE 11

NEWS | PAGES 2-3, 6

OPINION | PAGES 4-5

FEATURES | PAGES 7-14

SPORTS | PAGES 15-18

Library construction relocates students’ study spaces. Read more on page 3.

A student shares discoveries about her visit to Cuba, a country thought to be stuck in the past. Read more on page 4.

Students find a community of players through Pokemon Go on Main Campus. Read more on page 7.

Five starters are returning to the men’s soccer team, which hopes to fare better in conference play this season. Read more on page 17.

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NEWS

PAGE 2

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION

CLA and CST advising move to Paley Library The library lost 20 computer-lab spots in the transition.

By JULIE CHRISTIE News Editor As part of a larger project to empty 1810 Liacouras Walk, advising offices for the College of Liberal Arts and College of Science and Technology will move to the first level of Paley Library.

Construction began Aug. 1 and displaced 122 student study spaces, 20 computers and the reference stacks located on the east side of the first floor.

Dozie Ibeh, associate vice president of the Project Delivery Group, which is managing the university’s construction projects, said the discussion to move CLA and CST advising began in January. The decision was not made final until June, when the Project Delivery Group notified the deans of all impacted institutions.

Dean of Libraries Joe Lucia said in July he was most concerned about the loss of the study carrels and computers that students fill all year long.

“I don’t think this is the best decision for students this coming academic year,” Lucia told The Temple News in July. “From the middle of the semester to the end of exams, those spaces are usually filled all the time.”

He said “the real issue [was] the loss of computers.” In an email sent to library staff in mid-June, he said, “We will not in all likelihood be able to relocate the computers there, so that would be a net loss to students in the coming academic year.”

As classes began yesterday, Lucia said, the library was able to relocate every study seat, but lost the space for computers.

Richie Holland, director of administration for Temple Libraries, was in charge of reassigning the study carrels and tables throughout the library.

“It was like a big puzzle or game of jenga,” he said. “It was time consuming but the library staff worked well to get the job done.”

Holland said the reference stacks moved to the third floor on the east side, leisure books are now next to the reference desk on the first floor and carrels can be found in areas focused on quiet study while the open tables were moved to “open and noisy” spaces.

“I like the fact that now when you walk in, you see books right away,” Holland said.

“It feels more like a library.”

Diana Knudsen, a senior vice dean in the Fox School of Business, told The Temple News in July that 1810 Liacouras Walk was being renovated in time for the centennial anniversary of Fox in Fall 2018.

Ibeh said the university plans to empty 1810 for the overall expansion of the Fox School of Business and to “create a business school quad zone” with Alter Hall, Speakman Hall and now 1810.

Ibeh said before the decision was made to move CLA and CST advising to Paley Library, they looked all over campus to find a spot for relocation. With the offices relocating to Paley, they will be closer to CLA in Gladfelter and Anderson halls and to CST in the Science and Engineering Resource Center.

“If you pick a space on campus, we thought about it,” he said. “We needed a central location to students.”

Thomas Price, director of the Office of Student Services in CST, declined to comment, as did Christopher Wolfgang, senior director of academic advising in CLA. julie.christie@temple.edu @ChristieJules

JOSHUA DICKER FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS The inside of Paley Library, which was being renovated this month.

PATRICK CLARK / THE TEMPLE NEWS Construction on Liacouras and Polett walks diverted foot traffic during the summer.

Multiple construction projects complete, begin The work will affect students’ ability to get around.

By GILLIAN MCGOLDRICK Assistant News Editor Leading up to the first day of classes yesterday, the construction team on Main Campus had been “putting campus back together again,” said Dozie Ibeh, associate vice president of Temple’s Project Delivery Group.

One construction procedure that will affect students is the transfer of Student Financial Services to 1700 N. Broad St. SFS used to be in the basement of Carnell and Conwell halls. The move is temporary, Ibeh said, but will last for the 2016-2017 academic year.

As library construction continues, nearly half of the north side of Liacouras Walk is blocked off by fences, making a narrower walkway for students. By February 2017, the library’s basement concrete will be poured, according to Brandon Lausch, a university spokesman. Construction is expected to finish on the library in Fall 2018.

The new sports complex at Broad and Master streets was completed this summer and has been opened for use by student-athletes. Ibeh said the community engagement office will create public hours for the community to access the fields when teams are not playing games or practicing.

As construction continues across Main Campus, Ibeh said it is the “policy” to create all-gender bathrooms in each building — allgender bathrooms are currently being built in

Annenberg Hall — and the university will build more of those bathrooms during the next few years.

“Every place where we engage, our intent is to add all-gender bathrooms,” Ibeh said. “Nobody is happier than I am that everything is done for students to come back. At the end of the day, the students are our audience.”

The Verdant Temple landscape plan continued this summer as Polett Walk was redone from the gates on Broad Street to Liacouras Walk. The walkway was widened and LEDlighting and new trash bins were installed, as well as permeable pavement to soak up more rainwater and reduce Temple’s impact on the city’s drainage systems.

The first phase of Temple Towers’ bathroom renovations was completed before residents moved into the hall. The second phase will be completed next summer.

Gladfelter and Anderson halls have also been partly renovated: the lobbies in each building have been redone and interior renovations were made on the fifth, ninth and 10th floors of Gladfelter Hall. The mezzanine that connects the two halls is expected to become more “accessible and inviting,” Lausch said, through Verdant Temple and Visualize Temple.

“Our focus as a department is the student experience and changing the physical environment of Temple University,” Ibeh said. “If you know what some of these places used to look like before, look at the after of what it is now.” gillian.mcgoldrick@temple.edu @gill_mcgoldrick

Football players accept DA’s offer to avoid trial Dion Dawkins and Haason Reddick applied for the same consideration last year.

By JULIE CHRISTIE News Editor Football players Dion Dawkins and Haason Reddick had been scheduled to stand trial a week before the first game of the season, but instead took an offer to participate in a diversionary program that could lead to a withdrawal of all charges against them.

Dawkins, a senior offensive lineman, and Reddick, a redshirt-senior defensive lineman, were arrested March 2015 and charged in connection to a bar fight in January of that year where two Temple students were injured, one seriously.

Last Monday the two accepted an offer to enter the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program. The program requirements will be spelled out for Dawkins and Reddick at a News Desk 215-204-7419 news@temple-news.com

status meeting next week.

“As long as they keep their noses clean, it will be as if a jury had found them not guilty,” said James Funt, the attorney for Dion Dawkins.

If both players complete the program success-

“

charges] to get an ARD offer, but when they go through the program it will not be for a felony, but a misdemeanor,” added Funt, who worked with Reddick’s attorney, Matt Haggarty. “Accepting this program is not an admission of

”

We weren’t willing to take that risk with their futures.

James Funt Attorney for Dion Dawkins

fully, there will be a withdrawal of all charges against them, and they will have the opportunity to completely expunge their records.

“Typically ARD is reserved for first-time and non-violent offenders,” Funt said.

The most severe charge against Dawkins and Reddick was aggravated assault, a first-degree felony. Funt said felony assault is the most violent charge before homicide.

“It’s highly unusual for [people with felony

guilt. As I say, they swallowed a very poisoned pride pill. There was a strong likelihood of being found innocent, but we weren’t willing to take that risk with their futures.”

In a joint statement released with Haggarty, Funt said “in a dark, crowded and chaotic bar they were misidentified as the assailants in an assault on a fellow Temple student.”

“I don’t know what influence that had on the decision [to offer ARD], but I think what

the District Attorney did was right and fair,” he said. “At first they only had the complainant’s version, but then they had the whole story.”

In September 2015, Dawkins and Reddick had requested to be placed into the ARD program, but the DA did not offer it.

Glenn Gillman, Reddick’s attorney at the time, told The Temple News that ARD “wasn’t really appropriate” for the case.

The football team opens its season on Friday against the United States Military Academy. Dawkins played in all 14 games for the football team last season and was a second team all-conference selection last season. Reddick played in nine games and received all conference honorable mention.

Reddick earned one of the team’s single digit uniforms this season, which are given to the toughest players on the team. julie.christie@temple.edu @ChristieJules

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

PAGE 3

TEMPLE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

TSG STARTS OFF YEAR WITH NEW STRUCTURE Empower TU will begin their search for students to join the group’s new parliament.

By JONATHAN GILBERT For The Temple News The Temple Student Government administration will introduce a parliamentary system with 36 seats to the current structure of TSG. Nearly every student government in the country has a parliament with student members, said TSG President Aron Cowen. He added that TSG has tried it in the past, but without success.

Cowen met with former TSG President Colin Saltry, who served in the 2011-12 academic year, to discuss the proposed system. “[TSG] had something similar way back when,” Cowen said. “But it wasn’t going well, so they got rid of it.”

The new parliament will have one seat for all 13 schools with undergraduate students. The seat for each school will be open to any of its students, and will be elected by that school’s student body. Each graduating class will be represented by two seats, while transfer students and un-

dergraduates in programs longer than five years, will each have one seat.

The parliament will also include five at-large seats, open to any student at the university.

There are also eight seats available for multicultural organizations, Greek Life, the Residence Hall Association, commuters and athletes.

“We have to balance trying to get different opinions represented, being equitable and having roughly the same number of seats per group,” Cowen said.

The goal of the parliament is to increase student participation and representation in TSG. “This isn’t here for me or my team, it’s so students can get involved and I hope they can take advantage of that,” Cowen said.

Cowen added that he wants TSG to increase its visibility and attend events held by different organizations.

“We’re going to make a big push to go out, go to organization events, talk with people on their home turf,” Cowen said. “People shouldn’t have to work to find us.”

Cowen’s former colleagues from last year’s administration, Brittany Boston and Binh Nguyen, said his experience with TSG as the Director of Governmental Affairs will help him as president.

BRIANNA SPAUSE / THE TEMPLE NEWS Student Body President Aron Cowen, whose administration is creating a parliament that he says will better represent Temple students.

“Because he was part of our administration he got to see the ins and outs of TSG, and it’ll be really vital and easier for him to hit the ground running,” said Nguyen, the former vice president of external affairs.

“Aron did great work as director of government affairs and he got to see how everything operates,” Boston said. “His experience being on TSG will serve him well and help him take Temple Student Govern-

ment to new heights.” jonathan.irwin.gilbert@temple.edu @jonnygilbs96 Julie Christie contributed reporting.

Former president Theobald: from hiring to ouster Continued from Page 1

ADMINISTRATION Theobald is hired • June 2012: Former President Ann Weaver Hart steps down, citing her mother’s health as priority.

• The Board of Trustees names Richard Englert for the first time as acting president.

• September 2012: Neil Theobald, the CFO at Indiana University, signs a 5-year contract to serve as Temple’s president starting in the following year.

Establishing a program • Winter 2013: Theobald begins his reign with a commitment to making Temple more affordable for students.

• Theobald hires Hai-Lung Dai, the chair of the chemistry department, as Provost.

• Dai establishes a merit scholarship program that grants students awards based on test scores and high school GPAs. The university sees an uptick in applications and in the number of students with high scores.

Budget shortfall • Spring 2016: Theobald approaches Provost Dai about overspending on student scholarships.

• Theobald removes Dai as provost without consulting the Board of Trustees, Board spokesman Kevin Feeley says.

• Theobald emails the Board and the faculty saying that Dai had been dismissed.

• The Inquirer reports that Theobald removed Dai in response to a $22 million deficit in the merit scholarship program.

• Theobald nominates JoAnne Epps, the dean of the law school, to replace Dai. The Board approves the appointment at a public meeting in July.

Board ousts Theobald • July 12: The Board votes “no confidence” in Theobald’s leadership, stemming from his handling of the deficit and for his firing of Dai without first notifying the Board.

• Feeley tells reporters that Theobald knew about the deficit in the scholarship program and hid it for nearly a year, allowing it to grow from $9 million to $22 million.

• Philadelphia magazine reports that Theobald, in an email to the Board, hinted that Dai was accused of sexually harassing one of his subordinates. Theobald insinuates that the Board’s attempt to dismiss him was to keep him quiet about the allegation.

• Theobald is offered the chance to resign but refused, Feeley said.

• July 21: Two hours before the Board is scheduled to vote on removing him, Theobald agrees to step down as President.

• After four years, Richard Englert is again appointed as Acting President of the university. news@temple-news.com @TheTempleNews

CHANGES IN LEADERSHIP JUNE 2012 Ann Weaver Hart resigns as President and Richard Englert becomes Acting President.

SEPTEMBER 2012 Neil Theobald is hired as President and is set to start in January 2013.

SPRING 2015 Theobald allegedly learns about a $9 million deficit in scholarship funding, according to a Board spokesman.

JUNE 2016 Theobald dismisses HaiLung Dai as Provost after the deficit grows to $22

JULY 12 The Board of Trustees votes “no confidence” in Theobald’s leadership and appoints JoAnne Epps as Provost.

JULY 21 Theobald agrees to resign and the Board appoints Englert as Acting President once again.

COURTNEY REDMON | THE TEMPLE NEWS

PHOTO CREDIT, FROM TOP: KATE MCCANN, ANDREW THAYER, ANDREW THAYER, LINH THAN, LINH THAN

News Desk 215-204-7419 news@temple-news.com

OPINION

PAGE 4

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

THE ESSAYIST A watchdog for the Temple University community since 1921.

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

Joe Brandt Editor-in-Chief Paige Gross Managing Editor Michaela Winberg Supervising Editor Julie Christie News Editor Jenny Roberts Opinion Editor

Unsigned editorial content represents the opinion of The Temple News.

Emily Scott Features Editor Owen McCue Sports Editor Gillian McGoldrick Asst. News Editor Evan Easterling Asst. Sports Editor Grace Shallow Deputy Features Editor Tsipora Hacker Deputy Features Editor Rob DiRienzo Multimedia Editor Abbie Lee Asst. Multimedia Editor

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

Tom Lee Web Manager Donna Fanelle Web Designer Brianna Spause Photo Editor Patrick Clark Asst. Photo Editor Finnian Saylor Design Editor Courtney Redmon Designer Dan Garges Advertising Manager Jeanie Davey Business & Marketing Manager

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

What we don’t know

NOT SO ‘STUCK IN TIME’ A student reflects on how her time in Cuba differed from what she heard about the country.

I

knew I’d see the cars. Still, I found myself pausing to watch them, as if in a daze.

When I began telling people I was headed to Havana for the summer to study Spanish and U.S.-Cuban relations, someone always mentioned the 1950s cars that still speed through the streets of Cuba today.

How could you not talk about the cars? They resemble something out of an old movie that had morphed from blackand-white into brilliant, jewel-toned Technicolor.

We rode those cars to class each morning; usually, they’re “máquinas,” government-operated taxi cabs. Reg-

By Angela Gervasi Living in Cuba, rather than gazing at pictures of it, exposed me to something more than romantic nostalgia. Resources are scarce. The effects of the trade embargo — imposed by the United States — are widespread.

One week later, I stood in a hospital waiting room, stuck in no other time but the present. “¿Apendicitis?” I’d asked frantically, repeating the doctor’s diagnosis of my lurching stomach pains.

I’d been told to watch out for stomach bugs and Zika virus. Emergency sur-

With new faces at the helm of university administration, we have a lot of questions.

Was the Board of Trustees in total agreement when 32 of the trustees met in July to plan the shake-up in the university’s administration — in other words, the departure of President Neil Theobald, not long after he had fired Provost Hai-Lung Dai? Were there any trustees who advocated for Theobald to stay?

Do Temple students know that the Board tends to meet privately first, and then “vote” publicly later, and the public vote is almost always “unanimous”? Have they also heard that student government representatives are barred from attending private

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signed a nondisclosure agreement with the Board, but who decided that he should spend a year apart from the university?

Why did the Board decide not to conduct a national search for a Provost, and assent to the replacement chosen by Theobald, who they were planning to remove anyway? Will there be a national search for a new president, or will the trustees opt to appoint from within? Will that come before or after ground is broken on a possible oncampus football stadium?

Will the Board be the primary decision-maker on whether

We’re nonetheless concerned about the lack of clarity surrounding the decisions made this summer.

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meetings? And again, is the public supposed to believe that 36 people — assuming all trustees vote — can fully agree on anything?

Do the trustees know that The Temple News Editorial Board thinks Richard Englert, the acting president, will be a fine leader, as will Provost JoAnne Epps, but we’re nonetheless concerned about the lack of clarity surrounding the decisions made this summer, with all the accusations and nondisclosure agreements?

Do they know we have had a hard time explaining these changes to curious students, because there’s so much that we don’t know?

Why did a spokesman emphatically tell editors at The Temple News that Theobald was not a member of the faculty, while the man himself told us he was studying on Main Campus as part of his yearlong sabbatical?

Why did the Board not announce that Theobald was going on sabbatical? Theobald

or not to even build it, once they receive the results of a commissioned study into the logistics?

Why did the Board express “no confidence” in Theobald’s leadership, but not his decision to fire the former provost, Hai-Lung Dai? If so, does that mean Dai can come back? Or is Dai going to stay out of Temple’s administration altogether?

Did you like Dai’s speech at convocation last year, when he turned his name into a pun and said, “Don’t get high, study long, and never die”?

What about Theobald’s, where he talked about the construction of the new library and sports complex as part of what makes Temple a “red hot” destination for students?

Did you know that if you want to learn who has fallen from grace recently at Temple University, all you have to do is look at who’s not speaking at convocation?

ANGELA GERVASI FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS

gaetón blasted from their radios, hinting at Havana nightlife that was filled with impromptu salsa lessons, watery beer and conversations that swayed between Spanish and English.

One of those first mornings, I made the mistake of slamming the car door.

The driver sped away, but not before I caught a glimpse of horror on his face, followed by a sprinkling of panicked Spanish.

My friend, as new to Cuba as I was, had seen the same thing happen the day before.

“Apparently, you’re not supposed to slam the doors,” he explained. “They can fall off.”

I thought the rest of Cuba would be like those 1950s cars: “stuck in time,” a phrase often used to describe the country.

After that morning, I looked at “máquinas” differently. After all, the old cars don’t exist for novelty. They exist because newer models—ones with seatbelts and air conditioners—aren’t an option.

Meanwhile, public bathrooms lack toilet paper; grocery stores lack fresh fruit.

Buildings, deteriorating in their grandeur, threaten to collapse after something as ordinary as a rainstorm.

gery for appendicitis had been the last thing on my mind.

Within the hospital walls — lined with portraits of Che Guevara, one of Cuba’s most beloved socialist heroes — I learned something firsthand. Cuba’s healthcare system was incredible. The flurry of MRIs, X-rays, ultrasounds and follow-up appointments was undeniably more thorough than anything I’d seen in the U.S. While Americans pay thousands of dollars for health care, my surgery in Havana — covered by Cuban insurance — cost nothing.

With three scars on my stomach, I eagerly prepared to leave the hospital when several nurses asked me what had happened in my country. “¿Qué pasó?”

It was the week of the mass shooting in Orlando. As I rummaged for the right words to explain the tragedy in Spanish, another realization hit me: gun violence, a leading cause of death in the U.S., is a rarity in Cuba.

Which country, I began to wonder, is truly stuck in time?

As a journalist, writer and Spanishspeaker, I’d come to Havana craving truth. Was Cuba a successful socialist experiment? Was it a dystopia of dicta-

torial oppression? A New York Times video showcased a vibrant island culture, booming with particulares, newly legal privately owned businesses. A New Yorker article ignorantly dismissed the country as “North Korea with palm trees.”

What is the truth?

My professor once remarked that the longer one stays in Cuba, the more confusing it becomes. It’s true: Cuba offers dichotomy more dizzying than a busy street of “máquinas.”

To call a country “stuck in time” is to assume its people are unaware of the outside world. The opposite was true in Havana. One Cuban friend volunteered to play Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” as we prepared for a Saturday night out. Another told me he’d learned English growing up from movies like “The Godfather.”

“I’m definitely feeling the Bern,” another friend remarked to me, flashing a smile before he went on to scoff at Ted Cruz.

I was incredulous. It wasn’t the knowledge of American media that amazed me — it was the innovative methods Cubans have used to obtain it. Using “el paquete,” an underground market of flash drives, Cubans manage to share everything from pop culture to academic literature.

Despite Cuba’s lack of resources, resourcefulness is everywhere. It’s a culture that has learned to live despite constant inconvenience: broken water pipes, a car in need of towing, little internet access.

And despite the impact the U.S. has had on Cuba — decades of political involvement, foreign investment, an economy-crushing embargo — the Cuban people I’d met were so open.

I cannot speak for a culture, and I won’t. But the Cubans I met offered unadulterated, honest opinions on the shifting relationship between the U.S. and Cuba, ranging from curiosity to hope to skepticism. They offered new perspectives, quick jokes, an image of Cuba you could never get from reading any article, including this one.

The night before I left, a friend wrote me a hurried note. “I hope you got from Cuba the eternal night feeling that spreads” — and then — “I hope we’d keep in touch when you get back to USA.” Each year at the United Nations General Assembly, Cuba votes to condemn the embargo, along with scores of other countries.

Cuba’s cars may be stuck in time. But many of its people persevere to move forward.

Can we? angela.gervasi@temple.edu

FROM THE ARCHIVES

CORRECTIONS Accuracy is our business, so when a mistake is made, we’ll correct it as soon as possible. Anyone with inquiries about content in this newspaper can contact Editor-in-Chief Joe Brandt at editor@temple-news.com or 215-204-6737.

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March 23, 1976: The Temple News reported on the daily activities of top administrative officials, like President Marvin Wachman. This past summer the university experienced changes in its top leadership with the appointment of JoAnne Epps as provost and Richard Englert as acting president.

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

OPINION

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016 COMMENTARY | TUITION

PAGE 5

COMMENTARY | CITY

New tuition plan Remove Rizzo, better represent the city more affordable The university has streamlined its tuition plan to stay true to its mission.

L

ast year my mother and I were looking at my expenses for the upcoming spring semester, and she realized my tuition seemed higher than it had been just the semester before.

And she was right — it was $500 more expensive to be exact.

This price increase was due to my new status as an upperclassman. Although I was still only in my second year at Temple, I had obtained the minimum 60 credits necessary to qualify me as a junior in time for the spring 2016 semester, and upperclassman status meant higher tuition rates.

Luckily, this won’t be the case for juniors and seniors any longer. This fall, the university has eliminated the $1,000 tuition differential that has been in place for upperclassmen since the fall of 2009. This change is among several the university is introducing to streamline its tuition policies.

“It kind of aligns with the university’s kind of drive toward affordability and JENNY ROBERTS OPINION EDITOR keeping student debt low,” Temple’s Chief Financial Officer Ken Kaiser told me.

The former tuition increase accounted for the additional costs that go into educating upperclassmen, like smaller class sizes and more advanced educational equipment.

But I didn’t realize this last school year when I saw my tuition went up.

Eliminating the upperclassman differential will also eliminate a lot of confusion for students, like me, who didn’t understand why they were being charged more in the first place.

“I think it takes down the puzzlement barrier of ‘Why am I suddenly being charged this?’” said Honors Program Director Ruth Ost. Ost said many honors students come to Temple with existing credits, typically from Advanced Placement classes, and some even gain upperclassman status during their first year.

Eliminating the upper-level differential will make tuition easier to understand for these students, as well as traditional juniors and seniors.

“The other thing it helps is the emphasis for graduating in four years, which really helps with student debt as well,” Kaiser said. “We didn’t want to see students get to the upper class and then not persist because of a couple thousand dollars.”

I’m glad to see the university is continuing with its mission of affordability and accessibility, building off of initiatives like “Fly in 4.” In fact, the university has also further streamlined its tuition plan for this upcoming fall in regard to credit hours.

One such change is that full-time tuition will now cover 18 credits instead of just 17. This will allow students to opt for six classes per semester if they so choose. Most classes are worth three credits, so it only makes sense that full-time tuition would cover credits in multiples of three.

“Now with 18, you really can use those two [credits] that often you couldn’t use because you couldn’t take another three credit class,” Ost said. “It really opens up a lot of possibilities.”

The university will also charge a flat rate for credits if students choose to overload on credits at 19 or more per semester.

While this change allows for students to take on more classes and hopefully graduate in four years — or even sooner — it may also have the negative consequence of encouraging students to take on more than they can handle.

“People really need to talk to their adviser about whether what they’re doing makes sense,” Ost said. “We don’t want people to be taking six courses and then drop out or do badly because they’ve overdone it.”

Like Ost said, just because you can take more credits in one semester doesn’t mean you should. I don’t think I’ll be among those brave enough to take on such a venture.

Temple has also made one more very important effort in streamlining its tuition plan. The part-time and full-time tuition rates are now connected.

This means the transition from part-time to full-time student is not a costly one.

Previously, students adding the 12th credit necessary to go full-time would be paying about $2,000 just for that extra credit. Now, those first 12 credits will all cost the same amount. And for students taking 13 to 18 credits, the price will decrease with each additional credit, encouraging students to pursue their degrees full-time.

Students who most likely work in addition to their studies will be encouraged to pick up more credits at their own pace, and their wallets won’t suffer for it.

“It no longer has this perverse incentive to remain parttime,” Kaiser said.

This is perhaps the most important tuition change the university is making this fall because it is aimed at the core of what Temple is and always has been—a place for students who already have a lot on their plate to get the best education they can. This was true in the 1880s when the university operated as a night school for working-class people and it’s true today.

I’m glad the university is continually looking for ways to keep access and affordability as top priorities. This year’s new tuition model with all of its enhancements is yet another testament to these values. jennifer.roberts@temple.edu @jennyroberts511

The city should remove Frank Rizzo’s statue.

W

hen I was a little girl, my grandmother would take me to the McDonald’s on Broad and Arch streets on days she got off early from her job in Center City. We did not have a car to drive home afterward, so we would catch the 38 bus at the corner of 15th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

On our way to the bus stop, I remember always walking past a huge bronze statue just before the front steps of the Municipal Services Building.

The statue intimidated me. It looked like it was going to fall over and crush me. But I did not recognize this daunting figure, so I asked my grandmother who it was supposed to be.

“Frank Rizzo,” JAYA MONTAGUE she said.

Rizzo was the police commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department in the 1960s and the mayor of Philadelphia from 1972 until 1980. The statue of Rizzo, which was donated to the city, first appeared in the late 1990s.

Recently, that same statue of Rizzo has become the center of a debate about how society reassesses history. An online petition started by Erica Mines of the Philly Coalition for REAL Justice, which organizes under Black Lives Matter, is calling for the removal of the statue. The anti-police brutality group asserts in its petition that Rizzo was “an unrepentant racist who stopped at nothing to torture and hold Philadelphia's African-American community as his personal hostages.”

Rizzo’s statue needs to be removed because of the pain it invokes for both older and younger generations of AfricanAmericans in Philadelphia.

“It’s psychological warfare,” said Dr. Aaron X. Smith, an assistant professor of Africology and African American studies.

“I don’t think it’s a good thing for children to see about our society, especially young African-American children.”

One of the many instances of Rizzo’s poor relationship with African-Americans in the city occurred in 1967, when he was commissioner. Rizzo organized a large group of police outside of the Board of Education building, where a group of students was protesting in favor of adding black history to the school district’s curriculum. Local newspapers reported that Rizzo told his police officers to “get their black a---s,” and a fight ensued between protesters and police.

Perhaps his most infamous moment as police commissioner came in 1970 though, when Rizzo authorized a strip search on members of Philadelphia’s chapter of the Black Panther Party with news camera crews nearby. Rizzo suspected these members had been involved in the recent murder of a police officer, but they were later found innocent. Still, the images from the strip search ended up printed in the city’s newspapers.

These are just two of many recounted incidents involving Rizzo and the AfricanAmerican community that at best remain questionable. The removal of Rizzo’s statue is not only important to the legacy of African-Americans who lived under his power, but also in accurately representing our city.

According to the City of Philadelphia’s

there are about 660,000 African-Americans living in the city of Philadelphia, making up about 43 percent of the city’s population. African-Americans comprise almost half of the residents in the city, and yet there are few statues that represent African-Americans.

But somehow, the figure of Rizzo, known for his racially divisive policies, is allowed to remain on display at a prominent government building. The city, however, is beginning to correct this discrepancy is representation.

In 2014, the city announced the building of a statue of Octavius Catto in front of City Hall. Catto, a 19th-century civil rights activist, fought for desegregation in transportation and sports in the city. He was murdered on Election Day 1871 by an opponent of his work.

“The [Catto] statue I think is important, for the generation of ancestors,” Smith said. “Just like people in America celebrate people’s birthdays, I think it’s equally important for African people to celebrate people.”

Catto’s statue, which will be erected by the end of this year, will be the first public art of an African-American individual in the city. Of course, one statue will never be enough to showcase the roots that many

KHANYA BRANN FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS The donated statue of Frank Rizzo stands at the Municipal Services Building.

Parks and Recreation website, there are nearly 800 sculptures, fountains, mosaics and memorials in Philadelphia, including the statue of Rizzo.

But there are only 17 sculptures that document African-American experiences, and only two of these sites show AfricanAmericans born in Philadelphia.

According to the last U.S. Census,

African-Americans have planted in this city, but it’s a start.

In the future, Philadelphia needs to continue honoring citizens like Catto who inspired change and unity, not those like Rizzo who inspired fear and division. jaya.montague@temple.edu

COMMENTARY | HEALTH

Administrators: consider smoking ban Temple should ban smoking on campus for the health of students.

E

arlier this month, the Community College of Philadelphia announced a new on-campus smoking ban which will take effect in January. As a CCP alumnus, I recall several instances when I was sitting just outside a building on campus, when someone blew toxic smoke in my direction.

Since transferring to Temple last fall, there have been many times when I’ve walked past Tuttleman or Annenberg Hall and experienced the same exact scenario. It’s time for Temple to follow CCP’s lead and join the 1,483 other college JENSEN campuses that have alTOUSSAINT ready gone completely smoke-free.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created the Tobacco-Free College Campus Initiative to help promote and encourage colleges that decide to ban smoking on their campuses or to have designated smoking areas. It was formed because college students are a vulnerable age group—in fact, the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report found that 99 percent of smokers pick up the habit by age 26.

Mark Denys, director of Student Health Services, said Temple is working with the College of Public Health to see what steps the school could take to restrict smoking on Main Campus.

Now, Temple’s smoking policy only prohibits smoking inside or within 25 feet of building entrances or exits, but this pol-

icy has proven hard to enforce.

Marshall Boney, a security guard at Alter Hall’s front desk, said he has to tell students to follow the rule often, despite clear signs. If students don't abide by rules in place to be respectful of non-smokers, then smoking should be banned on campus altogether.

Many students, however, continue to smoke on Main Campus. A possible smoking ban would affect a lot of people in the Temple community.

Some students like Metin Geyik, a junior international business major, would be totally opposed to such a ban.

“As long as I’m not hurting anyone, I should be able to smoke,” Geyik said.

And there are some challenges that might not allow the Temple community to be completely smoke-free.

“We don’t control the streets,” Denys said. “So many city streets will be a challenge.”

At CCP, smokers will be asked to stop smoking on campus during the first year of its smoking ban. If this “positive reinforcement” doesn’t work, sanctions may be considered during the second year of the policy, according to a Philly.com report.

Temple should consider a similar policy to reduce the amount of smoke on campus and to improve the health of students.

According to the American Lung Association, secondhand smoke causes more than 41,000 deaths per year and health problems like lung cancer, respiratory infections and asthma.

Smoking is also dangerous for smokers themselves. Cigarette smoking is responsible for more deaths than HIV/AIDS, alcohol, motor vehicle crashes, homicide, suicide, illegal drugs and fires combined, according to the 2014 Surgeon General’s

Report. Tobacco is also the leading cause of premature and preventable death in the United States. Fortunately, smoking among Americans has reached an all-time low—16.9 percent.

Philadelphia, however, still has one of the highest smoking rates in the nation.

Rates have steadily declined during the past decade through initiatives like banning smoking in restaurants, workplaces and public parks. Without applicable city regulations, schools must individually take it upon themselves to institute such bans.

Nigel Phillips, a junior physics major who normally smokes off campus, believes a smoking ban would be a disservice to many members of the Temple community.

“It wouldn’t be fair to people who have been smoking for so long around campus and work here,” he said.

Phillips is right that many who are part of the Temple community would have to adjust their smoking schedules, which would likely not be easy for most—but it might improve their health in the long run.

Some smokers already see how a ban could be beneficial.

Nia Jacobs, a longtime smoker who works at Temple’s Center for Social Policy & Community Development, said she wouldn’t be opposed to a possible change.

“I’ve tried many times to quit, but because of all the stress and stuff, I still do it,” Jacobs said. “But I think [a ban] would help me and others maybe quit.”

Despite challenges, and people who feel they would be negatively affected by a smoking ban, some change is needed.

A smoking ban could be a step in helping some reduce their smoking habits or quit altogether, and it would definitely reduce secondhand smoking on campus. jensen.toussaint@temple.edu

letters@temple-news.com

NEWS

PAGE 6

University raises credit load, tuition

NEWS BRIEFS Pearl Theatre closed

Students can now take up to 18 credit hours without facing extra charges.

By BRI CICERO For The Temple News

Police expand boundary To provide security to the new Temple Sports Complex, Temple Police expanded its patrol boundaries and hired new officers to help patrol it.

The boundaries now extend from Jefferson Street south to Girard Avenue and from Broad Street east to N. 13th Street, completely surrounding the sports complex.

Executive Director of Campus Safety Services Charlie Leone said Temple Police hired two officers to help with 24/7 patrols of the fields and added two bike officers to patrol the southern part of Main Campus. He added the additions were easy, as the setup had just gone from 10 to 11 patrol zones.

-Julie Christie

Starting this fall, undergraduate students can now enroll in up to 18 credit hours before they are subject to the fulltime overload tuition rate. This is an increase from the previous maximum amount of 17 credits.

The decision to include this additional credit within regular full-time range could help students trying to fit in all of their classes without paying additional fees. In a news release, university spokesman Brandon Lausch wrote: “Temple has simplified its tuition structure to incentivize students to take additional credits so they can graduate on time and limit debt.”

The full-time overload rate at Temple

SEPTA changes schedule Due to a structural problem, 13,000 rail seats were lost in 120 rail cars in July for SEPTA’s regional rail. This is one-third of SEPTA’s rail cars and reduced SEPTA’s ability to transport their usual 65,000 passengers each way to 3540,000 passengers.

The shortage of rail cars has created delays about 30 minutes and changed many rail lines’ schedules.

In an email to students, Kevin Clark, executive vice president and chief operating officer, told students to expect delays on regional rail lines and suggested commuting students take advantage of alternative transportation options like buses, the Broad Street Line and bicycling. Clark also encouraged use of Temple’s Commuter Lounge.

-Gillian McGoldrick

Temple contracts with Coca-Cola Temple entered into a five-year contract with CocaCola after 20 years of Pepsico serving as the school’s beverage partner. According to a university statement, the Office of Business Services conducted a study that found about 60 percent of students preferred Coke products.

The agreement comes with support for scholarships, recreation projects, sponsorships and on-campus marketing.

The switch, which was made July 1, can be seen in all of Temple’s campuses in the Greater Philadelphia area. The products will be available on Main Campus in the dining facilities, bookstores and Liacouras Center.

-Julie Christie

10-cent condoms: Diamond Dollars only All safe sex products sold by the Wellness Resource Center are purchasable only through Diamond Dollars as of Monday, said Samantha Tatulli, the Healthy Lifestyles Program coordinator.

Due to changes in policies and procedures in Student Affairs, all safe-sex products including male condoms, female condoms, dental dams and lube can only be purchased through Diamond Dollars.

The Wellness Resource Center’s dispensary of 10 condoms for $1 has not changed, but can only be paid for through Diamond Dollars.

-Gillian McGoldrick

17 18

credits

credits

in-state

tuition increase

out-of-state

-Gillian McGoldrick

after

Class of 2020 largest ever The Class of 2020 broke multiple records including largest class size and highest average high-school GPA Temple has ever had in an entering class, said Ashwin Verghese, a university spokesman.

There had been a 15 percent increase in applications for the Class of 2020, totaling to 34,512 applications. The expected class size is 5,100 students who started class on Monday. Temple’s Honors Program saw a record number of 750 freshmen.

The Class of 2020 represent 46 states and 59 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, Verghese wrote.

ranges from $427 per credit to $601 per credit for Pennsylvania residents and $733 per credit to $951 per credit for outof-state students—depending on which school the student is enrolled in.

The main goal in allowing this credit to be included was to allow students to graduate within four years or even sooner by being able to take a sixth class each semester at no additional cost.

In addition to this change, Temple’s Board of Trustees approved a 2.8 percent increase in tuition for in-state and out-ofstate students. Tuition will now be $15,384 for Pennsylvania residents and $26,376 for non-Pennsylvania residents.

The mandatory yearly fees have also increased by $100 to $890.

The university also eliminated the $1,000 differential in tuition for upperclassmen, which has been in place since 2009. In-state upperclassmen will see a slight decrease in tuition, while out-ofstate upperclassmen will see a slight increase in tuition.

Full Time Student Credits Before Overload before

JOE BRANDT / THE TEMPLE NEWS

News Desk 215-204-7419 news@temple-news.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

$15,384 $26,376

Sophomore media studies and production major Nina Sicurello said her former school, Northampton Community College, had an 18-credit maximum and it helped many students at her school.

“I think the 18-credit limit is a good idea,” Sicurello said. “Eighteen credits is a very ambitious number. That's a lot of hard work, but it's 100 percent possible for those who are committed to their education."

“I actually support the new limit, especially for students such as myself that slacked in the beginning of college and just want to get done a bit quicker,” said Mark Jackson, a transfer freshman studying strategic communication. “With this limit I'll get done with my college career in significantly less time than I would've with the previous limit.”

“It's such a great thing they've implemented,” he added.

“

bcicero@temple.edu

Eighteen credits is a very ambitious number... but it’s 100 percent possible.

”

Nina Sicurello Sophomore media studies and production major

UP 2.8% UP 2.8%

FINNIAN SAYLOR | THE TEMPLE NEWS

Stadium logistics study continues Continued from Page 1

STADIUM Nolan, the Ohio-based architecture firm leading the study, completed a geotechnical test by digging 40-50 feet into the ground to see if the ground is contaminated or how low the bowl of a stadium could be in the proposed site, Geasey Field.

“We’re looking at other stadiums in urban contexts, other stadiums surrounded by similar residential characteristics of Temple University and what they have done just to keep it low and keep [noise] down,” Ibeh said.

Ibeh said Moody Nolan and Temple’s Project Delivery Group have continued to meet with the community and listened to their concerns, which they have been attempting to answer in their design.

Some of the design of the stadium will be a direct response to community feedback, Ibeh said.

“One of the challenges people were hearing is that we’re going to put a giant stadium out of context in North Philadelphia,” Ibeh said. “The response to that was the geotechnical report where we tested to see how low can the building go so it’s more contextual, rather than comparing it to Lincoln Financial Field.”

Ibeh added the stadium’s design will not go above the height of the rowhomes on Norris Street and will reflect “the character of the neighborhood.”

Some other concerns from the community included noise and increased partying if a stadium were built in a residential area. Ibeh said officials will try to include a design that will funnel noise away from the community and toward Main Campus and

KAIT MOORE FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS The university authorized digging near Geasey Field, above, to see how deep a stadium could be built.

create a “plaza” for students and families to tailgate and celebrate on campus before football games. All entrances to the stadium would be on the east side, facing Temple’s campus, as opposed to some opening toward the community, Ibeh added.

“It’s been really instructive hearing people’s concerns because it gives us as a design team things to respond to,” Ibeh said.

Calls to Curtis Moody, the CEO of

Moody Nolan, were deferred to the office of Temple’s COO, who referred The Temple News to Ibeh.

Ibeh said he and Moody Nolan’s teams are still in the “information-gathering stage” and there is no set date to present the study to the Board of Trustees. gillian.mgcoldrick@temple.edu @gill_mcgoldrick

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

features PAGE 7

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

Rio 2016: An opportunity for change A senior journalism major observes Brazil’s corruption during the Olympic Games.

NOELLE QIFU CRESS FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Shafayeet Hoque, left, a freshman biology major, and Willa Douglas, a freshman vocal performance major, play “Pokemon Go” during their second day on campus.

‘Pokemon Go’ connects gamers, newcomers on Main Campus For Temple students, the app provides a chance to meet new people.

By KELLEY HEY For The Temple News

T

his summer, groups of people gathered around the Bell Tower, their eyes locked on their phones. They all shared one common interest: catching Pokemon.

New and old Pokemon fans have discovered a community of players — and a whole lot of Pidgey—on Main Campus.

“Pokemon Go” debuted on July 6, and currently has around 30 million active users. It uses mobile GPS to allow players, also known as “trainers,” to catch Pokemon, collect useful items at Pokestops and pit their Pokemon against other players at Pokemon gyms. Both gyms and Pokestops are real, designated areas all over the world.

“You would see a bunch of people sitting by the Bell Tower and you would know exactly what they were all doing,”

POKEMON | PAGE 14

Intersecting identities voiced through art Senior African American studies major speaks for black women through activism and art.

By TSIPORA HACKER Deputy Features Editor Whenever Nayo Jones performs one of her poems, she blacks out.

“Blacking” is where “you go so deep into the emotions of your poem that you sort of black out,” she said. Jones, a senior African American studies major, experienced “blacking” firsthand during her performance at the 2016 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI).

Jones performed a poem called “Sandra Bland” with alumnae poets Kai Davis and Jasmine Combs. Out of 67 teams, Temple took first place.

Jones said she fell in love with spoken word poetry during her time at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. She formed a poetry team with friends and joined a slam league through the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement.

Jones joined BABEL, Temple’s Poetry Collective when she came to Temple. As soon as

BRIANNA SPAUSE / THE TEMPLE NEWS Nayo Jones, a senior African American Studies major, is building her own brand of activism through art.

their trio was formed, Jones, Davis and Combs knew they wanted to write about Sandra Bland because her story was “so specific to mental illnesses and how they interact with black womanhood,” Jones said.

Many debated whether the death of Sandra Bland was a murder or a suicide. The poem introduces the idea that maybe a suicide can

JONES | PAGE 14

A white sign with bold red letters read, “Fora Todos Eles,” which roughly translates to, “All of them out.” It referred to all of the Brazilian government officials. But the answer I got when I asked the protesters themselves if they were for or against the Olympics, was that it was not something they could control, so they planned to use it for a positive change in the country.

It all began in Copenhagen, Denmark, as Rio de Janeiro became the official hosting city of the 2016 Olympics. With mixed emotions from both the media and its local population, Rio 2016 successfully SABRINA SILVA surpassed many expectations.

Every two years, NBCUniversal broadcasts the winter and summer Olympics. This year, I was lucky enough to be one of the 44 interns chosen to go to Rio de Janeiro and represent NBCUniversal as an olympic host. Though the staff and I worked over 12 hours a day in the duration of the Olympic games, we did have a small amount of time to explore the city of Rio de Janeiro and meet many of the city’s residents.

In an event highly valuable to nations throughout the world, the Rio 2016 Olympics became the perfect opportunity for Brazil to make its issues known and seek help fighting its government instability.

On the morning of the opening ceremony, protesters from different parts of the country came together and camped out in front of the Hotel Mar Palace Copacabana, one of the most elite hotels in South America. My coworkers and I were sitting on the balcony of the Palace having breakfast when the protest began, and we were soon interrupted by the shoutings and decided to stop what we were doing to see it unfold.

Though the signs were clear on what the protest was about, I wanted to go into the crowd and get an understanding of the thoughts of the protesters themselves.

The Olympic games are broadcasted in 160 countries throughout the world and the Rio 2016 games were ranked as second highest primetime audience for any non-American summer games, according to NBC. The opportunity for Brazilian residents to be heard was bigger than ever.

One of the protesters, Ana Clara Silva, was at first against the games taking place in her country especially during a time with many governmental issues. However, a couple of days before the protest, she began to see the games as a benefit to the corrupt country.

“First, I wanted to throw water on the torch. Then, little by little, I began to want to see it lit making its way through my gorgeous country,” she said. “It’s time the world sees the pain and problems in my country. I just hope they do something about it.”

OLYMPICS | PAGE 13

SCHOLARSHIP | PAGE 9

LIBERIA | PAGE 8

PUBLIC ART | PAGE 12

THEATERS | PAGE 12

A senior architecture student, who is also a refugee, won a $5,000 scholarship from GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company.

A 1998 alumnus is running for president of Liberia.

The Arch Street Meeting House educates the Philadelphia community about its history.

A alumnus documents disappearing movie theaters in Southeast Asia. Read more on page 12.

F E AT U R E S

PAGE 8

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

Alumnus running for ‘prosperity’ in Liberia Richard Miller, a 1998 alumnus, is running for president of his home country, Liberia.

By EMILY SCOTT Features Editor It took five years of being asked to run for president of Liberia before Richard Miller finally obliged.

Miller, a 1998 strategic management and international business administration alumnus, is running for president of Liberia in the country’s October 2017 election. With his Liberians for Prosperity Party, he hopes to bring progressive change to Liberia, which has experienced corruption, poverty and other socioeconomic issues for the last several decades, he said.

Miller grew up in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital.

The Liberian native arrived in the United States with his brother in 1989, shortly after the First Liberian Civil War erupted in the country.

“

We need a leader that will move our country forward so our children will have a future.

”

Ora Darway Chairwoman of Liberians for Prosperity party

He recalled lying on the floor in his Liberian home and hearing a bullet graze the top of his glass window during the beginning of the civil war.

“There were so many checkpoints with folks with assault weapons in your face, until we made it to the airport and we left the country,” Miller said.

He enrolled in Temple for his undergraduate degree and planned to go right back to Liberia after college to work in a family business or start his own. Due to Liberia’s “economic and political turmoil” at the time, he said, those plans were cut short.

After Temple, he earned a master’s in business administration from Eastern University and a master’s in environmental protection and safety management from Saint Joseph’s University. He also was a partner in Tea Country, a tea

shop on Main Campus in 2007, which closed two years later after the economic recession.

Miller had no desire to be a politician.

“During my years here in the United States, like many Liberians, I was distressed with what was happening politically in Liberia,” Miller said.

After two civil wars over 14 years, current President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, was elected.

Many, including Miller, began to go back to Liberia to see what they could do in different communities to help with lack of access to electricity, water and healthcare.

“Those experiences remain with many of us, so the love and compassion for humanity was the driving force for me and many others,” Miller said. “But along the way a lot of the folks we worked with at some point began to ask me to run for political office.”

Miller’s colleagues saw his “natural leadership abilities,” knew of his education, experience and his “compassion,” he said.

“We have all at some point sat in tents, mud houses and shared tears because we were looking for someone to lift our country and people out of despair,” Miller said.

Miller announced his candidacy for president of Liberia in November 2015. He has financed his campaign with limited resources, primarily through his own savings.

Ora Darway, the chairwoman of Liberians for Prosperity, said if Miller becomes president, Liberia will no longer face corruption.

“He is sincere, honest and hardworking,” Darway said. “We need a leader that will move our country forward so our children will have a future.”

Miller said there is a lack of “accountability and transparency” among Liberian politicians, which inspired the creation of the party. “[In the United States,] if a politician says they are going to a build a school, that school will be built,” said Miller, who is running opposed to 21 candidates. “In Liberia, that money would be allocated to the politician and they would put it in their pocket.”

Most of Miller’s 4,000 supporters are in Liberia, he said, but hopes to build a campaign in the United States.

Harvey Collier, the father of Miller’s fiancée, said Miller would be a “God-send” for the country.

“I believe he would be a 22nd-century president,” Collier said. “He knows what democracy is about and the last two presidents haven’t shown democracy except to themselves and their cohorts.”

Some of his more tangible hopes for his presidency are to amend Liberia’s Decent Work Bill, which set minimum wage at $6 per day and

PATRICK CLARK / THE TEMPLE NEWS Richard Miller, a 1998 Fox School of Business alumnus is running for president of his native Liberia.

the Alien and Nationality Law, which recognizes children of Liberian men born outside of the country as citizens, but not children of Liberian women.

“These laws have remained in place and outdated for all of these years,” Miller said.

There’s never been an amendment to change the constitution and fully recognize Liberian women ... we are going to amend the constitution and that is our hope.”

Miller, who plans to go back to Liberia in a few months, has lingered in the U.S. to gain resources and financial backing.

If he becomes president, Miller hopes to continue to strengthen the relationship between Liberia and the U.S. “Liberia is considered the stepchild of the United States, so we are regarded by our African counterparts as the Africans who are American because of our love of this country,” Miller said.

“It would be great to work as an ally and seek United States’ support.” emily.ivy.scott@temple.edu @emilyivyscott

Changing society’s perceptions through apparel An alumnus founded [dis]ABLE, a clothing line, which strives to change society’s outlook of people with disabilities.

By SHEALYN KILROY For The Temple News Every day, Jimmy Curran wakes up and heads to work at his full-time job in Center City.

During his free time, he goes to bars with his friends.

Curran is a normal 27-year-old. His daily life isn’t one of inspiration.

“I want people to say, ‘Oh, Jimmy is just like me,’” said Curran, a 2011 finance alumnus.

Curran relies on a wheelchair to get around because he was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy. After Curran finished his time as an undergraduate, he would only get as far with potential employers as an initial interview.

Curran founded [dis]ABLE, a clothing line with a mission: to rid the stigma of what it means to have a disability.

“I was having a hard time with employers seeing past my disability,” Curran said.

In the fall of his senior year at Temple, Curran went through almost 30 interviews with no job offer. With some help from men’s basketball coach Fran Dunphy, who he met from attending basketball games and being friendly with players on the team, Curran landed a job at Independence Blue Cross a few months after he graduated.

“After the obstacles I encountered in my job search, I realized society had substandard features@temple-news.com

expectations [for those with disabilities],” said Curran, who still works for IBC. Curran said he thinks society expects those with disabilities to be unable to perform everyday tasks, like holding a job and maintaining a social life. He said people are often impressed that he can go to the grocery store by himself, just because he has a visible disability.

Regardless of these expectations, Curran said he wasn’t going to let his disability get in the way of achieving his fullest potential. [dis]ABLE was born from these values.

“Everything the brand stands for, I believe in,” Curran said.

The logo, designed by Curran, pictures the word “disable” with “dis” crossed out and the “able” in caps. Underneath it reads: “For all those who said I couldn’t.”

The first shirt was printed in September 2013. Curran wanted help with the line, so he enlisted the help of his close friend Eddie Doyle and his brother Mike Curran.

Doyle said he believes everyone can apply the message of [dis]ABLE to his or her life, regardless of a visible or concealed disability.

“No matter who you are, you’re going through something,” said Doyle, a 2010 communications and media studies and production alumnus. “The idea behind [dis]ABLE is to not let it break you down. You have the decision on how to handle those obstacles.”

Mike Curran said he recognizes the fearlessness his brother has in the brand.

“For any startup or business, it takes a lot of guts to have that kind of ownership to show up [to an event] and push a brand,” Mike Curran said.

“We’ll be anywhere, whether it is the Con-

SHEALYN KILROY FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Leaving from work at Independence Blue Cross, Jimmy Curran sits on the corner of 19th and Market Streets.

tinental or a Sixers game, and Jimmy will have his backpack full of shirts, ready to tell people about the brand,” Doyle said. “He’s always ready to be himself. He’s not afraid of getting rejected.”

The main goal of [dis]ABLE is to stop viewing people with visible disabilities as subjects of inspiration. Mike Curran and Doyle said they both agree that what makes Jimmy Curran inspirational is his determination, positivity and the insight he adds to every conversation, not

his wheelchair.

“We’re not different,” Jimmy Curran said. “I don’t want people to say ‘Jimmy is amazing.’ I want people to think ‘I gotta wake up and go to work,’ and Jimmy is probably going to do the same. I want to inspire people to view everyone as a person.” shealynkilroy@temple.edu

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

F E AT U R E S

PAGE 9

MAKING CONNECTIONS THROUGH SPACE

A senior architecture student received a $5,000 scholarship from GlaxoSmithKline.

By EMILY SCOTT Features Editor Maryam Hallaj’s family knew they had to leave Syria as soon as it became unsafe for her and her brother to attend school because of the Free Syrian Army’s approach toward her hometown.

Hallaj, a senior architecture major and Syrian refugee, won a $5,000 scholarship from GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company, in May. She was chosen for the award to “improve lives through higher education,” and hopes to design refugee “pop-up spaces” — housing for refugees — after graduating.

Hallaj said she has always been interested in space.

“I lived [in Syria] for five years and I didn’t speak the language well ... so not being able to connect with people over language was always difficult,” Hallaj said. “I always understood how people worked and connected to each other through space.”

Born in San Jose, California, Hallaj and her family moved to Arizona when she was two and lived there until she was 11. Before she started sixth grade, her family moved to Aleppo, Syria.

Her father, who is Syrian, had family and a business in the country. He also wanted his family to experience the culture, she said.

“It’s really hard to be uprooted and move to somewhere that you are not familiar with the culture and language or anything,” Hallaj said.

“

Refugees need something more than temporary.

Adam Hallaj Sophomore biology major

”

Because she wasn’t fluent in the Arabic language, she said she struggled to connect with people culturally.

“It took me longer to make friends, do anything school related,” Hallaj said. “It is a lot to drop everything when you’re 11 and everything is perfect and start over in a new country.”

When her family heard news that the Free Syrian Army declared they were going to seize Aleppo, they decided it was time to head back to the United States.

Because her family members had dual citizenship, it was easier to travel by plane back to America. With one week’s notice, her family packed one suitcase full of five outfits and some objects that

SHEFA AHSAN FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Senior architecture student Maryam Hallaj is one of five Philadelphia students who received the GlaxoSmithKline Opportunity Scholarship.

they couldn’t live without, Hallaj said.

“We didn’t do anything to the house, we just packed and left,” she said. “We got out and a few weeks later the airports closed.”

When they arrived in Pennsylvania, they didn’t have a place to live right away. For two weeks, they stayed in a hotel and then later lived in her dad’s office and garage, sleeping on air mattresses. Eventually, they found a home in the Philadelphia area and Hallaj enrolled in Upper Merion Area High School.

Hallaj said one of the hardest parts about transitioning back into American culture was attending a public high school for the first time.

“I didn’t know how people worked,” Hallaj said. “I didn't know what people were thinking, which was kind of for the best because I wasn’t afraid to just be myself and say whatever.”

During her time at Temple, Hallaj has kept busy. She is on the board of Temple’s chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students. She founded the Temple chapter of Architecture Lobby and volunteers with the Narenj Tree Foundation, an organization assisting refugees.

She also applied to nearly 200 scholarships, she said.

When she found out she won the GSK Opportunity Scholarship for pursuing education despite facing adversity, Hallaj said she wanted to cry.

“I worked really hard to get myself through school and so has my family and to think that I’ve

come all this way, I’m really proud of myself,” she said.

After she graduates in May, Hallaj hopes to pursue her designs of refugee pop-up spaces that she began sketching at the end of the Spring 2016 semester.

Her current sketches plan to use shipping containers as a base for the shelters, which can be set up in different locations. She hopes by using shipping containers, the pop-up spaces can be easily brought to different ecosystems and recycled.

Adam Hallaj, Maryam’s brother, believes this design is much more practical for refugees.

“Refugees need something more than temporary,” Adam Hallaj, a sophomore biology major, said. “And this is the perfect solution because it gives them something longer to stay in and it is the little things like that when you have lost everything.”

Maryam Hallaj said the designs are a response to her realization that she should use her architectural knowledge to help people.

“I decided I should shift my attention from making really beautiful buildings to making spaces that make happy beautiful people instead,” she said. emily.ivy.scott@temple.edu @emilyivyscott

features@temple-news.com

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F E AT U R E S

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

MARGO REED FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS

Philly Zine Fest showcases printmakers, DIY artists Buying, trading and creating were three commonalities between all of the stands at Philly Zine Fest on Aug. 28. Organizer, Dre Grigoropol, said the 14th annual event attracted approximately 600 guests to the Rotunda on 40th Street near Walnut Street. Zine creators often trade among themselves and sell zines ranging from pay as you wish to $20.

“Almost every table is different from each other,” Ken Amato, a 2002 College of Liberal Arts alumnus and organizer of the festival, said.

The festival included some zines titled “Moviejawn,” “Dirty Corners,” and “Hoax.”

“I would say it attracts anyone who is into the DIY aesthetic, regardless of what walk of life you come from,” Amato said.

Rebecca Rozek attended with three other friends, Sarah Hansen, Xihe Xun and Shuhan Li, who had never been to a zine festival. Rozek said she was interested in finding zines that would be enjoyable for students at her after-school reading program. They had their caricature drawn by Salvatore Marrone, a vendor at the event. Li, an intercultural communications student at Penn, had never heard of zines when she moved to the United States from China.

“I don’t think we have those kinds of things in China,” Li said of Philly Zine Fest. “It’s an adventure.”

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F E AT U R E S

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016 Continued from page 1

TECH at 15th and Diamond streets.

Last year, Temple Tech worked on improving the Free Library of Philadelphia’s technology system.

Temple has been giving technology to the Duckrey School since 2006, when the CRC set up a computer lab there.

“I was given a job to get rid of all this junk, and nobody wanted the job, is the reality of it,” Latko said. “So I developed it into an

“

PAGE 11

worker at the CRC. “This gives them a chance to actually use this technology.”

Josh Gerloff, the technology teacher at Duckrey School, said computers are an integral part of education at the school—students use computer programs like Khan Academy and Reading Eggs during class.

“These kids will do anything if it’s on a computer,” he said. “There’s a direct correlation between how they use those programs and their math and reading scores going up throughout the year.”

These kids learn so much more, so much quicker when they’re using something that they like.

”

Jonathan Latko Head of Computer Recycling Center

entire department. ... I’m trying to come up with creative, unique ways to use our excess resources— human capital, equipment capital—into the communities around us that have need.”

The CRC spruced up Duckrey with nearly 60 old computers from the TECH Center, split up among 20 classrooms, as well as flat-screen TVs and projectors.

Now, through the new campaign process, Duckrey School was able to apply for a new full computer lab, complete with 35 to 40 computers, tables and chairs.

“If it’s a donated machine from Temple, most likely the user might not have an opportunity to use the technology that we have,” said David Bui, a 2016 engineering technology alumnus and student

“These kids learn so much more, so much quicker when they’re using something that they like,” Gerloff added.

In addition to being used during school hours, Gerloff said the new computer lab will be available for after-school use by students and their families to search for jobs, write resumes, find doctors and more.

“What you realize is, there are a ton of socioeconomic challenges within North Philadelphia and I think, personally, the digital age is a flattener,” Latko said. “It can knock a lot of those barriers out if we can first bring the technology to these groups.” erin.moran@temple.edu

ERIN MORAN FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Jonathan Latko, top, head of the Computer Recycling Center, works in his office in Pearson Hall on Tuesday, Aug. 23. The Computer Recycling Center, above, is full of technology in different stages of referbishment.

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ANNUAL NOTICE TO STUDENTS REGARDING EDUCATION RECORDS The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (“FERPA”) provides the following rights for students attending Temple University:

a.

The right of a student, with minor limitations, to inspect and review his or her education records;

b.

The right to request amendment of a student’s education records to ensure that they are not inaccurate, misleading, or otherwise in violation of the student’s privacy or other rights; c.

The right, with certain exceptions, to consent to disclosures of personally identifiable information contained in the student’s education records; d.

The right to withhold public disclosure of any or all items of so-called “Directory Information” by written notification to the Office of the Dean of Students within two weeks after publication of this notice. Under current University policy, the item “Directory Information” includes* a student’s name, street address, email address, confirmation of enrollment status (full-time/part-time), dates of attendance, degree received, awards received (e.g., Dean’s List), major field of study, participation in officially recognized activities and sports, and weight and height of members of athletic teams. e.

The right to file a complaint with the Department of Education concerning the alleged failure of Temple University to comply with the requirements of FERPA and of the implementing regulations.

The procedures for exercising the above rights are explained in “Temple University’s Policy Regarding Confidentiality of Student Records,” copies of which are available in the Office of the Dean of Students and on Temple’s website at http://policies.temple.edu/ferpa. Included in this Policy is a description of the types and locations of educational records maintained by the University.

If you or your parents’ primary language is not English, upon your request, reasonable efforts will be made to provide you with a translated copy of this “Annual Notice,” as well as with “Temple University’s Policy Regarding Confidentiality of Students Records.”

REAFFIRMING YOUR FERPA WAIVER All continuing students who have previously signed FERPA waivers are being asked to reaffirm them as soon as possible. In addition, those students who would like to execute a new waiver may do so by following these steps: Once logged into TUportal: • Click the "Self-Service Banner” link under the TUApplications menu • Click the "Student" link • Click the “FERPA Contacts” link • After reading the informational text, click the “New Contact” link • Enter the requested information and click the “Submit Changes” link * In compliance with a 1997 federal statute designed to advance military recruiting, Temple also may release dates of birth to the U.S. Department of Defense unless the student notifies Temple that he or she wishes this information withheld. features@temple-news.com

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F E AT U R E S

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

Student teaching history through public art An art experiment at Arch Street Meeting House aims to inform about the site’s past .

By GRACE SHALLOW Deputy Features Editor To educate Philadelphia residents about history, Lynne Calamia asked a single question.

Calamia, the director of the Arch Street Meeting House, a Quaker house of worship in Old City, placed two chalkboards in front of the building. Each board had the phrase, “How will you change the world?” stenciled across the top with spaces and chalk for passerbys to write their responses.

The chalkboards went up on June 14, days after a gunman killed 49 people at Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando, Florida. “Assault rifle ban” was the first response written.

In 2015, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage awarded Arch Street Meeting House a $60,000 grant to experiment with methods to engage new audiences.

Calamia wanted the grant to help fund initiatives, like this art experiment, to portray Arch Street Meeting House as an “incubator for social change,” she said.

“Quakers are known for being suffragists, abolitionists and environmental activists,” Calamia said. “Any social action Quakers were there from the start. That’s something Quakers are proud of and something that’s really pertinent to the times we are living in now.”

Stephanie Williams, a graduate student studying public history, used the Arch Street Meeting House as a case study for her thesis on the intersection between public art and public history.

“Compared to a place that already has people coming in everyday, this is drawing people’s attention and making them stop [to look],” Williams said.

“We want to inspire people to be empowered to make their own change,” Calamia said.

“It’s not saying, ‘Will you make change?’ It’s saying, ‘How will you make change?’”

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GRACE SHALLOW / THE TEMPLE NEWS Lynne Calamia (left) and Stephanie Williams (right) stand on both sides of the “How will you change the world?” chalkboard in front of Arch Street Meeting House in Old City.

Calamia was inspired by artist Candy Chang’s original chalkboard-painted wall in New Orleans. As an experiment, Chang stenciled the phrase “Before I die...” at the top and left spaces and chalk for community members to write responses in 2011.

Since then, more than 1,000 “Before I die” walls were recreated in 35 languages and in more than 70 countries.

The wall is meant to look like a “work in progress,” Calamia said, “not perfect.”

At first glance, it is apparent people of varying ages and beliefs wrote on the chalkboards. On one line, “have fun” is scrawled in the clumsy handwriting of a child. A few spaces above, “respect myself and others” is written in a slim, exact type.

Calamia said she hopes the chalkboard wall

will “get the community to care about this building that they previously haven’t cared about.”

Arch Street Meeting House, a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1804 and holds a weekly service for Quakers to this day. During the week, visitors can take a tour of Arch Street Meeting House to not only learn about the building itself, but the history of Quakers in the city.

Many Quakers are prominent figures in American and Philadelphian history, though not often spoken about.

“Philadelphia was known as the Quaker city,” Calamia said. “There’s quakerism on every corner if you know what you’re looking at between street names, the way the streets are and there’s even William Penn on top of City Hall.”

Besides funding the chalkboard project, the

grant supported Arch Street Meeting House’s prototyping sessions, which evaluated things like the length and route of tours, to gauge visitors’ experience in the building.

Calamia’s main focus as director is engagement with the surrounding community.

“I think about what people get when they walk in the front door,” Calamia said. “This is an unfamiliar religious building and we don’t want people to feel weird.”

“I want to energize this community,” Calamia added. “Tourists, locals, people walking by here on their way to work, young and old.” grace.shallow@temple.edu @grace_shallow

Alumnus documents disappearing theaters An alumnus traveled to Southeast Asia photographing the remains of movie palaces.

By EMILY SCOTT AND GRACE SHALLOW The Temple News Chiang Mai, Thailand, was a city of educational and creative development for Philip Jablon. After getting lost on a motorcycle ride in the city, he discovered a stand-alone movie theater, something he’d never heard of before.

When Jablon later returned with friends to see a movie, he found the remnants of the building’s demolition.

“And that was it,” Jablon said. “Then and there, I knew that it would be a worthy effort to document these [theaters] around the country.”

Jablon, a 2003 Asian studies and civilization alumnus, started the Southeast Asia Movie Theater Project, a photographic record of stand-alone movie theaters in countries like Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. His latest exhibition, "Forgotten in Plain Sight: Photographs of Southeast Asia's Vanishing Movie Theaters,” was on display at PhilaMOCA until August 25.

After he graduated from Temple, Jablon moved to Thailand to study at

Chiang Mai University for a master’s in sustainable development.

Jablon started the movie theater project in 2009. As he collected more images and stories, people’s reactions were encouraging, something he said gave him the confidence to start applying for grants. He was awarded his first grant from the Thai-based James H.W. Thompson Foundation in 2009.

Since then, Jablon has been back and forth between Thailand and Philadelphia to fundraise his project. While in Philadelphia, Jablon visited Temple’s Asian studies department to share LCD projections of historic theaters in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia and discuss their use and preservation.

“We like to view the achievements of our graduates and extensive field study in multiple countries over a number of years like Phil’s is unusual,” Dr. Kathleen Uno, chair of the Asian Studies program, said in an email.

Jablon calls the abandoned theaters, which can also be found in Philadelphia, “riches.”

Jablon said the theaters are underappreciated and wants to change the public’s perception of historical buildings and emphasize their cultural value through his photography.

His project also relates directly to environmental concerns in Southeast Asia, which have become more prevalent in recent years. A stand-alone movie theater would only exist in “a pedestrian,

low-carbon community,” Jablon said.

“This is in contrast to the way people go to movies in contemporary times, which is driving to a strip mall between towns and going to, like, a 16-screen theater,” Jablon said. “That whole act of living is not very sustainable.”

Jablon said theaters in Southeast Asia were essentially the “living room[s] of the community.”

“This is where people went not just to get information or entertainment, but where they came to meet,” he said. “It’s where they came to socialize.”

For those who visited his exhibit at PhilaMOCA, Jablon said he hoped they realize the communal and environmental aspects the stand-alone movie theaters represent are being destroyed.

The movie theater project is a way to forge connections between Asian and American cultures as well as between the past and present.

“There’s some famous writer that coined the phrase, ‘the need for ruins,’” Jablon said. “It makes us less inclined to just throw things out, dispose of our communities, and of our structures, and of our environment. We feel a deeper connectivity to it.” features@temple-news.com

Chelsea Zackey contributed reporting.

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F E AT U R E S

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

Mixing genres for film with ‘edge’

PAGE 13

EVENTS

A former student wrote and produced the film “Dollface: The Road to the Apocalypse.”

By GRACE SHALLOW Deputy Features Editor Adam Iezzi said his upcoming role is complicated.

In “Dollface: The Road to the Apocalypse”, Iezzi, a 2012 history alumnus, will play The Doctor, the antagonist of the film. He said the film is like “a vertigo comic strip made into a movie with Hannibal Lecter in it.”

“Dollface” is an indie superhero comedy set in a mental asylum in a postapocalyptic wasteland. The film’s heroine, also named Dollface, is known for killing criminals. She is placed in an asylum and fights to prove her sanity throughout the film, which will be released later this year.

Bob Kaplan, the writer and producer, studied at Temple before transferring to West Chester University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English in 2013.

One day, Kaplan called Iezzi on the phone and said, “I have a role for you.”

“I just said, ‘Okay,’” Iezzi said. “Anytime he has any kind of crazy film idea or what not I go along with it.”

Kaplan was inspired to write the script of “Dollface” while watching “Tank Girl,” a superhero comedy whose heroine fights a mega-corporation controlling the world's water supply.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if she were fighting zombies?’” Kaplan said.

Kaplan said he’s “obsessed” with other female superheroes, like Hit-Girl from the film “Kick-Ass.” “Dollface” was a way

for Kaplan to bring his own version of a strong, female protagonist to life.

The film is a mix of movie genres, including superhero, comedy, action and horror, creating a film unlike anything else, Kaplan said.

Kaplan, a lifelong movie fan, enjoys indie horror as a genre not only because of its content, but also because of the fans who support the films.

“The fans have such a huge input on

“

Any time he has any kind of crazy film idea or what not I go along with it.

Adam Iezzi Actor

”

the way things are,” he said. “It’s more of a community than anything.”

Community has been essential in the making of “Dollface,” Kaplan said.

The film is being paid for by fundraising, meaning it is not guaranteed any cast or crew members will be compensated.

Being a part of the process is the only guaranteed reward, Kaplan said.

Chris Schramm, a 2014 film and media arts alumnus who directed “Dollface,”

wants to create projects that will make people laugh.

“I like having a sense of humor on set,” Schramm said. “If I enjoy it, other people are going to enjoy it.”

Prior to working on “Dollface,” Schramm directed “Killerz” and “Brains.”

Both shorts incorporate dark comedy, an “edge” Schramm recognized in Kaplan’s longer script when he read it for the first time.

He also admired Kaplan’s drive to combine multiple movie genres.

“I like to take those ambitious steps toward a more interesting film,” Schramm said. “You don’t see much out there like ‘Dollface.’”

There are about 30 cast and crew members working on “Dollface” and Kaplan estimates about 80 percent of them are alumni.

As producer and writer of the film, Kaplan has a hand in almost every decision made in regards to the project, from casting the crew to making final cuts.

As the “overseer of all things ‘Dollface,’” as he puts it, has its perks, but the most gratifying aspect is watching the film go from “nothing to something.”

“This is probably one of the most amazing processes to witness,” Kaplan said. “Whether it’s working on set or being in the editing room, it’s amazing to help get to that final product.” grace.shallow@temple.edu @grace_shallow

First Friday Art Walk On Friday, Old City Philadelphia will host its First Friday Art Walk, when galleries stay open longer and have opening receptions for their new exhibits. From 6 to 8:45 p.m., street vendors will sell handmade art in a festival atmosphere.

There will be a free bus to take students there, leaving from the corner of 13th and Diamond streets.

-Tsipora Hacker

Spencer Edgers Group at The Rite of Swing Cafe The Rite of Swing Cafe will feature the Spencer Edgers Group on Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Group, made up of Temple musicians Spencer Edgers, Jake Kelberman, Silas Irvine and fellow bandmates Khary Shaheed and Nimrod Speaks will be celebrating the 90th birthday of John Coltrane. The event will be at the Temple Performing Arts Center at Broad Street and Polett Walk.

-Tsipora Hacker

Cherry on Pep Rally On Thursday at 3:30 p.m., there will be a Cherry On Pep Rally at the Bell Tower. There will be free food and T-shirts while supplies last for students. There will also be a performance from the Diamond Marching Band and spirit squad.

This rally will be in support of the football game against Army on Friday at 7 p.m.

-Tsipora Hacker

‘Commercial Sex’ in Northern Ireland discussion On Thursday, Dr. Paul Maginn from the University of Western Australia will hold a seminar “Ulster Says No!: The Regulation of ‘Commercial Sex’ in Northern Ireland” in the CHAT Lounge on the 10th floor of Gladfelter Hall from 4 to 5 p.m. He will discuss the regulation of commercial forms of sex like prostitution in Ireland and the UK and how it reflects on the area’s political landscape.

-Grace Shallow

Outdoor festival at Temple Ambler campus This afternoon, Ambler campus will hold an outdoor festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate students’ first week of classes. The event will feature vendors, music, giveaways and informative booths for student organizations. The event will be followed by an evening outdoor festival at the same location from 4 to 6 p.m.

-Grace Shallow

Made In America Festival

ANNA STERBENZ FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Former student Bob Kaplan is directing a superhero comedy film titled “Dollface: The Road to the Apocalypse.”

Continued from page 7

OLYMPICS While inside the games, Brazilians would chant, “Fora Temer,” which roughly translates to, “Out with Temer!” and refers to Brazil’s acting president Michel Temer.

Temer, who was vice president until May, assumed presidential powers after the suspension of President Dilma Rousseff during her impeachment trial. Temer is known to be more conservative and has not received a warm welcome by the people of Brazil as the country’s new president.

Even with extreme government corruption, the hopeful mindset of change seemed to be the spirit of the Rio Olympics outside of the games.

Many residents from the “favelas” would make their way to the beaches every morning selling items they felt would bring some profit. What boggled my mind were the big smiles on the beach workers’ faces while walking barefoot in the hot sand.

“I work hard every morning, because my country needs me. Everyone here needs a little bit of ‘cachaça’ in their lives,” said a Rio vendor named Luiz. “Cachaça

The Budweiser Made In America music festival is coming to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway over Labor Day Weekend. Jay Z, Rihanna and Coldplay, will headline the two-day festival. It will feature other popular artists like Chance the Rapper, Grimes, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and DJ Khaled. This will be the festival’s fifth year in Philadelphia.

“is the local Brazilian liquor, similar to rum and most famously used to make the local Brazilian drink, the Caipirinha.

It was conversations like those, with everyday workers, that made me realize that though Brazil is currently dealing with government corruption, they are also looking at the brighter side of life. When asked what keeps the Brazilian calm during the storm, Luiz answered, “Bob Marley. Don’t worry, be happy!” sabrina.silva@temple.edu

-Tsipora Hacker

Free moving screening of “Creed” at Clark Park To kick off Labor Day Weekend, University City District will screen “Creed” at Clark Park on Friday. UCD partnered with Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and Friends of Clark Park. The Clark Park Movie Series screens movies every Friday between Aug. 26 and Sept. 9 and finishes with a screening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Attendees of the screening are asked to bring chairs or blankets.

There will be food and local businesses vendors. Films start at 8 p.m.

-Emily Scott

features@temple-news.com

F E AT U R E S

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Continued from page 7

POKEMON

“What do you think of Neil Theobald’s removal as Temple’s president?”

Ethan Greenstein, a junior marketing major said of the first few weeks after the game’s release.

There are three Pokestops around the Bell Tower, which makes it a popular place on campus to play the game, Greenstein added.

“It’s nice playing on campus,” he said. “It’s a community. It’s not just me playing by myself in Center City.”

Greenstein downloaded the app the second day it was available because he was curious.

“I played Pokemon a long time ago,” he said. “I was interested to see this iteration of it.”

“The original Pokemon game is very combat battle focused and the new one is catch focused,” Alec Duffy, a freshman psychology major, said.

“There’s a huge emphasis on building your Pokedex and getting all of the Pokemon.”

Duffy began playing Pokemon in second grade, and enjoys the different experience of the game from the app.

Continued from page 7

JONES SEAN GALLAGHER

“

Sophomore Music Composition

Many Temple students aren’t well informed — I don’t really know anything about Theobald, and I don’t think many students do. The information really isn’t given to us in an effective way. The emails didn’t really explain the situation. There was never an official explanation telling us what happened. I don’t think email is a good idea, because students have their classes and teachers emailing them, and anything else they just open and close. Maybe a text through Temple’s system would be better, just something people would be more likely to talk about. The emails made it seem like it was less of a big deal.

“

”

NATALIE ABULHAWA Sophomore Athletic Training

be a murder, especially when “there’s so many forces pushing you from the outside, telling you to hate yourself and telling you that you don’t deserve to live,” Jones said.

“It was a really liberating and difficult piece to write, because there’s so much trauma we’re working with while also putting it into clear writing for everyone else to understand,” she added.

When the team finished performing, Jones said they came off stage and collapsed into each other's arms.

“That was one of my favorite moments. Having that moment of release and sorrow, but also triumph because we’re still here, we still exist and we get to speak on it,” Jones said.

The poem went viral after Huffington Post wrote an article about it— titled “This Poem About Sandra Bland Is A Powerful Reminder To ‘Say Her Name.’” Going viral wasn’t as important as knowing that there are “so many people who understood, who we were able to impact,” Jones said.

Jones believes all black people, especially black women, feel this “hatred from the outside.”

“We’re not only getting hate from the white society, but also a certain level of self-hate from the men in our society,” she said. “All we really have is

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016 “It’s not a nostalgic feel, but more of an evolved feeling to Pokemon that I really like,” he said.

Since the launch of the app, there have been safety incidents across the country in regards to playing the game.

In response, the Temple Police have taken safety initiatives.

“We want to make students aware to be safe while playing, so our department tweeted out safety tips back in July,” said Charlie Leone, executive director of Campus Safety Services.

“We also made our police and security personnel aware of the ‘Pokemon Go’ Pokestops and gyms around the campus area.”

Leone said there have been no safety incidents related to “Pokemon Go” on Main Campus.

On Sept. 10, the Temple Gamers Guild — a student organization in which students play different games in a communal setting — will host a “Pokemon Go” meetup, said club president Greg Calhoun, a senior information science and technology major. At the meetup, players will participate in a Pokestop scavenger hunt competing for a small prize.

“We’re expecting a lot of freshmen,” Calhoun said. “They don’t have much going on and still need to make friends. It’s a reason to get out of your dorm room and do something interesting.”

“Temple is the only place I don’t run out of Pokeballs all the time,” Duffy said.

One of Duffy’s most prized Pokemon is a Magmar, which he describes as a “fire duck.”

“It’s rare, and I caught it outside of a Chipotle,” he said.

Hannah Shippas, a freshman biology major, has been a Pokemon fan since elementary school.

“I think it will encourage me to get around campus more instead of staying in my dorm all day,” she said. “I can’t wait for meetups to start so I can meet new people and become friends with fellow players.”

ourselves.”

Jones noticed the hatred toward black women in 2012, after the death of Trayvon Martin. Black women were protesting and creating organizations, yet “we were still talked about as if we’re allies to a movement that we are also dying in,” she said.

“You’re never hearing about Rekia Boyd or Aiyana Stanley-Jones because it’s easier for most people to want to fight for a man,” she added. “No one ever hears of us and no one ever speaks of us.”

Jones also uses music as a platform to speak about topics most important to her as the lead vocalist of The Bad Tequila Experience. The band went on its first tour this past summer, lasting a week and stopping in seven different cities.

The band’s genre can span from rock to include “elements of jazz and latin,” said Jones, who usually writes the lyrics. “It’s whatever we’re feeling at the moment.”

“Nayo has inspired all of us in a huge way,” said Hector Ayala, the band’s drummer and a student at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. “She’s very active when it comes to different issues and has brought that sense of awareness of what’s going on in the world.”

She said Philadelphia is not only a great place for music and poetry, but for activism as well. The art in Philly is really “raw,” Jones said, so her poetry needs to be very “vulnerable, emotional

and social justice based.”

Jones finds inspiration for her poetry and music through her experiences as a black queer woman. She has had both white and black people tell her she’s “not black enough,” she said.

“Experiences that are very influenced by the intersections of my identities make for really impactful art,” Jones said.

Jones was a part of “In Defense of Black Bodies”, a protest movement led by black youth, where she created a song that includes the lines, “Mama black bodies are dead in the streets, we can’t keep dying at the hands of police, so we’re rising, rising in all of our dreams.”

Jones said the movement doesn’t exist anymore, because the members became exhausted by having to constantly relive their traumas. She remembers crying during protests, only to have police officers laugh in her face.

Jones’ main goal for the future is to continue positively affecting people through poetry, music and activism.

“If I can impact one person, “ she said. “Whether I bring them into social consciousness or introduce them to African American studies concepts, I will have achieved my goal.”

kelley.hey@temple.edu Tsipora Hacker contributed reporting.

tsipora.hacker@temple.edu @tsiporahacker

I don’t know exactly what changes will be made. I was happy [Theobald] is no longer here because he was a big force for the stadium and I am against the stadium. I think with him being gone there might be some type of shift in regards to that. I am only a sophomore, so I’ve only been here for one year so I don’t know that much about his previous years. The only way I knew is because I got that one email saying he was stepping down and it was a lack of communication as to what led up to that. ...

So I think they should do a better job of explaining and sending out news to us.

”

AMEDE BENNETT

“

Senior Strategic Communications

I know that I heard he had a lot of administrative issues. I met the guy in person a few times. I was former IUC treasurer in 2012 before he came in so I want to say he was very respectful, nice in person, but I heard that a lot of people had administrative issues. I never really looked into that. I felt it wasn’t my place. Temple is a great school. I just want Temple to get a president that actually cares about the university and not just use the university as a stepping stone for another major university.

I feel like Theobald was one of the first presidents after Liacouras to actually care. Even though he may have been shady with whatever happened, I felt like he did genuinely care.

features@temple-news.com

”

BRIANNA SPAUSE / THE TEMPLE NEWS Nayo Jones laughs in front of Bourbon and Branch in Northern Liberties where she performed with her band, The Bad Tequila Experience on Aug. 23.

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

S P O RT S

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016 Continued from page 18

SENIORS at Temple in 2013, which also happened to be Rhule’s first year as head coach, the team lost its first six games on the way to a 2-10 finish.

Though he lost the training camp competition, Walker earned the starting spot for the team’s final seven games after coming off the bench against the University of Louisville. The team finished at 6-6 in 2014 with Thomas, previously a defensive back, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

Last season, the Owls won 10 games for the first time since 1979 before losing in the American Athletic Conference championship game and Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Walker set a career high in passing yards, while Thomas rushed for 1,262 yards and earned first team all-conference honors.

Before his senior season at Elizabeth, Walker set an ambitious goal: to throw no interceptions during the whole season.

He nearly accomplished it, only throwing one one on the way to passing for more than 2,000 yards and earning the 2012 Offensive Player of the Year award from the Newark Star-Ledger.

This year, as he attempts to become the first Temple quarterback to lead the school to two bowl games, Walker wants to improve his completion percentage to 70 percent. He is trying to make smarter decisions to accomplish it, even if it means settling for a few yards instead of a big play.

“The big thing with Phillip is he’s just taking it really seriously,” Rhule said. “He understands that if he completes over 60 percent of his balls that we become a really special offense, 65 percent, we’re an elite team this year.”

Thomas and Walker used to watch Elizabeth High School football games after Pop Warner practice on Friday nights, aspiring to be like eventual NFL fourthround pick Khaseem Greene and University of Pittsburgh standout running back Ray Graham. They’ve gone on to make

their own names for themselves.

“Where we’re from, not too many guys get that opportunity to see friends, someone that’s like a brother to me just go through the journey that I’ve been through, the losing seasons, the ups and downs throughout our careers and our lives, the different paths that we took to get here,” Thomas said. “And for us to just have that type of bond, to have another four years coming into college winning that championship, it’s just greatness.

“Somebody like that you really cherish,” Thomas added. “Just outside of the field, not only for what they do on the field but who he is and what type of role he’s had in my life. I’ve been excited for him since high school, since we started playing together. And then his freshman year, getting to [play] against Louisville, and just seeing him blossom after that. It kind of brings tears to my eyes.” evan.easterling@temple.edu @Evan_Easterling

PAGE 15

SPORTS BRIEFS FOOTBALL

Shippen, Friend waived The Miami Dolphins on Saturday waived former Owls wide receiver Brandon Shippen, the team announced on Twitter. Shippen did not have a reception in three preseason appearances against the Giants, Cowboys and Falcons. The Norristown native had 32 catches for 453 yards in four seasons at Temple. The Dolphins signed Shippen as an undrafted free agent in May. Forrmer Temple offensive lineman Kyle Friend did not make the New York Jets 75-man roster and was waived by the team on Sunday. Friend played in 45 games for the Owls during his career. He made headlines before the NFL Draft for his 41 reps on the bench press at Temple’s Pro Day and signed with the Jets as an undrafted free agent in April.

-Evan Easterling

Anderson, Matakevich making preseason impact Temple’s former Bednarik award-winning linebacker Tyler Matakevich has made his presence felt in three preseason games with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Matakevich, who was a seventh-round pick by the Steelers in April, has nine total tackles and an interception so far.

Former Temple wide receiver Robby Anderson is impressing players and coaches during the New York Jets’ preseason as he fights for a roster spot. Anderson leads all Jets receivers with 11 catches for 203 yards through three preseason games. Anderson caught a touchdown pass from former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg in the Jets’ annual preseason game against the Giants Saturday.

-Owen McCue

GENEVA HEFFERNAN TTN FILE PHOTO

FENCING PATRICK CLARK / THE TEMPLE NEWS Coach Matt Rhule walks around during practice at Chodoff Field on Friday.

Continued from page 18

PREVIEW Senior quarterback Phillip Walker, who formerly went

by P.J., has decided to go with a name change this year because he’d prefer to be called Phillip as he matures and prepares for whatever professional field he ends up in.

With Walker and senior running back Jahad Thomas leading the unit, Rhule envisions the offense catching up to the defense this year.

“There’s always been guys on defense who have demanded that we play at a certain

standard, every rep, every play of practice,” Rhule said. “What you’re seeing right now is guys like Phillip and like Jahad demanding that from the offense right now.”

Walker, Thomas and most of the seniors on this year’s team were part of Rhule’s first full recruiting class at Temple.

There are six true seniors and 12 redshirt seniors.

The group has seen improvement every season for the past three years. They were part of 2013’s 2-10 team, and 2014’s 6-6 team before going 10-4 last season. Another four-win improvement would result in an undefeated, 14-0

Continued from page 18

WRIGHT “It was going into the end zone and he jumps up, does a backflip, bats the ball between his legs and it lands on the one-yard line,” Martinez said. “To be 210 pounds and be able to do that makes it altogether scary.”

Wright, who was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, originally committed to Rutgers University before flipping his commitment to Temple in February.

He’s made an immediate impression on coach Matt Rhule, who describes Wright as one of the most mature freshmen he’s ever been around.

“Everything from the way he acts in terms of talking to people and being someone that’s empowered to talk to people and speak his mind in a very positive way, to the way he practices, takes cares of his body,” Rhule said. “He’s ultimately earned the respect of the guys on the team in a very quick amount of time just because of the way he carries himself.”

“You can tell he’s going to be a special player,” Rhule added.

Wright played everywhere on the field at Kingswood-Oxford. He caught 91 passes for 1,917 yards and 19 touch-

campaign.

“I think year after year more people bought into what the coaches were saying and as a result we had more wins,” redshirt-senior linebacker Stephaun Marshall said.

One thing this group has never done is beat Houston, the reigning conference champions. The Cougars beat Temple 22-13 in 2013 and 31-10 in 2014, before taking home the conference title with a 24-13 win against the Owls last season.

After getting a taste of winning last season, Temple has its eyes on a conference championship and one of the

downs. He also ran for 330 yards.

Martinez wanted to get the ball in Wright’s hands as much as possible. He even lined Wright up at quarterback for designed runs out of the wildcat formation.

“He has an eye for the end zone,” Martinez said. “You can’t teach what he has. He has a special skillset with the ball in his hands, whether it’s juking you, whether it’s running you over or with a spin technique, he has a wide variety of tools that allow him to be as good as he is.”

Rhule and offensive coordinator Glenn Thomas have used Wright’s skillset similarly. The 6-foot-2-inch, 207-pound wide receiver has played running back and even returned kicks for the Owls this summer.

“He’s been bursting on the scene,” senior quarterback Phillip Walker said.

“He’s been doing great playing running back, receiver. Everything we need him to do he’s doing.”

“He’s been able to play a couple different positions and is learning them very, very fast,” Thomas said. “And that gives confidence that he can get in there and get reps and show us what he can do.”

Sophomore running back Ryquell Armstead heard similar praises dur-

New Year’s Six bowl games in 2016. This group of players will probably need to beat Houston for the first time to accomplish those goals.

“We haven’t beaten Houston since we got here, so I really want to get after them,” Williams said. “But in order to beat Houston, we have to go through all 12 games on our schedule. We have to take it one day at a time.” owen.mccue@temple.edu @Owen_McCue

ing training camp last season. Armstead eventually played in 11 games last season as a true freshman, rushing for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s definitely hard to go from high school to Division I playing football, especially as a true freshman,” Armstead said. “I’m just trying to help him out as best I can and let him know that I was just in those same shoes last year.”

Martinez touts Wright as the best player he’s ever coached. That includes four-star linebacker Koby Quansah, who will play at Duke University. It also includes Tennessee Titans tight end Jerome Cunningham and former NFL wide receiver Chris Ortiz.

Wright’s competitiveness, which features a bit of “nastiness,” Martinez said, is what really separated him from other talented players.

“The funny thing about Isaiah is that he’s a pretty soft spoken kid, but when he’s on the field he turns into a complete animal,” Martinez said. “It’s funny to see him be able to leave it all on the field and come back and be a perfect gentleman after it’s all said and done.” owen.mccue@temple.edu @Owen_McCue

Largaespada leads program at Wagner College Class of 2016 fencing graduate Fatima Largaespada will be the first head coach of women’s fencing at Wagner College.

The Seahawks announced the addition of the program, the 40th in the nation, last September. The Puebla, Mexico native reached three consecutive NCAA Championships from 2013-2015 and led the foil squad with 46 wins last season.

Largaespada continues a fencing tradition in her family. Her grandfather owns a club in Mexico and her family runs a fencing club in San Antonio, Texas.

-Evan Easterling

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Chris Clark is named as Dunphy’s assistant coach After a brief stint at Drexel, Chris Clark returns to the Owls’ staff as an assistant basketball coach. Clark worked as a video coordinator during the 2015-2016 season, but left for Drexel in April to join Zach Spiker‘s staff as an assistant. He played four years at Temple including two under head coach Fran Dunphy, earning Big 5 Most Improved Player honors in 2007-08. Clark is entering his eighth year coaching.

-Evan Easterling

PENN STATE

Petition seeks more Temple-Penn State football matchups Last year’s Temple-Penn State game drew a record home crowd at Lincoln Financial Field. A change.org petition, started by Temple student and alumni group Acres of Cherries on Aug. 15, is asking for more matchups in the future.

This year’s game, on Sept.17 at Beaver Stadium, is the last game of the scheduling agreement the two schools extended in 2010. As of Monday, the petition, which will be sent to each school’s athletic director, had 48 of 100 desired signatures.

The petition asks each school to cancel their games with the University of Idaho and schedule a home-and-home series. The Vandals are scheduled to travel to Pennsylvania to face the Nittany Lions on Aug. 31, 2019 and would travel to Philadelphia to face the Owls on Sept. 12, 2020. Idaho will drop from the Football Bowl Subdivision to the Football Championship Subdivision’s Big Sky Conference after the 2017 season.

-Evan Easterling sports@temple-news.com

S P O RT S

PAGE 16 FIELD HOCKEY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

Temple on Big 12’s list to interview The university is one of 20 schools seeking to join the major conference.

By OWEN MCCUE Sports Editor

PAUL KLEIN FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Sophomore midfielder Jessika Daniels attempts to pass a defender during the Owls 8-0 loss to the Syracuse Orange on Friday Aug. 26.

Field hockey builds off 2015 finish After a 3-12 start to last season, the team went to the Big East championship.

By BRETT LANE For The Temple News On a humid day, with the sun shining down on the Owls’ new facility just a few blocks south of Morgan Hall, the sound of hammering and drilling echoed across the field. Construction workers were finishing off final preparations for the field hockey team’s first home game against Penn State, on Sept.

2.

The squad was surprisingly optimistic, and upbeat, despite a crushing 9-1 defeat to the University of Maryland in a scrimmage the night before.

“I think we came out strong, and we just need to build upon that,” redshirtjunior forward Sarah Keer said.

In coach Marybeth Freeman’s first season heading the program, the Owls learned how to respond to tough losses.

Freeman’s tenure started out with a 3-12 record through the first 15 games.

The team then rattled off five straight wins, including its biggest one, a 1-0 shutout against Old Dominion University, then-ranked No. 12 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.

The Owls finished with an 8-13 record last year, and a 3-2 record in the Big East Conference. They earned the No. 3 seed in the Big East tournament after a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against Villanova and advanced to the Big East championship, where their season ended with a 7-3 loss to then-undefeated Connecticut.

Continued from Page 1

COMPLEX tween that features the home locker rooms, a visiting locker room, coaches’ offices and a training room.

Men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey and lacrosse will host home games and will practice at the Temple Sports Complex. The men’s and women’s cross country teams have already used the new track to practice. Club teams and campus recreation will also have access to the new facility.

The women’s soccer team held the first practice at the new complex on Aug. 5 and played the first game on Aug. 19.

The soccer field has bleachers to seat as many as 500 fans and is equipped with lights, so the soccer teams can play night games like most of their conference opponents.

At the first women’s soccer game, the reported attendance total was 621. The men’s soccer team drew 878 in its home-opener, and more than 1,000 fans attended a game on Sunday. The field hockey team will play its first game at Howarth Field in the complex on Friday.

Last season the men’s soccer team had 700 people at its opener, while the women’s sports@temple-news.com

Freeman said the team would like to regain the momentum it had going into the final game of its season, but she understands it’s not that easy.

“Of course we always want to put our best foot forward and start out on a five-game [winning] streak, but our philosophy is one game at a time, with the most important game being the next game,” Freeman said.

The Owls enter the 2016 season without their three leading scorers from last year: Tricia Light, Alyssa Delp and Sarah Deck, who combined for 30 of the team’s 50 goals. Both Delp and Deck also garnered first team all-Big East selections in their final seasons.

Freeman isn’t too worried about it.

“You look at two years ago, we had a great forward in Amber Youtz, our leading scorer, we could’ve said the same thing last year, like who’s gonna step up and take that role,” Freeman said. “Lo and behold we had three people do it, which is great.”

In addition to Light, Delp and Deck, seven other seniors graduated last year.

Forward Katie Foran, midfielder Paige Gross and midfielders/backers Michelle Walsh and Ali Meszaros make up this year’s senior class.

Eight freshmen will join the roster, which also features four seniors, four juniors and five sophomores.

Keer expects big improvements from the returning players, along with a freshman class that may be ahead of schedule to help fill the void left by last year’s seniors.

“I think a lot of the underclassmen have stepped up, since we were so upper-class heavy last year,” Keer said.

“Especially the freshmen from last year have stepped into bigger roles which is good to see.”

“The freshman are fitting in really well, and getting used to the speed of the game, which is really helping us overall as a team,” she added.

Gross, who is one of the team’s cocaptains, expects to be one of the main leaders on and off the field this season.

“I like to lead by example,” Gross said. “I’m very vocal. I like to lead with my hustle, and competitiveness, in practice and in the games.”

Liberty University and Quinnipiac University will join the Big East this year as the conference expands to eight teams in field hockey. The Owls lost to Liberty 3-2 in overtime last season.

After the Owls finished second in the Big East last season, this year’s preseason coaches’ poll has Temple falling to fourth out of eight teams. Connecticut, Liberty and Old Dominion were picked to finish ahead of the Owls, respectively.

“I think we have a really good chance to win the Big East this year, the tournament is on our home field,” Gross said. “Opening the season against the defending champs will also give us a great test.”

team had 105.

“I think they’re going to have to make it bigger because we’re going to get more than 500 fans here,” redshirt-junior men’s soccer player Mark Grasela said.

The round-trip travel from Main Campus to Ambler took its toll in multiple ways on the soccer teams. One of the effects was the knock on recruiting.

On some recruiting trips, visiting players would tour the school and watch the team practice somewhere on Main Campus, and never visit the actual fields at Ambler. Coaches expect the new complex can be a recruiting tool for their teams.

“The current group of freshmen are the first group I really started selling it to because at that point I felt pretty sure it was happening,” O’Connor said. “It’s probably not a coincidence that now we have a kid from Chicago, a kid from Boston.”

Student-athletes’ performances on the field and in the classroom were also impacted by the travel time, which took nearly two hours from their schedules.

Athletes were not close enough to put in extra hours of practice on the fields, and the athletic training facilities were 45 minutes away after they got to Ambler.

“We definitely think it’s going to help

them,” MacWilliams said. “It’s going to help them in the classroom, help them in the field.

They’ll be a lot fresher.”

“That’s going to be even more noticeable when you’re playing in the midseason because we used to do the trek up to Ambler everyday, and that gets old, particularly when you’re in the midseason to late season,” he added.

The Temple Sports Complex has brought more teams together. The men’s and women’s soccer teams were geographically separated from the rest of the student-athletes when they were at Ambler.

The men’s soccer team and field hockey team were both in attendance along with interim president Richard Englert and Athletic Director Pat Kraft for the women’s soccer game on Aug. 19.

“It’s nice to have all the teams around to support each other,” Grasela said. “It’s nice to have people around and just see what’s going on throughout the year because when we go to Ambler we don’t see people as much because it’s so far.”

“I wanted to be there for the opening,” Englert said. “It is beautiful.”

brett.lane@temple.edu

On July 19, the Big 12 Conference announced it would consider adding schools to its 10-team league.

ESPN’s Brett McMurphy reported on Aug. 16 that at least 20 schools would conduct video interviews with the Big 12 in order to make their case for joining the conference.

One of those 20 teams is Temple. Ten other schools in the American Athletic Conference will also interview with the Big 12. The only schools that won’t interview are Tulsa and Navy, who only competes in football. Brigham Young University, Boise State University and Colorado State University top the list of candidates outside The American.

Temple has an obvious financial interest in joining the league.

Athletic Director Pat Kraft spoke candidly on the topic to the Inquirer in August at American Athletic Conference media day.

“There is a lot of money at stake, that is the reality of it,” Kraft told the Inquirer on Aug. 3.

Forbes.com valued the Big 12 as the third most valuable conference in 2016, trailing only the Southeastern Conference and the Big 10 Conference. The Big 12 drew in $113 million from the College Football Playoff and bowl games and $19 million from the men’s basketball NCAA tournament.

The American ranked sixth most valuable after drawing in $30 million from college football’s postseason and $19 million from the men’s basketball NCAA tournament.

The Big 12’s television contract is also much larger than The American’s. The Big 12’s 13-year contract with ABC/ESPN and FOX is worth an average of $200 million per year, ESPN.com reported. In contrast, The American reported $19.1 million in television and radio revenue for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

If Temple played in the Big 12, the Owls would also face off against historic programs like the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma every year. This summer the football team announced a series with Oklahoma, which has the fifth-best all-time winning percentage, starting in the 2024 season.

When the men’s basketball team played the University of Kansas in 2014, more than 11,000 people filed into the Wells Fargo Center to watch the event. That’s more than the 10,472 attendance total for Temple’s game against Villanova earlier this year when the Wildcats were the topranked team in the country.

University of Oklahoma President and Big 12 Chairman David Boren told cincinnati.com that the Big 12 will review the strength of athletic program, fan base, media market, reputation and academic standards when evaluating candidates.

The strength of an athletic program is usually defined by its football team. While Temple’s football program showed great strides last year with a 10-win season and a national ranking at times, other schools have programs far more established.

BYU, Boise State, Houston and Cincinnati have all been ranked multiple times over the past 10 years.

Temple’s fan base has been inconsistent. The football team had average crowds of 44,159 in 2015, 23,370 in 2014 and 22,473 in 2013. The average attendance for the Big 12 in the past three years is 57,941.

Those making a case for Temple to join the conference point to the Philadelphia television market as the strongest selling point to the Big 12.

Nielsen Media, an American research company whose television ratings system is used worldwide, estimates Philadelphia as the fourth largest media market in the country. Philadelphia ranks higher than the two largest markets within the Big 12’s geographic parameters—No. 5 DallasFort Worth and No. 10 Houston.

Larry Atkins, an adjunct journalism professor at Temple, wrote about the topic for the Huffington Post in May. “The most important quality of any potential addition to the Big 12 is the size of the television market,” Atkins wrote. “This was the main reason that the Big 10 admitted Rutgers a few years ago. Temple blows most of the other candidates away on this criteria.”

It is unclear what Boren means by reputation, but Temple’s football program has never been placed on NCAA probation.

Temple’s academics standards are on par with Big 12 schools. The average rank in U.S. News & World Report for Big 12 schools in 2016 was 115.5. Temple ranked 115.

This past season Temple had four teams rank first in The American in all-academic selections. Four others, including the football team, ranked second.

There is no definite timeline for the conference’s expansion, but Iowa State president Steven Leath, who is one of the league’s board of directors, told the Iowa State Daily the Big 12 will make a decision on expansion before Christmas.

owen.mccue@temple.edu

owen.mccue@temple.edu

@Owen_McCue

@Owen_McCue

temple-news.com @thetemplenews

S P O RT S

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

PAGE 17

CREW

Perkins’ promotion is ‘touchstone’ to past Brian Perkins follows Gavin White as the crew team’s coach.

By CONNOR NORTHRUP For The Temple News Everyone knew, except Brian Perkins.

At least, it seemed that way to to the longtime Temple crew assistant.

Perkins sat inside the office of Athletic Director Pat Kraft with Senior Associate Athletic Director Larry Dougherty, not sure what to expect.

“I went in like I was going to court,” Perkins said. “I had facts and figures, defending my position, and at one point Kraft turned around to Larry and said, ‘He doesn’t know why he is here, does he?’”

Kraft named Perkins the crew team’s head coach in June, making him the third coach in school history after Gavin White retired at the end of the 2015-16 season.

White spent 37 years at the helm of Temple men’s crew, and Perkins will continue an unofficial tradition.

Perkins competed for White from 1988-92, but it is not the first time a rower transitioned into a coach for the Owls.

From 1971-73, White rowed under Tom “Bear” Curran, the first-ever Temple crew coach. After serving as an assistant coach after graduation, White took charge following Curran’s retirement in 1979.

In a familiar scenario, Perkins helped win two Dad Vail Regatta Championships under White during his time as a student-athlete. He earned the Gavin White Academic Award while serving as team captain his senior year in 1992.

“It is very exciting,” Perkins said. “Through the head coaches changing, there is still a touchstone to the past and the beginning of Temple crew.”

Perkins is keeping his same

GENEVA HEFFERNAN TTN FILE PHOTO Brian Perkins (center) was named head coach of the crew team following the retirement of coach Gavin White. Perkins was White’s top assistant for the past six years.

office after serving as an assistant coach for the last six years. A small room with white walls and no windows sitting on the second floor of Pearson Hall, Perkins said he wouldn’t change it for a thing. Well, maybe for an office in the Owls’ newly renovated East Park Canoe House, he said.

After 28 years of knowing one another, the former assistant coach recalled the first time he met White in the fall of 1988.

“I was a senior in high school and I still have the hand-written letter of him encouraging me to come to Temple,” Perkins said. “I remember a lot of it, even the tough love because I was a bit of a knuck-

lehead sometimes.”

During his tenure as coach, White’s boats won 20 Dad Vail Varsity 8 titles, including 13 consecutive titles from 1989-2001. In his final season, White’s team earned a trip to the IRA National Championships in Windsor, New Jersey for the first time since 2008.

White was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2002, so he knew this past season would be his last. With a long history in rowing and newly found free time, White will continue with Temple as Coach Emeritus.

“Brian is one of the smartest guys I have ever coached,” White said. “He is a great choice.”

White will continue as a mentor from time to time for the young team, which lost 17 seniors to graduation. The team is coming off its first Dad Vail varsity eight medal in eight years.

With four varsity eight rowers returning from last season, the Owls are making minimal changes with Perkins in charge.

“When you are going from Gavin to Brian, there is not much different,” senior coxswain Dante Romeo said. “Gavin was, ‘This is the way we are going to do it.’ Brian is willing to accept the ideas we present to him.”

From rower, to assistant, to coach, Perkins adapts like he always

did at Temple.

With another season behind him, Perkins told his team there are expectations. As Perkins follows in his former coach’s footsteps, he looks to continue a pattern of success.

“Sometimes I lay in bed, I stare at the ceiling and wonder what I am going to accomplish,” Perkins said.

“Gavin is a tough guy to follow, he has coached long time and had a lot of success. I want to be able to do that.” connor.northrup@temple.edu @ConnorNJ4life

MEN’S SOCCER

Men’s team hopes to avoid late-season collapse Five starters are returning, including the team’s top scorer.

By MAURA RAZANAUSKAS For The Temple News

Last season looked like it might be something special for David MacWilliams’s team.

The Owls began the season 7-0-1, and earned a No.17 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America coaches poll by September.

But things changed when the Owls began play in the American Athletic Conference. They dropped their first three conference games on their way to a 2-6 conference record, including a loss from all four of their conference road games. As for the postseason, Temple suffered a four-goal first round loss in The American’s conference tournament.

This season, the Owls hope to change the narrative and stay consistent for the second half of the season.

“Our biggest challenge this year will be staying focused on the ultimate goal,” senior midfielder Dan White said. “Last year, after a great start we stumbled our way through conference play. The mental side of soccer is just as important as having the technical and physical ability in order to succeed. We need to approach every game and every play with the win-or-die attitude.”

The team’s ultimate goal is to win The American and qualify for the NCAA tournament. The Owls’ best chance at gaining entry into the NCAA tournament would be to win the conference and get an automatic bid.

“We have to finish our chances,” Mac-

HOJUN YU FOR THE TEMPLE NEWS Senior midfielder Jorge Gomez Sanchez attempts a volley shot in the second half of Temple’s 3-0 win against the Manhattan Jaspers on Friday Aug. 26.

Williams said. “Last year we struggled a little bit in conference. We had some injuries, not to make that as an excuse, but we just have to do a better job in conference.”

Temple lost four seniors from last season’s team including midfielder/forward Jared Martinelli, who ended his Temple career with 21 assists, which ranks second in program history.

Returning for Temple this season is senior midfielder Jorge Gomez Sanchez, who led the Owls with 13 goals last season and made the preseason all-conference squad. As for the defense, senior defenders Matt Ma-

honey and Carlos Moros Gracia will return as captains to help Temple on the back line.

In addition to the five returning starters, Temple brought in eight freshmen. Freshmen Zach Brown, George McGee, Nick Sarver and Albert Moreno are a few key players MacWilliams said could make an impact this year.

“There are quite a few kids that I think can help us, but a lot of it is they’re adding depth to our program right now,” MacWilliams said. “I think we have four or five seniors that will probably be starting, so it’s a good year for these guys to get some experience so when our seniors move on they can

be ready to step right in.”

“The freshman and transfers are a very talented and focused group of players,” White added. “They’ve already shown the impact they can have, with many contributing in the first two exhibition games, and Zach Brown scoring the game-winner against Lafayette. maura.razanauskas@temple.edu @CaptainAMAURAca Owen McCue contributed reporting.

sports@temple-news.com

SPORTS

FOOTBALL PREVIEW

PAGE 18

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30, 2016

OWLS ‘NEVER SATISFIED’

FOOTBALL

After a historic 2015 season, the football team has lofty goals for this year.

A

By OWEN MCCUE Sports Editor

very Williams thought he had run as hard and as fast as he could when he walked off Chodoff Field during the first week of training camp.

Coach Matt Rhule saw differently.

“That’s not good enough,” Rhule said to the redshirt-senior linebacker.

After a season in which the Owls got off to the first 7-0 start in school history, beat Penn State for the first time in 74 years and became nationally ranked for the first time since 1979, the team has set an even higher standard.

“Each year we want to have the greatest Temple football team ever,” Williams said. “Last year we went 10-4, so this year we’re going to break that record. … When I graduate I want them to break that record and we’re going to keep breaking records. We’re never satisfied with anything.”

While Temple’s 2015 season was historic, it was not perfect. The University of Notre Dame ruined the Owls’ perfect start with a last minute 24-20 win. South Florida ran for 359 yards and three touchdowns to give Rhule’s team its first American Athletic Conference loss.

Temple won The American’s East Division, but Houston handled the Owls in the conference championship game. A loss to the University of Toledo in the Marmot Boca Raton Bowl sent Temple into the offseason on a twogame losing streak.

“We don’t want to lose,” senior offensive lineman Dion Dawkins said. “Even though we won 10 games, we lost two in a row, and that’s big. The offseason was definitely tough.”

The Owls’ offense ranked No. 60 in Division I with 29.8 points per game and No. 96 in total offense at 366.7 yards per game. The team relied on timely scoring and a defense that ranked No. 17 in points against and No. 22 in yards allowed per game.

PREVIEW | PAGE 15

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Wright makes early impact this summer Freshman Isaiah Wright has played multiple positions in his first training camp at Temple.

By OWEN MCCUE Sports Editor When describing Isaiah Wright’s most memorable display of athletic ability at the Kingswood-Oxford School, football coach Jason Martinez doesn’t pick one of Wright’s 60-yard touchdown runs or one-handed catches.

Instead, the top play of the Temple freshman’s high school career happened on special teams.

As a gunner on the punt team, Wright raced down the field and tried to down a punt after it bounced at the twoyard line.

WRIGHT | PAGE 15

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High school teammates Jahad Thomas and Phillip Walker are set for final season.

By EVAN EASTERLING Assistant Sports Editor Phillip Walker’s high school career ended much differently than it started.

Starting at quarterback as a freshman at Elizabeth High School in New Jersey, Walker’s squad finished 1-9. After winning half his games as a sophomore, Walker led Elizabeth to the state final in 2011, where they lost to Piscat-

away High School on a touchdown in the final minute.

The last pass Walker threw for Elizabeth avenged the loss and capped off the school’s first undefeated season since 1989.

But when Matt Rhule went to visit Walker and the player who caught the touchdown pass, running back Jahad Thomas, they talked about the championship they lost instead of the game they won.

The two roommates are looking to replicate their high school story in their final season at Temple.

“I’ve talked to my mom about this too,” Walker said. “She said, ‘It’s crazy how your high school career panned out to be similar to your college.’ ... It’s not something I think about often, but it’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”

In Thomas and Walker’s first year

SENIORS | PAGE 15

CREW | PAGE 17

MEN’S SOCCER | PAGE 17

FIELD HOCKEY | PAGE 16

BIG 12 | PAGE 16

Former Temple rower and assistant coach Brian Perkins became the crew program’s third head coach this summer.

The men’s soccer team hopes experience and added depth from its freshman class willl help prevent another late season collapse.

Coach Marybeth Freeman hopes her team continues last season’s strong finish, which ended in the Big East championship game.

Temple is one of 20 schools that will interview with the Big 12 Conference as the league looks at new teams for possible expansion.