The Temple News by templenews24

THE TEMPLE NEWS

UNFAIR WAGES

Temple students express frustrations with their wages as student workers.

Center for Anti-Racism lacks visibility among students

The Center commemorated its first anniversary with a town hall on Nov. 16.

BY KAYLA BRYAN Assistant News Editor

To celebrate the first anniversary of its physical location, Temple’s Center for Anti-Racism held a town hall on Nov. 16, delving into the Philadelphia District Attorney Office’s report that tackles issues of racial injustice within the criminal legal system.

The Center for Anti-Racism, funded by $1.3 million from the Pennsylvania government and physically established in Mazur Hall in November 2022, garnered attention from local Philadelphia media outlets, becoming an example for universities, like Penn State, which doesn’t have a similar center.

Despite being established for a year, students believe the Center lacks recognition and its initiatives are largely unknown.

“We have an anti-racism center?” said Anai St. Hillaire, a junior genomic medicine major and president of Ramajay, Temple’s West Indian dance team. “I wish I could say I knew more about that because I’m really involved in Temple’s Black community, but I really didn’t know we had one.”

St. Hillaire suggests the Center can increase its visibility by hosting more events in its Mazur Hall space, but she isn’t the only student unaware of Temple’s Center for Anti-Racism.

Deajah Johnson, a junior management information systems major and member of the Black Student Union, was also surprised to hear Temple has an anti-racism center.

“I didn’t know that we had one here,” Johnson said. “It would definitely be beneficial if that was broadcasted more because I think that could be a good community resource for Temple students.”

Construction of the Center for Anti-Racism began during Fall 2021 as part

of a $1 million anti-racist initiative following growing demand for anti-racist education among students.

The Center opened in Fall 2022 after an expected completion date of Spring 2022. Apart from a town hall organized for its first anniversary, there has been little documented activity or updates since the Juneteenth events held during the summer.

Molefi Kete Asante, professor and chair of the Africology and African American studies department who is on the Center’s advisory board, believes the tentative vision he proposed for the Center has not yet been met.

“I think the missing thing is the serious intent to have conversation, a dialogue about the eradication of racial hierarchy and all forms of discrimination, whether it is antisemitism, Islamophobia,” Asante said. “The Center, to me, has to be a fundamental pioneer in the creation of opportunities for people to critique all forms of discrimination.”

However, Timothy Welbeck, an Africology and African American studies professor and director of the Center for Anti-Racism, believes the Center has met its goals in its first year of establishment, he said.

Asante appointed Welbeck, a Morehouse College alumnus, as director of the Center in August 2021.

“In the first year, our goal was to assemble a faculty advisory committee and to launch signature events to do active community engagement and set the stage for regular programming both on campus and within the community,” Welbeck said. “And I’m pleased to say that we were able to achieve each of those.”

The Center launched a speaker series in January 2023 titled “Ideally Speaking,” where Ibram X. Kendi spoke on the next steps of combating racism, according to the university.

“We’ve also done things with the District Attorney’s office and hosted some restorative justice events here at Temple,” Welbeck said. “And we get a number of educational opportunities for local, primary and secondary students, too.”

However, Luca Paxton, project coordinator for Philly Children’s Movement, suggests the Center can improve on targeting racism within the Temple community itself.

“One strategy we use at PCM are listening campaigns,” Paxton said. “The Center could meet with students and ask them what they need.”

Paxton believes racial justice work can often disregard the agency of those impacted, so centering internal community work could benefit the Center.

As of December 2023, taking action at an administrative level is not within the reins of the Center, Welbeck said.

“We are primarily externally focused in terms of the work that we do,” Welbeck said. “But we do actively engage where appropriate. There are various ways that our space, our community can be more equitable, and more inclusive. And sometimes that’s by partnering with the efforts of other people.”

The Center’s shortcomings should

not fall onto Welbeck but rather on how the university prioritizes funding for the Center, Asante said.

“I’m pretty sure that Dr. Welbeck and the Advisory Committee will have further progress next year, but it’s going to depend on the funding priorities of the university and encouraging private funders to fund activities,” Asante said.

kaylabryan@temple.edu

PAGE 3 The Temple News NEWS

JACK LARSON / THE TEMPLE NEWS Despite being physically established for a year, students believe the Center for Anti-Racism lacks recognition and its initiatives are largely unknown.

CAMPUS

Student workers unsatisfied with wages, conditions

Some student workers believe their pay doesn’t reflect the responsibilities of their positions.

BY KAYLA BRYAN AND OLIVER SABO For The Temple News

As conversations about raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania continue to stall, some student workers at Temple believe they should receive higher wages for on-campus work.

Twenty-two states increased their minimum wages in the first week of 2024, but Pennsylvania’s remains at an hourly rate of $7.25. In June 2023, the Democrat-controlled Pennsylvania House passed legislation that would increase the minimum wage to $11 at the start of 2024, $13 in 2025 and $15 in 2026, but the bill was unsuccessful, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

At Temple, the base pay for student

workers starts at $7.25, but schools, colleges and departments determine whether they can pay more.

Student workers’ wages vary based on what their responsibilities are and the school’s budget, said Sharon Boyle, vice president of Human Resources.

“Operating budgets affect everything,” Boyle said. “When budgets are cut or depending on what other demands are made in a department, they need to make a decision about how to allocate their resources.”

Temple employs both student workers, those who are paid by the university, and work-study student workers who receive funding for the work they do as a part of their financial aid for non-billable expenses.

The work-study program is a Federal Grant that allows students to earn funding through a bi-weekly paycheck as an aid to cover “non-billable educational expenses.” Students must have a valid FAFSA on file and qualify for federal aid

to collect the funding. The position also has to be approved as a work-study job, according to the university.

“I think that we really do as a university try to employ students where we can,” Boyle said. “We’ll have to make adjustments depending on the different kinds of pressures, but I know HR does and I know other departments like having student workers and we like being able to provide students with supplemental income.”

However, some students feel the work they put in is not reflected in their paychecks.

While she enjoys her colleagues and the work she does in the Campus Recreation department, Julia Taddei, a senior sports and recreation management major, believes her $7.50 wage poses a challenge to her schedule and financial situation.

“Balancing early mornings or latenight shifts with class schedules is already tough, and considering the out-of-state

tuition I’ll need to address post-graduation, this presents a substantial financial hurdle for me and many others,” Taddei said. “Overall, I think that the disparity between our hard work and the pay sometimes leaves us all feeling undervalued.”

The decision to raise pay for students is not a university-wide decision. Student workers’ wages are determined on a departmental, school or college basis about how they allocate their budget, Boyle said.

As a result of Temple’s continued struggle with declining undergraduate enrollment, the university has increased tuition and made budget cuts each year in an attempt to mitigate consequences for students and faculty.

The university has avoided job layoffs by using reserves, money saved across time from situations like position vacancies, said Jaison Kurichi, associate vice president for budget, in a November 2023 interview with The Temple News.

PAGE 4 The Temple News NEWS

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS A student worker helps with 3D design at the Charles Library Makerspace.

Temple aims to prioritize preserving critical student experiences and services when cutting the budget.

Other departments can afford to pay their student workers more. Some students, like Jason Solomon, a senior management information systems major, earned $10 per hour in the Spring 2022 semester and $12 per hour in Spring 2023 as a help desk analyst at the TECH Center.

“I wasn’t too upset about what I was being paid because it was still more than what I guess other people are getting paid by Temple, but that also comes with the added knowledge I had to have at my job because I had to know more stuff, I guess,” Solomon said. “The pay still wasn’t the best in the grand scheme of things, but I did enjoy it.”

In 2017, 43 percent of full-time undergraduate students and 81 percent of part-time students were employed while enrolled in school, according to a 2020 Department of Education report.

Emma Harper, a senior environmental studies major, currently works as a student staffer for the Aramark STAR Complex climbing wall. She believes student workers typically rely on on-campus employment as their main source of

income, which should be taken into account when determining their pay.

“The daily expenses that full-time students have completely outweigh the pay that they receive if they have an on-campus job,” Harper said. “Which is completely unfair because a lot of students are restricted to only on-campus jobs because of convenience and location and because of their busy schedules.”

Pennsylvania is ranked as the nation’s most expensive state for higher education, according to U.S. News and World Report, which considers graduation rate, cost of in-state tuition and fees and the debt that college graduates carry from higher education.

Many of the services Temple offers are contingent on the labor of student workers, said Alyssa Dzurkovich, a senior public health major and a supervisor for Temple campus recreation.

“I feel very underpaid for the work we’re doing because, without the student workers, they just wouldn’t be able to open the facilities that hundreds of students use every hour of the day,” Dzurkovich said. “Many of the workers get up really early to open the gym at 6 a.m. and stay late at night, even on weekends, to close the gym. We’re expected to act

like managers. We are required to be certified in administering CPR and First Aid in case of any emergency.”

Increasing pay for student workers in accordance with the state’s minimum wage and rising cost of living has been a concern for students since 2022.

In addition to low pay, some student worker jobs pose strenuous work conditions, which could be addressed with appropriate compensation, Dzurkovich said.

“There’s been a lot of instances where we’re just trying to do our job, and we get yelled at by patrons or getting insulted, and we just kind of have to absorb that and not retaliate,” Dzurkovich said. “I think Temple definitely needs to reconsider paying campus recreation workers more for the service we provide just because we do a lot for the university.”

Students like Harper, who are paid $7.40 an hour, are among the lowest-paid student workers at the university. Working full-time at 40 hours a week amounts to a yearly salary of just $15,392, a $34,608 difference from Phildalephia’s cost of living, which is 12 percent higher than the national average and does not include tuition.

Despite advocating for higher pay, the university does not allow for an increase in pay past what is granted by each department, Harper said.

“It is constantly talked about among staff how we all agree that our pay is way too low,” Harper said. “We all think that it’s crazy how low we get paid considering the importance of the fact that we keep everyone safe. We had multiple conversations about pay with our supervisor, which is our direct higher-up, but ultimately it is out of our direct higher-up’s power.”

Samuel O’Neal contributed reporting.

kaylabryan@temple.edu

oliver.sabo@temple.edu @oliversabo20

PAGE 5 The Temple News NEWS

JARED TATZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple student workers advocate for higher wages as they feel their pay doesn’t reflect the responsibilities of their roles amid ongoing discussions about raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.

Faculty moves forward to understand AI in higher ed

CAMPUS Temple has created several resources and embarked on studies to understand AI technology.

BY SIDNEY ROCHNIK Assistant News Editor

Last semester, Temple Library and faculty members from the Center for the Advancement of Teaching conducted a survey of five classes that permit the use of Artificial Intelligence, analyzing students and professors’ reactions to the tools.

The survey, which came after the university amended its policy on classroom AI use in August 2023, had mixed results. Some students were nervous, while others took to it immediately. Many were concerned that, even when explicitly permitted to use AI tools, they would be reprimanded for cheating.

“The students who had discussed it in the previous semester in their classes felt more prepared, they felt like they understood the tools better,” said Stephanie Fiore, associate vice provost and senior director at CAT. “They felt like they could navigate using those tools a little bit better than the students who didn’t really have any grounding in it. For me, it’s important to talk to students about it, to engage them in conversations about [AI].”

The release of ChatGPT in November 2022 brought AI tools into the public eye. In the landscape of higher education, many Temple faculty members have been concerned with potential plagiarism and figuring out how to AIproof assignments.

Temple amended its policy on AI software in the classroom just before the start of the Fall 2023 semester, allowing faculty members to determine if and how generative AI tools can be used to complete course assignments and homework.

“We realize that AI is most likely going to be sticking around,” Fiore said. “That means that we have a responsibility to think about whether or not we need to train our students on how to use those tools effectively, but also ethically. That doesn’t mean that it’s appropriate for ev-

ery class. It doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for every assignment. But it does mean that we do have to grapple with it and figure out what that means for education and for the future for students.”

AI LITERACY AND UNDERSTANDING

Generative AI is software capable of generating content, like images or text, in response to prompts.

Caitlin Shanley, the coordinator of learning and student success at Temple Libraries, is one Temple librarian testing AI tools for their capabilities to aid in research.

This technology could benefit a user in the brainstorming, or “presearch” stage, as Shanley calls it. AI can come up with keywords to help students navigate library research tools, offer examples of a writing style the student may be unfamiliar with and provide a start to a project or assignment if the student is stuck on a blank page.

“It’s just these tools are not very good at writing,” Shanley said. “They can

write something that sounds very generic, but that’s not what you want. That’s not the type of writing that you want to be generating. It’s sort of like the average of all of the rest of writing that already exists.”

The softwares do have some additional downsides. AI tools can be prone to bias and “hallucinating” facts, occasions where the tool will make up information. ChatGPT once gave Fiore an entire essay and analysis on a painting that didn’t exist, she said.

It also can’t acquire any paywalled information from library databases, which can prevent the user from understanding the scope of their research.

Despite these findings, Temple has yet to find exactly how the rapidly growing technology fits into higher education.

Temple became one of fifteen universities involved in the “Making AI Generative for Higher Education” study beginning in the Fall 2023 semester. The two-year collaboration project seeks to

assess emerging AI applications most likely to impact teaching, learning and research activities and explore the needs of institutions, instructors and scholars as they navigate this environment, according to Ithaka S+R, an organization that works with and advises academic institutions, who leads the study.

“Whenever we are a part of groups like [this study], you’re helping to foster discovery and helping to do some thinking around what this disruptor means for higher ed,” Fiore said.

The participating universities are collaborating with each other in the study’s first year, discussing their experiences with AI tools. This semester, the involved Temple staff, like Fiore, will determine a research question they’ll pursue for the remainder of the study.

STUDENT RESOURCES FOR AI

Temple has added an “AI guide” to the university library website, which lists various AI tools that have free versions and could be useful for research.

PAGE 6 The Temple News NEWS

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple adapts to the rise of AI tools in education, amending policies and conducting studies in an effort to address faculty concerns.

Each tool is recommended for a different purpose like finding research, summarization and quantitative and qualitative data.

“All of these tools have rhetoric on their websites, they do direct marketing to students, and they kind of claim to be the one tool that you need, like ‘This tool does everything, it’s gonna make your research so great,’” Shanley said. “But none of them are really a perfect solution. We just want people, if they are going to use them for their research, to make sure that they do a little digging into how the tool works.”

The “AI report card” available in the guide describes the criteria for assessing a helpful AI tool. The library recommends tools which receive a “good grade” in areas like accessibility, data usage, relevant and accurate information and proper sourcing.

Shanley is working with the firstyear writing program to find a useful AI research tool for its students as they learn how to do research. She will pres-

ent her results to the first-year writing faculty in February.

The library is also in the final draft stage to publish its “AI tutorial,” a tool designed to help students figure out when they should use AI in their research in the first place.

“[We want students] to think critically about the information sources they do use, depending on what it is that they need to accomplish and then to be able to think for themselves, ‘Sure, here’s where AI or Google or Wikipedia or any other information resources going to be important to me and helpful to me, but also, what are the tools that I need to present my instructor with well thought out, well researched, well-written research paper?’” said Steven Bell, associate university librarian.

FUTURE OF AI AT TEMPLE

On Jan. 18, Arizona State University became the first university to partner with OpenAI and purchase a license to access and distribute the full version of

ChatGPT to students.

While Temple won’t be taking those steps for a while, if at all, further integration of AI into academic life is likely, Bell said.

Ex Libris, the company that develops the library’s catalog, announced its interest in AI’s capability for article summarization and conversational discovery, a search tool that allows the user to “talk” to the search bar when researching in October 2023. EBSCO, the parent company to dozens of library databases Temple uses, is looking into the same technology — including generated content recommendations.

The challenge with encouraging students to use library databases is its learning curve, which is why many students might not use the library at all. AI could help students find the databases they need or identify good search terms for their topic, Bell said.

“We’re building into what we already do, and what we’ve done for a long time: helping students learn how to be

effective, critically thinking researchers and building AI into all of that,” Bell said “And I’m sure there’s a long way to go. We’re really just getting started. I think that’s a challenge for all of us in higher education. We’re just getting started with this. We’ll have to, as we go along, figure out how we make the best use of it and help students do the same.”

sidney.rochnik@temple.edu

PAGE 7 The Temple News NEWS

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS A student works outside of the STAR Complex classrooms.

New space for disability services opens on campus

CAMPUS TechOWL is expanding its services for demonstrating the latest assistive technology.

BY SIDNEY ROCHNIK Assistant News Editor

TechOWL, Pennsylvania’s assistive technology program hosted by Temple’s Institute on Disabilities, opened its new community space for technology demonstrations and community events on Cecil B. Moore Avenue near North Broad Street on Jan. 17, ahead of its grand opening on Feb. 29.

TechOWL is a federally funded program responsible for informing Pennsylvanians with disabilities about assistive technology, which are tools ranging from wheelchairs to a page holder designed to make life with disabilities easier.

While TechOWL has been demonstrating various assistive technologies for 31 years, this is the first time it has opened an accessible, public space in one of its 10 Pennsylvania locations, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Department of Education received in March 2023.

“This space is for Philadelphia and beyond,” said Alanna Raffel, an occupational therapist and TechOWL’s assistive technology specialist. “Not that I expect like a ton of people from Pittsburgh showing up in our space, but they could. I think it’s really the first and only space like this, that’s really focused on accessibility. Our number one goal is access and inclusion and to show people assistive technology.”

The staff set up televisions and adaptive gaming controllers, sensory toys in a padded corner and assistive technology, like bikes, that visitors can test in the space.

At a large work table and tool racks at the back of the room, employees and volunteers can make technology for themselves or for those who have submitted requests to TechOWL for custom orders, a free service that utilizes the space’s 3D printers.

Raffel hopes to start hosting in-per-

son workshops in the community space to teach people with disabilities how to make their own technology and 3D print it, how to repair wheelchairs and more.

“Our vision in the future is to have this space not only for the work that we do but also for really disability-focused and centered activities, like adaptive yoga or sign language classes,” Raffel said. “I could basically relate anything to disability somehow because it can always be accessible.”

About 17 percent of Philadelphians have a disability, according to the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities.

Philadelphia has the highest population of residents with disabilities compared to other big American cities, according to a 2016 survey from the United States Census Bureau.

“We all hope to age into disability because the alternative is not to age,” said Kim Singleton, senior director of assistive technology programs at TechOWL. “Nobody stays completely able-bodied. We’re trying to make Philadelphia just a little bit more accessible.”

TechOWL’s primary location was previously located on the fourth floor

of Ritter Annex, but it was smaller and didn’t offer a space for community engagement. While the old space will remain open as a resource center, the new location on Cecil B. Moore Avenue is on ground level in an accessible, public area.

Those familiar with TechOWL have expressed excitement about the community space opening.

Martina Merlo works with TechOWL as one of their AT Champions, who use social media to share information on disability and accessibility. Merlo also has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that affects their mobility and vision. From glasses to mobility aids, Merlo uses assistive technology in many aspects of their life.

“There is never enough [information],” Merlo said. “The more we share and the more awareness we can bring to actually how simple it is to use these services will make a big difference to the volume of state disabled users.”

Merlo hopes the community space will help more Temple students and staff connect with TechOWL and its resources and create new relationships across the university.

Jaime Bassman has been involved with TechOWL’s services as an occupational therapist in early intervention services and received accessible toys for her clients through its annual Adapted Toy Drive.

Bassman believes increasing TechOwl’s visibility, physically and on social media, will help bring awareness to accessibility issues able-bodied people don’t have to regularly think about.

“If nobody knows that this exists, then they’re not gonna be able to access it,” Bassman said. “A lot of it is really marketing and getting the word out there to people so that they know because unfortunately, there just aren’t really enough different places like TechOWL.”

Raffel hopes the upcoming grand opening will also improve the space’s visibility.

“[The grand opening] will be very centered on disability, obviously, with super accessible interpreters, and all kinds of opportunities to learn,” Raffel said. “And hopefully it’ll just be one stepping stone of many celebrations.”

sidney.rochnik@temple.edu

PAGE 8 The Temple News NEWS

BRUCE CLAXTON / THE TEMPLE NEWS The TechOwl Community Space in Morgan Hall on Cecil B. Moore opened Jan. 17.

Each tool is recommended for a different purpose like finding research, summarization and quantitative and qualitative data.

Shanley is working with the firstyear writing program to find a useful AI research tool for its students as they learn how to do research. She will pres-

ent her results to the first-year writing faculty in February.

The library is also in the final draft stage to publish its “AI tutorial,” a tool designed to help students figure out when they should use AI in their research in the first place.

FUTURE OF AI AT TEMPLE

On Jan. 18, Arizona State University became the first university to partner with OpenAI and purchase a license to access and distribute the full version of

ChatGPT to students.

While Temple won’t be taking those steps for a while, if at all, further integration of AI into academic life is likely, Bell said.

“We’re building into what we already do, and what we’ve done for a long time: helping students learn how to be

sidney.rochnik@temple.edu

PAGE 7 The Temple News NEWS

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS A student works outside of the STAR Complex classrooms.

Temple, support first-gen admissions process

A student argues that Temple should join the Common App’s direct admissions program.

BY VALERIA URIBE Assistant Opinion Editor

For Faria San, one of the greatest obstacles during their college application process was the lack of assistance they received from institutions they applied to.

“I think it’s the lack of support just because we do come from immigrant families and we’re the first person to go to college here,” said San, a junior natural science major, first-generation student and director of communications for Temple First, a student organization for first-generation or low-income students.“We really don’t know a lot [about the college application process] besides what we’ve learned from school, like how to apply, my parents don’t know that.”

Applying to college is a stressful process, and the months when students wait to see if they will get into their desired schools are full of anxiety. It’s even more nerve-wracking for first-generation students because there’s intense pressure from their families to succeed combined with an unknown process.

The Common App launched a pilot direct admissions program in 2021 which sends first-generation students early acceptance letters from colleges in their home-state, even if they don’t complete their application. More than 200,000 students first-gen and low-income students received acceptances into in-state colleges in November 2023.

Now that it’s college application season, Temple should join the Common App’s direct admissions program to help improve the admissions process for first-generation students.

Students don’t need to submit their applications to be selected, they just need to identify as a first-generation college student on the Common App and meet the requirements of each institution, like having a certain GPA.

Temple joining the Common App’s direct admissions program would make

the college admissions process easier for first-generation students and would alleviate some anxiety surrounding college applications, said Ji Pan, a junior biology major, first-generation student and director of marketing for Temple First.

“It’s very stressful for students going into their senior year and having to think about getting into college and not necessarily enjoying their last years of high school,” Pan said. “So having getting into college as something that’s checked off is something that would be very helpful and ease some of our stress.”

Temple offers some resources for first-generation students, like a seminar specifically catered to first-gen students and a next-steps program where students can connect with mentors and develop skills. However, Temple’s support for first-generation students should start before they even apply.

Accepting first-generation students before they finish their application would start a conversation about their opportunities and show students it’s possible for them to get into colleges they previously thought were off limits

to them, said Frank Nelson, a biology professor and the director of the College of Science and Technology’s first-gen initiative.

“Anything admissions it’s kind of a big gate,” Nelson said. “I guess in some ways it would sort of be like applying for any job not knowing anyone who’s ever done that job before. You’re just sort of like walking in this great big void, which for some people, it’s very exciting and for other people, it’s like completely overwhelming and may make them not even want to do it in the first place.”

Seventy colleges across the country have joined the Common App’s direct admissions program and many are public institutions like Temple. The program’s goal is to decrease students’ anxiety by reassuring them they will get accepted to a university in their home-state.

“It’s important to consider the needs of first-generation students, especially today because when you start thinking about how we can help a student who’s less familiar with college and how they navigate this place, the things we learn in speaking with them can also help

other students” said Neil Conley, the director of advising for the Academic Resource Center.

First-generation students face challenges others don’t understand. Firstgen students often have to worry about financing their studies and navigating complicated admissions requirements with no guidance or help, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“It’s a lot of weight on our shoulders just because we’re on our own in this path,” San said. “Other people have parents that went to school and they have leverage on us when we are building from the bottom.”

valeria.uribe@temple.edu

Valeriauribea

STUDENT LIFE PAGE 11 The Temple News OPINION

FIRST LAST/ THE TEMPLE NEWS

ACTIVISM

Recognizing the swift need for sustainability

A student encourages her peers to practice sustainability despite the actions of the wealthy.

BY CLAIRE ZEFFER Opinion Editor

From my earliest memories, I’ve been enamored with Taylor Swift’s music, vibrant style and empowering creative nature.

My love for Taylor has followed me through each of life’s stages; from a carefree young girl with her earliest albums synced to my hot pink iPod Nano, to an angsty teenager desperate for her own Reputation era, to now, as a full-grown woman with a more real understanding of the lyrics and messages.

I know all of Taylor’s songs, own each of her albums and have seen her in concert five times. I even survived the Ticketmaster warzone to successfully secure my tickets to her much sought-after 2023 tour, The Eras Tour.

I’m as close to a “Swiftie” as you can get, yet in recent years I’ve struggled with an interpersonal dilemma between my admiration for Swift as a celebrity and my unwavering desire to advocate for environmental sustainability.

Swift has procured a massive carbon footprint, and in 2022 she topped the list of the biggest celebrity polluter of the year through her private jet use, according to Yard, an environmental marketing firm. Fellow offenders included celebrities like Jay-Z, Oprah Winfrey and Kim Kardashian, who collectively took hundreds of flights throughout the year.

This left me questioning myself, wondering if I could remain a fan of someone and simultaneously call them out for their mistakes. I asked myself why I would bother practicing environmentally friendly habits when it is so easily offset by the actions of billionaires.

It’s okay for students to feel conflicted and discouraged in these situations, but staying environmentally conscious should remain a top priority even when it feels useless. An individual calling out

their favorite celebrity’s shortcomings is a necessary and important way to start meaningful conversations that can spark universal change.

Taking a private jet comes with the territory of being a touring artist and one of the most famous women in the world. However, the extent of Swift’s disregard for the environment, especially since her whirlwind relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce began, has grown indefensible for me.

Due to her popularity, Swift certainly can’t hop on a commercial flight or an Amtrak train with the general public, but she could fly less, travel shorter distances by car or stay in locations for longer periods of time rather than fly back and forth.

From September to December 2023, Swift’s private jet bounced between tour venues, recording studios

and football Untitled_Artwork-202401-28T203545.674-1140x760 stadiums, emitting 138 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In comparison, the average American produces about 16 tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to The Nature Conservancy, a global environmental nonprofit.

Human activities, like the use of private and commercial air travel, have raised the atmosphere’s carbon dioxide content by 50 percent in less than 200 years, according to NASA.

When carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, it warms the planet and leads to climate change, which has several serious consequences for the environment and public health. Some effects include changes in temperature and patterns of rainfall and worsening air and water quality, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

To offset the environmental damage caused by a few months of Swift’s flights, nearly 2,300 trees would have to be planted and allowed to grow for a decade, The Economic Times reported.

MaryKate O’Donnell is a fan of Swift’s music but has been disappointed by her recent lack of environmental consciousness, she said.

“[Swift] is a big influence on people in general and I always thought she would be more considerate of things like that, especially since she has such a large platform,” said O’Donnell, a senior recreational therapy major. “To be taking your private jet to just go to a football game is a lot.”

Admiring Swift doesn’t have to equate to blind allegiance and acknowledging the damage she is causing is the right thing to do, as saving our planet is more urgent now than ever.

The Temple News PAGE 12

OPINION

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Climate change is already directly causing crises like displacement, floods, heatwaves, hurricanes and wildfires that are increasing in frequency and intensity. As a result, environmental changes are expected to cause around 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress, according to the World Health Organization.

“I think that you can still appreciate the artists and appreciate what they’re doing and still call them out when they’re clearly doing something that’s either harming the environment, harming other people or harming themselves,” O’Donnell said.

College students, most of whom are members of Gen Z, are one of the most eco-friendly generations yet, with Gen Z influencing other generations toward sustainability, according to a November 2021 study by First Insight, a digital testing platform.

As someone committed to minimizing my environmental impact and combating climate change, I’ve embraced practices in my daily life like recycling and reducing waste, curbing my energy use at home and limiting my reliance on air and car travel whenever possible.

Sometimes I feel like these efforts are wasted when I’m confronted with the reality of a celebrity like Swift, whose fame and privilege grants them access to luxuries that contribute significantly to environmental destruction.

Globally, the 10 percent of the population with the highest income accounts for nearly half of all carbon dioxide emissions, according to the United Nations.

Rebecca Collins, Temple’s director of sustainability, believes it’s important for students to be critical of the wealthy but also focus on what they can control in their personal lives, she said.

“Collectively as a society, non-celebrities far outweigh celebrities, and so what we do as a society has a bigger impact than what one individual celebrity is doing or collective celebrities are doing,” Collins said.

Although the damage caused by famous and wealthy populations can feel

OPINION

impossible to overcome, the reality is their actions alone won’t offset the power of millions of young individuals making environmentally conscious choices.

“You have to really think about where you have control in your life, so how you’re getting around the city, how you’re getting to school, what you’re eating, how much you’re buying,” Collins said. “I think by just asking yourself those types of questions, especially when it comes to consumption, those are things that you have the ability to influence and really can have a tremendous impact.”

There are a plethora of simple and affordable ways for students to practice sustainability and make a positive difference on the environment. Easy ways for individuals to reduce their carbon footprint include using public transportation, cleaning up outdoors, investing money in sustainable businesses and eating more vegetables, according to the UN.

Rory Sacchi, a sophomore public health major and Taylor Swift fan, tries her best to be sustainable and eco-conscious in her daily life, she said.

“I think in general, I’m pretty environmentally friendly,” Sacchi said. “I use

reusable water bottles, I don’t use much plastic. Now that we have a kitchen, we wash and dry our plates, we don’t use disposables.”

Simple steps like these reduce individual carbon footprints and help create a more sustainable future. Additionally, students can have an impact by using their voices through voting and electing officials who are dedicated to slowing climate change and improving the health of the environment.

Voting can have an impact on the environment through the policies and decisions made by elected officials. The Supreme Court and Congress often have the ability to make rulings and create laws that affect the environment, the economy and ordinary citizens.

“Remembering that as a person you have your consumer voice, so where you’re spending your money, how you’re making choices in your daily life, but then you also have a responsibility and an opportunity to express that opinion or those values through voting and electing political leaders,” Collins said.

By choosing candidates who prioritize sustainability and environmental protection, students can contribute to

positive changes to benefit their communities and the planet.

In the face of environmental challenges that are amplified by the actions of the wealthy, who are sometimes celebrity idols, the complex feelings that come along with it can be difficult to navigate.

“It’s not like I don’t appreciate you or respect you as a person,” Sacchi said. “I can still follow you, but if you’re not making a change, then it’s gonna be a little harder to listen to the music.”

Students should remain dedicated to their values and continue practicing sustainability for the good of the planet but also take comfort in the knowledge that wanting their idol to do better is not an unreasonable expectation. Instead, it is an affirmation of love for the earth, which each individual has a responsibility to protect.

Students can contribute to a healthier and more harmonious environment through action, activism and encouragement. Everyone has the power to shape a more sustainable future and foster a much-needed eco-friendly era.

claire.zeffer@temple.edu

clairezeffer

PAGE 13 The Temple News

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

STUDENT LIFE

International students deserve online classes, too

A student argues limitations on online classes for international students should be lifted.

BY VALERIA URIBE Assistant Opinion Editor

In May 2023, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced its return to pre-COVID regulatory language policies, meaning the flexibilities that previously allowed international students to take unlimited online classes officially ended in August.

International students are only allowed to take one online course per semester to count toward full-time enrollment, according to an email sent by Temple’s International Students and Scholar Services department in July 2023.

It’s essential for international students to be registered as full-time students because of their F-1 or J-1 visas, according to DHS. Many current international students came to Temple while

the COVID-19 flexibilities were still active, allowing them to take online classes without any restrictions. Students now have to adapt to the normal regulations that came back last Fall semester.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, online classes are incredibly useful, as they provide flexibility and allow students to fit more activities in their daily schedules. It’s essential for students’ college experience to be able to do more activities other than study and attend classes. College is a time for young people to explore what’s around them and gather life experience that will help form who they’ll become. DHS should return to the flexibility they allowed during the pandemic so international students can have the same opportunities as their peers.

More than 1,100 undergraduate students were international during the Fall 2020 semester, according to Temple’s Fall 2020 student profile. Those students

had flexibility to take unlimited online classes until May 2023, but have since needed to adjust to the regulations in place.

Flavia Astete Garcia has taken a few online classes while at Temple and has found them useful as they allow her to balance out her lifestyle.

“I’ve had maybe three online classes since I started at Temple and I feel like they are very useful especially if you are a student that has a lot to do,” said Garcia, a junior advertising major and international student from Perú. “It’s nice not worrying about going to a classroom and getting the chance to sit in a quiet place and take the class from there.”

HOW ONLINE CLASSES WORK FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The regulations on online classes for international students can be confusing and hard to understand. Students who were previously allowed to take unlim-

ited online classes need to be aware of the changes so they can plan their class schedules accordingly without compromising their immigration status.

“Current federal regulations state that all international students on an F-1 visa must enroll in a minimum of 12 units each Fall and Spring semester,” wrote Paige Hughes, the spokesperson of immigration and customs enforcement, in an email to the Temple News. “At least 9 units must be in-person or hybrid, and only 1 online class of no more than 3 units can count toward the required 12 units.”

Students now have to be cautious when planning their schedules; if they only want to take 12 credits, which is the minimum requirement to count as a fulltime student, then they are only allowed to take one online course.

International students need to have at least nine in person credits according to the regulations by DHS. If they decide

The Temple News PAGE 14 OPINION ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE NEWS

OPINION

to take more than 12 credits, they can take more than one online course.

However, they will not be able to take two in person courses and two online courses without putting their student visa and immigration status in jeopardy. For example, if a student wishes to enroll in exactly 12 credits, they can only take one, three-credit online class in addition to three in person.

“If [international students] want to take more classes, be it 18 and get an overload, the classes can be online and the only other restriction is that if it’s the final semester, when you are graduating, it can’t just be an online class,” said Joan McGinley, director of immigration services at Temple.

It’s not up to Temple to change the regulations regarding online classes for international students, because DHS is the one in charge of those decisions. Institutions, like Temple, have to oblige because it’s a federal requirement.

“[Regulations on online classes] are federal regulations across the country,” McGinley said. “Any institution in the U.S. that’s been approved to issue I-20 is subjectives to those rules.”

WHY ONLINE CLASSES ARE IMPORTANT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Online classes allow students to have a more flexible schedule and gives them the opportunity to manage their own time in an efficient manner.

It’s easier for students to have a job when they have the flexibility provided by online classes because they do not require students to go to campus every day.

International students pay approximately $34,176 every year to attend Temple, and they should be able to choose as many online classes they want, as it would give them the opportunity to continue their education more efficiently by working, getting internships and making connections.

There is also a bigger variety of online courses that don’t have an in-person equivalent, putting international students at a disadvantage.

For example, all sections of Introduction to German I for the Spring 2024 semester were online and there wasn’t an option to take the class on Main Campus. Restrictions around online classes make it harder for international students to take fun electives or find certain classes they need for their major.

It’s unfair that international students have to worry about restrictions and they should have the same access to online courses as their peers.

García believes online classes bring both advantages and disadvantages, but it’s up to each student to decide what they want and what is suitable for them.

“They are very convenient, especially for a student who is busy and has a lot of things to do outside of school and it’s always rushing and running around,” García said. “It’s nice to have a minute to sit down alone without having to worry about getting to a classroom and long into class from the comfort of my own home or even the library.”

Taking online classes is a personal decision, and international students deserve the opportunity to make their own choices regarding their academic careers.

Having to consider the minimum requirement for online classes makes scheduling courses harder for international students because they have to keep track of in-person credits. They shouldn’t have to keep regulations in mind while also juggling the regular worries that come with being a college student, like balancing school work, having a part time job and figuring out

their professional futures.

Online learning has become more popular in recent years and some students prefer it more than traditional classes, according to a 2023 survey by Tyton Partners, an investment bank. There are students who simply prefer online classes because it fits their specific learning style and international students should also be able to choose the method of learning that adapts best to their needs and preferences.

Taking online classes can mark the difference between a successful and unsuccessful semester, and international students should have the same opportunities.

The idea of coming to the U.S. to study should not be limited to classroom experiences and being more flexible with regulations that impact international students should enhance their learning experience in this country.

The DHS should revise the restrictions surrounding online classes for college students to make sure their college years are as successful and enriching as they can possibly be.

valeria.uribe@temple.edu Valeriauribea

PAGE 15 The Temple News

ALLYSON THARP / THE TEMPLE

NEWS

ALL IN GOOD FUN

New Year, New Me Crossword

1. Artist who sang “(Theme from) New York, New York”

2. What people eat under a table

4. Common New Year’s resolution

6. These are used during New Year’s Eve and Independence Day celebrations

10. What happens at midnight

ACROSS

Auld Lang __

Place in New York City

What two people do when the clock strikes twelve

Beverage people drink to celebrate

Zodiac sign for the first of January

Nominations for this event are released in January 12. Five, four, three, two, one... PAGE 16 The Temple News

11.

DOWN

Icebreakers Richies Hooter Library Temple Notes Schedule Laptop Syllabus Airpods Spring Cecil

See You in Class Word Search

FEATURES

ALUMNI

“Out of Touch”: Hall & Oates lawsuit, explained

Daryl Hall files a lawsuit against John Oates over the sale of their business stake.

BY MOLLY FISKE Features Editor

During the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, Philadelphia was a music mecca. The music scene was vibrant and diverse, with a rich mix of soul, R&B, rock and pop. The city was home to a number of influential artists and groups and played a significant role in shaping the sound of the era.

Soul music was particularly prominent, and Philadelphia gained a reputation for its distinctive “Philadelphia Soul” sound. Artists like Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who later formed Philadelphia International Records, were instrumental in developing the genre. Philly Soul was characterized by lush orchestration, smooth vocals and a sophisticated production style.

Daryl Hall and John Oates, who would later become the famous duo Hall & Oates, were getting their start in the Philadelphia music scene at this time. They initially met while enrolled at Temple in the late 1960s and formed “The Temptones.” While The Temptones didn’t achieve widespread success, it marked the beginning of the collaboration between Hall and Oates.

“At the time, West Philadelphia was a hot spot for live music and both men were often out there for gigs,” wrote Alisha Nypaver, a music studies professor, in an email to The Temple News. “When the Adelphi Ballroom hosted a “battle of the bands,” both [Hall] and Oates’ bands participated in the competition.”

A fight broke out between rival high schools during the competition. Hall and Oates took cover in a service elevator, Nypaver wrote. It was there that they met, discovered their mutual connection to Temple and began their decades-long friendship. Oates graduated in 1970 with a degree in journalism but Hall dropped out to focus on local music opportunities.

In December 2023, Hall took legal action against Oates after more than 50 years of friendship and collaboration, claiming Oates couldn’t sell his share of their business partnership without Hall’s consent. The lawsuit came after Hall filed for arbitration, an alternative form of dispute resolution that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts, on Nov. 9.

THE DUO

Hall and Oates officially joined forces as a duo in the early 1970s and released albums like “Whole Oats” in 1972 and “Abandoned Luncheonette” a year later. These early albums showcased their eclectic musical influences, blending rock, soul and folk.

The duo worked alongside many successful industry titans in Philadelphia’s Schubert building, known as 309 Broad Street, as it was home to various music producers and songwriters, said Jack Klotz, Bell Tower Music’s faculty advisor and 1989 radio and film alumnus.

“The Schumer building was home to a lot of Philadelphia songwriters and music industry people,” Klotz said. “They all had offices in those couple floors of that building, John and Daryl were among them and Kenny Gamble.”

Hall’s vocal sound was strongly influenced by soul music, particularly the classic “Sound of Philadelphia” soul scene curated by Gamble and Huff, Nypaver wrote. Hall & Oates’ 1973 song “She’s Gone” is their own version of the iconic Philly soul sound with soaring strings, bright horns and smooth vocals. However, even in their early work, the electric guitar foreshadows the new wave rock of their later hits.

As their style expanded, their music was increasingly difficult to categorize. Rock, disco and soul music had been fairly separate during the 1970s, but Hall & Oates fused all three in a way that perhaps no other musical groups managed to do so successfully at the time. They were also reaching both white and Black audiences, with hits

on the Top 40 charts and a number one R&B single “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do).”

Hall has addressed his experience with the color-blind nature of the pre-1968 music scene and acknowledged his presence as a white singer in a predominantly Black genre, highlighting what he believes is reverse racism and the labeling of his music, Pitchfork reported. Hall emphasized that his music is a personal expression, regardless of racial boundaries.

“Scholars and journalists have explored the intersection of music and race in the case of Hall and Oates’ music, this focus has been upsetting to Hall who believes that musical style should transcend race,” Nypaver wrote. “Hall and Oates’ music was labeled “blueeyed soul,” a term coined by Philadelphia DJ Georgie Woods to differentiate between the music of white artists that sounds stylistically similar to Black artists.”

Hall & Oates eventually achieved massive success with a string of hit singles, including “Rich Girl,” “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” “Maneater” and “Out of Touch.” Their music seamlessly blended elements of rock, pop and R&B, making them a staple on both pop and soul charts.

Klotz wasn’t into Hall and Oates’ sound as a child, but while driving to Main Campus one day, he flipped through the radio and landed on one of the duo’s songs. Klotz felt a connection to the former Temple students, so he fully listened to the song and was impressed with its sound.

“A lot of [musicians], especially the ‘80s period when they were wildly successful, got stuck in that ‘80s production value which a lot of acts carried over from the ‘70s suffered from making cheesy songs,” Klotz said. “But listening to their songs from a musical perspective, I was really impressed, it was really impressive with how expertly crafted their songs were.”

THE LAWSUIT

Hall and Oates’ dispute is centered around the sale of Oates’ stake in their business entity, Whole Oats Enterprises LLP, to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC. Hall accuses Oates of betrayal and blindsiding him, leading to a court-ordered pause in the sale.

Hall filed a lawsuit in a Nashville Chancery Court on Nov. 16, 2023 asking a judge to stop the sale by Oates so a separate, private arbitration could begin.

The legal battle exposes issues in their long-standing partnership, including alleged negotiations behind Hall’s back and disputes about the proposed sale timeline. The court proceedings involve private business holdings and agreements, with a focus on valuable assets like trademarks and record royalty income.

“Being thoughtful early on about what rights you have and what rights you contribute to a shared project end up being pretty important and that in turn requires you to try to get some legal advice,” Jonathan Lipson, a Harold E. Kohn law professor at Temple’s Beasley School of Law.

The lawsuit between the duo has been highly publicized, but many court documents are still sealed and unavailable to the public.

“Although I haven’t seen the partnership agreement, my guess is that when they went into partnership, they said, ‘Well, all the stuff that we create music, intellectual property, we’re going to put into the partnership,’” Lipson said. “So the royalties simply are payments from the use of those songs, and unless the partnership owns those rights, the partnership probably doesn’t make any money.”

The lawsuit also alleges that Oates violated a confidentiality provision by disclosing their business agreement to Primary Wave, which had previously purchased a significant stake in Hall & Oates’ catalog 16 years ago, Stereo Gum reported.

The musicians contemplated a

PAGE 18 The Temple News

FEATURES

complete separation in late 2022, PBS reported . Hall indicated he was considering Oates’ suggestion to dissolve their touring entity and a distinct partnership linked to their musical compositions and publishing. Simultaneously, Hall put forward the proposal to dissolve Whole Oats Enterprises, which controls their trademarks, personal name and likeness rights.

Disputes regarding Whole Oats Enterprises escalated and reached a deadlock, prompting the musicians to engage in mediation in July.

The filing alleges Oates secretly negotiated a deal with Primary Wave while Hall was involved in regular mediation tasks, causing him additional time and legal fees. Oates’ team entered into a non-disclosure agreement on Oct. 2, 2023 without informing Hall, providing confidential information to Primary Wave.

Hall’s attorneys submitted proposed settlement documents to Oates’ team on Oct. 19, 2023, however Oates’ team hasn’t publicly commented on the documents. Oates sent Hall a transfer

notice and a letter of intent outlining the sale to Primary Wave the following day, according to Hall’s filing.

The case is set for arbitration, with a Nashville judge halting the sale until Feb. 17 or until a resolution is reached. The full details of their business agreement are under court seal and the outcome remains uncertain.

SOLO CAREERS

Despite the lengthy ligation process between the duo, both have had accomplished solo careers.

Oates has collaborated with various artists during the years, and he occasionally participates in special performances and events. Oates last visited Temple in 2019 along with other music industry professionals and participated in a panel discussing “A Day in the Life” of a music industry professional.

Oates has released seven solo albums since embarking on his solo career in 1999 and is continuing to perform and tour domestically and internationally.

“In John’s act, he performs un-

der hisown name, not only Oates, but just one of the things that I’ve heard him do on a couple of occasions, is to take an old Hall & Oates tune and play it in a different context,” Klotz said. “The one that really hit me was a tune called “You Make My Dreams (Come True),” which to my mind was the cheesiest of the cheesy 80s stuff, and he did it like a Texas sling song, and it worked.”

In addition to traditional tours, Hall has been involved in the web series “Live From Daryl’s House.” The show features Hall collaborating with various artists in a relaxed and intimate setting, often showcasing live musical performances. The show has spanned more than 11 years and 10 seasons since November 2007.

From 2014 onward, each episode of the show has been filmed at Daryl’s House Restaurant and Music Club in Pawling, New York, The Economic Times reported.

Even though Hall & Oates experienced trial and error and endured many criticisms, they are one of the most iconic bands of the 20th-century,

Nypaver wrote.

“Twenty-nine of the 33 singles from 1974-99 charted on the Billboard’s Hot 100, six of which hit the number one spot and in 2003 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and they are still the most successful duo of all time,” Nypaver wrote.

molly.fiske@temple.edu

PAGE 19 The Temple News

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS Metal artwork of Hall and Oates on display at the Vantage off-campus apartment building.

FEATURES

THEATER

Former Temple student to star in “Mrs. Doubtfire”

Former Temple student Maggie Lakis will act opposite her husband in the production.

BY ANNA AUGUSTINE AND MOLLY FISKE For The Temple News

From the moment they first met, theater has been a crucial part of Maggie Lakis and Rob McClure’s relationship. In July 2005, Lakis, a former Temple student, and McClure met onstage at Temple’s Tomlinson Theater while rehearsing for a regional production of Grease.

Six productions as a couple and nearly 20 years later, Lakis and McClure are now touring the country with the Broadway production of Mrs. Doubtfire. They will perform at Philadelphia’s Academy of Music from Feb. 6-18 as part of the show’s seven-month tour.

“This is the seventh time we’ve gotten to work together in the 18 years we’ve been together, which is astonishing, I can’t believe I’m saying that,” McClure said. “Couples who are both performers rarely get to work together at all, nevertheless seven times, so we’ve been super lucky.”

Lakis and McClure portray Miranda and Daniel Hillard, a divorced couple amid a custody battle. With similar approaches to acting and a rich history between them, the couple depicts a struggling marriage with depth.

“It’s just a partner on stage and we just talk and listen and I love working with Rob,” Lakis said. “Unlike Daniel Hillard, who in the show is famously difficult to work with and selfish and not collaborative, constantly getting fired, Rob is a joy to work with.”

The musical, which debuted on Broadway in 2021, is an adaptation of the beloved 1993 comedy starring and produced by Robin Williams. The film was the second-highest-grossing film of that year and is now considered a classic comedy by many.

“‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ takes the inimitable character crafted by the late Robin Williams and presents a poignant musical experience with something for audienc-

es of all ages,” wrote Frances Egler, vice president of theatrical programming and presentations at Ensemble Arts Philly, in an email to The Temple News.

McClure is excited to be taking the show on tour after originating the titular role in the musical’s 2021 debut, which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Musical.

He feels the Broadway production captures the same heartwarming spirit that earned the film its place as the comedy classic it is today.

“The show is providing much-needed comic relief around the country, but it also has really subversive, huge heart, and I think that that’s what’s surprising to so many people,” McClure said. “They come expecting to laugh and they will, you know, I’m gonna hit myself in the face with a pie. I’m gonna light myself on fire. You’re gonna get all the things from

Mrs. Doubtfire, but at the same time, the show has been expanded since the film for a 2024 world.”

Along with their history of performing together, the couple is traveling with their five-year-old daughter Sadie for the first time and relishing the opportunity to show her the country.

“I mean, we’re driving everywhere on the tour, we’re not flying, just so that as a family we can, you know, stop at the world’s largest ball of twine and all the things,” McClure said.

Lakis, a Philadelphia native, is also excited to be back in her home city for the tour, as the family is able to stay in their own home for the February stretch.

She is thrilled to perform at the historic Academy of Music, a venue full of memories from watching Broadway icon Sandy Duncan perform in “Peter Pan” to performing there herself in 2017

during a tour of “Something Rotten!”

“It’s just beautiful,” Lakis said. “From our view, it is very beautiful when we’re up on the stage and it’s just again, the legends that have performed there. It’s really, it’s really powerful.”

annaaugustine@temple.edu

molly.fiske@temple.edu

PAGE 20

COURTESY / JOAN MARCUS

The Temple News

Former Temple student Maggie Lakis and husband Rob McClure are starring in Broadway’s Mrs. Doubtfire at the Academy of Music from Feb. 6-18.

CAMPUS

Temple Rome Adult Study Abroad expands horizons

The university’s Adult Study Abroad program attracts a range of non-student participants.

BY MOLLY FISKE Features Editor

After missing out on study abroad as an undergraduate, Caley Pantalone, a 2017 advertising account management alumna, spent six weeks with Adult Study Abroad at Temple Rome in Fall 2022 to fully immerse herself in Italian culture, living with Roman citizens and traveling outside of the city in her free time.

By the end, she didn’t want to return to the United States with the rest of her cohort and took a leap of faith to continue her life abroad. Now, she works as a language assistant in Madrid, Spain, while pursuing a Master’s degree in bilingual and multicultural education at Universidad de Alcalá.

“That experience in the ASA program helped me understand that taking a leap like this is possible for me,” Pantalone said. “As scary as it is to just hop on a plane and go to a foreign country without knowing a lot of people, and just putting down roots where you land is possible.”

Since 1966, Temple Rome, nestled across the Tiber River from the Roman Prati neighborhood, has served as a temporary home to thousands of Temple students looking to indulge in the Cacio e Pepe, Aperol Spritzes’ and Renaissance art life abroad offers.

Now, ASA at Temple Rome, a sixweek, non-credit program, opens the doors for adults who aren’t currently Temple students to experience Roman study abroad adventures, too. This past year, the program has run three successful cohorts, more than they’ve done in the past.

AJ Fitzgerald, an English professor and coordinator for Academic Success and Career Opportunity at ASA, had been thinking of creating the program since he started working at the university in 2018. ASA allows anyone to apply

but provides discounts to Temple alumni and parents of students.

In 2019, the university ran a successful pilot program with one adult study participant alongside undergraduates. The program was meant to fully launch in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed the debut until Fall 2021, when around 10 participants traveled to Rome.

ASA then expanded from 31 total participants for two cohorts in Spring and Fall 2022 to nearly 45 for three cohorts in Spring, Summer and Fall 2023, with many previous participants returning for the 2023 sessions.

A participant’s schedule can be as elaborate as desired, with activities like weekend and daily excursions, cooking classes and wine tasting as an optional expense.

Steve DeCusatis, a 2002 graphic and interactive design alumnus and graphic designer, traveled abroad for seven weeks with his wife through the program in Fall 2022 while working remotely. The flexible program schedule allowed him to visit family in the Salento region of Campania, Italy.

“It was super special to have enough time to feel comfortable in your environment where you could just enjoy life as a local, you know, passing the gelateria after dinner and getting some gelato or not, or just walk and see the things that are super special,” DeCusatis said.

During the Fall 2023 semester, participants were mandatorily enrolled in Italian Language and Culture and Highlights of Rome courses.

All cohorts experience on-site activities, Italian Language and Culture brought students to marketplaces and Roman high schools for participants to practice their language skills.

During an optional Bay of Naples trip, the Fall 2023 cohort visited places like Sorrento and Pompeii and some stayed at a monastery converted into a hotel, which overlooked the Mediterranean Sea. During both in-class and optional expeditions, members of the ASA cohort developed close friendships.

Norma Mori, a 1977 counseling and psychology alumna, retired school counselor and member of the Fall 2023 cohort, was attracted to ASA’s language-learning

component to improve her Italian.

“We spent a lot of time together because we did these trips, trips, classes and all the rest of it, and it was really a nice experience,” Mori said. “We all found a way to get along with each other and have fun together.”

Since the introduction of the program, many alumni have called for other Temple campuses, like Temple Japan, to replicate the program, and other universities have even met with Temple Rome’s staff to inquire about how they can create abroad experiences for adults within their respective programs, Fitzgerald said.

“I think ASA, if it became a bigger sort of industry, it would just continue to benefit Temple because we have an established program, so I don’t really see it as competition,” Fitzgerald said. “I think of it as growing the pie, there’s so many destinations out there that other schools have more entrenched presences in than Temple does.

molly.fiske@temple.edu

PAGE 21 The Temple News FEATURES

COURTESY / TEMPLE UNIVERSITY Participants cooking together during the Fall 2023 Adult Study Abroad Program.

FEATURES

Enrollment drop hits Temple student organizations

STUDENT LIFE Clubs boost recruitment efforts as campus experiences a decline in student interest.

BY MOLLY FISKE Features Editor

Amid Temple’s recent enrollment decline, Louis Gutterman, president of Temple’s Interfraternity Council, has witnessed firsthand the decrease’s effect on student organizations as they struggle to recruit new members.

“With the enrollment crisis happening at Temple that affects student leaders more than anything, because the fewer people who want to come here, the less people are going to want to get involved with student orgs,” said Gutterman, a junior management information systems major. “Without student leaders, these orgs don’t survive.”

Temple’s decline in undergraduate enrollment has prompted tuition increases and budget cuts. Enrollment has dropped by almost 22 percent since the COVID-19 pandemic with 30,530 students in Fall 2023, down from 39,088 in 2019.

As the university is holistically experiencing the effects of a decrease in enrollment, Temple’s registered student organizations, like Greek life and Temple Student Government, have also seen a decline in students actively interested in interacting and joining their organizations.

No matter how much larger organizations — like Greek life chapters — on campus shrink, members will always be able to gain valuable experiences from participating, Gutterman said.

“[Enrollment decreases] affects morale overall, with not only Greek life, but with all student organizations, it gives Temple students the ability to get out of their comfort zone in some ways, but also to do something they may be passionate about or enjoy,” Gutterman said.

The university emphasizes self-advocacy in recruitment efforts, engaging students beyond discussions

specifically about Temple and focusing on aiding students in the college application process. The university prioritizes student experiences and services while addressing budget challenges, and individual college budgets are impacted by their enrollment numbers.

“I think we are seeing less engagement from the student side,” said Rohan Khadka, a junior secondary education major and president of TSG. “It’s not just that you come to school and then maybe you get a job or join a club, now it’s like, you come to school, what incentive are you doing? What extra curricular are you in? How many classes? So we’re coming to this competitive stage. So I think it’s very hard to even assess why [there’s a decline].”

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Temple’s Board of Trustees approved a 4.2 and 4.4 percent base tuition increase for in-state and out-of-state students, respectively, prior to the Fall 2023 semester as part of the university’s 2023-24 operating budget.

The increase marked the third consecutive year the university has raised tuition for students. Temple also implemented a 4 percent reduction in its budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year, amounting to around $49.6 million.

Mandatory fees for full-time students increased from $462 to $484 per term, with the extra funds allocated to supporting student health, wellness, counseling and other student support initiatives.

All full-time undergraduate students, graduate students with nine or more credit hours, full-time professional students and professional law students pursuing a degree, must contribute a $25 General Activities Fee each semester.

The fee is designed to foster and improve the educational, recreational, social and cultural aspects of student life, according to Temple. The funds generated from the fee are specifically allocated to support various activities and events for the benefit of the students.

Other clubs and organizations registered and recognized by the uni-

versity also receive some of this funding through Temple Students Government’s allocations. TSG was allocated $155,000 to delegate to RSO’s at their discretion for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

The Allocations program supports student groups, fraternities and sororities that are officially recognized by Student Activities and are in good standing. To be in good standing, these groups must have fulfilled all yearly obligations, like re-registration and basic organizational requirements. Fraternities and sororities also need to meet specific standards of recognition through the Diamond Accreditation program.

Temple’s Student Activities receives some of this funding for events like Weeks of Welcome and Homecoming events. These events are typically when they see the largest amount of student participation and interest in events. Participation has generally varied during the past year. Some areas within Student Activities are thriving, while others are seeing slightly lower levels in participation, wrote Barbara Perlman, the director of Student Activities, in an email to The Temple News. RSO numbers are similar or above pre-COVID-19 levels.

“While there has been decreased participation in some areas of Student Activities, given the uptick in involvement in [registered student organizations] and large campus programs, it is unclear if that is a result of an enrollment decline or students being more intentional about how they are engaging outside of the classroom,” Perlman wrote.

GREEK LIFE

Temple has been home to various Greek life chapters since 1903, ranging from Multicultural Council to National Pan-hellenic, College Panhellenic and IFC. More than 1,800 undergraduate students are actively involved in Greek life on campus.

Victoria Cheung, vice president of administration for Temple’s Multicultural Greek Council, noticed a decrease in student interest during the past year, she said.

“I think the numbers are going

down and there are not many people interested in joining Greek life, with the new generations having different interests and joining cultural clubs,” said Cheung, a junior public health major.

Cheung’s sorority Alpha Sigma Rho, which is a part of MGC, started their first weekend of recruitment on Jan. 29 and will continue the recruiting process through Feb. 9. Panhel also hosted their recruitment weekend from Jan. 26-29, while IFC began theirs on Jan. 22 and NPHC hosted a “Black Greek 101” session on Jan. 24.

While all avenues of Greek life promoted recruitment efforts at the beginning of the new semester, some chapters saw a decrease in students actively attending recruitment or “rush” events.

Spring semester recruitment events arevital to the existence of a Greek chapter. Some chapters are allowed to recruit only upperclassmen in the fall, and freshmen aren’t permitted to attend recruitment events until the spring.

Some organizations rely on membership numbers more than others, as dues can fluctuate each semester depending on the amount of active members.

Panhel recruitment numbers also rely on the number of chapters; each chapter receives a quota of how many new members they can recruit depending on how large the new member class is, new member class sizes were determined Jan. 29. This same system is used at universities nationwide during formal recruitment. However, the recruitment process is different for each individual council.

Alpha Sigma Rho has hosted a substantial amount of recruitment events throughout the academic year like tabling events, fundraisers and collaborations with other RSOs for targeting freshmen and prospective members.

“This fall semester, our external vice president did a collab with VSA, the Vietnamese Student Association, and she also had a collab with the Chinese Student Association to gain more interest from different cultures and back-

PAGE 22 The Temple News

grounds,” Cheung said.

Alpha Sigma Rho hopes to expand their outreach through collaborations with other organizations and to gain interest from prospective students that haven’t considered Greek life before.

Alpha Sigma Rho has also utilized social media in its recruitment strategy. The chapter recently changed its Instagram theme to differentiate themselves from other organizations, helping them stand out to potential new members. They also utilize the account to connect and stay in touch with prospective members through Instagram direct messaging, Cheung said.

FUTURE OF RECRUITMENT

Khadka has used his role as TSG president to have continuous conversations with student organizations about how they are responding to decreased student interest in RSOs.

“We’ve been continuing our ongoing roundtables to really engage with student organizations to see how they’re feeling, how we can help and using the material information that we get from these conversations to create projects and align better with the student body to see how we can continue the interests on campus,” Khadka said.

Khadka has taken feedback from RSOs on topics, like the scheduling time for TSG town hall meetings, and has helped organizations update their Owl Connect with the most up-to-date information.

Most organizations are relying heavily on social media as a recruitment tool as they navigate smaller class admissions.

Student Activities utilizes their Instagram to communicate with students and announce events and they plan to revive their newsletter as another outreach method.

“We are also looking forward to reviving our student leader newsletter and are looking for other ways to keep students in the know, without inundating students with too much information and clogging up their inboxes,” Perlman wrote. “We also provide opportunities for formal feedback for many of our pro-

FEATURES

grams, this assessment allows us to better understand what students liked and didn’t like.”

Gutterman also promotes IFC through their own social media and through relations with other councils, like Panhel. However, being featured on Temple’s official social media pages is a goal of Gutterman’s.

“It would be nice to see if even the Temple University Instagram account could promote all Greek life in general,” Gutterman said. “That would be nice because you have to look for FSL, it’s not something that’s really promoted.”

Khadka sees the decrease in enrollment as a causation of many different complex issues both relating to campus and national trends. Across the country, undergraduate enrollment has plummeted by 8 percent from 2019 to 2022, persisting even as classes resumed in person. This decline marks the sharpest decrease in college attendance since 2018, according to Fortune.

TSG is utilizing communication, both with the university and from student organization leadership, to de-

termine how to best serve the Temple community.

“If students can’t make it for something, or if there’s not enough engagement on one thing, whether it’s a position that we’re trying to hire, or an event that they’re trying to get to then it’s on us as leaders and representatives to come together and say, “So what’s up? What’s going on? And how can we better shift the language?” Khadka said.

Anna Augustine contributed reporting.

molly.fiske@temple.edu

PAGE 23 The Temple News

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple clubs and organizations grapple with a decline in student interest and recruitment challenges amid a decrease in enrollment.

LIVE in Philly

The 26th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Festival, held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from Jan. 26 to Jan. 28 by Villain Arts, featured tattoo artists and vendors from across the country.

Ink, Studs & Feathers: The Philadelphia Tattoo Festi

Hosted by Villain Arts in 28 cities, the festival attracts artists and vendors from across the country.

BY FERNANDO GAXIOLA Assistant Photo Editor

Waiting

in a line wrapping around the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Abra Cook pulled her black hoodie over her hair as frigid wind peppered ticket-holders with a light drizzle. Returning for her second day to the 26th Annual Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Festival, Cook was scheduled to complete a tattoo on her right thigh –– a trio of grinning, purple Pokémon: Haunter, Gastly and Gengar.

“At this point, [my next tattoo] just kinda has to be hilarious,” Cook said. “I’m 35 percent covered. I’m intending to cover an amount of skin, I don’t really

care what it is as long as it’s stylistically and aesthetically true.”

Upon entering the Convention Center, Cook navigated through security and ticketing with years of festival-going experience, moving quickly past newcomers and up the escalators to the exhibit hall.

There, the Convention Center opened up into a cavernous 528,000 sq. ft of space, full from end to end with vendor tables decked out with artists’ banners and posters reaching down from the ceiling. The festival, hosted by Villain Arts, visited Philadelphia from Jan. 26-28, garnering more than 1,500 vendors.

Mexican artist German Ramírez started as an apprentice at Chicago-based shop Dream City Tattoos and has since worked his way up as a regular artist for the shop, he said.

“I start learning how to clean the area first,” Ramírez said. “How to put together the machine with the needle, the inks, and then I start practicing on fake skin and on my friends, for free.”

Sitting at Ramírez’s vendor table was a shirtless man with long, curly hair, with ink figures covering everything except an Illinois-shaped space from his neck down. Ramírez has been tattooing the man for three years, designing faces like those of drug-lord Pablo Escobar or Mexican revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata around his body.

While countless festival-goers could be seen laying, standing or sitting as artists worked on tattoos, the event by no means only trafficked in ink. Whole aisles displayed racks of merchandise ranging from artisanal shirts and posters to metallic artwork and taxidermy alligator heads.

At one end of the exhibition hall, a man dressed in a red hoodie, glasses and sport ing a red goatee got on the microphone and announced the next performance, like a raptor display or Aztec dance.

Villain Arts will continue taking its festival across the country, with Jack sonville, Florida and Thompson’s Point, Maine next in line.

“I grew up in this lifestyle,” said Dr. Carl Blasphemy, the emcee of Villain Arts, which hosts the tattoo festival in 28 cities. “My favorite part is the people. The family I’ve accrued, the friends I’ve accrued over the years we’ve all really become a tattoo family traveling each week. I see a lot of these tattoo artists and vendors sometimes more than I see my own family.”

f.gaxiola@temple.edu

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS

FERNANDO GAXIOLA / THE TEMPLE NEWS Participants gather from across the country to receive tattoos at The Philadelphia Tattoo Festival.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Wynter moves from hardwood to next generation

Camren Wynter made history. Then he found a new passion: coaching with Adam Fisher.

BY RYAN MACK Assistant Sports Editor

During his lone season at Penn State in 2022-23, guard Camren Wynter made occasional jokes to then-assistant coach Adam Fisher about joining his staff one day. Wynter didn’t know it, but Fisher took those remarks seriously.

Penn State’s 2023 season ended with an NCAA Tournament loss to Texas on March 18, and Fisher departed Happy Valley for North Broad Street to succeed Aaron McKie as Temple’s head coach. Meanwhile, Wynter was stuck deciding his future.

“After the season, it took me like a month to figure out what I really wanted to do,” Wynter said. “I knew I always wanted to go into coaching at some point. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try to go to the G League or go overseas.”

Fisher filled out his staff by dipping into his history and bringing on assistant Michael Huger, who coached with him at Miami, while also adding Bobby Jordan and retaining Chris Clark, but he had one more hire in mind. Fisher offered Wynter a spot on his staff, but hoped Wynter would decline so he could continue his playing career for as long as possible.

“I tried to talk him out of coaching when he first came up,” Fisher said. “I wanted him to go play – he had opportunities, so I wouldn’t even let him take the job. I spoke to his mom and dad. I remember he went home and went, ‘I want to coach, I want to coach.’ We had a strong connection; he’s someone that

I thought was going to be a great coach. But in reality, I wanted him to go play.”

Wynter refused to turn down the opportunity to coach. He decided to pursue his passion and joined Temple’s staff as Fisher’s special assistant.

After making history on the hardwood as a player, Wynter is helping lead the next era of Temple Basketball alongside his former coach, using his experiences from his time as a player to help the newest generation of Owls.

BETTING ON HIMSELF

Throughout his childhood, Wynter was no stranger to the game of basketball. He can’t recall too many times where he didn’t have a basketball in his hand.

His father, Maurice, played college ball at Nova University and passed his love for the game to Wynter. The two went to courts and gyms together, and Maurice gave Camren the confidence that he uses today.

“He just helped me everyday, went to the gym whenever I wanted to,” Wynter said. “He just kept developing even when things felt like they weren’t on my way. He always just instilled that confidence in me to keep going.”

That instilled self-confidence got Wynter through one of his toughest challenges: the high school recruiting process. Wynter was relatively unknown to college recruiters at the bigtime schools he hoped to play for. The Long Island native decided to bet on himself after four seasons at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville, New York.

Wynter pursued a postgraduate year at DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he played one final season of high school ball, hoping to impress recruiters. Though Wynter aver-

aged 14 points, six assists and two steals, the scouts weren’t moved, and he still received minimal interest from schools.

“I would say it was a little bit hard at the end of high school, not knowing where I was going to go or if I was going to get offers,” Wynter said. “I just kept doing the same thing: working hard, believing it will happen, and just having that confidence in myself and in my game.”

A few offers started to trickle in, and Wynter made the most of it. The guard took another chance on himself and decided to move up the East Coast and play at Drexel.

ACROSS THE SCHUYLKILL

Wynter arrived in University City in 2018 unsure of the impact he would have on the hardwood. That question was answered almost instantly.

Wynter exploded onto the scene once he arrived, making an immediate impact on head coach Zach Spiker’s squad. He finished his freshman season as the team leader in assists while earning then-Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year and Drexel’s most valuable player.

Wynter’s game kept gradually improving throughout his time in West Philadelphia, and the accolades kept rolling in as well. He was named one of the Dragons’ captains in each of the next three seasons and helped lead the team to a surprise NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021.

Many scouts and coaches felt the underrecruited guard was outplaying expectations, but Wynter felt he was showing the doubters what he was capable of the entire time. He finally had his opportunity to shine.

“Through those four years, I always carried that chip on my shoulder, that

‘I don’t belong’ feeling,” Wynter said. “Even when I was getting different accolades and stuff, I would always say to myself, ‘I wasn’t supposed to be here.’ I just wanted to keep proving people wrong and keep getting better.”

The player that few coaches wanted ended his undergrad career as one of the best to ever don a Dragons jersey. He finished third in program history in assists, sixth in points and eighth in steals.

Wynter entered the transfer portal in 2022 and, unlike his recruitment in high school, his phone started buzzing immediately with teams clamoring at the chance to have him play for them.

“Honestly, that was a crazy process,” Wynter said. “Not having as many offers coming out of high school, and then going into the portal and seeing what that kind of recruiting was like, it was kind of a blessing for me.”

HAPPY VALLEY

Wynter’s Drexel squad played against assistant coach Mike Farrelly’s Hofstra team several times in Wynter’s four years. After eight seasons with the Pride, Farrelly got a call from then-Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry and joined Shrewsberry’s staff as an assistant in 2021.

Farrelly led the Nittany Lions’ recruiting effort when Wynter hit the portal, trying to bring the Drexel standout to State College. Fisher was also a big part of the push.

“The three of us met with Cam, showed him our vision and how coach Shrewsberry wanted to bring him in,” Fisher said. “He took a visit with his dad, and I think he got to walk into Beaver Stadium. I think he looked around, and I said, ‘Hey, we don’t play here but we played next door,’ and I bet he liked all that.”

PAGE 26 The Temple News SPORTS

Wynter committed to the Nittany Lions in 2022 and started every game in his lone season. Penn State won the Big 10 Tournament in 2023 and reached the Round of 32 in March Madness before falling to Texas 71-66. The Nittany Lions would not have been there without Wynter, who finished his college career as one of nine Division I players since 1993 to have more than 1,900 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds.

Fisher and Wynter kept growing closer as the season went on. By all accounts, the pair were polar opposites. Wynter grew up playing ball while Fisher never touched the court, starting as a team manager who worked his way through the ranks. However, they both had one thing in common: their love for the game.

Fisher just so happened to have Wynter in his film group, and the pair would shoot around after practice al-

most every day. Their relationship began to blossom as time went on.

“My wife and I have the team and certain guys over the house a lot,” Fisher said. “Little groups come over to the house, have dinner and relax. Cam got to know my wife, got to know my little daughter, and loves them.”

NEW CHALLENGES

Wynter is just a 20-minute drive from where he began his college basketball career. He’s pursuing his newest passion with his mentor at Temple, and he is learning what it takes to move from the floor to the bench.

“Obviously being in a profession, things are different than just being a college student and playing basketball,” Wynter said. “I feel like having the experiences helped you a lot more than anything because you could just see things from a different perspective and you see

different solutions to the situation.”

Wynter wasn’t sure what to expect in his first season. The transition took some getting used to, and the new coach has even gone into Fisher’s office like he was still a player before Fisher reminded him he had an office of his own.

The former standout still had the itch to play after being on the floor for so long, so he still sees the game from a player’s perspective. He uses his previous experiences on the court to help the guards of the Cherry and White.

One of those players is guard Hysier Miller, who Wynter has taken under his wing. Miller credits Wynter with seeing the game from his point of view in certain situations since he had recently stopped playing.

“It’s been great working with Cam,” Miller wrote in a message to The Temple News. “He’s seen and played in so many big games. His experience in the city and

on the big stage in a Power 5 helps us because he’s been where we want to go.”

While his coaching career has just begun, Wynter has seen himself grow, and his work has paid off both for himself and for the players.

“I tried to give my input of what I would either do in the situation or what I used to see when I was in the game,” Wynter said. “I try to share those with the players. It’s a different feeling when you work out with them and you help them so much, and then to see them translate it to the game. It just gives you a great feeling.”

ryan.mack0001@temple.edu

@ryan_mack18

PAGE 27 The Temple News SPORTS

ROBERT JOSEPH CRUZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple Men’s Basketball Special Assistant Cam Wynter sitting on Temple’s bench during their January 20 loss to Rice University.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Chris Clark’s reliability makes him crucial to staff

Chris Clark has experienced the last four Temple coaches and been crucial for the program.

BY JOHNNY ZAWISLAK Assistant Sports Editor

For Temple Men’s Basketball assistant coach Chris Clark, last season’s dismissal of former head coach Aaron McKie was a challenging time. Clark found himself without a job after being a part of Temple’s staff for the last seven seasons. He decided to travel to the NCAA Final Four in Houston without knowing if he’d be coaching at all in 2023.

New Temple head coach Adam Fisher also flew to Houston just 12 hours after being hired to support his former coworker and current Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga. Fisher met with Clark during the trip with the hope of convincing Clark to stay on Temple’s staff.

“On the plane there, I said to my wife, ‘I’m going to meet with Chris and try and get him to stay,’” Fisher said. “We met out there, however many miles away from Philadelphia. He was our first transfer portal guy, we got to keep him. He just does such a great job.”

Clark viewed Temple as a beacon of hope while growing up in North Philadelphia. After a solid playing career, Clark became that beacon of hope on Fisher’s, McKie’s and former head coach Fran Dunphy’s staffs. He has become the lifeblood of the program, keeping the team’s Temple “TUFF” tradition alive across multiple staffing shuffles while striving to compete in the modern era.

Fisher’s meeting with Clark was not just about convincing him to stay; the two also sat down and talked about life. Fisher wanted to make a point to get to know Clark for who he was out-

side of basketball, what his family values were and to see how they would click.

“I really didn’t know what to expect, to be honest,” Clark said. “It was more of just getting to know each other. I think the most important thing for me and for him was that we aligned in what we believe in, not just from a basketball standpoint. I think that aligned more than anything, and I think that’s why I’m here working with Coach Fish.”

Clark attended St. Joe’s Preparatory School and considered other colleges coming out of high school. One of his top schools after wrapping up his senior season was the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

He was set to take an official visit at the end of his senior season and meet then-UNCG head coach Fran McCaffery, but he never ended up going. The idea of attending his dream school in North Philadelphia was an opportunity he didn’t have to think twice about.

Clark played at Temple from 200408 under both Hall of Fame head coach John Chaney and Dunphy. He learned a lot about life while playing for them and credits the coaches for the man he is today.

“It was more than just basketball; they taught you about life,” Clark said. “They made you a better man, made you a better human being. Obviously, the

basketball speaks for itself, but the life lessons that they taught truly stick with you.”

Not only does Clark credit Chaney and Dunphy for who he is today, but Clark feels he would not even be a coach if it wasn’t for Dunphy.

Clark had aspirations to play professionally after graduating from Temple in 2008. He tried to play in Germany, but he decided to set his sights on professional leagues in England instead. Then he got a phone call from Dunphy about a possible coaching opportunity at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.

PAGE 28 The Temple News SPORTS

ROBERT JOSEPH CRUZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS Temple assistant men’s basketball coach Chris Clark stands with the team of coaches during a timeout.

“I didn’t even know where St. Francis was,” Clark said. “He told me, ‘I want you to take the phone call. I don’t know what you want to do, but just take the call.’ I did that and went up there for an interview, but I honestly didn’t think I was going to get the job. I didn’t know anything about coaching.”

Clark received an offer from St. Francis just a week after his interview. He coached the Red Flash for four years before leaving to coach at Campbell University for two years.

Dunphy’s confidence that Clark would be a good coach comes from the player and person that he saw when he coached him during his senior season at Temple.

For the first time all season, Dunphy wanted to put Clark in the starting lineup for Temple’s final home game of the 2007-08 season against Duquesne. When Clark walked into the locker room and saw his name on a black chalkboard, he quickly disputed Dunphy’s decision to start him.

“He said, ‘I don’t want to start,’” Dunphy said. “He said ‘I’m comfortable coming off the bench, don’t put me in there for my last game as a senior at home.’ I told him, ‘I’m gonna do it anyway, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I’m gonna do it because it’s the right thing to do.’ He said, ‘No, don’t do it. Not only do I not care, but the guy that I’ll be replacing will care, and we need him to play well.’”

Dunphy took Clark out of the starting lineup and brought Clark in for a hug. He knew at that moment Clark would be a coach at some point and if he had the opportunity, he wanted to bring him onto his staff and work with him.

Clark left Campbell in 2015 to return to Temple as a video coordinator under Dunphy. After his first season back, a full-time assistant coach position opened up and Dunphy’s decision to hire Clark was ‘automatic.’ Clark has held that position ever since.

“He came back, and we got him on the staff,” Dunphy said. “It was great

to have him. He’s still on that staff and I’m not surprised by it. Whether it was Coach McKie or Coach Fisher. They’re gonna have a lot of confidence in him because he exudes that he’s a real student of the game. But I think he’s more a student of people’s personalities and ways.”

Clark has grown as a coach throughout the years and he focuses on developing a style that works for him and the players.

“You take from all the people that you learn from, you work with or play for,” Clark said. “My coaching style is probably very demanding but with love. I challenge the guys as much as I can, but I am also able to put my arm around them and tell them that I love them.”

Dunphy got Clark involved in the recruiting circuit around the time Clark became an assistant coach. Clark being from Philadelphia was a big factor in convincing current point guard Hysier Miller to come to Temple.

Miller credits Clark for the progress he has made during the years. He

and Clark have bonded during their long film sessions every day, working through what Miller can do better.

“He’s helped me a lot since my freshman year,” Miller said. “He’s worked with me to get better throughout my growth here. He’s just been a great mentor.”

Fisher knows Temple means everything to Clark, but it’s been his reliability and care that has gotten their relationship off to such a great start.

“I think he would run through a wall for Temple,” Fisher said. “But to be honest, he’d run through a wall for me. That’s the kind of guy you want on your staff. He’ll do whatever it takes, no matter what. If you ask him ‘Hey can you be at this game?’ He’s there. It’s been awesome with him.”

john.zawislak@temple.edu @JZawsisBTB

PAGE 29 The Temple News

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Inconsistencies plague Temple in conference play

Men’s Basketball is midway through Adam Fisher’s first year and struggling to find rhythm.

BY ETHAN BRIDDELL For The Temple News

At the midway point of head coach Adam Fisher’s first season at the helm, Temple Men’s Basketball sits at just 8-13 overall and 1-7 in American Athletic Conference play.

The Owls hoped for early success under their first-year head coach, but a lack of consistency on both sides of the ball has caused a hot and cold start to the season.

“It’s a season of ups and downs,” Fisher said. “The biggest thing we can do is just stay together through the good and the bad because you can see some nights you’re just not going to have it.”

Temple started the season on a hot streak, but suffered multiple losses to beatable teams in its out-of-conference schedule. When the Owls are at their best, the defense shines and the offense is efficient, but getting that version of the team consistently has been an issue.

The Owls opened up their out-of-conference schedule with three straight wins against Maryland Eastern Shore, Navy and Drexel. Temple’s defense shined against its opponents, forcing turnovers with its intense and aggressive playstyle.

While the defense impressed, the offense struggled to find a rhythm despite the early-season wins. Guards Jahlil White and Hysier Miller took a bulk of the offensive responsibilities; both guards averaged more than 15 points through the first three games.

The Owls suffered back-to-back losses to Columbia and Ole Miss but rebounded with a triple overtime win against La Salle for a spot in the inaugural Big 5 Championship game. The Owls’ offensive struggles caught up with them in the championship game against St. Joe’s, going on multiple scoring droughts leading to a second-place finish.

Guard Hysier Miller has averaged a team-leading 16 points per game but has been inefficient with the ball, shooting

just 34 percent from the field.

Miller has been the offensive focal point despite inconsistent shooting. He leads the team in shots attempted, with 100 more than the next closest player. When he struggles on offense, the entire offense typically goes on long scoring droughts.

“My teammates get me good looks,” Miller said. “Sometimes the defense gives me good looks, and coach [Fisher] trusts me to make them. So just got to be confident with them.”

White has struggled to stay healthy, missing seven of 21 games with a recurring hand injury he suffered on Nov. 18 against Columbia. Temple’s defense and rebounding has noticeably underperformed when he’s not on the floor.

White has seen success in his two most recent games back from injury, he has averaged just less than 10 points per game in the seven games since returning.

“I feel like my coaching staff and my teammates, they all do a great job of instilling the confidence in me,” White

said. “That’s all it is for me. Just confidence, not overthink the game. Just playing.”

When Miller struggles with efficiency and White has been out of the lineup, transfer guard Jordan Riley has stepped up. Riley is averaging 14.1 points in his last nine games.

Freshman guard Zion Stanford was another bright spot through the early part of the season, averaging 12 points through the Owls’ first nine games and providing the team with a spark of offense off the bench.

Stanford has played 70 total minutes in the 10 games since the NACB Brooklyn Showcase against Albany on Dec. 10. He was originally dealing with an ankle injury, but now it seems the dip in minutes stens from a lack of performance.

Temple is averaging the fourth least amount of points in the American Athletic Conference so far at just 70.1 points per game. The Owls also sit at 349th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 37.9 percent from the field.

The Owls have one of the smallest rosters in college basketball, mostly full of guards who rely on touches to find a rhythm on offense. Outside of Miller, White and Riley, no other player has stepped up as a scorer when those three are struggling.

Eight games into conference play, the Owls season has taken a nosedive and have lost six straight games. Many knew the first season under Fisher would be a rebuilding season, but the team will have to rally before the rest of the season becomes lost.

“We want to play our best basketball in March,” Fisher said. “All of these are situations that we learn from and take from. We’re going to compete, and if we play the right way we’re going to live with the results.”

ethan.briddell@temple.edu @briddellethan

PAGE 30 The Temple News SPORTS

ROBERT JOSEPH CRUZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS With an overall record of 8-13, Temple is on pace to finish a losing record for the first time since 2020.

Women’s Basketball showing major improvement

CONTINUED FROM 32

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Forward Rayne Tucker followed Richardson from Towson and was expected to anchor the frontcourt despite missing last season due to the NCAA’s two-time transfer rules. She ranks top 10 in the AAC in nearly every rebounding category and averages nearly eight rebounds per game.

“Being able to watch definitely gave me an opportunity to see what was missing and what the team needed,” Tucker said. “The rebounding and the defense is what Coach Richardson recruited me here to do, so I am just making sure to put an emphasis on that while being a threat down low.”

Tucker’s frontcourt mate, Ines Piper, started almost every game last season, and Richardson and her staff knew Piper could be a bigger factor. Piper put in work this offseason and has become a force on the glass, ranking in the top 10 in the AAC in offensive rebounds per game.

Piper and Tucker have pushed Temple to become one of the best rebounding teams in the country. The Owls rank fifth in the conference in total rebounds and have thrived on the offensive glass, ranking seventh in the nation in offensive rebounds.

Richardson has preached the importance of pressuring Temple’s opponents since she was hired, and those dreams have come to light this season. The Owls are forcing 20 turnovers per game, which is about 30th in the country.

Temple has forced double-digit turnovers in every game so far, including at least 20 turnovers in 10 games. The Owls are averaging 10 steals per game, and six players have 20 or more steals, led by guard Tiarra East’s 31.

“We always set a game goal for how many turnovers we are going to force a team to have,” East said. “We always rely on our defense to turn into our offense and that’s what gets us going.”

The Owls’ offensive rebounding and turnover margin have led to more opportunities on offense. Temple is top 20 in the country in field goal attempts, and all-conference guard Aleah Nelson leads the team with nearly 12 points per game. However, six other players are scoring at least seven points per game, which has taken some of the load off Nelson.

Temple has still struggled to capitalize on these opportunities, sitting in the middle of the pack in the AAC in field goal percentage at 39 percent. The Owls are struggling even more from beyond the arc, shooting just 29 percent.

“I think we get into our own head too much with trying to only focus on scoring,” Nelson said. “When we focus on defense, it allows us to force those turnovers and lead to easy runouts and easy transition points that helps build our confidence.”

Richardson also focused on depth this offseason, and that has paid off.

Freshman guard Tristen Taylor has made the biggest impact averaging seven points in 18 minutes per game while ranking second on the team in assists.

The Owls have found a recent string of success, but there is still plenty of basketball left. The offense has shown flashes of taking the next step but is still hampered by inconsistency and slow starts to games. Richardson knows she has the talent necessary to see success as long as they continue to play their brand of basketball.

“Our goal is to win the conference championship, and we are working on things now and clawing our way to the top,” Richardson said. “Nobody expected us to do that but we have confidence in ourselves, and maybe nobody else believes in us but we believe in ourselves.”

colin.schofield@temple.edu @colinschofield9

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SPORTS

The

News

ROBERT JOSEPH CRUZ / THE TEMPLE NEWS

Temple

Women’s Basketball showing major improvement

Temple is one of the top teams in the AAC at forcing turnovers and offensive rebounding, but they have to improve their shooting to stay near the top of the conference standings.

BY COLIN SCHOFIELD

For The Temple News

Head coach Diane Richardson had high hopes for Temple Women’s Basketball before her second season at the helm. The Owls were left with eight players before limping to an 11-18 record last season, and Temple’s depleted roster limited Richardsons’ “equal-opportunity offense.” She filled those holes in the offseason and has seen significant improvement.

Richardson has rallied the Owls to a 11-9 record, including a 5-3 start in American Athletic Conference play. While the Owls have lacked consistency, they have shown flashes of where the team could be headed.

“Not only is it great to have depth, but we don’t just have bodies; we have people that can

play,” Richardson said. “We can go at any point to the bench and sub in and not have a drop off in play, and our staff has done a great job with recruiting and player development.”

The Owls faced poor frontcourt play last season, finishing last in the AAC in total rebounds and second to last in rebounds per game. Richardson brought in new faces, including center center Jaleesa Molina, knowing the unit needed to be stronger, but the most improvement has come from two in-house players.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL | 31

PAGE 32 The Temple News SPORTS

TRAE BYRD / THE TEMPLE NEWS After starting the season 3-5, Temple Women’s Basketball is now 11-9 and tied for third in the American Athletic Conference.